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To be able to pause a battle, and take over on the Vita when someone decides they want to watch something on cable, is a great way to continue your battles without creating a battle in your living room. The combat controls transfer over nicely and the game still looks fantastic on that little screen. Those cutscenes are more watchable that way as well.
While the announcing for the game is pretty much the same, the in-game atmosphere is hands down the best it has ever been in a Madden title. The crowds of the stadiums will actually react to what is going on within the game itself. If you are a visiting team and are dominating the home team, the camera will show audience people leaving the stadium in disappointment. Home teams that get a critical big play that results in a crucial first down or touchdown will cause the crowd to erupt in excitement. This adds a lot to the overall feeling in the stadiums as you are playing it, and just immerses gamers that much more.
Knack is technically impressive with its utilization of extreme particle physics and bringing to life what could have easily been a Dreamworks animated film, but the gameplay does little to really satisfy. Players who seek a challenge may find enjoyment in tackling the tougher difficulties, but most won't find enough satisfying game or story behind the technical demonstration to warrant classifying this as a great PS4 experience. If you simply can't wait for more PS4 releases, Knack isn't a terrible game, but it will be forgotten very quickly as more titles beyond the launch period are released.
Warframe is a fun free-to-play game that fits in with the launch line-up of the PS4 nicely. It's not a groundbreaking game, and it's not in contention for game of the year, but that doesn't mean it's not a fun. Find you a group of gamers that are willing to work together, and you can easily spend hours traveling through the solar system, taking out aliens and bad guys right and left.
While I haven't had the chance to play the final release for NBA 2K14 on the PS4, I did review NBA 2K13 for the PS3 and would strongly suggest, if you are in the market for a great NBA game and haven't bought a PS4 yet, forgo NBA Live 14 and just pick up NBA 2k13 used somewhere. NBA 2K14 released for the PS3 already, and our staff review lets you know it's really just a season refresher without much for new bells and whistles. Stay tuned for our PS4 NBA 2K14 review as that version should feed your need for a slam dunk for the next gen.
There's not all that much more to it, but the action-packed shooting can get extremely hectic and challenging—teetering on the fine line of being overwhelming, but never to the game's detriment. It's also fast-paced, fun, and incredibly addicting. Something about it really puts you "in the zone" where it's difficult to take your eyes off the frenzy of shooting and explosions. The soundtrack of heart-pumping house music helps tie it all together, making for an exhilarating experience through and through.
Another change I found in this version of FIFA was the amount of shoulder to shoulder combat happening all over the pitch. Lose your step for a second and you have someone bearing down on you and shouldering you off the wall. The soccer ball also sees a change, as in years' past it felt attached to a players' foot. In this version however, the ball rolls off your foot a lot easier and bounces around between players with greater frequency. This causes a lot less static play, with a greater sense of battle and strategy to be found at a quicker pace.
Warzone multiplayer rounds out the Killzone: Shadow Fall package, and is exactly what you would expect from Killzone multiplayer. Gameplay-wise it resembles that of Killzone 3 very much, and isn't that big of an evolution for a next-gen title. Warzone matches are highly customizable, leading to some fun or hectic situations. And there's a great active community of Killzone players just waiting to start playing and occupy those servers, which have been very stable thus far.
So, how do you make a series still feel fresh after twenty titles? By listening to your fans, knowing what works and what the fans want, and by delivering a game that's more than just a seasonal refresher. Need for Speed Rivals is clearly ready for the next generation of gaming, and so are we.
Ultimately, Call of Duty: Ghosts can be considered as the standard for what has become expected from the franchise, but even if it isn't a drastic departure from what some have grown to hate or love, it is still a product that is tremendously fun to play with your friends and has enough options to keep you playing for hundreds of hours.
I just wish there was a more elegant solution for touch-screen gameplay that simply doesn’t translate to platforms other than Wii U, where Legends was conceptualized and built first. If you loved Origins, there’s even more to love here, and if you haven’t had a chance to play Rayman’s return to 2D, there’s no excuse for missing out on Rayman Legends.
There’s absolutely no reason not to give Spelunky a go, it’s probably one of the best games out for the moment on the Vita and even on the PlayStation 3. You’ll be coming back to it time and time again, not just to hone your skills or take revenge at it, but also to see what’s next. It’s a brilliantly conceived idea that makes for a great reason to just keep going at it. The rewards are boundless. If you survive, that is.