Walk into any store that sells video games and you will no doubt be faced with two options for each game – the New version or Preowned. Preowned Games tend to be a bit cheaper and you can pick up some real bargains if you shop around and get lucky. But who benefits from these ‘bargains’ and are they as much of a good deal as we first think?
If you’re given the option of paying £40 for a game or £20 then its a no-brainer which you’d go for – cheaper the better, right? But what about when you’ve finished the game and want to get another? Do you borrow it to a friend or let it gather dust or do you take it a high street store and trade it in for cash or another game? It would appear that most of us are now opting for Trade-In which are then sold at cheaper-than-new prices so others can benefit from the bargain.
But when you are on the other side of the fence and trading your game in you are more often than not left feeling hard done to. For instance, just a few weeks after LA Noire was released we had completed and wanted to trade back in. Having paid £39.99 from a well known retailer we went back to the same shop and was offered £16. Checking the shelves later we saw it was on sale as pre-owned for £32.99. By our calculations that 50% mark-up being added by the retailer.
Lets break that down for a minute and go through who benefits and whatnot:
The gamer has just gained £16 towards a new title. If they buy a game ‘As New’ then that could cost around £39.99. The retailer will get a small profit from that game and the manufacturers of the game will directly benefit as it would be a sale towards that gaming company’s profits.
Preowned games – massive choice and discount
If the gamer decides to spend that £16 towards a pre-owned title (using LA Noire as an example again) then they are getting the same game at a cheaper rate, saving about £8 against the new version. However, the gamer will not be entitled to claim any pre-packaged DLC or codes that were included in the original version (as these are one-time claim codes). Also, the gaming company will receive nothing from the sale – not even a smiley face. The retailer, however, will recoup 100% of the money for that game. Sticking with the same example, if they gave us £16 for this game and someone else paid £32.99 then that retailer has earned a profit of £16.99. Not bad eh?
So at the moment the only people getting a raw deal out of this are the gaming companies and us for getting pittance for our LA Noire.
But this transaction has a knock-on-effect. As a direct result of LA Noire being sold as a pre-owned title, Rockstar/Team Bondai have lost out on a potential sale of an ‘As New’ title which damages their revenue and profits. Some of us might not shed a tear over this given that £40 a pop for a game is pretty steep as it is. But take into account what goes into making a game from start to finish and £40 doesn’t seem that bad.
There’s all the programmers, engineers, graphic designers, marketing & advertising, testing and manufacturing of the game/disc to be done. Games take months and years to create and even then some end up as a disaster so won’t sell as well. Add up all the costs to make 1 title, slice a bit off for retailer profit and £40 doesn’t go that far. Yes the games are sold worldwide and on many formats but distribution and coding for different platforms isn’t cheap either!
It might sound like we are sympathising with the manufacturers and creating a case for games to be more expensive – far from it!! We’re gamers as much as you.
Ads like this crop up everywhere for Preowned Games
But if the trend of retailers taking the lion’s share of the profits by selling pre-owned games then the game manufacturers will have to start cutting back to compensate and this means the end result of the games could start to suffer as well.
We’ve already seen a number of decent gaming studios having to close due to the economy but how much effect the pre-owned sales market has had on these studios is unclear. Gamers don’t seem to be buying less games so if gaming companies are going bust or being forced to be swallowed up by the big boys (Activision and EA) then surely the finger must point at pre-owned games?
The upsides of the Preowned market is of course that we as gamers and consumers get to benefit from cheaper games. Also the high street retailers (who are struggling due to the recession and online retailers) benefit with the profit from pre-owned games and therefore remain strong in business giving us more options of places to buy games from which can only be a good thing.
Its also becoming easier to trade in your games. So many retailers now offer this service and HMV have even go so far as to launch a free iPhone and iPad app called HMV RePlay so you can scan a barcode to see how much you’d get from their store!
Games developers have already started to take action against the preowned sales of games by offering special content with the ‘As New’ games. This might be early access to weapons or cars or something a bit more appetising such as extra missions that would otherwise have been a DLC option. Indeed the original example of LA Noire, the ‘Naked City’ case was bundled with our new game but wouldn’t have been available to the gamer buying our preowned copy. As well as this certain companies have now started adding a one-time use code for access to multiplayer modes. EA are the main player in this with Tiger Woods and Buletstorm being just 2 that spring immediately to mind although the second-hand gamer can purchase the online pass from the Playstation network or Xbox Live marketplaces.
Its not necessarily enough to make gamers opt for the more expensive option but it does make us compare the contents and price before we slide over to the cashier. We’re sure it wont be long before the market moves towards online activation codes as the PC gamers market does (although we appreciate this is more for anti-piracy). This would open up an entirely different can of worms though as that could force the high street retailers to extreme measures before they suffer too much…!
For more news and reviews of games and films visit the PlayEject site or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Preowned Games - Who Really Benefits?
Walk into any store that sells video games and you will no doubt be faced with two options for each game – the New version or Preowned. Preowned Games tend to be a bit cheaper and you can pick up some real bargains if you shop around and get lucky. But who benefits from these ‘bargains’ and are they as much of a good deal as we first think?
If you’re given the option of paying £40 for a game or £20 then its a no-brainer which you’d go for – cheaper the better, right? But what about when you’ve finished the game and want to get another? Do you borrow it to a friend or let it gather dust or do you take it a high street store and trade it in for cash or another game? It would appear that most of us are now opting for Trade-In which are then sold at cheaper-than-new prices so others can benefit from the bargain.
But when you are on the other side of the fence and trading your game in you are more often than not left feeling hard done to. For instance, just a few weeks after LA Noire was released we had completed and wanted to trade back in. Having paid £39.99 from a well known retailer we went back to the same shop and was offered £16. Checking the shelves later we saw it was on sale as pre-owned for £32.99. By our calculations that 50% mark-up being added by the retailer.
Lets break that down for a minute and go through who benefits and whatnot:
The gamer has just gained £16 towards a new title. If they buy a game ‘As New’ then that could cost around £39.99. The retailer will get a small profit from that game and the manufacturers of the game will directly benefit as it would be a sale towards that gaming company’s profits.
Preowned games – massive choice and discount
If the gamer decides to spend that £16 towards a pre-owned title (using LA Noire as an example again) then they are getting the same game at a cheaper rate, saving about £8 against the new version. However, the gamer will not be entitled to claim any pre-packaged DLC or codes that were included in the original version (as these are one-time claim codes). Also, the gaming company will receive nothing from the sale – not even a smiley face. The retailer, however, will recoup 100% of the money for that game. Sticking with the same example, if they gave us £16 for this game and someone else paid £32.99 then that retailer has earned a profit of £16.99. Not bad eh?
So at the moment the only people getting a raw deal out of this are the gaming companies and us for getting pittance for our LA Noire.
But this transaction has a knock-on-effect. As a direct result of LA Noire being sold as a pre-owned title, Rockstar/Team Bondai have lost out on a potential sale of an ‘As New’ title which damages their revenue and profits. Some of us might not shed a tear over this given that £40 a pop for a game is pretty steep as it is. But take into account what goes into making a game from start to finish and £40 doesn’t seem that bad.
There’s all the programmers, engineers, graphic designers, marketing & advertising, testing and manufacturing of the game/disc to be done. Games take months and years to create and even then some end up as a disaster so won’t sell as well. Add up all the costs to make 1 title, slice a bit off for retailer profit and £40 doesn’t go that far. Yes the games are sold worldwide and on many formats but distribution and coding for different platforms isn’t cheap either!
It might sound like we are sympathising with the manufacturers and creating a case for games to be more expensive – far from it!! We’re gamers as much as you.
Ads like this crop up everywhere for Preowned Games
But if the trend of retailers taking the lion’s share of the profits by selling pre-owned games then the game manufacturers will have to start cutting back to compensate and this means the end result of the games could start to suffer as well.
We’ve already seen a number of decent gaming studios having to close due to the economy but how much effect the pre-owned sales market has had on these studios is unclear. Gamers don’t seem to be buying less games so if gaming companies are going bust or being forced to be swallowed up by the big boys (Activision and EA) then surely the finger must point at pre-owned games?
The upsides of the Preowned market is of course that we as gamers and consumers get to benefit from cheaper games. Also the high street retailers (who are struggling due to the recession and online retailers) benefit with the profit from pre-owned games and therefore remain strong in business giving us more options of places to buy games from which can only be a good thing.
Its also becoming easier to trade in your games. So many retailers now offer this service and HMV have even go so far as to launch a free iPhone and iPad app called HMV RePlay so you can scan a barcode to see how much you’d get from their store!
Games developers have already started to take action against the preowned sales of games by offering special content with the ‘As New’ games. This might be early access to weapons or cars or something a bit more appetising such as extra missions that would otherwise have been a DLC option. Indeed the original example of LA Noire, the ‘Naked City’ case was bundled with our new game but wouldn’t have been available to the gamer buying our preowned copy. As well as this certain companies have now started adding a one-time use code for access to multiplayer modes. EA are the main player in this with Tiger Woods and Buletstorm being just 2 that spring immediately to mind although the second-hand gamer can purchase the online pass from the Playstation network or Xbox Live marketplaces.
Its not necessarily enough to make gamers opt for the more expensive option but it does make us compare the contents and price before we slide over to the cashier. We’re sure it wont be long before the market moves towards online activation codes as the PC gamers market does (although we appreciate this is more for anti-piracy). This would open up an entirely different can of worms though as that could force the high street retailers to extreme measures before they suffer too much…!
For more news and reviews of games and films visit the PlayEject site or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
If you’re given the option of paying £40 for a game or £20 then its a no-brainer which you’d go for – cheaper the better, right? But what about when you’ve finished the game and want to get another? Do you borrow it to a friend or let it gather dust or do you take it a high street store and trade it in for cash or another game? It would appear that most of us are now opting for Trade-In which are then sold at cheaper-than-new prices so others can benefit from the bargain.
But when you are on the other side of the fence and trading your game in you are more often than not left feeling hard done to. For instance, just a few weeks after LA Noire was released we had completed and wanted to trade back in. Having paid £39.99 from a well known retailer we went back to the same shop and was offered £16. Checking the shelves later we saw it was on sale as pre-owned for £32.99. By our calculations that 50% mark-up being added by the retailer.
Lets break that down for a minute and go through who benefits and whatnot:
The gamer has just gained £16 towards a new title. If they buy a game ‘As New’ then that could cost around £39.99. The retailer will get a small profit from that game and the manufacturers of the game will directly benefit as it would be a sale towards that gaming company’s profits.
Preowned games – massive choice and discount
If the gamer decides to spend that £16 towards a pre-owned title (using LA Noire as an example again) then they are getting the same game at a cheaper rate, saving about £8 against the new version. However, the gamer will not be entitled to claim any pre-packaged DLC or codes that were included in the original version (as these are one-time claim codes). Also, the gaming company will receive nothing from the sale – not even a smiley face. The retailer, however, will recoup 100% of the money for that game. Sticking with the same example, if they gave us £16 for this game and someone else paid £32.99 then that retailer has earned a profit of £16.99. Not bad eh?
So at the moment the only people getting a raw deal out of this are the gaming companies and us for getting pittance for our LA Noire.
But this transaction has a knock-on-effect. As a direct result of LA Noire being sold as a pre-owned title, Rockstar/Team Bondai have lost out on a potential sale of an ‘As New’ title which damages their revenue and profits. Some of us might not shed a tear over this given that £40 a pop for a game is pretty steep as it is. But take into account what goes into making a game from start to finish and £40 doesn’t seem that bad.
There’s all the programmers, engineers, graphic designers, marketing & advertising, testing and manufacturing of the game/disc to be done. Games take months and years to create and even then some end up as a disaster so won’t sell as well. Add up all the costs to make 1 title, slice a bit off for retailer profit and £40 doesn’t go that far. Yes the games are sold worldwide and on many formats but distribution and coding for different platforms isn’t cheap either!
It might sound like we are sympathising with the manufacturers and creating a case for games to be more expensive – far from it!! We’re gamers as much as you.
Ads like this crop up everywhere for Preowned Games
But if the trend of retailers taking the lion’s share of the profits by selling pre-owned games then the game manufacturers will have to start cutting back to compensate and this means the end result of the games could start to suffer as well.
We’ve already seen a number of decent gaming studios having to close due to the economy but how much effect the pre-owned sales market has had on these studios is unclear. Gamers don’t seem to be buying less games so if gaming companies are going bust or being forced to be swallowed up by the big boys (Activision and EA) then surely the finger must point at pre-owned games?
The upsides of the Preowned market is of course that we as gamers and consumers get to benefit from cheaper games. Also the high street retailers (who are struggling due to the recession and online retailers) benefit with the profit from pre-owned games and therefore remain strong in business giving us more options of places to buy games from which can only be a good thing.
Its also becoming easier to trade in your games. So many retailers now offer this service and HMV have even go so far as to launch a free iPhone and iPad app called HMV RePlay so you can scan a barcode to see how much you’d get from their store!
Games developers have already started to take action against the preowned sales of games by offering special content with the ‘As New’ games. This might be early access to weapons or cars or something a bit more appetising such as extra missions that would otherwise have been a DLC option. Indeed the original example of LA Noire, the ‘Naked City’ case was bundled with our new game but wouldn’t have been available to the gamer buying our preowned copy. As well as this certain companies have now started adding a one-time use code for access to multiplayer modes. EA are the main player in this with Tiger Woods and Buletstorm being just 2 that spring immediately to mind although the second-hand gamer can purchase the online pass from the Playstation network or Xbox Live marketplaces.
Its not necessarily enough to make gamers opt for the more expensive option but it does make us compare the contents and price before we slide over to the cashier. We’re sure it wont be long before the market moves towards online activation codes as the PC gamers market does (although we appreciate this is more for anti-piracy). This would open up an entirely different can of worms though as that could force the high street retailers to extreme measures before they suffer too much…!
For more news and reviews of games and films visit the PlayEject site or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Microsoft Kinect versus Sony Move
The next generation consoles seem to be quite a way off being released – there’s no scheduled date for any new Xbox (despite the many fanboys hoping for an Xbox 720 this year), Sony will no doubt be doing some serious damage limitation after their PSN fiasco and Nintendo are releasing a newer Wii but only to match the power of the Xbox 360 and PS3.
The only real developments we’ve seen are the introductions of the Microsoft Kinect and the Sony Move – both are motion controllers for their respective consoles – but who is using them and why aren’t these devices selling like hot cakes?
Microsoft Kinect
Most gamers will know about the Kinect by now – its been out a while and has been hyped up not only by the media but had a decent build up due to some great looking trailers and TV ad campaigns. 10 days after its launch in the US, Microsoft reported selling over a whopping one million Kinect devices – not bad.
Using its multiple cameras to work out distance as well as full body movement, the Microsoft Kinect plugs into the Xbox 360 and can be used as a controller for the navigation of menus as well as playing certain Kinect-compatible games. The voice activation features of the Kinect also allow you to perform certain actions on the Xbox 360 menus such as play a DVD and shut down the console, etc.
But its the games that most people will be interested in – boasting full body movement pickup, the Kinect was to set the world alight. Unfortunately, 6 months on from its release we are yet to see anything ground breaking or amazing. Yes the launch title games were great to play with friends or as a demonstration of the capabilities of the Kinect but major game releases are still based around the standard controller with only a handful of major games having Kinect compatibility – Tiger Woods: The Masters 2012 being the biggest release to date.
For all the features and promises the Kinect has, there are downsides aside from the lack of games for the more hardcore gamer. Many people reported a lack of responsiveness to their movements if they moved too quickly and others found themselves in the embarrassing situation of realising the Kinect takes pictures every so often during your gaming session – which could be more down to users not being aware of the full features of the Kinect and not knowing how to switch this off or on.
The fear is that unless the big boys of the developer industry release some serious titles for the Kinect soon, the device might end up being a glorified Wii or expensive gimic. For party games and kids the Kinect is ideal – with Kinect Adventures and Kinectimals and Dance Central being the biggest sellers but with the biggest titles of the year: Gears of War 3, MW3 and Batman Arkham City; not one of these will have Kinect features (so far)! So far its only really Forza 4 that looks like being of any real substance but how that actually works is yet to be seen…
PlayStation Move
Sony are never known for being outdone by competitors. They may have been a bit late to the next-gen console race but the PS3 sales have grown and seen some brilliant PS3-exclusive titles such as Heavy Rain and Little Big Planet 2. So a motion-based controller was a natural progression given the success of the Wii and what was promised from the Kinect.
The Sony Move was born. And at the much lower price than the Kinect!
The Sony Move is essentially a handheld controller (much in the same fashion as the Nintendo Wii Motion Controller) who’s movements are picked up by the Sony Eye camera (sold with the Sony Move Starter Kit). The Move controller fits easily into the players hand and has the key buttons on the handset as well as a globe on the top end of the controller which lights up depending on which player you are. The Sony Move controller itself is relatively comfy to hold and feels well built and is curved with ergonomics in mind.
The advantage of having a handheld controller like the Move over the Kinect is that you typically require less space to play most games in. The Kinect does require a lot of space to play properly whereas the Move can be controller by standing pretty much anywhere (within reason) or even sat down. Also, as the Move is controller based, there are already other gizmos that can be used with it – the main one being the Move Gun Controller. Rather than using a standard 6-axis controller to run around a battlefield, you can pick up the Move Gun and roam around as if you were actually in the game. Its a great way to enhance the gameplay experience – we tested it on Killzone 3 and after a few embarrassing tries we got the hang of it: navigating your way around a map with the built in buttons and aiming and shooting with the gun is great fun.
That opens up the whole market as far as we can see and wonder how long developers pick up on this and release things like the Move Wheel for playing Need for Speed or the Move Racket for Virtua Tennis 4, etc.
The major downside of the Move is that because its not a full body scanner, some movements can be lost – playing Virtua Tennis 4 for example, we realised that gentle flicks or subtle movements were sometimes registered as completely different shots meaning we had to adjust the way we played the game to how the game wanted us to play it. Also, if you want to play multiplayer Move games on the same console you will need to fork out for an additional Move Controller as you only get one with the starter pack.
The other big advantage the Sony Move has over the Kinect is that Sony are pushing the Move with their games. Taking a look at what is available on the PS3 you will see the little blue strip across the top of the case on so many of the latest releases to indicate games are Move Compatible. Even older games have been updated to have the Move compatibility – Heavy Rain being one that works so well. And thats a big advantage when you consider the lack of titles (good and bad) for the Kinect.
Kinect versus Sony Move
So which is the best? Well in terms of technical achievements, the Kinect wins hands down. It has so much to offer as a game accessory as well as general console functionality. So long as Microsoft can really lean on games developers to make some really decent Kinect titles in the next 12 months it will become a revolution.
However Sony Move is already building up a decent catalogue of games and is catering not only for the casual market but the more hardcore gamer as well by releasing the majority of its games as being Move compatible. But it doesn’t have the same level of technical ground breaking as the Kinect.
Tricky one to call but ultimately it comes down to how each gamer prefers to play as many are quite happy and prefer the standard controllers meaning all this Kinect/Move could be a massive waste of time…!
The only real developments we’ve seen are the introductions of the Microsoft Kinect and the Sony Move – both are motion controllers for their respective consoles – but who is using them and why aren’t these devices selling like hot cakes?
Microsoft Kinect
Most gamers will know about the Kinect by now – its been out a while and has been hyped up not only by the media but had a decent build up due to some great looking trailers and TV ad campaigns. 10 days after its launch in the US, Microsoft reported selling over a whopping one million Kinect devices – not bad.
Using its multiple cameras to work out distance as well as full body movement, the Microsoft Kinect plugs into the Xbox 360 and can be used as a controller for the navigation of menus as well as playing certain Kinect-compatible games. The voice activation features of the Kinect also allow you to perform certain actions on the Xbox 360 menus such as play a DVD and shut down the console, etc.
But its the games that most people will be interested in – boasting full body movement pickup, the Kinect was to set the world alight. Unfortunately, 6 months on from its release we are yet to see anything ground breaking or amazing. Yes the launch title games were great to play with friends or as a demonstration of the capabilities of the Kinect but major game releases are still based around the standard controller with only a handful of major games having Kinect compatibility – Tiger Woods: The Masters 2012 being the biggest release to date.
For all the features and promises the Kinect has, there are downsides aside from the lack of games for the more hardcore gamer. Many people reported a lack of responsiveness to their movements if they moved too quickly and others found themselves in the embarrassing situation of realising the Kinect takes pictures every so often during your gaming session – which could be more down to users not being aware of the full features of the Kinect and not knowing how to switch this off or on.
The fear is that unless the big boys of the developer industry release some serious titles for the Kinect soon, the device might end up being a glorified Wii or expensive gimic. For party games and kids the Kinect is ideal – with Kinect Adventures and Kinectimals and Dance Central being the biggest sellers but with the biggest titles of the year: Gears of War 3, MW3 and Batman Arkham City; not one of these will have Kinect features (so far)! So far its only really Forza 4 that looks like being of any real substance but how that actually works is yet to be seen…
PlayStation Move
Sony are never known for being outdone by competitors. They may have been a bit late to the next-gen console race but the PS3 sales have grown and seen some brilliant PS3-exclusive titles such as Heavy Rain and Little Big Planet 2. So a motion-based controller was a natural progression given the success of the Wii and what was promised from the Kinect.
The Sony Move was born. And at the much lower price than the Kinect!
The Sony Move is essentially a handheld controller (much in the same fashion as the Nintendo Wii Motion Controller) who’s movements are picked up by the Sony Eye camera (sold with the Sony Move Starter Kit). The Move controller fits easily into the players hand and has the key buttons on the handset as well as a globe on the top end of the controller which lights up depending on which player you are. The Sony Move controller itself is relatively comfy to hold and feels well built and is curved with ergonomics in mind.
The advantage of having a handheld controller like the Move over the Kinect is that you typically require less space to play most games in. The Kinect does require a lot of space to play properly whereas the Move can be controller by standing pretty much anywhere (within reason) or even sat down. Also, as the Move is controller based, there are already other gizmos that can be used with it – the main one being the Move Gun Controller. Rather than using a standard 6-axis controller to run around a battlefield, you can pick up the Move Gun and roam around as if you were actually in the game. Its a great way to enhance the gameplay experience – we tested it on Killzone 3 and after a few embarrassing tries we got the hang of it: navigating your way around a map with the built in buttons and aiming and shooting with the gun is great fun.
That opens up the whole market as far as we can see and wonder how long developers pick up on this and release things like the Move Wheel for playing Need for Speed or the Move Racket for Virtua Tennis 4, etc.
The major downside of the Move is that because its not a full body scanner, some movements can be lost – playing Virtua Tennis 4 for example, we realised that gentle flicks or subtle movements were sometimes registered as completely different shots meaning we had to adjust the way we played the game to how the game wanted us to play it. Also, if you want to play multiplayer Move games on the same console you will need to fork out for an additional Move Controller as you only get one with the starter pack.
The other big advantage the Sony Move has over the Kinect is that Sony are pushing the Move with their games. Taking a look at what is available on the PS3 you will see the little blue strip across the top of the case on so many of the latest releases to indicate games are Move Compatible. Even older games have been updated to have the Move compatibility – Heavy Rain being one that works so well. And thats a big advantage when you consider the lack of titles (good and bad) for the Kinect.
Kinect versus Sony Move
So which is the best? Well in terms of technical achievements, the Kinect wins hands down. It has so much to offer as a game accessory as well as general console functionality. So long as Microsoft can really lean on games developers to make some really decent Kinect titles in the next 12 months it will become a revolution.
However Sony Move is already building up a decent catalogue of games and is catering not only for the casual market but the more hardcore gamer as well by releasing the majority of its games as being Move compatible. But it doesn’t have the same level of technical ground breaking as the Kinect.
Tricky one to call but ultimately it comes down to how each gamer prefers to play as many are quite happy and prefer the standard controllers meaning all this Kinect/Move could be a massive waste of time…!
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Predators - the tables are turned...
Predators – even the name sounds a bit scary. Afterall, its a word to describe something that hunts down its prey with the intent to kill. Being dropped into a dense jungle with no memory as to how you arrived with a bunch of strangers is also scary. Finding out you’re being hunted by a gang of Predators – well thats not much fun!!
And thats essentially how Predators begins – Royce (Adrien Brody)waking up in the middle of a jungle with some strangers and then going on the run to survive against the deadly enemies that are seemingly hunting for fun. The strangers introduce themselves to each other and between them work out that they are all highly skilled fighters of some kind. From Special Forces veterans to Japanese Yakuza (Gangster), it seems the best of the best are all thrown in together on what they soon discover is an alien world, home to the Predators, where they are hunted as part of a game.
The band of soldiers get some help from the strange character, Noland (Laurence Fishbourne) who has been trapped on the planet for years – surviving by learning about the Predators and hiding in an old crashed ship. Noland and Royce put together a plan to get off the planet but ego’s and tempers flare and cause disarray to the plans.
The twist on the traditional Predator story is clever – it has always been the Predators coming to Earth to hunt humans. Taking humans out of their comfort zone and hunting them for sport is a novel spin and in theory it works well. The action is mostly huge guns against the stealth of the aliens but the story moves along well for the action to stay in keeping and not gratuitous.
For the full Predators film review check out PlayEject.com
PlayEject - movies and games reviews
And thats essentially how Predators begins – Royce (Adrien Brody)waking up in the middle of a jungle with some strangers and then going on the run to survive against the deadly enemies that are seemingly hunting for fun. The strangers introduce themselves to each other and between them work out that they are all highly skilled fighters of some kind. From Special Forces veterans to Japanese Yakuza (Gangster), it seems the best of the best are all thrown in together on what they soon discover is an alien world, home to the Predators, where they are hunted as part of a game.
The band of soldiers get some help from the strange character, Noland (Laurence Fishbourne) who has been trapped on the planet for years – surviving by learning about the Predators and hiding in an old crashed ship. Noland and Royce put together a plan to get off the planet but ego’s and tempers flare and cause disarray to the plans.
The twist on the traditional Predator story is clever – it has always been the Predators coming to Earth to hunt humans. Taking humans out of their comfort zone and hunting them for sport is a novel spin and in theory it works well. The action is mostly huge guns against the stealth of the aliens but the story moves along well for the action to stay in keeping and not gratuitous.
For the full Predators film review check out PlayEject.com
PlayEject - movies and games reviews
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Forget about the Royal Wedding - become a King (or Queen) with Fable 3
Fable 3 is the latest installment from Lionhead studios that allows the player to become a hero or a villain in the massive open world of Albion. Set 50 years after Fable 2, the old king of Albion has died and reign has gone to Logan -a King who doesn’t seem to have the best intentions of the people at heart!
You play Logan’s brother – the Hero – who, after a blazing row with your older brother, flees the kingdom and ends up in the mountains with the Dwellers. Its from here that you start rebuilding your life and plan to build up a revolution of followers to take on Logan’s army in the Kingdom and become King yourself.
There are a huge number of quests and missions available – some are optional and are there to help boost your player with experience or money whereas others are part of the epic story. The missions vary from the early menial tasks of fetching or killing a few bandits, to much more interesting and in-depth missions where you will face some more advanced foes and test your skills in battle by using a combination of weapons and magic.
Whilst playing Fable 3 you’ll find yourself earning some money – not much at first but it will steadily build up. You can then chose what to do with your hard earned cash – buy some new weapons maybe, or some property so you have a place to stay and rest, maybe furnish the houses own to rent out, or even better – buy a shop so you get regular income over time. You’ll soon become a property mogul in Albion and end up owning most of the houses. Be careful though – the temptation to raise prices in shops or rent might seem like a good idea to make a quick buck but the citizens of Albion will start to dislike the idea of a tycoon taking all their money and will turn against you – making you slightly evil.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg as all your actions throughout Fable 3 will either make you loved or hated. As with previous Fable games, you can perform expressions on anyone you meet and try to charm them to get gifts off them, or scare people into doing your bidding. Each action will affect your Karma meter and end up with certain reactions from the locals – you have been warned.
But building up an empire and becoming King is just the start – we were quite chuffed with ourselves when we eventually gain the Kingdom through hard work and some great battles. But little did we know that was just half the game...!
For the full Fable 3 Review visit playeject.com
PlayEject - Movies and Games reviews
You play Logan’s brother – the Hero – who, after a blazing row with your older brother, flees the kingdom and ends up in the mountains with the Dwellers. Its from here that you start rebuilding your life and plan to build up a revolution of followers to take on Logan’s army in the Kingdom and become King yourself.
There are a huge number of quests and missions available – some are optional and are there to help boost your player with experience or money whereas others are part of the epic story. The missions vary from the early menial tasks of fetching or killing a few bandits, to much more interesting and in-depth missions where you will face some more advanced foes and test your skills in battle by using a combination of weapons and magic.
Whilst playing Fable 3 you’ll find yourself earning some money – not much at first but it will steadily build up. You can then chose what to do with your hard earned cash – buy some new weapons maybe, or some property so you have a place to stay and rest, maybe furnish the houses own to rent out, or even better – buy a shop so you get regular income over time. You’ll soon become a property mogul in Albion and end up owning most of the houses. Be careful though – the temptation to raise prices in shops or rent might seem like a good idea to make a quick buck but the citizens of Albion will start to dislike the idea of a tycoon taking all their money and will turn against you – making you slightly evil.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg as all your actions throughout Fable 3 will either make you loved or hated. As with previous Fable games, you can perform expressions on anyone you meet and try to charm them to get gifts off them, or scare people into doing your bidding. Each action will affect your Karma meter and end up with certain reactions from the locals – you have been warned.
But building up an empire and becoming King is just the start – we were quite chuffed with ourselves when we eventually gain the Kingdom through hard work and some great battles. But little did we know that was just half the game...!
For the full Fable 3 Review visit playeject.com
PlayEject - Movies and Games reviews
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Mass Effect 3 Preview - Read it here now
Mass Effect 3 will conclude the epic saga of Commander Shepard and his battle against the Reapers in the same amazing action as we've seen in the previous two Mass Effect releases.
If you've seen the trailer then you'll appreciate how amazing the cut scenes are looking and hopefully be as excited as the rest of the PlayEject team where when we watched a lone injured soldier take out an enemy with a single round from a sniper rifle. The camera pans back and reveals the soldier sat within the clock face of Big Ben in London with Reaper ships all around the capital and explosions seen all around. Pan out even further and we see Earth being decimated from every angle while looking out from aboard the Normandy over Commander Shepard's shoulder.
With the action taking place on Earth where Shepard is on trial - an extension to the main story that follows the latest DLC from Mass Effect 2, expect to see a number of famous landmarks that will mark numerous battles as you fight your way through the Reapers with the help of Quarians and Salarians and a few familiar faces.
There's not been any gameplay footage revealed at time of writing and Bioware haven't yet said what will happen to Shepard's powers that you earned throughout Mass Effect 2. Weapons are apparently no longer restricted by class and can be customised with pickups and collectables. We've also found out that the skill tree for shepard is more advanced than in the last outing, meaning more avenues to explore and enhance your player to suit your own style of play.
Biotics and Tech Powers make a return but as we've not seen them in action we can only assume they are going to be more of the same with perhaps some new additions thrown in?
Depending on what you did in the previous Mass Effect games will determine who appears in Mass Effect 3. For example, in one of the hardest interactive decisions we've made on a console game was in the original Mass Effect when we chose not to save Wrex. Regretting that ever since, Mass Effect 2 continues with your decisions and ME3 is no different!
But for many, its not just the action and the exploring that grabs so many people to enjoy Mass Effect - its the story and the levelling up and the story reaches its climax in this third outing - maybe we will finally find out who the Illusive Man really is and what he has in store for Sherpard, T'Soni, Captain Anderson and your other team mates.
Due to arrive in November 2011, PlayEject will keep you updated with more when we have it!
If you've seen the trailer then you'll appreciate how amazing the cut scenes are looking and hopefully be as excited as the rest of the PlayEject team where when we watched a lone injured soldier take out an enemy with a single round from a sniper rifle. The camera pans back and reveals the soldier sat within the clock face of Big Ben in London with Reaper ships all around the capital and explosions seen all around. Pan out even further and we see Earth being decimated from every angle while looking out from aboard the Normandy over Commander Shepard's shoulder.
With the action taking place on Earth where Shepard is on trial - an extension to the main story that follows the latest DLC from Mass Effect 2, expect to see a number of famous landmarks that will mark numerous battles as you fight your way through the Reapers with the help of Quarians and Salarians and a few familiar faces.
There's not been any gameplay footage revealed at time of writing and Bioware haven't yet said what will happen to Shepard's powers that you earned throughout Mass Effect 2. Weapons are apparently no longer restricted by class and can be customised with pickups and collectables. We've also found out that the skill tree for shepard is more advanced than in the last outing, meaning more avenues to explore and enhance your player to suit your own style of play.
Biotics and Tech Powers make a return but as we've not seen them in action we can only assume they are going to be more of the same with perhaps some new additions thrown in?
Depending on what you did in the previous Mass Effect games will determine who appears in Mass Effect 3. For example, in one of the hardest interactive decisions we've made on a console game was in the original Mass Effect when we chose not to save Wrex. Regretting that ever since, Mass Effect 2 continues with your decisions and ME3 is no different!
But for many, its not just the action and the exploring that grabs so many people to enjoy Mass Effect - its the story and the levelling up and the story reaches its climax in this third outing - maybe we will finally find out who the Illusive Man really is and what he has in store for Sherpard, T'Soni, Captain Anderson and your other team mates.
Due to arrive in November 2011, PlayEject will keep you updated with more when we have it!
Due Date - Film Review
It would be easy to mistake Due Date as a bizarre follow-up to The Hangover with Zach Galifianakis playing an almost identical character, Ethan Tremblay – a wannabe actor who has some odd tendancies but is lovable, and Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) as a businessman stuck on the wrong side of America and desperately trying to make it home in time for the birth of his first born child.
Due Date is a simple enough story and you would think it be easy enough to get from one side of the USA to the other pretty easily nowadays but when Peter’s wallet is lost and he gets kicked off the airline, banned from all flights due to his reaction to Ethan’s antics, the due end up sharing a rental car together.
Its not just another Road Trip story though as there are some wake-up moments for Peter Highman as he tries to keep his anger issues in check while constantly being wound up by Ethan Tremblay and his ability to cause havoc wherever he goes.
Due Date is a film that most people should enjoy - some more than others, granted - but its an easy to watch film that we enjoyed relaxing to on a Sunday afternoon. Its not hard to follow the plot and offers good comedy value. It might not be our favourite film but is definitely worth seeing.
For a full review of Due Date check out PlayEject.com
PlayEject - Films and Games review
Due Date is a simple enough story and you would think it be easy enough to get from one side of the USA to the other pretty easily nowadays but when Peter’s wallet is lost and he gets kicked off the airline, banned from all flights due to his reaction to Ethan’s antics, the due end up sharing a rental car together.
Its not just another Road Trip story though as there are some wake-up moments for Peter Highman as he tries to keep his anger issues in check while constantly being wound up by Ethan Tremblay and his ability to cause havoc wherever he goes.
Due Date is a film that most people should enjoy - some more than others, granted - but its an easy to watch film that we enjoyed relaxing to on a Sunday afternoon. Its not hard to follow the plot and offers good comedy value. It might not be our favourite film but is definitely worth seeing.
For a full review of Due Date check out PlayEject.com
PlayEject - Films and Games review
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