Category: Gaming

MW3 Zombies: The Next Chapter of Dark Aether Starts with a Huge Revelation

When Modern Warfare 3 was revealed to have a Zombies mode that followed the ongoing story of Zombies, we were unsure of how Treyarch was going to approach establishing a third time period in the fast-growing narrative of the Dark Aether saga. We finally received our first look this week with the Modern Warfare 3 Zombies cinematic reveal trailer, following several teasers that showed clear links to the original chapter of Dark Aether from Black Ops Cold War. There’s a lot to cover so let’s get into it. Dark Aether was established following the ending of the original Aether saga …

Mortal Kombat 1 Review: Only a Few Frames Away from a Flawless Victory

As Mortal Kombat celebrates its 30th anniversary, you’d be forgiven for thinking the series might potentially start coasting along as a legacy title. Not many game series make it past 15 years, let alone 30 of them. Fortunately, this was never on NetherRealm Studios’ agenda, as the developer returns with the 12th mainline game in the franchise, Mortal Kombat 1, which includes a host of new systems and features that suggest the best is yet to come for the Mortal Kombat franchise. This isn’t a fighter past its prime; it’s a fighter in its prime. As the title suggests, Mortal …

Changing Stance: The Case for a Mortal Kombat ‘Kreator Mode’

I’ve loved the excessive gore of Mortal Kombat ever since discovering the franchise in my mid-teens. Every new instalment arrives with a bunch of fresh fatalities and brutalities, ready to make me laugh and cringe in equal measure at the mess of blood and guts left on the screen. I, along with many players, get a big kick out of all the different over-the-top ways to batter and finish your opponent. It’s a massive reason for the popularity of the series, with it infamously being responsible for the moral panic that resulted in the creation of the American ratings board, …

Alan Wake II is the Sequel of Dreams… and Nightmares

Alan Wake II received its second big news blowout at Gamescom this past week in anticipation of its (slightly delayed) October 27th release. With a trailer at Opening Night Live, followed by media reactions to a 40-minute demo focused on Wake’s side of the story, we now have a fairly good idea of how each half of Alan Wake II will play. Remedy is doubling down on the live-action elements of past titles and delivering not just a sequel that’s thirteen years in the making but also a game that encompasses the 28-year-old history of the Finnish game studio, from …

Modern Warfare Zombies Has the Potential to Surprise Us All

For the first time in Call of Duty history, Modern Warfare will have its own Zombies mode as part of Modern Warfare III.  Headed up by Treyarch, the mode looks to be a combination of Cold War’s Outbreak – an objective focussed mode where players travel from region to region – and Modern Warfare 2’s DMZ – an extraction mode based on one large map and several additional smaller maps.   The mode will feature 24 players on one map and remain PvE, with enemies growing in strength as objectives are completed and players move towards the infection zone of the …

Modern Warfare 3: First Impressions

Modern Warfare 3 was finally revealed yesterday, and we received a surprising amount of information on all three pillars of this year’s Call of Duty.  Below are some brief first impressions of the game, and I’m pleasantly surprised at my own positive response to the reveal, after what can only be described as a massive buzzkill of a year, which started with the first look of Modern Warfare 2 at the poorly received “Call of Duty Next” event. Campaign Call of Duty campaign trailers always deliver, and MW3’s was no different.  All the familiar faces are there, Makarov looks as …

We are on the Brink of MW3

With the reveal of Modern Warfare 3 less than a week away, a trailer was released this past week to set the tone for the latest Call of Duty iteration, which is now confirmed to be headed up by Sledgehammer Games.  A tattooed figure walks through a gulag, as campaign gameplay flashes off the designs on his skin.  The droning hook of ‘Just So You Remember’ by Pusha T builds up to the reveal of the figure’s face, with the rapper stating “Just so you remember who you dealing with…”.  Any long term Call of Duty fan knows exactly who …

I’m Glad I Returned to DMZ…

With the reveal of Modern Warfare 3 imminent, I decided to drop back into Call of Duty for the first time since Season 2 of Modern Warfare 2. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the update, spending the majority of my time in DMZ, the extraction offshoot of Warzone. I fell off DMZ fairly early on as it very much lived up to its Beta status. I enjoyed the time I’d put into it, but the lack of things to do, mixed with the progress resets, made it something I didn’t find myself wanting to play much. The story and lore …

The Mortal Kombat 1 Information Keeps on Koming…

With the imminent release of Mortal Kombat 1 – a reboot of sorts following the outcome of Mortal Kombat 11’s two story chapters – series co-creator Ed Boon has unsurprisingly been a busy man.  From being on the interview circuit, to challenging fans to a game of “Truth or Troll” on social media, to a panel at SDCC, Boon has continued to reveal snippets of information about MK1 and tease future announcements.  The latest details about MK1 from SDCC are still dripping out, and Boon has taken to his social media platforms to answer fan questions regarding the game.  Below …

Call of Duty 2023: Second Chance or Cash Grab?

Although it looks like we have finally reached the end game of the Microsoft / Activision merger saga, the publisher won’t be out of the news for long with this year’s Call of Duty – seemingly Modern Warfare 3 – on the horizon.  Originally reported to be an expansion for 2022’s Modern Warfare 2, priorities have shifted and Sledgehammer Games is now set to launch a “fully-featured” premium Call of Duty release this year.  But is it really necessary?  It’s a difficult question to answer. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (2022) is the most financially successful Call of Duty …