Added: 23.06.2015 1:36 | 5 views | 0 comments

Unlike other massively multiplayer games, Wander does not begin with you tuning sliders and picking palettes to create a character or accepting a fetch quest from a non-player character, because neither of those options exist. Nor do you have to kill ten of X, because combat or creatures are nowhere to be found. The only to-do list is the list of achievements, most of which read like chores. Wander focuses on exploration and wants to be a refreshing new contender, yet it’s nothing more than a glitchy, boring mess.

Instead of embracing the aforementioned genre standbys, Wander starts you off playing as a humanoid tree creature known as an Oren. This Tolkien-inspired being moves around the island at a grueling pace trying to find a transformation stone as soon as possible. The forest floor only has a few paths at the beginning, yet you can still find a dead end, requiring you to backtrack at the speed of a turtle. The game, whose sole purpose is exploration, penalizes you for doing just that in the first five minutes.

Once finding the stone in a nearby cave, the Oren shrinks and becomes a Hira: a nimble figure with fins that act as a wingsuit. Once you transform, there’s no reason to even think about returning to your prior ineffective form. However, shortly after freeing myself from the Oren’s fetters, the game crashed, and I knew this would be an unpleasant walkabout.

As a Hira, you can glide like an ice skater, walk under water, stop time, and burrow through earth. Oh wait--those are movement glitches, bugs, not features. The graphics are another imperfection. Although it was made with CryEngine, Wander looks like an extension of Playstation Home. Textures are flat and dull, if they even load at all. Trees and vegetation flicker in and out of existence as they sway in the coastal breeze. Ponds vanish, and you swim through the air and on dry beds of rock. The plants farther down the road are identical to the ones that came before, and my eyes glazed over scanning the thick brush for something unique or captivating. Each summited outcropping teases a view of a breathtaking landscape, but disappointment sinks in every time. The Hira is a marooned sailor destined to die from monotony on an island prison.

Wander’s narrative is supplied via lore stones, which are similar to the audio logs found in games like . These rocks provide meaningless blurbs discussing flora and fauna rather than any actual story or plot. After finding the first lore stone, the map room is unlocked. In this cave, you can also switch between four different forms, such as an aquatic lizard or a flying griffin, at will. However, the relief map itself is useless without a “You Are Here” marker.

In addition to the lore and transformation stones, pillars give the gift of speech. Each found stone lets players speak necessary words, like “hello,” and extremely specific terms that you will never need to utter, like “thermal.” You say sentences by drawing the corresponding glyph on the DualShock’s touchpad and hoping the gods accept your handwriting. Chances are they won’t. Thankfully, there’s an alternative method, but it requires cycling through each individual gleaned word on the D-pad. Then, when the controller is idling on the coffee table, random words will sound without any input--not to mention, the same tutorial for the Rozhda language system plays, even if it’s your tenth time finding a glyph. The touchpad is also used to summon fireflies, but they never heeded my call, so I can only guess at their function. Luckily, I didn’t find any chatty players, so I was never forced to piece together a fragmented phrase from an obtuse mechanic.

The only respite provided in Wander is the lovely soundtrack composed by Benjamin Woodgates. The soothing vocals contrast with the grating gameplay and give life to the vacant land. However, the music rarely plays, and most sounds that graced my ears were the chirping of invisible wildlife. Otherwise, Wander is a sandbox constructed from rotted wood that lacks toys. Without character customization or any semblance of proper communication, the game has nothing to offer in place of its sacrifices. Like Sisyphus on a treadmill, I fruitlessly walked around in hopes of discovering something worthwhile. Unless this game can find its way, discovery will remain a lost cause.

Added: 22.06.2015 19:00 | 33 views | 0 comments

Added: 22.06.2015 15:19 | 8 views | 0 comments


An evil wizard has enchanted the magical Beasts of Avantia - only a true hero can free the Beasts and stop them from destroying the land. Are you the hero Avantia has been waiting for?

Embark on an epic action-adventure in a huge open world. Battle hordes of dangerous enemies and take on giant Beasts in huge boss battles. Explore snowy peaks and sandy beaches, seeking out ancient artifacts and lost treasures. Get ready for action-packed combat against multiple foes at once, timing your attacks, blocks and dodges to defeat your enemies. Complete quests to upgrade your equipment and give you the edge.

Only your skill and bravery can bring peace to the Kingdom of Avantia - it’s time to become a hero in BEAST QUEST!

Added: 22.06.2015 14:15 | 28 views | 0 comments


The primary social mechanism in most online games is the venerable guild, wherein like-minded players can band together in the pursuit of common goals. It's interesting to note that there are quite a few guilds that outlive the life an mmo as they move from one game to another. Another key feature of online games is the release of updates that usually add new features and content to the game. The upcoming Neverwinter Strongholds update contains content essentially only useful for guilds. This can be off-putting to other gamers. Are guild-only mmo updates a good idea?

Added: 22.06.2015 12:30 | 0 views | 0 comments

You'll have to solve the title-screen codex conundrum to win it

Added: 22.06.2015 9:15 | 9 views | 0 comments


A few weeks ago the CUH-12XX PS4 model was discovered, and today Sony Computer Entertainment officially announced its release worldwide. Only the CUH-12XXa with a 500 gigabites hard disk has been announced so far, but the console sports a 8% reduction in power consumption and a 10% reduction in weight. Unfortunately, the price remains the same.

Added: 22.06.2015 7:16 | 0 views | 0 comments


E3 week has been a big one, gamers, and its finally time to discuss the details in episode 16 of 4GO! Glenn, Ben, and QueenQ discuss the soaring highs and disappointing lows of the showings from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, question the demand for backward compatibility, worry about the success of The Last Guardian, and occasionally talk about porn. Connect to Wi-Fi, because this episode is a big one!

Added: 22.06.2015 3:15 | 1 views | 0 comments


E3 week has been a big one, gamers, and its finally time to discuss the details in episode 16 of 4GO! Glenn, Ben, and QueenQ discuss the soaring highs and disappointing lows of the showings from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, question the demand for backward compatibility, worry about the success of The Last Guardian, and occasionally talk about porn. Connect to Wi-Fi, because this episode is a big one!