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So here we are with what is, arguably, the biggest release of the year so far. Fallout 4, from Bethesda, is upon us. I have yet to dive into it, such is life is work, but I am reading, and hearing, a lot of things to do with the title. I have heard about the good and the bad, the highs and low, the great ideas and the poor technical execution. It is pretty much the standard practice with Bethesda games, it seems.

The modding scene is just kicking into gear; with several very unusual things cropping up to make your Fallout experience a little bit more weird. This is the kind of game that you can sink hours into – if you love these kinds of games, those particular style Bethesda open world games, then this could well be the one for you. If you did not like those then, well, this might do not much to change your mind.

Steam has set the bar for online platforms. Great sales, a huge library and, occasionally, decent customer service. So for services like GoG Galaxy, Uplay and Origin they know they have to raise the bar, or offer services that we simply do not see on Steam. Origin is, since its rocky start a few years back, turning into a pretty decent service with some unique hooks (and good games to boot) to keep players interested.

Aside from boasting Dragon Age, Battlefield and FIFA exclusively on the service they also offer 48 hour free game trials, a no nonsense refund service and, maybe the best of the bunch, is a the occasional free game. These vary in quality, of course, but over the course of my time with Origin I have got Theme Hospital, Red Alert 3, Dragon Age: Inquisition (multiplayer) all for free. I can’t complain about that.

It is an extremely strange situation when a series comes to an end. Or, at least, a series as we know it. Metal Gear Solid has existed in various guises since 1998 with the original Metal Gear Solid on the original Playstation. The series has many hallmarks; brilliant gameplay, state of the art technology and over the top, full on nonsensical stories and plots. All of this is down the series lead; Hideo Kojima.
After an enormous falling out with the publisher, Konami, Kojima Productions was to shut down following the release of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. His name was scrubbed from press materials, removed from old box arts on the Konami website and the working conditions deteriorated drastically for him and his team. With the game finally out we are truly witnessing the end of an era.

I always keep a keen eye on games made by people I know. I have a vested interest in them doing well, of course, and often find I am even more critical of them than I would be of a game where I do not know the creator; simply to try and provide a little bit more feedback and constructive assistance to try and help the game move in the right direction.
Orelight is one such game. The game is similar in look and feel to Diablo, though it adopts many other elements from a few other games to try and stand out on its own. It’s a got a nice art style, as you would expect from a friend with so much artistic quality, but its other aspects are lacking sorely as it stands. Movement is a little weak and some of the elements they’ve taken from other games feel a little tacked on. Even so; that’s what Early Access is for. Orelight will sell a few copies and, thanks to the feedback from the community, will improve massively, I hope, over time.

A lot of games fly under the radar, the shame is when certain games, who have a lot of things to offer, go unnoticed. They might do revolutionary things graphically, have amazing narratives, wonderful characters or any other smaller progressions that would advance the genre forward. Often these games might fly under the radar of the masses, but smaller majorities will notice (and hopefully developers do as well.)
Expeditions: Conquistador is one such game. It’s a party based role playing game, not unlike games like Baldur’s Gate or Pillars of Eternity, but the game is set in the real world. The game sees players take control of a group of people on an expedition to colonise a native colony in a country. It deals with race, with prejudice and a lot of real world issues that aren’t touched on in gaming. I hope that some of the lessons here and learned by developers at large, and we see a maturing in narratives going forward.

A lot of the time gaming comes in waves. There’s a new shooter out? Well we had better dive into it and give it a chance to impress. But, inevitably, the sheen will soon wear off; we’ll start seeing the cracks in the veneer and we’ll soon grow resentful of the newest, prettiest shooter on the market. When that happens it’s good to know that there are still some games, maintaining a good, strong player base, that we can go back to at any time. Team Fortress 2 is one such game.
The game is simple on the surface; 9 classes are available to choose from, each instantly recognisable so as to avoid any confusion.The game then places you onto one of two teams, RED or BLU, and sets you to work. You shoot, burn and stab your way through comedic graphics to capture briefcases, push carts and capture control points. It’s as good as it ever was.

One of the uglier things that has crept into gaming is called DLC or downloadable content. On paper it is a great idea; smaller chunks of game that you can pay for to extend the life of your favourite games. In reality, however, it is very different. There are some excellent examples of downloadable content; extra levels, more story and more activities into the games and worlds you love. A lot of downloadable content though is simply a lazy cash grab; something that Team Fortress 2 walks a fine line in between.

All of Team Fortress 2’s levels and game modes are free to everyone; a move that is surely to be applauded. However everything that you can spend money on in Team Fortress 2 is purely on cosmetic items, things that alter your look and appearance. That is fine, people like to look unique especially in an online game with only 9 classes, but the price of these items is insane. A hat? Anywhere up to £10. A T shirt? Maybe even a little bit more. I do not mind cosmetics or DLC; but price it right!

Emerging from the success of the worldwide phenomenon of The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, Bethesda, the publishing arm behind the series, decided to enter the online space and compete with the likes of World of Warcraft and Guild Wars 2. Their game, The Elder Scrolls Online, was initially released to middling reviews and was tied to an outdated pay monthly model; something that many games struggle to maintain given the amount of players needed to make it sustainable.

Fast forward a year and The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited has been released. Doing away with mandatory subscription models the game now offers a free to play element (with the option of payment for dedicated players with added bonuses) and is now releasing on both Playstation 4 and Xbox One which, they hope, will cement the game’s growing popularity. The game is proof that smart business can work.

The MOBA movement has had knock on effects in the entire gaming industry. The genre boils down to two teams slowly but surely, through a process of attrition, forcing their way into the other team’s base to destroy their main building and winning themselves the game. It’s simple enough, and obviously there are variations upon a theme, but its that simple core that has started to infiltrate its way into other games, or even spawn games that wouldn’t have existed previously.

Minimum is one such game. It sees two teams of five go against each other but not from the traditional top down view. It’s a third person shooter, much like Gears of War of Uncharted, and, as such, allows you much greater freedom of movement in the environments. There’s more verticality and more engagement in the levels. You defend a Titan as it makes its way slowly to the enemy base, powering it up as you go, in an effort to destroy the enemy team’s power core.

A new genre of games has emerged in the past few years – especially in the indie scene. Games are slowly moving towards stronger, more personal stories and narrative expressions. They usually involve very little in the way of traditional gameplay mechanics – focusing on keeping the players focused on the story by removing any distractions and complex or convoluted mechanics.

This genre, now affectionately referred to as the “walking simulator” genre – has grown massively, in both user base and the complexity and variety they portray. Dear Esther was one of the first, higher profile games in the genre to try something a little bit different. It’s the metaphorical story about a family torn apart by an accident, and set on a remote Scottish island. The game presents some unusual themes and handles them in very mature ways. The game is visually stunning and emotionally thought provoking, and well worth picking up today.