Insights

Lets Play Kerbal: Season Two Underway!

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You may remember a little while back on our YouTube channel that Processor Chris had been busy playing lots of Kerbal Space Program. Well, Chris has decided that now is the time to return to space with Season Two of his Lets Play Kerbal videos. In fact, he's well underway so why not check out what he has been up too? The latest video, which was uploaded today can be viewed below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYU-90RisCs&w=560&h=315]

Want to watch all of Season Two so far? We have a playlist for that!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries?list=PLrWFCXFx8tw3lR34hjvpqeYO0dcJIkYUI&w=560&h=315]

And finally, if you'd like to catch up with the previous batch of Kerbal videos you'll be needing this playlist:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries?list=PLrWFCXFx8tw1Q4Zt7AtJgvMacLFbFHHhu&w=560&h=315]

Enjoy!

The Gadget Show Live 2015: Indie Interviews

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gadget-logo_Main Event Image Mike and Neil both attended this year's Gadget Show Live.

With lots of indie games on offer they wasted no time in breaking out the SingStar mic and get the camera rolling! What did the indie devs have to say about their games?

Lets take a peak inside, shall we?

Theo and Lizzy

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Q4gehdrUA&w=560&h=315]

We talk about Theo and Lizzy with Peter Harries. Show gameplay footage of this brand new title from Butcherlab.

http://www.theoandlizzy.com

BFF or Die

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LNzGL-YLos&w=560&h=315]

Shaz shows gameplay of his game and talks us through what BFF or Die is all about.

http://www.honeytribestudios.com

TerraTech

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EigVDl_pRWY&w=560&h=315]

We talk about TerraTech with Kris Skellorn. We first saw TerraTech at last years Gadget Show Live. So we caught up with Kris and checked out what's new!

http://terratechgame.com

Raging Justice

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOdnFiBqxvc&w=560&h=315]

We play some Raging Justice and chat with Nic from Makin Games.

http://www.makingames.com

Horizon Shift

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXWH3TvIOYE?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

We play some Horizon Shift and chat with Paul from Flump Studios!

http://www.flumpstudios.com

Alien Isolation: Oculus Rift Gameplay

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Our man Chris (aka DrTarsus) has been playing one of the past couple of week's big releases, Alien Isolation. To add a little spice to his gameplay videos however, he has been using his recently acquired Oculus Rift headsets. He is a brave man is our Chris. Could using the rift add to the drama of Aliens? I think so. Judge for yourselves with the first three videos from the Alien Isolation gameplay series:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iUl4aX8CGc&w=560&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ymFOPU04Gk&w=560&h=315]

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMA0YMu2uf8&w=560&h=315]

Qora Gameplay

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Qora_logo Chris has been playing through the upcoming title, Qora, via Steam. It's a quirky pixel-art sidescrolling exploration adventure game by Curve Digital. It is due to be released on October 10th. Intrigued? You should be! Why not check out the first 15 minutes of gameplay? [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOKuwr0kL-o&w=560&h=315] Want to learn more about the game and the studio? Head on over to the official site!

Destiny: We Want Your Feedback!

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So, if you own a PS3 or PS4 then and you've managed to A) Get a beta code and B) managed to dodge the flurry of PSN issues, then you could well be playing Destiny right now!

We'd like to gather any and all thoughts on Bungie's latest epic. If you'd like to jot a few of your impressions down, create a video or share some cool gameplay clips please feel free to email them across to me. Pop 'Destiny' in the subject and fire over your words or links to dave@blastprocess.com.

We'll also be after any Xbox 360/One impressions next week once the beta goes live on Microsoft's consoles.

Nintendo's Recent Fortunes

Friday marked the release of Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U! Hurrah!! A very exciting time for Nintendo fans worldwide. Unfortunately the Wii U hasn’t done very well since its release in November of 2012. The console had everything going for it pre release, but has failed to live up to the hype. Already in the Wii Us short life, it is evident that it won’t be able to keep pace with the 2 new powerhouses, the PS4 and the Xbox One. Unfortunately 2 major issues let it down and Nintendo is still feeling the effects of them financially. These reasons are:

Games

The software library of the Wii U is slowly gaining pace. At launch the notable available titles were, New Super Mario Bros U and Zombi U. More games were available, but weren’t great. Both games were ok, but lacked that special something.

With a new console it can take a while for the truly great games to become available, (I’m looking at you 3DS) but it seems like the Wii U is struggling to find many at all almost 2 years into its life. We have Super Mario 3D World, Pikmin 3 and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. 3 great titles in 2 years isn’t good enough when the console itself set you back £300 at launch

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Marketing

The marketing team for Nintendo really dropped the ball on this. I still talk to people today who do not have a clue what the Wii U is! For a console that has been on the shelf for 18 months, that’s not good at all. Especially when everyone and his rabbit knows what the PS4 is. Lack of advertising and awareness meant that the Wii U was going to have a tough time before it even started.

Nintendo is far from financial ruin, they have had consoles fail in the past and have only come back stronger. For example, the DS family is now over 200M sales. But from the point of view of the Wii U, things need to improve.Now trying to focus on some positives. The Wii U is an amazing console, with truly unique features and experiences to be had. I have mentioned 3 games on this post, but there is an absolute slew of downloadable games that are fantastic. Runner 2, Mighty Switch Force and Mutant Mudd’s Deluxe to name just a few.

Hopefully the release of Mario kart 8 will make people want to buy Nintendo’s little black box and experience the uniqueness that it offers. The review scores are all very positive and as we all know, these games are excellent when being played with friends. As mentioned, there are other reasons why you should own a Wii U. Its feature list is huge. With NFC connectivity, Video calls and Miiverse (A Nintendo exclusive social network) built into the console, there is a plethora of things to explore on Nintendo’s overlooked hardware. Nintendoland is amongst a few games that you need to play to fully understand what Nintendo are trying to achieve.

Future releases offer hope to Nintendo also. Super Smash Bros, a new Zelda game and Bayonetta 2 will all sell consoles. How much though, is anyone’s guess. I’m sure Nintendo has more up their sleeve though, and with E3 round the corner, I’m sure we will see what Nintendo’s plans are.

Guest post by Johnathan Foxley.

If you'd like to have any articles or videos posted on Blast Process please do get in touch via contact@blastprocess.com, tweet to us @BlastProcess or post a comment on facebook.com/blastprocess.

Crusader Kings 2: Multiplayer

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crusaderking Watch Chris and Adam in an epic new video adventure as they attempt to survive the cutthroat world of politics in the 11th century Holy Roman Empire.

The first episode sees a war with France, Chris pondering over why Lower Lorraine is further north than Upper and Adam trying to stop people voting for him.

Crusader Kings 2 is avaliable to purchase via Steam for PC.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qrzHlRce2c&w=560&h=315]

Kerbal Space Program: Career Mode

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Are you ready to boldly go where no processor has gone before? Join Chris as he continues his Kerbal Space Program videos. In a new series he is attempting to tackle the game's career mode, giving himself two goals.

The first is to place an object on every moon and planet in the system, which is by no means easy in its own right. His second goal is to gather a number of asteroids and create an Asteroid base (in the words of Chris himself, 'to make any super villain jealous').

You can check out how his quest begins by watching the video below:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdHnkWIygxU&w=560&h=315]

Before embarking on his mission Chris decided to do a mini test run by recreating the Apollo 11 moon landing. You can see how he got on below:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aJCAos4HX4&w=560&h=315]

And finally, if you'd like to see all Chris's previous exploits in space you can view them all over on his playlist on YouTube, which is embedded...yep you guessed it...below!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries?list=PLrWFCXFx8tw1Q4Zt7AtJgvMacLFbFHHhu&w=560&h=315]

GSL 2014: Ether One Preview

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ether-one-cover1 Moving on from Salvaged, the next game I got to get my paws on was Ether One, a first person adventure game from the small studio White Paper Games.

Ether One, from the off, is all about discovery. Continuing the recently popular theme of slow paced discovery titles started by games such as Myst all those years ago (we’ve had titles like Gone Home and such more recently) you find yourself walking around the small town of Pinwheel piecing together the game’s story.

The stories in this genre of games are somewhat more important than in over the top feasts like Battlefield and such, however from what I’ve heard and played thus far Ether One seems to be more than up for the task. The game centres around a dementia patient and the plot revolves around the fragile nature of the human mind. I’d love to go into further details however it would be very unfair for me to do so.

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You can play though the game without touching a single puzzle if the story is all you're interested in. However, for those seeking a little more of a challenge you can instead try to work out the many complex puzzles dotted about the game, all of which play a part in piecing together the many events of the main character’s history. The studio are fond of the old traditional pen and paper required note-taking puzzles of old, so ensure you have them on standby for the harder to complete puzzles later in the game.

Visually the game looks great, as the lighting reflects the calm nature of Pinwheel (at least, on the section of which I was playing). From what I’ve heard so far of the soundtrack it matches the genre of this game perfectly.

mike ether one

Ether One supports the Oculus Rift, which I managed to bag some time with. The VR headset works perfectly, allowing you to look around at your own pleasure. After speaking to NJ (see the video towards the bottom of this article) it is clear the team enjoyed working with the headset and also found it relatively straight forward to include as an option in Ether One. Personally, and also bearing in mind it was my first time using the Rift I sadly found myself getting a headache after only a few minutes worth of play. I struggle to see the 3D aspects in 3D films, so perhaps that played a part in me having to remove the headset after a short amount of time. The other members of the team (specifically Mat and Mike) enjoyed using the headset more than me. I’ll be speaking more about the Oculus Rift in an upcoming preview of Fortresscraft Evolved in a few days time.

It is hard to talk in detail regarding games based in a genre that is powered by the sense of discovery, and while it isn’t a game for all tastes I’ll be personally looking forward to playing this one in my own time.

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As mentioned earlier, below you can find a video interview with NJ, the audio lead for Ether One. He talks about the game and of course the Oculus Rift. Further below is the latest trailer for the game. You can purchase Ether One now directly from the developers, GoG or The Humble Store. Links and more information can be found at the game’s official website, ether-game.com. You can also follow them on Twitter, @WhitePaperGames.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXh-2cSQSts&w=560&h=315]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us4la1ghbRg&w=560&h=315]

GSL 2014: Salvaged Preview

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sal2 Gadgets and gizmos, we all love them, and this weekend hundreds and thousands of people are flocking to Birmingham’s NEC to get hands on with some of the latest technology at this year’s Gadget Show Live. Created off the back of the popular Channel Five TV series, The Gadget Show Live is a fantastic opportunity for technology enthusiasts to get hands on with current and future tech.

This year the show is also home to a selection of independent videogames. Myself, Mike, Matt and Neil were all given the chance to get hands on with the following eight titles:

Salvaged Ether One Terra Tanks Space Farmers Mighty Tactical Shooter Tiki Taka Soccer Magnets Fortresscraft Evolved

Over the course of the next few days I’ll be writing up about each of these games. To begin with I’ll start with Opposable Game’s tactical action title, Salvaged.

Salvaged was the first title to grab my eye as we approached the indie games stand. With a tablet in hand a member of the development team was controlling a squad of 4 crew members, or in other words acting out the part of the commander, issuing orders to his salvage crew members. The galaxy has become over-run with long dormant, abandoned starships, ripe with items (loot) that can be used, sold or upgraded for future deep space salvage missions.

sal1

The main draw to this title is the use of a tablet as a controller. It displays the layout of the current ship you’re on along with the location of each of your crew members. By touching either the ‘dot’ that represents each person or by selecting one of the 4 character profiles on the right hand side of the screen allows you to then tap to where you would like that person to move too. On the monitor connected to the PC running the game were 4 screens, one for each of the crew members, showing their perspective on what was in front of them.

Be warned however, for out in space, you are never alone. While searching for loot you’ll encounter alien lifeforms that aren’t too pleased by your appearance on their new home. Combat is automatic, but it is up to you how you deploy and position your crew members. When I sat down to play Salvaged for the first time I went and made the ultimate alien movie mistake by separating my team into two groups. The first group positioned themselves by a corridor ready to face a couple of menacing aliens, only to find themselves without the time and space required to shoot the aliens dead before being torn to pieces. I managed to negociate the other team a little better, but between the two of them they didn’t really last that much longer.

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During the course of your wander around the starship you’ll encounter the previously mentioned loot. As again already mentioned they can be sold, traded or used to upgrade your items and such. The full game will feature some RPG elements to allow your crew members to progress to better weapons and gear. Permadeath is a thing in this game though, so be very cautious with your team, otherwise you may end up losing your geared up salvagers.

It is clear the studio has been inspired by the likes of Space Hulk, Syndicate and of course XCOM. Having the benefit of two viewpoints was refreshing, both the top down perspective for tactical precision and the first-person view of each member of the team so you know exactly what you are facing. I did however find myself looking far too much at the tablet. From a tactical point of view I think it is much better to try and split your attention equally between the two.

Opposable Games take great pride in the technology that allows them to used the tablet with the PC. ‘One Touch Connect’, created in-house, allows multiple devices to discover and thus connect to one and other. All would be for nothing if not for the fact that the technology is supported across all major formats (PC, Mac, iOS and Android).

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Nintendo and Sony are both playing with similar play styles with the Wii U and Vita respectively. While the use of two screens can sometimes be heavily debated between gamers, for tactical games such as this having the option to use a touch screen device (of which many households now have some form of Android or iOS tablet) makes perfect sense.

I enjoyed my time on Salvaged, (albeit resulting in the un-timely death of my crew) meaning this will be a title I’ll be keeping an eye on. It will be heading to Kickstarter in the very near future, of which us here at Blast Process will keep you all posted about. I’d recommend for further up to the minute updates regarding the status of the game, including any news regarding Kickstarter by following them on Twitter (@SalvagedGame). You can also check out the game's official website at salvagedgame.com.

During the show we managed to grab a few minutes with James Parker, Design Director of Salvaged. The video can be found below. Further below you will also find a teaser trailer for the title.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49x1GYhNhnc&w=560&h=315]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nubPn6GzLbc&w=560&h=315]

Rezzed 2014 coverage - what did we think?

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Myself and Neil had a great time at this years Rezzed event that was held at the NEC in Birmingham. Below are are some videos of our hands-on time with these great upcoming games. Speaking with the developers from some of these games really gave a insight of the hard work and dedication that these people and teams put into their own game.

Most of the games at Rezzed are funded by you the public, making these games what they are today so please take the time to search them out if you find interest if any of these games, be sure to back them on there Kickstarter / donations before it's to late.

We stop by the Unruly Attractions stand and checkout StandPoint a First-Person Puzzle Platformer that's currently a Kickstarter project.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxwispBZrX8&w=560&h=315]

We had a blast playing this intense combat arena game. Check out the below video for more information and our thoughts on the game. You can find out more details about One Spear Arena right here.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxABele96k8&w=560&h=315]

It's FEZ but this time around it's on the PS Vita and what a perfect match it is.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G9G827hW1c&w=560&h=315]

Neil sets another high score but is TXK worth a download?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSV2eIWhXOI&w=560&h=315]

0RBITALIS it's hard to explain but it's worth your time to checkout this game by Alan Zucconi

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnrYjkeMOek&w=560&h=315]

OlliOlli is not your straight forward skate boarding game! Hard to master but the result is worth it. Roll7 is the team be hide this game, check them out here and show them some support.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7FXaue9XLY&w=560&h=315]

Neil chills out and plays some Samba De Amigo on the Nintendo Wii.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmmNc2rabDU&w=560&h=315]

Love action films? Like shooting games like Metal Slug well BroForce is for you!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e--at4Y95Ho&w=560&h=315]

Standby For Titanfall

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titanfall As I'm typing this up I'm glancing over at the clock on my computer. In less than 5 minutes Titanfall will be released in the UK, which will lead to an abundance of Titans falling from the sky (although the US have been playing it for a few days already, those lucky people).

I've had the chance to get online and play some of the Campaign today, and I can safely say I feel I made the right choice when it came to which next generation console to purchase (I'm sure fellow processors Mike and Matt would heavily disagree with me!). I fell out of love with Call of Duty a few years ago, and while the Battlefield series has somewhat filled my FPS void I sometimes have those moments where I want to play something on a smaller scale. Less daunting maps...quicker rounds. Titanfall ticks those boxes and much more.

This isn't a review as I can't say I've played enough of it yet, however thus far it feels very balanced. The maps are fairly varied and in and all the game feels solid. Perhaps it is because it hasn't officially hit our shores yet, however during my time playing it today not once did I encounter any of the game's server issues that plagued the US release. It is safe to safe fellow brits that when you all jump online tomorrow you may encounter issues, although hopefully not quite on the same scale as the aforementioned problems. Be patient, you'll be wall-jumping soon enough.

For now I leave you with two small gameplay clips from a couple of rounds I played today. The first clip I just had to upload, although I'm sure a lot of people will find it easy enough to accomplish. I ejected from a doomed titan, weapon swapped to my anti-titan weapon, locked on and finally finished off the enemy titan I was just fighting. Awesome!

The second clip isn't quite as exciting, but I never once managed to escape on a dropship in the beta. Managing to do so felt like a true achievement, made doubly so as I was the only one on my team who made it! I'll be recording lengthier gameplay over the course of the weekend.

For now though, with the clock ever ticking down to midnight, I leave you with those words that Microsoft have plastered all over the mountains of advertisement that has been circulating to prepare the world for this week....ladies and gentleman....

Standby for Titanfall

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6zNi3q2Fjs&w=560&h=315]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ebica3j6Xg&w=560&h=315]

Let's Play Outlast Part 1 Walkthrough

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Outlast_LogoMyself and Matt take on Outlast. Watch as we try to unveil the secrets that surround a somewhat haunted and crazed asylum!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lMVDPdxn0c&w=560&h=315]

Want to learn more about Outlast? Check out Red Barrels for more information and keep it here for even more Let's Play videos!