QCF: Rise of The Tomb Raider

ith a move that has controversially polarized whatever prospects it may have held with its respective audience since the initial announcement of the title, Phil Spencer declared that the sequel to Crystal Dynamics’s reboot of the iconic treasure-chasing heroine would be an Xbox exclusive for both console iterations of the 360, and the One.

Granted, it’s a limited claim on the property as the exclusivity is timed until late 2016, but it was one that Microsoft banked on giving them an advantage over the PlayStation that they didn’t have before; and some external circumstances not withstanding—they were right.

Rise of The Tomb Raider exemplifies every quality that defines what a good sequel should aspire to be, and it definitely exceeds every expectation its predecessor had set before it.

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PAX PRIME 2014: Bringing some friends to Lara and The Temple of Osiris

fter all the hype and dust began to subside, the reveal of Lara Croft and The Temple of Osiris struck a chord that loudly echoed across the land. The news ranged anywhere from a logically nostalgic callback for the license, to a complete surprise of a sequel announcement for a predecessor that never broke beyond the sleeper hit status.

The now affectionately regarded as a continuation of the classic series and characterization of Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft, Temple of Osiris returns to the familiar gauntlet inspired twin-stick co-op platformer setup of Guardian of Light with intensified overhaul of the cooperative multiplayer dynamics.

The upgrades and additional features of Temple of Osiris may just be one of the best directions that Crystal Dynamics could have taken this sequel in, and if this preview is any solid indication of the execution at work so far, then we may very well see 2014’s upcoming cooperative couch-party star by the start of the holiday.

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PPR Presents Now Showing: 01/24/14

hat’s that? You say you demand squeaky new footage on upcoming video games do you? Why of course you do, and we’re not pulling any punches in this latest Now Showing. 2014 may have started with a slight lull in releases (giving plenty of indies the opportunity to shine) but that’s soon coming to an end.

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PPR Presents The Golden Zonkies 2013

nother year, another list of games standing mighty and tall among the crop of titles released in 2013; Join us for another edition of Press Pause Radio’s annual Golden Zonkey Awards!

We’ve nominated everything from games to events that saw the light of day in 2013 across sixteen different categories, and we have that very list for you here now. We’ll be going down the prestigious catalog of choices from start to finish on the podcast with each of voicing our vote for the winner of it’s respective title. The only stipulation in the Golden Zonkies is that any point, a wild card can be suggested by one of the hosts if majority vote dictates that another nomination is more deserving of the award instead of the choices presently casted.

If you’ve got an issue with the Golden Zonkies and how it was conducted then just remember the only other rule; it’s our God Damn show and opinion anyway, so keep that in mind when you send us whatever discourse you have with our decisions after the show by doing the following:

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered to post on Golden Zonkey thread about the show. Also make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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GDC 2013: The Breakdown of Inciting Emotions Through Playing

motions are strong, depending on how they’re conveyed or felt; they can go on to be overwhelmingly powerful. Storytelling in games is evolving from using the artifice of genuine emotion to simply drive plot or narrative, and instead is gradually manifesting itself into a very real takeaway from direct interaction that’s piloted by the player, and solely on a script. Susan O’Connor of Writing Studio alongside Chuck Beaver of Electronic Arts take the stage at GDC 2013 and explain the finer points and fundamentals of writing within games that will flesh out what the player feels above anything else.

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QCF: Tomb Raider (2013)

ronically, we live in a generation of video gaming where technology allows for the most realistic situational simulation of life to date, and yet the gap that measures the suspension of disbelief players have when playing games grows wider in spite of the advances made in development. Titles such as Heavy Rain and The Walking Dead are notable exceptions to the standard, but rarely does a game ever try humanizing the fantastical exodus a player experiences. Crystal Dynamics, however, focused on delivering a title that encompasses this concept.

The cool, confident, and arguably vain Lara Croft that we all grew up with has now transformed into a vulnerable, tender-footed, human protagonist that’s now mixed into series of misfortunate trials that will change her for the rest of her life. Some may argue that Lara’s latest outing maybe controversial for the sake of controversy, but underneath the mud and soundtrack‘s dramatic orchestral reverbs of intensity lies a coming-of-age adventure that represents one of the most genuine experiences in video games today.

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PPR 72

elcome to the latest episode of Preeee….Server busy, try again later. Oh, sorry, did we mention that in order to listen to PPR, you’ll have to be connected to the web at all times? Yeah, well...that’s what we would say if we ENDORSED the idea of DRM, lucky enough for you guys, we don’t! This week we discuss the issues that lie in a possible future of always needing to be authenticated and monitored online in order to enjoy your favorite games and the serious implications that DRM brings to the table and all the negative fallout from its enforcement. Among the talk is Starcraft: Heart of The Swarm, Extra Mario Bros, Salamander, Tomb Raider and more. Also if any of you guys happen to have a sealed game then don’t let Ser know! Rate and subscribe to us iTunes today, follow us on our new Twitch page, mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, and be sure to stop by at our Forums and register as well!

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E3 2011 Impressions: Microsoft

The stage is brightly lit, almost as if it were extracting all light within the conference center, and leaving the audience with anticipation that's dense as the dark surrounding them. A voice then welcomes the crowd, as the theater above suddenly illuminates with the Xbox logo. The presentation immediately transitions to business, with one of the most anticipated sequels of the year being demonstrated to the conference attendees, and kicking off the forum of upcoming releases for Microsoft’s catalog of 2011.

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