QCF: Halo 5: Guardians

he Halo franchise is nowhere near the fever pitch that it once was, but that hasn’t stopped 343 from attempting to launch a chapter of the lore that’s worthy of the prestige that most hold the Halo dynasty of games in.

Halo 4 yielded a mixed response of sorts from the community at large, but there was a universal consensus on thing, and that was some of the bold changes that the studio took to the series in both gameplay, and narratively.

Halo 5: Guardians is no exception; I would go further as to say that 343 may have finally nailed it with this entry, and may have finally outdone what many consider to be Bungie’s (albeit underrated) Magnum Opus to the franchise that was Halo Reach.

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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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QCF: WWE2K16

s the months go by, I’m learning more and more that I’m not the only one who’s found an interest in professional wrestling again, as I see more and more of my friends and associates hop on board with the craze, keeping tabs on their favorite performers and their status quos, and so on.

The WWE and 2K are well aware of the trending popularity that Sports Entertainment has been receiving, and as such, have taken measures to capitalize on both the newfound fame it’s seeing, and the effervescent nostalgia for one of wrestling’s most iconic figures, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Enter the latest entry into the brand’s game franchise, WWE2K16; a sequel that hopes to correct last the significant misstep that was last year’s title into the series—and well, it tries, I’ll give it that…

I can safely say that WWE2K16 is better than WWE2K15—marginally though, only, marginally.

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PPR Presents Play Play: Rare Replay

s far as legacy collections go, Rare Replay has already gone above, and beyond to elevate itself the likes of Midway and Namco with its lot of 30 bundled games—in fact, you can check out our review for it here.

We figured we’d give you guys a better look at the package in this latest Play Play; Ser and George will tackle a variety of games and content, and there’s some hating on Blast Corps to go along with it.

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 and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, 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!

QCF: Beyond Eyes

here’s an intriguing sense of irony that comes with a video game attempting to recreate the hindrances of blindness, with mechanics built around simulating the hardships and frustrations that come such an affliction—that shit is rough, and just thought of such a thing sends shivers down my spine.

Which leads us to the an indie title from the studio Tiger & Squid, called Beyond Eyes; a bold look at the routines and adversities of a blind ten year old girl named Rae, and the journey she makes to find her place in the world under the status quo of being forever blind.

The concept is as intriguing as it is committed, and it’s bound to shed some light (or lack of so to speak) on perspective that most would never think to empathize on—but that only carries something like this so far, and unfortunately, the endearment of Beyond Eyes doesn’t last long enough to warrant the trouble.

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QCF: Submerged

f there’s one thing that any action video game needs, it’s a sense of stimulus, something that engages a reaction, and response to whatever’s happening on screen, and more often than not, the very first go to for the violent route—good old fashioned combat.

So imagine if you will, a title that endorses action and peril, but no combat, or violence of any kind to threaten you? It’s a game that completely relies on the agency of exploration and world building in a story that’s centers around the human condition during a time of tragedy, and hopelessness.

This is Submerged from Uppercut Games, an apocalyptic setting with veiled premise that attributes global warming to be the culprit behind the tragic setting, where a woman and her injured little one find what little refuge they can within a dilapidated building that’s floating alongside the remains of buildings for miles, upon miles in view.

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PPR Presents Play Play: Tembo The Badass Elephant

elieve it or not, the titles that Game Freak develops that aren’t a Pokémon title, truly are the bizarre, and weird ones from their wheel house. Whether it’s an digital electric hero, or a drill happy jewel thief, the move-right-and-jump variety of games they release are just plain strange.

Like a militarized mercenary elephant with a chip on his shoulder, and we’re talking like, some shades of PTSD; like, what?

Published by Sega, we have Tembo The Badass Elephant, and he’s been tasked to take out some purple terrorist dudes, and George and Stevie are going to help lead the charge, and see if the game lives up to the studio lives up to the pedigree of the previous side-scrollers they’ve released.

Spoiler; George doesn’t think so, and Stevie tries to play the straight man in this latest Play Play.

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 and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, 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!

QCF: Rare Replay

hen you’ve been in the business of developing games for over thirty years, the work and charm you put into your games gets more and more noticeable. In the case of Rare though, this sort of quality that truly defined them, and pushed them to get where they are today.

A brand that was once synonymous with a certain gaming giant, and responsible for vast majority of the gems available on their hardware nearly two decades before, has since found a new home, and been quietly established a new identity with the big M ever since.

Granted, it is fourteen years late, but the giant has finally decided to host one best celebrations to be found on a commemorative game collection called Rare Replay; an assortment of classics to bear the Rare name (well, most of them anyway) in a value priced package priced at just thirty dollars.

While the deal alone makes the trip down memory lane worth all the hype, the attention to detail and care put into this title, makes it one of the best love letters to video games that I’ve seen in years.

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