Redfall

Arkane has cemented itself as one of the top names when it comes to creating highly dynamic sandboxes with the likes of Dishonored and Prey, and the studio is definitely one of the crown jewels of the Xbox Game Studios roster post the Zenimax acquisition. Fans were understandably excited about Arkane’s Xbox exclusive project Redfall, a co-op game that blends the developer’s signature ability-based gameplay into the core gameplay loop of looting and shooting that had the potential to be a smash hit.

But in actuality, Redfall is anything but. It’s a painfully generic looter shooter that’s subject to a bevy of gameplay and technical problems. Repetitive content, dull gameplay, and an uninteresting story are just some of Redfall’s issues that get compounded with a wide variety of technical issues to make for a consistently frustrating experience. It’s obviously a big shock for fans of Arkane’s works, and there’s no doubt the developer has heavily fumbled with this project.

In this feature, we’ll be listing what we feel are fifteen of the most disappointing games on the PS4- but disappointing, we should remind you, does not mean bad. Many of these games are a lot of fun, some have improved vastly since launch and managed to turn things around from initial disappointment. Being mentioned in this list simply means that these games, when we played them first, failed to live up to the standard of quality we expected them to hit.

Also note that for the purposes of these list, we’ll only be looking at PS4 exclusives- barring a couple entries that were either only console exclusives at launch, or remain console exclusives to this day.

With all that out of the way, let’s get into it.

DRIVECLUB

When Driveclub first launched, it’s fair to say that it ended up disappointing a whole lot of people. Though it was stunning to look at and hit technical heights that console games rarely do even to this day, there were many who felt that the game was, all said and done, a bit too dull, a bit too uninspired. Developers Evolution Studios would go on to provide excellent support for the game following its release, and arguably pretty much managed to turn things around, turning a disappointing launch into what was a legitimately great driving sim. Their subsequent closure, even in light of said recovery, proved to be a shockingly premature and abrupt one.

On the heels of Cliff Bleszinski announcing that he will probably not make any other game ever again, we have another outspoken developer and creator express doubt that he will ever get back to creating new video games again. David Jaffe, the man you may best know for creating Twisted Metal and God of War, said to Colin Moriarty during an episode of “Colin’s Last Stand Fireside Chats” that for now, he is done with game development, after his studio closed down earlier this year following Drawn to Death’s failure

“As for whether I’ll make another game or not, I don’t know,” said Jaffe. “I don’t have any plans right now, and I don’t really have any ambition to right now. I think if I were to make another game it would be harder to imagine doing it with the kind of stuff I’ve done in the past. If you look at what Sony is doing right now, it’s amazing, I’m obsessed with Spider-Man right now …. but what they make these days is so different with the kind of stuff I’m vibing with right now.”

Jaffe did note later on that he might look into making smaller, non-AAA games in the future that are similar to the kind of retro fare he likes, instead of the kind of stuff that Sony is pushing for with its titles these days, but it sounds like as of right now, he is pretty done with the idea of getting back into development.

In the end, it’s up to him to decide whether or not he wants to retire; God of War seems to be in safe hands with Cory Barlog right now, and as Jaffe himself notes, he’s not keen on how AAA game development is proceeding. If he does decide to come back, hopefully it can be with something as genre defining as the original God of War was back in its day.

Drawn to Death is out, and while the final game hasn’t lived up to its fullest potential, David Jaffe’s take on the multiplayer hero shooter/arena shooter remains a fun game to check out- especially for the price of absolutely free, which is what you can get it for if you are subscribed to PlayStation Plus.

If you are interested in jumping in, the series of trailers for it that showcase the characters you can play as may be helpful to you in terms of you picking a character for yourself. Take this newest trailer, for instance- it introduces Ninjaw, a half shark/half scantily clad human female- hey, Drawn to Death is supposed to take place in the doodles drawn by a teenage boy, after all. This is just the kind of thing that he would come up with.

You can check out the trailer for yourself below. Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage and information on the game.

On the whole, I think the game is a success- it certainly stands out as far different from any other shooter on the market, for sure. That said, however, there are some severe missteps here that stop it from reaching its full potential. Drawn To Death definitely has style – and that style isn’t just superficial, its very look defines everything about it – but the actual gameplay here is rather severely lacking in a lot of important areas. It’s still a  fun game to play – when you can find others to play with – but there is the distinct feeling here that this game could definitely have used more time in the oven.

"The concept of Drawn to Death is that it is the doodles that a teenage boy scribbled out in class come to life- so we have crudely drawn characters battling each other in a highly stylized notebook aesthetic."

Let’s start with the game’s look, because that was the most divisive thing about it. The concept of Drawn to Death is that it is the doodles that a teenage boy scribbled out in class come to life- so we have crudely drawn characters battling each other in a highly stylized notebook aesthetic. The looks may look frenetic and too busy to actually work for a game, and especially something as fast paced as a shooter- but it’s, on the whole, a successful experiment. There are certainly times when how the game looks can be distracting, and actively impede the player’s cognition or perception of the action on screen, but on the whole, the game seems to benefit from the look, simply because its entire construction is around its art style and concept as a center of orbit. Visually, the style is a success- the trouble with its tone comes, well, just about everywhere else.

So, like in any teenage boy’s doodles, the drawings are crude, and profanities and immature humor abound- if you have kids or family around, you probably want to play this game with headphones on, because the humor here can frankly be embarrassing. There may be times when you crack a smile at the sheer absurdity of things, and how over the top it all is- but most of the times, you’ll just be cringing. Generally speaking, I’m not one to recommend games (or recommend against them) based on their sense of aesthetic and style- but Drawn to Death is so thoroughly committed to putting us inside the mind of a teenage boy, that it can get grating and off putting.

"The look may look frenetic and too busy to actually work for a game, and especially something as fast paced as a shooter- but it’s, on the whole, a successful experiment."

If you can look past how immature Drawn to Death is, then you’ll find a surprisingly fun and competent multiplayer arena shooter waiting for you. Drawn to Death eschews the high player counts of most modern shooters, and settles for four player per match- that’s it, just four players. Battles see you take control of one of many different characters- all of which are, again, right out of a high school kid’s imagination. It’s here that the game benefits the most from its aesthetic. Characters are hilariously over the top, inappropriately named, absurdly overdesigned, and they have all sorts of weird powers. They’re all well balanced, mind – the game doesn’t sacrifice playability for aesthetic – but they’re just so ridiculous that it’s just fun to play as each of them, and try to figure out the ropes of the game.

Characters are differentiated enough, especially in terms of their powers, but they are still largely similar, so that you will be comfortable switching from one to the other at a notice. They’re not as distinct as characters in Overwatch are, and are more along the lines of different loadouts in Splatoon– there are some differences that can lend themselves really well to different play styles, but overall and holistically, largely the same.

The moment to moment gameplay of Drawn to Death is likely to be its next biggest source of division, after the game’s tone and aesthetic- while Drawn to Death is ostensibly an arena shooter, it lacks the speed and inertia of those older games. It plays slower, and is far floatier than any comparable games, including, yes, Overwatch and Splatoon. It can be jarring and off putting at first, because of how slow and floaty things are- and you will certainly find many who proclaim the game a failure, or swear off of it, as a result. But the game’s more deliberate speed is definitely a conscious design choice, and it seems to be well balanced around it.

"The game’s more deliberate speed is definitely a conscious design choice, and it seems to be well balanced around it. "

As for whether or not it is fun- I believe once you get used to it, it definitely is. Characters feel like they fit in with the game’s pace, and given the smaller player count, smaller arenas, and even the game’s art, it all feels well suited to it. Once you get acclimatized, Drawn to Death becomes uniquely compelling to play in its own way.

As of right now, it is suffering from online connectivity issues, however- match making can take forever, and it looks like the latest update has completely broken server and client connections. Lag during matches can be an unfortunate occurrence, and can often interfere with play. But things are largely smooth (well, apart from being totally unable to play the game right now, that is…), and in the end, contribute to a game that, while making a lot of missteps, ends up coming together and feels like a fun, unique shooter. If you’re a PS Plus subscriber, it’s a free download for you, and definitely something to check out. Like the doodles in a high schooler’s notebook, there’s a lot of faff here- but buried underneath all of that is some genuinely compelling stuff, which hints at potential.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 4.

Drawn to Death, the new multiplayer shooter by David Jaffe, who has previously brought us Twisted Metal and God of War, is now out. But Sony won’t stop promoting it just yet- as a matter of fact, they released a brand new trailer for the game just today, showcasing Alan, one of the playable characters in the game, and his abilities.

Drawn to Death is a highly stylized new multiplayer shooter from David Jaffe; it is available for free for all PS Plus subscribers, and $20 for everyone else. The game uses its art style and integrates it into its gameplay and mechanics as well- so it’s not just for show.

We’ll have our full review for Drawn to Death up shortly. Until then, however, why not watch this trailer? Are you interested in Drawn to Death? If so, is Alan the character you play as? Make sure to let us know in the comments section below.

David Jaffe’s cartoonish arena shooter Drawn to Death is finally available and comes free for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

In development for a while, Drawn to Death is a third person multiplayer shooter with an aesthetic that looks immediately familiar to Twisted Metal fans (albeit with notebook doodle-esque graphics).

The overall line-up for this month is actually pretty hefty. Along with Drawn to Death, the PlayStation 4 will be receiving 10 Second Ninja, Curses ‘n Chaos and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, the last of which is a compelling indie title worth your attention. Thanks to Cross-Buy, 10 Second Ninja and Curses ‘n Chaos will also be available on the PlayStation Vita completely free.

As for the PlayStation 3, it will be receiving Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom and Alien Rage: Extended Edition for free. Download them all quick because they’re only available for the month of April.

What are your thoughts on this month’s free PlayStation Plus games? Let us know in the comments below.

Sony has revealed the full list of PlayStation Plus games for April. As was promised, David Jaffe’s Drawn to Death is the headlining game for this month, an will be made available to all PS Plus members for free. But that apart, there’s also… well actually, the other games really aren’t that impressive, no matter what system you are on.

Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime from developer Asteroid Base is probably the second best game in this offering- Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a one to four player couch co-op action space shooter with some kinetic and frantic action. The PS3 and PS Vita games are… really not worth writing home about.

You can check out the full list below.

• Drawn To Death, PS4
• Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, PS4
• Invizimals: the Lost Kingdom, PS3
• Alien Rage – Extended Edition, PS3
• 10 Second Ninja, PS Vita (crossbuy with PS4)
• Curses ‘n Chaos, PS Vita (crossbuy on PS4)

David Jaffe’s newest game, Drawn To Death, launches next month on the PS4, and it will be available via PS Plus, too. It seems to be quintessentially Jaffe – who is known for games like God of War and Twisted Metal – although Jaffe asks that players look beyond his penchant for crude jokes and assess the game for the reams of depth that he believes it has.

“My biggest challenge, my biggest worry is that there are people who only understand the game’s juvenile side,” he said in an interview with Gamespot. “I love the juvenile stuff. I’m not embarrassed. What I thought was funny at fifteen is absolutely what I still think is funny now. I like fart jokes, dick jokes, and butthole jokes. What’s funny about a butthole joke? Cause you have a hole in your butt and poop comes out of it.

“There is very much a sense of that in Drawn To Death but I also think there is a self awareness that I hope people pick up on.”

He then spoke a bit about the game’s design, discussing how he approached adding nuance and depth to it.

“This whole game was built around the question of whether we could enrich and deepen the moment to moment on-the-battlefield experience, where the players are gonna do the best are not all the players who have good shooter reflexes but who are mentally engaged in with they’re fighting, which character they’ve picked and knowing the pros, cons, and counters. What we wanted was a feeling of having learned a bit more about the mechanics of the game after every match, no matter if you won or not. There should always be a sense of, “I may not have done great but I know there’s more. There’s a deeper end of the pool I can go into to get better.”

Will you be picking up Drawn to Death? Let us know in the comments section below.

David Jaffe has worked on some pretty interesting games before. He created Twisted Metal and he created God of War, both of which were, for their time, rather off-beat. His newest game is similar- Drawn to Death is a highly stylized multiplayer shooter that is hitting PlayStation 4 next month- but if you aren’t convinced yet, the good news is that you get to try it for free.

Jaffe’s Drawn to Death will be available on PS4 for free to all PS Plus subscribers in April, making this one of the games that will be available for the month. You can check out more details on the game itself over on the PlayStation Blog where this announcement was made.

What the other PS Plus games will be for April remains to be seen. As for Drawn to Death, well, stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage and information on the game, and make sure to check out a trailer for it below.