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The demo is out now. My thoughts are Vancouver did a good job. Not an excellent job, but just good job. Granted this is the first NHL on new-gen consoles. The pre-game show is scare photo realistic. I thought I was watching a game on NBC Sports. But during the game while the visuals are all glossy the character models look last-gen. At start-up you can select Easy (face buttons with Arcade style gameplay), Standard (Skill stick instead of face buttons and simulation gameplay), or custom. Enjoyed the demo, disappointed the EASHL mode will not be in the new-gen version. It would have been nice if EA knocked $10 off the price, but whatever. Will pick this up when I find it on cheaper sale.

This came out of the steam tombola and it comes out on the newer consoles soonish. Normally I wouldn't do a thread for something only I'm going to end up playing, but this deserves it. Did you like Colony Wars and X-Wing Vs Tie Fighter? You'll be wanting a slice of this if you did. SSZ is a space combat game where you're given a set of orders and expected to follow them. You're not a super soldier killing every last thing, you are part of a machine. If you fail to fulfil your orders the whole thing falls apart and can make the rest of the mission harder or even fail it outright. You're going to spend a lot of time dogfighting but there's other orders that mix things up a bit. You're scored on missions, doing well sees you unlocking medals, medals equals unlocks which can be used to pimp out your fighter. Different fighters have different attributes and slots to fill with weaponry. I've not actually unlocked much yet, but I can see that some are clearly better in some regards than the others. Controls are a bit hard to get your head around when you start, but you can pitch, roll and do all sorts of fancy shit that will see you skidding and barrelling through the depths of space. It seems hard at first but before long I was able to do trench runs in my ship on big freighters, taking out defences whilst avoiding crashing into debris that seemingly ends up floating about from all the ships you end up scrapping. Getting hit or smashing into something isn't the end of the world, you have a rechargeable shield that can soak up the damage. If you take a hit that isn't absorbed by shields, you have to deal with the hull damage it inflicts until the mission is over. You can use a limited amount of boost and the games warning system to deploy preventative measures from getting hit even more. It's here the game excels in providing you feedback through visual and audio cues that make sure you're protecting yourself when it matters most. Speaking of cues and feedback, there's a part where you're attacking this big space freighter and it's firing flak cannons into the air around you. The closer you get to it the more interference you get trying to pilot around it, it pixelates your screen like a corrupt MP4 and stimies your ability to pilot as you would normally. Usually I wouldn't like that, but it feels really good here, the ship itself is just an obstruction flying through space otherwise, every time you have to deal with one it feels risky as you swoop in trying to take out a defence to make the next pass safer and easier. Other aids are reticles that you can aim for that react to inertia, speed and angle so that you've some idea of where you should be shooting at far off targets. It's a little feature that goes a long way to making the core concept of the game fun Other stuff I should probably mention. Graphically it looks amazing. Although it's very minimalist it really does look the part. The music is great, it reminds me of the Mass Effect games composition. The voice acting is also above what I was expecting, I like how it's not just Americans, the vocalisation is very varied. It's hard as fuck. I'm playing on easy because of the games reputation and I'm yet to feel truly in control of something because of how fast everything is unfurling. I'm hoping when it eventually drops on the newer consoles it comes with a demo so people can try it out. It might surprise a lot of people. In no way is it a top tier million dollar budget game, but the people responsible have crafted an exceptional game, or at least the SSZ part of it is good, I've no idea if SSI is any different.

Powerstar Golf is a free-2-play golf game from Microsoft Studios and Zoe Mode. What you get is a selection of events including a hole from every course as well as stroke and match play. If you want to unlock full course that will cost you money either À la carte for $5.99 or all five courses for $19.99. You earn XP and credits. With credits you can buy card packs that unlock new gear, abilities and buffs. There are five different card packs that come with a set number of cards: Booster Pack 1,000 Credits, Amateur Pack 3,000 Credits, Pro Pack 6,000 Credits, Elite Pack 15,000 Credits and Extreme Pack 60,000 Credits. It is possible to grind for credit via playing the game, but for the impatient among us you can buy credits: 10,000 Credits $1.99, 24,000 Credits $3.99, 65,000 Credits $7.99, 140,000 Credits $14.99. And yes I am guilty of buying some credit packs. The game is fun and very community focused. Throughout play the game will give you challenges to beat for extra XP and credits. Also, community records can be set and broken. You can challenge anyone even if they are offline. If you beat them you get extra XP and credits. Where Microsoft and Zoe Mode dropped the ball is the game feels rushed, unfinished and in need of a season two and three with more courses. Also, while the game is community focused there in really no community organization from Microsoft itself. No community manager, No weekly tournaments It’s kind of a letdown in that regard. For now this is a fun diversion till The Golf Club launches later this year.