Sunday 5 July 2015

Fall of the Machine

Fall of the Machine

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided imagines a civilisation at war with its own technology. We travel to Eidos Montreal’s HQ to see this spectacular Xbox One cyberpunk sequel in action

Deep in the heart of Prague’s ‘Golem City’ – a teetering labyrinth of habitation modules, piled as high as skyscrapers to create slum housing for an underclass of mechanically augmented human beings – a chance tumble of fluorescent lighting tubes forms a jagged angel shape. It dangles over a vista of polystyrene candle-holders and power cables, ornate vintage benches, 24/7 news vids, merchants’ chalkboards ringed by circus bulbs and steaming joints of meat.

EVE & Death

EVE & Death

CCP ponders life, mortality and downloadable souls in the EVE universe.

Death frightens us. So much so, in fact, that we often relegate it to impossibility – a phenomenon unique to the old, to the unfortunate, to people we are not. Despite that, an intrinsic awareness of mortality remains embedded within us, infiltrating our actions and our interactions, and even the games we play.

Hitman Reborn

Hitman Reborn

IO Interactive is reinventing the way it makes Hitman, but the essence of the assassination sim is intact.

This is Hitman the way we want it to be. I have a firm idea of how this game of cold-blooded contract killing should work, and I don’t imagine it’s that different from any other fan’s. Stealth sandboxes with seemingly unlimited options for experimentation on the way to taking out Agent 47’s target. Done.

As part of my demo of the new game, IO interactive switch the freecam on and fly me over the Parisian palace where it’s set. The place is densely packed with detail. I’m certain there’s no way to see it all in one playthrough.