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Preview by Sam M.

The Banner Saga was a successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2012 and now the full release of the game is right around the corner.

The appeal of The Banner Saga is immediately obvious; it brings the same gameplay elements found in games such as Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics. Drawing from Norse culture, The Banner Saga also brings a fantasy world to live thanks to its stunning hand drawn art style.

Preview by Matt S. 

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to play an early build of Tecmo Koei and Comcept's collaboration project, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. I was more than a little impressed by that early build, as Keiji Inafune's new zombie slasher seemed to be channeling the Goichi Suda philosophy towards game design, and I'm always up for more of that kind of action. With this new build I got a chance to delve deeper into the first couple of levels of the game, and I'm impressed to see where the game is going.

The first preview offered a simple highlights package, and as such there was always the danger that as wildly oddball that experience was that it would be like the trailer of a bad comedy film; all the good stuff is in that two minutes and the rest of the experience would prove to be quite pedestrian.

Preview by Mike B.

Frozen Synapse is a title that is heavily regarded among the Digitally Downloaded staff. It's such a simple concept, but executed to a level of precision that we rarely see at any level. The player plans the movements and actions of a small unit of troops which after finalised play out against the actions of enemy forces within a five-second period. When that time interval is over, the player can reevaluate their plan of attack and change their soldiers' movements and actions to fit the current situation. The game system actively encourages a metagame reiteration of strategy, making tactical planning as exciting as when that strategy is executed successfully.

Preview by Harvard L.

Kraken Empire's upcoming shooter, Kromaia, is aiming to be an experience like no other. Promising a complex piloting system featuring six degrees of movement, the 3D shooter aims to strike a balance between arcade style action and a deep sense of exploration. It's an ambitious goal for a small development team, and although the project might be alienating for some, it's clear that there will be a niche of players who will fall in love with this frenetic and exuberant shooter.

The big draw of this game, for many players, will be its six-degrees-of-freedom movement. This actually sounds a lot better on paper than in practice however - rarely will you ever need to utilise every possible movement option. The system does feel rewarding for players willing to play creatively and test out what they can do, but more casual players can ignore the rolls and strafes to play Kromaia as if it were an iteration in the Star Fox series.

Preview by Matt S. 

World Of Tanks is often held up as the pinnacle of free-to-play gaming, as a perfect example of a game that is balanced enough to be profitable for the developer, while not forcing players to shell out real money in order to be competitive.

Having not played the PC game, I can't compare this Xbox 360 version, but then it doesn't really matter because in BETA World Of Tanks Xbox 360 version is a very fine game indeed.

Preview by Matt S. 

At a PlayStation 4 launch event today I kept being drawn back to the same game. I played it on a nice big TV, with the slick new PS4 controller in my hand. I walked away and played something else for a bit. But then I was back to play the demo again. Someone else wanted a go so I needed to walk away. Then I came back to play it again on the Vita through the PS4's remote play feature.

It's being released for PlayStation 3 and PC as well, but Contrast is the PS4 game I want the most.

Preview by Sam M. 

There aren’t many games that make me stop and look at every little individual aspect of a game. Tearaway does that. Brought to you by Media Molecule, the same team behind the LittleBigPlanet series, Tearaway brings the same creativity and pure joy that you would expect in a LBP game.

Arguably one of the best titles on the Wii was Donkey Kong Country Returns, which emerged on the console in 2010, and was then rereleased on the Nintendo 3DS. Now, developer Retro Studios looks to make its debut on the Wii U with the sequel, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

Preview by Matt S. 

Standard set of disclaimers up front: I'm not a big fan of shooters, and I have never really, truly enjoyed a Killzone game. There are certain examples of the genre that I do get along with and can certainly appreciate - such as Crysis 3 or that XCOM one, but Killzone always seemed just a little bland for my tastes.

But it's a major release for the PlayStation 4, and so I felt obligated to check it out at the recent EB Games expo. Specifically I checked it out at an evening media-only event that paired me up with some of Australia's other gaming journos (there's no way I'd line up for over an hour for any shooter), for some four-on-four multiplayer action.

Preview by Sam M.

I’m sure it’s clear to most that know me that I love Battlefield. I absolutely suck at it, but there is a joy that I get out of playing it that I can’t find anywhere else. After getting some hands on time with it, Battlefield 4 is no exception.

Preview by Matt S.

I've always been a bit concerned about Dark Souls 2, after I heard it was announced. My concern was always tied in to the budget of the game - Dark Souls 2 clearly has a bigger budget, and that means it needs to sell more copies to justify the investment on the management side of the business. The only way to achieve that is to make the game reach out to a broader audience, and this tends to bring up that scary "a" word... accessibility.

Preview by Matt S. 

There's no shortage of digital collectible card games (CCGs). From Magic: The Gathering and Might & Magic: Duel of Champions right through to little indie efforts like Orbs CCG, this is a genre that is remarkably good for game developers for two reasons; it keeps people playing for long periods of time and the free-to-play model works brilliantly for it.

I know I must have spent $40 on digital cards in Duel of Champions. And I'm not even close what the majority of reasonable fans will spend on their favourite digital CCG, in terms of both time and money. These games are genuine hobbies in themselves.

Preview by Matt S.

Something spectacular happened when I got some hands on time with Super Mario 3D World at the EB Games Expo 2013 show; everyone was participating as equals.

Five levels were on show at the Expo, and I got to play them all. In each case the experience was purely multiplayer, and I was paired with three other players of varying skill. Some were clearly gaming veterans. Others were clearly utter beginners. What worries me, after playing through all of these levels in multiplayer, is how great they are as levels that have something for everyone in multiplayer.

Let me explain: across all five levels it was as easy for an experienced gamer to get through to the end of the level as it was for a complete beginner. The platforming was designed in such a way that, for the most part, the only way that players would not get to the end of the level would be if every single player died within a few seconds of one another, and with regular power upgrades and a really quick respawn, that was never going to happen.

And Microsoft knows it. The entire Xbox One marketing strategy relies on people knowing that this single game won a record amount of awards at E3; 60 at last count including 6 critics awards. As a game to be released in the launch window (although not a launch title), it will be an important pawn in the battle for next generation supremacy.

Preview by Owen S.

The Forza series has provided us with some of the greatest racing experiences that can be had. The perfect, flawless cars felt wondrous to virtually drive as they traversed the tracks that always looked better than anything else the competition was putting up. Lauded by both fans and critics alike for the way they controlled as well as how great they looked, these games pushed the limits of graphical capabilities in the last generation of gaming consoles.

Preview by Owen S. 

One game that really stood out for me at the EB Expo 2013 was a launch title for the Xbox One; Ryse: Son of Rome

A cinematic action adventure title that Microsoft seems to be heavily relying on to sell consoles, the expectations of this remarkable tale surrounding an unwitting centurion from Ancient Rome is high. Whilst the many specifics of the story are still, understandably, being held close to the chest what I did see promises to offer juicy plotlines of revenge and patriotism.

A convention is never a good environment to trial a game that is likely to last 50 or so hours. If I had played a random 20 minutes of Final Fantasy XIII I would never have been inspired to pick up the final game, and that would have been a pity because I fall firmly in the group of people that enjoyed that game for what it was.

So I'm not judging Final Fantasy XIII-3 in any way based on what I experienced at the EB Expo 2013. Merely, I am commenting on the potential I see for the final version of the game; I reckon it's going to fall between Final Fantasy XIII and one of my favourite JRPGs of the generation, Final Fantasy XIII-2.

After having a really good time with the PlayStation 4 and the spirit in which Sony has been courting original game ideas and independent developers, I was a little taken back by Microsoft's booth at the EB Games Expo 2013.

There's quite a bit riding on Drive Club. This is the game that Sony is essentially "packing in" with the PlayStation 4. When you consider that the only way to play online multiplayer is to have the PSPlus membership, and Drive Club is the first "free game" that's on offer under the PSPlus system, it's actually going to be one of the most scrutinised launch games of all, both in the media and amongst consumers, because so many people are going to have access to it by default.

So it worries me a little that the driving experience is so bland. With all due disclaimer that I didn't nearly play this game enough to get a proper feel for it, and the social features that are such a major part of Drive Club were not enabled in the demo, I have gone from being so very excited by this game, to not being interested in it in the slightest.

Preview by Matt S. 

Three months ago, if you had have told me that my most anticipated PlayStation 4 game would be a indie title from a tiny Australian development team, I would have laughed at you.

And yet, in the absence of a concrete announcement that Kadokawa Games' Natural Doctrine would be localised, and the lack of information regarding Sony's E3 darling (as far as I'm concerned), The Order 1886, I found myself drawn like a moth to a really bright friggin' light when I saw Nnooo's Blast 'Em Bunnies on show at the Sony EB Games Expo 2013 booth.