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6 Oct 2017

PLAY Expo Manchester to Showcase Multiple Tournaments, Huge Tabletop Area and The Dark Room Interactive Game


Manchester, England – October 6th, 2017 – Fast becoming one of the most influential and popular gaming events in the UK, PLAY Expo Manchester is set to deliver this year more enthralling content, to larger numbers of eager gamers, than ever before.

Fighting Games Exhibition and Tournaments
Taking place on 14th and 15th October, chief among this year’s highlights at Play Expo Manchester is a massive fighting game exhibition slugfest between two opposing gaming scenes: England’s Manchester Battle Arena take on Versus Scotland in a no-hold barred showdown across five different competitive fighting games: Street Fighter V, Tekken 7, Guilty Gear Xrd: Revelator 2, King of Fighters XIV, and the brand-new Marvel vs Capcom: Infinite.

The Manchester Battle Arena team will then once again run several stage tournaments with a knockout roster of fighting game showdowns throughout the weekend:

Saturday
  • Street Fighter V
  • Marvel vs Capcom Infinite
  • Killer Instinct

Sunday
  • Tekken 7
  • Guilty Gear Revelator 2
  • King of Fighters XIV

Entry to each tournament is a mere £5 with a share of the £500 prize pot to be won. Signups close at 12:00 each day and tournaments will begin at 12:30pm. Competitors are advised to bring their own controllers to the event, although some will be available on the day to those travelling without their weapon of choice!


Tabletop Gaming Zone

The PLAY Expo Manchester Tabletop Gaming area continues to grow exponentially and this year there will be a huge selection of card- and board games to play, demonstrations of new games from specialists Esdevium Games and retailers selling the latest games for attendees to try and buy.

Esdevium will be showcasing the following titles: Dobble, Cortex, Story Cubes, Codenames, Duet, Ticket to Ride: Europe, Carcassonne, Blood Rage, Dice Forge, Pandemic Iberia, Cash 'n' Guns, Timeline, X-Wing, Jungle Speed, Century - Spice Road, NMBR9, and Yamatai.

Fan Boy Three are scheduled to attend and will be running a number of TCG tournaments as well as some ‘learn-to-play’ events. Tournaments confirmed are: Final Fantasy (free) and Yu-Gi-Oh (paid). Schedules will be released towards the end of the week.

Live Interactive Comedy Game, The Dark Room

A real treat for all attendees to this year’s PLAY Expo Manchester is comedian John Robertson’s critically acclaimed interactive game 'The Dark Room' scheduled for both Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th October.

Described as the world’s first live-action text-based adventure game, The Dark Room is a choose-your-own-adventure, so make sure you choose it!
  
The Dark Room blurs the lines between comedy and game show and is enjoyed by gamers, non-gamers, teens and parents. The audience play as contestants and the rules are simple.

1 - Options appear on the screen.
2 - Audience calls out the option they want.
3 - You’re either right, or dead.
4 - In the end, everybody plays!

Originally an interactive YouTube game, The Dark Room went viral and attracted more than 4 million views. Comedian John Robertson then transformed the game into a live show, and so far, has enjoyed sell out shows at events across the UK.

In addition, PLAY Expo Manchester have unveiled their Official Drink’s Sponsor, Nurishment™

For 36 years Nurishment has been the vitamin-enriched fuel of choice for many gamers and to celebrate Replay Events commissioned independent (and BAFTA-nominated) developer Team Cooper from Sheffield to create The Filling Station – a classic and highly addictive endless runner game packed full of points-earning vitamins and score-wrecking retro obstacles. Get on (and stay on) the leaderboard to earn an entry into the draw to win a SNES Classic Edition. Nurishment ambassador and England International footballer Daniel Sturridge plays the game and loves it (his score is on the leaderboard, see if you can beat him!). Just search “Nurishment” in your App Store or visit www.nurishment.co.uk to get collecting those vitamins!
As Nurishment is the Official Drinks Sponsor for Play Expo Manchester, visitors will be able to visit the stand to sample these vitamin-enriched drinks and play The Filling Station
Jump on one of six gaming stations and score over 1000 points to win a free Nurishment drink in the flavour of your choice. Reach 3000 points and you'll bag you yourself a free limited edition Nurishment t-shirt!
For more information on PLAY Expo Manchester 2017, please visit: http://www.playexpomanchester.com/ and follow Replay Events on Facebook, and Twitter.


Exhibitors, traders and press interested in PLAY Expo Manchester can contact the Replay Events team at: contact@replayevents.com


REVIEW: The Norwood Suite - Out now on Steam (PC)


Synopsis:
From Cosmo D, the creator of the freeware hit "Off-Peak", comes The Norwood Suite - a weird-adventure game that is both its spiritual and direct sequel.

The Norwood Suite is a first-person adventure game that takes players to the secluded Hotel Norwood on a simple and friendly errand that quickly unfolds into something much more involved. Filled with bizarre characters and objects, this mysterious resort is a dense, open-ended world teeming with hidden passages and secrets to discover.

Peer into the lives of the hotel’s guests and staff, explore and interact with surprises behind every door, and piece together a non-linear narrative that rewards your curiosity. The Norwood Suite features surreal art design, as well as an original atmospheric musical score, composed by Cosmo D, that integrates itself directly into the game world.


Review: By Jon Donnis
If you read the little synopsis above you will see that the score in this game is composed by Cosmo D, and damn it really is good, because I am an idiot, I started playing this game on mute as I assumed it would be your typical background sounds etc, and only after a few hours did I put the sound on and suddenly I am hearing this great music. So yeah when you play this, turn your speakers on, and prepare to have your senses tickled with such cool music.

Ok away from the awesome music, this game is a puzzle/errands game, once you get to the hotel of which the game is based, everything becomes about solving puzzles, whether that is how to use the computer, by changing plugs, finding a wifi router, resetting it, or finding the right costume to wear to enter a room you need to go, making people sandwiches, to finding key for a piano. This is the main crux of the game. So if you like this type of game then you should enjoy The Norwood Suite.

I had a few issues with the game, I felt the controls a little clunky, however I am much more of a console guy, so using keys to move with one hand, and the mouse with the other, does not come naturally to me. Give me an Xbox controller and I am at home. So although I thought the controls were a bit clunky, if you are used to playing games using a mouse and keyboard then I suspect you will be right at home here.

I also found the graphics to be a little dated, again spoiled by 2017 high end games with huge budgets and so on. And this game would easily feel "new" if released 10 or even 15 years ago.

This game is not for me, for various reasons, but that does not mean it is a bad game, but you do have to take into account the type of gamer you are, the type of games you enjoy, and the type of experience you like to get from a game.

If you like keyboard/mouse controls, a game whereby you enjoy the music, you pay attention to all the conversations the characters you interact with have, you like to feel immersed into the storyline, then I am sure you will enjoy this game.

I give this game a decent 7/10.

The Norwood Suite will be released on PC through Steam and Itch.io on October 2.


4 Oct 2017

Hyper Mode is back for Dying Light


October 2017 – Wroclaw, Poland / Techland, a leading developer and publisher of videogames today announces the return of Hyper Mode, a community-led challenge, starting today at 12pm PDT (8pm BST) and ending on 8th October at 11:30pm PDT (3:30pm BST) to achieve a gib-soaked enemy kill count of six million. More details can be found here.

Hyper Mode will have a number of key gameplay changes that will imbue players with the additional physical power to send zombies flying throughout the event. Meanwhile for gamers who want to join the fun, there will be a sale of up to 60% on Steam.

“These community events are not only good excuses to bring together our loyal Dying Light community to reach a collective, challenging goal but also to reward them with unique items,” said CEO, Techland, Pawel Marchewka. “We can’t wait to kick off Hyper Mode again to see whether the kill count goal of six million can be achieved.”

Those taking part in the carnage will be rewarded with two extra Gold-Tier Weapon Dockets. Drop-kick ’til you… drop!

2 Oct 2017

REVIEW: Cuphead - Xbox One


Cuphead is a classic run and gun action game heavily focused on boss battles. Inspired by cartoons of the 1930s, the visuals and audio are painstakingly created with the same techniques of the era, i.e. traditional hand drawn cel animation, watercolor backgrounds, and original jazz recordings.Play as Cuphead or Mugman (in single player or local co-op) as you traverse strange worlds, acquire new weapons, learn powerful super moves, and discover hidden secrets while you try to pay your debt back to the devil!

Buy from Amazon Here

1 Oct 2017

FIFA 18 - Nintendo Switch Gameplay

Take a look at Real Madrid facing off against Barcelona in FIFA 18, running on a docked Nintendo Switch.

EA SPORTS FIFA 18 on Nintendo Switch is the most immersive, social, and authentic football game ever created for Nintendo players. Feature packed, you can now play the world’s game anytime, anywhere and in unique ways with FIFA 18 on Nintendo Switch.

BUILT FOR SWITCH

Your FIFA, Your Way: Brand-new ways to play single and multiplayer on the most social FIFA experience ever. With a variety of controller and display configurations available, as well as split Joy-Con support, FIFA 18 on the Nintendo Switch offers a responsive and engaging gaming experience – no matter how you play.

Your Favorite FIFA Modes, for Nintendo SWITCH: With FIFA Ultimate TeamTM, Career Mode, and Switch-tailored Kickoff, and Local Seasons, FIFA 18 on Nintendo Switch is the deepest portable FIFA ever.

Immersive Presentation and Gameplay: With advanced rendering technology, FIFA 18 on Nintendo Switch delivers an unparalleled experience. The product boasts a full 1080p on TV and 720p on handheld, delivering authentic football atmospheres, no matter where you play. Experience brand-new pitch environments, unique physically based rendering for all characters, and new gameplay mechanics.

Buy Fifa 18 on Nintendo Switch Here