Overclock | The Daily Star

  • What went wrong for the Xbox One?

    The short answer to the title – the initial online only reveal at E3 2013, a lack of system sellers and the PlayStation 4. The Xbox One irrevocably lost this generation and, unlike the PlayStation 3 from the previous generation, ended up playing all the wrong cards. Both consoles had botched releases, insane price tags and no games to show for at launch but then how did the PS3 still recover? To understand the fate of Microsoft and the Xbox brand, the more appropriate question to ask is, how did the Xbox 360 win?

  • The droids you are looking for

    An auteur of story-driven interactive adventures, David Cage and his studio Quantic Dream are well-known for their choice-driven walking simulators such as Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain and Beyond. In 2012, Quantic Dream released a short film titled “Kara” where an android of the same name becomes self-aware while being assembled in the factory. The tech demo, with its ground-breaking visuals and

  • The one overlooked aspect of video game immersion

    The player camera in video games is a criminally-overlooked feature. It can mean the difference between killing that difficult boss and dying to him because the camera glitched out and you were staring into your character's nostrils.

  • Interactive Gaming - A Case for Visual Novels

    In a game we're often forced to pick between wishing whether it had a better narrative or better gameplay. But you know what, why not just settle for a game that is purely narrative, forget gameplay or keep it to a minimalist aspect, you can always just enjoy a game that's mostly to entirely story.

  • 4 small games that pack a punch

    AAA games are great. Sometimes, though, you have an itch that needs a different kind of game to be scratched. Maybe you're going on a trip, and need to carry some lightweight games that a laptop can run? Whatever the case, games in the following list fulfil your requirements. And the best part? They're all under 250 MB.

  • A Way Out - A Mixed Bag of Emotions

    Since 2016, EA has been running a program called EA Originals where they look for promising indie games and provide them full funding without any publishing fees. The latest product of this program is A Way Out, a story driven co-op experience created by Swedish filmmaker Josef Fares, who previously directed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Ever since its E3 reveal in 2017, A Way Out got a lot of gamers excited but probably not as much as Fares himself who confidently stated “It is impossible to not like this game”. Is his statement true?

  • GOD OF WAR

    God of War (2018) is perhaps the most hyped up game of this generation. Irrespective of your interest in gaming, you could not have missed the praise it got over the course of last week. And after getting my hands on the game I have to say, that I agree with the sentiments of critics and fans alike. God of War will perhaps be hailed as one of the most iconic moments of the PS4's life cycle in the years to come.

  • THE GOD OF HYPE

    At the time of reading this, the new God of War is already out and you've probably already played Sony's new masterpiece. Unfortunately, my copy of the game was lost in the mail. This did however give me some time to think about all the marketing that goes behind video games, and the impact it has on industry standards and on the minds of video game enthusiasts. In short, pre-release gameplay footage, tech demos of new consoles and marketing campaigns surrounding everything leads to one major development – hype.

  • Chronicles of playing against a friend who's better than you

    The only thing that's better than gaming alone is having friends. Even better than that is being able to game with said friends. Of course, when you frequently play against skilled opponents you start to show some less than pleasant traits. Below are some of the more embarrassing ones.

  • Chronicles of playing against someone actually better than you

    Not to be confused with the other article bearing the same name, this one is for people who have lives and don't spend all day playing video games like losers. We know what it's like to be outmatched in activities that actually matter. The following are some of the things that go through our head when that happens.

  • A day in the life of a gamepad

    Dawn arrives with first light—no wait it's the middle of the day, what gives? The answer is soon revealed as I realise I was at the bottom of a pile of dirty laundry. Banished to the corner, never to be seen again until the hour of need arrives, my suspicions prove to be true as I am swiftly plugged into the computer. It's time to get ready for the ordeal all over again.

  • Classics that deserve a replay

    For all the gamers out there, the future promises much in the form of innovation. With the increased development of VR as well as various AR projects, gaming technology is about to get an overhaul and expand its horizons significantly. Before this new era is ushered in, however, we thought it would be a good idea to put on our rose-tinted goggles and pay homage to some of the classics which have stood the test of time.

  • Overused storytelling clichés in gaming

    A well-crafted, engaging story can elevate a good game to greatness. Sometimes, however, even games unanimously regarded as classics can suffer from clichés in the storytelling department.

  • Innovation - How Nintendo stays in the game

    The video game industry is indebted to Nintendo for a great number of reasons. Whether it is bringing video games out of arcades and making it accessible to the populace with resounding success or bringing the industry back in track after the video game crash of 1983, Nintendo remains as one of the forefathers and pioneers of this billion dollar industry. While several other classic companies teetered off to

  • 5 great Steam games for 5 dollars or less

    Everyone likes a good bargain on their games. Not everyone has the money to invest into a big title. But sometimes the cheap stuff in the “$5 and under” tab really gives you killer deals. Let's look at some of them right here.

  • Ubisoft's new direction and what it means for gamers

    In the past two decades or so, Ubisoft had kept gamers (and themselves) very busy by releasing at least one AAA single-player title every year – namely, entries from the Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed and the Tom Clancy franchises. In the earlier days, they did a very good job of juggling the workload as most of their games would be acclaimed by gamers and critics alike.

  • The greatest remake ever?

    I never buy video games at launch but when the Shadow of the Colossus remake was released, I bought it without thinking twice. The original Shadow of the Colossus was the kind of experience I still have vivid memories of. It shaped the love I have for video games today, and ultimately set up unprecedented expectations I would have from the medium.

  • The benefits of humble bundle

    Games are costly, there's no denying it. Even with the problem of distribution solved for PC gamers in the form of Steam, buying AAA titles, or even continuous purchases of indie/smaller titles, your money spent adds up.

  • Stages of being addicted to a mobile game

    You're bored, browsing the app store on your new fancy phone, desperately looking for something to kill the time. Snapchat's great, but when your crush opens your bland “strk” snap without even replying...

  • The allure of difficult games

    Games are a form of art, but first and foremost they are a source of entertainment. This is why the primary goal of any game should be to provide joy to the user, right?

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