PlayStation LifeStyle » Quantum Theory

PlayStation Release Horizon 09/27/10

Kishen Patel — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 23:03:56 +0000

The gaming season has finally peaked to a height suitable for loyal PlayStation fans. This week, PlayStation 3 owners have a wide selection of new releases with something for virtually anyone. Whether the taste is an RPG, action adventure, music, or sports, PS3 gamers have a variety of choices; even PS2 owners got a bone thrown at them. Anyways, check out this week’s PlayStation releases below.

PS3 -

Atelier Rorona: The Alchemists of Arland (09/28)
Battle vs Chess (09/28)
Dead Rising 2 (Collector’s Edition) (09/28)
FIFA Soccer 11 (09/28)
Front Mission Evolved (09/28)
Get Fit with Mel B (09/28)
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Guitar Bundle) (Super Bundle) (09/28)
MySims Sky Heroes (09/28)
Quantum Theory (09/28)
Rapala Bro Bass Fishing 2010 (w/ fishing rod peripheral) (09/28)

PSP -

FIFA Soccer 11 (09/28)
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010 (09/28)

PS2 -

FIFA Soccer 11 (09/28)
Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010 (09/28)

It’s clear that those who look most forward to the next Guitar Hero title will not feel the same way towards Atelier Rorona. Regardless, every individual gamer is unique with their own tastes so tell us what you’re most excited about and planning on picking up in the comments section below.

PS3 Review – Quantum Theory

Matt Baker — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 00:56:44 +0000

Quantum Theory is Tecmo Koei’s first attempt at the third-person shooter genre, and what a rollercoaster ride it has been for the publisher. The shooter, originally a PlayStation 3 exclusive, later on went multiplatform – greatly disappointing the PlayStation 3 faithful. Originally touted as a complete Gears of War clone, Quantum Theory undoubtedly strikes upon several similarities with Epic’s masterpiece – a notion which the developer’s themselves have admitted. Let’s find out if this truly is a Gears of War competitor or a title which can excel and wow gamers with its technical competence.

Approximately three years in development, Quantum Theory’s story and concept is quite intriguing. The name Quantum Theory, itself, comes from the definition of the phrase: basically, looking at something as it changes. The game showcases this theory in a perfect way. The game’s bulky, badass protagonist, Syd, embarks on a quest to destroy a “Living Tower”. Many years have passed since a world war inflicted cataclysmic damage on the human race and subsequently leaving only a few survivors in the aftermath. The human race has been threatened by a black material called “Erosion”, creating a post-apocalyptic environment. In steps Syd to conquer the Erosion and take down the evil and constantly-changing Tower.

During the precedence of the game, Syd meets the mysterious Filena while they both ascend their way to the top of the Living Tower in order to ultimately destroy it. While they don’t exactly get along at first, Syd and Filena soon have to work together and use various team-based attacks to defeat their enemies. The Erosion infested in the Tower intensifies as the two characters climb up through the ever evolving tower – which is where the quantum theory concept ties into the title. The Living Tower is called living for a reason: the layout of the physical tower continues to change as the player make their way to the top, making for a more challenging experience overall. For example, one hallway could look normal but, the next second, it could shift its motion, putting the dynamic duo in danger of falling to their deaths. One aspect in particular that distinguishes this shooter from the frequently compared Gears of War is the sidekick Filena acting as Syd’s usable sidekick. Filena is essentially a tool for Syd to fling towards hordes of enemies where she’ll trigger a deadly attack – something gamers will undoubtedly find themselves doing quite a bit throughout the duration of the single-player campaign. Strategically performed combos with feminine sidekick results in a more fierce attack against bigger enemies.

The gameplay is really what will grab the attention of players. A heavy emphasis was put on the cover-based mechanics, one of the main aspects the Gears of War comparisons revolve around. The cover system paired with the over-the-shoulder aiming mechanic will familiarize players almost instantly to previous titles such as Uncharted 2 and even inFamous; and it’s a good thing, too, since players will be doing a lot of of covering, aiming from cover, shooting from cover, going to another cover stance – you get the idea. Syd is always equipped with a dependable hand cannon. He’s also able to carry two other weapons ranging from shotguns, machine guns, and a third item from a typical list of weaponry. When shooting an opponent, the game momentarily shows the enemy upfront who explode in a spray of snot. When the enemies encountered get too close, Syd can execute them with a slow but powerful punch. Another effective weapon on his side, as mentioned above, is Filena. Tecmo Koei made an intelligent AI partner in Filena. She’s constantly present on the battlefield who will even take on enemies by her own. Also, if proper timing is practiced, Syd’s melee attack can be combined with one of her own which can take out multiple enemies at a time. Overall, the gun combat is solid enough to satisfy the player but it’s sadly ruined by other aspects.

Some of Quantum Theory’s gameplay elements are frustrating. For example, if you thought Killzone 2′s controls were the most stiffest in gaming, you’re in for a rude awakening. Nearly every single movement is somewhat of a chore to do with the main standout focused in the running. Syd can be running one way but will refuse to run in another sharp direction while running – a potentially annoying issue made apparent throughout the course of the game. The roll feature is quite useful to counteract the flawed steering since it can be used even when the main character’s direction is uncontrollable.

Definitely worth mentioning is the game’s interesting and engaging boss battles encountered throughout the Living Tower. Various bosses are mammoth-sized freaks of nature which players will just want to rip apart the minute they lay eyes on them. Some of the battles present a new challenge and dimension to Quantum Theory due to the fact that there will be no environment to take cover at, leaving Syd to try to strategically plan out the battle by dodging its attacks. While busy doing that players, will be able to find vulnerable spots on the bosses’ body to kill the gigantic beast. Filena also plays key to a few of the boss battles where players will have to ensure to user her. For instance, by tossing Filena at one of the bosses, he’ll grab her, thus opening a weak spot on the bosses’ hands which you could shoot at.

Visually, Quantum Theory is nothing exceptional. It definitely features its graphical showpieces, such as the enemy exploding into a pile of snot – not to forget in slow motion – but aspects such as the textures seems to take quite a while to load and aren’t particularly the best we’ve seen, especially when compared to the other third-person shooters on the market. The cutscenes are well done and, moments where it shows Syd and Filena teaming up to blow up an enemy, is visually impressive. The same can be said about the environment inside of the Tower, such as the moving platforms. The attention to detail on the characters isn’t too great, though, as it seems very unkempt. The bosses, on the other hand, feature a lot more detail down to the very last limb of the beast. The sound quality is not bad but, again, average at best. An execution of a weapon, such as the hand cannon, makes a clear, distinct sound while an enemy blowing up into snot sounds is just as unique.

Although we could not sample the multiplayer (for obvious reasons), Quantum Theory does seem promising in the online department. Sadly, Quantum Theory does not feature a co-op campaign experience – something which sounds like a match made in heaven for this title due to the fact there are two characters. The online modes include “Dead or Alive”, where players are divided into two teams and kill each other for points. Basically, whichever side has the most points at the end is the winner. Then, there is “Executioner”, a typical deathmatch mode lasting ten minutes where the rules of Dead or Alive apply. Lastly, which is by far the most compelling looking mode, is “Guardian”, a mode which has players divided into two teams with Filena as their leader. The remaining players in the match guard over the heroine from the enemy attackers.

Quantum Theory, at its core, is a cover-based third-person shooter which gives the player a fast-paced, fun, and sometimes addictive action adventure. Its countless similarities to Gears of War is closely showcased in both the gameplay and cover-based level design, which will put gamers in a far too similar experience. One of the most interesting parts of Quantum Theory and something it does well, however, is the Living Tower itself, since it gives the player a desperate urge to continue onward and discover what the Tower has in store. Navigating through a world where the evolving battleground surprises players with new and challenging obstacles by changing its form in real-time, which will hopefully entice potential players to pick up this western-styled Japanese title. The Tower delivers a moderately unique and fun experience which isn’t present in most of the available shooters on the market. The constantly-changing Living Tower ensures that players become accustomed fairly quickly to the new areas within the Tower – something which is refreshing to see. While Quantum Theory boasts its own unique attributes, it ultimately is not a title which shooter fans will be blown away by. It is a shame since, if the title delivered where it essentially failed, it could of been a totally fresh experience for gamers.

PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score

Too many similarities to Gears of War

Living Tower concept is original and enticing

Stiff controls is frustrating

New Quantum Theory Screens Get Bloody

Cameron Teague — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 12:17:20 +0000

Tecmo Koei have been nice enough to release new screenshots of Gears of War… I mean Quantum Theory for our viewing pleasure. These new screenshots give you a good idea of one thing to expect in the game and that is the game plans to be very bloody. Get a good look at the screenshots below and let us know what you think.

Quantum Theory Multiplayer Detailed

Cameron Teague — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 16:46:21 +0000

Quantum Theory has been the subject of much debate, receiving many delays in its development cycle. Hopefully this extra time has given them the ability to touch up areas of the game that have looked less than stellar. One area that has not been talked about much is the multiplayer that has been announced for the game. Tecmo Koei would like everyone to know that development is still ongoing and have released the first details of the aforementioned multiplayer experience.

There will be three modes to be had for anyone who decides to pick up the game and all these modes will come with online rankings.

Dead or Alive – Players are divided into two teams and kill each other for points. Whichever side has the most points at the end of the best two-out-of-three match is the winner.

Executioner - Your basic deathmatch mode. Rounds last ten minutes, and again, whoever’s racked up the most points at the end wins.

Guardian – In this mode, players are divided into two teams, each with a female “leader” character. You must fight the opposing team while keeping your leader from dying — as long as she’s alive, team members can respawn infinitely.

Hopefully the multiplayer portion of the game plays a lot smoother than what we tried of the single player. You can check out our impressions of the game here.

Quantum Theory = Gears of War

Matt Baker — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:48:58 +0000

Quantum Theory has largely been compared to Gears of War due to its similar style of gameplay. PlayStation LifeStyle got some hands on time with the game during E3 and it seems the game really is a Gears of War rip-off.

Our hands-on impressions talks about the Gears of War shadow the game is being bombarded by from critics and fans alike.

It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Tecmo Koei and Quantum Theory, from PS3 exclusive to Multiplatform and multiple delays in between. With the game surely soon to be released, PlayStation LifeStyle got a hands on with the game at this years E3 and despite its few differences, this really is a Gears of War of a different color. Sadly though, it doesn’t look to be the blockbuster that Gears is, but check out below for our full impressions.
Overall the hands on with Quantum Theory did nothing to make me think this game could do anything to distance itself from the Gears of War shadow that has been cast over it by the industry. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if what the game did offer was a solid experience but from our time with the game, it just doesn’t. Hopefully the rest of the game is better then the part we played and it would be great to find out that is the case. However if that’s not the case and this game is truly set to release this summer as we were told, then I fear there may not be enough time for this one to get fixed, though there is always time for another delay right?

What do you think? Is Quantum Theory just a Gears of War rip-off? Or are you looking forward to the shooter? Let us know via the comments below.

For more on the game, check out PlayStation LifeStyle’s hands-on impressions.

Quantum Theory E3 Impressions

Cameron Teague — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:45:53 +0000

It’s been a bit of a roller coaster ride for Tecmo Koei and Quantum Theory, from PS3 exclusive to Multiplatform and multiple delays in between. With the game surely soon to be released, PlayStation LifeStyle got a hands on with the game at this years E3 and despite its few differences, this really is a Gears of War of a different color. Sadly though, it doesn’t look to be the blockbuster that Gears is, but check out below for our full impressions.

Right off the bat you will notice one thing about Quantum Theory and that the game is very stiff in everything it does from the running to the attempt at melee combat. Nothing here in the game feels very fluid with even the cover system not feeling right. And just a heads up, if you were one of the people saying Killzone 2 controls were too stiff, well then I think Killzone 2 may have met its daddy in Quantum Theory. Every single thing in the game is a real chore to do, especially the running. In fact the game refuses to let you run one way and then quickly try and run another, instead making your character do some of the widest turns i have seen outside of an 18 wheeler.

But a shooter like this is all about the combat and while the gun combat was solid enough, it was ruined by the horrible movement in the game aside from the roll. You are able to carry 3 weapons at anytime in the game but please hope that you don’t have to pick up new weapons along the way as this has even been made a chore to do. The guns themselves are fairly interesting and all handle pretty well. The game also features melee combat though I would highly recommend just sitting back and shooting as the slow movement and horrible running make for very awkward attempts at said melee.

The environments were touted as being ever changing and while we saw a little bit of this during our time with the demo, we never got to see it to the level of some videos seen in past. The environments themselves were pretty well done but didn’t really stand out much in the level we played. The character models looked ok and the enemies actually looked pretty solid. There were often 2 different factions of enemies fighting both each other and myself, though Tecmo Koei was very tight lipped on just who the two factions were. The game also features a multi-player for 2-8 people but unfortunately that was not on display for us to try out.

The one impressive thing I took away from the demo was the boss battle that I encountered during it. The boss was huge and presented a new challenge as there no cover to hide behind, leaving you to try and dodge his attacks while blasting vulnerable spots found on his body. Though the boss itself was very cool and it was a nice change of pace, it was still hampered by pretty stiff controls.

Overall the hands on with Quantum Theory did nothing to make me think this game could do anything to distance itself from the Gears of War shadow that has been cast over it by the industry. This wouldn’t be a bad thing if what the game did offer was a solid experience but from our time with the game, it just doesn’t. Hopefully the rest of the game is better then the part we played and it would be great to find out that is the case. However if that’s not the case and this game is truly set to release this summer as we were told, then I fear there may not be enough time for this one to get fixed, though there is always time for another delay right?

Quantum Theory Gets E3 Trailer Treatment

Christopher Gordon-Douglas — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 22:05:26 +0000

Formally PlayStation 3 exclusive, Quantum Theory, has received a new E3 trailer. With the game due to release this year after many delays, Tecmo look to reassure gamers that this game is worth it. The game is very unique in itself, it centers around two characters named Syd and Fillena who must fight through a living tower. Another unique aspect the cover system in the sense that the tower is “living” and thus constantly adding and taking away ideal cover locations. Quantum Theory is set to release this year sometime.

With E3 due to start Tecmo has released this trailer to tantalize your taste buds. Check it out below, thanks to GameTrailers: