Radio 1's Steffan Powell and Julia Hardy check out all the latest games releases at the world’s biggest gaming convention, including a preview of World of Warcraft Legion and an interview with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer. Steffan shows his skills on Metal Gear Solid V, and Julia falls for the charms of new platformer Unravel. We also check out the latest VR technology, and meet the Cosplayers that make GamesCom so special. Finally the guys complete a Cobalt challenge, and Steffan finds out if he’s any good at driving a bus simulator.
Julia Hardy delves into the world of fighting games like Street Fighter, Tekken and Mortal Kombat, and tries to answer the question - why do we just love beating each other up on screen? Since the very first titles in the early arcade days, games that let us fight each other in a virtual world have been the backbone of the multi-billion pound gaming industry. With the most recent edition of Street Fighter now available, Julia Hardy takes a look at the genre that has caused joypads the world over to get mashed senseless for nearly four decades. From scrappy pixels to beautifully life-like renderings of brutal slayings, Julia brings together a black-belt team of experts to look at the past, present and future, and explores the psychology behind our love of unleashing combos and virtual-hoofing our best mates with the perfect roundhouse. Finally to get a verdict on the new game, Julia referees a gaming tournament between 1Xtra's Nick Bright and Radio 1's Dev. HADOUKEN! (Perfect)
Games are taking more and more inspiration from movies, with big cinematic titles like Uncharted among some of the most loved. Julia Hardy investigates all the new ways games are learning from the big screen. As well as speaking to the producers and actors from Uncharted 4, Julia speaks to Hitman himself David Bateson, and the stars of Quantum Break - Shawn Ashmore and Dominic Monaghan. Plus she takes a trip to Rome, to see what it takes to be Nathan Drake.
Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell check out the latest games, consoles and tech at the world-famous E3 gaming convention. They get hands-on with games including Battlefield 1, the new Legend of Zelda and Resident Evil. We experience the most advanced virtual reality available, and round up all the big news from Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and others at the games industry’s biggest event of the year in LA.
Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell report from the world's biggest consumer gaming show, in Cologne, Germany. Along with half a million other gamers, Julia and Steffan check out the latest big titles and new technology. They try out first person shooters that provide an alternative to the big boys like Call of Duty, and they find out if the new Pro Evo Soccer can give FIFA something to worry about. Julia plays Batman himself via an Arkham VR headset, and Steffan tries out the latest wearable - a nose mask that actually lets you smell the farts in the new South Park game. And they get personal with wrestling legend Bill Goldberg, over new title WWE 2k17.
Julia Hardy heads to the Call Of Duty World League Championship in Los Angeles, where 32 teams from across the world compete for a multi-million dollar prize pool. Following British team Millenium and their talismanic captain Swanny, Julia finds out just what it takes to be the best Call of Duty team in the world. She also checks out the craziness of the COD XP event, including zombie shooting, zip wiring, and a first play of the brand new Infinite Warfare game.
How do you go about creating a blockbuster game that is set during The First World War, and make it sensitive to history? Julia Hardy investigates at DICE studios in Stockholm.
Radio 1's Julia Hardy and Newsbeat's Steffan Powell sift through the best games of the year, in a bid to find the perfect gifts for a host of Radio 1 presenters.
Visionary game designer Hideo Kojima, the man who created the Metal Gear franchise and credited for giving birth to the stealth genre of games, takes Steffan Powell backstage at his new studio.
With new console The Nintendo Switch hoping to flip the fortunes of the once-dominant Japanese gaming icon, Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell look at Nintendo's story so far, and how this could be the comeback moment for the makers of Mario and Zelda.
Arcades, robots and amazing games - Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell list their top five favourite things that Japan has given to the gaming world.
The latest games, new tech, and excited fans. Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell are in Los Angeles to bring you all the news from the world's biggest gaming convention. Includes all the details on the Xbox One X, a first play of Mario Odyssey, hands on with new Assassins Creed, and playing FIFA on the Nintendo Switch. Plus, Call of Duty, FarCry, the return of Wolfenstein, Star Wars Battlefront 2, and Marvel vs Capcom.
Julia Hardy investigates how the latest VR tech is letting us experience movies, music and games like never before, including captaining her very own Star Trek starship. But we've been sold Virtual Reality before - as long ago as the 1930s in fact - so should we believe it this time round? Julia's on a mission to find out this time if VR really is here to stay.
Radio 1 has all the best bits and behind the scenes access from Gamescom, the world's biggest gaming show. World heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua talks about his love of gaming, we find out more about some of the biggest and best games coming out soon and learn about the people who make the event special.
Julia Hardy explores the hype surrounding the international release of FIFA18 and gets Virgil Van Dijk to play as himself in the new game. Over 25million people play FIFA17 and numbers for this year's version are estimated to rise, but the game is still seriously challenged by competitors like Pro Evo and Football Manager. So, is its long standing history set to last? Julia Hardy gets Radio1 DJ Dev to put a pre-release copy to the test with the help of some celeb friends - Charlie Sloth, Avelino, Yungen and Chris Stark. Meanwhile, Julia finds out what's new from the Producer of FIFA gameplay, asks Spencer FC about the future of football gaming and meets the 19 year old making a living off it.
Meet the gamers who fund lavish lifestyles just by live-streaming their gameplay online. But is it that easy? Julia Hardy gives average gamer Matt 30 days to make it as a pro. Sports cars, stacks of cash and high-tech set ups - meet the people who’ve got all of this just by letting fans watch them play games online. An increasing number of gamers are drawing in huge audiences on websites like Twitch and turning their hobby into a lavish lifestyle. But just how easy is it? Matt turned to gaming for comfort after both of his parents passed away. Now Julia Hardy is following him over 30 days as he quits his day job and attempts to emulate his heroes by becoming a professional streamer. To help him out Julia's lined up three of the best known names in the industry: Grossie_Gore, Leah Viathan and Mark Turpin from The Yogscast. Through them, he'll find not only whether he's got what it takes, but also whether the lifestyle is all it's cracked up to be. They'll show him a darker side to his dream - from internet trolls, to misogyny and mental health problems. So will Matt be able to pay his rent at the end of the month? And is getting paid to play just a fantasy?
Julia Hardy looks ahead to the biggest releases of 2018, with titles including Far Cry 5, God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2. Looking back at the biggest hits of 2017, and ahead to the exciting releases of the year ahead with games ranging from pirates to the post-apocalyptic. Julia plots a course through history starting with the Norse mythology of God of War, before landing in the Wild West to chat about Red Dead Redemption 2 with Chris Bratt from Eurogamer. Fast forward nearly 150 years and Far Cry 5's creative director Dan Hay reveals the inspiration for his game's militaristic doomsday cult, before Julia's final stop brings her to the ruined future of The Last of Us: Part II where she talks with GameSpot journalist Lucy James. Vlogger Hannah Witton opens up about how 2017 saw her become a noob to the gaming world. YouTube star Dean Dobbs talks about the Nintendo Switch and its biggest titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. Julia finishes up with a quick tour of the other titles coming our way, such as Spider-Man, Sea of Thieves and Monster Hunter: World.
Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell look at the unlikely story behind one of the most popular games in the world today - Player Unknown's Battlegrounds. From small beginnings the game has sold over 20 million copies, is one of the most talked about titles online and has caught the imaginations of both players and the industry. Julia and Steffan visit the game's studio in Seoul for an exclusive tour and meet the man behind it all - Player Unknown himself.
Julia Hardy reveals how games makers cater for players with all kinds of disability - from colour-blindness to serious physical impairments. A controller seems simple enough: two sticks, two thumbs. But what happens when you’ve only got the use of one hand? Or neither of them? Julia Hardy speaks to players and experts about the challenges of making gaming accessible for all. Julia meets George, a FIFA fan and once a promising young footballer. His ability to play football was cut tragically short by a serious car accident that left him significantly paralysed. George reached out to UK charity Special Effect - which develops bespoke controllers for players with disabilities - to get back to the virtual version of the beautiful game. Working with George, they developed a specialised interface - now he’s able to play on a level with anyone, regardless of his limited hand movement. Julia also meets Lifelites, a UK charity that uses video games to help seriously disabled children socialise and experience new sights and sensations. Accessibility goes beyond the physical, however - almost one in five people in the UK has some form of a disability, and all games developers need to cater for everyone. Julia hears how any developer can incorporate accessibility, and why they need to. She speaks to PlayStation about how their games are embracing this, and to Microsoft about the company's innovative twin-controller Co-Pilot scheme. Julia also hears from other developers, including Hellblade director Tameem Antoniades and Toxic Games' Dan Da Rocha, about first-hand accessibility experiences and industry progression; and reflects on just how vital it is that gaming really is for all the players.
Julia Hardy charts how the Tomb Raider star has changed over the years, and asks whether the portrayal of female characters is finally becoming more representative. Lara Croft has been the queen of gaming characters since the original Tomb Raider dropped back in 1996. She broke the mould: finally, a female action hero who was as athletic, intelligent and fearless as the male characters dominating the games world. Before Lara, it was all about the muscle-bound men, portly plumbers and blue hedgehogs. But looking back, original Lara was crudely, and perhaps cynically drawn - a minuscule waist and disproportionately huge bust. She was marketed as a sex symbol, appearing on the covers of lads mags and performed by scantily clad models at games launches and live events. Was that alienating for female players who wanted to see something of themselves in playable characters? Though Lara was much more capable than the legions of helpless damsels in distress, who were so often the trophy prize at the end of a quest (here's looking at you, Princess Peach), Lara was still presented in a way that appealed to the male gaze more than anyone else. After a successful Hollywood spin-off, starring Angelina Jolie, Lara transcended her pin-up past to become something else: a genuine role model for other female characters to follow. Her reinvention was completed in 2013's Tomb Raider reboot when she became a more relatable and realistic hero. We can see Lara's legacy today in the women who are cast in leading roles and their more realistic in-game representation in titles like Uncharted, Horizon Zero Dawn, Overwatch and Hellblade. Julia Hardy meets experts on Lara’s place in the gaming world, as well as her co-creator Ian Livingstone, and Tomb Raider story writer Rhianna Pratchett. And to complete the circle, the all new movie Lara Croft, Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander, gives her view on the transformation of this gaming icon.
Can sci-fi predict our future? Julia Hardy looks at the games that imagine a new tomorrow, and speaks to the experts to find out if fantasy could eventually become reality. Julia ventures into the many future worlds that video games have predicted for humanity – from sci-fi dystopias and ruined remnants of our contemporary civilisations, to more optimistic and hopeful scenarios, where people benefit from technological advances and augmentations, and even invite A.I. assistants into our homes. Speaking to games journalists Tamoor Hussain and Alice Bell, Julia discovers how games developers have mined the rich resource of a sci-fi future for inspiration. She meets Anthony Steed, Professor in Virtual Environments and Computer Graphics at UCL, to determine just how likely these futures could be. Will androids walk among us, blending into the crowds of any modern metropolis? Will schools use VR for time-travelling history lessons? Will we all be wearing full-body exoskeletons to mimic 'real life' touch sensations when we play games? Julia also meets the cast of Steven Spielberg’s new movie Ready Player One, as well as the director himself, to talk about their favourite future-set video games. She finds out if the massive online virtual reality world the film is set in, The OASIS, is something they can imagine happening in the near future. After all, gamers already play online for millions of hours per year – what’s really stopping us from spending even more time interacting in a digital space, rather than a physical one? Is it all doom and gloom? Or will the next technological age enrich humankind, and the human condition? As Julia quickly realises: there’s a lot more to virtual reality and advanced A.I. than simple fun and games.
Fortnite is the Battle Royale game that has taken the world by storm in the last few months - it's free, it's on almost every platform, and it's seemingly being played by everyone, wherever you look. But how much does it owe to other games, such as PubG? And is it here to stay? Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell have been finding out - with help from Twitch streamers, including Dr Lupo, a streamer who regularly draws in millions of viewers.
Which upcoming titles should you be getting excited to play? All the latest news from the E3 expo, in LA. Including Super Smash Brothers, Forza Horizon 4 and Assassin's Creed. Radio 1's gaming expert Julia Hardy and Newsbeat's Steffan Powell try out the latest games at E3, the world's most important video game convention. The event gives people the chance to play upcoming titles for the first time. This year Julia and Steffan try the new Super Smash Brothers release, Forza Horizons 4 and the latest Assassin's Creed game to name but a few. Which titles should you be getting excited to play? Were there any hidden gems unearthed at the show? Tune in to find out.
30 years since the mighty Mega Drive, Sega are back - but are they hooked on 90s nostalgia rather than moving forward into the 21st century? Three decades after Sega released the iconic console they are topping the charts again with recent releases, Sonic Mania and Yakuza. But how relevant are they today to gamers who might not know about their 1990s heritage? Does Sega rely too much on its nostalgia? Radio 1's Gaming Expert Julia Hardy and Newbeat's Gaming Reporter Steffan Powell visit the Heart of Gaming arcade to get hands-on with some retro classics. In the arcade they play on the original Mega Drive and some vintage Sega arcade machines and adventure through the 16-bit classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and go head-to-head in Daytona USA. To hear more about the power of nostalgia Julia meets psychologist Professor Cary Cooper. He explains how companies exploit our fears in times of global uncertainty and Julia wonders if we can be nostalgic for an era we weren’t even alive in. Julia also chats to Yakuza expert and all-round Sega fan Hollie Bennett from Playstation Access. As well as Tamoor Hussian, Inel Tomlinson, Aoife Wilson and Cyborg Angel who drop in to tell us where they stand on the Nintendo/Sega rivalry, their anticipation for the Mega Drive Mini (or not) and what gives them that fuzzy warm feeling of nostalgia.
Do you spend too long with your games console? Should you be worried or is it just panic? As newspapers print shock stories, Julia Hardy investigates behind the headlines. Gaming disorder has joined the World Health Organization's list of mental health conditions. The WHO describe gaming disorder as a pattern of behaviour characterised by a lack of control over gaming, where people play games 'excessively' and prioritise gaming over other activities, causing 'severe negative consequences'. It seems like everyone has an opinion, from streamers to medical professionals, parents to newspaper journalists. But are things being exaggerated? So far, very little research has been done into the effects of gaming. Is this just the latest example of scare stories? Or is something deeper at play? At Oxford University, psychologist Professor Andrew Przybylski offers his scientific take on this often sensationalised subject. In Brighton, Julia speaks to Wesley Yin-Poole, a games journalist and self-professed recovered World of Warcraft addict. Aoife Wilson, Inel Tomlinson and Ryan Brown drop in to tell us what they think about mainstream media coverage of their life’s passion, whether they’ve ever been addicted to a game, and how they wish the wider world - and their parents - would more often acknowledge the positives of gaming.
Behind the scenes at the biggest eSports event ever held in the UK. The best players from across the world compete at Wembley Arena in the CS:GO Major for a slice of a $1million prize pool. Considered one of the big three eSports titles, alongside League of Legends and DOTA 2, the first person shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are to bring it's major tournament to the UK for the first time. Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell find out what it takes to put on an event of this scale and how much it means to fans and the eSports scene in the UK.
Eight years on from the original, can Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption 2 live up to the hype? Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell delve behind 2018's most anticipated game. The first Red Dead Redemption smashed records and scooped awards around the globe. But can this prequel from the makers of Grand Theft Auto deliver a second installment fit for the 2018 gamer? Julia and Steffan chat to Rockstar North's co-studio head, Rob Nelson, and hear from two experts: Game design YouTuber Mark Brown, and gaming historian Holly Nielsen. Is this just another open world game? How easy is it to faithfully recreate a historical period in games? And how will Red Dead Redemption 2 fare in a landscape where single player games are supposedly dying out?
How influential was the PlayStation on the games of today? With the re-release of the console in miniature form, Julia Hardy looks at which games have stood the test of time. The PlayStation made a huge impact on the world of gaming. Not only did it make massive leaps and bounds in graphics, it helped the introduction of CD-ROM gaming, was officially the first console that used true 3D, and it also set the standard for the video game industry. Julia explores the descendants of some of the truly groundbreaking games, genres and dynasties first established on the PlayStation, including Grand Theft Auto, Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid, and speaks to Alice Liguori, a young gamer who has not played on the original console. Each of these games isn't only important because of nostalgia, but each set the bar for what gaming could be. Can Alice recognise the hugely advanced games of today on the old console? Gamers Holly Nielsen, Inel Tomlinson and Lydia Ellery drop in to share their thoughts and Hollie Bennett from PlayStation Access and Alex Donaldson from VG24/7 give their expert opinions on why these games are so important.
It's Christmas time and there's no need to be afraid... Here are the games to help! Julia Hardy and Steffan Powell present the best ways to survive the holidays. The Christmas period presents its own unique set of problems for the average gamer. On the December edition of The Gaming Show Julia, Steffan and a panel of gaming experts help you through with The Gamer's Guide to the festive season. The first obstacle for many this Christmas will be getting home. Traffic, trains...there's a hundred different things between you and that family get together. While once upon a time this was slow torture, Steffan looks at the best games on the Switch to wile away the time. When you finally do make it home, what better way to get everyone together to play some of the best co-operative releases from the year on your chosen console? Of course, there's always the worry that too much time with the family is going to... let's say become a little much sometimes. So Steffan runs through the best games of 2018 you can play on your mobile for when you need a little alone time. Once everyone's had too much sherry and gone to bed, and you are the last one up with the telly all to yourself. It's time for the biggest question of all: What big game to dive into? And to round off, Julia also delves in to the most anticipated games of the year ahead.
Why do sequels, remakes and familiar concepts dominate the games industry? The Gaming Show speaks to players, publishers and developers to find out.
