First Look: Shootmania Storm << Gaming Irresponsibly

First Look: Shootmania Storm

Jan 262013

With the success of their Trackmania series, Ubisoft has decided to take the core concepts of that game, user generated content and perfectly balanced competitive play, and create a whole series of games under the “Mania Planet” banner. Trackmania 2 Canyon kicked off the Mania Planet initiative in 2011, with the subject of this article, Shootmania Storm, currently in public beta and the still unseen RPG Questmania seemingly still a ways off.

For those who are unfamiliar with it, Trackmania is an online only racing series that puts a focus on user created tracks, completely balanced multiplayer achieved by having only a single handling and acceleration model (basically a single car) applied to every vehicle., and time trial based gameplay with no vehicle collision (making every other player essentially a ghost).The goal of the expanded Mania series was to take these concepts and apply to other genres. Obviously a competitive shooter has to have more direct competition than time trials, but the other two concepts are core to the Shootmania experience as well.

Starting off with the elements of Trackmania that work well in Shootmania, the content creation tools are excellent. I’ll never be the type of the person to really put in the time and effort to make a worthwhile map, but the tools are certainly there for those want to dig in and make something. The game has both a simple editor and an advanced editor, so you could conceivable cut your teeth on the simpler editor and work your way to creating more elaborate maps. If the community for Shootmania is anything like the Trackmania community, people will find the good maps and make sure they get out there for all to play.

While the concept of user generated content is pretty successfully adopted from Trackmania and implemented into Shootmania, the competitive balancing another story. They were entirely successful in the fact that Shootmania is a perfectly balanced game, the problem lies in the fact having everyone with the same gun in a shooter is not nearly the same as everyone having the same car in a racing game. This is a case of trying to shoehorn a concept that works in one genre into another without actually considering if it makes sense. Playing a shooter where everyone has but a single gun is simply not a very engaging experience.

Making matters worse is the fact that the gun is not very fun to shoot. It is a very slow firing projectile weapon that is limited to four shots before an overheat. Even worse is just how slow the projectile moves; you have to be either very close or lead your shot perfectly to hit anyone. This just makes the gun feel very imprecise, every time you hit someone it feels like luck. Now, I’m sure some people that have played this game far more than I have will say it just takes getting used to and that it is possible to get good with the gun. That may very well be true, but getting better with it would not make it any less imprecise or slow firing.

Now, the game does have other weapons, but this is not like most twitch shooters where you find them on the map and pick them up. There are designated areas where you can use certain weapons, such as a railgun, but as soon as you move from that area your gun turns back into the starting gun. Because of the fast paced nature of the game, I found it unwise to stay still for too long, so the notion of standing in one spot to use a rail gun doesn’t seem like a very effective strategy. There are also some other game types that have you start with different weapons, but the majority of them all have you using the main gun, which is a real shame considering how bad it is.

Ubisoft has been courting the e-sports crowd with Shootmania, and its easy to see why. The nature of the game means it’s always balanced, which is an important factor for e-sports games. However, I still think they could have kept the game balanced without going as far they did, or at least make the starting weapon better. The game can have perfect balance and hundreds of amazing user created maps, but if it isn’t fun to shoot in a game called Shootmania, it really doesn’t matter. I feel like they could have kept the mania spirit intact by looking closer at how the core concepts of the series would translate into a first person shooter, rather than simply introducing concepts that work in a racer without even tweaking them. It’s still early, the game is still in beta, but I can’t say I really want to play much more of it as it exists now.

Review – Painkiller: Hell & Damnation (PC)

Posted by Sean Judge No Responses »

Oct 302012

Painkiller, the original one, released back in 2004, was pure, unadulterated fun. It was a fast, bunny-hopping, gib-splattered FPS that took the best bits of FPS titles like the Quake series and Serious Sam and smashed them together to produce a PC gaming hit. The game focussed very closely on tight twitch mechanics and high enemy numbers within a gothic horror setting. It also featured some of the most unique weaponry in any FPS title. In fact, I’d go as far as to say the original Painkiller’s Stakethrower weapon remains one of the most joyful methods of dispatching an enemy in gaming, even today.

Why is this important? Well because Halloween sees the release of Painkiller: Hell & Damnation (HD?) and it is very much an attempt at refining the original release. Fans of the series, of which there are many as Painkiller enjoyed a solid community based around it’s no-frills multiplayer, will be keen to see if this entry is a return to form. Previous sequels such as 2009′s ‘Overdose’, sullied the name by misunderstanding what made the first game so appealing.

Axe versus Shotgun. Smart.

I was looking forward to sitting down with Painkiller HD and getting stuck in with the gore producing array of weapons once more, especially having just played through Serious Sam 3. My twitch skills have been recently sharpened and ready to split some demonic heads. This re-imagining is almost like a greatest hits album, consisting of 14 levels taken from the original title and it’s first expansion ‘Battle out of Hell’. They have been exquisitely rebuilt and repopulated with a horde of horrors from the original cast, all using the prowess of the Unreal engine. The problem is, it feels a bit like a greatest hits album where some of the tracks are iffy cover versions and remixes you’ll never want to listen to more than once.

It looks perfectly acceptable, it’s a sharper, more detailed version of Painkiller, the enemies are well realised, the weapons look practically identical to their original counterparts and the environments are creepy and atmospheric It does the job it needs to, but doesn’t go any further. Aside from the huge scale of some of the bosses, there are very little graphical ‘wow’ moments.

Audio is slightly dated, weapons effects are true to the original and rightly so, you can’t mess with people’s memories of key elements. It’s the ‘heavy metal’ riffs that unfortunately fall flat as they could have really used a rework. In this era of 7.1 HD Sound, to have the same tired riffs looping over and over whenever there’s a bit of action on screen, quickly grates. Some sharp re-sampling or remastering, or hell, even a totally new soundtrack, would’ve been a welcome update, assuming it complimented the rest of the experience.

Good to see Skeletor is still getting work.

It’s that dated, tired feel that runs throughout the Painkiller : Hell & Damnation experience. Dispatching a room of enemies to find that you can’t get through to the next part of the game, because there’s a single critter left somewhere in the level that has gotten lost or you’ve missed is a regular frustration. Having to wait for downed demons to disappear, leaving behind a green soul (a health pickup) takes a fraction of a second too long, leaving a jittery feeling to the flow of gameplay. Then there’s boss battles where you have no idea if you are having any impact at all on the boss, or whether or not you’re approaching it entirely wrong. All these were present in 2004, and more importantly, forgiveable. It was how things were. 8 years later, if you’re remastering a game in your own vision to update the best bits, you’d better bloody take out the bad bits, especially if you want to try and capture a new audience. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case, in fact some elements, such as hitbox detection, seem to be a bit worse off, with almost-point blank shots going seemingly undetected.

As a result, Painkiller: Hell & Damnation struggles to justify itself as an essential purchase. It will naturally appeal to hardcore fans of the original, the core gameplay remains mostly unchanged. This is also it’s downfall. I have Painkiller Black Edition in my Steam Library – and it’s still available to purchase. I also have the original release in it’s retail box. Yes the graphics aren’t quite as shiny, but it also has all of the greatest hits and none of those dodgy cover versions or remixes. If you are new to the series, it’s a good place to start, as the dated visuals of the original may feel off-putting although they are by no means unacceptable. You could even add a point to the review score in fact. However for everyone else, unless you are desperate for some more graphical fidelity with your stakethrowing, it’s hard to recommend this if you own the originals.

Graphics 75		Audio 40		Gameplay 45
Creativity 35		Execution 65		Offset 60

5.3

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Review: The Unfinished Swan (PS3) – Simplicity At Its Finest

Posted by Joey Woznicki No Responses »

Oct 182012

Fleshed out from a tech demo created four years ago, The Unfinished Swan is itself finished. Much like the Portal franchise, this FPS (Fresh Paint Shooter) attempts to move the first person genre in a completely new direction. Instead of spraying out chunks of lead, the player slings harmless globs of paint (lead free since 1977) in a world often devoid of detail. Straying from the norm of the first person perspective is extremely ambitious. Few have triumphed. Can the guys at Giant Sparrow paint a masterpiece, or will this project simply be too abstract?

The Unfinished Swan is a story about a young orphan named Monroe. Monroe’s mother was a painter but never finished any of her works. After her death, he was only allowed to keep one of her pieces: her favorite, a swan. One night, he awakens to find that the swan has jumped from the canvas and walked through a small, mysterious door. On his path to catch the swan by following its footprints, Monroe makes his way through an intriguing world crafted by an eccentric, perfection-craving king. (You know a man’s a bit odd when he has a pet hippo.)

I see a red door and I want it painted black.

At the start, everything is white. To get your bearings, you splatter black paintballs as conservatively or liberally as you choose. (There’s even a trophy for only splatting three paintballs in the first area.) This mechanic is so simple, yet so fun. The paintballs also make the most beautiful splatter patterns. On more than one occasion, I found myself turning around to admire my beautiful mess. (There are slight execution problems with the paint splatters, as I found they would sometimes seep through cracks and walls or improperly bend around corners, but this can be easily overlooked – which is why I hid it.)

As the story progresses, the visuals evolve. Not long in, shadows begin to appear, as well as a few soft color tones, which flesh out the world and allow for new mechanics to be introduced. Paintballs are replaced by water drops. After hitting a few paddle switches, vines spring to life. These vines can be trained to grow in certain directions by leading them with the water. This allows Monroe to bridge gaps and climb on walls.

In the third chapter, the game takes a darker tone. (both literally and figuratively) Set in the night, once again new mechanics are introduced as you make your way though a bioluminescent landscape. The art direction deviates quite a few times from here on out, but I don’t want to ruin anything, especially the lovely ending as you assume the role of the king in his beautifully stylized home. (Make sure to check yourself out in the mirror for a moment reminiscent of Psychonauts.)

The game can be played with various controllers. I preferred the Dualshock, but the Move controller could also be used by itself or with the navigation controller. (or Dualshock) Using the Move by itself made traversal a bit awkward, but an analog stick easily remedied this.

Overall, The Unfinished Swan, while simplistic, does some really interesting things with both its gameplay and visuals. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever played before. It’s 120 minutes of whimsical delight. Sadly, it ends long before I wanted it to. There are extras to unlock (including some nice concept art and an early prototype of the game) by collecting the 60+ balloons scattered throughout the game, but this can all be accomplished in two playthroughs. Despite its brevity, The Unfinished Swan is certainly worth your time, even if the price seems a bit steep.

Graphics 95		Audio 85		Gameplay 100
Creativity 100		Execution 80		Offset 100

9.3

How do these ratings work? Click here for descriptions!

Pros:

Clever, unique mechanics shift throughout the experience.
Simplistic look is aided by beautiful art direction and creativity.

Cons:

Two hour length may not justify the price to some. (You cheap bastard!)
Ladder and vine climbing is a bit odd.

Thanks for reading.

Review – Borderlands 2 (Xbox 360)

Posted by Jay Malone No Responses »

Oct 082012

-Error reading from ESRB datastream-
Please visit ESRB.org for rating information.

The original Borderlands will forever be known as a hallmark in video game history. Sure, it was far from perfect but it brought about one of the best loot systems and combined it with exciting combat. The result was something no other game could provide. Nothing has topped it since then in those categories so with the release of Borderlands 2 came a lot of expectations that Gearbox, developers behind the Borderlands franchise, must meet in order to please their ever expanding fanbase. Meeting those expectations is one thing, exceeding them is what you hope for, though. Gearbox managed to only meet those expectations, but is that really a bad thing?

Borderlands 2 picks up five years after the events in the original with you selecting between four new vault hunters. All the characters are new but it’s clear that their classes all take some cues from the first game. As a Commando you can lay down a turret, Gunzerker can wield two heavy weapons, Siren can lift people up and freeze them for a few seconds, and the Assassin can make himself disappear while laying out a holographic decoy. I ended up playing through the game with the Siren class and found it to be perfectly acceptable; no class seems to have a distinct advantage over another. But the issue is that no class really pops out, either. The ideas behind them are great but the repetitiveness of using the same special move for 30+ hours really dulls down some of the impact it has on the combat.

This is obviously where the skill tree should come in and liven things up. And while the menu itself looks quite good, no skill within the menu packs the oomph you’re really looking for out of a XP based game. There’s no doubt that more than a few of the unlockable skills have their own uses but that doesn’t mean they add a pound of excitement on the side to the already fantastic combat sequences. It’s far from a game killing issue but it’s definitely disappointing that the skills were not a tad more varied across the board.

One thing the original Borderlands was known for was the exciting, at times insane combat that squeaked itself into every 20 minutes of the game. That combat returns this time around and only improves upon its original success. While the skills are not drastically exciting, they get the job done and with even more loot to gobble up this time around, you’ll quickly become addicted to offing every enemy that attacks you just so you can see what glowing item pops out of them. Then after you’ve put them in their place, the urge to search every inch of their camp for a weapon is just too great to ignore. Everything in Borderlands 2 just feels flashier and more exciting, partly due its beautiful world and partly due to the ridiculous weapons (and weapon combinations) you use throughout the game. No matter what you’re always on the hunt for your next main weapon and once you find that weapon, you never want to let it go.

Borderlands cartoony art style is another reason why taking the disk out of your console was a difficult task. It seems as if Gearbox recognized their issues (or lack thereof) with the visuals and did their best to tweak them in all the right ways. It mostly works out as the world around you and all the enemies look incredible. But the downside is that frame rate drops remain prevalent throughout the whole game, especially when you’re playing co-op your friends. It seems as if Borderlands chokes any time something big begins happening on screen.

The story in Borderlands 2 all revolves around one villainous character, Handsome Jack. Throughout the main story line, he will chime in at random intervals to let out his own little asshole remarks. Your characters goal throughout the game is to stop Jack and his attempt use the vault key and unleash all kinds of madness upon Pandora. In all honesty, story is clearly not the main reason you come to Borderlands and that is apparent throughout the game’s 20+ hour story line which ultimately concludes in one of the most lackluster endings I’ve seen this year. If you want to avoid the story you can always indulge in the plethora of sidequests that are always available. The amount of sidequests spread throughout Borderlands 2 seem endless and completing every one of them is a task that I won’t believe possible until I see it for myself. The quests themselves can range between a multitude of tasks, some being funny, some providing more insight into Handsome Jack, and some being just damn interesting.

A staple of the first Borderlands was the dry, at times hit or miss comedy. That hit or miss aspect returns as phrases like “teabagging” and “cool story, bro” are tossed around and are about as unfunny as you would expect. Claptrap attempts to bring about some laughs but he wears out his welcome rather quickly. He isn’t the only character that wears out their welcome as so does almost every other character that is pushed into Borderlands for comedy reasons. Most of the comedy in Borderlands 2 is a bit hidden, mostly through side quests or hidden collectibles. Like the first Borderlands, laughs are not something it shoots out repeatedly but when it does, it’s always a clever laugh. Except for the character that is Scooter’s sister. That’s one fine woman.

Something that came as a bit of a surprise in Borderlands 2 was the frustrating and inconsistent difficulty. Boss battles within the first Borderlands were stupidly easy and Gearbox knew that, but it seems as if their fix to that issue was to make things just plain unfair in spots. Be it making a boss much more powerful than its level entails or just throwing a humongous boss into a rather small area, frustration is something I came by quite a few times in my journey throughout Pandora. These issues are avoided by doing one of two things, however. You can either play co-op or do a ton of side missions before story missions. These are two things that I’m sure Gearbox expects of their players but it’s still disappointing to see them do their best to force you into one of two play styles,

Truth be told, Borderlands 2 is exactly what I and many others wanted before its release, that being more Borderlands and more loot for us to sink our teeth in for at least 30 hours. Gearbox delivered upon that and provided even more on top of it to keep things fresh and fun throughout. The combat and loot system remain some of the best on consoles today and are only enhanced in this sequel. While Borderlands 2 is just more of a game you played three years ago, it’s still a great game that can easily give you 50+ hours of entertainment.

Graphics 85		Audio 90		Gameplay 80
Creativity 85		Execution 80		Offset 80

8.3

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FORGE Video Introduces New Classes

Posted by callum No Responses »

Aug 142012

Indie shooters seem to be getting better and better, bringing along the features that make their older, bigger brothers on the console so addictive and excited. One of the main additions to modern shooters is a class system, with each choice having it’s own perks and shortcomings, class systems have made multiplayer combat a far more socia, team based experience.

Dark Vale games are currently funding on Kickstarter for their upcoming multiplayer shooter FORGE. To promote the game and give potential investors a taste, the latest video shows off two of the games classes known as the Pyromancer and Pathfinder. The game looks sure not to dissapoint, bringing a blend of MMo style abilities and environments, but giving an FPS feel to the whole affair. FORGE looks set to be a unique and fun experience. So check it out below and if you can, head on over to Kickstarter and drop a few bucks down on this awesome looking title.

Ravaged Closed Beta Codes Giveaway

Posted by iMaccaPro 4 Responses »

Jul 292012

Do you like to try games before they come out? Do you like betas? and close ones at that. Well Gaming Irresponsibly has just the thing for you. We have a handful of Ravaged closed beta codes for you guys!!

To get your hands on the codes all you have to do is follow the directions at the bottom!! Once you have the code head over to 2dawn.com and redeem the code, from there you will then get your Steam key for the Ravaged Beta.

For those who haven’t heard of Ravaged it is an adrenaline pumping fps multiplayer with vehicles, from AAA and indie game developers at 2Dawn Games, who have worked on the likes of the BattleField series, Desert Combat and DCON. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the war between the “Resistance” and “Scavengers” never stops. It is and will only be for PC. “Ravaged is Shaping Up to be the Multiplayer RAGE Never Had” with multipule objective based modes, classes and as mentioned above vehicles like, cars, trikes, bikes, buggies, gyrocopters and soon to be added buses/trucks.
This is a beta everyone is dying to join because not only is it an awesome game already but you can also play the developers at their own game and give them feed back on TeamSpeak on scheduled playtests. They have listened to everyone that has either reported bugs and or suggested other features. The game has been shaped mainly from suggestions from the Ravaged community.

So guys and girls keep your eyes on your Twitter feed for the codes, until then setup your account at 2dawn.com so your are ready. Come and let us know if you win and what you think of the game.

The game can be pre-ordered HERE for $24.99 for full game on release day some time late this summer. You can also gain access to the beta this way if you are unlucky enough to not get one of our codes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Battlefield 3 Premium Announcement (Electronic Arts E3)

Posted by rhillis No Responses »

Jun 042012

Announced at EA’s E3 press conference, Battlefield 3 Premium. Battlefield 3 Premium will include special dog tags, character and gun camouflages, and advanced early access to the upcoming expansion packs: Close Quarters, Armored Kill, Aftermath and End Game. The service is available today for around 50 bucks, and if you are playing on the PlayStation 3 console, you can access the new Close Quarters expansion right now!More than 20 new vehicles and 10 dog tags will be available for those who purchase Battlefield 3 Premium. Is this something you are interested in purchasing?

Gaming Irresponsibly will be bringing you updates as they are made available for the duration of E3. Stay tuned for more news and happenings from the industry’s largest convention here at GamingIrresponsibly.com! You can also follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter.

Looking Ahead: Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Posted by rhillis No Responses »

Apr 272012

With the success of the Call of Duty franchise of the past four or five years, it is a certainty that they will continue to release annually. Each game in the series has sold boat loads of copies an the next one will be no different, you can count on that, but Modern Warfare 3 seems to have fallen off a bit when it comes to critical acclaim. The game received negative feedback from the community for its lack of innovation and seemingly repetitive gameplay. You can be sure that Activision and Treyarch have taken notice to this negativity an are expecting to announce this years installment as soon as next week. The general consensus is that we can expect Black Ops 2 due to its overwhelming sales and it’s continued support and success. So what can we expect from Activision’s upcoming first person shooter?

The new Call of Duty announcement will happen on May 1st, during the NBA playoffs.

We may not like it, but Call of Duty’s gameplay isn’t broken, so they are definitely not going I attempt to change it. You can expect the same general gameplay elements that have been present in previous Call of Duty games, with the exception of a few tweaks here and there. What gives the Treyarch developed games a longer lasting playability is the insanely popular Zombie mode. The mode will more than likely remain on any Treyarch made Call of Duty titles, as they have already been present on their last two games. The mode offers cooperative play with a nice twist and is a welcoming addition to a series that can feel repetitive. Considering how Activision handled the last Black Ops DLC pack, a pack containing all Zombie mode maps, it can be determined that the Zombie mode will begin taking more of a role from a production and sales standpoint.

The one thing that seems to change each year with Call of Duty is the way you obtain weapons, upgrades, perks and weapons attachments. Whether be through leveling up, achieving selected amounts of kills or headshots, or purchasing them with game created credits, the tools used to upgrade your arsenal have varied from title to title. You can bet money that Activision will try and change this yet again, in an attempt to extrapolate on a functional system.

When it comes to graphics, Call of Duty has never stood out as industry leading. The game has always hung its hat on a 60 frames per second frame rate and simplistic and effective controls. With the hype and success of DICE’s Frostbite 2.0 engine and the beauty of the environment, Activision has probably taken note of this and may seize the opportunity to crush what little FPS competition they have. The graphics will more than likely be a little better than in previous titles, but it remains to be seen of they have overhauled their game engine in order to do so. As long as the game continues to rule online multiplayers, you can bet that the engine will remain the same.

You can bet money on Treyarch beefing up the Zombie mode.

The story for the single player campaign has always been entertaining and with criticism over Battlefield 3′s lackluster story, there is no real completion from first person military shooters. The story will continue to remain intriguing, short and entertaining, just as it has the past few years. The point is, as long as Call of Duty titles are selling like hot cakes, Activision will not do too much to jeopardize its sales. This is both good and bad as it hinders innovation and creativity, but stand steadfast in producing new content that does not lower expectations. The games are all very similar, with the exclusion of a few bells and whistles, and that is something you can expect from Black Ops 2. But with each title, a fresh coat of paint has been applied in order to keep the games fresh and appealing. For Black Ops 2 that could mean a larger focus on the Zombie mode, more hidden Easter eggs such as Dead Ops Arcade, a exciting single player campaign and a complete overhaul of the upgrade system. We will know more about this later this week as Activison is set to announce the next Call of Duty game May 1st.

Bargain Bin: Piece de ‘Resistance’

Posted by rhillis No Responses »

Apr 252012

This week, the Bargain Bin is going PlayStation 3 exclusive, bitches. That’s right, we are venturing into the alternative timeline universe, where the Russians fucked up, and all of Europe has been destroyed by the Chimera. Resistance: Fall of Man was developed by Insomniac Games, published by Sony Computer Entertainment and released in late 2006. It was the must own launch title back then and won numerous awards for PlayStation 3 Game of the Year. Sales were great, but many eventual purchasers of the PlayStation 3 may have missed out on a great title. In the following year, Resistance was near the top of the charts for game sales on the PlayStation 3 platform, and earned itself among the first batch of PS3 Greatest Hits titles. The game has aged, as all games do, yet the experience is great, the gameplay is excellent, and for the prices you can find this game for, it is simply a must buy for PS3 owners everywhere.

The Story

You begin the game in 1945, as an American Soldier named Nathan Hale. The soft voice of a woman tells you of the outbreak of the Chimera, an alien race that has quickly taken over most of Europe. After the Chimera spread across Russia and into western Europe, the dug through the channel, making their way to England. This is where the story of Resistance: Fall of Man takes place. American troops are sent into England to help with support. In exchange for our troops, weapons and tanks, the Brits promised to give us something that was beyond our creative abilities. Of course you won’t find out what the details of the exchange until later. From there, you are taken on a ride throughout the English countryside, smashing Chimera and taking all their swag. The game plays solely in the first person perspective, except for the few times you operate vehicles such as tanks.

The Gameplay

The gameplay in Resistance: Fall of Man is some of the smoothest you will ever see. The aiming mechanic is spot on, and strafing through the world seems as crisp as possible. The game features the basic story mode, as well as both cooperative play and versus multiplayer. The online versus multiplayer obviously wont garner the same amount of fun as it once had, due to the lack of players available to play with. But if you can find those players out there, you can still create clans and custom games. As of December 2008, both of the downloadable map packs for Resistance: Fall of Man were offered for free as a holiday gift from Insomniac Games in anticipation for Resistance 2, so what little experience you can have with the versus multiplayer has now been expanded free of charge.

Audio/Visual

When comparing the game to recently released titles, you can clearly tell that Resistance: Fall of Man has aged. The graphics are good, no doubt, but they are nothing compared to the likes of Resistance 3. The audio in the game seems a tad bland. It doesn’t do a great job of trying to get you into the story or the battle. It just seems like randomly generated English phrases muttered by your fellow soldiers, or insults slurred in you direction from the attacking Chimera. This is all to be expected of course as Resistance was a launch title for the PlayStation 3 and is nearly six years old.

The Verdict

Although the game appears to have aged a bit, and does not offer trophy support, it is still a great buy. You can easily find the game in the used section of your local retailer, and if not, can find it very quickly online. You can still buy new copies of the game for pretty cheap, since it was released as a PS3 Greatest Hit, but for the prices you can find them at used, it is recommended that you take that route. All in all, Resistance: Fall of Man is a great game. It has smooth controls that any first person shooter (FPS) fan can appreciate and it has a variety of multiplayer modes. You can find Resistance: Fall of Man at the following locations, online prices do not include shipping and handling.

GameStop – Used in-store or online for $4.99. $4.50 if you are a Pro Member.
Best Buy - Used online for $9.99.
Wal-Mart - New for $25.55, available online only.
New Egg - New for $27.99.
Amazon.com - New starting at $16.91. Used starting at $2.75.

Hands On with Far Cry 3 (PAX East 2012)

Posted by Matt Beaudette 2 Responses »

Apr 132012

The original Far Cry was a technically impressive first person shooter that stood out because of solid gameplay, beautiful graphics, and huge open environments. After Crytek left the Far Cry series and went to work on Crysis, Ubisoft continued the series by releasing several remakes and pseudo-sequels on consoles, though none achieved the critical success of the PC original. Finally in 2008, four years after the original was released, Ubisoft released Far Cry 2, which ditched the jungle environment for a huge open world set in Africa. Following up on the success of Far Cry 2, Ubisoft will be releasing Far Cry 3 later this year, and I got an opportunity to play the game at PAX East.

While the Far Cry games have always had multiplayer, it was never one of those series that was all about the multiplayer. The main drawing point for most people is the open ended single player campaign, with huge open environments and the freedom to tackle any scenario however you see fit. So, you can understand my disappointment when I found out they were only showing the multiplayer portion of the game at PAX. However, I tried to keep an open mind and also to not make any assumptions about the single player based on this multiplayer demo. After playing one round of the game’s multiplayer, I now know for certain that the multiplayer is definitely not the reason to be excited about this game, for me at least.

I can sum up the multiplayer in three words, which to some may be high praise, but it is not at all what I am looking for in a multiplayer shooter. These three words are “CALL OF DUTY”. Everything about the multiplayer just screens Call of Duty. The controls are straight out of COD, the aiming, the movement, the guns, custom classes, and even the textures look like they are from a Call of Duty game. Now, like I said, I am not at all taking this to mean the single player will be a Call of Duty clone as well, I mean, that would be ditching the major unique aspect of the series to be yet another run of the mill COD clone. Though, I can only judge a game by what I’ve seen of it, and the multiplayer looks entirely unoriginal and not at all compelling.

If you want some specifics, the mode I played was a mode called Domination where you try to capture and hold three points on the map, with the team holding a majority gaining points over the other, hold all three and you gain points even faster, and do I need to continue? Everything is completely standard. You gain experience by killing enemies, you can choose from several classes ever time you die which it seems can be customized in between matches. Your guns can have a variety of attachments like scopes, and there is absolutely nothing here you haven’t seen before.

It may sound like I am being extremely negative on this game, but I am actually looking forward to it. As ludicrous as this statement is going to sound, the Far Cry series is actually a nice breath of fresh air compared to all the military and multiplayer focused shooters flooding the market, specifically Call of Duty. Obviously, the multiplayer in Far Cry 3 was nothing more than afterthought, so they simply copied the most popular game out there, but I don’t expect the single player to be like that at all. If Far Cry 3 can capture the free and open nature of past games in the series, it could still be a damn good game, but I certainly don’t recommend buying this game in hopes of getting a new and unique multiplayer experience.

Review – Serious Sam 3: BFE (PC)

Posted by Matt Beaudette No Responses »

Nov 282011

-Error reading from ESRB datastream-
Please visit ESRB.org for rating information.

First Person Shooters have changed a lot since the inception of the genre back in early ’90s, and this fact has never been more evident than when playing Serious Sam 3: BFE. The first game in the series came out back in 2001, and while even then it was a throwback to classic shooters, it wasn’t nearly as far removed from the popular tropes of the genre as Serious Sam 3 is today. Croteam, the developers of the series, have really tried to capture the feeling of both the past games in the series and classic shooters in general, while still being relevant in the overcrowded shooter market; and for the most part they succeed.

"Serious" Sam Stone

You play as “Serious” Sam Stone, a man so cool he wears a t-shirt and sunglasses into a warzone. As the subtitle BFE (before the fist encounter) sugests, this game actually takes place prior to the older games in the series. The past games took place in ancient Egypt after Sam traveled back in time to prevent an alien invasion. Serious Sam 3 takes place in modern day Egypt during the invasion, with Sam traveling back in time at the end of the game. The story is really not why anyone plays a Serious Sam game though, and Serious Sam 3 doesn’t do anything to change that. The game does feature some cutscenes, but they are all brief and just serve to justify your next objective. A common theme for the series, humor, is still present here and is really hit or miss. The writing is not great, with almost all of Sam’s lines being one-liners. I wouldn’t really call any of the jokes funny, but more cheesy schlock. I never really laughed out loud, but the vulgar humor and cheesy one-liners may make you to crack a smile every once in a while.

A Gnaar as seen in Serious Sam 3

Design wise, Serious Sam 3 sticks very close past games in the series, and is the definition of classic. The levels are mostly linear, but this is by no means a corridor crawl. The areas are really huge, giving you plenty of room to deal with the hordes of enemies the game throws at you. For the most part, you simply have to get through the level by killing everything in your path, usually fighting a boss at the end. Sometimes you will be given additional objectives, but they don’t stray too far from what you would expect from a game like this; meaning mostly finding keys and key cards. The bosses are mostly interesting, and the game turns early level bosses into regular enemies later on, just to show you how far you’ve come. Speaking of enemies, there are quite a lot of them. Many enemies from past games return here, but there are also quite a few new types. The enemy variety is very refreshing, especially considering that all the enemies in most modern shooters can be described as “man with gun”. In Serious Sam 3, you’ll be fighting various types of monsters ranging from the classic Gnaar to the Biomechanoid, a huge bipedal cyborg.

Of course, to deal with all these enemies, you’ll need guns, and Serious Sam 3 has a pretty big arsenal. You’ve got access to a number of weapons that are all right at home in classic shooters, including two types of shotguns, a rocket launcher, a handheld cannon that fires cannon balls, and many more. Unlike some other recently released classic style shooter, you have access to all your weapons all the time, so no two weapon limit in this game. Overall, the modernization of the series is done very well. There are some modern elements such as autosaving (a very welcome addition), aiming down sights, and sprinting. However, other areas remain squarely in the past such as the use of health packs and armor power-ups, the lack of a weapons limit, and the overall level design. This strikes a great balance between relevance to modern games, and the undeniable classic feeling. To put it simply, Serious Sam 3 succeeds in this regard where Duke Nukem Forever failed.

As I said, the level design is very classic, and very similar to past games in the series, but this is not necessarily a completely good thing. If you’ve had a problem with the length of the encounters in past games in the series, this game won’t win you over. The game consists of 12 levels, and it took me around 11 hours to complete on the normal difficulty. Now, I am certainly one to complain about the lack of length in modern shooters, and nothing bothers me more than a 4-5 hour campaign. So it really does pain me to say it, but Serious Sam 3 is simply too long. The game isn’t long because the levels are big and well designed, but because the game just sends hundreds and hundreds of enemies at you at a time. The earlier levels are actually much better, as the encounters don’t drag on for as long. The later levels are no bigger than the earlier ones, but you will sometimes spend 15 or more minutes in the same location fending off wave after wave of enemies. The last level in the game is the worst offender, lasting well over an hour in what is really just a 100 foot wide hallway with hundreds of enemies running at you non stop.

Review – Nuclear Dawn (PC)

Posted by Mario Jara No Responses »

Nov 062011

-Error reading from ESRB datastream-
Please visit ESRB.org for rating information.

There seems to be a constant love affair between gaming genres this generation. This time the love child is Nuclear Dawn, which aims to blend the first person shooter and real time strategy genres. The interesting premise about this title is that it seeks to provide the exhilarating fun of a FPS, while not diluting the tactical warfare of a RTS title. Before the review starts, I must give you a fair warning: This game is NOT for casual gamers. Sure, this game seeks to bridge the gap between two genres, but unlike other genre crossover titles, this game assumes you know your way around a FPS and a RTS.

Headshot Time!

Nuclear Dawn is about two warring factions fighting for control during a conflict that takes place in the near future. The Consortium is the faction that is pursuing to ‘fight for a better world.’ The Empire on the other hand, is the faction that is hell bent on achieving ‘victory though strength.’ There is not much story besides that. The game does not feature a single player campaign or some sort of story background. It is evident that this game was built from the ground up with multiplayer in mind. As you start the game, the main options in the menus screen are to join a match or create a match. It is from trailers for the game and the tutorials section that I obtained most of the paper-thin lore for this game. This is really unfortunate because a simple single player campaign could have introduced some back ground lore to both factions. Furthermore, a single player campaign could have functioned as an effective tutorial. The option to view tutorial in the main menu is just that, an option to view pre-recorded videos that explain game progression. While the videos are very well produced (you get that feeling that you are being debriefed on some intel), they are not an appropriate substitution for a proper tutorial.

Not a good idea to take on three enemies as a stealth

Fortunately, Nuclear Dawn nails it when it comes to game play. The execution is rock solid; it is obvious that gameplay was the focus during development. Joining a match is as simple as clicking ‘Join Match’ from the main menu and looking though the available sessions. Once a proper match is selected, the player can choose a faction, class and specialization. The game loads for a few seconds and then you are in game. That is the easy part, from that point onward you will be slammed with constant indication on the status of the battle field. It is a lot to take in at once so for the sake of brevity and clarity I will focus on the FPS aspect of the game first and then on the RTS role during gameplay.

The FPS portion of this game features a class-based team death-match approach to its structure. However, teams don’t compete for kill counts

since both factions have unlimited lives. The main goal for a ‘FPS player’ is to establish and maintain control of ‘resource objectives.’ These objectives are peppered though out the map, some more valuable than others. Naturally, with increased value comes increased risk. A tertiary objective, the one with the lowest resource value, is the most common objective in a map. Secondary objectives are tall structures about the size of a small car. There are only two per map, and yield much more resources than a tertiary objective. Both of these objectives are also captured by standing near them. Last and most valuable is the primary objective. There is only one in the dead center of map, and requires two team mates to be captured. The primary objective is usually a small structure (a room, or trailer) with one or two entry/exit points. It is here where a great deal of mayhem will happen. The primary objective yields bountiful resources and it is often the site for a tug-of-war between factions.

It's raining men... who want to kill you.

It is during this tug-of-war where the games class-based system is put to work. There are four classes to choose from: Exo, Assault, Stealth and Support. Each one represents a staple in class based combat, Exos are tanks and assaults are the all-around class; while stealth and support classes are self explanatory. Furthermore, each class can be customized or ‘specialized’ to better suit the needs of the team. Exo’s can trade their machine gun for rocket launcher, Stealth’s can trade their gun for a sniper rifle, the support class can be equipped with a flame thrower, etc… This allows for great variety among the teams representing each faction. Team variety is an important factor since no class is above any other. For example, while an Exo has a lot of resilience, it can be taken down by the stealth’s backstab move. The stealth, while they are the fastest and most nimble class, they are also the weakest. The assault, aside from being able to equip several weapons, can also activate a scanning visor that reveals any cloaked stealth players. The support class can repair turrets as quickly as it can damage the enemy’s defensive and offensive structures.

Keep reading and I will discuss the RTS aspects and the game’s final scores.

Review – Battlefield 3 (360)

Posted by Josh Knowles No Responses »

Nov 012011

-Error reading from ESRB datastream-
Please visit ESRB.org for rating information.

Earlier this year, I proclaimed Battlefield my most anticipated game of the year. I expected a lot since Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was easily one of my favorite FPS’ of all time. I took my time with the review, I wanted to make sure that I gave the game enough time to sink in and let any residual fan-boy hype wear off. I reviewed the game on XBOX 360 and ironically, this game is ultimately a tale of two discs.

The wall of this hotel is about to come down... no matter where you shoot it.

Let’s start with the single player campaign, you play most of the story as Henry “Black” Blackburn, a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps and a member of a misfit company. Turns out that Blackburn is trying to stop World War 3 from taking place and may have shot his C.O. along the way, most of the game takes place as flashbacks as Blackburn recounts the events that led him to fragging his C.O. during questioning by the CIA. Yep, one man fighting to save the free world, betrayal, conspiracies and Rambo moments, all the pieces to a great Call of Duty story… only we are talking about Battlefield 3. The story is well written and levels are quite creative but there are still a few flaws within the campaign. One of the biggest issues I continued to encounter is bullet tracking, on hard mode you are forced to pick off enemies one by one since you can only take roughly 3 bullets before getting to watch the familiar death scene over and over. I found that sometimes enemies wouldn’t register getting shot until I stood in certain places, unfortunately this meant having to step directly into their line of fire. The other issue that was throughout the entire campaign was that everything you do is scripted, blowing up buildings, shooting down planes and even air combat is all guided and pretty much ‘on rails’ more or less. That means that single player won’t ever differ from the first time you play it, but there are a few special achievements for doing something special in each mission that will make you return. Well, at least once…

There is also a co-op campaign that is much more interesting, the story is weaker but the gameplay differs slightly on each playthrough. I had quite a bit of fun playing with friends even though each mission is very demanding and quite dependent on teamwork. I don’t recommend the co-op missions until players have completed the campaign and spent some decent time on multiplayer too. I played the mode with a friend who hadn’t experienced any of the game yet, unfortunately for me he repeatedly crashed a helicopter during one of the missions way too many times.

Shoot ALL the shins!

The bulk of the game is really on the first disk (on Xbox 360), and for those who haven’t figured out yet, that is multiplayer. As expected, Battlefield 3 delivers one of the best multiplayer experiences that I have had an opportunity to experience. The new, rebalanced classes are all have their own strengths and weaknesses with a ton of different unlockables available for each class. I found myself usually playing as an engineer, since I like to use the SMGs and I am very skilled at taking out heavy vehicles, plus I get the EOD bot that can arm and disarm objectives. The different game modes consist of Rush (which has players capturing points on a map while trying to push the defending team back), Conquest (which is a capture the flad/king of the hill mode) and Deathmatch (you shoot the other team until they die). There is a variant on each mode with the squad versions, which pit 4 different 4 man squads against each other.

Multiplayer utilizes vehicle combat quite heavily, which is great since it really opens up the tactics used in combat. Parachuting into an enemy base or taking out some heavy armor with a jet is an exhilarating experience. Just like the different character classes, vehicles are customizable as well by leveling up your experience in using them. You can get different weapons, improved firing rates and even better armor by gaining experience with your vehicles of choice. Getting to that point can be a slight pain, but the risk/reward is well worth it when your efforts finally pay off.

The destruction seems to be toned down in all the levels I’ve played so far, that is to say, I have blown up plenty of walls and littered streets with rubble but the always familiar complete destruction of buildings seems to be missing. There has also been too many experiences in which a concrete wall is still left pristine after I have hit it with a rocket launcher or a tank shell. I actually feel like Battlefield 3 took a significant step backwards in comparison with this feature. Now, just to make sure everyone understands: the destruction that is within the game IS incredible and realistic, but for every amazingly realistic situation you encounter there is another less accurate situation as well. Try filling a bus with C4 and hit it with a rocket in Operation Metro, the results are… underwhelming.

At the end of the da, Battlefield 3′s success is dependent on what features you are looking for. The single player campaign was ok at best, a huge detour from the Bad Company storylines, no connection to characters, most the time they are just following orders. The multiplayer campaign is the diamond in the rough, giving players many different options across different game modes. With that being said, if you are a FPS fan and enjoy squad based combat, this is the game for you, unfortunately though, I cannot crown it the FPS of the year until seeing the competition.

Graphics 100		Audio 100		Gameplay 80
Creativity 70		Execution 70		Offset 95

8.6

How do these ratings work? Click here for descriptions!

Pros:

Story has enough plot to see you through to the end
Multiplayer is fucking amazing
Fully customizable characters and weapons
Separate co-op campaign

Cons:

Poor hit detection at times during campaign
Predictable and cliche gameplay in campaign
Destruction looks great but seems limited

Saturday Morning Interviews: Flying Wild Hog, Creators of Hard Reset

Posted by Josh Knowles No Responses »

Oct 292011

A few months ago, Hard Reset was released for the PC. The Retro style FPS mas mostly met with positive reviews and really caught most gamers off guard since the game was announced and then released not too far apart. We had an apportunity to catch up with Flying Wild hog, the studio that created Hard Reset.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. For those that are unaware, how did Flying Wild Hog get started?

We were all tired working in a corporate-like game companies. We wanted to create a more open-minded model fo a company, so we established Flying Wild Hog

2. Your team, having worked on titles like Witcher 2 and Bulletstorm,

seemingly come from different camps in terms of narrative experience.

How do you think that played out when it came to working on this

title?

They are all very experienced specialists, so the genre is not such a big deal

:). I think our team did a great job with Hard Reset!

3. Comic book narratives are becoming popular as a method of

establishing backstory. Why did your team choose this medium of

narration for Hard Reset?

We have some great graphical artists in our team, and they wanted to show their skills. So when we noticed that the storyboard for the game looks great we have decided to add animated hand-drawn cutscenes to the game.

4. Tell us a little bit about the creation of Major Fletcher!

We were looking for a hero with a distinct features that would make him interesting. A flawless hero wouldn’t fit into the world of Hard Reset. So Fletcher was created – a traumatized alcoholic, who suffers from Novak’s Syndrome -

because of an accident several other personalities have been uploaded to his brain, and the only way to supress those personalities is drinking and medications. He is a part of the system, a system that is flawed.

5. Cyberpunk themes are fairly popular in today’s FPS and RPG gaming.

Do you think the style and culture of cyberpunk lends itself for good

creative material?

The Cyberpunk genre itself gives a lot of possibilities and you can take different approaches towards it. For instance compare Appleseed to Ghost In The Shell.

The first one shows a utopian city and community while Ghost In The Shell shows a dystopian future.

Cyberpunk gives you the possibility to weave different worlds but giving you an impression of realism – 20 years ago touchpads were considered Sci-Fi but now everyone uses an iPhone – so we don’t really know what will happen in the future.

6. What would you ideally want fans to derive from Hard Reset in terms

of gameplay experience?

The answer is simple :) – Fun. And maybe some nostalgic feelings. Hard Reset was designed as a tribute to Doom and Quake and I think that we all played those two games.

Shooting in Hard Reset feels good, and it’s satisfying. If you know how to use the weapons you will be in the control of the battlefield and you will dominate the enemies.

7. You’ve created an entirely new engine for Hard Reset. What goals

did you have in mind when you did so?

We wanted to make a game that will run smoothly on any machine even a 5 year old PC and a game that would still look good. We have some great programmers, so we decided to write our own technology.

Road Hog gives us a lot of possibilities, especially with lighting, and it’s also flexible so we can add features for our designers on demand.

8. The images we’ve seen so far show the world of Hard Reset as

shadowed and gloomy, but incredibly beautiful. How much of an emphasis

was graphical capability when it came to designing the engine?

As said before – we wanted to have loads of dynamic lighting, not 5 or 10 ligtsources but hundreds of them. If you’ll look at Bezoar you can notice that it’s lit by artificial lights – neon signs, street lamps ATMs.

You will also note that the textures that we use are very sharp and you can see also material textures on each object in the game – walls aren’t flat, you will see scratches on all metallic surfaces etc.

9. Did you have any visual inspirations when it came to designing the

world of Hard Reset?

Yes – one of the main insirations were the artworks of Syd Mead- I think he is one of those artists who has the best ‘feeling’ of the genre.

10. Could you explain a little more about the depth of the upgrading system?

Weapons in Hard Reset allow you to control the situation, it depends solely on you how you choose to play – either defensive – purchasing crowd control addons like EMP Flechettes or Stasis Grenades to trap your foes and deliver the killing blows

while they are incapacitated or aggresive – purchasing Health and armor augmentations and blasting your way with the Shotgun or Cumulative Plasma mode – it’s all up to you.

11. You’ve had quite a few sites comment on your lack of quick saves.

Do you think a sense of difficulty is lost on today’s generation of

gamers?

I think that games need to be challenging. Most of them have watered down diffuclty nowadays. Look at Super Mario – I remember that I died so many times while playing it, and often saw ‘Game Over’. Still I pushed on

and finally finished it, and it felt great. We wanted the players to experience a similar sense of accomplishment. Hard Reset was designed to be ‘Hard’ and you need skill and cunning to get through some fights, and some planning while

using the environment.

12. Where does the threshold lie between just the right amount of

difficulty and the right amount of gameplay time?

This depends on the player, some of them play games more casual and some are more hardcore. It’s really difficult to ascertain this threshold. I personally play all games on the highest possible difficulty settings, and always

explore the game as much as I can so the gameplay time for me is probably longer than for a regular gamer.

13. What are your long term goals as a independent developer?

We just want to make great games. Our first goal is to make an even

better game than Hard Reset, using all experience we gained during

Hard Reset’s production.

14. Do you plan to continue to release games around the thirty dollar

price range?

It’s really hard to say right now.

15. What kind of ideas are you toying with for your next release?

We love shooters, but also we really like RPGs :)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks guys for taking the time to answer some of our questions! If you haven’t yet, take the opportunity to play Hard Reset, it boasts one of the coolest combat mechanics we have seen in quite awhile.

RAGE Review Round-Up

Posted by callum No Responses »

Oct 042011

Id Software are back with a new take on the post apocalyptic wasteland, where every new location brings another fight for survival, despite looking incredible and generating a lot of attention, early reviews look to be a bit of a mix. What do you think? Will you still be rushing out to grab this one? Or are you going to wait and see how things work out over the coming days and weeks? Let us know in the comments.

“RAGE combines fantastic shooting with a barebones RPG and a sub-par racer, making for a very disjointed game” – 3.5/5 – The Telegraph

“If you can overlook the bits that don’t quite work, you’ll find one of the most exciting shooters we’ve had in years” – 8/10 – Videogamer.com

“An engrossing world full of dazzling detail and entertaining shooter action” – 8/10 – Gamespot UK

“RAGE is a superb game then, technically accomplished and eminently playable, but lacking that certain something” – 89/100 – X360A

“Unfortunately, it’s not the return to prominence that Id fans have been hoping for” – 3/5 – Joystiq

“Id still knows how to make a top-quality shooter” – 84/100 – PC Gamer Magazine

“RAGE is a triumphant mix of vintage shooter mechanics and high-octane driving segments” – 4/5 – Digital Spy

“You shoot first and ask questions later” – 9.0/10 – Now Gamer

“Judged on game design and content, then, it’s slightly anachronistic, but as a toy box full of things you can only do in games, RAGE is warm-hearted and refreshing” – 8/10 EuroGamer

“RAGE isn’t revolutionary, but is an expertly crafted, beautiful shooter” – 8.5/10 – IGN

“An incredibly fun and addictive shooter, which can satisfy pretty much any style of play” – 4/5 – The Guardian

”RAGE is worth giving a try if this is your genre of choice, don’t be afraid to pick it up, just know what you’re in for” – 3/5 – GotGame.com

“When it comes to methods of killing, Rage offers more ways to kill than any othe id software game to date” – 4.5/5 – Voodoo Extreme

“Easily on par with some of the best titles in the genre. If you’re a fan of FPS gaming and the kids at id, you won’t be sorry you picked this one up” – 9.5/10 – EGMNOW

“I enjoyed RAGE quite a bit at a few points when I was playing the campaign, but I see few reasons to head back in” – 75/100 – GameFront.com

“While the game is not perfect due to its flaws in the story and the lack of character customization, it all comes down to how great the gameplay is” – 4.5/5 – JustPushStart

“That Id Software’s Rage can still feel so fresh and fun is a testament to the high productions values behind the company” – 4.5/5 – Escapist Magazine

“RAGE is worth your dollar for the sheer entertainment value and unique gameplay experiences that you will not find anywhere else” – 4/5 – The Gamers Hub

Gaming Irresponsibly’s Goldeneye 007: Reloaded Hands-on Preview

Posted by iMaccaPro No Responses »

Sep 222011

2011 has most definitely been the year of the remakes, for some this is a good thing and for others it isn’t. Whist at GAMEfest this year I had the chance to have a hands on with Activision’s Goldeneye 007: Reloaded a remake of 2010s Wii and classic 1997 N64 game Goldeneye 007, basically a remake of a remake – I shall leave the “Yo Dawg” jokes to you guys.

I was very excited to play this game after growing up with an N64 so my expectations were very high. We walked up to the Activision area where the Goldeneye 007: Reloaded stand was and watched others on the game before being able to play ourselves. Once on one of the 10 PlayStation 3 consoles – it wasn’t being demoed on any Xbox 360s unfortunately- I picked my level and loaded the game. Within seconds of the first cut scene I could notice the changes to the game compared to the Wii and N64 versions (obviously). The first thing you notice is Daniel Craig -the first bug I have with the game. I know that they have now set it in a modern day world but I have never liked Daniel Craig as James Bond ever since Casino Royale so that’s a personal dislike with the game straight away. After the short cut scene the game places you in the snowy mountains of Severnaya with nothing but your PDA a silenced pistol -this is going to be a stealth mission. After finally figuring out the controls for the game I headed up a snowy path, the graphics for Reloaded are pretty awesome but not as awesome as I thought they could have been, compared to Activision’s Call of Duty games but they were still better than they have ever been.

A third person view of a First Person Shooter

After checking my PDA I reached my first enemy, with a quick head shot with my pistol he was down, the AI in the game was really responsive once they saw you they would fire and if you took cover they will walk up to you and try and flush you out, but one flaw I had noticed was the AI was really unbalanced for example; if you had two enemies standing about 3-2 feet away from each other in deep conversation and you shot one of them dead with a head shot the other wouldn’t even flinch at the fact his comrade had mysteriously dropped dead. Now as stealth missions usually are the AI at this moment should be super responsive but is really wasn’t. It was only when I went for the head shot on the remaining enemy and missed that he turned around and took aim. Sometimes it would sort itself out and actually do what it was meant to. Bugs like this can be tweaked ready for the final release date so I will give them that, let’s hope they sort it soon.Now the gameplay itself has totally changed in this remake, it’s quick, responsive and it just feels great to play- for the whole 10 minutes that I did manage to play on the game. It had a few glitches when certain set pieces took place but like I said before they have time to clear that kind of thing up. Back in 1997 Goldeneye 007 was its own game and what an awesome game it was, everyone who owned an N64 had it or still has it today, but Goldeneye 007: Reloaded will not stand out like its predecessor, when playing it all I could think of was Call of Duty, it was like a James Bond themed DLC. Everything had CoD written on it from the HUD to the controls. This is a shame but unfortunately most FPS these days are compared to or are similar to CoD.

One thing I didn’t get to try out was how the game handled with the PlayStation Move controller which im sure would have been a good addition to the gameplay. You will be able to purchase the Move controller with the game as one bundle the Double “O” bundle, basically the same as the bundle for Resistance 3.

All in all the game is great and I did enjoy playing it even though I have said a few bad things but after bug fixes it will be awesome. I really hope the game does well and becomes a hit but it sure has some big shoes to fill.

Release Date: November 1^st

Platforms: Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3

Review – Hard Reset (PC)

Posted by Frank Moricz No Responses »

Sep 152011

-Error reading from ESRB datastream-
Please visit ESRB.org for rating information.

So, you’re pretty good at FPS games, right? Not good enough. Not for Hard Reset, anyway.

This game will chew you up and spit you out if you’ve become accustomed to the things available in most modern day FPS games. Quick-recharging shields? Nope. Headshot kills to quickly drop opponents? Not likely.

Only unmatched aiming ability will save you here. Robotic baddies will swarm you at each and every turn, and some of them aren’t even safe to kill. From the lowliest sawblade-wielding pawn to megabots with a strong distaste for your existence, a cornucopia of death awaits you. If you choose to play this game, prepare yourself for some frustration.

Aside from the enemies themselves, you’ll quickly find that the environment itself is volatile and generally dangerous. Everything around you explodes or rains down electric bolts like the place was designed by a sadistic lunatic. I suppose a player might possibly be able to use this to some advantage, but often I found that it was half the reason I ended up dead.

Very quickly I had to accustom myself with every little wall decoration and canister. I don’t believe there was a single room, hallway, elevator or alleyway I passed that didn’t have the capacity to go off like the 4th of july. A note to developers in that regard: sometimes less is more. I liked some of the explosions and effects, but it was done to death… my death.

The controls of the game were done simply – I played it on PC with both Mouse/Keyboard as well as a 360 controller. Because everything revolved around quick-aiming though, I found the mouse to be superior during my stay in this wacky electric wonderland. The motion controls of this title bring back a retro feel of something like Doom or Duke 3d – your character moves and steers like a tank, which makes the difficulty even higher when attempting to dodge a charging go-bot or running from a swarm of bombs with wheels.

The part I absolutely enjoyed about this game was the weapon upgrading and innovations that came with it. You have 2 guns, ever. This means 2 existing ammo types and only 2 ammunition variables to worry about. Through upgrades (experience-based) you are able to change the modes of these weapons which effectively gives you much more capability and customization. I have to say that this was quite brilliant and made for fairly simple switching. Though it was difficult to switch through everything quickly in the middle of battle, it made the game much simpler in other ways, so I considered it worthwhile.

Graphically, I was impressed enough to make note of it. Hard Reset was no slouch in that regard. It may not be up to the standards that have been set by industry giants, but it was more than enough to get by. The only complaint I have regarding the graphics is that those damn explosives were rendered so well that it was difficult to immediately know what would explode and what would waste ammo.

Plot-wise, this is one of those games where it felt almost tacked-on. It was almost unneeded to understand the concept of “I have guns and I shoot all the robots I see”. Cutscenes are done in a comic-like approach, but the story could have used some work. I certainly didn’t feel immersed in the plot so much as the gameplay itself. This really doesn’t get in your way or detract from the game itself, so I’ll just assume its something that some players might enjoy on some level.

Overall, I would say that Hard Reset has the capacity to be a good game for certain FPS fans. I certainly wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, but for those of you that enjoy a serious challenge and are looking to play a game reminiscent of the controls of yesteryear, it might be a great addition to your library. A demo is available through Steam, and I would recommend that you use that to judge for yourself before writing off this fairly unique title.

Graphics 80		Audio 60		Gameplay 75
Creativity 70		Execution 70		Offset 65

How do these ratings work? Click here for descriptions!

Hard Reset Now Available On Steam

Posted by callum No Responses »

Sep 132011

We all love robots, especially when we get to fight and destroy them. Wild Flying Hogs first game is finally avaliable on the Steam store. As you may have guessed from the opening comments, killing robots is the name of the game, fighting back against the machines that have enslaved humanity. As the hero of the game, you fight back against the robo overlords trying to destroy humanities last city and refuge from slavery and ultimately, extinction.

The game is designed to have more of an old school FPS feel, whilst maintaining the feeling of an older, arcade style shooter. Multiple play throughs will be necessary for unlocking all weapons, secrets and to boost your high score for bragging rights over other players. You can find Hard Reset in the Steam store right now priced at only $29.99 and is a must for any arcade, shooter fans.

Interview with Olly Ginger @ Interwave Games (Nuclear Dawn)

Posted by maskren No Responses »

Sep 122011

Dutch game developer Interwave Studios was kind enough to let us get to know a little bit more about their contribution to class-based FPS games, Nuclear Dawn, and how they’re hoping to change it into an entirely different beast. Here I speak with Olly Ginger, the senior programmer, and why adding RTS elements to the FPS is next natural evolution of strategic and tactical gameplay. Nuclear Dawn will be released this month on Steam, so keep your eyes peeled for it.

1) What’s the story behind Interwave?

InterWave started as a modding team for new and interesting gameplay projects. We came from the SteamFriends community, and set off to make mods that delivered both gameplay and quality.

2) Source Engine is a popular and easy way to bring new developers into the industry. How do you feel about using it?

Hard to say objectively, because we’ve been using it for so long! As a coder, I can say that Source offers a clean, complete environment for coders to develop their own solutions, starting from a professional, competent toolset that accelerates development.

The basic toolset that the Source engine comes with, outdated as some of its components may be, is a fantastic jumping platform – it definitely was a great learning platform for our past and current projects.

3) Nuclear Dawn boasts an impressive backstory. Is the story heavily incorporated into the team-based battles?

The story does not surface much in the action itself, though the advantage of having such a well detailed back story is that every single element of the action, even in the most furious battle, belongs to a coherent game world, which makes sense past the ‘pew pew’ moments.

It may not seem like much, but being able to place every single element in a level with the absolute confidence of a complete back story gives each level and moment its own life, that no amount of cinematics can rival.

4) Did you have any inspirations for character design or gameplay?

We received the original assets from the Nuclear Dawn modding team. These included several sketches and concept art. That was a great jump start to set the mood and quality of the art.

Other than that, and the games we loved to play through our gaming lives, the rest of Nuclear Dawn is all our original design – both in character designs and gameplay.

5) Do you think that your game will serve to bring players closer to the RTS or the FPS genre? Or are you hoping for an even mix of both?

We’re hoping Nuclear Dawn will offer a new combination forged from those two genres. Each experience is very much segregated, because the Commander has a full RTS job and the players a full FPS experience, so fans of each won’t have their favourite genre too polluted.

However, because of the extra layer of interactions, such as having real human players instead of AI bots, or having a powerful Commander swaying the tide of battle, Nuclear Dawn’s game modes offer a fresh take on either genre.

6) As the RTS Commander, do you have complete control over the strategic processes of your team?

As the RTS Commander you have full control over weapon unlocks (Siege weapon research), structure placement, artillery strikes and Commander abilities, as well as directing your troops with order beacons and feedback.

Whether your troops will follow your recommendations and orders… that’s another story.

7) Do you think the typical methods of micro and macro apply well to today’s FPS gameplay?

In a very real way, the two game types each perform a balanced half of both micro and macro gameplay. The Commander has full control of macro execution, but he needs his troops to capture and hold the resource points.

On the other hand, players have full control over micro manoeuvres, but they still need artillery support, and Commander abilities to succeed fully in their tasks.

This way, either side has full control of one side of gameplay, but relies on the other component to fully develop and implement its plans.

8) How do structures come into play in the midst of player on player battles?

There’s a variety of ways players can interact with structures during a battle.

Beyond the obvious ones (getting killed by a turret, or an artillery strike), players are revealed to the enemy Commander by radars, they restock at their Supply Stations, and respawn at the spawn gates that the Commander placed. They have to defend power structures, and can change their kits and load-outs at the Armoury.

Structures are a very real, and very important, factor in any battle, and the right structure in the right place will spell the difference between victory or defeat.

9) What would you think would be an ideal experience for a group of players on Nuclear Dawn?

Overturning what looks like a certain defeat. When an enemy is at your gates, pummelling your base with their artillery, picking your structures and soldiers with long range Siege weapons, a determined team can rally, efficiently organize its ranks, and push back on multiple levels, hitting each attacking side with precise counter-manoeuvres.

The concentrated push of a desperate faction can rip through the ranks of a complacent enemy, and bring an entire faction back from the brink of death. It’s one of the most exhilarating moments in Nuclear Dawn.

10) Can you go over the classes and how their specializations might be applied in game?

The Exo is the slowest, most armoured class. They also carry the most powerful weapons, though powerful is not the same as instant kill: the chaingun takes time to spin up, and both M95 rockets and X01 bolts take some skill to land kills with. Exos can enter ‘lockdown’ mode, which effectively turns them into living turrets able to kill enemies from great range.

The Stealth is the Exo’s diametrical opposite: small and fast, with next to no armour, this class has a powerful cloaking ability that allows them to sneak past enemies and enemy turrets easily, but disables itself on each attack. Stealths are the premier Exo killers: the slow, armoured behemoths can’t see their lithe death coming, and succumb in droves to Stealth knives.

Assaults are your average GI JOE army soldier, with a versatile set of load-outs that goes from full combat and sniping to base assault. Their special class ability is a Visor that allows them to spot cloaked Stealths. Any group of Exos intent on survival really should bring an Assault along, to protect them from Stealth attacks.

Finally, Supports are not a direct combat class, but still come armed with short range weaponry such as machine pistols, shotguns and flamethrowers. Supports also wield a range of grenades and healing or repair tools. While they may not be the most powerful class in combat, Supports can easily sway the tide of any battle with their poison and EMP grenades, or healing packs.

11) Class-based shooters usually go through a thorough patching process to make sure the classes are balanced. Can we expect this from Nuclear Dawn?

That process already started with the Beta – we’re gathering community feedback, watching the new strategies that evolve, and making sure everything stays balanced, as well as stable.

We will definitely be patching and balancing the game constantly, though perhaps not as quickly and promptly as some more vocal members of the community think it should happen. The simple fact is that most people jump into a shooter, and expect it to behave just like all their other games do.

If I had a penny for every time a ticket feedback cited “balance issues” just because they did not like a weapon, Nuclear Dawn would be free, and we’d all live on our own private floating sky islands. We’re keeping an eye on things, and taking all feedback seriously, and it will all be used to evolve Nuclear Dawn into a better, more mature product over time.

12) Are there any plans for expansions and DLC? New maps? Weapons?

We don’t really like the idea of paid DLCs for multiplayer games. InterWave is already planning two major updates to the game, both free to download for owners of Nuclear Dawn.

One will add more maps and game modes, and the other will introduce AI bots and drones, along with more game types and updates. New Tier 2 (and eventually Tier 3) weapons will be introduced in successive updates as well.

13) Does your team enjoy playing the game as well?

Passionately. Our only guideline is to make sure that the game is fun to play, and we’d be poor developers if we didn’t like our own product. InterWave is a small outfit, and no one involved does it just for the money: there isn’t enough money for that!

14) Any concrete details on future projects?

Yes.

15) Nuclear Dawn promises a lot that other class-based shooters don’t. Do you think that your approach will be picked up in later generations?

We are hoping so, though any innovation we bring to the table is an evolution of a gameplay paradigm that already started with the original Team Fortress, continued in Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and is being picked up more and more by multiple games.

16) Any special shout outs or thanks you’d like to include?

Definitely a shout out to my family, to my friends, and to my colleagues – we balance each other out, and make awesome things together.

Once again, thanks Ollie, and all the staff at Interwave for showing us your great product.

Battlefield 3 Dinosaur Mode: Can a Prank Become Reality?

Posted by callum 5 Responses »

Sep 072011

Over the years, first person shooters have come a long way, evolved if you will. From humble beginings with arcade, rail shooters, then progressing to the genre as we know it today, developers still had to find a way to move on to the next level. The most recent evolution has come in the form of “Horde” style gameplay. Whether it be Horde mode, Zombies or Firefight, all the biggest shooters have got it but dinosaurs would just take it too a whole new level.

Pure Awesome

Ever since the demise of Turok, I miss Turok 3 and still have it for Xbox original, the dinos have been left at the back of everyones mind, a forgotten time when people were happier and had more of a challenge taking on giant lizards rather than some overgrown, alien insects. But dinosaur mode could change that in so many ways, not just as normal, horde style gameplay, it could set the bar for all future attempts.

Perhaps the best reason for Battlefield 3 to bring in a dino mode is diversity, adding modes is what makes games better, the more people can do, the longer the game will keep their attention for. Battlefield games already given us some of the most diverse combat, especially in the way of vehicle combat. So imagine, having mastered the use of jets in the game and then, just to mix things up, you could go out, shooting down some enormous pterodactyls and other scaly winged menaces. I want to shoot pteradatyls and I want to do it now.

Diverese combat doesn’t have to be limited to how many vehicles a game has, picture yourself reliving moments like the Tyrannosaurus chase from Jurrasic Park, but rather than being some unarmed palientologist, you are a badass, gun toting, US soldier, firing from cover whenever you can find it, then having to move on, after being spotted and the chase begins again.

Overall, dinosaurs are some of the toughest creatures to have walked the earth, for the sake of my point we will ignore the mass extinction, but even then, maybe they ceased to exist, not through poisoned plants, global warming or an asteroid strike, but through US Marines, travelling back in time because they fancied a bit more of a challenge than zombies and aliens. This may seem far fetched, but think of the way the Call of Duty series handled zombies, here was a series that had always took itself relatively seriously, but with the addition of zombies gameplay, it gave an oppurtunity to become more fun, less serious and gave us something to laugh about, even poking fun at world leaders gone by.

Unofficial. But Would Be Well Worth Paying For

While Jurrasic Park the game is due for a console release at some point, I always envisaged it would have more of an adventure feel rather than trying to build on the remains of a shattered Turok franchise. Whereas Battlefield is already a kick ass first person shooter, so having a horde mode just helps it to catch up with some of the other, big games in the genre that are already utilising this style of gameplay and let’s face it, this is the only thing Battlefield needs to catch up on.

Rest assured, whether or not we see a dino mode with Battlefield 3, the game will still be awesome, but it is a feature that shouldn’t be overlooked and having been hinted at already, there is probably at least some truth in the rumours. For now though all we can do is sit and wait until October rolls around and we find out if there is any truth in Battlefields dino mode.

Jonathan Cacherat @ Streum On Studios (E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy)

Posted by maskren 1 Response »

Aug 262011

In the wake of Gamescom, I managed to squeak some questions out of Jonathan, the project leader, lead programmer, and artistic director of E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy. He shared with us his vision for the future of their game development.

1) Now that E.Y.E. has released on Steam, what’s the public reaction been like? Was it all that you had hoped for?

We expected something worse. We are very happy with the public’s reception, because we didn’t make a consensual game and it obviously makes the opinions differ. Another surprise for us was to see that the game was better acclaimed outside of France.

We also regret that the game was much more bugged than we thought.

2) What kind of feedback have you gotten on the game? Will there be improvements made through updates?

We had a lot of positive feedbacks concerning the gameplay, and a lot of negative feedbacks concerning the dialogues.

The first patch fixed an important amount of bugs and we also modified the game’s balance, thanks to very constructive feedbacks from the community.

We hope we’ll be able to add more powers, new maps, and a team-based PvP mode in the future.

We’re also discussing the probability of remaking the dialogues.

3) For a small indie release, you’ve created a game with an amazing amount of depth. Was that depth planned, or did most of it happen naturally?

We had this ambition from the beginning, while knowing that it would be very hard. But we have absolutely no regrets.

4) The FPS and the RPG are genres that run at very different speeds. Now that you’ve combined the two, do you feel as if you’ve achieved a good balance point?

In retrospect, we think that the RPG aspect of the game could have been more fleshed-out and better, again concerning the dialogues.

5) Were there any specific inspirations for the aesthetics of the artwork?

Yes absolutely, we drew a lot of inspiration from the works of Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell, Avalon), Katsuhiro Ōtomo (Akira), Enki Bilal, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, Tsutomu Nihei’s BLAME!, paintings from Zdzisław Beksiński and H.R. Giger.

6) What about for the mechanics of the gameplay?

We tried to give the player an experience similar to those found in RPG and Action-RPG games, while proposing an intense FPS experience. The gameplay relies on the complete freedom of choice for every situation approaches b-y the player, but I think the easiest thing is to play the game.

7) Modern stealth mechanics often balance between extremely simplistic and excessively difficult. Where does EYE stand on this?

According to player feedback, we are in the second category. And I quite agree with that.

8) Do you feel that stealth gameplay is a mechanic that needs innovation or renovation right now?

I’m going to be frank; I hate games that extremely simplify stealth. I sometimes have the feeling to play with a blind and deaf AI. So, yes, I think there should be some innovation on this aspect, especially on stopping ego-flattering the player. It should stop, and games should finally propose some real challenge. The AI really is often a neglected domain in video games. Developers should really try to infiltrate actual guarded places to have an idea of what it takes.

9) Can we have the scoop on your next project? What’s it going to be like?

Except saying that it may be a FPS, I can’t tell you anything else.

10) Where does Streum On Studios plan to be in later years?

We hope to be able to still develop games, and with a lot more resources than we currently have.

Once again, thank you Jonathan for all your patience and understanding. We wish you the best in later years.

Battlefield 3 Special Edition Covers Leaked

Posted by Kyle Franco 2 Responses »

Aug 242011

A factory worker has recently leaked the Special Edition Steel Book covers for Battlefield 3. There’s not much to see with the cover, but it’s always nice to get a glimpse of what’s coming. As we can see below the covers that have been leaked are fresh off of the press.

Sources: Reddit

Top 5 Most Underrated Games of All Time

Posted by rhillis 6 Responses »

Aug 122011

Over the years, we have seen some great games. Most of us will always remember the big ones; Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, BioShock among many others. But each year, some great titles fall by the wayside. They get great scores, they receive excellent feedback, but for some reason, people just don’t buy these games. With recent under-appreciated games such as Shadows of the Damned and Catherine, Gaming Irresponsibly takes a look back at some of the greatest games that received none of the attention that they deserved. So let’s get started.

5. Indigo Prophecy

Indigo Prophecy (also known as Fahrenheit), was released on the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC back in 2005. Developed by Quantic Dream, makers of another under appreciated title Heavy Rain (but that is another story). You play as Lucas Kane, a recent suspect in a series of peculiar murders that involve random people being possessed to murder, well, random people. The game features some great “real-time” sequences, using multiple perspectives at the same time, much like the popular television series 24. These contain scenes that have Lucas covering his tracks, while police officers are on their way up to his apartment, and many others that build excitement and suspense in a unique way. Quantic Dream created a great game, with unique gameplay, and an incredible story. They also used t a multiple ending feature, where your actions dictate the outcome of humanity.

4. Lost Odyssey

Back in 2008, Microsoft Game Studios published Lost Odyssey, an Xbox 360 exclusive Japanese style role playing game (JRPG). You play as Kaim, a man who has lived for thousands of years, but cannot recall much of his past. After a meteor decimates most of the worlds population, Kaim joins some friends and the adventure begins. The game features a turn-based battle system that is typically found in most JRPG’s, and the player can take control of two types of characters; mortals and immortals. Mortals gain their skills by leveling up, while immortals gain skills by linking with mortal characters. Lost Odyssey offers unique game play and an intriguing story. If you haven’t played this game yet, I am sure you can find it in some game stre used bin for a couple of bucks.

3. Mirror’s Edge

Mirror’s Edge is a fast-paced first person action/adventure game published by Electronic Arts back in early 2009. The game had a little hype coming out of the gate, which is uncommon for most EA titles (they usually push them harder). Developed by Digital Illusions CE, makers of the soon to be released Battlefield 3, Mirror’s Edge contains some fast, point-of-view perspective action. The game didn’t receive the best reviews, but most hovered around the mid-7 range. In Mirror’s Edge, you take control of parkour-loving Faith, as she navigates herself around a beautiful city, looking to gain access into buildings through the ever popular rooftop ventilation systems. The game features some unique first person game play and the action is quick and exciting across the board. It’s a shame that this original use of the first person perspective was not experienced by more people.

2. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Disgaea was JRPG published by Atlus, the makers of the recently released title Catherine, and developed by Nippon Ichi Software (NIS) in 2003. It was originally released on the PlayStation 2 console, then later ported to the PSP and the Nintendo DS. The game features some of the basic battle system mechanics as most JRPGs, by using a turn based style battle system. The battle system also features a “grid” in which players move and control their combatants to form tactical advantages in order to defeat opponents. The game plays similarly to Final Fantasy Tactics in this aspect, but has a more humorous, lighthearted vibe.

1. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem

At number one, we have Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. This psychological, action/adventure thriller was developed by Silicon Knights and was the first game published exclusively by Nintendo that garnered a “M for Mature” rating. For those who have played this game, you know how creepy it can get. Ever wonder why Kyle Franco is the way he is? Play 147 hours of Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem with out sleep and you will begin to understand (sorry Kyle). Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem features some really innovative gameplay, with such features as making the volume on your television appear to be lowered by way of a fake volume meter. The game even won awards for it’s well developed story line from multiple publications and academies. It is a down right crime that this game was not more of a commercial success.

There they are, Gaming Irresponsibly’s Top 5 Most Underrated Games of All Time. Did we miss some, if so, feel free to let us politely know at the bottom.

Review: Section 8: Prejudice

Posted by Kyle Franco No Responses »

Aug 052011

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Please visit ESRB.org for rating information.

When the first Section 8 came out it didn’t do very well, partly because it lacked a true campaign mode, partly due to its poor map design, and no doubt a variety of other reasons. Prejudice seeks to change this while at the same time bringing the Section 8 series to fore-front of the multiplayer arena. The question that I asked before I dove into this new Sci-Fi-Flavored First-Person-Shooter was “is it really any different, or is it more of the same?”. I’m very glad to say that while this game does not meet my love for the Battlefield series, it is now at the top of the list for games that I play online (it’s a very short list, with only the most discriminating and tasteful fellows being allowed entry).

The Story: I don’t intend to go through the whole story because I’m simply not one for summarizing what you’re going to experience anyhow, and I just don’t want to spoil it for you (aren’t I just a super nice guy?)

In the previous Section 8 there was a story mode of sorts, but it was really just a tutorial for the multiplayer aspect of the game and the story itself can be summed up as “Section 8 are the good guys and the ARM faction are the bad guys. Kill the hell out of the ARM guys. Trust me, they’re jerks.” While I do have to agree that the ARM faction are indeed jerks I can’t say that I was entertained by the story mode. In fact I was actually bored by it and after having gone through about 80% of it I just gave up and stuck to the multiplayer. It’s a different story with Prejudice though.

In Section 8: Prejudice players take the role of Corde (the protagonist from the previous Section 8) once again, but this time with an actual purpose. The leader of the ARM forces who was captured in the previous game has recently escaped and Corde has to hunt him down and re-capture him. Eventually Corde and the gang do catch up to the leader of ARM, but as they are about to take him in he is shot by a sniper. It turns out that the ARM faction was in fact just an extension of a much larger and more menacing enemy, but enough about that.

The story wasn’t phenominal and it definitely wasn’t very creative, but it was fun. When I would die in the story I would just restart the level and go at it again. This is the type of gameplay that I like to see, this is the type of gameplay that keeps you coming back. The story is definitely quite a bit beefier than the original Section 8 and is a fun way to spend your time, but it isn’t at the level of writing and story-telling that I would like to see from the series. Come one Timegate make the Section 8 series go in a Starship Troopers direction. You could swap out the giant bugs for some other sort of alien race, instead of having to rely on different factions of the human race.

Gameplay:

There were a few gameplay problems with the original, although the only one that I ever noticed was that moving around was a bit blocky. Prejudice has streamlined the gameplay of the original game, created more closed in and well thought out maps, and just put in a lot more effort than the first title overall.

Just like the first Section 8, Prejudice is a game that anyone can jump right into and have fun. Whether you’re getting killed or mowing down the masses it’s going to be a fun time. This is because its a game that has a system that players can learn and become experts at, but at the same time they don’t have to suffer a seemingly never ending learning curve. You can take a peek at the abilities, weapons, and armor from the spawn menu and become acquainted with them seconds before you decide to burn in.

The ability to lock-on to an enemy has also been slightly altered by being switched to the R3 button. While this is barely a change to the game at all I think that the placement on the R3 button is a perfect fit for the feature, and I’m a little surprised that it actually mattered at all. I don’t have to fumble around with the buttons when I want to pop off a few quick shots into a honky’s dome. There were times in the previous Section 8 where I would want to lock-on ASAP, but I often ended up receiving a face-full of buckshot.

On the side of the multiplayer there are really two main attractions that help establish this game as one that you could spend hours inside of, either ruling the competition or being thrashed around like a cabbage patch child. Trust me, you don’t want to be the cabbage patch child, it involves only tears and sadness. What Section 8 offers that keeps me coming back to its multiplayer is the ability to purchase vehicles, turrets, and other types of machines that aid the player and their team against the heathens of opposing team. This feature has allowed me to hold off a base from an entire invading force when I was the last man standing on my team. I dropped 4 anti-personnel turrets on the edges of the base, and every time someone attempted to enter the base and hack our terminal they ended up getting 1,000 machine gun pouring through their armor.

The other part that keeps me coming back to this game is the selection of abilities, weapons and armor. This is by no means a new feature in an online game, but it’s definitely a well appreciated one. By mixing and matching weapons, abilities, and armor you can tip the scales in your favor as long as you are a little perceptive of what are the “right” and “wrong” mixes for each level. In general I keep my gear in black armor (unless it’s a snow level) with an Assault Rifle (Medium range), Sniper Rifle (to pick off the weak and stragglers), a combat knife (you can’t defend against a knife piercing the back of your skull), and a repair tool (I’m the acting mechanic/medic for my team). It’s not the most powerful build because it’s mean to keep my team and I alive, while remaining balanced in terms of fire-power.

Creativity:

The Section 8 series borrows quite a bit to other Science Fiction juggernauts such as Halo, or Robert Heinleins Starship Troopers. The players ability to “Burn In” is almost exactly identical to the way soldiers enter the battlefield in Heinleins Starship troopers, and the armored suits that are worn in the game owe just as much to the novel. The games stylized armor has a tendency to remind me of the Warhammer 40k series. Maybe it’s just that eagle insignia that Section 8 loves ironing onto their armor so much.

Are these really practical?

Much of what is in the Section 8 has been borrowed, and the gameplay itself owes a lot to older games like unreal or Tribes. It melds these things together pretty damn well, but it isn’t innovative or very creative.

One feature of the multiplayer that is something of a rarity these days is the inclusion of bots. The player can of course choose to play in a server that is populated with bots, or they can choose to play with only other players. The inclusion of bots in the game is a good thing on one side because it means that there are few de-populated servers, and these bots are just as tough as their human counter-parts, or so my experience with the game has shown me. However something that dissapoints me is that if I attempt to play with only human players I’ll almost always end up in a game that is populated by four to five people out of a 32 player cap. The game has some severely under-developed servers in terms of actual players, but this could be due to the game being released within the week on the PlayStation 3.

Section 8: Prejudice and its predecessor both have a feature where players can purchase deployables that will aid their team in battle. Deployables are vehicles and defense pieces that will aid the player and their team in battle. In order for the players to use deployables they first must gain enough money to purchase them, with each deployable having a different price that reflects their overall power and ability.

Graphics:

There’s not a lot to say here for the games graphics. The character design looks interesting and the dynamic lighting is very well done, but overall it looks very dated. I guess pictures say a lot more than words, so take a look.

The bike is tit-for-tat the same as the Ghost from the Halo series.

The melee system is really fun when you get critical kills.

Audio:

The sound effects in the game are done well, but the voice-overs could use a lot of work, and maybe pulled a little further back from the foreground so much. The music is nothing exceptional and in general fades into the background and ambiance of the levels.

Execution:

Prejudice is wonderfully executed, especially for a budget title. The Gameplay has been streamlined, and the style of the sci-fi world of Section 8 is finally starting to show its colors in the story mode. The audio isn’t where it should be in terms of voice-overs, but that’s forgivable since the actual important parts of the game, such as the mechanics and Gameplay are so much fun. The game was executed well and it kept me from ever getting bored. Well done.

Each time you gain score points you will also gain money, and with that money you can purchase vehicles and machines that will aid your cause in the fight against the never ending enemy hordes.

What’s for Sale

Mechs- A mech is the second most powerful machine in the game that players can purchase. It’s armed with arm-mounted machine guns, can jump, has insane amounts of armor and health, and has a very aggressive melee system. Sometimes when you kill someone while inside of the mech you’ll perform a critical move where you hold the player by the torso and shoot them directly in the face. It’s pretty awesome.
Tanks- I’ve yet to see anyone use a tank in multiplayer but this is a good thing actually, since the tank is the most heavily armored vehicle in the game. It’s offensive capabilities are unmatched since its main gun can kill a group of soldiers, and its top mounted machine gun can mop up the rest. I imagine that if anyone can get enough money to buy one of these it just means that the game is over for the opposing team
AA Guns- AA guns make sure that the enemy forces don’t burn in on your position by swatting them like flies before they ever get the chance to see you.
Turrets- There are two types of turrets. Anti-Personnel turrets and Missile Turrets. The Missile turrets are especially helpful against mechs and other vehicles that are attempting to encroach upon your position, while the AP turret is great for keeping the pressure on enemy troops.
Sensor Array- The array detects enemy units within a large range and shows them on your mini-map. Very useful for when you hunt down enemies that are trying to break into one of your bases.
Supply Depot-The supply depot heals players and refills their ammo when the player comes near them. You can also drop one of these by your turrets and it will continually heal them, which will make them much harder to kill for the enemy.
Hover Bike- If you’ve played the Halo series and you enjoyed the Ghost then you will know exactly how it feels to use this. If not then it’s a bike that hovers, and has machine guns. Not really much to say. It has a jump function, which is kind of neat, although odd.

Multiplayer Modes

Skirmish- The Skirmish mode of the game is the basic multiplayer mode.
Assault- In the Assault mode one team must defend and hold their bases while the opposing team tries to capture them.
Conquest- The Conquest mode in Section 8: Prejudice is identical to that of every Battlefield game. Two teams compete for control of four bases. The longer a team holds a base, the more Victory Points they gain. When the specified amount of VP is earned by a team, they win.
Swarm- In the Swarm mode the player and three allies hold and defend a base from multiple waves of enemy AI. The goal is to defend the base long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

I enjoyed Section 8: Prejudice a lot and I’m giving it a 7/10 for the following reasons.

Pros

Fun Gameplay
Easy, but useful to learn customization
Good level design
An actual story mode
Addictive multiplayer mode

Cons

Bad voice overs
Weak story
Dated graphics

Graphics 80		Audio 70		Gameplay 80
Creativity 75		Execution 80		Offset 85

7.8

How do these ratings work? Click here for descriptions!

Will This Tech Provide a Better FPS Experience?

Posted by callum No Responses »

Jul 212011

In recent years we have seen some massive innovations in the way that we interact with our games. Whilst I still much prefer a good old fashioned controller with ancient joysticks and buttons I have had a go with these new motion dealies and pointing Wii motes. I even had a dabble dancing round my living room like a tool in front of a Kinect, but while it would appear that everyone wants a shiny first person shooter for Microsoft’s latest bit of kit there is another avenue which deserves recognition.

Haptics, taking its name from the Greek word for touch, is the new tech which is cemented firmly in the old school. Rather than employing the augmented reality and motion detection that we have recently seen Haptics interface are a totally physical experience. This physical interaction works both ways as once the command is sent into the system the operating system within the game can also send feedback, mainly in the form of vibration.

Rather than just sticking to placing this technology into your hand held controller and allowing your hands to shake whenever you travel over rough terrain or take rounds from the enemy to the right the possibilities for Haptics based innovation are huge. Take, for example, so called “gaming seats” these seats allow the player to be rocked and vibrated over there entire body however these are pretty much useless for anything other than recreating the terrain experienced during driving based games.

I believe that the next big innovation that we need to see is a full body, Haptics based suit. The possibility for these suits could be astronomical when combined with the next generation of high graphics games and eventually consoles. The suits would more than likely cost a fortune due to the cost of research, testing and finally mass production of such an expensive bit of kit. In theory, the suit would have to have multiple, miniscule motors built directly into it along with a power source. These would then be used to relay the games signals directly onto the body. For example, as you where darting from cover to cover, taking a few rounds on the way across, rather than administering the initial short, sharp burst directly onto the skin but the possibility for an extended throbbing sensation in the affected area for a certain period of time would replicate the after effects.

The Only Haptics Related Image That Isn't Just A Concept Wetsuit

Haptic suits working on their own would be the single greatest thing that could happen to the next generation of gaming not only first person shooters. Just think of playing a game like Hydrophobia and being able to feel the actual pressure of the water against your skin as it rises up your body. Imagine this kind of technology combined with the Kinect sensor, not only would you have the experience of actually being in the game through the way you had to move, but you would have the added experience of the game responding in a far more, real world outcomes.

Unfortunately we have to settle for motion detection and a vibrating, surround sound chair but I say, in the long run, we can all forget the experience of using motion capture whether it is through a body scanner or a controller such as on the Wii or PlayStation move. This technology, whilst new and exciting can be a very bright flame to begin with but eventually the whole experience becomes apparent as more of a gimmick rather than a real, core interface. Whilst I don’t want to take away from how great these latest control systems have been I just think that the experience needs something more before it is perfect and that thing is Haptics.

Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary Preorder Bonuses Confirmed

Posted by callum No Responses »

Jul 182011

Every big release nowadays has to have a preorder bonus or two to encourage people to buy early or from a particular outlet, so to not expect some Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary preorder bonuses would have just been naïve.

Earlier today 343 Industries confirmed that there will be two preorder bonuses: not just John-117’s armor for your avatar, but also a game-changing, new skull known as the Grunt Funeral Party skull which is a far more aggressive version of Grunt Birthday Party from earlier games. This skull could make Gruntpocalypse a hell of a lot more fun and also make the campaign a little easier if you’re low on grenades and good with headshots. The statement from 343 industries gave us the following information.

“Master Chief Avatar Armor– Heroes Never Die, and to honor the 10th anniversary of John 117, you will finally be able to transform your Xbox LIVE Avatar into the iconic hero by outfitting it with Master Chief’s signature MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor.

“Grunt Funeral” Skull – An exclusive, game-modifying skull that changes the rules of the game for an explosively humorous experience, “Grunt Funeral” sends Halo’s most lowly and lovable enemy out in a blaze of glory. And plasma. And then more glory. Once the skull has been activated, every Grunt’s methane tank will explode like a plasma grenade when killed. Watch out for the Grunt chain reaction!”

(Source)

Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary is set for release on November 15^th at a reduced retail price currently believed to be $39.99.

Review – Alliance of Valiant Arms (PC)

Posted by Kyle Franco No Responses »

Jul 162011

Alliance of Valiant Arms is a free-to-play title that has been around for a while but has gone largely unnoticed due to it only being available through Ijji games Steam-clone service “Reactor”. If you’ve never heard of Ijji, that’s okay, it’s owned by the Korean corporation NHN, which practically no one over here in the states has even heard of. Having now finally made its way over to Steam it is getting some attention that’s long over due.

Alliance of Valiant Arms is an online first-person-shooter that plays in a similar way to games like Global Assault or Counter Strike, and for being an f2p title, it has pretty good graphics and physics. The game-play is for the most part tactical based, with a variety of game modes to keep players entertained and beefing up their team-playing skills.

Try out the Escort mode. It's one of the best in the game.

In order to play AVA players must make an account with Korean game maker Ijji games, and use their launcher. So this means that once you launch the game from Steam you’ll have to face yet another game launcher in order to actually play it. The Ijji game launcher has a few downsides to it as well. It’s incredibly slow with patches and updates, so don’t expect to start playing AVA as soon as you download the client from Steam. AVA also has a tendency to shoot up and down in terms of lag. At one second my computer may be running the game at 60FPS and then the next it’s shot down to 20–its that inconsistent. I’m not sure if it’s the server or if it’s the fault of a possibly intermittent internet connection.

The game modes available in AVA are:

Annihilation- In the Annihilation game mode two teams face off in a death-match, and which team scores the set amount of kills wins.
Demolition- An offensive team and a defensive team face off. The defensive team defends a “bomb-point”, while the offensive team attempts to destroy it with C4. If the C4 is disarmed after being placed then the defense team wins since only one C4 is given in a game.
Escort- One team of players escorts a tank while it’s moving from their base to the enemies base, while the other team of players tries to destroy the tank before it reaches their base.
Convoy- One team must take a designated object to the target area in order to win the match. The opposing team does their best to try and stop them from completing this goal.
AI Mission- Players have to try to survive as long as possible against waves of AI enemies
Domination- Both teams complete for domination over a target.
Free for All Military Drill- Everyone versus Everyone in this royal rumble mode. The player to reach the score limit wins.
Cross Steal- A more or less CTF mode where one team tries to steal the others Nuclear Launch Key, while making sure that their own isn’t taken.

There are only three classes to choose from in AVA:

Sniper- Long range attacker who keeps their enemies running for cover.
Rifle Man- Mid range power house that keeps enemy forces at bay.
Point Man- the point man is strong in short range combat, but the longer the range becomes the weaker the less effective this unit becomes.

Among the standard game-play modes there has been a new addition that helps this game stand out on its own. The new addition to AVA is “The Infection”. A game mode where a few players start out as mutants and then spread their mutation through the ranks of other players by attacking them. The infected team wins by spreading the infection to every player on the map, while the uninfected team wins by finding a good place to hide so that the mutants can’t infect them. This mode sounds like an easy win in favor of the infected team but in truth is nearly impossible for them to come out on top. In every session that I’ve played it has been impossible to actually win the game because there is always one last player who has managed to find a bug in the level that allows them to hide outside of normally acceptable barriers.

All in all, I had a fun time playing this game and I have to say that if you’re a current F2P Battlefield player, drop that game and jump over to this one. It’s incalculably better.

I give Alliance of Valiant Arms a 7/10. It’s a fun game, but it’s not the best f2p title around.

Graphics 80		Audio 70		Gameplay 50
Creativity 65		Execution 50		Offset 70

6.4

How do these ratings work? Click here for descriptions!

Pros

Fun Game-play
team based tactics enrich the game play
It’s not bad to look at

Cons

In order to play the game players must make an Ijji account.
It takes forever to update the game
Lag in the game tends to shoot up and down whenever it feels like it

What Killed the AAA Game Release Event?

Posted by Josh Knowles 1 Response »

Jul 162011

I’ve been playing video games ever since the days of the Atari and recently something struck me, major game releases are no longer true events. Now, I am not talking about the line outside of Gamestop to pick up the latest copy of the latest FPS. I’m talking about the type of game where you stop whatever you are doing to see what new info is announced whenever it is mentioned. I think back to titles like Mortal Kombat. I remember preordering the game at my mall’s Funcoland and then counting down the days until the game released. I picked up certain magazines to just see the ads. Years later, I remember waiting outside in a line of 200+ people to get my copy of Halo 3. That was the last time I have waited in a line for a game, in fact, it is one of the last times that I’ve seen a line to even purchase a AAA title.

Now this doesn’t mean this was the last time I purchased a midnight release but more so the last time there was a game that had been built up to such epic proportions that everyone knew what it was, even those who didn’t play video games. What has changed? Is it a sign of change from our less than reliable economy? Is it the specific exclusives that we now receive when we preorder titles now? Or simply, is it the fact that we can now receive constant exposure from the internet and media sources? Either way, there is a definite change that has effected launch day hype. Now this doesn’t mean that it has damaged the sales of new releases and preprders (Gears of War 3 is the most preordered title of all time) but it does impact the whole mystique of what was an amazing game experience.

Do the remaining AAA titles this year hold hope for the launch day event? Gears 3′s leak has answered some of the questions we have been asking and likely will reduce some of the curiosity and urgency about getting to the end of the game. Do you think there is a chance for the return of the major release event? What game?

Section 8 Prejudice hits the PS3

Posted by Kyle Franco 1 Response »

Jul 132011

Anyone who tried out the original Section 8 will know that it wasn’t without its share of problems.

Story mode was short and nothing more than a tutorial for the multiplayer mode
Multiplayer fun gets lost in maps that are too large and too easy to get lost in
The design looks like any other sci-fi FPS.

For those who are still interested in the series after the last installment of Section 8 there’s good news.

Section 8: Prejudice is finally making its way over to the PlayStation 3, and with it comes some console exclusive content.

The PS3 exclusive content includes:

For the first week, anyone who purchases Section 8: Prejudice on the PlayStation Network will receive the Blitz Armor Pack and Overdrive Map Pack for free! This includes two armor skins, early unlocks, and two additional multiplayer maps.
The first 1000 PlayStation Plus subscribers to purchase Section 8: Prejudice will receive the exclusive in-game Hunter Armor as well as a free copy of the original Section 8.
Two new game modes are exclusive to the PlayStation 3; Skirmish and Assault.

Section 8: Prejudice will make its debut on the PSN on July 27th for $14.99, so make sure to pick it up as soon as it drops.

2011: The Year of Bethesda

Posted by iMaccaPro No Responses »

Jun 262011

So E3 is long gone, a sad time for us all but it will be back next year! This year it left us with a mountain of games and hardware to look forward to in the next 12 months. One name that stole the show this year though was Bethesda and boy they know how to make a gamer wee a little in their pants. They are the people that brought you Fallout 3 and New Vegas and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

2011 is going to be one hell of a year for Bethesda with Brink and Hunted out already that they have published and three main titles due which they announced at E3. In this article I’ll talk you through each of the games to come from the team at Bethesda Softworks.

Prey 2

First on Bethesda’s list of awesomeness is Prey 2 although this isn’t due for release till next year it is worth the mention. After 5 years since Prey, fans of the game have had I while to wait for this one. Prey was originally developed by 3D Realms and Human Head Studios but shortly after the release of Prey they announced the sequel was in development by a different company named Radar Group. Then after some slight disagreements here and there Bethesda stepped in to take over from Radar to give the fans what they actually wanted.

Prey 2 follows the story of Killian Samuels a U.S Marshall after his plane crash lands onto the Sphere (fans of the first one will have seen this at the end of Prey) a giant alien ship. After been knocked unconscious and abducted by aliens he awakes on Exodus later to find that he has been there for years working as a bounty hunter. He believes he is the only human on the planet and sets off to carry on with his bounty hunting and to find answer to questions unknown since the abduction. As you play through the story you meet a supposed friend of Killian’s, Tommy (also human) from a memory he no longer remember. All questions will be answered as you progress though the game until you finally find out why you are really there.

The original Prey was a very linear game never giving you the chance to explore anywhere so thanks to Bethesda and the id Tech 4 engine the whole game is OPEN WORLD! This is something we are going to see a lot of now in future games. Everybody loves an open world that is yours to explore whether it be between missions or just a random walk when you decide the give the main quests a rest. Prey 2 offers all of that, you can do which ever mission you like whenever you please. It is being classed as a fast paced, Sci-fi noir themed First Person Shooter. With over twenty gadgets to help you catch your bounties and defeat other enemies. From a scanner that scans every person in your view giving you the identity your enemies, to shoulder mounted rocket launchers and shields. Each gadget has up to 40 upgrades. Time to have some fun!

Prey 2 looks like it’s going to be very popular with the gamers who like Fallout 3 and/or Mass Effect and of course the fans of the first Prey. Release Date: TBA 2012

RAGE

This is another title that has been in development for some time (all the best games are), its first appearance was back in July 2007 when id Software previewed their new id Tech 5 game engine and was officially announced in August 2007 at QuakeCon. Since then there hasn’t been much said about the game with a few teaser trailers and a spin-off version for iOS devices, which was released November of last year. But thanks to E3 we now know the ins and outs of RAGE and what we are to expect.

Rage is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland caused by an asteroid on August 2036 (FACT: The games designers have based this on an event that today’s scientists have said could happen on April 13 2036). There are settlements around the wasteland that house the survivors of the impact; day after day they protect themselves from the games main enemies of bandits and mutants. Some people may say that this sounds very much like Fallout but RAGE has another trick up its sleeve…Racing. Yes that’s right, this title is a first person shooter/racing game. Now I don’t know about you but I think this sounds pretty sweet. Borderlands have done this before but with RAGE you will have to race to survive, not only that you can upgrade your vehicle with bigger better weapons and body armour to help you out with those difficult opponents.

Your character, whose name will be given by you, has been cryogenically frozen for many years and wakes when the facility you are being kept in, “The Ark”, is destroyed. With no recollection of what happened to you or why you are in The Ark you are forced to venture across the wasteland for answers. Along the way you will make some friends and lots of enemies but hey you can’t play a game called RAGE and not piss someone off. Like most games released by Bethesda, Rage is also a sandbox game and has miles of waste land to explore as and when you like. The game will also feature a multiplayer mode.

I’m really looking forward to the release of RAGE we need more games like this, there are far too many gung ho, all guns blazing war games out there. Give me a “sandbox” to play with any day. Release Date: October 4th 2011

They have also announced RAGE comics and a novel which is available from the 30^th of August.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Well, where do I start? This is the game that myself and I’m sure the rest of you irresponsible gamers out there have been waiting for since finishing Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. With a mountain of information about the game, I shall go through a few of the totally AWESOME features that Todd Howard and Bethesda Game Studios have crammed into Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Set 200 years after Oblivion the world of Skyrim is going to be enormous! Bethesda Game Studios are whipping out their big guns this time using their Creation Engine. Todds Howard mentioned at E3 that because they are using this game engine they can add amazing detail to the tallest mountain or ultrafine detail to every leaf and blade of grass in the game. Skyrim’s size is roughly the same as Oblivion with 16 square miles to explore but this time round if you see a mountain you want you climb there is nothing stopping you. Also another added feature to the game is if you see a NPC creating a sword, cooking soap or harvesting crops you the player can do those jobs too to earn money and boost skills. The level cap is rumoured to be around 70 so levelling up will be much quicker than in Oblivion which did seem to take a while. With 18 skills and 280 perks everybody’s game can be different.

Your character has the soul of a dragon know in the game as a Dovahkiin (Dragonborn). This gives you the ability to use “Dragon shouts” which vary from blasting an enemy out the way, breathing fire and even slowing down time. You can also duel wield weapons and even spells, doing so will create a more powerful spell to boost your health or get that critical hit on an enemy. So it looks like you will have your hands full.

Todd has confirmed there will be 30 hours of story gameplay but up to 300 hours yes three zero zero hours of free roam, side missions and around 150 dungeons to explore. This for me may be a bad thing because I won’t be getting any sleep once I get my hands on this. It hasn’t been announced how many discs the game will be on whether it’s going to be just the one, two with one being an install disc and the other the playable one like Forza 3 or three like L.A Noire either way this game is huge and will have my full undivided attention. Release date: 11.11.11

So there you have it three games, three dates and three ways to steal the show at E3……like a boss.

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