Resistance: Burning Skies will take the first person shooting action from the Resistance series and put itself literally into your hands. Prepare for kicking some Chimera ass on your PlayStation Vita.

Name: Resistance: Burning Skies
Genre: First Person Shooter
Players: 1
Multiplayer: Yes (4-8 players over WiFi)
Platforms: PlayStation Vita
Developers: Nihilistic Software
Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: 29 May 2012

As New Jersey fire fighter and National Guardsman Tom Riley, you’re about to come face to face with the brutal Chimeran invasion force in this blistering shooter built from the ground up for PlayStation Vita. The latest installment in the hugely successful franchise focuses on a new mission that parallels and complements the existing Resistance storyline.

First person games doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to handheld platforms, mostly due to the lack of a second analog stick. However this will hopefully give Resistance: Burning Skies a big boost due to the fact that the PlayStation Vita will allow smooth first person shooting action functionality with the help of a second analog stick. This is one big bonus the handheld folks have been waiting for. Burning Skies makes use of the touch-screen controls, due to the lack of analog sticks that can be clicked and the missing L2 and R2 buttons.

The touch-screen can be tapped for an alternate fire mode and an icon in the lower right corner can be used for a melee attack. The grenade cooking also makes for some unique and innovative touch screen-mechanics. You can cook your grenade by aiming and moving your finger slowly over the screen. It promises to utilize the controls fully and in a unique way.

On the multiplayer side of things, you can play 4-8 player matches, providing you with 4 vs. 4 team modes, as well as 2 vs. 2 multiplayer matches. XP is earned through kills and performing killstreaks, allowing you to unlock upgrades for your weapons. The game provides players with 3 different multiplayer game modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Survival. These modes will be playable with friends using the PlayStaion Vita’s WiFi connection, but it won’t be playable online. The built-in microphone and Bluetooth headset can be used to communicate with your amigos.

Let’s hope that Resistance: Burning Skies makes portable first person shooting a truckload of fun.

Complaints and berating aside, having (strike: tried to) played Diablo 3, I must concede it’s undoubtedly an awesome game that easily does more good than it does wrong. Having said that, and in an attempt to appease the anger many must be feeling over Diablo 3’s gameplay changes or networking infidelity, I offer up Torchlight 2 as the next best thing. Actually, it’s the best thing since Diablo 2… scratch that, it’s better than Diablo 2. Don’t believe me, well here’s why.

I’m assuming of course that you haven’t been convinced by the beta gameplay video I posted, and if not, why not?!

Title: Torchlight 2
Developers: Runic Games
Publishers: Runic Games
Players: 1-4
Platforms: PC
Expected Price: R160 (It’s a Steal)
Release Date: ‘Apparently’ One Month After Diablo 3′s Release

Torchlight was an awesome little RPG, it had everything you wanted and more; like pets, fishing, side dungeons and stupid amounts of loot, that being said, it had its own little foibles to address. Chiefly among the things on the list of features missing was co-op multiplayer, I know, it’s a biggie, but despite that however, Torchlight was a critical success and a firm fan favourite. So what is Torchlight 2 adding to that formula? I think the more accurate question would be along the lines of what isn’t Torchlight 2 adding? Four new and thoroughly unique classes; eight (and counting) differing pets; a much larger and more dynamic (it’s randomised world gives a lot of variation) overworld that links to an absurd amount of extra paths and dugeons; unique attack animations for each and every weapon and ability; a larger, more varied skill tree; new abilities and options for your pets; and MULTIPLAYER! Anyone who reads that impressive list of additions and still isn’t interested has no soul and I pity you.

So, those classes then, what are they?

  Engineer: “The workhorse of the Empire, the modern Engineer’s strength lies in his Ember-fueled, steam-driven armor—a technological marvel devised by top scientists at the Industrium (the Empire’s academy of science and technology), and crafted personally by the Engineer as his journeyman project.” The engineer seems to serve as a ‘sort of’ tank, semi-support unit, by means of constructing various support machines, with extremely hard hitting abilities to make him/her, when alone, more than a match for the adversiaries you’re sure to encounter.

  Beserker: “Driven by a lust for adventure and a savage determination to win fame, fortune, and glory, Berserkers wander the wild places of the world in search of formidable foes, fabulous treasures, and the sheer joy of a worthy challenge.” If you imagine the Barbarian from Diablo 2 and 3, well then you sort of have an idea of the Beserker. The difference is the Berserker is not as much of a tank, having lower health and armour than the engineer, and more a pure damage ruffian that uses totem-like forces to increaser that.

  Embermage: “At the forefront of the Empire’s colonization of Vilderan are the Embermages—highly-trained spellcasters renowned for their skill, dedication, and arcane power. No Imperial army is complete without these fierce warrior-wizards in the vanguard.” Embermages are exactly what it says on the tin, nukers who make use of the varying elements and hard hitting spells to pummel the enemy into submission.

  Outlander: “Born to roam, Outlanders are the vagabond adventurers of the world. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, and even races—but all share a lust for travel and excitement, an appreciation of eldritch lore, and an appetite for danger.” Think of the Outlander as a Diablo 3 Demon Hunter, making use of magic and ranged weaponry, but that uses less dark forces and more martial arts as well as the occasional relic.

As far as class building and their skill trees are concerned, well it’s all very Diablo 2. There is plenty of choice and lots to wrack your brain over. As you’d expect, each class maintains 3 unique skill tabs, complete with the appropriate skills, both active and passive. Each skill tree adds a lot of diversity to its class and the skills give you all the needed stats and info needed to make an informed choice. Best of all, they are primarily affected by the attribute your class most ascribes to, as well as your weapon or magic DPS, which means that no class should fall by the wayside as their abilities will continue to improve rather than remain stale.

Loot wise, well you carry all the equipment you’d expect, though there are some awesome tweaks that just make so much sense. The most obvious example would be the requirements to equip items to your character. In previous games of the genre there was always a worry that favouring specific attributes (like magic for example) on say, your mage, would mean any really good equipment that required even a modest amount of strength would be lost to you. In Torchlight 2 however, each piece of equipment comes with an attribute requirement and a level requirement, and they’re mutually exclusive of one another. By that I mean, if you meet the level requirement then you don’t need to meet the required attribute; so an item you’d not be able to wear due to your dexterity being too low can now be worn by your embermage when he eventually reaches the required level, that is assuming the attribute required is harder to reach than the level. It’s all very well thought out and everything works so well together that you’re never really left wanting more from the system.

There’s still a lot to learn from playing the beta but so far I can say that there is a lot to do in the game. The dynamic nature of the maps allows for a good amount of variation and there are so many awesome areas to travel to and discover. More than that, the game just spits and shouts of polish, running as smooth as silk and portraying so many little animations and particle effects you’d never notice but are there because Runic Games took the time and love to put them there. Characters are affected by the armour you equip them with, giving awesome little detail tweaks to your character, as well as your pet being able to not only return to town to sell your loot as before, but can be tasked with bringing back certain consumables like potions and scrolls. Beyond that there is still the fishing game which allows you to use fish as unique consumables for your pet, each giving varying stat boosts and temporary transformations into creatures and beasts you’ve encountered in your travels. And let’s not forget that you can pick up scrolls of spells, which aren’t part of your skill tree, each allowing you to add yet more abilities to your character or pet; it’s a great idea and allows for more range and diverse builds.

For now that’s all I have to say, well except for the fact that I really love Torchlight 2 and it’s shaping up to be the best game of its type… ever. The only thing that trumps it is that if you pre-order it on Steam you get the original Torchlight for free; now is that a deal of a life time or what. And as for those of you who are loving Diablo 3, as I am, I know you’ll love Torchlight 2 as well; don’t not get it because you want to be stubbornly loyal to a single franchise.

Name: DiRT: Showdown
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Genre: Racing
Developer: Codemasters Southam
Publisher: Codemasters Racing
Worldwide Release Date: 25-29 May 2012
Local (SA) Release Date: 25 May 2012 (expected)
Expected Prices: PC – R361, PS3 – R499, 360 – R499

Slip, slide, bash, drift, ref, and doughnuts. Welcome to the world of the DiRT franchise. It’s all about rally cars covered in everything that’s an energy drink symbol and names of shoes. Adrenaline is always pumping through your veins as you drift around a corner that’s right next to a steep mountain with nothing in the way. Bring on DiRT: Showdown, the next instalment of the successful arcade rally games made by Codemasters.

The DiRT series has always been known for its style and Showdown will be no different. You can compete in various new modes that aim to emphasise the game’s no-holds-barred style of play. All-new to the series is Demolition mode where you get thrown into an arena to bash and destroy your opponent’s cars in the most stylish and brutal ways imaginable, all in the hopes of being the best and achieving that rush of adrenaline. Demolition will truly push Codemaster’s damage engine to its limit.

Players can also expect to race against numerous opponents in new courses filled with shortcuts, ramps and various forms of obstacles that they can blast through using nitrous and skill. Expect to fly and drift through many famous locations such as Tokyo, London, Miami, San Francisco and more.

Hooligan events are a new way of showing off your stylish prowess by driving in massive stunt parks filled with ramps, trick locations and lots and lots of dirt to spin around in all in the name of pleasing the crowd and becoming a legend amongst racers. All of these modes help you to reach the coveted Showdown finals in which you race against your rivals in a vibrant and colourful festival atmosphere.

There are 50 events available across 4 championships. Each event has its own challenges and even weather. Players will slip and slide in snow, ice, rain, sun and night that are all beautifully crafted by the game’s engine and will react in their own unique way. Snow will be slippery and floodlights will light up the competition when it’s night time. All coming together to make a unique and thrilling experience.

Showdown will have a huge focus on multiplayer. From 8-player online matches to local splitscreen races it will cater to your every social need. Also integrated is a YouTube feature where you can upload your replays straight to YouTube within the game itself. There also Showdown Challenges available where you can battle your online and offline friends.

Expect a huge host of licensed and bespoke cars that will make full use of the EGO game engine to deliver spectacular driving stunts and beautiful damage physics. Strap in and enjoy the ride with DiRT Showdown.

Can you actually believe it? Diablo III is set to release in less than a week, ending a nearly 12 year long wait for one of the most anticipated RPG titles ever. Blizzard certainly knows how to build up hype, and hopefully fans get what they are expecting come May the 15th. We’ve already fed you a hands-on during the Diablo III beta, so you might be wondering why we’re doing yet another preview. Well, that type of question would be justified, but Diablo III is really the only thing on most PC gamers’ minds right now, so a quick refresher couldn’t hurt right? In this preview, we’ll discuss what you can expect from the story, the constant internet requirement, classes, auction house and more. Just no gameplay. We’ve extensively covered that already, and don’t want to bore you, so if you’re still not caught up on that front look no further than this link.

Okay, down to business.

Title: Diablo III
Developers: Blizzard Entertainment
Publishers: Blizzard Entertainment
Players: 1-4, Online PvP
Platforms: PC
Expected Price: R449.95
Release Date: May 15

Diablo III once again takes place in the dark fantasy world of Sanctuary, the setting for the previous two titles as well. Well, I’m hesitant to call it dark, but I’m sure you’ve heard tons on how Blizzard have shed some gothic aesthetics for a more “friendly” setting. Twenty years ago, this land was saved by you and some other nameless heroes in Diablo II and as a reward for your efforts against the Burning Hells you’ve been granted a lifelong holiday. So Sanctuary is ready for a new group of heroes to step up to the plate and once again brave the evils that seem to never stop terrorizing this poor world. Don’t plan a holiday here folks.

The plot is set to revolve around two of the Lesser Evils, Azmodan and Belial, and an artifact known as the Black Soulstone. What about Diablo you say? Well I’m sure he’ll make more than a small appearance, but Blizzard don’t really want to dive into any details regarding this. Instead, for once, it’ll actually be a surprise to see what Diablo has got ready for the new heroes of Tristam as they traverse a land forever transformed by the destruction of the Worldstone in Diablo II.

Diablo III will feature five very different classes for players to choose from, all with their own special abilities and perks. As an added bonus, all classes can be played as either a male or female, which really seems to be a big issue in some gamers’ lives.

• Witch Doctor: Raising the dead is the name of the game here, but apparently the Witch Doctor is very different from Diablo II’s Necromancer. Using a combination of shamanism and voodoo culture, the Witch Doctor is able to control the dead, cast curses, harvest souls and even poison foes, fancy that. Blizzard have said that a Necromancer should become available at a later stage, dispelling any similarities between it and the Witch Doctor.
• Barbarian: This is basically Diablo III’s “heavy muscle” class. There’s always one in an RPG, and although they may seem like useless broody brutes, they do serve a purpose. Using massive amounts of physical strength, the Barbarian is able to do tons of damage to multiple foes, which in turn builds up Fury. Fury is like Mana to the Barbarian, and powers all of his/her abilities.
• Wizard: Or Mage if you really want to get technical. Lightning bolts, walls of ice, balls of fire, it’s all here really. Everything you’d expect from a Mage is condensed in Wizard form, with fast regenerating Arcane Power allowing you to keep casting all the time nearly.
• Demon Hunter: By far one of the most interesting classes, the Demon Hunter is Diablo III’s “Archer”. Demon Hunters mainly use crossbow, and are even able to dual wield two of this incredible weapons, opening up some really interesting combination possibilities. The Demon Hunter makes use of Hatred and Discipline, with Hatred fuelling offensive abilities and Discipline fueling defensive. Also, a female Demon Hunter looks beyond awesome. Just saying.
• Monk: The monk isn’t really what you’d expect it to be, I think. When you say monk, people usually picture a calm bald guy wearing orange. Blizzard did not get this memo apparently. The Monk is a fast attacking melee character, and when I say fast, I really mean it. Monk’s make use of Spirit to fuel their abilities, with attacks generating more and more Spirit.

As you can see, and probably were expecting, the classes are extremely diverse but similar to previous classes as well. Anyone with some Mage experience should feel at home with the Wizard, but each class does carry some strategic advantages to them, as many Diablo player’s will reiterate.

Hardcore characters will also be available, giving players a chance to risk their entire character for a more compelling adventure. Hardcore characters are the same as normal characters in terms of abilities, stats and items, but if a hardcore character dies, they die. You won’t be able to play with that character again, so you really have to be careful. Couple this with Diablo III’s Inferno difficulty and you’ve got a truly punishing experience that veterans are sure to love.

PvP has also been a major talking point for Diablo III, but unfortunately this feature will not be available come launch day. Blizzard opted to drop the feature momentarily to push forward the release date, but PvP fans can hopefully look forward to it in the coming months. Players will use characters from the campaign in PvP, carrying over all abilities and gear as well. PvP will come in both ranked and unranked variations, with ranked matches allowing players to advance and unlock more gear, titles and other multiplayer rewards. When PvP does release it will boast various locations taken from the campaign, but aside from that details are scarce.

Diablo III will also be shipping with its own form of DRM, similar to the system used for StarCraft 2. Diablo III will require a constant internet connection when playing at all times. This includes normal single-player campaigns. No internet, no hack and slash action. This has been known for a while, though I don’t remember people being too worried about it. If DRM is such an issue with nearly every other title that implements it, why is that not so for Diablo III? This also rules out the possibility of offline LAN support, as you’ll only be able to dungeon crawl with your friends if you all have a stable internet connection.

Other than that, that’s all you really need to know about Diablo III before its release next week Tuesday. If you’re looking for gameplay, hit up our hands-on and get a quick rundown of what to expect when you log on for the first time next week. Am I the only one that is going to miss the “Waiting for Diablo III” memes come next week? Diablo III will release for PC on May 15th. Be ready.

A Song of Ice and Fire, a best selling novel which has recently become more popular than ever. Written by George R.R. Martin, the fantasy novel was already a great read, however since its inception into a TV series, things have never been the same. Meet the Game of Thrones role-playing game.

The series is either loved or hated. Many love it, however there are a few who feel that it doesn’t deserve any attention, as it ruins a great book. Which category you fall into, is up to you.

To compare the novel to the game would be a sin. It’s nearly impossible to compare movies to games, so let’s not try compare books to games. With that in mind, a brief look at the novel is necessary, to offer a brief overview of the story.

A Song of Ice and Fire sees a fantasy story set in Westeros, where eight large families are fighting over the Iron Throne — the ultimate seat of power, and a symbol of domination. The series is expected to have seven books in total, where the fifth issue was only released last July. The Game of Thrones videogame will base itself on the first book only, and with this, players will cross paths with characters such as Jeor Mormont, Varys the Spider or Cersei Lannister. With the game only being based on one book, it’s easy to see that there’s space for growth if it does eventually become popular.

Title: Game of Thrones
Developer: Cyanide Studio
Publisher: Focus Interactive
Players: 1
Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC
Expected Price: R452
Release Date: May 18

The initial story takes place at the time when Jon Arryn, the Hand of King Robert Baratheon, is found dead at King’s Landing. This is somewhat early in the book and TV series. The game will attempt to educate us on what happened without touching on the current story.

Game of Thrones will offer two great quests, as the player will follow two different characters: Mors Westford and Alester Sarwyck. The story for these two characters is said to be totally unique, where George R.R. Martin canonised these characters to run alongside the original story. Therefore, the game is not a mere acting out of the book, but rather uses facts from what happened to offer a greater, more detailed experience. Despite not being the same as the book, the game will offer many references to the book, characters and locations. Whenever one is lost, it’s possible to consult a Westeros Encyclopedia.

Each story for the two characters will be told simultaneously, on a chapter basis. Therefore, each character will share the role of ‘main character’, until they cross paths in a common quest. Something unique for a role-playing game.

Player choice in Game of Thrones is said create consequences on the rest of the game. And with over 30 hours of gameplay, there will undoubtedly be a lot of decisions to make.

The first character, Mors Westford, comes from a bloodline of knights, where he is also the last surviving member of House Westford. The Westford family has been in service to House Lannister for generations. However, that’s not true for Mors. Around 15 years ago Mors was forced to abandon his family when he joined the Night’s Watch, and because of this, he is one of the best rangers of his order. Mors has an aggressive fighting style, thus earning the nickname “the Butcher”. Both feared and respected, gruff and direct, Mors has enough battle experience to keep himself alive. Mors is a fighter and not a talker, and with this, he would sacrifice his own life to defend his beliefs.

Alongside his fighting skills, Mors is also a “skinchanger”. Skinchangers are able to enter the mind of living creatures, therefore Mors can take control of his canine companion who will help him on his quest. Mors’ dog will help track enemies, as it has a hyper developed olfactory sense — for smelling.

Alester Sarwyck is the second playable character. Alester is the eldest son of House Sarwyck, a noble family connected to the Lannisters. However, Alester was different to everyone else. Like Mors, 15 years ago Alester abandoned his family to settle in the Free Cities of the east, across the Narrow Sea. Whilst in the Free Cities, he entered the orders of the Clergy of R’hllor, which lead to him becoming a red priest. Alester has devoted his life and his faith to his god. Alestar is somewhat opposite to that of Mors, as he is calm and loyal. He will be diplomatic, and think before he acts.

Although red priests are represented in the Free Cities, they aren’t very well known in Westeros. Despite that, red priests have useful powers and skills which can be utilised. For example, Alester can call upon his deity to use fire to flush out objects or hidden doors in the environment. Of course, this calling for fire will help with combat too.

From the player’s perspective, one will be able to choose their own character class and style of combat. Weapons, armour and skills will be upgradable as well. It is, however, important to remember that each player has unique skills, and one should play to his character’s style.

Although Mors is more of a fighter than Alester, the game caters for this. One can earn experience points by merely talking his way out of a fight, therefore, political talent and know-how is just as important as a sword.

The combat system for Game of Thrones allows one to equip complementary weapons, such as a sword and shield for close combat and a bow for long range combat. Naturally, it’s up to you to choose which you’d like to use and when.

Following that, the combat system has the ability to slow everything down, to analyse and anticipate the best way to continue attacking. How you feel about this, is purely subjective — as others may enjoy it.

Both Mors and Alester have great skill trees, so each character will be your own.

There are five different environments, or areas, in the game: The Wall, Castle Black, Riverspring, Castlewood, and King’s Landing.

The Wall is a massive wall of ice which is stretched across the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms. It will separate the wild land from the civilised land.

Castle Black is the fortress of the wall. It is the seat of command which is run by Lord Commander Jeor Mormont. About 600 men are currently stationed at Castle Black.

Riverspring is situated in the Westerlands. It is at the source of river Blackwater. This is the stronghold of House Sarwyck, where it was run by Lord Raynald Sarwyck prior to his passing. The estate is troubled, as there has been many murders.

Castlewood is situated in the Riverlands, on the banks of river Blackwater. House Harlton is situated in Castlewood, where there is a long political and somewhat interesting history. The head of the House is Arwood Harlton, who swore allegiance to King Robert Baratheon.

King’s Landing is the capital of the Seven Kingdoms. It was built three hundred years ago, on the exact spot where the first Targaryen king landed on Westeros. It is the kingdom’s heart of power, and where the Iron Throne is situated. King’s Landing is protected by City Watch, an army with two thousand men.

Game of Thrones has been developed using Unreal Engine 3, where it will offer all the standard effects, textures and environments available in other titles. To keep the game up to standard, there will be lip-synching and character voice-overs. At times there will be multiple responses available, which will lead to different scenarios acting out. Each character will respond based on their personality, leaving you with the choice of how to go about combat.

It will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Last week Friday, I had the awesome opportunity to get my hands on Sleeping Dogs, a game that started out as a sequel to the famed but flawed True Crime series. Thankfully Sleeping Dogs is not another True Crime game, a fact that was repeated numerous times, but something I only believed after getting my hands on this title. Sleeping Dogs is not another True Crime; In fact, it’s looking a lot better than most sandbox games being released lately. With a new unique setting, some really brutal fighting, a story with homage to classic Hong Kong crime stories and more, Sleeping Dogs quite took my attention and grabbed it hard.

Let’s get the formalities out of the way first. Sleeping Dogs is centered on undercover cop Wei Shen, who has infiltrated the deadly Triads in Hong Kong in order to try and bring them down from the inside. If you’ve ever seen a Police Cop drama and a Kung Fu film and wondered what they’d be like together, you’d get Sleeping Dogs. The story looks like it’s dripping with a Chinese “Departed” type plot, which is not really a bad thing when you think about it. The game is set in a highly detailed, living, breathing realization of modern day Hong Kong, giving New York a rest for the time being. The result is a game that looks and feels a lot like GTA in a Chinese setting, but Sleeping Dogs borrows more than a few elements from other massive titles, and blends them together in interesting ways. Fighting from Arkham City, driving from Need for Speed, over the top antics from Just Cause and the general structure from GTA means that Sleeping Dogs is almost immediately recognizable, just in different colours.

The demo began with a enjoyable chase scene through the alleyways that litter the streets of Hong Kong. It’s amazing just how alive the entire city feels, with citizens going about their daily duties while you walk through the crowded markets. I even had one NPC offer my character some cheap goods. Having just visited Hong Kong recently, I could easily see the amount of work that was put in to give this setting an authentic feeling. I began chasing down my target through the crowds; hopping over fences, climbing vending machines and occasionally bringing down some poor bystanders with a flying kick to the head. Hey, you’re a cop, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Eventually you reach a conveniently placed group of baddies, all ready to beat your face in. It’s a good thing then that Wei Shen seems to have spent a few years with Bruce Wayne, learning how to fight like Batman; those poor henchmen didn’t stand a chance. Sleeping Dogs’ fighting system borrows its elements from one of the most robust systems out there, namely the “Freeflow” combat mechanic from Batman: Arkham Asylum/City. You use one button to attack, another to block and a third to grab. The action is not quite as fluent as in the Batman titles, but counters and blocks are just as easy to pull off. Grab an enemy and you can sprint with him towards any glowing objects around you, initiating some brutally violent finishing moves. It’s all sorts of bloody fun, without the cape but with a lot more blood.

Sleeping Dogs is brutal. From devastatingly violent finishing moves, such as smashing heads into fan blades, burning them on stoves or shoving them in between a car door, blood is everywhere. The narrative seems to carry on this violent nature, with a cutscene from near the end of the narrative showing Wei Shen being tortured by other Triad members. Being hit in the face with a hammer, followed by a power drill to the knee (yes, I know), just goes to show that you shouldn’t mess with the Triads. However, where the brutality in the fighting sequences may seem a bit out of place, the violent nature fits right in. It’s a story about gangsters with a lot of money; people who would do anything to protect their business ventures. This type of stuff happens in the dark corners of our society, so it’s quite interesting to see it so graphically portrayed in this title. It feels real and gritty, and I loved every second of it.

Since this is a sandbox title, a lot of attention must go to vehicles. Sleeping Dogs boasts around 80 different vehicles, all taking cues from real-life cars and brands. Just like with the Grand Theft Auto franchise, vehicles aren’t licensed, but you can almost tell what each vehicle was designed after. However, unlike GTA, driving is being handled by some real professionals in Sleeping Dogs. Developers who have previously worked on Need for Speed titles were given the reigns when dealing with driving, and having done my fair share in game, I can honestly say you can feel it. Cars handle and react extremely well to your inputs, aside from a few hilarious bugs that cropped up in the beta code. A lot of care was taken with driving in this title, and it’s nice to see that it wasn’t sloppily handled. Vehicular combat also makes a strong appearance, differing from most when it comes down to the execution. Instead of just trying to line up shots while going at 120 on a motorcycle, Sleeping Dogs puts you into “slow motion” when you want to take out other enemy vehicles. Shoot out tires, take out the driver, or jump straight on the boot of an enemy vehicle. It’s over the top, unrealistic fun, much like everything in Just Cause.

Borrowing a bit from Max Payne, but staying true to some old True Crime mechanics, Sleeping Dogs does have its fair share of slow motion moments when it comes to gunplay. However, even this feature has its own rules attached to it. Instead of having a dedicated “focus” meter, Sleeping Dogs initiates the mode when it thinks you need it. Vaulting over cover or switching from cover to cover while shooting will initiate some slow motion, allowing you to pop some heads in spectacular fashion. There weren’t many guns on show, and gunplay as a whole didn’t really stand out. It functions the way it should, but that’s about it.

Other than that, Sleeping Dogs offers side missions, as every sandbox game should, but we weren’t really allowed to dive into those fully. Visuals have a bit of a unique flair to them, but there was nothing really special or outstanding to note. This is still beta code, so a lot can be improved from now until release. Counters need to be a touch more responsive, melee fighting could be tweaked to feel smoother, and those odd visual slowdowns will probably be mended. Sleeping Dogs isn’t looking to be ground breaking, or a spiritual successor to the failed True Crime franchise. Instead, it looks to me as if this title is the first step in the right direction for a franchise that could really build into something special. Taking features from other games isn’t hard, but making them fit into a completely new setting does take a lot of dedication. I’m happy to say that I was previously wrong about Sleeping Dogs, and after getting to spend some time with it, I was left pleasantly surprised. If you’re a fan of anything to do with sandbox titles, or if you haven’t had a good dose of GTA style fun lately, then keep your eyes on Sleeping Dogs.

Thanks to Megarom for the invitation, as well as Samsung, Tritton and Xbox South Africa for supplying all the awesome hardware.

It’s been a few years since we last saw Max Payne and since then a lot has happened in his life, not least of which was a terrible movie and a portrayal by Mark Wahlberg who will go down as the only action hero who favours a side-parting. Besides that, our mentally tormented hero has left New York and taken to the warmer climes of Sao Paulo where he works private security. When me first meet Max in the new game, he’s protecting a wealthy family and as luck would have it, they’re being attacked by a gang just as the game opens, don’t you hate it when that happens?

Title: Max Payne 3
Developer: Rockstar Vancouver
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Players: 1 – 16
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Expected Price: R605 (PS3, Xbox 360), R325 (PC)
Release Date: May 18 (PS3, Xbox 360), June 1 (PC)

It’s been 9 years since we last saw our favourite pill-popping hero with psychological issues and I’m not talking about Gregory House, I’m speaking of course about Max Payne. The guy who hurts so much, he’s made it his last name. Max Payne 3 will follow on in much the same vein as the previous 2 with Max on a mission of sorts as he deals with his own issues and demons while popping pills, delivering intelligent dialogue and jumping through the air in slow-mo a lot. What won’t be the same is the developer, old developer Remedy is out in favour of Rockstar Vancouver. Presumably because Remedy is so in love with all things Alan Wake right now.

Anyway, it’s not like there are any hard feelings between the two and Remedy has actually been keeping tabs on the game’s progress with their latest statement giving Max Payne 3 a resounding thumbs up. Remedy CEO, Matias Myllyrinne had this to say:

“It’s f***ing brilliant. I’ve had a chance to play it and we’ve worked with Rockstar a little bit – obviously, they’re doing the heavy lifting. They’re doing the development. But they wanted our input on a couple of occasions and we’ve had loads of our people, our core group, who worked on the first two games, give input and it’s awesome.”

However, fear not because Rockstar has kept the formula pretty much stock albeit with a bit of modernisation and interim character development. What they’ve done is age Max Payne the way you would a cow’s ass to get prime-grade lazy aged steak. He’s older, rougher, podgier and balder. There’s also a beard that totally makes him look like Walt from Breaking Bad. Max has also become somewhat consumed by his own demons and seems to have taken up alcoholism which should go great with his pre-existing addiction to pain pills (Panado or Myprodol, depending on how hardcore you are). Expect this internal struggle to be a feature of the game’s narrative as with the previous two games.

All the gameplay that you’ll remember is returning including the series’ hallowed and treasured bullet-time. Max Payne 3 is best described as a cover-based third-person shooter and will have a variety of guns on offer so you know what to expect there. Fully destructible environments will also be a new feature that is, in part, thanks to the new and improved Euphoria engine which when combined with full motion capture of the characters allows for more realistic interactions with the environment as well as other characters.

As you will see from some of the screenshots down below, Max hasn’t left NYC behind entirely in this new game. What you’ll also notice is that he’s slimmer, has a full head of hair and is clean shaven in the New York shots so it’s safe to assume that we’ll play through the streets of NY during flashbacks as Max tries to reconcile his past or simply bury it and the fact that he’s loaded up on booze and meds can’t possibly lessen the chances of hallucination-type daydreams.

The signature comic-style panels will make a return albeit with a bit of a facelift but the game will also have what it claims to be seamless blending between cutscenes and gameplay as demonstrated in the video below. Judge for yourself but I think it looks pretty good and flows nicely.

What might not please series fans is the fact that MP3 has lost that noir atmosphere that the old games had, opting more for a more typically Rockstar third-person action title with some fancy mechanics and a solid narrative. It surely won’t be bad but don’t expect it to feel like your old Max Payne games. It still use many of the same gameplay elements and structures and remains linear but it won’t be quite the same.

Rockstar has gone to great lengths to recreate not necessarily the city of Sao Paulo but rather the atmosphere and feel of the city. Specifically the way its law enforcement and criminals operate. A team from Rockstar actually went down to the Brazilian city to pound the pavement with local cops and local gang members/criminals. The city will also have a number of varied and diverse sections which you play through from the squalor of the favelas to more traditional slums and ghettos, the urban city centre etc.

Big news though is the addition of some real online multiplayer because what’s better than getting a headshot in awesomely slow-mo bullet-time? It will come in two flavours, namely Gang wars and Payne Killer.

In Gang Wars players will find themselves as part of one of the factions from the main campaign  facing off against a warring faction. They are essentially story-based team deathmatches with branching storylines which depend on the outcome of each match.

Payne Killer may sound like the title one of the most fun games you can ever play but it is in fact Max Payne 3′s co-op mode featuring our hero Max and his compadre Raul Passos. To make it through co-op, Rockstar claims players will need a mixture of teamwork, good use of bullet-time, a combination of the two players signature weapons and lots and lotsa pills, or at least that’s what Max needs to get through anything.

You can also create a crew (aka clan) which opens you up to a slightly different multiplayer experience and thanks to Rockstar Social Club, you can use this clan in any Rockstar game post-Max Payne 3. The way it works is that in addition to your normal multiplayer bits and pieces, you now get PvP vendettas and crew feuds. A PvP vendetta is initiated when someone kills you more than twice after which they will appear on the map as a black cross and you will be awarded bonus XP for dropping them in cold blood. Crew feuds are a little more spontaneous. If you see two or more members of a feuding crew, the game will enter ‘skirmish’ mode where the first team/crew/clan to 10 kills walks away the winner.

It’s one of those systems that sounds like it has great potential but really needs to be put in practise before we can see how it fares and that certainly won’t happen with the lack of a Max Payne 3 demo. On a related note, the new crew system is rather cool because while you can’t carry XP over between games, feuds do carry over so you can have cross-title feuds or inter-dimensional gang warfare as I like to call it.

So, to recap. New developer, new setting but with bits of the old in there too. Podgier, balder, more bearded protagonist who still loves his meds but loves the bottle just as much these days. Lots of shooting, lots of slow-motion flying through the air, a Brazilian partner and there’s now multiplayer with cross-title clans. Did I mention Max Payne is losing it a little and is a little unhinged?

Max Payne 3 may not be the exact threequel fans have been looking for but it certainly doesn’t look like a slouch and Rockstar rarely puts a foot wrong, they even made table-tennis an enjoyable gaming experience and on the Wii no less. The game still retains the series’ signature characteristics just with a slightly different filter over it all. Here’s hoping Max Payne 3 isn’t one we’ll want to forget with the help of prescription drugs.

Name: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Genre: Third Person, Cover-Based Shooter
Players: 1-4
Multiplayer: 8 vs 8 Online, LAN or splitscreen
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Developers: Red Storm Entertainment, Ubisoft Paris
Publishers: Ubisoft
Release Date: 27 April 2012

With the arrival of Advanced Warfighter 2 the Ghost Recon series managed to piss off a fair amount of Mexican politicians who clearly have nothing better to do with their time than blame their failing tourism industry on a video game. With the governor of Chihuahua (which is apparently an actual province of Mexico) making it clear that they meant business, it seems that Tom Clancy has decided to cut his losses and choose a far less touchy nation to be the antagonist in his next addition to the series. Yep, you guessed it – that means that Future Soldier will indeed be set in Russia. Not just present-day Russia, though – that’s far too mainstream for old Tom – Russia twelve years in the future. No points for guessing that ultranationalists and nukes are driving the plot, then.

Let’s not write the game off entirely as ‘just another military shooter’ quite yet, though. After all, we don’t hate cliches simply because they are cliches – if someone takes a cliche and does it well then it’s just unoriginal. We hate cliches because developers tend to get lazy, cut corners and deliver second-rate or especially boring games when they’re working with them as a premise. The question we need to be asking at this point isn’t whether Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is going to be an innovative deviation from the norm of the genre, then. What we need to be looking for is how it plans to set itself apart from the rest of the crowd, specifically in its overall quality and in any refreshing, particularly clever or particularly well-executed aspects of gameplay.

We’ll talk singleplayer first of all, seeing as there isn’t all too much to say about it just yet and I want to tick something off of my “To talk about” list. So that I feel like I’ve achieved something, you know?

Ubisoft has been awfully stingy in releasing details regarding their singleplayer so far, and so there isn’t much more going on in terms of the plot than I’ve already told you. Basically, you’re part of a Ghost team tracking down the source of a ‘dirty bomb’ (a conventional explosive combined with radioactive material which kills stuff as well as irradiating its area of effect) which killed off another Ghost squad. You play the role of the newest member and commando (assault rifle shooting guy) of the squad, known by your peers as Kozak. The rest of the four-man squad is made up of by the relatively self-explanatory sniper (Pepper) and recon guy (30K), as well as an engineer (Bones), who is in charge of the shotguns and providing intel via drones. More on the significance of intel in a second.

After some fan disappointment at the relatively short campaign component of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2, Ubisoft have promised a somewhat more substantial singleplayer campaign which should clock in at around ten hours. Thankfully, diversity of setting is also an aspect which they’ve been touting quite heavily, so we ought to be seeing a bit more of the world than just Russia. Quite a bit, actually, if this page on the official website is anything to go by. For those too lazy to click on things, we’re looking at playing in some pretty obscure locations: Zambia, Nicaragua, Pakistan and the Barrents Sea to name but a few.

More may not always be better (having recently consumed my bodyweight in Easter eggs I feel pretty confident in making that statement), but if you are one of those “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!” types then you’ll just love all the shiny things Ubisoft has in store for you in Future Soldier.

First off, there are the guns. Ubisoft has promised over 9000 50 highly customisable guns for use in the single and multiplayer. When we say customisable, by the way, we mean customisable. We’re not just talking about the optics, barrels, grips and rails changes which have become standard in most shooters these days, but everything down to the trigger and gas systems as well. All of this customisation is going to be facilitated by a system called Gunsmith. For the life of me, I can’t figure out why they needed to attach a snappy name to their weapon customisation system besides simply drawing attention to the level of customisation they’re offering. I used their buzzword, though, so hopefully they won’t sue me now. That said, it does look awfully shiny and works with Kinect, so make of that what you will.

It seems as if weapon customisation is going to be available in the singleplayer, co-op / Guerrilla and multiplayer modes, but we haven’t heard anything too precise on exactly how much overlap there will be between them.

Luckily for you kids, the guns are just the start of the toys Ubisoft has in store for you. A very large part of the emphasis in Future Soldier is on the technology you have at your disposal and how far ahead of the poor bastards you come up against that puts you. There is too much of it for me to mention, so I’ll stick to discussing the more notable gizmos and gadgets you get to play with. For a full list, you can follow this link.

Like I said earlier, intel (which from what I can tell basically means “where the enemies are”) plays an important part of the game. Or at the very least, Ubisoft would like you to think it does. The engineer can pilot numerous types of drones which can scout out enemy positions and fortifications (usually) undetected. The drone then relays this information back to the ‘Cross Com’ system, which is a central hub of information shared between the Ghosts. This hub cross-references all of the information it receives (from the drones and from the sensors on each individual Ghost) and uses it to create the ‘Augmented Reality’ system, visible through the Ghost’s sexy-looking sunglasses. The Augmented Reality system gives each Ghost access to all of the information which the other Ghosts have: ammo counts, physical conditions and, most importantly (unless your buddy happens to take a bullet to the face or something; then physical condition might become more important) enemy positions. It basically lets you see ‘through’ a wall, as long as you have a friend with cool shades who can see the other side. Which is pretty awesome. On top of just being awesome, it allows you to line up some insanely attractive synchronised kills with the rest of your squad, and makes fighting while pinned down in cover far less of a mission.

Them Ghosts love their stealth almost as much as their synchonrised kills, too, as can be seen in this oh-so-sexy trailer. Fair enough, too, because unless you want an entire ultranationalist army bearing down on your ass you would want to stay relatively undetected. Imagine their excitement, then, when they heard about the Optical Camo cloaking system. While it doesn’t render you completely invisible, it does make you transparent and far, far harder to spot, making it much easier to get into just the position you need for the aforementioned synchronised kills.

Now that we’ve got the major tech out of the way, let’s start talking gameplay and squad interaction.

What we’re looking at here is a pretty standard cover-based, third-person shooter, with some notable streamlines and interesting adaptations. You’ve got your standard get-your-ass-the-hell-behind-that-chest-high-wall command, and well as your ability to vault and roll over cover. You can fire from out of cover and, more interestingly, peek out from behind cover to spot enemies for your teammates. One addition which should prove welcome to a pretty tired system (provided they pull it off, of course) is a mechanic which allows you to move from cover to cover by selecting the next object you want to hide behind while still in cover, making transitioning between cover far more seamless, and helping you not kill yourself in the process. You aren’t as safe behind cover as you thought you were, either. Not only have Ubisoft declared that any son of a bitch unfortunate enough to find himself pinned down behind cover by a machine gun shall have his screen shake, field of view diminished and practically lose his ability to aim down their sights. This means you either need to run out from behind the cover (and probably die), throw a smoke grenade and then run out from behind the cover (and probably not die) or get a buddy to help you out. That buddy had better come fast, though, because cover is now destructible, meaning that if that machinegunner has the time to have his way then there (literally) won’t be anything standing between you and him.

In terms of squad interaction, the player doesn’t have access to an approach as ‘hands on’ as we see in games like Mass Effect, where they can control the positioning and weapon and ability use of their AI companions. Instead, the player can designate a target for each squad member when they are out of combat, to perform a synchronised take-down, or identify a high-priority target during combat, causing their squad members to target it more than other enemies.

If AI isn’t quite your thing then Ubisoft has you covered, too. In fact, they might be a bit disappointed if AI is your thing, given how enormous the stink they’re making about their co-op system is. The entire singleplayer campaign is fully co-op integrated, though we haven’t heard anything about whether or not there will be a drop-in / drop-out system in place, and exactly what will be used to facilitate the co-op. If that’s still a bit too stale for you, though, then Guerilla Mode might be more up your alley. Essentially being a wave-based survival mode, Caveshen would love to have you believe that it is a Horde Mode (from Gears of War 3) clone, though it isn’t quite that simple. Firstly, we all know that CoD: World at War’s Nazi Zombie mode was the first of its kind, so everything else is actually cloning that. Second and more importantly, however, the developers have added a stealth portion to the game which precedes the wave survival portion. Players will first have to sneak up on an enemy location and bring it under their control before the hordes (calm down, Cavie) descend upon them. Every ten rounds or so players will have to move up and capture a new location, all stealthy-like once again. This sounds like a very interesting addition, and one which could hopefully break the action-packed monotony (that isn’t as much of an oxymoron as it sounded. Promise) which can come of having to mindlessly hold out against wave after wave of enemies.

Keeping in line with Future Soldier’s singleplayer and co-op, the multiplayer is designed from the ground up to be very reliant on teamwork. All of the multiplayer modes are objective based, effectively forcing the team to work together, and discouraging ‘lone ranger’ shenanigans. We know that there will be about four of these objective-based game modes, though we haven’t been told how they will differ from one another, and what sort of objectives we’re talking about. Some of the grey area should be removed when the Beta goes live on April 19th.

Those lucky enough to get their hands on the Beta (and those who eventually end up playing the full multiplayer) will find themselves in the shoes of either the Rifleman, Scout or Engineer. The Rifleman is your standard front-rank soldier, with access to assault rifles and light machine guns. The Scout is your classic sniper, with access to sniper rifles and sub-machine guns. The Engineer gets to have slightly more fun than the other classes, as not only do they have access to shotguns and personal defense rifles, but they get to fly the intel drone.

On that note, you remember intel being a big deal in the co-op and singleplayer? Not much has changed in the multiplayer. The Engineer with his recon drone plays a large part in this, along with allies spotting enemies for the team. An interesting new method of gaining intel which is only available in the multiplayer is the player’s ability to stun (not kill) an enemy soldier using various different gadgets and gizmos, and then hack into their Cross Com hub in order to gain their intel. The hacking takes time, though, and if you are interrupted (read: killed) during the hack your team gains nothing. The risk is worth the reward, however, because if you succeed then you and the rest of your team is treated to the knowledge of each enemy’s location for a limited amount of time.

Ghost Recon has always been something of a love it or hate it series, but with any luck the strong emphasis on team-based gameplay and what looks to be a well-streamlined cover system should make the game relatively accessible to those new to the series, and perhaps even to the genre. As was mentioned in the introduction, this game does run the risk of simply becoming another game which failed to make anything of what is now a pretty worn-out cliche, but what we’ve seen of the gameplay so far looks encouraging, and the innovations we’ve been exposed to so far lend weight to the idea that there may be hope that Ghost Recon: Future Soldier manages to set itself apart from the pack.

Oh, and it’s going to have LAN support.

In Dragon’s Dogma, you assume the role of a nameless hero who has a chance encounter with a dragon. Prior to his quest, the dragon tells him that he is the “chosen one” and after having his heart torn from his body by the dragon; death seems inevitable. However, some type of miracle occurs and the nameless protagonist is still alive. Following this, he becomes known as the “enlightened one”, or as the Arisen, and sets out to destroy the dragon, and retrieve his stolen heart.

Title: Dragon’s Dogma
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Multiplayer: None
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Genre: Open World, Action RPG
Expected Price: R499
Release Date: 25 May 2012

Capcom has provided some brief details about the other characters in this game. Mainly, Quina, the nameless hero’s childhood friend, Edmon Dragonsbane who is the previous hero that defeated the dragon and brought peace to the land, and finally the Dragonsbane’s third wife, Aelinore, who is kind and detests the strictness of royal life. Some other characters have bios on the official Dragon’s Dogma site, with more specific information about the various attributes of the classes as well. There’s not much else on the story itself for Dragon’s Dogma, and many of the other characters. But a few more details about the gameplay of the game have been revealed.

You’ll be able to select for your character a variety of different vocations, or classes, to play with through the game. These are the: Fighter, Warrior, Mystic Knight, Strider, Ranger, Assassin, Mage, Sorcerer and Magic Archer. You also have gender choice and appearance settings available to you for those of us who wish to customise their hero to the tiniest detail.

What I really liked about the game from playing the playable code was the ability to switch between weapons, and change classes effortlessly mid-battle. It gave great dexterity to the game and the combat system as a whole. Especially since this a party-oriented RPG where your entire party is important. This includes three A.I. controlled members to which you can issue basic party commands. There is nothing too complex which I find to be better than trying to reinvent the wheel with the basic command system that most RPG fans are used to. The party itself in Dragon’s Dogma has one NPC and another two characters that are brought in from other people’s online games.

Yes, that’s right, your party consists of one NPC character from your own game and other ones built by other Dragon’s Dogma players. When borrowing these player-created characters you obtain an array of different party members with altered stats and specialties. This livens up the gameplay and may help you to take on increasingly difficult enemies for which your own NPC may not be suitable to challenge. What is awesome about this party structure is that you create two NPC party characters for other players as well, and once another player has finished with your creations you reap certain rewards from the exploits of your character creations. Essentially this benefits your run in the world of Dragon’s Dogma. In turn, the more you upgrade your character-creations the better your progression in the game will be. Yet this may be problematic if you live in a country with poor internet access or none at all. You need to understand that this not a true multiplayer component, but rather just an extension of the open world nature of the game, more so than anything else.

The rest of the battle system is still very much the same as in the playable code with the ability of your party to take on giant monsters, creatures and enemies with concentrated assault strikes. With one of the main features of the main character being that he can “grab” on to enemies, objects and NPCs, and with this feature can initiate more advanced attacks on bigger enemies in a style similar to that of Shadow of the Colossus and Capcom’s own Monster Hunter series. I’ve spoken extensively about the specifics of the combat system in our previous preview of the game’s playable code at rAge, which can be read here.

One forgets that this Capcom RPG is open world and it has been confirmed that the environments in-game will feature a large city with over 200 NPCs whom you’ll be able to talk to, with full voice options. The game will have anywhere from 30 to 100 hours of content depending on how you play through Dragon’s Dogma which ranges from normal play to hardcore RPG runs. I’m really looking forward to Capcom’s attempt at an open world RPG. It will be interesting to see how this game competes with the likes of Skyrim and Kingdoms Of Amalur: Reckoning. It releases at the end of May. So look out for it.

It’s going to be an all-out pirate extravaganzaaaarrrggghhhh

This year is once again going to be another great one for the action RPG. Right on the heels of Mass Effect 3 we have the sequel to the under-appreciated gem, Risen.

Name: Risen 2: Dark Waters
Genre: RPG
Players: 1
Multiplayer: None
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Developers: Piranha Bytes (PC) / Wizarbox (Xbox 360, PS3)
Publishers: Deep Silver
Release Date: April 27 (PC) / May 25 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Risen was one of those games that you either loved or merely didn’t like. No one hated it.

For those who disliked it, they found a well-crafted but unfriendly third-person, fantasy themed, action RPG. With a shoddy tutorial and little in the way of in-game explanation, this was a game that didn’t hold hands and wasn’t trying to make you like it.

Not helped by the relatively slow and boring opening, if you weren’t willing to give Risen a serious chance, it was happy to let you pass on by.

To those who did persevere past the opening, they found something quite magical; Risen boasted one of the most real, authentic and genuinely interesting game worlds to explore. Characters had complex pasts, layered motivations and the player was left with a web of relationships to untangle.

This was the very best of Risen. A beautiful and atmospheric soundtrack, well written and voiced dialogue, intense, if a little repetitive combat, all served to accentuate an excellent (if a little withdrawn) game world.

Even after all the other AAA games that I’ve sampled since Risen’s release in 2009, there are scenes, characters and music that I still remember with keen clarity to this day

Now in steps Risen 2: Dark Waters. Developed by the same German studio Piranha Bytes, the sequel promises to give players the same wonderful sense of authenticity while vastly improving usability and the overall accessibility of the game; bigger, better and more awesome.

Oh, and it’s pirate themed. PIRATES people!

In a stunning move of stunningness, Piranha Bytes have elected to drop the interesting but generic fantasy setting of the original for a full on, no foolin’ pirate setting.

Although there will be no sailing or any kind of on sea privateering; the new theme, voodoo magic system and deep, awesome world Piranha Bytes promise are enough to pique my interest.

There are sparse few details on the actual game itself, save for a few trailers. A game like this, however, is all about the detail.

Is the story good? Are the characters and side quests as multi-layered as the predecessor? Have the rough edges been smoothed? Can I really make voodoo on my enemies?

Unless the setting and idea have sold you completely, wait for reviews, but wait eagerly. If the normal slew of scores and reviewings paint even a slightly rosy picture — buy this game immediately.

Risen 2 has releases on April 27th for the PC and May 25th for consoles.

Imagine a sci-fi 3rd person shooter, let’s call it Battlefield 3 in space, and then add the strategic like ability to build structures like defences, the odd armoury and you have quite an interesting mix. Warhawk was a release title for the PS3 and people still readily play it today, even today; Starhawk promises to build on that success and add an all new single-player. It’s been in the cooking pot for a while and will almost surely please the fans, but does it have what it takes to win over the many new players since the PS3’s release?

Title: Starhawk
Developer: SCE Santa Monica Studio/LightBox Interactive
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Multiplayer: 2 Player Split-screen, 32 players online
Platforms: PS3
Genre: 3rd Person Shooter
Expected Price: TBA (Will Update)
Release Date: May 11, 2012

So let’s start with the new, Starhawk introduces a new fangled single-player mode to the fray; something the developers of Warhawk toyed with but eventually removed. Like the opening trailer I so graciously included suggests, Starhawk takes place in the distant future and seems to have a little Fire Fly western feel to it. That said, Starhawk’s story revolves around one Emmett Graves, a former rift miner, then partially mutated outcast and now hired gun. Rift mining is the collection of a mysterious and powerful energy that when exposed corrupts and mutates the receiver into a vicious mutant known as an Outcasts. Outcast raids have become rather prevalent in this sector of the galaxy and one of their attacks on Emmett’s rift mine is the reason he and his brother are exposed and corrupted. Emmett is obviously pissed, and that’s to put it mildly, as anyone would so rightly be, and now acts as a hired gun for anyone having trouble with the Outcasts, the root of all his pain and suffering.

That all sounds like a decent concept for a story and the game’s mechanics make for an interesting approach to the game; but what we’re really interested in is the multiplayer experience Starhawk promises. Starhawk took Warhawk’s multiplayer and expanded it to include a host of new features and refine old ones. The basic concept is 32 player (online) team-on-team retribution and destruction in space, on planets and a variety of massive maps to take your fancy. There will be an array of vehicles at your disposal and all sorts of weapons to deploy and unleash on your opposition. The king of these vehicles, the hawks, are flying mech-suits that are to be used as scouting, advanced combat and hit-and-run platforms; though there really are all sorts of strategies and ways with which to ruin your opponents day. There will also be a split-screen co-op mode available for those, like myself, lamenting the loss of split-screen in many of today’s games.

The most important new feature, other than single-player itself, and will be part of single-player, is called ‘Build & Battle’ and will allow the player to drop all sorts of defences, munitions and buildings at a whim. It’s supposed to introduce an RTS feel to the game and even though the story mode is only predicted to be about 5 hours, it seems to be a welcome addition to having nothing at all. You will also be able to earn experience and effect your online character giving all sorts of benefits, as one would expect from an experience based system. That plus the much improved visuals seems to make Starhawk a worthy successor and massive improvement to the popular Warhawk. I’m hoping to play some public beta and once I do I’ll make sure to keep you guys informed.

Beta multiplayer footage seems to be more appropriate than a multiplayer cinematic trailer.

All-in-all, Starhawk is taking itself very seriously and seems to have what it takes to keep its multiplayer component going for the long run. If you’re looking for a new game to consume yet more hours of whatever life you have left, and you own a PS3, well then Starhawk could be for you. The single-player is a little harder to judge but we’ll have to leave that for its release this May.

Murder Your Maker.

That’s Prototype 2 in a nutshell. Okay, job done. Let’s go home? Wait, there is no home. At least not for Sergeant James Heller, the protagonist this time around.

Name: PROTOTYPE 2
Genre: Third Person Sandbox Action
Players: 1
Multiplayer: None
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Developers: Radical Entertainment
Publishers: Activision
Release Date: 27 April 2012

Prototype 2 — it’s actually PROTOTYPE 2 but that feels awfully loud and rude, so… — is a direct sequel to the first game, that takes place fourteen months after the conclusion of the story in Prototype.

To explain with as few spoilers as possible, the Blacklight virus was unleashed upon a section of New York, making it entirely uninhabitable by humans if they wished to remain human, while the various creatures that spawned from the virus were free to roam about the area as they pleased. The military presence remained somewhat, if only to stop the creatures from getting out.

Alex Mercer, the man who released the Blacklight virus in the first place, and the protagonist of the first game, is no longer attempting to stop the virus from spreading but instead seems to be spreading it, although his motives at this point in time are entirely unclear. What is clear is that his true nature has been revealed to him, and he knows exactly what he is now.

I loved Prototype. Except, I initially didn’t. It seemed like a silly concept, something I could easily pass on. At least, until I watched this video…

From that point onwards, I simply had to procure and play Prototype, and procure and play it is exactly what I did. And then I played it again a few months later because I had to part with the game but the prospect of one last outing was too exciting to pass up. The game was crazy fun, and with some of the possibilities on offer, some of the things you could do in the game, some of the truly fucked up shit that went on, it was all mindless bliss.

Know this: There are very few games out there that are like Prototype.

There are very few open-world games that are as fun, as well. Radical Entertainment have realised this, understood this, and that is why Prototype 2 is going to be focusing on exactly the cool things about the first game. That is why Prototype 2 is going to be something you should definitely be looking forward to.

The game’s story will centre around Sergeant James Heller, who starts off straight up suicide-rolling into Alex Mercer’s path to get him to answer for his crimes after not only releasing the Blacklight virus and causing the deaths of millions, but also indirectly causing the deaths of Heller’s beloved wife and children as a result of the outbreak. Heller of course couldn’t go any further down the line of things to blame since hating the big bang for the reason his family are dead would be overdoing it a tad. Nonetheless, after a quick and anti-climactic square-up with the former protagonist Mercer, who is again no longer human, Heller is not just infected with the virus but altered on the genetic level such that he himself becomes a form of the virus, albeit a different one to Mercer thanks to a mutated strain. What this then means is that Heller gains the power from the virus that Mercer has had since the beginning of the first game.

This being a mutated strain however, there are some differences. For one, Heller’s abilities are far less metallic and non-human than Mercer’s, with the former having more tendril-like abilities that allow for something a little more focused but nonetheless varied.

I’ll explain that in a bit.

The other rather huge difference is that whereas Mercer spent most of the first game, his power discovery phase if you will, confused and unsure of himself, Heller knows exactly what he is now and his drive and determination to take Mercer down allows him far greater control over his new-found power.

Like Mercer, Heller can shapeshift and assume not only the identities but also the memories of people he consumes — quite literally absorbing them whole, into his person — but this time around it’s going to be a bit more tactical and not just a means of acquiring health and what they call Critical Mass, which is how Mercer was able to use the more over-the-top powers in the first game. Heller is also more agile, owed to the new dodging system that is in place. Along with that, he can also use weapons in the game, of an extreme nature. This includes but is not limited to ripping the cannon off a tank and firing it upon enemies. Because fuck the world. Or perhaps you’d like a more subtle approach in a game with zero subtlety, in which case you are in luck. Heller can also stealth around unsuspecting enemies, if only to walk up to them and inject them with an unstable droplet of the virus that causes their bodies to “BioBomb” and ‘splosions! Everywhere.

It almost feels like a darker version of Spider-Man, with Heller throwing tendrils all over the place as he attempts to go about his business. He is stronger, faster-moving and practicality invulnerable while also boasting the “spider sense” of this game, in sonar sense which now comes with the added feature of a pulse ability that highlights key features of an environment. No more running around a crowded street squinting into your screen and hoping you see an icon above someone’s head.

His affinity for tendrils — and all hentai implications that go with it — allows for some creative ways to kill things, from the more traditional smashing of various objects into other various objects, to something a little more exotic such as stringing up enemies along buildings very much like that of a spider’s web, before finishing them off with the more traditional approach. Dismemberment has returned and is as gory as ever, whether you’re hacking off heads or penetrating every orifice with… hentai, what?

The experience this time around has been crafted specifically to feel more refined and focused on allowing you as the player to carry on exactly as you please, and it’s easy to see that if you’re the kind of person who enjoys beautiful destruction, this game is going to do amazing things for you. Want to hulk out on everything regardless, rather? This game has you covered as well. It’s mindless destruction with method.

Prototype 2.0 in every way.

Most, if not all, anime fighting game sequels prescribe to the same successful formula; add more characters; improve a couple features here and there; give more extra content; sell. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations, that name is way too long to keep repeating, so Naruto Generations, makes good on this formula and is definitely an evolution rather than revolution of the series. Some have cried foul, and with DLC you can see why; I guess they’d prefer the characters to be made available through DLC rather than having to pay full price for this game. Naruto Generations however, is not content with merely giving us a few extra characters and sending us on our merry way. Instead, Naruto Generations is going in jutsu blazing, see what I did there, and has more than enough to convince us to part with yet more of our life savings.

Title: Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations
Developer: CyberConnect2
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Multiplayer: Versus
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3
Genre: Fighting
Expected Price: R 499
Release Date: March 30, 2012

As ‘Generations’ might imply, the story mode in Naruto Generations covers both the original series and up until the kage summit of Naruto Shippuden. This has meant that both younger and older incarnations of each of the relevant characters have been included as playable fighters. That’s a lot of story to get through and in order to remove a borderline insane play time for a fighting game; the story mode has been altered to consecutive fights with animated cut scenes in between. Anything more than that would have just been too much. However, and while the game generally revolves around Naruto’s adventures and perspective, there are character expanding side stories that will cater to the lives of other crucial support characters. Beyond that, there is unique anime developed by Studio Pierrot, the studio responsible for the Naruto anime, which will provide previously unseen looks onto the Naruto universe. It’s all been carefully considered and has plenty of juicy detail for the fans of the series; much more than you’d expect from the average story mode in a fighting game.

Combat is similar to its predecessor and relies primarily on a single button for all the melee combos, with the occasional input of a direction. It still limits combat to a certain extent and removes some of the tournament quality to it but keeps the game easy to pick up and enjoy. The rest is kept quite similar and maintains an awakening mode, a powerful transformation for any weakened character; a unique jutsu as well as ultimate jutsu for every character; and a status bar that limits the amount of repeated replacement jutsu, which is actually new. This of course means you need to block more and cannot solely rely on dodging every attack, though the status bar is capable of recharging if left to its own devices. More than that, the overall gameplay has been tweaked to be faster and more balanced, catering to the pace one would imagine a fight in Naruto would actually go down. I have played the demo, hence the ‘hands-on’ part of the title, and can tell you that the gameplay feels slightly more responsive, slightly more refined and just that much better that its previous iterations. Cyberconnect2 has done a good job of balancing button combinations, movesets, jutsu and character balance to create a very enjoyable fighter; even if you are not a fan of the anime. One other point to mention is the inclusion of collectible cards that aid in customising your fighter online as well as give you certain advantages in battle.

Online as well as local versus modes are very similar to Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, though 72 playable characters this time around seems like a great improvement to the game. There are also 15 support characters that can be used only as support and cannot actually be chosen as your main fighter. And just for the uninitiated, you can have up to two support characters in any battle and they provide… well support in battle; from blocking incoming attacks, to using jutsu on your opponent and in the right circumstances a very powerful combo that includes your support as well as main character. All in all, the online lobby looks to have been given a good tweaking and with all the gameplay improvements as well as characters it’s a sure fire winner in my books.

Visually, Naruto Generations is very similar its previous two iterations, though that’s a good thing in this case because the Ultimate Ninja Storm series is one of the best examples of cel shading on any console. I’d say it actually looks slightly better and some of the jaggedness, a.k.a. aliasing, has been removed from the characters; this gives it an even cleaner and closer to the anime feel and look to the game. With all the animations done for the new characters and considering all the detail put into the character models, I’d say Cyberconnect2 has put every resource into making the best Naruto game they possibly could.

With over 70 playable characters, unique and original anime as well as a substantial story mode; Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations looks to be a smasher of a fighter and an anime fan’s wet dreams. It’s an extremely fun multiplayer game, both online and as an offline party game; I mean I’ve already planned a little nerd gathering at my house for around this game’s release date. As far as I’m concerned, there is a lot Cyberconnect2 could’ve had added to this latest iteration of the Ninja Storm franchise, but at the same time, they have certainly added more than most expected. If its predecessors are anything to go by, this could quite possibly be the finest anime fighter to date.

In the land of punch-the-face, kick-in-the-bollocks, fire-from-hands fighting games there are two colossi, namely Street Fighter and Tekken. Each offers their own unique approach to the fighting genre and usually succeed in doing so otherwise they wouldn’t be so successful today. Now what happens when the two combine? Is it going to be a Dragon Ball Z like fusion like I imagine it to be?

Title: Street Fighter X Tekken
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Multiplayer: Yes
Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC
Genre: Fighting
Expected Price: R528
Release Date: March 9 (Xbox 360 and PS3) May 14 (PC)

Street Fighter X Tekken features gameplay mechanics from both sides of the fence. On the one side we have Street Fighter with its unique Super Combo elements and EX Attacks from Street Fighter IV. The game will also use Street Fighter’s traditional 6 button approach to controls. On the other side we have Tekken with its own characters and special combos that are pulled off using its 4-button control scheme.

Street Fighter X Tekken will use a tag team approach where various characters from both games will be pitted against each other. It plays an integral part in the game for it’s responsible for various attacks and special moves. The first ability is Switch Cancel which allows the player to switch out characters in the process of a combo. The next ability is Cross Rush that get insinuated by one fighter launching his opponent in the air and switching out with his tag partner allowing his partner to continue with the combo.

It was also use a victory system reminiscent of Tekken’s Tag Team Tournament where the first player that reduces one of his opponent’s character’s health to zero, will win the round. Whoever has won the most rounds wins the match.

As fights progress there will be a gauge that fills up called the “Cross Gauge”. Depending on how full the gauge is, there will be a variety of moves that can be executed namely Super Arts, Cancels, EX Attacks and a host of Cross attacks.

A variety of tag team moves become available once the Cross Gauge is completed. One of these is called Cross Arts which gives the player the ability to do each character’s own unique Super Combo in one violent burst. Cross Assault  allows the player to control both characters at the same time doing massive combos until the Cross Gauge fully depletes.

Street Fighter X Tekken introduces its own unique gameplay mechanics to the stable of fighting games. These two features are known as Pandora and Power Gems

Power Gems 

There are six unique  kinds of gems available: Attack, Defence, Speed, Vitality, Assist and Cross Gauge. Each type of gem has its own colour assigned to it, Three of these gems can be assigned to each character and offer stat boosts correspondent to the gems equipped when certain conditions are met. This opens up a whole host of strategic options when it comes fighting.

Pandora

Pandora is an optional mode that can be activated when a player’s fighter’s health drops below 25%. It gives the opportunity to have one final burst of power with increased strength and an infinite Cross Gauge, but it has a time limit attached to it and the player will lose if the player doesn’t defeat his opponent before the limit reaches zero.

Multiplayer

There will be a host of various multiplayer modes available. The game features online training modes which can be either competitively or cooperatively played by two players. Two players can fight on the same team, each controlling his own character and compete in four player matches together. There will also be a Scramble mode where fight in pairs of two at the same time. There will also be a Fight Request feature.

List of playable characters 

Street Fighter:

1. Ryu
2. Ken
3. Guile
4. Abel
5. Chun-Li
6. Cammy
7. Segat
8. Dhalsim
9. Poison
10. Hugo
11. Ibuki
12. Rolento
13. Zangeif
14. Rufus
15. Balrog
16. Vega
17. Juri
18. M. Bison
19. Akuma

Here jumping from tree to tree with the swift grace of a shadowed eagle is Ninja Gaiden 3, the sequel to Ninja Gaiden II. In the new instalment, we once again assume the ninja ways of Ryu Hayabusa the bad-ass ninja. The developers at Team Ninja say that this next instalment in the franchise will delve in more depth into Ryu’s human side as he descends into a hellish realm. One of the biggest visual changes that has happened to Ryu in relation to character design is that his appearance has moved from black leather outfit of the two previous games, to a black metallic outfit which suits the general undertones the game is trying to pursue. But there is more under the hood than some character design changes.

Title: Ninja Gaiden 3
Developer: Team Ninja
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
Multiplayer: Co-op
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U
Genre: Action
Expected Price: R 439
Release Date: March 23, 2012

I myself have only played Ninja Gaiden II a bit and from what I gathered the gameplay is fast-paced and the visuals are visceral, with bloody violence and gore fitting the overall bad-ass ninja Ryu Hayabusa. Details on the story are quite scarce with a Gamespot video and playable demo revealing bits of the story. But with reference to the story Team Ninja promise that this time around the journey will be one through the eyes of Ryu Hayabusa detailing what drives him as a character to fight and kill. A mysterious masked man is at the centre of a conflict worldwide, named the Regent Of The Mask, who has killed the Prime Minister of London. Ryu is sent to investigate, and that’s all we really know so far.

Hayabusa gains new mysterious powers and has to carry on the fight whilst treading the line between good and evil, with the two becoming blurred as the game progresses. No longer is it about just cutting people down. Team Ninja hope to bring out more of an innate experience in the implications of your mass murdering choices. That is succinctly the story in a nutshell, and it seems more prominent than the previous games. Yet a Ninja Gaiden title would be nothing without definitive gameplay to add to the mix.

With gameplay, Ninja Gaiden 3 is as fast-paced and destructive as always as you attack blazingly fast through enemies, shooting blood everywhere whilst limbs fly around like a ninja in an amusement park. The addition to this instalment is more story-focused missions instead of just killing enemies at increasing difficulty.

Everything is still bloody but the new style of gameplay in some of the missions requires a more deft approach with less attention to mass murdering, and greater focus on stealthily dealing with targets. In combat, there’s emphasis on what it feels like to be behind Ryu Hayabusa’s sword than in the previous games, and this bring the players more intimately into Hayabusa’s mindset.

This is all an attempt to make the game immersive and have a greater emotional connection with the player. At the same time, the game still has some extremely acrobatic combos to aid you in annihilating enemies in the bloodiest of ways.

This game is about unmasking Ryu Hayabusa and the gameplay adds another dimension to that unravelling which is something I’m looking forward to. I also need to place further emphasis on how fast-paced the new Ninja Gaiden is. It’s mindblowlingly fast-paced to the point that I think many gamers are going to have sore thumbs playing this new title.

This is complimented by a combat system that has a multiplicity of different techniques and jutsus to play with. Like the new ability for Ryu that lets him climb walls with his Kunai, and the implementation of a new slide manoeuvre. Plus, Ryu has a cursed arm known as the Grip of the Murder and after killing a number of enemies his arm will glow red, and he can pull off an ultimate attack by charging it up.

Ryu has weapons available to him as well, and these will be upgraded over time as you progress in the game. Add to this, the ninpo special abilities which can be used after filling up a green bar and Ryu can cast a ninpo which heals him, and even one which transforms him into a fire dragon.

With Ninja Gaiden 3, the game is going to support the PlayStation Move controller. The benefit of PlayStation Move controller support is that there might be some extra visceral combat to play with which might allow for a whole different dimension of gameplay. Or this could tank and this futile try at innovation might be a bust like most of the ‘supposed’ motion control innovations. We’ll just have to see. Bosses in Ninja Gaiden 3 look to be challenging and inclusively are the prominent parts where the game will really shine allowing for some interesting boss fights, and strategic takedowns.

I must say that from some of the footage I’ve come across the boss battles look big and challenging. This is brilliant for all you masochists out there. On top of this, the game has co-op multiplayer supporting up to eight players in competition.

It seems that in the multiplayer you are on different sides, represented by different colours, and have to murder the heck out of enemy players with the vast weaponry, skills and the techniques of head-decapitating ninjas. You can lone wolf it or join up with a friend and carry out some support combos on unsuspecting ninjas online. The gameplay online looks to be as fast paced as the single player campaign, and more so in some cases. I suspect it’s not for the faint of heart, at all.

In conclusion, what I can say about Ninja Gaiden 3 is that it looks to be a challenging, gory and fulfilling game. But we can only tell once eGamer gets the chance to review this bloody ninja epic. I’m looking forward to it, and the multiplayer looks killer to say the least. Ryu Hayabusa has never been so deadly, and the bloody goriness is always cool. So get your Kunai ready for Ninja Gaiden 3, and those hectic boss fights.

If you’ve read our preview of Mass Effect 3, then you’ll most likely know all there is to know about the game before its release. However, a demo was recently released for the game, and a few of us who were lucky enough to have had Battlefield 3 online passes were able to play the co-op multiplayer early, while most of us chose not to touch the single player portion due to fear of spoilers. I, however, dived straight into it, being the curious beaver that I am, and after playing my fair share of the multiplayer I’ve put all my thoughts down onto digital paper. Let’s take a look then, shall we?

The most important part of the demo is naturally the co-op multiplayer, because that’s what everyone is curious about. And really, the single-player part of the demo is hardly exciting. I won’t be giving away any spoilers in case you’re one of those fans who are refusing to play the demo because of that, but I will provide a brief outline. The demo offers two levels, with the first putting you in control of Commander Shepard on Earth as the Reapers begin their attack. The second is purely action-orientated, throwing you in some kind of facility trying to save female Krogan. I didn’t pay much attention, mostly because the demo levels did absolutely no justice to what I expect the final game to be like. They’re just devoid of life or the usual series flare, and in all honesty I’d strongly advise against playing them because it may just end up ruining those moments for you. It would be best to head into the full game without any prior experience, least of all something as boring and lifeless as this.

I understand the demo can’t give the game away, but it seriously can offer more than painfully easy and repetitive cover shooting, against weak enemies, and cutscenes that have only one or two dialogue options. It doesn’t really last that long either. Fortunately you’ll get to customise your Shepard and choose your class before beginning the demo, so you’ll get to have your first in-game moment with Mass Effect 3′s FemShep, if that’s your thing. Regarding what’s new in gameplay, I will get to all that when I get to the multiplayer. But my overall impression of the single-player was not that good. In fact it mostly left me with a rather “meh” feeling, and I immediately turned to the co-op multiplayer hoping for something to convince me that I wasn’t playing one or two DLC levels for Mass Effect 2. And with great happiness, I can safely say that after playing the co-op with my fellow team members, Dean and Alessandro, while engaging in heated trolling sessions over mumble, I am definitely eagerly anticipating what’s to come. I know the full game’s single player will be awesome, no doubt, but all I’m trying to say is that the demo didn’t convince me of that. The multiplayer, on the other hand, is really great fun.

The premise to the multiplayer is really quite simple. You’ll team up with three other players to fight against increasingly more difficult waves of enemies. Between surviving and trying to boast more headshots and points than your buddies, you’ll also have to work together to complete certain objectives within the given time limits in order to progress. Teamwork is essential, and Mass Effect 3′s multiplayer really nails that aspect. If you decide to go all rambo without backup, you’ll quickly find yourself dead, especially when the more powerful enemies start coming after you in greater numbers. You’ll need to cover your mates, revive them if they die, complete the objectives quickly and survive as long as you can, all the while gathering experience to unlock new weapons and powers, and credits to purchase new content. Reviving squad members is a little bit more complex in this game, in that when you die you’ll have to rapidly tap a button to slow down the process of bleeding to death so that your buddy can get to you in time. It takes only about two seconds to revive a friend, but if you’re not careful you’ll often have to do it under heavy fire. And despite having limited time to revive a teammate, enemies can also perform an execution to destroy any chance of revival. If a member is truly dead, they will have to wait until the next wave to respawn. So as you can gather, you need to watch your step.

While the demo has quite a lot of the content locked, there is more than enough on offer to allow you to experiment. First things first, you’ll get to create your own character and choose your name, class and race as well as customise your armour colours. All of the Mass Effect classes are available for selection, namely Adept, Soldier, Engineer, Sentinel, Infiltrator and Vanguard. Each class has its own unique appearance, character models and powers. You’ll recognise most of the powers from the main campaign, so there’s nothing new to learn here. Experience points earned will work towards increasing your level and rewarding you with points to spend on upgrading your powers, exactly how it’s done in the single player mode. However, as mentioned earlier you’ll also get credits, which are used to buy content packs that unlock new weapons, mods and characters at random. The last thing to take note of is Equipment, which come in the form of ammo, weapon and armour bonuses. These are items like Medi-Gel, which can be used for self-revival, and Incendiary Rounds, but the catch is that they can only be used for one mission and then they’re out until you get more, so you’ll have to use them sparingly.

Now, the gameplay is pretty much the same to Mass Effect 2, but there are a few welcome extras. What’s new is a slightly tweaked melee system, in that your attacks now chain and holding down the button now executes a powerful charged strike that differs from class to class. For example, the Vanguard class is able to perform a charged melee attack while running that results in a powerful ground slam, while Adepts can force enemies away. Next is that sprinting has finally evolved to a level of urgency, in that you can now make fast and bold battle charges, as well as evade in any direction with a diving roll. The other new noticeable change is interactive terrain, in that you can now climb ladders to get to higher ground and jump across gaps. Nothing too spectacular. But the co-op multiplayer really is awesome, and it’s immensely good fun if you’re talking to your buddies while playing. Rounds don’t last too long in the beginning when you’re still weak, so it’s great to advance, become stronger and start to survive longer and become more competitive and determined.

However, despite the great fun we had with the multiplayer, there are some flaws that need to be addressed, as they can be seriously frustrating at times. The first is that reviving a teammate and taking cover are mapped to the same button, so it can happen that, when you’re trying to bring a friend back to life, all you end up achieving is getting too friendly with a wall. It’s just so darn annoying when this causes you to be killed. Secondly, while the objectives are pretty fun, we definitely hope the full game has more variety in this respect, because the demo can make things seem really repetitive, although that’s mainly because there are only two multiplayer maps. Also, and this is more of a nitpick, but when you’re taking cover on either side of two cover points, most gamers who are in a hurry would proceed to stylishly dive out or detach from cover by pressing the button a second time, but this often ends up in you just repeatedly switching between the two cover points because you’ve forgotten to use the movement keys. Finally, I won’t talk too much about graphics because it’s only the demo, but the game didn’t really amaze us as it looked very similar to its predecessor, just somewhat more cinematic. That doesn’t mean it’s not a good-looking game, but just that we’re not particularly blown away.

At the end of the day, a demo is just a demo and there’s no doubt the full game will be something special. However, I’ll reiterate what I said in the beginning. It would be best to avoid the single-player part of this demo and rather wait to experience it all in full when the game is out. The multiplayer, on the other hand, walks away with a full recommendation. It’s simplistic, easy to play and get into and even easier to enjoy. If the final product boasts a lot more variety and content in this respect, then it could just potentially turn out to be a remarkable addition to the series, and a sure winner.

Armored Core V is a mech game at its mechiest. Large robots, plenty of firepower and slick and agile movement; this is the formula all Armored Core games comprise of. I’m doing this preview because I wanted to see if anything was different from the last couple of Armored Core games. I like the idea of mech games but the execution of most leaves a somewhat sour taste in my mouth. Armored Core IV was OK, but that’s just it, it was just OK. So what can we expect from Armored Core V?

Title: Armored Core V
Developer: From Software
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Multiplayer: 2-10 competitive multilayer
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3
Genre: Action-Simulation
Expected Price: R435 (BT Games)
Release Date: March 23

Story wise, and despite being so close to release, there’s virtually little to no mention of what story Armored Core V intends to tell. This is no shock as Armored Core isn’t known for a particularly strong plot or narrative; I suspect From Software are trying to improve this in Armored Core V but well, who can be sure. Armored Core V is supposed to be a sort of ‘big step forward’ in the series, though how this is the case I haven’t had the faintest. Sure there are gameplay changes, changes to various modes and such but that all says minor improvements over past games, so your guess is good as mine.

The largest change to the series is undoubtedly its multiplayer mode. The developer claims limitless potential, that Armored Core V’s multiplayer component will be the thing all multiplayer fans need. While I’m not sure it’s as grand and spectacular as the developers claim, I mean no developer is going to say their game is mediocre, it is still to be seen whether Armored Core V can rise up above what Armored Core IV offered. Sure, there are the differences in mode and mechanics, but whether that translates to a qualitatively better experience will only be known once the game is tested and put through its paces by its player base.

Here’s a sample of the kind of multiplayer experience you should expect from Armored Core V:

An important aspect of Armored Core V is the concentration of strategy rather than fast reaction times. This is because the mechs are much smaller than previous iterations and so reduce the game from being purely about your skill and instead how you move, your ability to navigate, make use of geographical features so on. Many of the levels are placed in urban environments to reinforce this new approach and while it certainly aids the combat, it has a drastically negative effect on another aspect; that being the visuals which I’ll get into later.

The next video is supposed to show what multiplayer will look like given some serious players and a half decent game; you’ll have to excuse the cheesy operator commentary, he’s been paid to sound more professional than I imagine any gamer would. In multiplayer you can have up to 5v5, which includes one operator per team. The operator’s job is to watch over the battlefield, update their team on the match and assist in strategizing. I can’t say I can see many signing up to be the operator, a potentially far less interesting position but that all depends on how enjoyable the multiplayer is I guess.

Here’s where that negative aspect comes in, Armored Core V’s visuals. So far I have a mixed opinion on the games visual quality. I’m aware that what we’re seeing is easily misinterpreted through video quality and the build of the game we’re witnessing but I have a few reservations. Don’t get me wrong, the mechs have plenty of detail and easily surpass most mech games. The problem is that environments have the same problem the last Armored Core had, very bland and usually quite gray or brown environments. Maybe that’s how it was intended, maybe it alleviates some extra polygons for all the pixels those energy weapons seem to through around. The problem is a bland background can sometimes reduce from the game. More importantly, and what worries me is the fact that it makes all the objects you need to target quite difficult to distinguish, them being grey themselves, which reduces much of the game to locking on and using the now highlighted and targeted enemy just to see them. Worst of all is how much strain this game puts on your eyes. I’m not sure what it is, whether it’s an effect of the textures, anti-aliasing or some other graphical quality but watching Armored Core V was like watching a heavy 3D movie without the glasses, a bit of a colourful mess. This isn’t helped by the fact that your HUD is swimming in a sea of flashing orange, shapes a plenty and warnings everywhere. Let’s just hope From Software can clear this up in time for our release.

There are many unanswered questions and Armored Core V will certainly need to answer those in order to satisfy western gamers enough to purchase it. Armored Core has all the customisation you’ve come to expect and isn’t holding back in that aspect. The problem is the entire mech game genre is very niche and Armored Core V will have to revolutionise it if it intends for new gamers to be interested in them.

It ends here. What started as a great Xbox exclusive has now become a multi-platform phenomenon and what will very possibly go down as one the best trilogies of all time ends with Mass Effect 3. Developer BioWare has more than enough pedigree to guarantee that this one will be a hit but let’s find out what it is that could make Mass Effect 3 the “biggest game in the series” and the “best game [BioWare] has ever made.” Let’s get the lowdown on Bioware’s latest RPG epic to find out.

Title: Mass Effect 3
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: EA Games
Multiplayer: 2-4 players
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Genre: Action-RPG
Expected Price: PC – R360; PS3/ Xbox 360 – R570 (BT Games)
Release Date: March 9

Let’s start by getting some nuts ‘n bolts stuff out of the way. Mass Effect 3 will require Origin on PC which I’m sure you’ll all be overjoyed about. Secondly the game will also feature Kinect-support in an attempt to draw in casual gamers; the logic is infallibly flawed with that one. The game also has a new official female version of Commander Shepard, creatively dubbed FemShep who will feature on the cover of the Collector’s Edition. ME 3 will also have a New Game+ option and at the other end there’s a “previously on Mass Effect” comic for no0bs like me and those who have simply forgotten which is probably worse.

Looking at the story, the game picks up from the Mass Effect 2 ‘Arrival’ DLC episode which ends with Shepard being put on trial. ME 3 starts with the Reapers attacking during the trial and series fans may get a giddy little kick when the Commander is proven right and everyone else has egg on their faces. Even if it means the Earth is at risk of being wiped out. It has also been revealed that Cerberus forces will be working hand in hand with the Reapers. This also means that players will have to tackle the Reapers’ twisted experiments. That is to say the very undead looking husks of various races such as a bloated pregnant Asari. Of course, special mention must go to the erroneous plot leak that revealed the entire story of the game and caused Bioware to make unknown changes to the game’s story as a result but we’ll just have to see if the quick-fix holds up.

Mass Effect 3, despite being the end of the trilogy, has also been billed as a good entry point for newcomers since it’s just all –out war and those established relationships don’t have as much meaning although they’re still pretty important. Shepard will have to enlist the help of as many as he can if they are to stop the Reaper menace. The game also been structured such that there are no “remember than one time [in the last game]” moments when conversing with NPC’s that break immersion for newcomers. Interestingly, your funding towards the ‘war effort’ in previous games will also factor into the game.

Gameplay wise, BioWare did it’s homework for Mass Effect 3 and basically researched what people liked about titles such as CoD, Assassin’s Creed etc and saw what commonalities could be brought into Mass Effect’s gameplay. Thus Mss Effect 3 will have a more “action-adventure-y” feel to it but rest assured this won’t compromise any of the game’s RPG goodness.

BioWare has stated that it has somewhat focussed the RPG elements in Mass Effect 3 so that anything that doesn’t really have any battle impact has been cut. That said, the developer has opted for more RPG freedom and character skills in the pursuit of giving players a deeper experience. Part of this is that Shepard as a character will be more human and players will therefore allow players to actually feel as if they’re expressing themselves rather than simply choosing from a dialogue tree.

The Citadel as it was in the original game also makes a return in all its splendour and atmosphere. Along with this, the game will feature quests that were cut from ME 2; think of it as free DLC as Caveshan (yes, we call him by his full name when it comes to Mass Effect) once put it. If that’s not enough, you’ll also be interested to know that The Illusive Man will feature a lot more in Mass Effect 3.

Loyalty quests make a return from the previous game and on that subject, let’s talk about Shep’s crew. Garrus, Liara, Kaiden, Ashley and Tali are all still there but there’s also new boy James Vega. BioWare is focussing on having smaller squads though, instead opting to have deeper relationships with everyone. That’s of course a euphemism for ‘you can try your luck with literally any crewmember’ which is actually true.

Now Mass Effect 3 will also feature some good and proper melee which will be specific to each class. For example, Biotic Adept has an area effect attack that stuns crowds. The game will also bring shields into combat along with multi-level combat (although ME 2 already seemed to have that). This means that higher ground is a priority and that you’ll have to get a bit tactical to dispose of shielded enemies.

Don’t worry though because shields will, certainly be the least of your problems given that the new game will have ramped up difficulty over previous titles. This means that players will have to get creative when in a tight combat situation and will likely have to use all the resources available to them. Players will have to make effective use of their squad but also get the most out of their own abilities. It’s a much better approach then the typical idea of difficulty where you simply have to be more cautious and careful.

If you’re intense and opt to play on Hardcore or Insanity difficulty then you will need some real battle tactics to survive. Mass Effect 3 will follow the trend of several games now and ask users to choose how they’d like to experience the game. Players can choose to either play the game in Action Mode, Story Mode or RPG Mode. The first has automatic replies for conversations and normal combat difficulty. Story Mode will have manual replies in conversations and minimal combat difficulty. The last is your typical ME experience with manual conversations and normal combat difficulty.

The game will also feature multiplayer for the first time with up to 4 player co-op. Players can choose from a variety of classes and races and variety will be a good thing as you will have to work with your squad members by combining powers and abilities. The co-op will also have an influence on the single-player and give players an alternate method of doing things.

You’re going to need some serious firepower to cope with this heightened difficulty so thank your stars weapon mods make a return, bigger and better than before. Players will be able to swap out barrels, scopes etc and actually drastically change the appearance and performance of any weapon. There’s a total of 25 weapon mods, 5 per type. All weapons will be available to any class but there will be limited stock to how many each class can carry except for Solider.

If you’re more of a visual person then why not give these gameplay trailers a watch and if my words make absolutely no sense then perhaps you’ll be more partial to a two-part video of the entire Mass Effect 3 demo. Everything about this game spells out Game of the Year material and BioWare rarely disappoints, especially when it comes to Mass Effect.

Name: Binary Domain
Genre: Third-person, squad based shooter
Players: 1
Multiplayer: Yes (versus mode and co-op confirmed)
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Developers: Ryu ga Gotoku Studio
Publishers: SEGA
Release Date: February 24, 2012 (EU, South Africa)

Binary Domain is a title which managed to catch my eye when it was first announced (after all, it isn’t every day that a Japanese developer takes a shot at making the contribution to the shooter genre), but managed to fade into the background on account of Gamepocalypse 2011, meagrely released information, and some seriously lacking marketing.

The most notable aspect of this game’s development is, as I’ve already alluded to, that it is being made by a Japanese developer — a newly formed one, at that, which goes by the name of Ryu ga Gotoku Studio (which will here-on-in be referred to as Goku Studios, ’cause it’s a lot easier to type and sounds really, really cool). When I first heard that a Japanese developer (especially such a newly formed one) was going to try to make an entry into the shooter industry, I must admit that I felt sorry for the poor bastards; they don’t have the experience, the guns (no pun intended) or the marketing necessary to really break into the Western market, let alone compare with the prominent shooter giants of today, and with the East just hating shooters in general, it looked like they were set up to collapse like a flan in a cupboard before they even got started. Given what we’ve seen from them so far, though, I’m inclined to allow the optimist in me to question whether some Asian Persuasion isn’t exactly what we need to revitalise the all-too-stagnant shooter genre.

The first refreshing aspect of this game is that if you choose to pick it up, you won’t be shooting Arabs, Russians or zombies (well, one can never shoot too many zombies, but a bit of variety never did any harm — unless you were allergic to whatever it was that did harm, of course. Then it might). Instead, as if to prove that the Japanese thought that the Sarah Connor Chronicles indicated a shift in focus of popular culture, you’re going to be finding yourself shooting Geth-esque, Japanese (who else?) made robots.

We’re also seeing a radical departure from the popular fixation on the current-day Middle East as a setting, with Goku Studios opting instead to set their game in Tokyo, 68 years from now. As the protagonist, you, along with a bunch of your special forces buddies have been shipped off to the aforementioned Japanese capital by the UN, who’re pretty worried about the sort of threats the Japanese-made AI’s pose to global security. Rightly so, I would assume, otherwise this is going to be one of the most bullet-less shooters I’ll play in a long time.

This brings us nicely along to the main aspect of the game Goku Studios is touting as the area they’re looking to set themselves apart in. According to Toshihiro Nagoshi from SEGA, Western shooters are far too mindlessly action orientated, meaning that very few engaging moments occur in the game, and when they do they usually come in the cut scenes between levels or stages. In order to combat this, the developers are trying to place a lot of emphasis on interaction with your squad, with your decisions and the way you treat them having an impact on their behaviour towards you.

This aspect follows the pretty simple formula of: the nicer you are, the more they’re going to be nice to you, back you up in combat, try to stop you from being shot and all that good stuff. Conversely, if you behave like a pretentious douchebag, there’s going to be a lot less team morale, fewer eager beavers ready with suggestions and a far highly likelihood of them accidentally not shooting the ‘bot ramming his plasma rifle down your throat. One interesting manifestation the system will have is that the way the game plays out will be dependent on how your squad mates feel towards you — depending on how much they do or don’t like you at a given time, they’ll choose whether or not to volunteer ideas they have, changing how you navigate the levels and environments, and also trigger certain events at varying times in the story. One is always afraid that an aspect like this may end up being a simple gimmick, but we can always live in hope that Goku Studios manage to create the depth necessary for it to give the game some semblance of replay value.

The squad itself is a mixture of clichéd and slightly more original characters, all of whom have basic backstories and descriptions, which you can read by clicking here (forgive me — there’s quite a bit). All in all, though, it sounds like it could be a legitimately engaging game, something the shooter genre needs desperately nowadays — let’s just hope the Japs manage to pull this side of it off.

Practically, it sounds like the squad system ought to be pretty well polished — you can issue basic commands, such as telling a certain squad member to move to a certain position, asking for covering fire, etcetera and etcetera, via either conventional push-button commands or through voice prompts via a headset. It certainly is exciting to see such a mechanic being utilised once again in a game — we saw it embraced to varying degrees of efficacy in Tom Clancy’s Endwar — but the question of whether or not they manage to pull off a decent interface remains unanswered.

Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot more to say on broader game mechanics — it sounds a lot like a pretty conventional, Mass Effect-type third-person shooter, with cover and environmental interaction making an appearance. This is really just the sort of thing you cross your fingers and hope Goku Studios manage to not bugger up epically, though — from what little gameplay we’ve seen, we can hope that we’re in good hands.

The last, and possibly least discussed aspect of the game is that of its multiplayer. We don’t know all that much about it just yet, beyond what it will feature. Both versus modes and co-op gameplay have been confirmed.

All in all, Binary Domain is certainly setting itself up as one to watch. If there’s anyone we can trust to pull something off they have no prior experience in, I can almost guarantee you that they’ll be Asian. Luckily for us, the developers are indeed Asian.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more details (you’ll know as soon as we do!) and, if you liked what you heard, start counting down the days until the 24th!

Earlier last week, EA released a demo to their latest shooter Syndicate. A game that is a modern, FPS take on a cherished retro isometric tactical shooter title, Syndicate has already received many criticisms about its Deus Ex like setting, its shift into the FPS realm and more, but these were all made before anyone really had a chance to play the game. Developers Starbreeze Studios are also no strangers to the shooter scene, with stand out titles such as the two Chronicles of Riddick games and The Darkness. With a developer like that behind the wheel, it’s surprising that fans still refused to have faith in the reboot, despite the fact that the original was released decades ago. However, most of us here at the eGamer office played the co-op demo online, and suffice to say, we were pretty impressed.

But let’s just slow down a bit and let everyone catch up. Syndicate is based in the future, around 2069, where corporations all vie for power, and hostile asset takeovers are the norm. In this demo, you and 3 other players take control of four agents who have been sent into a compound in order to assassinate several Generals and, in turn, damage the reputation and share price of a rival corporation. The game’s tagline “Business is War” is evidently fitting, and as soon as you step out of the vehicle you arrive in, you’ll fully realise this new take on the future. The map in question was Western Europe, and is one of the many multiplayer maps that will be available when the game releases. The whole encounter plays out in a kind of “Left4Dead” style, with you and your team mates fighting through numerous hostile sectors and eventually reaching “safe zones” which act as reloading bays and checkpoints. The map in question was designed pretty well, with numerous flanking options and choke points for the A.I to slaughter you in. And boy, given the chance, they’ll do exactly that.

The enemy A.I. in Syndicate seems to be quite brutal. They work well together, usually attacking you in pairs or small groups, making them extremely effective. Syndicate is also quite difficult, and I found attempting to tackle the map with less than the recommended four players led to challenging and almost impossible endeavours. So, in order to take out this opposable force, you’ll need a lot of awesome, futuristic weaponry, right? Well, thankfully, you’ll have enough weapons to satisfy your gunpowder craving hearts, and even in the demo there were more than a few weapons on show. Ranging from powerful shotguns, light sub-machine guns and sniper rifles, each and every weapon feels like it packs a powerful punch behind, although it wouldn’t be apparent to you when you actually shoot enemies. Enemy soldiers don’t really seem to react to your fire, and would rather take an entire magazine to the face instead of running away. Enemies take quite a few bullets to kill, which makes these ammunition sponges all the more pesky to dispatch.

Thankfully, guns and grenades aren’t the only things that make up your arsenal in Syndicate. As you may have heard, agents in Syndicate all come equipped with militarised versions of the game’s neural chip implants. Basically, the world has become so technologically centered, that everyone has neural implants that feed them information about their surroundings, homes, business, news, banking and much more. But how does this translate onto the battlefield. Well, the chip basically makes up your HUD, displaying weapon ammunition, hit indicators, highlighting important equipment and marking threats. Sounding a lot like Deus Ex? That’s okay, because when it comes to the actual gameplay, Syndicate’s use of its “tomorrow” technology is quite different.

First off, every player is able to heal a team mate, regardless of what loadout is picked. What is really handy is the fact that you can heal other players from ridiculously long distances by holding down a single button, even while you’re shooting the head off of another sniper. This really does come in handy in really tight situations, and the way the points system evenly awards points for both healing and shooting keeps players working together effectively. While your health does regenerate over time, teams that constantly watch each others health metres will probably die a lot less, a lesson I had to constant drill into Dean’s head until he finally healed me once in a while. But let’s face it, you’re going to die eventually, and when you do you’ll be forced to walk around, hunched over like you’re from Notre Dame, until another team mate “reboots” you. Basically, until someone gets close enough to revive you, you’re stuck like this, and the “Bash X to move quicker” prompt that pops up really doesn’t make a noticeable difference. In this state, enemies are still free to shoot and completely take you out of the equation until either your entire team dies or they reach the next safe point.

But that’s really the boring part of what this neural implant does. The fun parts come into play when you realise how you can “hack” into enemies’ implants and manipulate them on the fly. This act is called Breaching, and it is the crux of Syndicate’s gameplay. Using various different types of Breach, you are able to open gates that allow you to flank, disable turrets, dud grenades that are tossed at you, disable enemy armor and close enemy attack points. A more direct approach allows you to even cause bullets to explode in enemy’s guns, knocking them back and even instantly killing them. There are also passive abilities that you are able to activate, including shielding or additional damage to your entire team, as well as a universal heal function. Combine all of that with an overlay that allows you to see through walls and more, and you’ve got some explosive gameplay on your hands.

Outside of the battlefield, you are able to upgrade and enhance these abilities through leveling up. While Syndicate may not offer competitive online multiplayer, the developers really did a fine job of making sure that your progress and numerous co-op playthroughs would still reward you. After leveling up, you’re awarded with one chip point, which you can place on a skill tree that enhances your health, regeneration, Breach time and even unlocks additional Breaching capabilities and tiers. When you unlock one of these nodes, you are able to research and develop your current Breach abilities in order to make them stronger or faster, or research completely new ones to add to your arsenal. You are assigned a specific ability depending on what type of loadout you pick, but level up enough and you’ll be able to equip an additional two capabilities to utilise on the battlefield. While I wasn’t able to play enough to reach some of the really interesting ones, the smaller, lighter Tier One applications were still extremely useful and fun to use. The only small problem I have is with weapon customisation and upgrading.

Unlike the Breach chip upgrades, weapon attachments and upgrades are earned through research and development rather than simple leveling up. While other weapons are unlocked through levelling up, the attachments that you are able to equip on them come much more easily. Basically, you’re given a list of weapon specific upgrades that you are able to research, allowing you to tag one for current development and another for pending development, in case you hit mid-match and have already reached your first upgrade. While in research, any points you earn in matches fill up a bar that, when complete, unlocks that certain attachment. However, the bars in question are extremely short, and I found I could easily fully upgrade a certain weapon in less than ten matches. Even less if I played with Adam and Dean, since I was able to rack up a huge score after constantly reviving them. It takes away from the game’s progression, but I’m hoping that when the full game releases that there will be more weapons for me to focus on and really fight for.

Other than that, there is not much else I can really say at this moment about Syndicate. Matchmaking worked smoothly, although I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t able to create a party and then take it online to fill the empty seats. While the maps were well designed, they were also very bland, offering no real visual change through each section, though I’m hoping the other eight co-op maps will each feature varying locales. One thing I can say though is that I’m extremely excited for this game’s launch. No competitive multiplayer could mean that the single-player portion of the game has been given a really good treatment, and after the mass amount of fun I had in co-op, I doubt it will be getting old anytime soon.

Cyberconnect 2 are probably known best for their work on the Naruto games, with their most recent and notable titles being Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm on PlayStation 3 and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox360. If you’re a fan of the anime and games, then you probably know that Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations is coming out in March. But we’re not here to talk about Naruto, as we’re in fact taking a look at Cyberconnect 2′s brand new IP, Asura’s Wrath, which incidentally is also very much like an anime. Right then, let’s check it out.

Name: Asura’s Wrath
Genre: Action, Beat em’ up
Players: 1
Multiplayer: N/A
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
Developers: Cyberconnect 2
Publishers: Capcom
Release Date: 21 February 2012 (NA), 24 February 2012 (EU, SA)

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Asura’s Wrath is its unique concept. By that I mean the game’s universe being a fusion of Asian mythology and sci-fi. You don’t hear that everyday, do you? But it’s definitely intriguing, you have to admit. What’s more so is that since the developers appear to be such big anime lovers, Asura’s Wrath is said to seamlessly blend action and narrative, as well as have each of its chapters play out like an episode of an anime series. Although don’t start thinking cell-shaded now, because that’s not what this is. Now, I’ve played the demo of the game as well as done my research on it, so I’ve gotten a fairly solid idea of what to expect from this title and how it plays, but before we go into all of that business let’s first get into what the game is actually about.

In the game you take on the role of the mighty Asura, who was once a revered general of the Gods. After returning from war, Asura receives a summoning from the Emperor, but arrives to find the big chief murdered. Even worse is that Asura is being accused of the crime. From there he rushes home to his family, only to discover his wife, Durga, dead and his daughter, Mithra, kidnapped. Filled with anger, and realising that the Gods have betrayed him, Asura pursues his former allies in search of Mithra, who the Gods have sealed in a glass capsule. Before he can save his daughter, Asura is thwarted by the God Deus, who confesses to murdering the Emperor so that he can bring about something called “The Great Rebirth”. Asura, weakened from the battle, is thrown into space and finds himself falling down to Earth, swearing to have his revenge. Twelve millenia later, Asura is awakened from his slumber and, consumed with rage and a thirst for vengeance, journeys through Earth unleashing his wrath on the forces of the Gods, fighting to save Mithra from Deus and the Seven Deities, who are his betrayers that now rule over Heaven and have been using Mithra’s magical powers to enhance their own.

Asura’s Wrath is actually a very unique game, based on my short time with it. Yes there are many comparisons currently being made with it and the famous God of War series, mostly because of the game’s premise, but with regards to gameplay they couldn’t be more different. If the two boss fight sections available in the demo are anything to go on, then the game probably isn’t like any other action-filled beat em’ up you’ve played. Whether that’s a good or bad thing depends on you, as well as the final product. However, you can definitely see the anime goodness pouring out of this game, as it’s eccentric in ways only an anime can capture, it’s extremely flashy and over-the-top, there are plenty of rage-filled powering up moments and, of course, there are planet-sized bosses to fight. If all of that is exactly the kind of stuff that gets you going, then this might just be the game that you’re looking for.

The gameplay is really quite diverse, and there are lots of different elements to it. While the game mainly features visually awesome cinematic sequences that you progress through with quick time events, there are other elements incorporated, such as one on one fist fights and high speed rail shooter sections. However, often progressing through the story requires you to build up a Burst meter at the top of the screen through landing successful attacks on your opponents. Once it’s fully charged, you’ll be able to activate the next cinematic sequence. Now, I’m still not completely sold on the quick-time event sections, because even though they’re amazing to look at and the fights I played really flowed fantastically well, there’s only so much appeal you can get from so little input at the end of the day. Hopefully the game can deliver the goods on its other gameplay styles. Seeing as how there’s virtually nothing to explain about quick time events, I’ll move onto the other types of gameplay.

In the demo I was able to play both a shoot em’ up section as well as a one on one fist fight. In the former, the game moves at an exhilarating speed, and you’ll be trading ranged blasts with your enemy. You’ll have access to low damage rapid energy shots, as well as high damage lock-on blasts, where you have to move your aiming reticule over multiple parts of an enemy or over incoming projectiles to guarantee hits and counter attacks. These sections are fairly straightforward and enjoyable due to the simplicity and explosive excitement, but unless there are some mix ups, additional moves or new ways to handle these sections in the game, I can see them growing lackluster after a few repeats. As for the fist fight sections, they’re surprisingly good fun. Instead of homing energy blasts, you’ll get light and heavy attacks, as well as access to jump and evade abilities. You can also use a trigger to power up into hyper mode. The combat system may not be anywhere near deep, but it’s flashy and the fights are set up in an epic enough way that you don’t really end up thinking too much on the combat, but more on the spectacle. And that leads to what is probably my most crucial point about this game.

Asura’s Wrath is a lot about the spectacle and epic-scale battles. It’s definitely not a game that everyone is going to like, but I can’t take anything away from it with regards to it performing as advertised. It’s insane, over-the-top, it’s definitely like an anime and there doesn’t seem to be a dull or mellow moment to this game. It’s completely bonkers. I mean, a chaotic fight on the moon with a guy who has a sword that can extend practically longer than planet Earth? Check. An enemy so gigantic that his finger is as large as an entire planet — and he attempts to crush you with it? Check. A crazy-ass main character who gets the snot kicked out of him but can always bring his monster fury to the battle at the right moments? Check. I can keep going, but I’m sure by now you know exactly what you’re in for. If you’re the right person for this game, then it looks set to entertain you immensely. But if you’re not, then you’ll probably end up finding it utterly ridiculous. Personally? It’s got my attention.

The game’s producer Kazuhiro Tsuchiya had some interesting things to say about the gameplay, for those interested to hear more since there seems to be so little information out on this game right now. And that’s a bit puzzling seeing as how the game is releasing at the end of this month. Perhaps that’s for the best so we can all be pleasantly surprised – or so that we don’t get our hopes up. Either way, Tsuchiya commented on Asura’s combat style in the game, saying: “Unlike most action games where you can level up and acquire new abilities, Asura’s fighting style will change according to the story. Asura’s fighting styles are all predicated from the dramatic story or beats within the game. At certain points in the game, if Asura gets extremely angry, you might see him fight with six arms. At even later points in the game, Asura might get beat down and lose most of his arms.” That last part seems like it will often be the case in the game, because already in the demo Asura gets pretty beat up.

The one thing I can say I absolutely loved about Asura’s Wrath was the amazing soundtrack. At least, the music in the demo was just so awesome, and made the fights seem a lot more epic than they probably were. The voice acting is crazy as you’d expect from something like this, and the English voices aren’t really that bad. It’s definitely cheesy enough though. But there’s too little dialogue in the demo to get a complete opinion on it, but the screaming is certainly working out alright. However, the good news for us anime fans is that the PlayStation 3 version of the game will include the option to choose between the Japanese or English voices. However, it has unfortunately not been confirmed yet whether the Xbox360 version will allow for this option, but I certainly hope so for the sake of those gamers, because the original Japanese voices are usually always the best. Graphically, the game is pretty good, and the style is quite attractive. The character models look great, and the game just looks amazing in motion, especially during the cinematic quick-time events. The environments look a bit bland and uninteresting though, but truthfully too little is shown in the demo to get a full conclusion.

Asura’s Wrath doesn’t look to be a game for everyone. It’s undoubtedly a very unique and bold game, but its apparent high focus on spectacle over depth could potentially be its undoing, or even its success. The game definitely looks to be delivering the goods when it comes to audio, visuals and fluidity, but only time will tell if the game can offer enough variety and exciting gameplay to make it a winner. However, one thing is for sure: Asura’s Wrath definitely performs as advertised.

There have been five main games so far in the Twisted Metal series, of course not counting the two spin-offs in 2001 and 2002, with the most recent title being 2008′s Twisted Metal: Head-On: Extra Twisted Edition, which was a PlayStation 2 port of the 2005 PSP title Twisted Metal: Head On. All titles considered, that makes Twisted Metal (2012) the eighth entry in the franchise, and marks the series’ first appearance on next-gen consoles. So, what exactly are we in for? Let’s take a look.

Name: Twisted Metal
Genre: Action, Vehicle Combat
Players: 1
Multiplayer: Offline and online split-screen (4 players), Competitive (16 players)
Platforms: PS3 Exclusive
Developers: Eat Sleep Play
Publishers: Sony Computer Entertainment
Release Date: 14 February 2012 (NA), 17 February 2012 (EU, SA)

The game was originally meant to release in October 2011, but was delayed to February 14, 2012 so that it could receive more polish and be “the best Twisted Metal game ever made”, according to developer Eat Sleep Play co-founder David Jaffe. This will be the series’ first appearance on next-gen consoles after all, and fans have huge expectations of it. According to Jaffe, when it comes to story the game will stick to its original concept, where players will compete in Calypso’s Twisted Metal Tournament in order to win and earn their prize. You’ll get to choose which character you want to play the story mode with and, while there won’t be many choices, the available characters will have the option of faction gameplay online. The characters that will be included are Sweet Tooth (The Clowns), Dollface (The Dolls), Mr. Grimm (The Skulls) and the Preacher (The Holy Men), and these make up four factions in the game. Each character can use any vehicle, and each of them will have three different endings to their storylines depending on action taken in the game and the difficulty setting.

However, Twisted Metal’s main attraction is most definitely not the single-player component, as its always been heavily focused on its crazy multiplayer. It’s all about over-the-top vehicle combat, and the game aims to outdo everything the series has done in the past. With regards to content, in addition to the single-player modes, you’ll be able to play split-screen both offline and online with up to 4 players, as well as head into competitive multiplayer with up to 16 players through PlayStation Network. With a variety of game modes including series’ classics as well as completely new ones, and the promise of being able to unleash massive amounts of destruction in brand new, never before seen Twisted levels, this looks to be gearing up to be a winner, and an early triumph for the PlayStation 3 this year.

Twisted Metal isn’t just about whacky fun though, as it’s actually also a strategic game. And there are plenty of new features on offer that look set to evolve the game’s scope beyond its predecessors and change the way it’s played. For starters, there will be over a dozen Twisted vehicles to choose from, and each of them will come equipped with kick-ass weapons to brutally and tactically take apart your enemies, as well as two special abilities unique to each vehicle. While the game will feature many returning vehicles from previous titles, there will also be a lot of new ones to choose from, such as the Death Warrant, which is a 2005-2009 Ford Mustang, the Road Boat, which is an armored 60′s Cadillac sedan, the Vermin, which is a rodent catcher van, and some other fun cars like the Juggernaut, Kamikaze and Meat Wagon. On top of this, the game will feature aerial combat, which is significant because flight is actually a first for the series. Examples of this would be in some of the game’s new vehicles, like the Talon, which is a helicopter equipped with a minigun turret, and a custom chopper dubbed the Reaper. Oh, and don’t worry, Motorbikes are still here, so there’s lots to smile about.

The staple gameplay has players speed around in vehicles, armed to the teeth with explosive weaponry, attempting to obliterate their enemies. However, variety is key to the experience, and it won’t only come from the environments, weapons and vehicles, but also from the various game modes, which offer some exciting twists. You’ll get your standard Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes, and then you’ll also get modes like Race, where players must get to checkpoints as fast as they can, Endurance, in which players must survive against respawning enemies until death, Team Hunted, where a player on each team is chosen as the Hunted and will be a target to everyone on the opposing team, and Last Man Standing, where each player has a specific amount of lives and the last surviving player is deemed the winner. There’s also a new online game mode called Nuke Mode, in which each faction has a giant airborne statue that the opposing team must try to destroy. It’s rather interesting because in order to destroy the statues, players must kidnap the enemy team’s leader, and sacrifice that player to a missile launcher to launch a nuke. The player who conducted the sacrifice must control the nuclear missile and guide it to the opposing team’s statue in the air. To win, this process has to be completed three times.

In the game each faction will have different campaigns. But it’s not something to jump for joy over really, because players will basically just get different mix ups of missions depending on their choice of faction. For example, the clowns may start off the game with a deathmatch, while the skulls could have an endurance challenge in the first level. However, it’s been said that each faction will have their own things to do in their story, in order to avoid repetitiveness. If you’re one for achievements or generally just a proud individual, you may be happy to know that each level in the game will have three collectable medals, namely bronze, silver, and gold, as you’d expect. There is solid incentive to earn these medals though, as they will lead to unlocks such as skins, side arms, and even secret characters. On that note, as was seen in the Comic-Con presentation by director David Jaffe and producer Scott Campbell, the game will have a custom paint shop to change the appearance of your vehicles.

When it comes to firepower, players will have a complete and creative arsenal of weapons at their disposal, ranging from missiles and miniguns to giant magnets, Napalm, bombs and – no jokes – flying mascots. New weapons added to the game include the Sniper Rifle and Shotgun, which will be able to do high damage to enemy players if aimed at their vehicle’s windshield. In the game you’ll have access to primary weapons and side-arms. The former are in limited supply, while the latter don’t run out of ammo, but have various pros and cons depending on your choice of weapon in this category. You’ll get to choose side-arms like the Mounted Gun, Submachine Gun, 12 Ga. Shotgun, Rockets, Magnum Revolver or Laser Pistol. Additionally, as previously mentioned, vehicles will also have innate abilities, like perks, as well as advanced attacks and special abilities, such as EMP missiles, shields, mines, rear fire, jump, transformations and more. There’s definitely no shortage of variety in this regard. And the cherry on top is that the game’s levels are fully destructible, allowing players to alter the battlefield.

From what I’ve seen so far, there’s a healthy variety in the game’s stages. For some examples, there’s the Blackrock Stadium, which is an arena, based on a level from Twisted Metal 2, that features lava pits and an overhead track. Then there’s Metro Square, which is a Christmas-themed town square that features Times Square and the Museum of Natural History as landmarks. A nostalgic battleground would be the Los Angeles Skyline, as it combines Twisted Metal rooftop levels from the early games in the series. Then there’s Sunsprings, California, which features as a suburban town that has places like a school, a movie theater and a downtown area to wreak havoc in. Other confirmed maps include Diesel City, Watkyn’s Harbor, Diablo Pass and the classic Adventure Park, which features interactive environments and open design. The game certainly has plenty of diversity when it comes to its maps.

Extra information that may prove useful to you would be that the game will unfortunately make use of the infamous online pass system for access to its mutliplayer features, so without that you’d be missing out on what the experience is all about. On a lighter note, those who pre-order the Limited Edition of Twisted Metal will receive a voucher to download Twisted Metal: Black for free from PlayStation Network. So basically, buy it new and early for the highest reward. Still, I have to say that the more I see this game the more awesome it looks, and it’s really tempting to pre-order it, especially since you can get it brand new for a pleasantly surprising R400, which is an excellent price.

Twisted Metal is shaping up to be a fantastic start to the PlayStation 3′s exclusive line-up. It has great potential, looks hellishly fun and comes with a very reasonable asking price. If you’re in search of something whacky, exciting and multiplayer-focused, then this could turn out to be exactly what you’re looking for. The game will be released exclusively on PlayStation 3 on February 14 in North America, and on February 17 in Europe and here in South Africa. Let’s hope it seriously kicks ass.

Name: Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Genre: Action RPG, Open World
Players: 1
Multiplayer: None
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3 & PC
Developers: 38 Studios, Big Head Games
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Release Date: 10 February

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is regarded as the next open world RPG challenger to the Elder Scrolls throne and is set to head squarely against the hit game Skyrim. Last week the game received a notable amount of attention due to a cross-franchise promotion with Mass Effect 3 where items related to both games can be unlocked in the respective demos. As is the case, I downloaded the demo and was surprisingly enthralled by the hands-on experience and first glance I got of the world of Amalur in the demo.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning has been developed by two relatively unknown studios: 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. But the staff on board is what really made the demo shine with art direction from Todd McFarlane (the creator of Spawn), written lore provided by R.A. Salvatore (with novels in the Forgotten Realms series) a well known stalwart of the fantasy genre and Ken Rolston involved in the development of both Morrowind and Oblivion. You already can see that Kingdoms Of Amalur might indeed be a unique experience.

The demo was released last week and after playing it through a few times I came back from the experience increasingly more intrigued by the world crafted by the developers. The story of Kingdoms Of Amalur is set in the fantasy world of Amalur where a faction of creatures called the Tuatha Deohn, originally part of the Winter Fae (mystical creatures of Amalur lore) have turned on their own kind in the pursuit of world magical domination. They are led by a charismatic Fae known as Gladflow who opposes the peaceful ways of the other Fae. Be it of the fantasy genre, Gladflow decides to rage war on all of the other races of Amalur. This includes elves, gnomes and humans to list a few. As war rages between the kingdoms of men and the Fae a prophecy is born that one who is reborn from the Well of Souls following death will rise to face Gladflow’s onslaught. One with a blank destiny and no true fate to his or her name, and that’s where the player fits in and the demo takes you into a tutorial mode just after your awakening.

You awaken amongst a pile of corpses and it’s truly the first time that you get a glimpse of the world of Amalur which is undeniably different to that of Skyrim in every single conceivable way, and I found this refreshing. First off, Kingdoms of Amalur is a third person open world RPG which suits the combat system and overall RPG scheme incredibly well. The art style of the game is decidedly cartoonish and the comic style is so persistently ‘McFarlane’ that the game already has a discernible identity aesthetically. The game has a colourful comic book feel which adds to the overall atmosphere that persists throughout the demo. The interface of the game gives Kingdoms Of Amalur a feeling of being an MMORPG, which it was originally intended to be. Yet the demo does a good job of a giving you an idea of the overall experience of the game. So in the first dungeon you’re dumped into you are introduced to some of the game’s basic gameplay concepts.

Firstly, you are allowed to get to grips with the combat and the excessively sensitive camera which from my experience on the PC demo needed to be lowered. In the first dungeon of the demo, many of the core combat concepts are introduced involving various weapons available to you in Kingdoms of Amalur. Mainly, a sword, daggers and long bow, and each weapon is utilised for a distinctive tactic within the game to suit a variety of approaches to battle. In the demo, the first weapon you come across is a sword. The sword forms part of the introduction to the hack and slash combat of the game. The combat itself is in the vein of God Of War, Devil May Cry and Bayonetta.

This type of combat allows the player to potentially execute many different combos which livens up the often stale RPG combat we’ve become accustomed to in other games. You can block, parry and thwart enemy attacks from a number of different avenues and with the aid of quicktime events slaughtering enemies has never been so fun. You can also collect gold and weapons, and armour from chests by slashing through miscellaneous boxes and items. The menu interface especially the inventory is pretty well designed and offers enough comparative information about weapons, armour and consumable items. This give you enough information in order to make an educated guess about why type of playing style would suit you in the game when it’s fully released.

After being introduced to the sword and defeating an army of Tuatha you encounter a bow. The bow is used for longer range combat meaning you can take out enemies swiftly and without the brutal closeness of a sword, and another weapon introduced in the tutorial was daggers. Daggers were of course Alessandro’s favourite weapon as sneaking around the dungeon was one of the many ways to approach enemies. Once more, if you got close enough to enemies without their eye icons lighting up whilst you’re sneaking you could execute an assassination move which was bloody terrific. With a lot of emphasis on the ‘bloody’ part of the assassination moves you can perform. The mage’s staff is the last weapon introduced to you in the tutorial dungeon. It basically allows you to shoot torrents of fire at spiders as you try and cross some catacombs, and dodge their poisonous attacks. After making it through, and finally reaching a gnome, named Hugues, who has possible answers to your prophetic purpose your chat is cut short.

You evacuate the recesses of the dungeon and are greeted by the colourful world of Amalur, and after a brief exploration of the area a circle on your mini-map pulses indicating a mission objective. This is where you meet Agarth one of the Fateweavers who can foretell the path of a hero’s fate. It ends up that you have no fate. After hearing that you have no destiny some Tuatha decide to attack. It is during this attack that you are introduced to the game’s tagline Reckoning mode which is initiated after you collect enough purple energy from defeated enemies.

In Reckoning mode, you are extremely fast and can instantaneously decide the ‘fates’ of your enemies. In turn, this means you can execute enemies with the precision of a katana decapitating a flower with added blood spurts for effect. Each of your quicktime executions in Reckoning mode depends on the primary weapon you’re carrying. So you can have incredible fun with it. Following this, you have 45 minutes or so to explore the world around you and finish a couple of side quests, while getting a feel for the overall game. Or just follow Dean’s cue and proceed to try and kill all the townsfolk. This ended up not being such a good decision on Dean’s part.

From this point, you are properly given a chance to explore the core RPG elements of the game and “destiny” system unique to Kingdoms Of Amalur. The “destiny” system allows you to pick and choose from a number of different tier-based destinies which you can select to suit you as you play the game. Different selections bestow specific benefits upon the player. For example if you want to be a battle mage you can pick a destiny in the might and sorcery category, but if you prefer to be a mage assassin you could choose a destiny in the finesse and sorcery category.

The options are truly endless. Add to this, the other RPG elements like lock picking, sneaking, levelling up, advanced skill trees, a variety of different abilities, unique character development and the game is set to be quite the challenger to the Elder Scrolls throne. Here at eGamer, we’re all looking forward to it.

Developed by Runic Games, former founders of Blizzard North, Torchlight 2, like its recent prequel Torchlight 1, is rather predictably an isometric RPG. As equally predictable however, and as you’d imagine from the former members of Blizzard North, Torchlight is a gem of an RPG experience and easily rivals the greats like Diablo. In fact, Torchlight can very much be likened to a new and improved Diablo for the modern age. Its only shortcoming was the absence of a multiplayer component, though the game was awesome without it. Despite this however, Torchlight 2 is on its way and this time its packing multiplayer.

Name: Torchlight 2
Genre: Isometric RPG
Multiplayer: Yes
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360
Developers: Runic Games
Publishers: Perfect World
Release Date: Early 2012 (Pending Confirmation)

Except for a few gameplay videos and slide presentations, there’s not much to go by with Torchlight 2. In fact, much of Torchlight 2’s pre-release marketing campaign has been focused on selling the idea that Torchlight 2, in comparison to Torchlight 1, is an improvement in every conceivable facet as well as the all important addition of multiplayer. Just in case you’re not familiar with Torchlight 1, and seeing as explaining it is the best way of making you aware of what Torchlight 2 has to offer, here is a brief account. Torchlight was by all accounts a clone to Diablo 1 and massive improvement of a similar RPG called Fate. What made Torchlight different was in the details and it was more a modern interpretation and thorough improvement than a unique game in itself.

As such, there were three classes, skill trees and a single town on top of the mine (not church) you had to descend. On top of these things there was a pet system. The pet system granted you a permanent companion, either cat or dog, that was capable of carrying additional loot for the player. What’s more was the pet’s ability to independently travel to town with said loot, sell it and return back to the player with your profits in paw. Of course your pet was able to fight by your side and made an effective team mate in tough situations. There was also a fishing mechanic which unsurprisingly allowed you to catch all manner of fish types that, and when fed to your pet, would transform said pet into a number of creatures with useful support, defensive or offensive abilities. The other great mechanic was the addition of portals that transported the player to limited level dungeons that would end in experience and well, more loot. It was a clever way of increasing play time and giving more ways of raiding for loot without having to do the same levels of the mine over and over again. There were a few other things but suffice it to say, Torchlight was an awesome little RPG.

Torchlight 2 is offering the same kinds of mechanics, but expands on classes, the size of the world, multiplayer and making it all-in-all more like Diablo 2 than Diablo 1. I like to think of Torchlight 2 as continuing the fine trend of recreating a Diablo experience with modern gaming technology and will be a brilliant addition to this year’s Diablo 3 release.

Speaking of new additions, the classes will include the Engineer, a steampunk inspired technological character sporting a heavy melee; the Outlander, a light magic wielder and overall ranged wanderer; the Beserker, a fast striking warrior using animal-themed powers to overwhelm and batter enemies; and finally, the Embermage, a highly powerful elemental mage. The other addition is much larger and better randomly generated areas which promise more variety; so from deserts to forests, Torchlight 2 is going far beyond traversing a dingy mine. What we’re not too sure about right now is the exact details of the multiplayer component of Torchlight 2; though, and like everything else, Runic Games is keeping it hush. What we do know is its co-op based and will include, thank god, LAN support. And while there’s no confirmation of what the player limit is, Runic Games seems to think round about 4 players is best per game.

The other aspect about Torchlight was its modability. This meant there were all kinds of downloadable graphical mods as well as new classes, spells and monsters to combat. All of this will be returning to Torchlight 2 and should make for an even better experience.

For some the news that Torchlight is more a Diablo clone creates a bit of a sore spot and so they refuse to play it. I don’t quite get it myself because Torchlight had enough variation and polish to make it a better game than Diablo, clone or not. I know huge fans of the isometric RPG, like Diablo and Titan Quest, and believe me when I say they might be more excited for Torchlight 2 than Diablo 3. Take that with a pinch or perhaps a mountain of salt but let that seep in. At the end of the day there really isn’t any reason not to get both, I know I am.

There are tales that speak of monsters and evil creatures in a land that is different from our own, a world where a simple venture outside could prove a dangerous and lethal activity. When your very way of life is in jeopardy as a result, it’s time to call in the professionals; the witchers.

Charged with the protection of humans, elves and dwarves, witchers are self-mutated humans who kill monsters for a price, effectively safeguarding and protecting towns and villages. However in recent times because of the downfall of their home, witchers have become glorified bounty hunters.

Geralt of Rivia is one of the last few remaining witchers in the fantasy land of Temeria. This is his story.

Name: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Genre: Role Playing Game
Players: 1
Multiplayer: None
Platforms: Xbox 360
Developers: CD Projekt RED
Publishers: Namco Bandai
Release Date: February 2012 (Pending confirmation)

I thought it would be apt to do a preview on The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, from here on sans extended title, since it is releasing for Xbox 360 next month and there have been enough significant changes from the original version that released on PC to justify getting excited over it.

With that taken care of, the next order of business is the sequel nature of the game. Like Mass Effect 2 on PS3, where the previous game in the series was entirely missing in action and so replaced by an interactive comic to fill in the blanks, the first game in the Witcher series has no console version but will not be accounted for in any way, shape or form. Unlike Mass Effect 2 on PS3 however, the first Witcher game is entirely irrelevant to the second.

The first Witcher bears resemblance to the sequel insofar as the world and lore upon which the games are based, the main character upon which the story is based and the genre upon which the series is based. So basically, only the good bits.

The Witcher 2 boasts an entirely new game engine that has only Battlefield 3 with its Frostbite 2 engine as competition, albeit for PC. It is the same engine that will be utilised in the console version, and judging from all that has been seen so far, they’ve shirked on very little to get it running at a playable rate. It’s truly something to look forward to, for Xbox 360 gamers who enjoy graphics and visuals on their now extremely dated hardware.

The game’s engine also allows for an entirely new and streamlined combat system that focuses more on the action elements of a game that is played from the third person perspective. No more of that tedious clicking at the right time so Geralt can do some dance on your screen, like in the first game (for those who’ve played it). This time around, Geralt is a right and proper warrior who, although still enjoys the odd barrel roll here and there, controls very much like an elite soldier with a sword. Two swords, actually.

All of that is good and well, but everyone knows that an RPG is all about the story that the game tells, and how immersive your experience will be once you give it a go.

Once again, you are Geralt of Rivia, a witcher who is under the employ of a king during a time of war between capitals in the fantasy land of Temeria. As a witcher, he is charged with protecting his employer from any and all monsters, creatures and even humans if they so dared to challenge him. To add to his troubles, Geralt is suffering from amnesia and has huge gaps in his memory that he and Triss Merigold, a red-headed mage whom he is in a relationship with, must fill.

Before he can do so, however, tragedy and controversy strikes as he is framed for the murder of the king he was charged to protect, effectively being labelled as not only a kingslayer, but an enemy of the state, together with his mage girlfriend. Held captive for the crime by Vernon Roche, the head of his Majesty’s secret service, Geralt eventually convinces his captor to free him so that together they may find the true kingslayer and bring him to justice, thereby clearing Geralt’s name.

What follows is a story of intrigue and politically charged controversy as Geralt’s endeavours find him in the company of rich and powerful parties; other kings of the land, sorcerers, mages, rebel leaders and other witchers.

To call the story of The Witcher 2 a compelling and fulfilling experience would be the understatement of the year, and this in a year when people are clamouring over the untimely demise of humanity amongst other things. It is mature beyond words, and there are adult themes in play that have truly set it apart from other games in the genre.

Last year, we gave the PC version of the game Best Story in our eGamer Awards, and it is exactly that story that has been carried through to the Xbox 360 version of the game.

Better yet, all of the updates that were brought to the PC version of the game will be carried through as well, so you can expect the slightly newer Dark difficulty as well as the tutorial sections and re-worked inventory system for easier navigation using your standard Xbox 360 controller.

The standard Xbox 360 controller in fact, is far more suited to the style of play that is on show in The Witcher 2. Geralt is quick, nimble and handles very much like a character from various other third person action titles that involve swordplay, but with a twist of RPG flair with potions, traps, skills and attribute points affecting the outcome of battles more so than simple combat acumen.

What’s even better is that because you’re playing on an Xbox 360, you finally get Achievements! Okay, I had to add that bit in, because it’s important to achievement whores like myself.

The Witcher 2 has sixteen different endings to the story, in total. Entire sequences of the game play out differently based on your choices prior to those points. The game reeks of replayability, especially when you factor in that as Geralt, you may opt to focus on either combat, powers or mutant abilities.

As well as warriors, witchers are able users of magic, and have their own set of powers and spells available to them. They also use two types of swords, one for human enemies and one for monsters. Finally, their many years of intense training have mutated and warped their bodies until their eyes turned wolf-like and in Geralt’s case, hair lost all colour. It’s for that reason that he is dubbed The White Wolf, by those who revere his name.

The final point that bears mention is that The Witcher 2 is a difficult game. Brutally so. Unlike many other RPGs where playing on the normal difficulty setting is enough for a game with some challenge but not that much, where you could get away with minor indulgence in the game’s other various means to damage, heal (potions, spells, traps, etc.) or otherwise, in The Witcher 2, if you don’t utilise every possible item in your inventory, you will fail miserably. Even on normal difficulty. It is tough as steel nails. Granted it’s no Dark Souls, but there are points where the games are on parallel in terms of difficulty.

So with all of that said, if you are a fan of intriguingly intricate, mature plotlines that branch out depending on your choices, with none of that morality garbage that plagues other RPGs, you really need to look out for this game. If you are a fan of games with tough but fair combat, where you need to explore every avenue of your character’s arsenal in order to emerge victorious, you really need to look out for this game. If you like digital renditions of sexual encounters with females, you really need to look out for this game. Are you excited yet?

Just over two years ago, something phenomenal happened in the gaming industry. A game was released, that carried one of the most recognised comic book licenses, and it did not suck balls. Batman: Arkham Asylum was living, breathing proof that an official license could go hand in hand with an equally kick-ass videogame. Now we are just under a month away from the release of the anticipated sequel, which is set to blow us all away again as we tackle the dangers that Hugo Strange has in store for us. Arkham City’s doors are now open.

Name: Batman: Arkham City

Genre: Action-Adventure/Stealth

Multiplayer: N/A

Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3 and PC

Developers: Rocksteady Studios

Publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Release Date: 26th October (Xbox 360 and PS3), 11th November (PC)

So, we step back into the shoes of the famous Caped Crusader about a year after the end of Arkham Asylum. Former Asylum Warden, Quincy Sharp, has taken all the credit for stopping the Joker, and has used this new notoriety to become Mayor of Gotham City. With the massive increase in criminal activity, neither Arkham Asylum nor Blackgate Prison is able to contain the large number of inmates. Mayor Sharp decides to buy out a large portion of Gotham’s slums, setting up a perimeter with private military contractors from a group called Tyger, and allowing inmates to roam free within its walls. Arkham City has been established. In order to deal with both Arkham and Gotham City, Quincy Sharp enlists the help of Hgo Strange, who has his own secret agenda for the criminal infested city. Batman has been keeping a close eye on the cornered off city, worrying that things might get out of hand.

The game kicks off with Two-Face, seeking to gain some fame among the inmates of Arkham City, attempts to hold a public execution of Catwoman, who has used the new inmate litter city to continue her spree of criminal activity, and is targeting Two-Face for reasons yet unknown. For those of you who played the code at rAge, this is exactly where the demo started. Batman is then forced to finally intervene in the events unfolding in Arkham City, involving him in a plot that threatens the whole of Gotham City. Speaking with Paul Crocker, Lead Narrative Designer on Arkham City, at rAge, he stated that “You’re trying to find out the mysteries behind Arkham City, behind what is going on, all while Batman is being put through an emotional rollercoaster.”

Batman: Arkham City is set to once again blow away gamers, with its mix of comic book flair and dark storyline. With Rocksteady now branching out and creating their own Batman universe, the possibilities are endless, and fans of the Caped Crusader should be excited to see in which direction Rocksteady take their favourite characters. Unlike Arkham Asylum, Arkham City is an open-world game, with the cornered off part of the city being around five times larger than that of Arkham Island. When designing the city, developers stated that it was never their goal to create the biggest city ever, but rather one of the most detailed. The slums of Arkham City are thriving with activity, and players will be handsomely rewarded for exploring as much as they can. Enemies constantly roam the streets, allowing you to dive in and beat some faces whenever you like, and even listening to their conversations can reveal more about your hostile surroundings.

As for the cast, well it’s just a party in Arkham City. In one corner we have Batman (Kevin Conroy), Alfred Pennyworth, Oracle and Commissioner Gordon. In the other corner there is Hugo Strange, Joker (Mark Hamill a.k.a the real Joker in disguise), Two-Face, The Riddler, Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Penguin, Solomon Grundy, Zsasz, Bane, Calendar Man and Deadshot. And then, somewhere in the middle Rocksteady drops in Catwoman, Talia Al Ghul, Quincy Sharp and Jack Ryder. Now, if that is not a fully fleshed out cast of characters, then I don’t know what is. Some might be wondering, “With all those characters, there is no way the story can tie them in altogether seamlessly.” Well, we can’t know for sure yet, but considering that the main story can last up to 25 hours, I’m willing to bet that Rocksteady found a way for it all to work. Not all the villains will be part of the main story arc though, with some only appearing in side-quests, such as Calendar Man and Zsasz.

With such a big city at your disposal, you would hope that Batman could move nimbly from rooftop to rooftop. Well, without the constraints present in Arkham Asylum, you are now able to soar above Arkham City, using your cape to fly from the highest rooftops to the slums below. Batman is able to dive down and initiate combos straight from the air, allowing you to seamlessly transition from flight into taking down thugs. The Freeflow system of combat that was made famous in Arkham Asylum is back and better than ever. All the things you loved about it are back, such as multiple and simultaneous counters, the ability to counter thrown objects, jump attacks, multi-strike beat downs and the ability to use the batclaw and batrangs to chain together combos. The ability to use gadgets such as the Explosive Gel and line launcher make their debut in Freeflow, allowing you to add further variance your bad guy beat downs.

Speaking of gadgets, you’ll be glad to hear that all your gadgets that you found in Arkham Asylum will be available to you from the start of Arkham City. That’s right, Batman remembers where he leaves his toys when he’s not using them, so there will be no need to collect all of them again. The only gadgets that Batman seemed to have misplaced are the Ultra Batclaw, but don’t worry too much, it has been replaced by the standard Batclaw and Sonic Batrangs. Most of them have improved or new capabilities; for example, the Cryptographic Sequencer can also track signals, the line launcher now has a feature that allows Batman to flip over and launch another zipline perpendicularly across, switching directions, the remote control Batarang now has a built in brake and boost, and the grappling gun can now be used while gliding to boost Batman further up into the air. But let’s face it, you want to hear about all the news toys that Batman will get, right?

Well, you’re in luck, because there are three new gadgets that will be making their debut. Firstly we have smoke pellets, used to confuse armed enemies when spotted by them. Next up is the Remote Electrical Charge which is a sniper-like taser gun used to power generators and shock enemies. And lastly we have ice grenades, which can be used to freeze enemies and make pathways through water. The highly useful, yet controversial “Detective Mode” is back, but it has seen a few changes to stop players from keeping it on the entire game, as was the case in Arkham Asylum. Instead of being a “See through everything, everywhere” tool, Batman will now only be able to see through objects that he is looking directly at, while the rest of the world around him is blurred and slightly obscured. The Detective Vision also allows you to perform advanced detective techniques, such as tracing the path of a fored sniper round.

Riddler challenges and trophies are back and better than ever. Seems like Rocksteady didn’t think that the ones in the first one were challenging enough, and that there were way to little. So, instead of the 64 or so challenges present in Arkham Asylum, Arkham City will boast over 400 unique trophies and challenges for you to wrap your head around. Batman will also need to interrogate thugs loyal to The Riddler and use all his gadgets in order to solve some of The Riddler’s puzzles. After collecting a few, The Riddler will summon Batman to a Riddler Room, where the fate of an Arkham guard or innocent civilian will rest in Batman’s hands, as he attempts to solve the room’s riddle before it’s too late. Another much wanted addition is the chance to finally go toe-to-toe with The Riddler after you have completed his challenges, allowing you to punch his face repeatedly as punishment for littering Gotham with his trophies.

So, basically, Rocksteady have taken everything that was awesome in Arkham Asylum, given it a good polish and added a few extra’s, and expanded our playground. Challenge maps and additional character skin unlocks should keep people playing after the credits have rolled, and the chance to play certain sections of the narrative with Catwoman is sure to please most people. Batman: Arkham City is a fine example of “If it isn’t broken, why fix it?”, and I can certainly say that it does feel familiar after playing it at rAge, which isn’t bad at all. Arkham City awaits us all at the end of the month. Are you ready?

Might and Magic Heroes VI is the latest addition to the Might and Magic series, being developed by Black Hole Entertainment. The singleplayer takes place 400 years or so before the events of Heroes V, and so far it’s looking pretty damn mediocre.

Name: Might and Magic Heroes VI
Genre: Turn-Based Strategy Game
Players: 1-6
Multiplayer: Skirmish vs AI, up to 6 player free-for-all or team-based multiplayer
Platforms: PC exclusive
Developers: Black Hole Entertainment
Publishers: Ubisoft
Release Date: 11 October

Even though I haven’t been with eGamer for very long, I managed to pick up on the fact that I am, to my knowledge, the only author too cheap to own a console. When confronted with this realisation, I did what any other self-respecting gaming author would do in my position, and declared myself the unofficially official PC exclusive previewer and reviewer. Dean and Caveshen were probably too busy playing with analogue sticks (or doing whatever the hell it is that consoletards do in their free time) to internalise the magnitude of the proclamation I had just made, but whatever. It’s working for me so far.

My first duty as the self-proclaimed PC exclusive previewer and reviewer is to preview the upcoming next instalment of the Might and Magic series, Heroes VI (or 6, for those who don’t care all that much for douche Roman numerals).

Being a relatively new kid on the gaming block, I’d never seen or heard of the Might and Magic Heroes series before this, so I used my Google-Fu and this is what I managed to uncover:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MightandMagicHeroes

Nah, I kid, I’m not that lazy.

Basically, the Might and Magic Heroes series is a bunch of turn-based strategy games, or TBSG’s, for those fans who like to take their favoured genre a tad too seriously. What this means is that each player participating in the game (be they AIs from the skirmish or the singleplayer, or real-life humans via the multiplayer) gets a turn in which they can do a number of things. Turns are played out over the course of one in-game day, so once you’re done moving your hero around and managing your towns you hit the ‘End Turn’ button, which lets all of the other players have their turns, before it progresses to the next day and the process is repeated.

Believe it or not, there are seven days in a week, and once seven days (or rounds of turns) have passed, it becomes the next week. Crazy, I know. The reason I’m telling you this is that each week brings with it a nifty name and either a witty caption or an in-game benefit. I particularly enjoy the weeks with witty captions, not just because the benefits never seem to affect me, but also because quite a few of them are actually pretty damn funny. My personal favourite from the wittier side of things would have to be:

“Week of the Beaver – Not a good week to be a tree.”

On the other hand, an example of a more serious week which provides a benefit would be:

“Week of Blood – All spells from the Blood subschool do an extra 15% of damage.”

Such benefits are an interesting innovation, providing subtle changes to the face of the game to avoid stagnation and keep things interesting. Not to mention giving the AI new and interesting ways to screw me over sideways in the demo.

Anyways, let’s talk some more about exactly what we can do in a turn.

First and foremost, we’re able to move our hero.

Each hero gets a certain amount of movement points (think ‘steps’ but with a catchy name that makes them sound far more desirable), which determine the total distance they can move in any given turn. Using those movement points, they can run around the map collecting conveniently placed piles of resources (wood, ore, crystal and gold), starting fights with the locals (which range from griffons to skeletons, hellhounds and Pit Lords) and claiming resource production facilities, which provide a constant daily income of resources.

Beyond that, there is also the town management/upgrade system to worry about. This is where you spend your hard earned picked up resources to buy buildings or upgrades, which provide either more troop types, increases in daily gold income or other unique bonuses, town-defense abilities and so on and so forth. Also available are buildings which will grant you the ability to purchase additional heroes, though you’ll probably just use them to ferry the troops trained at your town to your main hero, while he goes about his manly main hero-ish duties. He’s probably also the unlucky bastard you’ll send running around the map trying to find out where exactly the enemy heroes are. Sucks to be him!

When your secondary hero finally does get what’s coming to him (a good old pimp-slap in the face from the level 8 Necromancer Lord with the three-hundred strong army of skeletons and other dead things, that is), revenge is the only option before you. Besides ragequitting, of course, but as strategies go that one isn’t too viable.

When you choose to take the option of revenge, combat naturally ensues. So we’re going to talk about the combat system now.

Once your hero finishes offloading their army from the inter-dimensional portal he keeps in his pocket (well, that’s where I assume they come from, ’cause there aren’t hundreds of troops following your hero around the map until the combat), they and the enemy line up and throw axes at one another’s heads. Those who duck the fastest are placed high in the initiative order, while those who duck slower are placed lower on the initiative order. Those who don’t duck at all are written off as collateral damage. Once again, I’m just assuming here, but it sounds pretty plausible to me.

Basically, the combat is also turned based, with the creatures taking turns to hit each other in order of initiative from highest to lowest.

Combat can either be played manually, so that the player can attempt to minimise their losses, or they can enable a “Quick Combat” option, which means that the AI estimates the outcome of the combat and your losses, and saves you a lot of time in the process. The AI is pretty darn fair when it comes to this, and should you be unsatisfied with it, there is an option to play the combat manually even after the AI gives you the estimated results.

What you will probably end up doing, and what I suggest is playing the first few games manually to get a feel for the system and just to enjoy the combat – which is really well done, just by the way. In terms of graphics, interface and general funtasticness. Once the initial experience of combat has worn off, however, you’re going to want to become a lot more time-efficient, which is when you’ll probably want to enable quick combat.

Overall, what really shined in terms of the gameplay, both in terms of combat and general exploration, town and hero management and what-not, was the interface. I was really blown away at how simple, intuitive, user-friendly and full of little pieces of goodness which just made your experience that much more convenient it was.

The main pitfall I foresee in terms of the gameplay is the sheer monotony is has the potential to create. So far, it seems like a very straight-forward, formulaic game, in which you are far more likely to win because your opponent was one step short of killing you every turn until you managed to get back to your town than because of sneaky any sneaky shenanigans you might pull off.

I didn’t get much chance to play through a significant amount of the singleplayer, but it seems as if the game may well suffer from the issue of becoming boring after the opening, drama and story-intensive stages of a level.

One tactic Black Hole are employing to combat the issue of mid-level boredom and monotony are voice-overs of conversations (with dialog boxes, too) between the character’s hero and some other relevant NPC when the player comes across a point or object of interest. The voice acting in terms of this is very well done, and from what I heard, the voices really do manage to add to the overall fantasy setting being crafted by Black Hole.

I enjoyed the voice-over conversations, and really do hope that Black Hole manages to use them properly to combat boredom and add depth to the levels and story as a whole. Fingers crossed.

In terms of multiplayer, there are two modes of interest available: Duel and Hotseat. Duel is your standard across the interwebz type of match, pitting two or more players either in teams or on their own against one another. The problem one might experience when playing such a mode is that people are not computers, and while the AI may take a mere two-to-three seconds with its turn, you would know from experience that yours are far longer. So it is with your opponents. Thus, boredom would be a pretty major factor which you’d have to overcome should you decide to play the multiplayer online.

Hotseat, however, is what happens when two people use the same computer, switching as their turns come around, of course. It’s nice to see the return of such an old-school game mode, and I really do like the idea behind it. That said, the multiplayer just doesn’t grab me enough to give it a try. Perhaps there are some people who could get past the formulaic and monotonous nature of what the game is shaping up to be, but the unfortunate reality is that I’m certainly not one of them.

There may be hope yet, however, as I’ve yet to talk storyline.

The game takes place roughly four hundred years prior the events of Might and Magic Heroes V, and basically what’s going down is that you’re playing the role of Duke Slava. At least from the outset, that is. I only got the chance to play the tutorial and first levels. Anyway, Duke Slava’s dad was killed about fifteen years ago, and since then he’s just been chilling around, minding his lands and tilling his fields, as well as fathering five kids.

We haven’t heard much more about the story than this as of yet, but the Main Characters page on the MaMHIV site only lists the five children, and talks (in no uncertain terms) about the assassination of Duke Slava.

To be honest, I wasn’t particularly optimistic about the game’s prospects until I read the bio’s of the five children in question, as they all seem to be generally awesome, and notably non-generic. We haven’t heard anything yet about length or overall plot archs, but if Black Hole do stick to the theme being set by the bio’s in question, and manage to avoid the issue of boredom during singleplayer levels, we might just be in for one doozy of a campaign.

Also being introduced into Heroes 6 is the Conflux, the online service and login system for the game, through which multiplayer will be co-ordinated and stats will most likely be tracked. We haven’t heard all that much on it yet, but keep your ears peeled.

Overall, Heroes 6 seems like the sort of game which will either appeal to you, or it won’t. Some may find the decently rich fantasy setting and slower gameplay right up their alley, while others will call it boring and go play Call of Duty. Such is life.

The bad news? Yeah, you knew it was coming. Well, the game is being released on, you guessed it, the 11th of October. Which is smack-bang in the middle of Battlefield 3, Skyrim and Modern Warfare 3. Good luck managing to find the cash for Heroes 6, let alone the time, is my pessimistic prediction.

Personally, I’m not particularly taken by it, and I certainly won’t be pre-ordering it. I wouldn’t mind picking it up during a Steam sale sometime in the future, when I have some free time, mainly to see how interesting the singleplayer storyline actually turned out to be. Unless I manage to get a review copy, that is.

On that note, I’m off to write a convincing letter to someone important at Ubisoft. BBL.

It’s getting to that awesome time of the year where any gamer has one and only one wish. That wish is to be free from the responsibilities and business of life so that he or she may play all of the upcoming epic holiday season games. And what better way to start than the year’s massive annual FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer clash? Right now, I’m happy to say that despite the fact that I’ve been writing my Matric mock exams, I’ve had enough time to play the demos of both FIFA and PES 2012 – well, all three demos if you count in the fact that PES had two of them – and in all honesty I’m pretty damn excited after experiencing a taste of what they have to offer. Yes, fear not, the dark Azhar will remain silent for now (mostly) because the future looks bright. So, without any further delays, let’s get on with it.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

Name: Pro Evolution Soccer 2012
Genre: Sports (Soccer)
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox360, Wii, 3DS, PS2, PSP
Developers: Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo
Publishers: Konami
Release Date: 27 September 2011 (North America), 14 October 2011 (Europe and South Africa)

This year, there were two demos released for PES 2012. The first arrived on 24 August 2011 for PlayStation 3 and PC, but not for Xbox360 due to various reasons. The second demo, however, was released on 14 September for all three platforms. Both demos came with a different set of teams, but demo 2 was undoubtedly better because of the various bug fixes and improvements it received, and the fact that it’s based on the actual product rather than a preview build, so I’ll be focusing on it for this preview. But out of interest, the first demo was 1393mb in size and featured Manchester United, AC Milan, Napoli and Porto, with Santos and Penarol being playable for the Copa Santander Libertadores tournament. The second demo, sized at 1631mb, features Inter Milan, Bayern Munchen, Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers, with America and Internacional being made available for the CSL tournament.

The first thing to be happy about when firing up the PES demo is that the squads are fully up to date, with their latest kits and all, which is great to see. Hopefully there will be some more licensing of clubs this time around. When launching the demo you’re treated to a lengthy intro video showing off some great gameplay and all of the key features that will be available in the full game, and while it’s an awesome showcase that definitely gets you excited for what’s to come, it does go on for quite long and is annoying to watch whenever you open the demo for the first time. The main menu interface is identical to last year’s PES, and it’s up to you to decide whether that’s a good thing or not. It has the same feel, and the soundtrack is pretty good, with an enjoyable video playing in the background of the menu instead of last year’s excessive Messi porn still image. In the demo you have access to standard Exhibition matches, for the Copa Santander thingy as well, and a few set Training Challenges, with Free Training inaccessible. Training Challenges look to be a welcome feature, as they are exactly what the name suggests, giving you specific tasks to do in order for you to learn the basics and more technical ins and outs of the game, fully geared up with a ranking system so you can see how well you’re doing.

Of course, what you’ve been waiting to hear all about is the gameplay, and I’m happy to say that right now Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 is simply awesome to say the least. It really seems like most of the gripes I had with last year’s edition have been addressed, which is fantastic to see. Some highlights are that the players on the pitch don’t seem to move like stiff cardboard as they now feature fluid animations, the gameplay itself no longer feels clunky in any way, but more smooth and responsive, dribbling is great fancy fun, things feel as simulator-ish as ever and even the crowd atmosphere feels improved, although they do still sound a bit robotic. Unfortunately, the demo doesn’t feature any commentary at all, so I can’t say at this point in time whether there’s any significant improvement in this regard over last year’s dull work. And again, we’ll have to wait for the final product to try out the new features and, of course, the famous PES staple UEFA Champions League mode and matches. But for now I’ve had a taste of some of the new gameplay features, and I’m really extremely impressed.

This year’s PES boasts new Active AI and ‘off the ball’ control features, and they’ve significantly improved gameplay. The former can make playing PES an absolute blast, because teammates don’t stupidly bunch together, do nothing or flock to the ball, but rather read the game and your play and adapt as necessary. During my playtime with the demo, it almost at times felt like my teammates were reading my mind, because they made the runs, got themselves into good defensive and offensive positions and generally made themselves useful. For example, it’s awesome that you’re able to interact with a player near to or right next to you, and instead of your attempted pass completely missing or going somewhere you don’t want it to, your player will tap the ball softly in the direction of a nearby teammate and make the run forward, allowing said teammate to pick it up in his stride and push on the attack. It’s just impressive how fluid gameplay has become, and how you can pull off intricate passing maneuvers with the correct timing and precision – and it feels great. PES is great to watch in motion, even better to play and I just can’t wait to see everything it has to offer when it’s released.

It’s easy to fall in love with the off the ball control feature, which allows you to use the right analogue stick to highlight any of your teammates who aren’t in possession of the ball in order to get them into good positions and make runs. The system best comes into play during set pieces, because for goal kicks, corners, free kicks and throw-ins you’re able to select and control outfield players and position them as you want to in real-time. It’s a fantastic system, and it’s really cool to be able to, for an example, move players around in the box when you’re taking a corner, and then automatically cross directly in the direction of a player or area of your choice. Of course, this means your opponent will have to position their players accordingly to defend. As always, PES is a very technical game, and the new features have perhaps made it even more so. But what I admire about the title is that despite its large emphasis on highly technical gameplay and simulation, you don’t really have to get deeply invested into it if you’re a casual player, and it’s pretty easy to pick up and play and enjoy without too much learning. Although if you’re not a regular PES player you’d probably want to change the button configuration to Type 2, which is more or less like FIFA controls and will make things feel comfortable.

Speaking of the controls, while they are responsive and easy to learn, I had a little trouble at times getting the right stick to function properly when I was making advances into enemy territory and wanted a forward player to make a run. Maybe I was doing it wrong or maybe it’s a little clunky, but hopefully it will work great in the final product and it wasn’t exactly game breaking in any case. My only personal gripe is with the input for dives, which previously were activated by clicking both analogue sticks down. Now, they’ve changed so that you need to press both of the left triggers as well, at the same time, so it can get quite awkward when you’re trying to do it quickly, especially on a PS3 controller with its marshmallow back triggers. The change of input for dives was most likely made because of the right stick’s new functionality, but whatever the reason this was the only issue I experienced with the controls.

Tackling, defending, body physics and player movement have all received noticeable upgrades, with players having more realistic reactions and animations for falls and jostling. It’s cool to see player physicality coming into play as well, where a strong player can keep hold of the ball under pressure and use his weight to bar off the opposition. You’ll still need good timing and execution to defend and tackle well, but due to the smoother gameplay it’s much better to work with the system. Furthermore, the referee AI has also been improved, as the new PES intended for fewer interruptions to play, allowing for more flow. In my experience it was very satisfying to not have to go through series’ of stop-start football, because the advantage rule is now applied more regularly where necessary, the ref isn’t trigger happy with cards and his whistle and generally the game just flows a lot more, allowing you to enjoy your time out in the field. These changes have really made PES a much more free-flowing and fun experience. The pitch is also very large as expected from PES, so you’ll get to feel the full rush and thrill of making long runs down the field and you’ll definitely have a satisfying amount of space to move around.

Graphically, not much as drastically changed since last year, which is not really a bad thing. There are slight improvements here and there, but you won’t really notice anything major. The player models still look great, replays and player celebrations are still awesome with their motion blur, camera angles and variety and the game feels as good as ever as a simulator. Scoring goals just feels awesome in PES, especially because of the visuals, fluid animations, impressive goal net physics and the general feeling of power in your strikes of the ball. The pitch doesn’t look as bland as it did in previous games, and there’s more display of lighting and shadows and more emphasis on general look and feel to differentiate the various stadiums. The sound is as good as ever with PES fully capturing the feel of real life football matches, where the only problem comes in with the occasional robotic crowd chants.

In conclusion I have to say that I’m very excited for this year’s Pro Evolution Soccer. It’s a bit of a wait, as the game is only releasing for us on October 14, but my experience with the demo has definitely gotten me looking forward to it. The gameplay experience is a great one, and only time will tell whether PES delivers on its game modes, but at this point in time the future looks bright.

FIFA 12

Name: FIFA 12
Genre: Sports (Soccer)
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox360, Wii, 3DS, PS2, PSP, PS Vita, Xperia Play, iOS
Developers: EA Canada
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Release Date: 27-30 September 2011

There’s an enormous amount of hype, anticipation and expectation for this year’s FIFA game. Whether it’s with good reason or not is up to you, but personally I’m very much looking forward to it, as are millions of soccer (do I have to say football?) and FIFA fanatics around the world. After having played the recently released demo, I have had quite a lot to think about as the launch of this title draws near. But before we get into that, let’s talk about the demo. The demo is about 1488mb in size, although you would know that since you would have most likely already downloaded it at this point. It lets you play as Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona, AC Milan, Olympic Marseille and Borussia Dortmund, but of course the squads are not up to date yet as it is only a demo, so Arsenal fans will be happy to still have the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri in their squad. In the demo you’re only really able to play standard exhibition matches of 3 minutes per half and mess around in the practice arena, which is a bit limited, but it definitely allows you to get to grips with the gameplay and see what has changed.

The demo menu screens are littered with Wayne Rooney porn promotions of Man United’s star, Rooney, as he’s the character you get to play as in the practice arena, he’s in the main menu’s background video and he appears as a still image on every menu screen telling you about some cool new FIFA 12 feature. He’s also on the game box’s front cover. So you probably get the idea by now. However, speaking of, the new menu screen has a new, very clean look, and is very different to previous titles, as it uses a side-scrolling menu bar system. All of the other in-game menus have also been polished, making it very easy to navigate and easier to read the text onscreen for some reason. That’s about all I can talk about leading up to the gameplay, because the demo doesn’t offer a look at much else. But since it’s the gameplay that’s the most important thing at this stage, let’s get into it.

This year FIFA boasts three massive new gameplay features, namely the Impact Engine, Tactical Defending, and Precision Dribbling. By now I’m sure you’re fully aware of what all of those are, and you’ll get to see them come into play in small forms during the demo. I say ‘small forms’ because you only really have 3 minute halves, so in all likelihood your emphasis will be on winning rather than trying out the new systems. But you’ll definitely get a good look, and gameplay feels very different to last year’s outing, in many great and better ways. However there are also a few gripes I have with the gameplay after my experience with the demo, and I will get into that now – there’s a lot to speak about.

Immediately you’ll notice that player movement is so much more smooth compared to last year’s game. Your players move with fluidity and control very easily, making it much more enjoyable to move and dribble. And without a doubt you will notice that defending is a lot more challenging now. You can’t just hammer a button hoping for luck, because now you’ll have to time your tackles very well and get your players into the correct positions to defend, keeping you constantly alert. It definitely makes matches more tense, because just like in real world football, the slightest defensive fumble can lead to severe consequences. I’m sure there will be many complaints or, I should say, comments about the difficulty in defending right now, but it’s only the demo and we’ll all have to get used to the new gameplay before we make final judgement. However, what’s frustrating is that the AI seems to be masters of these new systems already, and on Semi-pro difficulty they’ll be fully competent in an annoying way – or maybe that’s just Barcelona and their insanely high ratings and me not being fully used to the system yet.

What was definitely a highlight for me in my time with the demo was the dribbling. It feels awesome to move with the ball, skill the opposition and perform quick, intricate passes with your teammates. It’s just so enjoyable to experience FIFA 12′s improved dribbling and movement systems, and it doesn’t feel as stucky and slow as the previous game. There’s still two things I take issue with though, with the first being that you’ll still, like before except not as often, get gang-raped by a group of players which can end with glitches, and the second being that on the default settings your passes can sometimes be irritatingly slow, regardless of power, making them easily intercepted. It’s definitely going to take time to get used to the new way FIFA 12 expects you to play, but the early experience is very positive. And the new Impact Engine really looks awesome, making it hard not to crack a smile when a bad tackle sends a player sailing through the air or plummeting to the ground realistically, or when close tussles for the ball no longer bug out like they did in last year’s game, and actually play out well and have variety. It’s not all for show though, as it very much affects all areas of gameplay and player physicality.

Another addition that FIFA fans will love is that of quick throw-ins and corners, where if the ball goes out of play within reachable distance, the relevant player will run up to it, pick it up (or set it for a corner) and quickly get back to position to let you get on with the set piece and the game. It’s a nice little step forward to add more flow to the gameplay and slightly reduce interruptions in matches, as the little clips before these set pieces are also gone, but it often happens that the ball won’t be in reach and a quick throw-in or corner won’t be possible, so it seems to end up being just something you can use when it’s available, which isn’t really a bad thing. Still, any improvement made that makes gameplay more free-flowing is mostly a good one, and many fans will appreciate the addition and enjoy using it. With regards to flow I can’t yet comment properly on referees and their impact on it because as you know in FIFA there are different types of referees – such as lenient or strict – and we’ll have to wait to see how they work, but the demo does show signs of less referee interference, unless it’s an unavoidable foul.

It really seems like FIFA 12 has vastly improved on the issues I had with FIFA 11, and the gameplay is a much more enjoyable experience. What I also really liked to see was that the shooting mechanics have definitely been made better as well, with lots of credit for this going to the upgraded player animations and physics. It takes more effort to score, especially from set pieces, and just as much focus needs to be put on offense as defense. There’s fantastic reward in scoring a great-looking or brilliantly executed goal, and those annoying, buggy rolling dead goals of FIFA 11 seem to be a thing of the past. From my experience with the demo, FIFA 12 requires you to constantly be at attention and work hard for your wins, although I’m sure once the full game is out and we’re all used to the new gameplay mechanics things will be vastly different. For now though, however, it’s really apparent that FIFA has taken good strides forward in gameplay with this year’s edition, and it’s going to be exciting to see how it turns out.

As expected, FIFA 12 hasn’t really gotten a massive graphical upgrade, but it’s certainly received quite a fair bit of polish, with the visuals looking cleaner and sleeker and the player models, especially the faces, looking much, much better, which is really great. What’s also noticeable is that match presentation has also gotten tweaked and upgraded, with a new wide default camera angle and various improvements to the broadcast-style match build-up, which stylishly introduces the opposing teams before the match begins. Regarding the new default camera, I found myself reverting back to the classic FIFA camera immediately, not because the new one is bad or anything but because I’m just used to the old top-down one. FIFA is still as good as ever with its sound and crowd atmosphere, and the introduction of Alan Smith into the commentary team, alongside Martin Tyler, over Andy Gray is a nice change, because it helps make things feel fresh and new. Of course the demo doesn’t feature the full commentary, but from what’s available Alan Smith does a pretty good job, and I’m happy to see the commentators react excitedly to great goals and intense moments rather than sounding dull like before.

To end off, I can’t help but feel that familiar surge of anticipation and excitement for the new FIFA game, more so than in recent years. By the looks of it, I have no doubt that FIFA 12 will be an absolute blast, provided the career mode lives up to the hype and the new features and improvements hold up well.

Final Comments 

To be fully honest, both games are looking set to be incredible this year. Purely from a gameplay perspective, I think PES will definitely give FIFA a run for its money and its awesome to see the improvements in each title, but naturally we’ll have to wait for the full games to go in-depth with all of the exciting single-player and multiplayer modes and the new features and content. Of course fans will always be fans, but as for me I’m set to pick up both of these games when they release later this year because I love both of them right now, and also because I believe somewhere in the deep dark depths of my whacked up mind that I am objective – or something like that. From my experiences with these two games, this is definitely the year to be soccer mad, and I can’t wait for both of them to release.

By now you should have at least seen a few reviews on Gears of War 3. So far, it’s exceeding everyone’s expectations, and while we may not be getting our hands on it until early next week, hopefully this little hands-on will keep you at bay until our review arrives (it’s hard being a gamer in South Africa, isn’t it?).

Yesterday, I had the privilege to attend a very top-secret event at the Microsoft offices in Fourways. I walked into one of the auditoriums, and was welcomed by the sound of chainsaws revving and frag grenades exploding. Gears of War 3 was up and running, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Getting set up in front of an enormous 46″ Samsung LED TV, I quickly navigated to the campaign. Nothing could prepare me for what happened next.

Gears of War 3 is unbelievably gorgeous. The step up of visual quality from even Gears of War 2 is incredibly evident, and it’s incredible to see just how much work Epic put into making this a visual marvel on the Xbox 360. A bit more on that later though, right now let’s focus on the campaign. I played a good three hours of the campaign, so I’m going to do my best not to give away any bit of the interesting plot that I got introduced to. What you need to know is this: Gears of War 3 starts two years after the events of Gears of War 2. Jacinto has been sunk, flooding the locust tunnels beneath and forcing the survivors to the surface. The Coalition of Organised Governments (COG) are in shambles after Chairman Prescott disappeared months ago, and the remaining forces are left on a huge vessel named Sovereign. From the beginning, you get this sense that hope is thin, and everyone is doing what they need to survive. Teams are sent out on scavenger missions, and even Dominic Santiago has his own vegetable garden, in order to provide food to all the people on the ship. All of this helps give Gears of War 3 a distinctly new feel, as this is no longer simply about war, but rather survival itself.

Gears of War 3 also feels a lot more emotional than it’s predecessors, putting a lot of effort into detailing members of Delta Squad that you’ve come to know and love. There is a sequence early in the game which gives you a lot of insight on Augustus Cole’s past life as a Thrashball player, as well as detailing just how expensive the costs of war have been on him and every other surviving human. A lot of loose ends from previous entries seemed to be setting up for conclusions, and I’m curious to see how this is carried through the rest of the narrative. New squad members also make an appearance, with the addition of a young soldier named Jace, a sharp female COG named Sam, that even gives Baird a run for his money when it comes to sarcasm, and lastly Anya, who isn’t new to the series, but it is awesome seeing here done some armor and fight on the frontlines. Dialogue is brought across brilliantly, and seeing the relationships between squad members evolve through the tough events is griping and highly entertaining, especially when it comes to the bantering between Baird and Sam.

The scale present in Gears of War 3 is also incredible. Battlefields range from large, expansive areas to tight corridors, constantly forcing me to change my weapons in order to adapt to my surroundings. Surrounding environments are beautiful and more diverse, adding a lot more colour and vibrancy to the gloomy world of Sera. The amount of detail in impeccable, and it really shows that Epic have pushed the Xbox to it’s limits, as this is undoubtedly one of the best looking games on the console, as well as one of the best looking games around. The frame rate also seems to be much higher, meaning a much smoother experiance and not tons of slow-down when you turn quickly. Mission objectives have also been given a bit of work, and it no longer feels as though you are slogging through countless enemies just to see the next cutscene. Your goals are more structured to what is happening around you, and the sense of chaos and uncertainty is evident.

Most of my time was spent shooting and running though, not admiring the stunning scenery. You may be surprised to find out that I did a lot more fighting against the Lambent (glowing locust) than actual locust enemies. The Lambent have become a major threat, and it is a welcome change to shoot at something a bit more diverse than running meat sacks. Lambent come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and even mutate on the battlefield, twisting and turning into grotesque acid firing turrets and massive fire hurling nasties. The dynamic feel to the enemies keeps you on your toes, as you are being bombarded from every direction possible. Enemies are also spawned through giant vine like structures that must be dealt with in order to stop the endless horde, much like emergence holes. The usual Locust have also changed a bit, forming groups similar to The Stranded and using survival techniques to get by. Locust used outdated weaponry, such as the Retro Lancer, and use spoils of war in an attempt to rebuild their once mighty arsenal.

Speaking of weapons, Gears of War 3 does introduce a few new toys for you to battle the hordes with. While the old school Lancer is still there (and better than ever), the Retro Lancer makes an appearance, packing a lot more firepower and damage at the cost of ridiculous recoil rates. Aside from that, I didn’t really get to use any new weapons, aside from one highly entertaining piece of hardware: The Silverback. The Silverback is essentially a small mech that you are able to hop in and out of, and handles in the exact same way as normal soldiers, except only slower and more strict. While piloting the Silverback you are able to fire your Gatling gun, or you could choose to deploy yourself as cover and fire rockets instead. Firing rockets deals a lot more damage, but you are then restricted from moving, making you an easy target. Using a Silverback is both entertaining and exhilarating, and I can’t wait to hop into one again.

Now, I didn’t spend all my time in Campaign, though I was sorely tempted to. Multiplayer was unfortunately not functioning, so I decided to focus on one of the new modes that Gears of War 3 was introducing: Beast Mode. This mode allows you to become the Locust, and basically reverses the roles of Horde mode. You spend money by selecting various different Locust types, and attempt to kill all the surviving Stranded and COG soldiers within a time limit. While it was fun being a Ticker and exploding at will, I found a major flaw with Beast Mode. If you choose to play this mode by yourself, it’s going to be difficult, especially when you are the only enemy that the Standed focus their fire on. The time limit also plays a huge role, with it sometimes being nearly impossible to kill all your targets if playing alone. Speaking to some of the other people present at Microsoft, it became apparent that many of them shared my view on Beast Mode. It’s a really awesome mode, just be sure to have at least one friend playing with you as well.

Eventually, I had to leave, which was sad considering how emotionally invested I became with Delta Squad once again. Gears of War 3 will be hitting stores Tuesday next week, so in all honesty, if you have an Xbox 360 a purchase is seriously a no-brainer. Hell, this may convince a lot of people to actually finally buy an Xbox 360. From my short experience, I can tell you that this final entry into the Trilogy of Delta Squad is set to be the finest yet. Be sure to look out for our own review early next week.

It is nearly that time of year again, and yet another Call of Duty is soon to arrive, ready and waiting to suck countless hours of our lives into its famously addictive Multiplayer, and continue the cliffhanger that was Modern Warfare 2′s ending. It goes without saying that this is easily the biggest title of the year, but does it have enough to dazzle us all once again, especially considering the heat being received by Battlefield 3? That is what we want to find out.

Caveshen and myself are going to dive head first into Modern Warfare 3, letting you know, in immaculate detail, what you can expect from Activision and Infinity Ward’s latest entry into their long running franchise. While Caveshen brings you up to speed with the Singleplayer, I will handle the Multiplayer, informing you of changes that hopefully don’t only involve perks. Will Modern Warfare 3 stand its ground and once again show the world why it’s top dog, or will this be the beginning of the end for this much trolled loved franchise.

If there is a word that can be used to effortlessly describe the Call of Duty series in its entirety, that word would be “pedigree”. No, not the thing you feed your dog. But pedigree. Real pedigree.

The Call of Duty series is like a well-groomed, well-bred race-horse, in that respect. It competes right at the top and consistently delivers, as is expected of it time after time after time. And it does so with an air of grace and gusto that confounds its competitors, leaving them trailing and wondering what the fuck just happened.

Pedigree.

The Call of Duty series has constantly been at the forefront of the definitive FPS experience, for years now. And it’s been that way ever since it was a fledgling title developed by an otherwise unknown entity, at the time. With the exception of the black sheep that is Call of Duty 3, every title before and after has been well-received and well-loved by fans of the series. Each game hasn’t shied away from memorable moments, either. From retaking Stalingrad in the first Call of Duty — a game I hold dear to my heart — to storming Pointe Du Hoc and its deadly cliffs in Call of Duty 2, to getting nuked in the beak in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, to killing zombies of the Nazi variant in Call of Duty: World at War, to trying your hardest not to utter a word of Russian in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, to storming a compound with explosive crossbows in Call of Duty: Black Ops. Every game has a special moment for every gamer that has played it.

And it’s this mentality that is being carried forward to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3′s Singleplayer experience, continuing from the story laid out from the beginning of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and extended upon in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Now you might wonder, “How on Gordon Freeman’s gravitational Earth will they do that?” and the answer is really simple.

World War 3.

Remember World War 2 games, and how many of them there were in past times? It’s one of the most over-saturated topics of interest in the current day and age of gaming with regards to historical setting, and frankly, people are sick and tired of killing Krauts and Japs with Thompsons and M1 Garands.

How many World War 3 games have you played?

Exactly.

The Call of Duty series has never shied away from the “Go big or go home” ethos, and certainly the Modern Warfare series has been a suitably over-the-top and at times just ridiculous group of games, with regards to story, setting and scripted events. Modern Warfare 3 then, is actually being developed as something of a joint venture with the aforementioned Infinity Ward (or what’s left of it) at the helm, but joined in the hypothetical cockpit by Sledgehammer Games on the forward gun, and Raven Software on the side-mounted turret.

The premise of the story leading up to this point is simple, and spoilerific, but really if you played the previous games this should just be revision for you, and if you haven’t, just skip this paragraph. In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, in an attempt to stop an arms dealer from fuelling global warfare with nuclear devices, the British Task Force 141, with the aid of the US Marine Corps, attempted to seek him out and end him. His name was Imran Zakhaev, and though attempts to kill him were entirely successful by the end, there was one fatal flaw that nobody had accounted for: his understudy, Vladimir Makarov. In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Makarov betrayed an undercover CIA agent working in his elite ring of Ultranationalist terrorists, after shooting up a Russian airport full of innocent civilians. This then led to the Russian Federation falsely believing that the attack was initiated by America, and subsequently, Russia invaded American soil. A harrowing moment for any and all that first walked out of their bunker to witness the Whitehouse in ruins, with Russian flags hanging from its roof. The Americans were successful in driving back the invading Russian forces from the Whitehouse, but only temporarily.

Cue Modern Warfare 3, with the world now into full-blown warfare. Shells, grenades, missiles, Antoine Dodson, everywhere. And only you and your band of merry (playable) men to stop it all.

Series favourite Captain John “Soap” MacTavish of Task Force 141 makes a welcome return to this threequel, along with his senior; former SAS Captain John Price, and Russian informant Nikolai. All three, featured in all of the Modern Warfare games, are now on the run after their (successful) efforts to stop a traitorous leader at the end of Modern Warfare 2. Makarov too makes his return, as the primary antagonist. There are also several new characters for gamers to take control of, with Delta Force operatives Derek “Frost” Westbrook and Sandman, Special Air Service Sergeant Marcus Burns, Russian federal security agent Yuri, and a returning — if a little less known — character from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare named Wallcroft.

There are also a few secondary characters that have been confirmed with Truck, Grinch and Grunt forming the remainder of the Delta Force fire team.

Each character will be your vehicle of control as you navigate through various perspectives of a worldwide war, with the Russians not only continuing their invasion of America, but expanding their offensive into Europe with such places as England, France and Germany all under siege, and all to be visited by you the gamer, through the course of the game. There are also going to be levels that put you in such places as Somalia, Sierra Leone, Moscow and Dubai.

One can’t help but get the feeling that Modern Warfare 3 is going to be something epic, more than just in terms of scale.

Each character will fight at different perspectives and locations, from the over-bearing sky-scraper-lined streets of New York to the “bong-bong-bong” Big Ben background of London, to the Eiffel Tower (expect a mission where you jump off it, or something) in Paris, to — and I’m just spit-balling here — Porsche’s factory in Stuttgart, all with the overall goal of pushing back the invading Russians and retaking the Western half of Earth, with the aim of liberty and freedom and a lack of nuclear device detonation.

Remember: No Russian.

But your pivotal role in World War 3 can only hold your attention for so long, and soon you’ll find yourself stuck into Modern Warfare 3′s multiplayer. What is undeniably the biggest draw for the series, and where their pedigree shines the brightest, Call of Duty’s multiplayer component has been top dog for years now, being the go-to online shooter of our generation. However, many will argue that this is simply due to the lack of a solid competitor, saying that the unchanging formula will soon give way to a stronger, more diverse alternative. On the other hand, many say that if it isn’t broken, why try and fix it? While the debates are endless, the facts are clear. Call of Duty’s online multiplayer is by far the biggest out there, and Activision want to make sure that it continues to dominate with Modern Warfare 3.

One of the main complaints when it comes to CoD’s online component is the lack of a change. There never seems to be anything drastically added or removed, and besides more maps to lay waste to opponents in, there isn’t really much innovation. Perks and abilities are added and removed, switched and tweaked, but that doesn’t really count. Or does it?

While it’s not completely drastic, there are some very interesting changes being introduced with Modern Warfare 3. These changes affect numerous things such as killstreak rewards, perks, weapon customisation and player profiles. Some changes have also been made to cater for every type of online player, from 12 year old NooBs who scream at everyone over the microphone, all the way up to serious Vets who play for a living. Activision and Infinity Ward have made sure to leave no stone unturned, and it’s looking seriously awesome.

Firstly, we have the major change as to how Killstreaks will affect your game. Infinity Ward wanted to tweak these rewards so that a good Kill / Death ratio was not the only thing on everyone’s mind when it came to matches, and more tactical teamwork was emphasised. In the place of the old Killstreak system, players will now select between three different “Strike Packages”, which have been split into Assault, Support and Specialist. Assault is kind of like the default package, and works in the exact same manner as Killstreaks did, Kill a few people without dying, and you’ll be handsomely rewarded with UAV’s, Airstrikes and other familiar rewards, as well as a couple of new ones such as Remote Controlled Helicopters and Attack Drones. Raining hell down on my enemies while piloting a mosquito-like aircraft? Damn straight.

Support works a bit differently, and it’s here where you can see innovative ideas beginning to creep in. Players who select this package will work on a points system rather than just kills, and points will be retained even after dying. Not only will you earn points for kills, but other team based objectives such as capturing points or supporting your team in similar manners. This allows you to unlock rewards that will help you become a more efficient part of your team, and a crucial member as well. For example, you could reach enough points to unlock a ballistic vest, hand it over to a player attempting to capture a point in Domination and allow him to soak up more bullet fire in order to effectively capture the point. Support is more about overall victory, rather than self glory (so clearly, no children will be picking this package).

Support can also be a wise choice for the casual player. You know, people who aren’t always able to go on 7-kill streaks, match after match after match. As your points don’t disappear when you die, you will eventually be able to experience rewards just like everyone else, allowing you to also jump in on the frantic fun without feeling like you’re just a walking headshot waiting to happen. Support rewards are also very team-based, with options like Counter UAV’s Airdrops and even Decoy Airdrops that explode when opened by enemies.

Lastly, there is the Specialist Strike Package. This particular package targets the expert player, and is all about high reward in exchange for high risk. Specialists don’t receive killstreak rewards at all. Sounding like a bit of a disadvantage right? Well, instead of killstreaks, Specialist players will activate extra perks as they rank up kills, stacking them on top of their predetermined ones. What will eventually happen (if you are exceptionally good) is that you will have your three default perks running, as well as another three or four extra ones active as well. The balancing comes into play when you die, as you will lose all those additional perks and start from scratch. Talk about high risk.

Having all these extra perks makes the Specialist package quite strategic too, with you being able to map out highly efficient perk orders. For example, you might know that you won’t need the scavenger perk right at the beginning of your life, so you may choose to slot it in after you have reached 4 or 5 kills, or you may know that you will need to capture the flag early in the game, so why not slot in Extreme Conditioning in order to give you a sprinting edge. Building up lots of perks can make you a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, but knowing that one stray bullet can end your god-like power is sure to keep you cautious. Infinity Ward have also said that they will be removing some perks that make players rely more on the perk rather than skill. Quick-Scope will make a return however, and the ability to quickly jump to prone or “dolphin dive” has been removed due to some serous balancing issues.

Weapon customisation has also been given a bit of an overhaul, with the introduction of something called weapon proficiencies. The currency based system from Black Ops is gone, and Infinity Ward has opted for a revised reward based system. In the past, players had to complete sometimes infuriating tasks in order to unlock certain attachments for their favourite weapons. However, in Modern Warfare 3, your weapons will level up on a per-weapon basis, meaning that the more you use a weapon, the more attachments and proficiencies you unlock for them. Special weapon proficiencies can include perks like reducing weapon recoil or being able to hold your breath longer when aiming with scopes, although only one weapon perk will be able to be equipped at a time, and only on primary weapons. Hybrid scopes have also been introduced, allowing you to switch between two different scopes or sights while on the battlefield.

In terms of game modes, expect to see your usual criminals back in action, including free-for-all, team deathmatch, capture the flag, sabotage, domination and more. The third-person game mode from Modern Warfare 2 won’t be making a return, mainly due to its poor reception, and Wager matches that Black Ops showed off won’t be present either, largely due to the fact that a monetary system is no longer used. However, there are two new very intriguing game modes that have been announced and were shown off at the recently held Call of Duty XP Event. Firstly there is “Team Defender” which is sort of like Halo’s Oddball mode. Teams must capture the enemy team’s flag and hold it in order to accumulate points, until a pre-determined score is reached. The most interesting addition however is a mode called “Confirmed Kill”. In this mode, teams fight for kills, just as in team deathmatch, but with a bit of a twist. When you kill an enemy, they drop their dog tags, and your kill will only be registered if you or a teammate picks them up. Enemies can also pick up fallen allies’ dog tags, denying the kill to the opposing team. This creates a more strategic aspect to traditional team deathmatch, as teams will now have to stick together and decide when the time is right to engage the enemy. Also, this will surely bring down the number of annoying campers on servers, as they will not be able to simply sit back and rack up the kill count.

Speaking of servers, PC gamers will be glad to know that Infinity Ward have learned from their mistake regarding servers in Modern Warfare 2, and so Modern Warfare 3 will indeed have dedicated servers. So all those shirts you have been printing over the last few months that read “Boycott Modern Warfare 3″, yeah that was all a waste of money. Sorry about that. Consoles will also support splitscreen online and offline multiplayer, which was M.I.A in Modern Warfare 2.

Private matches have also been given some TLC, with various game modes being added to the playlist. Additions include “Infection” (where the infected kills enemies to recruit them to their team), “Drop Zone” (where you must hold a drop zone for points and care packages) and “Team Juggernaut” (each team plays alongside an AI Juggernaut character). Some popular wager game modes have also been brought over, purely for fun, and these include “Gun Game” (be the first to get one kill with every gun in the game) and “One in the Chamber” (in which players are only allowed one pistol with one bullet and three lives where they can only get more bullets by killing other players). The highly successful Spec-ops mode introduced in Modern Warfare 2 will also be featured, with more outrageous challenges and endless waves of enemies for you and your friends spend countless hours on.

Now that is already a lot of changes to the award winning formula, but Infinity Ward was not entirely satisfied with that. Cue the extremely confusing and mysterious Call of Duty Elite service, which will be making its first appearance with Modern Warfare 3. Now, to most people (including myself), I really didn’t know what this service was, and quite frankly not many people really cared earlier on in the year. It tracked stats and made your profile look pretty, what’s the big deal. Well now that the full details of this service have been released, it has become quite an interesting addition, and should be something that regular DLC customers should pay attention to (and let’s face it, as much as you bitch about DLC, the reason it still exists is because everyone is buying into it, so don’t act like you’re not one of them).

Premium members of the Elite service will have to fork out $49.99 per year (Around R350.00) for a host of services which can be seen below:

• Subscribers will get a year’s worth of downloadable content for Modern Warfare 3. That is over 20 pieces of new content, spooled out over monthly content drops. That content will include new maps, new game modes and more, with a total cost of over $60 if purchased separately.
• Call of Duty Elite subscribers will have access to daily and weekly competitions and events, which will offer both real and virtual prizes.
• Subscribers will be able to level up their clans in competition (though simply creating or joining a clan is still a free option).
• Subscribers will have “eight times” more video sharing capacity than standard users.
• Subscribers will have access to “expert strategy and analysis,” including tips on guns, maps, and perks, which will be updated and maintained by “real humans.”
• And finally, subscribers will get to watch “Elite TV,” a service of “premium episodic entertainment” themed around Call of Duty.

If you purchase the Hardened Edition of Modern Warfare 3, you will get free access to a year’s worth of Premium content allowing you to decide if it will be worth the renewal at the end of the year. Everything else, such as real-time match and score information, the heatmap readouts of kills and deaths, clan support, career information and comparing services, and even video sharing, will all be available for free, allowing everyone to get in on the Call of Duty Elite service, which is a nice touch. It goes a long way to make Activision seem a little less greedy, which is saying quite a lot.

There is no doubt that Modern Warfare will be an immediate hit, and sell obscene amounts of copies in its first week, and subsequent weeks that follow. However, Infinity Ward didn’t seem content on just making a few changes here or there. Smart move, especially considering how strong Battlefield 3 is looking. They wanted to make sure that the pedigree continued, and far beyond the one year life span the Call of Duty games seem to have (except for Modern Warfare).

Will it be enough to hold off the pressure from EA? Probably, so don’t expect to see an alarming drop of people on servers when both games drop later this year. But, will it be enough to convince people that it is still the better of the two? Now that is the real question.

Battlefield 3, the latest shooter from Electronic Arts and DICE will throw different levels of shock and awe at everyone, whether you like it or not. That said, we’re interested to know just what Battlefield 3 has to offer and how we’re going to be thrown back into a new world, where blowing up tanks, walls and enemy faces is something similar to your daily commute.

In the following preview, Duncan Hobbs (multiplayer) and I (singleplayer) will delve into what one can expect with EA’s new title. We’ll see if it’s the ultimate shooter experience, or just another funeral for a friend — sad, depressing, and without any cake. Brace for detail and length.

Let’s set the scene: It’s night-time. We’re in a Middle-Eastern city. There’s missiles flying overhead and our pulse is high. Adrenaline is flowing. We feel ever-so-vulnerable behind our trusty gaming devices. We know what needs to be done and how to achieve it. So, we put down the Simba Chips and actually focus. We have faces to melt. Move out, bitch.

But, that’s one part of the story. The mission above is Operation Guillotine which takes place in Tehran, the largest city in Iran. And now, it’s safe to note that you won’t be fighting at night only. Your hands will melt during both daytime and nighttime battles. Land, air and sea too.

In Battlefield 3, you will take charge of various characters for different missions. One of the major characters is Marine Staff Sergeant Henry “Black” Blackburn who fights through a series of flashbacks in an attempt to prevent an attack on the wonderful, American-loved, New York City. The Big Apple is under-attack from a group called the PLR.

As the game progresses, Blackburn will recall certain, important, events which build-up to the massive attack. In the build-up, players will take control of various characters for various missions. Characters include Dmitri “Dima” Mayakovsky, a top-level GRU operator and Special Forces hero who always gets the job done, as well as Sergeant Miller Blackburn — who is just a guy.

Based near the Iran and Iraq border, which happens to be on a faultline, Sgt. Black will fight off insurgents who threaten security. And while he’s doing this, an earthquake will erupt. Because this is the sort of thing one can expect with Battlefield 3 being based near a fautline. And also, dynamic gameplay with outrageous occurrences.

The singleplayer campaign for the game will be non-linear where it takes the perspective of the characters involved. This means, each experience gathered from New York City, Paris and Tehran will differ. Also, not only will each character offer something different to the game, but it will also allow the player — that’s you — to make his or her own assumption on what’s happening and how the events will play out. The game tries to offer realism, because after all, you’re getting involved in a story which is somewhat true: you’re fighting a battle which is similar to war which America fought for oil weapons of mass destruction.

According to the game creators, there’s a “Generation Kill” vibe. Essentially, this means that the game has a style akin to a TV series that follows a group of soldiers in Iraq. Electronic Arts and DICE feels that this works for them, and that this is their style.

As far as gameplay speed goes, Battlefield 3 will vary in pace. Some battles will be fast paced whilst others will be slow and tactical. A good example of this is the ability for the game to make you appreciate the fact that while you’ve played a section for six minutes, nothing has actually happened. If anything, you’ve maybe shot one bullet in the past six minutes. It’s just scary and tactical. Because of this, you should be deeply involved and anticipating the next piece of action which is literally a trip-wire away. If you’re not interested in a slow tactical kill, then Battlefield might not be for you. Then again, if you’re interested in understanding the art of war, it might be.

However, to make the game interesting for the player, EA and DICE will offer interactive storytelling in the form of cutscenes and gameplay. The integration is said to be seamless and miles ahead of Bad Company 2, which wasn’t too bad. The aim of interactive storytelling is a simple, yet crucial element to the game. The creators need to make it feel like everything that has happened could have happened. They want you to feel as if you could have read this in the newspaper. But, alongside this thought, it’s ultimately based on the characters and not a group of people alone. EA and DICE feel that their mechanics, gameplay and storyline is so effective that regardless of where the battle happened, it would still hit home. And while they aren’t interested in pointing fingers at terrorist groups, it just offers convenience, it seems.

So, seamless interactive gameplay with various characters and an emotional experience. How long could your body possibly handle war for? Well, EA and DICE has noted that the game is more multiplayer than it is singleplayer. There’s no time-frame for the game yet, however, it was hinted that it will be longer than Modern Warfare 2, but shorter than Modern Warfare 2′s time doubled. This means, it’s about 7 hours. 10 hours if you’re me.

With a campaign that is somewhat short and styled for multiplayer, one questions the ability of re-playability. To answer this question we look at the game offering. There’s achievements and most gamers like achievements. So, that’s re-playability influencer number one.

Then, re-playability number two is simple. Destruction and Frostbite 2.0. In Battlefield 3 you can blow, most, things up. Not everything, but a good portion of buildings. You cannot shoot children or civilians though, because this is bad. And, it’s not Call of Duty. That’s influencer number two.

On the topic of Frostbite 2.0, the new engine used for Battlefield 3. Expect not only a dynamic world but also a huge part of the animation, sound and lighting to change with this technology. It just feels more real, and no-body knows why.

The game was built with multiplayer in mind. But this doesn’t mean that single-player isn’t all that you’ll ever need. But, we do suggest that you participate in multiplayer, because after all, you make great friends with strong bonds whenever you go to war with someone who is fighting by your side.

So, let’s cut to the chase. The big question we’re all asking here is whether or not Battlefield beats Call of Duty in the multiplayer field, right? Right. Seeing as the game hasn’t been released yet, we can’t really find an accurate answer to that — from what we’ve seen so far, however, I’m going to have to say that Battlefield 3 is shaping up to be the toughest competition the CoD series has faced in, well, ever.

In terms of game modes, we are going to be seeing the age-old Battlefield stalwarts returning in the form of the Rush (where players on one team need to destroy key objectives in succession, while the defending players must ensure that the objectives aren’t destroyed, and can also reduce the attacking team’s tickets (maximum lives) to zero in order to win) and Conquest (where each team battles for key objectives and works to reduce their opposition’s tickets to zero) game modes which are confirmed so far. Both of these are clearly aimed at keeping the old fans coming back for more of what they love, with the Conquest maps supporting 64 players (!!!) on PC, and 24 on console. The maps are all scaled accordingly in terms of ground area, but according to DICE the air battles across all platforms will take place over the same amount of air area. Vehicles will definitely be present in Conquest, and will most likely be present in Rush as well.

So, essentially what we’re looking at with Rush and Conquest are objective-based, strategic game modes played out over larger areas, featuring vehicles. Now, that’s all great, but we knew it was coming already.

What comes as something of a surprise is the announcement of the inclusion of a Team Deathmatch mode — as you may well guess, this is in an attempt to win over Call of Duty players. Team Deathmatch games will have a player cap of 24 across all platforms, not feature vehicles and will play out over smaller maps, to keep action fast-paced and focused.

An interesting decision by DICE, certainly the right one in my opinion, but also one which begs a pretty immediate question: Can they pull off creating two entirely different multiplayer experiences?

Essentially, can they maintain their Battlefield-ness, while not just emulating, but bettering the multiplayer style so adored by the Call of Duty fanboys?

In short? I think so. In long? Remember, we’re talking about DICE here. This is the same developer who did Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which, from everything I’ve heard, managed to create a multiplayer which managed to compete on the same terms as the CoD multiplayer and give it a damned decent shot, too. Bear in mind that the development team on BF3 is also twice the size of that of BF:BC2, so it really isn’t likely that they’ll be spreading themselves thin at all.

So yes, they certainly have the capacity to create a game which caters to both those who prefer the slower-paced, more tactical Battlefield-style gameplay and those who prefer the fast-paced, intensely active Call of Duty-style gameplay. Whether they pull it off or not has yet to be seen, however.

But! Enough about all of that nonsense! Let’s talk some more multiplayer-specifics. Starting with classes.

We’re going to once again see four classes in BF3, consisting of the old staples with some changes and modifications thrown in. For spoilers’ sake, the four classes are: Assault, Support, Recon and Engineer.

Assault is going to be your general bread-and-butter type class, fighting with a rifle on the frontlines and what-not. What’s different about Assault in BF3 is that they have been combined with the Medic class of old, so they’ve got a defibrillator stuffed in their backpacks now too, allowing them to revive wounded teammates (which prevents a ticket being subtracted from your team, just by the way). They’ve also gained the ability to drag wounded teammates (who can now defend themselves with a pistol until they die, just by the way), allowing them to prop their buddies up against a tree, safe from enemy fire, while they defibrillate the crap out of their wounded spleen, or whatever.

Support is going to be once again doing what its name suggests: support. Revolving primarily around laying down supporting (see what I did there) fire with LMGs (light machineguns) and resupplying both themselves and teammates with ammunition (those two go well together, I think you’ll find), they’ve also been expanded a tad in terms of now being able to wield lighter guns, such as assault rifles, with a wide variety of attachments — one example being a powerful flashlight which can temporarily blind enemies in dark areas. Also being added to the Support class is the bi-ped, which increases their accuracy even more when they’re prone. Which is, you know, exactly what the rest of us need.

Recon plays the role of the sniper in BF3, being equipped with a semi-automatic, long-range (believe it or not) sniper rifle. That’s not all they do, however, as they’re also equipped with C4 explosives to blow up shiny things like vehicles, and they’ll be able to unlock even more shiny things like artillery strikes further down the line. I should also take this opportunity to mention that snipers will once again be able to go prone, but before all of you start crying about campers, imbalance and what-not, I should also mentione that DICE is using a pretty hardcore animation engine for the characters themselves (the same one used in the FIFA games, in fact), to make them (in addition to moving more naturally and generally just looking a lot sexier) easier to spot when lying down. If that wasn’t enough, there is also a kill-cam being included in the game, so that you can see where that prone, camping bastard shot you from anyways. And then blow a hole in the wall next to him (the environments are super destructible. It makes me very excited) and knife him in the face for greater justice.

Lastly, there’s the engineer. He likes to use his rocket launcher or anti-tank mines to take out vehicles, and he doesn’t always shoot infantry, but when he does he prefers carbines. He can repair friendly vehicles and likes long walks on the beach. Otherwise, there isn’t all that much to say about him.

For more information on the BF3 classes, go here.

I’m going to talk about vehicles now, although having said that, there isn’t all that much to say. DICE are aiming to use vehicles to bring about a sort of rock, paper, scissors feel to the game, in the sense that vehicles murder infantry, engineers murder vehicles and infantry murders engineers, much has been the case in previous iterations of Battlefield games. There are going to be the usual mix of tanks, buggies, planes, APCs and other what-nots — for the full list of vehicles available in BF3, click here.

In terms of unlockables, the game looks awesome. Any by awesome, I mean awesome. And arduous.

Seriously, there is so much to unlock in this game that it really does boggle the mind. According to DICE, it is easily going to take over 9000 100 hours of casual play time to unlock everything there is. Which is, you know, a lot.

You can unlock both weapon attachments and class variants, though we haven’t heard particularly much about class variants as of yet, so we’ll focus on the weapons (for a complete list of weapons, by the way, clickity hither).

Each weapon has three weapon attachment slots, where unlockable attachments can, naturally, be attached. Attachments are unlocked by racking up kills with a particular weapon, and further weapons are unlocked by racking up kills and achievements with a particular class. A few examples of attachments are: different optics, suppressors, bipods, barrels, underslung grenade launchers, underslung shotguns, foregrips, flashlights, laser sights, and I’m sure the list goes on.

According to DICE, they’re working hard to balance out the attachment combinations, to ensure that no ‘Super-epic-loltastic-roflcopter-combo-of-greater-justice-and-epic-win’ combination is available, in order to keep balance in check and what-not.

With the Beta launching in September, date to be confirmed, for those who pre-ordered Medal of Honour or, more recently, Battlefield 3 itself via Origin (which we’ll chat about in a second), it ought to be interesting to see how much gamers the world over manage to unlock and, moreover, the combinations they manage to scheme up.

Two quick things before we wrap up multiplayer: Origin and Co-op.

On the topic of Co-op, there isn’t all that much to say, as DICE have been awfully quiet on the subject. The bastards.

What we do know is that there will be Co-op — huzzah! There is strong speculation that it may be an entire standalone campaign, possibly even stretching all the way to the ten-hour mark, but nothing is certain, yet. Keep your eyes peeled for more details on that one, kids.

Lastly, let’s chat about Origin. It’s been made pretty clear by EA that Battlefield 3 will be distributed through Origin exclusively (in addition to conventional retail, of course), and will not be made available on Steam.

It is a decision which will definitely bring Origin a lot more exposure, and more than likely be the push it needs to get itself properly started — the question is whether or not Origin will be able to deliver, because if it fails horribly in some regard, it goes without saying that there are going to be a lot of angry nerds out there. And some very happy Call of Duty fanboys, but I digress.

Personally, I hope it manages to not epic fail — it would be great to see more games from other publishers listed on Origin, and even greater to see Steam start getting some serious competition in the digital distribution market — after all, it can only lead to improved service and prices. Both of which are pretty awesome.

The bottom line? Battlefield 3′s multiplayer is looking strong; very strong. Like I said at the start, it is impossible to say whether it will be the CoD-killer we’ve all been waiting for.

It certainly won’t exceed CoD in terms of sales, there is simply too massive a market behind the Call of Duty franchise, but I would say that if any game is going to topple Call of Duty, it is going to be Battlefield 3. Hell, at the very least Activision is going to get one serious wake up call, ’cause DICE are coming out all guns (three attachments each, of course) blazing.

If you are the sort of person who enjoys bedazzling floral-print tablecloths, writing poems about flowers and wearing cardigans, I’m afraid to say that Warhammer 40’000: Space Marine probably isn’t going to be the game for you. If, however, you’re the sort of person who becomes slightly sexually aroused whenever you hear the sound of power tools, wrestles bears for a living and punches dolphins in the face on a regular basis, you might just have found your calling.

Name: Warhammer 40’000: Space Marine
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Players: 1, Co-operative arriving in October
Multiplayer: Online, Co-operative arriving in October
Platforms: Xbox 360, PC, Playstation 3
Developers: Relic Entertainment
Publishers: THQ
Release Date: 6 September 2011 for North America, 9 September for Europe and Africa

Being quite the fan of the Warhammer 40’000 tabletop franchise, I have been apprehensively excited for Space Marine for quite a while now — I say apprehensively because, as we all no doubt know, games based on franchises (see: every movie-based game except for Lord of the Rings: Return of the King ever created ever) have a nasty habit of epic-failing straight into the ground. Moreover, even if Relic manages to succeed in not making Space Marine epic-fail in the aforementioned ground, there is still the concern of actually making a game which fanboys and general gamers alike can not only appreciate but enjoy as well.

I am not quite audacious enough to state outright from simply playing the demo that Space Marine will indeed fulfil the burden I described above, so let’s just say that the demo has made me pretty damn confident that it will.

A quick paragraph of general background before we begin looking at the actual gameplay: You play the role of Captain Titus, a Squad Commander of the Ultramarines (who is just as manly as he sounds). You and a few of your other Ultramarine buddies have been sent to a Forgeworld (basically, a really huge-ass arms factory for the Imperium of Man), because it’s being attacked by a few million orks, and you’re the people they call when stuff like that happens. Reinforcements are on their way, but until they arrive it’s up to you and your buddies to hold key defensive positions and basically make sure that the orks don’t manage to break anything too important.

With that in mind, let’s start looking at some of the more peripheral elements of the gameplay.

When you fire up a level, you are given a choice between three pretty straightforward difficulty settings: Easy, Medium or Hard. Naturally, I chose Hard. Because I’m a man.

Loading screens are mercifully short, displaying helpful hints about the Execution function (which we’ll talk about in a second) and other assorted what-nots. The death screens are allegedly (I only heard about them because, you know, I’m too manly to die) pretty cool, displaying quotes taken from various editions of the Warhammer 40’000 tabletop game’s rulebook, some examples of which are “Never forget; never forgive” and “Blood is the Emperor’s currency — spend it well”, both of which I recognised immediately from having read the aforementioned rulebooks. Not a particularly relevant aspect to highlight, I agree, but I think it is the little things like quotes on the death screens which are going to make the fanboys nod their heads and be all like: “I see what you did there,” so, props to Relic for including them.

In terms of graphics, the game is extremely impressive. Whether you are admiring Captain Titus in his manly power-armour, blowing the head off of an ork with your Storm Bolter, slicing the head off of another ork with your Power Axe or just admiring the game environment, you will find that it is all beautifully rendered in that non-resource-whorey sort of way. The lighting works like it should, the animations of everything ranging from the movement of your character’s individual pieces of power-armour to the smoke trailing a bullet shot from your pistol look natural, and the developers have applied just the right amount of detail to aspects such as your character, enemies and various pieces of environmental paraphernalia. Graphics: Spot on, so far, in my opinion.

The HUD, made up of four distinct elements, is simple and straightforward. We’ll look at all of these four elements, starting with the simplest — the ammo counter.

It’s pretty damn straightforward, detailing the gun you currently have equipped, the amount of ammunition left in your clip, the amount of ammunition left in total for that gun and the amount of grenades (out of a maximum of five) which you have.

The second HUD item of interest is the Fury Meter. As you rack up hits with either your guns or your melee weapon, the Fury Meter fills up — when it is completely full you can unleash the kraken within Titus by hitting the Fury Button (‘T’ on computers), which activates Fury Mode. Fury Mode lasts for around ten seconds of real-time, and has a number of effects. First of all, upon activation of Fury Mode, there is a blast in the area around you which injures enemies, as well as throwing most of them to the ground and even killing a few of them, which gives you a bit of space to breathe. On top of that, you regenerate life, your melee attacks do more damage and when you press the aim button (L-Ctrl for PC users), time around you slows, while you remain in real-time — this allows you to take more accurate shots more quickly, which is a huge asset to have on your side, especially when taking on some of the larger beasties, as it can prove particularly devastating to them.

Thirdly, the reticule. There is a reticule for shooting, which consists of a circle with four arrows inside of it. The arrows indicate the area in which your shots will hit, while the circle indicates the total area in which your shots can hit — the difference being that the longer you shoot for, the more recoil you get and thus the less accurate you become, so when you fire your first shot the arrows are still pretty close together, but when you’ve had a solid twenty round burst, they’ll be on the extremities of the circle.

When in melee combat, the reticule changes to become a grey dot in the centre of your screen, similar to Mirror’s Edge. I suppose it helps Titus keep his balance, or something.

Lastly, there is the health meter. A bar of red surrounded by smaller bars of yellow, it really couldn’t be simpler. The bars of yellow indicate your shield, which depletes when you take enough damage and regenerates when you don’t take damage for long enough, while the red bar is your actual health – when that’s gone, so are you. As I’ve already said, you regenerate health when in Fury Mode, but I’d like to take this opportunity to say that Space Marine probably has the most manly health regeneration mechanic in the world.

To hell with med-kits, stimpacks, regenerative health and the like — they’re all for pussies. In Space Marine, the amount of health Titus has is directly proportionate to how manly he feels. So, when he gets shot up a bit and his self-esteem starts waning, he needs to remind himself how manly he is. Titus does this by either going into Fury Mode (as I mentioned above) and just unleashing hell on the bastards unlucky enough to be in his way, or by performing manoeuvres called Executions. Which are just as awesome as they sound. When an enemy has taken enough damage or is stunned (most commonly by pressing the ‘stun’ button to perform a stun manoeuvre — ‘F’ on a keyboard), indicated by an enemy being highlighted in blue and having the Execution icon over their head, you can press the Execution button to perform an Execution and regain life manliness.

Whether you’re taking an ork Boy (their units have weird names) by the throat, throwing him to the ground and then stomping his face into oblivion or grabbing the top and bottom jaw of one of their bigger brothers and literally ripping his face in two for greater justice, there is no doubt in your mind as to just how manly you are when you perform said manoeuvre.

The Execution based health-regeneration system really is an awesome touch and refreshing innovation, that adds a lot to the sheer enjoyability of the game overall. Bravo indeed, Relic.

Executions actually lead us on quite nicely to the topic I’ve been waiting in earnest anticipation for — the combat.

There are two facets to the combat — melee and ranged. We’re going to discuss both of them individually before looking at how they interact and the game’s combat system overall.

There are four ranged weapons (i.e. guns) available in the demo, although I only realised this during my second playthrough. During my first one I used the Bolt Pistol exclusively. Which made the game seem significantly harder… imagine that! Anyways, the Bolt Pistol has a clip which can hold ten rounds at a time and infinite ammunition. That infinite ammunition thing really doesn’t mean all that much, though, because being the weakest, least accurate gun gun of the lot, I really can’t see why anyone would use it unless they were a complete idiot (cough cough…).

The second gun we get access to is the Bolter, which is actually pretty damn awesome. The product of a little bit of ‘business time’ between a submachine-gun and an assault rifle, the Bolter has a high rate of fire, decent damage, a thirty round clip and pretty spiffing accuracy close and medium to far range.

The third gun, the Vengeance Launcher, launches (bet you didn’t see that one coming!) flashing blue grenade-type objects, which detonate upon you hitting the reload button (you have no idea how long it took me to figure that out). Shooting one onto an ork and detonating it as he and his buddies run towards you in a giant mob is great fun, I can assure you. The Vengeance Launcher has no clip, simply holding all of its eighteen rounds at once. Like a boss.

The last (and most awesome) gun we get to play with is the Stalker Bolter. With a ten round clip (and forty more rounds after that), high damage, a decent enough rate of fire and a scope (!), this is the weapon for you if you want to take out enemies at range, or if you want to plough through a small mob of Boyz at close range with minimal effort. It also does a right sight more than the Bolter when it comes to taking out the bigger, tougher enemies at close range, and gives you the capacity to take them out at long range as well.

So far we have yet to see whether there will be more guns in the full game — the game could function without more, but I am a firm believer in my grand-pappy’s old motto: “You can never have too many guns.” Only time will tell, however, my dear reader.

Melee combat thus far is simple, yet immensely rewarding. Normal melee attacks can be strung together in volleys of strikes, and be used in conjunction with the combo attacks for each weapon to create a truly awe-inspiring dance of destruction. The aforementioned combo attacks are listed under the “Combat Controls” menu in the game itself.

There are four melee weapons listed under the Combat Controls menu, though we only got access to two of them. Those we did get to use are the Chainsword (yes, that is a combination of a chainsaw and a sword) and the Power Axe (’nuff said), while those we didn’t get access to are the Combat Knife and the Thunder Hammer (om nom nom). Each weapon gets its own unique yet similar combo moves, an example being that pressing the melee attack button three times followed by the stun button when holding the Chainsaw causes Titus to make three strikes with his Chainsaw and then stomp the ground, stunning enemies around him, while the same combination used with the Power Axe causes Titus to make three attacks followed by slamming the ground with the Axe, which also creates a stun effect.

The combos are well designed, being both simple to use and extremely rewarding when they are used. They compliment your arsenal of normal melee attacks very nicely, giving you a much-needed upper hand in melee battles, particularly against large hordes of enemies.

So, now that we’ve got those two facets of combat out of the way, let’s look at combat as a whole.

There is a balance which the developers need to get right for this sort of game to be successful — a balance between making you feel like the genetically engineered super-soldier in whose shoes you find yourself and maintaining an element of difficulty in order to ensure that successful combat feels rewarding. Given that I played the demo four times because I just couldn’t kill enough orks, I’d have to say that Relic managed to get it dead right.

The devs have done a great job of making sure that the combat is as simple and effortless as possible, ensuring that one derives as much entertainment as possible from the game. The combat systems are intuitive, and subtle yet essential nuances like changing camera angles mean that transitioning between melee and ranged combat couldn’t be easier. You can literally go right into melee combat after shooting up a horde of orks, or vice versa, and it really couldn’t feel more natural.

The control set-up adds to the fluidity of combat too, with your melee weapon (of which you can only have one) being used by hitting one button (the right mouse button on PC), while firing your gun is handled by another (the left mouse button on PC), and gun selection is handled by yet others. Not having to arduously switch between an equipped ranged and melee weapon is a nice touch, which makes the game all the more easier to enjoy.

Space Marine is looking set to be a pretty heavily combat-orientated game (in terms of actual gameplay, that is), which is something I believe it may well succeed as. From the little I had the pleasure of playing, the levels seem to be designed well in terms of steering the player dynamically through combat after combat, both lulling and maintaining action respectively where necessary. It is hard to say at this point just how big an element Jump Packs will be in the final product, but they seem like a pretty damn decent way to mix up combat and keep the gameplay interesting.

Overall, Space Marine has the framework to be a great game. There aren’t any obvious bugs or major gameplay flaws, so we know that it won’t epic-fail straight into the ground at launch, but the question which still needs to be answered is whether or not Relic manages to build a game worth playing on top of that framework.

For what it is worth, however, both the gamer and the fanboy inside of me are satisfied enough that I’ve gone ahead and pre-ordered the game off steam — it’s set to hit our shores by the 9th of September (that’s this Friday, just by the way), and I’m almost tripping over myself in excitement. Given that I’m sitting down at the moment, that’s saying something.

Prospective buyers should also note that (free!) DLC is set to arrive in October for Space Marine, which will add a ‘horde mode’ to the game, wherein you and a few buddies (Co-op for the horde mode is confirmed, but we don’t know what the player limit is just yet) fight off waves of enemies and try to not die and stuff. Which, personally, I’m also quite excited for.

Many years ago, the typical third-person shooter involved running around various flat levels while jumping and strafing in random directions and then ducking behind walls, while shooting at enemies that either mimicked your movement style or stood rooted to a single spot.

Then came Gears of War with its cover mechanic that heralded a new era of gaming, one where many hours would be spent with your character crouched behind some elementary conveniently placed object that got in between an enemy’s bullets and yourself, sufficiently so that no harm would come to your person while crouched, and if it did, probably because you spent too long standing up, a quick hide under that elementary conveniently placed object would be as good as a quick trip to the hospital and back.

Apparently there was a story too…

Name: Gears of War 3
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Players: 1 or 2
Multiplayer: Online, Split-screen, Co-operative
Platforms: Xbox 360
Developers: Epic Games
Publishers: Microsoft Games Studios
Release Date: 23 September 2011

Gears of War 3 is the, uhm, third game in the series of cover-based third person shooters that follows the exploits of Sera’s most badass anti-hero Marcus Fenix, along with his homo-erotic man-friend Dominic Santiago, or Dom for short, who are two parts of a squadron of soldiers fighting it out against insurmountable odds. We call them Delta Squad. The insurmountable odds however, have other names.

All of that, you know…

This isn’t something new by now, and indeed by now we are all well-acquainted with the story of Gears of War, something that most people don’t really care about anyway, because chainsaw-rifles, but hey I need to fill a preview so let’s just talk about it already.

Following on from the first game where you detonated a light-mass-bomb that failed at its task of destroying all Locust (the invading aliens (literally) of the game) you then went and sunk an entire city, humanity’s last great bastion of hope at that, in order to — and I shit you not — prevent the Locust from doing that in the first place, anyway. There were also hopes that it would eradicate the Locust population once and for all, in the aftermath. Not only did it fail, but it failed hard.

Look, the story is there and it’s something that pretty much every Gears of War player will play through.

But it’s just ridiculous, really. Words can’t even describe how silly and over-the-top crazy it is. Then again, that’s what Gears is all about, and Gears fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

In this third outing, then, with the COG army on the retreat after intentionally sinking their last refuge, their leader decides to up and leave under mysterious circumstances, leaving the army otherwise leaderless and on an island known as Vectes that is fast becoming densely populated by a new, second type of enemy known as the Lambent, essentially Imulsion-infected Locust. It is then up to, of course, Delta Squad together with the help of one Victor Hoffman (fans of the series know him well) to split up and not only seek proper protection against the dangerous new threats, but also to discover just what the fuck is going to happen, moving forward. To that extent, Gears 3 will endeavour to uncover and detail a lot of the history of the planet and the war between locusts and humans, and then explain just how the entire mess got started in the first place.

Of noteworthy mention is the inclusion — at last — of female COG soldiers with two characters, specifically Anya and Sam, making appearances in various media relating to the game so far. The former is well-known from the first two games as the voice of guidance and navigation for Delta Squad, whereas the latter’s story is yet to be told. Baird (mister comic relief) as well as Cole Train (token black guy) also make their welcome returns to the series, with a new Carmine — the third of the brothers — rounding off the new Delta Squad.

To compliment the new character additions to the game, depending on how much of a Law and Order or gangster rap freak you are, is the cameo appearance of Ice T in the game, as a character known as Griffin. He’ll also be working on the soundtrack, probably pushing out what will undoubtedly be the credits track once you beat the game, on Insane of course.

And finally, another cool addition to the game is the placing of players in the shoes of various characters other than Marcus Fenix, through the game’s progression. Though exactly who we get to control is still up for debate, what seems pretty obvious especially given the next revelation, is that you’re going to get some Locust controlling in.

Epic Games have made no secret of the upcoming, let’s call it sequel, to the Horde mode that we know and love from Gears of War 2. Entitled Beast mode — not to be confused with Optimus Primal and his maximals — it is the exact opposite of Horde mode in that instead of fighting off waves of Locust as a COG soldier, you will now fight off waves of COG as a Locust of your choosing. As if everyone’s not totally going to auto-pick Tickers each and every time…

It needs to mentioned now, that the Locust and the Lambent are not on speaking terms. In fact, they form what is essentially a three-way feud with no side willing to let up.

Each side also has varied play-styles as well, with Lambent favouring more explosive tactics as opposed to what we know and love (or hate — silly Tickers) from the Locust and COG forces.

With regards to the multiplayer, there has already been extensive detailing of it through our Gears of War 3 Beta Coverage features, listed here for your convenience.

Week One.

Week Two.

Final Thoughts.

Be sure to read up on all of those as they give a lot of insight as to such things as the game modes, the weaponry, the maps as well as the overall feel of the multiplayer, so far.

News has also recently hit of a Casual mode for players who are new to the series (read as: No achievements unlocked for the first two Gears of War games) in order to better acclimatise their newbie brains to the gory, gruesome masochism that is the Gears of War multiplayer.

Finally, since the Gears of War games are notorious for their post-release support with many DLC packs released and enjoyed by fans of the series for months and months after the games’ releases — people are still playing Gears of War 2 daily — an announcement was recently made of a ‘Season Pass‘ that allows you to get the first four DLC packs at no extra cost if you fork over 2400 Microsoft Points in advance for them. Something of interest for the fans, while everyone else will think Epic Games have gone mad.

Gears of War 3 releases September 20th to Europe, exactly three weeks from now, so expect to have it available locally from September 23rd.

And when that day comes, I look forward to shotgunning you all in the face. Online, of course…

Arguably one of the best series the PS3 has to offer, Resistance has been there virtually from the start. Resistance: Fall of Man was an all round good game with a solid narrative beating at its centre. Resistance 2 took everything from the first and ramped it way up to produce an excellent video game which currently sits with a Metacritic score of 87.

Enter, Resistance 3 and from the outset, everything looked very grim indeed. Fan-favourite protagonist of the first two games, Nathan Hale, is out after the events that transpired at the end of Resistance 2 – I won’t spoil this for those of you who have yet to play it because it is truly one of the best video game endings I’ve seen.

Name: Resistance 3
Developer: Insomniac games
Publisher: SCE
Genre: FPS/Sci-Fi
Multiplayer: 2-16 players
Platforms: PS3
Release Date: September 9 2011

Instead, players will fill the boots of Joe Capelli, yeah that oversized brute that nobody really liked very much. Fortunately, Insomniac knew grounds for a backlash when they saw one and tweaked Capelli slightly. Resistance 3 takes place in 1957, 4 years after the second game and in that period, Capelli has dropped a few shirt sizes to become more of an everyman, married Hale’s sister Susan and fathered a child. All of which is intended to make him a more likable character.

While Capelli was fulfilling himself, the Chimera have become the dominant race in the world with the humans dwindling in numbers and resorting to cannibalism due to food shortages. Apparently, the human population has been cut to 10% at the start of Resistance 3.

Basically, the game centres around Capelli travelling with Dr Fyodor Malikov, who has now become a familiar character, to New York after a Chimera Death Squad discovers Haven, Oklahoma, an underground human outpost as well as Capelli’s home. Malikov has asked Capelli to help him destroy a wormhole which the Chimera are attempting to open in the Big Apple although where it will lead is unknown and likely to form part of the mystery and intrigue for players.

The game remains a very story driven FPS with a variety of enemies and weapons. Headline grabbers are the weapon-wheel which is back from the first game as well as weapon upgrades which should be a hoot. Environments have also been designed more openly so that players can tackle situations in whatever way suits their style of play.

Regenerative health has been axed for a health bar which will not restore itself and will require players to pick up sym-bacs while encouraging them to play more tactically and with greater caution. Not to fear though as the player’s ability to cope with enemy attacks is much greater than in previous games.

Capelli has also been given greater maneuverability and can now climb through windows and over walls. The slightly odd control layout has been mapped to a more conventional setup so that players will feel more comfortable with it. Weather will also be a dynamic force in Resistance 3 constantly changing and possibly affecting the way players have to approach missions.

If anything the multiplayer suffers the most from the ‘sequel syndrome’ of being scaled back. Resistance 3 will max out at 16 players in competitive online multiplayer whereas Resistance 2 played quite stably all the way up to a mammoth 60 players. There’s the usual array of death-matches and objective-based modes with the inclusion of a customisable progression system where players spend the points they’ve earned playing online to purchase customised loadouts which include a number of tactical and combat attributes.

The game is once again downsized for co-op with 2-player split-screen or online being as good as it gets while Resistance 2 could take up to 8-player co-op.

Resistance 3 will feature multiplayer maps of locations all around the world with a free-for-all beta releasing on August 30th for those interested.

Resistance 3 is said to feature  a wider variety of Chimera from Brawlers to Steelheads to Krakens, Snipers and your good ol’ hybrid.

Each enemy will be especially vulnerable to certain types of fire which will encourage players to vary their weapon of choice as well as upgrade all weapons to prevent frequent death. This also goes hand in hand with Insomniac trying to make the weapons more balanced so that players don’t run through the entire game having only used two weapons unless forced to settle for something else.

“Every weapon is generally effective against anything, but there’s degrees of effectiveness,” senior designer Cameron Christian said, speaking in an interview with Gamasutra. “Let’s talk about the Auger and that case with the Hulk fight, right? The Auger is going to be a bad choice, because there is no place for you to hide and shoot through walls. You can hit his weak points, and they’ll do damage, but it’s not going to be as effective as, say, the Magnum, which can stick to that guy and really do some serious damage to it.”

“We’ve changed some things. I mean, it’s still pretty powerful, right? But there are some nuances to it that aren’t as exploitive,” the designer said. “We pull back the range on being able to see through walls. So before you could see through walls across a whole entire level, right? And now we pull that back to a significant distance.”

Insomniac has also been tinkering away at Resistance 3′s enemy AI and behaviour to make them smarter and hopefully more of a challenge than what we get in most shooters these days.

“I think the biggest thing we have going for us is our AI. They’re a lot more responsive and really aggressive,” Christian said. “They will come after you. You might get a couple guys, but the other guys are going to hunt you down and find you.”

Resistance 3 certainly has the goods to deliver on all fronts and if this were to be the conclusion to the series, it certainly doesn’t look to be a bad way to go. Resistance 3 is out September 9 for PS3, and this sure looks to be one to save up for.

Did I mention there are rumours of the cloven finally making an appearance.

Saints Row 2 was an understated hit in its own right and when compared to GTA IV, it was no surprise that many tended towards the outrageous and over the top Saints Row over the uber-realistic and subsequently not very fun GTA. Saints Row 2 was more the soul successor to the GTA’s of old in giving players the ability to literally do whatever they wanted and plainly have some crazy stupid fun in a massive sandbox environment.

A big part of its appeal was that, unlike GTA games, these random acts of enjoyment were worked into the game to actually serve a purpose as side missions and a means of earning cash and Respect (XP). So now we have the third Saints Row game and Volition’s attitude with this game seems to have been that the only way is up.

Name: Saints Row: The Third

Developer: Volition Inc

Publisher: THQ

Genre: Action/Adventure Sandbox

Multiplayer: 2 players (co-op)

Platforms: PS3, PC, Xbox 360

Release Date: November 15 2011

Saints Row: the Third takes place years after the second game with the 3rd Street Saints having risen from a lowly street gang into a profiting empire and household name. Seriously, there’s everything from Saints clothing to Saints energy drinks and even Johnny Gat (leader of the Saints) bobbleheads. What this means is that players start at the top which is already a departure from the norm. However, this game does not take place in the previous city of Stilwater but rather the Saints find themselves in the city of Steelport which is controlled by rival criminal empire, The Syndicate. The Syndicate is headed up by one Philipe Loren with the business side of his affairs managed by sultry sisters Viola and Kiki DeWynter.

The main thrust of the game is to get The Syndicate off the Saints’ backs since the antagonists are out to claim a majority share in the Saints’ affairs and effectively control them. What this boils down to really is a city-wide brawling war for dominance while the Saints also try to restore Steelport to its former glory since it has dilapidated under The Syndicate.

Players will also face attacks from S.T.A.G. (Special Tactics Anti-Gang) as the organisation tries to suppress two of the country’s biggest gangs.

What looks great about this game, as has been so far with the series, is that Volition understands that players will want to mess around and have as much fun as possible when presented with the open-world environment.

They’ve accommodated this by gearing SR: The Third towards outrageous gameplay scenarios and novel experiences.

There are some interesting types of side missions / activities that have been created for sheer enjoyment such as:

• Tank Mayhem where players are chucked in a tank and told to cause / reach a target amount of destruction in the given time.
• Porfessor Genki’s Super Ethical Reality Complex which is something like Running Man meets the most psychedelic Japanese gameshow and tasks players with the objective of surviving.
• Insurance Fraud challenges players to cause themselves as much bodily harm as possible with the ability to chain collisions for combos.

Sure beats the hell out of driving your cousin around. Completing activities also earns players cash and Respect, with a  certain amount of the latter being needed to progress to each new story mission as in games such as Just Cause 2. The Respect system will also now determine a players combat skills  and even goes so far as to determine how fat or thin they are.

There’s also a wide variety of weapons ranging from the ordinary to the ridiculous and plain obscene.

Players can opt for the mundane thing like a shotgun or assault rifle or go batshit with Porfessor Genki’s Octopus Cannon which launches mind-controlling octopi at enemies who will then aid players. If that doesn’t take your fancy, you could always call in an airstrike or use the Apoco-Fist which is a set of comically large fists that cause enemies to explode epically on impact.

Still not feeling it? Try the giant dildo on for size (not literally) and slap people around with it or whip out the RC Gun which launches electronic bugs that can attach to cars so that players can then control them remotely like toys.

There’s also been talks of some secret, unrevealed weapon which the developers themselves think may be controversial, saying only that they are worried about how it will be received.

With a city as large as Steelport, the vehicles are the usual range of planes, boats, cars and helicopters all of which are said to be a lot more fun and easier to control in the new game. Some standouts are the VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) jet and Professor Genki’s Super Ballistic Manapult which allows players to suck up pedestrians and launch them cannonball-style.

Customisation has been given a major facelift with a far deeper system. Players can alter everything about their character’s looks from hair colour to skin colour to costumes, build and even crotch / bust size. It’s not just presets either, players can finetune each detail of their character and as is becoming the theme here, go for the outrageous if they so wish. You can give yours blue skin and put them in a ninja suit or cheerleader outfit if that’s what you’re into.

This is all made possible with the Initiation Station and Let’s Pretend features which also allow players to upload their unique design to the community with ease.

Cars can even be modded for performance and pimped out to attract the ladies. The same goes for weapons with players being able to add the likes of sniper scopes and even third barrels to certain guns.

Another improvement is that players can now choose how they carry out a mission. For example, a siege on an enemy tower can go down one of two ways: either you storm the place and seize control so as to make money off your new property or simply just blow the whole thing up. The choice is yours.

My favourite example though is one where you have to save a group of prostitutes being held on a  boat. Once they’re safe you can either leave them be and sell the boat or make an investment and take the girls under your wing as their pimp.

The prevailing image here is one of unbridled outrageous uncensored fun. It’s a whole lot of ‘why not?’ rather than the boring, safe and increasingly prominent ‘why?’.

Volition’s Eric Barker was famously quoted as saying:

“I don’t think [piracy] is something at the forefront for us. First and foremost, we want to make sure we’re making a game people would want to pirate.”

There really is nothing missing from this game, it is simply bursting to the brim with content and well-developed content with substance to it, at that. Perhaps the biggest selling point of this game is bound to be its absolute disregard for realism and thus the absolute lack of any. It’s all been chucked out the window in favour of making a game that delivers as much entertainment as it possibly can.

PC gamers will also delight in the fact that Volition still takes PC seriously and is working to make Saints Row: the Third great on PC as well and not just another crappy port.

Do we have a great in the making here or what? One thing’s for sure: this game should be more entertaining than ‘utilising’ a top-class hooker while you chow on a mountain of KFC before going out for a spin in a Ferrari Italia.

Over a week ago Naughty Dog pulled the plug on the nearly three week long Uncharted 3 beta. Extreme sadness engulfed me, not because I knew all my progress was now lost, but because of the fact that I will have to wait until November to once again be able to climb, zip line and rocket my way to victory. One thing I can say is that the beta was awesome, and Naughty Dog has another four months or so to make it truly special.

1.9 billion kills, 48 billion shots fired, and more than 362 years worth of matches later, the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta was the largest ever held on PlayStation Network. Whether you started early with your InFamous 2 code, or you waited the extra week to get in on the action, there is no denying that this was an enormous beta, with over 1.5 million players logging on to participate.

On the day of launch, I eagerly log in, excited to see what Naughty Dog has in store for everyone. The first thing I am prompted to do is customise my two characters, a Hero and a Villain. Most customisation options are locked from the get go and items are unlocked by finding treasures during matches, but more on that later. A small flag flaps behind my character, with a backdrop that represents the map last played. My customised emblem is painted on the flag, giving my home screen a unique and homely feel. It is a fantastic presentation, though the actual matchmaking feels all too familiar, with a seemingly strong Call of Duty type feel to it.

Weapon customisation is also present, though only a handful of weapons were on offer in the beta. AK47, G-Mal, Dragon Rifle and an M9 made up the rifles, while the traditional pistol and ARM Micro make up your side-arm options. Each weapon was able to be customised with performance enhancing add-ons such as reload speed, ammo clip size, accuracy etc. As expected, there were also not many weapon add-ons on show, and I really hope Naughty Dog is able to add more of an arsenal to players. Scattered across maps are Power weapons, in the form of shotguns, RPG’s, grenade launchers, bolt rifles, pistols and revolvers which, in the right hands, can become effective killing machines. These weapons add some variety to the weapon range, and also ensure that not only a handful of players get the opportunity to use them.

The beta had a surprisingly large number of game types on show, with the traditional Free-For-All, Team Deathmatch and Plunder (Capture the Flag) all making an appearance. Included as well was Three Team Deatchmatch, which pitted three teams of two against each other, Team Objective, which was basically Team Deathmatch with added objectives and Hardcore, which was Team Deathmatch without any Power Plays and Kickbacks (more on those later). On top of that, there were also three Co-op match types, namely Hunter, Hunter Arena and Adventure, but due to the lack of players, I was not able to play those match types.

Power Plays and Kickbacks are two new, and sometimes controversial additions to the Uncharted multiplayer formula. Firstly, Power Plays. How many times have you played a match online, in any game, where halfway through you know that your team has absolutely no chance of winning, and the rest of the match is just a formality in order to start the next one? Well, Naughty Dog are trying to rectify that issue with Power Plays. At any point during a match, a team that is taking a considerable beating will be granted a temporary advantage over the other team, whether it be being able to see enemy position, gain double bullet damage or being able to score points by killing the opposing team’s VIP — the “Marked Man”. One great feature is that at any point during the Power Play, if the scores level up, it ends immediately, serving only to keep the match interesting and not outright allow the losing team to go leagues ahead.

I find Power Plays a fantastic idea, though many Uncharted vets do not seem to like them at all. Many say that it allows a losing team to completely catch-up in a short space of time, in turn allowing them to win the match. In all honesty, this is an extremely rare occurrence, and the only benefit from the feature is keeping every game interesting, allowing a losing team to push for victory while also keeping the winning team alive and on their toes.

Kickbacks are the same as killstreak rewards, though they do not come directly from the number of kills a player acquires. Sure, more kills without deaths does award a player medals, but there are many other sources for medal pick-ups as well, such as treasure chests and specialty kills. Earn enough medals and you are able to activate your chosen kickback, whether it be spawning an RPG, rewarding you with a cluster bomb or giving you a temporary speed boost. There are also a few interesting, and controversial, kickbacks available, such as a smoke bomb that allows you to disappear in the heat of battle, and the ability to somehow transform into a cluster of poisonous spiders that is able to take out entire groups on enemies. Naughty Dog does have some balancing issues to sort out, but all in all the kickbacks are a nice addition, which serve to add more fun rather than a large purpose.

Even before matches begin, you are given the choice to purchase paid boosters which could potentially give you a slight upper hand in the match. These boosters only last for one match, and cost a lot of money so players will have to think wisely when deciding whether or not to lay down the cash. Boosters can be heavier bullet impact, or even the ability to not fire tracers when squeezing the trigger. There are not many options in the booster list, and for the most part the advantage gained is so small that I found myself hardly using boosters at all. Hopefully Naughty Dog will add more interesting boosters, or at least make them a lot cheaper.

There were three maps on show during the beta, all of which had unique aspects to them. Firstly the least interesting of the three, Chateau. I say least interesting, not because it was a bad map, but because it was pale in comparison to the other two. Chateau comprised of various narrow rooms and corridors, and also took place in a two-story mansion. At the beginning of the match, the mansion is set alight, and throughout the match, burnt pieces and entire floors fall to the ground, giving the map a dynamic feel. Most of the fights took place on the second story near the zip line, and this particular area was especially good for group battle. There are many ways to flank enemies, as well as one or two vantage points for snipers. Three heavy machine gun placements also feature, and overlook vast open areas for ambushes.

Next up is Yemen, which was a small village in the middle of the desert. Yemen comprises of very tight and constricted pathways, which are overlooked by small balconies and two large towers that players are able to climb. This map is both a sniper’s haven and fast runner’s paradise. Snipers are able to take positions in the towers, and overlook large portions of the map. However, players who prefer a more direct approach will have the advantage of tight walkways to run through, providing good cover and an easy way to sneak up on camping snipers. This is an extremely fun map to wage war in, with snipers constantly looking over their shoulder, and riflemen making their way through the map while watching for sniper fire at the same time.

Airstrip was by far the best map in the beta. Fun, medium sized, small rooms, verticality all make it seem like all the other maps, though there is one feature that makes it stand out. The map is actually split into two parts. When you begin, the maps takes you to a runway where a plane is in the process of taking off. Depending which side you are on, you either begin in the cargo plane or in the back of one of the many trucks in pursuit. From there, you can either shoot from where you are, or jump from truck to truck in order to try and board the plan. These initial 3 or so minutes are so exhilarating and fun that it could have been the entire map itself. After a while, the plane takes off, and players are then shuffled into the Airfield, which is a lot like Chateau except a bit bigger. What Naughty Dog have done for the beginning of this map is an awesome idea, and I would love to see it implemented in more maps at final release.

All said and done, I am really excited to see the final product come November when Uncharted 3 is released. Though it will probably never reach the competitive standards that Call of Duty has, it is a hell of a lot of fun to play, especially with a couple of friends. The inclusion of split-screen online functionality is an awesome feature, and there is little that is more satisfying than hitting a high-five with a friend over the body of an enemy. There are some things Naughty Dog has to go back and fix, such as kickback imbalances, more weapons, and the melee system that seems old when it comes to direct hand-to-hand combat. There feels like there is a void in my life with the beta now over, and there were definitely some stand out moments while playing. I guess it’s farewell for now Uncharted 3, until November that is.

Warning: The top section of this article will read very much like a column. You have been warned. Also all non-native MGS gamers or interested people should read this.

I think I’m starting to see why all PS3 consoles except the 60GB are not backward compatible. It is so that developers can profit on HD remasters. Also the video above always reminds me why I love this series.

However I own a 60GB PS3 and I must say that when playing on an HD monitor or even an HDTV, PS2 games are sometimes unplayable graphically, due to some extreme stretching, or you have to use a smaller portion of the screen leaving you with a sea of darkness encompassing the majority of your oh-so-expensive and high quality screen. You might as well connect your PS3 to an old cardboard box type TV.

Strangely I played the original Metal Gear Solid on my 60GB and it looked fine (0bviously it was for the PS1 so graphics were PS1-ish, but still there was no stretch and this was on a 42″ screen.)

Now In my humble personal opinion I think these HD remakes are necessary, because I tried playing the all time classic Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, but I just couldn’t, I really just couldn’t…

Also those who own PS3 consoles that lack backward compatibility would benefit from these HD remakes.

Forgive me I haven’t posted for a while due to a severe case of laziness and writer’s block and I just realised how much I miss this work. Now to the topic at hand.

Before E3 on the 2nd of June, 2011, Kojima Productions announced the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, which would feature:

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Yes that means that Peace Walker will be on console with dual analogue support.

Here is a video of Peace Walker gameplay on the PS3:

You may have noticed the original MGS is missing. This is because Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima said that he will not just merely remaster the game in HD, because he would want to take more time with it and because it is very old. This is what he had to say:

“Obviously, we wanted to include it and make it a complete collection. However, as you know, Metal Gear Solid 1 was for the PSone. It has a very, very low polygon count,” says Kojima Productions’ creative producer.

“While at the time the game was something new and refreshing, just bringing it as is into HD probably wouldn’t have that much meaning to us. We’re doing two and three with a certain work flow where the goal is to take that game, preserve it and introduce it to a new generation. We can’t really take that approach with Metal Gear Solid 1 because it’s very dated at this point.”

“If we were going to do Metal Gear Solid 1 we’d want to take more time with it. Not just up-res the textures, not just make things look pretty and polished, but go back and tweak some of the gameplay, tweak the story to update things and do it properly. Not just a re-master but a re-imagining almost.

“We do want to do that sometime down the road but it will take more time. It’s not something we’re looking at doing right now.”

Personally I think he should just leave MGS 1 alone. It, as he said, is a classic that should be preserved as is for future generations. Try playing it even now with shitty graphics and all and MGS 1 still delivers. It really does.

For all of those wondering why the MGS remake Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes isn’t going to be included? Well lets just say Nintendo owns the licenses.

The HD remastering will be done by Bluepoint Games, which is the same company that brought us the God of War Collection. Since then they have become quite a renowned studio in terms of HD conversions.

On July 15th 2011, on Twitter, Kojima said:

“Re-recording for “MGS HD (MGS3)” in progress today, and the voice actors from MGS are here from the morning”

There might be some new voice work, but as of now it is only confirmed for the Japanese version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake eater. News on new voice work for the Western versions has not surfaced yet.

The Metal Gear Solid HD collection will be out in November 2011. If you enjoyed the Metal Gear Series on older consoles then this will definitely be worth it.

Here is the official overview:

Accept the mission and play three great chapters in the Metal Gear franchise with the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Included are Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. All three games are rendered in high-definition for the first time!

MGS 2: Players take the role of a one-man army determined to stop a deadly high-tech weapon from falling into the hands of a highly elite resistance group known as Dead Cell. Players must utilize their skills in stealth, weaponry, and counter-terrorism to fight off the competing powers. Progress through a twisting storyline and eventually face the gigantic war machine, Metal Gear Ray.

MGS 3: In the struggle to achieve world peace and world dominance in the Cold War period, rivalling governments are secretly developing weapons technology that could threaten the future existence of life. Destined to be the first, a race ensues to become the ultimate nation. A special elite tactical soldier is summoned to penetrate deep in the heart of enemy territory and obtain Intel about “Metal Gear”, a prototype weapon with nuclear capabilities. This is your mission and you must infiltrate alone. As “Naked Snake,” you must outsmart enemies with camouflage, close-quarters combat, stalking, interrogating, climbing, hunting and treating injuries in this critical chapter of the Metal Gear saga.

MGS Peace Walker: The era is the 1970s. Big Boss has stations his “Soldiers without Borders” in Columbia, South America, where he was approached by a visitor from Costa Rica, “a Nation without a Military.) In the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a mysterious armed force seemed to be engaging in suspicious activities. Players take control of the famed Naked Snake at a critical junction in modern history. Advanced co-operative techniques allows multiple players to sneak into the fray and accomplish this mission together.

Destructoid has a great comparison gallery and where you can compare the PS2 and PSP screens with what they look like on PS3. For Xbox 360, just imagine they will be similar for sanity’s sake. Jump to the gallery right here. I really can’t wait to play Peace Walker on PS3 and feel nostalgic whilst playing MGS2 and MGS3. I wish Kojima would do a next gen remake of the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake.

Before saying anything about Duke Nukem Forever, I would like to take the opportunity to express my deep sense of achievement at having actually played it. That is not being said in arrogance, but rather in astonishment. I simply found it pretty peculiar, to say the least, that I was playing a game that has been in the [repeatedly delayed] making for a decade. It’s odd, but refreshing, and after having completed the rather brief demo of the game, I must confess that my feelings are really mixed and entirely unsure about the game from this point on, fueling my curiousity for the final release of the game.

Name: Duke Nukem Forever
Genre: First Person Shooter
Players: 1
Multiplayer: Online (8 players)
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox360
Developers: Gearbox Software, Piranha Games (Multiplayer)
Publishers: 2K Games
Release Date: 10-14 June 2011

*Note: Played through on PC

The demo of the game starts off in a pretty unconventional way, in that you’re put right into the shoes of Duke, and taking a piss in a toilet. You’re required to hold down the trigger button on consoles or left click on PC to pee, or press the action button to stop if you don’t have the patience or interest in seeing out Duke’s abnormally long ability to urinate. Once that’s done, you’re free to explore the bathroom and interact with various objects in the environment, including a turd in a toilet, which you can pick up and throw around if that’s your thing, listening to Duke’s random and entertaining commentary while you do it. You’re then made to exit the bathroom and head out to a drastically different scene that has military men lying defeated and dead all over the floor, dismembered limbs scattered arbitrarily around, a dude holding his leg on a couch and a couple of soldiers fussing over a whiteboard discussing a tactical plan of action against the aliens.

That’s where you step in and pick up the blue, red and green markers and board wiper and begin freely drawing whatever you please, apparently adding to their plan of action. I drew a large smiley face and wrote the word “KFC” in huge letters, which inspired a withdrawal spasm in my brain that forced me to scribble all over the board in frustration. Still, I was praised by the dude watching me for my brilliance. Pity that it’s scripted what the dude will say, but it was funny. The demo’s opening is certainly very entertaining, and sparks a certain curiousity and wonder in you, like a child excited over his birthday presents. From the word go the demo just made me want to see everything I could do and witness, and not miss out on anything, because it just felt so different from all the other games I’ve been playing for so long. Anyways, my wonder aside, you charge off unarmed with the military men to take the fight to a bunch of pig-headed things and Cycloid, the gigantic cyclops final boss from the original game, on a football field, which is certainly going to draw a nostalgic feeling from fans. However, your way is abruptly blocked off by falling rubble, leaving you to find another way to get there.

After running around for a bit, you’ll find your way to a lift where you’re then given the Devastator, a gun that fires missiles rapidly, and told to go kick some ass. Here, you’ll face the Cycloid. Before I go further, it would perhaps be best to speak about gameplay right about now. Naturally it’s a demo, so you’re pretty restricted, but it’s clear that Duke Nukem Forever is a pretty simple and unsophisticated game to say the least. Your standard actions include shooting, zooming in, crouching, jumping, running and interacting with objects in the environment. In the button mapping menu there are buttons assigned to drinking a beer, taking steroids and activating a holoduke, but naturally those will only be available in the full game. There’s also something called Duke Vision, which just distorted my screen, turning it white and making me unable to see, and I couldn’t find a purpose for it, so either it’s broken in the demo or my PC has issues with it. Anyway, back to the demo. You’ll take the fight to Cycloid on the football field, pretty much just repeatedly shooting him, avoiding his attacks and collecting ammo packs dropped from a supply plane which curiously all contain 69 rounds. When his health bar his down, you’ll perform an easy quick time event to climb on top of his head and rip a bunch of pipes out before watching him crumple to the ground, allowing you to interact with his eyeball and kick it over the goals.

After defeating Cycloid, the camera zooms out to show Duke himself actually playing Duke Nukem while being “serviced” by two hotties wearing school-girl outfits, and he then takes a stab at the game’s painfully long development time with a funny one-liner. That brings the first level of the demo to a close, and it all seems like a decent enough introduction. It’s humourous, entertaining, nostalgic, random, there’s only one enemy to kill and it’s pretty easy, which is mostly good. This naturally will get you looking forward to the second level of the demo, but unfortunately this is where things get worrying. The start of the level is good fun, as you’ll be put inside a monster truck and made to drive recklessly through a dusty desert environment, road killing pig things and avoiding falling boulders, using your rocket boosters to cover ground quickly. After a huge leap from the edge of a cliff to the other side, the truck runs out of gas, which made me laugh as Duke dropped his expected one-liner. You’re then tasked with going on foot to find yourself some more gas.

However, it’s from this moment on that the demo starts showing you exactly the kinds of things that can ruin your day. The player is given an “EGO” bar, which is essentially a health meter, and the game uses the regenerative health system, so expect to be spending time hiding behind cover waiting for your health to replenish. It wasn’t so bad working with it, but it did start making things feel generic when I was forced to wait to heal every couple of shots I took. Since the level is pretty open and enemies are far off in the distance, you’ll need some degree of precision to take out your enemies, and it’s here you’ll realise that the aiming feels rather floaty. My experience was on PC, and I fiddled a bit with the sensitivity after noticing it, but the aiming still didn’t really feel smooth or natural. Still, I dismissed it and continued on – that is, until I was met with the thing I absolutely hated about the game: Duke can only carry two weapons. Preaching realism in a game like Duke Nukem is naturally stupid, so as to why this weapon limit exists is beyond me, especially since the demo level freely throws weapons at you in the form of the pistol, Shrink Ray, Shotgun, Rail Gun, RPG and Ripper, all in quick succession, making it frustrating to constantly swap out your weapons to try new ones and manage them.

The next thing to question about the game is the AI, because they’re exceptionally stupid. In fact, labelling what they have as “intelligence” seems too polite a description. They don’t seem to care about you blowing their legs off or about the fact that they’re mindlessly running at you begging to be killed, and they worryingly make the combat feel pretty dull. You do have a melee attack at your disposal and you’re able to execute fallen enemies at the push of a button, when they’re close to death, to feel good about yourself, but it’s nothing new and the animations for these kills are very limited. That said, the weapons are pretty varied and fun to play around with, but again the maximum carrying limit of two is highly annoying, and the Shrink Ray specifically is a let down. Reason being, it does the first part right in shrinking your enemies to ridiculously and laughably small sizes, but the act of stomping them with your feet is buggy and unnatural, because you can’t simply jump on or run over shrunken enemies to crush them, as you have to walk over them in a specific way so that Duke “interacts” with them, making it inconsistent and irritating. It would have been fun to have had the ability to kick them or pick them up and throw or squash them or something, but as it stands it gets old quickly and is rather lame.

If I have to be honest, I’m not big on graphics when it comes to determining a game’s true quality. I mean, I obviously like pretty-looking games and awesome photo-realistic visuals, but I can forget about them if the gameplay is solid and the fun factor is high, as that’s ultimately the two most important aspects to any game. However, in the Duke demo the graphics are another cause for concern, simply because they’re puzzlingly inconsistent. In some areas, especially the opening level of the demo, they look really good and quite detailed, but in other areas they look average at best. It’s very noticeable in the demo’s second level, the desert environment, as character models look good, but the environments and landscapes can look flat and bland and various objects seem to be lacking in detail. The audio and music on the other hand are at a pretty good standard, and of course Duke’s voice is all you need to remind you of what you’re playing.

Wrapping up the demo, all that’s left is to kill a bunch of repetitive enemies and later in the level shoot down an alien spaceship using a bunch of rockets, paying careful attention to the ammunition crate nearby, which again adds a generic feeling to the game. Once you sink the ship, you’ll find yourself in a mineshaft killing large bugs and doing some cart riding through an underground maze to locate gas for your monster truck. After acquiring it, you head back to your truck to find two pig monsters barbarically whacking it, and you can then kill them how you please, refuel your truck and then sit back and think on what you’ve just played while you’re shown the inevitable “buy this now” splash screen and hype trailer. It should be noted that the demo doesn’t give you the opportunity to play the intriguing multiplayer component of the game, so nothing can be said on it at this point in time and we’ll have to wait until launch to try it out.

Now, reflecting back on what all I got from my experience with the Duke Nukem Forever demo, my honest answer is: not much. The gameplay right now feels odd, as if the developers were seemingly not sure whether to style the game after modern realistic shooters or go back to whacky town with something like Painkiller or the original Duke Nukem, and somehow decided that the best course of action would be to throw together elements from both styles. Granted, the humour is there and there are glimpses of things that will interest you, but things just don’t feel right with this demo, like the game is still early in development or something. Word is that this is the same demo that was used by Gearbox last year to reveal the game at PAX Prime, which could be why it doesn’t spark much excitement, but overall putting out a judgement on the game right now just seems weird, because after completing the demo you just feel like you weren’t shown enough, that the experience was lacking and that the game’s release date is somewhere far away still.

However, I will say clearly that I don’t trust demos. I feel that they are often not a true reflection of the final product and overall that they are just a bad representation of the real deal and rather deceptive in their value. To bring up past examples, when I had a go at the demos of Killzone 2, Infamous, and Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, I was largely put off by the games and thought they were seriously underwhelming. But when I actually got to play the full games in question, I loved all of them and was hooked from beginning to end. On the other end of the scale, when I played the demo of Mirror’s Edge, I was very impressed and felt it was exciting and had exhilarating gameplay, only to get the full game and become bored after an hour and put off. Ultimately, this makes me reluctant to pass final judgement on Duke Nukem Forever until I’ve played the final retail product, and I suppose that’s the best course of action, because the only true thing you can glean from a demo is how a game feels and plays – nothing else. And even that, however, can be misleading in a demo.

In conclusion, if I have to give a verdict on my experience, I’d say that I’m honestly unsure and caught between mixed feelings. Duke Nukem Forever, based on the demo, feels like an ordinary FPS with decent graphics that won’t win any awards for gameplay or innovation, because it doesn’t stand out in any of those areas. However, I believe it will be a highly successful game (which doesn’t necessarily mean great), simply because this is Duke freakin’ Nukem, and it still carries that feeling, flare, style and humour that sets it apart from the rest and makes it an attractive game. Right now, only the final product will determine whether or not this is a good game, but don’t expect to be blown away or even turned on by the demo, because in all honesty it is rather underwhelming, purely from a gameplay, graphics and technical standpoint, without factoring in the excruciatingly long wait we’ve all had to endure to actually play this game.

After all is said and done I guess I have to also acknowledge that a game riding a hype train that stretches back over a decade past is highly unlikely to live up to the glamorous and greatly exaggerated standards set by fans and critics alike, especially since the franchise has been out of the game, so to speak, for such a long time. The biggest attraction here is most probably the return of Duke Nukem and the nostalgia and delight for all fans witnessing it – those who are still alive of course. But after playing the demo, I personally get the impression that Duke Nukem Forever may serve primarily as a commercial revival for the franchise, and that it could possibly also be a foundation for future Duke projects. At this point in time, it feels like Duke Nukem Forever is giving fans the basis of what they want and not really trying to challenge the top shooters of today. In the end though, these are simply my predictions, and as I said already, I’m reluctant to judge any game based on a demo. I’m still looking forward to getting my hands on the final product, and will see how it measures up then. But perhaps to most, the only thing that will truly matter is that the Duke has finally returned.

Yes, the dream did finally end. The Gears of War 3 Beta officially ended yesterday, bringing a brief halt to the awesome chainsaw revving action until it can continue when the game releases in September later this year. CaViE and I have had an absolute blast playing the Beta, and we hope many of you were able to get your fix of Gears of War over the past month. CaViE and I will just quickly give you our final thoughts on the beta, and if we think the final product will be a milestone in the series.

I was ecstatic when Epic Games first announced that there would be an open beta for Gears of War 3. To be honest, it helped cushion the blow that was dealt to me when I heard that the game had been delayed to September, with good reason though. The only reason that this beta was possible was because of the delay, and I admire Epic for delaying a game in order to iron out all the bugs that they suspected were present, as well as test the balance of the weapons. All of this testing can ensure a great game at launch, as well as keeping players from having to update a game even a day after launch. Good decision Epic Games.

Okay, now to the beta. It felt really good to get back into the boots of a COG soldier and pick up my trusty Lancer. With a host of new maps, features and weapons it was Gears of War as I had come to know it. At first it was a bit troublesome trying to find a server populated by humans rather than A.I, but as the beta progressed, the number of people playing increased as well. The maps on show were fantastic, striking a balance that allowed players to simultaneously participate in long range and close quarters combat. I found Thrashball as my favourite on many occasions, with the sports-like atmosphere blending with the post-apocalyptic environment perfectly. It also had various places where one could gain a high ground advantage, which often led to heated struggles over the coveted advantage ground. The dynamic features of many of the maps was also a welcome feature, making games more exciting and heart-pounding. When you hear the Scoreboard about to fall in Thrashball, and you realise you are right underneath it, and then you realise you have mere seconds to escape. Yeah, now that is one hell of a rush.

Many of you might have seen some troll fuelled comments about the new Double Barrel Shotgun all over the internet. Let me just say one thing before I continue; anyone who does not enjoy the fact that Gears of War forces you to constantly change between your rifle and shotgun should stop playing right now. Epic has designed the multiplayer in this way for a reason, so there is no point in constantly complaining about it. It was the same in Gears of War 2, and it isn’t about to change. That said, I again enjoy the fact the Epic force players to constantly change what weapon they have equipped in order to be fully effective in combat. A Gnasher against a Lancer will usually lead to a bloody mess of the wielder of the Lancer in a close quarters encounter, though that should be fairly obvious. As for the new Double Barrel Shotgun, it is an awesome addition to the Gears of War armoury, as is the new Retro Lancer and the improvements to the Hammerburst. The Hammerburst may at times feel a bit overpowered, and the same can be said for the Retro Lancer, but I guess that is one of the reasons a beta was hosted.

In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the beta, and if Epic fixes small issues such as weapon imbalances and minor animation hiccups, Gears of War 3′s multiplayer component will be the best in the series, and an awesome Xbox online exclusive. So, until September, it is back to Gears of War 2 before once again we are heading out into the battlefield, Lancer in hand, to face the Locust horrors that await. I hope to see you all there as well.

There is a moment in gaming, when you’re stacked up against insurmountable odds, when you are your team’s last beacon of hope and the entire match rests upon your survival, when you fight and take it right to the bitter end before going down in a blaze of glory, that you begin to realise: This is why I became a gamer. This is who I am, and this is what I live for…

This beta showed off something that has been sorely lacking in most multiplayer offerings of late: Spirit.

Not often do you find a game where if you can get enough people together that have played it, not only will the conversation be relatively decent, but also you will be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn’t have hundreds of stories to tell, of their experiences with the game. And it’s quite a mindfuck then, to think that this is just the beta.

Going forward, it’s pretty clear that Epic Games have got something truly refined and perfected, now, in their multiplayer offering of Gears of War, and Gears of War 3 will have to do some really stupid things in order to mess that up. It just doesn’t seem likely.

The beta was fun, as if that needed saying. It brought together and made friends out of complete strangers, created many rivalries, created many truly unforgettable moments in gaming and teased players with an actual Xbox Live multiplayer that wasn’t a pain to play. Perhaps it was just the people who made the beta so great, but it helped that the game carried things along with aplomb.

Sure there were issues. I still had crazy lag on busier servers, right towards the end. It’s a beta. These things happen. And in fairness the pros far, far, far outweighed the cons. In fact the pros are the equivalent of someone who regularly binges on McDonald’s while the cons are just this little, homeless anorexic sitting outside on a park bench being ignored.

Look out for the Gears of War 3 preview, coming soon, where I give more insight into all things Gears.

This has been an incredible month of Gears of War 3 beta gaming and I sincerely hope that every person, at least at some point, tries out the game’s multiplayer when it releases, later this year.

Yesterday we posted an overview of the Spider-Man and Transformers event where we promised a hands on preview of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and here at eGamer we dont make empty promises.

The initial presentation was delivered by Sean Miller, Game Director at High Moon Studio, and his trusty game tester alongside him. During the presentation Miller did his best to show the vast array of new, and not so new, characters being introduced into the movie through the Transformers: Dark of the Moon game. A few characters worthy of mentioning include Laserbeak,  Soundwave, Mirage and Stratosphere. The High Moon team worked closely with Hasbro on the new game and have done a good job of keeping the characters and their personalities as close to the original as possible. In the levels we were allowed to play, we really got a feel for the robots being characters and not just hunks of metal with weapons attached to them, which I felt was seriously lacking in the previous instalment of the game. The storyline for the game is a build-up to the new film, and it will allow players to grasp the origins of the new Decepticon assassin known as Shockwave. Shockwave will be in the up and coming movie.

Name: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Multiplayer: Available, but not yet revealed
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, 3DS, DS
Developers: High Moon Studios
Publishers: Activision
Release Date: 14 June, 2011

During the presentation we got a chance to watch the tester have a go at various levels with characters on both sides of the war. The tester played a level with Bumblebee acting as a Scout/Warrior class fighter with great close-to-medium range skills, he then played as Soundwave, the Decepticon, and his mini Decepticon, Lazerbeak, on a cooperative mission. The presenters introduced the smooth aerial controls and revealed a quick look at the level with Starscream trying to shoot down the massive C-130, also known as Stratosphere in the game.

One of the main attractions in the new addition to the movie-game franchise is the inclusion of a new gameplay mechanic called Stealth Force. While the name is a bit of a misnomer, it is pretty accurate to be sure. Stealth Force is an in-between mode based on the older title’s Robot Mode and Vehicle Mode. Essentially, the new mode allows you to slow down the vehicle and deploy your weapons for long range fighting. This, in the beginning, seems destined to be the mode you could use to run through the entire game, but I ensure you they have this well covered as it was quickly shown to be useless at close range. In fact, the tester was dominated and died in front of a room full of smug gamers when showing the mode in a close-range battle. The Stealth Force mode has the awesome function of allowing you to strafe in vehicle mode, dodging rockets and enemies trying to flank you at speed. After this, a quick tap of your thumbstick and you’re into robot mode, or a pull of the accelerator and you’re boosting off to the next checkpoint. The changes added to the new title really allow you to move in and out of combat seamlessly and effectively.

After Miller had presented the game, we were afforded an opportunity to play two of the levels: The opening level with Bumblebee, and a hostage rescue-defence level with Ratchet and Ironhide. And just so you know, the grenade blossom skill is the best! At first I got to watch at some of the other guys playing around just to take some video and get a feel for the pace of the game, some did well, and others, not so well. Finally I got my turn to play, and my first impression with the controls was that this wasn’t the same game as War for Cybertron, this was something worth paying money for. I had a little drive around in Vehicle Mode to get used to the sensitivity, then jumped straight into a fight with a few enemies. The long range Stealth Force mode was great for approaching fights and getting a few rounds off before engaging at medium range. It was, however, a bit inaccurate and required some restraint with the trigger. The medium range weaponry is very cool, with the usual Transformer pulse weapons doing the best damage and being the most accurate. The sub-machine gun is alright, but not very accurate.

Soon into my first hands-on experience was I thrown into combat situations with Sideswipe and the great Optimus Prime as my backup. The map layouts are very similar to what most of you will be familiar with in regular First-Person-Shooter games with lots of tight spaces, blind corners and open courtyards with minimal cover. Multiple bogeys were spawned in continuously from all sides, and the battles, I must say, were very well balanced and would prove a good challenge for even the best sharpshooters. The Decepticon enemies are were recognisable by their models and colour schemes as to avoid confusion with your teammates. Furthermore, they were pretty good as far as single-player AI goes.

My only real criticism of the game is the grenade. Being a 20ft+ robot you would think that throwing a grenade would be a no-brainer, but unfortunately this isn’t the case. The toss feels very soft, it has a terrible arc and there’s no cooking timer. Its only saving grace was the fact they are impact detonated and handy in close quarters. When nearby, the grenade could take out around four bots at a time — I scored the grenade expert achievement, +50 Gamerscore, thanks. Overall, I wouldn’t suggest even trying a long range toss as it often falls dismally short and wastes precious ammo which could be used in more pressing engagements.

Finally, you are introduced to the special moves available to each character. These are specific to each bot, for instance Bumblebee has a melee spin that disperses nearby enemies while Ironhide has the amazing grenade blossom that takes out marked enemies in all directions with a flourish of impact-detonated ‘nades. These skills are recharged on the fly by collecting shards dropped by fallen enemies and can be used as often as you can kill enemies.

A great game overall and quite a big feather in the Transformers franchise cap. Well done to High Moon and Sean Millers team on a great game suitable for the casual gamer and the hardcore button basher. Great graphics, great gameplay and even greater cut scenes. All in all a game I would go out and buy if I was you, and I am, so I will.

The multiplayer function will allow players to compete against or with one another in various modes. The multiplayer modes have not yet been revealed.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is scheduled to launch around 14 June, 2011 for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, 3Ds and DS. However, the Nintendo gameplay and content may vary to the 360 and PS3 versions.

Cole McGrath returns with his freak-accident electric powers in InFamous 2. This time around he’s more powerful, more determined and there’s far more going on within the game. Now, we at eGamer really liked the first InFamous and even though it went largely unnoticed critically, it was still considered a sleeper hit. So, let’s have a look at what InFamous 2 is bringing to the table to really stand out and be truly great.

Name: InFamous 2

Genre: Action/Adventure

Platforms: PS3

Developer: Sucker Punch

Publisher:Sony Computer Entertainment

Release Date: 7 June 2011

After a couple of re-imaginings and much outrage and gnashing of teeth, Cole has ended up looking like a slightly more youthful version of his previous self. He also sports a voice that is best described with the phrase: “if teenage Spider-man was a chain smoker.” Apparently this was to tie into the developer’s attempt at making Cole a more relatable protagonist rather than the alienating gravel-voiced baby eater from the first game.

Not to worry though because Sucker Punch has compensated for that with some frankly awesome upgrades to Cole’s already impressive arsenal. Players will start the game with all the powers that Cole had at the end of InFamous and will simply build on from there. Two prominent additions to Cole’s electricity-based powers are the Kinetic Pulse which allows him to levitate objects and then launch them at enemies and the Ionic Vortex which is basically a controlled lightning tornado that is guaranteed to disperse a crowd of baddies. Melee has also given the old what-for with the addition of a wicked looking cattle-prod which is said to broaden the gameplay and make it more exhilarating as opposed to having to take every enemy down at a safe distance from behind cover.

The rather pointless Karma system, like many aspects of the game, has been ramped up so that it does a little bit more than make Cole look like a leper and change the colour of his lightning. Instead when it comes to decisions, Cole will have to take the council of one of two female NPC’s that may possibly end up being love interests. There’s Kuo, who will tag team with Cole’s best buddy Zeek throughout the game as the voice of reason, and then there’s Nix who will be the more destructive of the two.

Align yourself with Kuo and you’ll gain access to ice powers, follow Nix and you get napalm-type fire powers. Sadly, that’s the extent of the impact that decision making will have on InFamous 2, oh and Cole’s t-shirt changes colour depending on whether you’re good or bad. There’s no discernible impact on the narrative and it looks as if Cole has lost the ability to think for himself since every decision will come down to: Option A or Option B, as determined by two other people. You’re not even changing how you do missions just how you get to the main part of each.

All powers – electric, ice and fire – will be upgradeable as you progress through the game just as in InFamous.

The platforming has also been given a shock to the system so as to be more fast-paced and flowing than in InFamous. Players will be able to traverse the environments in true parkour style by making the path as they go, using electromagnetism to cling to surfaces or draw objects up to build a path. With this comes a more destructible and interactive environment.

InFamous 2 is set in the fictional city of New Marais which is based on New Orleans and the reason for Cole being here is that it is the headquarters of the First Sons and thus the place where the Raysphere was created. Cole is in New Marais to both learn more about his powers and enhance them by consuming 5 beer bottle-shaped objects called Blast Cores throughout the course of the game; each of which bestows him with a new power.

There’s no shortage of fights for Cole to get into in New Marais either what with it being the home base of the First Sons, a city riddled with nasty creatures and controlled by a power-hating politician named Bertrand with access to his own mini army called the Militia. Cole will certainly have his hands full. There is also said to be a far greater variety to the enemies that Cole will face both in their size and the type of threat they pose.

There’s also an interesting little element that Sucker Punch has borrowed from another PS3-exclusive: user-generated content that will be available to the public. Basically you can just be running around the game world and at the touch of a button, start creating your own mission right where you are. Using elements from the game and a few others that aren’t; users can create their very own missions complete with objectives, enemies and all the trimmings. You then publish it and provided someone has an active internet connection, it will pop up in their game-world as UGC (User-Generated Content). As you can imagine this could lead to a very crowded game world with user-generated missions crowding every square inch of it but there are luckily various filters to narrow down the number of missions that appear, there’s even one filter that only allows the most popular missions to show up.

Visually, the game looks amazing. The cutscenes are smooth and reminiscent of Uncharted although some will still be done in the signature comic-book style. The environments are stunning and the character models are actually quite good.

Big news is that Sucker Punch went into InFamous 2 with the intent of producing a GotY contender, something that could challenge the likes of Uncharted, God of War III and Assassin’s Creed. Oh, and there’s support for PS Move and 3D.

InFamous 2 is looking to be the superior to InFamous in every conceivable way, let’s just hope that all comes together to make a game that is miles ahead of its predecessor. At least they’re not going the way of most developers and dumbing the gameplay down in the name of ‘streamlining’. And now for the despicably bad electricity puns: InFamous 2 looks to be shockingly good and an electrifying sequel to a bright spark of a new IP.

Fingers crossed this’ll be one to remember.

A sneak peek of Spider-Man: Edge of Time, following the Hands-On for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, from the Monday Activision press launch event.

After something to eat and a coffee, we were all ushered into the presentation room to find Dennis Bernardo standing next to a screen smiling over us. Dennis Bernardo is the Associate Producer on this project for Activision, and he worked very closely with Marvel and Beenox on the second outing in this franchise.  Bernardo jumped straight in and told us the basic outline of the story in the upcoming title, that is, Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2099 were on the same timeline and in the near future Amazing Spider-Man would be killed by an evil scientist from Spider-Man 2099′s time. To prevent this they had to work together, using an innovative “cause-and-effect” style of gameplay through time and space, to change the course of the future. Beenox has developed a great new screen-in-screen feature whereby you can see the effect your actions have on the other Spider-Man’s timeline. For instance, Spider-Man 2099 is fighting a giant robot in the future while guiding you to destroy the prototype in Amazing Spider-Man’s time, causing the robot to fade out of existence as you go, saving Spider-Man 2099′s skin.

Initially, I had at least 20 questions to ask Mr Bernardo at the event — and I arrived well prepared — but during his presentation all the rather sceptical queries I had were quickly answered. Beenox had worked hard on a new engine for the game, made in-house at the studio specifically for this title, as well as worked more closely with Marvel than on previous occasions. In fact, they worked with some pretty well known patriots in the franchise. Bernardo also clarified, once and for all, that this title is not at all a follow-up to the previous Shattered Dimensions game as this version is played on a single timeline in the story of Peter Parker, and not a story containing multiple dimensions and different possible personalities of Spider-Man. Bernardo went on to tell us that they really tried to take what the fans had to say about the previous title and work it into their development cycle as best they could, while staying true to what Marvel wanted to see in the game as well.

During the time Bernardo used to explain what to expect from the game, his ever present game tester was playing through some of the levels in what looked to me like a close-to-completion product. However, we were then told that only a handful of the levels had been completed and that they were still full of bugs and glitches. Despite this, the game looked clean and sharp, and very fun to watch. The fighting styles of the two Spidey’s were very different. The Amazing Spider-Man remained true to itself: A long-to-medium range fighter with lots of web skills and combos, while Spider-Man 2099 displays new characteristics: Melee based combat with blades attached to his arms and extremely fast attack speed. It seemed as if not that much had been done differently with relation to combat in this title when compared to the previous, but this could change — so we’ll reserve judgment until we get a proper play-through. The sneak peek into Spider-Man: Edge of Time offered a huge amount of promise at first glance. I have said before that I am not a franchise fan, but there are a few studios out there trying to change perspective on this, and they seem to be doing a great job.

Finally, as Dennis Bernardo wound down his presentation, we got to watch a looped cut-scene of Spider-Man 2099 carrying off a rather battered and bloody Amazing Spider-Man. The loop looked so well rendered and modelled that I am actually excited to see what the graphics look like in the final product. Just a small fact to round off: Because of the successes of the last game, Marvel and Activision have decided to award Beenox Studios all future titles in the Spider-Man franchise. That alone speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

There aren’t many people in the world who don’t know who Bethesda is. That is, in the gaming world. I mean they were the ones who brought us incredible games such as The Elder Scrolls series and Fallout: New Vegas. Then you get Splash Damage, which brought us the amazing and incredibly addictive Enemy Territory: Quake Wars. So, what would happen if you to put these two together? Brink would happen. Brink is busy happening. Brink is nearly upon us all.

Name: Brink

Genre: First-Person Shooter (FPS)

Multiplayer: 8v8-player Cooperative multiplayer

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3

Developers: Splash Damage

Publishers: Bethesda

Release Date: 13th May 2011

Brink has a very interesting premise. The game is set on The Ark, a floating city surrounded by the waters of a flooded earth off the coast of San Francisco. The Ark was designed as a prototype of the perfect city, a place where humanity could possibly restart and try rectify the mistakes of the past. The Ark has renewable resources and no pollution, large enough to accommodate 5000 lucky residents. Things begin to spiral out of control when refugees from all parts of the world begin showing up, looking for sanctum, and the Ark’s population grows to around 50,000.

With not enough resources to go around, the thousands of people quickly became dissatisfied with the lack of food, clothing and water, and form a faction simply known as “The Resistance” demanding more of these essentials. After the Ark’s leaders refused, they armed themselves to seize power for themselves and distribute water and food freely, claiming that the Ark has plenty of renewable resources. The Ark had little need for a security force at the outset, but quickly began recruitment and went on a firearm shopping spree to counter the Resistance. Now the only place on the Ark where there is any level of peace is the area around the capitol, where the Ark’s leaders are frantically trying to contact the outside world for aid.

Players will assume the role of a soldier in either the “Resistance”, who are fighting to gain control of The Ark, or the “Security” force fighting to protect it. One aspect that makes Brink special is the fact that not every player will assume the role of the same soldier. Players will be able to fully customise their character using the game’s character-customisation tool. Players will be able to choose from a huge variety of clothes, race, face shapes, hairstyles, scars, weapons, tattoos and much more. Players will also be able to play through the entire campaign as either of the factions.

There are four types of character classes that will be available:

• The Soldier – Soldiers will be able to resupply teammates and use high explosives to destroy key targets.

• The Medic – Medics are able to heal fallen teammates and even increase teammates’ health.

• The Engineer - Engineers enhances their teammates’ weapons and can place a variety of stationary turrets.

• The Operative - Operatives can perform acts of sabotage, interrogate fallen opponents to provide intelligence on enemy locations and disguise themselves and operate as one of the enemy.

One thing about Brink you have to understand is that it isn’t a standard story-driven campaign. Although you can play the game in single-player mode, it will be essentially the same as the online multiplayer with bots. Thus, the best experience will probably be found online. Though, that’s not to say that there is no point in playing the single-player. Splash Damage is attempting to blur the lines between single and multiplayer by allowing players to earn experience and unlocks in both modes. That means any experience earned in single-player can be utilised in the multiplayer as well. Experience will allow access to skill bonuses, additional weapons and more customisation options.

Brink plays like an FPS, but with a very interesting twist. The main focus is on a fluid, parkour style of movement, similar to Mirror’s Edge. But don’t worry; the game will not have the same shooting mechanics as Mirror’s Edge, which were horrible to say the least. For this type of gameplay, Splash Damage has developed a system called SMART (Smooth Movement Across Random Terrain). This is probably going to be one of Brink’s most outstanding features. It will allow players to manoeuvre around various complex environments with ease, as players will simply have to hold in the SMART button and letting the system judge what they are trying to do by analysing the players position and what they are looking at.

Another aspect of gameplay that Splash Damage has chosen to focus on is cooperative play. Brink is definitely not a game for you if you plan to go commando on all the other opponents. Brink requires you to work hand in hand with your teammates to complete a series of objectives to progress across a map. You might have to hack a door, and then rescue a VIP, and then escort the VIP to safety. Each new objective moves the front lines of battle, meaning you’ll need to stay in close contact with your teammates and pay attention if you want to succeed. If everyone’s running around worrying only about themselves, your team is going to lose.

Brink is shaping to be something special, and could easily be a huge contender for both FPS and Competitive Multiplayer of the year by the looks of things. If Splash Damage are able to deliver the experience they are promising, expect Brink to be your next go-to online shooter.

A few years ago, Valve released the Orange Box which among other things included what would become the surprise hit of the year, Portal. Portal has since become a phenomenon amongst gamers, one of those games that you just have to play before you die, or develop arthritic joints. It started with a fresh and exciting idea, built on it with some great gameplay and puzzles and then capped it all off with some fantastic humour. So then, Portal 2. A sequel that no one saw coming but everybody has been yearning for.

Name: Portal 2
Genre: Puzzle/Platformer
Multiplayer: 1-2
Platforms: PS3, Xbox360, PC
Developers: Valve
Publishers: EA
Release Date: 21 April 2011

Portal 2 may have a monumental task ahead of it in convincing fans and newcomers (how have you not played Portal by now!?) that it is both better than its predecessor and capable of making a full game of itself not to mention justifying itself as a full-priced game.

The game starts off many years after the first with protagonist Chell somehow perfectly preserved. The Aperture Science facility is in ruins with vegetation dominating it and most of the place well and truly trashed so Chell’s main goal is to escape the hellish ruins and get to the outside world which is implied to be in some sort of apocalypse itself. You start in Chell’s room/cage which is one of many in a Matrix-style storage bank.

The game is said to be focussing a lot more on the story and narrative rather than letting it stay on the periphery as it did in Portal. Of course, the big focus will be on puzzle-solving and there are some great new toys available in Portal 2 but more of that later.

Portal 2 will be roughly 2.5 times as long as the first game and so should last the conventional average of 8-10 hours for most people, there will also be a multilayer co-op mode with a  dedicated campaign where you and a friend can do tag-team puzzle-solving as two robots.

Portal 2 will stay true to the FPS style of the game with players getting the Portal gun very early on and as in the first, you will start out able to shoot only one Portal and quickly build up to two with all the other gameplay elements slowly being brought into the fold and there certainly are a lot:

• Turrets: these pesky menaces make a return and will be at the ready to shoot your head off
• Vital Apparatus Vents: essentially create sucking whirlwinds under them
• Goo: there will be various types of goo available which can be spread on surfaces or objects, each with its own properties eg. blue provides bounce, orange increases speed etc.
• Light Bridges: these are tractor beams capable of pulling objects through mid-air
• Panels: motorised squares of wall/floor/ceiling which can move out to either create obstructions or alternate routes
• Pneumatic Tubes
• Catapults
• Lasers

GlaDOS makes a return as well in addition to a host of other disembodied personalities who will often take the form of talking orbs/boxes and guide Chell through the ruins, including Cave Johnson founder of Aperture Science. As an example of the talent on board for all these new characters; Wheatley who is the first personality to guide you is voiced by co-writer of the Office, Stephen Merchant who’s sharp wit is perfectly suited to the humour of Portal as is evident in one of Wheatley’s early lines:  “You might have a very minor case of serious brain damage,” he says after you wake up. “But don’t be alarmed. Although if you do feel alarmed, try to hold on to that feeling because that is the proper reaction to being told that you’ve got brain damage.”

A great deal of work has been put in to produce a well-written and witty script to be matched by equally good voice-acting. This is probably one of Portal 2′s trump cards in an age of super-serious games. A great touch is that when the time arises to solve a puzzle, silence will reign so there will be no annoying ramblings and nagging in the background to distract players.

There’s also a dash of PS3 favouritism going on at Valve because the console has been given a host of exclusive features. First of which is cross-platform play which allows multiplayer to take place between PS3′s and PC’s. The PS3 version will also get Steamworks which facilitates game updates and community features. As well as cloud-based storage and a free digital Steamplay copy of Portal 2 for PC/Mac which can be obtained by simply linking one’s PSN and Steam accounts.

On the whole, Valve has done a lot to give Portal 2 more substance and really bring it into its own as a fully-fledged standalone title. More features, more gameplay, more story. They’ve got a good balance of taking what fans loved and building on it as well as bringing in elements which will make the game genuinely better. The game has been crammed full of a lot to properly utilise those 8-10 hours of gameplay and justify the expected price of about R600 (consoles) and R400 (pc).

It all does sound positively great and should hold Portal 2 in good stead for the realm of AAA titles. Can’t wait.

While Crysis 2 has already been released in North America, it’s only going to be out in Europe and here in South Africa this Friday, which is March 25. Due to it only being days away, we thought it would be a good idea to further hype up one of the most anticipated games of 2011 with a short retrospective of the series and an eGamer-made video that we hope will make your brain explode from awesomeness. Before we get to that video, however, let’s take a short trip down memory lane to see where it all began, and give you a reminder of why the series is so great.

Crysis

The original Crysis was released back in 2007 exclusively on PC. Developed by Crytek, it bore a great deal of resemblance to the studio’s previous game, Far Cry, due to it being an open world first person shooter set on a beautiful tropical island. As it happened, Crysis was developed using the CryEngine 2, while Far Cry was backed by the original CryEngine. The obvious similarities gave way to Crysis being referred to as the spiritual successor to Far Cry.

Story wise, the game was set in the year 2020, where the North Korean forces, led by General Kyong, have taken over the the Lingshan Islands. A team of American civilian archaeologists on the island, led by a Dr. Rosenthal, have sent out a distress call revealing that they have discovered something that could potentially change the world. This results in the Raptor Team getting dispatched to the islands, where their core mission is to evacuate the archeologists and securing any valuable information they have in their possession. The Raptor team includes Nomad, “Psycho”, Aztec, Jester and Prophet, the team leader. They’re all geared up with Nanosuits, which make them super soldiers.

The game kicks off with the squad performing a high-altitude jump onto one of the islands, but during their free-fall an unknown flying entity interrupts them and collides with Nomad, and this causes the team to disperse. Nomad’s Nanosuit gets shut down from the crash and his parachute gets destroyed, causing him to get a heavy landing, which he survives due to a water landing and the protection of his suit, which gets reactivated shortly after. The Raptor Team regroups after the jump, but team mate Aztec is killed by an unknown entity. Upon locating his body, the team discovers that whatever had killed Aztec had also wiped out a nearby squad of KPA forces, ripping them to pieces. The Raptor Team proceeds with the mission, and must do all they can to survive being in enemy territory, and the unknown dangers of the island.

In today’s times, Crysis will always be remembered for the way it broke the graphical and technical boundaries of gaming, delivering one of the most visually impressive games ever for its time. With the beautiful tropical island setting to always give you something to gawk at, the jaw-dropping detail and models and the hugely impressive physics engine, Crysis was often described as a PC killer, as the game required a monster of a PC to run at its best, and it was one of those games that begged to be played at exactly that level. In fact, the game was so impressive visually, that years after its release it was still considered to be the benchmark for graphics on the PC. Even if you went today, right this minute, to go play Crysis on full graphics, you’ll still be impressed here and there. There were no exaggerations to be made when it came to the game’s visuals – they were really that phenomenal. Of course, this was what made Crysis famous before people considered the actual game itself, because as gamers we love all things pretty, right?

However, aside from just being an orgasmic terrific visual spectacle, Crysis was also an extremely impressive shooter that was, incidentally, also hailed as one of the best for its time. The game revealed its uniqueness from the word go, and while the Nanosuit was the main focus of the game – a special suit that grants the user access to super strength and speed, powerful armour and invisibility – the game succeeded most with its diversity. The playground was huge, and coupled together with the ability to customise your weapons on the go, at any given minute, and traverse the island either on foot or with a vehicle – land or sea – the result was that there were just so many ways to play the game, and so much freedom with regards to how you tackled your objectives. The main campaign wasn’t that long, but it certainly gave more than enough reasons to play it and it really was a fantastic experience that left many wanting more.

Crysis was an awesome debut for the series, and really opened doors to a new and impressive franchise. The game also packed a multiplayer component, and while it was intriguing due to Crysis’ gameplay, it didn’t really pick up and become as popular as the core single player experience. It felt as though not a great deal of focus was placed on it, but that said, it didn’t take long before the first sequel was released for the game, as a stand-alone expansion pack, placing greater emphasis on the multiplayer component.

Crysis Warhead

Crysis Warhead was a stand-alone expansion pack for the original Crysis. It offered a new, but very short, single-player campaign as well as placed more emphasis on the multiplayer component by adding new maps, a new mode and making changes such was weapon rebalancing, tighter vehicle controls, and Nanosuit alterations. Crysis Wars was also made available on a separate disc, focusing on the multiplayer but arriving bundled with Crysis Warhead for free.

With regards to story, Crysis Warhead took place during the events of Crysis, except it told the story from the perspective of Sergeant Michael “Psycho” Sykes, who is split up from Nomad, the protagonist from the original game. While it didn’t bring much new to the table, it delivered more or less what fans wanted – which was more Crysis. The single player experience was solid, but short, and the multiplayer mode was definitely emphasised enough to make people start playing it and get involved in it. The muliplayer was a fun enough distraction and means to extend play-time after the main campaign, but for the most part the most attractive aspect of Crysis was always its single player and visuals.

Crysis 2

Enter 2011, and we have Crysis 2 set for release in a matter of days. By now there’s nothing more to be said about the game. You’ve seen all the trailers, you’ve heard all the news, and now, we’re making one last attempt at getting you all hyped for the game with the video below. Check it out below.

Crysis 2 will be released this Friday, March 25, on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox360.

Dragon Age: Origins released in a time when the world was starved for new, exciting RPGs and everyone was way too pissed at The Witcher’s extensive glitches and bugs to actually give it a chance. What followed then was an almost instant cult classic reception with the game receiving mass critical acclaim and plaudits and other such extreme sensationalism. Comparisons were made to such classics as Baldur’s Gate and the RPG-playing world (all five of us) heralded the return of the CRPG. The franchise was instantly loved. I’m pretty sure Barney Stinson even tried to sleep with it.

Name: Dragon Age 2
Genre: CRPG
Players: 1
Multiplayer: None
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox360, Mac
Developers: Bioware
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Release Date: 11 March 2011

Naturally, as is the case with all brand spanking new IPs that achieve success (and even some that don’t (looking at you, Two Worlds (I’m open for bribes though))), they get a sequel pretty much instantly approved and put into production.

Dragon Age 2 is not a sequel.

Okay it’s a sequel, but only because it has the “2″ in its title. That’s where the similarities to other sequels stop. This is essentially a new game set in the same universe. They might as well have called it Dragon Age: More Origins and that might actually have been a more suitable name, especially given the characters involved, this time around.

You play Commander Shepard Garret Hawke, a human who is forced to flee his doomed home town of Lothering as it is invaded by darkspawn during The Blight that you’re well associated with from the first game. If you aren’t, then, it’s WAIT… You haven’t played the first game? Really? What is wrong with you! Go and play it now! Go! I’ll wait! Are you back yet, have you played it? Okay, awesome, so where was I. So you’re no Grey Warden this time around (though amazingly you’re very much able to kill darkspawn during the short prologue sequence which has two takes, but more on that later) which means that obviously you are in no position to stay and fight off the blight and all of its evils. So you flee. And you take your amazingly (and almost plot-breakingly) battle capable family with you. Some stuff then proceeds to happen, along with the usual plot twists, and you end up in Kirkwall, a city in the Free Marches, some ways north of Fereldan, the setting for the first game, with no real money or anything else to your name other than the sword / wand / daggers on your back.

That’s basically the back-story for your hero. How it is told is truly something that has not been done before. Okay well it has, but certainly not quite like this.

The game uses a framed narrative as a means to deliver its story. The events that transpire in-game are the results of a conversation between a dwarf and a Chantry Seeker. Varic Tethras is a dwarven rogue and Hawke’s long-time companion (and admirer it seems) who has been captured by Cassandra Pentaghast, who wishes to learn more of Hawke. Why she needs this information is as yet unknown, but I’m guessing she’s really hot for him and probably tried and failed at stalking him home so captured his friend instead. What transpires then is an interrogation where Varic recalls and relays the story of “Hawke, the human who rose from refugee to Champion of Kirkwall” in all his supposed awesomeness. Sometimes he takes it a bit too far and is brought back to reality by Cassandra and asked to tell the “real story” because apparently the grossly exaggerated and far-fetched stories don’t really do it for her, or something.

As a result, random parts of the story are played out more than once with different versions of the same scenes and set pieces. As an example, in the prologue, Hawke is first seen to fight off hoardes of darkspawn with relative ease (and mass combo spam), eventually raping an Ogre like it was a Christmas turkey before a dragon burns everything to a crisp from above. The reality, as Varric later reveals, is that Hawke barely survives the battle with far smaller numbers of darkspawn and that Ogre isn’t nearly as easy to take down, eventually SPOILERS his SPOILERS while his SPOILERS SPOILERS looks on in SPOILERS, before a dragon burns everything to a crisp from above.

An interesting point to make on the framed narrative aspect of a story such as this is that all of the really huge, world-changing decisions that the framed narrative would usually point to, have yet to actually have been made. Give or take the decisions from the first game. Yes, the game allows you to import your save and carry through decisions. What recent Bioware game doesn’t. So what results is a truly unique experience where the framed narrative will try to lead you down a path that has yet to actually exist. When last did you see that in a game?

Bioware have chosen to go the Mass Effect route with this sequel, opting to force the players into a specific race (humans (they’re all racist (that’s a Mass Effect reference by the way))) but allowing you to customise pretty much everything else. So while you’re not going to be able to play that hot elf chick from the first game, you can still play a hot human chick, if you so pleased, with your own custom face and a class of your choice, from the three available in the first game. This time around, your lead character has a voice and a personality to go with those new-found vocal cords. There’s even a conversation wheel with icons depicting the type of response that you may employ. And the radial pause menu that we know and love. Wow, all we need now is Saren (The Archdemon?) and the Reapers (The Blight?)…

If you had to describe Hawke in this game, it would be most easily this: Badass. Hawke, predominately referred to in this preview as a guy (because I mean really, only kluch plays the female versions of characters), is a son of a bitch. And that’s not because his mother is a dog. He is capable of some truly remarkable actions and skills and at times during the short demo, I was left in awe of his movement in and out of battle, and the unique ways that he found, to kill things.

Credit can be given to Bioware and their team for developing a combat system that, though inevitably repetitive at times thanks to the genre, never really gets boring nor loses its “sex appeal” and “flair”. Using combos in the game almost feels like art. It’s that good to look at.

Speaking of combos, the actual control system for this game needs a mention. It has changed, slightly. Yes, you can still pause and resume the game while issuing non-stacking commands to each character, but this time around, you need to spam your attack or relevant spell buttons during battles, else the character that you’re controlling will simply stand there, looking pretty, while enemies have their ravaging fun. On a PC this isn’t as easy, with the player forced into using their right click button for practically everything, but on console, this seems very streamlined and refined, essentially making the player use combos almost like any other third person game, by swapping between the attack and the skills buttons that you can assign to whatever you may feel like assigning them to. And there is a lot to assign. Each class has various skill trees, simplified from the first game, but each having their own focus on a certain element of the class’ strengths.

I could really go on for days, talking about this game, but I’ll just stop and say that I’m a huge fan of the series and any more speak of it is completely and wholly unnecessary because most of you have already made up your minds as to whether or not you want this game and the rest can decide from what is here. Hawke is my new God. That is all.

Dragon Age 2 releases March 11th, locally. It is easily one of the biggest game releases this year and possibly the most anticipated RPG next to sister-game Mass Effect 3. Look out for it, soon.

Kill With Skill — That’s the tagline for Bulletstorm.

More like, “Shoot motherfuckers in the balls and then kick their teeth in with your badass-sized left boot, dickshit” but that probably didn’t fit on the box.

Bulletstorm is a brand new IP from Epic Games and People Can Fly, and is probably the most ridiculously over-the-top game you’ll see, or have seen, pretty much ever. It’s up to you to decide whether that’s a good or a bad thing.

“Let’s get into it, [insert appropriate amalgamation of two or more random colourful words associated with insults, with the suffix "-tits" for effect here].”

Name: Bulletstorm
Genre: Action / First Person Shooter
Players: 1
Multiplayer: Online / Co-op
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox360
Developers: People Can Fly / Epic Games
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Release Date: 25 February 2011

Grayson Hunt is a chauvinistic, egotistic, selfish asshole and all-round total badass. He belongs to an elite team of mercenaries known as Dead Echo. That’s all you really need to know about him. Oh, he has a totally badass Cyborg “team-mate” named Ishi Sato who totally isn’t some token Japanese stereotype for honour and the right way, and a totally badass female “team-mate” named Trishka Novak who totally isn’t some token love interest stereotype that actually kicks lots of ass and takes lots of names and stuff.

The only thing that you need to know about the story is that it exists and nobody cares about it and if you do, you’ll soon realise that you really don’t, because all you really want to do is kill stuff, with style. And boy are there many, many incredibly fun and innovative ways to do that.

The game boasts a huge arsenal of crazy, ridiculously over-the-top weapons for causing mass amounts of blood to shift from the bodies of the people that you shoot at. And as if that isn’t enough, you get a chain whip lasso thing that lets you scream “get over here” all Scorpion style as you wrangle up enemies towards you so that you can use your size “badass” boot to kick them into the next dimension of pain, while perforating them with bullets and grenades. Or perhaps you’d like to launch them all into the air and take pot shots at their balls. Not enough for you? That’s okay, because the environment also offers tonnes of ways to kill enemies from the usual stuff like impaling them onto spikes or launching them off bottomless drops, to really hardcore fuck you stuff like feeding them to “badass” sized man-eating plants and dropping elevators on their heads, to name but a few.

There really is nothing more that you need to know about the game other than that it is ridiculously over-the-top. In fact, if ridiculously over-the-top had a clichéd stereotype, this game would be it. If ridiculously over-the-top were to one day require a mascot, this game would be it. If ridiculously over-the-top were to one day rule the world with a dictatorial leader, this game would be it. I hope I’ve made my point here.

As if we even needed more emphasis on how ridiculously over-the-top this game is, perhaps the one other abundantly clear fact to note about the game is that it is very mature in its content and yet pathetically immature at the same time in its presentation, in every way possible. As a result, most of the dialogue comes from what seems like a group of teenagers who have had a couple hundred hours too many on Xbox Live pwning n00bs and calling out females for not being in the kitchen. It’s deliberately childish and in your face and while some would dare to call it cheesy or lame, the truth is that it will kick you in the teeth pretty much from the moment you start playing. And then maybe decapitate you and use your head for football practice while pushing your body off a cliff. It’s that ridiculously over-the-top.

Game modes? Do you really want to know? Okay sure, there is a campaign mode which totally isn’t at all to do with the story but happens to have one anyway, serving as an interlude between ass-kickings. Then there is Echo mode which is basically a time and score trial mode that has you replaying the levels you’ve unlocked through the campaign, competing with your friends for better score and better ranks and basically just giving you reasons to rub your size “badass” boot in their face while you kill stuff with style. Want to go online? Sure. The game has a multiplayer component as is standard with anything with the Epic Games logo on the cover, that is sure to rock your socks off, in either co-op or competitive modes.

So is it a hit or a miss? Well let’s put it like this, did you read this preview and laugh and enjoy it? If so then you’re going to love Bulletstorm for all of its ridiculously over-the-top scenarios and situations and you’re probably secretly just as immature anyway. And if not then perhaps fun isn’t your forte and you’d rather spend all day levelling up your warlock and then going to bed early so you can wake up the next morning and continue levelling while the grass grows on your windows, and even then you still might enjoy this game for all of its ridiculously over-the-top scenarios and situations and you’re probably secretly just as immature anyway.

Bulletstorm is the game that bullied Duke Nukem when he was in high school. It’s that badass. And if words don’t convey that point, then perhaps the pictures speak for themselves.

Still not enough? Oh my ratballs you’re hard to please. Okay how about a sexy little trailer to the background music of Filter’s Hey Man, Nice Shot.

“L.A. Noire breaks new ground for us.”

“Its intense blend of action and real detective work defies genre conventions to create a unique and captivating thriller.”

These are the words of the founder of Rockstar Games, Sam Houser.

L.A. Noire has been in the shadows of production since 2006 and now as it itches closer to its release date more and more information has been released and it has become really interesting.

Name: L.A. Noire
Genre: mystery/thriller
Players: 1
Multiplayer: N/A
Platforms: Xbox360, PS3
Developers:Team Bondi
Publishers: Rockstar

Release Date: 18 May 2011 North America, 20 May 2011 Europe

The Set

The backdrop is post WWII 1940′s, the Golden Age, Los Angeles. Amid all the violence and Corruption you step into the loafers of  Cole Phelps, a decorated war veteran who has joined the LAPD.

As the title suggests L.A. Noire draws heavily from both plot and aesthetic elements of film noir. Which were stylistic films from the 1940s and 1950s that shared similar visual styles and themes including crime, sex and moral ambiguity and were often shot in black and white with harsh, low-key lighting. The game uses a distinctive colouring-style in homage to the visual style of film noir.

No Rest For The Wicked Hunter

Amazingly this Rockstar published title sees you play as a good guy. Primary gameplay will be through the afore mentioned Cole Phelps. You will go to people’s houses, invite yourself in, interview them and then move on to your next witness/suspect. These encounters will range from well-mannered house visits to car chases, shootouts and rooftop pursuits. Cole will change as the game goes along. In movies or literature, it’s common for a lead character to not end as the same person they were in the beginning. Videogame characters, on the other hand, are much more likely to remain the same. However Cole is an ambitious complex character, with regrets about his past (and particularly his actions during WWII), but who has the strength of his convictions.

Cole will not start off as some hot-shot detective, no, progress is a job. Cole starts off as a simple cop on the beat. He’ll be at street level, trying to solve and stop crimes for the first missions, but you’ll soon move to higher, more important tasks. Each ‘desk’ in the police department has its own crime theme and you’ll move through traffic, arson, vice and burglary until you reach your ultimate goal – homicide detective. Each desk job will give you a new partner to work with, although some may be typically corrupt, so you should be careful who you trust.

It’s All About The Size Of The Set

Los Angeles will be Rockstar’s biggest environment to date, as the city has been painstakingly rendered almost 100% accurately to its 1940s layout. Using hand-drawn maps from the time and early aerial photography, Team Bondi has recreated the city right down to 3D shop fronts, but simultaneously making this the biggest environment than anything yet seen. Remember this was pre-freeway era, so you’ll even drive down streets that don’t exist any more. Which wouldn’t make a difference to us since we don’t live in or know the city very well, but it is still spooky thinking about it. The environments were quite big in the GTA series, so we could really be in for something here.

All In The Details

Attention to detail seems too be heavily emphasised as everything in the game, from the soundtrack to the prices of food on café menus has been researched extensively to make sure that the environment is believable. There are about 140 interiors in the game, many with multiple rooms, and each one will be full of rendered items (several thousand in-game objects have been painstakingly rendered in 3D thanks to some 180,000 photos from newspapers of the time). Some of the clothes have been loaned from the wardrobes of Saving Private Ryan and King Kong.

Jay Leno has actually put his vintage car collection to good use. The late-night comedian apparently gave the team access to his personal collection of vintage vehicles, from cars right through to a fire truck to make the game as authentic as possible.

Fool Me Once, Shame On You; Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me

Does This Look Like The Face Of A Man That Has Nothing To Hide?

L.A. Noire employs a ground-breaking new performance-scanning technology called MotionScan, which utilizes 32 high-definition cameras to capture actors’ faces in 3D, transferring every aspect of their performance into the game, enabling players for the first time to lip-read in-game characters and to read every facial expression down to the finest detail. This will play a vital role when questioning and interrogating suspects.

50 hours of dialogue are said to be featured in L.A. Noire.

Team Bondi head, Brendan McNamara, alluded to the game being another massive title from Rockstar:

“We captured over 50 hours worth of dialogue in total, all using MotionScan – it’s equivalent to about two full seasons of a TV show,” he said.
Of course, we’re probably not looking at a fifty hour game here, a good chunk of that dialogue could never see the light of day.
Most of it, however, sounds like it will go towards creating an adventure with plenty of different routes for fans to take:
“Each case has its own twists and turns depending on the choices you make,” McNamara continued, “leading you down different paths on your way to cracking the case, giving you plenty of reasons to jump back in and replay the game.”

Even though the game seems to be mostly a tense but verbal affair, the team has recognised the need for gunplay and more traditional action and Rockstar is overseeing these segments to make sure there’s no shortage of thrills. However, the game definitely won’t be the kind where you can go on a rampage in the street with a chainsaw and minigun.

Interesting…

The most interesting fact is that the crimes are based on real crimes that took place in the 40′s.

Although some alterations have been made to protect the still-living relatives of those involved at the time, the majority of crimes in LA Noire actually happened in 1940s Los Angeles. Newspaper stories have been scoured for interesting events, and although some of the nastier stuff like child abuse has been omitted, the remaining material looks set to cover the crude and ridiculous.

We can expect to see L.A. Noire hit our shelves on the 20th of May 2011.

We are extremely interested and hope that it will turn out good, since we have high hopes at the moment. We really hope this game delivers because it really has a lot of potential.

Name: Fallout: New Vegas
Platforms: PC, PS3, Xbox360
Genre: Action RPG
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Bethesda Softworks, Namco Bandai Games
Worldwide Release Date: 19-22 October 2010
Local (SA) Release Date: 19-22 October 2010 (expected)
Prices (approximately)
PC – R367-399
PS3 – R642-699
360 – R642-699

Fallout: New Vegas takes place in the year 2281, three years after the end of Fallout 3 and 204 years after the Great War of 2077. New Vegas is a post-apocalyptic follow-up of Fallout 3 and it is set in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Mojave Desert — also known as the Mojave Wasteland. Pete Hines, spokesperson for Bethesda, that Fallout: New Vegas “is not a sequel to Fallout 3, it’s simply another Fallout game in that universe.”

Fortunately for citizens, Las Vegas was not hit by nuclear weapons, therefore the buildings remain intact, and the residents remain relatively un-mutated. The city has been divided into factions: the New California Republic (NCP), the slave-driving Caesar’s Legion, and the residents of New Vegas.

The storyline sees the player being a simple courier who has to deliver a package to a town called Primm. The package is special, it contains a platinum poker chip and NCR war documents. The game starts when the courier is shot in the head, only to be found by a robot named Victor. Victor brings you, the courier, to Doc Mitchel who fixes all apparent injuries.

Once patched up you will be able to create your character, and this includes: Choosing a name, gender, age, appearance, and defining skills.

Fallout: New Vegas is based around the investigation of your assassination attempt, and recovering the package with the platinum chip and NCR war documents.

Obsidian Entertainment has added a lot of new features to New Vegas.

First up is The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or V.A.T.S., which offers new abilities and attacks. V.A.T.S. can pause time in combat allowing you to target specific enemy body parts and queue up attacks. The special melee combat moves available with the suit offer real-time combat mechanics too.

Secondly, there are new weapons — around double the amount found in Fallout 3. Most of the weapons are modifiable though adjusting the rate of fire, the size of the magazine and the addition a scope. Some of the weapons can be shot down the sight, while others are slightly too large and they need to be fired from the hip. Overall there are about 90 different guns, and you can craft your own ammo for these weapons.

In New Vegas your behaviour is important. Your reputation will effect your player in different factions. Each choice, each decision you make will effect your reputation which will effect your mission. The reputation system will work alongside the Karma system.

Alongside the main-mission, in Obisidian’s new Fallout title you’ll be able to visit casino’s in Sin City. Mini-games in the casino’s include: Black Jack, Slot Machines and Roulette.

Furthermore, there’s a new mode added, and it’s called Hardcore mode. It’s the toughest difficulty and it will offer more realism. For example, Stim Packs only heal over time, not instantly; wounds require medicine, and medical equipment; ammunition has weight, and finally, the player must eat and drink to overcome starvation and dehydration.

Title: Tony Hawk Shred
Developer: Robomodo
Publisher: Activision
Genre: Extreme Sports
Platform: XBox360, PS3 And Wii
Expected Price: R820
Release Date: 26 October 2010 – 29 October 2010

Shred is Activision’s new installment to the Tony Hawk series, a game which takes skateboarding to a whole new level. For the asking price of about R820, Shred will come bundled with a skateboard/snowboard-looking motion sensing controller. The addition of the board allows for a more sensational feel to the usual arcade game.

Tony Hawk Shred offers a variety of new features, and this includes the option to play as a world famous skateboarder, a pro snowboarder or build up your own Career. While Activision has promised us a newer, wider selection of tricks, some argue that they have taken the realism out of the game by adding tricks and flips that are humanly impossible.

Another feature in Shred allows you to import your Wii Miis and Xbox360 Avatars into the Wii and Xbox 360 versions, so it really looks like you’re grinding the rails and shredding up the street.

Josh Tsui, head of Robomodo, has said that this game is all about “Big Air, Big Tricks and Big Landings”. Therefore, instead of skating in normal streets you will now be able to skate the roof tops of Morocco, and many more areas, where you can preform death-defying tricks, grinds and jumps.

For the Snowboard-side of things, you will be put up against the harsh frozen tundra of the Whistler Mountain in Vancouver, and the French Alps.

Some Of The Skateboard Pro’s Included:

• Tony Hawk
• Stevie Williams
• Lyn Z Adams Hawkins
• Chaz Ortiz

Some Of The Snowboard Pro’s Include:

• Torah Bright
• Travis Rice
• Louie Vito

Many more names for both skate and snow will be included.

These are only a few of Characters to play with, and we’ve mentioned them because they are most notable.

There’s a whole lot of content available over at the official site.

Ed note: From what I remember when playing the game with the board, it was really sensitive and easy to use. All you really needed to do was move your feet like a spaz and tricks would magically appear. We were, however, forced to play without shoes so it became slightly slippery. Here’s a video below to show you some of the tricks you can do with the board; it’s pretty easy and fun to play. Not too sure of the settings for the game we tested, however there’s a good chance it was on super easy.