PS3 Generation

God of War III Hands-On Impressions

News Ferret — 2009-08-24T23:28:00+00:00

Kratos' quest for bloody vengeance continues as we get some hands-on time with his new weapons and abilities.

Fans of the God of War games know that Kratos rarely needs a good reason to dish out some of the most brutal onscreen lashings ever seen, but it just so happens that this time around our less-than-affable hero has found the perfect reason to justify his rage: revenge. With E3 2009 tapering off on its final day, we managed a sneak attack on the Sony Europe lounge, where we got our dirty little hands on God of War III and experienced the combat prowess of what could possibly be the angriest man in games.

Setting up the Playstation 3 as a Media Server

Michell Preston — 2009-07-15T05:00:00+00:00

Why do I want a PS3 Media Server? Well, if your digital media is scattered among various drives, computers, discs, and you want seamless central control over all of it using your Sony PlayStation 3, then this could help. By the end of this article you will be able to access all your photos, videos, and music via your Playstation 3 in your living room.

Follow our easy 4 part process
Part 1: Connect your PS3 to the internet
Part 2: Enable Media Server Connection on your PS3
Part 3: Enable the Media Player on you PC or Mac
Part 4: Start watching and listening

Connecting Extra Storage to your PS3

Michell Preston — 2009-07-07T15:00:00+00:00

This actually is a very straight forward operation - connect your thumb drive or USB hard drive to any of the PS3's USB ports. The drive will then typically show as “USB Disk (One Touch II)” in the PS3’s video, photo, and music menus.

Important things to remember - When navigating a USB drive’s folders, use the PS3 menu for the type of media you wish play or the files won’t show up. External drives must be formatted with the FAT32 file system for the PS3 to read the files on it. Memory cards (Memory Stick, SD, or CompactFlash) go in the clearly labelled slots under the door at the front of the PS3's, and they don't require specific formatting.

You can access a network-attached storage device by mounting it on a networked computer. Then select your media server in the main PS3 window, and navigate to Folders - Volumes, and select the networked drive you want. You should note that this doesn't work with Windows Media Player's UPnP server, but it works fine with TVersity (Windows) and MediaLink (Mac).

PS3 Wireless Bluetooth Headset

Michell Preston — 2009-07-07T13:39:00+00:00

As will be becoming familiar to regular readers – we like to start by getting to the point. The PS3 Wireless Bluetooth Headset allows higher quality voice-chat on PS3. The sound is much better than standard headsets; voices are much clearer and people will comment on how crisp your voice sounds. Mute status, volume level, battery fuel gauge, charging status and connection status are all displayed up on PS3's on-screen display. The headset can be used as a microphone when docked in the charging cradle – the voice output from PS3 is automatically transferred to the TV in this instance. The charging cradle also makes for easy storage of Headset when it is not being used.

The product is simple to connect and comes with an idiot’s guide just incase you have any problems. The one thing that may annoy you is the "bleep" noise every few seconds the headset is on mute. All in all the PS3 Wireless Bluetooth Headset is a great product and well worth the investment for any serious online gamer.

Sony PS3 Blu-Ray Controller

Michell Preston — 2009-07-07T13:06:00+00:00

Let’s get the important stuff out of the way first – The Sony Blu-Ray Controller is good quality and makes life much easier than using the pad. So if you use your PS3 to watch Blu-Ray or DVD then you probably want one.

Rock Band gets Warped, Maroon-ed

News Ferret — 2009-06-19T23:38:00+00:00

Toss another few songs onto the Rock Band heap. Today, Harmonix and MTV Games announced two new track packs containing 8 songs are coming to the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace. The first features the Warped Tour Pack, which includes five songs from bands playing this year's Warped Tour. These include such acts as A Day to Remember, Bad Religion, Chiodos, Escape the Fate, and Underoath. The Warped Tour is a yearly music and extreme sports festival that first kicked off in 1994. This summer's Warped Tour spans from the end of June to the end of August, and features pro-skating and BMX exhibitions along with a diverse line-up of bands.

The second track pack is from multiplatinum Los Angeles rock quintet Maroon 5, and consists of three songs: "Little of Your Time," "Makes Me Wonder," and "Wake Up Call." Both packs will be available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace on June 23 and the PlayStation Store on June 24. The Maroon 5 Pack costs 440 Microsoft Points or $5.49 while the Warped Tour Pack weighs in at MSP680 or $8.49. All eight new titles can be purchased individually as well for MSP160 or $2 on either service.

WARPED TOUR TRACK PACK
A Day to Remember "The Downfall of Us All"
Bad Religion "21st Century Digital Boy"
Chiodos "I Didn't Say I was Powerful, I Said I was a Wizard"
Escape the Fate "The Flood"
Underoath "Reinventing Your

Fight Night Round 4 Legacy Mode Hands-On

2009-06-19T23:32:00+00:00

We warm up for another match with Fight Night Round 4 and check out the all-new Legacy mode.

When EA's Fight Night Round 3 was introduced for the Xbox 360 back in 2006, it not only became one of the key games that demonstrated the console's next-gen graphical power, but it also brought new life to the genre, becoming the best boxing game in town. Since then, other games, such as Don King Presents: Prize Fighter and the less-than-well-received Facebreaker have attempted to challenge the supremacy of Fight Night with limited success. With the next game in the series almost ready for release, we took one last look at the game's new Legacy mode and found that its competitors are going to have to do some serious training in order to knock this game.

Watch our exclusive hands-on video preview!

Comment on this video »

Watch this video in HD 540p

Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.

Fight Night's Career mode has been retitled Legacy and given a whole new look in Round 4. Legacy gives you the option of creating a boxer or selecting one of the featured boxers in the game, including such legends as Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis, as well as relative newcomers such as Ricky Hatton. Alternatively, the Create Boxer mode allows you to select from one of 74 premade boxers or map your own face into the game using the Xbox Live Vision camera or PlayStation Eye--or via EA's Sports

Guitar Hero: Smash Hits Track List and Impressions

News Ferret — 2009-06-19T23:14:00+00:00

Last year, Guitar Hero World Tour expanded the seminal franchise to include vocals and drums in addition to guitars and bass. A slew of new songs for the full band have since been released, but what about the tracks from the axe-only days of Guitar Hero? For those hoping to revisit those tracks, Activision has released Guitar Hero: Smash Hits. This full-priced retail game is packed with 48 songs drawn from previous GH games. We recently spent some time rocking with the Xbox 360 retail release of Smash Hits. This blog entry will tell you what to expect from Smash Hits, and whether or not it's worth the asking price.

[ Watch Video ]

Guitar Hero: Smash Hits sports the expected array of game modes, including Career (unlock songs and venues as you progress), Quickplay (select up to six songs at a time from the full tracklist), Head to Head (two players duel using their instrument of choice), Xbox Live (Band Quickplay, Band vs. Band, Head to Head, Downloadable Content), Music Studio, and assorted other options. It looks and plays pretty much exactly like Guitar Hero World Tour, with the exception of some graphical flourishes and new venues.

With no new features to speak of, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits is essentially a track pack. So is it worth the price? Well, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are priced at $59.99: 48 songs for about $60 works out to $1.25 per song. This is a significantly lower price than

Splatterhouse now smearing 2010

News Ferret — 2009-06-19T22:29:00+00:00

Namco Bandai's controversy-laden revival of arcade beat-'em-up pushed to next year on the Xbox 360, PS3.

Namco Bandai's revival of Splatterhouse has been, well, kind of messy. After announcing the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game as in development at California-based BottleRocket Entertainment in May 2008, Namco Bandai abruptly pulled the studio off the project in February 2009. After a slap-hands exchange between the two companies, Variety reported last month that Namco Bandai had picked up a number of ex-BottleRocketeers to finish the project.

These guys can be kept down only so long.

As could be expected, the tumult has had an adverse effect on the game's expected ship date. Originally announced as a 2009 release, Namco Bandai has confirmed for GameSpot that Splatterhouse is now due sometime in 2010. Namco Bandai declined to comment on whether the game would be an early- or late-year release.

Though it is an update of the original gross-out arcade beat-'em-up released in 1988, Splatterhouse features an original storyline by comic-book scribe Gordon Rennie (Judge Dredd, Necronauts). Players assume the role of a college student in search of his kidnapped girlfriend and subsequently happen upon a mask that confers great power--and an insatiable bloodlust.

For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of Splatterhouse.

Comment on this video »

Watch this video in HD 540p

Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.

Read and Post Comments Get

MotoGP 09/10 peeling out in March

News Ferret — 2009-06-19T19:39:00+00:00

Capcom aligns upcoming Xbox 360, PS3 edition of motorcycle racing sim with start of real-world championship season.

Sports game publishers are keen on delivering their simulations in tandem with the start of any given season. Such has not been the case for the MotoGP racing series, which has traditionally skewed toward an end-of-the-year release. With Capcom now the exclusive rights holder of the MotoGP license, the publisher this week said that it would be aligning its next installment in the motorcycle racing sim with the opening of the 2010 season in March.

The creepiness of Rossi's helmet can not be overstated.

Developed by Monumental Games, MotoGP 09/10 will be available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Data for the game, including bikes, riders, and tracks will be pulled from the in-progress 2009 season, and Capcom notes that gamers can update MotoGP 09/10 with data generated during the upcoming 2010 championship series free of charge.

Career mode will be a primary feature in MotoGP 09/10, with players able to manage their crew, hire staff, and compete in races in pursuit of a MotoGP championship. Capcom didn't delve into the particulars of this mode, saying only that gamers could compete with three different bike classes.

Capcom said that three other gameplay modes would included in the game, one of which will be a freeplay-style Arcade mode. The publisher also said that MotoGP 09/10 will support online modes, complete with leaderboards and a spectator mode.

Big in Japan June 8-14: Infinite Space

News Ferret — 2009-06-19T17:57:00+00:00

Platinum Games' DS strategy game debuts atop the charts as games for Nintendo's systems take 15 of top 20 spots.

The first week of June saw the DS role-playing game Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days post a stellar Japanese retail debut, selling through more than 106,100 copies according to Media Create's gaming sales charts. For the following week of June 8-14, the best-selling game was Infinite Space for the DS, which experienced an ironically less stellar debut, moving fewer then 38,400 copies.

If Infinite Space has an ending, someone's gonna sue for false advertising.

Be that as it may, Sega and Platinum Games' new strategy title did top the charts, relegating the Kingdom Hearts spin-off and its nearly 28,200 sold to second place. The only other new release to chart in the relatively quiet week was Wii Play Chibi Robo. Nintendo's revamped version of its GameCube robotic janitorial sim was the seventh best-selling title of the week, notching 11,200 sold.

Games for Nintendo systems dominated the charts this week, with DS titles claiming the top four spots on the charts. Wii games claimed three more of the top 10 spots, and the two systems combined accounted for 15 of the 20 best-selling games for the week. Of the remaining five spots, three were occupied by PSP games, and two by PlayStation 3 titles. The best selling game for a non-Nintendo system was Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires for the PS3, which came

Batman: Arkham Asylum Invisible Predator Hands-On

2009-06-19T16:18:00+00:00

We scored an exclusive first play of the PS3-exclusive Invisible Predator challenge rooms as the Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Not only is Batman: Arkham Asylum one of our most anticipated games for 2009, but it somehow manages to become even more enticing every time we see it. Perhaps it's because Eidos still has plenty to reveal about the game--from the few visits we've made to developer Rocksteady Studios, we'd say there are at least a couple of major characters in the game that have yet to be announced. One character that has been revealed is the Joker, who is a playable character in the PlayStation 3 version of the game and has eight specific challenge-room levels to boot. We were lucky enough to be the first people in the world to play these levels as the Clown Prince of Crime, and we found him to be a completely different proposition to the Dark Knight himself.

Watch our exclusive video preview!

Comment on this video »

Watch this video in HD 540p

Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.

It's clear from our playtime that the Joker isn't just Batman in a different skin--he's a completely different character with his own strengths and weaknesses. The key difference is that the Joker isn't clad in body armour, nor does he have an arsenal of gadgets. But what he lacks in strength and tech, he makes up for with pure anarchic destruction. He can unleash a pair of mechanical

Activision threatens to drop PS3, PSP

News Ferret — 2009-06-19T15:41:00+00:00

CEO Robert Kotick tells The Times that Sony doesn't "make it easy for me to support the platform," calls for PS3 price cut.

Despite a growing user base for the PlayStation 3 and PSP, Sony recently reported a total net loss of $1.03 billion , its first since 1995. The news came on top of previously announced job cuts and vast restructuring, while its flagship console, the PS3, continues to lag significantly behind both the Xbox 360 and the Wii in worldwide unit sales.

Shippin' Out UK June 19

News Ferret — 2009-06-19T09:48:00+00:00

Ghostbusting fans and rhythm junkies are well catered to this week, while Nintendo releases a little brawling action on the world.

Now that the spectacle that is the Electronic Entertainment Expo is over, it's time to take stock and look at some of the games that gamers can lay their hands on in the here and now. While there isn't a huge number of significant releases this week, gamers with a penchant for hunting ghosts can finally lay their hands on the long awaited Ghostbusters The Video Game, on both the PS2 and PS3.

Despite their efforts, the bendy lightsaber never caught on.

After being dropped by Activision-Blizzard in 2008, the title got picked up by Atari, which later announced a June release date. A month before release it emerged that Sony had picked up a timed exclusive for the title in Europe, much to the annoyance of budding 360-owning Ghostbusters. Be sure to check out the full review of the game before parting with your hard-earned cash.

This week also sees the launch of Rock Band Unplugged, the first in the billion-dollar series to hit the PSP. The game offers a unique take on the rhythm genre, allowing players to switch between guitar, bass, drums, and vocals on the fly and keep the rhythm by pressing the PSP buttons in sync with the now-familiar scrolling fret board. Check out Start/Select for a

Modern Warfare 2 to be biggest entertainment launch...

News Ferret — 2009-06-18T21:20:00+00:00

Megapublisher tasks high-powered ad agency to top Grand Theft Auto IV's day-one sales total of 3.6 million units and $310 million.

"What would Don Draper do?"

That's probably a question being asked in the Los Angeles offices of TBWA/Chiat/Day, the global ad agency that has been retained by Activision. According to the online edition of Advertising Age, the company has been given a task worthy of the Mad Men fictional marketing master--making the November 10 launch of Modern Warfare 2 the "biggest entertainment launch of all time."

Halo 3: ODST, God of War III top E3 favorites - Survey...

News Ferret — 2009-06-18T19:27:00+00:00

Nielsen study released yesterday reveals the top 12 games presented at the expo that are most likely to be purchased by gamers.

According to a June 8 report by research group Nielsen, New Super Mario Bros. Wii garnered the most online "buzz" at this month's Electronic Entertainment Expo. However, a report released this week indicates that such ephemeral attention might not translate into hard sales.

Mario and his Yoshi steed did not ride onto the top-12 list.

The survey asked gamers which games presented at E3 they were definitely or probably interested in purchasing. Some 53 percent of respondents were likely to purchase Halo 3: ODST, with 49 percent for God of War III. On the other end of the list, The Beatles: Rock Band ranked last at 12th with 30 percent.

One interesting factoid by Nielsen is that there were no massive changes in interest in the 12 titles from pre-E3 to post-E3. As the research group puts it, "In other words, games that already tugged at gamers’ hearts held on."

The results of Nielsen's June 7 to 14 survey are listed below, along with a video of GameSpot's Halo 3: ODST demo.

TITLE RELEASE DATE PERCENTAGE INTERESTED
1) Halo 3:ODST September 22, 2009 53%
2) God of War III March 2010 49%
3) Wii Sports Resort WII July 26, 2009 45%
4) Guitar

DJ Hero spins for $120, Band Hero for $200 - Retail Radar...

News Ferret — 2009-06-18T00:51:00+00:00

GameStop listings suggest Activision is testing premium price points with Guitar Hero spin-offs; Modern Warfare 2 gets $80 special edition.

In Activision Blizzard's pre-E3 investors conference call, CEO Bobby Kotick set a goal to get gamers who might have spent $50 on the company's products in the last console generation to spend $500 on them this time around. Recent product listings on Amazon.com and GameStop's online store suggest a few ways the company is trying to reach that goal.

SBK-09 Hands-On Impressions

Administrator — 2009-06-15T05:26:00+00:00

We put our superbike skills to the test in a hands-on session with Black Bean's upcoming simulation racer.

Black Bean Games is due to release its latest instalment in the world superbike series, SBK-09 Superbike World Championship, on June 25. Fans of the official series will be happy to know that the title has acquired the licence for all tracks, teams, and riders from the official World Superbike Championship, as well as new 3D environments, teams, tracks, and game modes. We recently had a chance to check out SBK-09's revamped features in a hands-on session.

Like previous games in the series, SBK-09 is a simulation racer. This means it’s not a good idea to launch into the single-player Championship or Challenge modes without visiting the tutorials first. The game’s training mode sees you in a variety of sessions that involve mainly free practice (just you on a track), qualifying sessions (timed), warm-up, and a couple of races to introduce you to the competition element. We won’t lie to you: staying on track is a lot harder than it looks, especially when taking corners or misjudging the distance needed to properly slow down. But after a few practice sessions, we could pretend we were ready to race.

SBK-09’s game modes have been given a slight overhaul since SBK-08. The game offers five single-player gameplay modes, including Quick Race, Training, Race Weekend, Championship, and Challenges, and three online multiplayer modes, including Quick Race, Championship,

Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Beta Hands-On

2009-06-12T20:13:00+00:00

We were invited onto the Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Beta test, where we were able to try out the competitive and cooperative modes first-hand.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was one of the highlights of Sony's E3 09 press briefing, and on the very same day, the company released the multiplayer beta for the game. As soon as we returned from our LA expedition we booted up our PlayStation 3 and downloaded the 1GB client, and we were pleased to find a feature-heavy trial with both competitive and cooperative game modes.

Check out the Uncharted 2 Multiplayer Beta in action as we play all the game modes online.

Comment on this video »

Watch this video in HD 540p

Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.

The Uncharted 2 beta offers up plenty of content to whet appetities for the release of the full game in Q3 2009. It contains three levels, two multiplayer game modes, eight character skins, 10-player online support, and plenty of weapons. Basically, it takes at least a couple of hours of playtime before you see everything, which is a good indication of how seriously developer Naughty Dog is taking the multiplayer portion of the game.

The competitive multiplayer comes in two flavours--team deathmatch, and plunder (think capture the flag with treasure). You start each round with a pistol, rifle and a single grenade, but there are plenty of other weapons scattered around each map. These include some incredibly powerful weapons such as rocket

Free Realms Update Impressions

2009-06-12T16:58:00+00:00

We take a look at the latest update for Sony's free massively multiplayer online game.

Sony's free massively multiplayer online game has only been live since late April, but the company has already been able to achieve huge headway in carving out a community. As it stands, the game has already attracted well over 2 million users to the service and is on track to break through the 3 million user mark in the next few weeks. While the numbers may pale slightly in comparison to the likes of market-leader Blizzard and its World of Warcraft 11.5 million active-subscriber base, Free Realms has managed to get its foot in the door of the lucrative online game market.

Customise your character's look in this colorful fantasy world.

Though currently only available on the PC platform, Sony confirmed its plans to port the game to its PlayStation 3 console, and while it's already in the process of making it happen, no release date has been announced yet. With the service taking on a life of its own, it's not real surprise to find out that new content is being rolled out to retain those who are coming to play. We caught up with the team from Sony Online Entertainment at this year's E3 show to get a rundown of the new and upcoming features.

Sony's current approach is to offer short 10-to-15-minute tasks in the fantasy world, putting you in the role of

Demon's Souls Hands-On

2009-06-11T17:57:00+00:00

Learn from the mistakes of others in this dark action role-playing game.

Demon's Souls has been out in Asia for several months now, and it's been receiving a lot of positive attention from other regions. North American role-playing game fans will be happy to know that Atlus has decided to scoop up this hidden gem and publish it here. We've only had the opportunity to scratch the surface of this intriguing RPG at E3, but from what we've seen, it looks like it could easily suck up a huge amount of time. It's an action RPG that you play alone for the most part, but you aren't truly alone in your quest because you'll come across the ghosts of other players as you progress through the game.

Comment on this video »

Watch this video in HD 540p

Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.

Who's Making This Game: The game was developed by From Software, who also worked on Enchanted Arms. Demon's Souls will be made exclusively for the PlayStation 3 and published in North America by Atlus, who has a reputation for publishing quirky but also incredibly challenging RPGs.

What the Game Looks Like: Demon's Souls murky and gloomy aesthetic matches the subject matter, but there's beauty to find as well. Impressive cutscenes and still art introduce you to the kingdom that has been overrun by demons, and the in-game graphics look fantastic as you hack away tirelessly under a sunless sky.

What There Is

Read more...

Section 8 Hands-On

2009-06-09T18:39:00+00:00

We drop in for a quick multiplayer match in this mash-up of Battlefield and Tribes.
We had the opportunity to check out more of the multiplayer component of the futuristic first-person shooter Section 8 during a brief hands-on session at E3. Unfortunately, the single-player mode wasn't on display, but we do know that it focuses on the group called Section 8, which happens to be battling a splinter group of soldiers known as The Arm of Orion. Both are fighting for control of a colony called New Madrid. Section 8's multiplayer supports up to 16 players in a regular server match and up to 32 on a dedicated server. Our particular match seemed to have a mixture of bots and other players on the show floor.

Who's Making This Game: The development team behind Section 8, TimeGate Studios also worked on the expansions to the first-person shooter F.E.A.R., so they're pretty familiar with shooting stuff.
What The Game Looks Like: From a visual standpoint, Section 8 resembles a mixture of Battlefield, Tribes, and even Halo. The futuristic elements in the guns, player models, and vehicles all function as an interesting contrast to the relatively barren desert-like environment (save for the massive bases you're attempting to take) on display in this particular match. However, the few rock formations located in and around the base serve as more than just a bit of extra detail. You can actually use them to get into pretty good
Read more...

Dance Dance Revolution First Impressions

2009-06-07T19:16:00+00:00

The icon arcade dance game is back again, and we got to check it out on the E3 2009 show floor.
After numerous iterations, Dance Dance Revolution is back for yet another year. The biggest change to the series this time is a brand-new eight-way dance mat peripheral for the PlayStation 3. There's also good news for existing Xbox 360 DDR fans: their dance mats will also work in eight directions thanks to the existing pad's nine sensors. Like with other dance/rhythm games, the additional buttons will come into play only at the harder difficulty levels, so novices won't be overwhelmed at the beginning. For DDR pros, however, the addition of four more pads will certainly up the ante this year. Wii Fit owners will also be pleased to know that DDR is compatible with the Wii Balance Board.

While the eight-way dance pad will ultimately make the game more challenging, there are two new modes for casual fans: School mode and Relax mode. School mode is purely for practice, with no scoring whatsoever. Relax mode has some scoring, but the difficulty is described as "ultra easy," making the game more accessible to new or less coordinated dancers. Eight-way dancing will be limited to the new Octo-move mode, so purists can rest easy that the core gameplay remains unaffected.
The latest instalment boasts 30 full master tracks, including related video clips and artwork. An additional 20 songs were created by the Bemani development
Read more...

Karaoke Revolution First Impressions

2009-06-07T18:57:00+00:00

Konami's sing-along franchise is back, and we checked it out on the E3 2009 show floor.
Karaoke Revolution returns without its American Idol-license this year, but a few new features have been added to refresh this year's installment. Revolution has always had a degree of cover artists, however, for the first time, Revolution has included master tracks for every song on disc. There are 50 songs and accompanying music videos in total, and with an eclectic mix of genres, there should be something for every karaoke fan. Konami is planning to release more than 200 DLC tracks for Revolution, and it will also be backwards-compatible with existing songs. Additionally, it will support a range of microphone peripherals, with Guitar Hero and Rock Band confirmed. However, we expect SingStar and Lips' mics should also work.

Revolution introduces a new facial editor to the series, which gives your custom-made character's face a look and animation that are more in tune with the rest of his or her body. You can also change your age through facial adjustments, giving an old, tired look or a fresh, young face. Another new addition is the venue creation editor, where you can create venues complete with your own lighting, pyrotechnic effects, flooring, and more. And you can choose from a range of venues from clubs to tents, festivals, and stadiums. Karaoke Revolution will support eight-player online play on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as 16
Read more...

Quantum Impressions

2009-06-05T01:23:00+00:00

We take a look at Tecmo's Gears of War-inspired third-person shooter.
Tecmo had a live demo going of Quantum, a third-person shooter, among the many, many playable displays of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. At first glance, it bears a strong resemblance to Epic's Gears of War series, but Tecmo's trying to do a few different things to help differentiate Quantum from its counterparts.

Who's Making This Game: Originally announced as Quantum Theory, Quantum is a being exclusively developed for the PlayStation 3 by Tecmo.
What the Game Looks Like: Imagine if Gears of War had an Eastern-influenced art style and you have a pretty good idea of what Quantum looks like. The environments that we've seen so far range from a gritty, barren style to colorful and vibrant, which in itself is interesting because most of the game takes place in a single, massive tower. But it's worth noting that this same tower is seemingly capable of transforming itself, which is something that comes into play during the course of the game.
How the Game Is Played:Quantum's main character, Syd, can perform most of the moves that you'd expect in a third-person shooter these days. You can make him take cover by pressing a button, and then pop up or take a quick step out and use any one of the three weapons that he has equipped at the time. He can also make use of blind fire or sprint to get
Read more...

The Agency E3 2009 Impressions

2009-06-05T01:20:00+00:00

We silently infiltrate a party full of the world's most influential people, then make a not-so-silent exit during a two-player cross-platform E3 demo.
The Agency is a massively multiplayer online game set in the modern world of high-end, high-stakes espionage. Though we had previously seen the level on display, our E3 booth demo gave us some new insights into some more technical aspects of The Agency.

What's New:

This time around, though we had seen the level before, we got better look at the agent's loadouts and how they work in each level. There aren't classes per se, but in the beginning of each mission a player can select a loadout that will have strategic implications. One of the agents we saw brandished an assault rifle and frag grenades, whereas the other had a shotgun and a martini bomb--a nifty device that stunned enemies, freezing them in their tracks and making them easy targets.

Comment on this video »

Watch this video in HD 540p

Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.

Agents will also have two outfits, one for wetwork and the other for blending in with the crowd. Not only do these outfits affect where the agents can go, but it also changes their available arsenal. Can't have a lady in an evening dress shouldering an assault rifle, now, can we? Once inside the swanky event, the lead female agent had a small camera and a sonic disruption device. As long as she was out of
Read more...

Borderlands E3 2009 Demo - Skill Trees, Mad Loot, and a Slic...

2009-06-05T00:37:00+00:00

We go in-depth with the latest demo for Gearbox's role-playing shooter and get a taste for treasure hunting on an alien world.
Earlier this year, 2K Games revealed that its ambitious open-world-style shooter, Borderlands, had undergone a significant artistic overhaul. We got a chance to see the new look in action during a demo for Borderlands at E3 2009. Not only that, but we also received more details on the skill-tree system, the generous loot distribution, and the reason that you're on Pandora in the first place.

The new art style has garnered a significant amount of buzz in recent months, so let's start there. The new look could be described as cel-shaded, but don't expect a bright Technicolor overhaul. The color palette on the level that we saw (from Act I of the game) was reddish and muted, befitting the dry grasses and rocky outcroppings that dominated the landscape. Detailed shading and nuanced textures gave the world a surprisingly realistic feel. Local inhabitants, such as the gnarly hyenalike beasts called "skags," felt like they really belonged within the world (and like they were really begging to be shot). A large yellow sun burned on the horizon, and we were told that Borderlands will feature a day/night cycle (here's hoping for multiple moons!).
The new look seems to be suiting Borderlands well. Although the game is aiming to be an epic adventure, Gearbox isn't taking things too seriously. There
Read more...

Mafia II Updated Impressions

2009-06-05T00:32:00+00:00

Action and drama combine in this narrative-driven mob tale from 2K Games.
Though numbers count for only so much, the nearly 700-page script that is behind the narrative of 2K Games' upcoming open-world action game Mafia II should be a good indication that the team's focus on telling a compelling story is perhaps the primary goal. More telling is the fact that the team at 2K Czech (one of 2K Games' newest development studios) isn't even creating a multiplayer mode in the game. Instead, the team seems determined to raise the bar for video game storytelling while still making a game that's a lot of fun to play. We had a chance to see the latest slice of Mafia II behind closed doors at 2K's E3 press room.

You play as Vito, an Italy native and former soldier whose only goal in life is to make a living for himself in America. Of course, this being a mob tale, Vito's path through life has resulted in taking a job within organized crime. That said, this isn't a game about Vito's rise to the top of the Mafia; rather, it seems the devs are aiming for a more plausible and human story, one producers liken closer to Goodfellas than The Godfather.
The demo showed during the presentation took place about three to four hours into the game, with Vito taking his car across the snowy streets of Empire City, the fictional town in which
Read more...

Arcania: A Gothic Tale Hands-On

2009-06-04T23:43:00+00:00

We pay JoWood a visit and check out the latest PC build of Arcania.
Earlier today, during a meeting with JoWood, we had an opportunity to spend some time with a work-in-progress version of Arcania: A Gothic Tale on the PC. The fourth game in the Gothic franchise, Arcania is purportedly being designed specifically to appeal to role-playing game fans in North America where, historically, gothic games have never been very successful.

One of the problems with the previous games, at least according to the JoWood representative who talked us through the game, was simply that they weren't very accessible. To illustrate this, we were shown two features of Arcania that are new for the series: a minimap in the upper-right corner of the screen and a World of Warcraft-style quest tracker. Hardly mind-blowing stuff, but they are steps in the right direction for sure.
As we've reported previously, Arcania takes place some 10 years after the events of its predecessor and casts you as an all-new "Nameless Hero" who has been tasked with righting the wrongs of the previous hero--now an evil king. The new hero isn't customizable at the outset, but there are purportedly more than 100 different weapons and pieces of armor in the game that will dramatically alter both his appearance and his attributes.
Weapons in Arcania will include bows, as well as all of the usual melee suspects--both two-handed and one-handed--that can be used in conjunction with a
Read more...

BioShock 2 Impressions

2009-06-04T23:34:00+00:00

We return to the underwater city of Rapture for look at BioShock 2's multiplayer and single-player modes.
Perhaps one of the most anticipated games coming out this year, BioShock 2 is on display at E3 2009, and though it's not here in any playable form, we did get to see a trailer of the single-player mode in action and, surprisingly, a good chunk of the multiplayer. First, the single-player mode in BioShock 2 takes place 10 years after the events that transpired in the original game, which means that Rapture has fallen into a state of decay as the ocean continues to reclaim it and its inhabitants. The focus of the single-player mode, in terms of its lead character, was to change it from the perspective of an outsider to that of a resident of Rapture, and in particular someone who plays an important role in the overall framework of the city.

That new lead character is the original Big Daddy--the very first to don the massive diving suit in the city of Rapture. But he's different from the single-purpose drones that roam around in the original game. He has regained his free will, which also happens to make him faster and more agile than other Big Daddies. Additionally, he can use a variety of weapons, ranging from the massive Big Daddy drill and a rivet gun to all-new plasmids, which have been tweaked to make them even more effective in combat.
Read more...