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Gotham City Impostors Is Not Your Average FPS (Hands On)

Chris Carlson — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:00:06 +0000

The last thing that comes to your mind when thinking of Batman and The Joker is a FPS. So, Gotham City Impostors is a very interesting game to say the least. At first sight, Gotham City Impostors may looks like just another FPS, but rest assured, it’s far more than that. In fact, I was quite surprised at just how damn fun this game really was. Best part of it all, it’s an XBLA/PSN title and it packs some serious punch.

What sets Gotham City Impostors apart from every other FPS in the over crowded market, is how much variety and customization is offered. No matter how you choose to play a FPS, there’s something here for you. So let me break down just how much customization is packed into this massive downloadable title, which is known as your “Secret Identity”.

First off is editing your loadouts. You have your standard primary weapon, back up weapon, support item and what every super hero can’t do without; a gadget. You’re primary and back up weapons include; assault rifles, submachine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, etc. You also get a mod for each one.

The Dawn Patrol assault rifle for example has a wide selection of mods such as a silencer, red dot sight, extended mags, or even a body odor sniffer that reveals the positions of nearby enemies as wavy yellow “stink clouds”. Last but not least is your camo. FPS these days can’t have an awesome arsenal and no camo, that’s just crazy talk!

The support items and gadgets are what really make Gotham City Impostors stand out. Your support items would be your grenades or flashbangs in other games. In Gotham City, shit gets real. Who needs grenades when you can use bear traps, shurikens, or even a boomerang that can target multiple enemies and stun them all within a matter of a seconds.

The gadgets on the other hand, are where the real fun comes into play. Not only are these reusable, there’s also objects within the maps that benefit some gadgets. Equip a pair of roller skates to move quicker and you can jump off ramps sending you soaring through the air. If you’re more of a flying type of guy, just equip a glider rig and you’ll be flying like Batman in no time.

This isn’t useful on the ground, but it can be if you’re in the right place at the right time. Vents will blow air up sending you into the sky if you have the glider equiped. From here, you can perform “Dive Bombs” on unsuspecting enemies. Yeah, it’s bad ass.

If you’re like me though, you’ll enjoy the grapple gun which can hook on to virtually anything pulling you straight in. Feeling lazy and don’t want to walk to the other side of the map? No problem. Pull out your grapple gun, aim, fire, and before you know it, you’re behind the enemy.

All of these mentioned above can be selected in your loadout giving you whatever experience you choose to have. There are pre-sets for starting out, but once you level up you’re free to use what ever you like, when you like. It doesn’t stop there either. Even though this is an FPS, you can even customize your character. Based on your performance in game, you’ll earn “Costume Coins”. These can be used to purchase new: hats, logos, capes, shirts, pants, shoes, etc.

There’s also clan support which is called “Gangs” in-game, and two other customization options set as “Classified”. So prepare on spending quite some time perfecting your hero. While all this is great, it’s the gameplay that really matters right? Rest assured because Gotham City Impostors is a fucking blast. The beta currently supports two maps and two game modes. Psych Warfare is where you grab a battery and plug it in to demoralize your enemies with propaganda. Unfortunately, due to the lack of participants currently in the beta, I was unable to ever find a match in this game mode.

Fumigation is the other game mode which is essentially Domination from Call of Duty, except better. There’s three control points placed on the map in which you capture and defend. However, you’re not working to a set score. You’re working towards 100%. What this means is, you could be at 99% and the other team could start dominating you bringing you down to 10%. What’s great is if you start picking up your slack, you always have a chance to come back and win without worrying about the team having a higher “score” than you.

At the same time, this can be really bad for newcomers. I’ve been in games that lasted just a few minutes because my team was unable to overpower the enemy resulting in a very quick and unpleasant match. When you have two good teams and all these different weapons and gadgets being used at once, it creates a really chaotic, yet satisfying experience.

The controls are easy to pick up and jump straight into you, if you played just about any other arcade style FPS, you’ll feel right at home. The only real problem I’ve encountered with Gotham City Impostors is lag spikes. They don’t necessarily happen every few seconds, but they do happen often enough to make it somewhat annoying. I’ve also had a few instances where the countdown would reach 1 second, but the game would never start. Thankfully, this is a beta! So hopefully these minor issues will be ironed out before release.

From the mass amount of customization and variety, to the easy pick up and play controls, Gotham City Impostors brings one hell of a great time. I’m not going to lie, when I saw the trailers for the game, I thought it was going to be really lame. However, after playing multiple hours with my friends, this is definitely a game I’m going to be picking up once it’s released in January. Oh, and did I mention this was an arcade title? Yes, yes I did. But I feel as if I should remind you seeing how this could easily pass as a full downloadable title with a similar pricing model to games such as Resident Evil 4 HD.

Definitely keep your eyes on Gotham, my friends.

How and Why I Spent 36 Hours Playing Star Wars: The Old Republic

Jensen Walker — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 23:00:50 +0000

Like many, I recently spent a weekend exploring the Star Wars: The Old Republic beta. All of Fri/Sat and most of Sunday were devoted to the MMO I intend to play come December 20^th.

The official SWTOR forums have since exploded with multiple threads praising or criticizing the game, with many being particularly negative. Impressions are, of course subjective, and what one person finds to be an absolute mess is another’s paradise.

What many of these forum threads lack is the ability to present an opinion which isn’t argumentative, accusatory or downright hostile, and unfortunately they drown out the more measured criticisms of those who enjoyed the game, but found certain areas lacking. Today, I’m going to present my own critique of BioWare’s much hyped MMO in what is hopefully a considered and thoughtful manner. This also means this is going to be a long article, so you might want to get yourself a refreshing beverage before you continue.

To begin with, I should say I only leveled two characters, a Smuggler to 18 and a Consular to 11. I have no personal experience with mid, late, or end-game content, although I do know people who have been a part of the Game Testing Program for quite some time. Therefore, these impressions are largely based around pre-20 Republic content. With typical style and flair, I was so engrossed in the game that I forgot to take screenshots, so nearly all screens in this article come courtesy of Reddit user bic_lighter, who had more presence of mind than me.

Without further ado, let’s launch into the first point of discussion, that being:

Graphics and Visuals

If you read the official forums, the loudest contributors of the opinion that SWTOR’s graphics are awful for a game which is to all extents and purposes a 2012 MMO. The truth is, the visuals are fine for an MMO.

No, they’re not Skyrim standard, but they couldn’t possibly be to that standard without sacrificing hundreds of thousands of potential players. Skyrim is a beautiful game and my GTX 570 is capable of realising that beauty, but for every one of us with the latest generation graphics cards, there are ten more PC users who are still running on a card and processor that are much, much older.

Time for an upgrade, you might say! Unfortunately, your ‘average’ MMO player has little inclination to upgrade and in many cases also lacks the funds. MMO’s succeed because they can tap into a base that games like Battlefield 3 and Skyrim cannot. As much as they may be maligned by certain quarters, casual players provide the bulk of subscriptions for paid MMO’s, and the bulk of microtransactions for F2P’s.

That being said, SWTOR’s stylised graphics provide a significant upgrade on World of Warcraft’s. There are plenty of players who found their old rigs struggling to run the beta efficiently even given that SWTOR’s visuals aren’t cutting edge. For the most part, environments seemed to be rich enough, cutscenes were nicely rendered and the game certainly has a sense of scale which prior MMO’s have lacked.

Stormwind’s Cathedral seems positively mundane once you’ve wandered around inside the gigantic Jedi temple on Tython, or the halls of the senate on Coruscant. Comparably, Rift’s city hubs are more like tiny settlements compared to the Republic Fleet.

Anti-aliasing was also disabled for the beta, so users can expect some graphical improvements and smoothing of jagged edges come launch.

UPDATE - A bug in the graphical settings resulted in high resolution textures not being available during the beta. The game looks much better with those higher settings enabled. Observe the below screenshot.

If there is an area where the graphics are obviously lacking, it’s the textures. Some textures are fairly low resolution (pazaak tables, for example), and your PC’s armor and weapons aren’t always particularly crisp if you zoom in closely. Speaking of PC’s, that leads us nicely in to…

The Darkness II Has Co-Op and It’s Awesome (Hands On)

Dave Oshry — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:00:54 +0000

Guess what? They’re co-op modes in The Darkness II. Guess what else? I’ve played them and they’re fun as hell.

Let’s get right to it. It’s called Vendettas and if you’ve played any sort of Call of Duty Spec Ops you’ll feel right at home here.

Except this isn’t quite like CoD Spec Ops. Not only do you get to play as one of four very distinct and crazy characters with very distinct and crazy weapons, but each of these characters has their own backstory and they all tie into the main plot of The Darkness II. Thus making vendettas infinitely cooler than Spec Ops. It also supports up to four players. Word.

Before we go any further, check out this trailer to get a better idea of what I’m talking about:

Yes, I quite enjoyed that too.

Now let’s run down the cast courtesy of 2K, shall we?

First up:

Inugami (The Samurai)

Inugami is a very dark character, mentally unstable and driven only by his need for revenge. He names himself after a dog god of Japan that legends say was created from extreme suffering, trained to exact revenge upon the enemies of its master.

Inugami has the power of Swarm. His Swarm power resembles an attack of miniature Yokai demons of all kinds.

He wields Kusanagi – a mystical weapon that was said to have destructive properties. Historical documents dating from the 7^th Century tell of how the Emperor Temmu fell ill as a result of wielding the sword, and how Kusanagi was then removed and placed in a shrine. But even at that time, Kusanagi was already hundreds of years old. Its origins remain unknown.

Here’s my take: Inugami is the stereotypical Samurai Warrior. Silent but deadly and very skilled. Kusunagi controls like one of Jackie’s demon arms, meaning that you can swing the sword around with the thumbstick in any direction you choose while you spray bullets with whatever’s in your other hand.

Each character has brutal execution move that can be used on a stunned or nearly dead opponent. Inugami’s excution is a rather satisfying disemboweling. He pairs well with just about any other character, preferably a ranged character since he will have to get up close and personal to use Kusunagi.

Next we have:

Shoshanna (The Hebrew Hammer)

Shoshanna is an ultra-efficient agent for Mossad, a woman with the highest degree of training. She is highly unimaginative and utterly receptive to the orders of her superiors with the agency. She does not question her mission, nor does she question the existence of the magic she sees all around her. This makes her the perfect operative in New York.

Shoshanna wields the Arm of the Night, a powerful weapon fused with Dark essence. It’s been in her family for over 75 years, though everyone who has carried it before hasn’t lived to see their 30^th birthday. However, for her, the legacy of hunting and destroying evil wherever it hides in the world is worth the price.

She possesses the power of Gun Channeling. Interestingly, the Darkness has become entranced with technology – it knows that the newest weapons are capable of more efficient death and destruction.

Here’s my take: Shoshanna is a ranged character who works best if you fight with reckless abandon. I’ve spent some time with the IDF and I’ve known many a Shoshanna in my day but I’ve never met one as badass as this. Her Arm of the Night is a sawed off shotgun that actually feels quite similar to an 1887 in Modern Warfare 2. And yes, by that I mean it is uber powerful and has far too much range.

Your gameplay with Shoshanna will consist mostly of using an Uzi in one hand then using your Arm of the Night to finish enemies off with the other. You’ll literally hear all sorts of click click boom. As a ranged character who can make her firearms extra powerful via gun channeling, she pairs well with almost any other character. Her execution move involves shooting an enemy in the groin then shoving her shotgun down their throat and blowing their brains out. I want to marry her.

Next up is:

Serious Sam 3 Is So F**king Old School It Hurts (Hands On)

Dave Oshry — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 23:33:36 +0000

Whoever said, “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” was right about nine times out of ten. That tenth time was reserved for Serious Sam 3.

In case for some reason you’ve been counting, yes, this our third hands on preview of Serious Sam 3. Why? Because the game still isn’t out despite PC gamer cries for an old school FPS in the wake of whatever it is you’d call the on-rails phenomenon that is Call of Duty 5-8.

But let’s not talk about that. Let’s not talk about Battlefield 3, let’s not talk about Bulletstorm and let’s certainly not talk about Duke Nukem Forever. Let’s talk old school.

This Is Not Battlefield 3

There once was a time in the FPS genre when the only thing you did more than shoot was strafe. When you pinned your pinky to the shift key, sprayed and prayed. A time when you could inexplicably carry 16 weapons at a time and tiny bits of health and armor were scattered all over the world for no apparent reason. A time when level design meant something other than going in a straight line and shooting whatever generic enemy was right in front of you. These were good times. ”Serious” Sam Stone wasn’t around back then, but somebody in Croatia obviously was. Croteam’s Serious Sam first burst onto the scene back in 2001, and old school FPS gamers the world over rejoiced while they spilled blood and bullet casings.

Fast forward 10 years and Sam is finally back in a major way. A new engine, new features, but that same old school attitude. How old school is Serious Sam? He makes Prince jokes. Yet to be fair, Prince just got big in Croatia… so it’s understandable. Serious Sam 3 is what it sounds like when doves (and Duke Nukem) cry.

This Preview Is Now Officially NSFW

So fucking old school it hurts? Yes. Both my character and my physical self. My eyes are bleeding, my fingers are numb, I have no health, no armor and I’m being chased by a pack of angry Headless Kamikaze’s through the streets of a soon to be post apocalyptic Egypt. I love this game.

Serious Sam 3 has a multitude of multiplayer modes, 16 player campaign co-op, a survival mode and more PC settings than you can shake a boomstick at… but all I got was the single player build to mess around with for a month. Luckily, it’s long, it’s strong, and it’s down to get the friction on. I was given 11 out of the game’s 12 chapters and I played them back and forth, front to back, over and over again, on every difficuly from Tourist to Serious. On tourist, even a console CoD gamer has a chance to clear the level. On Serious… you will die. Dark Souls has nothing on 500 Kleer Skeletons, Kamikazes and Gnaar all coming at you at once. Seriously.

It’s hard to explain just how insane Serious Sam 3 can get if you’re not familiar with the franchise, and even harder to explain if I told you that there was an in-game option to turn all the blood into candy. Luckily, I’ve made this short video presentation for your amusement:

Yep. that’s pretty much Serious Sam 3 in a nutshell. Now, imagine scenarios like that with up to 16 player co-op. My frame rate hurts just thinking about it.

As you may have noticed, the game also looks pretty damn good. That’s thanks to Croteam’s new and aptly named “Serious Engine 3.” What this engine does (besides pump out fantasticly detailed visuals) is allow for hundreds of enemies to be on screen at once with minimal frame rate loss. I don’t know how it does it, it just does. However, even my mammoth gaming rig slowed at bits during certain boss battles where I was literally in an acre wide open space being chased by roughly over 9000 screaming meanies. Sure, they could have scaled it down, but that ain’t what Serious Sam is about.

For those who are interested, the game takes place in some sort of destroyed semi-futuristic Egypt and is apparently a prequel to whenever the evil armies of Lord Mental took over the Earth in 20XX. However, if you play Serious Sam for the story you should probably start calling yourself Lord Mental.

Meanwhile, Egypt itself looks marvelous, and here’s some screens I took to prove it:

Lovely

Scary

Egypty

Three Hours With Skyrim, Two Brave Bosmers and One Lying Khajiit

Dave Oshry — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 01:45:18 +0000

No, I didn’t find any Werewolves.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I’d like to tell you a story. A story of might and magic, choice and consequence, romance, adventure, camaraderie and intrigue. If I could think of any other awesome nouns I’d throw them in there as well, but alas – on with the show.

If you haven’t already, please read my last hands-on preview of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim which details the very first encounter with Vampires and much more.

But where to begin? How about in the real world.

As I walked into a posh hotel suite in midtown Manhattan I was greeted by what has become a common sight for me. Roughly eight Xbox 360 developer consoles hooked up to 27ish inch flatscreen TV’s all running the latest press build of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. As usual, there wasn’t a PC in sight. I had expected as much, yet I was still slightly disappointed. But I digress…

On the far side of the room, a PR representative was apologizing profusely to Kotaku’s Biran Crecente who had apparently found some glitches durng his playthrough. But I had no time for such drama, I was on a mission. So, I grabbed what I recall was a turkey and brie sandwich and a bottle of sparkling water (they feed us well) and sat down in the corner of the suite in front of one of consoles. As I gazed upon a familiar screen that said little more than ‘Skyrim’, I noticed most of the other writers who were scheduled in my time slot had yet to arrive, so I figured I had at least a small head start. Huzzah.

Where to Even Begin...

Once again, I wasted no time in the character creator (unless you count the 10 minutes I spent tryng to make an albino Argonian at a reader’s request) and quickly selected my usual traits. Bosmer… tattoos… mohawk… good enough… let’s go!

Now having had hands on time with Skyrim before, and having already seen Riverwood and the surrounding areas before, I knew that this time around I had to go where no member of the press had gone before. I had a laundry list of questions from readers, but how could I possibly answer them all in just three hours?! Should I head to the Bards College in the far Northwest? To the College of Winterhold in the far Northeast? All the way down to Riften, which was clearly named after RipTen? I knew one thing was sure, I was not going to dick around in Riverwood or go on that bloody Golden Claw quest! Oh no, this playthrough was going to be different!

However, there was a problem. I was level one and I had nearly no gear. How on earth would I survive anywhere in the vast lands of Skyrim if I ventured off alone into the wilderness? I wouldn’t, I’d surely be killed! So, with the most epic fucking sigh you’ve ever heard, I begrudgingly trudged toward Riverwood. I assure you, I cursed the divines the entire way.

I Don't Even Own The Game and I've Already Seen This Over 9000 Times...

As I arrived in Riverwood, I knew I needed to get myself leveled and geared up fast if I was to have enough time to explore beyond what had already been seen and done by my brothers and sisters in the gaming press. I quickly came upon a Nord named Sven and his mother, arguing about dragons as they always seem to do. Except instead of passing them by, this time I decided to talk to Sven, to see what he was all about. Maybe he had a quest for me?

After going through some dialogue options about how crazy his mother surely was, it turned out he did indeed have a quest for me. You see, Sven had been dating Camilla, whose brother Lucan owns the general store in town. However, Sven knows Camilla is in love with a Bosmer named Faendal. Sven wanted me to bring Camilla a forged letter that would convince her that Faendal was no good. For this, he would pay me some paltry sum. I agreed to his task, knowing full well I’d never take the side of a Nord against a fellow Bosmer, but he was none the wiser.

Did Sven not realize I was Bosmer? And why would he task a complete stranger with the future of his relationship? No matter. Videogames, amirite? I walked further into town to find Camilla in her brother’s store. As I suspected, one of the dialogue options presented was to tell her that Sven had forged the letter and that Faendal was in fact a stand up guy… or elf in this case. I chose said option and Camilla was noticeably upset that Sven would attempt to do such a thing. She instructed me to find Faendal and tell him at once… so I did.

I easily found Faendal by the lumber mill. He looked a lot like me. Tall, thin, handsome and Elven. I liked him immediately.

Hands on Mass Effect 3 Co-Op, Why it’s a Good Thing

Dave Oshry — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 22:00:57 +0000

When the world finally learned that the Mass Effect series was in fact getting multiplayer, just as many people were concerned as were elated.

“Get yer Call of Duty outta my Mass Effect!!” The roleplayers cried.

However, when Commander Shepard himself (in the form of series producer Casey Hudson) explained that the game would only be getting co-op and not some CoDified competitive multiplayer, people clammed down a bit.

“Co-op? Oh, well that’s cool, everyone likes co-op”

Indeed. Pretty much everyone does like co-op, and thanks to the wonders of wi-fi, even people without friends can enjoy the co-op in Mass Effect 3.

I recently sat down and got to enjoy some ME3 co-op and I’m going to tell you why I think it’s a good thing and why you’ll probably like it as well… or hate it… or be indifferent.

Come With Me If You Want To Live.

In this new “Galaxy at War” mode you and three friends will push onward to victory as you fight off the Geth and other intergalactic bad things that want to kill you. First up you’ll pick your race and class. All the notable races and classes are present here so yes, you can be an Asari Biotic and finally feel what it’s like to play as Liara… woo…

Anyhow, I decided to go in as a human soldier becuase when youve only got a 40 minute press demo, it helps to go with what you know. Hooyah!

Once everyone is locked and loaded we’re tasked with objectives to push, the only problem is there’s baddies who want to push back. Capture objectives, kill things, that’s the jist of it. Waves of enemies will come at you while you try to push for said objectives and yes, it feels a bit like Gears of War’s Horde mode – which isn’t a bad thing. In fact, if you’re familiar with Horde mode, you’ll feel right at home here. It didn’t feel quite as polished as Gears, but the game obviously isn’t finished and something something alpha, beta, omega builds are not the final product something something grain of salt.

Come At Me Bro

That’s not to say it’s easy. Even with my Soldier’s concussive shot leveled rather high I was having my ass handed to me by hard to avoid snipers and footsoldiers alike. I was constantly being revived by and having to revive my teammates until we eventually all died and failed on what was one of the final waves. We did eventually make it past said wave on a second playthrough, only to be killed by a giant mecha-boss which totally wasn’t my fault for running in and trying to stab it with my omni-blade. Such is the life of an interstellar spec ops group NOT led by commander Shepard. But I digress…

Even when you die, your experience will be carried over. This means that every time you play, your life will be a bit easier. The gameplay feels just as it does in single player, except that in single player your NPC teammates won’t go and try to stab the boss with their omni blade or accidentally throw a grenade at you. But that’s what co-op is all about really, yelling at your friends because they suck and are single-handedly causing the galaxy to implode.

As Usual, the Salarians Are No Help...

Now, what people seem to be the most worried about is that the co-op will detract from the single player experience or that since you can increase your “Galactic Readiness” level by participating in the co-op, that you have to play it. Well, you don’t. You can, and it will help get your galatic troops ready for the final battle with the reapers sooner, but you can also completely ignore the co-op and get the exact same end game results just by playing the single player. Think of it like a paid transaction in a F2P MMO… that you don’t have to pay for. Sure, you can buy your way (or in this case fight your way) to better unlocks, but you could also just grind them out. You can take the donkey to the top of the rim, or you can take the tram. It is the same price.

Think about it, would you rather play some Horde mode to help increase Shepard’s “Galactic Readiness” levels or would you rather scan and probe planets for hours on end? If you said scan and probe planets I hate you by the way…

People also seem to be irriatated by the thought that this mode is what delayed Mass Effect 3 and that it’s taking valuable resources and manpower away from the single player game. I hope these people know that two different studios are working on the game at this point. The main team (led by Commander Hudson) is at BioWare Edmonton and a completely separate team is developing the multiplayer at BioWare Montreal. There’s actually another team developing Mass Effect 4 at BioWare Mordor, but they’re not talking about that yet.

We're All Gonna Die...

What it all boils down to is this:

If you like this sort of thing, it’s there for you and your friends and it will add to your single player experience.

If this just isn’t your bag, you can completely ignore it and you will be no worse for wear.

However, this one believes the Hanar should be a playable race… just sayin.

Mass Effect 3 brings the war home on March 6th, 2012.

For more, check out our interview with series producer Casey Hudson.

What We Love (And Hate) So Far About Battlefield 3

Aaron Alexander — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 18:00:45 +0000

(Please note, these impressions are specifically for the PC version of the Battlefield 3 Beta)

Now that the beta is finally open to everyone, Battlefield 3 is among the most discussed video games. We’ve seen new features such as the Battlelog, and experienced the refined gameplay. However, some newer features are better than others in the grand scheme of things, so let’s take a look.

Loved

The game is satisfyingly fun

It's fun popping people who attempt to disarm MCOM's.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Battlefield 3 is the amount of fun it has to offer. If you’re lucky enough to join one of the smarter teams, you’ll enjoy some of the most dynamic combat a videogame can provide. Each class fulfills a specific role and when properly played, they all compliment each other vastly. Support gunners can lay down ammo for team-mates while suppressing the enemy (causing their vision to completely blur), Assault’s can quickly take out targets with their rifles as well as reviving their own men, whilst Engineers and Recon’s can take care of vehicles and pop heads respectively. Minor changes like the ability to go prone, or suppress enemies really change up the game, especially when compared to the Bad Company series. It adds a new depth to the combat, and makes formation and positioning especially important. So long as you and your team are doing their respective jobs and attacking (or defending) the MCOM stations, Battlefield 3 is an absolute blast.

Battlefield 3 is simply beautiful (at least on the PC)

Don't Stop To Smell The Roses Soldier!!

If you have a capable rig, Battlefield 3 is one of the most beautiful and visceral games on the market to date. The destruction (while not as outrageous as Bad Company 2′s) is realistic, scary and mind-blowing to see in motion. The environments look convincing and react to the battle in lifelike ways – Tree’s will shake from the impact of nearby explosions, concrete will chip from random flak and dark hallways will be blown out by the shine of a flash-light. It’s poetry in motion provided you’re up to spec, and even running on a mid-class GPU like the GTX460, playing on “High” settings at 50-60 FPS isn’t as far-fetched as you’d think.

The Battlelog is the be-all, end-all for Battlefield statistic tracking

Stat-tracking for everybody!

Bad Company 2′s stat menu was boring, bland and not very helpful or informative. The Battlelog however, serves as your Battlefield Facebook (quite literally). Your news feed will encompass all of your recent endeavors, as well as your friends, and you can “Hooah” each status, which serves the same purpose as a Facebook “like”.

Not only does it display recent events, but you can also click on the “stats” tab to bring up a fully featured recollection of everything you’ve done. From score-per-minute, to your most used weapon, this really has it all. Gone are the days of 3rd party tracking sites, Battlelog is absolutely the pinnacle of this stuff – it’s comparable to that of bungie.net’s services for Halo games. The community is also a central part of the battlelog, forums are at your fingertips as well as the ability to create and join platoons. The platoon section will also display your best members for each class, and various little statistics that really make Battlefield feel like an always connected experience. However, the battlelog also leads us to our next point..

Hated

The Battlelog is absolutely atrocious if you like playing with friends

Forever Alone...

Yes, it’s a beta. However, if you’re going to launch a game out of an internet browser, you should probably make sure it works. For the most part, applying server filters and finding a game whether it be Caspian Border or Operation Metro, then joining a game by yourself works just fine. This is Battlefield however, and with the rampant amount of little shits running around with Sniper rifles not helping at all, you want some knowledgeable friends by your side to even the score. Having played about 12 hours now with various friends around the world, it’s nothing short of an absolute pain in the ass to join a game with them. The party system always leaves someone out of the server, or other times, people won’t get the invite at all. If you do manage to get into a game, joining the same squad as your buddies is as likely as winning the lotto. You literally have to sit at a menu clicking “leave squad/join squad” until the fateful day when you actually join the desired squad. Compared to that of Bad Company 2′s squad system, it’s a huge step back.

Not enough incentives presented for people to play properly

The Four Classes of Battlefield 3... That Nobody Uses Properly

I can count the times I’ve been revived in game on one hand. I’m not kidding.

Whether it be brain-dead players, or the game is not presenting enough information, most of the classes in Battlefield 3 aren’t played to their full extent.

Assault’s won’t heal themselves (or anyone else for that matter), Recon’s won’t place mobile respawn points and even some support players will shoot until their empty, and opt for their handgun instead of you know – dropping an ammo box and continuing to suppress enemy troops.

I’m not going to sit here and call everyone shit (even though I’d like to), but instead I put the Onus on Dice. Present players with tool tips depending on the situation. If an Assault player is standing near a dead body, tell the player “REVIVE YOUR HOMIE”, or if a Support is near players with low ammo, they could be told “RESTOCK YOUR G”. Simple tool-tips like this would be a great reminder, and teacher of how to play the damn game correctly. (In the mean time, educate yourself here)

These are the five most outstanding features about Battlefield 3 so far, for better or worse. No doubt DICE will address some of the listed issues here, as it’s only a Beta, but as it stands Battlefield 3 is an intense combat game (perhaps one of the best), only held back by uneducated players, several technical bugs and a less than ideal social experience on PC.

Bad Company fans will feel right at home in Rush mode, whilst the people who preferred the original Battlefield series will revel in the conquest game type. It’s a new beast, taking the best features from both series and combining them into something truly worthy of you time.

For more on the BF3 beta, be sure to check out this video from DICE and stay tuned to RipTen for our continued coverage of Battlefield 3.

Diablo III Closed Beta Full Video Playthrough With Commentary

Dave Oshry — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 02:00:26 +0000

It’s been nearly one week since Dave and Aaron dove head first into the Diablo III beta. Somehow, they’ve managed to come out somewhat clean on the other side.

Along the way they even managed to hit the ‘record’ buttons on their respective PC’s and are now proud to present to you:

THE ADVENTURES OF TIM LAMBESIS AND TRIPLE H IN THE REALM OF DIABLO III

In this first video Dave and Aaron take on some early quests and stomp on some mobs with newfound abilities after they have already saved the legendary Deckard Cain from a deep and dark fate:

After grinding about, the boys head off in search of the crown of the Skeleton King and answers to the mysteries surround the eternally doomed town of Tristram:

Now, after a short break, our heroes have gained some new abilities and gear and are finally ready for the final challenge of the Diablo III beta:

So, there you have it. Despite their personal of professional shortcomings, Dave and Aaron managed to make it through the Beta with hardly a scratch.

Could they ever have been anything but heroes? Of course not… they were born this way.

Stay tuned for the final bit of our hands on coverage of the Diablo III beta as the guys max out every class in the game and give you a rundown of how each one works and plays.

What We Love (And Hate) So Far About Diablo III

Aaron Alexander — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 04:00:44 +0000

After spending close to a full day with the Diablo III beta, both Dave and I came away feeling impressed and excited for the full release of Blizzard’s hotly anticipated action/RPG. While the gameplay largely remains the tried and true “click on dudes to destroy them”, there’s a few key changes to the Diablo formula that may sway your opinion depending on your stance. Check out our opinions below;

What we Love:

Social Interactivity

The friends functionality in Diablo 3 is easy and intuitive.

At anytime in Diablo 3, you can tap the “O” key to bring up a full featured list of your currently online friends. It’s similar to the friends menu presented in Starcraft 2 and at a glance you automatically know what your friends are doing in the demon infested world. Not only can you see a visual representation of your friends characters, but you can see their progression in the world, and though it’s not presented in the beta, undoubtedly you’ll be able to compare achievements and other various records. You can even see their time played… in real time.

Yet, it’s not only a comparison tool. At any time you can ask to join your friends crusades, or invite them to yours. It works flawlessly, even being in beta state and we’ve had no issues at all with the current system. Gone are the days of creating a lobby with a lame password such as “undertaker69goldberg”, it’s now easier than ever to enjoy your friends company.

That brings us to our next love:

Matchmaking

Matchmaking is quick and effective

If you don’t have friends to play with (I’m not judging), matchmaking is more than a viable option. As a matter of fact, matchmaking is fucking perfect. Not only can you cater the search to a specific chapter in the story, but the level of difficulty is also presented (only normal is available in the beta). To stop the guesswork, the matchmaking service also presents you with how many people are playing your currently selected options. Once you’ve selected your mode of play, the matchmaking service takes a few seconds at best to pair you with other players, and don’t worry about the latency, even playing halfway around the globe it runs silky smooth. Props once more, Blizzard!

Both the matchmaking and social interactivity make Diablo III the most addictive and easy to use multiplayer experience to come along in years.

What We (or just Dave) Hate:

The Streamlining (dumbing down) of Skills and Gameplay

Yes, they've dumbed down Diablo 3. Begin Lynchmobs

This one is purely subjective to your tastes. If you’re a pansy like me, you won’t mind the fact that you don’t have to dump a certain amount of points into strength or agility, therefore saving you from sitting up all night worrying if you’ve gimped your character.

If you’re a nerd like Dave, you’ll probably turn red at this change, and throw your D20′s square in the forehead of the person closest to you. Yes that’s right, stat points are no longer governed by you, the in game logic takes care of that every time you level up. It’s not only stat points that have been streamlined, but your abilities as well. You’ll only be able to select 2 usable abilities until level 6, then only 3 until level 12 and so forth. You’ll unlock a new ability every level early on, it just becomes a game of mix and match, catering your abilities to work well with your partners. It’s also worth noting that a number of each classes abilities are simply awesome and fun as hell to use.

Though this can leave the early game feeling quite tedious and repetitive, soon enough you’ll be tossing RPG lingo at your friend, coming up with exciting new strategies. Taking a cue from Torchlight, you’ll also have access to a Cauldron and Nephilim cube, which allows you to sell or breakdown items into crafting materials anywhere, at anytime. You will never have to walk back to town to sell anything… ever. Dave maintains that Torchlight’s pet system handled this much better and bitches at me every time we play that they’ve streamlined the looting far too much and that Diablo 1 was addictive because of blah blah blah, that’s usually where I stop listening.

Once again, this will either make you happy or furious depending on your tastes. Oh, and there’s a WoW style hearthstone as well. Fuck walking anywhere.

The Visuals Are Underwhelming

Diablo, Y U so bland

Perhaps it’s the lack of anti-aliasing (Beta!), or perhaps the wait has done no favors toward Diablo’s expectation levels, but Diablo 3 visually is truly underwhelming. Even with all the options cranked to the max, nothing pops out or helps you feel a sense of true immersion towards the game. Character models are quite bland, weapon particle effects look less interesting than that of Team Fortress 2, and the world looks like a watercolor painting – take that as you will. Despite it’s shortcomings at first glance, once you get in the heat of combat, the dismembered bodies of your enemies and constant gushes of blood look good enough to satisfy. Blizzard are known to create a distinct art style that doesn’t require high end PC’s to run at maximum and for the most part they succeed. However with Diablo 3, it feels really uninspired and bland – I hate to say it, but even Torchlight has more character in this department. This is usually when Dave will start chewing my ear off about how Diablo III doesn’t have shit on Dungeon Siege III visually and that Obsidian is the best PC RPG developer around and blah blah blah, then I mention Alpha Protocol and he gets mad and we don’t talk for two days… but I digress…

Guess what? It’s still the sequel we’ve wanted and the one you’ve been waiting for

Despite it's shortcomings, we can't stay away from Diablo III

Despite it’s obvious simplification and shortcomings visually, we’ve played this beta for damn near two days straight now. It’s still Diablo. It’s still click on shit and watch it explode into pink mist. It’s still yelling frantically at your friends when a giant boss named “Magglemaw” is chasing you erratically around the room. There’s a few subtle additions such as a new physics engine, which makes being a war-stomping barbarian even more fun – If I jump into battle, you’re flying straight into God’s domain you evil little bastard. Half the fun for Dave, was running around throwing Kunai at the various furniture we’d come across just to watch them fall into a pile of rubble, he’s literal home-wrecker. Enemies will drop health globes to keep combat going, and if you do fall in battle, a partner can run up and resurrect you on the spot. Better yet, gear that drops for one player, won’t appear on the others screen – he’ll get an entirely different drop, there is none of the loot stealing that plagued past games.

The changes Blizzard have implemented might worry some fans, but if you’re willing to let the past go, Diablo 3 is still an amazingly well crafted hack and slash. The wait has been definitely worth it and we’re already uber excited for the full retail release. Now if you’ll excuse me, the beta is calling…

Revelations Returns the Resident Evil Franchise to its Roots (Hands On)

Kimberly Correa — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:30:38 +0000

I’m a big fan of the Resident Evil games. I used to be too afraid to play the first game by myself, and instead had my brother play for me while I watched from under a blanket (I’m a wuss). As the games progressed and turned more shooter-y than survival horror, they started feeling like they had lost that creepy, “don’t blink” vibe. This made it an entirely different sort of game, at least for me. Not to knock the newer games because Resident Evil 4 is undoubtedly one of my favorites of the series – it just felt different.

I had a chance to play Resident Evil: Revelations on the 3DS this weekend at PAX, and combining the playing experience with the footage we’ve already seen makes me feel like a kid again, hiding under that blanket.

The demo started me off as Jill in a room by myself with a handgun. The game offers you a choice of third person or first person perspective, and I stuck with third person as it feels more Resident Evil-esque to me. Upon exploring the room, you find some ammo, wander into the bathroom, you find a tub filled with water. Uh oh. Do you pull the plug and let the water out? Of course you do. After fully expecting something to come charging out at me, I was a little disappointed to just find a screwdriver to open the locked door to the rest of the house. On the way to the door from the bathroom though, the locked closet on the side of the room swings open and out bursts your very first zombie, which goes down with a few shots to the head from a pistol.

To get out the door, you have to solve a puzzle – an easy puzzle, but still a puzzle, which makes me excited and adds to the evidence that Revelations is hearkening back to the older games. You explore the rest of the house, occasionally running into zombies and locked doors that you can’t open yet, finding ammo and herbs, and my favorite weapon ever, the shotgun. Sweet. I met my untimely demise after creeping through an unexplained hazy ballroom and wandering up winding stairs to the second floor, where I opened a door and two zombies launched themselves at me. I wasn’t savvy enough to escape them, and only took down one before the other ripped me apart (whoops).

Aiming was accurate thanks to the bumpers, the menu was easily accessible via the touchscreen, and switching weapons was extremely easy by using the D-pad. The music was appropriately Resident Evil and creepy to the max, and the graphics looked great. I didn’t use the 3D function for long since I’m not a fan of it, but I tried it out as I was creeping through the hazy ballroom; the effect was immersing and realistic.

If the rest of the game plays this way, and keeps the puzzles and horror elements at the forefront, the franchise will have added a very sweet addition to its lineup. Resident Evil: Revelations is expected to launch on 3DS sometime in early 2012.

RAGE Multiplayer Doesn’t Have Any TDM or CTF, Sorry Bruh. (Hands On)

Dave Oshry — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:50:55 +0000

With all the talk going on about RAGE‘s lengthy single player and cool car combat multiplayer modes, a lot of people, including myself, have completely failed to realize that the game doesn’t have any competitive multiplayer outside of the car combat. None. No team deathmatch, no capture the flag, no domination, no whack-a-mole, nuthin.

Yet, is that really a problem? Does RAGE need the same type of multiplayer that everyone else has?

The Game Looks Its Best During The Car Combat

I played the co-op and car combat modes at Quake Con this weekend, and they’re all sorts of awesome. I also played the single player for another 3 hours or so (on PC, woot) but that’s not the point of this story. If you want to hear a former RAGE doubter rave about his time with RAGE, check out Chris Carlson’s lengthy single player hands on instead.

The run and gun co-op features nine objective based maps so far (id told me more would be added via DLC), and they are each rather tough and feel… Valvey? Is that even a word? What I mean is they have a very Left4Dead feel to them, and you know damn well that’s not a bad thing. Things like reviving your dying teammate and being able to see an outline of them through walls as you take out different types of baddies and push toward objectives just screamed at me with similarities to Valve’s seminal zombie slayer in all the right ways. Except, ya know, it looked awesome. id n stuff…

Respect The Authoritah!!

There’s not much to say about the car combat, it’s car combat. Drive around, race and blow shit up. It’s like Twisted Metal, except it’s actually coming out sometime soon.

What’s even better is that somehow the controls manage to cater to even an elitist PC douche like me. I was kicking ass and taking names, and you all know damn well I suck ass when I have to use a controller. It’s pathetic. Ask Kreyg, he’ll tell you.

Anyhow, in my humble opinion as a dude that flies around the country and writes about video games for a living, I don’t think RAGE needs any goddamn TDM or CTF. Leave that to Call of Duty and Battlefield and let id do what they do best, everything else.

Stay tuned to RipTen for continued coverage of RAGE and more previews from Quake Con 2011.

You Haven’t Seen Sh!t Until You’ve Played RAGE (Hands On)

Chris Carlson — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:45:16 +0000

I’m going to be completely honest here. When Bethesda and id Software announced RAGE, it didn’t spark my interest very much. Hell, even after I saw multiple gameplay videos, I still wasn’t convinced. Yet, after spending over two hours playing the game, I now feel I should smack myself for not paying more attention to this beautiful piece of work. It’s simply incredible.

My experience with RAGE picked up from the very beginning of the game. Skipping past all the story details, as I don’t want to ruin anything for you. I ended up in a very small settlement, which is essentially the training area for the game. I started off doing small missions like killing a group of hostile bandits up the road, gathering supplies for the town and searching for parts to build my own ride. The first thing you’ll notice about RAGE is the graphics. They’re un-fucking-believable, and considering I was playing the 360 version of the game, I was amazed at how good this game looks. The lighting, texture work, character detail and animations. All just absolutely beautiful. The game did suffer from some minor pop-ins, and a few jaggies but these small flaws wont lessen your experience with RAGE.

No this isn't a bullshot. The game looks this damn good in realtime...on the 360.

The controls in RAGE are damn near perfect. I had very little trouble adjusting to the sensitivity, and within a few seconds of moving around, I felt as if I could shoot like a pro, which is great because the AI in RAGE is quite impressive. Your typical melee enemies will rush at you, but bandits wielding a firearm will take precautions. Instead of simply crouching behind cover like most games would have the enemies do, the enemies will actually lay down on the floor and peek their heads around, poking their gun around the corner and opening fire. I’ve also seen an enemy dive on the floor and crawl behind cover as I was fired upon his buddy. It really adds a sense of realism to the gameplay, which is always a plus. Another awesome feature RAGE offers is when you shoot an enemy in, let’s say, his leg, he will fall to the ground holding his leg but, at the same time, crawl backwards while firing at you. Basically, these sons of bitches won’t go down without a fight.

The weapons in RAGE are a friggin’ blast. Every single weapon that I laid my hands on felt satisfying after each kill. My personal favorite combination was the Shotgun and Wingsticks. For those of you unfamiliar with RAGE, Wingsticks are bladed boomerangs that automatically track your enemy if thrown in their vicinity. The totally kick-ass part about these babies is they slice the head clean off. So if I’m getting attacked by multiple enemies, I can blast the first guy in the face and then, before his buddy even reaches me, I can toss a Wingstick and it’s “off with his head!” It’s a beautiful scenario that one must experience for themselves to appreciate the sheer awesomeness of it.

This silent, but deadly crossbow will quickly dispose of your enemies at a far.

There are also multiple ammo types for each weapon that become very useful in certain situations. One of the alternative types of pistol ammunition I used could blow the head off an enemy and then make it burst into bits of goo, whereas the normal ammo would just knock their helmet off or drop them to the ground. One really cool feature I stumbled upon was when I was about to die. Instead of getting a “Game Over” screen and reloading a checkpoint, I was presented with a “defibrillator” mini-game, which is made up of points across the screen where you push the left and right sticks. You simply push the sticks into the correct position and with the tap of a button, you fill up the meter in the center of the screen. When the meter fills up, icons of the left and right trigger appear on the screen, going back and forth horizontally. The goal is to hit both triggers as they line up with the two boxes, which brings you back to life with full health. Yes it’s a life saver……Literally.

Since RAGE is an open world game, you’ll need to load new areas and towns you visit. Thankfully, the load times are incredibly short and painless. As you explore, you’ll have the opportunity to gather various items scattered throughout the wasteland, or by simply looting bodies. These can be used for a number of different things. Some items are component parts to build specific items like bandages, but there are also more complex gadgets. For example, certain doors have a bank-like vault on them which cannot be destroyed. After building the right contraption, you can place it on the lock, forcing it open. Of course, you’ll need to find the correct parts in order to forge these items. They’re not magical things that you can pull out of thin air whenever you please.

Sell me your goods lady!!

Over the course of your adventure, you’ll also find junk items which are only sold for money. Once you find a shop, the game will label the items in your inventory, which is great when you’re starting out and you’re unsure of what you need and don’t need. So if you find a bunch of gears, for example, the shop will tell you this particular piece can be used to make X item. You can also buy your standard health items and ammunition. If you want to modify your sweet ride, you’re going to have to race for those. By winning races, you’ll earn racing certificates that you use to purchase new upgrades or weapons. Turrets, land mines, speed boost etc. Some of the races will be simple time trials and others will include multiple racers.

The handling on the vehicles can be pretty rough at times, so don’t expect to be drifting through the wasteland pretending you’re playing The Fast and Furious because you’ll fail….miserably. The e-brake is more of a “stop dead in your tracks” brake, because that’s all it’s good for. However, once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty forgivable… but I would personally like to see some adjustments before the game launches. You’ll also need to watch your ammo supply. Your vehicle doesn’t have unlimited ammo, but it does have unlimited boosts. As you’re driving from town to town, you’ll encounter multiple enemies in various types of vehicles. Thankfully, the game has a lock-on ability for driving so you don’t completely waste your ammo, but you still need to be careful.

Driving is a ton of fun....if you can bear the controls.

Further into the demo is when RAGE really shinned for me. I needed to gain a sponsor in order to compete in one of the races. To earn that sponsor, I needed to compete in the Mutant Blast arena, which is set up like a television show. Each episode consists of a set number of waves. The first wave I played was filled with monkey-like creatures brandishing machetes. There were some fire-throwing goons in towers towards the end. Nothing too intense, but it gave you the general idea of what to expect. The second wave offered a nice twist. Instead of standard enemies, a giant robotic purple monkey with multiple blades spun around in circles inside the arena. After a few minutes, my moment of glory arrived. As a mutated freak was jumping at me through the air, I blasted his head off with a single shell from my shotgun and then quickly tossed a Wingstick, decapitating his buddy. Awesome, right? It got better. As his head flew in one direction, the force from the Wingstick knocked his body back into the devastating purple monkey, slicing his body into tiny pieces. Then it happened. Achievement unlocked! I felt like a complete fucking badass.

As I moved into the third area, the entire floor was covered in holes, which instantly screamed “DANGER” to me. The spotlights came on and as they shifted from white to red, huge spikes emerged from the floor, piercing through my enemies. Between my super awesome Wingsticks and deadly floor spikes, I breezed through the round. Being the badass that I am, I was offered a bonus round. A slot machine covered the wall of the arena and, shooting the target underneath, locked it into place. Matching all the dollar signs grants bonus money and you can keep going as much as you like until you fail, but the machine progressively gets faster after each win. The fourth wave was the most dangerous. No tricks here, but instead an enormous fucking mutant appeared before me. You remember those Venom Henchmen from Batman: Arkham Asylum? You know, those giant goons that charged at you like crazy men. Yeah, imagine that, but about a thousand times uglier and more vicious. That was my boss fight, and an intense boss fight it was. Shortly after my encounter with this beast, Bethesda kicked me to the curb and my time with RAGE ended.

Ahh, Mutant Bash. You'll enjoy your stay. I promise.

Even though I spent close to three straight hours playing RAGE, I felt like I barely scratched the surface of the game. Hell, I was just starting to acquire a good arsenal. Getting to participate in activities such as the Mutant Blast was fantastic. I probably could have spent more time with the game if I hadn’t gone back for episode two. Yes, it was that fun.

I started out with no intention of ever picking up RAGE. After playing it – Bethesda was lucky they didn’t have to pry the controller from the palms of my sweaty nerdy hands.

If you had any doubts about RAGE before today, I suggest you reconsider your October purchases. If you miss out on this game, you’re only hurting yourself because it’s that damn good. This may seem like “just another FPS” to you, but trust me when I say id Software isn’t fucking around with RAGE. Get hype, you’ll love it!

RAGE will be released on October 4th for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Hands On GoldenEye Reloaded – It Looks Better. It Plays Better. You Want It.

Dave Oshry — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:00:44 +0000

It’s about damn time.

When Goldeneye was announced for the Wii, the gaming world let out a collective, “Oh… ok” and rightly so. Who the hell plays multiplayer shooters on the friggin’ Wii? But alas, the original was such a classic on the N64, the game almost had to come out on a Nintendo console, and we were happy to review it. Luckily, Activison, the kings of multi-platform milkery, have up-rezzed the fuck out of Goldeneye and are bringing it to the Xbox 360 and PS3 this fall.

Last night I got to play the new version of the game and I can safely say, it’s the real deal.

The game looks noticeably better (obviously) with improved textures, lighting and shadows all around. Daniel Craig’s baby blue eyes are finally done some justice.

Luckily, the game also plays better – with tighter, more responsive controls and just enough aim assist to ensure you don’t suck and let the entire world down, James. The build I played was smooth and allowed me to use both my silenced ppk and noisy rifles like AK’s effectively and with ease. The game did feel very CoD-esque, but obviously that’s not a bad thing here. Goldeneye is supposed to feel “arcadey” and “fast” as far as shooters go, as it always has and always should. This isn’t ArmA, it’s Goldeneye, bitches.

Activison also told me that there will be new multiplayer modes, so get ready for even more online action, this time without having to use friggin’ friend codes.

Why they didn’t bring this to HD consoles originally is beyond me. But alas, the time has finally come. The true “next gen” (or whatever you call this gen) Goldeneye experience is finally coming, and it’s coming this fall.

It’s awesome. You want it. The end.

Dark Souls Is Pretty Much The Same Game with Better Graphics and Checkpoints, Sweet? (Hands On)

Chris Carlson — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:00:47 +0000

Is Dark Souls a true indirect sequel, or just a dumbed down version of the 2009 hit RPG, Demon’s Souls?

When From Software released Demon’s Souls on the Playstation 3, it hit gamers in many different ways. It was deep, challenging, and offered a vast amount of satisfaction upon completing just about anything in the game. Dark Souls is no different. It’s almost an exact replica of Demon’s Souls which in some ways is a bad thing, but also a good thing.

So before you ask, yes Dark Souls is hard. Yes, you will die a lot. The first thing you’ll notice about Dark Souls is the character models and environments. While some of the previous environments from Demon’s Souls are still present, they’ve been completely revamped. It has the Demon’s Souls look and feel, but the game is more colorful and vastly more detailed than ever. You’ll see miles of beautiful green forest over the castle walls, moss growing through each brick and it really makes the world of Dark Souls feel more alive and real.

Dark Souls does offer a few new classes to choose from but the core gameplay is still the same. You’ll need to time your attacks, roll and block when necessary and use health items accordingly. While this is great and all, not much has really changed in the demo I played. Every enemy type in the demo was present in Demon’s Souls just with a detailed make over, most of the armor and items looked much of the same, but it was still a blast to play.

One thing that is new to the series is the ability to light Bonfires. These Bonfires will be found throughout the level and essentially act as a checkpoint. Some may see this as “dumbing down” the game, but really it’s not. The game is just as hard as Demon’s Souls, if not harder, but instead of having to re-fight those same 20 enemies to get back were you where, you can save some time and get back to that boss or mini boss, or sub boss, or that random mob who one shot you for no reason. It’s pretty much Demon’s Souls – but now with less backtracking!

Without a doubt, Demon’s Souls was a very frustrating game for most players. While still offering the same amount of intense combat and difficultly, these checkpoints will give gamers more hope along their journey instead of calling it quits due to playing the same section a hundred times. It’s a very welcome addition If I do say so myself.

The demo wasn’t very long in terms of length, but due to timing my attacks and being careful with every step I took, I got a good 30 minutes or so out of the game. Most of that time spent, I felt like I was playing a prettier version of Demon’s Souls, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. There were a few new items to play around with, but for the most part they became worthless as my massive 10 foot sword just obliterated enemies within a few short hits. However, as I made my way through the castle I did encounter a giant fucking dragon. Like the pussy I am, I ran like a little schoolgirl in hopes that I wouldn’t be burnt to a crisp.

If there’s one thing I learned with my time spent on Demon’s Souls, it’s not to fuck with dragons. They’re not nice, and they will completely destroy your ass without hesitation. Near the end of the demo I did end up on a roof with a Bell Tower Gargoyle boss. At first the fight wasn’t too bad -I was timing my attacks about right, only taking a few hits here and there. Then once I got this beast down to half health, his little girlfriend showed up and now I had to fight two fire breathing Gargoyle’s. From there, it was a short fight. I had no health potions left, half life, and there were erupting flames all around me. Within about 1 minute of the second Gargoyle showing up, I came face to face with the infamous “You Died” screen. From there, my demo had come to an end.

Luckily, our editor Dave Oshry was there to steal the controller from me as he proceeded to take down both Gargoyle’s on the first try. He then dropped the controller on the the ground like Chris Rock and walked out of the room… dick.

While I did enjoy my time with Dark Souls, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat disappointed. I felt as if I was playing the same game I did two years ago with better graphics and a few minor alterations. However, with Dark Souls heading to the Xbox 360 this fall, 360 gamers are in for a real surprise. I fear for my fellow Playstation fans -at least from what I saw- you’re in for nothing but a glorious copy and paste experience. Of course if you loved the first game and dying for more, this probably won’t be too much of a hassle for you. I mean, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – just add checkpoints.

Dark Souls will be released on October 14th for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Why I Played The Uncharted 3 Beta For 8 Hours Straight

Aaron Alexander — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:30:27 +0000

I’ve spent all day playing the recently released Beta for Naughty Dog’s upcoming shooter, Uncharted 3. Damn near 8 hours later I’ve come away satisfied, surprised and completely amazed by what’s in stock for Uncharted fans worldwide. Whilst the game feels familiar in terms of mechanics, Naughty Dog have clearly refined and improved the formula that made Uncharted 2 a huge success online.

Right off the bat it’s clear that Uncharted 3 is more customization heavy than it’s predecessor. You can create custom emblems, load-outs, and even create your own Hero or Villain to take into the fray. The options are somewhat limited in the beta, but you get a clear idea of how diverse characters will be in the full experience. A full wardrobe of hats, shirts, pants and gloves are available, all of which can be colored and arranged to your liking, but it’s not only the visual aspect of your character you’ll have access too, load-outs are just as important, if not more.

A wide variety of clothing awaits you

Customizing your load-outs greatly effects the way you’ll do combat in Uncharted 3. Prefer being a sniper? Make sure you spawn with a Dragon Sniper in hand, or perhaps you’d like to enter fray at mid-range with an AK47? Of course you’re not limited to one selection, as there’s 4 different load-outs you can customize to your liking. As you play you’ll earn money to upgrade said weapons, with useful permutations such as bigger clips, improved rate of fire and so on. “Boosters” also make a return from Uncharted 2, but for those who aren’t familiar with the series, think of them as perks from the Call of Duty games. The boosters in the beta give you a slight taste of variation, with effects like decreased sprint recovery time or the ability to see power weapons on the map from range, giving you the edge on the battlefield.

The Beta gives you access to five different multiplayer modes. Team Deathmatch, Free For All, Three Team Deathmatch (You and a friend versus 4 other people), Hardcore (No boosters, or Medal Kickbacks) and Co-Op arena which is essentially survival against AI. Jumping straight into Team Deathmatch, one improvement that Uncharted 3 has above it’s predecessor is the new cinematic feel to the online frag-fests. Before a Team Deathmatch game will start, it’ll show a small in-engine cutscene featuring your character (and the people on your team) having a small briefing before combat, or rushing to cover before the enemy gets the jump on you. It’s very similar to that of Brink’s pre-game cutscenes, and they help flesh out the combat as more then just mindless shooting fun.

Upgrading weapons to fit your playstyle is a nice touch

The two maps featured in the beta are “Chateau”, a vast crumbling mansion in the middle of a lush jungle and “Airstrip”, a 2 part combat scenario consisting of high adrenaline firefights across moving vehicles across a runway, then it’s into an industrial complex for the latter half of the game. Airstip is definitely the standout map, as it brings a new dynamic to combat. You’re not just fighting on solid ground anymore, you have to manage your aim at breakneck speeds. Another point well worth noting is how damn beautiful Uncharted 3 really looks. Being an avid PC fan, I’m rarely blown away by console visuals, but Uncharted is truly breathtaking at first sight. Everything from the realistic shadows being cast over the land, to the lush vibrant foliage of Chateau, the game looks damn near real, and it’s an absolute treat to interact with such an amazing landscape.

The character models also look incredible, but what’s more incredible is annihilating them online. If you’ve played alot of the UC2, you’ll know exactly what to do here. Climb up walls, pull enemies off cliffs, hide behind cover while spraying AK fire, then sprinting over to an enemy corpse and pressing the X button to pull off a groovy dance. The mechanics stay largely the same, which is a good thing, Uncharted 2 was one of the most seamless experiences the PlayStation had to offer. However, the Uncharted 3 Multiplayer does have some original mechanics, which all add to the experience in positive ways.

First off is the new “Kickback” feature, which is a power-up earned in-game by attaining various medals. You’ll get medals for running, taking cover, killing enemies in a row without dying and so fourth, these will all be counted towards a personal tally. Once you’ve filled your quota for the “Kickback”, you’ll be able to use it to your advantage. The Kickback I selected was the ability to spawn a RPG out of nowhere, to do this, I needed to earn 17 medals before I could activate said ability. Of course you’ll be able to pick and choose what Kickback you want to bring into the fray, and some cost less medals then others, but go hard or go home, right?

He probably won't make it

Uncharted 3 also does a brilliant job of making the combat even, right up until the end of the round. I never played a game that ended in a score difference greater then 4, but how does the game itself help keep this balance? Answer: Power Plays. The new “Power Play” system randomly generates objectives or team based perks seemingly when a team falls behind. These random “Power Plays” can include objectives like Assassinating the other team’s VIP for a bonus score, or they can grant team-wide perks, such as the ability to see the entire opposing team through walls, in an attempt to even up the score. These new systems actually help the game-play feel fast, fresh and damn intense right up until the final moments. There’s also some minor UC3 exclusive features thrown into the mix, such as the ability to click in L3 to start sprinting, and purchasing one-off boosters for the next game you get into. It’s hard to get a feel to see if anything’s unbalanced, or overpowered in it’s current state, but hey, that’s what a beta’s for right?

With the Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Beta open to all PlayStation Plus members (which is pretty much everyone, thank you hackers) you have no excuse not to jump right in and see for yourself how Naughty Dog‘s shooter is shaping up. With Battlefield 3 and MW3 on the horizon, it’s easy for people to forget about other great multiplayer experiences. Judging by this beta, Uncharted 3 could possibly be one of the most frantic, fun and downright enjoyable online experiences this generation has to offer. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m about to start a new match.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Left Me Wanting More (Hands On)

Justin Berube — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:00:19 +0000

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was clearly the biggest title shown on the Wii at E3 this year. Nintendo may be moving towards their new console, the Wii U, but they haven’t forgotten about Wii owners just yet.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword demo was broken up into three parts. The first part was the Bird Flying demo. In this demo, players started out controlling Link and had to jump off a piece of land that appeared to be floating in the sky. Once falling downward towards the land below the player was prompted to press the down button on the D-Pad which would call Link’s bird.

Once the bird swooped in, and Link was riding him, the game would begin. The objective of the game would be to catch up to another rider that was holding a golden trophy. Link would have to do this before some other riders caught up to the bird which made it somewhat of a race. I took a while however and I don’t think that the other riders actually can catch up, but I guess this is more about the story line than anything else.

In this part of the game shaking the Wii Remote up and down would cause the bird to gain altitude. Aiming and tilting the Wii Remote controller did controlled the flight path of the bird. Pressing the A button would cause the bird to dash but the bird was limited to three dashes that would slowly return over time, much like using Epona in Ocarina of Time.

After the player was successful in catching up to the bird the first time it would have be completed again. This time, however, some of the other riders that were also trying to get the statue would throw eggs at you. If Link were to be hit by an egg it would freak the bird out and slow the player down. After catching up to the bird with the trophy again the demo ended.

The second demo was of a dungeon. The dungeon required link to use some of the new items, as well as to explore. With my limited time in this dungeon I was able to try out the new item, the Beetle. If Link is to use this item, which resembles a beetle, it will launch off his arm. Once it does players will be given a third person view of the Beetle and control the flying item by aiming with the Wii Remote. The Beetle could then be used to cut spider webs, hit important switches, or to just get to places that would otherwise be impossible for Link to ever reach. Control of the Beetle felt great.

I was also able to try out the Bow, which I still think controls a bit awkwardly for someone that would rather hold a bow the other way, but it still worked. When using the bow players have to hold the Wii Remote up to the screen, like a real bow, and pull back on the Nunchuck Controller (while holding the C button) in order to aim. Once ready to fire players would have to release the C button and the arrow would go flying.

Also in my exploration I came across various enemies including Spiders and a Stalfos. The spiders had a lone weak spot on their stomach and hitting it required the player to make a stabbing motion at the screen with the Wii Remote as they stood up.

The Stalfos was a bit trickier since it was armed with two blades of its own. In order to hit the Stalfos the player would need to swing the Wii remote in such a way that Link’s sword would attack where the Stalfos wasn’t currently blocking at the time. All of this takes some skill and practice, but it was a lot of fun.

The final demo was a boss fight against a new character named Ghirahim. The first part of this boss was somewhat annoying. It was all about sneaking shots in with the sword, but sometimes Ghirahim would just catch Link’s sword with his hands and throw link off him. After awhile though Ghirahim would pull out his sword and the second phase would begin.

During the second phase the trick was to hit Ghirahim where he wasn’t blocking with his sword. This was tricky, but like the Stalfos, felt rewarding when done successfully. Ghirahim would also at times summon some arrows that he would launch at Link. I actually ended up defeating Ghirahim by reflecting these arrows back at him by performing a shield bash with Link’s shield by thrusting the Nunchuck Controller forward.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword offered just a brief glimpse of what players can expect from the final product but it left me wanting more. This Zelda title is going to be the most interactive in the history of the series thanks to the Wii Motion Plus. Wii owners better prepare for an epic game when The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword launches later in 2011.

Want to stay up to date on the latest Nintendo news, information, editorials, and more? Follow me on Twitter @KingNintendoFan or Like Me on Facebook. Be sure to let me know what you think about my Zelda: Skyward Sword impressions!

Kirby Wii May Be The Game Kirby Fans Have Been Waiting For

Justin Berube — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:00:56 +0000

Kirby is back in yet another Wii title. Kirby Wii is a more traditional Kirby game over the Wii title the pink puffball appeared in last year, Kirby’s Epic Yarn. In fact, Kirby Wii may be the Kirby game that fans have been waiting for that was seen briefly, in the form of a trailer, on the GameCube but never saw a release.

As mentioned earlier Kirby Wii plays just like a traditional Kirby title. Kirby moves around in the side scrolling platformer levels and has the ability to suck up enemies and to take their powers.

New to this Kirby game are Super Abilities. Upon sucking up special enemies, Kirby will gain Super Powers that can be used a set amount of times, as displayed by the on screen meter. One of these abilities, known as the Super Sword, allowed Kirby to swing a giant blade close to the size of the screen that would destroy enemies and break just about anything.

One other Super Ability that I saw let Kirby shoot out a horizontal stream of fire across the screen. This stream had the ability to destroy enemies and to cut trees, some of which were in Kirby’s way, in half!

Stages in Kirby Wii also had hidden areas that needed to be completed quickly since the deadly left side of the screen would slowly inch its way to the right. I think, but I’m not completely sure, that one of the stages that I played also featured an alternative route thanks to one of these hidden areas and would ultimately lead to a different boss fight at the end of the level.

Each stage in Kirby Wii has items to collect as well. This insures that the final game will have some replayability.

The greatest addition to Kirby Wii is the multiplayer which I thought was very fun. At any time during normal gameplay up to three friends can join the Kirby player in the action as one of three characters, King Dedede, Meta Knight, and Waddle Dee. Each of these characters has their own unique moves and abilities, though none can use any copy abilities like Kirby.

King Dedede used his famous hammer to dish out some slow but powerful moves. I think playing as King Dedede was the most fun out of all the new characters.

Meta Knight would use his famous Galaxia sword to dish out damage. Meta Knight played a lot like he does in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. I even found out how to perform his Shuttle Loop technique by holding down, then mashing up and attack at the same time!

Waddle Dee was also cool. He carried around a spear and I found him to be, perhaps, the most useful character of all, not counting Kirby of course. Running and then attacking with Waddle Dee caused him to throw three spears at once, all at different distances, in front of him.

Each character was awesome to try out and working with friends will clearly be a blast. I hope that the final game offers more characters to choose from as well.

The downside to multiplayer is that Kirby is still the star of the game. If anyone but Kirby dies it just takes one life away from the community set of lives and the game continues. However if Kirby dies everyone must start over again at the last checkpoint in the level.

One other minor complaint in the multiplayer is that there is a way for non Kirby players to cheat a bit. If a non Kirby player notices they are running low on health it’s possible for them to drop playing the game and the to join back in and have a full health bar. I hope this is an issue that is addressed in the final product because it seems like a cheap tactic.

Overall Kirby Wii looks as though it will be a fun, although easy, Wii title. It will no doubt be a great game to play with friends that aren’t that into gaming or just with some friends that lack a hardcore gaming skill. I can’t wait to get a group of friends together to play the final product, which is scheduled to hit store shelves later this year.

I Played Rhythm Heaven So Much at E3 that Nintendo Got Sick Of Me

Justin Berube — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:00:48 +0000

When I heard that Nintendo was making a Rhythm Heaven game for the Wii I was ecstatic but I feared that it might not get localized. Luckily, Nintendo announced that they were going to bring Rhythm Heaven to North America at E3 2011 and I was lucky enough to give the game a shot.

Nintendo of America did however release a Rhythm Heaven game for the Nintendo DS in 2009. Once I started playing that game I was hooked and it looks like my addiction is going to happen all over again with Rhythm Heaven for the Wii.

Rhythm Heaven is a quirky game that is really all about Rhythm. The game is broken up into different stages that all have a theme, such as hitting peas that fly by with a fork, chopping ghosts with a sword, or hitting a badminton shuttlecock back and forth.

At the beginning of each stage there is a brief tutorial that allows the player to get used to the different types of rhythms that will be in the stage, usually two or three different types exist. This tutorial is also used to teach the player about the control scheme which stays very basic with most of the games just requiring the player to press the A button and nothing more. However you’d be foolish to let this simplicity fool you.

After the tutorial the stage will begin and the music will play. The activity the stage is based on will play out and when it comes time to complete your task the player is required to hit A (or in some cases A and B) at the correct time to complete their task. Doing so will make a sound effect that adds to the overall music that is playing and is very satisfying.

Even though the control scheme is simple, mistakes will often happen without practice and will leave you with a general feeling that you could have done better. This feeling is what really draws me to go back and it’s very addictive and fun.

At the end of each stage the game will rank you on your performance. After several attempts I was able to get a perfect score on the Fork stage at E3 and was very satisfied by my performance.

I found myself coming back to this game many times at the event and I think the people demonstrating the game in Nintendo’s booth were getting sick of me, but my Rhythm Heaven addiction had kicked in and nothing was going to stop me.

I think that Rhythm Heaven will be a sleeper hit for those unfamiliar with the title and I am calling it a MUST OWN Wii title. This game concept is simple but the cool music and addictive nature of the game will keep calling you back to do better. Rhythm Heaven can’t hit store shelves soon enough!

Resident Evil: Revelations 3DS Looks and Plays Like a Console Title (Hands On)

Justin Berube — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 21:00:12 +0000

Resident Evil: Revelations is a great looking 3DS title for those looking for a game with some more realistic visuals. I am also happy to report that Resident Evil: Revelations looks, feels, and plays like a standard Resident Evil title!

I only had a short time with the Resident Evil: Revelations demo but I was able to explore a mansion. Upon my exploration I came across a screwdriver that I also needed to use to escape a room. Upon using the screwdriver in the right spot I was treated to a touch screen puzzle that I needed to complete before my escape.

Resident Evil: Revelations also features herbs and other items that fans of the series have grown familiar with. This is a true Resident Evil title complete with cheap scares and more.

One downside to this demo was that I only encountered one enemy type through my entire time with the game. This enemy took several shots and, in typical survival horror fashion, I found myself out of ammo before too long.

Most of the game takes place with an over the shoulder view. While aiming, however, the view shifts to a first person perspective, which is something I don’t recall seeing in other Resident Evil games. Fans shouldn’t let this bother them though because it was hardly noticeable and just gave a clearer view of the action on the 3DS screen.

Overall I think Resident Evil: Revelations is the Resident Evil core title that most people are waiting for on the 3DS. The game looks great and I’m sure the final version will have more enemies than I encountered in this demo. Resident Evil: Revelations is definitely one title that 3DS owners should keep an eye on.

E3 2011: ArmA III – All Other Military Simulators Need Not Apply

Bryce Wilson — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:19:53 +0000

Although it was only announced in the past few months, ArmA III is definitely at the top of my most wanted list when it comes to upcoming PC games.

Featuring a new and improved visual engine, a number of new gameplay options and a new emphasis on sandbox style campaign action, Bohemia Interactive is aiming (and succeeding) to make ArmA III the best game in the series, if not the best military sim the world has ever seen.

My closed doors E3 preview started off with direct feed gameplay of a special forces soldier skydiving in from a plane onto a mediterreanean island. As he fell through the sky I could immediately see the improved attention to detail and the incredible new physics engine at play. Clothes whipped and bags shook violently as the soldier fell closer towards terra firma.

The next bit of footage I was able to see was some brief combat gameplay which looks a lot more refined and intuitive. The interface has also been completely overhauled although the model I saw was still a placeholder. An issue I raised was how awkward indoor combat felt and I was happy to be informed that Bohemia Interactive is working to make interior combat feel a lot smoother and feasible.

Next up I was shown some of the impressive new PhysX integration that ArmA III will be showcasing, and it looks great. Vehicles realistically collide with each other and the tech demo I saw was using shipping crates and displayed how vehicles of various sizes interacted with the different sized steel containers.

Before the gameplay footage section of the preview finished up I got to see some of the new diving gameplay and wow… is it ever mind-blowing. The new detail that Bohemia is using affords some of the best underwater gameplay I’ve ever seen. Schools of fish realistically mold around your body and swim through air bubbles as they rise from oxygen systems. The gameplay looks great, and with the new campaign driven experience I can tell we will see some epic moments.

Something Bohemia also confirmed was that with the new sandbox gameplay experience, you would be able to approach missions in different ways, the diving was a prime example of that. Players have access to information about wrecks or abandoned settlements that might contain intel, weapons or supplies, and it’s up to the player whether they want to try and use them to their advantage or not.

Although it’s almost a known fact, I was also sure to ask if ArmA III would in fact be exclusive to PC and I was relieved when they confirmed that it would not be coming to consoles.

ArmA III is shaping up to be the best game in the series, and from a hardcore ArmA fans point of view, Bohemia Interactive is taking ArmA III to a whole other level that is going to blow peoples minds when it launches in 2012.

You want to see what I saw? Very well, get some!