Hey, my ugly mug is back and ready to tell you about why Dragon Age: Origins is looking better than ever. All the videos are (almost) under two minutes and I brought a basket full of screenshots this time! Yowza!

The Approval system is the evolution of the Good or Bad character alignment system that you see in most modern, western RPG’s including Fable 2, Fallout 3 and Mass Effect.

Read the interview with the founders of BioWare here.

The secret spell combos that show up in the game are kind of like mini in game achievements…

Screens!

Although I was only able to play the XBox 360 version of Left 4 Dead at the Eurogamer Expo, I have been playing the pre-release demo for the PC in the comfort of my own home, to my delight. The perspective I’ll be giving on the game is from a PC standpoint; to me, playing a Valve game on a console is like eating Ben and Jerry’s with a rusty nail- it still tastes nice, but the sheer pain (of using a controller) ruins the experience. Before you begin to shout at me, make sure you read the preview after the jump. Here’s a spoiler: it’s unbelievably good.

I’ll begin with the 360 version which I played at the Expo. If I put aside the obvious control faults, I can find nothing wrong with this game. I began with a standard shotgun, walked out into a hallway, and was immediately met by three screaming zombies running at incredible speed towards me. My shotgun tore through them, creating one of the best sensations a videogame weapon can create: satisfaction. It feels exactly like a shotgun should feel, and the zombies tear apart with the exact amout of force that a shotgun should provide. It was fantastic. I continued up on to the roof of the building I was in, and found that the four of us were going to have to radio for a helicopter to pick us up- but doing so would set off an alarm, causing a huge horde of zombies. When it happened, there were at least 100 of the buggers, who all seemed to think it was only my brains that were on the menu. Needless to say we didn’t make it, but my, was it an experience. Even on the 360, from the short amount I played, I can tell that this game is phenomenal.

Left 4 Dead on the PC is, going by the demo, probably going to be my favourite game of all time. It might seem a little presumptuous to base this on a demo, but if you’ve played it you’ll understand. The demo features 2 sections of one level, and I have played it through at least thirty or forty times, and never had the same experience twice. The game’s AI director places zombies based on how well you’re doing- if you’re doing well, without losing much health or ammo, the director will spawn a huge horde for you to fight off, or more boss infected.

Boss infected are special types of zombie that have abilities other than the simple melee attack. The Boomer can vomit on you, attracting all nearby zombies to attack you, or blow himself up in an attempt to kill you. The Hunter can jump around at incredible speed and pounce on you, knocking you down and causing a lot of damage. The Smoker uses his huge tongue to entangle you and drag you towards him or even into a pack of zombies. When killed (or on command) he releases a huge puff of smoke, which is impossible to see through. There is also the Tank, a huge hulk of a zombie that takes concentrated fire from all four of you for at least a minute to take down- if you see a Tank, the next thing you know, you’re going to be dead or dying. Finally, there’s the Witch. She does nothing if you leave her alone, but if you startle her by being to loud or shining your light in her face, she’ll drop you to the floor in one hit and proceed to kill you very, very quickly, unless your comrades can save you. You’re not going to want to startle the Witch.

Because of the AI director, you never know when or where it is going to spawn- I’ve experienced points of the game where there are no zombies one round, and the next there are hundreds standing there. It makes for an everlasting game, as other than knowing the direction you’re heading, you’re completely in the dark (metaphorically and literally) as to what will happen next. As with the 360 version, the guns are a pleasure to use, and zombies die perfectly. Later in the level when the more powerful weapons are revealed, they become even more fun, if that were possible. The auto-shotgun in particular is fantastic for crowd-clearing, shooting bursts of shotgun shells as fast as you want. I’ve never played a game where the shotgun is more satisfying.

The survival instinct is another testament to the game’s greatness; on harder difficulty levels, you’ll rarely have above half your health, and ammo runs short after so many zombie attacks. By the time you reach the safe room, your character is hobbling and spluttering, making for an incredibly cinematic finish- closing the final door just as the zombies start to swarm around it is a better adrenaline rush than any horror film, I can tell you. Oh, and if I haven’t mentioned it before, there are a lot of zombies. With the right circumstances, and a bit of developer console wizardry, it’s possible to spawn around 1,000 zombies on screen without a hint of lag, as seen above.

To finish, I can only say one thing. This game is looking like it could be the best game I’ve ever played. There is almost nothing I can find to fault it- and I’m usually more critical than most. I can’t stress this enough: if you’re not looking forward to this game already, you should be. Look forward to our review in the coming weeks.

It might come as a surprise that Resident Evil 5 was playable at the Eurogamer Expo, as it certainly was for me when I saw it. There were only 3 screens playing it, one 360 and two PS3 (I played the PS3 version)- not much when you consider how anticipated the game is. Since the game is expected to be released in March of 2009, it was certainly a pleasant surprise to be able to play the game months before the release date. Hit the jump for my thoughts.

Fans of Resident Evil 4 have no doubt been anxiously awaiting the fifth installment of the series, and I can safely say Resident Evil 5 is shaping up to be at least as great as Resi 4. The first thing one notices is the visual difference between the two games. The level I played was set in a dusty junkyard, and while there were plenty of infected villagers, the bright sun and light coloured floor meant that the dark, creepy atmosphere from Resident Evil 4 is changed. The absolute contrast might seem like a mistake, but the brightness adds a certain eeriness to the location, and the wavering heat is portrayed brilliantly. I actually felt like the sun was beating down on my back as I played, and that just made me more tense as the waves of infected started rolling in.

The controls have barely changed from Resident Evil 4, although the ‘run’ and ’shoot’ buttons have been reversed, which took some getting used to. Of course, the controls were fantastic in Resident Evil 4, so no complaints in this department. The guns feel pretty similar too, especially the shotgun, with it’s satisfying knockback effect. One thing I did find happening was losing ammo. I ran out of shotgun shells pretty quickly, and once my handgun ammo had gone, I had to rely almost completely on the knife (it’s bigger than Leon’s, more of a machete actually) and Chris’ combat moves- kicking the enemies as they are stunned- which really adds to the feeling of desperation.

Another notable difference is that in Resi 5 you switch weapons in real-time, instead of the game pausing to let you sort out your inventory. It’s a nice touch for immersion, adding to the manic feel, but again, it takes some getting used to. The (useful) companion that follows you is another brand new feature; contrary to what you might think, she’s pretty useful. She helps out with the horde of infected, but best of all, she gives you ammo and health. I felt compelled to save her (unlike Ashley in Resi 4), because she would thank me with precious ammo, and she might carry on shooting the huge infected in an executioner’s outfit (complete with oversized axe) shuffling towards me.

Resident Evil 5 seems to be the logical progression of Resident Evil 4. Nothing drastically new, but why fix what isn’t broken? I’m confident that this game will be worth the wait until March (and I’m thankful it’s not coming out soon, actually- I’ve bought 5 new games in the last two weeks). Oh, and if I haven’t convinced you yet, just take a look at who’s back: