E3 Finished!

Well that’s all folks, E3 is finished and has left us again for another year! This years E3 was actually pretty impressive, amidst rumors that E3 was dying this year seems to have been its resurrection. It announced a whole host of interesting games and unveiled some pretty impressive tech *cough* Natal *cough*

 

This years E3 showed new trailers, exclusive game footage, impressive looking demos and tons of new features we can all look forward to. Although many of the games announced had already been unveiled in advance E3 gave everyone a chance to see footage and a little more about the stories or features of the games. Like Mag the PS3 game that’s able to play 250 people in one game.

This little E3 wrap up message is just to let you, my sweet Xbox followers, get up to date and see the exciting releases.

 

This game has been talked about for AGES now and everyone is starting to feel the hype build, which is kind of a shame considering that it’s not due for release until November 09. Anyway E3 helped to show off some of the game footage as well as a cool game trailer found below and it all looks pretty impressive.

 

This is the magic!

The game’s story differs from the previous in that our new hero,  Enzio, doesn’t begin as an Assassin like Altair he chooses to become one in order to gain vengeance. Admittedly the story sounds a little clichéd but hey you play an assassin who cares? The game takes part in 1486 Italy, so since you’ll be spending some time in Venice they have added a swim feature to the game something its predecessor missed. Along your path of assassinations you make friends to help you on your quest, one of whom being Leonardo Da Vinci. His famous flying machine even features a part in one of the missions!

There are a collection of cool new things that help make this more challenging and realistic than the first this being that you can be discovered in a hiding spot, although you can also attack and stash enemies there too. Another nifty feature is that because you didn’t start your life as an assassin you have unarmed experience and can disarm your enemy using their own weapons against them.

There hasn’t been much talk about how the missions are structured but I’m sure Ubisoft have learned from their mistakes in the past and have decided to change the levels as you go through them. After all variety is the spice of life.

Another game set to tingle your excitement and get the tongues wagging is Alan Wake. Media for it has been slowly teasing itself free and E3 delivered a nice fix for all those desperately seeking a Wake hit. This included new screenshots a trailer and a short demo to play the responses to this have been positive.

The game is a psychological thriller that’s set to confuse you and make you scared to take the next step but at the same time desperate to do it. The story is about our guy here, Alan Wake, a bestselling author who hasn’t been able to write for two years. When his Wife decides to take him to an idyllic town to try and get his creative juices flowing again things take a horrible turn. Shortly after they arrive Alan’s wife disappears without a trace, in his search Alan finds a thriller story he wrote but has no memory of. As he reads the story he realizes every word is coming true and he’s trapped.

View Full Album

Check out the trailer too!

As predicted E3 also brought the news that Crackdown 2 was on the way, now I’m not going to lie to you guys. I haven’t checked up on a lot of this but I did hear rumors the second game involved zombies? I’ll get back to you guys with more info as soon as I get it.

The last day of E3 also brought some new info on Bioshock 2 this was also followed by 3 extra screenshots. The news released some info on single player features letting everyone know what to expect from Bioshock 2 well, features wise anyway no story was set in stone as such. All they said was you return to Rapture 10 years after the original game, new abilities, dual wielding possibilities for both weapons and plasmids. You’ll also be playing big daddy in the second game and as you progress there are more ways to reveal the story than in the original. The multiplayer game will show off rapture before it was torn asunder by it’s crazed citizens.

The games will allow people to play in the civil war that destroyed Rapture and features completely reworked maps ready for multi player needs. All in all the game sounds pretty impressive and appears to have reworked some things to give it a more immersive game experience. At the same time they’re keeping the things that worked to avoid moving to far from what made the game great in the first place.  Check out the new screen shots.

Quick news!

Army of Two: 40th day had been announced a while back. An unexpected, and to some an unwanted, sequel to the original game. The good folks down at E.A were kind enough to write out an info sheet for the game talking about some of the things to expect and here’s what it said

“Army of Two: The 40th Day features a bigger playbook of new co-op moves that either player can use at any time, opening up new strategies and countless choices for both players. The result is a bigger, better, more organic and immersive co-op experience that lets gamers put their best two-man tactics to use whenever and wherever they want.”

A pretty impressive promise from E.A. and something they’re backing up with an impressive, in game footage, trailer of the game.

 

Sad news was announced by Eidos interactive as they confirmed the rumors that Batman Arkham Asylum has been delayed. Although they never announced a definite date of release they had said the game was slated for release in the summer of 2009. Eidos have now announced however that the game isn’t set for release until the end of summer 09. Thanks again to xboxmattyb89 for tipping me off about this unfortunate piece of news.

The people involved in the games production said this time was going to be used to best improve the game so that it’s “at the highest quality for gamers.” As one of the fan boys anxious to get my hands on this game I sure hope this is true and they’re not stalling because the games looking sketchy.

 

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is one of the most anticipated games to be announced, after the roaring success of the first game, selling over 12 million copies to date and winning multiple awards, this is one title everyone is happy to have announced. Infinity ward were even so kind as to announce a solid release date which I’m sure you all noticed at the top of this news bit.

I haven’t gotten concrete info on this baby yet and considering how far the release is I think any information at this time would be susceptible to change anyway, so I’ll wait until I get the correct details. Until then indulge yourselves with this interesting all be it uninformative teaser that’s driving gamers everywhere crazy.

One of the best looking games to be announced by Ubisoft, think I am legend but with no monsters and that’s what you have here. Unfortunately little else has been said about the game after the initial release information and interest. All Ubisoft have mentioned is that the game is a post apocalyptic game featuring a hero called Adam. The other aspects of the game such as story line, game play and features haven’t been confirmed, Ubisoft appear to be keeping their hand close to their chest on this one. The website is live but it doesn’t offer any more information other than a graphic wallpaper and trailer. The game was announced at last years E3 but nothing more has been said about it and with this years E3 quickly coming in it makes one wonder exactly what Ubisoft is doing about this game.

The trailer itself does open up some questions and gives an idea into what the game is about. The trailer starts by our hero, Adam, attempting to escape pursuers just to protect a bottle of water. amazingly enough the trailer shows the world in a wreckage and says it all appears to have happened in just 6 DAYS! That alone should wet your appetites at least your curiosity, find out for yourself check out the trailer below it’s looking good.

 

Christmas is going to be a merry one this year, as well as multiple other games being announced around this time the new splinter cell is announced. The fifth installment of the franchise seems to tie in close with the rest of the games.

This game sees you running from the government you once served in an attempt to get to the truth of who wants you dead. In order to survive you’ll need the usual stealth practices of the other games and the ability to build an underground base of allies.

These allies will help you get your hands on the cool gadgets everyone has come to love about the splinter cell games. As well as stealthy sneaking around the game includes what at first glances appears to be a pretty cool hand to hand combat system. 

 

Batman Arkham Asylum!

Batman a world famous superhero synonymous with fear, power and rich people with too much time on their hands. The legendary vigilante isn’t a stereotypical hero and that’s probably why people love him so much. Bound by only one rule he watches over the troubled city of Gotham lurking in the shadows and protecting the citizens who are unable to fend for themselves.

Surprisingly enough however this is one DC legend who has had his reputation and image almost destroyed in past years. Due to poor game releases and even poorer attempts at movies, times have changed however. The past two movie releases became more than just box office hits they became movie legends with some even saying the dark knight helped save the movie industry.

The Batman game, soon to be released, ties in with the last movie following on straight from the jokers capture. The game has had more than enough effort put in to make it a success. It was written by Paul Dini, the Emmy award winning Batman writer, and voiced by Mark Hamill the voice of joker in the animated T.V series. Having the right team behind the game is often more than enough but Eidos and WB continued there strive for glory by ensuring the design was close to the dark themes of the comics.

 

I’d say they’ve managed to stay close to the dark themes of the comics wouldn’t you?

The storyline looks set to be something to remember as well, after Batman takes the joker to Arkham in order to keep him locked up out of the way of Gotham’s citizens. However keeping within the Jokers truly maniacal, but amazingly well organized, personality he reveals the whole thing as a trap. Soon after the Joker is brought to the Asylum he breaks free and starts his sadistic game of cat and mouse with Batman holding the city at ransom. This is where the fun begins, the asylum is notorious for it’s architecture and massive scale meaning you’ll have a lot of interesting ground to cover, imagine a less colorful Rapture. As well as all that the joker has managed to sneak in a collection of henchmen and weaponry for the escapee’s.

To regain order in this chaos Batman has to face off against some of the ugliest henchmen you’ll ever see , seriously it’s no wonder you knock these guys around. You’ll also have to develop some of the finer skills of Batman, you didn’t think this was really just another punch em up game did you? As you make your way through the game you have to keep hidden and in the shadows, striking out at opponents without them realizing what’s hit them. You need to remind them why they should be afraid. 

Arkham is famous for holding a multitude of Batman’s rivals some of whom are scheduled to make an appearance in the game. Some of these unusual guests, on first glance, promise to deliver an interesting fight that will no doubt require players to stay on their toes.

The game also features tons of unlock able gadgets, and I think combos, meaning the more you play the more you get from the game. The gadgets in the game are some of the classics such as the grappling gun, bat vision and of course the baterangs. You’ll have no limit to how you’re capable of talking on the foes in this game. The game also features a detective, stealth predator and combat mode helping to fuel the excitement for this title. These features mean players can go from a large brawl with multiple enemies to silently stalking one, before making your move.

The detective mode is also an interesting feature to help you throughout the game, once in this mode players can survey there surroundings and pick up on the small details around. This isn’t just a feature for helping to notice the small cracks on the wall or interesting tattoos your victims have. It can be used to strategize as the detective mode shows the opponents moods, possible attacks around the room and points of interest such as a light switch or gas canister.

The combat features of the game are capable of so much it’s sure to keep you entertained just finding new ways to tackle and finish off bad guys. From button mashing the basic attack button to making strings of combos and attacking multiple targets it’s an exciting thought to have so many bad guys to practice on. As well as this there are unlock able side missions you can play in the game called challenge rooms. These rooms focus on specific points such as stealth or combat and give you goals to achieve in each room, helping you either practice or show off. Your scores can be submitted to the world leader boards and you can see just how you measure up against other batmen in the world.

The game is set for release in summer but has already caused controversy for some gamers by announcing that PS3 players will be able to play as the joker in some side missions. There hasn’t been any word on whether or not Xbox players will also have this feature but for now it doesn’t look like it. As the release date draws near the website has gone live and a large selection of screenshots have become exposed all over the internet. It was tempting to try and post them all on here but I managed to restrain myself to those few, if you want to see more check out the site. It features extra a developers blog ad the latest news so if you’re as excited about this game as I am keep your eyes peeled on the site. Or just wait for me to blog, either way the game looks golden and the trailer is a perfect example of what to look forward to.

Ghostbusters New Trailer

 

The once orphaned game Ghostbusters, recently saved by Atari, is set for release in June 19th. In the lead up to the games release Atari have released another game play trailer of the game, already looking to be a blockbuster hit.

The latest trailer footage shows new weapons and the sort of monsters you can expect to face in the game. It also shows how these weapons can expect to be used against the undead creatures that terrify most normal citizens.

The trailer is preceded by a small introduction from one of the cast as well as a brief description of what the game is about for those of you who don’t know. Everything looks set to be worthy of gaming gold and with the game featuring original cast members and interesting new weapon choices it should be something to keep any hardcore gamer interested.

As an extra treat I managed to get the opening scene of the game to wet your appetites a little more. It’s just like watching the movies themselves and as soon as you hear that classic song you’ll wish the game was in your hands already.

Dead Rising Vegas!

Some said it wouldn’t happen and some hoped that it wouldn’t but whatever your opinion it has happened. The sequel to the original hit game has been announced, with a glimpse of what to expect in the new version of this zombie killing fun time game. Apparently un-phased by last years lawsuit from the creators of “dawn of the dead” on copyright claims, Capcom have bounced back with a new zombie killer game. 

Little has actually been said about the new game in regards to storyline and other features although rumors have been circulating that the sequel will feature the classic 72 hour mode like the original. The sequel features a new selection of inventive weapons, locations and even a new hero. The trailer released focused on the creative new things you can use to kill the undead pursuers and revealed the glitzy new location of Las Vegas, well it’s a Vegas look a like. The new location is called fortune city but the scenery speaks for itself this location is based off Vegas. That’s right folks DR2 is in Vegas which means your total death count is probably going to be insanely high!

View Full Album

With little else being released about the game other than a selection of screenshots, all found within the actual trailer itself, all one can do is watch the trailer and think of all the different ways to use these weapons. If you liked the first one then the sequel looks set to get your heart pumping, check out the trailer and jump around with excitement you know you want to.

Updates and quick news

First thing in my quick news update is the announcement from Rockstar that not only will there be a Max Payne 3 but that it is to be released this year! The game has been announced with a short description of the story and although it follows the same lines as the other Max Payne games,regarding bloody violence and firefights, you’re no longer with the police. Max has left the force and even New York but still “searches for truth” in the third installment. My guess is when the action happens and the bullets start flying you’ll have to deal with cops trying to take you in as well as gun totting bad men. 

 

Next on the news list is the eagerly anticipated game Ghostbusters, a short while ago I mentioned how the game was set for release after some turbulent times. This update is just to say the game is definitely on it’s way! Atari recently released some game play footage and this game looks like a real hard hitter. The graphics are immersive and the action looks set to keep players on their toes throughout each level. As well as letting us see the amazing finished package of the game it also shows some extra things about the game some may not have known before. It explains the HUD and how your proton backpack works, just saying that gets me excited. The HUD is much like the dead space HUD combined with that of most shooters. The pack has a health gauge and a heat meter, if you’re pack over heats you need to wait for it to cool before you can reload and use it again. So keep an eye on your power and heat meters folks reloading and cooling in a jam is a sure way to make your ass the next ghost in the game. For those interested in seeing the trailer and finding out more about the game play and what the game looks like here’s the link.

 

That’s right kids Bioshock that amazing fps with a little twist of horror is coming back, because to be frank you just weren’t scared enough the first time. Now the success of many games is measured in a lot of different ways but no matter how you view it to make a movie out of a game is a sure sign it’s a winner and that’s what happened to Bioshock. The sequel Bioshock 2 set for release soon and is already picking up hype and excitement, which is no mystery really considering they have announced big sister.

Yeah I said it big sister, you had little sister in the original well in Bioshock 2 she’s all grown up and has very much decided to follow her big daddy’s footsteps.  Look at it, terrifying and as I’m sure many of you have noticed smaller than big daddy, my guess is sister’s going to be fast, and when something looks that nasty you really don’t want it to be able to chase you.

As exciting as all this is however the Bioshock franchise has hit one snag in it’s rise that snag being a halt for the movie. The reason for this being the budget, it’s going to cost way too much money to make the movie and so currently the director Gore Verbinski, pirates of the Caribbean director, has said they are trying to figure out a way to make the movie more budget friendly. Gore also promised the movie wouldn’t follow the fate of the halo adaptation but time will tell.

 

That’s right this is no joke oddly enough the two major games Rockband and Lego are for some odd reason joining up? I’m not sure how that happened though I expect it’s some kind of drunken mistake. Odder still is the fact it sounds pretty good, Lego haven’t said much but what they have announced sounds pretty good. Lego have said that much like the game Rockband players will be able to create their own rockers, although this time you’ll also be able to make rockers, managers, sound guys, etc and change them whenever you like. Keeping within the fun of other Lego games and their ability to not get serious about gaming, they have also announced that players will have to collect bricks from each gig to create vehicles before they can travel to the next. As if that’s not enough they also say “Play killer riffs to destroy a giant robot, summon a storm, and demolish a skyscraper using the power of rock!”Now I’m not entirely sure how this works or what it means but it’s the one line that makes me want to play this game.

 

Finally Bethesda have shown they are capable of listening to their fans! Now if you haven’t played fallout 3 but you plan too not only are you really late but you’re also reading something you don’t want to. Seriously look away now if you don’t want any spoilers, for those of us who have played let me fill you in. Fallout has released some good add ons for the game in their DLC like the pitt and operation anchorage. However when you get to the end of the game you’re actually at the end no more playing for you, so you better make sure you get your quests and bobble heads collected right? wrong. With fallouts new DLC broken steel your game doesn’t end, this is the spoiler kids, you can choose to send someone in to the room instead of you and keep playing. You’ll be a bastard but you’ll be alive, or you can go in yourself even if you do this you don’t die! You wake up in a hospital a few weeks later and you can do what you like. so you can continue to explore to your hearts content, look for bobble heads, kill ghouls, trade whatever and you don’t have to worry about radiated water any more so break out those swimming trunks.

Of course the add on also comes with it’s own quests and tasks as well as added achievements for all you who love to improve that gamer score. The quests involve things such as dealing with what’s left with the enclave and other troublesome fools, oh and your level cap has been moved up to 30 so there’s more reason to get out there. The last DLC was announced around the same time as the announcement for fallouts new game fallout New Vegas. Nothing much has been said about this game other than it still has rpg roots and is being looked after by the people of obsidian, the team who worked on the original fallout games. More news is expected to be released at E3 but we might get lucky and find out something before. All in all fallout fever is back to a high and people are desperate to get their hands on the newest DLC and with scenes like this it’s easy to see why.

 

Red Faction: guerilla

Red Faction is a well known series that has gone from strength to strength with each release. The original red faction was a fun all be it mediocre game, the second however increased on this and red faction became a much stronger franchise because of it. Giving improved game play, graphics and missions as well as an alternate ending depending on how you played the game. It listened to it’s players and delivered what they loved and what they wanted to see proving red faction was a worthwhile label worthy of greatness.

The next installment of the red faction franchise seems set to do the same. Guerilla, unlike the others before, involves a different style of warfare. The hint is in the name people that’s right it’s guerilla tactics. This isn’t the only thing that separates this game from the others in the franchise but before we get into the destruction and mayhem of the game, we’ll enjoy some details about the game itself.

Red faction: Guerilla is set 50 years after the original game the EDF, Earth Defence Force, has swooped in to help Mars. However as they were seen to be the shinning light of good at the end of the first game they are now the enemy in this game. This is because rather than flying in to save Mars from there captors Ultor, they instead took control and continued the work and slavery. So instead of the miners being exploited by a fat cat business they are being exploited for “the good of Earth.”

 

After the EDF seized control they split mars into 6 sectors 4 of these are colonies and the remaining 2 are military zones or “badlands” meaning these two sectors will be the most difficult and require the best weapons and skill you have. The point of the game is to remove the control of the EDF and this is where things get interesting. This means depending on which sector you choose to play and what action you choose you could be freeing a small town from military control, or ambushing a military outpost to weaken control and gain supplies. Another interesting point to make about this game is that just like guerilla warfare each attack against your enemy does actually give you supplies. As you kill enemies and destroy buildings you can steal ammo, weapons or scraps to buy, build or upgrade your weapons. It really is a case of guerilla by name guerilla by nature, well game play at least.

 

The game play of this red faction is set to be non stop action that involves explosions and gunfire requiring quick thinking and fast reflexes. Red faction has always promoted the ability to destroy the environment in their games however this game takes it one step further than before. It use to be a case of if you were stuck at a door you could blow a way through the wall, or destroy your enemies cover and riddle them with bullets. Red Faction took that further in Guerilla by giving you the ability to destroy entire buildings and installations. They even went so far as to make this destruction and mayhem count towards your morale, almost making it a crime to leave EDF property in tact.

Although many might see this as a gimmick to make the lovers of violence quiver with excitement it actually serves a greater function. For example if you’re having trouble with snipers in a tower, set a charge at the base and watch it fall to the ground. Guerilla is also chock full of choice and selections with regards to missions and weaponry. To complete the game you need to remove EDF control but it’s you that decides how to do this, you can complete missions, guerilla actions or even just destroy all EDF buildings and troops in mars. This means you play the game the way you want to and you choose how the rebellion unfolds.

If destruction is your thing then the possibilities are endless in this game as it features not just a wide selection of weapons and mining tools to wreak havoc it also features a selection of vehicles from small transport cars to large walkers. Not to mention a series of upgrades for the weapons you do have, guerilla knows what they’re doing when it comes down to causing chaos and mayhem. However it is not just a game that is based around destruction time was taken in the storyline and character development.

In fact as hard as it is to believe when you are running around smashing skulls with a sledgehammer or destroying tanks in a walker you’re character, Alec, is actually a reluctant hero doing what he has to because nobody else will. If you download the demo from Xbox Marketplace you can even see the beginning movie itself appears to be that of a movie trailer. Or you can just check out a trailer below not so cinematic as the other but a perfect example of the action packed game play you can expect from the game.

All in all this is one game that offers excellent, although exaggerated, action game play that will get anyone’s heart pumping as they find new and more catastrophic ways to blow things up. The storyline appears to be solid and if the missions and guerilla warfare live up to the taster in the demo and the promises of Volition this is one explosive game to definitely get in your collection. Eagerly awaiting it’s release in June this is one gamer who says congratulations to Volition and who wants to taste my hammer?