E3 is in June and therefore a lot of companies are holding off from announcing new games or other major news until then. There are rumours of course but i think it’s best to wait until we have the official announcements. So let’s have a look at some trailers and short previews of upcoming games instead.
Read the rest of the post at OnThisIsland.
It’s a game i am really hyped up about and even more so after reading this on Stephen Totilo’s MTV Multiplayer blog.
“…..imagine an action game in which you don’t kill. Imagine it not for morality’s sake but for originality’s sake. Imagine finishing “Fable II” without causing a death. Imagine “Mass Effect” minus killing. Imagine mastering the existing, but hard, option to finish most “Metal Gear Solid” games without a kill. And imagine if any company ever made a James Bond game that allowed you to suavely avoid tallying a body count.
Last night, at least for a time, I controlled a character who, in my hands had no need to kill. Lacking a need to kill, my heroine began to feel like a heroine who had no desire and no willingness to kill. That made her feel special among gaming action heroes. That made her feel unique. And that made the first time she did pick up a gun and pull the trigger feel so very different, a violent rupture of a more believable state of mind.
Imagine that.”
Read the full post here. MTV multiplayer
After forking out around Euros 350 to get the entire instruments pack from ebay and the intial (1-2 months) exuberance of playing the drums i completely abandoned the game. I even dowloaded a few more songs and did not play them.
But now it’s time to dust off those guitars and drums because it’s rocking time. After the band released their latest album, Black Ice which i loved, they will now be releasing AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack which features the following 18 songs from their Live at Donington concert.
“Thunderstruck”
“Shoot to Thrill”
“Back in Black”
“Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”
“Heatseeker”
“Fire Your Guns”
“Jailbreak”
“The Jack”
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
“Moneytalks”
“Hells Bells”
“High Voltage”
“Whole Lotta Rosie”
“You Shook Me All Night Long”
“T.N.T.”
“Let There Be Rock”
“Highway To Hell”
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”
Awesome playlist.
The songs will not be available for download but will be sold as a separate disc. The European release is in December although i could not find a definite date.
Here is the ad promoting the game to get you rocking! youtube video
Most people’s most anticipated title in the first 6 months of 2008 was propably GTA IV. The rest are waiting for MGS4. Not mine. Ever since it was announced, Civilization: Revolution has been my number one title for the first half of the year.
There was always a worry in my mind that the translation from PC to console could be disastrous. Revolution is not the first Civilization attempt on consoles (Civilization II was ported over to the PS2). However upon hearing that the man himself, Mr Sid Meier, would be taking a very hands on approach on this game i was appeased.
Until, i read Eurogamer’s impressions of the game.
“To this end, the game map is a smaller place you can cross in just a few turns, there are fewer unit types (it tops out at tanks and bomber planes), far fewer technologies (researching Bronze Working enables you to build archers, harvest fish and construct the Colossus of Rhodes. Erm) and diplomacy is a slim, relatively optional affair. Success doesn’t come from trading spice with Russia for wine, but simply from war and peace. In fact, it’s possible to go an entire game without engaging in any diplomacy at all….”
I knew that there would be compromises but the greatness of Civilization arose from the many ways one could rule his country and still have a fighting chance. Be it a cultural victory, an economic or a military victory. And the journey to reach that victory was also left up to the player. Great diplomatic battles to secure that vital supply of oil for your tanks, or to establish an alliance and fend off an invasion. Diplomacy, trade, economies were all equally important aspects in Civilization games. It appears that in Revolution, these elements of gameplay are now gone. Sacrificed in the name of accessibility and reducing sessions from days to just a few hours.
“Civilization is a leaner, brighter-eyed figure, with nice teeth and none of that musty PC smell, but its attention span seems a little diminished. Whenever I approached the part of what would, in an unrevolved Civ, be crunch-time, with a hundred different facets of war and expansion and uprising and construction and research and religious freedom and pollution to worry about at once, I’d suddenly find myself within spitting distance of conclusion. Half the globe was already either wiped out or absorbed into mine or another Civ, making it a straight race between me and those that remained. ”
In all the years i had been playing Civ i never once felt that i was rushing through it. In fact the pace totally suited my tastes. It rewarded patient gamers, taking their time with each turn and i always enjoyed the journey more than the actual ending. From what i am reading here Revolution is indeed just a board game version of the PC game i love.
“….after a dozen or so games I now worry the enormity of what’s been composited and removed may make it an unsatisfying single-player game to old hands. “
I now worry too.
Finally a game to buy. A game which is not really offering anything new from its predecessor but that’s not a bad thing for the lovers of the game. I am talking of course about Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, a tactical Squad based shooter.But there are a few other lower profile worthy releases this week like Sega Superstars Tennis which seeks to replace Wii Sports in every Wii onwers library and FF: Crystal Chronicles a DS RPG which shines in multiplayer. Not bad for a quiet week in March.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 (PS3, X360)
SEGA Superstars Tennis (PS3, X360, Wii and DS)
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PS2)
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Ring of Fates (DS).
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - The Complete Collection (PC)
To be honest i had heard there would be some kind of multiplayer modes but i did not look into it. It seems that Rockstar has paid a lot of attention to the multiplayer aspect of GTAIV. As per PSM there will be 15 multiplayer modes with up to 16 players. WOW!
Read more to find these modes.
“* There are 15 multiplayer game modes in GTA IV. PSM had an opportunity to play 7 of them. The rules of each game are determined by the host.
* Multiplayer supports upto 16 players.
* Your online character is fully customizable. You can alter his race, sex, hair, clothing etc.
* The game modes featured are as follows:
1. Hangman’s NOOSE
2. Car Jack City
3. Bomb da Base
4. Bomb da Base II
5. Mafia Work
6. Team Mafia Work
7. Deathmatch
8. Team Deathmatch
9. Turf War
10. Cops N Crooks
11. Race
12. GTA Race
13. Deal Breaker
14. Free Mode
15. ????
* In Race and GTA Race, the host gets to decide which vehicles are involved, and the number of laps to be played. You can shoot and throw molotovs from the window, and even steal your rivals’ car.
* In Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, the host gets to decide the number of pedestrians, the amount of traffic, the intervention of police (or not), and the type of weapons.
* In Cops N Crooks, one team play as cops and the other play as criminals. The cops must stop the criminals from escaping. They can monitor the locations of the criminals on their GPS systems, while the criminals don’t know where the cops are.
* In Mafia Work and Team Mafia Work, you play as one of Kenny Petrovic’s mafia henchmen. You must complete hits ordered by the boss (via the cellphone) before your rivals are able to do so.
* The map used in multiplayer is the same map that is used for single player.
* A single-player mission called “Hangman’s NOOSE” features co-op. You and your friends will be able to escort a mobster, while being pursued by a SWAT team.”
Another week and a few more releases. The only major release for the 360s and PS3s of this world is Codemasters’ Turning Point which according to most reviewers has a big label on it which says “AVOID!”. I think this week belongs to the Wii with No More Heroes, Fire Emblem and Harvest Moon (remake of the Gamecube title) “stealing” the headlines. An honourable mention also to the PS2 title of Odin Sphere with its fantastic presentation.
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (PS3, 360, PC)
No More Heroes (Wii)
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody (Wii)
Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (DS)
FlatOut: Head On (PSP)
Odin Sphere (PS2)
There are two hands-on impressions on Civilization: Revolution from Eurogamer (link) and Kotaku (link) and their comments are extremely encouraging. In both articles the controls and interface of the game are being praised as is the streamlining of the game which makes it more accessible with shorter length sessions.
The most notable issues discussed are the stripping down of some technologies and the lessening of micromanagement available for example in cities. There are free-for-all, head to head and team multiplayer modes. Crucial to the success of the multiplayer is the fact that if a player leaves the game AI takes over and thus not ending the game halfway through a session.
I can’t wait.
Just one major release this week and it could potentially be a really good one. After all almost everything is better in co-op. I have not seen any reviews on the game yet so keep your ears and eyes open.
7/3/2008
Army of Two (PS3 and 360)
It seems that i have missed a very important PS3 title coming out this month. Sorry about that people.
22/2/2008
Unreal Tournament III
