Archive - 2011

Trapped Dead – Review (PC)

2011/03/08

Trapped Dead is a welcome breath of not-so-fresh air in the realm of zombie games. From Dead Rising to Left 4 Dead, zombie games are usually frenetic affairs where players bounce about like Sonic the Hedgehog on a stimulant. Headup Games has brought us a game where tactics and inventory management are of the utmost importance, as is using the individual skills of your party members to their fullest and keeping good tactical discipline in your party’s formations. In essence, Trapped Dead is reminiscent of games like Commandos and Baldur’s Gate in that you spend most of your time carefully planning out your next movements before committing to a fight as each could be one or more of your party member’s last…

Trapped Dead starts with two friends driving across country when they stop for gas at a seemingly-abandoned fuel station. As it usually does in these situations, zombies are running (shambling in this case) rampant and eating on the living. Along the adventure, you will gain new characters in your party – each with their own strengths and weaknesses. For instance, on of the characters – a medical doctor, is wheelchair bound. He cannot move as quickly as the others but can heal like no other and, when given a street howitzer, is a formidable sentry turret of sorts. Each party member has limited inventory space and managing this space is of the utmost importance. To make matters worse, there are not a lot of supplies out there to scavenge so you have to make every shot or med pack count at just the right moment to get out of a situation in the best shape possible. Gameplay can be paused and un-paused with the spacebar.

The zombies of Trapped Dead come in many flavors – most of which shamble about like those found in Night of the Living Dead director George A. Romero’s films. This is also a welcome sight for the zombie game genre as most have the undead running about like marathon runners for shock and intensity. After playing Trapped Dead, though, you will find out that managing your quickly depleting stock of pistol rounds while seeing tons of zombies slowly converging on your position is just as intense and, sometimes more so as you have time to see it coming… What could you do different next time? What new tactics could you try? Thankfully, these questions will occupy your thoughts quite a bit in Trapped Dead and you will be aching to give that particularly hard mission another go.

The game’s narrative is presented through a large series of graphic novel panels as well as late 1970’s grindhouse / 1980’s horror movie style. Corny dialog abounds as well as dated equipment to sell the time period in which the game takes place. Unfortunately, while that dated / corny stuff really helps sell the game – the voice over work doesn’t. Purposeful grindhouse is a great thing when the actor’s buy into it and, in this case, the voice over characters just don’t quite hit where they should have. They are not Troll 2 bad, mind you, but they could have definitely been a lot better!

Visually, Trapped Dead is a simple game – but that simplicity translates very well on screen with crisp environments and characters. With very few options to set in the graphics menu, it is also worth noting that the game would not run on my PC in ultra-widescreen modes (5760×1080). I had to reduce it down to single-screen, 1920×1080. Once at that resolution, I experienced no more visual issues worth mentioning. Aside from the voice over work, Trapped Dead features some really fun and creepy sound design. From the period score to the background noise of flesh eaters moaning and environmental effects, Trapped Dead’s audio is very well done and commendable.

Multiplayer was an aspect we were desperately trying to make work as apparently the game supports cooperative gameplay. Unfortunately, we experienced constant timeouts when trying to ping available servers. Despite this, after playing through the singelplayer stuff, I can make an educated guess that the multiplayer would be a hoot given the game mechanics.

The only other complaint with Trapped Dead is that its control system seems sluggish at times. I would switch between characters and it seemed like the game did not pickup the keypress. Aside from this, the game controls relatively well in terms of what buttons do what function.

Overall, Trapped Dead is a welcome breath of fetid air for the zombie game genre. With a gameplay system a la Commandos and Baldur’s Gate as well as plenty of gore and undead to be found, we highly recommend you give this one a try. Trapped Dead is currently retailing for $19.95 and the game could have easily sold for one and a half times that amount. If you are a fan of zombie games or tactical strategy titles, you won’t be disappointed.

SHIFT 2 Unleashed Drift Challenge Autolog Video

2011/03/07

boothby

News

Electronic Arts has released a new Autolog customization video showing off the Drift Challenge portion of the game. In case you don’t know what the Autolog is, it basically tracks your progress and everything you do so you can compare your stats with other players, etc. SHIFT 2 Unleashed is due out on March 29th, 2011.

Fallout NV: Dead Money Review

2011/03/07

Jerry Paxton

Reviews

Full Disclosure: I am a Fallout nut. ‘Nuttier than squirrel poo’ is a phrase that I would apply to my obsession with all things Fallout. I played and replayed Fallout 1 and 2 for a decade before Fallout 3 came out. Blah blah blah, old school, blah blah blah, turn based combat, blah blah blah, three-quarter isometric view. Enough. I’m also pragmatic and will take what I can get as long as the games have that ‘Fallout feel.’ Story, snark, and attention to detail. While I was pleased with the way Fallout 3 came out, New Vegas is unquestionably a better sequel. Closer to California, the developers were able to mix a lot of old Fallout into the new, and it felt more comfortable, familiar, and ‘real’ than Fallout 3. Anyway, I’m babbling. On to the review!

INTRO
Dead Money opens with the Courier picking up a new radio signal which leads to a small underground Brotherhood of Steel bunker. Like any wastelander, a disembodied female voice inviting me to ‘Come play’ is a compulsion I cannot refuse. This is Nevada right? I might have stumbled on the right frequency for the Mustang Ranch!

Anyway, once the Courier gets close to radio source, he’s (I realize there are female gamers and characters, but I’m male so I’m going to use masculine pronouns and you’re going to be ok with it) subdued in a bright flash of light and whisked away to a small Villa outside the legendary Sierra Madre Casino.

Standing in front of a fountain in the town square, the Courier is greeted (in hologram form) by Elijah. Elijah was McNamara’s predecessor as Elder of the Mojave Brotherhood of Steel contingent. Elijah disappeared after the events of HELIOS 1, apparently making his way to the Sierra Madre Casino in search of advanced old world tech.

The Sierra Madre Casino itself was constructed by mogul Frederick Sinclair for a starlet named Vera Keyes to protect her from the impending war. It supposedly contains untold wealth, and features the most advanced old world tech including holographic entertainment and security, as well as ‘replicators’ that can create nearly any physical item (including food, weapons and ammo). However, the Casino never opened. Its doors were designed to be sealed shut until the grand opening gala ceremony. The bombs fell the day before the ceremony was scheduled to occur, and the doors remained shut.

THE STORY
Elijah really, really wants inside. He has grand plans of using the Sierra Madre technology to create a holographic army to pacify the wastes and build a grand new society. He needs assistance triggering the opening gala ceremony, getting into the Casino, and ultimately, the vault at its core.

Adventurers have long sought out the treasures of the Sierra Madre. Some even made it to the Villa. Elijah has coerced many into obeying him and attempting to break into the Casino. Three potential companions remain alive and hidden somewhere in the Villa.

The Courier is fitted with an electronic bomb-collar that Elijah can detonate if he disobeys. The bomb-collar is linked to the three other companions whose aid the Courier must enlist. If one dies, they all die.

The companions are: Dog/God, a multiple personality nightkin (sans stealthboy); Dean Domino, a ghoul, who was actually supposed to entertain at the Sierra Madre; and Christine, a Brotherhood of Steel scribe sent to hunt down Elijah. Together the Courier and his companions attempt trigger the opening ceremony and unseal the doors to the Casino.

I won’t give too much away, but obviously, the ultimate goal is to get inside the Casino and confront Elijah.

FEATURES / GAME PLAY
Dead Money differs from other Fallout environments in that there really aren’t a lot of enemies to fight. It’s all relative I suppose, but I found more of my time was spent sneaking around and avoiding holograms than shooting bad guys.

The Villa and Casino are surrounded by a red cloud of toxins that corrode any armor and eat the flesh within (the ‘Cloud’). Didn’t matter what armor you wore, your health dropped like a rock when you were standing in the Cloud. Unlike radiation exposure/sickness, the damage began immediately. Luckily, you can see the physical cloud to know where the boundaries are. The Cloud graphic and health effects are very well done.

The Villa is populated by ‘Ghost’ people, who are alive, but sealed in their hazmat suits. They are very hard to kill. Unless you score a critical hit and blow off a limb, ‘killing’ them doesn’t really kill them. The ghosts just drop down unconscious, like a fallen companion, only to get up a few seconds later ready to fight again. Keeping Dog/God around was really the only sure fire way to permanently eliminate one.

Once you get into the Casino, holographic security becomes an issue. The holograms are impossible to kill with your weapons, but if you see the emitter (not always easy) you can destroy that. The holograms are BAD ASS. They shoot fricken lasers from their heads (that’s a Dr. Evil thing… go with me on that), rapid fire, and it only takes 3-4 shots to bring the Courier down. Best bet is to avoid them entirely.

Oh, before I forget. There are f—ing traps EVERYWHERE. I have a blind spot when playing Fallout, and it’s watching where I’m going. I just don’t do it. Every location, every room, every corridor, every hallway has a bear trap in it, and I’m pretty sure I stepped in them all. Move slowly, and for Dog/God’s sake, don’t increase your run speed for Dead Money.

I mentioned the electronic bomb-collar above. One problem you’ll face is that radio signals and speakers will interfere with the collar. Get too close and your collar begins beeping. If you don’t get out of range or destroy the source, boom! This added a certain intensity to every step of the game that’s not generally present in Fallout. Your collar could begin beeping at any moment, and if there’s more than one speaker/radio causing it, getting to safety isn’t easy. Keep an eye on the wall graffiti. Previous collar-slaves have pointed out where a lot of the speakers are, and even arrows to guide you on your journey. The beauty of Fallout is in the little details. Don’t rush the expansion, or you’ll miss out.

WEAPONS
I forgot to mention that you’re stripped of most of your weapons and armor upon arrival. Elijah gives you a holorifle, which is one of the stronger weapons you’ll find in the game, but you can also find police pistols, shot guns etc… Other than the standard laser pistol side arm, I did not see any plasma/energy based weapons.

ARMOR
Not a lot to report here. While there is some unique Sierra Madre armor, it’s no better or worse than what you were likely wearing when you entered the expansion.

GRAPHICS
Also not much to say here. Dead Money is the first downloadable content for Fallout: New Vegas. Same game engine, same graphics. The whispy effects from the Cloud are neat, but not noteworthy. Note: I play on a PC.

Many of the buildings in the Villa are boarded up, which was annoying. If you’re going to put them in, let me get inside! There were plenty of buildings with open walls on the second story. The only way to get to them was a needlessly complex system of rooftop leaps and platform walks. If I have the strength to tote around 250lbs of guns and armor, I can kick in a wooden door. Seriously.

CONCLUSION
Overall, I enjoyed Dead Money, but I was disappointed by the play time: 3-4 hours. Such is life with expansions, I suppose. I will say that it’s a very tense 3-4 hours, and well worth your money.

Interestingly, both Elijah and Christine give the Courier info on that ‘other’ courier you’ve heard hints of throughout New Vegas. This other courier and the battle at the Great Divide will be the focus of future downloadable content, and I can’t wait!

Valve Unveils Steam Guard

2011/03/04

Ripper71

News

Valve has announced a new Steam and Steamworks feature called Steam Guard. Steam Guard gives increased Steam account security by enabling users to link management of their account to a specific PC so that attempts to modify or change account settings by any other PC won’t be possible without the user’s approval. Steam Guard will take advantage of upcoming Intel Identity Protection Technology (Intel IPT), an encrypted, hardware-based feature available with the new 2nd Generation Intel CoreT and Intel CoreT vProT processors. IPT generates a new numerical password every 30 seconds, integrating into the processor functionality that previously required a separate card or key fob. Users will also be notified if any PCs other than those authorized by them attempt to log into or modify their account settings.

‘Account phishing and hijacking are our #1 support issues,’ said Gabe Newell, President of Valve. ‘With Intel’s IPT and Steam Guard, we’ve taken a big step towards giving customers the account security they need as they purchase more and more digital goods.’

‘With over 30 million accounts worldwide, Steam is an ideal platform for Intel IPT,’ said George Thangadurai, General Manager of PC Client Services at Intel. ‘Those running Steam are investing in a robust digital collection of PC games. By adding hardware-based protection to these investments, we hope to bolster the amazing success of platforms such as Steam.’

Steam Guard is available to third parties to incorporate into their own applications through Steamworks.

Crysis 2 Multiplayer Weapons Trailer

2011/03/04

News

Crytek and Electronic Arts have released a new trailer showing off some of the weapons found in the multiplayer gameplay of their upcoming shooter, Crysis 2. Crysis 2 is due out on March 22nd.

Bulletstorm – A Review (X360)

2011/03/04

Reviews

In Bulletstorm, players take on the roll of big bad ‘Dead Echo’ member Grayson Hunt. It is your purpose to kick butt and take names throughout the galaxy under the watchful eye of a commander that would make R. Lee. Ermey squirm in his pants. A long the way, Grayson’s squad runs into a bit of trouble and their worlds spiral out of control.

The story in Bulletstorm is your typical action adventure thrill ride across the universe. It would almost seem like the perfect fit to have the entire cast of The Expendables voicing the characters in the game. The game is an adventure through a dark and gritty world where your only purpose is to blow up things around you to exact your revenge. This is nothing new to gaming folks and can feel a little dull at times. The characters weren’t very engaging, save for one part in the story where you almost want to feel for Grayson Hunt. The singleplayer story seems to focus mainly on pushing the players from one action moment to another which is not necessarily a bad thing for some gamers. Overall, the singleplayer story was a fun little trip but leaves the player wanting more at the end of the game.

GAMEPLAY:

Gameplay in Bulletstorm is of your typical first person shooter variety. The left and right thumbsticks control movement and aiming while the shoot and zoom controls are in the triggers. Melee attacks are very important in the game as kicking a bad guy will pull it into a ‘bullet time’ type event where you can unleash more attacks and combos. Another interesting melee style attack is the powerslide which launches baddies into the air allowing for even more ways to splatter them around you. As you move through the world you will be granted the ability to use a Final Echo leash. This leash adds a whole new dynamic to the game as you pull bad guys from far away into attack range. There is nothing more satisfying then leashing your target to you and then kicking him off a cliff.

The big difference in Bulletstorm compared to other FPS games is the need to conserve ammo. The world around Grayson is in total anarchy and there are not just ammo boxes to be found around every corner. Sure, there are plenty of bad guys with guns and ammunition of their own, but the ammo dropped from them is just not enough to get by. This is where the skill system comes in and changes everything. Bulletstorm rewards the player for the creative kills they perform. Looking at the in game menu system will allow the player to view the different types of kills to perform and the associated point value. Feel like pulling a player toward you with the leash and then kicking them into a man eating plant? Well you are in luck as that will provide some extra points to you. The environment is rife with ways to kill your baddies from exploding acid barrels to giant spinning grinders. This skill system of creative kills is where Bulletstorm’s meat is and just brings a whole new level of fun to the experience and overcomes a lot of the game’s shortcomings.

As you rack up points, you will find random crash pods throughout the levels. using your leash on these pods will bring up a store where you can not only upgrade weapons but max out on your ammo. In order to survive in Bulletstorm you need to collect enough points to keep your ammo supply stocked. This is a great way to let the player get creative with their kills and have a hell of a lot of fun. My personal favorite kill was using the sniper rifle to shoot two bad guys into an acid barrel that killed everyone around them. The developers of Bulletstorm really added a great dynamic to the FPS genre that I have never seen before.

The weapons of Bulletstorm are fun to play with and customize. You start off with the standard military rifle and as you make your way through the game there are a bunch for different weapons you can get. These weapons range from sniper rifles to the ever-popular bolo grenade shooter. Once you hit a control pod you can spend credits to unlock charge and ammo upgrades that make things even more gibtastic. For example, the bolo grenade’s charge attack is very impressive. Instead of just wrapping around a target it will slice through any object to get to the target.

SOUND AND GRAPHICS:

Bulletstorm is the clearest case of an M-rated game this reviewer has ever seen. There is not one piece of dialogue that does not have some very profane word in it and sometimes borders on overdoing it. While I get the wanting to make this game extreme, some of the dialogue is borderline racist and I found myself kind of taken a back. Now, mind you, I curse like a sailor but the dialogue in Bulletstorm made me feel like Mr. Rogers. Profane dialogue aside the voice acting was done really well and each voice actor fit their character. The ambient sounds of the universe and sound effects were spot on and I found no errors in my play through.

The graphics in Bulletstorm are down right beautiful. I would expect nothing but the best from Epic Games and they delivered. The worlds are beautiful and some of the landscapes made me want to just sit and stare for a bit in between swear words. Characters are very well-detailed and the cinematics seemed almost movie quality at times. As with the audio, I found no defects or graphic issues during my play through.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Bulletstorm deserves to be a movie, hands-down! The game is right for the big screen and a lot of fun to play. Getting past the predictable story and short singleplayer campaign, the creative kill system and tongue-in-cheek humor makes it a must-play for you Shogunites out there. Just make sure everyone in the room with you is at least 18 years of age or you might have some traumatized youth (or their parents) to deal with!

Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike DLC Pack Out Now on PS3

2011/03/03

boothby

News

Activision and Treyarch have announced the release of their First Strike DLC pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops to the PlayStation Network. First Strike features five new multiplayer maps including a new one for the Zombies play mode. First Strike retails for $14.99.

‘The First Strike map pack significantly expands the intense experience for the millions of fans enjoying Call of Duty: Black Ops on the PlayStation®3 every day,’ said Mark Lamia, Studio Head, Treyarch. ‘Across each of First Strike’s multiplayer maps and the newest Zombie level, we have created unique experiences that will appeal to everyone playing online in the PSN Call of Duty® community around the world.’

Also released was a new Black Ops music video, which you can see below:

LA Noire The Naked City Trailer

2011/03/03

boothby

News

Rockstar Games has released a trailer for ‘The Naked City’, a GameStop pre-order bonus mission for their upcoming L.A. Noire. The Naked City sees the player investigate the apparent suicide of a fashion model, but not is all as it seems. L.A. Noire is due out on May 17th, 2011.

Forsaken World Release Date Moved Up, New Dev Diary Video

2011/03/03

boothby

News

Perfect World Entertainment has announced that their upcoming MMO, Forsaken World, will be released two weeks ahead of schedule on March 9th. The game has been developed for the Windows PC platform and puts players in a Fantasy game space with 5 player racers available – each with multiple class options and play styles.

‘Forsaken World has been our most highly anticipated game, which is evident in the fact that this has been our largest and longest closed beta to date,’ said Clifton Chu, Product Manager for Forsaken World. ‘We would like to thank all of our beta testers in making Forsaken World the most polished and best game possible, which is one of the reasons why we are able to launch two weeks ahead of schedule.’

Also released was a new developer diary video, which you can see below.

Nvidia Releases Crysis 2 Benchmarks

2011/03/01

boothby

News

Nvidia has posted up an article with their official benchmark scores for Crytek’s upcoming shooter, Crysis 2. The benchmark scores, of course, a range of Nvidia GPUs but does rate them based on game level of detail settings as well as scoring the optimal play setting option offered by the game.

From the Benchmark:
‘Prior to going hands-on with Crysis 2, we weren’t sure how the range of NVIDIA GPUs were going to handle Crytek’s highly ambitious game; after all, its predecessor had left countless GPUs, and their owners, in tears. Fortunately, Crytek made good on their promise to deliver a game that both looks and performs better, even with an old PC…’

LINK: Nvidia’s Crysis 2 Benchmark Article