Take a look at the in-depth weapon crafting features of Dead Space 3. With a new and upgraded weapons building system, Isaac must scavenge for resources to develop custom weapons. The Weapons Bench allows you to create your weapon piece by piece to engineer the ultimate arsenal to destroy the Necromorph infestation.
Trailer:
Corporate greed, nightclub shootouts, helicopters, vertigo-inducing rooftops, pill-popping, even Captain Baseballbatboy — the more things change for Max in Max Payne 3, the more they stay the same. Our beleaguered NYC cop pursues the promise of a fresh start working in São Paulo, Brazil, but as a couple of turning point flashback sequence levels reveal in the game, this descent into the volatile South American city’s chaos is sparked by a chance encounter that took place back in the snow and darkness of New Jersey — where the butchering of his family many years ago began Payne’s downward spiral — and with death-dealing gangsters again in hot pursuit. In Max Payne 3, we find our protagonist planted on a barstool at Walton’s Bar near his Hoboken hovel, busy drowning eight years of horrific memories in drink. A dispute with a young hothead from the local DeMarco crime family rapidly escalates to pistols drawn, then gunfire and a mob of angry Mafiosi out for Payne’s blood.
In our latest edition of Rockstar Research, we take a look at some of the real life locales that feature in Max Payne 3 from former Prohibition speakeasies to New York’s massive and historic cemeteries. Thousands of pictures were taken by our Research and Development teams as they visited areas in Hoboken, Newark and New York City to help build an authentic backdrop for the levels set in New York.
Tony Hawk Pro Skater. That singular four-word sentence transports me back in time to sitting in the garage on a bean bag, with my SONY PlayStation hooked up to a 13″ Color TV, playing the game for hours on end. I perfected lines. I mastered combos, and unlocked every last hidden secret and Easter egg imaginable. I loved the Tony Hawk Pro Skater Series of games. When I learned that they were re-introducing my beloved Tony Hawk Pro Skater on the XBOX Live Arcade, I ollied for joy! Did the game live up to my high expectations, or did i end up bailing like I did once Tony Hawk Underground came out? Read on to find out!
What I Liked
Scratch that – “What I LOVED!!!” I loved the fact that the fine folks over at Sandbox Strategies stayed true to the original game. They didn’t try to re-invent the wheel. Back are all the amazing locations that I knew so well… The Mall, the Schoolyard, the Hangar, and more… The characters were all back as well. The minor RPG elements were there too… Want to upgrade a skill? Skate harder? Want a new deck? Buy a new one in the Skate Shop. A nice little “nod to the new” was the inclusion of playable avatars. It was pretty sweet watching my avatar pull off skateboarding moves I never did dare when I used to skate. That was always a hallmark of the series. It allowed skater kids (and grown-ups) to bust moves they only heard or sometimes dreamed of. It was pretty special to feel that much more connected while watching my avatar out there rippin’ and shreddin’!
The 2 minute timed levels are back as well. In order to unlock new areas, the player must complete a series of goals within the previous level, all while within the confines of a two-minute timed instance. In newer games, I tend to rail against this type of forced progression. However, with a classic throwback like this, those timers had to be in the game. To allow people to progress while “free skating” would have been a cop-out.
The HD graphics look pretty damned good, and the game suffered from very few graphics glitches. Overall, the new textures really don;t add to the game-play, but it sure made looking at the television a prettier sight. I also have to commend the development team for bringing back the original soundtrack to the game. There really is nothing like hitting a major line or gap while listening to Public Enemy. This completely tied the whole experience together for me.
What I Didn’t Like
This boils down to two very minor complaints… With the new graphics, I expected to see the characters interact with the ground a bit more. When I fell off my board, the sound was spot on, however, I would have liked to see more convincing animations. My other issue with the game isn’t so much with the game itself, but possibly my ability to play the game as well as I once did. The controls were exactly the same as I remember them, however, there seemed to be either a little bit of lag from button presses to on-screen action, or more likely, a little lag between when I wanted to press buttons, and my inability to press said buttons fast enough. I do admit that twitch style gaming isn’t my strong suit like it used to be, so I did a whole lot of bailing and bleeding.
Wrap It Up B!
All in all, if you are an old-timer like me looking for a kick-ass trip down memory lane, then do yourself a favor and pick up Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD and enjoy. If you are a kid who wants to check out how Tony Hawk Ride got started, pick it up! If you are a fan of X Games style action games, then pick it up! If you don’t really care about anything I have said in this review, then maybe, just maybe this game isn’t for you – BUT YOU SHOULD PICK IT UP ANYWAY!! You just may enjoy it!
Trailer:
COLOGNE, Germany – August 15, 2012 – Today at gamescom, the world’s largest trade fair and event for interactive games and entertainment, Electronic Arts Inc. took a bold step to spearhead the industry’s digital revolution and announced Command & Conquer. The previously announced Command & Conquer Generals 2 has been transformed to be a part of this new digital experience, giving gamers complete access to the cutting-edge visuals, sound and destruction of a full, AAA strategy game – for free. The new online platform and service will launch in 2013, with the Generals universe representing the first of many free offerings within the storied franchise EA is planning to launch with Command & Conquer.
With a familiar blend of cerebral, strategic gameplay and fun, fast-paced action, Command & Conquer will deliver an authentic and modern RTS experience that will instantly exhilarate longtime fans and captivate new players. Gamers can sign up for a chance to be among the first to try the closed beta of Command & Conquer at www.CommandandConquer.com/free
“We are thrilled about this opportunity to transform Command & Conquer into a premier online experience,” said Jon Van Caneghem, VP/GM at EA. “For nearly two decades, this franchise has existed as something you buy; now we are creating a destination where our fans will be able to access the entire Command & Conquer universe, starting with Generals and continuing with Red Alert, Tiberium and beyond. With Frostbite 2, we are able to keep an emphasis on the AAA quality our consumers expect while staying true to the RTS gameplay they know and love – all available online for free.”
An all-out war rages in Command & Conquer, as players take control of multiple factions, compete for resources, build up operation bases and lead massive batteries of tanks, soldiers and aircrafts into battle. With incredibly detailed units, fully destructible environments, dynamic physics and exhilarating visual effects, Command & Conquer is poised to re-define what gamers expect from a strategy game. Heralding feedback driven design, Command & Conquer will evolve and develop with an expanding array of new content based on community response.
Command & Conquer will be available as a free, client-based game for the PC in 2013. For more information on and to register for a chance to be selected for closed beta access, please visit www.CommandandConquer.com/free
If I say the words, RC Pro-Am, does your inner child do a back flip? If he or she does, then I strongly suggest you check out Remedy’s newest IOs port to the PC, Death Rally. Death Rally for the PC is a top down racer that pits the player against computer opponents to see who can cross the finish line first, alive. Death Rally also supports multiplayer games, up to four players over the internet. While my childhood memories still has RC Pro-Am as the best game of this genre ever, I must say that Death Rally comes in at a close second. Sometimes, games just can’t beat nostalgia.
Story:
Some game types just don’t need story lines or well written characters to work. All that matters is that the player has fun with the game and just won’t put it down. Death Rally is that type of game. Sure, there is a story mode here, but it’s fairly inconsequential and is used just to rope all of the races together. You play as a lone wolf driver, who has been captured by the police and forced into the Death Rally tournament. The police are hoping that your entry into Death Rally will expose the organizer, who is only known as The Adversary. The Adversary is your target and you have to eliminate him in order to free yourself from the police.
This story won’t win any awards any time soon for it’s writing or presentation. The style of the presentation seems completely ripped right out of the first Max Payne game, done in graphic novel style. I swear it even looks like the same artist doing the art. I am usually very critical with game writing because I feel that this is the entire basis on whether or not the game draws people in. If we don’t care about the characters or their plight, it’s hard to invest ourselves into the game. Death Rally is the type of game that can get away with very little narrative and overused plot points. Why? Because, in the end, the game is just damn fun to play. Since it was originally made to be an IOs game, it is played in smaller chunks, so the story does not have a huge impact in the player’s enjoyment, if at all.
Game Play:
Death Rally has a surprising amount of depth to it before each race. You start off with the lowest beater of the group, with just a single machine gun to kill your opponents with. As you survive races, you earn money to repair your vehicle and purchase upgrades. During each race break, you can visit the black market, for some illegal upgrades, visit the loan shark to get some extra cash and a one hundred percent interest rate, or visit some shady gentlemen that are not above a little sabotage to help put you in front of your opponents.
The actual races are done from a top down view, very similar to games like RC Pro-Am or Off Road Rally. This gives you a perfect view of all of the action that is taking place and it helps line up your opponents for the kill. As you race, you will expose power ups or parts that you can use either during the game or afterwards. Nitro, ammo, exploding barrels, mushrooms, and the like are used during races to help you get out in front, while other pieces that you pick up helps unlock the next vehicle in line or another weapon.
My only complaint with the game play of Death Rally is the controls. I do not have a control pad on my PC, so it was mouse and keyboard for me. The mouse and keyboard control scheme never felt solid enough to handle the turns in the way I wanted to. A control pad would handle this situation quite well, I believe, but I can see where this game was designed primarily as a touch screen game, and not one to use with the keyboard.
Aesthetics:
The visuals of the game work very well for me. Each track is extremely interesting to look at, vivid and colorful, while the cars will show varying degrees of damage as the race progresses. The game isn’t cutting edge, and does not have a really well designed aesthetic, like Awesomenauts, but the graphics are clean and interesting to look at. Not once did I have any type of graphical issues during game play, and only a few times did i really notice something that didn’t look right. The pictures of your rival racers are static and just hover near the car that they are driving, with the police chief looking a lot like George Lucas. The graphic novel parts of the game looks exactly like the old Max Payne game, with no motion at all.
Sound is just as serviceable as the graphics are. The voice acting isn’t all that great, it’s a lot over the top. However, there is so little of it that you will never notice it unless you are really searching. The in game sound is just perfect, the explosions sound good while the report of the machine guns sound just as they should. Overall, a solid technical job that won’t win any awards, but also does not detract from the fun experience of Death Rally’s game play.
Final Thoughts:
Death Rally by Remedy is just fun, and at the end of the day, that is really all that matters. Death Rally really takes me back to my child hood days of playing RC Pro-Am with my brother. This is the type of game that doesn’t revolve around a story and does not suffer for it, unlike other games. The fun of Death Rally is really in just blasting the competition into little hunks of metal while you upgrade your car to get to the next stage. Game play is solid for the most part, but I found that the stock keyboard and mouse controls to be fairly deficient in giving me absolute control over my car. The use of a PC control pad, though, should solve that problem right up. The sound and the visuals of Death Rally do a good job, with the visuals being much more tighter and crisper then the sound. Overall, I will recommend this game for anyone who is interested in a racing game that has a lot of extra curricular activity going on during the race, but feel that Mario Kart is a little to young for you. Death Rally is available now from Steam.
Fun Trailer:
Gameplay Trailer:
New York, NY – August 15, 2012 – 2K Sports today announced a partnership with USA Basketball to feature both the star-studded 2012 USA Basketball Men’s National Team and the 1992 “Dream Team” in NBA 2K13, the next installment of the top-selling and top-rated NBA video game simulation franchise*.
“As executive producer, letting fans go head to head with these legendary USA teams was extremely important to JAY Z,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “We are excited to partner with USA Basketball, and share in JAY Z’s enthusiasm in making this a reality in NBA 2K13.”
The 2012 USA Basketball Men’s National Team has earned recognition as one of USA Basketball’s all-time greatest teams. NBA 2K13 cover athlete Kevin Durant helped lead the USA to its successful showing and joins the elite list of accomplished basketball players who have represented USA Basketball.
“It was an incredible blessing to have been part of the 2012 USA Basketball National Team,” said Durant. “USA Basketball’s National Team legacy is incredible and so many of basketball’s all-time greats have been part of it, I’m just honored to be in that group. Like everybody, I can’t wait to see how our squad stacks up against the 1992 team in NBA 2K13.”
The original “Dream Team” is widely considered the most dominant sports team ever assembled, and featured 11 Hall of Fame players including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, Chris Mullin, David Robinson and Charles Barkley.
“The experience we shared in Barcelona is truly one of the highlights of my career,” said five-time NBA MVP and former NBA 2K cover athlete Michael Jordan. “Being able to represent not only my country but basketball as a whole is an honor that I will never forget.”
“The fantasy matchup between the legendary 1992 ‘Dream Team’ and the 2012 USA Men’s national team has become one of the greatest sports debates of our time,” stated JAY Z, the Executive Producer of NBA 2K13. “In NBA 2K13, we’re giving fans the opportunity to play as two of the best teams ever assembled in sporting history, literally putting the debate right into their hands.”
Today we are pleased to announce that indie developer DrinkBox Studios has released Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack on Steam for PC .
Having launched earlier this year on the PlayStation®Vita to critical acclaim, Mutant Blobs Attack has now hit Steam with new features and custom content. In celebration, to sweeten the deal, DrinkBox Studios has opted to put Mutant Blobs Attack on sale for only $7.19 during its first week on Steam, 10% off its normal price! That’s one heck of a lot of blob for your gaming buck!
The Steam for PC version of Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack features:
Trailer:
SINGAPORE – 15 AUGUST 2012 – Creative Technology Ltd today announced its new ultra high-performance Z-Series of Sound Blaster PCI-Express sound cards, elevating the standards of technology and performance for the future of gaming and entertainment on the PC. Creative will preview the new Sound Blaster ZxR, Sound Blaster Zx and Sound Blaster Z at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany from 15-19 August 2012.
“The audio landscape for gaming and entertainment on the PC has changed. As content creation and consumption evolves with the interactivity of the Internet, our vision is to enable the best listening experiences for music, video and games, and to transcend the basic concept of sound quality as a specification with enabling technologies that allow users to completely customize their PC audio,” said Low Long Chye, Director of Product Marketing for Audio. “For audio playback, we use studio-grade components to deliver outstanding fidelity, and then greatly enhance the listening experience by implementing our SBX Pro Studio™ suite of audio technologies. This enables complete customization of audio playback, uniquely catered to suit individual tastes. Our mixture of outstanding components and proprietary technologies also enables us to provide the highest quality recording experience for audio creation, which today expands beyond just music recording to include user interaction and creation with YouTube, eSports, and more.”
“We also recognize how voice communications in massively multiplayer online (MMO) and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games are so crucial to winning, and how clear communications in VOIP applications such as Skype are so important to having meaningful conversations. This is where our CrystalVoice technologies enable users to experience the best possible sound quality – the level of quality that is exclusively available with Sound Blaster. To complete the overall communication experience, all our Z-series sound cards comes standard with a high-quality dual microphone array,” added Low Long Chye.
Each New Sound Card Offers a Complete Audio System
To dynamically power compelling audio playback, the new sound cards leverage the Creative Sound Core3D quad-core sound and voice processor, which is designed to work in perfect harmony with Creative’s SBX Pro Studio technology and high-quality components to deliver a complete audio platform. Sound Core3D also works seamlessly with CrystalVoice communications technologies and the high-quality beam-forming microphone array included with each of the new sound cards to deliver Acoustic Echo Cancellation, Voice Focus and
Noise Reduction for clear online voice communications. This complete system for voice communications also enables gamers to use speakers and the high-quality microphone array to achieve a better overall experience.
Sound Blaster ZxR – The World’s Best Sounding Sound Card. (SRP US$249.99)
This flagship Sound Blaster ZxR is designed to provide the best gaming and entertainment audio performance in any sound cards. It also delivers the ultimate audio playback and creation solution for the PC. Studio-grade components, which include external digital-to-analog converters (DACs) that deliver 127dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), sockets for swappable Op-Amps, a high-end 80mW into 600 ohm headphone amplifier, and 192kHz pass through, are used to deliver phenomenal audio quality.
The Sound Blaster ZxR has multiple connections including a proprietary connector to the DBpro, a daughter board that offers optical output for outstanding playback; and professional-grade 123dB analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) with RCA Aux-in and optical input for outstanding recording quality.
Furthermore, a convenient external ACM (Audio Control Module) provides a built-in dual-microphone array and mic/headphone I/O connections. Designed to complement the Sound Blaster ZxR, the ACM adds convenience, extra connectivity and control, plus it enhances the look of any desktop.
In addition to the impressive hardware capabilities, the proprietary SB Speaker-Calibration feature, DTS Connect and Dolby Digital Live, all these three ensure an ultra-realistic cinematic audio playback and gaming experience. From the hardcore gamer fragging an opponent on a first person shooter to a die-hard MOBA or MMO player engaging with thousands of players online, gamers can get a competitive advantage from excellent audio quality and positional accuracy.
In many of today’s most popular games, if gamers are not communicating, they are not winning. For voice communications, Creative’s CrystalVoice technologies enable crystal-clear communications amongst gamers and their teammates.
Creative’s audio engineers designed the SBX Pro Studio suite of audio playback technologies so gamers can improve their audio experience and calibrate their game audio so they can hear the subtle nuances that gives a competitive edge. Immersive surround sound, the ability to clearly understand teammates and enhancements of specific sounds in a gaming environment are just a few elements of SBX Pro Studio that enhance gaming audio.
SBX Pro Studio Features:
• SBX Crystalizer™ – Enhances sound for games, music and movies by restoring low and high end frequency curves lost to compression
• SBX Surround™ – Delivers a 360 degree surround sound experience so gamers can hear sounds clearly from the front, back, above and below
• SBX Smart Volume™ – Address the problem of abrupt volume level changes in music, movies and games by intelligently applying gain and attenuation to deliver consistent volume levels; includes Night Mode™ to reduce the impact of explosions and bursts of sound so as not to disturb others after hours
• SBX Dialog Plus™ – Enhances voices in games and movies for clearer dialog, allowing the listener to hear the dialog over the rest of sound track and over ambient noise
• SBX Bass™ – Fills in the missing low frequency tones and give the extra impact for a better entertainment experience
Designed to deliver crystal clear vocal fidelity in multiplayer games, online chats and video conferencing, CrystalVoice technologies also enhance voice communications for VOIP solutions such as Skype.
CrystalVoice Features:
• Acoustic Echo Cancellation – Eliminates echoes and enables whoever is speaking to listen to the other party clearly.
• Noise Reduction – Enables the person speaking to be heard clearly over background noise by constantly monitoring the environment and eliminating unwanted noise that interferes with the conversation
• Smart Volume – Automatically adjusts the loudness of a voice to maintain a consistent volume level. This makes it convenient for the speaker to converse normally, regardless of whether the speaker is close to or far away from the microphone
• Focus – Beam-forming creates a zone and suppresses noise outside it to enable whoever is speaking to be heard with amazing clarity. Multiple microphones are used to focus, enhance voice, and eliminate sounds outside the zone
• VoiceFX™ – Enables alteration of voice with a variety of effects, which can be used to enhance the tone of a voice, create interesting accents, or enable someone to sound like a completely different person.
Sound Blaster Zx – High-Performance Gaming and Entertainment Audio (SRP US$149.99)
The Sound Blaster Zx incorporates all the hardware and software features of the Sound Blaster ZxR except for the DBpro daughter board.
Clad in brilliant red EMI shielding and featuring glowing LED lighting, the Sound Blaster Zx is the bad boy of the bunch, with an attention-grabbing design that ideally complements any power gaming rig. The Sound Blaster Zx leverages Sound Core3D processing with external DACs that deliver 120dB SNR. Other features include support for 192kHz direct pass-through to analog out, a 600 ohm headphone amplifier, gold-plated I/O connectivity, and SB Speaker-Calibration, which calibrates speakers to take advantage of room acoustics and optimize for the room. The Sound Blaster Zx also includes the convenient external ACM (Audio Control Module) with a built-in dual microphone array and mic/headphone I/O connections. To enhance digital entertainment capabilities, DTS Connect and Dolby Digital Live encoding are included. The product also includes high-quality optical and stereo cables.
Sound Blaster Z – High-Performance Gaming and Entertainment Audio (SRP US$119.99)
The Sound Blaster Z incorporates all the hardware and software features of the Sound Blaster Zx except for the ACM. Instead an external high quality dual-microphone array comes standard with this card.
An ideal all-around gaming and entertainment solution, the Sound Blaster Z delivers 120dB SNR and supports 192kHz direct pass-through to analog out. It also features glowing LED lighting, a 600 ohm headphone amplifier, an EMI-free analog input and output path, SB Speaker- Calibration and gold-plated I/O connections for pristine audio quality.
Pricing and Availability
The Sound Blaster ZxR, priced at US$249.99, the Sound Blaster Zx, priced at US$149.99, and the Sound Blaster Z, priced at US $119.99, are slated for availability in December 2012. For more information visit soundblaster.com.
We at GamingShogun.com have learned from a source within Starbucks that the company plans to begin selling its Fall flavor line, which includes Pumpkin Spice Lattes (my personal favorite) on Tuesday, September 4, 2012. The company is notoriously silent on the release date of seasonal flavors, as stores often times have unannounced promotions for customers on launch day. Now, our internal source could be wrong but I believe this information to be accurate. We are reaching out to Starbucks for comment and will update this post if they respond.
Palo Alto, Calif. – August 14, 2012 – OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of on-demand cloud gaming, announced that Darksiders® II arrived on the OnLive Game Service in North America today, simultaneous with its official PC and console release, following a summer-long pre-order promotion. The highly anticipated sequel to THQ’s popular action-adventure Darksiders will be playable on demand on PC, Mac, Android™ tablets and on OnLive-enabled TVs. Availability in Europe will begin August 20th.
In Darksiders II players assume the role of Death, the most feared of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in an action-adventure game nearly four times the size of its predecessor. Faster gameplay, deep skill trees and a new loot system all build upon the strengths of the original, allowing players a wide variety of character development and customization options.
Signing up for an OnLive account is free at www.onlive.com, www.onlive.co.uk or www.onlive.be, and an instant demo enables users to play the game free for up to 30 minutes. As with all OnLive games, Darksiders II can be played on demand on PCs and Macs, OnLive-enabled TVs and even Android tablets, with saved games instantly available on whatever display is on hand. Players can also share their feats with friends using unique social functions only available through OnLive, such as Brag Clip® videos, OnLive’s massive spectating Arena and all-new OnLive MultiView in-game spectating, which enables players to spectate and chat with three other gamers while playing their own game (currently in private beta).
“We’ve taken Darksiders to new heights with this epic game, and we’re excited to share it with an even broader audience and a broader range of devices through OnLive,” said Jim Huntley, THQ’s Vice President of Global Brand Management.
For more information about Darksiders II, please visit www.Darksiders.com. To find out more about OnLive, visit www.onlive.com, www.onlive.co.uk or www.onlive.be. Facebook: www.facebook.com/onlive or Twitter: @OnLive
