1up is reporting on an IGN interview with Microsoft Regional Entertainment Director Neil Thompson in which he stated, ‘I don’t think it’s as binary now as it was with the previous generation. It really depends on your criteria of ‘winning’…If we keep doing what we’ve been doing, I think when people look back on this in the future they will see this as a very successful stepping stone in Microsoft’s broader entertainment vision.’
hmmm ‘broader vision’, eh?
Joystiq reports that the Virtua Fighter 5 demo is available on Xbox Live.
From Gamespot:
‘Although Virtua Fighter 5 has been available on the PlayStation 3 for some time now, the Xbox 360 version looks set to be the definitive version. Because the game is based around the latest version of hardware in the arcades, it’s the most up-to-date home port of the game and therefore features improved artificial intelligence. If that weren’t enough to convince hardcore VF players to buy the game again, the Xbox 360 version’s improved, anti-aliased graphics should tip the balance.’
The game will be available retail on October 30th.
Gamespot has posted their review for Loki: Heroes of Mythology. The Diablo II meets Neverwinter Nights 2 style gameplay seems like it would be good fun for a boring evening.
From the article:
‘Somebody needs to tell Cyanide that it’s a little late in the day to be ripping off Diablo II. That seven-year-old action RPG provides the template for Loki: Heroes of Mythology, a derivative hack-and-slash that brings nothing new to the genre. Still, being late for the party is the only major strike against this game. Even though the Diablo formula may seem awfully ho-hum these days–especially in this case, since Titan Quest covered the mythological-heroes shtick over a year ago–good mechanics and great atmosphere make up for the lack of innovation.’
AICN is reporting that Simon Pegg has been cast as Engineer Scott in the next Star Trek film. It is only a matter of time before Kirk is officially announced. Personally, I think Pegg will do an amazing job.
GameSpot has posted their review of the Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion, Mask of the Betryayer. Overall the expansion looks very good, and should be worth the purchase.
From the article:
‘Mask of the Betrayer is a much more mature expansion, both due to its content and because it demonstrates how Obsidian Entertainment is maturing as a developer. If you felt that NWN2 was a bit too action-focused, then you should definitely check out Mask of the Betrayer’s blend of combat, puzzles, and decision-making.’
Joystiq has posted the music list used in BioShock. Obviously these are standards used in the game, not the score masterfully crafted by Garry Schyman.
From the article:
’20th Century Blues — Noel Coward
Academy Award — Stanley Black
Avalon — Django Reinhardt
Bei Mir Bist Du Schon (means you’re grand) — The Andrews Sisters
Best Things in Life Are Free — The Inkspots
Brother Can You spare a Dime — Bing Crosby
Danny Boy — Mario Lanza
God Bless the Child — Billie Holiday
How Much is that Doggie — Pattie Page
If I didn’t care — The Ink Spots
It Had to Be You — Django Reinhardt
It’s Bad For Me — Rosemary Clooney
Jitterbug Waltz — Django Reinhardt
Just One Of Those Things — Lee Morgan
Just Walkin’ in the Rain — Johnny Ray
La Mer (Beyond the Sea ) — Bobby Darin
La Mer (Beyond the Sea) — Django Reinhardt
Let’s Fly Away — Lee Wiley
Liza — Django Reinhardt
Night and Day — Billie Holiday
Papa Loves Mambo — Perry Como
Please Be Kind — Django Reinhardt
The Party’s Over Now — Noel Coward
The Waltz of the Flowers — Pytor Llyich Tchaikovsky
This Is A Changing World — Noel Coward
Wild Ride — Faux Frenchmen
World Weary — Noel Coward
Wrap your troubles in dreams — Bing Crosby
You’re Getting To Be A Habit — Harry Edison Bing Crosby
You’re the Top — Cole Porte’
Fileplanet subscribers rejoice, for you can pre-load the Unreal Tournament 3 demo now so you can play it when the demo is officially released today at 12pm pst.
Unreal Tournament 3 is the next installment in Epic Games’ popular sci-fi shooter series and apparently, the game looks incredible.
From a Gamespot preview:
‘Not enough can be said for the visuals. The game looks spectacular, and it’s quite possibly the best Unreal Engine 3 game that we’ve seen to date. Considering that this list includes last year’s Gears of War, that’s high praise indeed.’
Yahoo Videogames now has the Call of Duty 4 demo available for download. The demo is 1.4Gb and features a full level of the single-player campaign. This mission has you fighting through a Middle Eastern town beset with insurgents, as you try to free a trapped tank from a bog that it’s become mired in. Since Call of Duty started out as a PC franchise, this demo is a nice little nod to the fan base that supported the series in the first place.
AICN is reporting via the Hollywood Reporter that John Cho, of the Harold and Kumar flicks will be Mr Sulu in the upcoming Star Trek XI.
Lets start by prefacing this review with the fact that I am a huge Halo fan, mostly of the story itself. I could care less about multiplayer features, and am focusing on the single player experience in this review. Halo 3 picks up with the Master Chief hurtling towards a Covenant-conquered Earth in a Forerunner ship and Cortana located with the Gravemind. Without going into spoilers about the story, I will say if you are a fan of the Halo story thus far, you wont be disappointed. While the story is good, one problem is that the battle for which the diorama in the Microsoft ‘believe’ campaign was made for is featured so little in the game itself. That series of commercials hype up this climactic battle when it does not take place in the actual game, at least in the manner the commercials make out.
The gameplay is very much in the same vein as the previous games, which is to say, fun. The level design is much better this time around however you still run into some ‘uninspired’ areas here and there. There is a greater selection of weapons including a very powerful Spartan Laser cannon as well as the original Assault Rifle from Halo, slightly upgraded of course. Now you also have the ability to use ‘gadgets’ such as portable force shields, which adds an additional layer of planning to the game without, thankfully, becoming mired down by it. One thing that has never felt right to me in Halo games was jumping. For some reason the acceleration has never felt fast enough, almost like you are jumping on the Moon, and that issue also presents itself here but at this point you should be used to it.
There has been some controversy over the graphics of Halo 3. First, it was the graphical quality of the demo and now it is what resolution the game runs in and if there is any anti-aliasing. Aside from noticing ‘jaggies’ here and there I have no issue with the graphics (except for the field of view used by the camera) and think they are pretty enough to do the job. The field of view seems a bit ‘off’. It looks like it is a bit too narrow and needs some opening up slightly.
The music in this game is truly epic and Marty O’Donnell has outdone himself by creating a score even John Williams could appreciate! I am definitely purchasing the soundtrack when it is released on November 20th. In addition, the sound is excellent in this game, from secondary effects to ambient noises the sound design is incredible.
The performance of the actors is excellent and the cast list reads like an episode of some Firefly-Battlestar Galactica crossover with the likes of Adam Baldwin, Nathan Fillion, and Katee Sackhoff to name a few. Steve Downes does a good job with his lines, as ‘spartan’ as they are and Jen Taylor is great as always.
As for the conclusion of Halo 3? You will just have to play it yourself. A note to the players out there, some additional ending information is presented when played on Legendary. Also, do yourself a favor and watch past the rolling of the credits!
