Electronic Arts has released a new walkthrough video for the track at Brands Hatch in Kent, England. Need for Speed Shift was released on September 15th.
Author - Jerry Paxton
The Thing was released in 2002 and serves a direct-sequel to the 1982 John Carpenter film of the same name. Developed by Computer Artworks and published by Vivendi Universal Games, The Thing took fans of the classic horror movie on a claustrophobic roller coaster ride that, despite a few bugs and issues with the game’s NPC interaction system, was a blast.
The game takes place a short while after the events of the film, with Outpost 31 lying mostly in charred ruins, and tasks the player with leading a US military rescue team to survey the site and find out what exactly happened to the outpost’s 12-man crew… (cont.)
(cont.) It was presented as a third-person shooter that, for 2002, had some very well-crafted visuals which really brought the game’s arctic environments to life. The game’s first level allows the player to directly explore Outpost 31 and is an absolutely treat for fans of the film. Of course, over the span of the game things go terribly wrong and the titular organism is again in danger of spreading to the entire planet. The only one between it and the general population: You. Oh, and possibly R.J. Macready who may or may not have been hiding out the entire time.
This game worked very well on the level of being claustrophobic. Its narrow hallways and intimate interiors really added to the sense of fear – fear not only of fighting the creatures themselves but also that your teammates might at any moment begin turning… The game’s fear/trust/infection system, when it worked, made keeping your squad’s trust levels high an absolute priority, as if you did not, your squad could do anything from run away to hide or even commit suicide!
Unfortunately, the fear/trust/infection system did not always work well, which had some very bizarre effects on your squadmates – often times making it easier just to off everyone you met. Problem with this system is that often times to gain access to locked doors and accomplish other goals was they you would have to team up with engineers you happened across.
The Thing has some very low system requirements by today’s standards and I doubt you could get it effectively running on a Windows Vista or 7 system at all. However, if you can get the Xbox version of the game and still have a system to play it on I highly recommend it – especially now during the scary season!
Being a United Nations Space Command ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper) means that you are a generally mal-tempered fellow who gets his kicks by dropping from orbit in a small metal coffin onto the battlefield – usually right into enemy lines to take them by surprise. You are considered the best of the best by most everyone and are looked upon with shock and awe wherever you fight. Nevermind those mythical ‘Spartans’, being an ODST is what its all about! Hoorah!
The game starts prior to the events of Halo 3 as you are a rookie ODST just joining his first squad aboard the UNSC heavy frigate Say My Name. You meet your squadmates, three of which are voiced by Firefly alumni Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, and Alan Tudyk. The actors all give good, solid performances in their respective ODST roles and it really feels like they enjoyed the work of recording it.
The Say My Name gets into orbit above New Mombasa and starts dropping your HEVs (Human Entry Vehicles) containing ODSTs when the High Prophet of Regret takes his ship into slipspace, creating a massive shock wave which destroys a good portion of the city center, while also throwing all of your HEVs off-course. This slipstream entry should be familiar to those of you who played Halo 3. Most of the game is spent showing the player’s character finding his comrades. You will play as other characters in the game though, mostly to show their sides of the adventure as it unfolds.
Gameplay as a human ODST and not a Spartan-II soldier is definitely a different experience. Not nearly as resistant to damage, you will find that cover and concealment become increasingly important as the battles get heavier. Thankfully, and this could be considered a problem by some, Bungie does not overwhelm you with Covenant forces to deal with in ODST. Sure, the battles will challenge you at times but more often than not you will be stealthily-dispatching your enemies when possible, thinning them out before making a frontal assault.
Part of the ODST arsenal is a helmet which uses an augmented reality system to enhance your vision and better your combat and navigation about the city. When activated it casts an, at first, off-putting filter over the camera and ups the contrast slightly. It doesn’t seem all that useful until you realize that it will definitely help you see in low-light conditions thanks to its wireframe outlining of the terrain. Also, the augmented reality system can be used to hunt for clues to your squadmates’ whereabouts.
Part of ODST will be spent looking for these clues and you will have to put on your detective hat because they can be difficult to find. The city is laid out in a rough spoke and wheel pattern and is fairly open in every mission. If you take the time to explore all the nooks and crannies you will no doubt find health stations, ammo, and new weapons to fight the Covenant with – a heavy pistol and silenced machine gun.
The game will be enjoyed by fans of shooters as well as the Halo series. However, some might be disappointed by the singleplayer/coop campaign’s short duration coupled with the game’s full-release product pricing ($60). Afterall, you pay full-game pricing and you will no doubt expect a full-game. Thankfully, Microsoft and Bungie have thrown in some additions to soften the blow of this high cost. Halo 3: ODST includes every add-on map for Halo 3 as well as three new maps not seen before. Also included in the purchase is the option to beta test Halo: REACH sometime next year.
One of the more interesting things I found with the game was how the developers organized and refined enemy AI. You will often encounter groups of grunts being escorted about by an Elite or Brute. The interaction between the species is really fun to watch and you will have plenty of time to do so when sneaking about.
In Halo 3: ODST, you will not be able to recharge your health after taking a moment’s rest. Instead, you will have to deal with your stamina meter which acts similar to the shield system found in Halo 3. However, you will also have a health display which, if it empties, so do you. You will have to replenish your health and med stations throughout New Mombasa. Along the way you will be aided to these stations as well as clues about other ODSTs by a ‘dumb AI’ known as the Superintendent. The Superintendant will do fun things like change traffic lights, road signs, etc in order to get you where you need to go. Its a fun, yet effective gimmick.
Overall, Halo 3: ODST is a mixed bag of Halo goodness. Sometimes you will yell at it for costing so much and very obviously only being a short expansion. Other times, you will be yelling at the top of your lungs something like, ‘Die covies! Die!’, as you empty whole mags into enemy troops.
BadRadish Entertainment has released a new trailer for their upcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade title, Lodestar 1000. The game takes a new spin on the classic ‘Simon’ gameplay.
Microsoft has announced that a Wireless N-variant of their Xbox 360 wireless adapter will be available for $100 dollars and is set to release on November 3rd. The adapter uses the Draft 802.11n-wireless standard and is also backwards compatible with 802.11b/g networks.
It is available for pre-order now through Gamestop.com
The November issue of GameInformer magazine will officially feature the reveal of EPIC MICKEY, the upcoming platformer being developed by Warren Spector’s Junction Point studio. The game is said to be a Nintendo Wii-exclusive, in which players will be able to paint and erase levels in an attempt to stop a coup by Disney villains and other characters (none were named). GI also posted their interview with Spector in light of their spoiler article of the November issue’s contents.
Via GI
Just in time for the Halloween season, XSEED Games has announced that their upcoming ‘haunted house simulator’, Ju-On: The Grudge, will be released on October 13th. The game is based on the films of the same name in Japan and promises to provide plenty of scares for the Nintendo Wii gamers.
One of the more interesting games coming down the pipe in the near future is Positech Games’ Gratuitous Space Battles. GSB allows players to customize various space craft types and pit their fleets against others in various combat scenarios. But in this seemingly simply concept, there is quite a bit of complexity.
Customizing your ships begins with selecting what ship chassis you want to load out. Ships are classified into three categories (the retail game may add more, time will tell): Fighters, Frigates, and Cruisers. Even different chassis in the same ship class will differ with regards to numbers of hardpoints and other bonuses such as hull or shield modifiers. After choosing your chassis you will begin loading out the ship with various technologies. Will you create a dedicated missile platform, or perhaps an anti-fighter ship? The choice is really up to you and makes for many fun hours of tinkering to get it just right… (cont.)
(cont.) Battling enemy fleets is mostly a hands-off affair. After you setup your initial fleet composition and formation you are just along for the ride. While some might feel this is boring – not being able to interact with your ship captains at all, I enjoyed the idea that my fleets were operating independently of my control. I could sit back and enjoy the fireworks, as it were. So many times did one fleet come back from near defeat or pull some very surprising maneuvering to out flank the enemy – it really is exciting to watch. On the other hand, my fleets also got their chronometers cleaned several times as well.
Visually, GSB is crisp and detailed. Weapon effects are really snappy and unique dependent on the type being fired while the shield effects provide a useful cue as to their status. You even get some nifty motion blurs and camera shaking where appropriate as battles unfold. As previously mentioned, ships come in three flavors: fighters, frigates, and cruisers. No word yet on if we can expect larger/different types in the final product but we will keep you posted. Also the only playable faction in the beta version is the Federation – the final version will undoubtedly have more to choose from, as can be seen in the factions of the enemy fleets you fight against in the beta version.
The in-game audio is very well done, which is really saying something, as with all the ships on your screen at once there are a ton of sound effects running simultaneously. Also, all of the weapon types have their own sound effects (blasters sound different than phasors, etc), so you can imagine Positech Games has put a lot of effort into the audio of the product.
Overall, Gratuitous Space Battle is already a blast to play with very little in the way of bugs and we can’t wait to see how the finished product turns out.
LucasArts and Tt Games have released a new trailer for their upcoming LEGO: Indiana Jones 2. Due out on November 17th for all major consoles and handhelds, Indy 2 will allow gamers to play through various scenes from all four Indiana Jones films including the latest where you can re-enact the infamous fridge-nuking scene.
EA Sports has released an iPhone/iPod Touch application that will let you keep up on the latest happenings with your Madden 10 online franchise. The Online Franchise Companion app is free and also allows you to accept and propose player trades as well as interact with other franchise owners.
