tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89485400910102903842024-03-21T21:43:49.525-04:00Gamerology: The Science of GamingWelcome to Gamerology! An all gaming blog featuring the latest in gaming news, reviews, and narrow minded opinion from bona fide gaming geniuses.Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-70293158987012680462010-10-15T09:45:00.009-04:002010-10-19T14:43:52.520-04:00Medal of Honor ReviewThis is perhaps the most difficult review I've had to write during my tenure at Gamerology. I had high expectations for this series reboot. That isn’t to say that Medal of Honor didn’t meet some of them. In fact, that’s what makes it so difficult. Medal of Honor excels in some respects and feels antiquated in others. In hindsight, the pressure on development teams Danger Close and DICE was immense. DICE known for their stand-out Bad Company series, and Danger Close a small studio within EA Los Angeles tasked with breathing new and much needed life into the series single player campaign. The mission was clear. Take down Call of Duty. It’s no secret that EA is desperate to get a piece of the Shooter pie. Unfortunately, the likelihood of Medal of Honor meeting the lofty expectations of the gaming community and becoming a “Call of Duty killer” is nominal at best. This isn’t to say that the series isn’t on the right track. The new setting and focus are certainly a step in the right direction.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4naNVrw_PAJVlHb5Nz_KpLdGah2eZIH2vrYaWR6bsNZQF5aILSFnwhCmk0Qyp6IoFXFxy0PbCTOz2jFfD_0tB3aMWPoBo4qE1cQnQB_5q0eVEd2XWyMOa8Geocx7WrIJ4bF9dQ5RJJZN/s1600/7561.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529768909221218050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4naNVrw_PAJVlHb5Nz_KpLdGah2eZIH2vrYaWR6bsNZQF5aILSFnwhCmk0Qyp6IoFXFxy0PbCTOz2jFfD_0tB3aMWPoBo4qE1cQnQB_5q0eVEd2XWyMOa8Geocx7WrIJ4bF9dQ5RJJZN/s320/7561.jpg" /></a>Medal of Honor takes place in the mountains of Afghanistan and portrays a conflict still very much a reality for the thousands of U.S. servicemen on the other side of the globe. Danger Close Studios has been very vocal about the U.S. military's involvement in the development of Medal of Honor. Direct input was provided from several tier one operators from the Special Operations community. Trailers were even created depicting the real life operators discussing their experiences. I can assure you that as far as authenticity is concerned, Danger Close has honored these warriors and their sacrifice. It's obvious that Executive Producer Greg Goodrich and his team are adamant admirers of the U.S. military and its Special Forces veterans. Definite care has been taken in attention to detail. The in game chatter between soldiers is spot on and specific to that branch of armed forces. So much so that players unfamiliar with military banter will often wonder what the hell everyone is talking about.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWOh4M7z3J4O6Xk-5szhm9nuaACt4PTrYBUpekkgmdJuQUUUQu4VUP_QveQyVp1yfCIZg4laLohNLy4tehoqCg1waoZo1bL8LBZ-u5W18nizKgT8-hPOluLm8BGshqAnLN0g8WXQPesJ9/s1600/7563.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529768912116878594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXWOh4M7z3J4O6Xk-5szhm9nuaACt4PTrYBUpekkgmdJuQUUUQu4VUP_QveQyVp1yfCIZg4laLohNLy4tehoqCg1waoZo1bL8LBZ-u5W18nizKgT8-hPOluLm8BGshqAnLN0g8WXQPesJ9/s320/7563.jpg" /></a> "Realism" is an increasingly debatable design choice in the FPS genre. Having a game present a plausible scenario filled with real world detail helps to ground the player and develop an emotional connection for the player. It's not enough to carry a game however. The majority of Medal of Honor is unfortunately run of the mill. There are a few points of high tension and intensity, but ultimately Danger didn’t pace the game accordingly. Games certainly need high and low points to create climaxes, but you should never be left feeling bored with what’s happening on screen. Modern Warfare 2 is certainly not a perfect game, but it did set the bar quite high for seat of your pants action. In reality, Operators aren’t in combat every moment they are in conflict. Countless hours are spent on reconnaissance and observation. That being said, I am not a Delta Operator, I’m an out of shape gamer from Long Island. The stealth portions of the game are numerous and feel contrived. You never feel at any moment like your cover will be blown. Throughout the entire campaign, you are paired with a fellow Operator that leads you around like a child. You rarely feel like you are in command of the situation. There are memorable moments on occasion. Shootouts will often have you wondering if you are going to make it out alive. You are always outnumbered 20 to 1 and your enemy is surprisingly accurate with their weapons. I can’t tell you how many times I was clipped with a single round headshot. However, even these moments become monotonous after awhile as it's the only real action scenario you encounter. You'll hunker down and defend a position against waves of enemies until you escape or are extracted. Playing on the PC version is easy enough as you can simply lean out from cover and pick off enemies as they pop out from cover. The sheer number of enemies can occasionally begin to overwhelm, but most experienced gamers won’t feel the heat unless on the hardest difficulty setting.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59wwRgn4fHpv1Cg0fozuv9YjCzASYe4mHRX8fq0ft5GtyFJ4nI0ii53mJ_vMIoPsn0i_JNNRoAcMbuW9mUflnVfuJhCboIqETVVc0l9ukXr7qABxyiaHd8-wkvOAq2qkho6peUzr5FEzm/s1600/7558.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529768903244986898" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59wwRgn4fHpv1Cg0fozuv9YjCzASYe4mHRX8fq0ft5GtyFJ4nI0ii53mJ_vMIoPsn0i_JNNRoAcMbuW9mUflnVfuJhCboIqETVVc0l9ukXr7qABxyiaHd8-wkvOAq2qkho6peUzr5FEzm/s320/7558.jpg" /></a> The development team is painfully aware of the success of Modern Warfare 2. So much so that Medal of Honor feels like a checklist of Call of Duty’s greatest moments. There is rarely a moment that hasn’t been done in some capacity and in many instances better by the well established franchise. Danger Close is so intent on following the Call of Duty formula they even opted to create a painfully short experience that clocks in at no more than 4 hours. If it takes you longer, you are either brand spanking new to shooters or you have no thumbs.<br />Medal of Honor features a limited HUD that is effective for immersion purposes, but often leaves you wondering where the hell you are supposed to go and what you are supposed to do when you get there. Visually, Medal of Honor is a mixed bag. The single player portion is running on a “heavily modified” version of the Unreal 3 engine. What that means, I can’t tell you. Despite modification the Unreal 3 engine is still apparent every time you switch between weapons and the texture loads a moment later. Character models aren't bad and most of the scenery is highly detailed and clean, but largely uninteresting and repetitive. I realize this is largely due to the Afghan mountain setting. However, many locales don’t feel fully realized with plenty of empty rooms and closed doors. There are rooms within Bagram Airbase that are not only completely unoccupied, but filled with darkness to cover up the fact. Detail is only applied to the route you must traverse during the extremely linear level progression. Some aspects of the game were given a great deal of attention and polish while others feel neglected and unfinished. That being said, areas of note include the stellar animations and realistic particle effects. The sound design inpercticular is praise worthy. The gun sound effects are by far the most believable I’ve ever heard. The team headed to an Army base and recorded the majority of the games sounds direct from the source. They even went so far as to record the weapon systems from varying distances to capture the uncanny crack a sniper rifle makes from a mile away. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIj1VAyzdg3QvIny5qMhezUWCJNwyrTs_GeOmPIzD4V77ACFXg_O8G75D6kGq9yZTQtSU3xa3arAEulsz87kWTWW-MgOSIbP4jMh7ON3PmRFw3ytX8GXKEBK2vXKryqV_Kpz-TpHzcVE_/s1600/7564.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529768936414192242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIj1VAyzdg3QvIny5qMhezUWCJNwyrTs_GeOmPIzD4V77ACFXg_O8G75D6kGq9yZTQtSU3xa3arAEulsz87kWTWW-MgOSIbP4jMh7ON3PmRFw3ytX8GXKEBK2vXKryqV_Kpz-TpHzcVE_/s320/7564.jpg" /></a> The multiplayer portion of the game is actually the weaker of the two. It was developed by DICE. The gameplay feels like an unholy spawn of Call of Duty and Bad Company 2. The result is a game that has no identity. There are scarcely any maps at launch and even worse bugs will often result in players battling on the same map time and again without interruption. The classes are largely unbalanced and Snipers rule the battlefield. It’s a one hit kill pretty much regardless of where the round hits, and the effective range is limitless once high powered scopes are unlocked. DICE attempted to combat this by giving the Assault Rifle class an unrealistic effective range with nearly no recoil. Even sub machine guns are capable of sniper like accuracy. Close quarter combat is non-existent as players take turns trying to pick off tiny heads in the distance. Cover is deceiving as well. You are given the impression that you are completely safe with your entire body secure; meanwhile your opponent is viewing half your body hanging out begging to be targeted. Medal of Honor’s multiplayer will merely provide a distraction to those waiting for Black Ops release this November.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-sqlHX3tURKuu1e-PVK4QG7VJIeyDkl_syDYQhzHTcAOvRebh8Of0gOXHKRZkodbse-5s1PGMJlS9xGm15sY6LGKXgObuu47AsYSxStLWQpIOywkiqxkzMDrcu05g7epLYzV_nmt3bBx/s1600/7559.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529768906079618050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii-sqlHX3tURKuu1e-PVK4QG7VJIeyDkl_syDYQhzHTcAOvRebh8Of0gOXHKRZkodbse-5s1PGMJlS9xGm15sY6LGKXgObuu47AsYSxStLWQpIOywkiqxkzMDrcu05g7epLYzV_nmt3bBx/s320/7559.jpg" /></a>Medal of Honor isn’t a bad game. It just wasn’t able to meet the industry’s expectations and high standards. The shooter genre is a very crowded market and re-launching a franchise requires an exceptional offering in order to turn heads. It’s a step in the right direction, but major improvements to narrative, gameplay and pacing are going to be necessary to become king of the hill.<br /><br />Rating: 7.0 out of 10Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-82443163916471533612010-07-20T10:54:00.013-04:002010-07-22T16:07:18.574-04:00The Digital Vine - 7/20/10<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqDlIgLlfPtMQ7Awyj3IZoxbIZn8y4fDwVLJPRiTUJH86EQjtvO0iI86b42p_nrOYs78AXJX1yBzw-gZaZxfJ9i1WY2oJlgL0MMLN1p5WSP0iZ20MwZMNGpPlgcubsv99B5hHSZZjXD3i/s1600/digital+vine.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 100px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496002561139054738" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglqDlIgLlfPtMQ7Awyj3IZoxbIZn8y4fDwVLJPRiTUJH86EQjtvO0iI86b42p_nrOYs78AXJX1yBzw-gZaZxfJ9i1WY2oJlgL0MMLN1p5WSP0iZ20MwZMNGpPlgcubsv99B5hHSZZjXD3i/s400/digital+vine.jpg" /></a><br />Welcome back to another edition of The Digital Vine! We've got a lot to cover this week so let's dive right in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctP-ZbJ-a4xGfM2Q_HdeEeqfly7JwzFq3JCQ1IRIRSnqiBR6SKE8FkKtc2u3rX6968DVOs0p1wc-57mpgWGPCldu1pdcHet2uLfv8L6vEA88AlxrwqAPujAQSjI0M0MUhghlCxg1QzMHN/s1600/Dragon-Age-1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496003715567365778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctP-ZbJ-a4xGfM2Q_HdeEeqfly7JwzFq3JCQ1IRIRSnqiBR6SKE8FkKtc2u3rX6968DVOs0p1wc-57mpgWGPCldu1pdcHet2uLfv8L6vEA88AlxrwqAPujAQSjI0M0MUhghlCxg1QzMHN/s320/Dragon-Age-1.jpg" /></a><br />Dragon Age Origins and it's companion piece Awakening are getting major face lifts. A new patch is on the way that will correct a slew of issues. Behold the official patch notes!<br /><p><strong>General Fixes</strong><br /></p><p>• Daggers will now properly assign the dexterity-based damage bonus.</p><p>• Achievement images and messages will now display properly.</p><p>• Resolved some authorization issues with downloadable content.</p><p>• Blood talents from the Grey Warden Base premium downloadable content will now work properly in Awakening.</p><p>• Fixed an issue where installing new downloadable content would occasionally leave the "Other Campaigns" selection greyed-out without a restart of the game.</p><p>• Multiple transitions in and out of Fade areas will no longer multiply the number of visual effects running and slow down gameplay.</p><p>• Floating numbers no longer appears over players' heads.</p><p>• Damage statistics will now be updated properly on the Inventory screen when weapons were unequipped.</p><p>• Importing a character to a new module from a savegame that did not have the hero in the party caused the game to crash.</p><p>• If a character is imported into Dragon Age: Awakening and is stripped of their incompatible gear from DLC, they will be equipped with default equipment.</p><p>• Names with accents and special characters will now show up correctly in the Story So Far load hints.</p><p>• Switching between Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age: Awakening will no longer reset options to default settings.</p><p>• Fixed a number of memory leaks that were increasing the number of crashes.</p><p>• Audio drivers were causing a number of audio-related crashes. As such, audio drivers have been updated.</p><p>• Fixed issues that were preventing portraits from being uploaded to the BioWare social site.</p><p>•Game saves on Xbox 360 were being corrupted if you sold too many items to the same merchant. Saves will no longer be corrupted if you do this.</p><p>• Screenshots are no longer automatically uploaded on the PC by default on new installations.</p><p>• Fixed pick-pocketing. Characters were successfully stealing, but not receiving any items.</p><p><strong>Dragon Age: Origins Fixes</strong></p><p>• Fixed an issue that would cause incorrect characters to occasionally appear in Morrigan's ritual.</p><p>• Players who rescued their party members in the Fade of the Broken Circle plot were still forced to fight the sloth demon alone. This has been resolved.</p><p>• It is no longer possible for the player to get blocked during gameplay by pursuing both candidates' quests in the Orzammar plot line.</p><p><strong>Dragon Age: Awakening Fixes</strong></p><p>• A variety of bugs were preventing personal quests from triggering and causing issues with party member approval have been fixed.</p><p>• Lillith will no longer repeatedly thank the player at Vigil's Keep after being rescued.</p><p>• During the Assault on Amaranthine, a bug would occasionally make some enemies invincible, which impeded game progress. This no longer happens.</p><p>• Imported rogue characters will now properly detect traps.</p><p>• The message, "Legacy tattoo asset do not use!" will no longer appear on the faces of imported characters.</p><p>• Masterpiece and paragon silverite runes are now weapon runes instead of armor runes.</p><p>• The masterpiece slow rune is now available for purchase from merchant stores.</p><p>• Players may now receive notes of appreciation from their Origins love interests. </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJ8VCyPxI8D8KbwY-pj2ib6jcgviensgrWprxLhFUpj8atdbizXr3FS6ldiW0xLdxiijSMlxaKuinW5zCpybHWS6T-U3ry4EobrkdgYiKfda3tOB-Mkltk4tVpBHtNKLkWLmVl20YO4Sc/s1600/kojima.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496764650428340578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJ8VCyPxI8D8KbwY-pj2ib6jcgviensgrWprxLhFUpj8atdbizXr3FS6ldiW0xLdxiijSMlxaKuinW5zCpybHWS6T-U3ry4EobrkdgYiKfda3tOB-Mkltk4tVpBHtNKLkWLmVl20YO4Sc/s320/kojima.jpg" /></a><br />Famed Metal Gear Solid creator, Hideo Kojima, is working on an adventure game. Nothing is known as of yet however Kojima stated via Twitter that he will "challenge a certain type of taboo." He went on to say "If I mess up, I'll probably have to leave the industry." I have faith in Hideo Kojima and whatever he's working on will no doubt captivate fans. On the other hand, maybe he's ripe for a bomb after all these years.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsPeudojJM0VLOLrKMQQyX_-MpB8HbHsBxMz4zQK3m5SljaMFPubomEiz82aetpezkz4-UmlJEaeERyvLBrAq46Uc2NTGESrjufXKlj_cWsiFeh7LPCP5YoYsZzABXarDPPphg-LFQpUU/s1600/shaferkotick.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 173px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5496756271639732002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsPeudojJM0VLOLrKMQQyX_-MpB8HbHsBxMz4zQK3m5SljaMFPubomEiz82aetpezkz4-UmlJEaeERyvLBrAq46Uc2NTGESrjufXKlj_cWsiFeh7LPCP5YoYsZzABXarDPPphg-LFQpUU/s320/shaferkotick.jpg" /></a><br />Tim Schafer recently sat down with Eurogamer.com and had a few choice words for Activision head Bobby Kotick. <em>"His obligation is to his shareholders. Well, he doesn't have to be as much of a dick about it, does he? I think there is a way he can do it without being a total prick. It seems like it would be possible. It's not something he's interested in."</em> Schafer went on to say, <em>"Well, he makes a big deal about not liking games, and I just don't think that attitude is good for games in general. I don't think we're an industry of widgets. I don't think we can approach it like we approach bars of soap, where you're just trying to make the cheapest bar of soap."</em> I'm glad someone finally said it. Unfortunately Tim retracted his statement soon after and offered an apology. I'm guessing Mr. Kotick's lawyers made a few phone calls.Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-72998048736570202662010-07-16T10:11:00.005-04:002010-07-16T10:46:19.593-04:00New Screenshots!Hey game fans! We are back after a bit of a hiatus with some new screenshots for Spec Ops: The Line and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Spec Ops developer Yager has never developed a AAA title before. This is causing skepticism in the gaming community as to their ability to develop a top tier gaming experience. Let us not forget the likes of Bioshock and Farcry, both developed by development teams that were mere blips on the map compared to some of the industries established giants. So far, the footage released gives every indication that Spec Ops: The Line will be the sleeper hit of 2011.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZuCaEYMaZyKMa5AiROtK6dVZ_avJFy45VYJI1mfpUL4dzULWpL5M2incnsarNlhuUAk4FysJsK2bK3UCgKbG86c30MwPetNjGeIx3e5V2LwOLo4UaogiSNRNRSbAUh_OfFe9FInR1Win/s1600/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOT_IV-noscale.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494512599469146482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIZuCaEYMaZyKMa5AiROtK6dVZ_avJFy45VYJI1mfpUL4dzULWpL5M2incnsarNlhuUAk4FysJsK2bK3UCgKbG86c30MwPetNjGeIx3e5V2LwOLo4UaogiSNRNRSbAUh_OfFe9FInR1Win/s320/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOT_IV-noscale.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDu3JiYdO_yCp78mMB4qKF6SDotQnHihzN33W7boCENrvqqqAkA-5dF_gZjwquXSdKTlYs2Aa0hG6pWm3e-55wAAeYVXPPkjgpNWRsluBMAw-9pRKqY_eJeUxE6jBHcrrTqUFNyHv4Cgy/s1600/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOT_II-noscale.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494512594350653874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDu3JiYdO_yCp78mMB4qKF6SDotQnHihzN33W7boCENrvqqqAkA-5dF_gZjwquXSdKTlYs2Aa0hG6pWm3e-55wAAeYVXPPkjgpNWRsluBMAw-9pRKqY_eJeUxE6jBHcrrTqUFNyHv4Cgy/s320/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOT_II-noscale.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscA1rzM27u9K1bw2igV4Te8D6LVoS91XkxUh6zZhsQ87_Tr5g9j8AVdCBxw682HMO-Kb-JZfYejW2Tr13LJqlrYnZgUwgoRD61icO486JsIx3xE-l9VdE92x64QZGoVidc26kwjbbhMRH/s1600/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_X-noscale.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494512053533376098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscA1rzM27u9K1bw2igV4Te8D6LVoS91XkxUh6zZhsQ87_Tr5g9j8AVdCBxw682HMO-Kb-JZfYejW2Tr13LJqlrYnZgUwgoRD61icO486JsIx3xE-l9VdE92x64QZGoVidc26kwjbbhMRH/s320/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_X-noscale.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMjHajLrEfdgOHmwWTe3wJOcFnwb-_M57qSP8QEGhKsdZVyWnyjeaEEVJSzvbOAWvAy7D69alHzX8KbdXtKILYMxHM6hlz26Yax-hWdJrJYHrEIAHW5m0Y0aSC8dslk1NGiA7Vy-CxpcQ/s1600/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_VIII-noscale.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494512042748039394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMjHajLrEfdgOHmwWTe3wJOcFnwb-_M57qSP8QEGhKsdZVyWnyjeaEEVJSzvbOAWvAy7D69alHzX8KbdXtKILYMxHM6hlz26Yax-hWdJrJYHrEIAHW5m0Y0aSC8dslk1NGiA7Vy-CxpcQ/s320/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_VIII-noscale.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjtnm7yrxsMHFr00j87I8q81jY-71Q2IGQmLfdzuJakY6mQaGb75YEc5zNBPG-pJMHpvTYTaVEtUWEOusSeFWW2BO-V7hPwReYKvcanq53CSaPYdipUuU1kynVYyyjUcdouiDJiYzof9a/s1600/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_VII-noscale.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494511037294795314" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjtnm7yrxsMHFr00j87I8q81jY-71Q2IGQmLfdzuJakY6mQaGb75YEc5zNBPG-pJMHpvTYTaVEtUWEOusSeFWW2BO-V7hPwReYKvcanq53CSaPYdipUuU1kynVYyyjUcdouiDJiYzof9a/s320/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_VII-noscale.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdGwoFv2rR0YG7dvFek2u58exRoZYwgvPHGtBThaMZ0wlfDUM6PbutUQU6kcAxllTD9Tcgs-dllO9qSU3Vrvdin2OnJXXkqyRRqZCELcxzdqJVkaksoiekl65Cw63b8CqDzr6_bQAtQT4/s1600/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_VI-noscale.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494511033904453938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdGwoFv2rR0YG7dvFek2u58exRoZYwgvPHGtBThaMZ0wlfDUM6PbutUQU6kcAxllTD9Tcgs-dllO9qSU3Vrvdin2OnJXXkqyRRqZCELcxzdqJVkaksoiekl65Cw63b8CqDzr6_bQAtQT4/s320/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_VI-noscale.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CCbF_OrHcbq-YRiAUFXr5yLUZf4DrY__cR96ENVUj0ZQjTWv4ZI_0tAfoLAIYSlPMvROETPBzROpyPijIxWdTMDLYOTNCgJ8GKOO4C7ytVYL8DI9o6p7nlMqso8piN2y1X4bdlDXE0x4/s1600/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_IX-noscale.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494511024673624274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CCbF_OrHcbq-YRiAUFXr5yLUZf4DrY__cR96ENVUj0ZQjTWv4ZI_0tAfoLAIYSlPMvROETPBzROpyPijIxWdTMDLYOTNCgJ8GKOO4C7ytVYL8DI9o6p7nlMqso8piN2y1X4bdlDXE0x4/s320/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_IX-noscale.jpg" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmHGrZsDr01MU9rOPfAtik2jWaaSBiSeTj1bqzcXLe-kRmQu3YmSaW2poo1RtI2JRRWr67Y0pXZ87gJaWWgY1Cx_sAWeglqfr2qKbNhUTRGM0i3GuQj_uE_pGrws9Pz9zaitmGH8KoVwo/s1600/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_V-noscale.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494511020735598370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmHGrZsDr01MU9rOPfAtik2jWaaSBiSeTj1bqzcXLe-kRmQu3YmSaW2poo1RtI2JRRWr67Y0pXZ87gJaWWgY1Cx_sAWeglqfr2qKbNhUTRGM0i3GuQj_uE_pGrws9Pz9zaitmGH8KoVwo/s320/SPEC_OPS_THE_LINE_E3_SCREENSHOTS_V-noscale.jpg" /></a><br /><div>The Deus Ex franchise is a favorite among the hardcore gaming community. It's been seven years since Deus Ex 2: Invisible War and the announcement of a new installment was a bit surprising. Human Revolution is going to be a prequel to the original so there's no need to worry about remembering continuity. That being said, the following screenshots are gorgeous. Eidos Montreal has a real opportunity to revitalize the series. To be clear, this is a brand new team behind the helm and the original creators are not attached to the project in any capacity. Sometimes that's a good thing. Case in point; Red Dead Redemption. </div></div></div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TtmbR88076EyqP0ntxmeuEhA24gGrRi66u4nbbnuKHiwsv2yqyp694LBtK85uwq50HdIFQTJUGyqTFJjeY61yrunz78jdXMB-Yl6bQJAEb2-LDZixqqBXESTpvpaPbYnC44yC3VHyB85/s1600/dx_hr_screenshot_seaport_fight.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494514699570990130" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TtmbR88076EyqP0ntxmeuEhA24gGrRi66u4nbbnuKHiwsv2yqyp694LBtK85uwq50HdIFQTJUGyqTFJjeY61yrunz78jdXMB-Yl6bQJAEb2-LDZixqqBXESTpvpaPbYnC44yC3VHyB85/s320/dx_hr_screenshot_seaport_fight.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08aY3_N1TxJXkU4J01jIHJ-HHtCzTE7I7N1ZblDQ30el338TJoS68ABkfk-bl3HMN5HJ8MNt0ewU58GSsvlONGpp3aS9t3yJ3_RStQqtG5rF-p-HeH_rdndf_84tY8tz5nJ0yyKGCl_uQ/s1600/dx_hr_screenshot_sewers.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494514689481614834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08aY3_N1TxJXkU4J01jIHJ-HHtCzTE7I7N1ZblDQ30el338TJoS68ABkfk-bl3HMN5HJ8MNt0ewU58GSsvlONGpp3aS9t3yJ3_RStQqtG5rF-p-HeH_rdndf_84tY8tz5nJ0yyKGCl_uQ/s320/dx_hr_screenshot_sewers.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvDJ57gpwafazy49XozCRr_8EDdsbeLNIuGngskbXb0Cmd5XLKjaxgFSn_1Cvt7BzkPtQ2GHUobz9JJ4-nMQllBxiphc9vTw6kEEEIJwu8vvwOP2ehsUzMgIv2M_eEFCNrrkVRWnh5aHd/s1600/deusex_hr_2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494514684665243138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNvDJ57gpwafazy49XozCRr_8EDdsbeLNIuGngskbXb0Cmd5XLKjaxgFSn_1Cvt7BzkPtQ2GHUobz9JJ4-nMQllBxiphc9vTw6kEEEIJwu8vvwOP2ehsUzMgIv2M_eEFCNrrkVRWnh5aHd/s320/deusex_hr_2.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYkbOyf9N-vE9RY6qWnFdfT9wkq_mAPLAWTMGkSx0bZmq7IjVfMzzNcyQdUleKOhC0c-_YnZk19TF28XxNZr0rQYSwqHIABkbDxLkI6EDPDQARnzh7wPmRyGxyfxx_yA__4JwUvxGPnr0/s1600/deusex_hr_3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494514677716798658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLYkbOyf9N-vE9RY6qWnFdfT9wkq_mAPLAWTMGkSx0bZmq7IjVfMzzNcyQdUleKOhC0c-_YnZk19TF28XxNZr0rQYSwqHIABkbDxLkI6EDPDQARnzh7wPmRyGxyfxx_yA__4JwUvxGPnr0/s320/deusex_hr_3.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5327dBMk4FsxCcDr9A2WB6ChyphenhyphenJrSZBTWg7Av3Vc8XM1B2ZbE4mJBJK5poWZydaoUdKRxaOFCkM0WrzDJDnmCWfh2lY8bgZGTYBiBnIUp7jjsRcaU14uVpBS87ocQ5HcljJogEMJZA5-4C/s1600/deusex_hr_4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494514672521424018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5327dBMk4FsxCcDr9A2WB6ChyphenhyphenJrSZBTWg7Av3Vc8XM1B2ZbE4mJBJK5poWZydaoUdKRxaOFCkM0WrzDJDnmCWfh2lY8bgZGTYBiBnIUp7jjsRcaU14uVpBS87ocQ5HcljJogEMJZA5-4C/s320/deusex_hr_4.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURsprJCurYAVdzsGVHmkjdcThkJPrSVRGNUD_RG3faw3a7RPXjJ0uVlWK6DgHjUKYg52p6oMreQVN-9_WHwjihWUsShGGsLa3kETPE-enthe8IKHm_QlaDVRMioyLwcDqQ0le-sq7ngF6/s1600/dx_hr_screenshot_metro_station.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494515308514342850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjURsprJCurYAVdzsGVHmkjdcThkJPrSVRGNUD_RG3faw3a7RPXjJ0uVlWK6DgHjUKYg52p6oMreQVN-9_WHwjihWUsShGGsLa3kETPE-enthe8IKHm_QlaDVRMioyLwcDqQ0le-sq7ngF6/s320/dx_hr_screenshot_metro_station.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEkknCLfKOzS4U5ooEPGohFE2Xf-dzpJ9i36y4MVDNKEpbkG0hUI1NsmnoAetGxlv8jq8XWhnWiCL1HQcoWu9lKxCdNpEOmAGGcuuBWQWHjujqN7UHp_5HlnVc_QN9oPR-82r49PKPSGC/s1600/dx_hr_screenshot_morgue.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494515302632848930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEkknCLfKOzS4U5ooEPGohFE2Xf-dzpJ9i36y4MVDNKEpbkG0hUI1NsmnoAetGxlv8jq8XWhnWiCL1HQcoWu9lKxCdNpEOmAGGcuuBWQWHjujqN7UHp_5HlnVc_QN9oPR-82r49PKPSGC/s320/dx_hr_screenshot_morgue.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xdcomSf6AcKuL77GZLF0L5wBYpKIUB7ksL1JJfH_iu5cZFUVmO3DA2yumQzZtE2dfYATINc4h0ZqL-2skXW8zTxbN_P2oykQM332HH3ehSlh_KdXk1cWtBGrFEjN3hpWcmO8fwwxSule/s1600/dx_hr_screenshot_newsroom.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494515292643333986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1xdcomSf6AcKuL77GZLF0L5wBYpKIUB7ksL1JJfH_iu5cZFUVmO3DA2yumQzZtE2dfYATINc4h0ZqL-2skXW8zTxbN_P2oykQM332HH3ehSlh_KdXk1cWtBGrFEjN3hpWcmO8fwwxSule/s320/dx_hr_screenshot_newsroom.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeb_7c4SnkuGCdwzc9a1XHuY2kaLKzwOpw392B7CNBQogNlDToIGYH0J_xYmfnwZ8qSpiVDPRa6twRfhCGHynkNaC0o6db9Q-MfRW1jafo0HHAxPAuLzt5SME1NFb3KBhekE89dM41h1be/s1600/dx_hr_screenshot_operation.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5494515284214054546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeb_7c4SnkuGCdwzc9a1XHuY2kaLKzwOpw392B7CNBQogNlDToIGYH0J_xYmfnwZ8qSpiVDPRa6twRfhCGHynkNaC0o6db9Q-MfRW1jafo0HHAxPAuLzt5SME1NFb3KBhekE89dM41h1be/s320/dx_hr_screenshot_operation.jpg" /></a>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-82732860244002862532010-06-11T16:18:00.008-04:002010-06-16T15:59:40.621-04:00Trailer Madness! - E3 2010 Edition<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRle139KP8nUTCOTNRWLNH4RIBxo8Sm0bLb1oNeDp1aVaLk6nN_4g-qDT1kzYvzUbPrjMgaSljW1THx9_PjCiZanXSyazSEE3FZ4FHkmYQp38AeZA0Q6CvKfujLcDcGQ-qGEmtgnTOOxSL/s1600/trailer+madness.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 100px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482685828303929394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRle139KP8nUTCOTNRWLNH4RIBxo8Sm0bLb1oNeDp1aVaLk6nN_4g-qDT1kzYvzUbPrjMgaSljW1THx9_PjCiZanXSyazSEE3FZ4FHkmYQp38AeZA0Q6CvKfujLcDcGQ-qGEmtgnTOOxSL/s400/trailer+madness.jpg" /></a><br /><p>E3 2010 is less than a week away, and many developers couldn't take the wait. In this edition of Trailer Madness, we have the latest in rhythm games and first person shooters.</p><p>XCOM<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hEVn_RDGzZ8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hEVn_RDGzZ8&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />XCOM is a relaunch of a classic PC game franchise that hasn't had an installment since 2001. 2K Marin, the creators of the original Bioshock, have resurrected the series with their own unique twist. The game is set in what appears to be mid 1950's suburbia. You assume the role of a federal agent part of a government extra-terrestrial defense force. From the gameplay on display, this has instantly become one of my top most wanted games and one that I can't wait to get more details on.<br /><br />Red Faction: Armageddon<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EDeFPdXT_Mo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EDeFPdXT_Mo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Next up we have the sequel to Red Faction: Guerrilla. The game seems to be running on basically the same engine. The series itself seems to be going in a different direction incorporating alien creatures and gore.<br /><br />Rock Band 3<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_aqmMsl-roo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_aqmMsl-roo&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />I hate to say it, but I am of the opinion that the rhythm game genre has been beaten to death. No doubt, the blame falls mostly on Activision and it's Guitar Hero franchise. Guitar Hero comes out more frequently than some of my favorite comic books. I have a feeling Harmonix is well aware of this and is aiming to raise the bar with Rock Band 3. First we see the inclusion of a keyboard. With three part harmony vocals, this brings the total band capacity to seven players. That has to be a first in gaming. The visuals are looking a bit better with some great art direction.<br /><br />Killzone 3<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uBztEA2dt-w&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uBztEA2dt-w&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Killzone 2 is one of my favorite FPS games of all time. It has a completely unique look and feel. When I saw the first footage of Killzone 3, I let out a girlish shriek of joy. Some major new additions are on display including a jump pack and various melee kills. The game is as beautiful as ever, and the action looks intense. It's going to be a long wait until May 2011.<br /><br />Mortal Kombat<br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uwM6A4hqlMw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uwM6A4hqlMw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><br />Mortal Kombat once ruled the roost of fighting games. I can scarcely imagine an adult gamer who hasn't played at least one of the many games in the series. Some installments have been better than others, but the game has shown unbelievable longevity. The new reboot has brought back fatalities and has included some cool new mechanics including combos where you literally see the physical impact your blows have on an opponent. The graphics are tight and clean and I am honestly really looking forward to getting my hands on this one.<br /><br />That's all for now, but there will no doubt be plenty more game reveals as E3 kicks off. Keep it here for the latest E3 news and trailers.</p>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-65121721255777765552010-05-27T13:41:00.003-04:002010-05-27T14:14:28.545-04:00The Digital Vine - 5/27/10<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54zyXpF06zmFBhhZJ6lqR8EPa8w5-fBomv6vKPylqvTCBYTqVc3hqRh94dw7FPyHXO1xABDuOCI-f524wubIG4lWLdjde5YCTN84wCf2nrt7QVNAsh4JyIb93kWPb9nLXPCJKsZ4wAVvO/s1600/digital+vine.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 100px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476006748685180642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj54zyXpF06zmFBhhZJ6lqR8EPa8w5-fBomv6vKPylqvTCBYTqVc3hqRh94dw7FPyHXO1xABDuOCI-f524wubIG4lWLdjde5YCTN84wCf2nrt7QVNAsh4JyIb93kWPb9nLXPCJKsZ4wAVvO/s400/digital+vine.jpg" /></a> It's Thursday! You know what that means? One more day until TGIF, and yet another trip through gaming news via "The Digital Vine!"<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHRdL8kX8bhpXmq_uoxbsu5VmiKymXxsRR03V107HMD4Kt_f9ktDMXF392SxdTU-c6MOzHFg4v4mo_RjjU2LxFq7qHGGcborMZwiGtjkbDLlBDkrRNWgmGYrIBc1cQT1jqLspLs_IiUGO/s1600/ochocinco-doesnt-do-modest.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 284px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476006934100106914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNHRdL8kX8bhpXmq_uoxbsu5VmiKymXxsRR03V107HMD4Kt_f9ktDMXF392SxdTU-c6MOzHFg4v4mo_RjjU2LxFq7qHGGcborMZwiGtjkbDLlBDkrRNWgmGYrIBc1cQT1jqLspLs_IiUGO/s320/ochocinco-doesnt-do-modest.jpg" /></a> Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco has made an interesting offer to Treyarch's Community Manager Josh Olin. He's willing to cough up an entire season worth of home game tickets (an estimated $3000 value) in exchange for an advanced copy of "Call of Duty: Black Ops." Olin responded with an offer for Ochocinco to visit the Treyarch studio's and get an early taste of the game behind closed doors. No word on whether or not he accepted the offer. In an amusing side note, Chad also petitioned Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling which obviously didn't yield any results.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQ724q2Nt8oXL1XcLvaQsja6-zOE3qu8DrxoxASxmLFq9XN_kFWLETQzHMBcytj5FWXeVY1A8S4bXl6qHkm2zw60O2LKBOyYK7MHlbQhFv8YlQtU7eKmtlUuWhGgF32rKsLeR1k-5RqO3/s1600/psn2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476006931760979954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrQ724q2Nt8oXL1XcLvaQsja6-zOE3qu8DrxoxASxmLFq9XN_kFWLETQzHMBcytj5FWXeVY1A8S4bXl6qHkm2zw60O2LKBOyYK7MHlbQhFv8YlQtU7eKmtlUuWhGgF32rKsLeR1k-5RqO3/s320/psn2.jpg" /></a> President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Andrew House has revealed that plans are in motion for a premium version of the Playstation Network. House assured fans that the current free version of PSN will remain unchanged. No details yet on pricing or what the premium version will offer. Cross-game chat seems like a good place to start.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0F0SUwdPghbZXfRudR2w1C4nJjkA006ca1b64LLGfXSr3x08D35cc-QBvD-tuZ5oeN2rBFTRKwEeYwupVEMgYxVRtkTHDle9dQ-bKpckYCeop_T20jB36Z0DlvlkhtSY9FKUrSANCyUhh/s1600/48147_BatmanArkhamAsylum-Joker-01_n.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5476006927661210946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0F0SUwdPghbZXfRudR2w1C4nJjkA006ca1b64LLGfXSr3x08D35cc-QBvD-tuZ5oeN2rBFTRKwEeYwupVEMgYxVRtkTHDle9dQ-bKpckYCeop_T20jB36Z0DlvlkhtSY9FKUrSANCyUhh/s320/48147_BatmanArkhamAsylum-Joker-01_n.jpg" /></a> Mark Hammill has just revealed that he will no longer portray famous Batman villain The Joker following his work on Batman: Arkham Asylum 2. Hammill's words were a bit cryptic stating, "this will be my last, there's no question about that." The actor made famous by depicting Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, went on to lend his voice to the fan favorite villain for over twelve years.Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-92188219658752748022010-05-26T10:04:00.005-04:002010-05-26T10:23:32.999-04:00Killzone 3 Announced!Killzone 2 is one of the best Shooters on any gaming system to date. Stellar graphics, unique gameplay and a highly addictive multiplayer helped launch the Killzone name to AAA status. Many fans have been chomping at the bit waiting to hear about the future of the franchise. Rest easy as Killzone 3 has been officially announced for the Playstation 3. Right now details are scarce, but jet packs and the ever popular snow levels have already been confirmed. Those of you accusing Killzone 3 of copying Halo: Reach concerning jet packs, remember that developer Guerilla first introduced the concept in Killzone: Liberation. The question is how it will be implemented and unique from what Bungie has to offer. Below are brand new screenshots of the game in action. New information should come through the pipeline soon.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVjYb0XNRVeckTBXoAuIETvbjUIvs91D8EMK0ldfTn06k64NzEm5mg_AicU1Wy6J53f6vCrKarq7u18bKJuCjT7xdVFbpYzvMRudy3H1hpBuUt2_dizrNj2-Z__diCdOCeGmicpW7GwWT/s1600/killzone+3-3..jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475583883527307474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMVjYb0XNRVeckTBXoAuIETvbjUIvs91D8EMK0ldfTn06k64NzEm5mg_AicU1Wy6J53f6vCrKarq7u18bKJuCjT7xdVFbpYzvMRudy3H1hpBuUt2_dizrNj2-Z__diCdOCeGmicpW7GwWT/s320/killzone+3-3..jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVWlNzgZfGymLqddDwJmH2fKKiHrZOuWWOWtwiJoMd-1dGPR9NLj3Hhe23obI6S5R-HLjJmy6krMOq61HJc_msmw9PQTj-TW8P8Wu7PtfzPhiwHo_mq6pb3EpXMA7sPI_nh2rHdgfpKRR/s1600/killzone3-2..jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475583877281308690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVWlNzgZfGymLqddDwJmH2fKKiHrZOuWWOWtwiJoMd-1dGPR9NLj3Hhe23obI6S5R-HLjJmy6krMOq61HJc_msmw9PQTj-TW8P8Wu7PtfzPhiwHo_mq6pb3EpXMA7sPI_nh2rHdgfpKRR/s320/killzone3-2..jpg" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOCbQvEiH36IGzpv4aDkjdgWBWYktLMaEd_V1F4iS6EUVVhqxAbYk4Maa6ghNmPJJZcBS7sfx24bHrFQQdrfejS75TTKVzkqWtnxLJMTuwonL2_9KLUxeE9Cu_RRCP4WHMiWAptnNbUgg/s1600/killzone3-1..jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475583873941336882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOCbQvEiH36IGzpv4aDkjdgWBWYktLMaEd_V1F4iS6EUVVhqxAbYk4Maa6ghNmPJJZcBS7sfx24bHrFQQdrfejS75TTKVzkqWtnxLJMTuwonL2_9KLUxeE9Cu_RRCP4WHMiWAptnNbUgg/s320/killzone3-1..jpg" /></a>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-86998347550102896662010-05-20T10:03:00.018-04:002010-05-20T12:38:33.113-04:00The Digital Vine - 5/20/10<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 100px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473352895154500770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl1kDgwDiV3XxB1HVQbj73__6t0NQbDfU0KUcx_ZDhjXbFCMIGCWfw3NuuCOw1QQMtpmORvhT1TSPSYfEyBKQB-uwsTJAYBYAhWEM6U51K_oqsA-8yGTUi7mJAMciOa2TgzxOOQLQ_znF/s400/digital+vine.jpg" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA25tTPfs_ZmDsMlqMrUtxR9yOYGIzVJzs5Qqe1jnT5PHc4AtfIw3hmb9ilQQawVZrFgjeLfAF9VYAgkKhiXMG8Au2cvA6ei7Ov3JTMIKjuRIBfBIM_H0sBBsVxOsZ64e-gjJURkktxt6/s1600/acbrotherhood_051110_1_1273600585_640w.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 319px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473387421599230914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA25tTPfs_ZmDsMlqMrUtxR9yOYGIzVJzs5Qqe1jnT5PHc4AtfIw3hmb9ilQQawVZrFgjeLfAF9VYAgkKhiXMG8Au2cvA6ei7Ov3JTMIKjuRIBfBIM_H0sBBsVxOsZ64e-gjJURkktxt6/s320/acbrotherhood_051110_1_1273600585_640w.jpg" /></a>Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has confirmed that Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood will have a multiplayer beta. The time or parameters have not been released yet, but at least we know something is on the way. It'll be interesting to see how Ubisoft incorporates multiplayer into a game that has traditionally been single player only.<br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrflfmP0bpS7zu-hSTBLgPvzKXQBle7a7B-o3l36RA9W6SIEs4Ta7pP5mXPcsIbxbXzknMlFagBczjdYJqbYPh7ynfcDJnsYK7cCmzJGgfYlK5-d1sE6qTerP3EOzfloGBbSMqBEx_y6o/s1600/Mass_Effect_2-scanner_thumb.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473355961551736546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrflfmP0bpS7zu-hSTBLgPvzKXQBle7a7B-o3l36RA9W6SIEs4Ta7pP5mXPcsIbxbXzknMlFagBczjdYJqbYPh7ynfcDJnsYK7cCmzJGgfYlK5-d1sE6qTerP3EOzfloGBbSMqBEx_y6o/s320/Mass_Effect_2-scanner_thumb.jpg" /></a>Bioware is releasing a patch for Mass Effect 2 on the Xbox 360. The most notable improvement is the increased planet scanning speed. The often tedious task has series fans split on wether the mechanic should even be in the game in the first place. Below you'll find the entire list of fixes in the patch notes.</p><p>• Scanning for minerals has been optimized</p><p>• Fixed an issue with marking all entries as viewed in the Journal</p><p>• Fixed an issue relating to text and the menu screen</p><p>• Fixed an issue relating to players starting a new game and loading a save</p><p>• Fixed multiple issues when loading a save containing DLC when DLC isn’t present</p><p>• Fixed an issue with ammo flashing when it can’t be picked up</p><p>• Fixed an issue with crosshairs</p><p>• Fixed an issue with Grunt’s Fortification power</p><p>• Fixed an issue with enemies and cover</p><p>• Fixed an issue where players could receive additional talent points</p><p>• Fixed an issue where squad members would overwrite ammo powers the player had assigned them<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoe1n0V_EFH7CIok5yuuy8z5myWHogYmhb17SRDf-REfgfhqdNU-j8svNL37FmT9zcfWR9MZLKI5ponWoMAHzzC12vZoCVLndRoRo3PLPwFTYcFCxAs_B_u9nSTsX5t5PuPMMrRXKFKzge/s1600/heavy-rain-playstation-3-ps3-135.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473384528424747522" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoe1n0V_EFH7CIok5yuuy8z5myWHogYmhb17SRDf-REfgfhqdNU-j8svNL37FmT9zcfWR9MZLKI5ponWoMAHzzC12vZoCVLndRoRo3PLPwFTYcFCxAs_B_u9nSTsX5t5PuPMMrRXKFKzge/s320/heavy-rain-playstation-3-ps3-135.jpg" /></a>Heavy Rain is one step closer to becoming a feature film. Production company Unique Features is reportedly about to seal the deal having beat out all other bids. While at New Line, company executives Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne previously produced Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings films and the Nightmare on Elm Street series.</p>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-68798908527048847652010-05-19T14:09:00.010-04:002010-05-19T14:39:32.503-04:00Call of Duty: Black Ops World Debut Trailer!"Call of Duty: Black Ops" made it's official debut during last night's NBA Eastern Conference Finals. The trailer features tons of exciting gameplay for what is shaping to be the best in the series since "Call of Duty 4." Treyarch has their entire 200 plus staff working on Black Ops where as in the past the team would be developing up to three games simultaneously. Below you'll find the full length uncut trailer as well as screen captures from the trailer. Leave a comment with your own impressions!<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQVwHfT-OG7muZC0LonikTUXEJtBDqEygh4n7SBKVOC2xESlXq-2FPtyuQDPZ0gwJ9i-o8tOLf36b3puzOBSGsXjNflSO7b3zFI1_2bDQExrEfUONRNWMeuUw6NBhSL5r_cGaeviisjox/s1600/codbo17.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 112px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473047515350106194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQVwHfT-OG7muZC0LonikTUXEJtBDqEygh4n7SBKVOC2xESlXq-2FPtyuQDPZ0gwJ9i-o8tOLf36b3puzOBSGsXjNflSO7b3zFI1_2bDQExrEfUONRNWMeuUw6NBhSL5r_cGaeviisjox/s200/codbo17.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZwfxP9Tl-sGnDBckO8a48DNZlKToNJxmVwdRO2m-3XFleFaLbQzZmoOPX0ZO-ppAoZpKFL2hivyYACDSR1TP3OWu4AW7eYrYs4Hd4afScfF2kZ5ATyrolmBVYOi0YsPPfrC-9D_nUGWF/s1600/codbo16.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 112px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473047499306840850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZwfxP9Tl-sGnDBckO8a48DNZlKToNJxmVwdRO2m-3XFleFaLbQzZmoOPX0ZO-ppAoZpKFL2hivyYACDSR1TP3OWu4AW7eYrYs4Hd4afScfF2kZ5ATyrolmBVYOi0YsPPfrC-9D_nUGWF/s200/codbo16.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7qjBmxlUbTl6amlAYNoslE9m4kitiLho8SmfQQRDCsSNHz0s52hcJPFXJFx8i4ncBDsg85ll0kVJxdMDj35SBiIWmsgxsa5YL_-kev503hNLsJrwx3cdle9rK5s6xtExXKhJ1sveIta-/s1600/codbo14.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 112px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473047495143629554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB7qjBmxlUbTl6amlAYNoslE9m4kitiLho8SmfQQRDCsSNHz0s52hcJPFXJFx8i4ncBDsg85ll0kVJxdMDj35SBiIWmsgxsa5YL_-kev503hNLsJrwx3cdle9rK5s6xtExXKhJ1sveIta-/s200/codbo14.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ToM4Zs9bydV-kA4XEIWPDLVdBR8KsL6WdDbz4b-xPAf0-OOjw1JjPoR1yJ1B1AYQZhNnyt-tf5Bx9eLoEiDW0JI89rcrePWkrP_th9xS7OSGwwIFP1ZGvgisDdQbfwqO3rf6XQ2Nsv4c/s1600/codbo13.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 112px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473047490221718754" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ToM4Zs9bydV-kA4XEIWPDLVdBR8KsL6WdDbz4b-xPAf0-OOjw1JjPoR1yJ1B1AYQZhNnyt-tf5Bx9eLoEiDW0JI89rcrePWkrP_th9xS7OSGwwIFP1ZGvgisDdQbfwqO3rf6XQ2Nsv4c/s200/codbo13.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zQIg695l3MKIIU3B7UXU8g5Pf-Q9CnhcGJRATbAH-1Uj32cQumUxJwo1dWlanJm1Tn0t5NOFROTHnTwZdupXLHr3V6bQ6nwiRes_9068uy9ibwFYCDUe-_m0gScX1hCUh3C3p7Yfdb8o/s1600/codbo11.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; 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HEIGHT: 112px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473046209041014850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCfNTOTfUo-muNI-S6oAlTvFNr5ntOlQ7xHhIO6Q4TRTs6pZn-GJt9yTEsbPIn4xmIEsy-K3pf4mwohwlV6X5kBOsFAVJr8mP2DEQdYfGJ_DRXdLgFNiZCxu0x5iAesRpz_FQ73VPzcqNo/s200/codbo7.jpg" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fdvsKaLQrqvPtmA68zMCXL2OI5iAlJQe7s8dInmCPRHGt-CZmgxfOSzLsZfaOTKp9Jx70xIpu3QC7zV20R1QokyplRgU0FX0YDDm56XRO94YDfvuov4rXPZXDB3o76xGoNZ2XuO6cix1/s1600/codbo18.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; HEIGHT: 112px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473047775902594866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fdvsKaLQrqvPtmA68zMCXL2OI5iAlJQe7s8dInmCPRHGt-CZmgxfOSzLsZfaOTKp9Jx70xIpu3QC7zV20R1QokyplRgU0FX0YDDm56XRO94YDfvuov4rXPZXDB3o76xGoNZ2XuO6cix1/s200/codbo18.jpg" /></a></p><p><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SC4NLwNHfa4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SC4NLwNHfa4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></p>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-40654788641404801732010-05-17T16:04:00.016-04:002010-05-18T15:46:16.949-04:00Call of Duty: Black Ops First DetailsTreyarch has had the misfortune of being labeled the "other" Call of Duty developer ever since their first contribution to the franchise, "Call of Duty 3." Despite releasing excellent games for years, Infinity Ward always seemed to crowd the spotlight due to their industry changing AAA titles. Following Infinity Ward's highly successful though eternally defective "Modern Warfare 2," Treyarch is poised to take the mantle of top Call of Duty developer once and for all.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OwyXJQsaryZiyAVd9TWzXWaeO46w-uxSIbgqQOckdh1J7V9h7LO5-NLjqzF4DT_Suq1PhGkSo0YgHyBHz4f3h5RwxPogJfUiHNBOynaQISSJbszqeT1m7hb9lr6E4qjvqCMvghKJopq4/s1600/bo1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472350024150959682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OwyXJQsaryZiyAVd9TWzXWaeO46w-uxSIbgqQOckdh1J7V9h7LO5-NLjqzF4DT_Suq1PhGkSo0YgHyBHz4f3h5RwxPogJfUiHNBOynaQISSJbszqeT1m7hb9lr6E4qjvqCMvghKJopq4/s320/bo1.jpg" /></a> New details have been released via an exclusive with Official Xbox Magazine. Details are still scarce, but a few interesting details have been released already. <p></p><ul><li>4 player online Co-op will be available via a separate mode similar to "Spec Ops" from "Modern Warfare 2."<br /></li><li>"Black Ops" will take place over a long period of time with Vietnam and Cold War era already confirmed. Locations will include Vietnam, Russia and Laotian.</li></ul><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwd9wjKcEz0qtqimp8M9WkQQ3o_vn1RRQNOVGLzwbsP3yOGxwQcXrKAC5GnXekSKUYUGcA4jWyB1cmvBqCEFr4e6UBeBDYTIVgiL3yTyZgCeIxlC97LVQcZLfEc_qW6aaPaDZjZa8G0UD/s1600/bo6.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 178px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472350341352443618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwd9wjKcEz0qtqimp8M9WkQQ3o_vn1RRQNOVGLzwbsP3yOGxwQcXrKAC5GnXekSKUYUGcA4jWyB1cmvBqCEFr4e6UBeBDYTIVgiL3yTyZgCeIxlC97LVQcZLfEc_qW6aaPaDZjZa8G0UD/s320/bo6.jpg" /></a> <p></p><ul><li>New weapons include a cross bow as well as the ability to use secondary ammunition. Incendiary rounds are available for the shotgun and explosive tip arrows are selectable for the cross bow.<br /></li><li>You'll play as at least two characters with U.S. forces already confirmed. The player will assume the role of a CIA back special operations force called the Studies and Operations Group.</li></ul><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWsv-6zt6g7wX0EuaQ8uLxekeI5kB9JAEaawogEl2ccgFnA2U9fB2xcOg98aMgzhD0b90_TlEQvZTQbEbz9NtW1AbfpiNCGkNGYMvwP4q8iRxcfWfih_0CrNGcuQ0RWHh5Q_At32hnE2P/s1600/bo4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 185px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472350635987957954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWsv-6zt6g7wX0EuaQ8uLxekeI5kB9JAEaawogEl2ccgFnA2U9fB2xcOg98aMgzhD0b90_TlEQvZTQbEbz9NtW1AbfpiNCGkNGYMvwP4q8iRxcfWfih_0CrNGcuQ0RWHh5Q_At32hnE2P/s320/bo4.jpg" /></a> </p><ul><li>There is a mission where you pilot a SR-71 Blackbird, providing reconnaissance to the ground troops below.<br /></li><li>The same motion-capture technology as Avatar is being used. The characters will not only display gestures, but facial expressions and highly expressive line delivery. </li></ul><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9OHOSh7v5Md0b4teQksqZS5wYH1VycWUfOooIr__yIvSNx3WfC7yEG98yRNhHZ858W-Hr0yIOnwH0N5BOlGFHGTKgPTnWAqg68T_jEmH-EPEIGG4fYgGGK1oT76Dti2VzUbsMdgf4HSc/s1600/bo5.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 181px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472351001276927858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9OHOSh7v5Md0b4teQksqZS5wYH1VycWUfOooIr__yIvSNx3WfC7yEG98yRNhHZ858W-Hr0yIOnwH0N5BOlGFHGTKgPTnWAqg68T_jEmH-EPEIGG4fYgGGK1oT76Dti2VzUbsMdgf4HSc/s320/bo5.jpg" /></a> </p>A brand new trailer will debut during the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. Stay tuned here for all the latest details. Call of Duty: Black Ops is set for release on November 9th 2010.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArCskQTEH-O3icmhcJOmCEF-_91fskmesEO53ROBU1V5ezbppvpG5fcMyGuhDSalwhu9MtlUeeM7Ue2oREZvEZ2_pvJK71kj5bfkZTUM0Xzf8qoTqdOoRRA34CS9ZiMYXygiC7UY7wRV2/s1600/bo2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472348150205974066" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgArCskQTEH-O3icmhcJOmCEF-_91fskmesEO53ROBU1V5ezbppvpG5fcMyGuhDSalwhu9MtlUeeM7Ue2oREZvEZ2_pvJK71kj5bfkZTUM0Xzf8qoTqdOoRRA34CS9ZiMYXygiC7UY7wRV2/s320/bo2.jpg" /></a>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-82220274874594534102010-05-13T10:42:00.011-04:002010-05-13T16:18:46.368-04:00Halo: Reach Beta ImpressionsBungie has officially launched the Halo: Reach Beta to the masses. All you need is a copy of Halo: ODST and you are good to go. The beta will be accessible from the main menu of the single player disc. I've spent a few hours playing through the various game types and I can say with great certainty that Reach is on track to being the best Halo since the original "Combat Evolved."<br />
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Right off the bat let me just say that the game is stunning. Halo: Reach multiplayer looks better than most games single player campaigns. Textures are crisp and colors are vibrant. There is a ton of detail in this game. Bungie re-tooled Reach from the ground up and it's evident in every frame. The particle effects are vivid and there is no texture pop in to speak of. This is what Halo 3 should have looked like. I can't wait to see what's in store for the single player campaign.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBgesgK3tpctPHFYg_DNjhg7z2x9hyphenhyphen6eYLUxCQaCGmtVQxILO851ltCUDrNcMGgCU7oGfZf7NPaPcTwsgaURN2wsKMsyLWtlDnUKhojhY_zZAdcedjB72mN-6X8_02w9cDsNiBsjFCP6R/s1600/Reach_MPBeta_BoneyardInvasion1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470775788101471570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBgesgK3tpctPHFYg_DNjhg7z2x9hyphenhyphen6eYLUxCQaCGmtVQxILO851ltCUDrNcMGgCU7oGfZf7NPaPcTwsgaURN2wsKMsyLWtlDnUKhojhY_zZAdcedjB72mN-6X8_02w9cDsNiBsjFCP6R/s320/Reach_MPBeta_BoneyardInvasion1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a> After you get accustomed to the new visuals, you'll start to notice the various and subtle changes in gameplay. The first thing that becomes apparent is the option of choosing load-outs. Players will be able to choose roles to build strategies. You can take on the role of a hulking juggernaut and use temporary invincibility to draw the attention of your enemies. Meanwhile, your team mate can use their invisible cloaking ability to flank the ability with a well placed grenade or assassination. The assassinations themselves are totally new to the series and as far as I'm concerned are a welcome addition. There's something so satisfying about sneaking up behind your opponent and bring them down with a stealthy knife kill or swift neck snap. Be forewarned, you are completely vulnerable during the animation and can fall victim to the same fate you've just dealt out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZLydUHNdtc8z4YYM514QIUPoxVILSNHi9dzG-aQO7bTnAlbcxw8aLXiz9mJ0gt7sTzm8yzYt4Ymh9G2KVv_poljzm_EKE6tmWfOSPLnVl1KbXzZ-1t5y94t7oEQ_ohVHwXEo3GK4NJas/s1600/Reach_MPBeta_BoneyardInvasion5.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470775798201006194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZLydUHNdtc8z4YYM514QIUPoxVILSNHi9dzG-aQO7bTnAlbcxw8aLXiz9mJ0gt7sTzm8yzYt4Ymh9G2KVv_poljzm_EKE6tmWfOSPLnVl1KbXzZ-1t5y94t7oEQ_ohVHwXEo3GK4NJas/s320/Reach_MPBeta_BoneyardInvasion5.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a> Combat techniques from Halo 3 aren't going to work this time around. Health packs are back in a big way and if you plan on staying alive they quickly become a necessity. Grenades now have physics and are no longer lobbed in a perfect arch. They also feel heavier than in past incarnations and as a result, Hail Mary throws down map aren't really possible. In addition, battle rifles are much weaker then in the past. Emptying a clip and then following it up a well placed melee bash won't take your enemy down. It's going to require team work to take the other team down. There are other more deadly weapons scattered about the map and controlling them will be the key to victory. That being said, the playing field is initially level as load-outs don't allow for weapon customization in most game modes. The special abilities are what makes each class unique. The only time this changes is in the just released "Invasion" mode where various weapon load-outs become available as the match progresses.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBn02by2oFVEshVAdckxDiGeNLB3yTnBqVZlaDDcAMchRVCtd4vbVupHUyKBa5WMvNMW2SsaHHh9uOkFQRbDc0NOr7shXhp5hdbgcBIN5OaUrPNCnMahEtjFukHA30hYcPn5yA78KBQ2_/s1600/Reach_MPBeta_BoneyardInvasion6.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470775801529688898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglBn02by2oFVEshVAdckxDiGeNLB3yTnBqVZlaDDcAMchRVCtd4vbVupHUyKBa5WMvNMW2SsaHHh9uOkFQRbDc0NOr7shXhp5hdbgcBIN5OaUrPNCnMahEtjFukHA30hYcPn5yA78KBQ2_/s320/Reach_MPBeta_BoneyardInvasion6.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a> Customization in Halo: Reach doesn't end there. You'll be able to earn credits from fragging successfully which can be used to unlock armor variants. You'll be able to customize your warrior to your liking complete with color and symbol selection. Expect to see a few pink Spartans dealing death from time to time. It is unknown if customization will be deeper in the final release, but as it stands it's fairly basic and isn't much of a progression over Halo 3.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mmPOx08VSlggmIHqK1obvopVee0PCFNbWV3B_xYeZnF6hKT_0Sq7dfVXgik9HrT4fmhDwGs3xi5OxLt99V1dbCu1MH96tDUVpI4ECoKBmDbEuIk66JAEJ6By6XanpJ4wrcp96NinTBet/s1600/Reach_MPBeta_PowerhouseStockpile2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470778552746717298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-mmPOx08VSlggmIHqK1obvopVee0PCFNbWV3B_xYeZnF6hKT_0Sq7dfVXgik9HrT4fmhDwGs3xi5OxLt99V1dbCu1MH96tDUVpI4ECoKBmDbEuIk66JAEJ6By6XanpJ4wrcp96NinTBet/s320/Reach_MPBeta_PowerhouseStockpile2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a> I highly recommend taking the Halo: Reach beta for a spin. It is currently slated to run until May 18th, but Bungie may decide to extend the duration as needed. Bungie still has the best match making to date and lag is far less an issue in Reach than in other contemporary shooters. Enjoy it while it lasts as we won't get another taste until Halo: Reach is released this September.<br />
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<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tm9VDzTcRac&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Tm9VDzTcRac&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-44057368314570829282010-05-12T16:04:00.007-04:002010-05-12T16:36:47.038-04:00The Digital Vine - 5/12/10<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjjdLuyQdOjd3A3hhR0PX7X4o6FINypSXq-m_isOsXmqdyRtmGX7fNyliGVciptJZxplo-JotG1oZUUKUC1g0CqHaKMeNJlZ-0xBQhGz1fT_I77yuz7jXLbia-90rYqwMzRxcASma9d8p/s1600/digital+vine.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 100px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470477174420523666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjjdLuyQdOjd3A3hhR0PX7X4o6FINypSXq-m_isOsXmqdyRtmGX7fNyliGVciptJZxplo-JotG1oZUUKUC1g0CqHaKMeNJlZ-0xBQhGz1fT_I77yuz7jXLbia-90rYqwMzRxcASma9d8p/s400/digital+vine.jpg" /></a> Welcome to a brand new feature called "The Digital Vine!" Here you'll find all the latest in gaming news as it breaks. From major game announcements to the latest controversy, "The Digital Vine" is your one stop shop for the comings and goings of the gaming industry.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBxwg3ktMIsqpYS8OQGaA5nK6gP4e0Foxf62hyphenhyphen_0P6TRuFI4FIq-7mV9EM7MBPJOXRxidw_TDPpkVdAy0lZZMF3dDfvRUCripNM7e2EFuiZz-V965ssZSkhjzW3S1zv1c8TxENmmfDbrO/s1600/natal+walle.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 293px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470478308130885346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcBxwg3ktMIsqpYS8OQGaA5nK6gP4e0Foxf62hyphenhyphen_0P6TRuFI4FIq-7mV9EM7MBPJOXRxidw_TDPpkVdAy0lZZMF3dDfvRUCripNM7e2EFuiZz-V965ssZSkhjzW3S1zv1c8TxENmmfDbrO/s320/natal+walle.jpg" /></a>A Microsoft Executive has revealed that Project Natal will be released sometime in October. The exact date will be revealed at next month's E3, but at least the time frame has been narrowed. Project Natal is a controller free motion sensing device in which gamers interact using their bodies. No details yet on pricing.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidoKSqvBz2cAKScPBfcSD-xAiYFhPgBET_KzbsVREuJMyYxjKcYcea2hEdXIbAYkOTD5o7mRxmiCKM-sFSHzidjoSxs_Z8ZmpFaDUrF75eQiI3Tba9vhOMyWNme-w5uo4H2W-lQ0vi_RAU/s1600/used_games_.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470479894283505474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidoKSqvBz2cAKScPBfcSD-xAiYFhPgBET_KzbsVREuJMyYxjKcYcea2hEdXIbAYkOTD5o7mRxmiCKM-sFSHzidjoSxs_Z8ZmpFaDUrF75eQiI3Tba9vhOMyWNme-w5uo4H2W-lQ0vi_RAU/s320/used_games_.jpg" /></a>EA has announced a new and controversial method of combating used game sales. The publisher will issue one-time use Online Passes with all of their new sports games. The passes will only be issued when the game is purchased new. Players with used copies wishing to gain access to online features will have to pay an additional $10 fee. No word on whether this policy will eventually make it's way over to other game genres.Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-31954254413821777572010-05-10T12:54:00.007-04:002010-05-10T15:24:47.591-04:00Little Big Planet 2 Confirmed!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Fh9B2fbk0sFTJz9TkWCIcyd6HckBi4R1j-mqao4fOpiFKbo6E3eg8AGvt06iaiOrxnDpx0nM7qKUNSJDyBafOgiEXyScY4rNSFpPHvhpc5j3Zm8cBLFgv0RglFNEE4qXwA6zsVMg0gSB/s1600/littlebigplanet_2-1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 238px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469724316773146322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Fh9B2fbk0sFTJz9TkWCIcyd6HckBi4R1j-mqao4fOpiFKbo6E3eg8AGvt06iaiOrxnDpx0nM7qKUNSJDyBafOgiEXyScY4rNSFpPHvhpc5j3Zm8cBLFgv0RglFNEE4qXwA6zsVMg0gSB/s320/littlebigplanet_2-1.jpg" /></a> Despite rumors to the contrary, Sony officially announced today that Little Big Planet 2 will be released Winter 2010! Media Molecule was acquired by Sony earlier this year, so it's little wonder that Sony would want a follow up to the critically acclaimed and financially successful Little Big Planet. Several new features have already been announced including improved community, a better search system, features, new cinematic tools, new characters, controller customization, and power ups. In addition to the already stellar level creator, gamers will now be able to create games in other genres including racing, shooters, role playing. All your hard work won't go to waste either. All of the over 2.3 million levels users created in the original Little Big Planet will carry over to the sequel with new and improved visuals. We'll be sure to keep you posted with all the latest details as they become available.<br /><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0C9QH0kqP04&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0C9QH0kqP04&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-35549006650984092192010-05-03T09:43:00.010-04:002010-05-03T14:08:23.589-04:00Demo Round Up - 5/03/10<strong></strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoeevlYd8s7VULbHi8_CvGwIOgQQ1-z7smOzx8JVBV-3IWTHJPY9a7W08AqX3_J6lU6BBaITYm05l9c-5uH6WPeoTeWhwQiual7n-ZMTjw-B1hMJ3L8H1HDysoZQU3KE_-BnJcLmqOCjQ/s1600/4574411577_48883b8036_o.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 100px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467053794182819106" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaoeevlYd8s7VULbHi8_CvGwIOgQQ1-z7smOzx8JVBV-3IWTHJPY9a7W08AqX3_J6lU6BBaITYm05l9c-5uH6WPeoTeWhwQiual7n-ZMTjw-B1hMJ3L8H1HDysoZQU3KE_-BnJcLmqOCjQ/s400/4574411577_48883b8036_o.jpg" /></a> This week we have a wide variety of demos to cover. Whether you enjoy hugging tight turns or pummeling your opponent to a pulp, we've got something for you.<br /><br /><strong>Split/Second</strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3LyiD7l8L22moFWf1smXoTuweFzwFiCvjxtiAxDdLSThk7y50I-f2FvJcCS55pM14IiMUshrd-sReYXXOvw-Epkx86BSVqYws-33BqG7NDbtkX8t7Z8s1r76p273Q4WI2MpCj3s76snjm/s1600/4574411577_48883b8036_o.jpg"></a><br />I was eagerly awaiting the chance to get my hands on Split/Second. I'm a big fan of Black Rock Studio's last release, Pure. It featured addictive gameplay, simple controls, and a large assortment of off the wall tricks. Split/Second promised to deliver a similar fantastical experience with hot cars traveling at blinding speeds. The gameplay revolves around the ability to trigger environmental changes in order to trip-up your opponents. The demo features one track, one car and one race. For those of you who have a tough time making decisions, this demo will be easy on the nerves. Split/Second is based around the premise of a television reality show in the same vein as the film "Death Race." However, it isn't violent or gory in anyway. This is a Disney game after all. The objective is to fill your momentum meter by drifting around turns, and drafting by driving directly behind other racers. Once the meter is full, you can execute environmental hazards to take down opponents. The Tier 2 takedowns are often spectacular and include crashing jumbo jets and helicopter missile attacks. Split/Second is the sort of game that can interest gamers that aren't even particularly big fans of the racing genre.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2kFo7xYM96LpBtJX5EizTMYyRP6eLI3AXLwN0C3A7PJf1KOsDtZniZRXBQnkzag6yh3Ffjcurg9Za6l208OmfxlHTOQsY3U1oqsSVOzrmHGdhsiv999SzSHnXbzZkb3hLhSfpB4N8VOB/s1600/split-second-0.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467083353800510882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2kFo7xYM96LpBtJX5EizTMYyRP6eLI3AXLwN0C3A7PJf1KOsDtZniZRXBQnkzag6yh3Ffjcurg9Za6l208OmfxlHTOQsY3U1oqsSVOzrmHGdhsiv999SzSHnXbzZkb3hLhSfpB4N8VOB/s320/split-second-0.jpg" /></a> Verdict: Download it!<br /><br /><strong>UFC Undisputed 2010</strong><br /><br />This one is a tough nut to crack. I can see that the bones of the game are strong. Somewhere in there is a strong and competitive fighting game, but the presentation in the demo is terrible. UFC Undisputed 2010 assumes you are a well-learned MMA fan with knowledge well above that of the average gamer. I'm not even foreign to UFC and I had a difficult time working through the controls and fighting styles. For every <a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/mike-the-situation.jpg">situation</a> there is a unique set of actions depending on offense or defense. This is confusing and more often than not has you button mashing hoping to gain the advantage. There is an action list included, but it requires you to sift through an endless array of menus to find the exact situation you are currently in. More often than not the computer opponent made me tap in 20 seconds. I won a few of the bouts thanks to slamming the punch button until the other fighter was napping on the mat. If you've mastered UFC Undisputed 2009 you are going to have a much easier time in the octagon. Hopefully the full release will feature an in-depth traning mode to break-in newcomers to the franchise.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpwZRbVrlYdrLkL1m_Jy9FplEK7hyA5SZWmG0ZHsW82VX_f1GR4edluSHzq8GrSyqonMywWc65thr_Nu7JqROcGjZXNgysmIJnkPce_613qhf8x1r9utJocq8EV2x3eTHd3P6gBd0vjCG/s1600/ufc-undisputed-2010-screens-2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467083366381898514" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvpwZRbVrlYdrLkL1m_Jy9FplEK7hyA5SZWmG0ZHsW82VX_f1GR4edluSHzq8GrSyqonMywWc65thr_Nu7JqROcGjZXNgysmIJnkPce_613qhf8x1r9utJocq8EV2x3eTHd3P6gBd0vjCG/s320/ufc-undisputed-2010-screens-2.jpg" /></a>Verdict: Skip it!Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-59290446875372054322010-04-30T09:39:00.016-04:002010-04-30T10:13:55.711-04:00The Very Best from the World of Cosplay!<div align="left">I've never been one to dress up as a ficticious character. It's labor intensive, expensive and more often that not, <a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/cosplay_costume_fails_40.jpg">the results are underwhelming.</a> However, there are those in the cosplay community that go above and beyond. They re-create highly accurate and detailed omages to some of gaming's finest. Today we celebrate the very best the world of cosplay has to offer.<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWouAjHeHN_VspGiNdXEA084ZLUWzCFaLUCg1vMZLumJ8mrbwvc8GO4A3nx04IvhhvKYpXScG6i_DErf62426yq-UM9J47Eprl0znd2ShzbBfiC7OE2pJTWEeMv088hPCSoDbBXUMnkEUh/s1600/cosplay+5.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 249px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465927296119282722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWouAjHeHN_VspGiNdXEA084ZLUWzCFaLUCg1vMZLumJ8mrbwvc8GO4A3nx04IvhhvKYpXScG6i_DErf62426yq-UM9J47Eprl0znd2ShzbBfiC7OE2pJTWEeMv088hPCSoDbBXUMnkEUh/s320/cosplay+5.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Helghast from Killzone 2<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOnKvNOQmiF43GGt341GPFWwGVIEtUeEQNYR_ldPUKcHOuwiRpT8-rKcMHlATx6-MhbEbZ2K450aNM8RcZ4t-GGHzV2lKKSDdZkFdDes4XVwPb0KxhctQ78XgYK5I-4x5e0o3w98zZDpU/s1600/cosplay+4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 282px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465927290234009394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoOnKvNOQmiF43GGt341GPFWwGVIEtUeEQNYR_ldPUKcHOuwiRpT8-rKcMHlATx6-MhbEbZ2K450aNM8RcZ4t-GGHzV2lKKSDdZkFdDes4XVwPb0KxhctQ78XgYK5I-4x5e0o3w98zZDpU/s320/cosplay+4.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Nero from Devil May Cry<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyAah-QsZAqchfkpUIyBjTPz1z9ckI6ljz-YiSueAzbx7udGRJYiazCbNPBjo-zuMNhVcITuVS7z2A7UiTXquqPXY3XzI-MULXMV-R8IZD7nvx414ohHlAtZHTEkmytwOCZjbhsetjIeq/s1600/cosplay+3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 236px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465927286717850082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyAah-QsZAqchfkpUIyBjTPz1z9ckI6ljz-YiSueAzbx7udGRJYiazCbNPBjo-zuMNhVcITuVS7z2A7UiTXquqPXY3XzI-MULXMV-R8IZD7nvx414ohHlAtZHTEkmytwOCZjbhsetjIeq/s320/cosplay+3.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Naked Snake from Metal Gear Solid 3<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx90cJsUbYwfmn_zhN7iOVmQUpDwqQ3NUsvOWSWChYhJBdfGNqEpcuh5ycL93XZ0wjLUFVnpuB3kseNgKgjUZksJxVha1xxZq9TLj-G_1ZIhgH2Ghn5qvytbvUHzwvTgIdBfW7rduJ9V6n/s1600/cosplay+2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465927284631512450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx90cJsUbYwfmn_zhN7iOVmQUpDwqQ3NUsvOWSWChYhJBdfGNqEpcuh5ycL93XZ0wjLUFVnpuB3kseNgKgjUZksJxVha1xxZq9TLj-G_1ZIhgH2Ghn5qvytbvUHzwvTgIdBfW7rduJ9V6n/s320/cosplay+2.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Marcus Fenix from Gears of War<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlw24yNpqJ26JSdQxu-aN3TWEQjwL9IbpPbVzIwt7dBWVvaWdDiMXRoBd6uiZl-kirS58XtzCK0I3KjzIzDbm40eQagEe-_86b6O_pxJuSvl4Gq7bRFFVsXXInp-p0C128cH5J_pzOYky/s1600/cosplay1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 104px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465927277798075170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzlw24yNpqJ26JSdQxu-aN3TWEQjwL9IbpPbVzIwt7dBWVvaWdDiMXRoBd6uiZl-kirS58XtzCK0I3KjzIzDbm40eQagEe-_86b6O_pxJuSvl4Gq7bRFFVsXXInp-p0C128cH5J_pzOYky/s320/cosplay1.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Master Chief from Halo<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAnkM-AnDHve182wh9qfPY4GYNfl9NKKyCqF-OQ6bV6BzIoj44IbGhqrW_TrXxqhhALcz24TfFNc3V7KJ_52O7rQjhQFHJix83lGM8R2GgdgVr1cLarDKckunoMkrvCgnjjQDuQYu24zY/s1600/cosplay+11.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 235px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928119466464210" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAnkM-AnDHve182wh9qfPY4GYNfl9NKKyCqF-OQ6bV6BzIoj44IbGhqrW_TrXxqhhALcz24TfFNc3V7KJ_52O7rQjhQFHJix83lGM8R2GgdgVr1cLarDKckunoMkrvCgnjjQDuQYu24zY/s320/cosplay+11.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Fran from Final Fantasy XII<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7DhRWB1EutQitVr8AxV1FHjKsBdFhgepr5dYo1ME9t67DCpMWcsIQgnero-DmR2yY56kTGgbu1thTXBwbo5U8RmcVpJ26ONBEUQrwcOQdiDpbc2COOgqQoEt7Apn9u2vrvBhyphenhyphenZfCpIzA/s1600/cosplay+10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 226px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928115720895394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7DhRWB1EutQitVr8AxV1FHjKsBdFhgepr5dYo1ME9t67DCpMWcsIQgnero-DmR2yY56kTGgbu1thTXBwbo5U8RmcVpJ26ONBEUQrwcOQdiDpbc2COOgqQoEt7Apn9u2vrvBhyphenhyphenZfCpIzA/s320/cosplay+10.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Evil Nurses from Silent Hill 3<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTosNk00b8IcgHykzoju0amVgP-7WKc-CWj4ntmThzEnRrFwJ4Gt1C46Px4NGJ3A5P0gvBD2I3Jvn6nCc4bMCumvN5BUbQEdZ6ZO0wHEhM2wBZwuNrgy8BzXmDy87nurAZyUd7UyVWZOJ8/s1600/cosplay+9.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 105px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928111832845938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTosNk00b8IcgHykzoju0amVgP-7WKc-CWj4ntmThzEnRrFwJ4Gt1C46Px4NGJ3A5P0gvBD2I3Jvn6nCc4bMCumvN5BUbQEdZ6ZO0wHEhM2wBZwuNrgy8BzXmDy87nurAZyUd7UyVWZOJ8/s320/cosplay+9.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Soap and Ghost from Modern Warfare 2<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgANqF3bVz1tYnhSW19q61qLdU6Bwwrnrz6efsypW4f4xnMbBa7vnTyvdOS-H8-lzfIbhj2BFxmjmMzK8EtoTHsr06ZZL6GRLXmezTYSh79AG1XnbhTbHhOKEAFk9IB0hj9vPyikmzYrsqF/s1600/cosplay+8.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 226px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928106362246946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgANqF3bVz1tYnhSW19q61qLdU6Bwwrnrz6efsypW4f4xnMbBa7vnTyvdOS-H8-lzfIbhj2BFxmjmMzK8EtoTHsr06ZZL6GRLXmezTYSh79AG1XnbhTbHhOKEAFk9IB0hj9vPyikmzYrsqF/s320/cosplay+8.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Dante from Dante's Inferno<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCd08rLCrkmqY-mbxHaD-LzKy3DYOoSoHwn1WH3Vi8Zbpyr9xWKPDHlYgu3ZhB35g8Dn-rTcV-fhoRiyE5_cMlN5f46FSouzhaf9ONaKwsxBBCRwanJ3LDmfSpYnDvJBERw1sVE5oW9MJW/s1600/cosplay+6.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 253px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928102694674146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCd08rLCrkmqY-mbxHaD-LzKy3DYOoSoHwn1WH3Vi8Zbpyr9xWKPDHlYgu3ZhB35g8Dn-rTcV-fhoRiyE5_cMlN5f46FSouzhaf9ONaKwsxBBCRwanJ3LDmfSpYnDvJBERw1sVE5oW9MJW/s320/cosplay+6.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Samus from Metroid Prime<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclD342M99O4RZe5eCBH_0DGpmd6e_IzBc_U52-KtoFmUwRSJuZ0FLWbqsr37AIonwNVz2mZjqZvfT2Lb5RAN53l2HK0o3SLvsK0gpEx0C9FFgwi-bBgKzsb_eI3RCu08o0JNW4vQ54KSK/s1600/cosplay+12.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 181px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928832215553122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhclD342M99O4RZe5eCBH_0DGpmd6e_IzBc_U52-KtoFmUwRSJuZ0FLWbqsr37AIonwNVz2mZjqZvfT2Lb5RAN53l2HK0o3SLvsK0gpEx0C9FFgwi-bBgKzsb_eI3RCu08o0JNW4vQ54KSK/s320/cosplay+12.jpg" /> <p align="center"></a>Dark Link from Zelda: A Link to the Past<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDv47nu-vQPqmQtOoY4kD_WpdBHWz8PfKlgjt8TYjz-4bd75FfPw71YzUdOsj_A5_hESLzo1Tb4IHVn5QGFZ-rm8gy3dD2juB7Lv7f8toDIPFRchtUFYBpcHH0gGk4MwOu_tlNss3Jy2-2/s1600/cosplay+7.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 190px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465928832940831810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDv47nu-vQPqmQtOoY4kD_WpdBHWz8PfKlgjt8TYjz-4bd75FfPw71YzUdOsj_A5_hESLzo1Tb4IHVn5QGFZ-rm8gy3dD2juB7Lv7f8toDIPFRchtUFYBpcHH0gGk4MwOu_tlNss3Jy2-2/s320/cosplay+7.jpg" /></a> <p align="center">Kratos from God of War</p>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-7054007751333110952010-04-27T15:24:00.017-04:002010-05-13T16:20:40.484-04:00Halo: Reach Beta is Inbound!Halo: Reach is one of the most anticipated titles of the year. Bungie is claiming that this will be the final title in the franchise. As a result, Halo: Reach has been re-tooled from the ground up and the results are remarkable. Best of all, in less than a week, millions of loyal fans will be able to check out a pre-release build for themselves. The beta will be released May 3rd and will be available to those who previously purchased Halo 3: ODST. It will be accessible via the campaign disk and will run until Microsoft and Bungie have completed their testing. Since it is available through the disc, renting Halo 3: ODST or purchasing it used should still allow you to participate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVapf_ARSqQruv89M7eW1GKoTXamHeLe7Bc7ql5AHnqyVhFaOxK9mEIvLIt1APPYXyg_dmszdoWMI3Jy-Meq2aErJCu4ZSOJMIIq0kdfztDT-_Me7hapuDXJSQH-XbdLhx0-FYfdu2mWng/s1600/reach3.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464918916590802930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVapf_ARSqQruv89M7eW1GKoTXamHeLe7Bc7ql5AHnqyVhFaOxK9mEIvLIt1APPYXyg_dmszdoWMI3Jy-Meq2aErJCu4ZSOJMIIq0kdfztDT-_Me7hapuDXJSQH-XbdLhx0-FYfdu2mWng/s320/reach3.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmWOSpSO_Xbupb-MhkLaR6n6d4luZoZIKNK83_T7gd87G_ITfzPRCkjFakFub9P7P4aBOhdTDnF5AE6-KRDYXrNjiOeTKej6gjo21xLWBVnUvWNXUpsJDU_9q0DY_UcOZ3XeUb3rMQoH1/s1600/reach2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464918910258353218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtmWOSpSO_Xbupb-MhkLaR6n6d4luZoZIKNK83_T7gd87G_ITfzPRCkjFakFub9P7P4aBOhdTDnF5AE6-KRDYXrNjiOeTKej6gjo21xLWBVnUvWNXUpsJDU_9q0DY_UcOZ3XeUb3rMQoH1/s320/reach2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 179px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9BtUH-YgupkFQXW_vhPea075QmqHVW6fPuPpiSn42NtB7ZcJq1dDwfhrV6WQrWRZPDA8kOkX4SJVxNccNuFa7KdlqcF5bBb_VORsgOsHcN4AoeXJNSCR-8pbRaMVEfGh7Xc-iHvYpl_Q/s1600/reach+1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464918756759820338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9BtUH-YgupkFQXW_vhPea075QmqHVW6fPuPpiSn42NtB7ZcJq1dDwfhrV6WQrWRZPDA8kOkX4SJVxNccNuFa7KdlqcF5bBb_VORsgOsHcN4AoeXJNSCR-8pbRaMVEfGh7Xc-iHvYpl_Q/s320/reach+1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 180px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Bungie has released a new ViDoc entitled "Carnage Carnivale" showcasing some exciting new footage of actual gameplay. Some new features include choosing your own load-out and assassinating your opponents with a flashy coup de grâce.<br />
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<object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/x7EV4V8W0pc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/x7EV4V8W0pc&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-21448334717571582552010-04-23T09:56:00.013-04:002010-04-26T11:10:02.560-04:00The Assist: Battlefield Bad Company 2<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-558gagIw-p0aS1mw4Fwf1fRyzXkeVRlJyP2SJkiTxF3so2pNOt8jR2ajWlPPV3V9Ikdv697kizLE_mkJ_ZKLZMH7lgma9OuGBNnMaSxT4eIcKjTn2HoKGIzQb8eEf47z3BmqmsGIIk1G/s1600/BattlefieldBadCompany2Sniper.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463348562329985442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-558gagIw-p0aS1mw4Fwf1fRyzXkeVRlJyP2SJkiTxF3so2pNOt8jR2ajWlPPV3V9Ikdv697kizLE_mkJ_ZKLZMH7lgma9OuGBNnMaSxT4eIcKjTn2HoKGIzQb8eEf47z3BmqmsGIIk1G/s320/BattlefieldBadCompany2Sniper.jpg" /></a>The Assist is a new feature where we share tips for some of your favorite games. In this installment we show you how to properly snipe at various ranges in Battlefield Bad Company 2. Sniping in Bad Company 2 is unlike most modern shooters. Traditionally, wherever you place the cross hair is where the bullet will travel and it will do so in a straight line. In Bad Company 2, ballistics are taken into account every time you squeeze the trigger. Here are a few helpful tips to make you the most effective sniper possible.<br /><br />- Distance and bullet travel time isn't an issue with targets at close to medium range. If you're enemy is close enough to occupy most of your scope, you can place the bullet directly where the cross hair is focused.<br /><br />- Sniping at medium to long range is a bit more complicated. It takes practice and time to get a feel for distance shooting. Depending on how far your target is, you'll have to compensate by aiming the cross hair above their heads. The further the target, the more you will have to compensate. This is because the bullet will begin to drop after a certain distance. The mil dots on your scope are helpful for gauging target distance.<br /><br />- The same is true for a moving target. You will have to lead the target. in order to have them run into the bullet. The angle at which the target is moving is also important. If they are running directly from left to right, you'll have to lead the target a great deal more in order to land a hit. If they are moving toward you on a diagonal, then you'll have to lead considerably less.<br /><br />- You should always go for head shots whenever possible. Regardless of distance, a head shot will always kill in one shot. A sniper's goal is always "one shot, one kill." Occasionally you'll have to fire off a round with haste so this won't always be possible. If you are certain you can land a body hit that leaves an enemy vulnerable, better to gain points for assist, than no points at all. The only circumstance where a body shot is preferable, is when you know that your target is already injured and a single shot will get the job done. Killing an enemy at full health will require two body shots with considerable downtime in between shots if using a bolt action rifle.<br /><br />- Only fire when a shot is possible. Sending a bullet down range when the target isn't visible or acquirable will betray your position as well as waste valuable ammunition.<br /><br />- Press the "back" button on the Xbox 360 controller or "select" on the Playstation 3 in order to highlight enemies on screen. This is possible only when you are looking through your scope or aiming down sights with other weapons. Enemy positions will now be visible to your teammates and you will be able to rack up "spot points" with nearly no effort at all. The class is called "recon" after all.<br /><br />- Accessories are a snipers best friend. Use your motion detection mines! It only takes a second to throw out, and on close quarter maps you can rack up points like nobody's business. Once you've unlocked it, the mortar strike ability is your new best friend. The sniper class is more than any other capable of wreaking havoc on enemy personnel. This is especially true against vehicles. A well placed mortar strike can decimate enemy tanks in seconds. It's also great for flushing out an ambush of closely grouped foot soldiers.<br /><br />That's all for this week, but be sure and check back for future installments of The Assist. Leave any comments or questions below and let us know how you're doing in Battlefield Bad Company 2.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ejps8fxv4QA&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ejps8fxv4QA&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-24751527605426810162010-04-21T09:52:00.014-04:002010-04-21T16:46:07.923-04:00God of War 3 ReviewGod of War 3 is a modern masterpiece of gaming. It is, in nearly every way, a representation of what today's game developers are truly capable of. Both the artistic and technical graphics are state-of-the-art, presenting a sense of scale that other games have only hinted at. Everything, including the cut scenes, are rendered with the in-game engine. Load times are infrequent and short and I didn't notice any frame rate issues. High resolution textures drape nearly the entire world with the occasional instance of a lower resolution object or set piece. Character models are highly detailed and animations are fluid and believable. God of War 3 is by far the best looking game on the market today.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-jVM1aqzX1DO9q1mJoDI2JBjOyeXMOjk7Y-r7rUz-hBi3LKYvee5UizBGApcInqxHRg_gmDtgj8gAE2QYNNrepItFnkiYJoMUFQvtQfT4VgxWghPornBpvSTGSQFx8T5JnYSPsvkFv5h/s1600/gow4.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 166px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462681520153164978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz-jVM1aqzX1DO9q1mJoDI2JBjOyeXMOjk7Y-r7rUz-hBi3LKYvee5UizBGApcInqxHRg_gmDtgj8gAE2QYNNrepItFnkiYJoMUFQvtQfT4VgxWghPornBpvSTGSQFx8T5JnYSPsvkFv5h/s320/gow4.jpg" /></a> The English language has served me well throughout my life. In near every <a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/the-situation-spring-break.jpg">situation</a>, I've been able to find just the right terminology to get my point across. However, I feel a new term is needed to describe God of War 3. Words like brutal, visceral, and sadistic don't even come close for the most violent game in the series. I humbly suggest (wait for it) Kratostrophic. Whether your gutting a Centaur or tearing off Helios' head with your bare hands, you'll be squirming in your chair with one eye open. The sex mini game is the most explicit of the series and finds Kratos enjoying Aphrodite's company while her half-naked followers look on with delight. This is not a game for minors in any way, shape or form. If you have kids or younger siblings, tuck them in before popping this one in.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql-I2pJ5_DFQ66ynughzr68CcKWOeSFsd5A2n621X-qmBaep515eYW5ieXhtx0CGXByMWGX8C1ZST6xWp3nHuxw8J4e4VzvEaxjXHkCpSCB_XyNXcHwBpn-qZ2ZB_t9HIXteu24QIkTH5/s1600/gow1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462680791226719714" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhql-I2pJ5_DFQ66ynughzr68CcKWOeSFsd5A2n621X-qmBaep515eYW5ieXhtx0CGXByMWGX8C1ZST6xWp3nHuxw8J4e4VzvEaxjXHkCpSCB_XyNXcHwBpn-qZ2ZB_t9HIXteu24QIkTH5/s320/gow1.jpg" /></a> Kratos' total disregard for anyone but himself has always made him a difficult character to relate to. He's not so much a bad ass as he is an asshole. It's a credit to the game's writers for being able to make you care about what's happening on screen. As inhuman as Kratos may seem, his tragic past offers a plausible albeit irrational motivation for his rampage against the Gods. You are supposed to feel that Kratos is going too far, and you certainly will by the time you've completed your journey. The ending is controversial to say the least and may leave a bitter taste in the mouths of some of the most hardcore fans.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlE0uLhrD8fa3DwTNjEc8_cla2UMfyZSHcLsdQZe_uyUMGpysNlzvTCD-G4R1TrdSHCnjUOhtYrVNW0mwuxP19Mhd8g3uJzGGgtkR3_g1zwfuiy6dOdZ0LIVNiASfsEvmtL_xMexI7jX62/s1600/gow3.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462681053956429138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlE0uLhrD8fa3DwTNjEc8_cla2UMfyZSHcLsdQZe_uyUMGpysNlzvTCD-G4R1TrdSHCnjUOhtYrVNW0mwuxP19Mhd8g3uJzGGgtkR3_g1zwfuiy6dOdZ0LIVNiASfsEvmtL_xMexI7jX62/s320/gow3.jpg" /></a>The action and set pieces vary at a pace that keeps the game exciting and fresh. In a game that spans about 10 hours, I never found myself bored with what the game was throwing at me. Each boss battle is completely unique and offers something new. You'll acquire a majority of your in-game items and weapons by defeating the Gods and their kin. Combat is very deep featuring four melee weapons, magic attacks and special items. As seen in previous installments, you feed red orbs into your weapons to level them and gain new attacks and abilities. The special items like Apollo's bow and Hermes' boots will recharge after a short rest. The key is experimenting to find what works best against the many types of enemies you'll face. The difficulty is consistent on normal and will offer a challenge with the occasional bout of frustration. There is one mini boss in particular that had me red faced for nearly an hour. The puzzles are mild brain teasers that are easily solvable with a bit of trial and error. The only part of the game I downright despise is the wind tunnel flying sequence featured in the demo. It's long and feels cheap since misjudging a single opening can lead to an unavoidable series of collisions. Also, as breathtaking as the visuals may be, some environments and character models will occasionally appear crisper and more detailed than others. The slight unevenness doesn't take much away from the experience and even at it's worst, God of War 3 looks better than any of its contemporaries.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3LVwp9TXQn2hYQ8WHf8KaECJ9nBH228-JAGoz4L2Ze-THO_2Gn0qbMjyQV9v4iKHej8ZGIUqJwrHJTzi2dl9wmRAbqVPmaqJCjcErfBx3Zzp3cdITbquUV2n0Cqpaz2ymoZIiPcHoTK8/s1600/gow2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 180px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462680487306593346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI3LVwp9TXQn2hYQ8WHf8KaECJ9nBH228-JAGoz4L2Ze-THO_2Gn0qbMjyQV9v4iKHej8ZGIUqJwrHJTzi2dl9wmRAbqVPmaqJCjcErfBx3Zzp3cdITbquUV2n0Cqpaz2ymoZIiPcHoTK8/s320/gow2.jpg" /></a> If you can stomach the violence and gratuitous nudity you'll be rewarded with one of the very best experiences in gaming. The story is powerful and easy to follow. The visuals are gorgeous and the production values are incredibly high. There are several items to unlock, and a second play-through is well worth it if just to enjoy some of the more unforgettable moments all over again. God of War 3 is a must-own exclusive for the Playstation 3. Feel free to leave a comment and let us know how you feel about Kratos' latest adventure.<br /><br />Rating 9.5 out of 10<br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dX7ON6nG00Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dX7ON6nG00Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-75929374339761900022010-04-14T11:34:00.010-04:002010-04-26T11:12:13.848-04:00Gears of War 3 Debut TrailerThe debut trailer for Gears of War 3 has been unleashed on the world. It made it's debut on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It's nice to see games getting some mainstream media attention without being connected to some scandal. Most noteworthy is the inclusion of a female COG soldier who might be Anya from the two previous Gears of War titles. Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games has mentioned in the past that he sees the FPS genre adopting certain Role Playing mechanics. Will the new Gears of War have upgradeable armor and weaponry? Is there such a thing as a Level 9 Marcus Phoenix Mage? More information will no doubt be released as it's release draws nearer. Gears of War 3 will conclude the series and is set to be released in April 2010.<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eAnPMot9e7I&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eAnPMot9e7I&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-43861459814257160932010-03-18T10:36:00.007-04:002010-04-26T11:40:50.486-04:00Medal of Honor Debut TrailerA long time ago in a galaxy far, far away Medal of Honor ruled the roost of World War II games. The once legendary franchise has since been stuck in a bit of a rut with Medal of Honor: Airborne receiving both average review scores and sales. EA looks to reclaim the throne with its upcoming and updated modern warfare game, simply titled, "Medal of Honor." The game is being developed by EA Los Angeles and will feature contrasting gameplay between small teams of Tier One Operators and the shock-and-awe-driven Army Rangers. The formula is no doubt awfully familiar. It's only been five months since Modern Warfare 2 hit shelves and the concept has been around since its predecessor in Call of Duty 4. However, Modern Warfare 2 did leave many fans dissatisfied after a short and confusing single player campaign. Perhaps the new "Medal of Honor" will be the spiritual successor to the well received Call of Duty 4 that many fans are craving. If your appetite can only be satiated by fragging live opponents, than rest easy as Battlefield: Bad Company 2 developers DICE are behind the wheel for multiplayer. Medal of Honor is due out this Fall and will no doubt go head-to-head with whatever Treyarch has cooking for Activision.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='480' height='360' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dznW47pB2_094NSezUMgMiQc5lr_EmGyhJKilQJgCBRN-s3Juw6m4PKjpxagU99Gyo92rwWc2Exza7EUusBPg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-19016245239330302052010-02-23T09:20:00.005-05:002010-02-23T11:10:53.892-05:00The Customer Is Always WrongCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released nearly 3 months ago now. Since that time it's become the proverbial play toy of the hacking and modding community. The game has also had the misfortune of a growing list of bugs and glitches originating from the source code itself. To be fair, Infinity Ward has released a handful of patches since release to combat the most severe hacks and bugs including the infinite ammo and ice skating (think Ferrari without brakes) hacks, as well at the care package glitch resulting in unlimited amounts of the mystery box.<br /><br />Naturally one would expect that Infinity Ward would approach it's loyal fan base with humility and appreciation. You'd be wrong. Robert Bowling, Infinity Ward's Community Manager, has made a mockery of community relations. He instructs fans to follow his personal Twitter page where you'll find a rambling of incomplete sentences answering a single suffering souls dilemma. Want to know what the question was? Just click the inquisitive users account and scroll through dozens of posts in an attempt to match the question to the answer. This is assuming of course the user hasn't deleted the question or set their account to private. If you do manage to find out the original question, Bowling's answer is short and sweet, containing just enough information to vaguely answer your question without providing any real detail. Too bad "Lost" is in it's final season or Mr. Bowling would have a future in television. If you are one of the chosen few that receives a golden ticket and gets an answer, then surely you are greeted with respect as a valued customer. Strike two. Bowling is often snide and defensive refusing to show the patience he asks of the gaming community. Lashing out with profanity and insults is rarely the correct course of action, however given the high expectations of Modern Warfare 2 and the accompanying record breaking sales, you think Bowling would choose not to fuel the fire. Here are a few examples of Rob's drawn out responses:<br /><br /><em>"@_Trems_ No problem."<br /><br />"@Boyle111 I am."<br /><br />"@Jayroo21 Correct. At least, that's the goal."</em><br /><br />Thank you for the clarification Mr. Bowling. Perhaps now I can sleep soundly at night knowing that it's no problem, you are, and that Jayroo21 is correct about one of an infinite amount of conclusions floating in outer space. I knew I pre-ordered for a reason.<br /><br />The worst is yet to come. Thus far, we've seen Infinity Ward's treatment of the gaming community on a large and more public scale. What about the die-hards in the Infinity Ward forums posting endlessly about the various problems needing resolution in "Modern Warfare 2?" Despite their best efforts, the community is usually ignored with little input from Infinity Ward staff. One can only wonder why Infinity Ward doesn't watch these forums more closely since these are the fans that are most aware of the bugs, glitches and hacks plaguing the game. I presume it's because Infinity Ward is already moving on to it's next project. They would have to push forward with any hopes of having a new game out to meet Activision's ludicrous release schedule (Guitar Hero 18 is no doubt in development somewhere). The staff realizes that fans like those in the forums are in the minority. Millions of gamers are clueless to the controversy with "Modern Warfare 2" and I'm willing to wager that a fair share of them aren't even aware that "World at War" and "Modern Warfare 2" are made by completely separate and unrelated developers. Infinity Ward now has at least two downloadable content packs to consider as well as plan the inevitable Modern Warfare 3. A small part of me hopes they do decide to abandon this game in hopes that the next will receive the polish necessary to warrant it's sales figures. Below are excerpts from the official forums by a staff member in the art department known as Hyphen_MW2.<br /><br /><em>Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 4:46 pm<br /><br />"when most of the threads consist of someone berating us, what we do for a living, or how we do it, do you expect volunteers to come back and take it over and over? many may not know, but after i received several death threats and ridiculous comments being sent to me through all avenues, i decided to cut myself free. it's not in my job description to be here answering questions and getting reamed every which way."<br /></em><br /><em>Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 2:11 am<br /><br />"since im not one to really bite my tongue quite as often as i should, i'm gonna go ahead and say it. flugtag, you have absolutely zero clue what you're talking about. i'm pretty sure you just started typing away and while flailing your fingers at the keyboard, some random ideas came about and you decided that it'd be cool to post it. you really have no idea and need to put the pity card away. you too spetznas. i'm sick of all these lame ass assumptions. jesus christ. now, with that out of the way, dungbeetle, i'm trying to ease it in there. i can't just walk up to the engineers and say, "ohay guyz! we needz to put in local search." local searching is considered a feature, one that i dont think you can simply put in by typing a few lines of code. and even if it was as simple as that, it has to get approved first. so, i'm easing into it. i've brought up your plight to a few people, it just needs to gain some more momentum. if you wanna know my opinion, i think taking some video of your games would be helpful. possibly a montage of connectivity issues from different people. hell, if everyone in the other thread could make one video and string it together in a vid i could fwd that to some people and itd make things a LOT easier on me. and an fyi for people, there are many fixes in the works. just because we aren't overly vocal about things doesn't necessarily mean that they aren't being made."<br /></em><br />According to Infinity Ward, we should make videos of the in game bugs and send it to them. This is pretty amusing considering Hyphen has a fondness for stating that responding to fans is not his job. Why he should presume that making videos of bugs is our job, I couldn't tell you. I don't own a video recorder, but I think I might buy one now just to make Hyphen's life a little bit easier. It's good to know that besides having paper thin skin incapable of receiving criticism, Infinity Ward's staff also require bug reports to be eased in with KY jelly in order to gain the "momentum" necessary to fix a broken game. At least they aren't being "overly vocal", because God knows fans hate hearing from the developers about upcoming patches for the game they blew their Christmas money on. Perhaps there is enough left over for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 due out March 2nd for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNW4n7DlQCS0wqJkF5TwMn9-Mjd9NxKMgAO6E9iedfyko25Bn27cPI6IvoAA4YciY2aBKbPYfW0yqf_1wciqpiyiTKOWWOZoneqWNQ9m7URaoJ0G-xPJdYk91p2pI5kthRIygpGtpWvXr/s1600-h/bowling+devil.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 242px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441469205359695986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNW4n7DlQCS0wqJkF5TwMn9-Mjd9NxKMgAO6E9iedfyko25Bn27cPI6IvoAA4YciY2aBKbPYfW0yqf_1wciqpiyiTKOWWOZoneqWNQ9m7URaoJ0G-xPJdYk91p2pI5kthRIygpGtpWvXr/s320/bowling+devil.jpg" /></a>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-42340234939939480932010-02-17T15:51:00.011-05:002010-05-13T16:25:33.789-04:00Halo: Reach vs. Halo 3 Graphics ComparisonWhen Halo 3 was released in September of 2007, it was welcomed with a new entertainment launch sales record (recently bested by Modern Warfare 2) and a host of skeptics troubled by the game's lack of visual horsepower. While certainly a step up from its predecessor, Halo 3 did not achieve the same shock and awe effect that Halo 2 did when released. This no doubt is in large part to the over all increase in graphical quality among other First Person Shooters. Bungie, developer of the Halo franchise, knew they had an antiquated game engine on their hands and wisely chose to start from the beginning. The result is a brand new engine capable of rendering far more detailed imagery. Halo: Reach is currently set to be released on September 26th, 2010. Below you'll find a comparison of several in game images from both Halo: Reach and Halo 3 as well as actual gameplay released at the recent X10 event.<br />
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<div align="center" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cJdgzrkEHA_eiGBWi8r3_XxUN1vpKwhf2FfKnmXjlBTpdblmMfTc1kLVf_Iret2bBBcTQKa_D5I-WaHNXFRUCCVZhca9Ea_hA8piSxguSVkVHAbzBSX_c5t5t1WqDX_ELVrS-MOV1OCp/s1600-h/battle+rifle+comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2cJdgzrkEHA_eiGBWi8r3_XxUN1vpKwhf2FfKnmXjlBTpdblmMfTc1kLVf_Iret2bBBcTQKa_D5I-WaHNXFRUCCVZhca9Ea_hA8piSxguSVkVHAbzBSX_c5t5t1WqDX_ELVrS-MOV1OCp/s320/battle+rifle+comparison.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center">Battle Rifle Comparison<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNYAPwA1ZHHlQRYgsZruUckk0g5G3oBUdg7iSz9MPB5-P0ugX4jDPVFrzWhr71_Nzqf96EwuBsYHCNJuudyWEP8ZCQD4KQm4DmHA8QHw_sTqrm4lIVt7xdtGldOVXGQvP-hWsmT-jpVDl/s1600/sniper+rifle+compasrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNYAPwA1ZHHlQRYgsZruUckk0g5G3oBUdg7iSz9MPB5-P0ugX4jDPVFrzWhr71_Nzqf96EwuBsYHCNJuudyWEP8ZCQD4KQm4DmHA8QHw_sTqrm4lIVt7xdtGldOVXGQvP-hWsmT-jpVDl/s320/sniper+rifle+compasrison.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div>Sniper Rifle Comparison</div><br />
<div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgiPHlFnCympG_QLa5WlptFhobakxGcv79MXyxahFv3dI2VNJsOIftl5C9Bk9uXTbrLq4ZxTc3ndUUSJQF88ucGPyX73px-ARQdUzdnZqZ6eTsRi9FlfZnzVi_B6IEG6_DBHgMmPYIJX5/s1600-h/marines+comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOgiPHlFnCympG_QLa5WlptFhobakxGcv79MXyxahFv3dI2VNJsOIftl5C9Bk9uXTbrLq4ZxTc3ndUUSJQF88ucGPyX73px-ARQdUzdnZqZ6eTsRi9FlfZnzVi_B6IEG6_DBHgMmPYIJX5/s320/marines+comparison.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">U.N.S.C. Marine Comparison</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrDVwO_hh8kFuERcBlN4HyFR04x7miTGuGVsgu0uOyriLzwRcv_v0cQlhfWk5W8C2beeI0qoLKNuYL8gw7K15N0uYuBOPVQakS-ibpt10xKSKViGP5a2LEViGJJfzbj5bfAUI_aXZCm8H/s1600-h/jackal+comparison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrDVwO_hh8kFuERcBlN4HyFR04x7miTGuGVsgu0uOyriLzwRcv_v0cQlhfWk5W8C2beeI0qoLKNuYL8gw7K15N0uYuBOPVQakS-ibpt10xKSKViGP5a2LEViGJJfzbj5bfAUI_aXZCm8H/s320/jackal+comparison.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Jackal Comparison</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object height="295" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jDB9O2fuiiA&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jDB9O2fuiiA&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object></div>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-35343387788762312252010-02-02T10:19:00.003-05:002010-02-05T10:47:48.669-05:00Game of the Year Awards 2009 - Marc's Picks<div><strong><u>Most Disappointing Game</u></strong><br />
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Halo 3: ODST<br />
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Runner Up: (TIE) Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/odst-patrol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" kt="true" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/odst-patrol.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<strong><u>Best Downloadable Game</u></strong><br />
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The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition </div><div><br />
Runner Up: Shadow Complex<br />
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<strong><u>Best Shooter</u></strong><br />
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Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 </div><div>Runner Up: 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand</div><br />
<div><br />
<strong><u>Best Role Playing Game</u></strong><br />
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Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story<br />
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<strong><u>Best Music Game</u></strong><br />
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Guitar Hero: Metallica<br />
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Runner Up: DJ Hero</div><br />
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<div><strong><u>Best Platformer</u></strong><br />
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New Super Mario Bros. Wii<br />
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Runner Up: Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time<br />
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<strong><u>Best Fighting Game</u></strong><br />
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Street Fighter IV<br />
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Runner Up: Marvel Vs. Capcom 2<br />
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<strong><u>Best Racing Game</u></strong><br />
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Forza Motorsport 3<br />
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Runner Up: Fuel<br />
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<strong><u>Best Real Time Strategy Game</u></strong><br />
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Brutal Legend <br />
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<strong><u>Best Action/Adventure Game</u></strong> <br />
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Batman: Arkham Asylum<br />
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Runner Up: Infamous<br />
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<strong><u>Best Graphics</u></strong><br />
<div><br />
Batman: Arkham Asylum<br />
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Runner Up: The Saboteur<br />
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<strong><u>Best Story</u></strong><br />
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Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box<br />
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Runner Up: Mario and Luigi: Inside Bowser's Story<br />
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<strong><u>Best Soundtrack</u></strong><br />
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Brutal Legend<br />
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<strong><u>Worst Peripheral</u></strong><br />
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Tony Hawk Ride Skateboard<br />
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<strong><u>Best Game No One Played</u></strong></div><br />
<div>Henry Hatsworth and the Puzzling Adventure<br />
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<br />
<strong><u>Worst Game Everyone Played</u></strong><br />
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Prototype </div><br />
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<strong><u>Game of the Year</u></strong><br />
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2<br />
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Runner Up: Batman: Arkham Asylum <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/ghost-modern-warfare-2-character-sc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" kt="true" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/ghost-modern-warfare-2-character-sc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-4672832647473654502010-01-28T10:29:00.010-05:002010-02-04T13:20:38.539-05:00Game of the Year Awards 2009 - Jon's PicksBehold the first annual Gamerology Game of Year Awards! There were quite a few excellent games in 2009 and this year's recipients represent the best of the best (or in some cases worst of the worst). Agree of Disagree? Let us know what your personal picks are in the comments section below.<br />
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<strong><u>Most Disappointing Game</u></strong><br />
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2<br />
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Runner Up: Bionic Commando<br />
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</div><strong><u>Worst Game</u></strong><br />
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Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust<br />
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Runner Up: Stalin vs. Martians<br />
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<strong><u>Best Downloadable Game</u></strong><br />
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Shadow Complex<br />
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Runner Up: Trine<br />
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<strong><u>Best Shooter</u></strong><br />
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Killzone 2<br />
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Runner Up: Borderlands<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/killzone-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" mt="true" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/killzone-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<strong><u>Best Platformer</u></strong><br />
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Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time<br />
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Runner Up: New Super Mario Bros.<br />
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<strong><u>Best Fighting Game</u></strong><br />
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Street Fighter IV<br />
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Runner Up: Tekken 6<br />
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<strong><u>Best Role Playing Game</u></strong><br />
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Demon’s Souls<br />
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Runner Up: Dragon Age: Origins<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/DemonsSouls1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" mt="true" src="http://i997.photobucket.com/albums/af95/Sixstringchild/DemonsSouls1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<strong><u>Best Music Game</u></strong><br />
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The Beatles: Rockband<br />
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Runner Up: DJ Hero<br />
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<strong><u>Best Racing Game</u></strong><br />
<br />
Forza Motorsport 3<br />
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Runner Up: Dirt 2<br />
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<strong><u>Best Real Time Strategy Game</u></strong><br />
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Halo Wars<br />
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Runner Up: Brutal Legend<br />
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<strong><u>Best Action/Adventure Game</u></strong><br />
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Uncharted 2: Among Thieves<br />
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Runner Up: Batman: Arkham Asylum<br />
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<strong><u>Game of the Year</u></strong><br />
<br />
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves<br />
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Runner Up: Batman: Arkham Asylum<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kkBu2n2y1lQQ0dRnAiV4hYgxVH3kwI8mHarNvZPjI1WR5IRTp8wMpycNiRgzo7S9Qv4t5R0cjKraTYx-vCBtQbGNWG2bPLB4uozMqu934lgyl_xdkG5JU8Puz_wGaXincRZyYpOuAV3f/s1600-h/tn_565_2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431815415882560066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kkBu2n2y1lQQ0dRnAiV4hYgxVH3kwI8mHarNvZPjI1WR5IRTp8wMpycNiRgzo7S9Qv4t5R0cjKraTYx-vCBtQbGNWG2bPLB4uozMqu934lgyl_xdkG5JU8Puz_wGaXincRZyYpOuAV3f/s320/tn_565_2.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 182px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-19018448797657915692010-01-07T14:46:00.006-05:002010-01-08T10:38:12.812-05:00Top 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2010 - Jon's PicksChoosing only five games I’m looking forward to in 2010 is like choosing your favorite Backstreet Boy; it’s damn near impossible. The following are personally what I am foaming at the mouth to play. The new year is still infantile and many more games have yet to be announced, but as it stands, 2010 is shaping up to be a great year for game releases. Perhaps most surprising is the stellar first quarter release schedule which is the most impressive I’ve seen in ages.<br />
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1. Mass Effect 2<br />
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The original Mass Effect was not a perfect game by any means. It was however, an excellent game with tremendous potential. Mass Effect delivered a mature Sci-fi role playing experience that hasn’t been done this well since Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. It featured an interesting and engaging story which was irreversibly affected by your decisions. Developer Bioware has not turned a deaf ear to the complaints of the gaming public. Expect Mass Effect 2 to be fine-tuned and highly refined. The engine is already built and implemented leaving plenty of time to craft a masterful experience. The best part is that your original game save from the first Mass Effect can be uploaded and the choices made will carry over. This has never been done before to my knowledge and I can’t wait to see it in action.<br />
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2. Heavy Rain<br />
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This is a game even Marc and I can agree on. Heavy Rain is being developed by Quantic Dream, the same team behind last generation’s sadly overlooked Indigo Prophecy. In-game footage is beginning to surface and the game looks gorgeous. The character models are highly detailed and are capable of expressing complex emotions. The gameplay seems to be more akin to an interactive film than a traditional videogame, but that’s what is so alluring. The concept of what constitutes a game is being pushed and opening doors to even more possibilities. The most exciting and possibly unnerving aspect of the game is that it never ends. Like a film, there is no game over screen with a checkpoint. If your character dies, the story continues. It is unclear exactly how this will work, but the concept is ground-breaking.<br />
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3. Final Fantasy XIII<br />
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There is scarcely a gamer past or present that is unfamiliar with the Final Fantasy series. For over 20 years, Final Fantasy has been the definitive Japanese RPG. No two games are alike, and each installment features a brand new story with all new characters and gameplay features. What makes Final Fantasy XIII so special? It’s the first in the series to make the leap to the current generation of consoles. Final Fantasy XII was one of the best games on Playstation 2, and given the console’s library, that is truly saying something. Imagine what can be done with a Blu-Ray disc and high-definition graphics. The new fluid and fast-paced battle system in place will most likely bridge the gap between Western and Japanese Role Playing Games even more. I am officially preparing to have no life beginning day one of its release. It is one of very few franchises that has met or surpassed my expectations time after time.<br />
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4. God of War III<br />
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The E3 2009 God of War III demo initially made available through pre-orders is now available with the purchase of the District 9 Blu-Ray. Luckily for you, District 9 is a fantastic film and one worth purchasing in its own right. The God of War III demo is just the muscle-bound, dual blade-wielding Spartan cherry on top. The demo is not even indicative of the final build and it already looks incredible. The action was absolutely brutal. I thought I’d seen it all when it comes to gaming and even I couldn’t help but cringe every time Kratos delivered a gore-laden killing blow. At its core this is still God of War. The controls and gameplay haven’t changed since the original God of War yet it still felt fresh and exciting. The team at Sony knows what they are doing and this could be the game that helps to level the playing field between Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in 2010.<br />
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5. Spec Ops: The Line<br />
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No doubt you are as surprised as I am about Spec Ops: The Line being included in this list. Logically this game shouldn’t be anywhere near a most anticipated list. The developer is unknown and the 3rd person shooter genre has had cover mechanics for years already. One question, have you seen the trailer? This game looks incredible. See our recent "Trailer Madness" update to check it out for yourself. If Rocksteady (a virtually unknown developer at the time) can strike gold with Batman: Arkham Asylum, why can’t the team at Yager crank out a surprise hit? The sand-caked buildings of Dubai are both eerie and breathtaking to behold. The concept is fascinating featuring a modern combat setting with a decision-based system that will affect the story progression. What if Infinity Ward’s Modern Warfare series wasn’t on wheels? Imagine facing tough life or death choices amidst a global conflict. Very little is known about Spec Ops: The Line at the moment, which is undoubtedly what makes it so alluring.Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8948540091010290384.post-51456984227527838452010-01-07T09:14:00.001-05:002010-01-07T15:12:43.635-05:00Top 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2010 - Marc's PicksFor me, 'most ancicipated' is different than what I feel will be the best games of 2010. I have chosen five games that I think can change the balance of gaming and I’m trying to stay away from sequels, Mafia II being the only exception.<br /><br />1. Dante’s Inferno<br /><br />After playing the demo, I realized one thing. This game is God of War. It's almost exactly the same game, but with a different setting. The combat is smooth and silky and it controls exactly like God of War. It even has Quick Time Events (you press a certain button at a certain time), which was originally made famous by Resident Evil 4. It is now also a God of War staple. The demo, which is available on PSN and XBL, is worth playing through. It’s a long demo at about an hour and it gives you a full boss battle and a mini boss. It ends at a proper location, making you crave some more. It’s about the best game-selling demo I have played since Batman: Arkham Asylum. It may rank up there with Bioshock as one of the best demos I’ve ever played, period. I hope the story stays good as it has a lot to work with, being based on a poem (POEM!?, how many games have you ever played based on a poem) that is almost 700 years old. It’s like the stylization of Assassin’s Creed, only in Hell. You have to go through the 9 levels of Hell and each one has its own boss. People love boss battles that are smart and not too easy or hard. Here’s hoping they can get that balance down.<br /><br />2. Heavy Rain<br /><br />Indigo Prophecy is one of my favorite original Xbox games, lame ending aside. The next game from the same development team is Heavy Rain. It could prove to be too much movie and not enough game and end up being hurt by being a Playstation 3 exclusive. Still, nobody knows exactly what to expect from this game other than a twisted story and highly realistic graphics. It will be full of Quick Time Events (note a recurring theme here?) and you play as four separate characters. If one dies it affects the rest of the game! I have a lot of skepticism about how exactly that will work and how it will affect replay value, but it kind of worked in Indigo Prophecy. My only concern is how much will you actually be <em>playing</em> this game and not just clicking a button at a certain time. The demo can't get here fast enough.<br /><br />3. Mafia II<br /><br />The first Mafia was pretty good on the PC but stunk on PS2 and PS3. This one is being developed concurrently for PC/PS3/360 and looks to be the game that Godfather should have been. So far everything I’ve seen looks like this game is a combination of the best elements of the Godfather games and the GTA games. It's open-ended with a heavy emphasis on story and other mafias fighting with your crime family. It will not be as goofy as GTA, that's for sure, but can it be better? Can the world be much more alive than GTA IV was? It’s hard to tell until you actually jump into the game and start playing it.<br /><br />4. Split/Second<br /><br />I was debating which racing game I was going to put on this list, either Split/Second or Blur, and after thinking it over, I chose Split/Second. Why? Well as much as I love Bizarre Creations and Project Gotham, the developers of Split/Second also developed Pure which, aside from its lame career mode, was just plain fun. Now they are taking their awesome ATV games and making a bona fide car racing game. What’s the difference? Each race has a bunch of “special events” that once you build up your “powerplay” meter, you can trigger them and create obstacles, shortcuts or change the race course entirely. Burnout kind of had that, but it was very limited and each race only had 1 or 2. These tracks are supposed to have a LOT in each one. The story mode also sounds intriguing, using a reality TV show premise, broken up into numerous “seasons” with 24 episodes, and one episode consisting of 3 race events.<br /><br />5. Alan Wake<br /><br />I don’t usually take to survival horror games, but this one is not your typical survival horror. It’s what the guys over at Remedy Entertainment are calling a “psychological action thriller." This is a game that is about 5 years in the making, and the first game from these guys since Max Payne 2. The game was originally planned to be more free-roam, but that has since been removed to focus on a compelling story. I can’t thank them enough for that; not every single game needs to be free-roam. Sometimes I just want the story to progress and not have to do a million side stories to get the full experience. What has been shown of this game so far looks amazing, from the graphics to the “psychological action” scenes. I want a scary game that has nothing to do with monsters (Dead Space) zombies (Resident Evil) or fog (Silent Hill).Jonathan Focarinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09682289957901764544noreply@blogger.com0