Games
E3 2010: Games News & Press Events Review – Day 2
June 17, 2010
We’re in full swing at E3 2010 after our day 1 coverage and full of excitement and sheer madness that fills the atmosphere. Activision’s extravaganza last night set some of their biggest games’ trailers to a whole host of massive artists from Usher to Jane’s Addiction, capping off the night with Eminem, showcasing Call of Duty: Black Ops. But enough of the publicity stunts, let’s get down to business.
Konami Press Conference
Konami offered a mixed bag this afternoon, ranging from images of a woman being dissected by an elevator in Saw II, to campness defined in Glee Karaoke Revolution. The real highlights were as follows. An announcement of Silent Hill 8 (working title) with an overhauled combat system for 360 and PS3 got horror fans shuddering with excitement and Never Dead, the new title from Rebellion, by Shinta Nojiri, looks to be a 3rd person shooter in which the loss of limbs is just a minor inconvenience: neat.
Perhaps most exciting for yours truly was a little bit more chat over Metal Gear: Rising. The energy in the spine that Raiden rips out in the trailer is a core gameplay mechanic that constitutes energy and even intel for our bleached-haired heroin.
Continue reading »E3 2010: Games News & Press Events Review – Day 1
June 16, 2010
So here it is, the gaming judgement day of the year, E3 2010, where every company, big or small, casual or hardcore struts their stuff for buyers, and primarily, the insatiably hungry media.
I arrived in LA on Monday and thanks to an uncharacteristically cool summer day, I’ve managed to squeeze in plenty of previews, for which I will share my impressions with you now. I shall be writing each day up in the evening, and then putting together a reflective summary afterwards, along with a few interviews with developers. So here goes…
Microsoft
After an elaborate, and ultimately insane fanfare for Kinect (the artist formerly known as Project Natal) which utilised the unwitting media, clothing them in white and blue ponchos and shoulder pads, Microsoft showed their hand on Monday morning, and as expected Kinect featured very heavily.
Continue reading »
New Xbox 360 ‘Slim’ Announced (E3 2010)
June 15, 2010
With E3 2010 now well under way, Microsoft have come out with another ‘shock’ and announced that there will be a new Xbox 360 hitting the shelves this year (as rumoured). So what’s new with Microsoft’s console model? Everything that they should have included in the first place!!
I love my Xbox 360 console and there are some quality games available for it, but my God it’s loud!! Each time I turn it on it’s like it’s about to take off and fly around my living room. Well with the new Xbox 360 ‘Slim’ model, this is no longer an issue as it’s meant to be a hell of a lot quieter even when it’s accessing/reading the DVD – which will be a nice change.
Of course it will still make a noise, but your house won’t shake like it used to. Instead of using two fans, the new version uses one bigger singular fan to keep the noise down. A couple of new vents have been added with one either side and on top so heating shouldn’t be an issue. The buttons on the front have changed slightly with them changing to touch sensitive ones and the disc tray isn’t as clunky when opening/closing.
Continue reading »
Kinect – Project Natal Motion Controller Renamed For Release In Nov 2010
June 14, 2010
E3 2010 is about to start and Microsoft have come out of the blocks early and officially announced that their motion controller peripheral for the Xbox 360 will be named ‘Kinect’.
Kinect has a release date of November 2010, right around the time for Santa to start getting orders. Along with the official name, a few games were announced that will be released with the Xbox 360 motion controller:
Continue reading »
Project Natal / Kinect Preview (Xbox 360 Motion Controller)
June 13, 2010
Around a year ago, we got our first look at Microsoft’s latest innovation for their Xbox 360 console, their motion controller; Project Natal and a lot of people have been wanting to see just how well this works, well I recently got the chance to have a hands-on (so to speak) preview!
Ever since Project Natal was announced, I’ve been very keen to see quite what it’s capable of because the potential it holds for future games could be substantial as shown in the videos at E3 2009, especially the Milo interactive artificial intelligence that Peter Molyneux’s developers created in just a short time of having access to this in-development Xbox motion controller accessory.
Anyway, here’s what I thought of my preview session…
Continue reading »E3 2010 Preview (Gaming Expo)
June 12, 2010
It only seems a few months ago that we were talking about our E3 2009 preview and all of a sudden, it’s back again!
Yes folks, it’s that time of the year where all us gamers get a little bit excited about what news will pop up across the pond at E3 2010. Rumours always circulate in the months leading up to E3 like the PSP2, a slim Xbox 360, GTA 5 to name a few, and we’ll find out whether or not these are true in a few days.
E3 this year will run from June 15-17 and the biggest and best companies from around the globe will be showing us their best products and tell us what we can expect from them this time around. So here’s a short rundown as to some of the ones I’m most eager to hear about from the US of A this year…
Continue reading »
Sin & Punishment: Successor Of The Skies Review (Wii)
June 10, 2010
Sin and Punishment: Successor of the Skies is the sequel to the cult classic Sin and punishment for the Nintendo 64. The game was developed by Treasure who are best known for their classic hardcore action games such as Ikaruga and Gunstar Heros.
The original Sin and Punishment was only released in Japan but was finally brought over to the UK and US through the Wii virtual console. The success of the virtual console version led the sequel to be released in the UK and US this year. This game follows the story of Isa Jo, the son of Saki from the first game, and his friend Kachi.
Continue reading »Lord Of The Rings Online Goes Free-to-Play MMO In Autumn 2010
June 9, 2010
Warner Bros has announced that Turbine’s Lord of the Rings Online will be a ‘free to play game’ from Autumn of this year. Although it says that the game will be free to play, from what I’ve read, it seems to be to ‘free’ for the most part, but you’ll still have to pay for additional content which is very similar to Turbine’s other massively multiplayer online role playing game (mmorpg); Dungeons & Dragons Online.
Even though this is the case I still think it’s a great idea and it seems to be the way a lot of companies could be going, like EA who recently released FIFA Online which is completely free and Sony’s Free Realms which is also very popular due to the non-subscription nature.
With LOTR Online, you can get up to level 50 before you have to start paying money to continue levelling your characters. There are expansion packs, premium content, extra character slots etc which you will have to pay for. There’s even the option to sign on for the VIP pack which will give you unlimited access to all of the premium content available on the game along with priority server access.
Continue reading »
Monster Hunter Tri Review (Wii)
June 1, 2010
Monster Hunter Tri is the third instalment to the Monster Hunter series after last year’s Monster Hunter Freedom Unite PSP game. The game was developed by Capcom and it seems as though they are keeping the trend going that 2010 is the Wii ‘Hardcore Gaming’ year. This game, Monster Hunter 3 was released in Japan back in August 2009 and was later released in America and Europe without an online subscription fee.
Capcom originally planned Monster Hunter Tri to be a Playstation 3 title, but unfortunately like many PS3 titles, lost its exclusivity to another console, and of all of them, to the Nintendo Wii. Capcom have added Wii Speak to the European and American Version and have completely got rid of the Wii friend code system, making this one of the most accessible online games for the Wii.
Continue reading »
Left 4 Dead 2 Review (PC)
May 27, 2010
There isn’t much that could have been done to make Left for Dead 2 completely different from the first Left 4 Dead game, but why would you want to change it? Hordes of Zombies! Exploding heads! High probability of death! And a frying pan! What’s not to like?
This is just one of those games where you can just sit back and let loose. There’s no puzzles to be solved, just get from point A to point B whilst killing as many of the undead horde as you possibly can. This time around you’ll have four more survivors to choose from in Ellis, Rochelle, Nick and Coach. It doesn’t matter who you choose as there are no pros or cons to any of them and they all play the same and can carry the same weapons.
Continue reading »Call of Duty 7: Black Ops Trailer
May 27, 2010
It was only a matter of time before the first trailer was released following the Call of Duty 7 teaser trailer a few weeks back. Well here it is in all its glory. The trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops from developers Treyarch who were the ones behind Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty 3.
From what it shows of the game, it does look impressive and my only issue is whether or not it’s just going to be too similar to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Hopefully not. There isn’t any images of fallen soldiers who want nothing more than to chew on your brain as we saw in the COD: World at War map packs, but there has been talk of the classic Zombie mode, but of course this time around it won’t be Nazi Zombies.
Continue reading »Fantasy University Preview (Facebook Game)
May 20, 2010
Facebook is fast becoming another place for people to play new games online for free…for the most part. So when I read about Fantasy University, I thought I’d take a look and see what it was all about.
Fantasy University, created by Simutronics, is classed as a social adventure game that adds its own twist on the old skool MMOG genre, with plenty of humour and some great pop culture references that people who grew up through the 80′s will find a nice touch.
Continue reading »Sony Playstation Network (PSN) Gets ‘Heartless’ Simultaneous Cinema Movie Release
May 17, 2010
Surely it was only a matter time before this happened, but the latest update to Sony’s Playstation Network (PSN) is going to be getting the first exclusive film ‘Heartless’ which will be released simultaneously with cinemas on May 21.
The film will star Jim Sturgess and Noel Clarke (of Doctor Who fame) in a psychological horror and is directed by Philip Ridley. The story sounds quite interesting and is about a trouble young man who lives in the East of London in an area which is renounced for violent hoodies. The yobs all seem to be wearing demon masks but it turns out there are actually demons.
Continue reading »Steam For Mac Released – Download Portal Game For Free!
May 15, 2010
One of the biggest advantages of owning a PC over a Mac is the vast array of games available for Windows. There are different ways of distribution of such games, and one that is becoming increasingly popular is the digital download. Valve are one of the companies which really lead the way in the digital distribution of games with Steam, their online game platform. In the past it’s only been available on Windows but now, much to the delight of Apple fans, Steam is now available on Mac too.
To mark the release of the new OS X release, Valve is offering Steam users a free copy of Portal, a single-player first person action game with a twist. The game consists primarily of a series of puzzles in which the user is required to teleport themselves in addition to a variety of objects in an almost entirely active environment. OK, Portal may not have topped any charts, but it’s hardly a likely freebie. It’s widely acclaimed as one of the most original games ever released and is held in high regard by gamers and critics alike for it’s gameplay and unique storyline.
Continue reading »New Sony PSP 2 To Be Announced At E3? (Rumour)
May 14, 2010
Along with the announcement of Nintendo’s DSi successor, the ’3DS’, it’s not surprising for the rumour mill to start spitting out more information about the possibility of there being a Sony PSP 2 handheld gaming console.
I for one would guess that this is definitely going to be happening, especially after the flop that is the Sony PSP Go, and hopefully it will have something worth shouting about like some touch screen technology, or possibly even 3D gaming?
Continue reading »New Modern Warfare 2 DLC On Its Way – ‘Resurgence’ Map Pack
May 13, 2010
The Modern Warfare 2: Stimulus Package map pack has only just been released on the PS3 and PC, but there’s already a new Modern Warfare 2 map pack on its way and it’s available sooner than you think.
The original was released exclusively on the Xbox 360 for 30 days before making its way over to the Playstation 3 and PC, and it looks as though it’s going to be the same again this time around.
Continue reading »Little Big Planet 2 Announced (PS3)
May 13, 2010
“If Michelangelo were alive today, he’d be making video games” says Kareem Ettouny of Media Molecule at the end of the LBP2 trailer.
In case you didn’t know, Little Big Planet 2 has been officially announced and from the videos that I’ve seen it looks absolutely amazing. This is creative gaming at its best and there seems to be no end to the possibilities of this gem of a game.
I have to be honest and say I don’t own the first Little Big Planet but I have played it and I feel ashamed to admit it, especially after it dominated the awards at last year’s D.I.C.E. Summit and even won a BAFTA Gaming Award in 2009.
Continue reading »OnLive Cloud-Based Gaming Gets Partnership & Investment Deal From BT
May 13, 2010
We’ve covered the development and general progression of the OnLive cloud gaming system with a fair amount of interest and curiosity in the past here on Zath; and it seems now that it’s finally made its big break. BT has announced a deal with the Silicon Valley based company allowing them to bundle the gaming service with their Broadband. With BT already attracting in excess of 10 million broadband customers in the UK, we could soon be seeing a lot more of OnLive over here.
If you have read any of my articles regarding OnLive in the past, then you will be aware of my scepticism of the service and whether it really will be adopted as a mainstream gaming service. Clearly, BT are out to prove me wrong on this one, but perhaps the biggest barrier they will have to break is the awareness the general public has of the service. Personally, it will take a phenomenal amount of marketing to sell the service, particularly considering the massive leaps being made in the tradition video gaming market these days with PlayStation Move and Project Natal on the horizon.
Continue reading »
Project Natal Release Date Update?
May 13, 2010
We all knew that Microsoft’s Project Natal; the Xbox 360 motion controller would be released before the end of 2010, but we never knew exactly when. Well there’s rumours going around that we could be seeing Natal released in October of this year, just in time for the Christmas rush.
Someone called Syed Bilal Tariq who works on behalf of a Microsoft subsidiary in Saudi Arabia said that Natal’s release…
“is going to be somewhere in October and we will be in a position to confirm the date at E3, which is in June, but definitely it is going to be October 2010.”
Continue reading »
Final Fantasy XIII Review (PS3)
May 11, 2010
It’s been three years since Final Fantasy XII was released on the PS2 and Square Enix have been teasing us with videos and images of the eagerly awaited Final Fantasy XIII. I’m a massive fan and have every Final Fantasy apart from FFXI as the online mode didn’t really interest me, although saying that, the Final Fantasy XIV trailer looks interesting.
So the question people were asking was, just how good Final Fantasy’s first outing as a next gen game would be and would it live up to the hype? Well, it’s different.
There was a massive talking point about how linear the game was and some people have said that it isn’t a Final Fantasy game because of it. To some extent I do agree as it is extremely linear and it’s like walking down corridors for 25 hours of the game until you reach Gran Pulse.
Continue reading »