IDC - Gaming

World of Warcraft Review

2011-12-18T02:42:00.000-08:00

"Here is the online role-playing game you should play, no matter who you are."

World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994. World of Warcraft takes place within the Warcraft world of Azeroth, approximately four years after the events at the conclusion of Blizzard's previous Warcraft release, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Blizzard Entertainment announced World of Warcraft on September 2, 2001.The game was released on November 23, 2004, on the 10th anniversary of the Warcraft franchise.
The first expansion set of the game, The Burning Crusade, was released on January 16, 2007.The second expansion set, Wrath of the Lich King, was released on November 13, 2008. The third expansion set, Cataclysm, was released on December 7, 2010. At BlizzCon in October 2010, lead producer J. Allen Brack announced that there would be a fourth expansion set for the game, though the developers did not yet know what it would be about.On October 21, 2011, the fourth expansion set of the game, Mists of Pandaria, was announced at Blizzcon 2011 by Chris Metzen.
With 10.3 million subscribers as of November 2011,World of Warcraft is currently the world's most-subscribed MMORPG,and holds the Guinness World Record for the most popular MMORPG by subscribers

Good

Huge, beautiful, seamless world
High streamlined and conducive to short or long play sessions
Exciting, action-packed combat
Elegant, easy-to-use interface
Excellent music and sound.

Bad

I can't see anything that bothers me

Though massively multiplayer online role-playing games have been around for years, it has taken this long for the genre's breakthrough hit to finally emerge. Here is the online role-playing game you should play, no matter who you are. This is because World of Warcraft brings out all the best aspects of this style of gaming, if not many of the best aspects of gaming in general. It also features many of the specific characteristics that have made Blizzard Entertainment's previous games so entertaining, memorable, long-lasting, and successful. Of course, the company's past track record did not guarantee that World of Warcraft could have turned out this well. Such high quality simply cannot be expected, nor should it be missed.

Starting a character or play session
As with other MMORPGs, players control a character avatar (also referred to as a "toon") within a game world in third- or first-person view, exploring the landscape, fighting various monsters, completing quests, and interacting with non-player characters (NPCs) or other players. Also similar to other MMORPGs, World of Warcraft requires the player to pay for a subscription, either by buying prepaid game cards for a selected amount of playing time, or by using a credit or debit card to pay on a regular basis.
To enter the game, the player must select a realm—sometimes referred to as a server. Each realm acts as an individual copy of the game world, and falls into one of four categories. Realms are either player versus player (PvP), where open combat among players is more common, or player versus environment (PvE), where the gameplay is more focused on defeating monsters and completing quests. Roleplay (RP) and roleplay-PvP (RP-PVP) variants of both primary realm types are also available. Realms are also categorized by language, with in-game support in the language available. Players can make new characters on all realms, and it is also possible to move already established characters between realms for a fee.
To create a new character, in keeping with the storyline of previous Warcraft series games, players must choose between the opposing factions of Alliance or Horde. Characters from the opposing factions can perform rudimentary communication, but only members of the same faction can speak, mail, group, and share guilds. The player selects the new character's race, such as Orcs or Trolls for the Horde or Humans or Dwarves for the Alliance. Players must also select the class for the character, with choices such as mages, warriors, and priests available. Most classes, except for special "Hero classes," are limited to particular races.

Ongoing gameplay
As characters become more developed, they gain various talents and skills, requiring the player to further define the abilities of that character. Characters can choose from a variety of professions, such as tailoring, blacksmithing, or mining. Characters can also learn four secondary skills: archeology, cooking, fishing, and first-aid. Characters may also form and join guilds, allowing characters within the guild access to the guild's chat channel, the guild name and optionally allowing other features, including a guild tabard, guild bank, and dues.

Much of World of Warcraft play involves "questing". These quests, also called "tasks" or "missions", are usually available from NPCs. Quests usually reward the player with some combination of experience points, items, and in-game money. Quests also allow characters to gain access to new skills and abilities, and explore new areas. It is also through quests that much of the game's story is told, both through the quest's text and through scripted NPC actions. Quests are linked by a common theme, with each consecutive quest triggered by the completion of the previous, forming a quest chain. Quests commonly involve killing a number of creatures, gathering a certain number of resources, finding a difficult to locate object, speaking to various NPCs, visiting specific locations, interacting with objects in the world, or delivering an item from one place to another.
While a character can be played on its own(solo), players can also group with others to tackle more challenging content. Most end-game challenges are designed in a way that they can only be overcome while in a group. In this way, character classes are used in specific roles within a group. World of Warcraft uses a "rested bonus" system, increasing the rate that a character can gain experience points after the player has spent time away from the game. When a character dies, it becomes a ghost—or wisp for Night Elf characters—at a nearby graveyard. Characters can be resurrected by other characters that have the ability, or can self-resurrect by moving from the graveyard to the place where they died. If a character is past level ten and they resurrect at a graveyard, the items equipped by the character degrade, requiring in-game money and a specialist NPC to repair them. Items that have degraded heavily become unusable until they are repaired. If the location of the character's body is unreachable, they can use a special "spirit healer" NPC to resurrect at the graveyard. When the spirit healer revives a character, items equipped by the character at that time are further degraded, and the character is significantly weakened by what is in-game called "resurrection sickness" for up to ten minutes, depending on the character's level. This "resurrection sickness" does not occur and item degradation is less severe if the character revives by locating its body, or is resurrected by another player through special items or spells.
World of Warcraft contains a variety of mechanisms for PvP play. Players on PvE servers can opt to "flag" themselves, making themselves attackable to players of the opposite faction. Depending on the mode of the realm, PvP combat between members of opposing factions is possible at almost any time or location in the game world—the only exception being the starting zones, where the PvP "flag" must be enabled by the player wishing to fight against players of the opposite faction. PvE (called normal or RP) servers, by contrast, allow a player to choose whether or not to engage in combat against other players. On both server types, there are special areas of the world where free-for-all combat is permitted. Battlegrounds, for example, are similar to dungeons: only a set number of characters can enter a single battleground, but additional copies of the battleground can be made to accommodate additional players. Each battleground has a set objective, such as capturing a flag or defeating an opposing general, that must be completed in order to win the battleground. Competing in battlegrounds rewards the character with tokens and honor points that can be used to buy armor, weapons, and other general items that can aid a player in many areas of the game. Winners get more honor and tokens than losers. However, players also earn honor when they or nearby teammates kill players in a battleground.

Subscription

World of Warcraft requires a subscription fee to be paid to allow continued play, with options to pay in one month, three month or six month blocks, although timecards of varying length are available both online and from traditional retailers. Expansion packs are also available online, and are also available from traditional retailers. As the game client is the same regardless of the version of World of Warcraft the user owns, the option to purchase the expansion online was added as it allowed for a quick upgrade.

Expansions

Three optional expansions are currently available: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, released in January 2007, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, released in November 2008, and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm , released in December 2010. Players are not required to purchase the expansions to continue play. However, the expansion packs allow further leveling of characters beyond level 60 and access to newer content and areas. Characters cannot enter the additional regions without their respective expansion packs.
On June 28, 2011, The Burning Crusade was automatically applied to all previous Warcraft accounts, and all new Warcraft accounts created in the future will have BC applied at no additional cost. Therefore, all BC content is now effectively part of the original game.

Blizzard Entertainment
Role-Playing
Release: Nov 23, 2004 (US) »
ESRB: T

Atlantica Online Review

2011-12-18T01:56:00.000-08:00

by Rick Charbs

"Atlantica Online is a brand new MMORPG published and hosted by NDOORS. Currently in the open beta phase, this title is constantly improving and polishing its features to be favoured by the public. I’ve had great pleasure playing this game; however I found many aspects I personally think need some improvement.
Atlantica Online is one of the very few MMORPGs, let alone free MMORPGs, that introduce a landscape modeled to that of real world continents. The game currently features Asia and Europe as playable turf. Some would consider this unoriginal, but personally I found the feature extremely plausible, as I would be able to explore real landscapes through the game (okay, so it’s not anything compared to the real thing, but it is still interesting). The game’s storyline is heavily based on ancient civilization, notably: the mythical city of Atlantis, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Babylon, and Egypt. Many historical figures show up in the storyline, and some may possibly join you in your travels!
Undoubtedly, the Asian culture has also been drenched in the game for obvious reasons. This compliments the atmosphere and playability of the game, for it adds a whole new world of possibilities with the Asian culture being so vast and integrated.

Basic game play
Atlantica Online brings a bundle of unique game play features with its current release. Firstly, the game is entirely party based. Each player may control a party of nine characters at a time, one of them being your main character, and the rest, being mercenaries.
Mercenaries are hired from special NPCs. They advance with you in experience levels and you may also outfit them with equipment you find in your journeys.

The combat style is fully turn based, with a slight twist. I would say this rather unique system reminded me of Final Fantasy X. You are given a time limit of thirty seconds during your turn to strike the enemy side, and then your enemy side has their own time limit of thirty seconds to strike back at your side. During that allocated period of time, each one of your nine mercenaries may attack the enemy side at least once. It may prove difficult at first, but the learning curve in order to master the speed necessary to play the game is very short. You will also be given one turn, after all of your enemies are vanquished, to collect their loot. One might ask “If I already travel with nine characters, can I not play with my friends too?” Of course you can! You may join in a party with up to two other people, meaning you can have up to twenty seven fighters on your side at a time.
I will not be getting into PVP all that much, but imagine a battlefield with twenty seven of your allies versus twenty seven of the enemy forces? All of that aside, it still requires a lot of tactical thinking and skill in order to prevail, a great bonus for elitist gamers. If you truly enjoy PVP gaming, Atlantica Online also features the challenge system. Basically, the challenge system is an elaborate opponent selecting system. It pairs you up with people either near your experience level, or with the same amount of characters as you chose to fight with. There is also a free league division in which even low level players in strength can pair up against high level players, with temporarily enhanced strength attributes in order to be able to battle a fair fight. You may also set bets on the line for the winner’s reward.

One final unique system I would like to introduce is the stamina system. Every player is given a set amount of stamina, and as a player still has enough stamina, they will gain extra exp and items for every monster they defeat. Every battle reduces your stamina by one point, and you start with a hundred or so stamina as you create your character. Do not fret though, there are many ways to gain stamina, such as community participation or simply just waiting until the server allocates everyone more points (this happens quite frequently).

Questing
The questing aspect of MMORPG is most certainly not where this game shines. I found the quests I had completed very generic and unrewarding, however the storyline behind each quest is quite interesting to listen to for the most part (that’s right, I said listen). Some quests even feature an “auto walk” feature that brings you right to the needed NPC. I disliked this due to the promotion of laziness, but the feature isn’t always offered, so I cooperated with it.

Graphics and sounds
The graphics are quite over demanding in machine power for their true beauty, however they are considered quite well put together for a free game. My computer, being more or less okay for gaming, didn’t accept these graphics very well, and so I had difficulty playing even on the lowest quality graphics. However, I do not believe this game should be judged negatively on its graphics quality, because they are still decent enough to be labelled average. I found them to be very generic though.
As for the music and overall sound of this title, I must say I was impressed. I have not experienced travelling the entire game map, but I am eager to hear the music each area provides. They put you in the right setting and mood, I highly approve of it. I do not suspect one would be disappointed over the music at the very least. The various sounds are acceptable for the most part, and the characters voices are surprisingly well done- which is a lot to say for a title translated into English, previously being in Korean.

Personal Recommendation
Playing Atlantica Online has exposed to me a completely new style of MMORPG gaming. This game is extremely unique, so if you are looking for something eccentric and different, this is a great game to try. Consequently, by saying different, I only imply the systems and general game play this game offers. The graphics are very generic, I cannot stress that enough. If you are sick of the current free MMORPG market, you will have to set aside your hatred for these generic graphics to be able to enjoy this game. Another disappointment was the lack of customization. Your characters will severely lack uniqueness, because there are only approximately four hair styles and face styles per gender, and only a few color choices. You will find many clones of your character running about. For an open beta though, this game still has a lot of room to grow, and I see a positive future for its current player base. I give Atlantica online a B grade."

My Home

On August 17, Atlantica Online, along with their Troy update, introduced My Home. This unique function allows players to purchase a home from a variety of styles and colors. Once players become homeowners they can store mercenaries, increase their inventory space and gain experience for their mercenaries. Mercenaries can be hired to work as chefs and artisans in their households. These employees hold conversations, cook meals, and craft items at the player's command. Players also have the option to throw parties for their friends and fellow guild members to receive buffs. In addition to these features the front yard can serve as a resource for gardening, mining, harvesting and lumbering.

Pros
- High-end graphics
- Unique style of gaming
- Interesting environments/world map
- Turn based

Cons
- Requires a decently powerful machine
- Little to no customization

PS. I've been playing Atlantica for a same years and i can tell you that it's one of my favorite F2P MMORPG.
You can find me in game with the name FunkyPanky

Metin 2

2011-12-18T01:36:00.001-08:00

Metin2 is a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) developed by Ymir Entertainment Co., Ltd. and released in China in 2004. It has since been published in many European countries by Gameforge 4D GmbH, in the USA by G4Box Inc and in Singapore by TEC Interactive Pte. Other versions exist in Asian languages.

Story

A long time ago there was only a single empire that existed in the continent. The land experienced tranquility and peace and did not know the conflating deadly diseases that spread around the world. Innocent people suffered as those who were slain by these beasts or choked to death by disease later rose again as undead. The undead caused chaos and destruction in their wake with seemingly endless numbers. Their tireless existence appeared as if this problem was not going to go away. Eventually the single empire collapsed and became three different kingdoms, all fighting for their own survival. To this very day, they still treat each other as enemies.
The falling of the Metin Stone was just the beginning of what was yet to come. Smaller stones continued to fall from time to time, and all three Kingdoms lived in fear. None would dare approach the Metin Stones because the most terrifying creatures roam around them. Recently, it was discovered that the power of the Metin Stone was growing and people felt that it was consuming energy from the world.

Good:

Fast paced combat.
Quick leveling early on via quests.
Open PvP and guild battles.

Bad:

Dated graphics.
Limited class choices.
Most quests are useless.
Recycled monsters.
No character customization.

Metin 2 Overview

Metin 2 is a simple but fast paced fantasy MMORPG which is popular in Europe and has recently been brought to the North American market by Z8Games. There are three warring factions, each represented by a separate kingdom. All three kingdoms share the same 4 class choices and players of all three start in the same area. Your faction choice only comes into play after level 15 where players of opposing factions may freely attack you. Upon reaching level 5, each class has two specialization options. The classes of Metin 2 are:
Warrior - Warriors focus on physical melee attacks. At level 5, Warriors can become Arahans who possess high attack speeds or Partisans who focus on defense.
Assassin - Assassins prefer light weapons and can specialize into Archers or continue their training as Assassins, focusing instead of daggers or swords.
Mage - Mages are the spell casters of Metin 2 and can chose either the Dragon or Lighting school of magic. Dragon Mages focus on offensive spells while Lighting Mages focus on supportive spells such as heals and buffs.

Sura - The Sura is a hybrid swordsman / casters who may specialize in either Black Magic or Mirage Force. Black Magic Suras possess powerful long ranged spells while Mirage Force Suras are adapt at mixing short ranged magic with their melee attacks.
It is vital that you make your class choice at level 5 by speaking to the appropriate NPC. If you level up before changing classes, you’ll lose the skill points that normally would of been gained from that level.

Gameplay

Metin2 has a gameplay system similar to those used in many MMO games.Experience points are earned every time the player kills a mob and/or complete's a mission from a NPC. The game's combat is based on an Hack and slash system, the player hits the space key each time he or she wishes the character to strike, instead of regular MMO games where combat is automatic.

Player versus Player (PvP)

PvP in Metin2 is available once a character reaches level 15. There are 3 ways to battle other players. The first is to challenge a person to a duel by right-clicking the desired opponent and selecting the "Duel" option. This is the most common way and in the case of death, no experience points are lost. The second way is to fight a player from a different kingdom. This way does not require requesting a fight as kingdoms are preset to be hostile to each other. In the case of death, experience points can be lost. The third way is to activate the "free" option under the game play menu. This allows players to attack and be attacked by any player regardless of kingdom or consent. Experience can't be lost this way and rank points are lost when in this mode. If a player loses too many rank points, their rank will change to "cruel" and they will have negative points. Players who do this are usually condemned by others. At level 50 or above, Cruel rank (title) players have a chance to drop items when killed by other players. They can, however, use certain gears that prevent the item-dropping.

FIFA Soccer 12 Review

2011-12-17T01:05:00.000-08:00

"Football fan's , unite!"

FIFA 12 (titled FIFA Soccer 12 in North America) is the nineteenth game in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of association football video games. It was developed by EA Canada, and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. David Rutter, the line producer for FIFA 12, promised "a revolutionary year for FIFA ... especially in the gameplay department."
An "Ultimate Edition" of the game will be available through Game and Gamestation stores. It includes four monthly Ultimate Team gold packs, with each pack containing 12 items including players, contracts, stadiums, managers, staff, fitness, healing, footballs, kits and badges. Each pack contains one rare item, such as enhanced player attributes, longer contracts and the most coveted players. On 22 June 2011, EA Sports announced that the Microsoft Windows version of FIFA 12 will have the same engine, features, and competitions as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions.
Along with several other new EA Sports titles, FIFA 12 was available three days early to purchasers of the EA Sports Season Ticket.
The release date of the FIFA 12 demo was announced at the Gamescom event in Germany on 16 August; the demo was available from Xbox Live Marketplace and EA's Origin Store for Microsoft Windows on 13 September 2011, though the Playstation 3 demo was not available in Europe until the following day.

The Good

Defensive improvements make matches more balanced
Player impact engine creates a range of realistic animations
Compelling online modes
New online matchmaking makes games fairer
Excellent presentation.

The Bad

Distilling the world's most popular sport into a video game isn't an easy task. Aside from capturing the atmosphere of the game--the satisfying thump of boot on football, the on-pitch dramas created between player and referee, and the ferocious roar of the crowd as the ball sails into the back of the net--there are other considerations too. Some players want to manage their teams. Others want to live out their dreams of football stardom. Still others want to put their skills to the test against the best in the world, all the while clamouring for as realistic an experience as possible. FIFA 12 lets you do all of these things and more. For the first time, the PC version uses the same engine as its high-def console counterparts. As a result, it not only looks the part, but also gives you access to the same excellent new features, such as the tactical defending system, player impact engine, and head-to-head seasons. It's the new EA Sports Football Club that's the real draw, though, bringing with it an addictive levelling system that pits you against the world's players, keeping track of your own progress and that of your favourite team too. Not only is FIFA 12 the best game in the series, it's also one of the most exciting, accurate, and complete sports games around.

Changes and new features

According to EA, FIFA 12 sports several new features and improvements over its predecessors. For the first time in several years the game's presentation and front end has been redesigned with the familiar vertical menus being replaced by a side-scrolling menu bar system and the new Impact engine.

Gameplay

Three major gameplay changes have been implemented in FIFA 12; these are the Impact Engine, Tactical Defending, and Precision Dribbling.
In development for several years, the Impact Engine improves collision variety, accuracy, and momentum preservation. A new advanced procedural animation system is used along with collision physics to produce different results depending on the players and physical forces involved.This affects all players, so even those off the ball may have collisions. The Impact Engine has been cited as a game changer, making FIFA 12 less structured and synthetic than its predecessors, and has been described by producer David Rutter as the biggest technological change to the series since the transition to the current generation of consoles. The Impact Engine also directly affects injuries sustained by players during a match.
The new Tactical Defending system aims to change the approach to defending by placing equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling. When defending there will be more of an emphasis on slowing attackers down and containing them, and pressuring them into making mistakes.This is intended to be a more manual form of defending, requiring greater timing and precision when compared to the defensive "press" system used in previous FIFA games. The old system, now dubbed "legacy defending", where a button press causes an AI player to home in on the player in possession of the ball, can still be used offline, and in online friendlies and custom unranked matches.
The Precision Dribbling feature allows players to dribble whilst shielding, meaning you can still move around the pitch whilst holding players off, rather than being rooted to the spot. Close control has been added below jogging as a way of allowing players to take smaller, more frequent touches, keeping the ball closer and keeping tighter control^. Players will now be much more aware of their surroundings. As an example, players in possession near the touchline will understand their position, and keep tighter control of the ball to stop it running out of play.
An improved artificial intelligence system named Pro Player Intelligence aims to make AI-controlled players react to the skills and capabilities of other players with appropriate actions. For example, a winger will be more likely to cross the ball into the box when he has a waiting team-mate with aerial ability, whereas he might look for support and play the ball along the ground if that team-mate is less of an aerial threat.Players will also make better use of their own strengths, so for example a creative player might look for less obvious opportunities such as playing long accurate passes, where another player in his situation would be more likely to play it safe with a short pass.
Match presentation has also been overhauled with a new default camera angle and improvements to the broadcast-style match build-up. Some in-game cutscenes have been removed, such as those before throw-ins and corner kicks. Instead, a player will simply run to perform the task in question with no interruption.

Career Mode

The manager's relationship with players and the media will play a larger role, with team selection, success, and salaries all affecting individual players' attitudes and morale, and the press picking up on injuries and unrest, all of which can impact performance on the pitch. Unhappy players can talk to the press and stir up interest from other clubs, with transfer AI also having been improved upon. Transfer targets will sometimes demand excessive wages if they think they can get away with it, and rival clubs will chance tempting your star players away for a bargain price. Each club will be assigned a particular transfer mentality, where the richest clubs will tend to concentrate on acquiring the very best players available, whereas smaller clubs may look more for youngsters, older players, and loans. The AI will fine-tune this element to prevent it becoming too predictable. The transfer window has been overhauled, with the last day being slowed down to progress on hours rather than days and featuring a ticking countdown clock as clubs hurry to complete last-minute deals. It will be possible to delay transfers until right up to the deadline in order to see how others pan out, and the club's Chief Executive will help with pointing out potential late signings. Other improvements to Career Mode include the calendar, news story displays and news feeds, which aim to make information such as upcoming events, transfers, and rumours more accessible^.Facebook integration has been implemented. Thejus is the best.

Online modes

EA claims to have "revolutionized" the online side of FIFA 12.Among the changes is a new mode called "Head to Head Seasons", a variation on regular ranked matches where league points are awarded for winning or drawing matches. The aim is to progress up through ten divisions, with each "season" consisting of ten games. All players will start in the tenth and lowest division, with promotion and relegation based on a target number of points won in each season.There will also be related "cup" tournaments every few weeks. Multiplayer matchmaking has been expanded with the addition of the "flow" mode. This involves choosing various options such as team and line-up before being matched with an opponent. This change is intended to counter the problem of being paired with opponents who choose one of a small number of five-star teams, a situation that often results in repetitive matches between the same few clubs. By selecting a team beforehand, an opponent with similar team preferences to your own will automatically be chosen. There is also the option for players who use the "manual" control method, with reduced AI assistance on shots and passes, to choose to be paired against other "manual" users only. The percentage of games an opponent has finished can be specified too, making it easier to avoid "rage quitters".
A new online service called EA Sports Football Club launches simultaneously with FIFA 12, and has been compared to a social network that tracks what players do in the game and awards XP. This will be linked to both friend-based and worldwide leaderboards, and include a levelling system. The player also chooses a particular football club to support which will be apportioned a share of all XP earned, with league tables for clubs based on the average XP contributed by their fans. Each week will count as a "season" with clubs being promoted or relegated based on the skill of those who support them. EA Sports Football Club will in future connect play across multiple titles, starting with FIFA 12 and the forthcoming FIFA Street. By playing both games XP earned in one will be carried over to the other.

Electronic Arts
Sports
Release: Sep 27, 2011 (US) »
ESRB: E

MW-Games Previews/Reviews

Far Cry 3 Preview

2011-12-17T00:23:00.000-08:00

"It's a twisted world out there - and you're stuck in it."

Far Cry 3 is the upcoming sequel to the 2008 video game Far Cry 2.It is currently in development and is due to be released in late 2012.
Far Cry 3 takes place on a tropical island found somewhere at the intersection of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. However, Patrick Redding, a Ubisoft story designer, mentioned that an Antarctic setting is a possibility for future games. The main goal of the game is to escape from the islands (as there will be more than one, mentioned by Dan Hay) and its crazed inhabitants.

Gameplay

On June 6, 2011, Ubisoft showcased the demo gameplay of Far Cry 3 in its E3 2011 conference. It was revealed that the player has the ability to shoot enemies behind objects in crouch mode without moving his head up but with free hands. The demo also revealed an overhauled stealth mechanic as well as a possible leveling system based on experience points. The player will also have the ability to perform "takedown" abilities by performing melee attacks from above or in crouch mode. The game's narrative director, JasoKURAChas said that the story mode map will be around ten times larger than its previous installments, indicating that it is still an open world sandbox game in which player chooses when and how they want to complete missions.

Plot

Far Cry 3 returns the series to a tropical setting, similar to the first game. Players will assume the role of protagonist Jason Brody, a tourist who has been stranded on an island chain in the grips of violent local conflict for years. Jason has been separated from his girlfriend and, in his search for her, developers have stated he will have to deal with a wide cast of mostly unstable characters who have been trapped on these islands for some time. In the short demo trailer that (as of Dec 2011) is the only gameplay footage released so far, Jason interacts with one such character, named Vaas (voiced by Michael Mando), who gives an unsettling monologue about the nature of insanity before trying to drown Jason by anchoring him to a cinder block and throwing him into a natural pool of water that has clearly been used repeatedly for this purpose. Details of Jason's backstory have yet to be provided, aside from the fact that developers have stated that he possesses a strong skillset as a combatant and survivalist that give him a fighting chance in the desperate circumstances he constantly finds himself in during the events of the game. Developers have also stated that the intended tone of the game will be one of realism and intensity and an attempt to invoke a visceral and constant feeling of danger in the player.

Might & Magic Heroes VI

2011-12-16T13:33:00.001-08:00

"Engrossing exploration, diverse development, and challenging combat return in Might & Magic Heroes VI."by Gamespot

Might & Magic Heroes VI is a turn-based strategy video game for Microsoft Windows, developed by Black Hole Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. It is the sixth installment in the Heroes of Might and Magic series, and was released on October 13, 2011, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Might and Magic franchise. Heroes VI acts as a prequel to Heroes of Might and Magic V, occurring almost five centuries earlier, and is set in the fictional world of Ashan. The story follows the five heirs to the Griffin dynasty in their quests to repel a demon invasion and assist or impede Michael, a legendary Archangel general plotting to revive an ancient war.
As in previous Heroes of Might and Magic titles, the player can choose between single-player or multiplayer modes of play, and controls a number of heroes and towns associated with various factions, commanding armies of creatures between tactical overland exploration and a turn-based combat system to satisfy each scenario's victory conditions. Heroes VI alters some of the series' long-standing conventions, overhauling its chance-based skills system and reducing the number of resources in its economics model, and also introduces new mechanics, including a points-based reputation system and the ability to convert one faction's towns to another.
Heroes VI has been received positively, attaining a score of 77 from the aggregate review site Metacritic Reviewers praised the title's replay value, visuals and improvements to the Heroes formula, but were critical of the numerous bugs and glitches in the release version and its intrusive DRM system, which requires players to maintain a connection to the Internet to avail of several features. The game has received an update, however the list of errors, bugs and glitches remains very extensive.

Heroes VI tells the story of a troubled royal family. Through the numerous campaigns you get to find out how each of the Duke's many children interact with the main plot, taking you through the game's various factions in the process. It's good to play each campaign because they introduce you to the mechanics of each army, but the story itself is ultimately forgettable. Even the new Tears and Blood morality system, where you make choices that give you various abilities depending on what you do, can't make it all that interesting. The choices aren't anything to agonize over, I just quickly pick one to get the next power or item I need. Still, story shortcomings aside, the campaign doesn't disappoint as far as strategy goes.

The Good

Classic formula remains as addictive as ever
Some welcome restructuring and streamlining
Vibrant, creative visuals
Tons of campaign content
Quick combat can bypass drudgery.

The Bad

Quick combat can engender drudgery
Some helpful information is hard to find
Online competitors frequently quit.

Heroes VI has two different turn-based gameplay components. Your hero, whom you can customize with loot and level up in an RPG manner, moves around a campaign map each turn. With an army in tow, you direct them towards enemy forces and use them to gather loot and other special items. You then use collected items and resources from conquered lands to grow your economy, which is important for building up cities and further expanding your lands. A good deal of strategy occurs during these sections, because your hero has limited movement. I found myself having to make careful decisions about which enemies to attack, which resources to pursue and what items to go after. You have to plan out moves several turns ahead, and adjust your strategy as the enemy reacts to your movements.

The other turn-based part of Heroes VI comes into play when two armies clash. You can auto-resolve most battles, but if you want to get knee deep in strategy you can play them directly. Combat takes place on a grid, and it's up to you to direct your troops based on the layout of the enemy. You have an array of troop types at your disposal, so a clever commander will play their abilities off one another, as well as use their hero's spells and abilities to turn the tide.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Heroes VI represents a step away from the five original installments. About half of initial schematics, including spells, skills, abilities, heroes, units and buildings will remain present, with the other half being innovative.^[2] For example the absence of the magic guild, mandatory building for town updates in the previous games. In Heroes VI, the magic guild leveling is replaced by the hero skill/ability wheel leveling, while new spells are learned only at particular dwellings outside the town. Finally, the game will feature only four collectable resources (instead of the classic seven): gold, wood, ore, and blood crystals.

If you manage to complete the various campaigns – no small feat since they're difficult even on Easy – there's still custom maps and multiplayer. You can play local multiplayer in "hot seat" mode, as well as go online. I am still a fan of just duking it out with AI, though, as online multiplayer requires a lot of waiting for the other side to take their turn. You can just jump directly into quick turn-based battles if you're not patient, but I prefer the skill it takes to manage my heroes and cities in an epic campaign to that of directing attacks on the battlefield.

Ubisoft
Black Hole Games
Strategy
Release: Oct 13, 2011 (US) »
ESRB: T

Battlefield 3 Back To Karkand

2011-12-11T10:03:00.001-08:00

Battlefield 3′s first DLC, Battlefield 3: Back To Karkand, will be included free of charge for those who pre-order Battlefield 3. The Back To Karkand DLC includes maps, vehicles and weapons from Battlefield 2, remade for Battlefield 3. For those who do not pre-order Battlefield 3, the Back To Karkand DLC will be available for purchase at $15.

Here’s a run down of all the exclusive items included in Back to Karkand:

Weapons

Maps

Vehicles

F35B fighter jet
BTR-90 infantry fighting vehicle
DPV fast transport vehicle

Game modes

Conquest Assault

Features

Assignments

The new Conquest Assault mode added is a nice change of pace for those who never wanted to touch Rush, but want a change from Conquest. In this new mode one team is attacking while the other is defending. The defending team starts with all of the objectives captured, while the attacking team starts with a higher number of tickets. This is a nice change of pace because it makes tactics a little more clear at the beginning instead of half of you squad defending while the rest just charge around aimlessly.

The new assignments are very similar to Call of Duty’s Challenges. The underlying difference here is that you must complete these new assignments to unlock all of the DLC weapons. This can seem quite tedious at times, but it’s nice once you actually earn those new weapons instead of them just being handed to you. As for the weapons, DICE did an outstanding job of balancing the weapons. Nothing feels too over or under powered, and they play very nice with the other weapons.

As for the maps themselves the four you are looking at is:

Sharqi Peninsula

Gulf of Oman

Wake Island

Strike at Karkand

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

2011-12-11T08:40:00.001-08:00

"Modern Warfare 3 sticks to its competitive, cooperative, and single-player guns and reminds you why the series is one of the best in the business."

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (abbreviated as Call of Duty: MW3) is a first-person shooter video game, developed by Infinity Ward andSledgehammer Games, with Raven Software having assisted in development. It is the third installment in the Modern Warfare series, a direct sequel to 2009's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and the eighth Call of Duty installment.

The game was released on November 8, 2011 in Europe and North America on Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii,with a separate version for Nintendo DS developed by n-Space. In Australia, the Wii version was released on November 23, 2011. In Japan, Square Enix handled the installment with a separate subtitled and dubbed version, as they did for Call of Duty: Black Ops. They first released a Japanese-subtitled version on November 17, 2011. Then, on December 22, 2011, they will release a Japanese-voice dubbed version. Within 24 hours of going on sale, the game sold 6.5 million copies in the US and UK alone and grossed $400 million, making it the biggest entertainment launch of all time.

The Good

Climactic campaign
Lots of varied and challenging Spec Ops action
Exciting and entertaining competitive multiplayer
Spec Ops profile spreads the satisfaction of leveling up.

The Bad

"It's business as usual for Modern

Warfare 3 – though whether that's a criticism depends on expectations. Should sequels offer some form of innovation? Or are you one of the tens of millions of players champing at the bit for more of the same?"

Gameplay

Like its predecessors, Modern Warfare 3 is a first-person shooter video game. Activision confirmed at Gamescom 2011, that Modern Warfare 3 on the PC has dedicated servers support.

Campaign

The player assumes the role of various characters during the single-player campaign, changing perspectives throughout the progression of the story, which, like its preceedors, is divided into three sets of missions called "Acts". Each mission in an act features a series of objectives that are displayed on the heads up display, which marks the direction and distance towards and from such objectives. Damage to the player is shown by the percentage of blood splatter shown on the screen. The player's health regenerates over time. Mission objectives vary in their requirements, ranging from having the player arrive at a particular checkpoint, to eliminating enemies in a specified location, to standing their ground against enemy squadrons, manning mini-guns and other weapons, and planting explosive charges on an enemy installation. Some of these objectives can be failed, and may or may not hinder progression of the story. The player is also accompanied by fellow soldiers who cannot be issued orders.

The single-player campaign provides ammunition for both camps. Set in several major European cities (with the odd African detour) during the third world war, it is once again a five-hour series of linear, over-the-top set pieces at the very limit of credibility.

Even Hollywood couldn't afford this. Players pitch up to one bombed-out landmark after another, blowing up what isn't already destroyed before moving on in search of the villainous Vladimir Makarov. It's as ridiculous and exhilarating as ever, and pleasingly without the occasional sudden leap in difficulty that blighted its predecessors.

Of course, the campaign is but an appetiser to the hundreds of hours that await in the game's multiplayer. Modern Warfare 2's co-operative spec-ops mode returns in expanded form, progress here unlocking weapons for use in the new survival mode, where up to four players team up to take on untold enemies.

Cooperative

Modern Warfare 3 features a new mode, called Survival Mode. This game mode features one or two players fighting endless waves of enemies, with each wave becoming increasingly difficult. Despite being much compared to the World at War Nazi Zombies mode, enemies do not spawn at fixed locations like the zombies do; instead, they appear at tactical positions based on the current location of the player. The mode is available on all multiplayer maps in the game. Players earn cash for items such as weapons, upgrades, ammo, air/ground support and equipment. Special Ops also returns from Modern Warfare 2. These challenge missions feature up to 48 stars, unlike its previous installment, which featured 69. Some weapons in Spec Ops are exclusive to that game mode, and are not available for play in Multiplayer mode.

Multiplayer

The entire Killstreak reward system has been revamped. Killstreaks are now known as Pointstreaks, and kills are no longer the only way to increase the player's pointstreak. Completing objectives such as planting the bomb in Search and Destroy or capturing a flag in Capture The Flag awards points towards the player's Pointstreak. Pointstreak rewards are organized into three different "strike packages" calledAssault, Support, and Specialist. The Assault strike package works the same as the Killstreak reward system in Modern Warfare 2 andBlack Ops, offering rewards like the Predator drone and attack helicopters. The Support strike package offers support-style rewards, such as UAVs and SAM Turrets. Rewards from the Support category do not reset when the player dies, but accumulate over the course of a match. The Specialist strike package rewards players with perks of their choosing after every second consecutive kill. After eight kills, they receive every perk in the game, but reset back to none upon death. Players are allowed to choose which Pointstreak rewards they want to use when they gain it during the match, rather than choosing them between rounds.

Along with revamping the entire Killstreak reward system, Modern Warfare 3 also has a completely modified Ranking and Unlocks system, which does not use a currency system for unlocks. The player's primary weapon levels up alongside the player, and unlocks a number of "Proficiency" perks such as Attachments, (allows two attachments and is a successor to the "Bling" and "Warlord" perks), Kick (reduced recoil while aiming down the player's sight) and Focus (reduced flinching while under fire). Only one Proficiency can be put on a primary weapon.Another new addition is the ability to equip "Hybrid Scopes" on a weapon, such as a Reflex Sight and a magnifier similar to an ACOG on the same weapon, and the player can switch between the scopes.Modern Warfare 3 introduces a new "Prestige Shop" which will unlock only after the player has selected the option to prestige for the first time. The "Prestige Shop" allows Prestige players to use tokens they gain from using the Prestige option to buy exclusive features such as double XP and a extra custom weapon class.

Several controversial perks in Modern Warfare 2, accused of being overpowered, have been removed in Modern Warfare 3. Diving from standing to prone, known as "dolphin diving", has been removed due to balancing issues.Modern Warfare 3 will utilize Treyarch's hot fix system to fix bugs and glitches. Modern Warfare 3 features a local and online split-screen option.

Several new game modes have also been added:

"Kill Confirmed" requires players to collect floating dog tags from the corpse of a downed enemy before the kill can be registered. However, the opposing team can pick up the dog tag as well to deny the other team of a kill.
"Team Defender" requires both teams to try to capture a flag dropped by the first person who gets killed when the match starts, and hold it to gain double points per kill while the team without the flag only gets the default amount per kill.

Private matches also now include pre-made game modes including: "Infection" (where the infected kills enemies to recruit them to their team), "Drop Zone" (where the player must hold a drop zone for points and care packages), "Team Juggernaut" (each team plays alongside an AI Juggernaut character), "Gun Game" (be the first to get one kill with every gun in the game) and "One in the Chamber" (in which players are only allowed one pistol with one bullet and three lives where they can only get more bullets by killing other players). Along with this, players are allowed to create their own game modes with customized settings such as number of players and time limit.

Activision
Infinity Ward
Action
Release: Nov 8, 2011 (US)»
ESRB: M

Battlefield 3

2011-12-11T04:56:00.001-08:00

"In the realm of online combat, Battlefield 3 provides thrills that few games can match."

Battlefield 3 (commonly abbreviated to BF3) is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published byElectronic Arts. The game was released in North America on October 25, 2011 and in Europe on October 28, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and EA Mobile confirmed a port for the iOS platform. It does not support versions of Windows prior to Windows Vista as the game only supports DirectX 10 and 11.^[5] It is a direct sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2, and the eleventh installment in the Battlefield franchise. The game sold 5 million copies in its first week of release,and was released to critical acclaim from most game reviewers. The PC download is exclusive to EA's Origin platform, through which PC users also authenticate when connecting to the game. In campaign mode, players take on the personas of various military roles; including a USMC reconnaissance officer, an F-18 systems officer, and a SPETSNAZ operative. The campaign takes place at various locations, including Iran, and follows the story of Sergeant Blackburn and later, Dimitri Mayakovsky.

The Good

Deep and varied multiplayer competition
Awesome array of vehicles
Many gorgeous environments
Rewards teamwork handsomely.

The Bad

Only six cooperative missions
No way to practice jet flight outside of multiplayer.

Gameplay

Battlefield 3 features the combined arms battles that made the series popular across single-player, co-operative and multiplayer modes. It reintroduces several elements absent from the Bad Company games, including fighter jets, the prone position and 64-player battles on PC.

The game features maps set in Paris, Tehran, Sulaymaniyah, New York, Wake Island and Oman. The maps cover urban streets, metropolitan downtown areas, and open landscapes suited to vehicle combat.

Battlefield 3 introduces the "Battlelog"; a free cross-platform social service with built-in text messaging, voice communications, game statistics, and the ability to join games that friends are already playing (though both players need to be on the same platform).

Is the gameplay balanced? Battlefield 3's online teeter-totter comes down to personal preference. I've been pinned down at my spawn point in Operation Metro by a dozen, well-stocked snipers and I've taken over an entire conquest map single-handedly. I'm no Maverick in a jet, so I learned to rain down hellfire from a chopper. For any class or tactic that doesn't work, like a painter's palette, Battlefield 3 offers alternatives. All four streamlined classes (Soldier, Engineer, Assault, and Recon) get their own problem-solving unlocks, so leveling each one is paramount to sitting on top of the leaderboards.

Battlefield 3's rewards and progression will keep you coming back to its online rumble for a long time. From adding heat-seeking missiles to an Anti-Aircraft Tank to simply changing camouflage, there's always a carrot dangling just out of reach -- if you can wrangle the score to earn it. While the newly implemented Team Deathmatch modes encourage high kills and low deaths,

Battlefield remains a team-based game where you can sit atop the scoreboard no matter how many times you've died. Heal an injured teammate, resupply a sniper, or make sure a tank gets fixed up, Battlefield is about working towards the greater good and it's just as refreshing now as it was in 2002 -- all while looking outstanding on PC.

Campaign

The initial sections of the campaign are set near the Iraq-Iran border, where the US Marine Corps are fighting the People's Liberation and Resistance (PLR).^[15] The game later moves into northern Iran, continuing the fight against the PLR. There is a mission set in the streets of Paris, and another set in the sewers and subways of New York.

Characters

Staff Sergeant Henry "Black" Blackburn: A member of the U.S. Marine Corps 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and the game's main protagonist.

Sergeant Jonathan "Jono" Miller: Miller is a tank operator, taking part in an operation against the PLR in order to support the USMC forces in Tehran.

Lieutenant Jennifer "Colby" Hawkins: Hawkins is an F/A-18 NFO (Naval Flight Officer) responsible for manning her aircraft's weapon systems while participating in an aerial operation over Tehran.

Dimitri "Dima" Mayakovsky: A GRU operative deployed in Paris and Northern Iran to stop a nuclear threat.

Solomon

The game's main antagonist, he works closely with the PLR, Kaffarov and the CIA.

Online Pass

To access the game's online multiplayer mode on consoles, players need to activate an Online Pass. New copies of the game include one Online Pass for the original owner of the game to access the multiplayer; however, if a player buys a used copy or rents the game, they must purchase an Online Pass separately, as there is no trial period for rentals. When asked why the developers implemented the pass system, game designer Alan Kertz replied, "because servers cost money, and used games don't make developers any money."

Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	(PC) A- (PS3 & X360) B+
Eurogamer	8/10
Game Informer	(PC) 9.5/10
GameSpot	8.5/10
GameSpy
IGN	9/10
Official Xbox Magazine	9/10
Joystiq

Electronic Arts
EA DICE
Action
Release: Oct 25, 2011 (US) »
ESRB: M

Anno 2070

2011-12-10T14:21:00.001-08:00

"Anno 2070 has answered our every prayer."

Anno 2070 takes place in a near-future environment where climate change has forced humanity to adapt to rising sea levels that have left stretches of once-fertile land completely inhospitable.

Ubisoft made a great decision in taking the Anno franchise to the future. Trading, building, doing quests, there is a ton of stuff to do. It's very interesting to see the environment play a big role and the effects of polution add a great new gameplay concept. Anno 2070 really is all about building and trading and won't be fulfilling for people that are looking to rage war.

For a player returning to the series from the last game, Anno 1404, we’d imagine that it’s initially a more confusing experience than new players. The new interface has been given an appropriate science fiction theme, with steel blue pull-down menus and tiny fonts. It’s not easy to navigate and the size of the text makes warming back into the familiar mechanics quite a chore, especially when the tutorial system hinges on finding the next step in the mission chain. But Anno 2070 is still the same game at its core and it’s a strategy concept familiar enough for new players to get to grips with fairly easily.

The Good

Near-future environment
New interface
All about building and trading
Two main playable factions.
Environmental theme

The Bad

First two-thirds of it feel like an extended tutorial
Ccombat is straightforward and downplayed in favor of economic strategizing

I like that the environmental theme is more than just a cool nail to hang the story on. Decisions you make regarding your colony's layout, the types of structures you create, and the way you harvest resources all have a dramatic impact on the gameplay. This creates a neat "cause and effect" flow throughout the game. Balancing the need to expand while mitigating the damage it causes to the fragile island ecosystem is a clever update that adds spice to the familiar intricacies of Anno's economy-centric city building.

It's also interesting how Blue Bytes ties this into the game's two main playable factions, who embody very different attitudes and approaches to survival. The tree-hugger Ecos use green power and eat healthy food, yielding a slow-growing but stable economy. In sharp contrast, the industrious Tycoons favor unsustainable coal power and junk food. Their initial rapid economic growth dwindles as resources are consumed. A third support faction of nerdy scientists (Tech) also come into play with helpful research, advanced gadgetry, and the ability to create underwater colonies.
The crazy thing is you often have to play all three factions simultaneously within your colony in order to access the full range of building options and strategic advantages. Each group brings unique structures and perks to the table, but they also create eco-havoc that you have to deal with on-the-fly. As with the past games, combat is straightforward and downplayed in favor of economic strategizing. Emphasis is instead placed on the game's complex colony management system. When you add in juggling the needs of internal groups within your own colony on top of defending it all, this more than compensates for the often middling battle encounters.

Gameplay
Though it's not perfect, Anno 2070's story-driven campaign mode does a commendable job of introducing each faction's play style and incorporating the game's many moving parts at a comfortable pace. It is on the short side, and the first two-thirds of it feel like an extended tutorial before the action kicks in. The fact everything you build carries over from one mission to the next also gives me mixed feelings. It's a cool concept that you don't see very often in this kind of game, but it also can pose problems when you make poor planning decisions that don't get resolved before moving on to the next mission.

In water

Still, I found the campaign mode worth playing through, as it prepped me for the real fun found in Anno 2070's expansive sandbox mode. Continuous Play pulls out the stops, letting you pick your starting faction and dive into the deep end unfettered by finishing conditions that prematurely end the game. I spent hours-on-end blissfully caught in the addictive current of free-form building and expanding. If you prefer a more specific goal, there a quite a few single scenarios can be played as either solo or multiplayer maps too.

Ubisoft
Related Designs
Strategy
Release: Nov 17, 2011 (US) »
ESRB: T

Batman: Arkham City

2011-12-07T10:04:00.001-08:00

Batman: Arkham City is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Rocksteady Studios. It is the sequel to the 2009 video gameBatman: Arkham Asylum, based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. The game was released by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The game was officially announced during the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards and was released worldwide for consoles, beginning in North America on October 18, 2011, with a PC and Onlive version following on November 22, 2011. A Wii U version is set to release in 2012.

Arkham City was scripted by veteran comic book author Paul Dini, who also scripted Arkham Asylum. It features a main plot and side-missions that develop their own sub-plots. The main storyline revolves around Batman's imprisonment in Arkham City, a sprawling new super-prison five times bigger than the original asylum and enclosing a wide variety of industrial districts, iconic locations and Gotham Citylandmarks. He must now stop mishaps occurring around this chaotic enclosure caused by Gotham's most notorious super criminals. The game has received universal critical acclaim, making it one of the highest rated video games released in 2011.

The Good

Atmospheric, fascinating world rich with details and secrets
Satisfying, varied, hard-hitting combat
Grappling and soaring around the city is thrilling
Great assortment of involving side quests
Makes terrific use of a host of Batman characters.

The Bad

Gameplay

Arkham City is an open world action video game that incorporates elements of stealth and predator tactics. All of the gadgets previously obtained in the first game are present at the start of Arkham City (with the exception of the Line Launcher and the Ultra Batclaw, which is replaced with the regular Batclaw and Remote Batarangs). Most of them have improved or boast new capabilities; for example, the Cryptographic Sequencer can also track signals, the line launcher now can be deployed as a tightrope and has a feature that allows Batman to flip over and launch another zipline, switching directions. The remote control Batarang now has a built in brake and boost, and the grappling gun can now be used while gliding to boost Batman further up into the air. Four additional gadgets have been revealed: smoke pellets to confuse armed enemies when spotted by them, the Remote Electrical Charge which is a sniper-like taser gun used to power generators and shock enemies, ice grenades used to freeze enemies and make pathways through water, and a balled rope for tying up enemies. The game incorporates more puzzle elements; the use of Batman's "Detective Mode", which highlights elements such as enemy skeletons and clues on-screen, is used to perform forensic activities such as tracing the origin of a sniper round.

The player also has access to a criminal database that tracks several investigations across the city and the forensic puzzles much like the first game, as well as an extensive communications interception and tracing network. However, Rocksteady's art director David Hego described the new detective mode as an "augmented reality mode", and game director Sefton Hill has also stated that although enemies and evidence can be seen more clearly, the navigational part is toned down as they found that some players completed Arkham Asylum using detective mode almost throughout the entire game. Optional challenges from the Riddler to collect hidden trophies placed around the city are also present, but require additional effort to locate, such as interrogation of men loyal to the Riddler, and the use of nearly all of Batman's gadgets to disable "traps" and barriers placed around them. After a certain number of trophies are found, Batman must go rescue a hostage that the Riddler has captured, which requires him to disable death traps set by the Riddler.

The player controls Batman, making their way around Arkham City to complete mission objectives. In addition to the primary mission, the game introduces secondary missions featuring a number of key characters and their stories. The player can opt to move silently, avoiding inmates and other enemies using a combination of gadgets to sneak up on enemies to incapacitate them. Batman's gliding ability has also been upgraded, allowing players to dive downward and pull themselves back up, making it much faster to move through the air.

Catwoman is also a playable character with her own heist-focused storyline at specific points in the game. Her combat is more acrobatics-oriented and features her claws, whip, and bolas. She has her own version of Detective Mode called "Thief Vision" to locate items for stealing. Dax Ginn recently revealed at Gamescom that the game has about 40 hours of gameplay with the main campaign lasting 25 hours and 15 hours for the side missions.The game also contains 436 Riddler challenges, which make up one of the multiple side missions that players can embark on at any given point in the game. Rather than rely on maps, the player can mark Riddler puzzles as they are found, if the player does not have the necessary equipment to complete them. A portion of the puzzles are also specific to Catwoman, and can only be completed by her.

Plot

At a press conference held by Bruce Wayne to declare his opposition to Arkham City, Wayne is arrested by Hugo Strange's Tyger mercenaries and is himself imprisoned in Arkham City. Strange discloses his knowledge of Wayne's dual identity as Batman before releasing him into the criminal populace. While Strange prepares for the commencement of Protocol 10, Wayne obtains his crime-fighting equipment via airdrop by Alfred Pennyworth, allowing Wayne to become Batman. As Batman, he is first forced to save Catwoman from being executed by Two-Face who hopes to gain respect with her murder. After an assassination attempt on Catwoman by the Joker, Batman tracks the Clown Prince of Crime to his hideout in the Sionis Steelworks, believing he may know the truth behind Protocol 10.

Batman learns from Joker's doctor that the unstable properties of the Titan formula are mutating in Joker's blood, gradually eating away at his body and killing him. The Joker captures Batman and performs a blood transfusion on him; infecting him with the same fatal disease. Batman is forced to find a cure for himself and Joker, or they will both perish. Batman is informed that Mr. Freeze had been developing a cure but has since been kidnapped by the Penguin.

Batman pursues Penguin to his headquarters in the Cyrus Pinkney National History Institute: defeating his forces, his imprisoned monster Solomon Grundy, and ultimately the Penguin himself, before liberating Freeze. Freeze tells Batman that he has already developed the cure but that its instability renders it useless. Batman deduces that the restorative properties within the blood of Ra's al Ghul can complete the cure. Batman stalks one of Ra's assassins to his lair in Wonder City, leading Batman into a confrontation with Ra's and his daughter Talia — Batman's former lover. With Ra's blood, Freeze is able to develop a vial of working cure, but it is stolen by Harley Quinn before Batman can use it.

Batman returns to the Joker and finds him to be fully healed. While Batman and Joker fight, Protocol 10 is activated — A scheme to wipe out the entire population of Arkham City, destroying the criminal element of Gotham. The Tyger troops begin mass executions of prisoners, and Strange launches missile strikes from his base in Wonder Tower. A missile hits the steelworks, burying Batman under rubble. Before Joker can take advantage of the situation, Talia arrives and offers him immortality in exchange for sparing Batman's life. After he escapes with the help of Catwoman, Batman is convinced to put an end to Protocol 10 before pursuing Talia and Joker.

Batman infiltrates Wonder Tower and disables Protocol 10. Ra's is revealed to be the mastermind behind Arkham City, and mortally wounds Strange for failing to defeat Batman. With his dying breath, Strange activates Protocol 11 - Wonder Tower's self destruction. Batman and Ra's escape and Ra's commits suicide rather than risk capture. Joker contacts Batman, threatening to kill Talia unless Batman brings the cure to the Monarch Theater. Batman arrives as Talia escapes and kills the Joker. Talia offers Batman the cure, having intercepted it from Quinn, but she is killed by the real—and still dying—Joker. The second Joker is revealed to be Clayface, who had been masquerading as the healed Joker at the ailing villain's request.

Batman incapacitates Clayface, but Joker blows up the theater floor, sending Batman plummeting into Wonder City below. Batman destroys Ra's rejuvenating Lazarus Pit before the Joker can use it, and drinks a portion of the antidote. Batman debates curing his foe, but is attacked by the Joker, causing the antidote vial to smash. Batman maintains that in spite of everything Joker has done, he would have saved him. The Joker finally succumbs to his illness and dies. Batman carries Joker's body out of Arkham City into the winter dawn.

Catwoman subplot

The concurrent plot with Batman's role in Arkham involves Catwoman performing heists across the city, the first being an attempt to crack Two-Face's personal safe. After being rescued by Batman, she enlists the reluctant aid of Poison Ivy in retrieving numerous valuables seized upon her arrest (being stored inside Hugo Strange's heavily-guarded vault). Catwoman successfully infiltrates the vault and attempts to escape with the ill-gotten gains, but abandons this plan when she stops to help save Batman from the Joker. Intending to return for her belongings, she goes on to fight a rematch with Two-Face and his henchmen.

"Batman: Arkham City – The Album" tracklisting
No.	Title	Contributing artist(s)	Length
1.	"Mercenary"	Panic! at the Disco	2:41
2.	"Deranged"	Coheed and Cambria	4:26
3.	"Creature"	The Duke Spirit	2:32
4.	"Shadow On The Run"	Black Rebel Motorcycle Club	4:48
5.	"Afterdark"	Blaqk Audio	4:26
6.	"Oh, Stranger"	The Raveonettes	3:19
7.	"The Years"	† † † (Crosses)	4:01
8.	"Trophy Widow"	The Damned Things	3:45
9.	"Drown In You"	Daughtry	4:22
10.	"Losing You"	The Boxer Rebellion	3:34
11.	"Total Paranoia"	Serj Tankian	2:56

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Rocksteady Studios
Release: Nov 22, 2011 (US) »
ESRB:T

Saints Row: The Third

2011-12-04T07:03:00.001-08:00

"Fantastic missions, outrageous weapons, and awesome vehicles make the open-world mayhem of Saints Row: The Third an absolute blast."

Saints Row: The Third (also known as Saints Row 3) is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc.and published by THQ.

In previous Saints Row games, the player would be able to approach each of the three rival gangs along separate storylines that ultimately culminated into a final conclusion. In The Third, the storylines between the three gangs are interconnected, and decisions that the player makes in dealing with one faction may alter the behavior of the other factions towards the player or missions that may be available later.The developers have focused on developing an open-ended storyline; the majority of storyline missions can be completed in multiple ways, and the decisions that the player makes on these missions will ultimately affect the game's ending.

The Good

Great assortment of vehicles and weapons with which to wreak explosive havoc
Outrageous story missions and fun activities
Wonderful variety of customization options
Constantly doles out cool rewards.

The Bad

Where is the love? :))

Some games create atmospheric worlds that attempt to draw you in with moving stories about characters seeking a second chance, or cast you as troubled superheroes who push themselves to the limit to fight evil. Saints Row: The Third is not like those games. Rather, it's the kind of game that gives you weapons called apocafists with which you can punch people, instantly making them explode in a bloody mess. The Third won't impress you with knockout visuals, move you with an absorbing story, or engage you with challenging combat. What it does, better than just about any game before, is embrace the idea of an open world as a place for play, constantly giving you access to awesome new toys and providing you with no shortage of exciting opportunities to use them.

After an intro mission sets up your exit from Stilwater you'll get the chance to customize your character. Customization plays a big part in the entire game, from your body to your dress to your vehicles. I love that, at a glance, no two players' games will look alike -- one will star a voluptuous vixen in a cocktail dress while the next may feature a blue sumo wrestler with cat eyes that speaks in zombie gibberish.

"It's not realistic, it's not "art," it's just a really good time."

Before the credits roll you'll catsit a tiger, play a hilarious text adventure, get a sex change, hack up Mexican wrestlers with a chainsaw, visit a Tron-like computer world, and participate in many other ridiculous leisure activities. Saints Row the Third can be accused of being many things, but repetitive isn't one of them.

When you need a break from story missions you'll find loads of optional activities all over Steelport that boost your street cred and earn you cash. My favorites are the Insurance Fraud missions, holdovers from Saints Row 2 that ask you to run into traffic and cause as much bodily harm to yourself as possible before time runs out.

Pretty much anything you choose to do in Saints Row: The Third has been incentivized and will earn you either money or respect. Money can get you territory, weapons, upgrades, and threads. Respect works like experience points, unlocking new abilities such as "infinite sprint" and "no fall damage." Everything from near collisions while driving to running down the street naked earns you respect, which is fantastic game design -- we're constantly rewarded for simply playing the game. I was addicted to maximizing my hourly income and planning my character upgrades.

By completing certain story missions you gain access to badass vehicles like a transforming hover jet and a pixilated retro-game tank. In the spirit of staying out of the way of the player's good time, Saints Row 3 gives you an infinite supply of these recreational vehicles in your cribs. So grab an F-69 VTOL hover jet, take it joy riding, crash it, then go home and grab another. As many times as you want. Or, you can have it delivered right to you, wherever you are. Amazing.

That's the beauty of Saints Row: The Third: it's not trying to be anything more than a fun game. It's not realistic, it's not "art," it's just a really good time.

That said, some of the immature characters, dialogue, and premises do make me cringe. People often swear for no reason in a way that feels really forced, and a pimp that only speaks in auto-tune and calls every girl a bitch gets old fast. But the character that matters most, my character, really won me over. I played as a lady (well, a female -- she's definitely not a lady), and despite the fact that she's an amoral mass murderer, I believed she cared about her friends. Plus, I really liked the voice actress portraying her.

The licensed soundtrack -- heard on car radios throughout the game -- includes many fantastic songs ranging from hip-hop to electronic to classical. You can toggle stations on and off or build a playlist of all the songs you like.

While definitely not up to the standards of recent games like Uncharted 3 or Rage, Saints Row 3's visuals go easy enough on the eyes. I love the neon-lit towering skyscrapers of Steelport, but down in the streets things can seem quiet and lifeless. This is an open world but I wouldn't say it's a living world. Mayhem activities ask you to destroy as much as you can before time runs out, but you may be at a loss for stuff to blow up. As you tear around town the traffic magically appears in front of your car. Granted, I only noticed that pop-up while driving.

Saints Row: The Third is buoyed to great heights by terrific mission design and by the remarkable assortment of vehicles and weapons it gives you with which to take over Steelport. Whether you're buying up property to increase your hourly income, cruising the city in your favorite vehicle to collect photo ops, drug packages, and sex dolls, or punching people to bits with those crazy apocafists, there's rarely a dull moment. Saints Row: The Third succeeds tremendously at delivering its unique brand of raunchy, outrageous fun. If you have an appetite for this particular kind of absurdity, you won't be disappointed.

News flash: people find sex and violence entertaining. Saints Row: The Third gives the people what they want and drops us into an open world adult theme park where we can treat ourselves to delightful acts of bloodshed and perversion. It doesn't take itself too seriously and only asks that you don't, either.

THQ

Volition Inc.

Action

Release: Nov 15, 2011 (US) »

ESRB: M

Assassin's Creed: Revelations Review

2011-12-03T02:35:00.000-08:00

The gorgeous city of Constantinople takes center stage in Assassin's Creed: Revelations, another great historical adventure of Ezio Auditore.

"Bring me the answers and the road that leads to the truth. Reveal to me once and for all, how all of this will end."

―Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Assassin's Creed: Revelations E3 Teaser.

The Good

New movement options keep the platforming joyful
Brotherhood recruitment has been nicely fleshed out
Gorgeous, vibrant world with a lot to do
Fantastic soundtrack
Emotionally fulfilling ending.

The Bad

Desmond sections aren't fun

Even the greatest heroes can't live forever. And so it goes for Ezio Auditore di Firenze, who finally steps aside to make room for new champions in Assassin's Creed: Revelations. This is another quality entry in a quality series, and it unleashes you in a visually stunning re-creation of 16th-century Constantinople.

Gameplay
The gameplay system from Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is the basis for Revelations, though Ezio's free-running and combat skills have been upgraded with new features.

Plot

The game begins where Brotherhood left off. Present day protagonist Desmond Miles' mind has suffered a breakdown from the events of the previous games, and to save Desmond's mind, the Assassins put him into a specialized safe area of the Animus. Upon awakening inside the Animus, Desmond meets Subject 16, who occupied the Animus before him. 16 explains that Desmond's mind is fragmented, and that the only way for him to separate the pieces of his true self from those of his ancestors is to continue to play out their stories until there is nothing left for them to show Desmond. Once he reaches that point, the Animus will be able to separate the three individual's memories.

Development
Revelations will be the final Assassin's Creed game to depict Altaïr and Ezio as main characters, as Assassin's Creed III will introduce a new protagonist.

Weapons

A new weapon called the hookblade will be introduced, which will allow Ezio to use ziplines throughout the city, speeding up navigation by around 30%. Additionally, a crafting system will allow the creation of bombs, with options for up to 300 different types.

Asassins's Dens
The concept of Borgia towers has been expanded, and in order to neutralize the Templar presence, various assault scenarios must be completed. The liberated buildings will be known as Assassin Dens, though control over them may be lost to a Templar assault. These attacks will be triggered when the player's notoriety increases.
Controlling a den and its surrounding region will allow the player to upgrade all the shops and buildings in that area, including the den itself, which will provide more navigation options (like additional ziplines for the hookblade) in that part of the city. As an added benefit, controlling a den will change the character of the surrounding guards. Regular Ottoman patrols will continue to monitor the regions under control, and will still halt if illegal activities are committed, but won't be overly hostile.
Assassin's Dens can be protected by either the player or by an assigned Master Assassin, who will ensure the prevention of any further Templar attacks on the building.

Eagle Vision has been modified into Eagle Sense, which can allow the player to focus on a character and determine the route they have taken. This will thus give the player an estimation of where they will go, which could be useful for ambushes or locating a secluded place to strike a target.

Ezio will be searching for the seals containing Altaïr's memories, thus allowing the player to control Altaïr

As an infomercial host might say: "But wait--there's more!" Now you can craft bombs out of ingredients that you find in chests and earn for completing contracts. It's a simple process; you just go to a crafting station, select the right ingredients, and voila: bombs. The bombs might spew poison into the air or simply explode as a good bomb should. They're nice toys to have but unnecessary because combat isn't so difficult that you're forced to pull them out of your trick bag. That doesn't mean that combat hasn't seen some changes, and to be fair, it is more challenging than before. Much of that new challenge comes from gunners squirreled away in tiny shelters, where they are out of your blade's reach. Getting shot strips away a good deal of health and knocks you back, though you should always have plenty of health packs if you regularly loot bodies. Nonetheless, it's annoying to be shot by a pair of unseen snipers, especially if you're already engaged. At least you have your own ranged weapons (gun, crossbow, knives, bombs) and can destroy gunners once you find them.

Ubisoft
Ubisoft Montreal
Action
Release: Nov 29, 2011 (US) »
ESRB: M

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

2011-11-18T08:18:00.001-08:00

Uncharted 3: Drake\'s Deception is a unique third-person action adventure game exclusively on the PlayStation 3 that incorporates the mechanics of a shooter and platformer-style gameplay. Drake\'s Deception is the third game in the Uncharted franchise and continues the adventures of the swashbuckling treasure hunter Nathan Drake. You will experience a new variety of challenging environments. In addition, the game features an interactive cinematic experience, an epic single-player campaign, and multiplayer support online as well as offline. In Uncharted 3: Drake\'s Deception you will search for the fabled \"Atlantis of the Sands,\" which propels you to trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert in search of it. You will unearth the terrible secrets of this lost city, and Drake\'s quest descends you into a desperate bid for survival that strains the limits of his endurance and forces him to confront his deepest fears.

Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception Walkthrough

The Good

Lots of exciting tactics in combat

Expertly designed levels reward experimentation

Great pacing

Excellent presentation including visuals, voice acting, and music

Exciting competitive and cooperative play.

The Bad

Slight AI flaws

Stiff platforming limits creativity.

Is it possible to have your expectations raised too high? Uncharted 2: Among Thieves delivered a monumental leap over the first game in the series, and it might be easy to fall into the trap of assuming the same advancements would take place in every subsequent release. If that's your state of mind going into Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, you might walk away slightly disappointed. But that's not a fair response. Though the third entry in this treasure-hunting franchise offers a similar experience to its revered predecessor, it's no less magical. Just about every element showcases the care and craftsmanship you would expect from the series. Combat is even more versatile than in previous entries, combining incredible shooting encounters with advanced hand-to-hand takedowns set in lavishly designed areas. When you need a break from the taxing physical endeavors, thoughtful puzzles allow you to explore your more contemplative side. And these two elements are punctuated by exhilarating set-piece events that leave you gasping. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is another superb entry in Nathan Drake's ongoing quest to find the world's many lost treasures.

Once again, Nathan Drake is in search of lost treasure in a mysterious land. The story encompasses many of the same tropes from previous games--deception, twists, camaraderie--though the nuts and bolts of the plot have never been one of Uncharted's strong points. Rather, it's the realistic portrayal of characters--their lively back-and-forth discussions and snide jokes--that give you a reason to care about the tale. Drake, Sully, and the supporting cast sport detailed animation that makes them almost look real, and their playful dialogue further cements this image. Tempers flare, threats are made, and you can feel the tension during heated moments. But these lifelong friends always make up, and it's their believable relationships that make it so easy to become invested in their struggles.

When you picture Uncharted, you may think of plundering ancient tombs or throwing as many grenades as you can manage in bombastic sequences. But the opening of Drake's Deception eschews the larger-than-life action the series is known for in favor of an old-fashioned bar brawl. This is where the new animations that have been incorporated into fisticuffs are apparent as you wrestle with a platoon of aggressive men in a confined place. Shoving a burly dude into the bar while you pummel his face or grabbing a stray bottle to crash over someone's head conjures images of Patrick Swayze handling business in Road House, and the controls are precise enough to make it possible to manage an approaching group without getting your face beaten. Ultimately, these instances where you're forced to take matters into your own hands are the weakest aspect of the game because your freedom is so limited, but that's not to say they're boring. There's a satisfying rhythm to throwing fists while avoiding counters, and you have enough flexibility to move around that you don't feel like you're just performing mindless quick-time events.

As much fun as it may be to bash in a man's head with a wooden chair, it can't match the thrill of beating a man with your fists when he's sporting an assault rifle. There are segments where you have to fistfight in Drake's Deception, but there are other times when you're in a battle for your life and you can use any weapon you want to stay alive. Thanks to the incredibly impactful animations of a hand-to-hand assault, it's fun to put aside the bullets and explosives to focus on getting your hands dirty instead. Being sneaky certainly helps. Snapping a man's neck before he can turn around or just shoving someone clear off a building is immensely rewarding. But there are other times when stealth doesn't work, and you find yourself grappling, feinting, and punching below the belt, while bullets fly and enemies scream death threats at you. Particular animations make these encounters a special treat. You may grasp the barrel of your gun and swing at someone's head with a metal uppercut or elbow a foe in the neck like a wrestler suffering from roid rage, and it's hard to contain your joyous laugh. There are times when you run out of bullets and fighting with your fists is the only way to go. Once you finish off your foe, a slow motion moment in which Drake snatches your enemy's discarded gun in midair adds a fitting end to the fight.

Of course, you don't have to go toe-to-toe if you'd rather not. The beauty of Uncharted's combat is that you can dispatch foes in a variety of ways, and all of them feel incredibly empowering. The key is the expertly designed levels. Drake's Deception is a cover-based, third-person shooter; thus, chest-high walls populate many of your encounters. But those familiar structures aren't used as a crutch here. Verticality gives you the option to climb around like a gun-toting monkey if you prefer, getting the drop on lackadaisical foes. If a man with a rocket launcher is forcing you to hunker behind a piece of debris, fear not; you can smoothly leap from cover, shimmy up a nearby wall, and sprint pell-mell across a rooftop. Grab a sniper rifle on the way if you want to handle him from afar or a shotgun if you'd like to pop him right in the head. Toss grenades at the group of enemies hiding by that well, man the turret once you finish off its previous operator, or sprint past everyone until you make it to the door that marks your safety. Versatile level design lets you choose how to go about killing your pesky foes in Drake's Deception, and rock-solid controls ensure every action you want to perform can be pulled off without any hesitation.

If you're feeling sluggish and just want to use your gun for a while, doing so is a perfectly valid alternative to the high-flying adventuring. The mechanics in Drake's Deception have been refined even further from the previous game. No matter which gun you grab, you can target weak points with ease, and enemies recoil when you prick their flesh with searing-hot bullets. Drake's Deception offers so many different ways to take down foes that you might think it falls into the camp of jack-of-all-trades, master of none. But that's not true at all. If you take things slowly--crouch behind cover only risking your neck when the opportunity presents itself--you have just as much of a chance to succeed as someone who makes use of Drake's agility. And you can have just as much fun, too. The weapons are a blast to use. Landing a headshot from across the map with a sniper rifle is eminently satisfying, as is taking out a gunner with a sure blast from a shotgun. You can easily keep an enemy off balance with a fast-shooting assault rifle or knock a grenade right out of someone's hand with a steady pistol. Ample ammunition lets you focus on the fun of firing rather than scrounging for extra bullets, so you can stick with your favorite weapon if you want or mix things up after every fight.

SCEA
Naughty Dog
Action
Release: Nov 1, 2011

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