The decision that will affect around 100 million visitors to the English language version of the website was made after a month long discussion by its members. “This is by far the largest level of participation in a community discussion ever seen on Wikipedia, which illustrates the level of concern that Wikipedian’s feel about this proposed legislation,” a statement on the Wikimedia Foundation website read.

Wikipedia and Reddit are also joined by Anonymous, who will be staging a blackout on all communications between 8am and 8pm on the same day. Wikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales took to Twitter yesterday proclaiming, “this is going to be wow. I hope Wikipedia will melt phone systems in Washington on Wednesday. Tell everyone you know!”

“Today Wikipedians from around the world have spoken about their opposition to this destructive legislation. This is an extraordinary action for our community to take – and while we regret having to prevent the world from having access to Wikipedia for even a second, we simply cannot ignore the fact that SOPA and PIPA endanger free speech both in the United States and abroad, and set a frightening precedent of Internet censorship for the world,” Wales said in a longer statement on Wikipedia.

Despite being used as a springboard to spread the news across the internet, Twitter will not being taking part in the protests. “Closing a global business in reaction to single-issue national politics is foolish,” Twitter CEO Dick Costolo tweeted after reading that Wikipedia would be closing its services for the day. After facing a backlash, he later clarified that he was responding regarding his firm’s stance, rather than commenting about Wikipedia.

Other tech companies strongly opposing the new legislation such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Adobe have made no announcements either, and aren’t expected to be taking part, although it is possible some of them might display links on their homepages as a sign of support.

Source: http://bit.ly/zYDQcH

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Age of Empires was a competitive, hugely popular RTS series, able to compete with if not quite displace Starcraft’s international hegemony. But whether you blame the long wait for Age of Empires III, or that game’s tepid reception among critics and fans, the reality remains: the brand is tarnished, unlikely to reach such lofty heights again. Rather than chase a pale shadow of their pre-millenial success, Microsoft Game Studios is relaunching the franchise today as Age of Empires Online, a “freemium” title sporting a sweeping visual redesign and a wealth of new gameplay features. Tired of trying to resurrect yesterday’s trends, the publishers have instead made a big bet on today’s, embracing a suite of popular features with obvious roots in other, established franchises.

Age of Empires Online is still ostensibly an RTS, though you’d be forgiven some confusion upon firing the game up. In keeping with the zeitgeist, the game’s new guise incorporates a giant swathe of MMORPG features meant to undergird its subtitle. Instead of simple, match-based gameplay, the world of AOEO revolves around a persistent hub city, which can be leveled up like an RPG character. The RTS gameplay is confined to  various mission-style “quests,” which are intended to teach game skills and reward players with experience.

The title was developed first by Robot Entertainment and then by Gas Powered Games, two studios with extensive RTS experience, thanks to Halo Wars and Supreme Commander, respectively. This pedigree is immediately
apparent upon firing up a quest — the game’s RTS engine is immaculate. Age of Empires purists will bemoan the move towards a more cartoonish style, but the units, animations, buildings and scenery all look great. Sharp rendering, pleasant colors, and amusing details are the order of the day — look for the tiny starfish glomming on to seaside rocks. It’s not easy to be so stylized without stumbling into “cute” territory, but the two developers pull off this balancing act with aplomb.
Read full review >> http://www.gamefront.com/age-of-empires-online-review

While recent release Deus Ex: Human Revolution occasionally exposes the logic behind its coding, the title does a miraculous job at conjuring an intricate (and delightfully nihilistic) world. At least part of the magic stems from Eidos Montreal’s vision of a futuristic Detroit. Despite the presence of a persistent amber haze, the city seems on the verge of revitalization, stemming from the innovations emerging from Serif Industries. Able to graft nano-components into human flesh, the company is drawing notice from proponents and challengers alike. When an ‘anti-augmentation’ faction begins targeting Serif, protagonist Adam Jensen suffers life-threatening injuries, necessitating nano-modification of his body. Remarkably, Human Revolution’s characters are quite different from the flat caricatures role player aficionados may be accustomed to. One example- Serif’s (and Jensen’s) boss isn’t the archetypical corporate tyrant, at times revealing an approachable side, if players pursue the proper social enhancements. Also refreshing is the way Deus Ex plotline’s unhurriedly transitions from a small, smoldering techno-thriller to a much broader scenario with far-reaching repercussions.

Supporting the moody, intricately detailed backdrops is a system which allows players to follow their own trajectory through the title. While many games deliver a structure which imposes an ‘either/or’ classification on the player, Deus Ex refutes a binary structure, offering a tech-tree of enhancements which can complement nearly any play-style. Can’t extort imperative information out of characters? Then you might want to upgrade your social skills. Those who find themselves on the receiving end of ballistic barrages might want to boost the durability of their own skin. Since players determine whether they want to kill, subdue, or even elude enemies, Human Revolution’s menu of enhancements skillfully supplement any strategy. Read full review http://www.tech-gaming.com/?p=2658

The search takes place over various locations at Hogwarts and the surrounding areas, starting off at Shell Cottage. Harry, Ron, and Hermione plot with Griphook, a Goblin from Grigott’s Bank, to break into Bellatrix LeStrange’s vault, Voldemort’s most devote follower. At Gringott’s, a security breach will have the player, as Harry Potter, fighting for their life against Wizard Security Guards. After fighting your way to the vault, Harry, Hermione, and Ron secure Helga Hufflepugg’s cup, which Voldemort used to create a Horcrux. Upon obtaining the cup, the player is double-crossed by Griphook who takes the Sword of Gryffindor; the only weapon that will destroy the Horcrux. The player must then battle their way out of Gringotts, using a dragon as a means of escape.

The group then plans on returning to Hogwarts with the notion that they will find another Horcrux hidden in the castle. They Apparate to Hogsmede, the town which surrounds Hogwarts that is now occupied by Dementors and Death Eaters. The player must fight the hordes of Death Eaters and Snatchers to make their way to the safety of the bar: Hogs Head. Once at here, the player will be introduced to Aberforth Dumbledore, the late Professor Dumbledore’s estranged brother. Aberforth opens a secret passage which allows the player to enter Hogwarts undetected. Upon their arrival, they are greeted by allies known as Dumbledore’s Army, who vow to aide Harry on his quest. They are soon joined by The Order of the Phoenix; the members have sworn to defend the wizardry world against dark wizards.

Shortly after the player’s arrival to Hogwarts, Voldemort is alerted and attacks the castle. This is where the battle for Hogwarts truly begins. Players must fight off countless Death Eaters, Snatchers and Voldemort in this epic battle. The game is broken down into smaller battles where players will have the opportunity to play as other characters, returning to play as Harry for the finale.

The plot of the game is almost identical to the movie, which in turn is loosely based on the novels. I will not even compare the game to the book as the inaccuracies would have me writing for days and leave me uber frustrated; however, after just seeing the movie, playing the game left me with the ultimate déjà vu. With that being said, If I was not familiar with the books (I am embarrassingly familiar with the books) and had not seen the movie, the game would have seemed like it was missing key pieces of information. In some areas of the game, characters would disappear and others would appear out of nowhere. These are consistent with the movie, but are left unexplained in the game.

It was incredible to see how accurate the characters looked in comparison to the movie as they were all dressed in the same clothing they were wearing in the film. The dialogue was also accurate, only leaving out minor lines to speed up the cut-scenes. The cut-scenes in this film were plentiful and well done; however, you could not skip them. This proved to very frustrating when the when you had to watch the scene each time you died (my controller was almost thrown out the window a few times).

Alma is back too, although you don’t come across her nearly as much as before, and when she does appear it’s generally just for a quick, and ultimately pointless jump scare. What made the first game in the series so scary (I even put it as number one in my ‘Scariest Games of All Time’ article) wasn’t in the scares themselves, it was in the anticipation of the scares. Lights would flicker, books would fly off of the shelves like a scene in Ghostbusters 2, and all that would get you sat on the edge of your seat. That anticipation is totally gone in F.E.A.R. 3. The lights flicker a few times but nothing really kept me on edge. This new entry into the series relies solely on the jump scares, like some cheap teen horror, and for a game series that started off so promisingly, it’s more than a little disappointing to see.

The gameplay behind F.E.A.R. 3 lies, like most first person shooters, in shooting things in the face before they can shoot you. There’s nothing special about the gameplay, nothing that hasn’t been seen before or done better. The only real thing that the F.E.A.R. franchise does quite well is the slow motion action. Seeing the bullets rip through the air as they enter your opponent’s head at a snail’s pace never really gets old. The down side when it comes to the slow motion action is that it’s used up too quickly and takes too long to regenerate. Most people would be able to understand why, as it makes the whole game a cakewalk when it’s on, but considering that it’s one of the very few fun thing to do in F.E.A.R. 3, it makes me wish I could do it more often. Read full review

After attempting to destroy it, the Beast recombines itself and is seemingly unstoppable. Empire City is in shambles and Cole, Zeke, and Lucy Kuo (an NSA agent who went to Empire City to try to convince Cole to come to the deep south (Louisiana) where he was to meet Dr. Wolfe to gain the powers necessary to fend off the Beast) quickly boarded their ship and headed toward New Marais. This is where the rest of the story takes place (and where the Beast starts heading toward).

Now that you have some background information on why the game takes place in New Marais, it is time to tear it down a little bit. First of all, unlike the different gangs available in the first game, New Marais is crawling with, mainly, mercenaries. Bertrand, one of the game’s main antagonists (and the leader of the mercenaries), has many in a tizzy over Cole McGrath’s arrival, and conduits in general (the name given to people who have powers), putting fear of these conduits into the hearts of people.

With the fact that the Beast is still pursuing Cole, the game has a pretty cool way of expressing that, as well as happenings in the city, through newscasts on televisions (which actually use live acting). These usually show up in the corner when you walk by one. Even pressing the start/pause button, you can see a map of the eastern United States on the progression of the Beast’s travel. Between major chapter missions, you absorb the energy of blast cores (these grant you the new powers), which knock you out for a period of time, giving the Beast a bit of time to get closer, and is reflected in the loading screen.

With that said, Bertrand’s militia isn’t the only enemy in the game. You also have manufactured ice conduits (which you engage with later in the game) and the Corrupted (which are more or less monstrous-looking beings, which have a rather sinister origin you uncover as you progress through the game).

There are also a few boss fights in the game, including a couple different types of Corrupted (the Ravager and the Devourer), which, eventually, become standard specialized enemies that are easier to fight once you figure out their fighting strategy and the best ways to defeat them. There are also larger bosses, including the Beast and a giant swamp monster referred to as the Behemoth (both of which have interesting origins)

With the baddies out of the way, I do have a complaint. There aren’t too many major/memorable characters in this game. You have Zeke, Kuo, a rebel leader, and another conduit, Nix (of course Bertrand and Dr. Wolfe as well). Though it is nice to see some character development, there really isn’t enough characters to make that engaging. Zeke is basically your wingman, and seems to be looking for forgiveness for his selfish actions in the first game. Cole, really, just seems to be going along for the ride sometimes, and he’d be the one you’d expect to have the most development. The most character development is actually through Kuo and Nix’s interactions with each other.

Most of the story’s good guy/bad guy decisions are based on differences between these two characters, and since Nix is generally a problem starter who would rather cause trouble, she, by that fact, has the evil side of the plans. Kuo, on the other hand, is more tactical and prefers less collateral, and usually has the good decisions. Unfortunately, in this game, there is no real distinction between the good or the bad choice until the very last one. Nothing really changes the story at all. No characters can die off mid-game or anything, and there are only ever subtle mentions of a choice you made previously in cutscenes or inter-character dialogue. Beyond that, each mission (besides the last) is exactly the same with the same characters and same progression, regardless of which choice you make.

Don’t get me wrong, it is still an enjoyable game, but that isn’t to say the story didn’t have its problems. I did think it was good, but I think they could have done a better job differentiating between the hero storyline and the villain storyline. I think the biggest problem with the story isn’t that, though. It’s the length. For me, it seemed to have progressed far too fast and had come to its conclusion before I knew it. I finished the game in 2 days, and in those two days, I didn’t even play it for hours on end in one sitting.
Read full review >> http://www.ps3blog.net/2011/07/22/official-review-infamous-2

The Annihilation content pack’s new maps include:

–Hangar 18, located in the highly classified military base of  Area 51, where gamers will fight through experimental weapons labs, the SR-71 test hangar and a mysterious autopsy room.
–Drive-In, where players experience close-quarters combat through a 1960′s American Drive-In theater, complete with a snack shack and a classic arcade.
–Silo, where-in gamers can infiltrate a massive secret Soviet nuclear missile site under construction within a multi-level battleground.
–Hazard, located on the cliff sides of Cuba, gamers can explore a coastal golf course fit for a Dictator, where stocked clubhouses and manicured fairways meet snipers hidden in sand traps.
–Shangri-La, the all-new Zombies experience, transports players into a mythical paradise overrun with the undead. Our Heroes will come face-to-face with new species of zombies and navigate through a treacherous labyrinth of underground caverns, all set within a legendary shrine lost in an exotic jungle.

The single-player portion has you go through a part of the tutorial where you’ll learn to control the Orc and Haven units, and hear the story of the father of the campaign’s heroes. The multiplayer map will be a flashback to Heroes II’s Broken Alliance. In this map a certain number of human player fight against three computer players to gain control of richer territories. In addition, players will be able to control new factions: Inferno, Necropolis, and Stronghold.

Might & Magic Heroes 6 introduces the Conflux, an online tool that integrates into the game, extending the players’ experience by adding community features. Players will be able to create profiles, compare progress and achievements, build up a dynasty of heroes, and customize them with special weapons and traits. Players will also be able to access the Altar of Wishes, which will provide exclusive bonuses. While the game itself will be fully accessible offline, Conflux will only be available when connected to the Internet.

It’s been a few years since I’ve played a Nascar game, but one of my first thoughts after turning on Nascar The Game 2011 was that, well….it pretty much looked the same. Now I’m not going to suggest that I expected the graphics on a Wii game to compete with those of a PS3 or Xbox360 title, but I was a bit disappointed with the blurriness and lack of clarity on the game. The crowds are merely blotches of color, and most of the other cars are the same unless they are right next to you. But I wasn’t going to let a little thing like disappointing graphics turn me off the game, so I turned on career mode and hoped for the best. The career mode consists of 36 races spread across the country. You can choose from a long list of racers like Danica Patrick and Mark Martin , but you can’ t really customize anything on the cars or drivers. However, before each track you can customize the race experience to your preferences of difficulty level, opponent number and difficulty, number of laps, damage (full, cosmetic, off), and whether you want cautions. You can also choose whether you want to do a qualifying round or begin in last place. The race begins with some very realistic visuals and commentary, and then goes right to racing. There is a pretty thorough brief spoken tutorial that explains things like drafting, bumping, and NXP (Nascar Experience Points) for rookie racers.

Nascar The Game 2011 has a few features that add a bit to the basic “race around the track” objective of the game. You collect Nascar Experience Points to try to level up, and there is a counter on the right of the screen that shows your points racking up mid-race. You can also “complete sponsor requirements to get signed and receive the benefits and bonuses they offer.” Most of the objectives, though, are things that you would just naturally achieve in the course of completing the career mode such as 1 Career Race, 100 Laps Led, 10 Top Finishes. This means that you can pretty much just ignore the objectives and play the game and still achieve most of them. In addition to the NXP counter, your in-race screen shows a proximity radar, which is basically a little graphic on the bottom of the screen that shows your position in relation to the cars around you, with the goal being to help you navigate around the cars in the pack. You’ll also see a “rival” indicator. This marks your pre-determined rival in your career. You’ll earn bonuses by finishing higher than your rival. The center of your screen holds a draft counter that keeps track of how long you manage to draft behind other cars.

There is a lot going on to keep track of, especially if you choose both to allow damage to your car and longer races. With these options on, you’ll have to keep track of tire wear and fuel levels, as well as choosing when to pit. Honestly, though, it seemed like a lot of the factors weren’t really all that important. Whether you pay attention to NXP and Sponsor requirements or not, you’ll still advance at a pretty steady pace. ONe place where I felt the Wii version of Nascar The Game 2011 really shines, though, is with control options. Whether you want to use the Wii controller and nunchuk, the classic controller, the Wiimote and steering wheel, or even a Gamecube controller, this game has got you covered. I really liked having the choice of how I want to play, and the different control schemes all give a different gaming experience. Your car is quite responsive with turning and steering, but the braking and accelerating leave a bit to be desired. In addition to the Career mode, you can also play Invitational Events.These special events include eight Legends Challenges, four Solo Thunders, three Eliminators, a Championship Showdown, and the Gauntlet. All of these are locked when you begin the game, but they are easily unlocked by completing various numbers of career mode races.  The Invitational Events are a fun addition to the game, and give you a bit more replayability once you’ve made your way through the career, and that’s good because this game doesn’t offer any online play. There is a local multiplayer option though, so you can still race around the track with your friends–you just have to get them to come over first.

The game overall has received mixed reviews. GameSpot gave the game a 6.0/10, citing that, “When the game finds its groove, it delivers a good sense of enjoyable tension that rewards smart, controlled driving. Unfortunately, the more deeply you dig, the deeper the hole NASCAR 2011 digs itself into.

DICE is updating their approach to sound design, traditionally one of most praised features in the Battlefield franchise. As described by the team: instead of aiming for a more cinematic audio (seen in Bad Company 2), they have decided to approach the sound like it was part of a documentary. The resulting sound scape is “much cleaner”, making it easier for players to pinpoint any specific event using subtle audio cues. DICE recorded weapon, chopper and tank sounds close up to help players gauge their relative distance and make a decision whether these objects are moving towards or away from them on the battlefield. Battlefield 3 won’t be shipping with a SDK and DICE is instead “exploring other options”.

Battlefield 3 will feature a similar persistent model seen in recent Battlefield games. DICE’s executive producer Patrick Bach stated in an interview that they have slowed down the pace of leveling up after the studio underestimated the popularity of Bad Company 2. Unlike BC2, the top ranks will be incentivized and carry bonuses. The game will have four classes and DICE isn’t planning on implementing the Commander role as seen in Battlefield 2. Set in 2014, U.S. coalition troops are engaged by the opposition force known as the PLR as they patrol the Iran/Iraq border to maintain security to the area. Throughout the game the player will experience earthquakes, from small tremors to tremendous seismic activity that will destroy entire buildings.