General gaming

General gaming

Syndicate Could Be a Faster and Better Futuristic Action Shooter Hybrid Than Deus Ex

Posted: 29 Sep 2011 06:00 AM PDT

I should be clear from the start that I haven't finished Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I've logged in about five hours or so and really enjoy it. But based on a brief demo I played recently, Syndicate appears to be a faster, and more action-oriented take on Deus Ex's futuristic concept (the whole power of human augmentation and darker side of corporate rivalry thing). Sure, you could play Deus Ex as a shooter but slow, methodical pacing feels integral for success. Syndicate sits on the opposite end of that spectrum: It's much more linear and bloody, but it features some interesting twists and mechanics for an FPS. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised at its quality or quirks, given it's a game made by Starbreeze.

Yes, that Starbreeze -- a studio that's built a reputation for building distinct first-person experiences. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay firmly planted them on the map, and provided a memorable and stealthy first-person shooter hybrid along with industry leading tech at the time. Their next project, The Darkness probably wasn't as impressive from a technical perspective, but it still made controlling guns, minions, and other dark powers enjoyable. Arguably, the Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena remake was Starbreeze at their lowest. And while it certainly wasn't as memorable as the dark and gritty escape from Butcher Bay, it still managed its share of interesting moments.

David Cage on Why No Heavy Rain 2, Indigo Prophecy's Stupid Name

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 02:51 PM PDT

Heavy Rain

Quantic Dream boss David Cage has made quite the name for himself by working on games like Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy. While many fans might be clamoring for a sequel to Heavy Rain -- a project that Cage admits could make a lot of money -- Cage isn't interested in becoming a sequel factory. And he thinks Indigo Prophecy had a stupid name.

In an extensive interview with Develop, Cage explained that he isn't motivated by money, and that's a big part of the reason why he hasn't jumped at the opportunity of doing Heavy Rain 2.

"Let me be stupid for one second; I'm not in this business to make money," he explained. "I wrote Heavy Rain because I was excited about it, because there was something to say. Yeah I could make Heavy Rain 2, but I've said what I've had to say about it. That's the strength of Quantic Dream, to have the capacity to create new ideas, to make something that breaks ground."

Xbox 360 and PS3 Hardware Deemed Too Old for Braid Maker's The Witness

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 01:28 PM PDT

The Witness

The Witness is looking like a very interesting game, as is to be expected given that it's being developed by Thekla and Jonathan Blow, the man behind Braid. Unfortunately it sounds as if console gamers might not have the opportunity to play it. Blow has stated the aging technology of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 would make it a real hassle to get the game running on either of them.

When 1UP got to check out the game over the summer, Blow expressed interest in releasing The Witness on multiple platforms -- Steam, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and, in particular, iPad. He now seems to be less interested in getting the game on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as a result of the challenge doing so would pose.

"We like 360 and PS3, but their specifications are over five years old now, and that's a lot in computer years," he told Edge. "The kind of tricks we'd have to perform to get this game working on those platforms are such a lot of work that to port it over at this point is just not worth it for us. The budget of this game we would hope to make back through Steam and iOS, plus I would like to make a profit. But breaking even is most important as it allows me to keep making games, and I can do that without consoles."

L.A. Noire on PC Gets a Date, System Specs, and Free DLC

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 01:01 PM PDT

L.A. Noire

It was fairly puzzling when L.A. Noire was released only on consoles. Given that it amounts to an adventure game, it would be right at home on PC, and with the exception of Red Dead Redemption, many of Rockstar's games have made it onto PC. Luckily Rockstar confirmed Noire would come to PCs this fall, and we now have an exact date for when that will be happening.

The Rockstar Leeds-developed PC port will be out on November 8 in North America and November 11 in Europe. Subtitled The Complete Edition, it'll come with a code to download all of the downloadable content that's been released on consoles -- that includes the Nicholson Electroplating, Reefer Madness, Consul's Car, Naked City, and A Slip of the Tongue cases.

An OnLive version will be out at the same time as physical and digital versions, meaning that even Mac gamers can get in on the action without needing to boot up Windows. Alternatively, owners of computers that don't meet the below specs can resort to an OnLive copy to be able to play the game, provided they have a capable Internet connection.

What If George Lucas Remastered The Old Republic?

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 12:29 PM PDT

Feature

Header

What If George Lucas Remastered The Old Republic?

Re-imagining the Star Wars MMO through a flannel filter.

By: Dennis Farrell September 28, 2011

Having spent the last fifteen years compulsively adding random cgi aliens to the original Star Wars trilogy, George Lucas is taking a much deserved vacation following the release of The Complete Saga.

Meanwhile, The Old Republic is closing in on its recently announced release date of December 20th. Since the Star Wars MMO carves out a niche some 3,500 years before the events of the films, BioWare has enjoyed a great deal of creative freedom up to this point. With a restless George Lucas roaming the wild, however, it's only natural to wonder what would happen if he turned his attention toward The Old Republic and gave it the "Special Edition" treatment.

Review: The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection Will Leave You Astounded

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 12:00 PM PDT

Ico and Shadow of the Colossus are two of my favorite games of all time, but I had not so much as touched the pair of them since their initial years of release. Both games completely drained me emotionally, which may be a reason why I haven't revisited them over the past decade. Because of this, I approached The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection for PS3 with the sort of reserved excitement one has before meeting up with a close friend after a long-time spent apart. It's easy to remember the great times you shared, but there's still a lingering uncertainty about how the reunion is going to play out. Did I change? Did they? What if we've both grown past the things we once shared in common?

It turns out I have changed, and so have these two games. But what hasn't is my unadulterated love and admiration for everything they have to offer. Each title is presented with more than just a fresh coat of paint. Credit needs to be given to Bluepoint Games, the team that handled the remastering duties on both titles. Gone are nagging framerate drops and muddled textures that plagued both titles. With these hiccups gone, we're finally allowed to appreciate the stellar art direction without being forced to endure slowdowns. In fact, before the end of their opening cinematics, you'll be so engrossed in the experiences that you'll forget you're playing games that are five and ten years old. This collection is the realization of a pair of singular visions that was beyond the capabilities of their medium at the time.

Pay-What-You-Want Humble Bundle Returns With Frozen Synapse

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:48 AM PDT

Frozen Synapse

It's time again for a new Humble Indie Bundle. This one is different from previous offers in that its main component is a single game: Frozen Synapse.

Mode 7's Frozen Synapse is a strategy title that came out this past May to a very positive reception. It's normally priced at $25 -- that's still what you'd pay to pick it up on Steam or elsewhere right now. With the Humble Bundle offer, you can pay any price you'd like and get a cross-platform, DRM-free copy. You can decide what percentage of your purchase money goes to the developers, the bundle organizers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation non-profit group, or the Child's Play charity.

Should you pay more than the average price (currently sitting at $4.23, less than a fifth of the game's regular price) you'll also be entitled to the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle. That consists of Trine, Shadowgrounds, Shadowgrounds: Survivor, Splot, and Jack Claw. Splot is still in development and will be available to bundle purchasers once it's complete. Jack Claw, on the other hand, is an incomplete game that has been canceled, but you'll still be able to play what Frozenbyte had in the works.

Foo Fighters to Headline BlizzCon 2011

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:21 AM PDT

Foo Fighters

This year's BlizzCon will again close out with a concert. Two years ago it was Ozzy Osbourne, last year was Tenacious D, and in 2011 attendees will get to rock out to the music of the Foo Fighters.

BlizzCon is taking place at the Anaheim Convention Center once again on October 21 and 22. Even with the prices being increased, tickets are already sold out. Those who desperately want to see things for themselves will be able to fork over some cash to watch live coverage on DirecTV or with the web-based BlizzCon Virtual Ticket for $39.99.

"There's no better way to cap off two days of gaming entertainment than by blowing the roof off the convention center with an awesome rock concert," said Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime. "Everyone attending BlizzCon and watching from home can look forward to ending the show with a bang when Foo Fighters bring the house down."

Review: Solatorobo is a Game with Good Intentions

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 11:15 AM PDT

A major stumbling block in reviewing something like Solatorobo: Red the Hunter is getting over the fact that the game actually exists. Allow me to provide some perspective: fans of PlayStation cult classic Tail Concerto have been waiting more than a decade to see a proper sequel, and somehow developer CyberConnect2 finally freed themselves from their Naruto-based bondage long enough to make a faithful follow-up for the DS. In no way should this story have anything but a happy ending; even a powerful company like Capcom couldn't pull it together and resurrect their own long-dead franchise on a portable system. And, against all odds, XSEED decided to take a risk and release Solatorobo for an English speaking audience? In terms of pure idealism, it's a feelgood story that warms your heart like a rotisserie chicken.

But reviewing something properly necessitates climbing out of your Pollyannaish bubble and facing the cruel specter of reality, as difficult as that may be. So it is with a heavy heart I tell you that I couldn't help but find Solatorobo disappointing; and, to be honest, these feelings didn't stem from absurd expectations as to what a Tail Concerto sequel should be. In fact, the game's most remarkable quality is ultimately its downfall; CyberConnect2 invested so much time in developing the world and characters of Solatorobo that they forgot to give the player interesting things to do. It's easy to see how working on a passion project can blind you to its faults, and that's never been truer than in Solatorobo.

Free Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition Now Out on 3DS and DSi

Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:41 AM PDT


The next component of Nintendo's 25-year anniversary celebration for The Legend of Zelda is live: a free version of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords can now be downloaded by DSi and 3DS owners.

Nintendo announced the North American release date for the game following its pre-TGS press conference earlier this month. As it turns out, September 28 isn't a Thursday like you might have guessed, which is the day that Nintendo downloads typically go live. Not that the extra day is a bad thing -- Four Swords Anniversary Edition is available only for a limited time and will be disappearing from the 3DS eShop and the DSiWare service after February 20, 2012.

As it's a game designed to work on both the DS (the DSi and DSi XL, specifically) and 3DS, owners of the latter will find the top screen isn't completely filled -- the image is only as wide as the bottom screen. You'll also be unable to return to the Home menu (as you can with 3DS games) without closing out of the game completely.
Posted by Shri Krishna

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