| PAX: Mark of the Ninja Proves Stealth Can Work in Two Dimensions Posted: 08 Apr 2012 11:40 PM PDT
Max Payne and I go way back. Throughout the series’ first two installments, I was
wholly immersed in its stark shadows, smoky atmosphere, and hard-boiled
dialogue. I brandished my pistols and dove sideways more times than I
could count.
I cherished the horror and violence of his revenge as if it were
written by Raymond Chandler himself, and yet, a place that I’d never
experience Max Payne’s world was online. That void was quickly remedied
when I got my hands on a small slice of the multiplayer portion of
Rockstar’s next effort, Max
Payne 3. MP3 is attempting to destroy
the barriers between single and multiplayer in a wide variety of ways. We’ve
written about the solo portion before,
but this time we got to spend some time in the online Gang Wars.
The story in Gang Wars, the most fleshed out mode of multiplayer, runs
alongside that of the solo campaign. The skirmishes you take part in
online will oftentimes be set moments before Max’s arrival to a
location during the story, or sometimes in the charred remains of where
his whirlwind tour of revenge previously swept through. While third-person works fine offline, the perspective can oftentimes lead to
ineligent combat that feels more like a frantic crapshoot than a
strategic faceoff; even phenomenal titles like Red
Dead Redemption suffer in
moments of intense action. While I was a bit worried that MP3′s
multiplayer would stall under the same stress, I’m happy to report that
the impeccable energy from the series’ singleplayer campaigns transfers
over quite well into the online arena. Yes, there were still a handful
of moments where it seemed like my opponent and I both cracked under
pressure, especially once combat became an up close affair, but the
game remained a controlled experience for the most part. Rockstar showed off a slew of
game matches, most of which were slight variations on genre classics
like team deathmatch and king of the hill. One unique mode is called
Payne Killer, which starts off as a free-for-all until someone scores
the first kill. After this occurs, the killer becomes Max Payne, while
the victim transforms into his singleplayer sidekick Passos. These two
characters come equipped with special weapons, higher health, and
unique abilities. It then becomes the task of the remaining players to
work together in taking down these two protagonists. Whoever scores the
kill against Max or Passos earns the right to play as the powerful
hero. This mode encouraged players to work together in short spurts to
take down the two powerhouses, but those alliances you make will
quickly be severed once one member gets the kill and joins the other
side. Similar Article: http://www.1up.com/previews?cId=3186963 Related posts: - PAX: Super T.I.M.E. Force Demonstrates the Chaotic Potential of Elegance
- PAX: How Firaxis is Upholding the X-Com Legacy
- Nintendo Dubstep Experience 3D Looks to Reinvent the Rhythm Genre
|
| DK Online Posted: 08 Apr 2012 11:40 PM PDT 
If you have not read about DK Online before in my blog, do visit my previous posts (link) on the game. Basically, DK Online is a massive online PvP title, with an in-depth Baron hierarchy system which allows players with power to rule over territories. Expect open PvP and tons of castle siege action. Oh, before I forget, Aeria Games will be the publisher for the North American and European server. I am not sure if this is good news as the company just closed several games recently…
Similar Article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/dk-online-confirmed-for-north-america.html Related posts: - DK Online
- Black Gold Online
- [TPGS 2012] Planet Legend Online
|
| Counter-Strike Online 2 (KR) Posted: 08 Apr 2012 11:39 PM PDT 
As you can see in the official game logo above, Counter-Strike Online 2 is confirmed to be in development. Similar to its prequel, Nexon Korea will be developing the game, using Valve’s latest version of the Source engine. The sequel will sport more detailed and smoother graphics, with game content enhanced and new ones added. Counter-Strike Online is currently still a big hit in many Asian countries such as Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan and the Southeast Asia region. More details of the game will be revealed at a later date.
Similar Article: http://www.mmoculture.com/2012/04/counter-strike-online-2-kr-developement.html Related posts: - Wizardry Online (JP)
- Red Blood Online (KR)
- Power Rangers Online (KR)
|
| New Neverwinter Video Shows In-Game Visuals, Gameplay Posted: 08 Apr 2012 05:39 PM PDT The Neverwinter MMO is available at PAX East, and has demoed this video to show you a bit more of what you can expect. Perfect World and Cryptic Games have been at PAX East showing off their new MMO Neverwinter (that used to be a co-operative RPG and, before that, a browser based game). The video (below) doesn't show much of what you can expect beyond the usual undead and dragons and colour spell effects, but it's certainly an interesting watch. It's looking quite sharp though, there's a lot of clarity in the models and the design of the world, and it'll be nice to see a reworked version of one of the more famous cities in the Forgotten Realms in a modern engine. Look closely and you'll be able to spot a lot of details like classes you can expect and even possible spells you'll be able to use but for now this is the best you're going to get. Similar Article: http://www.totalpcgaming.com/uncategorized/new-neverwinter-video-shows-in-game-visuals-gameplay/ Related posts: - Neverwinter
- Hollywood's Video Game Invasion of the '90s
- The Best and Worst Video Game Compilations
|
| PAX: How Firaxis is Upholding the X-Com Legacy Posted: 08 Apr 2012 11:39 AM PDT
Max Payne and I go way back. Throughout the series’ first two installments, I was
wholly immersed in its stark shadows, smoky atmosphere, and hard-boiled
dialogue. I brandished my pistols and dove sideways more times than I
could count.
I cherished the horror and violence of his revenge as if it were
written by Raymond Chandler himself, and yet, a place that I’d never
experience Max Payne’s world was online. That void was quickly remedied
when I got my hands on a small slice of the multiplayer portion of
Rockstar’s next effort, Max
Payne 3. MP3 is attempting to destroy
the barriers between single and multiplayer in a wide variety of ways. We’ve
written about the solo portion before,
but this time we got to spend some time in the online Gang Wars.
The story in Gang Wars, the most fleshed out mode of multiplayer, runs
alongside that of the solo campaign. The skirmishes you take part in
online will oftentimes be set moments before Max’s arrival to a
location during the story, or sometimes in the charred remains of where
his whirlwind tour of revenge previously swept through. While third-person works fine offline, the perspective can oftentimes lead to
ineligent combat that feels more like a frantic crapshoot than a
strategic faceoff; even phenomenal titles like Red
Dead Redemption suffer in
moments of intense action. While I was a bit worried that MP3′s
multiplayer would stall under the same stress, I’m happy to report that
the impeccable energy from the series’ singleplayer campaigns transfers
over quite well into the online arena. Yes, there were still a handful
of moments where it seemed like my opponent and I both cracked under
pressure, especially once combat became an up close affair, but the
game remained a controlled experience for the most part. Rockstar showed off a slew of
game matches, most of which were slight variations on genre classics
like team deathmatch and king of the hill. One unique mode is called
Payne Killer, which starts off as a free-for-all until someone scores
the first kill. After this occurs, the killer becomes Max Payne, while
the victim transforms into his singleplayer sidekick Passos. These two
characters come equipped with special weapons, higher health, and
unique abilities. It then becomes the task of the remaining players to
work together in taking down these two protagonists. Whoever scores the
kill against Max or Passos earns the right to play as the powerful
hero. This mode encouraged players to work together in short spurts to
take down the two powerhouses, but those alliances you make will
quickly be severed once one member gets the kill and joins the other
side. Similar Article: http://www.1up.com/previews?cId=3186964 Related posts: - PAX: Super T.I.M.E. Force Demonstrates the Chaotic Potential of Elegance
- Nintendo Dubstep Experience 3D Looks to Reinvent the Rhythm Genre
- PAX: Double Dragon Neon Brings Back the ’80s, But Not in a Good Way
|
