General gaming |
- Syndicate Could Be a Faster and Better Futuristic Action Shooter Hybrid Than Deus Ex
- David Cage on Why No Heavy Rain 2, Indigo Prophecy's Stupid Name
- Xbox 360 and PS3 Hardware Deemed Too Old for Braid Maker's The Witness
- L.A. Noire on PC Gets a Date, System Specs, and Free DLC
- What If George Lucas Remastered The Old Republic?
- Review: The Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection Will Leave You Astounded
- Pay-What-You-Want Humble Bundle Returns With Frozen Synapse
- Foo Fighters to Headline BlizzCon 2011
- Review: Solatorobo is a Game with Good Intentions
- Free Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition Now Out on 3DS and DSi
| 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 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 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 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  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 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 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 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. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from 1UP RSS feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
