Review: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Having only barely played the beginning of the original Deus Ex three or four times, I had little knowledge of what to expect from Deus Ex: Human Revolution. All I did know was that in terms of PC classics, the original is up there with the best of them and being an RPG nut I had high hopes for the rebirth of this franchise. I think most people who have been gaming for a certain length of time have lived to see franchises come back after ‘x’ amount of years only to spurn the hopes and expectations of the fans. It’s great to see then that the folks at Eidos Montreal have managed to create a game that is genuinely a lot of fun based on its own merits.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution tells the tale of Adam Jensen, head of security at Sarif Industries in the year 2027, 25 years prior to the events of the original game, where mega corporate companies are focused on creating and advancing ‘human augmentation’ (think cybernetic limbs etc). The story kicks off with a bang as Sarif Headquarters comes under attack and after a brief tutorial-esque segment of gameplay Jensen is severely injured and must undergo extensive rebuilding that fuses him together with multiple augmentations. It’s here where the game really starts as Jensen is fuelled by the desire to find out the truth behind the attack and who was responsible.

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time Reveals El Jefe

Meet the super villain of Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, El Jefe, a cigar smoking wild cat that apparently took over a country with just three blind mice and explosives. Impressive.

Thieves in Time is in development at Sanzaru Games, the folks behind the recent Sly Collection and Secret Agent Clank. The game is due to hit us next year with no solid date set down by Sony.

Five Against All - Gears of War 3 Horde 2.0 Trailer

A new trailer for the revamped (and mighty awesome looking) Horde 2.0 mode for Gears of War 3 has been released entitled 'Five Against All'. It showcases all the crazy action you can expect to be involved in when playing as well as showing off the fortifying and boss aspects of the mode.

In addition to that you can also hear the song written for the game by Ice-T and his old band Body Count which we heard about at E3. Let us know what you think!

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Not to Recycle Content

For those fearing that the sequel to Final Fantasy XIII will be full of recycled cut content from the original need not worry according to director Yoshinori Kitase.

Speaking with Xbox World 360 magazine, he explains:

"I think those comments have been really badly misinterpreted. The fact is that when making any game you need to come up with lots of different ideas and designs that you weigh up against each other before picking the best one. Obviously in that process a lot of ideas and designs have to be discarded,"

"We have never knowingly picked up these kind of ideas and recycled them. That's not what we do. It's natural for anyone making games to throw away ideas but the scenario of FFXIII-2 is completely newly written and has no connection to anything we didn't use for FFXIII"

There we have it, although it was said enough content was cut from FFXIII to make a new game in and of itself it seems the team is headed for fresher ideas with the sequel.

Sucker Punch Acquired by Sony

Sucker Punch, the studio behind critically acclaimed series such as Sly Cooper and inFamous has been acquired by Sony for an undisclosed fee. So as you'd imagine all future titles from the developer will be a PlayStation exclusive, no questions asked.

Here's the announcement:

"Sucker Punch Productions is one of the most highly acclaimed development studios in the industry and we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the company for over 12 years. We are delighted to officially welcome them to the SCE family," said SCE Global Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida.

"The addition of Sucker Punch to SCE WWS reiterates our dedication to developing world class gaming experiences that can only be found on the PlayStation platform. With one of the strongest exclusive software lineups in the PS3′s history, combined with the diverse, innovate content in the works for PlayStation Vita, consumers have a lot to be excited about this year."

As for what title Sucker Punch are making next, that's unknown for now, but we do know that it's going to be a fresh IP for developer and console alike.

[Source - CVG]

True Crime Hong Kong Saved by Square Enix

So it was announced a while ago that Activision had cut and cancelled True Crime: Hong Kong even though the title was pretty much a finished product and playable from beginning to end. It's good news then that Square Enix has decided to save the project and publish the game themselves albeit under a different name due to Square not owning the IP rights.

While no date has been set or any other information given, Square Enix London Studios general manager Lee Singleton had this to say:

"When we first saw and got our hands on the game we fell in love with it," "It's one of those games where you don't want to put the controller down; it's what we call 'sticky'," "When we met the team at United Front Games, it was a done deal in our eyes - we instantly recognised the huge potential in the game and the team."

It's nice to see that United Front Games will get to see their game finally see the light of release now that Square has stepped in.

[Source - Gamasutra]

Itching to try Battlefield 3 Early?

DICE has outlined it's plan for Alpha and Beta testing of the highly anticipated Battlefield 3 on the game's official website.

The Alpha testing stage is a closed invite only affair while the Beta will be open to those of you out there who bought a copy of Medal of Honor that had a beta label on it. Here's how it's going down straight from DICE:

How can I get into the Alpha Trial?

It is a highly tech focused test period where the main purpose is to do a number of server related tests in preparation for game launch requiring a set amount of players online to ensure the final experience is as much fun and easy as possible.


Is this the Beta promised to buyers of Medal of Honor: Limited Edition?

No, this is an Alpha Trial, meaning this software is still not at the "Beta" development milestone. The Open Beta will start in September. The exact date for when Medal of Honor: Limited Edition players can join the Beta will be announced at a later date.


Can I join the Battlefield 3 Closed Alpha Trial?

The Alpha is a closed test and by invitation only. If you'd like to have a chance to be called upon make sure to register for our newsletter and ensure your Veteran status is up to date.
We are also not giving away keys to the Alpha Trial on any of our social networking platforms.


Recently a Medal of Honor: Limited Edition Beta newsletter went out to users. What is that all about?

Well, that newsletter says you are entitled to play the beta in September. It is however not a ticket or a code. If you purchased a copy of Medal of Honor with the Battlefield 3 Beta sticker on it, you are eligible for the Beta. If you have not received the newsletter, make sure you opt in on your EA Profile to receive them. Also, if you havent received the newsletter and own a copy of Medal of Honor: Limited edition, you are eligible to play in the beta.

So get registering folks if you wanna have a chance of being in the Alpha.