Shogun 2 Music Dev Diary

By Mark

Shogun 2 is shaping up to be a really sweet title, taking Total War back to the era of all things Samurai is a step in the right direction to me. A dev diary has appeared that shows off how the team creates an authentic sounding score to fit the game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Patch on the Way

By Jonny

Treyarch are about to drop another patch for Black Ops in the next couple of weeks, including many game exploit and connection fixes. Here's a complete list of the latest fixes set to arrive in Black Ops' Title Update 4, from the CoD forums:

Issues Addressed:

* Resolved several issues with parties getting disbanded unexpectedly.
* Updated handling for UPnP-enabled routers to improve matchmaking conditions where users had strict or moderate NAT types. Also added in-game communications so that all players are aware of their NAT type in the Player Match party lobby.
* Addressed issue that prevented the “Load MP by Default” option from saving when other specific option combinations were set.
* Prevention of exploit that allowed players to keep custom classes and killstreaks after prestige.
* Addressed an issue where Flak Jacket Pro would not always protect against ground fires left by Napalm Strikes.
* Prevention of users losing their killstreak reward when switching classes at the start of a new round in round-based game modes.
* Addressed an issue where the incorrect perks would appear when spectating another player under certain circumstances.
* Added round start explosive delay to China Lake grenade launcher to give it the same round start limitations as other explosives.
* Contracts will now reset when the player Prestiges.
* Prevention of Valkyrie rocket exploding upon release under rare conditions.
* Prevention of Gunship failing to give player full control under rare conditions.
* Prevention of an issue where a player will get teleported outside the map boundaries under very specific circumstances.
* Additional security measures to enhance detection and banning capabilities.

Gameplay Tuning:

* Limit the ability to re-roll supply drops using Hardline Pro to Care Packages only, no other killstreak drops.
* Added a negative influencer to all spawn points to decrease the chances of spawning near an enemy. This will further improve spawning protection on top of previous updates.
* Additional sound mix tuning for Ninja Pro users – increased ranges and volume of enemy footsteps, and removed player footstep sounds on concrete material types.
* Increased headshot multipliers for sniper rifles. Sniper rifles with suppressors equipped will now always be ensured one-shot kill headshots.
* Subtle increase in sniper rifle accuracy when scoping in.
* Added a render delay to the red diamond player indicators that appear when controlling the Gunship, Valkyrie Rocket and Chopper Gunner. When a player first spawns, this will not appear for a period of time.
* Additional minor reductions in knife lunge.

Dead Space 2 Videos Show MP and Explain Scares

By Mark

Dead Space 2 is due for next January so while we twiddle our thumbs here are two videos featuring Art Director Ian Milham, the first video explains why the multiplayer is unique and the second explains some thought process behind the method of scaring you and how its had to change.





Videos by x360achievements.org

New Tomb Raider Revealed - It's All About the Past

By Mark

Lara Croft used to be a really iconic character, these days she's less than so with the games centered around her just not matching the quality of what they once were although that downloadable title was pretty good just not the Lara Croft we know.

Anyway Game Informer have revealed that Crystal Dynamics are hard at work on an all new Lara adventure that will focus on her origins. The Tomb Raider before she was the leading lady for all things acrobatic while looking fine. the game will be entitled 'Tomb Raider' much like the Devil May Cry origin reboot 'DmC'. 

Little is known about what the game will feature and I really do mean little as the only details we have is what the head of Crystal Dynamics Darrell Gallagher had to say which is "forget everything you knew about Tomb Raider" and that the game is "an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other,"

And that really is it at the moment, we have those words and the cover above showing off Lara looking all ravaged. I'll hold any excitement for now until we see some form of gameplay but lets hope this will be an awesome title.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Review

By Mark

This November Treyarch had the opportunity to put aside the claims that they were the ‘second rate B-team’ of the Call of Duty franchise and show that they too can develop a blockbuster campaign and further refine the multiplayer action the series is known for. While this review may seem a little late, I’m here to give a straight up account of my time with the campaign and multiplayer since release so let’s get started.

The campaign element of Black Ops takes you through all sorts of twists and turns through all sorts of locations ranging from Cuba to secret locations upon snowy mountain ranges and even Vietnam. In terms of storytelling however it’s not as simple as traversing through each of these levels in a linear format, you see, as the game kicks off you control Alex Mason who wakes to find that he is strapped to a chair in a room that looks like it crawled out of the Saw films. Upon waking he is bombarded with questions about numbers, the past and all sorts of mystery; as the game progresses you play through sections of Mason’s memories the way he saw them and the way he recalls them. You do get the opportunity to play as others but these are a select few missions that help tie up the narrative.

It was clear Treyarch had to make this campaign explosive, thrilling and thoroughly entertaining for the masses however when playing the pacing is all over the place. So much so that you could almost say that instead of  having a pace it’s more like one adrenaline fuelled sprint to the finish, there’s simply no let up throughout the course of the 6 to 8 hours of the single player experience and while you could argue that this keeps you entertained it also doesn’t give you an opportunity to let much sink in. You are constantly being told names, details, places and events but never in a calm environment. For example there is one level set in Vietnam as you begin the level and gain control you are being told information about characters via Mason and the fellow who has been asking the questions; yet you have to deal with the actual gameplay and the characters in this memory yelling and shouting so it could be very easy to simply not hear the conversation. 

The other aspects such as voice work is generally pretty high in quality and the performances are delivered well and while Mason (voiced by Sam Worthington) doesn’t always sound like the American he’s meant to be he still puts in a good effort. Also with Gary Oldman reprising the role of Viktor Reznov you can’t help but be happy. Visually the game has improved in certain aspects and in particular the facial expressions and actions of the characters, this is due to the way Treyarch added motion capture performance more heavily in the same vain the Ninja Theory did with Enslaved, it makes the characters appear more natural and believable. It’s unfair to say that the campaign isn’t a fun experience as it is, but as a narrative it falls a little flat and while there is certainly room for a sequel I’d advise Treyarch work on a more coherent story. 

Reznov's Back and 400% awesome

Suffice to say however the single player is only one aspect in a three part bid to earn your affection so let’s talk multiplayer. If you’ve played any CoD game since the first Modern Warfare then you know what to expect here, it’s the same jump in easy to pick up game just more refined and tweaked. Certain changes were bigger than others, such as removing the perk ‘Stopping Power’ (increases bullet damage) which was an attempt to force people to vary up classes a little more and not let the online be filled with the same class setup everywhere. While this was a good idea I can’t help but feel it’s a bit like a double edged blade, while it does make you rethink how you play there are certain perks in this game that are clearly devastating and others that make you question why they’re in the game. 

For instance the perk ‘Ghost’ lets you become invisible on the radar meaning no one will even know where you are coming from allowing you to sneak around and play somewhat cheaply as there’s no way to level the playing field unless you use it yourself not to mention it looks ridiculous. While that perk may be very advantageous there are others like ‘Tactical Mask’ which reduces the effect of the Nova Gas grenade and while it could be helpful in rare occasions it’s much more sensible to use something like ‘Last Stand’ which allows you to survive a tad bit longer and bring your enemy down before dieing. 

Clan tags on weapons albeit not a good one

 Aside from those issues however the multiplayer still shines in its accessibility and its fun factor while playing, with additions to customising your player be it his weapon or emblem it’s all welcome. As is the ‘Theatre’ feature which players have been crying out for since CoD 4 and before, you can now save your games and replay them, take screenshots and upload clips for others to see. The way you progress through the ranks and unlock equipment has also been changed, while you still level up by playing and unlock certain weapons that doesn’t make them usable, you now have the added factor of CoD Points which act as currency for just about everything. You obtain them through playing normal match types or the new ‘Wager’ matches which allow you to take your points and lay them on the line for a bigger reward. So now let’s say at level 24 you unlock the ‘Enfield’ rifle, you would then have to spend x amount of points to actually obtain the weapon; this has been done so that you only have to buy what you want to suit how you play and it’s indeed a good idea.

The third and final aspect of Black Ops is the return of Zombie mode, and this time you can play as JFK, Nixon and a few other world leaders to fend off the hordes of the undead. There is one map available to you immediately and one unlocked upon the campaigns completion, the latter map being the far better one. Some work needs to be done on keeping you playing the mode as after a few rounds it becomes a little dry as there’s nothing new, although if Word at War was anything to go by you can expect a slew of DLC with new maps for both MP and Zombies.

Time for Zombies!

Black Ops offers three different ways to enjoy it and you’re almost certain to enjoy one at least. The campaign is fun yet inconsistent, the multiplayer is addictive yet frustrating at times and Zombies is what it was in WaW, Treyarch have definitely upped their game however and I look forward to what’s next for them as a studio.

Call of Duty: Black Ops - 8

10 Minutes of Killzone 3 Campaign Leaked

By Mark

Someone has let something fall through their fingers and it has given us the opportunity to see 10 mintues of the Killzone 3 campaign in action, I won't comment on whats in it and the quality is a little shakey but it's something. Now obviously if you don't want to know anything about the games narrative/campaign then keep clear for now.

Dead Space 2 Demo for Christmas Perhaps?

By Mark

There's a feature that runs on Dead Space 2's offcial Facebook page entitled 'Questions with Steve', who is this Steve you ask? It's Steve Papoutsis an executive producer on the game, why is this important? 

In the latest bout of questions someone asked if there was any chance of there being a demo for Isaac's next adventure as a christmas present of sorts for fans. He replied: "Great question. a lot of people are asking that question", "Gonna have to do some thinking about that but I would say stay on your toes, stick on the Facebook page, and (wink) you never know."

The man has gone on record previously saying that a demo is certainly possible and this is just fanning the flames, I'd sure as hell welcome it even if it's just to see if they've managed to retain some of the creepy factor and not ran away with the action too much.  Of course nothing's confirmed but it's something to think about, would you fine folks like a demo?

Source - http://www.gamerzines.com/ps3/news/dead-space-2-demo-christmas.html