After spending some solid time with Left 4 Dead 2, it’s quite apparent that this game is nothing to boycott. In fact, those doing so are really depriving themselves of an extremely improved version of Left 4 Dead. I’d go as far as to say that Left 4 Dead should be boycotted, not the sequel game. Valve has improved upon the original Left 4 Dead tenfold, but is it worth the price tag?
Dragon Age has been a long time in the making – since 2004, in fact. Touted as Bioware’s “spiritual successor”to Baldur’s Gate, Dragon Age may appear at first glance to be Mass Effect meets Lord of the Rings, but in fact, Dragon Age is an entirely different beast altogether – and a good one at that. It’s not a perfect game, but it does provide a solid and satisfying story based experience, something that Bioware prides themselves on. If you’re interested in an old school RPG, Dragon Age is most certainly worth your time, and here’s why.
I never really understood the appeal of Achievements, but one thing is for sure: they can help reveal game releases earlier than the actual release. In this case, GTA4.net has a screenshot of what is apparently the Games For Windows Live achievement list for The Lost and the Damned.
Now, I happened to really like Grand Theft Auto 4, and I was pretty bummed when I heard the Xbox 360 DLC was Xbox 360 exclusive. Now, I’m kind of happy – although after reading about The Lost and the Damned, I’m kind of bummed again. I was hoping for an entire GTA game centered around Brucie. Genetically different, baby!
It’s hard to compare the video game industry today with the video game industry of ten or twenty years ago, But being the stubborn individual I am, I feel the need to. Current generation consoles, with their online connectivity and impressive graphics power are leaps and bounds more advanced than the Sega Channel or Mario Paint, but what about certain genres that never quite made the jump to next generation?
What better way to start the morning off than with a bunch of shots from Mass Effect 2? Kotaku has a gallery of nine brand spankin’ new shots from the game. If that’s not enough, Bioware recently announced the Collector’s Edition, chock full of awesome stuff, such as:
The Collectors’ Edition of Mass Effect 2 comes in a premium, tin case and includes the full version of the game, a 48-page hardcover “Art of Mass Effect 2” book, Issue 1 of the Mass Effect Redemption comic book, and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes and making-of videos. In addition, the Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition will include unique in-game weapons and armor that can only be obtained by purchasing this version.
Still not enough Mass Effect awesome for you? Bioware also released a developer documentary that showcases some of the enemies Sheppard will be up against in the new game.
I guess if you need even more Mass Effect, you can grab the original game on Steam for the low price of ten bones, it’s Steam’s weekend deal. It looks like that with Dragon Age released, Bioware will be ramping up the hype behind Mass Effect 2. Let’s hope there isn’t a Marilyn Manson trailer in the future.
Good fucking god.
Sony has announced the God of War III “Ultimate Edition” details – and it looks like an extremely manly collector’s edition indeed.
For the low price of $99, you get:
Seems like a good enough of a deal, although I don’t know how well the sculpted Pandora’s Box the entire thing comes in will match my decor. For a hundred bones, I’m not sure it’s entirely worth it, but then again it is God of War we’re talking about. Between this and the God of War Collection coming out in the near future, I’m about ready to kick the shit out of some demons. March can’t come soon enough.
Risen will probably be brushed aside as “oh, just another RPG”, but fans of the genre shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it as such.
Simply put, Risen is this year’s The Witcher – a dark, gritty European made RPG tailoring to a more hardcore crowd. Risen is developed by Piranha Bytes, the German game development studio behind the Gothic game franchise. To explain Risen in a nutshell, I’d say it is akin to Fable, the Elder Scrolls games, and The Witcher all rolled into one game. There are tons of quests, tons of items to pick up, and tons of monsters (and people) to fight. All the while you’ll be gaining experience and leveling a number of different skills – magic, axes, swords. If you can get past the difficulty curve and the shoddy voice acting, you’ll find a pretty solid RPG underneath, and one that is certainly worth your time.
The video above is from a benchmarking test called “Heaven“, running on top of the Uniengine, a game engine by, oddly enough, the Uniengine company.
While DirectX 11 capable video cards have only just started to ship, it is interesting to see the possibilities of what newer graphics technology may have in store for gamers in the future. Dirt 2 will be one of the first games to utilize DirectX 11, releasing on PC in December.
Personally, I’ve always thought that graphics are only secondary to gameplay. Without solid mechanics, a game that looks good is just that – and will no doubt be rather boring to play. Not only that, but even current graphics king Crysis‘ DirectX 11 differences are negligible at best to warrant an upgrade.
I’m just waiting for the day developers stop trying to make games more like real life and start making them more like entertainment – current gen graphics look good enough for me.
Aion doesn’t reinvent the genre at all. It isn’t perfect, but what developer NCsoft has done, and done quite well, is taken major elements from other games and improved upon them. Yes, there is a huge leveling curve involved, and yes, you should be prepared to invest a good amount of time playing it – but underneath the wings, clawed feet, and girly looking characters is an solid MMORPG experience well worth trying if you’re a fan of the genre. There is something for everyone here – MMO vets and newcomers alike will have no problem finding something to like about Aion.
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