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3) Late Release and Competition
Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released on all major gaming platforms on November 10,2009. The marketing campaign was hugely successful due to the job Activision and GameStop did with promoting the game right up until it’s release date. As a standard business practice dictates with this industry, there is a designated grace period where a game receives an onslaught of attention before being tossed to the side in favor of a newer game. This particular game had its time to shine but is now being overshadowed by Battlefield: Bad Company 2. While many Call Of Duty fans may disagree with my statement, the proof lies in the fact that when researching the latest First person shooter games online, virtually every gaming site acknowledges Bad Company 2 as the hottest title in that genre right now. For Modern Warfare 2 to remain relevant, the map pack should have dropped sooner rather then later. Now it seems like it will be released only as a strategy to go head to head with it’s competition and therefore only provide minimal satisfaction to the gamer.

2) Same Maps: Less Value
One of the biggest gripes I have with this package is the lack of value for your money. Activision has reported that the map pack will include 3 new maps and 2 old maps from the first Modern Warfare game. While this practice may seem fine for a gamer that didn’t play the original title, this leaves the hardcore fan of the series frustrated and angry. Adding on that these 2 maps are fan favorites seems like even more of an excuse to round out the total number at 5 maps. Honestly if these are favorites then they should have already been available free as part of the original package.

However, The actual idea of re-releasing the same content isn’t a new practice as Bungie clearly illustrated this point when they unveiled Halo 3: ODST to the masses. While the campaign and firefight remained the bread and butter of the package, the highly controversial 2nd disc received attention mainly because it included the same maps from Halo 3 multiplayer. Many people who purchased the game never realized this fact until they plunked down their hard earned money and opened the box, immediately losing the right to return the game for full value.  This practice should be deemed both lazy and disgraceful because its works off the consumer’s fanboy demeanor for a game. Just like with most things in life it’s your responsibility to investigate whether or not something is worth the price and value. The continued use of this practice by Activision should clearly define these logistics and is living proof that we live in a society where recycled ideas are praised over original content.

1) Price

The single most important reason why I’d recommend that you pass on this content is the actual pricepoint at which its being sold. Up until now, every Call Of Duty map pack has featured original maps and maintained the value of 800 Microsoft points ($10). Given that there are only 3 new maps and the price has risen a whole 5 dollars more, as a consumer you should be questioning if your really getting more for your money. This method seems as if the creative team is banking on the fact that this pack will be so highly anticipated that you’ll have no choice but to pick it up and play immediately.However, might I remind you that on the very same day Bad Company 2 releases their first map pack as well.Right then and there you get a sense that the pressure is on Activision but they don’t seem the least bit rattled by it. You gather this perception from the fact that the price has been raised and behind that is a sense of arrogance that more expensive= more valuable. This is a daily issue in our world today and often accounts for why so many people are in debt. The philosophy of “Keeping Up with The Jeffersons” is a dynamic that houses these beliefs and once you look at its relation to purchases you notice an ever-growing trend.

On the same token, one can argue that the price increase could be due to the fact that Activision is suggesting this is the final Modern Warfare game, making it a priority to milk it for all it’s worth. If someone is down to their last 1200 points, they may opt to purchase the pack and thus be unable to buy the Bad Company 2 content as a result. If that’s the case then perhaps all the rumors you heard about royalties and lawsuits were true. The funny thing is that up until now EA has been portrayed as the power hungry company aiming to be the number 1 publisher, developer, and distributor of every game ever made. Now this move clearly orchestrated by Activision proves without a shadow of a doubt that perhaps EA is the lesser of both evils.

Kusumi is described as a mysterious rougue that you meet on the Citadel sporting a black hood with purple facepaint on her chin however she looks like a human version of Tali to me, but like Zaeed Massani will join your crew on board the normandy meaning no romance plot , because you can’t have interactive conversations with her. To interact with her you will need to examine the items in her room such as the paintings in her room.

Like all squad members she will have a loyalty mission and her mission can be done at any point in the game no matter where you are. Bioware has stated that her missions will take about an hour and a half to complete and players will get a new weapon. Looks like its not only Rock Star and Activision who can put out dlc Bioware might be the new Kings Of dlc.

 

Campaign Mode:
Bad Company 2 picks up immediately after the events from the previous game. A highly decorated United States Special Ops Unit tackles the nearly impossible task of stopping a Russian terrorist organization from global domination. The player assumes the control of Preston Marlowe, a private squad member with a determination to win the war at all costs. Your crew consists of three more men to round out the final squad of four. Privates Terrance Sweetwater and George Haggard provide the comic relief factor, while Sergeant Samuel Redford (Sarge) maintains his serious tone as the dignified leader. The best way to define this story dynamic is as a buddy action flick in the same vein as Lethal Weapon. The inclusion of action, suspense, and humor is well paced and defined by the amount of balance that it brings to the game as a whole. The idea of taking on this approach to tell a story suits the game really well in showcasing the harsh depiction of war but never once taking the subject matter too seriously.

Another bonus that makes this an exceptional title is how each character is multi-dimensional in their own unique way. Haggard is presented as a wisecracking jokester with a fascination for explosions and football, but always makes remarks as if his next battle could be his last. By that same token, Sarge is reminiscent of an annoyed Danny Glover in the sense that his retirement plans are always postponed everytime an enemy threat goes down. One of my personal favorite characters in the game is Ghost Rider, a hippie pilot that plays a pivotal side role in the story. DICE’s decision to add a diverse cast with varied emotions easily identifies a sense of humanity that any person can relate to. The campaign itself takes place over several exotic South American locations and does an exceptional job of shifting combat scenarios throughout. Unlike Modern Warfare 2, this game has a relatively lengthy campaign mode. The total experience divides each mission into designated periods leaving some parts shorter or longer then others. Overall it will take a total of 8-10 hours to playthrough the game depending upon which difficulty setting you select from the beginning.

When it comes to gameplay, Bad Company 2 has a few hits and misses. The combat scheme is virtually flawless with an added flair of precision when it comes to using guns and knives. The response time is emphasized well by how fast you can take down your targets. Just like in Modern Warfare 2, you have the option of firing from your hip or up close, instantly making any shooter fan comfortable. One of the biggest improvements in the game is the implementation of a deeper destruction system, appropriately titled Destruction 2.0. By using this mechanism you can demolish almost everything to your hearts content including houses and tanks. The enemy A.I. noticeably sparks at any given time depending upon the obstacles you’re placed in. Just like any first person shooter game you have to take a strategical approach to combat to ensure survival.

There are also many collectible weapons to find throughout the game that better your chances in each encounter.   However, when it comes to controlling tanks, bikes, or helicopters the experience may invoke a little frustration on the gamers’ part. The heavily flawed camera system easily makes driving become a chore at times. It’s worth noting that you can alter between both a first person and third person view, but each has its own glaring problems. The first-person view often shows the wheel of the vehicle rotating without the player’s hands, a tactic used previously in the Half-Life games. The third-person view is slightly better but even while making sharp turns you’re bound to have issues matching up the camera with the directional path your driving. Minor gripes aside, graphically the game looks and feels a lot like Modern Warfare 2 in many ways. The level of detail in the characters and environments is appealing enough to keep your attention most of the time. I’m fully confident that addressing the camera issues in future iterations can clearly make this the game to beat for many years to come.

Multiplayer Modes:
Bad Company 2’s online multiplayer experience offers a tamer approach then most multiplayer packages. There are only 3 definitive game modes to explore: Rush, Conquest, and Squad Deathmatch. Rush separates groups of players into 12 man teams that win by successfully defending the M-COM systems you disable throughout the single player story mode. Conquest is the same premise but with the exception being that you have to capture as many as the other teams flags as possible. If you have a hard time choosing between which mode to play there is a Rush or Conquest mode option that randomly drops you in the next available game. Squad Deathmatch is self exclamatory in the sense that the first team to tally 50 kills wins.

The main reason why the online offers a high replayability factor lies in the four classes you can choose from: Assault, Engineer, Recon, and Medic. Each class offers it’s own unique set of weapons and specialized attacks that are unlocked as you rank up. In addition to modifying weapons, you also are able to gain access to using tanks against your adversaries. This makes for some intense battle sequences that will challenge how you approach your enemies. There are also 8 huge maps to explore as you get deeper into the mode. The one drawback I see with the multiplayer experience is the lack of modes available to the gamer. While the main focus of this game is to emphasize and promote team play, it wouldn’t hurt to at least offer a Free-For-All-Mode. That way each individual would be forced to fend for himself, thus elevating one’s level of play. Even more interesting would be if you could potentially turn on your teammates adding to the drama and suspense that the campaign has already mastered.

Final Verdict:
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is an action packed title with an extremely high fun factor. With a solid campaign and competitive multiplayer arena, DICE has positioned themselves above the Modern Warfare 2 hype and delivered a truly enjoyable experience. As standard business practice dictates, it’s expected that healthy competition often ends up benefitting the consumer more then anyone else. With this release, Bad Company 2 is the stronger of the two games with a promise to only get better with sequels. It’s only unfortunate that you won’t get to see Infinity Ward respond by releasing Modern Warfare 3. That idea, pretty much like the villain form Bad Company 2, is dead on arrival.

We tore the computer apart and rebuilt it so my music sounds the way its supposed to.
Over the last few years HP has evolved to become the worlds largest technology company, with the broadest integrated portfolio. We have acquired over 40 companies and greatly expanded our offering.
This campaign shows the breadth and depth of this portfolio by shining a light on amazing customer experiences empowered by, and in collaboration with, HP.

Brink will be smashing its way into stores this Fall for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Be sure to check it out.

While details are scarce on the heavily anticipated DLC, it’s more then likely the new maps will set you back 800 microsoft points. Microsoft also managed to get this content as a timed exclusive meaning that PS3 and PC gamers will have to wait till late April to participate in all the fun. Considering that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 just dropped last week, this proves to be a smart move by Activision as they plan to go head to head with EA. Stay tuned to see how all this turns out.

SOURCE

The game takes place in between Sands of Time and Warrior Within, and the developers pretty much guarantee you’ll love this game if you enjoyed the original trilogy. The game also features elemental powers such as turning waterfalls into ice so that you can climb them, but shouldn’t the Prince be slipping off them. Judging from the trailer, the game looks pretty good thanks to them using the Assassin’s Creed engine.

I can’t speak for everyone but I think this game will be good, at best. I’m calling it now, this will be the first time that the film adaptation and the game will NOT suck. Check out the trailer.

The beta starts on March 8th
To get in the beta, you will need to take one of the codes below and enter it at www.Blurthegame.com/beta. When the beta starts, You will get an email with an Xbox 360 code that will let you into the beta.

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DAC6-PTDD-FZ4T-M4PR
MP6X-U4Z2-RLH4-HJ3T
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AMDF-6UEY-ZRG3-LKCZ
NMG4-L7QK-UTTY-7NC4
H4NV-NP6X-VZTC-6Q4E
24VN-JVFL-TDG2-H6VC
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V37W-JYCE-P6VG-LCRU
PJEG-6QDV-GW7H-YDDE
HDZ7-YZX2-RYWX-4AWC
HCNN-ZEVX-AFUH-7LUT
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N22P-ZWR6-N979-93JT
Z3MK-7FCA-DRXZ-GCZN

Platinum Life will start you off from the ground up as you become a popular hip-hop artist in the game. You can choose to be a singer, DJ, or a rapper. Along with these choices you can choose your gender and what region you wish to rep. During the closed beta, I could only rep the “Dirty South” so I’m not sure how repping anything else makes a difference but its suppose to. Once that is complete you can dress you character up, change his ethnicity, and change his facial features. Wearing different gear will help you perform better and will also get a better response from the crowd.

Platinum Life isn’t so much about the gameplay as it is about watching your character grow. You can accept to perform at different locations and once you do this will randomly generate an outcome of how that performance went down. Sometime you will find “drama” in a mission, which will then give you three options as to how you want to resolve that issue. Choosing the wrong one will take away some of your fame or rep. As you climb the skill ladder it will take more to get a positive response from the crowd, which I found is almost impossible to do. No mater where I performed and how I looked, the crowd always reacted negatively to my apparel. It was more like they wanted me to insert my credit card just so I could buy the best gear immediately. Platinum Life seems to do this more then a few times especially with the “Juice meter.” This meter serves as your energy bar, doing a show will take away 15 points from the meter or more. Once the meter is empty you can buy more Juice with REAL money or come back to the game hours later. Platinum Life literally makes itself unplayable after a while.

If you continue to play through that issue, you will find some enjoyment watching your character develop. Much of the development features works much life an RPG. Your character will level up after enough performances and when you do, you can add stats to your character. As the progression continues, you’ll be earning more money and more fame eventually landing you better gigs, better gear, an entourage, and more. There’s tons of progress to be made in Platinum Life, reaching the hip-hop mogul part of the game will take some time.

Platinum Life is coming to the three major social networking sites this year; Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter. You’re bound to have an account on at least one of these sites, so when Platinum Life hits you should definitely give it a try. It may not be the game we, the urban audience, wanted but its a game that combines two things we love, hip-hop and gaming.

VALVE ANNOUNCES PORTAL 2

Sequel to 2007’s Game of the Year Coming This Holiday

March 5, 2010 – Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such
as Left 4 Dead, Counter-Strike, and Half-Life) and leading technologies
(such as Steam, Source), today announced Portal 2 for shipment this
coming holiday season.

Portal was originally released in 2007 and earned over 70 industry
achievement awards.

For more information, please visit www.steamgames.com

If like me you’ve been sleeping on this title in the past let me fill you in on a few details. Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing is (surprise, surprise) a racing game starring Sonic, his annoying friends and a bunch of random characters from the Sega universe including AiAi, Alex Kid, Beat, B.D. Joe, Amigo, Billy Hatcher, Ulala, Akia Yuka (who shares a ride with fellow Virtua Fighter Jacky Bryant), Ryo of Shenmue fame and more. As you can probably tell the line-up is pretty disappointed with  classic franchises like Street Of Rage, Golden Axe, Comix Zone, Phantasy Star, Altered Beast and Toe Jam & Earl all being ignored. Instead of tearing the track up as the Golden Axe dwarf riding a fire-breathing Dragon you’ll have to put up with Big The Cat, Shadow The Hedgehog and other characters who should have never made it pass the concept art phase.

The single player offering in All-Stars Racing is incredibly generous with 6 Grand Prix cups to race through, a handful of Missions to complete and a in-depth Time Trail system in which you can compete against yourself, staff ghost or even other online players. The Grand Prix mode is surprisingly more fun than it has any right to be. The cars handle brilliantly, the courses are generally action-packed and  most the weapons you collect are excellent. Although most of the weapons are proxies for items already available in Mario Kart, Sega has added a few unique weaponry to their arsenal which are among the best in the game. Rockets, KO Gloves, Speed Shoes, Rainbows and Mines are variants of Red Shells, Green Shells, Mushrooms, Bloopers and Bananas respectively but there are also Giant Rocket which travel down the track and can be denoted at your leisure, Confusion Stars which flip your opponents screen upside down and Speed Horns which emit a loud blast damaging all near by racers. Each selectable character also has their own All-Star move which is usually awarded to players who fall behind the pack. These moves are designed to help trailing players catch up to the action and are great morale boosters when playing against casual gamers. Graphically the game is very appealing with a heavy emphases on bright colours through-out. The track designs are generally good but the repeated themes quickly become tiresome. Once you’ve seen one Casino themed Sonic level you’ve pretty much seen them all.

If the thought of playing alone doesn’t appeal  to you there is an array of split screen multiplayer modes for you and up to three buddies to enjoy.  Single Race mode (as the name suggests) has you and your friend(s) competing in single race events, Battle mode places you in confined arenas in a fight to the death, Capture The Chao is a variant of capture the flag, King Of The Hill once again places you in to arenas but this time to capture bases and my personal favourite Knockout continually eliminates the player in last position every 15 seconds until there’s only one racer remaining. If you don’t have any friends beside you and would like to race-off against players across the globe prepare to be disappointed. Online matches only offer Single Races which can only be accessed by trolling through the prehistoric lobby system. Once the single race is over all players are then booted back to the lobby where the process repeats.

Additional characters, courses and music can be purchased via the in-game store and Sega has stated that the game will support DLC which should give the title plenty of longevity. Factor in the robust split screen modes and lengthy single player options and what you have is the best mascot themed racer ever to grace a non-Nintendo platform. The races are frantic, the cars handle sublimely, the graphics are great and there is plenty to see and do. Put simply, if you want Mario Kart on your Xbox 360 or PS3 you need to buy this game. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve enjoyed a console game with the word “Sonic” in the title but Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is an excellent game which finally puts Sonic’s speed to good use. The lacklustre character roster, barebones online component and repetitive level design prevents Sonic from the number 1 spot away from Mario but Sumo Digital and Sega deserve a to be congratulated for obtaining a very close and admirable 2nd place.

“Blacklight: Tango Down is a fast-paced first person shooter based in a new fictional universe called Blacklight. Utilizing the cutting-edge graphical power of Unreal Engine 3, Blacklight: Tango Down’s near-future setting is brought to life with disturbingly detailed and old-world architecture dripping with modern sci-fi lighting and brightly lit advertisements, an effect that causes each environment to appear both futuristically alien as well as hauntingly familiar.

Blacklight: Tango Down will deliver some of the most exciting multiplayer gameplay available in the shooter category and features numerous gameplay styles and functionality. These modes include traditional formats like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch & Control Point, with other modes being .announced in the build up to launch.

Blacklight: Tango Down will set itself apart from other games by virtue of its incredibly deep customization features. Players will be able to alter and upgrade not only their character through experience gained on the battlefield, but also their weapons. Weapon customizations will unlock as the player gains skill and experience points and will include more basic add-ons like sniper scopes as well as more complex enhancements, such as improved accuracy. ”

Ignition Entertainment and Zombie Studios also released a few screenshots and a debut trailer for the impressive downloadable game which you will find below.

 

Blacklight: Tango Down is expected to be available sometime during Summer 2010 through Xbox LIVE Arcade, PlayStation Network and PC via various digital outlets.

http://www.finalfantasyxiv.com/

The main location in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is the small town called, T-Bone junction, which has really long highways going through it. Those highways will serve as your route for the DLC. There’s only one teleporter in the entire DLC, so you’ll have to drive through these long roads to get to your destination. Exiting the game and reloading it will get you there faster. Although that sucks, Gearbox has added three new vehicles to get through these long stretches of concrete. One vehicle serves as a monster truck with lock on rockets, the Lancer will seat all four players, and the Racer is fast as hell. There are new enemies for you to mow down, some of which contain that level of humor Borderlands is known for; example, a midget in wrestling attire. New loot is also included, I’ve noticed a few really good shields but as for the guns, there were just so many to begin with that I can’t even tell if the gun is new or not. But you’ll definitely be getting higher damage inducing weapons and a chance to level up your character to level 61, that will take you a while.

The storyline in The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is not really that engaging, the characters on the other hand are. Throughout the main quest line you’ll encounter new characters like Athena, who disguises recordings to you with a penis enlargement ad. That’s Borderlands for you. Other great characters include Shank, who is a suspiciously gay character, and good ole’ Scooter. Getting through the main quest took me about five hours but that was because I would dose off to different places. Even then, there’s plenty more side quest to do and more to explore.

This is not only the largest piece of DLC for Borderlands, it’s also the best. There’s plenty of content in this $10 dollar priced DLC, that will ensure you have a fun time getting back to Borderlands. If you have the game already then buy this right now.

BLUR has a placeholder release date of sometime in Spring 2010 and will be avaliable on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

Just Cause 2 is set to parachute into stores on March 23rd, 2010, in North America and March 26th, 2010, in Europe. There will also be a demo available on March 4th on Xbox Live and the  PlayStation Network.

p.s Does anyone think of Fallout 3 or Stalker when you watch videos for this game or is that just me?.

Coop Story

Deniable Ops

Persistant Elite Creation

“The Just Cause 2 demo is simply massive and with so much to do, the replay value is enormous,” said Lee Singleton, General Manager of Square Enix London Studios. “It’s easily one of the biggest freeroaming demos of all time and for fans of openworld games, it’s unmissable.”

The game itself will be at a game store near you on March 23rd. Look out for our exclusive footage of the demo right here on The Koalition. The full press release can be found below.

Friday 26th February/… Square Enix London Studios, a part of Square Enix Europe, today announced an incredible, action-packed demo for the hotly anticipated freeroaming action game Just Cause 2 will release on March 4th, 2010.

Available for PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC, the Just Cause 2 demo will feature a massive 35 square miles of the Lautan Lama Desert, a vast expanse of stunning, sun-scorched scenery taking up just one of the many islands in the 400 square miles of the Panau archipelago. Packed with towns, villages, military installations, mountain ranges, missions and more, the demo will feature an astonishing amount of activities for the player… and opportunities for adrenaline-fuelled chaos are limitless.

Hunt down and assassinate one of the game’s 50 military colonels; devastate military bases, bio fuel chambers, government infrastructure and more; hijack tuk tuks, military 4×4s, armoured vehicles, mopeds, helicopter gunships, light aircraft, mini vans and numerous other military and civilian vehicles; freefall from desert outcrops or from burning planes at 20,000 feet; and unlock one full, multi-stage mission, traversing the mountains to a heavily fortified government radar station and ending in an unforgettable desert car chase.

“The Just Cause 2 demo is simply massive and with so much to do, the replay value is enormous,” said Lee Singleton, General Manager of Square Enix London Studios. “It’s easily one of the biggest freeroaming demos of all time and for fans of openworld games, it’s unmissable.”

The Just Cause 2 demo will be available March 4th, 2010, on PlayStation®Network, Xbox LIVE® Marketplace and Steam.

As Rico Rodriguez, the Agency’s most powerful weapon, players must take on the island of Panau and its military regime in order to track down Rico’s former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, who has gone rogue with millions in Agency cash and intel. Using a unique grapple and parachute combination, there is no vertical limit as the air becomes your playground: grapple a passing plane in flight, hijack helicopters, BASE jump from the tallest buildings or mountains and leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake. Just Cause 2 offers players the freedom to tackle missions any way they choose and, with over 100 vehicles and countless upgrades and collectibles, the choices for relentless adrenaline-fuelled action are limitless.

Just Cause 2 will be available for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Games for Windows® and will be released under the EIDOS brand portfolio. All formats will release in-stores on March 23rd, 2010, in North America and March 26th, 2010, in Europe, Middle East, and Australasia. More information is available on the official website at www.justcause.com.

The Hammerhead is a heavy assault vehicle that hovers over the battlefield at up to 120 kilometers per hour and features a guided missile system ensuring accuracy even during aggressive maneuvering.

Now here comes the best news, the Firewalker pack will be free to all existing Cerberus Network members. There was no word on price for those of you out there that bought the game used but expect it to be around the 800 Microsoft point mark.

Source | Official Mass Effect 2 Website

Along with the release date announcement Sega and Obsidian Entertainment also released a new video, final boxart and a few screenshots for the game which you can view below. Enjoy

Click For Full Size

 

If anyone whats to get some co-op games going send a message to Hydro 360 on Xbox Live and we will get a few games going if i have time.

Intro Cinematic

Building The Monster Gameplay

Clearing The Way Gameplay (still being processed)

Source | Battlefield Blog

- Almost twice the size of The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned
- A brand new class of ultra-rare/kick-ass weapons
- New vehicles including one that allows for four players to drive
and inflict damage and deal out death
- An exciting story line that picks-up where the original game left
off
- Almost 30 new villain types
- A level cap increase to 61
- More difficult villains and smarter AI

Those are the new features we can expect to see with this DLC, which is due out tomorrow on Xbox 360 and on Thursday for PS3 and PC. The Secret Armory of General Knoxx will cost you 800 Microsoft points or ten dollars. I look forward to getting back to Borderlands and this is what I needed to push me to it. 2K Games also sent some screens which look great; the enemies look challenging and badass.

 

• Rank Increase to level 50 with Rank Rewards
• New playable characters Louie McGraff and Oscar Calraca
• 20 new trials*
• A third weapon upgrade for each weapon
• Five additional masks*
*Some items are only available after a player achieves a rank of 41 or higher.

This isn’t the only DLC that 2K Games has planned, they also plan to expand on the single-player.

Excerpt from press releases:
In the coming months, 2K Games will also be publishing downloadable extensions of the single player experience that provide new insight into the world of Rapture. These packages will include more narrative, new tools and new challenges that extend the lore and fiction of the failed Utopia under the sea.

There you have it BioShock 2 fans, expect more DLC. As for this pack, I’ll wait for something single player related.

Take a look.

As in previous games the campaign mode in Aliens vs Predator is broken up into three different sections, you have one campaign for the Marines, one for the Aliens and one for the Predator. In the Marine campaign you play as well a Marine who finds himself left behind after he is knocked out while under attack from the Predator mothership. Once you come around you then head out to try and find your missing squad members. While looking for your squad you discover that the Weyland-Yutani corporation have been studying the Xenomorphs aka Aliens and do not want anyone to know what they have been up too. If you have watched any of the Alien movies you pretty much have already heard the Marine story. It consists of shoot, go somewhere and shoot some more.

The Predator campaign was for me a little more interesting, you begin as a young hunter who is sent out to try and find the bodies of three fallen brothers, while on that mission you uncover some details that change your plans and you end up having to erase all evidence that you, the Predator species was ever on the planet. This campaign was easily the most enjoyable for me as it had a semi decent story and allowed me to live the life of a ruthless killing machine a few hours. I also enjoyed the element of stealth this campaign had to offer. There was nothing more satisfying that sneaking up behind a random grunt and ripping his head off.

Now that just leaves the Alien campaign, If you are looking for a bit of back story on the Aliens or something to help you understand them, you will not find it here. You begin by bursting out of a human who is part of a science project the Weyland-Yutani corporation have been conducting. You then hear a call from the Matriarch, who is the Queen Alien which prompts you to escape the facility and free her. Once you have completed that task there is really not much in the way of a story. For the rest of the campaign you receive orders from the Queen to either kill a bunch of marines or harvest humans. I found these orders more of a chore than a fun filled chest bursting experience. I don’t know if the folks at Rebellion could have done it any differently but if you are not a fan of the Aliens you should play the other two campaigns first then run through this for the achievements or trophies.

In total the three campaigns in Aliens vs Predator should last you around 10-12 hours but this could be longer if you are the type of gamer who likes to hunt around the levels for all the collectables.

Its the multiplayer which I think will bring the most longevity to the game. Rebellion have included seven different game modes including the standard modes like Capture The Flag, Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Mixed Species Deathmatch. There are also a few much more franchise specific game modes including Predator Hunt, which really reminded me of the very first Predator movie, you know the one where Arnie and his squad are in the jungle with a Predator hunting them? Yes well this game mode is just like that minus the mud. Then there is Infestation which is pretty similar to Predator Hunt but with a slight twist. Instead of controlling a Predator, one player controls an Alien and when that player kills another player they join the Alien ranks, think of it as Aliens vs Predator’s tag your it game mode. Rebellion have also joined the co-op party by including a brand new Survivor mode which puts you and three buddies into a small arena and throws wave after wave of Alien at you. I know it sounds just like Horde mode in Gears of War but take it from me its a much more frantic and fast paced experience. At times I found myself shooting all over the place simply because there was so much action going on.

Multiplayer in Aliens vs Predator should hold your attention for at least a few months, maybe even more. It all depends on how much a fan of the franchise you are. There are more than enough modes available to suit whatever type of player you are. My only slight gripe with this aspect of the game would be the matchmaking. Sometimes I had to wait around 5 or 10 minutes just to get a room full of people. I don’t know if it was my Internet playing up or a lack of people online but I hope SEGA find a way to speed the process up soon or it could kill the online multiplayer, at least on consoles.

Aliens vs Predator is a little bit hit and miss in the audio and visual departments. Sure the game does look good in places and all the main characters are detailed and true to their movie counterparts but if you compare the overall look to some of the competition around, areas of the game begin to look a little dated. I also found some of the locations you visit rather drab and a few of the textures seemed to be on the low resolution side of the scale. The lighting on the Marine campaigns levels could have also benefited from a little extra attention. Some of the areas were so dark that I often found myself either missing things or bumping into small containers and stuff. The flashlight on the Marine Assault Rifle really never helped that much, I think I could have got more light from a candle than I did from the torch on that gun. At some stages in the game things got so bad for me that I was forced to increase the brightness from the options menu just so I could see what I was doing. As for the sound, well all the stuff you are familiar with is in there, everything from the trademarked Alien screams right down to the sound of the Predator swapping his visual aids. I really got the feeling the folks at Rebellion put alot of time into trying to make the game sound as authentic to the franchise as possible. I just wish they did the same with the other areas of the game.

If you are a fan of the Aliens vs Predator games on PC, you really cannot go wrong with this but for those of you who never experienced those games I suggest you either rent the game first or wait until the it hits the discount shelves.

“Saying that Alan Wake is best played of a sofa with 5.1 surround and a big TV screen, I think is more of a preference than anything else,” he said. “We’re not going out there to say that PC gamers can’t enjoy it from their own PC set-up. We’re certainly not saying that. We have a strong heritage in PC gaming as well.”

“But, frankly, we’re a small studio. We’re 50 people, and being a small studio, it makes a lot more sense for us to focus on one platform. Currently we’re fully focused on the Xbox version, and [as for] what the future holds, we haven’t got anything to announce, and we haven’t thought that far right now.”

He didn’t rule out a PC version for the future. I suppose a successful release on the 360 would be the prerequisite for that to be on the table. Whats confusing to me is this game was a PC flagship title. It was always previewed using the PC version. For it not to come out on PC is a slap in the face to the hype built over the years for this game on PC. I can only imagine what the backlash is like on the official site forums, many of those users are not Xbox 360 owners.

Source: VG27

So here is where it gets questionable. What happens if you are in the middle of the game; at a key moment, and then your connection drops? If that happens then the game will stop until you are reconnected, you will then automatically be transfered back to your last checkpoint saved on the server. So if you have a bit of an unreliable Internet connection, you are pretty much screwed playing on this DRM system.

The situation has been causing an uproar among PC gamers, and Ubisoft have been receiving heavy criticism over the whole thing. With measures like this affecting legitimate consumers, many people feel like it is more reason for hackers to crack the game. Ubisoft will likely offer more assistance on the issue over time. For now, just keep your fingers crossed that your Internet connection remains consistent.

Ever since playing Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater I have longed to see a game based fully on the Cold War, as I feel it was filled will a lot of tension and conspiracy between different countries.

Props | Kotaku | VG247