Not very often does a game catch me off guard with its sheer amount of gore and over the top violence but The Darkness 2 demo certainly starts off a startling scene as the player is fixed up to a cross and has his hands nailed to it. That’s not the only cringe worthy moment in the opening moments but I will leave you to find out about that.

Aesthetically the game is very pleasing and even sports a new shaded look to the characters which really adds a nice and unique flair to the game. The environments are not to memorable but the demo takes you through a restaurant, street allies and a subway. The character design will feel familiar to players of the original but for those of you who have not played it the game has a very mob based mentality when it comes to the character design and acting. The “Darkness” character really stands out in this game breathing life, rather taking it away, from the characters around it.

Speaking of taking life away, you will be doing that a fair amount in The Darkness 2. From hand guns to tentacles that rip people in half you will be whimsically shredding your enemies in an ultra violent fashion. You will soon fill the areas with a crimson mist as you give into the Darkness’ desire for death and destruction. You are rewarded for doing executions with colorful names like “Wish Bone” and “Daisy Pop”. The games mechanics for the extensions are enjoyable with chucking objects and the sort around along with dismembering the waves of gang members. The one thing that is lacking however is the gunplay. This was a similar plauge in the last game and the gun mechanics in this game do not feel that much better. The guns feel more solid compared to the previous installment but the aiming feels a little clunky and just spraying the screen full of rounds seems to be the most effect use of guns.

The game is also introducing a grid base level up system similar to Final Fantasy 10 that allows the player to experience the game in a few different varieties and become a master of the darkness in different paths. The demo limits you to only scratch the surface of the system but I look forward to seeing how many different ways I be grim reaper to hordes of gang members.

The game does a nice job of leading you step by step throughout various parts in the game and it really feels like the game is coming together nicely and I look forward to seeing how the game turns out on the 7th!

Now, to be honest this was the first game on a console system that I have sat down to play in a very long time. Usually my time has been spent playing MMORPGs on my PC, a trend that I don’t plan on halting any time soon. That being said, I have played almost every Final Fantasy game, excluding XIII and XIV. Due to my not having a proper console to play any of the later games, I fell out of the habit of playing each one, but I jumped at the chance to try this one out which renewed my interest. The first thing I’ll say about the game is that a couple of hours are not going to scratch the surface in terms of the story line or any in-depth things, like special quests or items. What I focused on was the most basic of themes in the game. Story (from what little I played), graphics (as that has always been a high point behind Square-Enix games), music, and game play are all things that I looked for to be impressed by within my short game play time.

One of the things that caught my attention from the beginning was that there was a section set up on the start screen to give people who did not play the first game a chance to learn the story of what happened. Now that may not seem like much to begin with, but what it does is allow new people into the game without having previous experience. This, in turn, keeps the game from alienating other people from playing. With the other sequels there was little to no previous explanation and the player would be somewhat expected to know the story before getting into it.

When it comes to a RPG, story is perhaps one of the biggest things to focus on. If someone is going to be willing to spend hours upon hours of their lives sitting down and playing the game, then it better have a good story to keep people interested. Whereas FFXIII was about the character Lightning and her group of friends, this story will be focusing more on her sister Serah, who was a minor character in the first game. Noel Kreiss, a time traveler from 700 years into the future and last human alive, joins Serah on her journey to find out what happened to her sister and change the bleak future. From that standpoint the game story seems promising and so long as you don’t mind more dialog than action then it will be a very fun game to play.

Graphics have always been a staple behind every Final Fantasy game. Final Fantasy VII introduced FMVs which brought a more cinematic feel to the games. As a result this became the standard of RPGs and every game since then has had them. Final Fantasy X was the first game to introduce full voice overs into their FMVs and regular dialog. It was also the first game of the series to allow an open world approach. Previous games were set with backdrops and had characters move around within the confines of a predefined area. FFX had layered and textured lands which brought the experience to a whole other level. FFXIII-2 keeps with a strong tradition of high quality graphics. The world of Pulse is breathtaking with strong, vivid colors and well done character designs. I couldn’t find a single thing wrong with graphics of this game. Now in comparison from the X360 to PS3 graphics, yes the PS3 will play the game smoother; but overall visually I was not able to see too much of a difference. Either system is quite capable of playing the game well.

In terms of the soundtrack, or the music, I’ll admit I’m a purist when it comes to Final Fantasy games. I’m a fan of Nobuo Uematsu and prefer his music being used in Final Fantasy, period. That being said I can appreciate some different styles that can be used, but I think I’m drawing a line at the “Crazy Chocobo” song. I mean really?! Heavy metal and large yellow birds just don’t mix….ever. Anyway, the music that is composed is well done and besides a few soon to be repressed memories, I’d say it’s a decent add-on to the game.

Besides graphics the overall game play is one of the more important aspects to the game. In past games it was all about waiting on a timer to fill up, then pick your one attack and wait until it comes up again. What FFXIII-2 uses is a revamped version of the Active Time Bar or ATB system. The original idea was that the game will not pause the battle to allow you to pick your move and the enemy(s) will attack as soon as they are ready. This means a couple of things to the player. First is that you have to play on the fly. Making choices quickly is the key to winning the battle. Two, the battles move much quicker. Fights that used to take a few minutes can be over in half the time, which is good as it allows for more exploration. At the same time the faster speed of battle forces players to keep an eye on things, as you could go from full heath to dead very quickly.

The game also introduces cinematic battle options that, during a major fight, allow you to use special events to take control of the battle. The game may ask you for a specific button combination, or to fill up a gauge using one button. Failure to do so can make the overall battle harder on you, so take advantage when you can. Other interesting aspects to the battle system are the “Paradigm Shift” options. This changes your overall stance in the game. At first there are four options: Double Trouble allows for melee attacking with both party members, Slash and burn has one melee and one ranged attack, Misdirection puts Noel into a taunting mode while Serah attacks, and Double Shield adds defense to both characters, has Serah taunt the enemy, and has Noel attack. These abilities are used frequently and are definitely situational. The trick is to figure out which one works best in each fight.

Now, as I mentioned before, I only spent a short amount of time actually playing this game. Well short in comparison to how long the game actually is to play. Overall I’d say the game does do justice to its predecessors and will be one I’d like to see to the end. Do I think the game tops Final Fantasy VII, no definitely not; but it is an interesting one to play. For new people just getting into the genre or returning veterans, FFXIII-2 is a good choice to make in terms of adding to a game library and a must for those who live the Final Fantasy series as a whole.

Like many of you, I have spent my spare hours delving into Bioware’s latest release, SW:TOR. Also, like many of you…though not necessarily the same group, I have been looking forward to the release of Mass Effect 3. It is because of the close connection of these two games, beyond the basics like having the same developer or being close in release dates, that I have been doing some thinking about their connection. Let me explain!

One of the first things I noticed about TOR is that it borrowed heavily from Mass Effect in some very specific ways. In ME I have a ship and, as I move throughout the story, I acquire companions who fill the ship out and assist me on my missions. These companions are all different, filling different roles (Biotics, Tech, Soldier, etc.), helping improve my ship, and giving me different ways to play the game. These companions became important because I learned to like, dislike, love, and hate them for their personalities and antics. For instance, I loved Moridin (platonically)…but yet felt my hands tighten in a sort of choking motion around my controller every time he talked…which he did…excessively. Now, compare this to TOR and I don’t think you can avoid the comparison. Each class has a total of five companions (six if you count that infernal C2-N2), that…oddly enough, have a specific role and ability to aid you through your quests.

Of course, the comparison isn’t 100% concrete, as the MMO is unable to fully encapsulate the experience that a single-player narrative can bring. But it is still important, because it is clear BioWare is adamant about continuing this concept or integral companions which will draw the player in different directions, creating an immersive experience that changes dynamically, if not organically, as the game progresses. The only issue I have had with the companion system in ME is that I found myself utilizing only 2 or 3, maybe 4, out of the lot…which means that any time I had 10 (if you got all of the DLC) members on my ship that i wasn’t using…8 of which rarely, if ever, got used. Thankfully, TOR offered a solution to this problem, with utilizing your companions to do your extra work! And by extra work, I mean crafting, resource gathering, etc.

What a Motley Crew!

Like almost every other MMO, TOR did not forget about Professions (crafting, etc.) and depending on what class you take in TOR (though any class can take any combination of skills), you may find yourself picking certain professions over others. I play as a Republic Trooper and have Armormech, Underworld Trading, and Scavenging as my “Crew Skills”. They’re called “Crew Skills” because my unused crew members will be able to complete missions under the aforementioned umbrellas while I’m mowing through waves of Imperial scum! Do I need more titanium for my armor crafting? Send out Aric Jorgan for a little Underworld Trading. Need some Diatium or Resinite? Send out M1-4X to do some Scavenging…since I’m a Trooper Vanguard and have little need for another Tank. Anyway, the important part of what I’m saying is that I no longer have to suffer with guilt as I leave my ship, pretending that my unused companions watch on with looks of quiet despair as yet again Elara Dorne accompanies me onto a new planet.

At about this point, you may be thinking “I know where he’s going with this!” and indeed you are right. I HOPE that I will be sending out Garrus, Wrex, Grunt, Miranda, Jacob, or whoever, in missions to assist my version of Shepard, and I think we will be for certain reasons. The first reason, is that in Mass Effect 2’s best downloadable content, Lair of the Shadow Broker, once you’ve taken over the ship and Liara assumes control, you can return later and use some of the terminals which give you missions in which you can invest credits for various rewards. This seems like the groundwork for what we see now in TOR and its future involvement in ME3, where Shepard can utilize Liara’s contacts and abilities to derive rewards and needed components for his overarching mission to defeat the Reapers.

But that’s not all. We all know by now that the multi-player component will feature you taking control of and teaming up with other non-specific characters to complete missions which will benefit your single-player story…unfortunately we don’t quite know how just yet. We do know, however, that we will still be able to get the same effect that these multi-player missions will produce in the single-player campaign, albeit in a slightly different fashion. This can combined with the known fact that some form of resource gathering, a la the much maligned Mining of ME2, will be present in ME3. Perhaps I’m extrapolating here where I shouldn’t be, but single-player versions of the multi-player missions…resource gathering…call me crazy but I think you’ll be using teams of your Squad Members to complete the missions…and those missions are going to yield important resources for your crew and your ship.

If I were a betting man, and I am, I would say that all of this leads to a strong possibility that our less used or unloved companions will be made useful in ME3. I think that we’ll have access to Liara’s Shadow Broker missions on the Normandy, and that we’ll be designating individual teams or individual members of our squads to complete them to gain the minerals, complete diplomatic missions used to bring warring factions into the fold, and other newfangled resources well need to break the Reapers once and for all.

The first thing you will notice about the game is how buttery smooth it looks and feels. The controls are super tight and extremely responsive. Getting use to how some of the inputs work does take a little bit of time but once you have control, it begins to feel natural. That is a huge thing for fighting games for the controls to feel as good as they do. I just want every fighting game to feel this solid and want the movement to be this fluid. The game is one of the best 8 way fighting games when it comes to moving and it feels so great. Combos are extremely powerful in this game but they are by no mean as common as they are in Marvel or Street Fighter. Soul Calibur is very much a game about fundamentals in fighting games like footises and poking and the game excels at that.

Soul Calibur also pushes the graphical boundaries on fighters to the next level with a very impressive 60 frames per second and breathtaking backgrounds. The game is flat out gorgeous and every little detail was paid careful attention while in development. The characters are very recognizable and distinct from each other so you are not really trying to differentiate between characters like you do in MK or Street Fighter if you are new to the series. The character faces are still a little on the doll side but overall everything looks fantastic. Each character also comes with an alternative custom for free!(COUGHCAPCOMCOUGH)

The online so far has been pretty smooth but I have only played a handful of games with high level connections. The game lends itself to online play by not relying to much on button inputs at a rapid pace. The lobbies are a highlight of the game right now and they are setting a new standard for online in fighting games. The lobbies are like watching a stream where you can write in a window with other fellow spectators and commentate on the match. It is awesome and I really hope to see more games pull from this. The one problem I have seen so far is that on PSN there is hardly anyone playing at least at the hour I was watching a friend play on the Playstation Network. I just hope that was due to it being before most people got off work that day.

The character creator is something i have only dabbled in. So far the system seems fairly deep but purely cosmetic. I can not confirm if making a custom character changes hit/hurtboxes on characters so I can not say if alts will be allowed in tournaments. As of now the system allows you to make everything from silly to serious characters. I tried to make a big bulky warrior and it looked rather nifty. I look forward to playing around with it more in the coming days.

The biggest issue I have with the game is the GOD AWFUL American voice acting for the characters. I am all for cheesey over the top voice acting in fighting games but this is by far the worst I have ever heard and is probably some of the worst voice acting of all time. The game even sounds more natural in Japanese but I do enjoy a few of the English voices. Seriously though go play one of the girl characters and do one of their supers. The dialouge for some characters is so cheesy it is hard to believe it made it into the game.

Overall I am extremely impressed with the game and I look forward into diving deeper into the single player elements and getting more matches in. Check back near the end of the week for a full review.

On occasion I find myself in a situation where I’m taken outside of my gaming comfort zone. When asked to play a first person shooter (FPS); I’ll play the game, but do not expect a stellar performance from me. Racing games? Sure I’ll drive you into a wall instead of trying to win, wonder how I have my license sometimes. Platformers like Mario and Sonic, yeah those games are the staple of most gamers in general; so honestly who hasn’t played them. Tower defense? Not normally on my radar in terms of gaming. To be honest I think of tower defense games in general as a no win situation. Oh sure, you can play for a long time; but ultimately you’ll come across a wave that you can’t quite stop and it’ll be all over for you. The question is how long does it take for you to get to that point.

Interstellar Defense Troops by Winter Rain Games is a classic game with a slightly different twist. Now that isn’t to say that the game does not fall under the normal tower defense game style, it does…clearly. You gather resources from asteroids and develop you defenses around command centers. The defenses consist of four types of towers that have various types of attacks and repair bays which can fix damage over time.. Like any game of this genre you have to move fast to set up defenses as the waves begin to come in faster and have more numbers to them. What gives this game a unique flavor to it is the fact that there are game modes.

Survival is the classic form of the game. It will get progressively harder as time goes on. Rush is a much more difficult version as the attack waves start almost immediately and do not let up. This requires you to be extremely quick in setting yourself up; or you will be caught flatfooted. Wave is a different take on the game as you can decide when you want the waves to come. Yes that may make it seem easy; but you can overwhelm yourself if you click too much, that and overwhelm your pc causing it to slow down too much. Finally, there is a story mode in this game which gives you various missions to play through and goals to achieve. This gives Interstellar Defense Troops a sense of closure in an otherwise endless cycle of self inflicted insanity.

The game itself is easy to follow, especially if you go through the tutorial. It gives you enough of the basics that you aren’t stumbling through the levels blindly right off the bat. In order for you to have a successful economy and defense you have to manage the resources gathered by workers from asteroids, and power generated by power stations that you build. The main issue that I gathered from playing is that power itself is not a problem to maintain, it is the asteroid resources that are quickly drained, forcing you to build new bases across the map; even if you aren’t quite ready. This isn’t so much a problem in the wave type game; but in the rush or survival ones it can lead to precious resources lost as your new base falls under attack well before it is ready.

Beware of the SWARM!

Graphically speaking the game is just fine. The game uses simple space background with planets and asteroids floating about. The towers and enemies are well drawn and go well with the game. Camera in this game is in two forms, free and RTS. I will recommend RTS as the main camera type as it allows more control on where you are viewing your map.

Right now the game itself can be downloaded for the PC from the designer’s website wiraingames.com. I believe this game shows a lot of promise overall as it does throw a spin on an otherwise classic game type. While I was playing this game however, I kept thinking that this game should be played more on a tablet like the iPad or Android OS. It seems like a perfect game for a touch screen. Perhaps that would be in the future for this game, and if so, then it should have no issues becoming a quite popular and addicting game. Overall I’d say get the game if you are a fan of the genre or if you want to try something a bit different. At $10 usually it won’t break your bank and until you get overwhelmed by enemy fleets; blowing stuff up is a good way to relieve some stress.

The BIGGEST, and MOST interesting aspect, of CS:GO, is the cross platform compatibility. YES, this means PS3 players will finally be able to play against X360 players. To make things more interesting PC players will be thrown in to the mix as well. In theory players on all three platforms will be able to compete with each other for the first time EVER! Although, some players may be excellent with a controller, they will be out matched vs. PC players. No matter how good you are with a controller, the precision aiming of a mouse cannot be duplicated. All hope isn’t lost however. With quick lock-ons, not afforded to PC players, should help balance the playing field. I’d also expect keyboard and mouse support for PS3 players.

The next thing we know is the game features a new interface for purchasing equipment has been overhauled. CS:GO features a radial interface that seems tailored for console gamers, but seems easier to navigate even for PC veterans. For anyone who’s played Counter-Strike, or Source, knows being able to quickly select equipment is KEY! Otherwise you’re probably looking at a spawn death. Of course you’ll be able to setup custom profiles to quickly select the equipment you need, if you have enough money of course.

The gameplay seems unchanged, but the graphics have been overhauled completely. It’s unlikely Valve is using a new engine, rather they’ve implemented the updates made over the past 8 years to give the game a modern look and feel. From the trailer the lighting and shading seem to be the biggest upgrade. HDR effects, and high contrast areas will change the dynamics of maps veterans are familiar with. Certain corners will be darker than in Source, and will make for new camping spots. And the game also have higher resolution textures. Other than that, we don’t have much else to go on.

A potential issue, I can see, is hackers may run rampant. Counter-Strike: Source, for all it’s counter measures, is a game flooded with hackers. Although, some console games suffered from cheaters, most X360 & PS3 aren’t used to people using hacks to their advantage. Trust me when someone gets instant headshots, and can shoot through walls, it gets annoying fast. Hopefully, Valve has taken this in to account, and will be able to filter out these losers as quickly as possible.

Aztec never looked so pretty

Personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on this game. Counter-Strike offers a level of competitive gameplay that NO other game has been able to duplicate. Unlike Battlefield 3, Halo, or COD, Counter-Strike is an ultra fast paced, no mercy game. For those of you who’re unfamiliar with the game, there are NO respawns in CS. You start a match, pay for your weapons (which you only get money by winning, or getting a lot of kills, and you have to buy your weapons each round.) You either play as terrorists or counter-terrorists. Depending on the map, either the Terrorists have to guard hostages, or plant bombs. Counter-Terrorists have to prevent bomb plantings, or rescue hostages. The gameplay’s simple, but each round goes so fast that’s plenty of complexity. Matches last until the objectives are met, or an entire team is wiped out. Like I’ve said, there is no respawns, so if you die quickly, you have to wait until the entire round is over to try again. And, if you’re not doing well, you’ll have no money, and you’ll have crappy weapons. Basically, CS punishes poor gameplay, where today’s shooters try to help less adept players.

No official release date has been set, but we know CS:GO will launch this year. If you’re tired of the same old, same old, FPS multiplayer, keep an eye on this one.

The rumors about the next Xbox’s graphics card just helped feed my suspicion about the next generation consoles. Both the Xbox360 and PS3 were built on cutting edge technology that hadn’t yet reached the consumer market. This led to huge losses every time either Microsoft or Sony sold a console. Meanwhile the Wii was making a profit from day one.

This is why the current generation systems are still around. MS and Sony invested SO much money in its current market that they’re milking it for all it’s worth. Today’s developers are ready to make TOMORROW’s games, but we all have to wait for the BIG 3 to get new tech out to the masses.

I predicted that MS and Sony would learn from Nintendo and would choose a more conservative route with their next generation consoles. Today’s focus is on smaller, less power hungry technology. The best example of this is the giant strides in laptop graphics. I have an AMD Radeon 6990m graphics card in my Alienware M17x. This chip is about as fast as the Radeon 6950 in desktops, except it only draws 100w TDP. This is important because of all the RROD issues the X360 had initially, and less power hungry tech will alleviate the chances of those issues right off the bat.

If the rumors are true that the NeXt BoX (That’s what I’d call it ) will have a GPU about as fast as a Radeon 6670, then it’ll probably be based on the 6870m mobile graphics chip which only uses 50w TDP. More than likely the GPU will feature DirectX 11.1 (which will launch with Windows 8,) and have 800 +/- Stream Processors, 1GB 256bit GDDR5, and 700Mhz+ Clock. That would make the Next Box about 3x faster in the GPU department alone.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if they used Laptop designed CPU as well. I’d guess something like a current day i7 2670QM 2.2Ghz/3.1Ghz (Turbo). A quad core CPU, with Hyper Threading, and variable clock speeds (Turbo Boost.) Although this is just a theory, it would make sense since the 2670QM had a TDP of 45w, and would keep the total unit around 100w. Also, by the time the Next Box ships, these CPUs, and GPUs, will be outdated in the computer market, driving prices down further and boosting MS profits.

Considering how CHEAP and FAST DDR3 is now, I’d expect MS to stick with DDR3 for the main system. Probably going as high as 4GB 2133Mhz DDR3; 1600Mhz DDR3 at least. That would give the system, including GPU memory, more than 8 times what the X360 or PS3 have to offer.

Of course, with more horsepower comes greater storage demands. I suspect, at launch, the two variants will be a 1TB HDD, and a 500GB HDD with both running 16MB Cache and 7200RPM. I’m not sure if Microsoft will offer a Blu-Ray drive, or go digital only. Games will exceed 20GB at this point, and digital would take forever with average internet speeds (unless they allow pre-installs like Steam.) This is the only area I really won’t put money on.

With the progress made in the mobile world since the X360′s launch it only makes sense, for Microsoft and Sony, to take advantage of the situation. With built-in margin on day one MS would be able to offer better prices initially. Hopefully, this means $199 and $299 consoles on launch day, instead of $299 and $399, and this benefits everyone. Also, the only way to guarantee to avoid RROD issues is to use today’s, already proven, technology…tomorrow.

Of course this is all speculation/rumor, but if Microsoft learns from past mistakes, and the rumors are even close to being true, the picture I painted for the Next Xbox would seem likely. The good news for PC gamers is they won’t have to worry much about upgrading anytime soon, as we’ve had this level of horsepower for a couple of years now (I’m sure NVIDIA, Intel, and AMD are loving that thought.) But, at the end of the day, the less money you and I have to spend, the better off we are.

*Side Note* I was checking out Alienware’s website last night, and saw they’ve launched a new line of computers, the X51 series Desktops. According to the dimensions they’re about as big as the Original Xbox 360′s, and oddly feature about the same level of gaming horsepower I mentioned above. Just something that makes you go…hmmm…

Looks an aweful lot like a future Xbox...

Entry One

Video games have become a staple of many households since the first home systems were released. The games themselves have changed and become more and more complex, with the inclusion of many genre types that were unseen beforehand. Doom and Wolfenstein made way to Modern Warfare and Halo. 1bit basketball and football became Madden and NBA 2K(whatever). Role playing games have become Massive Online Multiplayer Games. This genre above all others has amongst the most loyal following imaginable. People will give up more of their personal lives for these types of games than most any other. The question that needs to be asked though is, why?

I, myself, do play MMO games and I would consider myself knowledgeable on that subject. However, I am not fully addicted to these games. I don’t forgo work in order to play. I do go out enough to satisfy any basic social requirements that I face. I even take frequent breaks to do other things, like reading and writing. I’m not ashamed to admit I would rather take a day off and play a MMO rather than go into work, but I do understand the importance of taking care of my real life. How I got to this point, could very well be a question that goes through the minds of some. I suppose though, to answer that question I would have to explain where my enjoyment of MMOs stemmed from.

Honestly, this would be the first time that I’ve actually sat down and thought about my MMO gaming history. What was the first game that brought my attention to the realm of RPGs? Could it have been the text based game that a teacher let a friend and I play in the PC labs at school? Mind you, I didn’t get my first PC until after high school, I know it’s shocking. Could it have been the MUDs, Multi-User Dimension, that, while also text based, had a multi-player aspect to them? Ah yes, the games like Lakes of Darkness where you would have to draw maps on graph paper to find your way around, or rely on your memory and preprogrammed hotkey controls. Now that I think about it, I’m sure my first real enjoyment of RPGs, and by extension my eventual quasi-addiction to MMOs, would be Final Fantasy VII.

These graphics blew me away when I first saw them.

At the time I thought the game was perfect. Incredible graphics, AMV movies, and a terrific story line were just some of the things that FFVII brought to the table. You could immerse yourself into a story where, for however long you decided to play, you were someone else. Sure Cloud Strife had problems like everyone else it’s just that his were far cooler. With tainted memories, megalomaniacs, a corrupt army to deal with; finishing the game just made you feel like your own problems were easy to solve. All you needed was a giant sword and magic crystals. I know it sounds so simple. Honestly, I spent two months just on the first disk of that game just to make sure I had gotten everything. After finally completing FFVII I quickly moved onto Final Fantasy VIII, IX and X.

It was soon after I finished FFX that I was looking around a local Best Buy, for my next game, when I spotted an interesting looking title. It was a game where you could create your own Superhero and it went by the name City of Heroes. My interest peaked, I read the box and found out this game was a multiplayer game. Your hero would be able to join other players’ characters to team up and destroy bad guys. Of course I was going to get it. I saw the title for World of Warcraft and ignored it; super heroes were much cooler than mages and rogues. I fully expect to get some hate from that but I stand by what I said.

That free first month subscription turned into a solid seven years of game play. It was great, I paid $15 a month to play one game instead of paying $50 to $60 on a game that I could beat in a few weeks, only to repeat the process again and again. The graphics were cutting edge at the beginning and have recently gotten better as newer technology has been introduced. I made friends with people from as far away as Australia, and though I may never actually meet most of them, it was still fun to joke around with other people while I was playing.

My first real MMO. It amazed me how many people were actually playing.

Over the years of playing I did try other MMOs, just to see what else was out there. I did play WoW, got a character to 80 before Cataclysm and honestly felt the game was like a third job that I had to pay to do. My spam filters will defeat the hate mail. I played Warhammer, Perfect World International, Black Prophecy, World of Tanks, Star Trek Online, Champions Online, and Rift just to name a few. Sure they all held my attention for a time, but it seems that I have developed a sense of ADHD when it comes to those games. Either I couldn’t play them in long enough increments to get the gear needed or the game just couldn’t hold my attention to get to the level cap at all. It would seem that I was always moving back towards City of Heroes, and though the game was getting older I could appreciate all the content that was put in over the years, and felt like I was going home in a sense.

Eventually a new game has grabbed my attention and I can honestly say that this one has no real intention of letting me go anytime soon. Star Wars the Old Republic, SWTOR, by Bioware seems to give me all the same experience that I have gotten from CoH. Great graphics, great story line, fun social interactions as my friends have moved to this game as well. Just like all MMOs I’ll gladly pay a small fee, per month, to play this game for a long time and forgo many others. Now that I’m here however, I suppose I should try and figure out just what exactly makes this game have the draw that it has towards me and many other players.

I suppose my first investigation into why MMOs are so popular could follow under graphics. It drew me towards FFVII and CoH and it is something that I honestly do look for in a game. Yes, the visual ability of the game designers is usually a very important aspect to a game. Is it the most important? Well no, I suppose it isn’t, as there are games out there with popularity that aren’t the most graphically intense. Farmville is addicting and yet its graphics are simple. Minecraft has nowhere near the graphical capabilities of most MMOs and yet it has a good draw of people. Some games have great graphics and yet are considered poor games, at least by some. The aforementioned Warhammer would be one such game. The game itself was beautifully done and yet the rest of the mechanics held it back from being one of the greats.

For me graphics is always a high point on my list of things that make a game good or bad. I’m a visual person. I prefer things looking incredible and can deal with a subpar plot or story line. I can deal with it yes, but I don’t have to like it. In SWTOR I can honestly say that the graphics are just one of the many things that I enjoy about the game. The attention to detail in the large maps that you know where meticulously filled in over a long period of time; the colors and details on both ground and space combat. It’s all there. Are graphics the only thing that draws me to this game? Of course not! The game would have no staying power if that was the only thing to it, but in comparison to CoH and WoW which are “dated” after 7+ years of existence, it is a safe assumption that having newer and more sparkly graphics definitely has some sway over the now mind tricked masses.

It seems that my investigation of the source of my addiction will have to move in another direction. I’m sure you all must pity me for my dedicated “research” into this game as it will take hours upon hours of game play to finally come to a conclusion. Oh well, back to the lab again…it’s for science after all.

“The second you pick up a sniper rifle, because you haven’t been specializing in long-range weapons, you’re going to be pretty gimped,” Game Director Bill Gardner told Joystiq. This means that upgrading will really determine what kind of character you will be playing throughout the game. Personally I am very excited for this mode and what it will bring to Infinite. The mode will not be a different setting or character but will be retuned making items and ammo harder to come by.

The hardware is listed as going into production at the end of 2012 and the console is supposedly set for release for the end of 2013. Remember this is all speculation so everything is up for change!

Last year the Kinect officially launched, and it did exactly what Microsoft said it wouldn’t do, which is become a Wii clone. The launch titles, well pretty much all games to date, are completely undesirable to your mainstream gamer. Most people don’t like to come home after 8-10 hours of school/work, and then want to start jumping up and down for hours on end. I, for one, hoped the Kinect would enhance current games, and gameplay experiences, instead of trying to create new ones.

After seeing that “Milo” demo I remember going on some forums, and throwing out grand ideas on what this device is capable of. What really interested me the most is voice recognition software. You’ll never find me jumping up and down, or waving at my Xbox, but you’ll sure see me yelling at it at times. Instead of me screaming at NPC teammates, how awesome would it be if they actually heard me, and understood what I was yelling about? I thought about that for a moment, and realized that would truly change the way games are played.

Tonight, for example, I was speaking with Joe (Big Red One,) and we were talking about Kinect’s role in gaming. I throw out there the “what if, in Skyrim, instead of using a dialogue tree, you are actually talking to the NPC?” If you wanted to haggle prices, YOU actually convince them. If you want to threaten someone, YOU actually curse at them. Dialogue trees only give you 2, 3, 4, maybe 5 options, but if YOU are actually speaking, you could go a zillion different ways with any situation.

Obviously, creating a game THAT complicated would take a very long time, but I still remember seeing that “Milo” demo, and realizing it IS possible though. We’re starting to see developers utilizing this technology towards that directions. I’m glad to see Mass Effect 3, and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier trying to bring the Kinect to mainstream gamers. The ME3 Kinect Trailer shows players can use voice to shoot, and switch weapons (BORING!!!) It’s still easier to push a button people, but you can give commands to your, NPC, teammates (SCORE!!!) It’s far more useful to say “You, cover the door on the right, and you cover the door on the left,” than to look at door “A” and mark it, then look at door “B” and mark it, and then FINALLY focus on the objective.

I see this bringing a new level of interactivity to Single Player games that, as of now, can only be accomplished by playing with other people. So far I haven’t seen Ghost Recon utilizing Kinect to give voice commands, but the game is perfect for it. We’ll see how these first two titles fare, and hopefully over time we’ll have completely interactive NPCs to blur the lines of reality even further. Until then I can’t wait to boss Garrus around

OnLive, Inc., the pioneer of instant-action cloud computing, announced that it is bringing the first no-compromise Windows desktop to iPad® through its free OnLive™ Desktop app, available Thursday in the iTunes® App Store. OnLive Desktop provides instant access to full-featured, media-rich Windows 7 applications, including Microsoft® Word, Excel® and PowerPoint® software, remotely hosted on powerful PC servers in the cloud. Based upon OnLive’s instant-action cloud gaming technology, OnLive Desktop delivers a seamless Windows desktop experience, with instant-response multi-touch gestures, together with a full on-screen Windows keyboard and handwriting recognition, enabling complete and convenient viewing and editing of even the most complex documents. Rich media, such as video, animation, slide transitions and even PC games, never before practical via remote desktop delivery, run fluidly and dynamically with instant-action interactivity. OnLive Desktop makes remote feel local.

“OnLive Desktop is the first app to deliver a no-compromise, media-rich Windows desktop experience to iPad, opening up powerful new possibilities for consumers and businesses,” said Steve Perlman, OnLive Founder and CEO. “iPad users will now be able to simply and securely view and edit cloud-hosted documents with full-featured Windows desktop applications like Microsoft Office, just as if they were using a local high-performance PC. Multi-touch gestures respond instantly and smoothly, while HD videos, animations and PC video games—never before usable on a remote desktop—play seamlessly.”

The FREE* OnLive Desktop app comes with 2 GB of secure cloud storage and as-available access to a cloud-based Windows 7 desktop pre-populated with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, plus several utilities and touch games. Using instant-response touch gestures such as pinch and zoom, flick to scroll, drag, drop and Aero snap, users can quickly and easily navigate files, open, edit and save the ones they need, and store them securely in the cloud for access from any device through a simple Web interface. PC apps have full desktop functionality: Word documents can be created and edited with full redline and commenting capability, using a full Windows touch-screen keyboard, handwriting recognition or Bluetooth keyboard. PowerPoint presentations can be created with rich graphics, videos and animated slide transitions, and even presented directly from the iPad, either onscreen or via an external monitor. Data can be updated and analyzed instantly in Excel, translated into graphs and transferred into presentation documents. With OnLive Desktop, work is now possible anywhere you have an iPad and Internet connectivity, with the immediacy, functionality and responsiveness of a local PC.

The Free OnLive Desktop app for iPad is just the tip of the iceberg. Android®, smartphones, PC, Mac® and monitor/TV support (via the OnLive MicroConsole™ thin client with Bluetooth keyboard/mouse) are coming soon, with your same OnLive Desktop available by login from any device. Your OnLive Desktop can be accessed anywhere, on any device, at any resolution.
OnLive Desktop Pro is coming soon, with 50 GB of cloud storage, priority access, full-featured cloud-accelerated browsing, additional PC apps, and other OnLive-unique features for just $9.99/month.
OnLive Enterprise will be available for businesses and organizations of all sizes, seeking centralized, secure computing resources, as well as Independent Software Vendors seeking to deliver custom applications. With OnLive Enterprise, IT departments have full control of user entitlements/access privileges to both retail and ISV applications, while enabling users to access the same applications through any device. For example, a hospital can entitle different levels of records access to doctors, receptionists and patients, with full privacy, whether data is viewed on a smartphone, computer, on an easily-sterilized tablet in an examining room, or even on a hospital room TV. No user data is left behind on any device, so records remain secure if a device is lost or stolen. (IT professionals and ISVs, please contact OnLive at enterprise@onlive.com for OnLive Enterprise details and pricing.)
OnLive Desktop Pro and Enterprise support exclusive OnLive collaborative services. Building on the same proven technology as the massive spectating Arena of the OnLive Game Service, OnLive securely enables as many as thousands of simultaneous users to view one or many OnLive Desktops from any device, with live spectating and group chat, and multi-user control. Whether using OnLive collaborative services as a shared document reader or virtual whiteboard in a small workgroups, for chatting over home videos among far-flung family members, or for lecturing with Q&A to an audience of thousands of students around the world, OnLive provides instant, media-rich collaboration.

The OnLive Desktop iPad app will be available Thursday to U.S. customers for free in the iTunes App Store, and will be released soon in the UK. Customers are encouraged to sign up early for their free OnLive account, available today at desktop.onlive.com. For more information, visit desktop.onlive.com.

*Terms and conditions apply. See desktop.onlive.com for details.

Soul Calibur 5 does something not a lot of fighting games do for me now a days and it is give me that child like joy and anticipation for its release. Soul Calibur 5 is Namco and Team Soul’s newest foray into three dimensional fighting games and it looks to be one of the best in the series. The game gained huge popularity with its initial release on the Dreamcast and ever sense then it has gained a huge cult following. After the first release they published Soul Calibur 2 which is considered by many to the best game in the series. After the commercial success of SC2 they released SC3 and SC4. Needless to say they were not as great compared to 2 and the original but they held up their own. This is where Soul Calibur 5 steps into the ring trying to regain the fame that it once had.

The first thing that struck me about SC5 is how great it looks. The game runs so smooth and the animation is very fluid so the fighting is extremely eye pleasing. A curse a lot of the 3D fighting games seemed to be plagued with is the combat can look very clunky and choppy as the juggles seem to make your character look like they are made of helium. Soul Calibur 5 does not suffer from this as the hits really have some impact behind them and combos look very flashy. SC5 seems like it will be a much easier game to watch to spectators than SC4 which was hard to watch even for fighting game veterans.

The game has a new system that is a meter like system similar to Street Fighter. The meter is built through landing hits and getting hit and you can use the meter to do ex versions of moves and flashy super moves that do devastating damage. If you are on the brink of defeat you will start the final round with one bar of meter if you do not already have one. The game wants the fights to be more fast and frantic as opposed to 4 and 3 and to bring some of the Street Fighter and Marvel players over that are use to flashy super moves abound.

The game is also promising a vast re-haul to the character creation system that was used in Soul Calibur 3 and 4 and from what I see it is shaping up. The character customization is vast and there are already plans for more character items to play dress up fighter in with DLC and collectors editions. You can pick from the different fighting styles of the cast along with a few extra styles that are exclusive to the creator. I hope you can really dig in deep and change little variants in the styles but I highly doubt it. The character faces in creation mode…bother me. They look reminiscent of a doll shop in some kids worst nightmares but I digress, the characters overall do look very good. I hope to see different weapons for the characters to use when they are created, or at least different aesthetically. I have high hopes for the character creation system in V and I plan on making many big chested warriors in the days to come.

One point of interest I have not yet to see any actual in game footage is the online. Fighters now a days have huge standards and expectations to live up to when it comes to online service. Everyone wants lobbies, spectator modes, replays and STABLE EXPERIENCE. The last part has been a plague on the fighting game industry’s online this entire generation and it looks like this may be a good attempt at a stable online game. A lot of the problems in online fighters are how fast the system needs to take the input and how not everyone has amazing connections.

The single player also looks interesting and it appears they are trying to put a lot into the story mode like NRS did with Mortal Kombat last year. The trailer for the story mode really gives an idea of what is going on in one of the most interesting story lines in fighting games. I hope the gameplay in the story mode holds to how much time they are putting into the story. I look forward to seeing how the single player turns out in SCV and I plan on hitting it up as soon as the game drops on the 31st.

Overall I have to say that I am more excited about Soul Calibur V than I have been about any game in a good long while. Namco is even backing the game for competitive play offering five grand into the pot for the SC5 tourney at Final Round in Georgia. It was also selected for one of the 6 games to be played at EVO 2012, the world’s largest yearly fighting game tournament. The game looks fantastic and Gamersarmada will have more coverage coming very soon regarding the game. Come back during release week for our review of the game to see if it holds up to these lofty expectations it has set!

Never before released outside of Japan (where it is known as Growlanser IV: Over Reloaded) and widely considered the best entry in the long-running franchise, this PSP system iteration of the fourth chapter in the Growlanser saga tells of a land – once rich with culture and technology – long ago nearly obliterated by evanescent divine entities. Two millennia later, the mysterious entities appear again, threatening to bring about an end to all things unless a fabled warrior of destiny can rise against them.

Patient North American fans can look forward to a long list of improvements and additions over the original game: new characters, scenarios, and events are complemented by dramatically improved loading times and a message skip option that allows players to advance the story at a faster pace. Blending a sprawling 40+ hour narrative with over 40 different possible endings; deep tactical RPG mechanics; the character designs of the legendary Satoshi Urushihara; and a host of enhancements over the original release, Growlanser: Wayfarer of Time continues the proud ATLUS tradition of epic adventures set in breathtaking worlds and gives PSP system owners something to look forward to in 2012.

ATLUS also revealed that while the PSP system version’s many anime cutscenes would be fully voiced, the remainder of the game would not include Japanese or English voice work. The Japanese track could not be included due to licensing restrictions, while the sheer scope of the game’s script – expanded and fleshed out over and above the original PlayStation®2 system release and already one of the largest localization projects in the publisher’s two decade history – was prohibitive to the prospects of a new English voice track.

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In an apocalyptic world where there is no reason to exist, a man crosses the American west coast. Surviving is much more than a daily routine in this original cinematic puzzle platformer. Deadlight is to be released as an XBLA exclusive title in summer 2012.

Tequila Works, based in Madrid was founded in September 2009 by Raúl Rubio Munárriz and Luz Sancho Rodríguez. The team comprises veterans in the entertainment industry, with an impressive track record in the development of games such as the Commandos and Motorstorm series, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Diablo III, Heavy Rain, and Overlord II.

In announcing the publishing deal, Raúl Rubio, CEO and Creative Director at Tequila Works stated, “our philosophy is to create tasteful things. Our team integrates highly experienced people who still keep the ability to see the world with amazement every day, and enjoy challenging their creative talents”.

“Being published by Microsoft Studios, one of the world’s largest publishers, is a true reward for all the team hard work. The opportunity to work with first-party publisher Microsoft Studios is a dream come true, and shows their commitment in the talent of small independent studios.”

Luz Sancho, Chairwoman, added: “Since our first conversations, Microsoft Studios understood Tequila Works spirit and our attention to detail. They believe in us and the way we create”. “XBLA is the perfect platform for unique AAA bets with a character of their own. We want to create something truly special for Xbox 360”, remarked Raúl Rubio.

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“We are excited to be able to give gamers an expansive demo that will put them right on the front lines of this all-out galactic war,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series. “The entire scale of the game is bigger than anything we’ve ever done. With its intense action, deep customization and raw emotional power, Mass Effect 3 will deliver a spectacular action RPG experience to fans of the series and newcomers alike.”

In Mass Effect 3, players will be thrust into an all-out galactic war to take Earth back and save the entire galaxy, assuming the role of Commander Shepard, a war-torn veteran who’s willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate this nearly unstoppable foe. With a team of elite, battle-hardened soldiers at your side, each player decides how they will take Earth back, from the weapons and abilities they utilize to the relationships they forge or break. Mass Effect 3 also features a new co-operative gameplay mode that allows fans to experience the war from a different perspective. Players who want to try this new mode will be able to do so on February 17, or by qualifying for early access to the co-op portion of the demo which begins February 14. Gamers qualify for early access if they have activated their Battlefield 3™ online pass* or though other opportunities that will be announced in the near future www.masseffect.com.

Recently named by over 100 outlets around the world as one of the most anticipated games of 2012, including winning the fan-voted Most Anticipated Game of 2012 award at the Spike TV VGAs, Mass Effect 3 is available for pre-order now at participating retailers. Fans who pre-order** have the opportunity to arm themselves with cutting-edge in-game weapons and armor to prepare for the all-out galactic war. Mass Effect 3 arrives on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in North America on March 6, 2012 and in Europe on March 9, 2012. For more information on Mass Effect 3, please visit http://masseffect.com, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect or “like” the game on Facebook at http://facebook.com/masseffect.

*Conditions and restrictions apply. Early access requirement and availability may differ by platform and/or region. See www.masseffect.com for more details.

This video presents us a bit more the rich universe of R.A.W., in which you will take control of a powerful warrior, a dark sorcerer or a stealthy rogue, before throwing yourself in a big, action-rich quest!

The first few sequences of the video, more contemplative, let us appreciate the diversity and richness of the game’s levels and environments. These sequences quickly turn into pure action, while the 3 heroes of the game face swarms of creatures and huge bosses. All the power they have been granted, their powerful spells and devastating abilities will certainly not be too much for them to complete their grand quest!

R.A.W. – Realms of Ancient War will release on PlayStation® Network, Xbox LIVE® and on PC early 2012.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” said Jack Emmert, CEO, Cryptic Studios, Inc. “Updating Star Trek Online to the popular free-to-play model removes those barriers of entry that previously kept fans and casual gamers away. Anyone can download and play Star Trek Online at no cost. There’s no better way to see how sitting in the captain’s chair feels.”

With the launch of Star Trek Online free-to-play, anyone can download and play the game for free without a retail copy or subscription. All players may enjoy Star Trek Online’s many features for free.  Players do, however, have the ability to access additional optional features through a virtual store.

In Star Trek Online, the Star Trek universe truly comes to life on a massive scale. Players captain their own starships as part of the Federation or Klingon Empire in a persistent online universe, journey to strange new worlds and take part in epic ground and space missions.

The Universe is Your Only Limit – Play as much as you like for as long as you like at no cost. No subscription is required, nor is payment of any kind required.

Episodic Gameplay - Experience new weekly episodes that feature story-based gameplay and put your captain’s ability to command to the ultimate test.

Your Captain, Your Crew, Your Destiny - Become a captain, seek out new life and new civilizations and encounter hostile beings as you advance to maximum level for free.

Familiar Places, New Experiences - Travel to Starfleet Academy, Deep Space Nine, The First City of Qo’noS and many other iconic locations and notable worlds from the beloved Star Trek universe.

The Foundry – Create and build brand new missions and stories to share with the entire Star Trek Online community.  Use the specialized toolset to create missions in space or on the ground.  Create custom missions, or design an entire series of episodes from the ground up.

To download and play Star Trek Online, or to join the Star Trek Online community, please visit the official website: http://www.startrekonline.com/

TM & © 2012 CBS Studios Inc.  All rights reserved.  STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.