Speaking of R6, I just rented Vegas 2 yesterday. Haven't played it yet though and it would be my first R6 game. I'm just hoping I don't have to control everyone and their positions and all that. You can just focus on one guy right?
Vegas 2 is probably one of the worst games I ever bought. Unless you tell your squad mates to move, they remain wherever they are, even if you are mies away from them....so unfortunately yes, your team-mates have poor AI. Another thing which bothered me is that even when playing on normal difficulty, I died all the time, so it too me ages to get from one checkpoint to another. In fact, I've had it for over a month now, and I'm still at the very beginning of Level 3.
COD looks incredibly promising. I remember having the last but gave it away, did it support split screen co-op? Oh and Vegas 2 is ONLY remotely playable during coop. The AI is far too idiotic.
Who thinks Mass Effect should have had an Earth mission?
HELL YES! I thought personally that Mass Effect was a letdown, it just didn't fit right with me. My mind kept criticizing certain things that other role playing games did FAR better. I just think they need to re-think the approach for the next one, IF there is one.
Also, do you think you can post some news on 'Silent Hill: Homecoming'? I'm anticipating that one like HELL.
Today we had the opportunity to take a trip into the eerie world of Silent Hill as we stepped into the role of Alex Shepherd. Silent Hill: Homecoming finds Shepherd returning to his hometown of Shepherd’s Glen in search of his brother who has mysteriously disappeared along with his father who had gone looking for his brother. While the circumstances of their disappearance are as unclear as the air in Shepherd’s Glen, it’s safe to assume we can expect the unexpected in Konami’s latest addition to their long running horror franchise.
In order to investigate his brother’s and father’s disappearances and ultimately locate their whereabouts, Alex will need to face the darkest secrets his hometown has to offer, turning his reality into a nightmare. A veteran of World War II, Alex is well experienced in the horrors of the world, but nothing could prepare him for what he is about to face.
Silent Hill: Homecoming is not an extension of any of the previous releases in the series, rather it is a brand new story that takes place in the Silent Hill universe, despite the fact the story takes place in the town of Shepherd’s Glen and not exactly Silent Hill. Konami is obviously keeping touch with the signature style of gameplay we’ve come to expect from the series. No other franchise has delivered such disturbing and haunting scenarios and the game’s developers are pushing themselves to continually top themselves.
Attack combos will increase your offensive abilities.
We picked up the controls just as Shepherd was making his way into the fog-filled streets of Sheperd’s Glen. Here he comes to the realization that things are not what they used to be and discovering what has happened to his brother and father are sure to be a much more difficult and trying task than he first anticipated. The first thing we noticed as we walked along the sidewalk was how limited the field of view is in Silent Hill: Homecoming. Not that any Silent Hill has ever has much in the way of line of sight, but this time around it seems even more restricted and gritty. The next thing we noticed was the fact that the town has been deserted and aside from a few abandoned vehicles parked along side the street, there was little to suggest any sort of events had taken place here in a long, long time.
Having spent a few minutes wandering around the street, we managed to stroll down an alleyway which lead around the back of one of the buildings in town. As soon as we turned the corner behind the alley, we were met by a grotesque creature with exposed ribs that was covered with pulsating sacks. At first it seemed like a few whacks with our trusty pipe would knock this enemy over, we were taken by surprise as the creature’s chest opened up, emitting a pungent black gas that took a lot of health away from Shepherd. Using the B button to dodge these attacks, we managed to get behind the creature and land a few strikes with the knife, visibly injuring it. However, it didn’t appear as though the knife or the pipe were going to prove too useful in eliminating this target.
Having lost a good chunk of health, we decided to keep moving and worry about the creature later. Once Alex reached the end of the path behind the alleyway, he was able to climb down to a lower ledge where he found a fire axe underneath a wrecked vehicle. Armed with the axe, we were better equipped to do battle with the gas spewing enemy that blocked our way back to the street.
Once we got Shepherd back to the street, we found an entrance to a building that was boarded up for some reason. A clear signal that something inside must be worth investigation, we used the fire axe to chop away the boards and enter the building. The interior of the building was quite dark, and the ambient sound effects coming through the headphones we were playing through kept us on our toes. Along with the game’s visuals, the sound of Silent Hill: Homecoming is just as important in setting up the creepy mood that will constantly give you the desire to look over your shoulder and make sure someone isn’t sneaking up behind you.
Something tells me I don't want to go in there...
Shortly after entering this building, a shadowy figure is seen down a short hallway as it makes a slow turn around a corner. Thinking it could be his younger brother Josh, Alex follows to investigate. We found ourselves in a large room, but we could only see a small part of it at a time, thanks to the low level light source and the thick, dark atmosphere of the environment. Eventually, we found a small maintenance key, leading us to continue searching for the locked door it would gain us access through.
At this point we headed back out to the street and ran into another one of the pulsating creatures that was dead set on preventing Alex from doing so. This time we put together a viscous attack combo string of strong and fast strikes to dispose of the creature relatively quickly. It was at this time that our time with the game ran up and we had to put down the controls. However, we did get a very good feel for the gameplay as well as the direction Konami has taken with Silent Hill: Homecoming.
As mentioned earlier, the atmosphere, composed of the visuals and sound effects of Silent Hill: Homecoming are just as important as the control mechanics in making this game an enjoyable, yet frightening, experience. Konami seems to have once again recaptured the essence of what first made the Silent Hill titles such an engulfing franchise that stands above the crowd in its genre. Silent Hill: Homecoming is slated for release in the fall of this year and we are looking forward more hair-raising, bone-chilling frights.
IGN - 73
Uninspired level design and some tedious enemy battles mar an experience that gives you power over the Force like we've never really seen before. While it's far from perfect, Star Wars fans will find that it's worth playing through simply for its story and the ability to use the Force in fairly awesome ways.
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The Onion - 91
The Force Unleashed is simply the best thing to happen to the Star Wars franchise in decades.
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G4 TV - 40
The concepts are solid, the story is excellent, and the characters sustain. Aesthetically it is a beautiful piece of work. It's just not all that much fun to play, especially when bugs have left parts of the game incomplete.
Rock Band 2
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GamePro - 100
If you already own the first game and all the instruments, this is a must-own title; if you haven't experienced the magic, this is a great place to start.
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Official Xbox Magazine - 90
At its worst, Rock Band 2 feels like a massive expansion pack that fills in the gaps from the original game. At its best, it’s a rewarding and refined excuse to pick up your fake career where you left off — laughing and rocking with friends near and far for a group thrill that few other games can deliver.
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IGN - 90
The track list is better, the difficulty has been bumped up, it's more accessible, all previously released DLC works from the get-go, and Battle of the Bands is a brilliant online mode. But there's no getting around the fact that almost nothing was done to the main mode, World Tour.
YES! Silent Hill seems like an amazing game! I am too excited to play a next gen outlet. It'd be great if they included co-op in the games, split screen preferably. But that may take away from the scariness. Force Unleashed I am def picking up.
Rumor: Avi Arad to Bring Mass Effect to the Big Screen
Numerous sources have confirmed to Variety that producer Avi Arad has optioned the rights to Bioware's sci-fi RPG from the developer's parent publisher Electronic Arts. Variety adds:
Arad was for a long time the head of Marvel's movie business, where he helped start the new wave of actually good comic book movie franchises like "X-Men," "Spider-Man," and "Iron Man" (OK, there was "Spider-Man 3" and "Elektra" and "Ghost Rider," but there's still no denying Marvel movies are much improved). Now he runs his own production company and has been getting into videogame adaptations, starting recently with "Lost Planet."
Combining a rich and engaging narrative with intense sci-fi tactical combat, Mass Effect features an immersive and cinematic gameplay experience rarely seen before in video games.
Set 200 years in the future in an epic universe, “Mass Effect” places gamers in a vast galactic community in danger of being conquered by a legendary agent gone rogue. A spectacular new vision from legendary developers BioWare, “Mass Effect” challenges players to lead a squad of freedom fighters as they struggle against threatening armies to restore peace in the land. “Mass Effect” is the first in a trilogy of games with an overarching story, where the real conflict between organic beings and artificial intelligence comes to life in startling clarity.
^So you're a fan of Games to movies eh? Did you think the Silent Hill movie did the game justice?
I mean not entirely. But there have been good ones! As for Silent Hill, no it didn't do it justice. It would be good if I hadn't had such high expectations...But it had good atmosphere.
Are they really making a Bioshock film? Like this is confirmed?
We spend more time behind enemy lines on the highway to Hell.
by Alex Simmons, IGN UK
UK, September 9, 2008 - We're no strangers when it comes to spending time with Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. We've already served our time on the opening handful of levels and more recently given it a fresh once-over at E3. However, it's only recently that we've properly had time to sit down and take it all in in one sitting, without the hustle and bustle of a busy show floor to distract us.
There's little point in covering old ground -- to find out more about the beginnings of Hell's Highway check out our original hands-on. Instead, we'll cut straight to the fourth mission in the game, titled Five-Oh-Sink. Having parachuted onto the frontlines in Holland, our band of brothers hooks up with the Dutch resistance and discovers there's an enemy stronghold ahead, with squads of Germans buried within a collection of small farmhouses. Heading up the recon unit, it's your job to scout out the way ahead and clear the path of any Axis resistance.
Anyone familiar with the Brothers in Arms series will instantly recognise the way Hell's Highway plays out. It's a fast 'n' furious World War II shooter in much the same vein as Medal of Honor, but there's a strong undercurrent of strategy integrated into the action. Indeed, it's a bit like Call of Duty 2 crossed with Ghost Recon, with players controlling a single solider supported by up to three squads. In the instance of Five-Oh-Sink, you have six men at your disposal, divided into two teams -- an assault squad that specialises in suppressing the enemy with machinegun fire and a bazooka team capable of taking out gun emplacements from afar.
The beginning of the level starts off peacefully enough, although recent intel hints there are German troops in the area. By bringing up the tactical map you're able to survey your immediate surroundings -- objectives and friendly units are displayed, along with any recon points. These are vantage points that enable you to scope out your surroundings without being detected. While you don't have to reach all recon points to complete the mission, finding time to take them has distinct advantages as nearby enemies are highlighted on your map, enabling you to plan out an attack rather than bumbling in guns blazing.
Take the mid-mission firefight as an example: you need to get across a relatively wide, open field. To the left is a German machinegun nest that's laying down heavy fire while to the right is another heavy gunner, covering the battlefield from high up in a bell tower. There's a lot of enemy troop movement too, with small groups of Germans closing in on your position, leapfrogging from one stone wall to the next while the MGs lay down fire. In a traditional shooter you'd simply have to take them out one by one, relying on sweet sniper skills rather than tactical nouse. Here, however, you must work as a team if every man under your command is to make it through. Firstly, you need to stop the German troops from advancing, by ordering the assault squad to lay down suppressing fire. As they open up, the enemy will duck for covering, giving you time to lead the bazooka squad -- who you select using the D-pad -- around to a wall on the left. This opens up the battlefield a little and provides them a clearer shot on the left machinegun nest. Issuing the order to fire couldn't be easier -- simply move your aiming reticule over the desired target and pull the left trigger to execute the command. Your team mates will then bed in before firing off an explosive round that takes out the enemy in a ball of fire.
With one nest taken care of, you're free to advance, again using the assault squad to keep the German's pinned while you edge forward. By staying low you're able to slowly flank the enemy, before ducking out and finishing them off from behind. Make sure every shot counts however because, if you miss, the enemy is intelligent enough to realise their cover is compromised and will drop back to a safer spot. Pushing the enemy back also allows your bazooka squad to advance to a position where they can get a clean shot on the remaining machinegunner, thus clearing the way ahead.
This skirmish is just one example of how you'll need to use simple tactics to outfox the enemy. True, it's hardly cutting-edge strategy, but there's certainly the need to think as well as shoot. Having said that, one thing Hell's Highway isn't short of is action. Indeed, since you're the captain of your outfit you're free to run things pretty much as you like, so it's entirely feasible to make it through the whole level without calling on the help of your buddies at all, but that's kind of missing the point of Brothers in Arms. What's more satisfying is to strike a balance between the two, using friendly fire to enable you to work your way around the side of the enemy before taking them out yourself. Long-distance headshots are rewarded with a slow-motion close-up of the bullet popping the victim's head like a watermelon plus, on the 360 version, Achievements are dished out for spectacular kills, such as downing multiple targets in quick succession or ordering your fellow squaddies to the eliminate enemy threat without your firing off a shot.
The ultimate aim of mission Five-Oh-Sink is to recapture a nearby bridge, but as you finally reach the river it's bombarded by mortar fire that tears both the bridge and many of your fellow soldiers to shreds. In fact the horror of war is obviously one aspect of the game Gearbox has worked hard to get right and you'll spend much of a mission talking to and building up a relationship with a particular person, only for them to be ripped apart by gun fire in slow motion. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't, but overall Hell's Highway gives the impression that there's more to your mission than simply shooting anyone in a German uniform. It feels like you're involved in a story and that your path is part of a much bigger picture. Admittedly there a moments when the story falls short due to poor scripting or camera pans that move so sharply it's difficult to keep up, but overall the game does a great job of keeping you in the middle of it all, with cut-scenes playing out in-game, often from your perspective.
One thing worth highlighting at this stage is the way Hell's Highway looks. It's by no means a dog but similarly it's no stunner, with graphics falling noticeably short compared to, say, Call of Duty 4. Environments are at times a bit too basic, with simple textures and very little eye for detail. For example, the inside of the sanatorium, which you must clear of Germans, is stark and almost featureless, looking more like a brushed-up Xbox game than an all-singing all-dancing hi-def experience. On the flip side there are times when the set-pieces are so well orchestrated that you don't really notice that the grass doesn't move or that your buddies' mouths aren't synched with their shouts. It's tiny stuff but when Call of duty 4 did everything so well we wish that every game was polished to such a high standard.
Still, there's no denying Hell's Highway is looking very promising indeed. The fact it isn't just another dumb WWII shooter puts it in good stead, especially with Call of Duty: World at War breathing down its neck. We only hope that the rest of the game plays out at the same pace and level of intensity as the opening four levels. If so Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, while unlikely to steal Call of Duty's crown, will happily give the reigning FPS champ a run for its money.
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