Just wanted to share the experience: 2012

Selasa, 31 Juli 2012

Best selling games of June 2012

The numbers are in and according to Game4U’s sales statistics, this is a list of some of the hottest selling titles for the month of June, 2012. The list includes games across all platforms and all genres, except for handheld titles. So without further ado, here are some of the most popular titles to fly off the shelves.

Max Payne 3 – PC, PS3 and Xbox 360
No surprises here, even after the long hiatus, Max Payne has managed to win the hearts of gamers, both old and new to the franchise as it takes the number one spot for the month of June. The game has sold well across all platforms which goes to show that Max’s legacy is still going strong with no end in sight. We’ve reviewed the Xbox 360 version as well as the PC version and as you might expect, the PC version is lot better in terms of graphics as well as gameplay since a good ol’ fashioned keyboard and mouse will always beat a controller for this genre of games.
'Swing'- by
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier – PS3
Coming in at number two is Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. This third person tactical shooter first launched on consoles while the PC version launched towards the end of June. The PS3 version seems to have gotten a lot of love over here. This is the fifth instalment in the Ghost Recon series developed by Ubisoft.

Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception – PS3
Uncharted, like God of War, has been a defining game for the PS3 and is the singular reason for you to go and buy the console. The third installment has been received extremely well by fans and critics alike with more epic battles and huge set pieces, we sure loved every bit of it. This is one game we highly recommend to anyone with a PS3.
One of the best games to hit the PS3
Sports Champions – PS Move
This was one of the launch titles for the PlayStation Move, which involves gesture-based controls for various types of sports like Beach Volleyball, Gladiator Duel, Disc Golf, Archery, etc. The demo version of the game is also bundled along with a Move controller as part of the starter kit.

FIFA 12 – PS2
The PS2 may be outdated but Sony is still very much supporting it and the sales of FIFA 12 for the PS2 speak volumes of how popular this console still is. This is the nineteenth instalment in the series, developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. FIFA 12 sports several new features over its predecessor like the new Impact engine and re-designed menu layout with vertical scrolling.
Play with friends online

Kinect Sports: Season Two – Xbox 360
This is a sequel to Kinect Sports, one of the launch titles of Microsoft’s Kinect accessory for the Xbox 360. The game adds six new sports and voice control features in the new version and supports both single and multiplayer. The game also supports Xbox Live competition allowing players to challenge each other in multiplayer modes. The voice commands come in really handy so for example, in golf, users can switch clubs by talking, without having to move to a new menu.

Need for Speed: The Run – PS3
The latest iteration from EA Black Box, Need for Speed: The Run seems to be doing well on the PS3 more than any other platform. The game was built on the Frostbite 2 engine and is described as an "illicit, high-stakes race across the country.” The Run had a much longer development cycle as compared to other Need for Speed titles in the past. The game however didn’t really receive glowing reviews from the critic or from us either, but then again if you are a fan of the franchise then you might want to check it out.
High octane car chases

EyeToy: Play3 with Camera – PS2
This game obviously caters to a much younger audience and the third instalment in the popular EyeToy: Play series seems to be a big hit with the kids. It supports up to four players and there are some new mini games as well, like beach volleyball and bowling. The list of games includes Bowling, DJ, Touchdown, Boot Camp and many more.

We would love to know what were your favourite games in the month of June were so do share them in the comments section below.

Best selling games of June 2012

We would love to know what were your favourite games in the month of June were so do share them in the comments section below.

Senin, 30 Juli 2012

EA may go for 100% digital distribution in the future

Electronic Arts is one of the few major video game companies involved in digital distribution of games. Its distribution service Origin, though not so popular, has certainly helped the company get its foot in the door against Valve’s Steam. However, it seems EA might go all out to establish its presence in this new distribution platform. GamesIndustry International recently reported Frank Gibeau, President of EA Labels, as saying that EA would be a 100 percent digital company in the future. According to the report, The company recently had its first year of digital revenues over $1 billion, and EA is expecting that number to grow closer to $2 billion.

"It's in the near future. It's coming. We have a clear line of sight on it and we're excited about it. Retail is a great channel for us. We have great relationships with our partners there. At the same time, the ultimate relationship is the connection that we have with the gamer. If the gamer wants to get the game through a digital download, and that's the best way for them to get it, that's what we're going to do. It has a lot of enhancements for our business. It allows us to keep more of what we make. It allows us to do some really interesting things from a service level standpoint; we can be a lot more personalized with what we're doing," the report quoted Gibeau as saying.

He added, "But if customers want to buy a game at retail, they can do that too. We'll continue to deliver games in whatever media formats make sense and as one ebbs and one starts to flow, we'll go in that direction. For us, the fastest growing segment of our business is clearly digital and digital services and ultimately Electronic Arts, at some point in the future - much like your question about streaming and cloud - we're going to be a 100% digital company, period. It's going to be there some day. It's inevitable."

EA may go 100% digital...

The fact that PC gaming is dominated by games sold via digital distribution channels such as Valve's Steam or Paradox’s GamersGate, or EA’s own Origin, opens up new avenues for EA. "For us, we're focused on the fact that the gaming market overall is broad. You have more people playing games now than ever before in the history of the industry. There are more markets available to us - Asia, Brazil, Russia - a bunch of emerging markets that are legitimate and growing fast. We have more devices that we can publish across now. We used to publish across three platforms; now we're publishing across 14 or 15," Gibeau said.

Th report stated that EA would be prepared for the advent of IP televisions and streaming. "That'll be a way we'll generate content and deliver it to customers in a high quality way. The next generation of hardware is going to come out. It's difficult to speculate what generation next would be after that, but there are opportunities in cloud and streaming that are very interesting to us and we have relationships with Gaikai and other companies where we've investigated a lot of that stuff. We clearly see our IP and our capabilities on the digital services front translating over very easily there."

EA debuted its Origin service as the only way to play the much-anticipated Battlefield 3 late last year, and though it’s not quite there yet, EA hopes to catch up to Valve’s Steam service.

Minggu, 29 Juli 2012

Angst at Zynga over tumbling share price

In April, a small circle of top Zynga executives and early investors scored a $500 million-plus payday via a choreographed private share sale. That deal was well-timed. Since then, the online gaming company's stock has shed almost half of its value as investors questioned Zynga's long-term prospects and Facebook Inc's sputtering IPO sapped confidence in the consumer Internet.

The share sale may have helped nudge Zynga's stock price into a steady decline that has stoked discontent at the company, which, like much of Silicon Valley, relies on generous stock awards to attract talent. The Farmville publisher is now barely holding at $6, down 40 percent from a December IPO price of $10, as employees at the end of April were freed from their "lock-up" agreements to sell their stock holdings. Employees past and present told Reuters that morale is ebbing along with the stock price.

"Zynga's a tough place to work," said Lou Kerner, founder of the Social Internet Fund, who has invested in Zynga. "You go there because there's a lot of upside to the shares, so it's disappointing when the markets are against you."

Chief Executive Mark Pincus parried questions at the All Things Digital conference on Wednesday, where he defended his stock price, Zynga's ability today to attract top-notch engineers, and the acquisition of OMGPOP, developer of mobile hit Draw Something.

"I can't think of any real difference in recruiting that's happened because of being public or because of our stock being up or down," Pincus said. "My job is focusing on building products ..., not really trying to figure out whether the markets are valued right."

Hundreds of former employees and other investors were allowed this week to offload up to 352 million shares -- the majority of outstanding stock -- for the first time since the company debuted on the Nasdaq in December. The company's shares traded at $6.00, down 4.2 percent, on Friday afternoon.

The dog doesn't look too happy these days...

Facebook shares were down 5.7 percent at $27.92 on Friday, and shares of Groupon, another Internet IPO darling, were off 8.9 percent at $9.70, just cents above their all-time low. Employees at Facebook are allowed to begin cashing in this November, six months after its IPO, when up to 1.2 billion Facebook shares could hit the open market. But the effect of the lock-up expiration on Facebook's stock price is expected to be relatively muted, due to the high percentage of stock that was floated during Facebook's IPO, analysts say.

Zynga, named after Pincus's bulldog, stands out as a notorious pressure cooker even in a gaming industry chock full of hard-driving workplaces. In return for long hours and brutal deadlines - working at "Zynga Speed," employees joke - workers get lavish incentives often tied to company shares.

"It's distracting because people have a lot of wealth tied up and have been doing calculations of how long they're sticking at Zynga," said one of the company's earliest hires, who departed recently. "From the beginning there were expectation-setting signals that you're going to burn red for a while, you're not going to have weekends, and you'll be here until 2 a.m., but the result is that you're going to be a millionaire."

Those who can prove their worth, thrive. For several years, management has called all-hands assemblies every quarter where a handful of Zynga's high performers are each awarded $100,000 worth of vested stock. But a former employee, who left the company in April after two years as a developer said frustration was bubbling among some of the rank and file as the value of their holdings slid and project launches were delayed. In Austin, Texas, where Zynga employs scores of workers, a recent internal survey showed only 20 percent confidence in management, he said. After that, office managers held meetings with staff to discuss the results and air grievances.

"I didn't see anything coming out of the company that could result in the stock price going up," said the developer. "There's a big reason why Zynga is making a big push for external acquisitions."

Zynga's biggest acquisition to date has been OMGPOP, at a cost of $183 million. Analysts have voiced concerns about Zynga's ability to wring revenue out of mobile games, and the purchase of OMGPOP was intended to address that need. But the deal has drawn fire as usage numbers appeared to wane.

"We didn't buy them for the short-term impact," countered Pincus at the D conference, noting that Draw Something's traffic was higher than when Zynga first "engaged" to purchase the company.

Draw Something, he added, "is the game that we think we can support and market for five years and 10 years."

Pincus and other executives sold 43 million shares, at $12 each, in the April deal. Limited to senior management and directors, it was explained as an effort to stagger the timing of when stockholders may cash out, preventing a simultaneous sell-off at the expiration of the lock-up.

Pincus, Chief Financial Officer David Wehner and Chief Operating Officer John Schappert each sold 15 percent of their granted shares. Other sellers included early investors like venture funds Institutional Venture Partners and Union Square Ventures, as well as directors Owen Van Natta, a former Myspace CEO, and Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn.

All told, they raked in about $515.6 million. Those involved agreed to a longer lock-up period for the remainder of their shares, according to SEC filings. And current employees at the time of the offering were released from their lock-up at the end of April, a month earlier than the date originally set. But when top executives with "more information in the company" are selling stock, said Ye Cai, a professor of finance at Santa Clara University, "that's sending a bad signal to the market that the stock is overvalued."

On Wall Street, some still see potential in the business.

"The stock's been a disaster," said Colin Sebastian, an Internet entertainment analyst at Robert W. Baird. "There's been so much negativity in the stock related to insider sales, the lock-up sales, Facebook's IPO and risks from mobile devices that it seemed a little overdone." "But over the intermediate term we see potential growth."

On Thursday, Zynga launched a new mobile title, "Zombie Swipeout." The company is also betting heavily on casino games like Bingo and Poker and hopes to introduce real-cash gambling, which could prove enormously profitable but remains a distant prospect with lots of regulatory hurdles in the United States. And then there's Project Z, the gaming platform Zynga is working on as a way to wean itself from Facebook. In recent months, the company has nabbed partnerships with major game developers like Konami to produce games for the platform.

As Zynga undergoes its transformation, Pincus acknowledged that the road ahead could be bumpy.

"There is for sure an element of the games business that's like a media business," Pincus said. "You see audiences go up and peak and sometimes fall."

Reuters

Sabtu, 28 Juli 2012

E3 2012: Pre E3 video roundup

Next week, the Electronic Entertainment Expo better known as E3 kicks off in full swing and developers have already begun flooding the internet with gameplay/announcement videos. We’ve rounded them all up in one article so you don’t have to search high and low for your favourite gameplay videos.

First up, we have the CG debut trailer for developer MercurySteam’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2. The game is expected to release sometime in 2013 but expect more details at Konami’s press conference.

Next we have gameplay footage from Crystal Dynamics’ highly awaited Tomb Raider reboot. And it is freaking brutal. I’m really digging the dark direction this franchise is heading in. I only hope it doesn’t feel too much like Uncharted which is kind of ironic since Uncharted was obviously inspired by the Tomb Raider franchise to begin with. Tomb Raider releases by the 5th of March 2013 for the Xbox360, PS3 and PC.

Konami also shows off some lightning fast, over-the-top gameplay for their upcoming hack and slash set in the Metal Gear Solid universe, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. And it’s completely badass. Just don’t come in expecting a very conventional MGS experience.

Bethesda unveils some Dishonored gameplay and it looks like a fine blend of Mirror’s Edge and the thief series amidst a very Half-Life inspired universe. We obviously want more.

Square Enix comes under a bit of controversy for their latest Hitman: Absolution trailed dubbed Attack of the Saints. In it, Agent 47 goes to town on a bunch of feminine assassins dressed as nuns. People find this a tad sexist but in Agent 47’s defense, they were not exactly in a friendly mood so his actions were justified.

Oh and we finally come to what I personally hope is the DLC of the year, Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC trailer. Unfortunately it is an Xbox360 exclusive for a month so excuse me while I sit in a corner and cry a bit.

Stay tuned to Tech2 for more E3 2012 coverage next week.

E3 2012: Counter Strike: GO coming this August

Counter Strike: Global Offensive, the (kind of) new Counter Strike game will be available by the 21st of August 2012 for the Xbox360 (Via Xbox Live), PS3 (via PlayStation Network), PC and Mac (Steam will be required for both PC and Mac). All three versions will set you back by around $15.
It's GO time

The game is being developed by Valve along with Hidden Path Entertainment and will feature "new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more."

"Counter-Strike took the gaming industry by surprise when the unlikely MOD became the most played online PC action game in the world almost immediately after its release in August 1999," says Valve's Doug Lombardi. "For the past 12 years, it has continued to be one of the most-played games in the world, headline competitive gaming tournaments and selling over 25 million units worldwide across the franchise. CS: GO promises to expand on CS' award-winning gameplay and deliver it to gamers on the PC as well as the next gen consoles and the Mac."

Jumat, 27 Juli 2012

Performance gap between the Wii U and next gen consoles to be thinner, Nintendo

Nintendo is the only company so far to have unveiled its next generation console, dubbed the Wii U. With it, Nintendo promises that the Wii U won’t miss out on multiplatform games, because the hardware will be much closer to what Sony and Microsoft will have to offer.

"We have not successfully kept the momentum of the Wii for about the last two years because third-party publishers have released a smaller number of game titles and Nintendo has also decreased new games for the platform in preparation for the launch of the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U," said Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, at an annual meeting with shareholders.

Dual screens, double the fun?

Back in 2006 and 2007, it looked as if Nintendo had more or less won this generation’s console war in the beginning. Amongst the constant flaming and fighting on online message boards, no one was willing to accept that Nintendo was on to something good. A whole demographic that was left untouched.

The Wii was designed with someone who games only casually, in mind. The motion controls helped people older and younger than ever before get interested in gaming, instead of being intimidated by the 12-button layout of the modern console controller. And Nintendo made a lot of money.

But the Wii’s hardware’s graphical capabilities couldn’t match that of the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. So the Nintendo ended up alienating the core gamer fanbase. As a result, in the last couple of years, Nintendo has failed to bring in expected profits due to the lack of multiplatform games that were only available on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

Nintendo acknowledges that it cannot guarantee that the Wii U will not end up like the Wii when it comes to multiplatform games.

Microsoft and Sony had tried to recreate Nintendo’s success by making their own motion control devices. Sony came up with the PlayStation Move, and Microsoft came up with the Kinect. Neither companies have managed to recapture the success of Nintendo.

Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia commented, "Some of the developers we spoke to indicated to us that the console will have 50% more processing power compared to the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. This is yet to be confirmed by Nintendo."

Nintendo did little to prove this point at this year’s E3. They had used footage of Xbox 360 and PS3 titles during their press conference.

Mr. Iwata hopes that the Wii U’s innovative GamePad controller with the screen will help the console to be different from what Microsoft or Sony would be doing, and hopes to change the way people think about a gaming console.

"Video game consoles have long been 'parasites' of TV sets at home. In other words, game consoles have used TV sets in a family instead of being equipped with their own screen. However, the Wii U will be the first console free from TV sets, in which you can play the Wii U while someone else is watching TV or you yourself can watch TV while using the Wii U. As you can experience deeper entertainment with both the Wii U GamePad and the TV screen, we would like to enrich it but, at the same time, we hope to furnish it with games you can enjoy only with the Wii U GamePad. [...] Furthermore, the Wii U can change the way you use the TV set in your living room, although the Wii U is a video game system in its nature and this is just an added component," said Satoru Iwata.

Kamis, 26 Juli 2012

E3 2012: Nintendo unveils online strategy for Wii successor

Japan's Nintendo, the world's leading game console maker, unveiled a new online strategy on Monday, saying it will launch a social and content network dubbed Miiverse for its latest version of the Wii - the Wii U. The strategy is similar to that of rivals including Sony Corp and Apple Inc, although analysts raised concerns that Nintendo has been late to embrace online gaming, and may have to work hard to gain ground.

"Nintendo is falling behind its rivals in the online gaming area. The idea of entering the field is good, but the question is whether the company can generate profits," said Hajime Nakajima, a wholesale trader at Iwai Cosmo Securities.

Debuted a year ago, the much anticipated Wii U console has so far received a frosty reception from investors worried that the hardware will struggle to find buyers in a $78.5 billion industry that has become a target for smartphone and tablet PC makers such as Apple.

"Some people may wonder if Wii U is a simple evolution of Wii or something completely different. I think maybe the best answer is both," Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said in a webcast ahead of the E3 videogame industry trade show in Los Angeles where he will unveil the final version of the Wii U.

The addition of Miiverse suggests Nintendo - which started out in 1889 making playing cards in the back streets of Kyoto before gaining prominence as the creator of the "Super Mario" franchise - may be relying on online content delivery to underpin hardware sales through its new Nintendo Network, a similar strategy to Sony and Apple.

An all new Wii coming up...

However, Iwata has been slower than others to take on online social and content delivery platforms, and has a lot of ground to make up to catch up with the millions of subscribers plugged into PlayStation 3's network, iTunes and Microsoft Corp's Xbox.

In his webcast, Iwata showed off a video chat function and functions to allow users to message and share pictures and other content. "Not only can it connect people in a better way within the same living room, but it also connects people (from) living room to living room in a much more compelling way," he said.

The Nintendo boss promised that Miiverse in the future would be made available to subscribers on smartphones and other mobile devices, a first tentative step by Nintendo to offer services on devices built by other companies.

In a more traditional hardware bid to attract consumers, Iwata said the Wii U's tablet touchscreen controller would come with a built-in joystick, called a GamePad, that would double as a TV remote, while a pro controller for the games machine would be available for hardcore gamers.

"All these things sound like they're playing catch-up to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3," Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said after Iwata's webcast.

Nintendo's latest console will be in focus at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), which is expected to draw more than 45,000 analysts, retailers, investors and reporters. Nintendo may disclose the price and launch date of the Wii U at the event.

Nintendo may have to sell the new console for as much as $350 (19,437) to break even, reckons Nanako Imazu, an analyst for CLSA in Tokyo. That's $100 more than it charged for the Wii in 2006 and would be more expensive than both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, which can be picked up for less than $300 (16,660).

Nintendo shares dropped by as much as 3.2 percent early on Monday - to their lowest since November 2003 - in a broader TOPIX index down more than 2 percent. After revealing the Wii U a year ago, Nintendo stock has more than halved, and is currently well below its level when the Wii was first launched in 2006.

"The market has begun to discount the possibility that the situation is going to get worse after this year's E3," Mizuho Securities analyst Takeshi Koyama said before Iwata's broadcast.

Nintendo, which last year launched the 3DS handheld games machine, reported a first-ever operating loss, of 37.3 billion yen ($477 million), in the year to end-March - a reverse that Iwata in April admitted was under par for Nintendo.

Speaking in the pre-recorded webcast on Monday, Iwata, standing alone in front of a brown wall decorated only with a small picture of Japanese calligraphy "dokuso", which translates as originality or initiative, was more upbeat.

"Even with no one else in the room, you won't feel alone," he said.

Reuters

Diablo III players may be getting banned for playing on Linux

There has been a huge outcry against Blizzard this past week as some users are complaining on the battle.net forums about being banned from their account for playing Diablo III on Linux. Players who launched the game on the Windows emulator, Wine, started the discussions in the Wine forums about abrupt account bans. This has created a huge controversy where people are shunning and boycotting Blizzard because some users supposedly got banned from the game for playing it from their Linux systems.

Players reported that Blizzard’s customer care were of little help in trying to get their account issues resolved, while other customer service representatives assured players that running the unmodified game client on Linux is perfectly alright.

Stirring up controversy

It didn’t take long for Blizzard's Community Manager, Bashiok, to weigh in on the issue. He insisted that players were not banned for playing on Linux and using Wine. “We’ve extensively tested for false positive situations, including replicating system setups for those who have posted claiming they were banned unfairly. We’ve not found any situations that could produce a false positive. However, we have found that the circumstances for which they were banned were clear and accurate, and we are extremely confident in our findings. Playing the game on Linux, although not officially supported, will not get you banned—cheating will.”

Shortly after the debacle, a Blizzard representative said that claims of Wine leading to Diablo III account bans are “not true”. Ars Technica reported the representative as saying, “Playing the game on Linux (although not officially supported) and/or using Wine will not result in being banned, but cheating will. We’ve extensively tested various scenarios related to this situation, including replicating system setups for those who have posted claiming they were banned unfairly, and have not found any situations where players were banned solely for using Linux or Wine.”

This is just one in the long list of controversies surrounding Blizzard and Diablo III. Long before the game came out, Blizzard made the unpopular decision to necessitate a constant Internet connection to play the game - even when in single player mode. The still controversial Real Money Auction House is theorized to be one of the main reasons for the 'always online' requirement that has even been criticized by other game developers.

To be on the safe side, playing on a Windows installation is recommended.

Rabu, 25 Juli 2012

Diablo III players may be getting banned for playing on Linux

Stirring up controversy

To be on the safe side, playing on a Windows installation is recommended.

E3 2012: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim gets Dawnguard DLC trailer

To say I’m excited about Skyrim’s DLC is an understatement. Having clocked nearly 150 hours into that game, I can safely say, I really do like that game. It’s only natural I felt all warm and fuzzy when Bethesda announced the first batch of DLC for that game. Now that feeling grows fuzzier and warmer as we have a brand new trailer outlining some of the content that the Dawnguard DLC will bring to the table.

It seems the DLC will allow players to actually play as blood thirsty vampires or their hunters, the Wolfpa… I mean the Dawnguard. Like all Bethesda DLC, expect this DLC to add a significant amount of content to Skyrim. Unfortunately it’s an Xbox360 exclusive and is only dated for that platform. Expect the PS and PS3 versions to hit nearly a month later. We should hopefully get some more footage and a concrete release date at E3 2012.

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I wrote an opinion piece on how Surface for Windows 8 Pro wasn’t going to do too well a few days a...

MORE OPINIONS

Leaked Images, Availability, Pricing,
Specs, Pre-order

Selasa, 24 Juli 2012

Multiplayer games for your smartphone

Playing games on your mobile phone can get extremely addictive - we all know how wrapped up we got in the classic snake game on the old Nokia 3310 handsets. Brands started taking portable gaming a bit more seriously when they started launching mobile phones, and in came the Nokia N-Gage and games such as Pandemonium. This game became one of the first multiplayer games to be available for mobile phones. Since technology has evolved, smartphone technology has improved greatly and nowadays, smartphones can handle pretty heavy graphics as well, allowing one to play games that are almost on par with portable handheld gaming consoles, such as the PSP.

Gaming on handhelds is extremely addictive, but what can be a bit more fun than that? Well, having your friends join in on the fun in multiplayer games. To get you started, we have combined a list of some interesting games that you and your friends can enjoy.

Racing
Asphalt 7: Heat - iOS - $0.99, Android (Coming Soon)
One of the most highly anticipated racing games of 2012, Asphalt 7: Heat recently maneuvered its way on to the iTunes App Store. Building up on the huge success of Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, this year’s racing game from Gameloft comes with 60 different cars from the world’s best manufacturers, such as Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, to name a few. Gameloft have taken several measures to improve the multiplayer gameplay as well, giving you the option to race against 5 of your friends locally using Wi-Fi or online. If you feel constricted by the size of your screen, then this racing game can also be viewed on an HDTV by streaming via AirPlay. If your friends are not into racing games, then worry not as the matchmaking system within the game will pit you against online opponents across the world.

Asphalt 7: Heat

Real Racing 2 - iOS - $0.99, Android- Free
This is one of the most exciting racing games to have graced smartphones. It is available for all iOS devices, which include a special HD version made for the iPad. What comes as better news is that Real Racing 2 is also available for Android devices at zero price for a test drive. If Windows Phone users are feeling left out of the action, then fear not as Real Racing 2 will be available for your handset as part of a collaboration between Nokia and Electronic Arts. This game features 30 licensed vehicles from manufacturers, such as BMW and Chevrolet, a great career mode that spans across 15 locations.

Action
Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 - iOS - $4.99
Capcom has a long list of titles available for smartphones and with this game, the developers have brought the thrill of this arcade game to the small screen. It is an arguable fact that this is one of the best fighting games of all times and Capcom have now brought a full-featured port to the iOS platform. The roster of the game is pretty intense, featuring characters from both Marvel and Capcom. For multiplayer gameplay, you can connect with other iPhone users via Bluetooth and fight against each other.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

Street Fighter IV Volt - iOS - $0.99
This is one of the most popular games of all times, so much so that this game has reached legendary status. Capcom have released an iOS version of the game and though it features a simple combo move system, it does have a lot of aspects of the console version thrown in. This game now comes with a Battle Network feature, where you can team up with your friends and enter the tournaments in the game on Battle Network. Another great feature for multiplayer gaming is Wi-Fi match and as for the characters, there are a total of 22 fighters to choose from.

Senin, 23 Juli 2012

Sony Entertainment acquires Gaikai for $380 million, cloud gaming coming soon?

Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) on June 30 will acquire Gaikai Inc., a popular interactive cloud-based gaming company, for approximately USD 380 million. Through the acquisition, SCE will establish a new cloud service, ensuring that it continues to provide users with truly innovative and immersive interactive entertainment experiences.

"By combining Gaikai's resources, including its technological strength and engineering talent, with SCE's extensive game platform knowledge and experience, SCE will provide users with unparalleled cloud entertainment experiences," said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "SCE will deliver a world-class cloud-streaming service that allows users to enjoy a broad array of content - ranging from immersive core games with rich graphics to casual content - anytime, anywhere on a variety of Internet-connected devices."

Sony to bring cloud gaming services...

"SCE has built an incredible brand with PlayStation and has earned the respect of countless millions of gamers worldwide," said David Perry, CEO of Gaikai Inc. "We're honored to be able to help SCE rapidly harness the power of the interactive cloud and to continue to grow their ecosystem, to empower developers with new capabilities, to dramatically improve the reach of exciting content and to bring breathtaking new experiences to users worldwide."

Established in 2008 and headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, Gaikai has developed the highest quality, fastest interactive cloud-streaming platform in the world. The platform enables streaming of quality games to a wide variety of devices via the Internet. With this acquisition, Sony Computer Entertainment will establish a cloud service and expand its network business by taking full advantage of Gaikai's revolutionary technology and infrastructure, including data centers servicing dozens of countries and key partners around the world. The transaction is subject to certain regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

Sony Computer Entertainment has also stated that it will continue to aggressively expand through the introduction of innovative technologies and the delivery of amazing experiences. It is worth mentioning that Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. has been one of the most popular home entertainment brands since the company launched the famed PlayStation in 1994. They further expanded their arsenal with the PS2, the PS3 and the handheld PSP, which now allows users to play 3D games as well. SCE also delivers the PlayStation experience to open operating systems through PlayStationMobile, a cross device platform. Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, SCE, along with its affiliated companies Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC., and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd., and its division companies, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan and Sony Computer Entertainment Asia, develops, publishes, markets and distributes hardware and software. The company also manages third party licensing programs for these platforms in its respective markets worldwide.

With the acquisition of Gaikai, Sony may embrace a different parallel in gaming and if anything, the future of gaming is only getting more exciting.

Minggu, 22 Juli 2012

Sony Entertainment acquires Gaikai for $380 million, cloud gaming coming soon?

Sony to bring cloud gaming services...

With the acquisition of Gaikai, Sony may embrace a different parallel in gaming and if anything, the future of gaming is only getting more exciting.

Sabtu, 21 Juli 2012

Microsoft acquires rights to Xbox8.us and Xbox8.org

Rumours of the next iteration of the Xbox are running wild with news of Microsoft receiving rights for www.xbox8.us and www.xbox8.org yesterday. The URLs simply lead to the page that was set up before Microsoft received the rights. Speculation began when Fusible reported that Microsoft received the rights for the domains from a Chinese cybersquatter through the National Arbritation Forum which handles International domain disputes. Microsoft has also received rights to the URLs XboxPhone.com, XboxTablet.com, XboxLiveTV.com, and XboxCompanion.com. Interestingly, Microsoft has yet to go after the guy who owns Xbox8.com.

Speculation has been running wild since last year’s E3 about Microsoft’s next console, with some claiming it would be called the Xbox720 or Durango. It seems that the new Xbox could either be called the Xbox 8, or the far more interesting Xbox Infinity, though this is again, speculation. Even folks at Twitter are going crazy, wondering what Xbox 8 could mean. It could also be a drive to link the next Xbox to their upcoming OS Windows 8, which uses the Metro UI that Microsoft debuted on their phone OS Windows Phone 7.

Microsoft has been mostly quiet on the topic of the URLs. When asked by Kotaku, a spokesperson replied "Microsoft often acquires various domain names as part of its ongoing business strategy, but beyond that we have no comment."

The next Xbox? (Mock Image)

The first Xbox was released in 2001 as Microsoft’s entry into the gaming console world. It was then a competitor to Sony’s Playstation 2, Sega’s Dreamcast, and Nintendo’s Gamecube. The year 2002 saw the launch of the Xbox’s online service, dubbed Xbox Live. The console became massively popular with the release of the first Halo game made by Bungie. The system, while not being able to beat the Playstation 2 in sales, was able to outsell Nintendo’s Gamecube by a few million, worldwide. The Xbox 360 was unveiled at the end of the sixth console generation, in 2005, competing with the then announced Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. The console sold out completely on release everywhere except Japan, where the console struggled to gain popularity.

Speculation about the next generation of consoles is running wild owing to the amount of time this generation has lasted; this has been the longest console cycle ever, lasting seven years so far. Microsoft has stated with the release of the Xbox 360 S that they believe that the Xbox 360 is still in the middle of its life-cycle and expect it to last into at least 2015. On the other end, Sony has yet to divulge any information about its next console, which would compete with the rumored Xbox 8 and the Nintendo Wii U, which is the only console that has been announced for the next generation.

Another rumour that has surfaced on the Internet is that the next consoles from Sony and Microsoft would require the user to be always online in an effort to prevent piracy and sale of second-hand games.

Microsoft must be enjoying the free publicity they’re getting thanks to the rumour mills, for a console that hasn’t even been announced yet.

Microsoft acquires rights to Xbox8.us and Xbox8.org

The next Xbox? (Mock Image)

Microsoft must be enjoying the free publicity they’re getting thanks to the rumour mills, for a console that hasn’t even been announced yet.

Jumat, 20 Juli 2012

E3 2012: Star Wars 1313 Announced

After burning their hands with a Kinect game, LucasArts is back on track developing games people will actually care about. Today they unveiled Star Wars 1313, a third person, cover based shooter that’s apparently a more "mature" take on the family friendly Stars Wars universe. Players will step into the boots of an unnamed bounty hunter and explore "the depths of the Coruscant underworld". Since I have no knowledge about the Stars Wars universe, I have absolutely no clue what the Coruscant underworld is but it does sound sinister.

"We’re excited to share one of the projects LucasArts has been hard at work developing," said Paul Meegan, President, LucasArts. "Star Wars 1313 dives into a part of the Star Wars mythos that we’ve always known existed, but never had a chance to visit. We are committed to bringing the best gameplay experience and visual fidelity to life and I truly believe the work we are showcasing at E3 will speak for itself."

As he says, expect more at E3 2012.

Kamis, 19 Juli 2012

Nintendo's new Wii fires up two-screen game debate

Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo touted features at the industry's biggest annual gathering this week that let gamers employ a separate display in tandem with their TVs. Publishers like Ubisoft are designing games that will make use of this second screen - like a companion display you can glance at while the main action proceeds on your TV.

The videogame industry is looking for ways to hold fickle gamers' interest as its base is increasingly drawn toward more casual games on the Internet or on mobile devices such as Apple Inc's iPad.

The jury is still out on whether the adoption of a second screen is enough to jumpstart a $78.5 billion videogame industry that saw U.S. hardware sales fall more than 30 percent in April, the latest reported month, according to NPD Research.

Nintendo, whose Wii U was the big unveil of the E3 expo, hopes the new "GamePad" controller with its own 6.2-inch touchscreen will be the differentiator against the Xbox and PlayStation. The Wii U represents the only significant new console until at least 2013 when Microsoft or Sony are expected to unveil new hardware.

It's the Japanese console maker - which sent waves through the industry with the then-groundbreaking, motion-controlled Wii in 2006 - that may have the most at stake, as it tries to claw its way back up to the pinnacle while stemming heavy losses.

The supplementary screen concept had not been talk of E3 until this year. Using two screens to play a game is nothing new as PC gamers have been using an extra screen or two to chat and strategize for at least a decade.

Dual screens, double the fun?

Many remain skeptical. Strauss Zelnick, Chief Executive of Take Two Interactive, the publishers of the blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto" titles, said a second screen will not be a game changer because people like to be immersed, not distracted.

"It's hard for you to imagine pulling your eyes away from the core screen to another screen and not missing something along the way," Zelnick said in an interview.

But all agree: ultimately the gamers will decide.

"You don't really get game consoles until you actually touch it," Nintendo's global president Satoru Iwata said. "People are really going to 'get' the (Wii U) when they actually use it."

Nintendo argues that a second screen offers so-called asymmetrical game play, meaning several players can play the same game in different ways in the same room. The company envisions a scenario where an avid gamer in a household uses the more advanced tablet controller to play a game with family members who might be novices and holding Wii remotes.

"It enables players of different abilities to play the same game and still have a enjoyable experience," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing.

Secondary screens can display anything from weapons or items collected into a game to maps that help players navigate a complicated in-game universe. Console makers appear to be taking a cue from the mobile industry, where gaming has grown faster on tablets and smart phones than in the dedicated gaming market.

Taking a page from Nintendo, Microsoft unveiled an app called "SmartGlass" on Monday that lets gamers turn their tablets or phones into screens that can be used in Xbox games. Microsoft showed an example of a gamer drawing a football play on a screen in Electronic Arts' "Madden NFL" game without an opponent seeing it.

And Sony announced new content for its "Little Big Planet" adventure kids' game where its handheld Vita can be used as an additional screen in conjunction with the PlayStation 3. Jack Tretton, the executive who runs PlayStation in the United States, says Sony will offer consumers the option of having some games on a second screen, but won't force consumers to adopt it.

"We're not going to go into exclusive second-screen gaming. It's going to be an adjunct to what we do. It's a similar approach we had to motion gaming," Tretton said in an interview.

In the Warner Bros Wii U Batman game, showed off this week, the screen was used to scan a crime scene for evidence, for example. The screen can work independently, so one family member can watch TV while another plays a game with the controller.

Some game makers are throwing their support behind dual-screen action, with at least 23 games so far in development for the Wii U, according to Nintendo. Ubisoft is making eight games for the Wii U incorporating the screen: like Zombie U, where players can send out zombie hoards using Nintendo's GamePad.

But the industry's biggest players remain cautious, meaning franchises such as "Grand Theft Auto" and "Call of Duty" will watch from the sidelines for now.

And without the right games employing the screens, the technology may be a tough sell, according to Roy Bahat, the president of the video game website IGN.

"Ultimately what will make the two screens work or not is if somebody creates an incredible game. Without that, it is meaningless," Bahat said.

Eric Hirshberg, the chief executive of Activision Publishing, the unit of Activision Blizzard that oversees the most successful shooter franchise globally, "Call of Duty," also has doubts.

"I am interested in a second screen as a way to further the immersive experience of the game on the main screen, not a way to distract me from it or give me irrelevant additional information," Hirshberg said.

It's a "game enhancer and not a game changer."

Rabu, 18 Juli 2012

E3 2012: New Gears of War incoming

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

Zynga to focus on developers to help create more games

Zynga Inc unveiled a social network for gamers dubbed "Zynga with Friends" on Tuesday, hoping to wean itself from a longstanding, symbiotic relationship with Facebook Inc that has shaped two of Silicon Valley's closely watched Internet companies. The game publisher, which has been under pressure to reverse a steep slide in stock price in recent months, said its new network will pair gamers with opponents and make features like player profiles, an activity stream and chat available for all users, regardless of whether they play Zynga games on mobile devices or on desktop computers.

Zynga with Friends is "one network, one unified experience, and one social lobby that will for the first time connect all of our players, no matter where they're playing," Manuel Bronstein, a senior Zynga executive, told reporters at a press event in the company's headquarters in San Francisco. "The new social features and services are designed for the sole purpose of bringing more people to play together," Bronstein said.

Zynga will also provide programming tools to help third-party developers publish online and mobile games based on its own software, executives said, in order to foster a Zynga "ecosystem" that will expand its slate of titles beyond mainstays such as "Farmville" and "Zynga Poker."

Still, Zynga shares closed nearly 5 percent lower on Tuesday as investors saw little in the announcement - which included the planned social network, as well as a bevy of new game titles - to drive strong long-term growth.

The company announced "FarmVille 2," a sequel to its megahit resource management title, as well as "Matching with Friends," an addition to a suite of smartphone games that includes the popular "Words with Friends."

"One of the worries is that the whole idea of social gaming seems to be waning somewhat," said Paul Verna, a gaming analyst at eMarketer. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of growth left, and the idea of unveiling another Ville game or FarmVille 2 - I don't get the sense that's very exciting to the financial investors."

Zynga's moves, while long expected, have stirred speculation around the future of its cozy partnership with Facebook, a company that owed 15 percent of its first quarter revenue to fees from Zynga. The two companies also confirmed recently that Facebook has begun showing ads from its inventory inside Zynga games, which are played by some 290 million people.

Making developers happy

Meanwhile, Facebook's reach of close to 1 billion users has helped distribute Zynga's games and propel the publisher to a dominant position in the social gaming industry, but analysts have warned that Zynga needs to seek greater independence to sustain growth, especially as Facebook's expansion inevitably slows.

Colin Sebastian, an analyst at R. W. Baird, said the Zynga with Friends network "is a natural step in the right direction as they leverage their technology infrastructure and user base. On one hand it might help them become less dependent on Facebook, but from a practical perspective they will continue to remain dependent on Facebook for quite some time."

Asked to comment, Facebook issued a statement that betrayed no concern about Zynga's announcement. "It's exciting to see Zynga continue to build with Facebook across web and mobile platforms."

Responding to questions from reporters on Tuesday, Zynga executives took pains to stress that the expansion of its own social network did not threaten its existing relationship with Facebook.

"We've had a longstanding agreement with Facebook that we would do these kinds of things," said Reed Shaffner, Zynga's director of product. "In no way are we trying to use that to say you have to play on this platform."

"The idea is that we'll help you find the best gaming friends anywhere you play," he added.

Executives said the platform could potentially have as many as 290 million users with some 2.8 billion daily social interactions once it is rolled out, although a launch date was not specified.

Zynga acknowledged on Tuesday that it is also trying to boost mobile usage, targeting a small but faster-growing wireless device gaming market that is quickly becoming a crucial battleground for so-called casual or social gaming.

To bolster its mobile offerings, Zynga purchased New York-based game developer OMGPOP for $183 million in March. The company said Tuesday it will also team up with Atari SA to develop games, but did not elaborate.

Zynga executives said they will provide developers a set of "application programming interfaces" - APIs - to make it easier for them to craft games using Zynga's software. "We're opening our doors today and opening Zynga Partners for Mobile. We are inviting developers from all over the world to come and join our network," said David Ko, chief mobile officer.

Zynga wants to create an ecosystem with "best-in-class mobile developers and best-in-class mobile games," Ko said.

The company also announced new titles including ChefVille, a kitchen management game, and The Ville, a game resembling "The Sims" that allows users to build homes and dress their avatars to interact and pursue romantic relationships with other users.

Even so, analysts said Zynga, facing mounting scrutiny from investors, may need to look beyond its familiar repertoire to attract new gamers and keep existing ones hooked.

"One area where they may have disappointed people is, they are not showing any games in development that target a more core gamer, or so-called mid-core gamer," said Sebastian, the Baird analyst. "That's something where we've seen a lot of growth for Facebook, and that's potentially a missed opportunity for Zynga."

Reuters

Selasa, 17 Juli 2012

Legend John Carmack says PS4 and Xbox720 won't be great

John Carmack is one those few people who has been into game development for decades. He’s seen the scene evolve and he’s been through the ups and downs of it. He’s best known for being the co-founder of id Software, the house that made titles, such as Doom and Quake and some of the sequels over the years. The existing gaming consoles, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 are a few years old now and like all gaming enthusiasts and developers, John Carmack is looking to the future. The PlayStation and the Xbox 720 as they are being called, are, we assume the topics of interest for many. Being one of the most important people in the game industry, John Carmack has his thoughts on the future gaming consoles. He was speaking with Gamesindustry about the next generation consoles.

No official date on Doom 4 launch yet

He compared the current PC hardware and compared it to the consoles and he said that PCs were some 10 times as powerful as the consoles. There wasn’t any kind of performance limitation as such. He said that developers and designers could do a decent job at showing it off on the current PC hardware and even the current consoles. He wasn’t at all excited about the next generation of gaming consoles and he added that you could do all that you can do today, but with the quality turned up. He also spoke of Sony and Microsoft and how they’d fight with each other by offering more and more powerful hardware, offering gigaflops and teraflops of performance. He said, all of this wasn’t going to matter. He said, someone like Nintendo was able to outsell the other consoles by bringing a unique gaming experience with the Wii. Nintendo’s Wii, in comparison to the Xbox360 and the PlayStation 3 had a fraction of the performance.

While speaking of a game like Halo, he said that the game currently runs at 30Hz at a resolution of 1280x720. That could be rendered at 1080p with 60fps and then, you’d have run out of power with the next-generation consoles. It would be like a movie and that would be better, no doubt.It would be good, but not like some kind of an all-new experience like it was when gamers first played their first-person shooter title.

John Carmack is also in the news for his recent interest in virtual reality, which he says will change the world of gaming. id Software was recently acquired by Bethesda, which is another major game development company known recently for the very successful RPG, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. id Software is currently working on Doom 4, which they’ve announced, but there isn’t an official date for the launch, just yet. These are also bad times, as id Software went through a layoff earlier this year.

Senin, 16 Juli 2012

Dragon’s Dogma

The current generation of console gaming has seen a lot of criticism being directed Capcom’s way thanks to an acute case of sequelitis; not to mention its newfound dependence on third-tier western studios to create said sequels. There just wasn’t enough quality original content coming out their Japanese development dens, which were once the toast of the videogaming world churning out mega-IPs that shaped the industry.

Take that...

But Capcom, quite evidently, isn’t one to ignore its detractors. Dragon’s Dogma is their second new IP this year (the other being Asura’s Wrath), and it’s also the more ambitious of the two – and that’s saying something given how mental Asura’s Wrath was. Helmed by a super-group of Capcom staff who’ve worked on the likes of Devil May Cry, Resident Evil and Killer7 and led by experienced hands such as Hideaki Itsuno and Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Dragon’s Dogma was clearly a project that received a huge internal push.

You are the Arisen, a commoner whose chance encounter with a dragon ended with the beast stealing your heart and yet leaving you somehow alive (in a manner of speaking) to tell the tale and seek revenge. There’s a lovely prologue that introduces you to the basics of combat and a smattering of lovely pre-rendered cutscenes sprinkled throughout the 60+ hours you’ll be playing the game. But Dragon’s Dogma’s story is unfortunately its weakest feature. It’s standard fantasy fare, which honestly wouldn’t have been bad in itself if the characters had been emoted and voiced better. You’ll have to work to invest yourself in the goings-on, but it’s to the games credit that the story doesn’t detract from the overall gameplay experience.

A game that’s bigger than anything Capcom has ever attempted before, Dragon’s Dogma straddles multiple genres. Under the overarching umbrella of a sprawling action-RPG, it also mixes in elements of classic Hack-and-Slash and Survival Horror to create an experience that’s quite unique and refreshing. The world of Gransys in which the game is set pushes Capcom’s MT Framework engine to the absolute limit, reducing it to bouts of unsightly rendering hiccups, clipping, and pop-up issues thanks to the breadth and scale of both its inhabitants and its geography.

As sizable as the world is, there’s always something new to see thanks to randomly generated boss battles and enemy skirmishes. You’ll never really know when these epic moments will show themselves so you (and your party of three) will have to be on your toes, well stocked up and equipped for the surprise cave troll or Cyclops encounter. A well-deserved pat on the back to Capcom for making the world as filled with colour and spectacular vistas as it is. Even the prerequisite RPG dungeons are well laid out and aren’t a chore to play through.

Lemme at 'em...

There’s also a lovely day-night cycle at play, with nightfall adding more than a cosmetic wrinkle to proceedings. You’ll want to make sure you’re well leveled up and kitted before you venture out in the dark thanks to all the more-powerful-than-usual enemies that are out in force. There are lanterns and such that’ll brighten things up a bit, but dusk is generally when you want to head into town or set up camp in a safe spot with plenty of fires lit around you.

A lot of the variety also comes from varying not just your characters class and vocation, but also from doing the same for your primary pawn and picking the right secondary pawns to travel with you – pawns being hirable emotionless humanoids from the rift dimension that are at your beck and call. The game also lets you edit your own physical characteristics as well as those of your primary pawn. While Dragon’s Dogma lacks traditional multiplayer, the pawn system lets you hire pawns created by other players for a fee.

Minggu, 15 Juli 2012

Battlefield 3 Premium hands-on

Following Call of Duty Elite, Activision's paid service that offers players access to exclusive in-game content, EA has launched its own paid service for Battlefield 3 - Battlefield Premium. This service offers players exclusive in-game content, certain perks, as well as all the DLC (Downloadable Content) DICE are about to churn out for Battlefield 3. This DLC will set you back by Rs.2,700, which is ironically far more than what you pay for the base game (at least for the PC version). The price was nearly half at launch (roughly Rs.1,500, if my memory serves me correctly), but EA have bumped it up after certain enterprising people the world over started using loopholes to grab it at that price. With the new price, Premium has quickly gone from being a must-buy to ‘buy-only-if-hardcore-Battlefield 3-player’.

Your new content

The meat of Battlefield 3 Premium lies in the actual playable content which comprises of five map packs and a slew of new weapons. These five map packs include Back to Karkand; so even if you own it (when you purchased the limited edition of Battlefield 3), it’s still shoved down your throat with Premium. And you’re paying for it, which kind of sucks. The other map packs included in Premium such as Close Quarters, Armored Kill, Aftermath and End Game will be released at regular intervals across the year. Purchasing Premium will grant you early access to these packs across all platforms.

New weapons will be included in every map pack but you have to complete certain Assignments to unlock them. These could include anything from racking up 10 knife kills to blowing 20 enemies up with an underslung grenade launcher. I personally feel working towards unlocking these weapons is far better than just handing them to players on a platter. Of course, if you’re paying for it, certain players may not like the fact that they have to jump through loopholes to procure them.

New assignments

Besides map packs and weapons, Premium' contents are really not going to change your life. As of now, their Video section features one video with Close Quarters’ lead designer, Niklas Fegraeus talking about the four new maps - Ziba Tower, Operation 925, Donya Fortress and Scrap Metal. He lays down a few tips along the way, but trust me, nothing can prepare you for the chaos and confusion that ensues. It’s something you just have to dive right into and experience first-hand. Premium members are awarded Queue Priority, which means they’re given preference over non-Premium members when it comes to joining servers. I personally find this rather obnoxious on DICE’s part because non-Premium members have bought the game too; why penalize them like this?

As a premium member, you can also partake in certain Double XP events that allow you to rack up points a bit faster than normal. This is good news for newcomers who wish to rank up faster so they can quickly experience newer weapons, but for vets who’ve unlocked everything, it’s pretty redundant. Other than that, there’s also a bunch of superficial stuff in there like carbon fiber dogtags, a carbon fiber print for your profile page, new camouflage for certain weapons, and the ability to reset your statistics. Like I said, not really earth-shattering material.

Your very own BF3 calendar

As of now, Battlefield 3 Premium is kind of a gamble because no one really knows how the map packs will turn out to be. Plus, if Back to Karkand is any indication, people have the tendency to stick to base maps, and shelling out Rs. 2,700 on maps that may soon be deserted may not seem like a viable option. What's more, as of today, Premium doesn’t really offer anything that that warrants an immediate purchase. Still, if you have absolute faith in DICE and are planning on playing Battlefield 3 for a long time, Premium makes sense because you’ll end paying nearly the same if you decide to buy all map packs individually. On the other hand, if you’re on the fence, I suggest holding off till the price drops.

Games of June 2012

After being roasted by the heat, we really hope the rain Gods grace us with their presence early this month. But even if they don’t, we have plenty of reasons to stay inside the confines of our rooms thanks to the games releasing in June 2012.

Max Payne 3 (PC)

After waiting for nearly two weeks, PC gamers will finally get to try out Max’s latest adventure. The PC port has been tweaked with better visuals and a better control scheme so it looks like the wait will be well worth it. In the meantime, do head over to our review to see how Max has aged over the years.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (Xbox360 PS3 PC)

If you’ve played any Ghost Recon game in the past you know the drill. You’re an elite terrorist/crime fighting solider who gets the drop on his enemies with some sweet technology, courtesy Uncle Sam. With Future Soldier, the Ghost have now been upgraded to even sweeter technology like the ability to completely turn invisible. The game like the newer Rainbow Six games will play out from a first person perspective, shifting to a third person one as and when you take cover against objects.

Inversion (Xbox360 PS3)

From the guys who brought you the rather enjoyable time manipulating shooter TimeShift comes a new third person, cover based shooter in which you manipulate gravity. Think of the run and gun mechanics from Gears of War, only now you have the ability to alter the environment by literally turning it upside down. You play as one Davis Russel, a cop with a short fuse who along with his neighbour must protect the planet from an unknown force. If taking on a race of technologically advanced enemies sounds like too much for you, enlist your friend in the battle as Inversion supports co-operative play for two players.

The Amazing Spider-Man (Xbox360 PS3 PC)

The Spider-Man games have been in a steady state of decline ever since Spider-Man 2. Now it seems Activision is trying to recreate that magic with yet another open world game based on the new Spider-Man flick. Developed by Beenox Entertainment (same guys behind both Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time), The Amazing Spider-Man will allow players to roam around New York city as the web crawler cleaning up its streets, one block at a time.

Spec Ops: The Line (Xbox360 PS3 PC)

The Spec Ops demo left us feeling rather lukewarm towards this game but that was an old build and developer Yager could still crank out an enjoyable third person cover based shooter set in a post-apocalyptic Dubai. It’s just that with so many games around, it’s hard to root for one that has nothing special going on for it. Let’s hope I’m wrong though because even though gameplay felt generic, the game’s setting felt like a breath of fresh air.

Resistance Burning Skies (PS Vita)

The first FPS on the Vita, Resistance Burning Skies is a brand new story arc taking place in the Resistance universe. Players step into the boots of firefighter Tom Riley who must defeat the bloodthirsty Chimera to save his family. The game will apparently make full use of the Vita’s dual analogue control scheme and will even ship with competitive multiplayer modes.

Lollipop Chainsaw (Xbox360 PS3)

Yet another quirky game from the quirky mind of Suda 51, Lollipop Chainsaw is a third person, hack and slash game where players must fend off a zombie invasion in a high school…as a cheerleader. Oh and they’re helped in this endeavour by the decapitated but fully functional head of their boyfriend. Ok then. I think I’ll let the video do the explaining.

Selasa, 31 Juli 2012

Senin, 30 Juli 2012

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