Category Archives: New Games Previews

Nintendo fights for its survival

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Great news for all Nintendo fans! The Japanese gaming giant has taken the decision of releasing the new Wii U by the end of this year. It may come as a surprise to many of you but the stats released by the company earlier this month show a stark drop in its quarterly profits which, as per some of the news reports, is one of the reasons for an early release of Wii U. Nintendo already holds the honour of revolutionising the gaming world with its state of the art technology. Xbox 360, along with many of its accessories, gave Sony’s much popular PS3 a run for its money.

According to several rumours, an early release of Wii U came in context with the ever dropping profits of the company. The release of new consoles is closely linked with the company’s policy to give a boost to its sales. Nintendo’s decision, not surprisingly, has come in the same context where perplexed by the future of consoles, the company is dealing with the fear of gaming consoles becoming a thing of the past. Amongst many its competitors, Nintendo finds itself in direct competition with all the smartphones and tablets, which have grown to become the latest craze.

To fight off the charm that is held by tablets, Nintendo’s new Wii U console is rumoured to feature a hand held controller which is akin to tablets, with a built-in screen. The company which, according to stats, expects a total annual loss of $575 million has decided to go into the battle of its survival with all of its big guns. Although the news regarding its Wii U is only expected to be released at sometime in May this year but according to rumours, Wii U will be twice as powerful as its predecessor. Whatever the future might hold for Nintendo’s Wii U, one thing is for sure that online gaming has kind of erased the need of gaming consoles.

Game treats that will add thrill in Christmas vacations

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During Christmas holidays, people usually get bored due to intense cold and snow outside so they prefer to stay inside. Christmas celebrators can surly rejuvenate their festive time by having newly launched action packed games. Here are some most awaited games to be launched during Christmas time.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Almost all of the gamers must have played call of duty but Modern Warfare 3 is surly a refined and improved game with completely new experience and graphics. It can be played on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Modern Warfare has adopted latest technologies to ensure the highest quality of graphics with in depth detail of everything. The game is quite complex and completely new player will take time to understand full controls. The game is developed after experimenting on real time warfare. The player will be playing role of a soldier fighting infantry fight, driving through dangerous routes, dropping supplies through aircrafts and much more. This is a must play game for every gamer.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Skyrim is the latest installment in the Elder of Scrolls Series. The player is thrown out to fantasy land in northernmost country in the very middle of the earth. The developers have created a superb fantasy land where dragons are flying and other monstrous creature are dwelling. This is a full adventure game which keeps the player alert at all times while fighting with beastly creatures.

Dark Souls

This Christmas no game like Dark Souls is released. This game is full of crumbling clock towers, knights in tarnished armors and ferocious fights. The player is literally spell bound by the game really feels like he have travelled times and now in medieval age where skeletons are patrolling and ice giants are gate keepers. Player has to collect souls of the enemies he kills as a currency and once killed himself all currency is lost. This game really challenges the player and no newbie can easily play this game. To succeed in this game the gamer had to have guts.

All these games will add thrill, adventure in your cold Christmas celebrations and warm you up for next year.

 

Tomb Raider’s attempt at regaining its glory

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Tomb Raider has long been one of the Edios finest arcade games. Many experts attribute the massive popularity of Sony solely to Tomb Raider Series, which single handily lead Sony Playstation to the victory stand amongst all other gaming consoles. Sadly though, the situation changed a decade after the release of the first part.

While the game held its charm for most fans for a long time but a few really disappointed parts prove to be a kill joy even for the most ardent fans. The release of The Dark Angel back in the early 2000s was no less than an excruciating experience for the lovers of the game which completely buried the whole theme of the game. With the release of Legend however, developers were successful in lassoing Lara Croft back to the ruins and out of the corporate buildings, elevators and offices.

Crystal Dynamics was really able to inject ecstasy in the veins of fans of Classic Tomb Raider with the release of Anniversary. The stellar graphics and the too good to be true game play made it an almost addictive adventure. This not only rejuvenated some of its previous glory but also gave the fans some new hopes for the upcoming parts.

But as ill luck would have it, Underworld popped the bubble as it completely failed to live up to the expectations of the fans. The trailers released for the upcoming Tomb Raider seems promising enough and it has been successful in rekindling the fire amongst the stirred fans already. The game is scheduled to be released in the third quarter of 2012 which is a long way but the very idea of seeing a much younger version of Lara Croft, lost and bewildered is enough to keep the gamers hooked.

The question arises here is if the franchise will be able to meet the expectations of the fans and regain its lost glory? We will have to wait and see.

Spotlight on the updated versions of online games for 2011

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Online game players always remain in search of finding new and updated versions of different online games and it is our privilege that we get a chance to review the new versions of these games for 2011. These online games are fun to look at, exclusively interesting to play and much to report about them. Today the online games which we are going to review are massive in appearance and multiplayer games. Let’s start with two of them.

City of Heroes:

City of Heroes is a massive multiplayer game that is in operation since seven years. The developers are enjoying this long term success by continuously adding new contents into it and updating the older version. Its developers unveiled several challenging tasks in it this time to make this game more interesting and attractive for new players as well. The game is updated by step wise challenges in form of “weekly strike target” and developers have added animal body parts in it so that players can enjoy the thrill by being tiger men or bird-headed men. Players will be able to explore high level areas such as the Behavioral Adjustment Facility with multi players ranging from 12 to 24. The game is celebrating its consecutive seventh year of success.

Prius Online:

Another wonderful, free to play with massive multi player game named as Prius online will be available soon for all. This game is formerly known as Anima online and was launched in 2009. It is celebrating its success continuously from two years because it has achieved this status by every time giving something interesting to players. This online game can be distinguished from other online games easily because it is quite colorful and focused on a story and centered around characters rather than other commonly available action games. The main character of this game is a cute girl named Anima along with a massive giant pet having great combat powers. Anima is a sweet character that will join you in the beginning of game and stay along. Anima is not designed with any super combat abilities but the character can do several things on your behalf like gathering crafting resources and picking the loots while you busy in battling with monsters. You will be able to get this game in May 2011.

I feel like this is all for today. We will update you soon with more interesting games, more updated versions and more fun-to-play games soon.

Electronic Arts Shank – Game Review

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It seems that gaming industry hasn’t yet ended its surprises for newer types of games. Risks are always taken for making things more complex; however, EA has reversed the trend by being risky for trying something too simple. EA is about to unleash its latest action game for Xbox users called “Shank”. When we hear of things going more of 3 D, EA is going for a 2D game experiment.

Shank is a fighting game with a comic style background for each fight scenario. The game which has already started receiving applause in demo, is grabbing a lot of attention towards itself. Shank is a single player game with a lot of fighting scenarios. Shank is a side scrolling action game with a story that primarily revolves around a revenge plot netted around Shank. The story also explains in part the reasons for his extreme desire to take revenge. The demo of the game showed a duo version however as mentioned earlier, in the release version of the game it will all be on you to fight through the game single handedly.

Don’t get eluded by the term 2 D. The game has a lot of fight in it for you and you also have a lot of weapon choices to combat your enemy. Stabbing your enemies, shooting them in the head, or killing them in any other way you like can soothe your ravaging nerves. The game looks too simple and cartoon like to you, but there have been special effects added for the death and fight scenes with blood flying all over the screen. An amputated head remains on the screen for some time before it disappears to remind you of what just happened. The game also includes some strip violent scenes which is why it is advised that parent’s have a clear understanding of what they want their children to see before allowing them to play the game.

Civilization V – Game Preview

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Civilization is a turn-based strategic video game with a continuing chain of sequels for its different installments. The game has been built around the same philosophy, it is well known for. The player has to start building a civilization from scratch (pre-historic set of circumstances) to bring it into a modern era on the given game map. The process involves intelligent use of the resources with smart maneuvering of diplomacy, proactive research and appropriate use of the given military might.

The game’s first discussable upgrade has been the introduction of newer game engine on Lua scripting. The maps have also been changed to hexagonal shape from the boring squarer ones. The game is said to support some 18 civilizations such as American, Arabian, Chinese, Persian, Indian, and a whole lot more. The game is anticipated to be available as a DLC as well and so far Babylonia in Nebuchadnezzar II has been offered as a bonus civilization in the Digital Deluxe Edition. It is important to note that each of these 18 civilizations has different set of characteristics. Each one has its own chosen leader to lead the civilization. Every one of these has either one or two of their unique unit’s superiority in one or two aspects over other civilizations. For example, the American civilization will be lead by George Washington. It will have B17 bomber and Minutemen (earlier used in fighting by real America against colonial resistances) as two of its core military strengths though they haven’t been assigned any particularly architectural uniqueness. The unique ability given to the American civilization is the famous manifest destiny from the American past.

The game is also featured with AI. Four of the games levels will be controllable through AI that are; Tactical, Operational, Strategic, and Grand Strategic. The leaders leading the AI effort will have different sets of personalities. Each will have some strengths and weaknesses that would have a slight variation with each new game.

A newer twist has been added to win the game. You will have to complete the Utopia project to claim victory. To reach the Utopia project, you will have to complete a number of six social policy trees to start the project.

The final release date of the game has not yet been confirmed, albeit 2K Games is determined to release the game in September 2010. Current version of the game is for Windows platform, although some are anticipating a Mac OS release as well.

Toy Story 3 – Game Preview

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Toy story movie was the start of the real story. Ever since it came on screen, it proved wrong the notion that animated movies & games are only for the kids. The movie was liked by the kids as well as grown ups. The game has been for quite a long time in making and gamers have been tired of waiting for its release. The release of the game is scheduled on 15th June, 2010. The earlier unveiling of the game revealed the following simple facts about the game.

The game is playable in two modes. One mode replicates that long chase train scene originally shot in the movie. This mode is named The Story mode as it follows the story already revealed. The second mode of playing the game is The Toy Box Mode. The  first mode i.e., The Story Mode does not confine the players to just make the chase successful but you can also explore certain areas in that game mode like Andy’s Room and Sunnyside Daycare (a daycare center).

The second mode to play the game i.e., The Toy Box Mode is set in a totally different environment with many customizable options given to you. The main aim in this mode is to earn as much gold coins as possible and try to purchase toys for populating the different areas in the game. Buying new toys not only helps you advance to higher levels but it also rewards you by giving more rewarding mission with each unlocked or purchased toy as you proceed further up in the game. The newly bought toys will also help you finish these newly unveiled missions, making them a compulsory part of the game.

As the whole game idea revolves around toys, most of the missions are enriched with a lot of prizes. The missions are also very engaging yet easier to accomplish unlike other games. Many might not like this but this reflects on the fun giving nature of the game making it different from the other action games. The missions are also much diversified in their nature from fencing the cows to putting lawless into the jail.

Games like these made earlier, seriously lacked the necessary gadgetry to accompany the gamers. This game however gives you the additional tools you need to complete the game. Like for example your direction guided with the help of a compass. You also have the status updates of the mission and indications of what you need to do more in order to successfully complete the mission. For all fun loving gamers, this game is just for you.

APB (All Points Bulletin) Game Preview

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All Points Bulletin is an upcoming high density action packed multiplayer game that is on its way to release for the Windows OS. The game is based on an urban plot where fighting is the only sport people play. This time, the bigger change is creation of the two sides i.e. the good and the evil. You can become either of the two. Either you can choose to become Enforcer or the Criminal. The Studio producing the game is Realtime World and the creator of the game is the famous David Jones (who also made the original version of Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown).

The game portrays the surroundings of a fictional city called San Paro. The people of San Paro are never at rest and always fighting for what they believe in. Where Criminals are always looking to commit the next big crime and the Enforcers are always on their toes to punish them for their wrong doings.

There are many aspects of the game that make it different from its predecessors. First of all, it is highly interactive and you can even use headset and microphone to communicate with other players. Then, it has a massive 100,000 player’s crowd in each of its worlds. The game is online which makes everything doable on real time basis. The options to choose players and make them look the way you want is really fascinating. You can create any type of player with dozens of options to ensure that no other player looks the same like yours. The game makers also claim the game to be very different in the sense that it won’t work on the old model of “the more you play, the better you rank in the game” philosophy. It will all boil down to the quality of play that you display, which will determine the type of status you achieve during the progression of the game.

The standard price of the game is set to be around $ 50. This will give you 50 hours of play excluding the time that you will spend socializing, wandering, and trading throughout the city. Once you have consumed all your gaming hours, you can buy additional 20 hours of game play for $ 7 or you can choose to pay $ 10 for a 30 day time period. Let’s hope it delivers what it promises to. It would also be interesting to see if gamers compare it with already running less similar versions of this type of games like Red Dead Redemption.

Transformers War for Cybertron – Game Preview

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Getting tired of seeing the transformer movie again and again, you are not alone. Millions of transformer fans are waiting to get their hands on Optimus Prime and company. Well if you are thinking that the game follows the story being already told in the movies, then you better think again. It is a complete make over of everything that you have ever seen. One key thing before we indulge ourselves into the preview is that you can play as the bad guys AKA the Deceptions as well as the Autobots.

This game has been built based on the same philosophy of good against the bad, which is the inherent phenomenon of all action games including Transformers. The game is said to share some of its control mechanism and viewing angle with Gears of War. The game offers all the usual controls in which you can control your bot like you do in ordinary shooting games which include running, jumping, aiming, shooting, and of course fighting. The game maker has tried to make things easier for us so that we are able to control the giant things in a usual manner. Transformation or conversion from one form to other is also very easy and you don’t have to worry about anything. Just a click of the mouse will make things happen. When playing transformers you should remember that while transformation from one form into another, you can move in between. This gives you an additional advantage to keep moving while you are being fired at from all the sides. A key feature added to the bots is that we can apply our turbo charger to the bots as well. When we do so, this helps us move faster then in the usual routine, but can affect our handling ability a bit. When you are completely immersed in the game, don’t forget to use the built-in abilities of each of the transformers. These abilities give your bot a new set of abilities to handle the situation according to its own strength. However, by reading these, don’t fall into any false impression regarding the level of difficult because who knows what surprises it has packed for all of us.

Autobots get ready!

EA vs. the used gaming industry

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Ever since I was a child, I always thought of playing video games. When I grew up I started thinking of saving money on games. As the second hand games exchange industry took shape, it was really a delightful event for my pocket. As the trends for used games started setting in, things changed for good and people with lesser money could wait to get the game they wanted to play for less. A recent move by EA has seriously threatened the existence of used games industry. It isn’t only bad for the game exchanges throughout the world but it is also very threatening for the gamers.

In the earlier business models the game makers would only get the money once they had sold the games. Whatever happened in the secondary market of these games wasn’t much of their ball game. Things have started to change as the game makers want more out of their sale. The problem lies in the online games. Earlier online games were free to access. The trend has moved into a different direction now, where you have to pay for the game to access it online. Yes, additional payment to access the game through a code that will be given to you for accessing the game makers’ server to play the game online. The move has already started to make an impact as Mass Effect 2 requires the owners of the games to pay in order to access the game online. EA has recently declared its intention to include a code required for all its newly released games after a month for each of which you will need a code to access them. But that doesn’t here. If you have purchased a copy that was already owned someone else and you want to access online using that copy, you will have to pay 10 dollars for that.

The SVP of EA sports further illustrated, “Every game will come with a game-specific, one-time use registration code with each unit sold new at retail. With your Online Pass, you’ll have access to multiplayer online play, group features like online dynasty and leagues, user created content, and bonus downloadable content for your game including, for example, a new driver in Tiger.”

The reason that has been put forth by EA in EA’s words is, “We want to reserve EA Sports online services for people who pay EA to access them.”

Well some might say that what’s the big deal? Think beyond the obvious. In the past business models that have been introduced by one company and if lucrative as well, are quickly adopted by the other companies. So be prepared for more surprises. Though its yet unclear how will the gamers react to that.