All Entries Tagged With: "XBOX 360"

New Quantum Theory Screens Are All Sorts of Hot

Tecmo Koei’s upcoming third-person shooter is looking pretty hot, wouldn’t you agree? Check out the screens after the break for a glimpse of the visuals. This has so many things in common with Final Fantasy XIII. I mean, both games are more action-oriented, both games have a sleek, Japanese visual style that I love and both games have a world named “Cocoon”. Now, if only Square-Enix was publishing, right? Okay, back to Quantum Theory. Yeah, it is looking great. Will the story stand up? Only time will tell.

We Get Enslaved… And We Like It.

That’s the best way to describe our experience with Enslaved, the upcoming action adventure title from Namco Bandai. At a recent press event in NYC, our very own Al Zamora had the privilege of chatting it up with Ryan Adza who is the associate producer for the title. Ryan breaks down the story for those of you who aren’t already familiar with it, as well as what to expect when the title lands on store shelves this October. One of the main characters is named “Monkey”, isn’t that enough incentive to give it a look? Check out the full video interview below and witness why you, like us, may enjoy being Enslaved. Enjoy the clip.

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Catering to the Casual Crowd: How MS failed at E3 2010

E3 has always been THE industry event prime for showcasing new hardware, services and of course games. Microsoft is not new to the showcase, remaining strong contenders since the announcement of the original Halo on Xbox in 2001. From the tech demo of Halo 2 in 2003 to the appearance of the first HD Gaming console in 2005. However, it is practically universally agreed that the Microsoft conference at E3 2010 had very little appeal to the fan base that the Xbox has worked so hard to amass. Alienation to some and sacrilege to others, the star of the show was Kinect; a motion control device.

The industry’s current infatuation with motion control gaming is openly seen as a clever (or not so clever) ploy to divert the attention of the “casual” gamer from Nintendo’s very successful Wii console. It has been common knowledge for some time now that both Sony and MS are developing their own approach to motion control gaming, the Move and Kinect respectively. But to take the world’s largest annual industry platform, at which many of gaming’s biggest showcases have occurred, and focus on this single, controversial piece of hardware as the centerpiece has left many fans, myself included, shaking their fist in the air and wondering what the heck happened.

The Fight For Antaloor Continues in Two Worlds II

Shown off at this year’s PAX East, Two Worlds II received quite a favorable impression from those who laid their eyes on it. Published by TopWare Interactive and SouthPeak Games, and developed by Reality Pump, Two Worlds II will be heading in the direction of your Windows PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and MAC on September 14th, 2010 with a North American release.

Two Worlds II is a single-player and multi-player RPG that allows you to venture through the next chapter of the story of Antaloor. Gandohar uses the power of Aziraal that is stuck within Kÿra to disrupt the balance between the elements and take control over the dark powers. With the hero a prisoner inside Gandohar’s castle, he fears saving his sister may not be an option, and then the unexpected happens. The Orcs, who are a race that the hero has always hated so very much, pull off a prison break to free the hero from the grip of Gandohar and lay waste upon the evil that fills Antaloor.

Two quite humorous videos were released by SouthPeak Games showing us what the world of Antaloor is like through the eyes of Gandohar’s right-man, Sordahon. Take a look after the break for the “serious” documentary videos of Sordahon’s journey.

Views: 167

Hit the Field With KontrolFreek’s New TD Freek Adapters

With NCAA 11in full swing and Madden 11 right around the corner, KontrolFreek has announced their newest product, the TD Freek. For those of you who don’t already know about KontrolFreek or their products, here is the rundown. KontrolFreek makes adapters for the control sticks found on Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers. These adapters are genre specific, for example one of their products is called FPS Freek and yes, you guessed it, they help you when you are trying to aim down the scope of your favorite gun. These adapters pop on to the end of the existing control stick and add height and grip that augment the control aspect of your console gaming experience.

So back to the topic at hand KontrolFreek has just announced their most recent adapter. The TD Freek. These are designed to give you pinpoint control when you are dropping back for a pass or trying hit the smallest of gaps that your offensive line has just created. These adapters are much like the others in that they boost the control the player has by adding height and therefore range of motion, the only difference is that these are football themed. So if your a fan of football games and want to be second to none then maybe the TD Freek is just what the doctor ordered. If this sounds like something you would be interested in just click here.

NCAA Football 11 Review (PS3, 360)

We’re in July, so that means two very important things. One, it’s way too hot and sunny outside for any self respecting gamer to leave the comfort of a fan, air conditioner or central air unit. Two, EA Sports has released another edition of their popular collegiate football title with NCAA Football 11. So is it enough to keep you out of the pool and getting comfortable in the couch? The short answer is yes, the long answer is a little more complicated than that. Let’s find out why, shall we?

Considering that for the most part yearly sports titles usually experience only minor graphical bumps, I figured that this review should be focused primarily on gameplay. But before we do get into gameplay mechanics, I would just like to point out one noticeable difference from last year’s game to this year’s version in the graphics department. The change can be found in the transitions, and I’ll explain what I mean.

Last year, one thing you would notice immediately was a drop in frame rate once a play was blown dead. It wasn’t too dramatic, but for someone who is taking in all the audio and visuals, and putting them under a microscope, it was definitely there. With NCAA 11, EA Sports has made that frame rate drop a thing of the past. Now, the transitions have become much cleaner and the game looks as polished as it does when the ball is actually in play.

An Avalanche of Kingdoms of Amalur Media

Electronic Arts announced their new RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning the other day, but we hardly got any media for it. Today we get a smattering of screens and artwork and a quick video trailer. While there is a lot of time between now and when this game is supposed to be released in late 2011, the game looks pretty good. I’m excited to see it develop, especially with the talent that is on board. Hit the jump for the down and dirty video and screens.

An Unlikely Comparison – Mass Effect and Persona 3

As I was playing through Persona 3 Portable recently, something quite interesting dawned on me. I alluded to this in my review, but I’d like to discuss it in more detail and perhaps get a good discussion going around the subject. What I realized was that, in everything that really matters, Persona 3 isn’t so different from Mass Effect. Mass Effect, especially the original, belongs to a sub-genre of RPGs that gamers typically consider to be about as different from Japanese RPGs as you can get, so why am I going and comparing two completely different games within two completely different sub-genres? Think about it a moment, though. Are they really that different in the areas that really matter?

Why do I even bring this up? It is mostly just my convoluted mind playing tricks on me, to be honest. I came up with a crazy thought and, the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wasn’t too far from the truth. I think the disparity between fans of JRPGs and fans of WRPGs calls for a wake-up call. Every time I see a thread on some random Internet forum about one or the other, there are always haters that place their preferred RPG style up on a pedestal like no one can touch it. But, the truth of the matter is, these sub-genres may not be as different from each other as you think, and comparing these two very different yet oh-so-similar games seemed like the right idea to help make people aware of this.

So, open your mind a bit (I know, it’s difficult) and follow me on a journey as I take a look at various aspects of these games. You may be surprised just how similar they are.

New Halo Reach Xbox 360 Design

For all of you die-hard Halo fans out there… This fall, Microsoft will be releasing a limited-edition Xbox 360 console that is themed around Halo: Reach. This newly themed console will be released the same day as the new shooter title, which is September 14th, 2010. It will have the same features that were recently released with the Xbox 360 redesign, from built-in wi-fi to a 250GB hard drive. The new Halo: Reach themed console comes with a new paint job as you can see from the picture above and it also has custom sounds to bring more of the Halo feel to your home. The console comes packaged with two customized controllers and a copy of Halo: Reach. The limited-edition Halo: Reach Xbox 360 console is tailored to give you Halo die hards a special treat for the release of the upcoming game.

Read more for a few more screenshots of the packaged bundle.

Mafia II Demo Is About To Take A Hit Out On YOU!

2K Games announced that they will be releasing a demo for the upcoming epic action crime game, Mafia II, on August 10th, 2010 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC.

Mafia II is set in the 1940’s and 1950’s American urban cityscape of Empire Bay where you will climb the family ladder and prove yourself to the Mafia. The demo for Mafia II will allow players to take part in the “Buzzsaw” level, where players take control of Vito Scaletta and his band of cronies, Joe and Henry, as they are sent out to wax a mobster known as “The Fat Man.”

Mafia II is set for a North American release on August 24th, August 26th in Australia and August 27th internationally.

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More Than One Fable 3 Screen!

I’m impressed, Lionhead! You seem to be in the unfortunate habit of releasing a single lonely screenshot at a time. I’m glad to see you’ve broken from that tradition for ComiCon with these Fable 3 screens. If you’re looking forward to Peter Molyneux’s upcoming third game in the Fable franchise, you may want to check these out. There are a couple interesting new environments showcased here. I especially like the cool steampunk-like vehicle traveling through a cave or something. Lookin’ pretty good! Check ‘em out below.

New Mass Effect 2 DLC Let’s Us Spend More Time with Liara

How can we not refuse? Way to go, Bioware. Making DLC that brings back Liara T’Soni. You could have just left us hanging after our brief encounter with her again in Mass Effect 2, but no…you went and came up with DLC that revolves around her. What were you thinking?! On second thought, I know exactly what they were thinking. Never mind.

Anyway, onto the point! Bioware announced today that another DLC mission will be available for Mass Effect 2 in the coming weeks, titled “Lair of the Shadow Broker”.

HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!

If you haven’t played ME2 yet, stop reading now if you have any inclination of playing it in the future. As we all know, the mysterious Shadow Broker is the means by which Liara managed to obtain Commander Shepherd’s broken body, which subsequently was turned over to Cerberus and reconstructed brick by boring brick (Paramore reference, sorry that song is stuck in my head). When we meet Liara during the course of the events in ME2, she’s still dealing with the fallout of those actions. This new DLC has something to do with helping Liara settle things with this Shadow Broker once and for all.

The spoilers are over, you can open your eyes again.

There is no release date and no detailed information about this mission, but I’m sure that will be forthcoming from Bioware in their own due time. For now, have some screenshots and be happy!