Fri, 14 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Game news

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From COD: Black Ops Dedicated Servers to Nintendo DS Sales – News Roundup Friday 14th May

Call of Duty: Black Ops to get dedicated servers

From COD: Black Ops Dedicated Servers to Nintendo DS Sales News Roundup Friday 14th May

In an interview with PC Zone, studio head Mark Lamia has confirmed that Treyarch will be providing dedicated servers for Call of Duty: Black Ops. Unlike COD predecessors Infinity Ward, who caused uproar after deciding  to replace the popular feature with a console-like matchmaking system for PC versions of Modern Warfare 2, Treyarch insist they have nothing but love for dedicated servers. ‘I think they’re excellent’ said Lamia ‘I don’t see any reason not to see them unless… well, I just don’t see any reason not to.’

Acknowledging the importance which the PC gaming community places on dedicated servers (as they allow players greater freedom to customize and create maps, add new weapons and create new game types) Lamia added, ‘It seems people like them and we’re excited about what we’re doing right now. We do work very hard to reconcile the desire to manipulate and modify those dedicated servers with offering them the persistent experience and benefits that the console system provides.’

‘We’re working very hard to marry those two things, so people can run dedicated servers and also participate in the communal experience the console players get to have, given they’re all on first-party servers.’ The full interview can be found in issue 221 Of PC Zone which also features an eight page section dedicated to Treyarch’s forthcoming COD: Black Ops. [Techtree]

April Industry Decline Amongst worst on record

From COD: Black Ops Dedicated Servers to Nintendo DS Sales News Roundup Friday 14th May

According to figures released by the NPD Group, April 2010 has seen one of the worst declines in US videogame sales in the entire history of the industry. Sales totalled $766.2; a figure which reveals a 26% drop compared to the previous year in which overall revenue reached $1.03 billion. Analyst Anita Frazier described it as the worst decline since ‘July 2009’ and the forth worst on record.

She did go on to cite a possible explanation for the drop: ‘Some of the decline is explained by the shift of Easter timing. In April ‘09, consumers attributed $55 million of industry sales to Easter as a purchase occasion, which would account for about 21% of the decline from last year since Easter purchasing happened in March this year.’ Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have all released statements saying they are remaining positive in spite of the down-turn. [1up]

Nintendo DS to become best selling console of all time

From COD: Black Ops Dedicated Servers to Nintendo DS Sales News Roundup Friday 14th May

Nintendo are remaining particularly defiant in the wake of the April slump – and with good reason. Sales of Nintendo Wii and DS consoles are continuing to consistently outsell the competition while the DS is expected to grab the title of ‘Best Selling Console of All Time’ by the end of this year. Despite the fact that sales are slowing, 440,800 DS consoles were sold in the US throughout April which sent Nintendo’s handheld to the top of the hardware charts. To date, Nintendo have now sold 129 million units since the release of the DS back in 2004. [techradar]

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Thu, 13 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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Flotilla £3.95 (£3.41 via paypal) @ Gamersgate.com [PC Games]

Flotilla £3.95 (£3.41 via paypal) @ Gamersgate.com [PC Games]Whilst my first two Flotilla adventures ended in my inglorious defeat at the hands of psychotic penguin bandits, the third saw my last ship blown to dust by a pair of vengeful Toucans. The fact that I’d already had them murdered, robbed and blown out the airlock during a previous encounter didn’t seem to matter much.

But while Flotilla’s storyline is more hilariously eccentric than it is consistent, the 3D space battles do provide a surprising amount of strategic depth. And if you enjoy quirky casual game titles which offer good value for money, Flotilla is currently up for £3.95 (£3.41 via paypal) from Gamersgate. This is a great price considering the next best offer comes in more than double from Steam.

The gameplay of Flotilla blends an interactive storyline with simultaneous-turn-based-strategy space battles. The former consists of player selecting destinations for their fleet and then making a decision based on whatever scenario they happen to find. These can vary from things like ‘You have just gate crashed a penguin bandit’s family reunion’, do you ‘a) Pay a toll’ or ‘b) Attack!’. Or ‘You’re pilot has accidentally killed a visiting diplomat’, do you ‘a) Turn him in’ or ‘b) Acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes and jettison the body.’.  Of course all of these event windows will affect your overall destiny. But ultimately, your captain’s terminal illness (something announced at the beginning of each journey) acts as a cap on each of the game’s 20 minute adventures.

There is little exploration involved in Flotilla and it’s more a case of selecting destinations at random. However the space battles offer you the chance for some interesting gameplay, and they are both slick in their presentation and surprisingly challenging. ‘Simultaneous-turn-based-strategy’ essentially consists of you and your opponent issuing orders to your respective fleets and then watching them play out simultaneously during 30 second intervals. However Flotilla has no online multiplayer which is a little disappointing. Space battles can also get slightly bogged down, and you can’t help but miss a ‘save game’ and ‘time compression’ feature. But overall, Flotilla is a well conceived and well executed little title, and one which you won’t regret adding to your collection for £3.41.

For a more in depth look check out our Flotilla review here…

Thanks to Tehjumpingjawa from Hotukdeals.

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Thu, 13 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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Bully Scholarship Edition £3.85 @ Shopto [PC Games]

Bully Scholarship Edition £3.85 @ Shopto [PC Games]Whether you decide to batter jocks, hurl firecrackers at nerds, taunt truant hunting prefects or increase your potential for mischief attending class, Bully: Scholarship Edition provides numerous paths as you struggle to survive public school. But while the game is bursting with quirky characters, hilarious lines, great missions and excellent voice acting, the PC port is shamefully poor. An array of bugs and glitches undermine what is arguably one of the most endearing Rockstar creations since GTA, and causes Bully to descend from an absolute joy into (what is from a technical point of view) an absolute joke.

However, as long as you can grit your teeth and bear outdoor visuals which look more washed-out than Gordon Brown, stubbornly unresponsive event triggers, and a ludicrous keyboard control set up, there’s just enough Bully charm left over to make this a worthwhile purchase for £3.85. The next best price comes in at £6.49 which gives you the chance to make a nice saving (but just make sure you’re able to hook up an Xbox 360 controller).

Those who’ve skateboarded, punched and egged their way through Bully on any of the consoles will be shocked by the PC adaptation. Indeed, such a lackluster effort on the part of developers seems only to confirm their desire to cash-in on a well established brand. However the fact that the game still manages to retain some of its former greatness (despite such a rushed job) is a testament to Bully’s overall quality – particularly with regard to the dialogue, voice acting and the depth and personality which Rockstar have instilled into the open-world. The PC port might not do Bully justice, but it still inherits just enough to make this a worthwhile buy at £3.85 (although, of you can, go for a console version and get the proper experience).

Thanks to dpfletch from Hotukdeals.

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Wed, 12 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin £9.93 @ The Hut [Xbox 360 Games]

F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin £9.93 @ The Hut [Xbox 360 Games]While Fear 2: Project Origin still treats you to plenty of bullet-time madness, with enemy heads exploding at point-blank range in a shower of stylishly gruesome blood and gore, it’s a sequel which, unfortunately, doesn’t quite live up to the quality of the original. This is mostly down to the game’s disappointing storyline and the fact Fear 2 goes in more for cheap scares rather than a genuinely disturbing atmosphere. However, when it comes to the shooting side of things, Fear 2 is spot on. And if that’s what really matters you can now pick up a copy of for £9.93 from The Hut. This beats the next best deal by just under £2.

The repetitive nature of the original Fear was something that really got to me personally. However, to their credit, the developers do try and add a little more diversity to the sequel. No longer do you find yourself restricted to those same old office/corridor environments as Fear 2 leads you psychotically blasting your way through a school and out onto the streets. However while this is all well and good, fire fights in Fear are still at their best when you’re sending 200 rounds a minute tearing through some destructible workplace. And while the variety in Fear 2 is welcome, the new settings do little to enhance the gameplay.

The same can be said of the new sections where you get to control a mechanical transformer and unleash a storm of missiles and machine gun fire at your enemies. These are enjoyable first time round, but feel a bit like fillers. And combined with the underwhelming storyline, it’s hard not to be struck by the sense that Fear 2 falls short of its predecessor in several areas. However, blasting your way through the game is still an enjoyable experience, and definitely worth a go for just under a tenner.

Thanks to Goonertillidie from Hotukdeals.

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Wed, 12 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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Call of Duty 4: MW Game of the Year Edition £17.85 @ shopto [Xbox 360/PS3 Games]

Call of Duty 4: MW Game of the Year Edition £17.85 @ shopto [Xbox 360/PS3 Games]Despite the fact Modern Warfare 2 continues to bestride the first person-shooter-market like a colossus – overshadowing pretty much every other shooter title six months down the line – that’s not to say that the original can’t still hold it’s head high as one of the best FPS titles. So if you’re in the market for a good price on Infinity Ward’s original Modern Warfare, you can pick up the GOTY edition for £17.85 from Shopto. This deal includes both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, with Xbox owners enjoying a saving of over £3 on the next best price, while the PS3 version comes in almost £8 cheaper.

COD4: MW alternates between two different story-lines, focusing initially upon S.A.S member Soap MacTavish and then the exploits of an American Special forces squad deployed to the Middle East. Although the game has some emphasis upon realism – it only takes a few bullets to die and the ballistics system is superb – MW does retain the cinematic, slightly linear feel of previous Call of Duty titles. However it’s not like you pay much attention to the slightly choreographed nature of the missions as Infinity Ward hurl you into the most intensive, fast-paced and visceral experience of war portrayed by almost any videogame.

The only real problem is that it’s all over much too quickly as the single player campaign is surprisingly short. That said however, it’s the multiplayer dimension which really gives you value for money. The GOTY edition also provides four extra multiplayer maps initially unavailable in the original edition – except for as a paid download. So if you’ve been waiting for an opportunity to pick up a copy of Modern Warfare at a decent price, this Shopto deal is definitely worth consideration.

Thanks to PartyBlast from Hotukdeals.


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Wed, 5 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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Free Play Weekend: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 @ Steam [PC Games]

Free Play Weekend: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 @ Steam [PC Games]For this weekend – or at least from 4th of May to the 9th (six days which Steam which are referring to as the weekend) – PC gamers can get stuck into some Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer absolutely free. All you need to do is download Steam and initiate your preload.

This current offer coincides with the double XP weekend which is currently going on throughout Modern Warfare 2’s PC and PS3 multiplayer arenas. Infinity Ward have also just released their Modern Warfare 2 Stimulus Pack which features five additional maps. Two of these (‘Crash’ and ‘Overgrown’) will be familiar for anyone who’s played Call of Duty 4, while the other three (‘Bailout’, ‘Storm’, and ‘Salvage’) are all brand new to the series.

Infinity Ward certainly did a good job upsetting the PC gaming community with their decision not to allow players to create dedicated servers (which essentially meant gamers can’t enjoy the traditional freedoms which allowed PC multiplayer to expand beyond the limitations of the Xbox360 and PS3). And while there are plenty of people who harbour an eternal grudge against Infinity Ward, if it you weren’t too bothered by the whole thing, you should get yourself over to Steam.

Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer contains a diverse range of game modes including Free-For-All, Domination, Sabotage, Search & Destroy, Team Deathmatch, Capture The Flag and Demolition. So there’s plenty to get stuck into if you happen to find yourself at a loose end this weekend.

Thanks to Cuddy from Hotukdeals.

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Wed, 5 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Game news

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From Gears of War 3 to George’s Wookie Rejection – News Roundup Wednesday 5th May

Gears of War 3 details translated from Russian magazine

From Gears of War 3 to Georges Wookie Rejection News Roundup Wednesday 5th May

Russian Game’s Magazine Blowout has just published an eight page special feature on Gears of War 3. The feature – which has been speedily translated and can be read here – details previously undisclosed information on characters, locations, and weaponry for the last instalment of the Gears trilogy. But if you don’t want us to spoil the surprise for you, it’s probably a good idea to stop reading now.

According to our Russian colleagues, Gears of War 3 takes place one and a half years after the events of the second game which culminated with the destruction of Jacinto. With the downfall of the government and the COG effectively destroyed, the humans have fragmented into isolated tribes. With the situation similarly desperate for the locusts, the lambent are now viewed as human’s main threat. Gears 3 will also feature a born-again-hard Anya, who now fights alongside Marcus, and a separate storyline for Cole and Baird.

Blowout’s screen shots also show a floating man-made-Island called ‘Raven’s Nest’ which, according to the magazine, can be driven, and will form one of the sequel’s key locations. New weaponry includes a grenade launcher which fires ‘Earth drilling rounds’, and also a single-shot rifle and double-barrel shotgun. Most controversial however, is the fact that the developers are going for a lower difficulty after 60% of players failed to complete the original titles (a move which is sure to upset the hardcore). And although the magazine says this is the end of the trilogy, it does state that we can expect more from the series in the form of spin-offs and prequels.

Gears of War 3 is currently set for release April 11th 2011. [VG247]

Bungie Job Postings Offer Hints About Next Game

From Gears of War 3 to Georges Wookie Rejection News Roundup Wednesday 5th May

They might be busy putting the finishing touches to Halo: Reach, but it looks like Bungie are wasting no time in setting things up for their next project. Several job adverts have fueled speculation that the Halo developers are possibly going in for some kind of action RPG/MMORPG. According to the official Bungie website, the company is in the market for a ‘Player Investment Designer’ who will be ‘tasked with designing mechanics which drive in-game player reward and incentive’. They are also after a ‘Lead Writer’ who will create and develop a new universe – preferably with experience of ‘branching or non-linear’ narratives.

Bungie’s Community Director Brian Jarred stated (to Eurogamer) ‘I can’t get into specifics, but we’re definitely looking at building a universe that people want to spend time in – much like Halo, but we have much more grandiose vision here, so it’s a long-term partnership for us. We’re really embarking on something that will be a significant undertaking for the studio that will involve multiple games set inside this brand new IP and universe.’  [Eurogamer]

Force Unleashed Could Have Been a Wookie “Superhero” Game

From Gears of War 3 to Georges Wookie Rejection News Roundup Wednesday 5th May

If you found watching the three Star Wars prequels similar to watching someone extinguishing cigarettes on your favourite childhood toy, you could be forgiven for not having a great deal of faith in George Lucas’ opinion. Now, with The Force Unleashed II set to be released on October 26th, LucasArts employees Haden Blackman and Julio Torres explained in an interview with Gamerpro how Lucas rejected their idea of a superhero wookie game back in 2005. ‘We were kicking around an idea where you were playing a Wookie’, said Blackman, ‘It was going to be a big open world, and you’d be running around, and you’d be able to grab the heads of AT-STs and throw them at stormtroopers.’

However this failed to impress Lucas. ‘He just looked at me and said, ‘I just spent the last half hour talking to you about the importance of characters talking to each other, and you pitch me a game idea where the main character can’t talk?’ To be fair, Lucas did probably did have a point, but still, if those prequels are anything to go by, maybe no script  isn’t such a bad thing after all?  [1up]

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Wed, 5 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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Resident Evil 5: Limited Edition Steelbook £14.99 @ Play [PS3 Games]

Resident Evil 5: Limited Edition Steelbook £14.99 @ Play [PS3 Games]If you’ve yet to pick up a copy of Resident Evil 5, this deal from Play is a good opportunity. They are offering the Steel Box Limited Edition, which includes a 60 minute DVD on the making of Resident Evil 5, for £14.99. Although this doesn’t include the extra costumes and bonus DLC which you get with the Resident Evil 5 Gold edition, these can be downloaded for around £10 from PSN. This means that you can get all the extra RE5 content plus the steel box and bonus DVD for around the same price as the Gold Edition – which is currently going for £25.

While RE5 could probably still be described as a survival horror, the gameplay hails a departure from the dark, moody and slow paced style traditionally associated with the series. The horror side of things has been cashed in for fast-paced-action, and with no shortage of weapons or ammunition, Capcom have created kind of a cross between Black Hawk Down and Night of the Living Dead. The player assumes the role of Chris Redfield who is on the trial of an African terrorist organisation which is attempting to sell a stolen bio-weapon. However after another strain of the parasitic virus (which made an appearance in RE4) is unleashed, Chris and partner Sheva have to contend with hordes of infected African villagers.

But while the game is entertaining, intense and packed full of action, I personally felt a little disappointed by Capcom’s break with convention. While I can understand the need to provide something different, it felt like they were just filling in the void with loads more weapons and enemies. And while this is not such a bad thing, it does feel like shallow compensation for the lack of puzzles and the loss of RE’s chilling atmosphere. So while RE5 provides an enjoyable romp through the dark heart of Africa with an MP5 and loads of grenades (and is visually superb), it ends up little more than just another shooter.

Thanks to Niminator from Hotukdeals.

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Tue, 4 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Game news

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From Hocking’s Departure to Bungie’s Plea for Patience – News Roundup Tuesday 4th May

Splinter Cell, Far Cry 2 designer departs from Ubisoft

From Hockings Departure to Bungies Plea for Patience News Roundup Tuesday 4th May

It’s a time of great upheaval within the game’s industry, and in line with the current trend for change, developer Clint Hocking has announced he will be parting company with Ubisoft. This might not seem like such a big deal in the wake of the Infinity Ward-furor over employee bonuses, but Hocking was one of the company’s most creative developers. Spending nearly a decade at Ubisoft, he played a major role in the creation of the Splinter Cell series and went on to become lead designer on Far Cry 2. And although the latter title polarized opinion, Hocking’s absence will certainly be felt by the company.

After ‘fiddling around more or less constantly with the unreal level editor’, Hocking managed to secure a job at Ubisoft after sending them his resume ‘just for a lark’. Now, ten years down the line, he explained that the time had come for him to ‘bid farewell’ to his cushy-position at Ubisoft (which he described as ‘tragically comforting’).

‘I need to walk on hot coals and sleep on a bed of nails. I need to chew on broken glass. I need to drink paint. This post has gotten long enough and I am still afraid to come to the point, but what I really need more than anything is to write these words: I gave notice of my resignation to Ubisoft on Monday, April 26th, 2010.’ Hocking’s next move remains unclear, but now that he has broken free from the corporate shackles of Ubisoft, let’s hope his best work is yet to come. [Joystiq]

Sega Outlines Alpha Protocol DRM

From Hockings Departure to Bungies Plea for Patience News Roundup Tuesday 4th May

With PC gamers continuing to view DRM like it’s the kryptonite of videogames, Sega reckon they have come up with solution everyone can live with. Outlining the DRM feature which will guard their forthcoming third-person-action-RPG Alpha Protocol, they company explained how players would not need a constant internet connection and, potentially, would not be hampered by a limited number of installations.

Dubbed Unlioc: SoftAnchor, the system allows player to have up to five installations active at one time, with each installation requiring a one off online activation. However, if you’re lucky enough to have the game installed on five computers, you won’t lose one of your online activations if one of your computers crashes or if you need to reinstall the operating system. All you need to do is deactivate one of your old installations – something which can be done from any computer with a working internet connection.

The only problem is that this isn’t much good if – for whatever reason – you don’t happen to have a working internet connection. However, compared to what’s gone before, this ‘one of activation, limitless installation’ system seems like a much fairer deal, and lets hope Ubisoft decide to follow suit with something similar. For a full rundown check out Sega’s blog. [Eurogamer]

Bungie: Halo Reach Beta ‘not fully operational yet’

From Hockings Departure to Bungies Plea for Patience News Roundup Tuesday 4th May

If you’ve already been getting stuck into Halo: Reach’s online Beta, Bungie warn that ‘it’s not quite fully operational’ as they strive to iron out a few imperfections. Players should expect a ‘suboptimal performance’ according to the Bungie Website. ‘Once again, thanks for being patient. Unless of course you weren’t patient at all and you made like a million posts to the feedback forum to complain about the outage even though there were already like a million posts already made complaining about the outage. If you were that guy, thanks for nothing!’.

Clearly it’s been a long night . ‘We’re not out of the woods just yet. If you experience any problems connecting or getting into games, please let us know about it. Politely, of course’. Halo Reach’s online multiplayer went live yesterday and can be played by anyone with a copy of ODST. [VG247]

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Tue, 4 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games reviews

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Flotilla Review: Take Me to Your Breeder

Flotilla Review: Take Me to Your Breeder Platform: PC/Xbox Live

Developer: Blendo Games

Publisher: Blendo Games

With its combination of ‘simultaneous-turn-based-strategy’ and a hilarious text boxed narrative which will have you spluttering Walkers all over colleagues and computers during your lunch-break, Flotilla is a low-budget casual which proves quality doesn’t always come with an obscene price-tag. In fact, when it comes to making limited resources go along way, Blendo Games have pretty much proved that they are the MacGyver of the videogame’s industry. And after ping-ponging your way across the galaxy – massacring hordes of penguin bandits with your fleet of pimped out rocket shops – you’ll be amazed by how much strategic depth and eccentric randomness they’ve managed to cram in.

At its core, Flotilla is a turn based adventure game which casts the player as a desperado Captain (initially dubbed GRUMBLES) with a small flotilla of rocket ships, an entire galaxy to explore, and only seven months to live (so expect plenty of reckless gambling and drunken karaoke). The gameplay alternates between a randomized set of text-box decisions (or event windows), which pop up as you travel to various planets, and turn-based space battles. The former, which is basically the storyline, sees you selecting a destination for your fleet or flotilla, and upon arrival, making a decision based on whatever crazy scenario you happen to find.

Flotilla Review: Take Me to Your Breeder

These can vary from things like ‘After a weekend at the casinos you have gambled away your entire space fleet’, and do you ‘a) Agree to do a favour for the casino boss in a bid to reclaim your vessels’ or ‘b) Run for it?’. Or perhaps you’ll find yourself crowned champion of a karaoke night and presented with some nifty piece of cargo. Or, on a trip back from some far flung corner of the cosmos, find a pair of Toucan stowaways cowering in your ship’s hold. And while you can always throw a compassionate arm around the cute aliens and deliver them in safety, the option to brutally murder them, loot their dead bodies, and blast their mutilated corpses out the airlock is open.

Click here to see what marius makes of all this eccentricity...

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Mon, 3 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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Operation Flashpoint 2 £10.85 @shopto.net [Xbox 360 Games]

Operation Flashpoint 2 £10.85 @shopto.net [Xbox 360 Games]Operation Flashpoint was one of the finest first person shooters on the PC, and while its console-friendly-sequel does have issues, Dragon Rising is well worth a look for anyone who’s interested in a shooter which takes a more strategic and realistic approach to modern warfare. The game can currently be picked up for just £10.85 from Shopto. This is a great deal for a relatively new game, and one which beats the next best price by around £2.10.

Unlike its predecessors which always featured a cold war scenario where Americans and Russians would kick off over some fictional chain of islands, Dragon Rising is set in a real world location. You form part of an American task force sent to repel a Chinese invasion attempting to seize control of the Alaskan Island of Skira. But while the idea sounds great, Skira is unfortunately one of the most mundane, dull landscapes I’ve ever seen in any game, and unlike the superb settings of games like Crysis, it’s not like you’ll be paying much attention to the view.

But that aside, the main problem is that the developers have done a bad job of streamlining the complexity of the original Flashpoint format. The orders system – which tries to combine Brothers in Arms and Ghost Recon – is cumbersome and awkward. The fact that you cannot collect weapons between missions or customize your squad’s equipment is disappointing, and so is the fact you can’t enter any vehicle you come across. To make matters worse, the game lacks an depth storyline and the missions are not very imaginative.

However Flashpoint 2 does retain some of the elements which made its predecessors so unique. You still have complete freedom when it comes to approaching objectives and the gameplay is still challenging. Spontaneously encountering enemies across the vast landscape keeps you on edge, and the gameplay doesn’t involve a long series of scripted events like Call of Duty. Had the developers opened things up like the original, and managed to get a grip on the orders system (something which, to be fair, Operation Flashpoint always struggled with) Dragon Rising had the potential to be truly great. As it stands however, DR ends up being little more than average.

Thanks to Richx45 from Hotukdeals.

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Mon, 3 May, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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Dark Messiah £1.84 @ Shopto [PC Games]

Dark Messiah £1.84 @ Shopto [PC Games]While Dark Messiah has an interesting premise, and sees you assuming the role of an apprentice wizard who goes around kicking people off cliffs or battering them to death with staffs, swords and spells, the game is let down by a few annoying technical issues. However for £1.84 it’s an absolute bargain. The graphics are decent and the first person melee attacks have a lot more depth than your average FPS. Better still, you’re looking at a next best offer of £4.30 from Amazon.

Dark Messiah casts the player as Sareth, a wannabe wizard who is charged by his master to deliver a mysterious crystal ball to another sorcerer. And to help him on his travels, he is joined by an annoying wise-cracking fairy called Xana who lives in his head and dishes out instructions and objectives like some overbearing version of the Master Chief’s Cortana. The storyline, which basically involves a strange prophecy, is pretty much ruined in the first cut scene which gives the whole thing away, but thankfully, things are salvaged to some extent by the gameplay.

Unfortunately there isn’t a great deal of character progression going on in DM, and even though you are given the opportunity to assign skill points to increase various attributes like strength, stealth etc, it’s all fairly minimal. However the combat side of things is surprisingly decent. You can fight with an array of weapons including swords (the most powerful), daggers, bows, staffs (which are good for clubbing large groups), daggers and spells. Attacks vary depending between fast, weak swipes and strong, power hits, depending on how fast you click the mouse. Overall it’s not the most challenging of games – enemies have a habit of standing on the edges of cliffs so you can easily boot them into oblivion – but DM is definitely worth a punt for £1.84.

Thanks to mrpipster from Hotukdeals.

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Thu, 29 Apr, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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GTA Vice City £1.49 @ Steam [PC Games]

GTA Vice City £1.49 @ Steam [PC Games]Keeping up the momentum with another selection of cheap games as Rockstar Week draws to a close, Steam are now offering GTA: Vice City for just £1.49. This is a superb deal which beats the next best price (£.6.99 from Shopto) by £5.49. But get in there quick as this deal expires at 9pm tonight.

Although it might be a lot smaller than the likes of San Andreas and even GTA 3, Vice City is a title bursting with character and quality content. Amalgamating different elements of all various Hollywood classics like Scarface, Carlito’s Way, Miami Vice and many more, the game provides a vivid explosion of characters, great 80s music, clothes, killer combat and great voice acting. The player assumes the role of Tommy Vercetti (voiced by Ray Liotta) who, after being double-crossed during a drugs deal, settles in Vice City in a bid to seek out his boss’s lost money – and, while he’s at it, take the whole place over.GTA Vice City £1.49 @ Steam [PC Games]

One of the great things about Vice City and also San Andreas, and something which Rockstar choose to leave out of GTAIV, is the way it’s possible to take over your own businesses and expand your criminal empire. There are also loads of side-quests and challenges to complete, which go a long way in keeping you entertained once you’re done with the main story. Vice City’s 80s soundtrack has also got to be greatest of any GTA title – or game for that matter – and does an excellent  job setting the tone. In fact, for £1.49, I’d say it’s worth it just for the soundtrack alone.

Thanks to Matty Hodgson from Hotukdeals.

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Thu, 29 Apr, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

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Games deals

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Mirrors Edge £4.83 @ Amazon [PS3 Games]

Mirrors Edge £4.83 @ Amazon [PS3 Games] Mirror’s Edge is down to just £4.83 on Amazon which should go some way in compensating any PS3 owners who noticed Game’s Tuesday deal (which saw the Xbox360 version going for just £2.99).

Created by Battlefield: Bad Company developers DICE, Mirrors Edge is a kind of 3D platformer which sees the player assuming the role of urban acrobat Faith Connors. Set in some unnamed Utopian city – which is run by some evil totalitarian regime – Faith forms part of a group of couriers who deliver messages for underground revolutionaries. The gameplay basically consists of stringing together elaborate sequences of moves as you send Faith vaulting under pipes, leaping over rooftops and soaring across chasms.

Despite the fact that the slightest mistake will send you plummeting to your death, the gameplay is consistently intense and addictive. Things can get a little bit frustrating when pieces of scenery (which should be highlighted in red to indicate you can interact with them) don’t show up until the last minute, and the game can descend into an infuriating pattern of trial and error. However the visual quality is superb and Mirrors Edge does provide some great looking environments to go free-running.Mirrors Edge £4.83 @ Amazon [PS3 Games]

Supposedly reflecting the ordered and oppressively regimented nature of the society, the city has this look of clinical cleanliness. As Faith says ‘the city was once dirty and dangerous, but wonderful and alive’ but now the landscape is dominated by these immaculately white, pristine skyscrapers with occasional vivid splashes of blue and red. It gives the whole thing a very unique look, and although the combat is a bit of a let down, it’s surprising how well DICE have managed to pull this one off.

Thanks to Willianj1 from Hotukdeals.


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Thu, 29 Apr, 10
Author:
Marius Goubert

Category:
Games deals

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Need for Speed: Shift £14.99 @ GAME [PS3 Games]

Need for Speed: Shift £14.99 @ GAME [PS3 Games]For today only, Need for Speed enthusiasts can pick up a copy of Shift for £14.99 from Game. This is a decent price which comes in a good few quid cheaper than the next best deal of £17.89 from Sendit.

For those who got tired by the Need for Speed franchise’s focus on shallow open-world formats and cheesy story-lines, Simply Mad’s decision to revert the series back to its track racer roots will seem like a real step forward. Rather than offering up another street-racer to be utterly trounced by the likes of Burnout, Shift developers have created a title which focuses entirely on the experience of driving. And it’s certainly paid off, because Shift has to be one of the slickest and best presented driving games I’ve ever laid eyes on.Need for Speed: Shift £14.99 @ GAME [PS3 Games]

The engine sound, sense of speed and brilliant first person cockpit view all culminate in a virtual driving experience which is thrilling, vivid and a even a touch nauseating. About the only draw back for me was with regard to the car dealership which was slightly limited in terms of the number of vehicles available. The point system is also slightly pointless as you’re rewarded for pretty much anything you do, from smooth slip streaming to smashing headlong into the opposition. But despite this, Simply Mad deserve credit. Shift looks great, sounds great, and is quite simply a hell of a lot of fun to play.

Thanks to Rhys135 from Hotukdeals.

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