On February 9th we shall the see the release of the well-anticipated sequel to the critical hit and fan-favorite FPS game from Take-Two’s 2K Studios. I am speaking of BioShock. The brainchild of game developer Ken Levine, BioShock was a FPS game which combined fast-paced action with a thoroughly engaging story of Objectivism and the philosophy born out of Ayn Rand’s writings. I would say that this is the game which EA’s upcoming Dante’s Inferno owes it’s existence on.
BioShock 2 continues the the series where it left off at the end of the first game. The setting will be an even more dilapidated and run-down Rapture with Splicers having turned even more mutant-like through abuse of gene-theraphy and ADAM use. This time around the game will have the player play as a Big Daddy who will either rescue and save or harvest the Little Sisters from the first game. A Big Sister will be the one who will pose the biggest threat to this Big Daddy and the player.
One other additional change from the first game for this sequel will be the inclusion of multiplayer gameplay over Xbox Live and PSN. While some have been excited by this inclusion of an online mutiplayer to the game I feel that it doesn’t really fit the series. I see the BioShock franchise in almost the same vein as BioWare’s own Mass Effect series. A game franchise which stand on great storytelling with some very good to great gameplay mechanics built around said storytelling. In the end, I’m still going to be buying this game even if I don’t try the multiplayer option.
Well, it is just days away until the release of one of the most-anticipated games of 2010. The game I am talking about is BioWare’s Mass Effect 2. It is the sequel to the very popular and critically-acclaimed action-shooter/rpg hybrid Mass Effect which came out in late 2007. The launch trailer marks the start of the massive marketing and ad campaign to promote the game. This one includes interspersed within the trailer blurbs of review scores and positive quotes from game reviewing magazines and websites dedicated to games. All throughout the trailer we have Shephard’s erstwhile ally (and possibly, enemy) The illusive Man of the shadowy, pro-human group Cerberus narrating a brief take on what players will encounter in this sequel.
I will say that the trailer is even better than the last one released by BioWare. The other one details the dangers of recruiting the new sets of characters to help the player in their quest, but this one shows how much more epic this particular fight and game really is. Mass Effect was already quite the massive and epic sci-fi space opera when it came out and this sequel seem intent on out-doing that predecessor in every respect from the look of the trailer. It helps that its all classed up by the voice of The West Wing’s President Bartlett also known as Martin Sheen. The trailer even hints at the opening events of the sequel which has been talked about many times at other places. I won’t go into detail about it but lets just say that Shephard and the original Normandy don’t have a nice first-encounter with the sequel’s main antagonists, The Collector.
So, January 26, 2010 should be retitled Mass Effect 2 Day. For some players, it will be just like a holiday as every work must be put down and stop in order for the playing of said game to commence.
2010 is not even a month old and it already has two quality games already in the books with Platinum Games’ Bayonetta and Vigil Studios’ Darksiders. The end of January brings the heavily-anticipated follow-up to BioWare’s critically-acclaimed Mass Effect. Following in Mass Effect 2‘s wake will be Take-Two’s own sequel with the February 9th release of BioShock 2. The one game which seems to be running under most people’s radar is a little title from UK-based developer, Rebellion Developments. The game I speak of is the FPS-shooter simpy titled, Aliens vs. Predator.
That name alone should bring excitement to gamers who have played previous iterations of that very game on the PC years ago. Let’s just forget that the two films using that same name doesn’t even exist and concentrate on just how awesome this game seems to be turning out. The game’s premise is pretty simple from released info by the studio. It’s a FPS where three factions (Aliens, Predator and Colonial Marines) each have their own single-player campaign which would make-up the overarching storyline. Rebellion Developments knows that the single-player campaign shall be as epic as the films they’re based on, but in the end it is the multiplayer campaign where players get to play on-line with other players either as an Alien, a Predator or a Colonial Marine. I have a feeling that very last faction will be dying quite a bit when chosen by poorly-skilled on-line players.
The game will be coming out on February 16th here in North America with a February 19th release for Europe. The publisher handling it’s release will be SEGA with Rebellion Developments handling any updates, patching and future DLC for the game’s lifetime. As a special, albeit very pricey, extra for the gamer completist it looks like SEGA will be making available for pre-order a limited Hunter Edition of the game with loads of extras that may or may not justify a 99.99 dollar price tag.
Yes, my friends that is a fully-articulated face-hugger in that Hunter Edition. I think the only thing which would make it even better is if it could be remote-controlled to scuttle around. Other things in the Hunter Edition will be the collected edition of the original Dark Horse Comics’ Aliens vs. Predator mini-series. The game will be released on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC. Sorry, there’s no plans to release a Mac-version of the game. Sorry, Apple peeps.
I, for one, will be pre-ordering the Hunter Edition because that’s just how we player’s roll. here’s to hoping this game delivers on all that Rebellion has shown and promised the last couple years of its development.
I think every gamer worth his console and controller knows that old-school awesome includes anything Mega-Man. People who love their rock knows that one must give proper homage to the Mercury, May, Deacon and Taylor…more known as Queen. What would be more awesome than either two? I’m glad you’ve been asking that question. There’s only one good and proper answer: Mega-Man and Queen together.
What better way for the two to come together than what you shall witness below…prepare to GRIN.
It didn’t take BioWare too long to get the Expansion Trailer up and running. And it’s in prime HD-quality. I’m liking what I see in the trailer. I hope that Alistair is not the “old favorite” from the old crew that will be joining my hot, sexy city elf Grey Warden. She needs her girl Leliana by her side for this expansion. Though I’m sure she wouldn’t mind having Morrigan around as well.
One detail which BioWare fail to mention in their news release for the game is whether it will be download only all across thee platforms or will players be able to order the game with disc and case and all that comes with them. I’m almost afraid to that Gamestop may end up having a special item and/or goodies aplenty for ordering at their site or store. I’m still more than just a tad pissed off that they cutoff pre-orders for their Mass Effect 2 Collector’s editions. Shenanigans I say!! SHENANIGANS!
If the game will be download only I may need to make some room in my Xbox360 HDD or just plain buy one of them newfangled Elites. Having that Elite means playing this expansion on glorious HDMI connection to my HDTV. March 16, 2010 cannot come any faster. Let’s hope this won’t be the only full expansion for this awesome game that is Dragon Age.
Some good news was just sent out from BioWare this morning. I am talking about confirmation of the first major expansion for Dragon Age: Origins. Unlike the usual DLC’s which have been released and set to be since the game came out in late 2009, this exapnsion will include not just a new quest but a new land to explore, new monsters and enemies to fight and a major storyline quest that should take 15 or so hours to complete. As one can see in the images below there’ll be a new dragon to put one’s combat party to test their mettle on.
It looks like one nice new tweak to the gameplay is to help in rebuilding the Grey Warden’s order in Ferelden which includes a new fortress and I’m assuming recruiting new potential recruits as well. Does this mean a player who brings over their character from the original game will be the one to give out the Testing? I sure hope so! Either way it looks like this expansion will be loaded with hours upon hours of questing and gameplay. With new intelligent Darkspawn to fight. An brand-new construct to take on: The Inferno Golem. Not to mention the aforementioned new dragon to kill going by the title of Spectral Dragon.
The game should be out by March this year and that’s just enough time to play and complete Mass Effect 2 when it comes out at the end of January 2010.
This past summer of 2009, during a company press conference the day before the start of E3 2009, an announcement which might have brought a paradigm shift in how consumers interact with their consumer electronics. The announcement I speak of is their 3D, full-body motion-cap sensor control scheme dubbed Project Natal. Tweets, texts and status updates across the ether that’s the web was a consensus jaw-dropping with a mixture of excitement and skepticism. The initial reaction was that this was Microsoft’s answer to the new 800 lb. gorilla in the gaming industry: Nintendo’s Wii.
It’s a logical reaction and one that was duplicated in a smaller part from Sony’s introduction of it’s own motion-based controller system. But Project Natal seems to be the one that has the world of not just gaming buzzing with excitement and possibilities, but the whole tech industry. Microsoft’s gamble and evolution of existing technology has the making of revolutionizing not just gaming but how people interact and use their PC and everyday home gadgets and technology.
First and foremost, Project Natal will be focusing on expanding the base of Xbox 360 owners and players to include not just the kids (both young and old) who play games ranging from kid-friendly to mature-oriented, but the rest of the family who want to be able to join in without having the master and pick up a controller. Yes, Project Natal will allow gaming to move forward with the option of actually not having to use a physical controller in one’s hands to play a game. Does it mean it will replace the handheld controller core gamers have gotten used to and by years of use become an almost intuitive part of their bodies? I don’t think it will, but instead become an option.
I will be the first to say that I will never ever get rid of my console gaming controllers. There’s an ease and familiarity of it in my hands when playing games. But the prospect of having the option of trying out all my games using my body as the controller itself is both exciting and intriguing. Project Natal is science quickly catching up to science fiction.
I say Project Natal both excites and intrigues me as a gamer for several reasons. It’s exciting to see how far gaming has evolved from the early days of the Atari VC (2600 for those who don’t recognize). While I have never been truly sold on the complete immersion Nintendo has touted the Wii and it’s Wiimote was to be for gamers, I will admit that it’s success has spurred it’s rivals to innovate and come up with the next step. If Natal is not bringing excitement back to an industry that is stagnating (even with the Wii’s innovation it has slowed down in terms of innovation) then why complain about the industry’s lack of innovation and imagination. Natal, whether one truly believes in it or believes it to be vaporware, has opened up a new door in how gaming will move forward in the forseeable future.
Another reason why Natal has me excited as a gamer is how it could breathe new life to old gaming experiences. I have never been a very adept fighting game players as combo systems and how to make them work on a controller pad has always eluded me. But with Natal I can see a future where even the most novice fighting game player could chain combos and attacks by simulating the moves themselves in a basic fashion. Playing Madden using the QB POV would actually become interesting and give a player a very close approximation as to what a real QB may see when standing in the pocket. The possibilities are endless.
Project Natal intrigue me as a gamer for the games dedicated to it that developers could come up with. Why have controller peripherals playing Rock Band when Natal could possibly make air guitar and air drumming a true reality. Console RTS would finally have a control scheme that could match the precision of keyboard and mouse system of their PC cousins. There will be hits and misses, but the fact that such a dynamic option on how games could be played should intrigue gamers looking to have a future in developing in the industry they love.
This coming evolution in gaming may be too ahead of its time. Some will say that Microsoft just took the existing technology already available with the Wiimote and EyeToy and just packaged both together into one package. That may be true but it doesn’t mean it won’t work. The industry has always been taking the latest innovation by one company and evolving and tweaking new ideas from it. While Nintendo and Sony may have arrived first in their respective tech they never thought of actually combining the two and adding new features to remove the controller outright.
Revolution that Natal brings will not be limited to gaming, but should also impact everything which relies on the synergy of software and hardware people’s everyday lives. Project Natal should be made to work with PCs, HDTVs, home electronic systems and everything in between.
It seemed such a coincidence that the one film depicting a near-future using a Natal-like technology would have its creator tout the new Microsoft technology. Project Natal does seem to be making the tech of Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report move from the realm of science fiction and into the realm of science reality. Natal has the possibility of allowing people to forgo the use of keyboards and mouse when using their computers. Pretty much the whole armor development sequence in Iron Man where Stark manipulates, designs and finally complete a new suit design without ever typing anything on a keyboard I could see Natal turning it into a real-world application for mechanical and electrical engineers. Not to mention research scientists in other fields.
While it is still too early to consider Project Natal as a success. It is still in a beta form with no announced released date other than sometime around 2010. It should be seen with eyes looking at the exciting and intriguing possibilities it opens up for gamers and the world of technology instead looking at it with cynical eyes already deciding to view it with skepticism. It doesn’t matter whether one likes Microsoft as a company or not. What they announced and showed on June 1, 2009 in the Galen Center in Los Angeles may just usher an evolution and revolution in gaming and tech that everyone will benefit from.
As we have seen with the pre-release and post-release reaction regarding James Cameron’s Avatar sometimes the product does live up to the promise and hype. When they do the general public will embrace it even if it does have some initial flaws and weaknesses. I think like Cameron, Microsoft’s Consumer Electronics and Gaming Division decided to gamble and leapfrog what others have started and move it in a direction no one had been expecting or even comtemplate as a remote possibility.
BioWare has long been a favorite game developer of mine. This love for their games goes back to their classic Baldur’s Gate series on the PC and then their KOTOR games for the Xbox 360 (still waiting for the third game in this series…still waiting). I’ve always enjoyed how conversations were not just affairs where as a player I just had to watch the dialogue unfold. BioWare has pretty much made it their own to have dialogue which branched out into different results and consequences depending on how the player responded.
In 2007, they released what I thought was one of the best games, if not the game of the year, in Mass Effect. It was an action-rpg clothed in space opera clothing which brought to mind the early Star Wars films (prequels don’t exist in my world) and some of the best supplemental novels based on Lucas’ scifi universe (the Zahn novels being the best of the bunch). While the game itself had its flaws they were never glaring enough to ruin the game and the story.
2010 is just days away and the release of the sequel to Mass Effect is just weeks away. In what could be one of the games to vie for 2010 Game of the Year, Mass Effect 2 returns to address some of the game mechanic flaws from the first game and expand on the galactic-wide story and history which unfolded before. This game looks to find the protagonist in the initial game (whether John Shepard or a customized player) out to save the galaxy once again, but this time around needing the help of one of the villains in the first game: Cerberus. In order to save the galaxy and the human race it looks like the player must go through what I could only call as “The Dirty Dozen” but in space.
