Sizloo Gadget Mania

Still catching up on some previews in the past few weeks of upcoming games I’ve checked out… this time, it’s Sierra’s “The Bourne Conspiracy.” (Which sounds exactly like the titles of all the books and movies, but is actually original.)

“Bourne” is the first (and definitely not the last) game that Sierra (a division of the soon-to-be-merged with Activision Vivendi) is making as part of an expensive, multi-year license with the Robert Ludlum estate that I first wrote about in Variety in summer of 2005.

The goal is, pretty explicitly, to make Ludlum for Vivendi what Tom Clancy is for Ubisoft — though it’ll be interesting to see whether Activision shares the same goal (more on that issue in a blog post tomorrow or Wednesday).

“Bourne” is, of course, best known to most audiences today for the movies, not the book, but Sierra’s license is for the books. Developer High Moon Studios is heavily inspired by the movies and collaborating alot with the talent, though there are some key differences.

Most importantly, gamers will notice that Bourne is not modeled on Matt Damon. The team was considering making a deal with the star, but abandoned that after Damon said at the Cannes film festival last year that he was done with the character. Getting Damon committed to the game when he was no longer committed to the movies would obviously be awkward. (Although — oops! — Variety has since reported that Universal has “landed Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon for a fourth “Bourne” movie, even though the director and star seemed ready to wrap it up after three pics.”)

But there’s lots from the movies. Even though Damon’s not involved, Franka Potente is playing her supporting role from “The Bourne Identity” as Marie, which actually strikes me as kind of awkward, but anyway. Film writer Tony Gilroy consulted on the story, which basically tracks “Bourne Identity,” but makes all of Bourne’s brief flashbacks in the movie fully playable levels, along with some new missions in his past that we haven’t seen. Essentially, it’s a lot of backstory as we learn more about how Jason Bourne got so f*cked up by the CIA.

The most important collaboration, however, might be with the movies’ fight coordinator Jeff Imada, who spent “hundreds of hours” working with High Moon to motion capture all the different fight moves (dozens, if not hundreds) in the game, which are in the exact same style of the movie. Beyond giving Bourne his signature take-down moves using items in the environment, each of the bosses has his (or her?) own unique fighting style designed by Imada.

That’s the most important thing because the game is pretty much non-stop action. It’s all adrenaline, with basic third person action that we’ve seen before interspersed with takedowns, which you can pull up when you build up enough adrenaline (or whatever “Bourne’s” name for the boost meter is; they all kind of blur together). Not only do they look really cool, but the camera moves in close, with camera angles that mimic the hand-held fast moving camera that director Paul Greengrass used in the second and third “Bourne” films.

All of the takedown moves I saw, which involved using walls, filing cabinets, pens and dry erase boards to take enemies down, along with Bourne’s hands and feet, were really impressive. Will they be just as impressive after playing the game for a few hours? Will the shooting and driving — which seemed fairly standard in the demo I saw — stand out as much as the hand-to-hand action?And will the multi-player be able to take advantage of the game’s signature moves, or in an effort to balance it out will it be a chaotic mess, a la “Stranglehold?”

EA DICE’s new first-person action adventure game will allow you to move in ways never before seen in a first-person game.

How do you make daring first-person rooftop traversals at high speed while under a hail of gunfire?

When EA DICE announced Mirror’s Edge, senior producer Owen O’Brien hinted that it would “change the way that players are able to move in first person.”

Running across rooftops and making nausea-inducing leaps with grace and fluidity

Mirror’s Edge introduces players to Faith, a “runner” in a world where communication channels are highly monitored and the movement of human traffic is closely watched. When Faith’s sister gets framed for a murder she did not commit, Faith finds herself on the edge of the city,on the wrong side of the law.

Mirror’s Edge delivers players straight into the shoes of this modern day heroine as she traverses the vertigo-inducing cityscape, engagingin intense combat, fast-paced chases and challenging puzzles. With an ever-before-seen sense of movement and perspective, players are drawn into Faith’s world.

More Extracts to be noted..

The first-person genre has consisted almost entirely of shooters throughout its existence, but every now and then someone comes along and plays with the perspective a bit. DICE and EA hope to shake things up with Mirror’s Edge, a title that, while containing (optional) gun play, has its focus set squarely on navigating the environment, almost like a first-person Prince of Persia.

While you’re able to fight folks at times, you are indeed on the run for most of the game. Helicopters will swoop in and open fire on you,forcing you to be quick when navigating fire escapes and the like.Soldiers will force you through buildings, so you need to be quick to find the next safe route. There’s a button assigned to pointing your view in the direction of where you should go, which is very helpful in some situations, but it’s not always available, making some sections based more on exploration than a quick escape.

At top speed, Faith can negotiate obstacles with a fluid grace never before seen in a first-person game. If performed perfectly–and we mean perfectly–she can run up a ramp, jump over a window, slide under a gap in a fence, slide down a zip line, run sideways along a skyscraper wall, swing on an overhanging pipe, jump to the next roof, or wall jump left and then right until she finally stands on a rooftop overlooking a gleaming (yet equally oppressive) city. If you stumble or mistime a jump, you’ll lose momentum. It’s not the end the world. The giant sewer and cityscape environments that we saw had many different ways to reach the same objective, but a seamless run feels amazing, especially when police are gunning for you.

This is the most anticipated game for 2009 and still a game I least know about……
Alan Wake, the game’s protagonist, is a bestselling horror writer, whowrites a novel about his darkest nightmares. In the game, thosenightmares come true…
The game features a massive, open world for the players to explore,with mission based exploration in the single player adventure.

War is hell, and the ShellShock franchise delivers gamers to thedeepest circles of this hell with the series’ second brutal and twistedpsychological first person shooter experience.

At the height of the Vietnam War, a covert ops cargo plane carrying atop-secret consignment known only as ‘Whiteknight’ is lost over thedeepest, uncharted jungles. Special Ops soldiers are immediatelydispatched to the scene to retrieve the top secret shipment andone-by-one they disappear without a trace … until one month later,one of them suddenly walks out of the jungle. Crazed and deranged,something in the jungle had ripped out his humanity, poisoning hissoul. Something in the darkness had driven him mad … and followed himout. Taking the first-person war game and turning it on its head,Shellshock 2: Blood Trails places you in a war where fear takes on awhole new meaning.

The game puts you in the role of a freelance mercenary, whose job is tointervene in some of the most brutal and precipitous armed conflictsaround the world. You will choose from a number of differing missions,equipment and your character’s development possibilities. During thegame you will freely decide what skills of the mercenary you want toimprove.

UK, November 27, 2008- To sayNathan Hale’s a man in crisis is a bit of an understatement.Havingseen his way through the Chimera’s onslaught on the UK, he’sbarelygiven a chance to catch his breath before he’s whisked away tofightthe good fight in the US, and all the while the Chimerainfectionthat’s coursing through his veins threatens to consume him. InResistance 2hefinds himself in a game that’s as mottled as his genetic make-up, ontheone-hand offering a single-player campaign that’s as frustrating asitis breathtaking, and on the other delivering a plethora ofmultiplayeroptions that deal in numbers unprecedented on consoles.Ultimately,though, Resistance 2 falls short of being the sum of itsmany parts andwhile it’s a more than competent and colossal package,it lacks thecredentials to earn itself classic status.

Titans can prove infuriating, their firepower often overwhelming.

WhenResistance:Fall of Man flew the flag for PlayStation 3 at theconsole’s launch thedazzle and awe of Insomniac’s 2006 effort onlyintermittently disguisedthe fact that it was the Ratchet & Clankdevelopers’ first attemptat an FPS. Second time round, Resistance 2sticks to the golden rule ofsequels – this is bigger and bolder thanResistance: Fall of Man innearly every respect.

Helpingboost the scale is the transposition of the action to the US –whereasthe original was mired to the confines of the British Isles,the shiftacross the pond certainly helps expand the games canvas andInsomniacdoes its best to visit every corner of America throughoutthesingle-player’s generous 10-hour lifespan. Gone are the muted greysanddull browns of the first game, replaced by a heavily saturated sliceof1950s Americana that’s presented in a breathless processionofset-pieces.

After a sluggishfirst act the game soon picks up pace before hitting abreakneck speedthat never falters throughout the rest of the campaign.Witnessing theChimera’s invasion of San Francisco – a trulyawe-inspiring vista that’sthe measure of anything seen in games thisyear, as a legion of vastbattleships obscure the skyline – is thefirst of many memorablemoments, many of which feature Resistance 2’sshow-stopping bossencounters.

From 30-storey-highLeviathans to mutated Kraken – via a huge cloudof energy that’s notquite as spectacular but twice as deadly – thesecreatures are depictedin dimensions that are unlikely to be surpassedfor some time, butthat’s not to say they don’t have competition fromsome of the game’ssmaller foes. Chameleons are some of the mostterrifying adversarieswe’ve come across this year, their camouflageconcealing them until thelast moment and ensuring that only awell-timed shotgun blast will saveHale’s skin.

Allied soldiers are little help, the Chimera seeming to focus their attacks on Hale.

Furies,theamphibious Chimera that stalk the game’s waters, help enliventheoccasional light platforming that links the firefights andset-pieces,while Spinners – Chimera in a premature state of conversion– alsoinspire some great set-pieces, with one particular encounter inaonce-idyllic Idaho playing out like a frenzied partnership ofInvasionof the Body Snatchers and Serious Sam, as hordes of the spindlymutantsburst forth from glutinous pods and furiously chase down Hale.

Halehimself is a slightly different beast this time round – restrictedtotwo weapon slots and a more basic rechargeable health system he’snow amore generic hero, but as before he’s distinguished by awonderfullyinventive arsenal. Favourites such as the Auger return,alongside anumber of neat additions like the Magnum. Packing a fairpunch on itsown, secondary fire detonates its slugs making it a handylittlefirearm, plus it’s joined by a Splicer – a vicious blade spewingweaponthat’s ideal for slicing through hordes of Spinners – and amini-gunthat’s equally adept at crowd control.

2003’s Chrome was a futuristic first-person shooter starring acharacter with the best hero name in human history, Bolt Logan. Loganadventured as a mercenary in a universe where corporations vied forcontrol of an element known only as “chrome.” Developer Techland’sfollow-up, Chrome 2, seems to be heading in a slightly differentdirection with its mythos. While Chrome 2 still takes place in asimilarly futuristic era, you don’t play as Logan again. Rather, you’rea solider in the military of the future–but not just any soldier. See,in this era, the dead aren’t necessarily dead. When you die, aprocedure can be performed to take your consciousness and transfer itinto a new body. Sound familiar? Maybe that’s because it’s basicallythe plot to the 1992 sci-fi campfest Freejack, although here, you don’tget to play as Emilio Estevez, and Mick Jagger isn’t trying to killyou. Here, once the procedure is done to you, you’re forced to pay offthe cost with five years of military service. And if the demo of thegame we saw at E3 2006 is any indication, perhaps death might be a morereasonable proposition, given what you’ll be in for.

The core gameplay concept behind Chrome 2 (apart from the fact thatit is a first-person shooter, first and foremost) is that your soldiercan upgrade his body in a whole host of ways. The game aims to includearound 200 types of weapons, but even outside of standard upgrades,you’ll actually be able to straight-up steal other people’s bodies whenrequired. One scenario we saw during our demo was a situation where aspecific NPC had access to something we needed. After blasting our waythrough a group of other enemies in an archetypal first-person-shooterscenario, we happened upon the target NPC. After hitting him with astunning weapon of some kind, we were then able to walk up to him andtransfer ourselves into his body. Doing this gave us access toeverything of his, including his weapons and abilities.

<!––> The game graphics are not to be reckoned with, they are in simple terms…AMAZING!!! but again there is a downside, to play on Ultra High graphics you need a multiple core processor and a superior VGA card. I my self have a core 2 duo and the 8600 nvidia 512mb, and the game lagged like crazy on ultra graphics. Shame i should say that to experience the maximum out of the game you should have an extremely high specification pc (which sadly i cannot afford…sigh… ) but i did test the game on ultra high graphics and the water effects EA has achieved in the game is just pure poetry in motion (but then again you cant stare at the water graphics through the entire game like a brain dead vegetable i guess)!!! Even on high graphics the game is not all that bad for viewing pleasure.

All the draw backs in the graphics is completely out shone by the game play, which i have to say is just superb. The game is quite fast paced and enthralling (unlike some other strategy games that take hours to collect resources and build troops and advance in technology). The game also has a wide array of new units (love the bears….they remind me of one of my friends running around drunk). Stingrays, Akula submarines, Apollo fighters, Twinblades and a whole lot more. Some of the older units are seen to resurface in the game as well sometimes under new names and sometimes under the same old name, like the Allied Peacekeeper which was actually the basic assault unit in RA2 the soldiers/marines. The prism tanks in RA3 are replaced by Athena cannons which are more like a revamped versions of prism tanks and much more powerful, and finally you get the same units as the ones in previous RA games like the Mirage tanks and Tesla troopers.

The story line of the game is a bit weird though, and some of the characters in the cinematics either over act or not act at all!! I have seen quite a few of them in the silver screen (to the simple minded…the MOVIES) and they do their roles quite well in the movies, guess they tried to put in that little bit of extra effort on the game cut scenes and over shot it. Tanaya (Jenny McCarthy makes me laugh every time she tried to act tough, and every time Emperor Yoshiro (George Takei)says he is “God” I just crack up in doubles laughing.

And it’s officially official, folks: Ubisoft is publishing the previously Midway-held title, Wheelman. Ubisoft’s Jaime Borasi confirmed to us this morning, “Yes, the deal with Midway has been finalized and we’ll be shipping to retail on March 24th.” In case you had forgotten, Wheelman is the third-person shooter/action-driving game coming to Xbox 360/PS3/PC starring everyone’s favorite street racer, Vin Diesel.

The deal comes in the wake of Midway’s recent filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (that’s the protection kind, not the liquidation kind) and a slew of rumors surrounding the sale of Midway by majority stockholder Sumner Redstone to mystery man Mark Thomas. Will Midway continue selling off its intellectual properties to stay afloat? Will that next Mortal Kombat game already in production soldier on? It remains to be seen. We’ve put in word to Midway for comment.

UPDATE: Ubisoft and Midway are calling the publishing deal a “strategic relationship”, saying, “Ubisoft will handle sales, marketing, and distribution of the title in North America, South America, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Austria, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Midway will continue to direct the development of the title and retains all future rights to the franchise and will sell the title in all other European territories.” Looks like Midway’s not out of the loop on Wheelman after all.

Ten years after the events of the classic Bionic Commando (with slight changes to names and events), don again the grappling hook of decorated government officer Nathan Spencer. Betrayed by your commander (Super Joe), your bionic arm is removed and you are wrongfully imprisoned and given a death sentence. When a terrorist group detonates an experimental weapon in Ascension City, Joe offers you a deal: if you can take your new bionic arm and defeat the terrorists, your name will be cleared. Features online multiplayer action for up to 10 players.

Ken Ogawa and his ninjas were tasked with destroying horde of monsters infesting modern Tokyo or risk the extinction of the human race. However, one of their own betrayed them and Ogawa narrowly escaped with his life. He is now left to fight alone while putting together the pieces of his father’s betrayal. Utilize many unique ninja tools and abilities to help him succeed, such as Ninja Vision (which finds enemy weak points and secret paths), Todome Attack (destroy an enemy’s heart by dealing a fatal blow), and special grappling hooks, swords, and grenades. Quick-time events will keep you on your toes even during cutscenes.

Samuel L. Jackson reprises his role as Afro Samurai, ever questing to become the number one warrior. He vows to take the title from Justice, the man who killed his father. Following the plot of the anime series, Afro traverses huge open environments, and fights using an innovative gameplay system in which the enemies are affected by the musical score. As always, the series trademark gore is out in full force!

Take a side in the battle for control over The One Ring! Take on the roles of famous characters from both sides of the conflict—Oliphaunts, Balrogs, and even the great Lord Sauron himself. Up to 150 characters can be onscreen at a time. 16 players can have at it online, with a four-player cooperative-ready campaign available online or in split-screen mode. But the die-hard fan will want to check this game out for one reason: a completely separate campaign that supposes Sauron had indeed regained control over The One Ring!

Another most anticipate game of 2009 (and also my more fav). Originalcreators of paranormal shooter regain rights to franchise’s name inwake of Activision Blizzard fire sale. Project Origin is now FEAR 2 roject Origin.

The second heart-stopping shooter by Monolith (after F.E.A.R.)continues the spine-tingling supernatural suspense story of anescalating paranormal crisis that threatens to destroy a major Americancity. At the center of the calamity is the mysterious Alma, whose rageagainst those who wronged her triggered a chain of events that hasspiraled completely out of control. Now that she has been loosed uponthe world, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Playing the game you can see how Project Origin’s open outdoorenvironments are set to change the dynamic of the combat. Many of youwill remember that the original F.E.A.R. had its fair share of scarymoments, and while they still occur in Project Origin, the urbanenvironments have been incorporated to allow for a distinct change ofaction. The gunplay is frantic and violent, while the enemy AI lookslike it has learnt even more about using flanking techniques, as wellas taking cover. Enemies open car doors to use as cover, but thankfullyyou can use a sniper rifle to shoot off extremities that peek outaround the edges. If you shoot a soldier in the leg, then he’ll hobbleover to stronger cover, or you can be safe and use a rocket launcher toblow the entire car up.

More details HERE

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Setting out to do for co-op gaming what Counter-Strike did for teamcombat, Left 4 Dead is an ambitious survival horror game. Running onthe Source engine, Left 4 Dead leaves four armed survivors of a worldoverrun with zombies, and they must fight their way out to escape theoutbreak.
Designed for co-op play, the four players must work together to finisheach stage of the game, lending each other artillery support, sharingammo and rescuing each other when zombies are on top of them. Inaddition to the standard four players as humans, another four playerscan be amongst the masses of assaulting zombies, seeking to take downthe other players. Zombie players might even find themselves become oneof the four mutant “boss” zombies, who have unique powers that can beused to devastate, injure, tie up, mark and track, confuse, or evenhumiliate the gun-toting human survivors.