Page 5510 – Capsule Computers

More Max Payne 3 Q&A Answers

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February 18, 2012

Rockstar Games have been busy at answering a lot of your questions about their upcoming Max Payne 3. Check out Part 1 of the Q&A if you missed it, and if you have any questions on Max Payne 3 or any of Rockstar’s games email Rockstar Games’ Mouthoff – [email protected], or head over to their Facebook or Twitter pages.

Q – “I’ve waited nearly 10 years for this. Will Max Payne 3 feature any driving this time around? I know you guys avoided it so it doesn’t seem like a version of a Grand Theft Auto game but since Max is 10 years in and established as its own, will you add that in?” – Dymez510

“Max is there more in-depth hand-to-hand combat with interaction of environment?” – zell92i75

A – As we’ve stated in the past, we’re working very hard to ensure that we’re being faithful and true to the heritage of Max Payne – and the heart and soul of Max Payne gameplay has always been as a pure shooter. Apart from some pretty cool melee kills that can be triggered when in close quarters with an enemy (check out the very end of the latest Design and Technology video for an exemplary pistol-whipping), we have no intention of betraying that to introduce driving/racing or brawling elements. Just get ready for some of the most cutting-edge, advanced and insane shooting gameplay you’ve ever experienced. If you want driving, we do make some other games. This game is all about story driven gun play.

Q- “With the trend of video games becoming ‘easier’ to complete to cater to the casual market in the hope of everybody completing the game, can we expect a challenging hardcore Max Payne game? I remember from previous Max Payne games, there being tough levels with intense shoot-outs. Can we expect the same with MP3?” – ILikeVideo-Games

A – Yes – while we’re not going to go into too much detail about the specifics of it just yet, we can answer that there will indeed be varying optional difficulty levels for players to play through the single-player story with – so that the game can be a challenging, satisfying and fun experience for players of all skill levels, and special rewards for completing on harder difficulty levels – we will have more details soon.

Q – “Thanks for answering my Max Payne 3 question! Ok… I know I’m making a stupid request but… somehow, in Max Payne 3, could you please put some producers and writers commentaries? I wanna know everything you got inspired with, how you did it and why you did it. Some fans would appreciate this idea too!” – received via Mouthoff

A – Not a stupid request at all! Although we most likely won’t be including development chronicles or commentaries within the game itself, if for no other reason than we rarely have much spare room on our game discs, we’d definitely recommend you pay close attention to some of the content online that will continue to hit in the lead-up to game release – including our behind-the-scenes Research posts and Rockstar Recommends series here at the Rockstar Newswire, the continuingDesign and Technology Series of videos, and exclusive interviews we’re giving with gaming sites discussing the development of Max Payne 3.

Q- “@rockstargames Wow, I have a lot of questions. Are you going to be divulging the full list of classic characters for Max Payne 3’s Special Edition?” –DrDeanDarko (via Twitter)

A – Yes, we will be confirming the full list of characters in Max Payne 3 Special Edition’s Classic Character Multiplayer Pack soon.

Q – “R* are you planning to make DLCs for mp3 in the future ? I’m looking forward to this game, because Max Payne 1 and 2 are one of the greatest games and game experiences for me 😀 this game will be awesome !!!!! :D” – Maxx-Paiin

A – Thank you. It’s great to see hardcore Max Payne fans such as yourself getting excited for the game’s release – as we’ve said before, we’re working very hard to ensure a faithful but still fresh and new Max Payne title for you all. As for future looking downloadable content, it’s a bit early yet for us to confirm exactly what shape Max Payne 3 DLC might take as we’re still in the planning stages for that, but yes we do plan to support Max Payne 3 with content post-release to properly extend the game experience for fans.

Q – “Okay, question time! Will we see the nifty TV shows from the previous two in Max Payne 3?” – ABoyandHisX

A – Very possibly…

Q – “In footage of the game, we see Max in both São Paulo and back in New York City. Are the New York city parts solely at the beginning of the game, or are they perhaps a part of flashback missions throughout the story?” – received via Mouthoff

A – We don’t want to give too much away about the game’s narrative structure, but the game is about Max coming to terms with his experience in São Paulo and the events that took him there, so they are spread throughout the game, like memories triggered by events in São Paulo.

Q – “Any news about Max Payne on iOS?” – avbros

A – Yes – following the release of Grand Theft Auto III for iOS (and Android devices) late last year, the original Max Payne will be our next release for mobile devices. We will have an official announcement soon confirming the release date, but you can expect it to finally be released sometime in the next couple months.

Q – “Rockstar, if I may ask, what is the relationship like between you and Remedy?” – received via Mouthoff

A – Remedy are great long-time friends of ours – they may be an external development studio not part of the internal Rockstar system, but we’ve always loved what they create, and their passion for games, and feel a certain kinship in that they are a studio not afraid of creating original and unique story-driven game experiences very different from the norm. We admire and respect all game makers who stick to their guns and make interesting and original games, and in particular ones like Remedy that we’ve had the pleasure to work with ourselves and know to be good guys as well. As creators of the Max Payne series, we’ve been honored to have them directly involved with us in the making of Max Payne 3 and at the same time, it’s been a thrill to be in the loop along the way seeing what they’re up to with Alan Wake and the new American Nightmare release coming out. If you’ve never checked that game out, we definitely recommend having a look.

Q – “Are there any hopes of us getting a Bully 2? I loved the original and it’s been, what, 5 years? Please make another one.” – siim220

“Hey, and Bully 2? It’s Real? Please make Bully 2! The world needs a Bully 2” – Julio Cësar (via Facebook)

A – We absolutely love that over 5 years later, we’re still seeing so much enthusiasm for Bully – all we can say is to see the answer from Monday’s Asked & Answered about L.A. Noire! We really love Bully ourselves and may also make a sequel at some point.

Max Payne 3 is set to be released for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on May 18 and PC on May 29.

Monster Crush – Demolition Review

Roger Ma

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February 18, 2012

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Monster Crush – Demolition
Developer: 628 Games
Publisher: 628 Games
Platform: iPhone/iPad (reviewed)
Release: 19/01/12
Price: $0.99 – Available Here

Overview

Casual on the go gaming is the bread and butter of iPhone and iPad video games. 628 Games’ Monster Crush – Demolition fits this genre perfectly, providing quick and fast on the go gameplay in a flash. Monster Crush is a physics based puzzle game similar to Angry Birds or iBlast Moki and offers very destructible gameplay.

Story

Monster Crush doesn’t exactly have a story so to speak more so an overall basic premise. Starting up the game players are introduced to a short cutscene which introduces this premise. The Earth has been invaded by aliens and it’s your job to kill them by detonating buildings on top of them, that’s about as far as the story goes. And that’s fine and a good enough reason to be blowing up building.

Gameplay

In order to defeat the alien invaders, you’ll need to strategically place bombs in specific locations in order to topple a building. The first few tutorial levels explain all this very well and getting the hang of this is very easy. Bombs come in two different variations regular and cutting, the latter (name suggests) is used specially for cutting buildings. All bombs can be timed up to nine seconds and as the game progresses and its puzzles get harder, the timing and placement of your bomb will become a necessity.

Throughout the game, you will be setting up a lot of bombs randomly and seeing they how go. And that is half the fun of Monster Crush. The game’s physics is genuinely fun to watch, however playing though the same level over and over again just to find the right combination of bombs and location isn’t.

A lot of trial and error is needed in this game, and that isn’t exactly a bad thing as the feeling of reward for completing a level is heightened by this. While this type of gameplay doesn’t appeal to everyone, if you’re a fan of puzzle ‘trial and error’ gameplay then much is to be enjoyed here.

Monster Crush isn’t all about crushing aliens. The game also offers up other objectives and game modes, all of which involve destroying buildings of cause. For example, in some levels you will be required to destroy as many blocks as possible or get a ball to roll as far as possible.

All levels require players to obtain a star ranking which in turn opens up cities which holds six more levels for players to complete. In total, the game has 42 puzzles to complete spread across 6 different cities along with this players can also create and share their own levels. Already, a huge number of user created levels are available to download for free via the game’s main menu.

Audio & Visual

The game sports an old school cartoony pixely 16-bit style. It’s a colourful game with bright visuals. However despite being held in different cities, there isn’t a lot of variety in each city’s backdrop. For the most part it is the same generic city backdrop with a few minor changes thrown in.

There isn’t much to set apart each city from one another, which is a bit of a disappointment. The game’s impending military-esq theme music works well with the game’s overall premise. Explosions in the game sound exactly how you would expect and there are no issues with sound effects in the game, they all work fine.

Overall

Monster Crush is a one of those games where you sit back and let the destruction entertain you. As a physics-based puzzle game, you may get frustrated over playing the same level over and over just to find the correct solution. But that’s the price for the feeling of reward. Gameplay is very solid, with levels becoming quite complicated at later stages of the game. Overall, Monster Crush is a very simple yet challenging game. As the saying goes, it’s easy to get the hang of but difficult to master.

I give Monster Crush – Demolition for iPad/iPhone:

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare gets one more dev diary before release

Travis Bruno

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February 17, 2012

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Remedy has released their final dev diary for Alan Wake’s American Nightmare before the game’s release on the Xbox 360 next week. However perhaps this one would be best skipped if you don’t want to see too many spoilers about Mr. Scratch.

Then again… given the track record from the past few developer diaries then this video is certainly worth watching just to see what will be happening in the background. First we’ve had someone murdered in the background and carried away, and the last developer diary featured someone murdered in a house in the background. What will happen this time around? Let me give you a hint… it features lots of Mr. Scratch all over the place.

Gears of War 3 ‘Forces of Nature’ DLC arrives March 27

Travis Bruno

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February 17, 2012

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While there has been a small lull in Gears of War 3 DLC, it seems that there is another one coming out next month. Revealed on GTTV tonight, the next piece of Gears of War 3 DLC will be another map pack for the multiplayer mode as well as a few character skins that were available as pre-order bonuses originally.

The DLC is called “Forces of Nature” and will cost 800 MSP for those who didn’t purchase the Gears of War 3 ‘Season Pass’, as those will be able to get the game for free. The maps added into the game are called Aftermath, Artillery, and Cove along with two returning maps, Jacinto and Raven Down. The DLC will be released on March 27th and the character models can be seen above. Plus, there will be five new weapon skins unlocked, with two Forces of Nature exclusive weapon skins.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Mk2 has plenty of action and a stock market too!

Travis Bruno

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February 17, 2012

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While there is plenty of battles to be fought in the world of Gamindustri, there is also a world share map that shows how much each nation (which mostly reference real life game consoles) is in control of the world at any given time. This usually adjusts depending on how you complete quests. Depending on the share ratios, this can also unlock new story paths and even bring goddesses from the first game into your party.

Now while the stock market and the share ratio between nations may not be that interesting for most people, there are also plenty of screenshots which can be seen below that feature all of the different characters in Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2. One of these images even has a very obvious reference to NIS America’s most recently released game, Atelier Totori. Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 is set to be released exclusively on the PlayStation 3 on February 28th so the wait is indeed getting smaller.

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Early Copies of Mass Effect 3 Launched into Space, Multiplayer Demo Opens

Claire Phillips

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February 17, 2012

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Mass Effect 3 is officially out of this world – publisher’s EA are taking hype to new heights by launching copies of the game into space! An undisclosed number of weather balloons will lift off from New York, London, Berlin, Las Vegas, Paris and San Francisco next week. Each will bear a copy of the game and be fitted with a GPS tracking device, which will report the current location of the balloon to the official Mass Effect website.

Fans in the right area who are desperate to get their hands on the game will be able to track the balloons online and snatch them up from their landing zones, scoring one of the most heavily anticipated titles of the year almost a full week before the rest of the world. So if you’re near one of the starting zones, make sure and watch the skies!

Today also marks the unveiling of the online co-operative multiplayer phase of the Mass Effect 3 demo, so make sure and boot up that demo just one more time (or many many more!) to get a taste of what’s to come when the full title drops on March 6.

Tekken Unlimited Tag 2 debut trailer

Jahanzeb Khan

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February 17, 2012

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A while ago, NamcoBandai announced that they would be unveiling a new updated edition for Tekken Tag Tournament 2 at the AOU 2012 arcade expo. At the time, the title for this update was New Tekken Tag Tournament 2. Thankfully, NamcoBandai has decided to drop this name as the final title chosen for the update is now Tekken Unlimited Tag 2.

Tekken Unlimited Tag 2 essentially adds new modes of play. These new modes include one on one, one on two (i.e. handicap match), and pair play that allows four players to play together in teams of two. There are also several updates to the character moves and balance.

EA Mobile unleashes new titles and add-on game content

Jahanzeb Khan

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February 17, 2012

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EA Mobile has released some new titles and content. They are Monopoly Hotel, The Sims Free Play, and new content for Theme Park.

Monopoly Hotel is available as a free download on the App Store and the game adds a new twist to the legendary board game as players will take role of a real estate magnate and build incredible hotels.

Next up, the much anticipated The Sims Free Play is now available on the Android Market and as the name suggests, the game is a free download and offers the same addictive gameplay that has made the Sims so popular and more.

Finally, new content is now available for the iOS Theme Park game, which adds 13 new attractions, new quests, and other improvement. This add-on is a free download on the App Strore.

Nexuiz release date and price confirmed

Jahanzeb Khan

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February 17, 2012

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THQ and Machinima have announced and confirmed the release date and price for their upcoming first person shooter title, Nexuiz. Nexuiz is set to release for Xbox 360 on February 29 2012. The game will be released on Xbox Live Arcade as a digital title, and will cost 800 Microsoft Points.

Nexuiz forms a part of Microsoft’s ‘House Party’ season of Xbox Live Arcade titles. That said, the game isn’t exclusive to the Xbox 360 as the game is also set to appear on the PlayStation 3 and PC platforms sometime later in 2012.

Nexuiz is a fast paced first person shooter with a heavy multiplayer focus, and is in similar vein to the classic Quake 3 Arena. The game is powered by CryENGINE 3 and looks pretty impressive.

You can check out the latest trailer below.

Reckoning ‘Visionaries’ Trailer

Luke Halliday

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February 17, 2012

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EA have released a new trailer for the recently released Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. The new trailer goes under the title ‘Visionaries’ and details the people behind the game and the vision they had for the game’s world and characters.

You can check out the trailer with the game’s visionaries below. We recently reviewed Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning to which it received a great deal of praise, you can check out our review here.

Be sure to let us know what you think of the Reckoning ‘Visionaries’ trailer in the shoutbox and comments section below. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is available now in stores across Australia and the U.S.