Those who feel like picking up Final Fantasy XIII-2 at GameStop should know that Square Enix has just revealed that the company has come to an agreement for an exclusive pre-order bonus. People who are just normal consumers will receive an extra alternate costume for Serah, but those who are PowerUp Reward members will get the exclusive “Genji Bow” weapon for free.
The weapon will have two forms, the bow and the sword form seen above. Those who have pre-ordered the game already will already have the bonus applied to their pre-orders. This means that when the title is released on January 31st next year, you can pick up your special weapon at no additional cost for yourself.
It looks like not all publishers are hating on companies that allow consumers to play their title without running out and buying it for full price at a store. In fact, Blockbuster has stated to MCV that they are actually seeing a lot of support from game publishers. This is because companies actually see a decent amount of money from rentals unlike with used games where the companies see no actual return.
Gerry Butler, commercial director has stated that “We have ramped up the rental side of our business and we have got an awful lot of support from publishers. Publishers like renting as it takes away from trade-ins. The problem with trade-ins is the publisher doesn’t get any money. The advantage of renting is that they get quite a lot of money.” Of course considering players who rent from Blockbuster still suffer from a missing online pass, at least companies are happy about this one.
I’m sure if you are like me, you’ve seen the Nintendo 3DS bundles that have already been revealed in the Black Friday ads. But Nintendo wants to have the final word and has revealed today what we already know. On November 24th Nintendo will be releasing two special 3DS bundles for the money saving consumer this holiday season.
The Cosmo Black bundle contains a special Cosmo Black 3DS decorated with Zelda imagery, along with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. The Flame Red bundle contains a plain old Flame Red 3DS with Super Mario 3D Land. These bundles are going to cost $199.99 on average, however you will likely be able to find them for cheaper if you feel like standing out in the cold Thanksgiving night.
Cheaters better watch out in Modern Warfare 3 because their actions aren’t going to be ignored. While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 may not be a playground for cheaters and hackers yet, unlike MW2, Black Ops and World at War, there still are people who end up cheating in some way or another. However Modern Warfare 3 community leader Robert Bowling revealed on Twitter that Activision has already issued over 1,600 bans.
“Reporting [cheaters] in-game through [Modern Warfare 3] goes directly to our security team, who issues the bans directly after verifying. Every ban unique to the level of douchiness of the offense. The greater the douche, the greater the length. PermaDouche possible.” Sounds like good news to me, people who cheat and hack the game only end up hurting the experience for honest players.
Yesterday a couple of us here at Capsule Computers were lucky enough to have a hands on session with Syndicate, a first person shooter from Swedish developers Starbreeze Studios – behind the Darkness and both Chronicles of Riddick games.
Being published by EA, the 2012 release sees a gap of almost twenty years from the release of the original title. At this point fans of the original Syndicate (1993) may be a tad confused. A first person shooter? Hang on a second, what happened to this?
Yes, Syndicate in it’s original form was in fact an isometric view, real time tactical shooter. In the couple of decades since it was first released, Syndicate has morphed genre, neatly landing in the incredibly well populated box of the FPS. What happened? The gaming industry of 2011 happened!
Syndicate circa 2012 (it is future set after all), now looks more like this:
So what’s the story?
A near future set sci fi tale, Syndicate brings to life a world divided and ruled by mega corporations – syndicates. These companies supply the citizens of the world with neural chips that allow access to a huge digital world, and with every aspect of modern life linked to the chips, the syndicates, not the politicians, have all the power.
Players take on the role of agent Miles Kilo, a EuroCorp agent and part of the front line of the Syndicate war. The agents are equipped with the very latest developments in chip technology, and as well as being more than a little handy with normal weapons, can ‘breach’ anything in the dataverse, including other people.
And the gameplay?
The demo allowed for a playthrough of the opening moments of a single player campaign level (four player co-op will feature in the full title), and sees Miles and a fellow agent break into the research lab/hub of a rival syndicate. After a brief introduction (“civ casualties is a non issue” ) the two split up, leaving the player in pursuit of a neural chip currently embedded in the head of scientist Gary Chang.
From the off it’s incredibly clear that the level of violence here is going to be pretty high. Unarmed scientists are fair game, gunshots have blood spraying the ground. The ability to breach ups the ante even more, allowing players to cut into the minds of a security guard to make him madly take out his colleague before turning the gun on himself. This is the ‘suicide’ breach, one of three on offer in the demo but by far the most intriguing – will the Australian censors have a field day?
Miles can also hack into inanimate objects such as security systems, and the ability slots nicely into gun fights. Gun turrets can be breached to turn them on their masters and environments tweaked to add or remove cover. Fighting through a handful of security guards, Miles eventually gets his hands on Chang. Ripping the chip out his head (more blood spray) acts as an upgrade for the players own chip, allowing one point to be spent in usual suspect areas like speed, health regeneration and combat efficiency.
Players quickly get their hands on one of the more futuristic weapons, a gun that once locked on to its target can shoot round corners and over cover to find its mark. Combined with the long range efficiency of the breaches, it adds a different dimension to the gun fights, which can also take on a more short range flavour with a range of executions available in close combat. These are fairly snappy to say the least, and are pretty efficient at taking out enemies with one button push.
The gun also opens up more of a puzzle element to the game, as secured doors that seem unreachable can be opened with a some creative use of the environment – breaching an air conditioning unit to freeze some nearby glass will make it shatter when shot, so players can target the security mechanism on the door and watch as the bullets fly through the new opening.
The HUD display is a bit on the messy side, but in it’s current state the game is still impressive. Everything handles well, and the four player co-op could be a big draw if it takes advantage of Syndicate’s sci-fi trappings. The emphasis on breaching and the general atmosphere feels similar to Deus Ex Human Revolution, but here the action is definitely the main focus – there’s a lot more adrenaline in Syndicate’s system. With plenty of visceral action and some varied gameplay ideas, it could be one to watch when it’s released next year.
Max Payne launches early next year and while we all patiently await to see how Rockstar treated the sequel, we can also get those wallets ready as Rockstar have officially announced a Collector’s Edition that is now available for pre-order everywhere. From a statue featuring Max himself to a ton of in-game extras and tunage, there is a good bit packed in for the price.
What all is inside?
A copy of Max Payne 3
10′ tall Collectible Max Payne Statue created in a collaboration between TriForce and Rockstar Games
Series of game-inspired Original Still Life Art Prints that depict some of Max Payne’s inner demons and vices
Copper and brass-plated iron, bullet-shaped Bullet Keychain featuring a screw-off back
Classic Multiplayer Character Pack of eight playable multiplayer characters for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer, including fan favorites from the original Max Payne and Max Payne 2 like Max Payne from Max Payne 2, Mona Sax and Vladimir Lem
Disorderly Conduct Multiplayer Weapons Pack for Max Payne 3 Multiplayer that includes the Hammerhead Auto Shotgun, G9 Grenade Launcher and Molotov cocktail
Max Payne 3 Official Soundtrack featuring the game’s instrumental score.
Whether your new to this tale of revenge or have followed it from the start, this edition seems to have something for everyone and at just $99, the whole set seems to be a fantastic value. Now as pictured in the promo sheet above, this whole limited edition is in fact meant to be limited, so those who plan on pre-ordering need to do so by January 15th.
So what do you think? Are you snagging up this version?
Not too long ago, a rumor all but confirmed that we would in fact be seeing Jak and Daxter go HD in their very own collection. Naughty Dog have now confirmed this as of today and fans of the series can rejoice as the Jak and Daxter Collection is set for a February release. This collection will feature Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Jak II, and Jak 3, which will all be fully remastered in 720p, allowing for crisper visuals, smoother gameplay animation, and now full stereoscopic 3D.
Also confirmed by Naughty Dog on the Playstation Blog is the much craved trophy support for the entire trilogy, giving fans a reason to trek through each again. It doesn’t seem like it’s been that long since Jak and Daxter first landed on the Playstation 2, but December 4th marks the series’ 10 year anniversary, so there is no doubt that these remakes will be made with a ton of love this time around. To get a first look at the trilogy, you can check out the new trailer below. After that, everything is just a waiting game as Jak and Daxter’s very own collection is just a couple months away from hitting shelves.
Although Saints Row started life as a GTA clone, the series’ journey into the realms of the silly and absurd have earned it a following all of its own. This direction truly began with Saints Row 2, but Saints Row: The Third manages to go a few steps further and ups the ante with the whole “over-the-top” thing. Now more than a bunch of crooks, your gang is a saleable image and has grown into a big business, calling for even more exaggerated larks in the city of Steelport.
Over the short time the character customisation tool, Initiation Station, was made available online, THQ reported figures of over 1 million different characters being created. The developers have stated that the emphasis of the game is on fun – a sentiment I agree with. Many games get so bogged down with realism they forget gaming is an escape, somewhere you won’t feel the consequences of your actions and a place where the concept of death doesn’t exist, as you can just click restart. The ridiculous get-ups are just one example of this. Running around in a gimp suit, battering people with a pink dildo baseball bat, was always going to split opinion. To many, probably most, it’s vulgar, but it at least shows that the game’s not taking itself too seriously.
The gameplay itself isn’t particularly special – just another shooting game. It’s the situations that you find yourself in during gameplay that really have the power to impress. Many other games are criticised for such unrealistic set-pieces as they only happen once, usually as a finale, but the fact that they happen throughout Saints Row: The Third makes them more acceptable. Whether these activities are story-driven or spring from some open-world exploration (read: pissing about), you know to take them with a pinch of salt and just enjoy the ride. This is your city. These are your rules. Strap it on.
It looks like the United States isn’t the only country to get a free copy of Saints Row 2. THQ has announced that, in order to make up for a lack of an exclusive gameplay mode promised back at E3 for Saints Row: The Third, owners of the Playstation 3 version will get access to the second game absolutely free if they activate their online pass in a 90 day period. However, the offer won’t start until early next week.
It also won’t be the bare bones of the game. All of the Saints Row 2 DLC packs will be included, allowing you to experience the game with all of the content. So, if you own the Playstation 3 version of the game and want an extra game (so what if it is a couple of years old), you better activate your online pass by the February 13, 2012.
The following countries are eligible to receive Saints Row 2 for free: Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom.
Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Developer: Kojima Productions, Bluepoint Games Publisher: Konami Platforms: PlayStation 3 (Reviewed), Xbox 360 Release Date: November 8, 2011 Price: $49.99 – Available Here
Overview:
Perhaps no series has created such a polarizing opinion in the gaming world like the Metal Gear Solid series. There are those who love the title for everything that it is, with its often shifting and easily confusing at times storyline and stealth gameplay for what it is, and also those who just want nothing to do with a series which can be seen as way too convoluted for its own good.
But for those who love the series Konami has chosen to provide an HD version of three of the more recent titles in the series. They have brought us 2001’s Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, 2004’s Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and last year’s Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for the PSP. Now these were all arguably great titles back in their day, so how have they aged with this HD upgrade? Let’s find out.
Story:
Now those familiar with the storyline of the Metal Gear Solid series should know that Metal Gear Solid 2 isn’t actually the beginning of the story; as Metal Gear Solid 1 was, however that was not included for various reasons, including the fact that the title is thirteen years old and no amount of HD can make it stand up to today’s standards.
However, it is interesting to note that the storyline of the series doesn’t follow the chronology of the time they have been released, in fact the series abruptly jumps back forty years to tell us the story of Naked Snake, otherwise known as Big Boss from past games in the series. This occurs for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater which can be a bit disorienting for newcomers as they wonder exactly what is going on at times.
That being said, the stories that are included are as great as fans remember and just as convoluted as well. We begin with Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty which chose to take a bit of a controversial turn by replacing fan favorite Snake with the different main character Raiden. Now this titles’ story is a bit odder than the rest of the games included in the package, mostly due to the way that Raiden and his handler Rose interact with one another and includes a number of strange twists that just shouldn’t make sense in a logical way of thinking.
Now as for the second title in the collection, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, as stated before, occurs forty years in the past following Naked Snake as he is sent on a mission to rescue a defecting Soviet Scientist right in the middle of when the Cold War between Soviet Russia and the United States was at its hottest. The story of this title is a bit more steeped in reality than Sons of Liberty and can be seen as perhaps the most easily understandable and revealing stories in the Metal Gear Solid series.
The third and final game of the collection is a lesser known title which was only available on the PlayStation Portable, and that is Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. Peace Walker follows the story of Naked Snake (Big Boss) once again, ten years after the events that occurred in MGS3. In MGS3, Naked Snake who first uses the title of Big Boss in this episode has put together a group of mercenaries. Now while the other two titles included in this collection contained memorable enemies and bosses, Peace Walker lacked that aspect and could be seen as the weakest of the three titles in the story department.
In the end each story is the exact same as fans would remember them to be. This is a great thing for those who have already played the titles and want to replay everything again and try to see if, at an older age, they can understand the storyline a bit better. One issue with the collection however is that the few titles that aren’t included in the collection leave a few gaps in the storyline. Now this isn’t too much of a detriment, as each game can more or less be taken as an individually contained story, but it is disappointing that the focus on keeping a continuous story flow was lost when putting the collection together.
Graphics:
Being that most of these games are quite old, it only comes to reason that an HD upgrade is something that most of these titles need desperately, and being that one of the points of this entire collection was to provide a nice HD coat on the entire series it is a must that it is done well. Now Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was released at the launch of the PlayStation 2 back in 2001, ten years ago. The HD upgrade to MGS2 looks quite good and a number of the main characters benefit greatly from the upgrade, making the title stand up to your average title released digitally through the PSN which is certainly an accomplishment considering its age.
Now Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is another story entirely. The original release on the PS2 was an amazing looking experience for its time and the HD upgrade is instantly noticeable to anyone who has played the earlier version. The upgrade brings the title nearly to current-gen levels with attention paid to keeping details intact and providing great looking characters. The scene amidst the field of flowers has never looked so amazing.
One of the more intriguing upgrades is for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, being as the title was only released last year. Now the reason for the intrigue is due to the fact that the title was originally released only for the PSP, meaning the graphics are of course the weakest point in the title. The HD upgrade has made most of the title look up to par with its counterparts but unfortunately the textures just don’t do the game justice, usually looking too polygonal and often look too simple to be included with the rest of the game. Now besides those upgrades, there are still problems with the title that I experienced such as plenty of texture pop and the character’s lips not syncing with their dialogue.
Audio:
One of the highlights of the Metal Gear Solid series has always been the quality voice actors that the various characters have been provided with. The character’s voices sound just as great as when we heard them many years ago with plenty of emotion and memorable parts. Of the three titles, perhaps Snake Eater suffers slightly from a multitude of characters and the occasional bad performance but those looking to hear their favorite voices in the cutscenes and codec calls have no reason to worry.
Gameplay:
The Metal Gear Solid series has always been a game that focused around both stealth and action and Metal Gear Solid 2 was one of the first titles to ever take the stealth element and make it its own. This included the, at the time, new addition of first person shooting. Besides this we also saw a number of new moves added to Raiden’s repertoire. This included a number of neat features such as shooting an enemy’s radio to prevent him from calling for help. On the other hand the game’s age still holds itself back in this day and age. At the best of times the controls feel stiff and awkward at times. At times the game also feels a tad bit too easy thanks to the fact that the enemy AI isn’t the brightest, meaning more often than not you can sneak up on nearly every normal soldier standing in your way.
Metal Gear Solid 3 took everything that MGS2 did and made it all the better. The stealth aspect in the title can be seen as one of the best, even by today’s standards. This includes a number of new additions, including the fact that the MGS3 in this package is the “Subsistence” version of the title. This means you will have full camera control, allowing players to look around walls while not having to expose themselves. There was also the introduction of the camouflage system where players could match their outfits to the surroundings and be able to blend in. This means you can easily crawl through an environment in a dirt colored camo, sneak up on enemies and drop them with a well-placed headshot.
Now Peace Walker had a certain limitation when it was developed, and that was a limited amount of buttons to use on the PSP. Because of this, a number of moves and stealth actions have been removed. However players are able to move around while shooting which is nice, and considering there is a second analogue stick to use on the PlayStation 3 this is very simple and easy to use.
Peace Walker did a few things unique to the series, where players played through a number of smaller missions and multiple side missions that were developed for the portable quality that the PSP possessed. Players could even capture enemy soldiers and try to recruit them to their militia and place them into various sections of their militia, including R&D and others. When a certain department levels up this also unlocked extra weapons and gear to use on missions which was a nice inclusion. Plus the title has retained its online co-op mode that allows for other players to help you out through the PSN and take on the various missions in the title.
Overall:
The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection has everything that fans would want of the series. Each of the titles has benefited greatly from the HD upgrade and at times look immensely better than they did before. Plus, everything else is more or less the exact same. Plus for the trophy and achievement hunters out there they can earn newly added trophies/achievements to help increase their enjoyment.
Of course an HD upgrade can’t change some of the problems that were inherent in the original titles and a few of them do feel quite dated as far as controls go. Plus out of the three games included Peace Walker just feels like the odd man out, not containing the same quality of gameplay or story that the other two titles had. Still, this title is quite simply the best and possibly cheapest way to pick up the series, even for newcomers, though they may be a bit lost as to what is actually happening.
