The post-apocalypse nuclear backstory has been done, well, a lot. Suffice to say everyone has seen and played their fair share of games in that setting, a disappointing number of which are actually pretty poor, Fallout and Metro 2033 being examples from my Steam library that (in my opinion at least) failed to deliver anything really memorable.
So what then has Nuclear Dawn, a class-based multiplayer FPS got to add to the debate? Believability for a start. In stark contrast to the incredibly samey and almost sterile environments of the Fallout universe, Nuclear Dawn provides a host of maps that incorporate authentic world landmarks and architecture. From Westminster tower and the deserted city streets of England, to the sand swept hotels and Persian-era archways of Dubai, to the snow covered industrial complexes of Russia; Nuclear Dawn is eerily easy to associate with. Billboards twinkle and flash, plants move in the gentle, ash-speckled breeze, planes pass noisily overhead, and the game just does a great job of looking and feeling pretty spectacular.
It plays well too, even as a beta. The shooting mechanics are some of the most robust I’ve seen in the genre (particularly the weight of the guns, a pox on many source engine titles where typically even a desert eagle is about as nimble as child’s water pistol), HUD functions like ammo counting and displaying the map are handled in extremely clever ways for preserving immersion, the classes are diverse enough to cover all styles of play, and loadout packs provide the player with enough specificity to cover all situations with their chosen class, for example; while playing earlier today I was mowed down by a minigun wielding Exo (heavy) class player who had managed to corner me and my squad in the narrow aisles of a Grocery Store, and did so easily, taking advantage of my lightweight stealth loadout, but upon respawning I picked up a sniper pack, climbed up some ladders into the derelict shell of an apartment building, and was able to avenge my fallen comrades with a headshot through a broken window as he exited the store, thus the game allowed me to adapt to and solve a situation without changing class, something that not many class-based titles do. This is also one of the only titles I’ve ever played where the recon or stealth class isn’t nerfed beyond all actual usefulness, and his/her cloaking ability doesn’t deplete more quickly while running, a pet hate of mine which usually undercuts the classes’ actual billing as “recon” or “stealth”, since neither of those should ever translate to; “cloak and camp in an obvious spot until some dumb f*** walks right in front of you”, so much kudos to Interwave Studios for being one of the first developers to really nail that.
I’m still playing the beta pretty much every day right now, and have yet to explore a lot of the game’s features, but so far things are looking very good indeed.
During PAX 2011, 343 Industries held a panel in which they confirmed that Halo 4 will be the beginning of a new trilogy of Halo games. 343 Industries have taken the reigns of the Halo franchise and will begin their trilogy of Halo games immediately following the events of Halo 3.
Master Chief has awoken and is ready to reclaim his life. Thusly the name of this trilogy is “The Reclaimer Trilogy”. Not only that but it has been announced that the main villains of the trilogy will be known as “The Reclaimers”. Not much is known about The Reclaimers other than that they will serve as the main antagonists of the new trilogy.
Along-side the announcement of a whole triology of games coming our way, 343 also revealed some concept art for the upcoming Halo 4, which can be seen in the video below. What do you think of this announcement and concept art? Do you want another trilogy of Halo games? Let us know in the comments section below.
This year at PAX 2011, dimensions were shifted and heavy safes were lifted! That’s right, Quantum Conundrum, the innovative puzzle game from the co-creator of Portal, Kim Swift, was on display for the attendees of the event.
Those in attendence got a chance to check out Quantum Conundrum’s innovative dimension shifting gameplay mechanics. Which may sound somewhat reminiscent of Portal, both in concept and design.
However the puzzles here aren’t as simple as placing a portal in the right position. The puzzles on show here require you to swich through multiple dimensions such as the “Zero Gravity Dimension”, “Slow-Mo Dimension”, “Fluffy Dimension” and many more, in order to complete levels. Sometimes requiring the player to use multiple dimensions in rapid succession, which the developers are saying is rather tricky and takes some serious brain-power.
Quantum Conundrum is slated for a release sometime early next year on the Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network and Steam. So until then keep you eyes on this dimension!
What do you think of Quantum Conundrum’s unique gameplay mechanics? Leave a comment below letting us know.
EA has just unveiled its television promotion for the upcoming football simulator, FIFA 12. Titled “Love Football, Play Football”, the ad features shots from the real world and in-game footage.
With big football stars like Wayne Rooney, Gerard Pique, and Kaka gracing the screen, this advertisement is another great way for EA to generate more anticipation in the leadup to the release date on September 27th (29th, or 30th, depending on which country you’re in). The real world and in-game footage are both quite similar in their appearance, which demonstrates the development of the graphics since FIFA 11, and the ad is narrated with lines like “If I can’t watch a match, then I’ll read about a match”, linking FIFA 12 as a way of connecting any football fans with the game.
Unfortunately, the ad does gloss over the new and improved aspects of the AI, and from the beginning it is clear the commercial is designed to be Sony-specific (a PS3 and PSP appear with FIFA 12 alongside them). However, hopefully EA will release more that will have us frothing at the mouth to get our hands on the title when it releases in a month’s time.
Gameloft have started a week long “Good Times” Promotion for Android users. After overwhelming requests from fans for some Android love, Gameloft with no other road to turn down said “Hey, you know what? Good times everyone!” and that is how this promotion came into existence.
What is this promotion you ask? Well it’s certainly “Good Times” for Android users. With the simple purchase of a Gameloft title from the Android store and voila, you are instantly given a randomly selected number of free titles ranging from 1 to 4 free games per purchase. Before you ask, no there is no catch! Just pure and true “Good Times” courtesy of Gameloft.
The promotion begins on Monday the 29th at Midnight and ends on Friday the 2nd at Midnight. So you have a good deal of time to take advantage of the offer. For more details you can check out Gameloft’s announcement here.
With the full release of Trackmania 2 Canyon a mere 16 days away, Ubisoft have released a new ‘educational video’ for those not already sucked into the Trackmania world. It showcases the game perfectly, and is two and a half minutes of gloriously rendered racing and customisation gold. For those of you not already part of the near 10 million strong Trackmaniacs community, the game is a fast paced, realistically styled racer with a massive emphasis on users building their own custom tracks.
Some of the tracks featured in the video are in game already, playable in the online multiplayer beta available instantly for those who pre-purchase the full game. And if this news snippet sounds a little biased in the games favour, that’s because I’ve had a shot at the beta myself, and it is fantastic fun.
Check out the full hands on preview for a more in depth look at the beta (featuring my justification for that bit of fan service), and then for more information on how to get it for yourself, head here.
And of course (before I get carried away), have a look at the new trailer below, and let us know what you think!
Hole in the Wall Publisher: Microsoft Platform: Xbox 360 / Kinect (reviewed) Release Date: August 23, 2011 Price: 800 MSP – Download Trial Here!
Overview:
With the release of Fruit Ninja Kinect, Microsoft launched their first ever Arcade title that would make exclusive use of the Kinect peripheral. Microsoft has since released yet another Kinect only title, Hole in the Wall. The game is based off of the TV Game Show for children which airs on Cartoon Network in North America, which itself is based off of a game show from Japan named Nōkabe. Hole in the Wall could be a fun game for the whole family, but by using the Kinect only, how does it perform?
Graphics:
The game makes use of the player’s avatar which means that however your avatar’s face and clothing look, they will be represented in the game as your player. However your clothing will be covered in a silver metallic jumpsuit similar to that of the show, and your shadowy silhouette will be displayed to show how close you are to fitting the hole or if you are nowhere near it.
The set is a relatively good impersonation of the Cartoon Network version of the show’s set, and there is a pool of water which the wall will knock the player’s avatar in to as they make a mildly amusing pose. I wish there was more to mention but unfortunately there really isn’t. The set barely changes and that is all there is to it. The user interface is also very unfriendly and bland, the menu is boring to look at and is also unresponsive at times, feeling laggy whenever you try to select anything or switch between the two screens.
Audio:
Well, again there isn’t a lot to be said for the game’s sound. Players will be treated to a very limited voice over which will explain the rules, and when they fail they will be treated to a sound clip of people laughing in the audience. There is a little bit of music to be heard in the game, but most of it is relatively generic except for a few small pieces which may catch your attention for a brief moment.
Gameplay:
The central core of Hole in the Wall is making yourself fit through a hole… in a moving wall… Well it doesn’t get simpler than that right? Well unfortunately it is simple, way too simple. There are two gameplay modes that can be played, a survival mode which will place you up against an unlimited amount of walls that give you points for scoring and add up until you fail, then posting your final score to the leaderboards. The other mode of gameplay is the different shows which will put you up against five stages with the final stage having a twist.
Players are meant to make their body into a shape that is similar to the hole in the wall, which can be anything from a boy about to swing a bat, to a frog on the ground. The player will get into position and the shadow outline will show how well they are fitting into the hole by either being green for perfect, to yellow for slightly inside, and red for failing with various colors in-between. The better you are fit into the hole, the faster the lights around the wall fill up, when you fill the lights up you finish the wall, fail and you get a strike against you, with three strikes causing failure and game over.
Now Hole in the Wall also has a mode which allows you to play with two people and this is very enjoyable, as it is always great to bring a buddy in and make various hilarious poses as you attempt to pass each wall, unfortunately this is only a small addition to what ultimately becomes a boring and occasionally broken experience. The only highlight is playing a final stage which will mix things up by making the wall harder to see, or mirror your movements or something similar, which can help break up the mundane activity that Hole in the Wall quickly becomes.
There is absolutely zero progression in Hole in the Wall. The best that you can do is unlocking new shows which change the themes of the walls. That is unfortunately it, there are no little additions to be achieved or anything to work towards besides the leaderboards which, let’s face it, provide little motivation to continue. The lack of enjoyability can make Hole in the Wall a faulty party game, simply because not only will it barely keep peoples’ attention for more than ten minutes, but a busy room is not the place to play this title.
The Kinect can be a very sensitive system, picking up most objects in the room and displaying it when it wants to, however nearly all of the games make the Kinect focus perfectly on the motions of the player(s) and help eliminate the background movements of small inconsequential actions such as someone walking past in the background or, god forbid a cat.
Hole in the Wall has a tendency to pick up every little thing moving in the room, which immediately will cause you to fail every single wall that you come against. My cat jumped on the desk which was easily three feet behind where I was standing, but Hole in the Wall and the Kinect picked up the animal sitting there, barely moving, the entire time and because it apparently though this completely separate silhouette was part of my body, I failed even the simplest of walls I fit inside of. One point I literally could not understand why I was failing walls non-stop, until I took a closer look and realized that the game was picking up on the ceiling fan’s blades spinning barely at the top of the wall. If you live alone or shut yourself off from anyone else while you play, then Hole in the Wall may work flawlessly for you.
That is of course until it completely forgets who is playing at the time. Hole in the Wall has a mildly infuriating tendency to forget who exactly is playing at the time, which means it will either sign you off or take you off of Xbox Live. This is when no one was in the room and it simply forgot who I was, which caused the subsequent survival mode playthrough to be absolutely useless as the scores couldn’t be posted because apparently I wasn’t on my own profile anymore.
Overall:
Hole in the Wall had a decent amount of promise. The game itself is simple and could have been a great game for parties where people can sit, laugh and have a good time watching people make poses and compete with one another. The game is indeed fun when you are playing with a friend but it just doesn’t have any lasting appeal. The user interface is just plain bad, the game itself is poorly presented and the accuracy of the Kinect is something that would make Kinect defenders blush in embarrassment. It doesn’t help that the game’s 800 MSP price tag makes it a mildly expensive, inaccurate and only slightly enjoyable title.
Hankering after some more Driver San Franciso info before the September release? Well Ubisoft have dropped a new developer diary video to show off the online multiplayer. When the game is released on September 1st players can expect 11 modes in total, with the developers even throwing in an FPS inspired Capture the Flag as well as the more expected racing fare.
The most exciting thing on offer here looks to be the new ‘shift’ feature, which allows players to jump between racers – those spectacular crashes no longer mean the end of your chances to win! Tear up one car and you can jump into another, with the mechanic even allowing players to transform slow vehicles like buses and trucks into streamlined racers.
If the video below sparks your interest then there is a multiplayer demo already released for PS3 and Xbox 360 owners (the game will also be available on PC and Wii), with two of the eleven modes available to try – Trailblazer and Tag. Already got it? Let us know what you think!
As you all should be aware by now, Sonic is turning 20 and Sega along with the millions fans of the blue hedgehog have been turning this anniversary into a year long celebration. GAME TV, a web series from the retailer are using this birthday for a great cause though, and you might be able to help. As of today, GAME TV has launched the The Amazing Sonic Quest in order to collect all 43 of the existing Sonic games together to be auctioned off with all the proceeds going to Variety, a not-for-profit organisation empowering children who are sick, disadvantaged or who have special needs.
What do you get out of it? Each title that is donated will result in the donator receiving a copy of Sonic Generations and a $50 Gift Voucher for GAME, which is not too shabby at all. Now only one copy of each title is needed, so for more updates and entry information, check out the official webpage for The Amazing Sonic Quest here, and rest assured when the auction goes live, we will bring you an update.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution Developer: Eidos Montreal Publisher: Square Enix Platforms: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PlayStation 3, PC, OnLive Release Date: August 23, 2011 Price: $59.99 – Buy Now!
Overview:
The Deus Ex franchise began back at the turn of the millennia. It dealt with a world fallen into chaos as human augmentation and disease sweeps the world. This game then spawned a follow up sequel titled Deus Ex: Invisible War, but none of that matters in Deus Ex: Human Revolution because this title is a prequel to the original game.
DE:HR takes place near where human augmentation has just become accepted and companies are struggling to avoid crossing the line between human and machine, while the normal non-augmented humans begin to come into conflict with one another over whether augmentation interferes with the natural order of humanity. With dark conspiracies moving in the shadows and corrupt and evil organizations move forward with their own ambitions and a game that blurs the line between RPG and shooter, how does Deus Ex: Human Revolution perform?
Story:
In Deus Ex: Human Revolution players will take the role as Adam Jensen. Adam is an ex-SWAT team member who now is under the hire of a biotech company named Sarif Industries as the head of security. Sarif is the frontline in human augmentation, special biotech implants and replacement body parts that provide the user with enhanced perception, superhuman abilities and a better quality of life. A team lead by Megan Reed, Adam’s ex-girlfriend has discovered a major breakthrough in human augmentation and is preparing to leave to present this information at Washington D.C.
That is until the building is suddenly and viciously attacked by a force of augmented soldiers that systematically eliminate everyone in the labs as well as destroying every ounce of the team’s research. During the attack Adam was injured and beaten so badly that his body was completely beyond repair, though with the implementation of the company’s finest augmentations his shattered limbs and devastated body were repaired anew. He has received so many augments that he has become something more than human, rivaling that of a super soldier, but he still retains who he is. Six months after the attack occurred, Sarif Indsutries sets him to track down the soldiers behind the attack as well as the corporation that was funding them.
This search will take Adam from Destroit to the other side of the world to Shanghai’s Heng Sha. These two cities form a central hub for the stories to take place in as well as all of the side quests that you can trigger as you venture through the streets and meet different people. The side-quests are not required to finish the game but there is a plethora of information that can be revealed about the world through most of them, or at least bonuses which will make the rest of the story easier. Plus the side-quests aren’t always your standard go here kill this guy, type missions. They are well varied and can be very enjoyable, so much so that you could easily spend a couple of hours on side missions without returning to the main plotline.
The story that unfolds in Human Revolution is the biggest highlight of the game. As you investigate various traces of evidence more information is revealed. Even though Adam Jensen is the head of security, his proper title should be Private Investigator because the story unfolds similar to that of a detective story as each piece of the mystery falls into place only to reveal more shadows to cloud the truth.
As this game is the prequel to the first title, the story begins right around where human augmentation and ethical questions abound. The fact that a new technology is on the rise, creating people with abilities far above that of normal humans is being spun into one that creates fear in the normal citizenry. There unfortunately isn’t a lot of ways to swing the story one way or another in this regard, but you do have the ability to make many different decisions and choices throughout the title which affect the situation close to you.
In a world of cybernetics and computers, obviously knowledge means power and information is abundant in the world of Human Revolution, so much so that, if you wish to, you can spend hours reading through tons of emails on hacked computers or on “pocket secretaries” picked up from enemies or laying around. The information isn’t necessary by any regards, so players can choose to simply ignore the information. However for those who enjoy learning as much as they can about the situation and the world that they are playing in, then this is a must as most of the information you read will either clear up some unspoken mysteries in the plot or simply provide more explanation about the environment that the game takes place in.
Graphics:
Those looking for a beautiful looking game should look no farther than Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The two main hub levels are very well detailed, so much so that every little piece of the environment has been designed. Players will be hard pressed to find an area in any level where the game hasn’t received extensive detailing. Players can climb to the top of a roof and find pieces of garbage from a Hobo living there or venture into an apartment and learn about the owner’s lifestyle simply from looking around or accessing their files.
The emphasis on detail is exceptional when you consider the amount of detail and design that had to go into making multiple hidden paths and secret areas that can be explored at a whim. There are a number of citizens walking the streets and can serve absolutely zero purpose but help provide the feeling that you are traveling through a living part of the city (or you can kill/stun them for any given reason).
The character designs are wonderful to look at and you can quickly tell who has been augmented in some way or who is entirely human through their limbs and Jensen himself is a perfect example of this. Certain story related characters will be exceptionally well designed and the augments are realistic looking and entirely believable as well.
There is also a method of eliminating enemies called Takedowns/Executions. These takedowns will knock out an enemy while an execution will kill them and both animations are varied and visceral. However I experienced a number of clipping issues after a takedown was performed, with enemies falling through the floor or becoming stuck in the level geometry somehow. Also, takedowns/executions can fail to line up properly if the ground isn’t level and it will seem like Jensen is punching or stabbing air at times.
Audio:
The voice work for Deus Ex: Human Revolution is splendid. All the characters are well voiced and relatively believable. There is a lot of dialogue in Human Revolution so it is great to see that the voice actors perform their jobs flawlessly, albeit in the case of Adam Jensen’s voice being a bit gravelly and one character whose voice could be considered racist by some.
Similar to the voicework, the game’s sound effects are very impressive, walls shatter believably and guns sound as realistic as one would believe. The background music and environmental noises can suck the player into the world and leave them wondering where hours of their time have went as they can’t help pull themselves away from the title.
Gameplay:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a game that transcends your standard limitations of genre. We’ve seen FPS titles with RPG elements mixed in, but nothing quite as significant as in DE:HR. There is a multitude of ways that you can play through the game, and all of the ways are applicable. Many games in the past have said that they provide multiple ways to complete a challenge, but few actually implement this gameplay design as DE:HR does.
To begin with, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is, at its core, a first person game where players will either be using lethal weaponry to kill opponents or weapons that can temporarily knock enemies unconscious through either tranquilization or other non-lethal methods. There is no punishment for taking one route or another; however the game does seem to favor those who are non-lethal in their approach as they often receive nearly double the experience points for a stun instead of a kill and some characters in the game will make remarks of your humanity or of your brutality.
The lethal and non-lethal methods are only the tip of your gameplay options however. Adam Jensen is a man that has received numerous augments to his body, all of which can be used to enhance and assist you in your gameplay method. You are unable to use most augments immediately, as they have to be unlocked through leveling up and receiving a “Praxis Kit” or finding one/purchasing one in the environment.
The Augments play a heavy role and can be unlocked however you wish, meaning that if you prefer a more frontal approach with guns, maybe you would prefer skin augmentation to receive less damage from enemies. Would you rather sneak around an enemy instead? Perhaps unlocking the cloaking augment is more to your style. All augments can be purchased and you are not limited to what you wish to choose, meaning that you can play whatever style you want or even mix and match. Plus there are a number of other augmentations which can make your life much easier, such as being able to fall any distance without dying, seeing through walls and even jumping nearly ten feet in the air.
While some augments and gameplay mechanics aren’t entirely necessary to gameplay, without upgrading the hacking augment most players will find themselves stuck and locked out of most areas and information. While some computers and doors have passcodes that can be discovered through items known as “Pocket Secretaries,” nearly all of them will require a hacking skill to enter.
Hacking is a skill that will place the player inside of a small puzzle mini-game where they must capture computer nodes and reach the final circular green node to complete the hack. This isn’t without risk nor easy however, as every attempt to capture a node can result in the computer tracing your hack, and if the timer runs out you will fail in the attempt and possibly even set off an alarm. On the Xbox 360 version of the game, I found it occasionally difficult to switch to the next node quickly as the highlight remained stuck on a previously hacked node. This is a slight annoyance and can be a hackers downfall as you only have a few seconds to complete a hack once caught.
Now although this isn’t a limitation to the plot, as plot required doors/computers are usually at Level 1 which is the default level, without a higher hacking level players will be unable to explore many side-rooms or learn extra information about the game’s intricate and impressive plot. Plus, there are a number of security measures which can be turned off or against your enemies through hacking as well, which makes hacking a must have skill regardless of your playstyle.
Besides hacking computers, smashing walls and killing/stunning/avoiding enemies, Deus Ex: Human Revolution contains plenty of talking as well. A unique piece gameplay mechanic in the game is something known as a “Social Boss Fight.” These are parts of the game where you must choose the correct responses to the person you are talking to, trying to sway them to your way of thinking or to get them to tell you something you must know.
These Social Boss Fights are a very interesting implementation. There are small conversations elsewhere in the game where the right or wrong response will simply be a smack on the wrist, or not even that. That isn’t the case with these boss fights however; they can be completely game changing, with success and failure playing heavily into what happens in the story or how you will progress making them yet another way to change your playstyle.
On the other hand, there are also normal boss battles which you will be forced to fight occasionally. Now while in the rest of the game you could be entirely stealth based, knocking enemies out with close-up takedowns, hacking terminals and sneaking through air ducts. But when you are faced with a boss battle you are left completely wise open, as you will have to resort to using your lethal weapons to kill this opponent. Thankfully there are always spare lethal weapons or explosives littering the battlefield, but those who focus on stealth and hacking only will find themselves facing an unwelcome challenge which slightly hinders the free choice that is presented in the rest of the title.
Despite this small limitation, Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s multiple augments and multiple styles of playthrough and accessibility means that you will be guaranteed at least more than one playthrough of the title. Replayability is a hard thing to come by in today’s world of gaming, especially pertaining to FPS styled titles, but Human Revolution’s multiple choices and customization provide not only multiple ways to tackle tasks, but also an incentive to approach the world a different way each time. Be a stealth hacker, a wall smashing, ground pounding, gun wielding soldier or a humane agent avoiding death wherever possible, or any mixture of these. The choice is yours in Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
Overall:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a title that has everything a gamer could ask for. There are few games that deliver the complete package similar to Human Revolution, as not only does it have an intriguing story full of plot twists, enjoyable action, amazing graphics but it also contains many different ways to play the game and plenty of content that begs to be explored and seen more than once. Deus Ex: Human Revolution may have a few small flaws but these do nothing to truly hinder the enjoyment that this game will bring to players. Deus Ex: Human Revolution not only lives up to the legacy that was the original title back in 2000 but surpasses it.
I give Deus Ex: Human Revolution
A retail copy of the title was provided by Square Enix for reviewing purposes.
