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Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles Review

Roger Ma
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Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles Review

Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles

Platform(s): iPhone/iPad (reviewed)
Publisher(s): Gameloft
Developer(s): Gameloft
Release Date: December 09, 2010
Price: $1.19 (iPhone), $8.99 (iPad)

Gameloft originally created Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles for the Nintendo DS and have now ported the game to suit iOS operating system.  However, if you were expecting an Assassin’s creed experience for the iPad and iPhone then I’d have to say that Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles is an entirely different game from its console counterpart and that’s saying something. Considering the limitations of the iPad and iPhone, just don’t go in expecting an open-world action adventure.

Story

Set supposably as a prequel to the first Assassin’s Creed, the story (on paper at least) puts players in the shoes of Altaïr in his quest to find the ‘Chalice’, a mysterious object that will aid the Assassin against the Templers. A slight improvement over the DS version, the iOS version features voice acting to aid cutscenes, rather than just scrolling through plain text as seen in the DS version. Whilst it is a nice addition to have in the game, unfortunately both do little to improve them as they are very bland and dull, voice acting especially.

The story itself doesn’t really add much to the overall Assassin’s Creed storyline mainly because it is told solely from Altaïr’s perspective. There are no crossovers to Desmond Miles, very little references to the Animus machine except for the menu screen and the story doesn’t lead onto the main game or give any insight on the overall Assassin-Templar struggle.  The Assassin’s Creed series is fundamentally built around these vital story plot points, and leaving them out in this game feels very sloppy and rushed.

Gameplay

Players are set down a linear path through checkpoints, collecting blue orbs to upgrade their weapons and health bar. The game is split between combat and platfroming sections which are more along the lines of ‘Prince of Persia’ rather than its stealth gameplay as seen in its console counterpart. However both combat and platfroming are crippled with awful control issues which hinder the game’s overall gameplay.

Combat with Altaïr’s two light and heavy attacks usually fall down to ‘button mashing’ with the occasional finishing-move combo. However, enemies within the game provide virtually little to no challenge or difficulty and are a breeze to pass. Platfroming on the other hand is unintentionally difficult thanks to the game’s unresponsive and difficult controls. Whilst neither combat nor platforming are standouts, the latter does provides some challenge and is genuinely fun at later stages of the game when they work that is… Expect to see the “your dead” screen a lot.

There are some mini-games thrown in to the game and they do help to mix up the bland action, occasionally. In pick pocketing, you need to find and move a key to the exit without touching any other object and in interrogation you need to tap a number of targets in time. However both do very little overall except for giving players a brief break, as they are both extremely easy and again provide little to no challenge at all.

Graphics and Audio

Overall, the game looks ok for an iPhone/iPad game. Combat animations look pretty smooth and perform well especially in the games few boss fights. However character models in this game look extremely blocky and dull. The cities themselves look the same, as if the same backdrop had been reused for each one, but with that said the environments do look alright and there are some variations between them.

Some may be glad to know that there is battle music, combat sound and audio is included within the game, unlike the DS version. But again, these don’t really add much nor detract from the overall gaming experience as they are quite generic and bland. But it is nice to know that they have been included even though you will be hearing the same battle music, enemy grunts and sword swings over and over.

Overall

Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles for the iPhone/iPad is a generic action-adventure game with the ‘Assassin’s Creed title’ slapped on to the back. Awful unresponsive controls mixed with a story that bears little resemblance to ‘Assassin’s Creed’ at is downright poor form, decent combat and platforming animations are the only highlights in this game. It’s not all bad just don’t expect an authentic Assassin’s creed experience.

I give Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles for the iPhone and iPad:

5-5-capsules-out-of-10

PS3 putting game saves on The Cloud?

J. Bradshaw
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DEATH TO HARD DRIVES!

Hey, do you remember when an update on the Playstation 3 wasn’t security related?  Yea, me neither.  But, those days may be behind us.  Sony might be putting a really sweet tech feature in the 3.60 update on the PS3.  Saving games on “the cloud,” a server based saving system that would allow people to access their game saves wherever they are, could be in the new update.

This rumor  seems very likely.  During the Next Generation Portable (NGP) reveal, Hideo Kojima mentioned that you would be able to save a game on the PS3 and then resume it on your NGP (PSP 2).  It appears that you will have to be a Playstation Plus subscriber to use this feature though.

The Xbox 360 has had one game that implements this feature.  In Magic: The Gathering on the XBLA, your game saves are attached to your Gamertag.  Hopefully, they will put cloud saving into more games too.

The Future Of Browser Based Gaming

Jared Hilliers
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In addition to reducing productivity at work, retro game developer Q42 looks to change the quality of games we play with browsers using HTML5 and their site Sarien.net. Starting as a simple retro chat environment then evolving into a full-scale Ipad game using HTML5 without the need for the App Store, surprisingly this little start up didn’t concern Apple as much as it did Activision.  This was due to the fact that the games being ported into Browser Based experiences were Sierra games, which Activision owns the license to. The Co-Owner of Q42 Martin Kool had been developing this technology since 2003 and was only recently brought into the limelight due to the success of their Sierra Ipad Game, which effectively shows what the Ipad can do without the App Store.

This is when Activision came knocking with a Cease and Desist Letter.

But this was a blessing in disguise, Activision proposed to officially authorize Sarien.net to publish the first game of any series in its multi-player HTML5 form. One of the requirements is that the site links to steam, which is a pretty big deal for a little start up like this. This site will allow games like Space Quest, Police Quest and King’s Quest to be played in your browser at no cost, and eventually other games on the Ipad, which cuts out the middle man (Apple). Coincidentally the Ipad version of Sarien.net released around the same time Apple decided to start collecting subscription fees for App Store distributed services such as national newspapers, as such Q42 looks to provide an alternative that can cut out Apple, effectively deterring subscription fees. Either Apple will work with Q42 or see them as a threat, but it’s an interesting time for Browser based gaming and it’s future.

QuakeCon 2011 Date & Location Announced…

Dustin Spencer
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Are you ready for one of the year’s biggest events in gaming? Well start making plans now, as Bethesda & id Software have now set the date and location for QuakeCon 2011. QuakeCon is once again offering gamers the chance to bring their gaming rigs for America’s biggest Lan party of the year & will also provide a whole lot of entertainment for other guests just there to see the show. Bethesda will of course be on hand to show off their upcoming titles along with some of the biggest software companies showing off their brand new products. Of course it wouldn’t be QuakeCon without the awesome contests, entertainment, announcements, panel discussions, and parties so it is going be be one event not to miss.

QuakeCon will take place in August from the 4th until the 7th, and will be located The Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, Texas. This years event will surely be interesting as Skyrim will surely be shown as well as some new announcements on upcoming Bethesda titles. For more information visit www.quakecon.org.

Crytek discusses Chance of TimeSplitters 4

Dylan Radcliffe
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Crytek discusses Chance of TimeSplitters 4

If you are a fan of TimeSplitters you should probably read this post.

If you are anticipating the release of Crysis 2 then your anticipation is probably going to increase even more with this latest bit of news from Crytek. Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli has responded to a query about the possibility of a new entry in the TimeSplitters franchise by saying, “Yeah, we have been discussing it, but nothing has been confirmed yet, so let’s see after Crysis 2.” The developers of the TimeSplitters series, Free Radical, were purchased by Crytek back in 2009, and now have been busy with developing Crysis 2’s multiplayer. Maybe they will start again on another TimeSplitters sequel once they are finished tweaking the multiplayer component of Crysis 2.

While there isn’t really any confirmation that they will start developing a fourth in the TimeSplitter’s series once free radical has been freed up to do other things within Crytek; it is still a mighty fine incentive to buy Crysis 2. Don’t get me wrong, Crysis 2 is looking like a mighty fine game; however, even the slightest possibility of a TimeSplitters sequel will get me to buy that game ten times faster.

TimeSplitters fans unite!!

Late night gaming sessions hurting your eyes?

Justin Mienkiewicz
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I recently stumbled across this nifty little program that aims to help alleviate sore eyes from staring at a bright screen into the wee hours of the night and/or morning.  The program, called F.lux, is very minimalist.  There aren’t tons of options or settings you need to toggle, simply input your zip code/longitude+latitude (google will tell you) and what kind of lights you have on at certain times of the day and voila, you’re done fiddling with the program.  From there it will automatically dim and brighten your computer screen based on how you dictate.  At first it might seem like a noticeable change but after a while you won’t even notice it.  Pretty nifty as I know my eyes sometimes get sore late at night due to my laptop screen.

Try it out, takes a second to install and it might actually help you.

Angry Birds & Rio Team Up For New Game!

Matthew Vella
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Angry Birds: The creation of developer Rovio, most likely he most popular video game ever in the history of smart phones.

Rio: A blockbuster CGI animated summer film coming to cinemas April 15 from the creators of the popular Ice Age franchise.

Angry Birds Rio: A unique collaboration of the two, an Angry Birds where the birds must save Rio’s  protagonist’s Blu and Jewel.

Mikael Hed, CEO at Rovio Mobile spoke a few words of the game:

“Angry Birds Rio is a match made in heaven for a mobile application and a major motion picture, and this collaboration with Fox is definitely one the most exciting partnerships we have entered into with the Angry Birds brand to date.In addition to expanding the horizons of two fantastic entertainment brands and creating a great new gaming experience, we have also taken the concept of combining a mobile application and motion picture promotion to an entirely new level.”

President of new media and digital distribution for Twentieth Century Fox, Peter Levinsohn also said that:

“In partnering with Rovio, we are combining the world’s hottest application developer with one of the motion picture industry’s premier creative forces to introduce the millions of fans of Angry Birds to the exciting world of Rio,” said Mr. Levinsohn.  “Our relationship with Rovio is another great example of Fox Digital Entertainment’s continuing work to extend our content to a variety of digital platforms.”

Angry Birds Rio will be available for download on smart phones and tablets worldwide in March with 45 levels and plans to regularly add new levels via app updates. If your not excited yet, you will be after watching the awesome story trailer below! No seriously, watch it! This birds are angry as hell!

Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel available for pre-order now!

Travis Bruno
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NIS America’s Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel may not be coming out until March for the US and UK but that doesn’t mean you can’t put your money down right now and ensure yourself a copy. Knell of Ar Ciel will cost $59.99 for the basic edition, or should I say premium edition considering however you buy the game you will be able to get not only the game itself but an official art book and a CD featuring all of the original songs within the game itself.

Now that isn’t all, those who really want to get as much Knell of Ar Ciel merchandise as possible have the option to also pre-order the calendar edition on NIS America’s Online Store. This edition may cost $69.99 instead of the standard $59.99 but it will include a 12 month calender for the year of 2011 that features the characters of Knell of Ar Ciel within its pages.

Fans of RPGs may know that the Ar Tonelico series has only been released on the PlayStation 2 over the past years and has made itself quite the following among RPG players. Knell of Ar Ciel is the first game of the Ar Tonelico series that will use 3D fighting and is also the first time that the game has made the jump to a current generation console. Catch it some point in March only on the PS3, but in the mean time take a look at the plethora of screenshots below.

[nggallery id=180]

Dead Space 2 hardcore difficulty reward is a foam finger

Travis Bruno
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Now what better way to reward your players for finishing Dead Space 2 on hardcore difficulty than giving them a foam finger that says they’re #1. How about if you make that foam finger actually a hand cannon. You got that right, if you are able to beat Dead Space 2 on hardcore mode, which places the game on the hardest difficulty and only allows the player 3 saves throughout the entire game, then you will unlock this beauty.

Better yet when you actually “fire” the finger Isaac literally says bang bang or pew pew. Nothing actually shoots out of the finger but it does cause quite a lot of devastation. This means that other than giving players a nifty achievement/trophy, they can kill with their fingers…. literally.

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