A huge step for an even more streamlined experience for PC players via Steam, from this new partnership between Valve and AMD players will be provided with the latest AMD Videocard Drivers (Catalyst) directly from the Steam platform, which will detect and show the latest drivers available for ATI Radeon users.
“Steam represents an evolution for PC and online gaming, and the availability of ATI Catalyst graphics driver updates directly on the Steam platform can help further enhance the PC gaming experience for users of ATI Radeon products,” said Ben Bar-Haim, corporate vice president of software for AMD. “AMD Gaming Evolved and Valve share the belief that ‘Gamers Come First’ – we now have the opportunity to work together to help ensure the best possible experience for PC gamers.”
“Valve is extremely pleased to be working with AMD to provide automatic driver updates for AMD’s leading edge products on Steam,” said Jason Holtman, director of business development at Valve. “PC gamers demand the most of their gaming hardware and providing these updates automatically will help ensure those playing via Steam are playing at optimal performance.”
This announcement is another example of the AMD Gaming Evolved initiative in action. The program, which represents AMD’s commitment to the PC gaming industry, is dedicated to creating the best possible gaming experience on the PC. With auto-notification of driver updates delivered via Steam to users with ATI Radeon graphics hardware, this relationship will provide gamers the opportunity to optimize their PC gaming experience.
Nvidia still haven’ttalked about the possibility of using this same strategy for Geforce users on Steam.
Plants Vs. Zombies is a tower defense game with zombies, plants, plants versus zombies, disco zombies, pea shooters, a guy named Crazy Dave, a zombie bobsled team and oh…I don’t want to spoil everything. Your goal in this game is to keep the zombies out of your house and from eating your brains, all with the protection of the plants you place strategically on your lawn or other environments you may encounter in the game. This is possibly the best remake of a tower defense game there ever was or ever will be! Oh no! The Zombies Ate Your Brains! Can you stop them before it’s too late?
Sound and Graphics:
Plants Vs. Zombies has a great tune to it and it makes it fun to play. Don’t forget the zombies randomly begging for “BRAINZZZ!” Everything in this game has a sound effect. Pole-vaulting zombies, jet-skiing zombies, other secret zombies I can’t tell you about, pea shooters….everything! The sound effects in this game are amazing! Different types of zombies have different attacking sounds and different defenses make different sounds when they attack, too! The game sounds great, but what does it look like? Plants Vs. Zombies looks great! It’s smooth and everything looks amazing. Of course, all the plants and zombies are animated very well. There is not a single glitch in the graphics and nothing looks choppy at all. I’m amazed at the way PopCap Games nailed the graphics in this game. Everything runs smoothly, even on older PCs. The Mini-Games look great, too. There’s really nothing to complain about with the graphics, in fact it should be praised. It looks well-polished and the game design looks like a family game, meaning it’s cute. Yes, cute. Never thought a zombie game could be cute? This one is and it’s the best zombie game out there that the whole family can play!
Gameplay and Controls:
Plants Vs, Zombies has an easy drag and drop interface. The entire game is only dragging and dropping, but it’s so much fun! You move your mouse over to the plant that you want to use to defend your home and simply drag it to where you want to it to attack zombies. This gets harder in the night levels when there’s fog and other obstacles that get in the way. There are a few mini-levels, like bowling and such, that make this a great game. It helps you relax between levels when you get to a bowling level. You have football zombies, conehead zombies, disco zombies, bobsledding zombies and more, all being kept out by you and your plants. This game has a great concept and the way it is designed is great. There are so many different combinations of plant attacks, levels, zombies, achievements and more! There’s even a level where the….nevermind, you’ll have to check it out for yourself. All the levels are outdoors, as the goal of the game is to keep the zombies from eating your brains in your house. You’ll meet a crazy guy that sells some zombie-killing goodies for the coins you can collect during each level. Coins pop up when you kill a zombie or a group of zombies. Just click on the coin and it’s added to your stash. Talking about a stash, there are some pretty awesome cheat codes for this game! Want your zombie to wear a mustache? Type “mustache”. Want them to be futuristic zombies? Type “future”. There are others, but I don’t want to spoil them all here. Less spoiling, more soiling! Start planting now and get those zombies away before they eat you! Don’t say we didn’t warn you! 😉
Additional Info:
This game is well executed, well polished and perfect in every way for almost every game lover. Looking for a game to spend $20 on? Definitely check out Plants Vs. Zombies! There’s even a demo version on PopCap’s website so you can check out some zombies before buying it! Surprisingly, there’s replay value to this game! I don’t want to ruin it by saying how there’s replay value, so let’s just say you’ll meet some pretty interesting zombies. There are so many features in this game that I can’t list them all or think of all them at once. If you’re ever stuck on a level, which shouldn’t happen too often, people have uploaded many YouTube videos to help you through levels. Comment below if you want to know more! Ask, and we shall answer! There’s just no room for so much information in this review. I personally have played this game since it’s original release and this happens to be in my personal top 5 PC and iPhone games out there. I definitely recommend this game and if you can’t afford it, at least play their demo! It’s an amazing and great game! BRAINZZZZ!!!!!
Summary:
If you’re looking for a great game that you could play for hours, anytime, then this is the right one for you. It’s non-stop action and fun, which is hard to find in a lot of PC games. In this Game Of The Year edition, there are many more achievements than the original Plants Vs. Zombies, along with different zombies. Owners of PvZ can update to the G.O.T.Y. edition for free. Overall, this game qualifies for an EXCELLENT rating of 9.5 capsules, which is well-deserved. There is no other game on PC I have ever played for so long without stopping. Need a game? Like zombies? Buy Plants Vs. Zombies (Game Of The Year Edition).
At a private dinner, Tecmo Koei set the stage for their upcoming projects. Along with the announcement of a few other titles, the team has said that they’re trying to reinvent itself with these games, Ninja Gaiden 3 included.
The game wasn’t actually shown at the dinner since it’s so early in development, according to Team Ninja leader, Yosuke Hayashi. Attendees of the dinner didn’t leave without a taste of what Ninja Gaiden 3 will actually be like, however. A piece of concept art (below) was revealed at the dinner which explains the direction of where the game is heading. Hayashi explained that the game will have a darker tone, will be bloodier, and Ryu will be more humanized.
Hayashi said we can expect more details on Ninja Gaiden 3 early next year.
As Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest is due for release next month, publisher Warner Bros. Interactive have decided to give us a taste of what’s to come with this Launch Trailer.
It features Aragorn and Gandalf as they team up against Sauron’s forces of evil that pollute Middle Earth, displaying the games Co-op capabilities. Aragorn uses his sword and shield in combat, whereas Gandalf uses his staff and magical powers, and this propostition of two player Co-operative play in the Lord of the Rings fantasy world sounds very exciting indeed, especially for fans of the films.
Developed by Headstrong, Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest releases next month for Wii, PS2, PSP, PS3 (Move compatible), and Nintendo DS.
Final Fantasy XIV is right around the corner. With the Tokyo Game Show just a day away, Square Enix felt the need to throw another beautiful CGI trailer our way. The trailer doesn’t reveal anything new, but it’s a fun watch.
One of the 3 new games revealed today by Capcom at TGS, Asura’s Wrath is the only new IP, it also looks INSANE.
Imagine Godhand, only crazier, with a character who is seemingly invincible and has more ways to take down an enemy than once thought physically possible. Asura’s Wrath is built in Unreal Engine 3, so you know its going to have crazy good graphics and effects and is being co-developed with CyberConnect2, makers of the .hack and naruto series. To give you a hint of how awesomely insane this game will be, a quote from the games director, “What we’re bringing to this game is a brand new style that will have you questioning whether or not you’re even playing a game … sometimes even we’re confused if what we’re making is a game.” Sounds good to me! The game will be hitting Xbox 360 and PS3. Check out the screens and video below.
Yet another game has been revealed by Capcom from TGS. Dead Rising 2: Case West is the epilogue to Dead Rising 2, where as Case Zero was the prologue.
Announcement of this was made after Capcom announced that Case Zero has sold over 500,000 copies, quite the achievement for a game that is admittedly a glorified demo, so it’s no wonder they are making another one. Case West takes place after the events of Dead Rising 2 and will feature both of the franchises protagonists, Frank West and Chuck Greene, working together. Unfortunately, like its predecessor, Case Zero, Case West will be available on Xbox 360 only. Check out the screenshots below and take a look at the teaser trailer!
Straight out of TGS comes several new games by Capcom, one of which is a new installment of the Devil May Cry series. Currently there is no number at the end of the title, one assuming it would be Devil May Cry 5, instead the game was simply called “DmC”.
Series protagonist, Dante, seems to be the main character this go around. Not only that, but he is also sporting a radical new look. He looks decidedly younger and just a teensy bit more rebellious (should that be possible).
No word if Nero, the main character from DMC4, will be returning. Something else interesting to note, as part of Capcom’s new drive to become more successful in the west, Ninja Theory will be developing this title, with several Capcom reps flying out to work with the British developer to collaborate. Check out the gallery below for some screenshots.
2-CD Set Features Music Score by Award-Winning Composers Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori
Sumthing Else Music Works, through its licensing relationship with Microsoft Game Studios, proudly presents Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack featuring the original musical score from this year’s most anticipated video game Halo: Reach composed by Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori. Created by acclaimed developer Bungie Studios exclusively on Xbox 360, Halo: Reach is the blockbuster prequel to the best-selling Xbox franchise of all time. The Halo: Reach Original Soundtrack will be available for digital download on Sumthing Digital and iTunes to coincide with the game’s release on September 14th. The 2-disc CD set will be released on September 28th to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works.
“Mike and I are pleased to be able to release the Soundtrack to Reach,” said composer Martin O’Donnell. “We’ve been composing and producing music for Bungie’s Halo universe since 1999 and this soundtrack represents the culmination of our efforts. Once again we were able to work with other composers C Paul Johnson and Stan LePard, along with recording much of this music at Studio X in Seattle with the Northwest Sinfonia and Choir. This is about 2 hours’ worth of music culled from the more than 5 hours of music actually produced for the game itself. We hope everyone enjoys listening.”
Shortly after the release of Valkyria Chronicles 2, a third is announced and will be shown off soon. Strangely enough, the series will continue to be on the PSP, instead of the Playstation 3.
According to reports, the latest issue of Famitsu confirms that the third installment of the tactical role-playing game will be on PSP with the same gorgeous art style as the first two games. The game will also be shown at the Tokyo Game Show later this week. Expect more details as they spill out of Tokyo.
