new twisted metal : review

Twisted Metal is a series which falls into the category of vehicular combat. It was first developed in 1995 by Single Trac (1995-1997). Following 1997, the series has been developed by various companies over the years. There have been seven installments of the game so far and the eighth one is set for release in 2011. The Twisted Metal Series have sold over 15 million copies in North America alone which goes to show just how consistently successful and popular they are all over the world. The series also has the title of the longest running series for Playstation under its belt.

Twisted Metal basically allows players to function within a fictional Demolition Derby. Players can choose various types of arenas, vehicles and weapons (ranging from Ballistic projectiles to mines). The player then enters an arena where he/she is faced by 5 or 6 opponent drivers. His job is to compete with other drivers and win the game by ramming his vehicle into those of the opponent drivers. Whoever has the most operational vehicle in the end, wins the game.

Each game has its own storyline but all installments of the series revolve around the theme be careful what you wish for, slightly falling into line with movies such as Wishmaster. The person organizing the races (mostly known as Calypso) has the power to intercede with reality and mold events in such a way as to satisfy one wish or desire of the winner of the combat. The winners have to use their words carefully when making a wish or the sadistic hosts twist the words to suit their own means. There is a lot of black humor in the game. Often, the winners don't have a happy ending because of this particular theme of the game.

The eighth edition of Twisted Metal is being developed by Eat Sleep Play. There is focus on 16 multiplayer and 4 player split screen features and there are several gaming modes for playing available as well. The latest edition offers a Nuke mode. This mode allows the user to choose a group to face an opponent group also selected by the user. Each faction owns a metal statue which is hoisted into the air by a helicopter; the opponent group must try to destroy this statue. In order for players to succeed in destroying these statues they must abduct the opponent team's leader, sacrifice him to a missile launcher which will in turn ignite a nuclear missile aimed at the opponents statue.

The Twisted Metal series hope to please audiences with the release of the eighth edition scheduled for release in 2011. Eat Sleep Play has already canceled to two Twisted Metal Series projects in previous years, therefore, the success of this game is of crucial importance to the production team.

Dave

F.E.A.R. 3 Review

The shooter market is definitely a saturated one, rife with derivative titles that rarely buck any trends. But every so often, a title comes along that does things a little bit differently. F.E.A.R. 3 is one such game. A horror and gore-inspired romp, F.E.A.R. 3 approaches the conventions of first-person shooters from a different perspective and successfully mixes together familiar gameplay elements with a unique and authentically chilling setting. F.E.A.R. 3 isn't without its problems, and these problems stop it from being a top echelon shooter. Still, its tendency to go off the beaten path is largely successful and will appeal to shooter fans and horror aficionados alike.

In F.E.A.R. 3, gamers are placed in the role of the genetically-enhanced Point Man, the protagonist from the original F.E.A.R. As you may remember from the end of F.E.A.R. 2, the mysterious female foil Alma forces herself upon that game's playable character -- Becket -- and becomes pregnant with his child. Alma is an evil psychic dynamo manipulated by Armacham, the same company responsible for Point Man's genetic enhancement, but her powers far outweigh his own. Thus, stopping Alma from having this kid is the name of the game in F.E.A.R. 3. Because after all, if Alma is so powerful, who knows what that kid is capable of?

Stopping Alma's pregnancy will be no easy task for Point Man, especially because he's accompanied continuously by the apparition of fellow Project Origin prototype Paxton Fettel, another character fans of the series will be familiar with. One of F.E.A.R. 3's great strengths is that you can actually play as Fettel through any level that Point Man already beaten, which gives a completely different feel for getting through the main campaign.

While Point Man is your typical gun-toting badass, Fettel is able to possess enemy soldiers and generally cause an insane amount of havoc. Better yet, you can play the campaign together with a friend locally or online, utilizing both characters' strengths simultaneously.

In terms of aesthetics, F.E.A.R. 3 provides passable graphics that look slightly dated but still get the job done. And the game runs smoothly, lacking the mid-play loading and saving stuttering of its console counterparts. Regardless, you won't mistake F.E.A.R. 3 for a top tier shooter in terms of its looks. On the other hand, F.E.A.R. 3 is a sonically appealing game. The voice-acting is at times over the top, but the sound effects and music add greatly to the scary feel of the game. There's audio nuance everywhere.

Both single player and co-op will require you to work your way through the same eight stages (known as Intervals). Playing through on co-op will allow you to blaze through the game significantly faster than playing on your own, but F.E.A.R. 3's campaign is best enjoyed as a solo affair. Though the game is much more difficult this way, playing on your own maximizes the frights and scares. Co-op is a fun experience in its own right, but should definitely be left for those who have already played through the campaign once before.

Mechanically, F.E.A.R. 3 will feel familiar to fans of the FPS genre. Your characters will have access to a number of firearms, explosives and more. Point Man and Fettel can also use their own psychic powers, primarily in the form of time slow-down and enemy possession respectively. The combination of the conventional and the supernatural isn't revolutionary by any stretch of the imagination, but it works well in F.E.A.R. 3. And though the stages are generally linear, there's reason for ancillary exploration, mostly to take in the sheer amount of ambiance present on most levels (not to mention to find collectibles).

If I have one major complaint about F.E.A.R. 3's core gameplay, it's in terms of grenade throwing. It's hard to use grenades in the game with any modicum of accuracy. Chucking grenades way over the intended target is more likely to happen than the perfect toss. Additionally, the AI glitched out on me once in a while, not reacting to my presence when I was clearly in view. None of this breaks the experience, but it certainly hampers it unnecessarily.

Colin Moriarty

Dead Island - vacation preview

Saying the recent Dead Island trailer took the internet by storm would be an understatement. Buzz for the game began almost immediately after the trailer hit. From fan-made remixes to re-edits of the trailer, it was clear gamers definitely took note. The game’s trailer alone seemed to practically breath new life into the zombie-genre game.

It was not just the trailer that got people excited, either. While details on the game are still a little sparse, what has been announced seems to push all the right buttons. If this self-described “first-person zombie-slasher/action-RPG” can manage to capture the tone and feeling of the trailer while delivering tight, engaging gameplay, Dead Island could easily become a runaway hit.

Building on the trailer’s buzz, seven new screens were released showcasing more of the game’s environments, weapons, zombie types, and survivors. There is something to be said about a zombie infested tropical vacation island that manages to add a whole new level of creepy to a game. Who said sunny beaches and luxury hotel pools could not still be horrifying?

Like the trailer before it, these screens seem to hit a lot of the right notes. From the single zombie shambling around in an abandoned room, to hoards of zombies rushing towards a survivor, to simply showcasing how large the game world might be, Dead Island looks to know what makes zombie games so much fun. Sure, the game might have been in development for a long time, but maybe, just maybe, it will be worth the wait. Fingers crossed.

What is your take on these new Dead Island screens? Do you think the game will deliver the way the trailer did? Do these screens get you more or less excited about the game? What would you like to see in Dead Island? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Christian Spicer

Max Payne 3 Preview

Let's all give it up to Rockstar and Max Payne, because the truth is, there is not one game that is more responsible for the massive change of direction that action genre has received than Max Payne. Essentially pioneering the art of gun-fu in modern day shooters, Max Payne created numerous gameplay techniques that have become staples of nearly every action shooter, bullet-time being one of them. After a six year absence, Rockstar finally revealed the third game in the series back in June 2009. And much to the surprise of many, Max Payne 3 looked almost nothing like a Max Payne game... Gone are the dim and drab settings of New York City, replaced with the lush and beautiful setup of Brazil's Sao Paulo. Gone is a leather jacket wearing mad man on the hunt for vengeance for his wife's murder; replaced by a madder man who's now sporting a beard, a bald head, considerable weight gain, and an all new job in the private sector for a wealthy family he is hired to protect. Max Payne 3's story takes place 12 years following the events of the last game, and will center around a double-crossed Max, triggering the mad man inside to burst.

Rockstar's Sam Houser has stated that for the third game, Max's personality has "drifted from bad to worse." Yikes. With that in mind, we can expect to see Max's painkiller addiction to carry over to the third title, as they will continue to act as his healing system within the gameplay. Much like other action games these, such as Uncharted, Rockstar will be implementing a bit more realism to the mechanics of Max Payne 3. One such implementation is a balance of weaponry, allowing Max to carry only two weapons at once: a handgun and a larger rifle or automatic of some sort (including shotguns, and such). But never fear, if you drop a larger weapon, that enables you to simultaneously dual-wield two handguns in a blazing glory.

When not using weapons, Max can take cover in a variety of ways, one of which of using a human body as a shield. Furthermore, Rockstar has stated that there will be an all new cover system in the game, but that it won't be an integral aspect, unlike many other action shooters out there. To us, that means Max Payne 3 is going to be so full of non-stop action that you'd rather storm through your enemies, as opposed to stalling and playing it safe. Furthermore, because things like crates and other objects will be destructible, you can only use cover for so long. Lastly, if Max is at the end of his life bar, he can gain a shot of adrenaline and immediate rejuvenation if he manages to kill the opponent who's depleted his life before the opponent can kill Max.

A visual style similar to the graphic novel approach of the first two games will be used in order to link the story together from act to act. But aside from that one similarity, Max Payne 3 looks entirely different from the franchise, and in this day and age where moody and drab settings are all too common, it's a nice change of pace to see Max end up in locale with lush qualities to it. Rockstar has said that Max Payne 3 will arrive anywhere between March-June 2010, and most certainly no later than July 2010. So it isn't that far off.

Arnold Katayev

Tom Clancy's EndWar Review

Tom Clancy's EndWar is a real-time strategy game created for consoles that has now found its way to the PC. How's that for a twist? With its innovative voice controls and strong production values, EndWar was an enjoyable experience on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, granting armchair commanders a sense of high-tech supremacy. Yet on a platform overflowing with quality RTS options, its core simplicity is far more obvious.

Its three near-future factions all play the same way, the rock-paper-scissors relationships between units are incredibly straightforward, and the single-player campaign doesn't tell any story to speak of, which is a blatant missed opportunity. Nevertheless, a novel multiplayer mode and persistent units that carry from one mission to the next keep things interesting, and on the whole, EndWar is a mildly enjoyable game, even if it never feels like a comfortable fit on the PC.

To get the most out of the experience, you'll need to plug in a headset. To order your units about, you issue a series of preset commands by holding down the space bar and speaking your directive into the microphone. This runs the gamut from attacking enemy squads ("Unit two, attack hostile four") and bringing in reinforcements when they are available ("Deploy gunships") to centering your view on a particular group ("Unit three, camera") and ordering special attacks ("Air strike, hostile six").

There are limited possibilities, so don't expect to plan out multiple waypoints or set up tank patrols. Nor can you rely completely on the microphone--at least, not if you intend to be competitive. Actions like garrisoning infantry in a building or ordering your units to unleash special attacks require some key presses, so there is a bit of light micromanagement in this regard. If you'd rather take a traditional approach, you can use a mouse and keyboard, but doing so makes EndWar more frustrating than fun.

Because the camera must be focused on a particular unit, you can't scroll across the map and issue orders with ease. You can enter a "sitrep" view, assuming your command vehicle hasn't been destroyed, which makes issuing orders with a mouse more feasible but is visually unappealing. Should you decide to use a headset (which you should, if you want to experience EndWar at its best), you may need to mess around with settings in Windows and within the game menus to get your hardware to work properly.

A standard Logitech headset recognized most voice commands, while others were less successful (or completely unsuccessful) in consistently recognizing instructions. The units themselves are products of EndWar's World War III setting. In the game's version of near-future events, The United States, Russia, and a unified Europe have become superpowers, and the US plans to launch a military space station to tip the worldwide balance of power in its favor.

Unfortunately, terrorists destroy the station upon liftoff, thereby igniting global conflict. Yet as interesting and far-fetched as the setting is, it's mostly backdrop. The campaign is just a series of battles against the AI that emulates EndWar's main multiplayer mode, so don't expect much exposition, larger-than-life personalities, or political intricacies. You can play as any of the three factions, but while your own commander (and his or her blatant accent) will change, there's no story to involve you, aside from mission updates and news blurbs.

Thus, there's no reason to play the campaign with another faction if you've finished it once already. This lack of narrative is a big disappointment, given Tom Clancy's pedigree of political page-turners.Nevertheless, EndWar has a way of drawing you in, not just because of the unique control mechanism, but because it lets you closely follow your squads into battle. Regardless of your faction, the basic units are the same: Infantry comprises riflemen and engineers; tanks and artillery have the armored advantage; gunships take to the skies; and transports not only whisk your infantry about the battlefield, but offer necessary antiair support.

Most of the time, you'll be switching your view from squad to squad, and the camera's close-up vantage point has quite an impact when you're engaged in combat. Bullets fly, gunships fall from the sky, and artillery fire rains from above, and some visual glitches aside, it's all exciting and cinematic in a way that most other strategy games just can't accomplish. Using sitrep view lets you get a quick overview of the battlefield, which is useful but not particularly dramatic.

The rapid zoom of the camera when you move in and out of this mode and from one unit to the next, however, is slick. While it may be authentic to have so few unit types and no striking difference between factions given the setting, it doesn't make any side worth playing more than another. The relationship between units is always the same--tanks beat transports, gunships beat tanks, and so on--so there's little subtlety to the gameplay.

Instead, strategy is delivered on a broader level, starting with the mission objectives. There are four main mission types: assault, conquest, siege, and raid. Assault is the simplest (kill your enemy), while in Raid, you must either destroy or defend certain buildings on the map to achieve victory. Conquest is the most interesting mode, taking its cues from the Battlefield games in addition to EndWar's closest RTS cousin, World in Conflict.

Here, you must use infantry to capture control points, called uplinks, scattered across the map while fending off the enemy and sabotaging their attempts to do the same. Siege battles are much less common than other types and involve an assaulting player attempting to capture a critical uplink while the defending player struggles to maintain control of it.

Tactics are generally obvious in all of these situations, but they can still generate a tense tug-of-war between players as each jockeys for position. Uplinks are present in all modes, and they are a critical part of the gameplay. Most importantly, they help you earn command points, which you need in order to call in reinforcements and perform other actions.

However, uplinks can be taken only by infantry, so even if you aren't playing a conquest map, you'll still want some riflemen or engineers in the field. Uplinks also hold a second key to victory: upgrades that allow you to engage support powers like air strikes and electronic attacks.

These powers are invaluable in a sticky situation but also cost command points, so you'll need to weigh the advantage of bringing in another transport to defeat your gunship-heavy opponent against a quick strike that could do immediate damage. There are even short-range nukes to deploy in certain circumstances that can immediately turn the tide of battle and produce a spectacular explosion.

All of these battles are given context within a larger turn-based map called the Theater of War. The offline theater is good for practice, but it's the online theater that provides the meat of the experience.

This semiglobal map is persistent, so as opposing players engage one another, the results of an entire day's matches represent a single turn within the theater. Once the day's turn is complete, new battles open up as each faction spreads its dominion. This is a great idea that may remind you of a similar mode in the mech action game Chromehounds.

But while the sameness of each faction makes it hard to feel particularly loyal, it's involving to watch your faction's color spread across the map, whether that means establishing your presence in Florida or burning Paris to the ground. A few days after the game's release, however, relatively few players seem to be participating in the theater, making EndWar's long-term viability unclear.

Your battle prowess has global consequences, but success brings more than a victory for your faction. You'll also earn a supply of credits after each battle that you can then spend on upgrades for your units. Surviving units gain levels, which gives them access to purchased enhancements, which could mean faster movement speed, new support powers (being able to designate a new drop point for reinforcements is ever so helpful), or additional attacks that can be triggered when you are following the unit that can perform them.

Like the Theater of War, this feature seems like it's supposed to make you feel emotionally attached to your faction's success, and it works to an extent, giving you an incentive that functions on a more personal level. While new attacks open up some minor micromanagement options, they don't bring drastic changes, because most battles are still won or lost with quick uplink securing and a basic understanding of rock-beats-scissors dynamics.

While EndWar's tactics were designed on a broader scale, its presentation attempts to throw you into the midst of battle. When firefights get heavy, the screen fills with units and explosions, and it's fun to watch the destruction on the ground from the vantage point of a gunship squad firing at tanks or engineers from above. Some smaller touches make an impact, such as the authentic-looking behavior of engineer squads as they enter a building or a transport.

However, the PC version looks much less impressive than its console counterparts. Textures are bland, while lighting, shadows, and other aspects are simply average, so even with all settings turned up, the quality of the visuals doesn't seem to justify the relatively high system requirements. EndWar also suffers from occasional performance problems, which affect not only the frame rate, but the speed of the entire game, which can suddenly start chugging for no obvious reason.

The sound design does a better job of immersing you in battle. This is partially due to the din of combat--perfectly appropriate for World War III. However, it's the constant radio chatter and responses of your units that have the greatest impact, making you feel as though you really are in the role of a military commander.

The sound effects aren't just cosmetic, however: EndWar's constant feedback is an important tactical tool, letting you make split-second decisions that could mean life or death for your squad. Unfortunately, there are too many times when crucial feedback ("Check unit nine") comes far too late for it to do any good. EndWar's voice command mechanic makes it unique among strategy games, and it's this innovation that stands out above all of its other features.

Strip it away, and you'll find an RTS game that can be fun but is ultimately too simple to stand out in a crowded genre. But even if strategy veterans won't find all the complexities they'd expect, there's something to be said for EndWar's smart match types and persistent campaign. Hopefully as its community grows, so too will the game's long-term possibilities.

Kevin Vanord

Captain America: Super Soldier preview

Become Captain America™, the ultimate Super-Soldier, in the darkest days of World War II as you face the Red Skull and his army in this epic third-person action adventure. Wield Captain America’s legendary shield to take out multiple enemies at once, deflect incoming fire back at your enemies, solve puzzles, and scale walls. Above all, hurl yourself shield-first into the fray, with the superior force of the world’s first Super-Soldier at your fingertips. Engage in free-flowing combat and acrobatic platforming to infiltrate Hydra’s massive and mysterious castle complex and battle the infamous Iron Cross, the forces of Hydra, and a host of nefarious enemies serving the Red Skull in an all-new Captain America story and adventure.

Captain America: Super Soldier combines an acrobatic combat system with fluid platforming and a highly tuned suite of shield attacks including melee combos.

The completely original story for Captain America: Super Soldier is penned by noted comic, film, and TV writer Christos Gage. The primary writer for the Marvel’s Avengers: The Initiative series of comics, Gage has written numerous books for major Marvel characters, including Siege: Captain America, Iron Man, X-Men, Spider-Man, Civil War: House of M, and Union Jack.

Key Features

• Become Captain America: Engage in combat against enemies bent on world domination during World War II. Use your abilities as the ultimate Super-Soldier to infiltrate Hydra’s Castle and annihilate the forces of evil.
• Use Captain America’s Shield: Your shield is your most powerful weapon and best defense. Use it to take out multiple enemies from a distance, block incoming attacks, destroy objects, solve puzzles, and reflect incoming fire back at enemies.
• Capture the Castle, Save the World: Infiltrate a huge castle complex that’s both an acrobatic playground for the Captain’s physical prowess and a house of mystery, with enemies and danger at every turn.
• Acrobatic Platforming: Extensive acrobatic abilities allow you to scale walls, climb ledges, and vault from poles to overcome environmental challenges. Master timing-based controls to execute advanced moves and discover multiple paths through missions.
• Free-Flowing Combat: Move freely through the castle battlefield with acrobatic precision as you take down multiple enemies with devastating combos. Take control of a turret or grab a soldier from behind and use his weapons against him. Execute punches, kicks, grabs, vaults, and shield throws to unleash the power of Captain America.
• Face Fearsome Foes: Face off against Captain America’s greatest villains, including the Red Skull, Arnim Zola, Baron Strucker, Madame Hydra, Iron Cross, and more.
• Original Storyline Set in the Movie Universe: Experience the stirring tales of Captain America’s world with an original story by noted Marvel scribe Christos Gage created specifically for the video games and set in the movie universe.
• Comic Book Legend: Created by the legendary team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1941, the iconic hero actually predates the Marvel name by 20 years, first being issued by the company’s predecessor, Timely Publications. Over 200 million Captain America issues have been sold in 75 countries, and the shield-wielding hero is a key member of the Avengers alongside comic book icons The Hulk™, Iron Man™, and Thor™ starting in The Avengers #4 in 1964.

Watch the cool gameplay:

Frost

Kingdom Under Fire II : preview

Gamers in the United States might not be too familiar with the Kingdom Under Fire series. Even though role-playing games are popular in North America, Kingdom Under Fire doesn't have the same sort of following that other big RPG names do. So when I was on my way to a meeting with representatives from South Korean publisher Blueside, I didn't expect anything more than an everyday RPG. Soon after my meeting began, I came to the conclusion that Kingdom Under Fire II was my biggest surprise at this year's Tokyo Game Show. This action RPG looks stunning.

Those that haven't played any other Kingdom Under Fire game needn't worry -- this is a title that can stand on its own. The game combines the epic action of large-scale battles with the online functionality found in massively multiplayer online games. That formula alone sounds fantastic, but Kingdom Under Fire II is made all the sweeter by its incredible visuals.

I, unfortunately, wasn't able to play Kingdom Under Fire II for myself, but I didn't need to. The raw enthusiasm and pride the folks at Blueside have for their game is palpable and they played several missions for me to show me exactly why people should be excited about their project. Kingdom Under Fire II allows players to create their own hero that can belong to one of four different classes (more classes will be added later). Not only do players control the hero character on the battlefield, but they can also command troops at the same time, giving the game a pinch of real-time strategy.

In the game, players will be able to execute traditional combos with their hero character and cast a wide variety of spells, including techniques that assist the friendly troops around them. When I was watching the game being played, the hero would charge into a group of enemies and unleash a torrent of attacks, while his troops charged in behind him. I was especially impressed with the camera work during battles, as the screen will shake and shift with the action, making the experience much more urgent than if the player's view was static.

Although it looked like a button-masher at first, Kingdom Under Fire II requires some definite skill, as players must jump between troop divisions on the fly to issue commands. During one particular mission, the Blueside representative had to continuously switch between his main troop and a ranged support troop further up the battlefield. These support troops would unleash deadly volleys that peppered the hero's enemies from afar.

The real beauty of the game, however, comes from the sheer spectacle of what's happening on the screen at one time. Hundreds, if not thousands, of nicely detailed units clash on the battlefield as arrows and gunfire saturate the sky. I was blown away when massive monsters entered the fray, stomping across the war-torn hills and scattering soldiers like pebbles through the air. In a trailer that was shown to me, a small group of dragons descended on the battlefield and unleashed green fire onto the helpless soldiers below.

The action of Kingdom Under Fire II was fantastic, but there's plenty of hardcore RPG goodness as well. There's a robust character creation system in place for designing your ideal hero, and almost everything in the game can be tweaked, from your clothing and accessories to the troops under your command. In fact, I was told that there would be more than 100 different troop types available at the start, meaning you will have tons of soldiers to work with as you travel across the world.

This is where the game's massively multiplayer functionality comes into play. The world of Kingdom Under Fire II is a persistent one that can be accessed by thousands of players at once. When you travel across the world map (on foot or by airship, which you can purchase further into the game), you'll see other players traveling in the same environment. Although only eight players can participate in a battle at once, many more will exist in your game world, which is designed to enhance the feeling of community in the game.

Kingdom Under Fire II is an example of a low-profile game that's impressive because of the great efforts of the developers behind it. Of course, there's no way for me to know at this point in time if the game controls well and is fun after extended periods of play, but I have reason to suspect that this game is one to look forward to.

Kingdom Under Fire II is tentatively scheduled for a North American launch at the end of next year. The game is being developed for PCs and consoles, though console specifics have yet to be unannounced.

Ryan Clements

Serious Sam 3: BFE preview

Sam isn't a man of change. You won't find him giving Yoga a whirl and you probably won't find him taking a leap on a VitaBoost passion-mango smoothie or whatever. And it shows in Serious Sam 3: BFE -- a case where minimal change actually ends up being a good thing.

I was able to check out two different levels here at E3: the first level, a tutorial stage set in the streets of Cairo that eases you into the action, and a later, more traditional Serious Sam stage set amongst some ruins in a desert.

When the game starts off, Mental's forces have pretty much decimated the Earth. Sam, in a desperate race to get to the Time Lock so he can go back in time and prevent Mental from ever invading, is in the streets of Cairo. No weapons, no help and, as far as appearances go, no hope. Mental's forces are looking for Sam and it isn't long before they find him.

Even without his traditional weaponry, Sam isn't without defense. As a Gnaar emerges and rushes Sam, he simply thrusts his fist into its eye socket and rips the pupil right out. Instantly, I'm filled with joy. Soon after, Sam finds a sledgehammer and I get my first sample of the destructible environments: Sam knocks down a brick wall to advance down an alley and out into the streets.

Yes, gone are the days when you could trick enemies into corners and lay into them, or simply take cover behind a wall to catch your breath. Enemies barrel through stone, topple trees and generally come at you with the enthusiasm they've had in the past, only now you can't game the AI to get yourself out of danger.

The sledgehammer has two different attacks: an overhead smash, ideal for hitting one enemy at a time, and a spin maneuver that clears Sam's immediate vicinity of all threats. Considering a core component of the Serious Sam experience is being overwhelmed to all hell, the latter is a pretty useful move.

It doesn't take long until a pistol is acquired and I'm given a sample of something new to the series: aiming down the iron sights. A few rocket-wielding Kamikazes are cleared out and it's time to jump forward in the game to the next level, where Sam is armed with considerably more firepower.

Sam's sporting an assault rifle, a shotgun, a minigun and a double-barreled shotgun in this later level -- the latter the perfect weapon for taking out Werebulls, which spawn en masse as soon as Sam makes his way to a small body of water amidst some dilapidated buildings. At this point, I'm still sticking to my past knowledge of the series: I hug walls and try to cling for my dear life, thinking I'll be safe from any Werebulls on my six.

It's a strategy that is quickly dashed, however, as Werebulls come crashing toward me from all sides and start bouncing me around like I was nothing. Thankfully my instincts kick in again and I start playing matador with those Werebulls, blasting them in the hind quarters with the double-barreled shotgun as they dash past me. Dead.

And in typical Serious Sam fashion, that wasn't the end of it. Off in the distance I hear the screams and know what's coming: Beheaded Kamikazes. As I start backing up and taking them off from a distance with the assault rifle, I start to realize it's not enough. There are too many of them and I begin backing up as quickly as I can, mouthing "move, move!" to myself. At this point, I'm entirely into it -- and then the rep says something odd.

"You can hit the Shift key to sprint," he says. "Wait, what?" I ask like some kind of crazy person. But he was right: There's a sprint now and it's immensely helpful against the droves of Beheaded Kamikaze charging toward me.

The final new addition I was able to experience was the Scrapjack, a giant lumbering enemy with rocket launchers for hands. But instead of being eased me into this new encounter, I'm tasked with facing two at once. It's then that the rep suggests using them against each other. While directly engaging one, I maneuver him into the firing path of the one off in the distance. Soon after, the faraway Scrapjack is laying out the one in front of me. A useful tactic, although just shooting them both in the face would've been a much quicker way to dispatch them.

My small taste of Serious Sam 3: BFE proved one thing to me: the Serious Sam formula has aged well, but has been made that much better through a few careful tweaks. Sprinting could be considered a minor thing, but when Sam is constantly bombarded by enemies the added mobility really comes in handy. Aiming down the sights is yet another standard part of shooters today, yet new to Serious Sam -- here it aids in the strategy of threat management in new ways. The only issue I have is with the melee and its value later in the game, where I'm pretty sure the absence of firearms will guarantee death.

Serious Sam 3: BFE, in this Alpha state, showed a cautious update to the original formula. It doesn't stray from its intense, arcadey roots, and that's something fans of the first two games are sure to appreciate. With its few careful additions to the formula, it's an experience enriched by a marriage between the old and new.

David Hinkle

New Tomb Raider game announced

Square Enix has recently announced plans to publish a new Tomb Raider prequel, which will tell the origin story of one of gaming’s most famous heroines, Lara Croft. "Forget everything you knew about Tomb Raider, we are exploring things that have never been done before in this game," says Darrell Gallagher of development studio Crystal Dynamics This is an origins story that creates Lara Croft and takes her on a character defining journey like no other."

The announcement also comes with a brief description of the premise for the upcoming prequel: ‘After a brutal storm destroys the boat she was travelling on, a frightened young woman is left washed ashore on an unknown beach. On her own but not alone she has only one goal, to survive.’

Also included with the announcement were several logos, as well as a snapshot of the January 2011 cover for Game Informer magazine, which will feature a 10-page story on the new game. The announcement did not include official details concerning an expected release date or what platforms the upcoming prequel will release on. We have contacted Square-Enix for further information.

Tyler Nagata

Super Street Fighter IV : Arcade Edition : preview

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition doesn't have much to add to the first Street Fighter IV game, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game! Read our review for more details!

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition has been available on arcade machines at your local arcade for awhile now. In fact, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition has been available as a $15 upgrade to the original Super Street Fighter IV that you can download since the start of June 2011. However, if you did not invest in the first Super Street Fighter IV game, you can now buy and enjoy the full game!

What's New in Arcade Edition

The vast majority of Super Street Fighter IV stays the same in Arcade Edition. There are new costumes and some new characters, including the speedy attackers Yang and Yun and the dark and powerful Evil Ryu and Oni.

There is also a long series of balance changes made on almost all of the old characters to make the game fair and fun, no matter which character you are using. For example, the damage of certain attacks were changed. Adon now hits harder on most of his normal attacks while Abel's Tornado Throw does less damage. Some moves are faster and easier to use, but overall it doesn't make too much of a difference unless you are a super hardcore competitive player.

Worth the Super Bucks?

For Super Street Fighter IV fans, Arcade Edition is only worth the cash if we are talking about the $15 download. If you already have the original game, you should not buy the full version of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, even for a different console, as you will end up paying quite a bit for not that much. For players who are interested in Street Fighter or fighting games in general and do not already have a copy of the original game, Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition is not a bad purchase, as the core original game is still a very good game.

Kidzworld

The Lord of the Rings War in the North Preview

J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy tale of epic struggle across the war-torn Middle Earth landscape has always been full of death and destruction, but previous games haven’t quite captured the sheer brutality of war at its grisliest. That’s about to change. The next Lord of the Rings installment takes off the kid gloves and ramps-up the violence. Dismembered limbs, beheadings, splattering gore: War in the North has it all. After getting an up-close and personal taste of the mayhem during a recent hands-on session, it’s clear this cooperative hack-and-slash fest certainly doesn’t skimp on the bloodshed.

Developer Walkthrough: The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Mount Gundabad (HD)

Venturing beyond the bounds of the series’ core canon, Lord of the Rings: War in the North features an original story that revolves around three playable heroes (a dwarf brawler, a human ranger, and an elf mage) who head northward to investigate and confront a massing army led by one of Sauron’s generals. Our demo kicked off with a flock of giant eagles dumping the trio of heroes onto a snowy mountaintop draped in fog and howling wind. Taking up arms as the burly dwarf, we led the charge into several chaotic battles that showcased the game’s new Mature-oriented combat.

Each of War in the North’s playable characters has unique strengths, abilities, and weaknesses that come into play in critical ways. The gameplay emphasizes interdependent co-op and careful teamwork, since the party is stronger as a focused unit. Breaking off from the group or failing to capitalize on each character’s role tends to lead to a quick death all around. In battle, our dwarf could soak up solid damage and deal out punishment far more readily than the other two classes, though his special powers were more limited in scope. In contrast, the elf mage wielded powerful magic, including a spell that temporarily shielded the group from incoming arrows, and the human ranger specialized in stealth attacks yielding critical hits. Gaining experience in battle also lets you upgrade skills, unlock new powers, and specialize in different areas of combat.

Theoretically, all the potential ability options at your disposal and the dynamic nature of having a well-balanced group should provide a broad range of tactics to wield. But once we were hurled into the fray against groups of meaty orcs and hulking troll brutes, the intense action devolved into chaos almost immediately. At first, battle proved to be far from smooth – encounters against larger foes had us getting frequently wet-ragged to the ground, taking a long time to recover and sometimes even glitching our dwarf into the environment itself. Eventually we got a feel for the combos and dodge maneuvers, and being able to stay upright for more than a few seconds at a time gave us a chance to cleave some skulls. Chaining successful attacks in rapid succession lets you enter into a temporary “heroic” mode where you’ll dish out serious damage on foes, making it possible to take down larger adversaries quickly.

The emphasis on brutal combat yields intense encounters that are bloody and satisfying, even if battle is still buggy in the game’s current state. There were moments where combat turned into a total frenzied mess, but the action really came together when each team member was on-point and working together. The game’s cooperative element extends well beyond carving the limbs off of smelly orcs, too. Each character has other special race abilities that prove useful outside of the fray. Our dwarf, for example, was able to detect a secret tunnel entrance inside a cave that other players weren’t able to see. You can also trade and gift items to other players, which is helpful considering the large amount of loot you’ll find.

Despite some general bugginess and loosy-goosy moments on the battlefield, our time with Lord of the Rings: War in the North had its notable high points. The sudden shift toward the blatantly bloody kicks up the realism of battle nicely, and the cooperative elements have a lot of potential to shine once the rest of the game is fine-tuned. We’re cautiously optimistic that this new direction for the series could pan out in exciting ways.

Nathan Meunier

New : Battlefield 3 Preview

EA saved the best for last in its E3 2011 press conference, wowing the crowd with an extended demo for Battlefield 3. The general manager of DICE, Karl Magnus Troedsson, took the stage to show off this highly anticipated game, talk about online features, and announce a multiplatform open beta. The presentation actually included a few different segments, the first of which was a teaser that flashed a series of gameplay images, including the tank battle, melee combat, urban firefights in the street and underground, and a thermal vision-assisted vehicular assault. These images evoked gameplay from our previous preview coverage and gave us some new glimpses that foreshadowed what was to come.

The second segment was a trailer for the new Frostbite 2.0 game engine that powers Battlefield 3. It highlighted four key areas (animation, destruction, scale, and audio) that are the focus of the improvements made to the original engine that powered some of the previous games in the series, including Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The tech demo was slick, but seeing how it all comes together on the battlefield makes a much bigger impact.The third segment showed off an "infantry-focused' multiplayer map called Operation Metro, which takes place in the center of Paris. Short glimpses pictured soldiers running through a park, riding in the turret seat of what appeared to be an APC, and driving that same vehicle while manning the main gun. We saw firefights in a city street, in an underground station, and in a subway car. One player died from a brutal stabbing, while another crept along the tracks in prone position. Later, the player mantled over cover and dropped one story to the street, where rockets flew through the air and collided with buildings, scattering large chunks of stone. Troedsson concluded by talking about Battlelog, "a service which adds a hub of powerful social tools, where gamers can connect, communicate, and play with friends." Battlelog lets you form squads and platoons, as well as check out your stats in real time. He then added that the service would be completely free, presumably in reference to Activision's recently announced Call of Duty Elite service.

The presentation concluded with a lengthy live demo of a tank battle against the enemy forces of the PLR that took place in "the Teheran desert" (unclear if he meant a fictional desert or one in the vicinity of Tehran, Iran). The demo began with a dinosaur figurine silhouetted against a clear sky. The wind whipped by and carried the echo of a child's voice, and we noticed the figurine had a label on the bottom, "To Dad." This fatherly moment was interrupted by a command to stop screwing around, and the view leveled off to reveal that the player was in a turret on top of a tank, cruising across a flat desert in a convoy of about a dozen friendly tanks. The audio landscape was rich with the sounds of the wind, the tank treads on the ground, the creaking of the tank chassis, the hum of the engine, the thump of helicopter rotors, radio chatter, and a brooding ambient soundtrack (though this last element faded as the mission progressed, making us wonder if it was inserted for the demo). The visuals were equally robust. The tank rolled over arid ground for a solid minute and a half, showcasing scrub vegetation and looming mountains in the distance. The wind blew dust clouds, and the sun glinted off of specks in the players vision, creating a solid sense of atmosphere.

As the convoy approached a smoking settlement on the horizon, the player climbed down into the tank and took up control of the main gun. A quick prompt indicated the controls for steering, throttle, and reverse, and shortly after, an explosion indicated that enemy tanks had arrived on the scene. Another prompt told the player how to aim and attack, which he began doing with patient accuracy. Each shot kicked up a lot of dust and smoke, making it difficult to visually confirm kills. Fortunately, the radio chatter told the player when he had scored a hit, and the dust eventually cleared to show the flaming husks of enemy tanks. As more enemies approached, the player switched to the thermal camera to get a better bead on them. This fight proved a bit tougher, and a warning tone indicated that the player had taken a bit of damage this time around.

Tanks destroyed, the convoy trucked on until it was brought up short by enemy rocket artillery. The player then switched monitors in the tank, peering into a camera attached to the airplane providing close air support for the assault. In this mostly black-and-white view, we watched a familiar laze-the-target sequence that neutralized many of the enemy vehicles, clearing the way for the tanks to roll on through. The convoy crested a ridge and was greeted with open fires and ruined structures where the airstrike had hit. Enemy soldiers took aim at the tanks with rocket-propelled grenades, and with the closer combat and soft targets (read: human soldiers) came a more zoomed-in view and lower-caliber ammo. The player went into to full assault mode, switching between larger shells to destroy fortified positions and rapid-fire bullets to gun down fleeing enemies. The action came to a fairly decisive end when the player tagged a remaining artillery vehicle that was apparently situated next to an ammo cache. Explosions of all shapes and sizes burst forth, but as the triumphant squad crested another ridge, they saw their fight was far from over.

Then the demo really did come to an end, concluding a lengthy and visually impressive live showing. It left us eager to see more of the campaign, as well as get our hands on the competitive multiplayer. Battlefield 3 launches for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 25, 2011, though players will get a shot at it in September, during the multiplatform open beta. We'll have more on that beta and on Battlefield 3 as E3 unfolds.

Chris Watters

inFamous 2 review

During certain moments of inFAMOUS 2, in what I can only blame on some kind of self-afflicted pop-culture overload, I desperately and irrationally desired that Thor himself, Norse/Marvel God of Thunder, drop down from the sky to challenge my on-screen persona, Cole MacGrath. This desire sums up rather well how I feel about the anticipated sequel from Sucker Punch Productions: I’m pretty sure I could take a hammer-wielding Viking deity in a fight, if only the designers would throw such a worthy foe my way.

inFAMOUS 2 builds upon the excellent foundation established in its predecessor: give the player mass powers of electric destruction, present a standard good-and-evil moral duality, and let them loose in a city to do as they will. In the sequel, the player begins with several of the abilities learned from the first go-around in Empire City: static thrusters (a floating mechanic) and electric grinding in particular, which grant the player a more immediate mobility. This decision deemphasizes the relatively competent parkour mechanics, but they’re still there, waiting for Cole to ledge-hop and freerun his way to the rooftops, should he feel so inclined.

In combat, players are given a nearly overwhelming number of offensive capabilities. Abilities are grouped into logical types: projectile, grenade, missile, melee, precision, push, kinetic, ionic, and each of these groups is assigned its own button. As the player progresses through the game, further abilities in these categories are unlocked (through a rather well-executed pseudo-achievement system) and subsequently purchased using experience points. The experience points are a minor gripe of mine, and feel shoehorned into a game that doesn’t need such a out-of-place mechanic; the points are doled out in a very measured fashion, and simply mucking about the city doesn’t give enough of a bonus to bother grinding anything out. Still, the system hardly impedes the player’s progress.

And there are moments, oh, there are moments. As a gigantic behemoth tears down the city streets, I electromagnetically lifted one car, then another, and hurled them into his flank. Nary a scratch. Lesser minions begun to charge down the streets, threatening to overwhelm and divert my attention as officers and civilians die in spectacular fashion. I send a devastating, lightning-infused tornado to clean up the rabble, and then begin peppering the behemoth with the more accurate sticky grenades and precision strikes. I repel several of his projectiles with a kinetic shield, and begin my assault anew.

An impressive setpiece, to be sure. But thanks to the overwhelming power bestowed upon the player, even said behemoth offers very little real threat. Moreover, that battle is reused, in nearly identical circumstances, later in the game. In fact, literally every single enemy, even creatures you would assume are major boss encounters, are rehashed at some later point, which weakens the game as a whole. And, despite the occasional massive beast, 96% of all enemy encounters are with one of three basic enemy types: pushovers, the lot of them. I felt like a God, but one reduced to burning ants with a magnifying glass.

The game opens in Empire City, but after a brief and humbling encounter with The Beast--essentially a giant lava monster, alluded to heavily in the previous game--Cole flees to Louisiana’s New Marais to augment his abilities. Your primary allies are Dr. Kuo, a defected CIA agent, and your old pal Zeke, a sort of Jack Black/Elvis hybrid. You’ll also encounter the chaotic and fiery Nix, and the traditional southern-baptist-turned-maniacal-villain, Bertrand. Your overarching goal is collect enough energy to power something called the RFI, the only thing capable of downing the Beast.

It’s a bit over-the-top, but it works, in no small part due to the fine voice acting from the cast. Dr. Kuo in particular (voiced by Dawn Olivieri) is a standout performance. The morality system is given a hefty bit of weight as well: besides altering your available abilities, your moral decisions will affect available missions, change alliances within the narrative, and offer two vastly different endings. The duality between Nix and Kuo, each pushing the player in a different moral direction, is particularly well done.

The city of New Marais is vivid and bright, even if its denizens feel a bit daft with regards to artificial intelligence. The city is large enough to feel expansive, but limited enough to allow the player to become mostly familiar with their surroundings as time progresses. Later in the game, two previously closed off areas open up to expand the city even further, but these regions are simply far too dull to sustain any kind of extended interest in the surroundings. The main thoroughfares are where the city’s charm lies.

The game’s structure is standard but effective: the open world gives waypoints and markers denoting the next objective, which usually consists of tracking down and taking out some number of enemies. The game occasionally shows flairs of creativity in mission design, but in general, combat is the bread-and-butter. These are broken up by one of two types of cutscenes: in-engine, with motion capture tech, or the stylistic comic-book-esque presentations from the original. Both work equally well. While the mission variety and pacing do tend to drag, especially toward the end, the narrative’s conclusion is certainly a compelling enough reason to move forward.

There’s plenty to do outside of the game’s primary missions: over sixty optional missions allow you to regain control over sections of the city, expelling any sort of violent encounter in the area. Hundreds of blast shards hidden around the city offer an increased electrical capacity, “Dead Drops” offer an expanded view of the game’s narrative, and Sucker Punch has thrown in a new wrinkle in the form of UGC, or User Generated Content. Players can construct, albeit with relatively rudimentary tools, custom missions and share them with the world. These require a bit of technical ability, and I’ve yet to see one really blow me away, but it adds a nice additional touch in a world already loaded with nice touches. Even discounting additional content and playing the alternate morality, there’s easily fifteen hours of content.

inFAMOUS 2 is a game that easily improves on its forebear. It’s likely one of the best superhero-sandbox game ever made, and though it has its flaws, the game remains a polished experience from start to finish; “I’m too absurdly powerful” is one criticism that the development team will just have to live with. A graphical powerhouse with gameplay to match, Sucker Punch Productions delivers a fantastic addition to any Playstation 3 owner’s library.

Jason Wishnov