Red Dead Redemption, the latest game from Rockstar San Diego, is an open world action adventure, set in the old west. Rockstar has borrowed on its tried and true formula for creating entertaining games and transported the player into a past realm. The sandbox style of play should make for a wide array of things to do, with the standard main missions, and side-quests throughout the large expanse.
Whether or not this same sandbox will make for exciting multiplayer gaming, we will have to wait until May 18 to answer that. They have an array of multiplayer modes, of up to 18 players, from the standard team-based and free-for-all modes, to their new “free roam” mode.
I am looking forward to this game, even though I loath aiming with my thumbs, should be plenty of good times on the range. Available on Xbox 360 and Play Station 3, May 18.
Valve has announced an “extensive update” for its mulitplayer shooter, Counter-Strike: Source, and is now in limited beta.
“The update includes a host of new features and functionality developed in collaboration with Hidden Path Studios,” explained Valve. “This beta will run for a limited time, and once complete, the update will be deployed to all Counter-Strike: Source owners for free.”
Among that “host of new features and functionality” you’ll find the following:
144 achievements added
New lifetime player stats and summary screens
New match player stats and summary screens
New end of round display with MVP and interesting fact about a player
Updated scoreboard with new icons, visual style, MVP stars, and avatar pictures
New cinematic death camera
New domination and revenge system
Added avatar icons to voice chat, scoreboard, and end of round display
Incorporated many source engine updates
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for the PC is a mess, the shipped product had issues that were pointed out in the Beta, but alas…
Update: I think the only item that needs to be removed to fix the spinning and not being able to move left right, is the mouse look right, left and look up, down. It appears that there is a conflict with the mouse action and the shared joystick command.
My focus here is about removing the Joystick input from game options. I had originally dug through the files in the beta trying enable the throttle and trigger for my Logitek 2.4 wireless joystick, since there is apparently no way to remove (or add some joystick buttons) from the in-game option, I started digging through the input files to add or remove unwanted lines. The problem seems to be caused by the controls being designed for console game pads.
The story is entertaining and well laid out, the cut scenes are very well directed and it plays out like you would think of a Hollywood movie with unlimited budget and Jack Black as the star. The voice acting is top notch, with Jack Black being himself, Tim Curry does an excellent job as the villain, also with other voices you will recognize. The music playlist is rocking, with many ‘80s metal bands, if you bought your metal on vinyl then this game will be music to your ears.
You play Eddie Riggs a displaced roadie who can walk, run, use axe, and an ax (stringed). He can take to the air during stage battles for a top down command view. There is no ability to jump which can be frustrating when you get stuck in an area and have to summon the deuce or reload a check point. I’m sure Eddie Riggs would say something like, “Jumping is for sissies in spandex and makeup.” It does seem to be a button masher in combat, even though you can use some combos and solos for attacks and buffs. The Deuce is a very welcome addition since the map is large and running would be a bore. It has a nitro boost and other upgrades that can be added at the motor forge. The upgrades include primary and secondary weapons as well as engine and ramming abilities. The motor forge is also where you can spend your fire tributes for axe and ax enhancements.
I noticed this on my DirecTv guide, it looks like the copy editor for the guide is not a football fan. Besides the fact that the subject does not match the title.
I had played the demo and had enough fun to feel I would enjoy the rest of the game which I did, although not being able to open all the tracks is a bummer. There are a lot a people who enjoy the game, but I can’t whole-heartily recommend the $15 purchase price, and I felt I over paid for the game, I would have been a happy customer at a $5 – $7.50 price. That is another reason why I gave it a 2.5 out of 5 stars. Continue reading
The OnLive gaming system is a cloud-based service that will enable off-site rendering of PC games. Which they claim will give gamers the opportunity to play GPU intensive games with something as low-powered as a netbook. OnLive says that with their modem and controller, gamers can expect to play a game such as Crysis on any laptop at 720p at 60 frames per second, with minimal lag, over a cable connection. (We will see how that goes in the real world.)
Shadow Complex is the latest game from the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade series, and is an Xbox exclusive title. Release date: Aug 19, cost 1200 Microsoft Points, only through Xbox Live. I give it a buy, 4.5 of 5 stars.
This game takes the standard 2D side scrolling and adds a new dimension — targets down-range (which takes a bit to get used to). No load screens, which means you can travel from one side of the map to the other without the convenience of a loading screen to make a beer run. Don’t let that fool you into thinking the map is small, as you progress through and new areas open up you wonder how much more game area is there? Sometimes the size of the map can be a pain, especially with it setup so you have to go back through areas at a later time. I found myself trying to get to or on an area that is not accessible, and then finding out I need to a weapon to remove a blockade (with the flashlight on them they are orange, (gun) green, (grenades) purple, (foam) red (rockets) and blue (friction dampener).
The story goes — never-mind if you want to know about the story your not here to play an arcade game — I do recall something about the group wanting to start a civil war and attack San Francisco. The opening sequence is you controlling an operative in an armored suit — with all the weapons loaded up — which gives you a chance to get a feel for what is to come throughout the game. When the game starts in earnest, it’s you with a flashlight chasing your girlfriend into a cave, when she disappears and all you find is her backpack that’s when it gets going. Continue reading
For those that haven’t seen this cool picture, it has been making it’s way around the intertubes this week. Its seems the couple were setting up for an memorable picture, (which is now earning its 15 minutes). When a passing little critter must have been drawn in by the blinking timer lights, and proceeded to pose like he knew how to best frame himself in the shot.
Well if that wasn’t enough some enterprising person set up a web site that will squirrelize your photos. It is a handy little site for those without access (or skills) to photochop. Just enter the path of the photo, set some location and size parameters and voila, you have your own pop-up squirrel. Just be sure to save the new image as they will not stay on the site. This is a quick one I did, from my pictures.
The latest installment of the Wolfenstein games is going live tomorrow, (on all major platforms) the reviews are up around the web, and they look as if the series that helped spawn the FPS genre is still on the ball. It’s mainly a single player campaign, but as we know from the prior games, the multiplayer is top-notch, and we will know soon if this latests installment still has it, (I will have to play it before I render my verdict). Gamespot discussed multiplayer with Matt Wilson, the lead game designer of Endrant Studios (which built the online component).
