F3ar review

Nothing is more terrifying than the unknown. Unfortunately, F.E.A.R. 3 doesn't seem to grasp this, and it lays bare all the mysteries of this series of paranormal shooters, moving the story forward but stripping away its power to get inside your head and keep you up at night. But while F.E.A.R. 3 may disappoint as a horror game, it satisfies as a shooter. The campaign is good fun in single-player and especially enjoyable when played cooperatively with a friend. And the game's multiplayer modes present some thrills for those willing to work with others to survive. F.E.A.R. 3 follows hot on the heels of F.E.A.R. 2's startling conclusion, but returns us to the protagonist of the original F.E.A.R., the genetically designed supersoldier known...

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Solatorobo hunting DS this fall

By Brendan Sinclair, XSEED confirms North American release window for CyberConnect2's spiritual action RPG successor to original PlayStation effort Tail Concerto. (function() {var toolbar = document.id('social_share_actions');if (toolbar) {toolbar.addClass('js_enabled');}}()); In 1999, CyberConnect2's Tail Concerto launched in North America, giving gamers a 3D platformer in a world populated by mech-riding anthropomorphic cats and dogs caught in racial strife. More than a dozen years later, the developer is returning to the premise to create a spiritual successor to its PlayStation original, Solatorobo: Red the Hunter for the DS. XSEED Games today announced that it has reached an agreement with Japanese publisher Namco Bandai to bring Solatorobo...

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Raiden......Mortal Kombat

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Trenched is a third-person tower-defense game

by Ben Gilbert (5 hours ago)14When Trenched was revealed by Tim Schafer at the end of this year's Game Developer's Choice Awards ceremony, we knew next to nothing about it. Though we can't tell you how we feel about it ourselves, previews are showing up all over the web that describe the game as a third-person tower-defense title set in an alternate history post-WWI world. G4 explains that the tower-defense-style battles of Trenched take place atop walking, upgradeable trenches. As it turns out, television monsters (referred to as "tubes") are attacking the world's mobile trenches and handicapped hero Frank Woodrof is bent on defending them. You'll employ Woodrof's ultra-manliness to defeat said "tubes" and restore alternate reality's normalcy....

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Free Comic Book Day brings free The Darkness 2 prequel comic

by JC Fletcher (4 hours ago)6May 7 is this year's Free Comic Book Day, the annual event when fans all around the country crowd into comic book stores for free promotional minicomics (and agoraphobic readers put off picking up their subscriptions). In observance of this ritual, Top Cow Productions is releasing a free The Darkness comic book that is intended to act as a prequel to the upcoming The Darkness 2 game in the works at Digital Extremes. Although we'd argue that if you really want a prequel to The Darkness 2, you could check out The Darkness -- or the comic book series that ran from 1996 to 2005. But those wouldn't be free!...

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Nintendo 3DS review: Depth, charge

by JC Fletcher on Mar 10th 2011 6:00PM31Nintendo released its next-generation handheld console, the 3DS, in Japan last month. North American and European releases are scheduled for late March, but we went ahead and imported a unit so we could inspect all the new features -- and, of course, that screen. After the break, find out all about the 3DS hardware and its built-in software, along with our impressions of each component. We might not be able to present the review in 3D, but that hasn't stopped us from going in-depth. The hardware design The 3DS is very shiny. Very shiny. This has the effect of making it sort of a fingerprint magnet, sure, but it also makes it seem more futuristic. It also feels heavy for its size, compared to a DS...

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GDC: The Future of Graphics and Unreal Engine 3

by Arthur Gies Epic announced a host of new features in their Unreal Engine 3 development platform today at this year's GDC, the biggest of which is support for DirectX 11 and its assorted tools. The problem is, for most people, these kind of announcements might as well be in Sanskrit -- they're full of tech jargon that goes right by the average gamer. I've gone through in an attempt to translate what Epic means by Subsurface Scattering and Deferred Rendering. The bolded segments are features of the updated Unreal Engine 3 courtesy of Epic, followed by our explanation of what this means for games. Epic gave us the thumbs up for accuracy. Yay, us. "Image-based reflections that allow surfaces of any shape to reflect an approximate version...

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GDC: Darkness II Off to a Great Start

by Daemon Hatfield Here at the Game Developers Conference I got my first look at The Darkness II, the sequel to the 2007 comic book game. I wasn't sure what to expect because the sequel has been handed to a different developer, but it ended up being one of the most exciting games I saw at GDC this year. What's the Same? The Darkness II is still a first-person shooter starring Mafioso Jackie Estacado, current host of a chaotic force known as the Darkness. When Jackie is in the light, he's your regular Wiseguy. But when he steps into shadow the Darkness emerges and you'll see two serpent heads appear onscreen. This is what makes The Darkness' gameplay unique: you can run around dual-wielding guns while using your dark tentacles to mangle and...

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Bleszinski: Marry gamers, don't date them (or: design long-term engagement for fans)

by Ludwig Kietzmann on Mar 6th 2011 3:30PM112In a candid talk during the Game Developers Conference on Thursday, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinksi advised attendees to "have an educated gut," and to be cognizant of the value of marketing and long-term relationships with customers. He encapsulated his talk in the "power creative," a project member who is unique, valuable and visibly tied to the game's identity. "This could be anyone," Bleszinski said. With consumers constantly immersed in an information feed -- via social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook -- it's important for game designers to be "surgical" and "devious" in creating IPs that thrive in an always-on, heavily branded world. According to Bleszinski, the...

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GDC: 72 Percent of Players Finished Heavy Rain

by Kristine Steimer When you first see a statistic like "72 percent of players who started Heavy Rain finished it", it can be difficult to determine what that means. After all, data needs context. Sure, that number seems high – but in high school that'd be the equivalent of a C, which is average. However, if you compare it to the industry average completion rate, which is 20-25 percent, it's downright astounding. David Cage, president of Quantic Dream (the company behind the title), revealed this information today at a panel during the Game Developers Conference. To add in some extra perspective I thought I'd compare Heavy Rain's statistics to another extremely popular title, Mass Effect 2. IGN's overall Game of the Year for 2010, Mass Effect 2 only boasted a 50 percent completion rate...

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GDC: Is Dead Island Anything Like Its Debut Trailer?

by Daemon Hatfield Serious. Somber. Disturbing. These are words I would use to describe Dead Island's amazing debut trailer. You saw it, right? Today I got to see about 15 minutes of Dead Island in action. What words would I use to describe the gameplay? Silly. Wacky. Goofy. Oh, and fun. Dead Island is a first-person hack-and-slash game set in the midst of a zombie outbreak in a tropical paradise. It's more Dead Rising than Resident Evil, with a focus on action over suspense. The developers themselves say they're going for "zombie zombie zombie all the time." An abundance of makeshift weapons lying around like paddles, baseball bats, and wrenches – and the fact that these can be combined and upgraded – further reminds me of Dead...

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Dragon Age 2....Combat CLasses

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More Crysis 2 gameplay

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Risen 2:Dark Waters..first look

By Andrew Park, GameSpot We take our first look at Piranha Bytes' sequel to Risen and the spiritual successor to the Gothic series.If there's a better reason to attend the 2011 Game Developers Conference than the opportunity to take a first look at Gothic developer Piranha Bytes' role-playing sequel Risen 2: Dark Waters, we don't want to hear it. This sequel takes the high-fantasy world of Risen, which took place on a besieged island, and will become a full-on, full-fledged, full-featured, full-monty pirate role-playing game, where you play not only as Piranha Bytes' established "Hero" character, but also as a seafaring adventurer in a fantastic age of sail. Risen 2 will be a full-on pirate role-playing game. Risen 2 takes place some in-game...

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L.A. Noire hands on preview

By Alex Sassoon Coby, GameSpot UK We review the evidence in a first play of Rockstar's latest tale of redemption. We have heard rather a lot about L.A. Noire since it emerged from the shadows three months ago. Since then we've been impressed by the technology behind it and intrigued by its detective story premise, but we haven't been able to play this long-in-development game. We finally got to try our hand at a few cases on a recent visit to Rockstar's London offices. But be aware: some of the case notes below could be considered spoilers. L.A. Noire is, as the title suggests, heavily influenced by the golden age of film noir, seemingly offering as rich and murky a vision of 1950s America as the classics of that genre. It has you step...

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Battlefield 3 demo

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Inversion...zero gravity preview

We talk with one of the producers on Inversion about fighting in zero gravity, grappling enemies and cars, and massive destructible environments. ...

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Children of eden Preview

posted on Feb 28, 2011 We talk with producer, James Mielke, about Child of Eden and how music, abstract graphics, and Kinect makes this game a piece of ar...

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..Harmonix brainstorming 'reimaginings' of Rock Band, new motion games

by Andrew Yoon on Feb 28th 2011"There's no denying that Rock Band 3 hasn't yet sold to the level we hoped it would out of the gate," Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos admitted to Edge. "But on the flipside of that we also believe that it's a product that has a lot of life." It may be difficult to share Rigopulos' optimism. Since the beginning of the year, Viacom sold Harmonix (back to Harmonix), MTV Games was shut down and Activision hit the pause button on its long-running Guitar Hero franchise. Still, Rigopulos offers a "glass half-full" interpretation of Activision's retraction from the genre, seeing a newfound opportunity to expand the developer's audience. "We think there are also a lot of devoted Guitar Hero fans who have probably never given...

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Grasshopper announcing new title next month

by Ben Gilbert on Feb 28th 2011 10:30PM Suda51's Japanese dev studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, is working on a ton of stuff. Between Shadows of the Damned, Sine Mora, codename D and an uannounced NPG project, we have to imagine the folks at Grasshopper don't have much free time. Regardless, the studio will take a timeout on March 30 to host a Ustream event, during which Grasshopper will announce a new game -- perhaps that NGP title? Dubbed "Grasstream 2: Travis vs. Garcia" (named for the main characters of No More Heroes and Shadows of the Damned), the event will feature frank discussion from Suda51 on Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, an acoustic performance of music from No More Heroes, the aforementioned "new game announce," and "hands-on...

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Devil May Cry movie rights acquired by Screen Gems

by Andrew Yoon on Feb 28th 2011 8:45PM 41 Screen Gems' last partnership with Capcom was a resounding success: the Resident Evil films have grossed over $580 million worldwide. It is undoubtedly looking to replicate that success with its latest acquisition, Devil May Cry. Kyle Ward has been hired to write the script. Ward is currently unproven; his first feature-length script, Fiasco Heights, will debut later this year. In addition to Devil May Cry, Ward is also signed for another video game adaptation: Kane & Lynch. According to Variety, the film will feature Dante on a quest to "avenge his mother's murder by killing off demons." Given the early status of the project, it's unclear if the film will be based on the classic games, or on Ninja Theory's upcoming reboot. Given Paul Anderson's...

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Spartacus Finale episode review

Friday's Spartacus: Gods of the Arena finale left us feeling abused, amused and slightly bemused. Bloodshed we expected, even a few tears, but a happy ending? We didn't see that one coming from across the arena. In the wake of Titus and Melitta's death, the House of Batiatus was out for blood. Believing Tullius was behind the tainted wine, Batiatus' crew ambushed Tullius and his minions in an alley, where his life was initially spared, but only so Batiatus could kill him later and then wall his body up in the new arena he had built. What is with these ancient Romans and extreme displays of disrespect? On the arena's opening day, Sextus decided to treat the crowds to public executions including one for escaped slave Diona. Also, Solonius proved himself to be a good student at backstabbing...

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More from Arkham

by Hilary Goldstein Batman and Gotham City share a special connection. On the rooftops, it's as if the Dark Knight is connected to the soul of the city. He knows every alleyway, every criminal safe haven, every trouble spot. Trapped in Arkham Asylum last game, Batman was disconnected from the city that speaks to him. In Arkham City, Batman is in his element. This isn't Batman trapped in an asylum; this is a city full of criminals trapped with Batman. Arkham City is a section of Gotham run by Warden Hugo Strange where the inmates of Arkham Asylum and Blackgate prison have been placed. The major criminals have secured their own districts and run them with some autonomy. To ensure gamers feel like Batman at his best, the city is wide...

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Fight night Champion...wait it's more like runner up

by Hilary Goldstein It was my first fight as the great Roberto Duran. A few rounds in, I noticed Duran's white trunks had this odd red pattern on them. After a moment, I realized it wasn't dye in the fabric, but blood. My opponent's blood. Fight Night Champion shows the brutal price boxers pay for stepping into the ring. You can practically see the imprint of the glove on someone's face when you tag them enough. You can tell the severity of a cut – from mere scrapes to deep gashes – on the cheek just by looking. And once the blood starts flowing, you'll know it. It's all over the ring -- and Roberto Duran's trunks. Fight Night Champion, the fifth entry in the series, does an excellent job of enhancing the experience in the ring. Not only can you see the impact of punches,...

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