Posts Tagged ‘Sound’

Review: God of War III


Posted in Gamechangers

God of War III picks up exactly where God of War II left off.  Kratos, defiant, has challenged his father Zeus and threatens the very foundations of Mount Olympus in his bid for vengeance.  Riding astride the Earth Mother Titan Gaia, Kratos ascends the cliff face of Olympus as Zeus dispatches his fellow Gods against the other Titans that threaten his seat of power.

As much strife as Kratos faces, this release has faced more.  With game director David Jaffe leaving Sony of America and creating his own shop, would the God of War series crumble or could it stand up with its predecessors, raising the bar for action titles once again?  I’m very pleased to report that it not only meets the level of the PS2 games, it exceeds it in every conceivable way.  I try to be very objective in my reviews, but brace yourself as I have very little negative to say about God of War III.  Yea…it’s that good. (more…)

Black Prophecy Preview at GDC 2010


Posted in Gamechangers

MMOGs seem to be boldly going into space with a higher frequency these days as gamers shed their shields and throw down their swords to take up the role of intergalactic explorers. One of the more highly anticipated titles comes to us from Gamigo in the form of Black Prophecy, a ship based space combat MMOG that puts players in the cockpit of a highly customizable craft and sets them loose upon each other in a faction based struggle for galactic domination. We sat down this week at GDC with Falko Böcker of Gamigo to get the inside scoop on this German import from Reakktor.

Fans of Black Prophecy know that this game has been in development for several years and that it almost didn’t make it to market. Originally slated for a 2009 release, the game had planned on being a subscription model MMOG to be published by the now bankrupt 10tacle studios.  Reakktor refused to give up on the game however, and development continued with hopes for finding a publisher that would do the epic title justice. While reaction has been mixed to the announcement of Gamigo as the games new publisher, mostly due to the related announcement of a microtransaction based free-to-play model,  fans need not worry as both companies are committed to delivering a top notch product that will satisfy free-to-play veterans and subscription model adherents alike. Advertorial info : games for money online

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Gaming for Money: Trading Game Assets (1)


Posted in Gamechangers

In the world of MMORPGs, one thing you can’t help noticing is that player vs. player (PvP) combat is not typically the central focus of the game, even if they offer certain servers and options that make it possible. While there are almost always ways in which two players can have it out if they both consent, the focus of most MMORPGs so far has been player vs. environment (PvE), where groups of players fight cooperatively against computer controlled monsters. Furthermore, for a host of reasons, PvE is clearly the preference of the overwhelming majority of MMORPG players. Shadowbane set out to change all that by shifting the emphasis onto PvP, team on team conflicts, sieges, and territorial domination. Considering that, because of the obvious imbalances created by level differences between characters, PvP in most MMORPGs leaves a lot to be desired, this was a rather risky move. Today, some gamers consider Shadowbane the only decent option for serious PvPers, while others point to it as a perfect example of why PvP in MMORPGs is, quite simply, no fun.

Background
Player built cities and guilds are central to Shadowbane. Unlike many MMORPGs which have pre-defined realms warring with each other, in SB there are as many sides as players choose to form. Any player with sufficient resources may start a guild, found a city, recruit other players, and lead their kingdom to greatness. Advertorial info: fun games for girls (more…)

Battlefield Vietnam Review


Posted in Gamechangers

Let me begin by saying, no, it’s not an expansion pack, I repeat, NOT AN EXPANSION PACK for Battlefield 1942. Battlefield Vietnam, though it bears more similarities to Battlefield 1942 than just its name, is an entirely new stand-alone game and Battlefield 1942 is not required to play.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, you may have noticed that military themed first-person shooters are everywhere these days. Given the flood of titles and expansion packs that have been released in this area lately, one has to wonder how many such games the market can support. I couldn’t help marvelling at the ad for Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault on the back of the Battlefield Vietnam CD case.

Subsequently, your first impression of Battlefield Vietnam is likely to be one of deja vu. Battlefield 1942 players will find most of the features and game modes they are familiar with in a very immersive jungle setting. If you haven’t played BF 1942, the appeal of the game, in a nutshell, is that you can commandeer a wide variety of vehicles, including tanks, ships, and planes, on the front line. For the most part, this is accomplished with a very simple set of standard FPS controls which minimize the learning curve.

Advertorial info : Promotional Pens (more…)