Saturday 8 December 2012

New Games Releases and trailer review

Bro-op on Display in Double Dragon: Neon

Medal of Honor: Warfighter - Single Player Demo Video

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Free To Shoot in Arctic Combat

Our Favorite Games of E3 2012

The Last Story Official Trailer

My Dragon Has a Jetpack, What Do you Got?

Halo 4 Tournament - MLG Pros and Developer Commentary on Adrift

GameSpot Asia Beat Ep.3: E3 2012 Aftermath

For this week's show, we talk shop about what we liked and reviled about this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Hello again, fellow game enthusiasts in Asia. After all is said and done, this year's E3 was filled with many theatrics by way of press conferences and a boatload of games that may or may not be out on their intended dates of release. In fact, some of them like Star Wars 1313 and Watchdogs are suspected to be so good-looking and rife with fidelity that they could be on future platforms.

We also wonder if the press conferences of the Big Three were purposely catered towards the mainstream, or whether they have no idea who they're aiming these showings of software and products to. There's also that funky Final Fantasy tech demo with the terrorists, dragons, and old guys with incredibly detailed wrinkly skin. Way too much detail, if you ask me.

What does this all mean? Why, this is all for us game journalists and writers to speculate and talk smack about, of course! Joining me in this multilevel adventure into conversation are special guests RazorTV's Bryan de Silva and SG Cafe's Sim Cheng Kai. Again, these guys have been around the block for a long while, so you can expect a cerebral-challenging ride which will start as soon as you hit the play button on the SoundCloud player below.

Silent Hill: Book of Memories E3 2012 Official Trailer

Square Enix Toy Chest at E3 2012

Scoping Up Again: Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 Demo

Hitman: Absolution: The Accidental Assassin Visits Hope

Lethal accidents and lazy disguises come to Cougar country.

At E3, there's nary a sex nun to be found in the Hitman: Absolution gameplay demonstration. The repellent E3 trailer itself is conspicuously absent, the presentation prefaced instead with a cinematic montage of other bits from IO Interactive's assassination title.

Either the original nun video was hastily swapped out for something less controversial and more representative or, more likely, it was only ever a cynical attention grab, incongruous to Hitman: Absolution's actual showing at 2012's Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Welcome to Cougar Town.

It's a showing that takes Agent 47 to Hope, a small, sun-dappled town in South Dakota where the '50s never ended. The town is run by the Cougars, a gang of greasers fond of baseball jackets, American classic cars, and old-timey barbershops. The Cougars are led by Lenny, who is 47's prime target in this ninth chapter of the game. Before his execution, though, come those of his henchmen.

Like Hitman: Blood Money before it, Hitman: Absolution rewards you for arranging your hits to look like lethal accidents. The score counter is boosted with a Target Accident Bonus as Agent 47 crushes a Cougar mechanic beneath a car lift, first luring him under there with the clattering sound of a lobbed wrench. When 47 uses C4 to remotely detonate a leaky gas pipe, disguising the death of another Cougar target as a bit of explosive bad luck, the score counter likewise surges upwards--then drains back down again as a series of secondary blasts take out a cluster of innocent onlookers.

The town of Hope is a bigger map than we've seen previously for Absolution, with more sandboxy style than the cramped, concentratedChinatown level. There's space enough for a convenience store, in which 47 dodges past a distracted store clerk to garrote one victim in a backroom and bundle his corpse into a wardrobe, and a junkyard, in which 47 placates a barking guard dog with a bone before non-lethally subduing a yard worker and nicking his overalls.

Disguises and social stealth (that is, blending in) work as we've seen before: a disguise will fool a stranger but not someone who would recognise the original owner of 47's new duds, even with 47's sly blending manoeuvre (rubbing the back of his head to conceal his barcode tattoo). So although a cop hanging around in the junkyard doesn't give 47 a second look, another yard labourer is suspicious of his new, bald colleague.

Agent 47's prime target, gang leader Lenny, is less cautious than the lowly yard worker. The demo's final disguise is lifted from a barber when 47 sneaks into the Cougar clubhouse, through a Cougar party, and into the adjacent Cougar barbershop. There, Lenny chatters away in a barber chair, heedless of the hairless new hairdresser looming over him with a cutthroat razor. So ends the demo: a pretty slice of Americana-flavoured assassination and, here's hoping, a truer account of Hitman: Absolution's character than leering at brutalised sex nuns.

Mass Effect Trilogy comes to PS3

BioWare to launch upcoming space RPG three-pack for Sony's platform one month after debut on PC and Xbox 360.

When BioWare announced the Mass Effect Trilogy in September, the developer slated the three-pack to arrive for PC and Xbox 360 on November 6, but kept quiet on a release date for the PlayStation 3. That has now changed, as BioWare has confirmed the Mass Effect Trilogy will be available for the Sony faithful on December 4.

The original Mass Effect never released for the PS3, but not only will Sony crowd get to play the game for the first time as part of the Trilogy, the title will also be available as a standalone download on the PlayStation Network.

The Trilogy includes the original Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, and Mass Effect 3, and will be available at retail for $60. A price for the standalone Mass Effect game through the PlayStation Network was not announced.

BioWare also detailed what PS3 fans can expect in the way of downloadable content for the Mass Effect Trilogy. The company said the PS3 version will include the original Mass Effect's Bring Down the Sky content, while Mass Effect 2 will feature the Cerberus Network (which includes the Kasumi, Overlord, and Lair of the Shadow Broker content). Lastly, BioWare said Mass Effect 3 for PS3 within the Trilogy will be "exactly as it originally shipped."

Dungeonland Video - Dungeon Master Mode

Sony sells 160,000 Vitas during Black Friday

4:03PM EST November 29. 2012 - So how well did Sony's struggling PlayStation Vita handheld fare during its first Black Friday?

The company announced it sold more than 160,000 PlayStation Vitas during Black Friday week, its first since launching in the U.S. in February.

Although discounted bundles featuring games such asAssassin's Creed III: Liberation and Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified sold very well, it wasn't enough to compete with its strongest rival, Nintendo. The company revealed Monday they sold 250,000 3DS handhelds and an additional 275,000 units of the standard DS.

Then there's the rise of smartphones and tablets, with its stable of low-cost or free games players can download. While most retail Vita titles cost between $40-$50, Sony does offer a handful of less expensive titles through the online PlayStation Network.

Meanwhile, Sony says total sales for the PlayStation 3 (hardware, software and accessories) jumped 9% compared to the same time last year. The company sold more than 525,000 PS3s during the Black Friday week.

"The PlayStation brand generated significant revenue and year-over-year growth at retail because of our focus on what gamers love most in combining amazing hardware with great games and digital entertainment," says Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America, in a statement.

The haul wasn't enough to overtake Microsoft, which sold 750,000 Xbox 360 video game consoles within the same timeframe, but Sony did best Nintendo's new Wii U at 400,000 consoles sold.

Also, sales of the subscription service PlayStation Plus -- which offers free games, discounts and other perks -- surged 259% compared to last Black Friday, according to Sony.

Review: New 'Hitman' game a well-executed thriller

12:15PM EST December 2. 2012 - We always knew Agent 47 had ice in his veins. Apparently, the guy's got a heart, too.

In "Hitman: Absolution" (Square Enix, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, $59.99; PC, $49.99), 47 is entrusted with the safety of a young girl named Victoria, and the cloned assassin's icy exterior melts a bit when he realizes she may have been subjected to genetic experimentation in the same way he was. This leads 47 to do what he does best: eliminate targets. Only this time it's not about money. Agent 47 wants answers — and he'll even cut the bar code off the back of his head to get them.

Despite 47's affection for Victoria, "Absolution" isn't exactly heartwarming. Of course, it's violent, and it's laced with M-rated black comedy, like an already notorious nuns-with-guns set piece. And contract killing remains a cold-blooded business.

After a tight 20-minute tutorial, you can approach your contracts in several ways. To get to your first target — your former handler at the Agency, Diana Burnwood — you can shoot your way through a mansion on the shore of Lake Michigan or you can sneak inside without hurting a fly.

Taking out targets is all about choice, making the stealth elements the real meat of the game. Sure, it's fun to blast away at a group of hired thugs, but satisfaction in the "Hitman" series is all about taking out the target without alerting anyone except the target.

There are several helpful tools. You can knock out a citizen or a cop, take his clothes and hide in plain sight. You can use the environment to stay hidden or cause distractions. Your "Instinct" meter is also a nice touch, helping you identify targets, blend in with the crowd or trigger the pinpoint shooting mechanic, which slows time just enough for you to mark several targets and take them all out with the push of a button.

The only noticeable issue with the gameplay is the goofy artificial intelligence of some enemies, who can be easily fooled and act out in strange ways. A cop might stand and continue shooting at the last place he saw you despite the fact you're not there anymore, or an enemy could repeatedly bump into you while yelling, "Show yourself!"

Still, these are small gripes amid the generally excellent stealth gameplay, which is on par with the same elements in the "Assassin's Creed" series.

Several difficulty settings greatly affect the experience. On the lower settings, for example, you refill the Instinct meter gradually over time, while on the hardest setting you don't even have one. Veterans of the series may find the lower settings a bit too easy, but the higher difficulties will definitely keep you on your toes and offer rich rewards.

Once a mission is completed you can choose to play through it again and take a different approach. Completing all the challenges is not easy, making for a very high replay value.

The exploits of a lone assassin don't lend themselves to the typical multiplayer experience, but "Absolution" has a clever online mode. You can either accept or design contracts online to earn money that can be spent on gear, and completing various tasks — where and how you make a kill or what disguises you use — earns you experience points that can unlock techniques such as smoother aiming with sniper rifles.

It has been six years since Danish studio IO Interactive delivered the previous "Hitman," but it has been worth the wait. "Hitman: Absolution" is a nicely executed treat. Three stars out of four.

Ho-ho hot holiday games

1:40PM EST December 4. 2012 - 'Tis the season to be jolly — and what better way to keep the kids (and kids at heart) happy and entertained than with a brand new video game.

This year saw no shortage of epic sequels, an explosion in mobile apps, indie hits (such as Minecraft), hands-free motion-control, second-screen gaming and more social media experiences.

If it's console and PC gamers you're shopping for, the following are some sure-fire suggestions for teens and adults. All titles are $59.99 unless otherwise specified.

While not too different from last year's version, Ubisoft's Just Dance 4 (from $39.99) is a blast — especially when you have company over for the holidays. The rhythm-based dancing game challenges up to four players to dance in front of the television. Their movements are picked up by the Kinect sensor (Xbox 360), PlayStation Move controller and camera (PlayStation 3) or wireless Wii Remote (Nintendo Wii and Wii U). While sweating it out to more than 40 songs — plus downloadable tracks including Psy's "Gangnam Style" — your moves are graded in real time. The game offers multiple modes, varied skill levels and depending on the console, the ability to shoot video and upload it for friends to see.

It's a fight to the finish with Sony's PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale for PlayStation 3 ($59.99) and PlayStation Vita ($39.99), a free-for-all brawler starring more than 20 video game heroes and mascots from the PlayStation universe. This includes Sackboy (LittleBigPlanet), Kratos (God of War), Sly Cooper, Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal), Parappa the Rapper, Nathan Drake (Uncharted), and others. Along with single-player modes you can partake in head-to-head multiplayer action on the same television or online (with tournaments). As a bonus, those who buy the PS3 version will receive a code to play the game for free on the PSVita handheld system.

Other great picks for teens include EA Sports' NHL 13, WB Games' Batman: Arkham City - Armored Edition and 2K Sports' NBA 2K13.

ADULTS

One of the best — and most talked-about — games of the year is Telltale Games' The Walking Dead ($29.99 for all episodes; PS3, Xbox 360 and PC). Based on Robert Kirkman's best-selling comic and television franchise, this five-part series tells of a zombie outbreak in America and a band of characters who work together to survive. Between its memorable characters, stellar voice talent, nail-biting moments and gameplay that fuses multiple genres together, The Walking Dead is a "must-play" interactive entertainment experience for mature audiences.

Master Chief is back in Microsoft Game Studios' Halo 4 (for Xbox 360). Developed by 343 Industries, this sci-fi shooter marks the beginning of a new saga that takes place almost five years after the events of Halo 3. The player slips into the combat boots of the famous super soldier, and he'll have his faithful A.I. companion Cortana with him as they step foot on a mysterious new world and confront an ancient evil that threaten to destroy all of humankind. While Halo 4 has all the hallmarks of a Halo adventure — run-and-gun action, numerous vehicles and many multiplayer modes — it also has one of the best stories found in a Halo game to date.

Bigger, better and bolder, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed III (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U and PC) is an epic action game that drops the player in the middle of the American Revolution during the late 18th century. You play as a warrior known as Connor, of both Native American and English heritage, who joins the Continental Army to fight for freedom against the British. By wielding a number of weapons — such as tomahawks, guns and bows — you'll survey the landscape, hop between trees and building rooftops, and take down the redcoats one by one. The game includes a retelling of some legendary events including the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Great Fire of New York and epic naval battles off the east coast.

Available for Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows PC, Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops II is set primarily in 2025, where America's best fighting machines — including unmanned drones and robotic vehicles — have been reprogrammed to turn against its own country. Fought in various U.S. hotspots, such as downtown L.A., you'll lead the war from an immersive first-person perspective, in both a frenetic single-player campaign — across huge maps and with branching storylines — or take to the Internet to team up with others for heated multiplayer matches on specialty maps. Fans of the Zombies mode from past games will also be happy to know this new disc features three different ways to survive the undead apocalypse.

Other excellent "Mature"-rated video game gift ideas: EA/Bioware's Mass Effect III, Ubisoft's Far Cry 3, Square Enix's Hitman: Absolution, Bethesda Softworks' Dishonored, 2K Games' Borderlands 2 and XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Mymosaic: create beautiful photo mosaics

8:36AM EST December 5. 2012 - Looking to do something fun and unique with your holiday photos this year?

As the name of the app suggests, mymosaic - photo mosaic maker lets you create, print and share beautiful mosaics – a picture made up hundreds of teeny photos – right on your favorite iDevice.

When you first launch mymosaic, it lets you import a photo from your Camera Roll or Photo Library, or you can take a photo right from within the app. Once you've selected the main photo for your mosaic, you choose photos as your tile source (e.g. every photo you took last month) and make other choices, too, such as number of titles, color tweaks, variety of tiles, framing options, and more.

When you've finished choosing these options – or don't do anything, if you prefer -- tap to generate your unique mosaic. Keep in mind it will take longer if the app is rendering thousands of photos instead of hundreds, though the whole process never takes more than 20 or 30 seconds on the long end.

When you're done, you'll see your mosaic on the screen and you can zoom in with your fingertips to see all the smaller thumbnail photos that make up the main picture. Now tap the Save button and choose a size in which to save it: Mobile (ideal for smartphones and tablets, or for printing wallet-sized photos), Small (10 x 10 inches), Medium (20 x 20 inches) or Large (30 x 30 inches) for those who want a poster-sized print to send to your local photomat.

There is no option to print right from within the app, though, but at least you can access your saved mosaic – which is dropped into your Camera Roll – and print from there.

You can also tap the Share tab to upload to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Flickr. Oddly, Instagram and Pinterest aren't listed here, which seems like an oversight.

Despite these minor shortcomings, mymosaic lets you make unlimited professional-quality photo mosaics – with no talent necessary whatsoever.

Whether you're looking for something unique to do with your holiday photos or perhaps create a framed mosaic to give as a gift, this clever and affordable iOS app is worthy of your time and consideration.

Note: While this app works on iPad, it is not yet optimized for the larger screen.

'SongPop' chimes in atop Facebook game chart

11:22AM EST December 5. 2012 - Social games on Facebook continue to evolve.

Just take a look at the year's top 25 games, released today by the social networking site at LeWeb, a technology conference in Paris.

Music trivia game SongPop was the most popular game released on Facebook in 2012. There wasn't even a music trivia game in last year's top 10 games, based on user ratings and engagement .

Online social games giant Zynga again dominated the annual list with six games in the top 25 includingFarmVille 2 and Draw Something. But most of the new releases came from a burgeoning field of international developers with top games being made in Australia, Brazil, France, South Korea, Spain, Turkey and the U.K.

Facebook expanded the annual list — 2011 had a top 10 — to reflect the changing game landscape on the social site. "Over the years, the Facebook platform has become more diverse and international, while at the same time being a platform where existing developers can reach their audience, with high quality games, at scale," says Facebook communications manager Malorie Lucich.

FarmVille 2 remains the top-grossing game, according to the Facebook App Center. ButSongPop is ranked No. 2 of all apps, behind Pinterest, based on user ratings.

SongPop, which was launched in May 2012, hit a lot of popular notes. "SongPop was unique in that it launched the game on Facebook.com, iPhone, iPad, and Android at the same time, which was an intelligent cross-platform social strategy that maximized their reach," Lucich says. "All versions of the app are integrated with Facebook, which makes it easy for people to share the app with friends around the Web."

More than 60 million players have downloaded the game and it's the number one driver from Facebook to iTunes for music purchases, according to developer FreshPlanet, a 16-person New York-based company led by founder and CEO Mathieu Nouzareth. He also founded Cafe.com and boonty.com, both with his brother, Romain.

'Cut the Rope' makers unveil new game

9:59AM EST December 4. 2012 - ZeptoLab, creator of the hit mobile video game Cut the Rope, has unveiled its next project for iOS and Android devices.

Pudding Monsters is the first brand-new property launched by ZeptoLab since Cut the Rope, which has been downloaded more than 250 million times.

The puzzle game stars adorable monsters made of pudding, banding together to rescue their friend from an evil refrigerator owner. Players swipe smaller monsters together to form larger creatures that navigate the world. Each monster has its own special abilities players use to navigate various stages of the game.

"We love experimenting with different themes and gameplay mechanics — and Pudding Monsters is exactly the result of that," said ZeptoLab co-founder Semyon Voinov in a statement. "Our fans, new and old, will recognize in this game the same quality of graphics, game design and user experience that led to the success of Cut the Rope."

Pudding Monsters launches on December 20 for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.

ZeptoLab hopes Pudding Monsters is as powerful as Cut the Rope, which has also spawned several merchandising opportunities outside of video games. The adventures of Cut the Rope aren't over either. ZeptoLab CEO Misha Lyalin says players can expect more from the series next year.

"Our focus is just as much on innovating and creating new (intellectual property) as it is to strengthen our existing brands," said Lyalin in a statement. "Now, we're ready to bring fans a great new game that is suited for all ages and provides new opportunities for further expansion."

Video game sales still slump despite 'Black Ops II'

11:47AM EST December 6. 2012 - Even another record-setting Call of Duty launch can't snap the video game industry out of its sales funk.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II generated more than $1 billion in sales in its first 15 days in stores, publisher Activison says. The game, launched Nov. 13, made the fastest sprint yet to the $1 billion mark for the multibillion-dollar first-person shooter franchise.

Black Ops II eclipsed by one day last year's record set by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which hit $1 billion in sales after 16 days, based on sales figures from Activision's internal estimates and retail data from Chart-Track. The 2010 release Call of Duty: Black Opstopped the $1 billion mark after about a month.

Still, analysts expect a drop in video-game sales from November 2011, when market researcher The NPD Group releases its November 2012 report tomorrow.

Console game sales have declined as fewer hit games have been released and, says Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter, the popping of a "bubble" created by an influx of casual gamers who bought Nintendo Wiis.

Last November, video-game software sales rose 15%, to $1.67 billion, thanks to hit titles, including Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Battlefield 3 andModern Warfare 3.

This month's drop comes despite the Call of Duty franchise and other multi-million sellers like Halo 4 and Assassin's Creed III -- plus the launch of Nintendo's new console, the Wii U. Consumers snapped up 400,000 Wii Us in the first week of the system's availability.

But that's not enough for this November, says Stern Agee analyst Arvid Bhatia, who lowered the firm's estimate from a 5% drop for November to 15% below last year. He also says that Call of Duty: Black Ops II sales are high, but not as good as they could have been.

"Both difficult comparisons and slower than expected sales of Call of Duty are factors in our November estimate being lowered," Bhatia says.

Pachter estimated November sales would fall about 2% below last year. And he agreed that Black Ops II could technically be tracking behind Modern Warfare 3 because this year's $1 billion march included Black Friday, while last MW3, which launched Nov. 8, 2011, did not. That indicates, he said in a report Wednesday, "that the game's sales for the month of November were in fact down year-over-year."

BMO Capital Markets analyst Edward Williams said that although initial sales of Black Ops II at mass-market retailers were lighter, "we believe demand for the game has picked up."

Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick countered that Black Ops II revenues surpassed the current worldwide box office receipts to date for the year's top 10 films combined, as well as the box office record of $1 billion -- set by Avatar in 2009 -- in 17 days.

"The release of Call of Duty has been one of the most significant entertainment events of each of the last six years," Kotick said.

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