Dante

Čeprav bi težko rekli, da je izid novega dela v seriji Call of Duty ravno presenečenje so nam razvijalci pripravili nekaj (dobrodošlih) presenečenj-novosti. Kot so npr. razvejana zgodba na katero bomo lahko vplivali s svojimi odločitvami in ne bo več strogo linearna, na voljo bo nekakšna oblika realno-časovne strategije, izmenično bomo postavljeni v različna časovna obdobja (najprej bomo igrali nekje v osemdesetih-v obdobju Hladne vojne, kasneje pa še v prihodnosti-natančneje v letu 2025) in ne samo v škornje različnih vojakov po svetu, kot do sedaj. Med drugim pa nam še obljubljajo antagonista, ki bo več kot le še ena tarča na seznamu za odstrel in bo (tako vsaj upajo) v nas tudi spodbudil sočustvovanje.

Razvijalec: Treyarch

Založnik: Activision

Datum izida: 13. november, 2012

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3tedlWs1XY

God of War Ascension Multiplayer Gameplay

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noU_b9jelnI

Crysis 3 Teaser Trailer

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4FTHp4YeF4

Na Sonyevih konzolah svoj krvavi pohod nadaljuje bog vojne, Kratos. Ponovno s krvjo barva na Playstationu 3, po HD remakih PS2 in PSP naslovov. Čeprav je del najnovejši, gre za prequel, v časovnem zaporedju serije pa na prvem mestu šestih iger (po zaporedju gredo Ascension, Chains of Olympus, GOW 1, Ghost of Sparta, GOW2 in GOW 3). Po oddihu leta 2010 so nam letos vrnili pod nadzor pepelnato kožega špartanca.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Kdo je ta gologlavi nasilnež?
Za tiste, ki vam Ascension šele vzbuja zanimanje za serijo God of War, ki temelji na grški mitologiji, lahko na kratko povzamem glavno poanto.

V seriji igramo grka špartanskega porekla po imenu Kratos, ki je sprejel zaporedje slabih odločitev, katere so mu krepko otežile življenje. Kratos je bil general v špartanski vojski, znan po svoji surovosti in uspešnosti. A kljub brutalnosti je svoj pravi jaz pokazal samo v družbi njegove žene Lysandre in hčerke Calliope. Ko pa je prišlo do posebej velike bitke proti barbarom, je Kratos podlegel njihovem vodji in v obupu je bogu vojne, Aresu, v zameno za svoje življenje in pogubo barbarskih sovražnikov ponudil svojo zvestobo in služenje njegovemu imenu. Ares je sprejel in Kratos je začel opravljati krvave naloge boga vojne. Ta pa ga je izdal in pripravil do tega, da je v navalu besa in adrenalina med napadom na vasico častilcev boginje Atene ubil svoji najdražji, hči in ženo. V znak tega dogodka je njegovo kožo prekril njun pepel, ki je pobelil Kratosovo kožo, zaradi česar je postal znan kot the Ghost of Sparta (Duh Šparte). Ares je to dejanje opravičeval z izgovorom, da je s tem Kratos postal popoln bojevnik, brez pomankljivosti, ki bi ga naredile šibkega. Skozi leta, ki so sledila, so Kratosa neustavljivo preganjale nočne more in spomini na krvavo izgubo pod njegovimi lastnimi rokami. Zato je prekršil zaobljubo Aresu in iskal pomoč pri drugih bogovih ter prisegel maščevanje.

Ascension
Ker gre za začetke epa o Kratosu, so s tem delom želeli prikazati Kratosa, ko še ni želel umoriti vsakega živega bitja, ki ga je srečal, in ga prikazati do neke mere humano, drugače, kot smo ga navajeni. Zgodba nas vrne na začetek Kratosovega služenja bogovom, po tem, ko je prekršil zaobljubo Aresu. Zaradi tega bog vojne nadenj pošlje tri erinije, boginje maščevanja, katerih se bojijo tako titani kot bogovi in smrtniki, da bi ga spravile nazaj na pot služenja. Zlepa ali zgrda. Bolj ko se zgodba razvija, bolj se Kratosu meša in izgublja stik z realnostjo, saj mu erinije meglijo um s ponudbami, ki bi ga prepričale v ponovno služenje. Ko vsi njihovi poskusi propadejo, vključno s ponudbo, da bi lahko ponovno videl svojo izgubljeno ženo in hči, se odločijo zavihati rokave in ga prisiliti v podrejenost. Po dolgem mučenju v zaporu mu uspe pobegniti, čemur seveda ne uide zaporedje bojev z erinijami. Na njegovi poti pa ni sam, saj mu občasno pomaga in ga nadzoruje Orkos, potomec erinije in boga.

Kar se tiče igralnosti same, igra ne ponudi veliko novega. Kot smo navajeni za studijo Sony Santa Monica, ki nam je dal tudi GOW3, igra izgleda res lepo. Okolja so lepa in obširna, z veliko detajli, animacije so tekoče, modeli karakterjev pa natančni in dodelani, brutalne smrti pa še vedno lepo grafično prikazane z odstranjevanji drobovja, polamljanji udov in vsesplošnimi kopeli krvi, katera se prime tudi na Kratosa, kot v GOW3 in Ghost of Sparta. Boj temelji na nadgrajevanju orožij, katera uporabljamo z dokaj osnovnimi kombinacijami gumbov, Ascension pa prinaša nekaj novosti na tem področju. Z močnejšimi sovragi se, recimo, preden jih pokončamo, spopademo v mini bojih, ki temeljijo na gnetenju gumba za napad in izmikanju protinapadu, ko je očitno, da bo do njega prišlo. Življenjsko silo in magijo si povečamo z zbiranjem gorgonskih očk in Pegasovih peres v skrinjah, kar tudi že poznamo. Čeprav je igra precej linearna, se splača sem pa tja namenoma zgrešiti kak ovinek, da odkrijemo kako skrito skrinjo ali kaj podobnega. V igri se kot v prejšnih delih zopet tudi pojavijo objektne uganke, ki nam omogočijo nadaljevanje igre. In pri teh lahko tokrat pohvalim, saj po padu težavnosti le teh pri prejšnih delih, so v Ascension spet bolj domiselni in uganke rahlo pogrejejo kakšno sivo celico sem ter tja. Igra je v vseh pogledih že znana in to zna igralce zmotiti. Ampak pravijo: ne popravljaj nečesa, kar deluje.

Multiplayer

Vedno kadar igričarska serija, ki je poznana po single player igralnosti, zaide v večigralske vode, to vzdigne na kubične metre prahu in internet preplavi množica debat o tem, zakaj to ni dobra ideja. Temu so podlegli tako Assassin's Creed, Tomb Raider, Uncharted in mnogi drugi. Skoraj vedno je zgodba taka, da na koncu multiplayer ni ravno grozen, ampak ga nihče ne bi pogrešil, če ga ne bi bilo. Tako je temu tudi pri množičnem pobijanju v Vzdigu Boga vojne. Kot rečeno, prvič imamo možnost večigralskega načina in sicer gre za boje do 8 igralcev na devetih mapah, ki so vzete iz lokacij iz celotne God of War serije.

Glavni cilj je prevzem nadzora arene v zameno za nagrade bogov. Karakter, ki ga igramo, so prav lepo vstavili v single player, saj ga Kratos sreča med njegovim begom, za tem pa nepojasnjeno izgine in ga ne vidimo več do konca igre, kar doseže, da tisti, ki radi sledimo zgodbi, celo igro študiramo, kaj hudiča se je potem zgodilo s tistim neznancem. Ko začnemo z multiplayerjem, svojemu karakterju določimo, kateremu božanstvu bo zvest (Ares, Had, Zevs ali Pozejdon), kar nam dodeli določene posebne lastnosti in sposobnosti, skozi čas pa lahko ustvarimo še tri karakterje in imamo tako lahko enega za vsakega boga. Igralec dobiva točke izkušenj, odklepa nove sposobnosti, oklepe in orožja ter ostalo, kar potrebujemo za uničenje ljudi, ki mislijo drugače kot mi, prav tako pa nadgrajuje njegov karakter in mu jača atribute. Poleg osnovnih bojev, imamo na voljo tudi izzive, s katerim odklenemo posebna orožja in oklepe.

Imamo pet igralnih načinov.
-Team Favor od the Gods: Dve ekipi do štirih igralcev zbirata točke, ki prinesejo zmago, točke pa dobivamo s pobijanjem ali z osvajanjem oltarjev, odpiranjem skrinj ...
- Match of the Champions: deathmatch način, podoben zgornjemu, le da ni oltarjev.
- Trial of the Gods: dvoosebni kooperativni način, v katerem nas napade pet rund sovražnikov + šefovska bitka, vse skupaj pa začini pritisk iztekanja času. [Lahko igramo tudi sami]
- Capture the Fag: Poseben opis dvomim, da je potreben. Dve ekipi se podita za zastavami in jih nosita v domači štab.
- Bout of Honor: PvP način, ki traja 7 rund.

Kiksi pepelnatega Grka

Najbolj, kar me je zmotilo med preigravanjem, je verjetno dejstvo, da sem iz prejšnjih delov navajen na točke, kjer lahko shranimo napredek in odhitimo naprej odpirati betice. V Ascension tega prvič ni več. To sem opazil šele po nekaj časa, ko se mi je zdelo sumljivo, da tako dolgo ni nikjer točk za shranjevanje. Igra namreč prvič uporabi samo opcijo auto save in sama shranjuje napredek, brez možnosti, da to nadziramo mi. Poleg tega zna sitno biti kazanje pravilne poti, saj pri pomembnih odsekih kamera preleti objekt, ki nam bo omogočil napredovanje, in včasih skoraj preveč očitno namigne, kako bomo to dosegli. Sicer ni nek blazen kaos, ampak bom nekaj vseeno naštel kot minus. V vseh delih do sedaj, vključno s PSP verzijami, smo imeli v igrah na eni točki v igri mini game, kjer si je Kratos lahko vzel poljubno število brhkih predstavnic nasprotnega spola, med njihovim občevanjem pa je kamera zašla vstran in mi smo dogodek vodili s QTEji (quick time events), se pravi pritiskali pokazane gumbe, kar nam je prineslo prijeten kupček rdečih orbov za nadgrajevanje. V Ascension pa tega mini gamea ni, kar ni moteče, da pa rahel občutek prekinitve tradicije, ki smo jo igralci poznali tekom celotne serije.

Igra je kratka in v zgodbo ne vključi prav pomembnega dela, tako da je pri igralcih pustila dokaj slaba mnenja, saj je zaradi tega izpadla kot nepotrebno molzenje uspešne frančize. Če bi bila igra na Viti, bi bil končni izid drugačen, saj bi prenosna konzolica potrebovala kaj takega, še posebej, če bi prišla izpod rok Ready at Dawn (Daxter, Chains of Olympus, Ghost of Sparta), ki so znani po tem, da grafično posežejo po mejah, njihove igre pa so uspešne in zabavne. Kljub vsemu tudi ta del ni slab in kot človek, ki je preigral do sedaj vse God of War igre (vključno z Betrayal za telefone), lahko mirne volje rečem, da sem brez problema prišel do konca in za tem še užival v večigralskem načinu.

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Tretji del sci-fi streljačine bo postavljen v New York v letu 2047, ki bo tokrat malo bolj zelen. Igro bo seveda kot vse dele do sedaj poganjal Crytek-ov CryEngine. Pri premagovanju nasprotnikov in drugih ovir pa nam bo ponovno v pomoč nanosuit in kot novost tudi über-hud lok.

Razvijalec: Crytek

Založnik: Electronic Arts

Datum izida: Q2 2013

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5nB9u4jjy4

Znan je datum izida: 6. november 2012

Upam, da si vsaj prej dl-jal/inštaliral?

Slike morajo bit v mapi PICTURE, ps3 jih ne zazna če so zunaj te ali pa v kaki drugi mapi. Če boš pa kdaj hoto kak video prenest na ps3 pa mora bit v mapi VIDEO.

A ni to za EU launch?

S tem, da Unit 13 pride mal kasnej.

http://www.konzole-slovenija.com/vb4/showthread.php?9088-PS-Vita-Launch(ish)-Line-up-(EU-US)

Trenutni spisek PSP iger (cca 90% iger), ki so že na voljo za DL iz PS Stora tudi za PS Vito[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

[TABLE=class: grid, width: 500]
[TR]
[TD]PSP Titles[/TD]
[TD]PlayStation Minis[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]101-in-1 Megamix
300: March To Glory
The 3rd Birthday
Ace Combat: Joint Assault
Adventures To Go!
Alpha Mission II
Archer Maclean’s Mercury
Armored Core 3 Portable
Armored Core: Last Raven Portable
Armored Core: Silent Line Portable
Art of Fighting
Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines
Baseball Stars Professional
Blade Dancer Lineage of Light
BlazBlue Portable: Calamity Trigger
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II
Blazing Souls Accelate
Bomberman
Bomberman ’94
Bomberman Land
Bomberman Legacy
Chameleon
ClaDun x2
Cladun: This is an RPG!
Class of Heroes
Corpse Party
Creature Defense
Crimson Gem Saga
Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower
Daxter
Dead or Alive Paradise
Dirt 2
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days
Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
Disgaea: Infinite
Dissidia 012 [Duodecim] Prologus: Final Fantasy
Dissidia 012 [Duodecim]: Final Fantasy
Dissidia: Final Fantasy
DJ Max Portable 3
Dragon’s Lair
Dragoneer’s Aria
Dungeon Explorer
Dungeon Explorer: Warriors of Ancient Arts
Dungeon Maker Hunting Ground
Dynasty Warriors
Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2
Dynasty Warriors: Strike Force
Eye of Judgment Legends
Fading Shadows
Fatal Fury
Fate/Extra
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Gladiator Begins
God of War: Chains of Olympus
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus
Half-Minute Hero
Harvest Moon: Boy and Girl
Harvest Moon: Hero of Leaf Valley
Hoard
Hot Brain
IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey
Innocent Life: A Futuristic Harvest Moon
Jikandia: The Timeless Land
Justice League Heroes
Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble
The King of Fighters ’94
The King of Fighters ’95
Knights in the Nightmare
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend
League Bowling
Legend of Heroes, The: Trails in the Sky
LEGO Batman: The Videogame
LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7
LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean
Lord of Arcana
Lord of the Rings, The: Aragorn’s Quest
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
Magician Lord
Major League Baseball 2K11
Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
Mega Man: Maverick Hunter X
Metal Slug
Metal Slug 2
Metal Slug Anthology
Metal Slug XX
Military History: Commander: Europe at War
Mimana Iyar Chronicle
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
MX vs. ATV: Reflex
NBA 2K10
NBA 2K11
NBA 2K12
NeoGeo Heroes: Ultimate Shooting
Neutopia
New Adventure Island
No Heroes Allowed!
Patapon 2
Petz Dogz Family
Petz Hamsterz Bunch
Petz Saddle Club
Phantom Brave: The Hermuda Triangle
Pool Hall Pro
Power Stone Collection
Prince of Persia: Revelations
Prince of Persia: Rival Swords
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!
Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?
Puzzle Guzzle
Ridge Racer
Riviera: The Promised Land
Samurai Shodown
Samurai Shodown Anthology
Samurai Warriors: State of War
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable
Shock Troopers
SNK Arcade Classics Volume 1
SOCOM U.S. Navy SEALs: Tactical Strike
Soldier Blade
Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max
Super Sidekicks
Super Star Soldier
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
Tekken 6
TNT Racers
Tokobot
Tom Clancy’s Endwar
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Predator
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Essentials
Tron: Evolution: The Video Game
UFC Undisputed 2010
Ultimate Board Game Collection
Ultimate Ghosts ‘n Goblins
Valhalla Knights
Vertigo
Victory Run
Warriors of the Lost Empire
Warriors Orochi
Warriors Orochi 2
What Did I do to Deserve This My Lord?
What Did I do to Deserve This My Lord? 2
Wild Arms XF
World Heroes
World Sports Competition
Worms: Battle Islands
WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2011
Yggdra Union
Ys Seven
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Z. H. P.: Unlosing Ranger Vs. Darkdeath Evilman[/TD]
[TD]3, 2, 1…SuperCrash!
4×4 Jam
5 in 1 Arcade Hits
Ace Armstrong Vs. The Alien Scumbags!
Actual Crimes: Jack The Ripper
Aero Racer
Age of Hammer Wars
Age of Zombies
Alien Havoc
Alien Zombie Death
Alpha Mission
Ancient Game Treasures: Mill
Apache Overkill
Aquattack!
Arcade Darts
Arcade Essentials
Arcade Essentials Evolution
Archibald’s Adventures
Arctic Adventures
Athena
Babel: The King of the Blocks
Bashi Blocks
Beam ‘Em Up
Blast Off
Blimp: The Flying Adventures
Block Cascade Fusion
Boom Beats
BreakQuest
Brick Breaker
Bubble Trubble
Bunny Dodge
Burnin’ Rubber
Busy Sweets Factory
Car Jack Streets
Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter
Caterpillar
Charge! Tank Squad!
Circles
Coconut Dodge
Cubixx
D-Cube Planet
Deflector
Digi-Tiles
Doodle Fit
Dr. MiniGames
Dynogems
Earthshield
Echoes
Express Raider
Flick Fishing
Flying Hamster
Fort Commander II: Counterattack
Fort Commander: King’s Gambit
Fortix
Freekscape: Escape From Hell
Funky Punch
Gold Fever
Hello Flowerz
Heracles Chariot Racing
HISTORY: Egypt Engineering an Empire
HISTORY: Ice Road Truckers
Hot Shots Shorties: Blue Pack
Hot Shots Shorties: Green Pack
Hot Shots Shorties: Red Pack
Hot Shots Shorties: Yellow Pack
Hysteria Project
I Must Run!
Influence
Jane’s Hotel
JellyCar 2
Jewel Keepers: Easter Islands
Kahoots
Legend of Kunoichi
Let’s Golf
Lock ‘n’ Chase
Love Cupid
Mahjong Solitaire
Me Monster: Hear Me Roar!
Mighty Flip Champs! DX
MiniSquadron
Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess
N.O.V.A.
Normal Tanks
One Two Boat Racing
Pallurikio
Panda Craze
Pinball Dreams
Pinball Fantasies
Quiz Animania
Ramen Heaven
Reef Aquarium
Retro Cave Flyer
Robin Hood: The Return of Richard
Rocks N’ Rockets
Route 66
Shapo
Sheep Defense
Shogi
Smash Break
Space Shooter for 2 Bucks!, A
Spaceball: Revolution
Spot the Differences!
Stellar Attack
Sweet Reversi
Tehra: Dark Warrior
Telegraph Crosswords
Telegraph Sudoku & Kakuro
Urbanix
Vempire
Vibes
VT Tennis
Who’s That Flying?!
Widget’s Odyssey 2
Widgets Odyssey
Young Thor
Yummy Yummy Cooking Jam
Zenonia
Zombie Tycoon[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Že kupljene igre bo mogoče ponovno naložiti iz trgovine (igra je lahko aktivirana na dveh PSP/Vita konzolah). Nakup iger je možen preko Vitinega vmesnika za trgovino ali preko PS3. Nisem pa nikjer zasledil ali bo možno Vito aktivirati na PS3 z drugim računom kot je na Viti.

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Še podrobnejši podatki o beta vikendu:

Hello everyone! We are excited to have you joining us for Beta Testing Weekend! We can’t wait to get you all into the test. If you just received your invitation today, you can visit www.swtor.com/tester to download the launcher and begin patching the game.

To simulate a launch environment, testers who have accepted new invites to weekend testing will gain testing access in staggered intervals based on when their invites were accepted. The first group of testers will be able to log on beginning on Friday morning (11/25) at 10:00AM CST (16:00 London, 17:00 Paris/Berlin). Then, Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 AM CST (16:00 London, 17:00 Paris/Berlin) the second and final waves of testers will gain access. Please watch your email for details about when your phase of testing begins. This will come in a separate email from your invite.

To our existing testers: at 10:00AM CST on Friday 11/25, you will notice several new servers appear in server selection for the weekend test to accommodate all our weekend testers. You are welcome to create characters on these new servers, but please note that they will only be available for the duration of the weekend test, which ends on 11/27 at 11:59PM CST (11/28 5:59 London, 6:59 Paris/Berlin).

All testers share forums at this time, so please welcome our weekend testers, who will be active in these forums for the duration of the weekend test!

Vstop v beto poteka po sistemu kdor prej pride (sprejme invajt) prej melje tako, da če kdo ne preverja redno maila se splača čimprej pogledat.

Men je res všeč, da bo velik poudarek na zgodbi in glede na razvijalce nimam nobenih dvomov glede kvalitete le-te.

Evo še ostali class-i:

Character Progression - Trooper

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4z5qKcBmy0

Character Progression - Bounty Hunter

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAKwB2tg0lc

Character Progression - Smuggler

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up9crByjT8Y

Character Progression - Imperial Agent

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRmJh2Qw0HU

Classes - The Jedi Consular

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f10PQ8etAg

Classes - The Sith Inquisitor

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdhQPA5tOzA

Flashpoint - Hammer Station

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmRqtBP28hs

Character Progression - Jedi Knight

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uREIqFFAVCM

Character Progression - Sith Warrior

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA5pSUehiwc

Choose Your Side: Trooper vs. Sith Inquisitor

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMMRZRsceUc

MGS5 uradno potrjen!

Zaenkrat bom temo odprl tu, če se pa izkaže, da bo multiplatform pa se lahko kasneje premakne.

Več informacij bo na voljo najkasneje (verjetno pa že prej) 29. novembra, ko izide naslednja številka Official PlayStation Magazine-a (UK).

Design and Technology Series: Creating a Cutting Edge Action-Shooter

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3KK0Z-rzlw

Kode za beto če koga zanima:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-11-15-12-000-star-wars-the-old-republic-beta-keys

Če jih je še kej ostal!

EDIT:

Beta bo trajala od petka, 25. novembra do ponedeljka, 28. novembra.

hvala

Originalni Xbox je danes dopolnil 10 let (od ameriškega izida)

Microsoft's debut video game console was released on 15th November 2001 in the US, and challenged Sony's PlayStation 2, Sega's Dreamcast and Nintendo's GameCube.

It was the result of research work from Microsoft's DirectX team, which included Kevin Bachus and Seamus Blackley, and production work from Ed Fries, Microsoft's game publishing boss. Then-Microsoft CEO Bill Gates unveiled the Xbox at the Game Developers Conference in 2000.

The Xbox introduced Halo, also ten years old today, and in 2002 Xbox Live, which now enjoys 35 million members. Launch games included Dead or Alive 3, Amped, Fuzion Frenzy, Project Gotham Racing and Jet Set Radio Future. What was your favourite Xbox game?

As of 10th May 2006 Microsoft had shifted 24 million Xbox units. 16 million were sold in the US, six million in Europe and two million in Asia. The Xbox was discontinued in late 2006 as Microsoft concentrated on its successor, the Xbox 360.

Rockstar on Bringing Max Payne Into the Era of Cover Shooters and Regenerating Health

Max Payne 3 developer explains why it has adopted certain shooter trends and shunned others, and whether an open-world setting was ever a consideration.

GameSpot: In your eyes, what's the one part of the third-person shooter genre that has changed most since Max Payne's last outing? How have you addressed that in Max Payne 3?

Jeronimo Barrera: Cover is something that everybody worked to adopt, and it quickly became a staple of third-person shooters. For us, the direction early on was to make sure we had a great, intuitive cover system but not make it the central or core mechanic. It's only natural when trying to build a game around gunplay that the whole environment comes into play, and it would look silly if Max couldn't assume a position behind obvious cover points. One of the goals was to make sure that AI reacted appropriately to the player if they're behind cover. If you're caught by a thug flushing you out, it can be deadly. That led to further development of the shootdodge and the ability to vault over cover in the fast and fluid manner that characterizes the Max Payne games. In the end it feels and looks great and is a totally natural progression for the series.

GS: On the other hand, one of the areas where you guys are bucking recent shooter trends is with the health system--it's not the popular regenerating health. What's the reasoning behind that particular design decision?

JB: When we set out to make Max Payne 3, we had a few specific goals--to stay true to the fundamentals of the original games in both tone and in gameplay, but also to significantly update the series for the expectations of today's players in ways that felt fresh and new. We've worked hard to make the gameplay more sophisticated than other third-person shooters in many ways, from the work done on targeting and animation to the new ways we've implemented bullet time, but painkillers are one of the fundamental elements of the series and play a major role in Max's story as well as gameplay.

We also wanted to encourage players to be strategic in their approach to combat spaces and not to rely on cover as simply a point to sit and regenerate health. Max Payne is about the beauty of the gunplay itself, in knowing when to launch yourself into an area, finding the right lines of attack, and perfecting bullet time kills. Regenerating health would have an impact on the game's natural rhythm.

GS: The first trailer shows more than a few instances of Max getting up close and personal with his enemies. While Max had a basic melee attack in Max Payne 2, how much more in-depth will hand-to-hand combat be in the next game?

JB: Max has access to new melee moves in Max Payne 3 which allow you to take down enemies in close quarters, and these are all contextual depending on the weapon you're wielding at the time and your relationship to the enemy. Max will kick lower enemies, head-butt an enemy if you don't have a weapon, or disarm opponents if you're out of ammo. Max will also make creative use of the butts of weapons to pistol-whip enemies in close for a coup de grace

GS: The Max Payne series popularized the bullet time mechanic, and for a while there it seemed like every other game was using some variation of it. What has been the biggest challenge in bringing back bullet time in a way that doesn't feel worn out?

JB: The original Max Payne game was the first time players had seen real, functional slow motion in video games, and it was visually stunning. These days, many games include some superficial form of slow-motion gameplay as one feature among many to mark off a checklist, but in the Max Payne series, bullet time is a core element of gameplay, both strategically and aesthetically. Gunplay has to be both hectic enough for bullet time to make strategic sense, and beautiful at any speed, so the entire game is built around the many ways in which bullet time is implemented.

Our challenge then was to make modern bullet time feel integral to the game's design, and we feel we've achieved that in the pacing and design of each level. Enemy AI can be extremely overwhelming in real time: precise, deadly, and smart, flanking, using projectiles, and flushing players out of cover if you stand still for too long. The use of skill-based multipliers to increase bullet time regeneration means the better you group your shots into vital areas, the quicker your bullet time meter will replenish, allowing you precious extra seconds to size up your next move.

We wanted to keep that same wow factor of the first time you saw bullet time, and we've achieved it through the combination of bullet time and Natural Motion's Euphoria system to power character behaviors. Every time you go into bullet time and shoot enemies, you're going to see them react differently. Another way that Euphoria upgrades Max's behavior is how aware Max is of his environment at all times, but especially during shootdodges--rather than a canned dive animation, Max will respond to the world around him as he dives, bracing for a fall with his arm or ducking his head where necessary.

GS: One of the most memorable scenes from the last press demo was of Max firing shots with one hand while holding onto a moving crane hook with the other. Can you give us a sense of how frequently these cinematic moments occur?

JB: Those cinematic moments are another example of the way we've updated bullet time for Max Payne 3. There will be many points throughout the game where areas of the environment will automatically trigger bullet time in order to create these cinematic set pieces. These are not simple quick-time events--you have full control of Max as a character, with full reticle movement in order to precisely target each enemy, and you'll transition in and out of these completely seamlessly.

GS: How much have you tried to incorporate story into the gameplay? Will players get a sense of Max's personal ups and downs in the way the game plays?

JB: Definitely. We put a lot of effort into blending story and gameplay as seamlessly as we possibly can, and Max's personal journey is at the heart of the game. Given the story-driven nature of the game, it's not easy to discuss without quickly heading into spoiler territory, but we'll be jumping around within Max's timeline in a way that will allow every twist in the story to fully reveal itself in a way that lives up to Max's journey so far.

GS: Given that Max Payne 3 is the first game in the series that Rockstar has developed in-house, did you ever consider adapting the Max Payne gameplay into the open-world style Rockstar is so well known for?

JB: Max Payne has a long, acclaimed history and is more than capable of standing alone as a third-person action shooter on its incredibly sophisticated and cinematic blend of story and gameplay, and that is the kind of game we set out to make, alongside our ambitions for competitive multiplayer within the Max series through Max Payne 3. We love our open worlds, but we have one or two other games that cover that territory for us.

Zelda Inspired Level

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t4kIJKWwZ4

Launch day patch

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim will be patched to version 1.1 on launch day - Friday, 11th November.

Bethesda community manager Nick Breckon shared the news on NeoGAF.

"All platforms going to 1.1 by 11/11/11," Breckon wrote.

Patch notes:

BUG FIXES

General optimizations related to stability and performance.

Essential followers recover properly if player fast travels away.

Fixed rare instances of dragons flying improperly though objects after player exits an interior.

Fixed rare instance where the a music track would not stop playing properly.

Autosave message properly displays when going through a load door.

The fifth level of the Light Fingers perk correctly calculates the Pickpocket skill bonus.

Enchanting an item to improve the Sneak skill properly calculates the bonus to the player's Sneak skill.

Enchanting an item to improve the Lockpick skill properly calculates the bonus to the player's Lockpick skill.

Corpus Enchanter perk properly calculates bonuses to stats for the player’s new enchantments.

QUEST FIXES

Fixed rare issue where a character would not arrive properly to the Thalmor Embassy during Diplomatic Immunity.

Rescue/Attack on Fort Neugrad will trigger properly if player travels to Fort Neugrad by foot.

In To Kill an Empire, Gianna will now talk to player with certain diseases.

Fixed rare instance of Civil War battle not starting properly if player receives a Companions quest from Farkas.

During Brelyna's Practice, fixed rare issue where the player could be permanently invisible.

Triggering combat in Largashbur no longer stops progression to The Cursed Tribe.

Fixed rare instance where fighting a Civil War battle during The Fallen would prevent the Jarl of Whiterun from accepting their axe in Message to Whiterun.

In The Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, fixed rare instance where Arngeir would not teach player the last word of Unrelenting Force.

In Taking Care of Business, fixed issue where Brynjolf would not give player this quest if Talen Jei was dead.

As for DLC, Bethesda has already pledged to release fewer but "more substantial" add-ons for Skyrim than were released for Oblivion. Bethesda has also admitted that ending the game at the conclusion of the main quest was "a mistake", and won't be doing the same in Skyrim.

Skyrim Will Have Infinite Quests, Director Says

If you like getting bang for your buck, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will give you a nuclear blast.

You’ll never have to stop questing in the upcoming open-world role-playing game, to be released November 11 for Xbox 360, PC and PlayStation 3. Skyrim director Todd Howard told Wired.com in a phone interview Monday that the game will feature a never-ending stream of procedurally generated content, giving players an infinite number of things to do.

“The vibe of the game is that it’s something that you can play forever,” Howard said.

The game’s Radiant quest system randomly generates new tasks based on your progress in the game. An innkeeper might ask you to hunt for bandits in a place you haven’t found yet, or an aspiring alchemist could request that you collect 10 undiscovered flowers for his work. Howard claims that the options are endless.

In addition to these minor tasks, Howard says you’ll be able to do extra work for each of the game’s factions, like the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild. Once you complete the scripted quest lines for each group, you can go to their respective hubs and pick up randomly generated missions to steal gems or assassinate shopkeepers across Skyrim’s massive world.

Though some players might not love the idea of endlessly collecting groups of random ingredients, Howard says that Radiant quests play into one of the game’s major strengths: environmental storytelling. Skyrim’s world is sprinkled with secrets and minor bits of narrative that you’ll have to piece together as you explore, an aspect of game design that Howard says the team picked up while working on their last game, Fallout 3.

“With Fallout, it’s not as beautiful a world to everybody,” he said. “We had to find ways to make exploration of [a destroyed wasteland] interesting.”

For Skyrim, Howard says that Bethesda has learned a few new tricks and gotten better at the old ones. The most enjoyable part of the Radiant system won’t be completing quests, he says, it’ll be the things you discover along the way: bandit-infested fortresses, or a terrifying lighthouse.

“The world is probably the one thing that sets [skyrim] apart from other games,” he said. “It feels really real for what it is … It’s just fun to explore.”

Animation Trailer

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GAKosCeH7k

The World of Skyrim

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9xvtD-R3VY

Behind the Wall: The Making of Skyrim trailer

>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzVReasooII

Midnight launch photos

New Xbox console planned for holiday 2012?

Windows Weekly tech reporters say "Project Ten" planned for release late next year with better Windows and Windows Mobile integration; CES reveal speculated.

Source: The latest episode of the Windows Weekly podcast, hosted by Leo Laporte and featuring fellow tech reporters Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley.

What we heard: Around the 88-minute mark of the show, Laporte prompts Thurrott to talk about the new Xbox, which he calls "Project Ten." Thurrott then explains that he has been hearing the console is planned for release during the 2012 holiday season, "meaning that they would almost have to announce this at [Consumer Electronics Show], wouldn't they?"

As for details about the system, Thurrott said it would be "all Metro," referring to the unified style of interface that Microsoft is rolling out among its various platforms. He also said it would have Microsoft's Silverlight video plug-in embedded in the hardware, which Foley suggested would help further the Internet TV push that was begun on the Xbox 360.

Perhaps more importantly, Thurrott said the next Xbox would focus on integration with Microsoft's other platforms and products, a historical weak point for the company. (To hammer that home, Thurrott noted that the Xbox 360 will play media on an iPod or iPhone, but not on a Windows Phone.) That means the new system would have a measure of Windows 8 and Windows Phone integration, with Thurrott calling the strategy "going the Apple route." Given Microsoft's existing efforts to unify the look and functionality of its products, it would be odd if the next Xbox were excluded from that push.

While Thurrott speculated that the system would be announced at January's CES show in order to make a holiday release window, history shows that's not necessarily the case. The Xbox 360 launched in November of 2005 and was a notable no-show at that year's CES. In fact, the system's proper unveiling didn't happen until an MTV special that aired May 12, 2005, the week before the kickoff of the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

This is not the first time the 2012 release time frame has come up in rumors about the next Xbox. In May, a report circulated that Microsoft was planning to unveil its next console at E3 2011, with a launch by the end of 2012. Shortly after E3 2011 came and went without a peep about new hardware from Microsoft, rumors of an E3 2012 reveal for the system began circulating. First the news came by way of a high-ranking source at Crytek, then from a source with knowledge of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division operations.

However, not every rumor has pointed in the same direction. Last month, it was reported that chip manufacturers and software middleware firms expect the next Xbox to be announced at E3 2013, with a launch following in time for the holidays.

The official word: "As an innovator, we're always thinking about what is next and how we can push the boundaries of technology like we did with Kinect. We believe the key to extending the life span of a console is not just about the console hardware, but about the games and entertainment experiences being delivered to consumers. Beyond that we don't comment on rumors or speculation."--A Microsoft representative.

Bogus or not bogus: Bogus that anything is set in stone, but a holiday 2012 release would fit with most of the rumors seen of late.

En intervju v katerem je govora o kemperjih:

Modern Warfare 3 developer takes a pop at Battlefield's sniping, pacing

...

Condrey is keen to keep camping complaints to a minimum, hence the new shooter's plethora of flanking routes. "I think that the person who plays the sniper on a team can have a ton of fun, but one of the biggest criticisms you always hear is about campers, right? We don't want to emphasise that dynamic so much that the other people in that engagement aren't having fun.

"We have less verticality in our maps, there are less camping points. And so the challenge for Snipers is to hang back on the perimeter or the periphery and pick people off - the maps aren't set up to really capitalise on that, by intention. There are weapon proficiencies for snipers, like there are weapon proficiencies for every class, that can allow you to do cool things - there's Focus, for example, which gives you less sway. So there are ways to improve as a sniper, but I think it's more tuned and more balanced than it's ever been before."

...

PC izid prestavljen na 25. november.

Sem kar malo razočaran nad samim pakiranjem Special Edition-a

Upcoming Change To PlayStation 3 And PSP Game Content On PlayStation Network

We’d like to inform you of some upcoming changes to the usage policies for PlayStation Network game content. As of November 18, 2011, the number of devices that can be activated on one PlayStation Network account for game content purchased from the PlayStation Store will be updated.

For game content purchased after November 18, 2011, a new policy will apply and the number of devices that can be activated will be as follows:

• PS3: Users will be able to play the game on up to 2 activated PS3 systems.
  

• PSP: Users will be able to play the game on up to 2 activated PSP systems.
  

Please note that this update will not affect game content purchased before November 18. The PSP rights include PSP-1000/2000/3000 series as well as the PSPgo system.

PlayStation Network users are able to change the activation setting through each device, and Sony Computer Entertainment plans to provide a new PlayStation Network account management website where users will be able to deactivate particular devices attached to their PlayStation Network account via their PC.

For more details on how to activate/deactivate the devices, please read this guide or contact consumer services.