Halo 4: Master Chief's new look, personality will be explained - 343

Halo 4: Master Chief's new look, personality will be explained - 343: "Studio says there's a reason behind that missing cod-piece.


Eagle-eyed Halo fans noticed that Master Chief is sporting a subtle new look in Microsoft's Halo 4 trailer.



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Crysis 2 DX11/High-res texture patches out next week

Crysis 2 DX11/High-res texture patches out next week: "Beef up an already gorgeous-looking game from June 27.


Crytek has confirmed that it will release new DirectX 11 and high-res update packs for the PC version of Crysis 2 on June 27.



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Alice: Madness Returns brings solid platforming, tedious length

Alice: Madness Returns brings solid platforming, tedious length: "

The original Alice title was a PC exclusive, and remains a collector's item for fans of the darker take on an already dark story. We now have a sequel to that game that continues the story of Alice while also exploring her past. The game features solid platforming and some inspired aesthetic choices, but that doesn't save the game from repetition and a lack of ambition.

You'll be floating from platform to platform throughout the game, but the core mechanics have not changed or matured in any meaningful way in the sections I played. The problem is that each chapter seems to go on forever, long past the point of tedium.

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F.E.A.R. 3 Review

F.E.A.R. 3 Review: "

The F.E.A.R. series has unintentionally become 'that video game series I don't have time to play,' for myself. Approaching this as a new fan, F.E.A.R. 3 is a terrible jumping on point to figure out things like, 'who (or what) Alma is,' 'what's a F.E.A.R. agent,' and 'why is everyone attacking me?' These questions never get fully answered through the game's campaign, and if I were to judge this title solely on the merits of its single-player, it wouldn't be worth recommending. The strides it makes with co-op however -- along with its point accumulation system as well as some very tense and unique multiplayer modes -- makes this a great game to play with a giant bucket of buttered popcorn, a large Coca-cola, and some friends. This is your video game summer blockbuster.

As I mentioned before, this installment isn't the best area to start getting acclimated with Alma's saga. The narrative seems hell-bent on wrapping up various existing plot strings rather than doing enough to bring new players up to speed. This would be a moot point if I didn't care about narrative structure in my shooters, but I do -- I'm a stickler for this sort of thing. The campaign is poorly paced and does a meager job of giving me a reason why the character of Point Man exists. Some levels are also rudimentary in scope and gameplay -- insisting you find that one unlocked door in order to continue to the next area, or taking on high-level boss encounters with simple circle-strafing tactics. The A.I. makes up for these deficiencies somewhat -- it is quite remarkable to see enemies constantly try to flank my position or duck into cover when appropriate. But if it wasn't for the scoring system, the campaign would be unremarkable to play alone.

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All About Final Fantasy XIII-2's Art

All About Final Fantasy XIII-2's Art: "

If you're expecting Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII-2 to look much like the game it's a sequel to, think again. 'The concept is 'surrealism,'' said art director Isamu Kamikokuryo in an interview printed in this week's Famitsu magazine. 'The story and gameplay direction for FFXIII-2 was largely decided upon at an early point in development, and as I thought over what my goals would be for the visuals along those lines, that's what I came up with. I also want to have a dark feel to the game.'

That goes in the opposite direction from FFXIII's bright look, and that's no accident -- considering that the 'dark' direction is something that director Motomu Toriyama has brought up in interviews himself. 'It's not as if we're solely concentrating on that,' Kamikokuryo said, 'but I certainly had the impression that the story takes a serious turn here, and I thought surrealism would match well with it. There was also the fact that the staff on the last game wanted to go with a dark feel for FFXIII during pre-production. I wasn't aware of that since I was still working on FFXII at the time, and when I moved on to XIII, things shifted in a brighter direction instead. So partly it's also an effort to go back to the dark-fantasy style that was part of the original concept.'

Other points brought up in the interview:

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Tomb Raider will sport “ambitious combat”

Tomb Raider will sport “ambitious combat”: "

Crystal Dynamics’ Karl Stewart has explained why gameplay footage of Tomb Raider has so far only shown quick-time event combat.

“If we’re going to re-imagine the franchise, we want to get people to digest why we are doing it and who she is first,” the Tomb Raider global brand director told Kotaku.

“Combat is very, very dear to our hearts. We have built an entirely new combat team at the studio to work on it. It is very competitive.

“Combat is ambitious. It was ambitious when I first saw it and now it just feels natural to the game.”

In all previous Tomb Raider games, combat began with an iconic pair of pistols, but players will have to work with Lara to reach the point where she’s willing, able and equipped to bear them.

“We’re not going to start the game and say, ‘Here are two pistols and lets tie her hair up in a braid’ because that doesn’t stand for anything,” Stewart explained.

“We hope to bring gravity to those items.”

To elevate the pistols to something beyond a nice bit of kit, Crystal Dynamics loads them with emotional meaning; at the beginning of the game, they’re borne by Lara’s mentor, Captain Conrad Roth.

“We use that in a very psychological way. She loves Roth. She’s known him since she was very young. She knows she has to save him,” Stewart said.

The journey of transformation that takes Lara Croft from a frightened teenager to an as-yet unrevealed new heroine, packing those pistols, will set the tone for the sequels that are sure to follow.

“When you start this game you will go off and be the Lara Croft that was defined here. It also defines the future of that franchise,” Stewart said.

Tomb Raider is due on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012, having wowed at E3 and even won over our own Nathan Grayson.

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Kitase: FFXIII-2 is a “completely different experience”

Kitase: FFXIII-2 is a “completely different experience”: "

Have a look at these new screens for Final Fantasy XIII-2, and judge for yourself if producer Yoshinori Kitase’s claims of it being a “completely different experience” are true.

“We made Final Fantasy XIII with the concept of a story driven game,” Kitase told Siliconera.

“So much so, some gamers were not very happy with it and criticised XIII and said the game progression was too linear and the world could be more populated.

“With Final Fantasy XIII-2, we wanted to present a completely different experience with this game. There is more exploration and elements in the environment to interact with.”

Final Fantasy XIII-2 features interactive dialogue and branching endings, It’s due on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early 2012, with a Japanese release set for December.

Admire a few new screens below, courtesy of Andriasang. They shop off New Bodhum, the seaside settlement built after the events of FFXIII.

There’s also a couple more, one showing combat, available on Famistu.

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Ezio is taken outside of his element in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Ezio is taken outside of his element in Assassin’s Creed: Revelations: "

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations presentation director, Brent Ashe, has said that Ezio’s motivation in the game will be much different than it was in Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood.

Speaking with Shacknews at E3, Ashe said that Ezio will be taken outside of his element, and taken to the city of Masyaf which was a location in the first game.

“Ezio never set out to be a master assassin,” explained Ashe. “His motivation has primarily been revenge: Revenge against the death of his family; against the death of his uncle at the hands of Cesare [Borgia] in Brotherhood. So, in taking him on more of a pilgrimage–a personal journey now–it’s sort of leading him to discover the secrets left behind by Altair.

“There are these five keys that Altair has left behind that unlock the seal in Masyaf at the Assassin temple. And Ezio also discovers in the course of this, that the Templars are also in pursuit of these secrets. So we set up this really nice narrative, kind of a race against time, so it’s a different motivation for him this time. What that’s doing, like I said, is taking him outside of his element.

“You’re in these new cities, these new places, and you’re going to discover that the Assassin Network sort of expands beyond what we’ve seen in the previous games.”

Ashe goes on to explain that the new character Yusef, head of the Assassin’s Guild in Constantinople, will be teaching Ezio about a new weapon called the “hook-blade,” which will also allow Ezio to use the network of zip-lines across the city.

You can read the entire interview through the link.

Revelations is due on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in November.

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E3 2011 Awards: Best Overall Game

E3 2011 Awards: Best Overall Game: "The toughest contest of all...


So we've named our favourite shooter, RPG and action title of E3 2011 - as well as our most beloved racer, family title and more besides.



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FFXIII-2 will be 'completely different experience'

FFXIII-2 will be 'completely different experience': "Producer promises more exploration and interactivity elements over first effort.


We adored Final Fantasy XIII but it's undeniably incredibly linear, and Square knows this didn't sit well with some FF fans. The next one, Final Fantasy XIII-2, will fix this.



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