Игровые новости

#0 by bam (♦Aloha Na♦) (0 mesaje) at 2007-05-18 17:53:01 (886 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Aici se discută noutățile din lumea jocurilor digitale.

Dacă aveți o știre proaspătă pe care o doriți să o împărtășiți cu cei din jur, vă rugăm să respectați niște reguli generale.

Reguli privind oformarea unei știri:
- știrea trebuie să fie proaspătă;
- conținutul trebuie să fie plasat în tag-ul spoiler (vezi pagina cu tag-uri). În același mod se procedează și în caz dacă știrea constă doar dintr-un link spre un site video

Resurse

-www.gamemag.ru
-www.games-tv.ru
-www.gamebomb.ru
-www.gamer.ru
-www.gameranx.com
-www.kanobu.ru
-www.gameplay.md
-www.gamespot.com
-www.ign.com
-www.yougamers.com
-www.gamerankings.com
-www.steamgames.com
-www.gamesforwindows.com
-www.worthplaying.com
-www.gamesradar.com
-www.gametrailers.com
-www.gamespy.com
-www.impulsedriven.com
-www.gog.com
-www.shazoo.ru/
-www.gamer.ru
-www.gamerhub.tv
-www.igromania.ru
-www.stopgame.ru/
-www.gamepilot.ru
-www.vg247.com

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Game Awards 2012

Game of the Year

Assassins Creed III

Dishonored

Journey

Mass Effect 3

The Walking Dead: The Game (Winner)

Studio of the Year

343 Industries, Halo 4

Arkane Studios, Dishonored

Gearbox Software, Borderlands 2

Telltale Games, The Walking Dead: The Game (Winner)

Entertainment Weekly and Spike VGA Best Game of the Decade

Batman: Arkham City

BioShock

Half-Life 2 (Winner)

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

Mass Effect 2

Portal

Red Dead Redemption

Shadow of the Colossus

Wii Sports

World of Warcraft

Best Xbox 360 Game

Assassins Creed III

Borderlands 2

Dishonored

Halo 4 (Winner)

Best PS3 Game

Assassins Creed III

Borderlands 2

Dishonored

Journey (Winner)

Best Wii/Wii U Game

New Super Mario Bros. U (Winner)

The Last Story

Xenoblade Chronicles

ZombiU

Best PC Game

Diablo III

Guild Wars 2

Torchlight II

XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Winner)

Best Shooter

Borderlands 2 (Winner)

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Halo 4

Max Payne 3

Best Action Adventure Game

Assassins Creed III

Darksiders II

Dishonored (Winner)

Sleeping Dogs

Best RPG

Diablo III

Mass Effect 3 (Winner)

Torchlight II

Xenoblade Chronicles

Best Multi-player Game

Borderlands 2 (Winner)

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Guild Wars 2

Halo 4

Best Individual Sports Game

Hot Shots Golf: World Invitational

SSX (Winner)

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13

WWE &#039;13

Best Team Sports Game

FIFA Soccer 13

Madden NFL 13

NBA 2K13 (Winner)

NHL 13

Best Driving Game (TBA)

DiRT: Showdown

F1 2012

Forza Horizon

Need for Speed: Most Wanted (Winner)

Best Song in a Game

&quot;Castle of Glass&quot; by Linkin Park, Medal of Honor: Warfighter

&quot;Cities&quot; by Beck, Sound Shapes (Winner)

&quot;I Was Born For This&quot; by Austin Wintory, Journey

&quot;Tears&quot; by Health, Max Payne 3

Best Original Score

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

Halo 4

Journey (Winner)

Max Payne 3

Best Graphics

Assassin&#039;s Creed III

Dishonored

Halo 4 (Winner)

Journey

Best Independent Game

Dust: An Elysian Tail

Fez

Journey (Winner)

Mark of the Ninja

Best Fighting Game

Dead or Alive 5

Persona 4 Arena (Winner)

Street Fighter X Tekken

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Best Handheld/Mobile Game

Gravity Rush

LittleBigPlanet PS Vita

New Super Mario Bros. 2

Sound Shapes (Winner)

Best Performance by a Human Female

Emma Stone as Amanda Cartwright, Sleeping Dogs

Jen Taylor as Cortana, Halo 4

Jennifer Hale as Commander Shepard (female version), Mass Effect 3

Melissa Hutchinson as Clementine, The Walking Dead: The Game (Winner)

Best Performance by a Human Male

Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack, Borderlands 2 (Winner)

Dave Fennoy as Lee Everret, The Walking Dead: The Game

James McCaffrey as Max Payne, Max Payne 3

Nolan North as Captain Martin Walker, Spec Ops: The Line

Best Adapted Video Game

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes

The Walking Dead: The Game (Winner)

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

Best DLC

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard (Winner)

Mass Effect 3 - Leviathan

Borderlands 2 - Mechromancer Pack

Portal 2 - Perpetual Testing Initiative

Best Downloadable Game

Fez

Journey

Sound Shapes

The Walking Dead: The Game (Winner)

Best Social Game

Draw Something

Marvel: Avengers Alliance

SimCity Social

You Don&#039;t Know Jack (Winner)

Most Anticipated Game

BioShock Infinite

Grand Theft Auto V (Winner)

South Park: The Stick of Truth

The Last of Us

Tomb Raider

Character of the Year

Connor Kenway, Assassin&#039;s Creed III

Commander Shepard, Mass Effect 3

Clap Trap, Borderlands 2 (Winner)

Master Chief, Halo 4

Raul Menendez, Call of Duty: Black Ops II

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VGX 2013

Объявлены победители Spike VGX 2013

• Игра года
Grand Theft Auto V

• Студия года
Naughty Dog

• Персонаж(и) года
Близнецы Лютес (BioShock Infinite)

• Лучший шутер
BioShock Infinite

• Лучшая инди-игра
Gone Home

• Лучший экшен
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

• Лучшая спортивная игра
NBA 2K14

• Лучшая RPG
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

• Лучший файтинг
Injustice: Gods Among Us

• Лучшие гонки
Forza Motorsport 5

• Лучшее DLC
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

• Лучшая игра для Xbox 360
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons

• Лучшая игра для PS3
The Last of Us

• Лучшая игра для Wii U
Super Mario 3D World

• Лучшая игра для PC
Gone Home

• Лучшая игра для портативных консолей
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

• Лучшая игра для мобильных платформ
Plants vs. Zombies 2

• Лучшая казуальная игра
Animal Crossing: New Leaf

• Лучший актер озвучения
Трой Бейкер (Джоэл из The Last of Us)

• Лучшая актриса озвучения
Эшли Джонсон (Элли из The Last of Us)

• Лучший саундтрек
Grand Theft Auto V

• Лучшая музыкальная композиция в игре
“Will the Circle be Unbroken” — Courtnee Draper & Troy Baker (BioShock Infinite)

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Editat de către bam la 2014-01-20 14:14:26

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Top mesaje

By AndrewKiller (Power User) (0 mesaje) at 2023-07-23 11:32:53 (42 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

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#626 by regnumekal (User) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-22 09:03:01 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

What is this shit? My posts were all erased...(ca si la altii) Now I have to write them again from the scrap

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#627 by lopata (Хырлец) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-22 11:06:14 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#626 regnumekal, eroare in baza de date

s-o sters toate posturile de o luna in urma la toate topicurile

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#628 by regnumekal (User) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-22 15:20:14 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

GRID
Other names: Race Driver One, Race Driver GRID
Genre: GT / Street Racing
Publisher: Codemasters
Developer: Codemasters
Platforms: PC Xbox 360 Playstation 3
Release Date: Q3 2008
Official Site: http://www.codemasters.com/games/?gameid=2456
Universe: TOCA Race Driver 3, TOCA Race Driver

Codemasters has never been a company content to rest on its laurels where racing games are concerned. The long-running Colin McRae series of rally driving games was recently given much broader appeal courtesy of DiRT, and it's really not that long ago that the ToCA series got its Race Driver makeover. With Race Driver One--which will almost certainly not be the finished game's title--Codemasters is promising a revamp for the Race Driver series that represents as significant a leap forward as DiRT was for the aforementioned rally driving games. Codemasters will be talking about its plans for Race Driver One for the first time at this week's Games Convention in Leipzig; thus, intrigued and impatient, we paid a visit to the company's UK headquarters for a first look at the game while en route to Germany.

Ralph Fulton, chief game designer at Codemasters, told us that, unlike many modern racing games, Race Driver One will focus squarely on what happens between the starting grid and the checkered flag. Of course, there will be plenty of licensed cars for you to drive, but your goal won't be to collect them all, nor will you be encouraged to spend the majority of your time painting and upgrading them. Race Driver One will be all about "the thrill of racing" which, without straying too far from the realism that Codemasters' racers are known for, means taking a leaf out of Hollywood's book. Rivalries between drivers will be evident during races, while drama will come courtesy of more frequent crashes, mechanical failures, and the like, but not in a way that hampers your own efforts too much.

In Race Driver One's career mode, you'll start out as a lowly driver-for-hire, trying to scrape a living in demolition derbies and other events that aren't nearly as glamorous as those featured in most racing games. But you won't be the only driver striving for a shot at the big time because you'll be up against hundreds of other drivers from all over the world who are working toward the same goals as you: driving for prestigious teams then ultimately, starting your own team, being in a position to hire other drivers, and signing sponsors. Every race that you compete in will take place in a persistent world that's divided into three main regions: Europe, Japan, and North America. Races will take place regardless of whether or not you're involved in them, and you'll have the freedom to compete wherever you're chosen career path should take you. Europe will offer a lot of traditional racing events with licensed cars and circuits (including the Nurburgring), while Japan will afford you an opportunity to enhance your reputation via semilegal street races and drifting events. In North America, you'll get to race muscle cars in San Francisco, Detroit, Long Beach, and numerous other real locations.

All of the vehicles in Race Driver One will, of course, be destructible. Having seen a very early test build of the game in action, we can tell you that parts of the environment are also destructible. For example, we saw a great-looking Aston Martin cruising the impressively detailed streets of Milan. After a couple of laps, both the car and a number of the crash barriers around the circuit had dents in them. The car, which rolled onto its roof at one point, was in bad shape by the end of the demo and had lost a door. In the finished game, thousands of modeled spectators will purportedly line the circuits and react realistically to whatever is happening in the race, which should make crashes all the more impressive.

In addition to the career mode, Race Driver One will support about 20 online players simultaneously, if everything goes according to plan. With a year or so left in development, Race Driver One is already showing a lot of promise. We really can't wait to see how the career mode pans out and how much more power Codemasters can coax out of its impressive Neon engine. We'll bring you more information on this game as soon as it becomes available.

PS: Astazi o sa pun si restul jocurilor sterse

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#629 by regnumekal (User) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-22 19:03:14 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Bionic Commando
Genre: Sci-Fi Action Adventure
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: GRIN
Platforms: PC Xbox 360 Playstation 3
Release Date: TBA
Official Site: http://www.bioniccommando.com/en
Universe: Bionic Commando (GB) (NES) (C64) (CPC), Bionic Commando: Elite Forces (GBC)

One of the highlights at Capcom's London press event was the recently announced Bionic Commando, a sequel to the classic arcade and console title from nearly 20 years ago. While a brief overview of the game was given during the event's opening presentation, a lengthier demo session later in the event shed light on the upcoming title. We had the chance to get a modest glimpse of what Capcom Japan and developer Grin are cooking up for the promising title.

As was revealed in the game's official announcement earlier this week, Bionic Commando is a sequel set some 10 years after the original game and follows the exploits of Nathan Spencer, the hero of the original game. (Yes, we realize that Bionic Commando's hero will always be Radd Spencer to many, but considering that the main character wound up having many names over the course of the many versions of the game over the years, we're willing to roll with it.) Unfortunately Nathan hasn't quite been basking in the warming glow of victory in the wake of his successful exploits at the end of the original Bionic Commando. At the start of the game Nathan is working on a fluorescent tan from the harsh lights of prison. It seems the onetime hero has been wrongfully convicted of a crime, imprisoned, divested of his bionic arm, and set for execution.

This all changes when, on the day of his execution, a powerful and deadly bomb is detonated in Ascension City, decimating the sprawling metropolis. With little information on the terrorist force responsible for the attack and now occupying the city, the decision is made to tap Spencer to assess the situation in the ruins of Ascension City and deal with the threat posed by the terrorists. This fairly straightforward mission, while offering a nod to the simplicity of the original game's premise, isn't quite as cut-and-dried as it sounds. The individuals who comprise the terrorist group and their motivations will pose an interesting moral dilemma for Nathan to deal with as the story progresses. Fans of the series looking for references to the original game should be pleased to hear that Capcom aims to incorporate references and elements from the classics of the series. We weren't able to find out to what degree, but we were intrigued to hear that the developer hasn't ruled out cameos or references to elements like the infamous resurrected evil leader from the original game.

The ruins of Ascension City served as the centerpiece for the game demo and followed Nathan on a short run through a chunk of the city. The key focal point of the demo was showing how the dev team had taken the simple swing mechanic from the original game and brought it into a full 3D space. The new system allows you to attach to just about anything you see in the world, with a few exceptions. You'll be able to distinguish what you can and can't stick to by using an onscreen reticle that reacts to whatever surface it's on. Once Nathan attaches to a surface, he'll be able to swing or zip quickly to that point. He'll also be able to simply hang from a point, raising and lowering his height by adjusting the slack in his arm. The demo showcased the mechanic and gave us a positive sense of where it's going. Nathan's swinging has a Spider-man-esque feel to it that offers a good sense of wide-open space to play around in. While the swing mechanic is obviously a key element of Bionic Commando's gameplay, there's obviously more to the action than swinging everywhere. Nathan's bionic arm will have a variety of uses that will come in handy during combat and possibly exploration. You'll be able to use the powerful appendage and its wire to interact with your environment by pulling large debris down on your foes, grabbing smaller pieces of debris and punching it at them, latching onto enemies and pulling them around during combat, and just plain old locomotion around a massive environment. You'll also be able to use your arm for powerful, painful punches during melee combat. The game's trailer also shows Nathan watching a holographic display emanating from the arm with information of some kind, offering a clue to some of the noncombat uses the arm may have during the adventure. Besides relying on his powerful bionic appendage, Nathan will rely on firearms and other logical ways of dealing with foes.

The demo of the game we were shown featured a great deal of work-in-progress elements, which makes it challenging to judge its presentation. The visuals for the chunk of the city we saw were detailed and featured a nice sense of scale. Given the importance of swinging, the city level was quite high and offered a generous assortment of debris for Nathan to swing on and use in battle. We saw an early pass of particle effects pepper dust and fine debris in the air as Nathan swung and ran around the ruined city. The character models were obviously still coming together. The few enemies Nathan faced were solid but unremarkable gun-toting foes that worked as cannon fodder for his abilities.

As for Nathan himself, the detailed polygon man running around in the demo was a far cry from the simple sprite from back in the day. The hero's makeover is a deliberate and functional update of the original. The team worked to ensure the 3D hero would stick close to the color scheme of the original game. At the same time it was also decided Nathan needed some updated elements that would offer visual cues to players--yes, including the dreadlocks. As part of the presentation it was explained that the team felt Nathan needed to have an element of his character that would offer players feedback on his motion while swinging, in much the same way that Solid Snake's bandana and Ryu Hayabusa's sash cue players to character movement. With bandanas and sashes pretty much taken by the aforementioned action heroes, the team considered various options and wound up with dreadlocks. Of course, the most scrutinized element of Nathan's model will likely be his enhanced arm, which borrows elements from both steampunk and more modern influences to create a unique and bulky appendage that looks utilitarian and powerful. The unifying element in the game's presentation was its smooth animation. Nathan's running, jumping, and swinging all has smooth flow to it thanks to several subtle touches of animation that help sell his superhuman actions.

Based on what we saw, Bionic Commando holds a great deal of promise. The update of the classic gameplay appears to have a solid foundation to build on as development continues. The beloved swing mechanic's move into 3D seems to be going well, and the swinging demo we saw looked like a smart way to update the simple mechanic and, more importantly, expand on it in logically. The mix of the bionic arm's abilities with firearms and an interactive environment are all the right elements needed to craft an engaging adventure. If Grin and Capcom can deliver that and offer enough nods to the past games for diehard fans, Bionic Commando has a strong chance of living up to its beloved predecessor. Bionic Commando is slated to ship at some point in the future for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Look for more on the game tomorrow, as we offer up some additional bits of info we discovered while visiting Grin's studios.

Fracture
Genre: Sci-Fi Third-Person Shooter
Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: Day 1 Studios
Platforms: Xbox 360 Playstation 3
Release Date: Q3 2008
Official Site: http://www.fracturegame.com/
Universe: ---

We got our first look at LucasArts' Day 1 Studios-developed Fracture a few weeks ago when the game was unveiled at an event in San Francisco's Presidio. At the time we just got a top-level taste of what the upcoming game was going to offer, and a look at the terrain-deformation feature that will be central to its gameplay. We recently had the chance to get a closer look at the game, courtesy of a guided demo of a work-in-progress version of the Xbox 360 game at LucasArts' offices, which offered a better idea of what kind of action we can expect from the intriguing title.

Our demo began with a recap of the game's extensive backstory, which follows humanity's rough future. Global warming, natural disasters, and disputes between nations concerning genetic engineering have left the world fractured, both figuratively and literally. Out of all that mess comes two major powers: the high-tech, cybernetic East Coast and its European allies, which form the Atlantic Alliance, and the West Coast and its Asian allies, which form the Republic of Pacifica. You'll be repping the Atlantic Alliance as Mason Briggs, a soldier in the AA army with a rough background. The demolitions expert grew up an orphan in the wastelands and eventually found himself in the army. Mason's hard upbringing comes in handy when he's sent to the West to get the Pacificans to simmer down and make nice.

Once the stage was set with the story and Mason's introduction, we were shown the second mission in the game, which follows Mason as he drops into a San Francisco Bay now dried out and converted into a military installation by the Pacificans. Unfortunately, the Pacificans aren't into settling down and backing away from a fight, which is bad for Mason and his team, but good for a demo level. The action was a mix of standard "run and gun" action along with some unique puzzle-solving using the terrain-deformation mechanic.

Our demo showed off some of the game's unique arsenal of firearms and grenades. Mason will be able to hold two weapons and four types of grenades. Each of the firearms has a primary and secondary firing mode that you'll want to familiarize yourself with in order to use your weapon as efficiently as possible. The shotgun, called the invader, will have a secondary fire option that shoots a round that can ricochet off walls. You'll also have the ability to detonate the round when you choose. The machine gun, called the bulldog, has a secondary fire mode that lets you chip away at terrain to modify the landscape, such as creating steps up a steep hill. A rocket launcher, called the bangalore, has a secondary fire option that lets you create a subterranean torpedo that you can detonate at will. Finally, the boulder gun is a combination vacuum/projectile weapon that lets you create a massive boulder by pulling in debris from the world. Once you shoot it, the projectile can plow down enemies and deform terrain, and then explode after a period of time.

But given his demolitions background, Mason also throws himself a mean grenade. The game will feature four types that let you have all kinds of fun with the terrain in the game. Tectonic grenades will raise terrain and let you create cover or help you reach new areas. Subsonic grenades lower the terrain, allowing you to actually burrow in and around structures. Vortex grenades create a swirling ball of energy that pulls in any loose objects, including rocks, crates, and enemies, before exploding. Finally, spike grenades create a giant spike out of the earth, which you can use for cover, to ride up to new areas, or even solve puzzles. One part of the level we saw featured a puzzle that required you to use a spike grenade to raise an object up into its own force field to destroy it.

The arsenal was put to good use during the demo as Mason took out various Pacifican enemies. Reps on hand pointed out that Day 1 is working hard on the artificial intelligence in order to give players a real workout. The various enemies you'll face will come in different classes that will try to adapt to how you're playing to keep you from getting too comfortable.

The visuals in the game are shaping up well, with Day 1 Studios clearly having a good old time with the new hardware. The level we saw was roomy and very busy, with all manner of mayhem going on. The game's art style is taking form and works well with its story. We expect there'll be more than a few moments where you'll do a double take as you'll recognize a familiar landmark given a new postapocalyptic twist, as evidenced by the dried-out but recognizable San Francisco Bay in the level we saw. Mason and the other humanoids in the game were looking good, with a high level of detail and the beginnings of good animation. The environment looked sharp and, most importantly, deformed in crazy ways. Although the game was still very early, it was already running pretty smoothly overall, though there were the expected hitches and awkward camera bits. Lucas reps stated that the game is currently slated to support 720p, with higher resolutions under consideration. The audio, though far from final, offered a beefy assortment of effects to suck you into the experience. Weapon-fire and ambient chatter were headed in a good direction.

Based on what we saw, Fracture has a lot of potential above and beyond the game's interesting premise and Day 1 Studios' pedigree. The gameplay definitely offers a number of interesting possibilities. Though we'll admit to being disappointed at the game's lack of online co-op, we're still anxious to see what kind of multiplayer insanity Day 1 cooks up for the game's multiplayer. Look for more on Fracture in the months to come, including a live demo of the game next week at E3. Fracture is slated to ship for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2008.

Age of Pirates: Captain's Blood
Genre: Historic Action Adventure
Publisher: Playlogic / 1C
Developer: Akella / Sea Dog
Platforms: PC Xbox 360
Release Date: Q1 2008
Official Site: http://www.1cpublishing.eu/game/age-of-pirates-captain-blood/overview
Universe: Age of Pirates: Carribean Tales (PC)

Age of Pirates: Captain Blood is an action game based on the novels by Rafael Sabatini about the notorious Captain Blood. Players take the role of a brave and noble corsair, following his intriguing and amazing adventures in 1685 Spanish Main. The game’s mission-based structure allows players a diverse battlefield on both land and sea, with ship-to-ship battles and swashbuckling sword fights to gain control of boarded ships.

Players can experience directly controlled naval battles manually firing ship cannons from the foredeck, or navigating their course in third-person view while cannons aim automatically and fire only when commanded. Wind strength, direction, weather conditions, ship parameters and cannon fire range must all be weighed to achieve victory.

Land missions place players in the character of Age of Pirates: Captain Blood, fighting multiple enemies while gamers parry, thrust and sidestep through different combinations against enemy pirates and soldiers. Gamers gain special points as they fight through ghastly sea dogs, acquiring new fighting techniques and gold for weapons and equipment.

Key features:

- Classic Pirate Adventure: Live a life of the most noble and brave pirate from the pages of Rafael Sabatini’s novel. Follow your dreams in a search of gold, glory and love.

- Step on a sailing ship’s deck: Steer the ship “Arabella” through numerous battles with overwhelming enemies: capture enemy ships and destroy forts with cannon fire. Shatter masts, break hulls, rip sails and hit gunpowder barrels to win naval confrontations.

- Real swashbuckling action: Rush into fiery hand-to-hand boarding with swashbuckler companions. Fight enemies with a complex fighting system using various combos and feints. Players can feel themselves in a middle of a battle! Use cutlasses, pistols, muskets, throwing knives and hand bombs to dispose of wily opponents. Don’t forget about dirty pirate tricks!

- Enhance the Captain’s power: Get experience points for prevailing in battle. Develop new fighting techniques and feints to quickly dispatch enemies. Upgrade the “Arabella” with the spoils of war!

Blood Bowl
Genre: Alternative Sports
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Developer: Cyanide
Platforms: PC Xbox 360 Playstation Portable Nintendo DS
Release Date: Q4 2008
Official Site: http://www.bloodbowl-game.com/
Universe: Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War: Soulstorm (PC), Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC), Warhammer: Mark of Chaos (PC), Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command (PSP) (DS)

While wandering through one of the Games Convention's five main halls today, we spotted a Blood Bowl logo on the side of an otherwise nondescript booth. The booth in question belonged to French independent publisher Focus Home Interactive, who was only too happy to give us a quick demo when we expressed an interest in the game.

For those of you who have never heard of Blood Bowl, it was originally a Games Workshop board game featuring the Warhammer universe's brutal take on American football. The sport has plenty of rules that are the same as those in football, but teams rarely adhere to them, and player fatalities aren't uncommon.

The version of Blood Bowl being shown inside the Focus Home Interactive booth was very early. So early, in fact, that it wasn't playable, and featured only two of the game's eight races: beastmen of chaos, and goblins. The remaining six races will be elves, skaven, humans, orcs, lizardmen, and dwarves. The player models that we saw competing against one another were nicely detailed and definitely in keeping with the Warhammer look, although all players of the same species looked identical, which we're assured will not be the case in the finished game. Star players like ogres and trolls will also figure in the finished game, but we didn't get to see any of the big guys on this occasion.

At first glance, Blood Bowl has the appearance of a real-time sports game, and it's possible to play that way if you wish. Turn-based is how Blood Bowl should be played, though, and when it's your turn you'll notice that a grid appears on relevant areas of the field to mark the squares that your players move between like chess pieces covered in spikes. The gameplay will purportedly be identical to that in the original board game, and--at least in the version that we were watching--there was text appearing on the screen that let us know the outcome of dice rolls as well as any special occurrences, such as pitch invasions and referees being bribed.

In addition to a lengthy campaign mode with team management options for solo players, Blood Bowl will support online play. No release date for Blood Bowl has been confirmed at this time, but we look forward to bringing you more information as soon as it becomes available.

Editat de către regnumekal la 2007-12-22 19:47:55

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#630 by regnumekal (User) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-23 09:02:40 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Project Origin
Other Names: F.E.A.R. 2
Genre: Modern First-Person Shooter
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Monolith
Platforms: PC Xbox 360 Playstation 3
Release Date: TBA
Official Site: http://www.projectorigingame.com/
Universe: F.E.A.R. (PC) (X360) (PS3), F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate (PC), F.E.A.R. Extraction Point (PC), F.E.A.R. Files (X360)

The Xbox 360 demonstration we watched, which were told represents some portions of the early game (but is not representative of the final game to avoid spoilers), began with a first-person view of the main character being operated on feverishly by surgeons who seem to be losing the patient, but are sternly urged forward by the disembodied voice of an adult woman. According to Monolith lead producer Troy Skinner, the original F.E.A.R. was initially conceived of as a pure, action-packed shooter with horror elements tossed in to "cleanse the palette"--the sequel, however, will focus a bit more on the main character (and his remarkable ability to move so quickly as to effectively slow time around him) and on Alma, the mysterious little girl who terrorized players in the first game.

The surgery is portrayed as a frantic process that cuts in and out of realistic portrayals of the harried surgeons and red-tinged, sped-up footage of monstrous caricatures of the surgeons hacking away at the main character. Finally, the screen goes white and the character seems to awaken, getting up off the slab and reaching for a nearby pair of clear eyeglasses that, when worn, power up like a computer and project a heads-up display on the edges of the screen that indicate the character's weapon, remaining ammunition, the charging meter that lets him temporarily slow time, and what appears to be a new shield meter in place of a health counter. From what we can tell, the sequel to F.E.A.R. seems to use a replenishing shield system similar to Halo 2's, in which your character can gradually recover from damage by ducking out of battle and not taking any more fire.

The character got up off the slab, equipped a standard assault rifle, and went off to find his way out of the hospital. As he quickly discovers, all isn't well in the house of healing--blood spatters the walls and floors, and the place is an absolute mess; shelves and hospital beds have been knocked over and medical equipment litters the floor. He quickly learns that he isn't alone, after hearing crazed, incoherent muttering reminiscent of sounds the Gollum character made in the Lord of the Rings motion pictures. The character walks past an especially large patch of blood on the walls that appears to feature crude writing in blood that asks the question, "He sees?" He then starts exploring the emergency room to find bloodied corpses of orderlies dead where they sat.

Turning a corner, the character sees an orderly running toward him, only to flatten out against the glass wall that separates them as a soldier, possibly a clone soldier like from the original game, guns down the medic in cold blood. The soldier then calls out to his friends that "an escaped Delta [Force member]" is on the loose, turns a corner, and all hell breaks loose.

According to Skinner, Monolith is attempting to build "the best first-person shooter combat ever" into this sequel by taking the over-the-top, kinetic quality of the first game and ratcheting it up several notches so that "destruction [happens] an inch from your face." We saw this in the several firefights we watched, which seemed even more-spectacular than those of the original game, thanks to much more flying debris and choice language from the enemy soldiers once they sighted us. We also saw several extremely gory deaths, including clouds of arterial spray gouting up from shotgun blasts to enemies' throats, and complete dismemberment after tossing grenades at enemies stuck in tight corners. But after brushing past the odd severed leg or the decapitated head bouncing around in a laundy-room dryer, we found ourselves just an instant too late to catch the mysterious, muttering creature, which would seemingly bound through obstacles and leap up through air vents and shattered ceilings the instant before we arrived.

As we proceeded, we found ourselves getting closer and closer to our quarry, and in some cases actually getting beaten to the punch on killing off enemy soldiers as the mysterious critter yanked them out of site and attacked them, causing blood to spout from offscreen as the soldiers screamed for help. We finally confronted the creature, a hideous, humpbacked humanoid creature with a bandaged face that moved too quickly for us to shoot it--it tackled us and ferociously tore at the character's body briefly before we were able to knock it off with a melee attack from the butt of our gun. The creature crumpled into a pile and began to dissipate into a fiery pile of ashes as the whole corridor got sucked into what seemed like a collapsing black hole from which Alma emerged--signalling another "paranormal moment" of the kind that appeared in the original F.E.A.R.

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#631 by regnumekal (User) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-24 14:35:21 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Turok
Genre: Sci-Fi First-Person Shooter
Publisher: Touchstone
Developer: Propaganda Games
Platforms: PC Xbox 360 Playstation 3
Release Date: February 5, 2008 (X360) (PS3) / Q2 2008 (PC)
Official Site: http://www.turok.com/
Universe: Turok: Evolution (PC) (Xbox) (PS2) (GC) (GBA), Turok 2: Seeds of Evil (PC) (N64) (GBC), Turok: Dinosaur Hunter (PC) (N64), Turok: Rage Wars (N64) (GBC), Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion (N64) (GBC), Turok: Battle of the Bionosaurs (GB)

After events in both San Francisco and London, we've seen a fair bit of Turok in recent weeks. Said events focused on Turok's multiplayer and single-player content, respectively, so when we were invited to visit Propaganda Games in Vancouver earlier this month, we weren't entirely sure what there was left to see. There was plenty, as it turns out. Not only did we get to see a lot more of the single-player campaign and to play on previously unseen multiplayer maps, but we were also afforded our first look at the game's co-op and "wargames" modes. We should also mention that this was our first opportunity to see Turok running on the PlayStation 3, and we're pleased to report that it's practically indistinguishable from the Xbox 360 version.

First up was a guided tour that took in levels and locales from all over the single-player campaign. Without wishing to give too much away about Turok's plot, it's clear that Joseph Turok (that's you) and a number of his colleagues from the Whiskey Company elite commando team have become separated after crash-landing on a planet where they're supposed to be going after a guy named Roland Kane. Funded by the Mendel-Gruman Corporation, Kane has established a number of bases and research facilities on the planet and also commands the sizeable military force tasked with protecting them. Turok and his colleagues become separated as a result of the aforementioned crash and so, as you progress through the game, you'll be reunited with (and maybe even lose) some of them.

You won't be able to control your colleagues in Turok, but having played through a couple of levels in which we were accompanied by up to three of them, we can report that their behavior wasn't problematic in the slightest. Our colleagues stayed back and out of sight when we were moving quietly through tall grass en route to a stealthy knife kill, for example, but were quick to rush to our defense anytime we came under attack from a Mendel-Gruman operative or a dinosaur. We also noticed that our colleagues were pretty useful when, in a level taken from relatively early in the campaign, we assaulted a small Mendel-Gruman equipment area. Our guys certainly weren't so effective that we had nothing to do, but they performed well in their support roles and, for the most part, looked to be taking cover quite intelligently when they came under fire. The artificial intelligence of the Mendel-Gruman forces appears comparable to that of the friendly characters, and we were particularly impressed by the believable way in which they reacted after stumbling upon the body of one of their comrades that we'd silently taken out with a knife just a few minutes earlier--almost looking panicked as they alerted each other and set about searching for the killer.

Turok wouldn't be Turok without plenty of dinosaurs, of course, and while checking out single-player content we had plenty of opportunities to get up close and personal with a number of different species. We won't pretend that we remember even half of the dinos' names, but their varied behaviors made a lasting impression, and you might be surprised to learn that the huge Tyrannosaurus rex in the aptly titled "Mother Superior" level isn't necessarily the one that we're most worried about. No, that honor goes to the small "lurker" dinosaurs that we were introduced to toward the end of our demo. The lurkers like to hang out on vertical rock surfaces and on trees, where they wait to leap at unsuspecting passersby. Fortunately, the lurkers aren't too difficult to spot from a distance if you know where to look, and can be picked off with a sniper rifle or the bow before they even know that you're in the area. Get too close, though, and you'll find that they're a formidable foe, largely because they're extremely fast and aren't shy about attacking in numbers.

Other dinosaurs that we encountered during our time with the single-player portion of Turok included raptors, who roam in packs and are extremely protective of their nests, and a number of different herbivore species that have no interest in getting into a fight unless they're provoked. Predictably, the most memorable encounter was with the aforementioned T. rex, which we had tracked back to her nest after she made off with a colleague. The ensuing battle took place in a forest clearing that served as an arena of sorts and in which there were very few places for us to take cover. Rocks and large exposed tree roots afforded temporary respite from the T. rex's relentless attacks, but no area offered complete protection; and while simply standing still might've worked in Jurassic Park, we didn't feel inclined to try it in Turok. The T. rex is the closest thing we've seen to a boss enemy in Turok, incidentally, and we're told that there are at least three or four such encounters in the campaign.

After checking out several different single-player levels we were afforded our first look at Turok's cooperative mode, which supports up to four players online. Rather than simply tasking you and your friends with playing through levels lifted straight from the campaign, Turok's co-op mode presents you with challenges and locales that are based on, but not the same as, those in the single-player game. For example, we're told that co-op maps will typically be bigger than their campaign counterparts and will be designed to facilitate squad tactics via new paths and areas that simply aren't available when playing solo. Co-op levels will typically task your team with completing multiple objectives and, although there won't be multiple difficulty levels available, we can confirm after watching testers and other Propaganda staff play that they're designed to challenge even full teams of four skilled players.

The level that we watched the testers attempting was titled "Breaking the Sword," and was set almost exclusively inside a large futuristic-looking structure that, among other things, housed a nuclear reactor. The goal of the mission was to instigate a reactor core meltdown, but there were plenty of other objectives that had to be completed before that could happen. There were enemy forces to eliminate (of course), there were control panels to hack, and there were blast doors to open, to name but a few. Hacking, at least in the version of Turok that we were playing, required just a single button press rather than a minigame of any kind. Turok types at a rate of only around four words a minute, though, so it's a lengthy process and one that you'll only be able to complete if you have teammates watching your back. Another noteworthy feature of the co-op mode is the fact that your team will share a single pool of lives, so just one lackluster player could potentially ruin it for everyone. Checkpoints scattered throughout each co-op level will replenish a number of lives and bring dead players back into the game as necessary, but we get the impression that these will be few and far between.

After watching the testers almost beat the aforementioned co-op level we were invited to join them for some multiplayer games. We've already covered most of Turok's multiplayer content in some detail, but this was the first time that we'd had an opportunity to check out the team-based "wargames" mode. It's not clear how many wargames levels will feature in Turok, but each of them will be quite different--tasking two opposing teams with being the first to complete an objective or series of objectives. For example, the "power struggle" map that we played on featured three large communication towers that teams could claim as their own by hacking computers at the base of each one. The winning team in this particular wargame is the first to control all three towers simultaneously, which isn't easy given the demands of defending two locations while attacking a third.

While it's still too early for us to formulate any strong opinions on Turok, we're certainly looking forward to doing just that once we get our hands on a more complete version of the game that we can play through at our own pace. Expect more information on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Turok, which is also headed to the PC sometime in the spring, early next year.

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#632 by BlackCross

(Raging Lunacy) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-24 15:19:28 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Project Origin nu prea arata a next gen...

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#633 by regnumekal (User) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-24 16:17:27 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#632 BlackCross, Grafica parca nici nu s-a schimbat fata de primul F.E.A.R...

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#634 by BlackCross

(Raging Lunacy) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-24 16:23:03 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#633 regnumekal, +1. Aceeasi impresie. Cel putin sper ca gameplayul sa fie mai reusit, ca FEAR nu prea m-a impresionat.

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#635 by regnumekal (User) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-25 13:04:22 (855 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Imperium Romanum
Other Names: Imperial Rome
Genre: Historic Real-Time Strategy
Publisher: Kalypso
Developer: Haemimont
Platforms: PC Exclusive
Release Date: Q1 2008
Other Screens: http://gaming.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=10504
Universe: Imperium III: Great Battles of Rome (PC), Glory of the Roman Empire |also named Imperium Civitas| (PC), Celtic Kings: Rage of War |also named Imperium II: Hispania's Conquest| (PC), The Punic Wars |also named Imperium: Gaul Wars| (PC)

The aim of Imperial Rome/Imperium Romanum is to take the role of a Roman governor, gather resources, organise and command your armies and build a prosperous and imperious settlement. They'll be a number of game modes, but the main campaign will be History mode, which sees you following a timeline based on real events in Roman history. The developer's Haemimont Games has focused on creating a realistic fact-based Roman environment, so they'll be tons of authentic buildings, including the mass entertainment venue of Circus Maximus.

To bring this period of history to life the team has stepped up to the challenge of creating a photo realistic environment, with intricately designed buildings, depth of field effects, terrain blending, grass rendering and realistic water reflections.

The games currency will be denarii and players will be able to purchase and construct a range of buildings, including fortifications, bridges, towers and seige machines, upgrade their units and will also be able to take advantage of the in-depth trade mechanics to barter with other provinces.

Throughout the game they'll be a number of factors that may affect your progress, including crime in the Province and natural disasters, such as floods and droughts.

Further details on the title will be released in the coming months and we'll have a more thorough hands-on look shorty. Imperial Rome/Imperium Romanum will be released in the UK in quarter one 2008.

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#636 by regnumekal (User) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-31 12:31:49 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Devil May Cry 4
Genre: Fantasy Shooter
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Platforms: PC Xbox 360 Playstation 3
Release Date: February 5, 2008
Official Site: http://www.devilmaycry.com/
Universe: Devil May Cry (PS2) (PSP), Devil May Cry 2 (PS2), Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (PS2), Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (PS2) (PC), Devil May Cry: Deadshot (MOB), Devil May Cry Dante Vergil (MOB)

Devil May Cry 4 looks amazing. Whether it's running on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, Capcom's fourth entry in the eclectic series is easily one of the best-looking games on either console. Even better, it runs at a solid 60 frames per second, throwing around its beautifully animated characters, gloriously detailed backgrounds, and incredibly bombastic effects seemingly with ease.

Frame rates and gorgeous visuals aside, we learned plenty of hard facts, as well as heard some juicy new hints from Devil May Cry 4's developers at the company's recent London Gamers Day event. It was confirmed that Dante, the star of the three previous games, will be playable from halfway through the game right through to the end. It was also dropped in that the PlayStation 3 version of the game will have "a little something" for Sixaxis controllers and that the team is definitely hoping to release a demo for the game at some point in future.

Our session started at the beginning of the game, with the PlayStation 3 version running in 720p on a flat-screen TV. The game will open with a tutorial level where new playable character Nero is squaring off against Dante. During the intro, Nero is seen covering his arms to hide the obvious signs of his "devil bringer" powers. After throwing Dante a few times, Dante strikes back at Nero with his trademark sword, revealing Nero's arms. The battle continues with the two characters engaging in a sword fight and some stylish close-ups of the two crossing weapons.

In the final game, there will then be a tutorial to introduce players to the game and allow them to grasp the intricate combat system. In our demo, the developers jumped a few levels to mission three, where Nero was exploring an underground labyrinth. The main combat engine will be familiar to anyone who's played the previous games, although there is a new emphasis on charge shots, airborne battles, and Nero's devil bringer moves.

The sword attacks now have three levels of strength, with the level determined by the length of time the attack button is held down. In addition to ground-based swordplay, Nero has an airborne dash move that allows him to plunge his sword into enemies in midair. We saw the devil bringer powers at this stage too, and they are not only used to pick up enemies and slam them on the ground, but they also allow Nero to scale great heights by grabbing onto mysterious blue orbs around the level. The powers allow Nero to conjure up ghostlike allies to help double his attacking power as well. When Nero swings his sword, a spirit appears behind him to perform a follow-up attack, while gun attacks are complemented by blue stars that take the same path.

After seeing all these moves in action in the underground setting, the level opened up above ground and onto a snow-topped mountain. The snow-storm setting reminded us visually of Capcom's other recent action game, Lost Planet, but we unfortunately didn't get to see too much of it before another cutscene began. As Nero approaches a bridge leading up to a castle, the new character Gloria is revealed, launching herself down from the top of the castle above. She then proceeds to use a number of athletic moves to slay the enemies you didn't get a chance to slay while dodging their attacks, which gives Capcom an opportunity to show off what can only be described as the character's breast physics.

The final Nero level that we saw during our time in London was a jungle boss battle. The level starts with Nero riding a huge snakelike creature that's controlled by a female humanoid hiding within the head. Nero holds on as the creature weaves through the branches, but eventually he's forced to fight on foot against the huge monster. Occasionally, the woman at the head of the creature is exposed for you to fire bullets at, but the idea is to attack the creature's exposed underbelly when it goes into a spiderlike form. Once the underbelly is visible, Nero can go in and unleash his devil bringer to perform multiple attacks, as well as really inflict some damage to the creature.

As we previously mentioned, Dante will be playable halfway through the game, and we got to see one level featuring the series' stalwart. Series veterans will be pleased to hear that Dante remains pretty much unchanged in terms of control from previous games and lacks the new devil bringer powers that Nero uses. The character still uses four different attack styles: trickster, royal guard, gunslinger, and sword master. Also, he's still just as athletic as before. However, he will also have a couple of new tricks up his sleeve, including an uppercut that was described by the developers as a "shoryuken" or dragon punch move.

In addition to the conventional combat options, Dante has access to the coolest weapon in the game: Pandora's Box. Featuring a number of different attack modes, the weapon sums up the game's over-the-top style in seconds. Housed in a suitcase, Pandora's Box can transform into a huge airborne tank that rains down rockets on your enemies and open up into a superpowerful chaingun that will tear through anyone stupid enough to be in the vicinity. Finally, you can lay the suitcase on the ground and enemies will be consumed by its immense power.

Devil May Cry 4 is looking fantastic. There are some minor disappointments, particularly the fact that developers have completely ruled out a co-op two-player mode, but otherwise the game is shaping up to take the series to a whole new level of action. The game isn't slated for release until next year, so keep an eye out for more information on the game as we get it.

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#637 by BlackCross

(Raging Lunacy) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-31 13:48:48 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Gee... looks fucking amazing, sper ca si gameplayul e tot asa...

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#638 by Speedy (Căpăreţul fără Cal) (1 mesaje) at 2007-12-31 14:13:19 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#636 regnumekal, Tre sa fie ceva super tare...

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#639 by Jitalik (User) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-31 18:13:15 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Обращение Президента к свом Народу

http://www.gameplay.md/?p=5153

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#640 by JRocker (性交) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-31 18:14:02 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#636 regnumekal, nam fkurit.... o sa potsi juca shi dupa Dante??

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#641 by BlackCross

(Raging Lunacy) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-31 18:34:11 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#640 JRocker, da.

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#642 by JRocker (性交) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-31 18:37:53 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#641 BlackCross, yeah! Dante is back xD

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#643 by BlackCross

(Raging Lunacy) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-31 18:42:27 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#642 JRocker, 30% din tot jocul doar.

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#644 by JRocker (性交) (0 mesaje) at 2007-12-31 18:43:44 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#643 BlackCross, poh xD principalu ca este xD

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#645 by sh00ter (User) (0 mesaje) at 2008-01-02 01:48:28 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Cind va ieshi joaca Alan Wake?

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#646 by m000rfik (User) (0 mesaje) at 2008-01-02 11:29:09 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#645 sh00ter, TBA

da am auzit ca in 2008 acum trebuie sa apara

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#647 by BlackCross

(Raging Lunacy) (0 mesaje) at 2008-01-02 14:00:39 (854 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Am impresia că ei nasc jocul ăsta... O.o

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#648 by 916 (Power User) (0 mesaje) at 2008-01-02 15:24:39 (853 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

#647 BlackCross, aha, de la atîtea shfatşi cîte are DN Forever eu aş muri deam...

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#649 by regnumekal (User) (0 mesaje) at 2008-01-03 13:02:11 (853 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

Sa speram ca acesta este ultimul joc pe aceasta pagina:

Penumbra: Black Plague
Genre: Horror Action Adventure
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Frictional Games
Platforms: PC Exclusive
Release Date: Q1 2008
Official Site: http://www.paradoxplaza.com/penumbra/
Universe: Penumbra: Overture (PC)

Frictional Games is a small developer from Helsingborg, in Sweden. They are almost the dictionary definition of bedroom coders, consisting, essentially, of two programmers who work from their home with the assistance of various freelancers. Which makes their achievement, of turning a cutting-edge physics technology demo into Penumbra: Overture, a well-received survival horror game, all the more impressive. Now they're back with a sequel and, given its relatively humble origins, it looks every bit as impressive as the first game.

The original game, Overture, followed the game's protagonist, Philip, ever deeper into an abandoned mine in Greenland, as his descent took him spiralling into increasingly unhinged territory, and his grip on reality became increasingly tenuous. The game's unique selling point, however, was that you could interact with the game world almost exactly as you would with the real world, thanks to the game's advanced physics engine. "We might be a small company, but we create our own technology," explains co-founder Jens Nilsson. "We do this because we want to tailor the technology towards the games we want to create. All of the objects in the game world are interactable, with physics, and instead of pointing and clicking at an object, you have to grab it, you have to pull it, you have to lift it, and so on." These real-world physics then formed the basis for the game's puzzles, and its unsettling atmosphere.

Black Plague picks up where the last game left off, with a similarly disturbing tone; with realistic physics once again forming the basis of puzzle design; and with Philip waking up in a grim, dilapidated room, to the sounds of torture drifting in from outside. And, just like in the original, there are no firearms. Unlike the original, there are no weapons of any kind, so although players are free to improvise by throwing objects, combat largely boils down to running away – a result of the developer's conscious effort to make the world of Penumbra ever more terrifying (and, perhaps, a response to one of the criticisms of the original game – that combat didn't really work very well).

Indeed, the developer's aim with Black Plague is to improve the game in just about every area: better puzzles; more accurate interaction with the world; improved storytelling; and an even more dramatic psychological edge to events. "We wanted to make it even more horrific, and to increase the flow of the experience, so there's not a lot of downtime where you don't know what to do," explains Frictional's other co-founder, Thomas Grip, before demonstrating this by playing through the opening stages of the game.

Exploring Philip's surroundings, nothing looks useful apart from a glowstick and a coin. And there's no way out apart from a vent that's tightly screwed to the wall. Ah, but what's this on the desk? A vice! Just perfect for flattening your leftover coins into a makeshift screwdriver. And so the guys from Frictional demonstrate that the physics-based interaction works broadly the same way as it did in the original game: place the coin into the vice, and then perform a series of rotations with your mouse to mimic the action of turning the vice. And then, again, to mimic the action of unscrewing the vent from the wall.

Once through the vent, Philip's predicament gradually becomes clearer thanks to information imparted via a series of notes, books, and audio cassettes (that you play by placing them into an actual tape recorder). Load screens even feature Philip's internal monologue to provide a useful summary of proceedings. And more hints are given, too, as to the sort of game that they intend Penumbra to become by the time development is finished. Puzzles are clearly relatively open-ended, with many of them supporting multiple solutions. "We want to give options to the player, so instead of trying to figure out the one and only solution to a puzzle, we provide various different ways to solve the puzzles that you come across," says Grip. Need a can of soda? Try using your coin in the soda machine. Or, alternatively, just pick up a nearby brick and bludgeon it into dispensing some. One early puzzle requires a particularly grisly solution: a syringe full of a corpse's blood.

Indeed, this last item provides a subtle clue that something might not be totally fine with Philip's own blood – which is later confirmed when he starts hearing voices inside his head. One voice, in fact: that of an entity who, inspired by his ransacking of Philip's memories, ironically decides to take the name of Clarence, the guardian angel from Frank Capra's 'It's a Wonderful Life'. One of the must disturbing elements of Black Plague is the way Clarence affects Philip's ability to interact with the game world. "For a big part of the game you will be stuck with this character Clarence, who's residing inside your head," says Grip. "And if that's not bad enough, this Clarence also has the ability to change your perceptions, so he can make you hear things and make you see things, and mess up what you're seeing and hearing. So the player will never be sure what's really happening. We really want to mess with the player's mind in that way, so hopefully it will make the experience even more horrible." And, of course, finding out why Clarence has taken up residence in your head is a crucial part of the game.

It's a game that is obviously low budget, though it's no less interesting because of it. One inspiration for Black Plague seems pretty obvious (especially when the chaps from Frictional admit as much). "The Blair Witch Project is one of our inspirations, because in Blair Witch Project you had a limited budget," points out Grip. "So you need to use some more simple tricks that can sometimes be more effective. We can't have big massive cut-scenes, or hundreds of monsters roaming round, so we try to insinuate those monsters instead." Certainly, Penumbra has the same low-budget origins and a similar sense of untarnished originality as the Blair Witch Project. And in getting rid of weapons, health bars and menu-based maps (which are replaced with in-game maps that can be found on the walls, for example), the game aims to heighten the sense of immersion that is crucial to its uniquely distressing sense of atmosphere.

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#650 by m000rfik (User) (0 mesaje) at 2008-01-03 15:33:20 (853 săptămâni în urmă) - [Link]

nu-i ultimu

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