Friday, July 17, 2009

Infamous Review

From game developer Sucker Punch, creators of the award-winning Sly Cooper series, and publisher Sony comes inFAMOUS. The first open-world title exclusively for the PlayStation 3, infamous is a single player action/adventure that places you in the role of once regular guy, Cole, who in the aftermath of a horrific catastrophe finds himself not only alive, but developing a fantastic array of superpowers. Going from ordinary to extraordinary overnight isn't something to take lightly. With these powers does one exact revenge? Protect the innocent? Or perhaps, dabble in a little of both? The choice is yours in infamous

'inFAMOUS' game logo
Everyman turned superhero, Cole from 'inFAMOUS'
Everyman turned superhero Cole.
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Cole wielding his electricity-based power in 'inFAMOUS'
Devastating electricity-based powers.
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Cole fighting from the side of a building in 'inFAMOUS'
Go anywhere open-world design.
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Cole overlooking an expansive urban environment in 'inFAMOUS'
An organic urban environment.
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Story
Empire City was a run of the mill metropolis, until one day a massive explosion rips through six square blocks of its bustling downtown real-estate, seemingly leveling everything and everyone in its path. Yet after the dust had cleared, at the center of the blast crater is a lone man, Cole. He is in a coma, but has survived the event and neither he nor the world will ever be the same.

An everyday guy doing his best to make ends meet, Cole had been a bike messenger. Just before the blast he had been sent to ground zero to deliver a package. In the aftermath of the catastrophe, he awakes to find that somehow he has gained strange electrical powers. Empire City is in shambles though. Riots have erupted, breeding chaos and emboldening powerful criminal gangs hungry for power and profit. In the panic that follows the city is quarantined from the mainland, and television broadcasts packed with damning security camera footage link Cole to the scene of the explosion. Cole is now a wanted man, but his extraordinary electricity-based powers and perhaps a semblance of responsibility for the well-being of Empire City are growing. Who is really responsible for the blast though? As an evolving mystery unfolds, Cole must learn how to wield his newfound powers as he searches for the real culprits behind the blast in an attempt to rescue Empire City from complete anarchy.

Gameplay
Built around open-world gameplay where the player decides how to deal with both criminal gangs bent on destruction and devastated citizens who need help, action in infamous contains the standard mix of mission play, in which players are given specific goals and activities to meet, and free play scenarios, where you can wander Empire City doing what they will. In both, developing and learning to control Cole's electricity-based powers is crucial. Cole can not actually generate energy, so these powers are based on energy manipulation instead. This manipulation comes in three basic forms: discharge of energy at living or inanimate targets in either diffused or precise bursts; generation of energy shields used as protection against the weapons or special powers of enemies; and the infusion of objects with time-delayed destructive energy for use as grenades or mines. As impressive as these powers are they do have drawbacks though. Because electricity can cause combustion, Cole can not wield firearms and can be hurt by items he blows up. Also, like anything electrically driven, his abilities require a power source. In the damaged, but not destroyed Empire City, these sources can be found throughout the gameplay area, but players must note that certain actions drain energy faster than others and that enemies will become aware of your need of a power source as the game proceeds and accordingly attempt to destroy those sources.

This need for power also provides a major illustration of the game's morality system. As battles rage throughout the gameplay area and power sources become either scarce or destroyed, Cole is faced with the ethics of his 'bio-draw' ability. Through this he can harvest electrical energy from living organisms. This will provide the energy needed to survive in a pinch, but may also have consequences as to how the game develops over both the short and long-term. In addition to this, players will also face similar game-changing choices in dealing with more casual scenarios involving the citizens of Empire City. As well intentioned as a hero may be, in many cases he is just as likely to be hated as he is to be praised. Choice is the deciding factor in this, and that resides squarely on the shoulders of players in infamous

Key Game Features:

  • Be a Hero - Take on the role of Cole, an everyday guy and urban explorer, who develops a wide range of electricity-based powers. Learn how to adapt to Cole’s evolving powers in an attempt to save Empire City and its people.
  • Super Powers - Feel what it is like to discover, grow and use a wide range of electricity-based super powers (good or bad); and grasp the responsibility that comes from being so powerful.
  • Epic Battles - Experience what it is like to be a true hero, taking responsibility for every action, as players battle against powerful iconic villains.
  • Open Dynamic World - Coupling rich powers with a reactive environment and population, experience complete freedom to explore a deep, open interactive city. Players will be challenged to decide if they choose to save or destroy Empire City.
  • Urban Exploration - Scale the cityscape to discover new vantage points and employ a vertical combat system. Utilize Cole’s climbing skills to go where most people can not, opening up a variety of offensive and defensive combat options.
  • Organic City Ecology - Watch the citizens and city react and evolve depending on players’ actions. Events will unfold based on the role players take in them, creating broader reactions in the city’s people and environment.

Product Description
A massive explosion rips through six square blocks of Empire City, leveling everything and everyone in its path. At the center of the blast crater a lone man stands up miraculously unharmed… gifted with incredible powers. From the creators of the award-winning Sly Cooper series, Sucker Punch brings you Infamous, the first open-world action/adventure title by SCEA, for the PlayStation 3. Players experience what happens when a real person suddenly starts developing super powers. Exact revenge? Protect the innocent? Maybe a little of both? These are the situations you'll face as you play inside of a richly interactive and organic living city. A place where your actions create broader reactions in the citizens and landscape around you. Infamous lets you unravel an evolving mystery, experience fame and/or infamy and battle powerful, iconic villains… all the while giving you the feeling of becoming a modern day superhero.

from Amazon

Prototype Review

Prototype is a single player, open-world action game where players take control of shape-shifter Alex Mercer. In this gameworld you literally are a genetic prototype hiding in human form. You step out onto the streets of New York with no memory, but limitless potential power. As a terrifying viral epidemic sweeps across Manhattan, top-secret Blackwatch Special Forces move in, transforming it into a war zone. Delve into the mysteries of your origin, the true nature of your power and your part in a conspiracy 40 years in the making.

'Prototype' game logo
Battling against mutated beast in 'Prototype'
Battle through an infected NYC.
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Using arm/blade weapon in 'Prototype'
Turn your body into a weapon.
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Absorbing the abilities of in-game characters in 'Prototype'
Consume abilities, memories and physical form of others.
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Shooting at helicopter in 'Prototype'
Combat or join special forces units.
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Story
Alex Mercer was once a scientist for the prominent medical research corporation, Gentek, but one day he wakes up to find himself a shape-shifter with absolute mastery over his genetic structure, but no memory of how this came to be. Taking to the streets of New York City in search of answers, he quickly encounters a web of lies and vows to rip the truth from those who have hidden it from him and the world.

A few other things that Alex also learns quickly is that he is not alone in possessing amazing abilities, that there is a secret war brewing in New York City and he is on its front lines. A deadly infection has spilled out of control and the government has seized the media to stop the spread of information and has placed New York under quarantine as martial law is instated; igniting a firestorm of combat, carnage and death. As he roams the city, he faces an ever growing army of infected creatures warped and changed by the virus. As it spreads, the virus overwrites the genetics of those it infects, warping and changing their form into something else, something that seems to have been planned. The answers he seeks appear to be tied to the virus, so he rushes to discover the truth behind it, but standing against him and his goal is Project Blackwatch. An elite army specialist force, they are tasked with halting the spread of the virus at any cost and are eager to bring Alex in dead or alive to determine his connection to it. It would seem that they are potentially both enemy and ally to Alex's cause. Will Alex assist Blackwatch in its hunt, or join forces with the virus and subjugate humanity, pushing his powers to the limit as the genetic shackles of humanity fall by the wayside? That choice is up to the player in Prototype.

Gameplay
In Prototype players engage in 'Deceive or Destroy' gameplay. This allows gamers the choice to either blend in with the population and covertly progress through the story, or fully unleash Alex’s powers, and move through New York City like a walking slaughterhouse, taking control of military vehicles, and causing destruction at every turn.

Although Alex is literally strong enough to fling people and large objects around easily, his most intriguing power is his ability to 'consume' people. In doing this he acquires their memories, abilities, and their appearance. New memories help him to solve the mystery of how he got the way he is, while new appearances allow him to shape-shift into new useful forms at will and abilities allow him to maneuver in parts of the game requiring specific skills in specific situations. In addition, Alex's consumption of people also facilitates his ability to transform his physical body and manipulate his senses. Most weapons acquired in this way are outgrowths from his appendages like exaggerated blades, shields, whips and claws used for brutal close combat, but consumption also allows for powerful abilities like thermal vision, which provides for vision through smoke and obstacles, as well as 'infected vision' with which Alex can detect hotspots of viral infection throughout the city.

Key Features:

  • Fast and Deadly Combat - Shape-shift your body to the situation at hand ... from claws to blades to hammers to whips, as you choose the right weapon for the situation. Change to shield or armor for defense or use advanced sensory powers (thermal vision, infected vision) to track your enemies.
  • Over-the-top Locomotion - Seamlessly and fluidly bound from building to building, run up walls, bounce off cars and everything in your path. Adaptive parkour lets you move freely through the open-world environments of New York City.
  • Unique Disguising Abilities - Consume anyone at anytime, take on their appearance and assume their memories and special abilities.
  • Deep Conspiracy Driven Storyline - Wake up with no memory of the past ... just mysterious powers and a link to a town in Idaho. Delve into the mysteries of your origin, the true nature of your power and your part in a conspiracy 40 years in the making.
  • Parkour Inspired In-game Movement - Alex Mercer's movements are inpired by Parkour, a mostly urban activity bordering on both art and martial arts that aims at moving the human body from one point to another as smoothly, efficiently and quickly as possible. Recent examples of it gained worldwide attention in chase scenes in the 2007 film "Casino Royale."
  • PlayStation Trophies - Add to your collection of PlayStation trophies as you play.


Product Description
You are the PROTOTYPE, Alex Mercer, hiding in human form. You step out onto the streets of New York with no memory, but limitless power. As a terrifying viral epidemic sweeps across Manhattan, top-secret Black Watch Special Forces move in, transforming it into a war zone. Delve into the mysteries of your origin, the true nature of your power and your part in a conspiracy 40 years in the making.

From Amazon

Prototype

Prototype

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Product Features

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3
  • A deep, conspiracy driven storyline set in a realistic recreation of New York City that delve into the true nature of Alex Mercer's power and his part in a conspiracy 40 years in the making.
  • Fast & deadly shape-shifting combat that allows players to reconfigure body parts into offensive and defensive items like claws, blades, hammers, whips, shields and armor.
  • Use of advanced sensory powers like thermal vision and infected vision
  • to track your enemies and keep the action going.
  • Fluid, over-the-top locomotion & agility based on real-life Parkour movement styles that allows you to bound from building to building, run up walls, bounce off cars and everything in your path.
  • Unique disguising abilities derived from Alex's ability to "consume" characters, and in doing so acquire their appearance, memories and special abilities.

Prototype

Prototype

Prototype

Prototype

Prototype

Prototype

God of War III

God of War III

List Price: $59.99
Price: $56.99
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This item will be released on April 1, 2010.
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Product Features

  • New deadly weapons like the Cestus, powerful metal gauntlets with devastating strength,
  • and other brutal instruments of war that open up ruthless new techniques
  • The menacing creatures of Greek mythology can now be manipulated against their will,
  • to cross chasms, inflict blind rage against enemies, reveal puzzles and secrets,
  • and as tools of complete annihilation
  • God of War III picks up exactly where God of War II left off – Kratos must take his quest for vengeance to the very stronghold of the Zeus.
  • True to the series roots, the four pillars of game play - brutal combat,
  • intricate puzzles, exploration of awe-inspiring worlds, and a compelling story - all return
  • God of War III is the epic conclusion to the Greek mythological trilogy,
  • which will complete Kratos' story that began in the original title for the PlayStation 2.



God of War III

God of War III

God of War III

God of War III

God of War III

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

List Price: $59.99
Price: $56.99
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Product Features

  • New functionality including the ability to remain with your friends while matchmaking;
  • map customization and the pooling funds gathered in different modes
  • for use in unlocking content and upgrades.
  • An game world layout that allows players to take an aggressive
  • or new stealth approach to combat.
  • Free-flowing "traversal gunplay" that adds a unique vertical element
  • to standard 3rd-person shooting mechanics.
  • Award-winning cinematic storytelling, incorporating new and familiar characters,
  • as well as all new and varied play environments.
  • A wide array of gameplay modes including a robust single player campaign and a franchise first online multiplayer modes including competitive and cooperative play options.



Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Assassins Creed II

Assassins Creed II

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Assassins Creed II

Assassins Creed II

Assassins Creed II

Assassins Creed II

Assassins Creed II

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII

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A tale of souls from a futuristic civilization illuminated by the Light of the Crystal,
the newest addition to the Final Fantasy series is worthy of the title "next generation.
" Developed by Square Enix, the eagerly anticipated
Final Fantasy XIII features the latest in cutting-edge technology and provides tangible,
intuitive controls while delivering seamless transitions
between real-time gameplay and stunning in-game cinematics.

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Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy XIII