Click In the image to download
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Alone in The Dark Review and video download
Playing through Alone in the Dark, you begin to feel a creeping sensation that something is not quite right. This unease is not born of the dark, sinister plot or engendered by your unholy, malevolent foes; rather, it is spawned from the sizable rift between the game's celestial aspirations and terrestrial execution. There are a number of great elements here that are regrettably hampered by pervasive technical shortcomings. This disconnect keeps Alone in the Dark from reaching its full potential, but doesn't keep it from presenting a unique and often rewarding action adventure experience for those with the patience to stick with it.
As the gruff, amnesiac protagonist, you make your way through a disaster-struck New York City into Central Park, where you begin to unravel the many mysteries before you. One of the most intriguing and well-executed elements of this adventure is the inventory and item system. The game allows you only as many items as you can fit in your belt and jacket pockets; and, in a move that visually subverts the convention of the vast yet unseen inventory, you literally open up your jacket and look down to see what you've got. While it's never quite groundbreaking, this subversion does appear in myriad ways throughout the game, and creates the feeling that there is something novel about Alone in the Dark. You experience this feeling of novelty the first time you look down at your limbs to heal your gaping bloody wounds with medical spray, but some of the thrill will dissipate when you watch your blue jeans regenerate along with your flesh.
;)
The limited array of items you can pick up as you move through the world belies the complexity with which they can be combined to serve your purposes. The explosive power of a plastic bottle filled with flammable liquid is obvious, but what if you wrap it in double-sided tape, stuff a bandage in it, light it, and stick it to an enemy? Then you've got a slow-burning Molotov cocktail perfect for blowing up the hive that your spidery foe is returning to. Tape a box of bullets to the bottle, chuck it at a cluster of enemies, and shoot it midair to unleash a decidedly nasty explosion. Poured out all your liquid while immolating downed demons? Grab your knife and puncture the gas tank on a car for a quick refill. There are multifarious possible item combinations, and while you'll generally stick to a select few for killing enemies (flaming bullets, midair explodables, spray-can flamethrower), the game makes you flesh out your repertoire by demanding specific actions to solve certain puzzles.
Most of the puzzles in the game involve vanquishing the evil beings that are now the main inhabitants of Central Park. Since all enemies can only be permanently offed with fire, you'll have to find a way to make them burn, baby, burn. The most straightforward method is to grab a flammable object, like a chair or a broom. Then walk over to any open flame and set fire to the object by inclining the analog stick toward the flame. Wielding the blazing object, you target your foe, set up your attack by tilting the stick in one direction, then strike by flicking the stick in the opposite direction. It's a lot of fun to smack monsters with chairs, shovels, baseball bats, tree limbs and so forth, and the analog stick actions you must perform to do so are a fun approximation of your in-game actions. Alas, this fun is hindered by finicky controls and inconsistent hit detection, so you'll often find yourself merely repositioning your weapon instead of striking, or clanging it off of a wall that you could have sworn wasn't so close.
For practical reasons, you'll end up taking on most of the evil legion with your trusty handgun. Throwing an explosive bottle and shooting it midair is a cinch, thanks to the aim assistance in the form of a glowing trajectory arc and the slow motion that kicks in whenever you throw something. Alternatively, you can pour flammable liquid on your bullets and fire flaming rounds at your foes. Sure, this combo is a bit improbable and the gun should probably explode in your face, but flaming bullets will be the keystone in your monster-battling strategy so it's best to suspend your disbelief. However, firing these babies into monsters won't kill them unless you hit their fissures. These are the livid scars left on monsters by the evil that corrupted them, and hitting them can be a real pain. Combat certainly isn't anything to write home about, but there's definitely some satisfaction to be had in scourging your enemies with flame after bashing them stupid with a heavy pipe.
;)
The few non-combat-related puzzles are clustered early and late in the game. Some of these creative platforming sequences are part of larger, dramatic set pieces, such as your escape from a burning, collapsing building. It's generally pretty clear what path you need to take, but figuring out the necessary actions and carrying them out is still entertaining. Puzzles in which you set fire to things are particularly fun, because the fire looks gorgeous and spreads realistically while the textures on the burning wood change accordingly. The only problem comes when you need to navigate precise paths, because you aren't exactly the most nimble fellow. Since you walk like a goon, you'll sometimes have to maneuver excessively just to interact with an object. This sort of technical awkwardness is not rare in Alone in the Dark.
Maneuvering issues become particularly frustrating when you are trying to hop into a car. Once you manage this feat, you can do some neat stuff like check behind the visor for car keys or slide into the passenger seat to ransack the glove compartment. Actually driving cars is less neat, since the things handle like motorboats and will sometimes launch into the air when driving over the smallest curb. They do take damage, but they do so in such an unpredictable way that sometimes your car won't react much to bouncing off multiple trees, but the next impact will cause the hood, doors, and entire roof structure to explode off the car like a Mythbusters experiment, leaving you with a bizarro convertible.
In addition to the vast and varied Central Park, you'll also adventure through a number of well-detailed indoor environments. These are all well done, and are at their best when integrated with one of the many dramatic set pieces throughout the game. During these events the camera will often pull out to a wider angle, giving you a greater sense of scope and harking back to the fixed-camera roots of previous Alone in the Dark games. There are definitely some missteps here as well, and the dynamic lighting can sometimes turn an immersive environment into a something's-not-quite-right environment. The aforementioned fire is definitely a highlight, but sundry inconsistencies keep the visual presentation from being as stunning as it tries to be.
;)
These visual inconsistencies carry over to the numerous cutscenes, so you'd better be ready for some for some strange hair and wonky aftereffects. Despite the occasional pop-in and imperfect facial animations, the cutscenes do a great job of adding weight to the already dramatic storyline. Playing as an amnesiac man who wakes up in the company of men who mean him harm, you manage to escape and make your way to Central Park where the dark, far-reaching story begins to unfold in earnest. The story doesn't break any new ground, but it's well scripted and provides a few intensely dramatic moments, which are enhanced by mostly on-point aftereffects that imbue them with a filmic quality. The whole game is segmented into chapters and sections so you can skip around to them as if it were a DVD, but with no replay incentives and achievements that reward not skipping, this feature will probably only appeal to folks who get stuck on a tough patch and don't mind jumping ahead. Skippers need not fear too much missed content--every play session and every skip treats you to a "previously on Alone in the Dark" segment that rehashes the pertinent story elements.
Alone in the Dark is an ambitious game that features a lot of cool gameplay and bucks a lot of gaming conventions. Unfortunately, the technical execution does not match this ambition, and the resulting roughness will prove too high a cost of entry for many gamers. Still, if you are craving a game that tries new things with a reasonable degree of success, you'll definitely be able to get some enjoyment out of Alone in the Dark.
Posted Jun 26, 2008 7:38 pm PT
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Incredible Hulk Hands-On
Hulk here. I coming out with game soon that come with movie. It blockbuster summer action movie starring puny Ed Norton and beautiful Liv Tyler. Hulk love Liv Tyler because she pretty. Hulk think Ed Norton overrated. Anyway, Hulk movie coming out in June and game too. You will play game or HULK WILL SMASH YOU! It make Hulk not happy when puny man not play Hulk game. You not like Hulk when he get angry. Anyway, Hulk getting off track. Let Hulk tell you about game!
;)
Hulk game in New York City. Big city! All buildings around, Hulk can smash. Hulk can destroy them all! Everything! Hulk took down one building with thunderclap when puny Army man shoot him with tank. Then Hulk pick up tank and throw it. Hulk like to pick up cars and trucks and vans. One time, Hulk pick up taco van and throw it. It funny, but it still make Hulk mad.
Hulk climb up buildings and jump big long way into air. Every time Hulk land, it cause cracks in ground! Hulk also pick up concrete and hurl it at things he see that make Hulk mad, like signs and cars and things that Hulk not smart enough to name, but have lights on them that go blinky blink. For some reason, Hulk game let Hulk take subway to get from one spot to next. Hulk surprised New York let Hulk use subway after he destroy half of city, but Hulk must admit, it convenient.
Everywhere there puny humans! They hassle Hulk. Some of them punies run from Hulk, but sometimes Hulk pick them up by head and carry them around. Hulk not really mad at regular puny humans, it only Army punies that Hulk get mad at. They chase with tank and trucks and laser guns that sting like bees. HULK HATE BEES!
Hulk have many things he do in game when he not smashing. All Hulk need to do is look at map and go to place with X on the map, and he can get new thing to do. One thing Hulk do is smash Enclave base, where puny humans with bee-sting lasers live. Enclave not want Hulk to destroy home so they send out puny tanks to stop him. Ha ha. Please not make Hulk laugh. Hulk destroy them into bits and then take down base with punches, kicks, and special powers like smash ground. It cause shockwave and blast away punies from Hulk. It good to be Hulk!
Then later, giant robot fight Hulk. It big, but Hulk not scared of robot. It have big eye in middle, and it try to stomp on Hulk like Hulk a bug. BUT HULK NOT BUG. Hulk catch robot foot and not let him stomp Hulk. Then he throw giant robot down and punch him. Hulk do this many times. He also throw taxi cabs at robot eye. That one nice thing about New York City; it easy to get taxi.
;)
Someone tell Hulk that Rick Jones in this game, as well as pencil-neck Banner. But Hulk here to tell you that HULK ONLY ONE THAT MATTERS. Rick Jones nice boy, and Hulk protect him in game. And Hulk hear that archrival Abomination is in game. Ho ho. That rich. Hulk tell Abomination to "bring it" because Hulk will take him to Funky Town, where Hulk is mayor.
HULK TIRED OF TYPING ABOUT HULK GAME. Just go get game when game come out in June. Then you smash just like Hulk, even though Hulk bet you puny and smell like warm onions. Bye, from Hulk.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Prince of Persia( X360 ) Download
Prince of Persia First Impressions
We recently caught up with the Prince of Persia development team to see how the game, which has remained a well-hidden secret until recently, has been developing. The fourth game in the series following 2003's The Sands of Time, Prince of Persia has been in development for more than two years and is coming close to seeing the light of day, with a launch planned for the second half of this year. Ubisoft Montreal is developing the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions, with Ubisoft Morocco handling the DS version. We sat down with Ben Mattes and Jean-Christophe Guyot, the game's producer and creative director respectively, to see the new prince in action on the Xbox 360.Visually, Prince of Persia is looking quite promising, which should come as no surprise given that it uses the same engine as Ubisoft's other recent period piece and 2007 holiday hit, Assassin's Creed. However, the game marks an artistic departure from what has gone before, with the team opting for what it refers to as an "illustrated" style. While the team has attempted to distance the technique from the cel-shaded approach taken by games such as The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Viewtiful Joe, the graphics do bear some resemblance--although they're certainly not cel-shaded to quite the extent of the graphics in either of those games.
A mix between the stylised look of cel-shaded games and ones that aim for realism, Prince of Persia's unique aesthetic makes for a refreshing change. There are subtle graphical effects too, including black ash that seems to float in midair (perhaps serving as a visual clue to the corruption that exists), dust blowing across the landscape, and light bloom effects, all of which help reinforce the environment's dark, forbidding, and corrupted nature.
;)
The events in Prince of Persia occur in a completely separate timeline from the Sands of Time trilogy, with an altogether new prince making his debut--except this time, he's not a prince from the get-go. The new character that you play as is described as an adventurer searching for riches, who, through the course of the story, becomes a prince. Inspirations for the character have been drawn from Sinbad the Sailor, Han Solo, and even Lo "Dark Cloud," the desert bandit from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The story is also loosely based on Persian mythology and the twin gods Ormazd (read: good) and Ahriman (read: bad). It seems that something's amiss with the Tree of Life--which holds the power of life and death--and an evil corruption is spreading across the land. Throughout your quest you'll need to heal the world one area at a time by destroying enemies that serve as a manifestation of that corruption, thereby ridding the land of it.
You'll also be accompanied by an attractive young lady named Elika, the last descendant of the guardians of the Tree of Life and apparently inspired by Keira Knightley's character in Pirates of the Caribbean. Elika has grown up within the walled garden that protects the tree from the outside world and therefore has led a rather sheltered life until now. While Elika serves as a storyteller, she'll also assist you in combat, acrobatic moves, and puzzle-solving.
Elika becomes your companion early on in the game, and while you won't control her directly, there is a context-sensitive button that's assigned to her and at your disposal during the game. For instance, you might be able to pull off a move midfight by throwing her over your shoulders into attackers or use her during the more acrobatic parts of the game to help you climb the more difficult ledges. She'll also respond automatically on some occasions, switching places with you while scaling a vertical cliff, for example. Despite the fact that she is human, she can't die or be killed in the game.
;)
The enemies you'll encounter in Prince of Persia represent physical manifestations of the corruption. They're neither human nor mechanical but instead are a result of the gooey, organic corruption coagulating into adversaries, which, unlike in previous games where you fought multiple enemies at once, now have to be taken out one at a time.
The majority of the game's action takes place in outdoor environments. You'll explore canyons, cliffs, and many other natural structures that you're able to scale. You'll also find yourself indoors at times, with corridors and sheltered bridges mixing things up a bit. Highcastle, one of the regions we saw, was dominated by--you guessed it--a castle set high above the corrupted landscape.
The series has always had elements of acrobatics, puzzle-solving, and combat. However, on this outing the prince will have to rely more heavily on acrobatics to advance through the game. That isn't to say there won't be any adversaries or any puzzles to solve, but the emphasis will be more on exploration and using the prince's abilities to reach new areas. Standard Prince of Persia moves are back, but the prince also now sports a glowing, metallic glove that will allow you to perform an array of new moves, including the Grip Fall--a move that gives you a second chance in instances where you might otherwise have plunged to an untimely death.
The game has a partly open-ended structure, in that the order in which you explore each area is completely up to you. However, the path to each objective will still be linear. The developers didn't elaborate, but we were told that the order in which you complete the objectives will also have an effect on gameplay.
The game's world is divided into dark and light areas, which represent the two states of cursed land and healed land. One of the major objectives in one of the regions we saw was represented by a beam of light that extended high into the sky. When we came close to reaching the healing ground from which it emitted, we were confronted by a huge beastly creature called a hunter. After a short fight he was disposed of, and we were then ready to step into the light, presumably to vanquish corruption from the region, yet unfortunately for us, it was at this point that the demonstration drew to a close.
Prince of Persia will be making its way to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and DS later this year. Stay tuned for more coverage of the game.
-GameSpot
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
