Fallout: New Vegas is being developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Bethesda Softworks, the same folks behind Fallout 3.

While New Vegas will use both the same engine and style as Fallout 3, there will be no direct tie-ins between the two stories… Sorry guys, no picking up as your character from Vault 101.

Finally

Fallout: New Vegas will take place in and around the city of New Vegas, which we assume to be a fully functioning city (Or as fully functioning as a post-apocalyptic city can be) based on the teaser showing the Vegas skyline lit up at night. Unfortunately details are scarce right now since the teaser is basically the only source of information fans have received.

It should be noted however that a number of New Vegas’ developers have worked on previous Fallout games. I only mention this because The New California Republic has played a significant role in previous installments in the series, and the California flag which can be seen at the end of the teaser might mean that we’ll be seeing a lot of the NCR in New Vegas.

We’ll just have to wait for now… And by wait I really mean scour the internet for as much information as we can find.

- Dr Strange Lulz

In November of 2007 all of that changed.

What could have made me go back to loving single-player games and at the same time restore my faith in gaming altogether?

Mass Effect.

From the moment I closed that disc tray I was hooked, I had that controller in my hands for 36 hours straight, and when it was all over I was left feeling surprisingly complete and yet at the same time yearning for more. It was like playing video games for the first time all over again.

Now that we’ve had a trip down memory lane, lets get on with the review.

Fans of the original and newcomers alike will find themselves glued to their controllers for the unforeseeable future as the continued tale of Commander Shepard unfolds before them.

Mass Effect 2 Delivers.

Slowly loading textures? Elevator loading screens? Empty planets explored with a click of a button? All of these issues have been addressed and fixed. Nearly every complaint players had about the first game has been replaced and refined, leaving us with a streamlined product that may very well be the game of the decade.

As with the first game, the heart and soul of Mass Effect lies in the inhabitants of the universe, who through an even further refined dialogue system reveal themselves to the player and provide the intrigue and motivation for us to keep coming back time and time again. It becomes quite clear through the course of the game that the people you interact with have lives, lives that can be altered or even extinguished at the drop of a hat because of your actions. Gone are the “Fetch item X and deliver it to person Y” Generic side quests have been thrown out and fixed to the point where every ’side quest’ feels like an important mission in which your actions will affect the lives of the people you interact with.

To be honest one of the only possible problems I’ve encountered involved newcomers to the series. At points throughout the campaign various references are made to decisions made in the original Mass Effect, some of these plot twists and references won’t have the desired impact on people who haven’t played through the original Mass Effect. While this doesn’t in any way make the game unplayable by newcomers, some of the moments will lack the necessary…weight.

Combat and exploration have also received some necessary tweaks, while combat has become more streamlined (That word is perfect to describe much of ME2, you’ll probably see it used a bunch) and plays more like an action game than in the original game. Exploration has been one of the greatest improvements made between the two games. Exploration in Mass Effect was kind of a joke, in Mass Effect 2 exploration is taken much more seriously, allowing players to fully explore new areas and worlds.

A lot of people I know simply played through the original Mass Effect as a soldier, never really trying any of the other classes because they felt too tedious and impairing. . The redone character classes have been a great improvement to the overall feel that the guys over at Bioware were going for with Mass Effect 2’s combat system, making it feel more like an action game than it’s predecessor from the moment you first step into combat. I guarantee that players will go back and play as various other classes just to experience the infinite amount of ways to deal with various situations. Oh and Biotic Charge is just a bag of awesome.

I’m actually going to have to force myself to stop talking about this game at this point for fear of giving away any spoilers.

From the awe-inspiring visuals to the amazing voice acting, nearly every detail of mass effect is polished to perfection. The level design and soundtrack will keep the game centered around you as a player while constantly reminding you of the importance and scope of your mission as Commander Shepard.

Go out and get this game.

- Dr Strange Lulz

It was recently announced that Bioware would be releasing two Mass Effect 2 DLC sets alongside or soon after release of the actual game. It seems Bioware is trying its hand at some sort of new distribution platform that they’re calling ‘The Cerberus Network’. Access codes to The Cerberus Network (An in-game source of games and DLC) will come with all new copies of the game.  Buying Mass Effect 2 used will mean that you’ll need to purchase an ‘exclusive’ Cerberus Network activision code.

The first DLC pack  is being released along with the game on January 26th and includes include new items, missions, and characters. Zaeed, a soldier of fortune will join Commander Shepard in one of the new missions.

A second DLC pack is being released “Soon after launch” and features the Hammerhead, a new hover tank  along with new missions and unique items, including Cerberus Assault Armor and the M-22 Eviscerator Shotgun.

- Dr Strange Lulz

Reach is set prior to the events of Halo: Combat Evolved and puts you in the shoes of Noble 6, the newest member of Noble Team. Noble Team is a six man squad consisting primarily of Spartan III’s (The heavy weapons specialist Jorge-052 is the only Spartan II) who will be instrumental in defending Reach from the invading Covenant.

Reach will definitely bring us back to the feel of Combat Evolved, with the original selection of guns (sniper rifle, plasma pistol, sword, assault rifle, magnum, and needler) making a return, along with a few new ones like the designated marksman rifle and needle rifle, as well as a non regenerating health bar.

Bungie has beefed up the tech behind Halo: Reach to allow a number of things that weren’t possible for the earlier games. 20 to 40 dynamic lights at one time, the number of on screen AI characters has doubled from 20 to 40, as well as motion capture for all cinematic sequences (Which are going to be numerous considering that Bungie has already stated that they’re taking a more cinematic approach to Reach.) are just a few of the improvements you can look forward to when Reach drops later this year.

With the outcome of the story already known (Reach falls to the Covenant, sparking off the events in Halo: Combat Evolved) it seems as though Bungie is going to instead rely on their amazing story-telling abilities to round out the Halo saga, and with the amount of Halo fans out there, they better do a damn good job.

- Dr Strange Lulz

Alien Vs Predator Multiplayer Interviews

Alien Vs Predator is being developed by British developer Rebellion, the team behind the 1999 original PC game. While Rebellion is obviously keeping up with the times in terms of both technology and recent trends in gaming (I mentioned in my last post that survival horror is making a comeback) it’s also clear that they’re remaining true to their roots by hearkening back to the intense multiplayer that made the original games so amazing.

Most multiplayer first person shooters simply have you going up against other guys with guns (with exceptions like Left 4 Dead) but having three separate races, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and play style is what makes this series so good.

When dealing with a series with a serious fan-base like Aliens you have to tread a fine line between appealing to both the masses and your hardcore fans, though no matter what you do somebody is always going to be upset by something either put in or left out. Lance Henriksen being in the game is not only welcome, it’s pretty much expected at this point and serves as a small but very cool wave to the fans.

Either way, this is probably on my top 5 list for most anticipated game of 2010.

Recently saw a clip from the game where the player (as a Predator) uses his wrist blades to uppercut a marine, taking his head off and the spine along with it…

Words cannot describe the awesome.

- Dr Strange Lulz

Its a simple question, but a rather revealing one. For the most part gamers have been staring at screens filled with blood and gore since Doom first hit the scene, yet for some reason first person shooters (despite the constant threat of death) don’t really make people afraid. When playing a FPS you generally rely on your own skills, having enough faith in them that you never doubt that you could take on an entire room filled with enemies toting automatic weapons. Ever notice how your heart rate increases when you’re out of ammo and someone is just around the corner, its at that point when you realize that short of a miracle only quick thinking and even quicker reflexes will be the only thing that saves you.

Dead Space – I hate Necromorphs.

When I was going over this in my head I kept coming back to Dead Space, which let me just say… is the scariest game ever made. I’ve played my fair share of Resident Evil and Silent Hill games, I’ve beaten Doom 3 and FEAR, I’ve been scared before, but I’ve never felt absolute dread the way I did while playing Dead Space.

In a recent interview with Game Informer, executive producer Steve Papoutsis stated “What we discovered is people were – believe it or not – too scared playing Dead Space.” and I believe he is absolutely correct.

Gamers are conditioned to be collectors. Think back to the days of Mario, do you really have any idea why you were collecting those coins? Because they were there, that’s why. And now you’re all grown up, but you still search every room, find every chest, collecting everything you can find. With this in mind there comes a point in most survival horror games where the enemies are more of a bother than an actual threat, you have a BFG and enough ammunition to handle a horde of flesh eating zombies, and enough healing items to survive dying twenty times over, so where is the fear?

Pretty sure this was my wallpaper for a while.

With a revolutionary title like Dead Space released last year and a number of potentially scary games coming out this year (Alien vs Predator, Alan Wake, Silent Hill: Shattered, Bioshock 2) will we see a change in developer’s attitudes and general approach to survival horror, or will we see more of the same?

Frankly it was about time the survival horror genre got a spark of life and I look forward to what’s to come.

- Dr Strange Lulz

Mass Effect 2

Alien vs Predator

God of War III

Bioshock 2

Fallout: New Vegas

MAG

Grand TurismoDante’s Inferno

Splinter Cell Conviction

Battlefield 2: Bad Company 2

Dead Rising 2

And many more…

Happy Holidays folks.

- Dr Strange Lulz

No Tags]]> http://www.gamingmoments.net/2009/happy-holidays-upcoming-articles/feed/ 0 http://www.gamingmoments.net/2009/vga-winners-my-picks/ http://www.gamingmoments.net/2009/vga-winners-my-picks/#comments Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:51:20 +0000 doclotto http://www.gamingmoments.net/?p=1432 I recently watched the Video Game Awards on Spike TV, it might be the fact that the choices were voted on by the gamers themselves, the clear majority of whom were PS3 owners, but I’ve got to say that some of their choices just felt wrong to me. So for the categories that I disagree with I’m going to give my choices and why I feel that they deserve the win instead.

First off the VGA show was excellent. Overall, the show definitely surpassed the 2008 VGAs in terms of both presenters and performers. And the fact that it was hosted by Claudia Black might have something to do with me being glued to the TV for a few hours.

Lets get to it.

Best Voice

- Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn
- Claudia Black as Chloe Frazer
- Jack Black as Eddie Riggs – VGA
- Mark Hamill as The Joker - My Pick
- Nolan North as Nathan Drake

OK, No. Any kid that didn’t grow up watching Batman: The Animated Series didn’t really have a childhood. Mark Hamill spent more time as the Joker than any other actor, to me Mark Hamill IS the Joker. I actually got a phone call  from an outraged friend when they announced Jack Black as the winner of this category. Mark Hamill’s performance in Arkham Asylum was incredible, and I feel that he was robbed of this award.  I feel so strongly about this that I didn’t pick Claudia Black, you have no idea how amazing that is.

Best Downloadable Game

- Battlefield 1943 – Honorable Mention
- Fat Princess
- Plants vs. Zombies
- Shadow Complex – Agreed

Honorable mention goes to BF1943, amazing game that probably would have won this category if it wasn’t for Shadow Complex being mind blowingly awesome.

Best DLC

- Fallout 3 – Broken Steel
- Fallout 3 – Point Lookout
- GTA IV: The Lost and Damned
- GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony – Agreed

Only because of the parachutes. I love me some base jumping.

Most Anticipated Game

- Bioshock 2
- God of War III – VGA
- Mass Effect 2
- Starcraft II - My Pick.

This category is really what inspired me to write this. Are you kidding me? You’re telling me thatGod of War III is more anticipated than Starcraft II, which we’ve been waiting for since 1998? GTFO.

Game of the Year

- Assassin’s Creed 2
- Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Left 4 Dead
– Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Agreed.

Despite my love for COD:MW2, Uncharted 2 was easily game of the year.

Despite my love for COD:MW2, Uncharted 2 was easily game of the year.

Studio of the Year

- Infinity Ward
- Naughty Dog
- Rocksteady Studios – Agreed.
- Valve

Best Independent Game

- ‘Splosion Man
- Flower – Agreed.
- Osmos
- Trials HD

It’s about Flowers and Love. How can you argue with that?

Best Xbox 360 Game

- Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Halo 3: ODST
- Forza Motorspot 3
- Left 4 Dead 2 – Agreed.

Best PS3 Game

- inFamous
- Killzone 2
- Rachet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
– Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Agreed

Best Wii Game

- MadWorld
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- Punch-Out!!
- Wii Sports Resort

Can’t really comment. But I’ll say that any Mario game probably deserves to win.

Best PC Game

- Dragon Age: Origins – Agreed
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Plants vs. Zombies
- The Sims 3

Best Handheld Game

- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars – VGA
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story
- Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box – My Pick
- Scribblenauts

While GTA is a fantastic game, I’m a sucker for puzzle based adventure games, and with that in mind I have to give this one to Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box.

Best Shooter

- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Agreed
- Halo 3: ODST
- Killzone 2 – Honorable Mention
- Left 4 Dead 2

Killzone gets a nod due to how amazing it is, it’s unfortunate that its a console exclusive as I would really have liked Killzone to become slightly more mainstream.

Best Fighting Game

- BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
- Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny
- Street Fighter IV – Agreed
- Tekken 6

Take a look at these four games, before even getting into gameplay the winner is clear.

Best Action Adventure Game

- Assassin’s Creed 2 – Agreed
- Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Brutal Legend
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Honorable Mention

At the end this one really came down to the puzzle solving, while Uncharted’s puzzles become repetitive and easy to solve, the puzzles in Assassin’s Creed (The Assassin’s Tombs) kept players on their toes and had them coming back for more. I’ve played the Tombs probably 3 or 4 times each at this point.

Best RPG

- Borderlands
- Demon’s Souls
- Dragon Age: Origins – Agreed.
- Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story

Dragon Age: Origins is what happens when Bioware pulls out the big guns, throws them away, and replaces them with violence, gore, and Claudia Black. Win.

Best Multiplayer Game

- Borderlands
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Agreed.
- Halo 3: ODST
- Left 4 Dead 2

This one is just obvious.

Best Individual Sports Game

- EA Sports Fight Night Round 4
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
- UFC 2009 Undisputed – Agreed
- Wii Sports Resort

Best Team Sports Game

- FIFA Soccer 10
- Madden NFL 10
- NBA 2K10
- NHL 10 – Agreed.

Let’s go Pens!

Best Driving Game

- Dirt 2
- Forza Motorsport 3 – Agreed
- Gran Turismo PSP
- Need for Speed Shift

I’m not even a fan of driving games, still Forza had me glued to my couch for hours on end. This is a definite must buy for any car enthusiast.

Best Music Game

- DJ Hero
- Guitar Hero 5
- LEGO Rock Band
- The Beatles: Rock Band – Agreed

Best Soundtrack

- Brutal Legend
- DJ Hero – Agreed.
- Guitar Hero 5
- The Beatles: Rock Band

The DJ Hero soundtrack is just ridiculously out of this world good, if you haven’t heard any of the songs yet I suggest you hit up Youtube and prepare yourself for the awesome.

Best Original Score

- Assassin’s Creed 2
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Halo 3: ODST – Agreed
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

I hate the thought of awarding this game anything, but the score was amazing. I actually bought a copy of it when I picked up the game (Which I have since traded in at Gamestop)

Best Graphics

- Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
- Killzone 2
- Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Agreed.

Best Game Based on a Movie/TV Show

- Ghostbusters: The Video Game
- South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! – Agreed
- The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena – Honorable Mention
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition

Pretty sure I’m one of only 10 people who enjoyed the Riddick Games, but if you’re into them then you know what I’m talking about here.

Best Performance by a Human Female

- Eliza Dushku as Rubi Malone
- Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman
- Megan Fox as Mikaela Banes – VGA
- Tricia Helfer as Dare - My Pick

It’s pretty obvious why people picked this one. In a mediocre game where the voice acting was the only bright spark, Tricia Helfer killed it as Dare.

Best Performance by a Male

- Bill Murray as Dr. Peter Venkman
- Hugh Jackman as Wolverine – VGA
- Samuel L. Jackson as Afro Samurai / Ninja Ninja
- Shia Labeouf as Sam Witwicky
- Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick – My Pick

Have to go with Diesel on this one, his whole performance was just… better.

Best Cast

- Brutal Legend
- Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard
- Ghostbusters: The Video Game – My Pick
- South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play!
- X-Men Origins: Wolverine Uncaged Edition – VGA

Three words. Bill Murray.

This part of the guide is dedicated to folks looking to pick up some unique gifts for their friends and loved ones.

Super Mario Collector’s Edition Chess Set.
$39.99

If I walked into a friend’s house and saw this on a table I’d drop whatever I was doing and propose a game. Filled with your favorite Mario Bros characters and packed in a wicked collector’s tin, this chess set will have you sacrificing Peach and putting Bowser in check in no time.

a320 Pocket Retro Game Emulator
$99.99 and SO worth it.

This little gem can satisfy all of your retro gaming needs. Stuck on a plane for hours this holiday season? Bring the a320 with you and get your gaming fix by playing any GBA, NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, or Neo Geo roms that you might have. The a320 has 4GB of storage space and will take a mini SD card if you really need the extra space.  The a320 will also play movie files, audio files, view jpg images, Read E-books, and even has a built in FM radio.

This is the kind of gift that will make any gamer very very happy, it’s for this reason that the a320 is my top pick for gifts this holiday season.

Light Up Marcus Fenix Series 2
$24.99

Neca (National Entertainment Collectibles Association) continues to amaze with this 12-inch Marcus Fenix figure (based off of Gears of War 2), this incredibly detailed figure has LEDs on all the places you’d expect, comes with a COG pistol and Lancer, and would make a fine addition to any gamer’s collection.

Red Shirt Star Trek Cologne
$29.99

So the away team heading for the local bar includes Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and You… Guess which one isn’t making it back. If you’re going to get suffocated Tribbles or randomly attacked by a Mugato, you might as well go out smelling good. This Star Trek branded cologne will have you smelling and feeling like a genuine Redshirt in no time, just remember to avoid getting separated from the main cast.

Health and Mana Energy Potions
$19.99 for six 1.69oz bottles

So your boss just hit you with another TPS report request and you’re down to your last bit of energy, what to do? Suddenly you remember that you’ve got a health potion tucked away for just such an occasion. A pop of the top and the red life-giving liquid is already working on getting you pack to fighting condition. These tiny energy shots are packaged in the all too familiar guise of health and mana potions, each one contains 160mg of caffeine and provides 5-8 hours of energy with no crash.

Most of these gifts can actually be found on Http://ThinkGeek.com which everyone should check out, I’ve spent more money there than I’d really like to admit and have enjoyed every second of every product I’ve bought.

Hope this has made shopping a little bit easier.

Good Luck & Have Fun.

- Dr Strange Lulz

Buying A Console

Sony Playstation 3 – Nintendo Wii – Xbox 360

Figuring out which console is right for you or the person you’re buying it for might be one of the most important decisions you make this holiday season. A gaming console is something that sticks around for a while, providing joy for years, so it’s worth taking the time to find out which one is best suited for your needs.

When picking a system it’s important to consider a few different things, are you buying it primarily for games or for movies? Are you buying it for children, teenagers, or an adult? Are there specific games you’re interested in getting?

Nintendo Wii

Nintendo more than any other company has made gaming a truly social experience, taking it out of the hands of the elite and bringing to your living room to be shared with the whole family. The Wii is an amazing introductory system, so if you’re trying to get someone you love into video games, this might be your best bet. Nintendo’s newest console is also incredibly child friendly with far fewer violent games than either of the other two consoles, if you’re shopping for young children then the Wii should be the first console you look at. A friend of mine recently bought a Wii for his grandparents and they’re loving it.

The Wii costs $199.99 and includes the following items: the game console itself, a sensor bar and stand, one Wii remote, one nunchuk controller, standard composite cables, and a copy Wii Sports.

Overall: The Wii is a fantastic console for families and first time gamers, but if you’re shopping for someone who likes first person shooters or more mature games then the Wii is definitely the wrong choice.

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is probably the most versatile of the three systems, offering games, downloadable movies, Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Last fm, and downloadable games on demand. When it comes down to games alone the 360 boasts a far more robust list of titles than either of its competitors. From games like UNO to be played with the whole family to games like Call of Duty and Fable, the Xbox 360 is unmatched in terms of variety and options. One of the downsides of the 360 is that it doesn’t play Blu-Ray movies, for that you’ll either need a Blu-Ray player or a PS3

If you’re considering the Xbox 360 as a console for your children and are worried about them playing games like Dead Rising or Grand Theft Auto IV, you should know that the 360 has a very easy to use parental control system. This system allows you to determine what games your children can play based on the ESRB rating of the game , if you disable Mature games then any game with an M rating will not work on your Xbox unless you change the setting.

A major negative would be their failure rate as the 360s and their Red Rings of Death caused enough of a stir that Microsoft had to institute a warranty extension and fix RROD for free. While the RROD problem has now been solved for the most part, there’s always a chance you might still get them and have to send your 360 into Microsoft for repair.

The Xbox 360 Arcade is priced at $199.99, and comes with one wired controller, component cables, and a 512MB memory card.

The Xbox 360 Elite is priced at $299.99, and comes with a wireless controller, component cables, a headset, and a 120 GB hard drive.

My advice, spend the extra $100 and pick up the 360 Elite, the hard drive will end up being well worth it in the long run if you consider the amount of movies, games, tv shows, and various other things that you can download.

Overall: An amazing system that offers a wider range of options and customization. Great for people of all ages, and while it’s a little bit more complicated than the Wii you’ll get the hang of it within the day. I’d recommend this as a gift to anyone looking to surprise a loved one.

Sony Playstation 3

Sony’s PS3 is a remarkable system with a wide variety of features not found anywhere else. Right off the bat I’m going to go into a few key points. While the PS3 doesn’t have quite as large a list of titles as the Xbox 360 it does offer a number of exclusive titles that you wont find on any other system (God of War, Uncharted, Killzone, Grand Turismo,  and Little Big Planet just to name a few.) The PS3’s built in Blu-Ray player is the best deal you’re ever likely to find, so if you’re big into HD then this might be the system for you.

The Playstation 3 finally picking up decent sales numbers due to their aggressive new marketing campaign, which means we might see an increase in the number of titles released for the system within the next year or two. And since Metal Gear is coming to the Xbox 360 it might not be too long before we see 360 exclusives jumping platforms to share the love.

Just like the 360, the PS3’s online store offers endless gigs of downloadable joy. Oh hey, did I mention the fact that the PS3 also has a built in web browser? Need to figure out how to get that hidden item, why go to your computer when you can find out from the comfort of your couch.

The 120GB PS3 Slim is priced at $299 and its younger 250GB brother is $349.  Both consoles come with a Dual Shock 3 controller and composite AV cables, the only difference other than price is the amount of storage space on the hard drive.

Overall: A great system for everyone, from hardcore Playstation fans staying loyal to the franchise to people and families who are really into HD and want to make the most out of the experience.  With all of the options available, you’ll have hours upon hours of enjoyment and fun.

—————————————————————

At the end of the day you really need to figure out which console is right for you. If you don’t know which console to buy for someone then asking them really might be the best thing, a surprise video game system is nice, but getting the one you really want? That’s even better.

If you’re going to invest in a console then don’t listen to the hype, sit down, do some research and enjoy the coming years with your console rather than regretting that you got the wrong one.

Hope this helped.

- Dr Strange Lulz