Brain Hood

It’s not every day that your friendly neighborhood video gaming news blog gets up in the middle of a great game and decides to dash out a preliminary review of sorts, just to holler out to all you video gaming crazies just what a great time we’re having with this game. This is one of those times, when we meet a game that makes us send up a prayer of thanks (not always silent) to the patron saint of video gaming, if there’s one. So let us give you a look-in on Rage, the latest FPS offering from id Software, the people who brought us the Doom and Quake video gaming franchises. Rage continues in the same vein as the last Doom and Quake iterations to come out of the id Software Stable, particularly the dark humor and the visceral combat.

Attention Video Gaming Fans: Introducing Rage

At its most basic, Rage tries to bridge two popular video gaming genres: there’s the FPS fun we mentioned, but there’s also generous sprinklings of all the hallmark features of a role-playing-game. With a game world that’s larger than your average FPS, and the stark landscape lending credence to the setting being in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, you’ll find yourself driving from one centre of civilization to another and yet the video gaming experience hardly wanes. You’ll meet strangers who give you quests to complete in return for unique items and weapon/ armor upgrades.

A Sight for Sore Eyes

One could be forgiven for thinking that the large and beautifully done game-world could have also accommodated some good sandbox action. Agreed, that is one popular subgenre of the action gaming world that might have fit quite well into this already interesting blend, but the omission would seem rather deliberate on part of the developers. The open-world gameplay pioneered by the GTA franchise has been done to death, and yet, few games have managed to pull it off with any degree of success in what has become a veritable deathtrap for otherwise decent games, now that there’s also Red Dead Redemption setting a standard in the sandbox video gaming sub-genre. What we have instead is a fairly linear, corridor action first person shooter with the character and arsenal development afforded by the RPG-esque features lending the game a degree of video gaming immersion as well as a faux-sandbox aura of freedom. To add to that the game world is, quite simply, gorgeous. The skies change hue as per the time of the day, with colors of heartbreaking beauty  and with clouds so beautifully rendered you’d think it’s the real deal.

An All New Approach Down a Familiar Path

The game world’s sprawling dimensions notwithstanding, you mostly travel down a narrow valley, and the combat action is predominantly close-quarters (wouldn’t be much of a “rage” otherwise, would it?).

Quite similar to Gearbox Software’s 2009 hit Borderlands, the over-world, which you’ll need a vehicle to navigate, has little by way of resources or missions but simply connects you to the different combat spots or quest sources you need to reach.

Rage is in no way the first game to be set in a post-apocalyptic scenario; as a matter of fact it borrows freely from similar titles such as Fallout: New Vegas and Borderlands. What makes it absolutely rollicking fun, however, is the freakishly innovative and absurdly gory combat that is complemented by the insanely good graphics, thus making for an insanely good video gaming experience.

Our Final Word (for now) on Rage

It is a thoroughly enjoyable game that you’ll learn to love warts and all. That holds especially true if, like us, you swore undying loyalty to any game coming from id when you were an impressionable teenager fragging anything that moves to gory bits of virtual blood, flesh and bone with that railgun.

It will be a while before we can really get into the game and dissect it with all the surgical precision we can muster and give you a comprehensive video game review, analyzing the various aspects in greater depth. For that, wait for the next post on this video game blog, while we return to what has so far been a great video gaming experience.

As Rockstar Games released the first official game trailer for Max Payne 3, there was a mixed reaction of both hope and cynicism from video game lovers and one can hardly blame them. A look at the various gaming multimedia titles these days would reveal that the electronic entertainment industry is sorely lacking in the ability to surprise. That is especially true with the  video game industry’s carnival events, where established formulae and a tendency to play it safe with series iterations tend to win over any creativity inspired fresh ideas that the developers may have. A general rule of thumb is to stick to what works with minor gameplay modifications, and to leave it to the more enhanced graphic engines to give the feel of freshness. So essentially, fans of popular franchises are playing the same game, iteration-after-iteration, with a new skin.

Rockstar Games is one development house that has, so far, managed to fight this tendency successfully in their games. Rockstar has been known, in the past, to tightly control information flow before a title release and to seldom indulge in pre-release media hype. The philosophy behind that is rooted in Rockstar’s inherent trickster persona, as VP and co-founder Dan House puts it: Letting people peek behind the curtain spoils the fun.

Max Payne 3: A Legacy to Live Up To

Due in March 2012, Max Payne 3 is the sequel to an action series that, in many ways, introduced cinematic aspects to the videogame world and remains one of the more story-driven shooting games to come out. Payne was a fugitive undercover cop: his cover busted, framed for murder of a colleague and hunted by both the NYPD and the mob. The first two games had a noir feel that contributed as much to the fan following as the ground-breaking gameplay. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne came out in 2004; eight years and one sloppy movie adaptation later, fans of the franchise have stuck to their guns.

That puts Rockstar, and Max Payne 3 in a somewhat complicated space: not only would the game have to compete against other titles in its genre, it also has to contend with the nostalgic memories of players who have long since forgotten any of its weaknesses.

Max Payne 3 Official Trailer Unveils Partial Storyline

The new game sees Max working as a private security specialist protecting an industrialist and his family in Sao Paulo. When gangs target the family, Max must battle not only the gangsters, but also the inner demons that have driven him for so long.

It’s a story that, on the surface, sounds formulaic, but both Rockstar and the Max Payne series have always taken pains to weave a complex tale into the games, rather than loosely tying event moments together with a threadbare plot.

Houser, who is also lead writer on Max Payne 3 (as he was on “Grand Theft Auto IV”), says he believes refining writing is essential to the maturation of the industry.

Maintaining control over story — and any cinematic qualities — is especially challenging as the gaming world moves toward a more multiplayer focus. Players still appreciate a good campaign, but if a game doesn’t have a strong online component where they can play with (or, even better, against) others, it hurts the game’s earnings potential.

Is Rockstar Seeking to Break New Ground with Max Payne 3?

Rockstar hasn’t talked much about the multiplayer aspects of Max Payne 3, but Houser hints that just because those elements of the game live outside of the campaign, it doesn’t mean they’re not part of the narrative.

“We wanted to put some elements of single player into the multiplayer so the multiplayer will have a lot more detail and have elements of story in it and have a sort of an immersive quality,” he says.

Max Payne 3 has done its time in development hell. First announced in 2009, with an expected shipping date of the winter of that year, it has been pushed back a couple of times to let the development team polish it and ensure the quality was up to Rockstar’s exacting standards. This includes an excruciating attention to detail, which Houser says is the real key to the company’s success, and would ensure that Max Payne 3 would live up to fan’s expectations and then some more.

While video game news and reviews are pretty commonplace, few pieces of gaming multimedia merchandize have had the kind of sway over us as Alien: Infestation. And why is that, do I hear you ask? Well, let’s just say that apart from being part of an iconic movie franchise that has shaped popular culture, Alien: Infestation just might be the last Nintendo DS game ever. It is also a very good one,with Wayforward Technologies collaborating with Gearbox Software to produce what seems to be a Metroidvani adventure set in the Alien universe.

The Beginning of Alien: Infestation

The Alien: Infestation adventure starts aboard the Sulaco, with a squad of Colonial Marines arriving to investigate what’s going on there in the aftermath of the events seen in James Cameron’s Aliens. It’s not the only environment you’ll see over the course of the game, but it’s definitely where the bulk of the big moments unfold.

In just about any story-driven game you can think of, death is a worry but never an outright fear. More often than not, your character will simply be whisked back to the nearest save or checkpoint. That’s not the case in Aliens: Infestation. Death is very much a permanent thing here.

Alien: Infestation Gameplay

 You start with a squad of four marines, though only one of them is ever under your direct control. The rest pop up and can be switched between whenever you enter one of the game’s save rooms, where you can also resupply and swap weapons. Each marine represents one of your “lives” in the game. If the one you’re controlling bites the dust, you select a new marine to spawn in wherever you died, full up on ammo and fresh for the fight.

The natural response for many gamers will be to simply reload an old save, but it’s better to just roll with it in Alien: Infestation. There are 19 playable marines in Alien: Infestation, which will be more than enough for most to get through the six-or-so-hour adventure. Each one has his or her own dialogue too, so swapping soldiers actually serves to inject freshness.

You can only have a maximum of four marines in your squad. Any stragglers you find while you have a full crew will just stay where they are until you can pick them up. It’s a remarkably clever way of giving you multiple “lives” in the game while imbuing each with its own, unique personality.
The environments are easily recognizable as 16-bit(-ish) reinterpretations of what you’ve seen in the films. Light and dark is used to good effect in Alien: Infestation, and there are some great moments in which you actually feel some tension building, a rare thing for a small-screen game such as this.

Alien: Infestation Controls & Game Atmosphere

True to the Aliens vibe, you never really feel in Alien: Infestation like you’ve got a handle on things. Even as you find upgrades for your weapons — which unfortunately cannot be swapped, so be sure you’ve got the gun you want to boost in your hands before you collect an upgrade — you’ll still frequently find yourself low on health and scuttling back to a save or searching for a pickup.

The controls of Alien: Infestation feel a little clunky, especially if you happen to be playing on a Nintendo 3DS and using its analog nub. The D-pad offers a more precise set of inputs, though you’ll still find cursing as something attacks you that could have been avoided with smoother controls. The touchscreen inputs used for swapping between gear can also be a pain in the heat of a battle, particularly with some of the tougher boss fights.

In the future, there shall be many a game reviewed, and there will be exciting  exciting video game news, so keep reading! Till then, try and get your hands on a copy of Alien: Infestation.

When we bring the latest news from the world of gaming multimedia on our gaming blog, we consider it a duty to bring you the most unbiased opinions. We’d really like you to remember that. That’s why we tried to find any reason not to give Batman: Arkham City a perfect mark, and not because we get a thrill out of nitpicking. There’s that too, but mostly it is the duty thing.

So we went in looking for flaws, for mistakes. But hours passed and turned into days. Twenty-six hours of gameplay later, and only 67% complete by the game’s telling, we admit defeat.

You win, Rocksteady. Arkham City is perfect.

The City’s Slicker

This game, were you somehow not aware, is a direct sequel, building off of the already superlative Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2008. Essentially the entire combat system and most of the gadgets from the original make a return, immediately available to the player from the start. Still, improved AI makes things a bit harder. In return, however, each room has ever more ways to sneak around, unseen, picking off foes individually. The additions to Batman’s arsenal, meanwhile, are excellent: new, expanded movements off of the stun action, a dive bomb technique while gliding, and a vastly improved grappling hook that makes slinging around the city a breeze.

And what a city it is. Arkham City is a masterpiece of art direction, bringing to life a world even more fully realized than that of Nolan’s iconic films. Every section and building is wholly unique, every alleyway bristling with the Riddler’s well-placed trophies, every street a battleground between the warring factions of supervillains in Arkham City.

Though stalking through the claustrophobic corridors of Arkham Asylum was undoubtedly fun, the player won’t feel like Batman but could be any action hero with some dazzling array of gadgets; however, in Arkham City, things were different.

Cast and Crew of Arkham City

Being Batman, however, is not so nearly as fun without his cadre of supervillains with which to contend. Arkham City, its very nature precluding any possibility of contrivance, manages to squeeze nearly every major ally and antagonist in the history of the franchise into one, glorious campaign. Revealing the specifics should be considered, of course, spoiler territory, but it’s worth mentioning that several major villains don’t even make an appearance until you tackle their particular side missions. These completely optional objectives feel so fleshed out and rich that you would be hard pressed to tell them apart from primary story missions.

The story is well deserving of the license, and opens with such production value that you wonder if you should rent out a local theater just for the experience. With regard to performance, Batman: Arkham City has brought together possibly the single finest voice acting ensemble in the history of gaming. Mark Hamill, of course, is a ludicrously talented standout as the Joker, but every voice of every villain brings with it gravitas and panache to Arkham City.

The Knight of Arkham City

While the primary campaign is more than enough, there are dozens of distractions to keep you otherwise occupied during your stay in Arkham City. There are, of course, Riddler’s brainteasers and trophies making a return from Asylum, as well a pseudo-achievement system that rewards the player well with experience, which is then used to upgrade any number of devices from Mr. Wayne’s arsenal. There are dozens upon dozens of character dossiers, stories, and various other items of bonus content unlocked constantly throughout the game.

Arkham City: The Final Verdict

Batman: Arkham City is a game so good that we’re amazed it wasn’t programmed by alien wizards. Truly, it deserves every accolade it is so sure to receive, every perfect mark it is so sure to tally.

We’ll certainly be bringing you more video game news in the future, but we’re already certain that no game review would be as effusive as the one we’ve written for Arkham City.