Alienware M18x gaming laptop

Friday, March 01, 2013 in Gaming

The Alienware™ M18x is an extreme gaming laptop designed for those who want desktop quality performance but with the flexibility of a laptop — the best of both worlds.
Alienware m18x r2 Laptop
Dual graphics to bring your games to life.
Max out your game settings with dual-GPU graphics card options for a superior mobile gaming experience.
Factory-overclocked processors to power your applications.
Experience the pure processing might of the Alienware™ M18x, and breeze through any game or application with optional 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition.
An incredible LCD display is your window into another world.
Other universes await you on the Alienware M18x, which features a stunning 18.4" 1080p Full HD WLED LCD display3.
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alienware m18x r2
Incredible technology enables exceptional experiences.
Alienware M18x is equipped with an outstanding array of enthusiast-class components and the latest in entertainment technology.

The technology you want.
Enjoy the flexibility of up to three hard drives, SSD configurations, caching and RAID options for incredible speed.
The entertainment you crave.
Savor a premium entertainment experience any way you like. Alienware M18x offers HDMI-IN, enabling you to use your laptop to display media from peripherals.
alienware m18x r2
Designed for victory.
The Alienware™ M18x is a carefully engineered gaming machine with the design, customization and connectivity you crave.
Make your game system your own.
The anodized aluminum Alienware M18x offers the color choices and customization options you need to leave your mark. And with a customized laser-etched metal nameplate secured to the bottom of your system, your system is yours and yours alone.
Connect with your gaming world.
Plug in and prepare for battle. With HDMI 1.4 output, HDMI 1.3 input and USB 3.0 ports, you can connect peripherals with ease and have the versatility to accommodate any gaming setup.
Savor streamlined gaming design.
Witness the ultimate in gaming comfort and style. The Alienware M18x is designed with extreme attention to detail, incorporating game-winning features such as TactX Macro keys and rubberized edging to help protect your screen.
Alienware m18x r2 Laptop
Take command of your game domain.
Alienware Command Center software features a powerful suite of customization options to make your Alienware M18x your own. Don’t just play a game. Play YOUR game.

AlienAdrenaline
The new AlienAdrenaline feature enables Game Mode, which lets you assign a unique profile to each game on your system. Disable unnecessary programs and activate your music player when you launch one game, or bring up key web links when you launch another.

AlienFX™
AlienFX System Lighting Technology gives you access to a variety of themes and up to 512 billion distinct lighting combinations4, so you can personalize as much as you like. Complete your immersion by customizing your system with themes that respond to in-game events with unique lighting effects.

AlienFusion
AlienFusion power management controls enable you to configure your settings to maximize performance and efficiency while managing power usage. Crank up the settings for hardcore gaming and resource-intensive tasks, or scale back when you just need to run everyday programs.

AlienTouch™
Customize your touchpad’s sensitivity to prevent accidental contact, and activate virtual scrolling to enable vertical and horizontal scrolling with just a touch.
Complete your Alienware M18x experience

Your Alienware M18x is just the start. When you buy from Dell™, you can get much more than just a gaming laptop. You can customize an experience that’s just right for you.
Alienware M18x R2
Round out your system purchase: At Alienware.com, you’ll find a vast arsenal of Alienware™ TactX accessories designed to enhance your gaming experience. Pack it all up in a specially designed Orion bag and be ready to face all challenges.
alienware m18x r2
Alienware Gaming Services: Get help configuring your system for maximum game performance and resolving compatibility issues. Choose from our menu of no-hassle services so you can get started fast and keep on playing.

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DmC: Devil May Cry

Thursday, January 24, 2013 in Gaming

Summary

• 

DmC is the perfect reboot and should be set as a benchmark for other action game reboots. The story is simple yet entertaining thanks to the great execution of characters. The combat is fantastic and friendly to newcomers as well as challenging to veterans. At the end of the game you have a satisfying feeling of accomplishment. I haven't had so much fun playing a game since Batman Arkham City! The game will take about 12 hours for the first playthrough and there are unlockables as an incentive to go through the journey once more. Not to mention the varying difficulty levels. A must buy for all the action adventure fans out there. A free Bloody Palace DLC, providing endless more hours of time spent honing one's skills, will also make its way...
When we heard that the Devil May Cry franchise was getting a reboot, we were quite sceptical as to what it would be like. Capcom made the first four games in the franchise, and calling it successful would be an understatement, even though it was met with some criticism. If you are wondering why fans weren’t happy that the series was getting a reboot, we have some insight for you. David Jaffe, the man who made a little game called God of War, drew inspiration from Devil May Cry. So, when the onus for the reboot was given to Ninja Theory, scepticism ran sky high.

Ninja Theory has a history of making good games. Their portfolio includes Enslaved, which was a good action adventure game and Heavenly Sword, one of the launch games on the PS3. Both the games were good and I enjoyed them.

Under the direct supervision of Capcom, Ninja Theory was hard at work not only giving Dante a new look but a new story, new character and making the DmC universe a lot crazier. Have they succeeded in resurrecting the franchise, or does this game deserve to rot in Limbo? Read on to find out!

Story
The story of the game is quite straightforward. You don the role of Dante, a Nephilim. He is an offspring of the demon, Sparda, and the angel, Eva. Dante doesn’t remember anything before the age of seven. He is a brash badass with not a care in the world and does what he pleases. The opening of the game makes this very clear. He is reunited with his twin brother, Vergil, who unveils the truth to Dante that his mother was murdered and father imprisoned by the demon God Mundus. And now it is time for revenge!
   

The story of the game is pretty straightforward and fans of the franchise will see the ending twist a mile away. Nonetheless, the plot still has some interesting moments and the way the story is gradually released to the players is nice. A lot of time is spent building each character and that is a good thing. Towards the end of the game you can connect with each of them and their motives. There’s also room for a sequel!!

Gameplay
Hack and slash is the name of the game in DmC. The gameplay is essentially divided into two parts – traversing and combat. Let us start with combat.

Combat
Dante has his sword, Rebellion, and his twin pistols, Ebony and Ivory. Holding down the right trigger gives you devil-mode turning Rebellion into a heavy weapon that is slow but does a lot of damage. Holding down the left trigger gives Dante Angel powers making Rebellion into a fast moving weapon good for hitting multiple enemies but doing less damage. Each mode, Devil and Angel has one more weapon and Dante also acquires two more guns in the due course of the game, making his abilities awesome.

Every weapon and every technique in the game has its USP’s and this is where the game gets fun. There are specific enemies that require specific attacks to neutralize them and this adds a good sense of variation to the combat gameplay.
   

With such a large arsenal, Dante is ready to take on the demon army in style. You can chain together numerous combos across weapon types, and that is where the game excels. It is challenging enough for veterans to rank up the highest score on the leaderboard as well as interesting and easy enough for newcomers to pick up the controller and feel like pros.

It is possible for you to use every weapon at your disposal in combat and not only pull off some insane moves but look like a complete badass while doing it. Performing combos is quite easy thanks to the user friendly and customisable controls.

Using Angel mode allows Dante to pull himself towards an enemy where as Devil mode lets Dante pull enemies and objects towards him. This is especially useful if you need to get close to an enemy or get out of a tight spot.

If you are one who likes hacking and slashing in videogames, then this is definitely the one for you.

Traversing
Apart from kicking demon ass, Dante also traverses the environment. To begin with, the game takes place in Limbo. Think of it as a more gothic and displaced version of the world shown in Constantine. You have the standard running and jumping, but Dante can use Angel mode to glide a bit in mid air, which helps him cover large gaps. You can also use Angel mode and pull yourself up to ledges or demon mode to pull the ledge out and jump to it. Using these moves in a series of situations feels very exhilarating and fun.
   

The environments themselves are built in such a way that a simple act of jumping a few places and pulling yourself up on a ledge not only looks cool but also gives you a satisfying feeling of accomplishment.

Nearly 95 percent of the game takes place in Limbo where Dante takes on the demon world. This is a very gothic destroyed imagining of the real world and it is very awesome. Be it a deserted theme park or a subway station; even the insides of a mansion or a factory, the way the environment is laid out is fantastic and very ideal for some breath-taking traversing action.

There aren’t any real puzzles in the game except for one which is towards the end and that is a good thing as most of the attention is focused on the action and traversing.

Graphics
The graphics of the game are very good and at par with any AAA title out there. The use of gaudy yet dark colours to represent Limbo really brings the world to life. Each environment you go through has a distinct colour pallet and some unique traversing keeping the experience fresh throughout. You have the environment swarming with demons and what look like an alternate reality, the way the demons see our world. A lot of thought and effort has gone into the look of the game.

Even the new Dante looks like a brash young adult who doesn’t give a damn, and you see him grow out of that. There is also a cameo of the “white-haired” Dante in the game just to tease fans of the franchise and that is a nice touch. The animations in the game are brilliant. From Dante’s moves to the animations of the various enemies and even the bosses, the game looks great.

The ability to execute a variety of permutations and combinations of moves without the slightest hiccup in animation is fantastic.
   

Sound
When Ninja Theory used the legendary Andy Serkis (more commonly known as Gollum) for Heavenly Sword and Enslaved, we knew that they knew the importance of authentic voice acting in a game. That same level of quality can be found in DmC. The voice acting of all the characters is great and the dialogue can get cheeky at times, but its execution is fantastic making the characters not only believable but also relatable.

The metal background score in DmC compliments the action as well as the environment giving you the feel of being a brash youth in a world that wants to destroy you. You may want to bump up the volume while playing this one.

The swish and swipes of Rebellion along with the bang of Ebony and Ivory are worth every mash of the button. The sound design is not only true to the tradition of the franchise but just plain awesome.

Verdict
If you are still caught in all the brouhaha of DmC being a reboot, we suggest you play the game before voicing your opinion. It is the perfect reboot and should be set as a benchmark for other action game reboots. The story is simple yet entertaining thanks to the great execution of characters. The combat is fantastic and friendly to newcomers as well as challenging to veterans. At the end of the game, you have a satisfying feeling of accomplishment. I haven’t had so much fun playing a game since Batman Arkham City! The game will take about 12 hours for the first playthrough and there are unlockables as an incentive to go through the journey once more. Not to mention the varying difficulty levels. A must buy for all the action adventure fans out there. A free Bloody Palace DLC, providing endless more hours of time spent honing one’s skills, will also make its way to all versions of the game, soon.
   

Developer: Ninja Theory
Genre(s): Hack and Slash, Beat ‘em up
Publisher: Capcom

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Temple Run 2

Thursday, January 24, 2013 in Gaming

Summary

• 

We recommend you give this game a try. If you have played the original Temple Run, you will immediately fall in love with this game. It's simple enough for casual gamers to pick up and enjoy and veterans will of course want to dominate the leaderboards. The graphics are great, gameplay is addictive and simple, and the best part is that the game is free. A must download for anyone with an iOS device.
A little game called Temple Run has kept us hooked and addicted to our iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, Android smartphone and any other device that possibly ran the game. We have been playing the game while waiting for the bus, riding the metro or just sitting when we face a power cut. It is no joke then that the game has seen 170 million downloads since it launched.

Today, we have with us the sequel to Temple Run, simply called Temple Run 2. Does the game live up to the hype of its predecessor, or are you better off sticking to golden oldie?

Well to start with, the basic mechanics of the game are the same. You have found another temple and stolen the golden statue. Instead of being chased by three monkeys, here you are chased by one huge monkey.
   

Temple Run 2’s gameplay mechanics have stuck to the original and that is a very good thing. You swipe left or right to turn in the respective direction, swipe up to jump, and swipe down to slide. You can also tilt the device to strafe left or right depending on the obstacle in your way. Speaking of obstacles, the number of hindrances in your way has increased. You have rivers to jump over, spike rolls to avoid, bridges to slide under and more. The path too swerves, adding the illusion of an uneven path and that is a very good thing. Another addition to the game is the ability to revive yourself by spending gems if you ever face death in the game.
   

Yes, the coins have made a reappearance in Temple 2, along with gems. The power ups too have made a comeback in the game. You can spend the coins you collect to upgrade your player’s ability. You can upgrade abilities like the Coin Vault, Shield Duration, Coin Magnet, Boost Distance, Save Me and more. You can also use the gems to upgrade your characters abilities. To add a bit of challenge to the gameplay, there are also the achievements. These start out as fairly simple and get more challenging as you start achieving them. Some of the achievements include running a certain distance, collecting a certain number of coins, using a certain power up so on and so forth.
   

The biggest addition to the Temple Run however is the underground cart section. The controls are the same as running, with the only difference being that you are in a cart. Here you need to choose between branching paths and swipe and tilt the device to avoid the obstacles. Even though the gameplay mechanics are the same as running, the visual break makes the game look different adding a slight, interesting variation to the gameplay.
   

Speaking of visuals, the graphics of Temple Run 2 have definitely been bumped up when compared to its predecessor. The environment has more variations, and looks vibrant. One moment you are zip-lining through the clouds, the next you are jumping over a river and entering a mine to ride a cart. The variation is beautiful and makes the game more engaging and fun. The graphics of Temple Run 2 aren’t the best for the platform but they are really good nonetheless. The only downside is that textures and environmental images draw in right in front of you giving you a feel of the classic Road Rash game, but here, we are just nitpicking.
   

Just like the original Temple Run, Temple Run 2 also has characters that you can unlock. These characters include Guy Dangerous, Scarlett Fox, Barry Bones and Karma Lee. In the first game, changing the character only added a cosmetic effect to the game. Here however each character has its own unique ability, adding an incentive to unlock them.

Bottom Line:
If you have played the original Temple Run, you will immediately fall in love with this game. If you are new to gaming on an iOS device, you should definitely give this game a try. It’s simple enough for casual gamers to pick up and enjoy and veterans will of course want to dominate the leaderboards. The graphics are great, gameplay is addictive and simple, and the best part is that the game is free. A must download for anyone with an iOS device.

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Zynga builds on casino-style play with Elite Slots

Friday, December 21, 2012 in Gaming

Facebook games pioneer Zynga on Wednesday said it was expanding its casino-style offerings with an "Elite Slots" title that weaves social and story elements with luck-based play.

"It's kind of like going to Las Vegas and sitting around a social slot machine with other people," Zynga design director Josh Gause said while demonstrating the new game for AFP. "Unlike Vegas, everyone is a winner."

Gause and fellow game design director Nate Ratcliffe built role-playing and mini-game elements into Elite Slots, which Zynga promised would be available at Facebook soon.

Players are represented on screen as animated pets that progress through levels and find in-game treasures based on outcomes of spins at virtual slot machines.

Themed levels include an enchanted forest and a vampire "house of fangs." At certain points players are pitted against powerful enemies in "boss battles," the outcomes of which are determined by slot machine spins.

"Every one of our themes tells a story," Gause said. "There are bosses, heroes, and every pet has a back story."

After big wins at the slot machine, victorious animated characters appear on the screens of other players dropping rewards.

Elite Slots is free to play, but Zynga is hoping people will spend money buying animated pets with upgraded powers and on in-game coins for extra pulls at slot machine handles.

"Cool collectibles" and being able to progress through games by leveling up abilities are among features typically found in successful Zynga and Facebook games, according to Ratcliffe.

"Those game mechanics work," Ratcliffe said. "We are taking basic principles like those and looking at how to make a slots game better."

The slot machine part of the experience was kept "pure" when it comes to the odds of getting winning spins, according to the game designers.

Elite Slots will be Zynga's fifth casino-style game in a lineup that includes poker and bingo.

Zynga did not reveal how Elite Slots fits into what the struggling social games pioneer has described as a "strategic effort to enter regulated ream money gaming markets."

Zynga has applied to the Nevada Gaming Control Board for a "preliminary finding of suitability" that would clear the way to seek a license to let players bet money on its online games in the state that is home to Las Vegas.

San Francisco-based Zynga expected it to take a year to 18 months before the outcome of the application is known and did not reveal whether it intended to pursue a Nevada gambling license of any kind if it is successful.

The Nevada move came less than two months after Zynga announced a partnership with RMG operator Bwin.party to run poker, roulette, blackjack and other virtual casino games in Britain.

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Angry Birds turns three; coming to movie theatres in 2016

Friday, December 21, 2012 in Gaming

Angry Birds, the game that started it all, turned three on Tuesday, the makers of the game Rovio Entertainment announced it will be producing and financing an Angry Birds 3D animated movie which is to release in summer 2016.

Rovio confirmed that Despicable Me producer John Cohen has signed on as producer of the upcoming Angry Birds movie. David Maisel, former Chairman of Marvel Studios and executive producer of Iron Man, will be executive producer of the feature film.

"John's an exceptionally talented producer, and we're delighted to have him join the flock," said Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Entertainment. "With John's hands-on producer background and David's expertise in establishing and running his own successful studio, these two are the dream team for making a movie outside the studio system. Both professionals have the ideal skills and vision to achieve incredible things."

"I'm so excited and honored to be working on this film with Mikael, David, and Rovio's incredibly talented game developers and artists," said Cohen.

Rovia also released an update to the original Angry Birds game on Tuesday that includes 30 new levels, a pink bird that first featured in Angry Birds Season and full iPhone 5 support.

Since its debut in 2009, the Angry Birds game has been downloaded more than one billion times across platforms and versions. The most recent venture, Angry Birds Star Wars, soared to the top of the US iPhone charts within 2.5 hours of release.

The Angry Birds franchise has expanded to include a wide variety of Angry Birds-themed goodies including toys, and even a Angry Birds theme park in China.

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Far Cry 3 review

Friday, December 21, 2012 in Gaming

The travel brochure that enticed Jason Brody and his friends to book their spring break-style trip to the Rook Islands probably left out the pillaging pirates, aggressive bull sharks and lunging leopards.

The picturesque setting of "Far Cry 3" (Ubisoft, for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, $59.99; PC, $49.99) turns out to be far from hospitable to the naive tourist, who can barely stand the sight of blood when he finds himself caged up in a village ruled by a sadistic drug lord.

Jason's transition into a seasoned survivor anchors "Far Cry 3," an outstanding open-world first-person shooter that intersperses character arc, plot and suspense throughout a variety of action-packed firefights, stealth sequences and side missions.

The game begins with Jason being led out of captivity by his military-trained brother, a linear sequence that helps introduce Jason and acclimate players to the control scheme. The islands quickly open up after the arrival of Dennis Rogers, an ally to the indigenous Rakyat tribe who guides Jason on his quest to reunite with his girlfriend and fellow tourists. Dennis sees a burgeoning warrior in Jason and entices him to help free the islands from ruthless criminals.
Each section holds a radio tower handicapped by a signal scrambler, and climbing a tower and disconnecting the device opens a small part of a ridiculously expansive map that's on par with Bethesda Softworks' recent "Fallout" or "Elder Scrolls" installments. Freeing a tower also helps open an area to trade, which makes weapon dealers so happy that they'll start showering you with free guns.

Ridding an enemy outpost of bad guys provides a new location to buy and upgrade weapons with scopes and silencers, as well as a fast travel point to speed trips between friendly villages. But with so many ATVs, trucks and jeeps spread throughout the islands- not to mention hang gliders, jet skis and boats - why not take the scenic route?

Once Jason grabs control of an enemy outpost, he can also browse the bulletin boards for side missions that offer rewards for hunting down rare creatures or wanted criminals. Tracking down a white belly tapir is exciting, but hunting is also a key survival mechanism. Slaying and skinning everything from wild boars to alligators allows Jason to craft holsters to haul more weapons, larger wallets to carry more cash and expanded rucksacks to carry more loot.

The various plants on the islands are another key to survival, as they provide ingredients that boost health and endorphins or enhance perception. And leveling up allows Jason to unlock new skills such as takedowns involving grenades and knives, increased health or adrenaline, and the ability to take less damage from falls and fires.
As in most first-person shooters, killing a bad guy leaves a body to loot, and the controls on this move inflict the game's only significant annoyance. On numerous occasions I found myself mistakenly swapping out a favorite gun for the enemy's weapon when all I wanted to do is grab a little cash.

"Far Cry 3" also has a formidable multiplayer element, with several familiar game modes and a creative addition called Firestorm, in which a team must set fire to the opponents' supply nodes and then escape the spreading flames while capturing a radio transmitter.

So far I've spent several dozen hours exploring the Rook Islands and haven't experienced a moment of boredom. Whatever games find their way under the tree this year, I'll probably still be playing this over the holiday break. Four stars out of four.

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Angry Birds Star Wars arrives on Facebook, with social features

Friday, December 21, 2012 in Gaming

In addition to play Angry Birds Star Wars on your phone or tablet, you can now play the game on Facebook. Playing the game is as simple as any other app on the social networking site.

Angry Birds Star Wars is essentially the same that you get on the smartphone/tablet but there are a few differences that are targeted at hardcore fans. Some of the new features include score comparison with your friends, giving you the ability to decide which one of you is the best at bird slinging. Players can also send in-game gifts to friends who are playing Angry Birds Star Wars as well. Rovio will be giving Facebook player’s five new levels each and every week, which will keep players engaged for a long time.

If competition is the name of the game, players can participate in weekly tournaments. You and your friends can participate in for the chance to win in-game goodies. The Facebook version of the game also has new power ups as well as new ability making it the most content heavy version of the game available.

If you are one who still hasn't had some hands on time with Angry Birds, you can take a look at our review of the game here. If you’ve got an Android device, an iOS device, Mac or Windows Phone 8, you can get the game from the following links:
iPhone – Rs. 55
iPad – Rs. 170
Android – Rs. 163.10
Mac OS X (10.6 or higher) – Rs. 270
Windows Phone 8 – Rs. 55

Windows 8 – Rs. 250 (this must be purchased from the Store App within Windows 8)

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Crystal Dynamics releases Tomb Raider 'Guide to Survival' preview

Friday, December 21, 2012 in Gaming

The new Tomb Raider game that will hit store shelves in March 2013 is an origins story. It is the journey of Lara Croft before she became a Tomb Raider. To celebrate this origin story, publisher Square Enix has released a video to signify the new gameplay elements as well as give a quick look at the journey that players will undertake.

The new Tomb Raider game's story story of course begins with Lara and her friends who embark on an adventure that goes wrong. You don't begin the game as the accomplished heroine we have grown to love from the PS One days. You acquire these skills as the game progresses.

Base camp is a new system that makes its debut in the game. This is the customization and upgrade hub for Lara’s skills. Games cannot only upgrade their skills but weapons as well in the game. Gamers earn experience through actions such as exploring, completing missions and succeeding in combat. Earning skill points from these actions helps you upgrade your character.

Gamers will also be exposed to a number of new “gadgets” such as the climbing axe and bow and arrow that can be upgraded to perform newer combos and add to their functionality.

Lara also has an ability called Survival Instinct. This is similar to the instinct feature we have seen in Hitman: Absolution and it gives Lara a hint as to which objects in the environment can be manipulated and worked with. It can also be used to solve puzzles.

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Gameloft releases launch trailer for Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour

Thursday, December 06, 2012 in Gaming

ameloft has released the launch trailer for Modern Combat 4: Zero Day that’s going to be available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices at any moment. Gameloft has become the developer pushing some of the best games into the iOS and Android space, with popular titles such as Asphalt 7, Wild Blood, World at Arms etc. With each game, they have pushed the boundaries of mobile gaming, with Wild Blood utilizing the Unreal Engine to deliver unparalleled graphics.
Now we have Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour releasing for iOS and Android, which going by the first looks at the trailer seems to deliver console-like quality as far as graphics go. The gameplay looks quite generic for a shooter, but the visual prowess of the game does impress. The previous Modern Combat games have had an excellent multiplayer component, which we’re being told has been improved upon in this upcoming game.

Gameloft has maintained its tradition of improving upon every successive game it launches, case in point being Asphalt 7. After the raving success of Asphalt 6, it was hard to imagine what extra Gameloft could do to make the next game in the series better. But when Asphalt 7 did storm into the App Store, it was quick to break records of the previous game. The same trend has been observed for the Modern Combat games, so we would recommend watching out for Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour which drops at anytime today in the Indian App Store and Google Play Store. But till then,

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Gaming's hot topics: Xbox 720, PS4, Wii U, Grand Theft Auto 5 and Borderlands 2

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 in Gaming

The gaming industry has many hot button issues going on right now, with some being more obvious than others, so here are the percentage breakdowns for what people want to hear about the most.

According to a Google Analytics report, which gathers data and information specifically from this site, the biggest trending topic in gaming today is the Wii U.

That will most likely not come as a surprise to many of you, but of the top ten hottest stories, the Wii U has garnered more than 35% of all readers' attention. A significant portion of that number has been generated over the past few days with all of the Wii U news that has surfaced.

The second and third most popular topics in gaming today also come from the world of next-generation consoles in the form of the Xbox 720 and the Playstation 4. Rumors have been flying around regarding its specs, release date and price for months now.

Of the top ten most popular stories, the two highly rumored next-generation consoles have earned the attention of over 32% of people interested in the gaming industry.

Fourth, Grand Theft Auto 5 has been a major topic of discussion lately, with all of the new screenshots that have surfaced over the last month and the discussions of whether or not the title should be held off for next-generation release. GTA V has earned up to 20% of all readers' attention.

Finally, the fourth most popular topic in gaming today has been Borderlands 2. The highly anticipated sequel, which is scheduled to be released this Tuesday, has grabbed readers' attention so much so that it checks in with an 11% share of the market.

The other 2% that was not accounted for came from other various topics currently happening in the industry.

Some stories will die down in discussion and interest over time, but one thing is for sure, gaming will always be a hot topic. The gaming industry has many hot button issues going on right now, with some being more obvious than others, so here are the percentage breakdowns for what people want to hear about the most.

According to a Google Analytics report, which gathers data and information specifically from this site, the biggest trending topic in gaming today is the Wii U.

That will most likely not come as a surprise to many of you, but of the top ten hottest stories, the Wii U has garnered more than 35% of all readers' attention. A significant portion of that number has been generated over the past few days with all of the Wii U news that has surfaced.

The second and third most popular topics in gaming today also come from the world of next-generation consoles in the form of the Xbox 720 and the Playstation 4. Rumors have been flying around regarding its specs, release date and price for months now.

Of the top ten most popular stories, the two highly rumored next-generation consoles have earned the attention of over 32% of people interested in the gaming industry.

Fourth, Grand Theft Auto 5 has been a major topic of discussion lately, with all of the new screenshots that have surfaced over the last month and the discussions of whether or not the title should be held off for next-generation release. GTA V has earned up to 20% of all readers' attention.

Finally, the fourth most popular topic in gaming today has been Borderlands 2. The highly anticipated sequel, which is scheduled to be released this Tuesday, has grabbed readers' attention so much so that it checks in with an 11% share of the market.

The other 2% that was not accounted for came from other various topics currently happening in the industry.

Some stories will die down in discussion and interest over time, but one thing is for sure, gaming will always be a hot topic.

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Crysis 2

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 in Gaming

If you’re a PC gamer, the Crysis series needs no introduction. If not, you can also play a console version, but that’s like riding a cycle with training wheels and a little boy bell. I’m not a console hater, per se, but I do hate it when a great FPS game is “simplified” for console gamers. Although that’s not really the case here, I’d still prefer not to see an aim-assist option in the game menu. Another thing that can drive you crazy is the lack of a quick save function, something that we PC junkies are used to. But I get ahead of myself.

Crysis 2 is set in New York – in shambles of course. Everyone loves to bring the Big Apple to ruins for some reason, and you can expect a feast of Hollywood-ish destruction. In fact, the game begins with you as a grunt, looking at something trying to destroy the Statue of Liberty, just like every second B-grade disaster movie depicts. I won’t reveal the plot line, because there’s just about enough to begin with, but after a few forced cut scenes and some really corny acting, you end up with a Nanosuit. For the uninitiated, that’s a magical suit forged in the fires of Mordor by an evil wizard named Crynet that makes you want to scream “My precious” and cuddle it close to your body.

Anyway, without giving too much of the plot away again: aliens are involved, they’re mean looking blighters, and would crush you like a cockroach if it weren’t for your precious nanosuit. The suit is alive with AI and protects you with armour, strength and invisibility to fool Sauron’s…err… alien orcs and the human idiots as well.

The good bit of the game comes along when you notice that everything is kept in first person view, though some cut scenes seem to force your head to spin around like the girl from exorcist so that you don’t miss something important. Even upgrades are done by looking at an augmented reality menu on your hand, and twitching a pinkie gives you an extra something or another. Now if only there were a glove controller for the game – that would look and feel more realistic than mouse-clicking the glove.

The maps are actually quite linear, and not really as big as they feel. You’ll always have a voice of some friend or another to guide you along, and also seem to urge you forwards when you slow down to grab a bite to eat (in the real world). How I wish I could yell back at the characters, “Leave me alone, this dead bird isn’t going to eat itself you know!”

The suit is so smart, it auto-magically marks and informs you of targets and dangers, and also of much needed ammo refill stops. What’s next, a suit that does the shooting for you as well?

The game’s not easy, at a moderate level, but it’s no cakewalk either, and enemy AI seems to be pretty decent. Not in Recruit mode though, because then everyone’s IQ drops to under 80 and enemies react about as quickly as a certain president did when the actual New York was under attack.

All of the above may lead you to believe I hated this game, but in truth I enjoyed it a little more than Crysis. What all of the easiness brings is more attention to detail on the part of the gamer, and only when you’re not focussing 24/7 on saving your backside can you look at the screen as a whole and appreciate the lighting effects of the game. Yes, the graphics are pretty good, and in certain areas the lighting is surreal, making you double back to catch that perfect screenshot. It’s also overdone quite a bit in a few places though, but it’s more good than bad. However, hardcore PC enthusiasts will be flabbergasted at the lack of something like an “Insane” graphics setting that would bring the latest hardware to its knees. Damn the consoles, again! “How can Crysis 2 not kill my PC?” you will scream, because part of you wants the graphics to be even better a year from now.

What isn’t bad at all is the music. In fact it’s just brilliance personified, and I’m not just saying this because it’s composed by Hans Zimmer of Hollywood fame – I had no idea who the composer was when I started playing it. If you want to experience how much a good background musical score can mask all flaws in a game, this is a must-play. Money well spent, standing ovation, and all that jazz.

There’s a multiplayer mode of course, and I hear it’s getting rave reviews from some fraggers, but I wouldn’t know because I’d much rather play the campaign again and again. Besides, all the good multi-players (how do you say that?) are probably pulling down settings to bare minimum to get that nanosecond advantage, which just defeats the audio/visual experience of a game that’s known for little else. Plus, it’s like playing Quake III where everyone has invisibility – kind of pointless for multiplayer sissies like me to even attempt.

So what do I think of the game overall? Does it matter? Aren’t you just going to play it anyway? My only recommendation is that even if you own a console, play this game on a PC to fully enjoy what it has to offer, and finally realise how consoles suck when it comes to FPS gaming… Viva la PC!



Details:
Developer: CryTek
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: First Person Shooter
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M
Price: 999 (PC), Rs. 2499 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

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Limbo

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 in Gaming

in times when run-n-gun FPS games rule the roost, Limbo comes as a welcome change. This beautifully crafted indie game offers one of the most interesting gaming experiences, excelling in gameplay, visual and sound design. We think it is one of the best games to come out across any platform over the last 12 months.

Let me start out by saying that Limbo is not for the faint of heart. Its ‘trial and death’ styled learning curve force you to see the game’s boy protagonist being charred, maimed, decapitated, perforated and impaled to death in the most gruesome fashion imaginable. With no special tools at your disposal and a harsh and unforgiving environment that demands every second of your attention, Limbo gives you no quarter if you slack off.

There is no narrative as such. You are a silhouetted boy with bright white eyes who wakes up in the middle of a forest. This forest is full of things, living and non-living, which are most eager to kill you. The controls are dead simple. You use the arrow keys to get around and the control key helps you grab game objects.

But don’t let the simplicity fool you. This beautiful and eerie platformer-cum-physics puzzle has a lot to offer. It’s monochromatic, film-noir environment gives it this unnerving feeling. The background always has something moving in it and even the little blades of grass sway when the boy walks past it.

The game relies heavily on ambient sounds to give the player cues as to how to solve the puzzle. There are a few points when music is there, but those are used to accentuate emotional high-points in the game. In later levels, you must time your moves according to the ticking countdown timer. If you fail to do so might get you killed. But, the game is very forgiving that way. Once you die, the player is immediately taken back to the last checkpoint. So dying in Limbo really isn’t that punishing from a gameplay perspective.

Then again, Limbo doesn’t trivialise death. In fact, it shows you how fragile this boy is. If you make one wrong move, then this boy pays for it. Even though it’s just a black and white, the boy’s death has much more of an emotional impact on you than any ultra-realistic blood red flesh wound you get to see in triple A games.

An average playthough will take between 5-6 hours. The puzzles aren’t simple or tough-as-nails hard. The difficulty is just right and best of all, there aren’t any loading screens! So once you are in Limbo, it is hard to leave it till the very end.

Verdict:
If video games were art, then Limbo would be in the Louvre. Limbo is fun, scary, exciting, well-thought out and engrossing. Sure you’ll get frustrated when you die repeatedly, but that’s what makes Limbo great. Just like life, you have to learn about it the hard way. Download it right now.

Details:
Developer: Playdead
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios (XBLA), Playdead (PC, PSN)
Genre: Puzzle-Platformer
Platforms: PC (Steam), PlayStation 3 (PSN), Xbox 360 (XBLA)
ESRB Rating: T
Price: $10, or roughly Rs. 499 (Steam)

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The Witcher 2

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 in Gaming

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is a direct sequel to a CRPG based on the works of Andrzej Sapkowski and developed by Polish studio CD Projeckt RED. The Witcher was released in 2007 and it was among the most memorable games of its time, mainly due to its fresh take on the genre. In those days, CD Projeckt was a little known studio developing a game based on a modified Aurora Engine that was licensed from Bioware. Going into the sequel, the developers had a brand new, in-house engine and a great deal more renown. Due to the adoption of new tech and all the design changes that went with it, The Witcher 2 feels more like a proper sequel than most of its contemporaries.

A Witcher’s Trade

Apparently to give players the full RED Engine treatment, the designers switched the camera setup from isometric perspective of the first game, to the traditional third-person perspective. This move is rather justified as the game environments are rich, immersive and quite convincing. The other significant difference in the sequel is the combat system that also had to involve with the new camera system. While the combat in the first game was largely control by the mouse, the system employed in the sequel uses a combination of mouse and keyboard. At the launch of the game, the combat system was not as responsive as one would have liked and there were also a few balance issues, especially during the early stages of the game. Since then, CD Projeckt has released a couple of patches to iron out these issues, along with additional free game content for good measure.

Combat mechanics and character development has been both modified and expanded. The character skill tree has four branches, starting with the basic Witcher training which the leads the character into specialization trees that include swordsmanship, alchemy and ‘Sign’ magic. Players are free to either invest the skill points earned at level-up to specialize in one of these branches or to distribute points across all three disciplines. The game’s crafting system has also been expanded to included armor, traps and using of more commonly available crafting material to create rare materials. Many challenges in the game require the player to combine alchemy, crafting, magic and the Witcher’s legendary skills with the blade to be successful.

Moral Ambiguity

The Witcher 2 has carried over that one trait that set the original game apart from the rest of the herd. This game has a multi-arching storyline which is rife in moral ambiguity and is ruthlessly realistic. This time around, the story is even darker as The Witcher is thrown in the middle of a power struggle for the King’s throne, while he struggles with his own personal demons. While most contemporary RPGs are guilty of making the consequences of player’s choice blatantly clear, The Witcher 2 offers no such comfort. The message this game is trying to put across is that even with the best of intentions, a person cannot be an absolute positive force in the world. Like they say, “The path to hell is paved with good intentions”.



Details
Developer: CD Projeckt
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Genre: RPG
Platforms: PC
ESRB Rating: M
Price: Rs. 1,499

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FIFA 12

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 in Gaming

FIFA 11 was a very strange game, in that it brought out a myriad of reactions – often polar opposites – from us at different times during the game experience. The convergence of the offline game modes into one Career mode was a welcome move, as was the move to a less-automated passing system. The superhuman defenders and numerous bugs, however, were routinely subject to deluges of expletive-filled outbursts. Ultimately though, FIFA 11 wasn't a significant enough upgrade over its predecessor to warrant a purchase, even if it was drastically different.

EA Sports have looked to change that with FIFA 12, as one might have noticed with all the pre-release “best FIFA ever” talk. We dismissed that as the perennial hype machine, but come September 30 we were actually left wondering if we were a little too quick in our dismissal of the claim, with the biggest reasons for that being the changes in gameplay.


Be more precise, crouch

FIFA's gameplay changes have followed a bit of a trend recently. In their quest to get ever-closer to realism, EA Sports have focused on a particular aspect of football each year. Two years ago, 360-degree dribbling was introduced, and last year it was the passing system that got a revamp. This year, it's the turn of the aspect that has stayed pretty much untouched for more than a decade now – defending.

If you thought defending in FIFA 12, like in every other recent FIFA, would be about holding down the A or X button (or the D key) to press and tackle the opponent, think again. Tactical Defending, as the feature is called, takes the focus away from pressing and closing down to a more positioning and timing based system. You are encouraged to intercept the ball, or contain the opponent in a specific area to stifle the attack.


Terry's gone tactical

This has been done via a change in the control scheme. The press button is now the contain button, which makes a defender try and limit a player's movements instead on homing in on their target. Once you get as close as you can, it is up to you to jockey, tackle or have a tug at the shirt sleeves if you fancy that. Defenders commit completely to tackles now though, so you risk being left eating dirt if you don't time them properly. It obviously takes some getting used to, especially considering how long we've been using the old system, but once you get the hang of it, defending becomes a very rewarding experience. However, worry not if you fail to do so, think it's too tough or just can't get yourself to like Tactical Defending – there is an option to switch back to the legacy system.

The game pace has been lowered too and that makes a huge impact on the next feature, Precision Dribbling. It aims to give you more control of how your player dribbles in close quarters, moving to a more precise style when under pressure from a defender. Deft touches and minute direction changes have been made possible, as has slowing down and going eye-to-eye with a defender while you decide your next move. What this does is give players a lot more time on the ball, which was one of our primary complaints about previous editions of FIFA. No longer does playing at a high enough difficulty level make the game a ping-pong, second-touch pass exhibition. Precision Dribbling, along with the 360-degree movement, makes the game a much better experience.

That cannot be said about the new Impact Engine though, which changes the way player model physics is handled. This addition hoped to redefine interaction between the players on the pitch, be it jostling, tackling or jumping for a header, which earlier depended on canned animations. It works pretty well for the most part, making collisions look quite painful, but on occasions ends up causing some unintentional laughter or rage with some pretty hilarious or unfortunate outcomes. Defenders fall over each other, teammates collide head-on etc. – which is all well and good when it doesn't lead to your team conceding a vital goal.


What happens after this will look painful

Now that we've gotten the core gameplay out of the way, let's talk a little about what you can actually do in the game. Offline game modes haven't changed much, with the Career Mode where you can take on the task of being a Player, a Player-Manager or a Manager and craft your career. Unfortunately, what has also not changed much is the fact that it is riddled with bugs. If you're a player, you never get substituted – even if you're extremely low on energy or are carrying a minor injury – and this leads to fixtures where the manager says he's forced to completely rest you because you were looking tired out there. Hey boss, if I looked so tired out there, why didn't you just sub me out, instead of taking off my relatively fresher strike partner? On the Manager side of things, players sent out on loan do not improve like they should, which kind of defeats the purpose of sending them away in the first place. Overwriting the default tactics of a team will corrupt your save and youth development is a bit too effective, not to mention the friendly AI in the Be A Pro mode runs around in a manner that can only be likened to headless chickens. But hey, at least we got more transfer activity and a cool new transfer deadline screen that has the Sky Sports logo on it!


It's a crowd

Online carries a few minor changes, like making one select their team and difficulty level before searching for opponents, instead of the other way round. Ultimate Team – which was a DLC in previous editions – is now a free-to-play trading card game but again, it's filled with bugs. Probably the most broken online mode, however, is the head-to-head because of a very unfortunate exploit. Ranked matches make players use Tactical Defending, but people are making use of a feature which lets them control the keeper and let the AI defend. This means we're pretty much facing the AI online, which is kind of stupid because if we wanted to do that, we'd just play offline.


Flying high

Presentation is just what we've come to expect from EA Sports, though it hasn't changed much from FIFA 11. There's a new highlight reel-like intro sequence for matches, which is pretty neat, but some celebrations look awkward thanks to the wonky physics. Andy Gray is missing from commentary as Martin Tyler's partner following his firing over sexist comments, and he is replaced by Alan Smith. Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend are also present as the voices for cup fixtures.

Conclusion
FIFA 12's gameplay is extremely solid and is only a few Impact Engine tweaks away from being excellent, but the numerous bugs and issues that plague both the offline and online game modes are quite the mood killers. One can only hope patches are on the way, but we've seen EA Sports do this year after year, and there are no signs that lead us to believe this year is any different.

The bottom line, though, is that FIFA 12 is a great game when you get on the pitch and actually play football. The off-the-pitch issues are what plague it most, which sort of makes it realistic and close to real-life, just not in a way EA Sports – and certainly not the way the fans – expected it to.



Details:
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Sports/Football
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Also available on: Wii, PSP, 3DS, iOS, Mac OS X, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Vita, Xperia Play.
Rating: Everyone
Price: Rs. 999 (PC), Rs. 2499 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

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Dead Island

Wednesday, September 26, 2012 in Gaming

Admit it, at some point in your life you have always dreamed of being involved in a zombie apocalypse. Something to get your blood flowing, adrenaline pumping and heart racing as you go around pounding the zombies to a pulp with your bare fists and any improvised weapon that you can lay your grimy paws on! Dead Island allows you to do just that. A no nonsense RPG zombie basher, this game is a nice change from the hard-hitting, gritty games currently available.

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B-grade horror movie fans are in for a treat. Movies like Dawn of the Dead engender a weird fascination, there is just something in the ridiculous nature of those movies that pique are interest, make us want to watch them. In the course of the movie, all that corny voice-acting, the screaming and shrieking, the insanely gruesome and bloody fighting scenes, all seem par for the course. This is true for Dead Island as well. The story and fighting play out very much like the aforementioned movies but seem very natural and integral to the experience.

The landscape is lush and beautiful holiday destination but eerily silent at the same time, giving a true sense of calamity and a sense of being alone in a very hostile world. Zombies are plentiful, but so are the weapons. You can use anything from blocks of wood to crowbars and sickles to dismember and behead the zombies that are desperately trying to make a meal of you.

The Game

You're on an island on a vacation. Suddenly people are turning into zombies. You are immune and can save “The World”, so to speak.

You start off by choosing one of four characters specializing in blunt, sharp, throwing and ranged weapons. Each character will have certain advantages as well as disadvantages regarding speed and stamina and so on. You gain XP points as you progress, killing zombies and completing tasks, not to mention bonus points for critical hits and breakage of bones. These points can then be invested in a tech tree to develop your character in true RPG style. Unfortunately the character development is not too deep and there really isn't much difference among the 4 characters.

As mentioned earlier, you are immune to the zombie disease. Because of this, you, and your 3 other friends if you're playing co-op, are sent out into to perform various tasks “essential” for the survival of the survivors. The tasks range from rescuing certain people, to finding miscellaneous odds and ends to assist in your escape to finding medical and food supplies, etc. The odd thing here is that despite there being piles of supplies all over the place, you still have to go to specific locations and pick up exactly those piles of supplies that are marked for retrieval.

The island is actually quite large, requiring alternate modes of transport. This is where the vehicles come in. The vehicle handling is a bit hit and miss, but overall, it is fun to go around ploughing through masses of zombies as they stumble about minding their own business and chewing on the guts of their fallen comrades! The vehicles also come in very handy for completing various tasks such as transporting people and picking up some of those essential supplies required to survive any zombie apocalypse.

All is not well in the game though. There are a lot of bugs and clipping issues. Sometimes certain mission objectives are not achieved simply because some arbitrary trigger hasn't been tripped. This can get very frustrating in certain missions as you literally run back and forth trying to figure out what you missed. The weapons in the game are very interesting and satisfying to use. They can be modified on a workbench using various blueprints that you get your hands on. While this is a lot of fun, the weapons degrade as you use them. This would normally not be a problem, but when your weapon can barely survive cleaving through half a dozen zombies or so, its not really that much fun anymore. What is the point of wielding a baseball bat implanted with a head of nails when you can't use it for more than 5 minutes at a time?

Conclusion

All said and done, Dead Island is a surprisingly good game. It borrows a lot of elements from games like Left 4 Dead and Dead Rising, but it manages to provide a unique experience in its own right. A few glaring flaws really bring down the experience, however, the first time you get punched in the face by a level 7 thug and go flying into the air to land sprawled on your back, all will be forgiven as you pick yourself from the dirt, grab a nearby shovel, and proceed to demonstrate to the zombie what life is all about!

Details:
Developer: Techland
Publisher: Deep Silver
Genre: First person horror action-adventure RPG
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
ESRB Rating: M
Price: Rs. 2299 approx (Steam)

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