Watch Dogs: Is the Hate Deserved?

Watch Dogs: Is the Hate Deserved?

Posted by on Jun 3, 2014 in featured |

You’ve probably read all the buzz about Watch Dogs but in case you haven’t, here’s the short version: there’s a lot of hate for it. This weekend I decided to try it out and see if that hate is well-deserved or not.

First of all, I’m among those who suffered random crashes to desktop on the PC version. I noticed that it was eating up a lot of memory, which would in turn crash when it couldn’t take any more. So scratch trying the game out on PC.

Next stop: Xbox 360. No stability or performance issues there. The game was playable and stable. I did find one major bug though. One of the side missions refused to acknowledge completion so I ended up creating my own workaround for it. Specifically, a gang hideout mission ends by either killing all the bad guys or moving away from the mission area. I did the former but got no completion notice. After reloading and retrying, the same thing was happening. I decided to try the latter. I knocked the target out then walked away from mission area. Success! I then went back and killed everybody anyway.

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Review: Remember Me

Posted by on Aug 4, 2013 in Reviews |

I first heard of Remember Me by accident. I was browsing for wallpapers and found a couple of futuristic cityscapes that I liked.

The pictures eventually led to looking up where they came from and that’s how I found out about the game. I chose it over Deadpool when it came out, deliberately ignoring reviews about both games so that I had no external influences. If I was going to regret the choice then I’d rather discover it myself.

The early impressions I posted about the game persisted until the end so I’m just going to summarize them. The graphics are very impressive, providing immersive environments that just beg to be explored. Unfortunately the linear level design prevented me from doing so. To make things worse there were times when I was fighting the camera. Fine, I can’t explore. Then I find out I can’t even look?

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Review: Dishonored

Review: Dishonored

Posted by on Oct 27, 2012 in Commentary, Reviews |

Dishonored 2012-11-03 11-32-07-59

Dishonored is a stealth action game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. You are Corvo Attano, former Lord Protector-turned-prisoner, framed for the assassination of the very Empress you were supposed to protect. With the assistance of allies who arrange a prison breakout, you are tasked with uncovering the truth, finding the real perpetrators and enacting justice.

At the heart of Dishonored’s gameplay is the idea of choice. You are informed very early on that taking a more violent approach will result in a darker ending. This is but one of the many decisions that you will make as you play. Similar to Deus Ex there are often multiple ways to solve the problems the game throws at you. For example, to open a locked door you can kill a guard and take his key. You can also knock him unconscious and achieve the same result. Would you forgo the door altogether and try to find another way in, like through a window? Or maybe possessing a rat then finding a hole to run through is a better solution? You are rarely left with a single route when it comes to getting to what you want or where you need to be.

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Share the Reaper Love This Valentine’s Day with the Mass Effect 3 Demo

Posted by on Jan 19, 2012 in News, Press Releases |

EDMONTON, Alberta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Award-winning developer BioWare, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA), announced today that the demo for 2012’s first blockbuster game, Mass Effect™ 3 will be available beginning February 14, 2012. The extensive demo will allow players to experience the all-out galactic war against an ancient alien race known as the Reapers from multiple fronts, including the mind-blowing opening attack on Earth that kicks off the single-player campaign. Players will go deeper into the campaign and also get a taste of the franchise’s new co-operative multiplayer mode as they preview the epic story, adrenaline-pumping action and deep customization options that lie ahead when Mass Effect 3launches on March 6, 2012. The Mass Effect 3 demo will be available for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC.Mass Effect 3 will also be one of the first pre-launch demos to support full voice recognition functionality on Kinect™ for Xbox 360.

“We are excited to be able to give gamers an expansive demo that will put them right on the front lines of this all-out galactic war,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series. “The entire scale of the game is bigger than anything we’ve ever done. With its intense action, deep customization and raw emotional power, Mass Effect 3 will deliver a spectacular action RPG experience to fans of the series and newcomers alike.”

In Mass Effect 3, players will be thrust into an all-out galactic war to take Earth back and save the entire galaxy, assuming the role of Commander Shepard, a war-torn veteran who’s willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate this nearly unstoppable foe. With a team of elite, battle-hardened soldiers at your side, each player decides how they will take Earth back, from the weapons and abilities they utilize to the relationships they forge or break. Mass Effect 3 also features a new co-operative gameplay mode that allows fans to experience the war from a different perspective. Players who want to try this new mode will be able to do so on February 17, or by qualifying for early access to the co-op portion of the demo which begins February 14. Gamers qualify for early access if they have activated their Battlefield 3™ online pass* or though other opportunities that will be announced in the near futurewww.masseffect.com.

Recently named by over 100 outlets around the world as one of the most anticipated games of 2012, including winning the fan-voted Most Anticipated Game of 2012 award at the Spike TV VGAs, Mass Effect 3 is available for pre-order now at participating retailers. Fans who pre-order** have the opportunity to arm themselves with cutting-edge in-game weapons and armor to prepare for the all-out galactic war. Mass Effect 3 arrives on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC in North America on March 6, 2012 and in Europe on March 9, 2012. For more information on Mass Effect 3, please visit http://masseffect.com, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/masseffect or “like” the game on Facebook athttp://facebook.com/masseffect.

* Conditions and restrictions apply. Early access requirement and availability may differ by platform and/or region. See www.masseffect.com for more details.

** Conditions and restrictions apply. See http://masseffect.bioware.com/me3/game/preorderbonus/ for more details.

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Uncharted 3 Details Revealed

Uncharted 3 Details Revealed

Posted by on Dec 10, 2010 in News |

uncharted-3-village-art

The subtitle is Drake’s Deception.

The next iteration of the series will see its hero, Nathan Drake, exploring the Arabian Peninsula and the Rub’al Khali Desert in search of a legendary lost city called Iram of the Pillars. The plot will draw upon the experiences of real-life historical figure, British Navy officer, and part-time pirate Sir Francis Drake, who is Nathan Drake’s ancestor in the Uncharted canon. The story is also inspired by the pre-military days of T.E. Lawrence, who was an archaeologist before he was Lawrence of Arabia.

[Source]

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