Tag Archives: PC

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Hands-on Preview

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There’s no doubt that the past year of RPG gaming has been an interesting mix. Notable releases include the obvious: The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, Witcher 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and FF XIII. It seems that the RPG market is suddenly overflowing with quality and a sense of rejuvenation. Enter debut developer 38 Studios and their bold plans with Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning.

In case you were unaware, 38 Studios was founded by former professional baseball pitcher Curt Schilling, who has, on his staff, Todd McFarlane- the man who brought us Spawn- and they are planning on using their first title to break a few of the RPG genre’s oldest rules.

After a few hours of hands-on time with the game’s demo (available now) it is clear that the world of Amalur and the characterization of its people have been carved out in painstaking historical detail. As a result of this work, Amalur is not just epic in scale- it contains five massive areas including Forest, Coastal and Desert regions, along with more than 150 hand-crafted dungeons) - but ambition too.

As par for the course, the game begins in conventional RPG fashion- choosing your character from four playable races. In Reckoning players can choose from the Human (Almain), Elvish (both the Dark Dokkalfar and Light Ljosalfar), and the nomadic Varani – all of which having specialties with certain attributes (combat, magic, etc.).

After choosing your hero the avatar can then be customized for appearance, before embarking into the game's mammoth single-player challenge, which is estimated to last more than 40 hours- and that’s excluding the hundreds of optional side-quests.

All this brings us to the combat elements of the game. Combat in Reckoning is, by no means, the game's most distinctive feature- but it just may be the feature that gamers will be talking about the most.

Reckoning uses a combination of simple hack and slash combat (controller buttons mapped to weapons such as swords, bows or magic staffs) with quick-time events for boss battles and finishing moves. The result of this combination is a hybrid combat system that will have many players describing it as very “God of War” esque.

Granted, this system of combat may not please hardcore fans of RPG gaming, but it's a system capable of some impressive combos. Of particular note is the use of this combat within the game’s "Reckoning Mode" - time slows down, moves can be chained together, and players can expect some serious in-game eye candy.

However, while a lot of game time will inevitably be spent in combat and questing, Reckoning's most innovative feature is its creative mythology- specifically the inclusion of concepts such as “Fates” & “Destinies” which allow the player more choice in the game’s environment, but carry the potential to have a profound effect on the gameplay depending on how they are approached.

With elements such as these, Reckoning takes a different approach from most RPG character progression models. Players start the game able to take three main paths – Might, Finesse, or Sorcery. Each of these paths contain around twenty upgradeable abilities. However, at any leveling-up point players can choose to specialize areas other than their main focus- allowing for the creation of hybrid characters that may combine abilities from all of the three paths.

Now, it remains to be seen whether such a dynamic form of character development will empower or over-complicate gameplay, but the developers believe it enforces a kind of open world realism and flexibility which has so-far been unseen in main-stream RPG’s.

This flexibility even extends to other areas of the gameplay. There are, for example, also nine non-combat skills – some which have unexpected affects on the gameplay., For instance, improving a character's stealth abilities does introduce some incredible stealth kills, but it also opens up career paths like pick-pocketing, which are more corrupt in nature.

So, how pleased are gamers of the “immediate gratification” generation going to be with a game that so easily thwarts simple summaries?

I don’t want to prophesize that Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning will “raise the bar” or completely “innovate” the RPG, but the game does bring something different to the genre. It’s a world of beauty and horror – it presents gamers with a frightening situation that is worth fighting against and gives players the tools needed to stand in the fight.

To me, Reckoning sounds like just the kind of game to get 2012 off to a good start- at least in the realm of RPG.

As always, thanks for reading! Remember, we're a community and you're an essential part of that! Join in by commenting on the articles, leaving your opinion in the forums, listening to the podcast, and following us on Twitter!

Cheers!
JohnnyWayne_
Twitter: @JohnnyWayne_

Resident Evil 6: Details Beyond the Trailer…

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For fans of the series, it’s been way too long since Resident Evil 5 was released, and Capcom just whetted our appetites with their release of the first RE6 trailer. This footage reveals three minutes of cut scenes and gameplay- and shows off a few new characters from within the upcoming game.

However, much more information exists about this game than what lies within the trailer...

Executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, producer Yoshiaki Hirabayashi and director Eiichiro Sasaki, recently revealed a nice amount of additional information about the game- and it is enough to get anyone excited about this upcoming installment of Resident Evil- a series that some consider to be the epitome of survival horror gaming.

Capcom admits that Resident Evil 6 has been in development in secrecy for a number of years and has the largest development team since the series’ start. The staff currently sits at approximately 150 people, but if the contributing parties were to be included, the number of people involved could be as high as 600... that’s a lot of creative input- and it has many long-time fans of the series wondering about the direction RE6 will be taking.

This time around Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield will fill the role of protagonists- and while RE6’s story is split between two main characters, Chris and Leon’s plot lines will progress simultaneously. However, Capcom has released information regarding an additional main character- an unnamed man who they describe as "the man who's told to save the world"... it’s safe to assume that gamers’ interest is piqued.

Zombies are returning for the sixth game, but there are, in classic Resident Evil fashion, new monsters being introduced into the series as well. One of these enemies is the regenerating “Javo” which is receiving a lot of buzz surrounding this game at the moment. However, it seems that the monsters will be a focus of later teaser trailers due to the lack of information on them at this point.

Kobayashi also promised that Resident Evil 6 would focus more on fear this time, as many players have been begging the return of this element in the series. This is however quite contrasting what another Capcom exec said recently about wanting to attract the “Call of Duty” crowd with a more action oriented approach. Nevertheless, the developers have released comments which dictate that they are producing the game with a sense of fluidity in its action, but a focus on the horror which created the series’ success. And, while many have their own personal doubts about whether or not “horror” will actually be the game’s focus, it does have fans hopeful that the game will return to its roots- instead of continuing to be “action oriented” as the series has been in recent titles (namely, RE5).

So, in short, here’s what we know so far:

  • Leon and Chris will work together as protagonists. They are both playable, and for the first time in the series' history, these two characters will be in a same game.
  • The game is action/horror oriented. Capcom is calling it ‘dramatic horror’. The game will have diverse shooting, more than just the traditional Resident Evil over-the-shoulder gameplay style. 
  • The game is set 10 years after the Racoon city incident.
  • There will be other playable characters who have yet to be named (one of them "the man who's told to save the world").
  • Co-op mode has been confirmed.
  • The game is being presented, at this time, as a globe-traversing adventure.
  • There will be a drastically improved, and much more fluid melee combat system

Resident Evil 6 is set to be released on November 20th of 2012 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 (with the PC version to follow at a later date). You can view the 3+ minute trailer mentioned in the article by clicking here: RE6 Trailer.

As always, thanks for reading and following our site; feel free to leave your thoughts! You can always chat with me on twitter at @JohnnyWayne_ and our Podcast at @GRPodcast.

Cheers! 

JohnnyWayne_

Bioshock Infinite- Can “Fragmenting Reality” Innovate the Series?

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Let’s get something out of the way- the original Bioshock game was incredible.

The game released at a time when FPS games were becoming run of the mill “go here and blow this up” shooters. Bioshock set itself apart by taking the most exciting elements of FPS gameplay and refocusing the format into an immense, masterfully created universe- while simultaneously creating what has been argued to be one of the best story lines in modern video-gaming history.

Irrational Games has an uncanny ability to produce their Bioshock series with a fluid connection between art, gameplay, and character creation. Because of this, many gamers are incredibly excited about the upcoming third installment in the series- Bioshock Infinite. Even more, however, are questioning whether or not the innovations of the gameplay, specifically the ability to “fragment reality” will be an improvement to the game, or its downfall.

First, a bit of background for newcomers (feel free to skip a few paragraphs if you've played previous titles):

Moving away from the confines of Rapture's dystopia, Infinite takes place in the expansive city of Columbia; a city built in the sky. The city started as a place of wealth and prosperity, but has become one of anarchy after an attack by the citizens on a group of bystanders down below. After this attack the city was exiled, leaving the citizens (and the city itself) isolated, floating around the upper reaches of the atmosphere. This, of course, leads to civil unrest and a city at war.

Infinite's story begins with your character being tasked by mysterious individuals to infiltrate this lost city and rescue a girl named Elizabeth. This girl, in particular her abilities, have become the source of much attention by the two opposing forces in Columbia (those who have become engaged in this civil war).

Elizabeth has the ability to control fragments of an alternate reality- she can use those fragments to fabricate materials and conjure various entities which are incredibly helpful to both herself and your in-game character. She can for instance, create makeshift cover in front of your character, saving you from a barrage of bullets or conjure a storm of electricity to dispose of enemies blocking your path.

According to what has been released about the game so far, Elizabeth is not directly controlled, but rather reacts naturally to the environment and provides gamers with the choice to use her abilities in times of need. However, as with all things Irrational Games related, there is a twist- using these powers come at a cost.

Fragmenting reality will hurt and damage Elizabeth when you choose to use her abilities.

Thus, utilizing Elizabeth’s abilities becomes a matter of morality- do you make your journey through the game easier at her expense, or trudge through without her help, albeit with a feeling of heroism and good-will?

Bioshock Infinite is a very interesting concept. The game will obviously retain a lot of the natural Bioshock charm, but at this stage of pre-release does cause long-time fans to pause and speculate as to whether or not this “fragmenting of reality” will be a benefit or hindrance to the series. In a game that has proven itself to be solid on all previous occasions, some are calling this mechanic an unnecessary element of change, while others praise Irrational Games for their creativity.

Hopefully the option to use this ability will be just that- an option. I sincerely expect Irrational Games to put the choice in the hands of the gamer; and, if this is the case it shouldn’t change any of the elements which have made the series such a success. If, however, there are moments in the gameplay where using this ability is not optional, but rather forced, I can see this being a very large problem for long-time fans of the game.

As always, thanks for reading and feel free to comment with your own thoughts and opinions.

Cheers!

JohnnyWayne_

Chat with me on Twitter via @JohnnyWayne_ and our podcast via @GRPodcast

Battlefield 3 vs. Modern Warfare 3? Let’s Drop the “Versus”

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As a guy who sincerely enjoys his FPS games, I am incredibly disheartened by the raging fanboy attitude of gamers towards these two upcoming titles. Why does every opinion have to include the word “versus”? These two titles are both going to be huge sellers... and honestly, if you are so jaded in your opinion that you are taking sides with one or the other, the only thing being sold short is yourself.

So, in lieu of this “versus” attitude, let’s get honest for a moment, lay the cards out on the table, step back and approach the topic with a sense of reality.

First, why all the fan-rivalry? Don’t get me wrong here, rivalry is a great thing: it makes the developers work harder to create a better product. But why only pick one game or the other? Honestly, if two blockbuster movies were to release simultaneously, you might see one before the other, but would you never watch the other film? Of course not; so why retain this attitude about your gaming experience?

I have always found this side of the video game industry to be both confusing and amusing. Here we have two games with incredible potential. They contain similar, yet individualized gameplay features, campaigns based around modern military conflict, and incredibly socialized online environments... yet extremist gaming fanboys from both sides seemingly take a vow of exclusion never to “lower themselves” to play the other.

Here’s a “Call of Duty" to playing games on a “Battlefield” – drop the attitude folks. Both games are going to be great. Both games are going to be fun. Both games will innovate and update the genre in their own fashion. This cult-like attitude of picking a camp and never traversing to the other is a plague to our community of gaming. Rivalry is fine, but this narrow-minded brand devotion and gamer-trashing seems to be a bit over the top when you consider what you are arguing about.

The way I see it, in reality, the only real rivalry for these two games is in their competitive marketing campaigns. Battlefield and Call of Duty occupy the same general niche’ in the gaming market. Thus, these two titles are explicitly competing for your money to purchase their respectful product. Nevertheless, do you honestly believe that either Activision or Electronic Arts (EA) would be offended if all of us went out and bought both of these games? I think it’d be safe to argue no here. However, what this does translate into is a competition for “staying power.” Since both EA and Activision know we are looking to buy their games, a competition to see who can make their game resonate with players in continued usage. Therefore, I reiterate that this competition is a wonderful thing- at the end of the day we should all be appreciative that these companies are competing to create games which hold our attention through their social nature and replay value.

Maintaining an affable sense of rivalry and competition is healthy- always has been and always will be. As these companies and developers compete they push each other to create better products.

Yes, Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 will obviously contain differences which are individual to their series. However, the competition between the two titles should remain within the companies themselves. Let these two powerhouse publishers push each other. Let their rivalry spawn creativity and gameplay innovations. But let the rivalry end within the companies themselves. We should be growing our community stronger by enjoying these games, not chastising those who choose to play something different than what we choose ourselves. So, if you’re a gamer who likes his or her FPS titles, you have a choice to make in late October and early November. But remember two things: buying both is actually a choice (in case you hadn’t realized that yet), and others gamers aren’t your enemy.

As always, thanks or reading. Remember, we're a community and you're an essential part of that! Join in on the RioT by commenting on the articles, leaving your opinion in the forums, listening to the podcast, and following us on Twitter!

Cheers!

JohnnyWayne_

Sexism in FPS Gaming: A Trend Worth Stopping

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For the most part, guy gamers are a welcoming lot. Most of the time when I find myself in a lobby with “GIJane,” “Mocha_Mandy,” “annies_gotta_gun,” and the rest of the [G!RL] clan the guys in the lobby are very hospitable and things end up being a lot of fun. In fact, if I’m being honest some of the best times I ever have in FPS games have been, hands down, when female gamers come into the lobbies. This environment creates a much more universally fun aspect to the experience of gaming by bringing in an “unexpected” social environment.

Nevertheless, why is it that so many male gamers are disrespectful towards girls in online video game lobbies, especially FPS games, before and after a match? Is it because some guys think that first-person shooter games are gender specific, and that girls should stick with playing stereotypical “girly games”? Or, is it because there is an allure of invisibility to the world of gaming; one which provides hecklers with an opportunity to say whatever they want without the repercussions?

These Moms will top the boards in Black Ops.

In my experience, negativity typically begins in the FPS realm as certain guys feel the need to give condescending “gameplay tips” or make Duke Nukem-esque comments (and we all know how things worked out for that guy's career...). This is especially true when there is a female gamer at the top of the scoreboard. Male gamers HATE to lose to female gamers.

I don’t get it... getting outplayed should bother us, but it should bother us in a way that makes us want to get better, not hate our competition. This is especially true when the hate is simple based on differences of gender. Just because video games hold a “male dominated” stigma doesn’t mean male gamers should get infuriated to being bested by female gamers. Look, my wife has never once thrown a spatula across the kitchen in a fit of rage because I made a great tasting dinner... she just says “damn, good job!” and enjoys the spoils of my success at the grill. Correspondingly, I have never once thrown a controller across my man-cave when she scored higher in a free-for-all than I did...I just say “damn, good job!” and sit back to listen to all the trolls with lower KDR’s when we get back into the lobby.

Now, it’d be easy to say that sexism in gaming is “just teenage boys making stupid comments”, but I believe that to be a misguided and oversimplified notion. You see, gaming isn’t just for teenagers anymore. Gone are the days of video games being reserved for middle school children who are good at math and computer science and are forced to sit at the “nobody” table. Gaming has evolved and with that evolution has created its own niche and become popular amongst a much wider age bracket than the video games of yesteryear. Correspondingly, the typical “average age” of the modern gamer is now between 15-28. Now, let’s don’t get all Chris Hansen "To Catch a Predator" here. These observations are not to say that all 28 year old men in a Call of Duty lobby are putting down, degrading, and hitting on 16 year old girls... but if you're a gamer who has a sense of maturity about you (no matter what your age) and you are tolerating those who disparage girl gamers, what does this say about you? And what kind of precedent does this set?

All in all, nobody likes to be patronized, nobody likes masochism, and it is inarguable that the world of gaming would be a much better place if these two mindsets were non-existent. But, alas, negative attitudes do exist, and the only way to stop stupidity is by taking action: kick out of the lobbies those to choose to show off their lack of knowledge, or simply press the handy “mute” button so that the only person they can talk to is their ignorant selves. Obviously, the only thing these types of comments do is make it even more difficult for girls to recognize themselves as gamers...is this really what we want as the future of gaming?? I mean think about it, without female gamers, we would never have situations like this…

 

httpv://youtu.be/_eJmYKN_1QE

Extra geek cred for appearances by a rapping Seth Green,
Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff and Stan Lee.

 

At the end of the day, we all have the same goal: to have fun playing our favorite games while striving to possibly find ourselves at the top of a scoreboard every once in a while. So, I leave with this: as a guy, it has always been my personal observation that things work out much better in the long-run when you leave a lady remembering you as the provider of a good experience... why should this rule be any different in the world of gaming?

 

Cheers,

JohnnyWayne_

Twitter: @JohnnyWayne_


 

Dead Island, Welcome to Paradise

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Dead Island is a game being developed by Techland, and it has a lot of people excited includng me. Especially after the games announcement trailer which consisted of zero game-play, but was so well done and entertaining that it started quite a buzz around the internet. It was a short video playing mostly in reverse of a family that was trying to survive the sudden outbreak of zombies on the island. Its a must see, so here it is.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Old41bsSXU

Now after that trailer I was thinking to myself WOW this is gonna be great. I can't wait to see some real game-play for this game. Fortunately we got another trailer just the other day that including some game-play.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZKvp-13j-E

Who knew that you could make killing zombies look so pretty.

Now lets get onto the features of Dead Island. It's got the always fun first person melee combat. Which is a big part of the game. Theres lots of hacking and slashing to level up your character. Because at the start your a zombie slaying noob who can get winded after just a few swings of your weapon so you want to choose your attacks wisely. Until you grind out enough XP where you can just unleash fury at your disgression. Dead Island also has four player co-op in which friends can join and drop at any point online. It also has weapon customization in which you can upgrade and enhance weapons throughout the game by taking them to workbenches and tweaking them. The weapons also have durability and will require constant repair. One of the coolest features of Dead Island is its set in an open world that's free to be explored. Sweet!!!

Check out the latest interview featuring about 10 minutes of open world gameplay.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DwWp_HN5fM

We'll be able to get our hands on Dead Island on August 1st on PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. Hopefully I'll see you all in Banoi.

Duke Nukem Forever Is Coming Out In May.. I Mean June….

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Duke Nukem Forever is just a couple months away. I can't wait to punch an alien in the jewels and tickle doors that look like a..uhmmm....a well nevermind. The game is full of hilarity and is finally coming out this year. At least were all hoping it's going to be released this year. It's probably just a big hoax and they never really had any intentions of releasing the game. Who knows until we actually have the game in our consoles or PC's and were actually playing it. Until then, enjoy the guys over at Gearbox having some fun with the release date.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6fFKkmIrWM&feature=player_embedded

Lego Star Wars III

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The Lego games have always been fun to sit down and play. There's just something rewarding about smashing little brick people into smithereens.  Now with Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars coming out today for all the gaming consoles and your PC. Your wondering to yourself should I rush out the door and risk exposure to the sun to play a Lego game. Well if you wanna play as Lando Calrissian you better butter up with some SPF15.

That's right! you can play as the suave Lando Calrissian in the third installment of the Lego Star Wars series. I mean who wouldn't want to play as Lando is beyond me. Everyone wants to play as the person who betrays their friends. Oh wait, well at least he made up for it.

Aside from Lando being a playable character this time around the game looks really good for being based in the Lego Universe. I mean just check out the screen shots.

But do keep in mind it is another Lego game. Which is both good and bad. The Lego games will always get a few good laughs out of you while enjoying a pretty solid game play experience. They do seem to lack the replayability that can justify a purchase from me. So I recommend buying it if you absolutely love the Lego Universe games. For the rest of us toss it on your gamefly queue. It's worth a play through at the very least.

Portal 2

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"Portal 2 is Valve's most innovative title and will be launched with a first-class campaign this April," said Doug Lombardi,Valve's vice president of marketing. Now, that's what I like to hear from a marketing director. Hopefully it's true because this title just seems ripe for so many new features and gameplay quirks.

The Numero Uno thing that has me excited is the vast potential of the co-op. I can see countless hours of staring blankly at the monitor and scratching my head as a buddy and I try to figure out a puzzle. Hopefully, I don't go through multiple keyboards trying to figure some out. Fortunately, none of the puzzles in the first Portal were extremely hard. Some may have taken some toying around or trial and error but they were more than manageable.  Despite that, they instilled you with a good sense of accomplishment once completed.  There's nothing like putting a portal on the ceiling and then one right underneath your feet to create an endless loop of falling until you built up enough momentum to launch yourself to another platform or area. The original game was chock full of fun and humor from beginning to end, thanks to your instructor, GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System), guiding you along.

So get out there and preorder Portal 2 and show some love for the innovative and creative titles. Supporting titles like this ensure more are developed in the future. The number one thing the game companies are going to listen to is your wallet, no matter how much they say they're listening to the fans.

Portal 2 is coming out April 21st on PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3. Steam even has a "5 bucks off" deal if you preorder now.

Portal 2 might even have CAKE.