Gears of War 3 Beta Impressions

Roughly 15 years ago when I first began playing team-based competitive multiplayer in online games, I learned very quickly that I lack team coordination and strategy. Against a well coordinated team, this simply means that I suck, and things certainly haven't changed in the present.

Put me in a 1v1 real time strategy game, and all your bases will belong to me. Put me in a first person shooter free for all, and I will hold my own. Put me in a team-based game like the Gears of War 3 Beta that's just wrapping up, and I'll get a Retro Lancer bayonet up my butt consistently in every match.

I came into the Gears of War 3 Beta at the end of its third week, and I've only played about a dozen games, so this truly is an impressions article and not a be all end all judgement of what we can expect with the retail game this Fall.

I mainly played with a Party of Friends in Team Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and a few Capture the Leader matches. In Team Death Match your team starts with a pool of lives and you keep respawning until the pool is gone. King of the Hill is as you'd expect it and Capture the Leader requires you to down and then hold on to the opposing teams Leader to rack up points. Torque Bow Tag was also added in right at the Beta's end.

In addition to the tried and true franchise weapons that make a return, new weapons are added to the fray. The Sawed-off Shotgun and Retro Lancer you can begin with and were extremely common in all the games I played. The Sawed-off Shotgun is a double barrel weapon that will be an instant kill if you land the shot, but if you miss you need to reload which will likely result in your own death. The Retro Lancer is a Lancer from the Pendulum Wars era and is less accurate at long distances and has a traditional bayonet that you can charge and spear enemies with for a great kill animation.

New power weapons I was repeatedly killed with was the Oneshot, a super Sniper Rifle that can fire through cover and will kill you with a single blast, and the Digger, a weapon that launches a Grenade that burrows underground to pop up on a target, blasting them to bits. There's also a new Incendiary Grenade that burns up targets real well.

As you continue to play you earn Ribbons which are similar in concept to Medals found in Halo: Reach, and completing matches, earning Ribbons, and killing enemies with specific weapons unlocks new playable Multiplayer Characters (you start off only being able to select Marcus and Dom and a Drone and Savage Grenadier respectably), new Weapons Skins (such as a Flaming look to some of your guns, or an Urban look which is a grey and white camo painting), and Executions.

Unlike previous titles, you can't perform a weapon's execution animation right out of the box, you need to unlock them. When you begin, Curb Stomping is what you've got (now by pressing "Y." "X" picks up downed enemies as a Meat Shield), but by doing well with your favourite weapons you'll be knocking off heads like golf balls in good time.

The new maps were well detailed and laid out. I played in Thrashball and Trenches a lot, had the odd match in Checkout, and one King of the Hill game in Old Town, which I really liked the look of. Visually speaking the Beta looked good. I didn't notice the major overhaul in texture quality and detail that was apparent from Gears of War to Gears of War 2, but the game is by no means poor looking. Environmental effects are also back, as seen by the random dust storm that kicks up and kills all visibility in Trenches. The Beta's audio is also up to the standard we've come to expect from Gears of War.

One great thing added in the Beta that was notably absent from Gears of War 2, aside from dedicated servers (which are now in!) is drop in and drop out play. Start searching for a match and you'll be popped into a game in progress. Leave, and a bot will take your place so the team isn't down a man. This'll be great for more casual players looking for a quick fix after work or what-not.

Some game mechanic tweaks include holding "X" to pick up a weapon or additional ammo, and if you find yourself taking cover with an opponent on the other side of the same object, you can vault over and instantly knock them down granting you a huge advantage. The Mortar also seems to be able to fire more like a regular heavy weapon now, as I know I was killed a few times by a non-traditional Mortar shot. Holding down "LB" also doesn't just show you the location of your teammates with pop-ups, it shows you their outline so you can see them clearly and you'll also see the icons for the locations of power weapons. If you happen to be the Leader in a game of Capture the Leader, you'll also see where the opposing team is, allowing you to properly coordinate your forces.

Overall, what was in the Gears of War 3 Beta was fast paced and very competitive, and multiplayer enthusiasts are going to be in for a treat when the full game launches this September. For me, I'm really looking forward to the Campaign, Horde, and Beast Mode. My poor bottom will thank me later for avoiding the competitive arenas.

Now, before I sign off, some of the Beta unlocks will carry over into the retail game this Fall. Flaming Weapon Skins, for example, and the Cole Train Character and Gold Retro Lancer if you managed to unlock them for Retail. In order to have them unlock though, you must not delete your Beta's save game file! If you do, you're out of luck. To make sure you don't delete the wrong file, read over Epic Game's post here.

Diablo III Followers Revealed

A far cry from the simple but useful (after a few patches) Hirelings of Diablo II, Blizzard Entertainment has revealed Followers, new story-based companions with personalities, stats, and skills whom players can encounter and journey with in their upcoming action-RPG, Diablo III.

For full details on Followers, including a description on who each of the three are and how they function in relation to the player character, step right this way.

You can also view a video showcasing these handy sidekicks here or below.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Episode 5

The 5th episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, entitled "Kitana & Mileena, Part 2," is now available and can be viewed here or below.



Not bad. Not amazing, but not bad. Now bring on Scorpion and Sub-Zero!

Mortal Kombat Kollection Coming Later This Year

Well this is some welcome nostalgic news. Later this year (I've seen conflicting windows of Summer and Fall), Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will be releasing the Mortal Kombat Kollection to Xbox LIVE Arcade.

Priced at 800 Microsoft Points, the collection will include arcade ports of Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.

While I already own the now discontinued Xbox 360 version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3, I believe this will be the other two titles' first appearance on the platform, and it'll be the first time I've owned them in roughly 14 years. For Mortal Kombat, I actually only owned the Nintendo Game Boy version so I look forward to a real arcade port of the game. Mortal Kombat II I owned on the Nintendo Game Boy and later on my Super Nintendo Entertainment System, however being my favourite title in the franchise I'll be happy to own it again.

I do wonder how the Achievements will work and if each game will have its own twelve Achievements. If so, I wonder if Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3's will be the same as those of the previous Xbox LIVE Arcade version and if so, will they need to be earned again or not. Only time will tell.

Story first spotted on TeamXbox here, and there's also an article on USATODAY stating it'll also be released over the PlayStation Network, which makes sense.

Update: The official press release can be read on the official Mortal Kombat forums here. In brief, the Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection will be released on Xbox LIVE Arcade, PC, and the PlayStation Network late summer for 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99 (US) on the PlayStation Network.

While these will be faithful ports of the arcade originals, online play, leaderboards, and Achievements/Trophies will all be featured, though of course that's rather standard fair for any classic title today.

Mass Effect 3 Officially Delayed, New Screenshots

It's official, Mass Effect 3 has been delayed. Originally announced for a holiday 2011 release, the game will now launch in the first quarter of 2012. You can check out the full details on the main page of Mass Effect 2's site here.

Honestly, this doesn't surprise me at all given development times today and such a quick turnaround time seemed rather ambitious. I'm also glad the game isn't being rushed just to cash in for the Christmas season.

Two new screenshots for Mass Effect 3 have also been released, and you can find them on the official Mass Effect media page here, and ActionTrip is hosting even more screenshots here.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Episode 4

The fourth episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, entitled "Kitana and Mileena, Part 1" is out and you can check it out here or below.



Not bad, though I wasn't a fan of the look of Baraka. I didn't overly mind the anime sequences tossed in, but I hope those aren't going to be overused for the rest of the episodes. Baby Mileena was also rather creepy. Like Dead Space 2 creepy.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy Episode 3

The third episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is up and can be viewed here or below.



As someone who works in the television production industry, I find I can really appreciate this one. My only major gripe is the censored swearing which really breaks the flow of the piece, but otherwise it's entertaining and my favourite episode thus far.

Mass Effect 3 Screenshots

The first two screenshots for Mass Effect 3 have been released, and Action Trip his hosting them right here.

Surprisingly, they look exactly like Mass Effect 2, which really isn't a bad thing since that game looks solid and BioWare isn't doing any massive engine overhauls this time around.

The lighting does look better and shadows seem more pronounced though.

Duke Nukem Forever "Come Get Some" Trailer Uncensored

Last week, the latest trailer for Duke Nukem Forever was released. Entitled "Come Get Some," you can check it out below.



Warning: The above is an uncensored trailer and shows fake, in-game nipples for about a second that will horribly corrupt your soul by looking at them. Won't someone please think of the children and all that other overprotective jazz.

New The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Screenshots

Eight new screenshots have been released for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and they're being hosted at ActionTrip. You can check them out right here.

I really like the look of the creatures and environments, though I confess that human character models are taking on that "plastic" look that's becoming quite common in the industry today.

Still, the game's looking very nice! Oh and look, it's Shelob!

BioShock 2: Minerva's Den Completed for the 2nd Time

Brilliant, simply brilliant. BioShock 2: Minerva's Den is the best single player DLC I've ever played, and I truly wish other developers and publishers would take notice of the value of this content. It truly is just short of being a proper expansion set.

I played through on Hard this time around and Harvested every Little Sister. Even on my second playthrough, "Minerva's Den" still took me about 10 hours to complete and it truly was harder on Hard, especially the early game when you're weak. Preserving ammo and using security against your enemies is the name of the game and the scarcity of resources in "Minerva's Den" is better accomplished here than in any other entry in the franchise.

One large mistake I made was trying to Gather Adam too early, which simply allowed the Spider Splicers and Fiery Brute Splicers to chew me up. I had to be patient and wait until I had collected some better weapons to create defences for my Little Sisters. I also only stuck to the Plasmids offered by Default and didn't buy anything new, though I did upgrade them, and I did purchase a lot of Tonics.

Weapon wise I really stuck to the Drill, Ion Laser (and used all the ammo this time), and I made great use of the Spear Gun this time.

The story of "Minerva's Den" is what I truly found most captivating. Such a sad and wonderful narrative with such a great twist, and one that surprisingly doesn't seem altered by your own actions towards the Little Sisters, a first for the franchise as well.

BioShock 2: Minerva's Den left me with such a good impression that I eagerly await going through it one last time, which I'm hoping to do in the next few months.

Mortal Kombat: Legacy - Episodes 1 and 2

Remember this live action film based on Mortal Kombat? Well it looks like they've gone ahead and made some shorts after all.

Entitled Mortal Kombat: Legacy, the first episode can be viewed here and below.



The second episode can be viewed here or, to bypass account creation, here.

Both episodes aren't too bad at all.

Source Code Review

About a week and a half ago I checked out Source Code, which is actually the first film I've seen in theatres for roughly six months. The film opens as Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) awakens to find himself aboard a train in Chicago instead of on deployment in Afghanistan. What's even crazier is that he's apparently not himself, but rather a school teacher named Sean who's friends with another passenger, the lovely Christina Warren (Michelle Monaghan).

Then the train goes boom and Stevens awakens inside some kind of capsule receiving instructions from Captain Colleen Goodwin. You see, Stevens is part of a special project called Source Code in which he's able to go back into the memories of this school teacher named Sean and live out the last 8 minutes of his life. The train has already exploded as part of a terrorist attack and Stevens needs to find who the bomber is before an even larger attack destroys all of Chicago.

Need me to explain that a little more? Basically Source Code kind of reminds me of a cross between The Matrix and Train 48. Anyone remember Train 48? Well the whole Source Code process leaves Stevens regularly disoriented, so he has to keep going back over and over again, being exploded again and again, to try and find who this bomber is. And while he does so, he gets to know the "regulars" of this train trip, who in many respects reminded me of the goofy cast of Train 48. There's the hotshot deal-making guy, the eastern business man, the nerdy college kid, etc.

Oh, and remember how I said that Stevens could only live out this teacher's memory for the last 8 minutes of that teacher's life? Well the film regularly breaks this convention as many of the things Stevens would do in each instance would take longer than 8 minutes. That, combined with the fact that he was able to leave the train and experience things this teacher hadn't and clearly couldn't have known about really worked well at killing my suspension of disbelief. These extra experiences are explained later on, rather unsatisfactorily might I add, but I suppose it technically works. Technically.

What also irked me was how fake the drama and tension of the film were. The whole time the actors are working on how crucial time is, how much is at stake to find this bomber and how Stevens must complete his mission _now_, but it all came across as too forced. Don't just tell me how important things are, show me. Lure me in with additional pieces of information to flesh out the world and the setting and don't just keep showing me non-8 minute 8 minute clips of Stevens messing up on the train.

Let's also not forget about his budding relationship with Christina, which also isn't believable as they end up living out a lie. And by the time the third act hits one's suspension of disbelief really goes out the window as what seemed forced at first now just doesn't work within the confines of the film's own narrative.

As I'm sure you can gather, Source Code didn't do it for me. While it certainly has some entertaining moments and some genuinely funny bits, the whole film is an excellent concept that was poorly executed and leaves a rather unsatisfied taste in one's mouth. At least it's a relatively short film by today's standards weighing in at 94 minutes, which makes sense considering how little the plot really has to run on.

If you haven't seen Source Code in theatres yet, I recommend you hold off until it hits your local TV service. While it's entertaining for an evening, it's honestly not worth the price of admission at any theatre.

Halo: Reach Completed for the 4th Time

Just now, I completed Halo: Reach for the 4th time, my second on Heroic. This also marks the conclusion of my Halo franchise playthrough where I went through all six titles in a row; my first time doing so.

Halo: Reach may be a prequel, but it's Bungie's swan song to the franchise and is the definitive Halo experience, the sum of nine years worth of experience creating Halo games. Since I've just played through every single Halo title over the last six weeks, I can see clearly how each title has improved (or not) on what's come before, and for the most part Halo: Reach really does show the sum of all it predecessors.

Aside from being the most beautiful and visually stunning title of the franchise, Halo: Reach showcases a key piece of Halo lore that we've all heard and read about since the franchise began: The Fall of Reach. I still consider it a great shame that Bungie saw fit to retcon nine years of canon, however on its own merits Halo: Reach has a solid storyline punctuated by an exceptional soundtrack.

One of the biggest additions to the franchise is Armour Abilities, replacing the Equipment introduced in Halo 3, and the most important and staple Armour Ability introduced is, without a doubt, Sprint. Welcome to 2003 Bungie! Seriously though, Sprint was sorely missing from the franchise and should certainly have been included in Halo 3 onwards, but better late than never.

Actually, Sprint helped to make the overall experience easier as you could now do something you never could before: If you found yourself in a bad situation, you could hall ass out of there! This simple concept prevents one from loading their last Checkpoint dozens of times, but sadly it also shows one of the key flaws and disappointments of Halo: Reach's Campaign, something I just experienced in full on the final Chapter of the game: lack of flexibility.

One thing I adored about Halo 2, and have yet to see equaled in any game on any platform since, was the flexibility in which the player could approach any linear situation. The weapons you chose to use, or not, greatly affected how the upcoming battles would handle, but most choices would lead to doable situations; the design and balance was excellent. In Halo: Reach, however, should you choose the wrong weapons or Armour Ability for a situation you will have an awful time.

In Chapter X, I made the mistake of taking Hologram with the intent of experimenting and having fun against the AI. Instead I was met with significant frustration in several key parts. My frustration became so great I finally decided to start using the noob combo (Plasma Pistol and precision weapon) just to get past some more challenging battles, which unto itself soured the experience for me.

Another odd dichotomy with Halo: Reach is the AI. The enemy AI is the best I've experienced in any game period, and the Elites are wonderfully challenging opponents. Your friendly AI, however, is stupid. It's the worst friendly AI in the franchise and I can't believe how hard Bungie dropped the ball on that one.

AI allies, such as Army Troopers, don't always fire, take a while to hop on vehicles, or simply won't hop on at all. Your Spartan allies are quite lucky that they're invulnerable, because they'd be useless otherwise. Horrible and sloppy friendly AI, and even the Arbiter from Halo 3, who spent a good amount of time unconscious or on fire from my own Flamethrower, was more useful.

Now, having said that, the individual battles are generally great. While the massive vehicle battles found in Halo 3, such as taking on two Scarabs at a time, are absent, Bungie created grand infantry battles throughout on a scale not seen in the franchise before. While the incompetent friendly AI can hurt these, the enemy AI and level design more than make up for that short coming and ensures the player will have a great time, minus some ridiculous sections that require a fair bit of profanity to prevail in.

The Halo franchise as a whole is a great experience, and no serious shooter fan should miss it. Featuring a great military sci-fi story, interesting characters, and innovative game design in several of the titles, there's a solid reason why Halo has shaped a lot of gaming today: it's simply a great collection of games.

And Halo: Reach, despite some flaws, is a great addition to and conclusion to Bungie's work on this epic franchise.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Screenshots

Several new screenshots for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have been released, and they can be viewed along with other media on the official Media page here.

The game is looking great, and is quickly moving to my must-have-on-launch-day category!

Xbox 360 to Get New Disc Format

It appears the Xbox 360 will be getting compatibility with a new disc format in the next System Update.

As is often the case with such large updates, Xbox is offering a Preview to allow select gamers to beta test it. This Preview is open to US residents only, I'm afraid (and sign ups are now closed), however those selected will get a free copy of Halo: Reach in the new disc format.

More details as they develop, and you can read the full details on Major Nelson's blog here.

Mass Effect 2: Arrival Trailer and Hackett Character Page

The final DLC for Mass Effect 2, entitled "Arrival," was released earlier this week, and for those interested you can check out the trailer below.



Fan favourite Admiral Hackett also makes a return, and we finally get to see what he looks like. BioWare has added a character page for him, which you can view right here.

Halo 3: ODST Completed for the 5th Time

I wrapped up Halo 3: ODST for the 5th time today, and unlike a lot of other gamers I really enjoyed exploring New Mombasa at night. The city's not quite a Bethesda wide-open world, of course, but it's still quite the interesting way to explore and to play Halo. I also really like how Bungie went about telling the game's story.

In my opinion, the playable flashbacks worked well. They let Bungie not just tell, but rather show us a larger story and they also allowed us to get to know each member of the squad better. I personally felt attachment to them in a way that's lacking in, say Halo: Reach, and of course, these ODST's had some solid voice acting. Be it the compassionate Dutch, the smart-mouthed Romeo, or satirical Buck, I really cared for this lost squad in a very short amount of time.

Gameplay-wise, I still missed a Sprint option, but being a quasi-expansion I suppose I can't complain too much about its absence. VISR mode is certainly very cool and brings a new tactical element into play, and the inclusion of an actual map to help you navigate, a first for a Halo FPS, was another welcome addition.

In combat, at least as the Rookie, I tinkered more with the Submachine Gun this time around and found it quite adequate, but I still oft found myself falling back on the Covenant Carbine. I didn't bother with a Mongoose and engaged most hostiles along the way on foot, and while the random encounters were fun I do wish there was more of them. For an occupied city, New Mombasa did feel a bit empty.

I also wish that I could have re-hunted for all of the Audio Logs. Saddie's Story is an excellent companion tale and another unique innovation that Halo 3: ODST brings to the franchise, and searching for them was a big part of the original playthrough's exploration. Since they start already pre-loaded to your HUD in a new game, allowing you to listen to them at any time, you really are just moving from beacon to beacon, which reduces the Campaign's overall playtime.

Overall those this is a minor complaints, and the only real con to Halo 3: ODST, aside from the fact that it was overpriced at launch, was that even though you're not a Spartan, you're still a Spartan. Stamina functions too much like Shields, you can still flip vehicles, board, rip turrets off and run with them (faster than a Spartan) and use heavy weapons like the Gravity Hammer which really doesn't make sense. These are things that only Spartans should be able to do, and while I understand that gameplay and keeping the familiar are important to an existing customer base, I think Bungie could have worked a bit harder here to help make you feel like a normal human and not a super solider.

That aside however, I really enjoyed my playthrough of Halo 3: ODST and the solid urban romp it allowed. In many respects it innovated far more than its predecessor, and provided a more unique and memorable storytelling and gameplay experience. While not perfect and certainly not a game of the year, Halo 3: ODST is a great Halo experience and was far too underrated by critics and fans alike.

Kratos in the PlayStation 3 version of Mortal Kombat

Most of you have probably heard by now that Kratos will be an exclusive character in the PlayStation 3 version of Mortal Kombat, which sounds like a perfect blend of franchises to me.

The God of War himself fits perfectly into the brutal fighting franchise, as clearly shown by the below gameplay video.



Seriously now, that's absolutely awesome and a great bonus for PlayStation 3 owners. There's also a great video on the PlayStation Blog where Ed Boon and Stig Asmussen (director for God of War III) discuss the marriage of the two franchises, and you can check that out below.



For fun, I tried thinking of an Xbox 360 exclusive character that could work well for that platform's version of the game, and I honestly came up short. Not because the Xbox 360 lacks quality exclusives or characters, but because they're exclusive franchises are primarily sci-fi or shooters and they simply wouldn't mesh as well.

Duke Nukem Forever Offiically Delayed Again

As if any of you are really surprised. I'd call this ironic, but really, what more can be said. No, really.



Okay, I confess, I had a good laugh over this as it's all just one big joke anyway. At least Gearbox Software realizes this and plays up to it. So June 14th it is then, but I still want to try a demo first.

Halo Wars Completed for the 6th Time

Now two thirds of the way through the franchise, I've completed Halo Wars for the 6th time. Obviously the odd title out, Halo Wars is a real time strategy game instead of a first person shooter and it's set over 21 years prior to the rest of the franchise. This gave Ensemble Studios plenty of creative freedom when crafting the Campaign's story and it was great to see them incorporate many elements of the expanded universe.

While sadly there is no Covenant Campaign, the UNSC-based missions are well designed and possess a great deal of variety that keeps things fresh and enjoyable for the player. Taking the skills I've learned from Multiplayer into the Campaign, I actually found it easier on Heroic this time, but certainly not in a negative way.

The game's Cinematics, in traditional RTS fashion, are of excellent quality and help flesh out the core story as well as provide the Covenant's perspective on things. It is too bad that the Arbiter himself never appears in-Campaign, but at least he can be used in both Skirmish and Multiplayer.

Visually the game looks excellent for a console RTS, and the voice acting is solid and the sound effects are pure Halo. The soundtrack is exceptional, with the music clearly drawing upon what's come before but giving it its own unique flavour that works for the RTS genre. Of course what Ensemble Studios should really be praised for is the game's controls.

Simple and intuitive, Halo Wars is just so easy to control given the limitations of a Controller. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement, far from it, but at no point during the Campaign was I ever left fumbling to try and make things work, to manage my units or queue up production.

Halo Wars really adds a great breath of fresh air to the franchise, innovates for its platform, but certainly retains the core Halo feeling all the way. It provides a unique look at the Halo universe and shows the potential should 343 Industries decide to branch out to more than just the FPS genre.

And with that, in the years to come, I greatly hope we get to see a Halo Wars 2.

Halo 3 Completed for the 7th Time

Lucky seven. Last Sunday, I completed Halo 3 for the seventh time and completed my second straight playthrough of the Halo Trilogy; something I haven't done since early 2008.

While I never had a major problem with Halo 3's Campaign, I did consider it the lesser of the franchise due to its lack of innovation and neglect of the Elites, but I must say that I greatly enjoyed this playthrough and actually found that its story flowed quite well from Halo 2's.

I also found myself far more forgiving of the game's graphics, and while I always disagreed with the general critics' hate-on for the game's visuals, there's no question that Halo 3 is a good looking game for a console 2007 release and anyone saying it looks just like Halo 2 is ignorantly biased. I even managed not mind Johnson's character model, which originally had me cringe when I first saw it three and a half years ago.

On this playthrough I really tinkered with the Magnum and found new respect for the gun, making the beginning of Sierra 117 not too bad after all. Personally, I consider the first Chapter of Halo 3 to be one of the weakest levels in the franchise, as it's the first in franchise history to start you in a relatively open area but you're noticeably lacking a scoped weapon. And while I have no issue with the Assault Rifle, I found myself dumping it for the Battle Rifle with a Magnum as back-up, and later on using a Shotgun in the Magnum's place.

The Shotgun actually works remarkably well on Brutes, who sadly are far easier to defeat than their tough Halo 2 counterparts. Hunters and even the Flood fall into this same category, but the game's level design and various scenarios provide a solid amount of variety and fun to keep you entertained.

I also never noticed before, but the friendly AI did seem to take a step backward over Halo 2 (while enemy AI still remained strong) and I greatly wish the Arbiter was a more effective AI ally, though at least Bungie addressed the quality of primary AI allies in future titles. Too bad the same can't be said for general friendly AI, which took yet another step back in Halo: Reach.

While I was disappointed by the lack of Sprint in Halo 2, I simply can't understand why it wasn't included here. As a 2007 release, there's no reason that I can see as to why Bungie couldn't add it in, and so many deaths are needlessly caused simply because you can't move fast enough to get to cover. While they did add Equipment, allowing things like Bubble Shields, Deployable Cover, and Regeneraters to add to one's survivability, I still didn't like their implementation and rarely used them. Armour Abilities truly are far more useful and intuitive than Equipment.

Another thing I found interesting this playthrough was that some battles which caused me no end of grief years ago were a breeze, but other battles I once found easy had me expanding my vocabulary of profanities. The final Warthog escape at game's end, for example, used to take me several tries, but this playthrough I got it in one. The large battle at the end of Chapter VII where you take on dual Scarabs, it was never a problem before but took me about twenty bloody tries this time! Extremely frustrating.

Overall however, this playthrough of Halo 3 was a grand experience and more enjoyable than any prior. In fact I enjoyed myself so much that I really feel like taking the game for yet another spin very soon, if only to see what different ways I can approach the different battles Bungie has crafted for the player. For the most part it felt like a larger, prettier, and more detailed Halo 2, and sometimes not re-inventing the wheel is a solid path for a sequel to take.

Halo: Reach "Defiant to the End" Video

As part of the marketing campaign for the Halo: Reach "Defiant Map Pack," Halo Waypoint has released a new video entitled "Defiant to the End." This video highlights the inspirations behind the Map Pack's three new multiplayer maps, most of which were taken right from the expanded universe.

For example, "Condemned" takes place on Orbital Station Gamma, the same station in which John and Linda infiltrate in the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach to purge one remaining navigational database.

"Highlands" takes place at a former Spartan-II training facility and features the crashed Pelican that Fred and the rest of Red Team ditched before it crash landed during Halo: First Strike.

Check out the full video below.

Mass Effect 2: Arrival Details

Details for the final DLC for Mass Effect 2 have been released. Called "Arrival," Commander Shepard and crew must rescue a missing undercover agent trapped in Batarian space who has evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion.

Sporting three new Achievements and new research, the DLC add-on will be released for the Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3 on Tues. Mar. 29th and cost 560 Microsoft Points, 560 BioWare Points, or $6.99, depending on the platform you're looking to pick it up on.

Mass Effect 2: Arrival will also feature Admiral Hackett, voiced by Lance Henriksen.

Batman: Arkham City Debut Gameplay Trailer

One of my most anticipated games, the debut gameplay trailer for Batman: Arkham City speaks for itself.



An excellent trailer that really has me pumped to play the game. I loved the atmosphere and combat shown, save for the "ground pound" that Batman does in one of his landings.

The Dark Knight can do many things, but I don't buy creating a shockwave on hitting the ground. Unless he has BatGas, and I don't mean of the nerve variety.

BioShock 2: Protector Trials Available on PC

On Mon. Mar. 14th, the "Protector Trials" were officially released for the PC version of BioShock 2, and what's more is they're free!

While not the greatest DLC add-on ever released (you can read my review of the Xbox 360 version here), you can't argue with that price tag so go ahead and give them a try.

A small patch was also released for the PC version fixing some minor bugs, and you'll be prompted to download it the first time you start up BioShock 2 after March 14th.

For full details, you can read the official announcement at the Cult of Rapture here.

2K Games is still working on the PC version of "Minerva's Den," which will be a premium add-on.

Batman: Arkham City Release Date Revealed

The Dark Knight returns this Fall in the sequel to the excellent Batman: Arkham Asylum. One of my personal favourite games from 2010, Batman: Arkham City will be a day one purchase for me, and the game will release to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on October 18th.

Excellent news everyone, and you can check out the official announcement on the Batman: Arkham City Facebook page here.

Halo: Reach - Behind the Scenes "Defiant Map Pack"

Halo Waypoint has released a new ViDoc detailing their development process of the upcoming Halo: Reach "Defiant Map Pack."



While I still can not justify paying anywhere near this cost for multiplayer maps, I must confess the maps do look beautiful and creatively speaking, it sounds like 343 Industries has their heads screwed on straight. Personally, I really like the nods to the expanded universe, and that expanded universe is something 343 Industries has been doing well in supporting.

In terms of actual Halo games, however, we still need to see what 343 Industries can do to truly support the franchise, and I suspect we'll need to wait a while longer for that test to come.

Halo 2 Completed for the 9th Time

Or is that 10th time? I honestly don't recall but suffice it to say, I've played the game a lot and it's easily my favourite in the trilogy and the entire franchise. With a far more elaborate storyline, stronger character development, and innovative gameplay, Halo 2 is still an exceptional game by modern standards.

For a 2004 console release, Halo 2 was, in my opinion, better than any other shooter on any platform released that year. Vehicle boarding and dual wielding were great additions that really opened up far more options to the player, and the friend and foe AI is still solid over six years later. All of the elements combined to give player-choice that simply isn't possible in most other shooters, even modern shooters released in 2011.

The weapons you choose to take, the vehicles you choose to use or not, and the way the AI handles any given situation allowed for the linear levels to have continual non-linear encounters and it took me several playthroughs to start finding that the same battle in the same level was starting to play out the same way.

Don't believe me, go play "Outskirts" or "Metropolis" and try using the Battle Rifle and an Energy Sword, then go through again using dual SMGs and a Rocket Launcher. Take the Ghost instead of the Warthog or on "Metropolis" forget the Scorpion and use the battered Warthog off to the side or better yet, cross that bridge on foot. Heck, steal a Wraith or a Banshee or none of the above, and you'll see how these linear levels and battles aren't. Overall the outcome is the same but how you get there will be different depending on what you choose to do, and few games offer such variety, even in the Halo franchise itself.

Truly, Bungie should be praised for their level design, AI, and weapons/vehicle balance. My only true major gripes with Halo 2 are the lack of a Sprint option and the Checkpoint save system. As a 2004 release, I was disappointed that Sprint simply wasn't in the game as you're still rather slow for a cybernetically enhanced super solider. In fact, most times you'll be loading up your last Checkpoint because you couldn't hightail it out of a bad situation back into cover fast enough. And the problem with the Checkpoint-only save system is that you're often forced to re-eliminate those dozen enemies you just took the time to take out, and depending on the situation you'll need to do this multiple times. A quick save option could easily have been put on the "Back" button, but like most console shooters we're denied this basic function.

I personally really enjoyed the storyline and the expansion of the Covenant and their motives, and the Arbiter is one of my favourite game characters. I don't understand all the players who found the story confusing, and it's really pretty easy to follow provided you're actually paying attention, and the game is far more cinematic than most offerings of its time.

I did encounter the ghosting emulation bug on my Xbox 360, which was a shame, but the higher resolution and reduced texture pop-in made this inconvenience minor.

Now it's on to Halo 3, and to finish the fight.

Halo: Combat Evolved Completed for the 8th Time

Now that I've made such great progress on my backlog (and I need a break from BioShock 2), I've decided to do something I've never done before: Play through the entire Halo franchise. The last time I did anything similar was in early 2008 when I played through the Halo Trilogy for the first and only time in succession, and now there's double the number of games to satisfy my Halo-fix.

As I always do with any kind of marathon, I'm playing the games in release order so this saw me starting off with Halo: Combat Evolved. Instead of playing it on my original Xbox, which is still working great, I decided to play it via my Xbox 360 for the increased resolution and to use my nifty Xbox 360 Halo: Reach Wireless Controller. I haven't touched the game in three years, and I'm happy to say for a title that's nearly ten years old, it's held up very well.

Launched with the original Xbox console back in November 2001, Halo: Combat Evolved really did change the way we approach first person shooters. It innovated on many fronts providing gameplay elements that are basic by today's standards but were completely new and revolutionary back then. Things like:

- Seemless transitions from large outdoor to indoor areas
- Off-hand Grenades
- Melee with any weapon
- Vehicle combat standardized in regular gameplay and not just as special bonus moments
- Limit to carrying only two weapons at a time

Those are all some pretty fundamental changes, and in addition the game looked solid and had excellent friend and foe AI.

Playing on Heroic Difficulty, the game wasn't so bad for the first four Chapters, but the difficulty really started to ramp up on Chapter 5 and I came to realize that I've been spoiled by a lot of modern gameplay conventions. I'm going to be completely honest here, Halo: Combat Evolved on Heroic is harder than Halo: Reach on Legendary, and games in general are getting easier.

Things I missed while playing Halo: Combat Evolved:

- Sprint (why this took 9 years to make it into the franchise is beyond me)
- Vehicle Boarding
- Ghost Speed Boosts and Banshee Rolls
- Heat Seeking Rockets (I died many times trying to take out Banshees with the Rocket Launcher. Ultimately the Shotgun or Assault Rifle proved far more effective)
- The Battle Rifle or Designated Marksman Rifle
- A Flashlight that doesn't run on a battery
- The ability to zoom in without firing when using a non-scoped weapon

Things I'm glad didn't carry over into more recent releases:

- Flood Combat Forms with Rocket Launchers
- Walking into a key combat zone or choke point with no cover
- Hunters easily killed with a single bullet to the back
- The crazy chain explosions caused by a Flood Carrier form detonating around a few Grenades
- The wacky design of the Pillar of Autumn's spine. Seriously, who designs a ship like that?

Overall though, aside from a few frustrating moments, I had a great time. The lower quality textures in 4x3 still look solid, the audio is top notch with some great voice acting, and the story still flows well for a 2001 video game narrative. But it's the gameplay where Halo: Combat Evolved really shines.

Up until Chapter 3, I was actually able to keep more Marines alive than normal which made for some interesting encounters, but after that I found most of my Marine allies fairing more poorly than I remember. Bungie really did go vehicle crazy in this game, as there are Ghosts and Banshees everywhere, especially Banshees in the later Chapters and always in the worst possible places. Without Boarding or heat seeking rockets, they really were a strong threat and if you were caught out in the open you'd likely be reloading your last Checkpoint soon enough.

Elites also posed a serious threat. Overcharged Plasma Pistol shots don't home in as well as they do in current releases, and I found I couldn't rely on it to take them out. They could also fire their Plasma Rifles and Needlers really quickly which murdered your shields and then your poor, non-regenerating health. And woe be it to you if you got into close quarters with a Zealot wielding an Energy Sword, as they're faster than you and you have no defence.

But that's the great thing about the Halo franchise; you die and reload your Checkpoint, there's no guarantee the battle you died in will play out the same. The enemies will react differently to you almost every time, which really adds some great variety, challenge, and replayability. Heck, the Campaign was loads of fun even on this, my 8th playthrough. The weapons you choose, the vehicles you use and encounter, what allies you keep alive, it all changes the battles for what's supposed to be a linear title.

And so, now that I've destroyed Installation 04 and the Fleet of Particular Justice through a great ten hour experience, it's time to go partake in the first battle of Earth and to quell some heresy.

Ubisoft's We Dare

I'm not really sure what to say except "WTF?"



Published by Ubisoft, apparently We Dare is set to release on the Wii and PlayStation 3, but will not be released in the United States (which likely means all of North America) according to IGN.

Honestly, I'm not sure what to think about this, so I'll let you comment.

Originally spotted at ActionTrip.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Official Trailer and Web Site Relaunch

The official site for The Elder Scrolls has been relaunched with additional details, screenshots, and concept art for the upcoming entry into the franchise, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

The best update though is the official trailer, which you can watch below.



Very cool, and I love the influences from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind in the music; very true to the franchise.

Gears of War 3 Release Date

Along with the beta details released this week, Gears of War 3 has received its official launch date. The game will hit the shelves on September 20th, 2011.

So, about seven months away, which isn't too long in the grand scheme of things.

Official details along with some other announcements on Major Nelson's site here.

Update: The official Gears of War site now has the announcement here. They also mention some of the key features of the game, including 5 New Maps.

Wait, what? Are you telling me the retail game will only ship with 5 Multiplayer Maps? And of course they should be new, do they expect us to port maps from the previous two games? This is a whole new retail game!

That statement doesn't fit well with me, and the inevitable map pack milkage it foreshadows.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Completed for the 2nd Time

After a great 22 hour and 30 minute experience, I've completed my second and likely final playthrough of The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles (Xbox 360). After I completed my first playthrough in early 2008 and the "Knights of the Nine" DLC that came with my retail copy that summer, I had spent between 250 to 300 hours in Cyrodiil and was completely worn out of Bethesda's masterpiece.

In the Spring of 2009 I played through The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's main Quest for the third (and final time), intending to take that character to the Shivering Isles. My original playthrough of the expansion was with a brand new character who was evil-oriented and a custom class, and I wanted to give it a go with a higher leveled good champion. But alas, in November 2009 I accidentally deleted all of my Xbox 360 save games and thus lost this character, and The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles went back into my backlog. Until last weekend.

I am now so close to completing my backlog outright, that it finally came time to knock the expansion from my list. I started up a Male Nord, a Barbarian with the Sign of the Lady and once again went straight to the Isles. Regrettably I was forced to experience the expansion set as a low level character once more and only made it to Level 10 by game's completion, but I made the most of the experience and completed a full 26 Quests.

On this playthrough I allied with Mania and earned the final Achievement for the game at about 8 hours in, and I saved many of the side Quests for after the completion of the Main Quest so I could experience them as the Mad God. I'm also pleased to say I didn't need to adjust the difficulty at all, kept the slider right on the middle, and after a few tries I got through my shadowy double towards the end of the Main Quest (which was the hardest part for me the first time around).

I didn't bother buying any additional Spells and simply used what was given, same with Armour and Weapons, and really focused on bashing my way through fights. Unlike the core game, I found the expansion's main story line very invigorating and creative, filled with twisted humour and Quest variety. The Shivering Isles themselves are a colourful yet dark place, and the Prince of Madness, Sheogorath, has some wicked one-liners.

I did encounter some interesting bugs this playthrough, specifically after the Main Quest was complete. Shortly thereafter, I went into Bliss and the Golden Saint Guards were attacking three specific townsfolk. I have no idea what happened to cause this, but they killed the three "offenders," something I've never seen happen before. My own Golden Saint Escort disappeared at one point, no amount of waiting or sleeping brought her back, but at least I had my Dark Seducer Escort to help in combat.

It took me a few hours to get into once again, but I ultimately greatly enjoyed my return to the Shivering isles. It was time well spent, a world of wonder explored, and provided enough of a variation from my last playthrough to keep things fresh.

Thanks Bethesda for crafting such a wonderful land to loose myself in.

Halo: Cryptum Review

The Halo universe is vast and detailed, filled with both legend and conflict. The series of Xbox games that spawned the franchise has primarily focused on the exploits of the Spartan-II super soldier John-117 and the closing months of the Human-Covenant War in the year 2552, yet in the background of this conflict a far older legacy lingers.

100,000 years ago the Forerunners ruled the galaxy with peace and benevolence, and then in the blink of an eye, they were gone. Pushed to the brink in their war with the extra-galactic parasite, the Flood, the Forerunners activated their ultimate weapon, the Halo array for which the franchise is named, and vanished.

Much of their history has been hinted at throughout the games and even more concrete details were given through various novels and last year's anime compilation, Halo: Legends, but truly, the Forerunners are steeped in mystery. With the release of Halo: Cryptum, however, the story of the Forerunners is finally being told.

Written by Hugo and Nebula Award winning author Greg Bear, Halo: Cryptum is the first book in his trilogy, "The Forerunner Saga." Weighing in at 342 pages, I can honestly say that Bear has crafted the least Halo feeling novel of all, and I certainly don't mean that in a negative way as his story is unlike anything that has come from the Halo universe before.

Told from the perspective of a young Forerunner, Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting, or Born for short, the Forerunners are not the high moral guardians that Cortana inferred them to be. While they have certainly taken on the stewardship of the galaxy, the Mantle as they call it, and watch over the lesser races as was previously revealed, they deal with any opposition to their rule quickly and harshly.

As the Halo universe grows in scope and popularity, like many other large franchises, retroactive continuity is inevitable and there's a fair share of it to be found in Halo: Cryptum. For example, it was previously implied that the Forerunners discovered humanity on a backwater world towards the end of their loosing conflict against the Flood, and deeming us special, they granted us the right to one day claim all that they'd leave behind. Well, apparently things aren't so cut and dry.

The Forerunners tried to exterminate us. In one of the more shocking changes to the now previously established Halo canon, humanity, along with several other races, are far older than we thought. In fact, about 10,000 years prior to the novel, Humanity had a far reaching and very powerful intergalactic empire! However, for reasons that are revealed in the novel, we rejected Forerunner authority and thus the Human-Forerunner war broke out. While this war lasted for many years, humanity was ultimately crushed by the Didact (of Halo 3 Terminal fame) and his Warrior-Servants, and were it not for the counsel of the Librarian, our species would have been eradicated completely. Instead, a small number of survivors were de-evolved and exiled to our world of origin, Erde-Tyrene. Earth.

And it is on Earth that Bear's tale of galactic sorrow begins.

Born, being both young and impressionable, has no interest in the vast Forerunner politics that span the galaxy, or indeed any desire to take his place as part of the Builder cast, the most influential and privileged class of Forerunner society. Instead, Born has buried himself in the past and is looking for treasure. Mentioned only once before in the Halo 3 Limited and Legendary Edition's "Bestiarum," the Precursors are a long vanished race who predated even the Forerunners, leaving many relics and technology behind. The Forerunners used this technology to advance themselves to the standing they now enjoy, but much of the Precursors are a mystery, and it is their treasures that Born seeks.

What he discovers on Erde-Tyrene is far from Precursor legend, however, and he sets loose a chain of events that drags him and his two human guides, Chakas and Riser, into a galactic conflict and the beginnings of a civil war. The repercussions of this war are so drastic, the results so cataclysmic, that Born will be forced to embrace his people's culture and responsibility, to truly begin shouldering the weight of the Mantle, least he be unprepared for the greater threat to come. A threat he'll be forced to face head-on.

For those looking to read about epic battles between the Forerunners and the Flood, you'll have to wait a while longer. While I certainly expect such battles are coming, the Flood are more of a political agenda in Halo: Cryptum, a tale of bogeymen used to further other aims, but a threat that is no doubt real and present. In fact, a great deal is revealed about the Flood that we could never have guessed at before, and it's both shocking and surprising of what we learn about first contact with the greatest enemy the galaxy has ever known.

The focus of Halo: Cryptum is truly the Forerunners themselves; their culture, their politics, and their technology. In many respects, the novel is so politics-heavy that it loosely reminds me of the Star Wars prequels, but I truly mean loosely. It is fascinating how advanced the technology of the Forerunners truly is, far beyond what we've even witnessed firsthand in the games, yet their society is just as petty and greedy as our own. Humanity might not be Forerunners themselves as I first thought many years ago, but we do share a lot of personality traits, so much so that even Born wonders if, long ago, both species might have been shaped by the legendary Precursors.

Regardless, Halo: Cryptum is a fascinating read, and it's to Bear's credit that he's written such a wonderfully engaging novel that anyone can simply pick it up and enjoy it; no previous knowledge of the franchise is required. Set 100,000 years earlier than the core material, the concepts and themes we know simply haven't occurred yet, and Bear takes the time to establish everything the reader needs to know.

In fact, the novel is so compelling and such a page turner that I broke tradition and read a few chapters last weekend. Traditionally I read only during my lengthy subway commute to and from the office, but I couldn't help myself and had to read more, to find out more, and to learn more about these great characters and circumstances.

Even more pleasing to me was the fact that even though Halo: Cryptum is a hardcover novel, it was actually small enough to comfortably fit in my satchel bag, something most hardcovers can not do and one of my primary reasons for waiting for paperbacks.

As a Halo fan who delights most in the universe and its story, the characters, the conflict, and the history, Halo: Cryptum is a fascinating and enlightening read, and I'm anxiously awaiting the second book in the Saga. If you're new to the Halo universe or have no past experience with it, don't be daunted as Bear will ease you into this wonderful time of legends past. Just be prepared for some rather surprising retcon, as this is Halo like you've never experienced before.

Dead Island Announcement Trailer

In all honesty, this is one of the single greatest trailers I've ever seen, period.



Dead Island will release later this year for Xbox 360, PC, and PlayStation 3, and it will see players trapped on an island resort infested with zombies. Featuring 4-Player Co-op, an open world environment, and focus on melee combat with customizable weapons, there's certainly a lot of potential.

I'll be keeping my eye on this one.

Halo: Reach "Defiant Map Pack" Announced

This past Valentine's Day, Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios announced the next DLC for Halo: Reach. The "Defiant Map Pack" will release this March via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points ($11.60).

The "Defiant Map Pack" will feature three additional maps, one of which is a Firefight map, and additional Achievements for an total of 150 Gamerscore will also be included.

You can check out Bungie's official announcement here, and view the trailer in said announcement or below.



I confess, the maps look visually stunning. I really like the backdrop of "Condemned," with Reach being glassed in the background. "Highlands," with its Covenant Cruisers overhead, is also impressive and a nice treat for fans of the expanded universe. Still though, I can't justify paying for Multiplayer Map Packs, so this'll be a pass for me.

Another interesting point is the maps are being developed by Certain Affinity and not Bungie themselves.