Hey, ho! Let's Go!

[OK, so the title doesn't actually have anything to do with today's post... that song was just in my head.]

343 is gearing up for their first "Title Update". Don't know what that means? Basically it means that 343 Industries is about to take the reins of control from Bungie and grip it firmly in their hands for this first time. Now a title update is where the developers address the games code and make tweaks that will affect game-play. [Hopefully for the better.] Otherwise it would just suck and everyone will complain that. "Man, I liked it better when Bungie ran the show... this sucks."

343 loves Halo, that's actually where their name comes from. 343 is short for, "343 Guilty Spark". You might recognize that name, its the name of that douche, malfunctioning monitor of instillation 07. (i.e. that jerk floating robot ball that tried to kill you in the first game for wanting to blow Halo... and then later unnecessarily killing Sergeant Major "Badass" Johnson; when you were trying to re-blow up the new instillation 07 in Halo 3)

[Yeah, I don't exactly know why they picked 343 either... my guess is that the doofus spark was the "Caretaker" of Halo, and that's what they're trying to be... you know, without the suck part.]

TITLE UPDATE AND YOU!

343 hears you, the fans, [Who piss and moan about how hard the game is and how you hate getting PWNED by Armor Lock or that "The DMR no shoot straight when I spam the trigger"... Or, maybe even a possible, legitimate issue.] So you hop on the forums and gripe about the little irritations. 343 loves all of HALO's fan equally; whether you agree with the issues or not. If you don't, it's time to adapt or die, 'cause the changes are a come'n. 343 wants to make the experience more enjoyable, for everybody. So this is what they plan on doing.

First and foremost. Let's talk Armor Lock. This one gets a lot of heat. Too many see it as a "Survive anything" button. [Which it is.] For the amount of time which the ability has charge in the meter, you can survive it all. From a Sticky Grenade, to a Tank trying to squish you like a one ton, bug, in super tougher than steel combat armor, with shields. [Yup...] Armor Lock, blocks it all.

Many find this feature too powerful, and a maneuver abused by too many players. So the changes are as follows. AL (Armor Lock) now bleeds damage to the ability power meter. [What does that mean?]
It means that the damage you take isn't just shrugged off into lala-land, it's going somewhere. Since it's redirecting the damage, it has to go someplace, that place in you ability power meter. Take damage and that meter falls. Meaning you spend less time in AL. So lets say you see a rocket coming, you hit AL and are now safe. When the rocket hits, all the damage it would have delivered to you now goes to the armor ability energy, and depletes it. You're now out of the armor ability until it recharges.

Also, if you get stuck by a sticky grenade before you activate AL, you're a dead SPARTAN. So those who manage to stick you still get a reward once robbed, the "Sticky Medal" you would've been awarded for said stick. so if you want no go boom, hit AL sooner.

Next, is AV-CAM (Active Camouflage)
In AV-CAM, if you refrained from moving, your ability power bar wouldn't drain as fast, allotting  you more time in near invisibility. This is no more, if you're moving, it drops at the same speed as if you were standing still. They're also reducing the time you can actual spend in AV-CAM by a short margin. Apparently, many think being invisible for the original amount of time was just a bit too long.

The Reticule bloom [That's what happened when you pulled the trigger, the target reticule would expand. Meaning the recoil affected your aim. The faster you shot, the more varied your shots would become. This was a great game mechanic that's been in all the previous games, just used differently. You'll remember most recently the "BR-Spread" from HALO 3. Same basic idea.

But the problem is that some weapons, became lackluster in the wrong place. Like being at a certain distance between you and your foe with a weapon that was supposed to be it's fiercest. (i.e the DMR "Designated Marksmen Rifle") The DMR at medium range has a tendency to be unreliable, forcing you to stick to a cadence; which means, fire, pause, fire, pause, fire. In the end, instead of adding to a level of skill, most players just spam the trigger and hope that enough led will come flying down the map and kill whomever they're "Aiming" at. You had to really rein in the self-control and count off your shots at the right pace to gain the advantage. This is being tweaked, on different playlists and in different degrees of severity. Basically this means that the DMR will act properly in its designed sweet-spot.

Lastly, I wanted to point out that 343 is bringing the end-all-beat-all Standard Issue Sidearm of the Original HALO: Combat Evolved into multilayer.  When you've got Combat Evolved Anniversary in your Xbox and you're playing online with your friends. the M6D Magnum will be able to feel that raw power you used to know, when you first picked up HALO; but only in HALO: CEA Matchmaking. Not, HALO Reach Matchmaking.

For more in-depth information and any additional tweaks, check out 343's HALO WayPoint's official post on the matter. [Official Post On the Matter]

Later!
-Fox

You Warned Them. They Should Have Listened.

   [The people of the universe are paying for their ignorance; but for every life the Reapers cut short, you'll take ten of theirs.]

Let's face it. Shepard, told'em. Straight out the box, right from the beginning. "The Reapers are coming" You said, "and they want to annihilate everything that lives." We all know this, we were there. We've got it on tape. Time and time again they scoffed at Commander Shepard's warning. Even after you killed one of these massive machines in M.E.1 But they just shrugged it off. Digging down deep in to explain something that needed no explanation. They were doubtful, but more importantly, they were afraid. The Council now has to pay for that fear; but their stupidity doesn't just affect them. The Entire Galaxy will pay for their foolishness. Now Only you, as Commander Shepard, stand between the Reapers and the end of life in the universe.

Through two games you've made your choices. "Spare him/Kill him | Help them/Ignore them | Save your crew/lose your crew | Spare an entire species/annihilate an entire species | Rewrite the Heretic Geth/Delete the Heretic Geth"

These are just the barest few of the possible decisions you made in those two amazing games.
In Mass Effect 3, every choice. Big or Small, is going to come full swing. Did your decisions make the difference? Are you hero who saved the galaxy, or were you the unwitting harbinger of doom, the reason for it's destruction.

Even if you made the right choices then, can you save the galaxy now? The Reapers are here. They've hit Everywhere. You're at the top of their hit list. Can you unite the galaxy to stand against a common foe? Or will you take your last stand, as the universe withers away under the unstoppable force of the Reapers, as inner conflict undermine our last strength?

Like it or not, they're here, it's game over for them, or for us. You decide.

BioWare recently decided to make our faces their dumping ground for audio/video awesomeness.
In short they've produced a small number of astounding promotional videos for this amazing game. Below is just one of those, but they make you feel like a badass, just for watching video.
Who else is excited for this game?

If you want to see what else BioWare has got cook'n. Check out the games Official Website.
Mass Effect 3   <----[ You won't regret a second.]


Later!
-Fox

Do I Need a License to Drive That?

Battlefield is a series that knows how to get things done. They've been that way from the beginning. From their front row titles to PSN/Xbox Live Arcade mini action titles. They've been making that epic combat feel for a while, and they're good at it. Today the boundaries keep getting pushed. "Better Graphics! Stronger Story! More Players! Bigger Spaces to Play! More Weapons! More Vehicles! Co-Op!"

The guys at EA plan to deliver, on all fronts. They've got the graphics [Boy do they have the graphics]
They've got the Story, and the Co-Op to boot. They've got gunz, toyz, enough room to move that your legs might get tired, just thinking about how far your Avatar has to walk. [Mommy! I need the ICY/HOT!] Some of Battlefield 3's maps are huge!

EA didn't skimp either. In the past, some games may have offered such an abundance of choice, but at the cost of everything else. [i.e. Visually, and in the fluidity of the controls and movement]

A plethora of options like this in gaming used to be the ugly sister of the gaming world. [Sure you got a great heartfelt personality, but... ew, OK? That's some ugly gameplay.]

That isn't the case with Battlefield 3, it's got the looks, it's got the talent, it just might have Game of the Year.

Allow me to provide visual evidence, not just words.

[They're letting you do it all. All at the same time. Imagine the kind of fights you'll will be gawking over, laughing at, and screaming about with your friends well into the night]

Now, before you go. If you've got the time to spare. Spend 8 minutes. 8 measly minutes, and watch this video below. Just feast your eyes one some of the BEST Tank gameplay your eyeballs have had the pleasure to see; and just try to pick your jaw off the floor.
It's looks and feels like a movie. Sounds like the real thing; and it makes you giggle like a school girl when all that schtuff goes boom.



Oh yeah............]



Later!
-Fox

Vista Effect.

[The Mass Effect field manipulates the Game field and makes it Awesome.] ---->














Dark Horse has announced "The Art of Mass Effect Universe". [Sound sweet? It is.] It's going to be filled with all the art of the Universe BioWare has created so far.
Yup, like those sprawling vista's. Distant, gorgeous, planets. That one moon you awed over while on that one planet doing that one thing that one time as that one guy. [I know. The specifics help draw the picture. You're Welcome.] This book is said to cover it all. It's got half a ream filled with all that universy goodness.

The book is set at $40 bucks and is listed as coming out in February 2012. Dark Horse also said that it'll offer some art from Mass Effect 3. So you'll be sailing into that dark space kown as Art Style Spoiler Land.







 Later!
-Fox

Coming to an Instalation Near You!

343 is making my day today, and it's probably because of HALO Fest... I don't know... Probably.
With said fest going on, 343 has seen fit to dump some of the goodies on the up coming Anniversary Edition of HALO: Combat Evolved.

Hear comes the goodness. 1st off, Mulitplayer redone for C.E.A. maps!

Beaver Creek
Prisoner
Damnation
Timberland - HALO C.E. | Previously a PC exclusive Map
"Halo" - Firefight map.

You'll be able to see these maps if you go here, to HALO Waypoint


So that's something great to look forward too. I'm really going to enjoy seeing these maps again.
On of my favorite additions is "Halo" the Firefight map. It sets you up just outside a Forerunner outpost at the edge of a cliff. You'll remember this map from the mission. "Halo" (The level where the Chief first sets foot on the ring) It look gorgeous, and you get to drive the M12 LRV with LAAG! That beast the crap out of the rocket hog any day. Something new to Firefight. on the level "Halo", if you're squaring off against the Covies alone, you'll find your not so "Alone". Playing 1 Player Firefight now give you the added benefit of A.I. Marines to watch your back. Coolest idea, ever. Period. End of Story.

Check out all the goodness here! --> Specific HALO Waypoint Link <-----


And lastly.

What do you get when you Cross 343 Industries and Forsa Motor Sport 4?

You get this!  Awesome! Pure Awesome. [I just wish you could drive it. That would have been a sale.]


Later!
-Fox

Uncharted: Drake's Colletor Edition

   <----- [Scarf brought to you by Calvin Cline]






Naughty Dog has raised the tantalizing level Uncharted: Drake's Deception even higher with the release of the Collectors Edition . Everyone has a collectors edition now. Back in the day there'd be a collectors game and you'd get something cheap-ish and pretty lame. But now it's become that next One Up, to get the sales out. Regardless the fan really wins out. As developers war to come up with great new ideas for collectors items. We as the consumer, win in the quality department. One way to point to the truth of that is with the video I posted below. Super talented voice actor Nolan North. [voice of Nate Drake and that guy who get's a lot of work for his skillz] Does a comic little bit in the "Unboxing" of said collectors edition.

This! I want!

Later!
-Fox

For the record. Aleins, aren't people.

[Why do we hate aliens? It's not because they attach themselves to our faces against our will, or that they kill whomever they make their "Mother" by exploding forth from behind the ribcage. (Which is not cool by-the-way) Or because as rebellious five-minute old-ers they try murder your face with their little mouth inside the big mouth trick. It's not even that they skewer us with their pointy tails. No, because acid blood is cheating]-->


Aliens: Colonial Marines is a title most are familiar with, familiar with in the Duke Nukem kinda way.
By that I mean, we've been hearing about this specific Aliens title for a very long time. It's changed publishers more often that a One Dollar Bill at the fair's game booths. Some teaser poster, or cryptic trailer would appear every year or so and it'd vanish as fast as it showed up. Then, one day, Game Informer plasters this game on it's cover issue and.... it goes away again; but unlike the many before, G.I.'s cover-story resurfaces from the dark to explain that the Alines are coming, and their pissed it took this long. I've seen an Aliens title or two, and I'd normally shrug off the idea of someone seriously trying to make another Aliens game. But once I saw that Gearbox was involved, working hand in hand it Sega I got excited. Gearbox is what hooked me. With them I knew there'd be something to this title. You may remember the Dallas TX based developer. They made Borderlands. So knowing their involved put as mile on my face.

So there may be blood left in this [Still yet to come] title. Even if that blood is acid and will melt your face off Raiders of the Lost Ark style.

Below is a nice gameplay trailer. It keep the pressure on with that little motion tracker "Blip"ing through out the whole thing.

OK, that's it. Post over. Get walk'n, and to help with that. I have a bonus "Keep On Walking" video to get you going with at pep in your step.

Later!
-Fox

When I say Hillshire you say, "Gears of War 3 Opening Cinematic !" ...wait, what?

<---- [Look Ma... no head.]


<--X2 [Mmmhmm, look at that Gritty Goodness.]









Tear your mind away from this Post's title. [Just do it! Your sanity depends on it!]
Some of you may have seen this already, and yeah. I was apparently under a rock Friday.
[Or maybe it was some form of heat stroke. Did I mention it's hot here in Texas?]
Lame excuses aside. EPIC games, uh, threw us a curve ball. This one came out of no where. Maybe it's just as simple as it sounds and it's a "Last time on, Gears of War" catch up video, for those who may or may not have played the first two games. [Shame on you by the way. These games are awesome.]

Whatever it is. EPIC decided we needed to see the opening cinematic of Gears of War 3.
Maybe they just addressed that clear and open fact that. Gears Fanboys and Fangirls [See, I know girls play games too.] just need their game style bread crumbs. otherwise we'd starve, and you know what happens when you starve? [You die. That's right, die.] Once all your fan-base is DOA, who's going to by the game? Nobody that's who. 'Cause their all dead. [Okay, moving on from the morbidity.]

In Super-Happy-Fun Time-News. EPIC's Gears of War 3 Opening Cinematic is posted blow. Try to control your excitement. [I know, it's hard.]

Anybody else, dig the CG here? Man they look good. Speaking of looking good.

OMG, this picture is insane! [Click on it to. "Make Go Big" and see the Epicness in "Massive Mode".]

Yup, September ain't soon enough.

Later!
-Fox

War, it's just business.

If I didn't have any kind of self control I'd be foaming at the mouth right now.
I've never been so, mystified by a video game. I've been impressed, bedazzled. Even completely immersed in an almost obsessive happiness over, stories, character, the lore of the universe, the music, game-play. Whatever, but this is different. Games have never been like this before.

Dust 514, recently had itself previewed buy some of the guys at Joystiq and what they had to say blew me away.


Dust 514 makes War, business; and it does it like no game literally has done before. It's reaching for unprecedented video game heights, and it's working right now. The developers, CCP, are in Pre-Alpha and it's already showing the sparkle of the potential "Golden Egg." If this works out like the way it looks like it will. Dust 514 will single handedly rewrite the way we look at games. [OK, enough with the blather! Let me just explain.]

You may remember, a ways back I had a Dust heavy post. Maybe you'll remember that what CCP was going for was cross platforming like no game before it. You'd play EVE Online like you always have, and Dust 514 would run under the lines, on the surface of that pesky planet, owned by that one jerk you and your friends hate.

Dust 514 features an economy that you can only access by downloading the game from the PlayStation Network. [That's right, it's a full fledged title you should be seeing at GameStop, but it's a download exclusive with the PS3] X-box owners I am so sorry that this title skipped over this great console. PS3 got the exclusive and it hurts. So for all that have a PS3, man your in for a wild ride. [BTW, I have a PS3, So... you know. I'm still happy.]

In Dust 514 your a mercenary. You're the guy with a gun and a wallet filled with butterflies. EVE Online is going to fill that void. Real Humans, playing EVE are going to use their in-game currency to put contracts on planets they want to conquer. It's your job to make some green, by kicking all the arse you can.

OK, so get this. Picture a ship. Big, mean, but not to big to be unable to operate in low orbit. Operating this command ship is a team. A literal team of human players piloting this ship from their computers and it's going to be casting a dark cloud over your head. The Real Human, with a remote in his hand and a Rifle on screen. [You getting the picture yet?] This is TRUE cross-platforming.

Their job is to, maneuver across a massive battlefield with hundreds of people fighting it out on the dirt. [Yeah, that's right. several hundred players, on one side or the other, squaring off for ground control against other players on the PS3; while PC EVE players orbit above. In Real Time]

So, let's say you and your buddies have gotten your self into a jam. Your in a fox hole praying this ain't your time to Derezz. When you realize a command ship is in range. *Laughs maniacally* [Yeah, the rain is coming.] So you load up your radio. (i.e. your actual physical Bluetooth headset) and make the call to command. Now, in real time cross-chat. You on your PS3 are talking LIVE to a buddy on that ship, who is using is PC to watch the fight unfold. You drop him the coordinates of the guys hitting your position and with the press of a button. Your PC buddy unleashes hell with an orbital strike from said command ship. With that pesky position reduced to slag, your free to hit your objective. It's time to take a planet.

You can move through this massive theater of war on foot, in unarmed and armored vehicles, even aircraft from fighter jets, to helicopters. While Command is doing it's dance and dishing out the pain to enemy ships. This is all happening over your head while you try to work, and it can come crashing down around you if something goes boom overhead.

I want to do this game justice and describe it right. But the words of the contributers at Joystiq have that mine don't. He was there, watching this preview. So. I'm posting a link to his article. If you're so inclined. Have a look. I've done a lot of big talk just now, over this game. It's safe to say I've got my hopes up this will be as amazing as it sounds. I hope it sounds amazing for you, and that you'll give it a try. It's looking to be one of the coolest games I've ever heard of. You don't wanna miss it.
Dust 514 is one you're gonna wanna keep an eye on.

Joystiq - Dust 514 Preview


Later!
-Fox

Border your Land Twice. It's good for Business.

 <--- [Now, while your Ranch-hands gripe about putting up a redundant fence around your property. Let's grab the bull by the horns and dive straight to the meat of the matter. The, subliminally implied "Real" title of the post]





Borderlands 2. [Ah, but wait! I told you I'd get back to this... and you thought I lied. >.> Well now everyone can watch as I proudly wear my |NOT BURNING| pants around town.] This is the great coming that GearBox studios [Based in Texas! Yee-haw!] Boasted about.  Creative Director Mike Neumann had this to say on the matter. "Borderlands 2 seems like a no-brainer to me."

And a No-Brainer it was... despite the abundant use of said brains for the actual creation. Borderlands 2 Cometh; riding on the back of a thousand stampeding CL4P-TR4Ps who are a Dance'n.

What you'll get is a once again glorious "Loot" hunt'n, Gang pop'n, Explosion-Appaloosa that you enjoyed the first time around. "Borderlands 2 - NOW WITH MORE EXPLOSIONS!"
You're going to get to see a whole new side of Pandora in this up and coming rock'em sock'em title.
The first time through, you got a quick look at four possible Players. Each bringing to the table their own unique skills and abilities.

You had the Soldier who was qualified and proficient at shooting every firearm with a marksmen like quality. That and he was more than happy to shoot whatever was classified as a gun. Next you had a Sniper with the cold blooded tenacity to grease a flea off a space-camels arse at 500yrds. [Dat be skill holmes!] Then you had the lady of the bunch. a "Siren" as she was called. A stealthy minx with the attitude and claws to rip you to shreds, while invisible. [Not to shabby with an SMG either] Finally you and a Berzerker... and there's really only one was to show you what "Brick" brought to the table.

 

[So.... Yeah. OK, we'll move on while Brick get's a glass of water.]

Borderlands had a great cast of potential choices, but other than clothes and their unique powers and abilities. That's almost all you got. Except for Brick, you could tell he was insane. [How could you not?] 

<----[ It's the Awesome kind of insane. ]

So, other than screaming, the voice actors were set up to record a repertoire of randomly generated One-Liners that gave you just the briefest glimpse into the characters you inhabited.
Borderlands 2 is making a push for Story, and character Depth. They also want you to get a look at the four "Vault-Hunter" Hero's. So in Game 2; You're sporting the New-Hotness of four new "Hero's". While the original cast of playable characters slip into a supporting cast roll that will allow for massive character development. [Don't worry, you'll get to see them often. They play a big part.]

Right now GearBox is only promoting their Cover-Art Poster Boy known as Salvador. He's the beef-cake of the Dwarf world and somebody you don't wanna cross in a dark ally. ['Cause for a Dwarf, he's kinda huge! Especially in the muscle department.]

[Go ahead, call him short... No that's OK. I'll wait.]
--->


Salvador is a "Gunzerker" [I know, I like that class too] A Gunzerker, when his ability is activated can dual-wield any weapon. ANY weapon. So lets say you have two rocket launcher. Why not use them at the same time?! [Well now you can] Say you're out kill'n Gang members or combat Mechs and you're feeling fashionable. You may wish to make a statement to the bullet sponges you're about to soak with lead, not with clothes but with pain, Then you can mix and mach your load out. So you could got for the Shotgun, Uzi combo. Maybe the Assault-Rifle Sniper mix. You're choice, it's just a lot of shoot'n.

One of the greatest features of the first game was the ass-load of guns. I mean it. There were roughly a million variations of firearms in this single title. [Amazing.. I know.] Game two is boasting a whole new set of sparklie toys for you to explode/shoot/burn/melt/freeze/and shock crap with. Each weapon with a unique quality and each manufacture has it's only theme. You'll know who made it and just how powerful it is by just looking at it. Instead of reading through the clutter on the P.I.P. or in the Pause Menu. You know a gun is good by the crisp clean lines, and maybe even gold plating's, while the rundown, weaker firearms will be, bent, bruised, burnt and scratched.

Pandora also got a makeover. Instead of that gigantic desert you spent almost the whole game in. You're going to get a wealth of environments to play in from grassy fields to the frozen tundra and everything in between.

New monsters, new bad guys, new robots to smash. It's look'n good.
Borderlands 2 is also focusing a lot more on story. In the first game NPC's (None-Playable Characters) mulled about like lobotomized, human mission dispensers . The people of Pandora have lives, they move about their day-to-day business and react to your actions. They'll even offer some conversation now.

One of the notable drawbacks for most people was that many missions were "Fetch Quests." Get this, get that. Kill him, bring me a piece back. [One Eye Jack's one eye looks so could. I just gotta have it!] This is why I demanded payment upfront. These people be crazy!
Now with a more story rich environment, you'll get more variety and you'll get mission that shift and alter based on your action; sometimes it'll even change depending on how efficient you are.

All'n all, this is looking to be the best possible next step in the franchise. I'm excited. If you'd like a wealth of more in depth information on Borderlands 2, you can check out the awesome guys at Joystiq, Game-Informer, or any other popular Gaming website you enjoy visiting. You could even go Borderlands 2 Official Site .

Later!
-Fox

Kinect to Steel Battalion for Full Enjoyment.

<----[ Some of you may remember a game called "Steel Battalion." Well this isn't it, you would know this by realizing "Heavy Armor" was written at the bottom]







Steel Battalion. Now there's a title that saw explosive populatirty the moment  they dromped the bombshell that was it's title. [C'mon, admit it. It's got a ring to it] But what hooked people was what the game was all about. It's a "Mech" Simulator. You may also remember the ridiculous controller for the game.

             [Ridiculous Controller] ---------->

Even though the controller was huge, and had a ton of buttons. It wasn't really that complicated.
It just looked complicated. What kept you from it was the price. Sucker set you back a C-Note.






See, Steel Battalion was shooting for the undone. They were building a simulator for Mech warfare unlike any before them. So. First off, they put you in a small building sized tank with legs.

  <-----[Building sized Tank with Legs. "Don't get under it's feet Timmy!"]



When you look at war machine of that caliber you think power, or possibly you see absurdity at the concept... or both. Well the developers saw power, but they also looked deeper. What would it take to drive one of those? So they built that mega controller, then they did this to your screen and gave you one amazing H.U.D.

                [Heads Up Display] ---->


Look complicated? It was, but a good complicated. If you had an attention span longer than three seconds and the willingness to work through the learning curve, you could master a monster tank with legs; and then shoot crap with it.

For most people, the price was a no sale. Or the difficulty in just "WALKING" was too much, once again, maybe both. If you didn't watch your center of gravity. Your Mech dropped to the ground like Godzilla on an oil-slick. [Aww... Did the Mech Fall down?] So watching your gyro was just one tiny piece to the puzzle. You had fuel, and arms expenditures to monitor. If you didn't, you're Mech no longer worked. You were out of gas, or out of bullets/Rockets, Or both. That made you the largest punching bag in history for any A.I. or apposing player in the game; and they loved to full you full of lead. [Besides, who did enjoy the sick pleasure of shooting the crap out of some noob who can't stop falling over....]

<---- [Op... well there goes Timmy.]


With the culmination of the game's price of around the standard $60 bucks, plus the Ben Franklin friendly Remote; [I.e. $100 dollars]
On top of that the difficulty in basic movement, then people go and shoot at you. You've got one of the toughest Simulators on the market for the average gamer. It was fun for those who master it, frustrating for those adept enough to crash; and downright infuriating for those who couldn't even manage to crash properly. [Because they couldn't figure out how to turn the Mech ON] Seriously, there was a Start-Up sequence many didn't figure out right off, or even later. They had to buy a strategy guide and read the section under. "How To Turn On Your Mech."

So yeah, ambitious. Awesome, and Hard. It just didn't pull people in enough and Steel Battalion went to the way side while games with far less complicated control schemes soldiered on. Most people don't want to go to school to learn how to play a single title for their computer.

Well, they heard you're cries. Microsoft is trying to help out. "Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor" is coming to the X-Box 360 and will utilize the standard Xbox Remote in-tandem with the Kinect. You'll be able to mix operations and commands in a more simplified way by mixing direct manipulation of the remote and visual gestures the Kinect will read and act on.

I'll tell you right off. I haven't jumped on to the Kinect Bandwagon and I'll tell you why. I don't want to be a human remote. I don't want to stand in my room and flash my hands and body about to make the Avatar do junk...
I don't have a problem with a controller and I don't understand why so many want to desperately remove the controller from the players hands. [Even a Baseball player still has to hold a bat, and a Foot-Ball payer still needs pads.] That's just me though. Aside from that the Kinect had little glitches and errors and it doesn't allow for rapid, high action game-play with the accuracy a Mouse and Keyboard or Controller offer. But maybe the Pacing of Steel Battalion and the right programing and you could have yourself one of the sweetest simulators on the console to date.

It really comes down to how you feel about it, but even I, a skeptic over the actual quality of fun you can gain from what feels like a gimmicky gaming mechanic, see potential from this. With constantly improving technology, it can only get better.

Below is a the debut Trailer for the Game. Just remember it's a Sim. They're going for mechanics and controls. Not Micheal Bay quality CG. Now where that'd be nice, we're just talking about "feel."

 

 Later!

-Fox

This Post is FarCry from being short.

[Can... can I have my knife back?] -->













FarCry 3. It's a completely different world from the original game; despite a return to the eye candy that's these tropical islands. ["But those tropical islands don't friggin exists on the globe." It's a game, it's pretty, go play it and shut up.]

Seriously though. FarCry 3 and the Original FarCry share many thing that FC2 just lacked. Don't get me wrong, the Sahara was and fantastic, expanse of twisting rivers, grassy planes. Malaria infested mosquitoes, a paradise really. But when you break it down, FarCry has an iconic location and FC2 didn't have that.

The first game was pretty linear in it's world design and set up that subtly told you to; "Go here, kill him, go there, kill them." They'd guide you with invisible walls at the far end of the gameplay zone and would give you the illusion of great space. Inside this illusion they gave you focused choice.
Here's the problem, these are your options. It could come down to skirting your foe and skip the ordeal all together. Or, you could go Sam Fisher and stealthily M.D.K. anny doofus with a rifle or a pistol that dared to enter your sights. Then there was the age old Rambo approach and you could go "Murder Face" and murder everyone... in the face... with a bullet. [D'em be some good choices Kyle!] And good choices they were. Let's not forget that the Hero "Jack Carver" [Sweet name] of the story was used as a test toy for a super serum and became a beast of a man. [Literally] Being able to tear foes limb from limb with inhuman strength, speed, agility and cunning of a feral beast was beyond awesome.

FarCry 2 had almost none of this. The location while expansive... was kinda boring and felt like a weed infested dust-bowl. The Characters in the 1st game were solid, funny, you cared about them.
Not so much in FarCry 2. You were so focused on not dying from Malaria/ [Which was irritation beyond all belief] You had "Allies" [I use the term loosely] you didn't really give a rats backside about and later, you're only friends turns out to be an A-Hole and they betray you. So yeah, all warm a fuzzy.
Don't even get me started on the "We wanna keep this quiet that your helping us... so I'm NOT going to tell my faction you're helping us and they'll shoot at you too when you try to complete your mission."   OK? What the hell?! How does that even make sense. Where was the "F.U." button?

[Counts to 10] Okay, so. FarCry 2's story was a little bit lackluster and the reasoning for some action was pot induced. But the action was fun and the world was HUGE. That was nice, but the Sahara was kinda boring and not that pretty. [IMHO] The weapons were cool and all but they broke down really quickly. Not to mention that damn Malaria wouldn't GO AWAY! and would wait until the worst moment to turn your arms in to noodles and reduce you to a cripple until you stuff your face with pills. [Does this seam like a bad subliminal message to anyone else?]

When it comes down to choice. Man you had it all. You had a target and a location. You could hit them from wherever you want, whenever you wanted, and however you wanted. Night or Day, Rain or Shine, Bazooka or Salience Pistol. It didn't matter. You were allowed to, even encouraged too mix things up. Talk about sweet. The down side was even though the map was huge. You'd pull a "Scorched Earth" on a fort and if you walk more than 600 feet from the place it'd refill with bad guys and guns and they'd be all. "Who the heck is that guy five hundred and ninety-nine feet from us? Let's KILL HIM!" [Not to say they were overly aggressive at times with super human eyesight] <---- That's Sarcasm.

Over all. I really really enjoyed FarCry and it's expansions. FC2 was fun at times but over all annoying. Especially with a saved file corruption bug that kept forcing players to start from scratch regularly. They had great ideas and ambition, but they changed too much. Threw away everything but kept the name.

And this brings me around to FC3. It talk'n the talk right now. It's got the looks, the action, the choices that feel like that openness of FC2 but with the beauty of FC1 and those popping Tropics! Even the story looks like it's got the potential to rock. Weapons look solid and Ubisoft says they won't breakdown like gun shaped "Paper Mache' " this time. You've got so much choice it'll affect the way the story evolves. I even hear they ditched the debilitating disease feature of FC2. [Seriously, who thought that would be fun game-play mechanic?]

In the end. I've got high hopes for FarCry 3. I expect it to be a great next step in the series.

This Game's got the "Nitty" and the "Gritty" packed with all that FPS fun we expect from an experienced franchise. Like I said. I'm hopful. So cross your fingers. FarCry 3 currently has an early 2012 release date. So much of it is potentially in the air; but I'd say right now. They're on the right track.

Later!
-Fox

Back with Avengence!

I would try to eplxain my apbsence but it'd probably just sound like an excuse, and it'd take just far to long. SO, I'll demonstrated why I was gone with one simple image.

<--- [Use your imagination, I'm sure whatever you think of is going to satisfy you]










Onwards and up words! [He says while hoping you pretend he was never gone]
Let's just roll out Autobot style on the subject NUMBAH 1!

Borderlands 2! [Dude! Why didn't you tell me that was coming out?! That crap is AWEsome!]
Yes Scooter, it is, awesome. I'll share more insight on the new game later. [Uh-huh, sure that's what you said a few months ago...] Belay that remark! THIS is a video post. So make with the videos.

 Oooh the goodness! IF it got any cooler I'd explode. [The room shakes with a sudden explosion]

"Hey Ya'll, my names is Oda Mae Brown. Fox, uh... exploded, so I'm going to let his Ghost take over my body...*Grumbes* I hated it when Sam Wheat did this. *Puts on a smile* Anyway, he's going to use me to write the rest of this post."

Thanks Oda Mae! Now, that I've got finger again, let's move on.


MASS EFFECT 3!


Bioware dropped their first gameplay video of one of the coolest Sci-Fi [Not Syfy] series of all time. Look it!

Oooh man! I'd explode from that Awesome but this isn't my body and I'm positive Oda Mae would be pissed. [I would probably loose my deposit too...]

Last and certaionly not least a personal favorite. Schtuff on Uncharted: Drake's Deception.
Soo much goodness, how could one man take it?... oh, yeah... Right.

OK! That's it for this post. Uncharted, Mass Effect, and Borderlands 2. Man that's good stuff.

Later!
-Fox