Max Payne

Remedy Entertainment has raised the bar on the FPS (first person, shoot-em up) industry. Sure, I like chasing monsters and creatures from other worlds, but what about monsters in human form.

Remedy, like everyone else in the FPS industry, has introduced its own new graphics engine. The difference� gamers have been given a beefed up graphics engine that rivals those of Quake 3 Arena and Unreal Tournament. The graphics used in the Max Payne are stunning. Before game play, one would think that the background graphics would be a bit cartoonish, no so. All graphics are as life like as you can get with the current technology. There are actual photographed faces mapped to the characters.

I argue that graphics alone do not make a game. There should be something to keep you coming back. The story behind Max Payne has been crafted to keep you glued to your seat. Gamers navigate their way through the game rather quickly as a result of master-crafted story line. The unsolved murder of your wife and kid, New York drug-lords, Russian Mafia, crooked business owners, a satanic madman, an armory of weapons, and some serious sarcasm can only leave you screaming for more. Drama!

The developers could have left out two levels that are referred to as "blood mazes." Real waste of time there. It's almost enough to make you get up from the computer. Who knows, maybe that's the plan. Thankfully those two levels are very short.

With the sour comes the sweet. Most FPS gamers are big action movie fans, go figure. Remedy has given us a way to get out of the heat. BULLET TIME. In a word, Awesome. You too can be like Neo and dodge bullets. Everything slows down to give you a second to get your thoughts together and your shots off.

As a bonus, raising that bar even more, Remedy Entertainment has decided to include the actual level editor that was used in game development. I can't think of anyone else that is proud enough of their product to make such a bold statement.

New graphics engine, refreshing game presentation, realistic characters, and a level editor. A security guard once told me, "Break leather, let the lead fly and land where it may." I can only imagine that was the mentality of Remedy Entertainment as they released this title.

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American PlayStation Store Update (08/09/11)

The North American PlayStation Store Update brings new releases for PS3 that include Far Cry 2, Driver: San Francisco Single-Player Demo, and Madden NFL 12Demo. Notable Add-on releases include: Mortal Kombat warrior Freddy Krueger,Worms 2: Armageddon Forts Pack & Puzzle Pack and TestYourself: Attention. On the PlayStation Plus side, be sure to check out Comix Zone & Far Cry 2 Full Game Trial and 20% off on the PLAY Pre-Orders for Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition, The Baconing, BloodRayne: Betrayal, and Renegade Ops.

For the full list of newly downloadable content for the PS3 and the PSP check the list below:

PlayStation Plus

Free PSN:	Comix Zone
Free DLC:	Crash Commando Add-On Bundle
Full Game Trial:	Far Cry 2
PlayStation Network PLAY Pre-order Discounts	Street Fighter 3: Online Edition ($11.99) – Releases 8/23 The Baconing ($11.99) – Releases 8/30 BloodRayne: Betrayal ($11.99) – Releases 9/6 Renegade Ops ($11.99) – Releases 9/13

Downloadable Games

Far Cry 2 ($29.99)
A true open-world shooter where every decision you make affects the outcome of the game. You are a gun for hire, trapped in a war-torn African state, stricken with malaria and forced to make deals with corrupt warlords on both sides of the conflict in order to hunt down your mark – The Jackal. This evil arms dealer has been perpetuating this conflict for years, wreaking havoc on the land and all of its innocent people.
ESRB Rated M
File size 3.85 GB

Game Demos (free)

Madden NFL 12 Demo 
Madden NFL 12 continues the rich tradition of the stored franchise, bringing fans closer to the NFL than ever before. Featuring all 32 teams, stadiums, and all your favorite players in the league, Madden NFL 12 is True to the Game. Ride the highs and battle the lows with all-new Dynamic Player Performance. Experience authentic team run-ours and real-life broadcast camera. Play with NFL legends in the game as you build your Madden Ultimate Team.
ESRB Rated E
File size 1.45 GB

Driver: San Francisco Single Demo
With crime lord Charles Jericho now on the loose, San Francisco faces a terrible threat. Only one man can stand against him. His name is John Tanner. He is the DRIVER. Experience the game now in the fast-paced demo that races through the streets of San Francisco!
ESRB Rated T
File size 1.31 GB

Add-on Game Content

ModNation Racers Haunted Parts Pack ($4.99)
Driving skills are the main way to scare off the competition in ModNation Racers, but now you can add some extra creepy visuals to your track creations with the Haunted Props Pack Download the Haunted Parts Pack today!
File size 100 KB

LittleBigPlanet 2 Perseids costume (Free)
(Available for a limited time) The best thing about Sackboy is that you can make him look and act exactly as you want. Download this additional costume and really stand out from the crowd!
File size 110 KB

TestYourself: Attention ($1.99)
Sometimes small details make a big difference. Have you ever got the time wrong and missed your date? Or crossed the street on a red light? Failing to pay attention can have disastrous consequences! Now there’s a fun and easy way to test how well you pay attention – with a new add-on to the psychology-oriented videogame TestYourself. Take a close look at yourself – play TestYourself!
File size 100 KB

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon – Death From Above! Jet Armor Weapon Pack ($2.99)
Airstrikes from Earth Defense Force’s most nimble warriors just got deadlier. Death From Above! The EDF Jet Armor Weapons Pack includes 15 of the EDF’s most powerful weapons in one exclusive supply drop! Enjoy 8 exclusive additions to the Jet Armor’s arsenal, including the Hasslex Hamadryad Grenade Launcher. Trooper and Tactical Armors also receive upgrades like the El Gigante Rocket Launcher. Blow those bugs and their alien technology sky high!
File size 111 KB

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon – Pounds Of Pain! Battle Armor Weapon Pack ($2.99)
Kick that arsenal into high gear with 15 exclusive weapons for EDF’s strength junkies! Pounds of Pain! The EDF Battle Armor Weapons Pack puts brutality on display with 8 new weapons for EDF’s Battle Armor, including the C9 Turnburl x Shotgun. Trooper and Tactical Armors also get exclusive upgrades like the RLF-17 Floorboard Rocket Launcher and the VanSnaster SpreadBurst Assault Rifle. Feel the power of exclusive Earth Defense Force weaponry!
File size 111 KB

Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3: Mobile Suit Pack 2 ($5.99)
Unlocks Kshatrya and its pilot Marida Cruz as a playable character. An additional mission “Day of the Unicorn (Sleeves)” is also included in the pack.
File size 6.46 MB

Mortal Kombat – Freddy Kreuger ($4.99)
Download and play as Freddy Krueger. When Shao Kahn began to steal Earthrealm’s souls Freddy battled the emperor in the Dream Realm. Shao Kahn pulled Freddy into the real world and defeated him. A badly injured yet determined Freddy fitted both his hands with demonically enhanced razor gloves. Once he has killed Shao Kahn he will return to the Dream Realm to torment Earthrealm’s souls for eternity.
File size 100 KB

Mortal Kombat – DLC Warrior Bundle ($14.99)
This DLC bundle contains four downloadable warriors Skarlet, Kenshi, Rain and Freddy Krueger. Buy this bundle and get all four warriors for the price of three. This bundle does not include any other Mortal Kombat Downloadable content. If you have already purchased the Mortal Kombat downloadable warriors individually do not purchase this bundle as you will be charged twice for the same content. Visitwww.themortalkombat.com for details.
File size 313 KB

Worms 2: Armageddon Forts Pack ($4.99)
The Worms2: Armageddon “Forts Pack” features 20 addictive and challenging single-player levels, based upon a variety of fort-based mission objectives. The “Forts Pack” also includes 10 brand new forts for multi-player battles, 3 new hates, 3 new speech banks, 3 new gravestones, a new “Fort” landscape theme and 12 new Trophies.
File size 199 KB

Worms 2: Armageddon Puzzle Pack ($4.99)
The Worms2: Armageddon “Puzzle Pack” features 20 mind-boggling single-player puzzle missions, designed to test even the most cunning Worms™ players. The “Puzzle Pack” also includes 3 new hats, 3 new speech banks, 3 new gravestones, a new “puzzle” landscape theme and 12 new Trophies.
File size 199 KB

Rock Band 3 
Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.

• “Animal (Live)” – Def Leppard ($1.99)
• “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak” – Def Leppard ($1.99)
• “Photograph” – Def Leppard ($1.99)
• “Pour Some Sugar On Me (Live)” – Def Leppard ($1.99)
• “Rock Of Ages” – Def Leppard ($1.99)
• “Undefeated” – Def Leppard ($1.99)
• Artist pack ($9.99) – Build your Rock Band library by purchasing this song game album: Def Leppard Pack 01. This pack includes “Animal (Live)”, “Bringin’ On The Heartbreak”, “Photograph”, “Pour Some Sugar On Me (Live)”, “Photograph”, “Rock Of Ages” and “Undefeated”. By Def Leppard

File size: 26 MB – 46 MB (singles), 207 MB (track pack)XX (singles), XX MB (track pack)

Rock Band Network v2.0

• “Crazy” – Nonpoint ($1.99)
• “Miracle” – Nonpoint ($1.99)
• “Positive Force” – Magnus ‘SoulEye’ Pålsson ($0.99)
• “The Battle Of Lil’ Slugger” – dB soundworks ($0.99)
• “What’s Left Of Me” – Blessthefall ($1.99)

File size: 20 – 27 MB (singles)

Updates

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad Of Gay Tony – Sale (PS3) (now $9.99, original price $19.99)
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost And Damned – Sale (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Midnight Club Los Angeles – South Central Ultimate Content Pack – Sale (PS3) (now $6.49, original price $12.50)
Red Dead Redemption – Deadly Assassin Outfit – Sale (PS3) (now $0.49, original price $0.99)
Red Dead Redemption – Golden Guns Weapon Pack – Sale (PS3) (now $0.49, original price $0.99)
Red Dead Redemption – Legends And Killers Pack – Sale (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Red Dead Redemption – Liars And Cheats – Sale (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare Collection (DLC Bundle) – Sale (PS3) (now $9.99, original price $19.99)
Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare Pack – Sale (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
Red Dead Redemption – War Horse Pack – Sale (PS3) (now $0.49, original price $0.99)
Megaman 10 – Mega DLC Bundle – Sale (PS3) (now $2.99, original price $4.99)
Megaman 9 – DLC Bundle – Sale (PS3) (now $2.99, original price $4.99)
Boom Beats – Minis – Sale (PS3/PSP) (now $1.99, original price $3.99)

Avatars

MotorStorm Helmet Avatar ($0.49)

Game Videos (free)

Pulse 8/9 Edition

Starhawk Telling The Story

Mortal Kombat Trailer

RAGE Untethered Trailer Phineas and Ferb: Across The Second Dimension – Gameplay Trailer

BloodRayne: Betrayal Trailer

PS3 Themes

Castlevania: Symphony of The Night Theme ($1.99)

Destination: Seattle Dynamic Theme ($2.99)

Orange Flares Dynamic Theme ($2.99)

Dynamic Bulldog Theme ($2.99)

Dynamic British Bulldog Theme ($2.99)

After Glow Theme ($1.99)

Bundles

TestYourself: Psychology Xl (Bundle) ($5.99)

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Captain America: Super Soldier

More like Captain A-meh-rica.

Stop me if you’ve played this game before. Superhero goes to an island full of bad guys planning large-scale chaos. Rhythmically flipping between each as he goes, he beats up five or ten henchmen at a time. Along the way, he fights a line-up of his classic rogue's gallery, uses a special vision mode to scan his environment, climbs around the place like a ninja, unlocks various powerups, and picks up all manner of meaningless doodads. Finally, once the day is saved, there's an array of extra challenges he can attempt to earn gold medals.


No, I’m not talking about Batman: Arkham Asylum, but you’d be forgiven for thinking so.  Captain America: Super Soldier doesn’t have an original bone in its body.


The basic premise has the player, as Cap, infiltrating a Hydra castle in WWII to halt the plans of a terrorist named Zola. Along the way, you tussle with some other big bads, such as the Red Skull, and uncover a plot revolving around ‘perfecting’ the super soldier serum that made Steve Rogers who he is today.

Cap's character model looks very good, particularly the shield.

The combat system in the game is ripped right out of Arkham Asylum. It is designed around combating multiple foes at once. You’ve got one button for basic attacks, one for stunning opponents, one for dodging, one for reversals, and one for throwing your projectile (in this case, Cap’s shield). However, there are worse games to steal from, and battles do feel intense, with the odds being suitably stacked against you. The issue here is that Cap has a hard time quickly transitioning from punching one goon to another. It typically took me an awkward second or two to stop what I was doing and move over to the next guy, which interrupted any combos I was building up. It’s fun, especially when you work the nine possible upgrades into the equation, but the combat is very flawed. 


When you’re not fighting in Super Soldier, you’ll usually be scouring the environment for the next path you need to take. Like with Batman’s Detective Vision, Cap has a special viewing mode that, when activated, points out important objects and things that can be climbed. Actually, Next Level seems to have avoided a common issue Arkham had with Detective Vision; since it never ran out, there was little incentive to ever turn it off, thus making the game seem unsatisfactorily easy. When Captain America turns on Super Soldier mode, relevant objects flash for a second or two, then disappear again. This is fairer, giving us a quick tip while still making us figure the problem out ourselves. I’d like to see this implemented in Arkham’s upcoming sequel.

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How Call of Duty Changed Multiplayer

All first-person shooters are the same, right? I mean, every modern FPS out there is little more than a Call of Duty clone. And really, Call of Duty was just a Medal of Honor clone, Medal of Honor was just a GoldenEye clone, GoldenEye was just a Quake clone, and Quake was just a Doom clone. To top it off, Doom was just a Wolfenstein 3D clone.

However, anyone who's been playing first-person shooters since the early days will tell you that this the genre has been constantly evolving since its inception. For proof of this, spend an hour or two playing Black Ops, then go pick up GoldenEye 64. The FPS has grown immensely over the years, and there have been some pretty groundbreaking moments along the way.

One series that has informed the way we view FPS games this generation is the Call of Duty series. Call of Duty actually did sort of begin as a "Medal of Honor clone." In fact, almost the entire team behind Medal of Honor: Allied Assault went on to make the original Call of Duty game. However, Call of Duty did some interesting things with the Medal of Honor formula.

Probably the most important change was the addition of the down-the-barrel view. In the original Call of Duty—and every CoD game since—you could bring your weapon closer to your face to look down the barrel of your gun and aim more accurately. When firing from the hip, the crosshairs that indicated where you were aiming would spread apart, making your shooting less accurate.

Sure, Call of Duty didn't invent the down-the-barrel view or the expanding crosshairs. You can find earlier examples in games like Vietcong and Operation Flashpoint. In fact, these features most likely date back to the modding community of the late 1990s, though it's hard to say for sure. But one thing is certain; Call of Duty popularized the ability to bring your gun closer for iron sites view and the expanding crosshairs. Now, could you imagine playing an FPS without these?

As the years went on, Call of Duty began to stagnate. It was the same game year after year. But then, in 2007, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released, becoming the archetype for an entire new generation of FPS games. While the most obvious change to the series was that Modern Warfare finally left behind the World War II era setting of its predecessors, it made a lot of very important changes to the multiplayer FPS formula.

Read more: http://www.cheatcc.com/extra/howcallofdutychangedmultiplayer.html#ixzz1U7sfob7G 
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

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Black Ops 2

When Call of Duty became a yearly series, Infinity Ward quickly realized they couldn't pump out a quality title every single year. To provide CoD games on Infinity Ward's off years, Treyarch was given the opportunity to fill in the gaps. They were originally brought into the fold for Call of Duty 2: Big Red One for GameCube. They developed the game with help from the staff from Gray Matter Incorporated, who had previously worked on the United Offensive expansion for the original CoD.

Treyarch stepped out onto their own with Call of Duty 3, which released in 2006. However, CoD 3 wasn't necessarily that great of a game, and to this day is probably still the weakest game in the series.

Infinity Ward struck gold the following year with the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It completely revamped the Call of Duty multiplayer format and signaled a major shift in multiplayer first-person shooters in general. From that point on, the FPS genre would start to be a lot more like the RPG, with a level-up system and upgradable weapons. They also added Killstreaks, allowing players who could score a set amount of consecutive kills with a powerful bonus, like calling in an airstrike or summoning a chopper. It was clear that Infinity Ward was onto something here.

Treyarch followed this up with World at War, which took a lot of cues from Modern Warfare, but it maintained the World War II backdrop that had been a staple of the series before Modern Warfare was released. They made one very important addition: Nazi Zombies. However, even with the more MW-ish level-ups, upgrades, Killstreaks, and perks, World at War fell short in a lot of ways. It wasn't as balanced as Modern Warfare, and it had a lot of bugs. And that's not to mention the Killstreak that allowed players to call in a pack of dogs, which was ridiculously overpowered. World at War simply could not compare to Modern Warfare.

Infinity Ward decided to keep up the whole MW thing and released Modern Warfare 2, which was also somewhat lackluster when compared with the original Modern Warfare. It also suffered from balance issues and bugs, and though some absolutely loved it, many saw it as a step down from the phenomenal Modern Warfare.

And then Treyarch struck back with a game that could finally be seen as a solid answer to Modern Warfare. Black Ops was Treyarch's crowning contribution to the CoD series. It featured some much needed balance tweaks, like introducing Killstreaks that didn't stack, dogs that weren't completely overpowered, and leaving out the game-changing nukes of MW2. It also introduced a brand new setting to the franchise: the Cold War era. Treyarch even added customizable Playercards, which allowed players to make their own icons that would be displayed to other users. And perhaps best of all, Black Ops brought an improved Zombies mode.

It's perhaps a bit early to be thinking this far ahead, but what will Treyarch come out with next year? So far, they've changed up the formula with every iteration they've developed: Big Red One, CoD 3, World at War, and then Black Ops. Will they be changing it up again and bringing a new CoD sub-series? After the success of Black Ops, I highly doubt it. Just as Infinity Ward found its niche with Modern Warfare, I think Treyarch has finally found its place in the Call of Duty world with Black Ops.

My prediction: Treyarch will again be contributing to the Call of Duty series next year. Instead of digging up some new ideas, I strongly believe they will return to Black Ops. It just makes the most sense. Black Ops finally proved that Treyarch was a good fit for the Call of Duty series, and I think they've found a sub-series with some real staying power.

Just as last year saw the release of Modern Warfare 2, 2012 will most likely see the release of Black Ops 2. This could provide longtime fans with brand new maps in the Cold War/Vietnam setting, even more Playercard options, and a heavier focus on Zombies.

Even though I have to admit that I'm looking forward to Modern Warfare 3, I have high hopes for next year's potential Black Ops 2.

Read more: http://www.cheatcc.com/extra/vgf_blackops2.html#ixzz1U7rwTdyP 
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

Read more: http://www.cheatcc.com/extra/vgf_blackops2.html#ixzz1U7rriiEw 
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

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