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ANDY McNAMARA 
tDTOR CA 
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comment on this trat 

gamehfrmercomimag or 
бон GL Anite 


Attending My Own 
Funeral 


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Saints Row: The Third 
Saints Row 2 embraced zany antics to 
help the series stand out, and things are 
getting even crazier in Saints Row: The 
Third, Volition introduces a massive new 
city, unified gang threat, and even more 
insane stunts than ever before. 


by Dan Ryckert 


original 
ог crumple Ike the victim of a 

a Crushing Prison spel? 
to play Guitar Hero. by Joe Juba 


contents 5 


games index 


Ihre EVO 5-46 


sprintcom/evo 
1H800-SPRINT-1 (1-800:777-4681) 


This month in Feedback we 
cannot play, 


some parents for doing their job. 


and 


what games women can and 
to EA's misguided Dead Space 2 ad campaign, 


shaping up tot arc lan- 
Quinn Levandoski Sean Johnson. 
via email via email 
Iw x Pkksin your 
ames ol Ihe year feature, and seemed that 
Mas 2h as much support as Fed 
Dead cd, which won the GoTY award. What 
pushed over Ih ? 
Paul McNamara 
Glenside, PA. 


The QI staff had plenty of love for both 
Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption. 
Ultimately, Mass Effect 2 Is a refinement of 
the first game, and the second chapter in 
a still unfinished trilogy. Red Dead's wholly 
contained story, and deeply 


arc, as aim. 
ho "Find and Repl 
words "Resonan 


Word 10 exchange а 


original, s 
Contact US immersive game world gave Rockstar's epic т PAM ban el, de BR One, 
lestkOamenfmacom Westem the nod for Game of the Year, and tactical merits of that baader JAPG 
much higher than a pathetic attempt to 
again "revolutionize" Ie Ime-worn АТВ system 
: и won't doso with a melodramatic cal for 
nation tke во many before me, but have u 


15 NOT surprised 


8 feedback 


uheld your ov 
that do, 


David Schimptt. 
via email 


Thank you so much, David, for skipping the 
usual fanatical closing rant, and instead 
attacking our journalistic integrity. That's s0 
much classler. Whether you take the direct 
(albeit misinformed) approach like Sean, 

or try to butter us up before launching into. 
veiled insults, you're stil mistaking your 
personal preference for some kind of incon- 
trovertible truth. Its not. Its your own opin- 
lon, and we have our own opinions. We just. 
also happen to have our own magazine, 


Short Answers to 
Readers‘ Burning 
Questions 


‘= өлтү on your Stal ийе, 


мш! ou be your most anti 
pated game of 2011 ой ol these 
pide: Portal 2, Butt, or 
p 

Portal 2. 


s omo pronounced "oye 
mjia” or “eclo пет 


"oclo meelo.” 


"Doa ot you tarea secet 
deny? 

It we did, we certainly 
wouldn't admit itin a 
magazine. 


Best Nows Tip Of 
The Month: 


“Don't lod your dog asparagus: 


Complaint 
Of The Month: 


This month ree rear 
lo complain a Dante emo 
was nol nc e Top 50, 

wich more tan we 
үче eed 


10 feedback 


Reaching A 
Bigger Audience 


1 was very excited to see you guys finally 
broach the subject of race and sexuality in 
video games [Widening The Scope, issue 
214]. Iam an African-American woman and 
have grown tired of only being able to play 
most of my games as men or white women. 
You have no idea how excited I was when 
T first started Mass Effect and saw that not 
only could 1 make Commander Shepard a 
‘woman, but a black one at that. It angers 
ше when most African-American characters 
are stereotyped as gang members or ath- 
Jetes. I believe that the game industry needs 
to realize that not everyone who buys their 
games are white males. 

Lyjanette Jordan 

via email 


1 wish to congratulate Matthew Kato for 
his “Widening The Scope" article. I agree 
that there is a shortage of diversity in 
games, and when it is done right, it cre 
ates a unique experience for everyone. 
and influences our lives tremendously. 
Many RPGs such as the Final Fantasy 
series [particularly 6, 7, and 10) do an 
amazing job of combining different 
ethnicities to deliver rich stories and 
characters. MMORPGs allow players to 
choose from a different mix of characters, 
and increases interactivity, coopera- 
tion, and immersion into those worlds by 
allowing players to create avatars that 
represent themselves physically and eth- 
nically. While many of these games have 
great game mechanics and stories, | think 
they sell well because they also relate to 
gamers of many different backgrounds. 
Chad Collins 
via email 


(Left) This ls what 
happens when the GI 

ang voton aes ole 
(Right). Acta, his 
is wat happens. In Bar's 
defense, Dan had coming 


HAEMIMONT 


kalypsö 


for Windows Q XBOX 


Я 
pe" 


(Lett Ater winessing 

the zombie action of Dead 
‘sn PR guru Autrey Nani 
and Deep Ses Sebastian 
Reichert and Vincent Kum- 
ar pose wit Jf M în front 
of some appropriately messy 
замок (Right) Ben is all 
sane vith DICES Pack 
Bach and Eats Pete Nauen. 
Myou just сан Ballet, 
yeni be sing, oo 


12 


Your Customers Hate This 

| was disappointed withthe “Your Mom Hates 
This” advertising campaign EA chose for Deac 
Space 2. | have been tying to make the point to 
people that video games have realy maturod as 
a tom of entertainment г the last decade or во. 
Whereas video games once used lo be brainless 
entertainment without any real depth, they are 
now able to spark serious discussion and are 
capable ot teling string narratives. However, 
"Your Mom Hales This” is exactly the type ОГ 
sophomoric rationale tor playing a game that | 
think the industry as a whole has been trying to 
move away from. The unfortunate thing is that 
Ооа Space 2 k a genuinely great game wih an 
excellent story. Why EA ever lelt that the game's 
seling point should be something as child as 


“Your Mom Hates This” is beyond me, but | think 
the industry as a whole is hurt because ol it. 

Joel Richard 

Jefferson Hills, PA 


We couldn't agree more, Not only did the. 
advertising campaign have the distinct feel 
that it was peddling an M-rated game to 
minors (unless you are an adult who stil 
lives with your parents), It convinced us that 
the marketing team responsible for those 
commercials doesn't have any idea what. 
makes the series so great. Hint: Its not 
because the game is “revolting” to mothers. 


| just read the Editor's Picks in your Top 50 fea- 
"uro, and | was a И discouraged. | enjoy seeing 
‘Other gis such as mysal! getting into the gaming 
World to кї the myth that video games aro just 
for guys and that is suck at them. Bul your 
Iwo lemalo ocilors, Meagan and Arnall, maka 
very girl gamer lock bad with top picks tke 
'Spli/Socond, Меса lor Speed, Dance Central 
Donkey Kong, and Angry Birds. Come on giis: 


What aro wo, Ivo yoars cl? | love games Ike 
God of War, Dragon Ago, and World of Warcral 
in my frst day of playing Black Ops I went 34 
rounds in Zombie mode ай by myst ove gis 
Who prove lo guys that wo aro just as good at 


video games as they aro. Putting out toro that 
же play tho samo games that my eight-year-old 
look pathetic, Como on. 


nephew does makes us 
lados; play somothing 


Geo, Kathryn, you seem to have conve- 
niently overlooked the fact that Meagan and 
Annette also put games like Mass Effect. 

2, Dead Rising 2, Red Dead Redemption, 
‘and BioShock 2 on their lists. Furthermore, 
‘even if they were only Interested in playing 
‘Cooking Mama and Kinectimals, do you 
honestly think they lack the right to play the 
‘games they enjoy because they're women? 


Just Doing Their Job 
1 oniy own ono Merated game (which is Just 
Cause 2) because I am underage and my 
parents aro are that they could “cout my 
mind." Along lime ago, | preordered Сай of Duty 
‘Black Ops. It was going to be my frst Cal ol 
Duly game that 1 would own. Eventual, my par- 
ents looked up videos ol the game on YouTube 
ага, wol, they were pretty pissed. They said | 
‘couldn't purchase the game, but riod to oon- 
vice тот otherwise. Дав, I alod, ever though 
ту classmates own this game. | understand that 
you are not my parents and they aro Just tying 
lo do what is best for mo, but ofer parents let 
young kids play this game. What do you tink? 
Michael Haft 
San Diego, CA 


We think you should be grateful that you 
have responsible and informed parents. 
Thanks for doing your job, guys. 


Improvements For Skyrin 
In issue 214 we asked readers what addi- 

tions or Improvements readers would like to 
200 in the newest Elder Scrolls Installment. 
While co-op/multiplayer was by and far the 


| would ike 10 bo able to create my own custom 
weapons and armor out o toms | fnd through- 

ад the word, and then Infuse them with magic 

‘during the creation process. 


James Sparks 


One thing I hope Bethesda puts no Skyrim is 
‘cosmetic damage. Afta a long баце, гато 
soma scars to remember it by. 


1 don't want monsters to bo leveled up to the 
player There shoul bo some places on the 
‘map that rat meant fc lower loval players. It 
‘cheapens tha gamo ithe monsters/bad guys 
aro always just as tough as the player 

Mitchell Shertey 


| would love to see some effort put into 
mounts or mounted combat, | would love to 
"ido a dragon! 


Dylan Carter. 


Ploaso lot this Eder Scrolls game havê better 
animations, The stil, marionette-Ike anima: 

"lon in previous tiles mado mo lose interest in 
them. just can't wrap my head around playing 
as a badass acveniuring chick who looks Ike 
shots losing a deeply privato бато wih crippling 
casty-onsot arthritis. 


Angela Wiliams 


Таке to soo a random dungeon generator 
It would be a candle on the icing of a realy 
big-ass cake. 


Eric Buck 


will receive a copy of 
оп the system of their choosing 


The greatest WWE Superstars and WWE 
Legends invite you to determino the greatest 
WWE Superstars of alltime in over-the-top, 
in-your-face, pick-up-and-play wrestling action. 


CORRECTION: 
Last ss in Gear, we stated atthe 
Razer Suche’ keyboard keys ae 
Auction Ik tiny LEDs ln cual ey 


feedback 13 


Is the ESAS criticism of video game studies 


Inquiries 


a good practice? 


by Matthew Kato with Jeff Cork 


The increased popularity of video games has put the medium in the spotlight, including 


frequent scrutiny by researchers and various groups trying to understand games and 


their effect on those who play them and society in general. Studies of all stripes are used 


to prove or disprove topics such as whether violent video games are harmful to kids, but 


there have yet to be any clear, answers to these questions because data like surveys and 


statistics can be inaccurate or disputed. 


ось, industry trade group the 

Entertainment Software Association 

(ESA) sent out a press rlease contain- 

Ing advance ciim of a study by Dr 
Douglas Gentle (associato professor ol develop- 
mental psychology at lowa State University) and 
‘others about the подамо elfocts ol pathological 
Video game usage, aso known as video game 
‘adebction. The ESA wamed thal Gentle’ study 
was "awad" and called into question ho doc- 
tors motives end past work. White Its the ESAS 
job to protect video games ard its constituency, 
what was unusual about tho ESAS pre-emptive 
attack was that Gens report tel and its con- 
‘clusions did nol Seem controversia, 

Genties study of more than 3,000 schoo chit- 
don n Singapore over a throe- yar period found 
that excessive gaming can have а negativo 
lc оп somo kids, including the exacerbation 
ol depression, erwety, poor school work, and 
‘other issues, Gentle stopped short of announ 


ing a causa Ink botween this kind of video game 
addiction and the aforementioned health issues 
and while some kids ho surveyed never devel 
‘oped a video дато action, approximately 
rine percent of chicken surveyed (who averaged 
а ganing habit ot 31 hours a week) cou bo 
аазаћед as pathological gamers. Moreover, 
wcondtions such as depression and social pho- 
bias improved as these gamers stopped thor 
pathological behave. 

‘Video gama adición в not a ne rec- 
grized condition, but Genie used gambling 
addiction (which is recognized) as а compar 
son in developing his survoy questions and an. 
overal ralerenca point because both star cut 
as entertainment and alor "stimato omollonal 
responses and dopamine release," according to 
the study Similar lo gambling, Gente believes 
the basic cause ol video game addiction is a 
lack of impuso control in tho Individual 

Despite Ino seeming clarity of his study's 


ndings, Gentle does! think the argument 
about video game addiction в over. "The pur- 
pose o this ario” states the study, "s not to 
anser thal debate, bul lo provide now data 
that may bo ss Gentle's tone is relatively 
accommodating, why 6 the ESA so vehemently 
against him? Tho ESA достука to ak lo us for. 
"his article, and is pre-empive press release. 
criticizing the study and Gentle timsali provides. 
Tow answers, In it the ESA says thal patolog- 
са vido gaming Б nol a modically recognized 
condition, and the tools the study uses to mea- 
эге Рамо been orlicizad, However, ho fact 
that в not medically recognized is precisely 
Wal prompted the study inthe frst placo, 
Which required that Gentle and his leagues 
uso tne methods they think ro bost sulted 10 
the task. In fact, the study is openly спбса of 
itself, pointing out its own limitations and where 
more research is pd 


connect 17 


“[The ESA] 
want people to 
believe that I 

am 'anti-game!" 
Idon't understand 
the general human 
tendency to prefer 


extremes to the 


№ ıo commend create, indepen 
dent, and verifiable resoarch about 
‘computer and video games, 
Richard Taylor, ho ESAS senior 

Vico prosidont for communications and indus 

try айак in the press release, “However, his 

research в just more of ho samo questionable 

fincings by tho samo author in his campaign 
against deo games. There simply is по con- 
elo evidence thal computer and video games 
causo harm. In fact, а wide body of research has: 
shown tho mary ways games aro being used to 
improve our Ives through education, heh, and 
business applications. 

Many people believe that games can have a 
positive invence оп our Ives, but can you s0 
аву take the good and ignore the bad? in tho 
past, tho ESA has pralsod studios that show- 
games having a posi effect and стизао 
those Ike Gent's that don't, but an effect is an. 
боса whether us good or bad. Data and any- 
sis rom statistics and studios shoud always 
Бе scrutinized, but whe highighting only that 
Which is favorable to video games may please 
the ESAS constituency ~ and even form one 
ol the cornerstones of the ESAS legal argu- 
ments against its opponents Its a practica. 
"hat brings into question the group's legitimacy 
‘and obscures the honest scenic study of 


Hostie Feelings and Depression’) found that 
volant doo games may "roduco depres: 

Son and Гоо feelings n players trough 

mood mangement. 

Ferguson's study and the ESAS trumpeting 

«їй в al he same to Gentle, who observes, 
People tal to recognize hal il games can 
teach such good things lko skils noeded by 
surgeons, then they must also be able to teach 
other things, such as aggression. The learing 
mechanisms Invlved are the samo." Because 
^ this, Gento sides with tho ESA when It says 
that video games can have a positivo effect 
Although the group's press release states that he 
is anthvidoo games, in 2007 ho довео a study 
showing thal veo games helped Iaparosonpic 
surgeons with thot slis and thal hey might be 
used as positivo raining tools. 

Is Gente an ап! о дате vilain or tho 
‘champion of ts betler qualities? Or is he simply 
acing to the ever-growing conversation about 
то medium as it endures the scrutiny that 
inevitably comes with its evolution? The ESAS 
stonewall defense may be an effective way lo 
protect the immediato interests of ho industry, 
but further obscuring ho truth wil only loa! o. 
more misunderstanding, 


video games, 


The ESA took such a salectvo 
approach in presenting evidence 

10 he Supreme Court regarding 

ils decision on tho Calloria law 
restricting tha sale сї violent video 
games lo miners, The ESA cited two 
Studies by Dr, Ctristoper Ferguson 
ol Texas ABM, ono of which (The 
Himan Study: Violent Video Game 
Exposure Etlects on Aggressive Behavior, 


truth that is usually 
somewhere in 


the middle.” 


Do you think video game addiction is dit- 
ferent than sex addiction or other such 

specifi addictions? 

Thats in fact what l'm trying to test - is it realy ке 
other addictions? My curent summary ofthe exist- 
"ng research is that it looks Ike other addictions in 


many respects. 
‘Should video game addiction be officially 
medically recognized? 

Not yet. West need more studies before 'd feel 
Comfortable taking that stp, 


Why do you think the ESA was so quiek to dis- 
unt your study before it was publishe 

hey re just doing their ob - protecting the interests 

of the video game companies 


Dr. Gentile is an 
associate professor. 

of developmental 
psychology at lowa 
State University with 
numerous peer- 
reviewed scientific 
journal articles mainly 
covering the effects 
af video games and 
‘media on youth. 


Do you have any comments about toir criticism 
‘of your methodology? 

Although the ESA claims that this study в flawed he 
statement provided no credible evidence of significant 
"laws. Furthermore the article was subjected to 
peer-review by independent experts in top mecical 
Journal, experts whose interest is in evaluating the 
quality of science. People might be interested to no- 
tice that the main criticism about my previous study 


18 


with American children (that an online survey was 
used) was solved inthis study (where children were 
‘surveyed in classrooms), and the results were about 
the same in both studies. This уре of convergence 

with different methods and different popuations в a 
hallmark of good science, and when the results are 
replicated, it starts demonstrating that the effect is 

robust and balievabie. 


Do you think that it's more likely that rosearch- 
ore will find a causal link between video games. 

bad behavior versus other forms of media? 
Probably not. Although there are theoretical reasons 
why video games might have a larger effect than 
other meda (uch as the interactive nature of them), 
the research is not demonstrating a larger effect It 
‘seems to be about the same size as with traditional 
media, at least in the media- violence literature. 
Maybe other etfects wil be diferent. 


You've written about video games being a 

positive force as well as pointing out how video 
james can be harmful. Can you comment on the 

fact that some want to classify video games as 

either wholly bad or wholly good? 

Including te ESA, apparently, who want people to 

believe that I am "anli-gamel“ I dont understand 


entertainment 
software 
association 


the general human tendency to prefer extremes to 
the truth thats usually somewhere in the mide 
Perhaps its best explained by what my father always 
Said "There are two types cf people in the world. 
Those who divide the war into two types of things, 
and those who don't 

This tendency is particularly surprising when 
people fa to recognize that if games can teach such 
(900d tings Ike skis needed by surgeons, then they 
must also be able to teach other things, such as ag- 
gression. The learning mechanisms involved are he 
‘same This is why l'm so interested in all the different 
types of effects games and other media can have 
My position is and always has been that games are 
powerful, and that they сап have many effects. Some 
affects ae beneficial, others can be harmful, The 
various efect depend upon many different features, 
роп the amount of time spent with the games, and 
possibly upon characteristics f the player. By being 
aware of both the potential benefits and potential 
problems, families can maximize the benefits while 
minimizing the harms. 


HOME IS WHERE THEWARIS 


Dead Space 2 


Dead Space burst onto the scene with a new and terrifying take on the 
survival horror genre. = r 1 y 


St 1 x 
Were you concemed about put- The Marker is at the center of Space 2 continuos this, but the 
ting players in control of a ch Dead Space's mythology, but the hardest foes aro more resilient 
acter whose perception of reality role it plays is poorly explained versions of standard enemies. 
is unreliable? in the game. Was this done to Why not create new foes? 
Wo tard alot about how we would maintain a sense of mystery? Dead Space 2 has 27 diront 
hercle the concept of dementia, The story ol he Markor 5 something enemy models that we feo fer a 
nt the elect would lock Ike, how weldl rose ll of cur extended. lot of variety, as ench of them has 
the audo twalment woud geen, meda, For example, Ihe novel art amet behavior. Aso, rough 
and the ayer wodd understand. focuses on the start of Ihe (Хау pege damembennent tha 
So yes, 1 was something we thought fegen and he discovery ol the а aeg hat players can vae o 
ot about and în the ond we a kar, Ting to Ind a balance of xe successi other then aiming lor 
ay happy van how lame ой, keeping he mystery around U The headshot. We've even ad 
Маћах alv u elo good ond eps (is d naw anal into the mica 
Fane of the first Dead Space are сти Gin rth felon we expand cur universe, Keep 
familiar with your scare tactic. the core enemies Ike tho Sa 
Was it difficult to come up with In the second half of the game, Leaper Lira, Hector and others 
new ways to make players jump the difficulty level increases 5 important to our fon. in tems of 
ош of war sonte? significantly. Was the plan to get ^ he now enemies he game has: The 
Keeping people guessing and selling players comfortable, and then Stat, Crawler, Nes, Oyst, Trpod, 
Vp sane moment was Ниву tear them apart? Pack, and Риком Tals lot of new 
something wa spent a Ю of то The ара was, Lot's got ка вс. ^ — Necromorphs, and coupled wilh 
басан and wating оп. A kot ot mated wih the controls, the upgrade ово returning enemies, you wind 
the lenson and hoor û he game — process and the coro machen p wth a ton o erent and fun 
comes ram the sound design, hen realy lost thorn as hoy pen dismemberment opportun 
the dea of hearing something toward the end. 
not wong Toast alot Dead Space 2 offers a wider 
an the dementia moments both The frst Dead Space ramped variety of weapons, but rewards 
in terms of he auro and ho p up the difficulty by throwing players for focusing on a smaller 
sertaton around hem. Honor different enemies and swarm Selection of arms. Do you thin 
icky buses. ‘combinations at the player. Dead this discourages experimentation 


with all of the weapons? 
The god wh ho tod and weapons 
was t prove enough vary at 
ayers could n a lacio they 
teal erioyed. Wih ош new game 
pius la, players can run back 
Trough ће game and Ir 
weapons they may have passed up. 
оп thair frst playthrough. Vio also 
dudes our respec ото n cas 
Tali wanted lo experiment wth th 
rent weapons and see what they 


All of the clocks in the game are 
st to 12:0. is this significant to 
ho story or does tha electricity. 


keep going out? 
Yep, ое faros across th 
Sprawl was the motvaton behind 
the 12:00 thing. I mean 1 cou 

make up some wacky reason, but t 
was the power tale 


Isaac's death sequences are 
always entertaining to watch. 
Were these fun to create? 
Did you have to dial any of 
them back because they were 


too gory? 
лас unique deaths are aways a 
lon of fun for the team. fs great t0 
hear someone discover ono when. 
they aro playing the game hero at 


Work. There are so many ihat по 
(everyone has seen ham ай атк 
Tala зо locused on te par 
Tier pat ol Ihe game. AS 


ating anything due lo gore, nat 
A happened & 


Blob2 + 


we WIDE GAME 


> a PJB LA а Wii i NINTENDIDS,. 
bluetongue ёнығик — Sufy THQ 


HN 
Off the Stage 7 | 


Activision Cancels Guitar Hero Franchise 


hen Guitar Hero World To 
Rock Band 2 came out In 2008, it 
was almost inconceivable that the 

eral sub-genr rash and 
urn. At the time, these tiles were su 


геме 


ire with new music peripherals and 
gameplay Less than three years later, the 

of music games, Sales 
ted, Viacom 


So what kiled the golden goose? The 
Oversaturation of music games, the current 
economy, and licensing costs all contributed 
the decline of the genre. According to 
NPD data, the series sales peaked when 
Guitar Hero World Tour sold 3.4 millon copies 
and raked in more than a billion dollars for 
Activision. Comparatively, industry analysts 
Cowen and Company estimate that Guitar 
Hero: Warriors of Rock and DJ Hero 2 failed 
to sell one milion units combined In the US. 
010, 
Despite Guitar Heros fall rom great- 


Mision recenti anounced пе кне ^ ness Kolik toid СМЕО Inat Aci ват YY.” 
Gutar нео Du Hero, апа opposed to bringing the series back in the 

future ав long as [zan bereinented in some 
изу Given Action up апа down track : 
. recor wi the tareas al gerre, we 
Gllresus cing 1e coninueddesinse hops thal the company ase some 
Inthe muse gene Action of 800 lessons inthe vay nds ts 
employees working wine muse ranchises valved brands. Otherwise the oc 
{пад муст lover studios) sapped encore wont be Welcome \ 
би Нео te planned for гөр 
ува and re te creation of 


or 


/ 
A 


Bay Ketek N 


ias strong eno. 
model for its DLC. 


Responds To Death of Guitar Hero 


wish them the best of luck... 
Its been a wild balle ofthe bands 


112005 Harmonix teamed with publisher picked up by Viacom, watched its Rock and Rock Band network manager John 
RedOctane to create the Guitar Hero Band publisher MTV Games close its Drake released a statement on Guitar 
franchise. Aer the massive success (doors, and is now back where it started Hero's demise: since 2007, but we respect and appreciate 
of Guitar Hero Il, Activision purchased independent of any particular publisher. “We were sad to hear yesterday that all of the hard work and innovation of our 

Despite the history and rivalry between Activision was discontinuing development — peers who have shared the music gaming 
оп Guitar Hero. Our thoughts are with space with us, and we look forward to 
those who are losing their jobs, and we rocking in the future” 


RedOctane and the franchise, but not 
Harmonix. Since then, the Boston studio the Guitar Hero and Rock Band fran- 
started its own Rock Band series, was chises, Harmonix community manager 


power to the players- 


x ux 
) Supercross 
content до тој ` 

www.MXvsATV.com 


j XBOX 360 RIE 


Bad, = / 


d with a | | 
the ] sarcastic \ 
spin Four yers ater the original, The Darkness 
. 


fall on Xbox 360 PlayStation 3, and PC. The 
sıpematura series puts players back in the 
shoes d newy minted mafa boss Jackie 
Estacado (once again voiced by Mr Bungie's 
Mike Patton), with his four-limbed Darkness 
powers at his control. Original developer 
Starbreeze Studios in't handing development 
ditis for The Darkness I. Instead, Canada's: 
Digital Extremes, which handed the multiplayer 
component of BioShock 2, gets the honor 


ments that we 


aside to remain o 
target. It's a big 
on we learne 


from the PS3. 
here's no point 
putting everything 


you want into a 


Bethesda and Fallout % New Vegas developer Obsidian announced three 

mare DLC content packs for the coming months We dot have any specifics 

regarding бе DLC, but Bethesda says hat ute the frst DLC- Dead Money — 

these add-ons wil be available simultaneously for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. 

Bethesda leo recent applied for trademarks for the phrases “Honest Hearts; 
Lonesome Road" and "Oid Wer Blues 


‘Batman: Arkham Сау game бакс Sefton НИ confirmed thatthe game unfortunatly doesnt 
feature any multiplayer or co-op. "So let me start by saying, once and for all, that Batman: 

Апат Ciy single-payer оу experience" he told IGAL НИ elaborated that Rocksteady 
has parta vision for the game, and that it wouldn't be posse to do the game it wams 


the math later, We 


эт mutpayer 
always had the 
price and con 

sumer in mind 


had to sell some 


thing that people 


could buy.” 
- Shuhei Yoshida, 


Sony senior vice president 


[ийй 


"youre looking for Apri Fool's jokes, turn to page 35, because 
nist not puling ол legs when t says hat his summers 
Cal of Juarez: The Cartel mines the series’ westem seting with 
presert-day FB officers п Los Anodes: The oriy possible good 
news about this game в thatit seemingly must rote а hot tb 
time machine 


of product development, 


on the price of the 


NGP handheld 


24 connect 


«d dashed tne optimistic (or maybe 
пае} hopes of gamers by notincluding Dabo И or any 
her Blizzard tite п ts 2071 fecal guidance The com- 
pany says t's ering on the side of caution since there 
are no curent release windows. 

In other Blizzard news, te company is curent 
werking on Starcraft l: Heart of the Swarm, but doesnt 
expect питу at east 2012. 


Its getting alot worse for THA beor t gets better, apparent though the com- 
pany ts moving in a new direction wi в upcoming Montreal studio and games Ike 
Homefront, the restructuring s not without casualties. THO canceled both free-to-play 
"ies Company o Heroes Online and WWE Smackdown vs Raw Online. 

‘Speaking of Home ont, THO is planning future games in the seres, but the ran- 
‘chise may move rom current developer Kaos Sucios in New York to the пем crew 
in Montreal 


RR eet EBENEN COM 


. 

S аа 
Gaming dovon Gali pora Play а to 

Mable Work Congress 2011 Barcelona, Span 

Tre sider phone lentes a d pad, customary 
PlayStaton face buttons, hwo shoulder butions, 
Select buttons, as Wel as a тыйу 
creen and two touch pads tuns on АО 
Gingerbread (version 2 3) platio, and Sony 
promisas over vo hours o banery o wo 
Ping games. 

Alfa Sony st announced tne NGP han 
һа as o successor o Ihe PayStaton Portable, 
the NGP and Xperia Рау lack he gaming ure. 
оо market rom two deren andes. Nother болсо 
Му oa wih ha otr and Sony dives 
cach ктеу suited to ts portiadar uence, 
eter thats gamers who want a handed 
‘ing sohn na approaches the homo console 
porno or those look а phano capable 
cf more robust gaming anis racillonaly possible 
wih past a denen 

‘Sony Ericsson cals th Xperia Pay “PlayStation 
Cord." апа alu there no lia roster 

' rst party PlayStation games 

¿marcada To unt Cash 
Xperia Play Specs: ——— расо is reportedly coming pre- 
чае Похва IBM salon the douce. Mo phano 
Weg удата. 450 comes wif Asphalt conan б, 

а Bruce Lee, Star Battalion, The Sims 3, 
Memory card support a Tos Fly downoad tts vil 
msd. up 03208. be available al launch, and Engadget 
Memory end ae reports that pora Рау compatbie ver 
868 iaceo Sons of mesa God o War, and 
Cat o Duty. Modem Vier cou bo 


» Operating system: 
Pompeo h as wel, As or the games 
(Gingerbread) pico, wo takod o à Sony Ericsson rep- 


Tesertallvo who told us that on average. 


ee games should cost between $4.00 and 


Spin NT $7.00, with developers dolommiring the 
‘Graphs Qualcomm Таа pice. 
Aken 205 "n tho tuture, the Xperia Plays game 


Screen: inch, B54 x Пау Wi bo ostered by PSN tiles 

480 multtouch LCD (although you have to ro-buy thom oven, 

"t you already own them for your PS3 

original PSone games, and through 
partnerships with over 20 publishers. 
‘The unit supports the Unity Engine, 
which is curently used by approx 
‘mately 35,000 games, and third-party Шов such as 
FIFA 10, Assassin's Creed, Guitar Hero, and Dead 
Space should be ported to the phone, 

‘Sony Inmpets ts PlayStation Suite and 
PlayStation Certfication programs as ways to 
encourage outside dovelopenent, but be inter 
esting lo soo how mobie dovelopors ads lo 
Xperia diferent control configuration, Although 
Wo expect many studios to embrace the more 
_garting analy controls, wo wonder il somo com 
paries wil аду роп over games using oriy the 
device's touchscreen or touch pads. Moreover, 
‘Sony is touting thal PSN los wil bo available for 
the phone, but given that PSN games up to this 
point have been designed fer the two anslog Sk 
‘ofthe DualShock 3, И seems inconceivable thatthe 
Xperia Play wil make use of the entro PSN catalog 
asit stands without control alterations. 

‘Sony в convinood that releasing both the Xperia 
Play and the PlayStation NGP is a sound strategy. 
and itis trying to design both devices to cater 
10 cach audenco. Sony hasnt releasod pricing 
detais, but look for the phone to launch this spring 
оп the Verizon network. 


Camera: 5.1 подари, 
auto focus, LEO as, 
Video recording & mare 


26 connect 


| 
| 


A e 


-— 


TOP TEN FIGHTING GAMES WE'D LIKE TO FORGET 


by Dan Ry 


can take 20 


Ballz 3D. 
Tm тї эле hs game could scream "1994" any 
кюз Vi vied. Youve got a "Z replacing an . 
"ety seasalimuendo, and ап avt atiempt to 
present 3D graphics ona 16 bl system. Characters 
vere supposed lo inchada caveman, a farting 
monkey, and a balerina thal sparked you, but 

vet ended up ooking Pe an AutoCAD 
tendering of a Dippin Dols аду explosion. 


28 connect 


lightsabers seems like 
hard to screw up, but 
this PSone brawler. 
in the Star Wars films, 


is. 


Way of the Warrior. 
Js great as Naughy Dog today thy vest 
на cranking od games of such caer as 
Uncharted о Jak Сапа. in о company’s carter 
ins N released this ай Mortal Kombat done fr 
"e ated 200, Characters ane avi conto 
d were созу animated, vh much of he 
being done in root ol à yellow she 
at develope Jason Rubin's apartment The only 
way you could have enjoyed Way of he Wan is 
ya the biggest te Zombie ln in he warid, as 
"Dei music played throughout the ente game, 


Warpath: Jurassic Park 
lone ing games, and veras Park, but 
sorties pod Hs st don! complement 
each other: Seong Tx batte a raptor o the 

‘death should be amazing, but Warpath does 190. 
eot hatt makes Primal Rape hok Ike Soul 
aur you wet lon heath, you could recover 
ау eating humans that wander across he 
ben love to watch these fights go dom în real 
He, but want tobe hall a пре away and utd 
in an kd ney metal divs sul. The dudes in his 
game sprint ight towards he РО й dinosaurs Ihe 
бете ying to troak upa bri 


akd fom an 


Я cen Raider named Hoar 
saber strikes to the skull, you know a. 
game is going to earn the rage of Star Wars fans. 


lana 


Clay Fighter 
1993, and his awtu nter 


hamacas buf chara 


ROUND 


I 


Fighters Uncaged 
Kinect launched wl a variety of famil rend 
"s Ike Кота, Kinect Aires, and Kinect 
Joy ide, han o ich had anything I lr ar 
Tita fans. Nether did Fighters Uncaged, This 
‘abomination red had to e а gy fighter tat 
made you еы tke aback aly badass, but ended 
up ih you arg Ske you just waked into a bunch 
of ср. 


O'Neal's wandering around Tokyo 
on De way oa big cant basketball game 
hi? He stumbles into a ng fu dojo for some 


reason then falis intoa portal iat sends him 


any by m 
Fu. Aal. mae dant want to Torget is game. This ай sounds 
some now that | irk about 1 


laymaton and iio games we hot around 


"o captate on those ends. It tried hard 1o be 
irs Ike an vl snowman, 
an EM impersonator named Bue Suede 00, 
and аз of ciay wen’ winging many. 
laughs om ts players. Is umor ne 
gameplay rat cements s pace on his Esl 


Вак in 2001, ve handed out a 0.5 score to this 
өшү Xbox fin I thal i paint a bright 
nou "dr tha pic for you, Andy 
tote аброй! how he won a math 
Ту Healy mashing the controller against his 
ass (Quote: 1 wish I was joking, ul hc score 
auk Wats ao, my ass one 
every game he pays. Mass Effect look him о 


To be fl, that's how he resto beat 
3,000 hou 


ijt 


tempi 


eal ше mak ut as Ie trie 


Street Fighter: The Movie. 
чар yox head around Пі one – ts is a crappy 
based ona crappy more aris based 
on an awesome iting game. ey made a movi 
about tis qame, vould eventa um nto on 

‘of those Rubus mirrors where you ses ite 
relctons ol yous. This game extracted he classic 
‘gameplay o Steet Fighter and infected a алу 
died dos of Jean Case Van Damme. 


Fight Club 
Five years alter David Finder's Hm came oul 
Vien Universal got he bh idea tat a popular 
movie about dudes punching each oer might 
tne lora god hing game. Thing 5,1 i. 
Beating stay made unlocked the baking, takes 
wen dii Fred Durst, and beating the game v 
‘rey charac unlocked Abe Linco. decae 
fits reference to the more, | don't need lo see a 
forme President geting knocked by Meat Loa 
Despite al s problems, des iude one of the 
greatest fares in iden game His - the ability 
io boat the holy hel out of Jared Loto. 


SAINTS ROW. 


rr H IR р — 


Wintesrborgfor | 
rating information. 


80 PG @ хвохзво IE. 


уон ьм 


JJV 
JJ))V)VVVVVVV KINECT, Kox. Жо € KV 
nd Varel И а Ме PS Fam ego epe иво PST алап 


зо 


We examine and 


, two of the 


most ambitious downloadable games of 2011 


by Matt Miller 


hen Scribblenauts developer Sih. 
Col annone 
Would bo а sofi shooter, we wore 
Surprised and excited about Ine 
Innovative team tacking the gerre. This month, 
the toam shared a wealth of new datas on 
Hybrid, which is planned to release оп Xbox 
Livo Arcado later is ува: 

Hybrid is satin tho your 2031, some timo 
atter a massive asteroid decimales most Мо 
оп Earth. A bacterium carried on tho asteroid 
infocts hall ol tho surviving population, trans+ 

ming them into a genetically altered race 
ilad the Variant. Opposing them are the 
humans immune to the bacterium, who call 
Ihemselves the Paladin. These two opposing 
forces don't exactly gel slong. 

"Hybrid is a competitivo mutplayor-oriy, third 
person, cover-based shooter set in a persis- 
tent online world war divided between the wo 
factions,” explains creative ictor Jeremiah. 


d that ts пех game 


Suche Each battle in tna game is part ol a 
persistent war that ts constantly being waged. 
Tho two batting groups ight lo control orto 
rios and eventual entro counties їп ап efort 

dominate tho shallorod Earth, Засжка didnt 
discuss game modes, but ho 3/3 malchos take 
place оп smail maps and never last longer than 
10 minutes. "Te entro game is built to bo laser- 
focused on allowing tho player to hava a fun, 
Tast, enjoyable session," басма declare 

One of the most surprising concepts is how Sth 
Cal is handing navigation; the team has crafted 
a medharic they cal combat locused movement. 
"n real war scenarios, soldiers don't run and gun 
around cover; thoy stay in cover, only moving out 
for a better tactica position ке rushing, Je 
о retreating. We wanted to capture Ihi experi- 
ence in Hybrid." асока explains. “Players select 
the cover they want to move to using the L-Sick, 
press A, and ther character wil automaticaly 
move to that cover. During movement, players 


can aim and shoot n a 380 degree motion wh 
18 corfidently moving Toward hor destination 
Toretroat players ust noed to it В and ther 
hero wil automaticaly retrace ће steps to the 
previous cover, which can be queued up lo tee 
limes, Tho system is very М, and players 
сап change covers mun by selocing а new 
cover group if they want." The unique approach 
puts the player focus solely on aiming and fring 
as they move around the Бада. 

Characters have access to jump jets that lel 
them take cover on Ihe wall or even upside 
down on the osing, so when moving through the 
environment situational awareness is tantamount. 

While the gameplay is easy lo pick up, t И 
has depth, Players can unlock new weapons 
and abilities as they play. Зайка desorbed 
some of the ways these urlockables combine 
Ike adopting an invulnerable meta-shieid and 
then equipping a combat shotgun, enabling а. 
wid charge into enemy cover to drop them al 

и close rango. А “squads on demand" function. 
lets players сай al Al units to their current 
cover pori - three diferent unit types each 
ıa Unique role on the feld, rom stealthy support 
troops to armored machine gunners, You buid 
up the ability o summon these helpers with each 
{enemy ка. Other special ables includ poison- 
ing enemy units or siphoning health to your side 

"I works reat combined with Ihe SWARM 
Rilo, which shoots a huge bal of energy, епо: 
ing the cover, wound anyone in its radus, 
and then giving the player the heath back, 
Saca says, 

Hybrid sounds ке a refreshing take on a gerre 
that is more than ready for some new blood. Im 
hoping to get my hands on the game soon and 
‘confirm my suspicions. Between the developer's 
pedigree and the innovative design ideas at play 
Hybrid has enormous potential. 


In 1991 designer Eric Chat introduced 
games to Qut of This World, а stunning action 
centur tile hat wowed players with its n 
атас approach to plating, Twenty years 
later, Chahi is leading Ino team to crat а gor 
доо new Ubisoft game called From Dust. 

it we had to sum up Dust in two words, then 
the orm “god game wouid be pretty appropri 
ato, to the extent thatthe player has almost god- 
Ike alles and has great leeway lo aller the 
terran,” Chahi says. "But the term ‘god game 
‘does no! tel the whole story. 

From Dust gives players control of a sprit that 
watches over a tribe of humans as they seek 
to uncover their forgotten powers and history. 
Acting as а foaling bal caled “Ihe Breath," play 
ers manipulate Ihe ervronrment to move the 
story forward. 

“fou can pick up matter - water, earth, lava, 
vegetation - stift t, and drop it Aline fun of the 
sandbox!” Chahi describes. "As ай onvronments 
are based on a physics simulation of fis and 
solid lerrain, you can realy see everything react- 
ing and adapting to ho players астму You 


can watch rivers being created and dier them. 
You can contro volcanoes, create dams, and 
imigato zones to culivato plants, allin the aim of. 
helping а бо survive in the face of nature. 

Time operates difieronty in the game word 
erosion occurs at an accelerate rale, even 
as water seems to low normally. Lava turns 
To hard rock as И Пон into the soa. Trees and 
‘ther vegetation grow in a matter ol seconds. 
\ he player picks up earth and drops па 
river, the river wil change its course, and a new 
бег wil bo created by erosion,” Chahi explains. 
Maybe it wil food a valey containing a vilage, 
or maybe it wil extinguist a fre. The player wil 
havo 10 evalualo the траст and repercussions 
ol his or her own actions, as а domino elect 
comes into play 

Along tha way, players can steer the develop- 
ment of the humans, but they have ile drect 
control over the tribe's actions. Create a stable 
zone of terrain, and human culiuro wil begin to 
Turish by planing crops and buiding statues. 
As the game continues, the boss encounters aro 
"ho naturai disasters that threaten to overwham 


humanity. n response, the tribe can develop 
special abies that let them hold back the worst 
ravages ol natur, 

"Humans in From Dust are capable of altering 
and controling elements by using a powerful 
drum-based musio," Chahi says. "Music has an 
iniricate connection to the game. For example, 
amare have Ihe power to repa water to protect 
themselves rom looting or tsunamis, We actu- 
aly sec humans playing music and the water. 
‘drawing back in perect sync with each beat of 
the drum. Visus, Its captivating” 

From Dust smarty intorweaves layers of 
adventure, and puzzle demenis. Nove the ter- 
тап manipulation concept, and how the game 
is rooted in the metaphorical presentation of 
tra and ecological change. 

“The From Dust world is alive and indepen 
dent; the landscape is not just a décor, И am. 
actor, and that changes everything,” Chall 
me, “The wor sucidoriy acquires Фару 
isa real climax the tension is papa у can. 
realy led tho forces of nature at work 
датог Look for From Dust this summer. 


з 


“THE BEST ^ 
А quick look at some of the games Telltale will deliver in 2011 | yt NEW SHOW 
| 7 Ei ON TV” 


ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY 


he Complete 
/ First Season on 
/ Blu-Ray and DVD. 


Available At МЕИ 
And Other Retailers Near You 


wii amcty.com/originals/The-Walking-Dead. 


q ete, 


PickUp (@Store 


PickUp@Store is a new program allowing you to find 
products online and pick them up at your local GameStop. 


@ Pick your product @ Pick your store 


Click your item's "PickUp @ Store" button. Choose a store near you that has the item 
in stock. Then click Pickup Store.” 


| 
| PickUp (Store 
| 5 


PickUp ( store 
Û 
© We'll hold your Нет © PickUp your goods 
Then we'll send you a Ready for PickUp With confirmation email in hand, let your. 
e-mail with pick up instructions. friendly GameStop associate know you 


have an item being held for you 


O SAVETIME - No waiting for shipping. Play your game now. 
O SAVE MONEY - No shipping or delivery fees. 

© SAVE GAS - No more driving all over looking for your game. 
O TRY IT - Less time waiting is more time playing. Truth. 


ick ilabl 
Bu HT HE Game 


power to the players 


WON'T SHUT UP ABOUT HOW (4 cH JAPANESE DEVELOPMENT SUCKS ec o 


fa 


gamein 


feat gg. 


VAULT 
N, 


RAIDERS ОР EN A 


UNCHARTED 4 


| Will Educate You 


pco ie ta doming te tam on Final Fantasy XIV 


во and pointless. Those people are morons. I 
wo don't decido exactly what it means to bo a gamer, 
t then how can we feel superior to those who tall to moet. 
‘our criteria? Don't worry: have ай of the answers, 
Il you ко social games, you are not a gamer. Serious 
E ıl you've over played a single game on Facebook or your. 
iPhone, don't even talk to me, because you are barely 


oven a person. Samo thing goes tor o people na oriy Real Name: 
.. ario. tei Mak a punen d {Withheld To 
VAR ru het each ere ws Han Protect Dignity) 
1 you Ike mainstream serios tke Halo, Assassin's Creod, спе 
« Pral Fantay, you deri cannot cal yoursel! a games 
‚Read my column anine Or Or. | love Red Dead Redemption, just like the milions of 
‘allow ELO other people who bought it" Way to be original, shoep. On, 
and dot гк reaching prestge ме n Cl ol Duty ва fee 
ticket. H just another way of announcing that you're a. — 
fake gamer who orty lows Пе crowd 
Рем gamers dor Ike Һе popular crap everyone dise Accomplishments: Best Class: 
does. I we did, we would have no way fo showcase our Chocobroisihalongeetstandng (and “1 think my guy was a mage or 
coming laste, Underground nde PC Mos, Dare спу remaning Fra Paniaoy ab. абе: 
imports om those ry European counties and poorly Seren те Word having maintained 
lora RPGS wih archaic mechanic ro mo gourmet anacivo эон у moments: Favorite Feature 
dere at wo gaming conolssus de upon, By play Honesty, памет even played lor. “Al Pat stul win Doatwing 
ames по one dlse has over heard ol, we eure Mat our ee ан а 
prions can never be changed, song victory h any ist ca дат out how lo cal We. поют 


gaming argument. рее 
Maybe you have your own definition of what it means lo 

бе а garner. Thats cute, but which one of us is the editor of 

ıa massivo video дате publication? You're roo to disagree 

Wih me, but here's a Ийе secret: That's another sign that 

you arent a hardcore gamer, 


Cheers, 


л dak 


Darth Car 


Game Bed 

The makers d бите елеу dis and Garne YUMM Ж. snacks are at I! 
an wih et atest ames proa, Game Bel "битие een 
"he most hardcore gamas need o pe sme Zs fet eng тиди of basting bad 
uis and tearing Bru axes spaces: says Fon Chin, president of 
(GameDoot LLG. “Tats Wer he Gane Bal comes in, proving бу hardore 
sir gamers cave. Seq 5 gana qet panes” Game Bol is a compatto 
wih plos and sheds, ond is on ava lable as a ful sad soe be. Aur al, 
‘games s externe пена med to warty about a bed big enough for v. 


3DS Perfect View 

The 30S є conumas main complaint th 30 озу weld gas 
% 
^ recs ange or rsk mtn cabra. stead of using the lest and pm 
ab at come package vh he 20S to carae ће пора viewing poston, 
Му Tet buy be Pte Мен? The medal grade polycarbonate devo» reps the 
DS at he optimal ang ib fmi pesti any stray movement of your head 
"ad no I тау not be he mos contable Way to p but at kast you vent 
be eng ose Vds glasses 


Unveils New Gun Peripheral 


Following Activisionis recent cancellation ot tho Guitar Horo 
franchise, the manufacturer is exploring new ways lo bunde 
cutting-edge peripherals with their most exciting brands. 

Te latest endeavor акте to add depth and realism to the 
hyper-sucoesstu Call of Duty franchise by puting a replica 

ol authentic US. mien, fulure-lech in the hands of gamers: 
‘The Strating Gun peripheral features a unique tigger mocha- 
пт which alows players to pick olf single targets with a ick 
ol the thumb, or shred waves of enemies by rapidly moving 
tho tigor up and down. Players can select between cifior- 
ent color-coded ammo types by depressing buttons near the 
gun's bar, such as green gas grenades for beginners, and 
Orange парат strikes for experts, The Strating Gun is 
for $129.99, but Activision is ойепго a discount lo anyone 
Who trades in a used Guitar Hero controler at purchase, no 
questions asked. 


Incomprehensible 

NGP Pricing 

Aller the recent debt оће next generation portable 
PlaySiston system, Sony has fal posed back Ino pricing 


detis on the NGP. Soo # you can figure it out, because we're 
drawing a blank here. 


E 
habil, Features 


Well model (S299) Seren 
potabe qon 


at pons no a 


] Wewpaste re tor ininte 
Wet, 36, amd ‚entire PS3 collec- battery de The 
Mons coma = т 
(5499) m nude backwards 
«Cel phone eton. moge win oiy damned ну 
Она пе Gang sc 699909 
вла auge, 
dee As 
Racer” төте re 
оу 


($799) 


ACME AUTO REPAIR | 


WHAT WILL YOU DO? 
+ Do what he recommends ($2,000) 

* Actfike you know something about cars ($2,000) 
* Try to fix it yourself ($400, +35 Stress) 

* Ignore the problem (85% breakdown chance) 


Gets Even More Realistic 


Pdlyohony Digital and Sony have hoard user complaints regarding unimpressive car 
damage in Gran Turismo 5, and they're set to address those issues and moro In a new 
tie update. "Damage is an integral part of racing, and we're taking f to the next level, 
says studio president Kazunori Yamauchi, Games have featured details Ike tre wear, 
crumpled hoods, and detached bumpers, bul thay haven't captured the real experi- 
ence of car ownership. This update gives every player а new garage that just holds 

two cars = then the fun begins. "Car customization is so realistic that only an actua 
mechanic could possibly understand what's happening,” says Yamauchi, Gamers who 
aren't aria with how cars work can stil interact with their vehicles by inspecting the 
garage floor for mysterious stains and leaks, trying to suss out why the "check engine” 
light won't stop blinking, and popping the hood to stare mpotenily at hat bewildering 
mess of an engine. Once ther car stops running or дез т a wreck (ope you bought 
in-game insurance, players must turn to the people on their ends lit, asking for a 
virtual ride to Ihe game's mkrotransaction-supportod repair shop. "We're intent on. 
bringing players the most realistic experience on the market today” Yamauchi insists. 
"This is what driving is al about. 


DataFile 


Microsoft On Kinect: 
We're So Busted 

If you're one of the eight 
milion Kinect owners looking 
forward to the second wave of 
releases, Microsoft has some 
‘vad news for you: There aremt 
any. We did't anticipate 
that people would vant to 
continue playing Kinect, 


we never planned any more 
games” said Microsofts Kudo 
Tsunoda. “We're mystified by 
"le device's success, Franky, 
the whole project was just an 
elaborate lax dodge.” 


EA Buckles Under 
Pressure 

Reveal 
‘game needs a good guy and a 
ad guy” stance, EA has caved 
into protests and removed 
mecromorhs from the Dead 


y from its “every 


Space series. NASA scientists 
threatened to босон the 
game at launchpad and tho 
international space station due. 
toils tightening and мйне 
ing portrayal of space travel 
The only scares Isaac needs. 
lo worry about now running. 
ош of astronaut ке cream and. 
jamming up the one working 
shut loi, 


Killzone 4 
zone 3 supported 30 along 
with the PlayStation Move, but 
the fatest entry in the Kore 
franchise wil incorporate even 
‘more gimmicks — a goal previ 
ously thought impossible. “Tis 
limo wo just aid, F— R." ro 
ува a Sony rep. "We use the 
Rock Band guitar, Tony Hawk 
board, and uDraw Tabet — 
саћу anything that oniy six 
percent of players will even try 
before immediately returning 
to the normal controls” 


feature 37 


LittleBigPlanet 3 وا‎ Ealing 


terrifying heights Fat of heart 


just hope I can ha 
al with no fire or anythin: 


Platform Tor seeing the outstanding community leves in the Platos AT- оћајо, tho studio responsible for adapting fim 
PayStation 3 original LitleBigPlanel, the sequel gave pla PC | classics Back to he Futuro and Jurassic Park into 
as а hast ol new creation fools, inducing the abi site | lüthid adventure games, is taking a chance on 
1-Player Пу to тако entro games. For LitteBigPtancl 3, Media 1 ar 2-Player another surprising project: Ina classic What's Eating 
Development Ки Molecule is puling out al the stops. Johnny Depp Movie Gibert Grape 
Publisher ^ Now features in the creation mode include a ful suit » Publisher _ These episodic quests recreate the touching 1903 
Sony Computer development tod, inducing support for Urra Engine Anyone? Please? Golden Globe-nominalod fim, ting the story of WO 
тшдеп 3 Euphoria, and Havok phys also con a di- deere brothers strugging to Ind hor place n the 
Fe Ут aray of model tos lor SD characters ала RINT dla carr or on but wan dos 
lems envronmenis. Drect C++ programming & not orly sup "mother, Tho episodes wil highlight key points n the 
dean М: ramming y a y hight key 


2 eee ee d talo y 
—— miren Dats ark Tear gato * Dat Clark 


» Release 
Hyoucan make it, 
you can release it 


Stretched ош over 


Red Dead 
Refrigerator 


Years after his death, 


bul when he comes 
back fo Earth, his 
host accdertaly 

gets rapped sce 
an cla Frigidaire! This 
ara ма 
wacky css, comi 
mischief, arc-brained 
schemes, and al the 
реке fans loved from 
the previous entr, 


Call of Duty: Ancient Warfare 


Altor the commercial aura of ho futuristic Cal of Duty: ts The Moon, Action is 
going back in tme — way back. Ancient Werlre is set during prehistory notorious 
Batte of the Cave Bear, and features anew perks, era-appropriate bone weaponry, 
and customizable hr siet 


38 PARODY 


Heavy Rain: Before The Fold 


All of the backstory, none of the 


Style 1-Player Dinkin’ Around Your House And Stt 
Publisher Sony Developer Quanti Dream 
Release Delayed Until Next Month ESRB EIO+ 


олу Rain was a prey good game, but had a 
imt 
Quanto Dream has el ld away rom an 
of at dressing sl aout lr and sacre: 
Fa ie pregua. loe Pelo on Ev pat 
d wale patil You leam eal how En 
Mars got coo house (poter пе ought) amd 
mbar of anes ee pelle 
Bean paying Blis, waking up and down sar, ала 
answer telemarketing cals, sa wonder Een 
шегу tet apar Wife sone Jason rd hath 
d is awesome wi Graco. you enojod ding 
Grange hice п Heavy Bain rest assumed Pat he Mars 
а в оион MINO bea 
qoe. Fans o TES ah cpl rs lo mata. 
Babes laugh ara o re ret cat walt 10 s0 
al happens гох о пова caricias Wal, rap 
Tor an abad s Dart Clark 


9 


PlayStation 3 


» Concept 
‘Tae what made Heavy 

Rain great, end remove he 
iiy stut 

» Graphics 

Every deta is faithfully 
rendere, пош seaming 
rutin tops to tho weave on 
Ears monogrammed towels 
и Sound 

Characters sound vaguely 
foreign but not in that 

bad way 

» Playabily 

You can press buttons and 
your guy does things 

» Entertainment 

As good as the Sims, without 
the breaimeck pace or sense 
of progression 

» Replay Value 

So many replays 


Sonic Reborn 


Same hedgehog, new edge 
Style 1-Playe Nothing Br Wera So We y Ti зу 
— — 

aie Who бше? ESR M 


lone уло ser across ha nire Sr 
blood sep neee 
dee ut s green eye sti ho e spark О 
rte Vo non tace ol Sorte Wo Hedgehog. ТН gy 
Feb vi nave you sica yin you Tug 
ouk aout Gen For aba Wa n 
Mpeg cur percn et 1o word population, T 
ine поп tea he 
tng, end eon en ал opten эпо psychologie 
taninos Weis Sonico комой mind Fa 
горивом a trokar engagement}, your опу weapons 
Tres Peor го most mat Soie dal, Пош 
ng Amy hos diit Ds has oo. Darth Clark 


10 


PlayStation 3 + Xbox 360 


» Concept 
Follow in the rebooted 
footsteps of Tomb Raider 
and Devil May у 

э Graphies 

Ев got lots of blood, so you 
vow its sophisticated Also, 
"he бш physics are impressive 
» Sound 

Nolan North vices every 
character 

» Playabiity 

Sonic's blazing speed ш 
‘now a plodding limp, andit 
feels peret 

» Entertainment 

Тиш в Sonic as you've never 
seen han —stamingin a 
good game 

э Replay Value. 

Sie, knock yourself out 


| 
Racing Game Flowchart 


Т 
а 


feature 39 


in an 


ised ir 


tally focu 


dependent dev 


Japanese RPGs, With a rabid fanbase and sensible business, t 
Atlus VP of sal 
recent changes in its focus. 


industry. We recently spoke wit! 
me of tl 


In this industry, which is dominated by a few 
mega-publishers, what are the challenges. 
of being a small, independent company? 
Wol, in Terms ol acquiing product, you're going 
up against companies that are bigger, more 
international, and have moro money and feet 
on the ground looking foc things. Over tho last 
lew years, we've stepped up our efforts to be. 
more visble in the marketplace. We are taking 
to more companies about products: In terms. 
‘of gating retá presence for our games, again, 
there aro days ho big guns out there that 
‘can alfod high priced in-store marketing and 
things Ike that, That makes it more date 
get visbilly n a store. However, the one great 
asso! за! a company йе us has Б having 
dedicalod fans and some recognizable fran- 
¡his that the fans love, Those retailers that 
‘can hande, in our case, Japanoso RPGs, know 
"hat lhe pre-order business wil be there. They 
know that tho fans wal bo there cn launch week 
and harcaltr. There's а history of our games 
becoming scarce - not always, bul often, Wo. 
"ry o balance those things, We can't throw dl 
the money at tho marketing and we're gener 
ly nol going To have tho big censes that cul 
across every demographic, so we пу to stay 
within ourselves. 


You mentioned the fact that your titles 
often become scarce, What is your formula 
for deciding how many copies of a game to 
‘manufacture? 

For tho most part, wo work very closely with our 
‘sales reps and accounts in advance to gauge 
the Interest. We don't try to oversel cur games 
‘or hype them too much. The most important 
‘customers thal we have can help sel our prod 
ucts, they get a good leel for what the game 
сап do. So, we round up al these numbers and 
тако thal and add n what we'r doing in extra 
‘marketing ce what wo fed about the d of 
the дате. Can have more legs than Ino ур 
са дато? Then, wo decido what tho launch 
quantity shoud be, Pro-orders are very, very 
important, We can lock at that history to help. 
‘gauge the interest, 


What's a successful title for Atlus In terms 
of sales? 

That really йе a lot based on the licensing 
а, and also the platform and ratai price. И 
you evor look al NPD industry stats, you can. 
Tel how elect games sall, but for us, some 
games vn do 30-35,000, others wil do wo, 
eo, or four times that, Sometimes, when at 
th planets по up, мо have a relly big g 
Ike Domanis Sous, 


dustry that's increasingly divided between mega-publishers 


lopers, Atlus continues to thrive publish 


s and market 


Were you taken by surprise at the success 
of Demon's Souls? 

Well taken by surprise means that nobody 
Prodctod 10 bo ths big, wo were taken by 
pte But wo als fl, going into t, that it 
had a high probably of bong our best lo 
ovar, It was do a risky Шо trom a Mancia 
Point of view, and tho тек ol doing something 
aalen trom what Atus normally doos. It was 
айо scary. II was cur frst PS3 gamo. But as 
we dug in and began to understand what we 
had, we were бегу fueled by tho fans that 
woro playing the Asian version and taking about 
how great it was in the forums, Final, when we 
announced it, they al rose up and supported it 
ard got everybody jazzed, We made the right 
‘decision and dug 10 do as good a joo таг 
keting аз we could, 


Was that one of the most expensive game: 
you launched In the U.S.? 

Its definitely up there. It wasn't apparent how 
big it could be right away, because we didn't 
‘buld 200,000 or 300,000. We had significant 
less than that, But, ight away, every day wo 
dered more. Sony was doing a very good job 
al building and delivering - измећу quicker than 
wo thought ho lead timo was. Except forthe 
frst week, where everybody ran out of stock, 
we were in stock all of the lime as orders camo. 
in with a lew excpllons. Over tho subsequent 
months, we realy maximized the salos and sat- 
is every customer that wanted il. It was realy 
lun, and wo want to do that again. 


Namco Bandai is publishing Dark Souls, 
tho successor to Demon's Souls, in 
America. Did the fact that you had so much 
success with Demon's Souls drive up the 
price for tho sequel? 

Wel, | don't know for sure, but anybody with a 
ard Hf mind woud think that. 


Is that frustrating, as you took all the risk 
‘and helped establish the series? 

Well, that goes back fo one of Ino questions 
you asked cae about what are the challenges 
when you're one of the small guys. But, yeah, 
that’s frustrating, 


‘You specialize in bringing over games from 
Japan. What's the process for deciding 
Which titles can be successful in America? 
Fist of al, we're not just looking in Japan any 
more. We're looking everywhere on Earth, and i 
"hero ae other planets that have developers, wo 
want to talk with ет as well. Wo are stretching 
‘ul. We're 450 looking at gerros that wouldn't 
Бе considered a typical Atlus genre. But, in 
terms of what wo look for, I's pretty simple. I's 
what most companies look for: the compel 

те environment, зо dovelopar's rack record, 
‘what ho cost is, tho platform; al those rdalod 
subjects. Wo don't go too fr into a conversa- 


physical 


The Last of the Independents 


ictivision and EA and small, digi- 


1 copies of largely traditional 


1e company has carved out a unique niche in the 


ut th 


company's and 


"n Ро gamo doesn't sound о Jun or tho 
playable int lun. Using Demons Sous as the 
‘extreme example, i you have a game that peo- 
ple love; it means its going fo sel moro because 
word of mouth means alot. 


You also doing more non-Japanese stuff 
‘aimed at core gamers like Cursed Crusade 
‘and Divinity Il, which are European. 1s 

that a response to the fact that the last 
few years have been pretty hard on the. 
Japanese gaming industry? 

Generally, yes. I wish wo coud make tons and 
tons of money on handheld games, but thats 
аде tougher here in North America. Малу of 
the hits in Japan are handheld, The margins апа 
price ponts are ower 


Do you see moro Western-developed 
games in Atlus's future? 

Wo wil maximize what we can get from Japan, 
‘but wo wil look dscwharo. Wo tako a hard ook 
at any game developed anywhere in H 


How closely do you work with Japan in 
terms of the games you bring over here? 
Wel, its on а couple ol diferent leves, One. 

ls, wo can soo into the futuro and sce ideas. 
ard projects that are in ho works. Bul, it realy 
urls for us as they get coser to releasing 
the дате in Japan. That's when they've gotten 
‘everyting done that they want to do to launch 
the game over there, and are in a postion to 
bogin to һар us. The timing generally works 
‘kay, because we have to go through the local 
ization of it. Thats not done overnight It сап 
tako many months, depending on the game. 
Thats when things start for us, The timeline is 
when they get ready to launch, that's when we 
star geting heavy тома in h. 


ls Catherine coming to the U.S. 
How do you spol that? [Laughs] We are plan- 
ring on bringing Catherine out in the US, in 
‚Summer ot this year for PS3 and Xbox 360. 


How do you feel about digital distribution. 
‘outlets like Xbox Live, PSN, and Steam? 
Part ofthe process we're going through in 
investigating products is digital downloads 
across at platforms, 


Do you have ambitions to grow the com- 
pany significantly or are you content with 
the niche that you have In the industry? 
Vial, number ono, we want to bo proflablo. So, 
interms of growing, yos, there's an interest in 
dong that. Our appetite was certainly whettod 
bby Demon's Sous. So, while wo spend a vary 
Qood amount of our time looking at small, riche 
games - and we'll always love that business — 
wo also carve out some time o lock at some 
bigger possibilities. Our eyes aro big and thoy 
же wido opon. $ 


1982 THE BEGINNING 
иду wes as an 
tan Buyer de ne 

stad chain lern Ward 


1955 THE NEW ERA 
Sen [оше ie 
Герай: 

Bayer йы 


wenn 2 бе 

Елее Sytem In 

Janis of 1987, Бе пке 

"wi Ninetto By Ap 

Hits begins alin the NES 

Date, Беголи th 
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VV»; 
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PUBLISHING 


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he oversee sales sna 
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‘connect 41 


Fender Squier ve" 
Stratocaster Guitar == 


Rock Band 3's pre- 


and Controller = == == 


but like a true rock star 
it makes an impressive entrance. For most users, the chief reason to buy the 
guitar is for its excellent game functionality. Superb detection on the fret board 
shows you which note you're holding down onscreen the instant you depress 
it, and the guitar detects which fret you're pressing even with a relatively 
light touch, which is crucial for beginners. Finger picking works well, but we 
recommend using a pick for the best detection. 


The guitar works great in concert with Rock Band 
3's excellent tutorials and growing library of Pro 
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On top of its Rock Band 3 functionality, the Squier 
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to experienced guitarists, and the unit we tested had 
some consistent buzzing on certain frets. Even so, the 
quitar played and sounded good when we plugged. 
it into an amp, and the solid Fender construction is 
light years beyond any existing quitar game control 
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you workin the 


The Fine Print 


End User License Agreements: 
Can't Read Them, Can't Game Without Them 


Tm sick of end user license agreements. A few weeks back, I excitedly popped DC Universe 
Online into my PS3, looking forward to diving into some superhero craziness with a few of 
my buddies here at GI. What's the first thing that greets me? A legal contract that would put 


my house mortgage to shame. 


What are these things, anyway? Terms of ser- 
vice contracts area legal agreement between 
you and the company that makes or вође the 
дате ог product you're using, You see tom. 
most commonly vith games that have an online 
‘component. They tend to sat up a lopsided 
structura that favors the companys rights over 
yours and helps assure that you wil not use the 
Software in a way they don't want you to 

1 get t. Companies need to protect ther inte- 
lectual property, But is this really the way to do 
30? In a recent poll on gameinformercom, we 
asked our readers whether they ever actually 
ig in to read those lengthy missives penned by 
lawyers for some distant game company. The 
answer? 67 percent said they never give them a 
second glance, Less than 2 percent of respon- 
dents said they actualy read them completely 
Despite any misgivings, we scro to the bottom, 
tap the " Accept" box, and head on in to cur 
beloved game. So it's cur fault we didn't read 
КЛ 

‘Well, the matter is at least up for debate, Last 
year, an intriguing case went before tho courts. 
In Vernor v. Autodesk, а man bought a few cop: 
ies of an AutoCAD imaging program at a garage 
sale, and then tried to resell that software on the 
Internet. Autodesk threatened to sue him, claim- 
ing that not only did he not have the right to sel 
the product, but neither did the original owner. 
Why? Because the end user license agreement 
опу licensed the software to the buyer, Nether 
‘buyer ever actually owned it 

‘What? He bought it, right? How can ће not 
‘own it? The district court seemed to agree that 


something was fishy, and it ruled in Vernor's 
favor. Sadiy, an appeals court reversed the deci- 
sion, and ruled for Autodesk 

Even ignoring the issue of the license versus. 
‘ownership debate, this seems a ftl ridiculous. 
The "buyer" had no reasonable way to undar- 
stand that he didn't actually own the product in 
question. End user agreements are couched in 
so much logalesa than even а trained attorney 
would have trouble parsing what they have to 
say, That's the problem. Even if we did want to 
read and comprehend these agreements, most 
of us can't without an advanced legal degree. 
Nonetheless, we're held legally accountable 
to is contents. By hiding behind obscure and 
incomprehensible language, software develop- 
ers and publishers create a nearly impenetrable 
barrier between themselves and the gamers, 
that enjoy their titles. Even f | did read the 30 
paragraph agreement you made me sign, | 
wouldn't know i | was breaching the agreement 
IF wanted to. 

For some people, l'm sure this couldn't be 
lass of a problem. Agree to the nonsense state- 
ment, and move en What's tho big dea? I just 
bugs me, When | agree to something with ту 
namo attached to it, | кө to know what its say- 
ing. or at least have an expert | trust give mo tho. 
go ahead. 

End user license agreements in their current 
form arent tho answer to IP security for a fow 
reasons. First, there are little to no protections 
for consumers. In a world where people increas- 
ingly purchase games, music, moves, and 
other entertainment digitally. there should be 


by Matt Miller 
senior associate editor, 
Game Informer 


increased rights for the consum- 
ers of those products, not less 
Would you put up with a brick. 
and mortar store that made you 
sign а 10-page legal document 
before picking up a new sweater? 

Second, these agreements are 
fundamentally incomprehensible 
to the average human being. How 
con | be held accountable to а 
document | can't understand? 
For now, the courts seem to 
think can. So long as that's the 
case, no one should expect that 
Software companies are going to 
change their approach. 

In 2009, Congress passed the 
Credit Cardholders’ Bil of Rights 
While few would claim this bil 
was perfect, did put into place 
‘some basic protections for credi 
card use, including disallowing 
СС companies from changing а 
user agreement without advance 
notice. Sadly, similar protections. 
до not exist for sofware users. 
Software agreements change all 
the time, but in many cases after 
the first few weeks of owning the product, you 
can't return it if you decide to decine a new 
agreement. That's presuming you could even 
understand what has changed. 

There's also the way these agreements back 
gamers into a corner regarding the functional 
пу and lifespan of the game. Most agreements 
don't guarantee service, and absolve game 
makers of delay or failure of servers. When 
you accept the EULA, you agree that the 
publisher can turn off йв servers at any time 
without notice. 

Just once, l'd like to turn on a new game and 
read a user license | could understand. Maybe 
five or six rules - things Ike: Don't steal our 
game. Don't use Ihe game to make real world 
money. Don't harass other players, The sort of 
thing | could read in a few minutes, and agree to 
with my eyes open, 

But I think the agreements are so long and 
perplexing exactly so that we can't do that 
Make something convoluted enough, and no 
опе will take the time to figure t out. Like the 
recent financial instruments that caused the 
mortgage meltdown here in the United States, 
its easy to overlook something that's too com- 
plicated to comprehend. Admittedly мете not 
talking about the fate of the free market here, 
We're just playing some video games. But a 
Title transparency and simplicity couldnt hut, 
whethor you're talking about the contract for a 
house or the abilty to enjoy your favorite MMO. 
Tre vns arden pressen poze е sty hose of 
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01.2 Super Heroes Living 
In Fear 


05 New Releases 


"77 
SDEDITION 


cover story 49 


so 


ha 3rd sven Saints used to bo just another group 
of thugs with Glocks and thy trigger finger, blast- 
ing their way through tho ety of Stiwators count- 
less gang wara. Fast forward a low years, and the 
boys in purple have buried their rivals and even. 
formed a marketing partnership with the gigantic 
Utor Corporation. Atar ridding tna ов of numerous gangs, 
the Saints are heroes ofthese once-reachercus neighborhoods: 
They pose for pictures with kids, sol t-shirts and bobblahoade, 
and even have an acter embedded in thor ranks so һө can 
prepare for his rlein a movie about the gang's exploits. Like 
former gangsters Snoop Dogg and Ice-T, the Saints became а 
‘manstream presence. While the public ses them as guardian 
angels who only want to keep the sreeta safe, the group can't 
qute shake their roots as thieves, dealers, pimps, and solders 
These instincts inadvertently take them cut of Slater and into 
new territory. 

"With no compettion ft in Sülwater the Saintg run wild ke 
keds n a candy store, Robbing banks Е a common act for 
the group, ond hat's where you kick off Saints Row: The Third. 
In typically bold fashion, your crew attempts to score soma quick 
cash by айй a bank vaut out of he ceiling via 
heicopte. Things go awry and the Saints end up in 
ine samme, surprising many considering ће cops 
axe nermally bribed о avid publ buste While 
incarcerated. you learn that an international crime 
ring known as the Syndicate owns tho bank in ques- 
tion, and they're none too pleased with the Saints! 
act ot aggression. After slipping the cops substan- 
till more cash than your crew could pony up, the 
Syndicate holds you and partners in crime Johnny 
Gat and Shaundi hostage on their private jet. The 
tives of you awaken to the sight of acigrete- 
smoking Belgian named Philipe Loren, flanked by 
his femme fatale assassins Viola and Kiki: An offer 
is presented - tho Sant wil be allowed to Ive in 
exchange for 66 percent of their monthly profits 
Unsurprisingly, your character retorts by saying, "Go 
make yourself a f-ing waffe” and а gunfight breaks 
out onboard the астей. 

this pont you take control of your characte, 
securing human shields and blasting your way 
towards the cargo bay at the rear of the plane 
After dropping several of your captors, the cargo doors open and 
dozens of the gang's cars (and bodies) begin to fy ол into the 
fight sky You grab a parachute and struggle to hang onto solid 
ground, but an SUV tumbles past and sends you and Shaundi 
hurting toward the ground. Gang warfare didt properly prepare 
your character fr his particular station, but his instincte tell him 
10 act quickly and secure a weapon. Coiling your character as 
he plummets trough the sky you steer him toward an airborne 
Syndicate member Upon reaching him, you pummel him in mid- 
air with blows to the head and steal his double Uzis. You're not 
the очу foo ај with survival instincts in high gear, however, 
as Syndicate members aro ing at you from every angie. Vini 
avoiding dabris and faling cars, you kil your enemies and manage 
to catch up to Shaundi. You deploy your parachute. and ino gil 
seems appropriately impressed with this act of extreme bravery 

This mission's already featured more action than any previous 
Saints game, so wo expect tha protagonist and Shaun to float 
{othe ground followed by a nice end-miesion reward. However, 
Volition prefers to layar crazy on op ol crazy, so tho plano begins 
a slow 180-dogree turn in an effort to ram ће two of you during 
уол descent. Abandoning ho role ol gentleman. your character 
tosses Shaundi toward tho ground and attempts to break through 
the window of the oncoming plane. You manage to shoot your way 
ino the cabin, but aren't able to gain solid footing long enough to 
go afiar Philipa. Instead, you fy out the back of the aircraft and 
attempt to save Shaundi once again. She understandably borates 
You fo throwing her to a certain death, but you land safely and the 
mission ends. 


A City In Turmoil 


Alter touching gound in a new cy and assessing the stua- 
tion your character realizes he cat return to мег with 
the powerful Syndicate controling the banks and poes force. 

É He instead als up some key Sants, prompting a mass migra- 
tion to this new town of Stesipor I's probably for the best. 
эв virtually al of Ser was covered n sewage, seen fre, 
Ax blown up n Sants Row 2, end па entre population is el 
Técdered te ihariks to ccuntess blows to the goin 

For years prior to the Saints aval саро suffered from 
‘constant economie decine. Founded by blue соіа factory 
workers, elements Ike proper zoning were a foreign concept. 
during the city's conception Cty planners buit skyscrapers 
~ cjacent to warehouses and ignored the benefis of mass van- 
St end iha city orscualy decayed over me. Stilwater featured 
suburban areas wth white picket tences and freshly mowed 
dene but the closest comparison n Steelpr в а section of 
densely packed, rundown one-story houses. The Saints arent 
the oniy organization wth ts eye on Steepar the Smdieate 
sels an opportunity end begin taking over the weakened 
слу. They renovate sums wih gaudy casinos and brothels but 

ä 

ince Yau wont find gitz and glamour in these areas, hey 


А 


na 
* 


prey on a beat-down populaceis weaknesses and addictions. 
їп ап environment such as this the city's worst comes nto ful 
focus. I Stwater had a serious gang problem, Steelport has a 
full-blown epidemic. 

With new territory comes new threats, and the Syndicates 
extensive Influence permeates every corner of Steeiport. 

In addition to his roie in the Syndicate leadership, Philipe: 
Loren recruits hundreds of psychopaths to three different 
gangs in the area, Morning Star personally led by Philipe) ae 
Sut-wearing, chain-smoking European baddies straight out 

of a Bond fim. They peddle weapons and prostitutes, and 
prefer sniper les and SVGs when deadly force is required: 

If Morning Star ate the brains of the Steelport gang scena, 

the Luchadores are the muscle. Patroling the southwest area 
of the city in their SUVs, these masked wrestlers deal drugs 
and run gambling rings. f you get on their bad side, they're 
prone to heavy weapons and close quarters combat. Finally, 
the Deckers are the computer nerds of the bunch, dealing with 
security and money laundering. As the gang wars intensif, 
another faction wil arise – the STAG (Special Tactical Anti 
Gang) unit: This government- sanctioned force is tasked with 
ridding the streets of any gang they encounter regardless of 
whether they re Syndicate or Saint. 

If the missions we've seen are any indication, Saints Row. 
The Third is even more chaotic than previous installments. 
(Gamage can be a great thing, but not iit comes atthe 
‘expense of playability. Voition has specifically designed the 
‘oy to include numerous landmarks that clue you in on your 
location without the need to constantly stare at the minis map, 
Casinos and SUVs driven by wrestlers indicate the geographi 
cal location in a more interesting manner than some color 
оп a map screen, Volition specifically designed Steelport's 
'kyino so it can be seen from almost any area of the city, so 
you always know which direction is downtown, Great fictional 
locales ike Gotham Gity and Metropolis become just as impor 
tant characters as any super-vilain, and Voltion wants to make 

hid. 


pom | can't dé 


core story 51 


The Saints 
Go Marching In 


Previous Saints Row tes featured similar wies. gang structures, 
but each organization had distinct story rcs that rarely intersected 
In an effort to create a more cohesive narrative. characters rom 
‘each gang in Steelpor interact with each other and are featured F 
‘ther gangs' stories throughout the game. The manner in which you 
interact with these gangs and make decisions during missions wil 
impact your experience in significant ways: At one point in the story, 
the Saints como йо possession of a gigantic bomb. The Syndicate 
‘uns a towering skyscraper, and blowing it up would ват you a ton 
of respect [o sidebar]. "Your choice wil affect both the skyline of 
the city and рам people in the city react to you. People are gonna. 
talk about fhis giant Ing building just blew up,” says designer 
‘Scott Philips you'd rather preserve the Stasiport sino, you 

can lad ап assault оп the tower from the inside and take it over 

for yourself. Wh this tower under Saints jurisdiction, t gives you 
‘access to more Weapons and cash, and becomes your new База 
©! operations. 

‘Smaller decisions algo play a role, such as a mission where the 
Saints raid а Morning Star boat filed with prostitutes. After capturing 
it you can either sal thor boat back to them for ona lump sum, or 
oop it for yourself and pimp the giris cut for tho Saints. The instant 
¡cash va long-term investment concept is similar to the options. 
lottery winners receive, and can reward patience if you're wiling to 
tum down the large initial payout. 

Bringing down Morning Ste the Luchadores, and the Deckers 
requires more than accepting a bunch of story missions. Various 
flashpointe scattered throughout the city feature the Syndicate 
‘gangs partaking in their favorie ilegal activities. One involves а 
group of over 20 Luchadores guarding a shipment of drugs, and it 
‘appears entirely out of the context of any mission or activity, By call- 
ingin an air strike, it's possible to send their flaming bodies scatter- 
ing in every direction. 

Aggressive actions such as these eam you respect, but they're 
also a crucial element to taking over the city. You can take several 
different approaches to overtaking an area, and there's no one right 
way Destroying flachpoints helps the Saints move into new turf, but 
purchasing shops, completing activities, and taking over strongholds 
also gets you closer to dominating Steelport. 


LET'S PRETEND. 


Even though Volition has taken several steps towards a more cohesive story, 
it stil profes for players to creato thet own character rather than provide 
опе with a predetermined look and background, Your character is the same 
protagonist from the first two games, but youre feo to change his or her 
entro appearance at any temo thanks tothe Imago As Designed plastic sur- 
gery locations. Customization options are even mere robust than in previous 
installments, so you can easly cause havoc as yousef, a celebrity, a fictional 
character, or а superhero, Triangle sliders streamline tha process, and new 

skin color options ensure we'll зве a few Incredible Hulks running around 
Steslport. YouTube videos showcase fans in Saints Row 2 causing trouble ав. 
rappers and tho team of Wil Smith and Martin Lawrence from Bad Boys. and 
Voltion has hinted at an online community system that allows players to share 
their creation. 

Every gang needs some signature rides, and you can tweak the cosmat- 
jes and performance of your automobile of choice. Instead of being limited to 
nitrous cr kneecappers, players can upgrade bumpers for added durability or 
рош some cash into torque to help outrun the cops. you really want your car 
To stand out, add gigantic spoilers or a customizable underglow Don't worry 
about losing your investment if you wind up careening into ће ocean, as your 
rides can always bo retrieved and repaired at you crib. 

Saints Row 2 allowed you to customize your entire gang if you were tired of 
the thug He aesthetic. You could class things up a bt by having your crew wear 
sus, or make a ridiculous game even more surreal by having hundreds of ninjas 
drinking 40s and patrling around town. Rather than sticking with one uniform, 
look, in Sainte Row: The Third players con mix and match four different cutis 
for your Saints, With these new options to diversify, you can turn the streets of 
Sies gen into а parade of furries, pirates, S&M спре, and the mascot for the 
Saints Flow energy drink 

You may find dozens of these customized gang members on the street, but 
опе character stands out in the crowd, At over sight feet tall, Oleg Kiloris a 
towering beast who can toss cars Ike they re made of styrofoam. He'll even- 
tually be an asset to the Sants, but the Syndicate captures him in an effort 
to create a clone army. Oleg is hight inteligent, but the Syndicates cloning 
process proves imperfect and his copies come out dumb as bricks. Despite 
ther lack of brains, they re stil shipped cut as cheap muscle to the gangs cf 
Steelport After getting used to taking down waves of standard-sized, gun- 
wielding baddies, you have о shift your strategy when one of these cloned 
brutes charges you with plegtivers оп his mind. Unloading shells into him will 
Weaken his defenses, but you have to complete a quick time event to delver the 
final bows. If your Cleg is in the seme room, a battle of the titans playa out like 
а Hulk vs. Abomination duel Your version of Oleg is the chess-playing original 
(Known as "Patient Zerc) so you have bath brains end brawn on your side, 


EH 


cove story 53 


Shoot To Thrill 


Oleg won! always bo around, во youl need an arsenal ot weap- 
ons The typical essent of pistole, SMG ries, and granados 
. 

ton ав also at your disposa, One melee weapon ~ a giant bat 
shaped ha a certain sax toy lans far towards ho novel and 
af the эрес. This Toppy rubber weapon 6 ful animated 

and endowed and add an unmistakable degree o rig to an 
VVV 
frowned upon bit you're realy puting ha Ines of decency when 
you're pummaing her wh ppl ralla. 

V 
good when faced wit an angry mob of Moming Star Whan over- 
homed players can callin an airstrike by painting fe target area 
wi a leser The ensuing explosion us any flash with a lege 
"odis into ashes f your enemies are camped under an awning, 
cr other cover уой can opt fora Predator rone. ie he coni 
ne level Gl of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, is changes 
your perspective to a top-down view. You can pepper areas wih 
Standard bombs or release a smart bomb nat an ba preces 
оопробоа wi the analog sticks. 

‘tacking from the air ie great for keeping your Character out of 
harm's way, but theres another way to mountar attack Without 
ever stepping into an enemy's crosshair The RO gun shoots cut 
an electronic bug that slows you to contol vehicles Tt starte with 
the ability to control cars, but you can eventually upgrade it to take 
over tanks and ir vehicles Once the bug is attached, you assume 
{ul солго of he vehicle ust as you ou you were ndo. Went 
to deliver an explosive package to a gang? Attach satchel charges. 
тоа station wagon, take it over with he RO gun. and dive ito 
enemy terio The detonation wil take out a good chunk cf your 
risas wel asthe urfotungte driver) without puting yours in 
danger И you rather get a gang into trouble than murder a large 
quantity of them. simply take over опе of their cars mnd ram t nto 
a police vehicle. It may not make much of a dent in their control of 
the ciny, but watching he confused driver get chased by tha cops 
is good for a laugh. 


Phillipe Loren 
Tis elegant and poised Belgian is the leader 
ol Morning Sa the ies ot бена reo 
gangs. He specalzes n eratond ams 
del, and was responsio fr reiting 
members ot he Luchadores and the Dockers. 
Hot ot happy about he Sant tempi to 
steal fom hs ark ad he do anything nhe 
power to koop theni trom taking over Steeiport 
p 


Viola and Kiki DeWynter 

for graduating rom business schoo at 

Ц Harvard, these femme fatales joined Pipe, 
and begin managing he Smdicale's finances. 

These sisters are exert assassins and operate 

asthe right hand of he organization: Their 

сз demeanor, business savvy and deadly aim 

suo that theyre he hores apparents to the 

Syndicate 


— — 


N or business meeting his violent nature can 


Killbane 
Вале to Marco atter kiling a man inside 
‘the ring, his luchador returned o America i an 
effort to reclaim his ost fame. Obsessed with 
his legacy, this temperamental giant rules ovt. 
the southwest's Luchador gang. While he can 
tur onthe carm during a media interview 


manifest itself at a moment's notice. 


„| AA 


Maximizing Destruction 
dens o te series, but Saints Row 


ın and youve got you 
— 


partner: They moved up to Stelport and 
temporal tan the Luchadors together, but 
Kilbane's jealous nature resulted in 

‘out Ale he was publicly demasked by his 
ormer rend, Angel пей the city and went into. 
ing. Losing your mask as a luchador is see. 
asa serious mark of shame, and this former 
‘star becomes afraid to go out in public. With a 
‘common enemy in Kilbane, Angel eventually 
becomes an asset to tho Saints. 


Matt 
The leader ol he Decker, Miler is treated ike 
а god on the Interet, Like a message board 
"roll he's fou, confident, and obnoxius. This 
hacker may tak a big game online, but йоге 
inexperience and social awkwardness become 
apparent when the guns are drawn and hes 
forced to deal with reality. 


КА, ДЕ 


hi smooth talking, chain-smoking charmer. 
isthe oldest pimp in tocar, After a trace 
dam ато was fitted with а voce box that 
omits every word he says n T-Pin-quali 
autotun, His sick ways led to a friendship with 
the cy DeWtef sisters but hey eventually 
had a falling out. The Syndicate responded by 
locking him in the basement o one ol their 
human trafficking operations, prompting tho 
Sains to come to his rescue. After a daring 


escape involving a gimp suit and a rickshaw, 
ZEmos befriends your crew and provides infor- 
mation regarding tha city. 


| 1 F stoy 55 


Saints Row The Third features a wide arsenal 
‘of weapons, but thoy а! have ono featura in 
соттол = a specific animation for nut shots. 
Hold a pistolas you melee a bum and your char- 
‘acter wil drop to one kno and throw stiff jab at 
hiserotch, i you're wielding a bazooka, you'll 
perform a gol swing that connects squarely 
tothe family jewels Vo Vo never soon a game 
treat testicular torture so lovingly; t's nice lo seê 
Voltion appealing to the 12 year-old in ай of us. 
‘One tedious aspect of open-world erime games 
is waiting for the repetitive carjacking animation 
to complete, The last thing you want to do when 
you're on the run from the cops is walt for the 
door to open, the driver to be pulled out, and your 
‘character to get ready to drive, In Saints Row: 
The Third, the LB button acts as a sprint button 
эв wall as а modifi, Volition refers to as the 
awesome button" because it amplifies almost 
апу action you de. Inthe ease of carjacking, this 
shortens the process down to a missile drop- 
kick into tha rivers seat, Sprint at the car from 
the sido and you braak through ho window, 
sanding tho driver flying cut the opposito door 


Good Dumb Fun 


Approach from the front and youl leap over tho 
hood, giving the driver a face ful of boot, If you'd 
rather stick with traditional means, the camera 
zooms in on your victim as you shoot them in the 
face point-blank ог repeatedly slam the door on 
thei head, 

Like many тоет games, Saints Row: The 
Third gives grenades ther own dodicated button 
rather than lumping them in with the rest of 
the weapon selection wheel. Pressing the right 
bumper tosses a grenade (or other selected 
explosive) in the direction you're facing, regard: 
less your current primary weapon. This func 
tionality takes the place of food on the radial 
‘selection wheal, во you won't be scarfing down 
burgers or malt liquor during gang wars any- 
‘more. Since this was the go-to method for heath 
recovery in previous games, Voltion is softening 
the Blow by decreasing the time it takes for your 
health recharge. We I miss the visual of our 
character snacking on chicken nuggets vil sur- 
rounded by explosions and gunfire, but it's a fair 
rada f it means we can toss а grenade whenever 
wo want 


et, 


Ina time where the “games as art” debate is more prominent than ever, many Journalist 


rely on 


‘comparisons to film, We may hope for our industry Citizen Kane, but the movie industry has still found 
time to give us stupid fun ike Dumb and Dumber or Tommy Boy amidst its Oscar contenders. Striving 
for high artis a noble effort, but there will always be a spot for crass humor and comic violence, Saints 
Row does a splendid job filing that role. t was at its best in Saints Row 2, with the ludicrous Insurance 
Fraud, FUZZ, Septic Avenger, and Trail Blazing activities. Whether you were spraying poop on an elderly 
‘couple in the park, chainsawing a man in half for littering, or driving a flaming АТУ through a college 
campus, these wacky moments were impossible to play without a grin on your face. Here are some of 
"he new activites you can look forward to in Saints Row: The Third 


Professor Genkis 
Super Ethical Reality Climax 


ped activity mixes elements: 
pe 


capone (usual with 
л, but most attempts tured into 


F 
V 
you youre рај 


Ав opposed to the random nature of these activities in previous games, these hijinks are ted to the 
‘Syndicate war in Saints Rove The Third. "We want this cohesive experience where players walk away 


going 1 can't believe Pm seeing this. I can't believe I'm f-ing doing this,” says senior producer Greg 
Donovan. Mayhem missions reward you for taking out Syndicate property, and the goofier ones like 
Insurance Fraud and Guardian Angel are Бе as training exercises to strengthen your character o he 
‘can face the enemy without feat. e e 


The fest two Saints Row games crammed mere activities 
por square foot than any other open-world game, and the 
thied entry is no diferent. Driving just few blocks gives you 
plenty of opportunities to start a story mission, customize 
your character, engage a flashpoint, turf en top of а car. or 
throw yoursel into traffic for some good old-fashioned insur- 
‘ance fraud Interactive darts and Bowing minigames aren't 
nearly out-there enough for this series. The calling cards 

cf this franchise are cartoonish action, a wicked sense of 
humor and gratuitous violence, 

"One of my favorite things | heard from a Saints Row 2 
player was was driving down the street with knee-cappors 
оп my pickup truck, running over old grannies while my 
co-op partner скубе naked out of а plane and landed in 
the back of my pickup truck We want that err o happen al 
"he time in Saints Row: The Third," Donovan says. With era: 
ог weapons, moro colorful gangs, and а new playground to 
contain all the game hardly has a shortage of mayhem. 

Because of the serios! outsized antics; many crics fil 


Gunplay feels great, vehicles are maneuverable and fun, 
diversions are sprinkled across virtually every block, combat 
encourages creativity, avery mission objectiva feels esh, 
‘and the action is relentless. One mission in Saints Row: The 
Third features an aerial battle that places you behind thé 
controls of а faling tank, batting ether airborne tanks 


you both plummet toward the ground. Greg Donovan puts 
it best when ho describes the Saints Row design mantra — 
Embrace the crazy. Fun trumps al. 

Кет эл eye cn amenos coman roug ry тое 

‘Sons eI Te сттер 


cove story 57 


KINGDOMS OE AMALUR: . 
y TOS 


A FANTAS Е 
DREAM TEAM CRI 
THE NEXT GREAT 


(CONTENDER 


y 


hen 1 fret heard the stoy 
WE 
D Anal 
та о botes. 
From the legenda talent ved t 


the way things have serendipitously 
fallen into place for a once-humble 
realtime strategy game developer, this 


tale perfectly fits the structure of an 
epic fantasy game in the same style as 
Reckoning. The story is real, though, 


and with belß kom Furt заћи по: 38) 
Studios aná pulling v 


Huge Games could be Hs dest 


wort ate hte м 


by Phil Kollar 


د 


E 


"ig Huge Gamer cent rector Май eon jokes Ва Песках 
— dos tan any RPG 10 como bela 


REBIRTH 
Wh 

е milions of 

il competing for the 


time strate оне 


nning to 


perience working 


funding. This, in turn, led to THQ purchasing 
оре, but alter tw work 


19 оп а пе 


faster. More im 
exper 


id the amateur RPG. 


king in th 


INTRODUCING KEN ROLSTON 


oming Amalur h Its possible that you've never heard ol him before, but it you love the Elder Scrolls 
в first created in the Age ‘series or RPGs in general, Ken Rolston is a namo you should know. Reckoning 
creative director Mark Nelson describes Rolston as “the father of open-werld RPG 
Gaming," and he's got the history to back Hup. 


to benefit f 
Rolston's game design career started in the 803, Working at the time as an English 
he Well of Souls gi remise ‘teacher, he decided to take a chance and send some Dungeons & Dragons manu 
tall in scripts in to publisher TSR. He quickly discovered that he “could not get anything 
nal mystery " Fileton points out. rejected” and went on to work fr various pen-and-paper projects, including 
Warhammer and Paranoia 


Rolston shifted into the word ol video games in the 90s, but did nt find immed 

ato success, Hi first five projects were canceled, including an adventure game 

about dolphins in space tiled Blue Star. “The publisher) wanted а Star Tok thing 

where here's no conflict," Rolston explains. "It had mot occured to them that i 

they didn't have confit, they were not going to be doing what computer games do 
particulari wel 

main attraction of A 

grab the at After a layott due to yet another cancellation, Rolston joined Bethesda, Unsurpris- 

ingly, his prowess with pon-and: paper RPGs impressed the company, particularly his 

work in the Runeduest setting. “The lead designer at Bethesda loved RuneQuest, 

Rolston reminisces, "t essentially uses the Elder Scrolls system, You advance your 

character by using your skills." 


Rolston finally found his footing at Bethesda and became the lead designe for 
Morrowind and Oblivion, Following Ормо я completion, Rolston retired, only o be 
pulled into working lor Big Huge Games four months ater, 


Though he's not yet sure what the future holds, Reckoning coud һе Rolston's final 
game, which is one of the reasons that he doesn't think he screw it up, "1 want 
something that's new and worth having, Rolston says. "I wasn’t going to come back 
and do another role-playing game unless it was better than anything Вад done 
before. I's too much trouble, too many years out of my lite, too many opportunities 
to fail o want to do that 


eginning Нес 
ton when he was p 


istory 
antasy writer Я А. Salvatore, best known 


in quest, есил va eat 
пори; 


ў 


КУ 


vwacter is ordered by a gnome to grab 
d from a nearby 
ta, 


lds in th 
can equip up 

with each assigned to a f 

controller and a trigger den 

acter's shield, That leaves a limit 


REINVENTION 


of buttons to press, so combs 
is much more about timing and 
memorizing lo 


For example, if yo them, beginning with its visuals. "We 


didn't want to be afraid of 
your character will launch the targeted р 


y into the air. Move out of a block with 
hammer, and your chara 
putting dista 


With an e 
that's me 
than Elder Scrolls, Не 


Do t monsters normally e 

means that th 

lost, though. 

says that Diabio-style loot collection is a attacks that players 
For example, the larg 


similarly te 
assures us. “its got al = ratt lore. 
got all hat backbor 

that RPG fans 


THE AMALUR 
DREAM TEAM 


While Elder Scrolls veteran Ken Rolston 
and his team at Big Huge Games are hard 
at work on Reckoning, the greater lore 
and look ol he Amalur franchise в being 
shaped by a talented trio at 38 Studios. 
Here ae he big names behind the ore- 
ation ot this new fantasy universe 


Curt Schilling - Former Major League 
Baseball pitcher Curt Schiling may not 
‘sirike you as the most obvious choice 
{or а game develope, but he's an avid 
ММО player and has been since the 
days ol EverQuest, I's undear how А 
‘much Schiling i directly involved in the 

development process, but he founded 

за Studios. 


Todd MoFariane - McFarlane is a vision- 

ary artist best known for founding Image 

Comics, creating Spawn, and starting his 

own high-end toy line. His visual style ` 

is inlorming the world of Reckoning. 

Bio Huge Games concept artist Sean 

Murray says that McFarlane is constantly 

pushing the art team to try new and in- ~ 
ative things within the fantasy setting. de 


R.A. Salvatore - Salvatore has been 
writing hit fantasy and sci-fi novels 
ince Ihe 60s with enough success that 1 
he's had a whopping 22 books on the 
New York Times best-sellers ls As he. 
creator ol tan favorite Forgotten Realms 

хо Drizzt Do'Urden, you can expect -> 
"im to bring a terry edge and depth to 
Reckoning's colorful fantasy. 


of eggs that hatch s 
These minions caus 


great effec 


Another one of Salvat 
From gorgeous mead 


y all of the: 
the game 
prom 

уте ай more 

ingeons. Ther 

est involved, 

Big Huge Games al 


120 dun 


are just ап п chimes п. "With 


sica Hara. 9 is just пове 


У with big name: 
Farlane and ВА. 


a giant, open-worid 
ime making more 


mer. Reckoning aud 


looks stylist sfying, I cant help but 
thinking 

юн real-time combat works in ot 

Big Hi 


the Fables, 


feel a pang of di 


7 Г 


АМ RPG WITHOUT CLASS 


Like he Elder Serolis series that it has dra so much talent rom, Reckoning does 
not use а strict dass-based system to lock players nto a certain play se from the 
beginning. Instead players can assign multiple abiity points per level to one of three 
primary trees: might, sorcery, and finesse. As they progres in each tee players un- 
lock destinies - essentially case titles that conter bonuses fr sticking to a certain 
path ог mixing and matching in interesting ways. 


In addition to mixing up he progression path, Big Huge challenges itselt to make the 
mage and rogue classes as fun lo take into battle as warriors For magic users, his 
means introducing a brand new weapon type called chakram, circular blades that 
are probably best known for their use on Xena: Warrior Princes. 


Reckoning's version of chakram allow for some awe-inspiring combos, including 
moves that shove enemies away and send the mage fying back, creating distance 
that allows them to sling spells, Got far enough away rom enemies, and you can 
unleash a room-dearing spell ike meteor, И you preter to stay close, you can ag 
enemies with mark o flame, a damago-over timo fre spell that can be detonated, 
exploding multiple baddies at a time of your choosing. 


The rogue character saw looked more Ike a ninja than a traditional fantasy rogue. 
Creative director Mark Nelson said his goal with the class was to make daggers - a 
normally wimpy weapon type - more fun than they've been in any previous RPG. I 
you time dagger combos perfec te weapon wil glow, allowing for a guaranteed 
айкан. 


Rogues also have access to some powerful abilities, such as smoke bomb, wich 
stuns enemies and puts you into stealth. Once in stall mode, you сап sneak up on 
unsuspecting enemies and launch into instant attacks. 


The key to Reckoning destiny system is Keeping it flexible for players of ll types. 
"Wo want the game to respond to how youre playing instead of forcing you to make 
а choice? Nelson says. 


ho dark 
March 2 
mentally 
a bil more ах 
got my f 
Rockstar ran 

red prota 


попом pb at 


(anda small samping с 


LA, Noire 


gavo the world its frst lock into 
world ol LA. Моге with our 
010 cove 
ted the vell 
out this intriguing Mo. Roconl 
portunity to play LA, Noto 
по through a ble Intro that 
gonist Colo Phelps ang at 
the doloctivo desk ol ho LAPD 
d^ 


ху. Rockstar hat 


Red Lipstick Kier’), Phelps is ИО as the 


(oho seems to bo те 


detective 
ing! unde 


Floyd Rose 
shady dram: 


stances), and placed with Rose's cid райт, 


Rusty Galoway Тиц 


dear that Gal 
wi this ref thant 
Atto this introduction 

bogan a new caso, "Th 
ls ted tol 


ghoul cur session, ls 
pleased to bo pared 
tock the and 


A Hispanic woman has baen found 
doad near cl hal, The М.О. appears lo bo ha 
ol tha Black Dahl kiler - or а copycal 


роп. “Another tramp, another message 
says ono, "1s tho Werewal back in business? 
The Werewolf” is another period nickname for 
d) 
y asking tom f hoy have a 


The crime scene is gruesome: Tho woman is 
‘naked and mutato. inspecting her body, | seo 
that a ring has been removed from her nges, 
Kiss the 
id onher to 
| begin investigating Ine crime scene, which 
inc ol ho game's main play mechanics, 
sonara 


and cryptic messages - "B.D." anc 
Blood = have beer 


proceed just as you woud in roal 
down and pick it up. You can rotate ters in 
your hand with the Ihumbstick, searching or a 


не — something catches your eye, 


sweet spot" that wil initiate ramble and reveal a 
further due în the item. For example, you might 
Pickup an envelope and read the address on il 
then open it up and check Ine contents inside. I 
works wel, andit you 


is thoro to spot things you miss. Us important 
ра the local 


range 
im ol blood stains 
ard, a rng, and 
path takes us toa 
re we Inaly dis 
ol the victim: Ms 


Se beg ied onal 
d objects Ike ахау 
other personal elects. Th 
nearby buiding wh 
an Ihe identity and абс 
Antonia Madona 


1-Player Shooter 
(Online TRA) 


Rage 


Variety is the spice of life in id's potent wasteland 


raleased Doom 3, the industry has had no 
lage of gerre- redefining fret person 
shooters, Fallout 3 delivered ona of ho deepest 
role playing experiences players 
Borderlands feat 
co-op gameplay. What can Rage offer players 
who are already veterans of these post-apoca 
Iyplic wastelands? Alter getting some hands cn 
tie with Ino game tho answer became dear: a 
Ише bit of everything. We've broken down five 
diferent arcas that separate Rage from the rest 
ol the shooters. 


| n tno six and а hal yours since кі Software 


avo soon уо, 
in count numbering 
it 4 Dead revolutionized 


‘Open and Closed 


1d describes Rage as a 


open word FPS, but 
go's ward is defined as much by whats miss 
m it as what's nduded. Tho d 


sopor Б 


taking a decidedly incar approach to creating 


an open 
авар 


id game 


ihe 
been copied and paste 


landscape. Instead, ож 
ros unique goomotry and textures. The 
y wasteland connect 


That may sound ко а 
ng contradicion, but youlkaly won't 
altho developer is cutting out: You won't 
find huge barren expanses that oriy 

vo of scalp, and you won't read through 


st а! 


me cookie outtor buildings that have 
а dozen tine 


senes a purpose 
gaming hubs, but 


p 


"hoy oro liy packed together so you wont 
spand a lol o imo Iravaing botwoon асі 
set pieces. The arcas inhabited 

further broken down into the Kind of smartly 
designed oval lor which id is known, 
During our demo, we explored a cy built 
of a dispidatod subway station, blew up an 
‘enemy factions explosives caches in tha bowels: 
4 а dam faciity, and gimpsed Ihe mutant 
infested streets of Dead City. Athough the arcas 
wo saw shared а simlar color palette (don't 
expect a lol of bright primary colors il you survive 
the apocalypse), id succeeds in making each 
locaton foo dst harks in part to unique 

NPCs and a healthy variety in enemy types. Each 
character we talked fo in town had a unique 
name and character moda, simia to Fallout. 0 
teks us t 


e story Б зттйађу concise 


сап travel lo any area in tho wa 
you want, you aro never without a doar objective 
pointing you to your next location. 


Lock and Load 
No frst person shooter is complete without a 
satisiying arsenal, and as the creators of the FPS 
gerre, he developers al id know what hoy ro 
doing. Instead of giving players milicos ol guns 
to sit through ko Borderands, id is handeralting 
each weapon to be indspensble to gameplay 
The weapons we tied out are standard f 

for a shooter - а pistol, shotgun, assault rile, 
оо. = but ferent ammo types and a clever 
two-wheel quick select mechanic for chang 


ing loadouls drastically opened up the gr, 
Alter a lew minutes of action, wo wore easly 
switching up our gun and ammo selection on an 
ee by enemy basis. 

‘While each gun packed а saising punch, 

пое піке by Rages Quick 

items, А any time, players can equip a Quick 
Use tam to the lot shoulder button. Some of 
these items aro trate offerings, ike grenades 
ос health packs, but others inject variety rto 
торо, We tect out several deadly contrap. 
tions, including wingstick boomerangs that sico 
the bys ofl of your loss betore retuning 


an autonomous spider tur! that socks out and 
engages enemies (allowing you plenty ot Ranking 
opportunities}, and RC cars strapped with C4. 
Incorporating these deadly gadgets into the gun- 
play was тогі 


DIY tems 
A of ho Quick Use toms 

can bo built by Ih player using Рад 

nechanic. As you make your way to 
wasteland, youll find blueprints lor new ems 
that you can arat at any ime. Lead designer 
Matt Hooper tells us there aro al least а daze 
blueprints for players to ind, but, ko your 
arsend, ld wants to mako sure nona of tho 
Quick Uso tems feel superfuous. Alte Inding 
a blueprint, players can buid Ihe new toy out ol 
components thoy gather by looting bodies and 
other objects found within the envronment. This 
provides ac 

each arca. I 

parts, Rage aiso features а ful Паб economy, 
owing you o buy pre-bult ems from mer 
chants. Certain Quick Use tems and weapon 
сап lso be upgraded, For example, Ihe wing- 
sd attacking power can be improved, allow 
Ing it to decapilate more than one enemy in а 
singe tro 


Road Rage 
Perhaps Ihe biggest departure rom ks stan- 
dard gameplay forma is the incorporation of 
vehicles. Plenty of shooters offer isolated ing, 
segments in ther campaigns, bul more otn 
{han not they ed Ike haf baked attempts lo 
change up gameplay. Id has made it a priori 
to gel Fiageis vehkdes right, end both the AT 
and dune buggy fel responsive thanks o a 
tration racing control scheme (dem expect 
to steer via a refide ке Halo), Rage sports three 

que dasses ol vehicles, each of which offers 
‘multiple upgrades to make them faster, stronger, 
and безо. Alter getting a led for a soupedup 
dune buggy, wa tried our hand at a few races 
опа desert canyon track, The combat race was 
by fr our favorite event, even though it ае 
alec a stark break from Ihe games tone; turbo 
boosts, force shields, and power-ups mado 
race lel mere Ike Mario Kart than an id game 
unti we reduced our rival into a flaring ple of 
isted sto 


Diversity Is King 
I there's one thing we learned from our hands 
оп demo, its that id is wing to add anything 


о Варе formula if it makes the game more 
Tun, Athough Rage's story may be tear, 


tained. Alter tying out а few races 
юг П of delormed monsters in Rages Mutant 
Bash TV really show, then picked up some extra 
cash by completing а dynamic secondary mis 
sion hal had us running enemy dune buggies of 
ol the wastelands dusty roads. Players can also 
partake in a varioly of minigames w 
iho human с 

Id assures us hat none of these divers 
Interfere with Ihe bread-and-bulter gunpla 

ol only was the actin satistyngly visceral 
locked in at a Muid 60 ram 
convinced us that he famed developer is more 
"han capablo of competing with modem shoot- 
as. Tho fna ol the demo cuninated in. 


a fight against a God of War sized boss mutant, 
who ripped churks of concrete ой of 
buiding and hurled Inem at tho p 

ronticaly shot rockets back at the mons 

face, The fight fel ай he more epic thanks 

the fact thal it dc have to rely on quick ime 
events lo sel the action. 

Rageis mutlplayor Б sl a mystery, although kd 
cofounder and technical rector John Carmack 
told us that development has taken roughly 
увале longer than they expected, n рап duo o. 
‘extra time spent making the огйге component 
more fun. We have to wait а bil longer to seo. 
what multiplayer ertas, but i idis pedigree Б 
anything о go by, playing wilh rends should 
Ibo t least as entertaining as heading nto tno 
wasteland by yoursoll » Jeff Marchlafava 


previews 


67 


вв 


PlayStation 3 
Xbox 360° PO 

» але 
1-Player Shooter 
Publis 
2K Games 


» Developer 
Gearbex/Tipiych 
Games/3D Realms 


Mays 


Duke Nukem Forever 


Duke te 


A Hor 14 yoars of development purgatory 


а presumed death, and his subsequent 

resurrection thanks fo Gearbox Software's 
Randy Pitchford, Duko Nukem В ready o rolum 
to the spotlight. To see how the action hero has 
changed sinc his last ass kicking escapade, 
wo blasted our way through the frst 90 minutos 
ol ho game. 

Duke Nukem Forever begins witha tar 
‘scenario thal transports mo rmmadiatdy back lo 
1096 — the action hero parked in ront of a urinal 
uricashing his protornatura stream. Duke апа а 
group of EDF solders aro gathered ina забит 
locker room with the commander in front of à dy 
araso board explaining tho clics for Operation 
. Block, ho lan or preventing tho alins 
"rom taking our fades, When you have Duke 
оп your side, Ihe oniy plan you need is ammo. 
Moving trough the stadium tunnels and onto Ino 
ойо, I come face to faco witha giant Cyclo 


атой А classic Duke Nukem boss Бао 
ensues, and ac taking down the massive alen, 
Duke kicks ls cyclops eye through the uprights in 
ошай of his victory. Al hal Ino king, baby. 

The camera pans out from ће football feld, 
Through a lat-scrcon television, and nto a lua 
ома penthouse apartment on top of tho Lady 
Kler casino in Las Vegas. Duke's holding a 
дато сопїсйег while being pleasured by tho 
Holsom Kids, two Lola looking pop stars whose 
parents obviously taucht tham tho alu of shar 
Го. Opulence: Duke has it, Tho young lados ask 
Duke Iho thinks tho video gama is any good, lo 
which ha curly replies, "Yeah, but atter 12 Ing 
yeas, I should be. 

Dropping Io дате controlor and grabbing the 
ramoto, Duke lips through channels and stum 
bles upon a commercial lor the Damn, I's Late 
Show. Tonight guest? The ono and only Duke 
Nukem, Batore heading down to tho studio on a 


lower level o ho casino, | paruso Duke's impres- 
sive digs. With marble pilars, a wading род, 
and vaulted col 
perfect candidato lor MTV Cribs. Waking nto tha 
lavish bathroom, I stare nto the miror and press 
"ho acy button, "You want to touch it, don't 
you; Duka ogomariacaly grows. Тозо classic 
Duke moments aren't just thero for laughs; tho 
fest timo you perform одо boosting actions tke 
admiring his physique n Ihe miror or ng an 
absurd amount о weights, Duko's maximum одо 
ar, which acts as а health meter, naroasos. 

1 mako my way through Duke's одеа halls 
and down to the television stude, stopping in 
"he green room justin fme to catch a break: 
ing news repart. Tho aliens havo rotumod 10 
Earth, but the President is curently campaign 
ing for peaceful talks aimed at strengthening 
тюз. As I mako my way backstage, a young tan 
approaches Duka asking for an autograph, 1 taka 


the copy of Why I'm So Great - Duke n His 
Words and a pen = i's up to me to hail he lads 
cars. Rathor han ty to master tho clunky 


eich A Sketch stylo controls well enough fo write 


something legible, | draw a crude hand with an 
extended middle finger and give Тю book back 
орек. 

Unfortunately, the show won't go on. When t 
walk onto the отлу set, tho host explains the 
Duke chat has been canceled so the network 
‘can focus on covering Ihe latest alien outbreak. 
Ока поа to the Duke Cavo to assess tho silu- 
ation. During a video conforenco, the president 
and an army general both urge Duke lo avoid 
гоша, Tho president wants to gvo peace а 
‘chance, and has a meeting scheduled with the 
Жеп high leader 

"When Duke leaves his war room, he knows 
its already too lato for diplomacy Alans have 
invaded his casino, drunk his beer, and ki 
rapped the hot chicks. During tho folowing 
sequences | restore power to the casino, mount 
эп oversized пите! to take down an ailen moth- 
ship whio fending off incoming starcratt, and 
light up any invader who foolishly gots in my 
way as | move through the casino hails. Al the 
зиме, Duko sings his signature ono noes with 
the bravado of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruco 
Wiis, and Bruce Campbell combined With no 
‘cover mechanics, ied Al, and random enemy 
spawns, tho соғ aro classic Duke Микат, 
but Gearbox balances these dated encounters 

И orironmenta puzzles and a 


sequence that Inds a shrunken Duke racing 

through the casino in an RO car, 
"Tho fights get out of hand, Duke has a lew 
at his disposal to tum the tables. When 


Duko pops steroid pls, ho trades отте in 
Tavor ol his god en guns, dropping enemies 
With ono punch. 1 you're fooling overwhelmed 
by gunfire and taking too much demago, Рико 
can channel his inner Frank the Terk by cracking 
open a beer to give himsel increased damage 
resistance to damage, The bolstered defense 
comes at а cost; apparently Duke's lightweight, 
and pounding lust one cold опе gives him beer 
Goggles. The blurred vision makes it tough o ine 
Up shots 

‘Once he's usted the aliens from his casino, 
Duko urs into ho general and some EDF forces 
on the Vegas stip. Ihe general breaks down 
the situation ~ the aliens have commandoered 
the Hoover Dam and harnessed its generators 
to create a wormhole. Destroying the wormhole 
is obviously a primary objective, but Duke has 
‘thor priorities, cquipping, “Screw the dam, where 

ing our chicks?” 

The demo concludes with Duke fighting 
through the Vegas streets unt he encounters 


a towering Вайс. This boss ballo plays 
ол simitarly to the frst one, with Duke straling 
around oncoming missies wite returning fro 
and collecting moro ammo. When he finaly gel 
the best of the beast, Duke humiliates it by using 
its family jewels as a spoodbag. 

Asa fon who grew up with the series, play 
ing Duke Nukem Forever feels ike stepping. 
into a fimo travel machine and returing lo an. 
era where Beavis & Butthead was the most 
popular show in school and Tupac dominated 
The radio waves. Shooters have progressed a 
long ways in 14 years, but Duke Nukem Forever 
stubbornly cings to aged design tenets for 
better and for worse, Though some may find 
the sophomoric humor, arena style boss Баев. 
random enemy spawning, and environmental 
Puzzles frustratingly dated, Jumping back into 
Duke's oversized boots feels ike uncovering a 
lost game in an archaeological dig. Its a missing 
ресе al video gaming history that's been the 
Dutt of so many jokes and the focus of so much 
speculation thal many may check the game 
ол due to morbidi carlos. Gearbox can 
sharpen up the noticeably dated graphics, cure 
the occasional hitching, and aller the pace with 
mon: shooting sequences that keep the action 
from becoming monotonous, I сома tum out 
better han anyone expected given the mara. 
thon development cycle that spanned maple 
‘console generations. » Matt B 


Platform 
PlayStation 3 
ane 
1-Player Action 

а Poblisher. 
Sony Computer 
Entertainment 


Suter Punch 
Productions 
p 
p 


Get Out of the Way! 
Players who suck to the 
qood side of the specu in. 
‘heft Infamous undo, 
ly tools hit to ther spot 
reputations by accidental 


moking a pedestri 


mes hey d just wande 


into the йау. That shouldn't 
be a problem with Infamous 


the center of combat 
you дил accidentaly hat 
people,” says producer Brian 


Fleming, "But you can o 
hate m the game 


bat, and people wil в 
the wa) 


Infamous 2 


What goes around come: 


B lasting thugs with lightning bolts was a 


major aspect of the origina infamous, but 
underneath all of he electrical mayhem 
was the story of Cole MacGrath and how he 
chose to uso his extraorcinary powers. Players 
determined how Cole allected Empire City 
and its inhabitants, and the concept of karma 
'sroluring lor infamous 2 with some notable 
improvements. 

When video games implement moral choices, 
your actions aro typically dassled as good 
а ой. Developer Sucker Punch Productions 
is hoping to veer away from that tradition in. 
Inlamaus 2. 1 don't want to pass too much 
Judgment on players," says producer Brian 
Fleming. "thin ot it more as chaos and ordo. 
A moro surgical and a moro chaotic approach 
Father than good and ovi. 

Representing the extremes on the karma scale 
aro мо super powered alies Colo encounters 
n tho now city of Now Marais. On tho orderly 
sido is a woman named Kuo who controls ico, 


around 


While Nocis Ihe chaotic one who manipulates fre, 
‘These two laches suggest Шегеги approaches 
To various situations, and is up lo Cole to 
C 
жо moro carof and precise, while Nix empha- 
sizes death and destruction. 

Noc and Kuo arent just voices Cole hears over 
the radio; they pitch ther doas to you in person, 
When you choose one, the other knows her plan 
gol rejected, m that way, your choices aro fld to 
building rdaticashps wiih the two companions. 

"Alot of tha karma decisions aro relly mado 
when you're choosing between people and 
approaches rather than mechanical things ike 
‘Should | do A or B?" Reming says. "Its more. 
ong the Ines ol two people withthe own 
approach to a problem. 

‘Once you side with Nix or Kuo, thoy won't 
Just sit back and watch you do all of tho work. 

In many cases, they wil accompany you on the 
mission, using heir own super powers to hop. 
‘execute thoi plan, During these sequences, Colo 


and nis aly can combine cortan powers to wear 
down tno opposition. Рог instanco, Kuo can 
create а fog of suspended co partidos around 
а group of milia, and when Cae charges the 
coud with a ighining bat all ofthe solders 
Inside aro frazen sol. 

1 you find yoursall coveting the оо. and по. 
based powers of your companions, youl be 
happy to learn that one of the major катт 
choices youl mako n Intamous 2 involves: 
obtaining a new зш of йоз for Colo. Ho's 
518 ап dloctrty-basod hero, but ater гөшү. 

Ing a pieco of experimental tec nology called 
"ho transfer device, Colo can absorb a portion 
of Nix or Kuo's power, adding a handful of new 
land upgradeable) abies о your arsenal, This 
‘explains the mysterious lo tolaod tease al the 
end ofthe bete shown at last years ES, 

‘One conspicuous outstanding question about 
катпа в whether infamous 2 incorporates any 
decisions players made in the frst game. Sony 
and Sucker Punch are revealing how (or 1) 
{hats going to happen, but even ИИ does, 
мете excited to hear what other surprises Ihe 
game has n store, “The whole phiosophy lor the 
дете is to always bo making everything bette, 
Fleming says. "Karma в a big part of the game, 
во thats an arca where - even И we ed what it 
was - wo always have to be looking for ways lo 
make better." » Joe Juba 


J ha pedigree of heavy hitters Ike Ico 
and Shadow ol tho Colossus, ex 
tions don! ки than those lor The 

nthe latest art house adven 

This month, I saw tho fr 

Jon demoed by legendary designer 

Fumito Ueda. While | can't speak lo the overall 

‘experience ol the дато, | can already see clo 

thal should please fans of Team eos 

PS2-era releases 
Outside of some visual sitio, the big 

troad thal The Last Guardian shares withthe 

previous games is the theme ol partnership. 

Ueda explains hal he becomes attached o А 

characters and wants to continue exploring 

ways of interacting with hom in his games 
The Last Guardian offers surprising methods 

ol working together with Tico, the gant cat bir 

hybrid thal serves as the protagonists part 
Unike Ico's Yorda or Agro, the hors 

Shadow ofthe Co is the merrber of 

the duo with power. The unnamed main charac 

Ter rales on the creature constantly, whether lo. 
seek protection from heady armored enar 

stalking the desolate ruins, or as a makeshilt 

(акт to reach higher levels of ho өг, 


Last 


trom Team 


The Last Guardian 


Ueda says he wants tho player's relationship 
WI To 10 ecl Ike ho bond you wouid form 
wilha pot. in other words, Tico doesn't always 
follow your orders, Often the boy needs to hunt 
down vasos ful of a mysterious iu that Trico 
adores, In one early arca, ha boy losses a 

vase onto at 

pulls itself up Буй 
the tem. at which p 


опу he needs to access, Tico 
front paws to investigate 
int ho boy can сить up 
its leathers in a manner thal looks vary similar 
10 how Wander scaled giants in Shadow of 
the Colossus 

At another point later in the demo, the boy 
oeds Tico to join him on а smal ledge. Ho 
‘over ard over again, but Ike a haughty fone 
the creature simply ignores him. seems Ike 
hos ina bad mood today,” Ueda jokes, After a 
Tow moro shouts, th aly leaps up and 
perches next lo the boy on the ledge 

The occasion lack of cooperation is inter 
ional, and tho бат wants Tico to fel Iko a rel 
Ting creature wilh a wil of its own rather than 
the traditional вена sidekick” that mindessly 
lows orders, Unda acknowledges thal they 
need to walk а fine ne by making the creature 
own whims without stat 


daa flow 15 


E 


ing tha player. As the game progresses, Leda lation 
ays the bond between Trico and the boy grows PlayStation 3 
паћгаћу, and this wîl be reflected in how wel de. » в 

yeaturo folows orders 1-Player Action! 
in another portion о Adventure 


the demo, the boy sepa 
rates from Trico o explore a passageway 00 іту „ Publisher 
for lur to squeeze through. On the other Зону Computer 
Sido, ha discovers a guard, revealing another key 
derent of The Last Guardian: The main charac 
ter has no moans ol fighting. 

The boy attempts to sneak past 


потро 
guard, а shadowy creature reminiscent of the 
adversaries in co. Tho one advantage tha boy 
hasis адну: since Ihe guard s decked а 
bulky amar, Ihe boy отита him, саті 
a wal and ол of the bad guy's reach. The 
may discover a weapon later n ho game, but fo 
the beginning, at least, he must rely on stealth 
ага his feathery fend to do tho fight. 

Aller witnessing Ihe fest 15 minutes of The 

arde, | sil have plenty of burning 

questions. Team ons games are known for 
her sparse stories, bul Ueda and company st 
haven't revealed even t 


Last 


suchas who the boy Б and how he met Trico, 
Anunidentle narrator providos volcoovor 
in Team оо rational made-up language 
Throughout the course of the it Ueda 


says this wil bo used moro for guiding player 
rather han daher 

Whatever the origins of this surprising duo, The 
Last Guardian is shaping up fo bo an тшше 
tale of endship, Team ico has mixed tha piat- 
forming and environmental Hude scing o ko 


with the majasic oroaturo-cimbing of Shadow ol 
the Colossus while adding in some now mochan 
ies to һар set the formada apart Al thats llis 

10 play he gamo for ourselves,» Phil Kola 


Anarchy Relgns 


rs into the online c 


„ть -\ ода and Platnum Games signed a 
PlayStation 3 {our game deal in 2008 that resullod in 
wer 360 ( Манок, inte Space, Bayonetta, and 
* Style Vanquish. Things wont so wel tho companies 
1-Player keen аю tearing up once again for new properly 
(ширум ТВА) Anarchy Reigns. Not everything about ihe game 


is brand naw, howevor, Jack, the protagonist 
Icom Machworid, rotuns with his trademark 
Gator Tooth double chainsaw lo hack challeng 
ors lobis. This imo, lin ul color 

So why not cal this Macworld 27 "There aro 
characters hat appeared in Macar who wil 
reappear in Anarchy Roig,” says producor 
Atsushi Inaba. "However, ha story is not con 
lad to Macworld." Inaba also says be 
gameplay is vary irent, “Macworld was a 
single playa, thic person action game, whereas 
Anarchy Reigns is mote of an onine focused 
multiplayer brawler” ho caros 

Early trailers show named characters bash- 
Ing the hel out of each other on city streets. 
Outskle of Jack, Platinum has revoaled a techno 
rinja called Zero (hink Raiden кот Motel Goar 
Ба 4), a blonde women in a skintight nanosuit 


„ Developer 
Platinum Games 


moro popular characters, Bayonetta. WII sho 


oriino multiplayer shooter, Inaba won't give us an 


named Sasha, and a huge “cytrid"robolic bul 
тап with the brain of a 31-year-old calod Big 


Bul. This colorful cast of characters seems ike 
the perfect place to rentroduco ono of Platinum's 


mako а surprise appearance? “Unfortunately, | 
cannot answer that at this point, Sorry" Inaba 
apclogzes. So you're sayng theres a chancal 
These characters duke i out with each other in 
\whal is doscribec as the brawor equivalent of an 


‘exact number of players ог mtiplayor matches, 
‘but he promises mera than four at огоо. Ou 
ol standard dosthrmalches, confirmed modes 
include tag team and Бао royal. 

‘Anarchy Reigns is Platinum Gam 


оппо multiplayer їй, but teni 
‘on the competitive side. “We wi definitely be 
including a story based campaign modo," Inaba 
confirms: "Uriko tho online battles, it wil be 
Something moro serious ог players to enjoy 
Platinum аа reveal whether you can lacio tho 
campaign with every character, or it oriy a low 
have stores, 

Detals ro vague al this point, bul we're 
‘excited to Ind out more on Anarchy Reigns. 


Meet the Contestants 


A Stay uned for mora updates over Ihe coming 
ды months.» Bryan Vore 

ato To 
Zoro, 


Big Balt 


72 previews 


— еее аса e Y Ie worth. a О Тука 
гаг атоо gack Ime onike gie o esee onrar ans but hara езй 


a smal section ol ће game and see how I'S no qualms about string me п the mide of my hes been (ehem) plying har rade nı 
coming along. Frantic dodge хте tme, The demo ends with an oblivious 
ter taking а request rom the local townslok Making my way to the crypt, fm ambushed by — Dandelon lying in her bed as Geralt makes his 


to look into а sting of disappearances, I get a lp wraiths с 
окуса an ld on 
the wats. On my way thr 


the darkness. These way back lo town lo continue ho search, 


Xashatwakboyond intaligont 
ih the countryside, a 


ss dacined to stop in the magical Tho sco 
fing them ito, so 


tio | played 


roughly an hour long, 
s dazzing and comprises one hall of one side que 


group of soldiers waylays ma. Win a minimum swordplay caried mo trough the battles, c fase town Nt takes placo in and around won't 
fuss, ight one on fre with a magical sign inar suo arose during the exchanges with the appear nal playthrough of he дато; tha doc 
incapacitate the group with an alchemical fash- wraiths, though: controling Сосај momentum sions you meke ееп may not lead you there. 
bomb, and disombowol опо of hem wilh a gory ding muli largo encounters can bo try Tho scalo ot non nearly hat this suggests is à 
Thishing move өйө hes teeing rom the bi оп a keyboard. Every ima you want to change Будаг craw than Ino combat rework, the pretty 
Wih soveral foes sil standing, though, things direction say, to switch targets lo an enemy graphics, or anything ese. » Adam Biessene 
до! dir winding up a big attack on yous lark - Geralt 

You can block, dogo, and sting together realsticaly plants his lool and pauses balore 

ж and heavy attacks in The Witcher 2, but turning, This caused a far amount of cursing, as 

t по Kratos. The combat cals for a moro lim used 10 heroes in everything from Devî МА 


ic approach. Every action has а non e Cry to World of Warcral turning on a dme and 

Di, ndudng being hit. 15 easy lo qet во the instant thoy 

interrupted уг 10 ling spals or grenades n tho Tho Witcher 25 combat is more deliberato, and 

miedo of a meloa. By the same token, Keeping the momentum issue В one mere reason o hr 
аворо wo a 


4 and act according П does 
co tt kod to improviso on ho i at loast 
my texperionced Ingers 

My investigations eventually lead me to the 
condusion that а Succubus is involved. Alter 
enlisting the roluctant 
Dandelion the b 


head to le 
ол. Taking contro of Dandelion as ho strums a 
iuto and rec 
demonic beaut 


poem declaring his devotion o 
m faced with à choice wher 
теру creature appears alert Geral, who в 
waiting ол ої sight lor a chance К 


Playstanen 3 

ок 360 

1-Payer Acton 
denden Enteramment 


[ition Enteramment 


тш 


74 previews 


El Shaddai: 


Ascension of the Metatron 


onents, divine cc 


| ve been fascinated by the quie, tongue- 
In-chock st ol В Shadda: Ascension of 
| the Metatron ever since йв colorful debut 
at ЕЗ 2010. This month had my fest chance 
то play the game, Alter working through four 
chapters ofthe Biblica action game, cn 
confirm that his cuin he making s wor 
your attention. 


After a brief cutscene introducing heaverty 
scribe Enoch and his quest que, he angel 
Luci, | took control of Enoch and began. 
learning the basics of combat on "the Hand ol 
Michad, a gant stone palm with seven fingers 
extending trom it. Those diis wil serve 
(ons lor seven angels that his 
God. Enoch 
годи 
Though soma ol ts developers worked on the 
Dod May Cry games, combat in El Shad has 
a unique foo. Rather han focusing on the order 
that you sting togother button presses, Enodis 
moves depend on timing, Repeatedly tap tne 
attack bution and he performs a seres of q 
Sashes with his dela weapon, the arch, а 
curved blade used Ike a traditional sword. Pausa 
for a beat between attacks and fick the ana 
sek up, and Enoch launches enaries ino tho 
ги. I takes getting used to, but when found tho 
‘combat low, И almost felt musical, Adding in à 
Guitar Hero style note scratch when you blow a. 
combo моша fed out ot place, 


as pris 
горевод against 
and Luce must hunt down the 
хр one by one 


к 


їе bit of platform 


In adam to he arch, Enoch gains access to 
a projectio cáled the galo and heavy gauntots 
known as tho vol. Enoch can only сапу ono 

apon at а tme went fo swich you 
have lo sted a now ono trom your opponent. 
This adds a layer of rock-paper- scissors strategy. 
For example, ho lumbering power of the vol 
‘quickly takes out weaker opponents, but tying 
Байдос are less of a nuisance И you're using 
the gale, You can survive with any weapon, but 
додага which is the best fer each situation wil 
distinguish the best players. 

Sieding weapons aiso becomes an important 
way ol cleansing your armament ol choice. The 
moro hal bound opponents you take cut, the 
more corrupted your weapon becomes, making 
it weaker against futuro baddes. In order 10 
power up, you пева to danse l. which normally 
requires standing st and leaving yoursell open 
10 attack, However, you disarm an opponent 
mid bat, tho weapon you stoa is automatically 
 doansed, providing a quick way to strengthen, 
your atlacks during long combat sequences. 

In between combat, Enoch navigates color. 
^d levels, each of which is based on the ideal 
World ol ho len angel inhabiting it. Tho ght 
30 platforming breaks up tho combat but isnt 
Ikely to bo а HMH ug However, the qually of 


зой уо 


the briet 20 sidescroling interludes may surprise 
somo gamers 

In these cartoonish, kaleidoscopic segments; 
Enoch tackles dangerous platceming challenges 
Your equipped weapon also has some elloct 
hero. For example, Enoch moves slower while 
weaning the vel, which can make longer jumps 
moro ica Tho arch allows Enoch 10 modiy 
his jump with a floating al, sity extending his 
km length. 

Tho 2D aroas aro populated! wi tho bizarraly 
adorable nephlim, the warped oflsprng ol 
humans and angels. These charming, осо 
creatures serve as both alios and obstacles or 
Enoch, loating by in balloons, pushing beach 
bal, and occasional ing lo devour th 
haavoniy adventure 
Al ol these detal don't even get into tho 
element hat turned me onto B пада! 
tho fest place: tho half-sorious, el tongue in 
chook wiling. Even in tha lew brief cutscenes 
| walched, the tone fools unique. Its not as 
serious as most Western action games, butts 
also not as off-the-wall as Bayonetta or Devi 
May Cay not yet, at least. Werl find out И the 
game's senso of humor and gameplay hold up. 
lor the entra journey when Н Shaddai газе 
later this yea,» Phi 


LESS VIRTUAL, 
MORE REALITY, 


NINTENDO DS. 


TAKE А LOOK INSIDE 


р Transformers: 
UF 
PEN Dark of the Moon 


A Transformers game for every type of far 


Dead Island 
N 


early four years ago, developer Techland 
announced that was working on a 
2ombie-Ihemed game named Dead ar 
лу fter, the game went dark. | checked in 
aly over ho years and. 


gota few emais ol the "We're stil working on 
i, that's al we can say” variety, but cyrically 


dying. | should have known better, considering 
the subject matter 

Lots bo blunt: Zombies aren't exactly as fresh 
a gameplay concept now as they wore in 2007 
Ву пон, even some of the most die-hard ans 
ol Ihe undead may Бо suffering tho ої 
zombie alique. Fortunately for Techland and 
bisher Deep Stver Interactive, Dead land is 
doing more than grabbing a dated concept and 
shoehorming a lew thousand ghouls into it 
Successid zombie stories are as much 
about the survivors coping with their now n 

эз they are about the undead who пари it. 


Circumstances such as a zombie spo 
теске people Irom al was of Wo t 
their dilorences and work together o sur 


vive-or de d Island lets up fo four 
players jon up and lest ther ate in a doomed 
paradiso ой the fictional stand of Banoi, sel near 


Papua, New Guinea. Each player picks from 
four playable archetypes = tank, leader, jack of 
al rades, and assassin = and than the zombie 
saying st 

Dead апа merges frs person action with 
ht RPG elements. Your character wil level up 
as you gain experience in combat and by haping 
"low survivors with missions. Players can then 
‘choose new abies through he game's skil- 
tree system, which indudes power-ups Ike the 
increased Коо of scoring critica hits and 
more exotic skis such as Payback, which tem- 
рогайу makos players perlorm moro damaging 
attacks aller going ГИ themseives. 

You start out at the Royal Palms Resort 

Which was a lush paradiso betoro Io mysteri- 
«us ifestatin Took held, Now that the undead 
havo takon over, players have to take advantage 
ol ин environments Tf they want Vo survive 
While ordinary weapons are scattered ап 
the word, they ra appropriately scarce 
instead must scour Ihr surroundings or 


improvised weapons such as m 


handles, and paddles, Eachvaresinlemso! PlayStation 3 
range, srengih, and durabliy, and ther attack Mor 360+ PC 
animations are ferent rom one another as well.» Style 

Tho zombies blocking croatun 1-4 Payer Acton. 
andits dear Ine topical imate has helped » Pula 


oss. They e pretty 
n incentivo to 


rush the decomposition pro 
spry. too, which gives player 
aim meleo attacks toward zombie imbs, Arms 
and legs сап be broken and disabled, or parts 

completa sicod of f your 


Deep silver 


ard peces can. 
weapon has a sharp enough blade. In addon. 
lo regular zombies, which include folks on vaca 
tion and resort statt, siraighljacketed type 
irom a nearby hospital, He didnt let his nity 
lo use his arms get in the way, choosing instead 
rush toward the player in charge 

Dad sen is stil a ways rom release, but I 
impressed with what | saw. The focus on 
melee combat is an interesting ва, and it lends 
a sense ol urgency and desperation to each 
encounter. Zombies have a tendency to swarm 
and overrun players, so youll have to keep an 
‘eye out for ап ext at al tenes. I Techland can 
balance that festing of terror with game mechon- 
ics that dort feet cheap, Dead Island could vary 
much be worth exploring: 


4 


previews 77 


Insomniac hands over the controls and sheds light on a new multiplayer approach 


pto months have passed since we Taking ат on the nearest Chimeras cooing Switching to our relebla magnum, wo empty al 
PlayStation fst featured Resistance 3 on our cover, packe we fre and send the beast о ће ground chambers into the beast’ exposed lesh, usher 
» Style мага ime to chock inwithInsomniac’s na shower ol spares: ing inthe end ol mo Exar and our tmo wih 
1-Player Shooter shooter sequel. We finaly got our hands on the Notun rapid whiiwinds I debris olf tho the camp 
[2-Player Co-op, game to experiance the desperate struggle ol ground do we notice a huge, ominous needle Alter tho demo, Insomniac dio shed some 
16-Piayer Online| Joo Сарай and ho olhersurvwors inva brutal stretching ram sky to carm mios away, The fight on Resistance 35 rovamped тиру. 
Publisher world dominated by Chimera, JJ 
Sony Computer Wo join Capall as а Chine era are using o plow this newly conquered ме of Resistance 2 in favor ol tight 16 player 
Entertainment assaults Haven, Oklahoma, ho small town майа, Moro pressing eats ave as a dropshp matches. So lar Insomniac has oniy re 


Developer Were cur hero's famiy Б scraping oul ee, unadsapackolonglegs-anewlreedof team deathmatch mode, which takes p 
cani Games tence. Enemy dropships glow with , Crimera designed to leap trough theair and more condensed maps Inspired by the 5 


| yellow ight as Hybrids leap to ho ground. rain death from above jich to the Bulsoye — and Bus Yard arenas from ho li 
wers AS Wo sC apon and fe а tracking tag lo ensure every round fnis orly known multiplayer map as of now Ба 
Wheel to select the rusty carbine, memoreso! Is way lo our foo's pulid fesh. Upon fring о — blood-soaked prison in the Republic ol Chad, 
Resistance: Fall of Mans portable armoryrotum. г tag, we notice now spintors info numer: Africa. Insomniac wants balllos to be more per 
ous shards which stick to nearby enemies, alow хд, and for players to edd tho "ug of war" ol 
Ing us to easly gun down the rest of the Jumping бато wih every death and kil. 
поз ant the game to be тозу action ayer progression is key in multilayer, 
ned explains create director Marcus Smith. Insomniac offers combatants incentivo for st 
We're going to reward you with the upgrad in the heat of battle, Inducing unlockab 
instantly wie your in no middle apport and lactic can aid 
xa can soo Һа ойс change | im aboacon that replenishes ammo, 
The earth bagins to Hama belare ihe last a bubble shield 10 provide 
smoking Long Logs corpse hits tho ground. beacon that shows pl ions, 
Suddenly a gigante never.belore-sen Chimera lies ndude a radar decoy to БОКА 
dubbed the Brawler bursts through a ple ot а lining shied that zaps nearby foes, and a 
wrecked cars, inging them about о oy sisvacting doppelgangar. A number ol personat 
have a chance to react, the wretched, attributes can bo earned as wall, including tho 
пик lings us across tho atleta Vsuel Health indicator, which makes health bars 
no sido of a buiding. Decicing not fo appear on players, and Leaper Corpse, which 
tost our matador sis on the charging enemy, causes deadly critters o spring tam your body 
imb to the structure's roof and use the upon death 
eathpacks there. We then use the advanced Qur time with Resistance 3 shows that 
Chimeran techndogy of tne мей piercing Auger Insomniac is ring hard to reclaim the phenom: 
w vUnerable pisces of ihe Brawlers armor. — end experience of Resistance: Fal ol Man whl 
ded three-round burst makes short improving upon the original forma. We couldn't 
Werk of з defenses, but before we can бойу ро happier with how tho game is progressing, 
the кй shot Ihe huge beast racks down our and fs bound to gel more interesting аз Capeli 
vated positon and вто опію the rool. nears Ghimera-inlested New York. » Tim Turi 


Final Fantasy Versus XIII 


Ch 


king in with the other XIII 


Sum antsy Versus ХИ — For the moment, Final Fantasy Versus XN 


alongside Роа Fantasy ХИ at E3 2006. — remains a PlayStation 3 exclusive, but rumors 
joo lat, Vo 


Nearly меу us XI в stil in point toward tho possiblity of И going тий => 
development, whl йв counlorpart alroady has a platform. Square Enix has not yet commit 1-Player Action/RPG 
sequel nearing completion, И may be progress lo a release date, bul key staff members have Fals 
ing at a dower pace, but based оп the informa. — expressed doubt that Ino game wil hi in 2011 Square Fur 
lion and tralors Square Enix has released lr Panel this ona In somewhoro on your 2012 
Versus X mi anatadiond ciin Drug 
Ма Xl по lees acing ene саатда," Joe Juba ys 

nal Fantasy roleasê a 
Diected by Tatsuya Nomura, ho mind behind 

tod by Tots the mind behind m 


"he Kingdom Hearts sedes, Versus XII takes 
ented! approach to combat, 
Instead ot just entering commands tke a tum. 
based RPG, players noad skll and quid reloxos 
dapt to ho rapkdy changing batted, An. 
encounter might volvo sending an enemy ling 
backwards with a fightring attack, then смену 
itching 10 another character to hil he airborne 
100 wilh sword dashes, then switching 
оа the fisting blow witha ranged shot. 

Payers have а variety of diferent maneuvers at 
their disposal, Inducing serios staples Ike magi 
"rns, and summons. Recent scroens also ds 
play а command call "EX Arts,” but Square 
Enik has nol yot revealed how they functio. 

Stringing attacks together s a key element 
al the bale system, but the gameplay is m 
then just mashing buttons. Other factors can 
infuenca your combat strategy, Ike the day 
night суде that changes the enemies in the sur 


anto 


rounding ervronments, You aso como across 
unique sequences that oler completely ferent 
mechanics in ono гай, wo see tho main char 
i mow down 
в. Later, Noctis also 
зе equipped bipedal mech во tne 
‘odds of combat gating tale are ow 
The world of Versus ХИ is considerably 
more advanced than ho ane in Final Far 
XII. Noctis Ives n a modern looking Ойу tha 
resembles Tokyo, but а variety ol futuristic and 
aspects sl give it а sightly alen feel. For 
о, oven though Noctis drives around in 
cars and hangs out in skyscrapers, he во rides 
aboard airships and fights hiking behemoths 
in the mide ol tho highway. How exactly these 
elements weave together is under; Square Enix 
is guarding plot deals 


SSX Deadly 
Descents 


EA carves 


untainous ехрепе! 


We know the game still features racing and 
trick events, but the Deadly Descent events 
are new. How do they work? 

in Deadly Descent the mountain is against you. It's 
more ike an action game experience. If you look 
at past SSX games you had huge chasms that 
you could jump. We wanted to do more things ike 
that, but ramp up the intensity. SSX 3 kind of had 
ап avalanche, but we thought we could do that a 
thousand times better with the new systems, We 
have an amazing avalanche design. So we'll have 
more things ike avalanches, гос and {айп 
stalactites, In Deadly Descent the challenge will 
be just making it to the bottom alive, The over 
arching goal of the game is to work your way up 
from a junior boarder and survive the Nine Deadly 
Descents, We're thinking of them like they were 
boss challenge: 


You guys are branching out and covering more 
mountain ranges than past titles. How big is 
this game going to be? 
We wanted to give people the amount of content 
that mega hite like Red Dead Redemption and 
Grand Theft Auto deliver. So in the early days we. 
larted sourcing topography data for the entire 
planet Earth. Our main menu is a SD model of the 
planet with 18 different mountain ranges highlighted 
across the globe - Alaska, Antarctica, Siberia 
the Calanques mountains, the Andes, the Alps, 
Kilimanjaro, and Mount Fuji. We're taking you ай 
over the planet. We're a litle challenged with how 
can put on the disc, honestly, but 
we're thinking it will be somewhere in the vicinity 
‘of 70 mountains, By comparison, SSX З had one. 
The hub works kind of Ike Google Earth. You can 
spin the globe around and pick a mountain range 
you lie, then zoom in on that and pick a mountain 
you like from there, Then you get to race down the 
crazy arcade courses that we've built on top of real 
life mountains, 


The trailer showed off equipment like wing 
suits and pickaxes. Are tools like this part of a 
larger design system? 
Wing suits are really cool - it's probably the coolest 
new mechanic we've put in our game, In the past, 
players were able to trick out their characters with 
new gear, but aside from a board that might let you 
go а е bit faster, most of the gear that you put on 
your character was strictly aesthetic. We want to 
really invest in the gear, so you can eam a bunch of. 
new gear that gives you new mechanics in the game. 
Ice axes lel you do things Ike a wal vault move in 
Prince af Persia. Say you jump actoss a 150 foot 
chasm and you almost make it but you slide off the 
edge: instead of faling to your doom, you can smash 
those ice axes into the wal, vault yourself up, and 
опа. 


Since 85Х has been away for so long, have you 
found that you needed to make changes to the 
trick system? 
Well first off, we want players to be able to ride any 
where, at anytime, and vault into the air at ridiculous 
and heights, and we want players to be able 
to Пр and spin and roll on any axis to create an infi- 
nite amount of tricks. Then we layer in all the gra 
kick fips, and all the other over-the-top tricks that 
ЭЭХ is famous for. We've looked at games Ike Trials 
HD, which have a more fluid and natural system. 
What they did was a kind of two-dimensional phys- 
ics, so you could fip and twist your bike around at 
апу range or speed. We're taking that same feelin 
and bringing it into three dimensions, 


gameinformer o 
GICAMER MONTH 
84 Bulletstorm 


People Can Fy combina its sait tendencias vith Ep Games’ prin pon to rng you 
... headers mean noting nthe word о! atar 

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777 9.25 


360 + PC 


» Concept 
Buletstcem delivers a boot- 
ful of variety and originality 
to the stagnating PPS genre 
Graphics 

Master anımanone, 
stunning backdrops, and a 
vibrant color palette assault 
"he senec 


Your ears wil be пеней to 
snappy dialogue, top-notch 
‘voiceover, and blood- 
‘pumping metal its 
erg 

Tho game controls ike a 
dream, allowing you to easily 
‘unleash nightmares upon 
you foes 

— 

Perfect for tans of penis jokes, 
swearing gore, and tight 
‘gameplay 


Replay Value 
High 


84 reviews 


Bulletstorm 


MO 


explosivo Бате That sharp blast not only 
heralded gamers! infatuation with roducing. 
enemies to pulpy pudes, it aiso laid tho foun 
dation lor interactive environments in shooters: 
Clover gunmen havo trained ther sights on red 
barrels and other hazards for decades, leaning 
"ho language of creativa carnage. Al you know 
або kiling with sio using your surroundings 
has been a prelude to the bloody playground. 
ol Buletstorm. 

Going into a game called Bullotstorm | 
expected a papor-tin story as an excuse for 
nonstop macer Instead, | was greeted with а 
humorous, potty-mouthed opaning that leshes 
out the dramatic crash-aneing of cem іме 
Grayson Hunt. His quest for revenge on compl 
Militar loader Sarrano is а оооу все romp that 
doesnt deserve to have йв culscenes skipped. 

Buetstorm offers a degroo of charactor control 
ı1 haven't experioncod in an FPS since Mirar 
Бао. Gray s kick, sido, and cash alow him to 


D о you remember the first timo you shot an 


move through and interact wih ho ervrenenent 


‘Style 1-Player Shooter d. Fiber Online) Publcibsr Electronic Arts 
Developer People Can Fly/Epic Games Release February 22 ESR M 


with Mitty. In other games, I would be unthink 
abo to pul а foe rom across the тар, strap him. 
Wih explosives, Kick him back into Nis buck 
and sido away who detonating tho bloody 
mess. Amazing moments ко this aro asy to pul 
ати lesen Tho slow-mo effect appled 
10 enemies aller being скос or leashed ollrs 
the perfect window ol opportunity to boot them 
Towards cloctic wires or cacti, and the gamo has 
a prodictivo way of ding the poor soul whore 
you wish. There were only а few Instances where 
{accidentally pid somo sad sack with robar 
instead о! оок them to a carmivorous plant 
Ober than hat, racking up points with сталью 
за shots is a rolably cathartic oxporionco. 
Skllshols are necessary to gain points о. 
spend on weapon upgrades and ammo, bul 
Ibero riotous fun in heir own right. Working 
similarly to trophies and achievements, players 
earn hundreds of рогів by dispatching loos 
according to dozens of general and weapon 
spool creia, For example, tho “French 
Revolution’ skëshot is pulled all by decapitating 
mate foes witha chain tal, and Farid 
is earned by launching а oo into ho ai and 
impaling him into the ceting with a rotating эрке 
Turing him into a human fan. The weapons 
themselves aro some of the most creative and 
entertaining I've seen outside of an insomniac 
Tte, including а quadruple-barreled shogun that 
‘evaporates enemies io the playground scene 
from Terminator 2. Combine these weapon chat 
lenges with the general ти of combat and youll 
be harc pressed to frd a mundane encounter 
When youre not mowing through legions 
‘of foes, youre dropped ino largorshan o 
moments, tke one that has Gray feing he. 
mendous runaway cog on a tram while you 
blast gas tanks lo knock Ihe wheel off course. 


In another scenario Gray йу ques а 
rermote-coniroted Mecha Goa lookalike 
through a niniatuo йу, blasting арап bulings 
and enemies. 

n addition to the single-player campaign, 
Budotstorm offers Echoos and Anarchy modos 
Echoes takes sections from single-player maps 
andets ends compete with each other Lr Ino 
highest score, Knocking ronds down the ladder 
is a rico distraction, but опу score fonds wil 
want to play this alter beating the main game. 
Anarchy is a cooperativo horde modo in which. 
our players work together to cam skil points to 
progress through waves. Playing catch wiih loos 
using ho lash and teaming up lo kick a jerk rie 
a gigantic dnos maw Б a good tmo, but the 
higher level waves aro Impossible without con 
‘stant communication, Hocking up lour conscios 
in a room among good trends Б your best bol 
but even then the апай of maps start to feet 
ropolitwo after your tenth tmo attempting to gat 
past wave 15. 

Buletsiorm is an exceptional shooter brimming 
with personality and originality, bul the concept is 
spread too thin in the later lavets. Now homicida! 
toys aro constantly introduced in tho frst three- 
quarters о! he game, which makos the final 
lew hours a itle tal, Мк in a ho-hum ending 
and the stallar experience goes out on a bit ot a 
low note. 

‘Smal gripes aside, heres no denying 
Buletstorm's bliss action. Epic Games/ 

People Can Ну sacstic opus arrives al limo. 
When most shooters do file mere than let you 
blast dudes in the head whie things explode, 
Butetstorm has those things, bul also lets you 
‘Shoot a man inthe testicles and Kok sido his 
head ofl. Tim Turi 


Dragon Age | 


nts, BioWare | 


he console version of Dragon Age: Origins 

Чат! have the same magic as ls PC 

counterpart. The story, characters, and 
quests were al the same, but the trl of battle 
was damaged during the transition. Addressing 
this problem Б the greatest strength of Dragon 
Age Il: by implementing а combat system 
talored to console gameplay, BioWare's epic 
fantasy series takes a new shape, This changed 
vision for Ihe franchise may disappoint hardcore. 
fans of the orginal, but the sequel stil delivers 
though nol in the ways you'd expect 

BioWare's template story structure voh- 
ing an nto, four main quest hubs, and a 
Irae is nowhere to ba found in Dragon Age Il 
Unfortunately, no compaling story rises to take 
its place. Framing the story with another char- 
actors патайоп, Dragon Ago I attempts to toll 
the tale of Hawkes rise to power in Krkwal. In 
wagen, this story amounts to ftl more than 
a bunch of sidoquosts lashed together, Ту aro 
rarely connected lo а central goal, and since 
the main plot has по arc, you tit sense of 
maning tension or rising stakes unli ho cima 
is upon you. 

Most о! the missions are short, iand-out 
alles that involve Iraveing between Кока 
painful Imited number o locations. While 
the city is supposedly huge, you only bounce. 
between about 10 areas and a hand of 
‘buildings and caves within them, By the fourth 
о ith tme | was sent down to Darktown to 
resolve shady business, Iwas pining lor the 
vast forests of Райт, Spaaking of Freiden, 
you can import your save from Origins, but it 
Just alters some dialogue and a few cameos 
о don't expect constant rotecences to your 
previous exploits, 


Styla 1-Player Action/RPG Publisher Electronic Arte Developer BioWare Release March 8 ESA М 


Your surroundings get old quickly, but most 
quests have a clover spark that keeps the 
entertainment value high. | hunted а serial Kiler, 
took a jaunt into the Fade, and watched an aly 
awkwardly blow a date with her ideal man. A 
few mundano missions fil in the gaps (preparo 
To Kil alot of slavers, but the inventive scenarios 
and excellent wring are among the highlights in 
Dragon Age ll. The tasks you perform for your 
party members aro particularly сод, aided by the 
fact that your companions are more interesting 
Characters than those in Dragon Ago: Отје. 

The biggest change from the fest game is tho 
combat. No longer trying to straddle the fence 
‘between tactical and acton-fooused systems, 
Dragon Age l gives йө! over огледу to fast- 
‘paced, responsive battles. This drastic departure 
from the originai formula is bound to upset 
purists, but it suits the game wal. Throwing 
down a nonstop barrage of spells and weapon 
techniques is empowering, and since you arent 
just issuing commands and waiting lor their 
exc the action tesis more immediate. 
Don't expect this sensation right away, though; 
youl have to play lor several hours before you 
have enough abiities to keep combat interest- 
ing. In the early stages, youll bur through your 
meager sl and then mash the attack button 
White you wait for hem to recharge. | promise, 
it gets botter, By tho time you're wiping out your 
‘opposition before they even hit your ran Ines, 
al seems wort 

‘Aside rom combat, an array ol smaller tweaks 
mako this sequel belle suited or consola play 
than its predecessor. The Mass Etloct-ko con- 
versation system gives Hawke a vol and kocps 
"ho dialogue flowing, though IL aiso removes 
somo of the moral arg. BioWare has tuned 


"he combat diouty to require minimal micro- 
management, but this comes atthe expense of 
"ho pausox-anc play approach (which is techni- 
Caly stil possil, but totaly useless), Inventory 
эга equipment are easir to manage, and the 
new sl trees- white heavy smpified = hop си: 
ferentiate characters and мө them unique roles 
in combat. | also encountered some technical 
issues Ike enemy ph and graphical hiccups, 
but they rarely hampered my enjoyment. 

Part of me was cksappointed with Dragon 
Aga Il. hoped for an improvement on the org 
па, but it mately fedis Ike а step back, The 
new battle system is fun, but not nearly as sat- 
ауга or rewarding as Origins’. Since you don't 
‘ever have a main antagonist unti Ihe final hours, 
‘he story pales in comparison to the origina 
IL you put thosa complaints aside and remove 
Dragon Age ram the impressive shadow of 

is predecessor, you find an engaging action’ 
PG experience that stl retains BioWare's 
raclemark dever dialogue, cool charactors, and 
tated lore, » Joe Juba 


PS3 • 360 
» Concept 

Create amore action-packed, 
accessible Dragon Age 
Graphics 

Looks better than aet time, 
but the environments sall 
seem bland in spite of anew 
элиўе 

Soma 

Quality voice work and а 
suitable fantasy soundtrack 
атышу 

Responsive controls and a 
streamlined interface work 
‘well on consoles 
Entertainment 

The story and battle system 
ave less satisfying than tho 
original but they sil provide 
plenty ottan 

Replay Value 

Moderately High 


What About PC? 


00 and PSS er 


"ut that is not 
in th entry 


ose not fos 
decorar, and combat still 


ihe competition th 
time. You can read tbe full 


221 


PS3 + 360 
» Concept 

A wîteh and an immoral sur 
"up trouble for demons and 
Gamers alike 


Graphics 
Vivid comic book colors 
and exotic creature designs 
blend to reste a sng 
visual style. The cutscene 
animations are eles: 
by comparison 
Sound 
Heinrich reminds mo too much 
‘of Frankenstein's monate, 
Whereas the voice actor for 
Gretchen isa perfect ft. The 
Soundtrack complements the 
"mood nicely 
Playabilty 

‘The combat mechanics are 
‘ma to fellow games in 
the gerre, but with an added 
weight to Нели ades. 
Magic mixes up the combat 
chemistry nicely 
Entertainment 
Too much babysitting is 
required, but when you are 
not fishing Gretchen out of a 
Java рй, the unique gameplay 
shines and the story delivers 
ina big way 


es reviews 


Knights Contract 


‘ol your typical video game protagonist 

Ho's old, ari, and scarred tram head: 
10-100. Ho walks with a imp, and every word he 
utters carros the sorrow of а iletime сі depres- 
sion, Ho's urikatle - intentionally со, perhaps — 
but the reasoning behind his stato of mind and 
"ho means to curo t drives his story forward 

Ногасћ опсо served ав an executioner hat 
spocalizod in beheading witches. Through 
Period flashback sequences we soe Heinrich 
carrying out the orders о Faust, a power-hungry 
dictator hal bent on purifying the land. One of 
the witches touched by Ног scythe, named 
Grotchen, showed no Tear, WIN hor head resting 
ge on a wooden stump, sho casts a cursa on 
Haie beloro he can lop off her head. Heinrich 
became immortal, This may soem Ike a blessing, 
but when we moet Heinrich ic the frst tmo, he's 
wen enough. 

When | stopped into his tattered garb, my frst 
instinct was to gilt him with the death he sought 
lowered my guard and le a pack of monsters 
tear the flesh ой of his hung Катю, They loft 
nothing but his two legs - cutoff just below the 
knees. The disturbing spectacio cit last long, 
however. By jamming on a button I reunited Nosh 
with bone end brought him back to fighting fom. 
Death cannot stop him. 

Hs soythe strikes aro slow end sloppy, ап 
appropriate ifr his appearance, His foes, 
which range Кот armoe-dad knights o sky- 
Scrapor«sizod злаков, could make short work 
ol him (өрвацозу, but he doesn't fign alone. 
Gretchen is resurrected, and as fate would have 
Tt she is forced to work with her kiler. 


K nights Contract's Henrich is the antithesis 


A bewitching story hindered by a nagging gameplay 


‘Style 1-Player Action Publisher Namco Bandai Developer Game Republic Relonce February 22 ESR M. 


Tho duo works wal together, cach oftering 
‘strengths where the other has weaknossos, 
Grotchonis a powerld witch who can entangle 
foes n a magical briar, summon meteor show- 
аз, and make razor-sharp blades appear ram 
"no earth. When she's had enough (as dee 
by a power mater), sho can grow to giants 
‘size and arush a foe n her hands er between 
her thighs. Tho spats sho casts arosalistyng, 
Violent, and just а air shy from boing as outra- 
зои as those unleashed in да beloved: 
‘wich simulator, Bayonetta. 

"Tho player corircls only Heinrichs physica 
movements, ув hanes the attacks for both 
characters, Hoirichs пес aro mapped 
on ho face buttons; holding down tho right 
tigger transtorms tho buttons 10 Gretchen's 
attacks. Tho battles aro fast paced, and 
‘over the smallest ol encounters can bo а 
heart pounding chalenge, 

Ноги melee attacks don't ded nearly as 
much damage as Gretchen's magic, but he has 
а deep It of combo chains at his disposal very 
much in ine with other genre heavyweights Ike 
God of War ari Devi May Cry. Parfoming wel 
în combat rewards ће duo with valuable experi- 
огоо ponts that can be used to upgrade al of 
the spalis Game Republic dd a great job of bal- 
arûng Ihe upgrade progression, and each опе 
looks Ike a sknificant boost. 

No matter how powerful tho duo becomes, 
Ihe chalenge revolves around keeping Gretchen 
alvo thanks to her incompetent Al. She stands 
In re, runs heactong into a boss's grip, and par 
forms so many й-асМвва actions Im convinced 
she could never cross а street оп her own. S 


perishes, ts game over 

"With her bumbling motions taking contar 
stage, Io game devalves nto а ten-hour long 
‘escort mission, Tho only way to heal hor is for 
Heinrich to pick her up and weave through 
hostio forcos ко an NFL running back unti her 
haath regenerates. Coming lo hor акі isn't so 
аву, other. When Heinrich falis i Бай, I takes 
"mo for him to reanimate; Loos wisoly uso this 
lul to beat the snot out of the most dolensoless 
Witch 10 ever walk the Earth. Equipment found in 
"ho word can make her more durable, but noth- 
ing improves her poor judgment 

‘Clashes with demons aiso run the risk of 
‘ending abruptly due to archaic design, such as 
an instant game over t Heirich ks knocked off 
ol a ledge. This happens ай too often, especially 
‘during boss fights. Worse yot, players must 
dele he final blow to bossos va quick-tmo 
‘events, you dort пай al of the sequences cor- 
тосћу, the boss is rewarded one-third ofits heath 
back. Once depleted (again), you have to try the 
seme quick timo sequence over. 

Heinrich and Gretchen's journey s tresomo, 
but when the дато works the way it should 
with Gretchen being lar removed irom harm's 
way, and Heinrich navigating beer hee aroas = 
the duo creates a wonderfully chaotic stom on 
the battlefield that empowers the player wilh the 
Teding of being unstoppable. 

Even when tho game seams to bo working 
against me al every inopportune time, tho drive 
10300 the fate of Heinrich and Gretchen made 
mo push forward. 'm glad | did. dint seo 
the ending coming, and love how the story 
 Condudos. » Andrew Reiner 


Fight Night Champion 


A dramatic finish in a fight to the top 


‘suspect that although most people don't 
consider themselves boxing fans, tho sport 
resonates with us because it's been delivered 

‘successfully ма a story — whether that's Rocky, 

Raging Bull, or even Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! 

Therefore, tho Fight Night franchise is the 

perfect placa to do something gamers have 

Wanted for years - create more drama in sports 

‘games. Champion mode's tale of Andre Bishop 

‘and the characters that surround him is an 

excellent blend of gameplay and writing, with 

‘each one complementing the other to produce 

ıa step forward for the genre. 

You can't win a fight with just one kind of 
punch, and Champion made throws enough 
‘affective combos to bo a formidable fighter. Tho. 
voice actors convey the story wel, end their 
characters ae rendered with enough detail and 
Subtlety to convey emotion and drama For a 
video game to deliver on all these fonts is a 
minor miracle by tal, but part of what helps the 
‘mode work so wel is that its not just a string of 
regular matches bookended by cutecenes. EA 
‘Canada tweaks gameplay perimeters of certain 
bouts in Champion mode to mix things up. 
‘Sometimes your goal is only to survive for a few 
rounds, or maybe you have to KO an opponent 
instead of winning by decision. The reasons 
behind these staged situations vary, Sometimes 
it to teach you about the gameplay, but usu- 
ally t's to serve the arc of the story whose 
flashbacks, colori characters, and occasional 
surprises work well because they are handled 
deftly enough to be believable within the story as 
well as the gameplay. 

Fight Night Champion is almost two games 
in one, because the Champion mode doesn't 
take away anything from the core Legacy mode 
from past games. The revamped career modo. 
features an updated training regime and pre» 


fight scheduing. Like in tho ring. survival and 
success в a matter of managing your stamina 
Cash-goneratng sponsorship events, marketing 
opportunities for increasing your fightar's popu 
larly, pre-fight raining, and even injuries must 
ре managed in the days and weeks leading up 
to your пом gh, Pack your schedule vith too 
талу activities, and you might enter your next 
bout with the tank haf-empl 

| Ikad the scheduling aspect of Legacy mode, 
but the training and subsequent XP allocation is 
contusing Different raining camps around the 
globe bump up your physical attrbutos in pre- 
determined vaya, but individual training mirig- 
ames do not. Wile this meene you dent have to 
‘de minigames you dont ike, t also undercuts a 
reason for having diferent ones n the fst place 
Similar, you can assign the XP you get through- 
ол the mode to a range of specific offensive, 
defensive, and health related 
Skils (ike a let upper cut to 
the head), but you cant ie 
certain damage states (critical 
tun flash knockdown, etc) 
until you reach appropriate 
Skil bresholás Wile aree 
that you arent going to be 
flash KO-ing opponents from 
the start, having to meet these 
minimum levels means that 
айу on regular knockouts are 
hard to come Бу which isn't 
very realistic. 

Win such impressive game 
modes, fs easy to overlook 
the improvements to the 
ready great gameplay. EA 
streamined the controis for 
punches, dodges, and blocks 
without compromising the 


game's overall strategy — which now takes 
stamina into account better. Although your con- 
trol inputs аге often fakhtuly replicated onscreen, 
1 am surprised how many times weaker miss-hits 
(where a boxers am wouldn't fully extend) reg- 
ister as powerful punches capable of knocking. 
someone oul. I can't figure cut the rhyme or 
reason behind the flash knockout system either, 
but the excellent degenerativa defensivo system 
isa sold improvement 

Vith online gyms comprised of your friends, 
smart gameplay changes, and improvements 
to Legacy mode, Fight Night Champion is 
more than your usual collection of modest 
EA Sports improvements. Some areas shine 
brighter than others, but the developer's inspired 
Champion mode is the star feature that must be 
experienced. = Matthew Kato 


Т 


PS3 + 360 

» Concept 

Introduce a new story mode 
as well as improvements in. 
no controls and other areas 
Graphics 

Nuances in the facial 
animations for the characters 
in Champion mode bring 
home the drama 

Soma 

"The voice work for Champion 
mode is well done, and the 
Announcere do an awesome 
Job conveying story points, 
Strategy, and the suspense of 
the fight 


Playability 
‘The simplified controls are 
awesome to work with and 
don't dumb down the game 
иш 

Entertainment 

Fight Night Champion 
connects weh 1s story mode, 
even if a few punches miss 


Replay Value 
High 


reviews BT 


778 


* 380 · Wii 
Concept 
De Bob spearheads 
revolution against an 
oppresso regine to 
vestro hameny o the 
urban paradise 
Graphics 
The HD editions ме a visual 
feast of colors, shapes, and 
patterns. As expected, the 
Wi veraon's graphics are 
less mpressve, but the ап 
recon lends tel well to 
the console 
Sound 
Wale somewhat limited n 
cope, the pleasant jazz- 
inspired tunes swell as 
you rejuvenate the world, 
ding auditory feedback to 
player progression 
Playabilty 
Bonus challenges and 
completion rewards ensure 
‘entertainment tor players 
of i levels, but Бош 
battles and puzzles rarely 
test your sidls. Platforming 
па formidable in later levels 
and the occasional camera or 
targeting hiccup is frustrating 
Entertainment 
Blue Tongoe's ambitious 
sequal presents а Paro 
eee tot all ages, 
‘The charming and sometimes 
Juvenile capers of Bob are 
contrasted by suprisingly 
mature conflicts volving 
religious brainwashing 
rigged elections unlawful 
Imprisonment, and 
martial law 
Replay Value. 
Moderate 


88 reviews 


de Blob 2 


A super-saturated adventure 


FCC 


orraco Black is back, and so is his 

wicked war on ocior. White wo had a 

hand ol criques for Blue Tonque's 
-exclusive release, de Blob was one of the 
bottoc-rocolvod third-party tiles on the conscio 
Recognizing the potential lo capture a broader 
‘audience, THO is wisely going multiplatform 
win do Blob 2. 

Do Blob 2's word в saturated with color and 
personality. As you bring Prisma City back to 
Io by ominating enemies, freeing prisoners, 
solving puzzles, and painting the environment 
Ina eclorby-numbers manner, propaganda. 
disappears and trash vanishes. The hustle and 
busto ol daly o returns, crasing any signs ot 
а once-monotone existence, De Blob 2 erly 
uns on an economy of nspration, awarding you 
ht bulbs thal can bo spent to upgrado your 
silent = but thoroughly expressive = protagonist 
Wilh more heath, better detense, and increased 
paint capacity 


The action can feel repetitvo at times, but 
I галау итал. Blue Tongue maticdousiy 
ral the pacing, introducing now hazards, 
enemies, and power-ups just as the surprisingly 
lengthy gamo begins to tooter on monotony. Te 
woll-designed usor interlace also helps comple- 
пол track down that last bit of folage that 
под coloring or ho fat imprisoned citizen that 
‘heeds racing, which lots playors avoid wander 
ing tho busy cityscape aimlessly 

"e game plays Vrtualy tho sam across al 
 consdles, and doesn't oros gesture controis 
оп ho primary player despite Wi and Move 
сотрашину, which | appreciate considering the 
precision nodded n lator platforming ом. That 
baing said, the occasional camera issue mars 
ап otherwise enjoyable experience. The camera 
aciusts unexpoctody, and one timo re-orontod. 
де Blob of а dif curing one ofthe tougher 
platforming segments, Tho frustration is com- 
pounded by a somewhat рога: checkpoint 


‘system, which al times restarted me back n a 
nearly whitewashed leva, Those hiccups aro the 
exceptions rather han the rd as ho bulk of de 
Blob 2's mechanics aro wal developed. 

Multiplayer challenges and a co-op mode posi- 
"lon do ВФ 2 as an optimal sharod experiance 
lor a parent and young child. The Super Mario 
 Galaxy-osque co-op айон tho second player to 
paint objects and foes as Bobs sidekick РЕКУ, 
Which пар less-sklled gamers contribute to tha 
‘experience in а meaning manner without being 
overwhelmed by tho dificuty of later levels: 

Because of Ив lighthearted nature and pro- 
‘sentation, de Blob 2 may pass under the radar. 
ol "coro" gamers, which would bo a cima 
Worthy ol the INKT Corporation. Fun, innova: 
tive, and surprisingly deep, do Blob 2 is bright 
spot in a soa of gray games and tera 
sequels. » Meagan Marie 


(E 


Yoostar 2 


Select the shot you'd like to 


appear in 


\ fun, cinematic experience undermined by poor 


nical implementation 


Style 1 or 2-Player Simulation Рајне Yoostar Entertainment Group 
Developer Bitz Games Stator Release March 8 ESRB T 


ostar 2, Iko its PC predecessor, 
isa uriquo experience designed 
Tor movie bulls, aspring stars 


and everyday gamers айо, lis Kinect- 
‘enabled console debut usos ho sensor. 
bar's camera lo placo players in ci 
scenes to deliver Ines with a karaoke 
siya interface. Who tho concept ol tum- 
ing everyday people ino actors makes 
for an amusing timo, technical issues 
stand ol making the lato 
Yoostar a blockbuster РИ 
Yoostar 2 oltrs single- апа multipla 
‘options, bul ho game is most enjoyab 
ina group sottng, Y 
challenge mode and perform scenes 
ko hiting the road to C 
is Brothers or reporting a pro 
to Houston as Tom Hanks Ape 
However, scenes whore tho delaul actor 
y » oriy has a few Ines bec 
Tedious. You get сте for patiently 
ing your turn lo speak, but the sensor 
sionally picks up sounds aller than 
oco and docks points Irom your 
score, hindering your progress ac 
map lo Halywood. Sound recognition. 
issues continue when a ne is deere 
as prompted, but is unrecognized by the 


game. This becomes less of a problem! 


the quick play mode, whera you're playing 


mote for fun and loss or high scores. 
ck play offers 50 move soene 
x you o perform alone oc with friends 
о, ih a wido 
rango of gone 
any generation, Sing “in The Ar Tonight 
ing down ar drums and 
punch as 
over, shout "Tis is Sparta" 300, 
«с “mako him an onlar ho cart reuse in 
The Godfather, Watching yoursel and а 
irion in these scenes and delvering lı 
IS hlaicus, and tho апу lo save tho 
dips and upload them to 
ing 
in Ihe dea Kinect 
awkwardly positon yourself o ft perfec 
inthe fim frames, and tho grainy pictura 
u соймок! porlormances: 
Despite Is technical imperfections, 
sti 2 can bo enjoyable "I 
ол ol your shol and bo a total ham. 
Bing in some fonds ora ul cast, 
and youl et some laughs during y 
acting debul. » Annette Gonzalez 


With the Kinect sensor, 
movie butts replace actors 
in cassie scenes to рено 
memorable dialogue 
Graphics. 

Evon in ideal lighting 


in suggested frames for 
scenes makes tor 
pestionng 
Entrainment 

For the optimal experience, 
Мола 2 is best served wi 
a group of frends 
Replay Value 


Moderate 


Das TROIS OMES RO SM 


779.28 


» Concept 
After delivering broadcast 
quality visuals last season. 
Sony puts the authenticity 
‘ofthe sport into the 
player's hands 


Graphics 
Realistic enough to fool 
three Game Informer editors 
into thinking it was a live. 
‘baseball broadcast 

Sound. 

The commentary team does 
а betr job of folowing the 
action this year, but they 
терем some of their lines tar 
"eo oten 


ne, 
A whale new ballgame 

that now utilizes an analog 

control scheme, The pitching 
mechanic e hands-down te 

best yet, Making contact isa 

bit easy, however 

Entertainment 

Not your typical yearly 
iteration. Sony made changes. 
"al acess the diamond, and 
Almost all of them refor 

he beter 


Replay Value 
High 


MLB 11: The Show 


The closest you can come to playing the sport without sustaining injury 


— 
GOLD 


ето, 


Style 1 to 4-Playor Sports 4-Player Online) Publisher Sony Computer Entertainment 
Developer Sony Computer Entertainment San Diogo Release March 8 ESRB E 


Sightost error could resit in a ball or worse - а 
ben hat hangs over tho plato, Tho length of 
your motions 5 led to your pitcher's delivery tho 
amount ol tmo alloted ls shorter whan working 
"rom the stretch, making finesse pitching all that 
much moro diout. | fl strossod when batters 
woud get on baso. | even got so out of Sync at 
"res that | would got called for Бак. 

This new system not orly ollers great cha 
Jengo, it accurately simulatos pitch counts I just 
опе pitch isn't working for you, expect to walk 
batters and reach deep courts. Most of my 
‘starters threw botwoen 80 and 105 pitches 
Ive to nine rrings ol work. 

The new batting mechanic requires similarly 
‘exact motions, puling the right analog stick 
back lo plant the foo, then pushing it forward 
to swing. Unike pitching, however, t's easy lo 
gasp and master. Even on tho higher at, 
Settings, dit sirke out very often | icit 
find the new contact swing modifier изе, as 
the power swing gave me the samo results or 
betler. My contact allo was absurdy high, but 
my hits per rine ranged around a realistic 12 to 
15, residing in Ivo to six uns, Those totals wero 
suat far lower when facing an ace. 

Fielding uses analog-based controls as wal, 
but the action isn't that much отоп than last 
‘season outside of ho now option to fake throws: 
and ure players into rundown, Rather, defense 
is most noticeably improved in the number of 
ways the fielders react. А бен dilerenco 
‘exists between outfielder and infer motions, 
ard players show a better awareness of their 
location on the field. They position themseives to 
play caroms and turf bounces, and wil hit the dirt 
А hey are in the way of ono of hor teammates! 
Ihrows across the diamond. 

Road to Ihe Show remains one of the most 
ackdcth and salisiing modes in video game 
sports This year, aider system allows you to 
bud the frame lor the type ol player you want 


10 be. Developing your ballplayor no longer 
relies on an arbitrary sel ol in-game goals you 
now eam experience points for every at bat or 
aller laced. Tho amount ol points you taly ks 
determined by your porformanco for that stua- 
Von. If you perform great al game long, you're 
going to be roling in points, and your player's 
development takos the appropriato leap forward. 
Now raining minigames aiso give nice bumps to 
Sache sklis. tl want moro interaction wilh my 
manager, not to mention a more comprehensive 
lock at how Im doing both within the organiza- 
Von and league-iwido. 

Acting as а couch manager, simulated Ivo. 
seasons of Franchise mode, Trade logic is much 
Smarter this уо, but may bo too persistent In 
‘one season, the Braves proposed a trade for my 
Cubbies stud shortshop Statin Castro. Their 
frst oler was a playarlcre player deal. | turned 
1 down. They camo back two days later with a 
two-player ded. The day alte that they сате 
back with a Ihroo-man option. In total, hoy throw 
together seven diferent packages for Casto. 1 
rejected them all. Outside of daaing with buly 
Al, Franchiso's mullerostor player management 
is easy fo comprehend, and | love that the game 
allows you to make dificult (and often question- 
abl) decisions with алох players 

The Show won Game Inlcrmer' Sports Gamo 
‘of the Year honors last year, and the product 
‘Sony put on the fied this season takes a dra 
matic step forward in many meaning arcas. 
Even ater 50 10 60 games played, Iwas stil 
зодго now arimalions on the el, and the 
commentators were teling ren! stories about 
my team. Although I wanted more chalenge 
‘пот the batting, the now analog pitching core 
trols should be experienced by every baseball 
enthusiast. » Anrew Reiner 


Killzone 3 


The strongest entry in the franchise is also the best 


| esate anaes vio cues 
Sor aha Te nores tame! 
о frog 
Beten pahed ae poca encarta, авур 
стору, end египта Wido 
pro Vau reon eha le Ting a 
барай your ad. 

Tho ите pone uo rg alor te Indo ol 
Kino sare by Roo dispo 
Hamori den fo na he fonte 
Trin flor oy mena tras, ray 
dod owe ice deir enn dije wind 
дао ay qua, nd Pa soo d со 
Sa any cares or по Damp Mos 
Se grievant i dev 
meds Pappan, Boy ar cry bo rac 
еу пау ere tod Та st al 
Sandee 

ho prepay accompanies tis bore 
bose oe a ng Ouro 
Suse len aineen ел 
rds epo todo ата fo curing 


reason to own Move 


Survive behind enemy tines 
from one explosive first- 
person bartie to tho nest 


Graphics 
Moro action unfolds across the 
screen han any comparable 
game, and it all looks 
gorgeous in that "demolished 
Бу the ravages o war” sort 

ot way 

Sound 

A phenomenal soundtrack. 

ıs buried beneath overly 
intrusive sound effects and 
shouting. Adjust your audio 
Toveis accordingly 
Playablity 

No matter your control 
scheme. Killzone 3 feels 
intuitive and respons 
Entertainment 
pe 
the franchise gives the other 
big shooters an for their 
money, and adds fantastic 


moto costo ik 
эле алија Shots Hay nica Pu Бау Compite Entran 
TTT 


Alis brutal even on tho dotar cft, anc wit 
happily shoo! you to hal for a momentary lapse 
in positioning. The garne rewards an aggressive 
approach to Ino Баево; players that can dear 
the area quickly before Ihe enemy cigs in wil win 
the day. At the same time, cover is essential as 
you hurry forward. A balancod garne of offense 
and delense is a must. The great selection of 
Weapons is alot of fun, though most players may 
stick with the excollent ISA assault il for much 
of the game. My lavorite addition а high power 
missle launcher with an tomate fre that cals 
down artery strikes, 

As you hop пот one battlefield to the next 
Guerila does a great job of breaking up the 
action, From mech and other vehicle sections to 
some ol Ihe best aerial гай shooting sequences 
Ive ever encountered, the рол short 
changes help keep things fresh, The Jetpack in 
рапка makes you feel powerful and danger- 
ous without unbalancing the combat. One of Ihe. 
Без parts ol tho game comes hallway in, when 
a briel stealth sequence is punctuated by Iit 
ening action moments any time you get spotted. 
A low more variations in tempo Iko that, and tho 
broader pacing problem n he storytling woud 
Бе solved 

Technically, Кагопе 3 roaches а now bonch- 
mark for which other games should sive. The 
graphical fidel is high despite the overload of 
activity taking place onscreen at any cna time. 
Its a visual smorgasbord of action and ighis, 
Wed with oversaturated colors that aro Ikely 
a response to chens that found the earher 
games too crab. Slack on al ho independently 


moving characters and vehicles, 
a sight to behold, 
‘The visual splendor and tight gameplay сату 


and the game is 


The Motion Factor. 


over о an excellent multiplayer component 
The class and leveing mechanicoescustom Az the tust tue test ot Sene 
zation options, but the real enjoyment comes Move controler or dedicated 


gamers, Killzone 3 doesnt 
above it Playing th 
with the new perp 
matura and enjoyable, and 
at tanos свега an 


from the cbjectve-based game modes, Which 
task teams with completing goals across vast 
battiefieids. The best of these game types 
indude interstitial cutscenes that move the 
mission forward, staring the best players rom 
the group. Players more fama with whiting 
away spaco marine energy shields wil bo rn 
Tor a shock at how fast a dud can go down; 

if your preference is hat momentary thi of 
tigger inger against trogor frgor, you shoud 
be pleased. 

АА the other ingredients are n place lor a 
blockbuster shooter. The great controis are. 
responsive and customizable, even with the new 
Move alternativo (soo sidebar) А bot mode lets 
players (алтер themselves with multiplayer 
maps belore going onne. Two-playor local 
co-op lets you enjoy the campaign with a rend, 
though t dsappoiningly lacks спале support 


The game even packs impressive stereoscopic the bes argument 
ЗО f you happen lo have thenecessarydipiay "ve yet reen for he wai 
Kilzone 35 shocking and abrupt campaign са сонный 


ending serves as a suitable wrap to Guerlas 
extended war-therned оду. Even ЇЇ Б a 
‘conclusion of sorts, Kilzone 3 stands on its 
own, The franchise has always falen just 
shy of greatness for me. This timo, there's 
plenty lor any action gamer fo dig his or her 
teeth into,» Matt Miller 


of advice: Dert be arid to 


tionality f 


reviews 91 


Total War: Shogun 2 


A focused approach to total warfare is a winner 


9.5 


ho Creative Assembly 
has always reachod for 


» Concept 
Take the lg antes the stars with Total War, 
historical strategy eros back pushing Ihe boundaries of 


Tto its roots with a tight fecus 
on Sengoi-era Japan 
Graphics 

Each season has tn own. 
particular beate, A solid 
gaming PC makes a huge 
‘difference, though. an 
improved shadow and 


what wo thought technically 
Possiblo to croato ambitious 
grand strategy les that mix. 
intemal poliics, diplomacy 
intrigue, economic dach. 
ment, and warfare. This arbi 
tion has offen come al the 
prion of rough edges, Кот 


lighting effects tale the 
wandte to the nex level Unit Al during real-time belle 
sequences taling to navigate 


terrain to imperfect balancing 
and problematic rival tac- 

tion Al on the tum-based 
campaign map, Shogun 2 is 
a repudiation о! this develop- 
ment philosophy. It brings the 


The minimalist score diit 
get tumed otf 10 hours into 
‘the game. The опу other 
time that has happened with 
me was with Guilzaton IV's 
Grammy-winning soundtrack 


Playabiity scale down Гот Empire: Total 
ie hard to heap oo many War's globe-spanring theaters 
superlatives onto the (о tree of feudal Japan's 


campaign interface, I's vastly 
proved over the proviour 
games 

Entertainment 

1 didn't expect to be pulled 
back ito Total War after 
burning ош on Empire and 
Napoleon. Shogun 2 made me 


islands. Instead of dozens of 
countries and ethnicities brin 
ing radically diferent troops to the battlefield, 
¿Japanese clans fight with minor variations of. 
‘sword, bow, and spear. This outs away the 
пай hat got in the way of exploring Total War's 
groping strategy. 

Sipping away the bloat that has crept into 


«Бану al он aga SUD м ne 
Total War over the franchise many iterations has 
Replay Velas alowed Crowe Assembly to exploro ho design 


ofthe core gameplay Иней. Dominance over 
Japan requires bulking а strong rfrasttucture, 
picking your trons and enemies careluly, and 
Ultimately seizing victory onthe batleeld і. 
Unike previous Total War tiles, each of these 
dorments ts oleganty designed as part ol the 
(greater whde, For example, choosing what type 
of buildings to buid in each province is a series 
of decisions that leaves space for developing 
Strategies (Маке! or archery dojo” Monastery 
or stables?) without burying the player in trivia 
"les. Every button you press has an immediato, 


Techical Difficulties? 
The Creativ Assembly was rakad over the temer hottest coals thanks to the 
bugs, instability, and many technical биеше of Empire: Total War. Napoleon 

ир Qui Ay fiato, cis Was la een A ий cy 


е baler over 
val dans ce) inva 
he А иШ теста masses of crappy un 

ın fodder and elite oops, and 
and to fight over and running: 

recently played a fair amount of Empire and Napol 

anden difference That sald, 

several diferent machine 
the demo to make sure the. 


too hard. Having 
he improve 


92 reviews 


Ste 1-Player Srategy (4-Player Online] Publisher Saga 


Developer The Creative Assembly Release Match 15 ESRB 


noticeable efect. Upgrading a castle doesnt just 
айа a percentage moder to un replenishment: 
it opens up another sot for economic or military. 
Ibuldngs, adds stronger wal and defensive 
emplacements, and alows faster тоор raining. 
Instead of choosing between boring percentio 
increases here and there, you're unlocking 
poweri now abiities Ike double-spood samurai 
training or ring town growth. 

This streamlining extends to al areas ol the 
game. Tho agents that do your bidding outsido 
ihe fiid of batlle have been reworked into rock 
paper-scissors triangle that has ninjas, monks, 
and matsıko (socrl police) dancing all over 
Japan in a shadow war. This simple yet engag- 
ing mechanic is a massive Improvement over 
the overly complicated agent designs of Empire, 
Napoleon, and even Medieval I. Similarly, ci- 
ferences on the battlefield are between samurai 
and ashigaru (armed раат, cavalry and inan- 
"ry, or spear and sword, As much as enjoyed 
Napoleon's artery duds, battles în Shogun 2 
aro moro satisfying because they leave moro. 
тоот lor tactical creati. Sieges fnaly work 
properly, as urits do what they re tod and the Al 
Б an enthusiastic thrc-grader Instead of a brain- 
damaged poode. 

The introduction of honor gives diplomacy a 
пе twist Interacting with major and minor rivals 
has always been core to Total War, and having 
1o consider your daimyo's honor gives everything 
à new weight. Renege on an allance when a 
fondy dan is attacked, and you haven't just 
pissed them olf = your honor takes a hil, which. 
impacts everything rom futuro diplomatic rola 
tions to your generais’ loyalty and your pooplos 
attiudo toward your rue. Conversaly forgoing, 
mediate advantage in order lo gain respect 
can pay big dividends down the road. spend a 
much time mapping networks of allancos and 


planning my diplomatic moves as | do bulking 
iirastuctur ce moving armies in Shogun 2 
Which I can't say of any other game, 

“The Creativo Assembly put a huge amount 
‘of work info an unusual persistent mutipayor 
framework, where players can jon dans and 
fight one-of battles in a league structure. 
Franky, multiplayer Тода War battles have never 
‘grabbed mo because the control 50 clunky 
and unresponsive hat managing combat in real 
time is urboarably nstratng. This continues in 
Shogun 2. Ike the metagame implementation 
їп theory, and persistent rewards are aways 
real, bul tho lackluster coro gameplay keeps 
me away. 

| admire how mary legacy issues have been 
addressed, but some romain, Tactical пам 
combat is stil so terrible thal I autoresoive every 

їй һава 


5 you can explo (sses 
parts of Ie interface, Ike not being able o see 
the wider diplomatic situation when а riva comes 
to you wih a proposal, consistent тат. 
I wil never understand why the game doesn't 
(ову the standard ture based model where 
units prompt you to give orders before hitting the 
‘end lum button = I've wasted dozens of amy, 
navy, and agent moves by not scouring every 
‘comer of my empre. 

Loss Indy s more when fl comes to Total 
War. Shogun 2, with a sider scale and tighter 


realise way that The Creativo Assembly could 
have mado a better caso to win back fans put 
ой by Empia (of which | wasn't ono, though! 
"understand the complaints many Total War fans 
have of that entry). has mado the game moro 
approachable to new players without sacncing 
тю папског sou, » Adam Biessener 


Magicka 


‘Style 1 to 4-layer Acton (-Player Online| 
Publishes Paradox Interactive Developer 
Arrowhead Gamos Release January 25 ESRB T 


he last tme had this much stupid lun. 
blowing things up in a video game was 
ago with Рагийег. My timo with 


Magicka was cut short before I'd had my N 
fits Лех combat system, though, and not 
because of any impending deadino, Single- 
‘unplayable due to horrid level 
ai problems 


player becom 


The plot doesn't do anything moro than ma 
a lew Star Wars and 300 jokes cong Ihe way 

то setting up a few thousand enemies bet 
you and some kid of existential real to the 
ld, and the game lacks most common RPG 
ments. You have no mana ber, ski points, or 
попів and 

ır ways to unleash Ihem. Create volatle 
ng walls, raise volcanic geysers, drop had 

Ing boulders Irom tho sky = Magicka’s combat 
1 puts explosive creativity at your fngertips 

ards your experments with enthus 


andre 
animations of ther deadly effects. 


ivo playors wil nd discrolo magis 
гот Haste and Time Warp 


ostiga 
win unusual effects, 


— 


to Rain and Blizzard. The best tactics tend lo 
combine spes, magicks, and manual docking 
You can encase yours n rock while Meteor 
Shower mmolates everything on screen, conjure 
blocking boulders around you and cal hiring 
Irom the sky, and more 

For the frst hal ofthe adventure, Magic 
presents a wol-paced, ol 
Combat situations thal encourage you to explore. 

de 4 of your wizar stalt. 
Tho level design inexplicably abandons singe 
player balance hallway through the game, Urn. 
ing this easy-broazy, enemy-explocing arcade 
arme into a coniroler-smashing siog. Power 


wehe poten 


through the worst bits is punishing with a few 
friends to һар you out; only the most masochis 
tic gamers wil make it through п single playa. 
The level design stupid can't stop Magickal 
briliant core gameplay from shining through. At 
its best, tearing hordes of enemies Imb from limb. 
wi a bucklyfinging spats beside you fedis Ike 
playing Double Dragon on a flaring halcoplor 
ing through a tomado with a plot on his 50th 
cup of coffee. That doesn't excuse tho bits that 
x pared to Battletoads’ legendery 
frustrating hoverbke sequence, but 'm not going 
to protend tka didnt got my $10 and moro o 
o he game 


EA SPORTS" FIFA 11 ON PLAYSTATIONO3 


15 


Mx eight elements into 
powerful, explosively hilarious 
pels that never dimmunate 
Between лепа and ioe 


‘The bright inviting style 
mite he lighthearted 


Gameplay well. technical 
competen enough not to 
be racing 


perfect match 
forthe tongue-in-cheek stor 


A control scheme tha forces 
you to manually enter each 
element ın sequence to 
achieve the dered oct 
sounds dum on paper, but 
sony adds to the engaging 
caos in prac 

Y опу single-player were 
playable past the hallway 
pomt, this would be one ot 
the best $10 games ever 


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Super Street Fighter М 3D Edition 


305 

» Concept 

Bring Super Street Fighter IV 
то Nintendo's new handheld 

with a few 3D enhancements 

amd a new accessio 
contol scheme 


Graphics 
Character models ме big and 
ares and the 3D eflect is 
ck I’ a shame about those 
backgrounds, hough 

Al the tunes rom the console 
ions are here, and they 

sound great 


raren, 
This is the mos accessible 
Scot Fighter in decades. The 
optional Ме contral scheme 
lets novices perfon e 


It might be smaller, but as 
far as gameplay goes, this 
Pas everything that its big 

roter have and more 


Replay Value 
High 


ro hard to believe, bul it's boon nearly wo- chemo, and they can choose lo slick with Pro rotaton-based moves Ike Zangio's spinning ple 
decades sinos a Street Fighter game has controls, The touchscreen isst used, but it driver, Tho positioning of the d-pad makes & easy 
appeared on a Nintendo system, More "mapped for more mundano lasks such as tree 10 swap between I and the ciclo pad depending 
stonishingly, Capcom decided о break that  button-press combos andi focus attacks. Even on tha cumstances, 

Фу spol by releasing Super Street Fighter М with tho retativdly Imited number of buttonson fow things were lost in the transition to tho 
ona portable system. The result is no S, Iho 305, I pulled all moves in pro mode wihout portable space, most disappointingy in tho 
gimmick, oor. hitch, Thosysloniscrdpadisagodsondlor — games stages. They're ай ther, bul tho charm. 
Capcom has shown a remarkable amount Ing background activities were scrapped entre 


ol rota using tho erizos ЗО aos. aaa Tho Kids who usad to camper and doe on 


StreetP: 
1V2 (V3 WAS Lv LV 


Figure Battles? 


94 reviews 


Dynamic Modo presentation adds visual depth 
by moving the action doser and positioning the 
camera behind charactors’ shoulders, but the 
changes wort mako Blanka's eyes pop out in 
disbolel, Purists can enter the optlons and shut 
ol 30 erıiroly - a move that doubles he гойо 
rato rom 30 lo GO bistoringly tast rames per 
second. | expect people to use Dynamic moc 
1o show oll ho game to their fonds lor tho frst 
"imo, then lo switch to the traditional ida view. 

Even уои haven't kept up with Stroot Fighter 
movesols you can do moro than watch harks 
lo a now ito" control option. This scheme allows 
players to tun the touchscreen ino a series of 
ustomizablo one-button riggers, lating even 
the greenest hr pul off hadoukans and utra. 
combos with a single tap. Even f youre not a 
complete novice, Гв a groat way to learn how to. 
play unfamiliar characters, you're concemed 
about people dominating orina with their new- 
Toun expertise, you can ler out players using 
о controls through matchmaking. 

Pros might soll at that kind of control 


the fightersin the underpass vel ro now rigid 
2D lacades, or instance. A tew other minor 
‘graphical dotais are missing, too, bul you have 
10 squint lo seo them. Rufus baly might not 
Jage quite as enthusastcaly, but other стар 
са ourishes, Ika Hakan's ol-so:kod shimmer 
and Io bande sleeves n Chun Lis allornale 
astume, are intact. 

Url tho iPhone version of Strot Fighter IV. 
which was an admirable ойоп hat ultimately 
etike a proot of concept, Super Straat Fighter 
IV 3D Edition is a cormplete game. Super Sirot 
Fghlar N s ono ofthe best hing games 
around, and players оно it to themseives to give 
il a shot.» Jett Cork 


Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy 


e 1-Player RPG/Pighting (2-Player Online] © 7 7 
or Square Enix Developer Square ENIX 7 
prep 4 2 
PSP 
ће original Disc pt an атау of classic Find aa 
Fantasy characters against each other in ast Peres ЧИЯ 
paced, haphazard combat. Tha transformation into егетне Вау in Uis 
¿lighting game wasn't exacty а natural ft foc an RPG te sequ 


seres thal has helped defined video game storytdl 
ing for tho last 20 years, but fans seemed to enjoy the 
opportunity to baat up tho favorito vilains and heroes, 


‘Character models and spell 
ete loole cosl. but the 


This sequel continues to serve those fans - and no. action can devolve ite 
one so, inl noise 
"The core concept isn't al that mado the transition — 


from the fest game; ho sloppy controis are back, 100 
Basic maneuvers Ike dashing and dodging aro urrolablo almost everyone reprising 
thanks to a button layout Ihat you can't remap (n a ight- their iconic roles 

ing gama), and the awful camera Б a mora formato — paratus 

foo than some opponents. Має Бапов аго ипо во None of the cèira issues 
that you dort nood to perform Рама but ahandid trom last game were 

‘ol boss fights made me absolutly rious by expecting a addressed, so expect 

leve of precision that the game cannot provide. some fuctation 

‘Most ol tho single-player modo ist bad or see Entertainment 
its just dul. You reposted fight the same opponents, The action is impressive, and 
and the now overwork map is just more o a delour fare wil love seeing their 
betweon grid-based levels similar 10 Io last game. Tho favorite characters bate, but 
"bel of leveling up, learning now abies, and unlock. "he formula деш old даску 
ing secrets is sil here, but Ihe sutoundhg gameplay is Replay Val 
moro mechanical than entertaining, The oriy tima | loll Moderately High 
the adrenalina pumping is when | was fighting a human 
‘opponent, which Б easier this mo around since mul 
player в по longar bc, 

Despi s айз, tno Frl Fantasy fan in me had some 
goat limes with Oissicla 012. The new characters are 
soli additions to tho roster | particularly lee the twists 
that Yuna and Laguna bring to combat. The new assist 
system is good, 100, adcing an extra dimension that 
was missing ho fis time around. | lso can't argue with 
the amour of content, since the story mode features 
three campaigns (though one is basically a re-hash of 
the origina. 

I you Ikoc Dissidia, you wil Ike Dissida 012, Square 
Eric minima attempts to address the frst game's issues. 
won't win any new fans, but the company knows how to 
pander to an audience. That's one arca where Dissidia 
012 в fring on al суја, Joe J 


An excellent voice cast, with 


Monster Tale 


1-Player Action/Platforming Publichot Majesco 
Entertainment Developer Dreams 
Release March 22 ESRB E 


| | hen a group of devious kids sneak Into the 
JA) Monster Word and enstave Ив creatures, a 
young girl named Ello comes to thor rescue 
With the help of arare monster named Chomp and a 
powerful bracelet. Monster Tale's cutesy demeanor 

and chic-ike themes may tum off some at frst glance, 
but the gerre-bending portable ile offers a surprising 
‘amount of depth and gameplay variety. 

Monster Tao provides tight 20 platforming across vo 
olor locales, each with ils own theme and enemy 
pes (hough youl тип into the occasional palette Swap) 
To accomplish her goals, Ell roles on her legendary 
bracelet, which doubles as a blaster weapon, Whether Is 
learring to roll under a row of spikes, or gaining the sbilty 
1o perform a rapid-fire blast with а quick button combo, 
players must master and upgrade all of Bios skils to 
progress though the levels. Hand-oye coordination and 
төйөхөз aro put to th test in later boss Баев, which 
requiro successi execution of al dis acquired ога 
grating victory 

Chormpis role in Monster Talo adds а Pokámon-esque 
monster-raising element that makes excallent use ol ће 
handhelds дий screens. With a press ofthe X button, 
Charm rorcats to the “Pel Sanctuary” below to help EN 
activate puzzle switches, pick up tms thal provide expe 
гов for long, take down enemies that sneak below, 
ага activate combat ems Ike catapults and soccer balls 
10 knock out enemies above. Being indi ol Стру 
civiles on Ihe lower screen while gung Elie through 
combat sequences above makes for un, f occasionally 
chaotic, gameplay. Chomp can roam along with Ble 
оп the top screen as wall to lend a hand with monster 
for experience points. These unlock evolved forms ot 
the creatur, which are worth experimenting with during 
Tougher skimishes later in the game. 

Monster Tale does а great job of leading you to your 
next objective on the map, but since the lower screen is 
primary used as the Pot Sanctuary | found myself regu- 
(епу disrupting gameplay fo check the map in tha meru 
"o ensure I was taking the most ellent route toward my 
0d. As you progress through the world, your next objec- 
live often requires tedious backtracking across several 
'ervronments. Instead ol giving the player new exper 
ences, youre stuck revising enter areas and fighting 
familar rrmies several ties over. 

Alt nns aside, Monster Talo is a polished platforming 
aventure with ight RPG elements that make it more than 

jator, usos the aged DS hardware 


Just another pot simo 
то alloct fora novel experiance, » Ann. 


Ds 
A young gil and her pet 
monster save enslaved aite 
ftom a group ot evi children 
in a game that combines 
platforming. action/adventure, 
and light RPG elements 


Chidhood-thomed 
environments are color 
detailed, and wel designed. 
Each location has its own 
catchy ше 

Skill progression moves along 
а steady curve Abilities are 
put to the test during chaotic 
Boss encounters 


Despite its Kid-friendly 
appearance. Monster Tale 
Ое a surprising amount of 
engaging gameplay 


Moderately Low 


reviews 95 


9.25 | Varvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate 


of Two Worlds 


8.75 | Tales from Space: 8 
About a Blob 1 | Dungeons 


енот PSS ka- February 8 ESRB E Platiorm PC Release February 10 ESRB M 


Ф 
x 
о 
о 
Y 
Ф 
= 


7.25 | Swarm 1.25 | Bionic 
„ Commando Rearmed 2 


у light platforming and 
nts break 1 Piattorm 33-360 Release February 1 
is break up (PS3), February 2 (360) ESRB T 


9.25 | Beyond Good & 
Evil HD 


B | Yar's Revenge 
nm een Bus цинк 
prs 

The At 

asa fa 

oo 


gameınformer 


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Master Master's 
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fullsail.edu 


Winter Park, FL 


о & Modin 
Wob Design & Development 


эв 


Celebrating an 


30th Birthday 


by Phil Kollar 


‘hon Falcom Corporation is hardly one 
of the most popular or recognizable 
developers in the Industry, but it 
has built a reputation for crafting 
beloved role-playing cult classics. 

1 spoke with the company's current president, 

Toshihiro Kondo, to find out about Falcom's 

past and future. 

Falcom was founded in March 1981 and quickly 
became known as the premiere PC game devel- 
‘oper in Japan, working on titles ranging across. 
‘multiple genres, such as Galactic Wars and 
Horror House. In 1984, they released the 
first game in a series and genre that would 
help define the company: Dragon Slayer. 

This top-down action RPG was one of the first 

games to introduce elements that 

would become standard in RPGs of 
the future, such as loot collecting and 

Puzzle-solving in-between combat. 

"For everyone who's creating games 
right now, [the early Dragon Slayer 
games] are kind of ike a textbook," 
Kondo says. “Its like the definition of 
an RPG. Everything that needs to be in 
а Japanese RPG ls in [Dragon Slayer]. 
It was carefully created down to the 
smallest details, like the timing of trea- 
sure boxes appearing in the game." 

Though the original Dragon Stayer 
never made it to the U.S., the 1985 
‘sequel, subtitled Xanadu, received a North 
American sido story on the NES. Titled Faxanadu 
and developed by 
Hudson Soft, this 
‘spin-off didn't stick 
very closely to Dragon 
‘Slayer Il, but it stil intro- 
‘duced many gamers to 
Falcom's first hit series 
‘oven if they didn't real- 
zeit at the timo. Later 
Dragon Stayer titles 
such as Legacy of the 
Wizard and Sorcerian 
made their way to 
North America In more 
authentic forms. 


The Legacy Of Ys Begins 
In 1987 Falcom croatod а game that 
quickly became the companys biggest 
Iranchiso: Ys (pronounced Res) Another 
top-down game, Ys became ono ol tho 
best-known action-RPG series in Japan. 
In North America, Ys was released for 
tho Soga Master System, but Is unique 
combat = which roquied protagonist Adol 
Christi to run headlong info enemies = did 
not catch on. 

Tho frst two Ys games told а single story 
but were separated by a year between 
изазов, Un 2008, tho second Ys thle 


was not avalablo in North America except. 
as part ol tho 1990 complation Ys Books 
lard, which appeared 

оп tho relatively unpopular 
TuboGralx-CO. A third 


зоо Wanderers rom 
Үз, followed in 1980, 
‘Though Ys W mado 
¡lo me US. for the 
TirboGralx-CD, SNES, 
and Genesis, t was Ino 
last Ys tito to reach our. 
‘shores unt 20055 Ys М. 
It had a hard tmo gaining 
acceptance stateside, 
but Ihe seres developed 
а passionate folowing 

in Japan. 

In 1989, Falcom started 
preparing Ihe sch game 
nho Dragon Sayer 
seres. Subtllod "The 
Legend of Heroes,” this gamo eventually 
spun ofl nto its own long-running franchise 
таг sll being worked on today. Unit 
2004's PSP remake ol Legend ol Heroes IV, 
tho TurboGralx- 16 version ol Dragon Slayer 
Vi was the only Legend ol Heroes qame to 
bo released in North America. 

Back thon, Falcom was known for having 
beautiful graphics," Kondo recalls, "but the 
president thought that since everyone else 
was becoming better in that department 
we needed someting else to shine in the 
game, to ive it ts own identity. We decided 
to put our energy іо ho story: For a story 
you just need опе scenario writer, but you. 
need a lot more people for betler graphics. 


полая js 


Falcom i 


checking out 


Ye The 
олтон 


Trais in the Sky 


cis om upper ot. То gend ot 
Marc Mal he sy. Ys Soro Ya LG t 
Chic and Ye Tho Oath in дыла 


Though Falcons tes have 
remain obscure in Nort 
America — oten atleast 
Partially due to questionable 


publishing deal with Xoeed 
seen a flood 


of exciting and well-done. 


alzations, Hare 
area tan PSP tit 


Ye Seven cut now. 
in in Feighana — 


Ye AI Ovonides 0222 
The Legend of Heroes: 


Branching Out 
Whio Dragon Stayer and Ys continued 
wiih now releases, Falcom celebrated thei 
10-year anniversary in 1991 by creating 

a tan-tavorito sido project: о top-down 
dungoon cramer Brandes 

Tl was an innovativo game,” Kondo says, 
“You wero able to play the дате with only а 
mouse. A mouso was a raro product back 
then, Tho president of Kool loves this sores, 
100. Back in the day, the vice-president of 
Koai camo up to ho prosidont of Falcom 
because the president ol Koel was too into 
the дато and wouldnt got any work dono. 
‘So we got complainod about, but then Код. 
fended up releasing the Super Famicom 

version ol Brandish." That 
‘Super Famicom port also 
mace is way to ho SNES 
In North America. 

As 1994 rolled around, 
Toshihiro Kondo was 
working through callo, 
Studying the Internet. In 
the midst ol his schoot- 
work, ho fl inlove win 
The Legon of Horoos 
I; Prophecy ofthe 
Moonight Witch 

it's ho gamo that made 
me Interested п Falcom," 
Kondo remembers. “The 
game has a huge sco- 
rario, Usually when the 
scenario is too big, you 
don't want to read rough 
i, but Felco made a 
story that players wanted to road" Sadly, 
when Prophecy ofthe Moonlight Wich 
finaly made its way to North America Ма а. 
Namco Bandai PSP port in 2006, fans who 
had eagerly awaited the gama discovered 
a tarrible transtation that robbed of the 
power thal drow Kondo to the company. 

Four years after the Legend of Heroes 
ls release, in 1998, Kondo had a chance 
meeting with the founder ol Faicom. He 
spun this opportunity info a job working as 
а server technician, 

"When I frst onec the company, | was 
working on maintaining the servers, but by 
my second year with Falcom, Iwas mosty 
working on development, he recalls. 1 
startod managing projects and getting 
involved in gerne design and maintaining 
schedules. By the end, | was involved the 
‘whole process of development, From there, 
started managing Ihe whole company. 
Three years ago, became the president ol 
the company 


anew 


-0329 


A Calculated Gamble 
In 2006, just before Kondo took over as 
president, Falcom made a sudden and. 
surprising development shift. Where they 
had previously creatod games almost 
exclusively for PC, thoy realized the market 
was starting to dry up and started looking 
toward other platforms: 

Back when | was stil on the develop- 
ment statt, the founder of Falcom told 
Vs, ‘Dont think fs going to be Ike this 
forever, We're not going to be able lo 
keep releasing our games on PC forever, 
Kondo explains 

Despite skeptics from the staf, the 
presidents warming proved tue. A shrink: 
ing market for PO les n Japan made i 

cy dad lor Falcom to brosk 
‘even on ts games. Clearly they had lo 
make а change. 

Alter analyzing al ofthe systems our- 
rently on the market, Ihe PSP became the 
‘obvious choice. "I might be diferent in 
the West, but in Japan, handheld games 
aro becoming а mainstream thing,” Kondo 
Says. les that hardcore] gamers have 
sailed into the PSP market, Moro of a 
‘general market is playing Wi and DS. Of 
‘course, Га ke forthe general market to 
play cur games too, bul lacknowledga that 
hardcoro gamers ko cur style of games 
moro. That's why we ike the PSP market. 


Cow tom uper 
Jot Dragon Stayer 
Dragon Sent 
sna, ana 
Dragon шун П. 
Dragon aye and vl 


Looking To The Future 
"Win a sea change in the handhold 
market on the horizon with the Nintendo 
DS and Sony МОР, Kondo offered 

‘some Ihoughts on where the company is 
headed in the futur. 

eal ike the NGP is а very frm innova- 
Won from the PSP” ho says. "Tho touch 
panels and the gyroscopic sensors lock 
very promising. We're planning to release а 
lot of les on he МӘР | have hopes lor this 
platform lo se fre to he game market in 
Japan again. 

Falcom also has plans o branch out 

Wo ro already creating tiles on a diferent 
platform," Kondo hints, ‘but cari! tel you 
Which one at this pont." Despite being coy, 
Kondo admits that Falcon interested 
in working in the downloadable space 
which is general underserved in the RPG 
gerre. Kondo ові hat this format сома 
Ойег new opportunities lo how ts games. 
aro structured. 

‘Our general way of thinking about RPG. 
games Б that we spend two years creating 
the game and then release it as a packaged 
tile; ats the completion of ho game. With 
NGP and Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation 
Network, we've started to think that wo. 
might bo ablo lo release RPGS а йог 
ent way." Kondo reveals. "Maybe we could 
release one chapter at a time as download 
bie content. Мето considering t heavily 
right now" $ 


classic 99 


Things You Didn't 
Know About... 


After one of the longest development cycles in gaming history, the king is finally set to make his | 
return to the limelight in Duke Nukem Forever, thanks in large part to Gearbox Software, Leading 
the cause is Gearbox president Randy Pitchford, who got his start at 3D Realms and says he 
owes Duke his career. Read on to learn more about one of the industry's biggest innovators, an. 
'ex-magician who always has a few tricks up his sleeve. 


+ Early career moves + Bost and worst projects, + Games he thought of fist + Favorite pastimes | 
Before I decided to change my It fums out my favorite game А fiend of mine and | Video games are my passion. 
path and become a prefesion- that Tve worked on always designed Grand Theft Auto, my hobby, and шу Mestte 
“al game maker, I was studying tende tobe one of our curent name and all, m 1990. Our When Гт not ate audio 
law at UCLA and working as projetain development. ra. ‘version was open world ала. creating games; Yin ually 
‘magician to pay my way not announced yetsolcant Sar driven, butinduded a playing theta, (ас have other | 
through school. | worked at talk about it here, My least ote mechanic that was closer hobbies паши piano, 
tho Magic Castle in Hollywood. favorite was James Bond 007: to the theme that was about guitar, painting and віце, 
Entertainments fun. 1 ike Nightfire - not because I didn't delivering the stolen cars to film and television, dining and. 
entertaining people. ‘enjoy contributing to the James buyers or dismanting them in travel, but 1 tend to prontos | 
Bond canon, but because the chop shops to sel the untrace- video games above all other | 
+ Bost trick business deal taught me some able components. While 1 was forms ot entertainment. Video, j 
ove dose-up magic. lke things. We sort of got caught creating games as an amateur games are one of the only | 
т in a baltand-switch there, atthe time, it was't my sole forms of entertainment that 
and cards, and ш dang stutt and the game became a work- focus. I wouldn't enter the дя to consume my time 
that's Impoemble right in trent ber nis effort where Gearbox industry for another several ‘tule amusing me, but also 
of people's eyes. wan't able to apply its value es and my focus became leave me with а feeling of 
in the direction of the game as FPS games. accomplishment and gratos 
+ Bringing magie to games creative drivers. Asa conser "ion fo tner Pie given 
We avery similar cra. We're quence, the best elements ot + Games he chooses to thems mis Bleperty Lib t 
eating an illusion of some the game are the multplayer forget hy video games are sucha 
thing that isn't real, whether modos, and the later levels АП games contain lessons, and compelling form center, 
ife a virtual world er setting ‘were where we were afforded the sum of every experience ment for uch a Large and 
up a line of logic, and we use the most creative freedom. Tve had gaming contibutes. growing nuriber of people 
ot ot smoke and mirorsin № was a valuable lesson = don't to my understanding of what 
games to get you immersed in get involved unless we have works and what doesn’. IT + Motivations 
Something that doesn't ext. ‘enough creative license lo push must be spectic, back on Ts haven't gud ou yet 
Being able о get into the mind (о quality, ari 2800 there were piles. 1 do not know why. and Туе 
of the audience and under- and piles of contemplated їл great deal 
stand how theyte parsing + Games ho wants to pan contributed t 5 but there is sorting вде 
whats happening and lending Р same time Ive believed Industry cash in the "809 — те that compels me to need to 
‘them to that "аһа mement. ‘that there im opportunity with ме could've dane without entertain people Wren was 
or that surprise or that chal- а quali heist came. Awhile those games, yolinger, 1 weuld do this mate. 
lenge that feels granting to haci Вай licensed the fim personally by bang a doin: 
overcome, a lot ct the same Beat tû te for a video game, VVV 
thinking and зале siclis apply but other priorities prevented this toward the беииш 
it tums out us from being able to give it Т семе and able, arit By, 
the correct attention. 1 wish honing in of ts meines use 
‘someone would make a great to judge шуба а an actor 
heist game someday - maybe. ainer: How my people cant 


reach and io what eb сар. 
gratify those pesce th what 
Трав обете t 


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