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ANDY McNAMARA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF andy@gameinformer.com

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Read my column or comment on this letter at gameinformer.com/mag or follow @GI_AndyMc

| ˆ inally addressing the inevitable, Nintendo has - confirmed it will reveal the successor to the Wii | at this year's E3, with a planned launch in 2012 (for more facts and rumors on the system, check out our four-page report on page 12).

While this news is all well and good for Nintendo fans who have been praying for the company to close the technology gap with Sony and Microsoft, it brings up an interesting question: Is a new generation of consoles coming from all the manufacturers?

It's a slippery question, but one that I think has a very clear and easy answer. Long story short: No.

Nintendo’s Wii has dominated this generation of consoles, shipping over 86 million units in a five-year span. Five years ago Nintendo chose to forgo high definition graphics, bleeding-edge computer technol- ogy, and a robust online offering in favor of sticking to the things it does best: creating experiences that no other company in the world can deliver.

The Wii accomplished that goal with a degree of Success few predicted. Its introduction of motion- based gaming to the modern era has changed game controllers for the foreseeable future, and prompted both Sony and Microsoft to respond with motion technology of their own. The two console manu- facturers sought to capture users in the emerging gaming markets that opened thanks to Nintendo's vision and spectacular marketing.

For all the success and innovation the Wii brought, its lack of computing power has aged the console at a considerably faster rate than its competition. In a world where HDTVs fly off the shelves at breakneck speeds and an Internet connection is becoming an essential home utility, the Wii tech has been falling behind - fast.

To compound the problem, third-party publishers had to essentially design games from the ground up for the Wii. They also had to compete with market- dominating first-party Nintendo software, and reap few rewards from the investments they made on the Sony and Microsoft consoles, leading to a platform that publishers simply could not invest much in. After a few failed attempts, many chose to forgo publish- ing their biggest games on the Wii altogether.

Sony and Microsoft are not in this same position. Don't get me wrong, they have their own challenges going forward that they must address to survive, but console technology isn't one of them. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 owners have anywhere from two to three years before they may even see the next wave of technology, much less plug it into their TVs.

This gap gives Nintendo's new console a chance to catch up in the technology race, and more impor- tantly, it gives Nintendo a chance to change the game again. But this time Nintendo needs to create a platform where third-party companies can make great games and make money, or the company will once again find itself as the sole provider of innovative soft- ware, surrounded by a sea of subpar products from publishers just trying pick up the scraps.

TA

latestfZffry i in Ubisoft Môntreal's high- flying Assassin's series: iyers control the aforementioned hero g with Altair

Constantinople soméhow tí

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regulars i

2> 6 Feedback

We hungrily dive into let- ters from confused readers who took Game Infarcer too seriously, receive praise for helping married gamers, and discuss superfluous multiplayer modes.

Portal 2

»» 12 Connect

Discover what makes aug- mented reality games tick, the games that made the Game Informer crew cry, and which video game char- acter you are.

Rayman Origins

3 56 Previews

We got hands-on time with big-ticket Sony titles Twisted Metal and Uncharted 3, downed the undead in Resident Evil: Raccoon City, and snagged a batch of new Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim screens.

») 82 Reviews

This month features two hugely anticipated games: Portal 2 and Mortal Kombat. Which one of these fantastic titles emerges as Game of the Month?

Screw This Game!

3) 100 Game Over Test your Knowledge of some classic Mario foes.

contents 3

games index

Anomaly: Warzone Earhh..................... 94

Camival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do. ..... 96

Cartoon Network Punch Time Explosion........... 79

CHAO BiềN..............-:c qasa s J

CON Go. ...94

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Dead Rising 2: Off the Record....................72

Dragon's Dogma............... .-- -- xay)

` Dynasty Warriors 7..................- +: 96 ay

m iis Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, The.................. .- 66

Madden NFL 2011 Infamous 2...................- - 68

e OEA NEE OE .74

Islands of Wald.......................... 96

Madden NHLT12......:.....-............ 60

Michael Jackson The Experience. ........ ..91

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes HD............. 90

Mortal Kombat........................ „88

Ms. Spolsion Man.........................-... Tổ

NOMA Football†2...................- +: sai

Operation Flashpoint: Red River.

Outland

Patapon 3 95 Portal 2... 86 Prey 2... . 80 Pririe WO PIE EE .. 64 El06secczzbssslbbsgfut2niwaxpnbsess 62 Resident Evil: Raccoon Cily..................... 56 r E E E . Section 8: Prejudiee.................. .- .98 Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monsier............. 77 Shadows of the Damned... `...

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked . 79

Sims Medieval, The.....................- 96 SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy Seals......... .. 92 Sonic Generati0ns........................ 76 Splinter Cell 30................... 9 Twisted Metal... . EEE Michael Jackson The Experience Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. . .. . -58

4 contents

Lets make him famous twice as fast on the nation’s first

dual-touchscreen smartphone.

Introducing the Kyocera Echo; the nation’s first dual-touchscreen smartphone. Use each screen independently, or bring them together in one big 4.7-inch display. It's powered by Android,"so more than

150,000 apps are just a download away. Available only from Sprint. Together, we can Simul-Task” like crazy.

Sprint |»

All. Together. Now”

Mallory Guraya

Watching videos and sending emails from my Echo

Photos

Search “Double Dream Feet” on YouTube~

Kyocera Echo

May require up to a $36 a mail-in rebate. No ci

6/4/11 or while supplies last. Instant Rebate/Saving: No

good standing with service on the same device for more service plan of $39.99 or higher may be eligible. See in-store rebate form or sprint.com/upgrade for deals. Other Terms: Coverage is not avaiable (RESTI ` ®

k re: 1 million people are not available in all markets/retail locations or for all phones/networks. Pricing, offer terms, fees and features may vary for CIBUYW ® RadioShack. : existing customers not eligible for upgrade. Other restrictions apply. See store or sprint.com for details. ©2011 Sprint, Sprint and the logo are trademarks of Sprint, Seven select applications are Simul-Task™ iste Say capable. These applications are messaging, email, Web browsing, phone, gallery, contacts and VueCue.™ Other marks are the property of their respective owners.

JAPANERE DEVELOPER

his month in Feedback we celebrate Game Infarcer read- ers who didn’t get the joke, address cynicism over superflu- ous multiplayer modes, improve yet another gaming couple's mar- Esp riage, and listen to our parents. Or

ANDERE oP RT, VAUtr

somebody's parents, at least.

Contact Us

feedback@gameinformer.com

Infamous Infarcer | just wanted to say that | can’t wait to see all the hate mail from this year’s Game Infarcer. If there is one thing | love more than gaming, it's reading letters from readers that don’t pay attention to “The World’s #1 Pretend Magazine” byline. All hail Darth Clark!

Daniel Tuma

via email

Ok, so | am wondering is this NGP pricing thing a joke by saying that it has a nuclear power battery and will last forever? And it costs 99,999 dollars? And that one of them comes with a puppy?! | get the 3G one and the Wi-Fi compatible one, but none of the others. Can you please explain this to me? Ben H. via email

| am appalled that you had the nerve to announce Sonic Reborn like it was a good thing. The obliteration of a good clean franchise is not a good thing, and a lot of hardcore Sonic fans mainly agree that this is terrible news. The fact that they were desperate enough to make the game so it could appeal to low-life people with low morals shows that the game makers no longer know how to handle the franchise any- more. | hope that the game doesn’t sell well, and that they learn from their biggest mistake ever. Kaylee S. via email

Reading through angry Infarcer-related letters is a favorite pastime at Gl, and this year’s responses didn’t disappoint. By far the most “popular” article was Darth Clark's

Letter From The Editor, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t print at least a few replies...

The Return Of Darth

| have a bone to pick with Darth Clark. He claims he alone knows what a gamer is. As if this isn’t outrageous enough, he claims that gamers “don't like the popular crap everyone else does.” Hello, Mr. Ignorant, a large number of people

like the “popular crap” because they are good games! And then to top it all off, his supposed proof he’s right is the fact that he managed to get a gaming magazine going? The one thing | have to give the guy credit for is the way he man- aged to write the article in accordance with his personality. | looked at the idiot’s picture, and he has the “I wanna be a drug-using gangster” look, complete with the snobby expression and head

tilt. And he says we're the ones trying hard to be something. Cute necklace, Clark. Sam Milton, FL

This is the first time I've written to this magazine. All | have to say to Darth Clark is you, sir, are an idiot. A hardcore gamer doesn’t care if a game is mainstream or not. A hardcore gamer doesn't take sides over consoles; he plays on whatever console he wants. How is a Farmville player who wakes up at the middle of the night to make sure nothing bad happens to his crops not hardcore? And just because you're the editor of a massive video game publication doesn’t make you right. Pedro F. via email

First of all, | am not impressed with your new edi- tor-in-chief, Darth Clark. | find him to be arrogant and condescending. Borrowing his words, “I will educate you”: Don't insult your readers who don't play the same game as you do. As editor- in-chief, you should reach out to all gamers regardless of tastes to grow your subscriber base. If you only appeal to those gamers who share your unique tastes in games, you wouldn't have a magazine. You may be editor-in-chief, but | can trump that. | am a subscriber and | can spend my money elsewhere.

Robert S.

via email

If you’re itching for more replies, we have the rest of this year’s Game Infarcer fallout at www.gameinformer.com/mag.

I think it was a bit off target to categorize the lack of multiplayer in Batman: Arkham City as a “Bad” thing [The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, issue 216]. How many games have we seen with lame tacked-on multiplayer? I'd much rather the developers focus on deliver- ing a top-notch experience in keeping with the vision of their game, rather than waste time throwing in a multiplayer mode that doesn't really add anything. Grayson Longmont, CO

The fact that you labeled Batman: Arkham City as “Bad” for not having multiplayer is down- right brainless. Arkham Asylum was an incred- ible game because they didn’t waste their efforts on a multiplayer clone like other titles sell out and do. | applaud Arkham City’s devel- opers for realizing they can give fans a better experience, and feel sorry for gamers like you who have forgotten what awesome stories some games are made to tell. So suck it, Lloyd Pitts Baton Rouge, LA

Some readers seem to think that by want- ing co-op in Arkham City, we were really asking for a crappy, tacked-on cash grab by a greedy developer. If you dismiss the potential for Rocksteady to create a great multiplayer experience based on the fail- ures of other developers, you might as well have dismissed the possibility of the studio creating a must-play Batman title in the first place, given the Caped Crusader’s notorious past. Rocksteady knows better than anyone what's right for its IP, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be disappointed

at not being able to fight Gotham’s crime with a friend.

Scientific Inquiries

“Do you really think kids should be deprived of playing fantastic games like God of War and Grand Theft Auto IV just because of their age?”

Yes.

“How much would an unminted copy of The Legend of Dragoon cost and where should | sell it?”

You seem to have us confused with Antiques Roadshow.

Who would win in a battle royale: The Chimera, The Covenant, or Dan Ryckert?

Unless there are bonus points for wearing ‘70s band T-shirts, anyone but Dan.

This month we received more corrections to issue 215’s Paul Blart: Mall Cop joke than answers to the Question of the Month. Our conclusion? Paul Blart is hot, handhelds are not.

“Don't let that s---head Darth Clark put in an article ever again!”

t) Bryan and Annette pose with Sam Fisher's best covert ops: Ubisoft's Michael Beadle, Jaime Cottini, Abigail Murphy, and Dominic DiSanti

Right) Bryan and Annette also partied with Capcom's Brian Keltner, and 47 Com- Munication’s Laura Weir and Laura Klang-Glienna

continued on page 8

feedback 7

LE I I l I D lI l T Ú | LI I I D T T T T Ú |

W Darth Clark Backlash 47%

Batman: Arkham City's Missing Multiplayer 22%

W Scientific Inquiries Support 15% EULA Gripes 9%

Æ Disdain For Online Codes 6% 88 Handheld Feedback 1%

What television series do you think would make a good video game, and why?

8 feedback

When | first met my husband, an avid gamer, | swore | would never become a gamer. Well, that didn’t last long! Four years later, we are fighting over the controller and which MMO we are going to play next (Rift currently, and loving it!). Luckily, there is one thing we don’t have to fight over: MY Game Informer. Sure, it started out as his, but became mine upon my newfound love for gaming. He doesn’t fight me for it...because he knows it is one battle he will lose! Marriage can be rocky and tough at times. But thanks to you, Gl, my marriage is just a little bit easier!

Thanks for the feedback, Amy! We’re glad we could serve as a marital aid for you and your husband. Err, wait a minute...

In issue 216, we asked gamers which upcoming handheld they were more excited for, the 3DS or the NGP. The most surprising result was the lack of opinions we received on the matter, but here are a few responses.

I'd buy the NGP largely because of the more mature audience Sony caters to. The dual sticks in tandem with the touchscreen will make for interesting gameplay. With the NGP sporting four times the pixels over the last PSP, it won't be ugly.

Henry Person

I think the Sony NGP is the better of the two, given its stunning visuals, sheer power, and the recently added touchscreen, touchpad, and second analog stick.

Galen Turoci

Let me put it this way: | barely touch my PSP nowadays, except for the occasional urge to play the God of War games. My quartet of original DS units are always charged and by my side when- ever | get the urge for some handheld action. Bridget B.

Neither, actually. Phone games have come so far in the past year that they have all but replaced my PSP and DS. Now instead, | look forward to the next new app or phone.

Tom Healy

SOM EE MELEE GERORA RSG RIDEGI LLL DELLS DLL LADLE ILL ELEN ELM BGEA

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Bryan promised not to wander off from Ethan Mars' voice actor, Pascal Langdale. Ja-son...Jason!

ght) Ben Reeves does his best Jimmy Olsen impression with the Beenox crew while checking out Spider-Man: Edge of Time

continued on page 10

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Baby Mega Man might not be as powerful as his older

version, but neither are his enemies. Just ask Safety F Scissors Man. 2 Edwin Prieto You know, a few i, years ago it would have been weird to open a piece of E At

reader art with a grotesque, disfigured baby on it. Then “EMI Dead Space came along and made it alright. 3 Aimee

Cozza This has to be the first time in history that Gordon Freeman, Seaman, and Master Shake have appeared in the same picture: 4 Chad Borgschatz Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe surprised fans with its Teen rating, so imagine the reaction when this E10+

spinoff hits shelves.

Enter the Game Informer Reader Art Contest. All you need to do is draw, paint, scratch, spit, or carve the best darn art you can think of and send it to us. Please include your name, phone number, and return address. If you're the monthly winner, we'll feature your work in Gl and you'll receive a video game prize from the Game Informer vault. All entries

become the property of Game Informer and can't be returned. ấn te? CORRECTION: In Gaming's Early Innovators Game Informer of issue 217, we stated that Donkey Kong came out in Reader Art Contest 1984, and Donkey Kong Jr. 724 1st St. N., came out in 1982. DK Jr. did not go back in time to sire 3rd Floor his own father. The original Donkey Kong was actually MOS Mel D1 released in 1981.

continued from page 8

(Left) Meagan hangs out with Demiurge Studios’

AI Reed and Josh Glavine (Middle) Meagan was remarkably calm sitting next to human cyborg Chloe Dykstra and Linda Lee (Right) Annette was way too happy to get

her hands on Cole's new weapon in Infamous 2, and immediately threatened to electrocute Sucker Punch’s Chris Zimmerman

10 feedback

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© 2011 SQUARE ENIX, INC. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. DUNGEON SIEGE is a registered trademark of Square Enix, Inc. SQUARE ENIX and the SQUARE ENIX logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd. OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT is a registered trademark of Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. KINECT, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks "PS3" and the PlayStation Network logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association.

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connect 13

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continued from page 13

The Nintendo Difference?

Then again, it would be unlike Nintendo to simply re- create what Sony or Microsoft have already done, and there are plenty of rumors regarding this new system that point to how Nintendo might differentiate itself. According to French site 01net.com, the console has a CPU that's > a “custom IBM PowerPC with three cores,” an ATI GPU x “from the R700 family with a shader unit at version 4.1,”

and 512 MB of RAM. This is similar to the Xbox 360's

architecture, with the difference being improved shader

support. Numerous reports also back up What They

Play's original assertion of backwards compatibility, and

Blu-ray.com says it's heard from a source that Nintendo is ~ “considering” using Blu-ray.

Similar to the Wii, this new console is expected to make a splash with its controller. CVG reports that the new Nintendo controller may feature a built-in HD touchscreen, while 01net.com says the screen will be standard defini- tion. Depending on who you listen to, the controller also apparently features regular inputs such as a d-pad, two bumpers, two triggers, a front-facing camera, analog sticks, and motion controls. IGN even reports that games can stream from the console to the controller.

While all this sounds exciting, the more features that are tacked on, the more this system is going to cost. Nintendo has usually differentiated itself from the com- petition by offering its systems at an attractive price, and there's no reason to believe that the company would abandon this tenet with its new platform. Price and timing become even more of a factor when you consider that both Microsoft and Sony have been dropping the prices of their systems. Both companies could opt to further drop the price of their consoles after the Nintendo A announcement as well. 4

Nintendo hasn't revealed its priorities for its new system, although Iwata told investors in 2009 it will “probably support HD because it is now common throughout the world." Earlier this year Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told CNN he didn't think a Nintendo home console would feature 3D support simply because it couldn't be done effectively without requiring glasses.

Nintendo's competitors have defined the console generations whether through graphics, strong third-party software sup- port, or broader entertainment options such as the PS2's DVD player or the online marketplace of Xbox Live. The Wii has been a phenomenal sales success, but its failure to capture the hardcore gaming crowd has arguably created the need for this new system at a time when its competitors are still enjoying the fruits of their labors and see no need to jump into new hardware. In this sense, the timing of this HD Wii successor could be too little, too late.

On the other hand, if the new console boasts considerable hardware upgrades, a 2012 release could find Nintendo the first system out of the gate for the next wave of consoles. Nintendo has always been proud to march to the beat of its own drum, and where it'll take them this time won't become evident until á we see the console unveiled at E3 in June.

The Buzz

We talked to some developers, industry analysts, and prominent figures in the industry to find out what they had to say about Nintendo’s

forthcoming

HD console.

Feargus Urquhart CEO, Obsidian Entertainment:

“I do think it is the right time for Nintendo to launch a new system, and we would absolutely support it.”

Shane Bettenhausen Director of business development, Ignition Entertainment:

“...Gimmickry won't be enough to make this a clear leader...l’m hoping that its specs and capabilities will really surprise everyone.”

Michael Pachter

Managing director,

Wedbush Securities:

“I think that the right time for a launch was in front of the launches of Kinect and Move, and | think that Nintendo missed the ‘perfect’ time to launch in 2009. | think that there is still significant interest in a Wii 2, particularly from the very large Wii installed base, so

it is not ‘too late,’ but it’s also not the ‘right time.”

Lee Jacobson Senior vice president of licensing and digital publishing, Atari: “Nintendo has always marched to the beat of their own drum and never engaged in the same graphical arms race that defined the Xbox 360 and PS3. | for one am excited to see what their next move is at E3, as Atari has always done very well on Nintendo systems and we know that whatever they announce will be high- quality and speak to an audience that is uniquely suited for their system.”

Justin Blankenship Associate consultant, Hit Detection:

“If the rumors of a machine more pow- erful than the PS3 and Xbox 360 are true, cost is going to be a concern. I'd expect the next consoles from Sony and Microsoft to technically outperform the Wii 2, so it makes sense that if Nintendo wants some hardcore credibility, they'd launch first for the next generation of hardware. With both Microsoft and Sony investing players into their brands with persistent profiles attached to achieve- ments and trophies within online com- munities, it’s an uphill climb for Nintendo to get these gamers to switch over in significant numbers.”

Tim Gerritsen

Director of product development, Irrational Games:

“If they are indeed bringing to the table hardware that is on par or better than [the Xbox 360 and PS3], we will need to see if they are going to focus on games outside the market they committed to with the Wii.”

N’Gai Croal Chief consultant, Hit Detection:

Some rumors are saying there will be an HD display worked into the control- ler. That seems like a strange rumor, because if you think about an HD display built into a controller, that would either have significant cost implications or profitability implications. Coupled with the rumors that it will be more powerful than the PS3 and 360 - I don’t know if you can hit all that and still be at $250 or even $299.

They need to get a whole system ina state that’s much more opti- mized - whether it’s for big publishers making graphically intensive games or smaller developers — and put that into Nintendo’s ecosystem before the expected launch of PS3 and 360’s successors.

Ru Weerasuriya Co-founder, Ready at Dawn Studios: “The past has lent credence to the fact that the last Nintendo plat- forms have been tantamount . to closed systems that have \ really only been beneficial to \ Nintendo games. Whether they change their approach to third-party publishers, only time will tell.”

The Games Behind Nintendo’s HD System

While Western developers are currently putting Nintendo's new system through its paces and working with the company to pub- licly announce their support of the console at E3, no publishers have made any official statements at this time. If the rumor from 01net. com is true that Rockstar Games

is readying a title for the system, it would be exactly the kind of strong third-party support it needs. As strange bedfellows as Rockstar and Nintendo sound, the pair have worked together before — albeit without resounding commercial success — on Manhunt 2 for the Wii and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on Nintendo DS.

To be successful, the Nintendo HD needs to launch with a strong lineup of both first- and third-party games. The company needs look no further than the recent launch of the 3DS to see how important software is to a fledgling console. Although sales numbers for the handheld are good, Game In- former’s own reviewers found many of the launch games wanting, and the gamers we've talked to are still waiting for that must-have title that defines the handheld.

One great in-house candidate that could help the new system make its mark is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Nintendo could release the game for both the Wii and the Nintendo HD as it did for the last console Zelda title, Twilight Princess. Skyward Sword has already missed its early 2011 release window and is currently expected to come out sometime af- ter June. It's purely speculation on our part, but perhaps Nintendo has delayed the title in order to ready a version for this new system.

Retro Studios, the developer of the Metroid Prime trilogy and Donkey Kong Country Returns, has already thrown its hat in the ring. Sources from within Retro told The Paul Gale Network that the devel- oper is working on a title for the system that “everyone wants them to do.” Given Retro’s pedigree with the above-mentioned titles, we've no doubt that whatever franchise it chooses will be welcomed by fans.

connect 15

16

From the 3DS’ AR games suite to NGP’s promise of an augmented revolution, the art of

combining virtual objects with the real world is flourishing in the games industry. As high quality cameras, faster processors, and crisp displays become standard on home consoles and handhelds, developers have the tools they need to further blur the lines between games and reality. We caught up with an augmented reality expert who breaks down what AR is, how it works, and what lies in the technology’s future. SS

“augmented reality can take various types of media and overlay the information onto real-world environments”

ing speed on the game industry hype

train, the technology itself is nothing new. In fact, Steven Feiner, computer sci- ence professor at Columbia University, has been researching AR for more than 20 years, and the existence of the technology dates even further back.

With the proper software and hardware com- bination, augmented reality can take various types of media and overlay the information onto real-world environments. According to Feiner, the technology is not restricted to visual augmentations done in real time, but applies to audio as well. AR can not only make virtual objects like game characters or text appear over physical objects in real time, but can also create sounds as if they were streaming from your actual surroundings.

E ven though augmented reality is gain-

From Concept to Consumer

Back in 1996 Feiner's lab developed the first mobile, outdoor augmented reality system. It included nearly 40 pounds of equipment in a backpack connected to a head-worn display. Today consumers can experience augmented reality on the go via smart phones, the Nintendo 3DS, and Sony's upcoming NGP without the need of bulky equipment, uncom- fortable headgear, or thousands of dollars. “One advantage of technology now is cam- eras that used to be really expensive have become inexpensive,” Feiner says, “And of course the CPU and GPU technology needed to process those cameras has drastically increased in power and decreased in price, thanks to a combination of Moore's Law and the competitive world of games in particular. The idea that you can now have a device like a Nintendo 3DS that has multiple cameras and the power to process them and overlay information on what they see is testament to people being willing to buy those devices in enough quantity that companies can sell them at a good price.”

How Does it Work?

The Nintendo 3DS comes bundled with a set of AR cards that can be identified using the system's cameras and built-in software for a variety of entertaining outcomes, such as a photo shoot with Samus on your desk or a game of Face Raiders. AR capable devices, especially ones that run outdoors like smart phones, can also track position with GPS, compasses, accelerometers, and gyro- scopes. In the case of the 3DS, AR software is designed to identify distinct features on these cards fed through by the camera, such as differences in color or contrast. Once the soft- ware recognizes the features on these cards with the camera, it can also identify the posi- tion and orientation of the camera relative to

the card, making it possible to render a vir- tual object seen in the space of the card. According to Sony, the NGP will have the processing power to use algorithms that won't require AR cards to render virtual objects in real time. Until we find out more about the NGP's capabilities, how this feature works remains unclear.

Future Applications

Feiner says depth cameras, such as the one in Kinect, are going to be important for AR games going forward. With a depth camera, the system can determine object distance from the camera down to the pixel and distinguish between active and inactive users in the play space. With this technology, a small virtual pet or a full game character can infiltrate your play space. They could even sneak up from behind you, ready to jump into view when the time

is right.

Feiner also notes the possibility of a com- plete hands-free augmented reality experience safe for outdoor use that goes back to the technology's roots of head-worn displays.

“In terms of the 3DS, imagine that instead of there being one auto-stereoscopic display, there were two displays,” he says. “Imagine there were additional optics so that the dis- plays could be very close to where your eyes are and yet still be in focus. Imagine that the cameras were a little further apart so that they, too, were where your eyes are — and now, this gets a little bit harder — imagine all that ended up looking normal.”

Feiner believes the major barrier to fully real- izing this type of head-worn display at this time is creating something that looks more or

less like regular glasses and is affordable to rofile

consumers. A few working display prototypes exist, some from the likes of Sony, according to Feiner, but we're probably far from get- ting information overlaid on our normal field of view. Someday, we could have a hands- free way of receiving textual information or walking directions similar to the way Isaac Clarke receives information from his RIG in Dead Space.

m Scope On ®

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by Jeff Marchiafava

Bionic Commando My Wife Is My What?!

In the 2009 Bionic Commando reboot, Nathan “Rad” Spencer spends most of the game looking for his wife. During the finale, you learn her fate: She was implanted (somehow) into Spencer’s robot arm in order to sync it with his body. So when she said she'd always be by his side, she was being literal. Hey Spencer, you know what's even more rad than having a powerful robot atm? Having a wife.

Little Shop

Of Horrors

Halo 2’s introduc- tion of Gravemind

is precisely where we stopped trying to figure out what was going on in Bungie's sci-fi series. This giant plant is so far out of left field that Cortana straight-up asks what the hell it is, as Master Chief gets wrapped up in its organic tentacles. The shrub- bery's reply? “A monument to all your sins.” Thanks, Gravemind. That clears things up.

A Rushed Reveal

After Travis Touchdown makes his way up through the ranks of the United Assassins Asso- ciation, he is reunited with his childhood love interest Jeane, who makes a startling confes- sion: She's actually Travis’ half-sister and the murderer of his parents, who she killed out of revenge for the sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of their shared father. The shocking plot twist is even more confusing because the reveal is fast-forwarded like a VHS tape to incomprehensible levels due to Jeane’s fear her story would increase the game's age rating — a

“| Need Scissors! 61!” Just as Raiden thinks he's unraveled the mystery behind Arsenal Gear, Colonel Campbell starts talking about a “purple stuffed worm in flap-jaw space.” These nonsensical ramblings lead to the revelation that the Colonel is actually an A.I. and part of a diabolical recreation

of the Shadow Moses incident designed to test the information- parsing capabilities of the Selection for Societal Sanity program, which you foolishly believed was the Solid Snake Simulation — because that’s what you were told five minutes earlier.

That's it, just Xenosaga. Every- thing about this series is insane: KOS-MOS is a vessel for Mary Magdalene and fights T-elos, who was created from Mary's bodily remains; the boyish-looking Chaos is actually a 6,000+ year old Jesus; Wilhelm wants to employ the Eternal Recurrence, which will reset the universe to an earlier point in history; and the Gnosis — the main enemies of the series — are sodium-based life forms created from human spirits that fail to enter the Collective Unconscious. Capisci?

Vader's True Form

This Japan-only NES game may have featured the same music and characters as the beloved film series, but some aspects

of George Lucas’ space opera were lost in translation. Like, for instance, Darth Vader's ability to turn into animals. After making his way into a Sandcrawler on Tatooine, Luke Skywalker is confronted by the Sith Lord. One swat of Luke’s lightsaber turns the nefarious leader into

a giant orange scorpion. Later, Luke runs into pterodactyl and shark forms of Vader, making us wonder why he never used these awesome

Loaded For Bear

Ethan Thomas is back on the trail of Serial Killer X af- ter he murders his mentor, Malcolm Vanhorn. As the former investigator sinks back into his routine of ana- lyzing crime scenes and fist-fighting hobos, the game throws a two-ton twist at you: A giant killer bear worthy of its own SyFy movie attacks him in a service station. With nothing to stand in-between you and the charging beast, an onscreen prompt dispenses some invaluable advice: “Run for your life!!!”

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humorous (albeit frustrating) meta-joke.

Pyramid Head Vs. Mannequin

Pyramid Head is a weird enough guy as it is (he has a pyramid for a head, for crying out loud), but an early encounter with the hulking monstrosity isn’t just traumatizing for James Sunderland. As the pro- tagonist watches on in horror from the inside of a grungy closet, the iconic boss starts doing things to a pair of mannequins (made entirely of legs) that's demented even for the foggy town of Silent Hill.

SUB-ZERO WINS

i

Babality!

The original Mortal Kombat surprised gamers with its overly gruesome fatalities. The anger over these violent finishers was replaced by confusion when Mortal Kombat II introduced the ability to turn your bested enemy into a crying baby. Swaddled in the Clothing and accessories of their adult counterparts, these humorous infants broke from the serious tone of the original MK, and taught gamers that nothing was too outrageous or off-limits.