Free F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn Demo Available Today

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The original F.E.A.R. remains one of the most entertaining and down right scary FPS ever released and the sequel was bloody entertaining also. The upcoming Reborn is looking like it could be another winner and after playing the demo this writer is happy to report that it doesnt disappoint.

Free F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn Demo Available Today on PlayStation®Network and Xbox LIVE® Marketplace

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Monolith Studios are pleased to announce that a playable demo for
F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn, the next F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin DLC pack, is available for free download via PlayStation® Network and Xbox LIVE® Marketplace today.

This free demo provides the first chance to get a hands-on look at the upcoming single-player campaign, featuring four all new levels. F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn immerses gamers in the aftermath of Alma’s destruction with a mysterious new point-of-view: that of Replica Soldier Foxtrot 813. Be careful, not all is as it seems.

Download now and get the first look at F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn today!

The complete F.E.A.R. 2: Reborn experience will be available for purchase on September 3 via PlayStation Network for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and Xbox LIVE for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows™ PC. Additionally, patches for PlayStation 3 and PC and a title update for Xbox 360—all including Slow-Mo Deathmatch mode capabilities—will be made available for free on September 3.

About F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin:

In F.E.A.R.2: Project Origin, a routine assignment to locate the president of Armacham Technology Corporation turns into a desperate battle for survival after an explosion decimates the city and unleashes Alma Wade, the terrifying supernatural menace at the centre of Armacham’s highly classified Project Origin. As Alma ’s power swells out of control, special forces Sgt. Michael Becket and his squad must battle through an apocalyptic landscape of shattered buildings and buckled streets in search of clues for how to destroy her. The more Becket learns about Armacham’s secret experiments and reckless agenda, the more he begins to suspect that he’s somehow linked to the crisis and may be the only one capable of averting total disaster. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is rated 18 and is available now for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and Games for Windows®.

VIDEO: The Joker in Action

With the game receiving critical acclaim and an Irish release date less than a week away we finally have our first look at Joker in action. The Joker will is a PS3 exclusive character and this writer has to say that he’s looking quite menacing. The game is a  3rd person action title and one which it seems will be appearing on most best of year lists come December.

One of the games most impressive attributes is the superb voice cast many of whom appeared in the superb 90s Batman the Animated Series which still ranks as one of the finest animated shows ever broadcast. The game looks to be of the same quality of the show and this writer is counting down the seconds till he gets his hands on one.

REVIEW: Battlefield 1943

Developer: Dice| Publisher: EA| Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher For the last number of years the Battlefield franchise has repeatedly delivered superior team based multiplayer action. Battlefield 1943 is the latest addition to this ongoing series and one which once more showcases the PS3 online capabilities. The game is set in 1943 in the Pacific theater of WWII. Teams are broken up into the good old US of A and Japan. Up to 24 players can play at once across 3 maps and while there are only 3 soldier classes the game still manages to match the best multiplayer shooters around.

For those who have played any of the titles in the franchise to date the way to victory will be familiar. Each team has a life bar and each time a player dies and re-spawns their bar goes down a little bit more. Capturing any of the 5 bases in the level will help you deplete the enemy bar quicker. Capturing a base and defending it is a tricky business. To successfully accomplish this you have to co ordinate each attack with your team mates, unfortunately doing this is seriously impeded by the fact that the voice chat isn’t working properly. At times you will be greeted with stoney silence. Thus far the voice chat is still very buggy but a fix is on the way. While the voice chat issues are an annoyance most games go quite well once common sense sets in.

The three soldier classes make for an interesting time. Re-spawning can be a dangerous proposition also, re-spawn at an empty base and you can easily be picked off by a sniper from the other side of the map. Alongside the sniper are infantry who utilise machine guns and a rocket launcher. The final class is the Rifleman and is by far the most tactical class to pick. Rather than getting up close and personal or keeping well back the rifleman can get in close enough to the action to be deadly while at the same time being safe. Like with all decisions choosing your class can be as satisfying as it is frustrating. As the game changes re-spawning as a different class can be the difference between a quick loss and a win. Perhaps the most fulfilling aspect of gameplay bar winning is the ability to implement the one kill melee weapon. Be it a spanner, a sword or a bayonet, a quick flick of the triangle button close to an enemy and it’s an immensely good feeling.

Vehicles, fixed weapon positions and air raids all add to the action. Tanks, jeeps and planes are all available. Perhaps the most destructive vehicle available is the air strike. An air strike can level an entire village if handled correctly and can be accessed from one specific bunker on each map. The biggest problem regarding this is that many players will simply wait outside the bunker and jump in ever time it’s available meaning that getting a go at it may be troublesome.

Battlefield 1943 is certainly one of the most impressive an dfun online shooters available. While problems such as the voice chat not working correctly and team balancing issues do take away from the game overall it’s ranks up there with the best of the best.

REVIEW: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Developer: Luxoflux| Publisher: Activision | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher As with most things in life a sequel to Transformers was inevitable. After all any film which features gigantic robots fighting each other is certainly going to entertain. There’s just something so simple about the concept that it can’t not be entertaining.As such a sequel to the game was also life death, inevitable.

Lets get right down to basics. The game offers you the choice of playing as either the noble and heroic Autobots or the evil Decepticons. The single player story can be played from both sides and while it is fun to play as both sides the missions remain pretty much the same, only with the objective changed. The biggest change is to the cut scenes and the main mission objective. When playing as the Autobots your mission is to assist the humans or shold that be the US military who have formed a special unit called NEST to put na end to the Decepticons. The Decepticons have not been taking it easy since Megatron fell, Starscream now leads them and is working for the mysterious and evil The Fallen. All in all it’s pretty faithful to the film.

As with all licensed games much of the events depicted in the film show up in the game and this is no different. The game features all the key areas from the film, Shanghai,  Cairo and the West Coast of America are all featured. Cairo is perhaps the most enjoyable of the locations, the fact that it’s where the finale a balls out robot on robot skirmish takes place ensures this.

The lenght of the single player story is very impressive and offers a lot of replay value through unlockable missions. While the quantity of missions on offer is commendale the lack of variety does drag it down. Opting to play as Autobot or Decepticons does change your basic mission objective. In the mission where Mikale has a piece of the All Spark playing as an Autobot involves racing to her garage to save her. When playing as the Deceptacons you lead your team and destroy all communication relay stations so that Bumblebee cannot call for back up. The ability to play as both sides means that the game has some serious replayability value.

While lengthy the single player does get rather tiresome given the repetitive nature of the missions. You race around, fight baddies and collect an item or character then do it all again for the next mission. Thank God then for the superior online play. Allowing up to 8 players to take each other on over 5 maps and 5 diffrent modes such as One Shall Stand. It’s such a gloriously fun experience that were it sold solely as an online game it would be worthy of purchasing.
Based purely on looks the game is a bit of a mixed bag. The Transformers all look fantastic and there is something immensely cool by watching a robot transform from a car into a towering machine at the flick of the L2 button. However as cool as the machines look many of the levels look quite poor and some would not be out of place in a PS2 title. The game does sound fantastic utilizing as it does the score from the film. The presence of many of the original voice talent also gives the game a boost. There is something extremely cool about the sounds of Peter Cullen.

Revenge of the fallen could have been a contender but as it stands it’s simply an above average tie in. The single player mode is lacking but the online play does somewhat make up for this. Fans of the characters will find a lot to love here but more casual gamers would be advised to try before they buy.

Xbox Live Summer Update

XBOX LIVE SUMMER UPDATE PUTS A WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

Dublin – 5^th August: A week from today, the Xbox LIVE summer update will arrive to more than 20 million Xbox LIVE members and with it will come the next evolution of connected entertainment on Xbox 360.  Get ready to meet the many new faces of your Xbox 360; whether it’s new Avatar clothing and awards from Adidas or “Splosion Man”, or even a private home cinema, Xbox LIVE has something for YOU.

Movie night on Xbox LIVE
Browse, select and jump right into your favorite movies from the top genres: comedy, action, horror…even a tear-jerking chick flick. There are hundreds to choose from, with many in HD.

Avatars are people too!
Now thanks to Avatar Marketplace the options for customising your avatar are endless. With an ever-expanding selection of stores, full of premium outfits and accessories from your favorite games and fashion brands, you can express yourself through your Avatar like never before. Your Avatar’s one-stop-shop will launch with a growing collection from the top names in fashion and gaming including:

· Top Brands: Adidas, Quiksilver, Roxy, Tokidoki
· Unique Fashions: Steampunk, Recessionista
· Your Favorite Games: “BioShock 2,” “Halo 3,” “Halo 3: ODST,” “Gears of War 2,” “Fable II,” “The Secret of Monkey Island SE,” “Splinter: Cell Conviction,” “Star Wars Clone Wars: Republic Heroes”
You can also earn special Avatar clothes and items just by playing your favorite games, starting with a hot logo t-shirt from “Splosion Man,” the hit Xbox LIVE Arcade title that kicked-off off the 2^nd annual Summer of Arcade. And to keep your Avatars from getting bored, we’re giving them fun new props to play with; everything from a basketball to pompoms, even a mobile phone…just try to stick with nights and weekends.

Full Xbox 360 games at the push of a button
Xbox 360 games: Games on Demand. Launching with a library of 21 great titles, Games on Demand marks the introduction of digitally distributed full Xbox 360 games: the titles you want, when you want them, straight to your Xbox 360 at the push of a button. You’ll also have the option to easily purchase Games on Demand titles directly via credit card.

From award-winning hits like “Mass Effect,” “and “Assassin’s Creed,” to family favorites like “LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga” and “Sonic the Hedgehog,” Games on Demand gives you access to a growing catalog of full Xbox 360 titles, updated weekly and available to browse and download 24 x7 from the comfort of your couch. Check out our line-up at launch:

Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft)	Need for Speed: Most Wanted (EA)
Burnout Paradise (EA)	Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft Game Studios)
Call of Duty® 2 (Activision)	Prey (2K Games)
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion	Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis (Rockstar Games)
Fight Night Round 3 (EA	Sega Rally (Sega)
Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios)	TEST DRIVE: UNLIMITED (Atari)
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga (LucasArts)	Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
Mass Effect (Microsoft Game Studios)	Tomb Raider Legend (Eidos)
Meet The Robinsons (Disney)	Viva Piñata (Microsoft Game Studios)
MX vs. ATV Untamed (THQ)	Viva Piñata 2: Trouble in Paradise (Microsoft Game Studios)
Need for Speed Carbon (EA)

No more hide and seek
Now you can view, find and arrange your content on Xbox LIVE the way you want. Want to send a specific friend a message? Sort your friends list by Gamertag, status and even activity, so you can easily find the friends you want. There are also new options for viewing your Achievements and progress, improved matchmaking support and more.

Best of all, you can now rate every single piece of content on Xbox LIVE Games Marketplace using a five star system. Support your favorite XBLA game with a five star rating, or find the top-rated titles in the newly-updated Indie Games Marketplace – it’s never been easier to find the best and most beloved game content on Xbox LIVE.

Just the beginning…
The Xbox LIVE summer update brings all new ways to play games, and connect with friends or friendly rivals anywhere in the world. It’s another step toward realising the Xbox 360 promise of entertainment for everyone, and another reason why Xbox LIVE is hands down the best entertainment value in your living room. But this is just the beginning…

Coming soon, we’re bringing a whole new wave of partnerships and custom features straight to your Xbox 360 – instant on 1080p streaming video with 5.1 audio from Zune, personalised digital radio stations from Last.fm, and the biggest forces in social networking: Facebook and Twitter.

In the meantime, have fun with your Avatar, or download that classic Xbox 360 game you’ve been meaning to pick up. Sit back, relax and enjoy and stay tuned for the next evolution in connected entertainment, courtesy of Xbox LIVE.


About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is a superior video game and entertainment system delivering the best games, unique entertainment features and a unified online gaming network that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a portfolio of more than 300 games in nearly 40 countries. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Xbox LIVE
Xbox LIVE connects more than 20 million members across 26 countries to each other and the entertainment they love. Home of more entertainment from one remote than can be found from any device connected to the television, Xbox LIVE is also a unified online social network bringing friends together, no matter where they are — in the living room or across the world. More information and Xbox LIVE membership can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-IE/live/

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential