TRAILER: Halo Reach Day Before

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In a little over two weeks gamers will finally get an opportunity to return to the Halo universe and once more wage war on the Covenant. The game will follow the story of the Noble Team, a squad of Spartan soldiers and their last stand on the planet Reach, the last line of defence between us and them.

REVIEW: Crackdown 2

Developer: Ruffian Games| Publisher: Microsoft | Format: 360

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher The original Crackdown was an interesting take on the sandbox genre. In it you took on the role of a cop in a futuristic city as you battled gangs and took ona variety of missions. The most interesting aspect of it all was that you were able to acquire and upgrade superhuman abilities, you could jump insane distances, pick up cars and throw them with ease aswell as a slew of others. The game was a refreshing and entertaining take on the genre and one which deservedly won it’s self a number of dedicated fans.

The sequel developed this time by Ruffian Games is pretty much more of the same. Considering the different developers most gamers expected a different approach but you’ll have trouble spotting any real difference. It’s pretty much the same game as the original only with different missions and a refined graphics engine. The story is something of a misstep here, you once more play a cop trying to bring peace to the city but this time you must not only fight the gangs but a disease which has been laying waste to the population. Bar this set up the story is pretty much non-existent. There is no coherent narrative and as such youre pretty much free to do as you see fit. In place of a story we instead get a fully created world to explore and abilities to earn and upgrade. The city is a sprawling metropolis which stretches for miles and given the hordes which roam the streets you’re never far from some action.

As with so many sequels of late the missions have been created so as to encourage co-op gameplay. Missions involve attacking enemy bases, capturing places on the map aswell as laying waste to hordes of enemies, all in all perfect multiplayer fodder. If you decide to go it alone, the missions remain exactly the same. It would have been nice to see some additional missions opened up to co-op gamers, it would certainly add a level of replayability that as it stands Crackdown 2 seriously lacks.

Crackdown 2 is fun when played alongside another friend but for gamers on their own it’s a repetitive and uninteresting title which soon grows tiresome. Fans of the first Crackdown will find a lot to like here but for everyone else Crackdown 2 is another title to add to the long list of missed opportunities.

NEWS: Mass Effect 2 Coming to the PS3

EA today announced that the highly successful Mass Effect 2 would be making it’s PS3 debut next january. The game, the highest rated so far of 2010 will arrive on teh console in a special edition which will include hours of bonus content.

BIOWARE’S ACTION RPG MASS EFFECT 2 MAKES PLAYSTATION 3 DEBUT
The Highest Rated Game of 2010 Comes to PS3 in January 2011

August 17th 2010 – Today at GamesCom, BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), announced that Mass Effect™ 2, the highest rated game of 2010 for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and PC*, is coming to the Sony PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system in January 2011. The PlayStation 3 edition will include the full Mass Effect 2 game and hours of bonus content, making this the perfect introduction to BioWare’s award-winning action RPG franchise.

Mass Effect 2 has already received over 70 perfect scores from media outlets such as the Associated Press, Eurogamer, MSNBC,com, G4TV and the Los Angeles Times, and is the highest rated game in the 15-year history of Bioware and the 28-year history of EA.

The Mass Effect franchise is an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous aliens and mysterious, uncharted planets. In Mass Effect 2, PlayStation 3 players will step into the role of Commander Shepard for the very first time, leading a crew of the most dangerous special operatives from across the galaxy on a mission to save mankind. Featuring intense shooter action, a rich storyline, space exploration and emotionally engaging character interaction, Mass Effect 2 delivers an unparalleled gameplay experience.

NEWS: Duke Nukem Forever Back On

It’s been the best part of 13 years since development began on Duke Nukem Forever and after a series of delays, multitude of release date changes and cancellations any sane gamer gave up hope of ever seeing the title ever hitting shelves. When the game was officially cancelled most breathed a sigh of relief as the constant promise of the title and subsequent disappointment was to much to bear. Now it seems that Borderlands developer Gearbox are working on finishing the game and bring to an end the longest development hell of any title.

A report on Kotaku suggests that Duke is not only alive and well but that acclaimed developers Gearbox would be taking the game across the final hurdle.Gearbox were in the past linked with Duke when their Duke Begins project was being touted as Dukes return to form only for it to be cancelled.

More information concerning the game could surface around September with even rumblings that a playable demo may be launched before year’s end. Gamestoaster doesnt advising holding your breath but it does seem that one of the most unique development stories of all tie may soon be coming to an end.