VIDEO: Dead Space 2 Launch Trailer

At long last Dead Space 2 is upon us and with reviews thus far calling it nothing short of a masterpiece expectation is high and with a review forthcoming here is the frankly astounding launch trailer for what is sure to be one of 2011s high points in gaming.

NEWS: PSP2 Officially Announed

The PlayStation Portable 2 is now official with an expected release date for the end of this year. The device code named the “NGP” (next-gen portable) will sport a 5-inch touchscreen with 960 x 544 pixels, four times that of the PSP and will run on OLED technology. It’s destined to be the best looking display system on any handheld device and with the added bonus of twin analogue sticks identical to those found on the PS3 controller. The PSP2 will also feature two cameras, (front and back)GPS, 3G, aswell as the same motion sensors found in the Move. All in all it’s looking pretty damn amazing and its looking certain that upon release the PSP2 will most likely be the king of the handheld market.

What really separates the PSP2 from others on the market is the chipset, which is quite frankly head and shoulders above anything else on the market atm. The use of a quad-core system means that the PSP2 will have a hell of a lot of processing power. Most handhelds on the market atm sport only single or double core ram chips. The other chip will be the main driving force for gaming with Sony picking a PowerVR SGX543MP4+, again its a quad based system and is sure to deliver one hell of a punch. While much of the past paragraph may have made absolutely no sense to many people, what it means in layman terms is simple, the PSP2 will pack one hell of a punch.

Here is the launch video for the PSP2:

REVIEW: Gran Turismo 5

Developer: Polyphony | Publisher: SCEE | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher Gran Turismo 5 has been a long time coming and after numerous delays it became something of a gaming Chinese Democracy and much like Chinese Democracy the end result isn’t quite the landmark event the hype led many to believe it would be.

The first and perhaps most damning thing you will notice upon inserting your game disc is a screen informing you of an optional install which goes on to explain that while not required declining the install will lead to extended ingame loading times and performance issues. That the install requires 8 gigs of space and well over half an hour to install is rather unfortunate especially for anyone with a launch console.

With this out-of-the-way you are now free to experience what promises to be one of the most cutting edge racers to ever grace a console. Anyone who has played any previous entry in the series will feel right at home as soon as the menu pops up and this is far from a good thing.

Barring a few small changes the game remains pretty much the same as previous entries with game play once again seeing you obtaining your National B license through completion of a series of driving tests and upon completion of all 10 tests you earn your first license and ability to enter Amateur events. Completing events is as you would expect how you progress, money is used to purchase upgrades and new cars while experience points open up new events and features.

While experience and cash are necessities in the game it is earning medals which really opens up the game and it is here where the game comes into it’s own. Earning new cars has always been where Gran Turismo excelled and considering that Sony have repeatedly hyped the selection of cars on offer, over 1,000 there is no shortage of medals to earn. There are really two classes of car, standard and premium.

Standard cars are exactly what they say on the tin, standard. The damage modelling on them is basic and the look rather mundane. The premium models have extensive damage modelling and meticulously realistic interior views, it;s a shame that the majority of the games roster is made up of standard models.

Visually the game is far from the cutting edge visual experience it promise. While many elements do look absolutely stunning, many of the cars are photo realistic and there are moments where your jaw will literally drop from the overwhelming beauty of it all but there are a number of elements which really drag the over all experience down. Enviroment elements such as trees look bland and obviously computer generated, banners resemble blocks with no discernible texture.

Weather elements are also rather lack-struck at times, while the vast majority of stages look genuinely realistic there are some effects which would be more at home in cartoon than a realistic sim. While these few graphical anomalies would be forgiven in many titles it’s hard to overlook them in one which promise the most realistic racing experience around.

The one area where the game truly excels is in the level of content on offer. There isn’t another racer on the market which comes close to matching GT5 for sheer bang for your buck. Shame then that a title which spent nearly half a decade in development is the very definition of quantity over quality.

While not a terrible game by any means it is certainly a very underwhelming experience. Car fanatics will no doubt wet themselves over the wide array of cars available to race but most gamers will find GT5 a missed opportunity.

REVIEW: The Sly Collection

Developer: Sanzaru Games | Publisher: SCEA | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher The Sly series was one of the most entertaining series to grace the Playstation 2 and like many great series it has something of a cult following who should be over the moon with the release og the Sly Collection for the PS3. Bringing together the 3 entries in the series formatted for HD gaming it’s a true celebration of quality platforming which fans will adore.

The first thing which gamers will notice is just how old school the original feels, while it remains highly entertaining and will raise many a laugh time really has not been kind. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the title it is very much a product of time past, the stilted platforming is somewhat underwhelming and may leave newcomers curious as to exactly why the series has received an upgrade.

Thankfully Sly 2: Band of Thieves is as fresh and entertaining as it was first time around. The decision to abandon many of the mini games and racing sequences which dragged the original to a halt is greatly appreciated. Most importantly the platforming elements have been tweaked to damn near perfection and with the inclusion of some entertaining stealth missions Sly 2 remains even now in this day and age a thoroughly entertaining title.

Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves is the high point of the series, it takes all that was great about Sly 2 and improves upon it.Really there’sm not much you can write about it other than to call it one of the best platform titles ever released. The story is well told and will raise many a smile, the platform elements are fantastic and most importantly the game is never anything but entertaining.

The Sly Collection is a fantastic package featuring some of the best platformers ever released and given the relatively low price tag the Sly Collection is a must have.

VIDEO: L.A. Noir Trailer 2

Rockstar have today offered another glimpse at their gorgeous noir soaked title L.A. Noir which is sure to be one of 2011’s biggest titles.

VIDEO: Dead Space 2: Your Mom Hates It

It’s hard not to question the idea behind the following trailer, while it’s a great idea on paper the final product does play into every negative stereotype associated with gaming. Especially considering that Dead SPace 2 is a title, developed for mature, adult gamers, it is not a title which should be readily available to children and as such why then does it feel that the following trailer exists only to sell the game to 12 year olds.

TRAILER: Bulletstorm – Last Call

There are games which sell themselves on 30 seconds of in-game footage showcasing the games finest moments and then there are games which sell themselves through inventive and highly original trailers which mange to sell a title simply using suggestive images which may have nothing to do with the game. A recent example of this was the last Halo title which had a super trailer which was more cinematic than many big budget production yet even that pales in comparison to this truly spectacular trailer for the upcoming Bulletstorm.

REVIEW: Assassins Creed: Brotherhood

Developer / Publisher: Ubisoft | Format: PS3, 360

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher Assassin’s Creed 2 was one of the most refreshing and invigorating sequels in a long time, it expanded upon the original tweaking each individual aspect of the game till they had a sequel which delivered on every front tweaking each aspect of the original and improving upon it. With Brotherhood the developers have taken the concept and tweaked it even more to deliver an experience which borders on perfection.

Beginning a year after the end of part 2, Brotherhood finds a Ezio once again waging a private war on the Borgia who have plans upon controlling all of Italy and in true gaming style it’s up to you to ensure that their plans do not succeed.

The most obvious addition to the game is the multiplayer, the first of its kind in the series to date. Rather the usual free for all or capture the flag, Brotherhood’s multiplayer is very much a strategy based affair with you adopting many of the tricks of the single player, disguises, sitting down, hiding in crowds, etc in order to succeed. As with all great multiplayer there is a variety of modes on offer.

Manhunt involves two teams of four players against each other in which one team has to stay hidden while the other hunts them. Wanted does pretty much as it says on the tin, each play has a specific target and must track them down while being hunted yourself, it’s simple yet deeply rewarding and makes a nice change of pace from the usual shoot everyone experience adopted by most online games. Alliance involves teams of two working together to protect one another while taking out their own target and the final mode is simply a variation on wanted. The simplicity of the modes is what makes them so much fun, there’s something deeply satisfying about hunting down another player and stopping them. It’s not simply a case of running around a map at will but rather like a military manoeuvre takes planning and cunning.

With multiplayer out-of-the-way its time to delve into the single player which believe you me is absolutely fantastic. The most impressive addition is the enemy A.I. Which is far superior to that in the previous entries. While it’s still easy to get past them it is much harder to escape when they do catch you. They will hunt you like a wild dog and it’s a common sight for them to call in reinforcements during combat seriously upping the stakes. With the chips stacked against you it may seem a if the games is a little overzealous in making things difficult for you.

Thankfully then that Ezio is not alone this time around. As you progress through the game you can recruit various rebellious citizens into your guild and train them as assassins so that when things are looking the bleakest you can on the, it’s something which you will find yourself doing often as it not only levels the playing field but is perhaps your only chance of winning some of the truly epic battles you find yourself in.

Perhaps the most startling and breathtaking aspect of the game isn’t the combat but the city of Rome. It gigantic and I mean gigantic. From the wide open streets to the tight dark alleys to the marketplaces to the large countryside it’s an awe-inspiring place. That he entire place is one open world with no sign of load times between ares is all the more impressive. It’s easy to forget about the main game and simply spend hours searing the map for treasure and other collectibles. This reviewer found himself at times just standing still for long periods of time simply to take it all in. Ubisoft have really out done themselves here and created the first truly living breathing video game world.

Assassins Creed 2 was a massive improvement of the first in the series most noticeably in the story and the way it was implemented. With Brotherhood this has once again been tweaked and improved, the story has been streamlined leading to a much more immersive experience. You can now leave the Animus at any time to explore the modern day Monteriggioni and while it’s little more than a time waster there are a number of collectables to be discovered and does make for a nice change of pace.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood like all great sequels builds on the previous entries in the series, taking what was good about them and making it great. Brotherhood is easily the best in the series to date and remains one of 2010’s most impressive titles. It truly is a breathtaking title and one which any serious gamer must own.

VIDEO: Killzone 3 Story Trailer

After a few weeks of down time Gamestoaster is back and promise to be better than ever before. We thought that the best way to celebrate this would be by sharing the truly epic trailer for the upcoming Killzone 3.