VIDEO: LA Noire – A Slip of the Tongue Trailer

The latest video for Rockstars upcoming L.A. Noir which is shaping up to be one of 2011 gaming highlights.

VIDEO: Battlefield 3: Fault Line Gameplay

The latest video for the upcoming Battlefield 3 showcasing some of it’s more exciting aspects.

NEWS: George Hotz Fugitive?

George Hotz whom Sony are currently suing has it seems absconded from justice. Hotz as you may know is infamous for hacking the PS3 and then allowing the hack to be made available on the internet.

Sony have spent the past months embroiled in legal proceeding against Hotz whose lawyers have repeatedly stated that he broke no laws and rather than wait and face his day in court Hotz it appears has fled to South America.

Though the evidence establishing personal jurisdiction is already overwhelming, SCEA has little doubt that there is much more. However, over the last several weeks. Hotz has engaged in a campaign to thwart jurisdictional discovery at every turn –regardless of whether the Court has ordered such discovery or not. Most seriously, after Magistrate Judge Spero ordered an inspection of Hotz’s devices and ordered Hotz to appear at a deposition in California, SCEA learned that Hotz had deliberately removed integral components of his impounded hard drives prior to delivering them to a third party neutral and that Hotz is now in South America, an excuse for why he will not immediately provide the components of his hard drives as requested by the neutral. Hotz’s attempts to dodge this Court’s authority raise very serious questions.

When SCEA echoed TIG’s request that the components of the hard drives be delivered immediately, Hotz’s counsel responded that Hotz was in South America.

Well will have more on the story as it develops.

NEWS: Duke Nukem Delayed, Again

Shock of the day comes in news that Duke Nukem Forever is delayed yet again.

Gearbox Software have announced that the title has been pushed back to June 14 and while this latest delay is disappointing what’s another month when you’ve waited for well over a decade.

Gearbox President Randy Pitchford released a video making light of the latest delay. Most surprising is that fans have taken the news not with anger but rather tongue firmly in cheek. Hopefully this is the last delay we face and that come June the King really wille be back.

REVIEW: Bulletstorm

Developer: People Can Fly| Publisher: EA | Format: 360

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher Bulletstorm has all the hallmarks of the next big thing. A lengthy development process, a prerelease campaign in which the game was repeatedly touted as the next big thing and a level of anticipation which is on par with that of the resurrection. The question now though is Does Bulletstorm stand up as a legitimate genre defining title and is it the next big thing? The answer is that Bulletstorm, while flawed certainly delivers on the promise with the gleeful nature of the cartoon voice and humour seeing it apart from the pack

What we learnt from the numerous trailers is that in Bulletstorm you can shot enemies in their balls. The trailers sold the game on it’s over the top violence and repeatedly showcased scenes of jaw droppingly ridiculous gore. It was a rather odd ad campaign as it wasnt until we booted up the game and the first cut scene played that we really got an idea as to what Bulletstorm was about, well bar the ball blasting. the game kicks off with a drunken Grayson Hunt and his motley crew of space pirates launching an all out attack on their old general. After ramming the generals ship Grayson and what remains of his crew find them self stranded on the planet Stygia. With a whole host of mutated freaks to contend with and a general to track down and kill Grayson and Ishi the last survivor of his crew set off across the city of Elysium to kill the general and hijack a rescue ship. None of it is exactly groundbreaking but its told in such a humours style that it’s hard not to fall in love with out characters and their plight.

It’s a testament to the game that there is actually far more going on than meets the eye, Grayson’s reasons for revenge and in doing so redemption are explored in-depth though at times it can seem a little hypocritical considering that this is a game in which you spend your time shooting hundreds of enemies in the testicles while laughing manically. While it is nice to see developers inject some levity into proceedings and it certainly makes for a nice change of pace. However you can’t help feel that as commendable as it is, it remains a hollow gesture made simply to make the game look as it has something to say.

Bulletstorm is for want of a better work juvenile. The language is crass, a line of dialogue can’t go by with out at least one “Fuck” or play on the word dick, the violence is over the top and comical and the characters, Grayson especially seem to be the very embodiment of a 15-year-old who never grew up. It’s childish, immature and all the better for it. There’s a certain charm to the game which will leave you with a smile on your face as you find yourself repeatedly laughing like a mad man as you repeatedly attempt to shoot an enemy in his private area, it’s childish as hell but certainly entertaining.

Gameplay is based on the old favourite of blowing everything that moves to pieces. The score based system, skill points works amazingly well with gamers rewarded for the manner in which they kill. The more unique ht death the more points and the more points you have the more weaponry and ammunition you can purchase. The score system is not a new addition to the genre but few titles have pulled it off so well, the variety of unique kills on offer differs from weapon to weapon and adds a certain level of replayability though that may only apply to those gamers who agonise over the most inventive way to blow up a group of enemies using one of their own as the delivery mechanism.

Multiplayer traditionally involves a slew of modes in which you run around capturing flags and/or killing one another for hours on end. Bulletstorm doesn’t offer a variety of modes, it simply offers Anarchy in which four players are thrown into an arena and mush fight wave after wave after wave of enemy until they reach a kill score which allows them to move on to the next round. Initial levels are easy as pie but as the game progresses the difficulty level is amped right up and with many Anarchy games taking the best part of 2 hours to finish it can become quite tedious and frustrating. The lack of multiplayer modes is a missed opportunity as Bulletstorm is one of those titles which groups of friends will repeatedly get out to play, the style and tone lends it’s self to post pub pizza and beer playing

Bulletstorms biggest problem isn’t the lackslustre multiplayer or the juvenile tone but rather that it’s not quite the game changer it’s long been touted to be. It’s certainly one of the most entertaining FPS around and the gameplay is great but really there is nothing that hasn’t been done a dozen times before, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as Bulletstorm simply refines and perfects theses. The skill point system is amongst the best ever implemented in a FPS, the gameplay is fantastic and fans of the genre will find a lot to love here though those easily offended souls should approach with caution.

VIDEO:Deus Ex: Human Revolution WalkthroughTrailer

With the release growing ever closer each week seems to bring another glimpse of what should be one of the titles of the year. From the video below the game is shaping up quite nicely, while not the graphical behemoth we hoped for the gameplay does seem to more than compensate.

VIDEO: Microsoft Teases Social Gaming

With the success of the Kinect it was only a matter of time before the topic of social gaming was brought to the fore and Microsoft are eagerly dropping hints regarding it. THe latest tease is contained in the video below which promises and exciting future. tk

NEWS: Sony Take Next Step in Jailbreak Case

One the biggest issues in the entertainment industry for the past decade has been the subject of piracy. something of a thorn in the side of game developers the world over piracy has until recently never troubled the PS3. That was until the George Hotz debacle which recently took another turn for the interesting. Sony have been allowed to subpoena the Paypal account of George Hotz who is responsible for cracking the PS3. Why you may ask has such a drastic action been undertaken? Obviously Sony hope that investigation of Hotz account will show evidence that he has benefited financially from his jailbreaking the console.

Sony don’t necessarily need to prove that any financial benefit of Hotz hack but it certainly won’t hurt their case and after previously being allowed to subpena three of the biggest companies in the world, Google, Youtube and Twitter in order to obtain the IP addresses of viewers who had accessed Hotz’s numerous accounts on various sites. It’s somewhat disconcerting to think that what was once a personal project most likely undertaken for fun has warped into an international incident for Hotz with a real posibility that he could serve time for his actions.

What Hotz did initially, hacking the PS3 is frowned upon but not exactly illegal. It was his decision to share the hack and then allow it to be published online which sealed his own fate. There is a good chance that with current discussion regarding piracy and a fresh push to have piracy elevated to a felony charge in the US that Hotz may very well end up as a test case for stricter sentencing.

What he did was illegal and wrong. While the ability to get games for free is always enticing it will only hurt gamers in the long run as developers will simply refuse to dedicate years creating triple A titles only to watch as peole acquire them for free.

REVIEW: Dead Space 2

Developer: Visceral Games | Publisher: EA | Format: PS3/360

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher Another year another EA title in which evil children with blades as hands try repeatedly to remove your head from your body. Dead Space was one of the most brutal and exhilarating titles in recent years, it was the gaming equivalent of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre only instead of a family of inbred locals you had to contend with some truly twisted and nasty villains and a truly gothic, shadow strewn mansion of sorts. It was in essence a horror title which remembered that the most important aspect of horror is to scare.

With the success of Dead Space a sequel was inevitable and as such anticipation has been high for what was promised to be a truly breathtaking sequel. Opening in a large orbital space station Isaac Clarke finds himself bound in a straight-jacket locked away as while he slept the world around once more went to hell.

Obviously the most striking difference in games is the change in location, the much larger environment means that the backtracking found in the first title is no longer in place. What we have instead is a much larger and visually more satisfying enviroment, one which changes drastically as you make your way through the game encountering some truly breathtaking moments. Jumping from train carriage to train carriage as it hurtles toward certain destruction while fighting necromorphs is amongst the most thrilling moments in gaming in a long time but it’s jus the tip of the iceberg in a game which seems to constantly be attempting to top its self. There are more breath-taking moments in Dead Space 2 than many franchises can deliver in 10 and this is both a highlight of the game and a drawback.

As much fun as each thrilling set piece it they do lend the game a certain haunted house feel, it’s almost as if were stuck in the merry-go-round as every few minutes a fresh horror awaits us. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but at the same time it does cheapen the over all experience, great horror is always at its most terrifying when restrained and allowing the gamers imagination to run riot. THankfully then that the atmosphere conjured is truly skin crawling, the use of sound and shadow is up there with the best. Walking down a darkened hallway with an empty arsenal as all around you the sound of screeching can be heard is a truly horrifying experience.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the original was the plot which while reliant heavily on formulaic scares really did grab. Dead Space 2, while a superior game with a far more atmospheric feel and set pieces falls down somewhat when it comes to plot. The first few hours are literally you running around while every now and again a strange woman contacts you in order to direct you around. With no idea who she is or why she’s helping you blindly follow her advice even when she directs you to use a crypt as a shortcut at a time when the dead are rising from their slumber. It seems tacked on and while her motivations come clear later on the first portion of the game feels like the developers were looking for a way to show off some of the environments they created.

As the game progresses it is the characters who suffer, they remain little more than a name and repeated scenes of Isaac holding his head as fevered insanity sets it. For a title with such a rich back story involving conspiracy, politics and religion to end up with such a muddled and cliched plot is a shame. It’s all very much skin deep and were it a Hollywood film would most likely feature Lance Henrickson and Brad Dourif in some capacity.

It may seem that the game is a disappointment and while certain aspects are the overall package makes for a truly gratifying gaming experience. There really is something immensely satisfying about dismembering enemies and then stomping ont here dead bodies in order to get some ammunition or supplies. Weaponry and the rig, much like in the original are all upgradeable. The arsenals at your disposal remains somewhat the same though the addition of a powerful rifle nad and the javelin gun do make tearing enemies apart a rather enjoyable experience.

The biggest addition to the game is multiplayer which comes across as the offspring of Left 4 Dead and Call of Duty. Like the main game its satisfying and the more you play the more weapons and skills you unlock and even with only 5 maps to choose from its thoroughly smile inducing fun.

Dead Space 2 is a great experience, it’s fast, furious and full of thrills and spills. It’s the gaming equivalent of a Summer Blockbuster, a non stop barrage of big set pieces and never a moments let up. And while the plot never comes together and it lacks the depth which could have made it a true classic, the game remains one of the most entertaining titles of the year and is sure to feature on best of lists come December.