IMAGES: LA Noir Looking Gorgeous

After teasing us with a trailer a few weeks back Rockstar have today released a number of images showcasing just how stunning the game looks.

Assassins Creed 2 Trailer and More

Ubisoft presents
Assassin’s Creed® 2

Product Description

Assassin’s Creed® 2 is the follow-up to the title that became the fastest-selling new IP in video game history. The highly anticipated title features a new hero, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young Italian noble, and a new era, the Renaissance.

Assassin’s Creed 2 retains the core gameplay experience that made the first opus a resounding success and features new experiences that will surprise and challenge players.

Assassin’s Creed 2 is an epic story of family, vengeance and conspiracy set in the pristine, yet brutal, backdrop of a Renaissance Italy. Ezio befriends Leonardo da Vinci, takes on Florence’s most powerful families and ventures throughout the canals of Venice where he learns to become a master assassin.

Key Features

EZIO, A NEW ASSASSIN FOR A NEW ERA
Ezio Auditore da Firenze is a young Italian noble who will learn the ways of the assassins after his family was betrayed and he looks to seek vengeance. He is a lady’s man, a free soul with panache yet has a very human side to his personality. Through him, you become a master assassin.

RENAISSANCE ITALY
Italy in the 15th century was less a country and more a collection of city-states where families with political and economic strength began to take leadership roles in cities like Florence and Venice. This journey through some of the most beautiful cities in the world takes place in a time in history where culture and art were born alongside some of the most auspicious stories of corruption, greed and murder.

A NEW-FOUND FREEDOM
You will be able to perform missions when you want and how you want in this open-ended world that brings back free-running and adds elements such as swimming and even flying to the adventure. The variety in gameplay adds another layer for you to truly play through the game any way you choose.

DYNAMIC CROWD
Discover a living, breathing world where every character is an opportunity for the player. Blending in with the crowd is easier, working with in-game characters provide ample rewards but can also lead to surprising consequences.

BECOME A MASTER ASSASSIN
Perfect your skills to become a master assassin where you brandish new weapons, learn to disarm enemies then use their weapons against them and assassinate enemies using both hidden blades.

Product Specifications
Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Ship Date: Holiday 2009
Category: Action/Adventure
Rating: Mature (US) / PEGI 16+ / USK (TBC)
Web site: www.assassinscreed.com

© 2007-2009 Ubisoft Entertainment. All Rights Reserved. Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, Ubi.com and the Ubisoft logo are trademarks of Ubisoft Entertainment in the U.S. and/or other countries. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks and “PS3” is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. Software platform logo (TM and ©) EMA 2006.

Red Steel 2 Trailer and More

There you have it folks the truly impressive trailer for the upcoming Red Steel 2 from Ubisoft. The original flawed as it was remains a thoroughly entertaining game and one which gave the Wii a bit of a kick start in it’s first few weeks. Part 2 looks even more impressive and the combat system looks to have been tweaked to perfection.

Below are a selection of screens from the game as well as some development art, enjoy.

The most awesome screen ever

WOW, I just got this in an email and have yet to pick my jaw from the floor. The game is being developed by Rebellion with a 2010 release date. We’ll be back later with more screens and the trailer once it’s released.

REVIEW: Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.K.

Developer: Ubisoft | Publisher: Ubisoft | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

The first thing that most seasoned flight sim fans will notice about H.A.W.X. is just how much like Ace Combat it all is. The control system, the selection of craft and missions are all similar and like Ace Combat this title does the superb juggling act of making the game look like a flight sim but play like an arcade game.

The setting is the near future, a squad of elite fighter pilots all join with a military contractor after finish their careers in the US air force. As the game progress you find yourself engaged in various missions across the world slowly releasing that your new employers have ulterior motives than to simply serve and protect. The way in which all this is neatly wrapped into the epic Tom Clancy mythology evident in all the games to date makes the story far more gratifying.

Lets be hones here, the plot is far from important here, what people want is to fly through cities decimating enemy planes and laying waste to its streets. It’s here that the developers do themselves proud. The missions are generally separated into two categories, bomb runs which involve you escorting bomber planes to their target and dogfights which involve fast, furious aerial combat. Most impressive of all though is the ability to do it all with some friends playing as your wing-men. By simply adding in a friend of three you can turn simple aerial battles into enormous aerial battles involving dozens and dozens of enemy planes as more plans are dispatched for each additional player.

The unique selling point of H.A.W.X. is the ability to turn off the safety locks on all the planes. By simply double tapping one of the triggers you can seriously increase your planes movability and evasiveness. The camera pulls back allowing you a third person view of events. The nail biting close calls from here on are breathtaking. There really is something thrilling about pulling 360 barrel rolls and then watching as your missile fire downs an enemy craft.

Visually H.A.W.K. is simply astounding. Many of the worlds cities such as Washington and Rio De Janeiro have been recreated from satellite photography in amazing crystal clear detail. The same level of detail is applied to all aspects of the game, making for one of the most visually realistic titles on the PS3.

H.A.W.K. is up there with the best of them. It’s easily the best flight sim on any of the consoles and the relatively easy learning curve makes it accessible for all gamers. Anyone with even a passing interest in the genre the game is a must buy and for everyone else well, to be honest it’s an essential addition to any gamers shelf. Put simply it’s one of the few game of the past year which you must own.

REVIEW: Halo Wars

Developer: Ensemble Studios | Publisher: Microsoft Games Studios | Format: 360

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

Microsoft’s decision to shut down legendary strategy developers Ensemble Studios has seen a wave of dismay wash over it’s fans. After delivering classics such as Age of Empires the developers swan song Halo Wars makes the decision to shut them down even more idiotic. In all the years of RTS console titles this marks the first occasion in which the gamer feels like the controller in their hand is all that’s needed.

Simplicity is what the games does well. There are none of the usual modifier keys present, you can’t play around with the AI there’s no need to spend ages collecting resources in a bid to build infrastructure. No, Halo Wars is a streamlined RTS which works so well that it gives one hope for the future of console based RTS gaming, well that is as long as other developers can successfully ape Ensemble Studios format.

The gameplay is quite basic when compared to the PC variants, there is no need for the tedious tasks gamers are usually faced with. Base building, resource gathering, etc are nowhere to be found leaving you instead to concentrate on formulating your strategy. This alone makes Halo Wars the single best RTS available on any of the consoles.

Single player is quite interesting and very re-playable. You can attempt it on a number of difficulty settings, try to collect all the skulls and score higher and higher on the leader board. The 15 missions in total tell a story of Halo 20 years before Master Chief placed that infamous armour on. The AI is slightly disappointing and sours the game when offline skirmishes are rather easy to finish. When played online the game really comes alive. Nothing beats going toe to toe against another human being.

Halo Wars is at times a very basic RTS stripped of most of the features so defined by the genre. But it is this that truly makes the game and as their final game, it really does Ensemble Studios proud.

REVIEW: Killzone 2

Developer: Guerilla Games | Publisher: Sony | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

In years to come Killzone 2 will be remembered as a major event in the history of next gen releases. It all began with the unveiling of the trailer back in 2005 and was the first evidence that the PS3 could be superior to the competition.

Nearly 4 years later we finally have Killzone 2 in our greedy little mitts and can decide for ourselves just how it shapes up. First impressions leaves one with their lower jaw resting firmly between their feet. Believe the hype, Killzone 2 really is all that.

The first thing that strike you is just how visually impressive it all is. The game stretches the machines capabilities further than any other title to date. It really does take your breath away.  The level design is simply astounding. Watch as the ground around you trembles and buildings crumble under the onslaught. Random dust clouds and presence of smoke from various burning items all offer hazardous realistic environmental features.

One of the most inventive and  obvious devices the game employs is to make the old red versus blues a lot more interesting. The Helghast forces all have glowing orange eye pieces while the ISA soldiers have a nice blue glow. That such a simple device can make such a difference makes you wonder why all games don’t employ it.

The real stars of the game aren’t the ISA forces you find yourself fighting for but the Helghast who could very well go down in history as the greatest gaming bad guys. They are ferocious, unrelenting and much like the Nazi’s employ propaganda leading to a truly realistic villain.

While the gameplay offers nothing new of note, well bar the nuisance of having to turn the Sixaxis controller to set bombs and turn stuff. The combat is fast, furious and absolutely frightening. The AI is decent and the fact that injured enemy soldiers will limp when shot offers up the possibilities of some brutal melee violence.

When it comes down to it Killzone 2 is one of the greatest shooters ever released on any console and will be seen in years to come as a true classic. If you own a PS3 there is absolutely no excuse not to own it, even if you have to pimp yourself out in order to do so.

REVIEW: Prince of Persia

Developer: Ubisoft | Publisher: Ubisoft | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

When deciding to reinvent a franchise, especially one as critically and commercially successful as the Prince of Persia series it’s important not to forget what made the franchise so popular to begin with. The Sands of Time series are some of the finest games ever released om any platform and now we have a whole new series for a new console.
The simply named Prince of Persia is Ubisoft’s attempt at a whole new franchise starring the most famous prince in the gaming world. Removing the old time manipulation aspect of the earlier games and introducing an open world which can be explored at will show makes this title a departure from all that’s come before. The most welcome change for many will be the simplicities of the platforming elements, all you have to do now is simply jump at a wall in order to dun along it or bounce up it to a ledge.

The story follows the Prince and his meeting with Elika a princess attempting to save her kingdom from some evil God after her father lets him loose. Your job is to traverse the kingdom undoing all the corruption and killing various minions of the dark lord.  This is done in quite a simplistic manner. You enter an area, jump from ledge to ledge and then fight a variation on one of the game’s 4 big bosses. Once done you use Elika to clean up before searching for enough light seeds to open up the next area. It’s all rather simply structured and works all the better for it.

Combat has been seriously improved. Rather than the old one versus many, this time combat is a one on one affair and is greatly improved as a result. You can now string together attacks allowing for a much more fluid feel to it. The only real complaint is that you find yourself performing the same moves over and over again. One thing that should be addressed in subsequent games is enemies tendency to resort to guard position during combat which males all attacks bar gauntlet attacks useless. To do this you have to get rather close leaving yourself open to attack.

Prince of Persia is a fantastic game which sets the standard for action games on the PS3. Bar the few small niggles involving the combat system it’s nigh on perfect and given that it’s now available for around 30 euro you rally have no excuse not to own it.

IMAGES: LittleBigPlanet

Some shots of Sony’s critically acclaimed, but slow on the sales take up, LittleBigPlanet…

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned

Rockstar Games are to release Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned exclusively on Xbox Live on February 17 2009, screenshots below.

The Rockstar North developed game is to be the first of two downloadable episodes announced for the 360. It will feature “all new” content but will make use of the Liberty City of GTA IV.

Rockstar says the game will include: “…a new main character and plot that intersects with the storyline of Grand Theft Auto IV; new missions that offer an entirely fresh way to explore Liberty City with new multiplayer modes, weapons and vehicles; and a diverse soundtrack with additional music – all with the incredible production values that are the trademarks of Grand Theft Auto.”

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