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This is the fourth edition of TheGamersHub monthly magazine. Each issue brings you the top reviews and news of each month about games and technology. The magazine will also include events that will be happening involving TGH and the community. We are still getting to grips with the magazine, so please feel free to give us feedback on improvements that could be made, or future topics you would like to see appearing in here by emailing: dan.h@thegamershub.net
About TGH
Set up on July 27th 2009 to provide news, reviews, articles, previews, blogs with a community aspect. We have taken big steps to get where we are today, which wouldn’t have been possible without you. The sites aim was to create a place for budding game journalists to get some experience in the industry and since then we have helped people all over the place to build a respectable portfolio which has lead to many paid freelance jobs in some big publications. We reach 100,000’s of people each month checking out the site and we help provide them with a unique string of relevant content. We have a team in the UK and the US who report news throughout the year and we have some big plans for the future.
Halo 4 Master Chief changes Cave Story 3DS gets dated Duke Nukem: Forever review Dungeon Seige III review
Dark Souls design your own shield XBLA Summer of Arcade 2011 Dirt 3 review
Black Ops recieves update
Assassins Creed gets collectors ed.
Duke gets a 0/100
Alice: Madness Returns review
Legend of Zelda: OoT3D review
NUads coming to MS Kinect...
Sony can look back and laugh...
In-game Ads Drive Mobile Rev...
Gaming Apps – Almost Half of
FPS Week
Halo 4’s Master Chief Changes are Story-Driven Author: Ryan.P
“There’s some story behind his new look,” Frank O’Connor told OXM at E3. “There are specific reasons why he looks the way he does and why some of his behaviours have changed. We’ll see in good time.” Halo 4 is the first game to be made by 343 since creators Bungie handed over the series. It is the beginning of an entirely new trilogy. Check out Matser Chief ’s new look as briefly featured in the game’s reveal trailer at Thegamershub.net 343 has said the Anniversary remake of the original Halo will contain some hints at Halo 4?s storyline. It’s due exclusively on Xbox 360 at the end of 2012.
Design Your Dream Shield For Dark Souls Author: Ipfisher
I’m sure anyone who has ever played Demon’s Souls will agree that your shield is the most important piece of gear you’ll acquire. In Dark Souls this looks to be no different, and in honor of that, Namco is hosting a shield design contest via the game’s official Facebook page. From now until July 28, everyone’s invited to submit their best designs to be judged by their peers. Winners will recieve a copy of the game signed by director Hidetaka Miyazaki. The top pick of each of the three shield templates will recieve the limited edition of the game (also signed) as well have their shield recreated in the game with their name in the credits. So, pop on over to Facebook, like the page, and submit your designs. Good luck!
Cave Story 3DS Gets Dated Author: Starfox118
Daisuke Amaya single handedly made one of the most fantastic side-scrolling shooter cum platformer ever, and he delivered it to the world entirely for free. After being ported over to the Wii via WiiWare an entirely new version for 3DS is on its way. This isn’t just another port of the freeware original. For 3DS the game has received a very lush visual upgrade that really shows off the depth of the world and breaths a new lease of life into an absolutely fantastic game, making it hard to resist for those who have played it once already. Also if you feel like it you can switch back to the original hand pixeled levels featured in Amaya’s original game, complete with his entirely homemade score. Cave story was a
labour of love for Amaya and it can still be seen in this new 3DS version. To find out more about Cave Story in general and maybe whet your teeth with some of the original’s gameplay check out the tribute site Cavestory. org. Cave Story 3D is set to release exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS November 8th for North America and November 1st for UK. Check out the screens over these pages.
Xbox LIVE Summer Of Arcade 2011 Author: -Andy-
Entering into its fourth consecutive year of running, Microsoft have just announced full details of 2011?s Summer of Arcade, and it all kicks off on the 20th of July. Starting with Bastion on July 20th for 1200 Microsoft Points, before we move on to Ubisoft’s From Dust, which will be released on July 27th, for 1200 Microsoft Points. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet follows on August 3rd, also for 1200 Microsoft Points, with Fruit Ninja Kinect (oh yes!) coming for 800 points on the 10th of August. The Summer of Arcade 2011 finishes with Toy Soldiers: Cold War on the 17th of August, for
1200 Microsoft Points. However it doesn’t end there, as usual there is an additional promotion running alongside the Summer of Arcade. When you buy all five Summer of Arcade titles, you’ll receive a free copy of “Crimson Alliance” (Certain Affinity) – valued at 1200 Microsoft Points! Coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade 7 September, this fast-action RPG game from industry-leading Certain Affinity lets you play with up to three friends and battle the sinister Cult of the Soul Siren. You’ll receive three characters, each with a host of special abilities from the Assassin’s time-bending attacks, to the Wizards elemental mastery or the Mercenary’s sweeping whirlwind strikes.
Author: AnthonyD
The Dirt series is famous for off-road rally racing and amazing visuals, and this time they have driven back onto the course in the latest entry simply titled DiRT 3. Hoping to bring back fans from the original and appeal to a new audience, the title really tries to push home it is a rally racing game and puts the player into the seat in the World Tour mode featuring four seasons of play. Can this latest iteration in the DiRT franchise drive past its predecessors or does it crash and burn?
Get DiRTy
The main spectacle of DiRT 3 is the World Tour. Upon starting your tour you will choose a name and do basic info for yourself as well as choosing from a bevy of nicknames. You take your racer through four seasons worth of races and all types of rally events, drifting, rally races, rally truck races, sprint events and more. The racer you become is based on how well you do. DiRT’s classic ranking system, where you gain points every race, returns but it is safe to note that unlike DiRT 2 you don’t
have a hub or an RV, this time you are a professional racer looking to make a name for yourself. The theme seems to be triangles for the overall menu presentation of DiRT 3 and it’s accompanying World Tour Mode. The seasons are broken up into folded up triangles that unfold to reveal four parts a piece, which are four events that most of the time culminate in a championship. Every season has a Final event that is usually a sponsored event and is your overall goal to unlock for that season. Your ranking determines the cars
you drive in every race the better your rank the more cars and liveries (paint jobs) you have to choose from, as at first you will start with only two. Before every race you are given the option to tweak various game options such as
difficulty level and assists that are active. The difficulty really just determines how good the competition is, but the assists are where you will want to tweak your experience to create a custom type. You can turn aspects of the game on and off via the assists menu, such as the dynamic racing line the series is known for to assist players on braking around turns and give them an idea where the car should be or other car related aspects like stability control, corner breaking so it’s harder for the player to spin out and more. Creating a custom game setup is easy to do and r e a l l y d o e s n’ t take away
from the overall experience and maybe, someday, you will be able to put full damage on and actually not have your car totalled in five minutes like I myself did.
Gymkhana Time
New to the series are Gymkhana events, which are events similar to autocross, it involves memorizing a setup of a course to utilize a route for maximum point value to obtain a gold medal.
Gymkhana in the World Tour mode has you knocking down foam blocks in Smash events, Jump events where you try land the best jump for maximum points, Drift events where you have to drive through markers to score more points. Then there are Spin events where the player must keep their car spinning within designated areas and finally there are Donut events where you drive your car in a large or small donut around a stationary object keeping the nose of your car facing towards the center. The first Gymkhana event is a DC Sponsored event that will be used in the World Tour mode for a training session that will take you through the events with tutorials. It culminates in a freestyle Gymkhana event where you will put all your skills to the test. These events are fun and add a change a pace to the rather usual task of racing.
Battle At Battersea
Once you complete your first Gymkhana event you unlock the venue of Battersea as your own little personal playground. What is so special about having your own little fun park for your cars? Well it’s like a little open area where you can romp and practice but so much more. There are eighty missions for you to complete at the Battersea compound with three zones to unlock, each holding a different set of missions. These missions range from hitting big jumps, smashing all the blocks or even finding hidden packages in the areas. All in all it adds a great amount of replay and change anytime you wish to the DiRT Tour mode in DiRT 3. The whole of the DiRT Tour mode is immense for those wanting to 100% the mode, on top of the eighty missions at Battersea, the four season finals, and the twenty-six DC Challenges to beat throughout the career to keep players busy for quite some time.
Outside The Tour
The Tour mode is just one of the options in the wonders of DiRT 3. The Singleplayer option from the main menu holds Time Trial and Single Race. Time Trial is what one would expect in a racing title and has a lot of to offer. Every track and mode, even the Gymkhana events are given their own specific time trials. You can choose from rally cars or any other car in the game. You can go against your own ghost cars or against the top players on the leader boards to see what routes they take and perfect mastering of DiRT. Single Race mode allows players to choose any discipline, location, track and vehicle class as well as modifying the weather conditions to suit your taste. From there players can race to their hearts content, fairly standard in racing games and useful if players just want a relaxing race or test out a track in the game they haven’t gotten to yet. The My DiRT shows all your stats, DLC, News from the developers, your car garage and extras such as credits. There is some fun to be had outside the DiRT Tour mode, but most of it is contained within it and in the surrounding online multiplayer.
Take The DiRT Online
Invasion has players destroying evil cardboard robots scattered throughout the Battersea area whilst avoiding buildings which deduct points. Depending on team or solo play the points are either individual or pooled. Outbreak is the DiRT’s version of a zombie mode. At the start one player is chosen as the infected and must infect the rest of the players in the room by ramming into them or touching them. Transporter is a grab the flag type of race where players/teams will grab a flag and bring it to a designated point to score while trying not to be banged up by the opposing team who can then steal the flag for themselves. Cat & Mouse is a team based racing mode where players on each team will have to stay ahead of the pack, the team who has the most members of their team cross the finish first is the winner. There is a lot to do, from advancing your overall level which carries over to the online and also a separate fan rank for the online component. The options in having to customize your own room is great and there is even a way to save your settings so next time you decide to host a match you can just recall them. Another major part of the online is the ability to upload your videos and races to Youtube. This feature, like the online is only available if you utilize or purchase the online pass.
Podium Spot
DiRT 3 manages to exceed in all the areas its predecessor was lacking and improved upon others. The debris from the snow and dirt is amazing, the cars look fantastic and the online component is really where it is at. The main Pro Tour mode is vast and lasts quite a long time. The customization is there as far as tweaking cars but the inability to really customize car parts is a sad thing but nothing that takes away from a wonderful racing experience itself. If you are a fan of racing games or even just the DiRT series you owe it to yourself to give this title some major consideration or a solid purchase.
DiRT 3’s online component is a very robust one for a racer of its type. First off the title has a great party system which can fit up to 8 players. There’re two main modes Pro Tour and Jam Session (think of them as ranked and unranked) which are then broken into different game types or disciplines. There are your typical Rally, Rallycross and such modes then there 4/5 are ones that are specific to online multiplayer like Invasion, Outbreak, Cat & Mouse and Transporter.
Author: Chris C
Temco’s Dead or Alive series is back and no, it’s not Gameplay: another Dead or Alive: Beach Volleyball either. Dead Dead or Alive Dimensions gameplay features or Alive: Dimensions is a post launch title for the much of the same and standard options for Nintendo 3DS portable system. Players can now take fighting games. On the 3DS, DoA: Dead or Alive on the go. Dead or Alive: Dimensions Dimensions plays pretty much is the second fighting game released for the 3DS and same with the exception has much to live up to as a fighter on the platform. of the top screen So does Dead or Alive: Dimensions achieve success on displaying the this platform? Or will it receive a KO to the face? Find combat and out in this review of Dead or Alive: Dimensions. the bottom
Story:
Just like any other fighting game, the story can be a little hit or miss. In Chronicle mode, Players partake in multiple DoA tournaments as a variety of fighters, ranging from Kasumi, Ayane, Ryu Hayabusa and many more. The story mainly focuses on the more important characters of the series, Sadly those who didn’t make the cut are easily forgotten. Dead or Alive: Dimensions story as a whole doesn’t make much sense. It skips around during each of the five chapters. Overall, Chronicle mode might not make sense, but it still an entertaining story that can last quite a few hours.
showing the move list. Combos can be easily pulled off on the 3DS, which is good. You can use the bottom screen and touch the moves you wish to pull off, however there is a delay with each move. This is especially good, because the same move cannot be spammed over and over. X button punches, A button kicks, B button grabs/throw, and the Y button is for counters. DoA: Dimensions looks easy to learn, but is actually hard to master. Just like the console versions, DoA: Dimensions holds the same core gameplay.
DoA: Dimensions isn’t short on modes. Chronicle mode is of course the story mode. There is also arcade, survival, tag challenges, free play, training, showcase, and both local and online modes. Arcade mode is basically a set of preset courses, where the player must complete each one from beginner to expert courses. Survival are has different courses, with each having a different amount of characters that must be defeat before times up or you get KOed. Tag challenges are also preset matches which features tag in and out with your partner of choice against strong AI bots. Free Play is of course fighting with any character you wish, with different rules like; increase health bar, number of wins, and time. Showcase is basically lets you view figurines you have collected and the player has the ability to take pictures of them from a n y
angle. DoA: Dimensions has both local and online play. Both of these features support versus and tag challenge. You and a friend can fight each other, or team up and battle AI opponents.
DoA: Dimensions also features the streetpass system. This feature allows players to send data and fight people who they pass in reality. If the player beats the opponent, he/she will get points towards their next grade and figurines for their collection. There is quite a few things to collect in DoA: Dimensions like costumes, figurines, and characters. Even with t h e spotpass system
activated, players will receive downloadable costumes they can keep and throwdowns from the developers themselves. Online is 85% playable, where players can experience little to no lag. The rest of the time I experienced was quite weird. Two women were fighting, it doesn’t matter on which one, but it would lag to where it would be unplayable… Overall, DoA: Dimensions is basically your typical fighting game with features that should come along with the package. On the 3DS, the core gameplay is still intact, which means that it’s easy to learn and hard to master and player will be quite happy with the outcome.
DoA: Dimensions has quite a few modes that will keep the player busy, especially with global online fighting. It also uses both streetpass and spotpass for additional content and fights. Gameplay wise, DoA: Dimensions might have found a new home to play on.
Presentation:
Presentation wise, DoA: Dimensions holds quite well in both non-3D and 3D. On the 3D side, there is some slowdown and weird animations from time to time, but nothing major. The 3D effect also does little to bring the game popping out at you.
The story mode cut-scenes are done poorly in 3D. Alone the cut-scenes support full-motion animation, standstill, and CGI, which look like they aredone quite randomly. The good things the presentation style is great for a 3DS title with the 3D turned off. With 3D on with the combat fairs better, with combat moves, hits, and background looking good in 3D. Soundtrack wise, the game has some notable tracks, but some tunes are quite forgettable. The voice work on the other hand is done great in both English and Japanese. Of course the best VO will be in Japanese. Overall, DoA: Dimensions is a good detailed game on the 3DS. The 3D effects might not be the best, but the whole presentation package has quality to it.
Closing Note:
Overall, DoA: Dimensions is quite a fun, enjoyable, and entertaining fighting game for the 3DS. The story might not all be there, but the plot can be interesting
to a certain point. All the core gameplay is still intact in DoA: Dimensions, which houses quite a few modes like; arcade, survival, tag challenge, and the local and online play. It also features both streetpass and spotpass for addition content and fights. Presentation wise, the game holds quite well in both 3D and non3D. Even if the 3D effects are not that impressive, the game is still playable in both visions. DoA: Dimensions is another great fighter for the 3 D S platform. If you’re a fighting fanatic, you might want to check on Dead or Alive: Dimensions.
4/5
Author: AnthonyD
The King is back after a long 15 (or is it 12?) years of development hell and many vaporware of the year awards. Duke returns to PC and this time makes his console title debut (he previously was on console but only through ports of the old classics like Manhattan Project and 3D) thanks to a resurrection by Gearbox. Is this resurrection one fitting for the king, or has Duke Nukem failed to age with his now older gaming crowd.
They Took Our Babes
Duke Nukem Forever’s story is simple, Duke Nukem is the most famous man in the world for defeating the once heinous evil aliens who tried to conquer us many years ago (you get to play through the final alien battle at the start). The alien scum have returned and seek revenge on Duke. They have taken all of our babes and have them at an undisclosed location. It is up to Duke to save the day once again, as every time someone else tries to help, they get blown to kingdom come. The overall gameplay is what you would expect, go around shoot your enemies and dismember them in any way you can and look for secret areas to find better weapons or pick-ups, all the while Duke tosses around his silver tongued wordplay.
Duke Never Changes
The first thing everyone will realize when they play Duke Nukem Forever is that graphically and in some cases gameplay, it is dated. At his very core Duke Nukem is a womanizing muscle bound meathead. Everyone knows it, and everyone loves it. He takes himself seriously and it can be hard to connect with a character
like that but back when Duke Nukem 3D was released, it was easy as many of the characters either never talked or were so one dimensional that they had nothing going for them. However now, roughly two gaming generations after the aforementioned title it feels as though Duke honestly comes off as an asshole, a loveable one but still an asshole. He now feels just as one dimensional if compared to the likes of Nathan Drake or even Master Chief. The real thing about Duke is that gamers know him like this, so most people won’t have a problem with him. On the other hand a few might find his language, a n d
overall use of female breasts and sexuality offensive. To the pair of tits hanging on a wall to a cheap dream sequence of a strip club, Duke is still what we have come to expect from him.
Be The Duke
The player will run across a few different weapons which are of course updated versions of ones used in Duke Nukem 3D. The shotgun, ripper, RPG, pistol, pipebombs, trip-bombs and a few others make a return as well as pickups like holoduke, beer which allows Duke to take more damage and steroids which cause Duke to go ape crazy and one hit punch angry. These kind of pick-ups can be activated by use of the d-pad once collected. The game is littered with small secret areas so players can find them which are essentially small ammo caches that they can use to restock. Another key point of the title are weight based puzzles akin to Half Life which almost shows how dated the game really is. You take barrels off a mine cart at one point so you can easily push it along the tracks. This is cool but should have not been the extent of puzzles. The only other brain teasers are when you are tiny Duke and have to find your way about. Being tiny seems to be added as more of a way to switch the gameplay style to keep it fresh as well as allowing the story to continue on. Also, a similar way to keep the game fresh was the addition of Dukes vehicle missions (he drives a giant monster truck when large and a small yet speedy RC car when tiny (that he can somehow control from the inside). Littered throughout the universe of Duke Nukem in Las Vegas are interactive objects like showers, urinals, sinks, light switches, mirrors and others. Many of the interactive items are just put there for exploration and some like nudie magazines and stuff like weights are there for Duke to interact with and gain EGO.
The max level for unlocks caps out at 42 so players will have incentive to play for quite some time. Also, as you unlock new levels you also unlock customization options for your Duke as well as unlocks for Duke’s Pad which allows players to walk around in Duke’s mansion and take a look at all they have unlocked.
Hail To The King
The Ego meter serves as a running joke and Duke’s health bar that replenishes if you are not damaged in a set amount of time. Other interactive elements in the environment serve as time wasters, like pinball, air hockey and others are just plain simple cheap fun.
Duke & Friends
Many gamers will be happy to know that the game includes a fully fleshed out online feature. It may pale in comparison to some of the other multiplayer titles out there but Duke likes to keep it simple with its Quake like gameplay of teams running around with astronomically overpowered weapons in the bread and butter of multiplayer modes Dukematch (deathmatch, get it?) and Team Dukematch. Capture The Babe (a Duke variant of Capture The Flag) where teams compete to capture colour coded babes and bring them back to their base. The Duke twist, you can only use your pistol while carrying a babe and every so often they will put their hands in front of your face to try to distract you and you have to slap their rear to get them to stop. “Oh yeah baby.” The one problem I have with this mode is that you can still
score even if your ‘babe’ is not at your base, it turns the game into a who can run the fastest non enemy laid route challenge. Usually opposing babe carriers just run away from you or look the other way because it’s all about points. Hail To The King is a king of the hill type of matchtype with a Duke twist. You gain points for not only having your team control the space which is represented by a giant nuke symbol, but also killing enemies. It is the most fun and it seems to give the most points and XP. The level up and XP system seems to be handled with much more finesse and modernization than anything else. Complete with challenges, and unlocks to keep the player going up to max level (I think it is level 100 but not sure).
Duke Nukem may not be for everyone, but it is a straight forward romp through the world of Duke. Many players will enjoy the simplicity and carnage that can be had in Duke Nukem Forever online and off. If you have been a fan of Duke from the start you will love this. If you are not a fan of potty jokes, two dimensional one liner spewing characters who love to slap babes asses and ogle them than I am pretty sure you will grow to loathe this title. If you are unable to look past the sorely dated graphics and ancient gameplay mechanics than this also is not for you. However if you love mindless fun, humour and a multiplayer similar to Quake with a modernized XP edge to it thank you will thoroughly enjoy Duke Nukem Forever. Hopefully the developers will learn from their mistakes and missteps from this title and work on a sequel that will be as cutting edge as the original Duke Nukem 3D and please, don’t take another decade or more to finish it.
3.5/5
These decisions can change the world quite easily, but this adds more problems to the confusion of the story. More or less, your actions can vastly impact the story, world, and people around you. Only problem is that, in the end you will be left confused.
Gameplay:
Author: Chris C
The tale of Dungeon Siege continues in the next chapter of this action RPG, Dungeon Siege III. It has been over six years since we last saw a true sequel. After switching both developer and publisher, Obsidian Entertainment and Square Enix hopes to keep this legendary RPG alive by expanding to consoles. So does Dungeon Siege III continue to give us what we need in a topdown action RPG? Or will it fail to impress this time around? Find out in this review of Dungeon Siege III.
Story:
Dungeon Siege III returns to where it started in the Kingdom of Ehb. After the death of Ehb’s king, the Legion was hunted and killed for his death. As the last of the legionnaires, the player must venture out, rebuild, and stop the evil that is roaming and corrupting the land. The player can take control of one of four different characters; Lucas Montbarron,
Anjali, Reinhart Manx, and Katarina. Who will save Ehb, is completely up to you. The story as a whole isn’t bad and is told quite well. The Only problem is that the story loses it flavour about half-though. sometimes you forget you’re trying to save the kingdom from darkness. Along with that players can make decisions within t h e world of Ehb.
Dungeon Siege III gameplay keeps most of the core mechanics intact. There were also some choices in gameplay that were changed or limited this time around too. The top-down perspective, a vast world to explore, character advancement, multiple different equipment and weapons, and more are all still here in Dungeon Siege III. Let’s start and focus on what changed within Dungeon Siege III. Sadly one thing that has been changed was the group-party system that was found in previous Dungeon Siege games. Instead, the player will control one of the four main heroes in this tale. Each of the four characters has their own abilities, talent and equipment. Lucas is mostly the close-up brawler/tank class. Anjali is a mixture of both close-up fighting with a spear or she can use her fire to burn her enemies to ashes. Reinhart Manx is a mage who fights with his fist for close-quarter combat or magic waves to gain some range for his spells. Katarina fights with guns from pistols or a long-range musket rifle.
Like I said before, each of these characters are customizable to a certain point. Unlike previous Dungeon Siege games, where you had more leeway to customize appearance, abilities, and more are quite limited to the player now. The appearance of each character is limited, but there are a good number of uniforms, robes, armour and equipment to loot. Most of the stuff does looks the same and it’s
sometimes difficult to tell if your stats are actually boosted unless you go into the profile page to see a more detailed look of the characters stats. Abilities are also limited and simplified to player. Characters are limited to nine abilities each, but each of these abilities has two different forms which have different attributes for that ability. Overall, most of the customization feels limited and simplified which is somewhat a step backwards. On the multiplayer end, players can team up with three of their friend to take on the entire Dungeon Siege III adventure. Multiplayer has a lot of potential, but is somewhat a little short in some departments. Like I said before, Dungeon Siege III can be played in coop, but the impact of all players can easily shape the story with dialogue choices. Each and every player has the ability to input their two cents in. This is good because it gives more player interaction,
but on the down side other players can easily mess up the story paths. Multiplayer also limits joining players, where players who join your room will have a reduced level to the level where the host is. So if you have a beastly character that has rare equipment, he/ she might lose some abilities and everything will reset. This is actually a good feature cause it gives all players even ground and the affects are not permanent for the joining player. Overall, multiplayer should be played with friends for the most enjoyable experience. Overall, Dungeon Siege III changed and kept quite a few things. Most of the core elements like the topdown perspective, a vast world to explore, character advancement and development, different equipment to choose from, and more are all still in Dungeon Siege III. Multiplayer has been overhaul for more player interaction and common ground. The characters themselves are somewhat limited in their abilities and uniqueness. Even micro-management takes the back sit in Dungeon Siege III. Dungeon Siege III still has that enjoyable, fast-paced gameplay, but sadly it feels limited and simplified for experience and beginner dungeon crawlers.
Presentation:
Dungeon Siege III has quite a feel to it both good and bad. The graphics as a whole are not bad, but nothing special. The
unique world of Ehb, along with the main characters and enemies are quite unique and detailed. NPCs on the other hand suffer from bland and generic graphical taste. Voiceover wise, everyone in the game feels lifeless and unemotional. Main characters, NPCs, and everyone in the game will even deter someone who doesn’t even care about Voiceovers. With such a unique world that looks lively, the cast doesn’t fully take that potential to show good Voiceovers. Sound wise, Dungeon Siege III has that fantasy type theme from start to finish. Most of the soundtracks sound quite familiar with some hymns being remixed and reused for different environments. Overall presentation wise, Dungeon Siege III doesn’t set the bar for anything and is mostly typical and generic VO, and sounds, but with a good and unique graphical world.
Closing Note:
Dungeon Siege III is good, but nothing great or ground-breaking. The game had a lot of potential to bring this world to life in all departments, but falls short of its true goal. The story is quite interesting and told well, but can get confusing, loses focus, and easily forgotten about half-way though. Gameplay wise, the games keeps quite a few core mechanics, but is limited and simplified. Presentation wise, the unique world of Ehb and the main characters doesn’t come into light due to lifeless Voiceovers and overused fantasy theme soundtrack. Graphics on the other hand might not be anything special, but shows a unique and detailed world. Overall, Dungeon Siege III is an enjoyable game, but certain development choices hold back the full potential Dungeon Siege III.
3/5
Assassins Creed: Revelations collectors edition coming
Author: Dylan365v
The Australian Ubisoft store seems to have showed off a product that can only be described as awesome. The Assassins Creed: Revelations Collectors Edition was spotted by the people over at xboxgamezone and they posted the description along with an image of the piece. According to the poster the collectors edition will come to PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. We will keep you up to date on any changes on a release outside of AU.
Behold the Collector ‘s Edition, holding secrets retrieved from the depths of the Animus:
The Collector’s box: Break the Assassin seal to unveil its contents An Artbook featuring 50 pages of illustrations and concept art related to the game. Original game soundtrack Assassin’s Creed Embers Movie: an animated short film In-game content: Explore the prison of legendary Vlad the Impaler, the scourge of Constantinople who inspired the myth of Dracula. Seek out the hanging cell of the infamous leader to retrieve his personal blade, a deadly close quarters dagger capable of dispatching any foe. Play as two additional multiplayer characters: The Crusader & a new Harlequin revamped with a Constantinople flavour: the Ottoman Jester
Call of Duty: Black Ops Recieves Update
The Xbox 360 version of Activision’s phenomenally successful Call of Duty: Black Ops has received a new Title Update. Available now, gamers will be asked to update their game automatically upon the next time they load Call of Duty: Black Ops. Known as Version 60.2.2.13, the small update is currently believed to have been implemented simply for server side issues: improving stability and matchmaking. There’s currently no confirmation available from Treyarch, developers of Call of Duty: Black Ops, as to what the Title Update contains. Having become available on Xbox LIVE last month, the update will take some time to propagate and may not be available in your region immediately.
Duke gets 0/10 on Metacritic
Author: Dylan365v
Recently released Duke Nukem: Forever has received an all time low score of 0/100 on Metacritic by 1UP.com (on their site they gave it an F, which Metacritic translated to 0). Eurogamer made the headlines recently by being blacklisted by 2K’s PR (now previous PR) because they gave Duke a low score of 30/100. So if 2K still had their previous PR I am sure that 1UP would also make the blacklist. Currently Duke, after it’s 15 year development process (yes, 15 years!), has not been living up to expectations. There is only one way to figure out if the game is worth getting or not. If you haven’t already, read TheGamersHub’s Duke Nukem: Forever review featured in the Recent Articles section of the magazine
Author: AnthonyD
American McGee developed the original twisted fantasy Alice, also known as American McGee’s Alice. The title has sold 1.5 million and since become a cult favourite in the gaming world for its artistic nature, interesting take on the source material (which it rightfully set itself some-time after the events of Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass) as well as its blatantly violent nature of a young girl wielding a knife. The sequel is back and looks to restructure the gameplay and make the game really something everyone can get into. Does Alice still have the sharpest blade in Wonderland or has it gone dull over the years?
to a whole new audience. There is of course her tride and true knife, a hobby horse, a pepper grind that acts as a machine gun and an explosive rabbit in a hat. This allows the player to create combos and such not possible in the first title. The movement is also a whole bunch smoother than the first which was PC only. The sequel forgoes the world map in the first title for a much more linear and seamless experience. Players will travel through six lengthy and meaty chapters meeting characters and enemies from all throughout a twisted version of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland.
Into The Rabbit Hole Again
Alice 2 is brimming with artistic flair. The environments can lack detail at times regarding graphical prowess however the sheer artistic value of them (mainly in Wonderland) are beautiful. All the chapters/areas are full of slicing corrupted inhabitants of Wonderland, platforming gameplay and puzzles. At heart Alice is a platformer with action sequences, which is not a bad thing the first title had a fair amount of platforming itself, however it was criticized for its short length.
Madness Returns takes place a few years after the events in the original title. Alice is no longer in a mental institution and now living in an orphanage. She is still trying to reconcile the loss of her family in a fire that continues to haunts her. Through her travels in the real world she befalls some interesting circumstances that has her slip in and out of Wonderland. Alice 2, as a few refer to it as, elaborates on the combat in the first title with new weapons and items to bring the game
The Twisted Mind Of American McGee & Alice
Alice doesn’t seem to have this problem as chapters are long and fun, if you like the gaming style. The jumping in the title has been reworked since the original where you can really only jump in moderation. Now Alice can leap tall bounds, having the ability to use her dress to glide and triple jump. This allowed the developers to get creative in the platforming as well as creating large open areas to traverse. Puzzles are more, looking around the room and finding the switch or pig snout you have to shoot to progress. There are a few like the chess board and others of the like that you will have to actually think while using though. There are a few types of situational switches, the ones you have to shoot with your pepper grinder that I mentioned and the step switches that activate either a platform or a switch to shoot. Instead of Alice having to push or pull objects (as she is much too small and dainty as a child) she places the rabbit hat on the switch as she goes off and does her business. It is a rather clever implementation of a weapon/item. Some may grow tired of these ‘puzzles’ but most will appreciate the environments enough to enjoy the experience. Another aspect that you learn early on in the game is the ability to shrink using the L2/LT button which allows you to see hidden messages that give you hints about what to do next as well as reveal invisible walkways and uncover keyholes you can traverse for some of the many collectibles in the game. Alice’s health is determined by a gauge at the top left which is made of red roses each consisting of 4 pieces. You can heal Alice’s health by entering purple flowers
by getting near them and shrinking to enter them and holding down the button. The tone of the title is dark with blood, gore (you can decapitate most enemies) and occasional foul language under toned by careful and elegant wording make this Wonderland one that the children should not visit anytime soon.
Combative Nature Of Alice
The first Alice title offered little in ways of dispatching enemies, sure it had a few weapons but the execution was very bland, a few shanks here and the enemy was dead. American McGee and the developers worked hard to create an interesting combat system that is similar to other titles but unique to their own. There is the slice happy Vorpal Blade mapped to the square/X button, the Pepper Grinder which acts as a machine gun and will become necessity in puzzles once you get it early on is mapped to the R1/RB and can be focused by either targeting an enemy with L1/ LB or pressing in the right stick to freely aim. The Teapot Cannon can be switched off with the Pepper Grinder by using the right button on the D-pad. The Teapot Cannon is more useful against stronger enemies but takes pre c i s e aiming. Then there is the Hobby Horse which players will use to smash objects and break shields and defences of enemies with the triangle/Y button and finally the Clockwork Bomb which will also be valuable for puzzles and dispatching certain enemies in groups can be thrown by hitting O/B and detonated with the same button. The Vorpal Blade, Pepper Grinder, Hobby Horse and Teapot Cannon can all be levelled up by collecting teeth throughout the game and spending them in the weapons menu making them stronger and more effective. Every weapon can be levelled up to level 4. The diversity in attack really allows for varied tactics when facing enemies and much stronger boss-like characters.
Collection Is The Best Medicine
Alice: Madness Returns lacks a cheap and what would have been a tacked on multiplayer. That is fine and this title doesn’t need it as it wouldn’t fit the series. I am proud of EA and Spicy Horse (American McGee’s studio) for the decision not to go down the cheap and easy route. Instead the title is given four increasingly painful difficulty modes from easy to hard and then to the intimidating Nightmare difficulty.
Each level has collectibles to gather for trophies/ achievements and to lengthen the gameplay. When you first collect the Pepper Grinder you are told to ‘pepper’ pig snouts. By peppering them (shooting them) you either open up new areas to traverse or sometimes baskets of goodies. Every level also has bottles and memories to collect, memories unlock more of a backstory for Alice whereas bottles are strictly for trophy/achievement purposes. Given the unique art style the developers came up with different costumes/dresses for Alice to wear in each chapter/world players unlock them by beating the story and can change the dresses in the main menu which adds another cool unique feature. Also players will come into contact with Radula Rooms which are rooms that consist of either a fighting task or a mental puzzle that players will have to solve a word puzzle given by Cheshire Cat. If you win either the fight or the quiz you are given one quarter of a red rose. If you complete a full rose you add a full rose to your health. There’s enough collection to keep many players going long after the story is over.
The Madness Beckons
Alice: Madness Returns can quite possibly be the perfect sequel. It continues the story, it changes only what has needed to be changed to show the evolution of the game. The art has stayed true and American McGee has shown that he is the macabre master of video games. The fun that is to be had while you slice and dice your way through the game is simply twisted. In between the fighting, and the platforming there are a few puzzles to solve and areas with slides to keep the players on edge. There are even a few 2D areas that really show the amazing art direction that was put into the game. The story can lead players at around 12-15 hours dependent on difficulty and exploration. The lack of a multiplayer or co-op is hindering but not damaging. The game is as pure dark fun as gamers can get in the setting of Wonderland and the added bonus of the inclusion of the first game in new copies is a great incentive. If you loved the first or are a fan of American McGee, pick up this title. However, if you are on the fence, give it a rent you might surprise yourself with how simply fun and addicting a romp through Wonderland with a knife can be.
4.5/5
Author: Starfox118
The Legend of Zelda series is, for many, the epitome of Nintendo. Links cries as he swings his sword, the pseudo orchestral score (although in newer entries they became real ones) that comes in when you open a chest, and the sound of rupees filling your wallet are all quintessentially Nintendo. There are imitators but in the end nobody can do an action adventure come RPG quite like Nintendo and their fabulous Zelda games. 2011 is the year of Zelda. 25 years on since players first ventured into the fields of Hyrule to defeat the evil Ganon and save
the Princess Zelda, the series has evolved in leaps and bounds but has never lost a single bit of its charm and character. To begin Zelda’s 25th anniversary celebrations Nintendo have gone back and remastered the absolutely fantastic N64 classic, Ocarina of Time. To so many this game IS the Legend of Zelda. Ocarina of Time was their first foray into Hyrule and they were spoilt rotten with beautiful visuals and, what can be safely said as the most epic of all the Legend of Zelda games, all beautifully rendered in glorious 3D. Twelve years on though does Ocarina of Time still stand strong in comparison to newer offerings, has Twilight Princess turned OoT into ‘just another Zelda’ or has 3D made it better than ever?
It seems fitting that the first Zelda title to make the jump to a 3D environment is also the first Zelda to make the jump to 3D auto-stereoscopic gameplay, however it also seems somewhat of an odd fit at first. Upon first thought a Zelda game would seem to gain very little, except more visual flair, from 3D imagery, after all the first slew of Zelda games were entirely 2D and they didn’t feel restricting, then the three games that followed OoT are all rendered in 3D and have seemingly not lost the Zelda flavour by not featuring 3D imagery; how wrong that mind set is, 3D adds so much more to this game you can not imagine. Not only does it enhance the upgraded visuals, which we will get to later, but it assists in solving puzzles, targeting enemies and adding an immense sense of scale to the entire game. With 3D switched on you can pick out how far away an e n e my is, thus knowing accordingly what weapon would serve best against them, you can easily strafe foes knowing that you aren’t venturing too close so they can get an attack in on you, and you can really get an added sense of scale of the foe you are up against. With puzzles the 3D layer helps you plan a c c o r d i n g l y, seeing where blocks you push may end up or exactly how far a fall or drop is or how high up a ledge really is. 3D really places you more firmly in the boots of Link understanding the size of his environment,
even if you are playing on a 3.5 inch screen this feels and looks like a big screen adventure. The 3D does have its faults, though not major by any means, when the camera gets stuck behind Link or zooms in on a location/person the image can sometimes double up, delivering the same image to both eyes and thus creating a headache inducing few seconds, although easily solved by just knocking 3D off until the moment has passed. One moment that stands out as being somewhat odd on the eyes is entering Zora’s Domain, having parted the waterfall the camera pulls out to show the new path you have created and in doing so the image noticeably changes focus from the foreground to the background whilst still pulling further back, it doesn’t make for comfortable viewing, however that has been the only instance where unavoidable uncomfortableness has occurred. Thrusting OoT twelve years into the present Nintendo could not leave the game as it was visually. For 1998 OoT looked absolutely fantastic on the N64, however if you were to go back and play it now, especially if you have never played it before, it’s looking a little worse for ware. And that’s putting it politely. To entice players to come back to the wonderful world of Hyrule, or try it for the first time, Nintendo needed to revamp the visuals. Now OoT looks exactly like the Hyrule your imagination created. Boasting some of the best graphics seen on the 3DS (although not quite as lush as Dead or Alive: Dimensions) its clear that the 3DS has some grunt under its bonnet. Links face now is ripe with expression, when talking to people his reactions to information are clearly visible and still contain that comic quality the series has adopted. In dungeons or towns Links head used to look at points of interest, now his eyes do too adding a more lifelike quality. The land of Hyrule has done very well off the graphical upgrade too.
Hyrule Field seems bigger than ever with lush green grass and crystal blue waters flowing from Zora’s Domain into Lake Hylia; Death Mountain looms in the background, its perspective enhanced by the 3DS’ 3D, and the sandblasted Haunted Wasteland has never looked better. The visual upgrade has however taken out some of the eeriness of certain enemies, the wolves no longer look as twisted and evil, the first boss in the Deku Tree no longer seems intimidating and vicious, and the re-dead really don’t seem as creepy and rotten as they once did. These changes in traits however could come from having played OoT countless times before and for first time players probably still seem as gruesome and creepy as they once did. In terms of gameplay the bulk of OoT has remained completely unchanged. Combat seems to have been tightened, with Link
responding slightly quicker to inputs and actions than he once did and with the thumb slider on the 3DS precise movements are a doddle compared to the analogue stick of the N64 or Gamecube. The most welcome change in gameplay that Navi is now less irritating, her cries of ‘HEY’ can still be heard but they aren’t as common as before, instead replaced with a flashing NAVI at the bottom of the screen when she thinks she has something to say that could potentially assist you but in actual fact has nothing to do with what you are trying to achieve. Its an improvement though, and a very welcome one. One notable difference is in playing the Ocarina itself, without the C buttons the L, R, Y, X and A buttons replace them, which seems somewhat odd when the D-Pad is never used. This turns the Ocarina songs into a memory game of what letter comes next rather than making you feel like you are playing an instrument with high and low notes, its not a major game breaking change, but just something that is worth noting.
The biggest change in how Zelda works is that now you can equip four items at once onto Link. Previously only three items at a time could b e equipped and certain items h a d to be changed in the Gear section via pausing the game, something that made doing a certain temple absolute hell. This has been rectified now via the touchscreen. You can assign items to the X and Y buttons but now also to two touch slots, which are very handy for items you’ll be needing for a certain task in a dungeon or temple rather than something you will want to use all the time, such as Iron boots lets say. On the touch screen all the information you need is displayed, such as health and magic meter and a world map, thus leaving the upper screen largely clutter free so you can enjoy the visuals. On top of assisting players with the ease of touch screen inventory Nintendo have also added another feature that eases newcomers into the series, visions. The addition of ‘visions’, which are videos that show players what to do next or where to go next, means that some of the tough puzzles or situations where you need to go to the past or the future to move the story forward are softened and so OoT is made a much more welcoming game. Luckily this feature is rather unobtrusive unless you go looking for them which is also rather easy to do.
Another addition for this 3DS iteration is the use of the 3DS’ motion sensing. When using any targeting based weaponry, such as Arrows, Boomerang, Hookshot etc you can now look around and aim by just moving the handheld itself. Not only does this feel much more immersive and natural its actually surprisingly accurate making some of the shooting mini-games far to easy. The only down side of this feature is that sometimes you lose the 3D effect to ghosting or two images as you move it out of the 3DS’ sweetspot, but again easily rectified by switching it off if you want to use this feature regularly. This time around the game doesn’t end when the credits roll. Nintendo have squeezed as much as they can into that tiny 3DS cartridge. Upon completion of OoT, Ocarina of Time: Master Quest is unlocked. First appearing on N i n t e n d o Gamecube as part of the bonus Zelda collection,
Master Quest is a real test of skill for any seasoned Ocarina player. Firstly MQ ups the difficulty, enemies now hit twice as hard and life hearts are scarce. Dungeons and Temples have been rejigged so chests don’t appear where you expect them to be and that big chest you just fought over may just contain a rupee instead of that swanky Megaton Hammer you were expecting. And to top it all off incase that wasn’t irritating enough, the entire game world has been mirrored so you get that little bit more disorientated (annoyingly this also changes Link from being lefthanded to being right-handed, just a little continuity niggle really). Alongside the addition of MQ is the inclusion of a Boss Rush mode. Now you can go back and fight through every single boss in the game in one go, the same also applies to MQ when you complete that, during the game however you can go back to your bed in Kokiri Forest and fight any of the bosses you have previously fought for a bit of added fun. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is the game that everybody wanted for their 3DS. Everybody expected great things from this title and they certainly wont be let down by it. Featuring a whole slew of new additions to the game and beautiful 3D visuals and imagery this is the definitive Ocarina of Time experience. Shrunk down to a handheld adventure it hasn’t lost any of its charm from the days of the N64. For many this was the definitive Zelda title and thanks to the 3DS remake it very much still is the definitive Zelda game, with added bite for those brave enough to go on and face the might of the Master Quest.
5/5
NUads coming to MS Kinect (Natural User Interface Ads)
Below is an extract from IGN regarding Microsoft’s announcement for Interactive Ads on the Xbox 360 Kinect system Microsoft has announced something it’s calling NUads (that’s Natural User-Interface Ads). Basically, it’s a form of interactive advertising using Kinect. Speaking to the New York Times, the general manager of Microsoft’s advertising business Mark Kroese said that NUads would help address a recent problem within advertising: “When you have highly interactive people and a passive medium,” he said, “they are interacting with their phone or their laptop while watching TV.” The solution: to create “a natural way for the user to engage with the TV.” The NUads will allow advertisers to exploit Kinect’s technology, making commercials an immersive, interactive experience. Users will be able to say “Xbox Tweet” to refer an advertisement to friends. Say “Xbox Near Me”, and you’ll get sent a map to your phone directing you to the nearest outlet.
There is currently no release date for this new feature, but is this something necessary for gamers? Or is MS trying to find a new technical way to make more money from the already successful Kinect? Either way, it’s a pretty good idea and I’m waiting to see how motion/gesture based interaction helps with the Windows 8 experience when released next year. I won’t be surprised to see Win8 come with drivers for Kinect
Author - JustaGamer
Sony can look back...
...and laugh
Its always good when a company can look back on the problems its had with a positive attitude, and maybe even a joke. Today Playstation Network Community was taken offline for maintenance and sony posted up this little message just showing their sense of humour. Its incredibly cringeworthy to read as its shoehorning in a product, but it does also show that Sony are happy to make a joke out of one of their own major failures. Author - Starfox118
In-game Ads Drive Mobile Revenues Higher The contribution of in-game advertisements is likely playing a role in the rise of revenues from the mobile advertising sector, as reported by Gartner. In 2010, the segment was worth about $1.6 billion (£990 million), but this is expected to more than double to $3.3 billion in 2011. This is no geo-specific trend, either – North America, Western Europe and the Asia-Pacific region are all expected to contribute between $5 billion and $7 billion to mobile advertising by 2015. Gartner research director Stephanie Baghdassarian says in-app ads – which include those displayed during gaming apps – represent a significant portion of the revenues. “Mobile display … will continue to be closely divided between in-app and mobile web, in-browser placements,” she predicts. According to Gartner, 428 million mobile devices were sold during 2011s first quarter, a figure that could have been higher if major brands had not scheduled their new releases for later in the year. Author - Ryan.p
Gaming Apps – Almost Half of Mobile Usage The importance of gaming to mobile app users has been summed up in a report from web analytics specialist Flurry. Its report on mobile apps, published yesterday, notes that games and entertainment apps together account for 54 per cent of all time spent using installed software.
“As we drill down into the data, consumers use [gaming and social networking] more frequently and for longer average session lengths, compared to other categories,” Flurry notes. In April, Flurry reported that gaming apps for iOS and Android platforms had secured an eight per cent stake in the US video game market, up three percentage points from the previous year.
Games alone take almost half of the audience share by minutes used, at 47 per cent of the total. By comparison, news secures a stake of almost a tenth (nine per cent), social networking almost a third (32 per cent) and ‘other’ purposes account for one in every 20 minutes spent on mobile apps.
Author - Ryan.p
This event kicks off on the 4th of July, with the first article included in this magazine. Through out the week TGH staff will be posting their FPS articles on the site so keep a sharp eye for them! Oh and for those of you who don’t know; FPS = First Person Shooter
Everyone loves shooters, they are fast paced, simple; and easy to pick up at times. The genre really came into its own during the early 1990’s with Wolfenstein 3D which laid a base template for many first-person shooters (FPS’s) of that decade. The genre later blew up in 1993 with the release of DOOM which was widely accepted but criticized at the time for its violent nature. We look at the past twenty or so years in the FPS genre to kick off our week of FPS. In The Beginning…There Were Guns The release of Doom made the title popular among teens and young adults. It was around that time it was thought to corrupt the youth with its vast amount of blood and carnage. 1994 marked the release of Marathon for the Macintosh by the then unknown Bungie. It set the standard of FPS titles on the system. It allowed dual wielding, vertical aiming and free look. It also added several multiplayer tweaks to the common formula, King Of The Hill, Kill The Man With The Ball and Cooperative play. It also showed off friendly NPC’s (Non-player characters) and an emphasis on storytelling. In 1996 Duke took the stage, Duke Nukem 3D was hailed as the ‘last of the great sprite based FPS’ titles. It built on the foundation of DOOM and ran with several features from Marathon and was praised for its humor based around Duke’s machismo. A glorious time for PC gamers this was. More Polygons, More Fun Soon after the release and popularization of Duke Nukem id Software released Quake in 1996. Originally was a Thor like character with a giant hammer in more of an RPG (Role Playing Game) type title as the development moved on the title became more and more stripped down as John Carmack (main programmer on the title) was not only working on a full 3D engine for the title but a TCP/IP networking model for the now famous online component. The birth of Quake revolutionized the genre just as DOOM had done before it. The fast paced and gore-filled nature appealed to many teenagers and the title was an instant success. The first major landmark FPS title was Rare’s GoldenEye title released in 1997 on Nintendo’s N64 platform and went on to be the first major best-selling FPS. Highly acclaimed for its detailed single player levels, engaging multiplayer and use of stealth elements GoldenEye is still a legend to date that spawned a mediocre and unsuccessful sequel as well as a decently well-made remake. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six was released in 1998 starting a genre of tactical FPS titles. The theme was of a realistic tactical counter terrorism feel that went on to become very popular. In 1999 Medal Of Honor was born, along with the long line of First Person Shooters based during the World War II era.
The Half-Life Effect Half-Life was released in 1998 based on Quake’s technology. It wasn’t really anticipated at first but as players got a hold of the title it seemed to grab a hold of them like a headcrab. It featured a riveting story, a unique opening unlike any title at the time, and a vast amount of NPC’s. It is viewed by many to be one of the finest examples of the genre. Multiplayer titles took the stage such as Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament in 1999. They appealed to gamers for their easy to access multiplayer component. The brainchild of these two titles was Starsiege: Tribes which was one of the first to allow 32 player online in a single match which was later utilized in the now infamous Battlefield series. Later that year Counter Strike was released, a modification to the Half-Life engine with a countercterrorism theme that was a huge success. The title went on to be onecof the most popular multiplayer first-person shooters ever with 90,000 players online at the time (of course pales by today’s standards). FPS In Recent Years In 2000 Microsoft and Bungie (developers of the acclaimed Marathon) created Halo: Combat Evolved. The title which has now spawned three (soon to be SIX) direct sequels, numerous sub-story games, a Halo Wars RTS title, comics, toys and books is one of the highest grossing first person shooters of all time. The title itself featured a lot of dialogue and interesting storytelling as well as an addictive online multiplayer that was simple and easy to pick up and play. Deus Ex combined first person gameplay with RPG elements to become a unique title that appealed to fans of both genres and had multiple stranding story arcs. It was highly acclaimed for its serious and artistic style. Metroid Prime broke ground on the Gamecube in 2002 for its unique take on the series changing a side scrolling 2D series into a first-person shooter. The title was garnered with high praise for its level design, puzzling and platforming aspects. In 2004 Doom tried its hardest to create riveting and horrifying sequences for a first-person shooter with its cutting edge graphics. Other notable horror FPS titles are Condemned and Condemned 2 which are my personal favorite of the subgenre, however in 2005 F.E.A.R was praised for its combination of both genres and its Japanese horror atmosphere. Irrational Games Bioshock has been considered one of the best FPS in recent years with its engulfing story and twist ending. The gameplay was unique and riveting throughout with the constant threat of the much stronger Big Daddy’s luring around corners. When players think of recent multiplayer shooters only one name comes to mind, Call Of Duty. That has been apparent since they started the Modern Warfare line of titles with its unique and successful online infrastructure of leveling and perks and multiple game modes for consoles and PC. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was a huge hit and spawned Modern Warfare 2 and the upcoming Modern Warfare 3 from Infinty Ward. Activision has set up shop to throw out a new Call of Duty title every year by having multiple studios working on them, World at War was the first from Treyarch who have been working on the series for quite some time. Treyarch introduced Nazi Zombies into the series for the first time and has been a running stand in for a co-op mode in their iterations for Call of Duty.
The Future Of FPS The future of FPS titles looks to be a generous one. Crysis and Crysis 2 gave way to more graphically and technologically efficient first person titles. Brink tweaks the Unreal Tournament formula and adds a new level of exploration with a unique jumping and traversing mechanic. RAGE looks to take technology a step further with its vast environments and gameplay elements. The Killzone series still manages to amaze players graphically and features wise with a unique first person cover system as well as the Resistance franchise with its focus on more human like aliens and cooperative missions as well as online multiplayer. Call of Duty looks to be the mainstream title across all platforms for years to come with its simplistic gameplay and control scheme while titles like new age Medal of Honor and Battlefield 3 look to take the top spot. The future is bright with titles like Halo 4 and Bioshock Infinite looking to tantalize our yearning for first-person shooters.
Author - AnthonyD
When is the next issue of TheGamersHub Magazine? The next issue of TGH magazine will be released 1st August 2011. This will be our fifth edition of the magazine and hopefully with all the feedback we recieve from you, it will be improved even more and so we always are aware off what our audience would like to read. As TheGamersHub Magazine is a new introduction for the site, please bare in mind we are still getting on our feet with it. If there is anything you would like to see appearing in this magazine or just want to give us feedback please email Dan at: dan.h@thegamershub.net For advertising in the magazine please contact Henry at: henry.m@thegamershub.net