Street Fighter X Tekken

Game Name	Street Fighter X Tekken
Platform(s)	PC PlayStation Vita Xbox 360 PlayStation 3
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Developer(s)	Capcom
Genres	Fighting
Themes	Martial Arts
Original US Release	March 6, 2012

Overview

Street Fighter X Tekken is an upcoming crossover fighting game being developed by Capcom. The roster will feature characters from Capcom's Street Fighter and Namco's Tekken franchises. Namco is also developing a sister project in Tekken X Street Fighter. The visuals are reminiscent of Street Fighter IV's art style. The Tekken characters shown have been overhauled to resemble and fit in with the characters from Street Fighter IV.
The game's story revolves around a box nicknamed "Pandora" that is found amongst the remains of a fallen meteorite. This box reacts to the conflict between living creatures.

Gameplay

Street Fighter X Tekken's gameplay is best described as a combination of Street Fighter IV's 2D-styled fighting and Tekken Tag Tournament's 2-on-2 mechanics. Determining when to switch characters is key, as only one character needs to be knocked out for round to end.

Basic Actions

SFxT, like many Capcom fighters, uses six buttons: three for punches and three for kicks. For Tekken characters, the Light and Medium buttons correspond to their equivalent attacks in Tekken, while the Heavy buttons are new attacks. Throws are performed by pressing Light Punch+Light Kick, a carryover from Street Fighter IV. Medium Punch+Medium Kick performs a tag, while Heavy Punch+Heavy Kick performs a Launcher.

 
Cross Rush is a universal combo system, not unlike the Magic Series of the Darkstalkers and Marvel vs. Capcom games. Light attacks can be cancelled into Medium attacks, which can then be cancelled into Heavy attacks. After this, pressing Heavy a second time will cancel into the Launcher attack. Outside of the Cross Rush, Tekken characters will be able to perform some of their signature combo strings by using the Light and Medium Buttons.

The Super Charge system offer a way to perform EX attacks and Super Arts without meter. Each character has an special move that can be "charged" by holding down the button. After a certain amount of time, the attack becomes an EX attack, and after even more time becomes a Super Art. The charge can be cancelled by a dash at anytime, like SFIV's Focus Attack. If an attack is charged enough to became an EX attack, but is then cancelled, the next attack from the character is counted as a Counter Hit.



Source: Link

The Darkness 2

Game Name	The Darkness II
Platform(s)	PC PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Publisher(s)	2K Games
Developer(s)	Digital Extremes
Genres	First-Person Shooter
Themes	Horror Comic Book

The Darkness II is a sequel to 2007's The Darkness and is scheduled to be released in February 2012.

Overview

Though it's come up a couple of times in passing, not much is known about the status of a sequel to The Darkness. At Comic-Con 2009, Top Cow representatives confirmed that a second game was in the works, but didn't follow that with any real detail. Inquiries to Starbreeze--the developer of the first game--make it sound like whoever is behind this new game doesn't have anything to do with the first one.

The Darkness sequel is in development confirmed by Top Cow, however Starbreeze is not involved. It has been recently confirmed that Digital Extremes will be developing this game. The game will also be using their own in house engine, the Evolution Engine.
It has been confirmed by 2K Games that Mike Patton will be reprising his role as the voice of The Darkness.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Game Name	Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
Platform(s)	PC PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Developer(s)	38 Studios Big Huge Games
Genres	Role-Playing
Themes	Fantasy
Original US Release	Feb. 7, 2012

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is a large scale RPG being developed by Big Huge Games & 38 Studios. Its gameplay has been touted by its creators and previewers as a hybrid between God of War and Oblivion, with a fully explorable open world and combo-driven melee.

Destiny

Shadowcaster Destiny: A mage/rogue hybrid

At the core of Reckoning's gameplay is the "Destiny" system that allows players to mix & match abilities from the three stereotypical RPG skillsets of warrior, rogue and mage. These three paths are represented by the following three talent trees within the game, each unlocking special abilities with a select group of weapons:

• Might - Unlocks special abilities with longsword, shortsword and hammers.
• Finesse - Unlocks special abilities with dagger, faeblades and longbow.
• Sorcery - Unlocks special abilities with staff, sceptre and chakrams.

Based on the ratio of talent points invested in these trees, the destiny system unlocks special dynamic classes that grants players additional special abilities and passive bonuses corresponding to their playstyle. These bonuses include increased damage for a certain type of attack, better movement during combat, additional health or mana regeneration, etc.

Combat

QTE called 'Fate Shift Kill'

The combat is based on timing and combos along with changing weapons on the fly and chaining melee with battle magic. Timing moves right can juggle enemies, which can lead to stunned enemies where players can pull off finishing moves using quick time events, called Fate Shift Kills. Parry and dodging are also possible and can leave enemies vulnerable to longer juggle combos. Certain passive bonuses also damage enemies on dodge and inflict special effects like freeze, poison or fire.

Loot

Being a RPG, picking up loot is an important part of character development and will improve magic and weapon fighting abilities. Socketing gems into weapons is also possible for example, inserting a magical fire gem into a long sword will create a flaming sword. Players can also break down weapons and use the resulting ingredients to create better weapons.

 

Skills

There are nine passive skill trees players can invest in to improve their non-combat characteristics:

• Alchemy - Grants players the ability to harvest reagents and create potions. More points increases the chance of successfully harvesting reagents.
• Blacksmithing - Allows players to repair their own weapons and equipment, as well as forge new ones. It also increases the effectiveness of repair kits.
• Detect Hidden - Gives players an increased chance of finding treasures and detecting traps, ambushes and secret doors. It also increases the amount of gold found while exploring.
• Dispelling - Allows players to dispel harmful magical spells and wards/locks without taking damage. More points in this tree increase its effectiveness.
• Lockpicking - Provides mastery over mechanical locks. More points increase its effectiveness.
• Mercantile - Improves the character's bargaining skill, allowing them to sell at higher price point while buying for less.
• Persuasion - Increases the character's odd of talking out of any situation.
• Sagecraft
• Stealth - Grants players the ability to stay hidden and pickpocket others.

Source: Link

Star Wars: The Old Republic

Game Name	Star Wars: The Old Republic
Platform(s)	PC
Publisher(s)	LucasArts Entertainment Company LLC Electronic Arts
Developer(s)	BioWare Austin
Genres	MMORPG
Themes	Fantasy Sci-Fi
Original US Release	Dec. 20, 2011

Overview

Star Wars: The Old Republic is an MMORPG from famed developer BioWare based in large part on their highly acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic franchise. The Old Republic takes place approximately three hundred years after the events of the first two Knights of the Old Republic games. The Old Republic aims to maintain the core gameplay and principles of the previous Knights of the Old Republic games in a new large online environment.

You will be able to join either the Sith Empire or the Galactic Republic at the beginning of the game. The player can make choices throughout the game will influence and determine their alignment towards good or evil, otherwise known as the light and dark sides of the force. BioWare has mentioned that they hope The Old Republic will be structured in a more story driven fashion than most MMORPGs, allowing players to carve "their own epic stories" within the galactic turmoil of the game's setting. The Old Republic will feature many common MMO aspects such as crafting, guilds and PVP.

The art direction of The Old Republic will be a blend of realistic and more animated styles, without leaning to the extreme in either direction. The reasoning behind this choice is to give the game a unique appearance without making the system requirements too extreme, allowing it to run on as many computer systems as possible. It should also be noted that the lightsaber size in-game will be smaller than what current screenshots show, but the size decrease will be minimal.
Star Wars: The Old Republic was officially announced in a live press conference held at LucasArts headquarters in San Francisco, California, on October 21st 2008. The game is only confirmed to be in development for the PC. The game is set to be released on the 20th of December in North America and Europe.

The game features full voice acting including the player character, companions and other NPCs (Non-player characters). With notable voice actors such as Lance Henriksen who will voice the Jedi "Master Gnost-Dural", BioWare claims the amount of voice work is 10 times the size of KoToR or 40 novels worth of content. Currently its budget sits at an estimated 180 million dollars making The Old Republic not only BioWare's most expensive venture to date, but also the most expensive video game ever made.

E3 2010 Information

• Every player will get his or her own ship which acts as their base and hub for companions.
• There are Elite NPCs in the game.
• There is no Corpse Running. You will respawn at a medical center with all your gear.
• There will be PVP armour sets.
• The group limit at E3 was four players.
• You learn skills from class trainers.
• You can only talk to NPCs when near-by party members are not in combat.
• You can get some quests by using a HoloCom.
• Chat channels such as lobby and trade will be in the game,
• /dance will be featured. In the current demo both male and female dances were the same.
• Multiplayer dialog lets all players in the group pick a response and dice rolls to see which one will be chosen.
• Players can start dialog with NPCs without the other party members present, they will have 2 minutes to reach the destination to join in but the player who initiates the conversation has the option to skip the wait.
• Mobs have a leash radius (which means they will stop chasing you after determined distance and return to their original spot).
• Auto-run is in the game.
• There will be transport ships or other taxis to help you travel around the world(s), most notably speeder bikes.
• Similar character creation as Dragon Age: Origins.
• There are three levels of aggro. Blue, Yellow and Red. Blue is no aggro, Yellow is alerted of a player. Red means they are in combat.
• Quests give the same kind of rewards as other MMOs such as items, money and experience points.
• Will you gain Social Points while completing quests in a group. No other information was release about them.
• You enter instances through a green portal. If you aren't eligible, the portal is red.
• All classes will have the ability to revive other players and companions. It takes 5 seconds to use this power and has no cool down time. It is an out of combat only ability.
• You can inspect gear of another player in your group no matter where they are. Non-group members will only require that you can see them.
• Round Robin was the loot rules in the demo. Money was split equally,
• There will be a Dashade, Twi'Lek and Human companion, as well as others.
• Alderaan will feature a PVP battleground.
• The main story of the game will be World arcs. These are massive multi-quest party sized arcs that span a long time and give the players choices of how the war will be effected.
• Players will be able to develop and change the Republic vs Sith war.
• Players can influence where the war goes and how it changes over time.
• Players' actions will determine who controls a planet and who is allied with each side.

Source: Link

EA retreats, offers free Battlefield 1943 after all

EA has changed its tune and pledged to give all PlayStation 3 Battlefield 3 customers a free copy of Battlefield 1943, all to avoid embarrassing legal entanglements.
The company issued a statement to say: "There have been some misunderstandings around Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield 3... to address this we are making Battlefield 1943 available free of charge to owners of Battlefield 3 on the PS3 beginning this month."

Earlier this week, a US law firm threatened to take EA to court on behalf of disgruntled gamers who accused the publisher of bait and switch tactics.
The initial promise of a free game was made at E3 earlier in the year.
In order to claim their free copy of Battlefield 1943, customers should visit EA's website from 26 November.
Source: Link

Star Trek 2 to hit theater May 17, 2013

 
Mark your calendars Trekkies! Yes, a theater date has been set for Star Trek 2 and it is (drum roll please!) May 17th, 2013. 


Originally, Paramount was shooting for June 29, 2012, but there was no way 
the studio could meet the initial deadline as a script hadn’t yet been finalized, and team JJ Abrams was busy with other projects such as Super 8.



  According to Deadline, the upcoming Star Trek film will be made in 3D. As you may recall, Abrams once told New York Magazine he wasn’t against doing 3D. Well, that didn't exactly sound like a ringing endorsement of the medium, and so one couldn’t help but form the impression 3D wasn’t a priority for the next Trek. 


Then again, maybe with the rave notices Hugo’s been getting, maybe Abrams decided 3D wouldn't be such a bad idea for Star Trek 2. I mean, imagine the lens flare in 3D!

Abrams also recently spoke to MTV about the potential casting of Benico Del Toro as the Trek 2 villain, a role that is still unknown. 


"We’re just in negotiations, we’re in discussions," Abrams said. "It’s not even negotiations - just in discussion. But I would love to work with him. I’ve wanted to work with him for years, and this felt like a good opportunity. It’s too early to talk about what the role is, but he’s such an amazing actor. He’s so versatile. He could sort of do anything."

Whether Del Toro will come aboard or not, Star Trek 2 is slated to commence (Engage!) shooting on January 15, 2012, with Team Abrams and the gang from his first Trek again ready to go where no man has gone before.

Source: Link

End of Nations: Sneak Peek

Trion's End of Nations might not be due out until next year, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't start getting prepared early. Today, the developer released a batch of screenshots of the upcoming free-to-play RTS/MMO hybrid featuring tanks, artillery, and scout vehicles fighting in some of the different locations that will be made available at launch. 

If you're smart, you'll start studying the locations now so that you can memorize some of the maps. That way, with enough dedication, you might be able to start drawing out battle plans and working on your before the game even comes out. The enemy nations won't know what hit them!

 
The new screens show off a nice variety of locations, which is always good to see in a real-time strategy game. Sure, there are your stereotypical barren wastelands, but there are a few images that feature more rural locations as well.
 

Some of the levels appear to take place in nice, colorful environments with beautifully-rendered water that we can't wait to destroy enemies in.

Source: Link

Modern Warfare 3 preferred over Battlefield 3, says Raptr report

According to opinion data from social networking service Raptr, more players were excited about the launch of Battlefield 3, thought that DICE was a more innovative developer than Infinity Ward, and that the Battlefield franchise has had a bigger impact on the FPS genre than Call of Duty. That data comes from a survey of over 6,000 respondents. But when you break down the numbers comparing hours played from Raptr’s user base of over 10 million gamers, it looks like most players prefer Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to Battlefield 3.
The statistics in Raptr’s latest report reveal that Xbox 360 players spent 40% more time playing Modern Warfare 3 on launch day than they did playing Battlefield 3 when it launched. “The battle for dominance for the first-person shooter market in 2011 is clearly in Activision’s favor,” said Raptr CEO Dennis Fong. “EA made a valiant effort evangelizing its fan base and generating massive support around the launch of Battlefield 3. Given how well received the game was, EA has a powerful opportunity to take things further next year, though it’s clear at this point that Call of Duty is a phenomenon that is unrivaled.”

Here are the results from the survey:
- 81% of respondents were more excited for the launch of Battlefield 3
- 92% of respondents consider DICE a more innovative developer than Infinity Ward
- 58% of respondents said the Battlefield franchise has had a bigger impact on the FPS genre
- 80% of respondents feel the Call of Duty franchise generates more hype through its marketing

The survey paints a picture of a showdown between mainstream Hollywood-style blockbuster Modern Warfare 3 – and the more important and innovative Battlefield 3. So you’d think that this would lead to more playtime logged for DICE’s big shooter. The difference between the results of the survey and the hours logged in Raptr’s playtime report could have something to do with the survey itself, which offered respondents a chance to win a high-end custom gaming PC. Since the Call of Duty franchise is now considered by many to be more of a console shooter than Battlefield, the difference between player opinion and actual playtime in the recent Raptr report seems to make more sense.

Source: Link

Mass Effect 3 Won't Arrive in 2012

Mass Effect 3 never had an official release date, but it was assumed the game would arrive by the end of this year. Now Bioware has announced that the game will be on hold until 2013--sometime in the first three months, specifically.
With Mass Effect 2 turning a solid series into a blockbuster, Mass Effect 3 has absurd expectations. It's probably for the best then that the developers at Bioware take as long as they need to get it right.
Many fans considered Dragon Age 2 to be rushed and repetitive. If Mass Effect 3 suffered the same fate, especially now, it could be a disaster for the company.
Casey Hudson, executive producer at Bioware, offered the following: “Mass Effect 3 will be released in the first three months of 2012. The development team is laser focused on making sure Mass Effect 3 is the biggest, boldest and best game in the series, ensuring that it exceeds everyone’s expectations.”
With such a vague release window, could the game be delayed again? It's certainly possible. The earlier months of the year haven't proved very profitable for games, especially compared to a pre-Christmas release date. At this point, though, the focus is more on perfecting the game and hoping the quality leads to sales.

Saints Row: The Third - PS3/360PC

There is never a dull moment in Saints Row: The Third.  You won't find any GTA-style "fetch" missions here.  In fact, you're more likely to find yourself naked and drugged in a BDSM club surrounded by machinegun-wielding hookers.  That's just how Saints Row: The Third is.  It's filled with shockingly outrageous, inappropriate, and over-the-top sequences that somehow come together in some freakishly obscure way.  And it works.  Each moment in this game is truly a memorable one.
If you're expecting a realistic open-world adventure, you're looking in the wrong place.  Of course, the ability to wield a big purple dildo should be the first hint.  Since it's creation, Saints Row has prided itself on becoming a series that embraces over-the-top absurdity and focuses on spectacle, but that's not to say there's no substance mixed in with the fun.

The plot of Saints Row: The Third, as cliche as it is, has enough variety to create a lasting experience that's enjoyable--even without the immature dildo jokes. 

From the get-go, you will find yourself in the middle of the action as you and the Saints attempt to rob a bank.  In typical Saints Row fashion the heist goes wrong, and you find yourself in quite the jam.  You'll experience a shootout, hanging from a helicopter, free-falling from a plane, and a major twist (which I won't spoil) all within the first fifteen minutes.  From there, the missions only get crazier.

The plot revolves around The Saints relocating to the city of Steelport in an attempt to get revenge on the international crime organization, The Syndicate, led by Phillipe Loren.  With The Syndicate in full control over Steelport, your goal is to take the city from their clutches--ridding the streets of gangs and buying up local properties like retailers and casinos (and maybe some strip clubs). 

While The Third brings some welcomed changes, it also builds upon the economy and upgrade system introduced in Saints Row 2.  Completing missions and Activities rewards you with cash and Respect.  Respect is like a level system, with each level of Respect unlocking different abilities like extra health, faster health regen, longer sprint, and much more to help you tackle The Syndicate.  Cash can be used to buy in-game tangible items like weapons, clothing, and ammo.  In addition to this, cash is also connected to the Respect level in the sense that you use it to actually purchase the unlocked abilities so that you may use them.  Like I mentioned earlier, the goal is to own the city of Steelport, and one of the ways to do this is to purchase property.  By doing so you not only get closer to overthrowing the rival gangs by increasing your control over each neighborhood, but you also get a hourly cash flow which you can use to help fund your next customization or upgrade.

In this game, you have missions and Activities.  Missions, of course, progress the story of the game.  It should be noted playing straight through, just completing the story missions, will run you about 10-12 hours of gameplay.  Of course, going for full 100% completion could tack on several more hours.  Some of these extra completions include the Activities, which are Respect-building sidequests usually unlocked after you complete the mission.  These include Insurance Fraud, Trafficking, and Mayhem (where your actual goal is to cause as much mayhem as possible in the city).  Side-quests are present in the game as well, challenging you to steal cars, assassinate targets, and find stunt jumps around the city.  Of course, if you don't feel like being tasked with any challenges, you can always go for the mind-numbing gameplay focused on exploring the city and beating random civilians with a giant dildo; that's ALWAYS fun.  And trust me, you'll always explore something new.

Source: Link

PETA Attacks Battlefield 3 Over Animal Cruelty

                                                   


The animal rights movement, represented by PETA, have issued a press release in Germany criticizing Battlefield 3 over “animal cruelty”. Specifically, PETA points out a singleplayer mission (mission 3) in Battlefield 3 where the player has to stab a rat, and toss it away.
PETA states that the killing of even a virtual animal could inspire young people to do such acts in real life. According to PETA, recent animal cruelty cases in Germany, where youngsters engaged in animal cruelty, were inspired by video games and movies. As PETA puts it in the press release:

The realistic computer game “Battlefield 3″ treats animals in a sadistic manner. The game gives players the option to kill a rat with a combat knife in the back in order to then lift it by its tail, then toss it away. Killing virtual animals can have a brutalizing effect on the young male target audience. There have been repeated cases of animal cruelty in Germany, where young people kill animals. Inspiration behind these acts often came from movies and computer games.

Source: Link

Serious Sam 3: BFE - Blood and Gore Trailer

Serious Sam 3: BFE video goodness for you today! The new "Blood and Gore" trailer is out now and it doesn't disappoint.

Max Payne 3: Creating a Cutting Edge Action-Shooter

Rockstar has put together a new series of videos for Max Payne 3 called the "Design and Technology Video Series" that gives you a look at the movement, animation, targeting system and enemy AI.

Source: Link

Modern Warfare 3 records $400 Million sales in 24 Hours

In just  24 hours Modern Warfare 3  has set a new sales record of $400M, making it the largest launch in history. It  has sold 6.5 million copies making it the highest grosser.

With anticipation around the gaming reaching fever pitch it was clear that the developers had expected big sales, not least because previously Call of Duty: Black Ops set the record before it with $350 million worth of sales. In terms of players getting online Xbox reports that within those 24 hours the uptake of players hitting the multiplayer of Modern Warfare 3 set a new all-time record for Microsoft and Xbox Live.

Without throwing too many more examples around to put this into perspective, the Call of Duty franchise will now have made more than the box office takings for the theatrical releases of 'Star Wars' and 'The Lord of the Rings'. So while it must be a good day for those at Infinity Ward there have been some negative points surrounding the release.

Metacritic gave the game an average expert score of 89, very respectable indeed, however the user ratings for Modern Warfare 3 have scored a staggeringly low 3.1 out of 10 with many citing the games lack of originality and repetition from the last title as a key factor in its low scoring.


Users however rated it as average, and were dissapointed by games graphics.

Source: Link

Star Trek Online Going Free-to-Play in January 2012

Perfect World Entertainment has announced that the date of free-to-play Star Trek will not happen this year end as previously promised, but will be up and running on January 17th, 2012. There was no reason given for the delay, but free is good and worth waiting for.

In Star Trek Online, the Star Trek universe appears for the first time on a truly massive scale.

In this massively multiplayer online game from Cryptic Studios, players can pioneer their own destiny as Captain of a Federation starship. Or they can become a Klingon Warlord and expand the Empire to the far reaches of the galaxy.

Players will have the opportunity to visit iconic locations from the popular Star Trek fiction, reach out to unexplored star systems and make contact with new alien species. With Episode Missions, every moment spent playing Star Trek Online will feel like a new Star Trek episode in which you are the star.

Immerse yourself in the future of the Trek universe as it moves into the 25th century: a time of shifting alliances and new discoveries.

Source:  Link

Battlefield 4 coming soon

Frank Gibeau has unofficially confirmed the development of battlefield 4. Though EA did not deny or confirm about the same in its comment, said "Frank was speaking broadly about the Battlefield brand – a brand that EA is deeply passionate about and a fan community that EA is committed to."

Banking on the huge success of Battlefield 3 with more than 5 million copies sold its all but confirm for Battlefield 4.


Source: Link

Google to add Apture Technology to Chrome Browser

 

Google continues to purchase promising start-up concerns and has added two more to its plus column. Apture is an in-page search feature which allows users to search information directly from the page they are on just by highlighting the information wanted. Google also picked up Katango, a social contact organizer for Facebook and other social sites.

"We were impressed by the Apture team’s approach to enhancing the web browser experience, and we think their expertise will complement the Chrome team’s efforts in this area"

Google continues to gobble up interesting start-ups. On Thursday, the Internet giant said it bought two: Apture, which makes text on any Web page come to life by letting readers do “in-page search,” and Katango, which helps people automatically organize their online social contacts.
In-page search allows people to use their mouse cursor to highlight a term or phrase on a page, such as “Barack Obama” in a news article, to instantly bring up a new window with more information and multimedia related to that term from Wikipedia, Twitter, YouTube and many other sources.

Clicking on Apture-enabled links produce in-page search windows.

Apture has been a big hit with news publishers such as the Financial Times, Reuters, the Economist, and the Times of India, all of which installed Apture technology on their websites to allow readers to access such information.
Apture can also be downloaded as a “plug-in” for Web browsers such as Google’s Chrome, so the technology can be accessed on almost any Web page. Apture’s existing services are expected to be shut down. (You can get a glimpse of the technology by moving your cursor next to the blue words on this page.)
Apture was started in 2007 by Stanford University students Tristan Harris and Can Sar, now 27 years old. They will join the Google Chrome team.


Sources: Link