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Articles de cette pageClosed In: Are Arena-Based Shooters Still Thriving?Five Lego Games We?d Like To See Shippin' Out January 9-15: DC Universe Online Closed In: Are Arena-Based Shooters Still Thriving?Ajouté le 10/1/2011 A lot has changed for first-person shooting games over the years. Publishers like Electronic Arts, Microsoft and Activision have poured millions of dollars into upping development of key titles, such as Medal of Honor, Halo and Call of Duty, respectively. And they?re still as popular as ever, with Call of Duty: Black Ops and Halo: Reach both becoming best sellers for the 2010 gaming season. But have they changed to the point that we?ve forgotten some of their origins? There?s a question as to what has happened to the arena-based shooter. Back in the early 2000?s, it seemed like these kind of games were thriving, between Unreal Tournament, a variation of Epic Games? popular Unreal series; and Quake III Arena, an enclosed multiplayer tournament tied around id Software?s long-running game series. But nowadays, their releases have slowed down in favor of bigger multiplayer gaming experiences. These days, players are treated to more enhanced rewards, including perks (Call of Duty), use of vehicles (the Battlefield series) and unlockable maps and weapons. Of course, the gaming dynamic in general has changed drastically over the years. Each genre has seen its fair share of evolution. With first-person shooters, which change came with Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. When Activision and Infinity Ward?s game exploded onto the scene, millions of players followed, abandoning the titles they were playing beforehand. These included older favorites, such as Midway?s Unreal Tournament III (a classic arena shooter in its own right) and others. There?s just a lot more room to cover in an open shooter than in an arena. That serves to some players? advantage, such as ?camping? snipers who are looking for the ideal spot to execute headshots from afar or run-and-gunners plotting an attack well in advance. But this also serves as a disadvantage. In an arena, you have less time and space to think, and you?ll need to perform instinctively in order to survive. A lot of folks prefer to ?get into the action? (so to speak), rather than plotting our course of attack. So, with the new products on the scene, does that mean that arena-based shooters are done for? Not so fast. Despite the slight downgrade in popularity, there are still more than enough products to choose from, should you be in the mood for some closed-in first-person shooting action. Unreal Tournament III, for instance, lives on as a downloadable game for OnLive, both through the MicroConsole and the direct PC service. Ignition Entertainment?s BlackLight: Tango Down serves as a pretty good arena alternative, released specifically for multiplayer enjoyment (though you can play with bots if you?re short on friends). Nexius, an independently made arena shooter, is set for release sometime this year on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. And Quake, one of the most highly regarded examples for arena action, lives on both through PC (Quake Live) and as an Xbox Live Arcade release (Quake Arena Arcade, which debuted last month). So, no, arena-based shooters aren?t done yet. While tastes may have changed, many folks still like to sit down with an intense, tournament-style battle, rather than a full-fledged online experience. And with developers still working on new ways to twist around the rules or offer something new (Battlefield: Bad Company 2?s Vietnam expansion, for instance), there?s still plenty of opportunity for the arena-based shooter to thrive. Besides, hitting someone with an Impact Hammer will never get old. Not even for fans of BlOps.Source : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gamezone/editorials/~3/qrYqajdVMZY/
Tags : Catégorie : PC | Commentaires (0) | Ecrire un commentaire |Five Lego Games We?d Like To SeeAjouté le 10/1/2011 Since 2005?s Lego Star Wars, TT Games repertoire of Lego-fied heroes has grown in leaps and bounds. From Star Wars, to Indiana Jones, to Batman, to Harry Potter, the biggest franchises in media are being reproduced in digital blocks, ready to be destroyed in search of studs. This year will see the release of a sequel to Lego Star Wars, based on the Clone Wars TV series, and a new franchise in Pirates of the Caribbean. We?re also expecting the announcement of Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 at any moment. What other franchises could be in the pipeline? Here?s just a few possibilities? Lego: The Lord of the Rings With production under way on Peter Jackson?s adaptation of The Hobbit, attention is already returning to Middle-earth in the form of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North videogame, set to release this year. As we get closer to the release of the movies, we?ll definitely see at least a few tie-in titles, and what would be more perfect than Lego: The Lord of the Rings? The franchise would fit the Lego mould like a glove: a trio of films, filled with action, adventure, stunning locations and memorable characters. All the game would need was a satisfactory combat system (nothing too complex) to bring to life the great action, be it with sword, axe or bow. Classic scenes such as Moria, Amon Hen, Helm?s Deep and Shelob?s Lair are just too perfect for levels in a Lego game. Collecting the roster of characters would be just as much fun as any of the other Lego games, and it?d be great to see Lego renditions of the assorted monsters of Middle-earth. The game would have to make fighting from horseback viable, and would have to handle hundreds of characters on screen at once. These are tiny hurdles next to the potential of such a game. Lego: Naruto Naruto, the Manga / Anime / every-other-media-ever-invented franchise is another wonderful fit for Lego adaptation. With an incredibly vivid world and a huge cast of characters with different powers and abilities, it would be fascinating to see what TT Games could conjure up.nbsp; The manga style would translate well to Lego, with the already expressive character designs matching perfectly to the mime story telling. Importantly, there?s a lot of background story to draw from in a Lego: Naruto game, though of course an original storyline (as in Lego: Batman) would work as well. Lego: Kingdoms There have been plenty of Lego games over the years, though the only truly memorable ones have been the franchise efforts from TT Games. However, Lego?s own themes are ripe for videogame adaptation, and for this list I?ve chosen Kingdoms. The background itself is great: knights, dragons, castles, princesses and monsters. Kingdoms would translate well to a videogame, with the possibility of several genres. It would perfectly suit an action platformer in the same vein as TT Games Lego titles, for example, but, with a bit of expansion and creativity, would make a great RPG. For the ultimate Lego experience, however, how about a strategy game? Imagine creating your own knights, designing your own castle and defending it from the evil hordes. Lego: Racers Lego Racers was initially released in 1998 for the Nintendo 64, with several ports over the following years, and a sequel in 2001. The concept of the game is fantastic: design your racer using the available Lego pieces, then race them. The execution, however, was less fantastic. The games themselves aren?t bad, they?re just not particularly inspiring. Now we?re well into the next generation of games, surely it?s the time to revisit the concept and give it the game it deserves? Perhaps releasing such a game in the late 90?s / early 2000?s, the technology just wasn?t there. Today, the process of constructing your own racer could be much less frustrating and far more complex. Even better, how easy would it be to include a level editor for players to design their own tracks? In an age where customisation is key in videogames, Lego Racers would be a perfect fit. Lego: Marvel Lego: Batman has already demonstrated the viability of a superhero based Lego game, and with the huge amount of Marvel characters on their way to the cinema right now, as well as the fact that Spider-Man already has a Lego counterpart, Marvel?s world may be an even better fit. With a (generally) more light-hearted and adventurous approach to superheroes, characters like the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Captain America and the Incredible Hulk could make a fantastic transition to Lego form. TT Games have an incredible ability to truly convey characterisation through simple designs and animations, and Marvel?s characters are ideally suited to this. Not to mention just how many there are to be collected, especially with a huge assortment of different costumes. There?s a huge amount of back story to work from, with some great Villains to battle. Even an original story would work great. Let us know what you think in the comments. Agree? Disagree? Even better, post some of your own ideas.Source : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/gamezone/editorials/~3/VuPQd8IKh7w/
Tags : Catégorie : PC | Commentaires (0) | Ecrire un commentaire |Shippin' Out January 9-15: DC Universe OnlineAjouté le 10/1/2011 SOE and Warner Bros. superhero-infused MMORPG takes to the streets alongside Kingdom Hearts II: Re:coded, Prinny 2, and Ghost Trick.
Around this time last year, the gaming industry saw a glut of big-budget titles that missed--or dodged--the holiday release window, including the likes of Darksiders, Bayonetta, and Army of Two: The 40th Day. This year is shaping up to be a bit less front-loaded, though it does still have a few potential hits arriving during the second full week of 2011. Perhaps the biggest launch this week is DC Universe Online from Sony Online Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The PC and PlayStation 3 game lets players create their crime fighter or villain, and because it is set in the DC Universe, such locales include Superman's Metropolis and Batman's Gotham City. Also, a range of heroes and villains from the comic book publisher's immense stable will lend their presence to the game. The game will also benefit from heralded comic artist Jim Lee and scribe Marv Wolfman, who are contributing to the project. Handheld gamers have a number of options this week. On the DS, fans of the Disney-Square Enix crossover series Kingdom Hearts can pick up Re:coded, which follows a digitized version of Sora. Fans of Capcom's Ace Attorney series may be interested in Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective, an investigative adventure game from Shu Takumi. As for the PSP offerings, NIS America returns with its infernal penguin brigade in Prinny 2: Dawn of Operation Panties, Dood!. A spin-off of the Disgaea franchise, Prinny is an action platformer that the developer billed as the most 'challenging side-scrolling action game ever.' Its predecessor follows in those footsteps, taking place after the original and telling the story of Netherworld overlord Etna's missing panties. For further details on the week's games, visit GameSpot's New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.
JANUARY 11
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'Shippin' Out January 9-15: DC Universe Online' was posted by Tom Magrino on Sun, 09 Jan 2011 12:00:00 -0800
Source : http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/rpg/dcuniverseonline/news.html?sid=6286068
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