Is there enough room for Kingdoms of Amalur?

I've been watching the progress and press of Kingdoms of Amalur (from here-on referred to as KoA) with increasing interest and excitement as details of this new IP from Electronic Arts are released.  Impression-wise, I do get the feeling that KoA is under the radar for a lot of people and not least because of who its publisher is.

Before we get into KoA, I would like to dispense my own views on Electronic Arts and the recent hate that this long-serving publisher has drawn of late (some deserved, some not).  Much of the groans seem to stem from the recently released and buggy 'Battlefield 3' as well as the implementation of online pass and series 'subscriptions.' While E.A. is far from alone in these new strategies, it can at least be complimented for continuing to support development of new IPs unlike others (*cough* Activision *cough*) such as Dead Space or Mirror's Edge.  Regardless of what you think of such titles, both IPs were heavy risks at the time they were released and have certainly influenced, if not enriched, the gaming world.  E.A. can also be credited with saving 'Brutal Legend' from the clutches of vaporware after being dumped by Activision and having more legal money than Kotick to scare them off blocking it.  You see? E.A. - it's not ALL bad.

So on to KoA...is it another 'me too' title or does it deserve the attention of something better?  This recent video on gamespot would say that KoA is well-placed to earn the trust of the gaming public and like all great things: before you judge a game, look at who's behind it.


Writing - R.A. Salvatore

Before one concept drawing or one line of code was dropped, R.A. Salvatore created a 10,000 year world synopsis through which the studio could anchor its entire game.  Every race, every building, every book (yes, lots of those in KoA as well) and every quest is firmly rooted on a rich base of epic storytelling at its best.  Salvatore does not need to reach far to find such inspiration and his track record speaks for itself starting with the most noted of his career: Dungeons and Dragons - 'Forgotten Realms'.

Even if you haven't played a campaign (tabletop style) or read one of Salvatore's books, the title must ring a bell and why not as it has been credited with inspiring Pool of Radiance, Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights.  Salvatore's singularly recognized storytelling through Forgotten Realms resides on the right throne of all that is modern fantasy rpg.  He has single-handedly created more worlds and characters in the fantasy genre within one franchise than most will in their entire careers...and Salvatore did much more than Forgotten Realms.

His New York best-selling fantasy novels (many dozen across multiple franchises) have been gracing shelves over the span of three decades.  He has even ventured into science-fiction and holds credit for Star Wars: Vector Prime.  It is quite conceivable that, knowingly or unknowingly, all modern fantasy writers and designers have at some point been inspired by Salvatores' works.  He is a god amongst fantasy authors; the 'Steven Spielberg' of the fantasy rpg universe and now he, once inspired by the great J.R.R. Tolkien himself, has extended his legendary talent to KoA.


Art Direction - Todd McFarlane

It's unlikely that most people nowadays will know who he is but I was personally surprised and delighted to learn that Todd McFarlane is firmly seated in the 'Art Director' chair for KoA.   Recognized for his award-winning work as key artist for Marvel on the legendary 'Spiderman' comic series, while with Marvel, McFarlane exploited the opportunity to create the first incarnation of 'Eddie Brock' a.k.a. 'Venom.'  He then went on to create McFarlane Entertainment and through M.E. created the enormously successful 'Spawn' franchise.  M.E. also changed the action figure landscape in the late-nineties by introducing a new line of highly-detailed toys that continues to delight collectors to this day.

McFarlane's pedigree in art direction is undeniable.  If you've ever seen him in interview, you will immediately sense his eccentric 'schoolboy' persona in discussing anything to do with fun and fantasy.  His borderline-insane enthusiasm is both comical and infectious.  It has made him a multi-millionaire in his own right and his portfolio of creative characters and worlds bring a powerhouse of potential to KoA.  In his own words, his only concern is that you find KoA 'cool.'


Design - Ken Rolston

When 38 Studios pitched KoA to E.A., there's no doubt that Ken Rolston was an immediate boost to KoA's talent roster.  Rolston's best credit is the critically-acclaimed 'Morrowind' of the Elder Scrolls series and it is Rolston that Elder Scrolls owes its rich tapestry of rpg existence.  Seeking a change to found a new story on a new, fresh engine, Rolston has been firmly focused on refining all that has made Elder Scrolls great while tuning out those limitations and inflexibilities that rpg games can often introduce by forcing gamers to make too many choices, too early on in a game.   As rich as Elder Scrolls has been, KoA will prove to rival it in many ways because both games originate from the same source: Ken Rolson.


More than that, however, KoA does not begin and end at Elder Scrolls.  In many ways (subject to both praise and criticism) KoA unmistakeably resembles a darker, deeper 'Fable' and shares a lot of similar traits as its Lionhead Studios' rival.  It should come as no surprise that many critics of KoA feel as though E.A. is simply trying to capitalise on the popularity of Fable and possess it for itself.  That may be a fair comment but I do not feel this will be at the expense of gaming.  Even if the direction of 'adapting a proven model' appeals to some of E.A.'s corporate-minded executives, where KoA could be a godsend to us gamers is by finally bringing forward the 'Fable' game we always wanted but would never receive from Peter Molyneux.

The opportunity to play a rich and dark rpg adventure that 'borrows' the best from Fable but leaves out much of the clichéd cheese is something that deeply appeals to me and I suspect many others.  I loved and adored Fable II which seemed to show its character without losing balance but lost my appeal for the series with Fable III that I found to be an overly-contrived and linear title seemingly more focused on Molyneux's obsession with uninteresting moral dilemma rather than engaging gameplay.  Knowing that Fable IV is to be some sort of half-baked Kinect title, there is plenty of opportunity for 38 Studios and E.A. to seize the gap that Lionhead has left and enhance it back towards a pure rpg vein rife with choice, world and most notably: blood.

If all is to be taken at face value (and many have already said 'It IS!') then KoA represents a hybrid of the accessible gameplay and style of the 'Fable' series intermeshed with the darker, richer storytelling and rpg purity of 'Morrowind'; all this and careful tweaking to achieve the best of rpg gameplay by those who love (and can take credit for) the best rpg games.  E.A. seems to have an occasional knack for recognising when the right people are behind the right project.  Glen Schofield, a self-professed lover of sci-fi horror, proved himself as the key man for 'Dead Space'; no less can be side, in my opinion, about the team behind 'Kingdom of Amalur.'

CERN scientists catch-up to Gene Roddenberry

Who would have thought that an ex-cop from Los Angeles could have started, arguably, the most influential sci-fi franchise of all time.  So much so that much of the 'fiction' of Star Trek has inspired scientists and gone on to create science fact. Examples: handheld communication devices, tiny cards holding the entire contents of an encyclopaedia, hand-held 'pads' that you can write on and carry about like a book...the list goes on and on.  Most recently, Nasa has pretty much conceived 'Impulse' drive by activating hydrogen fuel with fission reactors which has already improved fuel burn by 200%.

But the big daddy of them all (no, not transporters) has moved one step closer - at least, in theory.  You may or may not have heard something about neutrinos emitted from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) arriving at a sensor placed over 450 miles away a bit earlier than expected.  In essence, the world has long believed that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light as per Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.

E=MC² is one of the unbreakable rules of our universe.  It is Mother Nature's recipe for existence and the physical nature of our galaxy and all those beyond.  This was thought to be the rule for everything and scientists were happy with that because the theory works without fail.

Except...it's failed.
...and this time, beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to this article, a second test has concluded that neutrinos have indeed travelled  While this has scientists worldwide scratching their collective heads, it means that it's looking quite likely that E=MC² ain't all it's cracked up to be...or at least, only to a point.  Read further here and you will learn that those pesky neutrinos beat the speed of light by about 6 metres/second.  That might not sound like a big deal but in the world of physics, it's the equivalent of busting into the final episode of 'America's Top Model' and ripping off Tyra Bank's outfit to reveal secret male genitalia.

This new science is both baffling and exciting because it indicates that the entire concept of Warp speed is actually possible and is now scientifically proven.  While this does not mean that there's any danger of a physicist launching your Granny to Alpha Centauri  at 'Warp Factor 5' any time soon, it has unlocked a crucial door to understanding how we might achieve it some day.  (With someone else's Granny, of course.)

Max Payne reboot setting incredible technology bar

A new video from rockstar is showing the world that the upcoming Max Payne reboot is far beyond a simple recapitalization of the series.  Not for a while have I ever been so wowed by game technology; so take a look and prepare to be amazed.

No focus on creepy actor-to-character face mapping this time.  Instead, an unprecedented attention to detail has been applied to create the most authentic and believable combat physics seen. (and possibly the most bloody)    Characters flinch and react to gun hits in realistic ways appropriate to the type of weapon, the angle and position of the bullet hit and the respective position of the character itself.

Huge focus on AI also demonstrates incredibly varied combat ability according to the expected training/experience of the character in question.  Street thugs blaze out in the wide open, gangsters fight with more zeal and special ops apply suitably tactical thinking and positioning.

Max Payne wasn't a game I necessarily had high expectations for.  All changed now.  Can't wait to see how it pans out.

Upcoming Feature - Minecraft: What it can teach us about the Future of Gaming

Hello readers!  It's time for another in-depth feature article as my creative juices flux to a solar maximum as 2012 approaches.   My next feature will discuss the emergence and paradigm impact of Minecraft.  Are you a Minecraft lover? Hater?  Write in and tell me about your experiences, good or bad.  Your quotes may be included in my feature (I shall try to include as many as sensible) so please do go into detail about what you loved, liked, got tired of or just purely hated.

I'm looking forward to reading all of your comments!  Please email me directly or post here in the blog comments depending on how much you want to say.
For longer comments, please direct via email to rabbitcancer@googlemail.com

Video Killed my X-3-6-0 Star

This week's thoughts: I am done with Xbox.

There has been a lot of late that has irked me about Microsoft and it's reversal of good times on the console side of things.  Gold fees went up (I have since cancelled), exclusives had dwindled to nothing but core titles only die-hards care about and Kinect support has been wholly and indisputably awful.

With the dawn of a new Dashboard update looming, I had hoped that my enjoyment would return but this weekend, I discovered something that affected my family and has ultimately poisoned my soul towards the Xbox console beyond anything other than an absolute necessity as my sole gaming machine: Video Kinect isn't available to Silver members.

This became personal yesterday when  I arranged a teleconference with my Father who lives overseas; he enjoys speaking with my daughter who knows his face well through our family television.  It's definitely a positive aspect of Kinect ownership, if nothing else.  Imagine my horror when I launched Video Kinect and received a message that the service was reserved for Gold subscribers only!

I completely understand that Microsoft needs to value-add their services, but it is for pure, unadulterated, bone-headed greed like this that we in Britain can get the BBC iPlayer on every console and device imaginable apart from the Xbox 360.  The iPlayer is a video replay service that MUST be free to all U.K. residents as we are taxed for the cost of the BBC.  We could have had iPlayer on the 360 years ago but Microsoft refused because (wait for it) they wanted to reserve the iPlayer function for paid subscribers only.  That's right - Microsoft wanted to charge for access to something that is supposed to be free under law.  The BBC Trust, the agency that oversees BBC activities, was forced into a corner and was obligated to refuse so not to violate the BBC charter.  Since then, the iPlayer has appeared on Playstation 3, Wii, Android, iPhone, PC, Mac, television-equipped bananas, etc.  (ok...maybe that last one was a lie)

This time, Microsoft owns the service so I suppose they should call the shots as they see fit, however, the service in question is already offered to millions of Windows users worldwide under a different incarnation vis-a-vis 'Live' Messenger Video Calling.  In fact, this is what my Father uses on his end via his laptop and webcam.  He pays no monthly fee for that.  Why should I?   Surely, as a console owner and not merely a Windows 7 owner (I have two licenses, in fact) I have invested far more into Microsoft's holdings through my purchases of the Xbox 360 console and the Kinect device.

No.  Apparently not.  Microsoft has made it clear that none of my investment matters.  What they consider a free product for all of their Windows users is subject to their annual pound of flesh from Xbox owners.  No Gold membership?  No luck, pal.

Unfortunately for them, this is the straw that broke the camel's back.  As such, I can speak objectively about Microsoft's contributions to the gaming world but I cannot, in good faith, recommend their console products or services any longer as I feel that there is simply much better and customer-centric offerings available on the market without the need for subscription fees.

Apart from the U.S. which seems to get all of the online 'goodies', in this day in age when there is far more available on competing consoles and PC-based services (including from Microsoft itself, I might add) Xbox 360 ownership becomes a Martyr's venture.  Only the most pure of fanboyism could possibly justify staying loyal the Xbox cause.  Well, they are welcome to it.

My Elite is approaching 4 years and is getting louder as the days go on.  I suspect there's not much left in the old girl (although she has served me well) and had always assumed that should she conk before this gen is over, I would likely replace her with a shiny new 'S' model.  That position has now, regrettably, changed.

Should my 360 die, I will not hesitate to scrap up as many pennies as possible with my remaining Kinect and small library of games towards the purchase of a Playstation 3 system.  As an owner of the Original Playstation system, I have nothing but fond memories and looking back, I feel that my hard-thought decision to go with Xbox was the wrong one taking all into consideration.  So with that, farewell Xbox.  My customer loyalty just RROD'd.

The Sound of Skyrim

Bethesda has released this rare insider's view on one of the less exposed aspects of modern gaming: The Music (and sound). Mention gaming music 25 years ago and most people would have started the familiar 'do...do do' imitation of Super Mario Bros. famous 8-bit tune.  Mention music nowadays and you (hopefully) will get a variety of opinions about what is the best and how the music influenced a given gamer's feeling or emotion towards a game.

The Elder Scrolls series most certainly obtained recognition for this advancing craft (pun intended) of intelligent scoring; where music style and variety underpins a given moment or mood in a game according to what the player is doing or where the player has ventured.  Skyrim promises to take this craft to the next level.

Do check out the video and the various faces behind the scenes, particularly the musicians, who contribute to this very important element of games.  It's a rare opportunity also to see one of the great Shakespearean actors, Christopher Plummer, work his magic on a voice-over that will soon be imprinted on the ears and minds of millions of lucky gamers all over the world.

First Skynet...next? Why the T101, of course!

Not that I'm obsessed with futuristic miltary tech these days...it's just, there seems to be a lot of it coming out of the woodwork lately. (begs the question as to what contract tenders are being offered behind the scenes right now)

So here's another neat/weird/scary/omg-its-head-is-a-warning-light-like-the-Robocop-prototype example of what developments are making press.  The headliner is Boston Dynamics, a 'friendly' company that does robotic-type stuff.

We've seen it all before a.k.a. that little Honda guy...but wait, no you haven't.  Check out the video on the source article and you may just feel a hair standing up on the back of your neck.  This time, the robot is seemingly all-too capable of pretty much any typical human movement and at speed.  There are safety tethers present but throughout the video there's almost zero tension on them meaning that this prototype is the closest thing we've seen yet to a fully-operational bi-pedular machine.  Machine for what? -well that's the real question.  The U.S. Army (contract behind the prototype) claims it's for situations too dangerous for humans such as chemical attacks, firefighting, etc where the 'Petman' would be used to exercise search and rescue functions in such conditions.

Yeah.....right.

I just hope it's not addicted to 'Nuke.'

Skynet in 3...2...1...

More scary stuff.  This time an article from aviation news chronicling the U.S. and partners' desire to interlink a vast, global network of unmanned drones all controlled through a centralised command centre.  The pitch is simple: Information (or rather, the collation of information) is power.  With thousands or even tens of thousands of drones airborne across the globe, telemetry can be analysed, cross-referenced and shared and if need be, strikes can be ordered to the very drones that are sending all the information.

It is a Terminator-esque level of military intelligence, the likes of which we can only imagine.  In actual fact, all of the technology needed to make this work is already available.  It becomes a simple matter of binding it all together with the necessary funding, software and logistics; ok, not so simple...but certainly doable.

To put this into context: imagine a world-wide air traffic control system (such systems already exist with this capability) where the planes not only fly, they take pictures and shoot missiles too.

Get the picture? (pun intended)

The rationale?  It's cheaper than sending hundreds of warships and spyplanes around the world to keep track of everything from terrorist activities in Sudan to pesky drug cartels in Northern Australia, or possibly identifying that the two are interconnected.

The problem?  Who controls it?  Who governs it?  Most importantly: Who has their button on the trigger?
Somewhere, Orwell is laughing.

__________________________________________________________

World of Goo dev sides with Team Meat in exodus away from Xbox

Sometimes someone hits a key note that begins a revolution.  It would seem that Team Meat's concerns about Xbox Live and Microsoft's policies towards supporting developers has hit a chord; this time with 2DBoy, author of the equally notable (to Super Meat Boy) Xbox Arcade hit: 'World of Goo.'

The complaints will read familiar: lack of communication, poor promotional support and overbearing restrictions on release.  Ron Carmel, the voice of 2D Boy, cites that PSN, Steam and others are proving to be greener pastures these days...and again, it all begs us to wonder: What the hell is going on at Microsoft?

While no person will ever accuse Microsoft of abandoning the drive for the almighty dollar, at least some critics would have been silenced by us intelligent folk who recognized a strong business strategy when we saw one.  However, that was then and this is now, so to speak.  Obviously Microsoft will always try to maximize profits, but alienating the developer community and failing to promote games doesn't seem like a winning strategy.  In fact, it seems like utter madness.

A year or so ago, Microsoft had digital distribution gaming in the bag.  Indy Games came on the scene and 'Summer of Arcade' became a gamer's delight of well-priced downloadable hits to tide over the urge until the big releases of the fall.  Nowadays, it seems as though the releases have become more formulaic and uninspired, prices have driven upwards where an average XBLA title is now 1200-1600 points and most 'news releases' seem to be a re-announcement of someone from three months earlier that no one paid attention to on the first occasion.

Why, Microsoft? Why?
Where is everyone...anyone...who actually cared about Xbox as a gaming platform....is anyone left?
Do you really want me to give up and side with Sony utterly and completely?

Finally...don't you like money any more?

Kinect: Legal Dwarves may not play Halo or watch 24

Some ideas are interesting but not really thought out.  A new feature being described in a patent from Microsoft indicates that your Kinect camera may be the new weapon in the war against under-age viewing of mature content.

Allegedly, this patent describes a process whereby the size of a person dictates what he/she can watch.  Ergo, if you're small, then you are a 'child' and not permitted to watch anything outside of the general audience bracket.  Obviously, this is a bit limited as there are many people in the world who may resemble an under-age child while not actually existing as one.

You'll be able to disable it, of course, but it does make me think of situations where a legal dwarf, for instance, might walk into the room to watch his favourite episode of 24 and be told by Xbox, "Sorry, you're too small to watch this, kiddo!"

To make things worse, Kinect will even tone down content if someone of small stature walks into the room halfway into a program.  Imagine your dismay as your Xbox detects your shrunken Granny entering the home theatre and decides to interrupt your pay-per-view title fight by changing over to 'Elmo's Magic Kingdom!'  Oh the joys!

It's an interesting idea and I can see what they (Microsoft) are trying to do, but ultimately, it's a feature only to be employed by the most incompetent of parents as that type of automation is just not pragmatic unless you spent time in your twenties playing nailgun roulette...and let's be honest - if a parent needs that kind of assistance, they've probably bought their 7-year-old son a brand new copy of Modern Warfare to play with anyway.

Maximum computer geekdom meets epic Star Wars nerdom

This brought a smile to my face.  Being an old computer hack for the better part of 30 years, stuff like this always gets my juices flowing.  Den of Geek spotted this video on YouTube featuring a couple of 3.5" floppy drives connected to a custom control board which, as best as I can guess, has been calibrated to move the heads at different speeds to produce..(cue drum roll)..musical notes!  And what should one do with this ultimate power?  Play the Empire theme from Star Wars, of course!

As an added bonus, show this to a young person of post-floppy experience and claim that these drives are actually the first sound devices used on PC.  You can even say it's called a 'Game Blaster' (the Sound Blaster before it was the Sound Blaster).  God knows it didn't sound much better.  I should know, I owned one.  It looked like this (below) and I was excited.  (took me 5 hours to get it working on my PC XT though(...Irq7....Irq10....Irq5....KHAN!!!)

Check out the new U.S. Navy Radar by Raytheon

Filed under 'S' for 'Scary Stuff!' - Raytheon's new radar system is so powerful that it will allow your not-so-average Arleigh Burke classs of destroyer to track pretty much anything...including satellites!  Cnet has thrown up some concept photos from the company formally known as 'Hughes' (a.k.a Howard Hughes) about what it will look like and more importantly: what it will track.

In a connected (I think) topic, I overheard an interesting segment on BBC Radio 4 this morning regarding a new book entitled 'DarkMarket: Cyberthieves,' based on the infamous forum site of the same name (since shut down).  The author, Bodley Head, put in a unique effort by contacting various hackers around the world to get the story from 'behind the keyboard' and what he discovered was shocking.  Every month, vicious and successful hacking attacks against major organisations suchs as banks, defence agencies and government offices are occurring without report.  Much of these attacks are state-sponsered and I suspect that the U.S. is now counting mobile 'Satellite Killing' amongst its 'must have' arsenal of weapons. 

If the war on Cyber crime has a physical form, this is undoubtedly it...for all the good it could possibly do.

Team Meat slams Microsoft, praises Steam

If there was ever any doubt in the Xbox fanboy mind that Microsoft isn't only concerned about profit and greed, this story is sure to shake foundations.  Next-gen is reporting on an interview by Indiegames (delivered via podcast) with Team Meet founder Tommy Refenes.  Tommy was quite vocal about their disappointment with Microsoft and Xbox Live Arcade.  Considered one of the premier indy launch titles on XBLA, Super Meat Boy has already reached cult status with gamers although the initial sales momentum has long since disappaited. 

Most people will agree that, as with all things game-wise, after a while the interest drops so you need to boost sales again with a nicely-promoted discount; something that Microsoft has employed on many occassions with older XBLA titles.  Team Meat has been badgering Microsoft for months to include 'Super Meat Boy' in one of their many sales but despite being pestered monthly, Microsoft has refused without explanation or dialogue.  Steam, on the other hand " is a fucking powerhouse" according to Tommy Refenes.  He spoke very fondly of Gabe Newell's PC-based distribution platform saying that nothing compares to it nor the support its people lend developers such as Team Meat.

When asked about their relationship with Microsoft, Refenes indicated "I don't think we'll work with them ever again."  Considering the industry buzz that Team Meat has created with their initial offering, this represents a potentially huge loss for Microsoft and continues to raise concern over who is really running Microsoft's Xbox division and whether they have any clue what they are doing...or worse, do they even care?

HP caught off guard by tablet success, promises more to come - market teaches us a lesson?

Funny how things change when companies make the right decision by accident, huh?  By now, you've probably heard about the recent price ($99 U.S) cut to HP's 'unsuccessful' tablet after HP itself announced it was getting out of the game altogether.  What you may NOT have heard is that those tablets have sold out and HP is promising to provide more to market to supply the demand. 

Conclusion?  People like cheap stuff.  -well, yes...but HP's tablet is hardly anything distinguished on the market.  It doesn't run either of the up-and-coming operating systems (iOS/Android/WinMobile8) nor does it have much support on the application side of things.  Yet at the current price, it is smashing the iPad which is arguably the best seller of this type of gadget.  So what gives?

I'll tell you - it's perceived value.  Quite frankly, everyone I talk to likes the idea of a tablet, they just don't like the price.  By design or folly, HP has inadvertently discovered the true desire of the market thus concluding that if Apple and their ilk want to see the iPad REALLY take off, they need to get their pricing down to sub $200 U.S. level before anything is really going to change.

War of the Worlds reviving the haydays of 2D

This one might be a little off some radars but it is no less important than the flurry of Mass Effect, Batman, Uncharted, etc announcements that we've been bombarded with (repeatedly, unnecessarily) over the last few months.  No doubt destined for the furtile marketing grounds of PSN and XBLA, Paramount's 'War of the Worlds' is a shining example of the healthy revival of 2d-platforming.  The developer diary found here should contain everything you want to know about the game as well as the introductory gameplay narrated by Captain Picard himself. 

So why get excited?  Well, it looks absolutely lovely for starters.  It features a voiceover by Patrick Stewart who narrates you through the game.  The soundtrack is recorded from a full-piece, cinema-inspired orchestral score and the script is written by noted author Chris Fowler.  Summing up the dev story, much of their inspiration comes from 2d legends of past fame such as 'Prince of Persia' (Jordan Mechner's original - not the 3D series), 'Out of this World', and Flashback.  (think 16-bit Genesis).  In other words, this game is being made by guys who love games and with Paramount's backing on production values, War of the Worlds looks to impress.

With the slur of predicatable and uninspired first-person games of recent years, it is highly refreshing to see studios put their faith in tried-and-true game formats.  What started with 'Limbo' and 'Shadow Complex' is quickly becoming the newest old-thing in gaming trends a.ka. high-gloss 2d platforming.  Not to mention the fact that it's one of the only genres that can actually run in 1080p native on our aging consoles ;)

Check out this awesome new trailer for Colonial Marines!

I'll let the trailer speak for itself.
The only word that comes to mind is: 'Finally!'

New SSX trailer looks absolutely amazing

Head on over to Joystiq and check out this trailer for the upcoming reboot of EA's SSX for the next (current) gen.  SSX was a major hit on the last generation of console and the new one looks to up the game even more.  Apart from wild graphics and speed thrills, EA has put a lot of effort into community-based gameplay and (I think) they've done it in an intelligent and fun way.  Biggest bragging rights: 100,000 players live at one time.  No idea what that really means or how it will actually work out pragmatically but I'm looking forward to the game nonetheless.  Watch close and check out the 'flying' option.  A first-day purchase for me.

THQ impresses with 8 minutes of 'Saint's Row: The Third' gameplay

PS3Vault has posted this video of THQ's upcoming installement to it's 'Saint's Row' series.  Personally, I've never been a fan of the game as it always seemed to lack direction not unlike its spiritual cousin: 'Just Cause.'  While both are credible open-world franchises, they just don't seem to have the staying power of Rockstar's creations. 


That may be about to change.

The gameplay footage demonstrates some very fun game mechanics as well as improving on some existing ones.  It would also seem as though the new 'Saints' is much more story-driven than its predecessors which (hopefully) should provide a solid single-player campaign rather than depending on multiplayer 'lulz' to lure money out of our respective wallets.

Third time lucky?  Wait and see - but the video DID make me smile and that's no small feat considering how old and grumpy I'm getting these days ;)

ID's John Carmack stokes the console fanboy war: "360 better than PS3"

With all due respect, I don't believe in console 'wars' and nor does John Carmack - but it was a catchy title for the blog ;)

In context, John was recently interviewed by QJ.net about his experience with development and the question was put to him as to his thoughts on the PS3 being the 'best console' of all time.  His response was not particularly surprising - saying that although he liked the PS3, the 360 was much easier to develop for - largely because of a much better SDK (which we knew) and the flexibility offered by the 360's RAM architecture (the 360 allows devs to vary RAM allocation between CPU and graphics) compared to the PS3's sparse devkit and segmented RAM. (256k hardwired to CPU and GPU respectively)

While John's comments were not meant as a criticism necessarily - just an honest answer to a..perhaps fanboy-type of a question, his thoughts are worth listening to as the next generation of console approaches.  In terms of sheer potential, the PS3 is arguably better if only slightly, but for years studios have been forced to 'unlock' that potential by coding around incomplete development tools and architecture bottlenecks.  Some have been more successful than others largely due to money and resources; this has taken its toll on the PS3 particularly from the Indie games side of things which is largely non-existent for Sony's premier machine.

The Playstation 3 is a clear example of how hardware engineers can run amuck and create good electronics that are bad for developers.  Not knowing much insider details about the development cycle for the Playstation 3, we can only surmise that the software side of Sony didn't have a lot of involvement in the planning process.  Instead, it would seem that Sony used a 'if you build it, they will come' approach counting on the expertise of the software community at large to get their heads around the PS3's unique hardware arrangement.  While Carmark's comments about the PS3 are hardly unique or new, they underpin an important point of concern for Sony engineers who are, no doubt, in the final phases of specification for the 'Playstation 4.' 

Rumours swirl as 2K registers 'Citizen Skywatch'

Joystick is reporting that 2K games has registered a new domain called 'citizenskywatch.com' and it's obviously got them excited as the IP address traces back to Rockstar itself.  Suggestions of a new IP from the Red Dead Redemption team have got people talking.

Ironically, I think they're completely off the mark. Regardless of the IP belonging to 'Rockstar' (servers are shared across enterprises, guys...it's called 'cost effectiveness') 2K is also the publisher of the upcoming 'Bioshock Infinite' title and I suspect that this is all part of some viral campaign to promote Ken Levine's new sequel rather than some new IP from Rockstar no matter where the breadcrumbs lead to.

But hey - if it is a new IP from Rockstar, nobody is going to object, are they?

Alleged Anonymous video threatens Facebook on November 5th

If this video is to be believed, it would seem that Facebook has fallen under the gaze of what is quickly becoming the most notorious (and capable) hacking consortium of all time.  The video accuses Facebook of selling private information about its users to governments, police and security agencies for the purpose of spying on the populace.  Although some may dismiss these hackers as criminals, the allegations themselves are quite serious and if true, I'm not sure that I would stand in Anonymous' way.

Of course, the world now waits for the official response from Facebook.  However, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook's founder) doesn't exactly have a good track record on privacy ethics nor sharing his fortune with deserved others.  So while it's hard to know what the truth actually is behind all of this (and if it is actually Anonymous behind it), it's not beyond the realm of possibility that Zuckerberg's company is capable of such heinous violations of users' rights and privacy.  It's already apparent that Facebook has been instrumental in several arrests stemming from the recent London riots.  Many might jump to defend the actions of government and police on this occasion, but there's no denying that we are on a very slippery slope here.  

A deeper question arises as to what (if any) cooperation corporations must provide about their users without a warrant.  Furthermore, what protects us as citizens against corporations that might choose to sell our information and then point to some embedded clause in the terms and conditions when your neighbour is arrested for something he might have done.

So what can we believe?  It's hard to trust either side of this upcoming battle, to be honest....but I'll leave you with two quotes to ponder from one of the most enlightened authors in history:

Firstly: "Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac. "

Secondly: "During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."

If it is indeed Anonymous and this group, who had the power to take down the second most-recognized brand in the world, has discovered something sinister about a company that millions have put their trust into, would it not be appropriate to expose and destroy such an entity?  Furthermore (if it is true, of course), will those who conspired with the entity stand in the way of its destruction or let it fall as the scapegoat of the largest international conspiracy of the information age?

The question is not if such a thing could happen - it is when.  That time may already be upon us.  I, for one, hope this whole thing (including the allegations) are a hoax.

EDIT: According to this article, a core group of Anonymous has denounced the threat to Facebook, saying that it is being organised by a splinter group.  The following statement was made:
""We absolutely disown OpFacebook ... We're supposed to fight for the users, not against them. Don't violate private citizen privacy please...The old hats of Anonymous have decided to take stronger hold of the reins. We're taking Anon back. Time for sensible, focused discussion."

While this seems fair, it's a little confusing because it was not apparent that the original threat mentioned anything about violating citizen privacy...if anything, it was to take down services so that Facebook couldn't violate privacy itself.  This indicates that either there's more to the threat than is known -or- perhaps some founding members of Anonymous are concerned about any backlash from the public based on the reactions from the Playstation Network outtage last spring.  Either way, it would appear that Anonymous is no longer working cohesively or possibly, there are concerns about recent arrests over attacks by Lulzsec and some members are feeling a bit exposed.

Whatever the truth behind it all, it would seem that this story has not played out as yet. 

Bethesda jumps onto the 'dumb-ass lawsuit' bandwagon

As much as I like Bethesda's work, they really need to get a hold of their lawyers and open up a can of whoop-ass on them.  It turns out that Bethesda is now suing Minecraft developer 'Mojang' for 'stealing' the idea of using 'scrolls' in the game.  I'm sorry, but what?? First off, I really hope that Bethesda gets the smack-down (yes, I seem to be quoting 'The Rock' today for some reason) from the attending Judge because it's time that software companies 'learned their damn role' (ok, I'm done...honest.)  Going around suing each other for using basic concepts such as scrolls isn't going to do anyone any good and it only serves to stifle competition and indy development.

Pick on the little guy and you might become the little guy.

Secondly, Bethesda is really opening up a can of worms here.  Do they honestly think that, in the history of gaming (electronic or otherwise), that they have any exclusive rights to the use of 'scrolls' within a fantasy game?  At the end of the day, ALL fantasy games owe allegiance to one company and one only:
TSR Incorporated. 

What seperates Bethesda from TSR is that TSR was only interested in people enjoying their games rather than chasing down any third-party designer who happened to like what they did and infuse elements into their own creations. 


What's more, all rights to TSR were bought by 'Wizards of the Coast' who are now owned wholly by Hasbro Inc.  If Bethesda does get anywhere with this stupid legal action, perhaps someone should send Hasbro a little note to see if they would like to make Bethesda their legal plaything for a while. 

Old advice but still relevant: Be careful what you wish for; you might just get it.

UPDATE: Techdirt has more information on this issue: apparently, it stems from a new game from Mojang named 'Scroll' and Bethesda, who owns trademark rights to 'The Elder Scrolls' doesn't like it.  Again, not much stock in this suit and it reeks of the recent action by Facebook who is currently suing 'Shagbook' for daring to use 'Book' in their name.  Are we seriously going to try and trademark the dictionary?  Let's hope this falls over before it goes any further.

FEATURE: Rabbitc's Massive Summer Gaming Roundup

Hello folks and sorry for the delay.  As with many things, life has commanded my attention away from frequent blogging of late - but I have grabbed a spare moment to report on my thoughts regarding E3 and general gaming news to-date for 2011.  This time around, I have broken this edition into sections by game or topic so that you can zoom into the stuff you care about.  Peace out, Dudes!!

The E3 Report


Another E3, another mixed bag of crap...
OK, it wasn't all bad but...dear oh dear!  Where do I start?  I suppose the logical place is with the one piece of gaming news that no-one wanted to see but everyone expected: Duke Nukem Forever is a stinker!

It's time to kick-ass and chew gum...and my ass has already been kicked

 ...and not just because he's brandishing some token faecal matter to punt through the uprights; more because the game sucks in a balls-of-steel way that will likely seal the fate of the Duke forever. (no pun intended)  It's a real shame but I suppose the track record for these things has never been very good.  I did try the demo and it was OK to be honest, but 'ok' doesn't cut in today's market.  If you've clicked through the link, you'll see that Edge crucified it with an unrelenting '3' and whether you trust Edge or not, that is a certified kill.  I suppose that would be the end of the story if it weren't for the fact that Gearbox is also working on Aliens: Colonial Marines: a game very near and dear to my heart.  We can only hope that they have taken lessons learned and applied them to good use as neither Gearbox nor their publisher on A:CM (Sega) have a great track record lately.

Microsoft asleep at the wheel
I've already blogged on Microsoft's E3 disaster and I'm sorry to say that things haven't improved. The only real outlet for Microsoft news is Major Nelson's blog.  Worthy of note, Larry (Major's real name) recently disappeared for a 'week' holiday which saw his blog remain idle for almost three weeks.  Since returning, the most exciting blog we've seen is an 'accountant's special' 'sale' on gamertag changes (a whole 30% off!).  That's right, a blog-worthy announcement (apparently) that the 'deal of the week' is 30% off the extortionate charge for the simple privilege of changing your gaming name.  Words cannot express the epic facepalm required so please give me ideas of a site or video I could link to.  Quite frankly, I don't even know why Larry bothers any more.  Easy money, perhaps.  Personally, I would be too embarrassed to continue...but that's just me. ;)

Oh yeah...and Gears of War 3 is coming out...and Mass Effect 3...and Forza 4...and some other stuff and we'll probably see a new Halo (not by Bungie - not that I cared anyway) and Kinect, Kinect, Kinect!  (do tell us oh wise Rabbit!)

"Kinect, drop 20 pounds!"

Yes.  It's true.  Kinect will now let you try on a virtual wardrobe!!!





Excited??  No?  I see.............Moving on then.



Sony Delivers
It was not Sony's best conference by far, but there was a decent share of solid gaming and a strong slant on 3D.  While the 3D is a passing novelty (it's really not good for you beyond the average time of a film) the conference did show that Sony is still firmly committed to a solid gaming experience despite the inclusion of Playstation Move.  Heck, even the Move title looked fun!

Award for most money spent on lighting goes to...

We saw some pedigree titles emerge as well as mention of Dust514: a Halo-beating MAG-like space marine game.  We also saw some credible move experiences including NBA 2K11 and a core title called 'Deadmund's Quest'.

Saving the best for last, Sony revealed the name of their new handheld: Vita...and what was shown proved it to be a very capable little machine and well beyond the over-hyped features of Nintendo's rival '3DS.'  Sony also impressed with price-point for the first time in its gaming console history and this did not go unappreciated by the crowd.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, Sony (and Japan) are going through very difficult times due to adverse economic conditions and stagnant performance from their television division.  Sony really needs a quick and big win with Vita as gaming is the only market in growth these days.  Anything less could spell a real threat to Sony's gaming division.  To put things in perspective, if the dark days of the Playstation 3's early years had emerged now rather than back in 2006, Sony would have been forced to axe the entire gaming division and possibly close up shop altogether.  As hard as things are for the world, Japan is fighting the economic battle of its modern existence thanks to the triple-whammy of the economy, the tsunami and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.  I honestly hope that the solid strategies they are planting this year will turn out well for them.  God knows they need it to.


Wii U buy Mii?
Nintendo. (sigh)  Once, they were great.  I mean...really great!  Weren't they?  I suppose you can't fault them for their success with the Wii. (we can curse them though muhaha!)  Having said that, the 3DS is not doing well at all.  Although it hasn't reaped the rewards of a class-action lawsuit for damaged optical nerves (yet) the consumers are voting with their wallet.  Sales are stagnant across the globe and recently, Japan of all places has announced that the shelves are full of used 3DS consoles.  Ironically, the article behind reports this as a 'good thing' but it isn't; this early on, it means that owners are becoming bored with their machines and cashing them in while the getting is still good.  The causes of this are uncertain, but I'd imagine that the value for money just isn't there along with the novelty (and it is a novelty) of 3D gaming fades quickly...or brings you to full-alarm, chunk-blowing status in record time.

So what of the Wii U?  Ok, it's interesting and I think Nintendo is definitely on to something - but the Wii U itself will not be the console to take this forward.  In case you've been living in a closet recently, the Wii U is basically a Nintendo branded 'Xbox 360' (when looking at performance, capability) with one major difference: the controller.

Does it come with a lap-mount?

 Each Wii U controller comes with an integrated touch-screen in the centre.  The potential of this is limitless because it provides developers with the option to create completely customized controls for every game as well as a secondary screen for indicators, gauges or even mini-games.

'So what's the issue?' -you may ask

Size: Firstly, the control is pretty much mandatory.  Much like how the motion controller is required for the Wii, the Wii U is dependent on that touch screen being there and that's where things get icky.  As you can see from the image, it's not exactly the smallest of controllers; in fact, it could be the biggest ever.  The Wii U controller is more like an Apple 'iPad' than a controller and it will certainly feel clunky amongst a large contingent of users.

Intimidation factor: Are you afraid of it?  No, probably not - but I bet your Granny would be and that's where the problem lies.  The Wii was successful largely because of it's unassuming interface which is not much more than a chocolate-bar-sized wand with a few buttons on it.  But this??? Different game entirely.  "Here Grandma.  Hold this small TV with two analog sticks and a myriad with buttons on it..." -no, I doubt it.  She'll probably just let the boys get on with it and make a pot of tea.  End result: Nintendo is at risk of alienating the growth market that brought it success with the first Wii.

Cost:  There's no doubt that having a built-in touch screen is going to jack up your unit cost.  Can you even guess what the buy-in price of 4 home controllers might be with this thing?  Bear in mind that when considering devices such as Sony's 'Vita' or Apple's 'iPad', the majority of the production cost lies with the screen.  It is for this reason that such units are never repaired, only replaced, if the screen malfunctions.  The manufacturing cost of the Wii U remote will be more in line with the Vita than say, the Sixaxis controller.  That means that Nintendo will either have a massive price-point on controllers or will be forced to always sell them at a loss.  If the Wii U's only trick is matching the 360 for power and innovating through its high-priced controller, I think there is serious risk of business default here.  Nintendo should have built the better motion controller first and then offered the touch-pad controller as an optional buy-in for hardcore gamers.  Perhaps they will.  Time will tell but then as the Wii U isn't much to speak of under the hood, what else IS there to talk about?

Hello Vita, it rhymes with Pita
Sony wasted no time in unveiling the official name of the NGP...and what better name for the coolest, most capable handheld than 'Vita'! YEAH! Awesome name! Right?? ....right?  (crickets)

Yes, it even does your groceries.

Ok, so the name ain't exactly a zinger, but the console does seem to be the new handheld that the market was waiting for.  It's price-point, for one thing, is spot-on and that alone will propel the Vita to epic launch heights.  Provided Sony is emerging from their learned-lessons from the PS3 and PSP, we can only hope that the dev-kit is also equally as spot-on as the console itself.  If that's the case, we've got a hands-down K.O. winner to trounce the 3DS despite the head-start.

The exciting part for me is what Sony plans to do with the Vita and the PS3 (and PS4 you can wager).  The Vita has the touch-screen that the PSPGo should have had as well as oodles of buttons.  It will support remote play but more importantly, I am dead certain that Sony will give you the option (R U paying attention Wii U?) of using the Vita as a PS3 controller complete with interactive touch-screen.  Long story short, Sony has provided a handheld that beats the 3DS and clobbers the Wii U in one fell swoop.  Gosh Darn, Sony!  Welcome back to the fight!!!  For the first time ever, I may just consider a handheld console and this is the one.  It would be even MORE cool if Sony also offered similar support for the Xperia, but I won't hold my breath on that one.   Either way, Sony is off to a bloody good start for the next gen.  I hope that they give us some PS4 news sooner rather than later.

The Good, the Bad and the Downright Gorgeous
(The Games)

Featuring RabbitC's 'Hop-O-Meter'
That's not a Rabbit!  That's a Space Station!: It will rock all who play it.
2-Hops-Forward: Exciting enough to warrant attention.  Likely one of the year's top 10 titles.
1-Hop-Forward: Probably worth the time if you can get a good deal on it.  Certainly worth a rental.
Hopping on the Spot: Ok, it does something, makes pretty colours on the screen and some geek may rave about it.  But it's same-old, same-old.
2-hops-back:  'Epic Fail' bad and an insult to gamers around the world.


Rise of Nightmares (Sega, Kinect)
Might as well get this out of the way as the token Kinect announcement.  I like Kinect a lot and I see amazing potential but alas, that has not been realised.  Developers can do great things with Kinect but they must acknowledge its weaknesses first.  Until then, we will probably see more titles like Sega's 'Rise of Nightmares'.  Not only is the game an unapologetic rip-off of the Silent Hill series, it's demonstrated gameplay looks laboured and clumsy (see video behind link).  Watching the footage, RoN reminds me more of a goofy night at the carnival horror house than anything resembling a game.  Gamers are already suggesting that this could be the worst game of 2011.  I suspect they are probably right.
[2-hops-back]


Duke Nukem Forever (Gearbox, 3D Realms)
As you can guess from my thoughts above, it's official: The Duke is Dead.  For a while it really looked like Gearbox was going to pull a rabbit out of the crap-filled hat.  Kudos to them for finishing it off, I suppose.  No one likes vaporware...but on this occassion, I think we would have made an exception.  DNF is vile, technically bad and uninspired.  It reminds me of 'Leisure Suit Larry: Magnum Cum Laude': a weak attempt to create a sequel to Al Lowe's infamous adventure series.  Unfortunately, as with 'Magnum Cum Laude' - Gearbox tried to replicate the jokes without looking at the soul of the game itself and in doing so, they missed the point and have buried the series for all time.  I doubt anyone will try to resurrect it now and perhaps it's for the best.   The Duke can now safely rest in peace...although I wouldn't object to an indie developer resurrecting him in his original 2d platformer glory. (hint, hint)
[2-hops-back]


Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Naughty Dog)
Let's cheer up the place a bit and where better to start that E3's hottest ticket this year.  (yes, I am giving the trophy to a Playstation game, you haters!!!) Uncharted 3 looks gorgeous, fun, engaging and downright epic in every detail.  I am aware of a number of gamers worried about the Uncharted series getting a bit rusty, but looking at the stage demo I can't disagree more.

So real, you can taste the sea salt

Watching Drake battle foes on the decks of a cruise ship rolling the storm, I feel as though Naughty Dog has brought gaming one step closer to cinematic greatness.  Anyone with a solid home theatre setup is in for a solid ride with U3DD and no doubt they will be joined by family and friends happy to just sit and watch.  If Uncharted 3 is half-as-good and a quarter-as-fun as this stage demo looks, it will be a lock for 2011 Game of the Year.
[That's not a Rabbit! That's a Space Station!!]


Gears of War 3 (Epic Games)

I have never been a huge GeOW fan (not to be confused with GOW ;^P ) but I am rather impressed with the demo at E3.  However, where Gears falls down is on the basis of what it is: a bullets-by-the-numbers shooter.  

"Sarge, they're shooting at us again."

This isn't to say that shooters are bad, only that I find myself bored with Gears of Ware after a while.  Mass Effect 2 suffered from this as well.  Sometimes it seems like all you do is shoot, shoot, shoot.  Can't we break for a cookie once in a while?  Gears of War 3 should be a good game and will definitely appeal to fans of the series, but they're unlikely to win any new fans with the third instalment.  For me, it's a simple lack of diversity in game-play although I acknowledge that this subject to opinion.

[1-Hop-Forward]


Forza 4 (Turn 10)
Another series I have a mixed relationship with, Forza is certainly accomplished but where it falls short for me is on immersion.  When I first purchased my console, I jumped on the change to get Forza 2 and experience racing in high-definition, widescreen goodness but instead, found a rather limp title with OK graphics and flat gameplay.  Sure, the cars might travel on the numbers, but that's not what driving games are about...at least, not for me.  As a juxtaposition, I would hold up the Dirt series (notably 2 and 3) as examples of immersion done right in racing.  Dirt 2 was the first racing game that actually made me feel like I was in the car, racing for points and cash against my peers. So what of Forza 4?

'Leaning into the turn' brings on a whole new meaning

Forza 4 has a possible 'King of Hearts' if not an ace-card up its sleeve and that lies in the Kinect support.  Where Forza 4 differs from conventional Kinect support is that it makes no attempt to replace the conventional controller and instead, looks for ways to augment the gaming experience with Kinect's control features.  From in-game head-tracking that moves the vantage point with your own natural body motion (I must at least try it) to the interactive car exploration features and finally, the ability to jump to any part of the game using voice 'shortcuts', it's a step in the right direction to integrate motion control in a logical, natural way rather than discard three decades of established, controller-based history.  If you want the perfect Forza experience, Turn 10 knows that you want will use an actual steering wheel and pedals to control your car as supposed to hold your hands in the air like a bad memory from kindergarten make-believe (although Forza does that too).  Everything that Turn 10 has done for Kinect is from the perspective of usefulness and realistic expectations of the controller's capabilities.  Add to that some greatly improved graphics and Forza 4 could be a really great edition to 2011 and a solid lesson to developers about what Kinect represents to gaming.
[2-Hops-Forward]


Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
For me, this was the real gem at E3.  Fresh on the foundation the new 'Creation' engine, Skyrim's stage level easily demonstrates that Bethesda has upped the stakes in RPG gaming.  It's so good, in fact, that even Major Nelson is trying to steal some Xbox glory on the announcement of a collector's edition, even though Microsoft has zip to do with Skyrim or Bethesda (better than talking about virtual wardrobes, I guess).  Back on topic, Skyrim looks good, really good.  In fact, it looks great.  In fact, it looks amazingly great.  Compared to this, it's quite possible that other studios will just give up.

Looking at the stage demo which finishes with an excellent dragon fight, there is just no reason to doubt Skyrim's power to entertain.  It's the type of game where you invite some mates over, break out the munchies, turn out the lights, up the volume and spend the wee hours exploring dark tombs, gaining magical abilities, completing epic quests and battling fierce dragons at every turn.
Bethesda has even attempted to make the third-person perspective more viable but reading between the lines, this is a first-person game in function so don't get your hopes up if you're craving an 'Assassin's Creed' style of game-play.  Never the less, it is quite clear that much blood, sweat and tears have poured into this game.  The least we can do is reward Bethesda for their masterpiece by purchasing a copy.  Day 1 purchase for me.
[That's not a Rabbit!  That's a Space Station!!]




Hitman Absolution (IO Interactive)
There's not a heck of a lot to talk about yet but if cutscenes are anything to go by (which they aren't), the graphics of Hitman are definitely out to impress.  Unfortunately, IO did a lot of talking about the game without much to show in game-play mechanics.  If this video is anything to go by, it looks to be potentially a good title, but I somehow felt as though I was watching game-play footage from last year's 'Splinter Cell: Conviction.'  The Hitman series has never been a runaway success as much as it has been a solid earner.  Unfortunately, I don't see any evidence that this is about to change and so while I'll reserve judgement until Absolution finally hits the shelves, I'll have to assume that there's nothing to see here.  At least, not yet.
[Hopping on the Spot]


Assassin's Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft Montreal)
The 'Creed' series is an odd thing.  Much like Gears of War, it has millions of fans but also a fair share of haters.  For me personally, I think the AC series just gets better and better.  I was not a fan of the first one but have never looked back since ACII.  Brotherhood was also a step in the right direction (if only a baby step) but I wasn't necessarily looking for improvement on ACII, just more of it; Brotherhood delivered.

Picking up more or less where Brotherhood left off, Desmond is now left in a coma and is trapped in the world of Ezio.  In Revelations, you will travel as Ezio to the old stomping grounds of Altair in efforts to find clues to the mysterious origins of the pieces of Eden.  During the campaign, tears in the fabric of the animus projection will allow players to jump between Ezio and Altair and possibly someone else.  In terms of storytelling, Revelations is even more seamless having virtually eliminated the 'cut-scene.'  Instead, cinematic sequences blend in with the action by zooming and panning the 'camera' as required and then releasing control to resume movement.  While this might not sound like a big deal, it certainly is - it means that the graphic quality of Revelations game-play is so good that it no longer requires independently-rendered cut-scenes.  it also means that cinematic events will feel more natural and immersive thus allowing the gamer a feeling of actually playing a role in a living, breathing story.  As Revelations is the last game in the Ezio 'trilogy', everyone will be looking for clues for the upcoming Assassin's Creed III.  If it's going the way I believe it is, Assassin's Creed is going to become the 'Grand Theft Auto' of this decade as there is virtually no limit as to where this series will go.  Revelations contains more game-play innovations both on the combat and multi-player side of things, but more than that, it looks to be a development proving ground for exciting elements yet to appear in the next instalment of the series.  If you were put off by AC1 and never ventured back, I implore you to get AC2 and give it another shot.  Critics will find things to pick apart, but they really do grasp for straws nowadays.  Assassin's Creed is pedigree gaming at its very best and Revelations will be no different.  Not a game changer by any stretch, but certainly a top-ten title in the making and likely a top-five for a good majority of us.
[2-Hops-Forward]


Resistance 3 (Insomniac Games)
Whether you like the Resistance series or not, it certainly has a loyal following.  Resistance is a core Playstation first-person shooter which is often hyped but seldom discussed after release.  Every time a title is inbound, the Internet is awash with comments like "It will destroy all other FPS games" and "It will be THE title to own on PS3" but to date, this has never really materialised.

Didn't I see you in 'Beyond Good and Evil'

During the E3 conference, Sony announced a special bundle featuring Resistance 3 with the PS3 to promote 3D gaming but recently, even this fell by the wayside as Sony announced that the 3DTV package would now feature Motorstorm instead.  This isn't to say that Resistance is bad nor that Resistance 3 will be bad as a result, but it does cast doubt as to whether we should expect anything more from this series than what has already been delivered.  Obviously, insiders at Sony have seen the final product and have decided that it wasn't up to snuff for their 3DTV promotion; not exactly a vote of confidence.  Will we see a solid title emerge?  I suspect we probably will...but with all of the great titles coming out alongside it, Insomniac's track record and the world economy forcing gamers to be more choosy than normal, I'm doubtful as to whether Resistance 3 will have enough 'Je ne said quoi' to stand up against the competition.  Instead, this will be a January bargain-bin purchase and probably well worth it once the price goes down.
[1-Hop-Forward]


Medieval Moves: Deadmund's Quest (Zindagi Games, Playstation Move)
It wouldn't be fair to talk about Kinect without also talking about PS Move.  Sony is eager to get Move selling after having a less than stellar launch.  To date, the Move titles have been utterly dreadful and that's saying a lot considering that Kinect isn't exactly rolling in great selection either.  However, Kinect did have a great launch and is still selling games (amazingly) so it's Sony's turn to catch up.  That said, Sony is on better  footing than Microsoft if trends speak for anything.  Before the demo for Deadmund's Quest, some Move integration was shown for 2K's upcoming NBA 2K11 ala 'Wii FIFA' style and it looked to be a nice application of the hardware.  So now was the time for a core Move title.

You're not my Mummy!  (get it? Mummy?....nevermind)

While it's appearance may look somewhat cartoonish, the style is intentional and the game-play shown at E3 seemed to be pretty decent; certainly enough to while away a few hours.  It also looks a lot more fun that 'Rise of Nightmares' and features game-play that actually requires a bit of tactical application rather than 'slash-punch-slash.'  Is it good enough to be a hit?  Sadly, to be honest, I doubt it...but it will sell and it's innocent enough to let pre-teens play it which is something that 'Rise of Nightmares' can't boast of.  It's a stocking-stuffer at best and probably not worth the asking price at launch, but I have a sneaky suspicion that Deadmund's Quest is going to end up in many gamer stables without much effort for the simple reasons of being fun, casual and playful.  When it comes to casual gaming, a little 'boo' will do rather than trying to scare the **** out of people.
[1-Hop-Forward]


Tomb Raider [reboot] (Square Enix)
Not willing to let Laura Croft die without a fight, remnants of the Eidos team have put hard efforts into rebooting the Tomb Raider franchise by upping the stakes in cinematic quality and I think they just might pull it off.  Now firmly under the Square Enix branding, the next Tomb Raider will do away with the cartoonishly-large bust of the old Ms. Croft and instead introduce a lean, mean and more believable athletic Laura.  (although they did find a real-world likeness to play the old Laura - Brad is a lucky, lucky boy)

What a dirty, dirty girl you are!

Watching the stage demo, there seems to be some good appeal here.  It's cinematic, it's atmospheric, the voice acting is good, the game-play looks well integrated....I think we could see good things from this reboot.  The last game I played from the series was 'The Angel of Darkness' and I have to say that I really enjoyed that game.  It didn't spend time wallowing in gunfights with bats but instead told a great story and featured classic 'Tomb' gameplay mechanics but offered up a variety of environments.  I'm hoping that Square will do the same in this new version.  For one thing, 360 owners could really do with a title to rival Uncharted and this could possibly be the game. (although it's multi-plat, of course)  Until more game-play footage emerges, it's hard to say which way this game is going to go...but based on what's been shown so far, it looks promising.
[1-Hop-Forward]


Odds and Ends
There's obviously many more games to chat about and please do ask about anything I haven't mentioned as I may include it in a supplementary article or at least, debate it with you in the comments section.  The only other things that linger on the brain-stem are talks of Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed film.  Having started their own film studio (never before done), it's possible that we may actually see the start of decent game-to-film translations if greedy movie executives are kept out of the way.  Add to that a possible adaptation of 'Beyond Good and Evil', 'Splinter Cell' and 'Driver' and we could see some credible films on the horizon.

It also seems as though 'Thief 4' is still in development and production will be at 110% capacity once Deus Ex goes gold (yes, I realise Deus Ex is missing from this round-up).  Since this is in the capable hands of Eidos Montreal (what do they put in the water there, eh??) we should see some game-play updates some time before Christmas.

As for Deus Ex, I didn't see much to talk about at E3 other than what was already known.  I'm still really on the fence about this title and nothing has jumped out and bit me as yet.  Time will tell.

On that note, I shall rest my wearing typing fingers for now and wish you all well.  It has been a turbulent week in the news, to say the least and I am thankful that we DO have some fun and interesting things to talk about thanks to our mutual passion in gaming.  Take care and God bless (for those of you who believe)...

For the rest of you,
Peace Out.

Yours Sincerely,
The Angry Rabbit.