Darksiders II Preview

The Legend of Death

by Robert VerBruggen

While Darksiders wasn't quite a mega-hit for THQ, it was certainly an enjoyable, bloody romp that competently blended of God of War's combat with Legend of Zelda's dungeons. If you ever wished that Kratos would use his puzzle-solving abilities more, or that all of Link's sword-slashing would produce some gore, Darksiders was the game for you. But will its sequel, due in 2012, build on this foundation, or just retread old ground?

Plotwise, the game isn't exactly a sequel—or even a prequel—even though the original ended with a cliffhanger. It takes place during the very same time period as the first game, the twist being that you control a different one of the Four Horsemen (Death, instead of War). At the beginning of Darksiders, War was convicted of starting the Apocalypse early and sent to Earth—and Death, knowing this couldn't be true, set out to prove his fellow Horseman's innocence.

He figures that if he can resurrect humanity, he can undo what War is accused of, working out some of his own demons while he's at it. Death travels to the Nether Realms, a sort of limbo between heaven and hell, to search for evidence of what really happened and save the human race. The Nether Realms is just one of many worlds besides Earth, a fact that introduces an extra element of fantasy to the franchise.

The great thing about this plot is that by changing the location, it forced the developers to come up with all-new environments. Reportedly, Darksiders II's game world will be twice the size of the original's, with at least four cities that serve as hubs, dungeons galore, and huge, open stretches of land in between. And if War's horse couldn't fill the Epona-shaped hole in your heart during the first game, you'll be glad to know that Death's horse will be quite useful for getting from place to place.

Sengoku Hands-On Preview

Who Pulls the Strings?
by Joshua Wirtanen

Sengoku is a strategy game that allows you to take control of a noble family in 1400s Feudal Japan. Recently, we got some hands-on time with an early build of the game and got to take our diplomatic skills for a test drive. 

Sengoku is fairly similar to Crusader Kings, which isn't surprising considering both were developed by the same team. The major difference here is setting: instead of the Medieval European backdrop of Crusader Kings, Sengoku takes place in Japan's Sengoku period. You have the option to begin the game in a fictional 1467 and play from there, but if you insist on taking your strategic gaming with a side of historical accuracy, you can also select between a couple real-life historical events to kick things off. The preview build allowed us to select either the Onion War or the Kanto War as starting points.

You will begin as the head of a noble family. As the game progresses, your main character will grow old and eventually die, to be replaced by an heir. This means it is very important to make sure your character doesn't remain a bachelor for life; the end of the family line means the end of the game. Throughout the game, you will receive proposals from other noble families. To make your marriage count, you'll want to select a bride from a territory you want to get on the good side of. Family bonds can lead to good diplomatic rewards. 

But it's not all love and arranged marriage in Sengoku. The main objective is to take command of at least 50% of Japan. If you can hold over half of the nation for 36 months, you will become Shogun and win the game. Of course, this most likely isn't something you'll achieve in a single generation.

Borderlands 2 Preview

Did You Say Gunzerker?

by Josh Wirtanen

Borderlands came out back in 2009, delivering completely over-the-top cel-shaded shooter action combined with several RPG and dungeon crawler elements. It may not have been a completely flawless experience, but it was an absolute blast to play nonetheless, especially when teamed up with friends. 

Borderlands 2 was unveiled just a month ago, and it definitely looks like developer Gearbox is prepared to answer some of Borderlands' major criticisms while keeping intact all the elements that made the first game so great. 

One of the biggest downsides of the original game was that its environment remained pretty similar through the entire game. There was desert, and there was rusted metal. But Borderlands 2 is taking us to some brand new locations on Pandora, and believe it or not, the planet is not just one big junkyard of a desert. Even though different areas will have very different aesthetics, Gearbox promises the new locations will still have that trademark Borderlands feel.

Along with the new environments comes a broader assortment of creatures. Borderlands 2 seems to be embracing some fantasy elements, bringing us several creatures that are a bit dragonish in appearance. A more sci-fi enemy type is a robot called a Loader, and we've been told there are several various categories of Loader, each with its own skill set. Of course, the skags will be back, as will the classic psychos and midgets. 

While new creatures might lend a bit of visual variety to the game, without decent A.I. they could fail to impress from a gameplay standpoint. Thankfully, this is something Gearbox is hard at work on. In Borderlands 2, not every enemy will rush you like it has some sort of kamikaze death wish; now you'll encounter baddies who actually utilize a bit of strategy.

Masa Depan dari Game 3D: 3D Head-mounted Display milik Sony

Dalam sudut pandang 3D, mungkin tidak ada yang lebih gila dari Sony. Sony telah menginvestasikan hampir seluruh properti miliknya kedalam produk 3D. Selain TV 3D dan kamera 3D, Sony juga mengembangkan beberapa perangkat futuristik, seperti 3D Head-Mounted Display yang memiliki 720p OLED Micro-Display dengan 5.1 Surrround Audio danblue LED piping yang keren.

Belum ada kepastian mengenai harga dan tanggal peluncuran untuk perangkat ini. Sayangnya, perangkat ini amatlah tidak praktis, karena kalian harus menggunakan tangan kalian untuk memegangi perangkat tersebut terus agar tidak jatuh. Sampai sekarang kita belum tahu kapan kita bisa bermain game dengan layar yang canggih dan mengontrol karakter kita dengan pikiran, tetapi hal tersebut merupakan sebuah hal yang menarik, bukan?

Source : kotakgame.com

[PSP] Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Review

Kingdom Hearts Moves Forward...by Going Back!
by Amanda L. Kondolojy

When Kingdom Hearts II was released in 2005, tongues immediately started wagging about its successor, Kingdom Hearts 3. An impressive cutscene following the final battle convinced fans that the third game, in what was assumed would be a trilogy, wouldn't be far behind.

However, fans the world over were disappointed to learn this cutscene was part of a prequel destined for the PSP handheld. While it is easy to approach this title with some trepidation considering its history, if you skip this title, you are missing out. Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep may be presented on a small screen, but that doesn't hinder it from a sprawling scope that is on par (and even surpasses in some instances) with its PlayStation 2 predecessor.

The game starts off simply by introducing the player to the battle system and the game's three main heroes: Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. However, after some plot points, the player is able to pick which character they want to play through the story as. Although each character's story takes you to the same worlds, the events change and your interactions and dialog will be considerably different. You could get a basic grasp of the story by just playing through a single's character's story mode, but in order to get the full grasp and scope of the events of the story, a single playthrough with each of the characters is recommended.

The basic storyline in Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep revolves around three up-and-coming Keyblade wielders who begin as the best of friends, but become embattled as one realizes there is true darkness within him. The story is simple and can stand alone, but there are some nice continuity areas that tie the prequel nicely to Kingdom Hearts II as well as Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. If you are holding out hope for a proper Kingdom Hearts sequel, I would pay attention to the game's secret ending as there are some not-so-subtle hints about the franchise's future dropped in the ending.

Although the game's story does make allusions to events from other games, the core plot revolves around the three main characters as they search for each other across the game's universe. Although you will see familiar areas like Hercules' Olympus Coliseum and Sleeping Beauty's world, there are plenty of new areas to explore, including the Enchanted Forest from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and my personal favorite, Deep Space from Lilo and Stitch.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Preview

Another Lineup of Epic Battles

by Lindsey Weedston

Crossover fighting games are all the rage right now, and nothing capitalized on the fad like Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Dissidia brought together everyone's favorite characters from the highly popular Final Fantasy franchise and pit them against each other in epic battles. The result was the best selling PSP game of 2009. So, it's no surprise that Square Enix is rolling out another one.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy (012 is pronounced Duodecim, although who knows how that's pronounced) is a prequel to the 2009 hit which will once again revolve around the battle between Cosmos and Chaos. Not much is known about the plot so far, but we do know is that there will be several new characters added to the cast of the original. Joining the ranks are Kain Highwind, Gilgamesh, Tifa Lockheart, Laguna Loire, Yuna, Prishe, Vaan, and Lightning. The new characters should add further variety to a game that was already overflowing with customization, and if Dissidia 012's story is like that of the original, it's likely to make the new game quite a bit longer.

Square Enix is mixing things up a bit with the characters in this game. It seems that the lines of good and evil won't be as clear in Dissidia 012, as some protagonists and antagonists switch sides. Cloud, Terra, and Tidus—clear good guys in their respective games—will be on the side of Chaos, while Kuja and Jecht will be on the side of Cosmos. This could be due to some early-war moral confusion, and based on the lines drawn in the original game, we can expect that by the end of Dissidia 012, everyone will be back in their rightful place. It will also be possible to play on the side of Chaos, which should prove to be extremely awesome. The gameplay mechanics of Dissidia 012 will be similar to the original. There will still be Brave attacks and HP attacks, and the EX mode will be exactly the same as in the first game. What's new is the Assist Mode, wherein players can call upon allies to attack or defend them from opponents. With Assist Mode comes the Assist Gauge, which you build up by using Brave attacks. However, when a player uses an EX Burst, the Assist Gauge automatically drops to zero. This way the two modes balance each other out.

There will also be three countering systems: Assist Break, EX Break, and EX Revenge. An EX Break happens when the player interrupts the opponent's EX Mode with an Assist attack. EX Revenge occurs when a player is attacked while activating EX Mode, which slows down time for everything except the player. We can only hope the somewhat complicated technical aspects of the gameplay are better explained and executed in Dissidia 012 than they were in the original, otherwise the prequel could prove to be even more difficult to handle.

Another interesting change is found in story mode. Instead of a not-so-engaging chess-map style, players of Dissidia 012 will be able to explore an actual world map, Final Fantasy style. Screenshots show surprisingly detailed 3D landscapes where players can interact with other characters and encounter the Manikin baddies. There will be no towns in the world map, but there will be marked shops where players can pick up new gear and items. The original game will now come with Dissidia 012, updated with the world map and some new story elements. According to Tetsuya Nomura, playing both games will take about sixty hours.

Gran Turismo 5 Review

Gran Turismo 5 is out. No more delays, pushbacks, or excuses. The release is enough to get any serious automotive gaming fan excited, and by the time this review is published, I am nearly certain that die-hard automotive fans will have already picked up and played this title. But for those of you who aren't willing to brave the midnight launch or who are wondering what all the hype is about, I'll let you in on a little secret: Gran Turismo 5 is amazing. If you are on the fence about this title, or favor another automotive brand, it's time to put away your prejudices and get ready for an awesome experience.



Gran Turismo 5, at its heart, is exactly what fans expect it to be. The game's racing credentials are as solid as they have ever been, and racing around the track with your ride of choice is at once incredibly challenging but deeply enjoyable. The simulation-style mechanics have been re-tooled for Gran Turismo 5, and you can tell that a lot of work went into the minutia of each car. Driving a VW Golf around the High Speed Loop and driving around the Rome location track with a tuned Ferrari California are two completely different experiences with their own unique set of challenges. The Golf is a low-level car, and you'll be able to speed up at a reasonable rate, but keeping up with the competition and controlling your turns will be where the game's difficulty ramps up. And although you may believe that the better the car, the smoother your ride will be, Gran Turismo 5 makes sure the challenge stays constant, as high performance cars can be difficult to navigate through hairpin turns. Each car in the game feels different to drive, and with the game's 1,000+ garage, the gameplay never gets stale. There is constantly a new experience waiting for you as you unlock more cars for your personal garage.

In addition to the massive garage, the game also features tuning options. While the breadth of the tuning options isn't all that deep, you can replace basic parts like shocks and tires, as well as swap out drivetrains and chassis. Each car has three levels of customization for each area, and the development for each car is unfortunately linear. Still, saving up the cash to tune up your favorite car is a rewarding experience, and you'll see a difference in performance after every tune-up.

Let's shift gears for a moment (pun intended) and talk about the actual gameplay. The game's main mode, GT Mode, includes every mode you'll need (except for arcade mode and local co-op) and includes a plethora of modes that will keep you busy for months. The primary mode is the A-spec racing mode, which gives players a chance to enter tournaments, win prizes, and increase their driver rank. Although there is no over-arching structure to the A-spec mode, this works in the game's favor, as you can play to your strengths by playing tracks that are optimized for your cars as you unlock them.

Final Fantasy XIV Online Review

Whenever you load Final Fantasy XIV, the game warns you about the perils of MMO addiction. Enjoy the game, a popup cautions, but don’t get so engrossed that you forget your real-world.

That’s a little presumptuous. FFXIV has the potential to become a phenomenally successful game, but it will need a lot of improvement before people start ignoring their families over it.

Put simply, for a game that’s supposed to be more accessible than other MMOs, FFXIV is pretty tough to get the hang of. Even setting it up is a pain; you have to fill out numerous forms and enter numerous codes, and then “Add a Service Account” to create a character. Those with codes for bonus items have to create another “Service Account” for the items, and must enter their codes before creating a character. (As we learned the hard way, the bonus items are given only to new characters.) Then there are updates to download, which took us several hours, though hopefully the servers are less clogged by now. Also, once your free 30-day pass expires, playing costs $9.99 plus $3 per character each month. To pay, you can either have your credit card charged by a company in England, or purchase some of Square Enix’s inconvenient “Crysta” currency.

Things don’t get much smoother during the game itself. The lack of direction is astounding. There are tutorials, but they’re not particularly informative, and they may not be available when you need them. It will take some time (and a few trips to Google) before you learn to handle even the most basic tasks, such as starting a quest, crafting an item, and equipping a weapon. Sometimes you’ll have to look at an online guide to figure out where you’re supposed to go next, and even when a location is marked on your map, the mark shows up only when you access the map through your journal, rather than through the normal map function. Also, the menu system is frustrating to navigate, the keyboard controls are clunky, and it’s remarkably difficult to trade with other players (this game absolutely needs a search function so you can find the items you want). This is all made slightly more bearable by the well-done and soothing music, though the hard rock tune that blasts during the fight scenes is cheesy and synthetic.

FFXIV also provides a huge world full of diverse characters. There are five different races (with two sub-races each) and three starter cities to choose from, and each city features a different storyline. The character-creation system is simple, but also broad enough that you can make your avatar look however you’d like. (Well, almost however you’d like: emo hair is not optional.)

This game introduces a new character-leveling system that works quite well. While you choose a character class at the beginning of the game, changing classes is as simple as buying a different weapon or tool and equipping it to your character’s main hand. Each character has a “physical level” that stays the same when he changes classes, but also a separate level (or “rank”) for each class. This way, a single character can conjure spells, craft items, and slaughter creatures, and the more time he spends on each skill, the better he gets at it. You also receive skill points you can distribute with each level. The new system makes each player somewhat self-sufficient, though of course different players have to specialize in different things and help each other if they really want to get ahead.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Review

With all the uncertainties surrounding the Activision/Infinity Ward debacle that took place back in March, many pondered an inevitable fall from grace for the Call of Duty franchise. With Medal of Honor's impending preempt release, that speculation was still debatable. However, hardly anyone ever considered the opposite. Except for maybe those who were hard at work behind the doors at Treyarch. They were given an opportunity to prove to the naysayers of the Infinity Ward fan club that they could bring the franchise to bigger and better heights. Even with that hideous monkey called skepticism on their back, the team at Treyarch knew what was at stake and have made their point very clear.

Call of Duty: Black Ops took a lot of risks by stepping away from the norm, particularly in terms of storytelling. Players primarily take the role of Alex Mason, a man who is being held captive and interrogated for information concerning the Ascension Group. A seemingly random sequence of numbers is being broadcast at an unknown location, and his captors believe he has the answers to unravel their mystery. It's hard to speak too much on the plot's topic without giving away any spoilers, but I will say this; their new formula was a huge success.

The story still has plenty of the blockbuster elements that the franchise is known for, but manages to portray itself in a much more intelligent light. It's not just the typical action for action's sake type of game. The story has a well-written narrative that conspiracy buffs will surely love. Not only that, but the main character has a more vocal presence than any previous Call of Duty. The developers even decided to take a slightly more cinematic approach with the addition of a few cutscenes, rather than having dialogue throughout loading screens to help with the pacing. They managed to keep a good balance between set piece moments as well, which are just as intense as ever. Some of the most brutal melee kills are executed during stealth segments, and I imagine that's why they included an option to turn off "graphic" content at the start of the game.

The single player campaign wasn't the only bold evolution that took place, as the multiplayer component had its fair share of alterations. The most prominent is the new currency upgrade system. This new progression method allows players to earn "COD" points in addition to experience points during matches. Not only is this improvement leaps and bounds over the old, but it also gives players a level field by having all perks and attachments available for purchase at the start. Also, once you've unlocked the appropriate categories through ranking up, you can acquire any kill streak reward you wish or invest in an insane amount of customization options. Higher-tier weapons are still unlocked at certain ranks as well, but the advantages they once held are now an issue of the past.

Treyarch even threw in all-new Wager Matches to give those big-talking COD players the chance to put-up or shut-up. These new Free-For-All playlists let you gamble all your hard-earned points in four different game-types: One in the Chamber, Sticks & Stones, Gun Game, and Sharpshooter. Mark my words; these will be some of the most frenetic multiplayer matches you will ever play, bar-none. There are three separate buy-in levels depending on the amount of currency you're willing to risk, and each mode is very addicting and unique.


Source : Cheatcc