Western Shooter: Red Dead Redemption

Do you like shooting games? Do you like Grand Theft Auto or a game with an insanely huge environment? Do you like Westerns? Well, combine those into one and you get Red Dead Redemption.

When I first learned about this game I assumed it was going to be just an alright game at the best, but little did I know it was a lot better than the last GTA game. For me, the GTA games where much fun until I got bored with the missions and started killing hookers, pedestrians and all that good stuff. However, this game has succeeded where GTA fell short and kept my attention. When I first played this game I was a little discouraged with the issues with online play, but those issues have now been resolved. In fact, the online play is so much fun.

I have always enjoyed the “Spaghetti Westerns”, such as The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and Fistful of Dollars. These movies took place in the “Wild West” of the United States, and since they were made by Italians, hence the term “Spaghetti Westerns”. Red Dead Redemption takes out all of the new-age prostitutes and hands you the classy kind, if you know what I mean. Unlike few of the previous attempts at the Western branch of setting, Red Dead Redemption is successful in capturing the idea of the real “Wild West”.

A few things that I noticed that made me enjoy this game all the more was the fact that there wasn’t a moment that it lost my attention. Most gamers compare this game to GTA, and to an extent it is, although this game is much more interesting and in depth. Teaming up with your buddies is pure enjoyment and can last for several hours. There are a lot games that come with mini-games that are simply unbearable, but the mini-games in this game are indeed good. Overall, this game is really fun, and I’m sure to spend a lot of time playing with my friends. Good job Rockstar!

Game Preview: Bulletstorm

Bulletstorm is an upcoming shooting game which occurs in a futuristic setting where an elite band of mercenaries known as Dead Echo, protect the confederation. When Dead Echo members Grayson Hunt and Ishi Sato find out that they had been working on the wrong side, they abandon their squad commander and both end up being exiled to the edges of the galaxy. Players take the character of Grayson Hunt several years after his exile, who has become a drunken space pirate since. After getting engaged in an interstellar crash landing, he is reunited with his old colleague Sato. They find out that they are surrounded by hordes of flesh eating mutants in an abandoned paradise. Hunt and Sato decide to team up together once again to escape the planet alive and settle the score with the man who sent them there.

Gameplay

Players utilize a huge arsenal consisting of incredibly large weapons and over-the-top combat moves. Bulletstorm also has different kinds of “skillshots” which create intense levels of frantic gameplay. The player gets rewarded by the skillshot gameplay system for creating and instigating mayhem in the most unusual way possible. The more creative the skillshot, the more points players gain to upgrade their character and unlock weapons that allow the player to perform more creative moves and spectacular skillshots.

Development

The title began development in 2008 when publisher Electronic Arts announced that it would be publishing a new Intellectual property from game developer Epic Games. A trademark for the name “Bulletstorm” was unveiled when game developer People Can Fly filed a trademark for the name in December of last year. Epic Games designer Cliff Bleszinski was actually scheduled to announce the game together with Gears of War 3 during a guesting on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on April 8, 2010. But his appearance was rescheduled to April 12, 2010 after his slot was taken by pop icon Justin Bieber. Soon after Bleszinski announced on Twitter, that he would be unveiling two games on the show on April 12, 2010. However the game was revealed even before the scheduled appearance when gaming magazine, Game Informer, published its May 2010 issue cover which revealed the game. Bulletstorm is scheduled for release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on February 22, 2011.

Detailed Release of Mass Effect 2 on PS3

At GamesCom last August, ElectronicArts announced that BioWare’s Microsoft-exclusive sci-fi shooting game franchise Mass Effect would soon be a multi-console enterprise. Early next year Mass Effect 2 will be released on Sony’s platform following the game’s release on the Xbox 360 and PC in January 2010 and well signifies Mass Effect 3’s eventual distribution on Sony’s platform.

BioWare offered PS3 gamers a glimpse at what they will be able to expect from Mass Effect 2’s Blu-ray Disc debut. The main advantage of the PS3 edition of the game will include contents released in a downloadable form for PC and Xbox 360. This content includes Project Overlord, Lair of the Shadow Broker, Kasumi: Stolen Memory, and Blood Dragon Armor packs.

PS3 gamers who buy Mass Effect 2 will also gain access to the Cerberus Network, which offers free access to more downloadable content ranging from the Zaeed character missions to the Hammerhead hover tank. Used-game purchasers, on the other hand, will be required to purchase access to the Cerberus Network.

BioWare will also offer a make-good to PS3 gamers for the absence of the original game on Sony’s platform. The studio’s Edmonton division will be collaborating with Dark Horse Comics on an interactive comic that will help fill in the story leading up to the events in Mass Effect 2.

“While I cannot release all the details about this yet, what I can tell you is that we want to create a stunning visual experience that not only tells the core story elements of Mass Effect 1, but also is fully interactive allowing you to be faced with some of the major choices which will have consequences in your Mass Effect universe”, says BioWare producer Jesse Houston of the comic. He also mentioned that it will be included with the Cerberus Network and initially be a PS3-exclusive.

Finally, BioWare validated a number of additional DLC packs are going to be available for the PS3 edition of the game, of both the paid and free variety. Though the studio didn’t reveal much of the specifics of these add-ons, it did offer the names Recon Operations Pack and Aegis Pack.

Game Review: Dead Space 2

As a shooting game fanatic, I was really eager to see what’s new in the sequel of a game we can consider one of the best in 2008. But when I first played Dead Space 2, it was a little hard to distinguish what exactly was new. Evidently, the game took place in a different location—in this case the freezer section of what is seemingly a giant space station—with more wide-open space, but besides that it felt a lot like Dead Space. I was moving slowly around corners, floating around in zero-gravity environments, shooting the limbs off of necromorphs, and solving simple environmental puzzles. Everything feels almost the same.

Then there was an elevator that took me up to the Chapel. This new area felt particularly different. It’s a scrumptiously decorated space made me feel more like I was in a mansion, as contrary to floating around in space. It did not feel out of place, just different.

It was here that I met the only boss in the demo, a horrendously mutated, giant necromorph that held me down to the ground. I was unable to move and all I could do was to aim and shoot. I only had a limited amount of time to get a few shots off before the creature would pick me up and slam me back down, so I had to aim both precisely and quickly to defeat it. It was really simple and left me with an unfounded sense of relief. Why unfounded? It’s simple: I had to think of the children. What children? Read on to know more.

Everything is Scarier with Children

In the previous Dead Space game, you were forced to kill hordes of necromorphs, but despite their twisted state, they all appeared to be adult—except from a disturbing scene with fetus-like monsters. But that’s not the case in DS2. There is a new breed that’s clearly childlike, and as we all know, horror becomes a lot creepier when you throw in some kids. One baby necromorph isn’t much to worry about, as they’re pretty easy to deal with. The problem is that they come at you in waves in order to overpower you with sheer numbers. It’s a lot different experience compared to fighting the usual enemies and almost gives DS2 more of an action-game feel.

From what I had a chance to see, it looks like EA isn’t going too far from the path laid down by the first game. Dead Space 2 is relatively much like its predecessor, but with more focus on action and a change of setting. DS2 will be coming to the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on January 25, 2011.

Fallout: New Vegas Review

Fallout 3 is definitely one of the best shooter games ever. Now that the newest addition to the series, Fallout: New Vegas has been released a couple of weeks ago, there had been many reviews and opinions, and one of the most commonly seen phrases about this game is that it’s exactly like Fallout 3. You’ve been reading that so much because it IS very identical to Fallout 3, which can be both good and bad. Better read on to know more.

The Bad News

It’s bad since I didn’t want to pay $60 for a game I already have. The weapons, the character interactions and even the menus are exactly the same. And because the gameplay is so identical, it’s kind of discouraging. I spent hours playing Fallout 3, completing missions and undertaking no less than five different DLC downloads. So when I started this, it felt like I was still going from the last game. Imagine completing a game in 50 hours and then realizing that the game was really 150 hours long. That’s what this feels like. It’s psychological.

The Good News

This is actually great news. Finally a developer took to heart the concept of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it”. Everything that I thought were fun about the last game is back. The peculiar characters, the exceptionally user-friendly Pip-Boy, and my beloved VATS system are all back. There are few cool new features that definitely shouldn’t be over-looked. Now, you can control your companions and make them help you with specific actions. And in addition to building new weapons, you can now modify them too. Imagine a 0.357 Magnum with some extra clips and a laser scope.

I recommend Fallout: New Vegas for just about everyone. Take a break from those crazy multiplayer shooters and indulge in some mission-driven madness. This is a great game to play for people who are new to action-RPGs or are rediscovering the genre. New Vegas, plays and looks exactly the same as Fallout 3. But the additions that Obsidian has made pushed the survival angle even further to provide a much more authentic and immersive experience, and just like its predecessor, Fallout: New Vegas proves to be a role-playing masterpiece.