Left 4 Dead 3 Leaked

A renowned DoTA 2 player, ReaverXai, was invited to a tour of Valve's office. Throughout the tour he took pictures of the offices\ and posted them on the internet. One of these pictures were of a computer screen with a programming log showing updates of what Valve has been working on. In this log were entries about Left 4 Dead 3 and Source Engine 2. Along with this leak, a website has been created with the title Left 4 Dead 3 with a countdown timer (Link is below). This is the first we have seen of Valve working on Left 4 Dead 3, and i'm sure it won't be the last. We must keep our fingers crossed and remember Gaben knows how to give us what we want.

http://l4d3.ru/

The Walking Dead Game Review

by Blake

The Walking Dead is a graphic adventure game based on the comic book series The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman. The player will take control of Lee, the main character, as he fights to survive the zombie apocalypse. The opening scene of the game shows Lee in the back of a cop car as we learn he has murdered somebody. This is one of the many choices you will make during the game, will others find out about your criminal past? The future outcomes of the story are based upon your decision making during the course of the game. These decisions come in the form of sentence choices that you can make Lee say, in which you are forced to choose one. Some choices you make will carry more weight than others. The big decisions mostly center on the fate of the characters you will meet during the course of the game. If you are looking for a very tactical and intricate third-person shooter zombie survival game, this is not what you will get from this game. Instead you will get a very storyline heavy game, which is not a bad thing. 

The storyline heavy dynamic of the game allows for the player to get very in depth and personal with the characters. You begin to care about other characters as you go on your journey, you may also find yourself disliking some characters. The character development in the story is very well crafted, especially with Clementine. Clementine is a young girl (age nine) that you will meet at the beginning of the game. You are challenged to take care of Clementine, how you do so is up to you. While the gameplay is not as tactical as other games of the genre, the cinematic angles add an interesting change that sets it apart from any zombie game I have played. These camera angles are somewhat annoying though, as I found that sometimes you can miss an entire area of the map due to some confusing angles. The controls are also somewhat messed up whenever the camera angles change; you’ll find that sometimes the WASD controls will get swapped around. Also, the movement of your character, Lee, can kind of seem robotic or like he is a zombie (no pun intended). These are just some minor nuisances as you play, though. 

As the drama unfolds you will find yourself on the edge of your seat, excited to see what will happen next. The characters you meet can either help or harm, it’s up to you to choose who stays with you. Although, as I played the five part game, sometimes I felt that too many characters were being thrown at me to see who stuck, I enjoyed making some tough decisions. Finding items for certain tasks, shooting zombies, and solving some puzzle-like situations are some other gameplay mechanics involved. Overall this is a very great game. If you have about 10 hours to play all five “episodes” I would highly recommend The Walking Dead. I found myself wanting to play it again with different decisions, this way you can experience all the crazy twists and satisfying endings.

Call of Duty Ghosts Preview

Call of Duty Ghosts is Infinity Ward's upcoming installment to the very popular Call of Duty franchise. Revealed on May 21, 2013 at the big Xbox One event, COD Ghosts blew the rest of the event away with their presentation of what their plans were for their new game.  Their main focuses were on a new story, new engine, and a new multiplayer experience.

Into the Deep:

Story:

COD Ghosts starts 10 years after a catastrophic event that cripples the United States' government and economy. Ghosts, what is left of the U.S. military, fight invading forces for the mere act of survival. The developers emphasized on their creation of an emotional connection between the players and the in-game characters. With the help of the Academy Award winning writer, Stephen Gaghan, they will develop characters that are realistic so the players will feel and care for them.The enemies are technologically more powerful but you play as experienced special operation force members meant to handle worst case scenario situations. You are accompanied by a dog named Riley who you can take control of in game to help tactically take down each enemy either by having Riley attack them or using him to get their attention and lure them into a position where you can take them out yourself.

No Man's Land:

Multiplayer:

Although there is very little footage of Ghosts' multiplayer, there are a few things Infinity Ward revealed about the maps and the gameplay. The maps will be more dynamic with random or player activated events that strategically change the map and cause players to play differently. One of the new features is the ability to lean around cover. Mark Rubin, lead designer of Infinity Ward, explained that there will not be a lean button, instead the player will automatically lean around the corner when looking at the edge of a corner. Mantling over blockades will be a smooth motion and will also allow you to continue firing during the transition. Another feature they added is allowing the player to slide into cover after sprinting. All these features together will allow for a smoother and more fast paced gameplay in multiplayer.

Behind the Scenes:

Call of Duty Ghosts will be released on November 5th, 2013 on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and Wii U. Later it will be launched with the Xbox One and PS4

Firefall Beta First Impression

Firefall is an online first/third person shooter MMORPG. It is a mixture of popular genres to appeal to all audiences. The beginning of the game you are allowed to create your own custom character. The character creation is quick and simple but it doesn't have much variety. The game starts off with a standard tutorial. After learning the basic controls, you will be introduced to the 5 classes that they call Battleframes. The assault class is the damage dealer and uses his weapons and equipment to fight, while biotech is the healer class meant to keep teammates alive while dealing some damage to the enemy. Dreadnaughts are tough tanks that can hold off strong enemies as the team fights them and the Engineer can build structures to fortify the area surrounding the players, resupply ammo and create energy barriers. The 5th class is recon which are assassins that deal damage but have low health so they fight from afar with long ranged weapons. The game does not force you into deciding one role. You are allowed to change classes everytime you are near a Battleframe station.

Although the classes are a generic MMO game, the actual gameplay is play like a modern day RPG/shooter. You can buy or craft weapons, upgrade your gear, and build experience points for your specific classes. People are always interacting with each other even when they aren't in a group. Players will find themselves fighting waves of enemies side by side with other players trying to defend resources. You will get a share of the resources based on how much damage you did to enemies around the objective.

Although this game is in Beta, it is well made other than a few bugs here in there. It will bring innovation to the genres of gaming it contains. This game has great potential and there is much hope for its success. It could be the next big thing.

Evoland Review

By Jerry

Evoland is a game about games in a similar way that Super 8 or Son of Rambow are movies about movies. It is a work of passion and nostalgia, best appreciated by those who grew up playing the old role-playing games Final Fantasy or Zelda. The game was first made for Ludum Dare, an annual event challenging gamemakers of all skill levels to start and finish developing a video game in only 48 hours on their own. When Evoland was finished the fan reaction and love for the game was such that the developer, Nicolas Cannasse, decided to remake it as a longer game.

While playing Evoland you unlock game mechanics, sounds, and graphics, and have the pleasure of seeing the game change from a top-down sidescroller to a three-dimensional adventure game before your eyes. This is done from the beginning by unlocking the movement keys – right, then left, and then up and down – with full free movement down the road! Evoland explores many and parodies some of the most beloved tropes of older RPGs, along with several nods to newer titles. Evoland will have you reminiscing on the best and sometimes the most bizarre parts of your favorite old-school RPGs.

Where Evoland disappoints is in actually delivering the fun and addicting experiences of older RPGs. When the game imitates the puzzles and dungeons of a classic Zelda title it seems far too easy and short. While the game plays as a turn-based RPG the fights are sometimes unbalanced and still often too easy, lacking some more challenging enemies. They are also very simple fights by even traditional RPG standards, most apparently for the lack of a magic bar. There are only a few spells and items, a direct contrast of some of the most memorable RPGs. You meet many characters throughout the game - few of whom which are interesting and only one whom will join your player's team. Also, Evoland's gameplay reference list is not entirely inclusive, instead featuring a mostly Final Fantasy style of game with several Zelda type dungeons and one that is most like Diablo.

Evoland, regardless of its shortfalls, was a blast to experience. In some parts I laughed out loud at the great parodies or references, while in others I was awed by spot on representations of gaming tropes. Unfortunately, the game is propped up on mostly nostalgia, and does not stand well as a game in of itself. This game could be seen as proof-of-concept, with a more complete successor in the future.

Jammage's Next Gen Thoughts

With the next generation of consoles coming at the end of the year, I have to give my thoughts on what the future of gaming holds. One thing that will stay in gaming through the next few years is the average shooter. It gets the highest sales, it is easy to play and understand, and you can play with your friends cooperatively or competitively. Even though AAA shooters are thrown together and made every year, people still buy them. 

On the other hand, there is a big rise in Indie game development. That is one thing I am excited for. Indie games are not restricted to a genre in any way. people make the game, not to make money, but because it is a game they would want to play. These titles are normally unique. Even Robert Bowling, an ex developer at Infinity Ward, quit his job making CoD games to make indie games. This is a man standing up and setting a precedent. Indie games are already on the rise, with title like Minecraft, Fez, Braid, and Journey. People are starting to appreciate gaming as an art.

Graphics are a big thing when it comes to next gen consoles. Unfortunately the consoles will never compare to a high performance PC. But, with the improved power of the new consoles, developers will start making games with better graphics that will also come out for PC with higher quality graphics. Although graphics aren't what make a game fun to play, it is pretty cool to see how far we can go to make a virtual world as realistic as possible.

Those are my thoughts on the future of gaming. Feel free to comment your own opinions such as what you want to see in future games or what you think of what has been shown so far.

Mass Effect 3 Citdal DLC Review by PrvMalone

                In my opinion, Bioware’s Mass Effect series tops the charts for this generation of gaming.   Mass Effect was the only game that ever made me a fan boy, and it is the only universe I know as much about as the Star Wars Universe.  Now that the tale of our mighty hero Commander Shepard has drawn to an end, it seems almost useless to purchase any of the DLC that Bioware has been pumping out.  I’m here to tell you that is not the case.

                Bioware recently released their sendoff DLC titled Citadel, and though it is priced at a whopping fifteen dollars, I would still be willing to cough up the dough just to join the final adventures of my Shepard.  After all the controversy of just about all of Bioware’s actions, I was glad to see that, for the most part, Bioware lived up to what we have come to expect from them.

                Basically, Citadel is a cheesy action movie starring all of your favorite squad mates from Mass Effect 3 and a few from the two previous games in the series. The missions are chock full of jokes and, in one special case, even Star Wars references make their way into the mix.  If you hated all the Romance options in ME3, you may just get a chance to reconnect with your lost love.  If the relationships of your Shepard really did not interest you, there is still the great story and addition combat to enjoy.

                The main quest line of this DLC allows players the opportunity to take a bit of shore leave and rest from the battle against the Reapers.  So, there is no combat in this DLC…Ha, like that’s possible.  The player has to uncover a plot to kill Shepard, and each mission brings a new twist to keep the player emotionally and mentally engaged with the plot. After the main quest line is complete there is still much to do in the new areas in the Citadel that become available. Most notable of the additions is the Armax Arsenal Arena, where you can convene with all your living squad mates, new and old, to compete in simulated battles against virtual opponents.  If you missed the sound of a Krogan blasting his way through Geth synthetic flesh you will be most pleased with this addition.

                Overall, this DLC will not disappoint Mass Effect fans, and this addition was a perfect send-off for our beloved Commander Shepard. The only let down for me is that we never see a romance between Shepard and Shiala, the green Asari who appeared in both ME and ME2.  She was totally into Shepard and you know it!  Anyways, wherever Bioware goes next with the series (First Contact War please) and whatever our new hero may be (space smuggler or assassin please) I am certain Bioware will keep players invested into the story.