Pixel Well » PS3

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

The King's Eighth — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:10:06 +0000

And we’re back! After a long hiatus from jobs, grad school, and other personal business, we are back into the thick of things once more. What better way to start afresh then to provide some news during the week of E3 2011. There is much in store so let’s get straight to it. Here is a highly anticipated game for many on the PS3, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, due out on November 1, 2011. Drake’s fate is drawn into the adventures and stories of T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia).

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is an article on Pixel Well
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Sony’s PlayStation Move

The King's Eighth — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 20:03:55 +0000

This week has been definitely filled with new items and games from everyone. Microsoft announces their slimmed console along with their motion capture device Kinect, so naturally Sony reveals their latest attempt into the motion capture realm. Sony announced on Tuesday the launch of their new device, Move. Move will be released on September 19, and can be purchased in a bundle with both sets of the controller (yes it is almost exactly like the Wii controller) along with the PlayStation Eye and Move Sports Championship game. Why is everyone releasing a sports game with these things? Oh wait, probably because the Wii did awesome with just the console and Wii Sports when it came out. You can expect to pay $99 for the whole bundle or if you’re in the market for a new console you can pick one up with the Move controller for $399.

The idea behind the design is that the giant ball attached to the end of the controller will change color based on your lighting and background environment in the room. The PlayStation Eye will then track the ball more efficiently. Sony’s goal is to have a more 1:1 ration of your actual movements. I hope that the tracking is indeed more close to 1:1 for games. Just imagine Force Unleashed II with this thing, though it probably won’t be compatible with the game. Anyway, check out the latest screens.

Sony’s PlayStation Move is an article on Pixel Well
All original content, including images and all intellectual properties, are copyright © Pixel Well 2010

The Force Unleashed II E3 2010 Trailer

The King's Eighth — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 01:47:02 +0000

LucasArts has released another Star Wars trailer for you. This time its for the upcoming game The Force Unleashed 2. I’m personally excited for this game after recently playing through the first game. I’m curious as to where the writers are going to take the storyline. It seems that there can only be so much done in the time span between Episode III and IV of the movie series. Also worth checking out is the Force Unleashed II web site. There are no menus but instead take on the appearance as if you are in a bacta tank as a clone.(?) There are several audio files that you can listen in on and a few mini games to unlock memories. Some are flashbacks of the old game while others possible hint to the storyline of the next game. Go on and check out the site here. Make sure to check out the trailer after the break.

The Force Unleashed II E3 2010 Trailer is an article on Pixel Well
All original content, including images and all intellectual properties, are copyright © Pixel Well 2010

Medal of Honor (2010)

The King's Eighth — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:00:45 +0000

The new Medal of Honor was announced via trailer on Spike TV December 12, 2009. This is yet another game that seemed to slip under my radar. EA is creating a refresh of the old game, stepping away from World War II and placing it in modern times in war torn Afghanistan. The new game is being created in cooperation by both EA’s Los Angeles studio and Swedish based developer DICE. DICE was the company that created the popular Battlefield Bad Company series and also Mirror’s Edge. Check out the latest trailer at their website here.

EA is setting themselves up nicely to compete with Activision’s Modern Warfare series. The new Medal of Honor places you with elite Tier 1 operative soldiers in the U.S. led NATO war against Al Qaeda. When asked in a recent interview with Kotaku on why they chose Afghanistan, Medal of Honor executive producer Greg Goodrich said,

Afghanistan sort of chose us. We had a story we wanted to tell and it was about a certain group of individuals.

When asked if he was using this setting as an attempt to grab audiences from current events Goodrich said the following:

We have a story to tell: Our story, our characters and the quality level at which we’re telling our story will engage people whether it’s there or anywhere else. The backdrop is just that. It’s a historical backdrop that has rich history. It all adds to that recipe that goes into making a great storytelling experience, beyond the locale, beyond the time of day, beyond the audio or music.

This is something that I feel the Medal of Honor series will play into their latest game: real life historical events. The Modern Warfare series places you into a fictional war and storyline. Here Medal of Honor will thrill us with real people in historical events, all of which took place during the first part of the Afghanistan War. All I can remember was the feeling I had playing Allied Assault for PC when I played the D-Day landing. I true sense of get the hell off the boat and find some cover before I died. It brought the first attempts at blending cinematic storyline and gameplay together. I hope to expect the same things with this iteration of Medal of Honor. Expect to see this game for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 this summer.

Medal of Honor (2010) is an article on Pixel Well
All original content, including images and all intellectual properties, are copyright © Pixel Well 2010

Splinter Cell Conviction

The King's Eighth — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 14:42:30 +0000

Sam Fisher is at it again. I remember playing the first Splinter Cell on my Xbox way back in high school (2002) and thought that the game’s concept was very well done. The graphics were amazing, not to mention the lighting was phenomenal. I don’t remember much about the game’s story line though I remember being hooked into the style of gameplay. Then they released Pandora Tomorrow in 2004 and Chaos Theory in 2005. I remember playing segments of Pandora Tomorrow on PC but don’t think I ever finish the game. Same thing with Chaos Theory. Since then they released Essentials, which was released for the PSP and then Double Agent for the Wii, 360, and PS3. I actually played Double Agent on the Wii and thought they did a fairly decent job at incorporating the Wii remote. Now Ubisoft is gearing for the release of Splinter Cell Conviction on April 13.

The new iteration looks like it will be another great game done by Ubisoft. The game caught me by surprise the other day when I found their latest development video. Take a look at it at the end of the post. One of their key features in this game is using the environment to display mission objectives and information. While you are sneaking around, an objective will look like its being projected on a nearby wall. Same with mission vital information. This seems to be very interesting way to drop in game menus to give it a better gameplay flow. As far as the actual story line goes, not much has been revealed by Ubisoft, though it seems you may be pitted against Sam’s former agency Third Echelon. Sam becomes a rogue agent after discovering the death of his daughter Sarah. As far as the actual gameplay goes, many websites have claimed that it is no longer a stealth game but rather a combination of both action and stealth. This seems to make sense to me. A lot of games these days are being geared towards cinematic stories with lots of action in between– Uncharted and Uncharted 2 comes to mind. They successfully combine all elements of and action packed movie as well as having the ability to sneak around the entire game killing your enemies. The changes that you will see in Splinter Cell Conviction should, in my opinion, make the game more appealing to all audiences. Though it may loose its original feel from the first game, Splinter Cell Conviction looks like it will be an amazing refresh of the series.

Splinter Cell Conviction is an article on Pixel Well
All original content, including images and all intellectual properties, are copyright © Pixel Well 2010

Sturmovik IL-2 – Birds of Prey

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Details Revealed; a Little Bland?

The River Salmon — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:30:59 +0000

So in the May issue of the Official Xbox Magazine there is a load of information about the new Ghost Recon installment: Future Soldier. Here is the list of inclusions revealed by the magazine:

The game will feature split-screen cooperative play, but it’s yet to be determined if it will be two or four players.
Soldiers in Future Soldier benefit from “load-bearing leg braces that enable them to move swiftly” even as they’re covered in a ton of heavy technology.
Gamers can sprint to cover, slide-tackle enemies, and hurdle low obstacles thanks to their new exoskeleton.
A first for the series, the soldiers will have close-combat takedowns at their disposal. The takedowns are based on various forms of martial arts.
The team is divided into four members, each with a different class. The classes are: Commando, Engineer, Sniper, and Recon.
Commando is very similar to a standard soldier, using a rifle with multiple components and shoulder mounted rocket launcher. Engineer has loadouts including a UAV drone which can be steered by the soldier. Sniper features the main advantage of identifying targets. Recon features the optical camo (invisible cloak), and will be what most gamers want to play as. However, when not cloaked, you’ll be quite distinguishable on the battlefield.
The game begins with “the Russian president being kidnapped by extremists, and instead of breaking out the popcorn for a cutscene, you’ll be in the shoes of one of his bodyguards. Regardless of how well you may perform during this sequence, you won’t be successful, and the capture of the Russian leader is the flashpoint that kicks off what becomes a truly international campaign.”
The game will feature quite a few different settings for the game, being much removed from the bland Mexico settings fans were used to.
Teammate A.I. has been much improved. Your A.I. partners will move like they have “ten to twelve years of military training”. Instead of running in front of you, they’re more prone to follow like squadmates should.
The partners are said to cover your flank and angles you can’t always get to when you move forward.
With the tap of a button, you can follow your teammate automatically. Doing this technique will allow you to focus on enemy fire, and keep an eye on your teammates back as you continue forward. All four players can actually link up at once as well.
The link-up feature is available in multiplayer too. Stand close enough to a cloaked squadmate in multiplayer, and you’ll be cloaked. Future Soldier is aiming to encourage teamwork over everything else.
The co-op is four players, and completely drop-in/drop-out co-op for the campaign mode. Multiplayer is said to be 8vs8, and contains classic modes such as capture-the-flag and domination.
The Persistent Elite Creation system from Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will make its way into the title. Meaning, your items in the campaign will be synchronized with those items you use in multiplayer along with your character.

Nothing too earth shattering here. The main issue I find is that the concept of the future has largely been identified as not laser wielding robots. Rather, I think the Ghost Recon series is reflecting the subtle changes our armed services will find over the next 75-100 years: cloaking, exoksekeletons, and whatnot. The problem is that, unless artfully done, this may lead to more run-of-the-mill gameplay.

Also, what is that locking on squad mates thing? Like, enable Universal Studios ride mode? I don’t know about that. It sounds like they’re taking a page from Bad Company 2 otherwise. The real deal has yet to be seen, however…

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Details Revealed; a Little Bland? is an article on Pixel Well
All original content, including images and all intellectual properties, are copyright © Pixel Well 2010

Red Dead Redemption: Gentlemen & Vagabonds

The River Salmon — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:46:06 +0000

Hey guys, check out the latest of a string of Red Dead Redemption videos showcasing the unscrupulous nature of the cast.

Of course, the game will be host to a number of your crazy and unsavory characters. I personally can’t wait to see how this game turns out, though I’m slightly disappointed that it will only be released for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Check out the video inside.

Call of Duty Vietnam?

The King's Eighth — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 18:56:59 +0000

After the release of Infinity Ward’s and Activision’s Modern Warfare 2 one can only question what will be up their sleeves next. Several clues point to production of a Vietnam based game. It makes sense as World War II has been covered, covered again, and then some more, followed by the coverage of Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2. Call of Duty Vietnam would make a nice addition to the collection. (What about World War I?)

One of the obvious clues that point towards its production and game design is recent casting calls in California for voice over and motion capture. The casting call also describes some of the characters specifically naming: Frank Barnes, Joseph Lewis, Jason Hudson, and Kristina Ivanova. Interesting how a Russian is named; she apparently is a martial arts expert. The new game will feature Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies And Observations Group, which was a real unit during the conflict which took part in several missions conducted behind enemy lines. Xboxic has the official casting call document for you to peruse. Check out their article here. Activision will be using Treyarch to develop the game, the same developers they used to create Call of Duty World At War. Other rumors also indicate that this could be a game on a larger scale possibly covering events in Cuba. Call of Duty Cold War perhaps? Either way the game is said to be released this year around the holidays.

PlayStation 3 Firware Update 3.0

The King's Eighth — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:42:54 +0000

The release of the the PlayStation 3 120G (Slim) model goes on sale officially today though many stores have been selling the system since last week on Tuesday and Wednesday. I personally received my PS3 Slim from Amazon last Friday. With the release of the system, the new firmware releases as well. Sony has officially said that this would be their last “big” update for the 2009 year, but that minor updates may be in the near future.

Here is the official details from the PlayStation 3 Blog website.

“What’s New” – The “Information Board” will be replaced with a “What’s New” section, which allows you to enjoy interactive PlayStation news every time you start the PS3 system. Located under the PlayStation Network icon, “What’s New” displays the latest and greatest game, video, PlayStation Network and PlayStation news and releases, as well as your recently played games, in a sleek, new animated format.
Status Indicator – In the top right corner we’ve added an indicator bar, which displays your user icon, friend icon, the number of friends you have online and a small message icon to let you know if you have any new messages. The indicator also includes a scrolling ticker that features the latest news from PlayStation Network. In addition, when you press the PS button, the battery life indicator will no longer cover up the clock.
Friends List – Now your PlayStation Network friends will appear in a slightly redesigned format on your Friends List. Also, messages will now be viewable from each of your friends’ respective profiles.
PlayStation Store Shortcuts – We’ve added a handy shortcut icon to the PlayStation Store under both the Game and Video categories so you can access the latest content quickly and easily.
Personalization – Personalize your PS3 with new dynamic custom themes and avatars. Dynamic themes as well as free and premium avatars will be available through PlayStation Store. A dynamic theme takes your screen to a whole new level as it incorporates animated objects into the background.
Trophies – Showcasing your hard earned trophies just got better. Update 3.00 gives game developers the ability to modify how they display trophies for add-on content. Base and add-on game trophies will continue to be combined into a single list so you can see where you stand in a game as a whole. Within that list, trophies will be broken out into subcategories—base trophies and add-on trophies—that way, you can easily view the percentage of your base game trophy collection, and separately track your trophy progress in add-on packs. Look for this enhancement to be included in upcoming games.

One of the biggest part of the update that I noticed was the new appearance of the XMB. It now has glowing pixels that fly around in the background. I also noticed that the font was a little larger than what it was previously. Another big part of the update was the dynamic themes that you can use. I have yet to try out any of them since they cost money in the PSN Store. And of course whenever you start up your system now it takes you to the “Whats New” section of the menu. I hope to have more on the PS3 Slim soon as well as a review with unboxing pictures. Stay tuned for more.

PS3 Slim Unvealed at GamesCom

The King's Eighth — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:38:04 +0000

Engadget has just revealed photos at GamesCom of Sony unveiling the PS3 Slim. The system will have the same features as the original PS3 but consuming 34% less power and 32% less space. Sony is also planning on reducing the price of the 80Gb model to $299 and the Uncharted Bundle to $399 as well. You can check out their post here. Click the post for more PS3 Slim pictures.