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…

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.

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.

Supposedly these are two legitimate posters from the remaining campaigns set to be unveiled for Left 4 Dead 2. The first, Dead Center, seems to be appealing to popular demand by featuring what looks to be a shopping mall. The second seems to be using the newly implemented weather effects in Hard Rain.

I’m probably the most interested in Hard Rain, since the weather seems to me the most compelling addition in terms of creating tension. It makes me think of the screen shots they released earlier to the public of the zombies coming through the dense sheet of rain, and how cool that seemed. I think it will add a lot to the atmosphere for sure. Dead Center, well, I’m sure it’ll be great, but I got a lot of the shopping mall interest taken care of with Dead Rising. I guess the truth has yet to be known, like what will the special infected be for those two campaigns? I’m excited to find out.

On August 19 in Cologne Germany, thousands will gather for Europe’s GamesCom conference in hopes of becoming Germany’s leading trade show for interactive gaming and entertainment. This debut event hopes to attract the entire industry, as well as anyone interested in video games or computers.

For anyone who wasn’t a part of the update to Xbox Live preview the new update is now available to the public. Some things that got updated include the Netflix party feature, avatar clothes, and downloading game manuals. For the whole change log check over here

For the past few months there have been many articles flying around the internet as to when Sony intended to cut back on the price for the PS3 and the possible launch of the PS3 Slim. Well those articles seem to be going crazy as of the past few days. Read more…

Now I haven’t gotten the Left4Dead vs. Left4Dead2 debate up on this site yet, but already the tides are turning. Valve has been trying to fend off the naysayers with reports that they will still incorporate new content into the original game despite a sequel on the way. Well, here we go.