GTTV’s Exclusive first look at Resistance 2

The most recent GameTrailers TV episode that aired quite early this morning (1am!) has the scoop on the first actual gameplay footage of Insomniac’s highly-anticipated sequel, Resistance 2. Some interesting tidbits of information to keep in mind:

• “Sentinel” soldiers seem to fight along your side, and like Nathan Hale, are completely immune to the deadly virus we learned about in the first game
• Giant boss battles will break up the pace, “up to 300 feet” in size according to Ted Price, President of Insomniac Games
• Continuing from the first game, Resistance 2 will take place in America in the early 1950’s, though one where WWII never actually happened – ie the fight with the Chimera in Europe instead
• Later in the game, Nathan must go from San Francisco to Chicago
• New enemy: “the Grimms”, half-converted chimera that attack in hordes with melee-based combat, able to run swiftly out of windows and walls to catch you
• First level takes place in Iceland; jumps a few years ahead finding Nathan in America – that two year absence, according to Price, was Nathan undergoing training with the Sentinels fighting off smaller skirmishes of Chimera
• Separate co-op narrative will have gamers playing as particular Sentinel soldiers, not Nathan Hale; co-op can be played with up to 8 people – diversified by classes
• In multiplayer: squad-based objectives meant to “spread out” the 60 player battlefield so as to avoid chaos and frustration from a simple head-to-head deathmatch
• Possibility of a beta?
• Gone is the multiple weapon inventory, replaced with a two-weapon system instead
• No vehicles in multiplayer

Phew! Well while some of that information is stuff Insomniac have gone on record saying already, it’s nice to see it be backed up by some solid footage of the campaign and multiplayer modes. Needless to say, if you are in any way a Resistance or FPS fan on the PS3, Resistance 2 is definitely a title to look for in the fall. Now let’s hope for some kind of beta announcement in the near future…

GameTrailers TV Episode 19: Resistance 2

Lazy Saturday: Sporepedia

When I’m not currently occupied by marathon gaming sessions on MGS4, I find myself curiously sorting through the 10,000+ creatures on Sporepedia – a catalog of all creatures created through (a portion) of Will Wright and EA’s next money-printing game, Spore. Coming up on the 17th for PC and Mac will be Spore’s Creature Creator, a sample offering of the full game that includes full customization options for creating that googly-eyed penis four-armed monster you’ve always wanted; you can either choose the full featured flavor at 10 bucks, or download a demo that will have only 25% of the customizable options.

No official word on any console versions being developed for the 360 and PS3, but the full game will drop in a few short months on September 7th for the PC, Mac, Nintendo DS, and mobile phone platforms. If you’re brave enough to fend off the various phallic-inspired monsters – along with laughable attempts of breast creatures and anything else your naughty mind can think of, then venture forth into Spore’s Sporepedia.

theFunk List: Hungover-on-MGS4 Edition

Sorry GTAIV. There’s a new sheriff in town, and his name is SNAKE.

…

Ah forgive the cheesy intro, ladies and gents. While I wasn’t able to stay up all night playing the game like I originally planned – my mortal coil gave in at approximately 4:30 am – I did spend a good chunk of it still trying to wrap my head around the fact that MGS4 was not only in my hands, but in my PS3, playing on my TV! Call me a hopelessly devoted fanboy, but I watched and played with a gleeful, ear-to-ear grin that still hasn’t shaken off even after some time with it today. But of course, everything in moderation right? Which is why once I’m done resting writing this post here, I’m off for yet another night of Snake’s shenanigans… when will he ever learn to stop chasing those metal gears!?

Reminder: Countdown to Midnight

After nearly a 3-year wait since its announcement in 2005, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is finally upon us; you East Coast folk have only a few hours to wait, while I’m still looking at an 8 hour wait time till midnight here in California. Regardless, many gamers have been awaiting Hideo Kojima’s swan song for the legendary Solid Snake – and with many websites and forums already rife with spoilers from those who have obtained early copies of the game – tonight’s release couldn’t come soon enough!

So grab your copy and enjoy, because regardless of what reviews may say, gamers are in for a real treat in what should be a remarkable achievement in the current generation of consoles so far…. Hell, I know I’m in for a long night ; )

HAZE: The Final Verdict

Not too long ago, I wrote up some impressions on my first few hours with Free Radical’s HAZE. While there were a few rough spots here and there, I mostly found a very capable shooter, replete with concepts that could have made it outstanding – instead of the dose of mere adequacy that was actually delivered.

The Single Player

If you’re looking for you’re next compelling FPS narrative a la Call of Duty 4, then I suggest you keep on lookin’: the story, told through the eyes of Shane Carpenter, is hopelessly cliched and generic. Stereotypical characters – on both sides of the conflict – never manage to alleviate this problem, as shouts of testosterone -filled rage and calls for “the Promise” will no doubt ring in your head as the dialogue repeats ad infinitum throughout your battles. This is perhaps the most disappointing aspect I had with the game, since the underlying concepts behind it are not all that bland compared to the way it was presented to us. From the obviously brainwashed soldiers of Mantel Global Industries and their unhealthy reliance on a drug known as “Nectar”; to the cause of the rebels, the more every-day-type of man; and the inevitable “twist” of turning against the original corporation that you fought for, the clash between the two factions could have been something great.

Instead, what we get is more joke than contemplation on the horrors of war. After finishing the game, I honestly had to ask myself if the story was even meant to be taken seriously at all, as its execution is so laughably bad at times that it’s hard to believe otherwise. Though you play as a conflicted soldier, trying to make sense of the chaos around him, I couldn’t really feel one way or another about his actions in the game. Whether it was slaughtering dozens of rebels or sabotaging a fleet of my former comrades, none of my actions ever seemed meaningful at all. As such, I didn’t care about Shane, didn’t harbor a hate for Mantel, nor could I sympathize with (rebel leader) Merino.

To its credit however, HAZE, as mentioned before, is a competent shooter – solid gameplay mechanics that was unfortunately backed up by a poor story. You have your standard weapons types of rifles, rocket launchers, etc., which have similar counterparts in both Mantel and Promise Hand (the rebels) equipment. One feature that I did have fun with for awhile, and later in multiplayer, was the Nectar abilities mentioned in my impressions: the way it clearly distinguishes enemies on screen and the enhanced sense of sight and health was hugely beneficial. The “benefits” of the rebels on the other hand, were not so great: the only useful one is the ability to play dead, but even then it’s only good for a few tight situations.

Multiplayer

The other half of HAZE is its 16-player online component, with players choosing to play either as a Mantel trooper or a rebel, but presenting only three options to duke it out with friends: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Team Assault. The standard modes aside, Team Assault is much like an escort type of mission, where both sides must fight to retrieve a missile back to their base and arm it before the other side steals it back. As in single player, Mantel soldiers have the benefit of Nectar dosages, but are still extremely vulnerable to OD on the drug, causing you to go batshit wild while you automatically shoot everything in sight – and in playing against actual human beings, you can bet that most will aim for your drug tank, as had happened countless times with me. Rebel abilities are also kept intact, including the valuable dodge-roll, but its usefulness will depend from player to player.

There are no intrinsic reward factors for playing multiplayer, such as medals or ranks, but you do get special recognition for certain “achievements” that can be seen on the results page after a match. Vehicles do get some use to, as the maps can sometimes be a chore to run across, but nothing you haven’t seen in previous games. Additionally, one of the features that HAZE does right is the inclusion of drop-in/drop-out co-op, both online and off. For the single player narrative, up to 3 other friends can join; for battles online, you can bring a local friend with you, splitscreen style, as a guest.

At the end of the day, I find it difficult to recommend HAZE as a full $60 purchase; the gameplay may be adequate, but the entire package is severely lacking in comparison to the bevy of other FPS’s available on the PS3. The best redeeming value for the game is its co-op, so if you have a buddy or three on tap, then by all means give the game a go – it can only make the experience that much better. Online, which can be fun at times, will determine the game’s longevity, but I honestly don’t see it going very far with the small set of options it allows. Again, HAZE is not a terrible game, but there isn’t much to distinguish it from the competition.

More info on BIOSHOCK for the PS3

*Ed. note: Phew, can’t believe I’ve been gone for almost a week already. Just got two finals done today, though, with two more coming up next week before MGS4 finally hits…*

Couple of days ago, the Playstation Blog greeted us with a bit more news regarding BIOSHOCK’s move to Sony’s side of the fence. Executive Producer from 2K Marin, Alyssa Finey, writes in to let gamers know that they should expect more news and announcements about the game in the future, but for now, she gives us some info on the team working behind the much anticipated PS3 project:

“The project is based in the 2K Marin studio, which is located in Novato, CA. The 2K Marin team has been collaborating with the 2K teams in Australia and Boston to build the game with team members in each of the studios building, coding, optimizing, bugfixing, and polishing away. On top of that, because this is the first PS3 title from 2K Marin, 2K Australia and 2K Boston, we’ve also got another development partner with some outstanding PS3-specific coding chops helping out with the project – we can’t talk about what studio that is yet, but we look forward to revealing that in the future.”

Hm, a development partner? Could it be a team from Insomniac perhaps? Seems like a good fit… anyway, it’s almost refreshing to see that so much care has been given to this BIOSHOCK port in a time where many companies are still giving their “best” half-assed efforts at multi-platform parity these days. For more info on each team and even a few exclusive screen shots, check out the
original post over at the PS Blog.