Details on Bungie’s Halo 3: Recon

In case you haven’t heard, Bungie has formally revealed the new title that they had been so cryptically teasing over on their official website and forums for some time now, including the infamous was-supposed-to-be-at-E3-but-then-pulled announcement fiasco. Announced recently at the Tokyo Game Show, that game in question is Halo 3: Recon, the first ever single player expansion to the wildly popular Halo franchise. Taking place in the city of New Mombassa amid a catastrophic invasion, Recon eschews previous hero Master Cheif in favor of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) sent to “clean” the place up.

Of course, not being an uber Spartan solider this time around will change the gameplay up a bit (read: you’re human!), though it is unknown to what extent. The editors over at Kotaku, however have managed to squeeze a few more details from a Q & A session, which at the very least tell’s us what the game is not going to be:

“Halo 3: Recon is not a tactical squad based shooter. Halo 3: Recon is not Splinter Cell: Halo. Halo 3: Recon is not Brothers In Arms: Halo. And there’s a very, very good chance you’ll never, ever run into Master Chief.

Halo 3: Recon is a first-person shooter, one that’s going to feel very much like a Halo game; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, basically. . . Recon is a standalone release, not part of a title update or downloadable content. It will come with new Achievements totaling 1000 Gamerscore and a new aesthetic.”

Multiplayer, meanwhile, will remain largely unchanged. It will be compatible with all the fancy MP features that Halo 3 brought in, along with new maps and (though this part is speculation) presumably new customization options for your character (ie, ODST armor, anyone?).

While I was actually hoping for a new Bungie IP before all the teases started referring to Halo, Recon turned out to be an interesting little surprise. Though I do have to wonder if they still made the announcement somewhat too early… after all, the expansion is not slated to hit until Fall 2009.

Source:Kotaku

Here we go again…

Since the PS3’s less-than-favorable launch back in 2006, the dedicated fan base has had to sit through terrible port after terrible port of multi-platform titles (Orange Box, Lost Planet, Madden 08 anyone?) for the greater part of the last two years – and it was only until recently with games like GTAIV, COD4, and UE3 (to name a few) to prove that the PS3 could at least be on par with versions published on the PC and Xbox360. With an onslaught of quality first party titles on the horizon, as well as third-party multiplat games that look equally good across the board, many thought that dark time was already behind us. At least, we hoped it was.

Enter Bioshock for the PS3. Coming in more than a year late than its 360/PC counterparts, many expected the penultimate version of Rapture when it was finally revealed to be in the works for Sony’s controversial console. After all, it is coming in with a host of extras in the form of previous DLC and patches (that were applied late last year) on-disk, a new “Survivor” difficulty option (tagline: “Every bullet counts!”), as well as some exclusive content in the form of “Challenge Rooms” that will be available sometime before the year is out. Everything seems all fine and dandy right? And then the demo came out….

*Pictures taken from user images

Aside from a slight “blur” effect evident for the PS3 shots (which you can read in the first link below), you can tell that these poor Big Daddies have been pixelated to death! Much more than a simple isolated incident, these, among a other visual tweaks (Read Here), were quickly brought to the attention to the devs over at the 2K Forums (Read Here), which since then as spread across the internet igniting flame wars and “inferior port” worries once more. From what the 2K community manager over at the forums has stated, the pixelated textures have indeed something to do with a streaming bug in the demo – and given that the game has gone gold, and the concern to which (at least according to the 2K manager) the devs are investigating the problem, there is a very real possibility that it will be reflected in the final game that will hit store shelves in just a few short weeks.

*Officially provided image taken from the forums

Now before you yell out “graphics whore, GTFO” or anything of the like, realize that those in the forum and elsewhere in the gaming space vocalizing these concerns actually have a legitimate complaint. For a game that’s arriving a year late on the PS3, and one that is pushing for a full price release (vs. having it for 1/3 of the cost now for the 360/PC versions), prospective gamers had the right to expect a definitive version of the multi-award winning game. While bugs have unfortunately been all-too common in this generation of consoles, something as glaring as the texture problem on the Big Daddy creatures – by far the most iconic character the Bioshock has – simply can’t go unnoticed.

To be fair, however, I’m pretty sure that by judging from the demo and early glowing reviews, the one thing this PS3 version won’t shirk on is the game’s much heralded gameplay. Everything from its engaging vision of an underwater dystopia, to the powered-up FPS mechanics via unique plasmids, and of course the now classic Big Daddy encounters, have remained unchanged. I do agree, too, that most will pick up the game regardless and will be happy with their purchase, and I really wish nothing less… you could do MUCH worse than spend $60 on a game that has won multiple GOTY awards for 2007.

The main point that I’ve been trying to get across is my frustration at the latest contribution to the flame wars: mainly, prolonging the ongoing stigma of inferior multiplatform games on the PS3 – whether they’re intentional or not.  You can point the finger at Sony for creating a vastly different architecture, which is a valid complaint, or at 2K Games for not spending enough time and resources to ensure the PS3 version was on par with the 360 one released last year, another equally valid complaint (which may or may not have some legs behind it). Thing is, the results speak for themselves.

As such, I am in no way trying to slander the team at 2K, in fact I applaud them for their dedication to the PS3 fanbase and the willingness to respond to these issues. It’s just sad to see that this ongoing “inferiority complex” associated with Sony’s box always seems to find fresh meat ripe for the taking. And no, this is not coming from a whining Sony fanboy , but from a proponent for gaming in general – if we don’t keep these problems in check, then who else will?

Sources:

Ripten 1

Ripten 2

Ripten 3

2K Forums

Hunting down those sacred LBP keys

As you no doubt know by now, the onslaught from LBP giveaways last week have successfully crashed and burn a handful of the big-name gaming sites that participated, costing the lives of many a network administrator* in the process. I’ve tried – and failed – multiple times at these sites, waiting (dozens of hours I might add) in anticipation to see if my inbox would be graced by a holy LittleBigPlanet beta key. Stories and youtube clips about people’s experiences and levels have been pouring in like crazy since, making me all the more jealous at having to wait until October 21st to try out the game for myself. *Sigh*

In the mean time, I found some relief through the latest Penny Arcade comic above, which can only hint at the feverish hype the beta has been receiving within the last two weeks. Original can be found here.

*No network administrators were actually harmed in the making of this beta. At least none that have been reported… so far.

Bonus Day-One DLC for Gears of War 2

Gears fans, this one is for you: GamePro is reporting that when the game officially launches on November 7th, those who buy new copies of the game will find a special voucher code that can be redeemed for the aptly titled “Flashback Map Pack”. Included in the pack will be five familiar multiplayer maps from the first Gears of War – Tyro Station, Gridlock, Subway, Mansion, and Canals – visually enhanced in time for the sequel; this is in addition to the 10 maps that GeOW2 already ships with.

Also of note will be the chance to obtain a gold-plated Hammerburst rifle for use in the game. Details are still scarce, but it will only be available for fans who participate in the various midnight launch events across the country.

Source:GamePro

Linger in Shadows – On why it is NOT a game

New info popped up on the Playstation Blog recently about the mysterious Linger In Shadows showcase that has only been mentioned breifly before. Part artistic showpiece and part interactive display, Sr. Producer Rusty Buchert clarified a bit more on what we can expect for the PSN download:

“. . . I wanted to explain today about what Linger is and what it isn’t. I’ll start with the easier side, and that is Linger in Shadows is NOT a game. It was never meant to be a game and it will never be a game. Yes it has trophies, but it still isn’t a game and I’ll explain why a little later on.

. . . One of the things that Plastic [ed. note: the creators] wanted to do with Linger was to move in a new direction. Linger can be watched passively, but you won’t get the whole experience that way. It is meant to be an experience that you explore through. Look beyond the frame of what you see. Search for new things, experiment with the SIXAXIS, and you might be surprised by what you find.”

As an experiment created to push both the technological and creative possibilities for the Playstation 3, Linger could be something very unique when it arrives next week. Due to its unusual nature – especially being the first its kind in the console generation – I sincerely hope that price won’t be a barrier to those who want to experience it. While it has not been addressed yet, and there’s no telling if it indeed will have a price at launch, the only absolute way to get this out to the broadest number of people as possible would be a free download. Linger in Shadows will make its way to the PSN next Thursday, October 9.

Source: PS Blog