GG Issue 02

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GOOD GAME

02 VOLUME

DARKSIDERS II: PRE-ORDER SPECIALS

MICA (P) 135/05/2012

DISHONORED

REVENGE SOLVES EVERYTHING

A-Z OF E3 2012

THE BEST GAMES OF E3 2012

FEATURING

DEATH METRO Comes for us all.

LAST LIGHT

SPEC OPS: THE LINE REVIEW WELCOME TO DUBAI - 2K’S TWISTED SHOOTER. FIND OUT MORE IN

PREVIEWS: BORDERLANDS 2, DISHONORED, HALO 4, XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN, WWE 13, METRO: LAST LIGHT & MORE

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02 - Issue 02, 2012

TEAM PUBLISHER Jacky Choo jacky@playworksonline.com

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UPCOMING GAMES It’s too hot to leave the house, so stay inside and play games all day!

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RetailerTOP5 THE HOTTESTGAMES OUTNOW

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DESIGN CONTRIBUTORS Joyce Lee Kai Ting joycelee@playworksonline.com MEDIA GROUP HEAD Candice Cheong candice@playworksonline.com MEDIA MANAGER Johanna Kuan johanna@playworksonline.com

Halo 4

The Last Of Us

Resident Evil 6

ASSISTANT EDITOR Michael Khoo michael@playworksonline.com

1. Diablo III 2. The Amazing Spider-Man 3. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier 4. Spec Ops: The Line 5. Max Payne 3

WRITERS Justin Choo, Adam Tun-Aung, Shann Ng ADVERTISING SALES AND MARKETING Media Group Head Candice Cheong candice@playworksonline.com Media Manager Johanna Kuan johanna@playworksonline.com Philippines Correspondant Josephine Oliver

Tomb Raider

Assassin’s Creed 3

Sleeping Dogs

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Metro: Last Light

Grand Theft Auto V

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1. Diablo III 2. Battlefield 3 3. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier 4. Spec Ops: The Line 5. Max Payne 3

Playworks would like to thank the publications; PSM3, XboxWorld 360, Ngamer, PC Gamer, Edge and GamesMaster for their excellent content, help and support for making the new Playworks magazine possible.

Hitman: Absolution

Far Cry 3

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

1. Max Payne 3 2. Spec Ops: The Line 3. Lego Batman 4. Batman Arkham City: GOTY 5. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

All content © Playworks Pte Ltd and Future Pulishing Ltd 2011.

Articles in this issue are translated or reproduced from XBOXWORLD 360 and are the copyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK 2011. Used under licence. All rights reserved. is the trademark of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company.

Used under licence.

Articles in this issue are translated or reproduced from PSM3 and are the copyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK 2011. Used under licence. All rights reserved. is the trademark of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company. Used under licence.

Articles in this issue are translated or reproduced from GAMESMASTER and are the copyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK 2011. Used under licence. All rights reserved. is the trademark of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company.

Used under licence.

Articles in this issue are translated or reproduced from PC GAMER and are the copyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK 2011. Used under licence. All rights reserved. is the trademark of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company. Used under licence.

Articles in this issue are translated or reproduced from NGAMER and are the copyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK 2011. Used under licence. All rights reserved. is the trademark of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company. Used under licence.

Articles in this issue are translated or reproduced from EDGE and are the copyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK 2011. Used under licence. All rights reserved. is the trademark of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company. Used under licence.

For more information about this and other magazines published by the Future plc group, go to http://www.futureplc.com.

Aliens: Colonial Marines

Dishonored

The Last Guardian

God of War: Ascension

Bioshock Infinite

Darksiders 2

Borderlands 2

1. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier 2. Spec Ops: The Line 3. Max Payne 3 4. Diablo III 5. Shogun 2: Fall of the Samurai

14 AUGUST 2012 Death comes for us all.

Š 2012 THQ Inc. Developed by Vigil Games. Darksiders, Vigil Games, THQ and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners.

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A - Z of 04 - Issue 02, 2012

A Ascension – Video gaming’s angriest man sees yet another sequel (not that we’re complaining) and Ascension introduces you to Kratos before he became the Ghost of Sparta. It’s highly likely that Ascension will be playable in stereoscopic 3D and multiplayer is definitely something we’re looking forward to.

B Borderlands 2 – There are only going to be hand-full of people who won’t get this game (losers) but for the 99.9% who are, prepare for a s**t-load of enemies and weapon customisation this September. Fans of the first Borderlands, you know you want the Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition.

C Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 – You can accuse the first Lords of Shadow to be God of War-ish, but you cannot deny what a great game it was.

The trailer was definitely a tease, and we can’t really confirm this, but Alucard might very possibly be in Lords of Shadow 2.

D Dishonored – Roll all the supernatural powers – that anyone would ever want – into one character and people will refuse to leave your demo kiosks at E3. True story.

Dishonored is easily the our most anticipated game of E3. Find out why on page 6.

E Elder Scrolls Online – If you spent hours looking for berries in Skyrim, you can bid farewell to the world as you know it when Elder Scrolls Online goes live. This game will greatly expand on the lore of the Elder Scrolls. Not before you finish Dawnguard though.

F F1 2012 sees improvements in so many areas; improved graphics, level of detail and they all come together nicely to give you that overwhelming sense of speed that many racers of today lack.

2012 G Gears of War: Judgement – Marcus Fenix is no where to be seen here because Judgement takes place before the events of the first Gears of War. This game is revolves around the trail of Kilo Squad, which is lead by everyone’s favourite wise-cracking Gear, Damon Baird. It’ll be interesting to see how the characters are developed as well as how much more gore can fit on the screen at once.

H Halo 4 – It’s been awhile since we were able to play as Master Chief, and yes, we know we finished the fight in Halo 3, but how are we supposed to say no to the chance to walk in Master Chief’s boots again?

I Injustice: Gods Among Us – We love over-the-top action and we love superheroes, but an over-the-top superhero fighting game? We’re not too sure about that. Injustice features super heroes from the DC Universe. Superheroes and villians are usually deep characters wrapped in layers and layers of history, backstories and alternate universes. Fighting games on the other hand, hardly tell a memorable tale. The destructable environments and interactive objects sound exciting though.

J Joel – He’s the guy you’ll be playing as in Naughty Dog’s latest offering, The Last of Us. The level of detail in the game is just mind blowing and The Last of Us definitely feels like a darker, grittier and more brutal game compared to Uncharted. This survival-action thriller already looks like a winner.

K Kinect meets Nike – Another fitness program?

Not really. Nike + Kinect Training is a collaboration between the most advanced controller-less motion sensor and the most iconic brand in sports history. The beauty of this collaboration is the ability to measure and assess your fitness and athleticism. You’ll even be able to find people on Xbox LIVE to challenge and work out with.

L LittleBigPlanet 2 – A DLC will allow players to use the PlayStation Vita as a controller to play, create and share games on the PS3 and the Vita. Creating levels will be a breeze with the Vita’s touch screen and rear touch pad, but how well will this cross-controller system work, and will there be more games (on the PS3) that will utilise the PlayStation Vita’s capabilities? Watch out Wii U.

S SmartGlass – Microsoft’s SmartGlass is a clear indicator that social games have their place on the Xbox 360. The current Xbox 360 dashboard already looks Windows 8-ish, and with Windows 8 and SmartGlass around the corner, Microsoft isn’t pulling any punches. Will SmartGlass give the PlayStation Vita and Wii U controller a run for their money? Probably.

M

P

MechWarrior Online – It is in its closed beta test phase at the moment, but that doesn’t stop you from reserving your pilot name now does it? The best MechWarrior experience will be skill-based, free-to-play and there is even a dedicated controller being developed (Razer Artemis) for it.

N NBA 2K13 FTW. The last time NBA Live had a game was NBA Live 10 and after a two year break, EA has decided to make a return with NBA Live 13. One does not simply take a two year hiatus and comeback expecting to dethrone the best basketball game of all-time. We try our best not to be NBA 2K fanboys here, but you don’t have to be psychic to see the upcoming blowout.

O Oh My God! They Killed Kenny! Finally, a proper South Park game to pacify the millions of South Park fans who happen to be gamers (coincidence?

We think not). You’ll play as the fifth South Park character, joining Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny, chracter customisation sounds awfully enticing at this point of time, but it is the fully fleshed out story that we’re interested in.

The GameCube’s hit sees a much anticipated sequel and it is none other than the Wii U that will host this real-time strategy game. Pikmin 3 will expand on previous Pikmin titles and quite honestly, we can’t think of a better way to play Pikmin 3 besides the Wii U controller’s touch screen.

Q

Quantic Dream – The very same people who brought you Heavy Rain showcased Beyond: Two Souls, a game that is once again, driven by strong narrative. The game’s narrative is an interesting one where you’ll play as a girl named Jodie Holmes (played by Ellen Page) who has a link with an invisible entity and the story will be told over fifteen years of her life. Your actions and decisions will determine Jodie’s fate, and there seems to be a whole lot of emotional elements that underline the action. The game looks great and if Heavy Rain is any indication, Beyond: Two Souls will have an epic tale to tell. Controls are still a mystery, so fingers crossed for a game that isn’t a QTE-frenzy.

R Revengeance – We know Plantinum Games knows action, but Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is taking forever – nevermind that revengeance isn’t even a word. The whole ninja-style and precision-slashing is starting to lose its appeal, so we hope Revengeance doesn’t take too long.

T THQ’s Metro: Last Light is the direct sequel to Metro 2033 and from what we saw last E3, huge improvements have already been made to the game’s combat and stealth mechanics.

Animations, destructable environments and weapon effects look top notch and we’re eagerly waiting to explore the new and horrifying post-apocolyptic world. Early 2013 you say? Early 2013 it is.

U Ubisoft – Hats off to Ubisoft for their exciting line-up this E3, showcasing and announcing titles that everyone wants to get their hands on.

Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony conferences aside, the Ubisoft’s conference was definitely the most electric. Assassin’s Creed 3, Far Cry 3, Rayman Legends, Avengers: Battle for Earth, Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Watch Dogs induce that trademark, one-word response that gamers use far too often: “When?”. We’re pretty sure we could come up with a kick-ass A-Z list featuring purely Ubisoft’s offerings, but that’s another list for another time.

V Vigil Games’ Darksiders II will hit shelves this August, and in this installment, you’ll take control of the horseman Death. A unique visual style, interesting boss battles and fluid animations made the first game for us, and from what we’ve played, Death will bring about sweet, swift carnage.

W Wargaming.net – World of Tanks stormed its way into the MMO genre and soon enough, Wargaming.net will let you take the fights to the skies with World of Warplanes. A single portal (www.wargaming.net) will give you access to all three titles (including the upcoming World of Battleships) and transfer gold as well as experience between games. There are plans to combine the three types of warfare with clans from different games battling it out on one battlefield, so if you aren’t already in tune with World of Tanks, now’s as good a time as any to start.

X XCOM Enemy: Unknown – When was the last time you played a solid turned-based strategy on your console? Its about time and you really can’t ask for anything more than the one of the all-time greats reimagined. Beat someone in a shooter, you’ve got great trigger fingers. Beat someone in XCOM: Enemy Unknown, and your mind is superior.

Y Staying in shape can be pretty lonely, especially when it involves waving your motion controller around in room all by yourself. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved will hope to change all of that by introducing the social element by introducing online multiplayer (through Nintendo Network on the Wii U). You can invite friends, challenge their scores and encourage them by “liking” their achievements. But the big question is, will it be enough to take on Nike + Kinect?

Z Zombie U – We love games that are built from the ground up for new hardware, let alone games with zombies. Mainly because games like that usually introduce new ways to experience and enjoy games. Zombie U is a truly, core-gamer concept with an interesting one-life relay system that could usher in a new era of health management in games.

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06 - Issue 02, 2012

London, 1666, amid the grip of the plague, was clearly the starting point, the artists stitching together formative industrial evolution with the supernatural to create something that’s both fresh and familiar at once

Developer: Arkane Studios Publisher: Bethesda Softworks Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: October 2012

DISHONORED

Arkane’s plague-ridden playground welcomes creative murder

I

t’s perhaps too enthusiastic to suggest that games

defined by open-ended design and convincing simulation (the so-called ‘immersive sims’) are back in vogue. For one, there was a four-year hiatus between BioShock and Deus Ex: Human Revolution.

For another: was this particular genre blend ever really fashionable? Nevertheless, there’s certainly a nudging towards the mainstream for a genre mix that initially seemed more comfortable delivering a rare cult classic rather than a regular centre-stage blockbuster.

Dishonored undoubtedly has ambitions in that direction, matching its smart design with an execution that oozes style, class and budget. Half-Life 2’s architect, Viktor Antonov, provides the world which, as in Valve’s seminal title, sees layers of historical detail applied to the streets and vistas to build a rare sense of authenticity and place. You play as Corvo, a

towards his objective. Supernatural powers allow him to jump distances otherwise beyond human abilities, and during gun battles he can freeze time and take a moment to admire a bullet suspended in mid-air, three feet from its smoking chamber.

Every single building in the world has numerous entry points, and the example in this demo has seven.

To reach the corrupt lawyer, Colantonio whistles an arrow past the head of a guard outside the building; it thuds into an outer wall and he turns to look. Sneaking past the distracted guard into a nearby alleyway, Corvo then possesses a handy plague rat, using it to crawl through a ventilation duct into the lawyer’s house. Still in rat form, he frightens off a maid to ensure that the coast is clear, before transforming back into his human form, ready to pad up the stairs to his target’s office.

After spying him through the keyhole, the assassin

“Once you have an objective, success and failure hinge on your creativity and ability” supernatural assassin wrongly accused of murdering his former boss, now escaped from jail and in search of revenge. But the design-led approach stops at the premise. Thereafter, the designers simply press a set of rules into your hands and allow you to proceed as you see fit.

In the playthrough we are shown behind closed doors, Corvo is tasked with assassinating a crooked lawyer who has been accusing families of having the plague, then evicting them from their homes in order to extort their money. As he plays it immediately becomes clear that, once you have your objective, you are very much on your own, success and failure hinging on your own creativity and ability to successfully execute your own plans.

Players can be surgical assassins, only killing (or putting to sleep) those who stand in Corvo’s way or, alternatively, taking a more brutal approach – eliminating everyone in his path via the wide range of skills in his armoury. He can teleport his way towards targets, or possess living creatures in order to work

bursts in, pausing time as the lawyer’s bodyguards pull their pistols, before positioning himself in front of the target and blasting him through the window.

A Chaos system tempers the overuse of your more overt behaviours. Kill people without hiding their bodies, for example, and the world itself will respond, perhaps introducing more rats which cause a rise in the number of plague-infected people on the streets.

Emergent play comes not only from the tools in your hands but also your positioning in the world. Eavesdrop on key conversations and you’ll unlock additional missions to take on, while impromptu world events can be eliminated before they even occur if you take out the future antagonists earlier in the game.

Whether or not Dishonored represents a slip into fashion for the immersive sim – if indeed the game can be pinned down into what is, at best, a slippery genre to define – it already represents a rare achievement in combining first-rate world building with a playpen for the imaginatively cruel.

” VER CURE TE HANGO A IM LT U E “ TH E R MAGAZIN TOP GEA

OUT NOW © 2010 The Codemasters Software Company Limited (“Codemasters”). All rights reserved. “Codemasters”®, “EGO”®, the Codemasters logo and “DiRT”® are registered trademarks owned by Codemasters. “DiRT SHOWDOWN”™ is a trademark of Codemasters. All other copyrights or trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are being used under license. This game is NOT licensed by or associated with the FIA or any related company. Developed and published by Codemasters. Kinect, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. “2”, “PlayStation”, “PS3”, “ ” and “À” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Issue 02, 2012 - 07

BORDERLANDS 2

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Thought Pandora was a dust bowl? Look at those hues and think again

Developer: Gearbox Software Publisher: 2K Games Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: September 2012

WE HEAD BACK OUT TO THE DUSTBOWL TO DISCOVER NEW GUNS, NEW CARS, NEW CHARACTERS… NEW EVERYTHING Developer interview

A

rguably the most interesting and inventive

game to come out of Gearbox is 2009’s Borderlands. It combined the questing and customisation of an RPG with the familiar template of an FPS – a genius idea, impressively executed. Some quest repetition and dim enemies were blots on the copybook, but it would be mean-spirited to focus on those – the majority of the game was high quality.

The real stars of the show were its randomly generated weapons, of which there were near-limitless variations numbering in the millions. You could have rifles that shot poison bullets, RPGs that launched fiery

mountains to explore. The whole world is now streamed from the disc, so no more loading pauses, and you can go anywhere you can see. Previously you’d only see a ‘skybox’ texture of distant landscapes, and had to endure a loading break as you moved between regions. Not anymore.

Visually, the stylised ‘cel-shaded’ visuals are the same, but overall it’s a much better looking game, with more dramatic natural architecture and imaginative character design. For example, the enemy who has a midget strapped to a shield on his chest – you can shoot the tethers to free the midget, and he’ll

“Gearbox have listened to the fans and created a big, compelling sequel with the potential for greatness…” rockets or lightning-spewing shotguns. Borderlands 2 will feature the same system, but more organised.

There is now more emphasis on the weapon manufacturers and their traits, be it an increased rate of fire or a larger ammo capacity. Some are disposable, exploding when their ammo is spent. One of our favourite new features is being able to throw your weapon at an enemy when you’re out of ammo – the classic Hollywood cliché. You won’t lose it for good though.

This change reflects the whole game, in fact.

Everything we loved has been tweaked, polished and improved. The planet of Pandora is now more than just a series of dusty wastelands and the occasional bit of snow. We now have icy tundras, thick jungles and rocky

temporarily fight on your side to get revenge on his captor. It’s clear that the game’s sense of humour hasn’t been lost, although the risible Claptrap robots are back. The community inexplicably loves them, but we can’t say we’re massively overjoyed to see their return.

One of the biggest complaints about the original was the shonky car handling. This has been addressed, and you’re now able to traverse Pandora in vehicles with responsive controls and the ability to drift around corners. In other words, it’ll be fun. Enemy AI was also slammed in many reviews, with combatants blindly rushing you with no concern for their own well-being.

Your new foes are smarter, taking cover and working together intelligently. This in turn makes the weapons

more fun, because you’re actually enjoying killing things with them now. Enemies can even climb over complicated terrain, so there’ll be no more getting to higher ground and taking enemies out as they dart back and forth helplessly below. You can stun and cripple bad guys too with the new localised damage system, so maybe you’ll tactically shoot a guy’s legs to slow him down if he’s rushing you.

Old characters will return, but only in cameo roles.

The four selectable protagonists are brand new, including Salvador, a diminuitive, hairy brute who can dual-wield any weapon. The skill tree is largely unchanged, offering different specialisations for each character, and expect abilities to be relatively similar too.

Gearbox have us incredibly excited about Borderlands 2, with the promise of less tedious fetch quests, a more consistent weapon generation system and vehicles that don’t handle like a shopping cart in a swamp. If the killing and looting is even half as compelling as it was in the first game, this has greatness written all over it. Let’s just hope there’s a more involving story this time, and an ending that won’t make us want to self-harm. The first game made a big show of opening the ‘Vault’, and it was your entire reason for being on Pandora in the first place, but when you actually did open the mysterious door… well, let’s just say it was one of the biggest gaming anti-climaxes in recent memory. So far, at least, Gearbox have listened to the fans, so we’re confident this area will be improved as well.

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08 - Issue 02, 2012

Could this insane merc be your dark alter-ego?

Watch the trailer again…

Story trailer goo.gl/miDMj

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Publisher: Ubisoft Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: September 2012

FAR CRY 3

Combat is like CoD – quicker and more twitchy than it is in Far Cry 2

Call of Duty meets Fight Club in the South Pacific “I CAN’T RECOMMEND SPEC OPS ENOUGH”

F

ar Cry 2 tried its best to make you crazy, from

mercenaries respawning Christ-like at checkpoints, to a nasty bout of malaria that saw you constantly pause to jab vaccines into your arms. Far Cry 3 tries to turn you crazy, too, but not for reasons you’d expect.

Where FC2 dealt in African revolution and political sabotage, FC3’s is a more personal journey, of insanity and survival and the fight to keep your head.

This is classic Far Cry: a lawless frontier under a blistering sun, free-form combat you can plan from miles away, stunning flora and fauna, and a nice big

- Machinima, 9 out of 10

“...SPEC OPS IS A DARING EXPERIMENT WORTH CELEBRATING” - IGN, 8 out of 10

“This is classic Far Cry: a lawless frontier under a blistering sun, free-form combat you can plan from miles away” machete. One mission tasks you with reaching a radio tower. Patrols block your route, and what happens next is up to you. Scout from distance with your camera?

Stealthily dart between cover? Put your juicy new knife takedown to cutthroat effect? Zip-line in and go to town? Like the last game, it’s completely up to you, but this time your weapons won’t degrade and stealth actually works.

Archi-hell-ago Shooting things is, of course, just a small part of the game. Ubisoft have spent years bringing the South Pacific setting to life. Lizards crawl through undergrowth, and sharks prowl coral reefs. After a

shoot out, they’ll come and eat anything unlucky enough to be floating face down in the water – the sight of fins circling a cloud of blood is tinged with primal fear. The map is 10-times larger than in previous instalments, and packed with surprises like caves and lighthouses and mineshafts. Rooting through them contributes to an XP system, but who knows what’s in them. Loot? Bodies? The only constants on this island chain are beauty and insanity.

And the hero? His name is Jason Brody, a young traveller visiting the island with friends. Or is he? We don’t know many gap-year students who can handle assault rifles, kill with throwing knives, and survive in a hostile jungle. Jason has a secret. A big one.

AVAILABLE NOW www.specopstheline.com ©2012 Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. 2K Games, Take-Two Interactive Software, and their respective logos are all trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks and “PS3” and the PlayStation Network logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. KINECT, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. This videogame is fictional and depicts invented events, persons, locations, and entities. The inclusion of any brand, weapon, location, vehicle, person or thing does not imply sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of this game. The makers and publishers of this game do not endorse, condone or encourage engaging in conduct depicted in this product.

Issue 02, 2012 - 09

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HALO 4 AND WHY THE TRILOGY ENDS ON NEXT-GEN

Developer: 343 Industries Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Platform: Xbox 360 Release Date: Q4 2012

H

alo 4 will bring Master Chief back from the

dead, see Cortana start to lose the plot, and feature alien worlds the likes of which you’ve never seen on any console ever − where bitter wars between the Covenant and humanity are still raging.

Crucially, though, Halo 4 will still bring back the awesome sandbox action that made the original such a cult classic and − through Halo 5 and 6 (which have already been planned) − it’ll carry the Xbox’s biggest series into the next generation.

That’s where all the evidence is pointing us based on Microsoft’s reveal at E3 2011, careless dev quotes, and mini-leaks, which have seeped out this year… But it all starts with an ending. Just days after the release of Halo 3, Bungie became an independent studio in exchange for an unspecified sum and the promise of two new Halo games. This was 2007, and Bungie would hammer out ODST and Reach within three years, forcing Microsoft to hand Halo 4 on to a third party or build a new team from scratch. It’s rumoured Gearbox were briefly in line for the job, having ported Halo CE to PC, but instead Microsoft took the same path that made Forza the world’s best driving game and set about assembling a bespoke, all-star studio: 343 Industries.

Bungie’s content manager Frank O’Connor was headhunted to oversee the Halo franchise, joining staff drawn from Gearbox, Kojima Productions, Treyarch, Lucasarts, id, Rockstar, 2K Marin and more. “We have the unique luxury that every one of the 200 people we hired came to the studio because they wanted to make a Halo game,” says O’Connor, talking with Xbox World.

“We’re here to take ownership of a franchise and a universe that we all love.”

The three new Halo games – informally christened the Reclaimer trilogy – are going to be more than a retread of former glories. “We have things to add.

That’s going to be one of the difficult transitions for fans of the Bungie games”.

In with the old Everyone already knows how Halo 4 will handle, after all. “It plays like Halo,” says creative director Josh Holmes, speaking at August’s Halofest event. “That was really important to us and we wanted to maintain that magical Halo feel. At the same time, it was important for us to take risks and evolve the gameplay so it’s fresh and different. We had to maintain that commitment to the sandbox nature of Halo gameplay – making sure we’re empowering players to make

Cortana and Master Chief are headed for a mysterious planet in Halo 4

Same tune, new lyrics George Lucas’ obsession with making his two Star Wars trilogies ‘rhyme’ saw him make three stinking movies then return to the Blu-ray release of Return of the Jedi and mess that up, too, but the idea is sound.

Matching the story beats of Halo 2 might eventually

“The most important thing in the series is the sense of wonder and mystery. We’re going back to that air of exploration” choices in how they approach each problem instead of giving them only one solution. That was one of the things we held at the core of everything we did.” So far, so familiar.

Those new sandbox battles will be deliberately like the ones fought in Halo, rather than the similar-yetsomehow-different firefights from Reach. “Halo’s original campaign was kinda underdesigned,” says O’Connor. He means it as a compliment: “You learn the sandbox at your own pace, and I kinda miss that. It’s something I would like to see come back to the Halo universe. I sometimes feel that modern games are overdesigned – they funnel you into fights when really what you want to do is smell the roses. Halo used to let you do that. As it got more modern, it tended towards more defined encounters and experiences. Reach tries, I think successfully, to make you use all the elements of that sandbox in a very certain, rigorous, actionpacked fashion.”

lead 343 down a dark road, but for now, following the template established by the original Halo will make 343’s take on the series feel like Halo in spite of the changes.

Like the original Halo trilogy, the new Reclaimer trilogy kicks off with an unplanned arrival on an ancient construct unlike anything you’ve seen in a videogame before, as teased by Microsoft’s pre-rendered E3 trailer.

Immediately after waking from suspended animation, Master Chief pops thrusters from his armour and jets off through the surviving half of the Forward Unto Dawn. “There’s some fairly radical modifications to his armour” says O’Connor. “Some of those are an artistic evolution, but some are connected to the story. We just can’t talk about it yet. He’s been in space for a long time.”

Put another way, this might be the first time players have seen the Chief since Halo 3 but it’s not the first time the Chief has been out of that tube. Somewhere

between the Ark and the Forerunner world of Sigma 7, The Chief has seen some modifications – but that’s a story for another time and a secret to reveal later. Halo 4 is about restoring a feeling of the unknown to a universe well-exposed by comics, novels, animated movies, and six different games.

The strangely alien Forerunner architecture on the three Halos and the Ark has grown familiar, and it’s only by surprising us visually that Halo 4 will set out its stall as a true successor to the original trilogy. “The most important thing for me in the whole series is the sense of wonder and mystery,” says O’Connor. “We’re definitely going back to that air of exploration, and putting in some surprises that I think people will like.”

The surprises are new weapons, new vehicles, and a brave new world – one that’s been a part of Halo lore from the very beginning. When the Forerunners were building Halos to stop The Flood, they also built Shield Worlds to protect their civilisation and others from the 25,000 light year-range of the seven Halos’ blast. A colossal Dyson Sphere-like construct, a Shield World is a planet inside another larger sphere. It gives Halo’s new art director Kenneth Scott the chance to draw an entirely artificial sky, to build towers so tall they touch the clouds and, and to hang mile-long structures from the outer sphere itself.

“It’s a different aspect of Forerunner architecture” Scott explained at August’s Halofest event. “The thing that connected people to the first Halo is that mystery, so that’s where a lot of our pressure on the art team is going right now. We want the player to feel that initial experience of discovery.” And there’s lots of room to explore; early art shows a Forerunner world that’s alive and thriving – a world never exposed to the first and only mass Halo activation 100,000 years ago.

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10 - Issue 02, 2012

DARKSIDERS 2 Death is worth anticipating E

veryone hopes for a quick and swift death and when the time comes. The time is mid-August and quite frankly, we’re pretty relaxed knowing how swift Death already is.

Darksiders II expands from the first game, putting you in the shoes of a less hulking but incredibly agile, Death. Death is the second of the four horsemen to be featured and he is one hell of an acrobat. Traversal is a lot more fluid and in-depth in Darksiders II and Death is capable of beam running, grappling, wall climbing, wall running as well as combat on the back of Despair your trusty and ghoulishly gorgeous horse. Unlike Ruin (War’s horse), players will have access to their mount in Darksiders II pretty early in the game.

Vigil Studio’s action-adventure sequel also promises an experience tailored to your play style. RPG elements are seen everywhere; loot drops, weapons, skill trees and even equips enhancing Death’s abilities (and appearance). This will undoubtedly add a decent amount of replayability to Darksiders II. You can play the way you want and customise Death’s style of combat, so if you’re a magic user, your character will end up looking more like a mage. If agility is your priority then Death will be decked like a rogue and if you’re a slayer/warrior, Death will feel and look heavier.

In the first Darksiders, everyone ended up with pretty much the same character, but in Darksiders II, you can expect your character to differ from your mate’s even before you hit the halfway mark of the game.

Another nice touch is how equipped items are portrayed accordingly, in cutscenes. Attention to detail, check.

It seems the lead character’s size is indirectly proportionate to the levels and general scale of the game because the underworld is h-u-g-e – so the dev’s decision to let you have the horse early is definitely a good one. Big levels and dungeons aren’t necessary for the combos or puzzles that you’ll be stringing up, but this is the Nether Realms we’re talking about, so scale is important as it implies the magnitude of what you’re going up against. Throw in epic towering boss fights and mega dungeons filled with opportunities to reap sweet, sweet loot, and you have gamers begging for Death to come sooner.

If you have not played the first Darksiders, you won’t really be lost, but we strongly advice experiencing War’s journey. Pre-ordering Darksiders II (at selected retail outlets) will give you the rare opportunity to own the first Darksiders (PS3 copy) for just S$10. Do it. Do it now!

Developer: Vigil Games Publisher: THQ Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii U Release Date: August 2012

PRE-ORDER and get

Darksiders for EXCLUSIVELY FOR

*At selected retailers

$10

Issue 02, 2012 - 11

WORLD OF TANKS Update 7.4

T

he highly anticipated Update 7.4 is finally here! World of Tanks is pleased to announce the release of the latest update for the SEA server. Hereon, the SEA cluster will be in sync with the NA, EU and RU clusters for future updates.

Two new combats modes, Assault and Encounter will be entering the fray alongside the regular Standard, Tank Company and Training Battles. In this new mode, one team will have to defend the only base on the map and the opposing team is required to capture it or destroy all enemy vehicles.

Fans of the French vehicles will be happy to know that several TDs and SPGs such as the AMX 50 Foch and Bat. Chatillon 155will be joining the tank family. Also making their debut in this update are two new maps – Airfield and Widepark which are set in North Africa and a European town respectively.

Adding to the list of newbies are camouflages, medals and premium vehicles IS-6 and JagdTiger 8.8cm KwK43 L/71, which are now available for all players in the in-game store.

All these and more await you in Update 7.4!

Come join in the excitement with millions of other Tank Commanders today in World of Tanks.

For more information about World of Tanks, please go to www.worldoftanks-sea.com.

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12 - Issue 02, 2012

That looks like a terrible case of heartburn, chaps. No wonder you’re angry

It’s not just the cities – aliens land everywhere

Gas panic

XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN Protect Earth from the scum of the universe, one turn at a time

Developer: Firaxis Games Publisher: 2K Games Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: October 2012

W

ant to defend the planet against an alien invasion, build secret underground headquarters, launch satellites to spy for UFOs, and direct ground battles against alien nasties?

Want to do it in a remake of one of the best turn-based strategy games of all time, developed by the world’s best turn-based developer? Welcome to XCOM Enemy Unknown.

Enemy Unknown places you as the leader of XCOM, Earth’s only defence against an otherwordly invasion.

But first you’ve got to set it up: so you build your base, launch your satellites, research new technology and train your soldiers. The base is a beautiful and detailed ant farm of recruits exercising, playing games and visiting injured friends in the infirmary.

Once you detect an alien threat somewhere on Earth, you pick up to six of those recruits and direct them in battle. These tense, small-scale firefights are the heart of the game.

In the example we were shown by lead designer Jake Solomon, XCOM’s squad was dropped off outside a petrol station. The first job is to locate the aliens: Jake quickly spots a small grey Sectoid alien hiding behind a car (good plan, invader from another galaxy!) and directs one soldier to give suppressing fire and another to toss a grenade inside the car. Boom.

Turn-based combat means each soldier can move and perform only one action per turn, with firing a weapon the most basic. It’s more about tactics than brute force.

The large, gorilla-like Mutons inside the petrol station are the bigger problem. Thankfully, it’s not just cars that are destructible. Jake has his Heavy soldier rocket the side of the petrol station; boom again. The entire wall crumbles, giving his sniper line of sight on the Mutons.

This was an easy mission, but Enemy Unknown’s stakes are always high. You customise, train, name and nickname a soldier, then bond with them over hours of use. Then – like a child watching a favourite toy being broken – you cringe as a rookie panics and blows up a petrol pump, killing everyone and adding more names to your base’s growing memorial room…

AVA I L A B L E NOW

© 2011 Bethesda Softworks LLC, a ZeniMax Media company. The Elder Scrolls, Skyrim, Bethesda, Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. Windows, the Windows Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and “Games for Windows” and the Windows Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks and “PS3” and the PlayStation Network logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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14 - Issue 02, 2012

Developer: THQ Publisher: THQ Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii Release Date: 2012

WWE 13 Bringing back the attitude A

sk anyone who has been watching WWE for awhile and they’ll tell you the best of WWE was back in the Attitude Era. It was an era where anti-hero wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin shook the system, brock all the rules, and you would still root for him. Besides Stone Cold, the 90’s also brought about a a slew of exciting and edgy characters, like Mankind and the Undertaker (or the American Badass, or the Undertaker…).

WWE 13’s career mode will celebrate this golden era of wrestling entertainment and follow eight of the main Attitude wrestlers through their rise to fame on TV’s Monday Night Raw. All the drama and attitude that WWE had in the 90’s ought to make WWE 13’s career mode one of the best one yet. There will also be unpredictable events that will occur and these events will vary based on choices players make, but how much this cause-and-effect will alter the career experience we’ve come to love, only time will tell.

The game will also feature a brand new ‘WWE Live’ presentation and developers Yuke’s have jazzed up the aesthetics to make WWE 13 feel more authentic.

This improvement will be seen in commentaries, more realistic match atmosphere and audience participation as well. There will even be spectacular moments involving ring breaks, barricade crashes and other dynamic events that will make matches feel tastefully disorderly.

If you remember playing WWF Smackdown! (yes, before they dropped the “F”) expect WWE 13 to bring back the good old memories of yester year. It’s scheduled for late October launch, and if you’re as curious and excited about the roster as we are, you can do what we do and stalk wwe.thq.com/roster everyday. Nothing unhealthy about that, especially if you enjoy watching big sweaty men trying to inflict pain on each other with chairs and tables.

ULTIMATE LOOT CHEST

BORDERLANDS 2

LIMITED EDITION

Borderlands 2 will hit the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 in mid September and if you want to get your hands on a loot chest, you’ll will need to put your name down at your friendly neighbourhood gameshop soon because they are really limited, really. You know you want it, but how much do you? Here’s what we think:

Inside the Vault Hardbound Book, Stickers, Field Notes From Sir HammerLock & Lithograph Postcards GG WANT METER

1 2 3 4 5

Vending Machine Bobblehead Box + Marcus Bobblehead, Exclusive SteelBook Case & Creatures of Pandora ID Chart GG WANT METER

1 2 3 4 5

Borderlands Loot Chest Replica, Cloth Map & Numbered Certificate GG WANT METER

1 2 3 4 5

Borderlands 2 Game Disc GG WANT METER

1 2 3 4 5

Issue 02, 2012 - 15

This time there will be multiplayer. What form it will take, however, THQ isn’t saying.

Developer: 4A Games Publisher: THQ Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC Release Date: 2012

METRO: LAST LIGHT

The flawed masterpiece returns - this time, minus all flaws

M

etro 2033 was a brilliant breath of poisonous

air for the crammed post-apocalyptic shooter genre. It was a horror hybrid: a game about survival, fear and overcoming overwhelmingly tricky odds. On a console where we’ve been mollycoddled with simple shooters, it was defiantly, and brilliantly, PC-focused too. It offered little to no hand-holding, and level design was sometimes so advanced that approaching select areas with an eye for cunning let you quietly subvert entire conflicts – sneaking past entire wars without so much as having to dodge a bullet. Sure it had issues, but it was fresh, it was ballsy and it had heart.

Metro: Last Light is a direct sequel, picking up protagonist Artyom’s tale after the events of the first game. It’s not based on Glukhovsky’s Metro 2034 novel – that book was more of an arthouse project and didn’t lend itself to a game, THQ claims – but rather a new tale purpose-written by 4A Games under the guidance of Glukhovsky.

Our live gameplay demo is a mishmash of different levels sewn together to highlight some of the new mechanics, beginning with returning hero Artyom descending down into the Moscow sewer system. As soon as he reaches a hostile camp he brushes past spider-riddled cobwebs to unscrew a lightbulb illuminating his position. Seconds later, two armed guards stroll past Artyom’s hiding spot. He silently creeps up behind the slower of the two and slices his throat with a melée kill. The second guard, unaware of his friend’s demise, is shot in the back with a few ball bearings courtesy of the improved pneumatic air rifle.

Wetwork rail It’s immediately obvious Metro’s weapons have been seriously upped in power, and it’s even clearer when, seconds later, Artyom stumbles upon an enemy encampment and takes them all head on. Fighting’s meatier this time – headshots all appear to register as

headshots, for starters, and drop people instantly.

Ducking behind a concrete wall offers little respite: the concrete crumbles away under machine gun fire, exposing the rebar beneath. But the tables are soon turned when Artyom grabs hold of a nearby chain gun and begins scything through enemy ranks. When it’s fired dry Artyom switches to a pistol with all the apparent power of a cannon somehow squeezed into its small frame. People recoil and fall down when shot

no option but to leap across the tracks and onto a train carrying a key prisoner in need of freeing. As Artyom works his way across the flatbed carriages and through the train cars, our minds flick back to a similar level in GoldenEye 007. Obviously Metro’s take on the mission’s far prettier and far more exciting.

4A’s promising plenty of new stations while overground areas will sit alongside returning locations such as Polis. And in a surprising twist the studio is

“The original metro was defiantly, brilliantly pc-like in its approach…”

– a key improvement over the last game’s bullet sponges – and, at this early stage in development it’s tough to imagine even hardened CoD fans not enjoying the shootouts.

Russian couchette Skipping ahead we then see Artyom walking through a hostile Reich station in disguise. There’s a rally going on, and there must be at least 100 NPCs in attendance.

Artyom pushes through a crowd (a quick head count placed around 40 characters on screen) before his cover is blown and he’s forced to sprint through the rest of the station to safety. It’s hard to tell how much of the sequence is controllable and how much is on rails, but that says more about the polish than it does about restrictions: a similar sequence in the first game was 100% controllable, and the fact that a friendly NPC is barking orders to jump and duck throughout the chase suggests you won’t simply sit back and watch the action unfold.

The final section of our demo involves a high-speed train chase. First Artyom has to gun down the chasing carts (he can now duck behind a metal bar in his cart to take refuge from incoming fire) after which he has

sticking their neck out to offer multiplayer modes this time around too. Details are scant but we’re told a working multiplayer prototype actually existed for the first game but didn’t make it in because of a lack of resources. Now with piles more THQ money at their disposal, the developer’s well positioned to output a competition-obliterating package.

Get ready to visit all new parts of Moscow – and some returning locations too.

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16 - Issue 02, 2012

Developer: Yager Development Publisher: 2K Games Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: Out Now

SPEC OPS: THE LINE You can give your squad targets, or they can pick by themselves

Welcome to Dubai

T

REVENGE SOLVES EVERYTHING

TM

DISHONORED.COM

© 2012 ZeniMax Media Inc. Developed in association with Arkane Studios. Revenge Solves Everything, Dishonored, Arkane, Bethesda, Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.

he Line may appear to be yet another cover-based third-person-shooter but we assure you, it isn’t. Yes, military shooters and cover-based shooters are no longer fresh, but Spec Ops: The Line is all about telling you a story through intense gameplay.

Spec Ops: The Line puts you in the shoes of Captain Martin Walker (voiced by veteran Nolan North) and you’re sent to Dubai (or what’s left of it) on a mission to find out what has happened to Col. Konrad and his men. The city of Dubai has been ravaged by catastrophic sandstorms and the majority of this once opulent city in buried. It is up to you and your two men to neutralise outlaws, survive the sandstorms and establish contact with the man you look up to, Col. Konrad. As you would expect, nothing really goes as planned and as if sand wasn’t enough, obstacles and people get in your way. The story takes awhile to kick in, but when it does, you won’t want to leave your controller.

Gamplay is pretty solid and controls are responsive.

It’s a cover-based shooter, so it shouldn’t take too long to get accustomed to the game. You can also mark out targets for your capable squad mates to take out and when the going gets tough, you might be tasked to

revive them. Frame rates remain pretty consistent throughout and despite the prevailing element of sand, Spec Ops: The Line is an exhilarating experience, with headshots punctuated with epic slow-mos.

There are four different endings to the sordid tale of The Line, and you’ll probably revisit the campaign a second time – even after knowing the ending – because it is quite the mindf***. It’s certainly one of the more memorable storylines we’ve ever played, and we suggest you get in on the action ASAP. What happens after the story? Multiplayer. Early adopters of Spec Ops: The Line will receive the Fubar Pack. This DLC will give you a slight advantage in multiplayer, including exclusive skins, unlocking the AK47 at rank one, as well as double EXP for one week.

So make sure you ask about the Fubar Pack before putting money down on the twisted tale that Spec Ops: The Line has to offer.

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VERDICT

Issue 02, 2012 - 17

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CIVILIZATION V: GODS & KINGS

Civilization V’s expansion pack is more than just a competent add-on

F

or PC games, expansions are a norm, especially those big titles which move millions of copies on launch day. Why, it’s a Cardinal sin these days to not have a decent DLC following the release of a title.

People would lynch you for that.

But due to the demand of such things, some companies would just toss out thoroughly mediocre add-ons like extra skins or one or two new weapons.

That kind of sucks. And don’t even get me started on already-on-disc content that I end up paying for AGAIN later on. Yes Capcom, I’m talking about you.

Thankfully, that is not the case with Civilization V’s epic expansion pack: Gods & Kings, and the term “epic” seems appropriate.

The original Released in 2010, Sid Meier’s Civilization V (full name, mind you) was a critically-acclaimed hit, garnering praise from both gamers and pesky reviewers like us. It was a breath of fresh air to see a turn-based, 4x game do this well in the age of countless FPS sequels.

To add value to the title, DLC content was released a bit later, adding new civilizations, map packs and even free updates. This kept the game new through 2010 and 2011, and now, in 2012, we have this expansion, which acts more like a sequel much thanks to the extensive additions crammed into it.

To keep it straight, here are five new things that you should take notice about this expansion and why you should be playing it.

1. Religion Gods & Kings reintroduces - something was in the series before but was taken out - religion, a topic which is still quite taboo in some circles where if you’re unlucky, you might end up being stoned. Religion allows you to control, influence and manipulate the masses, similar to the mechanics of how culture and science works in the game. We’re not talking about pseudo religions, no. We’re talking about the big, proper

religions we had in the world back then and today.

There are a total of 11 world religions to choose from, plus the ability to rename them. Blasphemy? It’s only a game folks, settle down.

2. Espionage You can be all 007-like with spies in this expansion.

These guys can steal technology, rig elections, do some reconnaissance and basically just sabotage your rival civilizations to kingdom come. Sure, past games have had espionage missions, but in Gods & Kings, it’s a whole new ball game.

3. New civilizations and leaders The original shipped with 18 civilizations, with seven added on as DLC. With Gods & Kings, you get nine new civilizations along with their unique leaders (such as Attila the Hun leading the... um, Huns), making it a grand total of 34 civilizations to play around with. Talk about replayability.

4. Three new scenarios

Worthy of kings AND gods All in all, Gods & Kings is an expansion pack done beyond right. So much so that as mentioned earlier, it feels like a brand new game. Sure, the title is not for everybody but if you are a fan of the series and great PC games in general, you owe it to yourself to this up, or at least download (legally, mind you) off Steam.

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VERDICT Developer: Firaxis Games Publisher: 2K Games Platform: PC, Mac Release Date: Out Now

Sure, it’s fun to start your own civilization from scratch and mess history up, but for those who’d like a little narrative, there are the scenarios. The expansion gives you not, one, not two, but three new ones, namely “Fall of Rome”, “Into the Renaissance”, and Empires of the Smoky Skies”, with the last one being the most intriguing as it’s about a Victorian steampunk scenario.

5. Them details As for the nitty-gritty stuff, Gods & Kings will have 27 new units, 13 new buildings and nine new wonders, on top of all the extras that we’ve just mentioned. Plus, you’ll have tweaked (read: better) AI, a new quest system and enhanced combat (especially for navel combat). And of course, for all you achievement maniacs, there are 52 new achievements for you to earn for your Steam account.

© 2009 - 2012 Gearbox Software, LLC. All rights reserved. Borderlands, Gearbox Software, and the Gearbox logo are registered trademarks of Gearbox Software, LLC in the U.S. and other countries. Borderlands is published and distributed by 2K Games. 2K Games and the 2K Games logo are registered trademarks of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries and used here under license. “PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks and “PS3” and the PlayStation Network logo are trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. KINECT, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

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18 - Issue 02, 2012

Developer: Codemasters Racing Publisher: Codemasters Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: Out Now

DIRT SHOWDOWN Made for the masses C

odemasters’ Dirt 3: Showdown brings back fond memories of afternoons spent at the arcade, racing other players in Daytona. The one thing I always wished for back in those days was a more visceral and action-packed experience. The wait has now come to an end.

Just a year after the Dirt 3 was launched (with some hiccups; three million keys were “lost” due to a security issue on the website of a promo partner!)

Codemasters is hitting us again with the latest addition to its venerable driving franchise.

Dirt Showdown has a distinctly more arcade-y feeling than its predecessor. A string of gymkhana events and ultimate destruction derbies took me back to those arcade days, but with the satisfaction of wrecking the competing car belonging to our helpless editor. It’s an arcade-oriented racing formula that works: after each round I was craving for more mayhem and destruction, and he was being emasculated beyond belief.

Showdown delivers with its carefully crafted progression and elimination stages. Each game mode is unique and quite unlike any other racing Gymkhana we’ve seen. The Showdown Tour game mode has four tiers: Pro, AllStar, Champion, and Legend. In each tier there are 13 different stages that you have to complete to unlock the higher tier.

Codemasters has done it again with Dirt Showdown’s tight handling, excellent track design, rich visuals and sound effects. If you’re a car lover, a fan of dirt track racing, or intrigued by loud machines with wheels, Dirt Showdown is a must. Controls are mastered with little practice even if you’re new to console gaming, so girls, it’s time to show the boys who the boss of the track is…

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VERDICT

The destroyer

The skillful

Shann Ng, Writer

Gibbson Ang, Editor-in-Chief

My favorite stage/mode has got to be San Francisco Rampage; players enter the arena with seven other opponents, and then the demolition begins. Points are awarded for getting your rampage on and bashing/ damaging your opponents. You’ll have to keep a close eye on your health and boost meter on the bottom right-hand corner of the screen, because there I was burning donuts in the center whacking oncoming vehicles with my sides trying to rack up points, that is, until I was sandwiched by two other cars – dying instantly.

The final 30 seconds of the game are the most intense, with double points being awarded. I spent the time constantly revving my car on nitrous boost, purple flames spewing out of the exhaust, trying to smash anything that moved in the arena – I was in a “Too Fast, Too Furious” and happily wreck less state of mind. The end result is usually a beautiful mess where the tracks are littered with debris from the carnage of merciless wrecks, but after the dust settles, I usually find myself a spot on the podium (can’t say the same for our editor). Not too shabby for a gentle, female driver like me.

It’s easy to see why Shann prefers San Francisco Rampage, since it is a ride for a menace. If you are one, you’ll definitely enjoy it. Rampage is simply an arcade version of bumper cars; it’s enjoyable and you’ll remain unscathed… unless the Xbox controller is turned into a high-velocity projectile – the result of losing to a ridiculously lucky Shann over and over and over again.

For me, Head to Head in Showdown Tour is where it’s at. Although there are only two cars on the track, your skills are being challenged continuously through an obstacle course. Players have to execute a number of moves including Smash (bashing through designated targets), Air (self-explanatory) and of course the driving staples of Gymkhana - donuts and Drifts. Yes, drifting is relatively simple and not at all racing-sim-like, but trust me, it still requires a decent amount of understanding and skill to come up on top.

Issue 02, 2012 - 19

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Gunsmith mode made its debut at E3 last year and while it is indeed a very cool feature, it isn’t exactly practical, especially when you’re like us and your behind has formed an eternal bond with your seat. We don’t suggest playing the game with the Kinect, but using Kinect to zip through menus is definitely worth considering. On the whole, Gunsmith does offer pretty extensive weapon customisation, but the changes rarely make the weapons feel different.

Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft Paris Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC Release Date: Out Now

GHOST RECON: FUTURE SOLDIER Stealth and teamwork T

he return of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series isn’t all about hi-tech camo suits, and although stealth does play quite a big role, this isn’t a slow-paced game. Future soldier hones in on the third-person-shooter franchise, and it is as polished a shooter as any you’ll find on the Xbox 360. It handles like a good third person shooter should, and the control scheme does very little to distract players from the game’s dramatic pace.

In a word, the campaign of Future Soldier is best described as demanding. There will be parts in the campaign where you’ll encounter Modern Warfare-like barrages, but infiltrating enemy grounds without raising alarms is an experience that is Modern Warfare or Battlefield 3 cannot provide. Of course, games that have stealth elements usually let you chose how to tackle situations and should you chose the stealthy option, you can be prepared for tension-filled and frustration inducing session. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier offers the flexibility of desperate, gung-ho firefight as well as intensive stealth segments. It’s a clever mish-mash of the thrill of CoD and drama of slower-paced strategic games like Metal Gear or Deus

Ex, and this blend should be more than enough to keep you from putting your controller down.

Graphically, the game has its ups and downs, with some sets looking superb, while others looking painfully drab and lacking detail or texture. The narrative – that spreads across the 10-hour campaign – in Future Soldier isn’t the best that the video gaming industry has to offer, but despite all the faults we found, Future Soldier is stilling grossly engaging and absorbing in both single player and co-op campaign. Competitive multiplayer modes do give the game a little replayability, and although adequate, there isn’t anything particularly outstanding about Future Soldier’s versus multiplayer offerings.

While tagging enemies and taking out four guys simultaneously can be extremely satisfying and addictive, Future soldier is best experienced with friends online, since the game is about coordinating attacks with your fellow Ghosts. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier isn’t about thoughtless running and gunning because you’re not going to make it far if you play it like MW3. It does however, succeed in making you feel like a cerebral predator without making you feel invincible.

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VERDICT

EPIC EXPANSION TO THE STRATEGY CLASSIC

IN STORES NOW

© 1991-2012 Take-Two Interactive Software and its subsidiaries. Sid Meier’s Civilization V: Gods and Kings, Sid Meier’s Civilization V, Civ, Civilization, 2K Games, Firaxis Games, Take-Two Interactive Software and their respective logos are all trademarks of Take-Two interactive Software, Inc. All rights reserved.

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20 - Issue 02, 2012

Razer Artemis Concept Controller H

ave you ever seen a controller like this?

Probably not, and probably not in this lifetime if not for Razer, but this is STILL a concept device, much like the Switchblade and Project Fiona.

The keyword here is CONCEPT, and although the Razer Switchblade didn’t quite make it to store shelves, the best of it can certainly be seen and experienced on Razor’s Star Wars: The Old Republic keyboard and not to forget, the Razer Blade.

This concept is the result of Razer’s partnership with Piranha Games and Infinite Game Publishing – the people behind the upcoming PC blockbuster game MechWarrior Online. This isn’t Razer’s first collaboration with a major game title for sure, but Razer’s very own Robert ‘RazerGuy’ Krakoff mentioned that they were more than excited to come together with Piranha Games and Infinite Games Publishing to pave the way for a new generation of robot destruction.

Did we get to try it out? No, and we don’t think anyone else outside of Razer did, since it was encased.

It’s a good thing it was, because had there been nothing between the hordes of eager fans and the Artemis, it would’ve been severely defiled. This is a badass looking piece of equipment that looks like it’ll take up quite a bit of desktop real estate, possibly replacing your keyboard for the whole duration of your game. The Artemis concept controller is a one-piece set up (at this stage) but that doesn’t stop us from dissecting and speculating now, doesn’t it?

Left Module (keypad/throttle slider) There are a total of 12 keys on the left module, very possibly mechanical and very possible programmable.

Imagine placing your left palm on this module, and sliding the throttle up or down, but there is a suspicious-looking button-like rectangle (that may or may not be a button) where your thumb would naturally reside. Two handy USB ports are located on the top edge of this module right next to what looks like the power cable.

Would the throttle provide any resistance or is it free-sliding? If the buttons are mechanical, what switches would Razer use? And because we’re obsessive, is that thumb-button look-a-like piece actually a button?

Central Module (screen) The 8-inch LCD screen doesn’t look like it’s detachable but we’re anticipating some sort of lock/unlock mechanism that allows the screen (or entire central unit) to be used to display the same game info, without the buttons and flight stick module, for those who prefer a keyboard and mouse set up. Multi-capacitive touch screens are the new standard, so it’s possible that this very display could allow you to interact with the game or even reply messages with an on-screen keyboard.

This centerpiece could also be a stand that holds your tablet while you play, and the tablet could utilise an application that syncs with the game wirelessly. We doubt it’ll be able to double as a charging dock – since there are so many different tablets on the market – but available USB ports (on the left button pad with throttle slider) means charging your tablet with proprietary cables won’t be a problem. This whole third-party-tablet thing does sounds feasible, and if this is indeed the

case, the complete MechWarrior Online experience could be very affordable for tablet owners and ridiculously costly for those who don’t already own one.

Right Module (flight stick) A few buttons and a directional pad is located where your right thumb would be placed and a trigger where you would expect one to be. Both the left and the right modules will be able to communicate with each other, so the possibility of having a SHIFT key on either modules could mean additional functions. There will definitely be force feedback and judging from how wide the base of the Artemis is, it’s definitely going to be sturdy enough to keep the unit in place. This flight stick also has hinges on its neck, so it can be adjusted to fit the length of your thumb. The right module has a pretty hefty looking base, just in case you’re wondering; the mesh vents are purely cosmetic, at least for now.

Again, the Razer Artemis is a concept controller, and this is probably not its final form. When made available to public, the Artemis might even be called something entirely different. But why does Razer dangle such juicy peripherals in front of you when they haven’t even finalised the product? “The answer is simple,” Robert ‘RazerGuy’ Krakoff explained “we are gamers ourselves and we make products for gamers. We leave nothing to chance and we want to share our excitement with the community and get the community involved with suggestions and feedback. We treasure and appreciate all these suggestions because like I said, at the end of the day, we’re all about making great products that gamers will enjoy using – products that will take their gaming experience to the next level.”

So the Razer Artemis concept controller, like the Switchblade, like Project Fiona. So before you go all raging and picking out all the possible flaws you can foresee, before you start asking for a launch date, take a deep breath and remind yourself that Razer is merely throwing ‘what ifs’ your way. If enough people feel strongly positive about a certain concept, you can bet Razer’s listening, fine-tuning and testing it every second of the way. For now, everything is pretty much speculation, but if the finished product looks anything like the Artemis, you can have a tiger’s pelt on the floor of your room (the very same tiger that you beat to death with your bare fists) and the Artemis would still be the most badass thing in your room.

Keep yourself alerted and updated on the Razer Artemis concept controller at www.razerzone.com/artemis

Issue 02, 2012 - 21

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Razer BlackShark

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aybe it’s hypnotism, maybe it’s black magic, we don’t know. All we know is that Razer has a knack for showing and making things that we cannot resist. Things are no different with the BlackShark.

The design of this stereo headset is, in a word, exceptional. Inspired by the classic design on headphones used in attack helicopters, and with Battlefield 3 branded along the top of the BlackShark’s headband, it’s about time (we can’t be the only ones wondering why there wasn’t a Battlefield 3 headset from Razer right?). When you finally get over how cool and flexible its detachable, unidirectional skeleton boom mic is – which may take awhile – you may choose to detach it and use the BlackShark on the go. The BlackShark’s connector is one that transmits both outgoing and incoming audio – although it does come with a splitter for PCs that require separate 3.5mm jacks – and its detachable unidirectional mic makes it convenient for you to use it on your iPhone and even your PlayStation Vita.

A pair of 40mm drivers scream for the BlackShark, and the overall sound quality is both gutsy and firm, handling intense volumes with relative ease. Explosions are impactful, bullets pack a punch and even subtle in-game ambient sounds are replicated with much fidelity. The BlackShark’s ability to accurately portray a game’s atmosphere is complimented by its circumaural memory foam leatherette ear-cups, which provide a comfortable seal that effectively isolates audio, keeping you aware of your virtual surroundings and silencing distractions in your physical proximity.

We’re talking about a headset that helicopter pilots would want, and with the BlackShark, Razer completes the range Battlefield 3 equipment you’ll need. Enjoy the symphony of war.

Razer Razer Taipan Comments T he world of gaming was introduced to the Razer Taipan at both Computex in Taiwan as well as E3 in Los Angeles and this ambidextrous marvel looks to be the go-to mouse if you favour different grips for different games.

Apart from Razer’s backlit logo on its arch, the Taipan is symmetric in every other way and its finish is a matte, anti-finger print one with rubber along its contoured sides. Its narrow footprint reduces fatigue for both claw and fingertip grip users while its arched back is high enough to provide palm support for a palm grip. The Taipan’s ergonomics aren’t just borne from trail and error, but from collaborations and extensive feedback from professional gamers, so its shape, weight and balance are optimised for the highest levels of tournament gameplay.

A total of 9 buttons on the Taipan will be programmable and you’ll be able to set and save your settings on Razer’s proprietary cloud, Synapse 2.0. Taking your Taipan and settings to any LAN party is an attractive proposition, but get this; you will also be able to port your personal settings onto a different Taipan to replicate your own. So if your favourite LAN centres have Razer Taipans hooked up – something that seems highly

plausible at this point in time – you won’t have any problems as far as cursors are concerned. The Taipan houses an all-new 8200DPI 4G dual sensor system that utilises a laser as well as an optical sensor that not only allows pinpoint tracking, but also calibration with different surfaces.

It has been a while since Razer has come up with an ambidextrous mouse, and it seems like the Taipan was worth the wait. This is possibly one of most venomous ambidextrous mice ever developed. Period.

Theresa Coker – hahaha I forgot to tell you… the elevator is broken…

Darren Li – Guy with Razer – “Did you bring your cables” BJ Berame – hahaha… LAN Party just got redefined… :D Chris Graves – Come to the LAN party they said, it’ll be fun they said.

Hamzi Jamadi – Lol the guy with Razer Blade do troll face Mat Drummond – Silly me, I forgot the keys.

We spotted this amusing image on Razer’s Facebook and couldn’t help but go through the comments that people were encouraged to post.

Here are the good one’s we plucked from the lot:

Greg Johnson – The Dwarves in WoW don’t have to work this hard!

AJ Vogel – “and then I said, ‘LOL 6 pool, noob’… hey, are you coming or what?”

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22 - Issue 02, 2012

Razer Blade

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ith a price tag of just under S$4,000, the Razer Blade isn’t exactly a steal, nor is it the most powerful gaming laptop money can buy. But before one can even begin to judge the Blade, one must understand what it was intended to be in the first place – to be a truly portable gaming laptop.

We have heard Razer’s CEO Min-Liang Tan use the word ‘phenomenal’ to describe the Blade (ever so often) and as much as we may impersonate him (for a couple of cheap laughs in the office), he’s actually right.

The Razer Blade houses a matte 17.3-inch full HD LED screen, a full-sized keyboard with incredibly tactile buttons and the Switchblade UI in an aluminum chassis that is under an inch thick. With its thickness in mind (0.88 inches) it also hosts a built-in HD webcam, 2 USB ports, 1 USB 3.0 port, a HDMI 1.4 port, and a single 3.5mm jack that supports both audio and mic functions.

Inside the Blade, an Intel Core i7 (2.8GHz base / 3.5GHz turbo boost) processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 555M graphics card with NVIDIA Optimus technology as well as 2GB of dedicated GDDR5 V-RAM. Looking at these components alone, the Blade runs a pretty decent setup and it will run today’s games on medium - high graphic settings without choking, clocking at average of approximately 35 frames per second for games like Battlefield 3, Diablo III, DotA 2 and Mass Effect 3. For a machine that weighs less than three kilograms, it’s like black magic.

Although the Blade only has enough juice for up to 2.5 hours (hardcore gaming), it covers its own bases with a power ‘brick’ that has a ridiculously small footprint. We laughed the first time we saw and held the Blade’s power supply. Not that it was funny in anyway, but because it was impossibly small and light – it’s

Razer Blade

Ballistic Rumours Debunked HC “It’s overpriced”

“It’s not THAT light”

If the Razer Blade is indeed overpriced, then LED displays are overpriced (when compared to LCDs) and LCDs are overpriced (when compared to CRTs). A ‘premium’ is expected for the engineering and precision necessary to create slim and light product and the Razer Blade is no different. The Blade is encased in a full aluminium chassis, not plastic, mind you.

If this is what you thought when you first held the Razer Blade, you have to remember that the Blade is a 17” gaming laptop. The Razer Blade is indeed the lightest 17” gaming laptop there is, with or without its power supply. Why would you want to game on a screen that is smaller than 17 inches wide?

“It’s battery life is too short”

“The trackpad’s position is weird”

Gaming is an exceptionally power-demanding task, and if you’re dedicated enough to adopt a gaming laptop, you will never want to play without a power source. It’s the laptop’s portability that should be the main concern here, and the Blade sweetens the deal with a power supply that’s just as svelte.

It’s only weird because we’re used to having it located just below the spacebar. Even if you’re a left-handed mouse user, using the Razer Blade’s trackpad should come to you pretty instinctively. With some practice and button mapping on the Switchblade UI, you could even play a FPS’ competitively using the touchpad.

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ou can be the world’s beggest klutz and your iPhone will be safe. It took a lot of confidence for our editor to volunteer his spanking new 4S and we’re glad to report that his phone is still intact, in perfect working condition, scratch-free.

The Ballistic HC case consists of three parts; a backshell, a gel layer and a holster.

With the backshell and gel layer, the iPhone 4 (or 4S) gets beefed up substantially, and with great muscle comes great protection.

Everyone who owns a mobile phone is familiar with that mini heart attack associated with dropping their mobile phone, and although this case won’t reduce the number of heart attacks you’ll get, it will drastically reduce any damage taken by your phone.

about a finger’s width taller than the iPhone 4, not quite as wide, and weighs a dismissible 300 grams.

The truth is, we were big skeptics up until the day we touched the Blade. For a 17-inch laptop, the Blade is remarkably thin (2.24cm) and surprisingly light (2.92kg). Razer strongly encourages people to pick the Blade up and we wouldn’t advise otherwise, because you’ll need to feel the laptop’s awesome finish, build quality and weight to get a better picture of why the Blade is the work of art it is – or as Min describes, phenomenal.

The Razer Blade’s status is similar to that of a pricey and exotic sports car; it may not be practical or even economical, but it’ll definitely turn heads and you can bet its driver is having the time of his/her life driving it.

Surely, fuel efficiency isn’t top priority here, and as much as people try to deny it, everybody wants that experience and everybody wants that car.

If you want a beast that outperforms every other machine, then a desktop PC is what you’re after. If you’re looking for a gaming laptop that is comparable to a high-end PC and have the arms (or back) to bring it around, the Razer Blade isn’t for you. If you want a portable solution that is sleek, stylish and equipped with a delectable user-interface that is like no other, you’ll need a Blade for your battles and it doesn’t get any sharper than a Razer.

Singapore’s the first country outside of North America to have the Razer Blade made available and the Razer Blade is officially available to Singaporeans at http://ap.razerzone.com/. S$3,999.99 is an awful lot of nines, so if you’re sitting on the fence, you can get some one-to-one time with the Blade ar Best Denki, Ngee Ann City.

Issue 02, 2012 - 23

Plantronics BackBeat Go

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hey’re a few feathers heavier than your regular in-ear, wired earphones and although they do the same thing, the offer you freedom. The BackBeat Go is a remarkably lightweight and hassle-free solution to wireless stereo sound and it will do your bidding for music, media as well as calls.

It’s small footprint and tangle-free cord (connecting both ear-buds) makes slipping them into your pocket a worry-free gesture. It’s clearly designed to compliment the active, with different sized ear-tips as well as a pair of stablisers for a more secure fit. Pair it (via Bluetooth) with any smartphone or tablet and you have premium audio in seconds.

Its stabilisers works great for activities like cycling and jogging. It’s weight – or rather the lack of it – and the fact that it’s wireless makes exercising with the BackBeat Go an unbeatable experience. It also features familiar in-line controls for taking calls, adjusting volume as well as skipping tracks, so you won’t be missing a thing.

By default, a battery meter shows up automatically on the home screen for the iPhone and iPad, and the Plantronics MyHeadset app allows the very same capability on Android 3.0 tablets as well as phones and tablets running on Android 4.0. Continuous audio

playback (at maximum volume) on a fully-charged Backbeat Go lasts a little over 4 hours, and it’ll last as long as 10 days on standby. For a stereo headset that weighs a mere 13 grams, it’s a miracle of sorts, really.

Plantronics GameCom 780

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he Plantronics GameCom 777 was Plantronics’ top-of-the-line PC gaming headset. The 780s set a new standard for Plantronics’ PC gaming offering and the GameCom 780 is existential proof that the acoustic and communication specialists at Plantronics have been listening.

The GameCom 780 is a smaller, lighter, sharper and more robust replacement of the GameCom 777.

The GameCom 780 adopts a more modern appearance sporting a blend of glossy and matte blacks accented by dark reds. Despite having ear cups that swivel, the GameCom 780 feels sturdier and lighter than the 777s. This is pretty impressive since the volume controls, mute button, and sound card that was previously located on the 777s in-line remote now reside in the 780’s ear-cups. The Plantronics GameCom 780’s generous 2m cable is a thick, rugged and connects via USB without the need for a dongle/ converter. Its noise-cancelling boom mic is longer hidden when flipped up, but the overall aesthetics of the GameCom 780 is hardly impacted by this change.

Using the GameCom 780 is a rather luxurious experience, thanks to the plush fabric cushioning on the underside of the headband as well as the ear-cups.

There is no need to go ‘fishing’ for the in-line volume controls now that they are located on the left ear-cup. The jog dial (volume), mic mute button as well as Dolby 7.1 on/off toggle are discretely located on the back of the left ear-cup, out of sight, but within reach.

Out of the box, the immediate difference you’ll notice is the clarity and amount of depth the GameCom 780 boasts, but need to install a simple driver that lets you switch between movie/gaming or music modes. It’s 40mm drivers are capable of decent bass, but again, this headset’s focus seems to be leaning towards clarity, so you won’t experience the usual rumbling from explosions in Battlefield 3 or pounding thumps in Diablo 3. On games like Left for Dead 2, details are sharp and the positional audio is fantastic with the virtual 7.1 surround sound on.

Bass isn’t everything but if you’re a bass-head, the Plantronics GameCom 780’s retro-good-looks and value for money may not be enough to please you. What you get in return though, is a relatively broad soundscape, crystal detail and awesome depth.

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Armaggeddon G13 Alien Craft II I

t takes a lot of guts to for a manufacturer to call its mouse the world’s most intelligent wireless gaming mouse, and Armaggeddon has backed that claim with a whole lot of muscle.

For starters, the G13 ACII has 11 marco-able buttons as well as on-board memory that allows up to five profiles to be saved for on-the-go gamers. This dual-mode (wired/wireless) mouse has an overall velvety-rubber finish, with an extra rubbery thumb grip.

The ergonomics of the G13 ACII is fantastic especially if you adopt a palm or claw grip when gaming, and although this mouse’s feet cover a relatively small percentage of its underside, its glide is uncompromised.

If you aren’t too particular about macros – or just plain lazy to install the software – this mouse offers a pretty comprehensive range of adjustments out of the

box. What’s impressive about the G13 ACII is its ability to let you can tweak the X and Y-axis individually as well as adjusting the general CPI (Counts-per-inch) on the fly, without any software installed. Adjusting your CPI is no problem with a dedicated CPI switch but if you want to customise the CPI range (from 100 ~ 5600) you’ll need the software.

CPI indicators, a 4-way scrolling wheel and a solid overall finish are just the finishing touches to a holistic swiping experience that the Armaggeddon G13 Alien Craft II offers.