EA Games

The third instalment of Crysis is here, looking better than ever in a jungle-esque New York with a lot more firepower. After the events of Crysis 2, New York has been sectioned off in a dome by corrupt organization; C.E.L.L. Corporation.

Prophet returns in Crysis 3 and discovers the organizations motives and uses Ceph's alien technology to bring order. Another addition to his arsenal is a bow, with a variety of flesh piercing arrows.The bow encourages a more stealthy approach to the game and has proven to be a great alternative to guns, in Albert Hughes (Menace II Society) short series of videos; The 7 Wonders of Crysis 3.

The terror begins again with a little bit of Phil Collins 'In The Air Tonight' in this launch trailer for Dead Space 3. It's a new setting for this latest entry, taking place on the frozen planet known as Tau Volantis but the enemy is familiar. The Necromorphs are bigger and stronger than ever but there's no need to worry as Isaac has a new companion; John Carver.

Co-op is one of the new features of the game and promises a different experience. On top of that Visceral Games has upgraded weapon modifications so you can put more attachments to your guns. Dead Space 3 will be available on 8th February 2013 for PS3 and Xbox 360.

This latest entry in the Dead Space series takes a more directed focus on co-op, which at first thought sounds like a detraction from the series we've grown to love. However in actual fact it expands upon the narratives scope and gives you a much needed companion, to sustain the onslaught of Necromorphs on the planet Tau Volantis. While it's possible to play the campaign solo as Isaac, it's recommended to play with a friend to see the game from a different point of view.

John Carver is a new playable character with a traumatic past and brings in additional elements to the story and uncovers paths and clues, Isaac can't see. Co-op is seamlessly integrated into the single player experience, so friends can drop in and out without having to wait for each other to progress. 

Weapon crafting is one of the main features of the game and allows you to create a unique weapon that can be shared with the rest of the world. This allows you to tweak your favourite weapon and possibly attach a flamethrower to it, to become the ultimate force in the games frozen planet.

In this latest video the all new skill games in FIFA 13 is being demonstrated. This is a great way to introduce the full potential of skills and learn how to execute them against your friends. It also adds depth to the game and becomes a fun mini game that you'll play for hours.

The main focus of the mode is to show players the fundamentals of the game. This is an absent feature in past instalments and a welcome one for FIFA 13. Performing the challenges correctly in this mode rewards you with a ranking and points.

The FIFA series is like fine wine and graces with time. Fans will be pleased with this year's improvements and play with their hearts content. Look no further than 28th September 2012 to get your hands on FIFA 13. It will be available for PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii/3DS, PSP, PS Vita, PS2 and PC. 

EA Canada never fails to raise the bar with every instalment. FIFA 13 revitalises possession for the ball, to ensure players take a more tactical approach to matches. Defensive pressure and decisive passes are the main factors of this year's game.

Ai will be more challenging this time and capitalise on poor passes. They also have a better sense of their surroundings, to notice an opening in defence and outsmart your teammates. Players now have more control and freedom when it comes to dribbling. Precise controls can initiate a shielded position to hold off defenders.

Ultimate team makes a return and fans will be pleased to know that returning players will be rewarded. This year's career mode transfers have been overhauled to provide counter offers, adding depth to the mode and Ai.

Take your Battlefield 3 experience to the next level with the latest Premium add-on, available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Purchasing Battlefield 3 Premium entitles you to 5 expansion packs and early access. This includes Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, Armoured Kill, Aftermath and End Game.  You also get 20 new weapons, over 10 more vehicles and more customization items.

Battlefield 3 was released last year and became the most visually stunning shooter for its realism. This is all thanks to the Frostbite 2 engine by DICE, producing the most realistic lighting conditions and shaders seen in the Battlefield series.

The Premium add-on is available now, with enough content to keep the upmost enthusiast content. Be sure to pre-order Medal of Honor: Warfighter, to gain access to the Battlefield 4 beta. The new Medal of Honor is also powered by Frostbite 2 and will be released for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on 26th October 2012.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

The Call of Duty franchise takes to the future with Black Ops II, set in the year 2025. Mechs and drones roam war torn cities in a technology driven warfare. Zombies, multiplayer and a choose driven campaign is what you can expect in this year's instalment, with better lighting, atmosphere and immersion. Pick up Black Ops II on 13th November 2012  for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

Watch Dogs

Ubisoft's New IP Watch Dogs, puts players in control of Chicago's communication devices and transport signals, at the touch of a button. Watch Dogs puts you in the shoes of Aiden Pierce, in this open world third person action/adventure. With the city's power at the touch of a device, players have the advantage to infiltrate locations and create diversions to achieve objectives.

Watch the debut gameplay trailer above and get a glimpse at how Aiden assassinates a target, with the help of a handheld device.

The Reapers are coming on the 9^th of March. The end of the Mass Effect series is being released next Friday, the third and final instalment is bringing as much sadness as it is joy to all us long term fans of the franchise. Bioware have decided to include multiplayer in this release, whether you like it or not, people enjoy multiplayer. I’ve never been the biggest fan of online gaming, especially when the game requires online capability to play offline; but this multiplayer keeps the same flow of gameplay as the offline mode. The difference being that multiplayer requires you to play in a team of other players and fight off waves of enemies whilst completing objectives. The more experience you get and level up, the more maps and challenges are unlocked. The traditional offline game mode offers three types of gameplay: Action mode, Story mode and RPG mode. As you can imagine action mode consists of mainly combat, with automatic responses in conversation. The story mode focuses on conversation and dialogue with minimum difficulty in combat. RPG mode gives you the typical Mass Effect gameplay that we’ve all thoroughly enjoyed throughout the series; the perfect balance between combat and dialogue which creates the ultimate game.
With five days to go, I am one of the many people who can’t take the wait any longer now that it is so unbearably close. The game is set for release March 9^th here in the UK and three days earlier in the States.

The Mass Effect 3 demo offers both a single and multiplayer section to its offered gameplay. The single player I covered last week and now after playing the multiplayer demo all week long, I am more than satisfied. Bioware have given the player the opportunity of customizing the appearance and abilities of your character, just like you can in the single player mode. As a big fan of third person shooters and RTS being able to customize appearance was a good instalment. The armour and weapons available to your character differ with the class that you select. You can choose Adept, Soldier, Engineer, Sentinel, Infiltrator and Vanguard classes. They range from close combat with use of the omni-blade to biotic based powers from range. The multiplayer also features a store which offers you a choice of three packs to purchase. The first pack you get for three and the other two cost some credits. But after just one game I was able to buy a veteran pack and improve the equipment I could take into a match with me. So it doesn’t take long until you can buy packs which come with medi-gel, weapon mods and instant addition thermal clips. At the start you are capable of carrying two weapons into the match with you. You can have two primary weapons or one primary and one secondary; secondary being sub-machine gun, shotgun or hand cannon. The heavier the weapons are however, the longer your powers take to recharge, which is a very clever addition to an already thorough multiplayer system.

 
The Mass Effect 3 demo is finally here and it comes with 1.8gb of Single and Multiplayer gameplay. This is a review of the single player mode. Just like anyone who has fallen in love with the previous two Mass Effect titles I was eager to get this underway and play it over and over again until my Xbox burns out.  I could not be more pleased with what Bioware has crammed into this demo. There is a good amount of customisation for your character for a demo and it shows the predicted features of final product. After deciding with the appearance of your Male or Female Sheppard you get to chose your preferred class and way of play as well as the psychological profile of the character. You get to choose from the following:

Soldier – Pure combat, focus on weapons and heavy armour

Infiltrator – Tech and combat balance, favours the sniper and is capable of cloaking.

Vanguard – Close quarter combat, use of powers such as pull and shockwave to move and stun enemies and allowing for the close fighting

Sentinel – Tech and biotics. Equips an advanced shield and can detonate armour when near enemies and explode for splash damage.

Video is coutesy of IGN.com and the company's Youtube channel: IGNentertainment

So the Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning video game has been released in the United States and has received unbelievably high praise. Due to the involvement of Ken Rolsten, and the fact that it's an RPG, the game is being compared to the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which was awarded Game of the Year status. The simple connection is Ken Rolsten but both video games offer an expansive database full of lore and history. Reckoning offers a simple world for you to travel in however as well as a better constructed quest system. The flow of the game is more linear than the Elder Scrolls series which gave you the freedom to basically wreak havoc. In Reckoning you have such a strong range of spells to cast, as well as a list of skills and attributes which become even more impressive with the new equipment that you find throughout the game. The power of your skills and talents are on a larger scale in comparison to almost any other video game out there. Until it's released here on the 10th however there's not a lot I can tell you, just passing on IGN's well respected words.

Set for release on February 10th, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is one of the most anticipated games of 2012. The game has been created and developed by Big Huge Games and EA have put their name behind it.

Taken from the game's FAQ page: http://www.ea.com/uk/reckoning/1/faq

Q. “What can you tell me about the game?”
A. “Set in the Kingdoms of Amalur™ universe, Reckoning will offer unrivaled RPG action combat, seamlessly integrating magical and melee attacks into an innovative and visceral experience. Reckoning includes hundreds of quests, characters, creatures, weapons and spells. More details about the game will be revealed over the coming weeks and months.”

The developers are promising one of the best mixtures of combat and story writing so far in an RPG and if you've played the demo you will agree with them. The game offers a fairly good variety of skills to unlock as you level up and a simple inventory system for your character; but also taking the cartoon style graphics to create the world imagined by R.A. Salvatore is a good way to go.
EA’s link to Mass Effect also allows you to unlock in-game items in both game demos. If you complete the Mass Effect 3 demo then you unlock Omni-blade daggers in Kingdoms of Amalur and if you complete the Kingdoms demo then you unlock a tasty piece of armour and a chakram launcher in Mass Effect 3; so it’s worth playing the demo’s if you plan to get one of the biggest RPG’s in recent years.

So keep counting down to February 10th and soon you’ll be playing what is supposed to be one of the must play games of 2012.

The universe of Amalur has been around for a while now and with the release of the demo for the new game; Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning, there has been an even larger interest in the work put into it's world. As a massive fan of RPG's I thought that this would be the best place for me to start.

The first thing you notice about a game when you start it up is the menu. It's design and interactivity are the beginning and in this demo I was pleased. The colours blended well and even though it is only a demo I could see what was what.

The demo began with a somewhat lengthy cutscense with you playing a dead character. After a few sections of dialogue you create your character and name them. Your dead body is dumped on top of a pile of other dead guys and then you awake, restored by the Well of Souls. As soon as I took control of my character I looked around the cave that I was in and was impressed with the graphics and feel of the character. The environment is of a cartoon style but still vibrant and full of life. Think of a cross between Fable and Dragon Age. The character itself moves in a decent way, it's easy to control and you get where you want to go.