Microsoft

Many thought that a sequel wouldn’t see the light of day; others wonder whether there is even a demand for Kane & Lynch 2. Despite the criticisms of the first game, IO Interactive took it on the chin and developed a sequel anyway. This time with an urge to impress everyone with the improvements and show players how the sequel has taken a different direction.

Psychopathic mad man Lynch is the main protagonist player’s control in Kane & Lynch 2. He’s now got a girlfriend and settled down with her in Shanghai (China). Kane on the other hand has family problems, looking to escape his daily life for a while. 

He is called down to Shanghai to tag along with Lynch on a job he needs help with. Unfortunately everything’s goes south and they fail to complete a simple job. Now they have the entire Shanghai underground to deal with and must pay the consequences. 

Playing Kane & Lynch 2 gives you a unique experience that can only be explained as an innovative way, to give you the feeling your apart of the gaming world. In the moment of action the camera becomes unstable, when your running the camera is all over the place.

It’s almost as if you’re behind Kane & Lynch the entire time of the game with a camcorder, displaying an appealing film grain on screen. Checkpoints in game are displayed as time you’d see on a camcorder, which is a neat touch to the presentation. Read More  »

Rockstar has done it again, once more delivering a title that changes our depiction of the open world genre. Rockstar San Diego has gone to great lengths to breathe life into an authentic yet merciless time in history.

The plains and terrain of the west have never been more beautiful in a video game. Every blood, sweat and tear of the developers is present in Red Dead Redemption and has definitely been perceived.

The world of Red Dead Redemption is full of social unrest, where families are murdered. Women are kidnapped or raped and sheriffs with little or no support are out for justice in this unforgiving land. Be prepared for high octane action, betrayal and a tissue for your tears on John Marston’s journey to liquidize his former brothers in arms. 

Yet again Rockstar reaches another milestone with one more fantastic title. Red Dead Redemption deserves an Oscar for taking interactive storytelling to a new peak.

Never has a video game had such a perfect balance of emotion, betrayal, turmoil and redemption, attached the player to the protagonist. At times it feels as though you are filling the boots of John Marston taking every step with him in this seductive world.  

In the vast epic land of Red Dead Redemption, there is more than meets the eye. With a large open world full of cactus, bushes and terrain you’re probably thinking what could possibly occupy my time in such a simplistic landscape. Read More  »

Ubisoft seem to want a piece of the World Cup cash pie, not content with EA having the pitch to themselves. Ok, so this isn’t an official South Africa tie-in, but it’s international teams only and the final ends in South Africa. Coincidence? The hell it is.

Ubisoft are actually ripping off Fifa Street though instead. It’s five-a-side football with outrageous shots and tricks the order of the day. While the last Fifa Street was a bit meh, this is just bollocks.

Unresponsive controls mean it’s easier to score from the half-way line than three feet away. Shooting is controlled with a golf-style swing-metre where you need to nail a sweet spot to ensure it doesn’t balloon over. It’s very random as to whether the goalie makes a wondersave or his elbows get stuck on his hips again as he dives out the way in a way that should get him arrested for match-fixing. If you’ve seen the film Shaolin Soccer, it’s a bit like that at times with some of the belter shots you’ll be piling in. Sadly though, it gets old quick.

Skill moves are a random waste of time as there don’t seem to be a consistent set of moves assigned to the right analogue stick; it’s just a lucky dip as to what you get. The sprint button may as well be renamed ‘run into defender’ too. There’s a horrible whooshing effect and you can’t change direction.

The game’s graphics are damn ugly and even the replays make good-looking goals look average with poor angles and timing. Likenesses, pitches and presentation all feel rushed. Read More  »

It's easy to forget that any other sport has ever existed as we build up and embrace the World Cup but remember cricket is one of the most popular games in the UK and has a long history of video game outings.  Check out the game play of the new International Cricket 2010 in the clip as we move towards it's scheduled release.

Action Cam, we are told, will immerse players in all the on-pitch drama of competitive cricket. Supplementing traditional broadcast views, players can now feel the satisfaction of smashing home 90mph+ deliveries and experience the thrill of thundering down the track to bowl from Action Cam’s new on-field perspectives.

Another key new addition is the Power Stick which gives batsmen 360° analogue power and direction control, and enables a wide selection of shots, from pushing quick singles to gaps in the field to risky shots and everything in between.

The game will feature official players, grounds and kits making this officially licensed game the most complete cricket experience.  It also has, as we've seen before, a player editor that will allow you to put you, or your own-designed character, into the action with control over the name, appearance, team and attributes.  There is an expanded 16 nations and 21 grounds to play in including Lord's.

“With a focus on taking gamers into the action like never before, International Cricket 2010 will deliver the most authentic cricket gaming yet,” said John Szoke, Producer, Codemasters. “Codemasters enjoys an unrivaled heritage in producing cricket games, and International Cricket 2010 will build on this success with a range of innovative gameplay features and enhancements.”

If I worked for Microsoft, right now I'd be extremely annoyed and stalking the hallways looking for someone to fire.  After a huge investment of both time and money Xbox 360 versions of Red Dead Redemption haven't been making it onto the shelves, investigation into the cause of the shortage reveals that the issue is with transportation of the 360 version of the game to the stores, an issue that doesn't seem to be occurring to the same extent for the PS3 version.  Whatever the exact cause, I'm sure it's resulted in at least some people buying on PS3 rather than 360 - something that I personally did.  If people want to buy a new game and they can't, someone somewhere has miscalculated something.

Roll on digital distribution?

But these things only become an issue for big-title games with high demand, so is Red Dead Redemption worth the wait for those not fortunate enough to have bagged a copy yet? I've put together a 5 point review to help you make your mind up.

1 - Quiet Brilliance.

I can remember very specific parts of both Halo 3 and GOW2 that gave you such a Hollywood, extravagantly amazing impression you knew instantly you were in the presence of a great game.  Red Dead Redemption is a different kind of great game.  It's breathtaking views, perfected controls, size and scope, story, quality of voice acting and everything else are all quietly brilliant.  It may be the case that you'll be playing for what feels like an hour before you notice how good an experience it is and how much depth there is to the game. But then you'll notice you've been playing for 4 hours and looking back you'll be astounded. Red Dead Redemption doesn't shout about how amazing it is, it just stays quietly in the corner, standing on it's head juggling flaming javelins waiting for you to notice.

  Read More  »

 

While the first chapter of Life in the West merely touched on some of the dangers of frontier life in the world of Red Dead Redemption, Life in the West: Part II contains more depth and detail on the atmosphere of revolutionary turmoil and social unrest that was prevalent during the time period, with gangs overrunning decrepit towns and roadside bandits a constant threat.

This entry in the Gameplay Series also reveals brand new and unique gameplay mechanics, including the finer points of dueling and the ways that the deeds you perform and the outfits you wear impact the way the people of the world respond to you.

The west was an unforgiving place, full of turmoil and horrific violence. In Part II of Life in the West, we are shown what happens when you disobey the law. John Marston can be seen stealing a stage coach wearing a bandanna across his face.

The notoriety system in Red Dead Redemption uses the word ‘wanted' which is filled in red. As opposed to ‘stars’ being gained in the Grand Theft Auto series. If you missed Life in the West part I you can watch it here.