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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.

Specialist video game retailer GAME is holding its first Event, open exclusively to reward card holders. GAMEFest will take place at NEC Birmingham on 16th - 18th September.

You can expect to play games such as, Batman: Arkham City to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It's great to see the giants of the games industry, finally visiting Birmingham for a change.

The prices are a steal, adults (Aged 12 onwards) can enter for £10 and Children (Aged 11 and under) for £5.

Feast your eyes on the list of games, from publishers attending GAMEFest:

Microsoft Xbox 360:

Gears of War 3

Sony Playstation 3:

Resistance: 3

Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception

Nintendo:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Super Mario: 3D Land

MarioKart 7

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D

Activision:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

EA:

Battlefield 3

Need for Speed: The Run

Fifa 12

Mass Effect: 3

THQ:

Saints Row: The Third

WWE 12

U Draw Game Tablet

Disney:

In this latest trailer it is evident there is corruption in the LAPD and Cole isn’t standing for it. Take Cole Phelps up the ranks this Friday (20th May 2011), from an LAPD officer to a Detective investigating arson, vice, traffic and Homicide cases. Set in 1940’s LA, players will be solving crimes in the city’s most violent and glamorous time in history.

The fascinating MotionScan technology behind L.A. Noire, has embraced the characters of the game with realistic facial animations. This is a key aspect to the core gameplay mechanics, such as interrogating suspects or witnesses. A wink, gulp or smirk will help you decide whether to doubt them or see the truth.

Examining crime scenes, tracking suspects, pursuiting people on foot or by car, engaging in shootouts and dispatch radio calls is what you can expect from L.A. Noire.  Come 20th May 2011 you will be able to experience Rockstar’s latest IP on PS3 or Xbox 360.

Naughty Bear is 505 Games new IP set to bring back fun, cartoon violence in games. Everyone’s seen the amusing parody trailers of Naughty Bear reenacting iconic scenes from films. What gamers don’t know is how the game plays out.

Not one trailer explains the backdrop or objective of the game, leaving gamers to ponder. Which begs the question is Naughty Bear worth another gander or should it be brushed under the carpet?

The inhabitants of the game are bears who live in the woods which is basically the theme of every level. In short Naughty Bear is the protagonist who doesn’t receive an invite to someone’s birthday party.

After trying to play nice by sending that person a gift anyway, he becomes the laughing stock of the party. Naughty Bear is now on a rampage to make everyone pay for their actions and guarantees there will be fluff. In terms of the story that’s about it, that’s as dense as it gets.

The objective of the game is to earn points as fast as you can in a level. Points couldn’t be earned any easier; all you’re required to do is kill/scare the bears and destroy objects in the environment.

For those of you who haven’t purchased the beast of a comic book game Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady has put the icing on the cake with the addition of 3D. Before your imagination runs wild after watching Avatar, (which uses stereoscopic 3D) don’t get your hypes up.

The GOTY (Game of the Year) edition of Arkham Asylum utilizes the old school red and green 3D glasses, which depicts an illusion of depth in the game. You’ll find that there are two 3D glasses in the games cover, giving the chance for one person to play in 3D and the other to watch.

Unfortunately none of the cutscenes are in 3D but the real time gameplay is. When you first don the glasses be prepared for a world of wooziness, as your eyes take time to adjust to the glasses. At a first glimpse you’ll notice that the only 3D effect in sight is on Batman, who has an outlined focus around him.

Other time’s the 3D effect is really showcased when you’re sitting on top of a gargoyle. If you look down you get an illusion of depth and the floor ends up looking like a long fall.

It wouldn’t be a GOTY edition without added features; all of the DLC challenge maps are included in the game. These maps range from the alley way in Gotham City to the Scarecrow’s maps.

Thanks to 2K Games, Game Hub was given the opportunity to play the Mafia II demo a week early. Representing Game Hub I went down to their office in Windsor, to Play Mafia II for the first time.

After 8 years in the making Mafia II is finally in reach of fans, just shy a few weeks from release. Powered by 2K Czech’s own Illusion Engine, Mafia II is concentrating on good old story telling.

It would seem as though this is an area that current generation of games is out of touch of. High definition presentation and powerful technology, powering video games is mainly the talk these days.

You’ll find that 2K Czech hasn’t followed suit of the inclusion of multiplayer and has chosen voice actors for their talent rather than their stardom. Mafia II wants players to experience an authentic time in America, where average jobs paid little and joining the Mafia was the route to stacks of cash. It’s not always a win win situation though, as joining the Mafia has its own implications. 

Mafia II is the story of Vito Scaletta, an Italian American who’s returned from the war and discovers his family is in debt. Vito has no choice but to support his family the best he can, but he knows that a normal paid job won’t help him. So he gets involved with the wrong crowd alongside his friend Joe Barbaro, scaling the ranks of the underworld to become a name to remember.

Prepare yourself for the biggest sandbox environment you’ll ever experience, in thefictional Panau Island (south Asia orientated) of Just Cause 2. Avalanche Studios returns for a sequel, this time introducing some new tech. Avalanche 2.0 is the name of the new game engine, used to develop Just Cause 2. 

Rico Rodriguez returns as the protagonist deployed in Panau, to ultimately track down dictator Pandak Panay and annihilate his army. Never mind the story though, its cheesy B movie stuff. Don’t even get me started on the voice acting and dialogues.

The real star of the show is Panau itself and Rico’s arsenal. He’s got a badass grapple hook attached to his arm, which allows you to zip anywhere from roughly 100 meters. Also attached to Rico at all times is a reusable parachute.

The grappling hook can be use to join anything together in your view. Whether that being cars to buildings or enemies to aeroplanes is entirely up to you.

You’ve got access to a black market supplier who can deliver you anything from aeroplanes, jets, boats, weapons and transport to a destination of your desire.  

Then you’ve got Panau itself, which is over 1,000 square kilometers of playground. It took me half an hour to get from one side of the map, to another by aeroplane and even longer by boat.

Beenox (latest dev to take on Spider-Man licence) have finally broken the mould of recycled Spider-Man games in sandbox New York. This new title presents us with a promising game that involves 4 different Spider-Man universes.

The gaming environment is now more confined and level based, with enough space for Spider-Man to flow. Before you read on watch this exciting opening trailer, of Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions.

The plot is quite simple Amazing Spider-Man accidently, shatters the tablet of order and chaos during a scuffle with Mysterio. Now shattered into pieces the universe is in danger, any villain with the tablet is a threat.

Spider-Man must now obtain every single piece from 4 different dimensions, with the help of other Spider-Men. The dimensions that are featured in the game are the amazing universe, noire universe, 2099 universe and the ultimate universe.

Each universe has a distinctive art style and gameplay mechanics. The amazing universe has Spider-Man wearing the famous red and blue suit. The combats main emphasis is web based attacks e.g. a huge hammer formed from Spider-Mans web. The amazing universe takes place in a jungle which is kraven’s lair.

Mortal Kombat Returns to its Roots

Fans will finally have the much deserved next gen installment of Mortal Kombat.  Let’s just say let bygones be bygones and forget Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe even existed. Veterans of the series will be very familiar with the cast of characters, as they are selected from Mortal Kombat 1-3.

Mortal Kombat also returns to the 2D plane but don’t worry the characters are still 3D models. Most importantly though the mature presentation returns with a big fat 18 rating on the box art.

Expect those gore splattering fatalities to make a triumphant return like never before. NetherRealm Studios claims that this will be the most, bloody and mature game in the series to date.

Attention to detail is one of the key factors in this installment, with organs and body wounds showcased throughout an entire fight. One of the new features in the game is a super meter, which builds up as you inflict and absorb damage.

With the super meter you can execute X ray attacks that halve an opponent’s health bar. It can also be utilized to charge up special attacks for extra damage.

4 player tag team matches make an appearance, as well as multiplayer and a co-op arcade mode. Other modes are yet to be announced and revealed through the year.

After listening to the fans reactions, it seems as though Sucker Punch has realized players don’t like change. It has been revealed that Cole will be redesigned, to look more like the bike messenger we knew in the first game.

Whether or not the voice actor of the first game will return is yet to be seen. Developing a video game isn’t an easy task; it would be a waste of money and time, to see the recording sessions of the new Cole go to waste.

I’m sure players wouldn’t mind having a choice, as to which Cole they want to play as. The beauty of still being in development is both an exciting and decisive phase.

Whatever the outcome I trust Sucker Punch to make the right decision, they’ve already shown that they listen to the fans. This is a great quality you don’t find in many developers. inFAMOUS 2 is slated to release exclusively on PS3 in 2011.

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.

Rockstar have always had an eccentric cast of characters in their video games. In Red Dead Redemption you can expect this to follow suit. In this latest trailer Rockstar reveals a selection of western nut-jobs you can expect to meet, come 21st May 2010.  

Characters in the trailer include Nigel West Dickens, a travelling medicine man who is constantly harassed by angry mobs. Then there’s Irish, who always lets the drink get the better of him and talks his way out of trouble.

Seth Briars can be seen in the trailer digging up graves, he is described as an insane man who doesn’t bath and is obsessed with wealth. Professor Harold MacDougal is a professor from Yale who can’t handle the pressures of the West.

So there you have it, a little taste of what missions you’ll be up against in May 2010. If you haven’t done so already be sure to check out these pre order bonuses of Red Dead Redemption right here.

Mafia II is the story of Vito Scaletta, a World War II veteran.  He’s a beaten down Italian American who gets involved with the wrong crowd alongside his friend Joe Barbaro. Scaling ranks of the underworld to become a name to remember.

Powered by 2K Czech’s next-generation engine built specifically for Mafia II, players will experience the true evolution of the Mob game that defined a genre. Gunfights, hand-to-hand combat and vehicular exploration feature new depth and dimension that allow players to experience the world of Mafia II in a way that will keep them coming back for more.

Through strong, authentic characterization and compelling narrative, the mature storyline will make you understand the pull and impossible escape of life in the Mob

In this latest trailer 2K Czech reminds us that Mafia II is still alive and well in development. Let’s just hope that Mafia II will see the light of day on August 27th 2010(UK), the last thing we need is another delay.