CIS-137 Blog post

This merely a simple post for CIS-137, lab 7.

By: Bryan Bender

Friday update: Updates and mobile templates

I've decided to get away from video games for just a minute. Today I have some great new regarding updates to the blog. If you may not have notice there are a few updates and changes to blog. I've added a new rating system, labels are shown on a cloud on the bottom of the right hand column, and links will not change to purple after you click on them. I was looking at blogger in draft which is a preview of the new update to the blogger website. I went to click on template and I notice a mobile template, so I turned it on. After viewing The Game Corner on my ipod, I noticed the blog had a much nicer layout, fit for a mobile device. If you haven't all ready check out the blog on the new mobile template on any of your mobile devices. Just in case you don't what could be a mobile device, I mean smartphones not laptops and netbooks. Once again just in case anyone was confused about what classifies as a mobile device. 

Call of Duty: Black Ops Rezurrection - Zombie Authority

Treyarch is know for working on the Call of Duty series, but even more for their (Nazi) zombie game mode. There is a darker side to the game studio, Treyarch performs test and research using live zombies. It is a scary and mess job. Although in the end the zombie lab's research helps to bring a authentic zombie killing experience. Near the end of the trailer we get to see another preview for the new zombie map "moon". A new grenade and a new weapon are shown. The new weapon causes a zombie to bloat, then explode. The preview shows more of the new environmental hazard "zero-gravity". The Rezurrection map pack will release first for Xbox Live on August 23, 2011. I will be reviewing the map pack next week, so stay tune.
 


Source:
Rezurrection promo picture
Zombie Authority - Youtube video

Call of Duty: Black Ops - Rezurrection Behind the Scenes Preview

Treyarch announced earlier this month their fourth map pack and this map pack was especially tailored for the zombie fans. The rezurrection pack includes the brand new zombie map "moon". The new map will have the players facing a new environment hazard zero-gravity.

In this vid doc Treyarch talks about the making of the Rezurrection pack. They also offer a glimpse of the new map and some new weapons. The Rezurrection pack will be released on August 23 first on xbox 360. For everyone else on PC and PS3 stay tune for the release date.



Sources:
Rezurrection promotion picture
Youtube - Black Ops video

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Spec Ops Survival Trailer

Modern Warfare 3 will have a survival mode available to play within it's Spec Ops mode. The Survival mode has you and a friend fighting against waves of ever increasingly difficult enemies. Like many survival modes you make money by killing which in turn you use to buy weapons, ammo upgrades, equipment, turrets, killstreaks, and even friendly A.I. to help you in the fight. Unlike Treyarch's zombie mode you don't buy the items off a wall, but instead you purchase weapons, equipment, etc, from a onscreen menu. I assume you have the opportunity to buy items in between waves. You and your friend will have to fight more then just generic soldiers, but everything from helicopters, attack dogs strap with explosives, chemical agents, and the dreaded juggernaut. With the "survival mode" becoming a standard game type in many of today's triple A games it will be interesting to see how Call of Duty will mix things up to really separate themselves from the competition.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Rezurrection Pack

Included in the Rezurrection Pack:

• A brand new zombie map (its on the Mooooon!)
• All of the zombie maps from World of War (all maps have been remastered, maps were previously included with the hardened and prestige editions of Black Ops)
• An enhanced zombie soundtrack including three new tracks
• A zombie moon theme (for Xbox 360 dashboard)

I'm glad to see a map pack for Black Ops which will include five zombie maps and a dashboard theme. This is what I've been wishing Treyarch would make a map pack with all zombie maps. The Rezurrection pack is coming first to the Xbox 360. The map pack will cost 1200 Microsoft Points (15$).

Sources:
Picture One
Picture Two
Picture Three
original article from ign.com

Rocksmith: Play with your own REAL guitar

With only a few months left for Rocksmith to released pressure is on Ubisoft to help restore or farther damage the music genre. Rocksmith has somewhat been out of the limelight. What really separates Rocksmith from the other guitar games is the fact that you use your own guitar. The game includes a 1/4 inch usb jack that plugs into your guitar to your game console or pc. Rocksmith also may help you learn how to play the guitar. Rocksmith in some case may seem to revolutionize the musice gerne of video games. Everyone should mark their calendars on October 11, 2011 (the release date). Here is a small list of songs that will be in the game, please note this is not the full list of songs.

• Blur – Song 2
• Cream – Sunshine Of Your Love
• The Black Keys – Next Girl
• The Boxer Rebellion – Step Out Of The Car
• The Cribs – We Share The Same Skies
• The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry
• Jenny O – Well OK Honey
• Lynyrd Skynyrd – Sweet Home Alabama
• Nirvana – Breed
• Pixies – Where Is My Mind?
• Radiohead – High and Dry
• Red Fang – Number Thirteen
• The Rolling Stones – The Spider and the Fly
• Silversun Pickups – Panic Switch
• Soundgarden - Outshined
• Spoon – Me and The Bean
• Stone Temple Pilots – Vasoline
• Taddy Porter – Mean Bitch
• Titus Andronicus – A More Perfect Union
• White Denim – Burnished
• The White Stripes – Icky Thump
• Yellow Moon Band – Chimney

sources:

• Rocksmith game cover
• List of songs
• gameplay screenshot

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

Konami talked about their new announcements and products in a recent prerecorded press conference. They conformed a HD remake including a reversion of Metal Gear Solid 1 (Peace Walker), Metal Gear Solid 2, and Metal Gear Solid 3. The Metal Gear Solid HD Collection will be released in November of this year on PS3 and Xbox 360. 

Article:
 http://www.hotbloodedgaming.com/2011/06/02/metal-gear-solid-hd-collection-coming-november-2011/

Skullcandy INK'd earbuds review

I recently order a pair of Skullcandy earbuds. This is the first time I've bought a pair of earbuds. I usually just use the pair that come with the ipod. Soon after I opened the the Skullcandy INK'd earbuds and them, I notice a complete difference in sound quality. The base in songs is so much more high quality. The Ink'd earbuds also include three sets of silicon gels. I use the smallest set because they fit the best. The Ink'd earbuds act almost as ear plugs blocking outside noise and this when the music isn't even on. I was impressed the quality of the Ink'd earbuds. For the price of only $19.99 you find the earbuds to fit your needs great sound quality and cheap price.  

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Reveal Trailer

With the plan for annual Call of Duty titles the fans of the series are always anticipating the next game. With Modern Warfare 3 it seems that Infinity Ward is trying to show the scale of a possible World War 3 and further dramatize the attacks of the radical Russian terrorist. There are four locations shown in the trailer America, England, France, and Germany. This is a first look at Modern Warfare 3, for more information stay tune for the upcoming E3 convention next month.

Making Gears Of War 3: Inside The Wicked Workshop

The Gears 3 beta ended yesterday and for many today is a sad day. I hope this inside look at the making of the limited and epic editions of Gears of War 3 will cheer you up. The limited edition includes an Octus Award box with Octus Service Medal and a exclusive Adam Fenix Multiplayer Character. The epic edition includes everything from the limited edition, a Marcus Fenix statue, and art and design of gears of war by Tom Bissell. (product information and description from Gamestop.com) Gears of War 3 is scheduled to release on September 20, 2011.   

Best Buy leaks L.A. Noire's first dlc "Nicholson Electroplating" Arson Case

The "Nicholson Electroplating" Arson case surfaced in a recent ad from Best Buy making it the first dlc to be confirmed for L.A. Noire. With the exception of the preorder exclusive cases offered from Wal-mart and Gamestop. In addition an interview from 1UP, has Team Bondi founder Brendan McNamara talking about two whole desk which were cut out of the final game. It is likely the two desks "Burglary and Bunko" will most likely resurface later this year as dlc content much in the way of Grand Theft Auto's episodes from Liberty City.

Articles:

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/05/16/information-on-first-l-a-noire-dlc-leaks.aspx

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/05/12/what-39-s-the-line-between-what-39-s-in-the-game-and-dlc.aspx

Battlefield 3 preview

It is 2014, Coalition forces are occupied along the Iraqi/Iran border. U.S. Marine forces have engaged with a hostile insurgency known as the PLR. As the demo starts several Marines exit out of a ACP into a busy street, there is a mixture of Iraqi civilians and other soldiers. One of your fellow Marines makes a smart comment "Have you ever asked yourself how this part of the world gets f*cked up all the time". Your squad meets up with the CO as he tasks your team on a search and rescue mission to find Jackson's squad. As the team moves through a building it starts to shake. One Marine comments that the E.O.D. teams should blow up the ammo dumps farther away, another Marine replies saying it is a quake tremor. Later, they spot an armed truck most likely to intercept the missing Marines. The Marines then enter into a parking lot as one Marine is shot by a sniper, the Marines open fire and the player drags the injured marine to safety. The squad is engaged in heavy fire with the insurgents. The insurgents are killed and the injured Marine is okay. Whoever was playing is pretty dumb as the player runs toward the direction  of an rpg it hits a car near him. The player flies backwards knocking him over onto his back. Another battle emerges, but the Marines quickly end the situation.

Part 2 the squad moves on a rooftop to takeout a sniper. The squad tactically maneuvers around different air ducts and pipes. All at the sametime the sniper takes pot-shots at the team. The Marines crawl over to the ledge, during the time the screen flashes grey. I've heard it been called suppression mode. One of your teammates hands you an at-4 rocket launcher. The squad provides supressing fire as the player launches a rocket into the sniper nest. The rocket tears a large hole out of the hotel. The destruction from the rocket was not scripted and the player can fire the rocket any part of the hotel.

In part 3 your squad locates the missing squad and the player (Sargent Black) investigates a suspicious wire leading into a basement. Black crawls into a air duct following the wire, dropping into another room, Black locates the ied. Black searches for a way to disarm the bomb. Black is attacked by a enemy and they both engage in hand to hand combat. Black knocks out the enemy and disarms the bomb. On Black's headset an Marine tells Black to head back to the surface. As the Marine forces are engaged in a massive battle with the PLR. Black sprints the middle of a bridge overlooking a highway. Black picks up an M240 bravo machine gun. The Marines do the best they can trying to stop the advancing insurgents. A little bird helicopter armed with duel miniguns help the Marines repel the attack. The insurgents regroup and flank the Marines as Black mans the machine gun on a technical. The fighting is interrupted as an earthquake hits the city. The pavement cracks and rises from the ground as a large building falls in the direction of Black. It is presumed that Black barely survives the collapsing building. The trailer ends with a montage of the city under attack, soldiers base jumping, first person view of a jet and a tank. The demo for me was quite impressive with great graphics and gameplay. What I really want is more information from Battlefield 3's multiplayer. Battlefield 3 will be released in fall of 2011.    

New reviews to come, L.A. Noire and GTA 4

I kind of got lazy will my blog and pretty much was absent for the last two months, but this is just a heads up to tell everyone that I will be posting two more reviews within the month.

Modern Warfare 3 brings the war to America and Europe

More Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Videos

ORIGINAL STORY: Information on Modern Warfare 3 leaked early, but that’s not going to stop us from getting excited about the game’s first trailer.

Robert Bowling, Creative Strategist at Infinity Ward, just tweeted about the teaser trailer for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3. He also mention that a lot of the info that has "leaked" is inacurate. "A lot of hype & a lot of leaked info on #MW3, some still accurate, some not. To avoid spoiling the experience, I'd wait for the real reveal." We're expecting to see the game at this years E3, so we can look forward to having this all straightened out then. -(information from gameinformers.com)

It seems that part of the game does indeed take place in New York. Another interesting tidbit is the Russian at the end. If you're curious, we roughly translated Makarov's speech to mean, "One dreams of destroying all hope of victory." -( Information from ign.com)


Article:

• http://ps3.ign.com/articles/116/1168394p1.html
• http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2011/05/14/first-modern-warfare-3-trailer-gives-us-chills.aspx

Battlefield 3: Fault Line Series Episode I: Bad Part of Town HD

Stay tune for my follow up story on Battlefield 3.

This is the greatest game... of all time

Yes, it is Carl from Family Matters and yes, this game would be awesome if it existed.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Although I never played any of the Elder Scrolls, I happen to be a big fan of Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Many people consider Fallout 3 is just Oblivion with guns, I'm intrigued in seeing how Skyrim turns out. The trailer really shows off the massive and detailed environments that the game has to offer. I definitely will have to pick up this game later this year.

My most anticipated games of this year

• Duke Nukem Forever
• L.A. Noire
• Skyrim
• Gears of War 3
• Battlefield 3
• Portal 2 

Dead Space 2 review

Dead space 1 was the best survival-horror games I've played on the current-gen consoles. The atmosphere is really the backbone of the game. Dead Space 1 made you really feel like you are Isaac Clark a ordinary engineer on board a massive mining ship being overrun with horrific monsters. The core mechanics of the game is to 'strategically dismember' enemies. Yes, the best way to stop the enemies is to shoot off their limbs. This brings up another question. What exactly are you fighting? It simple your fighting an alien/parasite that turned the crew of the USG Ishimura into horrific monsters that would like nothing other, then to rip your face off. You can call them Necromorphs for short. Dead Space had some great game mechanics such as inventory management, loot hunting, weapon upgrading, and zero-g sections made the game so much fun. I must of completed Dead Space about ten times. When I got word of a sequel I was excited about were the game would take place, What happened to Isaac?, and What will Visceral improve with the sequel?. Well, Dead Space 2 was released last month of this year and here is what I have to say about it.     

Dead Space 2 is back and better then ever! I'll start immediately with the controls, which are much smoother and fluent then Dead Space 1. It's not that DS1 has bad controls, it is the fact that Isaac is faster with his melee attacks and the player's camera rotates faster. Anyway, the plot is a little more personal then DS1. Dead Space 2 focuses more on the marker's effects on Issac's mental health. You start out three years after the end of DS1, Isaac is sitting in a chair telling a physiologist what he saw on the Ishimura, in the foreground you can see flashbacks from dead space 1. Later, Isaac is woken up my a men named Franco (unimportant minor character). Isaac has very little time to get his bearings, when Franco is killed by an infecter and turned into a Necromorph. It really show the detail of when someone is turned into a Necromorph. As Isaac head-butts the freshly infected Franco aside and walks out of the room, I was surprised to see that Isaac was wearing a straight jacket and he had no means to defend himself. The building looked like some sort of medical ward, but you have little time to look around, when several Necromorphs try to attack you. Weaponless and with low heath, Isaac must franticly run for safety. It sure is a nice way to start the game, then again the first one did something similar. If anything can be said about Dead Space 2 it would be non-stop action.

Game-play
Dead Space is no doubt a shooter and now with a arsenal of new weapons it is hard not to find a gun you don't like. My favorite gun is the javelin gun. I don't know something about a weapon (mining tool) that shoots high velocity, electrocuting, exploding spears amuses me. Stasis and Kinesis are still a large part of the game. Stasis is largely unchanged from the first game. During the single player mode stasis will actually recharge by itself over a period of time. Also three stasis packs now fit in one inventory slot. Kinesis is also unchanged, but one good thing is in single player, you don't need to waste power nodes on kinesis. The kinesis module has full range as soon as you get it. The kinesis module does have a new offensive purpose. You can use kinesis to pick up spears and claws to impale Necromorphs.The zero-gravity sections is awesome. Dead Space 1 first introduced zero-g and for the time it was cool, to see the different objects floating through the air. Isaac could only float in a straight line to different surfaces, which was pretty primitive. Visceral games change the zero-g sections, now the engineer suit has thrusters to allow you to freely fly through space. I did have a problem with controlling the camera during the zero-g sections. Ammo is now more scarce then last time. Especially during the last stages of the game, I was begging for more ammo. The controls were updated now, so instead of holding the right trigger and pressing the a button you can just press the x button. I'm glad that you can finally reload and sprint at the same time. The locator not only shows the direction to your next objective, but now will show nearby stores, save stations, and benches Over all the game-play is solid and keeps me coming back for more.

I heard The Sprawl is nice this time of the year. 

The horror and scares
Yes, Dead Space 2 is so epic it needs new categories. Dead Space 1 took place almost entirely with in the ghostly and claustrophobic interior of the Ishimura. The Sprawl is entirely different, due to the fact it is a city. The games atmosphere really changed, because the Sprawl is not so dark and spooky as the Ishimura. On the plus side the Sprawl has more variety of locations. Dead Space 2's levels seem more bright and opened. Except for the Unitology center, that part was creepy. I'm disappointed to say that Dead Space 2 is not as scary as Dead Space 1. Although I did get startled a few times. For example, I was walking down this hallway and I happened to see a supply crate on a floor mat next to this door. As I smashed the crate open a Necromorph busted through the door and completely startled me. The funny thing was I'd seen a video of someone doing the exact same thing before hand, but I still was caught off guard. The only scary Necromorph would have to be the stalker. As the name portraits, the stalker doesn't attack you right away. They make creepy noises in the shadows and peek around corners, then charge at you screaming at the top of their lungs. The first time I encountered them I didn't move from the corner of the room for at-least ten minutes. I wish all the enemies had this effect. Any time it was very open would it made me uneasy, because the Necromorphs could easily sneak up on you. For the most part Dead Space 2 sticks too it's horror roots and actually tries to keep you on the edge of your seat (unlike the newer Resident Evils). Good scares are few and in-between for Dead Space 2. I'd recommend playing this game during the middle of the night, in the dark, surround sound on, and with the volume all the way up for maximum scares.

Single player mode

I speak briefly to avoid any spoilers. Basically you return as the role of Isaac Clark three years later on the space station "The Sprawl". Now faced with a new Necromorph infestation, Isaac must destroy a new marker. A second plot lines is Isaac facing the mental effects from coming in contact with the first marker. The types of Necromorphs is much more diverse. One thing I noticed the slashers have like fifteen different character models, which is impressive in itself. There is an absence of large boss battles, which is kind of disappointing, but doesn't effect the games overall experience. A wardrobe worth of different suits. Including the standard engineering suit and the new advanced suit, You can switch the suits at anytime. A problem in Dead Space 1, you couldn't switch to any of the lower level suits. This is not a problem in Dead Space 2 and most of the suits have a bonus effect. For example the vintage suit gives you a 10% discount at the store. Also if you have  a suit that has 15% armor and 20 inventory slots, and swap it for a lower level suit, your current suit will have the highest armor stats you have gotten. After complete the single player you have the option to replay with all your items and now you can change the difficultly at any point during the game. The single player in the end improves upon the last game and really challenges you. My playthrough on normal lasted about ten hours, which is not bad. I expect on the harder difficulty would take longer. I would be crazy to even attempt hardcore difficulty.     

Isaac's advanced suit without the helmet.

Isaac himself

Now, Isaac is no longer the silent protagonist. He can talk and he does it quite frequently too. Gunner Wright does a great job as the voice of Isaac Clark. He doesn't have a unnecessarily deep, macho voice. Isaac sounds like a normal guy. You see Isaac's face a lot more too.

Multiplayer

New to the Dead Space universe is mutiplayer. To sum up the whole experience, it is underdeveloped. It seems inspired by Left 4 Dead. Players either control a group of engineers or Necromorph. The maps all contain objectives whether its clear out a tunnel or get to the escape pod, the multiplayer levels have little mini stories. There is a standard leveling system and unlocks to earn. The biggest problem is the multiplayer is not fun and was not need for Dead Space 2. The resources could have been used to improve the single player. What really makes the multiplayer unfair is the stasis spamming. When playing as the Necromorph you are constantly waiting to respawn. It is a respawn, die, respawn, die cycle the whole time. Honestly multiplayer shouldn't have been in this game or it should have had more playtesting. If Visceral decides to make a Dead Space 3 I'm certain the multiplayer will be a big improvement and better experience. 

The verdict
Right out of the box Dead Space 2 is a improved and refined game. The scares are still there, even if they are few. I've heard people say that Dead Space 2 is not as good as it's predicator. This is not true Dead Space 2 is a great game and if you haven't played it, your missing a great experience. If your like me, then you bought this game for the story. Any Dead Space fan should definitely buy this game.