Infinite Lives: Hands On With Need For Speed: The Run
Posted on Thursday September 8, 2011, 11:48 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 The last few years has seen the Need for Speed series turn something of a corner. After spending much of the last five years stalling with seemingly indistinguishable instalments (hands up who can tell the difference between Underground and Undercover), thankfully EA has been spending the past few years placing innovation high above convention.
Last year’s Hot Pursuit introduced the Autolog system, an innovative social hub that keeps the competitive spirit roaring long after you’ve hopped offline (and has subsequently been used in each new game since), and earlier this year Shift 2: Unleashed changed the in-car perspective with helmet cam, turning the action into a realistic blur of dizzying intensity. So it shouldn’t really come as much surprise then that the fourteenth title to fall under the Need for Speed banner, Need for Speed: The Run, is taking risks and shaping up to possibly be the boldest step the series has taken to date.
You might remember that the foo... Continue reading... Comment Now (2 comments)
Back To TopInfinite Lives: Empire at E3 - Aliens: Colonial Marines
Posted on Monday June 13, 2011, 13:17 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 Originally announced back in 2006 before going MIA, E3’s worst kept secret was finally re-announced: Aliens: Colonial Marines. I sat down among fellow journalists and excitable fans to take a first look at gameplay in the hands-off demo for the eagerly anticipated Aliens spin-off.
The crowd was given a lengthy introduction from producer Brian Burleson, whose enthusiasm for the franchise was certainly infectious. The team at Gearbox has worked closely with Ridley Scott and Syd Meid (designer on the Alien series) to keep true to the movies’ lore (we asked about James Cameron’s involvement but were told they were not ready to announce anything yet). And by all accounts it has the tone of Cameron’s sequel mastered.
Although it is a direct continuation of the second movie, that actual chronology of the game lands somewhere just after the events of Alien 3. A team of marines on the ship SS Sulaco are searching for Ripley, Hicks and the other members of the team disp... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopInfinite Lives: Empire at E3 - Wii U: Early Impressions
Posted on Monday June 13, 2011, 13:05 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 This is going to be quite a brief opinion on Nintendo’s newest controller because our time with it was, well, brief. In fact, the console itself wasn’t even the focus (it resembles a curved Wii at this stage but it could change) and it was the controller that Nintendo was showing off.
It’s a piece of tech that is already dividing opinion across the gaming globe. Some call it another technological revolution from those red-capped lot at Ninty, others think it’s an impractical device backed-up with a console playing technological catch-up with its competitors. I think it’s a little bit of both.
First thing to clear up is that the official specs for the console (or even its final design) have yet to be announced. So while plenty of multi-platform titles have been confirmed, there’s no word whether it matches the power of Sony and Microsoft’s consoles, or surpasses their capabilities. Titles like Battlefield 3, Aliens: Colonial Marines and Arkh... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopInfinite Lives: Empire at E3 - Mass Effect 3
Posted on Monday June 13, 2011, 12:41 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 Mass Effect 3 is the final chapter in the much-loved, colossal series of sci-fi RPG-action titles that has wowed gamers for years. The third instalment sees those ancient hyper-advanced machines, Reapers, finally reawaken and set about trying to destroy our galaxies. On their way to Earth, it’s up to Commander Shepard to rally as many alien races as possible to join the resistance an prevent mankind’s extinction.
The hands-off presentation at E3 was an extensive display of what to expect from the third instalment. Namely, lots of large-scale epic action. The first mission we’re shown we got a peek at during the EA conference earlier in the week. Shepard is invading a Reaper stronghold, blasting assault troopers before ordering an airstrike on the base. It’s not the wisest of moves, as he awakens the towering Reaper lying dormant inside.
One outstanding mounted-gun action sequence later and we’re on another planet trying to extract an official off the p... Continue reading... Comment Now (1 comment)
Back To TopInfinite Lives: Empire at E3 - FIFA 12 vs. PES 2012
Posted on Monday June 13, 2011, 11:52 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 Ah, two beloved video gaming franchises that have been battling it out doggedly over the years: FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer. I managed to get time playing both while at E3 and it surprises me to say how close a match it's become.
FIFA has been making strides for years and this time around they've implemented some tweaks to make it a more immersive experience. Animations have been greatly improved, with real-time physics enabling the game to produce realistic collisions based on angle and momentum.
Elsewhere, there’s a greater emphasis on defensive play, with timed tackling at the click of the button. This counterbalances the attacking play, which has had a few tweaks to the 360 degree dribbling, with improved distance and turning.
How does it play, though? Well, I took on one of the members of the Zoo team and the match was teeth-grindingly close. The pitch feels more open; there’s less reliance on taking the wings to secure a cheeky cross and header. Ther... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopInfinite Lives: Empire at E3: Day 3 - The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Posted on Friday June 10, 2011, 16:54 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 There was no doubt that there would be a gaming tie-in to the Steven Spielberg directed movie adaptation of Hergé’s beloved Belgian journalist, given both the nature of the story and the rich visual style to the film. Movie tie-ins are renowned for being a load of hogwash – a product of definite deadlines and constricting narrative – so getting the opportunity to see Tintin in action wasn’t exactly on my must-see list of the show.
Spielberg and Peter Jackson introduced the demo via the medium of pre-recorded video and ushered the small room to put their 3D glasses on for a special demo. The story follows the exact events of the movie. A strategy that is fairly rare in tie-ins these days (most find themselves in a weird prequel limbo that often contradict the film with extra villains and such), so this came as something of a welcome surprise.
There’s a lot of charm to the game. It’s not traditional by any sense, flippin... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopInfinite Lives: Empire at E3 2011: Day 3 - Tomb Raider
Posted on Friday June 10, 2011, 16:47 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 As a gaming franchise, Tomb Raider lost relevancy a couple of console generations ago and apart from the recent top-down arcade title Guardian of Light hasn’t displayed much in the way of creativity in some time. Enter this brand new reboot simply titled Tomb Raider that serves as an origin story for everyone’s favourite archaeologist. Well, favourite tight top, short-short wearing archaeologist, at least.
Lara Croft is 22 years old, straight out of university and on the trail of adventure with her mentor Roth in tow. After their ship gets marooned on a mysterious island, she finds herself having to use all of her strength and cunning to survive the dangers that lurk around every corner.
It’s an interesting angle that dispels with the overly-sexualised poster girl of the ‘90s and punts her into a grizzly backdrop of survival. The Microsoft conference gave us a look at the opening mission, which saw Lara impaled on a steak, tied up and chased through claustr... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopInfinite Lives: Empire at E3 2011: Day 3 - The Old Republic
Posted on Thursday June 9, 2011, 17:47 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 It was way back at Gamescom last year when I last played BioWare’s upcoming Star Wars MMO. And while I enjoyed what was on display there, it was clear there was some issues that needed refining if it was truly to offer something unique in the crowded genre. The mission itself was a rather bland cave-based search for a lightsabre and, with a then fussy UI, the action lacked the pace Lucas’s series demands of itself.
In the year since, there has been some major improvements to the gameplay and aesthetics, making it one of the big highlights of the show for me. An opening cinematic opened our demonstration, called ‘Return’. Not just a rollicking blast through all-things Star Wars (space ships, John William’s score, bounty hunters and lightsabres) but the most visually impressive piece of Star Wars canon outside of the two trilogies.
That said, the quality of a cinematic is always something of a moot point when it comes to MMOs. Furious lightsabre battles betwe... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopInfinite Lives: Empire at E3 2011: Day 2 - Hitman: Absolution
Posted on Thursday June 9, 2011, 10:11 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 Agent 47 has been absent from gaming for too long. Skulking in the shadows, waiting to reveal himself once more like the sneaky neck-cracker he is. My level of anticipation for the Hitman: Absolution unveiling was matched by a huge amount of trepidation – after all, Hitman: Blood Money, for all its grizzly visuals, always felt rather light-hearted at its core. First impressions of Absolution and it looks like a far grittier take on the slap-headed assassin.
Our man 47 is currently in Chicago, with the police hunting him down and cornering him in a public library. While breaking down the exact hands-on demonstration would be nothing but a bore, there were certain moments that I noticed that both impressed and left some concerns.
Firstly, developer IO Interactive’s Glacia 2 engine looks phenomenal. The level of environmental detail and interactivity across the stage was impressive and both animations and character models are consistently slick. One area had 47 takin... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To TopInfinite Lives: Empire at E3 2011: Day 2 - Battlefield 3
Posted on Thursday June 9, 2011, 10:06 by David Scarborough in Infinite Lives
 Battlefield 3 hit E3 with a rumble that left Modern Warfare shaking on the other side of the showroom floor. Admittedly, we’re slightly disappointed to only be given a look at the multiplayer side of the action, but after playing it, it’s looking increasingly likely that this could be the must-have multiplayer shooter this year.
Operation Metro is the map we’re about the tear through. Some gamers have felt alienated by the magnitude of Battlefield’s maps in the past but the vast detail packed into this sprawling arena makes for an astonishing backdrop for the action.
With four different customisable classes to choose from, I opt for the Recon class to snipe from a distance. We can mark enemy targets from a afar, following them across the map to easily pick-off players in sneaky fashion. It’s a bit slow-paced, so we switch to Support which arms us with a rifle and supplies the necessary firepower to pound our opposition relentlessly.
The... Continue reading... Comment Now
Back To Top
|
