Infinite Lives: Empire's Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer Survival Guide
Posted on Sunday November 6, 2011, 14:30 by Ali Plumb in Infinite Lives
If you’re in possession of a games console and a pulse then you’ll doubtless be picking up a copy of Modern Warfare 3 when it hits stores next week. While some of you will immediately jump into the game’s multiplayer nirvana with aplomb and start lighting up noobs like there’s no tomorrow, a great many of you will more likely end up on the wrong end of a Barrett .50 cal, getting your arse handed to you by bloodthirsty twelve-year-olds. Because we’re the caring sort here at Empire, we’ve assembled a few broad tips that should keep MW virgins from spending all their time watching killcams and waiting to respawn. 1. Know what kind of player you are
Even if you’ve only played first person shooters a couple of times in your life, you’re already going to have an inkling as t... Continue reading... Comment Now (1 comment)
Back To TopInfinite Lives: In Search Of The Ultimate Xbox Controller
Posted on Tuesday September 20, 2011, 15:32 by James Dyer in Infinite Lives
 With Gears of War 3, Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 each vying for position as this Christmas’ obligatory time sink, the need to get a leg up on the multiplayer league tables has become rather more pressing. While the average thirteen-year-old can put in a dozen hours a day to develop pixel-perfect sniping and nanosecond reflexes, we ‘mature’ gamers (ones with, jobs, wives or iPad editions to put out) simply can’t compete. It’s with this catch-up mentality in mind and the bitter taste of a recent CoD defeat at the hands of a cackling German teenager fresh in my mouth (“I am ze master, you are ze noooobie!”) that I set out to do the only mature, responsible thing left to me. Cheat.
There are literally dozens of different controllers out there and I’ve tried them all. But extra tactical buttons (thank you Mad Catz) or adjustable thumbsticks (Razer, please stand up) have only provided the smallest of performance boosts. To take my game to the next le... Continue reading... Comment Now (1 comment)
Back To TopInfinite 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: Hands on with El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Posted on Tuesday August 9, 2011, 16:15 by Ali Plumb in Infinite Lives
 It’s no great surprise that El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron starts up with “this game was made by a multicultural team with various religious beliefs”, Assassin’s Creed-style, what with it essentially riding roughshod over The Dead Sea Scrolls with some seriously rough shods.
You play Enoch, God’s scribe, who’s called away from his scribbling duties to kick the celestial buttocks of seven fallen angels down on earth. You’re helped by Lucifel, a guardian angel who dresses like a slick Japanese media consultant – black trousers, black shoes, poorly buttoned up black shirt – while you look like Troy-era Brad Pitt wrapped up in strips of white cloth.
In other words, it’s totally bonkers. Then again, it’s directed by Takeyasu Sawaki, the character designer behind other Japanese gaming oddities Devil May Cry and Ōkami, so we wouldn’t accept anything less.
So yes, it’s totally bonk... Continue reading... Comment Now
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
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