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XBOX 360 FEATURES

1  EA Takes Aim At Modern Warfare With Bad Company 2, Medal Of Honor Tue, Mar 2nd, 2010, 2:53 am (EST) BY JORDAN DOUGLAS With the release of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 upon us, some have suggested that this game has the best chance of challenging Modern Warfare's position on top of first person shooters. This perception of direct competition is well founded, the DICE team has clearly gotten a lot of inspiration from Modern Warfare, while at the same time retaining the feel of a Battlefield game. This could potentially be a killer combination which publisher Electronic Arts seems ready to capitalize on. Bad Company combined with the Medal of Honor franchise are looking to dethrone Call of Duty as king of shooters, but will they be successful? More »

4  How Heavy Rain Succeeds Where Mass Effect 2 Failed Fri, Feb 26th, 2010, 7:29 pm (EST) BY ADAM MA Mass Effect 2 was a game about choices. Yes, it did have aliens, a plot to shake the universe on its very foundation, sex sequences, and an epic soundtrack to tie it all together. But ultimately Mass Effect 2 completely hinged itself on the decisions commander Shepard made. The alliances you chose, the romances you engage in, and even your save file from the last game all played a role in shaping the storyline that unfolded till the very end. However, while Mass Effect 2 did keep many of its promises there was one really powerful storytelling element that was all but absent from the gameplay. Something that Playstation 3's exclusive Heavy Rain has in spades. Giving decisions to a player and then telling them that they will experience the full weight and consequences of their actions is a hefty promise to make. For a consequence to be experienced, the player needs to genuinely care about the characters. Mass Effect 2 never really gave me the chance to love my team. Sure I collected them, met them, learned about their hobbies and sexual preferences. In some ways I became attached, more for their combat usefulness than anything else though. The most interesting characters are received late in the game (Thane and Legion) and they aren't covered nearly enough, while the useless predictable eye candy hovered about for no particular reason at all (Miranda and Jacob). You learn about them through forced conversation that only sometimes seem to flow, and it's only through the game's cutscenes that characters really seem alive. More »

3  How Modern Warfare's Failures Contribute to FPS Gaming Thu, Feb 18th, 2010, 9:40 am (EST) BY ADAM MA It's hard to talk badly about a game that sold over 1 billion dollars worldwide, because it's clear that they've done something right. In this case that 'something' was Call of Duty 4, a game that set the stage for a whole new generation of shooting games. But now that Modern Warfare 2 is actually out, it's really hard to justify playing it still. Cheaters and exploiters are naturally rampant in almost every single game with a multiplayer component, but Modern Warfare 2 is absolutely out of control. So what do you do when cheaters ruin a poorly programmed game? Move on to another title, and hope its programmed better. Is it really a surprise to anyone that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Aliens vs Predator demos are doing so well? Aliens vs Predator might of had a lot of criticism surrounding its gameplay, but that didn't stop 14,000 people from trying it out over the span of a single weekend. Bad Company 2 squashes that by comparison, having been downloaded over 2 million times across Xbox Live and Playstation network, making it the most downloaded demo EA has ever released. More »

1  In the Dante's Inferno vs. God of War Matchup, Pick Kratos for the Win Fri, Feb 5th, 2010, 6:11 pm (EST) BY JORDAN DOUGLAS Dante's Inferno, developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts, is about to hit store shelves. Ever since the game was revealed there has been endless comparisons to a little game everyone, who hasn't been living under a rock, has heard of, God of War. EA's Chief Executive Officer, John Riccitiello, has been clear that new IP, such as Dante's Inferno, are vital to the company's success. The question on everyone's mind remains, will Dante's Inferno be able to stand against the God of War III juggernaut? After playing both games' demos, it is by no means a stretch to call Dante's Inferno a God of War clone. The game is shameless in how blatantly it rips off God of War's controls, mechanics and atmosphere, however, this doesn't automatically mean the game is of a lesser caliber than God of War III. Dante's Inferno is actually quite solid and arguably the best God of War clone so far; the controls are tight, the graphics are generally crisp and the premise is intriguing. Granted, these are only impressions from demos of each game and a great deal can change when they hit retail, but judging from each studio's past work (Visceral with Dead Space and Sony Santa Monica with the previous God of War games), it's a safe bet to assume the final versions of each game will be high quality. More »

0  Can BioShock 2 Prevail Without Rapture's Creator? Wed, Feb 3rd, 2010, 11:04 pm (EST) BY ADAM MA With Bioshock 2 just around the corner it's hard not to imagine how well the game will live up to its predecessor. So much focus has gone into the creation of Rapture, the underwater utopia build on the sweat and blood of its citizens, and the state it exists in long after its rulers demise. What has become of the Splicers? What's the full story behind Big Sister? How much more punishment can Rapture take before falling apart? The main impression gamers have been given is that the city itself is the most important character, that the unfolding of its story is the driving point of Bioshock's single player campaign. But as a fan of the first game I remember things differently. So very different in fact, that I'm concerned about Bioshock 2 living up to the high standards that have been set by its predecessor. More »

1  Is Romance In Games Like Mass Effect Even Necessary? Mon, Jan 25th, 2010, 7:03 pm (EST) BY ADAM MA Playing through a western RPG means that you'll be subjected to a lot of choices. Fallout, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, they all love to offer the player decisions that naturally have repercussions. From the group you assemble to the alliances you make, these decisions shape the very foundation of experience. Selecting a character that isn't good for the team may lead to some harder boss fights, and so on. But where does romance fit into all this? More »

2  Assassin's Creed 2 Can Stand Against Modern Warfare 2 Posted on 2009/10/16 BY DARRYL When Assassin's Creed was released in 2007 it instantly smashed records. After gaining the title of 'fastest selling new franchise ever to be released in North America' it then went on to sell around 8 million units worldwide on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It'd certainly be an understatement to say this surprised people, especially because of its love-hate relationship with the gaming media. For all those that loved the game, there were also those who honestly couldn't understand why it was receiving any praise. Time has passed since then, and although the original still continues to sell, its successor is just around the corner in the form of Assassin's Creed II (More »

	0  TGS 2009 Awards: Best Xbox 360 Game Posted on 2009/10/11 BY DARRYL Microsoft are like a dog with a bone, and despite still having a relatively low penetration in Japan, they attended this year's Tokyo Game Show in full force. There were plenty of titles available for play, so now it's time to turn the spolight on the Xbox 360 to see what games we felt were the most appealing More »

	2  Wolfenstein Fails In Its Sales Quest Posted on 2009/09/10 BY SHAWN In mid-August, Raven Software designer Manveer Heir stated that if the new next-gen Wolfenstein title outsold Madden NFL 10 during August, he would reimburse everyone who had kept their receipt and had bought the game before the end of the month. More »

4  Is Halo 3: ODST Really Worth $60? Posted on 2009/09/03 BY DARRYL Originally titled Halo 3: Recon, Bungie and Microsoft have never denied that the game is essentially an expansion pack for Halo 3. However, when it was initially unveiled it was never meant to be a full-budget title, something that was changed later on. The question is, does the newly named Halo 3: ODST really warrant consumers shelling out $60? In terms of content, Halo 3: ODST has a reasonable amount. There is an original campaign, as well as Firefight mode. Players will also be granted to all of Halo 3's online multiplayer content too. This doesn't actually look that bad, but once a deeper analysis is conducted, it looks a bit shakey. More »

0  Racing Gamers Spoiled For Choice This Fall Posted on 2009/08/23 BY JAMIE COURTS It's almost that time of the year again, and there's another hectic fall season of games just around the corner. For the shooter fan, this is great news considering there's a whole slew coming out just as there is every year. One big feature of this year however, is the unreal amount of high calibur racing titles coming out at once all around the same time. More »

0  The Future of the MMORPG Genre Posted on 2009/06/16 BY NELSON In the previous articles, we looked at the MMORPGs currently sitting on the top of the pile, while also looking at those which are close to launch. However, the MMORPG genre is still expanding, and there are a lot of MMORPGs further in the future which are attempting to find their own niches in the market. Are games like World of Warcraft safe from possible dethronement in the short term? The answer is probably yes, but the real question is... for how long? This article hopes to uncover the methods that some companies are now looking toward implementing in order to keep the genre original and fresh. More »

0  Forza 3 Was 'Definitive'...For a Day Posted on 2009/06/03 BY JAMIE COURTS It was stated in Microsoft's E3 2009 press conference that Forza 3 will be the 'definitive racing game of this generation', and for a brief moment in time their claims were actually true; no other racing game this generation really come close to their game. However, the guys over at Polyphony Digital didn't let them bathe in their glory for long as Gran Turismo 5 came out with some nice subtle announcements at Sony's Press Conference. More »

0  Impressions on Project Natal, Unease in the Air Posted on 2009/06/01 BY KYLE WYNEN To go out with a bang, at today's Xbox 360 Media Briefing, Microsoft saved what they likely think is their biggest surprise for last: Project Natal. Where PlayStation 3 has Sixaxis and Wii has MotionPlus, Microsoft revealed their entrant into the motion controller competition, More »

2  Top 10 Upcoming MMORPGs Posted on 2009/05/23 BY NELSON MMORPGs have become quite popular over the years, and some, like World of Warcraft have found a place in popular culture. However, that's the now and they won't last forever. We mentioned a fortnight ago, five of the biggest MMORPGs at the moment, but what's around the corner that will be able to dethrone those currently flying high? Should Blizzard be concerned about some of the upcoming titles? Most of the titles up for discussion in this article are in the late stages of development and are running their beta testing phases. There are quite a few of notable merit and a fair few that are targeting specific niches, for example fanatical sci-fi groups. This is our top ten -- in no particular order -- of the titles we expect to make quite a bit of noise amongst gamers when they finally surface and that MMORPG players should definitely keep on their radar. More »

0  Fallout 3: Broken Steel In-Depth Analysis Posted on 2009/04/23 BY ALEX Bethesda recently released Fallout 3 screenshots detailing some of the new content found in the upcoming expansion, Broken Steel. Aside from raising the level cap and changing the main story's ending, along with eliminating any and all endings, there will also be some new weapons, enemies (Or allies?) and a new locale. The story will continue after the current ending to the game, depending on the final choice the player has made at Project Purity. The expansion details the fall of the Enclave in the Capital Wasteland, where the player teams up with The Brotherhood of Steel in order to deal the final blows to the former government. More »