I’m still waiting for Peter Jackson and Niell Blomkamp to get their act together and do a Halo film.  Of course Jackson is producing the Hobbit alongside Del Toro, but Halo still has my hyped.

Uno de los crimenes mercadológicos mas grande de esta compañía que no solo se me hace injusto para los consumidores si no para la industria entera de los videojuegos, los “trailers”. . . Que invitan a los videojugadores a sentirse mas apegados hacia el juego  sobre todo y para beneficio de un desarrollador, a incrementar sus ventas, haciendo que el consumidor se sienta atraido.

Pero la pregunta es ¿Lo hacen de una manera honesta?

Para que de alguna manera entiendan cual es mi punto les he traido varios ejemplos, uno de ellos es el mas claro de todos y obviamente el mas famoso de Microsoft: Halo…

Este video, que para mi es un as de la mercadotecnia, algo que puedes ver 100 veces y no te aburrirías de el, también es una farsa, ¿A que me refiero? nunca hemos visto tal realismo en ningun juego de Halo, nunca nadie se ha sentido tan conectado con el juego, simplemente divierte un modo multijugador sumamente bien construido de su antecesor, mero entretenimiento.

Para explicarselos de una manera muy clara y gráfica les entrego un video, de el gameplay de lo que es en realidad un juego de HALO  (checar efectos de musica, diálogos, animaciones) para que se den cuenta de el producto final.

Despues de este video empieza el primer nivel se trata de caminar 15 minutos hasta llegar a un punto de encuentro y jugar una sub-mision y asi hasta que completes el juego, ¿complicado no?

Eso fue Halo ODST, un juego sin multijugador, sin co-op de cuatro jugadores, con una campaña de menos de cuatro horas. Que tiene la mayor cantidad de copias vendidas en su preventa ante otros juegos mucho mejores también anticipados (Call Of Duty,etc).

Ahora, ¿dónde está mi punto? Pues para mí Microsoft  siempre se ha encargado de que el consumidor vea al producto de otra manera difirente a como en realidad es, esto pasó con Fable, pasó con Gears of War. . . que el Lic. ya había hablado en un post anterior acerca de eso, pasó con Halo 3, y ahora con Halo ODST, solo un hype, muchas personas sí se dan cuenta y muchas otras no, pero sin embargo ésto solo beneficia a esta compañía…

Simplemente es un comentario que quiero compartir con ustedes mis queridos soldados y sin embargo sigo esperando que algún dia llegue un Kojima a Microsoft… y le patee el culo a un tal Cliff y a muchos que estan unidos a este falso corporativo.

]]> http://rockgmd.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/microsoft-nega-envolvimento-de-gearbox-em-halo/ Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:50:34 +0000 Gustavo Rodrigues http://rockgmd.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/microsoft-nega-envolvimento-de-gearbox-em-halo/

A Microsoft fez uma declaração oficial a respeito, embora tudo não pasasse de especulação.

Usando o Twitter Halo Waypoint a 343 Industries, a nova divisão da Microsoft, deu a seguinte declaração: “Para constar, a Gearbox não está trabalhando em um Halo para a Microsoft”. Isso encerrar todos as especulações e rumores.

“Estamos focando nossos esforços em Halo 3: ODST, Halo Legends [o anime da série] e Halo: Reach, assim como nosso novo destino na Xbox Live chamado Halo Waypoint“, disse a Microsoft.

O chefão da Gearbox, Randy Pitchford, falou sobre Borderlands durante uns cinco minutos, então alguém perguntou sobre os rumores de Halo 4 e a reação de Pitchford foi mais do que motivo para preocupar todo o departamento de relações públicas.

A conversa sobre Borderlands estava bem interessante, então veio a pergunta – “Oh, nós quase esquecemos! Vocês estão fazendo algum Halo para a Microsoft?”

Pitchford tenta forçar uma risada, e nós ouvimos seus assistentes das relações públicas cochichando algo no background, enquanto Pitchford leva a conversa de volta à Borderlands, e então menciona Aliens: Colonial Marines, o que soou como uma forma de evitar o assunto Halo à todo custo. Mas ainda não acabou.

“Não é segredo que nós estamos desenvolvendo outros jogos,” Pitchford disse.

“E algum destes é Halo 4?” pergunta o curioso.

“Haha! Nós não vamos falar sobre isso,” Pitchford responde, e parece que alguém quer que a discussão termine por ali mesmo.

Isso tudo que você acaba de ler não confirma nada. Mas não nega também, o que nos faz pensar um pouco sobre os fatos.

[Direto do HardCore Gaming]

Hace ya unos meses llegó el rumor en el que Gearbox, productora de Brother in Arms o Borderlands, podría haber firmado su participación en una nueva entrega numerada de Halo con Microsoft. Aunque la compañía sigue intentando no hablar del tema.

La última gran evasión se produjo en una entrevista para Eurogamer donde el desarrollador Randy Pitchford declaró: “No voy a decir absolutamente nada sobre esa cuestión. No podemos hablar del tema”. Esa última frase deja una gran duda sobre si el rumor tiene algo de cierto, ya que se afirma que no pueden hablar de eso, por lo que se puede entre ver que deben saber algo que no pueden decir.

Al parecer deberemos esperar para obtener algún nuevo detalle hasta después del lanzamiento de Borderlands.

Essa é uma daquelas notícias que geram toneladas de teorias. Olhem o que aconteceu.

O chefão da Gearbox, Randy Pitchford, falou sobre Borderlands durante uns cinco minutos, então alguém perguntou sobre os rumores de Halo 4 e a reação de Pitchford foi mais do que motivo para preocupar todo o departamento de relações públicas.

A conversa sobre Borderlands estava bem interessante, então veio a pergunta – “Oh, nós quase esquecemos! Vocês estão fazendo algum Halo para a Microsoft?”

Pitchford tenta forçar uma risada, e nós ouvimos seus assistentes das relações públicas cochichando algo no background, enquanto Pitchford leva a conversa de volta à Borderlands, e então menciona Aliens: Colonial Marines, o que soou como uma forma de evitar o assunto Halo à todo custo. Mas ainda não acabou.

“Não é segredo que nós estamos desenvolvendo outros jogos,” Pitchford disse.

“E algum destes é Halo 4?” pergunta o curioso.

“Haha! Nós não vamos falar sobre isso,” Pitchford responde, e parece que alguém quer que a discussão termine por ali mesmo.

Isso tudo que você acaba de ler não confirma nada. Mas não nega também, o que nos faz pensar um pouco sobre os fatos.

Para não dizermos que essa notícia foi apenas um grande rumor, fiquem com este vídeo do gameplay de Borderlands que não apareceu por aqui.

Nos velhos tempos vocês assistiriam ao vídeo no nosso player, mas estamos de mudança. Motivo? Isso é assunto pra outro dia.

No pude evitar compartirlo, simplemente no esperaba esa respuesta

So, first of the big three was the giant Microsoft. Coming into this, they had been pretty tight lipped. All we had were a few pieces of hype, like revolutionising and such.

What they delivered was by no means something to scoff at, it was a pretty good line-up. Besides showing off some Final Fantasy XIII (not much of interest, some stuff from the PS3 demo with some new footage as well). Soon things shifted into gear when Epic revealed a Metroidvania-esque game coming to XBLA, and it looked pretty awesome actually. This is the sort of shit Nintendo needs to do with Metroid, and the fact that they won’t do it annoys me to no end. So, one can see things started off pretty interesting.

Crackdown 2 also got a bit of a look, but I never really looked into the first one so seeing this was kind of moot to me. However, Splinter Cell – Conviction was a different matter on the other hand. It has changed a lot from its first appearance, but I’ll stick to Metal Gear Solid…. speaking of which…

However, sadly, things took a turn for the boring when they dragged out Halo: ODST. No matter what anyone says, it still looks like another game bearing the Halo label. I will confess, it is looking very pretty. And visually the game did make my draw drop a bit. Announced its date for September, pretty cool for XBox owners really. However, credibility I held for Bungie slipped when they announced Halo: Reach. A new Halo title apparently, it drops next year and ODST will come with a beta code. I hereby predict that Halo: Reach will contain a beta code for Halo 4. Or for increased irony Crackdown 2 will contain a beta code for Halo 4. One of the two.

…Oh yeah, Kojima. He rocked up, revealed Metal Gear Solid: Rising, featuring the label Lightening Bolt Action. Where to start, contrary to original beliefs this game is also being developed for PS3 apparently. And it will star Raiden, not involving Solid Snake (unless he is in flashbacks or something, still possible) and apart from that we can’t tell much. I’m expecting more of a reveal from Sony’s conference. As expected, no MGS4 for 360 though. And really that’s the main thing. This was a pretty big revelation nonetheless, because Kojima’s teaser had been uber hyping some sort of reveal for a long time. I don’t like how cocky this will make Microsoft though, they are going to get a lot more annoying to listten to now.

After dealing with some Sony stuff, Microsoft next moved to take on the competition leader, Nintendo. Revealing Project Natal, which I think looks quite a bit silly. Interesting, but silly. In my opinion, seems a bit like a glorified EyeToy. Obviously not a complete rip-off, but it is definitely reminding me of that a lot. I don’t like this “YOU ARE THE CONTROLLER” talk either, I’m a human being… not an inanimate object! Also seem to be getting rid of the need for friends by allowing you to stream movies to a virtual cinema where you and your Avatar buddies can watch and react like emotes (instead of going to the movies) and some weird AI-like feature. XBox 360, forget real life just use this.

They also revealed some stuff about streaming TV from Sky, but that was of not much interest to me. Because my TV is used for TV. Or my internet. I don’t need a console for it.

What? WHAT?! E3 is only a few weeks away. Holy fishsticks!! So soon after the disappointment of last year? It doesn’t feel so long ago we were gearing up for E308. And oh boy!! The flames that baby went down it were almost horrific. Seriously, nothing really sticks to my mind beyond disappointment. So one would advise severe caution to anyone who is holding a remote piece of interest in E3 this year. Sure, they back at the Convention Centre and seems like the companies may reveal some big guns, but don’t hope too much as there is every chance this will just simply not touch upon former E3 conferences. Sad but true fact as well. The E3 many of us grew up with may be dead and buried. And in its place, this imitation demands our attention. So beyond this, what can we actually expect from the big 3 as we all cautiously brace ourselves for the worst?

Nintendo

What to expect – Though the Big N has really found itself on my bad side lately I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here because surely they have learned something after the horror of last years conference. So begrudging feelings aside, there is plenty that Nintendo could show if they actually deemed it necessary. Last we heard the Mario AND Zelda teams were working away on something. Now, we have seen Zelda: Spirit Tracks but really… where’s our next home console Zelda? Surely this year or next we should be getting close to a teaser… something… anything to keep fans going! Mario team could be making any number of things, New Super Mario Bros. 2? Mario Galaxy 2? New Paper Mario? Mario Sports title? Who knows really. I am hoping for NSMB2 because the first was brilliant. But I wouldn’t complain about Galaxy 2, just feels a bit soon. But the way I see it, the Wii needs some serious saving. So far HVS seem to be the beacon of hope, and just the other day announced Gladiator AD, but I am not yet interested in that.

I can only assume Matt may jump back on his “Kid Icarus is coming” train, but I find it hard to jump on just yet. Actually, I would love to hear from Retro Studio are up to, small chance that they show something off, but not impossible. One thing we have a high chance of seeing is possible some DSi stuff, most likely some DSi enhanced game announcements (bank on something with Pokemon in the title), its like IGN AU said, if any franchise sells… it is Pokemon. We may hear something about a new Wii channel or so, but don’t hold your breath.  Channels have gone quiet later, so one must assume that if Nintendo has something planned. But I’m expecting some extra selling points for the DSi to be revealed and maybe a speck or two of interesting software to make the Wii purchase-worthy. Heaven knows when they’ll do that. I’d like some sort of talk of Metroid to, but I won’t get my hopes up.

Sony

What to expect - These guys have some recovering to do, same as they do every year, but not because they lack quality. Because by God, I own a PS3 and it is currently my most played platform. Enough great games already to keep me going as well as future promise. But its lacklustre performance in sales ensures they still have a lot of fighting to do. For the most part they need to get some more great exclusives. Unchartered 2 should be a big hit at E3 I assume, maybe MAG as well. PSP successor is very likely, there has been so much buzz around the concept of a PSP2 that it is entirely possible they could let it out of the bag at E3. If there’s a stage to do that, it’ll be this one. Something that should get some major floor time would logically be God of War 3, the series thus far has been a high scoring one generally receiving favorable feedback… so why not feature the third installment? I am quite personally looking forward to it a lot! Kratos is itching for some more attention, and I see E3 as the place to see it. Of course, Sony could prove me wrong and ignore this upcoming title. Another point of interest is that Team ICO’s latest trailer for its latest game was released, so the gaming world is in a buzz hoping for more (they of course made Shadow of Colossus and ICO) so here’s hoping we see more of it!!

Something that everyone on the face of the planet who has an interest in the PS3 but doesn’t have one yet (this includes publishers as well) is after is a PRICE DROP. So will it happen? Well, Sony had a pretty good year in 2008, and why not follow up the next year with a price drop? I’m in no way saying its going to happen, because people saying so have been burned in the past by the usual, “It isn’t happening.” But really, if its coming then it must be coming soon. I will hope and pray that Square Enix will show off something for PS3 that is an RPG, because fora Japanese company they sure aren’t giving the PS3 much love. I’d like some Versus XIII footage and maybe the revelation of Kingdom Hearts 3? I can dream, damn it!! I don’t think we’ll see a PS3 redesign… I don’t think Sony will be feeling confident enough in their position in the console race to redesign their console.

Microsoft

What to expect – I don’t really follow Microsoft, nor do I really know what to expect from this year. I have noticed they have been pretty tightly sealed in terms of announcements so really they could have any number of things to say. Let’s face it, their biggest announcement last year was poaching Final Fantasy XIII’s exclusivity in the Western world so it would see release on both consoles (and as a result delay the Western release of FF-XIII on PS3 as well, good work!!). Speaking of poaching exclusives, it sounds like everyone is gearing up for the announcement of Metal Gear Solid 4 coming to XBox 360. Now, forgive me if I’ve missed something, but when exactly did this become fact? We know Kojima is teasing a new game, could be anything at this point but people seem focused on MGS4 to 360. Personally, I’ve finished the game upwards of ten times so I’m beyond caring at this point. The part that puzzles me is the stuff they’d have to edit out. Snake uses a PS3 control to control Metal Gear Mk. II, there is a PS3 in some sections, they reference Bluray and PS3… it just seems like a lot of trouble to go through. If anything, the next Metal Gear may be multiplat. But by that point, the franchise may be in risk of being ruined. I’ll rant more about this at a later date.

Apart from that, there are a few possibilities, pump some more use into the new XBox avatar system and the such (the failure of Scene-It burns, a competitor for Buzz might not hurt) and XBox Experience could get some enhancements. Something I personally think could come up is a new game by Rare, its hard to tell what though. Perfect Dark: Zero and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts ‘n’ Bolts have both failed. So will they start a new IP or try again with an old one? Impossible to tell really, but maybe they’ll try with Conker. He seems to be looked over a fair bit, but there is potential in bringing back this IP. The pop culture spoof he brings with him could go over well. I will put money on something Halo being shown. Halo = Microsoft, so they’ll show something. Definitely some Halo ODST but maybe something else? Halo 4? Halo Wars 2? Halo Party? I very much doubt Gears of War 3, but who knows what Epic could have up their sleeves.

——————————————————

So like the title suggests, these were just some not so coherent ramblings of what I think E3 could have, but I am not going to get my hopes up. Between now and then I may cover a few companies in individual blog posts. And if I have the time, I’d love to cover individual companies WHILE E3 is taking place. I’m no game journo though, so that could be too much of an undertaking.

I foresee a Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft E3 write-up, and finally a Third Party one which will discuss interesting things bought to the table by the likes of  Square-Enix, Konami, Capcom, Bethesda, Rockstar etc. Either way, E3 is getting closer with every day.

Let’s hope it does not disappoint.

PRE-3

April of 2009 marked what could become a trend for Sony over the course of the year.  The Playstation 3, Sony’s flagship gaming console that boasts a Blu-Ray DVD player and impressive hardware, dropped to the number six spot in sales behind the PS2 and the Xbox 360.  Nintendo brought up the lead with it’s DS and Wii platforms, with Sony’s PSP taking 3rd place.  The drop in sales is a big hit considering the economic standing, and if Sony continues to see radical declines in sales such as this, they’ll be forced to offer a big price drop which may or may not solve their short-term woes.  But the reigns have been tightening for all gaming companies lately, as game and console sales have dropped around 15% compared to this time last year.

Microsoft Game Studios is currently looking for an animation director to work with a team that previously worked on past Halo projects.  Speculation at this point seems to hint at a Halo 4 title being released by MGS instead of Bungie Studios.  This would make a LOT of sense because Microsoft bought the rights to Halo from Bungie.  While Bungie is releasing Halo 3: ODST this fall, the game is only a small filler for the story on earth from the perspective of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper and has nothing to add to Halo 3’s actual storyline…so it basically is Halo 2 with the Halo 3 engine.  Make sense?  It is expected that if there is a Halo 4 title in the works, it’d be announced sometimes late this year.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is among us yet again.  In early June 2009, game industry admins and press alike will come together to witness the upcoming lineup from major publishers like Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, Electronic Arts, etc.  According to a Twitter update from a well known press guru, Microsoft is said to have a killer lineup for E3 to blow Xbox 360 owners away.  It would appear to be the best time to bring great news, as game sales are on the lacking side of things lately.  Furthermore, establishing a strong future helps undecided console owners to pick one console over the other if there’s plenty of great content on the way.  There is a rumor that Metal Gear Solid 4 will find its way on to the Xbox 360.   This wouldn’t be a total surprise since this news was rumored last year, but never found confirmation and thus died out.  Perhaps E3 is where MGS4 for the Xbox 360 will make itself known.

Neversoft and Activision’s Guitar Hero 5 saw its first screenshots released very recently.  There was also mention of new bands being introduced.  Kings of Leon, Santana, The Rolling Stones, and The White Stripes are a few worthy of mention.

Following IGN’s predictions, I thought I’d approach the ball to ask some more probing questions… Here are its, very interesting responses:

• Will we get some more information on the next downloadable episode for GTA IV? … Most Likely.
• Will we get a new Burnout game announcement? … Very Doubtful.
• Will we see gameplay of Modern Warfare 2? … Ask again later.
• Will we finally get clarification of what Modern Warfare 2’s name actually is? … Most Likely.
• Will we get a beta announcement of Modern Warfare 2? … Most Likely.

To see more answers from the 8-ball, including whether or not we’ll get Halo 4, GTA for Wii and a new Rainbow Six, click below!

• Will we see more colour options for Nintendo Wii? … Most Likely.
• Will we get Grand Theft Auto for Wii announced? … Outlook good.
• Will we get a New Rainbow Six announced? … Outlook good.
• Will Microsoft and Bungie announce a beta for Halo: ODST? … Very doubtful.
• Will Bungie show off their first multi-platform game since their split from Microsoft? … My reply is no.

• Will we see a teaser trailer for Halo 4 at the end of the Microsoft event? … Without a doubt.
• Will Microsoft announce Xbox 360 video rentals for UK? … My reply is no.
• Will we see a new Project Gotham Racing title? … Outlook not so good.
• Will we see gameplay of Assassin’s Creed 2? … Signs point to yes.
• Will we see gameplay of Splinter Cell: Conviction? … Don’t count on it.

• Will we get an announcement of Lips 2, possibly with on stage performance and demo? … Don’t count on it.
• Will Microsoft show off some new features for NXE? … As I see it, yes.
• Will Microsoft and Rare unveil a new Perfect Dark title? … Most Likely.
• Will Microsoft announce Crackdown 2? … My sources say no.
• Will Microsoft announce a Blu-Ray equipped Xbox 360 accessory? … Outlook good.

• Will someone at E3 drop an insanely large bombshell of an announcement? … Signs point to yes.
• Will Microsoft’s show be truly transformational? … My sources say no.
• Are these answers truthful? … Better not tell you now.

So expect Halo 4, new Perfect Dark, a Blu-ray Xbox 360 accessory and possibly, umm, none of the above… Nice!

Is Microsoft planning to make a mobile form of Halo? On careerbuilder.com, Microsoft posted the following job description that very clearly implies the future of the Halo series.

“We’re looking to blend console, web, and mobile to create an immersive Halo world that follows the dedicated Halo fan wherever they go,” the job listing the continues. “As an engineer on this team, your responsibility will be to deliver a great out-of-game interactive experience that takes the next step beyond the systems found in Halo 3.”

Does this mean that we will have a MMORPG Halo game or simply a smaller version of a Halo? There are very limited oppertunities for a mobile phone, would this mean we could expect to see a Runescape style RPG game that is compatible with a console and computer? Your guess is as good as mine. Wait for the summers E3 Live and we’ll probably hear more about this.

Che cosa? Un gioco di Halo senza la possibilità di sparare come pazzi e saltare come cavallette? Ma è pura eresia! Può darsi…ma è anche una gran figata…Molti di voi non lo sapranno, ma Halo, l’fps per antonomasia su console, originariamente era stato concepito come Strategico in Tempo Reale (RTS). L’idea che uno gioco di strategia non potesse piacere ad un pubblico “action oriented” come quello delle console, convinse i Bungie di puntare sul più fruibile genere degli “sparatutto in prima persona”. Ma l’idea originale doveva essere comunque valida, se, a distanza di anni, gli Esemble (non più i Bungie), l’hanno concretizzata in questo Halo Wars. A dir la verità, quando venne annunciato nell’ormai lontano 2006 (come passa il tempo…), i commenti che emersero sulla rete non furono tra più entusiastici: “Ma come un rts? Ma se hanno sempre fatto pena su console…”; “Un modo stupido di sprecare tempo e denaro”; “Qualcuno è sicuramente a corto di idee, a quando l’Halo Tennis?”; etc. etc.

Tra scetticismi e ironie più o meno sottili, il gioco, però, continuò ad essere sviluppato quasi segretamente fino alla sua uscita avvenuta worldwide tra il Febbraio e il Marzo 2009.  Nonostante le persistenti polemiche riguardanti l’opportunità di aver contrapposto uno strategico in tempo reale allo sparatutto Killzone2, la Killer Application per PS3 più attesa di sempre, una cosa è certa: ancora una volta Halo ha centrato l’obiettivo.

Un grande “RTS” Per console

Come detto, Halo Wars è un RTS (Real Time Strategy) pensato e realizzato esclusivamente per console. Non è quindi una mera conversione da PC. E si vede…per fortuna. Il gioco offre la possibilità di guidare lo schieramento  terrestre (gli UNSC) nella modalità Campagna e di scegliere se impersonare quest’ultimi o gli alieni avversari (i Covenant) nelle modalità Schermaglia e in quella Multiplayer Online.

Le unità Aliene possono essere controllate da 3 leader che sono rispettivamente:

1. L’Arbiter
2. Il Comandante Brute
3. Il Profeta del Rimorso

Ogni leader permette allo schieramento di utilizzare alcuni potenziamenti e mezzi esclusivi.

Lo stesso discorso vale per lo schieramento terrestre, che offre la possibilità di selezionare 3 leader:

1. Il Capitano Cutter
2. Il Sergente Forge
3. La Professoressa Anders

La Campagna

Halo Wars permette di giocare una modalità “Campagna” formata da 15 missioni, ognuna delle quali è caratterizzata da compiti ed obiettivi incredibilmente differenti e vari: si va dalle missioni di scorta a quelle di difesa, di attacco di specifici target etc. il tutto accompagnato da una trama lineare, ma estremamente coinvolgente, grazie anche a filmati di intermezzo di altissima qualità artistica (rivisionabili in un’apposita sezione “theatre”). Ogni quadro/mappa offre anche la possibilità di trovare i teschi (vecchia conoscenza dei fan di Halo) e le “scatole nere”, oggetti che permetteranno di sbloccare la timeline dell’”Haloverse” presente nel menu principale. Alla fine della fiera 15 missioni non sono moltissime (si parla di circa 9-10 ore di gameplay), tanto che consiglio gli appassionati di RTS di iniziare in modalità “Eroica”. Il gioco è, però, talmente coinvolgente che non deluderà sicuramente i fan di Halo e della fantascienza in generale. Ad allungare , poi , in maniera esponenziale la longevità, la possibilità di affrontare la campagna in modaltà cooperativa, la modalità Schermaglia, nonchè il multiplayer online con partite fino a 3Vs 3.

Il Gameplay

Non è un evento comune imbattersi in un buon strategico per console, anzi fortunato chi ne ha trovato uno…E proprio per questo Halo Wars è così speciale: setta praticamente lo standard del genere su console. Davvero un risultato encomiabile visto le scetticismo dilagante. I comandi potrebbero risultare troppo semplicistici per un veterano degli strategici su PC, ma risiede proprio lì la forza del titolo Esemble: nell’aver reso possibile tutta la complessità e la profondità di uno strategico in tempo reale, senza “incasinare” il joypad con tecnicismi astrusi (Es: premi il tasto X+A+LB per spostare a sinistra le truppe di terra, X+B+LB per spostare a sinistra i carri armati). In Halo Wars è tutto semplice, tutto chiaro, tutto immediato e tutto dannatamente divertente.

Grafica e Sonoro

La grafica è davvero buona. Nonostante le piccole dimensioni, ogni singolo eroe o truppa ha il suo modo originale di stare in battaglia e le proprie animazioni esclusive. Le esplosioni sono spettacolari e gli effetti di luce di ottimo livello. Unica pecca: c’è una sensibile discrepanza cromatica tra le “cutscene” in CGI e la grafica dell’engine. Mi spiego meglio. Mentre i filmati sono estremamente realistici anche nell’uso dei colori, il gioco, invece, risulta un po’ troppo “acceso”, un po’ troppo “cartone animato”. Questa differenza può dare un leggero fastidio all’inizio di ogni livello, ma rimane assolutamente un difetto trascurabile. Il sonoro è a dir poco strepitoso. Riesce addirittura ad evolvere in meglio i temi musicali della mitica trilogia Bungie. Semplicemente da Oscar, così come il doppiaggio in italiano.

Verdetto finale

C’è poco da dire, Halo Wars è una delle migliori uscite per 360 degli ultimi tempi. Se siete fan di Halo dovete comprarlo immediatamente, magari pure in versione Limited: i filmati di intermezzo, la musica coinvolgono davvero ai massimi livelli ogni appassionato di Master Chief degno di questo nome. Se siete invece dei fan del genere RTS su PC, allora dategli almeno una chance. Selezionando i livelli di difficoltà più alti, il gioco offre una sfida più che soddisfacente, mentre il multiplayer online sta già regalando ore di battaglie epiche a migliaia di giocatori. Il gioco, ovviamente, non è esente da difetti: le missioni sono forse troppo poche, sarebbe stata gradita la possibilità di utilizzare i Covenant durante la Campagna e i Flood in multiplayer…ma c’è sempre tempo per il seguito, o magari per i DLC che sono già stati promessi da Microsoft e da Robot Entertaiment, la software house nata dalle ceneri degli Esemble.

Voto Finale: 9

Beniamino Manfredi “Dick Dastardly” Miconi

Pare che la concorrenza (Killzone 2) stimoli l’ingegno, se è vero che i “MS Game Studios” hanno da poco pubblicato la richiesta di lavoro per un Lead Designer, alcuni Executive Producer, una manciata di Technical Art Directors e altre interessanti mansioni per (testuali parole) “to contribute to a new experience in the Halo universe“. Questo è almeno quanto ci riporta il sito www.Gamasutra.com nella bacheca del “cerca lavoro”. Ovviamente le speculazioni che si possono fare sono infinite. Si tratta forse del pluriannunciato a mai svelato “Halo Chronicles“? Mah possibile…sinceramente ho qualche dubbio e credo che il posto che avrebbe dovuto avere HC lo abbia preso Halo 3 : ODST. Rimane comunque da chiarire che cosa intendano per “nuova esperienza” e “nuova visione” (parole presenti negli altri bandi) di Halo.

• Potrebbe trattarsi certamente di un altro spin-off  che esperimenta nuovi generi: un simulatore spaziale ambientato nel mondo di Halo? Un racing game? Un party-game? No grazie, ne farei ben volentieri a meno. L’unica ipotesi accettabile: un action game in terza persona. Ma alla condizione che sia fatto bene.
  
• Non sarà per caso un RPG Online? I classici MMORPG alla FFXI per intenderci? Sappiamo che alla Esemble stavano già lavorando a qualcosa di simile…Anche questa ipotesi, non è tra le mie preferite. Halo diventerebbe davvero troppo inflazionato e un eventuale flop segnerebbe la fine del franchise.
• Magari un RPG sullo stile di Mass Effect ambientato nell’Universo di Halo? Questa idea inzia a convincere di più. Se fosse mantenuta la formula ibrida di Mass Effect FPS/RPG, magari con una interazione maggiore con i mezzi, potrebbe trattarsi del gioco definitivo di Halo.
• Infine c’è anche una ultima ipotesi: si sta cercando di dare un look diverso, più maturo e realistco ai prossimi capitoli della saga. Ci aspetta quindi un nuovo Halo (sia esso il Chronicles che il “4“)  meno “cartoonoso” e più simile agli intermezzi in CGI di Halo Wars?
  

Come nella stragrande maggioranza dei casi “chi vivrà vedrà”, ma, stando alle ultime notizie, al prossimo E32009 è probabile che non vedremo soltanto gli ODST in azione…

Halo 3

Platform: X-Box 360

ESRB: Mature

Everyone just loves saying that Halo 3 is the best graphics they’ve ever seen, I want to tell you people that the game was made in 1152 x 640 resolution and NOT 1280 x 720 resolution like most other games, which means its not high definition (to an extent). The story is alot better than the previous two Halos, unlike the non-ending that was Halo 2. The combat is solid, they added more weapons. But, for some reason the game makes me feel empty inside, hungering for more. And Hell no I don’t mean for Halo Wars (idiots). Most likely Microsoft is going to have Halo 4 when they eventually come out with another system.Point is that Halo 3 is a solid game, and could had changed a little bit, but that little bit was what had made Halo 3 fun.
MY SCORE: 92%-GOOD BUT NEEDS WORK

So apparently the SMG in Halo Wars is going to be a lot more powerful than the weak, seldom used one we are used to in the Halo series. I was happy when it was taken out of the default weapon in Halo 3. It’s worthless and makes it even harder to gain a step on those small maps when the other team has all the powerful weapons. SMGs made it impossible to overcome this.

It’s also getting an appearance change. If the images I have seen around the net are true, it looks pretty intense. Granted, Halo Wars in general will be a bad game, I like the additions they are making to the game. Hopefully, this carries over to a potential, Halo 4.

Top 15 Most Wanted Game Announcements for 2009

by Shadow Wave:

©2009 Ben Cadwallder:

So it’s 2009 and we are already getting excited and hyped over the many anticipated games of 2009 such as Killzone 2, Resident Evil 5,  Halo Wars and more… but what about 2010 and 2011? What about the announcements that we are craving to satisfy our deepest desires and give us that ‘one game’ we really want?

At OXCGN we have listed our top 15 games that we hope are announced this year on all platforms.

15. Black 2

Criterion are renowned for their racing games, and when they stepped away from that genre and into the FPS arena, many gamers were a little sceptical of how the game would turn out. It appeared on the 1st-Gen Xbox toward the end of its cycle, and literally just before the Xbox 360 hit the stands.

Black had many features in the game that are only appearing now in This-Gen games, like destructible environments, interactive environments, persistant damage modeling, advanced AI, plus a solid storyline. However, it was panned for two main reasons: it was too short and people were unable to see the whole story as part of a trilogy, thereby dismissing the ending as poor and “silly”. In fact, if you follow it, the ending actually sets the player up for their next game.

News has come that Criterion could well be hard at work on the following iteration, but there have also been denials. If they are, they could well be on a sure fired winner, especially given their use of “This-Gen” technology. If you haven’t yet sampled Black, then grab it off XboxLIVE Xbox Original Downloads.

14. Thief 4

There have been rumours of this game being made, but now with Eidos in trouble, this might mean the end for the sneaky medieval thief and the conspiracies he gets involved in.  We sure hope not, because the highly rated Thief 3: Deadly Shadows was a game that all too many Xbox gamers missed out on and even the fact that it is backwards compatible and you can still play it on the 360 doesn’t mean a fourth game isn’t called for.

The power of current gen consoles and PCs means that the dark medieval atmosphere and exploration of the stunning and varied environments would be that much more amazingly realised now. Add to that the fact that the story-driven assassination, thievery and stealth gameplay has been largely missing on modern consoles the last couple years except for MGS4 (if you actually chose to use stealth instead of playing the game like a shooter) and you have another reason for this game being officially announced and hopefully brilliantly made.

13:  Crysis for consoles

The PC graphical power house Crysis is a love or hate game, but leading up to Crysis’ release date every second forum thread was about if Crysis was coming to consoles.  Most console gamers have dreamt about Crysis appearing on their big screen HDTV’s. One must admit it would be great if the game could be optimised even further for consoles so that everyone can be involved in the amazing Crysis universe.

Crytek, developers of Crysis have been quoted re comments that they are working on “a title’ for the consoles, but no name of the title or information has been forthcoming to date.

12: Braid 2

Braid is still fresh in our minds and was one of the most influential and unique games of 2008. Its unique puzzles and side scrolling platforming showed that the genre was not dead and with a hint of creativity something beautiful can come out of it.

We hope that the developer can overcome his issues with the Xbox Live service to be able to create a sequel. But we also don’t want Braid to become stale with countless sequels.

11: Assassins Creed 2

The original Assassins Creed game ended at the completely wrong spot and gave us one of those ‘lovely’ Halo 2 style cliff-hanger endings, which left players with so many possibilities and ideas it was almost too much take in. However, due to the commercial success of the game, we do trust that Ubisoft is still planning to create a sequel and continue on the planned trilogy.

Ideally this would mean fixing all the problems associated with the original (like the repetitive missions) and continue the complex story of Desmond and his ancestors. We are hoping that Assassins Creed 2 gives us exactly what we wanted from the original title and more.

10: Halo 4

“Finish The Fight…” – Well if you are one of the many gamers that have beaten Bungie’s Halo 3 in hardest Legendary difficulty, you might be thinking that maybe… just maybe that Master Chief’s fight is actually nowhere near over.

So we are hoping that Microsoft and Bungie have gathered together once more, and perhaps finally, and will provide us with just one more Halo title with Master Chief to make the hearts of many Xbox 360 owners flutter. Perhaps there could be a little trailer at the end of Halo: ODST? But we won’t get our hopes up.

9: The Elder Scrolls 5

It’s been a few years since Oblivion IV was released. And we can’t wait for the next installment of the free roaming franchise!  Fallout 3 has given us a taste of the advancements made in the Oblivion engine and we hope that when Elder Scrolls 5 is released it will give us the most realistic and engaging world Bethesda has ever made.  And we have no doubt that their next game will be bigger, more immersive and give us a thrilling main story once again!

8: Jak 4

There is no doubt that the Jak and Daxter games are one of the flagship series on the Playstation 2 console.  Unfortunately the Jak series is still absent on the Playstation 3, and we hope that Naughty Dog will bring the series back in high definition glory as soon as possible, and hopefully it can carry over the series’ humour and characters seamlessly onto the Playstation 3 so that children and adults can both enjoy the beautiful work of the Jak and Daxter series.

7: Banjo Kazooie 3

We hope RARE learnt a lesson after the mildly unsuccessful release of Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. The fans want a true sequel for the bear and bird where if you hold the left Trigger and press A you will do a higher jump thanks to the help of Kazooie, not just some Lego-like car-making and driving in the Banjo universe.

RARE already proved that they can succeed with platform games when they released Kameo as an Xbox 360 launch title. We want to unlock new platforming moves as we progress, we want to be able to fire eggs again and we want another insanely frustrating final boss! Please RARE give us a true sequel soon!

6: The Legend of Zelda

It’s long past due for Nintendo to announce the next Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo Wii (or WiiHD?). Twilight Princess did not become the next Ocarina of Time as some thought it might be, so we are all anxious to see what Shigeru Miyamoto and the Zelda team can come up with to revolutionise the Zelda franchise.

Shigeru has stated that he will continue making Zelda games until one finally kicks Ocarina of Time off  the pedestal.  We are not sure this can be done. But the good news is that we can hopefully expect a new Zelda announcement sometime soon, where Link will end up saving the day again!

5: Conkers Bad Fur Day 2

Conkers Bad Fur day was RARE’s final Nintendo 64 title where they introduced the mature platforming title: Conkers Bad Fur Day and it was brilliant! It was full of mature jokes, violence and was just a hilarious and fun game to play drunk or sober.

It was a game that has remained in our memories and I find is always one of the first games that is talked about when you mention the Nintendo 64 to friends or colleagues.  The last we saw of Conker in a new adventure was in a short trailer that was shown back when Microsoft acquired RARE, but sadly Conkers Bad Fur Day 2 has not seen the light of day as of yet, but we hope it does very soon!

4: Half-life 2: Episode 3

Valve has been a bit slow getting their episodic expansions for Half-life 2 out, but they have proved that these episodes have had the same rigorous effort put into their production, as the original game did.

Episode 2 gave us the definitive Half-life experience by taking out everything that was annoying in the previous games, and just leaving us with the good stuff. We hope that Episode 3 will continue the trend and give us the final chapter in the Half-life 2 story before Valve continues onto Half-life 3.

Valve has barely said a whisper about Episode 3, except for an abstract drawing of what seemed to Gordon Freeman in the distance holding his trusty crowbar. Hopefully Episode 3 will be announced within the next year.

3: Monkey Island 5

It has been a long time since Lucas Arts have given us new installment in the Monkey Island series and we hope that one day soon, Guybrush Threepwood and his wacky and humorous pirate adventures will be back onto our televisions and computer screens.

The Monkey Island series was one of the definitive point and click adventure games for the PC, before the final game moved onto the Playstation 2 and PC with an altered control scheme and full 3D graphics to boot. Unfortunately due to Lucas Arts laying off lots of employees recently, this hopeful dream could be staying a dream for quite a while longer.

2: The Longest Journey 3

The adventures of April Ryan and Zoe Castillo’s journey between worlds ended suddenly and unexpectedly in the most recent game of the series, Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, and since then we have been waiting to find out what the bloody hell happened at the end!

Sadly the developer Funcom is quite busy with their recent MMO Age of Conan.  They have only very briefly mentioned that the third game might be released in episodes, rather than a large full game. But all that matters is that we get the game as soon as possible. The complexities of the Longest Journey need to be revealed!

1: Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Square-Enix! Come on!!! Do it! Do it! Do it!  Ever since Square-Enix demoed the intro cinematic sequence of Final Fantasy 7 remade as a technical demo for the Playstation 3. Fans have been dreaming about when Square will finally give what almost every RPG fan wants… And we want it now.

Soon chaos will break out across society; the craving is so strong for the remake. We want to be able to interact with Cloud who doesn’t have blocky arms and legs and we don’t want to hold X to run!  Final Fantasy 7 is arguably the best game ever made and needs to be seen again for the next generation of people.

Fans want to experience the game in a whole new 3D dimension.   It is inevitable that Square-Enix will remake Final Fantasy 7 eventually. They have remade and/or ported all their previous titles up to Final Fantasy 6,so  it’s the next game on their list and we pray it happens soon!

• So there you have it, the top 15 games we want announced.

What titles would you like to see announced this year as being in production?  Leave a comment below.

©2009 Ben Cadwallder:

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