According to a Dutch site, PS3Vault, Guerilla Games, after announcing DLC for Killzone 2 a little before this announcement was made (around the 22nd June 2009), Killzone 3 is apparantly in development.
However, IGN, remain calm and on their site have put:
“NOTE: This game has not been officially confirmed for release. Please check back for official info. “
Since Killzone 2 was a flagship game for the (back then) newly born PS3, will KZ3 be developed for the PS3 Slim, or even a new PlayStation? It’s still all rumours, but who knows!
Please note this is still a rumour, this post will be edited as soon as official news is announced, for more information, have a listen to this weeks Ignition Podcast (27/06/09)
On June 28th 2008, finally, after 7 long years of waiting, Diablo fans had their sequel to Diablo 2. It’s been 1 year and 2 days (as of the first publish of this article) since Blizzard announced it, what’s happened since?
Well what we do know is that good old Deckard Cain (who feature in both Diablo and Diablo II) is still hanging on in there in II. And, from the screenshots and videos available to us, we can clearly see that the point-of-view the developers are trying to encorporate into D3 is thankfully a throwback to the isometric view so beautifully employed in D2. The game is still set in Sanctuary (the world where both D1 and D2 were set) so no need to worry about the possibility of new and awful worlds and lore.
However, what’s new and exciting in Diablo III is the use of Havok physics. Which means one thing, the holy grail for many gamers, destructable environments (demonstrated well in the video below). Replay ability is also set to be enhance in D3, with an apparant random level generator of sorts being employed into Blizzard’s latest installment. Since Blizzard also own the World of Warcraft franchise, it’s not surprising to hear that an inventory system similar to the ones vastly used in WoW in being implemented into D3. And like all good RPG’s, cut-scenes are being added to the ever growing list of new stuff in D3.
Two new classes (along with the good ol’ Barbarian) have been announced in the last 12 months, which gives us the Witch-Doctor and Wizard. The remaining two classes are to be announced, however Blizzard have announced they do not intend to bring back the much loved classes in D2 (necromancer etc.) in the initial release. Speculation still runs rife about the possibility of older classes returning in possible D3 expansion packs. The latest D3 news came to us on the 1st of April, 2009, the Archivist class was announced, however, if you’ve just noticed the date, you won’t be at all surprised when I tell you the Archivist is yet another example of Blizzard’s lack of humour.
However, not all of the news has been received so lightly by Diablo fans. When initial artwork was released, fans were not at all happy (so much so an online petition was created) with the visuals which were apparantly
“Cartoon’ish art direction, obviously influenced by the Warcraft universe, Diablo isn’t Warcraft.”
To which lead designer, Jay Wilson replied (and commented on the fact he thought gothic graphics are hard to attain):
“Though it looks really cool, it’s almost impossible to do in a 3D engine because you can’t have lighting that smart and run on systems that are reasonable. If we could do that, we probably would in a few of the dungeons. Now in terms of the actual texturing, this texturing, where they grayed out everything and it’s very flat and the monsters are all kind of a similar tone — that does not play well. It’s very boring to run through more than a couple of times, and it’s very difficult to tell creatures apart and pop them out of the environment. So those things don’t really work for us “
Current gameplay footage looks promising, with the visuals looking good compared to D1/D2. Personally, I love the Diablo series, it’s always been the bad boy of RPG’s, constantly unwilling to conform to the happy-go-lucky, bright and colourful visuals of most moder RPG’s, and constantly looking to add more gore to make it live up to its Hack and Slash name. If Diablo III continues to develop as it is doing, it will be a great game.
Updates will arrive as soon as I hear anything!
Videos:
Diablo III is set to be released for both the PC and Mac OS X, however a release date is still uncertain
Starcraft 2 is far more than a graphical upgrade, but are some steps a downgrade?
The original Starcraft became very popular for quite a few reasons, one of which was the LAN connectivity it gave. Many PC fans of the late 1990′s had many a good time taking all their Voodoo FX equipped computers to a friend who had a spare garage or something and hooking up over LAN, at a time where personal internet use was completely unreliable.
However, times have changed. The internet and the broadband revolution has led to a growth in internet usage unimagined in the time that the orginal vanilla version of Starcraft was created. But, whilst the game has changed and evolved, leading Blizzard to release it’s hotly anticipated sequal, it’s fans have not.
Which is why the news that LAN play is not going to be included, according to to a interview at incgamers could have an impact on an already split user base. Blizzard have said that LAN will be taken out because of an:
“is because of the planned technology to be incorporated into Battle.net,”
Now, there are some LAN systems which operate on a massive scale, but on a more social scale of things, LAN is something that could influence people’s decision on whether to move up to Starcraft 2, which of course, is already been affected by Blizzards tactics when releasing the new game. At the moment, there are going to be three versions of the game, released over a period of three years, with the Terran, then Zerg and then Protoss campaigns.
Now, whilst Blizzard’s production standards are usually very high, could one campaign (with hopefully all the races unlocked in the multiplayer mode) with no LAN play, really put off those people who have been committed to Starcraft 1 for over 9 years. We’ll soon find out.
Also, if you are interested in seeing a proper Starcraft 2 battle, you can watch their latest battle reprot (with awesome commentary as well), part 1 and part 2.
Celebrating reaching the top of the world video game charts,
As someone who looks quite closely at the new releases heading to all consoles great and small, you occasionally find an anomaly. I’ve got used to seeing some odd releases especially on the DS, but this one, based on the popular soap opera, is something else.
Whilst information is small on such a high profile release, with no sign of a teaser trailer (their marketing budget must of been spent on consumer research), I have found a few key details that get me “REALLY EXCITED” about this game.
Number 1, it’s being annouced for the DS. Which means I can get a good deal of screen stroking my favourite coronation street characters. I’m sure Peter Barlow’s in game character would take really kindly to me stroking his stubble, or a “Mechanic Minigame” where absolutely bugger all gets done except having relations with any female car driver in the back room.
And my Number 2 fact. It’s being classed as an adventure game,which could create such exciting scenarios such as
“…You have been found attempting to bury an elderly relative in the garden…
…enter command: Lie
…You cannot do that here…
…enter command: Kill…
…You were overpowered by the witness and arrested, the elderly relative was unscathed by the trauma…you will return in a later episode…”
Right that may of been a bit of “Zork” digression, but with such intricate and challenging storylines, soaps suit the drama and intensity of the style so well.
Number 3. It’s been made by Mindscape, who were previously part of “The Learning Company”, who once made a maths game that I thought was really quite awesome. 10 out of 10 review for the Corrie game soon.
The Coronation Game, following the 50th anniversary of the show, is due for release in the Q4 of this year on Nintendo DS….Along with a boardgame.
This is it: the first episode of Ignition, Game Engine’s brand new podcast. This week it features Matt, Josh, Ryan and Stevie discussing everything video games (and more).
We also have an archive of the live feed made during the recording of the episode, which can be found after the break.
Duration: 1:46:44
(DISCLAIMER: The views in this podcast are those of the individual who
said them, not the people who may have dabbled in the audio mix.)
(Apologies for the sound quality, we had some microphone issues)
Download (right click> Save As) Subscribe
Archived live feed from 27/06/09
Hello Everyone, as we record the podcast, we’re going to be operating a “Cover it Live” system. That will be regularly updated by the team as we record the podcast, uploading a few pictures as we go along. We hope to use this system for covering events in the future.
So, once we go live, you’re all welcome to join in the fun!
UPDATE: All seems to be working at the moment.
UPDATE 2: Podcast is over, check here for some behind the scenes photos
UPDATE 3: Due to commitments, the podcast won’t be online tonight, but will be done tomorrow morning, sorry about this!
<a href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=36566199f2″ >Ignition Podcast 27/06/09</a>
Splinter Cell was once regarded as one of the major titles on consoles, and it remains a major name to this day, Ubisoft clearly recognising the value of this Tom Clancy title they made the decision to delay last year’s release. Conviction should have been with us in 2008, but the publisher weren’t satisfied that the game lived up to the series’ envelope-pushing reputation – and so the decision was made to take the game firmly off the table whilst everything was rethinked and rebuilt up.
You may have seen some gameplay videos of Conviction from last year, well that version has been scrapped due to being too alike to Ubisofts other francise Assassins Creed.
Well.. Sam Fisher is back, and as you’ve probably guessed he’s gone some what off the rails in this latest adventure. The story of Conviction will follow on from Double Agent. Fisher’s daughter has been killed in what may or may not be an accident, Sam has been forced to shoot his boss and former friend and now he’s out for revenge, free from the constraints of the agency, and operating without rules.
Information on the game’s plot will play during loading screens, Ubisoft once again negating the need to remind players that they are simply playing a video game. The world of Conviction is very dense, packed with realistic details and interactivity options, and while much of the action will play out amid the political machinations of Washington DC, there will also be a segment set in Malta which our guide shows us. Compared to the dark streets of the capital, Malta is all light, bussling crowds, cafes and old European architecture. Speaking of light and dark, this will play an even more important part than in past Splinter Cell games.
The whole look of the game world will change based on your use of shadows, this visual indicator once again reducing the need for information delivered through text and numbers in the HUD. Likewise, the environment itself will remind you of your mission objectives – the words ‘infiltrate’ flicking along the side of one structure that will clearly play a big part in Sam’s story.
The visual cleverness doesn’t end there, either. During the intense and involved combat sequences, a ‘ghost’ of Sam will remind you of your last known position, allowing you to trick guards and other nasties you’ll be taking down in a variety of sometimes pretty violent ways. During larger fire-fights, you can also take a hostage to use as a human shield, and the soundtrack combines well with set-piece action to create a palpable sense of panic – Fisher (the perfect weapon) having literally gone insane in pursuit of the driver behind his daughter’s death.
Splinter Cell: Conviction is scheduled for release late 2009 exclusively on the Xbox 360.
Splinter Cell: Conviction E3:09 Extended Trailer
Your Thoughts?
ok so it looks like there is going to be a mass effect movie…. yep thats right a movie
ok so heres the thing are we a fan of games made into movies??
i mean the tomb raider films had a weak plot and if it wasnt for (the clothing of ) the main character i dont think i would havewatched them at all 
but others have been really bad so what do people think??
[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJMZE-8sO0c 425x344]
Story:
In CoD 4 the story is that you play as either the SAS or US marines, you are on a mission to save the world as a terrorist organisation lead by Al-Asad, who has publically executed the president of his country (somewhere in the middle east) and generally being a bad guy. There is a nuclear bomb threat and you must track down Zakiahev (Dont know how to spell it but it sounds like that) and stop him too cause he has stolen the nukes.
Anyway, my thoughts are that this storyline is one of the greatest so far in the call of duty series. It is a wonderful storyline, wonderfully told in the best cinematic way possible, seriously, ever second feels like you are part of an action movie with dramitic explosions, unfortunate twists and a great feeling all around. The only bad thing i could find, if i had to is that the story can get confusing in some places, but nothing a re-run through cant fix, i have played it so many times now .
Story score:9/10
Gameplay:
The gameplay is as i said, very dramatic and cinematic, you getting caught in explosions, falling from the sky in a helicopter, escaping from a sinking ship…every level has its own crazy thing that is just great fun to play. There are lots of weapons to have, and they are all modern technology, which is great.
There is a really awsome sniping mission, awsome assualt battles, but unfortunatly no vehicles :/ There are some really fun missions though, like taking a javalin missile launcher and sending rockets flying, a really fun mission when you are onboard a gunship giving support to ground troops, firing from a helicopter, there is just so much going on and its so hectic gameplay!
The game does a good job of making you care for you teammates, making you want to give them covering fire whilst they move up, or following them into a house full of enemies. One problem i do have, the game is very short, it only lasts around 4-5 hours on a normal difficulty. Also, there is an absence of co-op which really disapoints.
Score: 7/10
Multiplayer:
OK, so this is where (in my opinion) call of duty shines the most. The multiplayer is the best i have ever played on any game. It is super fun. There are some character customisation options, you can choose your weapons layout and any add-ons you want, like a silencer, or red dot sight. You also get the choice of some perks, which can help give you the advantage in certain points, like to be invisible on the map, or extra ammuntion.
Still there are no vehicles on this either which is a bummer, but you do get a nifty level up system, which lets you unlock weapons and perks as you progress, meaining it can keep you working to the next level for ages until you finally hit that end mark of level 55. The maps are fairly big, all have their own pathways to get to where you want, good sniping points and parts to suit every weapon.
New players to the online mode may find things a bit tricky as the game is realistic in giving players limited health, it doesnt take much to kill them, unlike in some games where you have to unload clip after clip of ammo until you kill the guy! The multiplayer is the best part for me and has supplied me with countless hours of entertainment 
Score: 9/10
Graphics:
This game is a gorgeous one, visuals are very impressive. Little to no framerate troubles. Each level has its own individual feel, the atmosphere in levels is excellently portraid through the visual landscapes. Guns are nicly detailed, character models are pretty sound as well. Animations run well and generally there are no complaints in the graphics department, i mean its not the best i’ve seen, and its not perfect, but it does the job nicely of adding to the atmosphere and feel of the levels.
Score: 7/10
Achievements:
The achievements here are not for achievement hunters, they actually require you to achieve something significant. You can get some for completing the missions and game, but the majority will come from completing things on veteran, or doing things like shooting a helicopter with a RPG and finding enemy intel etc.
After playing the game i have finished with 24/37, thats 490 points. I did have to try for a few of them, you cant get a lot with just one playthrough, it will require you do something specific that may be missed. But as i say, completing it all on the hardest difficulty, which is damn hard, will get you one half of points, while completing it normally and doing odd jobs will get you the other half, which is much easier.
Overall:
Overall, its a good solid game, a little short but mulitplayer more than makes up for it. Singleplayer has some good replayability as i have done it a few times, but it is very short anyway. Definatly worth a buy.
Overall: 9/10
Most people have heard of Square if you’ve been the gaming circles long enough. Developers of the Final Fantasy series, and all round purveyor of Japanese RPGs, they have been attempting to branch out to Western markets for some years. Now they’ve discovered another area of Western consumerism….Law suits.
No doubt Square Enix have met these before, but now they are facing a class action law suit by 10,000 people about not being upfront and completly honest with their fees for, surprisingly still popular Final Fantasy XI online game. According to Examiner, Square are being accused of lying about their fees for XI, concealing their monthly fees, cost of late fees, interest, restrictions and several others.
Now CALS’s ain’t really that rare, but they tend to be fairly successful for either the obscure or fiscal based cases. Which leaves Square Enix in a bit of a pickle. They are attempting to sue for damages of $5 million and being accused of unfair business practices as well as false advertising, so no doubt, as with most stories like this, they will go under the radar unless something bad happens to the big bad corporate company.
Will this affect their strategy with Final Fantasy XIV, another online game. Will there be no fees (pah) or will they flash it up in bright banners what you are paying every fifteen seconds (it’s getting to that point). Whatever happens, Square have always been wily enough with money since they nearly went bankrupt before they made Final Fantasy VII….That’s a thought…
Final Fantasy XIV is the new Final Fantasy VII…. You heard it here first.
