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Monday, 10 September 2012

The Walking dead : A New Day PC Review




First of all i must admit that i was sceptical whether i have to play this game or not. But then again i couldn't wait longer. If by any chance i waited any longer i would have missed a beautiful game. 
The walking dead: A New day at first sight seems to be more of zombie killing and moving on..but there more to it than meets the eye. This wonderful artistic style game sucks you in to involve you in the game.

Story: Well if u have read the story in comics the game story is almost the same. I am saying 'almost' because here we have the option to make it "my" zombie book. You will understand this if you play the game. In the story rick grimes an officer comes out of hospital only to find the city is infected with zombies and decides to go to Atlanta which he thinks is safer place than this. He meets up with some people and stays with them before moving on. Almost the same thing happens in the game too. Though i said we can change the story as per our decision. That makes this even more fantastic.

Gameplay: Gameplay is awesome. Here, someone will ask you a question and you'll have a limited time to pick one of four responses. Whatever you decide, you live with. Characters remember what you say and take note of your pronoun usage, demeanour, and so on. While this might simply be someone questioning Lee's story (main character forget to mention that :P) in this episode, Telltale says the way people perceive him is going to drastically affect future episodes. What if your squad finds out you've been lying from the get-go? This makes the game wanna play again and again just to see what decisions turns out to be what response. The brutal killing of zombies is also gruesome experience and exciting.
Decision making-an important part of the game
Graphics and sound: Game is presented with artistic cartoon style just like borderlands, though not very sharp in borderlands, but enough to get going. The voice acting is spot on and makes you involve in the game cause the dialogues express emotional pain and suffering the people are facing. Here's the bad part, camera is shit like in some areas and it is difficult to move your ass sometimes. The limited view makes you wanna look everywhere which is not possible.
Zombies- Gruesome !! yuck..
My story: I have tried playing differently making different choices, saving sometimes Doug sometimes Carley. Sometimes making lee a bad guy sometimes good guy. See its all in the style you wanna play and sometimes just to see how the game turns out to be. Must warn you that this decisions can drastically change in later episodes (so i have heard) lets see. If at all i get a choice of saving Larry and anybody stupid, i will let Larry die..He's a real bastard. Thanks to my loyalty towards Kenny he saved my ass. Due to wonky camera, i couldn't save clementine. I saved Carley cause i think she looks sexy...bye bye Doug he he :P 

The bastard on the right can be real jerk sometimes
Well that's my story. Surprisingly i completed in 2.5 to 3 hrs, which actually put me off. I'd expected more. The game isn't exactly adventurous or action filled entertainer but its great suspense thriller and best decision making game i ever played.  Also after playing i felt like there should be more episodes to this collection of awesome game series..

My rating 8.5...



Wednesday, 5 September 2012

Payday The Heist PC Review



Pay day has been a different experience altogether to me. Robbing banks? Different franchise right? Yes...
Games usually present us to being a good guy in the game but payday is different in that matter cause we are portrayed as a robber. Which is a good thing come on is more fun in being a good guy or bad guy? I am sure you would for being a bad guy.

Different experience or not, the game's biggest problem is explaining itself. Well, we are a team of four set with on a mission to rob banks. But why? Money? Pleasure? Or is it just a habit? Developers should have done something about that. 

The game has a total of 6 banks to rob. Each with a different difficulty level. We get to choose one of the four criminals. I feel the characters aren't given much justice. I mean when somebody gives a choice to choose one from four, obviously one would only choose if they are different or else whats the point? The game too is flawed in this way. After the first mission ends we are then again routed back to same scene to gain some experience points just to upgrade the weapons. SICK. :P

The graphics weren't great but are enough for this game. The missions are usually set in a city. The robbing is very well planned and poses no obstacles as to the scenario can change during when the real robbing takes place. That too is a negative point.


Hostage taking sucks...
Another problem area is hostage taking. If a member of your crew gets captured by the police, you can trade a hostage to them in exchange for your buddy to come back. However, there is no way for you to order hostages to move to another area. You can only tell them to stop and lie down where they are. I’ve had quite a few times where I’ve had one of my cohorts captured. While I had hostages, they were usually in an area where I would have had to fight through dozens of SWAT to get to them in order to make the trade. The bank scenario is one that can be frustrating as that most of the people you can take hostage are in the lobby.


Stupid AI
The AI is dumb and don't do anything that is necessary. Also the police come in hordes and there are not many people in the street or there's anything we can do in the game other than robbing the banks. LOL. Customisation is frustrating and accomplishments are easy to complete. 

Overall, there are good elements in the gameplay, but items such as computer teammate stupid AI, not being able to move hostages, having cops come out of places where they really shouldn’t be, and having to constantly check on drills and saws drags down the gameplay, especially if you’re playing single player.

All i can say is the game could have better. Although it presented a different and new experience in the gaming world. 


My rating is 5.5...

Friday, 31 August 2012

Sleeping Dogs PC Review



Awesome combat system with beautiful cars with unlimited access to various types of guns set in a beautiful, modern yet classic city of hong kong. Yes guys i am talking about 'SLEEPING DOGS'.
At first sight itself it was quite lovable and enjoyable. Set in modern times juxtaposed with classic tradition of hong kong, it is quite exciting to play sleeping dogs especially when the graphics are stunning and urge you to try the game on. 

You play as Wei shen-an undercover cop. The game starts with drug deal, chasing a guy and finally getting arrested by the police.

Story: Driven by a desire to avenge his sister's death, he accepts a dangerous assignment to infiltrate the Sun On Yee triad and help take them down from the inside. Starting out on the lowest rungs of the criminal ladder, he rapidly climbs up through the ranks, behaving in ways that sometimes make his triad cohorts suspect he's a cop and sometimes make his police superiors think he's getting too attached to his brothers in crime. It's a typical tale of an undercover cop possibly getting in too deep, and the story doesn't have any surprises in store for you. But solid voice acting and writing that convincingly blends English and Cantonese make it a narrative that's more than capable of supporting the gameplay, providing context for many a dramatic mission and building up to a cathartic climax that's bloody enough to be taken right out of one of John Woo's Hong Kong action films. 

Story is very strong and the characters leave an impact on you. Wei is assigned a task to infiltrate the dangerous group, who control most of the city, and bring them down. As he tries to achieve their confidence, respect and loyalty he becomes one of them.


And there are girls....:D
The characters are unique and voice acting is spot on. Sleeping Dogs is an open-world game, played in an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective. And although the inevitable comparison with Grand Theft Auto will be made, it has got a very different feel to it than Rockstar's masterpiece. A large reason for that is the brilliant hand-to-hand combat - strongly influenced by Batman: Arkham City's 'Freeflow' system. 

Unlike Arkham City, though, Wei can use the environment to dish out some lethal takedowns. These include impaling enemies on swordfish heads, throwing them off buildings, and crushing them with car engines. A clever levelling up system, where you find certain statues to unlock more moves, stops the combat feeling repetitive. 


Wheelman hijacking
Well i should say the game is pretty much a mixture of many games. The slow motion when Wei shoots from his bike is taken from Max Payne, fluid combat system from batman, sandbox genre from GTA, the ramming from burnout paradise, hijacking vehicles from wheelman to say a few.


Oodles of collectibles

The city of hong kong is huge and theres plenty to explore. Oodles of collectibles and side missions keeps your total playable time high. And of course it fun. 
Well the trademark of game is essentially the chasing feature introduced. From the start itself we start chasing who stole our deal. But sometimes the camera sucks and points in random direction.(first minus)



Clever experience point system
There’s a clever experience point system in place, too. This is broken up into Triad XP, Face XP and Police XP. After each mission, you're awarded points to spend on both police upgrades - such as disarming enemies, and triad upgrades, often involving neat combat manoeuvres. Go through a mission mowing down innocent people and your police points will suffer, so you'll have to play sensibly to maximise the chance of getting all the upgrades.

Face XP is a measure of his reputation - the higher the value, the more clothes and flash cars become available. Non-playable characters will react differently to you, too. 


Trademark of the game-combat system
Gameplay is the best. The combat system introduced is exciting and fluid. But then there's again the martial arts club fights. The people in round 5 and 6 become many in number and thus becomes difficult to complete the challenge. While on car, developers have also introduced a fair mix of techno, classic, jazz and disco. 

You can purchase food and drinks for temporary benefits.
But Sleeping Dogs is more about wide-angle, big-picture atmosphere than about close-ups. The skyline gleams with towering skyscrapers. Neon signs hang from every available outcropping on busy streets, crowding the air above you with glowing Chinese characters. This city may not be accurately modelled on the real Hong Kong, but it nonetheless has a powerful identity, and while you're playing, you feel transported to this dangerous land. Collectibles scattered across the island make exploring it worthwhile as well as enjoyable; finding health shrines increases your maximum health, while blue lockboxes hidden all over the place reward you with cash and sometimes with new items of clothing.

Best part is the game runs at standard 60fps and doesn't stuck..Its gives me immense pleasure to explore various places and plenty of fun doing side missions like Gambling, Help missions, car robbery, dating and clubs to say a few.  It's fun for a while to run around jump-kicking people to death, or fatally tossing them off of three-foot-high railings. However, unlike other games in the genre like Just Cause 2 and Saints Row: The Third, which revealed in giving you ways to wreak incredible havoc on your own, Sleeping Dogs is at its best when you're playing through the story. Missions typically string together a number of activities, switching from one type of action to another frequently enough to keep you on your toes and ensure that you never get tired of what you're doing. Developers have done good research in developing the game. The voice is amalgam of English and Chinese. The game overall looks stunning and story is very strong. Characters leave a impact on you. In a nutshell the game has very good lasting appeal and looks amazing to explore the classic and modern hong kong...


Well, i am still scared of her :P :D (Mrs.Chu)
I almost forgot...watch out for this lady...Bad ass than any other character in the game...:P

My rating is 9.5/10...simply loved playing it...Hoping there's a sequel to this one...:D 





Tuesday, 21 August 2012

Prototype 2 PC Review


Its back and its more bloodier...
Better game play mechanics, good story, oodles of collectibles and more than a 100 ways of filling the streets with blood just makes this game even exciting. Prototype 2 starrs James Heller trying to save the city after the second outbreak. Destruction is at your fingertips in Prototype 2, and you don't have to work hard to conjure unbelievable chaos. Through streamlined controls, nonexistent difficulty, and a bevy of impressive-looking attacks, Prototype 2 transports you to a consequence-free world in which you can happily cleave soldiers and smash helicopters to your heart's content. This relentless accessibility is Prototype 2's biggest strength and weakness. With nary a moment of genuine challenge to be found, you sprint from one entertaining event to another, laughing at the delightful absurdity of it all. But without any barriers to overcome, there's little sense of accomplishment. Prototype 2 isn't the slightest bit novel, but it's so utterly ridiculous that it's hard to wipe that mischievous smile from your face.


Story gets better this time. It starts off with James Heller taken as the TS(test subject) under the supervision of Dr. koenig and Rooks trying their best to understand the nature of virus present in him. After surviving a suicide mission and being transformed by the virus released by Alex Mercer, Heller is looking to kill Mercer, who acts as the game's main antagonist. Mercer's motives are unclear, but unlike the first game he is not committed to stopping the virus, but seems to be spreading it. After the events of the first game, Manhattan recovered from the initial outbreak and everyone thought that the "Mercer Virus" was eradicated. 14 months after Prototype, Manhattan has been quarantined again, due to a second outbreak, one far worse than the first one, and blocked off from the other boroughs of New York City, which has been renamed New York Zero (NYZ). The boroughs of New York have been divided into three zones, the Red, Yellow, and Green Zone. Each region stands for how affected New York City is by the Blacklight virus. Most boroughs of New York Zero have been infected. The Red Zone is Manhattan, home of Alex Mercer; in it the Blacklight virus grows unhindered. The Yellow Zone is a triage area full of shanty towns and the poor, it is very crowded and while the virus grows there, it is at a minimum and Blackwatch is using the Yellow Zone as a petri dish. The Green Zone is non-infected New York City, except there is a heavy Blackwatch presence. James Heller will have missions in each zone and each mission's difficulty will depend on which zone it takes place in. Blackwatch is credited as occupying and controlling NYZ, but they are said to know that New York actually belongs to Alex Mercer even though the latter is only seen rarely.

Super soldier...
Blackwatch is the organisation that is responsible for the creation of the virus and are in charge of eradicating it from New York City. Heller's main adversary in Blackwatch is Colonel Rooks. Accompanying Rooks is Dr. Koenig, the main virologist at Gentek. Koenig oversees every major Gentek operation.


Whipfist- a sure way to attack gruesomely

Regarding gameplay, its much easier to consume, no need of charging up for jumping and many gliding options. This time there are many powers-tendrils, hammerfist, whipfist, blade and claws. The Blacknet in the game allows us to upgrade ourselves much faster and the missions seem logical. There are lot of skills to upgrade, many combo attacks (most of them deadly) and huge number of collectibles and field ops to destroy just to gain xp points. Newly introduced but very effective is sonar pulse.  Using this one can hunt their targets easily. While tapping [E] the game brings out many options like consuming, placing bio bomb, holding etc. The best one i liked is we can control the brawlers at a later point of time. Although i would have suggest that the mercer be made much powerful and addition of brawlers to kill him. The game is a bank of xp points and it has introduced lairs-holes in the ground where the infected stay and many Blacknet side missions. Consuming marked targets allows you to upgrade your powers.

Shields are best defensive power introduced

Enemies are more intelligent than the prequel. Viral detectors are much advanced. There are many kinds of infected enemies like brawlers, juggernauts, evolved, Goliath and some particular kind of flying animals whose name i couldn't remember. Though brawlers are many in number they are easy to defeat. Its the juggernauts and evolved that pose the serious battle and defeating them allows many xp points. The Goliath is biggest of them but particular strategy makes it easy to defeat. 

Juggernauts-My favourite

There isn't much strategy involved in the game. It remains the same in type of genre. Although i played the game in hard difficulty it was easy to gain experience and killing was satisfactory. Though the game has suffered major drawbacks in the story content and type of genre remained the same prototype 2 is safe sequel. Most importantly, it's an unabashedly fun adventure that doesn't have any doubt about what it wants to be. This is a game about killing enemies in an open-world environment, and little stands in the way to hinder your enjoyment. Mindless violence is is all the rage in Prototype 2, which makes for a stupid yet entertaining experience.
The game is pretty much the deadly quarrel between Mercer and Heller

My rating is 8.0...


Thursday, 19 July 2012

Slender PC Review

Slender is pure horror. 
Simple, horrifying experience.

There isn't much to write about the game as it is short. But that doesn't belie the horrifying experience one will ever have. NO map, NO weapons, NO health, NO big frigtening things or whatsoever but yes a 200% pure horror. You play as person stuck in dark forest with exit out. The objective is simple-collect all the 8 pages. But there is a hurdle to this. Once you found 1st page, slender man or enemy or ghost follows you. If you are caught, the game returns back to desktop. Its brillant creativity how the developers with nothing much than a dark forest could create a simple and yet horrifying experience. 
The enemy or ghost who follows you after you grab the first page.
I remember when first time i played i literally fell back from my chair and started shouting. But then i got used to it, though the ghost stills haunts me every time i play. The pages found while playing may not be found at the same place again. Thats the best part. I could collect 6 pages. I don't fell bad cause i loved how such a simple game could present so much pure horror. Its freely downloadable, So i suggest you to experience this fantastic game.

My rating is 9.5...


Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Shank 2 PC Review




Whenever you are angry on somebody or want to revenge i would suggest you play this game. Shank 2 returns with a story of redemption as Shank, a former mob hitman with a dark and vengeful past, is thrust back into action when the lives of those close to him are endangered. Expanding on the original game’s rich and intuitive combat and control system, Shank 2 continues Klei's tradition of making fluid brawling controls and stunningly beautiful visuals that leapfrogs the competition in the 2D side-scrolling genre. I dint play the prequel-shank. But i very much liked this game because of the intense bloodbath, superbly animated visuals, and much because of his (Shank) never ending energy and adrenaline filled in him.


Though i dint play the prequel, i read the story and understood that Shank has a soft corner for justice and his people in general. Well, Shank 2 starts off with the story left behind in its prequel, much to its dismay it lacks the story needed in the sequel. Anyways i dint care about the story cause i was blowing some dude's head off or plunging my chainsaw into some guy's stomach. Haha pretty much fun..:D. Shank sets out to take revenge because of things done to him in the original game. He travels in a bus to go his village only to find out his people are taken hostages and their organs are sold in the market to make profit. The evil mind behind all this is Magnus who suffers from some type of disease. The doctor thinks the cure can be made from a woman who they captured. Shank finds out the woman is none other than the caretaker of the orphanage he grew up in. 


Chainsaw- My favourite
While fighting his way, he encounters several bosses and enemies. I particularly found the boss fights very tough and i have to admit i used a trainer in some to cross the level. Although killing the enemies is very much cool and awesome, boss fight felt boring. Weapons were the usual ones generally used in any shooter game but when shank kills using them it was brutal and awesome. Using combos one can get maximum points to unlock other weapons or armour. I would want kill any enemy with chainsaw-my favourite- just plunge the fucking chainsaw into the stomach and feel the blood spill onto your face. Awesome \m/ \m/ 
Brutal kills
Game progresses as a scrolling type and it goes very smoothly at a rate of 60fps. Coming to visuals, its very cartoonist and artsy. Love the visuals. I have come to known that the combat style and smoothness has increased though much was not done in terms of story. 
Stunning visuals
Developer klei has made the game awesome and i want to thank them for that. The game serves as a means to reduce my anger. 
Although much was not to the story part, this is a smooth brawler with gorgeous spectacle, and its dedication to nailing its second chance makes it one of the best action games in recent memory. Its been a good adventure playing this one. :D


My rating is 7.5...



Tuesday, 10 July 2012

Quantum Conundrum PC Review




Puzzles are usually made by making portals as in the game "Portal", maybe by giving you powers just to survive in the game as in "WARP", but the game i played recently beats all odds of physics where human beings like us would have dreamt of having them.


Presenting you with Quantum conundrum. QC is inter dimensional first person puzzle based game. Though much like portal, QC has this inter dimensional thing where we need to shift dimensions in order to solve puzzles which is quite exciting. 


You play as the 10-year-old nephew of Professor Fitz Quadwrangle, a scientist whose experiments with inter dimensional rifts have gotten him trapped in the dimension where our lost socks, cell phones, and all the other things that mysteriously disappear on us end up.Much like in portal where GlaDos guides you, here it is professor Quadwrangle who pretty much mocks you rather than guide you. But one should not be ignorant of his blabber cause sometimes he gives a hint which will help you in solving the puzzle. As the nameless kid, you must venture through the outrageously impractical Quadwrangle Manor, whose wings are crammed with dimensional experiments run amok. Professor Quadwrangle's stately voice is provided by actor John de Lancie, and though his dialogue is rarely laugh-out-loud funny, his smug yet jocular attitude makes him a pleasant presence throughout your journey. There's an appealing simplicity to the game's visuals, and the lighthearted sense of humour--the way paintings change to reflect whatever dimension you're currently in, for instance--keeps your predicament from ever feeling like a burden. 


The IDS device responsible for the dimensional shift.
Once in the manor uncle provides you with a glove called IDS device. To progress through the manor on your impromptu rescue mission, you must make smart use of four alternate dimensions in addition to the "normal" dimension we all call home. You can be in only one dimension at a time, and the dimensions you have available to you depend on a number of factors, like which part of the manor you're in and which dimensional batteries have been placed in the nearest receptacle. There's this creature called "Ike" which helps you in giving batteries, which is not much of a help though. But he is really cute, so i wouldn't blame him. However, after you complete the game in the main menu there is DO A THING button where i dint quite understand the purpose. It was about Ike so i thought i would mention it.


A generous and cute lab-assistant


The change in dimension-pocket to fluffy.
The first dimension introduced to us is Fluffy dimension. As professor says and i quote " It is embarrassingly adorable but one can any object ". The game is divided into 3 major wings-blue,yellow, red wing. In each wing you will introduced to a new dimension. Fluffy makes objects weigh 10 times lighter, Heavy does the exact opposite making 10 times heavier. Slow time and reverse gravity are the other dimensions present in the game.


The next dimension you gain the ability to enter and exit is the slow-motion dimension. Here, time slows to a crawl; lasers that normally shoot forth at imperceptible speeds can now be outrun, and you can give yourself ample time to leap onto that footstool you just threw over a chasm and ride it to safety, which feels like a spectacular feat. Slow motion is common enough in games, but this is slow even by slow-motion standards. You can toss an object from one room into another, slow down time, and then run into the next room and have seconds to spare before the object arrives. The numerous enjoyable applications of this dimension will have you wishing you could carry it with you out of the game and back into the real world.


In the final dimension you gain access to, gravity is reversed, and anything that isn't bolted down (except you) flies up toward the ceiling. With this ability, you can use safes as elevators and trigger switches on ceilings, among other things. Much of the time, Quantum Conundrum crafts clever puzzles around these four dimensions. Getting through a chamber is rarely a simple matter of using just one dimension; rather, you typically need to make use of the properties of two or three or four dimensions to arrive at the exit, and objects such as drinking birds (those toy birds that dip their heads periodically) are also sometimes essential to your success.


Prof Quadwrangle- Mastermind and quite a mocker
Blue wing is easiest wing to play. Contrary to that, yellow wing requires some brain skill to solve the puzzles. Well the last wing -red- is a pain in the ass. No whatever so skill in solving puzzles is required in this dimension except a lot of patience. I found the game quite frustrating in the end where i needed to commute between two places while using reverse gravity-real pain in the ass..i say :P . 


Though one solves puzzles using that IDS battery, ultimately it is the generator one needs to activate. Also the puzzles are in labyrinth of rooms, similar in looking. Though many of the puzzles may have you stumped for a bit, the solutions are always logical and fair, abiding by the observable properties of the dimensions you have available. As a result, the epiphanies that hit your brain like lightning strikes when the confounding suddenly becomes clear will have your inner mad scientist hopping with glee.


Dint understand the purpose of these so called 'hints'
Although puzzles seems logical, sometimes we need to be adroit and sometimes perform stunts to achieve what we want. QC is at its best when it requires brain, rather than your reflexes, to do the heavy lifting. But these flaws are always present in a game, particularly the ending. The ending was quite easy and not satisfying. 


Keeping the flaws aside, QC has much to experiment with, that dominates this quest makes putting up with its foibles worthwhile, and the twisting, puzzling halls of Quadwrangle Manor are substantial enough to justify the $14.99 price of admission. It doesn't always play to its strengths, but the clever ideas and confounding brainteasers of Quantum Conundrum make it a mostly enjoyable journey.


My rating is 8.5..




Tuesday, 12 June 2012

EA: Dead Space 3 got co-op because Dead Space is too scary to play alone


Speaking to Gamasutra, Miele described how EA's market research teams have switched from pigeon-holing players in terms of favourite genres or features, to categorising their tastes in terms of mood, situation or time of day.
"It was common for companies to segment the marketplace," she told the site. "Like, there's an Xbox 360 shooter consumer, or you have a PS3 sports fan consumer. And I knew that's not how people were consuming content."
Click to view larger image
EA's new approach shows that consumers routinely think outside the boxes publishers construct for them. "We went into people's homes," Miele went on. "I went on a couple of these trips, and we asked 300 consumers across the globe to take all their games, place them on the floor and sort them... not a single consumer organized them by platform or genre."
Her findings helped give rise to Visceral's new direction for the Dead Space series - apparently, the first two games enjoyed limited success because they were too scary to play alone. "That's how co-op was introduced. Cooperative play was the ticket; that is the key need and motivation for consumers.
It's not just a question of mimicking competitors, then. "I genuinely believe that there's a deep strategy that isn't just about a checklist of, 'this game did quite well and it had co-op in it, so let's put co-op in this.'"
As comparatively enlightened as Miele's approach seems, we do have caveats about what it bodes for Dead Space in particular. Sure, it's easier to play a game that doesn't terrify you, but many of those who bought Dead Space 1 and Dead Space 2 did so for the chills - chills which, I suspect, won't be quite so chilling with another player around.
Visceral claims the new Dead Space mixes balls-out action with suspense, but what we've seen of it suggests that action gets a larger share of the pie. Will returning fans be convinced? Look out for a preview in a forthcoming issue

Criterion Details Autolog 2.0 for Most Wanted


Criterion has released details of Autolog 2.0, a network that connects online friends allowing them to compete in head-to-head races and easily compare their stats. The service first shipped with Criterion's take on Hot Pursuit in 2010, and the service will get lots of new features when Need For Speed: Most Wanted launches later this year.
Autolog 2.0 will record everything you do in the game, and it will broadcast this in the form of a 'Live Feed' that "pulls all the biggest news from your friends' games and invites you to do better". The service automatically highlight your greatest victories on your friends' Autolog Walls.
There will also be a greater degree of personalisation, allowing you to target which of your friends you really want to beat and customise the recommendations it makes. You can even turn down "the volume on a particular friend and focus the action on someone you absolutely must beat."
Autolog will also be more integrated into the game's open world environment. As you drive around the city, Autolog will inform you of your friends' current records and the times you have to beat.
For a full list of Autolog 2.0 features check out the official Need For Speed website.
Need For Speed: Most Wanted is out on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 2 in Europe and October 30 in the 
US



















Monday, 11 June 2012

DIRT Showdown- PC Review



And Codemasters Racing do it again. But this time with more car-nage than before. Dirt showdown is an action filled, full contact alongside with the ecstasy of destruction you would love to get. Codemasters retain the familiar Codemasters aesthetic, complete with crashing option overlays and smooth transition between menu levels.
As far as the story is concerned one shouldn't bother much really. Instead take a super heavy vehicle and head out for rampage. Isn't that fun?
You play as a pro level player from the beginning with two events unlocked. The cars are nicely detailed and accumulate muck and dust as the races progress. The environments are raging with spectacle and bursting with fireworks, and the tracks themselves are peppered with destructible objects. It’s a good looking racing game, no doubt, with the kind of visuals for which Codemasters has earned itself a reputation.


Gameplay 
While Dirt Showdown doesn’t really have a narrative, the game keeps you hooked on its various experiences by ramping up the difficulty across multiple competitions and always keeping things from getting stale.


There are four difficulty levels- pro,All stars,Champion, Legend. As the game progresses, the difficulty level increases, AI become much stronger and sharper and the game starts to become more fun. Well i wouldn't agree with this point entirely though, you will find out why. 


Dirt showdown has gone a long way if compared with previous release from codemasters-Dirt 3. Talking in terms of gameplay mechanics, style of presentation and mainly the types of events available for us to play. 


Although the gameplay has gotten better, the commentary can make you frustrated. The commentary is usually of very few words, intermittent and boring. Also the game becomes repetitive as it progresses. Also the customisation present doesn't really serve the purpose. Only three options-strength, power and handling making us think the developers did not put much time in making the game.


Events 
They are many type of events starting with usual Race-off to Destruction mania events. Certainly the events are fun to play, and to play demolition events it is quite gruesomely awesome and ecstatic. 


Each race has about 8 players with the AI players giving quite the required edge making it more fun. As you progress, AI players never leave a stone unturned to take out and wreck your car out giving you a stiff competition. 




Of course, one of Dirt Showdown’s biggest claims to fame is the introduction of demolition derbies and various other destruction-based events. These can take place either in the classic bowl-like arenas or on elevated platforms from which you can push your opponents and score big points. There are also reversal events called Hard Target, where you need to avoid getting crashed into for a certain time.


The type of events present in the game are 
RACE-OFF-Usual sprint -***


ELIMINATOR-With the time split of 14sec, the player in the last gets eliminated-****


KNOCK OUT- This is my favourite. In this event the player has to stay on the platform while scoring points by demolishing other players and throwing them out of platforms-****


HEAD TO HEAD- Well this race gives goose pimples. In this event, the player is asked to do as told. It can get fun if you master the track and the cars first. :P-**


TRICK RUSH- This event is all about scoring points and finishing your way up to to the first-***


8-BALL- Well this is new?!! And so much fun. Race tracks in this event cross each other giving a new possibility for mass destruction. This maybe fun at start since the drivers in the start aren't much competition but in the end it gets better and destructive-*****


RAMPAGE-Well if this isn't about carnage then what is? This is one of my favourites. Just pick your best muscle car and get out on the platform to destruct. 
I find this one very cool-*****
(The stars indicate the rating out of 5 i would like to give them)


Well these are some of many events available in the game. Events are certainly fun to play. 


" All's well need NOT not end well" Wondering what this means? 
Although the diversity, slick presentation and a good competition from AI is definitely are strong points for this game, but as you progress the number of laps increase and types of events remain the same leading to repetitive gameplay. It becomes boring once you in a lead in 8-lap race and noway your opponent can catch you. While the destruction events are quite fun, the scoring is all over the place because there isn’t that big of a difference between scoring crashes in the low hundreds and scoring over 1,000, even if you use boost.


Keeping the bugs and boring at bay, Dirt Showdown marks the return of Gymkhana competitions, although this time they’ve been refined and tweaked for a less annoying experience, while being renamed into Hoonigan events.You can enter experiences where you drive head to head 
against another driver on special courses designed to get you to execute all sorts of manoeuvres, from drifts, to donuts or jumps. There are also Smash Attack events, which challenge you to do things like smash items of different colours in quick succession, as well as Trick Rush ones, which are the most reminiscent of the Gymkhana from Dirt 3, as you drive around an abandoned compound and do whatever tricks you want.


Graphics and Sound
Very slick Graphics...simply superb
Dirt Showdown may not look that much different from Dirt 3, but this isn't a bad thing as Codemasters' Ego engine once again shines and recreates some really satisfying crashes without any bit of a slowdown.




Cars look great and the whole visual design of the experience makes the game stand out from other racing titles. Throw in some impressive level design complete with different types of weather depending on your location and Showdown will definitely delight your eyes. The menus look great with blocks falling from above.


Menus look great
Your ears, on the other hand, are in for a mixed experience. The soundtrack is filled with progressive rock, rap and quite a lot of dub step, which may not be everyone's cup of tea. Throw in the awful commentator who feels the need to keep you up to speed with what's going on the screen by shouting corny one-liners and you might want to play your own music while experiencing Showdown. This is too bad, as the sound created by engines and crashes is quite satisfying.


Conclusion
Dirt Showdown delivers a decent racing experience. Showdown may look heavy on options from its bombastic menus but ultimately it just feels like a narrow slice of Dirt 3 with some destruction derbies tacked on. While the destruction theme may not be pulled off perfectly and the Hoonigan events can still be a bit frustrating, racing fans who are looking for a bit of fun, both offline and online, can't go wrong with this one.


My rating is 7.0....
So...what are you waiting for ? Be there, be the winner..:D