Far Cry 3

System: PS3, Xbox 360*, PC
Dev: Ubisoft Montreal
Pub: Ubisoft
Release: December 4, 2012
Players: 1 (2+ Online)
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs

Like A Butterfly, But With More Killing And Nudity.
by Josh Engen

A few hours into the Far Cry 3 campaign, we're introduced to a side character named Agent Huntley, an ex-CIA operative who is secretly investigating the illegal activities on Rook Island. Huntley is holed up inside of a secret room underneath his tropical hut, and refuses to do any investigation on his own, relying instead on external operatives to report back. But even though Huntley's miserly disposition characterizes him as a bit of a screwball, his fears are irrefutable. "This Island will change you," he warns, and he's right on the money.

See, Far Cry 3 isn't just another first-person shooter; it's an investigation into the process of natural selection and a study on psychological transformation. As grandiose as this may sound for a video game, it's the truth. Ubisoft has managed to create a game that forces players to evaluate their own ethical boundaries, and then break them.

The campaign starts like so many terrible teenage horror movies: with a group of young, attractive coeds on an extravagant vacation to some tropical island. Predictably, the picturesque location soon becomes a backdrop for something far more sinister, and one of the coeds is tasked with leading the group out.

But that's where the similarities end. The movie version would quickly descend into a mindless horror-porn slasher-fest, but Far Cry 3 becomes something much more terrifying.

When we're introduced to our protagonist, Jason Brody, he is trapped inside of a bamboo cell with his brother Grant. The two, along with the rest of their group, have been taken captive by a gang of privateers who plan to ransom them back to their families.

Grant is an all-American pretty boy, whose military training quickly comes in handy. He's the type of character that you'd expect to see in the starring role of any first-person shooter. Jason, on the other hand, winces when Grant makes the first kill of the game and becomes queasy at the thought of any more killing. In fact, as I was playing through the opening sequence, I turned to my wife, who likes to eat giant salads and watch me play video games, and said "Why can't I play as Grant?"

But that's the beauty of Far Cry 3. Jason Brody is the perfect protagonist, and it's because he's a weakling.

As the story unfolds, Jason is forced to make a series of difficult decisions that fundamentally change his psychology. After you've known Jason for a few short hours, he's already become something much more deranged than he was in that bamboo cell. And it all crescendos to a scene where Jason must decide who he wants to be: the person he was, or the person he has become.

Like I said, grandiose.

Now, I've already heard people referring to Far Cry 3 an "FPS Role Playing Game." And even though it does have some RPG elements, Far Cry 3 is a shooter at heart. Sure, there's a crafting tree, and a skill tree, and the campaign often feels like a quest line, but it has a linearity to it that no open-world RPG could ever dream of. The campaign is articulate and compelling, and contains very few unrelated side quests.

However, even with its linear feel, Far Cry 3 still plays like an open world shooter. The single-player campaign itself contains about 35 hours of gameplay, depending on how many times you fail a quest or run off in search of a wild animal to turn into a wallet. There are a handful of side quests and minigames, but you'll get your money’s worth even if you stay on the main path.

The crafting tree is pretty self-explanatory if you've ever played an RPG. Hunting animals and gathering plants nets you the resources to craft bags, holsters, syringes and a number of other things. The syringes deliver a potion-like effect that wears off after a short time.

Skills are gained by spending the experience points that you've acquired throughout your various travels/battles. As you learn each skill, a new tattoo is etched into your left arm—a physical representation of the psychological transformation that Jason Brody is undergoing.

But, and it pains me to say this, Far Cry 3 is not without its drawbacks. The controls, for instance, have a natural, responsive feel, but the built-in auto-aim function, like most auto-aims, is often handicapping. On occasion, like when trying to hit a long-distance shot, auto-aim is just what the doctor ordered. But in a massive firefight, it's best to put that Call of Duty skill set to good use.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Ulasan

Sistem: Xbox 360 *, * PS3, PC, Wii U *Dev: TreyarchPub: ActivisionRilis: November 13, 2012Pemain: 1 (2 + Online)Resolusi Layar: 480p-1080pDarah dan Gore, Kekerasan Intens, Bahasa Kuat, Tema sugestif, Penggunaan Obat

Finally, A Call Of Duty Game That’s More Than Just A Call Of Duty Game
by Josh Engen

By now, even if you're reading this at midnight on launch day, you've probably already managed to get your hands on a copy of Black Ops 2. If so, anything that I say in the following paragraphs will have very little influence on how much of your paycheck Activision is going to get their hands on. But if you're one of the few people waiting until the review scores come in, it's probably safe for you to go and pick up a copy. Trust me.

Now, I know that what I'm about to say will probably make me sound like a mindless Call of Duty fanboy, but Activision's latest outing is quintessentially different from anything they've ever done in the past. Sure, Black Ops 2 has that unmistakable CoD flavor, but it's also a bit angrier, and it as more depth and more surprises than any of the previous incarnations.

The single-player campaign, for instance, is arguably the most impressive in the Call of Duty franchise. Obviously, there will be those who argue in favor of MW1's superiority, but the replay value in Black Ops 2 is what edges the competition.

The story itself was written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the previous Black Ops script and penned a couple of small, indie movies called Batman Begins,The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises. The story arc builds heavily on Black Ops 1, but where the first BO's storyline was incoherent at points, BO2 manages to stay focused without becoming monotonous.

The timeline in Black Ops 2 is split between the recent future (2025, to be exact), and the recent past (the 1970s and 80s). This time the narrative follows David Mason, who is the son of Alex Mason. You might remember Alex as the guy who spent most of Black Ops 1 being tortured and interrogated.

The thing that makes BO2's single-player campaign genuinely unique within the CoD franchise is Treyarch's decision to add branching plot lines. Throughout the campaign, you're going to make some difficult decisions about which characters live and which ones die. These choices will change the way the narrative progresses and can drastically affect the end game outcome. A few weeks ago, I got that chance to sit down with Mark Lamia, Studio Head at Treyarch, and he mentioned that the game has roughly six primary endings. However, the way that the Black Ops 2 plotlines interweave with one another will have a surprising effect on the overall outcome.

I ran through the campaign twice, making completely different decisions both times, and was genuinely surprised by the aftermath (literally, in some cases). Also, the fact that Black Ops 2 also allows you to customize your single-player loadout (to a certain extent) makes playing throughout the campaign a second time almost as interesting as the first.

Another one of BO2's defining elements is probably going to be its most controversial feature: Strike Force Missions.

Treyarch created these missions in order to insert a level of sandbox-style RTS gameplay into an otherwise FPS experience. Players control squads of soldiers and equipment from a top-down “Overwatch" viewpoint. But, at any time, you're able to select a unit and take over first-person control.

The Strike Force Missions are non-linear, meaning that you can choose not to play them if they're not your thing. However, given the branching story lines, avoiding them could have certain consequences within your campaign.

Now, as much as I wanted to love these missions, I couldn't bring myself to overlook their flaws. If you've had any past experience with real-time strategy games, these missions are going to be incredibly frustrating. The A.I. of your friendly units makes them uncontrollable. If you don't tell your squads, with incredible specificity, where to go and who to kill, they will be dead within seconds of finding an enemy. Eventually, I would simply just horde them all into a corner take control of them individually in order to complete the mission.

In fact, if I'm being honest, there's a good chance that I would have given Black Ops 2 a higher rating if Treyarch had removed the Strike Force missions altogether.

However, whatever frustration I had during the single-player campaign was quickly forgotten when I loaded up the multiplayer. Treyarch has really done an amazing job taking the CoD franchise and carving out unique title within the overall framework.

They've axed the standard perks/attachment loadout system in favor of what they're calling a "Pick 10" system. This allows players much more control over the individuality of their loadout.

For instance, if you're the type of person who prefers gunplay to perks, the Pick 10 system would allow you to add a third attachment to your gun in favor of a third perk. Or, if you'd rather have 2 extra perks, you have the option of removing your weapon attachments altogether.

Now, hardcore CoD players are going to love the customizability that the Pick 10 system offers, but I think there's a good chance that it will eventually cause some unforeseen balance issues when people start to get the hang of it. Hopefully Treyarch will keep an eye on the way certain types of unbalanced loadouts affect the overall gameplay, because CoD players love exploits.

Fans of the previous Treyarch titles will be happy to know that the mechanics and gunplay feel familiar. Explosives may be toned down a bit, but that's probably a good thing. Actually, I know for a fact that it's a good thing. Screw everyone who likes that grenade attachment.

Treyarch has also taken it upon themselves to create a new league-play system from the ground up. Players who want to participate simply need to create a team and log onto the matchmaking system. After a few qualifying matches, your team will be added to a ladder where you'll be continuously matched up against teams of your specific skill level.

Cheat Code Central (http://s.tt/1tcco)

Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish

For the actual mission, see Operation Kingfish.
Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish

The titlecard of Operation Kingfish
Developer(s) We Can Pretend.
Publisher(s) Activision
Released September 2nd, 2011
Genre(s) Fan Film
"Who is Kingfish!?"
— John "Soap" MacTavish to General Shepherd
Find Makarov: Operation Kingfish is a fan made prequel, funded by Activision, to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and was first shown at Call of Duty XP. The video was produced by We Can Pretend and was endorsed by Activision. It shows Task Force 141 and Delta Force participating in an assault on a Ukrainian compound, with the objective of finding an unidentified High-Value Target code-named Kingfish, who is later revealed to be Vladimir Makarov. It also shows the team leaving Captain Price behind, leading to his future incarceration in a Siberian Gulag.

Plot

Soap sitting at a table after their mission of Operation Kingfish.The film begins with Soap sitting at a table, loading the magazine of a M4A1, in the corner stands Shepherd, asking him to "start from the beginning". It then cuts to Karkonosze Mountains, Ukraine, where Soap, Price, Ghost, and Roach are seen walking through a forest. Delta Force operatives Sandman and Frost are up in the hill aiming with a Barrett .50cal at several soldiers guarding a safehouse asking for permission to engage. Overlord gives the go and Delta starts to take down enemy soldiers. The AC-130 (Callsign Spectre 6-4) starts to fire at the incoming waves of enemy troops at a big field. 
John "Soap" MacTavish injured after being hit by an RPG and taken to the extraction point.
After destroying some buildings and clearing the way for the Task Force, Soap's team advances into the house and kills all remaining soldiers inside. Roach plants a breaching charge on a wall, with Ghost entering the room and killing the soldiers inside. Price (offscreen) says "One-Four-One has arrived." The team enter the room after clearing it out of soldiers, where there are pictures of an airport referring to the ZIA massacre and the Bravo Six team. Soap discovers that a picture of the Bravo Six team has the deceased crossed out. Soap then tells Price that they are targeting Bravo Six, they then hear a C4 detonator beeping and escape before the C4 can kill them.


Captain Price just before being captured and put into The Gulag.
The Task Force run for a V-22 Osprey for exfil, and Spectre 6-4, provides covering fire for their escape. However, enemy RPG fire destroys Spectre 6-4, leaving the Task Force to fend for themselves. An RPG is fired and it explodes near Soap, knocking him semi-conscious and spitting blood. Sandman and Roach then drag Soap to the chopper while Frost rushes to the Osprey and covers the evacuating operatives. Price then tells them to leave without him while he provides covering fire, however, Soap refuses to leave him behind. Overlord tells the pilot to take off, however, Sandman goes to the cockpit and says that Price is still there. Price shouts for them to go, and the helicopter lifts off. Price is then shot.

He pulls out his pistol and takes down some more soldiers, before being shot again and the screen fades to black. It then cuts to the present day where it reveals the scars that Soap had suffered from the explosion, after asking Shepherd who Kingfish was. Shepherd throws him a dossier with a picture of Makarov, saying "We'll get him." Soap then stabs the picture of Makarov ending the video.

The Best And Worst Anime Games

Anime-based video games don't exactly have the best reputation. For decades now, players have had to slog through a seemingly endless stream of mediocre anime and manga titles that often serve as disservices to their typically solid animated series. Every once in a while, though, a rare diamond in the big-haired rough comes along to restore our faith in the genre and, in the process, reminding us of one the many reasons that we love Japan as much as we do.

To recognize this disparity, we've decided to compile—in no particular order—some of the greatest highs and most dishonorable lows that anime games have to offer. Please note that we've only chosen games based on pre-existing anime or manga, so kindly stifle your outrage when you don't see any Pokémon or Valkyria Chronicles titles—which only spawned anime after the games themselves were released—on the list. Also, no Hentai. Sorry, fellas.

The Best

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PlayStation 2)

There is perhaps no franchise more responsible for anime's massive popularity over the years than Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball series. With over 350 million copies of the manga sold worldwide, a handful of hit TV anime shows, and even a (regrettable) live-action movie adaptation to its name, it's no wonder that so many people across the globe instantly associate the word "anime" with Dragon Ball.

It makes sense then, that Goku, Vegeta, and company have seen no shortage of video game tie-ins over the course of their days. While the majority of the many DB titles have ranged from mediocre to horrid (more on that later), there have been a few moments of greatness, chief among them the third installment in the popular Budokai fighting game series.

While not anywhere near as technical as fighters like Street Fighter or Tekken, 2004's Budokai 3 is fast-paced, stylish, and just a hell of a lot of fun. With over 40 playable characters spanning the entirety of the anime's lifespan, a heaping of game modes, and improved combat mechanics, Budokai 3 is more than just fan service; it's a damn good fighter in its own right.

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja (Xbox 360)

If we're counting Japan-only releases, there's almost too many Naruto-based video games to count. Like most anime games, most of those aren't even worth mentioning, so it wasn't until Ubisoft Montreal took the reins for this 2008 Xbox 360 exclusive that Naruto truly earned his spot at the good games table.

Blending the RPG, fighting game, and platformer genres together, Rise of a Ninja is surprisingly deep and thoroughly enjoyable. It's gorgeous too, with a cel-shaded style that makes you feel like you're actually watching the Naruto TV show while you're playing. Add to that an excellent story mode which faithfully retells the anime's opening arcs, a solid multiplayer component, and an easy-to-learn but difficult-to-master control scheme, and you have yourself one of the best anime games on the market.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Arcade, Wii)

We know, we know—this isn't purely an anime game, but it's close enough, and quite frankly it's just too good not to include here. Yes, this 2008 crossover brawler features such familiar Capcom faces as Ryu, Morrigan, and Viewtiful Joe, but characters such as Tekkaman, Polymar, and Gold Lightan—from the Yoshida brothers' famed animation company Tatsunoko Production—are equally essential to making this title as excellent as it is. Accessible to newcomers, yet rewarding to those who'd like to pick at its technical side, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is just about a must-buy for any Wii-owning fighting game fan.

Astro Boy: Omega Factor (Game Boy Advance)

Astro Boy is the granddaddy of all anime. First published as a manga in the early 1950's by the "God of Manga" himself, Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy's success went a long way towards legitimizing the art form, helping to lay the foundation for the behemoth it has become today.

And while the half-nude boy robot has had a couple of stinkers in the video game space, 2004's Astro Boy: Omega Factor for the GBA is still recognized to this day as one of the best action games ever made for Nintendo's handheld. Charming enough for fans of all ages to pick up and play, Omega Factor boasted stunning visuals for its time, and offers a satisfying challenge, an engaging plot, and satisfying, old school beat-em-up gameplay. Most will agree: Omega Factor is worthy of the prestigious Astro Boy name.

Bleach: Dark Souls (Nintendo DS)

This 2008 handheld fighter (2007 in Japan) expands and improves upon its wonderful predecessor, Bleach: The Blade of Fate. The original Dark Souls is endlessly playable, and features, among other upgrades, 44 separate characters, a couple new game modes, added combos and move sets, and an amended Wi-fi battle mode that makes beating up your friends online easier than ever. Sure, it doesn't change all that much from The Blade of Fate, but then again, it doesn't really need to. Ichigo Kurosaki and company struck gold for the second straight time with this one.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings Preview

System: Xbox 360, PC, PS3
Dev: TT Games
Pub: Warner Bros. Interactive
Release: Q3 2012
Players: 1-2
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p

by Josh Wirtanen

I've always loved the Lord of the Rings. What I haven't loved so much is the way Tolkien's beloved masterpiece gets treated in video game form. Sure, there are a few Lord of the Rings games that are truly exceptional, but for the most part, they don't generally rise above the curse of the licensed game.

So you can understand my hesitation as I approached the LEGO The Lord of the Rings demo at the Warner Bros. booth during E3 last month. I mean, the LEGO games have their own sorted history, with some truly amazing titles as well as some mediocre "me too" entries.

But, from what I saw at E3, LEGO The Lord of the Rings seems to be doing quite well for itself. You see, it's actually revamping a lot of the stuff that we grumpy game reviewers have been accusing of being stale and formulaic, though it's still keeping all of that LEGO charm we expect from TT Games.

Cheat Code Central (http://s.tt/1j5Qv)

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD Review

System: Xbox 360*, PS3, PC
Dev: Robomodo
Pub: Activision
Release: July 18, 2012
Players: 1-4
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Blood, Violence

Hawkin' It Up
by Josh Wirtanen

Tony Hawk is a living legend. And no, I don't mean because he invented a good portion of skateboarding as we know it (though I have to hand it to him, there's that). I say this because he has his name tied to perhaps the greatest extreme sports video game franchise on the planet, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

Now, you might roll your eyes at this sentiment if you've played any of the more recent games that bear his namesake, but in the PSOne era, there was no bigger name in skateboard games. The original gave us a control scheme that actually felt good (perhaps the first PSOne-era extreme sports title to accomplish this feat), but the real peak of the series was THPS 2, which added the manual that let us string together absurdly long combos and rack up scores that were so big that it hurt our eyes just to look at them.

Now, the modern age has given rise to the HD remake, and while most of the games to get makeovers tend to be gems from the PS2 generation, I think we can all agree that the THPS series is very worthy of a triumphant return.

Well, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater HD is here, and, for a downloadable title, it looks great. It's not the best-looking game on the market by any stretch of the imagination, but it at least makes itself worthy of the "HD" in its title. It's certainly a lot of fun getting to see these old levels (that are probably etched into our brains by now) re-imagined for modern-day consoles. And the blood splatter effects are deliciously juicy. (Those wipeouts hurt!)

Now, I have to admit here that I spent ungodly amounts of time playing the original THPS and THPS2 back in the day. While I didn't get to put in the hundreds of hours into THPS HD that I would have liked to, I can say with confidence that it plays exactly how I remember. It took me maybe five minutes before my brain and hands re-adjusted to the control scheme and my muscle memory kicked in.

What's most surprising about this is that they feel good. That's quite a statement to make about a PSOne-era title. I mean, try saying that about Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, or Final Fantasy VII. Somehow, in an era that hadn't really figured out how to make non-awkward controls, Tony Hawk managed to get things just right.

But perhaps that is nostalgia speaking—I mean, the game works really hard to trigger those nostalgia centers in our brains—but I don't think it's just that. I honestly feel like these are the perfect controls for a skateboarding game, and linking combos together for massive multipliers just feels right. It's like being home again after a decade-long vacation.

Okay, so I'm going to make one tiny complaint here before I move on. I played the game on Xbox 360, since it's not out yet on PS3, but I found myself itching to have a Sony-branded controller in my hand. We all know the 360's D-pad sucks, and, for those of us who played THPS on PSOne, the PS3 controller would make the experience feel so much more authentic. Still, I had absolutely no trouble adjusting.

Xbox 360 | PS3 | PC

System: Xbox 360*, PS3, PC
Dev: Codemasters Southam
Pub: Codemasters
Release: June 12, 2012
Players: 1-8 (Online)
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Mild Lyrics, Mild Violence

Calling All Motorheads

by Adam Dodd

DiRT Showdown is a dramatic departure from what fans have come to expect from the series. It's turned away from a focus on racing other cars in a frantic dash for the finish line to instead focus on destruction, and lots of it. It's a change that takes the series more in the direction of the Burnout games rather than the more simulation-focused titles like Forza and Gran Turismo. This series has never been afraid to try new things to mix up the formula a bit, but there's a very good chance this new direction will alienate some gamers.

For starters, this is more of a derby-style racer than anything else. Where most racers focus on populating their arsenal with the most luxurious and exotic cars in the world, Showdown offers a decent selection of licensed cars, but the majority of its garage consists of vehicles created for this game. With spectacle and destruction taking the spotlight and a group of unreal cars, it almost sounds as if Showdown is aiming for full-on over-the-top derby destruction. If that was the game's goal, it failed, more or less.

This game sits in the middle of sim racing and arcadey racing, with Forza and Gran Turismo on one end and Blur and Split/Second on the other. Obviously, you don't have guns or any other offensive capabilities on your car; instead you'll have to defeat your opponents by ramming them repeatedly with your vehicle, slamming them into other cars or into objects on the track.

This keeps the races from being as exciting as they could've been. The derby style is something that could've worked, but not in the modes that are available here. Instead of a King of the Hill mode you'd expect from a game like this, you're relegated to some modes that feel as if they were taken out of another game and modified a little to fit in here.

The available modes are divided into four categories: Racing, Demolition, Hoonigan, and Party. Racing is what it sounds like and includes the Race-Off mode, where eight cars race in a circuit peppered with jumps, barricades, and assorted other obstacles. Domination is arguably the most entertaining mode in this category, as it divides the map into four areas with players winning points depending on how they perform in each sector. The third mode is Elimination, and it's like Race-Off only with a timer that's on a cycle. Every time the timer reaches zero the car that's in last place gets eliminated. If you absolutely have to get your racing fix, these are totally an option, but they certainly aren't the reason to get this game. However, the next two categories are.

Demolition has four modes: Rampage, Knock Out, Hard Target, and 8-Ball. This is where things get a little more creative. In Rampage, eight cars duke it out in an arena with each player getting points for crashing into and/or destroying other cars. Knock Out tweaks Rampage a bit by raising the arena and rewarding bonus points for those who push their opponents off the platform. Hard Target pits all against a single car where the driver who survives the longest wins. The final mode, 8-Ball, is like Race-Off, only the circuits are littered with crossovers and intersections that give you the chance to get up close and personal with your opponents.

These modes certainly aren't as creative as they could've been, and there are minor quips to be had with each one, but overall they're pretty fun. My only major gripe with the Demolition modes, specifically the ones that have you crashing into other cars in an arena, is that there just aren't enough players in the games. Eight cars isn't enough to keep these modes interesting, especially since a startling majority of the time I invested in the two modes was spent searching for a target.

Hoonigan is a little different, and it really just feels like a challenge mode. In it are the Trick Rush, Head 2 Head, and Smash Hunter modes. Trick Rush has you completing tricks for points, Head 2 Head pits two drivers against each other as they try to out-trick each other, and Smash Hunter has you running down colored bricks as quickly as possible. None of these are very likely to add much to the overall experience unless you feel you need to hone your skills in a 1-on-1 match or test your reaction speed in the Smash Hunter mode. Special tracks with extra destructible objects, obstacles, ramps, and whatnot would've been a welcome addition to the trick-centric modes.

There's a bevy of racing modes that can be played online with up to eight players in the final category. Party is made up of three modes and is only available online: Smash & Grab, Transporter, and Speed Skirmish. These might also be my favorites. Smash & Grab has two teams racing to nab the other's loot and the only way to get the loot back is by ramming the opponent that has it. Transporter is a glorified Capture the Flag mode that's easily the weakest mode of the bunch, and Speed Skirmish has you driving through six checkpoints (in any order) to win. The multiplayer modes are a little more chaotic, and for the most part the modes offered here are immensely entertaining.

Assassin’s Creed III Preview

Xbox 360 | PS3 | PC

System: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Dev: Ubisoft Montreal
Pub: Ubisoft
Release: October 30, 2012
Players: 1
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p

You Want A Revolution?
by Robert VerBruggen

By now, you've no doubt heard that the Assassin's Creed franchise will be returning with a new numbered entry come the holidays. It's the next step for the world's most popular blend of historical fiction, science fiction, stealth, open world gameplay, and hidden blades, so here's a quick roundup of what we know about it thus far.

First of all, the Animus will be dropping you off in a completely different setting this time around. The plot still revolves around the war between the Assassins and the Templars, but several hundred years have passed, and the action has crossed the Atlantic to the New World. Leonardo da Vinci is long since dead and buried, but a new cast of historical figures will emerge to fill this gaping hole in the Assassin's Creed soul: Rumors have included a staggering number of Revolutionary War-era figures, including everyone from the obvious (George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson) to some less prominent figures you might not remember from high school history (British general Charles Lee, famed American soldier Israel Putnam, British marine John Pitcairn). Despite its highly, er, Da Vinci Code-esque take on history, Assassin's Creed has always tried to capture the personalities of important people, and the third entry will sit firmly in this tradition.

It will also feature a painstaking attention to visual detail. Boston, New York, Lexington, and Concord will be explorable, and Philadelphia will make an appearance as well. However, aside from basic landmarks, they won't be recognizable. These cities have changed immensely since the Revolution, and while it's not clear whether the developers recreated the colonial cities place-by-place, they did make sure to capture the overall look they had, in addition to all the major landmarks. In terms of sheer size, AC3 will be an enormous improvement over the previous games in the series, which themselves were not exactly small in scale.

The Animus will transport you into the body of your ancestor Connor Kenway, who's half-English, half-Mohawk –his birth name is Ratohnhaké:ton—and becomes attracted to the fight for justice when his tribe is massacred. Kenway is an Assassin, of course, and his heritage combines with the game's fiction to create an odd pattern of conflicts and loyalties: Kenway doesn't seem to be a fan of white settlers regardless of whether they're American or British, but he likes the idea of fighting British tyranny, and his loyalty to the Assassins probably trumps all else. While the story of Kenway's childhood is a part of the tale, the game itself covers the three decades following the Revolutionary War. In terms of personality, Kenway offers a more even-keeled hero than did the loud-mouthed, arrogant Ezio.

The new setting inspires various much-needed changes to the gameplay. While the franchise has long been synonymous with the act of running across rooftops in densely populated cities, AC3 will put players on the American frontier in about one-third of the missions. In the wilderness, the seasons will matter like never before. You'll need to carefully make your way through deep snow in the winter, for example, and the free-running style of movement has been adapted to make it more suitable for rock- and tree-climbing as opposed to building-scaling. (Even the controls for running are different: The right trigger/A button "Assassin's Claw" grip has been replaced by a single button.)

Also, British soldiers are highly trained, and their weaponry and professional behavior will be a marked contrast with the old city guards. Muskets are incredibly deadly when fired in groups at a single target, so don't expect to walk in front of a line of British soldiers without paying the price—but if you get in close enough, they'll be forced to switch to their bayonets. Also, Revolution-era guns took forever to reload, so don't plan on spraying lead like Rambo.

There will be other updates as well. A major focus for the developers has been to make the world feel more alive—people on the street will each have their own tasks to accomplish, and each new mission will be given to you in the form of a scene. You'll no longer approach a mission-giver who's just standing around waiting for you. The frontier has also received a lot of attention, and it will be filled with wildlife to hunt and settlements to explore.

The basic mechanisms of combat have reportedly been overhauled as well. Two-handed combat is new to the series, and new ways to kill will include ropes, tomahawks, bows and arrows, and even a dart on a string. The button configuration will be a little different, there will be new combos, and the camera system has been tweaked.

While Assassin's Creed has never slacked in the graphics department, you can expect new things visually as well. The game is built from an entirely new engine called Anvil Next, and the developers have been working on AC3 for three years, reworking every little detail—they've said they want to ship Assassin's Creed 3.5, not just a "first draft" of a new game. Supposedly, the new engine can handle several thousand characters on the screen at once (the old engine could handle 100), a feature that will come in handy when the time comes to depict massive battles. AC3 will even feature acting performances developed via motion capture, a la L.A. Noire.

Supposedly, there are plenty of other new features that haven't been made public yet. There will be multiplayer, but we don't know what kind. There will be some new version of the "Brotherhood" mechanism to help you attack enemies, but it's not clear what that will look like. And so on.

Assassin's Creed games are always worth getting excited over, but this one promises to be a step forward in a way that the last two games simply weren't. This won't feel like a DLC pack for Assassin's Creed II. It will feel like it deserves the number after its name.

By Robert VerBruggen Contributing Writer Date: May 24, 2012

Game Features: 

As a Native American assassin, eliminate your enemies with guns, bows, tomahawks, and more!

From bustling city streets to the chaotic battlefields, play a critical role in the most legendary events of the American Revolution including the Battle of Bunker Hill and Great Fire of New York.

Experience the truth behind the most gruesome war in history: the American Revolution.

Introducing the Anvil Next game engine, the stunning new technology that will revolutionize gaming with powerful graphics, lifelike animations, immersive combat, and advanced physics.

Weekly Rant – Cheap Gaming Tricks

At what point in the evolution of video games did blockbusters stop being complete packages and become mere sections of a pie? Before we get any new game nowadays, there are confirmations from developers about extra content coming after the game's launch. And what about games that are exclusive to specific platforms, or bundles and pre-order bonuses we can only get at specific stores?

Call me old-fashioned, but it was nice to live in the days before the digital age, when there wasn't this massive demand for more content, more features, more for your dollar. It was also nice when those game producers hadn't yet caught on to this craving, or at least hadn't realized its moneymaking potential.

So have we become lazier because of technology? I'd have to say yes, but I can't be too hard on this trend because, like everyone else, I have benefitted from easily accessible digital content. Recent reports indicate that a large percent of gamers still prefer to purchase physical copies of games, but that certainly doesn't mean that they're completely unplugged. How many serious gamers can claim they've never had an Xbox LIVE or PSN account, or have never downloaded mods or purchased digital games? There's nothing wrong with any of this; the problem lies with publishers that exploit our online addiction to fill their pockets.

You can expect that, at preliminary design meetings when developers and publishers get together, they discuss the entire game's story, and then throw out ideas for extra content. Maybe they even have their story thinly sliced and arranged in such a way that we think it's a perfectly cooked gaming soufflé. Only after purchasing it do we realize it was a little deflated.

Take Mortal Kombat, for example. Those who purchased the console version at launch felt like the content was fair enough for the price. Then four extra characters were revealed. And then came the Klassic Skins Pack. Soon we had a Komplete Edition with even more stuff. Then the Vita version came out—with all the previous content, as well as new minigames and an exclusive 150-mission tower—for twenty bucks less than the original. Now, granted DLC content is optional, but can you honestly tell me that after all the extra post-release content emerged, the poor sap who purchased the original doesn't feel a little cheated?

It's not just the games either, as game systems aren't always fully featured on the first try. Nintendo is the most notorious for this with their handheld devices. Granted, newer versions have upgraded specs, but I remember purchasing my DS Phat on day one, then later upgrading to the sleek DS Lite. More features and a better interface had me trade in that one for a DSi. The only reason I didn't purchase the DSi XL was because I knew the 3DS wasn't that far off. I've got my 3DS now, but wait, here comes the 3DS XL. Seriously?

Finally, there are those extra peripherals that extend the functionality of a system. Some are cheap plastic manipulations like the Wii Sports Mega Pack, but then there are things like Kinect and Move, with games that absolutely require them. I have yet to personally find a game interesting enough to justify the purchase of either, but there might be one in development right now. After justifying the purchase to my wife, I wouldn't think twice about handing over my credit card to the store clerk.

Those of us who live for the controller find it extremely hard to repress the urge to rush out when a new release or new system hits the store shelves. Those bigwig executives know this, and they're laughing at us from on high while sipping their brandy and smoking Cubans.

If we all were all financially careful, we'd wait a few months—or even a year—and make the purchase after the price drops. But most of us won't do that, because the withdrawal would be too much to handle. So we're stuck buying our toys right away, while the patient gamers brag about their "Komplete" editions with all the trimmings at the same or an even lower price.

I guess if you need a little morale boost, just tell yourself, "Gaming's not the most expensive hobby I could have."

By Sean Engemann Contributing Writer Date: July 23, 2012

PC RESIDENT EVIL

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Review

Xbox 360 | PS3 | PC

System: PC, PS3*, Xbox 360
Dev: Slant Six Games
Pub: Capcom
Release: March 20, 2012
Players: 1-4 (Online)
Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p	Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language

Unfixed, Unpolished, Undead
by Angelo M. D'Argenio

When I first played Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City at last year's E3, I admit that I wasn't impressed. I liked the idea of a four-player co-op shooter based in the Resident Evil universe, but the game suffered from stiff controls and obscure mission objectives, making it a chore to play. The enemies were either a pushover or impossible to defeat, the game engine glitched like crazy, and nothing about it gave me that feeling of Resident Evil tenseness that defined the survival horror genre. Instead, all I got was frustration. But this was almost a year ago, and I was confident that Capcom would fix up the game before it hit shelves in 2012.

My optimism has turned to disappointment.

Not only have the controls barely changed from the demo version, but the game itself seems even more glitchy than before. It just feels unfinished, like Capcom didn't put a whole lot of effort into it. But, I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the first big flaw: the story.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City puts you in the shoes of a crack security force working for Umbrella Corporation during the events of Resident Evil 2 and a bit of 3. It's your job to wipe out all evidence of the Raccoon City outbreak and eliminate any survivors that might be able to tie it back to Umbrella.

The problem with "interquels" like this is that it's hard for players to actually care about what is going on. Sure, you get to see Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield as they relive events of Resident Evil's past, but you barely get to interact with them. Since this crack security team never really showed up in other Resident Evil games, you essentially have no real impact on the story. Capcom built this game up as an opportunity to "rewrite Resident Evil," but even that isn't all that compelling. Remember, you are the bad guys here. If you succeed in rewriting history, then the conclusion is that nothing happens. Leon never survives; the zombie outbreak is contained, blah blah blah. It's like you are actively on a mission to make the Resident Evil story more boring. That's a shame, because the plot of Resident Evil has never had a problem with being compelling.

Then there's the gameplay, which completely misses the point of Resident Evil's "survival horror" style. While you were well-armed in past Resident Evil games, you always felt like the zombies and other Bio-Organic Weapons were a threat. You were constantly afraid of death, even while you peppered your undead foes with a shotgun. The threat of finding a Licker or a Regenerator or a Spaniard with an axe kept you on your toes and gave you a feeling of accomplishment when the smoke cleared and the corpses of your enemies littered the ground.

That's not the case in Operation Raccoon City. Your guns are extremely powerful and ammo flows like water. You can essentially just hammer on the fire button and Rambo your way through each level. Each of the six different classes is overpowered in its own right, with skills that do all sorts of wacky things, from giving you more ammo to actually controlling the zombie hordes. This should make the game more fun, but it actually doesn't. Instead, it just makes the enemies feel inconsequential. Eventually, you'll face off with U.S. Spec Ops (i.e. the good guys) in your missions as well, and, at this point, the zombies become nothing more than an annoyance, interrupting you in the middle of your gunfights.

It's not just enemy A.I. that's annoying either. Your A.I. teammates are just plain stupid. They will run out into plain sight and get themselves shot up any chance they get. They love running in front of your firing path in the middle of a fight, and they will never ever kill an enemy that's targeting you. They will also never heal you when you need it. Instead, they will just wander through the levels with you, acting as dead weight and stepping on mines that you previously avoided easily.

Then there's the competitive multiplayer, which really shows off the weaknesses of the game's engine. Guns here are powerful but extremely inaccurate. You'll find that you can't pick off your enemies at a distance through skilled shooting reliably. Instead, it's a lot better to run right at them, guns blazing. Only, this isn't even that great of a strategy since the characters handle so sluggishly. Characters are so slow that strafing is nearly impossible, so you are left hammering out melee attacks and hoping your opponent dies first. All the while, the zombies continue to nip at your heel, so every kill and death you have feels entirely random.