Firstly let me just say due to academic reasons I’m sorry this blog has not been updated frequently however please keep checking back as I plan on more frequent updates this summer!
Now that is out the way as I’m sure many of you are aware the Xbox (the new console, one up from the 360) is due to be announced today 9am Pacific time which is 5pm for everyone in England.
This announcement will finally recall the look and features of the new Xbox by Microsoft and set aside the rumours allowing us to immerse between fact and fiction.
Make sure you watch the event live on YouTube or IGN or catch up on the event later for those of you who will be busy during this time.
Here is the link for those of you who would like to watch the event via IGN with IGN editors Ryan McCaffrey and Daemon Hatfield joining them is the one and only Peter Molyneux, Fable Creator and former Lionhead boss.
Hello everyone! Due to recent events in my life such as catching up with university work, going on holiday to Spain and starting a new job I haven’t be able to blog as much as I’d like 😦 Here is a catch up of all the events which have happened within the gaming world recently just to catch you, and me up.
Game Developers Conference
25th to 29th March 2013 saw the Game Developers Conference (GDC) being held in San Francisco, California, to catch up in full visit the following link http://www.gamasutra.com/gdc-2013 Companies who attended the event included Blizzard Entertainment, Microsoft, OnLive and many more! Sony did not attend this event, I believe they are saving the best for E3 later this year, TechRadar quotes “A room full of potential PS4 developers got a run down of the system’s architecture, design philosophy and online features. However, as local multiplayer fanatics, we loved hearing that the system will use its controller tracking to automatically swap split screen, should players rearrange themselves on the couch.” Personally it will be interesting to see what will become of this and how it works, if it goes well perhaps other developers will look into this in the future. UMB Tech Game Network have confirmed that GDC 2013 attracted 23,000 attendees, the largest crowd in the show’s history. Future game ‘Battlefield 4’ seventeen minute footage was leaked, the footage is shown below.
Electronic Arts Boss denied there is any link between video game content and “actual violence”
John Riccitiello, the boss of EA voiced the thoughts of many gamers in which he says video games can instead be good and they do not cause for any gamer to become violent or take part in violent acts.
Disney cancel the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ game
Sad news for any fan of Star Wars and gaming LucasArts has been closed by Disney. Star Wars 1313 which had a demo at E3 in 2012 will no longer go ahead. This game was set to place “players in control of a deadly bounty hunter as he uses an arsenal of exotic weaponry to hunt down his marks and uncover the truth surrounding a criminal conspiracy.” However LucasFilm spokesperson Miles Perkins, spoke toBBC, saying production on Star Wars 1313 has simply been “halted.” Therefor this game could still get the go ahead at some time in the future.
The award-winning developer Crytek is back with Crysis 3, the first blockbuster shooter of 2013! With this game recently released it’s time to discover the features of the game.
Available for; Xbox 360, PS3 and PC
Top of the charts
Over here in England Crysis 3 takes a rightful first place for the top 20 UK charts for the week ending February 23, beating fellow competitors which include Aliens: Colonial Marines, Dead Space 3 and Assassin’s Creed III.
Graphics
This game is set to wow us with its graphics, however as always the graphics you see before you while playing alter depending upon if you are playing this on an Xbox 360 or PC. Do not let this put you off though – the entire Crysis series is know for its amazing graphics and this is no exception.
As expected the graphics are visually stunning, however do not expect a great story line. Developer Crytek has worked unbelievably hard to continue with the amazing graphics and to wow us further, however perhaps they could have afforded to spend a little longer on developing the story line. Despite this, the reviews do talk about graphics so if you want to play a game in which graphics are practically unbeatable then this is for you.
An example of the graphics
Combat is slick and dynamic which of course is vital for a lot of video games, and finally Crytek have introduced a Tactical Bow to Prophet’s armor alongside his Nanosuit which featured in the video games prior. The tactical bow really does bring a certain something to this game along with a huge benefit for all the fighting. Other weapons include, Assault Rifle, Sniper Rifle and Sub-Machine Gun.
Personally I like how this game allows for you to also explore places and encourages you to do so. It also features an impressive multi-player. With a total of 64 Cell Intel Collectibles in Crysis 3, or as Crysis 3 fans will understand 38 Datapads, 20 Blackboxes, 6 Propaganda Posters, i’m determined to find them all…or probably just some!
Due to the graphics this game gets an overall rating of 8.5.
The NPD Group have revealed the Top 10 highest selling Video Games sold in America during 30th December 2012 and 2nd February 2013 (January period). They are the following:
Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)**
Far Cry 3 (360, PS3, PC)
Just Dance 4 (Wii, 360, PS3, Wii U)
NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, Wii, Wii U, PSP, PC)**
Madden NFL 13 (360, PS3, Wii, PSV, Wii U)
DMC: Devil May Cry (PS3, 360)
Halo 4 (360)**
Assassin’s Creed III (360, PS3, Wii U, PC)**
Skylanders Giants (Wii, 360, PS3, 3DS, Wii U)**
FIFA Soccer 13 (PS3, 360, PSV, Wii, Wii U, 3DS, PSP)
**(includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)
Liam Callahan, who works for NPD, reflects upon the January period quoting
“With the exception of Capcom’s new Devil May Cry, January saw no major releases to speak of on the top ten, so 2012′s year-end hot sellers like Call of Duty and Far Cry 3 continued to top the charts. That said, new releases did fare a bit better than in past January periods.”
Some of the above figures may come as a surprise to many, with Just Dance 4 beating games such as Halo 4 and DMC, however it is important to take into account the release dates, target audiences and importantly sales of individual games being combined into groups by platform. For those who love the game ‘Ni No Kuni’, this came close ranking at number 11 however it would have ranked number 7 if sales of individual games were not combined into groups by platform.
Over the past few days New York City and it’s surrounding areas such as New Jersey, Maine and even Canada have been affected by Snowstorm “Nemo“. This blizzard has left a staggering 31.4 inches of snow in Gorham, Maine according to breakingnews.com, caused 4,300 flights to be cancelled which including all those to and from New York City airports, created 200 traffic accidents in Ontario, Canada and tragically claimed the lives of four people in the United States and Canada.
To anyone who is affected by this please be careful and take precaution. Here in England it’s another rainy Sunday and no matter where you are there aren’t that many things which beats spending the weekend gaming. Even if you can’t do that currently then there is always next weekend 😉 To some people this may be just another week however cheering things up it’s time to look ahead at the games being released this week.
Tuesday 12th February, 2013
PC Games
Curse of the Werewolves– Deluxe Edition – Viva Media
Aliens Colonial Marines Season Pass [Download] – DVG SEGA
Xbox360
Aliens: Colonial Marines – Sega of America
Aliens Colonial Marines (Collector’s Edition) – Sega of America
PlayStation 3
Aliens: Colonial Marines by Sega of America
Aliens Colonial Marines Collector’s Edition by Sega of America
Friday 15th February 2013
PC Games
SpellForce 2 Faith in Destiny Scenario 3: Last Stand [Download] by DVG Nordic Games – February 15, 2013.
As we hope you are aware today, 3rd February, is Super Bowl Sunday and will see either the Baltimore Ravens or San Francisco 49ers crowned Super Bowl XLVII champions, in America’s biggest sporting event! No matter who you are supporting, or if you are going to play video games instead, here is a special blog post featuring American Football games. Time to eat some football shaped Oreos.
Madden NFL 13
This video game has been talked about a lot recently in the sporting world, this is because people are looking at this game to predict a winner for today’s event. Featured on the TIME website as number one for “Super Bowl XLVII: 9 Wacky Ways of Predicting the Winner” Madden NFL 13 – Ravens
“This annual bellwether is played not on the gridiron, but on the couch. The Madden gurus pitted the two teams against each other, in a game of Madden 13on an Xbox 360. Final score? Ravens 27, 49ers 24. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco was crowned MVP after completing 70% of his passes and tossing two touchdowns. Sure, it’s just a video game but it’s a painstakingly accurate one: Madden’s simulation has successfully predicted seven out of the last nine Super Bowls, and came within two points of predicting the exact final score of Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.”
Of course we will see how accurate this is tonight but right now it’s time to focus on the Madden NFL 13 game itself. To see the final few seconds of this gameplay see the video clip at the end of this post.
Madden is available in stores now for Xbox 360, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Madden NFL 13 Social is also available on iPhone, iPad and Facebook. This is very good news for all Vita gamers as Madden NFL 13 is the first Madden game to be released on the PlayStation Vita, as well as this it is also the first game in the series to have Kinect support for Xbox gamers.
With a player capacity of 1-4, and online multi-player capacity of 2-6. This game redefines its previous, with an all new game design and, new pass-ready system and improved play action. This game has set out to entice us, especially if you have played a Madden game before. This game also features a new read and react defensive AI system which is the most intelligent pass defense to date, Madden NFL 13. This game has some impressive real style virtual frame work. This game certainly has come along way since it was first released in 1989.
IGN quote;
“Madden NFL 13 revolutionizes the way sports video game career modes are played with Connected Careers—a completely new and fully connected universe defined by deep gameplay, unique storylines and social integration. The game continues to evolve the sport sim experience with cutting-edge Infinity Engine technology, revolutionary Connected Careers and a complete audio and visual overhaul that delivers best in class presentation.”
Madden 13 Game Cover
Cover Art
On the game cover we see a very realistic looking Calvin Johnson, known to many as Detroit Lions wide receiver.
John Madden Football 1989
Pre 1993 the EA Sports American football video game series was known as John Madden Football. Named after pro footballer and Super Bowl winning coach, John Madden.
Game play footage Madden ’89
Super Bowl 2013 Predictions: Ravens vs. 49ers in Super Bowl 47
pwnrsmanual 