Games, Games, and maybe some Games……

This page is for games that are coming up, or games that you think are good, if you coment with a game name and some info, I will look into it and I will put it here.

{PROTOTYPE}-Release Date:Europe June 12th, U.S June June 9th, Rating M, Mature.

A key aspect of Prototype is the ‘disguise and destroy’ concept which is tied to the protgonist’s enemy-consuming and shapeshifting powers. The player character is able to consume the bodies of those he has beaten and killed, giving him access to their memories, their experiences, their biomass and their physical forms. The character can also shapeshift into more specialized forms for attack, defense or sensory enhancement. All of these together are intended to give players multiple ways to complete their objectives.

Alex Mercer:

Alex Mercer wakes up on a morgue slab seconds away from being dissected by two strange scientists. After killing the doctors, he escapes. As he escapes, he discovers that he has no memory of what has happened to him. He then discovers his powers, and seeks out for whoever, or whatever did this to him. It has been lately discovered that before becoming a biological weapon, Alex Mercer was a scientist for “Gentek”, a medicinal company. He is about 29 years old, weighs about 190 lbs. (most of the time – he can change his weight willingly) and is about 5’10. He also has a sister called Dana who works as a reporter and his only link to his past.

Powers:

Alex can jump extremely high, run extremely fast and support incredible weights. He is able to track anyone, either by using his consuming or sensory powers. Alex has the ability to absorb anyone, gaining bio-mass. He can control his mass, transforming himself into an arsenal of deadly weapons, like a five foot long blade-arm which releases a quarry of swift attacks, being able to cut steel and chop flesh, two pairs of razor sharp claws, which can be charged up for a “ground spike” attack, in which Alex can send his biomass tunneling underground and spray out into deadly spikes, and a spiky bio-whip that can stretch up to 20 feet. He can also make his forearms become as hard as steel, and can concentrate up to 700 pounds of bio-mass into his arms, transforming them into huge rock-hard clubs that are able to crush concrete and bone into pulp.

Ground spike:

Gameplay:

The gameplay in Prototype is centered around Alex Mercer’s superhuman abilities. Alex has superhuman strength, speed, agility, durability, and healing as well as the abilities of consuming his fallen enemies, shapeshifting his body and easily moving in an open-world New York City environment. Radical claims that there will be 750 “unique combinations” of various powers. Alex Mercer’s history is kept secret, aside from his relation to his journalist sister, Dana Mercer, and a less successful brother, Brian Mercer. As a journalist, Dana started researching GENTEK, the company Alex worked for, weeks before he disappeared. Alex will also have immense foes such as the infected; Project BLACKWATCH and their leader, “The Specialist”, and another individual with powers like Alex: Elizabeth Greene.

Alex is strong enough to throw people and cars with little effort, run at high speeds and leap great distances, at some stage in the game he will also be able to pick up tanks. He can climb, run up the sides of buildings and fall from great heights without sustaining serious injury. He can also traverse great distances and jump over any kind of obstacle within the streets of New York City by way of his signature ‘Hyper-Parkour’.

When Alex consumes an enemy, he gains their memories, their abilities, and their appearance. Consuming memories will help him unlock nodes of the Web of Intrigue and advance the story. He also consumes useful skills, eventually giving him the proficiency to pilot military vehicles and use various kinds of weaponry (so he can absorb 100 or even 1,000 years worth of information within the time span of one week). Consuming slaughtered foes and bystanders augments Alex’s biomass, providing him with health which can also be used to perform devastating moves. In essence, Alex’s health is his biomass, when he has absorbed too much, he has to unload his mass and perform one of his “Devastator” attacks

Disguise and Stealth:

By consuming people, the character is reported to be able to take on their appearance, as well as knowledge. While disguised as military personnel, you can claim other soldiers to be Alex and have the surrounding military units execute him. He can also access restricted areas in disguise as well as use special abilities such as calling in an airstrike if he is disguised as a commander.

Exploration:

Alex can adjust his senses to perceive things in the environment that normal humans would be unaware of. These senses include infected vision (used to determine which people are infected) & thermal vision (to see through persistent smoke and debris).

Movement in Prototype is inspired by parkour. Alex will automatically maneuver around or through obstacles or straight up a wall of a fifty story sky scraper, allowing the player to move him with ease using the simplified movement controls. This allows the player to be able to focus on combat, rather than maneuvering through crowds he plows through them, while his parkour allows him to hop from car to car at lightning speed.

Steve Mele, Art Production Manager of Radical Entertainment, said in a blog “Speaking of exploring, I know there is a severed human leg on a rooftop somewhere in the city which initiates a side-story when found

The website is http://Prototypegame.com and here is a new gameplay/trailer gameplay video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdOue1ox5nc

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Raibow Six Vegas 2-Status:Released-Rating: M, Mature.

Single Player:

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is the first game in the series to feature a boss battle.

Multiplayer:

The multiplayer in Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 has been expanded to include more than 10 new close-quarters maps, two new adversarial modes, a newer and different rewards system, and according to Ubisoft, improved online matchmaking. The experience point (XP) system is different than the old Vegas, for every kill achieved the player gains XP. Also, unlike its predecessor, the XP system is tied in with the campaign mode as well. The gained XP results in promotions which rewards the player with new equipment. Players also receive bonuses from the A.C.E.S combat system based on achieving goals and the methods used to kill opponents, much like the single-player and co-op modes.^{[citation needed]}. A.C.E.S also result in the unlocking of new weapons. Another feature for multiplayer is that using a Xbox Live Vision camera or a PlayStation Eye, the player could take a picture of his/her face and make him/herself the playable character. A camera can also be used in the PC version as well to create a playable character.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2(Fan pack)^[13] includes three new maps (CQB-Dark, Murdertown-Dark, and the return of Calypso Casino)from the first Rainbow Six Vegas, There are also new A.C.E.S. and 99 more elite ranks to keep players busy. The new A.C.E.S. update is you can level up you A.C.E. until you reach 100 in that A.C.E. The 99 more elite ranks a gold elite badge with a number corresponding to the ranked elite you are. This download is available on the PS3′s Playstation Store or Xbox 360 marketplace or of Ubisoft’s website if you are using a PC version of RSV2

Co-Op:Previous Rainbow Six games up to Lockdown supported eight human players on the PC in co-op mode, while Rainbow Six: Vegas reduced co-op from eight human players to four human players. Although Terrorist Hunt mode retains the four human player limit (online only), the story mode in Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 has reduced co-op from four players to two players, with the second player assuming the position of Knight, Bishop’s teammate

Setting:

The setting for the game initially begins in Pic des Pyréneés (which is a fictional mountain. The only mountain top with an observatory in the Pyrenees is the Pic du Midi de Bigorre), France, in 2005. Although the story promptly moves five years forward to Las Vegas, United States of America on July 2, 2010, the same day of Logan Keller’s arrival to Las Vegas in Rainbow Six: Vegas. Terrorists have seized control of Las Vegas to instill widespread panic in both the public as well as law enforcement agencies, such as the National Security Agency, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Rainbow, as well as the local SWAT. As the plot unfolds, however, the setting moves away from Las Vegas to other places, such as a small town in Nevada, unlike in the first Rainbow Six: Vegas, which was mainly in Las Vegas.

Bishop:

Bishop is the main protagonist that the player controls and guides throughout the events of Rainbow Six: Vegas 2. His/her appearance and gender vary, depending on the intended look by the player. Either way, Bishop is still called “sir” in the game. He/she is a high-ranking veteran of the Rainbow organization, and is an instructor at the organization’s training academy when the game first begins. Bishop is referred five years after the first mission in the French Alps, Bishop returns from retirement as the team leader of Park and Walters. Bishop and Chavez are old friends and served together in the Army.

Knight:

If co-op mode is enabled, Knight accompanies Bishop on missions, whose appearance also varies depending on how the player desires him/her to look. His/her role, however, is limited as merely a co-op player, and unlike some games, such as Gears of War and Halo 3, Knight is not critical to the single player campaign’s story, as elaborated on the Eurogamer review. Playing as Knight also allows the player to unlock co-op achievements.

• Gabriel Nowak

The game’s main antagonist, a traitorous former Rainbow operative revealed as a mole in Rainbow Six: Vegas. Though cunning and ambitious, Nowak’s gung-ho recklessness earns him the disrespect of fellow teammates, ultimately leading to Bishop passing him up for promotion in favor of Logan, which therefore leads to Nowak betraying the Rainbow organization with the assistance of big-time terrorist ringleaders. Nowak betrays more Rainbow operatives in Vegas 2, mainly by posing falsely as an NSA agent, helping Bishop along the way for some of the campaign while actually putting Bishop in a state of danger, in order to kill him/her, which fails. Bishop eventually kills him in a final showdown at a villa in Costa Rica.Gabriel felt that Bishop was not letting him be all he could be.

• Logan Keller

The main protagonist in Rainbow Six: Vegas, Keller is seen in the opening level of the game, under Bishop’s command along with Gabriel Nowak. Keller demonstrates a formidable sense of close-quarters combat (CQB), with realistic analyses of certain hostage situations and how to eliminate the opposition in an effective and concise manner. He is later seen during Bishop’s showdown with Nowak near the end of the game. Logan is seen quoting Bishop’s teachings at the last level, implying his respect towards Bishop(In which Bishop replied, “Who said that horse shit?”).

• Jung Park

A character of South Korean nationality, Jung Park’s natural proficiency for computers drove him to serve his mandatory term in the ROK Army immediately after graduation. Park’s high scores on electronics screening made him eligible for entry into the 1st Anti-Guerrilla Group. For two years, Park served as part of the 15th Security Battalion’s signals unit. In 2004, Park received a transfer to the ROK Army’s 5th Special Forces Brigade (Airborne). During his time as a Black Dragon, Park earned top marksmanship decorations in every long-range category, as well as SCUBA and parachute qualifications. After three years with the 5th SFB, Park volunteered for the 707th Special Mission Battalion, South Korea’s elite counter-terrorist and quick-reaction unit. During a joint training mission with SAS and 1st SFOD-D, Park caught Ding Chavez’s eye for his mix of electronics and combat expertise. When Park’s two year term with the 707th concluded, he was immediately invited to join Rainbow.

• Michael Walters

Michael Walter’s three year tour in 40 Commando Royal Marines included the military evacuation of British nationals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and active operations in West Belfast.

• Domingo “Ding” Chavez / Six

Domingo Chavez a.k.a., Rainbow Six (USA; ex-United States Army Ranger, CIA, former leader of Rainbow Team 2). Chavez was promoted to Rainbow’s Director in Rainbow Six: Critical Hour. He commanded Alpha Team in 2005 at the Píc des Pyreneés, France.

• Sharon Judd

Sharon Judd fills the role of Joanna Torres as Bishop’s intelligence officer, as Torres is Logan Keller’s intelligence officer in the previous game. Later on in the game, she is shot and critically wounded by a terrorist sniper while dropping Bishop and his team off on the roof of an expensive Las Vegas hotel, the same hotel in which Echo Team is later killed in an explosion.

Plot

Act I:

In-game screenshot.

The game begins in 2005, one year before the bioterrorist events of Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield. Rainbow deploys Bishop to a science observatory in Píc des Pyreneés, France for an operation in which EU hostages must be rescued. Under his leadership are Logan Keller and Gabriel Nowak; Nowak and Keller have recently joined Rainbow, according to Ding Chavez/Six, who refers to them as recruits.

Monroe, the negotiator, plans to talk to the terrorists in-person, effectively distracting their attention while Rainbow’s Alpha and Bravo teams on the operation get into place. Bishop, who is in control of Bravo, takes Keller and Nowak to their assigned position and waits for Alpha to get in place. However, before Alpha arrives, Nowak exclaims ‘Fuck it,’ after one of the terrorist started pointing a rifle at a hostage and fires prematurely. Bishop is then forced to fire onto the terrorists, but Monroe is killed by collateral gunfire from the terrorists who panicked when Nowak first opened fire.

The player pointing to an enemy.

Six then radios in, giving Bishop Alpha’s sit-rep, but Bishop responds by saying that the situation “…is over, but Monroe is dead. We need to talk.” Nowak attempts to apologize for what he has done, but Bishop retorts back, “Not now!” In the PC and Xbox 360 versions, Bishop responds differently, saying “Save it. We’ll have a talk later.”

Six then tells Bishop that there are terrorists scrambling to escape and that Bishop needs to neutralize them. He also informs Bishop that there is a bomb that needs to be defused. When Bishop arrives, Nowak is assigned to defuse the bomb, and per Nowak’s request, Bishop and Keller distance themselves to give Nowak “space” to work with. The bomb is successfully defused, but terrorists open fire on Nowak. Nowak falls, and starts to scream helplessly into the radio: “You knew this would happen! You set me up out here!” Bishop assures him that they are not leaving him behind. Rainbow operatives from Alpha team then arrive and quell the situation, getting Nowak to his feet, just as the level ends.

Act II:

The game then moves five years forward to 2010 in Las Vegas. Bishop is now in a modified Eurocopter Panther with Jung Park and Michael Walters. Six briefs Bishop on their upcoming mission via secure satellite video: the National Security Agency (NSA) suspects two coyotes (“people smugglers”), Miguel and Alvarez Cabreros, have smuggled chemical weapons from Mexico into Vegas and would want Bishop’s (new) team to seize the weapons as soon as their undercover agent can confirm this. Six also informs Bishop that Logan Keller is also running a concurrent operation in Mexico, an event that occurs during the first Vegas game. The identity of the undercover agent however is compromised and the team is unable to rescue him in time. As the Cabreros are now alerted to their presence Bishop’s team immediately rushes to the warehouse which the NSA believes the Cabreros’ have been running their operation from, only to find that Hispanic hostages are being held at gunpoint by the terrorists. Despite NSA deputy director Lawerence’s insistence for the team to stop a van that may be carrying the chemical bomb, Bishop decides that the Hispanic hostages must take priority.

Act III:

After a quick rescue, Bishop learns from the hostages that in addition to the chemical bomb there is a second bomb made of explosives. The team then goes to a recreational facility where the suspect van is located. Upon reaching the facility and securing the area, Walters searches the van but is unable to find the bomb. Bishop’s team frantically searches the nearby area but gets to the actual bomb site, a Las Vegas sports stadium, too late. The bomb goes off, just as Walters attempts to break through the door to the stadium. He blames himself for not saving the trapped hostages, but Bishop accepts full responsibility, saying “I made the call. Not you.”

Sharon Judd, the on-site intelligence officer (similar to Joanna Torres’ role in the first Vegas game) then notifies Bishop that he and his team need to catch the younger Cabrero brother, Miguel, who has disguised himself as a hazmat official and escaped the area. In a chase for Miguel, Bishop eliminates all of the terrorists protecting him, leaving Miguel vulnerable to on-the-spot interrogation, specifically as to what happened to the second bomb. The brother at first denies any knowledge of the bomb, but after Michael aims his gun at him and Bishop threatens to tell his brother Alvarez that he betrayed their plan, Miguel confesses the location (albeit vague description), but immediately draws a pistol to shoot Bishop, who is forced to shoot before Miguel could kill him.

Act IV:

The team sets out to rescue the security chief of the Las Vegas Convention Center, during which they learn that the Cabrero’s have been working with Irena Morales, the main antagonist in the first Vegas game. The rescued hostage then tells Bishop that the bomb is located on a monorail headed towards the hotels. Bishop heads over to the train, though Walters is unable to stop the terrorists from remotely controlling the bomb. Bishop cleverly suggests to Walters that the bomb can be detonated, just not in a civilian area, ultimately fulfilling both NSA Deputy Director Lawrence’s order to “get rid of the bomb” as well as Six (Ding Chavez)’s order, “Rainbow’s ultimate objective is to protect civilians.” At this point, Bishop is contacted by an NSA agent, who tells him that the terrorists have set up in a Las Vegas penthouse for more attacks.

Act V:

Bishop heads over to the penthouse, with Six also deploying the Echo team to provide him with more support on the opposite side of the building. However when Bishop’s team tries to land on the roof, a sniper shoots Sharon Judd and wounds her critically, despite the NSA agent’s earlier information that the roof was clear. Bishop’s team initially meets heavy resistance in the penthouse, while Echo team reports the terrorists seem to have already cleared out on their side. This is soon revealed to be an ambush, as the Echo team is killed in a sudden bomb explosion.

In an ensuing casino battle with terrorists, Bishop rescues many civilian hostages, leading to a revelation that there is yet another bomb held in a Chinese theater, protected by highly armed terrorists. Walters successfully defuses the bomb. Rushing to the roof for extraction the team is yet again assaulted by more terrorists, in the aftermath of the firefight, Bishop is then contacted stating Logan’s team has been captured in Mexico and Park and Walters are to be his replacements (start of Rainbow Six: Vegas), and for Bishop to return to base.

Act VI:

On the roof the NSA agent joins Bishop in the helicopter at extraction saying that Alvarez has been spotted in an airstrip in the desert, and that because Alvarez is responsible for the bombing of several Las Vegas hotspots (e.g. casino, hotel, convention center, stadium, train station, etc.), Alvarez is too dangerous to let escape. Not letting Alvarez have the chance to escape, Bishop rushes over to confront Alvarez personally.

The helicopters arrive at an oil-refinery close to the airstrip’s position. But due to heavy resistance at the airstrip, Bishop is forced to make his way down from the oil-refinery. He is dropped in on a roof of a gas station while the NSA agent is dropped in a different location to provide Bishop with intelligence on the surrounding situation. Bishop is then forced to fight alone, making his way through the refinery and into an abandoned train-yard. When Bishop finally reaches the refinery’s airstrip, where he finds the NSA agent talking with Alvarez in a glass room. The NSA agent is revealed to be Gabriel Nowak (Bishop did not recognise him earlier because Nowak was wearing a balaclava), who shoots and kills Alvarez. He then insults Bishop before terrorists appear to kill him. With help from Gary Kenyon, Bishop’s helicopter pilot from earlier, Bishop escapes from the airstrip.

Act VII:

Six orders Bishop to stand down, however, Bishop, Jung, and Walters follow Gabriel to a Costa Rican villa, ignoring Six’s orders. After more fighting, Logan and other Rainbow operatives arrive to assist Bishop’s team. Gabriel insults Bishop throughout the level, before revealing that he was going to sell information about all Rainbow operatives to terrorists. Bishop then goes to face Gabriel alone; however, an attack helicopter and more of Gabriel’s terrorists attack. By repeatedly shooting and damaging it, Bishop manages to trick the helicopter into radioing for assistance, which lets Joanna Torres, Keller’s intelligence officer, target the helicopter and shoot it down. Finally, Gabriel and Bishop meet face to face, with Gabriel gloating that he outsmarted all of Rainbow, and arguing that Bishop should have let him fix his own mistakes, including what happened in France. Gabriel draws his gun, forcing Bishop to shoot first with his pistol, while Logan and the other Rainbow operatives arrive. Six berates Bishop for disobeying a direct order, but offers him the position as deputy director of Rainbow at Hereford, England.

Differences from previous titles in series

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 is the first game not to adhere to the standard storyline of the Rainbow Six video game series. Notably, in Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield, which took place in 2006, John Clark held the title of Rainbow Six, though in Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (flashback in 2005), Ding Chavez carries the title of Rainbow Six. Previous Rainbow Six games also did not have the presence of a drill instructor, as is manifested into Bishop’s role in Vegas 2. In previous games, either Ding Chavez or any member of Rainbow could act as a team leader.

Gabriel Nowak appears in the first Rainbow Six: Vegas as a member of a team led by Logan Keller, and later as a traitor who is “rescued” by Logan at the fictional Dante’s Casino, yet this is less than an hour after Bishop discovered Gabriel’s true affiliation in Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 at the fictional Oil Refinery in the deserts of Nevada. Travel time between Las Vegas and the deserts of Nevada in Vegas 2 took well over three hours, yet traveling back for Nowak took less than 60 minutes (although a private jet plane is seen in the hangar where his identity is revealed). In addition, even after Gabriel reveals himself as a traitor to Bishop, his treachery inexplicably remains unknown to the rest of Rainbow Six as Gabriel is then able to return to Dante’s Casino and be rescued by Logan who still thinks him loyal to Rainbow. Although this could be explained as Bishop, the only person to know of Gabriel’s betrayal up to that point was unconscious.

Rainbow Six: Vegas had no callsigns, though it is important to note that in previous Rainbow Six games, such as Raven Shield, teams were designated as merely “Green”, “Red”, or “Gold”, rather than the traditional “Alpha/Bravo” callsigns used in Vegas 2.

In addition, some characters have changed between Vegas and Vegas 2. In Vegas, Logan speaks with a southern accent, but in Vegas 2 he speaks with a more neutral accent. Also, Nowak has pale skin in Vegas, but in Vegas 2, he has a tan.

Limited Edition

The limited edition for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 was released on launch day. Differences between the regular and the limited edition include a collectible poker chip keychain, a bonus disc containing a strategy video, an interview with FinestX (a “pro gamer” according to the game box), an MLG insider video containing hints and tips about the online modes, along with a sneak peek into Tom Clancy’s EndWar.

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(Not much Info)Terminator Slavation:The Video Game-Release date May 19th-Rating M

Terminator Salvation is an upcoming third-person shooter action video game, slated for a release on May 19, 2009 to coincide with the release of the upcoming film of the same name on the same week. It is being developed by the Halcyon Company’s gaming subsidiary, Halcyon Games, along with GRIN and published by Equity Games and Evolved Games. The game is scheduled to be released for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, mobile, and iPhone OS.

Set in 2016 in Los Angeles, it is an interquel that takes place between the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator Salvation and follows Common’s Barnes character, though players will assume the control of John Connor. However, Christian Bale refused to lend his voice and likeness for the game. Rose McGowan will be in the game as well, voicing the game-exclusive character Angie Salter, who is an ex-high school teacher. On the other hand, Common and Moon Bloodgood are voicing their own characters from the film (Barnes and Blair, respectively).

Gameplay:

Terminator Salvation is a third person shooter where the player needs to “constantly move, flank, cover and utilize their squad to progress.” The player must battle Skynet enemies from the upcoming film as well as new enemies specifically designed for the game.

The game features a campaign that can be played alone or cooperatively with one other local player via split-screen

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Assassins creed 2, release date: Us 17th of November 2009, Europe 20th of November 2009, rating M, Mature.

Assassin’s Creed II takes place in an open world and features nonlinear gameplay, allowing the player to free-roam the city at will. An article published in Game Informer reveals that Assassin’s Creed II will grant the player the ability to swim and use the canals of Venice as hiding spots and will allow the player to drag city guards into the water as a means of assassination.^[1] At E3 2009, it was also confirmed by the creative director that Ezio (the character that the player assumes control of during gameplay) will be able to “drive small boats.” Historical figure Leonardo da Vinci is recreated within the game, as an aid to the player who provides a host of weapons and contraptions available for use.^[1] At one point in the demo, the player can access Leonardo’s flying machine which he actually built, keeping airborne using thermals from fires lit by friends gathered prior to the events in the demo.^[1] The game will also feature a host of new mission types for the player to complete.^[1]

The health system has been adjusted to allow for a more dynamic and participatory experience, meaning that the “memory sync” system used in the first game only helps to recharge health up to a certain point.^[1] More grievous injuries will require a trip to one of the many street-side doctors, who can help return Ezio to full strength.^[1]

The player character, Ezio Auditore da Firenze ^[12], a nobleman of Florence, Italy, and ancestor of Desmond Miles.

As well as using water as a hiding place, the player can utilize a broader array of scenery as cover and can now blend in with any crowd rather than a group of scholars dressed in white, as in Assassin’s Creed.^[1] Like in the 2006 video game Hitman: Blood Money, there will be a notoriety system, and the player will become more notorious as Ezio completes more missions, however Ezio’s infamy can be reduced by bribing, removing wanted posters of him or assassinating witnesses.^[1] Also, a day and night cycle has been added to the game, giving the sense of a passage of time but additionally certain missions will only be able to be performed during the day or night.^[1] The game will also feature some sort of economic system that makes it possible to hire services from non-player characters, or “factions”: Thieves, Prostitutes, and Mercenaries. Each faction has their own advantages. Thieves will help the player fight enemies and do certain activities like distracting guards, stealing money, and setting up fires for the use with the glider. Mercenaries will help in fighting and can also fight some people without involving the player himself in the fighting. Prostitutes act similarly to the monks in Assassin’s Creed in that they can cover the player’s presence from the guards. Additionally, they can distract guards. The player can find faction members inside cities or by going to the leader of a faction. Hiring them costs the player money, and if the faction members were recruited with help of a faction leader, the leader will require a favor from the player in order for the player to get any associated reward.

The trailer, which debuted at E3 2009, displayed many new things such as improved parkour mechanics. The main reveal of the trailer involved Ezio withdrawing his hidden blade to access a rudimentary gunpowder-based mechanic on his wristblade to take out a target from a distance. It has also been confirmed at E3 2009 that Desmond himself will “do more than just walk” in this game. Another feature, as seen in the gameplay video, no cover is safe, as guards can search them. To counter this Ezio has the ability to assassinate the incoming guards before detection, and placing the bodies in his former hiding location (he drags them into haystacks, places dead enemies on the bench he was sitting at between two allies etc.

Besides the main city of the game, the player can access hidden locations such as catacombs and caves, the contents of which have been compared by the developers to the Prince of Persia series. Exploring these locations rewards the player. It has also been said that the player can choose to throw money to the ground, which attracts the attention of nearby civilians, creating a distraction, and throw smokebombs in order to elude guards that are chasing him. Additionally, the eagle vision from the first game has been improved, now giving the option of remaining in third person with eagle vision initiated, allowing the player to spot targets while moving.

Combat

Ezio can use various types of weapons, like swords, daggers, halberds, axes and spears. The player can buy his own weapons from shops all over town, from blades to bullets. Ezio, unlike his ancestor Altaïr , the protagonist from Assassins Creed, can disarm his opponents with various attacks and counter-attacks. He learns his fighting skills from his uncle, Mario Auditore. The combat skills include boxing, Sang-raa and Krav Maga^.

As the player progresses throughout the game, Ezio will get stronger and more skilled. He figures out more skills and ways to kill and disarm his opponents, and builds more muscle as he finishes fights and assassinations.

Plot

While not much is known of the plot yet, it has been confirmed that the player will assume the role of a young nobleman-turned-assassin named Ezio Auditore da Firenze. In an interview with Patrice Desilets, the game’s creative director, it was revealed that Ezio’s father, a banker,as well as two other unnamed people have been executed; thus, the essence of the plot is to get revenge on the rival families that murdered him whilst Ezio watches over his mother and sister.^[13] Like Altaïr in the first game, Ezio is an ancestor of Desmond Miles, the modern day bartender who was captured by Abstergo, with Ezio himself being a descendant of Altaïr.^[14]

The game takes place in 15th century, Italy during the Renaissance, approximately 295 years after the first game.^[15] Like Assassin’s Creed, characters based on historical figures will be present in the game including Leonardo da Vinci, Niccolò Machiavelli, Caterina Sforza and Lorenzo de’ Medici.^[15] Unlike Altaïr, whose ring finger was amputated in order to accommodate use of his hidden blade, Ezio has not; bearing a ring displaying his family crest. This was made possible by just one of numerous technical advances made by his close friend – Leonardo da Vinci – who helps Ezio throughout the course of the game.^[16]

Cities mentioned as being in the game thus far included Venice^[1], Florence^[1], Rome^[1], the Tuscan countryside^[1], San Gimignano^[17] and Forlì.^[17] Specific landmarks include St Mark’s Basilica^[1], the Grand Canal^[1], the Little Canal^[1], the Rialto Bridge^[1], Santa Maria del Fiore^[17], Santa Croce^[17], Palazzo Vecchio^[17], Ponte Vecchio^[17] and Santa Maria Novella.^[17]

^Development

Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot officially confirmed that Assassin’s Creed II was in development on November 26, 2008 during the company’s financial performance report.^[18] This was followed by Michael Pachter speculating in GameTrailers‘ “Bonus Round” that game would change its setting to the events of the French Revolution, which turned out to be false.^[19]

A promotional video was released by Ubisoft on April 6 showing a skull, some hidden blade designs, and Leonardo’s flying machine on a scroll.^[20]

On April 16, Game Informer magazine released details of the game, including pictures of Ezio,^[14] a new teaser trailer^[21] was released, and the game was “officially” announced by Ubisoft.^[10]

In an interview in May 2009, Sebastien Puel stated that the development team working on Assassin’s Creed II had increased to 450 members, and the development team’s size had tripled since the first game.^[22]

On June 1, 2009, Ubisoft released a new 4-minute cinematic Assassin’s Creed II trailer at E3.^[23] On June 2, 2009, Ubisoft revealed the first live gameplay demo lasting 6 minutes at the Sony Press Conference.^[24] GameTrailers features an exclusive developer walkthrough from E3 2009. In an interview with GameTrailers Ubisoft Montreal creative director Patrice Desilets stated Desmond would be doing more than walking around and discovering clues.^[25]

It was announced at the Assassin’s Creed panel at Comic Con 2009 that a mini-series of three episodes would be released showing the events leading up to the game and the history of Ezio and his father.

It was revealed that the humorist Danny Wallace will be voicing a new character in Assassin’s Creed II by the name of Shaun Hastings, a sarcastic historian assisting Desmond. The character’s face will also be modeled after him^[26].

The game was originally due to be released at the same time on all the three platforms, but Ubisoft announced on September 24, 2009 via Twitter that the PC version would be delayed to the first quarter of 2010 in order to have “a bit more time for the dev team to deliver the best quality game”.^[9]

^{Limited Editions}

Several different limited editions of Assassin’s Creed II will be released. The Europe ”Black” limited edition release is packaged with an Ezio figurine who is garbed in an upgraded black Assassin cloak which Ezio earns in the advanced stages of the game. Included are 3 bonus missions and a “conspiracy book” giving details of the plot. An additional DVD containing the game’s soundtrack, behind the scenes information and more will also be included. The “White” limited edition release is packaged with one bonus mission, and an Ezio figurine in his standard white Assassin cloak.^[27] “Master Assassin’s Edition” is the North American limited edition, which will include the white-cloaked Ezio figurine, two in-game maps, an art book and an additional DVD containing the game’s soundtrack, behind the scenes information and more. ^[28]

Some gameplays videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh2fB48DO6E&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX3O1O5gLQw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8Qz9ah8cKQ

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Halo 3:ODST(Orbital Drop Shock Troopers), Rating:M, Mature, Release Status:Released.

Halo 3: ODST is a first-person shooter video game, developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft. It was released on the Xbox 360 video game console exclusively on September 22, 2009, nearly two years after the initial release of Halo 3. Players assume the roles of elite human United Nations Space Command soldiers known as Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) during the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3. After the alliance of alien races known as the Covenant attack Earth, the player explores the ruined city of New Mombasa to discover what happened to their missing teammates, separated from each other as they entered the city.

Bungie initially conceived ODST as a small side project to produce in the lull between Halo 3‘s completion and Halo: Reach. Instead of featuring recognizable characters such as the Master Chief from previous games, the developers focused on the ODSTs. Story director Joseph Staten penned a detective story utilizing film noir settings, design, and characters. Composer Martin O’Donnell abandoned his previous Halo themes to create a quieter, jazz-influenced sound. During development, the game grew in scope to that of a full-sized game.^[1]

On release, ODST became the top-selling Xbox 360 game worldwide. The title received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the atmosphere, music, and story approach. Critics were divided on whether the relatively short campaign and included extras were enough to justify the full-game price tag.

Gameplay

Players assault an enemy Brute in ODST‘s campaign mode. The player’s VISR differentiates friend and foe with a colored outline (enemies are highlighted in red, while allies are green.)

Halo 3: ODST is a shooter video game with gameplay taking place from a first-person perspective. Although the gameplay of ODST bears a strong resemblance to previous Halo titles,^[2] the player does not assume the role of the enhanced human supersoldier Master Chief. Instead, the player controls a lone UNSC soldier, known as the Rookie.^[3] Since the player does not possess Master Chief’s advanced armor and reflexes, he cannot jump as high or move as fast. Instead of the Chief’s damage-absorbing energy shield, the game uses a stamina mechanic. After taking damage, the screen flashes red; the player regains stamina by resting. If the player receives more damage past their stamina threshold, their health takes a permanent hit.^[4] Players restore permanent health via the use of medpacks scattered around the game environments.

As an ODST the player has access to exclusive weapons, including a suppressed submachine gun and pistol that is a throwback to the Halo: Combat Evolved weapon.^[5]

The soldier HUD is different from the previous series, with red outlines for the enemies thanks to a new feature called the VISR (Visual Intelligence System, Reconnaissance). The VISR also gives you a compass and outlines important items in yellow, but has no radar. However, the aiming reticule remains.^[6] It also includes an open world environment.^[7]

The game’s campaign mode can be played alone or with up to three other players. As the Rookie, the player’s goal is to discover what happened to his missing teammates. After finding a piece of evidence left behind (a sniper rifle hanging on a lamppost, for example) a flashback is triggered and the player assumes the role of the missing soldier^[3] in a daytime setting.^[8] After players find the first beacon, the choice of where to go next is up to the player. This leads to the option which, unlike other Halo games, will allow the player to play the campaign levels in any order they want.^[9] Lead producer Curtis Creamer has stated that the campaign’s length is similar to that of previous Halo games.^[10]

Multiplayer

In lieu of a complete ODST multiplayer option, the game ships with Halo 3‘s multiplayer contained on a separate disc. The 24 maps consist of the original eleven Halo 3 maps (Construct, Epitaph, Guardian, High Ground, Isolation, Last Resort, Narrows, Sandtrap, Snowbound, The Pit, Valhalla), the Heroic map pack (Foundry, Rat’s Nest, Standoff), the Legendary map pack (Avalanche, Blackout, Ghost Town), the Cold Storage map, and the Mythic map pack (Assembly, Orbital, and Sandbox) as well as three new maps (Citadel, Heretic, Longshore). The exclusive maps are also counted as Mythic maps and are tied into Halo 3′s achievements. In addition to the Halo 3 maps, ODST includes a fully integrated version of the forge map editor from Halo 3.

ODST also contains a new cooperative game mode called Firefight. In this game mode, players take on increasingly difficult waves of varied enemies and see how long they can last. Firefight includes new medals as well as the ability to play co-operatively with up to three other players over Xbox LIVE or System Link. The team has a team pool of lives, which is added to after set rounds, and the game ends upon their depletion and all player’s deaths. Skulls have been incorporated into Firefight as a means to increase the difficulty and provide variation.^[11] Some of the maps used in Firefight are unlocked as the player progresses through the single-player campaign, and there are a total of ten, of which three are unlockable. It is also noted that the enemy characters appearing in each wave are randomly generated, meaning players are unable to anticipate the strength of the next wave prior to its arrival. As you progress inside Firefight, you will get more and more characters to unlock. Players are awarded medals for making special kills, and individual and team scores are tracked throughout the games. Firefight also incorporates the Halo 3: ODST score, adding music that reflects the general mood of a map. Inside Firefight, the player(s) has/have a shared pool of 7 lives, which are replenished after completing special bonus rounds.^[12]

Synopsis

Setting

Main article: Halo (series)#Story

Halo series chronology
Halo Wars Halo: Reach Halo: Combat Evolved Halo 2 Halo 3: ODST Halo 3

ODST takes place in the 26th century, where humans under the command of the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) are locked in a war with a theocratic alliance of alien races known as the Covenant. During the events of the 2004 video game Halo 2, the Covenant discover the location of Earth and launch an assault on the city of New Mombasa in Africa. Though the UNSC manages to repel most of the fleet, a single ship lands above the city and eventually retreats via a slipspace jump, creating a shockwave that destroys much of the city. While the rest of Halo 2‘s storyline follows the carrier to a ringworld called Halo, ODST focuses on the aftermath of the shockwave, where the Covenant still occupy the city.

Characters

The game’s protagonist, the Rookie, is a young unnamed member of a special military unit, the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, known as ODSTs or Helljumpers. ODSTs often deploy in small, one-man Human Entry Vehicles (HEVs), launched from spaceships in the upper atmosphere.^[13] The Rookie is assisted in finding his teammates by Mombasa’s city maintenance artificial intelligence known as the Superintendent.^[14][15] The Rookie’s teammates are Buck, Dutch, Romeo, Mickey, and Dare, a UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) agent in charge of the squad’s operation.

Plot

The game begins with Dutch, Romeo, Mickey and the Rookie discussing plans for assaulting the Prophet of Regret’s ship. Buck arrives and introduces Dare, an ONI officer who is put in charge of their mission. The team enter their HEVs and drop through the atmosphere toward the ship; at the last minute, Dare changes their trajectory to miss the carrier. The ship enters slipspace, sending a shockwave and an EMP toward the ODSTs; the Rookie’s pod collides with another and crashes to the ground, knocking him unconscious for six hours.^[16] He awakens and proceeds to find clues as to what happened to his squadmates. Along the way, he discovers clues and evidence of his squad’s exploits while he was unconscious.

Buck awakens after the drop and fights through Covenant to find Dare. When he arrives at her pod he finds only her charred helmet. Romeo saves Buck from an Engineer and the two resolve to get out of the city. Dutch drops near a nature preserve and helps Marines while he goes to the city. Mickey commandeers a tank and fights his way along a Mombasa boulevard. Meeting up with Dutch, the two defend an ONI base from the Covenant, blowing a bridge to slow the enemy. However, they are quickly overrun and forced to destroy the facility to keep it from being captured. Fortunately, they are evacuated by a Pelican and they make contact with Buck, arranging a rendezvous at the police headquarters. However, when Buck and Romeo arrive, they see the Pelican get shot down and crash. They rescue Dutch and Mickey, but Romeo is seriously wounded in the fight. The squad hijacks a Phantom transport, but instead of leaving the city, Buck decides to turn back and find Dare.

Back in the city, the Rookie is assisted by the Superintendent, a “dumb AI”, which leads him to Dare’s position. She and the Rookie team up to reach the Superintendent’s data core, which possesses crucial information on something underneath the city that the Covenant are looking for. After fighting through a large Covenant force, they reach the core to find an Engineer hiding within. Dare explains that the Engineers had been enslaved by Covenant and this particular one decided to defect to the humans. It had downloaded the Superintendent’s data into itself and Dare’s mission is to escort it to safety. The Rookie, Dare, and the Engineer reunite with Buck and they manage to fight their way out of the city. As they fly away in the captured Phantom, the squad watches as the Covenant destroys New Mombasa to excavate whatever is underneath it.

In the epilogue, the squad is keeping guard over the Engineer in a UNSC orbital station. Sergeant Johnson then arrives, informing the Engineer that he intends to ask it everything it knows about the Covenant and whatever it is they’re looking for. If the game is completed at the Legendary difficulty level, a scene after shows the Prophet of Truth overseeing some Engineers uncovering a Forerunner artifact buried beneath the Superintendent’s data core.

Release

A specially-outfitted ODST truck travelled the country to GameStop locations, offering fans a chance to play Firefight and win prizes.^[49]

Halo 3: ODST ships as a two-disc set. The first disc contains the campaign mode as well as the firefight co-op mode, while the second disc contains the multiplayer mode with the complete set of Halo 3 maps. Owners of the game receive an invitation to participate in the upcoming Halo: Reach multiplayer beta in 2010, while pre-orders include a token to unlock recurring Halo character Sgt. Johnson as a playable character in the Firefight multiplayer mode. The Sgt. Johnson skin is downloadable from the Xbox LIVE marketplace. This code is included only by certain retailers. A special edition “Collector’s Pack” contains the game and a special ODST-branded wireless Xbox 360 Controller.^[50] Toys R’ Us offered an ODST action figure and a $20 gift card as a buying incentive.^[51]

By April 2009, market research firm OTX reported that ODST was the most highly-anticipated video game,^[52] a spot it also held by late August.^[53] Before its release the title was the top-selling game on Amazon.com based on preorders alone, and spent 107 days atop the merchant’s top 100 video games and software list.^[54] Copies of ODST were sold early in France. Microsoft responded by launching an investigation and threatening to ban any players on Xbox Live playing ODST before its official release;^[55] Xbox lead manager Stephen Toulouse later clarified that they would not ban legitimate buyers.^[56]

Microsoft prepared a “mammoth” advertising campaign for the game, with Entertainment Director Stephen McGill affirming that the game “is absolutely a key title to us… this is the first time we’ve ever done anything like this, and Halo 3: ODST is a great way to kick it off.” Alongside extensive promotions through Xbox Live, online, print, and television advertising.^[57] Marvel Comics published a limited comic series, Helljumper, that features ODST‘s main characters.^[58]

Among the promotional material released for the game was a live-action trailer posted to the internet in September and later used in television spots.^[59] The trailer follows a boy named Tarkov from when he is inspired to become a soldier to becoming a leader on the battlefield.^[60] The short was created by advertising agency TAG SF, with props by Legacy Effects and effects by Asylum. The short was directed by production company MJZ, who also handled the award-winning Halo 3 “Believe” advertisement.^[59] Legacy designed and fabricated weapons, armor, and a Covenant Brute costume within two weeks.^[61] Bungie-supplied 3D geometry allowed the company to quickly create accurate representations of in-game items, and provided input on the UNSC dress uniforms. Shooting took place at several locations; the cooling tower interior of an active nuclear power plant stood in for a cemetery. Outside the tower the production created a mud pit and obstacle course for a training sequence; members of the Hungarian special forces served as drill instructors, firing blanks. Finally, the shoot moved to an abandoned Soviet-era aluminum refinery for the short’s final memorial scene. An additional scene was shot here but did not appear in the final product.^[60]

ODST launch events were held around the United States. Bungie and Microsoft sponsored an official launch event at the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle. Featured at the event were discussion panels about the series and advance looks at other Halo content such as Halo Legends.^[62] About 800 fans attended from around 6–11 pm before heading to nearby game stores to get their copy of the game.^[63] GameStop held almost 3,700 launch parties across the United States.^[64]

On release Halo 3: ODST became the top-selling Xbox 360 game worldwide.^[65] ODST also claimed the overall top spot in UK game sales,^[66] becoming the 12th highest sell-through for a single platform title in the market.^[67] In Japan, where first person shooters have generally fared poorly,^[68] ODST sold 30,000 copies by September 27.^[69]

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^{Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2. Release date: 26th October 2010 for North America, around the 29th for Europe.}

After Galen Marek‘s deathaboard the first Death Star,Darth Vader attempts to bring him back by taking his body toKamino to have him cloned. His motive is to have the perfect Sith Warrior. Marek is once again trained under Vader, being told that he is one of the many attempts to clone his original self, and that all the others had gone insane, leading the clone to doubt his mental stability. But when he experiences a vision that shows Vader betraying his original self, he finally chooses to escape Kamino by stealing Vader’s TIE Fighter and begins to experience memories of a life he does not remember living. The fugitive tracks down General Rahm Kota, who has been captured by theEmpire and is being held on Cato Neimoidia for execution in the palace of Baron Tarko. He must fight his way through the opulent domain, and the proceeds to relieve Kota after a seven-day gladiatorial ordeal. Tarko then releases the Gorog, the giant creature featured in the teaser trailer. Marek also travels to Dagobah, after it was mentioned by Kota, and it stuck in the clone’s mind.

Gameplay

A new fighting style has been revealed which shows a more realistic style of fighting. As well, the targeting reticule has been shown, which is more precise and is now more defined. Also, lightsaber dismemberment has been confirmed.

The Force powers from the last game will return with a couple new ones. One of these is the mind trick, which makes enemies fight along side you or run off a ledge killing themselves, depending on the situation.

Anyone who purchases the collectors’ steel box special edition of the game will have the opportunity to play as the “original Starkiller” as designed by Ralph McQuarrie in early drafts of Star Wars.