Valve Speaks out on Left 4 Dead 2 with OXCGN-pt 2

“C’mon, c’mon, trust us on this one!”

by Aaron Bertinetti.

© 2009 Aaron Bertinetti.

In Part 1 of my interview with Chet “Mr. Awesome” Faliszek, Writer on Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, we discussed why Valve was so keen on a quick sequel along with the smorgasbord of new features coming this November including weapons, items, enemies, maps, weather, characters, and of course the vastly enhanced AI Director 2.0. You can read all about it right here.

In Part 2, we explore what Valve thinks that people like the boycotters should be doing and why Valve’s confident they can convince them to change their minds. I also probe for hints about Left 4 Dead 2’s beginning, the characters, the storytelling, marketing, and why Valve are so confident about releasing a week after Modern Warfare 2!

There’s also some talk about beers, bets and keeping secret projects, well, secret!

• E3 Left 4 Dead 2 Official Trailer

Part 2 – “C’mon, c’mon, trust us on this one!”

OXCGN: Can you give any back story about the characters?

Chet Faliszek: Well we start off in Savannah, and it’s a world not touched by the zombie infection yet. It actually hits while you’re there, while you’re just starting the game.

OXCGN: So do you start with guns in your hand?

Chet Faliszek: Well [pause] we’re not going to give away all of that yet. But you start early on and the four characters all meet up together and you go from there. And the world’s changing as well as you’re doing this. Right, so Left 4 Dead 1, the cities are almost interchangeable, one’s on fire, one’s not, but they’re at the same state.

OXCGN: Do these characters know one another prior?

Chet Faliszek: No. They meet right there. We kind of have that arc and the characters actually have an arc they go through while you’re playing. And the world has an arc that it goes through as you’re playing as well and you get to see the change that happens.

OXCGN: So I assume you’re taking the same approach as the first one and also Portal, in regards to the storytelling as you’re playing?

Chet Faliszek: Yeah storytelling as you’re playing. It’s not all just graffiti, graffiti plays into it and everything else but also we’ve worked on how some of the characters interact, enhancing the talking and dialogue. I’m excited about it.

OXCGN: So am I!

[Laughs]

OXCGN: But that said the first game was surprisingly commercially successful, and I think it deserved that success, but considering it came out I think it was five days after Gears of War 2.

Chet Faliszek: Yeah.

OXCGN: Given that, I think Doug (Lombardi) gave an interview with EDGE the other day in which he was talking about the marketing campaign. Can you give any insight about that and how you’re going to get noticed a week after Modern Warfare 2?

Chet Faliszek: So one of the things is I think the marketing campaign had a good deal of help and it got people to come out. But also we just took it out everywhere and we let people play it and we’re doing that now right, we’re at E3 and we’re already playing it.

OXCGN: Five, six months out.

Chet Faliszek: Yeah and I look at the forums and it’s depending on which forum. If you’re looking at a 360 forum it’s 90% positive, 10% negative. If you’re looking at a PC forum, it depends on which one you’re looking at…

[Laughs]

Chet Faliszek: If you look at our Steam powered forums, yeah it’s a little rougher. But it’s like those people man, we’re going to take it around to some this year, so play the game and then come talk to me. So it’s kinda like when we had the update in Left 4 Dead 1 where we changed the melee and the fatigue, where people were writing in that they wanted their money back because it “was the worst change ever and we ruined the game for them”.

So Gabe (Newell) forwards me those emails and I respond “well here’s my Steam account, here’s my Live account, lets play. Lets play and lets talk about it.” Until one is like “Oh you know what, I reacted without really playing it, now that I’ve played it I don’t even notice it anymore. You’re right it’s not really a big change unless you’re kind of spamming away.” And I’m like “yeah we actually…”

OXCGN: We playtest this!

[Laughs]

Chet Faliszek: Yeah, we playtest the hell out of it. So it’s almost like I just want to yell “C’mon, c’mon trust us on this one!”

OXCGN: That’s right.

Chet Faliszek: Check it out, learn about it, play it if you get a chance to play it, and then come back to me and see if you’re still willing to say those things and lets talk about it. Because as a customer I think if someone just says “hey Left 4 Dead 2”, I’m going to have some reactions that are similar to them.

Right, I’m a fan of games, when games come out I’m critical and looking for changes as well so I can understand that, but equally I’m swayed and won over again and again, so they should check it out (first).

OXCGN: Final question. Can you give us any news or any hints about  anything else that might be coming from Valve?

Chet Faliszek: Ah sorry.

OXCGN: Sorry?

[Laughs]

Chet Faliszek: We kept the secret of Left 4 Dead 2 pretty held tight.

OXCGN: Yeah I thought you kept it pretty good.

Chet Faliszek: Yeah.

OXCGN: Although I actually won a bet when it turned up at the conference.

Chet Faliszek: Oh you did?

OXCGN: Yeah so I’ve got a case of beer waiting for me when I get home.

Chet Faliszek: So do you owe me beers? Do you owe me a beer? I think you owe me a beer!

OXCGN: Well if you want to have a beer, tell me where and when and I’ll go…

[Laughs]

OXCGN: As long as I get to play more of that [pointing to Left 4 Dead 2].

Chet Faliszek: Yeah okay, well we’ve kept a good secret and so we’re just keeping quiet on everything else. Sorry.

OXCGN: Fantastic. Thanks very much.

Chet Faliszek: Thank you sir!

Fin.

That’s the end of our Left 4 Dead 2 Interview. You can revisit the feature rich Part 1 here or keep an eye out for our Hands On Preview in the coming week. Special thanks to Chet Faliszek, Doug Lombardi and Katie Engel at Valve for their generous time during a crazy E3 2009.

© 2009 Aaron Bertinetti.

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They said let there be destruction and by god was there destruction!

by GrathiusXR:

©2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos

Friday 26th June 2009 saw over 40 gamers from Australia to America get our ass to Mars for a night of  destruction, jetpacking around the baron wastelands of Mars and making doors where there were none, in Red Faction: Guerrilla. In OXCGN.com’s 5th Community Playdate, co-hosted alongside ThatAussieGameSite with special appearance from the guys over at Thumbpad.com we set out to have the most explosive community playdate to date!

• Red Faction: Guerrilla Fun Times

The OXCGN space shuttle trip included:

“

“

• TWODOGSz and myself (• GrathiusXR),

“

• Miick – • Arnhell – • Lawrst -  • GUN16

“

• DVS DINGO -  • FLUKE ARTIST

“

Fellow Guerrillas spread from Australia to America:

• OutlawDeadman – • xDBDx PARKO – • Vicstorm74 – • iStillRemember

• Christo420 – • YETIx007 – • Hobos tG – • Armstrong11

• SkyJockey6523 • DARK BEAVER 99 – • FHx SpiRiTSoUL

• hardblitzer – • x1xButters1×1 • shadow07josh – • xDLxSilentOnex

• Drayker – • u smel like fool • SPARTAN 118 94 – • prince sparta

• Chaosking243 – • xGEARED UPx • Jobo789 – • Zikhler – • GeeVanGore

• SuperNatural23 – • scibbo • DarkestWarriorz – • EENISSWEENISS

• Scarecrow631 – • SaladinCB • Oggie Rock – • Di4rent

• ALLEGIONARY – • FuzzyPuppy II – • Scout Assassin5 – • t0astygh0st

• ninja dread man – • dread armadillo

Red Faction: Guerrilla Playdate

The night was destined for greatness with the huge turnout we got and oh how it delivered on not just one level, but many. Most gamers had recently bought the game just for the community game night and I think by the end of it everyone agreed that they made a great choice.

Not only did everyone have a blast and unlock achievements on the way, but to enjoy some good lag free games was something that no body could deny – A gods end for online gaming.

Many had been looking forward to the night in with fellow Aussies blowing s@!t up having a laugh and trash talking.

The night started off a bit bumpy and it was not until everyone was able to get some air that the night really turned out for the best and branched off into 2 rooms full of 16 players for a couple of games until ultimately reforming to make a single room to see the night out.

Whether it was Capture the Flag with no backpacks and only a sledgehammer to sport, Siege with Snipers only and Jetpacks or Team Anarchy with shotguns and Rhino packs, Red Faction: Guerrilla is a multiplayer experience with a level of customisation that never gets old.

In each match buildings were lucky to be left standing by the end of the 10 minutes of mayhem and in some cases within the first few minutes all that would be left on the map were debris and an open play field that is every snipers dream.

Heck even the Arnie impersonations were in full force on the night, with quotes from his classics like Total Recall to Predator and there weren’t any choppers in sight, Volition’s Red Faction: Guerrilla opened up many doors literally into the Aussie Community and also American Community funnily enough and was a great sight to see everyone having a blast.

Not since our Left 4 Dead Community Playdate had everyone had so much fun and even though the night ended at roughly 11:30pm I can safely assume without copping a sledgehammer in the back that everyone who attended had fun and were able to let off some steam and enjoy a great night in, save some money and transform the wastelands of Mars into a battleground of epic proportion.

I would personally like to thank everyone from the community that joined us for the night and had a great time, and on top of that I would love to thank those from our 2 affiliate sites Thumbpad and ThatAussieGameSite for attending and helping us out when the going got tough. I have to say that unfortunately your skills were not good enough to stop me from racking up that 35 kill to 8 deaths stat in one match (joke).

We would also like to thank Volition Inc for creating a great game and new addition to the Red Faction franchise, the level of execution in the different game mechanics present in the multiplayer provide a unique experience.

Many were chatting throughout the night of how the multiplayer of Red Faction: Guerrilla manages to combine the best parts of various other games and mould it into something special.

All in all it was lots of fun and everyone definitely walked away thinking that Red Faction: Guerrilla is a truly awesome game with great execution and hopes that it continues to grow with DLC made available in what ever form that may be, as every one agreed that it is one of the few and rare multiplayer games that rivals that of Halo 3 or any of the CoD games in terms of quality and quantity. Now to get back to liberating Mars and showing that EDF scum who is boss!

©2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos

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A Very Scary Red Riding Hood

by XboxOZ360:

©2009 Grant Smythe – oxcgn.com:

Don't mess with me buster - or else!

Now I love a good fairytale like most parents do, but this is one fairytale you want to keep out of the hands of your young nieces and nephews, let alone those young-un’s you have in the safety of their bedrooms. Don’t leave this one laying on the coffee table now will you!

Red Riding Hood is not as she seems, nor are any of the other fabled fairytale characters in Playlogic’s new IP, Fairytale Fights.

And fight they do. Razor sharp saws, rotating mincers, axes, crowbars, clubs of all shapes and sizes, all spilling copious amounts of blood with death-n-mayhem from beginning to end. So it’s no wonder it will more than likely attract the very serious “M” rating in the US under the ESRB, and undoubtedly the MA15+ here in Australia with the 18+ via Europe’s PEGI system.

• Playlogic’s New IP – Fairytale Fights

And little wonder really. Take one long look at the bloodthirsty trailer, and see if you remember Red Riding Hood as the same angelic little lass from your bedtime stories. More likely from some of the cartoons on TV, but certainly not from the nice, quaint bedtimes stories of old.

It has everything a Hack-n-Slash player wants, blood, lots of it, combo moves and points for doing super tricks and moves, leveling up, co-op both online and off. All tied up using the Unreal Engine 3 for some fluid styles and a completely different use of the engine this time round for visual effects.

Don't "Oh Dear Snow White" me buddy, or you'll feel my pain . . .

Although, I must say, the UE3 is getting a little long in the tooth these days, and ideally we’ll see more of the next iteration of the engine in the not too distant future, as it is being surpassed by many other superiour engines these days. It simply has a stranglehold on the industry at the moment.

If you love the slash-n-hack style of games, and don’t mind mixing it with the likes of Red Riding Hood, Moby Dick, and beating up on Gingerbread men, then you’ll love Playlogic’s Fairytale Fights. Oh, and did I mention Snow White, you just do NOT want to mess with this Snow White . ..

Yes, you even get points and health by knocking the bejickins out of those poor friendly little fellows, what is the world coming to one would ask . . . I knew Gingerbread Men gave you a boost when mum used to make them for us kids (never knew what she put in them, but hey, they did get us motivated), but not as much as this game delicts.

They are such cute fellow . . . and I didn’t know they could bleed, but they sure as hell do in Fairytale Fights, that is for sure – copious amounts of it at that I might add.

The game is due out in the 4th Quarter of 2009, but with no fixed shelf date as yet. We will make sure you get to see some more in-game footage at the hands of our OXCGN Hack-n-Slash masters when Playlogic send us over some review code for our Hands-On approach.

But until then, just ponder over the video above, and the art images and in-game screens below, but please, do make sure the doors are closed and bolted, with blinds drawn to stop prying little eyes, and use the headphones, we wouldn’t want ‘these’ fairytales falling into the hands of our younguns’

Publisher: PLAYLOGIC
Developer: PLAYLOGIC GAME FACTORY

Game Overview:

Once upon a time…. In a Fairytale Kingdom Far Far Away… all is not as it seems!  Assume the role of your Favorite Fairytale Character in this totally unique hack’n’slash platform adventure from Playlogic Game Factory!

With over 100 weapons to choose from, Slice’N’Dice your way through the Fairytale Kingdom in search of rumors and tales to regain your Fame & Fortune! thanks to Playlogic’s ‘Dynamic Slicing’ technology.

Hack a path through a sea of cuddly bunnies & cute furry animals and wade through pools of blood on your travels to retrieve magical items and rescue fair maidens.  In a world of Fairytale Books where Fairytales are not as they seem….

Choose from a range of Fairytale Characters and set about reeking havoc in your quest to save the Fairytale Kingdom from the Forces of Evil and reclaim your Fairytale Status!

Game Features:

Brand New IP!

•    Brand New IP from Playlogic Game Factory!  Celebrated for successful PlayStation titles, Playlogic Game Factory announce themselves to the world!

Online / Offline Co-Op

•    Drop in Drop out feature lets players join friends both online and offline in PvP battle arenas and Story Mode.

Volumetric Liquid System

•    Another unique feature developed by Playlogic Game Factory includes the volumetric liquid system, allowing blood and other liquids to seamlessly blend together.  For example; Blood from characters and NPC’s / Enemies will spray across the environment and scenery and increase in size as attacks grow more frenzied.

As our liquid and blood system was built upon the principles of atoms that attract each other, creating organic shapes that interact with objects and characters in the surrounding environments is easy.  Players can also slide through the pools of blood, creating a blood stained platform in seconds!

Other liquids such as water will behave like water and acid like acid, causing characters to melt.  When players have a bottle of acid for example they can use these to help melt enemies and opponents.

Salami Violence

•    Over the past few years, Playlogic Game Factory has been developing their own Dynamic Slicing Technology, named Salami Violence.  For the first time ever! Players will have full control over how and when to slice and dice their enemies or opponents as fully textured, 3D animated objects cover the ground in pieces

When using a special mode in the game called Glory Attack (and if using uses a slice weapon), players will be given a window of opportunity to slice up their enemies multiple times. All this can be seen in a close-up PnP window.

Dynamic Textures!

•    Dynamic textures create even more spectacular action as each enemy has their skeleton exposed, displaying an array of bones and brain when Sliced & Diced!

Based on the Unreal Engine 3

•    Fairytale Fights is based on the Unreal Engine 3, however our development team have created a world rich in an life and color that uses the Unreal Engine 3 like never before using Playlogic Game Factory’s  “real-time dynamic slicing” technology and volumetric liquid system.

Game modes:

• Single Player / Multiplayer / Online & Offline PvP

©2009 Grant Smythe – oxcgn.com:

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by XboxOZ360:

©2009 Grant Smythe – oxcgn.com

This one sort of snuck up on us . . . yet another 360 exclusive out of E3 2009.

Earlier in the year it featured as an ad-placement on the Official Xbox Website and on our 360 Dashboards, then phhoofff!!! . . . gone from sight – and mind by the looks of it.

Then out of left field, Playlogic represented the game at E3 09, all ready for release in the 2nd quarter of 2009. Well that ends mighty soon, – and by all accounts, the game looks damn fine.

Running along the lines of some of the recent supernal 3rd person perspective games, albeit not a sandbox style. Lots of powers of telekinesis, teleportation, damn handy when caught in a corner, and extra super vision to scope out those nasties trying to thwart your endeavours. Not to forget the handy trick of invisibility, which is perfect for those stealthy moments when there are no shadows about  to deal with the vilians.

Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance looks at how one Ryan Lennox who has been betrayed, seeks vengeance for his persecution, and uses his skills to that end.

• Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance Trailer

Gameplay as you’ll see in the video seems fluid and dynamic, and the characters also look the part. Some female counterparts in the game (Leather-clad Barbarra to the left & Elena below) add a little more flavour and style, and Ryan has some nasty looking tats that adorn is chiseled torso.

It will be interesting to see what the game plays like when we get playable code to review very shortly, but we wanted to bring you this teaser to whet your appetites now, rather than later.

So do enjoy, and let’s discuss the game here in the comments section . . .

Oh – and please . . . Leave your Fanboy egos at the door, they are not tolerated here at OXCGN. The delete key is all-omnipresent . . . and will strike they down swiftly . . . so you have been warned.

Sensible adult conversation either for or against is ‘always’ welcomed here.

©2009 Grant Smythe – oxcgn.com

• Publisher: PLAYLOGIC
• Developer: METROPOLIS

Game overview

Former Etherlite Secret Agent Ryan Lennox, now obsolete and betrayed by those close to him is a man who knows no fear! In a desperate bid to uncover his former employers secret agenda Lennox makes a pact with the devil.

Embarking on an action-packed voyage into a world of deception and betrayal, armed with special abilities and military grade weaponry, Ryan Lennox is a man who must succeed.

Lennox will need to master his devilish powers to uncover the truth and restore the delicate balance of good and evil. The captivating plot sees Lennox journey from ancient monastery catacombs and secret mountain hideouts to sprawling harbour docks and industrial oil refineries, before finally facing his ultimate showdown …

Choose from a range of Fairytale Characters and set about wreaking havoc in your quest to save the Fairytale Kingdom from the Forces of Evil and reclaim your Fairytale Status!

Game Features

Stunning 3rd Person Shooter
•    Step into the shoes of Ryan Lennox! A former Etherlite Spy now cast aside and left seeking revenge!

Depth of content
•    Featuring over 10 hours of gameplay across 3 difficulty settings, Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance throws you straight into the action.

Multiple locations
•    Traverse multiple locations such as Ancient monastery catacombs and secret mountain hideouts to sprawling harbour docks and industrial oil refineries, with 6 different locations throughout the world.

Over 30 Achievements
•    Great replay value with over 30 Achievements to collect throughout the game including Story & Skill Based achievements.

Supernatural powers
•    Utilise Lennox’s range of supernatural powers including telekinesis, teleportation and invisibility to overcome obstacles and enemies. Heal yourself by absorbing the life energy of your fallen enemies.

Modern day weaponry
•    Utilise a range of modern weaponry including, explosives and gadgets and making use of the duck and cover system. Engage in hand to hand combat with intelligent enemy AI.

Stunning graphics
•    Dust particles, superior textures, realistic lighting and advanced shaders deliver a realistic & contemporary

Game modes

•   Single Player

Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance Art

©2009 Grant Smythe – oxcgn.com

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The Open World Buyer’s Guide For June

by AXIS of Reality

©2009 Alex Baldwin

June has been a big month for games, almost like Christmas come early. Some amazing releases have left us spoiled for choice, with an unusual trend among the majority: open worlds. Red Faction: Guerrilla and inFamous kicked off winter in style followed closely by Prototype less than a week later.

While reviews have given these three a hearty dose of praise, with the best making sure to review each on their own individual merits, there is still a question remaining: if you can only afford one, which is right for you?

It’s evident all are quality games, and one can’t be simply hailed as ‘the best’ for everyone.

After all, different players have different values they look for in open world games. Where one wants an intriguing story, someone else may be in it only for messing up a city and feeling like a badass, while another wants the feeling of freedom from running and leaping through a giant playground.

This article is for those people who simply want to know how each measures up in the separate features of sandbox games, and can choose their poison from there.

For that purpose, you’ll find a rating of each in the individual categories to help you find the game you want. There’s no ‘winner’ here or replacement for the reviews – just a way to find which is more suited to your own tastes. So on that note, let’s dive into the first category.

The World

• Red Faction: Guerrilla

As with the previous in the series, Red Faction: Guerrilla takes place on a future vision of Mars that’s now mankinds’ centre for mining. What this means is lots of red and orange dirt, rocks, small settlements and quarries. Luckily Volition managed to fit in some more variety than would be expected with clearly individual zones in architecture and colour filters (with some surprises too).

Everything is quite spread out with some distance between significant landmarks that gives more of a sense of a larger world you’re traveling across. It can’t be avoided though: if you have something against the colour orange, best to avoid this game at all costs. There’s only so much that can be done with mining equipment and dust.

“3/5

`

• inFamous

Using the traditional city setting, inFamous gives it a twist with the majority being rusted, destroyed and generally looking like a bomb went off (which funnily enough, it did).

However, developers Sucker Punch have done an astonishing job of adding detail to every object and surface, making the city feel very organic and completely removing the ‘copy and pasted’ feel some open worlds can have. The placement of objects, the distance between rooftops and the height of buildings all feel perfectly planned and tested to match the movement of the player character ‘Cole‘. The world really is the strongest point of inFamous.

“5/5

`

• Prototype

Unfortunately, it’s the weakest element of Prototype. Using a satellite-mapped New York, the game world is one of the most tightly packed and planned cities on Earth which has both its positives and negatives. While it’s great to have a real city, you can tell even from looking at the map that it’s not the most interesting place to play – streets and buildings in perfect grids that make almost every street feel like the next.

There’s no real need to explore, as most buildings appear just like they all have slightly different placement of windows. The height of the buildings can be very exhilarating though – unlike most open city games that use scaled-down buildings sizes, the sky scrapers in Prototype really are massively tall that make it a thrill to leap off.

However, this still can’t hide the mostly bland layout that gives no real sense of different areas or places you’re exploring. If you’ve seen one intersection, you’ve seen them all. This is a critical area for open world games and where Prototype shoots itself in the foot.

“2/5

The Player & Tools

• Red Faction: Guerrilla

Taking the role of Alex Mercer, a regular human miner, RF:G doesn’t sound as exciting as a lightning-shooting superhuman or a shape shifting monster, but luckily this vulnerability is made up for in the tools at your disposal.

Developers Volition have given the player one of the deadliest arsenals ever seen in a game, letting you make up for your human weaknesses with the mother-load of explosives. Just make sure you’re well away before setting them off.

“4/5

`

• inFamous

As an electricity-wielding superhero/villain, you’re let free in the city with basic powers that soon develop into abilities that can see you taking out dozens of cars and pedestrians in the space of a few seconds. While all electricity-based, the powers do fall into the traditional forms seen before in gaming- the ‘force push’, a ‘gun’, a ‘grenade’, etc. It doesn’t stop them being a hell of a lot of fun though.

Interestingly, player health is handled through electrical means as well – to recharge both your ‘ammo’ and health, the players must suck power from cars, traffic lights and even people (if you’re playing evil). This works surprisingly well when walking into a blacked-out section of the city.

“4/5

`

• Prototype

Now this is where Prototype shines. Shoving in more different moves and powers than anyone thought possible, Radical have given players perhaps the most wide-ranging set of abilities seen in a game.

Everything from spearing tanks with spikes from the ground to shooting tentacles out in all directions through anything, to being able to consume anyone and everyone to shape shift into them. It’s truly astounding to see upgrades menu and the range of killing methods available.

And yes, this game makes no apologies about it – you are a killer, and people will run screaming from you. But hey, you may as well enjoy it while it lasts. Maybe slice a few in half with your arm as a blade before punching a hole through another’s chest with a tentacle?

“5/5

The Movement

• Red Faction: Guerrilla

As a regular person, you are quite restricted in movement to running, sprinting and crouching. Luckily there are always different vehicles around the place to commandeer including a massive mech that will help you along when you run out of remote mines. The vehicles themselves handle well enough, with a satisfactory feeling of weight and grip without being anything particularly special.

“3/5

`

• inFamous

Assassin’s Creed may have a lot to answer for, but in this case it’s rasied the bar for player movement in open world games. Sucker Punch were clearly watching close as inFamous has a similar feel as you scale buildings by climbing up windows and small ledges.

The addition of power lines strung between rooftops for grinding a la Jet Set Radio makes getting across the city a pleasure that is enjoyable enough even without the missions. Being charged with electricity, the protagonist Cole can’t use cars but he can ride on the roof as made popular by GTA3.

“5/5

`

• Prototype

While as previously mentioned the world in Prototype isn’t the best, the same can’t be said for navigating it. Quite simply, Prototype gives you one of the most satisfying ways to get around. Simply put, the main character Alex Mercer can run straight up vertical surfaces, leap dozens of feet in the air and glide between rooftops.

This is a title that goes all out in making you, the player, feel as completely free and powerful as is possible in a game. It feels effortless and works almost flawlessly.

“5/5

The Combat

• Red Faction: Guerrilla

Being an action game at heart, the focus is almost always on the combat which works very well. The combination of using destruction as a weapon along with traditional (if weak-feeling) guns and vehicles is satisfying and makes sure every mission is fun.

Situations allow multiple ways of engaging enemies with the most creative always being the most rewarding for the lateral-thinking player. The only real weakness is the severe lack of variety in enemies – it will always be foot soldiers or vehicles, with a lot of potential for imaginative enemies unfortunately not fulfilled.

“3/5

`

• inFamous

Using the variety of powers, inFamous lets players take on enemies both near and far. It’s a lot of fun blasting out everything in your path or throwing enemies off the sides of buildings, as well as utilizing some environmental elements such as a puddle of water they may be standing in to simply touch and electrocute everything else in it.

There are a few problems however with the range that enemies can see you from. Often you’ll start taking damage as an unseen opponent a hundred metres away on top of an 8-story building snipes you mercilessly. This can cause annoyance quite frequently, as can a few poorly planned enemies that as a group can result in you being drained of your health in seconds without anything to recharge from nearby.

“3/5

`

• Prototype

With all those abilities for tearing up absolutely everything into smaller and smaller chunks of meat, it’s no surprise that Prototype caters to even the most bloodthirsty of gamers.

Tearing through reams of soldiers, tanks and even helicopters is a ton of fun, improvising as you go and aided by an extremely well designed auto-lock on aiming system that prioritizes enemies intelligently.

Fights are fast and furious and can take place over multiple altitudes from the ground troops up to choppers circling the rooftops and infected monsters scaling buildings after you. Often it will be swarms of military and monsters both fighting each other and you with civilians caught in the middle trying to escape filling the streets, and it’s only after you’ve cleared it all into an eery silence that you realise the carnage left in your wake.

The only real issue is the sometimes schizophrenic camera that can block the action or hide a particularly nasty enemy from view as it struggles to work out what part of the bloodletting you want to be focusing on.

“5/5

The Story

• Red Faction: Guerrilla

The story in RF:G is mostly just to move the action along. The characters aren’t memorable with the reason for doing anything less about motivation from the story as it is motivation from the gameplay. Most of the time you’ll either be unaware of the story or you won’t really care. Luckily it doesn’t hurt the gameplay at all.

“2/5

`

• inFamous

With some stunning graphic-novel inspired cutscenes, inFamous does a great job of keeping you aware of the larger picture as you go. There’s nothing revolutionary about the plot, but the way it’s delivered works very well and it does a great job of keeping the game flowing at a good pace.

“4/5

`

• Prototype

While initially boasting a deeply involving and unique story during development told in a unique ‘web of intrigue’ format, the end result isn’t quite as impressive as it sounds but does a good job.

Using the usual amnesia starting point, the player can increase their understanding and piece together the larger picture through consuming targets with some useful knowledge marked through the city.

The fragmented cutscenes received for each of these are well-edited and do slowly fill you in as a drip-feed, providing good motivation to keep seeking more down and advancing the story.

“4/5

The Missions

• Red Faction: Guerrilla

Staying true to the central feature of the game, every missions has a tendency to be centred around destruction. Luckily it doesn’t get old like one may think.

There’s a decent amount of variety, from plowing through the bases of massive windmills pursued by dozens of tanks to inconspicuously following enemies to find a hidden base (which then is in dire need of deconstructing, of course).

There’s nothing subtle about your objectives, but it works great and stays fun all the way through. The side missions have a few different types marked on the map so you always know what you’re walking into, and use singular objectives such as destroying buildings within a time limit using only explosive barrels or taking out high-profile building targets.

There’s nothing that’ll knock your socks off in the missions, but it’s fast, fun and motivation enough for advancing the game.

“3/5

`

• inFamous

The missions in inFamous use a similar style of having several set types dotted around the map. However, the completion of each is rewarded by clearing enemies from that small segment of the map to slowly gain ownership of each area.

There’s nothing revolutionary in the mission objectives, but they work fine for the style and often take you right across each island. There’s good variety with the main story missions being larger scale such as protecting and lowering two sides of a massive bridge.

A staple mission in each area is restoring power to the city section underground in the sewers which are very platform-based and a nice change from the all-out fighting of above ground (along with the reward of a new power each time).

“3/5

`

• Prototype

Prototype mirrors the same mission structure as RF:G and inFamous with set story missions and other single-objective optional side mission dotted around. However, there’s one thing that can be guaranteed between all missions: you’ll end up wiping out more enemies and civilians than are contained within most full games.

It’s not uncommon to see on the handy statistics presented at the end of each mission upwards of 1000 in the number of deaths caused in a 10 minute challenge. While each story mission is different, they all revolve around combat which is great if you’re a fan of games such as Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry, but may leave those seeking a more intellectual challenge cold.

“2/5

The Extras

• Red Faction: Guerrilla

Out of the three, Red Faction is the only one with a multiplayer mode. For an open world game you might think this would be an afterthought but it provides a surprising amount of fun.

A lot can be attributed to the destruction, which is also unique to RF:G as absolutely everything man-made can be smashed apart and brought crashing down in a physically accurate manner without the preset manner many past games have presented for destruction.

These two elements provide a lot of replay value to RF:G and score a lot of bonus points for the game.

“5/5

`

• inFamous

While very polished with exceptionally high production values and a fantastic world, there isn’t anything extra that it can hold up high above and beyond the competition.

The only extra element of note is the moral system, that doesn’t allow any room for shades of grey – you’re a hero or a villain, and you’ll get different powers and some different missions for each. Staying in the middle will just result in missing out on powers for both sides of the fence.

“2/5

`

• Prototype

While Prototype is in the same sort of boat as inFamous for this category, it does have something extra to show for itself.

While it lacks any sort of morality (you’re evil and there’s no changing that), it has a great dynamic area ownership system. Basically, both the military and infected can have areas of the city under their control at any one time. These are marked on the map with blue or red circles, with either a military base or infected hive at the centre to remove the hold on that area.

This allows you to go looking for a fight if you ever just want to kill something outside a mission, and can be very entertaining when a military and infected area cross over into a purple zone.

All out fighting between them is great to watch and even better to participate in, and can provide a great distraction. These will also slowly increase in number as you get further into the game so you can see the city go to hell.

“4/5

To Conclude

So all the games are fantastic, and hopefully this guide gives you a better idea of which is more suited to you should you only be able to get one or two.

I highly recommend all of them, but I’m sure you can tell from the multitude of opinions both for and against each of these games that there are significant differences, strengths and weaknesses for each.

So happy gaming, and enjoy what seems to be the golden age of the open world sandbox genre.

©2009 Alex Baldwin

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It is like playing the original Spiderman game, ‘cept a lot cooler.

by Betho:

©2009 Beth Sasagi:

I love games where I can pretty much destroy the scenery by either jumping on it or punching it to pieces (anyone who has teamed up with me in Fable II knows what I mean).

Bionic Commando has delivered a game that not only allows you to ‘wreck up the place’ but it also allows you to shift certain parts of the map if you just don’t feel like hunting after bad guys.

Bionic Commando gives you the feeling that you are playing an open sandbox game and a first person shooter (with a twist of giant gorilla-like Biomechs). It is like playing the original Spiderman game, but with the major difference that it is a lot cooler.

It’s been 20 years since we last saw Nathan ‘Rad’ Spencer and his bionic arm, swinging away on our consoles, but now, he is back and better than ever. The release of Bionic Commando this year has introduced a new twist on 3D with the ability to go, truly, in three dimensions.

Gaming heavy weight, Capcom, and Swedish developer, Grin, have come together to bring fans of the original and newcomers alike a truly entertaining gaming experience.

The first images you seen in the game are ones of a city being completely and utterly annihilated with a rather large explosion tearing buildings apart. It’s after this that the story kicks off with our hero, Nathan Spencer (voiced by the brilliant Mike Patton), locked up in the Ascension City prison, awaiting execution.

This is certainly not where you would expect the hero of the war against the Imperials to be, especially without his trademark bionic arm. It’s here that you first get a glimpse of the in-game graphics as a Spencer is taken away by armed guards as a voice over explains what has happened in the gap between the 1988 NES title and the current version game.

With friends like these…

To sum it up, Spencer was sent on a mission to kill someone and was locked up for the ‘murder’ of the person he was sent to destroy (isn’t that always how it happens?).

It’s at this point that his ex-superior, Joseph ‘Super Joe’ Gibson informs him of Ascension city’s destruction and informs Spencer that he is being sent in to investigate. It’s obvious that Spencer didn’t seem too pleased, but then, you spend five years in prison, and then get sent into a war zone…

It’s not long after that you get launched into the game and get to grips with the controls, without your bionic arm might I add. You learn to shoot, run and jump, some of which you need to do all at once, whilst searching for your arm which landed near you (you thought I was speaking figuratively when I said ‘launched’ didn’t you…).

The gameplay from the point you get your arm increases significantly, with a brief tutorial introduced mid-game (masked by Spencer blacking out after attaching his arm).

Whilst early on you cannot use all of the abilities you learn, it is still fairly entertaining to use your arm after you jump out of a building and at the last minute, attach to another building or street light as Spencer howls loudly (after a while, I found myself doing that, you can get really caught up in this game).

Grunts, Biomechs and Polycraft, oh my!

The enemies in this game, whilst not huge in variety, are certainly a challenge to deal with due to the constant change in terrain. The first enemies you encounter are the grunts, the basic foot soldiers of BioReign, all of whom are equipped with machine guns and stun batons (for when you latch onto them, or when you get too close).

Whilst they aren’t particularly powerful, they always come in large group (most of whom have the uncanny ability to spot you before you spot them).

A step up from the BioReign grunts is the Biomech; big, tough and very fast, they are a massive challenge the first time you meet them. They can charge, shoot and punch, exactly what you don’t want in an enemy, especially one that protects its weak points so well.

Like their big brothers, the Air Force Biomechs, they have a weakness on their backs, one you have to both attach to and kick-off.

Air Force Biomechs are slower than the standard ones, but they are tougher and have a large shield that is pretty tough to get around.

Polycraft are probably the toughest of the common enemies, they fly and are very tough, leaving you little options with which you can combat them as they fly around you and launch explosives at you with deadly precision. This is the point in the game where the real firepower arrives in the form of the ‘Bulldog’ and the ‘Tarantula’ both of which are devastating against any enemy.

Weapons of mass, really, really big destruction

To say that throughout the game the weapons are big is quite an understatement; they are pretty massive, and, whilst they may look chunky, they do not hinder the aiming at all. The firepower in the game is varied and often very impressive as it becomes obvious throughout how much thought has been put into the design.

The lowest on the scale and the first weapon you get is the Steinmech M3-BC or ‘Tungsten pistol’ which is quick and useful for dispatching any grunts. The next up is the powerful, but slow AA-9 Hiker, which delivers huge rounds that take out infantry quickly and do a good amount of damage to larger enemies.

The biggest weapon you can get your hands on (aside from your bionic arm) is the Flazhe AM-10 or, the ‘Tarantula’ as it is lovingly referred to in-game.

Whilst it doesn’t slice and dice, it certainly destroys and annihilates without prejudice and with a well developed targeting system that makes it so even a monkey could hit something. (Provided said monkey had access to secret military hardware and had its own bionic arm to take up the 30+ kilogram weight of this monster gun).

Worthy additions to the game include the Drayton AC-09 or ‘Bulldog’ grenade launcher and the Frag grenades/proximity mines (which aren’t actually used in the Bulldog).

Whilst not the last weapon you encounter, it is in no way least, the Hessler SJMG, is a machine gun which, for lack of a better word, can simply be described as ‘fun’. The SJMG in its name in fact stands for ‘Super Joes Machine Gun’ which, obviously indicates the fact that our superior, Joe, once carried a gun like this, albeit, a less modern version.

It’s all fun and games until you turn off the Xbox and go to bed

Bionic Commando is not only a great game to play in terms of missions and general open world adventure, it is also a very good looking game (I would say pretty, but I just get the feeling my Xbox would attack me for saying that).

This is certainly a game that has been thought through with the control layout and weapons selection easy to master, especially when you are flying through the air and are in need of a quick change.

The HUD is basically non-existent and the only thing that is not part of you or the environment on the screen is the mini-radar and the waypoints that guide, which, in all honesty, really are necessary due the size of each level.

The level environments are brilliant. Whilst some sections do look similar, it is quite understandable as this is a city, not a whole planet. That being said, the variety is amazing, from radiation soaked industrial areas to a downtown area almost completely flooded as the tops of skyscrapers stick out of the realistic water.

The simple fact that you can attach to nearly any surface makes this game an immensely enjoyable game and the ability to swing, re-attach and zip up the sides of buildings only makes it better.

Last but not least, the playability and re-playability of this game is HUGE. I had put in at least 10-15 hours of play, and realized when I turned on ‘Snape’ (yes, I named my Xbox after a Harry Potter character, don’t judge me) I had only reached 50% completion.

So I can say, quite confidently, this game will give you 20+ hours of play (although, if you rush through it without getting any extras, I would still say 15). The desire to play it again has already set me up to try and finish this monster of a game in the hard, or, ‘commando’ mode.

Overall, a true asset to any gamer’s collection and a game I recommend you either buy, or steal from your friends (officially I don’t condone stealing). No matter the way, get your hands on this game quickly, it’s a great play.

“9.5/10

©2009 Beth Sasagi:

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OXCGN’s Left 4 Dead 2 Interview: “We want to fix that!”

by Aaron Bertinetti.

© 2009 Aaron Bertinetti.

During E3 2009, the overwhelming majority of gamers and press were shocked by Valve’s announcement of Left 4 Dead 2 so soon after the multiplayer hit of last year. Thankfully I’d fortuitously booked some time with Valve prior to E3 2009, after a bet with a mate over a case of beer.

Not only did I win a case a beer, but I also got some time to catch up with Valve behind the scenes to play some Left 4 Dead 2 in a private room (with Peter Molyneux no less!) and have a wide ranging chat about the rapidly developed sequel.

In part 1 of my two part interview with Chet “Mr. Awesome” Faliszek, Writer on Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, we talk about why Valve is bringing a sequel so soon after the first and what new features convinced the team that they could outdo last year’s hit just a year later and in spite of the inevitable complaints from parts of the community.

We also cover a bucket load of new features and upgrades coming in the sequel and how Valve just wants to KISS… keep it simple, stupid!

Read on and look out for a revealing and hint heavy Part 2 in two days.

Left 4 Dead 2: Valve’s Zombies killer returns with a vengeance.

Part 1 – “We want to fix that!”

OXCGN: Straight off, can you tell me why people should be interested in a sequel that’s coming a year after the first one?

Chet Faliszek: If they love the first game it’s just us doing more of that and even better… and just a ton more.  One of the things is that we play a lot of Left 4 Dead ourselves and we see things like corner stacking, or other stupid gameplay, and we want to fix that!

One of our mantras is the best way to play should be the funnest way to play.

OXCGN: Agreed.

Chet Faliszek: Right, so we’re making those kind of changes. It’s also, we’re talking about marrying the idea of storytelling in a multiplayer game. We’re taking it to the next level in this one. We meet these four just as the infection’s starting in Savannah and we go all the way through to New Orleans with them. And we know what’s going on with them right.

The other four are a little bit more disconnected and here they’re a little bit more connected. And we have that story going through everything.

We’ve got new creatures that you can play. There are five campaigns. You can play versus, co-op, survival and a whole new gameplay mode right out of the gate.

OXCGN: Do we know what that gameplay mode is yet?

Chet Faliszek: Ah… We’re not talking about that yet.

OXCGN: Okay…

Chet Faliszek: We’ve got it ready but we’re not talking about it. [Ed. Playing as the Director?]

We’ve got a chainsaw, we’ve got melee weapons, we’ve got all kinds of cool stuff. We’ve got tons of new weapons. New items like the incendiary ammo. You know there’s a ton of stuff. The Director can make it have storms come!

[Laughs]

OXCGN: Yeah the Director is amazing. Can you talk a little bit about the advances you’ve made with that, in terms of weather, etc?

Chet Faliszek: So like when we first said that the Director can control weather and it rains and it was like “oh yeah it rains, we played in rain in the last one”. But it’s these storms that come up that are claustrophobic and blinding and you’re left with just no idea what’s going on, it’s like being in the cornfields of Blood Harvest right, where it’s just this horribly scary event. You know they’re coming so you’re running to try and find a place to go hide to get ready for them.

We’ve got campaigns where it actually changes the map layout, [pointing to onscreen gameplay] so the next map in this campaign we go into a cemetery, which is classic New Orleans above ground cemetery, and it actually reroutes depending on how you’re doing.

It’s just we’re smarter about how we’re spawning the infected and which infected is deciding to spawn against you to kinda counter your play style. It’s a whole new level of that kind of interaction you already love taken further.

You know one of the things that we’re really aware of is that when you’re talking sequels, the first instinct is to complicate things.

OXCGN: And here you’re keeping it simple.

Chet Faliszek: Yeah, we didn’t really want to do that with Left 4 Dead. Because Left 4 Dead is all about not complicating it. Your friends can jump in, that’s never played before, sit next to you on the couch, split screen and just start playing. We wanted to keep that.

OXCGN: We’re a big fan of the fact that you’ve kept the split screen, because in this day and age it just doesn’t really turn up in many multiplayer games anymore. It’s all about Live.

Chet Faliszek: Yeah and so we wanted to have that you jump in and you go. And on top of that we just wanted to make it cooler for all those people who were playing that.

OXCGN: Cool. What brought on the melee weapons and incendiary ammo? Is there a mechanical reason behind that?

Chet Faliszek: Well first of all to release a zombie game without a chainsaw, you know we apologise…

[Laughs]

Chet Faliszek: …we fixed that right away.

The melee was something we always just talked about. I mean we talk about horror films, zombie films, zombie games, and Left 4 Dead all the time at work. So the team that got Left 4 Dead out the door was a group that had worked together at that point for, the whole team, like nine months and it had previously been worked on by other people. I worked on it for longer than that, but the core team was forty five people for nine months.

We shipped it and we all came back after a little break  and said “lets make more, lets do more, this is what I want to do, this is what I want to fix, this is my idea” and so we put it all up on the whiteboard and we realised that we all had this shared vision of this game we wanted to make and so this is what Left 4 Dead 2 is gonna be.

Fin.

Come back tomorrow for the sequel, Part 2 of our Left 4 Dead 2 Interview, where we answer the questions for the lovers, the haters and the undecided zombie killers out there. Special thanks to Chet Faliszek, Doug Lombardi and Katie Engel at Valve for their generous time during a crazy E3 2009.

© 2009 Aaron Bertinetti.

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OzBoxLive Radio #052 - E3 2009

In this episode of OzBoxLive Radio we have one massive group discussion about the E3 2009 Microsoft Presentation with Mark and David from OzBoxLive as well as Aaron and Arthur from OXCGN.com. We give our two cents about all the major announcements.
Check out this special episode that was recorded LIVE all the way in LA after the entire E3 event.

There will be more E3 content on OzBoxLive TV over the coming weeks with exclusive interviews and discussions. So watch this space.

“As always OzBoxLive have put out yet another great show this fortnight, do make sure you bookmark their site or subscribe to their iTune so you can get the show delivered right away. Plus join Mark and the OzBoxLive crew at their next Playdate which can be found at the Official Australian Xbox Calender of Events page .

They always atart at 8pm and go through until 11pm or later. Simply hit up any of the guys at OzBoxLive, or drop by your Aussie/NZ Xbox Dash, or Xbox.com.au’s Calender for info on the event.

Play Episode #52 E3 2009

Go ahead and slip over to their main site and check out their latest announcements on competitions and news, as well as this fortnights podcast – “E3 2009“.

Grab yourself some refreshments and have a listen to what the team at OzBoxLive have for you in episode #052.

In this SPECIAL episode of OzBoxLive Radio…

`“- Group Discussion – E3 2009

“`- OzBoxLive TV Competition – Check the site out for Competition details

• Visit the site for full details on how to win great Xbox related goodies

As always, we here at OXCGN want to support ALL Australian based gaming sites, and helping both Mark and the team out is one way of doing that, so please support them as well. We’re proud to announce that OzBoxLive is now an Official OXCGN Affiliate, and we will be having more “specialised” sites become OXCGN Affiliates over the next several months.

(ED: If you have: • an Australian gaming site, • Podcast, • Game FAQ, • Game Walkthrough, then please email us now and we will link back to your site to help promote your service as part of the Xbox Community Network)

Do check in with OzBoxLive, especially for this week’s competitions and prizes

This has been an Australian Xbox Community Announcement

OXCGN investigates – Is it a game to make 360 owners jealous…?

by Shadow Wave:

©2009 Ben Cadwallader

Sucker Punch’s brand new Playstation 3 exclusive inFAMOUS is out and selling like hotcakes,  countless PS3 owners are happy and Sony fanboys are trying to rub this title in 360 owners faces.

I recently had the pleasure of playing through the entire game to find out if this title really is worthy of all its hype and if 360 owners should really be jealous or not… Here is the lowdown:

In Sucker Punch’s new game, you play as Cole McGrath (no, not the guy from Gears of War), an ex-bike messenger who accidentally opened a package which contained a unique bomb called the Ray Sphere, which of course caused devastation to everyone around him, except for himself.

In inFAMOUS, he wakes up from the devastating blast with new inner strength and a swag of wicked electrical abilities: he essentially becomes a human battery.  But sadly, as anything electrical can’t go near water, Cole will never be able to swim, drink or have a shower again….stinky!

Cole McGrath is essentially a human battery.

Shortly after the bomb, a pandemic was declared and the government sets up quarantine for the entire city. Three different gangs rise up quickly and take complete control of the Neon, Warren and Historical districts of the city.  With the entire city now ruled by fear and chaos, it can only be saved by Cole in whatever way he wishes thanks to a great moral choice system.

Every story sequence that plays during the game is shown via a comic book style cinematic, told from McGrath’s perspective as the narrator.  These cut scenes I thought were presented very well with fantastic artwork which really pulled me into the game’s universe. These cut scenes often reflect back and mention various choices you have made over the course of the game, with the final cut scene really amazing as it felt like it had been put together from every single choice you have made over the course of the game.

inFAMOUS probably has the best moral choice system I have seen used in any game before it. Almost every choice affects the story directly, and these choices actually give you that feeling of being a Hero or Villain.  Do you give the food supply drop to the people? Or do you keep it all for yourself?  Some of the later choices you have to make give you a very strong moral feeling when choosing what to do.

The choices you make affect the story directly.

It all works very well.  Depending on your good or evil alignment you get a cool different look:  a good character gets lovely blue lightning bolts and a slight blue aura and an evil Character gets wicked red lightning and a complete ‘The Dark Side’ evil look. I chose to be a good, Heroic character throughout my game.

The game play for me generally was very entertaining but I found it could have been much better.  Almost every single mission McGrath has to complete over the course of the game involves killing masses upon masses of gang members with his awesome lightning abilities.

Cole gets to learn various new abilities over the course of the game each time he restores power to an area of the city, but from then on you need to spend precious experience points on upgrading these abilities to be stronger and more effective.  Most abilities can be upgraded up to 3 times, but the amount of XP they require ends up being too much for the amount of XP you earn by killing enemies or completing missions.

This essentially means that sometimes it might take an hour or 2 of playing the game before you can upgrade an ability and there is almost no way you will complete the game with all your abilities maxed out unless you dedicate a lot of time to doing some repetitive side missions.

For a superhero, Cole McGrath is quite underpowered, as a human battery he can deplete his power quite quickly so he must recharge himself at the nearest electrical appliance, whether it be a TV, or a street light quite often.

The main form of attack you will use over the entire game is a standard lightning bolt ability; hold L1 and mash R1 as fast as possible to fire as many bolts of lightning as you can. You will use this ability the most because it’s essentially the only one that does not deplete your energy and can even use it to fill your energy back up once you have upgraded it.

Why oh why all this flash – please!

One thing I hated in this game is the flash on the screen when you fire your lightning bolts. Because you use the ability so often I found my eyes a tad sore/worked out after a decent gaming session.

McGrath does earn a decent amount of abilities over the 12+ hour campaign though.  Ranging from an electrical rocket launcher, to being able to hover in the air, but for the most part all his offensive abilities can drain your energy very quickly and you’ll often just resort to using your standard lightning bolts until you are in a tough spot, because Cole dies quick, really quick.

As mentioned earlier, there are three islands or districts of the metropolis that Cole gets to adventure through and conquer. Each district, Neon, Warren and Historical, plays host to a different gang that are literally swarming throughout the city.  Performing repetitive side quests can unlock new abilities, but more importantly makes areas of the world enemy-free. And believe me, you’ll want some recovery zones in your adventure.

Which brings me to a bit of a negative: free roaming isn’t as fun when you’re being shot at from every angle by enemies with near perfect accuracy. If you are planning to go to the other end of the city to start a mission through enemy infested areas, the chances are you are going to have to fight the whole way there, which I found a tad annoying. Sometimes I just want to do some cool tricks and flips with no death involved.

Who said free roaming was always fun?

Free roaming isn’t as fun when your being shot at from every angle by enemies with near perfect accuracy.

As Cole is an underpowered Superhero (he can’t fly or run at super speeds) he must climb up many, many buildings.  Generally I found this quite fun, and it definitely is a new interesting take on the free roaming superhero game.   But climbing can become almost a routine as there is almost no strategy involved in climbing; essentially all you do is mash the X button until you reach the top of a building.

When you have to do this for almost every single building in the game, the basic mash X can get a little tiresome, but with that being said, a more complex climbing experience would also have been potentially even more annoying because it would have taken away from the superhero experience.

Interestingly enough, you can NEVER go indoors in Infamous, which some could say was VERY last gen. But I think this step made for a much better game. I think if most people think back to almost every free roaming game, they often would find the indoor sections the most annoying.

Graphically the game is pretty good.  It’s such a plus to essentially have no loading screens during the game and because of this it flows so much better than similar games such as Prototype.  There are jagged edges in the distance and there is pop in when you are moving fast, but this is a no-load-screen free roaming game, so we can forgive all of this.

Ahhh . . no loading times . . .

It’s such a plus to essentially have no loading screens during the game.

Sound effects are decent, but nothing overly amazing during game play. During those amazing cut scenes. however, are some great sound effects which somehow all work well with its comic book presentation.

Overall, Infamous’ greatest strengths are its awesome moral choice system, accompanied by its great story and presentation.  The moral choices do affect the story and can make you question your own morals.

The story is fantastic and it’s great how the choices you make from early in the game are referenced much later on and show development of the main character. The presentation of the cut scenes is so unique and well done it’s great to sit back and enjoy them.

While I personally don’t think it will be a Game of the Year-type title, it is without question a fantastic game, and all 360 owners who are bored of Prototype should be very jealous of this fantastic, superior game.

If some of you 360 owners are lucky enough to have a PS3 as well, definitely pick this one up and have a go.

Would we steal this title for the 360?

Steal It? YES!

©2009 Ben Cadwallader

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by Sutton Dagger

©2009 Steven Sutton

At OXCGN we are first and foremost gamers. Even though we run a dedicated Xbox platform site, we all play and own various other consoles. While some console specific sites maintain their user base by downplaying the good aspects of the ‘competing’ systems, at OXCGN we like to recognise the great features that make each system unique. Without further ado, OXCGN presents the 3 best features of each console.

Xbox 360

Xbox Live Service

Xbox live is the online multiplayer gaming and digital media service provided by Microsoft for the Xbox 360console (its roots started with the original xbox), which has a user base of over 20 million subscribers.

Though the service is a paid one, the integration across games and the media of Xbox Live is second to none, with online multiplayer, video services(coming soon to Australia) and social integration the key features that make up this rapidly growing online network.

Xbox Live Arcade

Distinct from the actual Xbox Live Service is the Arcade service, whereby classic franchises and new and unique experiences are created in bite sized arcade form.

As a prerequisite, all arcade games must have a demo, this gives the consumer a free ’sneak peek’ of what they can expect from the full product.

Xbox Originals also fall under this banner, with some of the classic original Xbox titles (hence the name), available for download to the Xbox 360 harddrive.

Hardcore and Casual Covered

Though not exactly a feature of the Xbox 360 in regards to hardware, the range of casual and hardcore games for the platform is certainly a plus.

The Gears of Wars, Halos and Mass Effects are contrasted by the Banjo Kazooies, Scene Its and Lips titles, effectively catering for most types of gamers on the one console.

The Xbox 360 has always had a strong userbase of hardcore gamers who tend to flock to the 360’s solid shooters, but with the recent reveal of project Natal, it seems Microsoft will continue to aggressively pursue both markets.

Playstation 3

PSP Connectivity

One of the benefits of having a handheld system which operates beside your home console offering is the ability to connect these devices in unique and interesting ways (you listening Nintendo?).

Sony have adopted this philosophy and have a range of features that can be used when the PS3 and PSP are connected.

One of these ingenious features is the ability to play downloaded PSOnetitles on the PSP. Another is the Remote Playability which displays a PS3 system screen (XMB) on the PSP.

Blu-Ray

Sony always seems to be ahead of the curve with their disc based media, effectively launching both the DVD and Blu-Raydisc formats into the homes of the consumer by incorporating it into their game consoles.

With up to 50gb of storage, Blu-Ray offers huge capacities for both PS3 games and Hi-Definition movies. The benefits for games include, uncompressed textures and stunning 7.1 surround sound in-game.

First Party Studios

With Sony’s dominance in the console market for the two previous generations, Sony had the means and foresight to invest heavily in First Party studios.

These First Party studios are some of the most talented developers in the industry and effectively maintain the Playstation platform as third parties move to a multiplatform model.

Sony’s studios outnumber the First Party support of both Microsoft and Nintendo combined, an impressive ace up the sleeve when the ‘console war’ is raging.

Wii

Virtual Console

With a back catalogue of Nintendo properties stretching as far back as the Nes, the Wii’s virtual console has a plethora of classic titles to choose from.

With Nes, Snes and N64 titles on the service you would be hard pressed finding a genre that isn’t covered.

In a brilliant move by Nintendo, they have also incorporated some of the greatest classic games from yesteryear’s competition, including the Master System, Mega-Drive(Genesis) and even some titles from the Commodore 64. They have Secret of Mana on the service…need I say more.

Motion Controls

Even though both Microsoft and Sony are looking at delving into the motion controller market (sorry, Six Axis doesn’t count), Nintendo have incorporated these controls into their system from the start, and are now synonymous with the motion control phenomenon.

Though some may not connect with this non traditional control scheme, it has certainly captured a new market, which ties directly with my next feature.

New Audience

Though not a feature in the traditional sense, I think it’s important to recognise the huge strides Nintendo have achieved in getting the traditional casual players and even ‘non-gamers’ to embrace this industry we enjoy.

I thought it would be a cold day in hell before I would see my 60 year old father pick up a controller, but thankfully the Wiiis breaking the stereotype of the ‘traditional gamer’ being a spotty faced, pre-pubescent male teen.

Well there you have it folks, OXCGN’s 3 best features of each console. With such a diversity in readers here at OXCGN, we expect people to have their own opinions on what constitutes their favourite feature.

So tell us in the comment section below what you like about each console, as it’s time to toss fanboyism aside and embrace the gaming industry as a whole.

©2009 Steven Sutton:

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OXCGN’s FIFTH Playdate – JUNE 26th The first of a series of Co-Hosted Playdates set for this year

Friday 26th June between 8 – 11pm AEST

Hit any of these guys up from both OXCGN or ThatAussieGameSite for a friends Invite to be included in the night’s activities. Playdates are an excellent way of playing sensibly with other Xboxers across Australia and New Zealand. And all are welcome from other parts of the globe as well, so come experience some good old clean Aussie gaming fun.

OXCGN:

• GrathiusXR
• TWODOGSz
• paulyhouly (THQ)

ThatAussieGameSite

• Arnhell
• Lawrst
• GUN16 Come and join not only the guys-n-gals from OXCGN, but the team from ThatAussieGameSite as well as we team up to tear Mars apart in some great Red Faction: Guerrilla at its fifth official Xbox Playdate being held on Friday 26th June between 8 – 11pm AEST via XboxLIVE.

But wait, there’s more:

THQ will be joining us – not just from their own homes, but they’ll be logged in from NSW’s SupaNova event, where several members of THQ pus some of the attendees of SupaNova will be joining in during the night as THQ “Works the floor” at this year’s SupaNova.

Then you’ll have the guys at EB games in Melbourne joining in after-hours as they log in from Melbourne. So it’s a night you’ll just NOT want to miss. Plenty of rooms to join in with plenty of fun for everyone, and – yes, there’s even more…

THQ will be giving away some really neat Red Faction: Guerrilla Prizes which include a recently released RF:G Artbook and Comic, plus the “Walker” diecast model that stands about 160mm high. I can personally vouch that it looks really cool on your desktop in the lounge room. Plus other great prizes during the night.

You can join us by simply sending any of the following a friends invitation via their gamercard links below, or from the OXCGN Playdate Page or via your own Xbox360 Dashboard. Just look for it in the Events Pane under Playdates, you can’t miss it.

All anyone has to do is to hit one of the OXCGN or ThatAussieGameSite Teams up for an invite for the 26th JUNE event now from here, or the Playdates news on your Dashboard or via the XboxLIVE Calender. It’s going to be jammed-packed with ppl from SupaNova, THQ, EB – Melbourne, ThatAussieGameSite and of course – OXCGN with several rooms open during the night. Don’t leave it to the last minute – do it now.

Playdates are an excellent way of getting into the swing of things with other sites and various developers. OXCGN will be teaming up with some other publishers for other games in the future, as well as some other sites so we all can get down-n-dirty on Live and share the fun around. There’s only so many Fridays in one month, so we’re looking at doubling up with some other sites to expand the numbers and the rooms on the nights, such as with ThumbPad in July and others scheduled for the following months right up to September so far.

As always OXCGN is expanding and slowly gaining support from these other sites, so here are some of those sites that are helping the Xbox Community to grow and flourish.

OXCGN Affiliates

• OzBoxLive
• Forza Drag Racing League
• ThumbPad
• OzBoxLive Radio/TV
• LvL 2 Gamer
• Rated G 4 Gamer
• All Age Gaming
• ThatAussieGameSite
• GameShare

OXCGN’s aim is to be a focal part of the Australian Xbox Community Network to help gamers like yourself enjoy their leisure time. So make sure you slip over and check these guys out, sign up for some events that they may be having, and get a few races in for the Forza 2 nuts out there. Enter their competitions and see if you can win some neat prizes of course and support YOUR local gaming fraternity.

Do check out OzBoxLive’s unique OzBoxLive TV’s Reviews, which always prove to be a great laugh and basically have fun with your fellow Xboxers. ThumbPad’s first Podcast went to the very top of the Australian gaming downloads on iTunes, beating GameSpot’s podcast during its first week live. Congratulations guys!

We’d like to thank all those gamers who continue to come over to OXCGN and give us their time and effort. Be that by passing comments and of course, reading the various reviews, articles and Investigation Pieces our team has been producing of late. OXCGN is now the fastest growing Xbox Community site on the net and in Australia. With your help, we now service over 60% of the Australian Xbox gamers, as well as Sony fans – yes they come along as well, which is great, and we have risen to an Alexa global ranking of 111,000 globally, and now have a 60% penetration in Australia and ranked 1,850 in the Australia/NZ region . . . which we are exceptionally happy about.

So make sure you slip along to the OXCGN-ThatAussieGameSite Red Faction: Guerrilla Destruction Night night on JUNE 26th. Visit the OXCGN Playdate Page. Just remember that it is at the time and day as always – Friday JUNE 26th, 8 – 11pm (or later) AEST

Check your Xbox 360 Dashboard (Aust-NZ Residents Dashboards only) for ALL up to date announcements and/or changes. Or check out the XboxLIVE Calender. Many thanks to THQ for their continued support here in Australia, and during E3 while some of the team were there recently.

Visit our Forza 3 Update pages.

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We’re SKUed! The New Xbox 2010, PSP Go!, and DSi

by dkpatriarch

© 2009 David Hilton

Yes, we’ve been SKUed…again!  But it’s our own fault.

Once upon a time you bought your games console with great anticipation, brought it home and excitedly unwrapped your investment in future entertainment.  And that was that for many wonderful gaming years.

Unlike with PCs, the console would be the same console that was for sale in the stores several years after you bought it and you could gloat to your mates that you got it earlier than them.  Sure, there might be some Limited Edition or different colours or some internal components changed or even a slimmer version released, but it was essentially the same console you bought way back when.  No need to upgrade anything.

Not anymore.  This generation consoles have changed forever, and nothing illustrates this more than Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s announcement that another new Xbox 360 will hit the shelves in 2010.

This announcement has since been denied by Microsoft’s Director of Product Management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Aaron Greenberg, who says Steve Ballmer meant the Natal.  Either Steve needs to get to know his products better, or there really is an all-in-one unit coming.  To me it’s obvious there will be.

Greenberg said: “we have looked at that, but we haven’t announced any details for something like that.”  Read: we want to talk about Natal, not our integrated system yet.

The next Xbox SKU will incorporate a “natural interface,” and will have a built in camera with the ability to recognize movement and voice, according to what Ballmer said.

What should be slightly unsettling is that few gamers would be that surprised by this development.  After all the Natal, the amazing Microsoft voice and movement sensor camera device revealed at E3 this year, seemed like the next logical gaming platform and incorporating it within the shell of the existing 360 console seemed inevitable.

The best of all worlds in one neat box…but yet another SKU for the 360 console.

Those who purchased the 360 at launch (like me) had the unprecedented choice of two versions: the Arcade version without the hard drive, cheaper and entry-level for parents and casuals, and the Pro with the 20 gig hard drive, slightly more expensive but better in the long run.

Now there is the Arcade SKU, the Pro SKU (which now has a 60 gig hard drive), the Elite SKU (which is black and has 120 gig HDD), and soon (despite denials) most likely a 2010 model with Natal technology…all now with a HDMI port and better more reliable internal tech.

And Microsoft isn’t the only console manufacturer to change their console dramatically or add SKUs: Sony and Nintendo are doing it too.

Sony, in Australia, started with a 60 gig HDD Playstation 3 with backwards compatibility through emulation and a Six Axis non-rumbling controller, then went with a 40 gig HDD model with no backwards compatibility and a Six-Axis non-rumbling controller. It is now reduced to one SKU: the 80 gig HDD PS3 model with a rumbling Dual Shock 3 controller, but no backwards compatibility.

Their portable PSP has gone from what is now termed the Phat version, to the PSP 2000, and now the 3000, each with its own structural changes, and will soon add a new SKU to sell alongside the 3000 with the PSP GO! which has no UMD and is much smaller.

The popular Nintendo DS portable console has transformed into the DS Lite and then recently the new DSi with voice recording/ manipulation, camera, and internet which is being sold alongside the DS Lite SKU.

The goal of multiple SKUs (or retail versions) is to provide the consumer with choice, usually depending on their budget.

However, it can be very frustrating for early adopters who always like to have the best model.  My nine year old son is frantically saving his allowance so he can find the AUD $200 to trade up his DS Lite (a newer metallic red version I might add) for a brand new DSi with the voice and photo alteration fun.  Hardly worth it, in my opinion.

The same goes for me: I have a PSP 2000 and wonder is it worth upgrading to the PSP GO! when it is released later this year?  For those who upgraded from the 2000 model to the 3000 model…was it worth it?

The confusion for gamers and John Smith’s Mum and Dad is understandable.

The problem is our own fault though.  Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo know how excited and even demanding people now get for newer gadgets with newer features.

We expect newer better gear faster.

Most importantly, they know many of us will pay for that upgrade, even if it isn’t really worth it, as well as attract new buyers to buy the new item with the new gimmick or genuine tech.  They need to attract new buyers and beat their competition and that means constant innovation is necessary.

Apple, with its Ipod and Iphone’s constant changes and innovations demonstrates this.  Video cameras and TVs do the same.  It’s the way it is.

Companies have become compulsive about evolving their products to keep our increasingly fickle interest and money.  This may be hard to swallow for early adopters who watch better versions come to market with cheaper prices, but at least they got to game or listen to music or watch High Def TV earlier, right?

While another 360 SKU with Natal technology may mean another pay loss for an upgrade for those of us that need the newest and best, this will be because of our own ‘need’.

After all it’s our choice. But temptation is a bitch too.

Microsoft will release a stand alone Natal unit that will attach to our existing 360s, but will it look as sexy in our already cluttered space?  Don’t we wish for a simpler time when you weren’t tempted and had to wait until the next console to roll out before having to spend big again?  When your hard earned money went only toward the games?

The fact is that the days of buying a console that will remain the same from day one to its commercial death, with only minor cosmetic changes or weight loss, is over.

At least we can still play our same games on our launch console (if we can stand to look at the old thing).  That is until they release another yet more elaborate console….

What do you think?

Are tech upgrades and multiple SKUs good because they give you a choice with varied pricing and these constant upgrades are necessary and exciting, or are we really being “SKUed” and early adoption and loyalty mean nothing next to tempting us for more money?  Please comment below.

Visit our Forza 3 Update pages.

© 2009 David Hilton

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