Red Dead Redemption is the latest next-gen blockbuster from world renowned studio Rockstar Games. Set in the Wild West, it tells the tale of a man once an outlaw trying to raise a family and build a life through difficult historic times. Players traverse through the wide open plains of the Wild West all sculpted in Rockstar’s own Euphoria engine previously seen in Grand Theft Auto. Now let’s get the obvious out of the way first. Red Dead Redemption demands a comparison against Grand Theft Auto; they’re both games set in an open world sandbox environment where players travel from mission to mission as they please. They’re both filled with end game content and side missions, robust multiplayer and thick narrative and on the most basic level play similarly.
This is where all comparisons to GTA end. After completing RDR I’ve realized only a fool would compare the two, RDR offers such (more…)
It’s that time again! Well sure we may already be half way through 2010 but that can’t stop me from listing what I thought were the ten best games of 2009. Hell this could almost be a retro gaming article by now. One advantage of my tardiness is you can now find most of these titles at about half their original price marking some essential well priced gaming.
The main reason I took so long in creating this list is that I wanted to try and play every hot title from 2009. I managed to get through quite a load but since 2010 has already produced enough to rival last year it’s hard keeping up. I’m only one man! But for what it’s worth, here is: -
Jordan’s Top 10 Games of 2009
#10 Shadow Complex
Shadow Complex was a revolution in downloadable gaming providing one of the lengthiest and well produced games to be only available through XBOX Live Arcade. Not only was it a high quality polished affair but it also played damn well, inspired by a ‘Metroidvania’ style of side scrolling shooting. A wide range of guns and collectibles (more…)
Bioshock received overwhelming attention when it was released in 2007 claiming the top of many Game Of The Year lists. Rightfully so, it was an immersive adventure that used a compelling story and unique environment to suck players in. So it’s no surprise to see a sequel to such a successful game, but can it possibly live up to the hype of the original?
Set in a fictional 1968, 8 years after the fall of the underwater city Rapture, this time a familiar world is viewed through new eyes as the player assumes the role of an iconic enemy known as the Big Daddy. This opens up a whole new variety of weapons and powers available for fighting through all new areas of Rapture as the player learns more of the characters, history, and future of the captivating Bioshock universe.
Graphics – 9.0
Bioshock 2 has a few technical enhancements that give it a bit more shine over the original but (more…)
Continuing to strengthen their presence in the PC hardware scene Razer have announced a new line-up of up-coming peripherals featuring the Starcraft II name.
This includes a new mouse, keyboard and headset each featuring all sorts of cool features and pretty lights. All of these devices feature Razer’s APM-Lighting system that changes colours and vibrancy based on a game’s situation.
This headset isn’t short on features with a detachable boom mic and 8 preset (more…)
I hope some of you managed to catch How To Train Your Dragon in theaters (and 3D) and got as much out of it as I did. If you did that I also highly recommend you listen to this wonderful interview on the Speaking Of Animation podcast which interviews the directors and co-writers, Dean DeBois and Chris Sanders. As well as talking about their excellent work on How To Train Your Dragon, they also talk a bit about their past work, including of course directing and writing Lilo And Stitch when they were at Disney.
This interview is part master class in storytelling, part behind the scenes and all of it is fascinating. Run by Dreamworks animators and staffers, The Speaking Of Animation podcast is aimed at animators, but the show is excellent for filmmakers and film fans of all kinds. Take special note of Chris and Dean’s stories on how various story elements of How To Train Your Dragon were conceived and added, because you can see in the final product how well these ideas end up supporting and plusing the story by an order of magnitude.
The Canned Geek Podcast is a monthly geek-culture podcast featuring Kyle Evans and Myself.
This month Liam and Kyle geek out about Californian scientists at Micromidas developing methods of turning shit into plastic, the formal announcement of the iPhone 4 and our surprised excitement at the guests of pop culture expo Armageddon.
A short film/trailer for a proposed new film based on the Mortal Kombat video games has hit the web. This gritty “realistic” remake was created to promote director Kevin Tancharoen vision of a new Mortal Kombat feature film. The 7 minute short stars Michael Jai White as Jax and Jeri Ryan as Sonya Blade. A few other characters make some appearances with surprising results.
For those of you have watched it, check out a certain character freeze frame below. (more…)
On Monday, THQ announced their development of Red Faction: Armageddon, the sequel to their 2009 ‘smash’ title Red Faction: Guerrilla. Like the prequel, it will be developed by Volition, who also create the Saints Row series. The game is set to release in March of 2011 and will follow the story of Darius Mason, grandson to RF: Guerrilla’s Alex Mason, and will travel below the surface of Mars. Players can expect a range of new weapons including a “magnet gun” and will enter a number of different environments such as ice caves and lava tubes. The most interesting aspect of this announcement for me is the inclusion of a multiplayer co-operative mode separate to the single player campaign.
Read on for more info and the debut teaser trailer. (more…)
Console gamers better saddle up because Rockstar Games’ latest blockbuster Red Dead Redemption is now available on PS3 and 360. Captivating the rustic scenery of the Wild West with story and gameplay on the engine of Grand Theft Auto IV and RDR is already leaving a huge impression on the gaming community. Just take a look at the new launch trailer to see exactly what this robust sandbox adventure is all about.
Last month I attended the pop-culture expo Supanova at the Royal Melbourne Show Grounds. I had a fun time and while I was there I met up with Will and Kyle from Canned Geek to do some video coverage.
Continuing to strengthen their presence in the PC hardware scene Razer have announced a new line-up of up-coming peripherals featuring the Starcraft II name.
