DARK-WITNESS.com

Another week gone by and its been good.  This week NPD showed off its march numbers.  Most of this stuff i look at on N4G, needless to say it was a fanboy fest.  360 fans were coming out of the woodwork to have a swing at the Sony fans for the poor sales numbers of the ps3 and killzone2.

I can’t say i blame them.  Up until its release it was all about how killzone 2 was going to crush the 360 and all it’s games.  The new word being thrown around was killzowned.   Seems the only thing that got Killzowned was Killzone itself.  The real truth of the matter is killzone 2 is a great game.  Its one of the best FPS games around.  Sales numbers wont change that, but it is strange that with all the hype it got it didn’t sell as expected.  So the question is this; If you own a PS3, did you get killzone 2 and what did you think of it ?  If you didn’t get it, why not ?

Some other cool stuff to surface this weekend, new screen shots of Ninty Nine Knights 2 !   Ahhhh….i know you were wondering what game the pics were from. 

Ok the first one i played a bit, it was good but could have been a lot better.  I am not quite sure what to think of the new game, but if the screen shots represent not just a graphical improvement, but an improvement in gameplay, story etc… It could be something quite special indeed.

I have also been attending my weekend internet marketing course.  It’s been great!  At the moment i am working on product creation, why?  Well, because i got something i hope is going to be useful to you guys.  Watch this space !

N99-2 from Dark Witness

While everyone’s been focused on Gearbox’s Aliens game, Rebellion’s Aliens vs Predator title has slipped beneath the radar. Until now!

Previews of the game have begun appearing in European magazines, and while they consist of little more than a bunch of screenshots, they do manage to reveal that the game is set 30 years after the events in Aliens (the movie), on a planet where Colonial Marines are trying to root out a serious xenomorph infestation. And then, yes, as the name suggests, Predators turn up for a spot of hunting.

As with Rebellion’s previous AvP effort, there will be three singleplayer campaigns (one for each race), and it will feature a multiplayer component as well (though details on this are scarce at the moment). The game is due for release in 2010. We can only confirm from the scans that the game is coming for the PS3, though since they come from a PlayStation-only magazine, that’s not terribly helpful.

AVP

So another weekend gone. Didn’t get up to much, went out Friday with the work guys and had a few drinks.
Weekend was spent trying to get more of the backend stuff sorted out here.

On the gaming front, well this week The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is out. It has had good reviews, but i have to be honest i am not going to be picking it up. I tried the demo and i just didn’t see enough of an improvement over the old game to make me want to buy it.

I know i should not judge the game on a 10min demo, but that’s Dark Witness for you. If i don’t feel that magic in the first 10 sec chances are i am not going to feel it at all. I am a bit of a graphics whore and that is one area that has to grab my attention which sadly this game didn’t.

AS far as games go, summer time is not the best. I suppose you could liken it to being dragged through the Sahara with enough water to soak a toothbrush. Traditionally that’s how its always been…. until this year. Over the next 3 – 4 months there are going to be some really nice games coming out so i will be giving you the low down on which games i am getting and why.

Unfortunately i don’t get paid for this yet and i don’t get sent the games for free so i won’t be able to review all of them. I will just be buying the games i think are really, really, really worth my £40.

May is just round the corner and my recommended game to get is Bionic Commando.
1. It’s made by capcom who brought us games like; Dead Rising, Lost Planet, RES4 and so far i think they have delivered on their Next gen outings.
2. The game looks quite cool, maybe a bit of an extension to the grapple hook mechanic we saw in lost planet’s gameplay ( if you didn’t like lost planet i am not to sure you will like this game )

Check out some of the videos below and see what you think.

With swine flu panic gripping the globe, all the headlines are dedicated to the spread of this nasty epidemic.

Advertisement:
But how prepared are we, as gamers, to deal with an outbreak of swine flu over here? Most will see us as an easy target – fat, overweight, lethargic, lazy and any other negative stereotype that are typically associated with gamers.

Not so. We could be the best prepared out of the lot to deal with swine flu, especially those who have put time into the following games…

LEFT 4 DEAD

SKILLS LEARNT: Teamwork, finding rescue vehicles, throwing molotovs, blaming others

Zoe, Louis, Bill and Francis work together to escape the clutches of the infected and scramble inside the back of a rescue vehicle to be carried away to safety.

Granted, you won’t find anything quite as alarming as the Tank parading down your local streets with a runny nose. However, dealing with the Witch – turning all bright lights off and keeping your voice down – will definitely help you deal with loved ones bunged up with the flu.

FALLOUT 3

SKILLS LEARNT: Wearing hazmat suit, stockpiling Med-X, paying inflated medical fees

Okay, so it’s not swine flu that’s been tearing through Fallout 3’s wasteland, but you have to have your hazmat suit ready for the pockets of radiation about. Given the rise of swine flu globally, now isn’t a bad time to get used to the hazmat wearer’s way of seeing the world through a flimsy plastic window in a giant neon growbag.

Also useful: having a constant supply of pills should your radiation increase to worrying levels, avoiding drinking the tap water from public toilets (this is good advice anyway) and learning the location of your nearest doctor in case of emergency.

RESIDENT EVIL 5

SKILLS LEARNT: Co-operation, carrying nine items at a time, punching boulders

To get away from the infected, you might have to get to high places (use a boost jump!), break through doors (both of you kick at the same time!) or revive each other (quick, inject me in the heart!).

You’ll also learn how to quickly go through all the items on your person, while standing still of course. And if there’s ever a situation where you have to stand in a volcano and punch a boulder until it moves, Resident Evil 5 has your back with this too. Unfortunately, the one skill you won’t learn is how to run and shoot at the same time.

FAR CRY 2

SKILLS LEARNT: Healing yourself, dealing with exotic disease, curing exotic disease.

While it’s unlikely you’ll ever have to pick bullets out of your leg because of swine flu, the experience in dealing with malaria that Far Cry 2 gives you could come invaluable.

Staggering about, loss of vision, sweating uncontrollably… it could be an amazing night out, it could be the effects of a fiery vindaloo, it could be malaria or it could be swine flu. Who knows?

SHELLSHOCK 2

SKILLS LEARNT: Not much.

You learn how to fight off the infected in linear areas, as they slowly shuffle towards you with blood dribbling out their mouths and woeful AI dribbling out their brains. You learn how to fight them without too much ammo, although whether you’ll have a gun to begin with or not is another debate for another time. You might even learn how to deal with them should they get into biting range.

No, that’s not why Shellshock 2 is on the list. Instead, this makes the list because playing it will give you a high tolerance for pain, misery and injury. With swine flu sweeping across the globe, that could prove the most invaluable skill of all.

http://www.oxm.co.uk/article.php?id=10006″>

awesome vid. please check out the guys vid and rate him.

http://www.pwnordie.com/videos/b8734f57c1/halo-3-28-weeks-later-the-movie

Without needing to say anything else… watch the vid !

http://games.blogo.nl/image.asp?file=modern warfare 2 game informer scan 4.jpg

http://games.blogo.nl/image.asp?file=modern warfare 2 game informer scan 3.jpg

http://games.blogo.nl/image.asp?file=modern warfare 2 game informer scan 2.jpg

http://games.blogo.nl/image.asp?file=modern warfare 2 game informer scan 1.jpg

http://games.blogo.nl/image.asp?file=modern warfare 2 game informer scan 0.jpg

Hi guys,

So another weekend has come and gone, Dark has been busy because Dark is moving house.  In light of that i have not been playing to much, not to mention there has not been much to play. Went and bought Ninja Blade last week with the plan to trade it back after a week. Hummm where should i start, Ok i will make it nice and simple; Graphics are crap, the sound is crap, the story is a little above crap, I honestly don’t think it’s even worth explaining.

All i will say is this; I finished it and traded it in for the new X-Men game and i am quite happy with the trade. I usually don’t do movie games, but i have to say i am actually having a lot of fun with it.  I don’t think its worth the full price, but if you can pick it up second hand it’s a good blast.

Now with games like InFamous, Red Faction GR and Prototype just a few weeks off you may want to hold onto the cash. If you can’t wait though give it a try.

Not much else for me to say right now. Looking for a new place and working on some other stuff has got me really busy. E3 is also just round the corner and there are lots of interesting rumours flying around, so keep your eyes and ears fixed on E3.

Thanks all for now folks.

http://www.gamersyde.com/stream_11639_en.html

Yep, the Dark Witness is back.

Been crazy this last month.  No internet connection so i was off for a while.  Thats just the half of it though, while i was offline, my blog got hacked…. ya hacked, i mean who would want to go through the trouble to in the first place ?

Anyway, the problem was fixed, but in the process some of the posting history seems to have been lost.  So now the sites looks a bit more out of date then it should.

On the gaming front there is a lot to be said, as most of you know last month was E3 and an interesting one at that.  Both MS and Sony showing off their answer to the Wii and it looks like both are going to be giving Nintendo a run for their money.

I will go into more details about all this later.  If your out there, give me a shout.

My new place is coming along well, i am just about happy with the way it looks now.  Watch out for my updates soon.

Another weekend update.

Its been an interesting one on the gaming front.

A fellow gamer has started an online petition regarding the price jump. If your as passionate about it as we are, please sign it and don’t buy Modern Warfare 2 at launch;

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?cod6

Remember, the majority of people may run out there and buy it because they don’t know better or are too dumb, but its not about anyone else, its about you as a gamer. If you think the price is unfair, don’t sit back. Do something about it !

The great thing as i said before is that there is that there is a lot of other stuff. Now if your looking for some military shooter action then you need to check out the new videos of Operation Flashpoint; Dragon Rising. It actually looks that good that it could be real contender against MW2. The video says it all and this is from the 360;

The big news this month however is the new dashboard update for the 360.
Now personally, i am not one for getting excited about updates, but this one actually annoys me a bit.

One of the new things is avatar clothes which now come at a wonderfully low cost of 80 points starting and some of them go up to 400 points. After all my ranting about about the price increase with MW2, its kind of hard for me to say its a great thing to pay £8 for a set of virtual clothes for an avatar that really does nothing except bob up and down in a party full of other equally stupid looking virtual wastes of space !

The bad news this month has been the delay with some of the big games that were due out. Splinter Cell, Bioshock 2, Max payne 3.. have all been pushed back. The whisperings on the net is that the games have all been pushed back because of MW2 and Halo ODST’s Launch. Quite simply, they are worried about the competition. In some ways though its a good thing, even i could not keep up with all the gaming goodness due out so it will help make my pockets a bit lighter.

Other good news to come out this week is the Lost Planet 2 demo. A co-op demo of the game is due out next week. While many slagged off the first game, i have to say i was a personal fan. It’s in my little collection of games to keep for all time.

On that note i will call it a night, but don’t forget to give the Batman demo a try either. I have to say, it really did supprise me and has now been added to my must buy list of games.

It’s been busy with me, moving house and sorting out the personal life, but slowly things are getting back to normal. Also had a few technical issues which have now just about been sorted. Most of the latest post’s had not saved for some reason.

Anyway, back to the games! As you all know this holiday is looking very good for games, in fact it could just be the best holiday for games on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. Now from the Dark Witness himself I am going to give you my run down of must by games, but before I do let’s talk about the game not to buy this holiday.

Modern Warfare 2 ( AKA Cod6) is arguably the biggest shooter out this coming holiday. Now I love Cod4, everyone knows it, but I will NOT be buying Cod6. The reason is simple, price!
For those of you who don’t know the RRP for Cod6 is now £55.00, that’s for the regular edition mind you. Quite simply its unacceptable. At the moment there is a lot of talk from fellow gamers of boycotting the game. Well I am in ! There are enough good games coming out such as Halo ODST, Splinter Cell conviction, Uncharted 2… the list goes on.

The real problem here is not just the price hike either, it’s the hypocrisy as well. Only a few weeks back Activision was threatening to boycott development for the PS3 because they wanted the price lower. The reason they gave for their price increase was that its needed for them to deliver the kind of quality in the title that gamers want and expect. The game is using the same engine that Cod4 used, it’s just extra weapons, maps etc and a few tweaks…. and they want to talk about quality! It’s not as if it’s been in development for 4 years like killzone 2 and using the most advanced graphics engine ever to land on a console.

Ok, I could rant on all day about this, but there are better things to talk about. The last thing i will point out though before we change subject is this. If they up the price ( which they have ) and everyone still goes out and buys it ( which they prob will )… what is to stop other publishers following them? This is probably my biggest reason for not getting it.

Anyway if you’re out there and listening, from one gamer to another, lets no let them get away with this. Now here is my list of other games to look forward to in video;
At no 1 on my list is Halo ODST. Halo CE has always been my best in the series and i am still waiting for them to top it;

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/50404.html

At No 2 its Splinter Cell Conviction. One of the best franchises to hit the Xbox back in the days. All the games have been great except the last one in my opinion. Conviction has gone through a lot of change since it was first shown, with the developers stating that they had to go back to the drawing board with the game. See what you think now;

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/52214.html

Next on the list we have two racing games; Forza 3 and Need for Speed shift.
Forza 3 is looking great; a huge improvement over number 2 which I thought was a bit of a letdown. Shift is a completely different game to the usual NFS games that we know. Once again EA is really trying to show they have changed their way. Back in the day I would have written it off, but after Dead Space I have to say give it a chance.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/50145.html

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/51554.html

Next up we have uncharted 2 on the ps3. Could this be the best looking game we have seen so far this gen? Check it out and see what you think;

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/50248.html

Ok, so the action games are starting to heat things up this year. Now it’s Assassins Creed 2’s turn for the hot spot. The first one was one of the best looking open world games so far, the only let down was the repetitiveness of the game. From what they have said this is something they have addressed in this game;

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/50811.html

Next up Dead Rising 2. The first Dead Rising is one of the few games that i still have and its in my little collection of keeps for all time. That really says it all.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/48568.html

So do you think you got enough action to keep you going without Modern Warfare 2? Don’t worry, there is more;

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/48265.html

Now as I said before, this is just my list and not every game on this list will be for everyone’s taste. This is the problem, there really is so much coming out, just remember there is something for everyone and who needs Modern Warfare 2 !

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7ZxV58226E

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Mario Kart DS will drive players new and old to distraction as they race their way around a selection of tracks, including all-new extravaganzas and time-honoured classics from previous versions of the games. What’s more Mario Kart DS will be the first Nintendo DS title to offer gamers online play allowing you to race anyone, anywhere, anytime for free.Want to show off your skills? Then get excited as Mario Kart DS features both online and wireless multiplayer modes. By using t (more…)

Flips: Enid Blyton contains the three books collectively known as the Faraway Tree stories, written by perhaps the best-known and best-loved children’s author ever, Enid Blyton. These are backed up by three books written by other authors, inspired by Blyton’s The Enchanted Wood – the best-known of the Faraway Tree Stories. Collectively, they chronicle the magical world of the Enchanted Wood and the delightful characters who live there, such as the gentle Silky the Fairy an (more…)

Flips: Artemis Fowl contains all six of Irish author Eoin Colfer’s enormously popular Artemis Fowl books, chronicling the misadventures of Artemis Fowl II, the teenage criminal mastermind intent on acquiring money through a variety of often illegal schemes. Colfer has described the series as “Die Hard with fairies,” and the books were primarily written to appeal to those between the ages of nine and 12. In action, Flips: Artemis Fowl closely follows the experience of rea (more…)

The Collectors Guide to this huge game. Hard Cover: Rugged Hardcover edition for extra durability. Essentials: Nearly 400 pages packed with every quest, NPC, monster, and item across the world of Ferelden! *Classes: Complete ascension guides with level-by-level tips on how to maximize a warrior, mage, or rogue class! *Walkthrough: Detailed walkthroughs to master all quests, puzzles, and pivotal story choices! *Equipment: Full equipment lists to gear out your PCs! (more…)

The call of duty needs answering once again, as the blockbusting first person shooter series returns to the modern day. A direct sequel to Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, you now play new character Sgt Gary “Roach” Sanderson. Your commander is “Soap” from the first game as you join a multinational anti-terrorist squad out to stop Russian ultra nationalists. Watch your squad grow from inexperienced rookies to veteran warriors A snowmobile race is just one of the new vehicle secti (more…)

F1 2009 is the first in a new generation of FORMULA ONE video games featuring Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and all the official drivers, teams and circuits from the 2009 FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP by Codemasters, the developer and publisher of award-winning racing video games, under its exclusive worldwide agreement with Formula One Administration Limited.New aerodynamic regulations, the return of slick tyres and the introduction of KERS are set to m (more…)

The biggest Olympic superstars are back and the only country they’re representing is video game land. The team-up that fans could previously only dream of is back, as the worlds of Mario and Sonic the Hedgehog combine at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Donkey Kong is added to the line-up of gaming’s biggest superstars New addition Metal Sonic faces off against Mario in the ice hockey game The Dream Ski Cross event looks suspiciously similar to Mario Kart Wii Pri (more…)

Flips: Cathy Cassidy contains six books written by the immensely popular children’s author, who has worked as an editor on Jackie magazine, a teacher and an agony aunt on Shout Magazine. Her books, much-loved by girls primarily between the ages of 9 and 15, mainly chronicle what it’s like being an early-teenage girl in a thoroughly modern world full of adults doing crazy, annoying things. She is renowned for her knack of tackling the issues that nearly all young girls face g (more…)

Join in Pepper and George’s favourite games and activities. Play as either Pepper or George to complete 11 highly enjoyable games and activities including: Muddy Puddles Happy Mrs. Chicken Bubble Bath Kite Flying Car Trip Pancake Flipping Carwash Parrot Snowman Hide and Seek Colouring InThere is something for everyone in this fun and entertaining outing with Pepper Pig – The Game.Choose between Nintendo DS for individual child play or Wiki for the whole family to joi (more…)

Amazon.co.uk Review

It’s the game that never should’ve worked. Normal licensed games are usually bad enough but the game of the toy of the film? Clearly the Force was with developer Traveller’s Tales though because Lego Star Wars I and II were huge critical and commercial hits that showed that not only could licensed games be good but that titles aimed at kids and the family could be just as innovative and entertaining as any other. Clearly not wishing for any of the new cons (more…)