[GameRatty] tag: crysis

Computer runs Crysis at 60fps, costs $8,000

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:35:13 +0000

Do you want to run Crysis with everything turned up at 60 frames a second? Do you shit money? This is your lucky day. This CNET review brings word that the Falcon Northwest Mach V (Intel Core i7-965 Extreme Edition) is the first PC it’s tested to ever, ever, achieve the hitherto unthinkable feat. At a [...]

Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon HD-TV Giveaway

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:14:10 +0000

Invading a retail store near you on December 1for the PS3, and Xbox 360 is Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon. In this sequel to Destroy All Humans! Big Willy Unleashed, you control Crypto in the funky, disco loving ’70s when a mysterious new enemy attacks Earth and threatens the very survival of the Furon race.

In honor of the release, THQ is hosting a 32” HD TV and $50 Gamestop giftcard giveaway via the Crypto Enhance webiste (for United States residents). While there, you can also check out trailers, game designer interviews, AIM icons, and wallpapers.

There will also be an exclusive Destroy All Humans! bobblehead doll giveaway through participating Gamestop locations. Fans can pick up a bobblehead at their local Gamestop by providing proof-of-purchase for their copy of Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon.

If any of you happen to win the TV, the giftcard, or happen to pick up the Crypto bobblehead we would love to hear about it.

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Help Me Fill Out My VGA Ballot

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:00:43 +0000

I may not really take your advice. But maybe I will.

I’m a judge for Spike TV’s Video Game Awards, the only annual televised awards show that allows me to serve as one of their judges. A few weeks ago, I had to submit a list of nominations (I’d like to think that “No More Heroes” voice-acting nod down there is just because of me.)

My ballot of winners is due tomorrow. Take a look at the list. Frankly, I’m not sure which game gets my Game of the Year vote. The winners will be announced when the show airs on December 14. Decisions, decisions…

Game of the Year
Gears of War 2
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Grand Theft Auto IV
LittleBigPlanet
Fallout 3

The rest of the categories are after the jump.

Studio of the Year
Media Molecule
Rockstar North
Harmonix
Bethesda Game Studios

Best Shooter
Far Cry 2
Resistance 2
Gears of War 2
Left 4 Dead

Best RPG
Fable II
Fallout 3
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
The World Ends With You

Best Fighting Game
SoulCalibur IV
Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit

Best Individual Sports Game
Shaun White Snowboarding
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Wii Fit
Skate It

Best Handheld Game
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Patapon
Castlevania Order of Eccelsia

Best Graphics
Gears of War 2
Fallout 3
LittleBigPlanet
Metal Gear Solid 4

Best Game Based on a Movie or a TV Show
Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
Quantum of Solace
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Naruto: The Broken Bond

Best Music Game
Rock Band 2
Guitar Hero World Tour
Wii Music
SingStar

Best Driving Game
Burnout Paradise
Pure
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Mario Kart Wii

Best Action Adventure Game
Grand Theft Auto IV
Dead Space
Mirror’s Edge
Metal Gear Solid 4

Best Team Sports Game
NHL 09
Madden NFL 09
NBA 2K9
FIFA Soccer 09

Best Soundtrack
LittleBigPlanet
Grand Theft Auto IV
Rock Band 2
Guitar Hero World Tour

Best Xbox 360 Game
Fable II
Gears of War 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
Fallout 3

Best Wii Game
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Boom Blox
Wii Fit
No More Heroes

Best PS3 Game
Metal Gear Solid 4
Resistance 2
LittleBigPlanet
Grant Theft Auto IV

Best PC Game
Spore
Crysis Warhead
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Left 4 Dead

Best Original Score
Fallout 3
Spore
Metal Gear Solid 4
LittleBigPlanet

Best Multiplayer Game
Gears of War 2
Left 4 Dead
Resistance 2
Call of Duty: World at War

Best Performance by a Human Male
Michael Hollick as Niko Bellic in GTA IV
David Hayter as Old Snake in MGS 4
Stephen Fry as The Narrator in LBP
Jason Zumwalt as Roman Bellic in GTA IV

Best Performance by a Human Female
Nathalie Cox as Juno Eclipse in The Force Unleashed
Debi Mae West as Meryl Silverburgh in MGS 4
Paula Tiso as Silvia Christel in No More Heroes
Keeley Hawes as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider Underworld

***

So… any suggestions? How do I possibly compare “Spore” and “Left 4 Dead” for Best PC game? It’s not easy!

Octobers Top 20 Video Games

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:41:41 +0000

We’re living in hard times, and computer games have to face them, too. One bad review is no big deal, but once you get a bunch of them, you can say “good bye” to a serious slice of the gaming market, no matter what’s the game and who’s the company behind it. I won’t give any examples now, but since I usually check for reviews and top rankings before buying a game, here’s what I found for you today: the top 20 games of the last month(best selling ones, of course - that doesn’t mean all of them will get excellent rankings in various reviews)!

Just looking at the list below, I can draw the following quick conclusions: Fallout 3 goes as well as expected, with Fallout 3 Collectors Edition coming in strong(I expect it to enter top 5 next month), while Spore got second place, right ahead of Nancy Drew and Far Cry 2, closely followed by a MMORPG pair - Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning and World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest, but here’s the entire top 20 video games top, with the average US prices of each item in the list:

1. Fallout 3 / Bethesda Softworks / $49
2. Spore / EA Maxis / $49
3. Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy / Her Interactive / $18
4. Far Cry 2 / Ubisoft Montreal / $50
5. Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning / EA Mythic / $49
6. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest / Blizzard Entertainment / $38
7. The Sims 2 Apartment Life Expansion Pack / EA Maxis / $26
8. Fallout 3 Collectors Ed / Bethesda Softworks / $79
9. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe / EA Maxis / $25
10. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 / EA Los Angeles / $48
11. World Of Warcraft / Blizzard Entertainment / $20
12. Civilization IV: Colonization / Firaxis / $29
13. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade / Blizzard Entertainment / $29
14. Crysis: Warhead / Crytek / $30
15. Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Highway / Gearbox Software / $49
16. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Premier Ed / EA Los Angeles / $65
17. Dead Space / EA Redwood Shores / $49
18. Spore Creature Creator / Spore Creature Creator / $10
19. Civilization IV / Firaxis / $24
20. The Sims 2 FreeTime Expansion Pack / EA Maxis / $25

As a final note, could you believe how well is still hanging on the now venerable Civilization IV? For me, this was the most pleasant surprise of the October top 20 video games, and I hope next month we’ll also get to see such things coming from NPD Group.

Blue Mars beta and launch dates disclosed

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:00:00 +0000

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Business models, Launches, News items, Blue Mars, Virtual worlds

When it comes to virtual worlds, Massively's main focus to date has clearly been on Second Life, but we're also interested in some of the other choices that are becoming available to residents in virtual spaces. Blue Mars from Avatar Reality is one that's caught our eye -- it's a sci-fi themed virtual world, set on a terraformed Mars in the year 2177 AD. The potential is there to have some stunning visuals, as Blue Mars is built on CryEngine2, best known for giving Crysis its look. The official Avatar Reality site lists a beta release for the end of 2008, but they've told Eurogamer that Blue...

Continue reading Blue Mars beta and launch dates disclosed

Blue Mars beta and launch dates disclosed originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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3D Character Creation, One Step Forward

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 08:30:50 +0000

These days, games are trying to get as close as possible to real life, and while best environments currently available in games are looking just like their real life counterparts(think about Crysis Warhead, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, or S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky!), 3D character creation is a field that needs to catch up a little. Of course that Ruby looks great, but most in-game characters can’t even get near her, unfortunately…

These days, it seems each new 3D character creation technology is taking things one step forward, and since Emote Games just announced details of its Participate™ technology, why not talk about it?

As you can see in the image above, things are looking great, although real life is still a few steps ahead, but that remains to be seen, since the Participate™ technology will make its entry on theHunter.com really soon.

According to Emote Games, “This new technology forms part of Emote’s social platform Participate™ which allows game developers to build advanced social networking functions into their games. The character creation element provides users with incredibly realistic avatars for use on any device. The realism is startling, and it means that avatars can now benefit from the ‘next generation’ visuals that people are already enjoying in their games and other digital content. Avatars can now be as unique as the people who create them. The character technology selects and blends between vast combinations of hair, ethnicity, skin colour, clothing and body type to create individual avatars that really add value to the digital environment in which they appear.”

Ok, so this should be some kind of “Second Life” reloaded, with much better 3D characters. Hmmm, although I can’t say I am exactly a fan of the genre (I didn’t even enjoy The Sims at all), I am looking forward in seeing “The Hunter” in action, although this can only make me think about Iced Earth’s song with the same name… but more about “The Hunter,” some other time!

PC Gaming Alliance To Educate, Empower PC Gamers

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 12:53:00 +0000

PC gaming is dead, killed off by piracy, DRM, complexity and expense. Or so goes the traditional argument.

In an effort to dispel those myths, Randy Stude, president of the PC Gaming Alliance, spoke with Ars Technica to outline what it is, exactly, that the organization does.

It's a surprisingly rational conversation: the PCGA's goals are centered around simplifying the PC gaming experience, from properly outlining system requirements to finding the "right" solution for circumventing and adapting to piracy.

Stude suggests that the language behind system requirements needs to be improved, with clear standards developed to help educate consumers. There's an ease of use with consoles that PC developers would do well to replicate, and a concerted effort from a body like the PCGA is a step in the right direction.

The PCGA also proposes tracking piracy, and the relative effectiveness of anti-piracy measures to get an idea of what the best approach is -- including developing games that "can't be copied," whether that's a focus on MMOs, microtransactions, or digital distribution services like Steam. The solution isn't to slap on more draconian measures, but to figure out how best to turn software pirates into paying customers.

Cumbersome, invasive DRM schemes aren't generally appreciated, and there's a woeful lack of education on what's actually required to gain a pleasant gaming experience (hint: you don't really need to drop thousands of dollars to play Crysis). While the claim that they're the "guardians of PC gaming" feels like a bit much, with so many major players involved -- including Intel, AMD, Microsoft, and Nvidia -- there's quite a bit of muscle to propel their initiatives.

Image: włodi/Flickr

PC Gaming Alliance: "We are the guardians of PC gaming"[Ars Technica]

What were playing: Gaming Overload!!!

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:16:38 +0000

It’s getting hard to keep up with all the games coming out. “Wait, what…how are we already in November…how do I keep up?” is what I’m hearing from the devs. This week alone, both Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 hit shelves. Things get even busier with Mirror’s Edge, Call of Duty: World at War, Wrath of the Lich King, and Left 4 Dead around the corner.

Here’s the games we’re keeping up with this weekend. Let us know what you’re playing.

Sam Bernstein, Quality Assurance: Fallout 3, Fable 2, Dead Space, and the Left 4 Dead demo. Sooooooooooooo much fun.

Pete Hines: Fallout 3.

Kurt Kuhlmann, Designer: Far Cry 2. Fable 2.

Rob Clark, QA: Gears of War 2, WoW, COD5 beta.

Brent Krische, QA Tester: Little Big Planet and Lego Batman during the week and presumably Gears of War 2 for the rest of the weekend. I need me some chainsaw loving!

Matt Weil: Left 4 Dead, Call of Duty 4, Dead Space.

Orin Tresnjak, Graphics Programmer: Making crazy stuff in LittleBigPlanet. This game has wormed its way into my brain and taken permanent residence there.

Nathan X McDyer, Associate Producer: Left 4 Dead Demo, Fable 2.

Ryan Salvatore, Associate Artist: World of Warcraft, Civilization IV, and Fallout 3.

Tony “Tony?… as in The Tony Train?” Greco: Uh, what’s it called? It’s some small indie game. Gears of… something something.

Jay Woodward, AI Programmer: Far Cry 2, Fallout 3, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.

Nate Purkeypile, Zombie Killer Extraordinaire: Left 4 Dead demo, Fallout 3, Fable 2, Far Cry 2, Crysis: Warhead and wondering when I’ll be able to actually play all of these games that are coming out.

Cory Dornbusch, QA: Left 4 Dead Demo, Fallout 3, TF2, Fable 2, and Rock Band 2.

Dane Olds, Artist: Fallout 3, Fable II, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Stalker CS, Left 4 Dead Demo.

Michael Lattanzia, QA: LittleBigPlanet (lots of LittleBigPlanet, working on creating what I think will be an awesome level/set of tools), Fable 2, Warhammer Online, Left 4 Dead Demo over and over and over (this game is amazing, and I can only play 1 level). I might do Fallout 3 at some point if I’m up for collecting some achievements.

Louis Riley, Senior QA Tester: Left 4 Dead, Fable 2, Fallout 3.

Daryl Brigner, Level Designer: Fallout 3, Rock Band 2, and Left 4 Dead Demo.

Aaron Mitschelen, QA: WoW, Mirror’s Edge demo, LotRO, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia.

Matt Grandstaff, Community Manager: Fallout 3, LittleBigPlanet, Fable 2.

PyroBlazer Reached Gold Status

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:27:22 +0000

Racing, my friends, it’s all about racing! While there are plenty of racing games around, and most of them aren’t bringing anything new to the genre, it is a great pleasure to discover a new release trying to get out of the pack. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t run into a new NFS Porsche(that’s my all-time favorite, and don’t you even dare to say something bad about it!), but PyroBlazer is a game worth checking out, especially since it just reached the “gold” status.

After being initially set to arrive in May, “Pyroblazer on the PC will be available to buy through all major Digital Distribution portals from November 13th this year,” at least according to the official press release. The funny part is that what you can find on the official page in the “Press Release” section still says “May 2008…”

Here’s the most interesting part of the press release, now:

“Set amidst the awe-inspiring locations of New Apeiron, players get the opportunity to race through a multitude of environments using a wide selection of anti-gravity craft known as Blazers. In their quest for glory, players can blast their way through the scorched valleys of Gnosis, the deserted cities of Haedra or the densely populated Underdome of Evelads.

As the players fight their way through the championship, improved Blazers with better speed, handling and superior firepower become available. <-125x125 Button - right->Players also have the ability to pick up weapon and ammo upgrades during the race, further enhancing their ability to land the killer blow.

In addition to the single player modes such as Quick Race and Championship, Pyroblazer™ will also offer players the ability to compete against each other in 6-player local and internet-based combat racing. Powered by Eipix’s proprietary Ultra Engine and Ageia’s PhysX middleware, the game offers racing and sci-fi fans an experience unlike any other in the genre.”

All right, but what about the system requirements? Well, none available yet, but I am sure this game won’t break the record set by Crysis or, more recently, Sacred 2…

Game Diary - November 3, 2008: Holiday Games Status Report

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:00:37 +0000

September and October are done. November and December remain. We’re about halfway through the heavy season of games.

Here’s my status report (handheld games not included):

Games I’ve finished this holiday season: “Too Human,” “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,” “Spore,” “Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway,” “Dead Space,” “Gears of War 2″

Game I’m currently playing and am almost done with: “Fable II”

Games I tried for several hours each and am unlikely to go back to until 2009 (if ever): “Wario Land: Shake It,” “Mercenaries 2,” “de Blob,” “Viva Pinata: Trouble In Paradise”

Games I sampled and am saving to return to as “dessert” this season after I’m done with the big stuff: “Wii Music,” “Little Big Planet”

Games I plan to play through, in the order I plan to start them:

“Mirror’s Edge”
“Resistance 2″
“Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts”
“Fallout 3″
“Left 4 Dead”
“Prince of Persia”
“Far Cry 2″
“Spider-Man: Web of Shadows”
“Tomb Raider: Underworld”
“Crysis: Warhead”

I’m sure I’m forgetting stuff. And I don’t know which category to ultimately put “Nerf N-Strike” or “Call of Duty: World At War” in. What’s your list?

Next: I’m going to my parents’ house tonight so I can vote in the morning (I never did move my polling place — gotta do that by the next election.) So no console gaming for me tonight or tomorrow morning. Unless a voting machine counts as a console.