Games for Windows – LIVE launches

With the release of Shadowrun for Xbox 360 and Halo 2 for Vista, Microsoft today launched its popular Xbox service, Live, for the Windows Vista platform. Live offers connectivity with millions of Xbox users (multiplayer), achievements, an online identity and more. The features are somewhat similar to that available on the Xbox platform.

Press release:
This is a busy month for Games for Windows® – LIVE! On May 29, the release of “Shadowrun™” connected Windows Vista® gamers with Xbox 360™ players in cross-platform matches through a single service. Whether in cooperation or competition, PC and Xbox 360 gamers can battle up to 16 players in the intense first-person shooter as they vie for supremacy in an experience that rewards cleverness, cunning and split-second improvisation through a unique combination of modern weapons, ancient magic and advanced technology.

This marks the first of many games to come which will support the Games for Windows – LIVE service, connecting six million Xbox LIVE® members and hundreds of millions Windows gamers. Games for Windows – LIVE brings the best of the Xbox LIVE service to Windows gamers, such as a single online identity, the ability to easily find and connect with friends, and earn achievements.

Today, May 31st, Microsoft is launching “Halo® 2” for Windows Vista, delivering improved graphics, a custom map editor and the chance to earn achievements – a first for the Halo franchise. Using a combination of dedicated servers, flexibility of the Windows platform, and the online innovation established in the Xbox® original, “Halo 2” for Windows Vista provides a best-in-class PC-to-PC multiplayer experience.

Current members of Xbox LIVE automatically receive the functionality of Games for Windows – LIVE, using the same gamertag and friends list, at no additional cost. In addition, Games for Windows — LIVE introduces the best of Xbox LIVE functionality to please PC gamers, such as integrated in-game multiplayer voice chat and Achievements, as well as functionality demanded by PC gamers like dedicated server support, as part of the free Silver membership. Gold memberships will deliver the premium online network experience which adds benefits such as multiplayer achievements, matchmaking according to skill, reputation and gamerzone, as well as cross-platform gameplay – features only Microsoft’s Games for Windows and Xbox 360 can deliver.

Demon Chaos

Japanese games seem to be catching on these days. Anime-style RPG’s with painting-like graphics, cute characters and high-pitched voices seem to appeal to a large number of gamers today. And why shouldn’t they…they’ve got some pretty good, fun gameplay packed in them too. Even I have slowly started developing an interest in these kind of games, especially after having played Okami on the PS2. Hence, when I heard about this game called Demon Chaos and what it had to offer, I was more than curious to check it out. And check it out I did – for a good, long time. The end result ? Mindless, non-stop, bizarre, fun-filled action. Some repetitiveness.  And this review, of course.

Developed by a not-so-well-known game studio called Genki, and published by the very-well-known company Konami, Demon Chaos can best be described as a mindless 3rd person action game with a confusing storyline, extremely simple controls, great graphics, and a very badass looking hero. And here’s the icing on the cake : this game can throw upto 65,535 enemies at you on the same screen at once. Yes, you read that number right. And no, I’ve not been smoking too much weed. That is the official figure as stated by Genki studios. Till date, such a phenomenon is unheard of, and the fact that this is a PS2 game makes it even more outrageous. You play the role of a warrior called Inugami, who is basically some kind of white lion-man with rippling muscles, shiny armor, and some razor-sharp weaponry. Yes, you’re a lion in armor, so don’t laugh. You gotta face facts. The Japanese love making everyday animals their main protagonists (no offense meant).

Like I said the story is very confusing, so I’ll just give you a rough outline. The lands in which the game takes place are being overrun with some nasty demons, who surface wherever there is chaos created by men, like in battlefields, war-torn zones, etc. A certain young priestess named Aoi Yasaka is entrusted the task of ‘cleansing’ the land of all demon scum by a temple God. And since she’s a mere young woman, the God sends his most trusted ‘servant’ (that’s you) to do all the fighting for her, while she sits atop her horse and squeals orders to you. Whatever happened to gender equality ? Anyways, that forms the basic storyline. As you play the game, you’ll find out that one ruler wants to kill some other guy who is in turn at war with some clan, which in turn is trying to capture some other leader’s son as hostage for exchange purposes. Makes sense ? If yes, then you’re Japanese. If no, continue reading…

The game is comprised of several stages that take you through the story, and there are lots of cutscenes in between to confuse you more…err, help you understand stuff. But for all this confusion, there’s one single thing that will make you just forget about the whole storyline – the solid, fun gameplay. Just think about taking on a few thousand enemies in a go and slaying them all without spilling a drop of your own blood. Sounds good, huh ? It plays even better.

The stages are all exactly similar in objectives : help clan A, defend a palace, kill 2000 demons, destroy some blood crystals, meet up with leader B, and save someone else’s ass from a demonic onslaught. However, the sheer number of enemies that you face at once is enough to keep you glued to the edge of your seat. Seriously, you don’t know the meaning of the word ‘horde’ until you’ve played this game. The demons –- small spider-like creatures -– come in packs of about 250 each. And as long as the aforementioned Blood Crystals are active, they keep spawning out of them. So your main aim in all the stages is to destroy these Blood Crystals. The catch is that you can’t touch them; they can be shattered only by a human sword. Hence, the fun & frenzy begins when you have to lead a thousand soldiers through said hordes of demons to reach a Blood Crystal. Once destroyed, the demons stop spawning in that area. And don’t think leading the human soldiers is an easy task, because they can’t fight for nuts. Also, they’re pretty slow moving, so you’ll have to wait up for them in between. In this one huge mission, I had to destroy 12 Blood Crystals. I started the mission leading some 980 men into battle. I came out of it with 12. Get the point ?

Call of Duty 3 Bravo Pack released

The call has come again! Activision is calling players back to the trenches with the release of new Call of Duty 3 multiplayer maps, available only on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE from Microsoft. The Bravo Map Pack features classic maps and new battlefields for players to test their skill. The five new maps are currently available for purchase (800 Microsoft Points) on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 from Microsoft.

Veteran players will recognize two fan favorite maps from Call of Duty and Call of Duty: United Offensive in the Bravo Map Pack. Depot, from Call of Duty, combines a unique layout of warehouses, water towers and a train depot, has been updated for duty as Gare Centrale. While for vehicle combat, nothing comes close to one of United Offensive’s most popular maps, Kharkov, an area that blends tanks, jeeps and motorcycles within a vast open combat arena, now re-envisioned and set to deploy as Marseilles.

New recruits and veterans alike are thrust into the fight with three new maps that will challenge players of all skill levels. Whether it is the Axis-held hilltop fortress at Aller Haut, the quiet, moonlit village on the foggy Seine River or Rimling, a small picturesque town filled with canals, players will have to use their infantry skills to wrest control from the enemy.

Sierra Entertainment to \”Tear Down The Wall\” on World in Conflict this June

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of US President Ronald Reagan’s seminal speech at the Berlin Wall that effectively signaled the end of the Cold War, Sierra Entertainment’s World in Conflict will launch a “Tear Down the Wall” event that that will run from June 1 to the anniversary date of President Reagan’s speech on June 12. 

On June 12, 1987, US President Ronald Reagan stood at the Brandenburg Gate on the Berlin Wall and delivered a seminal Cold War-era speech to the people of West Berlin.  The speech was also clearly audible on the east side of the wall.  The speech is largely credited to signaling the end of more than 40 years of Cold War hostilities, and carried these now-legendary words:

“General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” — US President Ronald Reagan

In World in Conflict, the speech falls on deaf ears.  In World in Conflict, the Soviet Union responds with a full scale invasion.

The World in Conflict “Tear Down The Wall” event will provide gamers a deeper look inside the upcoming action-strategy game with revelations of unreleased information, screenshots and videos, as well as a special Closed Beta Test event that will host thousands of PC gamers who will be among the first to experience the World War III multiplayer combat of World in Conflict.

World in Conflict represents the next-generation of strategy games, pitting Cold War-era superpowers against one another with completely destructible 3D battlefields, blistering visuals, and a narrowed gameplay focus that removes traditional resource-gathering and base-building in favor of non-stop combat, tactical decisions and an FPS-like addiction to intense action.

Hour of Victory demo available

A demo was promised for today and they have delivered. Switch on to Xbox Live Marketplace and you can grab the demo for Hour of Victory (not available in Asia), another anticipated WW2 shooter in the works from Midway. The demo weighs a hefty 940MB.

Let us know what you think about this WW2 shooter.

Pre-order DiRT to get more goodies!

Codemasters have setup a pre-order program for their upcoming rally game DiRT. If you pre-order it you will get a code which will unlock 10 cars and exclusive videos of Travis Pastana. Will this be enough to justify a pre-order from you? Now, how can I know that! Check the press release below for more info.

Press release:
As Codemasters’ highly anticipated racing game DiRT speeds towards retailers next month, the company today announced a pre-order program for fans of the series. Beginning today through DiRT’s June launch, consumers who pre-order the game at retailers nationwide, including Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, GameStop/EB and GameCrazy, will receive an exclusive access code that unlocks 10 cars in the game, as well as grants access to exclusive videos of off-road racing star Travis Pastrana.

Once consumers pre-order DiRT, they will obtain a unique code and instructions on how to unlock the car pack and videos upon receiving the game. Cars included in the pack are the Subaru Impreza WRX-RA STI version II, Toyota Celica GT-FOUR, Peugeot 205 T16, Lancia Delta S4, Icker Jimco buggy, McMillin Racing Car, Kamaz 4911, MAN TGA, Freightliner Century Class S/T and the Kenworth T2000.

Developed by Codemasters in the UK using their brand new propriety engine, Neon, DiRT was built from the ground up for next-gen gaming platforms and the PC. DiRT brings real world physics and full damage models, as well as photorealistic tracks from around the world including the U.S, Europe and Asia. Featuring over 40 officially licensed vehicles covering 12 car class categories, racing fans will get their fix of throwing official 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD cars, including Colin McRae’s prototype R4 and Travis Pastrana’s X Games-winning Subaru Impreza, through the most challenging and treacherous rally stages around the world. From trophy trucks to dune buggies and rally cars, DiRT offers one of the most robust racing experiences ever with countless hours of playability in career, single race mode and 100 person online multiplayer.

The evolution of the world’s favorite racing game series continues as DiRT is planned to ship this June for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PC, and is currently rated “RP” (Rating Pending) by the ESRB. The PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system edition will follow shortly thereafter. Sign up now for total mud splattering, gravel churning, handbrake turning, off-road racing online at www.codemasters.com/dirt.

Pre-order DiRT to get more goodies!

Codemasters have setup a pre-order program for their upcoming rally game DiRT. If you pre-order it you will get a code which will unlock 10 cars and exclusive videos of Travis Pastana. Will this be enough to justify a pre-order from you? Now, how can I know that! Check the press release below for more info.

Press release:
As Codemasters’ highly anticipated racing game DiRT speeds towards retailers next month, the company today announced a pre-order program for fans of the series. Beginning today through DiRT’s June launch, consumers who pre-order the game at retailers nationwide, including Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, GameStop/EB and GameCrazy, will receive an exclusive access code that unlocks 10 cars in the game, as well as grants access to exclusive videos of off-road racing star Travis Pastrana.

Once consumers pre-order DiRT, they will obtain a unique code and instructions on how to unlock the car pack and videos upon receiving the game. Cars included in the pack are the Subaru Impreza WRX-RA STI version II, Toyota Celica GT-FOUR, Peugeot 205 T16, Lancia Delta S4, Icker Jimco buggy, McMillin Racing Car, Kamaz 4911, MAN TGA, Freightliner Century Class S/T and the Kenworth T2000.

Developed by Codemasters in the UK using their brand new propriety engine, Neon, DiRT was built from the ground up for next-gen gaming platforms and the PC. DiRT brings real world physics and full damage models, as well as photorealistic tracks from around the world including the U.S, Europe and Asia. Featuring over 40 officially licensed vehicles covering 12 car class categories, racing fans will get their fix of throwing official 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD cars, including Colin McRae’s prototype R4 and Travis Pastrana’s X Games-winning Subaru Impreza, through the most challenging and treacherous rally stages around the world. From trophy trucks to dune buggies and rally cars, DiRT offers one of the most robust racing experiences ever with countless hours of playability in career, single race mode and 100 person online multiplayer.

The evolution of the world’s favorite racing game series continues as DiRT is planned to ship this June for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PC, and is currently rated “RP” (Rating Pending) by the ESRB. The PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system edition will follow shortly thereafter. Sign up now for total mud splattering, gravel churning, handbrake turning, off-road racing online at www.codemasters.com/dirt.

Pre-order DiRT to get more goodies!

Codemasters have setup a pre-order program for their upcoming rally game DiRT. If you pre-order it you will get a code which will unlock 10 cars and exclusive videos of Travis Pastana. Will this be enough to justify a pre-order from you? Now, how can I know that! Check the press release below for more info.

Press release:
As Codemasters’ highly anticipated racing game DiRT speeds towards retailers next month, the company today announced a pre-order program for fans of the series. Beginning today through DiRT’s June launch, consumers who pre-order the game at retailers nationwide, including Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, GameStop/EB and GameCrazy, will receive an exclusive access code that unlocks 10 cars in the game, as well as grants access to exclusive videos of off-road racing star Travis Pastrana.

Once consumers pre-order DiRT, they will obtain a unique code and instructions on how to unlock the car pack and videos upon receiving the game. Cars included in the pack are the Subaru Impreza WRX-RA STI version II, Toyota Celica GT-FOUR, Peugeot 205 T16, Lancia Delta S4, Icker Jimco buggy, McMillin Racing Car, Kamaz 4911, MAN TGA, Freightliner Century Class S/T and the Kenworth T2000.

Developed by Codemasters in the UK using their brand new propriety engine, Neon, DiRT was built from the ground up for next-gen gaming platforms and the PC. DiRT brings real world physics and full damage models, as well as photorealistic tracks from around the world including the U.S, Europe and Asia. Featuring over 40 officially licensed vehicles covering 12 car class categories, racing fans will get their fix of throwing official 2WD, 4WD, Classic and RWD cars, including Colin McRae’s prototype R4 and Travis Pastrana’s X Games-winning Subaru Impreza, through the most challenging and treacherous rally stages around the world. From trophy trucks to dune buggies and rally cars, DiRT offers one of the most robust racing experiences ever with countless hours of playability in career, single race mode and 100 person online multiplayer.

The evolution of the world’s favorite racing game series continues as DiRT is planned to ship this June for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PC, and is currently rated “RP” (Rating Pending) by the ESRB. The PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system edition will follow shortly thereafter. Sign up now for total mud splattering, gravel churning, handbrake turning, off-road racing online at www.codemasters.com/dirt.

New Bioshock gameplay footage

The more I see of Bioshock, the more urges I get to invade 2K Games offices and steal a working copy of it. But fantasies aside, here is presenting you a new Bioshock gameplay footage. It’s a mix-mash of different gameplay segments from the game and it last for a whole 7 minutes. My favorite part from the video would be when the player electrifies several females by just trying to get one. Or when this huge rock breaks the tunnel glass, pouring water inside the tunnel. Bang! Wow!

Now where is that pistol and the map…hmm….

New Xbox 360 firmware prevents from being banned!

On May 17th, Microsoft decided enough is enough and started banning anyone using a modded firmware on their Xbox 360s (to play backups or pirated games). Before Microsoft started doing this though, the Xbox hackers even released a updated firmware (for all the 360 drives) which included a jitter-check fix which they thought would prevent them for getting banned. Obviously the jitter-fix didn’t work and people started getting banned left, right and center.

Now just a couple of weeks after, the Xbox hackers have struck back releasing a new updated firmware for all Xbox 360 Samsung drives (firmware for Hitachi and BenQ drives are in the works) called iXtreme 1.0 which will prevent any new Xbox 360 from getting banned. According to .nfo file found with the firmware software it says “defeats all current and some future Xbox Live detection attempts”.

Hackers have taken yet another step forward. But will the software giants, Microsoft, stay behind? Will they counter attack this firmware? Wish I knew. But I guess only time will tell.

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