GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews: Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta Questionarium

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews All of the Previews for Xbox 360 games. Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta Questionarium 3 May 2011, 6:44 am We fire up our chainsaw and stomp on some faces with your questions about Gears of War 3.   Get the full article at GameSpot "Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta Questionarium" was posted by Dan Chiappini on Mon, 02 May 2011 22:44:40 -0700 You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews: Child of Eden Preview: Story, New Levels, and Playing Without the Kinect

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews All of the Previews for Xbox 360 games. Child of Eden Preview: Story, New Levels, and Playing Without the Kinect 4 May 2011, 5:00 pm The latest game from the makers of Rez continues to impress.   If you've been following Child of Eden since its announcement at last year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, it shouldn't be too surprising to hear that Q Entertainment's upcoming musical shooter is shaping up to be a bundle of gorgeous fun. In our previous looks at the game, we've just had the chance to try individual levels that have dazzled with their impressive visuals and made a case for Microsoft's Kinect as a control option. However, in our latest look at the game--based on a work-in-progress version of the Xbox 360 game that features a fair amount of the game's final content with four playable levels and various menus to poke around in--we've finally been able to get a proper feel for what the game is going to offer. And, most importantly, we got a feel for its controls with and without the optional Kinect. [ Watch Video ] Comment on this video Watch this video in High Def The nearly complete version of the game we tried let us a start a new game from the beginning, giving us the chance to see the narrative set up via an introductory cinematic and some text. We also got to play through the first four levels of the game, leaving the fifth a surprise. Before hopping into the game, we had the chance to poke around the game's menus and see that there will be a variety of art, video, menu option content, and more that will have to be unlocked through playing the game. While most of the unlockables are just art to be appreciated, you'll find content to customize the game's menu, new modes, difficulties, and ways to modify the game that will keep it interesting. The visuals in this latest version of the game improve on what we've seen before and look fantastic. The surreal world you'll be blazing through in Child of Eden is a trippy pastiche of art styles that shine in HD. The only tricky bit of the experience is that you'll likely find yourself either so focused on your score that you may miss a lot of the beauty on display or get so distracted by the environments that you'll have a hard time getting through levels. Each stage is packed with detail--great, small, flashy, and everything in between--that already shines in HD even in its work-in-progress state. And don't get us started on the vibrant color that brings all the stages to life. Q's art team is clearly going for broke with the power afforded to it by the Xbox 360 and infusing as much color as possible in the levels, making Child of Eden the game that epilepsy warnings were made for (and we mean that in a good way). Obviously, the dazzling visuals in Child of Eden would be just eye candy if the game didn't make equally ambitious use of sound. The tunes in the game, provided by Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Genki Rockets, complement the visuals in exactly the way you'd want them to, which makes for a rich, immersive experience. While we can appreciate that Child of Eden's thumping tracks may not suit everyone's groove in terms of personal preference, they have a certain universal appeal, thanks to the game's overall presentation. One of the notable features of this version of Child of Eden was the option to spend some quality time with the controller as opposed to the Kinect. Although the game wasn't quite complete, with control refinements and other tweaks still happening, we've gotten a proper impression of the two control options. Basically, both offer two distinct experiences with the game; one traditional and one that's more experiential. As you'd expect, the controller is your traditional option, mapping out your actions to the analog stick and face buttons. You'll move your cursor with the stick, use X to fire your rapid-fire tracer shot, A for the lock-on shot, and B for your Euphoria smart bomb. It's a simple, responsive layout that's precise, allowing players to rack up high scores amid the Technicolor mayhem. While you'll earn points for successfully blasting anything, the real points will come from pulling off perfect combos with the lock-on shot. If your reflexes and rhythm are good, you'll be able to get a groove going by locking on to the maximum number of enemies and releasing your shot on beat. Pulling off the rhythmic combo will earn you a score multiplier that you can repeat for a maximum of eight times, earning you a ton of points. The Kinect offers a more immersive, experiential control option that's obviously more physical, relying on motion and gestures. The control scheme for the Kinect has been expanded to offer more options for players, which is good. The first option is in line with what we've played before; you'll control your onscreen cursor with one hand, clap to switch between weapons, and make like a cheerleader by making a "Y" to trigger the screen-clearing Euphoria bomb. The second option offers more precise options, thanks to mapping each shot type to a hand. You'll use the tracer when moving the cursor with your left hand and the lock on with your right. Sadly, the Euphoria bomb is still triggered with a human "Y." While high scores are possible, especially with the second Kinect control option, they are more challenging due to the peripheral's current limitations. The game does take this into account and offers different score values for earning stars at the end of each level based on your selected input option, so you won't be penalized for your choice. The stars are key to unlocking new levels and content, so earning them will be a priority when playing. While different, we can understand the appeal and accessibility of the Kinect for people who want an alternative control option. Child of Eden continues to leave us with a positive impression and a smile on our face after playing. The game's gorgeous and inventive visuals marry nicely with the simple but addictive gameplay. While we appreciate the inclusion of Kinect, we're very grateful that controller support is on hand as well. As we mentioned, Child of Eden offers two distinct gameplay experiences with each input device, and we're happy we have the choice to pick whichever suits our mood. We're also happy to see a decent chunk of unlockable content to encourage replays. All told, longtime fans of Q and Mizuguchi's work should be excited by what's coming. Newcomers who may be unsure if Child of Eden's playable laser-light show is for them should give it a try. There hasn't been anything quite like the game in this generation of consoles, so it's worth a look. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Child of Eden Preview: Story, New Levels, and Playing Without the Kinect " was posted by Ricardo Torres on Wed, 04 May 2011 09:00:02 -0700 You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews: Transformers: Dark of the Moon First Hands-On Preview

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews All of the Previews for Xbox 360 games. Transformers: Dark of the Moon First Hands-On Preview 3 May 2011, 2:06 pm There's certainly more than meets the eye in our hands-on look at the new gameplay from Transformers: Dark of the Moon.   There are few franchises as iconic and popular as the Transformers, but with great support comes great expectation. Michael Bay's movies have enjoyed success at the box office, but a similar level has yet to be achieved in video games. We were lucky enough to attend an event in London where Activision was hoping to rectify this situation by offering us a hands-on with its latest reincarnation of the series, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. We watched some exclusive gameplay and even had the opportunity to play as Bumblebee and Ironhide in two of the game's playable chapters. The presentation started with Sean Miller, the game's director, showing off the nearly finished product. Miller began by emphasizing that DOTM's campaign will act as a prologue to the upcoming movie, so fans who want the gaps filled in between the films should benefit from playing the game before seeing the film. Miller also elaborated on the importance of centering the storyline on individual characters in the series, allowing gamers to emotionally bond with their favorite Autobots and Decepticons. Finally, he also mentioned the importance of the new stealth force combat mechanic, a new system that allows much smoother integration between robot and vehicle gameplay. Without revealing any spoilers, the story is set three years after the events in the second film, where humans believe that the Decepticons have disappeared. However, after a quick turn of events, we found ourselves on the first level as Bumblebee, scouting a rogue Decepticon signal in a city. We were pleasantly surprised with the look of DOTM's combat, in particular the new stealth force mechanic; an ability that transforms your robot into vehicle form with weapons deployed and ready for use. The demo showed what seemed like smooth and flowing combat as Bumblebee easily locked onto enemies and blew them to smithereens. The first segment of footage concluded with Optimus Prime and Sideswipe jumping into the action and helping Bumblebee eliminate the Decepticon threat. The next level saw Ironhide as the main protagonist--the weapons expert on the Autobot team. We were expecting Ironhide to feel different from Bumblebee but were quite disappointed that gameplay seemed almost identical. The urban Detroit environment set the scene for mass destruction, and Miller emphasized the importance of the "robots in disguise" theme, where players would not know whether the cars on the streets were Decepticons or not. This was quickly overshadowed by the bright red auto lock-on system that clearly made all your enemies visible, however. The demo moved swiftly on to another segment of the game with Soundwave taking center stage. As a fan favorite, Soundwave will be heavily involved in the game's story. Soundwave's level was set in a jungle and his unique ability to use sound as a weapon was emphasized, although the regular bullets and the energy beams he was firing seemed to do the exact same amount of damage. A neat tag-team feature was revealed with Soundwave's new partner Laserbeak getting in on the action. This little robot vulture was used to stun enemies and open a gateway for Soundwave. Starscream's level showed off the new flying mechanics in a heated battle in the sky. A huge C130 bomber jet Transformer called Stratosphere was also introduced, and it was up to Starscream to chase him down. The air combat added another exciting dimension to the gameplay, with fast-paced action and plenty of explosions. It appeared as if Miller's assistant had a lot of trouble landing on the giant bomber plane, taking several attempts, but finally he landed and proceeded to rip off its control panel and take the plane down. Arguably the coolest addition to the Transformers cast was demoed next. Mirage, a ninja Autobot, gave us a little introduction to the stealth gameplay elements of DOTM. Using his cloak ability, Mirage was able to sneak past enemies in another jungle map and even perform swift melee executions if he managed to get behind the enemy. After finding and eliminating two Decepticons, Mirage entered a Decepticon crypt and the presentation ended. We were only given two levels to play, the first of which allowed us to try out Bumblebee, who handled well. Stealth force, which is activated by pressing the left stick, transformed our robot into its vehicle form with all weapons deployed to cause massive destruction. In this form, we could strafe and auto-lock onto enemies with relative ease. By holding the left trigger, we were able to put our weapons away and transform into a normal vehicle, although the constant need to hold down the left trigger to stay in this mode was frustrating. The combat heavily depended on stealth force, as there really was no need to transform back into a robot. The other playable section featured Ironhide causing havoc in Detroit. It was another straightforward shooting level and aside from the environmental change, there was little difference between the two Transformers. Activision's product specialist Noah Kircher-Allen promises that DOTM will offer a, "consistent fan service to both hardcore and contemporary Transformer fans throughout the game." With new multiplayer details being revealed in the upcoming weeks, stay tuned for more news and previews about Transformers: Dark of the Moon on GameSpot. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Transformers: Dark of the Moon First Hands-On Preview" was posted by Igor Kharin on Tue, 03 May 2011 06:06:17 -0700 You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews: Transformers: Dark Of The Moon First Hands-On Preview

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews All of the Previews for Xbox 360 games. Transformers: Dark Of The Moon First Hands-On Preview 3 May 2011, 2:06 pm There’s certainly more than meets the eye in our hands-on look at the new gameplay from Transformers: Dark Of The Moon.   There are few franchises as iconic and popular as Transformers, but with great support comes great expectation. Michael Bay’s movies have enjoyed success at the box office, but a similar level has yet to be achieved in video games. We were lucky enough to attend an event in London where Activision was hoping to rectify this situation by offering us a hands-on with its latest reincarnation of the series, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon. We watched some exclusive gameplay and even had the opportunity to play as Bumblebee and Ironhide in two of the game’s playable chapters. The presentation started with Sean Miller, the game’s director, showing off the nearly finished product. Miller began by emphasizing that DOTM’s campaign will act as a prologue to the upcoming movie, so fans who want the gaps filled in between the films should benefit from playing the game before seeing the film. Miller also elaborated on the importance of centering the storyline around individual characters in the series, allowing gamers to emotionally bond with their favourite Autobots and Decepticons. Finally, he also mentioned the importance of the new Stealth Force combat mechanic, a new system that allows much smoother integration between robot and vehicle gameplay. Without revealing any spoilers, the story is set three years after the events in the second film, where humans believe that the Decepticons have disappeared. However, after a quick turn of events, we found ourselves on the first level as Bumblebee, scouting a rogue Decepticon signal in a city. We were pleasantly surprised with the look of DOTM’s combat, in particular the new Stealth Force mechanic; an ability that transforms your robot into vehicle form with weapons deployed and ready for use. The demo showed what seemed like smooth and flowing combat as Bumblebee easily locked onto enemies and blew them to smithereens. The first segment of footage concluded with Optimus Prime and Sideswipe jumping into the action and helping Bumblebee eliminate the Decepticon threat. The next level saw Ironhide as the main protagonist--the weapons expert on the Autobot team. We were expecting Ironhide to feel different to Bumblebee but were quite disappointed that gameplay seemed almost identical. The urban Detroit environment set the scene for mass destruction and Miller emphasized the importance of the ’robots in disguise’ theme, where players would not know whether the cars on the streets were Decepticons or not. This was quickly overshadowed by the bright red auto lock-on system that clearly made all your enemies visible, however. The demo moved swiftly on to another segment of the game with Soundwave taking centre stage. As a fan-favourite, Soundwave will be heavily involved in the game's story. Soundwave’s level was set in a jungle and his unique ability to use sound as a weapon was emphasized, although the regular bullets and the energy beams he was firing seemed to do the exact same amount of damage. A neat tag-team feature was revealed with Soundwave’s new partner Laserbeak getting in on the action. This little robot vulture was used to stun enemies and open a gateway for Soundwave. Starscream’s level showed off the new flying mechanics in a heated battle in the sky. A huge C130 bomber jet Transformer called Stratosphere was also introduced, and it was up to Starscream to chase him down. The air combat added another exciting dimension to the gameplay, with high paced action and plenty of explosions. It appeared as if Miller’s assistant had a lot of trouble landing on the giant bomber plane, taking several attempts, but finally he landed and proceeded to rip off its control panel and take the plane down. Arguably the coolest addition to the Transformers cast was demoed next. Mirage, a ninja Autobot, gave us a little introduction to the stealth gameplay elements of DOTM. Using his cloak ability, Mirage was able to sneak past enemies in another jungle map, and even perform swift melee executions if he managed to get behind the enemy. After finding and eliminating two Decepticons, Mirage entered a Decepticon crypt and the presentation ended. We were only given two levels to play, the first of which allowed us to try out Bumblebee, who handled well. Stealth Force, which is activated by pressing the left stick, transformed our robot into its vehicle form with all weapons deployed to cause massive destruction. In this form, we could strafe and auto-lock onto enemies with relative ease. By holding the left trigger, we were able to put our weapons away and transform into a normal vehicle, although the constant need to hold down the left trigger to stay in this mode was frustrating. The combat heavily depended on Stealth Force, as there really was no need to transform back into a robot. The other playable section featured Ironhide causing havoc in Detroit. It was another straightforward shooting level and aside from the environmental change, there was little difference between the two Transformers. Activision’s Product Specialist Noah Kircher-Allen promises that DOTM will offer a, ’consistent fan service to both hardcore and contemporary Transformer fans throughout the game.’ With new multiplayer details being revealed in the upcoming weeks, stay tuned for more news and previews about Transformers: Dark Of The Moon on GameSpot. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Transformers: Dark Of The Moon First Hands-On Preview" was posted by Igor Kharin on Tue, 03 May 2011 06:06:17 -0700 You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews: Binary Domain Q&A - Robot Armageddon

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews All of the Previews for Xbox 360 games. Binary Domain Q&A - Robot Armageddon 28 Apr 2011, 4:00 pm We chat with Sega executive officer Toshihiro Nagoshi about his upcoming squad-based shooter.       If you were ever a fan of Daytona USA, Super Monkey Ball, or the Yakuza series, then you're familiar with the work of Sega executive officer Toshihiro Nagoshi. Late last year, Sega and Nagoshi announced an original squad-based shooter called Binary Domain, but details on the game have been sparse. We know that it takes place in 2080 and revolves around a violent conflict between man and machine. For additional details, we tracked down Nagoshi to learn more about this upcoming release. The machines might have the upper hand in this fight. GameSpot: We haven't heard much about Binary Domain since the game was announced in December alongside a CG trailer. How accurately does that trailer reflect the current direction of the game? Toshihiro Nagoshi: Basically, that was a trailer that roughly outlined the game concepts. Through that trailer, we wanted you to grasp the feel of the enemies and one of the stages, along with the fact that this game is based on a shooter system with procedural damage and squad-based gameplay. GS: What factors influenced your decision to make a squad-based shooter? How are you hoping to make it stand out from competition in the popular shooter genre? TN: I can't reveal the mechanics in details yet, but I did not want to make this a simple game which only requires you to shoot at everything with ally NPCs following you around. The game has a system that automatically detects the situation based on points like "What is the impact on the squad, or does it have an impact at all?" The player is free to make decisions that may work best for him or best for his squad, so you can be a selfish player or a good team player. The situation could differ greatly based on that selection, but simply covering your squad all the time will not lead you to victory. In other words, the key to this game is to make decisions based on all the factors such as the player, allies, missions, and battles in real time. The game also has a unique and original method of communicating with the allies. Though controlled by CPU, the enemies and allies will act as if they have a life of their own. With such a high level of CPU controls, we wanted to create real-time game scenes with unlimited drama. GS: You've mentioned that moving AI technology forward is a huge focus for this game. Can you describe the technology behind the game's AI system and how it affects the action on the screen? Robots are infamous for their deadly efficiency, but still have a lot to learn about teamwork. TN: First of all, many of the existing titles (regardless of their sales success) had many elements that seemed as if the developers gave up. For example, there are unavailable movements due to technological limits or strange AI reactions that make you wonder, "Why is it moving like that?" or "Why is it not making decisions that could work better for him?" Those actions were just so unnatural and frustrating. I had always been thinking such problems should be completely resolved, so with Binary Domain, we addressed these issues as much as possible. You should be able to notice that once you get to see the game. Furthermore, that was not our goal but the base of our development for this game. By having the game based on such a foundation, we were able to create satisfactory game scenes with both the enemies and allies acting naturally based on the number of forces, formation, and stage elements. The game scenes are not mere shoot-'em-ups but evolved into exciting and dramatic battles full of tension. GS: Everyone has a preference for the way a shooter moves and controls. Can you talk about the creative process behind designing how you want players to move around the environment and the way the weapons feel? TN: This is one of the areas that we're adjusting right now. I agree that preferences vary greatly among the players. For example, Binary Domain is set in the near future, so it would be unnatural to have a weapon with unbelievable power. But at the same time, we want to make weapons with blasting excitement. We've been struggling to work out the balance, but in the end we'll be sure to adjust everything so you can enjoy the gameplay without having the plot ruined. GS: Man versus robot is a conflict we've seen in a lot of sci-fi stories. Has the story in Binary Domain been designed to evoke more of an emotional response than traditional sci-fi work? TN: That's what I intend to do with Binary Domain. This is another point where the preferences may vary, but my intention is to create a fresh story based on well-known themes. Once you get to see the complete game, I'm sure you'll understand what I aimed for. I have no interest in making a game with a shallow plot. Of course, you can expect the gameplay to be just as good as the intricate story. GS: How has your staff's experience with the Yakuza series influenced the development of Binary Domain? TN: When it comes to drama, the team has the knowledge and skills to create scenes of extremely high quality in great volume. The team is also experienced with the high-end machines, and Binary Domain uses a lot of technology like shaders and motion capture that we did not use for other titles. We did not use them for the Yakuza titles either, but for a good reason. A technology that worked brilliantly with one game does not always work for another game. This time with Binary Domain, the game is filled with a lot of variety, so we are able to use all our skills to the maximum level. GS: One of GameSpot's best-reviewed shooters of 2010 was Vanquish, a game developed in Japan by Platinum Games. Do you see Japan as a growing contender in the shooter market these days? Where's John Connor!? TN: I'm not sure about that yet, but I think Binary Domain will give us an answer. I bet there will be some gaps between the regions and their preferences, but I am confident that a good piece of work made with full devotion (and well-balanced marketing) will be accepted regardless of such differences. GS: Thank you for your time. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Binary Domain Q&A - Robot Armageddon" was posted by Staff on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 08:00:00 -0700 You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews: Madden NFL 12 First Look Preview

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews All of the Previews for Xbox 360 games. Madden NFL 12 First Look Preview 28 Apr 2011, 2:00 pm Human-controlled cameras, custom playbooks, and improved tackle animations are some of the highlights in EA's latest football sim.       Last week we brought you our first impressions of NCAA Football 12, a game that's aiming to capture the freewheeling spirit of the college game with team celebrations, a broadcast overhaul, and a number of other visual bells and whistles. With today's NFL Draft, it's only fitting that we move on up to the professional ranks as we talk about this year's Madden game. Ladies and gentlemen: grass. Once again, EA was mostly focused on showing us the visual upgrades to this year's football sim, but we've also got a couple of details on new gameplay features. One of these new features is the ability to create custom playbooks and harmonize them with the GameFlow system introduced in last year's game. You outfit a full playbook's worth of formations and plays and then assign each one of them various star ratings based on how well you think each play would work under various situations. So you might assign that four-receiver shotgun set a five-star rating in third-and-long situations, while the same yardage situation might command a one-star rating for an up-the-gut run from your slow-footed fullback. And if you'd prefer to find more of a middle ground between custom playbooks and just use the default GameFlow system, you can now choose a style of GameFlow, such as run-heavy and pass-heavy. Madden is also using the new tackle animation system we talked about in last week's NCAA Football story. EA's aim with this system is to make tackles and collisions look more natural. In previous years, there were only so many points around a player in which another player could approach them for a hit, which often resulted in players magically floating to that invisible entry point to begin the tackle animation. This year, EA claims it has reworked how the collisions and tackles can be triggered so that you don't get that artificial "snapping into position" look with players. We got to see the system in motion, though without the benefit of a side-by-side comparison, it was hard to tell how drastic the difference is. We will say that the new tackles do look good, but there's still a bit of a way to go until EA gets to the point of Backbreaker-level fluidity in Madden's collision system. Visually, EA continues to blur the line between virtual football and what you find on television on a Sunday afternoon. There's a certain human element to camera control that this year's game is trying to capture with an elaborate setup of real cameramen and a motion-capture studio. Essentially, what EA has done is recruit the help of some cameramen from NFL Films and rig their gear with a small screen showing in-game footage to effectively place these guys on a virtual field. The myriad motion-capture cameras surrounding these cameramen can tell where they are relative to the in-game players, and what you get is the real effect of a camera operator running around the field, sweeping around, trying to get that perfect shot as players celebrate a play or mill around the scene of a tackle. It's a really cool system, and we're interested in seeing how it pans out. As long as it doesn't wind up feeling like an overdone shaky-cam effect, this new feature could be a great addition. Also new this year: mascots! A number of other visual additions and tweaks litter this year's version of Madden. These include stadium exterior shots preceding a game, new broadcast cameras that mimic the unique camera placement of every stadium in the league, 3D grass, and enhanced uniform degradation. Those certainly sound interesting, but the big question is what EA is adding in terms of gameplay features and modes to keep players' interest over the long haul. Hopefully EA has something big in store as we get closer to the release of Madden 12 on August 30. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Madden NFL 12 First Look Preview" was posted by Shaun McInnis on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 06:00:00 -0700 You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews: Driver: San Francisco Hands-On Preview - Mind Games

GameSpot's Xbox 360 Previews All of the Previews for Xbox 360 games. Driver: San Francisco Hands-On Preview - Mind Games 28 Apr 2011, 5:00 pm Driver: San Francisco will let you change lanes...and change identities. Get the details in our hands-on report.       Drawing inspiration from such classics as Bullit and The French Connection, as well as more contemporary titles, such as the Bourne series, Driver: San Francisco is aiming to instill some of Hollywood's hard-nosed cop bravado into its action racing formula. Recently, we got the chance to go behind the wheel of this latest entry in the Driver series alongside series creator Martin Edmondson of developer Ubisoft Reflections. While previous entries in this series have dabbled in the realm of third-person combat, our demo of Driver: San Francisco forwent such extraneous features and focused on making the driving as fun and wild as possible. A typical morning commute through San Francisco. Our session with Driver San Francisco picked up with the continuing story of the series--months after the events that took place in the awkwardly titled DRIV3R. The series' protagonist, on-again, off-again police officer Tanner, had finally succeeded in putting the villain Jericho behind bars. Jericho's sentencing was close at hand, but as we soon discovered, not everything would go according to plan. In brief, Jericho hatched a daring scheme involving an acid tablet, a rocket launcher, and a local news helicopter to make his escape, but not before forcing Tanner into a deadly automotive wreck. After regaining consciousness, Tanner discovered that this event had yielded unexpected results: he could now leave his body and posses other drivers on the San Francisco streets. With the press of a button we could depart our mortal shell and take flight above the city. From here we could glide around using the two analog sticks (our demonstration was on an Xbox 360) and possess the driver of any vehicle we wanted. In the beginning we were limited to a very intimate view of the city. However, as our powers developed, we were eventually able to pull the camera back to reveal the entire city and instantly jump anywhere we wanted. As Edmondson noted, including the ability to quickly hop from one side of this massive city to the next in mere moments has been no small technical feat. To pull this off, the team at Ubisoft Reflections has forgone the use of any middleware in favor of building all its own tech from the ground up--and keeping it running at a smooth 60 frames per second no less. We're not sure what happens to Tanner's body when he leaves, but that's neither here nor there. It's worth noting that the re-created area of San Francisco encompasses roughly 200 miles worth of road. However, if you're hoping to drive by and spot your house, that probably isn't going to happen. It's not an inch-by-inch re-creation. Many of the city's major landmarks and attractions are there, but the developers have taken some creative liberties with the spaces in between them. From what we've experienced, in order to accurately recapture the San Francisco driving experience, there would need to be a few more gridlocked traffic jams, narrower streets, and at least one yahoo on a bicycle pulling out in front of you every five minutes. We soon discovered that being able to shift from one person's body to another at will opens up a brave new world of possibilities for ruining someone's day. In one instance, we swapped bodies with a businessman who was test-driving a new sports car alongside an obnoxious salesman. We then took this dealer on a wild ride through the Financial District before drifting down the infamous hairpin turns of Lombard Street (and maybe we banged up the car a bit along the way). Another mission saw us aiding an upstart television crew looking to capture the city's craziest drivers--how convenient. By swapping between bodies we put on a show involving high-flying jumps, head-on collisions, and drifting through medians. Completing these missions gradually unlocks additional story missions for Tanner and also earns you willpower, which is the game's currency and is used to purchase additional vehicles and other unlockables. If this all sounds crazy, don't worry, it is. You remember that car crash Tanner was in earlier? Turns out it didn't go so well, and now our hero's body lies comatose in a hospital bed back in reality. Edmondson was tight-lipped about how the events in Tanner's mind will influence what's happening in the real world, but he did hint that Tanner's road to recovery was linked to his actions internally. Tanner and his partner encapsulate the classic buddy cop relationship. We found that Driver: San Francisco felt more akin to Burnout Paradise or Test Drive Unlimited 2 than, for instance, a Forza game. Excessive use of the emergency brake was a must to wrangle the game's loud and heavy muscle cars around the road, and the game was very forgiving when it came to clipping (or crashing into) other drivers. The vehicles also showed an impressive amount of damage modeling, epically since the game features roughly 140 licensed cars. Edmondson wasn't ready to divulge any more details on multiplayer, other than to say that it is going to be a "big element" of the game and will implement the shift feature. He also noted that local split-screen play will be included. You can find Driver: San Francisco this August for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Driver: San Francisco Hands-On Preview - Mind Games" was posted by Maxwell McGee on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:00:00 -0700 You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed.