Total War: Shogun 2 Game Trailer

post from Trailers: GamePad: The Best Video Gaming Blog Posts on 09 March 2011 11:05:47 PM. © Trailers: GamePad: The Best Video Gaming Blog Posts

Title: TOTAL WAR: SHOGUN 2
Category: Action
Credit: Sega Of America
Rating: nonadult
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ailer.html

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New Crysis 2 multiplayer trailer has perks and
dog tags

post from Destructoid on 09 March 2011 11:05:29 PM. © Destructoid

New Crysis 2 multiplayer trailer has perks and dog tags screenshot

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Here's the third multiplayer trailer for Crysis 2. The first video detailed the Nanosuit, the second was all about the guns, and this one talks up the Perks and Dog Tags that you will be able to collect.

As you might expect, here's where Crysis 2 really takes inspiration from Call of Duty, with a range of optional challenges to complete, player tags earned through gameplay, and unlockable bonus abilities. While it obviously has a sci-fi spin, there's no doubt that Crysis 2 is primed to be EA's latest attempt to topple Activision.

You gotta hand it to them for never giving up!

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Live Show: A Plant Plays Dragon Age II

post from Destructoid on 09 March 2011 11:05:29 PM. © Destructoid

Live Show: A Plant Plays Dragon Age II screenshot

So, there's a whole lot of craziness going on with the Justin.tv stream right now. The MASHTacticS crew is in the process of setting up in their new digs and haven't been able to stream regularly in over a week. GDC and sickness have largely prevented me from airing Backlog in as much time. I hear the natives are getting restless.

With that in mind, I offer you a little treat. Tonight, I'm going to sit down with my lovely fiancée, ImpossiblePlant as she takes her first, trembling steps into what is her most anticipated game of 2011, Dragon Age II. It's just something we're trying out and a way to say sorry for all of the downtime lately. It should be a really fun time.

Come on over to Destructoid's Justin.tv channel and join us in the chat! There may be some squealing involved.

Watch live video from Destructoid on Justin.tv #More Videos

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Kinect Becomes the Fastest Selling Gizmo Ever

post from The Escapist : Latest News on 09 March 2011 10:10:00 PM. © The Escapist : Latest News

Microsoft has sold ten million Kinect motion controllers for the Xbox 360, making it the fastest-selling consumer electronics device in history.

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ng-Gizmo-Ever

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Europa Universalis Iii: Chronicles Game Trailer

post from Trailers: GamePad: The Best Video Gaming Blog Posts on 09 March 2011 10:06:19 PM. © Trailers: GamePad: The Best Video Gaming Blog Posts

Title: EUROPA UNIVERSALIS III: CHRONICLES
Category: War
Credit: Paradox Interactive
Rating: nonadult
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ronicles_Game_Trailer.html

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Free App of the Day: Dalton the Awesome

post from Destructoid on 09 March 2011 10:06:01 PM. © Destructoid

Free App of the Day: Dalton the Awesome screenshot

Chances are high that you're sick of "Runner" games by now -- most mobile gamers will have played a billion of 'em. Nevertheless, I still have plenty of time for the genre, especially when kick-ass games like Dalton the Awesome (iOS) appear.

Dalton is a fairly simple runner since all you do is jump over obstacles and enemies. Its slick visual presentation, cool music, and fun power-ups make it quite the compelling little ride, though. It's not quite as artistic as Canabalt, but it'll certainly keep you amused.

For the price of bugger-all, you've no room to complain. Get it, because it's bloody cool!

[Found a free App for iOS or Android? Think it's good? Hitting me up on Twitter is the fastest way to let me know about it. Please do so -- finding good free games is hard!]

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Technical Difficulties: Rainbow Six FUBAR

post from Destructoid on 09 March 2011 09:05:28 PM. © Destructoid

Technical Difficulties: Rainbow Six FUBAR screenshot

_{[We've been getting a ton of great entries for the Monthly Musing so far -- enough that I can promote a blog every single day this week! Today's blog is brought to you by Stevil, who discusses the decline and evolution of the difficult and unforgiving tactical shooter genre. There is also a jazzy chart. If you haven't written a blog on the topic yet, I still need promotions for the rest of the month! Go ahead and post something, and you might end up seeing your work on the front page. - JRo]}

If you’ve ever played the original Rainbow Six trilogy, then you’ll be acquainted with the Groundhog Day feeling that accompanies their missions.

A textbook hostage situation can become undeserved nightmare if you’ve badly timed an order or failed to recon a specific area, and so, after much resignation, you’ll begin Rescue Attempt #57 (and counting). Finally, with all mistakes rectified, you slice through the opposition like a ghost and it feels glorious.

Despite their frustrations, real time tactical shooters are sorely missing in today’s generation of videogames. The thinking man’s FPS has made way for accessible cinematic spectacles and while it’s justifiable, it does evidently point out how developers have always been reluctant to create them. The likes of Rainbow Six and SWAT have either mutated into action hybrids or completely slid off the map respectively.

With an increasing emphasis on better storytelling, what place does a tactical simulation have in these imaginative worlds?

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The original Rainbow Six trilogy had plots, but political intrigue was paraded in the background. Your role was merely to guide specialists through tense last-resort situations. These were videogames primarily about tactics; level designs that focused heavily on stealth kills, timing, and team co-ordination. Much of the intensity comes from advantageous breaching and clearing, with fire-fights barely lasting a second.

The replay value, however, wasn’t created from success. It was based around failure and refinement, requiring you to tweak the planning stage repetitively until perfection. Even on the ground, you were continually improvising when you spotted unknown variables. With such a focus on hardcore strategy, it’s no wonder the original Rainbow Six would eventually become an acquired taste, especially when you move away from real world terrorism into something more fantastical and post-9/11, as with R6: Vegas.

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So, how do you make something heavily focus on intimate combat and somehow entertain with narrative gratification simultaneously?

Nobody wants to repeat a lengthy set-piece because of failure, yet the same people don’t want to see a franchise lose its core identity to checkpoints and regenerative health. Unfortunately, you can’t have one without sacrificing another, and this theory can be put on a sliding scale with three major points:

Very few titles have that balance of narrative and tactics. When they do, it’s boiled down to a self-contained situation. A perfect example would be SWAT 4; probably the last real time tactical shooter of its kind and one that stands out from the crowd by telling stories through its presentation.

Two missions come to mind that assimilate the two factors smoothly - one is the infamous Fairfax Residence, and the other is a cult squatting in a derelict apartment. SWAT 4 streamlines the pre-stage planning and lets you command on the fly. By doing so, you’re already being thrust into the unknown. Now, add to that a scenario that gets increasingly horrific as you progress, with comrades becoming equally unnerved, and it’s a great recipe for cautionary atmospherics.

SWAT 4 is far from perfect, and the flaws lie within its realism. The team can only three hits before becoming incapacitated, and that’s fine for a one-off situation, but how do you make that work over a whole campaign, one where the characters need to stay alive for the sake of the narrative?

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One prominent solution is to ditch the realism and turn NPCs into near-invincible bullet sponges. At a cost, tactics are streamlined to the point where you play a backseat driver, e.g. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. WWII shooter Brothers in Arms is a similar streamlined franchise that tries to make you care about your fellow men, but what’s the point if they’ll always die in scripted scenes?

That’s obviously no good and it’s not going to appease anyone if you put them in a military simulation where nobody can actually die, e.g. Call of Duty. There’s a lack of risk/reward strategy involved and accompanying immersion breaking to boot.

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So we turn to online co-op for our immersive risks. Videogames like Operation Flashpoint and Left 4 Dead offer some semblances of tactics in their plotted scenarios, but the communication comes from real people. The stories are there in-progress, but ultimately, the situations are slight in comparison to single player experiences such as Rainbow Six: Vegas to prevent endless déjà-vu with skill fluctuating comrades.

As we careen forwards into cinematic emulation, narrative and tactics are tectonic. You can be entertained as an actor ‘playing soldiers’ in Call of Duty or you endure frustration and reward as a simulated soldier in Rainbow Six. Either way, you can’t truly complain about a videogame being too hardcore or equally shallow in its approach because the middle ground is achieved with sliding scale sacrifices.

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Reboot o'clock: Another Doom film possibly coming

Reboot o'clock: Another Doom film possibly coming screenshot

Last time I casually mentioned that the Doom movie was kind of fun for what it is, a good number of you jumped out of hiding to put forth similarly positive opinions.

What's Playing reports, via an insider, that Universal is in the beginning stages of developing a reboot of Doom complete with -- you guessed it -- 3D. This certainly sounds like something that was bound to happen eventually.

That part in the movie where it's all first-person shootery? That would be a good fit for truly cheesy 3D effects. Piranha 3D must be topped. Also, more invisible switches on walls.

Hollywood Insider : Doom you Hollywood [What's Playing via Flixist]

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Pac-Man Kids Meal available at Wendy's
(Downloads)

post from Gamezebo: Casual Game Reviews, Previews, Cheats, Tips, Forums, Free Games, and More on 09 March 2011 08:36:00 PM. © Gamezebo: Casual Game Reviews, Previews, Cheats, Tips, Forums, Free Games, and More

Namco has partnered with popular North American fast food chain Wendy's to give away five different Pac-Man toys with the purchase of a Wendy's Kids' Meal. Grown-ups might want in on this too, because each Kids' Meal will also include a coupon for a discount on the original Pac-Man downloadable PC game!

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Logitech gets back to the high end speaker game
with the Z906

by: John Yan
NEWS - Wow, it's been a long time since I've reviewed speakers from Logitech. The last time, it was the Z-5500s and they were pretty awesome. Well, the successor has finally been announced today.

The Z906 speakers give you 500W of power and is THX certified. The subwoofer alone outputs 165 watts. These puppies are made for the living room and you can hook up to six devices at once giving you some nice flexibility. There's a remote to help you control the set from far away.

If you're interested, it's going to cost you $349.99 but will be available this month. I can't wait to check these out.

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me-with-the-Z906/Item21835.aspx