Dead Space 2 comes out today, but some unfortunate gamers don’t have the money to buy games at sixty dollar launch prices. Fortunately there are plenty of midweek sales to provide cheap entertainment for those paupers who can’t afford a shiny new blockbuster.
Sometimes I stay up at night and fantasize about how awesome my current consoles could be. I’m not talking about adding pinstripes and superfluous flames; I’m talking more about features and functionality. Plus taking the time to put flames on your console means that you have a severe lack of friends and an overabundance of time and idiocy. We rarely take the time to think about how restricted consoles are when compared to PCs. After all, when it really comes down to it, consoles are highly specialized PCs tasked with rendering the game in the tray. I’ve had several ideas of what awesome things we might see soon on consoles. I’ve also had the brilliant idea to put them into list form, because everyone loves lists.
Since the first Dead Space game came out in 2008, there have been two animated films, a Wii exclusive adaptation, along with a downloadable arcade game based on the series. With Dead Space 2 coming out this week, lets take a look back at the first installment in this franchise.
Before I get started, just think of your favourite violent game. Got it? Right, now imagine the game with all the violence taken out of it. Would it be as enjoyable? It’s pretty safe to say that the answer would be no. Does this mean (let’s just say you’re agreeing with me for now) that the game in question relies on the violence for it to be entertaining and not through the actual mechanics of the game. I would have to say no, because most games that use gratuitous violence use it in a way to enhance the mechanics of the game. For example, in a game like Gears of War, pulling off a headshot with the sniper rifle from half the map away is satisfying because the mechanics make it a challenging task. The skull explosion and spurt of blood just enhance the feeling you get for pulling it off, just like the ragdoll physics in an action game.
Violence has always been present in games in one way or another. It’s just that with the recent enhancement in graphics technology it has become possible to make it more realistic. Now realistic is certainly not the word I would chose to describe most of the violence in modern games. The reason I’m using it, is because I think people too often confuse the word realistic with exaggerated. For example, calling the violence in Gears of War or Ninja Gaiden 2 realistic is just plain ridiculous.
Tired of Call of Duty? Tired of brown shootouts grounded in reality? If so, there’s a game you might be interested in during the coming month.Bulletstorm is being released on February 22nd, and Epic Games is hoping for another commercial hit among the likes of Gears of War. Ultimately, you, the consumer will decide that, and hopefully after this preview you will.
The Xbox 360, the first console of this generation, recently reached its 5th birthday while the Wii and Playstation 3 have both hit their 4th. Console lifespans normally last 4 to 5 years, and consoles are, of course, lauded and hyped well beforehand. This cycle of death and rebirth cost millions of dollars to the individual companies and exponentially more to their fans; such is the sacrifice to get the latest and greatest in gaming technology.
Take-Two have finally announced a release date for one of the most delayed games ever. Duke Nukem Forever is now scheduled to be released on XBox 360, PS3 and PC on May 3 this year in North America, and May 6 in
