Freedom Wars - Cinematic Trailer (And Some Quick Info) (Updated)

             Freedom Wars (Sony Computer Entertainment) has me excited and you
should check out this cinematic trailer *below* to see why. It looks colorful and punkish
in design—not heavy metal, but there is a certain edge to its anime persuasions
which offers a variable take on its futuristic aesthetic. This first-party collaboration is coming sometime this year exclusively to the PS Vita. Freedom Wars allows the player to completely customize their character and their companion A.I. (from hair type and color to skin tone and sex, as a few examples). The customization doesn't stop there, voice options are available for your A.I. partner in the form of a text-to-speech program—type something and the game will attempt a pronunciation of it. A mix of gun and sword play with a bit of Just Cause-like flare--with the ability to zip around levels using the band of thorns wrapped about the player-characters wrist; this all affords players a variety and depth of play that looks very promising...and fun. 

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Gameplay -- Nemesis System Power Struggles

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Metro Redux Coming Later This Summer

        Metro Redux, featuring remastered editions of both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light--this includes new animations and "next-gen" visuals, was officially announced by its publisher, Deep Silver. The releases will be available both as separate digital downloads for each game (Metro Last Light Redux and Metro 2033 Redux): priced at $24.99 each, or at retail in the Metro Redux packaging with an msrp of $49.99. Metro 2033 will have, according to Deep Silver, the most improvements, as it will feature improvements made to Last Light's gameplay (e.g., controls, A.I. improvements, combat changes, and graphics). But both games are confirmed to be running at 1080p and 60fps. All DLC is to be included, this includes the well-known and sometimes challenging ranger mode. Metro Redux is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation4, and PC-- no release date has been confirmed as of yet.  

         Though I have played the first and second titles in the series, based on the novel METRO 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky, I have yet to complete them (I was fairly late to the party). This HD upgrade is just in time as rumors have swirled since last summer about the potential PS4 porting of the games. But what really catches my attention with these titles is the detail--the commitment to the tone and place, which developer 4A Games does so well. The way you swipe the gore and residue of the wasted earth from your mask, the need for filters--lest you engulf the scourge of surface toxins; it all adds up to something bleak/oppressive/hostile... Yet, somehow, it inspires the imagination and subsequently empowers the mind to adapt and conquer the challenges of such a place and time.  For me, again, it's the aspect of putting me into Metro-- I am the protagonist, Artym, I do fear the unknowns that dwell within the post-apocalyptic reaches that lie scorched and ghastly--that stands out.  I look forward to seeing how Metro Redux shapes up upon its release.  

From Deep Silver, here is the official announcement trailer for the new re-release:

Cite:http://www.deepsilver.com/news/newsdetails/article/return-to-post-apocalyptic-moscow/

Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is Looking Promising

          

          Family murdered before him. Talion, Gondor Ranger and protagonist at the helm, finds himself host to a wraith-- bound by fate, and suddenly brought back to life, there are many answers yet to be uncovered. Shadow of Mordor, from developers Monolith productions and published by WB Interactive, presents new gameplay concepts that have me brimming with excitement. The nemesis  system if pulled off well will offer up some interesting gameplay dynamics. Set before The Lord of the Rings and after the Hobbit, Shadow of Mordor looks set to offer up a mouth smacking bland of army building, RPG mechanics, open-world traversal, and a tantalizing assortment of enemy variety--in as far as their A.I. is concerned. Imagine a radiant A.I. system which can recall past encounters and prepare itself contextually to face off against the players Talion in future encounters--fashioning a thirst for vengeance, an in-game enemy, can you imagine that. Upgrading the wraith abilities, which seem to give Talion dominion over the minds of others and other magical, phantom shifting powers, looks to offer quite the tactical boon.  

Shadow of Mordor is coming to the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and PC on October 7th.

Check out an early gameplay video on Machinima's Channel:

cite:https://www.shadowofmordor.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3Ps7puWAz1E

Watch Dogs Twitch Stream Was Insightful

    
Watch live video from Ubisoft on TwitchTV

          Watch Dogs developers appeared on an hour or so long Twitch stream today and gave a ton of info, some old some new. What stood out was the vision, one that encapsulated density and player volition. There was a sense that the world no longer remained a static, unchanged thing.  The ability to traverse with an Assassin's Creed-like parkour while activating hacks in creative, emergent ways, altering the playing field seamlessly in your favor, is refreshing to me. Some may disagree, but the graphics, running on a PS4 at low res, still looked good. The weather effects and the lighting combine to give this digital depiction Chicago an assorted complexion.

  

 ---- Half some fun with it....If you just like blowing [stuff] up, it's cool...

            

          Creative director, Jonathan Morin, and lead game designer, Danny Bélanger gave some interesting insights into the creative/ design process. Chicago was in fact chosen, not solely for its hyper-surveillance, but also for its greater, if theoretical, likely-hood of adopting such a city-wide operating system as ctOS. The multiplayer, then, becomes an extension of the game world's connectivity, thus linking players asynchronously for one-vs-one hacking or in larger, more chaotic four-vs-four matchups, centered on decryption and/or free-roaming.  If you haven't already, take a look at Ubisoft's stream--skipping ahead to around 20-mins in will get you past the rehashed promo videos.