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Original IPs have been quite the rage with EA these days and it’s hard not to get misty-eyed upon seeing Dead Space, a third-person action/adventure horror escapade developed by EA Redwood Shores, in action for the first-time. Reggie and I were invited to EA India’s office in Gurgaon today to have ourselves an intensive hands-on session with a near final-build.
In the beginning of the game, we’re treated with an in-game cinematic of lead protagonist Isaac Clarke with a space crew heading towards the USG Ishimura, a giant orbital ship that suffered a huge communications blackout for whatever reason unbeknownst to its curious approachers. Eventually, stinky poop hits the fan when your crew’s vessel gets pulled into the Ishimura’s magnetic field and you’re forced to make a landing inside its hull. Voodoo vibes are in full effect, and this is pretty much were you come in.
The way news has been flowing in into The ANGRY Pixel and considering the staggering number of games scheduled to come up this holiday season, the trickle is threatening to become a flood any time now. News, previews, reviews and press events, you name it and we have it. Not that we are complaining! Such times are especially exciting with so much activity going around us. Quite a heady mix, we assure you. Like the Experience EA event held in Mumbai today. We had our share of quality hands-on time at Mirror’s Edge, NFS:Undercover and FIFA 2009, about which, we will be posting soon enough (the Mirror’s Edge preview is already on). Keep checking back here at The ANGRY Pixel for more hands-on previews of the games at the event as well as the upcoming The Human Weapons Gaming Nightt scheduled to be held at New Delhi tomorrow. For now, hit the jump to view the press release from the Experience EA.
My experience with the Real Time Strategy genre began not amongst the spice-filled hills of Dune II. Nor did it begin at the side of Kane, crushing my enemies under the Iron hand of NOD. No – it all began amidst the star-spangled banners of the allies, charging the front lines even as the colossal front of Soviet Mammoth Tanks pushed forward against all that stood before it – be it tanks, helicopters or infantry. Such is the affection towards the game that if my heart were considered an Italian mafia restaurant, the best table would always be reserved for the boss of the place and his son, Red Alert 2. No other game – regardless of how powerful or good - would dare to eat at that table, lest find themselves at the bottom of the creek with their feet in cement blocks.
And yet today I find myself in a dilemma of sorts. When I was given the opportunity to partake in the Red Alert 3 beta thanks to the bossman, I was nothing short of elated and excited. To finally see the continuation of the series and the third installment – to relive part of that experience along with something more – it was and still is an exciting opportunity. However… I seemed to have fallen into a trap.
There is something I try to keep reminding myself everyday: to stop falling prey to hype, flashy banners and pimped-out sites. Unfortunately, those constant reminders failed with Red Alert 3 (RA3) as I got into my sub and dived into the beta, completely ignoring the warning signs along the way. By the time I emerged back from the murky depths, my impressions of the game had changed significantly – both for better and for worse.
For all those looking forward to having their PC hardware pawned all over again or just looking for a game that will show how PC will always be the big daddy of gaming, Crysis: Warhead is looming just in the horizon. Crytek’s lastet game, Crysis: Warhead will be seeing a 17th September release in North America and a world-wide release the very next day.
Ofvcourse, for us poor souls here in India, release dates hardly matter. For all those prepared to relive the month long wait just like Crysis, there is some good news in form of Steam. Crysis: Warhead will be available on Steam at a price-point of INR 1601.50 (USD 34.99). If you have some more dough to spare, you can grab the combo pack of Crysis and Crysis: Warhead for INR 2745.30 (USD 59.98). Both the packs are available for pre-purchase here.
As if the game play videos of Mirror’s Edge were not enough to get us salivating all over our keyboards, developers DICE have confirmed to 1Up in an interview that the game would indeed be shipping with a time-trial mode as well which will unlock once you beat the game.
Producer Tom Ferrer explains that the time-trial mode won’t feature entire levels. Instead, the existing levels will be broken down to smaller chunks that you can have a go at until you master them. Online leaderboards will help you keep track of your as well as other gamer’s best time in that particular time-trial level.
In another cool touch, you can download ghost data from others playthroughs. This ghost data will show up in-game as a red silhouette as you watch them go through the level in their own unique way. Hopefully this will help us pick some nice tricks from the best in the business.
In the age where most of the games will find it hard to justify their INR 2000 price tags, Mirror’s Edge is fast turning out to be one game that we gamers would happily part with our lunch money for.
With just a day more to go before the Leipzig Games Convention (LGC) 2008 throws opens it doors to gamers all over the world, Electronics Arts Inc. today announced it’s product line-up for the European consumers available this holiday season and through 2009. The line-up includes highly anticipated titles like Mirror’s Edge, Left 4 Dead and SPORE for the hardcore gamers as well as family friendly titles like Harry Potter’s next installment and games like Boogie SuperStar, Zuba and MONOPOLY to keep the casual gamers in us interested. Hit the jump to get to the full list of the games that will be on display at LGC 2008.
Sam being the ever-subtle, ever-sneaky rogue assassin he is, was able to break into the premises of EA’s Mobile Division in Hyderabad by, get this, posing as an astute journalist for a newly introduced Indian gaming blog (or was it supposed to be Rediff, I forget). Some real interesting info that you might want to check out, and we’re not talking about just mobile gaming. But in case you’re wondering, no there isn’t anything related to Mirror’s Edge. Fiddlesticks.