impressions posts

In a distant galaxy, an advanced alien race called the Crogenitors specialized in genetic manipulation, which leads to discovery of E-DNA, an experimental gene sequence that opens up whole new branches of bio-engineering. However, E-DNA proves to be very unstable and gives rise to a violent breed of mutants called Darkspore. The Darkspore threat spread across the galaxy, destroying everything in its path, including the Crogenitors that created them. Players take the role of one of the last Crogenitors, awakened from a millennium of hypersleep to find that Darkspore have completely taken over the galaxy. But before your race died out, they managed to stabilize the E-DNA and used them to create heroes to fight back the dark tide. It becomes your duty to pick up where they left off by gathering an army of genetically modified heroes to reclaim the galaxy.

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Since OnLive's launch last June, its main appeal has been to stream games on demand to practically any computer system, allowing players access to high-end PC games regardless of system requirements. Games such as Just Cause 2, Borderlands, and Metro 2033 can be played on virtually any PC, Macs and including low powered netbooks, provided they meet the OnLive client's requirements and there's a high-speed broadband internet connection. The game is run on OnLive's side, so generally speaking, users are playing games as interactive video feeds that require very little processing and graphical power. However, OnLive has its sights set beyond notebooks and desktop systems. Last month, the service officially released its MicroConsole adapter, which plugs directly into HDTVs to bring PC gaming to the living room.

We were recently granted a preview of Stardock's Elemental: War of Magic by none other than CEO Brad Wardell. While many know this company as the developer of Object Desktop, they've also had success with their Galactic Civilizations series and their publishing ventures Sins of a Solar Empire and Demigod.

It would be a mistake to simply categorize Elemental as just a fantasy-based 4X title; the gameplay offers much more than the assumptions contained within that genre. Read on to find out why you should look forward to this game`s August release.

At PAX East, we were given a special behind-closed-doors look at how Civilization V is shaping up. After the fantastic reception Civilization IV had, the often-asked question becomes, "What can you possibly do to top it?" It looks like the answer isn't necessarily to top the features of Civ4, but instead, refine the game with a streamlined interface and better gameplay interaction. But make no mistake, this is a new Civilization, and a number of changes will distinguish it from its predecessor.

On the evening of March 26th, NVIDIA's GeForce General Manager Drew Henry officially announced the launch of the cutting edge GeForce GTX 470 and 480 video cards in front of packed crowd at PAX East in Boston. The 400 series ushers in the next generation of PC gaming as the company's most powerful graphics cards to date. The GPU includes 3 billion transistors, which equals four Intel Quad Core i7 processors, which gives a clear indication of the kind of might this card packs. What it comes down to for gamers is a chance, in Drew Henry's words, to "blow some sh#t up." When summed up, gamers can expect the GTX 480 to double the performance output of the GTX 285, NVIDIA's previous top-of-the line GPU, for many games. According to the chart shown at the presentation, there will be at least a 50% boost in performance for most games, including recent ones like Battlefield Bad Company 2. In any case, players will be free to dial up to detail levels to their most extreme levels without worrying about a single particle effect or lighting and shadow feature to hinder performance. In addition to blowing stuff up, the 400 series motto invites you to "Crank that sh#t up!"

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is being developed to provide the most realistic and intense military shooter experience possible. Skira, the Pacific island where all the action takes place is based off a real-life area and designed using satellite images, and players are free to go anywhere across its 225 square kilometers of terrain. This includes climbing up the volcano on the far end of the island. Transportation happens in near real-time, so it would take you 9-10 hours to cross the island from one end to the other on foot, but only 9-10 minutes by helicopter. What all this builds up to is a fully open world where players are free to approach a situation from just about any direction.

Download HD Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising E3 2009 Trailer (72 MB)
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Wolfenstein 3D first came out in 1992 and pretty much set the standard for first-person shooters for its time. The series has seen a number of installments since then, with the latest developed by Raven Software, simply called Wolfenstein. Raven is looking to capture the key points that make the series stand out, meaning that B.J. Blazkowicz will being far behind enemy lines to single-handedly take on an army of Nazis seeking to harness the powers of the paranormal.

Download HD Wolfenstein 'Beyond Comprehension' Trailer (80 MB)
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We've seen a number of tabletop strategy games in our time, but Ubisoft win the award for presenting its upcoming real-time strategy game, R.U.S.E. with style. At E3 2009, presenters showed off the The World War II themed game using a touch screen table similar to the one seen in the teaser trailer. It's a gimmick that really shows off what the game is about, zooming out of from the map reveals a strategy board on which the action takes place. The game sets itself apart from other RTS games by putting emphasis on deception in addition to tactical strategy. Commanders have a number of deception abilities called ruses. With these abilities, players can trick opponents using stealth and misdirection to claim victory.

Download HD R.U.S.E. 'Tunisia' E3 2009 Gameplay Video Pt 1 (368 MB)
Download HD R.U.S.E. 'Tunisia' E3 2009 Gameplay Video Pt 2 (481 MB)
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Gallery: RUSE Screenshots

He may wear the signature outfit of an assassin, complete with retractable arm blades for fast jabbing, but it quickly becomes clear that much has changed since the first Assassin's Creed. We're not just talking about the time period, either. The developers at Ubisoft learned a great deal from the first game and applied a number of huge improvements to the sequel. Assassin's Creed 2 takes place in Italy during the Renaissance as opposed to Medieval Holy Land, but the secret war between the Assassin's Guild and the Templar still rages on. The newest incarnation of the professional free-running killer is still one of Desmond Miles' direct ancestors, which makes us wonder how many of these guys are hiding up this guy's family tree. However, this trip back in time, reliving his genetic memory, won't be a lonely one. Players will have new allies to help with planning, executing and getting away with calculated killings.

Download HD Assassin's Creed 2 Cinematic Trailer (217 MB)
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Fans went into a frenzy when Mass Effect 2 was announced, and E3 2009 provided the perfect opportunity for BioWare to let them know about the fate of Commander Shepard in the upcoming sequel. Players can look forward to a more action-oriented game in comparison to its predecessor, so the game will play very much like a third-person shooter, complete with location based damage. That means headshots will matter and aiming for the legs can maim or cripple foes. Physics will also see some modification so that some of the biotic powers like telekinesis will be showier when lifting enemies off the ground. Players of the previous game can import their saved characters and continue the story using high level skills and gear, but the story is written so that those just entering the series will have no problem getting a sense of what's going on.