Posts with tag Monolith
Bloodshot sees another bloody European delay
Lith to improve upon everything with Project Origin
IGN sat down and chatted with Project Origin lead designer John Mulkey to get the dirt on how development is progressing, what Monolith's goals are with Origin and what we can look forward to. And the general theme we're hearing is that Origin will take what was offered in F.E.A.R. and add more. More enemy types, more weapons, more locations and more variety. We can't be sure if more variety will equal commercial success or if Origin will still be looked at as F.E.A.R. 1.5, but we can be sure that Monolith is confident and that gives us some comfort for now. Our only gripe thus far is the game's "soft" and "flat" graphics, but maybe that's just us being nit-picky.
Shipping this week: Ethan's back edition
While for many this week represents one game and one game only, we would be remiss if we didn't point out that Condemned 2: Bloodshot is heading to stores as well (at least we think it is). Condemned was one of the best games of the Xbox 360 launch lineup and, based on what we've seen, Bloodshot looks to build upon its predecessor's success. Also, football (the non-US kind) fans have something to be happy about in Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. Unfortunately, that's all 360 fans get this week, so we hope you like beating people to a bloody pulp for no good reason or, if that's not your thing, you can always pick up Condemned 2.
Buy Condemned 2: Bloodshot, get something free
The calm, cool Sunday air has once again brought an informative wind gust of savings, and this week the savings are focused towards Condemned 2: Bloodshot.This week, purchasers of Bloodshot have two retail options to choose from to get a copy of the game AND get something for free. If you head to Best Buy to make your Bloodshot purchase, you'll be rewarded with a free Best Buy $10 gift card which we have to say isn't too shab. The other purchasing option is Circuit City, where they are offering Condemned: Criminal Origins for free with the purchase of Bloodshot. Yes, we said free! And if you're low on Microsoft points you can grab a 1600 point card for $10 with the purchase of any Xbox 360 game $29.99 and up. That means, buy Bloodshot at Circuit City, get Criminal Origins and 1600 Microsoft points for $10. Lovely! But be warned Circuit City shoppers. When they offered CoD3 for free with the purchase of CoD4, they only honored the offer until their already depleated stock of CoD3 was gone and anyone else pretty much got screwed. Oh, and we guess we should say these offers are probably only good IF the game ships this week.
Read - Condemned 2: Bloodshot at Best Buy
Read - Condemned 2: Bloodshot at Circuit City
Bloodshot commercial scares us (in a good way)
Tuning and finalizing Condemned 2: Bloodshot's UI
In the post, Condemned 2: Bloodshot's senior producer Dave Hasle talks about and gives examples of the development process behind Bloodshot's user interface (UI) and how they had to scramble to get it right. Because as everyone knows, a concrete release date is thorn in a developer's creative foot. Hasle's UI writeup is a pretty solid read showing the evolution of Bloodshot's UI and in the end, we're happy with the grungy / dirty feel they settled on. Thumbs up to Hasle, thumbs up to UI and thumbs up to Bloodshot. Now let us play it already.
Condemned 2: Bloodshot GDC video blowout
If you've been waiting for a bunch of in-game videos of upcoming Condemned 2: Bloodshot then man oh man do we have a (bloody brutal) treat for you. The cool cats over at GameTrailers posted a googling number of super new Bloodshot videos each highlighting a specific portion of the game. So much content that we'd be willing to bet you could make your purchasing decision after viewing all the media contained in this post. No lie. We've embedded all the new in-game Bloodshot media after the break and lovingly highlighted the opening cinematic above. Speaking of which, Bloodshot's opening cinematic is quite enjoyable as we again learn that you can never go wrong with a roach cameo.
Ethan and his Condemned 2 crew profiled
For those who haven't had a chance to pickup and play Condemned: Criminal Origins or for those who just want a little refresher, IGN posted a rather comprehensive list of character profiles for SEGA's upcoming Condemned 2: Bloodshot.After reading through Bloodshot's various character profiles we just can't help but once again be excited by main character Ethan's troubled past and how it'll play out in Bloodshot. He's an alcoholic who is paranoid, sees things that aren't really there and is at his rock bottom. Best part is that you get to take on his troubled persona and use it as an excuse to slam heads between doors and snap necks. Hopefully special agent Rosa Angel will come along to make everything better and heal Ethan's heart. We hear she has that magic touch.
Bloodshot video sheds light on new combat
Sega has released a new developer walkthrough video for Condemned 2: Bloodshot, which highlights the game's combat and forensic systems. While we've heard quite a bit of this information before -- fist fighting, environmental kills -- this is the first time we've gotten to see most of it in motion. In particular, we get a strong look at the game's combo system, which rewards players for using connected strikes against opponent. There are special combos that require the player to follow on screen prompts, for instance (similar to a quick time event). The environmental finishing system is interesting too. Once a player grabs onto an enemy, all the finishing options in the environment are highlighted with special icons. This system allows players to quickly locate environmental finishers, like, say, a nearby railing.Also mentioned is the improved forensics system. As reported before, the forensics segments are optional. Skipping them may not be the best idea though, as they help players obtain upgrades. Check out the video after the break.
Video: Bloodshot's forensic funnery
We've seen a few trailers, some hobo thwacking and now we get a chance to preview Condemned 2: Bloodshot's forensic gameplay. Embedded above is said forensic footage that'll give you a really brief look at the optional forensic work you'll encounter in the game. Our first impression is that the game's forensic fun is more detailed and interactive that the original as you get to choose from various options and aren't "fed" information on which tool you must use or what you have to look for. Though, after a second look, it's obvious that Bloodshot's forensics are quite scripted and simple. Male or female? Blood splatter or blood smear? Yadda, yadda, yadda. But, like we said, the forensic work is optional, so you can progress through the game like normal if you choose to focus your energy on beating hobos instead. Hobo beating FTW!
Condemned 2 dated March 11, new multiplayer details
Sega has officially unveiled the North American release date for Condemned 2: Bloodshot. The title is set to release March 11 (it was previously revealed that the game will see it's European release on March 14). More exciting than the revelation of its release date is the detailing of Bloodshot's multiplayer modes. The modes available will be Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch (we know those better as Hobo Fight Club) alongside two previously unannounced modes, Crime Scene and Bum Rush. Crime Scene is undoubtedly the most interesting of the two. It involves two teams in a round based game in which one team attempts to collect and analyze evidence while the other team will endeavor to "keep the evidence hidden and protected." Somehow we're guessing that protecting the evidence involves a lot of neck snapping. Bum Rush is more or less a survival game type in which one team must remain alive for a certain amount of time while the other team does their best to prevent this. Again, we're guessing the snapping of necks will be involved
Color us excited.
[Via press release]
Gallery: Condemned 2: Bloodshot
Video: Condemned 2 goes "twhack!"
Bloodshot steps up to pre-rendered cut scenes
Video: Condemned 2 teases us with new trailer
Yesterday, we highlighted a mini 1UP discussion video on Condemned 2: Bloodshot and our only complaint was the fact that the video didn't showcase more in-game goodness. Talking about the game, its features and what we can expect is good and all, but we like to see skulls bashed in first hand.
So, late last night we called in a favor to SEGA (on our super special red phone) and demanded more Bloodshot footage. We went a step further and said we wouldn't settle for anything less than a new teaser trailer. And, as you can see above, they caved in to our fanboy wishes ... no questions asked. So go ahead and enjoy the bloody good Bloodshot trailer (mannequin included).
PGR4 and F.E.A.R. Files demos land on XBLM
F.E.A.R. Files: Extraction Point is the other new game demo and clocking in at 585MBs we presume it to be a single player mission-o-fun that F.E.A.R. fans the world around will enjoy. Funny thing is that the demo is only available to US and Canadian Xbox Live members ... so maybe the world around can't enjoy it. Both demos are available for the free on the XBLM right now, so get your download queue on and give 'em a whirl.
Read - PGR4 demo
Read - F.E.A.R. Files: Extraction Point demo
