Get documents about "CHIP_INSIDER_JAN2012
W
Description
CHIP INDIA 2012 ARCHIVE
Document Sample
your guide to gaming Supplement to CHIP January 2012
Welcome to the
ApocAlypse
Your DoomsDaY survival GuiDe
game reviews:
Saints Row: The Third
of the WWE 12
Year
games with
Halo: Combat Evolved 50+ hours of Content
2011
Anniversary the Best gaming notebooks
Metal Gear Solid HD Devs out of Business
CONTENTS
6 in the news 30 the game developers' 22
We take a look at what's making news obituary
in the Indian and international games We remember the studios that shut
industry. shop this gen, and their games.
8 game of the year 32 top netbooks for
2011 post-apocalyptic gaming
A look back at the year gone by and the Six of the most powerful gaming
best games it brought. notebooks in the market right now.
22 disappointments of 36 game through the
2011 apocalypse
After looking at the best, here's a Games that'll last you months, with 30
round-up of the letdowns of 2011. tons of content right out of the box.
24 armed and ready for 38the most addictive
battle mobile games
We check out Razer's exclusive line-up On the bus or during office breaks,
of Battlefield 3 PC peripherals. these games will keep you hooked.
26 darksiders 2: fear the 40 saints row: the third
reaper review
It's Death's turn to wreak havoc on the The Saints are back for more crazy,
armies of Heaven and Hell. over-the-top open world action.
32
44
8 game of the year 2011
We round up the ten best games of the year gone by.
Find out which game is CHIP Insider's GOTY.
26 fear the reaper
After War, players will step into the
shoes of the second Horseman of the
Apocalypse - Death, in Darksiders 2.
44 metal gear solid hd 46
MaNagiNg EdiTOr
collection review Hatim Kantawalla
Two classic pS2 titles and the recent dEpuTy EdiTOr
pSp release from this epic franchise, Jamshed Avari
remastered in hd for pS3 and Xbox 360. COpy EdiTOr
Sameer Desai
46 wwe 12 review ChaNNEl EdiTOr (gaMiNg), TECh2
yuke's and ThQ finally go back to the Avinash Bali
drawing board to reboot the WWE CONTribuTOrS
Roydon Cerejo, Rishi Alwani,
franchise. does WWE 12 bring enough
Murali Venukumar
new to the table?. 48
SENiOr arT dirECTOr
Ashwin R Boricha
48halo: combat evolved
SENiOr dESigNEr
anniversary review Hemali Limbachiya
Microsoft gives the fans what they've
prOjECT COOrdiNaTOrS
been asking for - an Xbox 360 hd Rajesh D'Souza, Gautami Chalke
remaster of the halo game that started illuSTraTOrS
it all, complete with 3d and Kinect Sachin Pandit, Chaitanya Surpur
support. COlOr COrrECTiON
Sanjay Shelar
hEad OFFiCE
intelligent Computing Chip, infomedia 18 limited,
'a' Wing, ruby house, 2nd Floor, j.K. Sawant Marg,
dadar (W), Mumbai - 400 028. iNdia
phone: (91 22) 3024 5000, Fax: (91 22) 3003 4499
SMS uS
SMS your feedback to us at 51818. For general comments,
create the following message: ICCO <Your comments here>
Example: ICCO The cover story was very useful
To rate a story, product review, etc look out for the story
tag at the base of each article and type:
40 saints row: the third review ICCO <Story tag> <Rating> Example: ICCO PWS 5
The “Story tag” is mentioned at the base of every story in
Volition gives 'over-the-top' a whole new
the magazine and the “Rating” is on a scale of 1 to 5.
meaning with the in their open world franchise.
Please keep comments to 160 characters per message!
Include your email address to help us reply.
game
of the year
2011
Page 8
The beginning
of the end
I
t’s 2012, and if the Mayans are to be believed,
this is the year the world comes to an end.
Here at CHIP Insider, we don’t put too much
stock into doomsday predictions; many have
come and gone. It is an interesting concept
though - the apocalypse, and it’s a premise many
developers have crafted great games around,
from RPGs like the award-winning Fallout 3 to
racing games like the aptly titled Motorstorm:
Apocalypse. So in this issue, we’ve decided to take
this theme and run with it.
From a hardware round-up of the top gaming
notebooks, to a feature on games that provide
months worth of content out of the box, to
developers who bit the dust this gen, to a preview
“The apocalypse of an action-adventure game that I’m personally
really looking forward to (Darksiders 2), this
is a premise many month’s issue of Insider has a distinct apocalyptic
developers have
slant to it.
Last month, we looked ahead to all that
crafted great
this year holds in store, but this time, we look
back at the year gone by in our Game of the
games around”
Year 2011 mega feature. Besides highlighting
the best games of 2011, we’ve also brought
you a round-up of the games and events that
disappointed us last year. And as always, we have
a healthy dose of game reviews for you, including
HD remakes of two classics.
While the world probably won’t come to an end
this year, it will mark the end of an era and the
start of another for all three console giants. Sony
is set to release its new handheld – the Vita, next
month, while Nintendo will unleash the follow-up
to the Wii – the Wii U, later this year. There are
also rumors of Microsoft getting ready to reveal
the new Xbox at E3 this June. And if that happens,
Sony’s announcement of the PS4 is sure to follow.
Far from the bleak prospect of an apocalypse, this
is shaping up to be an exciting year, at least for
gamers.
Have a great 2012!
SAMEER DESAI
sameer.desai@chip.in
In The news
6 news
COMPILED By
sameer desai
avinash bali
Obsidian
developing
south Park
RPG
Don 2: The Game
T coming to Ps3,
here's a South
Android and iOs
Park RPG in
The best of sony
the pipelines
developed by
Obsidian (Fallout: Hyderabad-based
Playstation on show New Vegas) that Gameshastra at the helm
I
will put players in
across ten Indian cities the boots of an
unknown kid who
must familiarize
t’s common knowledge that games
based on films tend to suck, and
after playing Ra.One: The Game,
Check out Uncharted 3, Gran Turismo 5, himself with the clearly, that goes double for games
Street Cricket, and more. world of South Park. based on Bollywood films. Not one to
S
Of course, he/she/ be deterred by the criticism, Shahrukh
ony is bringing back Playstation Experience you will also have Khan is continuing with his foray
Playstation Experience, visited Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi to protect it from into interactive entertainment, this
but this time, the event and Chandigarh last month, certain threats time with a game based on his latest
is targetted towards non- and is now headed to the along the way. blockbuster, Don 2. The third-person
gamers and newcomers, following cities: Since South Park action-adventure game is currently
so don’t expect to preview has parodied tons under development at Hyderabad-based
unreleased games or even see Ahmadabad of popular games Gameshastra for Playstation 3, iOS and
a big line-up of titles to try out. Himalaya, Jan 7 & 8 over the past few Android platforms.
Games on show will include years, we’d like to Don 2: The Game puts players in
Uncharted 3, Gran Turismo 5 Hyderabad see how this one SRK’s shoes through six chapters
for PS3; Ra.One: The Game and GVK, Jan 14 & 15 turns out, especially that take place around the world.
Street Cricket Champions for since the script Travel from Kuala Lumpur to Berlin as
PSP; Chandragupta: Warrior Kolkata and dialogue are Asian and German druglords attempt
Prince for PS2; plus a meaty South City, Jan 21 & 22 being written by the to assassinate you, surrender to the
collection of Move titles. series’ creators, Trey Interpol and plan your escape as part
Most importantly, Playstation Kochi Parker and Matt of your devious scheme, lead the
Experience is free for all, so Oberon Mall, Jan 28 & 29 Stone. The game authorities on high-speed car chases,
simply walk in and ‘experience’ will be published and escape on foot as Jabbar and his
all that Playstation has to offer, Jaipur by THQ and is henchamen hunt you down across
although we would have liked a MGF, Feb 4 & 5 expected to hit Berlin’s rooftops.
more beefy line-up to better the Xbox 360, PS3 While the film is already in theaters,
showcase Playstation’s great Mumbai and PC sometime no release date has been set for the
games catalog. Inorbit, Malad; Feb 25 & 26 later this year. game just yet.
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
news 7
TOP 10
IndIa's
APB now free on steam
Dirt BesTsellers
showdown DeCember 2011
unveiled Batman:
Arkham City
PS3, XboX 360, PC
RATInG 4.5/5
Assassin's Creed:
Revelations
PS3, Xbox 360, PC
RATInG 3.5/5
A
ll Points Bulletin was an MMO (massively
multiplayer online game) designed by some of the L.A. Noire
PS3, Xbox 360, PC
minds that worked on Crackdown. On paper, it was
the perfect game, taking the whole concept of cops and RATInG 4/5
robbers to the next level. In reality, of course, things were
a jumbled mess and the game tanked hard.
R
Now, nearly a year later and under new management,
the game has come back from the dead in an all new acing is Uncharted 3: Drake's
polished avatar, and best of all, it’s free! You can choose Codemasters' Deception
to enter the fictional city of San Paro as either an Enforcer bread and butter, PS3
or a Criminal, after which you can proceed to wreak havoc and along with F1, RATInG 4/5
or uphold the law. Dirt is their biggest
franchise, so it's no
surprise that they're Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 3
naughty Dog announces
now turning it into an
annual affair. What is PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Ps3-exclusive The Last of Us
surprising, however, is RATInG 4/5
that Codemasters have
ditched the rally form
of gameplay in favor of WWE 12
something way more PS3, Xbox 360, Wii
arcady and destructive. RATInG 4/5
According to
Codemasters, Dirt
Showdown will be
built on three pillars of Football
gameplay - Hoonigan, Manager 2012
Demolition Derby and PC
Race. While the last two
modes are fairly self-
explanatory, Hoonigan
Saint's Row: The Third
A
is a brand new mode,
t the Spike Video Game Awards, Naughty Dog where players will PS3, Xbox 360, PC
announced The Last Of Us, a game that, much like have to pull off tricks RATInG 4/5
the Will Smith movie I Am Legend, takes place in and stunts after being
a post-apocalyptic world where a plague has wiped out unleashed in a “Joyride
civilization, mutating survivors into zombie-like creatures. compound”. Dirt
You play as one of two characters - Ellie, a spunky fans need not stress FIFA 12
teenager; or Joel, a hardened survivor, as they try and though as this is just a PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, PSP
survive every day by scavenging ammunition and supplies. temporary detour from RATInG 4/5
According to Naughty Dog, the game will blend survival the series. Codemasters
horror with their bombastic brand of action to create a is still on the ball for
“genre defining experience”. Even though this scenario has Dirt 4, which should
been done a million times by now, it’ll be interesting to see the series return Battlefield 3
see Naughty Dog’s take on the matter. to familiar territory. PS3, Xbox 360, PC
RATInG 4.5/5
Courtesy: Intencity.in
8 GOTY 2011
GAME
of thE yEAr
2011
While some of our eagerly anticipated
games disappointed this year, there were
many more that surprised and impressed
us, so all in all, 2011 was an exciting year. In
fact, we had quite a torrid time arriving at
our top 10 of 2011. But we did it eventually,
so read on to find out which game won our
Game of the Year 2011 title.
by avinash bali
10 GOTY 2011
10
Uncharted 3: drake's
deception
W
e weren't too happy with Uncharted
3’s control scheme or the incessant
spamming of grenades, but there’s no
GeNre:
action-adventure doubt about the fact that no one does cinematic
action better than Naughty Dog. From an entire
PriCe:
level that takes place aboard a ship on a turbulent
rs 2,699
sea to an intense mid-air fight aboard a plane
PUbliSher: that’s about to crash, this game fully immersed
Sony
players into the deadly yet thoroughly entertaining
life of treasure hunter Nathan Drake.
RATING 4/5 After the single player campaign, you could
head into the online side of things to indulge
in versus multiplayer or a bunch of standalone
co-operative missions inspired by Uncharted 2:
Among Thieves. We hear there’s a patch out now
Trivia that fixes the controls so if you held back on your
in an attempt to purchase, now would be as good a time as any to
simulate realistic dive into this game.
fires in the game’s
Chateau level, Similar Games
Naughty Dog
“programmed
oxygen” to facilitate
procedural and
dynamic spreading
of the blaze through
the building. Gears of War 3 Uncharted 2 Tomb raider
Underworld
jaNUary 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
GOTY 2011 11
9
deUs ex: hUman
revolUtion
A
fter nearly a decade of waiting, Deus Ex
fans were rewarded this year with Human
Genre: Revolution, the much awaited follow-up
First-person shooter/ to Deus Ex (people don’t like acknowledging the
rPG existence of Invisible War). The game played out
Price: from a first-person perspective, but shifted to
rs 2,499 (Xbox 360, third person as players took cover behind objects.
PS3), rs 999 (Pc) Yes, the game had a cover system, but it was
PubliSher: so well implemented that it didn't detract from
Square enix/eidos the experience. The game was a bit heavy handed
on stealth as opposed to all out combat, but if you
RATING 4/5 persisted, you could blast your way through every
level. Minor restrictions aside, Deus Ex: Human
Revolution was a tightly woven single player
experience that could keep you immersed in Eidos
Montreal’s futuristic cyberpunk world for hours
on end.
Similar Games
Mass effect 2 Splinter cell: e.Y.e.: Divine
Double Agent cybermancy
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement jAnuArY 2012
12 GOTY 2011
8
Gears of War 3
T
he third and final leg of Marcus Fenix’s
journey may have been a tad predictable (as
is with most sequels), but it was an explosive
GeNre:
end to the Gears of War trilogy. While gameplay
Third-person shooter
largely stayed the same as previous iterations,
Price: Epic bumped up the production values, beefed
rs 2,499
up the visuals, and dialled the set-pieces to 11.
PubLisher: It was without a doubt, a violent, bloody and an
Microsoft unapologetic conclusion to one of the Xbox 360’s
most beloved first-party titles.
RATING 4/5 Once you got done with the game’s campaign,
you could head into the revamped and more
streamlined multiplayer offerings. If competitive
play wasn’t your thing, you could team up with a
few friends to indulge in the game’s Horde mode
or brand new Beast mode, which was kind of like
the Horde mode, only you play as Locust instead
of the COG. As you can probably tell Gears 3 offers
ample bang for your buck and is one of the finer
action games on the Xbox 360 today.
similar Games
Trivia
The Locusts were initially named the
Geist, but had to be changed because of
Nintendo’s Gamecube game of the same
name. Wyrm was also another name the
army of Warhammer: dev team considered.
Two space Marine
jaNuary 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
GOTY 2011 13
7
The WiTcher 2:
AssAssins of Kings
N
o one thought a European studio could
pull off an immersive action RPG with
Genre: the same style and flair as a Bioware. CD
rPG Projekt proved us all wrong with The Witcher, a
brutal and immersive experience that strapped
Price:
1,499 players into the boots of a Witcher - mercenaries
that specialize in killing monsters.
Publisher:
The game, while enjoyable, was a bit rough
cD Projekt red
around the edges, which CDP remedied with the
sequel. They reached out to a wider audience with
RATING 4.5/5 a standard third-person camera. Combat was
also streamlined to provide gamers with a more
immersive experience, and if you had the right
hardware, the game was an utter treat for the
eyes. They recently released a gigantic patch that
balanced out a lot of the game’s issues and added
a ton of new content absolutely free.
similar Games
Gothic iii Two Worlds ii The Witcher
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
14 GOTY 2011
6
inFamous 2
I
nfamous was a rather enjoyable game that
allowed players to step into the boots of a
Genre:
supercharged courier as he dished out justice
action-adventure by the kilowatts.
Infamous 2 expanded upon its predecessor in
PriCe:
every way, with a brand new setting along with
rs 2,499
new and improved gameplay mechanics making
PubliSher: it one of the most fun open-world games this
Sony
year. The game is also highly replayable in nature
as it allows you to choose either a good or a bad
RATING 4.5/5 path, and depending on your choice, you’ll get
corresponding super powers. Be a good guy and
you’ll unlock more focused powers that won’t
harm civilians, but become a total jerk and you’ll
gain wild powers that kill with reckless abandon.
The game’s also enjoying a rather long life span
thanks to the user generated content courtesy of
Trivia the game’s map editor. Just like LittleBigPlanet 2,
When infamous 2 this allows players to enjoy maps made by other
was first revealed, more imaginative gamers.
protagonist Cole
McGrath sported a
completely changed Similar Games
look, style of attire,
and voice. Following
an outcry from fans,
developer Sucker
Punch reverted to
the old, edgy Cole we
knew and loved. assassin's Crackdown Prototype
Creed ii
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
GOTY 2011 15
5
DeaD Space 2
F
ew games tread the fine line between action
and horror, and Dead Space 2 definitely tops
that list. Moving out of the claustrophobic
GEnrE:
confines of the USG Ishimura, Dead Space 2
action-Horror
dragged players to a brand new setting, one that
PricE: allowed developer Visceral to incorporate some
rs 2,499 (Xbox 360,
new gameplay elements, new weapons, newer
PS3), rs 699 (Pc)
enemies and breath-taking set pieces. Isaac
PubliSHEr: Clarke, the game’s protagonist, also got a sense of
Ea
closure from the game’s plot, which culminated in
a rather satisfying way.
RATING 5/5 The game even introduced a new multiplayer
mode into the mix that really wasn’t all that bad;
it’s just that we had seen it all before in Left4Dead
2. Above average multiplayer aside, Dead Space 2
is a phenomenal, and not to mention, terrifying
single player experience that’s guaranteed to give
you a few sleepless nights. Play it at night with
the lights out if you dare.
Trivia
During production,
developers bought Similar Games
a butchered goat,
which was used
for reference and
filming to provide
flashes of imagery
for isaac's nightmare
sequences. Doom 3 Dead Space resident
Evil 4
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
16 GOTY 2011
4
Batman: arkham City
E
ven though the PC port of this game
was a complete mess, Batman definitely
Genre: brought his ‘A’ game this year. Expanding
action-adventure upon gameplay aspects that made millions fall in
love with Arkham Asylum a couple of years ago,
PriCe:
rs. 2,599 (Xbox 360, Batman: Arkham City was a treat for everyone,
PS3), rs 999 (PC) from serious Batman fans to action gamers in
love with open game worlds. Arkham City was
PubliSHer:
Warner bros designed from the ground up to reflect the danger,
dirt and corruption populating every street and it
did so with much visual aplomb. It also offered
RATING 4.5/5
players a plethora of diverse side activates to
indulge in while they made their way to the game’s
antagonist, Dr Hugo Strange.
Besides the Dark Knight, gamers also got
a chance to traverse the length and breadth
of the game world as Catwoman. She may be
significantly weaker than Batman, but she brought
her own set of feline acrobatic moves to the table
that made her segments an utter blast.
Trivia
This is Mark Hamill’s Similar Games
final performance
as the Joker after
a twenty-year run
spanning games,
amusement park
rides, Tv shows and
movies. Prototype Crackdown inFamous 2
January 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
GOTY 2011 17
3
Battlefield 3
I
f you’re a fan of modern day military shooters,
Battlefield 3 is your best bet this year. The single
player campaign may have been a tad dull and
Genre:
predictable, but DICE more than made up for that
First-person shooter
with highly addictive multiplayer we’re playing till
Price: date. Unlike other online shooters that penalize
rs 2,999 (Xbox 360,
players for lacking razor sharp reflexes, Battlefield
PS3), rs 999 (Pc)
3 allows newcomers to ease into the game by
PubliSher: offering them support roles as well. If running
eA
around the battlefield dishing out ammunition
or health doesn’t seem like an exciting prospect,
RATING 4.5/5 grab a chopper and rain down hell fire on ground
targets or command a jet and become a force to
be reckoned with.
Battlefield 3 also gets our unanimous approval
for being the most technical sound shooter out
there. DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine brings fire fights to
life in a very gorgeous way with some phenomenal
lighting effects and texture work while the game’s
sound, simply put, is the best in the business.
Similar Games
call of Duty: battlefield: Medal of
Modern bad honor
Warfare 2 company 2
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement jAnuAry 2012
18 GOTY 2011
2
Portal 2
P
ortal 2 may have played out from a first
person perspective, but that doesn’t make
Genre: it a shooter. It was a puzzle game at
Puzzle
heart, just like its predecessor, only it added in
Price: more mind-bending puzzles and new gameplay
rs 2,499 (Xbox 360, elements into the mix. The best part about Portal
PS3), rs 999 (Pc)
2’s puzzles was that they never felt too tough or
PubliSher: too cheap. If you couldn’t figure a way out, it was
Valve probably because you weren’t thinking out of the
box. Rest assured, when the answer finally hit
RATING 5/5 you, the sense of satisfaction was palpable.
The game even added standalone co-operative
missions into the mix and they were the best
implementation of co-op play we’ve seen in a
game till date. They weren’t just copy-paste
variants of single player missions; these were
brand new ones designed from the ground up to
facilitate and encourage co-operative play.
Similar Games
TriVia
Portal 2 initially included a sticky gel,
which allowed players to walk on any
painted surface. however, the feature
gave most game testers motion
Mirror’s Portal sickness and had to be removed.
edge
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
GOTY 2011 19
1
The elder ScrollS V:
Skyrim
M
any long time gamers tend to get jaded
from playing a bunch of sequels back to
back or due to the fact that single player
Genre: games today get over in about five hours.
rPG Skyrim remedies that problem by providing
Price: hours of awesome content. Ever since we entered
rs 3,499 (Xbox 360, Bethesda’s beautifully crafted world, we’ve been
PS3), rs 2,999 (Pc) completely hooked, voluntarily throwing our social
PubliSher: lives out the window. We’ve spent countless hours
bethesda crafting armor, mining, cutting lumber, pledging
our undying loyalty to a multitude of guilds,
RATING 5/5 clearing dungeons in search of lost treasures,
slaying dragons, becoming werewolves, getting
married, and so much more we cannot express in
a few words. With so much content and accessible
gameplay at hand, it’s no wonder that Skyrim is
quite easily our Game of the Year for 2011.
Similar Games
call of Duty: battlefield: Medal of
Modern bad honor
Warfare 2 company 2
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
20 GOTY 2011
The BesT of The ResT
Best Use of Balls: fIfa 12
RATING 4/5
Most years, this would be a no brainer, but EA Sports’
footie juggernaut had some stiff competition from NBA
2K12 and the refreshingly entertaining Top Spin 4. Even
arch rival PES 2012 made a good account of itself, showing
flashes of its past greatness. But FIFA 12 made some great
improvements to an already solid base, and while there are
still a few kinks, it was easily, once again, the best sports
game of the year.
Best Game No oNe BoUGht: test
DrIve UNlImIteD 2
RATING 4/5
Set across two massive, scenic islands of Hawaii, TDU2
blends racing and exploration brilliantly, and with the
inclusion of off-road driving, you’ll never run out of places
to drive. A great set of licensed cars and the beautiful
landscapes ensure that even just driving around aimlessly
is a joy. TDU 2 is regularly on sale on Steam for as little as
$5. Buy it!
Best Game No oNe PlayeD: Best serIes reBoot: fIGht NIGht
yakUza 4 ChamPIoN
RATING 4.5/5 RATING 4.5/5
Videogamers are the quintessential bullies, at least virtu- While the Fight Night series had been waning, it didn’t
ally. And what better way to skin our collective knuckles exactly need a reboot. But it got one anyway and we’re glad
than with 2011’s edition of Sega’s magnificent JRPG because Fight Night Champion took it into a more cinematic
brawler. Play Yakuza 4 for its brutal fisticuffs, contem- and action-oriented direction thanks to a brilliantly crafted
porary adventuring, Nihon bombast, and cutscenes that story mode, while still retaining the pure boxing elements
would make Hideo Kojima proud. from the previous games.
jaNUary 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
GOTY 2011 21
Here are some of the games of 2011 that we really loved, but didn’t make the top 10.
by sameer desai
Game with the most Free DLC:
LittLeBiGPLanet 2
RATING 5/5
DLC has been a big deal this generation, but no developer
has handled DLC as well as Media Molecule with
LittleBigPlanet 2. The same tools that were used to build
the levels in the LBP2 campaign were offered to players so
they could build their own levels and share them with the
world. The result – the LBP community is brimming with
millions of levels just waiting to be downloaded and played
for free.
Best Cure For roaD raGe: Dirt 3
RATING 4.5/5
Picking this one wasn’t easy. Test Drive Unlimited 2 was
one of our favorite games of 2011, and Turn 10 once
again delivered a great sim in Forza Motorsport 4. Then
there were other contenders like Shift 2 Unleashed,
Motorstorm Apocalypse and Nail’d, but when it came down
to unadulterated racing fun, Dirt 3 came out on top for
its great gameplay, numerous event types and stunning
presentation.
the Game that maDe Your eYes Best Fist-to-FaCe aCtion:
BLeeD: naiL'D mortaL KomBat
RATING 4/5 RATING 4.5/5
Nail’d probably slipped under many peoples’ radar, and you Marvel vs Capcom 3 would be many peoples’ pick in this
can’t blame them. It received no hype whatsoever, and it category, and they wouldn’t be wrong. It was a great game,
didn’t release in India either. But if you like games like Pure with an unbeatable roster. However, after disappointing its
or Burnout, this is an absolutely must buy. This insanely legions of fans for years, Mortal Kombat finally made its
over-the-top off road racer features some mental jumps return to form last year, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
and drops and a gameplay pace that won’t give you time to Great controls, an exhaustive roster, and some serious gore
even blink. made MK the comeback of the year.
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement januarY 2012
22 Feature
Disappointments of 2011
2011 was a great year for gaming. There were some stellar titles that completely rocked our socks off, but there were
also a few games we were looking forward to that ended up disappointing. This list looks back at some of the games and
events that marred 2011.
by avinash bali
Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Ubisoft nailed the formula with
Assassin’s Creed II, while Brotherhood
felt more like an standalone
expansion pack, dishing out more
of the same. But with Revelations,
they’ve actually taken two steps back,
axing some of the more enjoyable
distractions in favor of some really
Need for Speed: The Run mundane ones. Tower defence,
After last year’s Hot Pursuit, we Ubisoft? Really?
thought the Need for Speed series
was on its way up again, but Black
Box made sure that never happened
with this year’s The Run. Shoddy
controls, quick-time events, a F.E.A.R. 3
painfully short campaign and an F.E.A.R. was one of the most stylish
extremely stripped down multiplayer and cathartic shooters ever. F.E.A.R.
component made The Run one 2, however, was a disappointment,
forgettable and disappointing ride. and the latest entrant in the series
was no different. F.E.A.R. 3 turned out
to be nothing but a generic shooter
with a few scares and slow motion
thrown into the mix. Mother would
Dragon Age II definitely not approve.
Dragon Age: Origins was extremely
well received, so expectations from
the sequel were sky high. Sadly,
Bioware seemed to rush the sequel,
and in doing so, they compromised
on quality. Oversimplified controls,
a poor narrative, outdated visuals
Duke Nukem and repetitive dungeons made this a
Forever sequel the Maker would definitely not
After laying dormant for more than be pleased with.
a decade under the now defunct
3D Realms, Duke was unleashed Call of Juarez: The Cartel
upon the world earlier in the year We’ve never had too many
by Gearbox Software and we really expectations from a Call of Juarez
wish they hadn’t. The game was game, but Bound in Blood was a
a complete disaster, with archaic polished and enjoyable FPS with solid
gameplay, jokes that fell flat on their visuals and an engaging plot. The
faces, coma-inducing boss fights, and Cartel threw all those characteristics
outdated visuals that looked like they out the window for literally no story,
had stepped out from the nineties. A clichéd one-dimensional characters
colossal disappointment indeed. and terribly generic gameplay.
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
Feature 23
Brink id Screwing up Rage’s Launch
Brink could have been a really good id games have known to be a tad
multiplayer game with an insane level problematic at launch, but Rage took
of customization, but somewhere the cake. The game was plagued by
down the line, developer Splash horrific stuttering and texture issues.
Damage dropped the ball, which is Many ATI and AMD users couldn’t
why we got a clunky shooter that even get it to start, and those that did
tried to tread the line between single were getting frequent crashes. After
and multiplayer with rather lackluster a patch, the game became unplayable
results. for many more, making Rage’s PC
launch a huge disappointment.
Homefront
Homefront had tremendous potential
thanks to an interesting premise, but
it failed to capitalize on its setting.
Instead, it was content with aping Call
of Duty, funneling players through
predictable scenarios you’ve played
a million times by now. Worse, the
much touted multiplayer features
ended up being a damp squib.
PC Version of Batman:
Arkham City
If you thought Rage was bad, R.I.P. Red Faction
Arkham City would reduce you to The Red Faction series may not have
tears with its horrid PC port that, sold half as much as Call of Duty, but
by the way, released a month late. Red Faction: Guerilla was a highly
Terrible framerates, broken DirectX cathartic game, where you could level
11 implementation, sound stuttering, every single inch of the game world to
and game breaking bugs made the PC the ground. Its sequel, unfortunately,
version completely unplayable. went with a survival horror approach
that didn’t work too well. Poor
sales and a diminishing love for the
franchise made THQ axe it for good.
Bulletstorm’s Commercial
Failure
Bulletstorm was a throwback to the
old school FPS games, where you shot
first and didn’t really bother asking
any questions. It was crude, vulgar
and juvenile, but it was also a very
enjoyable and a satisfying experience
that unfortunately performed poorly
at retail. It’s safe to assume we won’t
be getting a sequel anytime soon.
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
24 Hardware feature
ARMED FOR BATTLE
Razer and EA continue their partnership for licensed high performance gaming peripherals with the exclusive Battlefield 3
line of PC and console products. We tested some of the customized PC gaming gear, and here's our verdict.
by sameer desai
RAzER BLAckwiDOw
uLTiMATE
Full mechanical keys, 5-level key backlighting,
on-the-fly macros & profiles
Noisy keys, BF3 artwork could be better
RAzER iMpERATOR
Good precision, adjustable side buttons
Too light, unimpressive BF3 artwork
RAzER scARAB
Awesome BF3 protective case, sturdy
rubber base.
Not foldable.
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
Welcome to the
Apocalypse
26 fear the reaper: darksiders 2
30 the game developers' obituary
32 top netbooks for post-apocalyptic gaming
36 game through the apocalypse
38 the most addictive mobile games
26 COVER FEATURE
FEAR ThE
REApER
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement Hemali Limbachiya
COVER FEATURE 27
In 2010, Vigil Games surprised us all with Darksiders, a mix of brutal hack and slash combat, slick
platforming and addictive puzzle-solving. After playing as War in the first game, this year, we
step into the boots of the second Horseman of the Apocalypse in Darksiders 2. Death awaits.
by avinash bali
and punish those responsible for framing your
brother. Don’t worry though; you won’t be trudg-
ing through rehashed levels from the first game.
Since you’ll be playing as Death this time around,
developer Vigil Games gets a lot more creative
(and by that we do mean sinister) liberty when
it comes to overall character and level design. A
striking and vibrant art style is something this
series has always boasted of thanks to its cre-
ative director Joe Madureira, who also happens
to be a well known comic book writer and artist.
COmbAT
Darksiders offered players a pretty robust com-
bat system and it looks like Darksiders 2 is tak-
ing things to the next level with more fluid and
intuitive fighting. It’s still largely a hack and
slash game with light and heavy attacks that
can be mixed up to pull off crazy combos, but it
now also follows an RPG-esque combat principle,
where you’ll be visually notified (via numbers)
of the damage you inflict upon enemies. Unlike
D
War, Death cannot block, so you’ll have to make
arksiders was - pardon the pun - a
dark horse in the action genre. It
was a breath of fresh air from all
the sequels being churned out since,
let’s face it, few studios are will-
ing to risk it with new IPs nowadays. The game
imagined the end of days for us mortals as play-
ers were strapped into the boots of one of the
four Horsemen of the Apocalypse – War, who
was wrongfully framed for bringing about the
apocalypse.
The game played out from a third-person
perspective and was a hack-and-slash game
at heart, but it borrowed various gameplay ele-
ments rather graciously from other, more popular
games across genres. At first, many were cynical
and some even went as far as calling it a Zelda or
God of War clone, but once it got down to brass
tacks, there was no doubt about the fact that
Darksiders pulled off this diversity with great
flair and style not seen in many new IPs today.
ART sTylE
Darksiders 2 takes place during the timeline of
the first game, only now, you’ll see and experi-
ence things from War’s brother, Death’s perspec-
tive. Your primary goal, of course, is to track down
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
REViEw
28 COVER FEATURE
"Unlike War,
who was
built like a
tank, Death
is a tad
more agile
and athletic."
do with dodging incoming attacks. Of course, PlATFORMinG
offense is the best form of defence, so feel free Besides combat, platforming was a very impor-
to dish out your own brand of pain with brutal tant pillar of gameplay in Darksiders as it pro-
melee combos as well as deadly magical spells. vided players with some sort of respite from the
Upon slaying an enemy/boss, you can now loot relentless action. Unlike War, who was built like a
their bodies and be rewarded with a plethora tank, Death seems a tad more agile and athletic,
of items like gold, fragments of armor, and lots and will be capable of wall running a la the Prince
more. of Persia for a few seconds. He even has a Ghost
Hook attached to his arm - a grappling hook of
MORE RPG FUn FOR EVERyOnE sorts, with which he can cross large distances
Darksiders 2 is taking the RPG elements a bit with great ease. Think of the game’s platforming
further by meticulously designing four distinct as a cross between Castlevania and Uncharted.
hubs (or cities) where you’ll be able to under- Now, how can you go wrong with that?
take side quests from various NPCs (non play-
able characters) as well as sell all the loot you lAsT wORds
don’t need. Besides that, you have a larger game Darksiders 2 looks set to expand upon everything
world, multitudes of dungeons to explore and we loved about the first game. There's more
plunder, combat arenas to conquer as well as a refined combat and platforming, a twisted yet
rather lengthy single player campaign to boot. beautiful art style, and RPG elements to signifi-
Rest assured, we’ll be spending a lot of time with cantly increase the length of the game. It’s easily
Darksiders 2. one of our most anticipated games of 2012.
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
COVER FEATURE 29
THE STOry SO Far
I
n Darksiders, you are War, one of the four Horsemen of the You instead have been framed by the Charred Council to bring-
Apocalypse sent to Earth during its final hour. Your mission ing about the premature Apocalypse, but you will not go down
is very clear - do not interfere as the war rages on between without a fight. You strike a bargain with them as they allow you
the armies of Heaven and Hell; strictly serve as a mediator one final chance to clear your name. The caveat? Imprisoned into
striving to bring about peace between the warring factions. your very being is one of their watchdogs who can kill you swiftly
You realize a bit too late that you have been wrongfully sum- should you chose to stray from your mission. But you are War, and
moned as none of your brothers ride with you. no man or monster can stop you from achieving your goal.
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
30 COVER FEATURE
these Devs DiDn't survive long
enough to see the ApocAlypse
EdEn GamEs
Famous for: Test Drive Unlimited 1 & 2
Eden kicked off this generation with the fantastic Test
Drive Unlimited. The open-world MMO-styled racer was a
great early indicator of what the HD consoles were capable
of. Their next game was the bitterly disappointing Alone in
the Dark, but they returned to form in style with Test Drive
Unlimited 2. However, the studio's relationship with parent
company Atari has soured since and last we heard, Eden
employees were on an indefinite strike.
test drive unlimited 2
EnsEmblE studios
Famous for: Age of Empires series, Halo Wars
Microsoft’s decision to shut down Ensemble Studios
was nothing short of bewildering. Renowned as one
of the leading developers of real-time strategy games,
Ensemble has given us several great games as part of the
Age of Empires series. The studio even helmed the Halo
franchise’s only foray away from the FPS genre (Halo Wars),
and with a degree of success.
age of Empires iii
bizarrE CrEations
Famous for: PGR series, Blur, Geometry Wars
Bizarre had a great run as an indie studio, first with
Project Gotham Racing 3 and 4, and then the fun-but-
rough-around-the-edges arcade shooter The Club. Things,
however, started going downhill once the studio was
acquired by Activision. Blur, which was a great combat
racing game, was delayed several times, which killed much
of its hype, resulting in poor sales. Activision shut down the
studio soon after.
blur
tEam bondi
Famous for: L.A. Noire
Team Bondi’s is a rare case where a studio was forced to
shut down despite its first and only release selling millions
of copies. L.A. Noire was a great game, but it was behind
the scenes events that led to the dev's closure. Accusations
of harsh working conditions and unpaid wages from
ex-employees made Team Bondi the black sheep of the
industry, with publisher Rockstar Games publicly cutting
ties with the studio.
l.a. noire
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
COVER FEATURE 31
This console generation hasn’t been too kind to the development fraternity, with many developers forced to shut shop. We
remember some of these studios and the great games (and the bad ones) they made.
by sameer desai
Blackrock StudioS
Famous for: Pure, Split Second
Blackrock established itself as a AAA racing game
developer this gen with two great arcade racers – Pure and
Split Second. Both new IPs were extremely well received
and stood out in an industry that otherwise thrives on safe
sequels. Sadly, parent company Disney Interactive didn’t
greenlight sequels to either game and shut down the studio
in last year to focus on casual games with a freemium
focus. For shame!
Split Second
Grin
Famous for: Bionic Commando series, Ghost Recon
Advance Warfighter series
GRIN’s demise was a stark reminder of the often hostile
relations between indie devs and publishers. The studio
received praise for Bionic Commando: Rearmed and the
2008 reboot of Bionic Commando, but things took a turn
for the worse when they were commissioned for a Final
Fantasy spin-off, codenamed Fortress. Square-Enix
cancelled the project and GRIN cited unpaid dues from the
Bionic commando Japanese publisher as the reason for its eventual closure.
Pandemic StudioS
Famous for: Full Spectrum Warrior series, Mercenaries
series, The Saboteur
Before being acquired by EA, Pandemic was best known
for its Full Spectrum Warrior and Mercenaries games. This
gen, they released Mercenaries 2: World in Flames and The
Saboteur under the EA banner. Both open-world games
were a ton of fun and brought something new to the table,
but lackluster sales forced EA to shut down the studio in
2009.
the Saboteur
Free radical
Famous for: TimeSplitters series, Haze
Best known for the TimeSplitters series on the PS2, Free
Radical had a tough time of it this gen. Their PS3 exclusive
FPS Haze was the subject of a lot of hype, but after several
delays, it was released to extremely harsh reviews and poor
sales, forcing the indie studio to wind-up operations. It was,
however, resurrected as Crytek UK, the team responsible
for the multiplayer component of Crysis 2.
Haze
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
32 COVER FEATURE
Top NoTebooks for posT-
by roydon cerejo
W
hile a good gaming rig will always trump the in mind, however, that you won’t be able to max out every
highest of high-end gaming notebooks, there are single game on a notebook no matter how powerful it
many who would prefer the latter simply because may be. We understand that not everyone has a pile of
they’re easier to setup and carry around. If you hate dealing money lying around, so below, we’ve thrown in a mix of
with messy cabling, don’t have enough desktop space, or both mainstream multimedia notebooks that can handle
are worried about the lack of working plug points when their fair share of games as well has high-end notebooks
the world ends, a notebook is your only real choice. Bear engineered for gaming.
Hp DV6-6165TX
If there’s one thing you can be assured of with HP’s DV lineup, it’s superior
build quality. The DV6 may be marketed as a multimedia notebook, but
the specifications say otherwise. A Core i7 and an AMD Radeon HD 6770M
with 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory should easily tame even the most
demanding games. Sound is taken care of by Beats audio and the cooling
is handled by HP’s CoolSense technology that adjusts the cooling based on
the load. A very good package for the price.
price: rs 58,500
DeLL aLienware m14X
Alienware has been synonymous with gaming from its
inception and Dell’s new M14x finds a sweet spot between
raw performance and portability. Aside from good gaming
performance and fancy, customizable lighting, the one
thing that has made these notebooks stand out is their
keyboards. The keys offer nice feedback, which makes
them extremely comfortable to type on. Also, the higher
resolution 14-inch screen makes images and video pop.
This notebook does demand a premium, but in return, you
get huge bragging rights.
price: rs 1,19,000
acer aspire TimeLineX 5830TG
Who said you can’t enjoy gaming on a budget? Acer’s TimeLineX 5830TG
packs in a decent powerhouse in a really slim form factor, and at a killer price.
While the build quality takes a bit of a backseat, it makes a tidy little gaming
machine for those on the move. Armed with an Nvidia GT 540M, you should be
able to play older games like Dirt 2 and Far Cry 2 on reasonably high
settings. The 5830TG is a great value-for-money notebook,
delivering great features and performance.
price: rs 41,000
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
COVER FEATURE 33
-ApocAlypTic GAmiNG
asus G74sX
Looking for an absolute bonkers gaming notebook? It doesn’t get crazier
than the G74SX, where Asus has managed to cram in everything but the
kitchen sink! Sporting a massive 17.3-inch full HD screen, the notebook
is designed for Nvidia’s 3D Vision and comes with the transmitter fitted
into the bezel. Other features include a whopping 16 GB of RAM, 1.5 TB
of hard drive space (750 GB x2) and a Blu-ray combo drive. The graphical
prowess comes from the mighty Nvidia GTX 560M with 3 GB
of dedicated GDDR5 memory. Accessories include 3D
glasses, a gaming mouse, a headset and a backpack.
Price: rs 1,18,000
Msi Ge620
One look at the MSI GE620 and it’s easy to dismiss it as a entry level notebook,
but looks can be deceiving. The GE620 is a no-frills gaming notebook hailing
from MSI’s ‘G’ series line-up. It does away with fancy lighting, and in turn, the
hefty price tag of its elder siblings. For this price, you get a full-sized
keyboard, great sounding speakers, USB 3.0 ports and a
decent mid-range graphics card from Nvidia. The GPU also
supports Optimus, which results in really good battery life.
Price: rs 50,000
sony Vaio c series (VPccB35Fn)
Sony’s new Vaio C series may come in some rather ‘trippy’
colors, but underneath all that jazz is a pretty serious
notebook. What really makes this notebook stand out
is the funky styling and the wonderful backlit keys that
automatically kick-in once the light dims; a rare find
in notebooks these days. It also features switchable
graphics, which lets you utilize the onboard GPU for
everyday tasks, and the AMD Radeon HD 6630M for
gaming and other 3D intensive applications.
Price: 54,000
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
34 COVER FEATURE
HP DV6- Dell Acer Asus G74sX Msi Ge620 sony VAio c
6165TX AlienwAre TiMelineX series
M14X 5830TG
Operating Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7 Windows 7 Home
System Home Premium Home Premium Home Premium Ultimate Home Premium Premium
Processor Intel Core Intel Core Intel Core Intel Core Intel Core Intel Core i5-2430M
i7-2670QM i7-2630QM i5-2410M i7-2630QM i5-2410M
Clock Speed 2.2GHz 2.0GHz 2.3GHz 2.0GHz 2.3GHz 2.4GHz
Turbo Frequency 3.1GHz 2.9GHz 2.9GHz 2.9GHz 2.9GHz 3GHz
RAM 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 3GB DDR3 16GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3
Expandable up to 16GB 8GB 8GB 16GB 8GB 8GB
HDD 750GB 500GB 640GB 750GB x2 (1.5TB) 640GB 500GB
Speed 5400rpm 7200rpm 5400rpm 7200rpm 7200rpm 7200rpm
Optical Drive DVD SuperMulti DVD SuperMulti DVD SuperMulti Blu-ray/DVD DVD SuperMulti DVD SuperMulti
Drive Drive Drive Combo Drive Drive
Display Size 15.6-inch 14-inch 15.6-inch 17.3-inch 15.6-inch 15.5-inch
Resolution 1366x768 1600x900 1366x768 1920x1080 1366x768 1920x1080
Screen Type TFT (LED TFT (LED TFT (LED backlit) TFT (LED backlit) TFT (LED TFT (LED backlit)
backlit) backlit) backlit)
Graphics card AMD Radeon Nvidia GT 555M Nvidia GT 540M Nvidia GTX 560M Nvidia GT 540M AMD Radeon HD
HD 6770M 6630M
Dedicated 2GB DDR5 1.5GB DDR3 1GB DDR3 3GB DDR5 1GB DDR3 1GB DDR3
memory
Webcam 0.3MP 1.3MP 1.3MP 2MP 0.3MP 1.3MP
Keyboard 103 keys 82 keys 103 keys 103 keys 103 keys 103 keys
Backlit Yes Yes No Yes No Yes
Special features HP Cool Sense Customizable Slim form factor 3D Vision kit, Speakers Translucent body
backlight backpack, mouse with THX panels, ambient light
colours, rubber headset included, enhancements, sensor, switchable
coated chassis rubber coated good battery graphics
chassis life
Battery Type Lithium-ion Lithium-ion Lithium-ion Lithium-ion Lithium-ion Lithium-ion
No. of Cells 6-cell 8-cell 6-cell 8-cell 6-cell 6-cell
Battery Capacity NA 4250mAh 6000mAh 5200mAh 4400mAh 4400mAh
Speakers Stereo with Stereo Stereo Stereo (with Stero with THX Stereo
Beats Audio sub-woofer)
USB 4 (2x USB 2.0, 3 (USB 2.0) 4 (3x USB 2.0, 1x 4 (3x USB 2.0, 1x 3 (1x USB 2.0, 2x 4 (3x USB 2.0, 1x USB
2x USB 3.0) USB 3.0) USB 3.0) USB 3.0) 3.0)
VGA Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
HDMI Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
LAN Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Microphone/ Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Headphone
SD card reader Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Express Card slot No No No No No No
Wi-Fi 'n' Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Bluetooth Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Weight 2.5Kg 4.08Kg 2.5Kg 4.28 kgs 2.4Kg 2.85Kg
Dimensions 376 x 247 x 35.8 377.9 x 308.5 x 378 x 25.4 - 31.3 420 x 325 x 383 x 249.5 x 375.1 x 31.3-39.6 x
mm 48.7 mm x 249 mm 20.9-62 mm 37.6 - 32.3 mm 250.9 mm
Price Rs 58,500 Rs 1,19,000 Rs 41,000 Rs 1,18,000 Rs 50,000 Rs 54,000
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
36 COVER FEATURE
Game ThrouGh The apocalypse
ThE EldER SCROllS V: JUST CAUSE 2 GRAnd ThEFT AUTO iV:
SkyRim Xbox 360, PS3, PC COmplETE EdiTiOn
PS3, Xbox 360, PC Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Skyrim boasts of so much content, it lit- Just Cause 2 is an open-world action GTA IV was a huge game, but Rockstar
erally borders on MMO territory, only it’s game that throws logic out the window decided to take things to the next level
offline and there’s no monthly fee. You in favor of good old fashioned over- by announcing Episodes from Liberty
could blaze through the plot in a few the-top fun. How else can you explain a City, which includes two single-player
hours, sure, but why would you when grappling hook that allows you to latch expansions - The Lost and Damned and
you could spend hours exploring the onto a plane, hijack it, and then jump Ballad of Gay Tony. These were then
beautifully crafted game world by taking out to surf on it! Besides the balls to the bundled with the main game to form
up a profession like smithing, mining or wall action, the game throws in a ton the GTA IV Complete Edition. While both
alchemy, getting married, joining one of of side quests that allow you to enlist expansions are largely similar to GTA
many guilds, cleaning out its many dun- yourself with various factions to liber- IV, they both add a bunch of gameplay,
geons or just hitting the open roads in ate the fictional world of Panau. visual, and multiplayer tweaks, making
search of fame and fortune. this pack a must-buy for any GTA fan.
BORdERlAndS: GAmE OF ThE FAllOUT 3: GAmE OF ThE dRAGOn AGE: ORiGinS
yEAR EdiTiOn yEAR EdiTiOn PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Xbox 360, PS3, PC Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Set in a bleak, distant future, Borderlands The apocalypse is not a very pleasant After the action-oriented Mass Effect,
was the world’s first RPS (role-playing experience, unless, that is, you’re expe- Dragon Age was Bioware’s return to the
shooter), a term coined by developers riencing it from Bethesda’s perspective. hardcore RPG, retaining D&D elements
Gearbox themselves. The game was a Like any of their previous games, Fallout that old school players loved. Even just
shooter at heart, but packed in content 3 is literally teeming with content, be tackling the game’s epic main quest
equivalent to an RPG, making it acces- it through its plot or a plethora of side along with a few side quests takes
sible to fans of both genres. The Game quests. Once again, the GOTY Edition is well over 60 hours, and it’s worth every
of the Year Edition is obviously the one the version to grab as it includes all five minute. Aside from that, there are vari-
to go for as it includes the base game in packs of DLC released till date. Another ous different ‘Origins’ to play through,
addition to four packs of downloadable incentive for PC gamers comes in the each of which has a different back story
content. form of tons of user-made content and opening sequence. It’s role-playing
that’s available free of cost. games at their very best.
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement Hemali Limbachiya
COVER FEATURE 37
a video game store might be hard to find in a post-apocalyptic world. So it would help to stock up on games that provide
tons of content right out of the box to ensure that you stay entertained for a long time. Here are a few suggestions.
by avinash bali and sameer desai
GRAn TURismO 5 liTTlEBiGPlAnET 2 RED DEAD REDEmPTiOn:
PS3 PS3 GAmE OF ThE YEAR EDiTiOn
Xbox 360, PS3
Gran Turismo 5 offers perhaps more By itself, LittleBigPlanet 2 is a cute little With Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar
content on one disc than any other side-scrolling platformer that can be dragged us down to the Wild West, a
game in this feature. For starters, the enjoyed by upto four players. However, genre not visited too often in games.
1,000 cars in the game will take scores developer Media Molecule has also And we loved it. The game offered
of hours to unlock. To put them through included a powerful set of creation tools everything we've come to expect from
their paces, there’s the Training School - the same they used to make the game, Rockstar - a stellar plot, well written
mode, the insanely long A-Spec career so players can design their own levels characters, tons of side activities, and
mode, as well as a B-Spec management or even mini games within LBP2. They of course, solid gameplay. The GOTY
mode. Add to that the seasonal events can then share these levels with the edition packs in a ton of map packs as
that Polyphony adds and the massive world and play levels created by others well as a very interesting ‘undead’ take
free Spec 2 update, and you’ll be playing for free, making LBP2 a virtually never- on the game. It’s a pity the game never
GT5 for hundreds of hours. ending game. made it to PC.
TEsT DRiVE UnlimiTED 2 PRO EVOlUTiOn sOCCER inFAmOUs 2
PS3, Xbox 360, PC 2012 PS3
PS3, Xbox 360, PC, PSP
Two massive Hawaiian islands; the abil- FIFA may have the licenses and the bet- Like most open-world action games,
ity to drive anywhere - on and off-road; ter online features, but offline, Pro Evo- infamous 2 offers a fairly long single-
options to buy real estate across both lution Soccer 2012 takes the cake. The player campaign, and along with the
islands; a great selection of everyday legendary Master League mode is addic- plethora of side missions, you’ll clock
sedans, sports cars, exotics and SUVs; tive as ever, and after sinking in 50-plus well over 25 hours. Unlike most open-
and a mini-map populated with mis- hours, you’ll enjoy your 20th season just world game’s however, it doesn’t end
sions and exploration bonuses spanning as much as you did the first. That aside, there. Sucker Punch has thrown in cre-
every inch of the game world. Test Drive there’s also the Become a Legend mode ation tools to let you build your own mis-
Unlimited 2 is that and so much more. as well as training challenges and vari- sions complete with AI to give the game
Whether you’re racing or just driving ous leagues and tournaments. It's got limitless replay value. What’s more, you
around taking in the sights, you can lose more than enough content to last you can also play missions created by other
yourself in it. till the next iteration and beyond. players from around the world.
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
38 COVER FEATURE
The MosT AddicTive
Mobile GAMes
by shayne rana and padmini harchandrai
Just because the world was annihilated by nature’s devastating fury (destroying all cell phone services in the process),
doesn’t mean your iPhone or Android device is totally useless.
Angry Birds
Angry Birds is the comfort food of mobile gaming. Just
look at what happens when someone buys their first
touchscreen mobile device. Usually their first question is,
"What should I buy?" and the standard reply will usually
be, "Angry Birds". The furious featherheads have come
a long way from the first five levels of slingshot-ing
that initially hooked us in. They have updates based on
festivals, a movie tie-in, merchandise and even a recipe
book. The addictiveness comes from the increasing
difficulty, consistent novelty, and finally, it's just dog gone
fun to hear those pigs squeal when you smash their
heads in. Angry Birds is available for $0.99 (approx Rs 49)
on iTunes and it's free on Android.
Cut the rope
Take a very hungry little monster, make
him cute, dangle candy in front of him, and
voila, you have Cut the Rope. The game
is primarily strategy-based, starring 'Om
Nom', the adorable little creature that we
hoped to have as a pet when we were little.
He's hungry, and you want to feed him. The
only problem is that the candy is being held
back by ropes and there are obstacles like
bubbles and spiders. You must cut ropes in
just the right way so the candy lands sqaure
in Om Nom's mouth. He then gives you that
look of immense satisfaction; the kind that
validates the frustration of getting the rope
wrong. Cut the Rope is available for iOS and
Android for $0.99 (approx Rs 49).
jAnuAry 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement Hemali Limbachiya
COVER FEATURE 39
Fruit NiNja
Did you hate it when your mom made you eat fruit as a kid? Alternatively,
have you ever been booed off a stage with fruit flung at you? Here's a game
that will help you gain some pseudo-revenge. As the name suggests, you're
a ninja. Fruit is being flung at you and your job is to slice and dice it with your
ninja sword. You get extra points for fruit combos and you need to be careful
of bombs. As you progress, you will please the fruit sensei, who will keep
delivering fruit facts to you. Fruit Ninja is available for iOS for $0.99 (approx Rs
49) and Android for Rs 62.03.
DooDle jump
Doodle Jump revolves around a character called The Doodler. The point
of the game is to make The Doodler jump levels without falling by tilting
your phone. Since the game is supported across various devices, including
those that don't have tilt support, there is also an option to tap The
Doodler in the direction that you want it to go in. The Doodler can have
power ups like jet packs and propeller hats that help it go faster for a
short distance and obstacles like monsters and aliens that the Doodler
needs to avoid. You can choose various themes for the Doodler to jump
around in and his enemies look different, but the purpose of the game
remains the same - JUMP! Doodle Jump is available across multiple
platforms for $0.99 (approx Rs 49).
temple ruN
Ever got caught up in an Indiana Jones fantasy?
Not that this game is a direct play on the franchise,
but it does bear similarities in ways that are cool.
Your protagonist is a runner that is running on
temple grounds, collecting coins, going over gaps in
the ground and under tree branches to eventually
complete a set of objectives. The objectives include
running 5,000 meters, collecting 1 million points,
running 500 meters without collecting any coins,
and many more. The speed is heart pumping and
you will not be satisfied until all the objectives are
completed. Just be careful of the creatures that
chase you when you trip on a branch; they can be
nightmare-inducing. Temple Run is only available
for iOS, and so far, it’s free.Optimus, which results
in really good battery life.
Price: Rs 50,000
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement jaNuary 2012
40 REVIEW
An over-the-top and highly entertaining action game that's a bit rough
around the edges.
by avinash bali
T
here are games that try and draw players in crap out of your character. It’s the same mission
RATING 4/5 with compelling storylines, and then there’s structure you experienced in the second game
Saints Row: The Third; a simple game that and while some missions stand out in particular,
wears its over-the-top attitude proudly on its most tend to become clichéd open-world fetch
sleeve. It unleashes players onto an open world quests. It’s a bit ironic if you think about it since
setting, hands them a rocket launcher, and dials Saint’s Row 2 mocked GTA IV’s repetitive mission
the crazy to 11. But as enjoyable as the game is, it structure but now its predecessor has descended
does have its share of issues that prevent it from into the same monotony that plagued Rockstar’s
being a must-buy. open-world game. The saving grace however is
After the events of Saints Row 2, the Saints the zany take on each mission that distinguishes
have become a household name, commercialising SRTT from the more serious games out there.
completely on their name with a clothing brand, Like older games, the whole city is yours for
bobble heads, energy drinks and more. While they the taking from the get go but unlike previous
enjoy the view from the top, there are many who games from this series, you’re no longer funnelled
conspire to bring them down and one of these through side activities to unlock story based mis-
organisations called the Syndicate succeeds sions. This is kind of a doubled edged sword as
in doing so. Now the Saints must rebuild their now I don’t feel the need to go out of my way to
empire, kick tons of ass on the way and have fun perform them. Money is also never a problem in
while doing so. this game and you’ll earn more than enough while
The game starts off with a bang pummelling completing story based missions.
players with some impressive set-pieces after On the plus side, most of these activities are
which things slow down a notch and the game
settles down to its normal pace. This means you’ll
have to approach various people for missions, take
over territories, buy businesses and customize the
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement Hemali Limbachiya
REVIEW 41
dudes and make it to the end. It doesn’t sound like
much on paper but it’s a pretty intense diversion.
What I find baffling is that Volition axed certain
activities like Septic Tank and Crowd Control from
this game instead retaining a boring one like
Escort. It was due to these omissions I felt SRTT
lacked the content its predecessor had to offer.
SRTT is high on crude humour so if that’s not
immense fun in their own way so even if they’re your thing, stay far away from this game. There
not forced down your throat, you really don’t mind are all sorts of juvenile jokes and jabs at other pop
engaging in them because they’re so damn cathar- cultural references from Star Wars to Tron to other
tic. I mean who doesn’t like driving a tank around a video games. Most of the game’s humour may not
block with an unlimited supply of rockets to cause make you laugh out loud but it will make sure you
as much damage as humanly possible? Special have a goofy smile plastered across your face at
mention goes out to a particular side quest called most times. Sometimes though,
Professor Genki's Super Ethical Reality Climax it does feel a bit stale and over-
(yes, that’s the real name), a weird hybrid of the
Running Man and Japanese reality TV where play-
used. For example, the first time
I came across Zimos, a T-Pain
gamE Info
Action-Adventure
ers must navigate a bunch of obstacles, kill some inspired pimp who constantly
Saint’s row: the third
Price rs 2,599 (PS3, Xbox 360),
Pc (rs 699)
PubliSher thQ
develoPer volition inc
diStributor e-Xpress interactive
Phone 022 29661017
e-MAil info@expressgames.in
For
looks awesome in dX11, over-the-top gameplay,
insane customization options, a ton of fun
AGAinSt
lots of glitches, fetch quests can get repetitive,
some juvenile humor overstays its welcome
TEST rIG
Motherboard: Intel DP67BG Extreme Desktop series;
Processor: Intel Core i7 - 2600K @3.40 GHZ; Graphic card:
nVIDIa GeForce GTX 590; ram: Corsair Vengeance 4GB
DD3 @ 1600 MHZ X2; Power Supply: Cooler Master Silent
Pro Gold 1200W
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
42 REVIEW
level design to character/vehicle models looks top
notch. The PC version also handles real well as the
game controls flawlessly with mouse/keyboard.
Unfortunately the game’s plagued by a bunch of
glitches and bugs. Some are amusing and harm-
less like having your car disappear under a bridge
or watching characters clip through the ground or
get stuck in one place while others are more seri-
ous and frustrating especially when they occur
during missions. At times, an event won’t trigger
forcing you to restart the mission all over again
while at times, certain vehicles you’re supposed
to hijack or destroy will be completely invisible.
Even though none of these bugs or glitches were
particularly game breaking ones, they did hamper
my experience with this game and I personally felt
speaks in auto-tune, I was amused but after hear- it was sloppy on Volition’s part to release a game
ing him go on and on for five consecutive mission, with these many issues, especially after they put
I wanted to strangle him with my bare hands. in so much effort in the PC version.
Once you’re done with the campaign, you could Issues aside, I had a blast with this game. The
dive back in to play it with another player in co-op humour like I said earlier may be hit and miss
since competitive play has completely been axed for some, especially if you’re not too fond of the
from this game. Instead you have a Hord.. I mean whole gangster culture. Even then, I would recom-
‘Whored’ mode where players face off waves mend this game from a gameplay perspective as
of enemies in a bid to survive. The Horde mode it offers something a lot of games don’t seem to
retains the game’s quirky sense of humour so in bring to the table today, mindless fun.
one wave you’ll be beating up an ‘X’ amount of
gimps with a giant purple dildo while in the other
you may be forced to slice through dudes dressed
as giant hot dogs. As weird as that sounds, it is
a boat load of fun and a good diversion from the
clichéd way of playing this mode.
Visually the game is impressive provided you
have a beefy rig to boot. In DX 11, the game looks
positively gorgeous and Volition have done a bril-
liant job in porting this game to the PC. Stillwater
itself is very well detailed and everything from
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement
SUBSCRIBE TO
T3 5th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION
AND SAVE UPTO 25 PER CENT
ON THE COVER PRICE
th
vMrsaA
5
e AK r
y
AnniA
DH R
O FFE
Welcome to gadget lifestyle! Get the complete dope on as yet unseen gadgets, cutting edge gizmos and hot news from
the world of electronics in a magazine so cool that you won’t be able to put it down. T3, the gadget magazine brings you
a taste of the international flavour recognised and loved all over the world. Authoritative reviews, comprehensive buying
advice and breathtaking lifestyle features - all that and more... in one premium package!
SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD COVER PRICE YOU PAY YOU SAVE DISCOUNT
3 YEARS ` 3,600 ` 2,699 ` 901 25%
1 YEAR ` 1,200 ` 999 ` 201 17%
TO SUBSCRIBE
Log on to http://eshop.infomedia18.in
CALL US Toll Free: 1800 200 1021 Call: 022 3003 4631/ 33 l FAX 022 3003 4499 (Lines are open from 10am-5.30pm only) l GO ONLINE
customercare@infomedia18.in
Subscription Department Infomedia 18 Limited, A Wing, 2nd Floor, Ruby House, J K Sawant Marg, Dadar (West), Mumbai 400 028. India
TERMS & CONDITIONS: Your subscription will start from the next available issue. “No cancellation will be entertained after commencement of the subscription.” Infomedia18 reserves the
right to extend, cancel or discontinue the offer. Though Infomedia 18 Ltd. will take utmost care to dispatch the copies safely, Infomedia 18 Ltd does not take the responsibility of any postal
delays and damaged copies dispatched. For more information contact Infomedia 18 subscription department. The company is an absolute discretion and without further notice may
discontinue, publication of the magazine and in the even of such discontinuation, we shall refund the subscription amount for the unexpired term only, without any interest, caused and
consequence.
44 REVIEW
Surprisingly Solid
by rishi alwani
M
etal Gear Solid HD Collection is what happens when Metal
Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake
Eater and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker are given a much
needed high-definition update and trophy support. Everything else
is pretty much intact. From the awesome intro sequence to MGS2
to the mesmeric title track of Snake Eater, it's all there, and more!
Konami have been generous enough to sanction this release
with the Substance and Subsistence versions of MGS2 and MGS3
respectively. This mean that you not only get the excellent base
games in all their glory, but you have access to extra content
that these two PS2-era releases had. Think of the Substance and
Subsistence editions as extended
versions, replete with a chockfull RATING 4.5/5
of extras. For example, MGS2: Sub-
stance features the quirky “Snake Tales” that let you don the role
of Solid Snake in a series of short missions across the Big Shell
refinery. There's even over 500 missions strewn across the main
areas of the game as well as computer generated “VR missions”,
giving the game a lot more substance. MGS3: Subsistence packs in
the original Metal Gear games on the same disc. These are the very
games that started it all on the obscure MSX console and then later,
NES, making it a must-have for the collectors. However, the extras
found in the original PS2 release such as Secret Theatre and the
Snake Vs Monkey mini-game are missing.
Coming to the games themselves, MGS2 follows the exploits of
Solid Snake as he seeks to infiltrate a tanker that carries a new
version of the Metal Gear walking tank that he destroyed in
the first game (which is missing from this compilation). As
we all know, this was the premise for one of the biggest
trolls on the gaming community - an hour and a half into
the game, you find yourself in the shoes of Raiden, a
newbie agent on his first mission to eliminate a terrorist
threat on an environmental facility. It was a move that's
applaudable simply because it takes more than the usual
number of gonads to force diehard fans to play through
a game as someone who is, at best, a pansy.
Sons of Liberty clearly benefits from the HD
update. It's a lot cleaner in most places thanks to
the magic pixie dust of current gen graphical tech-
niques. However, it manages to show its age with
slightly blocky character models. If there's one
solitary reason for a first-timer into the franchise
to give up on MGS2, it's because of the control
Hemali Limbachiya
REVIEW 45
gamE Info
Action-Adventure
Metal Gear Solid
Hd collection
PubliSHer Konami
develoPer Kojima Productions
PlAtforM Xbox 360, PS3
for
Wealth of extras, smooth, crisp looking updates
to classic games, great value for money.
AGAinSt
Quality of Hd upscaling could have been better.
scheme. The fixed camera doesn't help
either. It's awkward and takes a bit to get
used to.
Thankfully, MGS3 is a lot more forgiving in that respect. said, the plot and gameplay is good enough to make you forget
There's a fully movable camera that prevents you from getting all about its graphical inadequacies, more so since the controls
into sticky situations. The plot has super agent Naked Snake are more at home on the Dualshock 3 than they would ever be
against a host of enemies in order to rescue a nuclear scien- on the PSP, on which it was originally launched.
tist. As clichéd as it sounds, the plot is anything but, strewn To sum it up, the gameplay has stood the test of time. Com-
with double and triple crosses as well as a conspiracy or nine bine that with the almost ludicrous amount of content in terms
thousand thrown in simply because Kojima and friends can. of extras, and you have one of better value for money proposi-
From all three games, Snake Eater looks the best. Everything tions since 2007's The Orange Box. Sticklers might grouse the
from the lush jungle environments to the character models are lack of the original Metal Gear Solid and Portable Ops, but that
brilliantly rendered, so much so that it can easily pass off as a can be easily remedied with a quick trip to PSN, where they're
current generation title. That's not to say the rest pale in com- both available for purchase. Fans will find this a welcome addi-
parison. Peace Walker brings in an element of strategy, having tion to their collections and first-timers can revel in a series
you recruit soldiers for your growing army as you wage war in that is, if you can excuse the pun, as solid as they come.
South America in search of your mentor. It's also got fantastic
graphic novel cut-scenes that are a welcome break from the
extravagant movie-like exposition of the other two games. The
controls are great too, allowing you to play the game as you
would MGS4, giving it a degree of accessibility.
Graphically, however, it's a bit of a downer. While the facial
models are high resolution, the rest of the character's features
such as their clothes seem borderline SD in comparison. This
extends to some of the environments, which appear to be in
contention with MGS2 for the blockiest MGS ever award. That
46 REVIEW
a four star suplex.
by murali venukumar
P
ro wrestling isn’t just about men comes to engaging the audience through tling terms) is the new and improved
and women in garish spandex its length. Universe mode. The game generates a
pretending to smack the liv- So can WWE 12 live up to those lofty non-stop stream of fight cards for every
ing daylights out of each other. Hand ideals? Yes and no. Marketed as a sort WWE brand that closely mimic WWE’s
in multi-colored glove with the faux of reboot for the series, it certainly does television programming, complete with
gratuitous violence are stage managed make the right first impressions. The dynamic storylines, cutscenes, and
theatrics that require a sense of timing, presentation is noticeably slicker, and the the ability to simulate or play matches
overstated gravitas and blind bravado main menu gives you a heap of options yourself. This year brings more story
that would stand up to the harshest of to pick from. While the exhibition mode and cutscene variety as well as greater
Broadway scrutiny. It’s far too easy to allows you to mix and match wrestlers customization. You can resurrect WCW
overlook the intelligence and where- with the obscenely large number of brands, for instance, and relive the
withal required in putting together a match types that the game comes with, golden age of wrestling all over again.
good wrestling match, especially when it you’ll be well advised to opt for the more Combine this with the ability to down-
structured WWE Universe or Road to load user-created rings, wrestlers and
Wrestlemania modes to start off with. even storylines, and you’ve got an amaz-
Road to Wrestlemania gives you three ing play set on your hands.
mini-stories to play through, starring Supporting the Exhibition, Road to
Sheamus, Triple H, and a CAW (voiced by Wrestlemania and Universe modes are a
Austin Aries, no less). The CAW storyline, robust set of creation tools that let you
in particular, will interest anyone who knock out not just wrestlers, but rings,
grew up with wrestling in the 80s and entrances, finishers, Titantron videos,
90s. All three stories are good fun and storylines and cutscenes. The level of
will take you multiple sittings to play customisability here is a class apart.
through. The now series’ standard hor- There’s also a multiplayer mode that’s
rific recording booth voice acting returns, just about adequate in terms of features,
but the over the top tales themselves but you’d much rather play local multi-
are more than competent and the situ- player than deal with the fits of lag that
ations and match types you’re put in are plague the netcode.
always engaging. Now that we’ve established the fea-
Playing smark to Road to Wrestle- ture set, lets look at how the game plays.
mania’s kayfabe, (yes, those are wres- This year’s game jettisons the right ana-
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement Hemali Limbachiya
REVIEW 47
RATING 4/5 ring effectiveness and to render them
more prone to submissions. It’s a decent GAmE INfo
improvement and brings some welcome Fighting
depth to the game, some of which had
WWE 12
only just been lost with the simplified
PricE rs 2,699 (PS3, Xbox 360),
grapple button. One wishes Yuke’s would rs 1,999 (Wii)
just carry forward innovations and not PubliShEr thQ
keep switching them out so often. DEvEloPEr Yuke’s
Yuke’s has clearly been working on DiStributor E-Xpress interactive
the general flow of the action as well. PhonE 022 29661017
The in-ring action is much closer to the E-Mail info@expressgames.in
ebbs and flows of a well booked wres- For
tling match now, although the no-selling the actual wrestling is still fun, good visual
of certain moves is wholly inexcusable. presentation, user generated content
The intelligent grapple mechanics aids againSt
in this, although artificially, ensuring that bad audio presentation, lots of good ideas
the player doesn’t start raining bombs on dumped from past games
the opponent from the opening bell. You
now work your way up to the big moves,
complete with stored finishers that can
be reversed and second wind comebacks
that give you multiple opportunities to
trip up your adversary.
log stick-centric control scheme of old Counters have been assigned to the
in favor of a new and more streamlined R2 button, although the window to tap
system. You can’t choose between per- it when the on screen prompt pops up
forming light and strong grapples any- is frighteningly short. This does make
more. Instead, you have a single ‘smart’ sense as not every move can or should
grapple button at your disposal that lets be reversed, and some of the frustration
you perform moves according to your does dissipate once you realize that there
opponent’s health and position in and are plenty of sliders to tweak reversals
out of the ring. as well as opponent AI. Cueing the rever-
While this works as stated, you can’t sal prompt with logical (and predictable)
help but miss the freedom that being counter-points in the animations would
able to choose your own grapple. To have been better.
make up for its loss, Yuke’s has thrown Move animations also seem to tran- none of which should even be an issue
in a fancy new limb targeting system sition into each other much better than in 2011 when games like NBA 2K12 are
that lets you wear down specific parts ever, although the walking and running around.
of a wrestler’s body to restrict their in- still looks a tad robotic. For veterans of The new PG slant in WWE program-
the series, it’ll be apparent soon enough ming ensures that there’s a subtle shift
that this is just another retooling of the away from weapons as well as blood
same engine that the series has been (which is off by default). Weapon inter-
using for an eternity now. Granted, this actions also seem neutered, and the
is the best its ever been, but you’ve got quick-event hotspots around the ring
to wonder just long they’ll need to iter- have been removed as well. There are
ate before finally coming up with the also backstage sequences and fights
right formula. that aren’t nearly as visually interesting
The in-game production is quite good as they’ve been in previous games.
as long as you can look past the low- All said, WWE 12 is definitely a step in
poly crowds. While the wrestlers look the right direction for the series. There’s
great, as do the rings and arenas, the lots of fun to be had despite its flaws,
same can’t be said about the sound. even more so with friends around. If
Along with sub-par voice acting is the you’ve been staying away because every
now archaic commentary system. Calls game was starting to look and feel the
are either too late or completely wrong, same, there’s enough new here to war-
and there are awkward gaps and pauses, rant a fresh look-see.
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
48 REVIEW
remastered Chief.
RATING 4/5 RATING 3/5
by rishi alwani
Y
ou know the last gen of consoles was awesome of the Halo ringworld years ago. Ditto
when you see a spate of remakes hogging shelf with the story, which has you donning the
space, time and most importantly reviews like this. cybernetically-enhanced boots of super soldier
The Halo series is legendary for reasons more than one. At Master Chief, taking on the Covenant on a newly
the time, it's debut effort, Halo: Combat Evolved, propelled discovered planet.
Microsoft's original Xbox from a non-starter to a must-have Throw in some recent additions to the franchise, such
console. A lot has changed since then. We've seen five other as skulls that modify the game by giving you infinite ammo
games, a very awesome set of animated shorts that was or letting enemies burst into confetti; and terminals that fill
Halo Legends, and a spate of novels that have fleshed out in the game's back story, and you have all you need for the
the universe in ways that other video games could not. Oh, old-timers to come racing back. And if you haven't played
and Halo creators Bungie no longer developing games for any of the games in the franchise, CEA is an ideal starting
Microsoft exclusively. point. The HD upgrade is substantial, giving the game a lot
Halo: CEA proclaims high-def graphics, 3D support, of color, texture and, dare I say, life that the original lacked.
Kinect functionality and new multiplayer maps - enough You can see how big a jump it is by switching to classic
new, shiny features to tick all the boxes of the modern day mode, which lets you play the game as it was on the Xbox 1,
gamer. But as the old axiom goes, the more things change, blocky graphics, low-res textures et al.
the more they stay the same. And this time, it holds true But the problem with things staying the same is that it
in a purely good way. The AI is still best in class, the weap- applies to the game's faults as well. Remember how the
ons give the same familiar kick and the lack of power-ups game used to pause between missions? The first game had
made popular from Halo 3 and Reach make this game more this issue where you'd see a “loading...” sign on the bottom
skill-dependent than most others. There's something to be left corner of the screen and movement would screech to
said about the controls that induce almost instant reac- a halt as a chunk of a level would load. I don't know if it's
tions, even if the last time you've played the game was in intentional on the part of the developer or just something
the early 2000s. Everything is as you left the wide expanses they overlooked, but it's something that shouldn't be there
GAmE INfo
first-person shooter
halo: Combat evolved
Anniversary
priCe rs 1,999 (Xbox 360)
publisher Microsoft
Developer 343 industries
Distributor redington
phone nA
e-MAil nA
for
Classic unadulterated gameplay, looks great
remastered, still rocks the best Ai around.
AGAinst
Glitchy in a few places, Kinect and 3D are fluff.
january 2012 intelligent computing cHip insider supplement Hemali Limbachiya
REVIEW 49
in a modern day remastering. Driving vehicles, especially the
Warthog, is still painful and in some cases impossible.
Some of the pain has been brought on by the devs themselves,
because triggering events at certain points does become a buggy
affair. For example, an escort mission ended awry with a certain
character getting shot. However, the very next cutscene had the
same character piloting the ship on which you made your escape.
The 3D mode is more or less fluff, with little-to-no tangible bene-
fit over normal viewing. Kinect support is hit or miss too. You can
use the motion sensor to lob grenades, scan the environment or
switch to classic mode with your voice. It works, but just barely.
As mentioned earlier, the gameplay still holds its own. This
extends to the multiplayer as well. It isn't a full blown offering,
rather a set of maps and an update to the popular Halo: Reach
multiplayer, and it runs on the same engine rather than the new
one created for CEA's campaign. Classic maps like Hang 'Em High,
Battle Creek and Damnation are present and are pretty sweet.
Overall, Halo CEA is a worthwhile purchase for the die-hard
Halo fan who wants to see what a classic would look with some
modern day eye-candy. Considering the original Halo wasn't too
widely available, newbies would find this an accessible entry
point into the franchise as well. It's an accessible re-issue that in
spite of its shortcomings, is well worth a look in.
intelligent computing cHip insider supplement january 2012
Why I’m sick of sequels
O
ver the past few months, I’ve been playing
sequel after sequel, and truth be told, I’m bored.
It’s not that I didn’t like the games I was playing;
it’s just that I knew exactly what to expect even
before I got the game in hand. To some, that
may feel like going to a restaurant, ordering the same dish
you do every time and relishing it, but after a while, you’ll
crave a different dish. That’s how humans roll.
I had touched upon this very same topic a while back,
debating whether this trend of cashing in on sequels was
hampering the industry, and now I can emphatically state
that it is. It seems, however, that I’m in the minority, as sales
figures state otherwise. Modern Warfare 3, something I was
personally a bit disappointed with, has gone on to become
the bestselling video game in history, upping its predecessor
Black Ops that had smashed all sorts of entertainment
“Every company records. Even Uncharted 3, something I had huge hopes for,
could not live up to the standards set up by its predecessor.
can't be a Rockstar Once again, it seemed I was in the minority as most of our
readers were clearly in love with the game.
Games, but that And then there are games like Need for Speed: The Run
that are, not surprisingly, a huge step down from previous
doesn’t mean they iterations. Even though developer Black Box had nearly three
years to work on this game, while studios like Criterion and
shouldn’t try.” Slight Mad churned out other, better NFS games, it seemed
they failed hard, forgetting what made us love the series
in the first place. The same goes with Assassin’s Creed:
Revelations that’s a far cry from both Assassin’s Creed II and Brotherhood. Now I remember reading
somewhere that Brotherhood and Revelations aren’t actual sequels and this makes me wonder that
if the spin-offs have become stale, what could Ubisoft possibly do to get me interested in Assassin’s
Creed III. Even if the game makes the jump to modern day, gameplay mechanics will still stay the
same, so what would their hook be?
What worries me the most is that this trend shows absolutely no sign of slowing down. As I went
through some of the games releasing in 2012, I realised that there are not more than a handful of
original IPs releasing next year. And out of those few, I doubt stuff like Inversion or Asura’s Wrath will
make a huge dent at sales. This obviously doesn’t mean I’m not looking forward to Max Payne 3 or
Grand Theft Auto V, the main reason being Rockstar doesn’t assault us with yearly iterations of these
games. Even if Max Payne 3 had not been delayed multiple times and released when it was supposed
to in 2010, there was still a seven year gap between sequels. The same goes with GTA V that will
release nearly four years after its predecessor.
I know every company cannot be a Rockstar Games, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try.
Churn out sequels, fine, but don’t release them so often that players get sick of the very same formula
they loved. At least try to innovate a bit by expanding upon the predecessor in noticeable or even
subtle ways. Franchises like Call of Duty and Need for Speed have already descended down that
slippery slope and its only a matter of time before both gamers and developers get burnt out with the
same sh*t on a different day.
AVINASh BAlI
avinash@tech2.com
RNI Registration No. MAHENG/2003/12687
