Thanks to the mighty fine people at Sony, we have received 10+ multiplayer beta codes for the Uncharted 3 beta that is going on right now. To get you into the game as quickly as possible, we have set up a Saturday deadline to get your comments in.

All you have to do is subscribe and leave a comment on our onPause YouTube channel that can be found at this link.

All keys will be sent out Saturday night to the winners.

Today, id released the first in a six part series that takes a behind the scenes look at their upcoming shooter; RAGE. This first part is titled The Legacy of id, it takes a look at past id titles and talks about the insane amount of detail going into RAGE. Check the clip below.

Yeah, I will admit it, I am a bit of a Ken Levine and Irrational fanboy. So what?! You should be too.

Irrational and 2K have released the first 2 minutes of the infamous E3 2011 demo and it looks glorious. More is to come according to IG's website.

If you have some free time, make sure to watch Spike TV on the evening of Thursday, July 7 to see the entire demo on GameTrailers TV.

Today DICE has released the first in a series of 'Battleblogs'. EA's latest shooter, Battlefield 3 is going to be a blockbuster event and in order to give gamers a better picture on what they can expect in all things multiplayer, we get to watch a clip on the studio's MP philosophy.

One of my favorite things about summer and why I look forward to it each year is all the crazy Steam sales that go on. Starting now (June 30th) and ending on July 10th, Valve will be discounting new and different games each day.

To check out what todays deals are, visit this link: http://store.steampowered.com/

Teasing games has become pretty much the norm these days. Today Evolve PR has posted an image of a brand new, unannounced PC shooter from Eastern European developer Flying Wild Hog.

The image shows, what appears to be, a semi futuristic looking city environment as well as a hovering spaceship. The image doesn't really show or indicate all that much but still has my interest.

When hitting the developers official website we are greeted with an interesting image of what appears to be some sort of giant alien cyborg killing machine.

So you thought 'Bungie Aerospace' was going to be the Halo developer's next project right, RIGHT? Well, it's not. Aerospace is a clever name for a new partner program that Bungie created.

The new program is geared towards supporting mobile and social developers and will provide them with "creative freedom and the resources they need, like access to the Bungie.net platform and an audience with the incredible Bungie community", according to Bungie's website.

While this is still a cool project, I think we all hoped for a game reveal.

The newly founded gaming studio, Respawn Entertainment, launched their website today. Headed by the two Ex-Infinity Ward Big Wigs Vince Zampella and Jason West, Respawn is on their way to creating their first game which will be a new IP.

Respawn is an independent studio filled with Ex-Infinity Ward devs and some new talent also teased their new game which will be published by EA, well, whenever it's ready.

While it's hard to tell what the image is really showing, it is save to say that there is some kind of hanger or building in it. I presume it will be a new military themed shooter but who knows, maybe it's a Hello Kitty MMO Clone.

Batman Arkham City is due out on October 18th in North America and it's about time we showed you what the cover art looks like, since you'll need to find it on the shelf soon.

Arkham City will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.



Full Box Art

Bodycount, the spiritual successor to Black, has finally received a release date. The Codemaster's title will come to North American retailers on August 30th.

The game is filled with arcade fire fight action which is best described in the E3 gameplay trailer below. Bodycount will be available on Xbox 360 and PS3.

One of the more unique city building simulation games out there, Tropico 3, is now available on Xbox LIVE Games on Demand. In Tropico 3, players are put into the shoes of "El Presidente" (maybe you know who he could be based off of) and are in charge of building the island's island’s economy, foreign relations and citizenry.

In order to succeed in Tropico 3, players will need to rule with either an iron fist or a loving hand if they'd like to grow the empire, which will it be?

Tropico 3 is available now for 19.99 USD on the XBL Games on Demand Marketplace.

If you are a rally loving fanatic like me and own a copy of the splendid Dirt 3, I have some awesome news. Codemasters has released the Monte Carle Track Pack DLC and plenty of new cars.

The track pack will cost you 800 MPS on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, and Games for Windows LIVE and 9.99 Dollars on the PSN Store.

The track pack includes 8 challenging stages with tight turns and massive climbs and descents, we are used to from Monte Carlo's rally.

Codemasters also released new DLC content in the car department. The new vehicles include the classic BMW M3 Rally Car, a Camaro Trail Blazer, Scion Ct Gymkhana Car as well as the legendary Lancia S4.

Codemasters' follow up to their first Formula 1 entry is just around the corner. F1 2011 will build on the very successful entry into the virtual F1 circuit. Codemasters released the first, in a series of Developer Diaries.

Starting on June 28th, specially marked copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops will come with a Free code for its first DLC 'First Strike'.

Look for the sticker on the front of the box. The offer will be available at all 'major' retailers and is North America Only.

Who still doesn't own Call of Duty: Black Ops and is wanting to play 'First Strike'?

Everyone's favorite Major just revealed the dates and prices for the upcoming Summer of Arcade games for this year. Bastion, From Dust, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet and Toy Soldiers: Cold War will cost 1200 MSP. And the Kinect enabled Fruit Ninja will only cost you 800 MSP. Check out the full list of details below.

July 20: Bastion - 1200
July 27: From Dust - 1200
August 3: Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet - 1200
August 10: Fruit Ninja Kinect - 800
August 17: Toy Soldiers: Cold War - 1200

Also if you buy all five Summer of Arcade titles you will receive Crimson Alliance for free when it releases September 7th.


Source

On this episode of PauseThat, Derrin and Ronnie discuss L.A. Noire coming to PC, Team Fortress 2 goes free to play, FIFA 12 release date along with Trenched, Force Unleashed 2, Sonic Generations and much more.



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Subscribe: RSS - iTunes



News:
Ex-Black Rock Developers start ShortRound Games
FIFA 12 on PC based on the same Engine as PS3 and 360
FIFA 12 drop kicks on September 27
LA Noire coming to PC this Fall with 3D Support
Sonic Generations Demo Released
Team Fortress 2 Goes Free to Play on PC and Mac

Games:
Red Faction: Armageddon
The Force Unleashed 2
Trenched
Sonic Generations
Duke Nukem Forever

Other:
Pokemon Tower Defense
Trenched Review
The Evolution of Duke Nukem Forever

Twitters:
Ronnie: @RonyDean
Andreas: @RacingFreak
Derrin: @DernKuhn

Email us:
PauseThat@onPause.org

Remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes!

To celebrate Valves game going free to play they released another one of their super funny "Meet The" videos. This time we meet the medic. Check the video out below. Do note it is a tad on the gory side at times but full of awesome the whole time.

One of the biggest shooters on PC and Mac has just gone free to play today. That's right! Team Fortress 2 is now available to all for the super low amazing price of FREE. Valve is able to do this because TF2 is supported by in-game micro transactions like hats, different clothing and much more.

If for some reason you don't have steam already you can download it from here. Enjoy!

Update: Added the free to play reveal trailer below.

As if Rockstar and Take Two wanted to shut up all the 'haters' once and for all, today the publisher announced that LA Noire, previously a console exclusive, will be coming to 'a wide range of PCs' this Fall.

The PC version of LA Noire will feature 'customization, including keyboard remapping and gamepad functionality to both optimize and customize the performance and user experience. Along with increased fidelity and improved graphical enhancements, the PC version will feature 3D support for an even greater sense of interaction and immersion within a painstakingly detailed 1940s Los Angeles.'



[Source]

Just on the heels of an announcement that FIFA 12 on PC will be the full FIFA experience this year, EA Sports revealed, via Twitter, that the game will release on September 27th in North America and the 30th for the rest of the world.

Are you excited for FIFA 12?

EA Sports' FIFA series has been the most successful sports game worldwide for years. Previously the PC version of the game has been hampered or was completely different as well as browser based.

Finally, FIFA 12 on PC will run on the same engine and have the same features as the console versions. FIFA 12 will include the 'Impact Engine' which simulates more realistic physics during body collisions for instance.

Look for more FIFA coverage soon.

Activision has just sent over a launch trailer for the upcoming third multiplayer DLC pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops called Annihilation. The video below shows off a bunch of gameplay for the four new multiplayer maps and one new zombie level.

I for one am really excited for id Software's latest game, the post-apocalyptic First Person Shooter RAGE is coming out on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 4th.

Today we get a taste of what RAGE's universe will be like as the first Comic based on the game is in stores today.

The RAGE comic revolves around a woman that 'that the survival of humankind doesn’t necessarily mean the survival of humanity'.



Full Cover Below:

As of right now you can save up to 50% off on some of the biggest PopCap titles on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Some to note are: Plants vs. Zombies, Peggle, Heavy Weapon and Zuma. Get the full list of PopCap deals below.

Plants vs. Zombies - was: 1200 now: 600
Peggle - was: 800 now:400
Peggle Nights - was: 400 now: 200
Zuma - was: 400 now: 200
Feeding Frenzy - was: 400 now: 200
Feeding Frenzy 2 - was: 800 now:400
Bejeweled 2 - was: 800 now: 400
Bejeweled Blitz Live - was: 800 now: 200
Heavy Weapon - was: 800 now: 400

Not many gamers may be as familiar with Tripwire's Red Orchestra series but they really should be. With so many games out there going for blockbuster-sized war campaigns with explosions and story twists, it is more refreshing than ever to see that Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad is coming out on August 30th.

Tripwire Interactive revealed that Red Orchestra 2 will return with a stunning Stalingrad campaign filled with first person immersion and hardcore simulation aspects many games lack today.

Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad can be pre-ordered on Steam now for 40 Dollars.

It has been reported that a bunch of Call Of Duty players are experiencing issues trying to play any call of duty title online. Many posts from the Sony and Infinity Ward forums suggest that this is a widespread issue amongst all call of duty games. Call Of Duty 4 players are reporting all gametypes in matchmaking are locked to level 55 and all the match types are greyed out. Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops players are reporting being kicked out of matches with a message that says the Call Of Duty servers are offline.

JD_2020 tweeted at approximately 2:00pm yesterday that PS3, Wii, and PC players may have some difficulties connecting to games for server maintenance. That looks to be the main culprit for the outage. Since the integration of Call Of Duty Elite and the launch of the Beta coming soon. It is safe to assume server maintenance is needed. Since then there has been no updates regarding that tweet.

On a side note Fourzerotwo tweeted he is taking a week off for his daughters 2nd birthday and that there is some stuff in the works regarding a Modern Warfare 3 Spec Ops video and a Call Of Duty 4 Update. There is a bunch of rumors regarding this tweet saying that the Call Of Duty 4 servers are being turned off. It would be bad business to pull down the Call Of Duty 4 servers. They are trying to make a game fit the mold of Call of Duty 4 somehow with Modern Warfare 3.

[Update] All Servers are reporting back online.

If you don't own an Xbox 360 S and a Kinect sensor yet, today may be the day you pull the trigger. Online retail giant and gamer's favorite, Amazon.com is offering an Xbox 360 S Arcade unit and Kinect sensor for the regular 300 Dollars but will throw in a 100 Gift Card, if you buy the bundle today.

Amazon also has tons of games on sale during today's Gold Box event. Check it out.

Warner Brothers finally confirmed Robin as a playable character in Batman Arkham City. While he is 'only' playable in the challenge mode, it is still a very cool character to have as Robin will come with his own unique moves and weapons.

For now, the only way you can get Robin though, is via pre-ordering the game at Best Buy which will land you the 'Robin Pack'. I know you hate pre-orders but hey, Robin is pretty damn awesome.



And here is the full body render:

It is always good to start the week with some good news. Today we learned via GI.biz that several of the ex Black Rock Studios developers founded a new start up studio called ShortRound Games.

According to the article the studio is looking to develop on iPad or PlayStation Vita.

If the sources are correct, there are currently two demos in development and should be shown shortly.

Sega's new squad based shooter Binary Domain, is getting a brand new story trailer today. Binary Domain is the story of machines taking over a society and taking control of human beings everywhere.

I have always been a fan of tower defense games. The idea of me vs. waves of enemies just gets me pumped to kill waves of enemies! So, learning that the wonderful studio, Double Fine, was going to create a tower defense of their own, left me more excited than a finding $5 dollar bill in an old pair of jeans.

To make things perfectly clear, I feel Double Fine hit the ball right out of the park with Trenched. There are so many aspects that I could ramble aimlessly on about, but that would rob you of truly appreciating the improvements Trenched has to offer a seasoned Tower Defender, like myself. So, I will try and keep the idle banter to a minimum, and delve into this game.

Once you begin, a story will start to unfold about Frank Woodrof and Vlad Farnsworth. Through a series of events, both are overwhelmed with a radio signal, increasing their intelligence drastically. Frank uses these newly learned abilities to create leg replacements for the physically disabled. They are called mobile trenches. These mobile trenches are highly customizable with emplacements, weaponry, chassis, legs, and paint. The trenches will be the player's means of transportation on the battlefield. Vlad, however, decided to create monsters called 'Monovision' or 'Tubes'. According to Vlad, they are carrying the broadcast all over the world. Sending the transmission to the masses. The tubes will become the bulletsponges in this war. But, with over 10 different variations of tubes to fight, you are going to need more than bullets to win this war.

Trenched takes place in three prime locations. Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. Each of the regions is then broken into 5 separate maps. As most tower defense games, you are given tutorials and explanations as you continue to unlock and move through the game. As you progress, each level will provide new challenges that will require the combination of your mobile trenches' weaponry and its personal emplacements. These emplacements can range from shotgun turrets to explosive mortar shots. And once you think you have the feel and configuration of a good Trench, there will inevitably be a new tube that comes along and messes with your plan.

While making a jolted segue about configurations, I feel the game's best feature would be the amount and depth in customization, regarding their mobile trenches. Of course, at the beginning of the game, you are given a standard trench with basic weaponry and emplacements. Shortly after your third level you will begin amassing a stockpile of goodies that you can attach to your much larger, or smaller, trench. Should you choose landmines? How about mortar shots? How about a dampening generator to slow movement? Do you want one slot for weaponry and four for emplacements or six slots of weaponry and two for emplacements? While the options stack up, I'm sure you will quickly begin to choose a favorite weapon combination. Mine you ask? The Karlsson Mark III with a Gungir and 3x 'Razor of the Gods' attached. While that might sound like a bunch of rubbish to you now, in time, you'll pick up what I'm laying down.

Moving past the features and details of the game, we get into the gameplay and audio/visual aspects of the game. Keeping in mind that Double Fine has rolled out a massive 1.3GB XBLA title, there are only a handful of qualities about the game that I would consider "Arcade" like. Graphics and audio quality would not be one of them. While playing trenched, I can recall losing many battles just wanting to either die from an explosion, or get wasted from an electrical discharge. The amount of clarity and detail that went into the content of this game was incredibly surprising. In fact, RonyDean actually poked fun and said that one explosion from Trenched looked better than all of Call of Duty's. Now, whether that is some good natured ribbing, or the truth, you'll just have to ask him. But, something we both agreed upon while playing was the audio quality left us wanting to die more often from the electrical discharge. On certain levels, the sky will go dark, and your screen will begin to turn shades of blue. Shortly after, your audio will begin to muffle and you will be surprisingly awoke by many impressive blast that you must avoid to keep from exploding yourself. Even though these plumes of evil would nuke our trench, we couldn't help but enjoy the time we got listening and being impressed.

To put the final topping on an almost perfect cake, all tower defense games have a level of near limitless re-playability. Trenched is no exception. Once I completed the game, there were still achievements to obtain. This required me to learn the levels in depth and plot a perfect course for Gold Medals. And, if you get ahead of your friends, it is so satisfying to go back to early levels and completely obliterate the enemies there. And, once those are all said and done, this games still has 4-player co-op. You can take your trench onto Xbox Live and compare your trench to others. I know I will.

While this game does satisfy those needs for a great arcade game, only a few pitfalls keep it from the top spot. Firstly, the game turned out to be too short, for me. Only 15 levels deep and I still wanted to continue and fight more waves of enemies. I still wanted there to be another region to traverse and more enemies to kill. Secondly, while playing there were a few moments of lackluster frame rate issues. While this seems like nitpicking, it should. I'm trying really hard to bring an honest face to the table. This frame rate issue didn't happen often but when it did, it hampered the experience a bit. The problem occurred maybe three times the entire game and only while playing on some massively intense levels.

Trenched is a must have game for tower defense lovers. Grab your friends and play this game. The game experience only gets better with more trenches on the battlefield. I do have some improvements when you make a sequel, Double Fine, if you ever need to know be sure to ask.

Score: 9/10

Trenched was developed by Double Fine and published by Microsoft Games for Xbox 360 on June 22th. A copy of the game was provided to us by Double Fine for reviewing purposes.

Andreas and Ronnie talk about Duke Nukem Forever, L.A. Noire and Trenched for what they have been playing. In the news section they discuss THQ shuts down KAOS Studios, next gen Xbox coming in 2012, games now available at Red Box kiosks, and much more on this weeks edition of PauseThat.



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Subscribe: RSS - iTunes



News:
Escalation DLC available now on PS3
Black Ops Annihilation DLC Confirmed, Timed Xbox LIVE Exclusive on June 28
THQ closes KAOS and THQ Digital Warrington
Rumor: Next Gen Xbox in 2012 according to Crytek
Games now Available at RedBox Kiosks

Games:
Trenched
Dead Nation
Duke Nukem
L.A. Noire

Other:
Duke Nukem Forever - Metacritic
TV and Lust
onPauseMedia

Awesomeness:
Music Video: I Don't Wanna be a Crappy Housewife

Twitters:
Ronnie: @RonyDean
Andreas: @RacingFreak

Email us:
PauseThat@onPause.org

Remember to subscribe and review us on iTunes!

When taken purely at face-value Team Bondi’s LA Noire may come across like a typical ‘Open World’ Rockstar game but it is hugely different. When developer Team Bondi set out to create a detective thriller that takes place in post World War II, 1940s Los Angeles, they had their work cut out for them. How is an open world detective game even going to play? What are the elements that will make or break this genre-creating experience? I played LA Noire to find out exactly that, and, if it is any good.

The year is 1947 and the city of LA is more crime ridden than ever. Struggling GI’s are returning from a brutal war and try to re-insert themselves into society which comes at a price as players will find out throughout the story. Hollywood is booming and drugs and liquor are flowing freely around the city. Players will be taking control of Cole Phelps who is a highly decorated World War II veteran entering the police force. Phelps starts out on the traffic desk and will work his way through Homicide, Vice and Arson as the game progresses. Each desk has several self contained cases in which players are required to find and connect clues and evidence in order to find the guilty party and charge a suspect with the committed crime. Sounds easy? Well, it really becomes difficult in the ongoing cases Phelps needs to investigate. While the desks and even cases are standalone experiences there promises to be a common thread that develops as the plot thickens.

Let me now try and answer the question; ‘What is LA Noire?’. Team Bondi and Rockstar have done an incredible job modeling an open world LA which was done though tons of research and dedication. When walking or driving through Los Angeles, players will notice a lively and detailed city, filled with people, cars and sights from the era that make it a pleasure to experience this recreation of a classic LA. The one problem I have with it is that there are not an awful lot of reasons to see the city. While there are some exciting street crimes Phelps can attend do, such as bank robberies or an armed gunman running through the streets, there aren’t many other things to do as finding hidden cars becomes old after a while. To be honest though, I didn’t want to spend much time on that anyway since the story and gameplay of LA Noire are satisfying enough to keep players engaged for hours.

Since Phelps becomes a detective fairly soon in the game, based on his success during the Patrol occupation which is really just a tutorial to get players up to speed, he gets straight to investigations and the main gameplay mechanics of LA Noire. Players will be briefed at the police station on the crime scene they are due to attend to, before they leave for the scene alongside their partner. Partners change from desk to desk and are all really fleshed out characters as most NPCs in this game. Once at the crime scene Phelps will get a quick heads up on the crime and the evidence recovered before he tends to the actual investigation. In order to solve cases Phelps needs to find clues which can be found on dead bodies or around the area of the crime scene. Clues can be found in the form of a bloody wrench, a drivers license, jewelry or injuries on a dead body. LA Noire’s crime scenes are filled with clues as well as red herrings and incidental items. One tip from me, don’t bother picking up any bottles. While on the crime scene, Phelps will walk around the location and look at, pick up and investigate items relevant to the case. Each time players get near a potential clue or pieces of evidence a chime will sound and a slight vibration of the controller can be felt. Both of those hints can be turned off for greater immersion. Once each piece of evidence and clues have been discovered a musical theme plays to let players know that it’s time to move on. Phelps can also ask his partner for advice when in a pinch and he will guide him in the right direction. In addition to the physical investigation of crime scenes, there are the interrogations and interviews of witnesses and suspects. This is probably the most interesting and challenging part of LA Noire as well as the most promising element to come out of a game in several years.

Team Bondi set out to create a compelling game experience that uses interrogation techniques based on facial expressions. In past games it could be quite difficult to judge emotions or pinpoint the twitch of an eye which is crucial to LA Noire’s success. In order to achieve the sort of level of facial animation required to have realistic interrogation gameplay, Team Bondi created a brand new technology called ‘Motion Scan’. Motion Scan places real actors into a brightly lit room filled with dozens of cameras which cover the person’s facial expressions from 360 degrees. This tech allowed Team Bondi to nail down each twitch, grin, wrinkle and grimace a character would make based on emotions. In LA Noire, Phelps and ultimately the player, has to judge each person he or she interviews. After enough evidence has been collected, Phelps can take in a suspect and interview them. In order to judge lies, truths or half-hearted statements, Phelps needs to critically examine the suspect’s facial expressions. Once Phelps asked a question and received an answer, players will need to make a judgment and either accuse someone of lying, which will need to be backed up with evidence, telling the truth or implying that the suspect is not being entirely truthful. This alone can become a serious challenge and getting the reactions correct or wrong will affect how each case plays out.

The interrogation gameplay is one of the coolest things I have done in a video game. Because of the incredible detail achieved with Motion Scan, players are looking at real actors playing out the scene and this alone makes LA Noire worth playing and ultimately a milestone in modern video games. There are of course a few challenges with this sort of mechanic and at times LA Noire can feel a bit ‘videogamey’. While there aren’t many gripes I have with the way the interrogation system works, I do dislike the fact that ultimately every suspect accused of lying says something like ‘and how will you prove that’ or ‘what kind of evidence do you have’. Again, this is not a huge issue but a flaw that Team Bondi can iron out in a future title.

As Phelps solves cases and makes his way through LA Noire’s convoluted but outstanding story, he will use his notepad as a guide. The notepad allows players to review collected evidence, check what witnesses and suspects have said and check the objectives and locations involved in each case. Phelps is also able to use intuition points which are given each time players level up. There are twenty levels. Using intuition points will make it easier for players to solve cases as each point can unlock all clues on a crime scene, eliminate a response from an interview question or ask the community for their answer. 5 intuition points can be held at any given time and using them wisely becomes critical in some of the tougher cases.

With all of that said, investigating crime scenes, interviewing suspects and witnesses as well as connecting the dots within each case and ultimately the story, LA Noire is a blast to play. If you are expecting 1940s Grand Theft Auto however, you are playing the wrong game. There isn’t much gunplay in this game. Most of player’s time will be spent figuring out how each case pertains to the strory rather than shooting up an intersection ala GTA. LA Noire can already be put up as one of the best games you will play in 2011. As players progress through the game and start seeing what is going on in the story of this excellent title, they should feel very compelled to continue playing and finishing the game. I did feel though, that the pacing was a bit too slow at times and some aspects of the plot and character developments as well as backgrounds could have been tied up a bit better.

As a sucker for adventure games of years past, I must say that LA Noire feels like a classic point and click adventure game brought into the 21st century. Rockstar’s latest game is filled with amazing technology that makes a new sort of gameplay possible, which will undoubtedly be adopted by many games in the future, I’m sure. LA Noire is a compelling detective story, filled with story twists and an ending that you won’t see coming. Team Bondi has done a fantastic job in developing a game that will have players talk about it for years to come. Playing through LA Noire is one of the most exceptional experiences I had this year and I am dying to see what Team Bondi does next.

Score: 9 / 10

LA Noire was developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games for Xbox 360 and PS3 on May 17th. A copy of the game was provided to us by Rockstar for reviewing purposes.

Battlefield VS Call Of Duty. The war has been waging in between these two gaming military juggernauts for years. Gamers very loyal to the respected games will fight tooth and nail over the bests of each game. Will that be until the new incarnation of each come to store shelves and the ready hand of the game reviewers? Here we will go over the good and bad of the current games available and let you decide.





The game is great no matter the version. Spanning many different eras in its weapons arsenal. One great point with Battlefield is the realism to the game. You can bet leading on a enemy in a full sprint with the sniper rifle at a distance. It takes some concentration and the bullet drop of in battlefield is greater. Realism is one of the games major pushes to the hands of the player. The Frostbite 1.5 engine creates destructible environments that make you hide and find cover. Planning a firefight before it even happens. Introducing strategy to the game.

Caimpaign:

This game doesn't have as many cutscenes as Call Of Duty. Story isn't as great as a pick up and play shooter. I found myself enjoying the campaign but, not nearly as much as the multiplayer. It seemed very linear and mission to mission seemed kind of repetitive. Many shooters fall into this pit even call of duty suffers from the same fate. The one thing I do have to point out is the vehicles in battlefield have a better refined touch to them. The campaign has a less arcade feel to the game yet is action packed when you need it. No four hour patrols for no reason. Its very well balanced and keeps you shooting threw the bad guys.

Multiplayer:

The maps are larger with destructible environments in Battlefield: Bad Company 2's frostbite 1.5 engine. The experience table in the game seems to be very expansive promoting a longer game play. Without having to prestige to redo the same challenges again. There is over 15,000 different class variations and these class variations are unlocked via the experience system that many games of this genre follow. But, not as expansive as battlefield bad company 2. Joining matches seem to be a little off. Matchmaking with the PS3 version I played was not as good as say Halo. But, I found a game quickly regardless.

Overall:

This game harnesses the realism factor in the genre that many developers try to hit and miss usually. The multiplayer is very expansive and will keep you playing for a long time. Campaign is lacking is some areas. Found myself wanting to just create chaos and not follow the linear game play that many FPS games suffer from. The game engine is great and I can't wait for Frostbite 2.0. From what we all have seen from Electronic Arts and DICE. It looks to stomp all over the current generation look of the FPS genre.



Call Of Duty Black Ops

This game has made leaps and bounds threw out the years of Call Of Duty 3. This version of Call Of Duty is another leap from the previous Modern Warfare 2. The game also has a heavy duty arsenal of weapons threw many different eras of war. It is a pick up and play shooter that has a very heavy arcade feel. With many customizing options to keep the player going to unlock weapons, camos, emblems, and titles. The game has been built on the same engine since Call Of Duty 4. Just has been infused with better graphics and weapon tweaks in each release. Its getting to the end of the lifespan of the engine and this may come into play with the release of Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3.

Campaign:

The campaign in Call Of Duty hasn't changed over the years. Mission game play with very repetitive gameplay that even a first timer can figure out in about twenty minutes. It has many game play actions that havn't changed since Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare. Although, It has been added to repeatedly in each game released. Missions may have different names and different final objectives. The point A to point B remains the same. Its action packed with many cutscenes to keep the story going. Many quick time events make it feel immersive but with how many there is in the campaign it makes it feel repetitive as stated before. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and waiting for the terrorist pop out and take you to the ground.

Mulitplayer:

When Call of Duty 2 introduced multiplayer to the console version. It was after Bungie introducing matchmaking into Halo 2. It was lacking in every area. Since then Call of Duty Black Ops has become a customization king. Introducing a layer system in the emblems that are placed on the weapons. There is many different options to make the game your own. Something I didn't see in Battlefield Bad Company 2. It introduced a theatre mode similar to the halo series and Incorporated save slots for replays, screenshots, and match types. The maps are smaller than battlefield. Infusing the Call Of Duty feel of short range skirmishes but also gives the ability to snipe. I like the perk system that creates competition among players to modify the way the play to meet a opposing perk. I do not like the killstreak award system. Inside that system is the only time you see vehicles used in multiplayer. Only two vehicles which are player controlled which gives less freedom to the player. But, if that freedom was achieved the maps size would restrict player movement and encourage spawn killing. Which has been a problem in the franchise title since the start of multiplayer.

Overall:

Black ops is very intuitive to the players it harbors. Customization into the game is huge. It is what separates it from the usual FPS stereotype. It however falls back into that stereotype that this genre falls into as stated above with the Battlefield series. Its arcade feel sticks it to the pick up and play from campaign all the way through the multiplayer. The game engine needs a new sheen and feel. The new Modern Warfare 3 hopes to keep the feel of the game they have but add more to the bucket that is already full. I hope they can polish the engine and release the new game before they get left behind in the market.

So with all that said and based on your guys experience with both games. What we have seen so far with both games sequels. Lets let the lead fly. Comment below with your points that we have missed.