A German tabloid newspaper, Bild has today reported that the release date of the 3DS is closer than we believed, with the handheld console being released on 11th November in Japan at first with a European release following in Spring. More news about the 3DS was set to be announced this week (starting 27th September) in a Nintendo press conference in Japan, but it appears that Bild has leaked one of the most highly anticipated announcements of the year. Nintendo had previously announced that the handheld console would be released before the end of the fiscal year ending, which ends in March 2011, but no real confirmation has been given.
If the rumour is true, then it only gives Nintendo just over a month to push the 3DS commercially, which begs the question, is it enough time to push such a revolutionary product? It was first announced in E3 2010 in June, but not much else has been said about it since. Microsoft's Kinect and Sony's Playstation Move have had over a year's time to promote itself, but with Nintendo's success in pushing the Wii and the DS commercially, a month could be plenty of time for Nintendo to promote the 3DS.
Tuesday 28 September 2010
Dead Space review
There have been many different titles over the years in the survival horror genre, Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Alone in the Dark to name a few. But in 2008, EA released a new IP for the genre, Dead Space.Dead Space is a third person "over the shoulder" shooter which places the player in the role of Isaac Clarke, an engineer sent aboard an interstellar mining ship, USG Ishimura to investigate events which have caused the ship to send out a distress signal. However Clarke also has a personal stake in this, as he also receives a crypted message from Nicole Brennan, a medical specialist aboard the Ishimura and his girlfriend. He is joined by Kendra Daniels a technologist sent to fix the Ishimura's communication system and senior security officer Zach Hammond. What seems to be a relatively simple journey turns into a nightmare for the three characters.
Shortly after you arrive on the ship, you are separated from the other two members of the team by Necromorphs. Necromorphs are the enemies in the game, previously being crew members aboard the Ishimura. As you progress further in the game, different types of Necromorphs will start to appear, needing different strategies to kill them off. But Dead Space is not like your normal third person shooter, but instead uses the idea of limb dismemberment. The guns in the game use laser aiming which allows you to strategically aim at certain limbs to stop the Necromorphs from running towards you and clawing you to death. The Necromorphs usually attack in groups and are well hidden in many different areas, including ventilation systems which makes players check around every corner before going round it. Although melee attacks do not have the same effect. They seem to be a last resort for players when they run out of ammo for all their guns, and do not do much damage towards the Necromorphs. There are also two utilities which will help players progress through the game, Kinesis, which gives you the ability to move objects and Stasis, which can be recharged through recharging points and booster packs, enables you to slow down fast moving objects, like malfunctioning doors and fast moving Necromorphs.
To assist Isaac with his adventure, there are stores scattered around the ship which enables players to purchase new weapons, med packs, extra ammo and suit upgrades using credits which are dropped by enemies throughout the game. The store also enables Isaac to store items which he is unable to hold in his inventory, inventory space is limited but increases with every upgrade to his suit.
You can also purchase power nodes which are used to upgrade weapons at various workbenches throughout the game, with each node used to link each branch of the circuit board. The nodes can not only upgrade weapons but also upgrade Kinesis and Stasis as well as the health bar.
Throughout the game, you will also encounter many areas which are deprived of gravity, and therefore enables Isaac to perform zero-gravity jumps to any surface. This can be used to strategically kill Necromorphs from different angles, but in turn can have the same effect vice-versa. But primarily zero-gravity is used to solve different problems, with the addition of the limited air supplies in certain areas outside of the ship, presents players with unique obstacles.
But what separates Dead Space from the other survival horror games is the environment which the game is set in. EA have done a great job in creating an atmosphere aboard the Ishimura which not only adds tension to the game but creates a sense of isolation with great visuals and sounds, causing players to constantly worry about where the next attack from the Necromorphs will come from and frantically pushing the shoot button. The engaging story and the lack of knowledge of events aboard Ishimura only adds to the tense atmosphere whilst you try to piece bits together through various audio and text logs left behind by crew members.
This increased fear factor makes the Dead Space experience a refreshing take on survival horror with recent releases like Resident Evil 4 and Alone in the Dark becoming more action focused and moving away from the horror aspect.With its immersive story and excellent visuals this makes Dead Space a must buy game for all gamers.
Shortly after you arrive on the ship, you are separated from the other two members of the team by Necromorphs. Necromorphs are the enemies in the game, previously being crew members aboard the Ishimura. As you progress further in the game, different types of Necromorphs will start to appear, needing different strategies to kill them off. But Dead Space is not like your normal third person shooter, but instead uses the idea of limb dismemberment. The guns in the game use laser aiming which allows you to strategically aim at certain limbs to stop the Necromorphs from running towards you and clawing you to death. The Necromorphs usually attack in groups and are well hidden in many different areas, including ventilation systems which makes players check around every corner before going round it. Although melee attacks do not have the same effect. They seem to be a last resort for players when they run out of ammo for all their guns, and do not do much damage towards the Necromorphs. There are also two utilities which will help players progress through the game, Kinesis, which gives you the ability to move objects and Stasis, which can be recharged through recharging points and booster packs, enables you to slow down fast moving objects, like malfunctioning doors and fast moving Necromorphs.
To assist Isaac with his adventure, there are stores scattered around the ship which enables players to purchase new weapons, med packs, extra ammo and suit upgrades using credits which are dropped by enemies throughout the game. The store also enables Isaac to store items which he is unable to hold in his inventory, inventory space is limited but increases with every upgrade to his suit.
You can also purchase power nodes which are used to upgrade weapons at various workbenches throughout the game, with each node used to link each branch of the circuit board. The nodes can not only upgrade weapons but also upgrade Kinesis and Stasis as well as the health bar.
Throughout the game, you will also encounter many areas which are deprived of gravity, and therefore enables Isaac to perform zero-gravity jumps to any surface. This can be used to strategically kill Necromorphs from different angles, but in turn can have the same effect vice-versa. But primarily zero-gravity is used to solve different problems, with the addition of the limited air supplies in certain areas outside of the ship, presents players with unique obstacles.
But what separates Dead Space from the other survival horror games is the environment which the game is set in. EA have done a great job in creating an atmosphere aboard the Ishimura which not only adds tension to the game but creates a sense of isolation with great visuals and sounds, causing players to constantly worry about where the next attack from the Necromorphs will come from and frantically pushing the shoot button. The engaging story and the lack of knowledge of events aboard Ishimura only adds to the tense atmosphere whilst you try to piece bits together through various audio and text logs left behind by crew members.
This increased fear factor makes the Dead Space experience a refreshing take on survival horror with recent releases like Resident Evil 4 and Alone in the Dark becoming more action focused and moving away from the horror aspect.With its immersive story and excellent visuals this makes Dead Space a must buy game for all gamers.
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