Join Steve, Dave, and Jon as they work the mic like vandals. Dave is (again) a PS3 owner, thus making the entire PixelVerdict Crew a bunch of namby-pamby fence sitting panzies who refuse to choose ONE side in the great World Console Wars. Dave rocks the DJ Hero (Renegade Version bitches! Fo’ Reals!), Jon plays some archaic fighting games, and Steve takes Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days for a spin.

Random questions are the order of the day, as Steve, in celebration of the announcement of Street Fighter X Tekken asks for some “Ultimate Fighting game throwdowns”, and Dave wants to know about the cheapest bossfights in video game history, Damn you Heihachi Mishima!

Are you man enough to fight with me? Do you have a suggestion for the most ultimate fighting game showdown? Can you rock two turntables and a microphone? Why not Let us know in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing feedback@pixelverdict.com.

You can listen to the show with the player above, download it here, or subscribe through iTunes or by adding our feed to your podcatcher of choice.

Opening Music: “Your Touch” by The Black Keys
Closing Music: “500 Years” by Hardliner

Dragon Age 2 is official, you’ll see it in the first Quarter of 2011 (perhaps on Feb 2nd? hmm? hmmm?)

The first trailer will make its presence known on August 17th of 2010.

Here’s your press release:

Rise to Power and Change the World Forever in the Sequel to 2009’s RPG of the Year

EDMONTON, Alberta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Leading video game developer BioWare™, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), confirmed today that Dragon Age^™ 2 is in development at BioWare’s Edmonton-based studio. Dragon Age 2 is the sequel to the triple-platinum-selling Dragon Age: Origins which was named “RPG of the Year” in 2009 by Game Informer, G4, IGN, and SpikeTV. With Dragon Age 2, the world’s preeminent RPG developer is revolutionizing the genre again, infusing the universe with more action, a new, more responsive combat system and a dynamic story that is already among the most multifaceted in gaming.Dragon Age 2 traces the rise to power of Hawke, a survivor of the Blight and a hero who will transform the face of the Dragon Age universe forever. The new game is scheduled for release in March of 2011 on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC.

“Last year’s launch of Dragon Age: Origins was one of the most successful in BioWare’s 15-year history and one of the most successful new IP launches in the 28 year history of EA,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Senior Vice President of Electronic Arts and co-founder and Group General Manager of BioWare. “Dragon Age 2 will simultaneously deliver an epic story and set a new bar for intense action in the genre. We’re very excited to deliver this next bold evolution in the Dragon Agefranchise to our fans.”

“With Dragon Age 2 we are creating an exciting new entry point into the Dragon Age universe while ensuring that fans of the original game retain a sense of satisfaction and familiarity in the world,” said Dragon Age 2 Executive Producer Mark Darrah. “We are amplifying the things that made Dragon Age: Origins such a huge success while introducing a more dynamic combat system, improving the graphics, and telling the most important story in our world.”

Dragon Age 2 thrusts players into the role of Hawke, a penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age. Known to be a survivor of the Blight and the Champion of Kirkwall, the legend around Hawke’s rise to power is shrouded in myth and rumor. Featuring an all-new story spanning 10 years, players will help tell that tale by making tough moral choices, gathering the deadliest of allies, amassing fame and fortune, and sealing their place in history. The way you play will write the story of how the world is changed forever.

Dragon Age 2 is in production for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, and PC. For more information on Dragon Age 2, please visit our website atwww.DragonAge.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dragonage or on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/DragonAgeOrigins.

About BioWare

BioWare develops high quality console, PC and online role-playing games, focused on rich stories, unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world’s most critically acclaimed titles, including Baldur’s Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, Jade Empire™, Mass Effect™ and Dragon Age^TM. BioWare operates in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec), Austin (Texas) and Fairfax (Virginia). Currently announced projects at BioWare include the development of ongoing downloadable content for Mass Effect 2™, one of the highest rated video games of all time, Dragon Age 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2009’s “RPG of the Year” Dragon Age: Origins, and the story-driven massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars®: The Old Republic™. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/biofeed. To join the millions of fans already registered on our community, go to http://social.bioware.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Opening Statement:
From Sega, and developer of cult-RPGs, Obsidian Entertainment (Neverwinter Nights 2) comes a new take on the action RPG. Forget outer space and fantasy kingdoms; Alpha Protocol is the world’s first tactical espionage Role player. Will it manage to successfully infiltrate your collection? Or will you be disavowing any knowledge of its actions.

"Who are you calling GENERIC!?"

Facts of the Case:
Michael Thornton has just been recruited by Alpha Protocol, an organization of rogue agents who operate outside the proper government channels and use whatever tactics they can to ensure global stability while furthering American interests. Mike’s inaugural mission takes him to Saudi Arabia in search of missing experimental missiles, one of which was used to knock down a civilian airliner. It’s up to Thornton to unravel a conspiracy involving terrorist groups, politicians, and the worlds largest weapons manufacturer, and with a mole inside the organization, he must trust no one in his search for the truth.

The Evidence:
I’m not sure what exactly it is that plagues Obsidian Entertainment. Born from the ashes of Black Isle, a name whispered with reverence amongst old school PC role-players, their output would never suggest they were responsible for legendary titles like Fallout 2, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment. They’ve spent the majority of their time clinging to the coattails of Canadian RPG powerhouse, Bioware. Hitting first with a sequel to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which saw its final act completely and savagely gutted to make a Christmas release date. They followed that up with an ambitious sequel to Neverwinter Nights, which arrived a technical mess, and still remains barely playable on cutting edge hardware. Whatever circumstances surrounded these noble misfires, be it Lucasarts’ aggressive development schedule, or Atari’s floundering fortunes, the guys at Obsidian seem unable to catch a break, unable to flex their ample muscles to the fullest. Perhaps with Alpha Protocol, their first attempt at a new IP, with Sega at the publishing reigns, their prospects could change?

No, not really. I’m really starting to think that Obsidian either has serious product management issues, or is otherwise under some unbreakable voodoo curse. Alpha Protocol comes out of the gate feeling like a collective of great ideas poured into a mold, and then cracked open before the clay has had the time to dry. The game, as a whole, feels raw and unfinished, like the developers reached the stage of development where a game is considered “feature complete” and then proceeded to dump the code to a gold master without any bug-squashing or quality assurance testing whatsoever. The game is hardly what I would call terrible, but for every idea that works, there’s an idea that is heavily compromised.

"Just call me Fisher!"

The gameplay, in a nutshell, is Mass Effect in a new skin. Built on the same engine, it’s as though Obsidian got their hands on the source code for Bioware’s Sci-fi RPG epic and replaced all of the art assets. Many of the faults that people addressed in that 2007 megahit are present here as well, and are considerably less forgivable almost three years on. The biggest bone of contention is no doubt the RPG-derived shooting mechanics, which rewards a bumped up weapon skill rather than a steady aim when it comes to landing headshots. Your targeting reticule could sit on some poor bastard’s forehead, only for the shot to whiz past him by several meters if your dice roll comes up “1”. For an international super-spy, Michael Thornton shoots more like an Imperial Stormtrooper.

Some will be able to rise above the crappy shooting, particularly those who stick with Assault rifles and pump their skills accordingly, but others will be immensely frustrated by their inability to hit a target, and pistol fans (like myself) will be tearing hair out in frustration as their silent killer is about as useful as a fart in a warm breeze. Hell, every weapon in the game outside of assault rifles is a useless effort. Shotguns are crippled by the fact that you have to be right next to a target, which makes it impossible to aim, and the sub-machine guns (which are duel-wielded for some unexplained reason) look stupid, and just spew forth a wall of lead that very slowly chips away at the health of even the lowliest of terrorist underlings. Sniper rifles pop up on occasion, but are usually a stationary affair that precludes you finding a lofty sniper perch and ventilating skulls. Once or twice I came upon a stationary sniper rifle only to find that I had no bitches to pwn.

Alpha Protocol doesn’t always rely on gunfights, thankfully. There are other alternatives, typically the stealth approach. Sadly, the stealth mechanics are about as weak as the gun fighting. Enemies seem to randomly be able to detect you on a whim (probably a result of comparing numbers under the hood like a bad guy’s perception vs. your stealth). Different body armour and load outs can make you a little tougher to detect, and if you can get close enough, there’s a neat option that allows you to either silently take down a baddie or otherwise knife his larynx out. Sounds great on paper, yes? Unfortunately, your silent take downs may randomly alert some dude in the adjacent room, separated by 10 inches of concrete, while dudes in the same room, mere meters away, remain oblivious to your presence, even while looking in your general direction.

What if Rambo were a Bond girl?

Yes, Alpha Protocol’s artificial intelligence is wretched. Whether you’re up against Arabic terrorists, CIA field agents, SWAT teams, private military bad-asses or fellow covert agents, they all follow the same set of arbitrary instructions: Run in circles, shoot, and die. Occasionally they dive behind cover, but it’s a pre-canned routine, they’d do the same thing if you were standing right behind them. Enemy awareness is busted, it’s as though everyone is wearing blinders and listening to Bell Biv DeVoe on their iPods while waiting for the one guy in the vicinity who actually has some sense of purpose to find you and raise the alarm, or otherwise get shot in the face/stabbed in the larynx by a covert agent. It’s as though every character in the game is hooked to a switch that has two settings, “docile” and “aggressive”. It’s the kind of “sneak n shoot” gameplay we got in 1998 with Syphon Filter on Playstation One. When you do raise an alarm, and oh, you will, it seems like everyone is automatically locked onto your location, and they come running like bees to honey. This in and of itself isn’t much of a problem, on easy and normal settings, bad guys are target practice, if you play on the hardest difficulty, shots are fired at random from bad guys who may or may not be in the room with you, and they will end your life in unspectacular fashion. After that, your corpse may either bounce around unnaturally or pass through a wall, floor, ceiling, or randomly placed shrubbery.

No, the technical limitations do not end at lousy henchman AI. Alpha Protocol is chock full of stiff animation, and technical glitches that have people passing through walls, walking on air, and otherwise defying the laws of gravity, physics, and common sense. On several instances, my Assault rifle magically belched brass shell casings even when it wasn’t being fired. Even after my still corpse hit the earth, and I sat slowly waiting for the prompt to reload from the last checkpoint, those 7.65mm shell casings kept ejecting from my rifle as though I were still standing upright in full on “Rock N Roll” stance. It doesn’t help that these stray bullets also clip through Mike’s body while he’s stuck in a run animation.

From a presentation standpoint, we’re looking at a mixed bag for sure. Menus are bland and utilitarian; they get the job done, but only just. The interface is likewise rather dull; full of nondescript icons that don’t always give a fair representation of your abilities. The game’s art design is bland and uninspired, with a bunch of plain, boring looking enemies that either lack any manner of personality, or have borrowed their charm from some crappy spy movie. Honestly, the character designs range from yawn-inducing to absolutely ridiculous (The pink-haired Russian commando or the Emo-teen hitman complete with running mascara come to mind). Michael Thornton is about the most boring frontman i’ve seen, and the miniscule customization options you’re given don’t help him improve any, at all. Then there’s the texture pop in that never ceases to make its presence known when you decide to hit menus in order to switch up an outfit or alter facial features.

Respect the beard!

That’s right, this is an Unreal 3 powered game, and about the only sign that alludes to that fact is the texture pop-in that plagued pretty much every Unreal 3 version 1.0 title. Lighting is rudimentary, the framerate is sluggish, textures are basic if serviceable, and everything is built with a minimal amount of detail, making for some mighty clunky looking characters and objects. Alpha Protocol may as well have been built on Unreal 2 technology. No, it’s not quite ‘Xbox’ ugly, but it definitely looks more like something that might have graced the 360 or PS3 in their early launch days. There are a few isolated incidents where Alpha Protocol comes close to matching some of the lesser U3-powered games out there, and on one or two occasions i did notice some genuinely sweet looking environments and effects. The biggest problem is that the whole thing suffers from screen tearing like a stray dog suffers fleas. Any panning of the camera results in disorienting tears as the “v” struggles to “synch”. If anyone were to want for a sample of the screen tearing issue that’s become pretty prevalent in this generation, Alpha Protocol is the new poster boy. Overall, if Midway’s WWII shooter, Hour of Victory didn’t exist, Alpha Protocol would probably take the ‘ugliest game powered by Unreal 3 Technology’ trophy.

Rebuttal Witness:
After all of that rampant negativity, you might be surprised to learn that does manage to get a few things right at the core.

For one thing, the game’s touted ‘Dialogue Stance System’ really works well, and as advertised. Again, think of Mass effect, but replace general comments with attitudes or emotions. Depending on the subject you’re conversing with, you can choose to be suave, professional, hostile, or courteous, and each Non-player character in the game reacts differently based on the stances you choose. Some characters have zero tolerance for bullshit, while others appreciate a hostile, stand-offish tone. The relationships you build throughout the game also play off of each faction you run into, and characters within each faction; become too close to one character, and you may find another won’t give you the time of day. Many of these characters become handlers for future missions, and depending on who’s got your back, mission parameters, storyline, and outcomes can change. It gives the game a sense of fluidity, characters who serve a major role in one player’s game may be mere footnotes in another. There’s really a sense that here, more than ever, your choices as a player really do have an effect on the outcome.

"Don't you ever call me Gabe Logan again!"

There’s an economy at work as well, that allows you to access a black market arms merchants and information brokers. Weapons are highly customizable, and different modifications do allow for a slightly more entertaining time when the guns come out. The intel you buy opens up new avenues for progressing through some of the games tougher levels. You can acquire weapon drops while in the field, or get rid of some of the more heavily armed foes in a region. It all feels authentic and logical, and here, Alpha Protocol really does a fantastic job of getting you to think like a spy. The espionage angle is taken that much further with a detailed e-mail and dossier system that gives you all sorts of tools and info. You can e-mail contacts (using the same stance system you use in conversations) and gather intel on factions and individuals that provides insight on how to deal with people when you run into them in the future.

When the game trades action for espionage, it actually succeeds rather brilliantly. There’s a significant amount of difficult choices, dialogue sequences, and safehouse shenanigans present in the game to really help take the sting out of the crummy action bits, and based on how you go about things, you may have less and less action to deal with. Play more like a spy, and less like Master Chief, and you’ll have a much better time with the game.

Closing Comments: There were many rumours circling around Alpha Protocol before its release, not the least of which was that Sega pulled support from Obsidian and basically put the brakes on development. Then they promptly delayed the ‘finished’ game for six months (possibly out of fear of Modern Warfare 2). None of it really makes a lot of sense, as given a bit more time in the oven, Alpha Protocol could have been a legitimate contender. As it stands, I want to love this game a hell of a lot more than i actually do, and I have no doubt that I won’t be alone. If you’re what one might call a hardcore RPG player and you’re looking for something a little a little off the beaten path, you may enjoy this trip through the world of international espionage.  However, it will almost certainly test the limits of your patience with some insufferably frustrating combat.

The Verdict:

Platform: Microsoft Xbox360, Sony Playstation 3, Windows PC(Playstation 3 version reviewed)
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: June 1st, 2010
Rated: M(17+) for Mature

Steve’s Take:

Kicking things off is Jack Tretton and a joke about ponchos! IN YOUR FACE! It is on!

Killzone 3 – Sony pulls a Microsoft amd comes out waving the big gun around. Unfortunately for MS, Killzone 3 looks amazing AND it’s exclusive. Lots of 3D gobbledegook that means jack to me. Killzone 2 hits in Feburary, is in 3D, and support Playstation Move! Thumbs Up!

Playstaytion Move – Prepared to hate, must resist stupid motion controller… Sorcery looks very very cool… i mean NO! Stupid gimmick! Unresponsive rubbish! Oh forget it – Move looks pretty damned amazing,and the tech behind it is goddamn impressive. Of all the games to sell me, a Harry Potter clone and Tiger Woods. Thumbs up.

Kevin Butler is in the HIZZOUSE! Preaching the message of unity between casual and hardcore. Y’know, for a highly paid marketing machine, Butler is without a doubt… the man! This is one of the most awesome moments ever, and the crowd is devouring it. “We are GAMERS! We have gigantic TV screens in one bedroom apartments!” I see this whole sequence becoming a classic moment in the history of gaming, where all console loyalties were tossed aside. It was an awesome, and very classy move by Sony, and i’ve no doubt that Kevin Butler has gone way beyond his marketing firm roots at this point. The guy has entered the Video Game hall of fame.

Move Montage – a barrage of titles for Sony’s mo-con solution, ranging from the party games you’d expect to some suprisingly hardcore offerings. Goddamnit! It all looks like fun! The pricing isn’t completely ludicrous either. Thumbs up!

God of War: Ghost of Sparta – Why can I not get excited about this? Or the other 70 titles supposedly coming between now and christmas for the PSP? Even handed gesture.

Little Big Planet 2 – While I certainly recognize the cleverness, the first game just didn’t grab me. This time around, they’re throwing every kind of minigame imaginable into the mix. Maybe this time… Even Handed Gesture.

Playstation Plus – A paid premium service for PSN users. 50 bucks a year nets you early demos, beta access, free PSN games and PSP Minis, and free PSOne classics. Also includes Cross Game Chat with any PSN member (as long as the chat is initiated by a PS Plus subscriber). Sounds like a solid value, and everything that was free remains free, Kudos to Sony! Thumbs up!

Medal of Honor – A new demo with a look at the Unreal 3 powered single player, brief, but incredible. Some more online multi stuff, and exclusive bonus for PS3 owners! Medal of Honor Frontline (arguably the best iteration on any console) for free, in HD, included with the PS3 version! Thumbs up!

Dead Space 2 – Continuing where we left off last night. That is one bitchin boss fight. I had zero interest in this one before now. The PS3 version also includes the wii flop, Dead Space: Extraction (currently holding a very lofty 83% average score on Gamerankings) with full on Playstation Move support. Thumbs up!

Portal 2 – Gabe Newell is on stage! BOMBSHELL! The former PS3 detractor makes a few jabs about his past anti-Sony sentiments before showing some awesome footage of Portal 2, which hits in 2011. Thumbs up!

Final Fantasy XIV – Still looks good. Still not much info floating around about this one – i have a feeling some slippage into 2011 is imminent. I still can’t wait! Even Handed Gesture.

Gran Turismo 5 – Smokin hot trailer! Over 900 cars, fully 3D, Nascar, F1, WRC, and Top Gear (the awesome show, not the awesome SNES game) are all in there. Releases November 2nd! Thumbs Up!

InFamous 2 – Not much to see really. Looks like more of the same, and it’s coming in 2011. Even Handed Gesture.

Twisted Metal – Original series creator David Jaffe takes the stage and shows off some multiplayer. I’ll be honest, i think it looks like ass, and i was never a huge fan of the series to begin with. Thumbs down.

Sony did what Sony does best. they worked the crowd, and were wall to wall with games, games, and more games. The 3D tech looks cool and all, and they gave it some time, but not enough to take away from what was really important. As much as I want to hate the hell out of Move, the tech just seems to work so damned well! This is what was promised in the weeks and months leading up to the Wii launch. We’ll see how well the software pans out, but the lineup looks to be classic PSOne era 3rd party loaded Sony. This whole conference for me really hearkened back to Sony’s glory days in the PSOne era, they were fun, easy going, not too stuffy or elitist, and not too particularly concerned about technology, with their focus squarely planted on how the new tech serves the software. They put on the best show of E3 thus far, but Nintendo is ahead by a hair in my book, more because of the content. At any rate, i look at what Nintendo and sony have done today, and i see two companies who are embracing their respective heritages, who are giving their fan base exactly what they want out of a video game console. While Microsoft just seems to be more out of touch than the ‘Big N’ were at their worst a few years ago. I know I can’t freaking wait to lay mitts on a lot of Sony’s product.

On the downside, Kaz is just not savvy enough for these things, and the early reveals kind of knocked the wind out of this one a little – imagine how awesome things would have been if Killzone 3, Little Big planet, and Infamous 2 had been kept in the dark until today. I would have liked to see some more of this fall’s big guns. A Socom 4 demo would have been sweet! The suprises, particularly Twisted Metal, definitely didn’t blow me away either. Ah hell, i’m just disappointed because there’s been no mention of Dragon age II!

Final Score: A

"That guy has my copy of Naughty Bear!"

Well, after the onslaught that was may, June delivers a barrage of less… desirable prospects:

June 1st
- Alpha Protocol (multi)
- Backbreaker (multi)

June 8th
- Green Day Rock Band (multi)
- Sniper: Ghost Warrior (Xbox360, PC)
- Metal Gear solid: Peace Walker (PSP)
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (multi)

June 15th
- Kid Adventures: Sky Captain (wii)
- Naval Assault: The Killing Tide (xbox360)
- Toy Story 3 (multi)

June 22nd
- Transformers: War for Cybertron (multi)

June 29th
- Lego Harry Potter (multi)
- Singularity (multi)
- The Last Airbender (wii)
- Trinity Universe (PS3)
- Naughty Bear (multi)

I’m dug into Alpha Protocol right now, and enjoying it somewhat (look for a review later this week), but the rest of the month looks pretty barren for me (I may take the plunge and buy another PSP game that will just sit on the shelf un-played).

How about you guys? Looking forward to another Transformers game that may not suck? Perhaps muggles made of Legos are in your future? Another time-twisting FPS? Rocking out to Green Day, perhaps? Do tell!

It's about damn time!

With warmer temps comes a hotter release schedule, as May conspires to keep you indoors instead of out soaking in the late Spring sun! Everyone gets a bit of love this month, except for you portable guys, screw you and your capable of playing games while hangin’ outside portable machines!

5/04
- Iron Man 2 (multi)

5/11
- Lost Planet 2 (Multi)
- Skate 3 (Multi)
- Batman: Arkham Asylum – Game of the Year Edition (Multi)
- 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)
- Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer (PC)

5/18
- Split Second (Multi)
- Shrek Forever After (Multi)
- Red Dead Redemption (multi)
- Alan Wake (Xbox360)
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (multi)

5/23
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 (wii)

5/25
- Blur (Multi)
- UFC Undisputed 2010 (multi)
- Modnation Racers (PS3)
- Backbreaker (Xbox360)

It feels like i’ve been waiting forever for Red Dead Redemption, and 3D Dot Game Heroes has definitely raised an eyebrow. Alan Wake looks like a winning single player title, and My credit card moans at the thought of reactivating my Age of Conan account. what’s going to keep all of you guys inside this May?

Steve’s pick for best of the month: RED DEAD REDEMPTION

It’s coming in 2011! Hopefully EARLY 2011.

Click on through for the full announcment!

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR IN THE NORTH
FOR XBOX 360™, PLAYSTATION®3 AND WINDOWS™ PC

GROUNDBREAKING ONLINE CO-OP IN NEW ACTION RPG ODYSSEY

Burbank, Calif. – March 18, 2010 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces today that The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, an epic multiplayer action/RPG video game based on the renowned novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, is set to launch on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® in 2011.

Developed in association with Middle-earth Enterprises, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North explores both original and familiar narrative elements as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment holds the rights to develop video games based on both the literary and motion picture content from The Lord of the Rings. Breaking new ground as a mature RPG video game set in Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North advances the RPG paradigm through innovative online, interdependent co-op play for up to three players who form their own Fellowship to fight Sauron’s forces in the North.

“With The Lord of the Rings: War in the North we are taking a mature approach to the widely celebrated property with authentic portrayals of battles and all new storylines,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Utilizing the award-winning and passionate development team at Snowblind Studios, we are looking to evolve the RPG experience and deliver The Lord of the Rings game fans have been waiting for.”

“In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Snowblind will deliver an action RPG for core gamers featuring authentic narrative and environmental locations from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original The Lord of the Rings,” said Ryan Geithman, Founder and Studio Head of Snowblind Studios. “This game is a natural evolution of the acclaimed RPG gameplay that Snowblind has consistently delivered over the past years. Players and fans will experience an innovative approach to online co-op gameplay, woven throughout every facet of the game in a way that only Snowblind can deliver.”

In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, players can become the heroes in the great battle of the North as part of the epic War of the Ring. Exploring unseen lands, story elements and characters from Middle-earth as well as elements familiar from past feature films, gamers will experience extensive character customization and development, expansive co-op gameplay options and upgradeable weapons, skills and special abilities.

For more information about The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, please visithttp://www.warinthenorth.com.

# # #

About Middle-earth Enterprises

The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises is the holder of worldwide motion picture stage, merchandising, and other rights in certain literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Middle-earth Enterprises has been producing and licensing films, stage productions and merchandise based on the Tolkien work for more than 30 years and is headquartered in Berkeley, California. http://www.middleearth.com.

About Snowblind Studios

Snowblind Studios is an award-winning video game developer based in the Pacific Northwest with more than 10 years of experience. Utilizing a rich history of cooperative play games, they helped to define the growing Action RPG genre with critically acclaimed titles including Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and the Champions of Norrath series. The studio was acquired by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group in 2009 and is currently working on The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

Contact:

Remi Sklar
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
818/977-3023
remi.sklar@warnerbros.com

Megan Korns Russell
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
818/977-0526
megan.korns@warnerbros.com

Sorry for the crappy webcam pic, awash as it is with overhead flourescent lighting, but you can clearly see a nice rendering of the Dragon Age poster child, the Blood Dragon, and a single date…

02/01/2011

Dragon age II? Another Dragon Age expansion? Your guess is as good as mine. Either way i applaud Bioware’s brilliant efforts at teasing the crap out of us. Given the relatively distant date given, my money is on a sequel.

“I wanted to drop in and deliver some truly exciting news – on behalf of everyone here at Zipper Interactive, I’m pleased to announce that SOCOM 4 is indeed in development and is slated for release exclusively on PlayStation 3 this fall…

Oh, and before we let you go, we wanted to send a message to our SOCOM and MAG fans all over the world. First, if you play MAG and wonder what this means for the game’s future, wonder no more – we’re still fully committed to supporting MAG for a long, long time and the addition of another game in our lineup doesn’t change that. Second, it’s been great to hear from SOCOM fanatics located in every corner of the globe as we led into today’s announcement. We’re extremely excited to be attached to this beloved franchise again and knowing that so many people wanted us to return to something that already meant so much to us has been both inspiring and touching – so thank you to all of you who wanted it to happen! We look forward to living up to your expectations.”

As a longtime fan of Zipper Interactive’s work on the series (they created the franchise and were responsible for its first two sequels on the PS2), and someone who song an ungodly amount of online time into SOCOM 2, this is some mighty exciting news.

Word is they are very intent on delivering a top drawer single player campaign, and allusions have already been made to the storytelling in Uncharted as being a prime example of the approach being taken. This excites me immensely. I’m sure more details will be forthcoming. The first trailer airs exclusively on tonights episode of Gametrailers TV, but i’m sure it’ll be all over the web by tomorrow.

The Charge:
Hunter. Survivor. Prey.

Opening Statement:
Everyone’s favorite extra-terrestrial Cuisinarts are back, and as per usual, mankind is caught in the middle. Can Rebellion, the studio behind the original PC classic, manage to get it right this time around?

Facts of the Case:
The Weyland-Yutani Corporation has found something beneath the surface of BG-386, a discovery so valuable that even Karl Bishop-Weyland (Lance Henriksen, of course!) has taken an active role in the excavation. When the planet side colony goes silent, the USS Marlow is dispatched on a search and rescue mission. The Marlow however isn’t the only ship in the stars above Freya’s Prospect; a group of Predators has made one hell of an explosive entrance. They’ve got some time to kill, and more than enough prey (of the soft meat and hard meat varieties) to keep them occupied.

"Let's ROCK!"

The Evidence:
It has been 10 long years since Rebellion graced PC-owners with the original Alien Versus Predator, 15 for those who remember the superlative 2D Atari Jaguar outing that one-upped the original Doom. In the interim, neither of Fox’s big creature franchises had much of a presence in the video game world worth talking about. Alien fans got a few shooters that ranged from passable to excrement, while Predator fans got a wretched 3D action adventure title, and both races would square off in an ill-conceived Real-Time-Strategy title before descending into crap portable and mobile phone game hell.

Rebellion has suffered a similar fate, their post AVP resume consisting of low rent ports and poorly received shooters and movie tie-ins, with only one or two notable exceptions like Namco’s Sniper Elite or the slightly better than average Rogue Trooper;. Their most recent offering was the abysmal Rogue Warrior, which currently stands with a whopping metacritic score of %27 (though in all fairness, that dud was handled by the recently shuttered ‘Core Design’ team). It’s pretty safe to say that, based on the pedigrees of the developer and franchises in question, that the odds would be pretty stacked against Alien Versus Predator.

The first thing the devs did right was follow their own game. AvP features three disparate campaigns, one each for Human, Predator, and Alien, and each campaign’s narrative interweaves into the other, making for a decent, well-told plot that fits soundly into the Aliens universe. The lion’s share of the exposition comes from the Human side, and I recommend that that one should be your first stop, while the ET campaigns give you alternate perspectives and provide a little fleshing out of events. To be frank, AvP could have included the Human campaign as it is and it still would have been one hell of an exceptional, if brief shooter. Every minute of the action is perforated with a sense of impending doom and tension that feels directly ripped from James Cameron’s Aliens. The derelict colony of Freya’s Prospect feels lived in and logical, and your trip through darkened corridors and dank tunnels eventually leads to a sparse jungle and some varying terrain that feels fresh. While the shooting mechanics do lack some of the core features that have been present for the last decade or so, like aiming down sights and crouching, the gunplay never feels old or stymied as a result. There’s a degree of melee combat included as well, it’s a last ditch effort as a Marine, a brutal alternative as the Predator, and your only option as an Alien, but it always feels solid.

As a human, the gameplay is essentially linear progression with some light backtracking. The model most closely resembles Bioshock, though there’s considerably more focus on intensity. Also borrowed from Bioshock (or maybe even Doom 3) are audio logs that are found scattered throughout the environments that help to further shine a light on the chain of events that occurred before you set foot in the formerly bustling colony.

The Predators are here to protect an ancient artifact that the humans have inadvertently uncovered. You play a rookie on his first hunt, and you’ll have to contend with an army of space marines and aliens alike, all swarming around your sacred grounds with little care or concern. Going toe to toe with the marines is out of the question, but taking the high ground and picking them off one by one is a ton of fun, particularly when you have all of the Predator’s wonderful gadgets reproduced brilliantly. When the dual wrist blades come unsheathed, however, know that the predator’s melee game is the strongest of the trio. Things are going to die horribly.

Then there’s the Alien campaign. Running around as one of these suckers is extremely fast paced, and the lack of any real long range strikes turns the Alien game into an up close stealth kill and retreat scenario that contrasts very sharply with the Marine’s nonstop struggle for survival and the Predator’s mix of stealth and brutality. As an Alien, every surface is your plaything, and when your skitting down narrow corridors at blinding speeds whilst scaling walls and ceilings, everything clicks, and at times, the goings on resemble the first person camera sequences in Alien 3. You play as 6, a captive chestburster with a clever mind, raised to adulthood under the watchful eye of human masters. When the opportunity to escape is given, you take it. The rest becomes a mix of chase and avoid gameplay that is pretty fresh feeling, and almost, dare I say it, evokes memories of the stealth missions in Batman: Arkham Asylum.

As good as AvP’s gameplay is, it’s backed up by some great, though hardly cutting edge visuals. The levels range from grimy and industrial to ancient ruins and, of course, the Alien hives, and all look great. The “lived in” look of the settlement of Freya’s Prospect, with windblown sandy streets and dank, wrecked interiors all feel great, look great and really capture the vibe of the Aliens future. The environments are complemented with awesome lighting effects that really add to mood and the tension of the gameplay. Pools of pitch blackness are everywhere, and oftentimes the marine’s piddly little flashlight is his best friend. The character models and animations, particularly where the Preds and Xenos are concerned, are fantastic stuff, and look great both in still frame and in motion. The marines come off a little chunky around the face, but their weaponry and gear is replicated near perfectly from Cameron’s Aliens. Last but not least, the juicy bits of gore that permeate the Alien and Predator stealth kills are extremely visceral and satisfying.

The sound design is also fantastic, with impeccable use of the 5.1 soundfield (DTS on the PS3). The sound design in these films is ported over flawlessly, from the machine like patter of the marine’s pulse rifle to the Predator’s auditory snikts and swooshes. The Aliens also hiss and roar just as they have on screen for the last 2 decades. Every element of the awesome sound serves to engross you further into the game. Voice acting is solid as well, with Lance Henriksen leading the charge. This is a game you’ll want to play with the lights off, and with the stereo cranked.

For those who crave Multiplayer, Aliens versus Predator definitely has you covered. The multiplayer suite is well stocked, with several modes and a full ranking system to satiate the experience point hunger. Rewards aren’t anything special, usually multiplayer skins, but the game modes are designed to fit the nature of the game, and they do so quite well. I had the most fun with co-op survivor, which pits up to four marine players against swarm after swarm of AI controlled Alien hordes. It’s Gears of War 2’s Horde mode for Aliens fans, and it works almost as well here as it did there. You also get several forms of deathmatch (including interspieces), and interesting game types like Infestation, where whomever bites the dust respawns as a Xenomorph. AvP doesn’t bring about any multiplayer paradigm shift or anything, but it plays well enough to be engaging, and the robust selection of options keeps things interesting.

"There's something out there huntin' us, and it ain't no man..."

Rebuttal Witness:
While AvP’s three campaigns do have a wildly varying feel to them, each is pretty brief. On the hardest diffuclty, the Marine campaign will end in 6 hours or less, with 4 – 4.5 hours being the more likely completion time for seasoned vets (about the same time it takes crazy people to go through Modern Warfare 2). The Predator and Alien campaigns are shorter (considerably so for the Alien). All told you’re probably looking at about 10 hours of single player gameplay if you stretch things. The multiplayer definitely picks up the slack, but for those who’s focus is single player, 10 hours and you’re done. It’s actually pretty generous for a shooter these days, but with that 10 hours split between three separate campaigns, the illusion of super-shortness may leave you feeling cheated.

Aliens versus Predator gets tough, particularly during the Human campaign. We humans are fragile meatsicles, and there were several points during the campaign where any kind of forward momentum ground to a screeching halt amidst a wave of black, acid-blooded death. Going toe to toe with any more than two or three aliens without something like a smart gun or plenty of rifle ammo in your arsenal is an incredibly brutal prospect, even on ‘normal’ difficulty. When you encounter a Predator, be afraid, be very very afraid. For some, the scripted nature of the game’s encounters may feel like a first person throwback, particularly when they have to repeat one section seven or eight or nineteen times because those hissing bastards are relentless. It wasn’t really an issue for me, but it bears mentioning.

Slightly more serious are control issues that pop up in the Alien and Predator campaigns. The Predators have the ability to jump some pretty outlandish heights, but the ability is linked to specific hot spots on a given level. There are times when the first person perspective makes it a chore to notice and navigate to and from these spots. It gets difficult to stalk prey by jumping from tree to tree when you keep missing your jumps. There are also a few instances where logic dictates that you should be able to leap to a specific point, but you just can’t.

Meanwhile, the Aliens, skittish little bastards that they are, can get a little squirrely when you’re zooming around floors and ceilings in cramped quarters. It gets tough to navigate when up is down and down is up. There were also a few times that I had trouble navigating through vents, as you have to line yourself up just right and wait for the button prompt to pass through. There’s an option in the menus to enable “auto transition” for the alien campaign, and that should be your first stop. Without it you have to press a shoulder button to get your critter to skitter to the fullest. With it enabled, movement from one surface to another becomes a smoother affair.

These issues will frustrate some more than others; for the most part, the fun I had with the creature campaigns far outweighed the minor infrequent annoyances I had with the controls. More often than not, everything clicks, and your careening down the roof of a low tunnel at breakneck speed with some human refuse waiting to take a tail to the eyeball, or you’re silently watching a platoon of marines, just waiting for some hapless bugger to separate from his squadmates so you can drop down and separate his spine from his body.

Slightly more serious issues are found in the multiplayer setup, which relies heavily on the now standard console matchmaking scheme. I could hop into 360 games pretty effortlessly, but the PS3 matchmaking was often slow to respond, and on at least one occasion I was waiting over five minutes for a match to begin. I won’t get into the shortage of multiplayer maps, as what’s included works pretty well, and therea re apparently more coming to DLC markets in the very near future (they’d better be free too).

The PS3 version also does “feature” some flicker and aliasing that I didn’t notice on the 360 version. It’s hardly a dealbreaker, and the games are close to identical on both machines, but I felt I should bring it up for those with both consoles.

"Game over man! Game over!"

Closing Comments:
Aliens Versus Predator is a suprisingly great effort. It not only trumps every other game that’s ever featured an Alien or Predator logo, but also proves that Rebellion is still capable of incredibly wonderful things in spite of their recent output. It is an unabashed love letter to fans of either franchise (though especially Cameron’s 1986 film); with three great (if brief) campaigns that bring equal parts terror, adrenaline, and awesomeness, an excellent complement of multiplayer modes, and the technical muscle to impress. I love it!

The Verdict:

Platform: Sony Playstation 3/Microsoft Xbox360/Windows PC
Developer: Rebellion
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: February 16, 2010
Rated: M (17+) for Mature