If it bleeds.. well you know.

We got the chance to preview Brink in my hometown of NYC, which was a pleasure in itself, but since the core gameplay I got to take part in at last years E3, Brink has come a long way.  First off the character customization was so in-depth, you could spend hours changing your skin tone, voice/accent, tattoos, physical attributes and much more.  Simply picking the head on your character will give you the option to change your accent, facial hair, face paint, facial tattoos, facial scars, face gear(masks), hair or head gear.  This goes on for each area of the body giving you the ability to change Jackets, Colors, Body Tattoos, Shirts, Pants and the assortment is huge!  Even with Archetype you can change your look, skin, nose, etc.  That customization also extends itself to the weapons with the ability to have custom skins on your guns as well as choosing specific attachments for each weapon.

There were literally tons of features that I got to see that I have never seen before, for instance one that stood out the most were the ‘controller presets’ to other first-person shooters.  Instead of giving you different control setups, Brink actually lets you choose presets such as Call of Duty, Counter Strike and many more, so you can quickly pick the shooter you like the controls the best in and pick that preset, then your done.  Of course you are not limited to the presets as you can customize the controls exactly how you want them.

Brink and it’s drop-in/drop-out 8 player co-op draws you away from just wanting to stick to one class as there are four different ones.  You can simply find a near by hub that lets you change your class depending on the situation at hand.  There is the Engineer, Medic, Soldier and Operative.  You can level up and gain abilities that are specific to each class as well as ones that are in place no matter what class you play as.  I did notice a ‘Buy abilities’ tab leading me to believe you use XP to get them, but don’t quote on that as our time was limited during the event.  I played as a Medic quite a bit as I was able to heal myself on the go and getting near downed team mates I could toss them a epipad/ syringe and the cool thing about this is that the downed player does not have to use the syringe I through to him to get back up as he has a choice to also re-spawn at our base.  This can be for a number of reasons.

As you can see the customization is endless.

Our main mission of many different ones, was to escort our tank to a designated area while we played against the AI trying to slow us down by damaging the tank and killing us so no one can be there to escort the tank halting it.  There are also side tasks each class might have for instance, I switched to my soldier class to learn that I could set a charge in a area that would give our team a short cut back to the tank we had escorted a ways up, after re-spawning at our base, giving us a nice advantage.  As soon as I switch back to a medic I see an AI Engineer patching up the shortcut I just made!  His life ended quickly.  The Engineer is also the one who must repair the tank if it has taken too much damage in this mission.  So this leaves me from wanting to switch from class to class doing side tasks to help the team rather than sticking to one class and one class alone.

There are also Challenges in the game that are separate from your normal unlocks.  These challenges give you much more rewarding things.  In each challenge you can unlock three stars with each star unlocking something new.  Now Splash Damage went about a little differently as that third star might be the hardest to unlock but it might not be the best item, so players don’t have to be limited to getting all the cool stuff based on their skill.  These challenges are also tracked on a friends only leaderboard.  One example of a Challenge called “Parkour This” which requires you you to race around check points as a light body type.  All these awesome features in the game, but by far one of the coolest things is SMART system which allows you to flow over object jumping and sliding making you feel like Spiderman.  Just pressing the button won’t bring you to a halt in any situation, getting you into places fast when you need to be and out of places quickly when your in trouble.

Fighting In The War Room

Here are some things about Brink you should know:

Publisher:     Bethesda Softworks
Developer:    Splash Damage
Release Date:    May 20th
Platform:    Games for Windows / Xbox 360 / PlayStation®3 system
Genre:    First Person Shooter
Description:
Brink is an immersive first-person shooter that blends single-player, co-op, and multiplayer gameplay into one seamless experience, allowing you to develop your character whether playing alone, with your friends, or against others online. You decide the combat role you want to assume in the world of Brink as you fight to save yourself and mankind’s last refuge. Brink offers a compelling mix of dynamic battlefields, extensive customization options, and an innovative control system that will keep you coming back for more.

Story:
Brink takes place on the Ark, a man-made floating city that is on the brink of all-out civil war. Originally built as an experimental, self-sufficient and 100% “green” habitat, the reported rapid rise of the Earth’s oceans has forced the Ark to become home to not only the original founders and their descendants but also to thousands of refugees. With tensions between the two groups growing, Security and Resistance forces are locked in a heated battle for control of the Ark. Which side will you choose?

Key Features:

Not Just Another Hero – Brink’s advanced player customization offers a near-endless combination of looks for your character – allowing for the appearance of your character to be truly unique.  As you progress through the game and acquire more experience, you’ll have even more opportunities for customization.
Two Sides to Every Story – Choose to fight through the single player campaign as either a member of the Resistance or the Security and then take your same character online to play cooperatively or competitively against other players.
Blurring the Lines – Take your unique character online at any time you choose!  Brink allows you to seamlessly move between your single player campaign, co-op with friends, and intense multiplayer action. Multiplayer takes the story online where you can play with up to seven other people (or AI characters) cooperatively as you take on the opposing faction or with up to 16 players competitively.
Play SMART – Brink uses the familiar shooter controls that you’re used to, without frustrating, artificial constraints and adds a new feature: the SMART button.  When you press the SMART button, the game dynamically evaluates where you’re trying to get to, and makes it happen. Whether you’re a seasoned FPS veteran or someone just getting started, you’ll be able to make more intelligent decisions during the fast-paced action with SMART.
Context-Sensitive Goals and Rewards – Objectives, communications, missions, and inventory selection are all dynamically generated based on your role, your condition, your location, your squad-mates, and the overall status of the battle in all gameplay modes.  You’ll always know exactly where to go, what to do when you get there, and what your reward will be for success.

BrinkTheGame.com

All your favourite DC characters are present, complemented by any other wacky heroes you can create

All super hero franchises have had somewhat chequered pasts within gaming. Among countless brawlers, platformers and fighting game mash-ups of varying quality, the comic book titans often struggle to garner respect from the core gamer community. Likewise, it is self evident that the MMORPGs generally suck on consoles. It is thus that an MMO on PC and PS3 inspired by the DC universe seems a rather brave title to attempt but, having spent some time with the PS3 beta of the game, you can rest assured that DC Universe Online will be a stellar title when it hits stores in January.

Straight from the comic panels

Though 2004’s City of Heroes was a fantastic example of mixing costumed crusaders into the MMORPG pot, the benefits of the official DC licensing will potentially lift DC Universe Online to new heights of storytelling. The opening cinematic sets the scene of a battle between the heroes and villains of the DC universe but, after the battle is over and all the heroes are weakened, Brainiac capitalises on this and attacks earth. After digitising all of earth’s citizens it would seem Brainiac has triumphed, yet a lone Lex Luthor is able to escape and travel back in time to warn the heroes and villains of the DC universe of Brainiac’s invasion long before it occurs. He informs them that he has taken Brainiac’s ‘Neobytes’ that are full of data on the DC heroes and villains and has unleashed them into Earth’s atmosphere. As these ‘Neobytes’ land on Earth they grant various citizens of earth their own super powers, and Luthor informs the DC heroes and Villains that they must train these new contenders to help protect Earth against Brainiac’s assault.

It may not be the most original of comic book storyline’s, but the whole thing has a very DC feel to it all with the hero story being very fluffy and protecting and the villain quests being very malicious indeed. Any game that lets me fight crime in the Metropolis alongside Superman is a bit of a success right off the bat, and if it also involves me learning superhero skills from Batman then all the better. The story also sets up and justifies the copious amount of other heroes and villains inhabiting the cities with you and allows you free reign of what kind of hero you want to make.

A faster paced MMO

The character creation options in DC Universe Online are simple, yet surprisingly deep, and offer for some creative and enjoyable power variations. Creating a character is usually one of those things you just try to get out of the way as quick as possible so you can get into the game, but DC Universe Online manages to tap into those childish dreams you always had of possessing super powers. You can opt to choose a pre-made hero inspired by the powers, attire and morality of other classic DC characters, or you can make your own from scratch. You get a choice of your own weapon, super powers and movement powers and are also required to select your morality and hero or villain mentor, both of which effect what missions you will receive in game. What is most inspiring about the creation options are how they effect your game experience. The difference between various weapons and your elemental or mental superpowers will be rather obvious, but the movement powers completely alter the way your character controls and there are a wealth of differences between the hero and villain campaigns that make a second or third play through an absolute must.

Finally, an MMO that trades repetitive mouse clicks for proper combos

Once you get your character into the DC Universe you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the feel of the gameplay mechanics. Long gone are the days of repetitive mouse click based combat. Instead DC Universe Online plays out more like your standard 3D brawler, but a good one none the less. It starts off as a fun, if shallow romp, but as you develop your powers further and team up with others the strategic element of the game comes to the front. What’s more intriguing is the ability to use the environment around you. You can pick up many objects in the game and use them as projectiles against your foes. Some of the mind powers even go as far as to throw these objects for you if you choose to go down that particular avenue of skills. DC Universe Online just taps into the intrigue and enjoyment you got out of comic books as a kid and puts you in the centre of it. Combine this with a fast paced combat engine and deep character creation options and you have a winning formula. It takes everything you’ve loved about the MMORPG and injects it with a dose of costume-clad fun.

It also helps enforce the feeling of progress within the genre that the game looks so darn good. MMOs generally have a tendency to appear a bit behind the times in terms of graphics, but DC Universe Online takes this stereotype and tips it on its head. Soaring through Gotham city and causing mayhem in the Metropolis has never looked so good. It’s a shame that the cities sometimes feel a little sparse and underpopulated, but this is hopefully an aspect that will be improved upon when the game retails in full.

Every silver lining has a cloud

I was generally impressed with the developments DC Universe Online has made with the genre (thus why this has read more like an advert than a preview so far,) but there are some problems on the horizon that need to be sorted before its release if DC Universe Online is to realise its full potential. For a start there are a rather impressive amount of glitches within the game. I know it’s still in the beta stage, but there were far too many instances of falling through the floor, being kicked from the server, textures disappearing etc. for my liking.

Who doesn't want to run at the speed of light?

Another problematic aspect worth noting is in the menu system. The multi-tiered menu works well within the PS3 context and makes inventory management as easy as can be, even with a controller, but there is the issue of the various tabs of the menu sometimes taking a very long time to load up. Considering the need for quick menu access mid-combat, this could become a major issue if it isn’t resolved by the time the game retails.

The final fly in the soup happens to lie in the general multiplayer aspects of DC Universe Online. There are always going to be problems with communication in console MMOs on account of the absence of a keyboard, but the usual method of using a headset is unlikely to work as a substitute on account of how few PS3 users possessing them. I know Xbox live isn’t always a perfect platform for games such as this, but the bundled headsets with the 360 would’ve somewhat alleviated this particular issue. There are also the issues of guilds, for whilst the normal raids, PvP matches and even legends PvP where you can play as the established DC Universe characters are present in the beta, there is little to no mention of guilds and their benefits. Fingers crossed this is just a feature that is being saved up for the full game, as otherwise this could be a major oversight that could have long reaching implications for the game’s community.

DC Universe Online was a fantastic experience in the beta, but if it is going to be worth the $15 a month subscription fee (daylight robbery aside,) it’s going to need to pack in the glitches and pull the proverbial socks up. Can it do this in the short space of time before the game comes out on January 11^th (or 14^th for us unlucky European gamers?) Only time will tell, so stay tuned to gamingbolt.com for our review of the full game coming soon.

Let me start by talking about the single player campaign. The game starts a bit in the past, The Optimus Prime is just beginning his rise to power and putting together the Autobots, while Megatron is himself doing the same. The game uses two separate campaigns that guide you through the story. You can choose to play either the Decepticon or Autobot campaign first, but the Decepticon campaign takes place first in time.

There will be a cast of familiar robots, like Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen, the original voice of Optimus Prime), Bumblebee (the original, not the version from the recent films), Grimlock, Ironhide, Jazz, and Kup. On the Decepticon side there is Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Thundercracker and Skywarp. All these names should be familiar to anyone who has seen the original animated series or movie.

The Real Bumblebee is Back

Developer interviews have revealed that the story of the game is going to heavily focus on the start of the conflict between the Decepticons and Autobots, as well as dig a little deeper into the motives and personalities of the Transformers themselves.

So what about the Multiplayer? Honestly, what makes this game perk players ears is not a single player campaign, its the well done multiplayer.

First off we have Escalation mode, a take on the ever so popular horde wave after wave of enemies survival mode. You can choose to play as Autobots or Decepticons, and the goal is to last as long as you can against increasingly difficult waves of enemies. What brings a refreshing twist is the class system in War for Cybertron, which is in effect during Escalation mode.

You will have the choice of playing 4 different classes in the multiplayer modes:

Scout- A small, quick, stealthy wielder of shotguns, pistols and sniper rifles.

Soldier- The Heavy Weapons Robot, wielding Rocket launchers, machine guns and gatling guns, as well as devastating melee attacks.

Leader- The Leader is exactly what he sounds like, a big robot who INSPIRES Buffs his teammates.

Scientist- Every game needs a medic, and the scientist is just that.

Expect Numerous Gritty Battles

The Escalation mode has also taken a few ideas from other popular Wave based survival games. By killing enemies, you earn credits, and at the end of each round, these credits are used to buy health, weapons, and ammo. Weapons and ammo are self explanatory, but the reason for buying health packs is because of the way health is handled. You have regenerating health, but your total health is divided into sections, and you can only regenerate enough to fill the section you are currently at. So for example, if you are shot down to 46% of your health, you will only regenerate to the 50% mark.

When you run out of health, you are knocked into the down-but-not-out stage, where you are crippled on the ground, but can still shoot, and still be revived, and as an added bonus, if you don’t get revived, you can activate a personal self destruct.

The actual head to head multiplayer has a few different game types such as Team Deathmatch, Free for all, and a Domination node like game type.

War for Cybertron is also using the character progression model that has worked so well for the Modern Warfare series, allowing players to level up each class, customize weapons, armor abilities and Perk like bonuses…as well as Kill Streaks. All of these upgrades are unlocked by leveling through playing each class. The upgrades and abilities give you the option to play each class in numerous different ways.

And by far the coolest multiplayer aspect: When you click in the left stick to sprint, you transform into a car, or plane…awesome.

Transformers: War for Cybertron has all the ingredients of a great game, add in the nostalga factor for Transformers fans, and it turns into a must have. Transformers: War for Cybertron hits stores June 22^nd for the Xbox360 and Playstion 3, and don’t miss the Gamestop pre-order bonus to get Shockwave as a playable character.

Don't Miss Your Chance to Play as Shockwave

The main objective of a Hack and Slash game is to kill the swarms of enemies filling up the screen, and as is expected, N3II handles this nicely. The game crams enemies from wall to wall for you to fight against, and gives you the opportunity to send dozens of them flying with melee and magical attacks. But as soon as you feel like you are slicing through butter with a warm knife, more powerful enemies are strategically placed to up the challenge. It takes a lot of willpower to not just start flailing at a large rock throwing ogre after seeing how successful that tactic proved on the now deceased horde of fodder.

Watch out for the big guy

So you may be thinking, I’ve played this type of a game before, whats new? Well a few things. First up is the 5 different playable characters, each with different weapon load outs and specialties. Next we have the customizable weapons and magical spells. 4 spells can be equipped at a time, and have varying effects. By holding the left bumper and pressing a face button, you can launch into a large sweeping attack, massive thrust, or a 360 degree blast. All of these magical techniques prove extremely useful when you start feeling overwhelmed.

Surprisingly enough, there are also going to be puzzle and platforming elements. I am eager to see how this truly plays out in the retail version of the game, because I keep asking myself if the break from insane combat will be refreshing or irritating.

Now for the big one, Two Player Online Coop. In N3II you will have to chance to link up with a friend online and play through special Coop missions, as well as a Survival Mode where you fight endless waves of bad guys, all with online leaderboards. All I know is that from playing hours upon hours of Gauntlet: Legends, its always more fun to go in with a friend.

There are plenty of people to kill

The presentation of the game itself isn’t remarkably stunning. The graphics do little in trying to make you stare in awe, the enemies are seemingly bland, but this is balanced by the fact that there are so many of them. Time spent detailing the lesser monsters would have been completely wasted by how clumped together they get. I am not saying by any means that the game looks bad, it lives up to the standard to how current gen game should look and feel.

All in all if you are a big fan of the Hack and Slash genre, or have ever had some hours of fun playing a game like Dynasty Warriors, N3II will not disappoint. If you have never tried the Hack and Slash genre, or consider yourself too hardcore to play something so “mindless”, swallow your pride and give it a shot. I don’t know a single gamer who doesn’t enjoy these games, even if just for a short amount of time. The Release Date is set at June 29th, which is a day that is piling up with new releases.

The only “new” aspect to the game is the harmonized vocals, exclusive to the Green Day set list, similar to what we saw in Beatles Rock Band. If you are not familiar with this new feature, it works like this, 3 mics get hooked up at once, the singer chooses harmonies instead of solo, and from now on 3 different lines will show up. Any of the singers can sing any of the parts, and they all count as one player. As you can see, this adds greatly to the party elemental of Rock Band.

Custom created character models

The game takes place across 3 venues, that capture 3 distinct eras of Green Day. The first venue is a fictional warehouse, a venue created by the collective spirit of Green Day’s early punk days. The second venue is Milton Keynes, the UK Bowl made famous by the 2005 Green Day film, “Bullet in a Bible”. The third is the Fox Theater in Oakland, where the band performed a small show for their newest album.

Worth noting is the fact that the albums Dookie and American Idiot will be available in their entirety, while 21^st Century Breakdown is fully available if you download 6 of the tracks from the Rock Band Music Store. And speaking of the Music Store, all the tracks from Green Day Rock Band are backwards compatible with Rock Band and Rock Band 2.

Get your Green Day rock on

The game will also support all previous Rock Band Instruments, and most Guitar Hero and 3rd party peripherals.

So if you are a Green Day fan, and a Rock Band fan, this game is everything you ever wanted. If you don’t really care about Green Day, then you will most likely pass this one over. If you are the former, check out the demo on Xbox Live and Playstation Network, and look for the game in stores June 8^th.

505’s Backbreaker sits somewhere in the middle ground.

Judging by the title and the games presentation, Backbreaker appears to be a game that will have over the top tackles, people running around on fire, and fireworks going off as receptions are made. Instead we have a realistic attempt at an over the top gameplay style.

Confused? So I am.

The first thing you will notice when you play Backbreaker is the camera. Backbreaker uses a close 3^rd person camera to try and simulate the feeling of being on the field. The only problem with this is that the camera is not realistic to what it is like to be on the field, and because it is locked 3^rd person, makes just running around quite tricky. In real life, even with a helmet and face mask, you still have about 160 degrees of vision, no TV can emulate your peripheral vision, and because of that a more wide angle camera is always a better compromise. The problem with the fixed 3^rd person is that when you try to do a simple loop around another player, the camera shifts completely.

So for example, in real life, if you were running to a person who was in front of you, but there was an obstacle in the way, you would loop around the obstacle, but keep your head facing your target. In Backbreaker, your neck cannot move. So as you run around that obstacle, you are now looking into the stands, and have no idea if the thing you are running towards has moved.

So does a fixed 3^rd person camera seem more realistic, no. And not to mention, this already troublesome camera proves to be nearly impossible to handle when you are switching players. Because you are so close to the action, and everything is so hectic, when you switch players, you have absolutely no idea who, or where you are. It’s not like in most football games where a birds eye camera just moves over to another player, keeping a similar perspective of the field. Instead, its like you are swapping positions with another person.

Example number 2, imagine if you were standing in a room with 21 other people, all mingling around doing different things, and you suddenly swapped places with a random person. You are completely discombobulated for a few seconds, and in that time the play is already over.

I actually found that if I missed a tackle as my “primary” player, that it was more effective to just let my AI do the rest on their own.

The game also boasts for its realistic physics engine that makes every tackle unique. This would be very interesting if this game actually had Backbreaking tackles. I’m sure that every once and a while you will score a good hit that will send someone flying, but most of the time you just watch two rag dolls tumble to the ground on top of each other. Not very exciting. Also, given how mundane most of the tackles are, I really don’t see the need for a replay video to come up after every hit.

The Euphoria engine boasts Realistic Tackles

You literally have to watch skip a replay after every down.

The game does take a unique approach on how you control your player. The right stick functions similar to the right stick in the Skate series, meaning that specific flicks, half and quarters circles will make your player perform their actions. In addition to this there is the right triggers “Aggressive” Mode, in which your player can perform more aggressive as opposed to evasive maneuvers. There is also focus mode (left trigger), which helps the QB focus in on his receivers while passing.

This mechanic is interesting, but at the same doesn’t doesn’t pack enough punch to really hook you in and make you want to keep playing.

Although, the two most interest peeking aspects of this game are Tackle Alley, and create a team.

Because the Madden Franchise has bought out the licenses for the official NFL rosters, competing games have been forced into creating fake teams and players for their Football universes. If you are the type of player who is looking for this kind of customization, Backbreaker promises a “powerful” logo editor, uniform editor, custom player and team names, with the added bonus of being able to bring these custom teams online.

I cannot vouch for how “powerful these editors will be, but unless you are hardcore into customization, this is probably something you are just going to fool around with once or twice.

Tackle Alley is a lot like this

The Tackle Alley is a mini game where you start off holding the ball, and you try to run down the field and evade defenders. Each time you get by, you are respawned on a more difficult wave, which changes the number of defenders, where they spawn on the field, and how they act towards you. The game promises 100 waves of Tackle Alley. This mode will definitely serve as a great time killer when you aren’t in the mood to play regulation matches.

Aside from flashy music and visual style, Backbreaker offers nothing groundbreaking to the football genre. Most hardcore fans are going to stick with Madden, and I feel this is because football games are more about being the commander of a team. Football as a sport is played more through choosing the right plays, subbing in and out players, and controlling draft picks. Backbreaker attempts to go for the more personal experience, stressing the control of the actual players on the field.

Backbreaker hits the stores June 1^st, and I can say I would be glad to see it compete well against the tyrant Madden series.

So in case anyone was wondering, this is definitely still a God of War game.  Three different lead game designers over the course of the series have not affected the gameplay very much and that is a good thing.  God of War has always been about simple, flashy combat with some depth to those interested.

The first thing anyone will notice while playing the demo is the graphics.  They are phenomenal.  Along with the amazing visuals another major aspect of God of War has returned and that is T.C. Carson who is the iconic voice of Kratos.  At the beginning of the demo you start off on a cliffside fighting the normal grunt enemies the same as usual.  You eventually get to the cyclopses of old ripping out their eyes until you fight a chimera.  Here you chop off the different parts of the chimera eventually leading up to you breaking off its own horn and stabbing it in the head with it.  You then proceed to shoot Helios (who has been flying around) with a giant cross bow only to be caught by the massive titan in the background and thrown against a mountain.

When you eventually make your way over to where Helios is another battle ensues.  After the battle is over you find Helios injured severely and walk over to him.  Then if the stabbing the head with the horn didn’t give you enough of a Kratos vibe then this will.  Kratos grabs his head and you have to press the L2 and R2 buttons rapidly until you eventually rip his head off.  Congratulations you just killed the God of the Sun.  After you rip off his head his eyes and mouth open only to have blinding light come out of each.  You use this ability in the next area to light the way.

I'll be needing this for awhile.

When you get to the end of the dark section you hop into an air vent and spread the Wings of Icarus upward and dodge falling objects.  After emerging from the vent he falls from above towards the titan and right when Kratos is about to attack the demo ends.

Let’s just say if you have liked any of the God of War games, you will enjoy this one.  With improved graphics, solid gameplay and the ending to this story arc, God of War 3 is a game that every PS3 owner will need come March. From what we have played we are glad to conclude that Kratos will indeed shine on the PlayStation 3.

Ultimate Edition

The Ultimate Edition of God of War 3 will include:

Here is the Pandora's Box that you will receive with the Ultimate Edition.