Dungeon hero trailer
November 25th, 2008
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Tomb Raider Underworld Review
November 25th, 2008
When Eidos handed development of the Tomb Raider franchise to Crystal Dynamics, it was a risky but ultimately wise decision. The team managed to reinvent the series while staying true to its roots with Tomb Raider: Legend, while Tomb Raider: Anniversary built on solid foundations to reimagine Lara Croft’s original adventure. Tomb Raider Underworld is Crystal Dynamics’ third game in as many years, and the high work rate is starting to show. Lara may have plenty of new moves at her disposal, but little has been done to address the many camera and clipping issues still present. Tomb Raider Underworld offers an enticing new adventure, but if you’re a fan of the series you’ll find that Lara is starting to show her age.
Lara brings new tricks to the Underworld, including wall-climbing, beam-vaulting, and abseiling.
As the “Underworld” suffix suggests, this Tomb Raider covers darker territory than its predecessors. It follows the same adventure template that we’ve come to expect, but it also deals with death, resurrection, and even Norse mythology in its story. Things start out badly for Lara; a prologue of her racing to escape her lofty mansion as it burns to the ground. Cut back two weeks, and we find Lara trying to take care of some of her father’s unfinished business, something that leads her on to discovering more about her mother, characters from previous games, and the mythical Hammer of Thor. It’s badly written, poorly voiced, and instantly forgettable for anyone but hardcore fans of the series, but thankfully the cutscenes are mercifully short, leaving you to get down to the serious business of raiding tombs.
Tomb Raider Underworld is constructed in an almost identical fashion to its predecessors, with exploration in exotic locations punctuated by occasional combat and vehicle sections. The interaction between Lara and the environments has long been the draw of the series, and performing daring jumps to scale seemingly impossible heights is as satisfying as ever. Lara’s even learned a few new moves in the year since Anniversary, and she can now free-climb, balance along thin beams, and abseil using her rappel line. Crucially, none of these moves complicates Lara’s basic movement, and while you have to adjust your eyes to the many new visual cues showing you where to go, they all add new levels to the simple pleasure of adventuring.
While these new abilities expand Lara’s already-impressive acrobatic skills, there are a lot of gameplay issues that continue to annoy. The world is incredibly rigid, with strict rules on which platforms, objects, and edges can be interacted with and which can’t. The places where Lara can go are well marked out–they feature nice right-angled edges and are usually lighter than the surrounding material to signify your route through. This makes it easier to figure out the correct way to go, but at the same time it means there’s little room for improvisation, and the genre has moved beyond such linear progression. Even worse, Lara will frequently clip into a piece of the scenery and then refuse to come out until you stop, turn around, and run out of it again. Add all this to an incredibly unruly camera, and Tomb Raider Underworld is still just as frustrating as its predecessors.
Continue reading at Gamespot.com
NFS: Undercover cheats
November 23rd, 2008
After multiple requests I tried looking around to find the cheats and/or trainers for the game. So far i have not being able to find much. Here are the secret codes I have found:
Enter the options menu, choose the “Secret Codes” selection, then enter one of the following codes to activate the corresponding cheat function. Note: Either of the codes will only work once per profile.
- $10,000
Enter $EDSOC (contains the letter “O”) or %%$3/” as a code.
- Die-Cast Lexus IS F car
Enter 0;5M2; (contains the number “0″) or 0;6,2; (contains the number “0″) as a code to unlock the Die-Cast Lexus IS F car.
- Die-Cast Nissan 240SX (S13) car
Enter ?P:COL (contains the letter “O”) or @/;#/+ as a code to unlock the Die-Cast Nissan 240SX (S13) car.
- Die-Cast Volkswagen R32 car
Enter !2ODBJ: (contains the letter “O”) or !3/$”): as a code to unlock the Die-Cast Volkswagen R32 car.
- NeedforSpeed.com Lotus Elise car
Enter -KJ3=E or .+)3>$ as a code to unlock the NeedforSpeed.com Lotus Elise car.
I have not found any legitimate trainers or cheat codes. Beware of downloading the current trainers as those that I have found turned out to be viruses.
If You find a real cheat code please leave a comment.
Dirt 2 announced.
November 22nd, 2008
DiRT™2 is now being developed by our racing studio for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft® and Games For Windows® LIVE with further editions for Wii™, Nintendo DS™ and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system due for simultaneous release in 2009. To be powered by the third generation of the EGO™ Engine’s award-winning racing game
technology, DiRT 2 will benefit from tuned-up car-handling physics system and new damage engine effects. It will also showcase a spectacular new level of visual fidelity, with cars and tracks twice as detailed as those seen in GRID. DiRT 2’s garage will house a best-in-class collection of officially licensed rally cars and off-road vehicles, specifically selected to deliver aggressive and fast paced racing. Covering seven vehicle classes, players will be given the keys to powerful vehicles right from the off. In DiRT 2 the opening drive is the Group N Subaru; essentially making the ultimate car from the original game the starting point in the sequel and the rides just get even more impressive. For more information, visit www.codemasters.com/dirt2, where you can find more details on game features and sign up to receive updates!
About the game:
DiRT 2 will feature a roster of contemporary off-road events, taking players to the most diverse and challenging real-world environments. This World Tour will have players competing in aggressive multi-car and intense solo races at extraordinary new locations, from canyon racing and jungle trails to city stadium-based events.
To be powered by the third generation of the EGO™ Engine’s award-winning racing game technology, DiRT 2 will benefit from tuned-up car-handling physics system and new damage engine effects. It will also showcase a spectacular new level of visual fidelity, with cars and tracks twice as detailed as those seen in GRID.
DiRT 2’s garage houses a best-in-class collection of officially licensed rally cars and off-road vehicles, specifically selected to deliver aggressive and fast paced racing. Covering seven vehicle classes, players will be given the keys to powerful vehicles right from the off. In DiRT 2 the opening drive is the Group N Subaru; essentially making the ultimate car from the original game the starting point in the sequel and the rides just get even more impressive.
In addition to the World Tour, DiRT 2 will come complete with full online functionality that will be core to the overall experience, with head-to-head competitive online play and new social features to engage the racing community. Prepare for mud, gravel, dust and dirt too in DiRT 2, coming 2009.
