PC | Dragon Age: Origins Updated Hands-On - The Origins of the Dalish Elf

We explore the origins of the wandering elves of Ferelden in Dragon Age: Origins.

Dragon Age: Origins is the fantasy-themed role-playing successor to developer BioWare's previous fantasy games, Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. The game offers different stories for your character's race, as well as a few different backgrounds. Trust us, we know. We've played it. If you haven't already, be sure to check our previous stories on the human mage origin (including basic interface and level-up information) and the dwarf commoner origin. Once you're finished, return here for GameSpot's final origin session, the Dalish elf.

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The elves of Ferelden, which is the realm of Dragon Age, aren't exactly like the elves you've seen elsewhere. They aren't noble, wealthy, or keepers of thousands of years of lore. Instead, they're a nomadic people who are recovering from having been enslaved for generations by human beings. In fact, the term "Dalish" comes from the race's former home, The Dales, to which the elves fled after emancipating themselves from human subjugation...only to again be attacked by humans and scattered like the wind. Though you can also play as a "city elf," which is a low-born city dweller in human lands, the Dalish elf origin makes you a member of a nomadic tribe that is mistrustful of humans and quick to nock an arrow when trouble arises.

You begin your adventures with tribemate Tamlen, a hotheaded elf who has apprehended a trio of humans in the forest. Both you and he have the harmless peasants at the point of an arrow, and after a brief interrogation, you learn that there's a cave nearby full of strange elven artifacts inscribed with elven writing. This is an unheard-of phenomenon because elf history has been recorded only verbally for as long as your character knows. You're given the option of either killing some or all the peasants or letting them go (as it turns out, no matter what you do, the humans later take umbrage to your threats and force your tribe to pick up stakes and move on) and then joining Tamlen to explore the cave.

The Dalish elves have chosen a hard life of wandering, and you can choose to play either as a fighter or a rogue.

The cave lies in a forest clearing and is guarded by a handful of wolves--nothing too tough. Inside the cave are giant spiders, which, again, isn't anything too tough, though thankfully, we played as a rogue character (Dalish elves can be fighters or rogues) to navigate the deadlier parts of the cave. Like with the dwarf commoner origin, there is absolutely zero story difference between playing a Dalish elf fighter and rogue, except that fighters are a bit better in combat and rogues have access to thieving skills. Like we said, we're glad we chose to play as a rogue this time around--it's possible that BioWare intended Dalish elves to be rogues more than anything else. (Either that, or all the deadly fire and poison gas traps in the cave, as well as all the locked treasure chests in both the cave and the Dalish home village, were put in by accident.)

After navigating the dank and murky caves and disabling some of the traps, we came upon a corridor strewn with what looked like human corpses that suddenly, and shockingly, actually got up and attacked us. After slaying them, we entered the passage they were guarding, which housed a gigantic mirror. Neither our character nor Tamlen could help examining the mirror until distortions on the strange mirror's surface led to an explosion that flung us out of the cave. We awoke briefly to see Duncan, the courteous grey warden, standing over us and then awoke again at the village to find that Duncan had dragged us back to safety while Tamlen was nowhere to be found. Hmm.

Do you think there might be something to this magical mirror sitting in the middle of a monster-infested cave?

The Dalish elf village is a small community of portable dwellings and caravans where elf children play under the watchful eye of the elder elves. Everyone, including you, answers to the keeper--the leader of the tribe and keeper of the tribe's magic. Like with the other origin stories, you can speak to several characters in the village to learn bits and pieces of the game's lore. For instance, you can meet a city elf who has joined your Dalish tribe and is trying to get accustomed to going native. You can also speak with the kindly elf woman who raised you after your parents died, though their death remains a mystery. Or you can speak with the village storyteller and relate the Dalish history to a crowd of bored-looking elf children. However, your task ultimately has you heading back into the forest in search of Tamlen with a keeper-approved fledgling wizard and an eager elf warrior.

Our second time into the cave was a bit different from our first visit. We were attacked by darkspawn warriors armed with swords, bows, and even magic spells, though with our extra muscle, we got along just fine. However, not all the darkspawn corpses were left by us. Several corpses were there already, and when we reached the mirror again, we found out why. The grey warden Duncan had already fought his way into the cave and explained that the mirror used to be a magical portal used by the fallen Tevinter Empire, but it had since fallen out of use and been corrupted by the darkspawn. With a mighty blow of his sword, the grey warden shattered the mirror and then encouraged us to head back to the village to give up on Tamlen who, like us, had become ill as a result of the darkspawn taint in the mirror. Deciding that we were never really big fans of Tamlen, or his haircut, we followed Duncan's advice and skipped back to the village.

All paths lead to joining the grey wardens in Dragon Age: Origins.

As it happens, the humans we'd threatened earlier sent word to their village to have the elf settlement flushed out, so the tribe was in the process of preparing to move, while Duncan was, perhaps unsurprisingly, in the process of recruiting us by explaining to the keeper that we'd fallen under the spell of the darkspawn and only joining the grey wardens would save our character's life. After performing a cursory mourning rite for Tamlen (again, the haircut), we said our goodbyes and headed out into the horizon with Duncan as a new grey warden.

This concludes GameSpot's coverage of the origin stories in Dragon Age. Stay tuned to the site for more updates in the near future.

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"PC | Dragon Age: Origins Updated Hands-On - The Origins of the Dalish Elf" was posted by Andrew Park on Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:07:16 -0700

PlayStation 3 | QA: Obsidian talks Alpha Protocol

Just what can one expect from an espionage-themed action RPG? Obsidian Entertainment producer Matthew Rorie gives us the lowdown on Alpha Protocol. A mishmash of genres that combines action and stealth with gadget-based gameplay may sound daunting at first, but Obsidian Entertainment is certain it's on to a winner with its upcoming title Alpha Protocol. We spoke with producer Matthew Rorie to get a better look at how the elements of the game will all come together upon its release this October. [ Watch Video ] GameSpot AU: First thing's first. What does the story in Alpha Protocol revolve around? Matthew Rorie: You play as Mike Thorton, a field agent for an agency called Alpha Protocol. After you're sent to Saudi Arabia for your first covert mission, things go very, very wrong, and you're forced to figure out who's behind a global conspiracy. Along the way, you'll meet a cast of 20 or so major characters that you'll interact with via your phone, e-mail, and in-person conversations. Each of these characters can be friends or enemies to Mike, and each relationship that you make will have an effect on the way the story plays out. GS AU: Tell us a little about how the gameplay mechanics will work, given this is an espionage-based role-playing game. MR: Mike Thorton is a spy, but we didn't want to lock players into any of the various spy archetypes that you might see in popular media. So, our solution to that problem was to allow players to be any kind of spy that they want. If you want to be a badass, take-no-prisoners sort of character, you can specialise in weapons like the assault rifle or the SMGs and go in with guns blazing. Alternately, if you want to be sneaky, we have a stealth tree that will reduce your visibility and let you move around more quietly; the better to avoid enemies. GS AU: What are the role-playing aspects of the game? How will they be incorporated into gameplay? MR: There are tons of role-playing elements in Alpha Protocol. Firstly, we have the ability to interact with a wide cast of characters and earn reputations with each of them, which will influence the way they interact with your character as you progress through the storyline. Or, if you wish, almost all of them can be killed, which will of course eliminate them from the rest of the game if you choose to take that path. On top of that, we of course have the aforementioned skill allocation. Whenever Mike levels up, he'll gain a number of advancement points to throw in a variety of skills, and this specialisation will let players change the way Mike handles each mission as you go through the game. The RPG elements in Alpha Protocol include skill allocation and earning a reputation with most of the game's characters. GS AU: What kind of skills and abilities will players be able to upgrade? How many levels of upgrades will be offered? MR: Mike has nine core skills, running the gamut from gun skills (increases accuracy, damage, and reload time) to things like toughness (increases health and endurance), sabotage (improves gadget efficacy and makes it easier to hack electronics, pick locks, and run electronic bypasses), and martial arts (makes it easier to punch dudes in the face). Each skill has a maximum of 15 ranks, but you can only get that high if you specialise in a skill; otherwise, you can only reach rank 10. Each skill will also have a number of special abilities that you earn as you upgrade your skill level. GS AU: How will the RPG element of the game affect story? For example, will completing one scenario one way affect the main storyline down the track? MR: Reactivity has been the driving force behind Alpha Protocol since very early on in the design. With the multiple outcomes that we provide to all of Mike's choices, it would be difficult to imagine Alpha Protocol without the amount of reactivity that we've thrown in. So, you'll notice as you play through that characters you come across will react to all of your choices. Other characters will react to things like the character background that you've chosen, your choice to kill or bypass enemies, your interactions and relationships with other major characters, choices you've made in other parts of the world, and, of course, how you engage them in conversation. GS AU: Have you incorporated moral choices in the game? If so, can you give us an example? MR: There are a lot of moral choices that Mike is forced to make, but we try to ensure that we never force a player into a right/wrong decision. We want to reward players for whatever they do. Even if you decide to beat up an old man sitting at a bar, you still gain some reputation with other characters down the line. There are, of course, larger decisions for Mike to make, which includes deciding whether or not to kill the major characters that you come across in the game. But you're going to have to play the game to discover them. Players will be rewarded for both morally correct and morally dubious actions. GS AU: How long have you been working on developing Alpha Protocol? MR: Alpha Protocol has been in development for quite a while now, since 2006 or so. GS AU: Are there any features that had to be left on the cutting room floor due to your time schedule for the game’s release? MR: To misquote George Lucas, games are never finished, only released. There's obviously stuff that we wish we could've had the time to include in the game, but that's a side effect of an extremely ambitious design. In the end, the game features a massive amount of complex gameplay, and we're happy with the amount of stuff that we've managed to cram onto a disc. GS AU: What kind of weapons can players expect in Alpha Protocol? MR: In the game, Mike Thorton can raise his skill in pistols, SMGs, shotguns, and assault rifles. Each of these weapons fits a certain profile: pistols are short range but can be equipped with silencers for stealth takedowns; SMGs are great for taking out crowds of enemies; shotguns have fantastic stopping power and can knock enemies off their feet with a critical hit; and assault rifles are highly accurate at long range. Each of these weapons has three different types of ammo that it can be used with. In addition to the firearms, though, there are a number of lethal gadgets, including explosive grenades, incendiary grenades, remote mines, and a number of nonlethal devices, including tranq rounds for your pistols, flashbangs, shock traps, and so on. Mike can also choose to specialise in martial arts, which will let him unleash some pretty devastating combos and special attacks in close-quarters combat. But wait, there's more. Some levels will have missile launchers, MG turrets, sniper rifles, and even automatic turrets that Mike can hack and turn on his enemies. Players can employ a wide range of stealth skills in the game. GS AU: Given this is a spy game, what kind of stealth and combat tactics have you employed in the game? MR: We know our players are fans of stealth, so we've tried to emphasise that with our stealth skill, which reduces the amount of sound that Mike makes and reduces the range at which enemies can see him. You'll also get some special abilities as you increase your stealth skill, including the ability to temporarily evade an enemy's sight at close range, allowing you to get behind cover if you make a mistake, or the ability to run at full speed without making any footstep noise. We've also given stealth players the ability to sneak up on enemy combatants and use takedowns on them. These can take the form of lethal knife attacks or nonlethal punches and chokes. GS AU: Tell us more about the Fury mode. MR: Fury is actually an activated ability from our martial arts skill. It temporarily allows Mike to bust out and deal extra damage with his unarmed attacks and also makes it more difficult for enemies to block and counter his attacks while it lasts. GS AU: How many hours of gameplay are there in Alpha Protocol? MR: We're guessing that it will take around 25 hours to get through the game, possibly more if you attempt to stealth, as doing so will mean you'll take a bit more time to get through some of the levels. We're also building in some benefits to people who want to replay the game, including a Veteran mode that allows Mike some new dialogue options and tougher enemies. GS AU: When can we expect to see Alpha Protocol on shelves? MR: We're in the homestretch of development on Alpha Protocol, and we're going to get the game on store shelves in October! Hope you guys enjoy it when it comes out. GS AU: Matthew Rorie, thanks for your time. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "PlayStation 3 | Q&A: Obsidian talks Alpha Protocol" was posted by Laura Parker on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:47:34 -0700

PC | QA: Obsidian talks Alpha Protocol

Just what can one expect from an espionage-themed action RPG? Obsidian Entertainment producer Matthew Rorie gives us the low-down on Alpha Protocol. A mish-mash of genres that combines action and stealth with gadget-based gameplay may sound daunting at first, but Obsidian Entertainment are certain they're on to a winner with their upcoming title Alpha Protocol. We spoke with producer Matthew Rorie to get a better look at how the elements of the game will all come together upon its release this October. [ Watch Video ] GameSpot AU: First thing is first. What does the story in Alpha Protocol revolve around? Matthew Rorie: You play as Mike Thorton, a field agent for an agency called Alpha Protocol. After you're sent to Saudi Arabia for your first covert mission, things go very, very wrong, and you're forced to figure out who's behind a global conspiracy. Along the way, you'll meet a cast of 20 or so major characters that you'll interact with via your phone, emails, and in-person conversations. Each of these characters can be friends or enemies to Mike, and each relationship that you make will have an effect on the way the story plays out. GS AU: Tell us a little about how the gameplay mechanics will work, given this is an espionage-based RPG. MR: Mike Thorton is a spy, but we didn't want to lock players into any of the various spy archetypes that you might see in popular media. So, our solution to that problem was to allow players to be any kind of spy that they want. If you want to be a badass, take-no-prisoners sort of character, you can specialise in weapons like the assault rifle or the SMGs and go in with guns blazing. Alternately, if you want to be sneaky, we have a stealth tree that will reduce your visibility and let you move around more quietly; the better to avoid enemies. GS AU: What are the role-playing aspects of the game, and how will they be incorporated into gameplay? MR: There are tons of role-playing elements in Alpha Protocol. Firstly, we have the ability to interact with a wide cast of characters and earn reputations with each of them, which will influence the way they interact with your character as you progress through the storyline. Or, if you wish, almost all of them can be killed, which will of course eliminate them from the rest of the game if you choose to take that path. On top of that, we of course have the aforementioned skill allocation. Whenever Mike levels up, he'll gain a number of advancement points to throw in a variety of skills, and this specialisation will let players change the way Mike handles each mission as you go through the game. The RPG elements in Alpha Protocol include skill allocation and earning a reputation with most of the game's characters. GS AU: What kind of skills and abilities will players be able to upgrade? How many levels of upgrades will be offered? MR: Mike has nine core skills, running the gamut from gun skills (which increase accuracy, damage, and reload time), to things like Toughness (increases health and endurance), Sabotage (improves gadget efficacy and makes it easier to hack electronics, pick locks, and run electronic bypasses), and Martial Arts (makes it easier to punch dudes in the face). Each skill has a maximum of 15 ranks, but you can only get that high if you specialise in a skill; otherwise you can only reach rank 10. Each skill will also have a number of special abilities that you earn as you upgrade your skill level. GS AU: How will the RPG element of the game affect story? For example, will completing one scenario one way affect the main storyline down the track? MR: Reactivity has been the driving force behind Alpha Protocol since very early on in the design. With the multiple outcomes that we provide to all of Mike's choices, it would be difficult to imagine Alpha Protocol without the amount of reactivity that we've thrown in. So, you'll notice as you play through that characters you come across will react to all of your choices. Other characters will react to things like the character background that you've chosen, your choice to kill or bypass enemies, your interactions and relationships with other major characters, choices you've made in other parts of the world, and, of course, how you engage them in conversation. GS AU: Have you incorporated moral choices in the game? If so, can you give us an example? MR: There are a lot of moral choices that Mike is forced to make, but we try to ensure that we never force a player into a right/wrong decision. We want to reward players for whatever they do. Even if you decide to beat up an old man sitting at a bar, you still gain some reputation with other characters down the line. There are, of course, larger decisions for Mike to make, which includes deciding whether or not to kill the major characters that you come across in the game, but you're going to have to play the game to discover them. Players will be rewarded for both morally correct morally dubious actions. GS AU: How long have you been working on developing Alpha Protocol? MR: Alpha Protocol has been in development for quite a while now, since 2006 or so. GS AU: Are there any features that had to be left on the cutting room floor due to your time schedule for the game’s release? MR: To misquote George Lucas, games are never finished, only released. There's obviously stuff that we wish we could've had the time to include in the game, but that's a side effect of an extremely ambitious design. In the end, the game features a massive amount of complex gameplay, and we're happy with the amount of stuff that we've managed to cram onto a disc. GS AU: What kind of weapons can players expect in Alpha Protocol? MR: In the game, Mike Thorton can raise his skill in pistols, SMGs, shotguns, and assault rifles. Each of these weapons fits a certain profile: pistols are short-range, but can be equipped with silencers for stealth takedowns; SMGs are great for taking out crowds of enemies; shotguns have fantastic stopping power, and can knock enemies off their feet with a critical hit; and assault rifles are highly accurate at long range. Each of these weapons has three different types of ammo that it can be used with. In addition to the firearms, though, there are a number of lethal gadgets, including explosive grenades, incendiary grenades, remote mines, and a number of non-lethal devices, including tranq rounds for your pistols, flashbangs, shock traps, and so on. Mike can also choose to specialise in martial arts, which will let him unleash some pretty devastating combos and special attacks in close-quarters combat. But wait, there's more. Some levels will have missile launchers, MG turrets, sniper rifles, and even automatic turrets that Mike can hack and turn on his enemies. Players can employ a wide range of stealth skills in the game. GS AU: Given this is a spy game, what kind of stealth and combat tactics have you employed in the game? MR: We know our players are fans of stealth, so we've tried to emphasise that with our stealth skill, which reduces the amount of sound that Mike makes and reduces the range at which enemies can see him. You'll also get some special abilities as you increase your stealth skill, including the ability to temporarily evade an enemy's sight at close range, allowing you to get behind cover if you make a mistake, or the ability to run at full speed without making any footstep noise. We've also given stealth players the ability to sneak up on enemy combatants and use takedowns on them. These can take the form of lethal knife attacks, or nonlethal punches and chokes. GS AU: Tell us more about fury mode. MR: Fury is actually an activated ability from our martial arts skill. It temporarily allows Mike to bust out and deal extra damage with his unarmed attacks, and also makes it more difficult for enemies to block and counter his attacks while it lasts. GS AU: How many hours of gameplay are there in Alpha Protocol? MR: We're guessing that it will take around 25 hours to get through the game, possibly more if you attempt to stealth, as doing so will mean you'll take a bit more time to get through some of the levels. We're also building in some benefits to people who want to replay the game, including a Veteran mode that allows Mike some new dialogue options and tougher enemies. GS AU: When can we expect to see Alpha Protocol on shelves? MR: We're in the homestretch of development on Alpha Protocol, and we're going to get the game on store shelves in October! Hope you guys enjoy it when it comes out. GS AU: Matthew Rorie, thanks for your time. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "PC | Q&A: Obsidian talks Alpha Protocol" was posted by Laura Parker on Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:47:34 -0700

Xbox 360 | Assassin's Creed II Updated Impressions

We finally got another look at Assassin's upcoming Renaissance-era sequel, and this time around we find Ezio in the city of Florence. When we first saw Assassin's Creed II back at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, it wowed us with its sumptuous graphics and slick Renaissance-inspired storyline. We finally got a chance to return to the world of Italian assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze at GamesCom 2009 in Cologne, Germany, and checked out the brand-new city of Florence. Comment on this video » Watch this video in HD 540p Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.document.getElementById('flash_video_player_alt_content_6215096').style.display = "none";var expressInstallPath = "http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/express/playerProductInstall.swf";var object_ele = '';document.write('' + object_ele + ''); Assassin's Creed II creative director Patrice Desilets was again on hand to guide us through 15th-century Italy, and our demo began on the Florentine rooftops. The environment looked stunning in the late afternoon, with a soft haze obscuring the nearby hillside. The skyline was filled with orange terracotta roof tiles and soft pastel and cream colours. Gazing around, we could see numerous towers, domed churches, villas, and plenty of other buildings with rustic charm. Ezio walked up to a nearby guard and used his concealed pistol--first seen in the E3 announcement trailer to dramatic effect--to execute him. When you aim the pistol, a grey line will show where you're pointing, and this should improve aiming with the third-person camera. After a few moments, Desilets jumped off the rooftop into a hay bale on the street below. He then approached a street merchant who sold him a bottle of poison to use for an assassination mission. These missions are delivered to Ezio through carrier pigeons, which you can find scattered around Florence's rooftops. The heads-up displays have been slightly updated, while the controls look the same as before and are again contextually mapped to your head and limbs. The Y button is assigned to eagle vision, B is for tackles or gentle pushes, and A is used to sprint, free-run, jump, or steal. While you could blend only with scholars in the original game, you can now do so with pretty much any group of people, and this is illustrated by an abstract pattern of criss-crossing lines on the ground when you approach them. Desilets used eagle vision--the ability to single out friends, foes, and targets in a crowd--to locate his target and then blended into a crowd to get a bit closer. Rather than going in for a bold kill, you can use other characters to do your dirty work. In this case, he infected the target's guard with poison, and within a few moments the guard started having a fit. Slashing his lance around from the pain, the guard was able to pierce the man he was meant to protect, thereby fulfilling Ezio's mission. This looks like just one example of some of the new ways to carry out such missions, and we look forward to seeing more examples at a later date. Following this mission, the day began to disappear and night fell upon the city. Dark, grey clouds covered the sky, and the Florentine skyline was bathed in the dying moments of twilight. Desilets led us on to a nearby alley, which was blocked by some guards. He enlisted the help of some nearby mercenaries, and after exchanging some money, they agreed to kill the guards. Being able to get others to do your dirty work seems like an interesting idea, but because you have to pay them, you will probably need to save their resources for special occasions. The alley revealed a hidden trapdoor, indicated by the assassin's symbol, which surrounded a skull set into a fountain. Ezio pushed his fingers into the eye sockets, activating the hidden door, and jumped down into a new area below: the catacombs beneath Florence. We're told by Desilets that there will be numerous underground areas to expose in the game. However, they're all optional besides this particular one. The reason this one is mandatory is that it involves the discovery of a secret meeting of the Assassins' sworn enemies, the Templars. The catacombs offered a fresh landscape to what we'd already seen, and the chipped, worn brickwork was bathed in a soft candlelight, accented by painted artwork, ornate, classical architecture, scattered debris, and even human bones. Desilets used Ezio's acrobatic skills to make his way down to the bottom of a central shaft just after the Templars moved into a huge hall, sealing off the entrance with a heavy stone door. Using some acrobatics, he was able to climb up to an area above the sealed room and found a secret level that opened the door, triggering a cutscene featuring the Templars. Despite their lavishly decorated armour, the Templars seemed as deadly as ever and quickly set out to find Ezio. Desilets demonstrated a cool new "death from above" move that lets you execute an enemy by jumping from above and stabbing him with your knife. After taking care of one soldier, he used a smoke bomb to distract two more and chase after a final one, who made a hasty retreat. The Templar was intent on warning his cohorts, and this section features the new chase gameplay. Your aim is to stop him before he can call for reinforcements, by any means possible. These areas don't appear to be linear, and you can use alternative paths when an enemy creates an obstacle, in this case blocking our way to a terraced balcony by locking a gate. Desilets used a chandelier to swing around the outside of the balcony and through a gap in the wall to kill the Templar, which resulted in another cutscene where Ezio eavesdrops on the meeting. Inspired by real events, the cutscene shows the Pazzi conspirators who planned an assassination on the brothers Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici, co-rulers of the Florentine Republic. There were a number of conspirators named, including the pope, who apparently approved of the Templars' plot. Our demo concluded with Ezio finding a chest of money and opening a sarcophagus marked with the Assassin's logo, and we found a ceramic seal inside. Collecting these, we're told, will result in big rewards later on. Opening a nearby door, Desilets exited the catacombs and popped back into the world through a sewer grate near a canal. Assassin's Creed II is dropping onto the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on November 17 in North America and on November 20 in Europe. For all of our coverage from Cologne, visit gamescom.gamespot.com. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Xbox 360 | Assassin's Creed II Updated Impressions" was posted by Luke Anderson on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:11:46 -0700

PlayStation 3 | Katamari Forever Updated Hands-On

We help piece together the memories of the King of All Cosmos in Namco Bandai's newest addition to the wacky Katamari series. The Katamari series proves that having simple game mechanics, a funky soundtrack, and psychedelic colors are all it takes to entice fans to come back for more. Katamari Forever for the PlayStation 3 is a mix of new levels, as well as older levels. All of your favorite cousins are also back, including the diminutive Prince, who can now do the Prince Hop--aka jump. Like in the previous games, your goal is to roll up as much junk as quickly as possible. We had the opportunity to play around with a preview build and found that even though there aren't any groundbreaking changes, Katamari Forever is so quirky and charming that it's hard to stay away--or get the theme song out of your head. Same gameplay, different console.Comment on this video » Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.document.getElementById('flash_video_player_alt_content_6212928').style.display = "none";var expressInstallPath = "http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/express/playerProductInstall.swf";var object_ele = '';document.write('' + object_ele + ''); Veteran katamari handlers might recognize some of the older levels because you'll be playing through familiar worlds in an attempt to patch up the memory of the King of All Cosmos. After trying to show off his new jumping skills, the king bumps his head on a giant spiky star. He falls unconscious and loses his memory, which is represented by worlds that are completely devoid of color. You'll have to go through the bleak, colorless levels to pick up anything that isn't nailed down and is of appropriate size until you can bring all the vibrant colors back. While the king was unconscious, the cousins freaked out and decided to build RoboKing to temporarily take his place. Unfortunately the robot immediately goes crazy and destroys all the stars in the sky. You can probably guess what you have to do now. With the King of All Cosmos out of commission and the RoboKing malfunctioning, you'll have to help rebuild memories, as well as new planets. Along the way, you'll also unlock new modes, find more cousins, and gather other collectables. A tutorial is integrated into the introduction to help newcomers figure out how to maneuver the giant sticky ball known as a katamari. It's almost like controlling a tank because you use both analog sticks to turn and move forward. It takes a little getting used to, but once you've got the hang of it, you'll be rolling over all sorts of crazy stuff with ease. What's new in Katamari Forever is the ability to do the Prince Hop, which gives you more mobility. You can jump by quickly shaking the controller, but it's actually easier to just use the R2 button instead. This allows you to jump over fences to get to new areas, climb onto shelves, and quickly avoid moving hazards. What's disorienting though is the camera, which can be unhelpful if you end up rolling under large objects. Most of the time, there's a peephole that's cut out to give you a clear view of your katamari, but sometimes you'll end up staring at a large piece of geometry until your katamari rolls back into sight. Like the previous games, your goal is to reach a certain size in a limited amount of time. You start by rolling over small things, such as candy, dice, and earrings, until you've grown large enough to stick to such big ticket items as gorillas or skyscrapers. Depending on the stage, you'll also have other goals, which may include scooping up as much jewelry or as many farm animals as possible. In one of the levels that we played, our goal was to get a sumo wrestler to eat as much as possible. Instead of rolling a katamari ball, we pushed around a person, which changed up the dynamics because he wasn't very round--not yet at least. As you progress through the levels, you'll likely pick up presents, which include clothes and accessories that wind up in your collection from the main menu. The game tracks everything that you pick up, so it's interesting to see the strange and random objects you've encountered, especially after rolling around in a Japanese supermarket or a zoo. There are power-ups to pick up as well, so keep an eye out for hearts sitting in a rainbow column because they act like vacuums and temporarily suck up items around you. Just keep on rollin'! There are more than 30 levels in the game, and each level includes unlockable modes, such as Katamari Drive mode where you can roll faster than usual. Eternal mode is where you go at your own pace with no time restrictions, and Katamari Classic mode lets you play with the original rules, which means no Prince Hop or power-ups. Graphic filters can also be unlocked to give the game a new look, or you can change the new cel-shaded art style back to the old look if you prefer. The levels look like they've been colored with pencil crayons, but you can select filters to give the game a richer comic tone or a more natural look with a wood tone. If you don't like change at all, the classic tone will bring back the original art style, but it will be in 1080p. There is no online play, but there are online rankings and offline multiplayer modes. You can coordinate with a friend and control a katamari together, so each person uses one analog stick. Depending on how well you communicate with each other, co-op can be incredibly fun or the most frustrating experience imaginable. If you want to direct that frustration at your friend, there are multiple Versus modes, in which you can compete to get the largest katamari or the most items, or you can play keep away. Dashing into the other person will cause him or her to drop his or her items, so if you time it right, you can really mess up your opponent right before the clock runs out. Katamari Forever is exactly what you would expect from this series of rolling miscellaneous items into planets. If you really liked the previous games and are just looking for more fun levels to explore, then it's worth taking a closer look. We're quite fond of the new art style, but the option to switch is also nice. The music is as catchy as ever, with new remixes of some favorites, which have probably looped in your head for far too many hours already. For more information on Katamari Forever, be sure to stay tuned for our full review when the game is released exclusively on the PlayStation 3 at $49.99 on September 22. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "PlayStation 3 | Katamari Forever Updated Hands-On" was posted by Sophia Tong on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:06:01 -0700

PSP | Undead Knights Hands-On

We raise an army of the undead to help us exact revenge against a brainwashed puppet king. As much fun as it is to slaughter zombies in many gruesome but creative ways, bossing them around is just as delightful when there's a never-ending supply of undead to choose from. In Tecmo's bloody hack-and-slash game called Undead Knights, you play as any one of the three characters who were brutally murdered by the order of the king. At first, this game felt very much like a Dynasty Warriors game--except with zombies--but as we made our way through the chapters and learned the many different ways to use our zombie horde, we discovered that Undead Knights is actually a fun and interesting twist on the usual mindless hack-and-slash. The preview build we played still had a lot of issues that are being addressed, but when the game was running the way it should, it was satisfying to watch our bloodthirsty undead troops rip apart heavily armored knights. Check out the opening cut scene!Comment on this video » Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.document.getElementById('flash_video_player_alt_content_6210744').style.display = "none";var expressInstallPath = "http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/express/playerProductInstall.swf";var object_ele = '';document.write('' + object_ele + ''); Once a kind ruler, King Kirk Gradis changed drastically after marrying a mysterious woman named Fatima. When Romulus Blood, a devoted knight to the king, warned him of the queen, the king ordered that the House of Blood be executed. Romulus and his younger brother Remus, as well as Sylvia, the king's daughter and Remus' bride-to-be, were all murdered for Romulus' impudence. As they were dying, the three made a pact with some unknown being and were given the power to rise from the dead and the ability to suck the life from the living in order to transform them into the undead. This proves to be useful, because the king also has a seemingly unlimited supply of troops to guard his kingdom. With this new power, regardless of who you decide to play as, you can zap the life out of any living person and turn him or her into a zombie follower. These zombies will immediately go after the closest living thing and gnaw at it, spewing blood everywhere. What's cool is that you can also order them to swarm and rip apart one person, send them to pull down barricades, or even order them to climb onto each other's shoulders to form a path for you to cross. You can also pick up your undead and toss them onto enemies, which knocks them down or distracts them so that you can deal some extra damage with your own weapon. Romulus wields a large and heavy weapon and feels a bit slow when compared to Remus, who is quick but deals less damage. Sylvia swings a giant scythe and has a long reach, but she is vulnerable between swings. We preferred Remus, mainly because he was fast, which allowed us to pull off some quick combos and then follow up with the zombie transformation. The square and triangle buttons are for your attacks, and the circle button is to grab your enemies by the neck and suck the energy out of them. A circular timer appears to let you know how long it will take before the deed is done, which can leave you vulnerable for a few seconds. If you deal enough damage to your foes, they'll turn red and start to flash, and that's when you follow up with the circle button so you can instantly convert them, as well as gain a bit of health back. Sylvia gets right down to business.Comment on this video » Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.document.getElementById('flash_video_player_alt_content_6215983').style.display = "none";var expressInstallPath = "http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/express/playerProductInstall.swf";var object_ele = '';document.write('' + object_ele + ''); Your undead army will rot away after a certain amount of time, so it's important to keep strangling knights as you hack your way through. Not only can you toss zombies, but you can pick one up and then slam it into the ground with the triangle button to do a devastating area attack. This destroys the undead you were holding, but it's not like you can't get more. The undead are also handy when used as meat shields, and when you need a specific number of minions to take down a structure, hold the R button and point them in the right direction and they'll automatically go running. Your infernal wrath gauge under your health bar will fill up as you plow your way through. Once it's full, you can unleash a powerful attack that kills everything around you, and your enemies will instantly come back as your loyal servants. At the end of each chapter, your performance is graded, and you'll earn Dark Energy points, which are shared between the three characters. Our build gave us a ton of points to start off with, so we were able to customize and upgrade our characters by giving them boosts in their defense and strength, as well as give them new combos, weapons, and abilities. There's also an option to reduce the time it takes to convert enemies and gain healing bonuses. We were given only one build, but you can play Undead Knights with up to four players via ad hoc mode. There's Survival Race mode, in which you race to the end of an area and then try to kill each other at the end. King Battle mode is more of a cooperative mode in which you try to survive a wave of zombie attacks and then work together to take down the boss. Apparently there is also going to be a zombie pillow fight, but we weren't given details on how that's going to work. Play competitively or cooperatively in the game's multiplayer modes. The opening cutscene and the visuals as a whole are quite impressive. There's still some work to be done in terms of fixing the glitches and camera issues, but it was a fun romp through castle courtyards and battlements. If you like heavy metal music, there are plenty of angry tunes and guitar riffs to keep you going as you sever limbs and watch heads fly. There's supposed to be some zombie smack-talking in the game, but we haven't come across any in the first few chapters. Undead Knights is a violent and bloody hack-and-slash game, which is incredibly amusing because it's just so over the top. With the addition of zombies, that alone already bumps up the entertainment value. The game is broken up into relatively short chapters with checkpoints, so it's an easy game to take on the go. With customization options and multiplayer functionality, you and a few friends can dive into all this zombie madness when Undead Knights is released on September 29 for the PlayStation Portable. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "PSP | Undead Knights Hands-On" was posted by Sophia Tong on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:09:33 -0700

PC | Diablo III: Updated Hands-On -- The Monk

We get our kung-fu grip on the new monk class announced at this yearés BlizzCon. Shortly after the conclusion of the 2009 BlizzCon opening ceremonies, we had a chance to hop onto a computer and dive right into the monk class for Diablo III that had been announced a few minutes prior. What we immediately noticed about the monk is that its female incarnation is still not available, but there is a silhouette that suggests she exists. We then jumped into the proper game where we saw the monk standing inside of some gates, on a path that leads to the open desert. Here, a non-player character tells you that you must go to the town of Alcarnus and also alerts you to the fact that the desert is now overrun with evil creatures. But before setting out on the quest, we checked out a few of the details, including the monkés skill tree, which has three columns: a, b, and c. The monk's kung fu is strong. In this demo, the monk already has a couple of skills unlocked, as well as a few others that unlock after you level once. Thereés also a nice mixture of active abilities. Of those, the two that seem to be most useful for the monk at this point are the exploding palm and the seven-sided strike. The exploding palm, which can be used in concert with the monkés default attack (so it doesnét drain mana), is almost like a touch-of-death skill--whenever the monk lands a third successive strike on a single enemy, a heart icon appears over the enemyés head. This means that the enemy has only a few seconds (depending on how strong he is) before he explodes in a cloud of blood and takes a few surrounding creatures out with him. The seven-sided strike is more like a ranged attack for the monk. It lets him zip into a gang of enemies and perform several quick strikes before reverting back to his normal state. As you can imagine, this attack is especially useful for engaging groups of enemies, but it's also interesting that you can almost use it in tandem with the exploding palm. Just zip into a group of enemies to get to the strongest one and use the exploding palm. Then zip back out and let that enemy explode. Another useful active skill for the monk is radiant visage, which blinds enemies in a certain radius, allowing you to move in quickly and take them out before they can attack. But perhaps our most favorite skill is the impenetrable defense. This is the skill that lets the monk reflect projectile attacks back at enemies for a few seconds. It's incredibly useful when you're surrounded by enemies casting any variety of spells in your general direction. And thankfully, it doesn't seem like you always need to be facing in the direction of the projectile to use it. In terms of other skills, there's also inner sanctuary, way of a hundred fists, and force without thought. Inner sanctuary is pretty straightforward. It creates a small ring around the monk that enemies can't cross, so it's especially useful when you're surrounded by a large group of enemies that would otherwise be difficult to fight through. Way of a hundred fists is a fast series of strikes, while force without thought is a counterattack skill. A few of the other details we checked out before heading out to the desert are the character screen, the quest log, and the available skills option. The character screen gives you the basic rundown for your character and features typical stats like strength, dexterity, vitality, and willpower. The quest log shows your main quest as well as any side quests that come about as a result of exploring. Finally, the available skills option lets you quickly and easily drag and drop skills to hotkey areas in the Diablo III interface. The deadly seven-sided strike. We then started our monk adventure, heading out onto the Sundered Pass. The first few enemies we encountered were lowly wasps, most of which were easily vanquished in a click or two, but only a few minutes in, we encountered much stronger enemies called fallen, which have appeared in previous games. These are little demonlike creatures that like to crowd, and they come in two flavors, regular and magic-powered. Using the exploding palm on the magic-imbued enemies and then running to let them explode and take out their own cohorts seems to be an effective strategy. But one of the stronger enemies we encountered (at least in terms of the amount of damage it hands out) is the dune dervish--a squidlike creature that spins its extremities while floating in the air, making it impossible to just walk up and hit it. That is, until it stops spinning. As we continued battling through throngs of enemies, we came across our first wanted poster, which asks you to find an outlaw camp and kill its leader. Sounds pretty straightforward and shouldn't take much time, but since this desert area is absolutely massive, we got a little lost before finally stumbling upon the camp. Once there, we found the leader and executed him, which caused his head to fall to the ground. We were then told to bring his head to the Enclave Khamsin. But before heading there, we did a little more exploring, and it wasn't too long before our monk stumbled on a camp of cultists--whose members were apparently in the middle of worshipping. But after charging in and slaughtering almost everyone in the camp, we saw that one cultist lived (automatically). He told us about a cache of their equipment and that it's hidden in a certain location. Well, upon exploring even more, we came across another cult camp and, yet again, killed everyone in it, but it appeared that there was a survivor of some kind of attempted sacrifice. We let her go, and she threw up. Yes, this NPC barfs as she tells you that a group of girls were taken to the cultists by someone named Zakarwa and that he drugged them. With that, she led us on the path that eventually took us to the enclave where we collected our bounty for killing the outlaw and spoke to the uncle of the barfing girl to let him know that his niece was dead. A few conversations later, we ventured out of the enclave and discovered what seemed like the last of the cult camps, and Zakarwa happened to be there. Naturally, our monk killed everyone in the camp, including Zakarwa, but it seems that you actually have the option to not kill him, if you're so inclined. Near a dungeon portal in the desert. We returned to the enclave and told everyone that Zakarwa was dead, and then we left to do some more exploring. We eventually came upon a series of necromancer totems and a necromancer who said that he needed help to activate some ruins to contain some sort of evil spirits. So, we ventured out and came across a portal to a dungeon. This dungeon was slightly different from another located on the other side of the desert in that this one had a time limit as well as rocks and boulders crumbling because the dungeon itself was crumbling. While trying to find where we needed to go, the time limit ran out and our monk died, forcing him out of the dungeon and back to the surface. With that our playtime ended. The monk is definitely an interesting class that seems to offer a bit more strategic options than a typical melee-focused character, like the barbarian. And you definitely have to be more careful with the monk because while his attacks may be strong, his defenses are not. Getting caught in a massive group of enemies can often mean death if you're not careful. We'll be interested to see some of the other abilities of the monk class and how they balance things out. Look for more coverage of Diablo III in the future. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "PC | Diablo III: Updated Hands-On -- The Monk" was posted by Giancarlo Varanini on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:42:10 -0700

Macintosh | World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Hands-On

We get our hairy and little green hands on the two new races announced at this year's BlizzCon. Today Blizzard flexed its might and threw its rabid MMO fans a bone by ending speculation about the announcement and details for the next expansion pack for its World of Warcraft franchise. Just nine months since launching its Wrath of the Lich King expansion, the new pack, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, will forgo the introduction of any new playable classes, instead focusing on adding two of the game’s most requested races--Goblins and Worgen--to the playable roster. Chris Metzen, Blizzard Entertainment’s vice president of creative development made the announcement to the thunderous applause of the convention’s 20,000 strong attendees. Playable at the show to coincide with the announcement, we got our hands on a work-in-progress build of the game and took the two new races for a spin. World of Warcraft: Cataclysm is taking a slightly different approach to its previous two expansions and will go as far as to drastically change the physical landscape of the planet. After keeping out of the limelight and presumed defeated, Deathwing, leader of the Black Dragonflight is positioned to return and become the game’s new antagonist as Azeroth is literally torn asunder. Adding a new continent is one thing, but Cataclysm is already setting the bar high on tearing Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdom realms a new one. Huge volcanic gullies have been cut into the countryside, leaving pieces of land precariously teetering on the verge of collapsing into the lava below and turning the Barrens into the new Burning Steppes. Elsewhere in Azeroth the earthquakes have caused huge waterfalls to appear and flooding to occur, leaving even the most vibrant parts of the neighbourhood looking pretty trashed. Azshara looks to have been hit pretty hard with most of its trees felled and leaving wide open spaces where before there was thick forest. It’s not all bad news though, as zones like Desolace have somehow managed to spring to life, transforming their dustbowl environments into lush, verdant fields covered in grass and trees. Azeroth will be getting a makeover when Cataclysm hits. As players have come to expect, the expansion will also increase the current player cap and allow you to gain experience again. Interestingly, Blizzard is only adding a modest five additional levels to take it to level 85. But while including only half as many levels as we’ve seen in the last two expansions, Blizzard is promising to add just as much, (if not more content) in a smaller package. These perks will come in at least three major new abilities per class, a new secondary profession, archaeology, and a new ’Path of the Titans’ quest line linked to crafting of high end items for your current job descriptions. You’ll also now be able to use your flying mounts in Azeroth, resolving a major bugbear suffered by WoW fans; though from the sounds of it you shouldn’t expect to be able to take to the skies before hitting 85 as Blizzard is treating it as a reward, not a right. We jumped into the driving seat and took both of the new playable races for a spin. Alliance will gain access to the Teen Wolf looking humanoids called the Worgen, while Horde players will be able to play the ingenious and greedy Goblins. We tried out the Worgen first, and though we were able to roll fresh characters, there was no option to create a female version or customise the look of the human form of our character. All new characters created began at level five, unlocking many of the basic skills--presumably to get players up and running faster and into the meat of the experience. Notoriously easy to level, we took up our bow with a hunter and launched into Darkhaven, the Worgen starting area. The zone immediately struck us as a combination of Darkshire and Death Knight starting area, Ebon Hold; with their muted colour palettes of greys and browns. Live out (almost) all your Teen Wolf fantasies with the Worgen. We began our experience with our character trapped in a torture device with our head and hands bound, while villagers stood around watching. A nearby NPC promises us we will be healed, and after accepting a nearby quest to drink a potion from local chemist Krennan Aranas we’re freed and let into the town. It’s here we’re given the ability to switch in and out of Worgen and human form at will. It’s a purely cosmetic change, though once you enter combat you’ll automatically become Worgen. Meeting with Aranas and his associates we were given a series of quests which saw us needing to locate a crate full of reagents to the south east, kill Forsaken guards, and cull the local Abomination population by tossing barrels on their heads and shooting them until they exploded. In a farm cellar nearby we located our next contact, Lord Godfrey, who asked us to wipe out nearby Forsaken Combatants. A distressed mother present who is taking up the cause against the undead requests we find her children: Cynthia, Ashley, and James who are lost around the area. Once we’d completed the tasks we were given the job of commandeering a catapult to fling ourselves onto a pair of nearby ships in order to kill their captains, Anson and Morris. Worgen racial abilities were already implemented in our build and included a one per cent damage buff, a hefty resistance to enemy curses--reducing their duration by some 15 per cent--a six second dash on a three minute cooldown, and a 15 point skinning bonus without the need for a skinning knife. The latter of which makes perfect sense given you have such lovely big claws to shred targets with. These little green guys will join the World of Warcraft race roster with the Cataclysm expansion pack. Tossing our hairy human to the side we switched our allegiances to Horde with a view to rolling a Goblin. We decided to stick with the hunter class and after spawning into the world found ourselves clinging to life on a bit of driftwood. A short soliloquy from a nearby NPC revealed that the Goblins had been caught in the crossfire during a battle between the Horde and Alliance. As is only fitting you’re jolted back to life (after a couple of attempts) with the help of a pair of Goblin jumper cables and given the task of rescuing fellow Goblins caught in the skirmish and trapped in nearby floating escape pods. You’re given a pair of nifty flipper gadgets which increase your swim speed to get the job done, and they were particularly useful to deftly avoid the sharks patrolling in the water near the crash site. Once back on dry land we were given quests revolving around locating and acquiring missing crates of tools, killing young Teraptor hatchlings, and in typical Blizzard humour style, feeding bundles of explosive-laden bananas to monkeys and watching them detonate as they chowed down. Further down the coast we we’re given a short escort mission that saw us protecting Goblin miners, and returning an Orc journal found on a slain comrade to reveal more of the story behind the battle raging between the two factions. Like the Worgen, Goblin racial attributes were available for a sneak peak and are, unsurprisingly engineering and financially motivated. ’Best Deals Anywhere’ rewards you with the best gold price for items regardless of your reputation with the vendor, ’Better Living Through Chemistry’ increases your alchemy skill by 15 points, while ’Time Is Money’ increases your attack and casting speed by one per cent. Rockets are a Goblin’s best friend, and the Rocket Jump ability will propel you forward a good distance with a two minute cooldown. The ’Rocket Barrage’ racial is also on a two minute cooldown and deals fire damage to enemies. ’Pack Hobgoblin’ allows you to access your bank remotely for up to a minute once every half hour and provides a handy way to deposit precious Goblin loot when you’re out and about. We’ve been confined to the two starting zones for the new races so far, so we’re yet to see the real effects the cataclysm is having on the world around us, but we’re already eagerly awaiting the chance to get out and do some exploration. Blizzard hasn’t indicated any expected timeframe for the release of the new expansion, but this looks to just be the tip of something much, much larger and we'll be following it with interest. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Macintosh | World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Hands-On" was posted by Dan Chiappini on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 00:40:26 -0700

PC | Dragon Age: Origins Updated Hands-On - The Dwarf Commoner's Humble Beginnings

We start a new story with the commoner background for dwarf characters in this upcoming role-playing epic from BioWare. We've already covered much of the basics of starting a new game in BioWare's upcoming role-playing game Dragon Age: Origins...because we've played through them. If you haven't already, take a look at our previous story covering the origins of the human mage, which also covers the basics of character creation and interface elements--we won't be repeating those here. Instead, we'll jump into the origin story for dwarves who begin their careers as lowly commoners in the streets of Orzammar, the subterranean metropolis. As a dwarf commoner, you can choose to play either as a rogue or as a warrior--there's virtually no difference whatsoever in the experience or gameplay, except that each class has its own skills, and that certain fights seem tougher if you play a rogue who didn't specialize in combat skills. On that note, please be advised that this story contains minor spoilers. Watch the latest Dragon Age trailer in motion.Comment on this video » Watch this video in HD 540p Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.document.getElementById('flash_video_player_alt_content_6215523').style.display = "none";var expressInstallPath = "http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/express/playerProductInstall.swf";var object_ele = '';document.write('' + object_ele + ''); Even though the tall, stony architecture of Orzammar looks impressive in some places, the life of a dwarf commoner isn't pretty. According to the introductory cinematic sequence for this origin, the dwarves have a rigid caste system that forbids dwarves of lower classes to mingle with highfalutin nobles--and your character is at the very bottom of the barrel, a "casteless" character marked with a brand on his or her face that tells the world that you're the most common of commoners. You begin your adventure being harangued by the local dwarf slumlord Beraht, who has recruited you to do his dirty work while he "encourages" your kindhearted sister Rica to catch the eye of a dwarf noble. Beraht's potentially not-family-friendly scheme is to marry her off into a noble family to give birth to an heir, elevating her, you, and "Uncle" Beraht to noble status. (Interestingly, while mages speak with the prim and proper BioWare British Accent made famous in Knights of the Old Republic, dwarves all speak American/Canadian English--no evidence of a British accent or Scottish brogue in sight.) Beraht then storms off, reminding you that you have more dirty work to do before the day is done. Before you go, you can chat with your sister to get more insight about your situation and the world of the dwarves--how most of your people remain below ground rather than deal with repugnant, smelly surface dwellers like humans and elves, and how the darkspawn, the game's villainous monsters, have risen from the depths of the earth to claim the lives of most members of the noble and warrior castes, which leaves the nobles desperate for heirs. It also seems that Rica has caught the eye of a potential suitor, but with no promises made on either side, you're better off heading out to Orzammar for some more shady dealings, at least for the time being. Orzammar is an austere metropolis, but it's also a lousy town to be down-and-out in. You leave your sister, and immediately meet Leske, a dwarf thief and cohort who also works for Beraht, and who also has the hots for your sister. (In fact, if you create a female dwarf character, he'll actually make a pass at you as well.) After reminding him that his attentions are unwanted, you get the details of your next mission--locating, shaking down, and ultimately killing a smuggler who works for Beraht, but has been skimming lyrium ore (the enchanted metal used to power magic spells and forge enchanted weapons) to sell to illicit parties on the surface. The common areas in the dwarf city, much like the halls of the mage tower, are full of ambient characters that go on about their business and occasionally have independent conversations that touch on bits of the world's lore, such as the political tension between the current dwarven king and an ambitious dwarven prince. And if you happen to be a rogue, you can also use the profession's free skill point in the stealing skill to relieve some commoners and guards of their coins and healing poultices--the latter of which will prove to be a godsend later on. When you find the smuggler at the local tavern, you and Leske seat yourself at his table, and can re-enact a classic BioWare conversation quest path of either killing the marked man outright, or letting him go and lying to your boss about doing the job anyway--a quest we've seen in some form in both Baldur's Gate II and also Knights of the Old Republic. We decided to keep things civilized and instead blackmail the smuggler for all the ore he was carrying before cutting him loose, figuring that we'd pocket the proceeds without any questions asked, just as we had in previous BioWare games (and we were wrong, as we'd find out soon enough). By using "intimidate"-based conversation skills (bolstered by our character's "cunning" statistic, which we boosted when creating our character), we were able to convince the poor sap to part with his ore and skedaddle, and we also convinced a terrified Leske to go along for the ride with a generous 50-50 arrangement. Leske came around and pointed us to a nearby merchant who took the ore off our hands at a reduced price, pointing out that demand for it is poor below ground (dwarves are inherently resistant to magic and cannot be mages, and so have little use for the stuff in its raw form), and moving it to the surface would be difficult. We pocketed the few coins we were able to get and reported in to our crime boss. Said crime boss and his number one gal, Jarvia (an angry female dwarf who can't seem to say anything without phrasing it as a threat) were waiting at a nearby merchant shop. When we lied about killing off the escaped smuggler, the slumlord didn't exactly buy what we were selling--apparently, one of his cousins was also at the tavern at the time and watched the smuggler get up and walk away. Fortunately, Leske was quick-witted enough to come up with a lie of his own about how we later bumped off traitorous cheat in a back alley, preferring not to make a scene in the tavern. This screenshot is dedicated to those who doubted whether Dragon Age: Origins would be a game with mature themes. And fortunately, Beraht actually took the bait, and dispatched us to our next task--rigging the "proving ground" arena battles being held for visiting grey warden Duncan, who was rumored to be in town in search of new recruits to battle the darkspawn (hint, hint). To rig the match, we were instructed to drug the water of one of the arena champions to ensure the victory of a different competitor offering longshot betting odds (on whom Beraht had a pile of coin), and were handed a phony pass to get into the arena area. Upon entering arena hall, we encountered Duncan himself, whom we greeted on a dare from Leske, and exchanged pleasantries with before the grey warden took his leave. We then paid a visit to our longshot gladiator to check on him, only to find that the mighty warrior was dead drunk. After a brief, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" conversation with Leske, we decided to don the warrior's armor and his maces and swords (which fit just fine, even though we were playing a rogue) and masquerade as him, though we also made the decision to not drug the rival gladiator, instead entering the fight as a true test of skill. We pilfered the plastered pugilist's possessions, equipped them, and headed out to the face our first match in another familiar BioWare setup--an arena battle with consecutive one-on-one battles. As a dwarf commoner, you'd better have what it takes to step in the arena. Unfortunately, since we were playing a sneaky thief who specialized in speed and trickery, we didn't have a character with a very high strength score, so we were unable to equip the drunken warrior's better weapons. So, we readied a light battle axe and shield for our battles, which began with a tougher-than-expected scrape that we survived only by using some of our purloined healing poultices. The same could be said for our second and third matches, both against determined dwarves looking to prove themselves. By the end of the third match, we were out of healing poultices and ready to beg for mercy, but that was cut short as the inebriated gladiator we were impersonating staggered into the arena, accusing us of being an impostor. Knowing we were caught dead to rights, we removed our helmet, revealing our character's branded face (the mark of a lowly casteless dwarf) to much consternation from the arena crowds and the dwarven arena master--though Duncan, the guest of honor at the proving match, seemed impressed by our performance. One blackout later, we awoke in a strange cell--apparently, the match results had been renounced and we had been trounced, first by arena guards, and then, by Beraht's men, who had us taken back to the crime boss's lair. Jarvia returned one last time to taunt us before leaving us in the capable hands of a single guard. Fortunately, our rogue character gained an experience level here, which let us take a glimpse at the advanced character classes he'll one day be able to select (assassin, bard, ranger, or duelist). He also had a basic knowledge of the "deft hands" skill and was able to pick the lock on his cell and make a break for his confiscated belongings, equipping himself with his original leather armor and an axe, and making short work of the guard before freeing Leske and sallying forth. Luckily, since we were playing a rogue character, we were able to spot and disarm some of the hidden traps lining the floors. So began the dungeon hacking portion of the dwarf commoner's origin story. Our party of two made their way through Beraht's cellars, looting any open chests and barrels for a handful of trinkets and fighting small contingents of guards. Rogues begin with a basic skill known as "dirty fighting," which deals no damage, but briefly stuns their target. They can also specialize in dual-weapon talents or archery talents, but must first learn the combat training skill. When creating our character, we preferred to make more of a stealthy burglar character, and weren't as prepared for head-on battles, but we did make liberal use of the rogue's backstab ability, which deals extra damage and is triggered automatically when you properly place a rogue character directly behind your target. By periodically using both our character's, and Leske's, dirty fighting skill to stun other targets, we were able to focus in on our enemies, one by one, keeping the thugs' focus on one party member while the other snuck in as many backstab attacks as possible. (As it happens, we later played through the dwarf commoner origin again as a fighter, and found the battles much easier, especially since we specialized in two-handed weapons, which have powerful and quick-to-recover attacks that can deal unusually large amounts of damage or just send your foes sprawling.) Finally, we made our way to the boss, who was in the process of putting a price on our heads to two more of his greasy thugs, and saying some less-than-polite things about our sister. We went right into battle but had to retry this fight a few times, since Beraht himself was a tough fellow who seemed immune to being backstabbed, and since we had hardly any health poultices (and since again, we created a relatively wimpy rogue character). With determination and carefully timed applications of the dirty fighting skill to control the other thugs and focus on picking off our enemies one by one, we finally brought the brute down. And we emerged from his hideout victorious...to find the furious dwarf arena master waiting for us with a group of guards, and with Duncan, and with...our sister? Even more curiously, there was no sign of Beraht's second-in-command, the sharp-tongued Jarvia. Hmm. Why yes, you must gather your party before venturing forth. Venture back to GameSpot for more Dragon Age updates in the coming weeks. It was at this point that Duncan made the offer to join him as a grey warden, saving us (just like with the mage origin) from capital punishment for a grave offense. We spoke with Leske (who insisted we take the opportunity) and Rica (who, as it turned out, had begun a storybook romance with her suitor), and received their blessings to join Duncan in his quest. We were on our way out of our origin story to see the rest of the realm of Ferelden. And you'll be able to hear more about origins, and Ferelden, by following GameSpot's ongoing coverage of Dragon Age: Origins. Come back next Friday when we explore more of the game. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "PC | Dragon Age: Origins Updated Hands-On - The Dwarf Commoner's Humble Beginnings" was posted by Andrew Park on Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:07:45 -0700

PC | The Sims 3 World Adventures Impressions - Exclusive First Look

We get the first look at this massive expansion for The Sims 3. The Sims 3 was released earlier this year, and it added new depth to the pastime of controlling the lives of little computer people as they lived, loved, aspired to lofty ambitions, and got into hilarious catfights. The first expansion for the game, World Adventures, will add three new huge areas to explore (China, France, and Egypt), along with intriguing new puzzle-based gameplay. It will also include tons of new environments, character clothing, moneymaking options, and character traits. And we got the first look. International adventure and romance await in World Adventures. World Adventures will let you trot the globe to three different worldwide locations, either on a simple vacation (which you can take at any time if you've got the simoleons to afford a plane ticket) or as part of an "adventure" (which is an expanded version of the opportunity system that would randomly pop up at certain points in the careers of your sims). These adventures will have you go to one of these three nations to take on quests to explore and plunder trap-filled ruins on behalf of a greedy corporation, though once you've fully explored one locale's ruins, you can decide whether you prefer to side with the company (who would prefer to bulldoze them) or with the locals (who would prefer to keep their landmarks safe). This kind of quest- and choice-based gameplay is a first for the Sims series and makes World Adventures a lot more like a role-playing game than previous games in the series. You'll have an extensive adventure journal that will keep track of a huge number of statistics and achievements, including how many relics (a new type of collectible item) you've gathered, how many puzzles you've solved, different areas you've visited, and your sim's "visa points" (which determine how long you can stay abroad). Stats are very important to the World Adventures team--and apparently to the Sims community--and there will be a ton of them. There will also be tons of new collectible items, including new plants, seeds, and catchable fish for all the pack rats out there. We watched a demonstration of a sim exploring a tomb in Egypt, which was filled with rubble that needed to be cleared away (and can be cleared faster with athletic skills). Behind the rubble lay a switch that opened up a stairway to a lower level, though the pyramid also had several other adjoining chambers that were obscured by a fog of war. Different chambers may contain treasure caches in urns with valuable relics, dangerous traps or, worse, threats. We watched our explorer try to navigate a fire trap that belched flames up out of the floor, but he failed miserably. He ended up catching on fire, making a panicky run to the nearest pool of water, and diving in with a cowardly leap. However, after getting dunked, our sim was affected by the "soaked" moodlet (minor conditions in The Sims 3 that can positively or negatively affect your character), which also made him immune to fire, so he was able to safely cross. He moved on to a treasure room full of urns containing items, but he didn't realize that there was a sarcophagus at the other end of the room from which a hideous mummy emerged. You can recover priceless relics, but you must escape the mummy's curse. Mummies will attack your sims and drag them into a fistfight, and unless your sim is a master of the martial arts skill (which is new to World Adventures), you'll end up with the mummy's curse. This will kill you in two weeks' worth of game time unless you pay a visit to the Sphinx, which is also in the area, and plead your case. Of course, if you prefer to be adventurous, you can actually spend the night inside a cursed sarcophagus and become a mummy yourself, which will cause you to move much more slowly and die should you catch on fire. But, it will also increase your strength and limit your personal needs (so unlike regular sims, you won't need to sleep or take bathroom breaks) and otherwise make you live much longer. You'll also get new, unique mummy social interaction options. (Though if you die as a mummy, you can come back as a ghost-mummy. Yes, a ghost-mummy.) While you begin your adventures on location at a base camp, all three international locations have their own businesses and amenities, as well as locals whom you can meet, interact with, and even fall in love with and marry, then bring home to Sunset Valley (the original Sims 3 neighborhood). Sims from these different regions are being designed to look like they belong to those regions and will have various behaviors added to their personalities under the hood that will serve the purpose of modeling their different cultures. Should your sims decide to marry someone from abroad, their children will evince these behaviors. Along with new behaviors come new traits, skills, and side activities that can be used to generate a handsome income on the side. The three new traits each enhance the expansion's three new skills. The first new skill is martial arts, which is first learned in China; it can be practiced with a training dummy item and advanced to compete in a special martial arts tournament in that country. The second new skill is photography, which can be advanced through various skill levels to take on new styles (such as panoramic shots or sepia-tone photos), and the expansion will offer a series of photography challenges to fill an album collection. These include simpler stuff like grabbing a photo of a new father carrying a baby to esoteric, secret photo setups that will be much harder to nab. The final new skill is "nectar making," which originates in France and involves using grapes to make non-alcoholic "nectar." If made properly, the nectar will give its imbibers a "good meal" moodlet that will make them much happier, but if made poorly, it will make its drinkers spit out the swill and bring their moods down for a while. Skilled nectar vintners can age their bottles in a nectar rack and sell aged bottles for a pretty penny, and having an advanced gardening skill (to grow good grapes) will help considerably in this profession. Dig your way to adventure this November when World Adventures ships. In addition to all this other stuff, World Adventures will add the three new areas to explore, each of which will be comparable in size to Sunset Valley, along with a huge number of brand-new clothing outfits. There will also be tons of scenery items, which can be used by industrious players to build out their own trap-filled ruins to explore, filled with hidden switches, buttons, staircases, traps, and treasures. There will definitely be a ton of interesting new stuff to play in an expansion that will go in a new direction for Sims expansion packs. World Adventures will be released later this year. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "PC | The Sims 3 World Adventures Impressions - Exclusive First Look" was posted by Andrew Park on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:16:26 -0700

PC | Star Wars: The Old Republic Updated QA - The Sith Warrior

We get the first details on the powerful Sith profession in BioWare's highly anticipated online game. Star Wars: The Old Republic will attempt to combine persistent online play with the story-rich, role-playing gameplay of BioWare's award-winning Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. To accomplish this goal, the game is being built to offer an entirely different experience for every single playable character class. This time around, we're taking the wraps off the Sith Warrior, a powerful wielder of the Force who made an appearance at this year's impressive E3 demo. For more details, we spoke with creative director James Ohlen and associate lead designer Emmanuel Lusinchi. This is Star Wars: The Old Republic's Sith Warrior. He's here to crush you. GameSpot: Our next profession to discuss is the Sith Warrior, which we believe was shown at this year's E3. Give us an overview of this class. James Ohlen: At E3, we did show off a Sith, and today, we are revealing that the Sith that was shown at E3 was specifically the Sith Warrior. Darth Vader was the primary inspiration for the this character class. The Sith Warrior is a heavily armored Force user driven by darkness and rage. He depends more on overpowering his opponents with martial skills than Force powers but often uses iconic powers, such as [the] Force choke. His story revolves around hunting down and crushing the enemies of the Empire, though sometimes, he is given the task of corrupting--rather than destroying--an enemy. GS: The Sith Warrior is clearly intended to be a combat class. Tell us about this character's role in battle. For instance, of all the characters we've seen revealed so far, this seems to be the closest to a playable character from the offline Knights of the Old Republic games, specifically, a dark-side-specialized Force-sensitive fighter. Emmanuel Lusinchi: The Sith Warrior is a frontline fighter who aggressively uses the Force to augment his destructive power. As such, the character does have elements in common with melee-centric classes from the two Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic games. Depending on whether players develop their characters toward pure damage or toward a balanced offense and defense, a warrior can go toe-to-toe against the strongest enemy in the room or take apart a whole mob of lesser foes. GS: Aside from using the weapon to slice through droids and enemy soldiers, what other lightsaber-based abilities will this character have? EL: While Jedi use flowing and elegant lightsaber forms, the Sith Warrior's attacks are all about uncontrollable rage and the overwhelming use of force. Impale, a gratuitously brutal and generally downright lethal attack, is a good example of the Sith Warrior's powers. The ability is what we call a "spender." The character can use it only once he has whipped himself into a fine rage, typically in the middle of a fight. Since such devastating power would be wasted on an already-wounded enemy, the smart warrior prefers to unleash it on a fresh attacker for, under the right circumstances, an instant kill. Also, I find that impale is a very satisfying way to finish a long fight against a powerful foe. GS: We understand that the character will be able to dual-wield lightsabers (as shown at E3). How will that affect the character's performance in battle? Will there be different skill trees for different weapon styles (one weapon, two weapon, and so on) like in the KOTOR games? EL: While we are not quite ready to talk about the specifics of the progression system at this time, I can say that dual-wielding both increases the character's offensive power and opens up certain dual-wielding-only abilities. However, dual-wielding comes with a trade-off, and those who do not go down that path excel in other ways. Pictured: Someone just failed a Sith Warrior for the last time. GS: Even though traditional Star Wars imagery places both Jedi and Sith in long, flowing robes, it sounds like the Sith Warrior isn't afraid to don heavy armor--even experimental stuff. How does the concept of a Sith wearing heavy armor fit into the universe proper? Can you give some examples of established Sith characters who kit themselves out this way? JO: Darth Vader is the most famous example of a Sith wearing armor. While Vader's armor was really a life support suit, we felt that wearing armor was an iconic part of the class, especially if we were going to [emulate] Vader. There are other examples of Sith wearing armor in Star Wars fiction (Exar Kun, Darth Krayt, Darth Bane). Even Obi-Wan from Clone Wars wears armor. GS: In addition to using combat-focused Force powers and being a ferocious fighter, it sounds like this profession has other abilities that make it a natural leader in battle. Do these take the form of party-based "buff" abilities that strengthen the whole group? How do these powers work? EL: Well, I might have to disappoint you here, but the way the Sith Warrior leads is by physically hurling himself ahead of his group and into the fray, not by sprinkling around touchy-feely buffs for his buddies. That's just not his style. Although, if his refrains from Force choking his groupmates, does that count as a buff? GS: Given the heavy armor, lightsaber abilities, and Force powers, how would you characterize the class in the parlance of what people expect from massively multiplayer characters? What kind of player will be most attracted to playing this profession? JO: Players who enjoy being in front of the fight and deflecting enemy attacks will enjoy the Sith Warrior, as well as those who prefer dishing out loads of damage. I know those are two very different roles, but there are certain choices that a Sith Warrior can make that will specialize him in one form of combat over the other. We'll be talking more about that in the future. GS: At E3, we saw the Sith Warrior take part in the game's multiplayer dialogue system. Given that the profession is basically a ruthless, power-hungry sort--yet the game will have heavy story elements, including branching dialogue--how will the game account for different choices made by different players? How will players be encouraged to role-play as this sort of character without feeling hedged in by limited choices? JO: Star Wars: The Old Republic allows players to make moral choices, whether they are a Jedi serving the Republic or a Sith Warrior serving the Empire. The story of this character is written with the assumption that players will faithfully serve the Empire and perform their missions ruthlessly. However, there are many choices where players can choose to resist the temptations of the dark side and try to minimize the suffering that their missions might cause. Because the Sith Warrior is a servant of the Empire, he must perform his acts of compassion carefully. He might tell someone he was ordered to kill to get off-world and never return, thus completing his mission in the eyes of his master but without murdering someone who didn't particularly deserve it. GS: Finally, is there anything else you'd like to add about the Sith Warrior or about Star Wars: The Old Republic? Sith Warriors will be powerful fighters on the front line. EL: This was the first character we built, and in many ways, he is still our yardstick for all the other classes. I would not say playing this character is good clean fun because neither "good" nor "clean" is an appropriate term, but he delivers a visceral and satisfying experience. To quote a line from another venerable story: If you think that what's best in life is to crush your enemies and see them driven before you, you should definitely consider playing a Sith Warrior. JO: Star Wars: The Old Republic will be the first game that allows players to live the fantasy of being someone like Darth Vader. Whether you like engaging in epic lightsaber duels, choking subordinates who fail to do your bidding, or hunting down and corrupting the best and brightest of the Jedi Order, Star Wars: The Old Republic will let you do it. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "PC | Star Wars: The Old Republic Updated Q&A - The Sith Warrior" was posted by Staff on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:53:11 -0700

Xbox 360 | DJ Hero First Hands-On

We take our first turn on the wheels of steel in Activision's new rhythm game. Even if most people have never played a real guitar before, they usually understand the basics of a Guitar Hero game more or less right away. One hand strums, the other hand frets--it's basic stuff, and most of us have seen enough guitar players to get the basics in the game down after a song or two. The challenge with Activision and Freestyle Games' upcoming DJ Hero is that few people play "air DJ" in their bedrooms while listening to their favorite artists spinning records. As a result, there's a good chunk of people out there for whom playing DJ Hero might double as their first experience ever with the ins and outs of being a DJ. Chris Watters and Activision's Will Townsend take an in-depth look at DJ Hero.Comment on this video » Watch this video in HD 540p Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.document.getElementById('flash_video_player_alt_content_6215364').style.display = "none";var expressInstallPath = "http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/express/playerProductInstall.swf";var object_ele = '';document.write('' + object_ele + ''); This means that there's a lot to learn. From mixing tracks and adding effects to wrapping your fingers and wrists around the complicated art of record scratching, there's a lot to explore in DJ Hero, which we got to finally play for the first time last week. And while there is a lot of information to absorb in the early goings, in our experience, it doesn't take much time before you're pumping out the jams with something akin to style in the game's upper difficulty levels. Certain aspects of the DJ Hero experience will be immediately familiar for GH fans: You've got a note highway onscreen that scrolls along as the tune plays. Colored gems scroll down the highway; each gem corresponds with one of the three buttons on the DJ Hero turntable. The green and blue buttons correspond to the two tracks being mixed together in the DJ Hero track, while the red button plays from a selection of samples you can switch among by turning a knob at any point in a song. As with Guitar Hero, when a gem appears in the note horizon at the bottom of the screen, you press the corresponding button on the turntable. As with GH's two- and three-button chords, you'll often find yourself pressing the left and right button simultaneously while mixing in the sample button liberally as well. The buttons and onscreen gems follow the basic Guitar Hero flow, but the fader and record-scratching complicate the formula in DJ Hero. The fader switch is part of a snap-on attachment that goes on the turntable and can be attached to either side, which makes it friendly for left-handed DJs. The fader has three positions--left, middle, and right. How you fade between tracks is indicated onscreen by the positioning of the gems along their respective note highways. If the green gem shifts to the left, you move the fader to the left; if the blue gem moves to the right, you move the fader to the right. If either the green or blue gem moves back to center, you move the fader back to its center position--there's a satisfying little click that will indicate when the fade is properly centered. Scratching is an art all of its own in DJ Hero--one that looks to rival the most difficult Guitar Hero tracks in terms of dexterity requirements. At the basic level, however, scratching is simply a matter of holding down either the green or blue button (as indicated onscreen) on the turntable and moving the turntable back and forth for as long as is required. At the basic difficulty levels, even simple movements will play the complicated scratches that abound in the game. Once you amp up the difficulty level, you'll see specific arrows indicating the direction you need to scratch. You'll also have to be more rhythmically precise by matching the rhythms of the track's scratches with what you do with the turntable. If you've never spent any time on the wheels of steel--as was the case with us--it takes some time to get used to the basics of scratching. The challenge lies in the fingers you use to move the turntable in relation to the positions of the buttons. The green button is typically pressed by the index finger and the blue button is typically pressed by the ring finger, but there's a difference in control and strength between those two fingers that's very obvious in practice. It's also worth noting the different circumferences and positions of the two buttons on the turntable: The "inside" blue button is closer to the center of the turntable, which makes it slightly more difficult to accurately push the turntable with the blue button held down. The "outside" green button, on the other hand, is positioned further away from center, making it a bit easier to hold down and subsequently push the turntable. That said, there are tricks you can use to offset these problems--like anchoring your thumb to the side of the turntable and using it to power the turntable's movements. Check out this gameplay mix from DJ Hero's DJ Jazzy Jeff.Comment on this video » Watch this video in HD 540p Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.document.getElementById('flash_video_player_alt_content_6215352').style.display = "none";var expressInstallPath = "http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/express/playerProductInstall.swf";var object_ele = '';document.write('' + object_ele + ''); In our time with DJ Hero, we tried songs from a bunch of different difficulty levels, but we started with the beginning tutorial hosted by Grandmaster Flash. Here, you'll be taken through the basics of the note highway, the turntable, and fading, which is all set to a mix of Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" and Daft Punk's "Da Funk." Once you dive into the proper gameplay, you'll also be able to experiment with the special effects dial, which will let you add envelope effects to the mix at your own discretion during certain sections of songs. Once we finished the tutorial, we tried songs on every difficulty but expert. At the easy level, you'll be dealing mainly with sampling records via the buttons and the basics of scratching. The medium difficulty adds fading into the gameplay, and getting your hands working together between the buttons and the fader is a challenge, albeit a very fun one. Though we hadn't mastered medium, we wanted to see what the game was like at the hard difficulty level, and as expected, things got much more complicated. It's fair to say that the rapid-fire fading between tracks, complicated button combinations for samples, and directional scratching--sometimes all combined in the same section--left us completely and utterly lost in certain sections. As a result, we didn't even attempt a song at expert level for fear of having our fingers fall off completely. Even if you might be lost in certain complicated sections of DJ Hero, the party won't end even if you're screwing things up from the DJ booth. The game has a no-fail system throughout, and all you need to do to get back on track after a particularly difficult section is to hit a few correct notes to kick the jam back into high gear more or less immediately. To that end, you'll be able to make setlists of any of the unlocked tunes in the game and even have fun messing around with the samples button in between tunes during your set. While DJ Hero looks to be fun solo, there will also be some multiplayer modes of note. We got a chance to check out DJ versus DJ gameplay on several songs, which had both DJs spinning it out on individual turntables in a competition for the highest score. Both DJs play the exact same sequences--there's no individual parts swapping from one DJ to the next, and strategic use of euphoria (which is activated by a button that sits right next to the special-effects knob) is essential. Not only does euphoria act as a point modifier, but it also temporarily makes fading automatic, letting you focus just on the turntable scratches and buttons. There will also be a handful of tunes in the game that will let you hook up a guitar accessory and play with your DJ pal--we had a chance to check out a mix of Beastie Boys "Sabotage" and Foo Fighters "Monkey Wrench," which was a good time. It's the Jackson 5 versus Gang Starr in this DJ Yoda mix.Comment on this video » Watch this video in HD 540p Flash Player 9 is required to watch this video.document.getElementById('flash_video_player_alt_content_6215355').style.display = "none";var expressInstallPath = "http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/express/playerProductInstall.swf";var object_ele = '';document.write('' + object_ele + ''); Other mixes we played in the game included: • Marvin Gaye "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" versus Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc." • Gwen Stefani "Hollaback Girl" versus Rick James "Give it to Me" • Benni Benassi "Satisfaction" versus Black Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow" Even if you've never stood on a raised DJ platform and led the way for hundreds of club-goers to dance the night away, you'll still be able to have a good time with DJ Hero. The game's learning curve looks to gently introduce you to the basics while giving able-handed DJs a chance to flex their muscles with some creative and demanding gameplay interpretations of some extremely cool tunes. DJ Hero is due for release on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii in late October, so stay tuned for more on the game in the coming weeks. Read and Post Comments | Get the full article at GameSpot "Xbox 360 | DJ Hero First Hands-On" was posted by Brian Ekberg on Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:05:36 -0700