The Buzz

Starting November 1, gamers using Xbox Live Gold will be paying more for the online service. The price of Gold in the U.S. is going from $7.99 a month to $9.99 a month. Three-month buys will go from $19.99 to $24.99, and if you buy your Xbox Live by the year, you’ll be paying $59.99 instead of $49.99 annually.

“Since launching Xbox Live in 2002 we have continually added more content and entertainment experiences for our members, while keeping the price the same. We’re confident that when the new pricing takes effect, an Xbox Live Gold membership will continue to offer the best value in the industry,” Posts Major Nelson on Xbox Live’s official blog, before reminding you to re-up your subscription now, to avoid the new, higher rates.

This is the third installment to the first person shooter/horror series from developer Day 1 Studios scared the shit out of you(if you played the first two.) Here a brief description of the game this go around.

F.E.A.R. 3 comes with a new co-op gameplay mode – this time out, you’ll be playing as Point Man, along with his recently deceased younger brother Paxton Fettel. Though he’s dead, Fettel still packs a powerful punch as he’ll have access to a different play style. Complimenting Point Man’s gun-based gameplay, Fettel will be able to use paranormal attacks (such as a slow motion ability) along with being able to see things his corporeal brother can’t.

With the new co-op approach also comes a new cover system (a la Gears of War), allowing you to employ new strategies when tackling various challenges. You’ll be able to flank enemies, or simply overpower them with the help of a second player. Along with that, players will not only have to fend off enemies, they’ll also have to back up the other player, even going so far as reviving them should they fall during the course of a firefight.

While there’s still a single player element (which follows the same course of events as the co-op mode), you’ll only be able to play as Point Man with the AI controlling Fettel. However, you’ll be encouraged to play the co-op game as you’ll be able to see and do things you’d not have access to without the help of Fettel.

A new AI generative system has been introduced to the game, allowing enemies to appear on the fly from any point in an environment. This does away with any obvious patterns when dealing with spawn points, resulting with some hectic action as you won’t know where the next attacks will be coming from.

In my opinion, the co-op seems abit overpowering but if the AI toughened up then I say its fair game. In the last two installments the AI was pretty tough and made some missions impossible to beat. There were rumors that you could play as the demented mother who is powerful the two main characters hmmm I’m going look into that.

Gamescom is like the European version of E3 hosted in Germany. So major game publishers/companies come to show of or announce games they have been work on. Well enough of that.

At the Konami press conference, they revealed that No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise, the official sequel No More Heroes and No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle for Wii, will be heading on PlayStation 3 supporting PlayStation Move.

If you or anyone you know planning on getting a Playstation3 slim anytime soon, you could stop and wait a little while long. Sony announced they are releasing two new versions of the console. The 160GB version, will be replacing the current 120GB PS3 with the same price of $299.99.  The 320GB version will come bundled with Playstation Move, PS Eye camera, a copy of Sport Champion and demo game disc  all retail together for $399.99.

Insomniac Games took the stage during Sony’s press conference to announce two new titles. One being the long-anticipated sequel to a sequel, Resistance 3. Looks like the Chimera are back. An the other title Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One. This will the first game in the series  that will feature four player co-op.  Players can choose and play as Ratchet, Clank, Capt. Quark and Dr. Nefarious. Players can drop-in and out  on online or offline. It will be coming out Fall of 2011

BioWare annouced  Mass Effect 2 will soon be available to play on PS3, and Microsoft responded  by saying the original Mass Effect will remain exclusive to Xbox, making Xbox 360 the only place to get the full Mass Effect experience.

BioWare has also declared a release date for their other great RPG  sequel, Dragon Age 2. It is slated for March 8, 2011. Your new protagonist is a human champion named Hawke. While you can pick your character’s class, gender and can still customize how he or she looks, you can’t choose a different class.

Many release dates have been slowly announced. Some are listed below

Nintendo

The wait is over. I didn’t know I was waiting but the popular Sci-Fi RPG sequel, Mass Effect 2 will be released for the Playstation 3 on January 2011.

BioWare CEO Ray Muzyka made the announcement today at Gamescom in Germany during Electronic Arts’ press conference. This version contains the full Mass Effect 2 game and “hours of bonus content,” though it is unclear at this time what that bonus content is.

More info will be provided as they come

Check it out there a new big family member raising hell

What if you had superhuman powers, but did not know if you should use them for good or evil? Cryptic Studios is giving you a chance to find out if you will walk the line of good, the line of evil, or draw your own path in between.

Title: City of Heroes: Going Rogue

Official Trailer: Going Rogue Trailer

Developer: Cryptic Studios

Publisher: NC Soft

US Release: August 17, 2010

Platforms: PC, Mac

ESRB: Teen

A Whole New World

It’s time to dawn your tights, mask, and cape once again. This second expansion to the #1 superhero-themed MMO will soon introduce you to the world of Praetoria. Like with the City of Villains expansion, this expansion will introduce players to a new, parallel world that is linked to Paragon City (City of Heroes) and the Rogue Islands (City of Villains). Praetoria features a host of new zones, enemies and allies that will test your survival skills and moral beliefs. There are even PVP zones available for players to fight for territory against players on the Heroes and Villains sides.

Moral Alignment

When players wanted to be able to live the life of a villain, City of Villains was created. Players who want to have the ability to switch between hero and villain have gotten their wish in this expansion. Two new character alignments will be available for players. Based on decisions made during the game, Praetorians will become Rogues or Vigilantes. Rogues can eventually become Villains and Vigilantes can eventually become Heroes….or not. The player have the power to make moral decisions that will place them as a good guy, a bad guy, or a superhuman fighting for his or herself. This is the most interesting aspect of this game.

New Power Sets

Four new power sets have been added to the fray. Players can now wield dual pistols, summon demons, use kinetic melee, or control electricity. Players, both seasoned and new, will put many hours into mastering these new power sets. The Dual Pistol power set has some awesome animations and pack lots of power. The demon summoning power set allows players to summon demons that have various elemental attributes and look scary as hell. Demon summoners use whips as weapons! Kinetic melee is great for players who like to tank and sap endurance and HP at the same time. Electricity control will have various AOE effects and has a high potential to deal damage.

New Costume Sets

The developers have again placed lots of attention on character customization. They have fine tuned many of the current costume sets and have even included a few more costumes for players to wear. I still feel that most other MMOs give better the facial customizations. The fact that you can change the colors of your weapons and powers makes up for the facial issues. Imagine having the ability to shoot red electricity from your hands or purple beams out of your hands or eyes.

Battle System

The battle system is the same as the previous versions of the game. Players choose what powers they want to have and use them once the ability has cooled down and there is enough endurance to do so. Airborne players can still attack from the from the safety of the sky and have the opportunity to change the colors of their powers. Enemy NPCs wills till attack you if you are within their range of sight, but they are still a bit stupid though.

Graphics and Sound

I am guessing that the graphics and sound of this expansions will be pretty much the same as the other two versions. The graphics are a bit choppy at times when compared to games like WoW. The new power sets will have their own special effects and sounds. The new monsters and characters will have their own as well.

Replay Value

Like any other MMO, the City of Heroes series has unlimited replay value. There are 12 different servers to choose from, each offering you the ability to create over 10 different caped criminals, heroes, or Praetorians. That is at least 360 characters, all with different powers, looks, and gameplay styles. Along with that, there are thousands of possible missions that can be completed. The inclusion of the Mission Architect system gives layers the opportunity to create their own missions from scratch and share with the community.

Final Thought

City of Heroes has been out for over 6 years and it still has a great following. The developers listen to players and make frequent updates to make the gaming experience much better. Free updates are made every few months to indtroduce new abilities and fix issues with the games. If you like super powers and don’t mind shelling out $15 a month, this is the game for you. For more information on City of Heroes: Going Rogue, please visit the official website athttp://goingrogue.na.cityofheroes.com/en/

Bungie, the mastermind behind the popular Halo franchise, is apparently looking for PS3 developers so that they may create games for the Sony system. Does this mean that the PS3 will see its own version of Halo, Oni, Myth, or other Bungie games? According to Bungie’s Engine Programmer job description:

“Bungie is seeking a relentless code warrior, devoted to the pursuit of programming excellence and of furthering our ongoing quest for world domination. Bring your thirst for knowledge and PS3 might and fuse it with our talented team; together we shall forge a dread Engine that will quake lands (of many architectures) underfoot.”

For more Bungie job opportunities and news, visit http://www.bungie.net/default.aspx.

This can open up some new exclusive IPs for Sony and a ton of great multi-console games. What are your thoughts about this?

The remake of the hit classic NBA Jam will no longer be a Wii exclusive. The game will be available on the PS3 and XBox 360 in HD splendor. There is a catch though… To get the game for the PS3 or XBox360, you have to purchase NBA Elite 11. Within the packaging of NBA Elite 11, there will be a code to download the new NBA Jam via PSN and the XBox Live Marketplace. There is another catch… Though the PS3 and XBox360 versions of NBA Jam may look better and have better online play, neither will have the highly anticipated Remix Tour mode that will be featured on the Wii version. Inspired by Burnout, this mode lets you pick a team and go against some of basketball’s greatest players. It also boasts random challenges with random effects and goals. Imagine having to beat MJ in a backboard breaking slam dunk contest to get a gold reward.

Players looking forward to getting  NBA Elite 11 will be happy to get NBA Jam as a bonus. Those not interested in NBA Elite 11, but want to play NBA Jam in HD will have to cough up some money for a game that they don’t even want. Personally, I think that I will buy NBA Elite 11, download NBA Jam, and return NBA Elite 11. Hopefully, I can get a full refund and put it towards some other game that I really want to play. NBA Jam will be available on the Wii on October 5, 2010.  NBA Elite 11 is sceduled to drop around the same time.