A preview of Grand Theft Auto IV

Developer Rockstar Grand Theft Auto made considerable progress. Not only has abandoned the old engine, it is also shooting system taken care of and friendships to be maintained. In addition, the graphics in the latest edition would be conjured up on the screen without loading times.

Rockstar Games Tweakers.net invited to a demonstration of Grand Theft Auto IV, to see with their own eyes or the promises of the developer to be realized.

* GTA history

The first GTA was released on the PC in 1997 and took place in three different fictional cities: Liberty City, Vice City and San Andreas. Here the game field from above was shown. The second part was published in 1999 and provided the game with better graphics. The world of GTA was first presented in 3D in the third part, which dates from 2001, with a third-person view was used by the Render ware engine. The game town called Liberty City was based here in New York in 2001. The game appeared exclusively on the Playstation 2, to appear. Year later on PC

GTA Part 1, 2 and 3
GTA III experienced great popularity and a year later the developer came up with the sequel Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The fictional Vice City was based on the Miami of the eighties. Rockstar came in 2004 with the sequel Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, where the play area called San Andreas includes not a city, but an entire state. The area is among other things based on Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas and is 36 square miles about four times larger than the previous part.


* GTA IV

In October 2006 GTA IV was announced - exclusively for the Xbox 360 - but also turned out to come out later on the Playstation 3. Finally the old RenderWare engine was made out the door, after being for Bully in 2006. Was last used Developer Rockstar North and Rockstar San Diego created the new Rage engine, which was used for the first time for the game 'Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis' on the Xbox 360. While the developer from San Diego, the engine used for the forthcoming racing game Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Rockstar North descended on Grand Theft Auto IV.


* New York 2007

Again Liberty City done, this time a display of New York in 2007. The play areas are now based in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and New Jersey. Central Park is also represented in the game. The map is smaller than San Andreas, but of detail, which you can explore. Buildings within With this, the actual playing area should be approximately the same as in the previous edition. It is not necessary to visit to save your game. A particular location If a mission is taken, the game saves your progress automatically.

You take the role of Nikolai "Niko" Bellic, an Eastern European, around thirty years. His cousin has misled him to come to the 'American Dream' experience. Liberty City Once in the city, however, Niko lapse back into his bad habits.

Company Of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, PC Review

Well,
This is the new review, the old review is not read back. After knocking out the first part of Company of Heroes are the following. Naturally original purchase. Well Installation register, in order to play online. Afterwards several times patches to download (crappy system) and the latest patch through comments on my previous review the patch found in my documents and the game was finally playable. This whole story has taken more than two hours to complete my not-Speed ​​Internet. This is also the most annoying drawback of this game! But it's hard to believe that you can not install the game and play as equal? ​​The main menu is not the same classification as the first part. However, it is still clear. You have 3 Campaigns: Liberation of Caen, Operation Market Garden and the Invasion of Normany. The latter can only play if you have the first part. First I went to the options menu and did the settings that are feasible for my system. I turn everything on its highest at a resolution of 1440 x 900. But I have put the brightness a bit higher. then began Operation Market Garden. Everything looks a lot like the first part only do you play in this campaign on the German side. This build HQ surrounded by buildings such kompaniekampfgruppe etc. Getting used to the new troops and options but is still perfectly playable. You need the allies to stop or reduce, this place booby traps in houses ... So there are some new things and it's fun to play. Overall, it looks a lot like the first part, also have a look at my other review on Company of Heroes . Liberation of Caen I already tried this and you play on the side of the Allies. These are no longer HQ as in part one, but everything is coordinated from trucks. Is funny but also get used again. This is based on historical facts but had mine may be. Omitted from the game , the sound, performance, replay value is actually all the same as in the first part, so awesome. It looks nice, is easy to play but you have a good PC needed to fully be able to run the game. My impression of this game is that it is a great successor to the first part. Nevertheless, the Internet functions is mandatory for me, this game is not worth successor and they may stay longer in the trendt of the first part. Evaluation in general is good and not very good. If there is a new part coming, I know yet if I'm going to buy given the irritations when installing the game.

Ace Combat 6 - Fires Of Liberation, Xbox 360

Ace Combat: Fires of Liberation Actually the first good racing game since the launch of the Xbox360 and heavy superior to "ReportIn G Fighters." Gameplay The gameplay is fairly linear, the story is explained by pre-rendered cutscenes where an image during the campaign outlined two countries at war, and how some individuals on both sides of the border influences. In any case, without much away, it's up to you to bring your country to fly through an x number of missions the war to a successful conclusion and to destroy. Critical goals in those missions Anyone who knows how an aircraft operates may so get in and start flying, partly due to the fact that there is a tutorial included that must be followed to start the campaign (thankfully) not required. Picture / Sound The first thing I thought, wow! The aircraft in the hangar are of course already made ​​fancy but only if you're in the air with your chest, you notice how the game graphically greatly utilizes the capabilities of the 360. The planes themselves, 99.9% copied from existing models in general, and all have their own sound which is very good about coming in a bit Surround. The rest of the area is also made ​​very nicely, taking into account the fact that you at least 150 tie flies, the landscapes and other units put together very carefully. Clouds can fly through it instead of the image is completely white, water reacts to impacts from munitions and buildings have to some extent affected by your actions. The landscape is made ​​from 5000 feet quite nicely and it's just like being in a plane of 70 million over a very accurate Google Maps flies. Come down, there are still bits where the pixels slightly predominate but the action around you, which is often not. steering very easy to very hard. When you start the game as a beginner, you can almost not dead, it is the aircraft to operate with 2 fingers and the controls are very logically laid. Unfortunately you can not create a custom layout, but you're bound to some presets from the game. For quick maneuvers, or if you get hit, vibrate the controller in your hand and in many cases in a clear but non-obtrusive way. You have quickly why that thing vibrates and if things do you notice that since you one second later attempts to pierce with your plane. Massive mountain Replay the campaign you have to go to what I've read, at least 3x totally play if you're offered wants to get all uirtustingen and / or all the planes in the game. Whether this is also true 3x, I do not know, but in addition you can also separate each mission another try. Moreover, there is a free-flight mode, without any opposition a little fly around and see what the limits of your airplane. Hey, only here you will notice that you can create by very keen to take a bend blackout Nearby Ace shines but fails, the online mode. There are only 2 coop missions and who are after a little practice, pretty simple. Probably there will be more DLC but if you compare this with the example of GRAW coop, there is scant from Ace. And then you have several multiplayer modii where you are in the air with dozens of aircraft at a time, can you imagine that flying over subordinate to the constant firing of rockets but hopefully distinguish pleasure pilots and professional pilots in the longer term from each other ( There is also an online leaderboard!). Conclusion Very good game a little longer time will spend. in my 360 Or I'll get the 1000G is still unknown but it is certain that there is going to be a long time, along with some friends of XBL / GoT played online. Rating: 8.6

The stars of heaven played with Super Mario Galaxy

What if I could jump, each object has its own gravity and adventures? From planet to planet In Super Mario Galaxy, I immerse myself in the imaginative world of Mario's latest platform game. Did the plumber still in the fingers or he has now got star quality?

Mario 64 and Sunshine

In 1996, Super Mario 64 appeared on the Nintendo 64, which was also the first Mario platform game in 3D. The semi-sequel, Super Mario Sunshine, appeared in 2002 on the Gamecube and introduced the new nation's Pianta's. Mario was equipped with a water cannon, which he could levitate himself. Example above the ground Mario had to use water jets to spray the cleaning levels and eliminate enemies. The game received mostly good reviews, although some felt that the excess water cannon changed the familiar gameplay and not everyone could appreciate the addition of the Pianta characters.


Super Mario Galaxy seems to introduce new elements at first sight - as was Mario normally not in the room and there were no talking star present. We appreciate the readers that the slightly negative associations about Sunshine parts already assured, Nintendo has put plenty of familiar elements in the game and still managed to feel the game innovative.

Chaos in Mushroom Kingdom

Once every hundred years a comet in the sky over the Mushroom Kingdom, which limits the shooting stars raining on the kingdom. Every hundred years, the arrival of the comet celebrated with the stardust festival. Princess Peach invites Mario to attend this event at but something goes horribly wrong.


Bowser is the Mushroom Kingdom with a fleet of flying ships. The cozy festival turns into a chaotic disaster. While the player has jobs to the Princess Mario landfill there is a way around many fireballs on the ground, are flying debris around and screaming for help Toads. Bowser gets it together with Peach castle and all the lights to the ground and go with it. To get An attempt to avoid this is punished by a henchman of Bowser, and Mario awakens in an unknown planet.

Here the player is introduced to the beautiful Princess Rosalina who along with the star people, the Luma's lives in the comet observatory. Rosalina will help Mario in his quest, with the plumber the observatory may use as a home base, similar to the castle, which served as the basis in Super Mario 64. From this spot can be moved to different galaxies, in a search for the kidnapped Peach again.

Gameplay

Super Mario Galaxy is running as the title says, to galaxies. Therefore, planets, stars and gravity play the leading role in this Wii adventure. The player can have different planets and asteroids walk in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes it's just a flat disk, other times a small scoop or merely floating debris. Regular player can jump to nearby planets. If the player jumps in the gravitational field of another planet, Mario here comes neatly on his feet.

The planets are farther apart, then Mario can move itself by using a pull-Star or a shooting star. Use The latter star Mario shoots off to a distant planet, while the pull-star action requires the player. By focusing on the star and pressing the A button, Mario pulled slowly toward the star. So the plumber can be moved along several pull-star to finally come. On a new planet It is in the beginning to get used as Mario runs upside down a planet or a cube as he walks a planet on all sides. The camera is doing his job well here - instead of placing the camera behind Mario which probably yielded problems is now more remote, so the playing field is difficult to envisage. Incidentally, it is possible to rotate the camera. Manually

Super Mario Galaxy - screenshot
Often the player can see all around them lie. New planets Levels of larger planets are sometimes similar to those of Super Mario 64. Especially since the player has no view here on nearby planets, by the grandeur of the area. So it is certainly not the case that only run on small planets visible at a glance.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption

The Metroid series is one of the oldest series from the stable of Nintendo and revolves around bounty hunter Samus Aran, hunting the jellyfish-like Metroids and the eternal enemies of Samus: Space Pirates. The first game came out in 1986 in Japan on the Famicom Disk System, was continued in 1991 and the series seemed to be concluded in 1994 with the release of Super Metroid on the Super Nintendo. Quite some years later, the dust of the franchise was called off when Metroid Prime was released, followed in 2002 by Metroid Prime 2: Echoes in 2004.

With Prime series was successfully brought to a three-dimensional environment on the Gamecube, and the storyline was deepened. The first part took place in the world Tallon IV, where a comet with the radioactive material Phazon had crashed. Gradually learned Samus Aran what had happened: the Chozo alien who lived on the planet do not ultimately survived the impact and part of the planet has been corrupted by Phazon. The presence of Phazon has also attracted the attention of the Space Pirates, Metroids the stuff and the present experiments use.

Metroid Prime 3 - outdoor environment
At the end of the game "Metroid Prime" in the title must be defeated. The mutated monster takes the Phazon Suit upgrade, which protects against Samus Phazon, to his grave and Samus escapes the planet. If the player has played the game one hundred percent - so all objects and creatures has scanned and collected all the upgrades - shows how rising from the remains of Metroid Prime Samus a dark variation.

This is Dark Samus in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes her appearance. There is a comet, now known as a Leviathan Seed, crashed on the planet Aether where Luminoth life. By the action of Phazon is the planet torn in two dimensions: a dark side where Ing life and the world of the original Luminoth. Samus Aran saves the planet and defeat the Emperor Ing and Dark Samus, but in a similar unlockable ending sequence shows that the latter will return. Again back

Metroid Prime 3 - Samus with PEDAfter this history lesson, we can begin the third and final part. Samus is working with her colleagues Ghor, Rundas and Gandrayda aboard a ship in the fleet of the Galactic Federation. It is not long before the fleet is attacked, and after the attack is repulsed bounty hunters need to Norion as a Leviathan Seed threatens to crash on the planet. Just before this threat can be averted, dives Dark Samus and she hoists the bounty hunters increases immensely. A wounded Samus can just activate time the planetary lasers and destroy the Leviathan before they become unconscious.

Once Samus awakens, she learns that she and the other bounty hunters are infected with Phazon. By Dark Samus The Federation therefore has a Phazon Enhancement Device developed and installed on Samus and her colleagues, so they do not survive even just use a 'hyper mode'. Infection in their favor There are other Leviathan Seeds crashed on other planets, and Ghor, Rundas and Gandrayda be sent out to them. Harmless Since then nothing has been heard from them, so it's up to Ms. Aran to set things right.

Viva Piñata: Party Animals - pleasure and sweetness

In the original Viva Piñata gamers had to keep a virtual garden, and the funny piñata creatures inhabit the grove came. This time, the colorful critters deployed in a party game similar to Mario Party. Can play gamers of all ages entertained?

The first Viva Piñata developer Rare was mainly pick a new young audience to the Xbox 360, but was appreciated by older gamers. However, a large part of the existing 360 users did not feel attracted by the game title. Microsoft re trying to achieve with Viva Piñata young audience now: Party Animals. We check whether the Party Animals is fun for everyone.


Joy and sweetness

Piñatas are originally from Mexico and are usually made ​​of paper mache. Filled with candy, confetti, and small gifts, the piñata hanging, after which children are allowed to store the goodies to get out. Blindfolded against The animals from Viva Piñata: Party Animals are all colorful piñatas and the joy and sweetness comes to meet us when we start the game. Fortunately, we have settled on our game couch, surrounded by snacks and lemonade. We are told - told that we participate in a TV show called - by a talking bird and parrot Party Animals Championship Challenge . Joyful and colorful parrot pigeon lead players through the in-game TV show back and features the events of 'funny' comments.

Viva Piñata: Party Animals could be described as a cross between Mario Party and Mario Kart. The mini games are alternately interspersed with a race. When a game begins, the player chooses whether he wants to play. Many or few minigames In racing games, the player does not take place in a kart, but the animals use their legs to move forward. In this race competitions bonuses can be achieved that can affect your score. The game will continue to choose game figures with one of the eight - though it is really only four characters with a dual personality. The four males are in fact a woman dressed up with some earrings, a bow or long hair and ready Krome Studios.

Racing

The best part of the game is the racing area. The fast, but sometimes chaotic action in racing competitions may or entertain us. Just like in Mario Kart there are many powerups to achieve. For example, the player can, for example, wings or receive a missile to move quickly. In addition there are objects to retard the opponent, such as a pot of honey that can be poured. About the track The computer offers no challenge in these races, the player will have to play to have some resistance. Against flesh and blood We found it a pity that no matter what game is racing figure. A big blockhead is as fast a little puny creature. The levels still offer some shortcuts like variety. It is very unfortunate that there are only seven jobs are available. This even remains the most fun part of the game does fascinate long.

Crysis - graphic violence (ig)

Crysis can be seen as the successor to Far Cry, a first-person shooter developed by the German Crytek. The demo of Crysis was late October released and led to stir. Not only because the demo was a blatant 1.77 gigabyte hard, but also because the demo is a challenge for even the thickest systems according to many tweakers. Reason enough for Tweakers.net to feel the full game through its paces, and our findings in this review to post.

* Far Cry

Far Cry is set in Micronesia. Jack Carver is the owner of a company that organizes trips in the southern Pacific Ocean. He is hired by Valerie Constantine: she wants to explore an island group yet uncharted in Micronesia. Once in the waters around the archipelago, picks Constantine the watercraft from the boat to lay off. The last meters Before they reached the island, the boat where Carver still perch, attacked. Mercenaries focus from the island on a missile boat and shoot it off. The boat exploded and Carver flies through the air into the water. If he has a swimming island reached, it is clear that a large group of mercenaries has occupied the archipelago.

On the island is a man against Carver. This calls itself Doyle and his help comes Carver out why so many heavily armed mercenaries are on the islands. It appears that experimented on the island is genetically modifying apes and the mercenaries that experiments have to keep in check. Quickly run the experiments out of hand: the mercenaries could not keep the mutated monkeys under control and experimentation does not remain in the monkeys, because the mercenaries slowly beginning to show as the primates same mutations. Carver continues to search for Constantine, while the mercenaries and gemuteerden declare another war.

Crysis has its roots in Far Cry, which is based on CryEngine, a tech demo from nVidia. The U.S. GPU baker was so impressed with the technology demo that the company ensured that the demo was poured in a game. CryEngine was further developed and was on March 23, 2004 Far Cry in the store. Crytek has then some improvements in the engine. For example, in July 2004 support added for Shader Model 3.0. The following year, the developers Crytek see that they were making a tech demo not forgotten, using a modified CryEngine showed developers the first images of what was possible with DirectX 10. Version 1.3 of the engine introduced high-dynamic range, a rendering technique to compute. Light This visually creates a larger difference between bright and dark areas in a render.

Far Cry 2 is currently in development. The game is not made by Crytek, because the company has the rights of Far Cry sold to Ubisoft, now himself working on the second part. Before that Ubisoft uses its own Yeti engine, the same engine that the console game "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" is used and will be used for "Lost: The Video Game," based on the popular television series Lost. Ubisoft Far Cry 2 is expected to bring. In the second quarter of next year

* Crysis

In the year 2020, the North Korean army abducts American archaeologists. Archaeologists have in the South China Sea is an important discovery, but it is not really clear what they have discovered. From information obtained shows that the kidnapped Americans held, after which the U.S. government sends to pad out of the hands of the North Korean army to rescue. Archaeologists a special unit of the Delta Force trapped on an island This unit is equipped with a battle suit, the "Nano Muscle Suit". This suit can be put into four different modes that come in handy during missions. The four modes are armor, speed, strength and cloak. On the third page of this review explains exactly where it should.


Jake Dunn is part of the island controlled Delta Force and within the unit codenamed "Nomad". To unnoticed to get on the island makes the unit a so-called halo-jump . During the jump goes wrong, however, and Nomad is separated from the group. The unit gathers on the island and begin the search for the archaeologists. During the search, the unit comes strange phenomena against which a piece of land that is frozen in the middle of the jungle. However, this is not the only strange: except the army of North Korea that the U.S. invaders trying to keep at Nomad also encounters the mysterious discovery. During excavations, archaeologists have found a meteorite. This meteorite contains elements that are not reflected in the periodic table of elements.

Crysis is CryEngine2 engine, an improved and expanded version of CryEngine. The new engine supports include high-dynamic range, various rendering and imaging techniques for motion blur and other rendering techniques with names like parallax occlusion mapping and procedural motion warping . All this running in DirectX 9 with Shader Model 2.0 and 3.0 or DirectX 10 with Shader Model 4.0. Additionally CryEngine2 uses its own developed physics engine. This is called CryPhysics inherited. Unfortunately CryPhysics does not support a physics processor, which CryEngine2 still requires more processing power. To accommodate this, the engine is optimized for multi-core processors. Computer systems that are equipped with a 64bit processor get on top also a performance boost of about 10 percent, says Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli-.

Although earlier reports a possible console version of Crysis held out the prospect, it is very unlikely that the game inside out so long on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 will appear . The main reason is that the current generation of consoles are not powerful enough to run without the level design, the interface and the engine should be. Downgraded Crysis