While the demo doesn’t exactly tell much of the Duke Nukem Forever story, it certainly gives players a good taste of what is to come. From the get go the inappropriate workings of the game are shown to you as you’re requested to tap R1/RB in order for Duke to take a ‘pee’ (no, we’re not joking). Filthy bits aside, you’re dropped into a boss battle with a fairly huge boss on a football field.

The second stage of the demo gives players a taste of the driving segments of the game, which in short are tons of fun to play through as you dodge boulders tossed at you and ride over bad guys to watch their guts go flying.

The demo doesn’t show much, but you can expect to have fun with Duke Nukem Forever thanks to its over the top, hyperbolic violence gameplay. The game feels fast paced and fluid, giving you little time to think and more time to shoot the head off whatever runs at you. So far the good old favourite guns have returned and you can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia as you blow off the heads of the strange boar-like aliens.

To add to the Duke Nukem vibe, the visuals have also been super stylized and lack the polished appearance this gen has shown us but this looks like a conscious move on the developer’s side. Whether this is true or not, you won’t find many tears lost as you watch enemies heads swell and explode after a headshot.

So far the King’s return is looking to be a promising one. However, Friday will be judgement day to decide if Duke’s gum chewing days are in fact over.

Ever since the announcement of Crysis 2 we’ve all been dying to know what the sequel to the PC exclusive is going to be like. Not too long ago Crytek announced that the game would feature a multiplayer component and with the recent drought of epic multiplayer games, we could help but get excited.  Thankfully we had the opportunity to play through the Crysis 2 multiplayer demo.

The demo features a single Crysis 2 multiplayer map as well as two game modes to go along with it. The first being your standard team death match playlist and the other an objective based game mode which requires teams to capture and hold certain areas which gives them points. While these may not seem new, they still make for some entertaining play time.

The actual gameplay of the multiplayer contains some great features which set it apart from other shooters. During a single match, players will have a number of power-ups at their disposal.  These include invisibility cloaks, armour powers ups, enemy warning devices as well as the ability to air smash enemies. One of the other great features of the game is that the overall pace is very fast thanks to lightning like sprinting as well as the fact that your character is capable of some serious jumps which allow you to get up buildings at an alarming rate.

The weapons are well balance and overall the shooting feels fairly solid. It could use some work in order to perfect the feel when shooting. Guns are also customisable and as you rank up you will be able to add attachments such as silencers, scopes, extended mags as well as an attachment which creates a decoy.

While the multiplayer for Crysis 2 may be the side show for the single player, it would be great to see it take off. With a little polishing of some aspects here and there, this has the potential to become a cult multiplayer game.

To start off, fans of other species in the previous games will be slightly disappointed as you will have no choice but to select a human character, but the character classes still remain, so have no fear.  The game will also be able to move all the decisions you made in the previous game and in some way integrate them with the decisions which follow in the sequel. Unfortunately your hero in the previous game will not be transferrable and you’ll be starting from scratch.

There’s a little mystery surrounding the story at the moment, however set in a middle age era in the city of Ferelden, players will take control of a hero known as Hawke, who will fight his way from being a nobody to becoming a champion of the people. We’re assuming that some sort of dark force will stand in his way and test his skills.

We’ve discovered several new tweaks that the game will boast, and first off its the visuals. This can be seen in the character models as well as the environment. Dragon Age: Origins did feel a bit lacking at times, but from what we’ve seen BioWare have stepped the visuals up a notch which is definitely a bonus. To couple with the great visuals, the game also appears to be slightly more fluid than before which results in smoother combat sequences.

 There will be a whole new set of abilities which players will be able to attribute to their character as well as deeper system with interactions and conversational choices. Conversational choices will link in with different emotions such as anger, flirtation and others which will influence the outcome of certain events.

You can expect Dragon Age II to release in March 2011 which then gives those who havent played any of the installments a chance to enjoy this solid RPG.

The Beta itself features two different maps: Kabul City, an urban middle-eastern setting, and Helmand Valley, which is a large outdoor area scattered with rocky cliffs and small villages. The version also allows players to experience two of the game modes that will be available in the final version, Team Assault and Mission.

Team Assault is just one open-ended squad deathmatch, while Mission gives players objectives throughout the entire match, which constantly change as each objective is completed (or failed).

The game itself plays very similar to Bad Company 2. This should be expected as it’s also being developed by DICE and it’s definitely not a bad thing. The Bad Company 2 similarities are in the movement and feel of the player and shooting, while the levels are more representative of Modern Warfare 2. It’s kinda like a squeaky clean baby between BC2 and MW2, but one that has its own identity.

The layout and HUD is stylized like a digital readout, really signifying that the series has made its way into the present. Colourful messages, scores and XP updates are stylistically strewn across the screen, and with all the destruction and debris, MoH is so far housing all the bells and whistles.

Down to the way the game is played. So far there are three loadouts available for both terrorist and US forces. Rifleman, Special Ops and Sniper loadouts allow the player to try out a small variety of weapons, although one knows DICE have a whole lot they not showing. Players can also call in mortar and air-strikes when a large enough combo is made. Although MoH does borrow a bit from Infinity Ward’s shooter, there are currently no killcams or anything of the sorts.

At the moment, Medal of Honor’s multiplayer is looking to have a ton of potential. It’s got all the tricks up its sleeve to lure in fans of the genre (as well as a lot more features we haven’t seen),  and it’s got the playability that’s already made Bad Company 2 a fan favourite. It does need a little more time in the oven, but we cannot wait to put that medal back on.

Set in the same Avatar universe as the film, the video game takes place within a different timeline, as players take control of the human faction, where you’ll play as a marine, or the Na-Vi, where you’ll become the character of an Avatar and experience their side of the story, as well as their unique gameplay mechanics.

Playing as the human faction feels powerful to say the least. Armed with flaring assault-rifles and a host of special abilities, such as cloaking devices and self-healing, the human faction is a familiar yet unique third-person shooter experience. Cool weapons, futuristic helicopter. While playing is the Na-Vi is primarily focused on more melee based attacks, incorporating elements of a brawler into the mix, while the Na’Vi have some incredible powers of their own.

Avatar: The Video Game incorporates a complete day and night cycle into the world of Pandora. Not only does the light differ from day and night, but the entire surroundings including the plants, shift and change during the transitions.

Avatar: The Video Game is running off an enhanced Dunia engine (of Far Cry 2 fame), so expect to see some organic fire effects and a dynamic world at your hands this November when Avatar: The Video Game drops.

With an awesome presentation and accommodating features, the FIFA 10 launch was decked out for some footie-fun and excited fingers. What we learned was, FIFA 10 is all about celebration, that of figurative and literal actions. In the spirit of celebrations, the likes of Gary Bailey and Dr. Khumalo forged two opposing teams pitted in a miniature penalty shoot-out, where each team would attempt to produce their best celebrations to win over the crowd. Bailey’s team won it hands down (with the help of GCL input) and it was off to the main event.

After a brief, yet informative introduction, eager attendees were able to get some hands-on time with one of the year’s most anticipated titles.

FIFA 10 feels fresh. It’s undoubtedly still the same ol’ FIFA we’ve all grown to love, but there’s something new about it. A ton of polish and some new beautifully fluid animations immediately made their impact on the field, while the gameplay was as slick and responsive as ever.

A great event opened for an even greater game, as FIFA 10 is sure to be on every gamer’s wish list this season, and we’re really impressed with what we’ve seen so far. Check back this week for the full review.

FIFA 10 is currently available on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, PSP, PS2, Wii and DS now.

The initial look on Far Cry 2 looks incredibly promising, but apart from the breathtaking visuals and realistic environments with help from the new Dunia engine, what new does Far Cry 2 have to offer. Well firstly, the story and setting takes place in Africa as opposed to the tropical islands in previous excursions. The gameplay will be comprised of non-linear and open-ended environments emphasizing the idea of “liberty” as Clint Hocking, creative director of Far Cry 2, put it. The Hawaiian shirt wielding Jack Carver will also not reprise the roll in the Far Cry 2 as the player will now choose a desired character from a bunch of ‘gun for hire’ mercenaries. Highly destructible environments and a new weapon ‘degeneration’ system are included, in which guns and melee weapons will deteriorate with over usage throughout the game, this will result in countless hours spent shooting at random shrubbery and knifing rocks.

The story differs vastly from the previous games as the player progresses through the story as they desire and must learn to survive and interact with the citizens, as each action and interaction results in different consequences which could swing the locals against you or even affect the weather, as a dynamic weather system had been integrated to change the weather to represent your ability within the game, so bad play results in bad weather and good play, good weather. Oh, and if your wondering about the AI in the game, Ubisoft claim the new AI is “characteristically aggressive”, so grab your raincoats boys and girls.

Being set in Africa, there is an obviously emphasis on wildlife and boy, do they do it well. The animals are highly detailed and represent how the actual animal interacts, walks and lives within the environment. One can just stare in awe, as the motions and look of each animal is spot on and one can only feel as if they’re on a real game drive…with weapons and baddies of course.

This is only one of the aspects that have been focused on in Far Cry 2, as realism takes a new leap forward with this outing, as factors such as health and maps have been completely overhauled. Wounds are now taken care of by removing bullets with pliers or a knife, while sicknesses such as malaria are healed by medicine received from villagers.

Elements and factors within Far Cry 2 are visually outstanding and lifelike, but these jungle landscapes seem common in many of today’s titles. Don’t get me wrong, as the game looks beautiful in spots where light shimmers off the blade of a knife or a zebra gently flicks its fluid tail as it walks. Trees also move with the wind and break fluidly at points where they are shot; the jungle looks thick and lush; light is beautifully shaped and angled through the leaves and trees, but Far Cry 2 will have to up the ante in this ever growing genre of ‘destructible-jungle-shooters’ to knock out giants such as last years Crysis, and it’s looking to do so. Time will tell if this savage beast can topple the expectations of gamers around the world in September.