World of Gaming

We got to play a very early build of Codemasters' latest Formula One game and hear about the publisher's plans for the series.

The Formula One season may already be underway, but gamers have another six months to wait before they can jump in this year's cars themselves. Thankfully, Codemasters has been hard at work on this game since the publisher acquired the gaming rights to the F1 World Championship and showed off the game for the first time at an event in London yesterday.

While none of the 2010 cars are yet in the game, the demo and brief hands-on time were enough to show quite how good the game looks using the data the team had from 2009. The game is based on Codemasters' Ego engine, which was used to drive its previous highly rated racing games Grid, Colin McRae: Dirt, and Dirt 2 but with a significant number of tweaks from the engine's core development team to ensure it's up to the job of modeling the pinnacle of motorsport.

This takes several forms, according to the developers who were on hand to explain the work that has already gone into the game. Firstly, there are subtle but important factors, from ensuring the tracks rubber in properly over the course of a dry race weekend, which allows for faster times along the racing line but slower times off it, to the more obvious effects, such as tyres wearing down and eventually failing if they're not replaced. The game also features the most complicated weather system ever implemented in a racing game, according to the developers, and it will (as you'd expect) form as important a part of the game as it does the season itself.

The weather effects themselves look very impressive at this early stage, with the experience of driving around Monza in bright sunshine being entirely different when dry from when rain was pouring down. Not only does it impact the drivability of the cars in all the ways you'd expect, but it also looks really good in any of the views on offer. Most dramatically, in the in-car view, you get the joy of massive spray from cars in front of you, as well as water streaming across the screen as it sticks to your visor, which has you fighting to see more than glinting rear lights through spray if you get too close.


This level of attention to details isn't limited to the races, however. The pit stop crews are fully motion captured, ensuring that when you pull in for repairs or tyre changes, it all looks perfect. It has also been promised that players will be able to have full pit-lane car control should they wish, meaning that you'll have to manage your speed in the run-in, as well as get your braking timing perfect if you want to get a good time and not take out any of your mechanics or pit crew.

In the brief time we spent in the car itself, we can report that not only does the game look great, but it also seems to be handling well. With all the driver aids turned off as they were for our demo, the game will certainly present the challenge core fans of Formula One games expect. The accurate physics modeling means that the cars themselves are far easier to maneuver at high speeds, thanks to their dependence on aerial downforce for grip, and the differences (especially in the wet) between the different tyre types are very noticeable at this stage.

While the 2010 cars might not be implemented, the rule changes for this year's season are at the forefront of the developers' minds. Car handling will alter dramatically during the race as the fuel is depleted. On higher difficulty levels, engine settings and maps will also come into play as drivers are forced into attempting to optimise fuel consumption, as well as engine wear and performance, to get the best race finish possible rather than running out of fuel or running one of the limited number of engines into the ground.


All in all, F1 2010 is looking like a very exciting proposition, and we're really looking forward to seeing more of the game's attempts to re-create the experience of being an F1 driver both on and off the track. Formula 1 2010 is scheduled for release in September.

Source: Gamespot.com

We head back to the Normandy and meet a new companion in our look at this upcoming DLC.

BioWare's downloadable content plans for Mass Effect 2 continue to roll on, with the Firewalker pack arriving in late March free of charge for Cerberus Network members. But there's even more content scheduled after that, this time as a paid download. Kasumi's Stolen Memory will land sometime in April, and we got the lowdown from a BioWare rep at GDC 2010 on what gamers can expect from the newly announced DLC.

Kasumi's Stolen Memory will add a new companion to your roster, as well as a few new abilities and weapons. The aforementioned companion is Kasumi, a female master thief that Cerberus recruits, and like all companions, she'll come with her own loyalty mission. If you don't want to know any more, you should look away now, because we'll be going into some spoiler territory from here on in.

When you purchase the download, you'll naturally get a message from Cerberus in-game asking you to pick up your new companion from the Citadel. Once there, you'll first run across Kasumi in the form of a holo ad--it seems like the careful thief wants to check that you're who you say you are before she agrees to join your crew. Once you prove you're Shepard, Kasumi fills you in on a little mission she wants you to help her out on. It seems like the thief needs to infiltrate the home of the crime lord Donovan Hock and retrieve an important piece of electronic memory he stole from Kasumi's partner. Luckily, Hock is about to throw a party, which will give Shepard and Kasumi the perfect excuse to infiltrate the normally heavily guarded house.

This is where the DLC gets a little bit like True Lies. Kasumi's plan is for Shepard--wearing his best formal gear--to pose as one of Hock's business associates and mingle with the crowd to try to find the crime lord's hidden vault. Since the other guests are bringing extravagant gifts for their host, Shepard and Kasumi also come up with a present--a life-sized statue of Saren, filled to the brim with hidden weapons. In our hands-off demo, Shepard was able to infiltrate the party easily, accompanied by an invisible (thanks to a cloaking device) Kasumi.

The mission doesn’t stop once you somehow ascertain the location of the vault, however. After finding the entrance, Shepard and Kasumi find that the vault has a three-pronged security system: voice lock, password, and DNA sample. Our demo rep skipped us past exactly how you're supposed to find all three "keys," but we're guessing you'll need to somehow find them at Hock's party.

The next scene we were shown was inside Hock's vault, where there seemed to be plenty of precious historical items, including several from Earth's history (one particular piece evokes a funny Planet of the Apes reference from Kasumi). You'll soon find the data you're looking for, but when you do, a gigantic hologram of Hock's face appears. It seems that he wanted you to get into the vault all along, as he'd been unable to crack the data box and needed Kasumi's assistance to do so. From here, it's all action as Hock's numerous guards flood in to try to stop you. You'll now finally get to see how Kasumi fares in combat--as a thief, she has a special shadow strike ability. Activate this, and Kasumi will cloak, only to reappear behind an enemy and do a one-hit kill backstab. This firefight also showcased a new weapon, a flashbang grenade that can temporarily blind opponents.

Source: Gamespot.com

The third game in this sandbox action series has you exploring Hong Kong as an undercover cop.

If you're the type of person who enjoys video games as a form of escapism, then you may have found the first entry in Activision's True Crime series a bit of a head-scratcher. Of all places, the game was set in Los Angeles--otherwise known as the most frequent butt of jokes about traffic jams and endless urban sprawl. While the game itself proved to be a fairly entertaining action romp, it's hard to deny that the setting could have been a tad more exotic. It's a different situation, however, for the upcoming True Crime reboot from United Front Games. Set in the vibrant metropolis of Hong Kong, the next True Crime--this one free of subtitles--has you taking on the role of an undercover cop attempting to infiltrate the notorious Triads that plague this dense and colorful city.

When it comes to open-world action games like this one, the city itself can be just as important as any member of the cast. While we weren't able to play the game and thus explore the city at our own leisure, it seems that based purely on the visuals True Crime's version of Hong Kong has got character to spare. The outdoor nighttime environments are flush with color, with paper lanterns strewn between buildings and a rainbow of neon lights on every building. Other environments in the game include windy hills leading up to scenic overlooks and large stretches of water connecting the city's various islands.

True Crime will offer up the familiar trio of driving, gun combat, and melee fighting that other games in the sandbox action genre are built around. What looks to set True Crime apart from others, though, is the stylish way those actions are carried across on the screen. United Front is aiming to make True Crime feel a lot like a slick Hong Kong action movie, as the 2002 thriller Infernal Affairs was a frequent point of comparison when we spoke with the development staff.

The melee stuff is what grabbed us the most. The game's main character, Wei Shen, is clearly a man who knows a few things about martial arts. As he went about his mission trying to infiltrate a warehouse in the industrial area of town, the hand-to-hand skills he used to dispatch enemies were the highlight of the show. There was a lot going on, including grapples, counters, and reversals. All those rapid-fire movements were animated fairly well and the combat moved at a fast clip. With sweeping leg attacks, as well as the ability to quickly run and vault over objects, Shen was able to keep blazing through the mission without having to get his hands too dirty.

The way environments fit into melee combat grabbed our attention as well. These location-contextual attacks are pretty brutal, including the ability to slam someone's head in a refrigerator door and throw a guy into a dumpster mid-grapple then push him into an electrified circuit breaker. Handheld weapons are vicious, too. At one point, we saw Shen snatch a meat cleaver from an enemy's hands and deftly wield it like a dagger before plunging it into someone's chest. A moment later, he stole the gun from another enemy and quickly spun him around to shoot the back of his knee in one quick motion.

Once you transition into full-blown gun combat, True Crime begins to look a bit more ordinary. Everything is in there that you'd expect: a cover system, explosive barrels, and a good selection of black-market weaponry. But compared to the melee fighting, there doesn't seem to be anything terribly unique about the shooting aspects of the game. Then again, we didn't get to see a whole lot of gun play, and according to United Front, there's a somewhat unique nonlethal targeting system that lets you aim for limbs in order to take out enemies without killing them. While we didn't get to see that part, the promise of this seems like an interesting way to explore Shen's status as an undercover cop stuck in a morally ambiguous situation.

Finally, there's an entire city's worth of vehicles for the taking. Among other options, you can plow through cramped markets in SUVs or zip around the crowded streets and alleys on nimble motorcycles. But it doesn't seem like the selection of vehicles is the eye-catching part so much as what you can do with them. Our demo ended with a bizarre and improbable motorcycle feat: Shen sped up behind a quickly moving car then effortlessly leapt from the motorcycle to the fast-moving sedan as if it were nothing. When you combine that with the slick melee system, you've got a pretty good idea of the stylized gameplay that United Front is aiming to deliver. How it all comes together is something we should have a better idea about as we get closer to True Crime's fall 2010 release date.

Source: Gamespot.com

We take to the skies and water-bomb forest fires in our first look at this kid-friendly flight game.

Kid Adventures: Sky Captain is a Wii game aimed at fulfilling the flight fantasies of younger gamers by putting them in the cockpit of a series of planes and tasking them with a variety of airborne missions. We donned the aviator goggles and jumped in the cockpit in this hands-on from GDC 2010.

Who's Making The Game: Aussie developer Torus Games is the captain on this title. The company has a long history of making kid-friendly games, including Zoo Hospital for the DS and the Wii, and Scooby Doo! First Frights.

What The Game Looks Like: Kid Adventures: Sky Captain sees you flying around three different zones, each one sporting its own unique look and features. The first world you’ll be in is essentially a large island surrounded by smaller islands. It's lush, green, and laced with roads, tunnels, and railway tracks. The second area, which you'll need to unlock, is prehistoric-themed, with a large volcano as its centerpiece. The third is set amid floating landmasses in the sky, reminiscent of the gravity-defying mountains in Avatar. Each area looks bright and colorful, if a little plain.

What There Is To Do: Apart from just flying around and enjoying the scenery, each of the three areas is littered with different missions you can undertake, with 40 different mission types to be found in the game. Missions range from simple checkpoint races where you have to fly your plane through a series of hoops, to shooting down midair targets, to taking aerial photographs of key landmarks. Successfully completing missions earns you experience points, which you can use to unlock new planes (and skins for your new rides).

How The Game Is Played: You fly by holding the Wii Remote on its side and tilting it to go up or down, left or right. The 1 and 2 buttons are used for braking and accelerating, respectively, while holding down the trigger and tilting the remote will see you perform tricks like barrel rolls. Your plane is also equipped with a water cannon and a camera, and you can switch between these by holding down on the remote's D pad.

What They Say: "The game includes 40 exhilarating missions from sky racing, stunt flying, target shooting, and treasure hunting. Players will also have the option of inviting a friend to the cockpit and playing cooperatively in any of the missions or head-to-head in multiplayer mode and can unlock several flying machines, including a jet plane and UFO."

What We Say: Kid Adventures: Sky Captain is reminiscent of the Wii Sports Resort minigame that allowed you to fly around Wuhu Island, although with more purpose thanks to the many varied missions on offer. Controls were simple to learn, and we can see this being popular with young children when it comes out on the Wii on June 15 this year.

Source: Gamespot.com

Accompanied by an alien sidekick and a floating sword, we plow our way through rogue mechs or anything else that gets in our way.

For those of you who haven't heard of Blade Kitten before, you should know that this sassy pink-haired anthropomorphic cat is the star of a webcomic that began back in 2002. Steve Stamatiadis, creative director and cofounder of Krome Studios, had been meaning to give the agile Kit Ballard a game of her own but got wrapped up in other projects over the years. But now, Kit and her cuddly companion Skiffy have finally made it to the PlayStation Network where you can tag along on one of Kit's crazy adventures as a bounty hunter on an artificial planetoid called Hollow Wish.


The game is set in a sci-fi universe where you'll find references to other games and bizarre creatures that have obviously been inspired by other popular sci-fi worlds. For example, early in our demo, we jumped on a noot, which was a curious dinosaur-like creature that basically looked and functioned like a ton-ton from Star Wars. While Kit may not necessarily be using the force to attack her enemies, there is some kind of weird space magic going on because her sword--also known as the Darque Blade--floats next her as though it had a mind of its own. Your blade will hover obediently beside you and was described to us as an aggressive pit bull that you can unleash against enemies when they get too close.

Like an old-school 2D action platformer in the same vein of Metroid and Castlevania, Blade Kitten has you navigating through a large network of underground passages or a seemingly never-ending above-ground maze. Without a map to go off of, you can explore every nook and cranny if you like or follow the helpful arrows that will eventually lead you to the end of a stage. By collecting hexes (in-game currency) as you go, you can use the money to upgrade your weapon and buy a variety of outfits for whatever mood that strikes you.

Kit already comes with a solid range of catlike moves, so it's just a matter of figuring them all out. The gameplay seems pretty basic; you use the square button for a close attack or hold it to block and the circle for a long-ranged attack. You can easily scale walls as you run into them and slide through narrow tunnels. You're also nimble enough to pounce on people's heads and slam into them afterward. By holding the R2 button and charging up an attack, you can pull off some cool-looking finishing moves in slow motion.

Your health regenerates as time goes on, and Kit's face on the bottom-left corner of the screen will give you a good indicator of how she's doing. You'll eventually bump into an adorable little alien named Skiffy whom you can order around to do things for you like solve puzzles to open doors. As you go through the levels, you'll hear cheeky comments coming from Kit as she pummels through the heavily armored enemies by breaking off their equipment.

The game is meant to be lighthearted, as well as easy to pick up and play. You'll spend a lot of your time exploring secret areas or an alien's home for hexes and goldfish (the equivalent of 10,000 hexes). You'll also break things like jars and random objects, as well as swipe at enemies, but there will be instances where you'll need to run away from ugly, towering creatures with giant lobster claws as part of the story. The game looks very much like a comic book that has come to life with its hand-drawn colorful visuals and silly dialogue.


No price has been set yet, but the game will be broken up into two episodes. Look for Blade Kitten episode one when it is released later this spring.

Source: Gamespot.com