Real battlefield heroes have flashbacks to moments of horrifying combat. Halfway through a round of EA DICE's Battlefield Heroes, I was having flashbacks to World of Warcraft raids. Not quite the same experience, but almost as scary. After shooting my first enemy soldier, strange numbers popped out of his head: -20, -3, -25. There were more clothing options than weapons, more time spent slotting pirate hats than strategizing. People were ditching their medic packs for area effect heals, and waiting longer for sprint cool-downs than for vehicle respawns. And did I get killed by an Ornery Arathi Nazi, or was that just my imagination?

I went into my hands-on time thinking that Heroes was essentially a pared-down version of Battlefield 1942, and in many ways, it is. From the speed of the jeeps, to the slightly sluggish feel of the infantry controls, I was instantly at home, feeling pleased with the game's clear nod to the first--and still my favorite--entry in the ... Read more

Much like its confounding two-part title, Fallen Empire: Legions really consists of a combination of two separate elements.

On the one hand, GarageGames has fashioned an accessible time waster, the next generation of Flash-like gaming. It runs in a web browser, looks great for it, and can be played and quit in the span of a coffee break.

On the other hand, Fallen Empire is a hardcore online shooter, a game any Starsiege: Tribes fan will immediately recognize. It has chainguns, large maps, and is entirely centered around jetpack-based flight combat.

In the end, you'll need two quick hands to get anywhere in Legions, because if this game is anything, it is fast.... Read more

Two days ago, Soul Calibur IV (PS3, X360) was just another game coming out this summer. Now, after playing a build of it at the recent Namco Bandai press event, I very much want that final disc in my hands.

I was a big fan of Soul Calibur and its sequel, but for whatever reason chose not to partake in the third entry to Project Soul's series. When following these long-running franchises, which typically change very little between iterations, I find it is sometimes necessary to sit one out. Gorging yourself is always more fun when preceded by a period of fasting.

Well, I might be done fasting. The first "next-gen" version of the game, Soul Calibur IV is a finely crafted graphical treat. Call me shallow for saying so, but this thing looks fantastic in motion, and the graphical boost alone is enough reason to rekindle my still-burning soul.

Character detail is exceptional, but even more impressive are... Read more

With the second Halo 3 (X360) multiplayer map pack due out April 15--better known in some circles as Tuesday--the Shack editors recently took the three new maps for a spin. Aaron Linde's got the word on the new arenas, along with exclusive screenshots and movies.

"Internally we were calling [Ghost Town] the Counter-Strike map for a long time, mostly because of the choke points and the sight lines," said Bungie multiplayer designer Lars Bakken. "It plays really differently from the other maps we've had." Read more...

Bethesda took some time to show off the latest build of Fallout 3 this week, and former GameSpot senior editor Brad Shoemaker was there to catch every detail. In his extensive write-up, he covers the unique way players will be introduced to the world of Fallout 3, the canine sidekick they'll befriend later on, and the mushroom clouds they'll lay down to handle a mid-life ghoul crisis. Check it all out inside.

Flash forward to one year old, when the game will acquaint you with the walking controls by letting you toddle around your playpen. Here, you'll also notice your father's facial appearance has been derived from the same choices you made in the last scene. Approaching a whimsically illustrated baby book entitled "You're Special!," you'll flip from page to page, each showing one letter of Fallout's SPECIAL system (that is, strength, perception, endurance, charisma, intelligence, agility, and luck). This is how you assign your character's attributes. Read more..

I played through five chapters of Team Ninja's slash-em-up sequel. Like all good samurai stuff, the second encounter adds more weapons, enemies, and attacks. But how about that difficulty? And is the camera a nuisance? Read the full report.

At first, things did seem far easier on the lower difficulty level. Unlike the previous game, which tamed me by the third level, not once did I become unduly frustrated after blasting through five chapters of Gaiden II. This was mainly due to the numerous save points littered throughout the sequel's stages, shrines that now instantly boost your health to full. If that's not enough to welcome you with open arms, your health will now rejuvenate automatically inbetween battles, only a fraction of the bar permanently staying red and unhealed. Read more..

I wasn't crazy about Assassin's Creed when it hit consoles last year. Now Ubisoft is trying to win me over a second time with the PC port, offering a set of extra missions to bolster the original game's content. Are they enough? And what about those insane system requirements? I took the game for a long spin, and spit out some words.

Rather than forcing bench-sitting as a prerequisite to murder, the designers have now allowed you to complete several other, less tedious challenges that fulfill the same function. Players will have the choice of participating in timed rooftop races, archer assassinations, merchant stand destruction, and escort challenges, in addition to the five previous tasks. All are fairly self-descriptive, and all serve to infuse the investigatory intermissions with some much-needed life, by way of additional death. Read more..

Unlike most World War II titles, Eidos Studios Hungary's upcoming action-tactics hybrid Battlestations: Pacific focuses on sea and air combat over traditional ground-based assault, and breaks one of the long-standing taboos in WW2 games by including an Axis campaign.

"The main goal of Pacific is to create a bigger and better game than Midway, which was just the game from the US side of the Midway campaign," lead designer Botond Szalacsi told me. "I want it to be the whole Pacific experience for the players."

Unlike its Xbox 360 and PC predecessor Battlestations: Midway, Pacific features both US and Japanese campaigns, allowing players to see the war from both perspectives and, if victorious as the Japanese, change the course of ... Read more

Shacknews editor Chris Faylor got a long look at EA DICE's upcoming free-to-play, ad-supported title Battlefield Heroes at this year's GDC. Take a look at his full report.

Battlefield Heroes will sport three character classes: the standard Soldier, the fast-moving Commando, and the heavily-armed Gunner. Instead of picking their faction at the beginning of each round, players will be forced to swear their allegiance to the National Army--a politically correct Axis team--or the Royal Army when registering their account. The conflict between the two has something to do with a dispute over the Olympics. Yes, really. Read more..

It's not all about Battlefield over at EA DICE these days. The company's first-person action-adventure title Mirror's Edge (PC, PS3, X360) also made a big showing at GDC, from which Shacknews editor Chris Faylor brings us this positive preview.

Of all the games I saw at this year's Game Developers Conference, Mirror's Edge was the one that interested me the most. Its unconventional take on the action-adventure platforming genre holds a lot of potential, and translating what is typically third-person gameplay to a first-person perspective presents a daunting, yet exciting series of obstacles for the crew over at DICE. Read more..

Arriving on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later this year is Battlefield: Bad Company, the first entry in the long-running first-person series to focus on environment destruction. The good news is that the ability to knock down walls is a ton of fun and really mixes up the Battlefield dynamic. The bad news? I'm not so skilled at the Battlefield dynamic.

An explosion rocked the house and the wall behind me collapsed, crumbling like a pile of LEGOs. The attackers stormed in through the makeshift doorway, and another rocket quickly cut through the space between them, ending my piece of the engagement.

In my defeat, I slumped back into the couch. Adding insult to failure, the abrupt motion of the attached controller cable was enough to flick a whiskey sour off the tabletop, pouring its contents into my messenger bag.
Read more...

Big Starsiege: Tribes fan? Excited about the spiritual sequel in development by GarageGames for InstantAction.com? Want to know how it plays in its early state? Chris Faylor got the chance to find out at this year's GDC, and reports back with his findings in this hands-on preview.

The crew identified a few key factors that truly defined the series: "Team play, freedom of movement, and just zipping around the terrain and blasting the shit out of people."

They wanted to make sure the spiritual sequel retained the fun of the original, but was still accessible enough for anyone to pick up and enjoy.

It looks like they've succeeded. Read more..

Defying its earlier development history, Dark Sector is shaping up into a complete title, seeing increasingly frequent press events as it approaches its March release. I recently sat down with Digital Extremes' PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 third-person shooter for some more significant hands-on time than in my last preview. While I saw less of the game this time than I did then in terms of actual material, I was able to get a much firmer handle on how the game plays. Read all about it.

Either because I was already familiar with the mechanics from my last session, or because the designers had tweaked the difficulty and feel as I was hoping--probably a bit of both, and more of the former if I'm being honest with myself--Dark Sector was a whole lot easier for me this time around. Chucking the glaive with one hand while popping rapid-fire pistol rounds into an enemy's head with the other became almost second nature, where before it had been more unwieldy. Read more...

Chris Remo recently went hands-on with the latest version of Digital Extremes' mutagenic Dark Sector (PS3, X360). Scope out his impressions to find out why he thinks the game "may well be the title that brings wider gamer recognition of Digital Extremes and [publisher] D3."

Fortunately for you, you are the protagonist in a video game, so rather than becoming horribly mutated and losing all shreds of your humanity, your arm becomes metal and you gain the use of a boomerang-like, triple-bladed weapon called the glaive (ie, the Glaive of Krull, rather than the historical polearm).
Read on...

Though I've played EA Montreal's third-person collaborative shooter Army of Two before, I hadn't played it with anyone except EA reps demoing the title. At an EA event last week, I took on the first hour or so of the game with Shacknews' own wingman extreme, Chris Remo. The title was recently delayed until 2008, but read on to see why the co-op bro action is worth the wait.

As Remo can attest, it's extremely difficult to shoot enemies from the air while the other player is moving the parachute--hell, it's pretty tough regardless. But it can be done, and this furthers the collaborative play required in other areas of the game by forcing close communication--"Stop moving, dammit, I need to shoot this guy!"--between the two players.

Neversoft's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is almost upon us. While the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii version of the game all feature online play and have wireless guitars, the PS3 version and Vicarious Visions' Wii version tackle online in a different manner than Xbox Live, and the Wii axe has some special features tucked inside. Whether you're totally psyched about Guitar Hero III or you're using it as a pre-rock practice for Harmonix's Rock Band, read on to get the nitty gritty on each version.

The Wii remote's rumble feature comes into play in the Wii rendition of Guitar Hero III, sending a jolt through the guitar's plastic body to let you know when you've shredded hard enough to activate star power. It's actually a neat effect, as the pulses continue with the rhythm of the song while star power is activated, giving the feeling of a fully juiced guitar vibrating with fuzzed out power.

I recently got some hands-on time with EA Montreal's buddy bad-guy shooter, Army of Two (PS3, X360). Turns out partners really do make everything more fun. If you want to read about two right-on dudes having an awesome time, you'll have to take my hand.

EA Montreal did a great job with making the controls for these context-sensitive segments incredibly natural. When my human-controlled partner picked up a heavy shield, all I had to do was run up behind him. My character automatically latched onto his best bro's back with one hand, and the camera angle switched to give me a more helpful sideways view.