When you’ve loaded up into a chopper, the game prompts you with instructions on how to play. Once you jump out of the helicopter, you begin parachuting thousands upon thousands of feet in the air as some text and images appear, introducing you to the controls. The instructions are very easy to understand, but that didn’t help me from button mashing my way down the slopes once I’ve gotten there. So you’re finally on the slopes, a few more things pop-in until you’re finally in control. As soon as I got into the real part of the demo – I was instantly hooked. Memories from SSX 3 were brought back. I claimed it to be a contender for action-sports game of the year, without touching the full game.

Let’s talk shortly about the graphics: they’re not bad. The frame rate is smooth and I don’t see screen tearing of any sort. Textures were okay, nothing really spectacular, but it doesn’t need to be when it’s in your face for a split second until you take the next jump. The PlayStation 3 side of multi-platform games are usually the worse ones, but I don’t believe this is the case here. Everything was running nice a smooth. The loading times were even decent. Very nice.

All the adrenaline and excitement was short-lived, though. After doing about 14 or so runs down the mountain, I grew tired of the same music, my lack of knowledge for tricks and same environment zipping past me as I attempt to beat a friend’s time (in which I never succeeded). The full title will obviously offer much more than this, so I am still more than excited to try the game out.

SSX releases on Tuesday, February 28th.

After one week of use, I’ve slowly fallen in love with this keyboard. The packaging, build quality and even the sound of the clicks all stand out magnificently. This is the Razer BlackWidow Ultimate Edition.

Packaging

It’s not absolutely necessary to include nice packaging with your product, so long as the product does what it’s supposed to do well, right? Well, in typical Razer fashion, they have decided to make their box a stand-out one anyways. They’re so confident you’ll like the keyboard, they even allow you to try out the click feel through a small cut-out in the box… very clever. Although this is not the most “insane” or “crazy” packaging job from Razer, it’s a job done well enough to please almost any customer.

Software

The software used for the keyboard is quite simple and understandable. You have the ability to assign macros to keys, switch between button profiles when using certain applications and check for driver and firmware updates. There isn’t much to it, no bugs or glitches – it just works.

Styling

Once I had installed all necessary drivers and firmware updaters necessary for the keyboard to function correctly, I plugged it in and was greeted by beautifully blue, back lit keys. There are five settings for the backlights; off, low, medium, high and ‘pulsating’ brightness levels. I found the last setting quite annoying, as it can be really distracting when trying to do some gaming, browsing the web, or even writing this review. It’s great for showing-off, though.

My first real gripe: I did not like the glossy finish of the plastic around the keys at all - I could see myself in them. It’s not slick, or “cool” – and it’s just a fingerprint magnet. Looking at the positive side: I’m not sure it’s actually the plastic itself, but this particular glossy finish didn’t seem to love fingerprints as much as, let’s say, my glossy screen on my phone (which is glass). Who knows – it could just be me as I tend to avoid touching that part of the keyboard anyways.

The cable coming out of the keyboard looks pretty cool as well. It separates into four different connections; 1 USB for power and normal use, another USB for powering the USB input port at the right-hand side of the keyboard, a headset input and output. I was really impressed with the quality of the cable. It’s braided with a cotton-like material (although I’m sure it’s plastic) but it feels very durable and high-quality. Plugging things in may be an issue if you’ve got the ports to your computer close to you, since the cable isn’t too flexible and a bit difficult to shape it how you want.

The keyboard isn’t too flexible either. I know what you’re thinking, “What?!” Yeah, this thing won’t flex. It has got some good structure to prevent that from happening – it’s great. It just feels like it can last a lifetime. We’ll see…

Performance

My last keyboard was wireless, wasn’t made for gaming, and didn’t have mechanical keys (Apple Wireless Keyboard). The fact that the BlackWidow Ultimate is none of those is a huge advantage. I swear, the responsiveness of the keys are so good it almost felt like my computer was running faster – it wasn’t. This is thanks to Razer’s 1000Hz/1ms response time technology, built-in directly to the keyboard as well as the fact that it only takes 50 grams of weight to register a click. The rubberized feel of them is great. Not too grippy, just right. Transitioning from key-to-key feels amazing and the positioning is excellent.

Gaming with the keyboard is an absolute joy. I’ve tried it out on Battlefield 3, Grand Theft Auto IV and The Darkness 2 (Demo). Game through game, this keyboard performed like a champ. I felt more immersed in the game with less input lag, since I actually moved the moment I told the character to and not slightly later. We’re talking milliseconds here, most people would not really feel much of a difference between my previous keyboard and this one – but the improvement is there.

Macros have never been much of a use for me, mainly due to the genre of games I play. This is another reason why I chose this keyboard among others. It only has what you need, not what you want. Because the keys were there, I decided to give macro functions a shot. I use multiple applications to broadcast on a website known as TwitchTV, opening them one at a time wasn’t exactly a big deal, but macros made it a bit easier for me. Now I can open all four of my applications, EyeTV, CamTwist, Audio HiJack Pro and Flash Media Live Encoder using the keys at the side of the board (F15-18). Since there is no need for the icons on my desktop anymore, I have also benefited from cleaning up my system, making things more clean and easy-to-use.

The Good

• This keyboard provides both beautiful looks and amazing tactile feedback. You’ll be playing in style while having the upper hand in online games against your opponents.
• Durability is important when buying any product – who doesn’t want their things to last? Thanks to the fact the BlackWidow Ultimate is a mechanical keyboard, it is destined to last. Over the week of use of the keyboard, it is difficult to tell if my particular model will actually last years and years. Only time can tell, so we’ll see what happens. But as it stands, this thing feels really solid and I expect to get a good run out of it.
• The keys are removable, meaning you can clean around the whole interior of the board. Being a but of a clean freak, I like this – a lot. This does mean you will have a slightly harder time properly cleaning since the keys are recessed (or have big gaps in between), but it is still nice that they are removable.
• Although this is the Mac Edition, it works just the same on a Windows operating system. Some of the keys are switched around to suit the OS, but the responsiveness and all the other perks are still there. I’ve tried using the standard BlackWidow Ultimate software on Windows 7 and it worked just as it should, so you get that as well.

The Bad

• The keys, although they provide amazing clicks, are quite loud compared to the average keyboard. I have grown to actually like the sound of the key clicks. Others may disagree, but give it some time before returning or try it at a friend’s place or retail store.
• I was aware at the time of purchase, but I do wish the keys were multi-colored. The blue looks great to me but I would like to be able to change the color to my desire.
• Reflective around the keys. I don’t think making the surrounding plastic around the keys was the best idea, since your hands are on the keyboard most of the time you’re at the computer – it is bound to get fingerprints and easily visible dust.

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Syndicate (PS3/360/PC):

• Tuesday 21st February (US Release)
• Friday 24th February (EU Release)

Asura’s Wrath (PS3/360):

• Tuesday 21st February (US Release)
• Friday 9th March (EU Release Delayed)

I Am Alive (PS3/360):

• Tuesday 21st February (US Release)
• Wednesday 7th March (EU Release Delayed)

Wargame: European Escalation (PC):

• Thursday 23rd February (Worldwide Release)

What this means in English: These cards offer low end gaming peformance for a decent price, with a descrete and simple design. These cards should be used for low resolution monitors and/or low settings in games. The 7750 seems to be a great value card, costing less than £100 ($109 US) and is able to play any modern game without additional power. While the 7770 is more powerful, it is around £120 ($159 US), and at this price you can get an AMD 6850 or an Nvidia 560 GTX which are both much more powerful.

I reccomend the 7750 to any person looking to play modern games on small screens or on low settings. The 7750 would also be very easy to set up as you just have to slot in in your PCI-E x16 slot before using it, meaning it would be great for those not so tech savvy. For those with a bit more knowledge and money to spend, the 7770 is not worth it – because as I mentioned before, other cards are available that outperform it. Some 7770 models also require a 6 pin power cable.

Schedule:

• Drivers in lobby – 10:30AM
• Qualifying – 11:00AM (+30 minutes from start time)
• Race – 11:30AM (+30 minutes from Qualifying)

Race:

• Performance Points: 700
• Tires: Unrestricted
• Allowed Assists: Driving Line, TCS, ABS
• Laps: 20
• Start Type: Grid Start with False Start Check
• Grid Order: Slowest First
• Boost: Off
• Penalty: Weak (Effective for Free Run)
• Mechanical Damage: Light
• Slipstream Strength: Weak
• Tire Wear/Fuel Consumption: On
• Grip Reduction on Wet Track/Track Edge: Real

REGISTER

Story

DE:HR is set in the year 2027, 25 years before the events of the original game in a world where human augmentation has become a reality, allowing people to be augmented with artificial limbs and brain implants to improve their abilities.

You see this world through the eyes of Adam Jensen, head of security for Sarif Industries, an organisation specialising in augmentation technology. The story begins with Jensen making security arrangements for an upcoming trip to Washington, where their top scientists are set to reveal a revolutionary discovery. However, that night the company’s headquarters is attacked by heavily-armed soldier and three mysterious augmented mercenaries. During the attack, Adam is severely injured while trying to save one of the lead researchers, and his ex-girlfriend, Megan Reed.

After this attack, Adam is taken into surgery and is heavily augmented, granting him dozens of new abilities (most of which he cannot use right away). The story continues as Adam attempts to assist Sarif in uncovering those responsible for the attack, as well as the motivation for it.

Gameplay

One of the best things about Deus Ex is the ability to choose how you want to play the game. The developers described the “pillars of gameplay” as combat, stealth, hacking and social. If you want to run and gun through everything, you can (though that will be quite challenging). If you want to sneak past all the guards, security cameras and other enemy emplacements, you can do that too, in fact this was how I always played the game.

For every obstacle in Deus Ex, there are multiple ways around it, for instance if you had to get into a locked room, you could hack the console next to it and enter, or if you do not possess the required skill you would more than likely be able to find a pocket computer with the code on it lying around somewhere, or in some cases you could also just smash through a cracked part in the wall (though this may attract attention).

It is easily possible to complete Deus Ex without killing a single guard, the only exceptions to this pacifist route would be the boss battles, which unfortunately can only end with you defeating them in combat.

As you play through the game, you earn XP and at every new ‘level’ you will earn a praxis point. Praxis points are used to unlock new augmentations Jensen has been fitted with, or to upgrade his current abilities. There are a number of augmentations to suit your gameplay style including ones for stealth, hacking and armour upgrades as well as other handy unlocks such as increasing carrying capacity and reducing fall damage (to nil with the highest upgrade).

My one criticism of the gameplay is this game is that it seems to favour stealthy players. You gain much more XP for knocking out enemies rather than killing them, plus there are large bonuses for clearing areas without being spotted. Also, the run and gun method is not an easy one, especially due to the low amount of health Jensen has. I have also read many complaints about the “low amount of ammo” you get in this game, however I have never found ammo difficult to find, perhaps they need their eyes tested, or just need to aim better.

HUD and Menus

I really like the HUD in this game, it’s very simple yet it tells you just about everything you need to know. There’s a health meter in the top-left corner, on the bottom-right you can see which gun and grenade type you have equipped, along with how much ammo you have. To the bottom-left is a mini-map which will tell you where both friendly and enemy NPCs are, though sadly you cannot see anymore detail than that.

Any quests you are given will have a way-point on screen which will give you an idea of where to go and how far away the target is. You can set which quests are ‘active’ so that these do not clutter up your screen, though I never found that to be a problem.

The one thing I didn’t like about the navigation is the fact that the mini-map is pretty much useless when trying to find your way, as it doesn’t tell you anything that a map should (like where the hell you are!). This means that if you do not know the map very well you will need to consult the large map, and having to pause and unpause the game to do so can be a bit of a pain.

Graphics and Sound

Graphically, this game is hardly ground-breaking, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I personally thought this was one of the best looking games of 2011, thanks to its excellent art style and lighting, which is especially noticeable once you arrive in Hengsha during the game, where the busy lights of the nightclubs and other points of interest really make the city look more alive and interesting.

The soundtrack to this game is one of the very best, it really adds to the ambiance of the game and can change dramatically depending on what is going on, and whatever the scenario the music fits in perfectly, sometimes you may not even realise it’s there. If you haven’t heard it before I would recommend looking up the main theme to the game, called “Icarus”, and if you like it listen to some of the other songs too.

Bugs and Other Stuff

I’ve completed four playthroughs of DE:HR, and in all my time playing I only ever encountered one major glitch, though it was quite an amusing one. It happened when I decided to randomly attack a friendly NPC, I initiated the melee attack and during the animation Jensen glitched through a shipping container the NPC was originally leaning against, fortunately I was not trapped inside and simply walked out.

Load times in this game on console are a little slow, but not too bad, though personally I wished that the quick load was actually quick but after a while you get used to it. The PC versions load times were heavily criticised on launch, but this was apparently addressed with patches.

The AI in this game is not the greatest, the enemies are very accurate when it comes to shooting, and at times you will be discovered and be left wondering “how the hell did he see me from there?!?!”. The AI’s excellent shooting is another reason why the run and gun tactic is considerably more difficult and their very keen eyesight will cause frustration when attempting a perfect stealth run. In either case I would highly recommend that you save very often (the amount of times I saved probably reaches into triple figures).

Conclusion

In summary, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a truly excellent game, featuring a variety of gameplay, good graphics and a terrific soundtrack. This feels like a very unique game and I would advise any fan of shooting, stealth and role-playing games to play this.

• Gameplay – 9

A very fun game to play which can be played in a number of ways.

• Story – 9

A brilliant story with a few plot twists and references to the original Deus Ex.

• NPCs and characters – 7

Not the best AI ever but the NPCs in the game really help the city streets come to life.

• HUD and menus – 9

Excellent, simple HUD and easy to use menus, though the way-point system isn’t the best.

• Graphics – 8

Not spectacular but this game really does look good.

• Sound – 10

An absolutely amazing soundtrack which fits in perfectly.

• Replay Value – 8

Due to the different gameplay styles and difficulties, you can easily play this game again and have a different experience.

The game is a perfect blend of First Person Shooter and Role Playing Game with an overlaying theme of Survival Horror, taking place in ‘The Zone’ – a 30km exclusion zone around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Storyline and NPCs

You play the game as a USS agent called ‘Major Degtyarev’, tasked with finding 5 helicopters that crashed from a recently failed military operation, Operation Fairway. Degtyarev is an experianced ‘Stalker’ (people who illegally explore the zone to find riches and artifacts as well as other strange reasons), who is disguised as one to find information about The Zone. As well as the storyline there are many side missions given to the player. These are given by minor NPCs as well as the leaders of some of the game’s factions, such as the Freedom faction who fight to protect The Zone or the Ecologists who research and try to understand it.

The NPCs in this game are quite smart and unpredictable in gun fights – they often find cover or charge at you like a mad man. The mutants in this game are also very creepy and their movements are decent enough to not be taken out of the game’s immersion. Interactive, non-combat characters are not too linear and I find myself hearing a new quote as I walk past once in a whle.

A major downside is the lack of voice acting. I mean, there is a fair amount of voices to be heard throughout The Zone but in most conversations with the protagonist, there are no voices – this is probably a budget problem as GSC are a pretty small company. It is not a major problem either as the options when talking are similar to Fallout, meaning you can still know what you are doing.

Gameplay

The gameplay is really good and varied. You have the option to use any gun you want with any gamestyle. I mentioned Stalkers looking for artifacts… these artifacts are supernatural objects that have abilities, like giving the character more carrying weight or flame resistance. These artifacts can be sold for large sums of money, because they are hard to get. They are found in anomalies – one of the main elements of gameplay, they are full of voids that harm the player and can kill in a matter of seconds, the voids can burn you, throw nearby objects at you and even trap you in a mini-tornado.

The anomalies are influenced by blowouts, or emissions on The zone. There are deadly storms that kill anybody outside, and happen once a day, they cause panic and distress but look really cool. The game is played over three large areas, Zaton, Yanov and Pripyat. They all have a unique vibe and offer many experiences for the player to encounter. Zaton is a countryside area where you start the game, Yanov is an industrial type area, and Pripyat, is the city of Pripyat.

HUD and Menus

The HUD is really nice and subtle, the map is on the top left corner of the screen along with a visibility and sound meter, allowing players to be stealthy and unseen/unheard. On the bottom right is the health and stamina bar, with ammo count too. Above the health is where notifications about the player are displayed – when the player is radiated a hazard symbol appears, when hungry a knife and fork appear, and other warnings are there too. These warnings go from green to red on how serious they are, allowing you to know when to take action.

Graphics and Sound

Now the graphics are a hard thing to judge in this game. It has DX11 support, with really nice lighting, the textures are meh at most though, although I find them quite fitting of the game, they fit the game’s gritty and tense feel. As you read in my Skyrim review then I can say again thay the graphics are let down by textures but redeemed by great lighting that makes you crap yourself without a torch or nightvision to help you.

The sound is really good in this game and really set the mood. The ambient music fits the mood and follows the player’s actions. When you are just wandering the wilderness at night with the music playing, making your way back to a safehouse, and you hear a sound, the music stops and the suspense sets in like concrete, do you seek cover to observe the situation or get out a shotgun and explore the danger ahead? That’s the great thing about the game.

Bugs and Other Stuff

There are surprisingly very little bugs in the game, the only bug I encountered was dumping all of my gear around an NPC to make him stand stragely to the side…anyway it is a really stable game and I give credit to GSC for making it that way compared to games that have had millions more spent on development but still have a barrel of glitches. The game suffers from bad load times inbetween areas but you rarely travel inbetween areas anyway, but loading should not be an issue.

As I mentioned the graphics are a bit outdated, although the community has made some amazing mods to amend this, taking full advantage of the DX11 capabilities.

Conclusion

So what we have here is a decent game but executed as a masterpiece, it is a really underrated game and should have deserved more attention at release. It has great gameplay, decent graphics and sound, and a perfect level of immersion.

• Gameplay: 9
• Story: 9
• NPCs and characters: 6
• HUD/menu/usability: 9
• Graphics: 6
• Sound: 9
• Replay value: 9

Twisted Metal X (PS3):

• Tuesday 14th February (US Release)
• Wednesday 7th March? (EU Release Delayed)

Bonus valentines video:

UFC Undisputed 3 (PS3/360):

• Tuesday 14th February (US Release)
• Friday 17th February (EU Release)

SSX (PS3/360):

• Tuesday 14th February (US Release)
• Friday 17th February (EU Release)

Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii):

• Monday 13th February (US Release Only)

Crusader Kings 2 (PC):

• Tuesday 14th February (US/EU Release)

Alan Wake (PC):

• Friday 17th February (US/EU Release)

The shortlist of games that can be voted for are:

• Batman: Arkham City
• Battlefield 3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
• FIFA 12
• L.A. Noire
• Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
• Minecraft
• Portal 2
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
• Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception

You can vote for the Audience Award winner here. Voters even get a chance to win a Limited Edition Star Wars Xbox 360 console with Kinect! However, Terms & Conditions apply.

Last year, it was possible to watch the event streamed live on their own website and Dara O’Briain hosted the event. He is a popular stand up comedian in the UK and an avid gamer which he likes to talk about in his comedy routines.

Anyone voting for their game choice with a chance to win an xbox with included kinect? I know I am!

Castle Story is an indie real-time strategy video game, currently being developed by Sauropod Studio. It involves the player controlling adorable little ”Bricktons” which are similar to small yellow human shaped blobs of fat. From a first glance you can instantly tell its links to successful indie games such as Minecraft & Terraria, along with the obvious likeness to Stronghold. Although, the main difference in Castle Story is that instead of running around and doing all the hard work yourself, you get a God’s eye perspective to command your Brickatons.

Here’s the first demonstration the two-man development team posted, which personally has me itching to build my own cloud city:

While the video shows-off mining, building, exploration and destruction aspects of the game, you will also be required to defend your own castle (meaning it will have to be pretty and practical) against evil forces as well as other players. Sadly you are forced to send your cute little Bricktons into battle, sword in hand.

Castle Story will support PC and Mac at launch due to its development on the UNITY Engine. Sadly, the project is still in very early stages of development. Meanwhile… I’m going to continue to throw my money at the screen.