E.Y.E DIVINE CYBERNACY

TRAILER

A word first, then the review:

I have a friend who asked me, wtf's with this game anyway? Don't see the point of it!

My answer was: Dunno!...

Well, now... I know. 

YES, allot of companies rated this game as poor gameplay, bad A.I. and stuff... STILL! You have to play the game to actually see what it has to say! 

First impresion - Shooter, leveling up stuff...

After playing for a while - very interesting gameplay!

Now - this game is a MUST PLAY ONE!

Why?

Well... 

1. Fail to hack a door to open, the door implants a virus into you body that messes up with your characters mind and control. 

2. Leveling is super fun in this game! 

3. There are unlimited abilities and things you can do!

4. You can even clone yourself. 

5. Spawn into an enemy body then explode! 

6. It's confusing, and it makes the game interesting! 

7. Allot of missions! 

8. Campaign and Skirmish also (Temple HQ)!

9. The A.I. is quite unique - You won't be 100% covered (only by walls maybe) in this game! 

10. The story is Unique!

( It has melee weapons)!

READ THE REVIEW NOW AND DON'T FORGET! 

IT'S A INDI GAME BASED ON SOURCE ENGINE! 

E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy is an indie action/role-playing first-person shooter video game created by the 12-person French development team Streum On Studio, and built using Valve Corporation's Source engine. It is a cyberpunk themed game based on the role-playing board game "A.V.A." developed by Streum On Studio in 1998. The game spent about two years in development before being released for Windows PC on July 29, 2011 via Steam.

Storyline

E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy is set in a dystopian future following a complex background of events. The human race has become involved in an interplanetary conflict stemming from a mysterious race as well as an unexplained psionic entity known as the Metastreumonic Force, that has turned civilizations against each other and threatens the universe. The player takes the role of an E.Y.E. member working under the Secreta Secretorum — a society of elite Samurai monks with access to advanced technology, each member infused with cybernetics, psionic training, and DNA acquired from the only known member of the mysterious advanced civilization to ever be captured and killed. The player is also secretly working for several different sides in an internal human conflict between different factions and the Federation, a powerful consortium of corporations who comprise the current human government.

Gameplay

Character creation and initial spawn


Gameplay begins with character creation, in which the player has three slots in which to choose from DNA types to apply. This initial character-building DNA infusion has a semi-random outcome in generating the initial character statistics.

Gameplay is from a first-person perspective. The player begins each game "asleep" and in a dreamscape, and must walk through a door within the dream in order to wake up. Upon awaking, they spawn in the location they were in when last they exited. Very little is known to the player about the environment at first, so they must learn about it by speaking to characters and accessing historical data terminals. Between missions, the player spends time talking to various friendly characters, learning about the current conflicts and their history, obtaining objectives, and attempting to serve their greater goals by choosing from response options which can influence the direction of the conversation.

Headquarters and equipment

Many between-mission scenes take place in the Temple, an elaborate and vast futuristic structure that serves as headquarters to the E.Y.E. organization. New weapons and technologies can be purchased here using Brouzouf, the game's form of currency, which is earned by killing enemies, completing objectives, or hacking bank terminals. The Temple also contains many characters to speak to, a training room for testing weapons, multiple mobile armories where the player's currently-available equipment can be loaded and armor changed, a medical section where new psionic abilities can be purchased, and an archive room where the history of the in-game universe can be learned through the use of data terminals. The Temple can be accessed at any time by choosing the Temple option at the game's loading screen, or in the escape menu, which pauses the current mission. Side missions can be acquired from Temple guard at its entrance, or the player can simply take a Temple exit to enter the local streets and see randomly-generated objectives, battle various enemies, hack bank terminals, etc., to earn Brouzouf and experience, and to find new technologies.

The player loads out prior to missions at mobile armories, choosing armor and a variety of weapons. Melee weapons generally consist of different types of Samurai blade weapons. Ranged weapons consist of traditional firearms from handgun, shotgun, assault, submachine, heavy machine, and sniper classes, some of which have varying wall-penetrating values. Grenades and automated drone robots are also available. Ammunition clips are unlimited when at a mobile armory. All items must be placed in inventory slots that are divided into groupings for each area on the player where they are to be stored. As a unique gameplay mechanic, all equipment carried causes a weight disadvantage, termed a "malus" in-game, as does the armor type chosen (light, medium, or heavy). The total weight malus is shown in the player's stats screen as a percentage; weightier characters move slower, create more noise when moving, and incur more damage from long falls.

Meters and abilities

The player's available special abilities are listed in a screen where they can be activated or bound to a quick-access menu. Available abilities are dependent upon which upgrades have been purchased or researched, and many are available upon character creation. Many abilities require the use of energy, for which a meter is always displayed on-screen, along with a life meter and a "mental balance" meter. Energy is also depleted by running, or by using "alchemy", an ability whereby enemies' dropped items can be converted to a health boost (there is no other method of in-mission healing available during much of the beginning of the game). The mental balance level is depleted by stress, which generally occurs from taking a lot of damage at once; when mental balance is significantly decreased, it manifests in visual distortions and difficulty operating weapons, and if depleted far enough can render a player unable to fire ranged weapons for a time, though they still have use of melee weapons.

Acquirable special abilities include, for example, jump boost, generating multiple decoy characters, cloaking, sound triangulation (sounds produce visual effects that show where they originate), and highlighting enemies even through walls, all of which have different upgrade levels. Health, energy, and mental balance can all be augmented through various researchable technologies and purchasable upgrades.

Upgrades and hacking

Upgrades are acquired via Brouzouf through research of technology items picked up during missions, psionic abilities purchased from the Temple's Medical section, and cybernetic upgrades purchased any time during play. Upgrades are also acquired via experience points, which are earned through level advancement, which in turn is gradually achieved with each scored hit on enemies, depending on quality; as well as through hacking successfully, achieving mission objectives, and even being attacked. Experience points can be spent to upgrade various character stats, such as health (hit points), potency of psionic abilities, and energy depletion rates.

"Research" involves various technologies the player discovers during play via silver briefcases dropped by enemies upon death. These items activate listing in the configuration menu's Research section, wherein the player can choose to research them in order to gain access to them. Researched items may offer access to new abilities, loadable items, or stats upgrades, though the precise reward for each researched item is not known until after research is complete. Research requires both time and Brouzouf (money) in varying amounts; Research time is measured in days and hours, with each hour taking about 8 real-world seconds to pass, and can be lowered by adjusting the number of "scientists" allocated to the research, though more scientists increases the research cost. Only one item can be researched at a time.

During missions, a player can hack both machines and nearby enemies, which both use the same mechanic. Hacking is done wirelessly and does not require direct contact or even line-of-sight. Each hacking target has cyberspace stats indicating how difficult it will be to hack, as does the player—an attempted hack also opens the player to possible counter-hacks. The hacking menu shows targets in the vicinity, and the player has a number of virus upload options to choose from, clicking from one to the other in order to attempt to gain access, including shield, which buffs the player's cyberspace defense stat, and attack, which lowers the target's defense. Hacked enemy drones will work for the player, bank terminals offer Brouzouf, and hacked enemy characters offer the player a view from their perspective, and can be moved and made to attack other enemies. One or multiple hacking targets are often included as mission objectives.

Missions

Missions are carried out interchangeably in alien landscapes, enclosed facilities, and science fiction infused city streets reminiscent of Blade Runner.[4] Objectives can include hacking targets, assassination, locating important objects or characters, and straighforward assault. In single-player mode, some missions see the player accompanied by allied soldiers who help fend off enemy combatants. Fighting style is versatile, as the player can charge into attacks head-on, remain stealthy, or use a combination of the two tactics, and still accomplish mission goals. Enemies include humanoid combatants wielding firearms similar to the player's, automated floating enemy drones and mounted turrets, human-sized robots, alien beings, and aerial military units reminiscent of the Terminator franchise's Hunter Killers.

Unlike most first-person shooters, enemies do not automatically drop restorative health items upon defeat, and health does not regenerate over time. Until other technology is acquired, health can only be restored using "alchemy", a psionic ability that characters possess on creation, which remotely turns any targeted item dropped by enemies into a health boost. Later in the game, players can acquire "medkit" technology, which must be researched, and then allows the player to add the Medkit item to their inventory from a mobile armory. This item restores a portion of health and can be used limitlessly, but must recharge between uses, and must be held in-hand in place of a weapon in order to use and recharge. It can also be used to restore teammates' health (both automated and multiplayer).

Mission objectives are largely nonlinear, with several objectives generally highlighted at once, and it is up to the player in which order to pursue them. Some objectives also have several different options for completion. Side missions can be picked up at the Temple by speaking to various characters, or by speaking to secondary characters in-mission and agreeing to perform tasks for them, which usually results in earning more Brouzouf. Levels are open for exploration, so objectives can even be ignored if the player desires to simply go exploring and kill enemies or hack bank terminals. Note however that mission completion ends with certain player ratings based on how well the player adhered to the instructions of their commander, so if the commander indicated that objectives must be completed quickly, level exploration could incur rating penalties.

The Temple, which can be accessed at any time by choosing the Temple option in the game load menu, also offers side mission possibilities by speaking to characters. Any level already played by the character can also be entered from the Temple; upon entering a level, various objective are generated, which can be completed, or the player can simply explore, kill enemies, hack bank terminals (all of which earn the player Brouzouf and experience), and acquire researchable technologies.

If a player dies, they are resurrected in-place within a few seconds with full health via the "resurrecter" cybernetic ability. The total number of possible resurrections per gameplay session is determined by a character statistic, which generally starts out at between 7 and 10, and can be upgraded.

Multiplayer

E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy features PvP, Team vs Team, and co-op online multiplayer modes. Players can use their characters as created and upgraded through their single-player campaigns, and therefore all character statistics and abilities carry over for use in multiplayer combat.

Reception

E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy received generally mixed reviews, with a rating of 64 out of 100 at Metacritic. It has been praised for its originality, engrossing atmosphere, vast array of elements, and versatility of play, but criticized for its cumbersome mechanics, lack of voice dialog, confusing interface, and poorly-translated English text elements.

Gamespot rated the game a 7 out of 10, praising its ambitious concepts and enthralling atmosphere, but noting its unrefined game mechanics and steep learning curve: "E.Y.E. is ambitious. It hands you guns, swords, and cybernetic skills, and then drops you into a chilling sci-fi world, letting you accomplish your goals in any way you see fit. It's also confusing and awkward [...] so you might sometimes curse and grit your teeth, but you will also be entertained and perhaps even in awe at times."

GameSpy rated it 80 out of 100, saying, "Taking into account the small development group and the price, I'm hard-pressed not to recommend this game as a must-have [...] E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy is a unique indie gem that deserves strong sales and an active fan base," though also noting the clunky interface and several first-release bugs (some of which were fixed in the first post-release patch)."

IGN was more critical, giving the game a 50 out of 100 rating, saying "It's somewhat amazing that such a small team created E.Y.E.: Divine Cybermancy. But after the initial charm and awe wears off, what's left is an overly complex, poorly explained first-person shooter that is often boring, frustrating and a chore to play. Yes, E.Y.E. has its moments, and it's great that someone out there has tackled keeping hardcore, no-hand-holding PC games alive. But the lack of focus, poor A.I. and other issues make it a novelty rather than a must-play game."

MY POINT OF VIEW! 

This game is complex, fun, and interesting! 

Don't judge the game by first steps!

MY RATING

Gameplay: 9

(Deus-EX) - but more complex and FUN! 

Video: 8

Sound: 8

Storyline: 10

Complexity: 10

WARNING! 

THE GAME BECOMES VERY ADDICTIVE! 

For any information just ask! 

I know some tricks and I will put a little guide later on the blog! 

Minimum System Requirements:

OS: Windows® 7 32/64-bit / Vista 32/64 / XP

Processor: Pentium 4 3.0GHz, Athlon 64 3000+ or better

Video Card: DirectX 9 compatible video card with 128 MB, Shader model 2.0. ATI X800, NVidia 6600 or better

Hard Disk Space: At least 6 GB of free space

Memory (RAM): 1 GB for XP / 2GB for Vista

DirectX: DirectX® 9.0c

Sound Card: DirectX® Compatible Sound Card*



Recommended Specifications:

OS: Windows® 7 32/64-bit / Vista 32/64 / XP

Processor: Intel core 2 duo 2.4GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+

Video Card: DirectX 9 compatible video card with Shader model 3.0. NVidia 7600, ATI X1600 or better

Hard Disk Space: At least 6 GB of free space

Memory (RAM): 1 GB for XP / 2GB for Vista

DirectX: DirectX® 9.0c

Sound Card: DirectX® Compatible Sound Card*

Risen 2 : Dark Waters

TRAILER

Plot

Risen 2 : Dark Waters begins in the harbor city of Caldera. The last vestiges of the Inquisition gathered in the fortress of crystal and are still trying to fight against the Titans. Unfortunately, sea monsters cause inconvenience and boats that were supposed to deliver major equipments are lost to the sea. The main character is the hero of the first Risen. However, he is now a broken man without illusions who turned to alcohol. He wears a patch over one eye that hides the Inquisitor monocle, obtained at the end of Risen.[3] The game begins with Carlos (known from Risen) who asks the hero to help a ship that sank off the coast of the island. Among the survivors, there is another old friend: Patty. She is always in search of her father, the famous pirate Gregory-Emmanuel Steel Beard, and rumor says he has found a way to sail the seas safely. They decide to team up to find him.

Main characters

In the tradition of games developed by Piranha Bytes, the main character has no name. He is simply called the Nameless Hero.

Gameplay

Unlike many RPGs, the player doesn't choose his character or his class. One gains experience points (XP) as rewards for fighting monsters and solving quests. When enough points have been accumulated, the hero levels up and earns learning points (LP). The player can spend these learning points with Trainers - special NPCs that are scattered around the game world - to increase his stats or acquire new skills. The player can use a wide range of weapons, including, for the first time, guns. Alternatively, the player can choose to play as a mage. Risen offers the player a semi-open world: each island is a separate area that requires loading; but once the area is loaded, one can move freely without hindrance or pause for loading new items. At the beginning of the game, not all islands are reachable, but they become so as the story unfolds.

Development

In late May 2007, JoWooD Productions Software AG, Austria, and Pluto 13 GmbH, Germany (owner of the trademark "Piranha Bytes") announced the end of their cooperation. Following contractual agreements binding the two companies, JoWood temporarily holds the right to publish games in the Gothic series as well as the copyright for the "Gothic" trademark. As Piranha Bytes temporarily cannot further develop any game for the Gothic series, the company announced June 17, 2007 that they were working on drafting a new RPG. The next day, Deep Silver announced they would be the publisher and on August 6, 2008, the official name of the game was revealed: Risen. While Piranha Bytes developed the PC version of the game, the French company Wizarbox was responsible for bringing the game to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Following numerous criticisms of the poor quality of the original game's console port, the publisher decided that the game would be jointly developed on the three platforms from the project's inception, with experts from Piranha Bytes preparing elements for Wizarbox and with test controls every 30 or 60 days.

In late July 2011, the company Deep Silver announced that they had selected Steamworks as the form of DRM for the PC version of the game. This will allow users to add their retail keys to a Steam account and play the game via the service. This will also include unlimited installs on any PC, and no requirement to have the DVD in the drive to play.[4]

The official name of the second game: "Risen 2: Dark Waters" was announced on February 19, 2011. The game is expected for the first half of 2012.

On December 14th, 2011, the game's official Facebook page announced that Risen 2: Dark Waters will be released on April 24th, 2012 for the USA and Canada and on April 27th, 2012 for Europe.

Release Date: April 24, 2012



Risen 2: Dark Waters Minimum System Requirements


Processor Dual core with 2.1 GHz
Video Card AMD Radeon 3870 or NVidia GeForce 8800 GTX (512 MB VRAM)
Memory 2 GB system RAM
OS Windows XP (with Servicepack 2)
HDD Space 5.5 GB hard disk space required
Additional Info AUDIO: DirectX compatible sound chip
NET: connection for online activation required




Risen 2: Dark Waters Recommended System Requirements


Processor Dual core with 3 GHz
Video Card AMD Radeon 4890 or NVidia GeForce GTX260 (1 GB VRAM)
Memory 4 GB system RAM
OS Windows XP (with Servicepack 2), Vista (with Servicepack 1) or Windows 7
HDD Space 5.5 GB hard disk space required

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

TRAILER

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is an upcoming 2012 third-person shooter video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, co-developed by Slant Six Games and Capcom, and currently scheduled for a release in North America on the 20th of March 2012, on April 26, 2012 in Japan, March 22, 2012 in Australia and March 23, 2012 in Europe. It is part of the Resident Evil series, being set around the same time as Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis and the two Resident Evil: Outbreak titles.

Plot

The game takes place during the events of Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, and is set in Raccoon City, whose residents have been turned into zombies after an outbreak of the T-virus, a biological weapon developed by the pharmaceutical company Umbrella. Players will take the role of an officer of the Umbrella Security Service (USS). They have a vastly different objective compared to the Spec Ops opposition: members of the USS are tasked with destroying evidence of Umbrella's illegal activities, including killing survivors of the outbreak, while the Special Operations team has to expose the actions of the company.[3][4] Operation Raccoon City will allow the player to make major "what-if" decisions such as killing Leon S. Kennedy, one of the protagonists of Resident Evil 2 and the protagonist of Resident Evil 4.


Gameplay


There are six playable characters in the game: Vector, Beltway, Spectre, Four Eyes, Lupo and Bertha. Each have their own unique abilities: Vector (real name unknown) is the team's recon expert and is equipped with a cloaking ability; Beltway (real name Hector Hivers) is proficient in the use of explosives; Bertha (real name Michaela Schneider) is the team's medic; Spectre (real name Vladimir Bodrovski) is the team's surveillance class and sharpshooter; Four Eyes (real name Christine Yamata) is the scientist of the group with the ability to program the bio-organic weapons (BOWs); and Lupo (real name Karena Lesproux), who is an Assault class/Team Leader as shown in a recent trailer. Alongside the Single Player Mode, the game will also offer four-player co-operative gameplay, which pits the USS against the US Special Operations task force.

The zombies in the game will be able to attack the player in a multitude of ways. A zombie that gets too close to the player will usually attempt to grapple the player, prompting the player to rapidly shake his analogue stick to avoid infection. Players who are unsuccessful in doing this will be "invisible" to nearby zombies for a limited amount of time whilst they are infected before their death in the game. If a player is successfully bitten and later runs out of time after becoming infected, the player will lose control of their character and begin attacking their former teammates until shot in the head, allowing the player to respawn.

The game also utilizes a bleeding mechanic, meaning characters who have been badly wounded will be deemed "bleeding out", giving their screen a blood red hue and making them a higher priority target to nearby infected than the others.

There will be additional enemy types in the game besides zombies. BOWs that can be confirmed from E3 are Hunters, Lickers and Tyrants. Furthermore, the player will be able to control them under certain circumstances.

In December 2011, Capcom unveiled "Heroes Mode", an online multiplayer feature allowing you to play classic hero characters such as Leon S. Kennedy, Claire Redfield, Jill Valentine and Carlos Oliveira, plus the villains Ada Wong, HUNK, Nicholai Ginovaef and an all-new character, called Lone Wolf.

Development

The idea for the game came about during the development of Lost Planet 2. The May 2011 edition of the Official Xbox Magazine, released on April 5, shows an image of an individual in a gas mask along the Umbrella, Inc. logo on the issue's cover. On November 1, 2010 Kotaku reported on a rumor that Slant Six Games, developer of SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation, was developing Resident Evil: Raccoon City. On its website, Slant Six Games wrote that it was currently developing "an amazing new project" that was unannounced, which was developed in conjunction with a "new publishing partner on a world class franchise."

As of March 2011, Masachika Kawata estimated the game to be 45% complete. According to Kawata, there are currently discussions on introducing new "bio-organic weapon" enemy creatures into the game.

RELEASE DATES

Release date(s)

JP April 26, 2012
NA March 20, 2012
AU March 22, 2012
EU March 23, 2012

System Requirements

" As Far As I Know! "

* OS: Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7
* CPU: Core 2 Duo 2.13GHz or Athlon 7450 Dual Core
* RAM: 3 GB
* HDD: 9 GB free disk space
* Graphics: 512 MB Graphics Memory
* Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible
* DirectX: Version 9

Supported Graphics Cards:
GeForce GT 240 or Radeon HD 3850

GamersNimfo Has A Youtube Channel!

GamersNimfo Youtube Channel

Just press the "YouTube" link in the websites bar and you're on the channel!

First Post - 2.16.2012 at 00:00

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

TRAILER

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) is an online first-person shooter based game currently in development by Valve Corporation and Hidden Path Entertainment, who also co-developed Counter-Strike: Source. It is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike franchise, excluding Counter-Strike: Neo and Counter-Strike: Online.

Global Offensive is targeted for release in early 2012. It will be available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network. It will feature classic content, such as old maps, as well as brand new maps, characters and game modes. Also, it will support matchmaking and leaderboards. Cross-platform multiplayer is confirmed between Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X and PlayStation 3 players. The PlayStation 3 version will offer three control methods, which include using either the DualShock 3 controller, PlayStation Move or USB keyboard/mouse.

GAMEPLAY

Like previous games in the series, Global Offensive is an objective based multiplayer first person shooter. Each player joins either the Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist team and attempts to complete objectives or eliminate the enemy team. For example, in demolition maps, often abbreviated "de", the terrorist team is given an explosive to plant at a designated location. The Counter-Terrorists must defend the location until time runs out and if the bomb is planted defuse it. Global Offensive is planned to launch with demolition, hostage rescue, and a new game mode called arsenal. Arsenal is based on a popular mod for both Counter Strike and Counter Strike: Source called gun game, and made in collaboration with the creators of the mod.
Global Offensive, like previous installments, operates in short rounds that end when all players on one side are dead or an objective is completed. Once a player dies they must wait until the round ends to respawn in most game modes. Players purchase weapons and equipment with money awarded based on their performance. Completing objectives or killing enemies earns the player money while negative actions like killing a teammate takes money away from the player. In addition when a round ends all players receive some amount of money, with players on the winning team receiving substantially more. Global Offensive adds new weapons and equipment not seen in previous installments, most notably the molotov cocktail which temporarily covers a small area in fire, making it impossible to pass through without taking significant damage.

Development

Global Offensive began as a port of Counter Strike: Source to the Xbox 360 by Hidden Path Entertainment. During the development Valve saw the opportunity to turn the port into a full game and expand on Counter Strike's gameplay. Global Offensive began development in March, 2010 and was revealed on August 12, 2011.
A lengthy public beta testing phase on the PC will precede Global Offensives's retail release. The closed beta started on November 30th, 2011 and will last until Valve feels the community is satisfied with the state of the game. The game's retail release will occur when the beta testing phase has concluded. The beta will initially be restricted to around ten thousand people who received a key at events Valve attended to showcase Global Offensive. After issues such as client and server stability are addressed the beta will open up to progressively more and more people, until the beta becomes open for anybody to join and play. Before the public beta Valve invited professional Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Source players to playtest the game and give feedback.


Developer(s)

Valve Corporation
Hidden Path Entertainment

Publisher Valve Corporation
Series Counter-Strike
Engine Source
Platforms Microsoft Windows
Mac OS X
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360

Release date Closed Beta: November 30, 2011
Open Beta: Early 2012
Full Game: Early 2012
Genre First-person shooter
Mode Multiplayer
Media/distribution Digital download


System Requirements:

Intel CPU - Core 2 Duo E6600 2.4GHz
AMD CPU - Athlon 7750 Dual Core
Nvidia GFX Card - GeForce GTS 240
ATI GFX Card - Radeon HD 3870
RAM (Memory) - 3 GB
Hard Disk Space - 5 GB
Direct X - 9



Further Details (again) after I play the game! ;)

The Darkness 2

TRAILER

The Darkness II is a video game developed by Digital Extremes and to be published by 2K Games. The game is the sequel to 2007's The Darkness. The game features the writing of Paul Jenkins, who previously worked on The Darkness comics. Originally scheduled to be released on July 10, 2011 and then on October 4, 2011, it was delayed for both dates and instead was released February 7, 2012 in North America and February 10, 2012 in Europe for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Gameplay

The Darkness II follows a similar combat template as the first game with the introduction of new features, such as a tactic dubbed "quad wielding," a technique which allows the protagonist Jackie Estacado to use both The Darkness and firearms simultaneously. There is a greater emphasis on the aspect of Darklings, with there now being only one primary Darkling who holds greater importance and is more involved in the storyline and who is useful in all situations; able to go to and lead Jackie to certain waypoints and show him important items during boss fights, and allow Jackie to use him to go into hard-to-reach areas and kill enemies at a distance, while looking through the Darkling's eyes. The Darkling is able to interact with the environment by using items such as a worker drills to attack and torture Jackie's enemies and he can also use standard weaponry such as pistols to attack or threaten them. Jackie can use the environment to his advantage, by using car doors as shields and parking meters to kill enemies. Unlike in the first game, Jackie can use both his weaponry and The Darkness in public places. The Darkness only disappears while in the light or for story purposes.

Each kill, heart collected and enemy urinated on add towards Jackie's 'dark essence', a substance that clings to people and objects that have come in contact with The Darkness, which can be used to make purchases from a tree of abilities from 'talent shrines', such as 'black hole' which allows Jackie to charge an enemies heart with energy and throw it to create a void of vacuum encased in darkness, the ability to see and attack through walls, 'swarm' which allows Jackie to summon a swarm of flies to disable and stun multiple enemies at once, and 'gun channeling' which gives Jackie unlimited ammunition and deals supernatural damage for a short period of time. The character and player feel more uncomfortable in light, with exposure to light resulting in blurring of vision occupied with a high pitched ringing. Light will be more of a physical threat as well with there having a 'light vs darkness' feel.

Vendettas

Vendettas is a mode where the player plays as one of 4 hit men who each have specific Darkness powers and go on missions for Jackie. The Vendettas campaign happens at the same time as the game's main campaign and focuses on securing dark relics from Brotherhood agents. The campaign can be played offline alone or online co-operatively with other people (there is no split-screen). There is also a hit list option where players can replay specific missions from the Vendettas campaign as well as new ones specific to the Hit List mode. Each character has their own upgrade tree.

Development

Visually, the game's textures are designed using a cel-shading technique, emulating the aesthetic of its graphic novel namesake. The style was achieved with the development artists hand painting the majority of the game assets, instead of relying on digital methods to create a comic book style.

Musician Mike Patton reprises his role as the voice of The Darkness, however Kirk Acevedo, who provided the voice of Jackie Estacado in the former game, will not be returning. In his place will be actor Brian Bloom.

Plot

Vendettas campaign

Single Player Campaign

The Darkness II takes place two years after the events of the first game. Jackie Estacado, the current wielder of The Darkness has used his powers to become the Don of the Franchetti crime family. He has been unable to shake the thoughts of his dead girlfriend Jenny Romano and has since, with the help of estranged occultist Johnny Powell and his study into dark essence, contained his supernatural powers, and now The Darkness "wants out in the worst way".

The game starts with Jackie talking to the player about his life and about The Darkness while sitting alone in a chair in a dark, seemingly endless room with a white and black tile floor. Jackie pulls out a pendant with a small picture of his dead girlfriend Jenny and the scene shifts to Jackie getting out of a car and entering a luxurious restaurant. Jackie sits with two blonde twins until one is shot in the eye and a van crashes through the window, killing the other twin and heralding the start of a full-scale mob war, which has clearly been orchestrated by some outside force. Jackie's leg is wounded and Vinnie, one of Jackie's mob associates, gives Jackie a gun to fend off the attackers while Vinnie grabs Jackie and drags him through the restaurant and into the kitchen. Jackie smells gas leaking from the propane tanks as Vinnie tries to pry open the door, just in time for one of the attackers to throw a flaming bottle into the kitchen and igniting the gas into a violent explosion which knocks Jackie back and sends Vinnie through the wall, though they both survive. On the verge of death, Jackie sees Victor, who comments that Jackie is "stronger than his father", Victor then tells one of his henchmen to keep pushing Jackie and then disappears. As Jackie crawls toward the hole in the wall created by the explosion, The Darkness encourages Jackie to "embrace The Darkness", Jackie then releases The Darkness, who then proceeds to slaughter the remaining goons.

While making his way through the streets and into the subway, Jackie begins seeing strange haunting visions of Jenny which beckon him to come to her. In the subway, Jackie avoids being hit by a train and makes his way onto the demolished tracks. He then sees another apparition of Jenny who tells him to dance with her. She then disappears as an oncoming train hits Jackie. The Darkness proclaims that Jackie will not die as Jackie wakes up in a strange dream-like world which seems to be some kind of heavenly hospital. There he sees Johnny Powell and his mob friend Tony, both of whom act strange. Jackie then wakes from the dream and realizes that The Darkness had taken possession of his body and slaughtered the remaining henchmen. He meets up with Fat Tony and makes his way back to his mansion.

At Jackie's mansion, he talks with his Aunt Sara about Jenny and Sara comments on how Jackie is becoming obsessive like his father, which Jackie denies. Through many quests, hunting down everyone involved in The Brotherhood. This quest eventually brings Jackie to an abandoned carnival and into a confrontation with Victor Valente, a mysterious figure who knows what The Darkness is and wants his power for himself. Victor is the head of an ancient secret society known as The Brotherhood, formed thousands of years ago by a saint for the sole purpose of protecting the world from The Darkness. However the saint became corrupted and now The Brotherhood wants The Darkness for themselves, once Jackie finally catches up with Victor through his quest, which includes being pinned in an Iron Maiden and had The Darkness siphoned out of him, he fights a Darkness Empowered Mr. Peevish, which after he defeats him, allows Jackie to collect enough Dark Essence to make a shell of his previous powers, but is not sentient and dead, because there is no spiritual Darkness to power it, once Jackie continues, he confront Victor in Jackie's old house and a battle rages between Victor and Jackie. After defeating Victor, Jackie takes the Siphon of the Angelus from Victor and beats him to death with it, and afterwards tries to stab himself with it, because The Siphon is the only way for The Darkness to truly die and be sent to Hell. Victor warned him that it will kill him and send him to Hell, but Jackie wants to die so he can be with Jenny, and so he takes The Siphon and impales himself. Jackie then wakes up in the mental asylum that The Darkness uses to trap him while his body is being repaired, after realizing that he is in The Asylum and not in Hell, Jackie freaks out and runs down the hall.

Jackie, then asks to see Jenny in The Asylum, but on the way there, the Darkling appears and gives him access to the rooftop. As they rush to the top of the building, the Darkling opens the roof door and light pours in and shoots the Darkling down the steps. As the Darkling begins to die permanently, it previously died within The Darkness and not the Human world, it gives Jackie its goodbyes and wishes him good luck. Jackie then runs to the edge of the roof and tried to jump off when Doctor Victor and Jenny come saying to stop. This is when the player must choose to stay with the fake Jenny in the Asylum or jump and send Jackie to Hell to free the Real Jenny. If Jackie stays, he will dance with Jenny to old music, in the middle of the asylum, and the game ends shortly after.

But if he jumps, Jackie goes to Hell to save the real Jenny. As he continues through a maze, killing strange monstrosities and collecting flesh versions of normal guns, Jackie eventually saves her, which leads to an emotional reunion as Jackie and Jenny embrace each other in joy. Jenny tells Jackie that, no matter what happens, she will always love him, but suddenly apologizes. Jackie is confused and Jenny suddenly flies out of his arms and transforms into The Angelus. Jackie tells her that he will not fight her and demands to know what she has done with Jenny. The Angelus tells him that Jenny is still in her somewhere and that, despite all the suffering he caused her, she still loves him. She tells Jackie that because of all the suffering he created with The Darkness and the fact that he is too powerful, he must stay in the abyss within The Darkness forever. She states that the world has lived to long without her light and that Jackie and The Darkness are now in Hell where they belong. She then flies away, trapping Jackie in the inner abyss. The game ends with Jackie screaming upwards in anger and terror as The Darkness closes up.

Demo

A playable demo (size 1.40GB) of the game has been released on January 17, 2012 (North America) on Xbox Live and is available to Gold members for the first week. A PC, PS3, Xbox Live Silver demo was released on January 24, 2012 (North America) and a day later in EU and Asia.

Reception

Reviews for The Darkness II are generally positive. PSM3 and Xbox World magazines awarded the game 8.1 out of 10 and said that the game is "Not perfect, but deeply satisfying to blast through." Both Official Xbox Magazine U.S. and Official Xbox Magazine UK awarded the game a 9 out of 10, with the U.S. edition praising the dark story, "excellent" combination of Darkness powers and gunplay, brutal finishing moves, and fun cooperative multiplayer, while criticizing the campaign's relatively short length and problems reviving allies in multiplayer and the UK edition citing "It's one of the best shooter-stories we've seen in years - justifying its own ludicrous nature in interesting and unexpected ways. If the ending didn't feel like such a cop-out, The Darkness II could have been on par with BioShock. As it is, the gripping narrative and wonderfully empowering combat mean you'll be talking about it for months after completing it." Playstation Official Magazine also gave the game 9 out of 10, stating "no graphic novel has been brought to life in such a deliciously gory manner, with offing goons turned an art form." Gameshark gave the game 9.1 out of 10, praising the heavy focus on storyline and the action packed gameplay. IGN gave the game an 8 out of 10, praising the visuals and gameplay, but suggested the game lacks polish and the story, while enjoyable, isn't as strong as the original.  GameSpot gave it a 7 out of 10, which is currently the lowest rating given to the game, but GameSpot still praised the gameplay, story, skill tree, and sound. The negative aspects of the game, in their view, include the short campaign, predictable enemy A.I, unsatisfactory multiplayer and linear level design. Gametrailers gave it a 7.4 out of 10.

System requirements

Minimum requirements:

Microsoft Windows XP

Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+

1.5 GB of RAM

NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT 256 MB or ATi Radeon HD 2600 Pro 256 MB

DirectX compatible sound card

10 GB of free hard disk space

Recommended requirements:

Microsoft Windows XP

2.4 GHz quad core

2 GB of RAM

NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512 MB or ATi equivalent

DirectX compatible sound card

10 GB of free hard disk space

Developer(s) Digital Extremes

Publisher(s) 2K Games

Producer(s) Sheldon Carter

Designer(s) Tom Galt

Writer(s) Paul Jenkins

Engine Evolution Engine (Proprietary)

Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release date(s) NA February 7, 2012[1]

EU February 10, 2012[1]

Genre(s) First-person shooter

Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Rating(s)

ESRB: M

Media/distribution DVD, Blu-ray Disc, download

(My Point Of View) After I play the game. THX! Comment ;)

All Points Bulletin

APB: All Points Bulletin is a multiplayer online video game for Microsoft Windows based in urban sprawls and featuring two factions, Enforcers and the Criminals. Players can join either the Enforcers or the Criminals, and form sub-groups in either faction. The game design was led by David Jones, who contributed to the original Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown, and was developed by Realtime Worlds. It was released on 6 June 2010 in North America, and Europe.

On 17 August 2010 Realtime Worlds was placed into administration. The administrators intended to keep the company trading whilst they attempted to find a buyer for the firm. If a buyer could not be found then the long-term future for the game was uncertain. On 16 September 2010 Realtime Worlds announced APB servers were to be shut down "soon" with no specific date given. On 11 November 2010 online games company, K2 Network, purchased APB for £1.5 million. No time frame for re-release or reactivation of servers was announced. On 16 November 2010 K2 subsidiary company Reloaded Productions, announced that APB will be relaunched during the first half of 2011 as a free to play game, renamed APB: Reloaded.

Gameplay

The game takes place in the modern-day city of San Paro where there is a constant battle between Enforcers and Criminals, and the player will need to decide to which faction they want to belong.
Other activities involving missions within the game allowing the player to earn extra money, which can then be used to upgrade weapons, vehicles, and their character appearances, all of which influence the game.[11] For example, several Criminal players may rob a convenience store within the game; the game will then seek out one or more Enforcer players of equivalent skills and other criteria and will issue an all-points bulletin for them to stop the robbery and apprehend or eliminate the Criminals.
The camera focuses on the character from above the shoulder in which the currently equipped gun is held, allowing the player to peek around corners before they lean around to shoot. The player can also zoom in using right-click for better aim. Weapons cannot be bought straight away from NPC contacts. The player must achieve different goals to unlock the purchase of weapons, varying from completing a certain number of missions successfully, to achieving a high enough standing with a contact or organization. Contacts sell upgrades, equipment, weapons, vehicles and clothing. Ammunition can be bought from Joker Ammo vending machines, scattered around the 3 districts. Players cannot normally attack each other unless they are enemies or allies in a mission. This prevents deathmatching and griefing.
Depending on faction, players will have either a Prestige or Notoriety level, going from 0 to 5. This level goes up as the player successfully performs actions that help their faction's cause, such as killing players of the opposing faction, completing missions successfully, or by engaging in activities unique to their faction. Such unique faction actions include mugging pedestrians for Criminals, or arresting Criminals for Enforcers. The level decreases as the player hinders their faction; for instance, team-killing, dying, and destroying city objects as Enforcers.
0, a player is free to do as they please, and will not have enemy players dispatched against them.
1, the player receives slightly greater rewards from missions, and enemy players will be dispatched against them if they witness them performing certain actions.
2, the rewards are increased even more, and enemy players may be dispatched against their missions.
3, enemy players may be sent against the player regardless of actions, and rewards are increased further.
4, the player will receive increased rewards, enemy players will still be dispatched against them.
5, the player has a bounty put on their head, which allows them to interact with any player on the server. They can be killed by any Criminal or Enforcer, but a bounty player can kill anyone on the server. All rewards are greatly increased for a person with a bounty for being able to achieve goals while under extreme pressure. When someone kills a player with a bounty, unless they are an Enforcer killing a fellow Enforcer, the killer receives a large money and standing reward for being able to kill such a high-threat player. A bounty can be removed by death, or by reducing Prestige/Notoriety enough to reduce the level to 4.
APB also claims it will be the first multiplayer online game title where the player's skill determines the character's progression, as opposed to the normal model of time investment.
At Game Developers Conference 2009 it was announced that Vivox would be providing voice chat for the game. The software allows players to customize the voice of their characters with voice fonts, and to communicate using 3D positional audio.
Also revealed was the ability to synchronize music from your hard drive to the in-game radio. If another player owns the same song being played, it will appear as an ambient sound from your car. However, if the player in question does not own the song: Last.fm will automatically match the track with any similar artist.



Development

APB has been described by Realtime Worlds executive Colin MacDonald as being "the bastard child of everything we've been striving towards over the 15-20 years" and a culmination of "what [David Jones has] always wanted to do from GTA and before Crackdown and APB."
APB was planned as early as 2005, initially as a Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 title, and intended as the flagship title for the then-newly founded Realtime Worlds studio created by David Jones. Then, it was planned that the Xbox 360 release would be in 2010. In the interim time, Realtime Worlds developed the video game Crackdown, released in 2007, which bore some resemblance to the concepts that were to be in APB.
At the 2008 Game Developers Conference, David Jones stated that APB would be released in 2008. Jones noted that APB would be more like a multiplayer online game with players interacting with up to 25 other players at the same time. He also noted that the game compared well to the typical style of fantasy or sci-fi "multiplayer online" games such as World of Warcraft, but did not expect to compete with those games, as the concept was different. On 14 April 2008, Realtime Worlds announced that it had raised $50 million for APB and other future projects. However, he also confirmed that Realtime Worlds was now looking at a 2009 release. In this same announcement and subsequent interviews, the company stated that that game was now scheduled for release on Microsoft Windows in 2009, and with options for eventual versions on the Xbox 360.
On 21 April 2008, Realtime Worlds announced that it had reacquired the global distribution rights for APB, significantly amending the arrangement made in 2005 with Webzen Games. An industry rumour suggested that Realtime Worlds planned to sell the game to Rockstar Games in order to re-craft it as a massively multiplayer Grand Theft Auto, though Realtime Worlds denied these rumors.
In June 2009, Andy Eddy from teamxbox.com reported, "Not only did a spokesperson indicate to me after the EA announcement that the title was being developed for Xbox 360, during today's presentation [at E3 2010], Realtime's Dave Jones said that the first consideration would be the PC release, and then it'll come to the console side. So, while what follows isn't strictly for the Xbox 360, it seems that Realtime Worlds sending the game our way is a definite. If everything that I saw today actually comes to our favourite system, we should all be very, very happy."
In July 2009, EJ Moreland from Realtime Worlds made it clear that APB would be a PC release only for the first release, but they would be looking at the possibilities for a console version.
A PC closed beta ran from 19 October 2009 to 4 June 2010. This was followed by an open beta which ran from June 12, 2010 to June 19, 2010.
On 30 April 2010, a press release was published by official fansite APB Evolved that included pricing information and release dates: 29 June 2010 in North America, 1 July in Mainland Europe and 2 July in the United Kingdom. A subscription-like system was used, where players purchase game time for action districts, either by purchasing hours or by opting for an unlimited playtime option for 30 days. Players were required to purchase a copy of the game which included 50 hours of initial game time.[3] Both the game and the website were available in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian and English.
Development costs were in excess of $100 million.

Music

The game houses an in-game music system similar to Grand Theft Auto. It features established acts, but also emerging artists including Atlas&i and Avosetta.
The game allows players to import music into the music player. If other players also have the same song imported to their music player, they will hear the music on the player's car radio. If another player does not have the same song imported, Last.fm will select a similar song to play instead.
You can also create your own music using the music editor options available in the social district


APBs release was met with some criticism due to a review embargo, planned to last until a week after release. Whilst review embargoes are commonplace in games review, the length caused a large backlash in the reviewing community. John Walker from Rockpapershotgun.com stated "Whatever their reason is, they've crossed a very obvious, very ridiculous line. When anyone anywhere can post a review to their blog, a comments thread, or a site's reader reviews section, it's beyond daft to think that the site itself cannot."  Realtime Worlds responded by stating "Before finalizing reviews, we want you to experience the full, rich experience of APB as it is meant to be seen. We want you to see wild customer customizations, player progression and clans making an impact on the living, breathing city of San Paro. This key code also therefore grants you, along with our pre-order customers, VIP early access before the official launch day; 26 June in North America and 28 June in Europe."

Administration

On 17 August 2010, six weeks after the release of APB, Realtime Worlds entered administration. Former APB staff spoke to the press about the development process, including a lack of management focus and desire to ignore negative comments from beta-testers, and the substandard quality of gameplay including poor driving and shooting mechanics.

Shutdown and relaunch

On 16 September 2010 Realtime Worlds announced the shut-down of APB.
Servers remained online the following day, during which time an unknown source apparently close to the RTW development team sparked rumours that Epic Games, creators of the 'Unreal Engine 3 on which APB was based, were showing interest in the APB intellectual property rights. Dana Cowley, spokesperson for Epic, neither confirmed nor denied the idea, stating:
"Mark [Epic Games CEO] absolutely loves APB, and everyone here loved what they saw. We've got our hands full of Gears of War 3, Bullet Storm and the recently announced Project Sword. If any talks like that are going on, then they would be confidential."
On 11 November 2010 online games company, K2 Network, purchased APB for £1.5 million. On 16 November 2010 K2 subsidiary company Reloaded Productions, announced that APB will be renamed APB Reloaded and relaunched during the first half of 2011 as a free to play game.
On 24 February 2011 invitations to apply for closed beta were dispersed. A selected few of these applications will receive actual entry to the closed beta portion of APB.
On 4 March 2011 APB Reloaded closed beta keys were sent to 5,000 applicants more keys were expected to be sent out in the coming months.
On 15 March 2011, 10,000 more beta keys were sent out to applicants for the 3rd closed beta testing phase.
On 21 April, 1.5 went live and they're inviting the full Closed Beta Applications during the week (totalling 150,000).
On 22 April, they invited an extra 35,000 applicants close to that 150,000. Getting closer to Open Beta.
Open Beta's original date May 18, 2011 was canceled at the last minute due to an error causing players to crash every two hours. The open beta has been released on May 23rd, 2011.
On 7 December, the game was added to Steam under the Free To Play section.

Reception

This section requires expansion.
Reception to APB has been mixed with the game currently holding a 58% average on Metacritic. While the overall customization and gameplay received praise the repetitive missions and unstable servers were criticized.
Initial reviews included PCGamer giving the title 55/100. and Eurogamer giving 6/10 1UP awarded APB a grade of D and Destructoid giving 35/100. Other reviews were higher, with IGN giving 77/100  and Edge granting 7/10.

This game seems to be free. It's more like a GTA game but online. You can customise your car and create your character. 

Details in the future.

System requirements

Windows XP, Vista, or 7

Intel Core 2 Duo 2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+

2 GB RAM

NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GTX 256 MB or ATi Radeon X1900 XT 256 MB

20 GB hard disk space

Recommended

Windows XP, Vista, or 7

Intel Core 2 Quad 2.4 GHz or AMD Phenom X4 9850

4 GB RAM

NVIDIA GeForce 8800 512 MB or ATi Radeon HD 2900 XT 512 MB

20 GB hard disk space