Rise of the Argonauts Previews

Greek Mythology was even bloodier than we thought.

Jason is not a happy king. Following the murder of his wife, the legend of Greek mythology and king of peaceful Iolcos sets off on a very unpeaceful journey to recover the Golden Fleece. Not to be confused with a warm yellow sweater from the Gap, this Golden Fleece is believed to hold the power to resurrect his wife, Princess Alceme.

At E3 2008, we got our hands on Rise of the Argonauts for the first time, playing through a bit of the Mycenae arena, home to tournament champion and ultimate warrior Achilles. We played a PC build and used an Xbox 360 wired controller--a good thing since this action role-playing game is so combat oriented. As a weapon master proficient in many combat arts, Jason can use a sword, spear, or mace from the beginning of the game. Along the way he'll find five upgrades for each weapon, as well as five improved sets of armor and clothing. The X button is a light attack, A is a shield attack, B evades, and Y unleashes a destructive finisher. Most combos are strung together with variations of X and Y, although switching your weapon in the middle of a combo will also unlock some interesting moves. We hacked and slashed with the sword, pressed a bumper button to switch to a spear, and, with the spear still on Jason's back, bent over and sliced a guy in half.

These finishing moves play into the concept of lethality being pushed by developer Liquid Entertainment. Lead designer Charlie Price kindly pointed out that games are the only medium in which you can attack an enemy with a sword over and over and he won't die. Usually when you attack someone with a sword, he loses at least a limb or a vital organ. To address this issue in Rise of the Argonauts, almost every enemy can be killed with one hit. Figuring out how to do so will take some experimentation, usually with a bevy of X,X,Y combos, but knocking away an enemy's shield will almost always result in a split second where his torso is exposed. At that point, you can slice it in half. Sweet.

What's nice about the combat in Rise of the Argonauts is that it isn't based on back-end dice rolls or hit points. If you slice an enemy in the neck, he'll lose his head. It's that simple, and it's a refreshing change of pace in the hack-and-slash action RPG genre. Along the way you'll also recruit the legendary heroes Hercules, Achilles, Atalanta, and Pan as your Argonauts, and one hero at a time can join you in combat. Each hero will fight enemies independently, but they will also unlock special attacks if you are fighting close to each other. Hercules, for example, will lift enemies in the air and hold them while you carefully aim a decapitation strike.

In addition to pulping an enemy's head with the mace or tossing spears into the hearts of foes from afar, you'll have access to god powers. Your choices in the dialogue tree will curry favor with either Apollo, Hermes, Aries, or Athena, who is actually an omnipotent hottie. Our Jason was currently in the good graces of Hermes, the smart-aleck god of cunning and trickery. Being the guide to the underworld for wayward spirits, Hermes granted us the power to create a portal to hell that would quickly suck into the afterlife any enemy that we knocked into the air.

The Argonauts move about the ancient world on board the Argo, the legendary ship constructed by the master shipwright Argus. Much like the Ebon Hawk in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the Argo serves as headquarters for Jason. There, he can converse with any of the many passengers he'll pick up along the way, chat with his fellow Argonauts, pray to a statue of Alceme, or dedicate his deeds to the gods in the ship's shrine for bonus experience points. Deeds include decapitating five enemies in a row, so dedicate accordingly.

The final few minutes of our demo were spent on Kythra, a once-sacred island that was home to the Golden Fleece. No longer. After Medusa defiled the shrine to the goddess Athena, Athena simply petrified the entire island, populous and all. Take that, heretics. Medusa, of course, was transformed from a sexy high priestess into a gigantic serpent creature. After a few minutes of threatening banter, Jason attacked, slicing off her giant tentacles as they wrapped around the pillars of the temple. And then with a quick push of the pause button, Liquid unceremoniously cut short the demo before Jason could carve out the heart of Medusa and present it to Athena. Still, we loved learning that Jason will pass judgment on the many petrified citizens of Kythra, deciding whether they will live or die, once unpetrified, of course.

Our time with Rise of the Argonauts was short but was most definitely sweet. Action fans looking for more depth from their hack-and-slash heroes, and RPG fans tired of turn-based combat and hit points, should enjoy the blend of action and role-playing that is Rise of the Argonauts. Prepare to set sail on the Argo this fall.

Prince of Persia Updated Impressions - New Environment and Boss

We check out a new boss called the Alchemist as he seeks to protect a region called the Vale.

One of the biggest differences between the latest Prince of Persia game and the Sands of Time trilogy that practically defined platforming on the last generation of consoles is the level of openness you're given to explore this game's world. You won't be strung along from level to level as the story dictates. Instead, there are four main environments that you can navigate however you please, with the only limitation being the order in which you unlock your four magical acrobatic powers that determine the path you take between each region. We've previously seen three of the four regions--most recently when we covered the basics of platforming and combat in last week's look at the City of Light--but Ubisoft recently paid us a visit to show off the game's fourth area. Known simply as the Vale, this region is defined by its distinct departure from traditional Persian architecture and the region-specific boss, called the Alchemist, who haunts you at every turn.

Welcome to the Vale.

A lot of the environments in the Sands of Time trilogy were firmly rooted in the aesthetics of traditional Persian palaces and fortresses, and you'll even see some of that in the new game. But the Vale is quite different in its design. There's a wooden, industrial look that replaces the familiar rigid, geometric designs of old. It's described by producer Ben Mattes as a combination of M.C. Escher paintings, Leonardo da Vinci sketches, and the classic adventure series Myst. You'll see towering wooden structures held aloft by tattered balloons with metal wheels that once controlled the local water supply, not to mention a sickly green hue covering everything in the far-off distance. This off-the-wall design affects the game's trademark platforming, too; you'll feel less like you're running amid fallen castles than through someone's slightly twisted vision of a mythical wooden city.

Prince of Persia's story begins with all four regions in the game infected by the corruption of Ahriman, an evil blight that manifests itself in the form of a deadly black substance covering various surfaces and is capable of producing enemies and unexpected hazards at a moment's notice. Your ultimate goal is to heal each area by defeating the regional guardian, or boss. We talked about the massive, brutish Warrior in last week's preview, but the guardian keeping a watchful eye on the Vale is quite different. He's known as the Alchemist, and he's much smaller, a bit less powerful, and far more cunning.

The Alchemist is an imposing figure, but he can be taken down with clever combo attacks.

A lot of th This differences between bosses is no coincidence; one of the Ubisoft Montreal's biggest goals for the game's combat was to give each fight a unique feeling. The Warrior can be taken down by luring him around to an environmental hazard, outsmarting him by knocking him into a precarious pillar, or just tricking him into swinging at you near a ledge and knocking him down into the abyss while he's off balance. The Alchemist, who looks like a skeleton wizard, is much smarter than that, so you'll need to wear him out rather than trick him with one well-placed attack.

The reason for this shift in battle strategies? The Alchemist, being a mage of sorts, is a master of corruption. That disgusting black goop that adorns so many walls and surfaces is essentially a poison for the Prince. But for the Alchemist, it's his biggest defense. You can hack and slash your way through the battle for a bit, but eventually you'll only push the Alchemist into the ring of corruption that surrounds each battle. What you'll need to do is use the Prince's combat combos to your advantage. On the Xbox 360 version we played, A is jump and roll, X is attack, Y is vault, and B is grab--so what you'll do is soften him up with a few attacks, vault above him, and jump onto his rear side so that you're facing him from the opposite angle. This particular combo allows you to attack him facing another direction to avoid pushing him into the corruption, where he can simply be absorbed and teleport to another part of the ring. Battling the Alchemist is all a matter of keeping your momentum going with combos, a strategy that works great here but not necessarily with other bosses.

The new prince maintains the same agility and acrobatic prowess the last one had.

Defeating a region's local guardian will heal that area, removing all traces of corruption to allow you to reach brand-new areas and collect what are called "Light Seeds." These mysterious orbs act as a sort of currency in the game, and collecting a certain amount will allow you to unlock a new magical acrobatic ability that gives you access to certain regions--a sort of choose-your-path approach to laying out the flow of the game's levels. The whole system seems very intriguing, and it even has a teleport function that ensures you won't have to do too much backtracking when going back to collect Light Seeds in areas you've already explored. Combined with the striking new visuals that offer cel-shaded characters and an incredible amount of vibrancy in the environments, this new Prince of Persia feels quite different for a game that maintains such similar platforming mechanics. We'll see how the whole package comes together when it's released on December 2.

Credit: By Shaun McInnis, GameSpot

Dragon Age: Origins Updated Q&A - Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Now

Dragon Age: Origins has a lot to live up to, considering its predecessors Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. Executive producer Dan Tudge explains how the new game will stack up.

Dragon Age: Origins is the next role-playing game from BioWare and will tell an epic story in a dark-fantasy world. Although the studio became a premiere console-game developer with 2003's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the original Xbox, it really made a name for itself years earlier with the epic computer role-playing games Neverwinter Nights and the Baldur's Gate series, dating back to 1998. Yet the studio is determined to take all of the best features of its past games and make an even better, more-evolved role-playing game. Executive producer Dan Tudge explains.

GameSpot: We understand that Dragon Age: Origins is intended to be the spiritual successor to BioWare's best fantasy role-playing games, such as Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights. What was it about those games that you definitely wanted to capture in Dragon Age?

Dragon Age will attempt to offer an epic, story-driven experience that tops Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights in every way.

DT: Fans who loved the rich story, interesting characters, and tactical combat in the deep fantasy setting of Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights will love what we're doing in Dragon Age: Origins. We're capturing the same great spirit of story, exploration, tactical combat, and character progression that we delivered in those previous titles and bringing it to a dark, heroic fantasy setting. We've taken a lot of what we learned from creating Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights to make Dragon Age: Origins even better, so fans can expect a lot of what they enjoyed about those games, but with next-gen improvements.

GS: Both Neverwinter Nights and Baldur's Gate had long-running stories that spanned multiple games/expansion packs. Over the course of those stories, not only did players' characters become stronger, the characters and world around them changed: key characters died, and allies became traitors. How does the story in Dragon Age compare?

DT: BioWare has always focused on delivering deep, story-driven experiences, where your actions and choices have meaningful consequences. We're taking that even deeper with Dragon Age: Origins by introducing a new feature called "origin stories." You start the game by choosing and then playing through the origin story of your choice. You start off in a unique place in the gameworld, which sets up the way you become a Grey Warden and flavors the rest of the game in terms of your motivations, how you perceive the world, and how the world perceives you. Your choices will open up different story branches, dialogue options, affect how other characters treat you, and change the state of the Dragon Age world by the end of the game. Compared to our previous titles, the story and scope of Dragon Age: Origins is the most ambitious of any BioWare game yet.

GS: While most RPG fans enjoyed the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights games, some hardcore players complained that the ethical alignment system wasn't completely balanced--for instance, some characters didn't truly play to their alignments, and also that playing an evil character wasn't nearly as fleshed-out an experience as playing a good character. How will these issues be addressed in Dragon Age?

DT: You can choose which type of hero or antihero you want to be, meaning that it won't always be clear which decisions are "good" and which are "evil." You'll face a lot of tough moral decisions along the way, and sometimes you may have to make seemingly evil decisions for the greater good. The choices in Dragon Age: Origins are not always black and white, but rather, shades of gray. The important thing to remember is that every choice you make will have a consequence. For example, there is a "party approval" system where members of your party may disagree with certain choices you make. If you keep making decisions that they don't like, they may get angry with you, or even leave your party.

GS: Those previous fantasy games were also known for having addictive, hack-and-slash gameplay with plenty of engaging tactical combat. What lessons have you learned from those previous games' battles, and how will they be applied to Dragon Age?

Heh! Time for a bit o' the rough-and-tumble! Dragon Age will feature tactical combat with pausing.

DT: Dragon Age: Origins uses a party-based tactical combat system that is really a next-gen evolution of "pause and play." The action is fast and happens in real time, so if you like to just get in there and hack-and-slash your way through your enemies, you can do that, but you will quickly learn that you will need to think much more tactically if you want to survive. With the pause-and-play system, you can pause the action, issue a string of robust commands to your party members, and then jump right back into the action. You'll have full control of each party member, so you'll have a lot of different abilities and attacks at your disposal, including magic and spell combos. You have a lot of control over the camera, too. You can zoom out to a tactical view so you can see all your enemies and direct your party, and you can zoom in so you're right in the thick of the action. That's where you'll want to be when you land a punishing death blow!

GS: Another highly addictive aspect of games like Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights was their character-advancement systems, which, for veteran players, led to a sort of advancement metagame. Not only did players enjoy playing and advancing their characters, they'd also compare, plan, and strategize about exactly how they'd develop their characters--which items they'd eventually use, whether they'd change classes using the Dungeons & Dragons dual-classing system, and so on. How will character development in Dragon Age compare? Will there be any analogs to dual-classing, for instance?

Swords, not words! You'll determine your party's personal and professional development over the course of the game.

DT: Character progression has always been a core pillar of every BioWare game. In Dragon Age: Origins you will choose your player's race, gender, class, customized appearance, special abilities, and of course your origin. Players will develop their skills, talents, and spells to support their style of play. Do you want to create a healing mage, a dual-weapon-wielding rogue, or a sword-and-shield tank? As their characters advance, players can also choose a class specialization that will unlock advanced talents and spells.

GS: The Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights series also had memorable companion characters that joined you on your quest, and opened up opportunities not only for backup in battle, but also side quests and even romances. How will party relations be expanded in Dragon Age?

DT: The party-approval system plays a big role in the dynamic between you and your party members. Make decisions they agree with, and they'll follow and support you. Make decisions they despise, they may turn on you. Each character has a very unique personality making them enjoyable to interact with. However, it is their interaction with each other that I find most entertaining. There are romances you can choose to pursue or not, and you can also forge strong alliances, friendships, or even betray those around you, with different consequences for your actions. Don't forget that your choice of origin story also heavily influences the relationships you'll have throughout the game.

GS: And again, one of the most addictive qualities of those games for advanced players was taking that top-down look at the games and their characters and planning out party composition and party side quests in advance. How much of that element will we see in Dragon Age? How will the pool of joinable characters be expanded to accommodate a wide variety of play styles, such as the players who want to play a party with nothing but evil characters, or the players who want to play through the game with only two characters in the party, and so on?

DT: You can have up to four members in your active party (including yourself), but you'll be able to swap out members of your party for others throughout the game. Each character not only has their own unique set of skills and abilities, but they also have their own unique personalities and behaviors, which may or may not complement your style of play. You'll meet a lot of different characters along the way, so there will be plenty of opportunities to try out different compositions of party members, each with their own unique advantages or disadvantages. It makes for a lot of great replayability, too. And for those who want, you can play the entire game in tactical view just like Baldur's Gate.

GS: And those games ended up living long, productive lives past their shelf date thanks to toolsets and modifications. How malleable will Dragon Age be at launch with regard to users modifying and creating their own content? What specific plans do you have postlaunch to further extend the game's life with expanded toolsets or other community-focused content-creation tools?

DT: We'll be announcing more details of the Dragon Age Toolset very soon, but for now I'll tell you that we can't wait for the community to get their hands on the new toolset. We really wanted to empower our fans with the ability to create their own next-gen adventures within the Dragon Age universe, so they can expect a lot of great things they can do with scripting, cinematics, objects, and so on. And of course, we at BioWare will provide lots of support on our community site. We do have some very cool plans for downloadable content, but we'll be talking more about that later.

You must gather your party before venturing forth, and you must also wait until 2009 for Dragon Age: Origins.

GS: Finally, is there anything else you'd like to add about the way you hope Dragon Age will stack up against the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights games?

DT: A big difference between Dragon Age: Origins and our previous fantasy games is that Dragon Age is our own original dark-fantasy universe. It's a completely new world that BioWare designed from the ground up, with its own deep history and lore, so fans will see things that they haven't seen before in other fantasy games. It's also the darkest and grittiest game we've ever made. It's intended for a mature audience, so if you're looking for a fun, sophisticated game with a page-turning story set in a huge dark-fantasy universe, this is the one for you. It's BioWare fantasy role-playing at its finest, and you may even be shocked by some of the things you'll see...!

GS: We can't wait...! Thanks, Dan.

Credit: Staff,Gamespot.com

MLB Front Office Manager First Look

Fantasy baseball enthusiasts now have yet another reason not to sleep.

Just when you thought 2K's five Major League Baseball games (MLB 2K8, MLB Power Pros 2008, MLB Superstars, 2K8 Fantasy All-Stars, MLB Stickball) were as far as any developer could milk an exclusive license in the span of a year, 2K has provided yet another twist on America's pastime. MLB Front Office Manager, developed by Blue Castle Games, places the user in the role of general manager of a Major League Baseball franchise. We had a chance to break down all of the wheeling and dealing in this latest offering at 2K's press event earlier this week.

With batter-pitcher history driving the simulation engine, would-be GMs will have plenty to keep themselves busy on gameday.

As its title suggests, FOM places gamers in charge of managing a professional baseball franchise with a level of control and complexity that will make the casual fan dizzy. Former player and current Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane served as a consultant on the development of the game to ensure as authentic a GM experience as possible. By 2K's own admission, the game targets a specific niche: the roughly 3.5 million participants of Fantasy Baseball leagues. It is 2K's hope that this hardcore baseball audience, many of whom spend two to three hours every day managing their fantasy rosters, will see FOM as a convenient alternative (or even a complement, assuming those individuals forgo sleep).

Your employment as GM begins with the typical character creation features. In addition to aesthetics, though, FOM allows you to assign points to various disciplines such as scouting and player negotiation, and even allows you to select from a number of backgrounds such as a lawyer, former player, or talent scout. Combined, your disciplines and background will affect the facets of a GM's profession in which you'll excel. As you continue your career, success as a GM will earn you points to further increase your disciplines. Likewise, bad decisions will result in a regression of your disciplines and will eventually lead to your dismissal as GM. Of course, with 29 other teams to ruin, chances are that another franchise will offer you a second chance.

FOM features a brand-new engine designed to create a simulation realistic enough to satisfy even hardcore fantasy baseball enthusiasts. In contrast to other simulation engines that factor only player attributes to determine results, FOM utilizes actual stats compiled over the player's career to drive its simulation. This includes factors such as a batter's historical success versus that of a particular pitcher, how effective a pitcher is at high pitch counts, and success with runners in scoring position. As baseball fans are naturally attracted to statistics, FOM includes a level of statistical analysis that could rival most sports Web sites. Various splits are available to track player performance in particular months, home or away, and versus Right- or left-handed pitchers, all of which affect gameplay. If you can imagine a metric, it's probably in the game.

The statistics don't stop with current major league players, either. FOM includes five levels of minor league teams associated with your franchise ranging from AAA ball down to short-season players. Although the actual names of these minor league players can't be used, these players are otherwise accurate representations of the real thing.

Based on the depth of statistics, you can probably guess the level of off-the field depth in the FOM. As GM, it will be your task to engineer trade offers, develop scouting pipelines, negotiate player contracts, and oversee the development of your young talent. You will need to balance your zeal for trading with the effect trades may have on team synergy and player morale. In an additional twist, AI-controlled GMs will have their own agendas and it will be up to you to evaluate their mind-sets when proposing offers. FOM includes multiple levels of player arbitration and even includes a "Japan bidding" phase where franchise can bid for the right to negotiate with some of Japan's top talents. In addition to an offline career spanning 30 seasons, you can even pit your GM skills online against up to 29 other players in an online dynasty.

Although only the most hardcore fans may be able to stomach numerous seasons of watching every pitch, FOM's simulation engine includes a full 3D presentation including accurate in-game player models and stadiums. Fortunately, the simulations play out faster than a typical baseball game, with all of the annoying plate pauses and commercial breaks removed. According to the developer, without user interference, a game will typically play out in about 10 to 15 minutes. While this is an option, you will also be able to call the shots when you choose. You have the option to call down to the dugout and direct intentionally walking batters, make a bullpen changes, call for steals and bunts, and alter defensive personnel and alignments. But you won't have the ability to select specific pitches.

Unfortunately, dressing the part won't make your trade offers any less asinine.

As you may imagine, FOM's interface is menu heavy, providing access to the various statistical metrics and trends to keep you apprised as general manager. What is surprising is that FOM manages to bring this depth to the console as well as the PC. While other console-based franchise management titles have struggled to create effective navigation tools, FOB's vertical menu interface is both clean and intuitive without compromising the depth one would expect from a game in this genre. Top-level categories include submenus (many of which include further submenus) similar to navigating a sports Web site. To help you sort out the complexities of running a Major League franchise, an e-mail feature is provided to keep you appraised on the goings-on around the league.

2K's Front Office Manager should provide hardcore baseball fans, especially those who participate in fantasy leagues, with an engaging and authentic experience in the life of an MLB GM. MLB Front Office Manager is due out in January on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Be sure to look out for additional information on the game as we approach its release.

Credits:By Shanker Srinivasan, GameSpot

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy Review

Jason Bourne's quick-fisted head-busting combat style makes the transition to consoles with panache.

The Good

• Simple, yet immensely satisfying fisticuffs
• Brutal takedowns
• Tense music and great sound effects
• Captures the excitement of the films. The Bad
• • Gunplay hamstrings replay value
  • Collecting passports to unlock boss fights is tedious.

    The Bad

    • Gunplay hamstrings replay value
    • Collecting passports to unlock boss fights is tedious.

      Since the release of The Bourne Identity in 2002, Robert Ludlum's titular amnesiac spy has thrilled movie audiences with fast, brutal combat and tense action sequences. When developer High Moon Studios set out to create a game starring Jason Bourne, it drew on the electric choreography of the movies as well as the robust world of Ludlum's novels. Perhaps this is why The Bourne Conspiracy shakes off the mantle of disappointment worn by most movie tie-in games and proves itself worthy of entry into the Bourne canon. The exciting and deeply awesome hand-to-hand combat system expertly captures the pugilistic prowess of the 30-million-dollar weapon and, while complemented by serviceable gunplay and rich environments, is reason enough to get in on this conspiracy.

      The plot of The Bourne Conspiracy follows Bourne's quest to learn who he is and why heavily armed men are after him, and it's structured around the key action sequences from The Bourne Identity. Interspersed throughout these familiar missions are playable flashbacks that hark back to the time before Bourne's amnesia when he had no qualms about leaving trails of bodies and bullets en route to his objectives. There are also video cutscenes between missions that, while well produced, just seem to drive home the fact that both Matt Damon and Franka Potente are much more attractive than the prerendered characters that replace them.

      

      Here's a glimpse of the proverbial 'other guy.'

      In The Bourne Conspiracy, as in the Bourne films, the hand-to-hand fights are fast, exciting, and brutal. The beauty of the combat here is that it doesn't demand any complex user input, so you'll be focused on the immediate action rather than trying to recall elaborate button combinations. There are two attacks available to you--light and heavy--and a block button. Attack combos consist of up to three consecutive light or heavy attacks, so there are only eight possible combinations. Throwing these combos down will make up the bulk of your fighting strategy, though you'll occasionally want to unleash a charged attack because the impact is just so satisfying. Getting the controls down is easy, but timing them is a bit trickier. Your opponents attack as vigorously as you do, so it's key that you focus on good fight flow. Interrupting your opponent's assault by blocking and then beating out a smooth cadence of combos on his head and torso is the quickest way to secure your victory.

      This victory can come by straight-up pummeling, or you can use the adrenaline you've gained by landing successful blows to unleash a takedown. A takedown is a fluid, context-sensitive flurry of blows in which you finish bad guys off in signature Bourne style with efficient, improvisational brutality. It's when you finish your foe off by kicking him down a staircase. It's when you bounce his head off a desk, then punch his head right back down into the desk as he tries to get up. It's when you break a bookshelf, a vending machine, or a glass table with his broken, unconscious body. In short, it's a way to exponentially increase the amount of awesome stuff you can do in combat without increasing the complexity of the controls.

      

      Jason Bourne bolsters the local economy by creating sign repair and body removal jobs.

      Takedowns are such an excellent part of combat that as you come up on enemies and engage in battle, you'll find yourself looking around for objects you could possibly use in environmental takedowns. Thankfully these objects are plentiful and range from a concrete pillar in a parking garage to a fully stacked bookshelf in a library. This is a testament to the thoroughness of the takedown implementation, as well as the richness of the environments. The levels look sharp and are very well populated with everyday objects, but they're not without their flaws. Any noncombatant you encounter is surrounded by an impenetrable invisible shield, and sometimes you'll maneuver an opponent toward a specific object for a takedown only to execute one of the many generic, open-space takedowns. To be fair, these are still pretty satisfying, but you'll notice the repetition as you progress further into the game. You can also charge your adrenaline meter up to the point where you can take down two or three opponents in one fluid sequence. Performing multiple takedowns in a row requires timed button presses, and though these animations also begin to repeat, multiple takedowns happen rarely enough that you'll probably just be psyched to have leveled so many foes so quickly.

Timed button presses will occasionally pop up with little to no warning, challenging you to evade a sniper's shot or an assassin's bomb. Getting ambushed by these events keeps the tension running high, and they are infrequent enough that they don't feel bothersome. These timed presses also factor heavily into one of the best parts of the game, the boss fights. Bosses are particularly talented brawlers that not only can survive multiple takedowns, but will try to perform takedowns on you. Boss takedowns can be thwarted with a quick tap of the appropriate button, but if you miss, be prepared to take some substantial damage. Bosses are more resilient than Bourne, and Bourne, who regenerates health when not directly engaged in combat, can regain health only by performing takedowns.

Pre-amnesiac Bourne enjoys a good train station shooting spree.

The bosses' toughness actually works in your favor because it gives you a chance to try out the more-plentiful-than-usual takedown possibilities in the boss arena. Each boss fight also features a unique weapon that can be used in a takedown. These are particularly nasty maneuvers inspired by the movies, and they involve such weapons as a pen, a shovel, and a book. Don't fret if you miss out, though, because you can unlock these encounters and then play them right from the menu screen. Unfortunately, to do so you'll need to collect the passports that are strewn about each level. It's not that they're hard to find, but rather that taking your time and searching thoroughly is so un-Bourne that doing so slows down the otherwise fast pacing of the game.

There's also a fair amount of gun combat, though it's not nearly as exciting as the hand-to-hand action. You can carry a sidearm (one of numerous pistol variants) and a larger weapon (shotgun or assault rifle), ducking in and out of cover as you mow your enemies down. Mostly you'll be free aiming, but engaging the Bourne Instinct will highlight your foes and will snap the target reticle to the nearest one. Gun takedowns are far less impressive than their manual counterparts and simply require a timed button press to pull off successfully. The highlight of gunplay is the sound effects, which give each gun a unique timbre and reward headshots with a sickly satisfying thud. While shooting definitely plays second fiddle to fighting, it holds up its part well and doesn't get tiresome until you replay missions trying to collect the passports you need to unlock the eminently replayable boss fights. There's also a car chase through Paris that, while fairly bland, does add a nice splash of variety to the game.

This thug is fixin' to chow down on a big ol' elbow pie.

The production values of The Bourne Conspiracy are generally good, with a few notable hiccups. Sound effects are excellent, and you'll be pleasantly surprised by how many noises one man hitting another can yield. The music is also a standout, especially in boss fights, and it helps ramp up the tense excitement of your adventure with the taut urgency of the movie soundtrack. The character models are well detailed and respond to punishment vividly. The only production stumbles you'll see are the occasional camera glitches. For the most part, the camera does a great job of approximating the tightly framed, in-your-face style of the movies, but if it's forced into confined spaces it will sometimes cause Bourne and his enemy to disappear while it tries to reposition itself. There are other awkward hang-ups, like Bourne's inability to step around an obstacle while sprinting, but none of these issues are a great hindrance to your enjoyment of the game.

Translating the lightning-quick close-quarters combat of the Bourne films into viscerally satisfying gameplay is no mean feat, but High Moon Studios has done it and done it well. The adventure is a bit short, and the solid gunplay becomes tedious the second time around. Still, the combat system alone makes this game worth playing, and the dramatic moments it creates are the real treat. There's nothing quite like the end of a boss fight when you and your enemy are both bruised and bloody and on the brink of death with the music at a pounding crescendo, and you hammer him with a vicious roundhouse to the face before executing your final, brutal takedown. In exhilarating moments like this you feel like a real badass, and that's what being Jason Bourne is all about.

Credits:By Chris Watters, GameSpot

Tomb Raider Underworld Review

Tomb Raider Underworld will satisfy fans of Lara's previous adventures, but it does little to address previous games' problems.

The Good

• Excellent mix of outdoor, underground, and underwater locations
• Lara's new moves add to her existing abilities
• Some excellent level and puzzle design.

The Bad

• Existing clipping and camera issues remain
• Forgettable story and cliched dialogue
• Lack of refinement to the core gameplay.

When Eidos handed development of the Tomb Raider franchise to Crystal Dynamics, it was a risky but ultimately wise decision. The team managed to reinvent the series while staying true to its roots with Tomb Raider: Legend, while Tomb Raider: Anniversary built on solid foundations to reimagine Lara Croft's original adventure. Tomb Raider Underworld is Crystal Dynamics' third game in as many years, and the high work rate is starting to show. Lara may have plenty of new moves at her disposal, but little has been done to address the many camera and clipping issues still present. Tomb Raider Underworld offers an enticing new adventure, but if you're a fan of the series you'll find that Lara is starting to show her age.

Underworld features a forgettable story and cliched dialogue, but thankfully the cut-scenes are short.

As the "Underworld" suffix suggests, this Tomb Raider covers darker territory than its predecessors. It follows the same adventure template that we've come to expect, but it also deals with death, resurrection, and even Norse mythology in its story. Things start out badly for Lara; a prologue of her racing to escape her lofty mansion as it burns to the ground. Cut back two weeks, and we find Lara trying to take care of some of her father's unfinished business, something that leads her on to discovering more about her mother, characters from previous games, and the mythical Hammer of Thor. It's badly written, poorly voiced, and instantly forgettable for anyone but hardcore fans of the series, but thankfully the cutscenes are mercifully short, leaving you to get down to the serious business of raiding tombs.

Tomb Raider Underworld is constructed in an almost identical fashion to its predecessors, with exploration in exotic locations punctuated by occasional combat and vehicle sections. The interaction between Lara and the environments has long been the draw of the series, and performing daring jumps to scale seemingly impossible heights is as satisfying as ever. Lara's even learned a few new moves in the year since Anniversary, and she can now free-climb, balance along thin beams, and abseil using her rappel line. Crucially, none of these moves complicates Lara's basic movement, and while you have to adjust your eyes to the many new visual cues showing you where to go, they all add new levels to the simple pleasure of adventuring.

While these new abilities expand Lara's already-impressive acrobatic skills, there are a lot of gameplay issues that continue to annoy. The world is incredibly rigid, with strict rules on which platforms, objects, and edges can be interacted with and which can't. The places where Lara can go are well marked out--they feature nice right-angled edges and are usually lighter than the surrounding material to signify your route through. This makes it easier to figure out the correct way to go, but at the same time it means there's little room for improvisation, and the genre has moved beyond such linear progression. Even worse, Lara will frequently clip into a piece of the scenery and then refuse to come out until you stop, turn around, and run out of it again. Add all this to an incredibly unruly camera, and Tomb Raider Underworld is still just as frustrating as its predecessors.

Lara’s been a very dirty girl.

There's an impressive mix of locales in Underworld, and the environments boast greater scale than ever before. The underwater diving is incredibly atmospheric, and while there's often no indication of where you need to go, you won't mind swimming around the beautiful-looking abyss. There are also some great outdoor locations, and you'll race through vast temples, snowy mountains, and jungle environments. While Lara's bike looks and feels more like Batman's Tumbler than anything from the real world, it's much easier to use than the vehicles in previous games, and there are multiple routes that you can take. As the name suggests, though, this game features plenty of underground adventuring, and the sense of claustrophobia as you descend into these lost worlds is wonderfully conveyed.

You won't come across an abundance of enemies in the game, but the ones that you do encounter are incredibly stupid. Human enemies will stand in front of you as you pummel them with gunfire, while the real-world and mythical beasts wait to emerge from the same spot every time. There's still no cover system in Tomb Raider, so you're left to go behind objects, run out to fire, and then repeat until you've dealt with the threat. It's incredibly fiddly when held up to the combat in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, but thankfully there's an ultra-powerful weapon toward the end of the game that eradicates the need to take cover completely. The whole weapon system is poorly balanced from the start--you choose one firearm at the beginning of each level, but if you check your inventory you'll find Lara has everything from pistols to an assault rifle into her tiny backpack. Thankfully, the tedious quick-time events have now disappeared completely, while Lara can kick enemies that get too close for comfort.

Lara’s new abilities include free climbing and abseiling, and really complement her existing moves.

Where Tomb Raider really challenges is in its puzzles, and while they may be formulaic, the sheer size of the environments means that they can take some time to figure out. They usually revolve around collecting keys or other items to activate mechanics in another part of the level, and while you will have to cover a lot of ground to solve them, they're all logically put together. It helps that Lara can now access a tips system from her PDA, with two levels of assistance available to clarify any befuddlement. Press the A button and Lara will give you a hint on what you need to do next; press Y and she'll be more explicit about your goal. The new map is less successful--Lara's expensive (and curiously waterproof) PDA provides a wireframe model of the current area you're in, but this is useless when trying to backtrack through numerous underground caves.

Tomb Raider Underworld is an enjoyable adventure, but it's one that's just too familiar for anyone who's played the previous games. The basic problems with clipping and the unruly camera are still annoying, and while Lara's new abilities add to her impressive athleticism, the route through most levels is still rigidly linear. The AI and combat are also weak, and while fighting is a relatively small part of the game, Underworld would arguably be better without it. That said, the environments are stunning, and working your way through the many different challenges is still as enjoyable as ever. Ultimately there's still life in the Tomb Raider series, but as the title suggests, it may be in need of another resurrection.

Credit:By Guy Cocker, GameSpot

Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor Hands-On - Driving a Tank

If you played 2006's Company of Heroes, you'll remember the game's distinctive look and feel--how, unlike other real-time strategy games, it wasn't about harvesting resources or building structures, but about commanding a small squadron of determined troops in tough battles. The game turned heads with its explosive action and equally explosive environments; its impressive technology built war-torn environments with plenty of fully destructible cover. Now, the game is set to return in a new add-on, Tales of Valor, which will offer three new single-player campaigns, along with new drivable multiplayer vehicles. We had a chance to dive into one of the new single-player missions and try out the new tank controls, which will be available for one of the most feared tanks in World War II, the King Tiger. Please be advised that this preview may contain minor spoilers.

Ride a tank, hold a general's rank in Tales of Valor. Tank included.

The game will offer three new campaigns, and we had a chance to try out a section of the Tiger Ace campaign, a series of Axis missions in which you'll take control of a German tank crew. Each character can carry infantry weapons in battle, and indeed, you'll need their abilities as foot soldiers to complete your missions. We played two missions that took place in a tiny French village which, during the war itself, was locked down against Allied reinforcements by the resourceful crew of a single King Tiger tank--in the game, your crew, and your tank. And as part of Company of Heroes' role-playing game-like gameplay, your tank crew will be able to advance along certain skill lines that will result in immediate upgrades to the actual tank vehicle itself, such as increased firing speed or better handling.

This mission gave us a chance to try the new "direct fire" control mode, a toggle-able setting that lets you use your computer's mouse to freely rotate and aim your turret at different targets. The Tiger Tank's powerful cannon has two different firing modes that use different shells (and switching between them requires a brief pause as your cannoneer swaps out shells): one mode is highly effective against enemy vehicles, and the other is more effective against buildings, emplacements, and infantry. Firing the cannon is literally as easy as pointing and clicking, and there's a hovering crosshair that you can use to acquire targets as well.

The King Tiger mission starts off as an extremely satisfying romp in which you roll through the town, flushing out your foes. Your powerful tank can mow down smaller Allied vehicles and send enemy foot soldiers flying. (You can also simply run over enemy infantry in a tank to crush them.) Later on in the mission, the Allies send reinforcements in the form of their own tanks, and though none can compare to the sheer firepower or the massive frontal armor of the King Tiger, you'll still find yourself challenged to negotiate the abandoned streets of the city without coming under withering fire. The King Tiger is massive enough to barrel through most low-lying cover and powerful enough to blast through most small buildings, but you may prefer to keep your cover intact to ensure that your tank isn't immediately spotted and fired on by enemies as well. Once you've stomped through the map, you'll then maneuver your tank to various control points to help Axis infantry (your allies in this campaign) capture each point.

After completing this mission, we found that our tank, despite our best efforts, had broken down as the result of a story-related event, and our once-mighty tank crew became a small infantry squad in hostile territory. We found ourselves at the northernmost part of the town (toward which we had fought our way), tasked with sneaking down to the southern end to escape. In this case, we found that stealth was generally a better tactic than going in with guns blazing, though after the handful of skirmishes we did find ourselves in, we made sure to avail ourselves of the weaponry our foes left behind, such as Panzerfaust ammo to blast enemy vehicles.

The King Tiger's massive cannon will lay most ground troops to waste.

Given that the mission took place after the Allies sent along another wave of reinforcements, we were outnumbered and outgunned, and so we carefully did our best to avoid as many conflicts as possible. Tales of Valor is very much an extension of Company of Heroes, and consequently this was a small-scale mission with a small squadron of troops. Playing smart can help avoid casualties, but fortunately, the expansion's new "field dressing" feature lets you revive fallen comrades in battle, so that you can continue on your way without having to worry about losing key characters.

Tales of Valor is clearly looking to add more gritty, small-scale action to an already excellent tactical strategy game. The expansion is set to ship in early 2009.

Credits : Gamespot.com

เตรียมตัวปีหน้า Windows sevenจะมาแทนที่Windows Vista

เตรียมตัวปีหน้า Windows sevenจะมาแทนที่Windows Vista

Windows Vista ยังคงเป็นระบบปฏิบัติการที่ล้ำสมัยอยู่สำหรับผู้ใช้ในตอนนี้ครับ ซึ่งหน้าตา และภายในของมันนั้นได้รับการปรับปรุงและพัฒนาต่อยอดจาก XP มาได้อย่างดี รวมถึง Aero เองก็เป็นระบบการใช้ที่ทำได้ดี และยอดเยี่ยมกว่า Windows ทุกเวอร์ชั่นที่ผ่านมาเช่นเดียวกัน

อย่างไรก็ดี มีหลายอย่างที่ระบบปฏิบัติการตัวนี้ยังคงขาดไป อย่างเช่นการสนับสนุนฮาร์ดแวร์ที่น้อยมากสำหรับ 64 bit Home Version และการแจ้งเตือนและให้ตอบคำถามที่มากและจุกจิกจนหลายๆคนรำคาญ

ไมโครซอฟท์ก็ได้นำเอาข้อดีและข้อเสียหลายๆอย่างเหล่านี้มาปั่น OS ตัวใหม่ โดยอ้างอิงจากคำกล่าวจากผู้บริโภคนั่นเอง ที่มีชื่อเรียกในตอนนี้ว่า Windows 7 และไม่ต้องคาดหวังอะไรใหม่ๆโดยเฉพาะตัวคอร์ระบบในตอนนี้ เพราะว่า 7 จะถูกพัฒนาต่อยอดจาก Vista แน่นอน โดยคาดการณ์ไว้นั้น เวลา 3 ปี นับจากนี้ เราจะได้เห็นเจ้า OS ตัวนี้กันว่าจะเป็นอย่างไร ซึ่งหลายๆคนอาจจะได้เห็น M1 กันไปแล้วเมื่อเดือนมกราคมที่ผ่านมานี้

ไมโครซอฟท์อาจจะเตรียมตัวปล่อย M2 ให้กับนักพัฒนาได้ในราวเดือน มีนาคม และเมษายนที่จะถึงนี้ แต่ก็ยังไม่ได้ให้ความคิดเห็นอะไรเกี่ยวกับความคืบหน้าในการพัฒนา

ไมโครซอฟท์ยังฝากทิ้งท้ายมาหน่อยสำหรับการพัฒนา Windows 7 ว่าจะเป็นการพัฒนาที่ก้าวล้ำในเรื่องของ Voice Recognition และระบบ Natural Interface แบบใหม่ ตัวระบบปฏิบัติการจะมีรูปร่างหน้าตาคล้ายกันกับ Windows Live Wave 3

เป็นวินโดวส์ตัวใหม่ครับ เปลี่ยนชื่อจาก windows veinna
ไมโครซอฟท์มีแผนการที่จะออกวินโดวส์เวอร์ชั่นต่ อจาก Vista โดยมีชื่อรหัสว่า Windows 7

โดย Windows 7 จะเป็น Windows เวอร์ชั่นต่อไปของไมโครซอฟท์ ซึ่งในขณะนี้ทางไมโครซอฟท์ได้ให้รายละเอียดบางอย่างก ับพันธมิตร และคู่ค้าแล้ว ซึ่งเป็นที่ทราบกันดีนะครับว่า Windows Vista นั้นเป็น Windows เวอร์ชั่นที่ทิ้งช่วงการออกมากว่า 5 ปี และเช่นเดียวกับ Vista ในส่วนของ Windows 7 นั้นจะมีเวอร์ชั่น 32 และ 64 บิต และมีทั้งเวอร์ชั่นสำหรับคอนซูมเมอร์ และธุรกิจ

Windows 7 นั้นเราทราบกันดีว่ามาจากรหัสพัฒนาเดิมว่า Vienna ซึ่งทางไมโครซอฟท์ได้เปลี่ยนไปใช้รหัส 7 ในการเรียกชื่อแทน สำหรับวินโดวส์เวอร์ชั่นต่อไปของตนเอง รายละเอียดนั้นยังคงไม่ทราบแน่นอน และยังไม่มีเล็ดรอดออกมามากนัก ไมโครซอฟท์เผยว่าจะประกาศออกมาให้เราได้ทราบกันในไม่ นานนี้แน่นอน
สำหรับระยะเวลาในการพัฒนานั้นไมโครซอฟท์คาดว่าจะใช้เ วลา 3 ปี ต่อจากนี้

Credit : Overclockzone.com

Vista tips

Login เข้า Administators

เบื่อไหม ที่ใช้ Vista แบบอยู่ภายใต้การควบคุมของระบบ
จะทำอะไรก็มี Popup ขึ้นมา "What are you doing man ?"

เรามาเปลี่ยน Logon เดิมของเรา ให้เป็น Administrator กันเถอะ
เราต้องอยู่เหนือ Vista ไม่ใช่ให้ Vista อยู่เหนื่อเรา

ตามปกติแล้ว ใน XP การที่เราจะ Logon เป็น Administrator นั้น
ต้องกด Ctrl+Alt+Del ค้างไว้ ในหน้า Logoff แล้วจะมีช่องใส่ User ขึ้นมา
แล้วก็ใส่ Administrator เพื่อเปิดใช้งานได้เลย
แต่ใน Vista ไม่สามารถทำได้
เห็นหลายคนใช้ Login เข้าไปเป็น ทาสกันหลายคน
เลยเอาทริปนี้มาให้ใช้ ได้มาจากเวปนอกนานแล้วตั้งแต่ Vista ยังเป็น Beta

วิธีปิด UAC
วิธีทำสำหรับผู้ที่ลง Vista ไว้อยู่แล้ว
1. เข้าไปที่ Control Panel เลือกมุมมองแบบคลาสสิก แล้วเลือ Administrative Tools
2. เลือก Computer Management
3. ไปที่ Local Users And Groups Users ในด้านซ้ายมือ

4. ดับเบิ้ลคลิกที่ Administrator ที่ช่องตรงกลาง
(คนที่ใช้ User ที่สร้างใหม่ สังเกตว่าจะมีชื่อ User ของตัวเองรวมอยู่ด้วย)
จากนั้น เอาเครื่องหมายถูกที่ของ Account is disabled ออก แล้ว OK ออกมา

5. Logoff ออก ออกจาก User ที่ใช้
6. จะเห็นว่ามี Administrator ขึ้นมาให้เลือกแล้ว
7. เข้าไปใช้งานตามปกติและหากใครจะลบ User เก่าออก
ให้ ทำซ้ำข้อ 1-3 แล้วลบ User เดิมออก
จากนั้นไปลบแฟ้ม User ที่เป็นชื่อเดิม ที่ C:\Users ออก
(ลบแค่แฟ้มที่เป็นชื่อ User เดิม แฟ้มอื่นห้ามลบ
หากเซฟข้อมูล รูปไว้ใน My doc/ my pic ของ User เดิมให้เข้าไปย้ายข้อมูลมาไว้ในแฟ้ม User Administrator ก่อนด้วย)
8. เป็นอันเสร็จ

วิธีทำสำหรับผู้ที่ลง Vista ใหม่
1. ลง Vista ตามปกติ
2. เมื่อถึงหน้าที่ให้ตั้ง User/Timezone/ภาษา อย่าเพิ่งใส่ "ให้กด Shift+F10"
จะมีหน้าต่าง cmd ขึ้นมา
3. พิมพ์ msconfig แล้ว กด enter
4. จะมีหน้าต่าง msconfig ขึ้นมา ไปที่แท็บ Tools
เลือก Computer Management แล้วกด Launch (อย่าเพิ่งปิด msconfig)

5. ไปที่ Local Users And Groups >Users ในด้านซ้ายมือ
6. ดับเบิ้ลคลิกที่ Administrator ที่ช่องตรงกลาง
จากนั้น เอาเครื่องหมายถูกที่ข่อง Account is disabled ออก แล้ว OK ออกมา
7. กลับมาที่ msconfig เลือกที่ Task Manager แล้วกด Launch
(ตอนนี้ปิด msconfig กับหน้าต่าง cmd ได้)

8. เลือก End Process ไฟล์ที่ชื่อ "msoobe.exe"
จากนั้นหน้าจอจะเป็นสีดำ ไม่ต้องตกใจ (ปิด Task Manager ไปได้เลย)

9. รอสักครู่ Windows จะ Logon เข้าสู่ Administator อัตโนมัติ เป็นอันเสร็จ

(สำหรับวิธีนี้ Vista จะไม่ทำการจัด Rating คอมของเราให้
สามารถเข้าไปเปิดเองได้ที่ Control Panel เลือกมุมมองแบบคลาสสิก แล้วเลือก Performance Information and Tools
แล้วคลิกตรง Update My Score)

จากนี้ก็จะสามารถปรับแต่งแก้ไขทุกส่วนของ Vista ได้อย่างเติมที่เลย

สำหรับคนที่ใช้ Vista อยู่ แล้วเจอว่ามันชอบถามนู่นถามนี่ขออนุญาตเราซะทุกเรื่อ ง
เวลาที่เราจะทำอะไรที่ต้องใช้ Admin permission (ถึงแม้ User เราจะอยู่ใน Administrators Group ก็ตาม)

ส่วนนี้เป็นระบบ Security แบบหนึ่งใน Vista ที่เรียกว่า UAC (User Account Control)
ถ้าไม่อยากให้ Vista มันมาจุกจิกถามเราอีก เราสามารถไป ปิดเจ้า UAC นี้ได้

วิธีที่จะปิด UAC ทำตามนี้ได้เลยครับ
1. เปิด Control Panel แล้วพิมพ์คำว่า User Account ลงไปใน Search Box

2. จะมี Link อยู่ล่างๆ ว่าให้ เปิด หรือ ปิด UAC
"Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off"
ก็ให้ click เลือกอันนี้ครับ

แล้วก็ ติ๊กออก ตรงคำว่า "Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer"
เรียบร้อยครับ อาจจะต้อง reboot อีกสักครั้งถึงจะมีผล

เพิ่มประสิทธิภาพให้ฮาร์ดดิสก์ SATA

วิสต้าพีซีของเพื่อน ๆ ใช้ฮาร์ดดิสก์แบบ SATA หรือเปล่า ? ถ้าใช่... เพื่อนๆ สามารถรีดประสิทธิภาพความเร็วของการทำงานได้เพิ่มขึ้ นอีกเล็กน้อย

โดยความเร็วที่เพิ่มขึ้นของฮาร์ดดิสก์มาจากการเปิดกา รทำงานของ write caching
ซึ่งมันจะทำให้ข้อมูลที่ต้องการบันทึกลงบนฮาร์ดดิสก์ ถูกบันทึกลงบนหน่วยความจำแคชที่มีความเร็วมากกว่า ก่อนที่จะเขียนลงฮาร์ดดิสก์อีกทีหนึ่ง

โดยหลังจากข้อมูลดังกล่าวถูกบันทึกลงแคชแล้ว มันก็จะแจ้งกลับไปยังระบบปฏิบัติการว่า เขียนข้อมูลเสร็จแล้ว เพื่อให้วิสต้าสามารถทำงานอื่นต่อไปได้ทันที

อย่างไรก็ตาม ไมโครซอฟท์แนะนำให้ใช้วิธีนี้กับคอมพิวเตอร์ที่มีระบ บไฟสำรอง เนื่องจากมันเสี่ยงต่อการสูญหายของข้อมูล หากไฟดับในขณะที่ข้อมูลในแคชยังไม่ถูกเขียนลงบนฮาร์ด ดิสก์ แต่ถ้าเป็นโน้ตบุ๊กก็หายห่วงเรื่องนี้ไป ยกเว้นแบตเตอรี่โน้ตบุ๊กจะหมดเสียก่อน

สำหรับวิธีเพิ่มความเร็วให้กับการทำงานของฮาร์ดดิสก์ SATA มีดังนี้

คลิ้กปุ่ม Start เลือก Control Panel คลิ้ก System and Maintenance แล้วเลือก Device Manager
คลิ้กเครื่องหมายบวกหน้ารายการ Disk Drives
คลิ้กขวาบนไอคอนฮาร์ดดิสก์ SATA เลือก Properties
คลิ้กแท็บ Policies สังเกตในกรอบ Write Cachine and Safe Removal เลือกเช็กบ็อกซ์หน้าหัวข้อ Enable advanced performance
คลิ้กปุ่ม OK แล้วปิดหน้าต่าง Device Manager
เพียงแค่นี้ ประสิทธิภาพการทำงานของระบบก็จะเร็วขึ้นอีกระดับหนึ่ งแล้ว


Credits Monavista and Overclock Zone and Ignite Virgil FromThaigaming.com

"แบทเทิลฟิลด์ ฮีโร่"พักรบช่วงทดสอบ ก่อนเรียกตัวใหม่ต้นปีหน้า

เกม ชูตติ้งสไตล์การ์ตูนจากตระกูล “แบทเทิลฟิลด์” ที่ทีมงาน “Dice” ในสังกัด EA แยกภารกิจมาให้เล่นฟรีผ่านออนไลน์ในชื่อ “แบทเทิลฟิลด์ ฮีโร่” (Battlefield Heroes) จะทำการทดสอบเกมในช่วงโคลสเบต้าไปในช่วงที่ผ่านมา ล่าสุดก็มีข่าวว่าทางทีมงานจะหยุดช่วงโคลสเบต้าไปก่อนชั่วคราว ก่อนจะกลับมาให้ดวลปืนกันอีกครั้งปีหน้า

“เจมส์ ซอลต์” โปรดิวเซอร์อาวุโสของเกมได้ประกาศบนเว็บไซต์หลักของเกมถึงเหตุผลของการหยุด ให้ทดสอบเกมว่า ทีมงานจำเป็นต้องตระเตรียมงานอย่างหนักในการจัดการระบบ backend โดยเขาจะให้ความสำคัญในส่วนเว็บเท่าเทียมกับตัวเกม พกกเขารับฟังเสียงตอบรับจากแฟนเกมผู้โชคดีได้รับการทดสอบเกม ซึ่งช่วยเหลือในการสร้างสมดุลของเกมการเล่น,แจ้งบั๊ก และแก้ไขคุณภาพของเกมในภาพรวมทั้งหมด

ซอลต์บอกต่อว่า สิ่งที่ผู้เล่นได้เห็นเป็นเพียง 10 % เท่านั้น ยังมีอีก 90 % ที่ยังไม่ได้เปิดออกมา พวกเขาเรียกมันว่า “backend” และก็คาดว่าจะกลับมาเปิดทดสอบอีกครั้งในช่วงต้นปีหน้า

ทั้งนี้ ก่อนหน้านี้ EA มีแผนที่จะปล่อยเกมนี้ในเวอร์ชันเต็มปลายปีจากคำพูดของ “เบน เคาซิน” โปรดิวเซอร์ฝ่ายบริหารในเดือน ส.ค. ว่าพวกเขาพร้อมแล้วที่ส่งเกมนี้มาสู่ตลาด

ข้อมูลจาก...
www.gamesindustry.biz
www.gamespot.com

อ้างอิงจาก

manager.co.th

cRedit : Thaiware.com

ซีพียูขั้นเทพ (มั่กๆ)

c

อิน เทลเขย่าตลาดโปรเซสเซอร์ส่ง "ไอ7" โปรเซสเซอร์รุ่นแรกที่ออกแบบด้วยสถาปัตยกรรมเนฮาเลม เจาะกลุ่มตลาดเดสก์ทอปชั้นสูง ชูจุดเด่นความเร็วเทียบชั้นเครื่องแม่ข่ายระดับ 2.66- -3.2 กิกะเฮิรตซ์ ลดเวลาการทำงาน และใช้กระแสไฟต่ำ ราคาเริ่มต้น 4 หมื่นบาท

ซีพียูขั้นเทพ:อินเทลเขย่าตลาด โปรเซสเซอร์ส่ง "ไอ7" โปรเซสเซอร์รุ่นแรกที่ออกแบบด้วยสถาปัตยกรรมเนฮาเลม เจาะกลุ่มตลาดเดสก์ทอปชั้นสูง ชูจุดเด่นความเร็วเทียบชั้นเครื่องแม่ข่ายระดับ 2.66- -3.2 กิกะเฮิรตซ์ ลดเวลาการทำงาน และใช้กระแสไฟต่ำ ราคาเริ่มต้น 4 หมื่นบาท

CrEdiT : Thaiware.com

The Godfather II Hands-On

We take rival mafia thugs to the breaking point in this sandbox strategy adaptation of the classic film.

If you've seen The Godfather II recently enough to remember its story in detail, take a moment to choose which of these genres is best suited to convey its unique portrayal of Mafia drama: third-person shooter, sandbox action, or role-playing strategy. Got your answer? So does developer EA Redwood Shores, and it has chosen "all of the above" for its upcoming video game adaptation of the same name. As you take on the role of up-and-coming Mafia don Dominic Corleone, you'll roam the streets busting heads, you'll charm your way through dialogue trees, and, when your empire begins to take form, you'll need to carefully allocate and manage your resources to make sure it continues to grow. We recently spent some hands-on time with The Godfather II to see how these disparate genres are coming together.

To be fair, the Godfather II game doesn't have the same plot as the film. The game tells a parallel story that often intersects with the film's story at critical moments, but for the most part you'll be forging a story of your own. That story begins in Havana, Cuba, on the night before the revolution of 1958. Just as a meeting of Mafia bigwigs is beginning to wind down, violence erupts in the streets, and you're suddenly responsible for guiding members of the Corleone family to a nearby airport so you can escape to safety. Sadly, Aldo Trapani, star of the first Godfather game, doesn't survive this frantic journey. His sudden death is the catalyst that establishes the premise for the rest of the game. Michael Corleone promotes you to Aldo's former position, a role that requires you to form your own semi-autonomous branch of the Mafia.

Once the family returns to New York, you begin establishing your own corner of the family by recruiting a new member into your ranks. Initially, this is as simple as talking to some of the freelance talent already wandering around the Corleone compound, then choosing which you like best. Each potential associate has a unique skill set that you need to take into account. The pair we had to choose from at the game's outset included a gentleman skilled in the art of arson and another who considered himself a talented medic. Each has a mini-bio and personality quirks, too, but these are essentially classes you'll want to keep balanced out in your crew. We went with the arsonist and set out to take over some of the local businesses in order to build our empire.

At the suggestion of Frank Pentangeli, a friend of the family, we set our sights on a local prostitution house disguised as a bakery in order to collect our first money-laundering front. Adding businesses to your burgeoning empire is key to The Godfather II, because to expand your influence, you'll need money and manpower. We took a car from the front of the Corleone compound, cruised through the late-1950s sandbox representation of New York City that makes up the first of three environments in the game (the other two being Miami and Havana), and arrived at the bakery. We began the takeover by exercising some melee abilities on the guard inside the legal front of this two-sided business. Melee is a simple but fun combination of triggers that lets you throw punches, grab enemies, and exercise a wide variety of intimidating moves while they're in your grasp. You can head-butt them, throw them, slap them around, and more. It's an easy system, but one that results in several dozen possible moves.

What's the point of doing this? Every character of interest has a breaking point where they'll start to give you information and access to what you want, but you need to be careful, because just beyond that breaking point is when they fight back, and further down eventually die. As long as you don't go too over the top with the violence, you'll be able to rough up people in a really slick, Mafia-inspired way. In our bakery mission, we began by shaking down the guard protecting the door leading from the legal face of this business to the shady basement where the unsavory deeds occur. This let us gain access without killing him, but the guards inside weren't so lucky. After a bit of third-person gun combat against these watchmen, we finally went into the back office and found the owner. This poor soul had the unfortunate luck of being the last man standing in the joint, so he wasn't exactly in a position of leverage. Nevertheless, we popped him in the face, threw him into his desk, then picked him up and began to threaten more violence. At this point, he gladly handed over the establishment in exchange for his life. Thus the "bakery" was ours.

Once you obtain a new establishment, it's a good idea to jump into the "Don's view" so you can see a visual representation of which properties you own and set a strategic plan for how you'd like to hold onto them. The first choice you'll want to make is how many guards you want to keep there. The more you have, the less likely the tables will be turned on you by a rival family, but guards cost money. However, money is also how you upgrade your stats and those of your immediate crew for more offensive-minded purposes, so you'll need to carefully decide how much to spend on securing your property.

The Don's view is definitely what separates The Godfather II from other action sandbox games. This collection of screens is where the heart of the strategy and role-playing aspects exists. You can look at your property, compare it against that of other families, inspect which properties are most ripe for the taking, and manage your crew to best take on those challenges. Let's say another family is exercising too much dominance over the city and you want to take it down but you don't have the manpower to do it. Using the Don's view, one option is to send an explosives-trained associate to bomb one of the family's properties. Another is to stage a hit on one of its higher-level underbosses. A third option? Channel your energy into making sure your crew is the most fashionably dressed in the entire city. That might not get you anywhere, but hey, it's an option.

As we continued to go around town, hijacking cars and collecting property, we were impressed by The Godfather II's mix of combat and cinematic drama. There's a stark contrast between the stylish executions you can pull off on a wounded enemy and the careful prodding you need to perform on those whom you're trying to pry information from, but it's a really interesting change of pace and speaks to the fact that you're not just out to mow everyone down--you're a businessman, first and foremost. One thing that may turn people off is the driving. Since this is an open-world game, you'll be spending a lot of time behind the wheel. But because the game is set in the 1950s, you'll see a lot of boats out on the road that drive about as advanced as they look (imagine a city filled with the Hermes from the Grand Theft Auto series). However, this only adds to the level of realism and works well alongside the unfortunate 1950s fashion and period weaponry to give you the feeling that you're really in that time period.

Altogether, The Godfather II looks like a very intriguing take on the sandbox action genre. It's hard to think of many games falling under that category that have attempted the level of strategic depth that this game is going for, so we're looking forward to seeing how it all comes together when The Godfather II is released in February.

Thx So Much

Credit: Gamespot.com

Tom Clancy's ENDWAR [PC,PS3,XBOX360]

ถ้าพูดเกมแนวสงครามทั้งหลายแหล่แล้วล่ะก็ เหล่าผู้ที่ชื่นชอบเล่นเกมแนวสงครามจะต้องเคยได้ยินช ื่อ Tom Clancy's บ้างเป็นแน่แท้ เพราะว่าเค้าคือนักเขียนนิยายชื่อดังที่ชื่อการเขียน นิยายแนวการสงครามเป็นอย่างมาก ชนิดเรียกว่าคลั่งไคล้สุดๆ และนิยายแนวสงครามของเขานั้นก็เป็นที่ชื่นชอบของนักอ ่านนิยายสงครามเสียด้วย ต่อมาทาง Ubisoft จึงได้ใช้ Tom Clancy's ช่วยในการเขียนบทเนื้อเรื่องในเกมสงครามให้ ซึ่งเป็นที่มาของเกมสงครามชื่อดังทั้งสามซีรี่ส์นั่น ก็คือ Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six และ Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell โดยทั้งสามซีรี่ส์จะมีแนวการเล่นที่ต่างกันออกไป


และแล้วในที่สุดก็มีซี่รี่ส์ใหม่ล่าสุดผลงานจาก Tom Clancy's ประกาศออกมาแล้วในชื่อว่า Tom Clancy's EndWar ซึ่งมีแนวการเล่นต่างจากทั้งสามซีรี่ส์ที่กล่าวมานั่ นคือจะมีแนวการเล่นเป็นแบบวางแผนการรบที่เป็นแบบให้ค ุณสั่งสร้างยูนิตทหารเป็นกองทัพและสั่งให้บุกไปรบกัน จากเดิมที่ทั้งสามเกมแรกนั้นจะเป็นแนวไม่ FPS ก็ Adventure จึงถือว่า EndWar เป็นโปรเจคใหม่สุดของ Ubisoft ที่เป็นผลงานของ Tom Clancy's ก็ว่าได้ และสตูดิโอที่ผลิตเกมนี้นั้นก็เป็นสตูดิโอใหม่ที่ก่อ ตั้งขึ้นที่ Shanghai ในประเทศจีนอีกด้วย


เนื้อเรื่องของสงครามใน Tom Clancy's EndWar นั้นจะเป็นสงครามในโลกอนาคตซึ่งจะสมมติว่าเป็นสงคราม โลกครั้งที่ 3 หรือ World War III ที่ว่ากันว่าเป็นสงครามทำให้โลกถึงจุดจบ ส่วนยูนิตในเกมก็จะค่อนข้างล้ำยุค ประมาณไฮเทคที่สุดเท่าที่จะคิดขึ้นมาได้ในตอนนี้เลยท ีเดียว ส่วนรูปแบบการเล่นก็จะมีทั้งแบบเล่นคนเดียวเป็นเนื้อ เรื่องหรือเล่นออนไลน์สู้กันกับเพื่อนๆก็ได้ เพราะเกมนี้จะลงให้กับเครื่องคอนโซลยุคใหม่อย่าง PS3, X360 และ Wii ซึ่งทุกเครื่องสามารถเล่นออนไลน์ได้อยู่แล้ว

รูปจากหนังสือซึ่ง เปิดเผยข้อมูลล่าสุดของเกม GRAW3 ซึ่งดูจะเป็นภาคสุดท้ายแล้วของซีรี่ส์ GRAW และกลายเป็นจุดเชื่อมต่อกับอีกสงครามหนึ่งที่จะปะทุข ึ้นต่อไปเป็น เหตุการณ์ใน Endwar อีกหนึ่งเกมใหม่ที่เป็นเกมแนววางแผนการรบจาก Ubisoft ที่มีชื่อเต็มว่า Tom Clancy's Endwar ถึงจะมีแค่รูปเดียวแต่เมื่อรวมกับรายละเอียดของข้อมู ลอื่นๆ ก็ทำให้ GRAW3 นี้ยังคงความน่าสนใจอยู่เมื่อดูจากเนื้อเรื่องใน GRAW2 ที่ออกวางจำหน่ายไปแล้ว กับ GRAW3 ในรูปข้างบน คาดกันว่าเป็นจุดเริ่มต้นและจุดเชื่อมต่อของ Endwar อีกหนึ่งผลงานของ Ubisoft ที่นำเรื่องราวจากนักแต่งนวนิยายปากกาทอง คุณ Tom Clancy มาทำเป็นเกมโดยทาง Ubisoft ได้สร้าง Endwar ออกมาในรูปแบบของเกมแนว RTS ซึ่งถึงเกมจะคนละแนวกันแต่พวกเขาได้ผูกเนื้อเรื่องให ้เชื่อมต่อกันเอาไว้

โดยปมที่ผูกเนื้อเรื่องไว้อาจจะเป็นดังนี้

GRAW - เริ่มต้นหน่วย Ghost Recon ยุคใหม่

ในตอนจบของ GRAW2 - เป็นชนวนที่ทำให้สงคราม Endwar ได้ปะทุขึ้น

ช่วงเวลาใน GRAW3 - จบเหตุการณ์ในเม็กซิโกและมีจุดเชื่อมกันของเหตุการณ์ ใน Endwar

ใน Endwar - มีหน่วย Ghost Recon ให้ผู้เล่นสามารถสั่งการได้ด้วย

คนในหน้ากากไฮเทคและดูดีนี้ก็คงไม่ใช่ใครอื่นใดนอกจา ก Scott Mitchell หัวหน้าหน่วย Ghost Recon นั่นเอง

ข้อมูลเกี่ยวกับ GRAW3 ยังคงมีไม่มากนักนอกจากนอกจากเรื่องของการที่เกมนี้จ ะใช้ Engine ใหม่ ในการพัฒนา แต่ทาง Ubisoft จะต้องมีทีเด็ดเตรียมปล่อยออกมาในต้นปีหน้า มารอดูกันว่าพวกเขาจะทำยังไงกับปัญหาต่างๆ ในโหมด Multiplayer ที่ทำให้คนเล่นไม่ปลื้มเท่าไหร่นักเมื่อเทียบกับตอนเ ล่นในโหมด Single-player

DS ก็ลงนะ


Thx
Credit: Thaigaming.com