Wanted: Weapons of Fate Updated Hands-On

We check out the bullet-bending action in this Grin-developed game based on the Hollywood blockbuster.

Comic book fans might have been taken aback by the cinematic reimagining of the Wanted comic series from creators Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, but there's little doubt that the movie, which starred Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman, had a vision all its own. Full of sexy assassins, global conspiracies, curving bullets, and bloody, bloody kills, the film was the kind of setting and story that just begs for a video game adaptation, and the developers at Grin have been hard at work on their latest project, Wanted: Weapons of Fate. We had a chance to play the game for the first time at a press event in San Francisco this week, and it seems like the game is bringing a good deal of the film's flair to consoles.

No enemy is safe when bullets curve around cover.

The press event featured three brief demo levels from Weapons of Fate, two of which starred Wesley Gibson, the weasely office-slug-turned-superassassin (played by James McAvoy in the film). The third mission starred Cross, Wesley's father. As it turns out, Weapons of Fate will have both Wesley and Cross as playable characters, and the plot of the game (which picks up where the movie leaves off) will focus on the mystery of Cross' background and what happened to Wesley's mother. The first demo level we played had Cross looking to rendezvous with an associate on the well-worn streets of a French village. Standing between him and his objective are a number of bad guys. As Cross, we had to wind our way through buildings and alleyways, taking down enemies in whatever way we could. Weapons of Fate is a third-person action game that makes heavy use of both gunplay and close-quarters kills. The close-quarters kills are vicious and easy to pull off; you simply sneak up on an enemy and press the B button (circle on the PS3) when the icon appears onscreen. If you pull it off, you'll be treated to a quick and bloody animation of a brutal takedown--a knee to the face, a knife to the junk, that kind of thing.

Close-quarters combat is fun, but the real meat of Weapons of Fate is when dealing lead. Both Wesley and Cross have the ability to bend bullets around corners, hitting enemies who otherwise would be safely tucked behind cover. As cool as this ability is, it takes some getting used to. First of all, the ability to curve bullets is mediated by your adrenaline level. To pump up your adrenaline, you need to make some standard kills. Once the adrenaline icon in the upper right-hand corner of the screen turns blue, you can pull off your curved shots.

The mechanics behind curving bullets take some practice. To start the process, you press and hold the right bumper (R1 on the PS3), which brings up potential targets in red (even if they're behind cover). A curved arc also appears, showing you the general trajectory the bullet will take once you fire; the goal is to move the left stick until the red target turns white, which indicates that your bullet will hit its intended target. Once the target turns white, you simply let go of the bumper, and Wesley (or Cross) will fire his weapon with the familiar sidearm whip.

While the first demo level featured some good bullet-curving action, it was the second demo that really put our lead-twisting skills to the test. Here, Wesley was caught in a small courtyard, outnumbered by a horde of bad guys. The first goal was to grab an unwitting enemy and use him as a human shield while the rest of the bad guys poured into the courtyard. Once the guy was riddled with bullets, we had to guide Wesley around the ample cover in the courtyard--the game has a cover system similar to that in the Gears of War series--spraying bullets around corners and cover to take down all of the baddies. The most challenging of the bunch were soldiers who came complete with huge riot shields. Curving bullets around the shields was effective, though it sometimes took more than one shot to finish them off. We found that getting close enough for some close quarters work was also an effective technique.

Credits:By Brian Ekberg, GameSpot

Afro Samurai Hands-On

We sever limbs with great panache in this exclusive look at Namco Bandai's upcoming action game.

It's hard not to notice Afro Samurai, the game in which the main character of the same name sticks out like a sore thumb in feudal Japan with his enormous hair and tattered clothes. Even harder to miss are the well-choreographed moves, copious amounts of blood, colorful commentary by Samuel L. Jackson, and never-ending number of enemies to slice through. We had the opportunity to play through several levels of a preview build and are impressed by the beautiful visuals, hilarious dialogue, and over-the-top limb-chopping violence.

Ninja Ninja always has something offensive to say.

If you haven't been following our coverage, we've been able to see and play through several demos, so for more details you can check out our other previews here. This is the first time we've been able to spend some quality time with Afro, the tortured samurai out to avenge his father's death. The titular character is actually rather quiet and stoic, and it's Ninja Ninja--Afro's imaginary antithesis, a perfect embodiment of Jackson--that livens up this bloodfest with expletives that flow naturally. Not only does Ninja Ninja provide humor with his obscenities, but he also acts as your guide if you're not sure where you need to go next. He talks a great deal, so consider yourself warned. When you press down on the D pad, he'll appear in the direction you need to head and then vanish in a puff of brown smoke. If you call on him often, he'll say things like "I ain't your GPS b****!" or find other delightful ways of expressing himself.

Afro Samurai is a button masher--a very elegant one in which you can pull off sweeping flourishes and acrobatic flips. Combos unlock as you progress through the game so that you don't grow tired of mashing the same combination of buttons over and over again. There are some moves you'll learn that are aptly named: Where's My Money, Pimp Hand, Hardwood Thrust, Oh That Hurt, and Dayam That Really Hurt. Using the left trigger, you can briefly enter a focus mode where Afro can charge up his katana and dismember with deadly precision. A line will appear so you can determine if you want to take off a particular limb, cut the person clean in half through the midsection, or perhaps just slice straight down the middle between the eyes. You'll eventually get a feel for how long you can stay in this mode and use it to optimize your attacks. In the early stages, you'll be able to instantly kill opponents by neatly slicing them in two in this mode. Against tougher enemies and bosses, the focused move will do additional damage, but it won't be a one-slice kill. Because the game is visually stunning and the moves are fluid and graceful, it's always a blast to watch your character do his deadly ballet routine. What wasn't so smooth, however, was the camera, which we hope will be fixed by the time the game ships. There were a few instances when we'd get a close-up of a wall or the side of a cliff face and couldn't see Afro unless we went into our focus mode.

In between the slicing and dicing, there is some light platforming. Running wall jumps can be performed with ease, and even if you slip and fall, you won't be bumped back very far. Afro generally won't fall off a cliff unless it's part of the platforming sequence, so you don't have to worry about tumbling over in the heat of battle. The game consistently provides you with hints on where to go, even though it's already straightforward and linear. In addition to Ninja Ninja's friendly guidance, points of interest will sparkle and the cutscene focuses on what you need to do next. Afro Samurai is relatively easy and accessible by anyone, though the profanity and gore will probably mean that only an age-appropriate audience will be able to enjoy the game.

One noticeable change from what we saw at Namco Bandai's pre-Tokyo Game Show event is that your health is no longer indicated by the dark tunnel-vision lines on the screen. The amount of blood on your clothes will indicate how much damage you have taken. Your opponent's health is also measured this way, and after you deal the finishing blow, the sound of gushing liquid also indicates whether or not you did a good job. Hint: The more blood the better. Statistics from the main menu will tally how many gallons of blood you've spilled if you want to get really specific--which is rather morbid. Achievement junkies should note that as long as you continue to brandish your sword and lay waste to your enemies in style, points will be earned.

That can't be pleasant.

The cel-shaded art style is gorgeous, and there's nothing like slashing through bodies like they're tofu, with the glow of the setting sun at your back and the deep blue ocean that bleeds out into the horizon. One of the new environments that we got to play through included a lush bamboo grove with cascading waterfalls, which was very different from the village rooftops that we originally started off in. The score is inspired by Wu-Tang Clan member, The RZA, which includes hip-hop mixed with some authentic-sounding Asian instruments. This interesting combination works well and complements the action and story.

Afro Samurai is not all blood and violence; it's about loss, revenge, betrayal, and even love. The game's events unfold as though you're watching a movie--from the cinematic opening to the cutscenes, gameplay, and voice-overs. Be prepared to wield Afro's blade with finesse, because the game is set to be released on January 27, 2009, on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Credits:By Sophia Tong, GameSpot

Tom Clancy's EndWar Exclusive Hands-On - Single-Player, Multiplayer, and World War III

If you thought gas prices were bad now, wait until 2020 when Russia becomes the world's largest supplier of oil and natural gas production in Tom Clancy's EndWar. This development fuels a military buildup not seen since the Cold War. A missile defense shield is constructed that protects the United States, Europe, and Russia from nuclear annihilation, but instead of peace, the tension escalates into a massive ground war spanning the globe. In EndWar, World War III has begun, and the future may be bleak, but it's never been brighter for console strategy fans.

Scheduled for release this October, EndWar is a different sort of strategy game, built from the ground up with consoles in mind. We recently visited with creative director Michael de Plater for the latest on EndWar. Hands-on multiplayer sessions and a few new details were included in our visit, as well as whispers of a possible PC version.

Though purple, this orbital laser strike is one of three WMDs in EndWar.

You can't fight a war without an army, so the first thing you'll do in EndWar is choose and customize your own battalion. After selecting either the US, European, or Russian factions, you then choose the type of battalion, be it airborne, mechanized, armored, signals, or assault. For example, airborne will feature increased gunship and riflemen ranks, armored will have tank bonuses, while assault will be a balanced attack force. From there, you select a task force bonus. Airborne gunships, for example, can immediately unlock a rocket barrage, a volley of 80mm unguided rockets that deal "kinetic damage" and "blast damage." Artillery units of mechanized battalions can grab a bunker buster shell, an incendiary warhead for increased penetration. The list of bonuses is lengthy; there are about 90 different upgrades for each faction that can be purchased with credits earned based on your performance.

The customization space in EndWar is called the barracks. This is where you'll edit your battalion's camouflage and purchase the aforementioned battle upgrades. The barracks were inspired by, believe it or not, the garage in Forza 2, a place to tweak and enjoy your creations. The units--riflemen, engineers, tanks, transports, gunships, artillery, command vehicles--will gain experience in the persistent online campaign called Theater of War and will rank up. There are six ranks, and by the time you have a unit maxed out with combat bonuses and field experience, you will have grown quite attached to it. But if a unit is eliminated in battle, it will be replaced by lowly privates. War is hell, after all.

Ordering your army about is a breeze, thanks to the slick voice command system.

In the single-player campaign, you'll play as Gen. Scott Mitchell of Ghost Recon fame and command the United States faction against Mother Russia. The warzone spanning most of the northern hemisphere is broken up into battle points. This is the same map that will be used online for Theater of War. In the campaign, you will choose which battle is most important to win, and the AI will handle the remaining battles on the map. Online, success in each battle will be decided by which faction has the largest winning percentage.

The multiplayer modes have been changed somewhat since we last saw EndWar. There's Conquest, the battle for uplink stations on one of the 29 maps. The uplinks are responsible for protecting the area from nuclear strike. Once a majority is controlled, the losing team will have five minutes to regain a point or be annihilated. The losing team will at least gain access to a WMD to even the odds--a kinetic strike fired from space for the Americans; an orbital laser blast for the Europeans; a tactical nuke for the Ruskies. If you do use a WMD, be warned. Aside from general devastation to the environment and local plant life, your enemy will also be able to launch a WMD following your attack. The Assault mode is a basic deathmatch, while Raid is an attack-and-defend match using multiple uplink points. The final mode, Siege, is another attack-and-defend match in which the defenders have 10 minutes to protect one major point on the map, like the US Capitol or the Eiffel Tower for instance (both fully destructible, by the way).

We jumped in a two-on-two conquest map at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It was supposed to be a great day for the Americans as they launched a shuttle into space. Instead, the Russians destroyed the shuttle, and it's all-out war on the ground. We teamed with de Plater to take on the enemy AI and immediately felt the strategic appeal of EndWar. Thanks to the seamless voice command system, you feel like a general on the battlefield, reacting immediately with tactical changes to enemy advances. It will only take a few minutes of ordering "unit one to attack hostile two" and "unit three to secure Yankee" before you'll be fully engrossed in the battle. Having such seamless controls is important to keep the rock-paper-scissors gameplay flowing. Gunships destroy tanks and artillery, tanks destroy transports, and transports can take out gunships with AA flak. The core combat flows from this system and the voice commands make it that much easier to master.

World War III comes to a video game console near you later this year.

If you look closely, you can almost feel the influence of the Total War strategy series at work. De Plater also headed up Rome: Total War, so it's no coincidence that the units are spread out on the bottom of the screen in much the same way. Instead of trebuchets and catapults, you have riflemen and nuclear weapons. De Plater goes so far as to call it Total War meets Clancy. Resources are not won or lost in an over world map, however. Gaining access to uplinks will allow you to deploy more units on the battlefield. Once you've secured an uplink, engineers can unlock three levels of air support, electronic warfare, and force recon. Air strike will call in H.A.W.X. fighter jets to deliver destructive payloads; electronic warfare attacks are electromagnetic pulses that disable an enemy's electronics; forced recon are highly trained Ghost Recon units that can easily take over enemy positions.

Multiplayer promises to only get bigger as you jump into four-versus-four battles and have to coordinate with other battalions. So far, we had a blast playing quarterback with our troops using the voice command system, blowing up famous landmarks, and customizing our army in the barracks. Our in-depth coverage of EndWar is just beginning. Be sure to check out our exclusive gameplay video and enjoy World War III for yourself.