WWII
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Hour of Victory coming June 22, demo next week
Gather your brothers in arms into a company of heroes and get ready to answer the call of duty to earn a medal of honor, Hour of Victory is coming June 22. If you're unconvinced that you want to make the 60-year-long journey back to WWII yet again, you'll get a chance to sample Midway's Unreal Engine 3-based FPS next Wednesday with an Xbox Live demo.In case you've forgotten (and who could blame you?) HoV's gimmick is that players switch between three different types of soldiers like the Army Ranger and British Commando to accomplish their goals. You'll be able to play all three types in the demo and, one would assume, get a good sense of what the game is all about. Hopefully you'll be able to tell if your hour of victory will be when you drive to the store to buy the game or stay home to get some extra sleep.
Because you need to know more about Medal of Honor
Curious about Medal of Honor: Vanguard and just how it's going to play on the Wii? You know we're here for you! After the jump you'll find a video that not only shows off some of the gameplay footage, but gives you a little rundown on how to pull off the maneuvers with the Wii remote. Now if only we could magic some online play in there! Unfortunately, our powers are limited.And as a small bit of trivia that is completely worthless to you, this very blogger shares the root of her name with one of the weapons in the game.
Pandemic unveils Saboteur, a 'different' WWII shooter
The April issue of Game Informer is bringing word of the latest project from Pandemic Studios (Destroy All Humans, Mercenaries). It turns out it will be a World War II shooter entitled Saboteur.Another World War II shooter, eh? Before you join us in a collective sigh, Pandemic asserts that this is different than other shooters out there. How so? There will be action, stealth, an open-ended world, and -- here's the differentiator -- a black-and-white color scheme to indicate which areas are controlled by Nazis.It certainly is artistic, but we can't stop thinking about the film Pleasantville. We like the concept, but we'll reserve judgment until we see, in video, how well they pull off the effect. No word on which "secret project" -- B, Q, X, Y or Z -- this was, but they are all good choices in Scrabble. There's a 2008 release date mentioned but no console specified. Given the developer's history, they might end up playing coy for a good while.
Metareview: Call of Duty [Update 1]
Just like the other WWII FPS game on the PSP, Call of Duty has been getting some spectacularly mixed reviews. Who to believe? Are the controls really that great? Are they really that terrible? Message boards across the internet have been producing quite a variety of responses. For once, the critics reviews may not actually inform anyone on the "correct" purchasing decision for this game. UGO (87/100) loves the incredibly generous auto-aim: "Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is one of the few must-own titles for the handheld. If you've ever gotten a kick out of picking up a gun and killing evil people in a video game, look no further." IGN (66/100) hated the controls and the gameplay: "The sluggish and somewhat delayed controls wouldn't be so bad if the gameplay accounted for it, but it doesn't." Gamespot (62/100) thinks the game feels more like a free mod than an actual game: "The poor AI, combined with frequent respawning of soldiers, makes it feel as if you're playing some sort of WWII-themed shooting gallery at times." Do any of our PSP Fanboy readers have this game? What do you think about this game?[Update 1: Added Gamespot's review.]
Photoshop + bad scans = Brothers in Arms screenshots
The scans we had for you yesterday of images from Brothers in Arms look like they got a clean-up job, because they now almost resemble actual screenshots. Well, screenshots rendered by a pointilist, perhaps, but at least we can get a good idea of how the game will look. It's much more impressive this way!Check out the two other screens after the jump.
Deal of the Day: Medal of Honor only $20
You've played the brief, but fun Medal of Honor demo, right? Well, if five minutes of gameplay just isn't enough for you, you'll want to check out this sweet deal at Target. You can get this WWII FPS for only $20. Other stores still have it listed for $40, so this might be the cheapest way to enjoy Medal of Honor's insane 32-player multiplayer modes.[Thanks, Preacher747!]
Midway's 'Hour of Victory' soon upon us
Sci-fi alien shooter? Check! Cliché World War II epic? You bet...Midway has chosen to follow the call of duty, enlisting nFusion to develop a World War II franchise dubbed with symbolic urgency. Enter: Hour of Victory. To distinguish itself from the MoHs and CoDs, HoV relies on role-swapping, as players switch between assault, stealth, and sniper characters to accomplish missions. Optional vehicle usage will also provide a selling point, as any and all vehicles "on the battlefield" will supposedly be operable by the player.GameSpy adds: "We honestly can't tell if the low-level production values and seemingly cliché storyline, as told in the [live-action] cinematics, are supposed to be an ironic joke, but we'll know at some point this summer when the final product comes out."Hour of Victory is currently an Xbox 360 exclusive built using Unreal Engine 3.0. HoV is tentatively scheduled for release this summer and will include Xbox Live multiplayer modes.
Medal of Honor Vanguard announced for Wii, PS2
Just announced Medal of Honor Vanguard looks to replace Airborne in Wii and PlayStation 2's early 2007 lineups. Rest assured, Vanguard is not a poorly disguised rehash; that's not to say it will offer much beyond WWII shooter standards -- unless you're a sucker for motion controls (on Wii, not PS2).It appears that there will be some loose correlation between the Vanguard and Airborne plotlines, as both games focus on characters in the 82nd Airborne Division and share common mission locales, like Sicily. The "Vanguard" name implies players will be engaging in operations at the very front of the frontline (even behind enemy lines). It's unclear when EA decided to nix development of Airborne for Wii and PS2 and go for a wholly different tie-in -- perhaps it was the top-secret plan all along. In any event, it's for the best, as Wii and PS2 versions of Airborne wouldn't hold up against their Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC counterparts. Here's to hoping Vanguard gets the deserved attention it needs, earning its place as co-heir to the Medal of Honor franchise.
Brothers in Arms' uncompromising move to PSP
It looks like IGN's PSP team is on a roll. They had a chance to play the upcoming Brothers in Arms game on PSP. Just like Medal of Honor, this WWII franchise is attempting to make the jump to PSP without losing anything in the transition. According to IGN, the game features maps from previous entries in the series: Road to Hill 30 and Earned in Blood, plus four new levels exclusive for the PSP. There will, thankfully, be a lot more checkpoints in the handheld version, to make it easier for gamers-on-the-go. It's also nice to know that the PSP version won't skimp on any features: it'll still feature the series-defining overhead view, which allows players to see the battle from above, and make strategic decisions. The game also features suppression gauges, which will allow you to see places to get cover much more easily. And finally, the game will also have a co-op mode and many of the multiplayer features found in Medal of Honor. Overall, it seems like Brothers in Arms will be an impressive package. The real question is: will PSP gamers care?According to amazon.com, the game is coming out December 5th for a nice budget price of $30.
Metareview - Call of Duty 3
Three. Three's an important number for a franchise. It's a crossroads. Does your game continue to mimic its predecessors? Or does it dare to venture beyond their scope? Call of Duty 3 follows the former path, with few surprises, still no co-op, and an apparently wonky multiplayer experience. But no series does WWII better -- and that counts for something.Peep the word: Game Chronicles (98/100) - "The action is unbelievably intense and the historical material is researched and presented in a way that borders on being educational ... Signing up and going off to war might not be for everybody, but playing this game will certainly make you respect those who did and those who still do." Game Informer (85/100) - "There's little to complain about outside of the lack of innovation. However, it pains me deeply to see this franchise, which has done so much to push the first-person shooter genre forward, moving down the dark path of mediocrity that Medal of Honor has been walking for the last several years." 1UP (65/100) - "Strengthened with vehicles and support for up to 24 players, the online multiplayer comes in strong enough to save face for the series, but that pales as compensation for the disappointing single-player game ... Even for those who wind up enjoying the online component, Call of Duty 3 will long since have been forgotten a year from now." Current overall average: 86/100 (13 reviews)
Californians can celebrate Veteran's Day with Medal of Honor
If you live near Alameda, CA, you may want to check out GamePro's Medal of Honor: Heroes tournament. You don't need to have a copy of this well-reviewed PSP-exclusive WWII FPS, but you do need to bring your system. All participants will get a free copy of the game and a t-shirt, making this event totally worth your time. If you're able to survive the 32-player multiplayer matches, and make it to the end of the tournament, you'll find yourself winning a subscription to GamePro (boo!), Shure E2-cn earphones (yay!), and more. If you're interested, head over to the registration page.
More Nazis to kill in Call of Duty
World War II shooters are like cockroaches. You see one, but there's another one (or two) lurking somewhere not too far behind it. Call of Duty: Roads to Victory is sure to satiate WWII afficiandos, once they're done with Medal of Honor Heroes. IGN has some new images from the game. Is it me, or does this game look worse than Medal of Honors graphically?Roads to Victory will also feature multiplayer of some sort, but will it be able to compete against EA's terrific offering? We'll find out more later; the game's not due until spring 2007 anyways.
Wii CoD3 compared and contrasted
According to our patrons at Joystiq, who never let us in on any of their fun, the Wii's Call of Duty 3 may not boast the power of its rivals on the PS3 and 360, but it brings something far more important to the table: fun. Yes, an actual fun video game! Try not to wet yourself with glee. Joystiq's Kevin Kelly got to spend some time with all three, and has written up a great comparison of what each version can offer.Unlike the last minute twists and turns on the PS3 controller, the "Battle Actions" performed with the Wiimote and nunchuk feel natural, Kelly reports. It pulls you into the game. Does that mean we're all going to look like the guys in the various Red Steel trailers? Probably. Draw the shades and drop the blinds before you pick up the Wiimote. But while the Wii is kicking eight sorts of ass in the controls department, it's not all sunshine and roses. The Call of Duty franchise really benefits from online multiplayer, which is a feature we will not have. And the graphics are not quite up to the quality of the other consoles, though from the screenshot above, we're not seeing much to complain about.
Joystiq hands-on: Call of Duty 3
Joystiq stormed the doors of Activision lately, and demanded access to the upcoming Call of Duty 3. We waged a vicious and hard-fought campaign against the ruthless receptionist who finally let us into the trenches to get some game on.Controversy strikes! Yes, the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii versions of the game are graphically different. Looking across the field of battle through the field glasses on the 360 looked crisp and sharp. Running through a forest full of hidden Germans looked photorealistic, even with falling leaves that you could zoom in on and see every close-up detail. Running through burned out buildings on the Wii looked ... GameCubish. We pressed the Treyarch to tell us which version they favored, but they resisted our interrogation. Something was amiss, and headquarters didn't want us to know about it. Loose lips sink ships and all that.
All the news on Panzer Tactics DS
With Panzer Tactics set to roll onto the DS this winter Nintendo site Cubed3 decided they needed the early details on the down and dirty. They sat down with CDV's Mario Kroll to get all the details on the historical strategy title, and Kroll had nothing but praise for Nintendo's handheld.Most of the interview is given over to the push for historical accuracy. They originally wanted to include more than 350 units, but considering that some of the finer details are impossible to discern on the DS screen, and with system limitations, they cut the initial number down to about 150 unique units for the final game. They also discussed in depth how the development team worked to offer multiple solutions for dealing with those who cut and run rather than just taking a loss, and how the online component will function. For strategy fans, this is shaping up to be a must-have title.
Britons build working replica of the Turing Bombe
Just in case Al Qaeda or other "evildoers" du jour decide to start communicating in code via the WWII-era Enigma code -- we'll have the Turing Bombe on our side. This working replica of the machine used by British cryptologists at Bletchley Park, the epicenter of the counter-Enigma effort was unveiled at that site earlier this week. According to an article by The Register: "The Bombes used 108 electromagnetic spinning drums to test combinations of letters and reveal the likely keys to the Enigma code used in a particular message." The article goes on to say that Churchill ordered the 200 Bombes that had been built dismantled by the end of the war, and that it wasn't until the 1970s that the classified nature of these devices was lifted. Unlike the shrouded secrecy that its original was wrapped in, this replica will be open to the public -- from September 23-24, there will be a reunion of Bletchley Park veterans and a special demonstrations with war re-enactors in period dress. No word on who will play Alan Turing, though, but our own England bureau chief, Conrad Quilty-Harper, is a likely candidate.[Via The Register]
Medal of Honor video overload
Gamespot has gone absolutely bonkers with video coverage of the upcoming PSP-exclusive Medal of Honor Heroes. There is impressive gameplay footage of multiplayer battles (which will support up to 32 players!), and a video interview. The Gamespot preview is absolutely glowing for the game, which gets me pretty excited: "Heroes is shaping up to be as fully featured a Medal of Honor game as you could want on the PSP, with visuals that come close to the PlayStation 2 installments in the series."
Hell's Highway: Bigger, longer and uncut
Here's a longer, larger version of that Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway trailer from a day ago. I still say there's nothing more touching in video game land than having a sqadmate pick shards of metal out of your bloody arm.[Thanks Snuggles420]
BiA: Hell's Highway Leipzig trailer
WWII games are a dime a dirty dozen, but I still love'em, especially if it's from Gearbox. Check out this three minute trailer for Brother's in Arms: Hell's Highway over at TeamXbox.
New Panzer Tactics screens
Because it's not a war unless zee Germans are involved, CDV's WWII strategy game Panzer Tactics needs to get some love around here. With the success of Advance Wars on the DS, this is sure to find a niche, particularly because of the multiplayer features.Tank battle! Four new screens up at GameSpot to add to their already sizeable collection.
