Reader Request: Q&A 1

Submitted by Nightfire264

Q: What's up with Red Dead Redemption?

A: I've only had limited playtime with it myself (about an hour), but so far, my impressions are pretty solid. I don't want to give it any sort of score yet since I am still so early, but Rockstar San Diego has done a great job nailing the Western feeling and melding it with their highly successful Grand Theft Auto gameplay formula. Descriptions of the game as "GTA in the Old West" are pretty spot on. Reviews on the game from other publications have been astronomical. If you are still curious, check out this video review from GameTrailers.com.

Q: What about Alan Wake?

A: I will shortly be playing through this game and will post a review at an appropriate time. In the meantime, I again direct you to GameTrailer's video review. The game has been billed as a "psychological action thriller" and centers around a writer named Alan Wake (the main character) who is suffering a case of writer's block and tries to clear his mind by retreating to the Northwestern town of Bright Falls with his girlfriend. Once there, however, his girlfriend disappears, and he starts finding manuscripts for a horror novel that he doesn't remember writing. Furthermore, the pages of the manuscript begin coming true. The game is definitely of the horror genre but with a slight emphasis on action an a play on light and dark themes. Look out for my full review in a few weeks.

Q: What is this Fallout: New Vegas?

A: Fallout: New Vegas is a spin-off of Fallout 3, taking the same basic game mechanics, graphics, engine, etc., and applying it to a whole new setting and story: the titular "New Vegas". If you liked Fallout 3, this is essentially an extension and evolution of that game; however, if Fallout 3 wasn't your cup of tea, don't expect New Vegas to change your mind. Obsidian Entertainment (Alpha Protocol, Knights of the Old Republic II) takes over development duties from Bethesda. If you want more info, check out this Developer Walkthrough from last week's E3 convention, and watch out for the game to drop on October 19.

Q: Any new info on Call of Duty: Black Ops?

A: It's the latest entry in Activision's juggernaut shooter franchise, this time being developed by Call of Duty 3 and World at War developer Treyarch. The studio seems to have been taking notes on Infinity Ward's offerings as Black Ops indeed looks very sharp with obviously very high production values. The jump in quality between Treyarch's last two calls to duty was enormous, and this game looks so far to provide a similar jump above the very good World at War. As with other Call of Duty titles, subsequent map packs and DLC will be available on Xbox 360 about a month ahead of its PS3 and PC counterparts. For more info, check out the wealth of videos GameTrailers has on Black Ops from E3.

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Reader Request: NFS Shift vs. Forza 3

Submitted by Michael

Our very first Reader Request centers around two high-profile racing games coming out this holiday: EA's Need for Speed Shift and Microsoft's Forza Motorsport 3. Shift is just the latest in what has become a mediocre annual franchise for EA, but this is not your cookie cutter Need for Speed game. Shift is being developed by the London-based Slightly Mad Studios, who have created the highly-acclaimed GTR racing series. With this new NFS (Slightly Mad's first), the studio is shooting for a much tighter, more realistic experience that has a lot more in common with its old GTR games than its Need for Speed brethren.

As far as the actual game goes, Shift can be described as similar to the way that the Project Gotham Racing series feels in terms of its mostly realistic handling; in other words, cars drive much more realistically than games like Burnout Paradise or Need for Speed Undercover, but not as nauseatingly pin-point accurate as the likes of Gran Turismo or Forza (more on that in a bit). Slightly Mad has also put a lot of work into the dynamic cockpit mode so that players can actually use it without feeling like they are just blocking off half the screen. Early talk of this game has been extremely positive and its clear that EA knows they have a legitimate racer this year as evidenced by their aggressive marketing campaign and one of the prettiest graphic engines to date.

Forza Motorsport 3 is a completely different beast. As mentioned earlier, Forza is essentially Microsoft's equivalent of Sony's Gran Turismo series, though many people would argue that Forza has eclipsed GT at this point. You can expect hundreds of cars and tracks rendered incredibly photo-realistically, including the interior cockpit, and a proven car damage engine thats the best in the business and actually affects the performance of your vehicle. You can also expect hyper-realistic handling, meaning that there's no motion blur to make it seem like you're going extra fast and you're going to have to practice your cornering, braking, downshifting, and other basic driving skills. Just like Gran Turismo, the hyper-realism means that this game is best played with a wheel, and if you really have deep pockets you can hook up extra TV's together for extra view panels (i.e. you can have 3 TV's projecting a panorama image, or surround yourself 360 degrees with 8).

The Verdict: Both look to be very good games, but it must be warned that Forza's extreme realism is not for everybody. Again, investing in a wheel is definitely recommended in order to truly appreciate what developer Turn 10 has built. Need for Speed Shift is definitely the more accessible option, but both are definitely worth rentals and even a purchase if you are really into them. Shift in on store shelves now and look for Forza 3 on October 27. (Note: if you have a PS3, Gran Turismo 5 is essentially the same beast as Forza 3).