There’s a new trailer for Far Cry 2 showing some more gameplay mechanics. This time, it’s about gaining the high ground to “win.” Unfortunately, all the advantage offered by high ground won’t be much help if you can’t shoot a lick.

Let me guess. Gamepad? No wonder.

For what it’s worth, this guy can shoot better than me when using a controller. I, however, don’t use controllers when playing first-person shooters.

Post from: EveryJoe

High ground gives advantage in Far Cry 2

How could I miss this spectacular video of Mercenaries 2: World in Flames? I have no idea. One thing’s for sure: it looks even more promising than Grand Theft Auto IV ever was. Strangely, Mercenaries 2 is flying below the radar despite its potential.

In case you’re wondering what the video is about, let me give you a brief description: remember how the original game lets players choose between three mercs? Well, the same characters are still here and they have different ways of completing an objective. You can either go for tactical, covert, or overkill.

Since the guns and fireworks are provided, it would be a shame not to use them. My money is on overkill.

Post from: EveryJoe

Mercenaries 2 lets players approach objectives differently

You gotta love your PC-exclusive FPS. Aside from superior controls, longevity, and gameplay, the graphics are just topnotch. From the looks of things (pun intended), S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky surpasses the sweet visuals of its predecessor. Want proof? Just watch the video above for a comparison.

My biggest gripe about its predecessor (S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl) is the total absence of vehicles out of the box. Game owners had to wait for the mod to shorten those long and boring walks. From what I’ve read about Clear Sky, the single player campaign still doesn’t have the much-desired feature. If you want to drive around Clear Sky’s huge world, you have to duke it out in multiplayer. I expect a mod to unlock this for single player, but that means we have to wait again despite this supposed “Fast Travel” system.

The good news is that all this purdy eye candy is said to run at the same system specs required by Shadow of Chernobyl. Is this true? Perhaps. Now that the prequel supports DirectX10, I wonder how it would look when running in Windows XP.

Post from: EveryJoe

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky almost looks real

C.O.R.E. is a new FPS for the DS, and it’s been getting some criticism from Joystiq. Yes, C.O.R.E. may look and sound a bit like Doom, but like any stuff people say about an unreleased game, this is all speculation. On the contrary, the Doom fan in me is looking forward to playing C.O.R.E. because it evokes nostalgia.

What’s with the hate, Joystiq? Just because the sound effects sound familiar, it doesn’t mean the game would suck completely. Heck, there are games that sound atrocious and still manage to have fantastic gameplay so don’t be too quick on the trigger.

On top of that, there are far too few FPSes in the DS so a new one, albeit a bit clichéd, is very much welcome. I do find it ironic however that a handheld system well suited to FPS hardly gets such games.

Post from: EveryJoe

Similarities to Doom causes C.O.R.E. hate

My main reason for reluctance is the view itself. The third-person camera gives the player wider peripheral vision that FPSes could never provide. As a result, hiding in cover becomes feasible because you, the player, would be able to see if your character is hidden well or if a body part is sticking out for your enemies to shoot.

Killzone 2’s “lean and peek” gameplay thrills me because I’ve never seen an FPS utilize cover mechanics. However, since the game is still under development and won’t be released until next year, we can only speculate if “lean and peek” works or not. Would the Killzone 2 gameplay be affected greatly by this mechanic, or is this just a gimmick?

For Sony’s sake, I hope it does work since Killzone 2 is a PS3-exclusive game. If it doesn’t, then Killzone is just overhyped freebie material that’s destined to be placed in a bargain shelf next to Haze.

Post from: EveryJoe

Killzone 2 video shows cover mechanics

Looks like Quake Live is now accepting beta program testers. All you have to do is visit the website and input your email address. However, the site warns: “entering does not guarantee participation in the beta program.”

If you haven’t heard of Quake Live, then you’re not alone. The online shooter is intended to be released as a free version of Quake III Arena. The best part about the game is that it would be launched through a web browser.

The game won’t be as pretty as currently-released shooters, that’s for sure. You see, visuals isn’t id Software’s priority. If a developer is going to put a multiplayer game in a web browser, latency would be one of their major concerns. Putting all those crazy normal maps in a shooter would turn your game into a PowerPoint slideshow.

Here’s to silky-smooth framerate for Quake Live in my web browser.

Image of Quake Live is courtesy of id Software and IGA Worldwide.

Post from: EveryJoe

Quake Live now accepting beta testers

Post from: EveryJoe

Gears Cheers #1: Bosses rule for a reason

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is an FPS/RPG hybrid that took six years in the making. It’s not quite as good Half-Life 2, which also took around the same time to develop, but S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is obviously not as bad as Turning Point: Fall of Liberty.

Actually, I find Shadow of Chernobyl quite entertaining, so I’m pleased to hear that its second installment is coming soon. According to GSC Game World, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky will ship on August 19, 2008.

Like its predecessor, Clear Sky is coming out for the PC only. “We heard that before from Crysis,” you may reason. I understand that Crysis is abuzz with rumors that it’s coming to consoles, but let me ask you this: were there any such rumors that surrounded Shadow of Chernobyl when it came out?

Nope. If GSC says Clear Sky is only for the PC, then I guess they mean it.

Image of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky is courtesy of Koch Media and GSC Game World.

Post from: EveryJoe

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. prequel shipping in Q3 2008

So my PC isn’t exactly cutting edge. I can accept that. It’s why I love tweaking so much. But when tweaking my settings doesn’t bear fruit no matter what combination I do, then I know I’m screwed.

This is one of my new problems in the “improved” Gears of War for the PC. Whether I tune down or crank up the visual settings, I get the same result: choppy visuals, especially when the action heats up.

How tricky does it get? For one, aiming can be a pain. If you factor in recoil, it’s tougher to get a bead on the Locust. Active reloading is also crazy because pressing “R” has to be timed exactly. If not, the gun jams. Now imagine going through all that while a nasty alien is pumping your big-ass COG hide full of hot lead.

Gears of War image courtesy of Microsoft and Epic Games.

Post from: EveryJoe

Gears of War annoyances #5: Armed conflict is hell, but so are choppy visuals

So I finally installed Gears of War on my PC (for the umpteenth time). Now why would I want to do a thing like that when the game keeps crashing? Because there was an update released, and who knows? It just might get me past the point where the game always fails.

FYI, I’ve never managed to cross the river with Dom before. After I installed the update, I’ve finally gotten past the river and met the Kryll, those bat-like creatures that kill in the dark. See the screenshot I took?

Looks like a review is in order.

Post from: EveryJoe

New Gears of War update fixes crashing problem