Opinion: Alan Wake

With the release of Modern Warfare this week and the endless deluge of analysis, reviews and comment that will undoubtedly go with it, some consensus is already evident. While on-the-whole praised, the principal criticism levelled at Modern Warfare 3 is its lack of ambition - its contentment to tread a similar albeit more polished path to its predecessors, interestingly a charge that could never have been laid at Call of Duty 4, the first Modern Warfare title that came out in 2007 and single-handedly impacted the direction of big-name FPS titles for the next four years.

So, why in an article about Alan Wake have I opened with a paragraph about Modern Warfare 3? Put simply, because in many ways the two games present polar opposites and represent two very different ideals in videogame development.

Modern Warfare 3 is polished, accessible, balanced but somewhat predictable. Alan Wake is ambitious, quirky, unusual, charming but flawed.

Deal of the Week: Pinball FX 2

Pinball lovers rejoice! The XBLA game Pinball FX 2 has always been free, players were required to download individual tables for 200-240 points or themed packs for 800 points, but now and for 2 days only there is a complete table for free! That's right people, the Paranormal table has been made free until 2nd Nov 2011. Make sure to download the main game client and then the full version and not the trial of the Paranormal table.

And for free you can't say fairer than that!

3DS Press Conference - Friday 21st

Shrouded in mystery, what new and exciting things might Nintendo reveal about it's somewhat lame horse of a console?  It's no secret that what is a technological advancement of the sort that would have previously solidified Nintendo on top of the inovation podium, has fallen since the first hurdle.  With a press conference a few months ago announcing a new colour, several release dates and of course, that extra circle pad - Nintendo have announced another press conference scheduled for tomorrow.

Little is known about the pre-recorded event which is due to stream live through Japanese site Nico Nico, UStream and Douga.  Rumoured announcements include new firmware information, including further details on Nintendo's 3D video capture capabilities and further information on Mario Kart 7's wireless capabilities.  That doesn't sound like a great deal of information to warrant a full press conference however, so perhaps Nintendo have a few surprises in store as well?

We'll be sure to keep you updated about the conference tomorrow.

Guest Post: Gears of Phwoar

Missy E would...

September 20th sees the Midnight Launch of Gears of War 3 across much of the UK.  We at 8brit were contacted by a reader who had her own opinions on how such launches should be handled and in particular what preparations attendees should make before turning up.  Needless to say the somewhat opinionated "Missy E" provided us with these suggestions in written form for us to include here.  So without further ado, Missy E's first guest post:  

The launch date of Gears of War 3 is nearly upon us. I, like many other gamers, can’t
wait to queue up in the cold and wet for a midnight launch. But there is a little voice
inside me telling me not to bother. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not the game reviews, or my
local stockists, that are telling me to stay home. I’m afraid to say it’s the other gamers in
the queue that always put me off attending these launches.

Sadly, we’ve all been there. You know who I mean. There are those in the queue who
rarely emerge in daylight hours, and who live in their clothes for weeks just for the
chance to earn a few extra gamer score points. Well, I’m sorry, but if you wish to
increase your chances of scoring anything at a midnight launch you’ll need to make a
little bit more of an effort. I know that for a very small minority the stickiness of the right
bumper button on their Xbox controller is more important in life than any other type of
stickiness. But, you see, as a girl I have certain standards in bodily hygiene which some
gamers fail to realise.

I don’t expect much. I don’t expect everyone to smell (or look) like the Old Spice
man, although fortunately some gamer guys do. Equally, there’s no need to dress like
a penguin in that old tuxedo your mum bought you for your school prom; although it is
true that secretly a few of us gamer chicks are hoping to find their James Bond. Let’s face
it, at this launch all of us are looking for our very own Marcus Fenix to take home. I’m
just of the opinion that checking the condition of my controller before leaving the house
should be more important than checking to see which way the wind is blowing.

So let’s get together at midnight on September 20th for all the right reasons. For one night only –
how can I say this kindly – please wash; and you never know who you’ll end up scoring
with…

We are at GAMEFest [Update]

Today 8brit is traveling to Game's first UK gaming convention in Birmingham, GAMEFest.

Some of the most hotly anticipated titles for this year will be playable at the event so stay tuned to 8brit over the weekend to see our impressions on the like of Modern Warfare 3, Skyward Sword  and Uncharted 3 to name but a few!  Our previews will be going up tomorrow so be sure to check back to 8brit for more!

[Update: We attended and returned from GAMEFest and after much discussion have decided to write a much more in depth report on the games we saw as part of a broader discussion about the festival itself.  This post will be up as soon as possible.]

News: Portal free on PC and Mac until September 20th

Okay, so you've been living under a rock, or you've only recently discovered the wonders of the internet and video games.  Those are likely the only excuses you have for not playing the ground breaking game changer that was Portal.

Well, good news if that's the case.  Portal is now FREE on PC and Mac until the 20th September. after which you'll have to dig into your pocket and pay for it.  So go, educate yourself and slap yourself on the wrist for not already owning a copy.


[Source: Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

News: Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart European launch dates confirmed and Metallic Red 3DS announced

We earlier reported on the events unfolding at the Tokyo Games Show, where we were unsure of the European launch dates of both Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.  Nintendo have now confirmed that Europe can expect to see these titles on November 18th and December 2nd respectively.

In addition to these details Nintendo have also announced that a new metallic red version of the 3DS will go on sale from September 30th.  Supposedly Nintendo stated that this was in order to "celebrate" the console's 1 million plus sales in the region.  Since America and Japan have already been privy to a "flame red" version of the console however, it's not so much a celebration as Europe finally getting what the other regions have already had.

News: Nintendo's pre-Tokyo Game Show Conference Round Up

Today saw Nintendo's pre-TGS Show kick off with news primarily focused on the 3DS.  The conference announced both to Japan and the world some exciting new titbits about the future of the console and what gamers can expect over the next several months.

Nintendo didn't disappoint: revealing not only release dates for both new 3DS hardware and software, but also dropping in some information on the upcoming Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword title for Wii.

Starting with Skyward Sword then: Myamito-San himself confirmed that the title would have between 50-100 hours of gameplay, including a boss challenge mode and a second play through incentive in order to further prolong the life of the title.  That promises to be one of the longest Zelda titles to date.