69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012)

which means it's quite rare to see any characters using magic, with most of the action revolving around a very medieval world that just happens to have pissed off, fantastical creatures with swords running around. That’s not to say that you won’t have the odd spell lobbed your way, but it's not a major focus.

Instead the developers wanted you to enjoy controlling two unique characters and guiding them through a variety of main missions, plus a large number of side quests should that take your fancy, until they reach their goal. Arkail is your tank in combat and also has the ability to smash apart objects and use his brute strength to your advantage. Styx on the other hand, can use stealth to scout out locations, backstab foes and attack them from afar. Combat is a mixture of real time actions and carefully stacked commands, much like Dragon Age, and players can slow down time at any point to issue commands and switch between the two characters at will to gain

Hide/Show Signature

will to gain a tactical advantage.

The combat actually looks pretty good at this stage, with the hefty Orc able to draw the fire of enemies while the crafty Goblin sneaks around and blindsides them. You can also use choose to grab Styx and launch him into battle or onto distant enemies for aerial ambushes – with the ability to still slow time while he's in mid air and issue a plethora of commands on the fly (geddit?). Let Arkail get pounded too much though and he could fly into a rage. Meaning he gains significant buffs but you lose all control of him and he could potentially lash out at Styx if you get too close. The idea behind this is that, “Rage can save a situation for you, but it can also mean game over if you let it build up too early in the combat.” So careful management of your dream team is vital.
Each character has two combat stances they can switch between that confer different benefits and you can also level up your abilities as you progress.

Hide/Show Signature

Though the developers are keen to make players choose a certain style of fighting and stick with it, so if you're offered a choice of two upgrades then the one you don’t pick is gone forever, which is sure to force players into some hard choices. You can also snag new equipment or barter, as money is useless amongst greenskins, with other Orcs and people you meet along the way in order to acquire new things.

We were also told that dialogue choices can have a major impact on the game and how it pans out, as can certain side missions. So, as we were told, “Depending on which character you choose to initiate dialogue and how you answer questions and complete quests you can have a major impact on how the story branches and plays out throughout the five main chapters.” Choosing to beat up a goblin rebellion can have repercussions down the line, as can helping out some human mages or even failing to wear that lucky pair of pants (ok – we made that one up).

Hide/Show Signature

Quite how different the story can diverge remains to be seen, but it does seem that, no matter what choices you make, there is only one ending to the game – which raises the question of why choice is allowed at all if it just leads to the same outcome? Time will tell whether or not everything is suitably explained.

For now though this looks like Of Orcs and Men could be a surprising diversion from the usual fantasy RPG fare, with a mature storyline, interesting characters and a novel and unique combat system. Hopefully the sense of originality and uniqueness that shone through in the demo also makes it into the finished product, or we could be left with a feeling of disappointment that no amount of Orc style rage would help us through.

Prepare to be lobbing Goblin chums at nefarious human evil-doers when Of Orcs and Men butchers its way into stores in October 2012.

Hide/Show Signature

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 6558271bd5977e2848771a13bc579ea5

Tomb Raider’s storyline is darker and more mature than previous games offered because Crystal Dynamics wants it to match the reboot’s evolved gameplay, global brand manager Karl Stewart has explained.
Speaking to IncGamers, Stewart said Crystal Dynamics approached the project from a gameplay-first perspective.

“We knew we wanted to change a few of the core pillars of the game around. Instead of full-on puzzles, we wanted to introduce this idea of Lara being smart and resourceful. Instead of simple ledge jumping we wanted it to be more about dynamically traversing the environment,” he said.
CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE
Tomb Raider-Reboot

Hide/Show Signature

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 651668651b81c29a88aa3dfa140f68ab

As a result of that we thought that, if we can do all this stuff around the gameplay, should we not also bring a stronger narrative than we’ve had before? Something deeper. You hear a lot of people talk about it from many different games, but we really want to immerse players more than they have been before.”

Stewart said survival gaming just doesn’t work in a T-rated world.

“You can’t, for example, back off and cut away at the point when Lara goes through with her first ever kill – you’re just not going to achieve the emotional depth that we want,” he said.
Without going into the M-rated space for the sake of it and dropping the F-bomb countless times, we wanted to use the mature space to really tell a human story; we want the goose-bump moments and the moments that will make you cry.”

Tomb Raider is due on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early 2013.

Hide/Show Signature

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 C914c687cf81d5dc388f8e7d1ac451ec

Hide/Show Signature

The second Inside Assassin’s Creed 3 video has been released by Ubisoft. Episode 2 focuses on the game’s combat, tactics, weapons and the like. It’s below, courtesy of Gamespot. We’ll have the video up on our YouTube channel for you tomorrow once the timed exclusivity of the video ends. You can re-watch part one through here. Assassin’s Creed 3 hits PS3 and Xbox 360 in late October, PC in late November, and Wii U when the console finally graces retail shelves.
CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE
Assassin’s Creed 3

Hide/Show Signature

The Walking Dead: Episode 4: Around Every Corner is going to be here before we know it, and you can get a look at what Lee’s up against next time around via the video, courtesy of IGN. Episode 4 hasn’t been dated, but Episode 3 is out now.
CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE
Episode 4

Hide/Show Signature

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 3ebfde00584042e4e11c7c8b36308ffc

Sony has announced that PlayStation 3 copies of BioShock Infinite will include a copy of the original BioShock for free.
According to the PlayStation Blog, a free copy of BioShock will be included on BioShock Infinite's Blu-Ray disc. As previously revealed, the PlayStation 3 version of Infinite will also be enhanced with PlayStation Move compatibility.

BioShock Infinite will hit stores on October 16th in North America and October 19th internationally.
CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE
PS3 BioShock Infinite GETS BioShock Free

Hide/Show Signature

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 E96fae15141a8d35860cac137b442bed

30/03/12 – Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes 20 minute demo detailed
Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes was announced this morning at Kojima’s 25th anniversary event. Attendees were shown a 20 minute Ground Zeroes gameplay demo running on a high-spec PC that remained secret, until now thanks to Gamespot.

The demo showed a man in a business suit being escorted to a military base by a well-armed patrol unit. It’s raining heavily as the man speaks with a boy trapped in a cage before throwing him a music player. The kid turns it on and the “Here’s To You” theme from Metal Gear Solid 4 plays.
CLICK THE LINK 4 MORE
MGS Ground Zeroes

Hide/Show Signature

The man then takes off his rain hat to reveal that his face is all heavily scarred and burned. He then wipes an emblem off the side of his chopper that reads ‘XOF’, as well as discarding a stash of ‘XOF’ emblems before geting in and then flies off.

It’s ‘FOX’ backwards, obviously

The subtitle “From FOX, two phantoms were born” then flashes up on the screen, referring to either Zero and Big Boss, or Liquid and Solid Snake, the Les Enfants Terribles.

Big Boss is then seen wearing visors, before flipping them up to reveal his trademark eye patch and gawdawful mullet. Kojima then showed off some gameplay, in which Snake crouched and crawled around. There was no camo index from Metal Gear Solid 3 or anything like that, just old fashioned stealth.

Hide/Show Signature

It’s an open world game. Snake can call in a chopper on demand or drive a jeep around, and there is a third-person shooting mechanic. There’s no word currently on first-person aiming.
30/08/12 – Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes: what’s in the name?
The name ‘Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes’ is interesting for a few reasons. Anyone up on the MGS backstory will know that Zero was Snake’s commander in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and would later go on to be his arch nemesis.

Zero served in the SAS alongside the Boss and later joined the CIA. Once there he hired Donald Anderson (the DARPA chief in Metal Gear Solid) and Dr. Clark. After the events of Operation Snake Eater he formed the Patriots with Clark and Anderson, as well as Big Boss and EVA.

Unhappy with the Patriot’s actions, Big Boss defected and formed the mercenary group Militaires Sans Frontières (Soldiers Without Borders) and both snake and Big Boss would become enemies f

Hide/Show Signature

snake and Big Boss would become enemies from then on.

During the events of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (originally Metal Gear Solid 5) Big Boss forms Outer Heaven, a state for soldiers who are fed up being used as tools by their respective governments.

At some point in the series canon, MSF goes rogue and in 1995, a young Solid Snake is sent to Outer Heaven to diffuse the uprising and eventually takes down Big Boss in battle. Only for him return later in the series.
Outer Heaven is based in South Africa, and so far Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes concept art, FOX Engine demonstrations and today’s reveal have pointed at a South African setting, such as art depicting Big Boss standing next to a Rhodesian Ridgeback dog – native to the region.

This could be the game where we see Big Boss lose his way, as well as sparking his war with Zero and the Patriots. There’s also the little matter of Big Boss saving the life of a young Frank Jaeger in South Africa – the

Hide/Show Signature

the same man who later becomes Grey Fox / Cyborg Ninja.

Either way, it’s an exciting time to be a Metal Gear Solid fan.30/08/12 – Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes second Snake image leaked

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 339f1a8439dc41954dc70b867704c675

The second image to leak of of Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear 25th anniversary event, this pic comes courtesy of Kotaku.

It shows Big Boss again in full stealth gear, looking a little ‘Sam Fisher’. Keep on reading down this page to find out more about the game’s reveal.

Hide/Show Signature

30/08/12 – Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes first artwork leaked

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 B18e86e21bdabb4da8a116ce36f697d1

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 B18e86e21bdabb4da8a116ce36f697d1

This is the first confirmed image of Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. The shot depicts Big Boss in full stealth mode. You can tell this will be another prequel as Snake has a Militaires Sans Frontières patch on his shoulder. Which looks like this:

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 1fd3d780021abb48bed5892869be43f7

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 1fd3d780021abb48bed5892869be43f7

The image of Big Boss confirms rumours that the game will be set some time during or after the 1970′s. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker took place in 1974, some ten years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 3.

Hide/Show Signature

30/08/12 – Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes announced
Hideo Kojima announced the next instalment of his sprawling Metal Gear series at his 25th anniversary event in Japan this morning. The game will run in FOX Engine and was shown on a high-end PC.

Attendees were sworn to secrecy on the game, but several tweets leaked out. One account explained that the game is open world, and that the demo showed Snake ‘killing guards, evading search lights by crawling, and riding around in a jeep’. No release date or formats – other than PC – were confirmed.
25/08/12 – Metal Gear’s 25th anniversary event to ‘shake up’ industry
During the latest Kojima Productions Report podcast, Koji Pro’s Chris Johns Talked up Hideo Kojima’s Metal Gear 25th anniversary reveal by saying, “A lot of things to look forward to next week, not just for fans, but I think the industry’s gonna be shook by what we’re going to be able to present here.”

We now know that the

Hide/Show Signature

We now know that the reveal was Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, and a new social title, Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops.
21/08/12 – Next Metal Gear Solid ‘will launch Summer 2013 at the earliest’, says mo-cap actor
In an interview with Silent Haven, Silent Hill 4 mo-cap actor Eric Bossic was interviewed for his work on Konami’s titles and let slip some interesting information regarding Kojima’s next Metal Gear title, which could allude to Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.

“My past motion capture session was for an upcoming Metal Gear game,” said Bossic, “I will be back with Kojima again in the fall, and maybe other sessions. This title is a long way off.”

When asked which Metal Gear project he was working on, Bossic added, “I am working on a future metal gear, not to be released until next year summer at the earliest, if not later then that. Im doing motion capture only.”

Hide/Show Signature

“I can 100% say my voice will not be involved in this. I dont even know what the title is, they are all very secretive and sometimes even the scenes I act out I dont even know the full story, because they want to keep it secret.2

“I suppose it is fine to mention I am working on it, everybody knows Kojima is making something now, and I posted the photo on my page here with him. The only thing is that I cant ever answer any questions about it or talk about, not for sometime.”
17/07/12 – Metal Gear Solid 5 Comic-Con rumour debunked by Konami
Following an alleged Comic-Con leak – in which a source claimed to have snapped photos of a Metal gear Solid 5 logo and text crawl – Hideo Kojima himself took to Twitter to debunk the logo as “completely fake”. Nothing to see here, move along.

Hide/Show Signature

20/06/12 – Rumours suggest Solid Snake will return in the next Metal Gear Solid game
French magazine has posted a rumour suggesting that Solid Snake – that’s the younger one to those who aren’t up on MGS lore – will appear in the next Metal Gear title, which we now know is Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes.

In an interview with Kojima, the director said, “About Metal Gear Solid 5, I can tell you two things: there will be much question of infiltration, espionage, and convincing people to give you ‘a favour’ like in the last Metal Gear Solid.”

“I liked the idea of social interactions in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, but we will see. And if I say more, the female ninja public relations officer, who is behind the door, I will be carved up into pieces. So it’s better that we meet again when the time comes to talk about Metal Gear Solid 5.”

Hide/Show Signature

“It is a spinoff that tries something different,” Kojima was to have said. “We have not yet finished with Solid Snake, despite the fact that I wanted to let him die at the end of Guns of the Patriots.”
02/03/12 – Kojima Productions asks: Is it Real, or is it the Fox Engine?
Kojima Productions has posted shots taken with a camera and some rendered using its Fox Engine, and has asked the viewer to decide which are the “real-life” photos and which were from the Fox Engine. The Fox Engine will fuel Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes a new Metal Gear game revealed at Hideo Kojima’s 25th anniversary event.
22/02/12 – Next Metal Gear Solid: first concept art revealed

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 8c8d6db516086c6491aef1a1644e35fc

Hide/Show Signature

Hideo Kojima tweeted the above image of Big Boss wearing a ‘Diamond Dogs’ patch on his arm. The dog next to him is a Rhodesian Ridgeback, a breed native to South Africa.

In Metal Gear Solid lore, Big Boss spent some time in Africa fighting with his unit MSF. It is here that he saves the life of a young Frank Jaeger, who would later grow up to be Grey Fox in the NES / MSX Metal Gear games, and later Cyborg Ninja in the PSone game Metal Gear Solid.

Will we see Big Boss save Frank’s life? It would make sense, seeing the two are working together in the second MSX Metal Gear game ‘Snake’s Revenge’. FOX Engine tech demonstrations have also taken place in an African climate. The pieces are falling together.
22/02/12 – Kojima hires for next MGS project, releases Big Boss art

Hide/Show Signature

The next Metal Gear game, Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes, stars Big Boss and his MSF unit – reportedly in South Africa. Kojima posted the below concept art, along with a job invitation for GDC 2012. Big Boss is back!

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 C1c63278751b5405c98fa1e8709ab117

13/02/12 – Japanese analysts expect FY2014 launch for MGS5
Japanese firm Nomura Securities has stated that the next Metal Gear Solid title will launch between April 2013 and March 2014, and placed Konami’s projected earnings at ¥60 billion as a result.
21/12/12 – Kojima: Project Ogre an open-world affair
Hideo Kojima has posted more images of his FOX Engine character models and has teased that his new game will be an open world title. We now know that Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes is an open world game, so it’s not a secret any more.

However, CNN reported that Kojima told

Hide/Show Signature

However, CNN reported that Kojima told them the title is “set in a very open world where players can wander around and explore freely. Players should still be able to find new sights and worthwhile adventures after having played the game for as many as 100 hours.”

Expect Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes to be big then. Here’s his FOX Engine character model pic:

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 F6403ab3986452eddccc1022db9ecdf9

16/12/12 – Kojima teases Project Ogre, posts screens on Twitter
Kojima really loves Twitter doesn’t he? This time he posted the below image of a character – who, at the time some sources suggested was of the Boss in World War II – running in FOX Engine.

We now know that Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes is set after the events of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, so that would be impossible. The game follow’s Snake’s MSF unit sometime during or after the 1970s.

Hide/Show Signature

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012) - Page 35 415b882723c4d8bcfa4a7a44aa84dde7

Hide/Show Signature

Subject: Re: 69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012)

Hide/Show Signature

» 69Osom GAMER'S SOULS WITHIN (Sept 21 2011-Apr 26 2012)

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012)

69Osom GAMER's SOULS REBORN (Apr 27 2012 - Nov 12 2012)

Similar topics

Similar topics