GamesCom previewed some Aliens vs Predator multiplayer today which was quite the delicate surprise.

Single-player might make this game, but one of the biggest features involves the multiplayer for Aliens vs Predator. The multiplayer provided us with a look into a number of modes that pit three races at the same time under one world or environment similar to the single-player experience. The alien remains very fast and agile as before, while having the ability to make close quarter attacks. The Predator still remains the cloaking monster we have seen so far before and can use gadgets to advance his claim on the world while also platform jumping around. Finally, the marine spawns with no weapons in hand, and has to scavenge for them – giving a thrill rather than a disadvantage. The marine class does come with a large group of assault rifles and grenade launchers, in addition to shotguns from two barrels with one shot and a gun that can auto-aim.

AvP offers multiple game modes including Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch that is similar to the sandbox linear path of killing enemies. While players can be on their own teams, certain Mixed Species modes can allow an Alien and a Predator to work together to create an interesting turn of events for the two species that once fought everytime they met. Rebellion clearly did this for the fans that are not complaining anymore. The infestation mode is perhaps the best mode to cover in this preview. Infestation was simply fun. As a zombie-similar mode, Infestation begins with one alien and other marines that soon become Aliens themselves if they get killed. The resulting completion includes a last-man standing with all aliens everywhere. Simply genius and it plays as well as the controls are schemed.

We simply cannot wait for Aliens vs Predator to come out so we can try more of it ourselves in a dark room with our 10.1 speaker setups in our HQ offices.

The facetious moon scatters its light through the clouds, as the Bat-Signal erupts through the dark as a beacon in the light. The Joker strangely enough gives up without a fight and is taken to the infamous Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, where an “unfortunate” fire has recently taken place due to the terrible wiring of the facility. Batman: Arkham Asylum presents a stark and harrowing tale where players are the infamous and caped crusader: Batman, who struggles to escape the grasp of Arkham Asylum and the deadly Blackgate prisoners that have taken command with the Joker.  Rocksteady Studios partly creates one of the best interpretations of the dark and atmospheric nature of Batman that has gone unrealized for a long time in the video games medium. The suspense is gritty, the gadgets and abilities are wondrous, and the chilling voice-acting by Mark Hamill as The Joker (originally played in Batman: The Animated Series) makes the atmosphere of Arkham Asylum revive from the unexplored depths of terror. Being the knight of the dark is a benison to feeling the power of being an invisible predator of the night, but unfortunate back-tracking, limited enemy models, lack of realism, problematic A.I., and repetitive gameplay makes Arkham Asylum a dreadful place for more than one reason.

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At the Blizzcon Keynote, rumors have finally been put to rest: World of Warcraft Cataclysm is a reality. The expansion pack will forever change the face of the world of Azeroth, as areas within Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms will be completely destroyed or reconfigured. Deathwing, the black dragon, has returned to Azeroth to threaten the peace of the land. WoW Cataclysm will include two new races, the Goblins from the Lost Isles (for the Horde) and the Worgen from Gilneas (for the Alliance). New race class combinations will be included, as well as a secondary archeology profession, and for the first time, players will gain access to flying mounts. Although the level cap has only been raised to 85, there will be hundreds of new areas and quests to explore, and two new instances to fight through known as Dead Mines and Shadow Keep. Finally, guilds will also gain new achievements, including the ability to level up which should make guild play more engaging.

Apart from the level cap raise to 85, players will be able to acquire a new secondary profession known as archeology to take advantage of the relics and items that have been found thanks to the cataclysmic sundering of the world. The Path of the Titans is also included, which will allow high level characters to further improve their talents and abilities which will not be limited by character class. Coupled with the new mastery system that will allow you to further improve your critical hits, damage or poison attacks, players will be able to augment themselves significantly. Finally, there are new race class combinations, so players that wanted to create a dwarven shaman or tauren priest will now be able to make these characters.

The voice of Kerrigan is newer and better. Today, during the StarCraft II Lore panel, Blizzard announced her replacement today, and it is definitely a pleasant surprise for science fiction fans. Tricia Helfer, who played Number Six on Battlestar Galactica, will be taking over the role for the Queen of Blades.

“It is intimidating to come into a game and do a job that you do not really know the history of it, I’m kind of a video game virgin in terms of playing. Personally I’m not technologically savvy. At the time, I didn’t know what Zerg and all these things were. It was fun to find out all these little differences.”

Helfer mentioned that her discovery of the character and who Kerrigan happened to be was based off of two pictures that she was presented: the first was of Sarah Kerrigan as a Terran Ghost before she was betrayed by Mengsk, and the second was of the Queen of Blades with her transformation into the villainess that she is known as today. However, with the help of the Blizzard staff, she was able to get a grasp on who the character was, who she currently is, and what she needs to become for the upcoming games.

We just had a chance to check out the Monk for Diablo III, a class just recently announced to fans of The Lord of Destruction and his love for arsony. The Monk has long robes and seems to be peaceful, but Monks are very dangerous and designed around inflicting damage on an enemy in a short amount of time.  The trade off to the Monk’s speed and power is that it is noticeably weaker than other classes, so if the monk gets swarmed  – he dies.  Luckily, the Monk’s skills and attacks can limit the impact of this weakness, making him a force to be reckoned with against even against dozens of enemies. In fact, many of his skills are designed to compensate with this by imparting explosive or area of effect strikes, all of which are controlled by the player.

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Starcraft II is irrefutably shaping up to be one of the best titles of 2010 in the RTS landscape, and this is all based on just what we have seen with one out of three faction campaigns.  Within this space opera adventure and sequel to perhaps one of the best RTS game of its time, Starcraft II lays a prominence which sways players into the nostalgic ruins of the lives of the terran, zertg, and protoss campaigns.

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If you are at Blizzcon 2009 right now, there is a way you can play Diablo III and get to hacking and slashing. A dedicated area has been set aside to check out the demo build, which is set in a desert environment and gives players a chance to engage monsters as either the Barbarian, the Witch Doctor or the Wizard.

Players are also getting a chance to provide feedback on the demo, such as what they liked and did not like from the experience. Blizzard is taking the comments and immediately sending them to the development team to evaluate, so it is possible for fans to make their stamp on the development of the upcoming action RPG. Get the lines started.

Throw a pass and watch as your left-fielder is tackled to the ground by the other team realistically and believably. Madden 2000 set the frontier for football-crazed fans to get a chance to play their favorite teams with a friend next to them in an appreciable graphics setting.  There have been so many changes year after year with some years more productive than others, but thankfully Madden NFL 2010 is the best one by far. Despite its issues, Madden NFL 2010 delivers a great football action experience. While EA Tiburon aims to improve previous features left complicated through time in the series of Madden, the improvements in Madden NFL 2010 stand out well. All of these different additions work in harmony to the central gameplay mechanics.

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