U.S. Army Building New Virtual Reality Training System Using Crysis 2 Engine

The United States Army already has a videogame, America's Army, it uses as a recruiting tool. It's now turning to videogames once again to create a virtual reality training simulator. The price? $57 million.

Much of that cost is going towards equipment costs, according to a GamePro report. Kinect wasn't deemed to be "there yet, but it is getting closer" by Floyd West of Intelligent Decisions, a tech company responsible for the new Dismounted Soldier Training System. "There are different types of camera-based systems out there in the market, but they're not able to track a squad of four guys individually, which is what we do with our simulator," he said. Shooting weapons is done with the use of what's described as a joystick.

The system will be built on CryEngine 3 from Crytek, the same engine used to power Crysis 2. The goal is to create an incredibly realistic simulator for up to four soldiers to train in simultaneously, with each getting a 10-by-10-foot area to move around in while wearing a backpack with a high-end gaming laptop in it. They'll also wear a display on their helmets that leaves them still able to see to the sides. Soldiers and trainers can participate either as soldiers or other roles, like civilians or enemy combatants.

"What we're trying to do with infantry squad-level training is suspension of disbelief, and the CryEngine 3 is the best video game technology on the market today," said West. "With CryEngine 3 being used for Crysis 2 and the capabilities that game engine provides, it allows us to make the most realistic simulation possible. We're able to transport soldiers to accurately recreated locales like Afghanistan and Iraq, where we can simulate everything from visuals to 360-degree sound."

The simulator can be used for more than just simulating all-out warfare with the enemy; it can also handle things like peace operations. Participants are graded with a high score after completing a mission -- it is, essentially, a videogame, after all.

By next January, 102 of these systems will be installed around the world to train both current and future soldiers. 

New Total War: Shogun 2 DLC released

Creative Assembly has rreleased a new Total War: Shogun 2 DLC add-on, the Ikko Ikki Clan Pack!

The Ikko Ikki "warrior monk" Clan:

• A new clan for use in single or multiplayer Campaign modes and Custom and Multiplayer Battles
• 8 new unit-variants specific to the Ikko Ikki clan
• New skill trees
• New Ikko Ikki Monk Agent with his own specific skill tree

The Ikko Ikki Clan Pack also includes:

• The Warrior Nun unit - can be trained by any clan except the Ikko Ikki
• New Naginata Warrior Monk hero
• New Historical Battle: Nagashima (Ikko Ikki VS Oda)
• Ikko Ikki armour set for Avatar - includes hood, robes and barefoot leg-pieces.
• New Retainers for use in the Avatar Conquest mode.

Battlefield 3 release date spotted on EA Download Manager

The Battlefield 3 release date may well have just been given away by the EA Download Manager - and if true, we'll be looking at a very possible dust up with Modern Warfare 3.

Activison's yet-to-be announced inevitability annually tends to launch in mid-November. Which could result in a huge FPS bust up, with BF3 vs MW3. 


See the proof pic below:

Date: 02/11/11

StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm Video Leaked

Kerrigan and Raynor return! Check out the video:

Gears of War 3 Campaign Trailer

Here it is, the latest campaign trailer for the epic Gears of War 3:

Infamous 2 Special Edition

See the details below or in the picture:

Special Content:

• Electrocution Grenade - Shock enemies with arcing electricity!
• Original Cole Skin - Wear Cole's familiar jacket from the original adventure in inFamous 2!
• Gold Amp - a golden version of Cole's new weapon!

Duke Nukem Balls of Steel edition

A special edition of Duke Nukem Forever has been outed online.

As you can see here, the Balls Of Steel Edition (see pic below) contains a hardback art book and a comic book.


Duke Nukem Forever is due for release for PS3, 360 and PC on May 3 in the US and three days later in Europe. 

 The Balls of Stell box will contain:

• Collectible bust of the greatest alien ass-kicker of all-time
• Numbered, limited-edition certificate of authenticity
• 100-page hardcover book: The History, Legacy & Legend: Duke Nukem Forever Art from the Vault
• Duke Nukem Forever postcard series
• Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem sticker
• Duke Nukem Forever collectable comic book
• Duke Nukem Forever foldable paper craft
• Duke Nukem Forever poker chips
• Duke Nukem Forever mini-card deck
• Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem dice

Red Faction: Armageddon Commando & Recon Edition

Red Faction Armageddon Commando & Recon Edition Includes:

• Commando Pack: Commando Pack that includes the armored Commando uniform and adds two new weapons to their arsenal. Players will spray an unforgiving stream of destruction with the Plasma Thrower, or slice and dice the infestation with dual Laser Pistols.

• Recon Pack: Recon Pack that includes the clandestine Recon uniform, constructed specifically for Red Faction snipers and spies. Unleash two new weapons on your foes, including the Arc Welder, which immobilizes and electrocutes clusters of enemies, and the XNG-5000, which launches devastating Nanite-filled projectiles that seek out targets and dissolves them.

Assassins creed revelations trailer

Ubisoft's released the first proper trailer for Assassin's Creed Revelations.

"Assassin's Creed Revelations follows master assassin Ezio Auditore as he walks in the footsteps of his legendary mentor, Altaïr, on a journey to recover five ancient seals that hold the keys to the future of the Assassins brotherhood," - the official blurb.

"It is a perilous path - one that will take Ezio to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the region."

A full trailer for the game will be released on June 7, says Ubisoft.


See the trailer below:

Modern Warfare 3's Survival Mode exposed

Modern Warfare 3's rumoured Survival Mode has been confirmed and detailed, via a report in USA Today.

The mode, which comes as part of the new game's updated Spec-Ops suite, has players competing against increasingly difficult waves of enemies (in the Horde/Firefight fashion) across Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer maps.

USA Today teamed up with Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling on a map called Dome, described as a "derelict 
Cold War-era desert radar command bunker".

"As we dispatched ever-increasing waves of enemies, I discarded my pistol for a shotgun. Rubin passed me some in-game currency and I bought and installed a turret to keep the evildoers at bay, while I watched for attack dogs." 

"After a few waves, the attack dogs became suicide bomber dogs that exploded a few seconds after you shot them. The next wave brought the kamikaze soldiers who exploded similarly."

Modern Warfare 2's near-invincible juggernauts (right) also return for the Spec-Ops mode, the publication says, and this time there will be several different types of them.

"All that stuff really fleshes out Spec Ops and adds in a lot that we know our fans are going to love, some of the most addictive aspects of Multiplayer," Bowling said.

"You definitely have to change up your strategy as the enemy changes up. Obviously how you fight the kamikaze dudes is different from how you fight the normal dudes and how you fight a dog is different from a dude and how you fight juggernauts, they are not only big and armoured, so they will just brute force come at you. But they each have their own way of being taken out effectively."

 

Mortal Kombat DLC trailer

Warner's put out a new Mortal Kombat trailer showing off the game's first DLC, which is a collection of the fighter's pre-order content.

The collection contains seven 'klassic' character skins for Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Reptile, Ermac, Mileena, Jade and Kitana, plus klassic fatalities for Reptile, Scorpion and Sub-Zero.

It launches on June 7 for 400 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360 and £3.19 on PS3.


Check out the video below:

Gears of War 3 Epic Edition

A Limited Edition Marcus Fenix Statue – Designed by Epic Games Art Director Chris Perna and expertly crafted by the artisans at Triforce, this fine PVC statue collectible makes the ultimate living room centrepiece for any true “Gears” fan.

The Art and Design of Gears of War by Tom Bissell - Through unprecedented access to the Epic Games team, acclaimed author Tom Bissell (Extra Lives) gives readers an incisive behind-the-scenes glimpse into one of the most celebrated sagas in video game history with 96 pages of interviews, photos, concept artwork and more.

Infected Omen Weapon Pack - Custom multiplayer skins for the game’s five starting weapons; Lancer, Retro Lancer, Hammerburst, Sawed-off Shotgun, and Gnasher Shotgun.

An Octus Award Box with Octus Service Medal – A 1:1 match in size and weight, this zinc-alloy cog-shaped medal replicates the award given to Adam Fenix in recognition of his work on the Hammer of Dawn.

Exclusive Unlockable Adam Fenix Multiplayer Character – Each Octus Service Medal replica is engraved with a unique Xbox LIVE code that is the only way to unlock Adam Fenix in multiplayer.

A fabric COG Flag – Proud colors that once flew above the House of Sovereigns.

Other - The personal effects of Adam Fenix, including his “Last Will and Testament,” the initial Hammer of Dawn schematic, and other Fenix family mementos.

Gears of War 3 Limited Edition

An Octus Award Box with Octus Service Medal – A 1:1 match in size and weight, this zinc-alloy cog-shaped medal replicates the award given to Adam Fenix in rec

ognition of his work on the Hammer of Dawn.

Exclusive Unlockable Adam Fenix Multiplayer Character – Each Octus Service Medal replica is engraved with a unique Xbox LIVE code that is the only way to unlock Adam Fenix in multiplayer.

A fabric COG Flag – Proud colors that once flew above the House of Sovereigns.

The personal effects of Adam Fenix, including his “Last Will and Testament,” the initial Hammer of Dawn schematic, and other Fenix family mementos.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine Collector's Edition detailed

'Q' has revealed the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Collector's Edition and a bunch of retailer-specific goodies that'll be up for those who pre-order.

Available exclusively from the THQ store in limited quantities, the Collector's Edition contains:

"A 10 inch replica Purity Seal, a glossy hardback art book, the official Space Marine soundtrack, a premium pack of 25 foiled character information cards and a copy of the game, packaged together in a premium box set."

Costing: $99.99 on Xbox and PS3, and $79.99 on PC. And if you want even more swag, slap down a pre-order at any of the following retailers and you'll get specific treats:

- The Emperor's Elite Pack, available at Gamestop, includes the Space Wolves and Black Templar chapter armor skins

- For players who prefer the forces of Chaos, The Traitor Legion Pack includes the complete armor sets for the Iron Warriors and Emperor's Children, only available at Best Buy.

- The Golden Relic Chainsword, is only available at Amazon.com

- The Golden Relic Bolter, is only available at Walmart.

- PC Gamers can celebrate their love of the Dawn of War series by donning themselves in the iconic red and bone colored armor of the Blood Ravens Chapter as well as receiving a FREE copy of Darksiders on PC when they pre-order the PC game through Steam.

- PC Gamers also have the choice of pre-ordering their copy of Space Marine through THQ's E-Store to get an exclusive PowerSword weapon for multiplayer.

- Finally PC Gamers who choose to buy a digital copy of Space Marine through select digital retailers will be offered a FREE copy of Darksiders on PC.

So, choose where you pre-order wisely :D

Get Physical in Battlefield 3

Experience the heart-pounding, adrenaline-fueled combat that comes from intense battles in Battlefield 3. You’ll witness devastating destruction and carnage, as buildings crumble and cover disappears with bullets and explosions tearing through your surroundings, all powered by DICE’s state-of-the-art Frostbite 2 Engine.

See the details of the Physical warfare edition in the pic below:

MW3 Reveal trailer

Check it out:

Work on PS4 confirmed!

The company's EVP and chief financial officer Masaru Kato told a conference call today that work on the system is "already underway".

He revealed that production resource was factored into costs for the company's full year financial results, which were released yesterday.

"For the home equipment the PS3 still has a product life," he said.

"But this is a platform business, so for the future platform - when we'll be introducing what product, I cannot discuss - but our development work is already under way, so the costs are incurred there."

The head of Sony's global games development team, Shuhei Yoshida, said last year that the firm expects Microsoft and Nintendo to launch their next-gen home systems before the new PlayStation arrives on the market.

"Naturally, in my opinion, Microsoft will make the first move," he said. "Or, because Nintendo's approach was not to upgrade much on its basic hardware - Wii doesn't even support HD resolution - so they might be the first to move.

Mortal Kombat DLC and fixes

Improved netcode -

NetherRealm Studios has heard the cries of pain and frustration over the caustic netcode that makes Mortal Kombat hardly playable online. Tom Brady said that a fix is coming and will help making online play more bearable. While online play in fighting games is not the absolute best way to play due to even the smallest amount of lag disrupting various combos from being executed, it does improve the life of a game with its wealth of competitors available to play against.

Fixing the bugs -

 Those that have played Mortal Kombat quite a bit may have seen a variety of glitches. Some of the glitches include the parry glitch done by Liu Kang and Johnny Cage that allows their parry moves to be used again and again while they crouch and block, and Sonya’s block infinite that can locked down an opponent after she does certain moves. While the patch on 5/20 did do some changes to help prevent these glitches from being used, this upcoming patch will actually fix the problems.

DLC - 

Tom Brady did confirm that Skarlet will be available in the next patch along with other DLC extras like costumes. When asked about future DLC characters aside from the confirmed Kenish and Skarlet, he was reluctant to speak further about possible characters released in the future."

Modern warfare 3 engine adds: "A lot of cool stuff"

Modern Warfare 3 developer Infinity Ward has said that the game's engine features plenty of improvements over MW2's. Asked on Twitter whether MW3 is using a brand new game engine, IW creative strategist Robert Bowling responded: "We haven't gone into detail on the engine yet but we've moved beyond the MW2 engine and added a lot of cool stuff for MW3."


Battlefield-like environmental destruction isrumoured to feature in Modern Warfare 3,.

F3AR: Soul king mode

Warner's released a new FEAR 3 multiplayer trailer showing off the paranormal shooter's Soul King mode.

"In this cutthroat mode, players are thrust into the most competitive multiplayer experience in the game, with the goal of harvesting the most number of souls before time runs out.

"Players will start out as a spectre, capable of possessing enemies to gain the skills and weapons of the body they inhabit. While possessing a body, players will be able to collect souls through killing enemies, however, will need to constantly battle other AI enemies and the three other players eager to take them down and steal their harvested souls."


See the video below:

Activision respond to MW3 leak!

Activision's public response to the massive Modern Warfare 3 leak isn't all that different to its behind closed doors one, which has come to light via an alleged internal email.

Last week publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg spoke openly of his team's effort to turn "lemons into lemonade" by building on the leak and transforming it into a marketing win for the company, but in a memo obtained by Giant Bomb he admitted Activision had been "lucky" that the security breach occurred so close to the planned reveal date.
"We were lucky in that we were very close to our scheduled reveal date, and therefore, we had a number of assets that had not yet been released, but were ready to go," he said in Activision's first company-wide internal acknowledgement of the leak.

"When it came to light that we had suffered a significant security breach, it became clear that a leak of this size had the potential to throw our launch off of its schedule, or worse, blunt its momentum. As a company, we needed... to deal with the fact that, like it or not, our launch had just begun."

Hirshberg continued: "Instead of panicking, we took the fire of interest that had been started by the leak, and poured gasoline on it. Through Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, we released our four teasers (which were not scheduled to launch for another week) onto the web.

"With equal agility, our worldwide sales organizations managed to put both the retail and .com presale programs and assets into launch mode in no-time flat. Everybody involved delivered under pressure.

"Perhaps, most importantly, we migrated the dialogue from one that was between our players and the leakers, to one between our players and us."

According to Hirshberg, "pre-sales for MW3 are off to an amazing start". He also said Activision expects its investigation into the leak to be "resolved quickly". 

Fallout New Vegas DLC

Bethesda Softworks’ is set to get two more amazing pieces of DLC, having already got "Honest Hearts" on the 17th of May.

In “Honest Hearts” your caravan is ambushed by a tribal raiding band while crossing Zion National Park. Your decisions determine the fate of Zion, balancing a conflict between a New Canaanite missionary and the mysterious Burned Man.

“Old World Blues” takes you deep into the Mojave where monsters appear hostile until you discover their dark secret. In the pre-war research centres of the Big Empty you’ll have chance to defeat these mutants or convince them to fight by your side.

In the last chapter “Lonesome Road” you should recognise potential ally Courier Six, aka Ulysses, who refused to deliver the Platinum Chip. Ulysses is finally offering an explanation. But first you must complete a job in the perilous canyons of the Divide.

Alan Wake: Night Springs

 

The next Alan Wake game will be subtitled 'Night Springs' and will be a download game via Xbox Live Arcade.

That's according to an XBLAFans report, which claims "an extremely trusted source" leaked the info on the secret XBLA project.

Oskari Hakkinen, head of franchise development at Remedy, has recently confirmed there is more Alan Wake coming soon, but mysteriously he said it won't be a sequel or downloadable content for the first game.

Rumours of a follow-up to Remedy Entertainment's thriller adventure had been swirling around in recent weeks, with an 'Alan Wake 2' being mentioned in the CV of an artist who apparently worked on an in-game cinematic for it just last month.

4 Modern warfare 3 trailers:

 Not one, not two, not even three, the Russians have invaded 4 major countries and we got a trailer for each!

Germany:

America:

England:

France:

Gears of War 3 campaign teaser

Microsoft's launched a new campaign teaser trailer for Gears of War 3, along with one new screenshot.

Focusing on Marcus and his desire to find his father, it's a tiny section of a longer trailer that's due to air after the Champions League final next Saturday night and during Game 6 of the NBA Playoffs on TNT in the US.

It's a meagre offering, but it has got us wanting to play the game right now. Shame it's not out until September. Microsoft says the full version of the trailer will be "laced with explosive new gameplay".

See the teaser below:

La Noire overheating problems!

 

  
Sony has stated that the overheating issue affecting a few PS3s playing L.A Noire is also crashing "other consoles", so xbox users, be aware!
Rockstar is now advising any players whose L.A Noire is "crashing or freezing" their console to delete their game data - but not their save data - from their PS3, or clear their cache on Xbox 360.

Rockstar claimed late yesterday that Sony's Firmware 3.61 update - which arrived as the platform holder brought PSN back online over the weekend - was to blame for older models of PS3 over-heating when playing L.A Noire.

In a deleted official statement, the firm said that it wastaking the PS3 overheating issue "very seriously".

However, having denied that the firmware had anything to do with the problem, Sony has now suggested that L.A Noire discs are also having the same effect on the Xbox 360.

"As with the release of any System Update, we will invariably see a very small number of users whose console has failed following updating their console, which is an unfortunate coincidence" a Sony spokesperson told Edge.

Rockstar have now updated their FAQ on the matter, have admitted that it is a fault with their latest title LA Noire and have offered a work around

New xbox 360 dashboard update!

New update

Microsoft's detailed a new Xbox 360 system update, which starts rolling out internationally from today.

The Dashboard update adds, among other things, compatibility with the updated Xbox 360 disc format, which reportedly offers developers 1GB of extra space for their games.

The system update also includes an auto-standby feature that places your console on standby if it's idle for more than one hour, helping to reduce power consumption, and further integration with PayPal.

"Once you've linked your PayPal account to your Xbox Live account on Xbox.com, you'll be off and running to use it as a billing option, allowing you to buy content such as Microsoft Points, Xbox Live Gold subscriptions and Games on Demand titles," explains official mouthpiece Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb.

Microsoft plans to roll out the 360 system update "gradually" to all Live users starting today "and throughout the next couple weeks", which it says is to "ensure a high quality deployment".

"Just like any other update to our service, you will know you've received it when you turn on your Xbox 360 console, connect to Xbox Live and receive a notification to download the update. It's important to note that it may take a few days to make its way around the globe. Thanks for your patience if you don't get it right away!"

Microsoft said today that a recent software update - and not today's new firmware - is behind disc read errors being experienced by a small number of Xbox 360 owners.

It's previously been suggested that Avatar Kinect, the new face-tracking chat service for Xbox Live, will also be arriving this month, though Microsoft's yet to confirm.

Modern Warfare 3 is coming!

Will Ghost return?

 Here's a surprise, MW3 is to be announced in the coming weeks, even before E3 begins!

The latest issue of OPM is teasing a Modern Warfare 3 reveal for its next issue, which goes on sale on June 8. That falls on the second day of E3, so there's a good chance we might see something of the game in LA before the issue lands, but it's worth marking on your calendar.

Rumours have however suggested that Activision will pull back the veil this month, before E3 even gets underway.

There've been no hints or details on the game so far, but it will be interesting to see how it's turned out given the turbulence at Infinity Ward that many thought would threaten the release of this year's Call of Duty game.

EA denies having the new xbox console

Recently EA has denied having the new xbox hardware to test with. They had apparently been given the heardware for the new console in a pc shell. (For the full story see my post: Xbox 720)

Electronic Arts has strongly dismissed claims that its internal development teams are already working with the hardware that will become Microsoft's successor to the Xbox 360.

A report from respected industry publication Develop on Friday suggested that EA has been given the kit by MS, inside a PC shell.

However, EA spokesperson Jeff Brown told IndustryGamers: "This story is a total fabrication - 100 percent not true."

Console update needed!

So, my last post was about the possible Xbox 720, and the fact that gamers want better graphics, but compared to PCs, the consoles can't live up to demand.

This is becuase gaming PCs are constantly updating, but consoles aren't, so game developers are restricted by the older hardware. See the picture below:

As you can see, the PC has better colour depth, better shadows, textures and better overall detail. This is why recent games such as Crysis 2 can be played at full graphics on computers, but, the console version is played at lower graphics.

This is why the consoles need updated, and we could see the new Xbox being announced at E3 (see my last post.)

Xbox 720?!

Is it finally here?!

We've been hearing about it for years, and now that video game developers need new hardware to run their games at full power (I will ocver this in a later post), it cold be coming in the form of... The Xbox 720 (or, just the next xbox)

Microsoft is to announce a successor to the Xbox 360 at E3 next month, according to "a senior, trusted, well-placed" source.

The tipster, speaking to respected games industry publication Develop, said the new hardware was sent to EA last month - and that the publisher is getting to grips with the tech right now.

It's said to be a "very early build with no casing - it is in fact being stored inside a PC shell".

"Quite often when new consoles come around they're packaged into a PC shell, but actually what's inside is an entirely new console," the source said.

"Why let Nintendo steal the thunder in June (maybe at E3?) It doesn't want to lose momentum. That's why I think Microsoft is rushing to make an announcement at E3."

Develop has been led to believe that the new Xbox will feature enhanced support for Kinect and will launch by the end of 2012.

The site's source added: "Kinect will keep the 360 going for a couple of years, but Microsoft knows that if it slows down now it will face trouble."

In March, Microsoft said it was looking for a 'hardware verification engineer', a 'VLSI graphics architect' and a 'VLSI performance architect' for work on what sounded very much like a next-gen console.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

I know, I know... ANOTHER ONE ALREADY?!

Yep, another one, already, and here's the info:

In Assassin's Creed Revelations, Ezio will travels to Constantinople, in the footsteps of Altair in order to unravel the mystery of the Templars and the Assassins.

Revelations also brings back the multiplayer experience from Assassin's Creed Brotherhood with - "more modes, more maps and more characters" according to the official announcement. In addition, players will be able to "manipulate the construct of Desmond's memories and the Animus to decipher the mysteries of his past and gain insight into the future." - Whatever that means :S

In addition, Revelations has been described as the "final chapter of the Ezio trilogy" and is scheduled for release this November. We'll learn more about the game at E3, which is taking place next month.

The first image to emerge from the new game also features a new toolcalled the "hook blade" (no prizes for quessing what it looks like) which you can see hanging from Ezio's sleeve.

Check out the 1st image below:

Mass effect 3

Mass Effect 3

Just the name 'Mass Effect' is epic, and the games more than live up to their name. So, let's take a look at the third, and probably final Mass Effect.

Summary: 

Earth is in ruin, burning and without hope. Attacking from beyond known space, terrifying machines have begun their assualt on the human race.

As Commander Shepard, your only hope is to rally the civilizations of the galaxy and launch one final mission to take back the Earth. This third entry in the intergalactic RPG series is going to be epic!

There are no known special editions or collector's editions at the minute, however it is more than likely there will be at least one special edition of the game.


Info:
Release date: 2012                                     
Platforms: Xbox360, PS3, Pc
Genre: RPG
Publisher: Electronic arts (EA)
Developer: Bioware



And last, but by no means least, here's the trailer: