In a statement provided to Gamasutra,
Bhatia said the open-world action game is likely to arrive in March
2013. Previously, the firm had expected the title to ship during the
2012 holiday season.
Developer Rockstar Games took the wraps off GTAV in October, but it did not provide a release date or platforms for the sequel to 2008's critically acclaimed game.
A March 2013 launch for GTAV would be advantageous for Rockstar,
according to Bhatia, because that window is far from the releases of new
entries in the Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty franchises.
The analyst also noted that a 2013 ship date for GTAV would leave open
the possibility for a Wii U version of the title. The Wii U is scheduled
to launch worldwide during the holiday 2012 season.
Last month, Rockstar said further GTAV details are months away.
That time frame lines up with the game industry's biggest
information-drop event of the year, the Electronic Entertainment Expo.
This year's show will return to the Los Angeles Convention Center June
5-7.
Rockstar has provided brief glimpses at GTAV thus far. The game will be
set primarily in present-day Los Santos, a fictional town modeled on Los
Angeles. Rockstar has also said that GTAV boasts the largest scope of
any installment in the franchise to date.
Sony
lays out launch lineup headed by Uncharted and Hot Shots Golf; games
priced from $10 to $50, memory cards running from $20 for 4GB up to $100
for 32GB.
Dark Souls is an extraordinary role-playing game that transports you to an awesome and menacing world you may never forget.
The Good
A gorgeous and frightening world you won't want to leave
Abundant, amazing bosses test your skill and determination
Superb combat in which every attack feels powerful and precise
Fantastic online aspect lets players both cooperate and compete
Covenant system and other features lead to constant surprises.
The Bad
Frame rate gets choppy in certain areas
Finicky target lock.
Any game can deliver a few cheap scares. It takes a special one to
terrify you. Dark Souls is such a game. It's a thoughtful, atmospheric,
and mysterious role-playing adventure that challenges your mind and your
mettle. It takes the concepts of deadly environments and unflinching
difficulty introduced by 2009's infamously tough Demon's Souls
and cranks up the challenge, the fear, the frustration, and the
eventual triumph. Dark Souls' enormous world is vast and dangerous,
filled with terrifying fire demons and homicidal lizardmen, all with a
single goal: to annihilate you. And so you die, over and over again, as
you make your way through this strikingly fearsome land. But in Dark
Souls, death and resurrection is a core mechanic, not a roadblock, and
because the combat is so precise, you ultimately feel in control of your
destiny. Dark Souls plays by its own rules, and in doing so, provides
an unforgettable adventure that seeps into your being and invades your
thoughts. It's a landmark game, destined to be loved and talked about by
anyone who has the pleasure of unraveling its mysteries.
Like Demon's Souls, Dark Souls is a third-person dungeon crawler with
precise and responsive combat. You create a character, select a class,
and enter a bleak kingdom populated by undead horrors, shrieking
gargoyles, and iron-clad knights. The tutorial introduces you to the
impending terrors in fine fashion. You fight a gargantuan ogre, get
rolled over by a giant ball, and encounter a sad fellow who issues you a
warning in his final moments. After this sinister and enthralling
introduction, a giant raven flies you to the shrine that serves as your
initial hub. And so begins your exploration of Lordran, where non-player
characters offer a few vague notions of where you are and what you must
do, but little else. NPCs muse on their undead conditions and emit
disturbing giggles, but Dark Souls doesn't focus on plot, character
development, or questing in the traditional sense. Rather, it provides
you with a captivating world spiced with narrative details, and
encourages you to craft your own tale. You might expect that such thin
storytelling might lead to aimlessness, but Dark Souls is anything but
aimless, in part due to the structure and design of its large, seamless
world.
Demon's Souls was a collection of large levels attached to a hub area;
Dark Souls is a single, massive realm, separated into distinct regions.
You can't explore with impunity, however: certain areas open up to you
only when you beat bosses. Watching a giant closed gate swing open after
a nail-biting battle is a fantastic reward for proving your dominance:
You are filled with trepidation and excitement at the prospect of
investigating a mystifying new territory. That region might contain dim
forests, crumbling castles, dilapidated bridges, and ominous fortresses.
Each area has its own defining visual characteristics, yet feels like
it belongs to the same melancholy medieval universe. A giant red dragon
perches above a stone bridge and breathes fire upon you. Undead knights
clad in capes charge at you. Ghostly figures descend on a murky village.
Dark Souls is beautiful and terrifying all at once--yet as horrifying
as it is, it draws you in. No one should ever want to reside in a land
in which death lurks around each corner. Yet once you're there, Dark
Souls convinces you to remain, promising new vistas to ogle and new
creatures to slay. The biggest blight on this land is the inconsistent
frame rate. It isn't a pervasive issue, but things get choppy in certain
areas. The slowdown isn't likely to affect your exploration, but it's
noticeable enough to stand out.
You eventually unlock shortcuts between regions and make good use of
them, especially when trying to best Dark Souls' immense and numerous
bosses. They include twin gargoyles atop a parish roof, a giant fire
demon, a huge wolf with a sword in its mouth, and a deceptively
beautiful butterfly that sings a soothing lullaby when it isn't trying
to murder you. And there are minibosses too, such as a blue dragon
guarding a narrow path and a giant diseased rat skulking in the sewers.
Every boss looks gruesome, and each plays differently enough to keep you
on your toes. Even standard foes are wonderfully hideous in Dark Souls
and are suited to their environment. Each enemy attacks differently from
others, with some taking advantage of openings to whittle away most, if
not all, of your health bar. However, smooth animations and clear sound
effects signal the most powerful moves, allowing you to block properly
or roll out of the way. Yet each dog and demon has enough different
attacks to make every encounter a surprise; it's a great mix of
consistency and unpredictability. And with so much combat variety, you
might find use for multiple weapons and sets of armor, each with its own
attack and defense benefits (one for fending off poison, one for fire
protection, and so on). One moment, you might look like a hooded wraith
in your gold-trimmed cloak; the next, your gleaming armor gives you the
look of a virtuous silver knight.
Fortunately, the combat is weighty and exact, which is why Dark Souls
feels fair and rarely cheap. In all but a few instances, the collision
detection is flawless. When your blade makes contact with a shield, it
glances off; when it meets flesh, it sinks into it. If you hit a wall
rather than the flaming minotaur rising above you, he will take
advantage of your error. These might seem like small details, but
without such accuracy, Dark Souls wouldn't be such a triumph. Combat
isn't perfect: a drake might clip into a mountain and get stuck, or you
could perish due to mistakes caused by the finicky lock-on mechanic. But
such issues are easily overlooked, and more apparent than they might
otherwise have been, because the action is usually ultraprecise.
Thank goodness for such precision. Without it, you could never survive
in this wild world. On your travels, you cross narrow beams and avoid
deadly swinging blades. Evil shrubs spring to life and pierce you with
their branches, and the bones of skeletons you just defeated reassemble
themselves before your very eyes. And so you die. Often. Afterward, you
resurrect at the most recent bonfire you rested at. These bonfires are
scattered around the world, though they are far enough apart that you
don't feel totally secure in your travels. Resting at one saves your
game, replenishes your health and your supply of health flasks, and
restores the number of times you can cast a particular spell. (There is
no mana bar in Dark Souls.) The catch: every enemy, apart from bosses,
respawns when you rest.
EA SPORTS FIFA Football on PS Vita delivers the first true next generation football experience in the palm of your hands. Enjoy the award-winning FIFA console gameplay, HD graphics, and the largest feature set ever created by EA SPORTS for a handheld device. The same physics-based, data driven technology that powers FIFA gameplay on PlayStation3 drives FIFA Football on the Vita across eight different game modes, including authentic 11 versus 11, Be A Pro, Tournament Mode with over 50 real-world competitions, a full in-depth Career Mode, and head-to-head online. Innovations that utilize front and back multitouch screens create an intelligent and unique gameplay experience. Touch Screen Shooting delivers pin-point accuracy and removes the element of hit and hope from shooting, Touch Screen Passing opens up the field of play for more creative, precision passing, and Touch Screen Free Kick Control enables players to swipe a finger to aim and curl the shot around the wall. Plus, compete with over 500 officially licensed clubs in 11 v 11 matches in authentic stadiums from around the world.Key Features:
Award-winning FIFA gameplay - Experience the same authentic, responsive and intelligent gameplay as the console game.
HD Graphics - Stunning player models, graphics and animations in High Definition.
Touch Screen Shooting - Enjoy complete control over shooting - the most rewarding part of football - by removing the element of "hit and hope". Pick a spot precisely from the back touch screen and then finesse a shot with pin-point accuracy.
Touch Screen Passing - A more intelligent and creative way to play and distribute the ball. Make decisive passes with precision and ease utilizing the front touch screen.
Touch Screen Free Kick Control - Enjoy creative new ways to take free kicks and score utilizing optional touch screen controls on set pieces. Swipe your finger to aim and curl a shot around the wall for the match-winning goal that lifts your club to victory.
Touch Screen Defending - Take control of a specific defender simply by tapping on the player using the front touch screen, taking all the guess work out of auto switching.
Career Mode - Play or manage your way to glory through an authentic experience that mimics the real-world game. Begin as a real player or created player and evolve into a player-manager and manager - or just begin at the top - and enjoy a 15-season career. Enjoy authentic tournament structures and results, a Calendar system featuring simultaneous simulations that accelerate game flow, Team Management system for player comparisons, and Friends Leaderboards to compare stats and earnings.
Be A Pro - Create yourself in game and become the next football legend. Build your reputation, and develop your skills to ultimately compete for your favourite club and national side.
Tournament Mode - Compete in over 50 real-world tournaments from around the world. Play with/against friends in leagues ranging from the Barclays Premiership to the Bundesliga.
Head-to-Head Online - Play head-to-head online against a friend in authentic 11 v 11 matches.
Training Mode - Master Touch Screen controls, perfect set pieces and practice moves before playing games.
360 Degree Fight For Possession - True freedom in man-to-man interactions, transforming physical play from individual lateral jostling to full 360 collisions involving multiple players.
Be A Goalkeeper - Experience the thrill of the one-on-one battle, diving to make a save from a free kick, punching balls safely out of danger, and the pressure of keeping a clean sheet. Learn the position, track stats, complete achievements and test yourself against the best players in the virtual world.
Unmatched Authenticity - Compete with over 500 officially licensed clubs in 11 v 11 matches in authentic stadiums from around the world.
DiRT 3 Complete Edition includes the award-winning DiRT3 expanded with extra content included in the box.DiRT 3 delivers mud, sweat and gears the world over: from the intense weather-beaten rally stages of Europe, Africa and the US, to executing performance driving showcases and career challenges where car control is pushed to spectacular limits. The game boasts more cars, more locations, more routes and more events than any other game in the series, including over 50 rally cars representing the very best from five decades of the sport.
Race through the snow, rain and dirt and experience dramatic night races as DiRT3 is extended with 12 new routes at two new locations plus 13 extra cars and liveries. Experience freestyle Gymkhana, Rally, Rallycross and more in solo, online and split-screen modes as you compete on a global tour from Finland to Monaco and Tokyo.
Powered by the award-winning EGO Engine for stunning weather, incredible damage and jaw-dropping graphics, DiRT3 Complete Edition is the essential version of the ultimate off-road racer Extra Contents Includes:
1. X Games Asia Track Pack
Work on Grand Theft Auto V began almost immediately after the release of Grand Theft Auto IV[citation needed] at Rockstar North. In September 2009 during an earnings call, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick answered a listener's question about the next Grand Theft Auto. He replied, "We're not going to announce it, we're not going to announce when we are going to announce it, and we are not going to announce a strategy about announcing it or about when we are going to announce it either, or about the announcement strategy surrounding the announcement of the strategy."[4]
In a November 2009 interview with The Times, Grand Theft Auto producer Dan Houser discussed his work, including the future of the series. Houser stated that he planned to co-write a script that reached about one thousand pages in length. In the same interview, Houser explained the company's basic workflow of creating new games in the series, which involves coming up with the city first, and then the lead character later.[1][5][6]
In July 2010, Rockstar North posted seven job ads related to a new title. The firm looked to fill positions including Environment Artists, Physics Programmers and Character Animators. The job ad for the latter asking for those with "professional experience developing a third person action game". It was unknown if Rockstar was hiring for GTA V, or the firm was bulking up its Agent team.[7]
In December 2010, Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick said that the company "won't annualise" its biggest franchises like Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne and Red Dead. He told Reuters that doing so would threaten their quality and risk burning out consumers.[8]
In February and March 2011, there were several possible minor leaks of supposed GTA production, including domain name registrations,[9] and casting calls featuring previous GTA characters.[10] The first signs of the game went online in February 2011, via an actor's CV,[11] which was followed by the discovery of Rockstar-registered GTA style URLs.[12] In March a number of casting calls for voice acting in a project codenamed Rush were leaked onto the internet. Considering one role included James Pedeaston, a radio personality in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the project was presumed to concern Rockstar.[13][14][15]
In June 2011, sources allegedly close to the developer told GameSpot that the title is "well under way", with final touches like mini-games already being applied, and a 2012 release "pretty likely". "It's the big one," they also said of the game, noting that GTA V's scale is vast.[16]
In a July 2011 interview with PSM3, Team Bondi co-founder Brendan McNamara was asked if Rockstar (who published Bondi's 2011 L.A. Noire) was considering the proprietary MotionScan face-scanning technology for the next GTA game. McNamara replied, "Yeah, I think they're looking at it for every game. As much as L.A. Noire is a huge game, Grand Theft Auto is incredibly huge, so you've got all the problems of how big the cast would be and how many lines would you have to record and all that kind of stuff. Obviously we'd like them to, and they're more than welcome to use MotionScan, but if they decide it's not right for that and want to use it for another game, then that's fine too."[17]
On 25 October 2011, Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto V via their Twitter account, which included the #GTAV hashtag and a link to their homepage, which displayed the game's logo.[18] The 'V' in the logo is styled like a bank note.[19] A message was printed below the logo stating that a trailer would be released on 2 November 2011.[20] The following day Rockstar put a Grand Theft Auto V trailer countdown on their homepage.[21] Shares of Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, jumped seven percent following the revelation that Grand Theft Auto V is in development.[22]
On 26 October 2011, video game website Kotaku claimed that it had been told that rumours about Rockstar being set to make a switch to reality by recreating real-world Los Angeles for GTA V "are true" by "a source familiar with the game". Kotaku said that GTA V will be set in "some version of L.A."[23][24]
On 2 November 2011, Rockstar released the debut trailer for Grand Theft Auto V.[3] Giving fans a first look at the upcoming title, the trailer revealed the setting to be Los Santos, the fictional version of Los Angeles and its California surroundings, including Hollywood ("Vinewood") and rural hills and valleys. Additional features revealed in the trailer included golf, planes, jetskis, and a working gym. The song used in the trailer is "Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake" by the British band The Small Faces.[25]
"Looking ahead, Take-Two has the strongest development pipeline in the company's history. At the cornerstone of our stellar line-up is the recently announced next instalment of Rockstar Games' iconic franchise that has sold-in more than 114 million units - Grand Theft Auto V. The creative team at Rockstar Games continues to set benchmarks for excellence with every new release and we're confident that consumers' enthusiasm will be rewarded with a breathtaking entertainment experience that can only be provided by Grand Theft Auto."
On 3 November 2011, Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto V was in full development and that it would take place within Los Santos and its "surrounding hills, countryside and beaches", and that it would be "the largest and the most ambitious game Rockstar has yet created", with Sam Houser describing it as a "radical reinvention of the Grand Theft Auto universe".[27] A version of Los Santos was previously featured in 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, along with two other cities that were part of that rendition of the state of San Andreas (Las Venturas and San Fierro, based on Las Vegas and San Francisco, respectively). Rockstar parent Take-Two called GTA V "a bold new direction in open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online multiplayer," while confirming that its story will focus on "the pursuit of the almighty dollar in a re-imagined, present-day Southern California." No release date or platforms were provided in the announcement.[2]
On 8 November 2011, Take-Two's second quarter financial earnings report included an update on future product launch dates, with the newest game to be added to the list was GTA V, which carried a "TBA" release.[26] On 2 February 2012, during Take-Two's third quarter financial report, CEO Strauss Zelnick said developer Rockstar is making "incredible progress".[28] On 13 February 2012, in a Question and Answer section on their blog, a nameless Rockstar representative said that the developer is toiling away diligently and hopes to reveal more in a few months time.[29]
Reception
Commercial
In August 2011, Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia predicted first-year sales of GTA V to be as high as 25 million.[30] The same month, analyst Michael Pachter said that the game should sell at least 18 million units and, given historical attach rates for the franchise, that GTA V sales could be as high as 24 million.[31] In October 2011, HMV's head of games Tim Ellis said the announcement of GTA V will bring a new boost to the market. Ellis told MCV a new GTA launch is "a fantastic development that would inject huge excitement into the games market for fans, retailers and media alike," adding Rockstar would "face the challenge of delivering another brilliant game that’s as good if not better than anything we’ve seen before."[32]EEDAR's Jesse Divnich said in November 2011 that GTA V has the potential to shatter first day and first week sales records currently held by Call of Duty.[33] In addition, Electronic Entertainment Design and Research analyst Jesse Divnich claimed, while speaking about his top five gaming predictions for the next year, that GTA V would be 2012's biggest release, coming out ahead of other big releases such as the next Call of Duty installation.[34] In the beginning of December, Google Trends revealed that GTA V was the most searched 2012 video game launch on Google.[35] After Take-Two Interactive delayed Rockstar's Max Payne 3 by two months to May 2012, several analysts expect GTA V to launch in Take-Two's 2013 fiscal year (ending March 31, 2013), despite an increasingly crowded release schedule for the publisher.[36] Analysts including Pachter and National Alliance Capital Markets analyst Mike Hickey previously predicted a summer 2012 release for GTA V.[37] U.S. financial analyst Baird Equity Research stated that GTA V and the next Call of Duty will account for around a quarter of all video game sales in the coming financial year, and a third of all money made from video games in the next year will also come from just those two titles.[38]
The first Motorstorm wowed fans with its heady formula of brutal, unpredictable off-road racing, festival vibes and stunning Monument Valley desert scenery. Now, Motorstorm Pacific Rift takes you to a solitary tropical paradise in the Pacific Ocean, ready for a whole new take on no-holds-barred racing action through thick swamps, dense jungle, towering peaks and steaming volcanoes.Not just pretty backdrops to the action, these environments take center stage in challenging players with everything in Mother Nature's arsenal. Thick mud, tangled undergrowth, swift flowing rivers, choking volcanic clouds and searing lava pools all test the drivers to their limits and beyond. Expect a rich festival of off road racing, along with a host of game modes and rewards. It's brutal, dangerous, relentless, and unpredictable and more than a game - Motorstorm Pacific Rift is a way of life. Even More Vehicle Classes and Tracks
Pacific Rift ships with eight car classes: the seven from the original game (Bikes, ATVs, Buggies, Rally Cars, Racing trucks, Mud Pluggers and Big Rigs) all reproduced in new forms, as well as the new Monster Truck class. Big, but not as big or powerful as a Big Rig, Monster Trucks are surprisingly fast for their size and are able to roll over most other classes of vehicle and virtually any vegetation they encounter.
The game's list of playable tracks has also been doubled to 16 and are categorized along the lines of the elements and the different environmental zones are found on the island. These zones are: The Air Zone - Tracks high up in the mountain and featuring lots of big jumps.The Fire Zone - Track oozing with new land and pools of lava that come from the island's resident volcano.The Water Zone - Here players will find courses laid out along the the beaches and other water sources of the island.The Earth Zone - The typical rough, rocky mud-filled off-road courses similar to the tracks found in the original game. Multiplayer Modes
In addition to the wild, anything goes singleplayer festival mode players of the originalMotorstorm game will remember and relish, Motorstorm Pacific Rift also provides addictive multiplayer modes for both online and local play. These include the same rampaging, music injected, 12-player online support as the first game, as well as multiplayer options for local action up to four players. Play in local multiplayer modes are further enhanced by new four-player split screen functionality that when used in conjunction with the game's 720p HD video output ensures clarity no matter how fast racers are moving or how much mud they are throwing up. Key Game Features: The Island - A brand new radically different location for the festival.Unpredictable Events - Never the same race twice. Events will take place to change the race on a lap to lap basis.Split Screen Play - Play with up to 3 buddies on the same screen.The Monster Truck - An all new vehicle class added to the core vehicle selection for a total of 8 different vehicle classes.Immersive Online Experience - A radical re-look at the whole Motorstorm online experience, focusing on ease of use and breadth of gameplay all while tearing it up in races up to 12 players.Improved Actions - A new level of control; punch, duck and ram using a new control layout.Free-play - Race how you want by creating your own race tickets.Photo Mode - Snap your greatest victory or your most visceral crashes and share them with the world.New Rating System - It's not all about winning; it's also about how you perform. Bells and Whistles: Tunes and XMB Functionality
As was the case with the original Motorstorm, the driving experience in Pacific Rift can not be separated from the music that accompanies it. The game comes with a thumping 40 song soundtrack and players will also have the ability to pipe in their own playlists saved to their PS3 the ability to access others saved on your PS3's Hard drive. In addition for players who want to relive their moments tearing across the island, the game also features PlayStation 3 XrossMediaBar (XMB) functionality and Photo Mode. XMB lets plays create movies of their races and access them from the PS3's main menu, while Photo Mode allows you to take snapshots while within a race.
As you roll into the Rift, expect a rich festival of off road racing, along with a host of game modes and rewards. It's brutal, dangerous, relentless, unpredictable and much more than a game - Motorstorm Pacific Rift is a way of life.
