Official figures from Blizzard are out. And if they are to be believed, Diablo III has managed to trade off a total of 3.5 million PC duplicates on launch day. This apparently makes it the fastest-selling PC game ever according to the publisher’s internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.

And the figure of 3.5 million does not even count in more than 1.2 million players who received the game as a reward for signing up for the World of Warcraft Annual Pass promotion. So in total, 4.7 million gamers had access to the dark fantasy world of Sanctuary on May 15, 2012. And after the first week of the title’s release, 6.3 million players owned the game. It should also be noted that all these figures do not include players in the Korean Internet game rooms, where the title has already become the top-played game.

“Regarding today’s announcement, we recognize that setting a new launch record is a huge achievement. However, we’re especially proud of the gameplay feedback we’ve received from players worldwide. We’re pleased that Diablo III has lived up to players’ high expectations, and we’re looking forward to welcoming more players into Sanctuary in the days ahead,” explained Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment.

Diablo III can now be bought as a digital download as well as via retail at a price of 59.99 USD (approx. Rs. 3,360).

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source : www.gameguru.in

At first glance, what interests you about Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is its story. The infamous Umbrella Security Service is out dispose of any traces of its involvement in the outbreak incident that had us shooting zombies all over the place in RE 2 and RE 3: Nemesis. You’re on the other side of the conflict this time around, as members of the Delta Team sent by Umbrella to cover up evidence. Three-way fights manifest, since in addition to zombies, the United States military is on the prowl, and somehow you manage to get onto their radar. Some uninteresting plot twists and forgettable gameplay later, the title reaches a stage where you need to decide whether to bump off Leon or not. We chose both these decisions one by one, and none changed our lives much in any way, chiefly due to our overall disappointment with the game.

Being a tactical shooter, the game has you enter as part of a four-member team, with six faceless characters to select from. These counterparts can be rightfully labelled as good-for-nothing if they’re AI controlled. They feel free to wander off or even die during crunch situations. And you’d be lucky if their bullets actually manage to assist in killing enemies. Online partners are therefore a must if you wish to squeeze some excitement out of this game. But here’s where another dilemma slips in. The same whacky AI transcends onto the foes. Sometimes you’ll walk right past them completely unnoticed, and sometimes they’ll charge you all guns blazing. On occasion, ten shots will be sufficient to dispatch a foe, while at times it may take you thirty. This imbalance hits your adventure immensely and to add to that, there are also a few difficulty spikes scattered here and there.

Despite the focus being placed on tactics-based shooting, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City does try its hand at being scary, but those attempts often fall flat. Zombies continually pounce on you from behind closed doors, and after some time, you begin anticipating these situations. Character design is one department that seems to have a good amount of work put into it. The enemies look hazardous and impressive, and other characters like Leon, Claire and T-Birkin too manage to capture your attention. The shooting mechanics of this game are satisfactory. The same can’t be stated about its melee system though, which is completely out of place, as it is not only unbalanced but also wayward at times. There’s even a cover system in place that works fine, but there are certain cover positions that, annoyingly enough, prevent you from shooting.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City even has a few control issues that dog you from time to time, blacking out the controllers for a few seconds. Its environments have been built to suit the episodic structure that the game adopts. It has been proven that a game’s art has a lot to do with creating lasting impressions on the minds of players. Perhaps RE: ORC should have taken a leaf out of this book; the entire game has you moving around in hackneyed surroundings that in no way echo the Resident Evil brand. The voice acting that has gone into the game is inconsistent and bears really clichéd dialogues which fail to grab your attention. On the graphics front, the title performs well, and displays its cut-scenes in a rather splendid manner, with the lighting being best as well. Slant Six Games’ Hexane engine deserves some acclaim here.

The on-line multiplayer components within the game will feel special to some as one of modes lets you play as Leon, Ada, Claire and other known characters from the RE universe. Multiplayer matches offer four modes that each support a maximum of eight players. But the hiccups in gameplay prevent these modes from being enjoyable. Unlike what the developers might have wished, these modes do no good to the replay value of RE: ORC.

Final Word: Taken as a whole, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City looks like an experiment gone terribly wrong. Issues like poor game balance, pitiable AI and an absence of the RE feel turn this one into a humdrum experience which plays out on a linear graph. At the end, you either save or kill Leon, and that’s where you begin believing that you’ll at least get to witness something exciting. But unfortunately, that’s where the developers decide to roll the credits. There’s also an air of hastiness around everything, perhaps indicating that the title was rushed to meet a certain deadline. That’s believable as Capcom would definitely want some breathing room before October shines through with Resident Evil 6. Nonetheless, RE: ORC doesn’t manage to deliver the thrills it promises, and that’s final. Here’s our score for it.

Overall (not an average): 5.5/10

source : www.gameguru.in

Ubisoft has announced the launch of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Commander, an isometric tactical combat game which can be played now on Facebook. Developed by Loot Drop, this game is being claimed by its maker to comprise features that would appeal to both hardcore as well as social gamers.

The title kicks in tactical gameplay and it also proffers an approachable dynamic combat system. Players will even be able to begin and stop the game at their convenience without penalty. Apart from these, other traits that form part of the title are ten replayable missions, three difficulty levels and ‘dozens’ of weapons for players to select from. Moreover, the characters within the game will all be customizable with weaponry, armor and gadgets.

Chris Early, vice president of digital publishing at Ubisoft, stated, “We are taking the popular Ghost Recon franchise and bringing it to platforms that grant players of all skill levels to enjoy at their leisure, on the platform of their choosing. This is the basis of our companion gaming strategy that Ghost Recon Commander exemplifies so well.”

This new title will even feature asynchronous coop for players to be able to interact with their friends. Furthermore, Ubisoft has made it known that all those who play the game will receive exclusive weapons, weapon skins and bonuses in the upcoming Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online.

Gamers all over the world can now play Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Commander for free by logging into their Facebook accounts.

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source : www.gameguru.in

Some of the problems that dogged gamers in the first title of the Borderlands series were definitely its issues with framerate and voice chat. And with Borderlands 2, Gearbox Software aims to resolve the same. While answering questions asked by fans on Twitter, the studio has revealed on the official PlayStation blog that both the dilemmas are being looked into by its developers.

Gearbox Software is currently focusing on framerate and stability, but the game’s producer has revealed that it’s still ‘too early’ for him to give any final numbers. And while confirming that voice chat too will be ‘working for everyone when the game launches,’ he also mentioned that an entire portion of their programming team is working on voice communication features right now.

Charles has also confirmed that a new car named the Technical will be introduced into the title. This vehicle can hold 4 players at once and it even bears a few weapon configurations to select from. Moreover, a fresh inventory screen has also been brought in, while other interface screens have received various upgrades.

Gamers can now select to pre-order Borderlands 2 in either its standard version or its beefed up special edition versions. The game will be out for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on September 18, 2012.

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source : www.gameguru.in

2K Games has revealed two special editions for the much anticipated Borderlands 2, namely the Deluxe Vault Hunter’s Collector’s Edition and the Ultimate Loot Chest Limited Edition. The game is currently being developed by Gearbox Software, while the special editions will bring several collectible and in-game items to enhance the experience.

Deluxe Vault Hunter’s CE ships with an authentic Marcus Kincaid bobblehead, a game art hardbound book, a map of Pandora and a collectible sticker set in addition to a copy of the game. This pack will also include a code for downloading the digital comic, as well as bonus in-game content which has to be downloaded.

In addition to the stuff that’s offered with the Collector’s Edition, the Ultimate Loot Chest LE comes with other bonuses. Limited Edition owners will receive a scaled replica of red loot chests, a steelbook case, a lithograph postcard set, as well as some of Sir Hammerlock’s field notes. This pack will also feature a Creatures of Pandora wide-format ID chart, a cloth map of Pandora and of course, a numbered certificate of authenticity.

There is an added bonus – for those who pre-order either of the special editions or even the standard game – in the form of access to the Borderlands 2 Premier Club. This will grant gamers to download the Gearbox Gunmetal Pack, the Mechromancer which is an all-new fifth character class, the Vault Hunter’s Relic, and a Golden Key. The Mechromancer class will be made available after launch. It will be free to those who’ve pre-ordered, and made available for buy to those who have not.

The Borderlands 2 special edition price is as follows: the Deluxe Vault Hunter’s CE will slot in at about USD 100 or GBP 65 (approx. Rs. 5,600) for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, while the Ultimate Loot Chest LE will be available for around USD 150 for the 3 systems, or GBP 100 for the consoles and GBP 75 for PC. Borderlands 2 is scheduled for release on September 18, 2012 in the US and September 21, 2012 internationally.

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source : www.gameguru.in

The Diablo III auction house – a real-money transaction feature from Blizzard has been hit with a delay, confirmed the developer. It’s no secret that the launch of this game was hit with a number of post-release hurdles that came in the form of server issues and other dilemmas. Apologizing for these problems, Blizzard has announced that auction house will not be seen going live as per the scheduled date of May 22, 2012.

Ever since its much anticipated launch on May 15, this game has been experiencing technical issues like error messages and difficulties in logging in. According to a post by Blizzard on the title’s official forum, it is this problem which has led it to monitor the game 24/7. The developer also claims to have applied several optimizations to its systems, leading to all the servers running relatively smoothly for now. And it’s in order to maintain this situation that the World of Warcraft-maker has opted to push the launch of the auction house further.

“We’re continuing to monitor performance globally and will be taking further measures as needed to ensure a positive experience for everyone. This includes some maintenance to implement additional improvements for each region. In order to make sure everything is continuing to run as it should, we’ve decided to move out our target launch for the real-money auction house beyond our original estimated date of May 22. We’ll post further updates on that in the near future,” a community manager from Blizzard, wrote on the forum.

Another issue that seems to have cropped up is regarding the game’s achievement system. Some players have apparently noticed that their achievements were either not being tracked properly, or not being saved between multiple logins. The developer has assured gamers that it is currently looking into this matter, and will soon provide a specific update.

No definite release date for the Diablo III auction house has been mentioned as of yet. We’ll keep gamers posted with all the latest information related to the title.

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source : www.gameguru.in

A social brain-training experience will apparently be on offer with Smart As which is slated to launch exclusively for the PS Vita during the fall of this year. Described as a next-gen puzzle offering, this title will be filled with a total of 20 interactive puzzle games.

According to a post on the official PlayStation blog, its social and connective features will enable players to share their stats with other gamers from around the globe. It has been developed by XDev Europe and is claimed to take full advantage of the Vita’s touchscreen, cameras and Augmented Reality capabilities. The Daily Training challenges that have been infused within the title will proffer arithmetic, logic, language and observation-based puzzles. And the scores from each puzzle will be used to compute the overall Brain Power of gamers.

The social traits of this game revolve around players posting their daily Brain Power scores on-line in order to compare them with friends and those met through the Vita’s near app, as well as with players from all over the world. Moreover, Brain Power scores will even be available to post on Facebook. Using the near trait of the PS Vita, gamers will be able to deploy puzzles for nearby users and pick up new challenges left by others. Playing the title on the go using the handheld’s Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity will unlock even more challenges in different regions with the Street Smart mode.

Smart As is to release exclusively for the PS Vita during the fall of 2012. Its pricing information is yet to be confirmed.

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source : www.gameguru.in

To complement the Black 2 and White 2 Pokemon games which will be arriving later this year for the DS, Nintendo will release two new 3DS titles named Pokemon Dream Radar and Pokedex 3D Pro. Both will be outed through the eShop around the same time as their DS counterparts.

The 3DS’ Pokemon Dream Radar is aimed at letting players exploit the various features of the handheld. The device’s camera, motion control and augmented reality technology can be utilized to catch Pokemon by moving the 3DS. These captured creatures will also be available to be transferred across into Black Version 2 and White Version 2. Some rare Pokemon are also stated to form part of this title.

The next 3DS game is dubbed Pokedex 3D Pro and is claimed to be a fully enhanced and upgraded version of the original Pokedex 3D application. Detailed information about more than 600 Pokemon will be at hand of gamers who download it. In-depth sorting, comparison, ranking tools, capabilities and evolutions will also be proffered by this application.

Pokemon Black Version 2 and Pokemon White Version 2 will take players back into the Unova region two years after the events of previous two titles. Gamers will set out for a new adventure starting at the new Aspertia City, and discover strange events that are occurring in the transformed Unova region. They will even be able to search two legendary Pokemon – Black Kyurem and White Kyurem.

Pricing for the two 3DS games, Pokemon Dream Radar and Pokedex 3D Pro is yet to be confirmed by Nintendo. Both will be launched through the eShop in the Autumn of 2012.

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source : www.gameguru.in

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, the much awaited console version of the Japanese Arcade game released last year, has finally been bestowed with an official release date. While June 5 has been marked to be its PSN launch date, it will be seen hitting Xbox Live a day later, on June 6, 2012. This standalone downloadable title complements Virtua Fighter 5 which came way back in 2007.

VF5 Final Showdown will come equipped with two new characters as well as fresh interactive fighting arenas. Taka-Arashi, who was last seen in Virtua Fighter 3 is one of these fighters, while the other one is a newcomer named Jean Kujo. Features exclusive to the console version include a detailed Training Mode, eight player Online Room Match mode and a match record trait that can replay, save and upload fights.

Developed by AM2, this console version of VF5 Final Showdown is claimed to comprise overhauled fighting mechanics and extreme depth that would appeal to new audiences and VF veterans alike. Post its release, character customization DLC packs will also be made available for all of the nineteen fighters comprised within the game.

These will be priced on PSN at 4.99 USD (approx. Rs. 270) each, whereas on Xbox Live, they will sell at 400 Microsoft Points. The packs will contain 600-950 customization items. Moreover, two extra customization packs will be released at launch, one offering nine characters’ worth of DLC items, and the other, ten. Both these packs will be purchasable at 14.99 USD (approx. Rs. 810) each or 1,200 Microsoft Points.

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown will be outed via PSN on June 5, and through Xbox Live on June 6. Its price will be tagged at 14.99 USD (approx. Rs. 810) or 1,200 Microsoft Points.

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source : www.gameguru.in

By the end of this month, Naughty Dog will release patch 1.11 for Uncharted 3, imbibing the game’s multiplayer with two new modes and a number of other features. The Lab mode and the Elimination mode, both of which we got to experience in Uncharted 2’s multiplayer, will be seen making their way into the game with this patch.

The Lab is basically a playlist that comprises a series of multiplayer game types created by the designers over at Naughty Dog. Initially, the Lab will feature a T-bolt and Pistole-only map, while other creations will keep being rolled out over the months that follow. On the other hand, the Elimination mode will feature Team Deathmatch battles without a respawn option.

“If you’re curious as to why we jumped to 1.11 and the last patch we talked about was 1.09, well, 1.10 had minor repairs so we kept rolling up the changes so we could get 1.11 out for you. We’re thrilled to open the Lab for Uncharted 3 and can’t wait to see you online! Be ready for more information about The Lab and future Uncharted 3 multiplayer plans in the coming weeks,” wrote Eric Monacelli, Community Strategist, Naughty Dog, on the official PlayStation blog.

Apart from all the other introductions, patch 1.11 will also bring in an Advanced Settings option into the Custom Game menu. This trait will grant gamers to set preferences like Respawn Time, Buddy Spawning toggle, Health Multiplier – by percentage, Sprinting toggle, Weapon Mode (Default, Basic Weapons, Pistols, RPG-7), Medal Kickbacks toggle, Boosters toggle and Grenade Throw Back toggle.

It should stand you in good stead to know that once this patch is installed, all cinema files created prior to its release, won’t work and will probably crash the game. So get to work uploading and preserving those cherished collections. Monacelli also ponders over future patches providing on-line trophy support.

A specific date for the release of the Uncharted 3 patch 1.11 is yet to be revealed, but Naughty Dog has confirmed that it will be rolled out by the end of this month.

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source : www.gameguru.in