Check out the following for info on Halo 3's new maps, weapons, vehicles and armor customization in Halo 3... yes I said ARMOR CUSTOMIZATION!
Weapons Magnum - The Magnum is much improved since Halo 2, dishing out slower, more punishing shots. But it's still not back to Halo 1 strength, as the clip currently carries just eight rounds and you can't zoom in. Still a nice, precise choice for dual-wield combos.
Energy Sword - The infamous Sword gets two tweaks aimed at balancing its overwhelming power. One change is a brief weapon-switch delay. The second adjustment is more controversial: the Energy Sword now has an ammo meter that depletes with each attack, which keeps players from hoarding it indefinitely.
Vehicles Wraith - The lumbering Covenant Wraith returns with a new player-operated secondary turret. It's helpful for driving off boarding attempts.
Brute Chopper - This ugly, jagged Brute Chopper looks like something Firefly's Reavers might drive into battle. Its twin cannons nad heavy, blade-like chassis can pulverize lesser vehicles in a nanosecond.
Equipment Radar Jammer - Hurl this item into a fight and watch as chaos and confusion engulf friend and foe alike. The jammer scrambles the radar of all nearby players and triggers disco-like light flashes to further disorient your prey.
Maps Shrine - A UNSC battle cruiser looms menacingly over Shrine's sprawling sand dunes. Shrine is the largest map ever to appear in a Halo game, so Bungie put a key emphasis on vehicle-on-vehicle combat. Shrine has few ties to older Halo 2 maps, but its massive size recalls Relic.
Epitaph - Epitaph is an arcane Forerunner cathedral-like structure that towers above the surrounding wasteland. The central killing floor is crisscrossed with elevated walkways, exterior hallways, and lifts. It's a spiritual successor to Halo 2 maps like Colossus, Gemini, and Midship.
Last Resort - Zanzibar, one of Halo 2's most beloved maps, has been rebuilt and rechristened Last Resort for Halo 3. This industrial site is almost twice as big, with a less cluttered internal layout and more paths into the flag room.
Secret Map - Bungie sneakily sent us two mysterious concept paintings labeled only as "Work in Progress Map." We see the icey motif and pray for a new Lockout, but only Bungie knows the truth.
Customization Create a Spartan - Tired of staring at Master Chief's ugly mug? Halo 3's online mode offers new armor permutations that allow players to customize their personas from head to toe. Will the Covenant Elite player models be eligible for similar upgrades? Only Bungie knows.
It seems Valve have offered Xbox 360 developers use of their infamous Source Engine. For people that do not know what this is, basically its Middleware. A game engine ready for use which helps developers get their games to market quicker and cheaper than actually creating their own game engine.
Valve have used their engine to very good effect with games such as Half-Life 2 and a whole host of spin off mods such as Half-Life 2: Deathmatch and Counter Strike: Source for PC.
So what does this mean for the 360? A Counter Strike game would be very nice, but generally it could mean some very nice games heading our way with such a powerful and established engine.
With the forthcoming Half-Life 2 heading our way early 2007 which includes Episode 1 and 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal a new type of game valve seem to be trying out which has a rather imaginative gun and encourages you to blast Prey-like portals into floors and walls for all manner of object shifting and puzzle solving we can expect some rather nice games coming out over the next few years.
Prey gets its first Marketplace downloads. From today all you Prey fans can now grab a whole host of New content for use online which include new characters and maps.
Each item is a separate download rather than a package and here is what is available:
Multiplayer Characters
Becky:- A female victim of the Sphere. She escaped, but finds herself in even more trouble!
Elhuit:- The leader of the hidden. Don't let the dress fool you. She's tough.
Hunter:- A minion of the Sphere. No sense just letting all the humans have the fun.
Elite:- Another type of hunter. Forced by the Sphere to do its bidding.
Jen:- Tommy's girlfriend. Those years running a bar are useful when kicking ass.
Multiplayer Maps
Gravity Labs:- Snipers get an edge this time around on the floating extension of the Spindle. Best with 6 players.
Space Oddity:- Control the gravity crossover with the Launcher to rack up kills. Best with 4 players.
Topillogical:- 360 degree run-and-gun inside a giant sphere of death. Best with 4 players.
Tunnel Rat:- Use your Spirit Attack to gain the advantage in the gravity map. Up to 8 players.
So I hear you all asking 'How much for each item?' Well i'm happy to tell you that all you Prey fans will not be getting ripped off with high priced downloads. In fact all of these downloads are Absolutely FREE! Now how about that for looking after the fans? So what are you lot waiting for? Fire up them 360's and get downloading.
Now if only some other big name software houses would look after us all that welll. :)
3D Realms won't charge for previously announced downloads for both Xbox 360 and PC versions of Prey; date on content still up in the air.
While the debate over how much downloadable content for games should cost rages on, there's one thing all gamers can agree on--no one will complain when the content is free. In the forums of the 3D Realms Web site, a company rep stated that the upcoming batch of downloadable content for its Xbox 360 and PC sci-fi first-person shooter, Prey, will be free of charge.
As previously announced, the developer is currently working on multiplayer maps and skins but has no timetable for when the content will be released. The details about when to expect the downloadable pack were vague. "As usual, there's no date for this, the material will be out 'when they're done..."
Speaking at its GameFest event in Seattle, Microsoft has talked candidly about its Xbox Live service, specifically the Xbox Live Marketplace, which makes both free and premium content available for download for Xbox 360 users, and has been a notable success since launch.
Specifically, Microsoft's Marketplace Business Manager Rohan Oommen sketched out a detailed GameFest presentation on the Marketplace, which covered what has been accomplished since the service went live in November 2005 with the launch of the Xbox 360, as well as where Microsoft envisions it heading in the months to come.
According to an analyst report by Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter, the NPD has officially released its North American game sales figures for July 2006, showing the market up 22% to $386 million.
The analyst had originally predicted a market of $365 million, up 15% compared to last year, but North American sales outstripped even his positive outlook, as handheld and particularly Nintendo DS titles took off, following the launch of the DS Lite.
However, the chart itself was led by Electronic Arts' NCAA Football, which gained three of the four top spots if separating out by SKU, with Nintendo's New Super Mario Bros for DS also a major seller for the month, and some surprisingly high entries for Xbox 360 title including Chromehounds, Prey, and Battle For Middle-Earth II.
Dune: Awakening Shows Off Stunning Unreal Engine 5 Gameplay & More Funcom (@Funcom) revealed a stunning new gameplay trailer and featurette for Dune: Awakening, the first episode of the new Dune: Awakening Direct series. Embark on a breathtaking journey across Arraki..
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