Cru Hunter

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a highly praised game by both reviewers and gamers alike. Ask about the game and they will respond with stories about great combat experiences or the deep morals that tag along with a stellar plot. Ask these people about Deus Ex: HR's boss battles, however, and you'll get different reactions entirely, ranging from disgust to stories of how boring the fights were. Outside of the boss encounters, the game shines brightly, so it should come as no surprise that many have wondered how Eidos could go so wrong with one specific part of the game. As it turns out, Eidos didn't go wrong with these bosses at all, as they didn't even make the sequences; they gave the job of making boss battles to a group called GRIP Entertainment, an independent developer also established in Montreal. The president, Dr. Paul A. Kruszewski, released a video (which you can watch below) describing how his company came to take on the project Eidos gave them, what the process was to making these notorious sequences, and what their past experiences were with gaming and video game technology. http://youtu.be/i9YbSkOW7sU I decided to venture over to GRIP's website just to understand a bit more about the company. After reading a bit into Dr. Paul A. Kruszewski from the group's site, he's received an apparently prestigious scholarship from the NSERC, and is 'respected around the world as [a] visionary in artificial intelligence and real-time computing'. So, knowing that, I guess the question is how he could have gone wrong about the process. via GIO and N4G

Valve has always been known for its games' interesting premises, deep character development, and fun physics puzzles. Now, the developer is hoping to combine a love for learning math and physics, with interactive videogames. The videogame 'Portal' is no longer for just gamers; with the help of Valve's new 'Learn With Portals' program, it will be given to and used by students as well. For us gamers, the best part of the deal is that Portal is and will remain free until September 20th through Steam. So if you still haven't gotten your hands on the incredibly fun and ingenious game, now's the best time to do so. You can find the link to the 'Learn With Portals' page here, which will direct you to a brief summary of the program's mission statement, and a promotional video of a 7th-grade field-trip to Valve's studio (*accompanied by flight-attendant-like hand motions* the video is also provided for your convenience below). Best of all, there's also a link where you can get Portal for free. http://youtu.be/vpB2VwSC8xc It really is too bad: all I got to play in school was Oregon Trail. But on a more serious note, this whole program shows that games have immense educational potential if handled by a big-name developer that knows what they're doing. So, I give Valve +1 Cru Hunter point, and my stamp of approval. For those who don't know much about the 2007 game, here's a description of the game from the game's page on Steam: Portal™ is a new single player game from Valve. Set in the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories, Portal has been called one of the most innovative new games on the horizon and will offer gamers hours of unique gameplay. via GIO and IGN

Id Software starts off its advertising campaign for Rage with the release of a new TV Spot, featuring the visceral combat the game has always showcased, to the aptly titled song "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums" by the band A Perfect Circle. The fast pace and dark tones of the song do well when used in tandem with the guns, gore, wingsticks and the Wasteland this superb trailer shows off. Also featured are rocket-launchers, some of the enemies the player will encounter in their journey (a stories-tall, giant mutant and The Authority among others), and sweeping vistas of the large gang hideouts players can discover. You can watch the TV Spot below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GooazR-tmG4 Rage is being developed by Id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. In the development for quite some time (officially announced back in 2007), the game is shaping up to be a worthy competitor to other upcoming heavyweights. The player, an Ark survivor, wakes to a world struggling to rebound from the devastation of an asteroid impact from 2023. What's left of humanity lives in wastelands, contended by bandits, settlers, and mutants, and the player must survive in order to discover their past. The player, being an Ark survivor, has a large bounty on their head, leading to run-ins with the resident bandits and the game's main antagonists, The Authority, the remains of the land's 'official' government. The game is set to release for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC on October 4.

Today 343 Industries has released a little trailer detailing the ins and outs of the popular Halo 2 map, 'Headlong'. Tweaked and updated as it is for the launch of Halo: Anniversary, the map will still promote the frantic vehicle and sniper gameplay fans loved about original map, now re-named 'Breakneck'. The description reads as follows: Headlong – Section 21 once looked out onto the New Mombasa Orbital Elevator with pride and optimism. Now, with much of the city eviscerated by the Covenant’s brutal assault, the skyline remains only a shattered ghost of what it once was. Headlong provides a large, skyscraper-hemmed construction site with numerous vantage points for clever snipers as well as a large central basin for excellent vehicle combat. (8 - 16 players) http://youtu.be/69B3xQy1M4A Also important to note is the multiplayer beta for Halo CE: Anniversary starts on October 4th. Apparently there is a way to sign up for the beta, but at the moment of this post, I have yet to find the link. If you do, dear reader, feel free to post it in the comment section below. via Game Informer Written by: Cru Hunter