New ‘Medal of Honor’ In Hot Water

Navy SEALs who worked on the video game “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” is the latest in a series of misfires for the interactive medium’s popular military shooter genre, which continues to face scrutiny as high-definition graphics become more lifelike and gamemakers attempt to create the most authentic experiences possible.

“These games are now trying to portray things and tell stories around current events,” said Casey Lynch, editor-in-chief of the gaming site IGN.com. “When you’re dealing with current topics, there’s a higher level of sensitivity. I think most people would agree there’s not the same level of sensitivity when compared to old World War II or Vietnam War games.”

Navy officials said last week that seven members of the secretive Navy SEAL Team 6, including one involved in the mission to take down Osama bin Laden, were reprimanded for disclosing classified information to the creators of “Warfighter,” a modern-day, first-person shooter from developer Danger Close Games and publisher Electronic Arts Inc
.
“We worked really closely with more than two dozen operators on the mission objectives, operations, maneuvers and various elements in the game that helped shape our single-player campaign, things like the weaponry, the gear, the way these operatives perform door breeches,” said Luke Thai, producer at Danger Close Games, ahead of the game’s Oct. 23 debut.

Thai noted that both the gamemakers and military personnel who consulted on “Warfighter” were cognizant about not detailing too much about current conflicts — or making them boring in virtual form. One of the game’s missions tasks players with explosively battling a band of Somali pirates. Thai said the real-world inspiration for that level was far less fiery.

“In terms of the various conflicts that are still going on throughout the world, we touch upon those, but we don’t replicate them exactly,” he said. “They serve as dotted-line inspiration for things that go on in the game. For instance, our overarching single-player campaign story revolves around a global hunt to shut down a fictional terror network.”

Still, to ramp up the game’s realism, “Warfighter” creators mimicked real-world weaponry and centered the plot on the ripped-from-the-headlines threat of an industrial explosive known as PETN, or pentaerythritol tetranitrate, the same material used in 2001 by convicted shoe bomber Richard Reid when he tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight.

The tactic doesn’t seem to have helped fuel “Warfighter” sales. The NPD Group, which tracks sales of new physical products, said last week that “Warfighter” ranked eighth in overall game sales in October, behind such titles as “NBA 2K13” and “Resident Evil 6.” EA noted in an earnings call last month that “Warfighter” had a “weaker than expected performance.”

(EA spokesman Peter Nguyen said last Friday the company has no plans to recall or alter “Medal of Honor: Warfighter” in light of the SEALs’ punishment.)A/P

'NBA 2K13' delivers again

A video game that has been so excellent for the past several years, but 2K Sports has found ways to make “NBA 2K13” even better – with some help from the league’s most famous owner.
Along with fluid gameplay, enhanced graphics and a smoother control scheme, this year’s edition of the best-selling basketball franchise welcomes rapper – and minority owner of the Brooklyn Nets – Jay-Z as executive producer.

From the start, Jay-Z makes his presence known. The introduction is like the opening of one of his electrifying concerts, with his “Public Service Announcement” serving as the soundtrack to a medley of highlights, from Russell Westbrook’s thunderous one-handed dunk to Josh Smith’s soaring alley-oop slam. Jay-Z selected 24 songs for the game’s soundtrack, and they feature some of music’s top acts, including himself, Kanye West, Coldplay, U2, Nas and Roy Ayers.

But Mr. Beyonce’s star power isn’t the only thing elevating this franchise’s game. One of the new elements in “NBA 2K13” is signature skills, which assigns star players a variety of traits that make them special commodities. For example, LeBron James has five different traits, including Chasedown Artist, which allows the reigning NBA Finals MVP to chase opponents down to negate shots on fast breaks.

Another improvement is the integration of the “MyPlayer” and “MyCareer” modes. In “MyPlayer,” you are able to build a player from scratch and purchase everything from game-day accessories to casual clothing with virtual currency. From there, you can take your created player and insert him into “MyCareer,” where your player is chosen as the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft.
On the court, the gameplay is stellar. The new dribbling and shooting control scheme gives gamers more offensive freedom, with an array of moves to drive past defenders or create enough space from an opponent for an efficient jump shot.

Defense has gotten some improvement also. Now you have the ability to lock down an offensive player, using the trigger button to disrupt the ball handler’s rhythm by crowding him.

The commentary, from Kevin Harlan, Steve Kerr, Clark Kellogg and sideline reporter Doris Burke, is once again solid. The player models are still on point, and the artificial intelligence on offense and defense makes playing against the computer seem realistic. The 1992 Dream Team and this year’s U.S.A. Olympic team are also available. A/P

GTA San Andreas Lawsuit Fails

Jjudge denies supposed Cypress Hill backup singer's claims that Rockstar used his likeness as model for CJ character.

Rockstar Games parent company Take-Two Interactive has won a lawsuit over Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, writes The Hollywood Reporter. An appellate court judge on Wednesday denied supposed Cypress Hill backup singer Michael "Shagg" Washington's claims that Rockstar used his life story and physical appearance as a basis for protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson. Cypress Hill denies any association with Washington.

Washington sued Take-Two in 2010 for $250 million, alleging that during the course of the game's development, he met with Rockstar to discuss details regarding his former life as a gang member. He even provided the company with a photo of himself and his name appears in the GTA: San Andreas credits.
However, a judge did not find this to be enough, and a California appeals court has concurred. Washington's principal problem was that he could not prove it was his likeness that appeared in San Andreas. The judge said, "Plaintiff is relying entirely on CJ's physical appearance in the game, but that appearance is so generic that it necessarily includes hundreds of other black males."
Additionally, the judge ruled that even if Rockstar did base CJ on Washington, it would have been protected as transformative fair use. This is an argument based on the fact that the First Amendment allows existing materials, including images, to be used so long as they are amended enough for a new purpose.
"Washington has presented no evidence demonstrating that the plot or characters of GTA: San Andreas have any relevance to his life or his purported fame," a statement from the decision reads.by eddie makuch

HALO 4 REVIEWS

Players jumped in by the millions to finish the fight in Halo 3, back in 2007. And yet, like many a franchise before it, the one-time trilogy of Halo games finds itself with a new fourth sibling, years later.

Minecraft Review - Xbox 360

360 version of Minecraft gives players a map at the start of each game, for free. Getting something for nothing in Minecraft is almost sacrilege, but it’s much appreciated here. Maps are craftable in the PC version, but not until you’ve found some redstone deep in the earth and crafted iron to built a compass, which means you have to figure out how mining and smelting works before you’ve ever figured out where you are.
Sitting next to loved ones and playing a game is an often overlooked source of fun in the age of online multiplayer, and in an open-world game like Minecraft, it’s like bringing your friend to a massive playground, except with more zombies.
Even with a four-player split screen going and other players in your server, navigating through Minecraft’s complicated menus is quickly mastered, if your television is big and HD enough. The menu system is about as serviceable as you could realistically expect from a 360, which is not to say it’s good or anything. Consoles just aren’t suited to complicated menus–a mouse and keyboard is the much preferable input solution.


So that’s all the good, but here comes the bad: Overall, console-Minecraft is based on an early version of the game. The PC version of Minecraft has evolved through updates to contain a whole lot more stuff than the 360 version, as well as noticeably improved lighting and graphics. A partial list of content that’s missing: Modding. The hunger mechanic that drives the PC version. The ability to raise animals from babies. Jungle cats. The jungle biomeme. Ruins in mines. NPC characters and villages. The enchanting system. The alchemy system. The End World, Ender Men, and the Ender Dragon final boss. And more. While some of these “later” additions aren’t all that great, and none are necessary for having a good time, on the whole, the PC Minecraft experience provides greater diversity and much deeper gaming, especially for more seasoned players. While 4J has said it’s interested in frequently updating Minecraft-360, those updates are not available at the time of this review. Let’s hope they’ll come soon.


The list of Minecraft features missing from the 360 is long, but the most egregious omission is the sheer scope of the PC version of Minecraft. While computer Minecraft’s procedurally generated geography is limited only by the amount of memory your PC has, the 360 version takes place on a 1024 by 1024 block level. That’s pretty big in terms of many games, but tiny in terms of Minecraft. It’s dispiriting to get to the edge of the map with so little effort, especially when the boundary has been so shoddily defined. A wall of lava or an un-climbable peak would have been preferable to Minecraft’s lazy invisible barrier. The absence of endless open spaces means that you can essentially never get really lost, and it also limits the amount of sheer raw materials in the world, potentially scuttling hugely ambitious building plans.

Speaking of resources, the PC version of Minecraft contains a creative mode where you have access to everything the game has to offer. It’s perfect if you prefer building with an infinite Lego set and don’t feel like being ravaged by skeletons. The 360 game offers only the survival mode. Big points off for that. And big points off for not allowing gamers to change difficulty in the middle of games, too.
On the whole, any Minecraft is better than no Minecraft, and the 360 version is a full, satisfying game, when not judged against the PC version.stephen a johnson

Atari 2600 35 Years Later

it launched in the U.S. in October 1977 -- and 35 years is a long, long time.And while Atari supported the 2600 into the '90s, for most consumers the system's life effectively crashed to an anticlimactic end in 1983 when Warner (who owned Atari at the time) reported that its games division had overextended itself and lost billions of dollars. The U.S. video game industry reeled from those losses and didn't recover until Nintendo performed triage a few years later with the NES -- the system that a large percentage of 1UP readers regard as their entry into the medium.

The simple fact is that 35 years is a long time in video game terms, and while the average age of gamers continues to rise, today's "core" gamer tends to have gotten into gaming well after the 2600's heyday. Many contemporary game fanatics, weaned on post-PlayStation 3D visuals, can barely stomach the comparatively primitive visuals of NES and Genesis games; for them, Atari 2600's minimalist blocks and bleeps are so far removed from their expectations for video games that they may as well be cave paintings.

And yet, regressive as the 2600 may appear to the modern eye, video games would exist as they do today without the influence of that console. The 2600 didn't really do anything first, but it did it better, and it created an industry in the process. The 2600 helped transform games from a novel amusement into a creative medium: A financial juggernaut. And while the system had its failings, both technical and corporate, it taught its successors both what to do and what not to do. And for millions of kids -- now grown adults who perhaps no longer respond to Internet solicitations for their memories of video games -- it opened a world of imagination, entertainment, and even addiction.

Maybe most gamers don't see Atari 2600 as the baseline of video games the way they did back in the NES and even PlayStation days, but the system's impact has in no way diminished over time. The 2600 remains as important today as it was in the days when it ruled the living room and school kids replaced "a partridge in a pear tree" with "a cartridge for Atari" when they sang "The 12 Days of Christmas."by 1up

Microsoft compares Next Halo to Call of Duty

Gamers have long drawn comparisons between chart-topping shooter franchises Halo and Call of Duty, but now Microsoft has commented on the similarities. Speaking to GameSpot, Halo franchise development director Frank O'Connor said such comparisons are "reasonable," Halo 4's new loadout system. Ultimately, though, he said Halo is different than Call of Duty because it does not favor the player with the "bigger gun."
"Halo 4's loadout system frequently, and sort of appropriately, gets compared to other FPS games, including Call of Duty and others. And definitely, in terms of how much effect the progression system has on your player, that's a reasonable sort of comparison," O'Connor said.
"I think the real difference is that Halo is built on a notion of really balanced gameplay. I love Black Ops, for example, and in Black Ops I'm always trying to get to a weapon; my eyes are always on that prize. And it will be a very, very powerful weapon," O'Connor added. "Halo is really more about survival encounters, rather than getting the drop on someone or winning through having a bigger gun. And also using the things you've learned on the battlefield. So while you are able to unlock weapons and abilities that do modify your baseline traits [in Halo 4], they're, bluntly, not as powerful and not as game changing. They're about subtly and their about style ultimately."
Players will be able to decide for themselves this November. Halo 4 arrives on November 6.by eddie makuch