Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Top 10 Games of 2011



The PC had a strong showing, with a meaty selection of exclusive and multisystem releases last year.2011 was indeed a great year to be a gamer. Here’s buyer’s guide of the top must-own games from the calendar year. Have you played them all?
 


10. Deus Ex: Human Revolution


Genre            : First-person shooter/ RPG
Release date :  in August 2011
Developers   : Eidos, Square enix






        Set decades before the events of the first game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a prequel of 2000's Deus Ex.
        
       2000’s Deus Ex changed the face of gaming.  this latest entry in the series lives up to those impossibly high standards. Human Revolution is an intelligent, challenging and Blade Runner-beautiful vision of the future, with game-play that’s customizable to qualify as both 100% shooter and 100% stealth. The original Deus Ex was a uniquely well-judged mix of RPG and shooter. Shooting was always an option, but never the only one. Whats exciting about Human Revolution is that it genuinely does seem to have that delicate balance of hacking, stealth,combat and dialogue options open to you throughout.In other words, which genre you experience is completely up to you.
      
     The game played out from first- person perspective, but shifted to third person as players take cover behind objects. The third person view is very fascinating and unique. You can take out enemy combatants through stealth, brute force, or even use your hacking abilities to get sentry guns and armed robots on your side and do your work. The whole point of Deus Ex is the number of different approaches you can take.

      
     The game is a bit heavy handed on stealth as opposed to all out combat, but if you persist, you can blast your way through every level. 
   Also the Gameplay is long enough to keep you occupied for at least 25 hours.




Minimum System requirements :


CPU                      :         2 GHz Dual core CPU
RAM                     :         1 GB RAM (XP) / 2 GB (Vista and Windows 7)
Graphic card       :          NVIDIA GeForce 8 series or ATI Radeon HD 2000 series or better
HDD                     :         8.5 GB free hard disk space


Similar games you may also like:
Splinter cell ; double agent
Mass effect 2 
Rainbow six : vegas 2
















9. The Witcher 2 : Assassins of Kings




Genre            :  RPG
Release date :  17th may, 2011
developer      :   CD Projekt RED




It Surely is One of the best RPG's of the year.
The witcher 2 is  a sequel to the 2007 video game "The Witcher".


          The Good in the game:
  • Morally ambiguous choices lead to game-changing consequences   
  • A number of exciting and memorable moments   
  • Phenomenal visuals with a grim tone   
  • Involving tale of lost memories and political allegiances   
  • Fun, challenging combat with a satisfying sense of impact

    The Bad in the game:
  • A variety of bugs   
  • Combat sometimes 
  • ventures into cheap territory   
  • Unsatisfying conclusion.


If you played the original Witcher, then forget what you learned from its combat mechanics. The Witcher 2 abandons that rhythmic system for a more traditional and challenging one. You still switch between silver and steel swords, depending on whether you are facing monsters or humans, but regardless of the weapon you equip, be prepared for the occasional beatdown. You initiate standard attacks with your mouse, and you block and cast signs (Geralt's magic spells) with the keyboard.


An adult narrative that’s actually for adults
Gaming has come a very long way in terms of interactive narratives and the medium has several works to be proud of. But as impressive as your Mass Effects and Dragon Ages are, the complete moral polarization of the choices presented in these games has become almost comical. In layman’s terms, choosing between Christ-like benevolence and jet-black satanic tyranny has gotten pretty old. The Witcher 2 sidesteps this cliché by creating a gray, ambiguous world that abandons right and wrong for a much more complex focus on choices and consequences. From the very first chapter, the game bombards you with a series of confrontations that will give you pause as to how to proceed.

Typically, games that attempt to introduce truly adult themes into their narrative structure usually just come across as unironically juvenile; The Witcher 2 handles its incredibly mature tone with an unflinching, unapologetic sophistication that demands you take it seriously (and no, I’m not just talking about the amazing breast textures in all of those wonderfully detailed sex scenes). You’re constantly encountering instances of racially motivated violence, rape and prostitution. Every faction and political figure is corrupt to some degree. Even your closest friends have their own agendas that don’t necessarily involve you.



Minimum system requirements :


CPU                      :         Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz
RAM                     :         1 GB RAM (XP) / 2 GB (Vista and Windows 7)
Graphic card       :         GeForce GTS 250 / Radeon HD 5670 512MB
HDD                     :         16 GB free hard disk space



Similar games you may also like:
Gothic 3
Two Worlds 2 
















8. Batman : Arkham city
Genre               :   Action - Adventure
Release Date   :   November 22, 2011
Developers      :   Rocksteady Studios


 It is the sequel to the 2009 video game Batman: Arkham Asylum.


    Arkham City is an open world action video game that incorporates elements of stealth and predator tactics. The gadgets previously obtained in the first game are present at the start of Arkham City, while others are available later in the game. Most of these gadgets have improved or boast new capabilities.
    The game incorporates more puzzle elements; the use of Batman's "Detective Mode", which highlights elements such as enemy skeletons and clues on-screen, is used to perform forensic activities such as tracing the origin of a sniper round.


    
    Asylum can be called as one of the greatest detective game of all time , but Arkham city is the greatest batman game. It has tone and music that are similar to the recent movies. The voice actors from batman: The animated series, and a storyline inspired by the No Mans Land comic series. But more to its credit, throwing allof Batman's villains into a less linear, open-world game forced players to make tough decisions, to think like batman. "Do i rescue that hostage, or finish this fight.....think, Bruce !THINK !"


Minimum System requirements :


CPU                      :         Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 4800+
RAM                     :         2 GB ram
Graphic card       :         NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB or ATi Radeon HD 3850 512 MB
HDD                     :         17GB free hard disk space
Network              :          Online play requires login to Games for Windows Live


Similar games you may also like:
            Assassin's Creed                            Prototype


4. battlefield 3
Genre             :   FPS
Release Date :   October, 2011
Developers    :   EA DICE 



BF3 is a FPS video game developed by EA DICE. It is a direct sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2, and the eleventh game in the Battlefield series.


       If you're a fan of modern day military shooters, Battlefield 3 is your best bet this year. Even if you don't like to play military games, the graphics and game effect will attract you. The single player campaign may have been a tad dull andpredictable, but DICE more than made up for that with very addictive multiplayer we're playing till date. Unlike other online Shooters that penalize players for lacking razor sharp reflexes, Battlefield 3 allows newcomers to ease into the game by offering them support roles as well. If running around the battlefield dishing out ammunition or health doesn't seem like an exciting prospect, grab a chopper and rain down  hell fire on ground targets or command a jet and become a force to reckoned with.


     Battlefield 3 also gets our unanimous approval for being the most technical sound shooter out there. DICE's Frostbite 2 engines brings fire fights to life in a very gorgeous way with some phenomenal lighting effects and texture work while the game's sound simply put, is the best in business. 
Campaign:
The game's campaign takes place in the year 2014. The initial sections of the campaign are set near the Iraq-Iran border, where the US Marine Corps are fighting the People's Liberation and Resistance (PLR). The game later moves into northern Iran, continuing the fight against the PLR. There is a mission set in the streets of Paris, and another set in the sewers and subways of New York.





Minimum System requirements :


CPU                      :         Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 4800+
RAM                     :         2 GB ram
Graphic card       :         NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT 512 MB or ATi Radeon HD 3850 512 MB
HDD                     :         25 GB free hard disk space
Network              :         1 Mbit/s broadband internet connection for Online play and Online registration and Activation




similar games you may also like:


COD Black Ops
Bad Company 2












3. PORTAL 2



Genre             :   First person puzzle
Release Date :    
    Developers    :   



Like its predecessor, Portal 2 challenges players to use portals to traverse rooms in unusual manners. A player-character executing the "flinging" maneuver gains speed by falling into the blue portal to shoot across a wide gap upon exiting the orange portal.






     Portal 2 may have played out from a first person perspective, but that doesn't make it a shooter. It is a puzzle game at heart, just like its predecessor "Portal", only it added in more mind-bending puzzles and new story in gameplay. The best part about Portal 2 puzzles is that they never felt too tough or too cheap. If you could'nt figure a way out, it may be because you aren't thinking out of the box. Rest assured , when the answer finally hit you, the sense of satisfaction was palpable.


      The game even added standalone co-operative missions into the mix and they were the best implementations of co-op play we've seen in a game till date. They weren't just copy- paste variants of single player missions; these were brand new ones designed from the ground up to facilitate and encourage co-operative play. 


similar games you may also like:


Mirrors Edge
Portal




2.Dead Space 2



Genre             :   FPS
Release Date :    
Developers    :

similar games you may also like : mass effect 2


1.Skyrim



Genre             :   FPS
Release Date :    
Developers    :

similar games you may also like: fallout:new vegas, oblivion,

Friday, 27 January 2012

Test Drive : Unlimited 2


Genre              :           Open World Driving
Release date   :           Feb-8-2011
Developer       :           Eden Games
Publisher         :           Atari
Series             :           Test Drive series





Another game in test drive series. It is the sequel to Test Drive Unlimited and the tenth game in the series.

Features of this version :
  • Two massive Hawaiian islands
  • Ability to drive anywhere - on and off- road.
  • Option to buy real estate across both islands.
  • A great selection of everyday sadans, sports car/ exotics and SUV's.
  • A mini map populated with lots of missions and exploration bonuses spanning every inch of game world.

        Test Drive Unlimited 2 is that and so much more. Whether you're racing or just driving around taking in the sights, you can los yourself in it.
        

Concept, Performance:

          Test Drive Unlimited is a driving game that encompasses and aims to bring to your living room the complete car experience, right from walking into a swanky showroom and inspecting the car you want to buy in minute detail, to taking it out for a leisurely drive along the coast. Like Gran Turismo, Test Drive Unlimited is about a love for cars, but it doesn’t haunt you with realistic car handling nor does it take itself too seriously. Get in and drive; it’s really that simple, and its beauty lies in that simplicity and freedom.
 
        While the basic formula has made it over to TDU2 intact, developers Eden Games have done a whole lot more to build upon it. TDU2 is an open world game, and while in the first game Oahu, Hawaii was your playground, this time there’s a new, beautiful location – Ibiza, while Oahu returns with a significant visual upgrade. Both islands are massive and it will take you well over 20 hours to even explore both islands, let alone completing the missions on them. While the first game had you restricted to the tarmac, the islands are now open to you in their entirety, paving the way for off-road vehicles and SUVs and events revolving around them. You now also have day and night transitions as well as dynamic weather, and the game looks absolutely stunning at night and when it’s raining.

click to enlarge

     So without even getting into the gameplay, you can just tell from the setting that TDU2 is a far more expansive game, and it attempts to make the best use of that expanse by breaking up player progression into four sections. Events and activities level you up across four parameters – competition, discovery, social, and collection. Competition, as you would expect, involves races, time trials, tournaments, and earning licenses. Discovery requires you to explore the island, find hidden vehicles or photograph landmarks. Social involves making friends online, entering online events and building clubs. Lastly, collection entails buying cars and real estate in investing in them with upgrades. As you can see, the game extends beyond driving and is almost a lifestyle game, but it stops well short of turning into The Sims, and you’re never forced to perform any event you don’t want to. You have complete freedom to play the way you want.


Gameplay :


    The carefree approach to the game extends to the vehicle handling as well. There are three driving difficulties to choose from and even the hardest of them is fairly easy. In fact, the lowest difficulty, at which it is set by default, is the worst. Cars almost feel like they’re on rails, so the first thing you should do when you start the game is change this setting. There aren’t hundreds of cars in the game, but there is a great selection, and the way they’re presented gives them a sense of exclusivity. You’ll find cars either in manufacturer or region-specific showrooms, where you can inspect cars closely, sit inside and have a look at the interiors, and even take them out for test drives. Plus, there are used car dealerships for when you’re short on funds.

     The highlights of TDU2, as in the first game, are the long solo driving missions that are just you and the road. Each has a few conditions to be met, such as not damaging the car or keeping your passenger calm by not driving too dangerously. The long cross-island drives are equally memorable, and even more so thanks to the beautiful environs. As I mentioned before, TDU2 is visually stunning, but some of the luster is taken away by the uneven framerates. On a GTX465-powered rig, the framerates still always remained above 30, but never static, which can get annoying. Also, bear in mind that the PC version has an intrusive DRM that requires you to be online each time you launch the game, which sucks because on a few occasions, Atari’s own servers have been offline, locking me out of the game.

Talking about Game Requirements,
Minimum PC requirements are:
Operating System                   :             Windows XP SP2 or better
CPU                                      :             Intel Core 2 Duo 2.2GHz or AMD athlon X2 4400+
RAM                                     :             2GB
Hard Drive Disk                     :            18 GB
Graphic Card                         :             Nvidia GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 3870
Direct X                                 :             DX9 or better



Multiplayer :

   Test Drive Unlimited 2 has a similar online mode to the previous game. During free roaming, up to 8 players can join in a session at the same time. Improvements to the online aspects have led to the fix of people quickly disappearing just after entering a session. In shops and clubs, up to 32 players can walk around at the same time. The ability to walk is also present in the new racing lobby. When waiting for every player to be ready to race, cars of the other players can be examined. Also, players can be in the seat of another player's car to show or be shown different shortcuts.
With the launch of the new Test Drive Unlimited 2 website, the FAQ section confirmed that like in the previous game, the game will not require a subscription fee to play online.

Screenshots :







you need 3D glasses to view above photo




Thursday, 26 January 2012

Real Warfare 2 : Northern Crusades





Click to view





Genre:              Strategy
Release date: Nov-18-2011
Developer: Unicorn Games
        

 Real Warfare 2: Northern Crusades is the latest game in the series of realistic real-time strategy games covering various periods in the development of the present day civilization – from the Middle Ages to today.
         This new title helps players witness the key events in the history of the Teutonic Order in 13th century, namely conquering the "pagan Prussia". All battles form a single storyline campaign. The player will act as a Komtur of the Teutonic Order as they relive the battles of the crusaders, regardless of the low manpower of the Order and the strong resistance of the heathens.


         The project perfectly comprises two types of gameplay and owing to that the objectives of the Komtur are not simply limited to participation in battles. The strategic map involves the gamer into a colorful and integral world and allows them to travel around the map in the real time.
         The mode features full freedom of movement, dialogues with locals, RPG elements, quest system and much more. However, sooner or later, the players will have no other choice other than engage their faithful warriors into a battle. And this could be a combat with other armies, large-scale sieges of towns and castles, using various special assault weaponry and tools and fight right on top the walls and fortifications.


Minimum PC Requirements :

  • CPU                  -               1.6 GHz Dual Core CPU
  • RAM                 -               1.5 GB
  • Graphic Card    -               256 MB nVidia 7500 GS or better
  • Direct X            -               DX9
  • HDD                 -               3 GB
Some Gameplay Screenshots:
(click to enlarge)









Video: