DeadSpace 3, the not so Deadspacy game of the future

The Dead Space franchise has been one of the most scary, creepy, down right awesome first person shooter experiences you can have in the gaming world.  I mean I know I don't like playing any of these games in the dark, not even my iPad version of Dead Space.  This series is known for it's creepiness and the alone feeling you get while playing this scarefest of a shooter.  Sadly though with the announcement of DeadSpace 3 at E3 we are getting a buddy to tag along with us.

Now don't get me wrong I love a good co-op game, and I know that they are all the rage right now.  Which is why co-op was added to this game.  Which they must think makes it have more appeal but honestly I think that will completely take away the awesomeness of this game.  It has always played on your fears just a little bit, the loneliness that is playing this game in the creepy environments where anything and everything will jump out at you in dark corners.  Having someone tag along with you whether player or AI just makes this game feel completely different.  

The developers obviously wanted to go this route and maybe that was their goal to move the franchise away from the lone wolf aspect of the other two Dead Space games.  Now will this one fact make the game bad, probably not but it will make it feel less of a Dead Space game that everyone came to know and love.

Now if you will excuse me I am going to go turn all the lights on in my house and sit by my dog while I play my iPad Dead Space game...

Get your Vjay fix with this new iPad app.

Algoriddim, which also makes a great djay app for the iPad has just released their new Vjay app for $9.99 in the app store.  This new app will turn your iPad into a "mashup machine."  Vjay will allow you to take your videos or music stored on your iPad to beat-match it and mash it together to create  your own art.

It comes with features such as looping and tempo detection, and even low latency and 2D scratch pads.  These control surfaces can manipulate video effects and transitions in real time, in addition to offering precise audio control. 

Once you are done you can output your creations through Apple's HDMI adapter.  The Vjay app requires an iPad 2 or later to work correctly and is now available in the App store for just $9.99

Are Watch Dogs and Star Wars: 1313 next gen games in disguise?

I read an interesting post today over at kotaku.com, that I agree with completely.  They think that it is possible that these two games are really the first showings of the games that will be released for the next xbox and Playstation.  I myself while watching the videos couldn't believe that an xbox or a Playstation could handle these kind of amazing graphics.  So let's take a look at the gameplay videos first to show you exactly what they looked like.



The graphics here in Watchdog simply look amazing, now lets look at Star Wars: 1313 which arguably has even better looking gameplay than Watchdog has.



So here is the deal, many people tried asking them exactly when these games will be released.  LucasArts would only say when it is ready.  Ubisoft said possibly next year.  Then when asked which systems these games would be available on Lucasarts kind of side stepped the question while Ubisoft simply said all that we know right now is xbox and playstation.  Kind of makes you wonder a little now doesn't it?

Next point is these games were demoed on really, really high end pc's.  No console version was demoed at all, and since this was the case Sony, nor Microsoft mentioned them during their press conferences.  I mean, these games are pretty big deals but Sony wont allow any game demoed unless it is on a playstation and we can assume the same can be said of Microsoft.

When Kotuko asked Epic Games, the company that provides the UE3 to gaming studios to run their games on, the rep told them that the Engine used by Lucas Arts was a heavy modified new UE3 engine that requires some pretty high specs to operate on.  So this would seem to rule out both the Playstation 3 and the Xbox on this one.

If these games are released on the current gen xbox and playstation the graphics couldn't look as great as they do in these demos.  So, I would say it is a pretty safe bet that what we saw this year was a glimpse into the next gen of gaming.

Activision Blizzard up for Sale? Say what...

Bloomberg is reporting that the parent company of Activision Blizzard, Vivendi, is meeting later this month to discuss the possible sale of its share in the gaming division to the highest bidder.

Bloomberg citing "people with knowledge of the matter,"  reports that the executive meeting later this month is just one part of a restructuring plan that Vivendi is playing around with along with spinning off the cable television division Canal Plus.

What would that mean for Activision Blizzard?  We would have to see who buys them to be completely sure of that.

Microsoft says Xbox 360 will be around for well over two years.

Phil Spencer, the guy in charge of Microsoft Studios, has been quoted as saying that the xbox 360 will be around for well over two years.  He goes on to say that this console is at it's peak and that it will still have "legs to stand on," for a few more years.  He feels that this is the time to see really great content for the 360 and that there will be more to come in the near future.  Now, is this him telling us that the next xbox is more than two years away?  I doubt it, I think what he is trying to say is that even after the launch of the next xbox the 360 will be around for a while.  Just remember when the playstation 3 came out, the playstation 2 still was selling like crazy and games were still being made for it as well as the new system.  I think this is what we can expect after the next xbox is released.  The 360 is probably one of the better selling consoles out there and it will be around as Phil says for a few more years to come.  So don't worry that next xbox is still probably coming next  year.

A Great Interview with gameplay for Dust 514.

As if I haven't found enough information about this game, here is a great interview detailing a lot of gameplay and functionality coming in this Free to Play Shooter for the Playstation 3.  I think CCP is doing a great job with this and I can't wait to get to play this game.

I also like how he mentions that even though this game will have micro transactions there is no Pay to Win scenario in this game.  The micro transactions will get you a lot of side grade items along with some vehicles and cosmetic gear as well.

All Apple computers getting a refresh next week.

Rumors are circling the internet that at next weeks WWDC conference Apple will update their entire line of Macs, including their aging Mac Pro.

This would make a lot of since for most of the Macs out there right now as most of them have been out long enough to receive a refresh.  The interesting part of this rumor is the part concerning the Mac Pro.  This system has not received an update since the middle of 2010.  Many had believed that Apple was quietly going to let this system die as they changed their focus to more of a consumer stand point.  Many professionals use Mac Pros and a lot of them have been calling for a new system for a long while now.  Maybe Apple has heard their pleas and decided to give the Mac Pro one more try.

I for one just want to see a refresh of the iMac's and MacBooks and maybe a price drop in them (in my dreams.)