REVIEW: Devil May Cry 4

Being a Southpaw player I thought this game would be out of bounds, having a default only setting. But with no need to aim with one of the thumb sticks and all movement on one stick, plus lock-on fixed to one of the bumper buttons, this game plays like a dream. I had no problems whatsoever, so on to the review.

Devil May Cry 4 on the Xbox 360, when I heard this news I jumped for joy. Being a DMC fan since the original on the PS2 I must admit playing again but on my 360 felt fantastic. Once again the human world is in danger from the demon underworld and only one man can stop them: Dante. Read the rest…

Review: Rainbow Six Vegas 2

Available Control Options: Default, Legacy, Southpaw, Legacy Southpaw & four button layouts. You all know about the control options in this game already, either via this website, or from your experience playing the first Rainbow Six Vegas. But now is the moment you’ve all been waiting for… a review from one of your esteemed editors here at Alt-Controls.com.

First of all, what’s good about this game? Well, it’s very accessible for one. You have your four standard stick settings to choose from, and also four button layouts. Sadly, there is no button mapping available, but I’m pretty sure that you’ll all be able to find a comfortable setting out of the four. I personally prefer the “Gunner” option, which moves throwing frag grenades from the ‘B’ button (default) to the right bumper. That felt more natural for me as it is reminiscent of the COD series.

Another thing to note is that fans of COD will need to spend a few minutes adjusting to the fact that you need to click the thumb stick to use your iron site or scope. I habitually wanted to aim COD-style, but I was able to adjust quickly. No big deal there.

Overall, I had a good time playing RSV 2. The pace is slower than Call of Duty and often I felt like I was playing a game of chess with the enemy – slowly advancing, strategically directing my squad mates, and carefully picking off tangos with my sniper rifle from a distance. It’s not as chaotic as your typical military shooter, but it was a nice change of pace. Plus the character and weapon customizing options are nice features as well. Read the rest…

And Then Along Came the DualShock 3…

Alright guys, you all know the story of Sony’s DualShock 3. The marketing and commerce machine that is Sony wouldn’t have it any other way. So let’s just clear the air right now and get this out of the way: My intention for this piece is not to bash Sony, the DualShock 3, or rumbling controllers. As a matter of fact, I like rumbling controllers. And the PS3 is becoming more inviting by the minute thanks to the price drop, Blu-ray winning the format war and some very enticing games that are on the horizon.

However, I would like to pass along a simple observation about this whole DualShock 3 situation. And that observation is this: With all this fuss about a controller, it doesn’t mean anything to me if alternate controls are left out of a game. It can rumble, light up, heck it can even get up a do a dance - but if I don’t have my Legacy controls in a shooter, then it makes no difference to me. Read the rest…

Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack Set for an April 15th Release

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack will be available on April 15th. In fact, if you come to this website often, you should know this already, because SAKY already told you.

There is a promotional trailer available that you can all watch over @ Kotaku. And you’ve got to love the ominous narrative voice in the background… so serious! Come on, it’s only maps for crying out loud. If you look at the reader comments, the general reaction seems to be a unanimous “meh.” The maps should be decent, but I think people are having a hard time getting jazzed up because the Halo 3 phenomenon has come and gone, plus these ones aren’t free and I don’t think many people want to part with their coin for a few new maps.

But if you’re an alt-control player that won’t mind spending a couple bucks on some new Halo maps, you will be all set come April 15th.

Featured Alt-Control Player: kevfed211

Every now and again, we’re going to be paying tribute to our members by selecting a Featured Alt-Control Player so the community can learn more about each other. We have decided to choose kevfed211 as our first Featured Alt-Control Player, mainly because he is always getting involved in discussion and he helps spread our message by posting on various sites and forums on our behalf.

So here is some information on kevfed211, and we just felt that he deserved some props for all of his effort in supporting our community: Read the rest…

Far Cry 2: Fall 2008

The sequel to the highly successful first person shooter, Far Cry, is heading our way this Fall for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

However, Crytek, the developers of the first installment, are not involved with the production of Far Cry 2. Instead, UbiSoft Montreal will be handling the development duties this time around. And apparently Jack Carver, the protagonist from the first game, will also be MIA. Oh well. Did any one know that was actually his name? Or do you just call him “The Far Cry Guy” like I do? Not really a memorable character, so I don’t see his exit having any major impact on this game at all. He’s no Master Chief.

Personally, I was not a huge fan of Far Cry Instincts: Predator for the Xbox 360. This game of course offered graphically enhanced versions of both Far Cry Instincts, and Far Cry Instincts: Evolution for the original Xbox. The game was not terrible at all by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly was not what FPS gamers expect from a next-gen machine. And when compared to some of the class-A games available on the 360, Far Cry Instincts: Predator (a last- gen game with a glossy makeover) didn’t quite measure up.

But, despite not being a fan of the previous Far Cry title on the 360, I’m actually fairly excited about the latest installment that’s on the way. Read the rest…

Haze by Free Radical Design (PS3)

Here is a cool video preview of Haze, which is being developed by Free Radical Design. This company was of course founded by some of the main team members behind the N64 classic GoldenEye 007, so I’m pretty excited about this game. It looks great in this video, and being a metal guitarist, the music that kicks in around 1:47 (when Promise Hand weaponry is discussed) also got me pretty excited.

Currently, Haze is scheduled to be released in May for the PS3. Originally, the game was slated to come out on three major platforms, including the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. However, last year the game’s publisher, UbiSoft, announced that Haze would be a PS3 exclusive and the 360 and PC versions dropped off the map. There has been a ton of speculation around the net as to whether this game will remain as a “PS3 only” title, or if it will simply be a timed exclusive and eventually arrive on the other platforms. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Good news for us: Free Radical has historically been an alt-control friendly developer. Their critically acclaimed TimeSplitters series always offered the four standard stick layouts (Default, Southpaw, Legacy & Sp. Legacy) along with complete button mapping. Hopefully Haze will offer the same controls for our PS3 alt-control friends.

Should this title remain a PS3 exclusive, I would definitely be tempted to finally pick up Sony’s new machine. Enjoy the video, everyone.

Frontlines Patch: End of April, No Mention of a Legacy Fix

This morning I checked the Official Frontlines: Fuel of War Status website. A new posting has gone up today detailing the added features and repairs that can be expected via the patch that they will be releasing at the end of the month.

Sadly, there was no mention of changing the Legacy control setting. The article does however state that there are several additional features and fixes to be expected that they have not listed.

However, I tend to believe that something as major as a new control setting would have been touched on for sure if there were plans to include one. They did state that some issues with controller vibrations are being fixed, so it would be logical that if the Legacy control option was being altered, it would have been mentioned.

We’ll keep watching, as the patch is expected to be released at the end of the month, but things do not look good for Legacy players at all.

COD4 MAP PACK THIS WEEK ON XBOX LIVE

Let it be known that I like to scour gaming news websites for tidbits of information about games that peak my interest. Call of Duty 4 is one of those games and it has consumed my gaming time for the past few months. I have been itching to get my hands on a map pack for this game and for the past few weeks IW has been saying “XBOX360: beginning of April.” Yesterday reports started floating around the web that the maps would be delayed from April 3rd/4th to the 10th. I’m happy to report that Infinity Ward’s Community Manager, Robert Bowling, has finally informed the fans that news of a delay was fabricated. *sigh of relief*

So if you didn’t know, now you do. COD4 map pack will be released on XBOX LIVE between Thursday night and Friday EST and will retail for 800 MS points (aka $10US). If you are planning on taking off of work, plan on Friday.

The Playstation 3 and PC fans have it a little worse. Currently there are NO plans to release the maps on PC and a PS3 release is scheduled for “3 weeks after the 360 version.” I think it sucks also, yeah, but what can you do?

Happy Gaming guys!