Demo - Battlefield: Bad Controls…er, Company…

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While it seems that EA and DICE have somewhat overcome the “guns for hire” controversy sparked by their initial DLC plans, it looks like they couldn’t go forward without at least pissing off some segment of gamers. The demo released on the Playstation Store and Xbox Marketplace this week is sorely lacking in the control department. Apart from the standard “invert look,” option, there is no alternate control options for your average foot-pounding grunt, and only two options, with pretty minor differences, for vehicle operation (neither vehicle option offers any variation to stick config).

Gotta say, this is even more disappointing considering that the game actually looks to be of pretty good quality, at least for as far as I played the demo. The destructive environments were impressive, with a couple explosive rounds taking massive chunks out of buildings, and machine gun fire mowing down any trees and fences in my path. The jazzy soundtrack added a sense of swagger, and the opening character writing had some genuine personality.

Will the final release have any other control options? If history is any guide, it’s doubtful. It may be about time for me to try out the XFPS Rateup adapter and see if it will allow the kind of universal customization we all dream of.

BioShock 3?

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Even though we are quite a ways off from the release of the second game, there has already been some talk of a third installment that will coincide with the release of the BioShock movie.

“It’s unlikely that the picture would be released to coincide with BioShock 2. It would be more likely that it would be released coincidentally with BioShock 3. That also remains to be seen.”

-Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two Interactive Chairman (via Gamespot)

BioShock 2 of course is scheduled for a 2009 release, so the third entry is obviously a long ways off. However, BioShock fans are likely more interested in the immanent release of the first game on the PS3 than the third installment. Personally, I’m much more concerned about the inclusion of alternative and customizable controls in BioShock 2 than a third game and movie.

Read the rest…

COD4 DOUBLE XP WEEKEND RETURNS

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From 402, much to my excitment, ‘Double XP Weekend’ is back for a second round in Call of Duty 4. From Friday morning until Monday, players can earn double experience points for the online matches across ALL playlists, so even if you don’t have the new maps you can have your chance to get a different nifty medal next to your screen name. This will apply to both XBOX360 and PS3 players. Needless to say you should expect no posts from me this weekend.

Happy gaming!