DUKE NUKEM 3D (XBLA)

Alternate Controls Supported:
-Southpaw

Firing up the Xbox 360 this morning and immediately downloaded Duke Nukem for XBLA. I was somewhat surprised to find that the title supported Southpaw via the console’s dashboard preset and that the game allowed you to map button functions, even to the the D-pad. Sadly, there is no Legacy option to be had. But that shouldn’t deter you folks with those Legacy mods as this game would be another example of money well spent on such a controller.

As much as I enjoyed Doom I really expected the Demo of this title to entice me to buy it but I found a few annoyances so I’m going to pass this one up. I just could find a controller sensitivity that I could enjoy. Also, I never did figure out how to fly up and down with the jet-pack. If anyone figures that out be sure to comment on it.

The developer took the time to add a few features to the game. Motion blur, rumble, and “smoothing” which kinds washes out the pixels giving them a less pixelated look. Eight player Dukematch (deathmatch) and Co-op also make the feature list for game that will keep everyone entertained until the community dwindles down to nothing in the same way Doom has. I’m also glad to see that the more adult content in the game wasn’t removed. Shake it baby.

Happy gaming folks!

FRACTURE

Alternate Controls supported:
-Southpaw

I took some time to play the 360 and PS3 Fracture demo this weekend and I have taken some screen shots of the controller layouts and options screens. The available control options are probably final considering the developer has included a few schemes in this demo. This game was developed by Day 1 Studios and published under Lucas Arts. The game shares a lot of similarities with Halo such as a single, recharging shield/energy bar, a radar which allows you to view both friend and foe, a maximum weapons payload of two guns and a variety of grenades, and lastly a futuristic sci-fi setting. From playing the demo I would say this is where the similarities end.

The overall game play element is an FPS where the weapons are used to transform the terrain in a variety of ways. You character is always equipped with a tool capable of raising and lowering the small sections of earth which will be used to traverse a normally impassable areas or used to take cover from enemy forces. Many other weapons will have these non-traditional and fantastic abilities to change the playing field of the game at any moment. At the very least it should make for some unique game play amongst the droves 3rd/FPS titles that will litter store shelves this holiday season.

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Halo Drama Continues

Earlier this summer, the gaming industry was stunned by a rumor that the next Halo game was not going to feature Master Chief, and the underlying tone was going to be much darker.

Next, Bungie was set to make a major announcement at E3, but was prevented from doing so by their publisher, much to the disappointment of many gamers. It’s not clear if this announcement was going to relate to Halo or not, but the possibility was strong.

And now to add more fuel to the fire, there has been some talk that Gearbox Software of Brothers in Arms fame is in the early stages of discussion with Microsoft regarding the development of Halo 4 as a launch title for their next console.

The rumor mill is definitely working overtime this year as far as the Halo series is concerned, but nothing has been confirmed of course. And just as quickly as the speculation started, most sources are now dismissing this as a rumor only, though the idea has not been completely ruled out.

However, what’s clear is the fact that there are definitely some changes ahead for the series.

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First Look @ Shadow Harvest

It’s definitely been a slow summer. There hasn’t been many applicable releases lately for us to cover, but there are a number of new shooters on the way that we’ll be looking at. Speaking of which: Shadow Harvest was announced recently at GC 2008. Being developed by Black Lion Studios, this game is a third person shooter set in the future where it appears that you will utilize two different characters at various points of the game: One that’s more of an aggressive brawler, and one that prefers a stealthier approach.

Take a look at the debut trailer, after the hop. Read the rest…

Microsoft E3 Press Conference Round Up

I’m not even going to bother trying to summarize all the exciting announcements at the Microsoft E3 Press Conference. Instead, I thought I would round up some of the highlights from the alt-control player’s perspective. Or in other words, show you a bunch of trailers that our community should find interesting… after the click, of course!

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Unreal Tournament 3 Controls

Yes it’s official, I can confirm that Unreal Tournament 3 has all four thumbstick configurations (default, southpaw, legacy & legacy-southpaw) plus three button mapping options (came out in Australia on 1/7 much to my surprise).

This is great news for us legacy and legacy-southpaw users who have only seen one other game (R6V2) this year to include our thumbstick configurations. Keep up the good work Epic!!

FREE HALO3 MAP, LEGENDARY PACK ON SALE

I’m sure all of you Halo fans, that frequent Bungie.net, have already heard that Monday July 7th will see the release of a new map for Halo. The reason for this free map….July 7th is “Bungie Day”. Yeah, I have no idea but Bungie seems to be real fond of the number 7. Seventh Column, Master chief is the lucky spartan, I dunno maybe Squiffy can answer a question that nobody is asking. The FREE map Coldstorage is a remake of that crazy teleporter-infested map, Chill Out, from the original Halo multiplayer playlist.

In addition to a free map, the Legendary map pack see a 25% price reduction from 800 to 600 MS points. If you buy the Legendary map on or before the 7th you will still get the “Pro Bonus” which allows you to share up to 24 files as opposed to the standard 6 slots allotted to each player normally and is normally priced at 750 points.

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!!!! (always wanted to say that)
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Free RSV 2 Maps

Following the trend of free dowloadable maps…

Content: Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2: Gift Pack DLC
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Germany
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD,INTENSE VIOLENCE,STRONG LANGUAGE] As a thank you gift to our community, Ubisoft Montreal is pleased to announce free Multiplayer DLC for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Vegas 2. This free map pack includes reworked versions of familiar favorites to storm your way through: Calypso Casino, Murdertown – Dark and CQB Training – Dark. Experience your favorite game modes in a whole new light!

Source: Major Nelson

Correction: It’s Halo, Frontlines and Map Week

Looks like Frontlines has some new maps on the way as well:

“…if a company wanted to re-energize (create?) a game’s fans base, we can think of few ways to do it better than this: Five maps are being doled out for the game, all for free. The first one hit Xbox Live today, according to Microsoft mouthpiece Major Nelson.”

Source: Joystiq

Halo 3 week at Alt-Controls.com?

Two postings in a row on Halo 3, so it must be! And I guess it’s the game that keeps on giving, because a new map is on the way yet again and this time, it’s another remake of an old school favorite. Read the rest…