Tag: gameplay

‘South Park: The Fractured But Whole’ Gets Another Major Delay!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: So close, yet so far…

Ubisoft let us know back in September that South Park: The Fractured But Whole would not be making its original December release date, and would instead be launching sometime in Q1 of 2017.

The publisher took a moment during today’s earnings call to let us know that, once again the game won’t be making its planned release date. Last time around, they noted that “The development team wants to make sure the game experience meets the high expectations of fans and the additional time will help them achieve this goal,” while this time, Ubisoft simply let us know that the game will now release in the company’s next fiscal year. This means that we’ll see the title sometime between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018.

Josh was pretty excited about the title after its E3 showcase last year – the game even made his most anticipated games of 2017 list. After spending some time with The Stick of Truth late last year myself, I can see why fans may be disappointed, the game looks fantastic, hilarious, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

What are you going to play instead? Sound out below!

Watch The Insane Launch Trailer For ‘Dishonored 2’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Somehow, again, another incredible looking title completely slid under my radar.

Bethesda has just debuted the official launch trailer for Dishonored 2, and I think it may be the first Dishonored video that I’ve ever seen. How? With the first title being as celebrated as it is… I really have no idea.

In the game, you’ll “Reprise your role as a supernatural assassin in Dishonored 2, the next chapter in the award-winning Dishonored saga by Arkane Studios. As either Emily Kaldwin or Corvo Attano, travel beyond the legendary streets of Dunwall to Karnaca – a once-dazzling coastal city that holds the key to restoring Emily to power. Armed with the mark of the Outsider and powerful new supernatural abilities, hunt down your enemies and forever alter the fate of the Empire.”

Pre-orders get to play the game a day early, and also include a copy of Dishonored: Definitive Edition, so if you missed out on the first game, it’s Game of the Year Edition, and its re-release, you won’t be left in the dark any longer.

For now, take a look at the trailer below, and let us know if you’ll be picking up Dishonored 2 on November 11th!

E3 2016: ‘South Park: The Fractured But Whole’ Spoofs Super Hero Blockbusters In Hilarious Fashion

by Josh Jackson

When Matt Stone and Trey Parker took the stage during Ubisoft’s E3 2016 press conference, we knew that meant  more details on the upcoming follow up to 2013’s South Park: The Stick of Truth, couldn’t be far. Alongside the announcement of a December 6 release date, the debuting trailer shows how much the game has changed in the past year.

Much like the South Park TV show, it’s clear that the upcoming Ubisoft RPG, The Fractured But Whole, had its story thrown together in a few weeks based on its latest trailer. As anyone who watches the show can tell you, that’s far from a bad thing since the results are often hilarious. But seeing how the conflict in this trailer has not only completely changed from last year’s reveal, but how the town has now includes locations and references from its most recent season, such as SoDoSoPa and the returning PC Principal, (who Cartman apparently has locked up in a storage unit,) it’s clear that most of these revisions have to be recent. A quick look at the trailer shows how the town will have gone through quite a few changes since the last time we visited it, setting a perfect stage for the boy’s own super hero civil war.

Spoofing Marvel and DC’s multi-film universes, the kids of South Park split off into two factions as their super hero personas after they can’t come to an agreement on how they will release their own film universe. From here, all hell breaks loose, which is clear from the footage of the boys fighting each other, Kyle siding with Cartman, your characters fighting with a drunk Randy, and other lunacy that we’ve come to expect from the quiet mountain town.

The game play is also getting an overhaul to match the town, which was detailed in the game play segment of the presentation. Instead of a strict turn based battle system, The Fractured But Whole uses a grid based movement system somewhat reminiscent of the Mega Man Battle Network series. Attacks can move enemies from one space to another, resulting in extra damage when they’re pushed into cars or tables for example, while elements like summoning popular characters for one off attacks, special abilities for each hero and unique classes make their return. All in all, this more involved battle system makes the game look like an interactive episode even more so than before.

Even better news for digital purchasers, is that for those who digitally pre-order the game, they’ll get a free download for PS4, Xbox One or PC versions of The Stick of Truth right now! So if you missed out on it the first time or just want to play it again, it’s a pretty strong incentive. Physical copies will also include vouchers for the game at select retailers on a future date.

With new characters, locations and powers, including the ultimate reveal of PC Principal, my excitement is through the roof for The Fractured But Whole. That December release date also means it won’t be delayed for four years this time either! Watch the trailer below and share your highlights with us, but make sure you check your privilege before you do.

E3 2016: The ‘Dishonored 2’ Gameplay Trailer Is Here!

by Josh Jackson

With so much buzz surrounding Dishonored 2, the follow up to 2012’s surprise hit, we knew Bethesda would touch on it during their E3 press conference this year. What we didn’t know was how great it would look in motion, building on what was an already popular game with new powers and abilities to eliminate your targets with.

As one of two supernatural assassins, Dishonored 2 is clearly hoping to build on the strengths of the original by allowing players to approach taking out their targets in a variety of ways. The gameplay trailer alone shows off how our protagonists can summon mystical powers to make enemies their playthings, attack them with traditional swords and guns, or even avoid direct conflict altogether by utilizing the game’s stealth and hostage mechanics, all while taking place in a unique setting that blends industrial society with the world of mysticism. If you couldn’t tell, it’s looking like there will be plenty to enjoy no matter what your play style is when Dishonored 2 releases in on November 11 of this year on the PS4, Xbox One and PC.

If you haven’t had a chance to watch the trailer, do it now and tell us what you think of Arkane Studios’ next entry in the Dishonored series.

E3 2014: ‘Mortal Kombat X’ Looks Absolutely Brutal!

by Josh Jackson

We saw the teaser trailer, now we can see what the next generation of Mortal Kombat has in store for us.

Shown during Sony’s E3 press conference, Morkal Kombat X, (as in “ex”, not 10, because we don’t want to date ourselves here), was put on display in full force, and watching it shows that as the series has evolved into a respectible fighting game in its own right, it’s still the king of over the top violence in a wave of increasingly gory games.

Showing both Sub Zero and Scorpion as well as two new characters, (one of which is a two in one fighter consisting of a smaller person riding on top of a monster about the size of Kintaro), the combo system and fighting mechanics look similar to both the last game and Netherrealm’s DC fighter, Injustice, but with a few new tricks for the faithful. Watching this new character bounce back and forth between these two person combos or seeing Sub Zero throw his unused ice clone at Scorpion was a blast to watch. Just imagine how much fun it can be once it actually releases.

And the fatalities… My lord, the fatalities! If the return of the X-Ray attacks weren’t enough for you, (which somehow manage to look ten times more cringeworthy than they did the first time around), then the new ways you can finish the fight take it to a whole ‘nother level. I didn’t think an MK game could still make me squirm after so many years, but after watching those chests explode, bodies get ripped apart and the detail of the opponents gasping for their last breath found a way to make it happen.

Just… just check out the trailer below. You just HAVE to see MKX for yourself and let us know which fatality was your favorite from the ones shown.

http://youtu.be/0gEhY_OiNsc

‘Watch Dogs’ Gets A 9-Minute ‘101’ Trailer

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Watch Dogs is finally almost here, and Ubisoft has debuted a new 9-minute ‘101’ trailer for the game that takes us through almost every facet of the experience.

The video showcases some intense action that we haven’t seen before, introduces us to some interesting characters, shows off the game’s intriguing smartphone app, and plenty more. Some of it does look a little silly however, like running away from the cops as a mechanical spider in one of the game’s ‘Digital Trips’.

The game looks like a lot of fun, and as I’ve definitely been looking for something new to play on my PS4, I can’t wait to pick it up. Watch Dogs was my “must have” title for the PS4 launch before it was delayed, so I sure hope that it’s worth the wait.

Take a look at the video below, and let us know what you think! Watch Dogs hits PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and PC on May 27th!

Check Out 8 Minutes Of ‘Watch Dogs’ Multiplayer Footage!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: After what seems like forever, Watch Dogs is finally just a month away from release.

Ubisoft has just launched an eight-minute multiplayer walkthrough for the title, which showcases some fantastic cat and mouse gameplay. According to the description, in “Watch Dogs’ groundbreaking multiplayer modes where everything and everyone is connected. Learn how Watch Dogs is blurring the line between single and multiplayer, and get a glimpse into three distinct and exciting modes including Online Hacking Contracts, ctOS – Mobile Companion App, and Competitive Decryption Combat.”

The game looks like a lot of fun, and as I’ve definitely been looking for something new to play on my PS4, I can’t wait to pick this one up. Watch Dogs was my “must have” title for the PS4 launch before it was delayed, so I sure hope that it’s worth the wait.

Take a look at the video below, and let us know what you think!

‘Watch Dogs’ To Finally Launch On May 27th, Watch A New Trailer!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Ubisoft has been all-but-silent on the Watch Dogs front since the game was delayed back in October. Today, the publisher officially announced the game’s new release date, and also released a new story trailer for the anticipated title.

The new trailer gives us a much better sense of just what’s going on in the game, which is something that wasn’t overly clear before. We also see Aiden’s motivations for his actions, and a ton of new action to boot.

You can take a look at the new story trailer below, and be sure to let us know what you think. Watch Dogs will launch on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, and PS4 on May 27th. The Wii U version is currently without a release date.

http://youtu.be/B6XCYB57q2A

‘Watch Dogs’ Delayed To 2014

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Ubisoft’s highly anticipated Watch Dogs has been delayed to 2014.

The game, which was set to release on November 19th (and was one of my most-wanted titles of the year) has been pushed to next Spring. Ubisoft explained the delay in a statement on their official website this morning:

Our ambition from the start with Watch_Dogs has been to deliver something that embodies what we wanted to see in the next-generation of gaming. It is with this in mind that we’ve made the tough decision to delay the release until Spring 2014 (Fall 2014 for Australia & New Zealand).
 
We know a lot of you are probably wondering ‘why now?’ We struggled with whether we would delay the game. But from the beginning, we have adopted the attitude that we will not compromise on quality. As we got closer to release, as all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place in our last push before completion, it became clear to us that we needed to take the extra time to polish and fine tune every detail so we can deliver a truly memorable and exceptional experience.
 
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you. We thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the way you respond on the web, at events, press conferences and during other opportunities we have to interact. Your passion is what drives us.
 
We can’t wait to see you in Chicago next Spring. We are confident you’ll love this game as much as we love working on it.

So that’s that. One less game to buy at the PS4 launch, I suppose? I’m still beyond excited for title, and if the delay results in the release of a better game, I’m all for it. As the great Shigeru Miyamoto once said, “a delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.”

Ubisoft’s The Crew, which was slated for a Q1 2014 release, has been pushed to Q2.

‘The Last Of Us’ DLC Announcement Coming This Week!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: So it’s not an announcement about the much anticipated DLC for The Last of Us, but at least it lets us know when that announcement will be.

Naughty Dog’s Bruce Strayley posted to his twitter today that a reveal is coming this week. No word (of course) on what type of DLC will be announced, but I’m sure that anything will be welcome, as we’re all itching to jump back into this world.

Take a look at the embedded tweet below, and let us know how much you loved the game!

Check Out 14 Minutes Of Open World Gameplay From ‘Watch Dogs’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Ubisoft has just released a cool 14-minute gameplay video for what may just be my most anticipated game of the year, Watch Dogs.

The video gives us a neat sneak peek into some of the awesome multiplayer action that Watch Dogs has in store for us. I was mainly looking forward to the game’s single-player campaign, but the multiplayer here looks seriously awesome.

Take a look at the new video below, and let us know if you’ll be picking up the game! You’ll get your chance to take over Chicago on November 19th. Watch Dogs is set for release on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Wii U, and PC.

In Watch_Dogs, players will assume the role of Aiden Pearce, a new type of vigilante who, with the help of his smartphone, will use his ability to hack into Chicago’s central operating system (ctOS) and control almost every element of the city. Aiden will be able to tap into the city’s omnipresent security cameras, download personal information to locate a target, control systems such as traffic lights or public transportation to stop a chase, and more. The city of Chicago is now the ultimate weapon.

E3 2013: ‘Saints Row IV’ Gameplay Impressions

by Jonathan

After the closing of THQ earlier this year, and the firesale of THQ properties that followed, one of the THQ published franchises whose tenuous fate concerned fans the most was the Saints Row series. Generally acknowledged as a more lewd and drunken cousin to the GTA games (yeah… even MORE lewd and drunken), the Saints Row titles are generally praised for offering a “screw everything, let’s just @%$* everything up” alternative to Rockstar Games’ main franchise. This louder and more anarchic approach is a breath of fresh air for Saints Row fans, and the closing of THQ left many of them concerned with the fate of the long planned Saints Row IV (due out on August 20th here in the U.S.). Original developer Volition continued development of the title, but publication moved from THQ to Dead Island publisher Deep Silver, ensuring that fans will ultimately have their insane, anarchic fill. But forget the history… How does that game actually play?

Well, after spending a short time playing the game in Deep Silver’s E3 Oval Office set up, I’m happy to announce that the game is both fun and insane. Is it ultimately satisfying to the extent that we expect from a full console release? Sadly, I think the jury is still out.

The 'Saints Row IV' President's Seal
The ‘Saints Row IV’ President’s Seal

The demo that I played came in two parts, a narrative portion early in the game in which the White House (under your presidency) is attacked by aliens intent on enslaving the human race and a free play, completely unlocked God mode portion set up by the developers to show off the free roam gameplay and the character’s completely insane souped up powers towards the end of the game.

I can’t hold a grudge against any game that features both Keith David’s voice talents and Stan Bush music, and in my time with the title I experienced both. Your character from Saints Row 3 is now dirtbag President of the United States, with a cabinet made up of kiss-asses, traitors and former porn stars ,and your approval rating sits at 20%. As you make your way to a televised press conference, you manage to hilariously cure cancer (or solve world hunger… you can’t do both), kick the ass of a political rival and endorse (or not) a loser hanger-on. And as you approach the podium to address the nation, the walls are blown in and the alien overlords attack. You have to make your way to the Oval Office, retrieve your high-powered munitions and kick some alien ass as the bad guys abduct most of your cabinet up into their space ship.

Me, sitting in 'Saints Row IV's AMAZING Oval Office
Me, sitting in ‘Saints Row IV’s AMAZING Oval Office

It’s a pretty ridiculous and impressive sequence of events, ending in the President manning a giant surface-to-air cannon on the White House lawn against incoming spaceships, but I couldn’t help but think that the character animations were a bit choppy, and that the gameplay felt slow. I wanted to blast a lot more aliens and explore the White House a bit more and it felt as though the big set pieces and jokes came at the expense of a faster, looser experience. It is fun to blow aliens away with a high powered machine gun, but the scripted encounter events occurred so close to each other that it didn’t leave time for exploring. This really felt like a tutorial level (and am pretty sure that it is, with the game’s release about two months away). Probably not fair to think that it’s representative of the entire game, as even though the gameplay and animations weren’t satisfying, the humor and ridiculousness were EXACTLY what I’ve come to expect from a Saints Row title.

Luckily, the gameplay picked up a lot with the free roam portion of the demo. In this open world sequence, your character is completely powered up, with superpowers involving super-speed, limited flight, freezing, fire powers, and telekinesis. And he also has every weapon in the game and is allowed to unleash them all on both the pedestrians and alien scum inhabiting the massive area. This portion reminded me a lot less of GTA and a lot more of the first Crackdown game, a title I was addicted to years ago. Here, I found myself superjumping around the city, collecting rooftop orbs, and blowing stuff up. It’s actually a LOT like the first Crackdown and even features places on the map where you can activate mini missions and co-op play. But of course, there’s a major difference: the powers and weapons are insane… and Stan Bush is playing on one of the radio stations!

The Dubstep gun may be one of the most hilarious weapons ever.
The Dubstep gun may be one of the most hilarious weapons ever.

In my time blowing things up and pretty much destroying everything, I used freezing powers to freeze alien gunships out of the sky and send them crashing into buildings, fire abilities to light bad guys on fire during melee encounters, and telekinesis to pick up bystanders or vehicles (or corpses) and send them hurtling into pretty much anything and everything. And the guns were fantastic. One of the most creative is the Dubstep Gun, in which holding down the right trigger and aiming it at an enemy bludgeons them with dubstep music until they die. Pretty hilarious. My favorite (and most destructive) was the Singularity Cannon, a weapon that fires a mini-black hole at a target that immediately sucks up everything in the nearby vicinity. Cars, pedestrians, aliens, streetlamps, fences, trucks… I had a blast seeing the bad guys scrape and try and drag themselves free of the little black holes, only to ultimately get stretched and sucked inside. It was immediately one of my favorite weapons of any game ever, and it’s a blast just speed running or soaring around the environment shooting the weapon at everything in sight (including getting yourself accidentally sucked in on a few occasions). It was Crackdown… on crack. And I had a blast.

And just as I was warming up and really putting it to the alien scum, the demo was over and I was ushered out of the room by the Deep Silver folks (but not before I got a picture sitting at the Presidential desk!). Yes, the jury is still out on whether or not my time demoing the game is indicative of the full console release, but the personality on display in Saints Row IV and the rampant fun of the open world carnage were definitely enough for me to give the game another chance upon release. I can’t wait to power up, load up and cut an even bigger swath of destruction August 20th.

http://youtu.be/bQTt6bUZrSU

First ‘The Last Of Us’ Multiplayer Footage Now Online!

by Derek Kraneveldt

We’re just 11 days away from the highly anticipated release of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us, and the first footage from the game’s multiplayer mode has just found its way online.

The video comes from Polish gaming site BossBattleComing, and therefore is a little tough to understand, but you can at least get a good sense of what the standard ‘Deathmatch’ mode will look and feel like. The game will have plenty of other multiplayer modes, possibly including a rumoured large-map, open world, awesome sounding survival option. Sounds good to me.

Regardless of multiplayer, I’m dying to jump into the world of The Last of Us. The game releases on June 14th, and will certainly be a contender for Game of the Year. Watch the Deathmatch footage below, and let us know if you’re excited!

Check Out Six Minutes Of Gameplay From ‘Watch Dogs’

by Shane O'Hare

Ubisoft’s next slam dunk title, Watch Dogs, is looking better and better every day. Set in the near future, players take the role of  Aiden Pearce, a man who was done dirty and is getting revenge on the people that did it. The major gameplay mechanic in Watch Dogs is being able to hack into the city’s electronic surveillance systems and utilities.

So, if you weren’t sold already, here are six minutes of gameplay footy to help you decide whether or not to pick Watch Dogs up!

Check Out Nine Minutes Of ‘Dead Island: Riptide’ Gameplay

by Shane O'Hare

Hot off the presses we have here Deep Silver Creative Producer Alex Polanski walking us through nine minutes of game play for the upcoming Dead Island: Riptide. Take a peak with me and enjoy the carnage!

 

 

It looks like we are getting a proper next step in the series. It’s hard to say just yet, but from looking at this PRE ALPHA footage, it feels like the majority of the glitches and issues that plagued the first Dead Island game have been ironed out.

 

You can pick up Dead Island: Riptide on PC, PS3 and XBOX 360 on April 23rd 2013!

Check Out 14 Minutes Of Gameplay From ‘Far Cry 3’

by Shane O'Hare

We’ve seen clips and pics from Far Cry 3. We’ve seen the crazy “Definition Of Insanity” trailer from E3. Now, we get a peak at the giant over world.

Lead Designer Jamie Keen and Level Designer Mark Thompson lead us through fourteen minutes of gameplay that shows you how the overworld reacts. Let me just tell you this, it looks VASTLY improved from Far Cry 2.

December 4th is a Far Cry 3 day.

‘Gotham City Impostors’ Goes Free-To-Play!

by Shane O'Hare

THAAATS RIIIGHT! The hyper stylized team based shooter goes free to play! Straight from the press release:

The Bats and Jokerz are running free! Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today announced that the PC version of Gotham City Impostors is now FreeTo Play.  The latest version of the game is now available for download at no cost via Steam® and is Steamworks enabled.
Those who download the Gotham City Impostors Free To Play via the Steam client will have access to the original game, as well as all DLC packs, which includes new maps, weapons, mascots and more. Players will also experience join-in-progress matchmaking that ensures gamers are placed into populated matches.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Gotham City Impostors is a team based shooter that pits two teams of “impostors” against each other. One side is a group of vigilante copy cats, The Bats while the other is a team of Jokerz looking to rob the city. It is insanely fun and funny as hell, Monolith really put all the right people on this game.

One of the coolest features of GCI is the vertical gameplay. Maps have multiple levels and it forces players to look up and down more.

Unconfirmed reports are that people who bought the game will get exclusive in game items. Some people have said they noticed a new DLC that is not for sale and imagine that it is for gamers who have bought the game.

Regardless you now have no excuse to NOT play this crazy fun game. For more info check out the official site HERE and why not, take a peak at the trailer below.

Seven Minutes Of ‘Remember Me’ Gameplay And Gallery!

by Shane O'Hare

HEY! Remember me? Well I remember you! With the announcement of Capcom’s newest title only a few hours old, we get a little gameplay demo AND some screenshots! Take a peak below!

Holy shit that was…heavy. Fucking heavy. Looks like gameplay centers around messing with people’s memories in order for them to do your bidding. Very interesting. While you ponder that, take a look at these tasty screenshots!

This looks like it is going to be a real Juggernaut and EVERYONE SHOULD KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR IT COME MAY 2013!

Check Out This ‘Resident Evil 6’ Gameplay Trailer For Jake!

by Shane O'Hare

GamesCom is the conference that keeps on giving. Now we get a peak at an exclusive trailer for Resident Evil 6! This trailer  centers around Jake and Ashley fighting some baddies in a cabin with a nice escape! Check it out below!

Resident Evil 6 hits shelves October 2nd!

Check Out The In-Game Intro For ‘Worms: Revolution’ Featuring Matt Berry!

by Shane O'Hare

Team 17 recently put up the in-game intro players will see in Worms: Revolution. We get a nice glimpse at the gameplay and graphics as we are “serenaded” by Matt Berry’s luscious voice. Do yourself a favor, sit down with some Whiskey, and watch this trailer. Enjoy!

Worms: Revolution hits PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 this September.

Geekscape Games Reviews Elgato’s ‘Game Capture HD’

by MoreLikeAndy

I am all about recording my gameplay. Since I review games, this helps to get screenshots as well as looking at a section of the game to help me describe something that sticks out while playing. For awhile now, I’ve been using a non-HD device and although it works for the price, the quality is not as sharp as it should be to use for my reviews. There aren’t many devices that do HD recording for consoles, especially using HDMI. Elgato kicks in the door with a $200 answer, the Game Capture HD.

With the vast array of consoles hooked up at my desk, one can imagine the snakes nest of wires going everywhere. Being the size of a portable hard drive and having only 4 ports, the Game Capture HD is easy for people with very little room for more devices in their gaming area. One of the things that I don’t like about other HD capture devices is all the wires coming out of them. It may seem trivial but when you actually have one of these devices with component cables coming out of both ends, it ends up being a mess of wires everywhere.

Simplicity seems to be the goal when Elgato came up with the design of the Game Capture HD. HDMI in, HDMI out and usb cable to the computer and you are done. There are extra cables included for the Game Capture HD since the PS3 cannot do anything over HDMI without HDCP (insert). What you might think is an s-video in port  is actually where you plug the special cable made for the PS3. There is also a component cable for that port to use for any other devices that don’t have HDMI, you know, just in case you want to record some of that awesome Wii gaming goodness.

Excited to test the Game Capture HD, I hooked up the Xbox 360 first.

 

 

Using the default settings of the software, that video of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier looks pretty good at 720p. I tried out 1080p for another video but I didn’t notice the quality being all the much better so sticking with the default settings should suit the majority of people. If you want to change the settings, the ease of use will make things quick for you to do so. Changing the quality of the recording is as simple as moving the slider. The only thing I notice with the quality slider is what bitrate the video is recorded in. Nothing changes the audio though. That stays at 224 kbps ACC. Video is also static to one format, h.264.

Since I am not familiar with editing video, I asked Geekscape’s Head Geek Jonathan London about h.264 (mp4, m4v) and editing that file type since he does this for a living. In his words:

On a Mac, you want to be editing an MOV file. Neither of those files you listed are ideal and would need to be converted to be cut in FCP or Avid and Premiere.

This is for the Mac users, of course. Yes, Game Capture HD actually works natively on Windows and OSX. Elgato lists that the software works only in Windows 7 and OSX 10.7 though I never got the chance to test to see if older OS’s would work so people with older OS’s should be wary. On the Windows side of things, the raw format saves in .TS where as on the OSX side it saves in either .mp4 or .m4v. Simplicity of design also carries over to the software for the Game Capture HD. Those looking to do some basic editing and effects will feel a little left out. The only things possible when editing is cutting clips out of your recorded video. I don’t really see this as an issue since iMovie and Windows Movie Maker are ok in a pinch, and free for that matter.

The Game Capture HD software makes it simple to upload and share your videos with the handy assortment of buttons in the bottom corner. Using either Facebook or Youtube to host your video, you can share with all your friends on Twitter, Facebook, email or just save the original file to your videos folder. Other options are OS specific. With OSX, you get the options of ProRes and iMovie. Windows 7 users get Movie Maker.

What I think is a big deal and separates the Game Capture HD from the competition is the ‘timeshift’ feature. In a nutshell, the Game Capture HD is a mini Tivo. From the moment you turn on the software and hook up the device, the counter starts. At first I thought the buffer for how long it will let you rewind was in the device itself. Turns out, it uses the hard drive the device is hooked into as the buffer. Essentially, the buffer can be as long as you want it to be, so long as you have the hard drive space.

Once you pick a spot to start your recording, the temporary buffer file on the hard drive stops and anything before the point of recording is gone. I went 2 hours before hitting record and the buffer file size got to 4.4GB’s in size. Very helpful to know that you can play until you want to record. Saves you time and hard drive space.

Not satisfied with just testing out the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3, I tried using the Game Capture HD on my PC. My XFX 5770 video card has a full HDMI-out port on it so I figured it would work. I was right. For people that like to record their gameplay on PC but don’t want to use software like Fraps will enjoy using the Game Capture HD. Well, that is if you have another PC or laptop to record on. I did notice some frame rate issues on the PC that wasn’t recording but I imagine that was due to the resolution I had set on my 32 inch LCD TV that doubles for one of my PC monitors.

I am new to streaming video live from a console so I am not sure how most people do it these days. The Game Capture HD is not recognized by the streaming software I tried as a video device so I ended up using Xsplit (free version) to capture the live preview screen of the Game Capture HD software. Not the best way to do so but from the test I ran doing this, it was clear and stutter-free.

With how little of a footprint the Game Capture HD has with its size and usage of few cables, I can say that anyone willing to spend money on an HD capture device for pretty much anything that can use non-HDCP HDMI as an output will feel great about the purchase. I see some having issues with the barebones software that only lets you cut and clip your videos. Could be Elgato wants people to use their own video editor of choice. Still would be nice to do everything in one software suite instead of moving around 2 or 3 different ones. With the Game Capture HD, Elgato just threw down the mic to all competition. Time to step your game up, fellas.

Medal of Honor Warfighter Gameplay Trailer Released!

by jake108

EA’s new installment into the Medal of Honor series released it’s first gameplay trailer today. Danger Close’s ‘Warfighter’ touts the Frostbite 2 Engine, an engine used for Battlefield 3.

From the trailer, we can gather that missions will be located globally. One of my favorite things about Battlefield 3 are the environments. I’m hoping ‘Warfighter’ will expand on environmental hazards and design. Still, I skipped the last Medal of Honor for a reason. It’ll take a little more for me to go out and reserve the next. While I believe warfare FPS’ is dominated by the Call of Duty franchise, Medal of Honor Warfighter definitely has a one-up with the addition of Frostbite 2.

Medal of Honor Warfighter is set to release October 23, 2012.