Description:One of the biggest challenges for long-running titles, especially those that fall into the competitive sports genre is keeping the experience fresh. While the Need for Speed franchise isn't exactly an annual sports title, it has definitely suffered in recent years from falling into the same trap, becoming a little bit too predictable. This was most painfully apparent in last year's Need for Speed: Undercover, which was panned for its lack of modes and shallow arcade-style controls. Fortunately, it looks like the Need for Speed franchise is going back to the drawing board in a big way for this year's iteration, Need for Speed SHIFT.
The biggest change for SHIFT will be the control scheme. While the Need for Speed franchise has been known as an arcade-style racer, SHIFT will begin progressing the game toward a more advanced, sim-style control. Although it won't be as demanding as the Gran Turismo or Forza series, it looks like it will feature deeper, more precision-driven mechanics than previous titles. Need for Speed SHIFT's driving mechanics will also introduce a new environmental component to the controls. Instead of just zooming along down an even-textured track, SHIFT will introduce textured tracks that will force you to adapt your driving to changing surfaces as well as even the slightest impact.Another area where Need for Speed SHIFT is making some major changes is in the crash area. Although no professional driver likes the feeling of an out of control car, crashes are one of the biggest features in any car-focused title, as evidenced by the popularity of the Burnout franchise. Although the crashes in Burnout help convey the damage and destruction involved when a car impacts something else at a high velocity, Need for Speed SHIFT will channel the fear and danger involved in a high-speed crash.When your car hits something, you will see a brutal crash animation, and the first-person camera will shake violently. You will also hear sound effects like a speeding heartbeat during and after the crash, and you will have blurry vision while your driver is recovering. The new crash mechanic really sounds like it is going to amp up the terror factor, which is a good thing for a series that is trying to reinvent itself as a more realistic title.
The format of the races will also be different in SHIFT as well, and will actually herald a return to focus for the series. Instead of dabbling in an open-world or focusing on underground street racing, SHIFT will feature a straight-up tournament system that will give this title much better focus than before.The tournament will feature several real-world and game-world tracks from all over the world, which basically rules out any open-world track selection. Although some might decry the absence of the open-world this time around, I think this change is necessary and will help the game feel like a more "serious" title than ever before. The format is probably also more conducive to quick replays as well as taking on individual challenges which might be associated with each track.
However, even though a lot is changing in Need for Speed SHIFT, a lot of things look like they will be staying the same. There will still be a grudge system that works to amp up competitiveness with both A.I. and human racers and will probably drive some of the game's early objectives. Although it is not known if this will be a factor in the new Tournament format, I can't see this feature being abandoned completely, even though it might play a lesser role.
Although there is a lot of information floating around about the gameplay, there still is a lot that we don't know. For instance, there have been no confirmed details released about possible online play or even which vehicles will be included in this title. However, from what we have seen so far, Need for Speed SHIFT is going to be a "grown up" version of the title and will be the most sophisticated of the three planned Need for Speed releases for this year (Nintendo-exclusive Need for Speed: Nitro and Free-to-play MMO title Need for Speed: World Online comprising the other two.) Although it looks like it will be a big year for the franchise, my money is on Need for Speed SHIFT being the best of the three, and I can't wait to try it out when it is released this September.
2/2009 - Street Fighter IV
Without a doubt, the fan favorite in the Street Fighter lineage is Street Fighter II. It took the essential idea from its arcade father - having characters compete in a martial arts tournament - but added a larger roster of characters, fierce combos, tight controls, and those characteristic special moves that have been emulated (either in button press form or style) ever since it made its 1991 mark. In fact, Street Fighter II was so popular that there were six editions of it. Why mess with your gaming golden egg and risk releasing a new, less popular sequel, when you can simply tweak the formula from time-to-time? And that's the exact approach Capcom took. Those six editions - with amped-up titles like Hyper Street Fighter II and Super Street Fighter II Turbo - added everything from faster gameplay to super moves and even new characters, all while staying under the safety of the Street Fighter II umbrella.Tougher times came when Capcom decided to strike out and head in the direction of true sequels. New entries like the Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter III series were good tiles in their own right (and still have solid fan bases), but they never achieved the notoriety of the Street Fighter II series (and let's not give much play to the less-than-stellar 3D Street Fighter EX series). Poll gamers on their favorite entry and they'll still say Street Fighter II (although they will fervently argue which particular edition is the best). So, why all the buildup about Street Fighter II? Well, Street Fighter IV looks like a return to form - it has the classic play of Street Fighter II mixed with a new artistic direction and great new fighting mechanics.After so many Street Fighter editions and sequels, Capcom has learned that most gamers identify with the main roster of characters from Street Fighter II. So, Street Fighter IV features the original eight world warriors (Ryu, Ken, Blanka, Chun Li, E Honda, Guile, Zangief, and Dhalism), bosses like M. Bison and Sagat, and four newcomers: female, American spy Crimson Viper, French martial artist Abel, Mexican wrestler El Fuerte, and Rufus, an overweight Kung Fu master.
There's a purist blessing for those that step up to Street Fighter IV for the first time: It plays almost exactly like Street Fighter II. You can still bust out hurricane kicks, hurl hadoukens, and chuck sonic booms across the screen using the same button combos from back in the day - muscle memory is a good thing this time around. Also, basic attacks are still mapped to three kick and punch buttons, and throwing is the same as in Street Fighter II (you just hold down punch and kick simultaneously).Sure, that control set plays on the nostalgia factor, but this is a true sequel to Street Fighter II, not a remake (like the anticipated Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix), so what makes the fighting engine unique this time around? First and foremost are Focus attacks (previously referred to as the Saving system). These attacks are performed by holding the two strong buttons and serve as a counterattack. The key with these attacks is timing - the longer you hold down the buttons, the higher the level of focus attack you perform. The first level focus attack won't make you invulnerable, but it will allow you to score a quick hit. Hold the buttons down long enough, letting it charge to level three, and you'll unleash a more powerful, unblockable attack.
11/2009 - Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
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