Ubisoft's wild west series returns, with a new setting and plot. Revolving around three characters taking on the Cartel. In a modern twist on the wild west, the Cartel are today's outlaws and our protagonists are the law. With no demand for a present day western, how will this direction fair with the fans?

Firing up the campaign, your presented with the option to play as either Kim (FBI), Ben (LAPD) or Eddie (DEA). Each character has their own agenda (side objective) and will get a call from a friend or colleague. Requesting you to collect illegal guns from a scene or steal a surveillance tape for example.

You gain points for obtaining a secret item, which leads to unlocking new guns. While doing this you mustn't be seen by one of your partners. Getting caught sets you back and your partner, gets rewarded for catching you out. Only when your playing with a friend is this feature most effective. Sadly your A.I teams are blunt and won't bother, to carry out this objective.

Dr. Victor Fries is the latest character to join Arkham City's, exciting cast of Villains. Mr. Freeze is true to his character driven to find a cure, to resurrect his wife at any cost. In this latest trailer Victor gives Batman an ultimatum and leads to an uproar between the two.

It's great how they've portrayed him as a criminal mastermind, who proposes a real threat to Batman. This is one boss fight I cant wait to encounter. The way Victor was strategically freezing rails, that Batman can linger from was interesting.

Looks like it's going to be a tough battle. Scouring the environment I can imagine possible concepts, for a Mr. Freeze challenge map. Check out his creepy voice in the trailer below and a screenshot of his outfit above.

Batman: Arkham City will be available on XBOX 360, PS3 and PC for 21st October 2011.

Is it me or is it snowing in Arkham City?

Mafia 2 is an epic story of friendship, money , betrayal and risks. Whilst climbing the ranks of the Mafia, in 1940/50's America. Life hasn't treated Vito very well, our protagonist arrived in America living in poverty. In search of a better life, he turns to crime with childhood freind Joe. After a botched attempt at robbing a jewellery store, he serves the US Army as punishment.

The first mission takes place in Italy, where a battle is taking place. This is where you experience a taste of firepower and cover based action. Weapons your presented with  here, are military bolt rifles and pistols. All with realistic sounds and configurations, replicating their weight and power in reality. Throughout the game you will be presented with a selection of pistols, machine guns, rifles, projectiles and a shotgun. In most shootouts the infamous Tommy Gun, is the weapon of choice.

After getting shot in the war, Vito is sent home temporarily. However with Joe's contacts, our war hero is discharged. From here on out he embarks on a journey to gain the respect, money and women, being a wise guy in the Mafia.

Ubisoft's popular series Call of Juarez returns, retaining the theme of the wild west but in modern day. Call of Juarez: The Cartel is the third entry in the franchise, being developed by Techland for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The plot revolves around the Mexican drug cartel, who are thought to be outlaws in present day. Murdering people in the name of drugs and money, with total disregard for the law. To put an end to their ways, a special task force is formed. Comprising of a fierce LAPD cop named Ben McCall, Eddie Guerra a DEA agent with gambling habits and Kim Evans, a FBI agent with a gang affiliated past.

Each character can be played in campaign mode offline or with 3 players online in co-op. Enthusiast will be rewarded with a unique story and ending, replaying the campaign with each task force member. The game spans across, LA, Arizona and Mexico to be concise, with 15 missions and maps to play through.

Weapons are a plenty ranging from, revolvers/pistols, shotguns, sub/machine guns and assault/sniper rifles etc, totalling over 30 weapons.

Limbo will be in the hands of PS3 and PC owners, come 20th July on PSN and 2nd August on Steam. Last year Limbo was released exclusively on Microsoft's console and became the third highest selling game on Xbox Live Arcade in 2010. Its estimated the Danish developer Playdead, generated an amazing revenue of $7.5 million. The title has received many awards and has been praised for its concept, art direction, sound and unique experience.

The 2D sidescroller is a puzzle/platform game, with a black and white art direction containing rays and shafts of light. Players take control of a unnamed protagonist, in search of his sister in a dangerous forest. Traversing through the landscape players will discover its invested with, unforgiving puzzles and traps gruesomely killing players. Be sure to experience Limbo when it graces the PSN on 20th July and Steam, on 2nd August. Limbo is a title not to be missed and gamers worldwide will grow found of it now on  Xbox 360, PS3 or PC.

The creators of Resident Evil and No More Heroes collaborate once again, delivering their most ambitious title yet; Shadows of the Damned. Players step into the shoes of Garcia Hotspur, a demon hunter who's girlfriend (Paula) is kidnapped by Fleming (King of the underworld/hell). On a rescue mission to save Paula, Garcia must dismantle the underworld in search of Flemings Castle.

By his side at all times is a former demon named Johnson, who can transform, into a pistol, shotgun, machine gun and torch. Those who played Resident Evil 4 or 5 will be familiar, with the games third person over the shoulder shooting mechanics.
As you tread along the underworld the background music entails you to walk slowly, pondering what's around the corner. Credit goes to legendary video game composer Akira Yamaoka, known for creating Silent Hill's score. Shadows of the Damned feeds off 70/80s horror, giving an intentional b movie vibe. Inspiration for the sound and general theme of the game, derives from Quentin Tarantino's work ethics.

What differentiates this game from others, is the gameplay mechanic known as the darkness. Once you enter it your health depletes and Garcia must  shoot a mounted goats head, to escape darkness. The wrath of darkness sometimes works in your favour, to highlight enemy weaknesses and create puzzle sequences. Such as shooting highlighted items to open doors and collecting health pickups, while looking for a exit.

The  Collectors Limited Edition will be available exclusively at GAME and Gamestation for £59.99, come 14 October 2011.  Inside the pack is 25 additional cars one of which is, the 2012 BMW M5 unveiled at the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race in Germany.

Bundled together with a polished Steelbook™ DVD Case, the Limited Collector’s Edition content includes the following:

•         The VIP Car Pack

o   2011 Bugatti Veyron Super Sport
o   2011 Ferrari 458 Challenge
o   2011 Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera
o   2010 Noble M600
o   2011 RUF Rt 12 R

•         The limited quantity “Launch Bonus” car pack available for fans who order early

o   1965 Ford Mustang GT Coupe
o   2011 Koenigsegg Agera
o   1997 Lexus SC300
o   2011 RUF RGT-8
o   2011 Tesla Roadster Sport

•         A 10-car add-on pack of American muscle cars (also available for purchase at launch on Xbox LIVE Marketplace)

•         Custom-designed BMW cars from the “Forza Motorsport 4” BMW Design Challenge

•         VIP Membership status within the Forza community, including special recognition in new community features, leaderboards, ForzaMotorsport.net and more

PC gamers can rejoice, as Rockstar's latest IP is heading to the PC this fall (Autumn), with graphical enhancements and 3D Support. Other functionalities include Keyboard remapping and support for gamepads. The PC version is being developed by Rockstar Leeds, known for developing GTA: Liberty City and Vice City Stories on PSP.

Exceptionally new facial capture technology was used for the game, called MotionScan. The technology allows actors/actresses to breathe life in characters like never before. Allowing gamers to judge their performances from the cheekiest smirk to a twitchy eye.

So far L.A Noire has approximately sold 4 million units, around the world and is the fastest selling new video game IP in British history. L.A Noire is set in 1940's LA, through the eyes of Detective Cole Phelps. The Crime thriller has you solving crimes, by investigating crime scenes and suspects for clues and motives. Cole will rise up the ranks solving cases inspired by true events, on the cold, corrupt streets of LA.

No More Heroes revolves around Travis Touchdown, a loser who lives in a motel in Santa Destroy. After meeting a girl in a bar, he takes on a job to earn some cash. Using a weapon identical to Star War's lightsaber, he's in pursuit to become No.1 assassin in the UAA (United Assassin Association).

After killing your first target Travis becomes no. 10 and discovers, it's kill or be killed in this profession. From here on out it's more than about money and an obsession to become No.1.
When your not killing ranked assassins, Travis can roam Santa Destroy to gather his entry fee for the next fight. The cities not designed to be sophisticated, as other sandbox worlds but instead  a diversion from combat.

Money can earned by mowing lawn, completing fight challenges, and opening dumpsters with money to name a few. With your budget you can purchase new clothes, upgrade your weapon and train at the gym to inflict more damage.

Scattered around Santa Destroy are collectibles called  lovikov balls, which are easy to find in the most obvious places. Another object to find is dumpsters, with either lots of money or a new t-shirt for Travis. You can ride around the city in a custom motorcycle, which has nitrous installed.

Rockstar has revealed L.A. Noire's latest downloadable content, called Nicholson Electroplating. This Case is based on true events in 1947 Los Angeles, which made major national headlines. The Nicholson Electroplating plant erupted and shook the city for miles. People were injured and even killed by the incident.

A nuclear bomb was thought to have dropped at the time, judging from the mushroom cloud formed. In the game the case will be taken on by arson detectives Phelps and Biggs. The downloadable case will be available for Playstation 3 and XBOX 360, come June 21 2011.

On the PSN it will be purchasable for £3.19 and on XBOX Live for 320 MS Points. Alternatively you can buy a Rockstar Pass, which gives gamers access to all DLC released in the past or future. Currently its priced at a discount until June 21, for $9.99 on PSN and 800 MS Points on XBOX Live. After that it will be $12.00 on PSN and 960 MS Points on XBOX Live.

 
It’s a curious thing popular opinion. Quite often, it’s held in spite of the facts. In this instance I’m referring to the popular opinion that the Japanese games industry is on its knees creatively. “They ain't got it no mo” the cry goes.
 
But that doesn’t really hold up to any scrutiny. For a region that supposedly can’t compete against the western (primarily American) development teams. Japan has cranked out a strangely large number of excellent games.
 
A case study might help perhaps. Platinum Games formed in 2006 the wake of the closure of Clover Studio, the team responsible for such critical darlings as Viewtiful Joe and Okami. Already with a great pedigree, Platinum have gone on to make the well-received Madworld and Infinite Space, before hitting serious gold with Bayonetta – which earned itself full marks from both Famitsu and Edge – and Vanquish.
 
It appears then that this team have managed to turn out hit after hit since 2003, covering most of the period that this region has apparently been on the slide. So are they simply the exception that proves the rule, or are we downplaying the quality of other games in the last decade?
 

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