Inside Hotwire 3D

An all-new, third-person open-world, action game called Prototype is coming out this summer and gamers will feel the power of being the ultimate shape-shifting weapon. The story revolves around the main character Alex Mercer, who is a genetically mutated man without memory. He is a shape-shifter with amazing powers of combat, destruction and deception. Taking on the role of Alex, you can consume and absorb any living person you come into contact with while moving through the game’s dynamic environments. You can gain access to people’s memories, assume their physical identity, and use any special abilities/powers they had, which would bring you closer to solving the growing conspiracy behind Alex’s existence.

Furthermore, your character can mix and match genetic traits to create incredibly deadly biological weapons, including razor sharp claws, blades, armored skin, shields and more. His special abilities will allow you to vault over hundreds of cars, run vertically up the sides of skyscrapers, and scale huge distances in single jumps. As you progress through the bustling New York setting, it becomes a walking slaughterhouse as you consume enemies in plain sight and cause destruction at every turn. With no memory of his past, Alex Mercer’s sole mission is to find out who’s responsible for what’s happened to him and make them pay.

You’ll gradually learn more and more about his tortured past while combating the lethal Blackwatch Military Special Forces and a virally mutated enemy faction known as the Infected. You will also delve into the deep, dark back-story mechanic known as the “Web of Intrigue” and witness a conspiracy 40 years in the making spiral out of control, revealing Alex Mercer’s past and defining his future. The game is being developed by Radical Entertainment and it is one the first games ever to support Neural 7.1 Surround Sound certified by THX for audio and video quality. Activision plans to release Prototype on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 for $59.99, as well as PC for $49.99. You can expect the game to come out June 9, 2009. For more information, be sure to visit the official Web Site located at www.prototypegame.com.

The preview build that we saw for Activision’s upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen gave us an insight to what kind features are going to be included in the final product. First off, the most noticeable difference in this year’s Transformers release is the improvements in graphics. The game’s updated presentation clearly shows character models are looking very sharp, incredibly polished, and very fluid during heavy action sequences. Besides the improved animation, the environments have been expanded to give you a “bigger” feeling of areas to cover. What’s nice about the environments is the interactivity of the levels and the amount of destruction you can impose is pretty indescribable. One may say that the added details are in the same caliber as its movie counterpart.

The gameplay mechanics are yet to be tested as are they are in their finishing stages. We learned, however, that one of the newest components being installed into the gameplay is the game’s new weapon system. The bots will now have capabilities of tapping both into their primary and secondary weapons. It will be possible to fire them in both robot and vehicle modes, but they can easily overheat if you don’t manage their rate of fire. Another component that’s giving the game a big boost is the use of momentum and transformation, which paves the way for some insane locomotion and combo possibilities. They will play a big part in achieving a number of acrobatic melee kills that will earn you medals and skill points, which you can use to upgrade either your Autobot or Decepticon faction.

The final weapon you can take advantage of in the artillery department is the overdrive meter. You can fill up this meter by taking out enemies. Once it’s full, the meter will allow you to go into overdrive mode, which will give you temporary invincibility and prevent your weapons from overheating. Also, another feature that is in working order is the revamping of the game’s flight system. Included in this renovation is the ability for players to hover, execute barrel rolls, and engage in dogfights; which was certainly missing in last year’s effort. Anyway, the game’s audio seems to be on the same footing as the original Transformers. There is a good amount of variety in sound effects that should keep the action afloat.

Needless to say, we are in for what appears to be a blockbuster hit with Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. If everything comes together as it should, we might experience a more “precise” release of the sequel with regards to gameplay. Activision has kept a low-profile on the identities of the new characters as well as the types of bonus features that will be packed in the final product. So far the game has been intriguing to say the least, and Activision has made some smart revisions to it. Will the new Transformers game become a blockbuster hit just like people anticipate it with the movie? The good news is that it is heading in the right direction but only time will tell. You can expect the game to come out at the end of June 2009.

Wheelman is Midway’s upcoming action driving game starring Vin Diesel. In this game you play as an undercover agent named Milo Burik, who is sent to Barcelona where he becomes tangled up in a power struggle between three powerful gangs that run the city. Infiltration is the key to Burik’s mission in which he tries to earn the trust of each gang. The game is filled with shooting and reckless driving. One of the interesting aspects of Wheelman’s gameplay is the ability to perform “air jack”. Air Jack is a new way of stealing cars where you leap out of one car and into another. Midways has created this technique to induce the idea that vehicles are disposable items so that players are always looking into a new ride.

The game’s open-ended design provides a lot of room for grueling burnout-style chase sequences with street cops getting more persistent in pulling you over. Vehicular mayhem is the consistent theme through most of Wheelman’s driving missions. And the way to get the job done efficiently is to perform an onslaught of vehicular melees. With just a flick of the joystick, you can twitch your car in any direction and put up some spectacular damage to enemies nearby. Another cool highlights of Wheelman is the ability to slow down time via focus mode. During the focus mode, you’ll be able to target enemies’ “critical” parts. A red reticule will appear which will guide you to shoot a particular spot where the enemy will get hurt the most! This is the fastest way to get rid of your pesky thugs that try to run you over.

The game will feature traditional cars, motorcycles and even big rigs! Each vehicle will have its own feel. The trucks posses the most strength but their weaknesses are its speed and handling. The game gives you a variety of vehicles to choose from but you’ll need to pick the right car for the job. So far, Wheelman has some interesting concepts that will sure to please a lot of action fans. The action scenes have plenty of thrills in them in that there is a fun twist to the open-world outline. Animation is relatively smooth but the controls may take time in getting used to. The demo is already out so be sure to check that out. Midway is planning to release the game alongside the forthcoming film’s release, which is around March 24, 2009.

Electronic Arts has announced that it is working on the fourth installment of Fight Night, which is being released sometime in 2009. The game will feature an entirely new fighting engine. No fight will ever be the same as EA introduces all-new physics-based animation system, which will allow players to perform glancing punches, knockout blows and for the first time ever, rough-and-tumble actions. Fatigue, adrenaline, timing, and footwork will play key roles in getting the unanimous decision! Fight Night Round 4 will give gamers the opportunity to pit legendary heavyweights against each another in their prime. According to EA, Mike Tyson will be in the lineup amongst boxing legends, and his appearance should be one of the highly anticipated spectacles in the ring. Electronic Arts is working on delivering a more dynamic fighting style and to sport boxer differentiation to authentically capture the ultimate boxing experience. Check out fightnight.easports.com for additional updates.

The revelation that Tekken 6 is coming out on the Xbox 360 console is great news for Tekken fans! Namco has just confirmed that it will be releasing it in Q4 2009. The game will have 40 characters in its lineup, which is the largest collection so far in the series to date! Tekken 6 will run at 60 frames per second with next generation graphics that include “close processing” properties, which will give the action a spectacular fighting experience! The arena will feature more dynamic components with emphasis on persistent damage – such as destructible glass floors that when slammed into you’ll drop into the next stage. In the gameplay department, Namco has added a “bound combo system”. It’s a technique that allows players to string aerial and ground attacks together. It’s highly entertaining and dramatic. Tekken 6 is coming along well and it should shape up nicely in its final production.