The Playstation Blog reports that in addition to being released on the same day, the two versions of the game will be virtually identical and will allow for one shared save file, meaning that you can start playing the game on the PS3, and whenever it comes time to see your kid’s stage production or visit your wife in the hospital or whatever other nonsense you have to do, you can simply load up the PS Vita copy and pick up right where you left off in the game, including carrying over trophy data. The only major difference will be the control schemes, owing to the two fewer shoulder buttons on the Vita. Sly’s love interest Carmelita Fox will also be playable on both versions.

While this functionality may be appealing to a niche category of gamers that have both systems and the money to purchase both versions of the game, such functionality is admittedly pretty cool, particularly for gamers that ride the bus to and from work and need something to occupy their time.

38 Studios owes $1.25 million to Rhode Island’s Economic Development Corporation, which is already overdue. To make matters worse, the check that 38 Studios delivered originally bounced, although it later cleared, putting the development house in the clear for the very brief present. Unfortunately, it still had to let go of all of its contracted and temp employees to reduce payroll. In spite of the company’s best efforts, payroll has still not been met and the studio still costs upwards of $4 million a month to operate.

One small ray of hope comes with the release of the studio’s MMO, Project Copernicus, which is set for release in June of next year. 38 Studios remains optimistic about its situation, as does the governor of Rhode Island about the studio’s ability to make its next payment of $2.6 million due at the beginning of November.

We didn’t particularly care for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but it’s still troublesome to see a studio that shows a lot of talent in such a messy situation. Here’s hoping that everything turns out all right. 

The opening seconds appropriately feature that classic, somber theme, sounding even deeper and more oppressive than ever before as ex-cop Max Payne moves into a dingy-looking apartment, and promptly begins to binge drink and abuse painkillers as he mourns over a picture of his wife and child, who were murdered several years prior. Max still blames himself for their deaths, and hopes that his new job as a private security contractor for a wealthy family in Sao Paolo, Brazil, will help him finally escape his past. Of course, all it does is land him in more trouble as it takes roughly .07 seconds for the family’s wife to get abducted and, true to form, Max starts to shoot the living hell out of everyone and anything to save her. The efforts of Max and his partner Raul Passos to rescue members of the family rarely work, and Max finds himself walking into a much more elaborate and sinister plot.

Nonlinear storytelling makes for extra grittiness.

Rockstar has maintained the gritty noir style of the previous games and updated the graphic novel style with a Tony-Scott style lens flare and color shift here and there a la Man on Fire, as well as frequently split the screen and have snippets of dialogue pop up. It makes for a neat style that pays its dues to the original games while also making it Rockstar’s own and not making a terribly obvious attempt to copy the old games. It’s also very well-written and equally well-acted—not once did I even have the tiniest desire to skip a cutscene.

Max Payne 3 does maintain a touch of dry wit with a couple of in-jokes: one great line Max mutters early on is, “I wouldn’t know right from wrong if one of them was helping the poor and the other was screwing my sister.” Rarely, Max will come across a piano, which can be interacted with. Upon doing so, Max tries and fails to play the game’s theme, until he reaches the final piano in the game, where he finally succeeds and you get to hear a neat little piano version of the classic tune. The game never treads into “dark comedy” territory, however, remaining content with a bitter, wry sense of humor that suits the world-weary antihero perfectly.

What the game does do, however, is slide straight into the style of a major action flick. The setpieces never feel too over-the-top, generally existing to service the story, but Max Payne 3 certainly indulges in some crazy action sequences, such as having Max dangle from a helicopter while shooting RPGs out of the air or gunfight across the roof of a collapsing building. Even after almost a dozen solid hours of single-player gameplay, which is largely all killer and no filler, the game does not get any less exhilarating.

Suitable for all ages.

The signature slow-motion “Bullet Time” mechanic returns prominently in Max Payne 3, streamlined and supplemented with additional components. Smaller touches allow Max to remain in a prone position after performing his trademark “Shootdodge” maneuver. The final enemy in a group gets his very own personalized bullet cam, which will always be different depending on where the enemy is shot, with what weapon, and where Max is standing, and the speed of the camera can always be adjusted. This adds a visceral, satisfying finish to every gunfight as well as allowing the player to take a breather, knowing that the bullet cam signifies the last enemy of a group. Another neat feature new to the third game is something called “Last Man Standing.” If Max’s health drops dangerously low, the game will switch automatically into Bullet Time and Max has a few seconds to shoot his assailant. If he manages to do so, he will pop a painkiller and jump straight back into the fray. However, if he is unable to retaliate, is out of ammo, or has no painkillers, he is out of luck.

There’s also a cover mechanic to the game now, which strikes the challenging balance of adding an extra dynamic to the game while also avoiding turning it into the game’s primary mechanic and making it a Gears of War clone. Of course, while it’s not the main focus of the game, cover is a pretty essential element, because Rockstar has imbued their threequel with a vicious difficulty curve. Even on normal, the game offers a very stiff challenge that doesn’t show mercy. Enemies themselves also act relatively independently; while they will always enter the scene from the same place and start out in scripted positions, they will creatively flank and gang up on Max. There’s also no regenerating health, a mechanic that seems to be taken for granted nowadays. Luckily, the game does offer choices between styles of aiming (hard locking, soft locking and free aiming), will adjust to multiple failures or successes by changing how many painkillers Max gets, and even gives the constant option of adjusting the difficulty level.

Now that the game is finally out, it’s clear what took it so long. From top to bottom, Max Payne 3 is a beautiful, meticulous package. Powered by Rockstar’s trademark Rage engine, the environments are alive with phenomenal detail and a stunning sense of careful craftsmanship. Tiny elements such as signs and posters and small physical objects that can be manipulated individually contribute to a sense of realism in the environment, boosted by some of the best destructibility ever featured in a video game: concrete chips and shatters to reveal the rebar, and fighting in a building will result in small objects and papers flying into the air, creating pandemonium.

You will not be bored.

The physics engine Rockstar has been employing since Grand Theft Auto IV works wonders here. The individual bullet and casing modeling (another series trademark) returns, and bodies crumple and fall realistically—there was even one situation in which an enemy appeared to trip over the body of his comrade. Max interacts seamlessly with the environment—dive into a desk and Max will grunt as he crumples against it. Characters and environments seem to inhabit the same space in a way that isn’t seen very often.

Rockstar’s aggressive attention to detail carries over into other things, as well—whatever weapon Max happens to be carrying, he’ll put it down in a cutscene to interact with something else. Instead of stuffing his two handed weapon onto an invisible bottomless coat pocket or back sling when not using it, he’ll simply hold the weapon in his left hand while shooting a handgun with his right. The locales of Sao Paolo, from flashy nightclubs to dingy slums, as well as the snowy streets of flashback New Jersey, are varied and beautiful, making for fantastic environments in which to combat enemies.

Multiplayer works surprisingly well, making a fine package that complements the rest of the game effectively. Surprisingly, the use of bullet-time is not an issue. Simply put, any player using bullet time that crosses into the line of sight of another player will slow down the other player as well. It’s also significantly more difficult to accumulate, so the game isn’t constantly slowing down with everyone using the ability. Bullet time is just one upgrade in an impressive pool of buffers, which also includes modifications that decrease reload speed, increase the reward from looting bodies, or muffle footsteps. Each additional weapon also affects adrenaline and stamina, so that loading up your character with lots of weaponry will significantly affect his mobility. New ranks offer fresh weapons and abilities to unlock. Each weapon also has its own level system, so that advanced proficiency with a weapon will allow for modifications and additions to the weapon. They have to be earned, too—weapon leveling is very slow and ample dedication and skill are required.

Smoking fools is just as exciting no matter what mode you're playing

There’s a wonderful sense of competition to the multiplayer. Every time a player gets killed, they get a little statistic indicating how many times they have killed and been killed by their assailant. If their killer has downed them twice in a row, the player can put a Vendetta on that player: marking them for death and initiating a system where, if the player that initiated the Vendetta manages to kill their mark, they get an XP bonus. However, if the marked player kills the player first, he gets an even bigger bonus. It’s exhilarating to get marked or to mark someone, making the game more personal and frantic.

What makes the multiplayer truly great is the feeling that Rockstar put serious time and effort into the mode, studying other multiplayer modes to find the best balance between franchises such as Call of Duty and Uncharted. It’s all so well-put-together and thoughtful between weapon balancing and map construction, and the game rarely makes you feel as though other players are being “cheap”; deaths result from carelessness or a lack of skill, which is learned with time. Best of all, matchmaking is perfect, with nary a hitch to be found in the speedy and streamlined process. The modes are nicely varied as well, from the Juggernaut-style Payne Killer to the multilevel Gang Wars mode, with each team given objectives that will affect the next round. The multiplayer here should last quite a while with its long legs.

Max Payne 3 is a marvelous achievement in cinematic action gameplay and a worthy successor to the antihero’s legacy. The gritty, bitter story is appropriately dark and Rockstar’s gamble in throwing Payne into sun-drenched Brazil paid off with its tale of greed and revenge. Flawless presentation and magnificent, brutal action make for one hell of a ride. It shouldn’t exist, but I’m really, really glad that it does.

Well, what exactly is Lone Survivor? On the surface, Lone Survivor is a 2D side-scroller/horror/psychological mystery game made by a guy by the name of Jasper Byrne. The game is relatively short (roughly 4-6 hours) and involves the player controlling a character by the name of “You” as he tries to make his escape from his second-floor apartment and into the outside-world, even if staying in his apartment would probably be safer, given the fact that flesh-eating monsters are waiting in just about every room and hallway. Along the way, you’ll find things that will help you survive and even a handgun to pick off some of those ‘nasties’, should you find yourself cornered. However, that isn’t all you’ll find.

No one told me LMFAO was making a cameo appearance, but I rolled with it anyway.

As you make your way from apartment room to apartment room, looking for supplies and such, you’ll have the chance to interact with some actual, real people; not those inside-out ones. But, are they real? That is something that “You” must grapple with as you try save yourself from being eaten alive by these monsters. Are the other people you encounter actually there or are they just hallucinations? Not much is given or revealed about your past, not even your real name, making it very difficult to discern what’s real and what is a figment of your (presumably) tortured mind. However, this is the driving force of Lone Survivor’s story.

To call the gameplay of Lone Survivor “metroidvania” (the style of the 2D side-scrolling Metroid and Castlevania games) mixed with your favorite horror game (many references are made to the Silent Hill series) would be a loose interpretation. The game is horrifying in its own, pixelated right and you do spend a lot of time backtracking to previous rooms now that you have found a new key that unlocks that door, or you solved the puzzle on the basement floor, giving you access to the elevator, but the game’s pacing is far slower than Metroid or Castlevania. The player moves at a constant rate, that is, there is no ‘sprint’ button and there are very limited resources to keep you going, making it crucial not to waste a single bullet or piece of food. Oh, and, don’t forget to sleep often as “You” tends to get tired very quickly and that is the only method of saving.

Gunplay in Lone Survivor isn’t one of the shining moments of the game as you are forced to enter a shooting stance by pressing ‘C’ on the keyboard and then ‘X’ to fire. The shooting stance limits your movement speed and does not allow you to change the direction you are facing, making it excruciating, both in difficulty and level of fear, when one of the monsters jumps on the ceiling at the same time that another one is running straight at you. This doesn’t completely ruin the game in any way (you can even challenge yourself to finish the game without killing a single monster, as there are other ways around those pesky things), but there were many long nights of repeated, red, ‘game over’ screens that made me curse to the high heavens.

Sometimes I will boot up the game just to listen to the music of the title screen.

It’s hard to say, but the music of Lone Survivor may have been my favorite thing about it. The eerie-ness of walking into a room and hearing the most serene music, while you just made a harrowing escape from one of the monsters, and wondering what the hell is going on and what just what the hell is on the other side of that door is astounding, to me anyway. The music is entirely original and knows just when to play something that fits the “OH SHIT! OH SHIT! OH SHIT!” moments of running out of a room upon seeing three monsters moaning and screaming as they run after you, just because you forgot to turn the flashlight off before entering the room or when to play something that transports you away from the craziness of fighting people whose skin has been turned inside-out to a different kind of crazy – the kind that exists only in “You’s” head…or does it?

Lone Survivor does well in making the player question their own sanity at times and wrapping it in a package that puzzle-solvers and fear-addicts will love. It’s rare, today, for games that call themselves “horror” games to truly be horrifying, but Lone Survivor does horror in a different way, making you fear your own mind. Living in a world where you can’t even trust your thoughts, much less the person you’re talking to is something far more horrifying than the skinny guy with inside-out skin. Who knows if that monster was even a monster? For all you know, you could have just shot your neighbor.

“• War Games Map Pack Access

The competitive multiplayer modes of Halo 4 are known as War Games. The Limited Edition includes access to nine maps – three future competitive multiplayer map packs, each including three locations, available for download post-launch on Xbox LIVE. Yes, you read that correctly; you get nine maps in the form of future DLC with the purchase of the Halo 4 Limited Edition. Score!

 

• Specializations

Everyone will have access to select Specializations, but those that purchase the Halo 4 Limited Edition will receive the ability to unlock six Specializations early, available at launch on Xbox LIVE. You can use them, one at a time, to achieve higher ranks in your Spartan career. In addition to gaining access to new ranks, Specializations unlock new customization options. We’ll be releasing more information about Specializations at E3, so expect additional details about this particular feature then.

 

• UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet

The UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet includes a Spartan armor customization schematic, information about UNSC weapons, an introduction to the massive ship UNSC Infinity, and insight into what it means to be one of humanity’s finest warriors: The Spartan-IVs. Story lovers will especially enjoy this in-fiction offering that provides a glimpse into the indoctrination of Spartans aboard the Infinity.

 

• Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Special Edition

The Special Edition of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a 90-minute extended version of the live-action digital series which will take fans back to the terrifying beginning of the Human/Covenant war, when the Master Chief inspired a young cadet who would eventually become a leader aboard the UNSC’s greatest vessel ever: the UNSC Infinity.

Digital content also includes in-fiction bonus content that expands the characters and stories of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, special featurette Bringing Gaming into Reality, and a behind the scenes look at the making of Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn.

 

• Bonus digital content through Xbox LIVE

The Limited Edition includes the following bonus digital content through Xbox LIVE: unique in-game Spartan-IV armor skin, unique in-game weapon skin for the Assault Rifle, an exclusive in-game emblem, Xbox LIVE Avatar prop, and Xbox LIVE Avatar Spartan IV armor set.”

The limited edition will cost you $40 more than the regular version of the game, so $99 for this limited edition. Pretty much worth it if you’re any kind of Halo fan. It can also almost be looked at like a season pass for DLC, with a bunch of extra goodies.

So what do you guys think? Is this worth it? Will you be purchasing it?

For things you actually care about, yet another game has been delayed from 2012 to 2013, and that game is South Park: The Game. If anything, this just means that Q1 2013 is shaping up to be one of the least stale Q1’s of video game history (don’t quote me on that).

In more game news, THQ is looking for someone to buy up Devil’s Third, a title being developed by Valhalla Games. Devil’s Third is the first game being made by Tomonobu Itagaki since he left Tecmo in 2008. According to THQ, the game’s “profitability profile” no longer meets their “internal threshold” and thus they are talking to other third parties about selling it.

In happier news from THQ, Darksiders 2 has been given a firm release date: August 26, 2012. As of this writing, Darksiders 2 has been pre-ordered five times as much as the original Darksiders. Perhaps Darksiders 2 will be their saving grace in the coming fiscal year.

And last, but certainly not least, THQ is looking ahead despite their net losses. CEO Brian Farrell said that THQ is working to create games for next-generation consoles, building on current franchises and also some new ones. There was no mention of which franchises we would see on the next generation of consoles, but Farrell did mention that they would be released “at or shortly after they, [the consoles], are launched.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxM5KKVKkg

If your memory is failing you today, The Last of Us was announced at last year’s VGAs. The game tells the story of two apocalypse survivors, Joel and Ellie, who struggle to travel across a desperate, infected United States.

Eric Monacelli, Naughty Dog’s community strategist, seems pretty darn excited about the game’s release, stating, ““We can’t wait to share this genre-defining game with you. The hounds have started to bay. Get prepared for the coming months and look out for more information at E3.”

The release date for this PS3 exclusive has yet to be announced.

From the beginning, we know that Scarygirl is an orphan that’s been raised by an intelligent octopus named Blister- which is interesting, right? I mean, who doesn’t love an intelligent octopus that likes to discuss esoteric matters? There are other characters that you meet along the way including the adorable Toycat. The story is narrated by a man’s voice that I did find at times a little- well, creepy, for lack of a better word.

Scarygirl and Toycat- one of the many friends she meets along the way.

The adventure begins when Scarygirl leaves the safety of her adopted father in order to search for the source of her haunted dreams. It’s an interesting premise, but the story is actually very disconnected from the actual events of the games. I often forgot why I was even trying to get through these levels, which didn’t do anything for my frustration because I was nearly cursing at my computer during some of those puzzles. There was one situation in particular where Scarygirl had to leap across a series of spinning planks with spikes on one side. Oh, and did I mention that she was also carrying a massive rock? I just couldn’t seem to get the physics right, and when I did finally pass, it had more to do with luck than anything sort of revelation that I could be proud of.

I prefer arcade games that you struggle and struggle with, until you finally have that ‘aha!’ moment that makes you feel suddenly and incredibly brilliant. I won’t say that Scarygirl didn’t do that for me on occasion, but most of the time, I was just glad when a level was finally over. But enough complaining- I bet you’ve been waiting to hear more about that remarkable sleeve, haven’t you?

Scarygirl is odd in many ways- from her punk clothes to her zombie-style stitched lips. (Which I’m thinking may catch on in the near future. No?) But if that’s not strange enough, her weapon of choice is her extra long sweater sleeve. This sleeve, complete with black and purple stripes, whips hedgehogs, slaps bandits and pulls man-eating weeds up by their roots. It also has the ability to equip a variety of tools including a hook so that Scarygirl can swing from branch to branch, a fan that makes her attacks quicker, and a feather that allows her to helicopter her way across canyons. The hook is available when you start the game, but the rest can be bought with the diamond shaped coins that you collect along the way. However, the vendors that you can buy said skills from do not seem to be placed at any regular intervals, so you’ll only come up on them when you don’t expect it.

Mama Yeti is just one of the bosses you'll encounter in Scarygirl's adventures.

In addition to tools, vendors can also sell you abilities such as combined attacks or, my personal favorite, the Anaconda Squeeze. Basically, this skill allows Scarygirl to constrict her sleeve around any nearly-defeated foe and sap what remains of its life energy, using it to replace her own health. Gruesome, I know- but super useful for those moments where a few more blocks of health can be the difference between life and death.

Since Scarygirl was originally an award-winning graphic novel, it is no surprise that the game’s graphics are quite stunning. Nathan Jurevicius has an interesting, cartoony style that is lovely to look at and meander through. As I mentioned earlier, the 2D sidescroll of this game has a bit more dimension to it because the camera angle often follows Scarygirl around corners. I can remember only one moment at which I felt like this was an inconvenience because Scarygirl seemed to be getting ahead of the camera, but it was not usually an issue. There are also moments where you are given a choice between two paths, and can change course by pressing the down arrow. The camera then makes the necessary adjustments, and you are brought back to the comfort of your 2D world. The choice of path seems like a nice touch because giving a gamer choices makes them feel a sense of control. But then, if you want to meet all achievements, you inevitably have to go back and complete the other path as well.

Scarygirl meets a tiny bug who isn't so threatening... until a thousand of his buddies show up.

Speaking of achievements: If, unlike me, you can make it a whole level without dying once, you get an extra 1000 points! You also get extra points for clearing all the carnivorous weeds and collecting every diamond coin. Often, obtaining these coins are the most difficult part of a level. They taunt you from their hiding places behind spike-covered logs or dangling over pits. You’ve almost reached the next save point and the they are, hanging just over the edge of that cliff- tempting you to leap for it- you can make it back safely, so you think. Then you fall to your death and have to start all over again. Oh, and did I mention the hearts? Yes, you can get extra health points by throwing yourself at these elusive hearts that always seem to be placed in the most precarious spots.

I would have given the game an 8/10 if it weren’t for the controls. Times when you have to swing from branches or scale porous walls pose more difficulty than they should because of the awkward controls. Occasional moments of frustration are not unexpected when it comes to arcade games, but you never want the controls to be a part of that struggle.

As you will hear me say in the latest podcast, I did not hate the game, and I mean this honestly. Did I often hit the exit button with an exasperated huff and swear that I would never open the game again? Yes. But, after I had cooled down, I always came back to try again. If you do happen to play, let me know. I would love to hear how your own adventure with Scarygirl pans out.

Before yesterday, Activision had not paid the bonuses based on a notion that doing so may jeopardize the company’s foothold in another ongoing lawsuit between Infinity Ward directors Vince Zampella and Jason West. Zampella and West are suing the publisher, seeking damages and compensation after being fired for alleged insubordination. According to Develop, Activision’s legal experts reviewed both cases yesterday and concluded that paying the development team would not affect the Zampella/West trial.

Despite the $42 million the publisher has paid (which includes 10 percent interest), the 38 developers will continue to pursue the lawsuit for additional outstanding royalties, according to Bruce Isaacs, the team’s attorney.

“Although it is a meaningful payment it is only a small portion of what we are seeking in litigation,” Isaacs said. “It is outrageous that they made us wait, they obviously knew they owed the money and this just shows that they breached the contract.”

The Zampella/West lawsuit is still headed for the courtroom as well, with proceedings scheduled to begin next month.

As part of the agreement, Valve retains commerical use for the title while Blizzard gets non-commerical use, meaning that the DOTA name can still be used in Starcraft and Warcraft player-created maps. While both companies are continuing development of their respective games, Blizzard has to rename their title to Blizzard All-Stars. According to Blizzard’s Rob Pardo, the agreement was reached when both companies decided that they should act in the best interest of fans and settle.

So another messy lawsuit is resolved peacefully. It’s nice when this happens, but it also calls to attention to some of the uglier lawsuits still pending, such as that one about a certain pair of major publishers with a certain pair of men who worked on a certain obscenely popular shooter franchise.