EA’s War on Gaming!

The Anti Game Company

If you haven’t been under a rock for the last couple years you learned about these “new fangled” online passes that EA has been tacking onto their games. Who knew what dark and sinister plans EA had for them until recently.

EA is planning on releasing SSX 2012 with an online pass similar to Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning, which blocks single player progression. All I have to wonder is, with their strangle hold on the NFL, the vast majority of shit games they allow to pass on to the consumer and all the near fascist levels of content withholding they are doing, how long can they continue this until we rise up as a community.

I mean when you pay $60.00 for a game you should receive everything on the disc right? But should the used game consumer or the low income gamer be punished because they had to wait for “X” title to drop to a reasonable price? The answer to that question should be resoundingly “NO!” Just because you can’t purchase a day 1 game or a brand new disc doesn’t mean you should be only able to enjoy so much without paying more.

Heads up EA, Your time is coming.

Nic

“Don’t forget about EA’s attempt to snag the downloadable gaming market with Origin.  Battlefield 3 is Origin only, STEAM members are outa luck.” – Burke

Online Pass for a Single Player Kingdoms of Amalur…What EA?

This morning Destructoid brought to our attention that Electronic Art’s upcoming RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is boxed with an online pass.  This online pass apparently hides 7 quests and the Mass Effect 3 crossover universe armor.

“You know what that says to me? That a publisher is not confident that its game is worth keeping.” Jim Sterling went on to say.  I agree with his statement, but there is definitely more to it.  EA has it out for used games, no doubt, but why take it out on the customer.  There are still gamers who don’t care about achievements and play single player titles offline.  So the person who buys this game new no has no possible way to see 7 quests they paid for?  Shame on you EA.

Burke

Mass Effect 3 Demo Release Date Dropped!

With every type of demo imaginable dropping this month, EA and Bioware weren’t afraid to make us wait a few more weeks for the Mass Effect 3 demo to hit XBLA and PSN on February 14th.  SWTOR ruined relationships around Christmas and Mass Effect 3 looks to re-open those wounds on Valentines day.  Maybe you could plan to dine in, order some pizzas, light some scented candles and blow up some Reapers all romantic like.  And of course bring a friend because co-op missions will be available for those with the online pass via Battlefield 3.  Sorry Steam members, EA’s Origin doesn’t want to play and has taken it’s ball back home.  After getting your fix you can continue to repel the Reaper invasion starting March 6th on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC (Origin).

Expect to see the latest Demo Reel from Nic soon,  don’t miss it!

Burke

The Worlds of Mass Effect 3 and Kingdoms of Amalur Collide

EA is doing something really creative this first quarter of 2012.  Starting out rather strong to be more precise.  EA is releasing demos for Mass Effect 3 and Kingdoms of Amalur that will unlock in game items across each games universe.  “What does that even mean?”  Glad you asked, EA is releasing the Kingdoms of Amalur demo on January 17.  When you complete the demo, that also means watching the trailer at the end, you will receive in game items for not only Kingdoms of Amalur, but also in game items for Mass Effect 3.

These in game promotions for Kingdoms include an ice resistance booster Twist of Fate Card, a health and mana boosting Twinned Souls Chakram weapon, and a protective helmet called The Infernal Helm.  And for your troubles, or enjoyment depending on how you like Kingdoms, your Mass Effect 3 awards include The Reckoner Knight Armor and the Chakram Launcher.

It doesn’t stop there, when the Mass Effect 3 demo does drop, EA has disclosed no information when that may be, completing that demo will also reward you with N7 Armor and Omniblade Daggers for Kingdoms of Amalur.  The Commander Shepard inspired N7 Armor looks bad ass with the accompanying  Omniblade Daggers.  Every piece of armor and weaponry look awesome and have useful perks that would be well worth a play through to get them.  The Mass Effect 3 Reckoner Knight Armor maximizes close-quarter damage and increases projectile velocity while the Chakram Launcher fires “lightweight explosive ammunition discs.

With rewards like these I will definitely be downloading each of these demos.  It really feels like free DLC or pre-order bonuses, they’re that good.  The Kingdoms of Amalur demo drops this January 17th and you can pick up the full game for Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on February 7th.   Happy hunting.

Burke

Battlefield 3 Back to Business as Usual.

Gulf of Oman

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand DLC

Yesterday was the complete launch across all platforms for Battlefield 3’s first DLC, Back to Karkand.  This DLC is free to all pre-ordered and Limited Edition copies of BF3.  If you weren’t lucky enough to get either of those, this DLC is only $15 and well worth the dough.  DICE has been working hard to make BF3 a fun and competitive experience and Back to Karkand brings 4 classic maps, 10 new weapons and 3 vehicles from Battlefield 2.  For those of you that may remember, Strike at Karkand, Sharqi Peninsula, Gulf of Oman and Wake Island get a facelift and make their triumphant return thanks to the new Frostbite 2 engine. 

All experience gained in this DLC rolls over into your BF3 character.  The addition of class assignments to unlock new weapons has been added and the Conquest mode has been changed to the classic Conquest Assault where the defending team starts with control of all bases.  This does force advancement of the attacking team, but it felt uneven with only 15 extra tickets at the start of the match.  Gulf of Oman proved very frustrating with defending teams just camping floors above each base. 

The DLC is just a little over 2 GB and also has some BF3 patch fixes, matchmaking improvements and weapon balancing.  The flashlight still burns your retinas like the fires of hell, but I’m sure DICE is still working on that too…well I hope so because I’m really tired of my own teammates blinding me. 

Pick up this DLC soon and get to sprinting, driving, flying or whatever it is you crazy kids do these days.

nerdfarm  

 

Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 3? The Debate.

 

 

 

 

Battlefield 3 or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3? 

For at least a year this will be the debate fanboys of every console will be yelling obscenities over defending their sacred title.  But I question, why does one have to be better than the other?  When friends ask me which one I play, I reply with “both”.  I own and play both on a regular basis.  I actually prefer Battlefield 3 because I enjoy large maps and vehicles.  I’ll drive the shit out of a tank and destroy everything, that’s what I like.  But I also like to hop onto MW3 and just mindlessly run and gun sometimes.  But what if you don’t have the luxury of owning both?  What about the gamer on a budget?  Well my friends, you’re in luck because I’m going to break down each games defining qualities to help with your decision before you hop on Santa’s lap and ask for one or the other this holiday season.  This guide is going to be incredibly simple and easy to follow, it’s based on what your likes and dislikes are.  Enjoy.

Battlefield 3

• The single player runs approximately 8 hours and is based on a marine and his squad, different vehicles, and the majority of combat taking place in the dusty streets of Iran.

Multiplayer

• Very large maps.
• Popular game modes include: Team Deathmatch, Rush, and Conquest.  Hardcore modes are also available.
• The rank cap is 45 with numerous guns to unlock.
• 4 basic classes to choose from: Assault, Recon, Engineer and Support.
• Each weapon has 10 attachments, and other weapons can only be unlocked successfully by beating the co-op missions.
• Multiplayer is very squad based, requiring teamwork to be successful. 
• Vehicles are in most modes (not in Team Deathmatch).  Tanks, choppers, Hum-V’s, jets, etc.
• Co-op missions are available, experience transfers over to multiplayer, and it gives you an opportunity to practice flying…since it’s not easy.

I enjoyed BF3’s single player more than MW3, but I rarely play BF3 multiplayer alone since it’s so squad intensive.  The ranking system is very in depth and takes lots of play time to promote.  Each class levels up on it’s own, requiring you to spend individual time with each.  BF3 is a huge title that definitely gets you your moneys worth.   

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

• The single player lasts a meager 5 1/2 hours and is filled with Michael Baysplosions and cinematic thrill rides.  The mediocre story holds back this titles full potential, but it’s still a positive and fun experience. 

Multiplayer

• Small tight maps with plenty of bottle necks.
• Popular modes include: Team Deathmatch, Domination, Capture the Flag, Search and Destroy, Sabotage, and the fresh and new Kill Confirmed mode.
• Level cap is 80 with 10 further prestige levels.
• You can customize 5 loadouts with any weapon you would like.  Each weapon used unlocks special attachments and specializations.  Strike packages with each loadout are completely customizable and can be used to assist your teammates or make you look like a god.  You choose.
• Multiplayer is very fast paced and requires quick twitch reflexes.  “Spray and pray” is also optional and proves to be successful quite often.
• MW3 has other multiplayer options including Spec-ops and Survival modes.
• The $50 Call of Duty: Elite service allows you to check stats and get multiplayer maps on a monthly basis.  (saving you about $15 a year)

MW3 is meant for those looking for instant gratification reinforced with nonstop action.  I play MW3 a majority of the time alone.  Games don’t require a lot of teamwork, and you can be very successful alone in many of the game’s modes.  MW3 keeps you reaching for that next level, or that one attachment you need for your favorite weapon.  Sledgehammer Games didn’t wander too far from the MW2 model, proving if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.  MW3 does still have hacker problems, USB memory hacks and exploited connection issues are still a factor so tread lightly.

When you tell Santa which one you want, be sure to tell him Nerd Farm helped you choose.  We’re actually tying to not get coal this year…

nerdfarm  

  

Is Battlefield 3 the “Real” Deal?

Battlefield 3 Review

The hype machine has been grinding away for the past year, and has been running on overdrive months before Battlefield 3’s release.  With “Above and Beyond the Call” and the “Is it Real” campaign, BF3 has been boasting stronger graphics, a better solo campaign, and superior multiplayer to it’s self proclaimed rival Modern Warfare 3.  Can BF3 live up to all this hype?  The answer: very uncertain.  I know WTF?  I understand that’s not a straight answer, but without having MW3 in my hands, it’s very difficult to say where BF3 will stand.  I will say in certainty that MW3 will far exceed BF3 sales, the COD name is just more known.  It’s a fact.  While BF3 first week sales of approximately 5 mil is impressive, I think MW3 will trample these numbers in comparison.  But I digress, this is a review of Battlefield 3, not a grudge match between two titles.  So how is BF3?  Impressive.

Battlefield 3 comes with 2 discs, a solo campaign and multiplayer/co-op with an added option to download the HD shading on your HDD.  Does the “Is it Real” campaign live up to the hype.  It does.  I had never played any previous solo campaigns in the Battlefield franchise, usually opting to dive straight into multiplayer, but with XBox servers down (a whole nother can of worms), I jumped feet first into BF3’s solo campaign.  And I mean you jump feet first into the action.  The graphics engine is just beautiful, well as beautiful as Iran can be.  The experience spans beyond the graphics though, as you’re battling the PLR you can hear echos of gunshots in the background, bouncing between buildings, sirens can be heard in the distance, and the ever ominous loudspeaker with prayers from an unknown speaker bellow from within the city.  You’re a normal marine, not a special operative or secret agent, just a marine with your squad following orders.  I really liked the concept that BF was going with, it made the game feel so much more real, and really actually made me feel scared and proud of our soldiers oversees.  That shit is for real, and BF3 nailed it in my opinion.  You get to use a bevy of modern weaponry, both firearms and vehicles.  Both are equally impressive, but the F-18 mission was just amazing.  I had continuous goosebumps as I was gunning down enemy Migs and firing off flares to avoid incoming missiles.   And that really explains the whole solo campaign in general, simply amazing, leaving me grinning from ear to ear the majority of the time.

Does Battlefield 3’s multiplayer live up to the hype?  Can it succeed as the COD killer?  Ready for the shifty answer, both yes and no.  They may both be first person shooters, but they are two completely different games.  I thoroughly enjoy the Battlefield 3 experience.  The maps are huge and highly detailed, vehicle combat works, plenty of weapons to work with, and game modes promote squad cooperation.  Unfortunately the 2.2 million people playing the first day crashed the majority of the servers, so I was forced upon the single player campaign, and there continues to be lag and server issues.  I must admit that DICE are on top of most of these issues, resolving a majority of these server issues really quickly.  The lack of game modes may be discouraging to some, but I don’t mind not being overwhelmed with choices.  Game modes include: Team Deathmatch, Squad Teamdeathmatch, Conquest, and my personal favorite Rush.  BF3 should stress the importance of squad cooperation, games can be changed by one well trained squad, and watching a squad of 4 dudes teabagging your lifeless corpse via kill cam is always rewarding.  That’s something that can’t be found in the previous Modern Warfare games.  There are plenty of weapons to choose from, but be sure to have fun progressing in the game to earn a majority of them.  I do find the weapon progression often confusing, and customizing weapons on the fly isn’t the easiest thing to do.  I would have liked to see a cleaner weapon customization/loadout screen.  And there are plenty of other ways to customize your perfect soldier, camouflage and dog tags being some of them.

All in all, Battlefield is a very strong title.  The single player, lasting a little under 8 hours, may feel short in comparison to other titles on the market, but the campaign’s story felt complete and was a stress inducing thrill ride.  Multiplayer, while still needing a few fixes, is a fun superior alternative to any other FPS out there.  We’ll know on Nov. 8 how BF3 will fare against the juggernaut MW3, with the fallout of players leaving BF3 to play MW3, or quite possibly vice-versa.  I can see BF3 stealing a lot of MW3’s thunder, and I feel DICE has made believers out of a lot of skeptics.

Battlefield 3 scores an A.

nerdfarm

Dragon Age + Felicia Day = Win

Felicia Day has provided her quirky services to Bioware by appearing and voice acting in the latest Dragon Age: Mark of the Assassin DLC, and also Dragon Age: Redemption, a live action web series on Machinima’s Youtube Channel.  As you may have seen by my numerous posts, I’m a huge fan of Felicia Day.  I’m proud of what she’s doing for the internet and gaming community, she’s seeing something a lot of other actors aren’t even aware of, the future direction of entertainment.  And it looks like she’s having a lot of fun doing all of it.  There’s a reason she’s the internet Queen.  Dragon Age: Redemption is two episodes deep right now and I’m finding it pretty enjoyable so far.  The make-up and costumes, locations, and CG used are all really impressive.  Not every film maker can get New Zealand or Hawaii for it’s sci-fi/medieval backdrop.  There hasn’t been much CGI, but there has been a glimpse of Kirkwall that looked superb for what I’m assuming is low budget CG.

I enjoyed the Mark of the Assassin DLC, Felicia Day’s character, Tallis, fits right in with the DA lore, and led a very intriguing story that dove deeper into the Qun’s belief sets.  It was very strange and familiar seeing Day’s figure fighting alongside of me in game.  I of coarse pursued a romantic relationship with Tallis, sneaking a little kiss at the end,  and followed that up by tweeting about it like a creepy stalker.  But I don’t care, when you have a crush, you anonymously post your love on the interwebs.  I haven’t purchased any of the other Dragon Age DLC’s, so maybe they should add more Felicia Day so I’ll buy them.

 

Battlefield 3 Open Beta First Impressions

Let’s continue our season of the betas with Battlefield 3’s open beta that began yesterday.  The beta for the Xbox 360, the version I’m currently testing, is a 1.3 GB download found in the XBLA Marketplace.  Understanding this is a beta, you know and expect there to be glitches and match making issues, that’s a give in, so I concentrated more on how the weapons felt and how the leveling system worked.  My first impressions with this title have been pleasant, The Rush game mode is the only available mode, and the one map you’re allotted to play is Operation Metro.  Operation Metro starts out in an open park that moves down into a subway as the match progresses depending on the Attackers success on taking objectives.  The first park area of Operation Metro is completely broken.  You randomly fall under the map, and navigating it isn’t stable making it feel like you’re swimming, or a split second from falling into the map.  You play four available classes simultaneously raising your main level and each individual skill.  Support starts out with light machine guns and give out ammo.  Medics use assault rifles and can give out med packs or revive downed players.  The Engineer uses sub-machine guns, has an RPG, and can repair vehicles.  The Sniper class uses, you guessed it, sniper rifles and can throw down “receivers” that allow teammates to spawn from them, acting as a huge tactical advantage.  The weapons feel very similar to Bad Company 2, so jumping right into combat was both smooth and familiar.  Since this is a downloadable beta and not the final copy, it’s very hard to gauge how the new Frostbite 2 engine will run.  Graphically the beta is on par but I would have liked to really see the new engine work it’s magic.  Matchmaking for now is broken, forget about playing with your party, the four friends I was playing with were rarely in my squad and often times on the other team.  I’m certain all of these minor problems will be tuned in 25 days…or let’s hope so.  I would hate to have this most anticipated FPS fall short because of broken levels and matchmaking issues.  Battlefield 3 looks very promising, but I expect more for the proclaimed COD killer.