G4 TV - TheFeed - Game Previews

Sniper Elite V2 Gameplay Preview Video Shows Off New Features And A Never Before Seen Level

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:43:00 -0800

Jake Gaskill and Donell Tucker recently equipped their binoculars and set out on a mission to bring you an exclusive preview of Sniper Elite V2. The authentic World War II shooter will put you in the boots of a sniper and offer some insane features like tagging, a kill cam, and more. Check it all out, as well as a never before seen level, in the video below.

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After the break you can check out the latest Sniper Elite V2 developer diary which goes in to detail about the storyline behind the game and some of the awesome sniping gameplay aspects.

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Sniper Elite V2 will be out for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on April 17, 2012.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare CES 2012 Preview -- It's Finally Time To Wake Up

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:44:00 -0800

Alan Wake's American Nightmare is not just a cookie cutter sequel of Remedy Entertainment's cult hit Alan Wake. The direction of the upcoming title takes a drastic shift in tone from the first game and it will now be a downloadable title only available on XBLA. We got to check out American Nightmare at CES 2012, here's a snippet from our latest preview.

Remedy has gotten creative with their shadowy ghouls, and during just these two levels I saw a number of the new monsters sure to spook even the most sound of mind. The Spliter—predictably—splits in two every time it’s hit with your beam of light, forcing you to kill it off quickly or risk being overwhelmed. The Grenadier is the first Alan Wake enemy to actually run away from the player, throwing shadowy grenades behind him. There is also a massive monster of a man carrying a buzz saw while seemingly taking no damage. And as dawn approached in the ghost town, a creature who split into a flock of deadly black birds haunted me restlessly.

Grab your flashlight and read our entire Alan Wake's American Nightmare preview.

Hitman: Absolution Impressions -- Dead Nuns And Instinct Mode

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:39:00 -0800

In our latest look at IO Interactive's forthcoming Hitman: Absolution we find our favorite bald assassin infiltrating an orphanage in hopes of tracking down a woman named Victoria. Check out a snippet from Jake "Barcode" Gaskill's in-depth preview of the game.

"Creeping onwards, we could still hear the Reservoir Dogs-ish scene playing out behind 47. In addition to teaching players why it sucks to be tied to a chair, beaten, and then shot in the leg point blank, this brief encounter drives home one of the key elements at play in Absolution: the living, breathing world that now surrounds Agent 47’s every action. IO’s new Glacier 2 engine allows for all manner of audio and visual trickery, but it also gives the developers the ability to create far more complicated and dynamic AI systems to drive the game’s NPCs, ensuring that no two playthroughs will be exactly the same. Similar to the Assassin’s Creed series, it’s the variety of options at your disposal at any given time that makes a Hitman game so rewarding and enjoyable, and the AI will now play a much larger part in bringing this about."

Go read the rest of Jake's Hitman: Absolution preview now or we'll hunt you down.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Video Gameplay Preview: Questing As A Bounty Hunter

Wed, 7 Dec 2011 14:04:00 -0800

If you are shining up your lightsaber in anticipation for Star Wars: The Old Republic then you're going to love our latest video preview from the game's most recent beta test. It goes over the leveling system, buying and selling loot, and the cinematic quests that you're probably already looking forward to. We also take a long look at the combat system while playing our level 11 Bounty Hunter. Check it out below!

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Star Wars: The Old Republic is out for the PC on December 20. Are you ready to get your hands on this game already?

Max Payne 3 Gameplay Video: An X-Play Preview

Tue, 6 Dec 2011 09:19:00 -0800

Adam Sessler gets an early look at Max Payne 3, hearing from Rockstar Games art director Rob Nelson on left-trigger aiming, the game's new cover mechanic and other gameplay updates, as well as improvements to the franchise's most beloved feature, Bullet Time. Check out our interview and some new gameplay footage of Rockstar's upcoming gritty threequel.

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Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots Preview: Terrorism Redefined!

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:59:00 -0800

Our own Miguel "USA!" Concepcion got an early look at Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots and was impressed. Very impressed. The game's ripped-from-the-headlines vibe and tactical gameplay look promising. Very promising. Here's a taste of the preview:

"There’s an unapologetic, almost raw vibe about the new Rainbow Six, Rainbow 6: Patriots, that we haven’t felt before from Ubisoft’s tactical assault series. It even feels like a series reboot, accentuated by changing the franchise branding from “Rainbow Six” to “Rainbow 6.” If it’s not a reboot, it is at least an evolution, something that Ubisoft Montreal is mindful of--along with inspiration from current events--to shape this latest installment in series. The developer/publisher has left Vegas in favor of a serious channel of expression. It’s not about making demands or trading captive officials for prisoners; in Ubisoft’s eyes, many of today’s terrorists are patriotically motivated by this simple thought: We just don’t like you."

Check out the entire Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6: Patriots preview, right here.

Hands-On With NFL Blitz -- Arcade Football Is Back!

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:33:00 -0800

Arcade football fans gather 'round, the Blitz is back and it's back hard. We got to check out NFL Blitz in action to find out what this game is all about. Hint: It's about punching a defender in the face.

"On top of the legions of sports gamers who’ll welcome this franchise return, HD no less, the simplicity of the control scheme will surely gain a new following as well. In the context of the media event where I got hands-on time with the game, I held my own against industry colleagues with just knowing the hike, throw, turbo, and juke buttons, so learning additional moves came easy. There’s certainly a high level of pacing you don’t get in Madden; you even have the option of trying for the extra point with a single button press without actually seeing the play unfold, just like in the original titles."

Check out our full NFL Blitz preview for more.

Asura's Wrath Preview Details Small-Scale Fights -- Look Ma, No Arms!

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:54:00 -0700

Asura's Wrath follows the story of a perpetually pissed-off guardian general on his quest to save his daughter. In our latest preview, we got to check out not only some of the game's new massive boss battles, but also some smaller-scale fights too.

Getting through a battle doesn't always involve just wiping out every enemy, though. Momentum is key. Sometimes the only way to progress through a fight is to fill up your Impact Meter. Once filled, you'll be able to trigger an interactive cut scene where Asura does something decidedly bad ass. That's really the crux of Asura's Wrath: watching him get really angry, Hulk out, and demolish the crap out of anyone within a square mile.

Read the rest of our Asura's Wrath preview for more info on the game that we're calling a mix between God of War and The Time Machine.

Hands-On With Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:15:00 -0700

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is the next spin-off in the Resident Evil series and it treads in to a territory that isn't too familiar within the franchise yet. With an action-heavy third person shooter style mixed with classic Resident Evil zombie-killing fun, Raccoon City is looking good.

"Players in Operation Raccoon City take on the role of the Umbrella Security Service. Your primary objective? Destroy any evidence of Umbrella's wrongdoing. Yes, that includes killing anyone that stands in your way. There are six members of the USS squad, including recon experts, heavy weapons specialists, and assault team members. Players can pick from any of the six as they may their way through the campaign, earning experience to unlock new weapons and abilities."

Check out our full Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City preview.

Resident Evil: Revelations Hands-On Look

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 13:14:00 -0700

If you've purchased a Nintendo 3DS system since it launched, you're probably pretty psyched for Resident Evil: Revelations. After all, nothing shows off the power and flexibility of a system quite like the Resident Evil series, right? G4's Russ Frushtick got his hands on the title at Capcom's recent Captivate event, and brings back a report that reads, in part:

Resident Evil: Revelations features a hefty single-player story, detailing an outbreak on a massive cruise ship. In additions, Revelations will ship with something called Raid Mode. For all intents and purposes, it's co-op. But it exists separate from the main game, unlike Resident Evil 5's co-op.

In Raid Mode, two players can play together over local wireless or over WiFi and take on missions from the campaign together. Pretty standard stuff, but Capcom has layered in depth. For one thing, Raid Mode has its own form of currency. Killing monsters and completing maps will earn you cash to buy ammo (which carries over from mission to mission), guns, upgrades, and even new characters.

Check out the entire Resident Evil: Revelations preview.

Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer: Help Me Help You Help Us Help Shepard

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:38:00 -0700

Perhaps you heard that Mass Effect 3 would feature multiplayer? Was your reaction excitement or trepidation? Perhaps Miguel Concepcion's Mass Effect 3 multiplayer preview will set your mind at ease. Check it out:

"Honestly, it would just be too hot to have a foursome of Shepards (FemSheps or otherwise). That's why no one on the multiplayer team gets to play as the commander. Instead this is the time to illustrate how much the outcome of the war doesn't rest solely on the shoulders of Shepard and his squad. Now gamers get to play as non-humans, trying out familiar species like Salarian, Turian, and Asari, just to name a few. From our hands-on time, it was not surprising that the more diverse the team make-up, the better. A sample squad of complementary members is one with a biotic who uses a warp ability to toss up an enemy hiding behind cover, leaving that foe helpless to the firepower of your tank-like Krogan team member."

Read the rest of our Mass Effect 3 multiplayer preview.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Preview Part 3! The Path To The Fire Temple

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 09:46:00 -0700

Fire Temples in Zelda games are like guns in Call of Duty - they just have to be in there, and the upcoming Skyward Sword is no different. Our very own Nikole Zivalich got the chance to go hands on with the game recently, and she closes her three part preview with her approach to the Fire Temple.

"Link headed back to the temple where he found Fi to see if the ruby adorned stone would have a similar affect. Sure enough, it did. A fiery orange beam of light shot through the sky. I'm no rocket scientist, but this was a pretty good indication that we were heading to a fire temple. Link and his Loftbird flew over the orange portal back to the land below. I pushed dive and Link fell, landing at the entrance of Eldin Volcano."

Be sure to check out the rest of Nikole's adventure in part three of our Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword preview. And in case you missed them, make sure you read part one and two first.

Saints Row The Third Hands-On: Inner-City Fun!

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:19:00 -0700

Jake "Hood Rat" Gaskill is from the streets, so the gangs and guns of Saints Row The Third appeal to his inner need for chaos and/or destruction. He got his hands on the game recently and checked out hours of the story, but was most drawn to the self-directed, just messing-around possibilities of the game. Here's a taste of his preview:

"After playing a couple story missions, we decided to just goof around a bit, something SRTT could not value more. It started out with us catapulting each other out of the cannon strapped to the top of a vehicle known as the Manapult. It has a Professor Genki-licensed, cat-shaped vacuum on the front that can suck up several people at a time and then you can shoot them to their deaths. Then we decided to check out the various customization features, which include not only the ability to personalize your character (including the option to increase/decrease the size of your breasts and/or dong to raise/lower your sex appeal), but also your cars and even the members of your gang, from their outfits to their gender."

Check out the rest of our Saints Row 3 preview.

Skyrim Hands-On, Part 2: There Is So Much Game In This Game!

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:21:00 -0700

I'm sure you've read Nikole "Brontosaurus" Zivalich's hands-on Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim preview at least a dozen times by now, but perhaps you'd like a different perspective. How about the perspective of Jake "Raptor" Gaskill? He played Skyrim as well. As always on TheFeed, the first taste is free...

"I made my way towards Whiterun, which was a healthy distance away. Luckily, the hefty trek gave me plenty of time to soak up the ambient noises of wind whipping through the trees, crickets chirping, animals howling, and all the other wonderful audible details that bring the world of Skyrim to life. Coming around a bend, I happened upon some fellow Imperial soldiers escorting a prisoner. Clicking on the prisoner brought up the option to free him, but not knowing the circumstances, and given my lowly level 1 status, I declined. The prisoner then told me about something called the Stormcloak rebellion, and that I should go into town to find out more about it (side quest number one)."

... but you need to click to read the rest of Jake's Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim preview.

Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Hands-On: Adventure, Ho!

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 08:37:00 -0700

For our latest hands-on look at Skyrim, Bethesda gave us three hours to do whatever we wanted. In part 1, Nikole "Godzirra" Zivalich heads south towards the town of Falkreath, getting into all manner of trouble along the way. Here's a sample of her adventures.

"There wasn’t a clear path to my destination. There were mountains, rivers, and an abundance of wolves who always attacked me no matter how much I stayed away. I went into this game knowing I was going to “national geographic” it; meaning I would just watch the wildlife AI from afar. Maybe it was because I was a cat, but those wolves were d*cks. Overly aggressive or not, I appreciated their programming. From a distance, I could see them find prey, stalk it, hunt it down, and then howl to call other wolves."

Check out the rest of our Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim preview.

Grand Theft Auto 3 For Mobile Preview

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:30:00 -0700

Has it really been that long? Next week marks the 10th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III, one of the landmark games that literally changed everything for gamers. At the New York Comic Con, Rockstar tried hard to ensure that you’ll want to indulge in the open world mayhem of GTA 3 all over again – on iOS devices like the iPad2 and the iPhone 4S.

With all the stunning new games being offered every week, why would gamers want to revisit the old game? Aren’t those graphics ancient now, so much so that the game should be nothing more than a wonderful, salient memory of a time gone by? That kind of thinking makes sense. But if you saw what I saw, you’ll probably be psyched to play those classic courier missions all over again.

As I indulged in the game’s second mission, I saw that it had been given the HD treatment, and everything from character models to cars to the gritty urban streets look new. You can think of it as urban nostalgia with a nifty 2011 upgrade. “This game really shines because today’s devices are about twice as powerful as the best Pentium PCs that were state of the art when the game was first released,” says producer Rich Rosado of the demo code that was completed just hours before the Comic Con began.

Rosado pointed out that Claude, the game’s silent protagonist, really had no fingers on his hands in the original version. “His hands were kind of club-by,” he says. The updated game not only has hands for its anti-heroic characters. It features faces with cleaner, more human-like facial detail. And Claude doesn’t lunk around as you control his gait. He moves with more fluidity, less robotic inhumanity. That attention to detail applies to the world you traverse as well. I really wanted to jump to the Callahan Bridge area just to check out the city’s vista at night. There’s subtle shading and a looming foggy look at you walk or ride down a street. The polished sheen on car paint now shows off real-time reflections of the nearby environment as you pass.

The controls, not all of which are on screen at the same time, feel smooth and natural. On foot, you can move left, right, sprint, jump, shoot, punch, and lock on. When you jack a car, you have controls to speed up, enter, exit, brake, handbrake, shoot, and one for the horn. Want to switch weapons? Swipe lightly over the weapon icon at the screen’s upper right. Double tap an icon and a new car falls magically from the sky. It fun to do, and I wanted to just tap and tap to check out all the vehicles. And thankfully, the cars and trucks drive differently. The Linerunner truck I tried felt heavier and steadier than the souped-up convertible, which drove more loosely, like it would be fun for a night of speedy, girl-watching fun.

If you find yourself using one control feature more than another, you can increase the size of an icon so that it’s easier to find on the screen. And you can eschew the onscreen controls and use the internal gyroscope to drive. It all just seemed easy, intuitive, and a breeze to control, certainly more so than playing it via a PlayStation controller.

Those famous radio stations packed with well-mixed pop music will return as well. If you’re done with one, swipe across the top middle of the screen to change stations. Done with all of Rockstar’s stations? You can import your iTunes playlist and use that as a radio station.

“It’s still not quite complete,” said Rosado. Even as we spoke, new artwork for control icons was coming in via his iOS device. Rockstar also confirmed that they will eventually optimize GTA III for earlier, single core iOS devices like the first iPad, so that's nice too.

By Harold Goldberg

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Preview -- Shaken, Not Stirred

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:45:00 -0700

Look, we're all freakin' nuts about the idea of playing GoldenEye 007: Reloaded when it comes out. That's a given, if only for the nostalgia factor. Miguel "License To Kill" Concepcion has actually played it. And he brought back an awesome preview. Here's a bit of it for you:

"I was one of those who enjoyed the re-imagining of GoldenEye 007 on the Wii, at least in terms of the story. This retelling took liberties with a number of minor plot points from the N64 game as well as updating Bond to the Danial Craig character model. It was easily accessible as it accommodated the Classic Controller, so it’s of little surprise that Reloaded controls just as well on these other two consoles. Reloaded has also optimized GoldenEye in terms of frame rate. While it's clearly in HD, one downside is that the graphical textures aren't the most detailed for these consoles. At least it is a noticeable improvement over the Wii version."

Read the rest of Miguel's GoldenEye 007: Reloaded preview. Then, take a look at the just released video footage from the game. It's pretty boss.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations Hands-On Impressions

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:01:00 -0700

Our ace-writer Miguel "The Obliterater" Concepcion got a chance to play the single-player portion of Assassin's Creed: Revelations at a recent event, and while his experience revealed a lot about the historical connection between Ezio and Altair and other juicy details, I'll bet you want to hear about the new hookblade most of all. Here's a description of the deadly-but-useful gadget:

"It is a multipurpose device that extends the user’s reach, adding a bit of ease to much of the game’s climbing and ensuring those building-to-building leaps go smoothly. If you’re using it as a personal zip-line, you can end your ride early and take out unsuspecting foes from above. If you’re making an on-foot getaway, you can use this to acrobatically flip Ezio over guards’ backs. The one capability of the hookblade that stood out for me was how you can use hanging lamps to open up new options for traversing buildings and structures."

Read the rest of our Assassin's Creed: Revelations preview right here for more on Ezio, Altair and the dreaded hookblade!

Battlefield 3 Caspian Border PC Hands On

Fri, 7 Oct 2011 13:42:00 -0700

The Battlefield 3 Multiplayer Beta has been going strong, and while players have been limited to only the "Operation Metro" map, PC gamers got to test out a new battle ground - "Caspian Border." This PC-only map is exactly what gamers have been asking for. It's big enough for 64 player matches and includes the vehicles that the Battlefield series is known for. Check out our gameplay video for "Caspian Border" below.

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Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Impressions -- Part 2!

Fri, 7 Oct 2011 05:00:00 -0700

Nintendo always makes waves whenever they release a new Legend of Zelda game, and Skyward Sword looks to carry on that tradition proudly. Our very own Nikole Zivalich got the chance to go hands on with the game recently. She continues to pass on her knowledge to you in this second part to our three-part preview.

"I flew my bird closer and closer, until it seemed like I wasn't even progressing anymore. Then I finally saw in the right corner of the screen I was being prompted to dive. Okay, Nintendo, I'll take that leap of faith. And so I jumped off my bird into the green light and fell, spiraling through the air. For a moment I saw nothing but clouds, but soon the green, leafy land below came into focus. Like I mentioned in my previous preview, your Sailcloth will save your ass throughout this game. Before I hit the ground, I quickly held down B to gracefully float to the ground."

Find out what horrors await in the Skyview Temple in part two of our Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword preview.