13 minute gameplay walkthrough video of Far Cry 3's open world

Far Cry 3 will be an open world FPS game, similar to Far Cry 2. Sound awesome right? Well it depends. Far Cry 2's open world felt like a chore to move forward when I played it back in 2008. The feel to explore wasn't there for me, so this was my main concern when I started learning about Far Cry 3, did they improve in that aspect of the game? Check out this video that gives us a good look at Far Cry 3's open world gameplay.

The commentators of this video are Mark Thompson, lead level designer and Jamie Keen, Lead game designer of Far Cry 3.

It's good to see that there will be different kinds of side quests to pick up to give you more incentive to explore. Adding wildlife is also a great new addition, which seems to go well with the game's crafting system. I'm pretty impressed with the game's setting and revealed characters so far, especially Vaas, but my Far Cry 2 playthrough keeps reminding me that I might experience the same issues I had with the game's exploration. So yes, I'm still pretty cautious about this one.

Far Cry 3 comes out on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on November 29 for Austrailia and in the UK, the US will get the game a few days after on November 4.

[Source: Pixelenemy]

Planetside 2 gets a release date

Sony Entertainment Online has now given a release date for Planetside 2, a Free-To-Play online shooter. This will actually be considered an MMO because this FPS is about huge scale battles with thousands of players, and again, it's going to be free to play. Get ready to pick one of the three factions, because Planetside 2 hits on November 20.

Planetside 2 aims to provide a true all out war. With thousands of players on a huge map battling on either land or air, it's going to be chaotic real fast.

Here's a good look at Planetside 2 from MMOBomb.com.

What's interesting about Planetside 2 is that there's a lot of roles to pick from to assist in this massive battle. First off, you get to pick a specific class for your soldier. Then there's also vehicles and equipment that lets you be effective against certain units like air vehicles for example.

It's quite a surprise that Planetside 2 is actually going to be on a Free-To-Play model. Thousands of players in one map is not an easy thing to maintain, but the Free-To-Play model has proven itself over and over that it's possible to stay alive with no monthly fee. There will be of course an online shop to buy cosmetic items, but the shop will not be selling weapons or rather items that would give you an advantage. Everything is accessible without spending a cent, but of course there will be items solely for looks that it would be hard to resist.

Will definitely check it out when it hits on November 20.

[Source: Planetside 2 official site]

Outlast - A New Survival Horror Game that's looking good

For a long time now, the survival horror genre is being kept alive by indie games. Games such as Amnesia and Slender are latest horrors that could potentially keep you up all night. Outlast is also an indie title planned for the PC that looks to be just as frightening. Outlast is being developed over at Red Barrels, a new studio with developer veterans that worked with famous game franchises such as Uncharted, Assassin's Creed, Splinter Cell, Prince of Persia, and the upcoming Far Cry 3. Check out the impressive teaser below.

Outlast is a story of a journalist who breaks into a long-abandoned asylum on a tip, only to find that it was a bad idea after all. Breaking into an asylum? When was that ever a good idea?

From Press Release:

In the remote mountains of Colorado, horrors wait inside Mount Massive Asylum. A long-abandoned home for the mentally ill, recently re-opened by the “research and charity” branch of the transnational Murkoff Corporation, has been operating in strict secrecy… until now.

Acting on a tip from an inside source, independent journalist Miles Upshur breaks into the facility, and what he discovers walks a terrifying line being science and religion, nature and something else entirely. Once inside, his only hope of escape lies with the terrible truth at the heart of Mount Massive.

Outlast is scheduled for a PC release next summer 2013.

[Source: Red Barrels official site]

Diablo 3 patch 1.0.5 now live, new features add more challenge to the game

A huge patch for Diablo 3 just went live today. Aside from the usual class changes and bug fixes that come with patches, 1.0.5 will be adding two new features to the game that will hopefully satisfy those end game junkies. 

Monster Power

Not the most appealing name, but I guess it will do. Monster Power gives you the freedom to actually set how challenging one difficulty can be. You are given the option to how strong the enemy hits and how tough they are. The tougher and deadlier they are, the more experience, magic find/gold find, and loot you earn. A difficulty setting within each difficulty setting, not sure if that makes any sense. You can have a more detailed explanation over here.

Infernal Machine   

This one I can't wait to see. this is the improved version of those uber bosses you get to unlock on Diablo 2 back in the day online. The Infernal Machine, if used, activates a portal that lets you fight two uber bosses at the same time. These bosses are said to be a harder version of the original. Still not sure how hard but top that with the Monster Power 10 should be a decent challenge for the top geared characters.

On the first few weeks of Diablo 3, on Hell act 4 and Inferno, you are stuck with one viable build because everything else gets you killed. The skill changes in 1.0.5 are done to give more viable builds in the end game. Well, I'm sure that's what the devs at Blizzard are hoping when they did these changes. But there will be that superior build that just works no matter what.

You can check out the full patch notes here.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 goes ACDC in its launch trailer

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is less than a month away. Its launch trailer just hit and not only does it show off all the near future gadgets you get to use in the single player campaign, they add a great song that goes well with all those explosions.

Black Ops 2 is looking good so far. I think the last time I was excited for a Call of Duty game was when the first Black Ops was released.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is schedule for a November 13 released on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.