Diablo 3 Confirmed For Consoles

This may not come to a shock for some with a lot of upcoming PC focused games already planned for consoles during 2012, but Blizzard have now taken the plunge and have confirmed that the upcoming Diablo 3 will be coming to consoles. This was all confirmed by the Blizzard Community Manager Bashiok, when asked if Blizzard would be bringing Diablo III to consoles he confirmed that “Yup. Josh Mosqueira is lead designer for the Diablo console project.”

Before you get excited for the title, even though there is a lead designer on the project there is a chance the game might not be finalzed. But don’t give up hope as the project may release after all.

Diablo III is currently set for a 2012 release, but again no official date has been given yet. We’ll keep you updated if we know any more.

CES 2012 Gaming Report from the Microsoft Keynote

While we don’t come to CES necessarily expecting big news in the gaming world, it’s hard not to look to the big reveals of previous years such as the NES and the original Xbox. You can’t help but hope for something big each time the annual CES press conferences come round.

Not to mention that this is Microsofts last year at CES so maybe the stakes are slightly higher this time since they may want to go out on a bang!

Here at Push-Start, we’re focused on the gaming side of CES 2012, so don’t come expecting to find out the latest on 3D Tv’s and HD Camcorders, instead come to read the content that matters to you, the gamer. You’ll find two articles, one for the Sony Keynote, and one for the Microsoft Keynote. Below, you’ll find the Microsoft wrap up, head over here for the Sony one.

Microsoft Roundup

Well, what an introduction. Featuring a remix (with added auto-tune) of shots from Microsoft CES Keynotes past, set the stage for a more laid back approach to the presentation. Kicking off with Ryan Seacrest joining Steve Ballmer on stage to discuss the overarching work of Microsoft through Windows PC’s, Mobiles, Tablets and the Xbox.

After first some discussion of Windows Phone 7 updates, with new devices heading into the family from Nokia and HTC, including the HTC Titan 2, Microsoft headed into talking about their work on Windows 8.

Cut the Rope made an appearance on the new Windows Store. Aiming to launch in late February, it will feature instant ‘Try Now’ functionality for demos. In addition to the paid apps, there will also be a number of free apps to further expand the audience, not to mentioned that it will be available in over 100 languages A new focus on touch interfaces will open up a new variety of applications and games for Windows gamers.

Image from http://www.businessinsider.com/

After an ‘interesting’ appearance from the Tweet Choir, it’s time for the Xbox section of the keynote. Discussing how far they have come in the industry in the last 10 years, with specific reference to the near 40 million Xbox Live Subscribers currently connecting and playing.

Moving onto the Kinect and talk of the Natural User Interface, they discuss the 18 million Kinect sensors which have shipped worldwide. After a demo of the new Kinect voice features available with the recently released Xbox 360 Dashboard Update last month, they moved onto noting the additions of Comcast Xfinity, Verizon Fios and News Corporation (Fox News, Wall Street Journal and IGN content) to further bolster the TV offerings for the Xbox 360.

Kinect Sesame Street TV, delivering two way TV in an interactive form. Working in collaboration with the Sesame Workshop, this new experience turns the TV show into fully interactive content. Using voice and gestures, you can interact with the TV content created specifically for the game. An example shows throwing coconuts to Grover, and later using Augmented reality to put yourself into Elmo’s Room. It is currently unclear if this is a retail title, or delivered digitally.

Kinect is heading to Windows on February 1st. Microsoft is working with a wide variety of companies including Mattel, Siemems and American Express to deliver content and applications for use specifically with Kinect with Windows.

So, what’s next? METRO, METRO, METRO, WINDOWS, WINDOWS, WINDOWS according to Steve Ballmer!

With not even a hint at the future of the Xbox brand or gaming in general, the Keynote was not of huge importance for gamers. With the majority of the focus on Windows Phone and Windows 8, it seemed Microsoft was reiterating their focus on all areas of the business as they bring their final CES presence to a close.

So, who’s looking forward to E3 2012?

Netflix Arrives in the UK and Ireland

Today it was announced that the popular entertainment streaming service Netflix would be crossing the pond. Yup, if you’re living in the UK or Ireland and you’re willing to be separated from £5.99 a month you can access Netflix and its bountiful selection of films and TV programmes. If you’re not quite sure about the service and in need of a little persuasion then you’ll be happy to know that the first month is free for everyone across multiple platforms, all you need to do is head over Netflix.com. If you’re wondering what devices support Netflix then look no further than about an inch below this paragraph;

• Smart TVs
• Game Consoles (Wii, 360, PS3)
• Blu-ray Players
• Laptops
• Tablets
• Mobile Phones

“We are starting 2012 in the best possible way: by giving consumers in the UK and Ireland an amazing entertainment experience,” said Reed Hastings, co-founder and chief executive officer of Netflix. “Now, you can enjoy as many great films and TV programmes as you want, when you want, where you want, for one low monthly price with no contracts or commitments.”

At launch, Netflix is offering films and TV programmes from All3Media, the BBC, CBS, Channel 4’s 4oD, Disney UK & Ireland, ITV, Lionsgate UK, MGM, Miramax, Momentum Pictures, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox and Viacom International Media Networks, there will be more than enough to satisfy anyone that is thinking of adopting the service into their home.

Max Payne 3 Screens Celebrate the New Year with Sun and Explosions

2011 Game of the Year awards are still coming in, yet here in 2012 we’re gearing up for games that are no doubt going to be nominated for next year. One of these games is Max Payne 3, and if the three most recent screenshots are anything to go by, it’s looking to be a good chance indeed.

Each shows off a different aspect of what we can expect from the third entry in the seminal noir action game. The first shows of the controversial change in setting and character for Max, swapping the dark snow swept street of “Noir York City” for the sun bleached favelas of Brazil. Payne himself has also changed, from leather coat cop to bald headed badass.

Next up, we can catch a glimpse of the new cover system, another controversial feature some believe may detract from the previous entries bullet-time ballet.

Finally Rockstar and Max have seen in the new year like everyone else – with a visually pleasing explosion, although on a very different level to the usual fireworks.

Max Payne 3 is looking to be one of the first must-have games of a very interesting year and will be available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 March 2012.

Push-Start ‘Game Of The Year 2011′

Review – [Revisited] BioShock 2

With Bioshock Infinite due next year, I take a look back at the second title in the series.

Bioshock 2 features the same diverse art style, graphics and sound design of the original to create an amazing atmosphere as you roam the under water city of Rapture. With rich storytelling and enjoyable multiplayer, it’s a welcome return for one of the most interesting games of this generation.

Fans of the original will not be disappointed here. While the reigns of the series has been handed over to a multitude of other 2k game studios, the new team has clearly done their research into how Ken Levine with ‘Irrational games’ (System Shock, Freedom Force) created the original masterpiece, taking inspiration and also evolving the game into something that shows just how unique the world of Bioshock is.

Taking place in the underwater utopian turned dystopian world of Rapture, you traverse through many giant areas of the city attempting to rescue a girl, your ‘little sister’ as her Big Daddy. These terms may seem odd to those who are not aware of the universe this game occurs in, I shall fill you in; The world of Rapture was created by Andrew Ryan, fed up of the controlled communist world, he designed an underwater city where the brightest minds from science to literature could all live and work together productively. Soon, ‘Adam’ was discovered, a liquid of sorts, that could grant people superhuman abilities by literally rewriting their genetic code. ‘Plasmids’ were injections, hugely diverse in their applications. From cosmetics, to weapons that would allow you to throw fire or lighting from your fingertips, or even force your enemies to attack each other. Of course, addictions followed, and world took a dive into a broken society of deranged people known as ‘Splicers’. ‘Little sisters’ were created to harvest ‘Adam’ from corpses, and the ‘Big Daddy’s’ were designed as their protectors, depicted similarly to early 20th Century diving suits, huge hulking and menacing beings.

The story of the original was a rollercoaster, and the ending was especially impressive, however what made the original so amazing was the sense of discovery, this broken society under the sea, hidden from view. The sequel doesn’t quite have the same feeling of discovery as you have already ventured through the world once, however, since you are traversing through new areas, all unique and beautiful, this is not a big issue.

The story of this sequel took me a little longer to get involved with, but a number of sequences through the mid and end points of the game, featuring large set pieces and emotional moments brought it all together. In this world, Sophia Lamb is the new Andrew Ryan as it takes place many years after the original. She has the same dominant overtones, with a large influence on the environment. With all the little touches including the writing on the walls, pictures and audio diaries, these all come together to create an amazing sense of what this world once was, and how far it has fallen. Every area is filled with a huge amount of unique objects, almost as if the world hit pause when the downfall occurred, giving you the chance to pick up the pieces and see the world as how it once would have been.

Gameplay wise, this will feel very similar to the fans of the original, using the same engine and control scheme. What gives this game something new is the aspect that you play as a Big Daddy, granting you much more power and tools to use in combat. One of which is the duel wielding abilities, where you can have a plasmid in one hand and a weapon in the other, operating both independently, allowing you to approach combat in a huge variety of ways. The drill is also a welcome addition, allowing you to literally rip people apart as well as charge to stun. The main situations you encounter in the game are directly opposite to those in the original. This time as a big daddy you are tasked with defending ‘Little Sisters’ as they gather ADAM, in contrast to the original where you were tasked with killing the big daddy to get to the ‘Little Sister’. A new enemy, the ‘Big Sister’ gives you a little more challenge in an impromptu fast paced boss fight from time to time.

Each level is huge and intricate, meaning you will want to explore every nook and cranny of the great open level design as you go from area to area. Of course, the water is back, creating some impressive set pieces where the environment crumbles under the power of the flooding water. As well as being hugely visually impressive, it creates a very panicked mood, as well as the sense of isolation and being trapped in a number of occasions. The underwater walking areas are new to the series, as you now occupy a diving suit, and while they may be linear paths, they serve as a nice break from the action, allowing you to slowly plod through the underbelly of the city.

Upgrading your abilities makes a return. Using the ADAM that you collect you can upgrade your plasmids, or purchase gene tonics which act as boosts to your non-active abilities, ranging from making you better at hacking turrets and cameras, or giving you more stealthily abilities to sneak up on your enemies. The research camera this time does video; giving you the chance to improve your damage to certain enemies of even grant you with new gene tonics.

By far, the biggest contrast to the single player centric design of the original is the new multiplayer in the sequel. Developed by Digital Extremes, they took all of the mainstays from the solo game into the multiplayer arena to create something very enjoyably, complete with XP and leveling system as seen in most online shooters. Creating a unique setup and story for this mode helps settle itself in the universe, taking place before the solo games with you playing as test subjects for the plasmids. The controls here are a little more responsive, but the shooting feels slightly weaker and less powerful. The uniqueness of the Bioshock world shows itself with the plasmid use as well as the research camera, allowing you to get damage boosts over foes. While this will never reach the same levels of popularity of mainstream shooters such as Call of Duty, it does offer something a little different in the overcrowded genre.

It’s very hard to do the game justice in a written review, but you owe it to yourself to play both of the Bioshock games. The sequel brings many new additions to the table, and successfully tells another tale in the world of Rapture, and you’ll find yourself itching for more when its over, with it’s stunning design and atmosphere, as well as the sense of isolation and decay, you won’t find anything this year like it.

ACR’s First DLC Emerges

Ubisoft have finally released The Ancestors Character Pack, featuring all-new downloadable content for Assassin’s Creed Revelations on Xbox 360 and PC. This pack will also be available PS3 from tomorrow, December 14.

The Ancestors Character pack extends the Assassin’s Creed Revelations experience with features including:

• New multiplayer characters: the swashbuckling Privateer, the devious siren Corsair, the battle-tested Brigand and the bloodthirsty Gladiator;

• Personalized taunts, weapons and stylized assassination moves;

• Multiplayer customization items;

• New achievements and trophies to earn.

The Ancestors Character Pack is available for the price of 320 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE and £3.19 on the PlayStation Network and on PC.

Lagoonia Beta Reaches The UK

After countless months of work and dedication, InnoGames has finally opened its latest browser game, Lagoonia, to an international audience and so those of us over in the UK can now create and manage a huge tropical paradise with up to 15 inhabitants in this free-to-play title.

“With the start of the open beta, work on the game doesn’t stop – of course not. One of our major tasks right now is to add more multi-player features to increase the interaction between players, and we are implementing other things that will further enhance gameplay. These are a bit secret right now, but will be announced in the near future,” revealed Kathleen Kunze, Lagoonia’s game designer.

The title seamlessly intertwines the charm of a sandbox game with all the exciting social interaction – all injected within a remote South Sea island. The focus of the browser game is on the relationships between characters and players as you plan and create things that eventually make the island more habitable and genuinely more fun, from a warm fire and a cozy shelter, to useful fish nets that will aid you throughout. With more than 70 million registered players, InnoGames is one of the world’s leading developers and providers of online games. The Hamburg-based company has scored major successes with games such as Tribal Wars, The West and Grepolis. Lagoonia is completely free with no initial download required.

Rumour: Half-Life 3 Steam Achievements Appear

There has been a lot of talk recently on the Internet about Valve’s “upcoming” Half Life 3. As many of you may know Valve has never made a trilogy and always finishes the games at the sequel. Could there now be hope in the horizon that this image is legit?

It would be great if the below image is legit,  however when you type the above URL into your address bar they no longer show and you get redirected to an error site.  Valve has  either pulled the list of achievements from public view, or they never existed in the first place.  We do find it hard to believe that Valve would allow this information to slip through before any announcements  for the game.

When looking at the achievements you will notice a nice reference of Dr. Mossman. It’s interesting, but hopeful.  What do you think about this image? Let us know in the comments below.

Winter is Coming (to PC, Xbox 360 And PS3 in Europe)

While George R R Martin’s Seminal “A Song of Ice and Fire” continues to captivate readers and watchers, but so far, excluding a decidedly average political RTS, gamers have been left out in the quickly approaching cold. Focus Home Interactive seeks to remedy this by bringing a Westeros set RPG to the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 in early 2012.

Players will find themselves in control of two characters, “Mors”, a brother of the night’s watch, and “Alester”, an exiled red priest returned to seek redemption. Through a touted 30 hours of gameplay players will travel through numerous well known locations, from the kingdoms to the wall, though whether well get to piss of the end of the world is a question left unanswered so far. Familar faces will also show themselves to the player with the likes of Queen Cersei, Varys the Spider and Jeor Mormont.

Set characters does not mean set gameplay however, as players will be free to choose their classes, fight how they wish and upgrade the skills they use, or learn new abilities such as the power to slow down time. And what would a Song of Ice and Fire game be without political intrigue and lots of dialogue, being able to talk the talk will be just as useful as being able to fight your way out.

Game of Thrones will be the most ambitious of Focus Home Interactives titles so far, using CryEngine3 and being written under the supervision of Martin himself. The storyline will run concurrent to that of the books/series, although which it should follow if and when the two diverge as has been rumoured is still unknown. Cedric Lagarrigue, CEO of Focus has stated that the “game is faithful to the unique ambiance found in George R.R. Martin’s novels. The narration, the artistic direction, the pace of the game and its realization make it one of the most exciting role-playing games to come in 2012″.

The art direction appears to borrow heavily from the HBO series, but considering how well they captured the feel of the books this is no problem. Lands appear as they did and likenesses have been licensed to help keep the overall tone consistent throughout the franchise.

I find myself agreeing heavily with Lagarrigue, this really is shaping up to be one of the most exciting role-playing games of 2012, a year that also has Mass Effect 3 so take that as you will.