Crysis 2 among free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers in November

One of the biggest reasons to get a subscription to PlayStation Plus is the monthly free games that come along with it. These games include indie titles such as Machinarium as well as big budget triple-A titles such as Red Dead Redemption. Sony has now announced on its PlayStation Blog that the headlining title for next month’s batch of free games for PlayStation Plus subscribers will be Crysis 2.

Originally released in March 2011, the second instalment in the multi award-winning Crysis series is a visually stunning, high-concept FPS with a gripping storyline written by sci-fi veteran Richard Morgan.

Set in the year 2023, three years after the events of Crysis, you’ll find yourself in control of a Force Recon Marine named 'Alcatraz', who gains ownership of the Nanosuit 2.0 from Army Delta Force officer Laurence “Prophet” Barnes, who you will remember from Crysis.

PlayStation Plus players will be getting Crysis 2 in November

EA is all set to release the next game in the Crysis series, simply titled Crysis 3. CryTek had released a trailer for the game that explained some of the game modes available in multiplayer. Hunter Mode pits two players against the others. The two players, called Hunters, are given enhanced nanosuits that are permanently cloaked. The Hunters are tasked with hunting down the other players, called the Troopers. When a Trooper is killed, he becomes a Hunter.

The Crash Site mode is a standard control-point game mode where you have to capture points for your teams to take control of the map and win the round. The twist is that the control points keep changing throughout the match, so you will be having skirmishes all over the map to maintain control of the control points.

Back in July, Crytek had released an interactive trailer for Crysis 3 that showed some of the different approaches that can be taken to get through missions. The trailer shows off the new features such as weapon modification and a composite bow with different types of arrows. Though the trailer attempts to show that both stealth and combat are viable options, the level still felt very linear and the stealth-versus-combat choice seemed to be more of an illusion. Here’s hoping this isn’t the case in other levels.

Crysis 3 takes place in the year 2047, twenty four years after the events of Crysis 2, transporting players back to New York City, except now it has been ravaged by terrible conditions that resemble an “urban rainforest” littered with swamps, trees and rivers. The game world is divided into seven distinct hubs, each of which will have different environmental elements.

Players step into the shoes of Prophet once more as he goes against the diabolically evil Cell Corporation. CEO of Crytek Cevat Yerli had said, “Crysis 3 is a thrilling mix of sandbox gameplay, advanced combat and hi-tech human and alien weaponry that shooter fans will love. Leveraging the latest CryEngine technology, we’re able to deliver seven unique themes that offer stunning and visually loaded gameplay experiences. We cannot wait until people get their hands on the game.”

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Sony Announces New PS3 On A Diet, Comes With HDD And Flash Storage Options

Sony has launched the latest iteration of its popular PlayStation 3(PS3) gaming console. The new version is 25% smaller and 20% lighter than its predecessor: It will weigh 2.1 kg, and will measure 11.4" (w) x 9" (d) x 2.3" (h) at its widest points. The power consumption has also been lowered from 250 W to 190 W.

The new PS3 will come with three storage options — 500 GB or 250 GB hard drive, or 12 GB flash memory. Set to be available in two colour options (Charcoal Black and Classic White), the new device has a curved design similar to the currently available version. It will feature a Blu-ray drive. A couple of USB ports will also be featured, so users can augment storage capacity or access multimedia content.

Region	Version	Price	Availability
North America	250 GB HDD 500 GB HDD	$270 (approx Rs 14,700) $300 (Rs 16,300)	25th September 30th October
Europe	500 GB HDD 12 GB flash	€300 (Rs 21,000) €230 (Rs 16,200)	28th September 12th October
Japan	250 GB HDD 500 GB HDD	¥25,000 (Rs 17,200) ¥30,000 (Rs 20,600)	4th October

The new consoles will come with value-added content in the form of UNCHARTED 3: Drake's Deception: Game Of The Year Edition, and a voucher for more than $30 (Rs 1,650) worth of DLC for DUST 514. The 500 GB will also have a copy of Assassin's Creed III. Availability in India will be announced later.

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Football Grudge Match: FIFA 13 (PS3) Vs PES 2013 (PS3)

FIFA 13 (PS3)
Developer: EA Canada
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Genre: Simulation \ Sports
Platforms: PC, PS3, X360
Release Date: 28th Sep, 2012

It's that time of the year again. No, no, not Ganesh Chaturthi. The time of year when EA and Konamibring their latest offerings to the table, and online forums everywhere explode into fanboy mayhem. It's safe to say that most gamers are either FIFA or PES fans — never both. As much as it shames me to admit it, I've switched loyalties several times since the first football title I played (FIFA `99). I moved toKonami in 2004, when I couldn't put up with FIFA's tripe any longer, and spent a long few years salivating at the prospect of a new Master League offering. Unfortunately, Konami got complacent about PES's cult status, triggering a severe lack of innovation, which allowed FIFA to catch up, draw level, and even pull miles ahead by 2012. The boys from Japan have been eating EA's dust for some time now, but with each passing year, there's new hope that PES might rise from the ashes. The demos for PES 2013 and FIFA 13 are out. Going by the box art, it's Ronaldo vs Messi. Let's end the history lesson and see how they stack up against each other, based on the demos that I played.
 

Round I: Presentation

Let's get the trivial bits out of the way first. As usual, in terms of licences, menus and in-game music, it's the same old story. FIFA's interface is slicker and superior in every single way, while PES still looks and feels like it's a decade old. The team management screens in the latter are as cumbersome as ever — but hey, I guess some things never change. While the roster of teams available in PES (including Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona) is more impressive than FIFA's demo offering, it's rather apparent that Konami is overcompensating for the dismal lack of licenced teams in the finished product.

FIFA Wins!
Score: PES - 0, FIFA - 1
 

Round II: Graphics

While there are moments when PES looks downright fantastic, on several other occasions you feel like you're playing PES 2009 instead, with the same old tired animations and character models. On the other hand, FIFA manages to look good throughout, and even though some player models look nothing like their real-life counterparts, the visuals consistently seem brighter and more vibrant than PES. FIFA also features subtle touches, such as animated substitutes warming up and technical staff on the touchlines, to make things more realistic. The PES demo also seemed to suffer from dismal framerates during replays, and was incredibly sluggish in transitioning through cutscenes, but hopefully this is limited to the demo.

FIFA Wins!
Score: PES - 0, FIFA - 2
 

FIFA 13 manages to look good throughout. Click on image for full-size version.
 

Round III: Control System

FIFA 12 completely revamped and revolutionized the defensive side of the game, throwing "tactical defending" into the mix — which, when you think about it, was more or less the way defending worked until FIFA 2002. This year, EA has added a subtle First Touch control that adds greater realism to the way players react to fast or acutely angled passes. It's nothing revolutionary, but it's a nice move. Konami, on the other hand, has levelled the playing field with its own defence mechanism, and this is where PES scores its first one-up over FIFA. The former's control system is far more intuitive and well thought out, relying on the <X> button to close down attackers, a double-tap to make a tackle, and a combination with <R1> to lunge in. It works beautifully and is honestly more "tactical" than FIFA's system. PES also has its own first touch mechanism which, with <R2> pressed at exactly the right moment, allows players to trap the ball on a chaar anna and get that extra half-yard to unleash a lethal shot. The new Full Control dribbling system is also far superior to FIFA's almost useless Precision Dribbling, which remains virtually unchanged in the demo.

PES Wins!
Score: PES - 1, FIFA - 2
 

Round IV: Physics And Realism

FIFA's Impact engine was responsible for some of the most comical YouTube videos I saw last year, but aside from the few times when it spectacularly failed, it nevertheless produced the most realistic player interactions I've ever seen. EA would have us believe that the engine has been refined, but in general FIFA plays and feels almost exactly like its predecessor. PES still has some catching up to do on this front, with passes and ball interactions looking extremely jarring and unrealistic. Nothing's really changed in terms of physics here. Almost all the animations in PES 2013 are more or less the same as last year, and that's possibly the biggest problem Konami has to deal with. In short, PES feels almost arcadish when stacked up against FIFA, which faithfully reproduces the beautiful game.

FIFA Wins!
Score: PES - 1, FIFA - 3
 

Sadly, almost all the animations in PES 2013 are practically the same as last year. Click on image for full-size version.
 

Round V: Artificial Intelligence

In case you're wondering, I'm not talking about the opposition here. The actions of your teammates are just as important to making an enjoyable football simulator. PES, unlike FIFA, doesn't allow the player to trigger runs around him, relying entirely on the predictive AI. While it works well for the most part, there seems to be a tendency for the AI to be overly aggressive, sometimes leaving the fullback positions exposed. It's believed that this was done deliberately to make for more exciting, end-to-end action. Fortunately, PES's AI has been refined to a great degree, and in the few hours that I spent with the game, I didn't find my teammates doing anything stupid around me. FIFA too has brought its own enhanced artificial intelligence into the fray, and the players are more proactive this time around, without being reliant on the player's <L1> run triggers. At the end of the day, there's no clear winner in this case. The brains behind both games are pretty well-matched.

It's A Tie!
Final Score: PES - 1.5, FIFA - 3.5
 

The Winner: FIFA 13!

There it is, folks. The result we were all expecting — although it isn't necessarily as clear-cut. While FIFA's overall refinement and consistency makes it the more complete and polished product, PES has better mechanics and intuitive controls under the hood. That's not to say FIFA's control system is at all bad, but indicates that Konami could have a winner on its hands if its physics and visuals are entirely revamped. For this year, while it's FIFA all the way, EA would do well to take a look in the rear-view mirror. Check out the gallery below for more screenshots.
 

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