Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 Xbox 360 Achievements

Fans of Sniper: Ghost Warrior have certainly had to wait for their next fix. Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 was initially scheduled for an August 2012 release. Developer and publisher City Interactive then announced that the game would not be released until October 2012. Fans were then disappointed once again when the release date was once more changed to January 2013. The hope that the game would finally come out in the New Year was then dashed by yet another change to the schedule.

But this time City Interactive kept their promise of a Mach 2013 target date, and the game is finally available for PC, Xbox 360, and PS3. Fans of the hugely popular, ultra-realistic first title are already raving about the game's realistic bullet physics, its intricate use of hand-to-hand assassination techniques, a pragmatic necessity to employ stealth techniques, and real-life factors that influence every decision made in the field.

Assume the role of Private Security Consultant Captain Cole Anderson, and begin a long, intense series of missions that will take you around the world. Locations include the urban jungle of Sarajevo, the deadly tropics of Burma, and the breathtaking Tibetan mountains.

With gorgeous graphics, and incredible gameplay, Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 is already looking to be as good, if not better, than its predecessor.

Unlocking Achievements
The game is brand-new, so it's likely that you're still exploring the depth of the games solo and multiplayer ventures. One of the key aspects of the game's replay value is the opportunity to unlock all the Xbox 360 achievements.

These are not all the achievements for the game, but they should give you a good indication of what's out there:

• Operation Quarterback: Get 10 points for completing Act 1.
• Operation Archangel: Get 20 points for finishing Act 2.
• Left No Man Behind: 20 points for completing the game on the casual setting.
• My Rifle Is My Best Friend: Score 50 points for finishing the game on the medium setting.
• Harvester Of Sorrow: Get 75 points for managing to beat the game on the expert setting.
• Poking The Bush: 20 points for uncovering all the secrets in Act 1.
• Keepsakes Of War: 20 points for uncovering every secret in Act 2.
• In Search Of Enlightenment: 20 more points for completing all of the secrets in Act 3.
• Balls Of Steel: 20 points for taking damage, but not for using any medical supplies.
• Nerves Of Steel: 30 points for achieving 100% accuracy in any single player mission.
• The Sniper Elite: 50 points for 100 kills in multiplayer.
• I Never Bleed: 75 points for finishing the entire campaign, but without using more than one medkit from start to finish.

Take Your Best Shot
Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 is already proving itself to be one of the best sniper games of all time. You'll have more than enough to prove whether or not you're as good a shot as you say you are.

Categories: Game Consoles

All About the DLC for Dragon Age

For the original game, Dragon Age Origins, the DLC available game in two forms really. The first form was downloads that added something to the core game itself, and the second form was actual additional content that expanded the game from what was originally sold.

Among the first kinds of DLC you could get were some very interesting ones, take a look at them below.

The Blood Dragon Armour

Exclusive armour that is available from the beginning of the game and beats anything players can find throughout their time playing it.

Collector's Edition DLC

This was a collection of three items, one of which is available from the beginning of the game, with the following two needing to be bought further in.

The Lucky Stone

This adds one point to all stats, which any Dragon Age player will tell you is a massive bonus compared to the actual leveling up done in the game.

Embri's Many Pockets

This is another item which can be equipped to add five points to every magical type of resistance, boosting any character a player has created.

Amulet Of The War Mage

This is an item which adds five points to all magical damages, making any mage immediately better in combat.

Helm Of The Deep

This is a helmet that grants additional points to constitution, mental resistance and physical resistance, all of which helps to properly shape a great warrior in Dragon Age Origins.

Mark Of Vigilance

The Mark Of Vigilance boosts defence, spell resistance and mental resistance. These are great for building up any character in the Dragon Age universe for slaying Darkspawn.

Memory Band

The Memory Band adds one point to all experience gained, which greatly helps players throughout their time playing Dragon Age Origins as the more you level up the better moves you gain access to.

Lion's Paw

The Lion's Paw is a pair of boots that increase armour, obviously, but also the chance for a character to doge a normal or missile attack such as an arrow, very cool.

Feral Wolf Charm

The Feral Wold Charm added to a player's armour, ability to regenerate outside of combat, and resistance to nature attacks, all of which are useful for all kinds of characters.

The Wicked Oath

The Wicked Oath is a ring bound to a woman's blood many years in Dragon Age's history. It adds to critical strike damage, improves armour penetration and combat stamina regeneration.

Band Of Fire

Band Of Fire improves constitution, fire resistance and spirit resistance.

Dalish Promise Ring

The Dalish Promise ring is, as it sounds, a promise ring of the Dalish Elves. It increases health regeneration in combat, the effects of health potions, and reduces the overall hostility a player might experience from other characters.

Guildmaster's Belt

The Guildmaster's Belt is a belt which increases cunning and dodge, but also improves a character's monetary gain from looting dead foes or searching chests.

The Edge

The Edge is a dagger which increases a character's damage dealt, critical attacks, and overall attack power.

Bulwark Of The True King

Bulwark Of The True King is a shield players can equip. It increases willpower, constitution, defense and armour in both the original game and the Awakening expansion, except in Awakening its effects are slightly greater.

Pearl Of The Anointed One

The Pearl Of The Anointed One is a necklace which increases all stats by one in the original game and two in the Awakening expansion. It also increases the monetary gain a player might experience.

Bregan's Bow

Obviously a bow, this weapon adds to armour penetration, attack and critical or backstab damage, as with some of the other DLC the effects are increased in the Dragon Age Origins Awakening DLC.

The second form of DLC that was released for Dragon Age Origins came as actual expansions to the game play, meaning the game time was extended by several hours with each piece of this DLC, see below for a list of them and a brief explanation of each.

Warden's Keep

This DLC took players to Soldier's Keep, an old abandoned keep once used by the Grey Wardens. Through the DLC players aid Levi Dryden in redeeming his great great grandmother's honor, by proving how she acted differently to the other Grey Warden's on their day of expulsion from Ferelden. Players also gain access to two powers from the Power Of Blood school, a form of powerful blood magic.

The Stone Prisoner

The Stone Prisoner is an excellent piece of DLC for Dragon Age which adds a lot to the actual core game play. Players gain access to the town of Honnleath, where they find Shale, the stone prisoner, who is actually a stone golem created by the dwarves. The DLC leads players with Shale into the abandoned Calash Thaig where they discover the source of Shale herself, which is a deeply moving story when compared to some of the other quests in the game.

Return To Ostagar

In Return To Ostagar players return to the scene of the Grey Warden's defeat against the Darkspawn, where King Cailan was killed. Here they can also recover the King's armour and learn more about why the Grey Wardens were betrayed in the first place.

Feastday Gifts and Feastday Pranks

Both of the Feastday DLC packs were released as part of a way to make Dragon Age a bit more fun, adding character interactions with each, some of which improved their relationship with the player, and others which did exactly the opposite.

A Tale Of Orzammar

A Tale Of Orzammar acts as the prelude to the Dwarf Noble's story. Players will overhear in a tavern of a well-paid job in the Deep Roads, where they will discover a lot more than gold and riches, and it acts as a good set up to the main game, although most of the race's backstories do anyway, so it isn't essential.

The Darkspawn Chronicles

The Darkspawn Chronicles is an alternative timeline story that tells the tale of the end of Dragon Age Origins as if the player had never existed. In this DLC Alistair has led the story and collected the characters from around the lands, but now players control the hordes of Darkspawn supporting the Arch Daemon. While a nice change of pace and fun to play, this DLC adds nothing to the story and is more about having permission to kill the smug Alistair.

Leliana's Song

Leliana's Song is a DLC that tells the take of how Leliana was betrayed and became the young bard working for the Chant of Light. The story is very interesting and makes players appreciate why Leliana is the way she is, and what she's gone through in the world of Dragon Age Origins.

The Golems Of Amgarrak

In The Golems Of Amgarrak players are seeking the help of a certain Dwarf who asks them to help him find his brother's expedition in return for this help. The quest delves into the origins of Golem creation, a dark and secret art that has been lost, and if renewed would bring great fortune to the dwarf with the knowledge.

Witch Hunt

Witch Hunt is set two and a half years after the end of Dragon Age Origins, when the Darkspawn have been fought back and the Arch Daemon defeated, but Morrigan, the witch in the party of characters, has now resurfaced after disappearing. Players will seek her out for answers as to what she has been doing and also what she has done with the child she bore from her final eve with the group of companions, as players may have made a choice that resulted in them surviving the end of the game but giving Morrigan a child with the power of an Arch Daemon.

This concludes the DLC available for Dragon Age Origins. The game was hailed as one of the best for having a rich history and texts relating to the history within the game itself, and all of these DLC's build upon those, which is what they were all about after all.

Categories: Game Consoles

Will The Xbox One Succeed In Asia?

The Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 will be released before 2013 ends. This is an exciting piece of news for gaming fans everywhere, because they can now experience the next generation of gaming without having to depend on their PCs (which need constant upgrades to play newer and better games).

Although precious little was revealed about the PS4, the recently held event by Microsoft gave us a lot of information about the upcoming Xbox One. This successor to the popular Xbox 360 console is touted to be the all-in-one entertainment system for the living room.

Indeed, this point was stressed upon by dedicating more than half of the presentation to non-gaming aspects of the Xbox One. While this did not go down well with a lot of hardcore gamers, it did make for some interesting discussion among casual gamers. People will soon have the power to control their TV using only their voice, and gestures. All this sounds well and good in countries like the US and the UK, where there are large enough living rooms to accommodate devices the size of the Xbox one. But the question is, will the One succeed in Asia?

It is commonly known that the PlayStation 3 (PS3) outsold the Xbox 360 in Asia. This success can be attributed to the fact that the PS3 had nearly all the titles that the Xbox 360 offered, but the key difference was that the PS3 offered online play for free. The Xbox 360 on the other hand, charged users for an online subscription called Xbox Live, which is required to reap the benefits of online gaming.

In many Asian countries, where internet access is restricted, having to pay extra for online play was not a well-received concept, which resulted in the PS3 outselling the Xbox 360.

Now, looking at the introduction of the Xbox One, it remains highly doubtful if the new console will manage to beat the PlayStation in Asia. From what we know so far, the Xbox One will have a deep integration with the cloud, and this might likely involve a deeper relationship with the Xbox Live service as well.

Also, the much talked about voice and gesture controls of the Xbox One might not sell well in Asia, because a lot of countries do not have standardized cable connections that can be linked to game consoles!

To make things worse, the sheer size of the Xbox One makes it difficult for a lot of people to give it a place in their living rooms. The console includes the main gaming unit and a separate Kinect unit, which is required to be connected for the voice/gesture features.

To sum up, the Xbox One needs to bring a lot more to the table if it aims to outsell the PS4 in Asia. With Sony having a strong fanbase in Japan, it would be interesting to watch this "next-generation" battle unfold between the two giants of the game console industry.

Aditya Rayaprolu is a technophile, living in India. He enjoys keeping a watch on the ever-changing technological landscape, especially the one that is called the internet. He is also an avid reader and gamer.

Categories: Game Consoles

From Game Consoles to Portable Gaming?

Gone are the days when Grand Theft Auto is sweeping the gaming world with its ultra-realistic graphics, immersive gameplay, and politically-incorrect humor. Since the advent of heavy-duty rendering systems, 3D gaming has upped to a level where graphics cannot possibly be topped anymore. Companies seem to have reached the logical conclusion of 'realistic graphics.'

It is then no wonder that these companies are now entering markets for portable gaming consoles (PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Facebook mobile games for smartphones and tablets, etc). What are the reasons for this seemingly 'retrogressive' change in the global gaming scene?

Nostalgia
During the span of 30 years, electronic gaming has transformed from the mere crashing for pixels into the ultra-realistic juggernaut it is now today. While modern digital innovations have led to more and more immersive gameplay, many gamers especially those who grew up with the early analog consoles miss the simple and straightforwad nature of earlier games. The demand for simpler, 'concept' games has thus sprung from inevitable fits of nostalgia and the natural need to get back to their roots.

Changes in gaming demographics
Before the 2000s, electronic gaming has often been regarded as mere toys for children. However, at the advent of newer technologies, adults who wanted recreation discovered gaming as a way to have fun. Since adults have jobs and other preoccupations to deal with, the needs to create games that are not totally immersive, time-consuming and non-portable. The emergence of newer games definitely expanded and diversified the gaming market.

From presentation to concepts
Decades of technological innovations will inevitably uncover some lessons. During the early years of electronic gaming especially in the 80s, companies have competed against each other with novelties and other knick-knacks that supposedly will enhance the experience. Programs and concepts were thought to be better if they utilize newer technologies, leading to ridiculous ideas such as the Nintendo PowerGlove, the Atari 3D Goggles, among others. Few titles emerged successful, and most of these relied not on contraptions and gimmicks but on the overall concepts they have.

Throughout the 2000s more and more titles boasted superior graphics but few concepts delivered. Gamers eventually discovered that a game's concept will remain paramount in the overall quality of a game. Games with simple yet interesting concepts are Plants Vs Zombies (Popcap), Angry Birds (Rovio), Farmville (Zynga), Temple Run (Imangi), among others. There is a reason why everybody loves the classic Snake game, and most hate all the modern 'flashy' versions.

Categories: Game Consoles

Square Enix Looking To Trademark Star Ocean

Star Ocean is a unique game for Square Enix because it is mostly a sci-fi type of game that involves space travel. The creators created Star Ocean with a sci-fi setting in mind and having cited Star Trek as their main influence. The series of Star Ocean games are mostly known for their real time battle engines and being one of the earliest games to allow alternate endings. One of the best things in the series was the ability to allow players to alter the outcome of the storyline through the players actions and dialogue choices mainly through a social relationship system referred to as "private actions". The original Star Ocean was published in 1996 by Square Enix and first introduced the " private actions " social system where the main characters actions mattered throughout the game. The first game had multiple endings and was replayable multiple of times to view the outcome of every action and dialogue. The sequel, Star Ocean: The Second Story showed over 86 different endings in which the character controlled the complete outcome of. The Star Ocean games also took an all-encompassing approach to items. Members in your party are able to create new objects or improve their current ones through craft like alchemy, metalworking, cooking etc... many of those created items can be equipped or sold if they are not to your liking, making Star Ocean one of the first games to include such a system.

It was the first game in the series that was released in 1996, the game was never released outside of Japan unfortunately. Star Ocean: The Second Story was the second game released for the PlayStation in 1999. The second game featured 3D battlefields and took place in 366 SD with improved graphics and better gameplay. Following that, Blue Sphere was the sequel to the second story and was released for the Gameboy color in 2001, the game was planned to release in North America but never made it due to lack of sales. Till The End Of Time was released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003 and included bonus dungeons, new playable characters, a versus mode, and tweaked gameplay. Till the end of time was the first game in the series to feature Voice Dialogue.The Last Hope was the last game released in 2009 for the Xbox 360, it was also released for the PlayStation 3 in 2010. It is a prequel to the entire series, chronicling the aftermath of World War III in which humanity must find a new home to survive.

Categories: Game Consoles