Another ‘first look’ video, this time it’s on Razer’s new VOIP software (currently in beta) known as ‘Razer Comms’.
I go through the features of Razer Comms, explaining the details and simplicity of this new Voice Communication software. (It has a GUI game overlay!)

If you would like to sign up for a beta invite for Comms, create a Synapse account and go to the Razer Comms website here:

Obviously, the worst thing. Ever.

 

What’s up with the hate fest regarding Bioshock Infinite’s cover art? No, seriously? I don’t get it. Apparently video game enthusiasts are now suddenly opposed to cliché action hero poses and eccentric weaponry (tell that to the 8.5 million people who bought Black Ops II).

While the cover doesn’t reveal a ton about the game’s content, it’s par for the course as far as video game cover art goes. What action game doesn’t feature the protagonist on its cover? Besides, I’d much prefer this to an even more painfully cliché sexy Elizabeth on the cover. I can’t help but think these are the same capricious “fans” that took to whining in the forums when Irrational dramatically reduced Elizabeth’s breast size.

Perhaps a higher level of scrutiny is warranted because more is expected from the Bioshock franchise? Well, no, this doesn’t hold up either. I love the series. The first Bioshock is without a doubt one of the best games ever made. Surely the box art is equally as impressive? Nope. Bland, bland, bland.

Both Bioshock and its sequel feature a Big Daddy and a Little Sister against a murky bluish-green background. Really. That’s all. In the first game, the Big Daddy was an enemy—one that had little to do with the overall story of the game. In Bioshock 2, the Big Daddy on the cover is presumably the character you play as. Compared to these covers, Infinite looks infinitely better.

First, there is the hero pose. Yes, it’s cliché. But it also works. It’s an action game! The top third is covered mostly by the logo, which evokes the worn look present in the earlier installments’ logos. The background consists of three discernable elements: sky (it takes place in the sky), a burning American flag (a ballsy marketing choice and also highlights the game’s focus on Americana and propaganda), and an airship (because…airships).

The point is that this is the busiest Bioshock cover yet, and it is more effective than its predecessors at describing what the game is actually about.

Owen Good, writing for Kotaku, concludes his thoughts on the cover art by saying, “the disappointed reaction is not that this cover takes no risks, it’s that it sends the message the game isn’t going to take risks, either.” To this I can only ask: what are you talking about?

To anyone else who might feel similarly, try re-watching the “Beast of America” trailer and stop finding things to be upset about.

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the new Alive2Play article site!

If you are a frequent visitor of us, you may recall Alive2Play as a community site instead of an article site.
This is changed in the new incarnation of Alive2Play.

The change was given birth by the ongoing attempt to create a community site, while lacking a constant stream of content.
Finally, we took notice to the fact that even though the community is not growing, we’re doing a good job making articles.
So, after some thought I decided to give rise to alive2play as an article site.

Currently, Alive2Play uses WordPress to achieve our goal but(hopefully), in the near future with your help, we can create an entire website from scratch which will be like anything you’ve ever seen!
You may have noticed that Facebook comments are an essential part of this site.
We agree.

While websites like 9gag and every other meme site you know are posting funny pictures and get tons of comments, we will try to do the same only with our reviews.
This is essentially how we are going to listen to the community. Don’t have facebook? you can register and then send us a message, wordpress comment or email.

So what is coming in the next few days?

Well, as you know we’re going to resume active duty in 6 days from now so what you’re going to see on the site until then are older articles transferred from our old site to here.
Those have been our legacy and do not desrve to be forgotten on our (almost) deleted site.

Another change we’re going to make in our posting habits is to ditch the nicknames. You formerly knew me as Xeo and you may continue calling me that way if you wish but my real name is actually Oren. I’m 25 years old and from Israel. Nice to meet you!

We hope now, in this new incarnation of Alive2Play to hear more from you and your friends!

Do you have any requests? feedback? please post below and let us know!
We’re here for you! :)

Hoping to get to know many of you!

Oren

Alma is back and wants her revenge, but her ways are not always what we think, as her contractions opens up hell in a world soon torn asunder by her powers. A baby starts screaming for the first time, gasping for air. Is this the end, or is it just the beginning?

F.E.A.R 3 (First Encounter Assault Recon), a game very different from the two prequels. What first struck me when playing this game, in the first scene, is that confusion sets in right from the start. You start playing, knowing not where to go, what to do or why. Sure, you get your objective that helps you on the way, but the truth that there is no way to show your objective (as far as I know) like in the past two games is something that pulls this game down. When pressing “Shift”, instead of the objectives you want to see, there is somewhat of a scoreboard, showing your score, which is your experience that makes you able to level up and reach new perks.
This makes F.E.A.R 3 feel like it’s completely made for multiplayer-use only. For each level completed, you get your score, how well you have done and who of the two brothers had the best result. Yes, the two brothers play alongside each other, turning this game into a Co-op online game when wanted.

To be honest, playing this game is fun, especially as the brother of the Point Man, Paxton Fettel, with his psychic abilities and such; however there are barely any scare-moments, such as seeing Alma rushing towards you or any kind of ghost for that matter. You get demon-hounds and one crawling bad guy, and that’s pretty much it. For the third game in this series, I expected something totally new in the scary-department, but I was unfortunately mistaken. This game has the feeling of “Call of Duty: Black Ops” more than its prequel F.E.A.R 2, which is really too bad as that was a really good game. More action, guns, explosions and bad guys is what this game brings, and not as much fear as I’d like. If you are going to play this game, I strongly recommend playing the two prequels first, which will give you a much better overview of the story of F.E.A.R, seen as the story in F.E.A.R 3 itself is confusing enough as it is. The game is about the same length as the second one, giving you a few good days of playing if you’re not playing hardcore.

As a summary, this game is fun to play when you’re bored, but if you’re sitting alone in your dark room with the curtains closed and lights off and expecting to be scared, I advise playing the second game instead.

Graphics: 6/10
Gameplay: 5/10
Game Length: 6/10
Violence: 10/10
Overall: 6/10

Developer: “Day 1 Studios”
Release date: June 21, 2011
Price on PC: Around 40 Euro (399,00 Swedish kronors)
PEGI: 18

As I open my eyes, I feel dizzy and tumbled. Trying to lay perfectly still, I turn my eyes to the monstrous machine standing just a few feet away. My heart starts beating harder and I can hear the blood rushing through my head.
A young demonic-looking girl walks toward me with a huge syringe in her hand.

“Mister Bubbles, Mister Bubbles, look, it’s an angel!”

I am talking about Bioshock 2, a game throwing you deep into the abyss of the human mind, and all this in the middle of the 18th century. I won’t spoil any story of the game, but I can say the pressure of the underwater city of Rapture, the city you find yourself mysteriously guided to, sure is enormous. This sequel to the first Bioshock, personally, is a huge success. As soon as I finished this game I felt I wanted another look around Rapture. It draws you back with its mysterious environment, feeling and appetite for violence.
Walking around with a heavy wrench in one hand and electricity in the other, you ought to feel safe in this game you might think, but no, in this game you will never feel entirely safe or secure.

I enjoyed this amazing game on a PC, and the graphics are great, with its own little touch of an artwork-look through the entire game. Even though you find a few bugs here and there, for example corpses waving their hands or enemies just standing there aimlessly, the game still deliver what it needs to. Bioshock 2 has this ability to make you feel lost and alone even though you are most of the time guided by this arrow on the screen pointing directly to your objective, which is at points very helpful.
You do indeed sometimes during this game feel helpless and alone, but the happy, cheerful 1950-feeling that is hanging like a cloud over the whole area has its way to keep you smiling. When seeing this, it reminds me of playing Fallout 3, with the same kind of “old touch” throughout the game.

The interface is simple and not at all overwhelming as some can be. You have your ammo, health and all the necessary things, as well as your plamids as they call it, DNA-altering “magic” abilities which makes you able to for example shoot fire from the palm of your hand, electrocute any enemy that might stumble in your way, or throw them several feet in the air. The game length, single player mode, is average for a game. I played it through in approximately 10-13 hours if I remember correctly, though the second time I ran through it quickly it took just about 5 hours of pure game time. There is a multiplayer mode, which is pretty much a Player-VS-Player mode, though I did not try this mode when playing Bioshock 2.
I highly recommend this game, although it is a good thing to have played the prequel first, seen as the whole story makes much more sense if you have.
I’ve got one last thing to say about this game, and that is, do not trust anyone fully in this game, ever.

Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Game Length: 6/10

Overall: 8/10

Amnesia is a first-person “puzzle”, survival, horror game. I say puzzle because you have to complete challenging objectives, to proceed through the game. All the while you are being chased by darkness. Darkness like you have never seen. (Get it?).

I started playing the game at approximately 2:30 am. Not a good idea. Although the start is relatively slow, it seems to tease your gaming tastebuds, calling to your from the shadows, asking “You’ll never leave me, will you?” (Which doesn’t help.) As you progress, things seem to get more and more strange. Everything begins to twist and skew, and the game gets darker… And darker.

[Spoiler Alert! - You have been warned.]
The first MAIN task requires you to get 4 different ingredients of which make a toxic mixture that can burn through anything. (Although you don’t get to use it to burn through a wall and get out of there.) The 4 ingredients are spread throughout the “castle”, and each room is creepier than the last.

As you finish the first task, your character seems to “trip out”, and bit by bit he goes more and more insane. and that is when you come across your first “enemy”, and my GOD is it creepy, scary, insane, messed up, ugly and beautifully designed all in one. My heart skipped two beats and then made up for them with three-hundred, all within a time period of 4 seconds. The only way to escape certain doom from that creepy son of a bitch is to hide. I guess they’re like Creepers from MineCraft, only MUCH worse.
[End of Spoiler!]

Overall I am really thrilled to own this game, and can’t wait to continue playing after this semester. I really encourage you to buy this game, and play it when it’s extremely dark. (It actually says to do that in the game!)