• Peter Molyneux's stated ambition as a designer is to make FABLE 2 a landmark game. In order to achieve this three big design features have been added. The inspiration and rational behind these features will be discussed along with their evolution throughout the development process. The wider context of their impact and influence on the RPG genre with also be examined as the ambition is also to evolve the genre itself. The talk will be supported by retrospective videos as well as live game examples.

• Game stories can matter, even in first person shooters. But first we're going to have to give up a lot of our preconceptions about what people care about when playing a game. For too long, games (especially first person shooters) have been stuck in a "game sequence followed by story sequence" mentality. Ken Levine will tell the tale of how the BIOSHOCK took a pointy-headed idea about a pseudo-objectivist utopia and turned it into one of the most compelling and succesful game worlds in recent history. What were the tools used? What compromises had to be made? Where did the shooter end and the story begin? How did we make people give a crap? How did we use story and narrative to become perhaps the most talked about game at the super-crowded E3 2006? What does this all mean for stories in games? And must of all, what hell does "Mise En Scene" mean?

• The online multiplayer mode of HALO 3 features an automatic matchmaking system to place players into games. Players may join individually or with parties of friends, and are quickly matched into groups. This presentation describes the algorithms behind the peer-to-peer matchmaking model, and its implementation over Xbox Live. It examines the impact of matchmaking on the HALO online community, and provides techniques for shaping the player experience and discouraging cheaters. The tradeoffs of an automatic matchmaking system compared to traditional multiplayer game browsers will be discussed, and illustrated by some results from the first months of HALO 3's operation.

• This session will offer a look into key areas of CRYSIS development that markedly depart from Crytek's first project, FAR CRY. Main topics include Nanosuit design and gameplay, creating a rich, destructible/non-linear world, and peopling it with dynamic, believable AI enemies that challenge and entertain the player.

This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Namco Bandai announced that their PlayStation Portable fighter, Tekken: Dark Resurrection has shipped to retailers.

The latest game in the series heads to the Sony handheld and features two new fighters in Lili and Dragunov. Classic characters are still included as well like Paul, Steve, Kazuya, Jin and Armor King. Tekken also looks to feature a variety of customizable items as well as various mini-games including Tekken Bowling. The game will feature wireless ad-hoc mode and ghost infrastructure mode which will allow you to upload your ghosts data character online to share with others in the network.

This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Eric Dayday.

Ports have been the biggest theme ever since Sony’s little handheld was released. One of the larger fighting game franchises finally makes its PSP debut in Tekken: Dark Resurrection, a port of the latest arcade version of Tekken 5. And by the looks of things, fans of the series will not be disappointed. 

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the graphics. Simply put, Tekken: DR looks fantastic. It’s probably one of the most gorgeous games on the PSP. In fact, it almost looks like it belongs on the PS2. There are rumblings that there are some framerate hiccups resulting in some slowdown as well as some slight pixilation and aliasing problems, but word is that it doesn’t detract much, if at all, from the rest of the game. 

The sheer content found here is quite amazing. I mean they managed to squeeze everything from the Tekken 5 arcade game onto the small UMD – characters, backgrounds, music tracks, etc. You name it, and if it was in the original arcade version, it’s in Dark Resurrection. On top of that are the numerous game modes – quick battle, story battle, arcade battle, network, Tekken Dojo, attack, and practice. Quick battle and practice are your standard fare; and story mode, of course, let’s you follow each character’s individual stories. Playing through story mode opens up more modes and a bunch of extras, which I’ll touch on later. Now, let’s take a look at some of the more unique modes.

Arcade battle plays out like you’re at a virtual arcade; think about Street Fighter II on Xbox Live and its quarter battles, and you’ll have the basic idea, though sans the human controlled opponent on the other side. Instead, you face off against a random set of “ghosts”, or AI opponents. Sounds like a generic survival mode, but the ghosts all have their own names, skill levels, and playing styles. And after each match, you can choose from a list of potential challengers and their preference of characters. The kicker – if you choose to, the game can track and record your own fighting style and tendencies to create a ghost of you. Even better is the fact that you can exchange ghost data with others using the wireless connection so you can fight your friends while you’re playing a solo session. 

Sharing ghosts isn’t the only multiplayer option available, though Wi-Fi matches are not present. If both PSPs have a copy of DR then you can play ad hoc versus matches with everything that’s available in-game to the players. The single-disc game-sharing versus matches aren’t too shabby themselves. They offer the entire roster to both players, but the player who downloaded the game won’t have any music playing, and the number of backgrounds is severely limited. Not too bad with one-disc though, right?

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This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

A new set of screenshots has surfaced for Square Enix's upcoming action RPG, Children of Mana. Enjoy!

This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

2K Games has released four first screenshots of Dungeon Siege II: Broken World today for your viewing pleasure. Check them out below.

This preview was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Its format does not match our own but we support its content. It was written by Sean Kearney.

It has been almost two years since Square Enix released Drakengard, the action role-playing game that combined on the ground hack-and-slash with aerial combat gameplay. Although the sequel to this game has been out in Japan for quite some time now, fans of the series stateside are finally going to get their hands on the sequel, as Square Enix releases Drakengard 2 in the U.S. just in time for Valentine's Day.

Drakengard 2 begins eighteen years after the events of the original game. You play as Nowe, a new member of the Knights of the Seal, the organization of warriors from the original Drakengard. Nowe is accompanied by a blue dragon, named Legna, who raised Nowe as a child, and together with Mana, a character from the first Drakengard, they battle their way through 12 chapters, featuring numerous ground and aerial combat missions, all the while leveling up their weapons and characters.

The gameplay in Drakengard 2 sticks rather close to that of the original. The game primarily consists of hack and slash ground battles that resemble those found in games like Dynasty Warriors, along with intense aerial combat missions, as Nowe boards his trusted dragon to take the battle to the skies. Although there are specific missions that call for you to be atop your dragon Legna for their entirety, missions that place you in an open area on the ground allow you to call Legna by pressing select anytime you need to do a little aerial assaulting.

While in the air, you have the ability to shoot two types of fireballs, a homing fireball that locks on to your enemy, as well as a non-homing fireball that packs a bit more power. You can also obtain the ability to unleash various "fire breath" attacks throughout the game by defeating enemies. The fire breath attacks have the ability to take out numerous enemies at once, and can provide a considerable amount of help in aerial missions.

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This article was originally published on Gaming Horizon, GameBump's predecessor. Certain formatting, imaged, and embedded content may have been lost in the transition process.

Alten8 and 7Raven Studios have released the first screenshots of Broken Circle for the Game Boy Advance. Enjoy!