Two weeks after the console launch, PC gamers finally got their version of Eidos Interactive's Batman: Arkham Asylum last week. Originally slated to launch with the console versions, Batman was delayed three weeks for the PC, presumably to give both developer Rocksteady Studios and partner Nvidia time to polish the integration of Nvidia's PhysX game physics acceleration technology.
After spending a weekend with the game, we can report that we were pleasantly surprised at how much the PhysX effects enhanced the atmosphere of the game's gloomy setting. Our last outing with a PhysX-enabled AAA PC game, Mirror's Edge back in January, was much clunkier.
In Batman, sheets of paper scattered on the floor move convincingly as characters walk over them. Bricks, glass, and tiles shatter and break apart realistically. Fog, smoke, and spider webs waft and curl around characters realistically (the slideshow at the bottom of this post shows off some Nvidia-provided screenshots). With PhysX off you get none of those effects, and a less interesting environment as a result. Compared to the tacked on PhysX-effects in Mirror's Edge, the effects in Batman noticeably improve the atmosphere.
The swirling paper in this scene isn't possible without Nvidia's PhysX effects.
(Credit: Rich Brown/CNET)Not every effect in Batman is a winner. The banners draped over various rafters and arches throughout the game, presumably to show off realistic cloth behavior, seem more appropriate for an athletic facility than an asylum for criminals. The PhysX effects also provide no benefit to the in-game mechanics, but given that only a subset of PC gamers have PhysX-enabled PCs, we can't blame the Batman development team for not using PhysX to full advantage.
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No, the Goldmund Eidos Reference Blu-ray player is not made of gold.
(Credit: Goldmund)It sure looks expensive, and at $135,000, the Goldmund Eidos Reference Blu-ray player is definitely in the upper crust of Blu-ray players in terms of cost.
Hand-built in Geneva, the Eidos Reference Blue is a truly rarefied design. Limited in production to 50 units, dawdlers will be left having to make do with a plain vanilla Denon or Sony Blu-ray player.
Will the Goldmund outperform the Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player we raved about a few days ago? I have no idea, but I do know that a $20 Casio watch keeps time just as well as a Patek Philippe Ref. 5102G that costs, gasp, $181,650!
My point: buying decisions for ultraexotic products aren't based solely on performance; they're more about a company's long heritage of building luxury designs and backing them up with extraordinary service.
The rich and famous still buy Ferraris that are no faster than a Corvette that sells for a fraction of the Ferrari's price. But Ferrari buyers want more than just speed--they want to be, well, special. They buy it for its looks and how it's made. It's the same deal with uber hi-fis.
(Source: Ultimate AV Web site)
(Credit:
Electronic Arts)
Despite a failed deal with Take-Two Interactive, and a Spore DRM backlash, Eidos Interactive signed an agreement on Monday with Electronic Arts announcing exclusivity to multiregional distribution and licensing rights to selected titles from the their catalog for EA Mobile.
Now, Eidos will provide licenses to EA across all existing mobile channels and mobile devices for four key titles: Tomb Raider Underworld, Just Cause 2, California Games X, and Minesweeper, with a future option on the mobile versions of the majority of Eidos videogames for three years.
According to a news release, Javier Ferreira (VP of European Publishing for EA Mobile) was quoted as saying, "Eidos has a valuable portfolio of intellectual property including the world famous Tomb Raider games. This deal gives EA Mobile immediate access to not one but four high profile titles, which will appeal to a broad audience on mobile platforms."
EA Mobile has a piece of that action.
(Credit: Eidos Interactive)Seconding the sentiment of the deal, Simon Protheroe (Online Publishing Director for Eidos) says, "EA Mobile is the world leader for mobile publishing, with excellent carrier and OEM relationships in all corners of the globe. We have had great success with our products on mobile platforms to date. This strategic relationship will allow us to focus on making quality mobile titles and utilizing the presence and scale that EA Mobile has in the marketplace."
The spring thaw has begun, and with that, video game publishers make their annual pilgrimages out to the East Coast to show off the latest builds of upcoming games. We got a chance to get hands-on with several high-profile titles (and some fairly obscure ones) that are sure to eat up many hours of your leisure time later this year.
John Woo's Stranglehold, from Midway, is a buzz-heavy game, bringing together the talents of not just the famed Hong Kong director, but also his action star muse Chow Yun-Fat. It's full of HK-style slow-motion gunfights and is reminiscent, in a good way, of the cult hit action game, Max Payne. The game is coming out for Xbox 360, PC, and PS3 sometime in the second half of 2007.
Unreal Tournament III
(Credit: Midway)Unreal Tournament, also from Midway, is a multiplayer series historically responsible for eating up many hours of productivity in offices around the country. The most recent installments have fallen off the map somewhat, but after playing a few rounds of capture the flag in the upcoming Unreal Tournament III, we could see this catching on as the new workplace time-waster. We liked the updated graphics and weapons--although the game relied a little too heavily on vehicles, instead of traditional first-person-shooter tactics. UT3 hits PC and Xbox 360 later in 2007.
Escape From Bug Island
(Credit: Eidos)We've previously nominated Earth Defense Force 2017 as the most disturbing video game ever, on account of its man-vs.-giant-bugs scenario. There might be a new contender for the top spot now that we've played Escape from Bug Island. The whimsical title almost sounds like a kid game, but this is far from it. Instead, it's a Resident Evil-style horror game for the Wii, pitting the world's most unlucky tourist against an island of killer bugs of all shapes and sizes. Something has definitely been lost in the translation, but it could be campy fun if you're not too creeped out. This Japanese import should be out for the Wii sometime this spring.
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