In an recent development, Battlefront.com and Russian Publisher 1C Company have announced their third installment in the Theatre of War series of tactical real-time strategy games: Theatre of War 3 Korea. Picking up right after the end of World War 2, Theater of War 3: Korea replays the events of the first hot war of the Cold War era – the Korean War, also known as the Forgotten War.

The players are involved in two campaigns, both set in 1950: the North Korean campaign spans June 25 – August 20 and the American campaign from September 15 – October 8.

Adding a whole new dimension of tactical warfare, Theatre of War 3: Korea includes aerial combat in the form of Helicopters and a new tactical simulation engine, bringing your combat experience to a whole new level. The operational game mode allows you to freely move your forces over the entire Korean Peninsula, managing reserves, as well as fuel and ammo supply.

Tentatively announced for Q1-2011, the game will be available directly from www.battlefront.com, as both digital download and in physical form via snail mail.

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However, does Enslaved look better than Heavenly sword? Does a multiplatform game surpass an high budget exclusive? Check out these screenshots below and you be the judge ( Click to enlarge images )  -

CHARACTER MODELS

ACTION SEQUENCES

OUTDOORS

SCENERY

After seeing all these screenshots, we believe Enslaved and Heavenly Sword both look good, it’s very hard to pick one over the other, although Heavenly sword does have superior character models, maybe that tilts the balance? It is amazing how a 3 year old exclusive can stand its own ground when pitted against a “yet to release” 2010 game. We really wish Heavenly Sword 2 was in production but that being a Sony IP seems far less unlikely, since Ninja Theory messed up Heavenly sword.

Don’t forget to tell us what you think of these screenshots and which game looks better in your opinion? We are leaving it for you to decide!

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Sony made sure that today becomes a special day for Playstation fans worldwide. That’s right, on the eve of Playstation’s 15th anniversary, many countries got their very own PSN stores who have been left out so far. Indian, Turkish and Croatian PSN Stores are now live, what a glorious day for PS3 owners, they had to wait a long time for this. So many promises, delays before they finally got to have  their own PSN store.

You will be able to visit PSN home, buy DLCs’, PSN games and not to mention get all the CE’s and LE’s of games right at launch locally from now on. The currency of the Indian PSN store is also Indian Rupees, much to the relief of PS3 fans as people were expecting it to be either euros or dollars.

However, it looks like, the stores are still in their testing phases with some of the links not working properly. Good news is that even PS Plus is available for India for a decent price of 2900, but I am sure you aren’t complaining after getting the PSN store. ; )

We will update more once we get an official confirmation from Sony, so stay tuned for more news.

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It’s the 15th year anniversary of Sony’s Playstation today, and SCEA is celebrating it with a bang.

Over the next several months Sony will be offering fans the following :

• Free downloadable PS3 & PSP static themes available for download on the PlayStationStore starting today
• Weekly discounts on select PS One titles within the PlayStation 15th anniversary collection page, available in all SCEA territories on PS3, PSP & Media Go Storefronts. In addition to a 50 percent sale on Super Rub A Dub (Super Rub A Dub offer good from Thursday, September 9, 2010 – through Monday, September 20, 2010).
• A PlayStation Home commemorative Original PlayStation (PS One) ornament for personal spaces available starting today.

“When you look in the rear-view mirror at what was happening in 1995 you see that the video game industry was an entirely different animal,” said SCEA CEO Jack Tretton. “Cartridges were still the preferred medium, and the market was a modest $2.6 billion in sales revenue annually. Many critics thought that a disc-based console with a lot of horse power would shoot over the heads of consumers, but our users proved them wrong. Now, we are seeing a convergence of video games and home entertainment, and a market that is a robust $20 billion in revenue. In the next 15 years and beyond, PlayStation will continue to bring new and more immersive experiences, like stereoscopic 3D, augmented reality as well as genre-defying gameplay into consumer living rooms.”

First introduced on December 3, 1994 in Japan and consisting of a total of three consoles, a media center, an online service, a line of controllers and a handheld as well as multiple magazines, the entire Playstation brand has evolved much since it’s initial release in 1995 and has spawned fifth, sixth, and seventh generations of video gaming.

The brand has sold over 377 million consoles across its product portfolio, and more than 2 billion software units worldwide. In the US alone, it has generated over $63 billion in revenue, which is equivalent to 40 percent of the overall videogame market share in the country to date.

With more to come in the form of 3D gaming and Move Support, the Playstation brand becomes stronger with each passing day. Gamersmint wishes a very happy anniversary to them.

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Brady Games, the renowned publisher of strategy guides, have unveiled the official Six Limited Edition Covers and One Ultimate Halo Collectible for the limited edition of the only official Halo Reach Strategy Guide of the upcoming Halo:Reach.

Halo Reach Limited Edition strategy guide will be released along side the game’s launch on September 14th and will contain one of six individual Spartan cover with the likes of Noble Team leader Carter-A259, the bionic arm-wielding Kat-B320, heavy weapons specialist Jorge-052, or marksman Jun-A266.

Readers will have to remove the Dusk Jacket to get to know what exactly they get, keeping a element of surprise right till the end. Also, the official Halo Reach guide will be released in two formats: the 352-page Signature Series book with an RRP of £12.99, and the 448-page Limited Edition hardcover that includes bonus content for £19.99.

Amidst the bonanzas and pre release publicity offered before Halo: Reach, the official Halo: Reach guide seems a must pick up for any self respected Halo fan. Some of it’s features include:

• The Signature Series guide is printed on premium paper and features multiple finishes.
• The Limited Edition hardcover features an exclusive 96-page Developer’s Diary with concept art and personal commentary from the design team at Bungie, as well as a high quality dust jacket with an exclusive cover.
• Exclusive maps found only in the official guide show locations of enemy engagements and weapon caches for the campaign.
• A complete campaign walkthrough that is carefully written to guide the user through all difficulty levels.
• The enemies and characters sections show official art, bios, and stat lists.
• Chapters cover the new Credit System and Armor Customisation features, providing information and tactics for obtaining all the available armor pieces for achieving character customisation in the fastest way possible.
• A complete guide on how to unlock all the Achievements to boost your Xbox 360 Gamerscore.

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We can now confirm that the Playstation Move will be releasing in India close to its international release date. 4 games and standard accessories will also be available for purchase as standalone products at the time of launch.

The Starter Kit which contains the Move controller, PS Eye Camera and a Demo Disc with 11 demos of move games will set you back by Rs. 3650, while the PS Move Controller alone will also be available for Rs. 2,499 and the PS Eye Camera for Rs. 1,499 can be bought separately aswell. The PS Move Shooting Attacment can also be purchased at a additional cost of Rs. 999 and a Charging station capable of charging two PS Move controllers at once will be available for Rs. 1,999.

India will also get 4 Move specific games  at launch which will are much cheaper than standard PS3 titles sold here. Here’s the list along with their prices -

• Sports Champions – 1,499
• Eyepet ( Move Edition ) – 1,499
• Kung Fu Rider – 1,499
• Start the Party – 1,499

Although, no concrete release date for the products have been disclosed yet, the pre-orders for the Starter Kit and related accessories are already under way. Intencity are offering some cool discounts for anyone who pre-orders the products. If you’re planning to make a purchase, you better head over there.

We are glad that Sony has priced the products at a reasonable rate. It will definitely encourage people to try this tech out. Although, anyone planning to play with a friend or two will have to shell out considerably more money compared to those who plans to game alone.  We’ll let you know when the release date is announced.

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The latest issue of Shounen Jump magazine has confirmed a sequel to Dissidia Final Fantasy, titled Dissidia Duodecim:Final Fantasy (Yeah, we have no idea what that means either). Not much is known about the game but what we do know is that Lightning from FFXII will be joining the roster.

You won’t have to wait long for more info as the game will be most probably present at TGS 2010 which is scheduled to be held next week. Thank you Square. Now, if you could only officially unveil Kingdoms Hearts 3 for us.

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The only complaint that most people (not including me) had with the first Dead Space, was the lack of multi player. So, multi player was pretty much a given for the sequel but now it has been officially confirmed.

After leaked info about the multiplayer mode in Dead Space 2 began to spread from the annual Gamestop managers convention, an EA representative stepped in to confirm that “Dead Space 2 will indeed feature multiplayer where you’ll be able to strategically dismember your friends for the first time”. That said, we may assume deathmatch and team deathmatch.

The slow paced scripted action of the series is strictly suited for single player and we have no idea how Visceral games are gonna take the same game online but we would expect them to have a trick or two up their sleeves. And btw, how does Humans vs Necromorphs sound?

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Mafia 2 is the successor to the brilliant Mafia which was released in 2002 on the PC. It has finally released, amidst a controversy regarding racial issues surrounding it. 2k Czech, the developers, have shown a lot of promise with Mafia 2 which was apparently in development for 6 years but does the game manage to live up to the standards set by its glorious predecessor which carved an identity for itself, separating it from the swashbuckling GTA series?

The game puts you in the shoes of Vito Scaletta, as you are given a dose of the action pretty early  in the game, Brothers in Arms style. It was a memorable moment for me right at the start of the game and along with graphics that exceed that of many games out there, it managed to grab my attention right from the get go. 2k Czech deserves a round of applause for this work. After the “special” mission concludes, you are back in America to reunite with your family. You soon realize that life as an immigrant is not easy.

It is snowing heavily, as you get off a car and go meet your family, awestruck by the gorgeous graphics and a city that feels alive. Mafia 2 managed to capture my heart at that very instant. Debts, problems and dreaming of a costly life style are common in many mob stories and it isn’t any different here.  Mafia 2 tells a story about Vito’s rise from rags to riches along with his loudmouth but honest friend Joe.  Empire city is so gorgeous that it sucks you into its world; the attention to detail is second to none. I keep mentioning this because it’s one of the main highlights of the game.

The main drawback of 2k Czech’s Empire city is that there isn’t much to do apart from the story missions, you keep driving around and hitting other cars, dodging cops because it takes time to get used to the handling of the vehicles. A free ride mode option would have been good as driving at night while snowing is just a feast for the eyes. Lack of that option is certainly difficult to comprehend. There are a total of 15 chapters, wonderfully told and the story advances pretty well along with brilliant cutscenes and voice acting. Working for Mob bosses doing menial jobs is common as the game picks up around chapter 5. As you play along you will find out that the the prison chapter was one of highlights of 2010.

The PC version offers the best graphical fidelity and is pretty cheap in India (499); it’s a complete steal at that price. Although I mentioned earlier that the game was in development for 6 years, the level of detail is surprising.I would have loved some side missions or opportunities to earn money ( apart from selling cars or robbing shops ) which is way too much generic and boring. You keep driving around completing one chapter after the other with no respite in-between.

The weapons are brilliant and pack a punch although it is disappointing that you can’t shoot while driving yourself ( although the A.I can ).  The weapon choices are the usual standard pistols, shotguns and the gun which all Mafia fans will remember, The Thompson or the “Tommy Gun“. Although, there’s a fair variety of  ”hardware” at your disposal, the only ones you will be using most of the time,  are the shotgun and the Tommy Gun, along with your trusty pistol.

Next Page – Cont’d

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It’s barely a week before Bungie’s final Halo game and Microsoft’s most anticipated release of the year, Halo : Reach hit stores. Microsoft are preparing a grand welcome to their most prized release of 2010 and has planned a whole week of pre-release goodies in honor of the game. Here’s their entire schedule -

• September 7:  Premium Theme Halo: Reach
• September 8:  Previews of the campaign
• September 9:  50% off Warthog for Remote Avatars
• September 10:  Baptism of Fire Previews
• September 11: Long version of the trailer “Deliver Hope
• September 12: Previews of Multiplayer
• September 13: A bunch of new accessories for your Avatars

That’s not all, Halo : Legend will be available throughout this week at a discount of 50 % and there’s also a free premium theme that MS and Bungie would gift to their fans during the week. That’s a pretty sweet pre-release campaign and should convince you more, perhaps to get this day one, if you’re yet to pre-order it.

Halo : Reach release on September 14th, exclusive to the Xbox 360 and Xbox fans all over the world are waiting to get their hands on it.

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