The Max Payne 3 demo starts off with Max with an ally in a seedy bar under fire from some enemies. Taking out those guys resulted in a cutscene showing the target that Max was tailing and he, along with his friend, proceeded to chase after him out the back door to an alleyway. Two cars full of enemies then drive into the alley and a firefight ensues while the target makes his escape. After disposing of all the enemies, the chase continued, with Max and his compatriot following the target’s trail down the alley whereby two more cars of enemies come out. The demo ended, far too quickly in my opinion, after I took down the enemies and followed our target into another building.

Overall, I would say that the new game is an enjoyable, updated addition to the Max Payne series. The graphics have improved from Max Payne 2, with nice details and smooth animations without any stuttering. The neo-noir style has been reduced quite a bit, although the environments still has most of the dark and dirty New York City feel.

The hallmark shoot-dodge and bullet time mechanics from previous games are still present; you gain bullet time from killing enemies, and use it by performing shoot-dodges or by manually toggling it. The slow motion zooming in on the bullet hitting the last enemy in the room as they get shot is still around and looks much cooler, although there was an error once during my playthrough where the screen turned black during the whole scene; the staff on hand stated that it was still a work in progress and that bugs will still getting worked on.

I was limited in the choices of weapons I could use as pistols were the only weapons available during the demo. The pistols could be dual-wielded and health was regenerated using painkillers as in the previous games. Ammo was in relatively short supply and I ran out of bullets during the last confrontation before the demo ended. I was out of painkillers and ammo, but it led to one of the most exhilarating encounters I had with the game. Low on bullet time as well, I ran forward and rushed to the nearest enemy, meleed him and took his gun before succumbing to fire from the other attackers. It was at this point that the new game mechanic came into play that literally saved my life: after you get downed, you get a short duration of time, in slow motion, to eliminate the attacker that killed you, whereupon you get revived and continue the fight. This was a great system as it creates points of tension in the game to allow you to come back from behind when things seem grim while maintaining momentum moving forward. Health in Max Payne does not automatically regenerate like other FPS, and judicious use of painkillers are important. However this second chance allows one to continue onwards after making some mistakes even though the odds seem against you.

At less than ten minutes long, the short duration of the demo made the two hour wait almost not worth it, but having the opportunity to play Max Payne 3 (Rockstar has said that no demos are planned) was still an amazing experience that left me eagerly awaiting its release.

Max Payne releases 18/5/12 in Singapore.  Preorder the PS3, X360 & PC editions now

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This, has got to be the best goodie bag ever. T-shirt, sling bag, canteen, skull cap, keychain… WOW!

To be eligible for the goodie bag, you need to preorder Gears of War 3 Limited Edition.

For S$84.90 you are receiving…

Gears of War 3 Standard Edition Game (retail price S$69.90)
Unlockable Adam Fenix Multiplayer Character
Octus Award Display Box & Octus Service Medal
Fabric COG Flag
Personal Effects of Adam Fenix

Are the premiums in the limited edition worth S$15? Probably.
Are the premiums & a goodie bag worth S$15? HELL YEAH!

And if you don’t already have an XBOX, don’t worry. Microsoft got your back (and wallet).

Preorder Gears of War 3 Limited Edition Console @ S$649
Exclusive red and black console design
2 x custom-designed Xbox 360 wireless controllers (worth S$79.90 each)
320GB hard drive capacity, built-in Wi-Fi connection & wired headset
1 x Gears of War 3 Standard Edition (worth S$69.90)
Downloadable Omen Weapon Pack
Unlockable Adam Fenix Multiplayer Character
Unique Gears of War sounds for power and eject buttons

Yes, you can join the queue for a free goodie bag with preorder of this limited edition console too.

Also at the launch will be… 10 Epic editions to giveaway, activities and a chance to meet Marcus Fenix. I’ve seen the Marcus Fenix model 2 days back at a Microsoft retailer event. He is a super beefy ang moh. You might want to keep your girlfriend at home.

So, remember… buy a Gears of War 3 Preorder Card now and I’ll see you at Funan, 8pm on 19 September 2011.

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If you are unable to create a new character, press the Guide Button (the really huge X button) on your XBOX controller. Log out of your current profile and create a new one. You’ll be able to enjoy the game after you use a different XBOX user profile.

Let’s hope a patch will fix this bug soon.

Anyway this is an awesome game. Great fun with friends and family. I was sold once I discovered it comes with its version of “Human Tetris”, a very popular Japanese game show.

You need the XBOX Kinect and Carnival Games: Monkey See Monkey Do to enjoy “Human Tetris” in the comfort of your home. The PS3 Move or Wii version will not come close.

Oh. Add pool filled with yellow coloured water for the complete wacky experience

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But still, it won’t do well with the core gaming crowd, but does Microsoft care? The numbers show that this Christmas is starting to shape up to be the Xbox’s time in the limelight.

Why do I say this? After the recent SiteX, I’ve witnessed the sheer amount of parents and families slinging the familiar Green-and-Purple bag past our booth, meant one less sale of a Wii or a Move controller. The newest kid on the block was indeed the most popular.

That being said, it will take some time for the Kinect to gain momentum in Singapore still. Just like any huge entity, the consumer base in Singapore is still very much in love with all things Nintendo & Sony, and it will take some time for the Kinect to build up a sizable legion of families who invite their fellow friends to try out the Kinect.

This Christmas will be the time Microsoft Singapore plants the seeds and by June next year, there will be a bountiful harvest! Till then, it will still be bashed by the ‘true’ gamers.

While there is much humor to be derived from how the Xbox Kinect is doing at the moment (and how tacked on the release games are), it is like we are witnessing the appeal of the Wii all over again. Motion control and cheap, simple, non-complex games trump everything else despite the poor reviews baffles the rational gamer.

Will we get a hold of the Kinect? Sure we will, if only there was that many to go around.

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Having not played a Kinect myself I’ll just outright say that if you already have a Wii or a PS3 or none, go sign up with Starhub for their free 360 and prepare your living room for the Kinect next week. This is by far the more affordable solution in the market at the moment.

I’d like to repeat myself by saying that I’ve not touched the Kinect, at all. But even so, from what I’ve read overall, this Christmas will belong to Sony and Nintendo once again. At least for Singapore.

Does the average HDB dweller have this much living room space? Even our Caucasian gamers have difficulty finding the sweet distance to get the Kinect to work ideally, even more so for those city dwellers.

Next, do you LOVE dancing? Cos the only game worth getting on launch would be Dance Central. Everything else is pretty much a rehash of what you have played in the past 3 years.

Digital Life’s take on waking up with a sore arm after a session with the Kinect? Hey! I got the same feeling with overzealous Wii Sports tennis and boxing.

Hat’s off o Gameaxis for being honest about how the Kinect is going to shape up for Singaporean gamers.

Mr Toffee’s closing sums up what every other game reviewer has implied/said/claimed/hinted the past week.

So is it a must-buy?

Depends. I’ll just break this down into more point forms:

- Say you already own an Xbox 360, have your own place like a house (or your parent’s), and like to bring your pals to play games that have that crowd mainstream vibe ala Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Kinect’s for you. Might I suggest the lot of you chipping in for the Kinect and Dance Central?

- If you’re one of those guys or gals playing Call of Duty or Halo 24/7, it’s a no-go. The potentially-hardcore stuff announced at this year’s TGS 2010 for the Kinect like Codename D and Project Draco are out god-knows-when, so until concrete information is out on those titles, you’ll have to wait a while.

- For those who do not own an Xbox 360 and play Call of Duty or Uncharted 2 24/7 and love your tactile feedback from your controllers, Kinect is not going to change your mind.

Did you know that the Kinect has already been released in the US? And a week later, the coverage has pretty much died down. Aw.

Give me Dance Central or give me Death! My obvious bias for Harmonix just oozes in this post, I must apologize. I’m off to play Rock Band.

The Kinect will be released in Singapore on the 18th of November.

Check out Gameaxis’ very honest assessment of the Kinect.

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com

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Usually, I don’t really do ‘this-week-in-releases’ posts but this year, once again, the entire week belongs to the newest Call of Duty.

Made by Treyarch, their focus on the World War theatre was very much their bread and butter sub genre up to this point. Their more famous ‘co-developer’ (for lack of a better word) Infinity Ward, very much had the modern warfare genre (see what I did there) under its thumb and now we get see if Treyarch is able to step up to the plate.

I’ve always felt that Treyarch was a much better developer in the sense that they dared to go against the norm to try and introduce new concepts to the FPS multiplayer genre. Infinity Ward was able to nail a popular formula with perks and straightforward gameplay.

Check out this retrospective vid, something that is NOT a trailer, to whet your appetite before release day – Tomorrow!

I’ll be honest. This entire post is biased. I’m just extremely hyped and excited to get the game. My platform of choice? The PC. What’s yours?

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com

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Atomic takes the first prize among all the whacky accessories for all the other consoles.

“I see to your plastic golf club and gun and raise with….A BOAT!”

No idea how this would fit into your gameplay experience?

Watch the vid below and imagine the rug they are jumping on is replaced by the inflatable boat.

Oh, and yes, it works well in the pool. No mention if it is seaworthy or not.

[Engadget][Joystiq][Switched] Buy it here: [Atomic]

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com

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Being Asians we are all about getting the cheapest deals and bang for buck. This post draws up how much motion gaming will cost you for all the current generation consoles.

Let’s lay down a few assumptions:

• Controllers enough for 4 players to participate
• SRP will be used for price comparison

Xbox 360 Kinect

Coming in at a cool $229, the Kinect comes with one free game, Kinect Adventures.

The Kinect can support up to 4 players. Dance Central being the only one at the meantime. Right now, most developers are putting a soft cap on how many active players are supported.

Potentially more can be supported as time goes on but how big is your living room?

Playstation Move

A basic bundle that comes with one game typically starts from $139. This nets you a Move controller and a Playstation Eye. Good for one player only.

Each additional player needs at minimum another Move controller which costs $69. As of writing, 4 players appears to be the cap for most games. NBA 2k11 states that it can support up to 7! But for comparison sake we’ll be taking the price for 4 players.

A bundle with 3 additional Move controllers will set you back for $346.

Nintendo Wii

Released late last year, the Wii Motion Plus completes the controller set that had taken the world by storm since 2006.

A controller that needs little introduction, a set of controllers consisting of a Wiimote, Nunchuck and Motion would cost $90 (our store prices).

As a set of controller are found in most Wii consoles these days, all you need are 3 more, which would cost an additional $270.

So, as it stands now, the Microsoft 360′s Kinect actually is the cheapest if you were to consider a 4 player setting. But in a 2 player setting, the reverse is true – The Wii would be the cheapest, follow by the Playstation Move.

You do the math!

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com

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As far as screenshots and trailers go, this game is looking good. The small problem is that such games with buddy puzzlers do not always fare that well in terms of the sales charts. Hopefully, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom proves to reverse this trend. After all, a release at the end of the month following GT5 and Assassin’s Creed is a tough act to follow.

After poring through various gameplay videos, it would seem that like many action adventure games of the like, the game powers up either you or your companion to perform more tasks or get past obstacles that were previously unaccessible, if my hunch proves right. This is where the unique aspect of the gameplay comes in, it’s always more fun when you have a buddy playing the game together with you. See how well Resident Evil 5 did and you will see where I am coming from.

That being said, games with an AI partner could also be pretty tough to pull off. The AI, in most, cases proves to be more of a hinderance rather than a help. So how well Game Republic executes the extent of control the player has over Teotl, the “monster”, proves to be make or break. I’d say that if the AI control is as simple to that of Republic Commando, it would do well in my books.

In a season of new releases being only sequels of last year, Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom will be a breath of fresh air if the gameplay is as good as it looks. Enslaved looks to be doing pretty well for Ninja Theory, so let’s see how the other title from Namco Bandai prove to fare against the critics.

Day one release? I’ll have to consult my wallet.

We have this game for preorder! Check it out!

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com

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I’ve heard that even at the 11th hour, there maybe spots up for grabs, you never know if you might make it.

Need a crash course? Apparently, someone was hardcore enough to post an ENTIRE walkthrough of the event over at Gamefaqs.

The best part? You do not even need to do the hunting, all answers are at the bottom of the walkthrough.

Medal of Honor – Singapore ARG campaign

In the spirit of sharing, i am writing this FAQ for those who are stuck playing Medal of Honor – Singapore ARG Campaign.

Stage 1:
On 20 September 2010, EA Singapore Facebook page was hacked by an organization called ARG.
When you visit http://arg-singapore.weebly.com you will notice that the page is badly designed.
Upon checking the pictures in that page you will notice that the date inprint in the picture is funny. 20/3, 21/1, 14/8, 3/9.

If you combine them you will get an ipaddress 203.211.138.39, and when you put that in a browser, you will hit the EA Singapore Medal of Honor Tier 1 Hunt registration page.

After you register your name and email, you will get an email a later telling you about Stage 2

Stage 2:
This stage starts with a Email asking the player to visit FUNAN IT MALL in Singapore, looking at 3 video trailer of MOH in 3 different stores in funan. Hidden in the Video trailer is the numbers 12 45 00. If you look at them
closely they will add up to be a military time format 12:45:00

Stage 3:
Stage 3 starts when you receive another Email with a strange barcode at the bottom. If you scan that barcode
it corresponds to a Telephone number. If you call that telephone number you will get a voice mail asking you
to SMS T1 to a mobile number. When you SMS the mobile number, you will be presented with a game of mastermind.
whereby you have to guess 4 random numbers in 10 mins.

When you succeed you will then be asked to search Youtube for a keyword “HONOR HUNT TIER-1 EXPLODE” in this video will notice that the release date of this trailer is 9th October 2010 instead of the official launch date of 12th October. Hence we have the next clue which is 9th October 2010

Stage 4
This stage consist of a Email asking the player to visit tierone.com.sg.
At the bottom of the Email there is a link to verify your answer at tierone.com.sg/the-end-is-near.asp
when you reach that page, it will ask you to guess the pictures by entering it in the format of tierone.com.sg/XXXX.
The answer to the first picture (chinooks flying in the air) is tierone.com.sg/birds
The answer to the second picture (sholdiers unloading from chinook) is tierone.com.sg/insertion
The answer to the thrid picture (sholdier aiming his ar15) is tierone.com.sg/1010 (the time on his watch)
The answer to the fourth picture (apache shooting its guns) is tierone.com.sg/m230 (the apache’s guns name)
The answer to the final picture (guy getting blown up) is tierone.com.sg/fragged (haha)

When you finally finish all the picture, you will be presented with a page, consisting of several locations.
You were suppose to goto these places and look for a number (it is a sticker in the form of a MOH badge)
The numbers when enetered reads 1.3374,103.794102 this is a google map coordinate. When you enter this
value into google map’s you will be presented with a location. This location is 200 Turf Club Road.

Once you have the clues, goto tierone.com.sg/the-end-is-near.asp enter the clues that you have gathered

Q1. Display split-second precision
A1. 12:45:00

Q2. Know when to react
A2. 9/10/2010

Q3. Map a rithless offensive
A3. 1.3374,103.794102

Once all the medals have turned gold, click on ENROL. Enter your details and you will be sent another Email.

The email will tell you to visit the coordinates which is 200 Turf Club Road, on 9th October 2010, 12:45 noon.
For the final challenge.

As of this FAQ, the event has not happend. therefore i am unable to tell what is installed for the Tier-1′s that have braved this challenge.

We too at Qisahn.com have something VERY VERY special lined up for MOH but like all good things, it takes a few days for fruition. If you made it through the wall of text above, email me and I’ll give you a hint on what is to come.

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com

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