LANCOZA Blog

After a rather lack lustre release, Call of Duty World at War has really come into it's own. Initial reviews stated that it was a far inferior product to Call of Duty Modern Warfare. But it shows what wonders good multiplayer maps and zombies can add to the life of a game.

The nazi zombie level has turned out to be very popular and the new map pack which includes a new and much improved zombie level has proven to be a juicy money spinner. In just a weekend, from 19 to 22 March the map pack has been downloaded one million times and has generated $10 million in revenue, not a bad weekends work.

There has been some speculation regarding the content of Sony's announcement on Tuesday. Major speculation as always centres on a price cut for the PlayStation 3 but this is more wishful thinking than anything else.

I very much doubt that there is a price cut in the works. Sony has stated that they are more interested in profitibility rather than market share. Although I would argue that they will not be generating all that much profit while running a distant third in the console race.

 The more likely scenario is the announcement of  updated software on the PS3.

 

RockStar games has announced a new Max Payne game . I enjoyed the previous installments so I am very keen to check out the latest addition to the franchise.

The content of the Max Payne games was dark and bleak, so it will be interesting to see how they expand on this theme in the new game. In the latest installment, Max is older and in even more trouble than before.

It should be out by the end of 2009.

I played some more of the Zombie level in Call of Duty on the weekend. The game is alot of fun and has elements of House of the Dead mixed with Left for Dead.As you kill more zombies you earn money which can be used to unlock different parts of the house and also access better weapons. The problem with this is that you have to defend more areas and the zombies have more access points into the house. Ideally you should have the full four player complement to defend the house and be able to access the more powerful weapons.

The new Call of Duty DLC has an additional Zombie level which is located in an
Insane Asylum. From the Kotaku review it sounds like an awesome level.

The cola powerups remind me alot of the steroids in Duke Nukem. The powerups give you faster weapon firing, faster reload times and quicker healing.

You can watch the new zombie level trailer here .

I thought that this comment on the Call of Duty Zombie level was worth a laugh.

 Kid: "Grandpa, how come you've never told me before about you fighting the zombies?"

Grandpa: "What, zombies?"

Kid: "Yeah, you always talk about being on the beaches of Normandy, but you never mention the zombies."

Grandpa: "Where did you hear about zombies?"

Kid: "It's in this game. In fact, it seems to be the only thing they promote about it. And it's historically accurate; they have video clips and everything. So, what about the zombies?"

Grandpa: "Mah boy, every time I shot a man, he stayed down. Tweren't no revivivification in the 40s!"

Kid: "So, there weren't any Nazis with glowing eyes?"

Grandpa: "The only glow in their eyes was the flash of an exploding shell!"

Kid: "...But not zombies."

Grandpa: "No."

Kid: "...Man, Grandpa, that's so laaame."

Courtesy of Kotaku

I finally gave Gears 2 a break and played some Call of Duty World at War co-op. Aside from the (still) very odd side by side , offset split screen, the game is a fun diversion. It is a traditional run and gun, 3D shooter. I only realised that there was no save option in co-op play , once we launched our second co-op session. It is something that should have been resolved with a patch by now.

To add insult to injury, after the three hour session we were at exactly the same level as in our first session.

We had some time to check out the Nazi Zombie level. It has great atmosphere and you really get the feeling that you are trapped and surrounded by Zombies. The level does look and feel like it needs some polish but overall it's a great. You have to maintain the barricades on the windows and door and also upgrade your weapons. You earn money by killing zombies, and can use the money for upgrades. Some of the zombies drop bonuses which adds a very nice arcade feel to the overall experience. We were two players but you need more to better cover all the entrances. 

 As I was typing this, I saw news of a new multiplayer map pack for Call of Duty - the real bonus for me is the inclusion of a new zombie level.You can check out the trailer of the new level here.

I went to see Watchmen on the weekend, and I want my three hours back. I should have chosen Valkyrie but I thought that Watchmen would be an easy action blockbuster - I was wrong. I saw the trailer and it looked promising - another mistake. It has the same director as 300 which was not horrible - but perhaps that was another warning. I was probably misled by the fact that it was based on a graphic novel, I liked Sin City which was also based on a graphic novel.

I am not familiar with the Watchmen comic series and by all accounts it pushes the boundaries of the comic book genre which is also the reason why the creator believes that it cannot be adapted to film . The writer, Alan Moore had his name removed from the credits of the movie and has refused any royalties from it.

The movie has great special effects and bone crunching fight scenes but the characterisation is poor. We have no idea why we should care about the characters in the story.

The acting is unconvincing, aside from Rorschach - the characters are not at all engaging or believable. I have seen reviews that mention that if you are a fan of the comic series, then the movie is exactly as you may have imagined a film adaptation would be.

My guess is that reading the comic book is a better use of your time.

There are more reports in the media about a speculated PlayStation 3 price drop . I will believe it when I see it. I do however believe that a price drop is the only way that the PS3 can regain any market share. With the holy grail of console exclusive titles on its way out, pricing has become much more important in this generation of consoles. If you can get Final Fantasy on an Xbox, why shell out several thousand rand more for a PS3?

I posted about the Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 bundle earlier. I mailed my MI Digital representative to find out when it will be available locally. My wife doesn't like my Mongoose much so I figured the red one might inspire more excitement. The response from MID does not inspire much hope. The rep said that he has not heard of the bundle which means that they will not be getting it.

Importing may be your only option if you want an Xbox that matches with your new red drapes.

The festive season rush has bearly washed over us and now the new round of releases has begun. Street Fighter IV , Resident Evil 5 and KillZone 2 will all be vying for your attention.

In addition, Microsoft are releasing a red, 360 Elite as part of a Resident Evil 5 limited edition bundle. The price is R4020 ($399) and may be available locally but when that will happen is anyones guess.