Paramapurusha_Sangeeth

Need for Speed: The Run

 Need for Speed: The Run

Need for Speed: The Run has a story. While it's admittedly not the first racing game with a plot, nothing has been attempted like this before; it's a full-on action movie with racing mixed in. It's a Fast & Furious game without the cheesy plot devices and actors. Simply put, this is a cross country race that is both illegal and has a large sum of money awaiting the winner. As my colleague Josh Engen pointed out in his preview, this plotline is more Cannonball Run than anything else. However, the ill-fated Nathan Fillion Fox television show Drive might be an equally apt comparison, as The Run takes this simple formula and adds the Michael Bay sense of movie making—i.e. tons of explosions—to deliver a winning formula for action junkies.

The opening immediately drives home the point that this is not your typical racing game. You play as Jack Rourke, someone who went left instead of right, or, as the opening scene shows, found himself mixed up with the wrong people. Fortunately, Jack has a friend who knows a way for him to make a load of cash. Just like any action movie involving a racer with something to run from, Jack takes the "job," getting thrown headfirst into one of the most exciting racing experiences I have had in a long time.
 

One of the reasons this is so much fun is that it doesn't feel like a racing game. You don't select a race type and a car, followed by choosing automatic or manual and all that. Instead, you select your car and hop right into your cross country race from San Francisco to New York. A word of caution though: The car you select in the beginning will be the car you drive for some time. Choose carefully, because it will be a while before you can change your car without restarting the entire campaign. While this can be a bit annoying, the fact you are locked into the car for several race events comes with some benefits. It forces you to get good with the car you're driving. If you decide to be a hotshot and race with a challenging car, you'll have to either figure out how to best control this vehicle or restart entirely. Not to worry though; you will eventually unlock gas stations that allow you to change to a different car. These gas stations don't appear very often though, so, again, be sure the car you choose is one you can handle.

Instead of giving you individual races to compete in to advance, The Run gives you specific points you must reach by the end of an event. Sure, it sounds like the same thing, but it is not. For example, most of the events require you to move up a specific amount of positions, make up time by passing through a set number of checkpoints in the time given, or take down or opponents in special you-against-them events. There are even rival races, where you can potentially take ownership of your opponent's car. Oh, and did I mention the cops will be chasing you too?

What has been a large part of Need for Speed's success is the notorious trouble you can cause as you progress through the game. Officers of the law will chase you through some of the most ludicrous road conditions imaginable—icy roads, desert storms, waterfalls; the list goes on. Black Box really plays off this longstanding staple of the series, with the aforementioned police officers taking center stage. However, the weight of your vehicle, as well as sound and design of the vehicles, is some of the best I have seen in a racing game of this caliber.


Through the course of the game, you'll naturally progress and unlock special "abilities," leveling up your drive with experience points earned in each event. These abilities allow you to become a better racer all the way around, while letting you make some glorious explosions.

A lot of the visual prowess is due to the fact that the Frostbite 2 engine is pumping out some of the best environments we've seen this generation. The framework on the vehicles look spectacular and the characters models also show off the graphical power behind this phenomenal first-person shooter engine. While there are only a few small hindrances in the character models (the occasional stiff, blocky movement), their faces are very impressive, modeled after their respective voice actors and actresses. This was so impressive, in fact, that my wife even noticed that Sam Harper had the face of Christina Hendricks, who provides the voice. While there was never anything visually unsatisfying in prior NFS titles (considering their respective time periods), it is impressive to see Black Box taking that extra step to showcase the power of the engine and get another step closer to reaching their ultimate vision for the franchise.

This also comes across in the audio department. Sure, we heard how authentic Gran Turismo and Forza could sound after all the painstaking hours they put into the vehicle sounds. However, it's not just the engine sounds that impressed me in The Run; it was the simple crunching of sand under the tires, or the sound of the tires desperately trying to hold onto the road as you spun around a corner. Even the gruesome glass shattering sounds of a head-on collision were so satisfying that I "felt" that crash more than I have with any other racing game.

Need for Speed: The Run does so many things right. It's an action game for people who like cars, or perhaps a racing game for people who like action. In fact, it's both of these things at the same time. Too often racing games get repetitive and lose their luster about halfway through. The Run takes a simple formula and amps it up to appeal to junkies of both genres. Do yourself a favor; pick up The Run and unlock the demon inside you. What demon? The one that has a Need for Speed!

by Matt Walker

Max Payne 3 Special Edition

Max Payne 3 Special Edition...

Max Payne 3 Special Edition will be available until January 15th, 2012. Or until they're out of statues.

Grand Theft Auto V: Debut Trailer Analysis

Grand Theft Auto V: Debut Trailer Analysis

Rockstar has finally launched the trailer for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto V. We had three members of our team sit down, watch the trailer over and over, and then discuss it. We're pretty sure we now know the game's setting, and we've got some theories about the storyline and main characters. Here's that discussion. Feel free to post your own theories in the comments section after viewing the trailer for yourself. 

 Grand Theft Auto V

BCCI Awards: Dravid to get 'Polly Umrigar' Trophy 

  

Veteran batsman Rahul Dravid will be bestowed the 'Polly Umrigar Award for India's best cricketer of 2010-11' season during the BCCI's annual awards ceremony to be held on December 10 in Chennai.

The 38-year-old Dravid, who scored 1258 runs in 15 Tests at an average of 53 this season, pulled off six hundreds during the year.

Dravid was the star of India's disastrous tour of England earlier this year, which cost India the top spot in the ICC Test rankings after they were whitewashed 0-4.

Only Dravid stood up and hit up three centuries as rest of the Indian batting tumbled.

The Bangalorean will be honoured with a trophy and prize of Rs 5 lakh.

India women's team captain Jhulan Goswami will also be honoured at the annual awards. The pacer will be awarded the 'M A Chidambaram Best Woman Cricketer of 2010-11' trophy for claiming 21 wickets in eight matches, including a five-for.

iPhone 4S

The iPhone 4S is a touchscreen slate smartphone developed by Apple Inc. It is the fifth generation of the iPhone, a device that combines a widescreen iPod with a touchscreen, mobile phone, and internet communicator. It retains the exterior design of its predecessor, iPhone 4, but is host to a range of improved hardware specifications and software updates compared to the previous model. Integrated software and hardware changes support the introduction of new user interface and functions by Apple. Highlights include a voice recognizing and talking assistant called Siri, personal computer independence, cloud-sourced data (iCloud) and an improved camera system. A selection of the device's functions can be controlled by voice.

The iPhone 4S was unveiled at Apple's "Let's Talk iPhone" event on October 4, 2011 in Cupertino, California. Apple started taking pre-orders for the iPhone 4S on October 7, 2011 in seven initial countries (United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Japan) with a first delivery date set for October 14, 2011, and available on that same day for direct store sales in those countries. It was released in 22 more European, American and Asian countries, including Ireland, Mexico and Singapore on October 28.

It will be available on 100 carriers in 70 countries overall, including AT&T, Verizon, and for the first time, also for Sprint and C Spire customers in the United States. In Japan it will be available for au (a KDDI brand) and Okinawa Cellular, for the first time.

For US customers, while pre-orders for purchasers buying contracts started on October 7, 2011, unlocked (contract-free) sales are started on November 11, 2011. AP said that AT&T described early iPhone 4S demand as "extraordinary".

Steve Jobs Passes Away...

Steve Jobs Passes Away...

Tech visionary and marketer extraordinaire Steve Jobs has passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. Jobs was the co-founder of Apple Computer and the single most influential individual in technology for the past 30 years, upending the markets for personal computing, digital music, and mobile computing.

"Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being," a note on the Apple web site reads. "Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple."

"Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives," a separate Apple statement reads. "The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."

"In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family," a statement from Jobs' family notes. "We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve's illness. We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief."

"For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor," long-time competitor, partner, and, more recently, friend Bill Gates said. "I will miss Steve immensely.''

"Steve was among the greatest of American innovators: Brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it," president Barack Obama said in a statement. "He exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity. Steve was fond of saying that he lived every day like it was his last. Because he did, he transformed our lives, redefined entire industries and achieved one of the rarest feats in human history: He changed the way each of us sees the world."

Jobs was just 56 years old.