Attention Getter

The Ferrari F430 Coupe is beautiful and highly competent, with its head-turning good looks surpassed only by its neck-snapping acceleration.

The curvaceous Ferrari F430 Coupe packs a strong engine and is wrapped in styling that’s undeniably Ferrari. The chassis is an updated version of the model it replaced, the 360 Modena.

It takes several design cues carried from earlier models: The taillights are taken from the Enzo; the side mirrors are inspired by those on the Testarossa; and the front air intakes are from classic Ferrari race cars. A Spider convertible model (reviewed separately) is also available.

Like many ultra-exotic sports cars, the Ferrari F430 Coupe (or berlinetta, as a closed-roof two-door is called in Italy) is as much a rolling work of art as it is a high-performance car. As with so many other Ferraris over the years, the car’s seductively aerodynamic design comes courtesy of the noted Italian design house Pininfarina S.p.A.

Fortunately for well-heeled driving enthusiasts, the Ferrari F430 Coupe doesn’t skimp on substance for the sake of style. A lightweight, mid-mounted 4.3-liter V8 engine was developed just for the F430. It is the first powerplant in this particular series of cars not to have been derived from the “Dino” racing engine that dates back to the 1950s. It generates close to 500 hp and enables the Ferrari F430 Coupe to reach 60 mph in just under four seconds, with a top speed just shy of 200 mph. This makes it the quickest Ferrari this side of the nearly unobtainable Enzo, which sold out after its U.S. debut in 2003. Like some older models, the F430 Coupe’s engine sits beneath a transparent cover that’s located just behind the passenger compartment for the world to admire.

The Ferrari F430 Coupe offers a six-speed manual transmission as standard equipment. A Formula One racing-derived, six-speed automatic gearbox with manual shift capability is optional. Operated via large, steering wheel-mounted paddles, Ferrari claims this transmission cuts gear-shifting times down to just 150 milliseconds to maximize the car’s blazing acceleration.

As expected for a $200,000 sports car, the Ferrari F430 Coupe delivers racecar-like driving dynamics. It rides on a lightweight aluminum space frame and uses the electronically controlled “Skyhook” suspension. The F430 Coupe’s handling is further enhanced by Ferrari’s so-called E-Diff system. E-Diff is an electronically controlled limited-slip differential originally developed for racing. It optimizes traction based on a variety of factors, including steering angle and lateral acceleration.

The Ferrari F430 Coupe is also the first model from Ferrari’s hometown of Maranello to come fitted with a “manettino” control system, which is derived from the automaker’s F1 cars. Here, a steering-wheel-mounted switch is used to tailor the car’s various integrated systems — from the intervention of the stability control and E-Diff systems to throttle response and transmission performance. It’s similar in execution to the M Drive system that’s included with the BMW M3, M5, and M6.

A high-performance braking system, developed in conjunction with brake supplier Brembo, is able to bring the Ferrari F430 Coupe to a halt with authority. Beefy cast-iron alloy discs include a material called molybdenum, which is claimed to have better heat dissipation qualities. Carbon-ceramic discs are optional for both improved stopping abilities and greater longevity under the most punishing use.

As is usually the case with low-to-the-ground, two-seat sports cars, the Ferrari F430 Coupe can be hard to get into, with access that’s best suited to the more flexible among us. There’s little that’s overtly flashy about the Ferrari F430 Coupe’s leather-clad interior, and you’ll find little in the way of gimmicky convenience features, but it remains handsome and stylish in its own regard, like a fine pair of Italian shoes.

Closest Competitors
Aston Martin DB9, Audi R8, Jaguar XKR, Maserati GranTurismo, Lamborghini Gallardo, Porsche 911 Turbo

The stylishly exotic Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder convertible adds open-air enjoyment to the speedy Gallardo sports car.

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With its name taken from a line of 18th century fighting bulls, the two-seat Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is the soft-top version of the exotic automaker’s “entry level” sports car.

The Gallardo Spyder and Coupe are slightly smaller and less powerful than the flagship Murciélago.

The Spyder comes wrapped in dramatically curvaceous, low-slung athletic styling, though it offers conventional opening doors rather than its bigger sibling’s gullwing design. The Gallardo Coupe (reviewed separately) was first introduced in 2004. The convertible was added to the line for the 2006 model year. The Spyder has had few updates since its introduction, beyond a choice of colors for the fabric top, which was launched exclusively in basic black.

Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder Vehicle Summary

The Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder has a 5.0-liter V10 that generates a bullish 520 hp. Mated to a standard six-speed manual gearbox, this powerplant enables the car to reach 62 mph (100 kilometers per hour) in just 4.3 seconds. Top speed is 195 mph with the roof up, and 190 mph with it open.

A clutchless, six-speed “E-gear” semi-automatic transmission is optional. It can be taken through the gears manually via a set of steering-wheel-mounted paddles, like a Formula One racer. It offers a choice of normal or “sport” automatic operation. The latter affords quicker shifts for more-aggressive driving. Its onboard electronic control system optimizes gearshifts according to driving conditions and the motorist’s personal driving style.

See Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder images

Built on a lightweight aluminum space frame with thermoplastic body panels, the Spyder features specific structural reinforcements made to help minimize vibrations and harshness. Like the Coupe, the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder has crisp handling, thanks to a fully independent electronically controlled suspension. Its stability control and all-wheel-drive systems are also calibrated for high performance. The Spyder rides on large alloy wheels and extreme high-performance tires. Its mid-mounted engine configuration provides a nearly ideal 42/58 front-to-rear weight distribution, which further contributes to the car’s well-balanced driving characteristics.

The Gallardo Spyder has a retractable, power-operated cloth top that opens and closes at the push of a button in about 20 seconds. With the top down, the rear window can either be lowered or remain in its upright position, where the glass acts as a wind deflector.

See all Lamborghini models in the Lamborghini Showroom

While not particularly spacious, the cabin in the Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder is tastefully trimmed in the classic tradition and features supportive, leather-upholstered sport seats, driver-focused gauges and controls, front and side-impact airbags, and ample amenities that include an audio system with not one, but two auxiliary inputs for MP3 players.

Optional equipment includes a navigation system and heated outside mirrors, though you’d expect such amenities to be included at the Gallardo Spyder’s hefty MSRP. An available backup camera and dashboard display help compensate for what is a virtual lack of rearward visibility, while a power-lifting front axle raises the car’s front end to help prevent scraping the lower fascia on steep driveways.

Did You Know?
The Gallardo is mechanically related to the new Audi R8 sports coupe, though that model costs less and comes powered by a V8 engine instead of a V10.

Diablo III is an action role-playing game currently in development and the third installment of Blizzard‘s Diablo franchise. It was unveiled on June 28, at the 2008 Blizzard Entertainment Worldwide Invitational in Paris, France.

Gameplay

Diablo III will retain a feel similar to that found in earlier games in the series, including the familiar isometric projection

Diablo III is an action role-playing game similar in style to its predecessor, Diablo II. The proprietary engine will incorporate Havok physics and feature destructible environments with an in-game damage effect. The developers are aiming to make the game run on a wide range of systems, and have stated that DirectX 10 will not be required. Diablo III will use a custom 3D game engine in order to present an overhead view to the player, in a somewhat similar way to the isometric view used in previous games in the series. Enemies will utilize the 3D environment as well, in ways such as crawling up the side of a wall from the depths into the combat area.

As in Diablo II, multiplayer games will be possible using Blizzard’s Battle.net service, with many of the new features being developed for StarCraft II also available in Diablo III. Players will be able to drop in and out of sessions of co-operative play with others. Blizzard has stated that Diablo III is first and foremost a multi-player game, implying that players may still play solo, but will be better off playing with others in group situations.

An enhanced quest system, a random level generator, and a random encounter generator are slated for use in order to ensure the game provides different experiences when replayed. Overall, the game will include both static and randomly generated levels. Additionally, there will be class-specific quests to go along with the main storyline quests.

Story

The game takes place in Sanctuary, the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series. This world was saved twenty years prior by a handful of unnamed heroes in Diablo II. Warriors that survived the onslaught of the armies of the Burning Hells have gone mad from their ordeals, and it is up to a new generation of heroes to face the forces of evil threatening the world of Sanctuary. Players will have the opportunity to explore familiar settings such as Tristram.

The only confirmed NPC is Deckard Cain, who has appeared in both of the previous games. Cain’s journal on the official site brings players up to speed on the events of the first two games.

Development

Development on Diablo III began some time in 2005 when Blizzard North was still in operation. The original artistic design differed from that shown at Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2008 demonstration, and had undergone three revisions before reaching the standards felt necessary by the team behind Diablo III. The development teams comprise fifty people. Most of the game mechanics and physics are complete and undergoing minor revisions. Most of the current and remaining development will focus on adding game content.

Diablo III’s lead designer is Jay Wilson, a former Relic Entertainment designer credited with work on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes. Its lead world designer is Leonard Boyarsky, one of the six co-creators of Fallout.

The game is being planned for a simultaneous release on both Windows and Mac OS X platforms, with no current plans for release on video game consoles.

Character classes

Three of five classes have been unveiled so far: Barbarian, Witch Doctor, and Wizard. Players may choose gender for each class, a change from the fixed class genders in the previous two games. The Barbarian, previously featured in Diablo II, is the only class that Blizzard is planning to bring back for the initial release, but former classes may appear in future expansions.

Art direction and design

Screenshots and gameplay footage were released on June 28, 2008. Three days later, several websites reported a petition was created expressing concern with the art style used, calling for a “darker, more realistic” look. The petition criticized the game’s apparent resemblance to Blizzard’s MMORPG World of Warcraft, the purported lack of the “light radius” from the previous games, and “colorful and cartoon-like” visuals and “out-of-proportion” character figures and armor. The response from Blizzard has highlighted the lack of contrast in the colors used and cast doubts that the game engine could even replicate such effects on “resonable systems.” On September 11, 2008 a fan filtered the original promotional video to illustrate what the game would look like in motion with the proposed changes.

Lead designer Jay Wilson was critical of the art direction proposed in the petition and later commented on examples of fan altered screen shots:

Though it looks really cool, it’s almost impossible to do in a 3D engine because you can’t have lighting that smart and run on systems that are reasonable. If we could do that, we probably would in a few of the dungeons. Now in terms of the actual texturing, this texturing, where they grayed out everything and it’s very flat and the monsters are all kind of a similar tone — that does not play well. It’s very boring to run through more than a couple of times, and it’s very difficult to tell creatures apart and pop them out of the environment. So those things don’t really work for us.

Art director Brian Morrisroe said at Blizzard’s Worldwide Invitation “Our memory of what Diablo and Diablo 2 were was a bit different than the actuality of it. Visually we were remembering it as more of a dark, colorless game, but there was a lot of vibrance.” He also explained that they wanted characters to have a strong silhouette, so that the characters were easily seen even when there was a lot of action.

Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios. It is the third major game in the Fallout series, which has also spawned the spin-offs Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel.

Fallout 3 takes place in the year 2277, 30 years after the setting of Fallout 2 and 200 years after the nuclear war that devastated the game’s world. The game places the player in the role of an inhabitant of Vault 101, a survival shelter designed to protect a small number of humans from the nuclear fallout. When the player’s father disappears in mysterious circumstances, the player is forced to escape from the Vault and journey into the ruins of Washington D.C. to track him down. Along the way the player is assisted by a number of other human survivors and must battle a myriad of enemies that now inhabit the wasteland. The game has an attribute and combat system typical of an action role-playing game but also incorporates elements of first-person shooter and survival horror games.

The game was released in North America on October 28, 2008, in Europe and Australia on October 30, 2008, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on October 31, 2008. It is available on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 video game consoles as well as the Windows operating system.

The game received a positive response from critics who in particular praised its open-ended gameplay and flexible character-levelling system. It has been compared favourably to the 2007 game BioShock for its setting and use of elements from mid-Twentieth Century American culture. However critics have described some weaknesses including the lack of precision in real-time combat and little variety in enemy types. Public reception was overwhelmingly positive on release with high sales figures, particularly compared to previous titles in the series.

Gameplay

Game mechanics overview

The game features both first-person and third-person perspectives and the player can change to either perspective during gameplay. Main character creation occurs as the player experiences the character’s childhood. As a child in the Vault, the character receives a book titled “You’re SPECIAL“, whereupon the player can set the character’s seven primary aptitudes. The character receives weapons training and a PIP-Boy 3000 later on during childhood, and the player’s performance in various tests determines the rest of the attributes. Additionally, several quests inside the Vault influence the player character’s relationship with his or her father. Skills and Perks are similar to those in previous games: the player chooses three Tag Skills out of a total of 14 to be the character’s specialties. The maximum level the player can achieve is level 20^. The Traits from the previous Fallout installments, slightly modified, were combined with Perks in Fallout 3, and the player can choose a new Perk each time after gaining a level.

V.A.T.S.

An example of VATS in action

The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or VATS, play an important part in the fighting phases of the game. While using VATS, real-time combat is paused, and action is played out from varying camera angles in a computer graphics version of ‘bullet time‘, creating a combat system that the Bethesda developers have described as a hybrid between turn-based and real-time combat. Various actions cost action points, limiting the actions of each combatant during a turn, and both the player and enemies can target specific body areas for attacks to inflict specific injuries. The game features a new health and radiation system as well. The player can measure an object’s radioactivity and gauge the effect it will have on the character.

Weapon decay and Homemade Weapons

Another game mechanic is that firearms wear out over time: as a weapon degenerates, its rate of fire slows and it loses accuracy. However, worn out firearms can be used to repair a similar weapon, or to make more reliable and powerful weapons. Weapon schematics allow the player to create the Railway Rifle and other devices at a workbench, and reference the items required to make them. Along with equipping various weapons, the player can also utilize different armors and clothing that may have effects that can alter various skills. Armor and clothing come in two main parts for the head and body, allowing a player to wear different combinations of hats and armor. Also, a player’s inventory has a specified weight limit, preventing a player from carrying too many items. Some items like weapon ammo have no weight, due to the developer not wishing to bog down inventory management.

Team members

The player can have a maximum party of three, consisting of himself/herself, Dogmeat, and a single non player character, or NPC. Dogmeat can be killed during the game if the player misuses him or places him in a severely dangerous situation and he cannot be replaced.It is possible to not encounter Dogmeat depending on how the game is played. Only one NPC can travel with the player at any time, and in order to get another NPC to travel, the first one must be dismissed by the player.

Karma system

The karma system is an important feature in the gameplay. The player’s actions, including conversation and combat choices affect the player’s status in the game world; a player who makes good choices will be received more positively by NPCs, and a player that makes bad choices will have the opposite reaction. Extremes of karma also have other effects: a high karma leads to the player being attacked by bounty hunters, and for random NPCs to give the player gifts in thanks of their service. Crimes can also be committed by a player, and whichever faction or group that is harmed by a crime will be fully aware of the player’s action. Other factions that were not affected by the crime will not be aware of it, and since a town is usually its own faction, news of a crime committed in one town will not spread to another. Factions can range in size and boundaries, however, and may not be restricted to a single area. The game world itself is similar in size to that of Oblivion, which has a 16 square mile game world.

Plot

Setting

Main article: Fallout (series)

The PIP-Boy 3000, displaying the player’s skills statistics.

Fallout 3 takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States in the year 2277. The player character is a member of Vault 101, a fallout shelter serving Washington, D.C. The player character lives with his/her widower father (voiced by Liam Neeson) until, one day, the player wakes up finding that the father has left the vault and ventured into the wasteland for unknown reasons. The vault overseer becomes suspicious of the player, and orders him/her killed, forcing the player to go out into the Capital Wasteland in search of their father. Along the way, the player will encounter organizations seen in the previous games, including the Brotherhood of Steel, a group of technology-coveting survivors, and the Enclave, the elitist and genocidal remnant of the U.S. government.

Story

While the game is designed to be played sandbox style the main quest itself is linear. Shortly after the Vault 101 Dweller (the PC) turns 19, their father disappears from the Vault in mysterious circumstances. The main plot follows the Player Character’s attempts to locate their father, James. After being threatened by the Overseer of Vault 101 the player has to escape the Vault, emerging into the wider world and then pursuing James, tracking him first to a radio station. While in the Radio Station he has the option to help the presenter by getting a Radio Broadcaster for him, this then in turn gives the player the infomation to reach Rivet City, a derelict aircraft carrier now serving as a settlement and the next checkpoint in the players search. Here the player meets Doctor Li, who tells the player of Project Purity, a plan to remove the radiation from the water of the Tidal Basin, as means of helping to restore the environment, as plant and animal life can not hope to return to normal with the constant presence of radiation.

After investigating the lab of Project Purity, built inside the Jefferson Memorial rotunda, the player tracks him to Vault 112, and frees him from a virtual reality suspended animation. The player also goes into suspened animation, and takes the form of a young child possibly 10 years old, and completes Quests for one of its inhabitents. These Quests have a negative Karma effect when completed and usually involves doing something mean. For example, the player uses the Speech Skill to upset another child. After saving the players Father and returning to Rivet City, the player’s father and Doctor Li return to the Project Purity lab, where James tells the player that the catalyst for Project Purity is a Garden of Eden Creation Kit (G.E.C.K.). However, while helping James rekindle the lab equipment, the Enclave arrives, and James kills himself and several Enclave soldiers with a massive dose of radiation. After fleeing the lab, Li and the player arrive at the Pentagon, now the Citadel of the Brotherhood of Steel. After recovering, Li pleads with the player to find a G.E.C.K. to finish James’ work. If the player listens to the Pipboy radio when he is venturing near Vault 101, he finds out that they need his assistence. If he goes to help them the player eventually stops the problem with the Overseer, by either killing him or reasoning with him. If the player reasons with the Overseer then Amata will take the position of Overseer. When the player talks to Amata to recieve the Quest rewards, she half-heartedly exiles the player from the Vault, with a reference towards the first Fallout. This Quest is totally optional and does not affect the games outcome. After finding one on the manifest of Vault 87, the player sets out to retrieve it. The player discovers a Vault that had been dedicated to creating and perfecting the FEV virus. After retrieving the G.E.C.K., the player is ambushed again by the Enclave, who take the player captive.

Awaking in a holding cell, the player is briefly interrogated by Colonel Autumn. If the player has identified what the code is, and tells Colonel Autumn it then the Good Colonel kills the player. If the player plays dumb or choses not to respond nicely to Colonel Autumn, then Colonel Autumn is then called away by President Eden. Eden frees the player and instructs him to come speak with him in the control room of the Enclave. The President gives an order to all Enclave Soldiers to not attack the Vault-dweller because he has been invited up to the Control Room, to speak with the President. Along the way, the Colonel publicly countermands the order and directs the Enclave garrison to kill the player. After fighting through the soldiers, the player arrives in the control room, and finds the control console of President Eden, a supercomputer that was given authority over the east coast, while the real President was sequestered on a oil rig off the west coast. Eden gives the player a modified form the FEV virus, and asks the player to use it on the purifier, so that the water it produces will be free from mutation, and also deadly to any mutants, which would result in the deaths of the Super Mutants, Ghouls, and a large portion of the human population. If the player has a high Science or Speech Skill then they can try to make Eden destroy himself and the Enclave Base, which appears in the ending scenes.

After escaping the Enclave and returning to the Citadel, the Brotherhood of Steel decides to assault the Memorial, which has since been heavily fortified by the Enclave. During the pre-battle preparations, the player is given a position within the Squad known as ‘The Lyons Pride’ a group of Brotherhood Infantry he encounted during his Sojourn in the ruins of D.C. The player has the option to either take Recon or Power Armour. With the help of the player and a massive robot, the Brotherhood invades and retakes the Memorial. In the Rotunda, the player must deal with Colonel Autumn who guards the entrance to the laboratory. After realizing the control room contains a lethal amount of radiation, either the player or Setinel Lyon of the Brotherhood has to go thorugh the airlock and enter the activation code, 216, a reference to Revelation 21:6, a favorite Bible passage of the player’s mother. The ending movie then plays, modified depending on the player’s karma, whether they utilized the FEV virus, and who activates the purifier. If the player does nothing and recieves a significant amount of radiation poisoning while attempting to activate the purifier, they pass out and the purifier explodes.

Call of Duty: World at War is a first-person shooter video game developed by Treyarch and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and PlayStation 2. It is the fifth installment in the main Call of Duty series. The game is set in the Pacific theater and Eastern front of World War II. The game shipped in North America on November 11, 2008, in Australia on November 12, 2008, and in Europe on November 14, 2008.

The story focuses on the final battles of World War II in the Pacific and Eastern Europe involving the United States, the Empire of Japan, the Soviet Union, and Nazi Germany. It is told from the perspectives of a Marine Raider and a Red Army soldier, and is based on several historical battles, including the Makin Island raid, the Battle of Peleliu, and the Battle of Berlin. The multiplayer portion of the game contains various game modes, and contains a leveling system that allows the player to unlock additional weapons and rewards as they progress, which was originally implemented in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. A new feature to the Call of Duty series is the co-op mode, which can support up to four players online and two offline.

Gameplay

World at War features a more mature theme than previous installments in the series. The game is more open-ended than previous games in the series, as there are multiple ways to complete objectives. The gameplay of World at War shares several features with previous iterations of the franchise. Once again, players fight alongside AI-controlled teammates. They help during the game’s missions by providing cover fire, shooting down enemies, and clearing rooms for entry.

The game’s return to World War II-era warfare reintroduces weapons and technology that have been seen in other games in the Call of Duty franchise, including the Thompson submachine gun, flamethrowers, the Mosin-Nagant rifle, and the Panzerschreck anti-tank rocket. The player gains access to these over the course of the game, but may only carry up to two weapons in addition to grenades. Weapons from fallen foes can be picked up to replace weapons in a player’s arsenal. Players can also find weapons with additional attachments, including guns equipped with rifle grenades and telescopic sights.

A character can be positioned in one of three stances: standing, crouched, or prone; each affecting the character’s rate of movement, accuracy, and stealth. Using cover helps the player avoid enemy fire or recover health after taking significant damage, as there are no armor or health powerups. When the character has taken damage, the edges of the screen glow red and the character’s heartbeat increases. If the character stays out of fire, the character can recover. When the character is within the blast radius of a live grenade, a marker indicates the direction of the grenade, helping the player to either flee or toss it back to the enemy.

A special mode called “Nacht Der Untoten (Night of the Undead)” is unlocked once the player completes the single player campaign. In it, up to four players must attempt to defend themselves from limitless waves of undead Nazi soldiers. With each kill and successful hit, players earn points that can be used to purchase new weapons and fortifications to further defend themselves. The mode can be played in single-player, splitscreen co-op, or online co-op.

Multiplayer

World at War includes a similar multiplayer feature to that which was established in Call of Duty 4. All versions of the game use a similar perk and ranking system. There are six multiplayer modes that includes team deathmatch, capture the flag and four others.

The game also features a cooperative gameplay mode with up to two players via split screen on consoles, or four players online, for the first time in the franchise. The Wii version of the game does not include online co-op, but two players can play through a “squadmate co-op” mode which allows both players to experience the game through the same screen and point of view.

Plot

The story mode features two campaigns, one featuring the United States Marine Corps battling the Japanese Army in the Pacific, and the other following the Soviet Red Army advancing on Berlin.

The American campaign is focused on Private Miller of the U.S. Marine Corps, who is captured by the Japanese while scouting Makin Island and is about to be executed when he is rescued by Corporal Roebuck (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland). Miller joins Roebuck’s unit in a series of incursions through the islands under Japanese control, including Peleliu, where Roebuck is promoted to Sergeant, and culminating in a battle in Shuri Castle on Okinawa.

A firefight in the streets of Berlin.

The Soviet campaign is focused on Private Dimitri Petrenko of the Red Army, whose unit was defeated and ruthlessly executed by German forces at Stalingrad. Along with Sergeant Reznov (voiced by Gary Oldman), he takes revenge on the Germans by sniping their commander, General Amsel. Three years later, Petrenko and Reznov meet again on the Eastern Front, advancing on the German town of Seelow and further through Germany until the final battle in Berlin where they help capture the Reichstag. Just as Petrenko claims the building by putting up a Soviet flag, a German survivor shoots and wounds him before being killed by Reznov. With Reznov’s encouragement, Petrenko is able to plant the flag, a gesture symbolizing Germany’s defeat.

A third playable character in the campaign is Petty Officer Locke, a weapons operator on a PBY Catalina, who is seen only in the mission “Black Cats.” Locke’s squadron makes a midnight raid on a Japanese merchant fleet transporting supplies for the Japanese force on Okinawa, and later rescues the survivors of a destroyed U.S. fleet.

Need for Speed: Undercover is the 12th installment of the popular racing video game series Need for Speed, developed by EA Black Box and published by Electronic Arts. It was released on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, Wii, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Portable, iPod Touch, iPhone, N-Gage 2.0 and mobile phone on November 20th, 2008.

Gameplay

Many race modes of previous installments are returning such as “Sprint” and “Circuit”. Many multiplayer modes are also featured in side quests littered around the city in single player but there are no “Drift” events as there were in some other NFS games.

Map

Undercover features a new “open-world” map consisting of over a hundred miles of road and a large highway system making it the largest Need for Speed “open-world” environment EA has ever created. The city is called Tri-City, and consists of four boroughs called Palm Harbor, Port Cresent, Gold Coast Mountains, and Sunset Hills.

Game modes

Circuit

You and one or more opponents race around a certain route more than once.

Sprint

You start at a certain area and race your opponents to the finishing point which can be anywhere in the city. It is otherwise known as a “Point A” to “Point B” race.

Highway Battle

You and another person race on a huge highway with heavy traffic and heavy police activity. It is similar to “Canyon Duel”, a race mode in Need for Speed: Carbon.

Cops N’ Robbers (PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii only)

An online mode only for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions of the game. However, for the Wii version, it is an offline mode as part of its “Party Play” mode. You are either a cop, trying to stop the robbers from getting a package and dropping it off at a drop point, or a robber, trying to avoid the cops while getting and dropping off the package at the drop point. This mode is not available for the Playstation 2 version.

The Heist! (PS3, Xbox 360, PC and Wii only)

An online mode only for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC versions of the game. However, for the Wii version, it is an offline mode as part of its “Party Play” mode. This mode is not available for the Playstation 2 version.

Criminal Scramble (Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable only)

A “be the cop” mode in which players is the police and chases criminals. This mode is designed only for the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable versions.

Chase Down (PlayStation Portable only)

A “be the cop” mode in which players as the police as they tear down Tri-City’s highways and chase down and bust criminals. This mode is designed only for the PlayStation Portable version.

Cost to State

This mode has players causing as much damage as possible by racing through the city and knocking over lamp posts, signs, barricades, activating pursuit breakers and even disabling pedestrian vehicles and police units.

Police

A considerable amount of information has been released about Undercover’s police system, and it has been confirmed by EA that the police vehicles includes helicopters. The police vehicles are drivable by the player namely in certain campaign missions. EA also said that “there are some modes which give you access to the range of police cars. There will also be a return of the Speedbreaker, rechargeable nitrous, Pursuit Breakers, and heat levels.” It has also been mentioned that, “The police are much tougher this time around, they will now perform PIT maneuvers“.

Customization

The customization of cars is similar to Need for Speed: ProStreet and has been enhanced on the level of graphics and detail. The new colour palette and the “matte” paint has been hyped with a huge improvement. They also have aftermarket parts like Need for Speed: Carbon did. In addition, you can gain reputation points to access new missions simply by participating in side missions or performing flashy manouvers in a police chase, adding a small RPG-like element to the gameplay.

Plot

The game’s story mode sets the player in the story as a police officer going undercover into the criminal underground of Tri-City, a fictional city where the game is set. Players take on dangerous jobs and compete in races in order to infiltrate and take down a ruthless international crime smuggling syndicate of street racers and car thieves. The player’s only contact to the police is federal handler Chase Linh, played by Maggie Q. Another named police officer is Lt. Jack M. Keller played by Paul Pape.

Recently EA revealed some new plot details of Undercover. A video shows the player evading capture from the Tri-City Police Department (TCPD). The player was aided by detective Chase Linh.As well, seven criminal characters named Carmen Mendez played by singer and actress Christina Milian, Chau Wu, Gregory “G-Mac” MacDonald (a former undercover police officer from the TCPD who’s gone native, played by actor David Rees Snell, of the television series “The Shield“), Rose Largo played by actress Heather Fox, Hector Maio played by actor Kurt Caceres (of the television series “Prison Break)”, Brad “Nickel” Rogers played by actor Lawrence B. Adisa , and Zack Maio played by actor Joshua Alba (brother of actress Jessica Alba) have been introduced. There are three other characters to note: Jonathon Cross is listed as an acquaintance to “G-Mac”, yet not much is known about him at this time; and Isabel “Izzy” Diaz, one of the “Blacklist” members in Most Wanted, and Caleb Reece, the main antagonist in Underground 2, are listed as acquaintances to Hector Maio.

Development

A Porsche 911 GT3 RS in Need for Speed: Undercover.

The game features international movie star Maggie Q, as detective Chase Linh, one of the lead characters of the game. Also starring in the game is American television actor David Rees Snell as rogue undercover cop Gregory “G-Mac” MacDonald and singer and actress, Christina Milian, as Carmen Mendez. The live-action sequences from Carbon and Most Wanted returns in Undercover, but won’t be in the traditional “CGI“.

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello has stated that the previous release in the series, ProStreet, was “an okay game… It’s not good” and that Undercover will bring better innovations and gameplay. He has stated Undercover has a considerably longer development cycle than its predecessors since the Need for Speed development team is now split up into two teams, both of which will work on a two-year development cycle with future titles, alternating releases between them. Riccitiello has stated he was “torturing” the development team with a tight development cycle in the past. When this change was implemented in mid-summer 2007, one team started working on Undercover (giving it only a 16.5 month development cycle), while the other team finished ProStreet and then started working on the next title. Riccitiello also stated Undercover is taking inspiration from action films such as The Transporter, with a large embedded narrative.

Frank Gibeau (President of the EA Games label) has stated that due to the fact that the sales of ProStreet didn’t live up to EA’s hopes for the game, the Need for Speed franchise goes back to its roots (although Undercover has been in development before ProStreet, as stated before). John Doyle (Developer at EA Black Box) has said that Undercover features a brand new game mechanic and a “Most Wanted-ish” sandbox style of gameplay. It has an all new damage system. Andy Blackmore, (Senior Vehicle Concept Artist at EA) explained how one of the Porsche car was “conceptualized” in the game and then brought to life for the game from a brief description to being approved by Porsche.

In the game, the player controls both Nero, and Dante, the game’s protagonist and the series’ title character respectively and fights enemies in close combat using firearms, swords, and other weapons. The characters Lady and Trish from previous games in the series make appearances, along with new characters Nero, Kyrie, Credo, Gloria, and Agnus. The game is set after Devil May Cry and before Devil May Cry 2.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Devil May Cry 4 is similar to previous games in the series. The player must fight through levels called “missions”, occasionally solving puzzles or gathering items. Performance in a mission is graded from D being the bottom grade through C, B, A, and S being the highest grade. Grades are based on items used, Red Orbs gathered, time taken, and the amount of Style Points accumulated. Each Style Point grade has its own tag-word. For example, the SSS grade shows up as “Smokin’ Sick Style” on the side of the screen when achieved. Stylish combat is the main focus of the game, which is conveyed through unbroken combos of varied attacks while avoiding damage. The player must avoid attack enemies to continue performing combos, often by memorizing attack patterns.

The Devil Trigger is a super state that enables the player to become more powerful adding a slow but steady health regeneration, with increased damage done. Devil Trigger can be activated by pressing the button to trigger it when the minimum amount on the gauge is filled or when the player is near death during combat, and also through items called Devil Stars.

Dante performing one of his signature moves, the Stinger attack

Some changes introduced into Devil May Cry 4 are the presence of two playable characters, Dante and Nero, and a slight modification to the shop system. A new currency, Proud Souls, is used to buy new abilities while Red Orbs are used to buy items. Proud Souls are rewarded at the end of missions and the amount varies depending on how well the player performs with S rank. Cost of abilities also increase with the purchase of other abilities, though all abilities can be sold back for the original price.

The player plays as Nero throughout most of the game. He starts and ends the game with his Red Queen sword, Blue Rose revolver, and the powers of his Devil Bringer (his demonic right arm). The Red Queen features an Exceed Gauge that can be charged up, allowing for subsequent attacks that are more powerful than regular slashes, until the gauge empties. The Exceed Gauge can also be filled by pressing the rev button at the peak of each slash, which allows for more powerful combos capable of breaking the opponent’s guard. Nero also has the powers of his Devil Bringer, and can use it to pull himself towards enemies or vice-versa. The Devil Bringer may also be used for context-sensitive throw attacks, leading to high damage and various effects depending on the enemy. Nero’s Devil Bringer also gains new abilities during the course of the game, such as being able to detect secret missions or caches of Red Orbs. Nero eventually gains the ability to use Devil Trigger after getting Yamato, which increases his Devil Bringer’s power, thus changing his Devil Bringer attacks into more powerful versions with different animations.

The player plays as Dante through seven missions, taking over halfway through the game. His gameplay is similar to that of Devil May Cry 3, with him having access to multiple melee and ranged weapons which he gains after boss battles, and being able to cycle through them freely in combat, being no longer limited to equipping two weapons of each type as he was in the previous game. Dante also starts with his four styles (Trickster, Royal Guard, Sword Master, Gunslinger), each of which grants him different abilities, but he may now switch them at will with buttons or pads on the PlayStation 3 controller or the Xbox 360 controller, unlike in Devil May Cry 3. He also gains the Dark Slayer style near the end of his appearance, which only has one style level and can be accessed by pressing a direction button twice. Styles do not level up through experience as in the previous game, but must instead be upgraded in the shop screen in between missions or at statues. Dante can also enter Devil Trigger; in his Devil Trigger he gains most of the benefits that Nero’s Devil Trigger has, though, as he does not have the Devil Bringer, he gets animation and property changes on some of his normal attacks instead.

Synopsis

Characters

On September 6, 2006, Japanese video game magazine Famitsu reported that the series’ eponymous character, Dante, will not be the protagonist in Devil May Cry 4. Instead, a new character named Nero, voiced and motion captured by Johnny Yong Bosch, will take the lead. Nero resembles both Dante and his twin brother, Vergil, and is part of the Order of the Sword, a group of warriors who worship Sparda.

Nero, the new main protagonist, and Kyrie look on as Dante makes his entry (in the game’s Japanese version).

Nero’s attire consists of blue jeans, a long blue coat, and a red vest with a hood. He wields a revolver named Blue Rose, which has a distinctive under-and-over double barrel, and a decorated single-edged sword called the Red Queen. Nero views Dante as the antagonist, after witnessing the devil hunter first killing the Order’s leader, Sanctus, and then murdering members of the Order. Gameplay videos and screens reveal Dante to be an enemy boss in the game.

Nero’s right arm resembles a demon’s arm, and glows supernaturally; it is also the source of his “Devil Bringer” power. Nero has his own “Devil Trigger” transformation, consisting of a demonic spirit hovering above him. Capcom promotional videos revealed that the spirit mimics Nero’s actions and that the Devil Bringer moves change depending on whether or not the Devil Trigger is active.

Dante, the franchise’s protagonist, is also playable, and has been updated with the core animations from his appearance in Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, as well as that game’s four basic fighting styles of Trickster, Royal Guard, Gunslinger, and Swordmaster, which can be switched at will. Game Informer reported that he was both an unlockable and playable character, playing an integral part of the game’s storyline. Capcom promotional videos revealed that, like Nero and the first Devil May Cry, the properties of his moves change if the Devil Trigger is activated. Out of the 20 missions available, Dante is playable in seven of them. Returning weapons in his arsenal include the Rebellion sword, the Ebony and Ivory handguns, and the Coyote-A shotgun, but he will be able to acquire new Devil Arms after defeating enemy bosses.

Plot

The game opens with Nero hurrying towards the Opera House where the Order of the Sword is conducting a ceremony, with his right arm in a sling. Meanwhile Kyrie, Nero’s romantic interest, is beginning to open the ceremony with a song and is disappointed not to find Nero in the audience. She begins her song nonetheless as Nero encounters several Scarecrow demons on his way to the Opera House; he dispatches them and arrives at the Opera House just in time to hear the end of Kyrie’s song. Following this, Kyrie joins Nero in the audience where she finds Nero has left a present for her in the form of a golden necklace. The High Priest of the Order of the Sword, Sanctus, beckons the Order members to join him in prayer; Nero is visibly bored by this and is about to leave despite Kyrie’s protests, when his right arm begins to glow ominously. At this moment, Dante bursts through the ceiling and assassinates Sanctus.

Nero, under the impression that Kyrie is in danger, attacks Dante to initiate a fight. As Dante gains the upper hand, Nero is forced to use his seemingly wounded arm to shield himself from Dante’s Stinger. Next Nero unveils his Devil Bringer, uses its power to seemingly kill Dante by impaling him with his own sword upon the statue of Sparda. Dante responds by saying that Nero is “getting better”, and then pushes himself off the statue. As Dante removes the sword from his chest, Nero asks, “You’re not human are you?” Dante replies that “We are the same you and I… and them,” pointing to one of the dead knights. Nero looks and it is revealed that the knight was possessed with a demonic appearance. Nero looks up to see that Dante is already resting on the hole in the ceiling from which he came. Dante states that he thinks Nero “has something different from the others”, and then swoops out of view just as the knight reinforcements arrive.

Nero is charged with capturing Dante and bringing him back to the Order to answer for his crimes by Credo, the leader of the Order’s knights and Kyrie’s brother. Upon leaving the Opera House, however, a demonic horde begins to lay waste to the city. Nero and Kyrie are separated as Nero begins to slay the demons. Whilst journeying to Fortuna Castle he meets Gloria, a new member to the Order. Nero fights his way into the depths of Fortuna Castle. On the way, it is revealed that Sanctus has been infused with the soul of a demon to be revived. Agnus, the stuttering scientist and mastermind of the Orders demonic power manipulation, is also introduced.

Nero finally reaches Agnus’ facility where he gets tricked and ambushed by several white knights and becomes severely wounded. Vergil’s broken katana, Yamato, responds to Nero’s cry and mends itself before spinning willingly into his hand. Nero fends off Agnus’ knights with the aid of Yamato, and now an intimidating spectral blue demonic aura hovers around him before he collapses in exhaustion. Agnus flees back to Sanctus and informs him of Nero’s new-found power. Credo vows to take care of Nero while Gloria takes over Nero’s pursuit of Dante.

Nero is confronted by Credo, who has been infused with demonic power, has been brainwashed under the false impression that he has become an Angel, who is later defeated by Nero. However, Kyrie arrives in time to witness Nero with his demonic arm standing over her defeated brother. Agnus uses the confusion and distraction on Nero’s part to kidnap Kyrie and flee. Credo postpones his feud with Nero until he can investigate the situation. Nero once more meets Dante, but his quest to capture him is long since forgotten; he wishes to simply pass Dante. However, Dante wants Yamato, the sword used by his twin-brother Vergil, returned to him. A fight ensues where Dante is victorious; however, he decides to let Nero keep Yamato after the latter has “cooled down”. Gloria appears before Dante as Nero leaves; however, it is revealed that Gloria is in fact Trish, Dante’s partner in his demon hunting business “Devil May Cry”.

Nero reaches Sanctus and the “Savior”, an enormous demon which the Order intends to bring to life using Nero and Yamato’s power. Using Kyrie as a human shield, Sanctus is successful in detaining Nero. Sanctus reveals that the Savior requires the essence of Sparda to reach full power; he originally intended Dante be used as the core, but accepts Nero as a suitable substitute, claiming that Nero is also a descendant of Sparda. Credo attempts to rescue the two, but is mortally wounded by Sanctus. Dante arrives and tells Nero to give him his sword back. Nero is absorbed into the Savior. Agnus uses Yamato to open the true Hellgate, releasing a multitude of demons onto the city. Sanctus arrives with the Savior and begins to exterminate the demons. Dante, upon hearing Credo’s dying request to rescue Kyrie and Nero, fights his way back towards the city. On his way, he destroys the three smaller Hellgates used to release the demons.

Dante arrives back at the Opera House and kills Agnus. He then retrieves Yamato and uses it to destroy the true Hellgate before confronting Sanctus and the Savior. After discovering that the Savior is invincible from the outside, Dante drives Yamato into the chest of the Savior, where it is retrieved by Nero. Nero defeats Sanctus inside the Savior and rescues Kyrie. Nero eventually uses his Devil Bringer to destroy the Savior and Sanctus. After entrusting Nero with Yamato, Dante departs. Nero and Kyrie’s reunion is interrupted by another demon attack. In the secret ending, at the Devil May Cry shop, Trish and Lady bicker over the small reward Lady had offered, with Lady accusing Trish for having disguised herself as Gloria and delivering Sparda’s sword to the Order. After Trish forcibly drags him into their argument, Dante ends it by saying that it’s better than nothing. Afterwards, Lady sets out to leave, but then the phone rings, with a customer having another job for Dante to do, and the trio moves out to help.

In an interview, Devil May Cry 4′s producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi noted that the production team began working with the game using a PC-based engine. He said that this was the first PlayStation 3 game developed by Capcom, and that making this transition was a “hard step”, particularly because no member of the producing team was familiar with the console’s capabilities. The game’s multi-platform crossover was justified by emphasizing the Xbox 360′s success in the North American and European markets, labeling the move as “natural”. During production, new gameplay options were implemented in order to “keep up with fresh action games”; among these is the Devil Bringer’s ability to bring enemies towards the characters.

Unlike Dante’s progress in Devil May Cry 3, Nero was designed to become stronger by upgrading his Devil Bringer ability instead of receiving new weapons after defeating boss characters. During development, the production team noted several aspects of the game, including that Nero would be one of two main characters and that Dante was not going to be the only character from previous entries in the series to appear. Unlike Devil May Cry 3, the game’s difficulty would be the same in both the Japanese and European versions as in the one released in North America.The company presented the game’s first demo at an event titled “Capcom’s Gamer’s Day”, where Kobayashi highlighted several of the games features. With the team focused in completing the game, a new demo was not produced in time for the 2007 E3 Media and Business Summit.

Next-generation elements

Itsuno said in the Famitsu article that the visuals attempt to deliver a satisfying feel of being in the air, and that the actions of Nero’s Devil Bringer could not be done on contemporary generation consoles, but they could be done on the PlayStation 3; however, the game has since been released on the Xbox 360, and a PC version was released in July, 2008. Gameplay visuals, shown at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, demonstrate this game mechanic. Kobayashi stated in a Game Informer interview that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions would be identical, although he did not comment on the PC version. In a Eurogamer interview, Kobayashi confirmed again that the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions would be identical and said that the PC version “would be great, because the same team is working on both”.

Cross-platform move

On March 19, 2007, Capcom announced the game would not be a PlayStation 3 exclusive; it would also be released for the Xbox 360 and the PC. In a thread questioning the move on the official Capcom message board, the company’s senior director of strategic planning and research, Christian Svensson, responded by saying that they were moved by people’s strong feelings about the decision, but that it was the best decision for the company and consumers. Kobayashi stated that Devil May Cry 4 will have no major graphical differences between the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions. He also claimed that the contents will be identical, except that “the feel of the controller” may cause a slight difference. The PlayStation 3 version requires the user to install 5GB of game data, taking 20 minutes, which shortens the length of the loading screens throughout the game. A slide show is shown during the installation process, which introduces characters from previous games in the series^.

Release

The first teaser trailer was shown at E³ 2005, depicting Dante traveling through a snow-covered environment, and quickly performing some fast, stylish moves. A more substantial trailer was released at that year’s Tokyo Game Show, with a more rugged and older Dante in a city-like setting. Both teasers show very little detail of the game itself. At the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, a more complete trailer debuted, along with a playable demo, featuring the character Nero.

Images from the March 2007 issue of Famitsu show Dante as a playable character. A short trailer was released later, displaying the character in gameplay. While Nero is the game’s main character, Dante is the supporting character, playable during the second half of the game until the final boss. A trailer shown at the 2007 Tokyo Game Show revealed the return of Lady and Trish.

A fourth trailer, released on December 17, 2007, revealed more gameplay and story detail, as well as information on new songs for the game, including a new version of “Lock and Load”, Dante’s theme music from the first Devil May Cry, with new lyrics written and performed by Shawn “Shootie HG” McPherson, the lyricist and lead vocalist on the soundtrack of Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. Released with the Japanese version of the game is Japanese rock band, L’Arc-en-Ciel, and their new single, “Drink It Down“, which is used as the Japanese opening for the game.

Collector’s Edition

A collector’s edition of the game was released at the same time as the regular version. The American version includes a DVD of four episodes of the American dub of the anime, while the European and Australian versions only include a signed artbook named “Art of the Devil”. It features a bonus disc containing the making of Devil May Cry 4, and an additional disc of the first four episodes of Devil May Cry: The Animated Series. A very small number of Collector’s Edition packages were signed by the game’s producer, Hiroyuki Kobayashi, on the back of the metal tin on Dante’s left shoulder. This number has been reported to be as low as only 100 signed copies of the Collector’s Edition for each console, making for a total of 200 signed copies. Both versions were packaged in a Steel book case.

PC Version

GameSpot revealed that the PC version would have exclusive features, including more modes and visual customization. Turbo Mode is featured, giving the game a slightly faster speed, and a new difficulty called Legendary Dark Knight Mode is implemented. The PC version also has both DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 mode. It is labeled Games for Windows and runs on both Windows XP and Vista. It assumes a Gamepad is present and does not use the mouse at all, providing virtually the same user interface as the Xbox 360 version.