It's Raccoon City all over again! Resident Evil 6 has just been announced and Capcom has also revealed the first trailer.



According to the trailer, it seems all hell is breaking loose in the United States. The president appears to be "zombified" and the virus was spread by an unknown girl somehow. There also seems to be a new character introduced who appears to hold the key for a cure in his blood *dramatic pause* at a price.

The news was originally leaked by a Gamestop promo poster that hit the Internet. Details about the game surfaced about players being able to control both Chris Redfield and Resident Evil 4 protagonist Leon Kennedy. Ada Wong has also been mentioned but no word yet on how she's involved.




A web site set up called NoHopeLeft.com was serving as a promotional vehicle for the upcoming zombie shooter. The release date for Resident Evil 6 is set for November 20, 2012.

Hoping to be a case of the saying "good things come to those who wait", Rockstar Games have announced a delay for Max Payne 3. The release window at first was tentatively set for March so this bit of news can be seen as a good thing since May 15th is more concrete.

The new release date is confirmed in the latest entry of the Design and Technology video series. This video focuses on the way the physics work when running, aiming, and shooting and how it seamlessly all comes together in a realistic fashion.

You can check out the latest video here: Target and Weapons

If you missed the first video in the series, then click here: Creating a Cutting Edge Action-Shooter

What do you think? Does Max look like he's back in form or are the gameplay changes not cutting it for you? Comment below with your thoughts!

We're a couple of weeks into the new year which gives enough time to reflect on what was played back in 2011. This past year has been one of the best in gaming, even better than the excellent releases back in 2007 which included Bioshock, Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, and Uncharted.

2011 saw a mixture of big budget titles, huge sequels, and quality indie titles. No matter what was your cup of tea, there was a title worth your while. There was a lot that happened on the business side of things most notably the Playstation Network hacking that shut down Sony's online service for almost a full month.

Now I don't expect 2012 to be as full of great titles as this past year and honestly I kind of hope it's not. 2011 saw so many great games that there was hardly enough time to play all of them. My personal game pile is currently at around 10 games (maybe more) that will be keeping me busy for at least a few months. It is however better to have the problem of too many games than barely any at all as far as I'm concerned.

So lets get these categories kicked off! First we'll start with Best Soundtrack.

Best Soundtrack Winner

Bastion

There's something to be said when after beating a game with amazing gameplay, visuals, and story narration that the first thing I do is buy the soundtrack. The closest way I can describe the sound is like if Arabic folk music had a baby with a Western film. For the anime fans out there, Trigun almost comes to mind which is not bad at all to be compared to that soundtrack.

Here's a sample of two songs done by the audio director and vocalist.

Runner-ups: Portal 2, Deus Ex Human Revolution

Best Hero Winner

Nathan Drake (Uncharted 3)

Ahh Mr Drake, although there are tougher and smarter heroes out there it is your wit and charm that wins you this award. Personality speaks a lot for a character and you will be hard pressed to find more of that anywhere else besides the Uncharted series. There's a reason why talk of an Uncharted movie is so plausible, the characters are just that damn engaging and Nathan Drake leads the pack. Kudos to Mr Nolan North for his voice work!

Runner-ups: Batman (Batman Arkham City), Marcus Fenix (Gears Of War 3)

Best Villain Winner

GlaDOS (Portal 2)

Giving this award to anyone else would simply be illogical. Personally I find it surprising how a game where the main characters you interact with are machines can be so comedic. In this case, GlaDOS wants nothing more than to endanger your life for the benefit of science in a world that seems far removed from it. The voice actor really adds a lot of dark humor to each disparaging remark she makes at your expense particularly in reference to your weight. Girls will be girls.

Runner-ups: The Joker (Batman Arkham City), Ra's Al Ghul (Batman Arkham City)

Best Downloadable Title Winner

Bastion

This year has seen a surprising amount of quality titles come from smaller studios. Supergiant Games steals this award with their isometric action RPG, Bastion. Most people refer to the awesome narration when thinking about this title but the art style, soundtrack, and gameplay are absolutely superb as well. There's an interesting story about The Calamity, a mysterious apocalyptic event, for gamers who play for that. There's also the greatly satisfying combat system that can be made insanely hard thanks to the idols you can choose in the shrine for those old school gamers. Being their first release, I personally can't wait to see what Supergiant Games has up their sleeves next.

Runner-ups: Back To The Future (episodes 1-5), Burnout Crash

Game Of The Year Winner

Portal 2

This was a tough choice but my applause ultimately has to be directed at Valve's full on sequel to a surprise hit, Portal 2. I actually almost forgot about this game since it came out so early in 2011 but thinking back on my experience made me realize nothing else compared. The ending is something to be seen for yourself is one of the biggest "they just went there" moments of the year. The puzzles are more varied and challenging which makes for the kind of brainteasing moments you simply don't get in a lot of games nevermind one in the first person view. The co-op mode is an actual fleshed out story as well as opposed to slapped on haberdashery that would be on lesser titles. Valve truly has a special franchise in its hands.

Runner-ups: Batman Arkham City, Deus Ex Human Revolution

Most Anticipated Titles of 2012

Mass Effect 3, Bioshock Infinite, Max Payne 3, Hitman Absolution

2012 is shaping up to continue the recent trend of gluttonous amounts of excellent games released. I'm not anticipating this year to be as generous as 2011 has but these titles could definitely give a run for your money.

Mass Effect 3 will be the epic conclusion to Bioware's famed space RPG. It should be real interesting to see how your choices made in the first two games will reflect the events this time around. Bioshock Infinite brings the franchise back into the hands Ken Levine and the fine folks at Irrational Games, makers of 2007 Game Of The Year winner Bioshock. Max Payne 3 and Hitman Absolution are both examples of older series of games recently marred by Hollywood reimaginings returning to form. Both of these sequels look amazing so far based on trailers and gameplay footage released. They also bring forth game mechanic changes while staying true to the integrity of the franchise.

Feel free to write in the comments with your own personal winners of 2011 and also what you most anticipate to play for 2012.

This is a special Q&A session I had with Tiffany Leigh Smith, an independent game developer and contract programmer who also works as an actress and model. Tiffany recently worked for Nicalis Inc (site) and was also the lead programmer for the WiiWare version of the PC title Cave Story. She is currently in the process of starting up her own company called Nameless Inc which will focus on publishing small game titles. You can find Nameless on www.namelessinc.com and follow Tiffany on Twitter @tifflsmith.



(David) How are you doing? Did you have a fun summer?
(Tiffany) Doing great, thank you. Yes, I did have a wonderful summer. Hope yours went well too.

(David) How did you know that you wanted to be a part of the video games industry?
(Tiffany) I have always been into games and always knew it was a world I'd like to be a part of. My cousin married a game developer and after seeing some of the amazing stuff he was working on, I was absolutely hooked. Prior to that, I had been very interested in computers and learned a lot about how they work.

(David) Which games did you grow up playing?
(Tiffany) When I was a tiny kid, my dad had a Commodore 64 and I would sit and play games on that with him and my brother. Frostbite is one that comes to mind. My dad was always very encouraging when it came to playing games and using computers. It wasn't long before my dad had an Atari and I would play that. My first console, which I shared with my brother was a SNES and we used to play Street Fighter II and F-Zero. Also my friend had a Dreamcast and we would play Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern. I remember thinking the graphics were absolutely amazing at the time. Later I got into Counter Strike, Diablo, and Baldur's Gate.

(David) What steps did you take in order to get your first game related position?
(Tiffany) I taught myself to program using Dark Basic initially and then moved on to C and Allegro. Eventually I was able to make small games. I made a Rubiks Cube game with Dark Basic as well as a chess game and then later made a text based ASCII Tetris clone using C and Curses. My first game related position came when I started working for Gamedev.net. I had been a moderator for them and then eventually became one of their writers. I attended shows and wrote up coverage for them.

My first game development position came when I started working with my cousin's husband and a few others. We comprised a small team and were making a driving simulation game but the project unfortunately fell through. I became involved in a few other projects but most were either postponed or cancelled. Eventually I met Tyrone at Nicalis Inc and later became a lead programmer.

(David) I understand that you worked on a WiiWare version of the 2004 free-to-play PC title Cave Story. What was it like being a part of that project?
(Tiffany) It was an amazing experience. I learned so much throughout the project particularly when spending time attending developer meetings. One or two of those meetings were with Nintendo and I was able to be on the show floor at both the GDC (Game Developers Conference) and E3 when the game was showing. I'm very glad that it was more than just sitting in my office manipulating the codes.

(David) Did you work closely with the game's original creator Daisuke Amaya?
(Tiffany) The communication between Amaya-San and myself was very limited. Most of the communication went through the producer. Just having the opportunity to work with him was an amazing experience. I had been and still am a huge fan of the game. Working on Cave Story Wii was an absolute dream come true for me.

(David) Does he insist on being called "Pixel"?
(Tiffany) Not that I know of. I was told that Amaya-San was the polite way to address him. I try to aim for polite. :)

(David) Are there any projects you're currently working on that can be mentioned?
(Tiffany) Yes! Currently I am in the throes of starting up my own game company, Nameless Inc. We are going to be working with Ninja Cute Studios to bring their game Pillow Fighters to the scene. We also recently teamed up with comic book artist James Harvey and are working to bring one of his concepts to life.

(David) Where do you see the gaming industry in the next five years? Will motion control and 3D gaming become a bigger part of the average gamer's playing experience?
(Tiffany) The game industry is always quick to embrace new ideas and technology. I think that motion control, as it grows from concept, will not only be adapted by the current demographic but can also widen the market and bring more people in to the fold. I think there are two kinds of people, the people who like to hone their fine motor skills and those who prefer to utilize their gross motor skills. Games haven't really been very "gross motor friendly" until recently so the advancements in motion control are going to bring more of those gross motor types to the party. Its going to help expand the industry.

Stereoscopic 3D imaging was always par for the course. 3D itself is not intrinsically new to games. Virtua Boy and Dragon Layer had 3D virtual projectors and we have been trying to make games more and more realistic via 3D techniques for a long time. The concept of 3D has been revolutionizing the industry for many years and I think the advancements of today show a continuation of that technical progression.

In the next 5 years, I think we will see more advancements in these areas. I see our technical capabilities reaching up to new heights. I think some of the things we can look forward to are things like in-game, photogrammetric rendering where the software creates a mesh on the fly that determines geometric properties based on a photo the user uploads. I can imagine us giving more and more control to the end user to create their own world and be a realistic part of that world. Also I think cell phones are going to become a more prominent part of the game players experience such as having RPGs that users can play real time across many platforms. I could also see handheld devices such as the DSi and PSP being dropped in favor of the iPhone and Droid whose graphical capabilities are becoming equally as impressive as their handheld game device counterparts.

I would like to thank Tiffany very much for taking the time for this interview. Feel free to comment below with your thoughts on her answers.

Developed by Klei Entertainment, Shank is a recent release on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network. Playing as the aptly named character Shank, you hack, slash, and gun your way through multiple levels ranging from a moving train to a rocket bombarded church. Seven bosses await you such as the violent Butcher, the cunning Cassandra, and the demented priest Angelo.



To put it simply, if you're a fan of movies like From Dusk Till Dawn and Desperado or looking forward to the upcoming Robert Rodriguez film Machete then Shank will instantly appeal to you. The story is your basic revenge tale where past events are told sequentially as you go through each level revealing who was involved in your girlfriend's murder. This is carried out in a predictable manner but it's enjoyable nonetheless since the gameplay carries you through each event so well. Exacting revenge on every person you come across fits in perfectly with where the story takes you.



Shank starts off well equipped with his signature shank knife, dual pistols, and a chainsaw. Throughout the game you'll become more well armed with dual machetes, a shotgun, katana, an uzi, and grenades. Fans of classic brawlers such as Final Fight and Double Dragon will feel right at home combining light shank attacks with heavy attacks for basic combos. More difficult attacks can string together which utilizes pouncing and grab moves. An example would be if you start off with a few light attacks, pop an enemy up in the air with your machetes, shoot him a few times with the handguns keeping him in the air, switch to a shotgun to shoot another enemy behind you, and then pounce on a different enemy pointing an assault rifle on you. Action can get frantic real fast so knowing what you have equipped against specific enemies you're facing becomes key to your survival.



The difficulty can vary from level to level and boss to boss. At one point you may be restarting a few times to take out a particular boss only to have that followed up with a level that takes you 2 minutes to blow through along with a similarly easy boss. Gameplay can become monotonous at times too but with all the combinations you can perform, combat holds up remarkably well and varied enough for the brawler genre. This will probably frustrate a few players but the challenge is honestly a breath of fresh air compared to the easier difficulties of the games of today.



Style was obviously a big focus in the development of Shank and nothing is shown as beautifully as the art direction. Animation is fluid when performing moves and the hard edged comic book feel fits in perfectly with the visceral action onscreen. The soundtrack is roaring and will make you feel like you're watching a Western film by Robert Rodriguez or Quentin Tarantino. Having the volume high enough will literally bring a rumble in your room!



Shank is honestly one of the best downloadable titles to come out this year. On top of a superb single player campaign, there's a co-op mode that acts as a prequel to the main game's story. There's no reason to deprive yourself of this satisfying experience. Go download it now!

Shank receives 5 chainsaws to the back out of 5