FiringSquad: What can you tell us about plans to update the current version of the game this year?
Chris Chambers: The America’s Army game is constantly evolving and expanding. With the release of Overmatch this summer players will be able to experience the ‘Overmatch’ capabilities of an elite Soldier team whereby they are able to defeat much larger enemy forces. This version of the game will include friendly, enemy and non-combatant AI. Friendly AI will be in the form of instructors and team members. Non-combatant AI will expand the importance and impact of rules of engagement as gamers encounter civilians and members of non-governmental-organizations in simulated training and combat missions. Other additions include key new weapons and systems used by Special Forces Soldiers including the Javelin Missile and the CROWS HMMWV. Players will go through training before they can get hands on with the weapons and systems.
Overmatch also marks the debut of the America’s Army Real Heroes program, which presents heroic Soldiers in key places throughout game. The America’s Army Real Heroes program strives to tell the stories of Solders who are put into extraordinary situations and rise above the challenge to successfully and heroically accomplish the mission. Soldiers will be represented in training missions as well as at the Virtual Recruiting Station. Players will be able to hear the Soldiers’ stories through audio and video presentations.
FiringSquad: We have also heard about plans to finally release mod tools for the game as well..can you comment on these plans?
Chris Chambers: AA plans to release the mod kit in the near future. The release will be accompanied by maps made by students of game development at academic institutions.
FiringSquad: America's Army: Rise of a Soldier was released by UbiSoft last year for the Xbox. Overall was the US Army pleased with the releases and are there plans to release future console games?
Chris Chambers: Rise of a Soldier for the Xbox did very well, as it was a top five selling first-person action game during the 2005 Holiday season with gamers rating it an 83%. UbiSoft and the Army have entered into an extended relationship to create multiple products for multiple platforms over several years.
FiringSquad: It's been announced that there will be a new version of America's Army released in 2007 that will use the Unreal Engine 3. What can you tell us about this version of the game at this time?
Chris Chambers: We are beginning our plans for the next version of America’s Army. The developers are extremely excited to work with the Unreal Engine 3.
FiringSquad: Are there any plans to release any more games as recruitment tools; maybe an RTS title?
Chris Chambers: We have no plans for an RTS game at this time.
FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about the current and future plans for America's Army?
Chris Chambers: We’d like to thank all of our America’s Army players for being such as active and loyal players. We look forward to delivering informative and entertaining content to them for years to come.
Batman: Arkham City PC Review Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s smash-hit action game Batman: Arkham Asylum. As the name suggests, you will be reprising your role as the Caped Crusader and going against an even larger 'prison' filled with Gotham's criminals and villains. A textbook example on how to do a proper sequel, Arkham City takes what worked in the original, excised or improved upon what didn’t, and elevated everything to an even greater scope. The PC version suffered from a few months of delay, but in that time, Rocksteady worked closely to NVIDIA to implement some familiar technologies from the last game, such as PhysX and 3D Vision, along with new DirectX 11 optimizations. But how well was the whole package executed? Read on to find out!
Saints Row: The Third PC Review Saints Row is one of most unique series of games to build upon the open-world action template forged by Grand Theft Auto, and has met with plenty of critical and commercial success since it began on consoles back in 2006. This latest iteration, titled Saints Row: The Third promises the most outlandish fun and freedom of customization of them all, and in a much more PC-friendly package than its predecessor. Does it live up to those expectations and, more importantly, is it worth the price of admission? Find out in Will's latest review!
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim PC Review The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is Bethesda Softworks’ latest offering in their series of epic fantasy RPGs, as well as one of the most highly-anticipated PC titles of 2011. As the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn, prepare to take the fight to the mythical beasts that have returned to the realm after centuries of slumber, all the while exploring a huge and highly-detailed open world.
The PC version of the game promises enhanced graphical fidelity, standard RPG trimmings such as hotkeys and quick-save, as well as unbridled mod support, something we’ll all be thankful for once they release that SDK. Skyrim has already sold millions of copies and set records for play-time on Steam... Find out why in today's review, which happens to be one of the biggest and most in-depth articles on the subject out there!
L.A. Noire Complete Edition PC Review L.A. Noire, as the name clearly states, is a video game built on the tropes of one of the greatest periods of American cinema: film noir. Developed by the now defunct Australian developer Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games, this title has been out on consoles for a full six months before finally making its way to the PC. This “Complete Edition” of the game features improved graphics, keyboard/mouse controls, and every bit of previously-released DLC for free. But was it truly worth the wait? Read on and find out!
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Xbox 360 Review
The self-appointed "most anticipated game in history" launched worldwide this past Tuesday. Why, it's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, of course (of course), what else? Unsurprisingly, the military FPS debate between this and Battlefield 3 rages on, but now that both have been released, surely we can take a look and objectively evaluate them both? Luke's taken the Xbox version of MW3 for a spin this week, so to find out what he thinks of it in today's review!
Stronghold 3 Review
The latest sequel in the long-running real-time strategy franchise from FireFly Studios, Stronghold 3 is all about building your dream castle and defending it against sieging enemies. Almost exactly one decade after the first game was released, this new title promises a return to the classic and well-received gameplay that has been strayed so far from in more recent iterations. Does it live up to those expectations? Will (AKA Synchronous Failure) tells us all about it in his first official FiringSquad review, so read on!
Battlefield 3 PC Review - Single-player Impressions
One of the most highly-anticipated PC games of the year is upon us; Battlefield 3 is now available in North America! EA/DICE have finally delivered a sequel to the core Battlefield franchise, a proper follow-up to BF2. Having played through the game's single-player campaign already, ahead of the multiplayer festivities kicking off around midnight, I figured I'd share my impressions ASAP. Is it really a worthy addition to the core Battlefield series, or just another bullet point on the back of the box? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Supersonic Software Interview
Following up on our hands-on preview from earlier this month, here's an interview with Supersonic Software, creators of Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. The game's coming out on XBLA and PSN in a matter of weeks, but for now, Luke chats with the developer about its predecessors Mashed and Micro Machines, how difficult it can be to get an indie game published, the closure of Codemasters' Guildford branch, and more!
Orcs Must Die! PC Review Orcs Must Die! is the first release from an independent developer named Robot Entertainment. Fans of classic real-time strategy games may have heard that name before, as the outfit is comprised of many veterans from Ensemble Studios, creators of the Age of Empires series.
Equal parts action and strategy, this is a tower defense game that not only puts you in command, but on the front lines of combat, as well. Slaughter thousands of orcs, ogres and other vile creatures of fantasy that invade your fortresses through 24 levels of the story-based campaign. With high levels of replayability thanks to its scoring and leaderboard functionality, multiple difficulty levels, and various styles of play, it sounds a steal at only $15. Does it deliver on all that’s promised, though? Read on and find out!
Wrecked: Revenge Revisited Hands-on Preview
FiringSquad’s new correspondent from across the pond, Luke Kaile, takes us hands-on with Supersonic Software’s upcoming downloadable racing combat game Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. Coming soon to Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, this charming 4-player free-for-all is the spiritual successor to cult classic Mashed, released seven years ago for PC, PS2, and Xbox.