Gaming
ATI HD5870 [Review]
If you thought ATI was sitting back and just riding the wave of its success of the 4xxx series cards, you could not be more wrong. After months of rumors and debate about what could be expected from the new series, today we finally have the card in our hands and boy, does it deliver! This will be the first single core flagship card from ATI that will actually go head on with Nvidia's GTX285, which is currently the fastest single core GPU. Remember when the HD4870 was launched, the best it could do is come close to the GTX260 while the GTX280 was untouchable. A lot of price cuts and a few re-brandings later, today as it stands we have the HD4890 going against the GTX275 while the GTX285 still enjoys its royal position as the fastest single core card.
So what is the HD5870 really replacing? Well nothing actually because its targeted towards the GTX285 so expect some sudden price drops soon. This is the first card in the 'Evergreen' line up and the new HD5870 and HD5850 (codenamed 'Cypress') has got some major modifications up its sleeve which we'll go through in a little bit. Just to get a little better perspective of the current graphics card line up we have a little comparison of the competing cards and their price ranges below
Now that we've taken a little peak into ATI's 'Cypress' card , lets see what the monster really looks like. Since this was an evaluation sample, the card didn't come with any bundle. We'll have to wait a while for AIB partners to launch this card here.
Pricing:
This is one place where ATI has always been ahead of the competition in terms of their pricing but sadly that's not the case in India. Abroad, the HD5870 is already on pre-order for just 379$ (U.S) , that's Rs.17.5K which is the price its expected to debut at. Sadly just like the HD4850 which was overpriced at the start, the same goes for the HD5870 as well. Word from AMD is that the HD5870 1GB will launch with a Rs.24999 MRP which makes it roughly 5K more expensive. Sure the price will drop eventually but that means the waiting for at least a couple months.
Looks like ATI have resolved most of the yield issues they were having with their 40nm chips which explains the shortage of the HD4770 or maybe they were deliberately holding back to get rid of the old stock of HD4850's, who knows? The main thing is that they have once again created a gem of a card which is sure to get any gamer drooling over.
With twice the horsepower of the last generation, ATI have finally (after a long time) launched a true flagship product that deserves some recognition. But the fight has only just begun in the quest for the ultimate DX11 graphics card as Nvidia is busy in their labs working and tweaking their 'Frankenstein' which they'll reveal in the coming months. They are pretty mum about it right now but we've been told that it's going to be huge so I guess we'll have to wait and see.
So should you run out and buy this card? The answer is No. Well not right away and here's the reason why. This is a brand new card so the prices are still very volatile and will settle down after a few weeks. You can also expect price cuts on the GTX285 and GTX295 very soon as well. The second reason is that if you're a sensible gamer I suggest you wait a couple of months to see what Nvidia
brings to the table since with Windows 7 just on the horizon and DX11 games yet to make an appearance diving in for a DX11 card does not make much sense right now.
Having said that, If you were thinking of picking up a GTX285 or have a budget of 25K then yes, close your eyes and get this card as its easily the best performance single chip card in the market. On the other hand I would personally recommend you wait for Nvidia's offering and then make an informed decision. The first DX11 game will be coming out somewhere in November and by the time the new API is implemented to its full potential, we are looking at a easy six month time span by which we'll have newer cards in all the price brackets.
The war has only just begun and ATI seems to have delivered a the first blow. Hopefully DX11 will actually take us one step further to the realism we all crave in games and wont be just hot air like DX10 was. Who will be K.O'ed I guess only time will tell so start saving up some moolah so when the time comes, you're ready.
HOW TO play red alert 2 on LAN
I know red alert 2 is quite old…but this is one game which never lets you go once you start playin it….and its more fun when ur opponent is human..
1. Install IPX protocol, on the nextwork device that will allow networking. (anything from a crossover to a router to a switch to wireless everything will work)
How to: start - settings - Network and dial up connections - right_click on the network device - properties.
A new window will show up with a list of services and protocols. Click install and select add protocol. Select the NWlink IPX/(other protocols).
2. Now select properties of this new protocol. Internal Network should be 00000000. Under frame type, select 802.3, or experiment with 802.2 or ether II. Change number to a unique network value on both computers. ex: computer1, 00000001. computer2, 00000002. Click ok.
3. Find your MAC address: Start - Run - type ‘CMD’ - Command prompt appears. Type ‘ipconfig /all’ and the information of all network cards should scroll by. Find the network card you set up for IPX and note its MAC address. A MAC address looks like this: 00-1A-B4-A2-01-D1 (keep this for later)
4. Configure RA2: Options - Network, select the same MAC address in the drop down menu as you took in note the first time. Leave everything else as default (empty). If this fails, try selecting different socket numbers.
5. Re-install RA2: Only if nothing else works. That is a last resort, only if you have a software glitch somwhere that doesnt allow RA2 to recognise the new IPX configuration. In my case my original RA2 cd-rom didn’t work, but after removing it and installing an “illegal” version downloaded from the internet it worked! Probably due to the fact that it’s a “fresh” Red Alert 2 installation.
6. Have fun!
MAFIA 2 new game play video
Check out this new gameplay video from mafia 2..i just cant wait to get my hands on this thing. Looks so good...
Need for speed SHIFT teaser
Guys check out the teaser of the next need for speed series, The Shift. Nothing much revealed, but the graphics looks good.
New video of mafia 2
Check out this new video of mafia 2, video is called "holiday confessions". The game is expected to release this autumn.
Storyline of NFS:Undercover
Finally, we have the first official information of Need for Speed Undercover!
While you already got a glimpse of what the next NFS is about at the website www.whichroadtotake.com, we have some more concrete information for you:
In NFS Undercover you play an undercover cop, which has the mission to infiltrate and takedown an international crime syndicate. The storyline is mission-based, so you have to take jobs and compete in races to prove yourself. Apart from you there is only one person, who knows the real identity of the player - your only contact to the outer world: Federal Agent Chase Linh. This person is played by the famous actress Maggie Q, which you might know from ‘Mission Impossible III’ or ‘Live Free or Die Hard’.
“Need for Speed Undercover features a deep and engaging story of spectacular Hollywood-style live-action that will transport players into the fictional world of the Tri-City Bay Area,” said Bill Harrison, Need for Speed Undercover Executive Producer. “Working with talent the caliber of Maggie Q allows us to deliver an unparalleled level of storytelling that will keep players engaged in between 180-mile an hour races.”
In contrast to Pro Street you are once again a nameless character, so Ryan Cooper is history. So far Electronic Arts didn’t want to reveal more of the story, but maybe this isn’t too bad as it would otherwise compromise the game experience. Generally Need for Speed Undercover is a rich, cinematic experience, which contains apart from the known actors the brother of Jessica Alba: Joshua and many more famours actors.
Undercover is being produced with Hollywood style shooting and production techniques. Famours writers take part in writing the story of NFS Undercover and Joseph Hodges is the director! So let’s hope that the efforts pays off and we can expect an exciting, movie-like story, embedded in the game!
NFS Undercover : needforspeed.com updated!!
The official website of Need for Speed Undercover has been updated and contains new images and videos. Additionally you can find 4 new wallpapers, which you can use as your desktop background:
chk out the site... www.needforspeed.com
NFS undercover - A review
INTRODUCTION
The sun is shining, helicopters are flying over glittering water and you hear a thrilling soundtrack. Credits are fading in and out as the helicopters are flying towards a city – it's like a movie. They arrive at the shoreline and follow a red car driving down the highway, trying to evade the cops. Smoothly the camera flies behind the car, a flash and you're in the game.
Electronic Arts tried to give Need for Speed Undercover more “Hollywood-Style”, by adding a story and filmed sequences. So far this worked quite well. Once you crashed through a police road block, the real game starts and you're being introduced as an Undercover Cop.
GAMEPLAY
Need for Speed Undercover is a real action-packed title. It's very similar to Most Wanted and maybe without the story being an Undercover-Cop the game could easily be called Most Wanted 2. The driving performance is much more arcade than last year's ProStreet and it's easy to steer the car and keep it in track. Together with the "Heroic Driving Engine" this is quite some fun, because often you need this kind of control to evade the cops. Most times you may won't need the brakes, because you can either use the Speedbreaker, which slows down time for you, to go around the corners or obstacles, or you just lay off the gas a little bit. Depending on what car you're driving, you can also drift around the corners quite easily.
Although Undercover is more arcade-like you still have differences when driving different types of cars. Muscle Cars drift much more, while Tuners or Exotics handle differently. Each car has its unique style.
When you're going at high speed, you really get the feeling of driving fast, because the screen blurs slightly in the corners. It doesn't feel exaggerated, just realistic. Read more about that in the "Graphics chapter". Tri-City is free roam, so you drive around the city wherever you like. You can start races by going to the designated locations on the map, or you get a job or challenge by SMS, which you can start immediately. Alternatively you can always use the GPS map, which shows you the open and completed races and jobs.
THE CITY
The city in NFS Undercover is called "Tri-City". This is mostly because the city consists of three districts, which all have their different style. They are connected with highways. You don't have to unlock anything, you can drive wherever you want, but the events at the beginning will take place mostly in one district.
In this area the sun is shining and it's like after a short rain. In the shadows the streets are wet and your car is sputtering the water. You can drive beneath high skyscrapers, in garages, shortcuts, alleys...it's really a big city. For a racing game there is much to see, because the developers put much effort in the variety of tracks and different districts. It doesn't feel like it's a city designed and planned on blueprints, it has a realistic structure, nice textures and amazing skies.
Once you have enough of one district, you just hop on the highway and drive to different parts of the city. For example in one area the buildings are more industrial and you see cranes and stuff like that. In the next district it gets more hot – the sun is burning, the plants are all brown and sand is all over the streets. It has a very brown look, similar to Most Wanted – no wonder with all the sand. ;)
CAREER
As the name “Need for Speed Undercover” already points out: you are an Undercover-Agent. You have to get into the crime scene, get acknowledged to infiltrate the crime syndicate. This also means you have to participate in races, doing jobs and evade the cops as well.
This works quite well, since it's a simple story, but I would've liked to see more of the story. I could play the game for around 4-6 hours, so I can't say whether the story will become more intense. Some sequences of cops talking, some challenges from other rivals but I never really felt being “in” the story. More like driving from race to race, with hardly any motivation behind it. Apart from that, the sequences are quite nice. You can see that EA put a lot of effort in it and the style fits the game.
The career mode consists of around 200 events, but you don't have to finish all of them to complete the game. Finishing the career will take you ~12 hours, but for 100% you might need 25 hours.
GRAPHICS
EA did a really good job, regarding the graphics of NFS Undercover. The cars have an amazing amount of detail and together with the damage model this makes a very good impression. You can see the reflections and almost everylittle detail of the car. Of course, this concerns mostly the gamer's car, but also the Cops and Traffic-Cars are looking very good. It's fun crashing into cops and traffic, as you can see deforming and splattering the cars and pieces flying around.
The tracks are quite detailed as well, as far as it is possible. They are wet or dusty, you can see cracks in the street and you have many objects on the side of the road like city lights, benches etc. The trees and plants unfortunately still look quite unfinished, but you won't really notice once you go down a street with 200 km/h. ;)
The sense of speed in Undercover is really amazing, you can really feel the car going faster and faster. EA didn't exaggerate this time with the motion blur. It's just slightly visible on the corners of the screen, where it doesn't distract you, but gives you a great feeling of speed. This comes noticeable especially at the Highway Battle mode. Please note that I only played the Xbox360 and Playstation 3 Version of NFS Undercover, so unfortunately I can't say anything about the PC, PS2 or handheld versions.
GAME-MODES
The heart of every racing game: the Gamemodes! In Undercover you have the fairly regular modes like Circuit Races, Sprint and Checkpoint mode, but there are also some new modes as well.
For example the Highway Battle is a fun new mode, which is in my opinion the best new mode in Undercover. Highway Battle is always a 1on1 race. You race against your opponent and you have to be faster than him and make a distance of 1000ft in order to win. Or you have to be in the lead, when the time runs out at 1:15. This mode is quite similar to the "Outrun-Mode", only that you're driving on a highway at high speed in the middle of traffic! If you hit a bus, you're totaled. This is the mode, where you really can live your need for speed!
Another mode, which was already mentioned is the Outrun-Mode, which is pretty much the same, only that you are not on the highway, but you can drive around in the city wherever you like.
Additionally there is a new Takedown mode, where you have to chase your opponent and have to take him down. You see a progress meter above his car and you have to hit him as often as you can until the meter is down to zero and he's totaled.
Additionally with Undercover you have several missions, you have to complete in order to advance in the story. This is quite fun, as there are jobs like "steal this Audi TT and bring it to the docks without a scratch". You have to be fast and careful not to get noticed from the police and not getting any damage.
Since the world is full of cops, you also have some game modes, where you have to either evade the cops, within a certain amount of time, or you have to take them down or reach a certain "Cost to State" limit by crashing cops and objects.
A new multiplayer mode is the "Cops'n'Robbers" - you can read about it in the chapter about Multiplayer.
TUNING
As in previous Need for Speed Games you have quite some possibilities for visual tuning. You can upgrade your car with several new parts and "autosculpt" them to fit your needs. Whereas you don't have such a wide range available as in the Underground series, it's still entertaining to give the car your personal touch.
Additionally you can add vinyls as well, and paint your car the way you like it. The interface is more user friendly and has been improved to give you a faster selection. The limit of vinyls is still 20, which you can place on the car.
It's possible to choose colors from a color selection wheel, as well as adjust hue and saturation. You can paint your body parts individually.
The performance tuning has been scaled down a bit in this title, as you just have a few sliders available to tune your car: Engine, Drive train, Suspension, Tires and Nitro. You can upgrade your car with several upgrade packages, but there isn't much fine-tuning available, especially not as much as in ProStreet...but for casual gamers it may be enough.
MULTIPLAYER
Multiplayer is similar to the previous NFS titles. No free roam and no LAN for PC. However, EA didn't exclude the possibility that LAN can come as a patch like in ProStreet.
There are three online modes available in multiplayer: Circuit, Sprint and a new mode called “Cops and Robbers”. This is a mode where two teams race against each other, mostly like Capture the Flag. It's robbers against cops, whereas the robbers have to deliver a package, while the police team tries to stop them. It's a two-round match, where the roles are switched in the second round. The online lobby has been overhauled as well. In ranked games users just select the game mode and the system automatically finds the right race for you. In ranked games there is no host, so the system sets the parameters for you. On the other hand in unranked games you can set the parameters yourself.
CONCLUSION
Need for Speed Undercover is an action-packed racing game, wrapped up in a neat story, combining the best of ProStreet and Most Wanted. It's a fun racer, allowing you to drive the latest high-end licensed cars like the Nissan 370Z. You see a wide variety of game modes and tracks, plenty of licensed cars and cops everywhere. The damage model is just like the icing on the cake. Tuning enthusiasts may be a little bit disappointed, but nevertheless it's a great game and if you liked Most Wanted, you'll definitely have fun playing it!
source:www.nfsplanet.com
minimum system requirements for NFS undercover
Ok, these are the minimum system specs for need for speed undercover..which is releasing within a month.....
OS: Windows XP and VISTA with latest service pack installed
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 (or equivalent) CPU running at 2.8GHz or higher (3.0GHz if running Windows Vista)
RAM: 1GB RAM
Graphics: Geforce 6500, Radeon 9500 or better DirectX compliant video card with Pixel shader 2.0 or above (AGP and PCIe only)
DirectX: DirectX Nov 2007 edition (included)
HDD: est. 5.5 GB free disk space or more
DVD-Drive: 8x
Multiplayer: To play online a network card is required for broadband connectivity
Three new NEED FOR SPEED series....
As it seems Electronic Arts re-structures the Need for Speed series. As » Eurogamer reports, there will be three different NFS games this year for core, casual and 'Play 4 Free' gamers!
Need for Speed: Shift will launch in autumn 2009 on PC, Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP, Need for Speed: Nitro for Wii and DS. Need for Speed: World Online will be released for the asian online PC market this summer, which goes along with this » rumours from October 2008.
Need for Speed: Shift
This title focuses on simulation racing and shall become more serious:
Shift focuses on simulation racing - not just the realistic movement of cars, but also driver behaviour. This, EA marketing boss Keith Munro told Eurogamer, is what will set the game apart. Also, less baggy jeans and hip-hop.
"The urban underground was a manifestation of style in some past Need for Speed games for sure, but Shift focuses less on these style cues and more on mirroring the driver experience, that athleticism of being in a wickedly-intense race, and what it really feels like to be behind the wheel," Munro told us.
A flashy 3D HUD that mimics driver head movement, inertia and G-force will help achieve this. There's a cockpit view that lets players freely look around using the right thumbstick, too.
Munro reckons serious car enthusiasts will "love" Shift, and that mainstream racers will also get on board. He's quite excited.
"Need for Speed Shift is amazing and I think it will blow people away," said Munro. "The tech behind that game, the details that only a team with such racing pedigree could accomplish, and the ability to make you feel the intensity of a race is unprecedented. I can't wait for our fans to begin experiencing it!"
And, he added: "Regarding any new Need for Speed girls I can't comment, but I'll definitely mark down one enthusiastic vote for Josie Maran." Steady on.
NFS Shift is being developed by the Slightly Mad Studios which are responsible for GT Legends and GTR 2. They are supportet by EA Black Box producer Michael Mann and EA Games Europe bigwig Patrick Soderlund.
Need for Speed: Nitro
This game will be developed by EA Montreal and focuses on the casual gamer. It's a fast fun-racer with vibrant and eye-catching visuals.
"Need for Speed Nitro on the Wii and DS will not be a Mario Kart clone - Nintendo already does an excellent job with that," sagte Munro. "Instead, we are evolving the arcade racer with a fresh and unique visual style that is very Need for Speed. The game will be rich and deep and will appeal to experienced arcade racers as well as casual players.
What you'll see is that Nitro in no way resembles any other previous Need for Speed title."
Need for Speed: World Online
NFS World Online will be co-developed by Black Box und EA's online studio in Singapore. The game will be released in Asia this summer and if it does well, it should come to the west in winter 2009.
Released to Asia first, this online PC game will let players pick and customise their choice of licensed vehicles and take on the rest of the world - well, Asia, before heading West after a thumbs-up there.
"This is not so much a proof of concept - it is a full-fledged launch in a market that we are very ambitious toward," explained Munro. "This Play 4 Free action racing game will give Need for Speed fans the most licensed cars, parts and game modes ever in Need for Speed's history.
Players will prove their racing supremacy through the sophisticated online matchmaking features and fully customise their profile and their ride."
In an additional » article at Eurogamer it is mentioned, that EA Black Box is currently working on a future action title for the NFS franchise. There are not details known yet, but with NFS Shift, Nitro and World Online this would make four different NFS games.
Could this be a case of EA playing safe in the face of the economic crises and milking a safe and proven brand?
Not according to Munro, who said the credit crunch had "not played any role" and that work began "long before" we all began feeling the pinch.
"This isn't about quantity, this is about crafting different games for different audiences and their unique tastes in the driving category," he explained.
"The motivation was purely driven by our understanding of racing gamers and their desire to experience different kinds of racing games. I would say that our strategy is the inverse of milking; it is an intentionally non-traditional approach."
"We took a consumer-first approach and spoke with the fans about what they would like from their Need for Speed. Player feedback was consistent - create custom simulation and arcade experiences but maintain the franchises' core values of street culture, attitude and beautiful licensed cars," he added.
So far, all this sounds quite promising, since it has always been a problem of the Need for Speed series lately, that with such a large audience not every customer could be satisfied. With the separation in the different areas EA might could manage to fill the needs of all gamers.
A simulation-based racing game for PC, X360 and PS3 is something many wished for. The new orientation for the "casual gamer" on Wii and DS is really good thing and World Online is quite a big step, but considering the online boom in Asia this could very well work.
EA tried once an online racer with Motor City Online, but apparently it didn't go well but that was years ago, where the infrastructure wasn't as much developed as it now is. MCO was only available in the USA and was shut down one year later.
So far the mysterious additional title by EA Black Box is still open, but unfortunately there is no new information about that yet.
We will see, how much from all this is really true, but so far it sounds quite promising. We will let you know when we know more.