The Witcher 2 Tweaks guide

I'm currently playing The Witcher 2 and so far it's an amazing RPG. If you have a beefed up PC, you won't have a problem running The Witcher 2 on ultra high settings, but if you have a decent pc like me that can run the game but have some frame rate issues during battles i suggest you tweak the settings to improve performance. making the game look good is great but performance is very important. I  found a guide and have some ideas to help us poor folks with not so beefed PC's to improve our frame rates.

Of course before anything else, you should check the System Requirements of the Witcher 2. It's a heavy game and you should head over to can you run it? to be absolutely sure you can run this beast before buying.

If your PC can run the game, now it's time to tweak the game to fit your system. While I was tweaking the settings myself I decided to finally just research on how to improve my frame rate and came across an article from PC Gamer. They provided the perfect tips I needed to improve my game without ruining quality. I can run the game in ultra settings, running around and talking to people with ease but when a fight starts is where the problem starts. This is to improve game performance.

The Witcher 2 launcher is where you can head to the video settings and start tweaking your game to best fit your system. They have the basic presets of Low, Medium, High, Ultra but to get the best result you should tamper with it yourself. To start off, you should auto detect best settings and tweak it from there. First thing you should reduce are effects like shadows and lighting, since that will definitely slow the game. Changing the resolution will also help but of course will affect how the game will look.

In case your working with a PC that can only run The Witcher 2 on the lowest possible settings, don't get bummed out. The game even in its lowest settings still looks amazing.

By far the biggest performance killer is Ubersampling. If you don’t have a monster PC, switch it off immediately. Next, if you’re getting a lot of crashes, turn the texture memory size down a couple of notches – especially if you’re trying to run on less than 1GB of video memory (which really, you shouldn’t be). Switch off the rarely used Blur effects, including Motion Blur, and deactivate regular Depth of Field. The Cinematic version may help too, but only kicks in for dialogue and cut-scenes where a steady frame-rate isn’t required. You can also happily switch off Vertical Sync, which won’t make much difference to the game, but will boost your performance by a good chunk. Keep SSAO active if you can.

The quote above really helped in performance. Turn off whats not needed, Blur effects like Motion Blur are completely useless, it actually gives me a headache so removing it will really help. The texture memory size I suggest medium or small. The lowest is very small and the rendering becomes too slow making it noticeable.  If you do pick very small you will sometimes experience Characters and objects taking 20 - 30 seconds to get fully rendered. Small or medium is just enough and will prevent crashes if you're experiencing them. Aim for a 20-25 frame rate when testing, Best way to test your game's performance is by jumping into a battle right away.

If you haven't started The Witcher 2, play the game till you fight with the King for the first time to test your frame rate. Fighting with the King is the best way to test your settings since your placed with a lot of enemies and NPCs in the screen on a bright day. Make a save before starting the fight so you can just reload the fight again if you want to do more tests. Walking around is simply not enough, to really test your video settings you need to be in a fight to see if your frame rate drops to unplayable levels.

If you notice smooth gameplay with your current settings, go ahead and slowly increase your settings like Texture Memory Size or Decals. I suggest Shadows to stay around medium since I don't see a difference and will high and ultra high settings but if your PC can still take it with smooth combat then go ahead. Blur effects and Motion Blur should be forever off even though you have a beast PC, it's just flat-out annoying and a pain. Try it out of you want, i still wonder why games add effects like this.

That's about it, hopefully this helped in improving your game's performance. I finally found my system's sweet spot and was able to improve my frame rate during fights while maintaining a good quality.

Got any other video setting tips to improve performance? go ahead and comment below.

F.E.A.R 3's multiplayer modes

Anybody still excited for this? well they just released a new trailer giving us a peek on a specific mode in F.E.A.R 3's multiplayer, Soul Survivor. Now that each mode has a trailer explaining the objectives, i think now is a perfect time to gather everything multiplayer has to offer.

Soul Survivor - In Soul Survivor, Alma corrupts a member of the F.E.A.R squad and turns him into a ghost, who has to take down the surviving player.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOnMO6_JcBk&feature=player_embedded]

Contractions - This is a co-op mode, Think Left 4 Dead or COD black Ops zombie. As a F.E.A.R. squad waiting for extraction, four players will have to survive against the enemies unleashed with each contraction Alma has.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVdse1qxPOc&feature=player_embedded]

Soul King - Players will be ghosts in this game mode, they will have to posses enemies and steal souls earned by the other players. Reminds me of Halo Reach's skull collecting game mode

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPshh2g1nzI&feature=player_embedded#at=100]

F**cking Run - This has to be the best. Not only does it look fun since your always on the move, but because the name is just epic. F**cking run!!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GBNA8_A5fo&feature=player_embedded#at=83]

I've lost faith in F.E.A.R's single player since the second game was a fail in my eyes. With a new developer,Day 1 Studios, running the shots now, you never know, it might turn out to be a good game. Multiplayer seems fun, but We'll just have to wait and see.

It was meant to be released on May but pushed back to June, now the game will be released on June 21 for Playstation 3, PC, and Xbox 360.

Red Faction: Armageddon unleashes Mr. Toots!

This is actually pretty hilarious. The Red Faction Armageddon demo is out and is said to unlock Mr. Toots in the full game if the demo reaches 1 million downloads. Well nowadays, 1 million downloads can be achieved easy and thanks to the all those demo players, we get to wield the deadly Mr. Toots after finishing Red Faction Armageddon's Single Player for the first time. Rainbow death!!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwi5bJk9vO0]

The rainbow farting Mr. Toots, is Mars' last hope. Hilarious stuff, but before i was about to release this post i realized where I've seen Mr. Toots first in action. If you know freddiew in youtube, the famous vfx editor with amazing action videos, made a video of Mr. Toots. THQ was kind enough to hand them assets of Mr. Toots for them to use in one of their videos. This is the result below. Go check out freediew's channel, they have amazing videos that you'll enjoy.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxHhBx1FtLQ]

Call of Duty: Elite revealed by Activision

Everybody has been adding to the rumor that Activision will be adding a subscription fee to Call of Duty players. Well it has finally come to light but don't rage just yet. It's Called Call of Duty: Elite and  you can still play the Call of Duty Multiplayer for free. the Premium service just gives you extra features to further enhance your COD experience, Well that's what Activision said. Regardless, they're actually going to charge players for a premium service, and early info about this service shows Activision maximizing their Call of Duty Franchise for all it's worth.

There will be certain features free of charge but to get everything Elite has to offer you'll have to worry about a monthly fee. This Elite Premium service will be similar to what Bungie has for Halo with Bungie.net, you will be able to track players progress  such as which guns the player uses, how many kills the player has on that gun, how well you did in a certain match, they say it's to analyze players performance. You can watch game videos uploaded by players, join groups of other players, create clans, and also participate in leagues that will have not in-game prizes but real life prizes.

You will be able to use a  Facebook social grouping application which allows you to connect and group with other players, this feature will come free with Elite.

"Whether it's allowing you to connect with your friends, or people of a similar skill level, people who live in your city, people who share your favorite passions, join competitive clans or social groups, or upload, view and comment on the incredible mass of player-generated content, or watch and comment on exclusive created content, Call of Duty Elite will give people more ways to connect with fellow players than ever before. Elite will also allow players of every level to improve their game with an intuitive suite of tools, and compete in tournaments for both real and virtual prizes."

Now is it worth it? I say no. It's just Call of Duty meets Facebook and you have to pay for it. Not everything about this service has been revealed so we'll see if anything new about Elite will make us think it's really worth it, so far it doesn't look worth our money. It's actually a great idea for Call of Duty but to pay for its services is just pushing it.

This might pushback Call of Duty fans but Activision's Chief Executive Bobby Kotick thinks it won't.

In an interview, Activision Chief Executive Bobby Kotick said he isn't worried about pushback from gamers about the Call of Duty Elite fee because players will still be able to compete against each other online without subscribing to the service. While he is coy about many of the offerings that will be included in the service, Mr. Kotick said Call of Duty Elite, and the customer-service operation that will be needed to support it, wouldn't be possible if the service was free. "This is an enormous investment," he said.

Activision has yet to mention how much this will actually cost per month but they have mentioned it will be similar to services such as Netflix. That means it will come out maybe around $7.99 a month.

Call of Duty: Elite will launch together with Modern Warfare 3 coming out on Nov 8, 2011 and will be implemented to previous Call of Duty games.

A trailer was also released to explain Call of Duty: Elite, they tried to make the video funny but failed.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s3Ixz7pHXdg]

Well what do you guys think? is COD: Elite worth your hard-earned cash?

[Source: Wallstreet. 4playerpodcast]

Review: Portal 2(PC)

Portal 2 is one of those rare games that every kind of gamer should experience. It's not every day where you find yourself immensely entertained by just puzzles and funny dialogue. If you ask me, this type of hybrid puzzler is pretty much the hardest game to pull off in the framework of an FPS, but Valve took everything that made the first game great to the next level, making Portal 2 one of the most polished games you will ever play. Ready to test once again for science?

Portal 2 Developer: Valve Corporation Publisher: Valve Corporation Platform: PC, Playstation 3, and Xbox 360

Story

The story is pretty simple and it revolves around our good friend Chell as she tries to escape Aperture's testing facility. Valve updated the first game's ending, adding on an extra scene to explain why Chell finds herself back in Aperture. It’s nothing big - it really just sets up the game.

The game starts with Chell placed in one of the testers’ quarters and sent into a deep sleep for an indeterminable number of years. She wakes up in the same room and notices that the place has all but worn out in the passing time. You get a knock from the door and you meet Wheatley, an AI core planning to help you escape Aperture once again. During your escape, Wheatley makes a huge mistake, which leads to Chell being stuck testing for GlaDOS in the chambers once again. The real escape starts here.

In the story, the real hero as to why the narrative works as well as it does is the game's witty dialogue. Weatley, GlaDOS and a few surprises in the rest of the facility are what bring this game to life. You'd think having a silent heroine would leave a giant hole in the narrative but it actually complements what they aimed to do with the rest of the characters in the large, lonely facility. People wondered and hoped that Chell would be given a voice, but that would have ruined just about everything else; the dialogue wouldn’t work nearly as effectively if Chell had to converse with the other characters. Some video game characters are simply better off without a voice, and giving them the ability to talk ruins the experience. In the end, When you have finished Portal 2 you'll feel a sense of amazement at the game’s simple yet charming story and memorable characters. I left very satisfied.

"going crazy with portals!"

Gameplay

If you played the first game, then you know how the game works. You’re equipped with just the portal gun that creates a portal from one location to another, and that's all you get. Each puzzle in Portal 2 has you figuring out how to get yourself to the exit of each testing chamber, armed with nothing but your wits, and the ever-trusty portal gun.

The puzzles in each area seem impossible at first but are all completely doable; all you have to do is think outside the box. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. You don’t just think outside the box, you think outside the box with portals. With the ability to go wherever you want with simple clicks of your mouse or controller, valve challenges the way you think. Everything you need is right in front of you; your success depends on how you use what you currently have. The puzzles in Portal 2 are great. When you've succeeded in a stage that kept you thinking, you can't help but smile and appreciate how clever that one was.

The game is so polished that each subsequent puzzle has just the right amount of added difficulty. The first few stages give you an introduction, showing off some of the tricks and techniques made possible by the portal gun, but during these simple tutorials you’re still challenged to solve a puzzle, making the introductions of each feature effective. It may look difficult from afar, but the game is easy to grasp since they expose you enough to get the concept right away.

Game bugs during my play-through were almost non-existent, another example of how well Valve developed Portal 2. With a game like this that’s so complex and difficult to develop, a noticeable bug once in a while is understandable but there were none worth mentioning. As the credits rolled, I realized that the only thing that interrupted my experience was my initial failures at a couple of puzzles.

Each puzzle brings something new to the table. You won’t see a test chamber similar to the previous ones you’ve completed. The game actually gets better as you get closer to the end. With new features in the game like the different gels added or the beam-like bridge being thrown at the player for them to use and figure out, the game always stays interesting and continues to offer new surprises. What’s more, by having individual developers work on individual chambers they made sure that each chamber has their own identity for you to figure out and overcome.

The environment also stays fresh as you progress through the game. At the start of the game you’re placed to the usual test chambers but as you move closer to the end your introduced to a very different setting that organically gives the puzzles there a different feel. Portal 2 just keeps giving.

The only complaint I can think of is the replay value of the game. After all, it's a puzzle game and when you know each puzzle there's no point playing the game again, unless you’re one of those achievement junkies. The single player clocks around 8-12 hours. It may seem short for some, but you won’t regret owning Portal 2 when you start playing since the gameplay is just so solid. If you want more, the co-op mode is just as long as the single player and has a completely different story and scenario.

"Atlas and P-body in co-op mode"

If you thought that using one portal gun to make it to the exit was hard enough, co-op is even harder. You really need cooperation and I advise you to force a buddy to buy this game and a mic along with it so you can communicate. Everything you’ve experienced in the Single Player will be there and the difficulty is much higher here since you have another player to worry about. It’s a completely different experience and each puzzle in co-op is designed specifically for the mode. You’ll have to work with four portals now and figure out how to bring both players to the exit, not always an easy task.

Each multiplayer puzzle is just as well crafted as the ones in single player; it can get crazy fast and is loads of fun. If by any chance you have no friends at all and can’t find a partner, you can search for another lonely player with the fast search option but I strongly suggest playing with a friend. You will often find someone that has already figured out some puzzles you have yet to experience and that will ruin it. There are also players that hold your hands and don’t even bother to teach you how to solve the puzzle. This is a great experience and must be played with another player at the same level as you.

Graphics and Sound

The game’s graphics show a small improvement in quality over the first game. Since you explore more of Aperture outside the test chambers, some places can amaze you, but compared to the triple-A titles coming out this year, there's no comparison.

The voice acting though in this game is amazing. From GlaDOS constantly complaining and insulting you because you killed her last time, to Wheatley's funny, sometimes bizarre complaints and observations as you try escape the facility. As you go through puzzle after puzzle, the small talk and side-comments gives players a good laugh during or after a puzzle. It's great and I definitely had those instances where I stopped what I was doing and just listened to what they have to say.

Overall

Portal 2 is one of the best games I’ve played so far this year. Unique gameplay, witty dialogue, a simple yet satisfying story, and a well polished game. There’s so much that this puzzle game got right. The flow of the game is perfect and the difficulty of each puzzle is just right. Most games out now are somewhat similar or familiar in certain ways and you hardly find a game that provides something new for us gamers to experience. Portal 2 is a perfect example of how game developers can still wow us with something completely out of our comfort zones. I recommend even non-gamers to experience this game if they can. This is one title you should not ignore.

Score: 95/100

Pros:

- Amazing Single Player and Co-op modes

- Puzzles are challenging but not impossible

- Great dialogue and voice acting

- Well polished game

Cons:

- Weak replay value

- Short game