Urgent Frequency Ep. 98 – Mark Christianson, Medal Of Honor: Warfighter, & zombies!

On this episode…Commander Fury spends some quality time with Mark Christianson (Rigger82), C.O. of the Off Duty Gamers. And they talk about Pax Prime 2012, Medal Of Honor: Warfighter, Battlefield 3‘s third XPack, “Armored Kill“, zombie apocalypse safety tips, and the ODGs forthcoming 24hr GO*VETs charity gaming marathon.

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Urgent Frequency Ep. 91 – The 2011 VGA Preview Episode

After a year of major game releases, the game industry & gamers from all over the world are set to pick the best of the best for the 2011 Video Game Awards.

Shane Bell (Urgent Fury CIO) & Doc (The Tester (Season 1) & Replay w/ Doc) join Commander Fury to preview a few of the categories & make their 2011 VGA picks.

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Ultimate Battlefield: 3 Simulator ~ Full Story

Story by: CritiKiL

I wrote about this a couple of weeks ago but it was vague in nature. This time I’m bringing you all the Full Story, about how this project got started and who the participants are who helped make the ‘Ultimate Battlefield: 3 Simulator’…come to life. In the UK, Channel 5 has a program called The Gadget Show and they cover in-dept how this awesome Simulator started. On paper, what they’ve done sounds like a simple gimmick that will get plenty of people thinking “it’ll never work”. But the results were quite surprising when it all came to life!

First off, in order to build the Ultimate Gaming Experience The Gadget Show used an “Igloo Vision Dome” to potentially offer full 360 degree immersion, tie that in multiple High Definition projectors, a roller driven “omni-directional treadmill” which tracks the users actual movement, a Kinect, a massive array of paintball guns to simulate being shot and an awful lot of software that damn near literally puts you into the action of Battlefield 3.

For more information on the contributors who helped to make this simulator happen:

 

The full story of The Gadget Show‘s FPS gaming simulator build originally premiered on Channel 5 in the UK at 8pm on Monday October 24th 2011. The video we’re showing in this article contains mostly the highlights, so just checkout the video (below) and leave us a comment with your thoughts…

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So Far, Nothing Beats Battlefield: 3…

Story by: CritiKiL

The war for the military FPS game of the year has begun, and Battlefield 3 has fired the first shots.  The attention to detail and care that DICE has put into its Frostbite 2 engine shows (which is ‘also’ incorporated in NFS: The Run racing game!), and leaves gamers with a highly polished and addictive shooter.

In the campaign mode you’re in the shoes of Henry Blackburn, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps who’s being interrogated and as he tells his side of the story, you play through ‘his’ events and end up playing as a few different characters watching the story unfold from their individual perspectives (much like the Call of Duty franchise). It is clear that DICE tried too hard to capture the Call of Duty audience, but overall it owns up to having it’s on individuality. That’s what Battlefield is all about though, watching tanks battle and etc. But there’s a scene  that’s a skydiving mission and that is Awesome.  The Co-Op mode is not bad either.

However, it is the Multiplayer mode which steals the Show! It reminds me of the Socom we used to love but now hate. Don’t miss it at all. The squad based combat encourages teamwork and coordination. We have the choice of four classes; Assault, Engineer, Recon, and Support. Each class has its own set of abilities that aid the team. The Assault class can drop med kits to heal your comrades, the Engineer can repair damaged vehicles, the Recon class can spot targets and mark them, and with Support you can replenish your teammates’ ammo.  There are also a variety of customization options for each class with dozens of primary weapons and secondary weapons to choose from, and camouflages to earn for your soldier. Unlocking new weapons, attachments, camouflage, vehicle upgrades are dependent on your performance and how well you work with your team. We’re just not awarded for kill, but assists help us unlock equipment and weapons. Unlocking new items to customize our character is the heart of the multiplayer, and these rewards will keep you coming back for more.

So, if you’re looking for a deep multiplayer experience where working as a team is encouraged, Battlefield 3 is the game you have waited for. The campaign mode is nice, but the multiplayer is so fun and addictive that you can easily overlook the campaign’s shortcoming. Battlefield 3 will have your attention for months on end with its sharp graphics, amazing sound effects and team-based multiplayer. DICE once again shows that it knows how to make an enjoyable multiplayer experience.

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It’s All About the ‘BattleLog’, on Battlefield: 3

Story by: CritiKiL
First-off, I’d like to say that I hope everyone is enjoying the Battlefied: 3 Beta. I acquired it just yesterday and it seems like it’s going to be a really great game. But whats going to make this an even ‘greater’ game is definitely going to be, the BattleLog! The game Drops on 10/25/2011 for the PC, PS3 and of course XBox 360, and I strongly suggest that you fork-up the money for all that you’ll be getting! Here are just a Few of the things that is going to make this upcoming game, spectacular:
  • COM CENTER ~ Your friends list lives at the bottom of the page in the Com Center. There you can join their game and chat with them.
  • FRIENDS ACTIVITY FEEDGet instant reports when your friends unlock new weapons, get new awards or make plans for tonight’s game.
  • FINDING THE RIGHT SERVERSelect your favorite game modes, maps, and map sizes with the browser filter. Click a server you’d like to join alone or with friends.
  • INVITE YOUR FRIENDSDrag your friends from the Com Center to a Drop Zone and they will get an invite to join.
  • KEEPING UP TO DATEGame updates are automatically pushed to you. Use the Game Manager (‘bottom-menubar’ of BattleLog), to start the update process.
  • SHOW WHO YOU AREYour Profile is where other people come to see you. Your Soldiers, Stats, Favorite servers and your own personal Battle feed. 
  • NEVER PLAY ALONE ~ Join a platoon or create your own.
One more interesting point I’d like to make (not making any comparisons here!), but it’s interesting that with all we are getting with BattleLog, it’s FREE…and COD Elite is Charged (hmmmm ~ lol!) But if you want to get a True Comparison, check out this ‘Comparison Link’ below. There is no difference as they are both ‘comparisons’ to a video game:
Now, to Access the BattleLog, just click this link below:
DON’T FORGET TO WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW. It give’s an ‘in-depth’ look at the features and functionality of the free social platform Battlelog. Battlelog will change the way you play, track your stats, and interact with your friends in Battlefield 3.
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Oh Yea ~ Battlefield: 3 Has ‘Jets’!

Story by: CritiKiL
Watch this intense 64-player vehicle warfare, which includes…”Jets”! The video below is from the beautiful Battlefield 3 multiplayer map Caspian Border and it also marks the premier of jet gameplay as played at GamesCom 2011. The map: Caspian Border, is a multi-faceted, vehicle heavy map that exemplifies classic Battlefield gameplay. Yes, ‘Jets’ are Back! Check the video out for yourselves, and leave us a comment on what you think!
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Battlefield: 3 ~ Awesome New ‘Frostbite 2’ Engine Mechanics!

Story by: CritiKiL

The first thing I’d like to point out about this game is that, ‘No one is Safe‘: New Destruction engine allows you to blow holes in the walls where people will be hiding. As Commentors Sian Welby & Matt Cuttle (from Stockholm, Sweden) explain, The Frostbite 2 Dynamic Engine Animation System allows gameplay such as you’ve never seen ‘or heard’ before! (NOTE: Incidentally, the upcoming game ‘NFS: The Run’ encorporates this same engine!). Prepare to be amazed and drawn into realistic gameplay such as you’ve never experience at this level of Awesomeness. The video below shows Exclusive access to the heart of DICE, allowing us to check under the hood of Battlefield 3 by watching this special video and have a look at the brand new engine – Frostbite 2:

  • Revisit an old favourite from Battlefield 2 — Strike at Karkand and more with Niklas Fegreaus, Lead Designer on Back to Karkand and David Spinnier, one of the original map designers on Battlefield 2 as they talk to us about those maps and how they will evolve in Battlefield 3.
  • Lock and Load with Lead Weapons Designer, Alan Kertz as he discusses the Physical Warfare Pack and his weapon of choice.
  • Lars Gustavsson, Creative Director takes us through the evolution of Battlefield from the original concept drawings for Battlefield 1942 all the way to the upcoming Battlefield 3.
The key Pillars (or strengths) of this New Frostbite 2 Engine totally re-design how we see, hear and experience gameplay…from the ground up. It changes how we visualize, hear, experience and control the game! There are 5 basic principles which were focused on, in the re-animation of gameplay experience and they are:
  1. ANIMATION ~ a new level of FPS realism…
  2. DESTRUCTION ~ annihilate buildings, deminish cover…
  3. AUDIO ~ award-winning immersion and atmosphere…
  4. SCALE ~ huge detailed landscapes, dense urban areas…
  5. RENDERING ~ cinematic image quality, lighting and effects….

For more info, check out this link, but WATCH THIS AWESOME VIDEO First! (below):

http://www.ea.com/uk/battlefield3

 

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Battlefield 3 Looks Gorgeous, Multiplayer Beta Announced

Courtesy Game Informer / EA press conference
by Jeff Marchiafava on June 06, 2011 at 03:55 PM

 

At EA’s press conference, DICE showed off the superior power of Battlefield 3’s Frostbite engine, announced a window for the multiplayer beta, and took a jab at Activision’s Call Of Duty: Elite pay service.

After seeing the live demo for Battlefield 3, it’s no surprise that EA chose to end its press conference with DICE’s upcoming shooter. Before starting the demo, the DICE rep showed off some of the advancements of the Frostbite 2.0 engine. The improvements include better animation (which is particularly evident in player transitions), better destruction (the video showed teaser clips of entire buildings crumbling to pieces), a larger sense of scale, and improved rendering (I’m still not convinced that the smoke animations are being handled in real time; they’re gorgeous). Oh yeah, the audio is improved too, but DICE is already the king in the sound department, so that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

DICE also took the time to mention its new Battlelog initiative, a set of social and stat-tracking tools that will be available online to Battlefield 3 players. The DICE rep stated with a smile that all of Battlelog’s options, which include finding online opponents, managing friends lists, and following your stats and achievements in real time, will be available to players free of charge — a clear shot across the bow at Activision’s recently announced pay service, Call Of Duty: Elite. Whether the two services will truly be comparable remains to be seen, but DICE has always been generous with the amount of statistics it offers players.

As for the actual demo, most of it took place inside of a tank rolling across a desert that appeared to be larger than anything I’ve seen in a Battlefield game yet. Although the tank’s HUD will look familiar to Bad Company 2 players, the demo sold the sense of the player actually being inside of a tank: Several times the player transitioned between different cameras attached to the turret and an overhead drone, and looked on as another passenger loaded giant shells into the barrel. The demo ended in a shower of explosions, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that they were the prettiest explosions I’ve ever seen in a video game.

If you can’t wait to play the game for yourself, the demo also revealed that the multiplayer beta will be available across multiple platforms starting in September; the game is scheduled to be released on October 25. We’ll be bringing you more on Battlefield 3 when we get some hands-on time with the game later this week.

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Urgent Frequency Ep. #82- PAX East 2011 PREVIEW

Urgent Fury CIO Shane Bell stops by for a very “loosey goosey” episode of Urgent Frequency.

An episode that features the usual Urgent Fury SITREP, a complete PAX East 2011 Preview, a surprise guest, and Charlie Sheen. WINNING! Duh!

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