007: Quantum of Solace

007: Quantum of Solace is a first-person shooter (third-person shooter for PlayStation 2) video game based on the films Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. The game was released on October 31, 2008 in Europe and November 4, 2008 in North America The game's release coincided with the release of Quantum of Solace. The game is the first James Bond title published by Activision; the company acquired the video game licence to the James Bond franchise in 2006. The game was released on multiple platforms and was developed by four different companies: Treyarch, Eurocom, Beenox, and Vicarious Visions. It is powered by the Call of Duty 4 game engine. It is also the first James Bond video game to be released on a seventh generation console as well as the first to feature Daniel Craig's voice and likeness, as well as those of Eva Green, Judi Dench, Mads Mikkelsen, Olga Kurylenko and Mathieu Amalric.

Plot

The game begins with James Bond kidnapping Mr. White, a member of the previously unknown organization Quantum. While he and M interrogate White, White escapes with the help of a traitorous MI6 agent, who is killed by Bond while White escapes. Later, Bond spies on a meeting of Quantum members and photographs them; among them is Dominic Greene, a well known environmentalist.
The game jumps forward to Bond crash landing in Bolivia, where Greene is trying to buy land. By this time, Bond has met Camille Montes, who is seeking vengeance against General Medrano, who is trying to overthrow the Bolivian government. Bond learns that Medrano killed Camille's family, and this is why she wants revenge. Bond opens up to Camille about the death of his former love, recounting the events of Casino Royale.
Bond and Camille soon arrive at a hotel in the middle of the Bolivian desert. There, Greene and Medrano are discussing the land that Greene want to buy; Greene plans to fund Medrano's attempt to overthrow the government in exchange for the land that Greene wants. Bond and Camille break up the meeting; Camille then kills Medrano while Bond kills Greene. During the fight, the hotel's fuel cells are ignited; Bond and Camille manage to escape from the hotel before it explodes. They leave the area in an MI6 helicopter.

Weapons

Most weapons in the game are named after James Bond films and are based on real weapons such as the FRWL, which is an assault rifle which is based on the AKS-74U and named after the film, From Russia with Love and the A3 Raker, which is an assault rifle as well which is based on the Steyr AUG and is named after the film, Moonraker. Weapons in the games which are made by Walther Arms are given their real name and feature the Walther logo on them, such as the P99 and the WA2000.

Gameplay

Multiplayer

The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows editions of the game support 12 players online, while the Beenox-developed Wii version supports 4 players online and offline.

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

• Bond Versus: A lone Bond plays against six other members of the 'Organization'. Bond will win if he defuses two of the three bombs, or else eliminates every member of the Organization. To make the game fairer Bond has two lives, can see all enemies, and can use any weapon set (whereas the members of the Organization have only 3 basic options). The Organization wins if Bond dies twice or if he cannot defuse two bombs in the time limit.
• Team Conflict: Basic Team Deathmatch of MI6 versus the 'Organization'.
• Golden Gun: This is a standard free-for-all conflict, which the main aim is to score 100 points. One point is scored for a kill with normal weapons, or for picking up the Golden Gun, while kills while holding the Golden Gun (or killing the person with it) scores 6. The winner is the first to score 100 points, or the highest amount of points in the allotted time limit.
• Bond Evasion: There are two teams, MI6 and The Organization. One player from the MI6 team is randomly designated as Bond, and therefore as the VIP. MI6 wins the round if Bond can get to the escape point, or if all of the Organization are eliminated. The Organization wins if Bond is prevented from escaping within the time limit, or if he dies.
• Territory Control: Basic match of one team having to control a point to gain points for their team.
• Classic: You start with a GF 18 A (glock 18). Weapons and explosives are spawned around the level for you to pick up.

When playing in Multiplayer, credits are earned based on the number of points accrued. These are used, in a currency format, to purchase further enhancements and upgrades. These can be spent on unlocking new weapons, explosives, gadgets (such as increased health or better accuracy) and attachments for weapons. The upgrades can be accumulated in any order, instead of in a set order, and are able to stack.

Wii

• Conflict: This is a death-match. Up to four players compete versus each other to score as many kills as possible in a selectable number of minutes.
• Rush: This is a mission death-match. All players (up to four) are against each other, and are assigned certain missions to complete in a selectable number of minutes.
• Team Conflict: The goal is to get the most kills for your team (Organization versus MI-6). The teams can be constructed in any way (3 vs 1, 2 vs 2, 4 vs 0, in a four player match). There is a time limit of 15 minutes.
• Team Rush: This is a team play game. The goal is to do specific missions before the other team does, all while staying alive. 15 minutes is the time limit.

The Wii's ranking system is the same as Mario Kart Wii's online. Players start at 5000 points, and can gain or lose points depending how well they played. The 5000 points are separate for each game mode, for example: A player can have 5350 points in Conflict, and have 5000 points in Rush or Team Rush.

Music

The music for the game was written by composer Christopher Lennertz, who recorded the strings for his score overseas, but then recorded brass, percussion and guitar with members of the Hollywood Studio Symphony in Los Angeles at the Capitol Records Studios. The game features a different theme song from that of the film, "When Nobody Loves You" (written by Richard Fortus and Kerli; performed by Fortus, Kerli, and David Maurice; produced and arranged by David Maurice). The song plays over an opening title sequence in the Bond tradition that is proprietary to the game, but is based on the (pre-credits) car chase sequence from the film.

Assassin's Creed III

Assassin's Creed III is an upcoming historical action-adventure video game being developed and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Microsoft Windows. It will be the fifth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and the third numbered title in the series. The game is set for release on October 30, 2012. Ubisoft has said that the game will be bigger than any of its previous installments.

Origins

Work on Assassin's Creed III began almost immediately after the release of Assassin's Creed II (2009) by a senior team of Ubisoft developers. When Ubisoft first revealed Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood in 2010, as new details came to light, there was some confusion within the gaming community as to whether this would be Assassin's Creed III. According to the developers Brotherhood was not Assassin's Creed III, and that the third installment will not star a "pre-existing character". Ubisoft Montreal's developers stated in their interviews that Assassin's Creed III will be released eventually. Jean-François Boivin of Ubisoft also stated that each numbered title in the series will introduce a new lead character and a new setting. Patrice Désilets, former series' creative director, said that the series has always been planned as a trilogy. He also commented on the story of Assassin's Creed III, saying that it will focus on Assassins' quest to prevent the end of the world in 2012, and their race against time to find temples and Apples of Eden built by "Those Who Came Before". Desmond will be searching for clues as to the locations of these temples, by exploring memories of one (or more) of his other ancestors.
In October 2011 Alexandre Amacio, creative director of Assassin's Creed: Revelations, announced that the next installment of the franchise was to be released before December 2012, however, Amacio himself would not be directing the game. This comes from the idea that Desmond Miles, the modern day protagonist of the series, was to finish his tale by December 2012. Amacio said that gamers should not have to play a futuristic game after the time period in which it is set.

Pre-announcement

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed during an earnings call on November 8, 2011, that a new "major" Assassin's Creed game will be released in 2012. Guillemot refused to go into any further detail on the title beyond its confirmation. Speaking to MCV, Guillemot dismissed the notion that annual Assassin's Creed installments are diluting the brands, stating instead that they're necessary to "satisfy the demand". Guillemot also claimed in the same interview that this year's Assassin's Creed will be the series' "biggest to date."
In February 2012, Ubisoft officially confirmed the existence of Assassin's Creed III, and its North American release date of October 30, 2012. Guillemot described Assassin's Creed III as "the true next generation of both the Assassin's Creed brand and interactive entertainment/storytelling in general. We will push the title a lot because it's a fantastic product that the team has been working on for three years. What we have seen is just fabulous." Guillemot went on to say the publisher's investing more heavily in the game than in any other title in the series.

Internal leaks

Reports of Assassin's Creed III would take place during the American Revolution surfaced following a supposed "inside source" at Ubisoft claimed that in January 2012. On February 29, 2012, an upcoming promotional image of the game was sent to Kotaku by a Best Buy employee, along with information from the retailer that a full reveal was imminent. The leaked promotional image led to a general consensus that the game is set in North America during the American Revolution, and at least in part, a snowy setting.Around the same time, Ubisoft mentioned "a major announcement from Assassin's Creed" was "only days away" via the series' official Facebook. The page's cover photo also depicted a snowy and bleak setting. Further GameInformer appeared ready to confirm the fresh details via an advertising banner posted on its site. Images show the new assassin standing next to American revolutionary leader George Washington.
Following the reports, Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed III's official box art on March 1, 2012, which confirms the game's American Revolution setting. The company said it will announce "all the details" at 5pm on March 5. Additionally, Game Informer revealed its latest cover feature which includes more artwork of the game's new main character. On March 2, several screenshots were leaked ahead of Ubisoft's official reveal, and the first gameplay details emerged via Game Informer.

Post-announcement

Assassin's Creed III was unveiled with a first cinematic trailer on March 5, 2012. Ubisoft described the game as the "most ambitious" project in the company's history, with twice the production capacity of any previous title from the publisher. The game features a new engine, AnvilNext, for improved visuals, character models and AI, allowing for battlefields full of fighters. Ubisoft later said it's aiming to make Assassin's Creed III "look next-gen" on current-gen consoles using the new AnvilNext engine.
Ubisoft said that when Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption released mid-way through Assassin's Creed III's development, it was surprised to see Rockstar had included wild animal hunting and a giant frontier to explore - features both planned for its own sequel. Lead writer Corey May said Ubisoft's now looking at Red Dead's success and trying to take the formula in "new directions". Similarities between these two games are down to "a convergence of minds", said Assassin's Creed III lead writer Turner.Creative Director Alex Hutchinson said Ubisoft steered clear of making the Assassin's Creed III protagonist a female character because the game's setting is not a strong match. Hutchinson said while many people wanted to see female assassins in the series, the American Revolution setting makes it difficult this time round.
Ubisoft recommends the PC version of the game to be played with a controller even though it will still support keyboard and mouse setup. Ubisoft Montreal's Creative Director Alex Hutchinson admitted: "We're definitely supporting PC, we love PC, but I think it'll be PC with a controller. I don't see us investing hugely in a mouse and keyboard setup. I think if you want to play on PC and you want to play Assassin's Creed, you have a controller."