Off the Newsstand: Game Informer Issue 228

Two editions of Off the Newsstand in one week, well that is a first.  Got both issues of EGM and Game Informer on the same day so immediately after I breezed through EGM, I breezed through Game Informer.  The bad part of that breezing through both magazines was that I had nothing to read until this past Tuesday when I got my newest issues of both Nintendo Power and Game Informer.  After an underwhelming March issue of Game Informer, let us see if Game Informer can bounce back with a good April issue.

In short, Game Informer Issue 228 is a better than Issue 227.  It is not the best issue out there, but a solid nonetheless.  With Ubisoft's announcement of Assassin's Creed III releasing this coming October, Game Informer has new protagonist, Connor gracing the two special covers.  While the Assassin's Creed III cover story is a much more informative and a better read than The Last of Us cover story from the last issue, it did nothing to get me excited for the fourth Assassin's Creed game in four years.  Honestly, I was more excited for Assassin's Creed: Revelations after reading Game Informer's cover story back last June than for the newest entry in Ubisoft's cash cow.  Maybe it is franchise fatigue or Assassin's Creed may not  be my cup of tea.  If you are a fan of Assassin's Creed, you will definitely eat up everything that is reveled in Game Informer's good cover story.  If you are not a fan of Assassin's Creed, this issue of Game Informer is packed with good articles.  Some of the articles you can find in this issue are an interview with Mojang's Markus "Notch" Persson, the man responsible for a little indie game by the name of Minecraft, coverage of the D.I.C.E. summit in Las Vegas, a roundtable interview with Marvel Comics' top writers about video games, comics and Avengers vs. X-Men, a look at Zen Studios, makers of hit downloadable game Pinball FX 2 and a interview with the designer of the Flash game tribute to the 8-bit era, Abobo's Big Adventure, Roger Barr.  Those all come with another solid round-up of previews on upcoming games such as Hitman Absolution and Far Cry 3 and reviews on recently released games like SSX and Syndicate.  One article I could personally do without is Game Informer's annual April Fool's tradition, Game Infarcer, a fake magazine within Game Informer.  It will illicit a few laughs here and there, but there are much better ways to use those few pages on a stupid jokes about the gaming industry.  I will say it is funny watching somebody skim through Game Informer only to stumble upon the Game Infarcer article and believe everything on those few pages.

Overall, Issue 228 of Game Informer is a solid issue.  The cover story will only excite fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise, but it is still an enjoyable read.  If you do not enjoy the cover story, the other great articles will more than make up for it.  You will not be disappointed if you pick up Issue 228 of Game Informer at your local book store or library.

Launch Station: Syndicate

Yesterday, we took a look at one of the underdogs that release today, Asura's Wrath.  Today, we take a look at the other underdog.  Published by EA Games and developed by Starbreeze (the developers who made Escape for Butcher Bay and the Darkness), Syndicate has talent behind it, but has not made much of a smash among the gaming community.  Maybe it is that the cyberpunk setting is not as familiar with shooter fans or that hardcore gamers just sick and tired of first-person shooters.  It is sad considering Syndicate looks to be a very unique first-person shooter.

Starbreeze's Syndicate is a reboot of the 1993 strategy game of the same name.  In the year 2069, the world as we know it is no more.  Governments and politicians have become a thing of the past as mega-corporations known as syndicates have taken over and divided the world up as they pleased.  As greed and power have now become the main goal among these syndicates, business has become war.  You take control of Miles Kilos, EuroCorp's super-agent.  Equipped with EuroCorp's new DART 6 chip, Miles embarks on an adventure filled with corruption and revenge.  Syndicate offers players a more visceral first-person shooter experience as you are not limited to just guns.  You can take down foes with some brutal takedowns.  Through the DART 6 chip implanted in the player, you can manipulate the world in different ways.  You can slow down time, see through walls and other solid objects and hack computers, terminals, turrets and even other "chipped" humans (friend or foe).  The idea that you can hack into a "chipped" individual and either persuade them to join your side or take out others before committing suicide is crazy yet extremely dark.  Syndicate also offers online co-op for up to four people.  In the online co-op, you and up to three other people join forces to complete one of nine missions.  Earn experience points through killing enemies, healing squad mates and completing mission objectives, collect new weapons from fallen enemies and acquire research points that can be used to upgrade weapons and enhance your Agent's powers.

Ever since EA released the first trailer for the Syndicate reboot, I personally have been excited to play this unique first-person shooter.  The first-person shooter genre is filled to the brim with mindlessly shallow experiences like Call of Duty that focus on more grander set pieces and bigger explosions with each sequel than push the genre forward like a Half-Life or a Bioshock that I do not get that excited for FPS games.  The guys and gals at Starbreeze look to add a something new to this genre with Syndicate and I commend them for that.  From what I played of the co-op demo, I am very impressed.  It focuses more on actual strategy than twitch-based run-and-spray tactics that a usual Call of Duty game devolves into.  While I do not think gamers will jump to Syndicate like they would a Call of Duty or Battlefield game, those who actually give Syndicate a try they will be in for a much different and unique experience unlike your average first-person shooter.