In what can be described as good news for anyone looking to get into next gen gaming, Microsoft has slashed the price of the Xbox 360 significantly this holiday season.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_37976_xbox360_450x360.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_37976_xbox360_450x360.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
For the month of December only, the Xbox 360 core console will be sold for Rs. 14,990 while the Pro version will set you back by Rs. 23,990. The core console will come bundled with two free games (Forza Motorsport 2 and Viva Piñata) while the Pro version will come bundled with four games (Project Gotham Racing 3, Forza Motorsport 2, Viva Piñata and Yuvraj Singh International Cricket 2007).

And remember, this offer is available till 31 December 07 and till stocks last.

No matter how long a game stays in development, its publishers should never rush the product to the finish line or they will end up with a half-assed product that not only doesn’t sell, but tarnishes the reputation of everyone associated with it as well. In case you haven’t got it by now, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men is one such half-assed product. Even though it hasn’t been in development for all that long, Eidos felt the need to push this game to retail when it clearly requires at least a year’s worth of work.

In today’s day and age, when gamers are spoilt for choice with phenomenal stuff like Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, BioShock etc, it’s practically suicidal to release a game like Kane and Lynch during these times. Had the game hit the stands back in 2003-04 (which is when Freedom Fighters was released), it may have done well, but today, it’s guaranteed to sink faster than a 20-pound dumbbell.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_37511_kanelynch_2_450x360.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.tech2.com/media/images/2007/Dec/img_37511_kanelynch_2_450x360.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Now we’ve already spoken about the game’s premise in our preview, so feel free to head there and get acquainted with this crazy duo before we get into the review.

Kane and Lynch would have played out like a standard third person shooter, but the game’s horrible combat mechanics prevent it from doing so. Aiming in the game just doesn’t feel right and for some reason weapons have an unrealistic amount of recoil, making you kill more birds than opponents. Hit detection is also extremely messed up – there were times when I nearly emptied a clip on an opponent’s head but he just kept coming right after me.

As if shooting wasn’t all that bad, the game also boasts of one of the most unresponsive and nightmare-inducing cover systems ever devised. Instead of going the Gears of War or the Rainbow Six way, the developers thought it would be fun to introduce an anal cover system that has you pressing your character against the wall hoping that he sticks to it. Effective? No. Annoying? Yes.


Throughout the game, you’ll have your squad (Lynch included) by your side who surprisingly aren’t as brain-dead as I expected. You can use them to flank enemies (to an extent), and even make all of them concentrate their fire on a particular spot. If you end up taking a significant amount of damage during a fight and find yourself on the brink of death, one of your squad mates will come to your rescue and pump you with a shot of adrenaline (you’re expected to do the same for them as well). Just make sure you don’t take too many shots or you’ll end up ODing and dying.

Of all the business strategies employed by various developers around the world, Ubisoft’s policy is by far the best in my opinion: hire a hot chick to sell games to adolescents. It’s simple yet effective. Think about it... would you have paid as much attention to Assassin’s Creed if its producer was a short, fat, balding man called Archibald? Yeah, I thought as much.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tech2.com/media/photogallery/2007/Nov/asscreed_6_450x360.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.tech2.com/media/photogallery/2007/Nov/asscreed_6_450x360.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Anyway, business strategies aside, Assassin’s Creed is a pretty good game unlike what a lot of people may lead you to believe; unfortunately it just doesn’t live up to the monumental expectations we had from Jade and company. The game has a unique premise, no doubt, and we could have witnessed one of the finest action games on the block had Ubisoft gone in for the GTA approach. Sadly they didn’t and what we have here is something that feels incomplete and empty at the end of the day.
<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tech2.com/media/photogallery/2007/Nov/asscreed_2_450x360.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.tech2.com/media/photogallery/2007/Nov/asscreed_2_450x360.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>As you know by now, the game puts players in the boots of as Assassin called Altair who at the start of game disgraces his clan by botching an important mission thanks to his arrogant and hasty nature. This irks his master no end, as a result of which Altair gets stripped of all his weapons and l33t skills. To prove himself to the organization once again he’s going to have to kill nine bad men, redeeming himself to his leader.

And yes, the game has a futuristic twist that’s revealed as soon as you boot it up; but I’m going to let you find that out for yourself as and when you get your hands on a copy (which would be sometime in December).

To successfully carry out a hit Altair has to perform a minimum of three investigations that range from eavesdropping while sitting on a nearby bench to pick-pocketing to beating the crap out of the informant until he spills the beans. Once you’ve got the lowdown on your target, you’re supposed to report your finding to the local Assassins' Bureau who, after boring you for a minute or so with words of wisdom or harsh criticism, grants you permission to eliminate your target.

From then on it’s just a matter of time before you catch up to your victim and thrust your blade in his throat. But this isn’t going to be a walk in the park since the nine targets are guarded fiercely and you’ll have to make your way through an entourage to get to each of them.

After you successfully kill him (and hear a boring monologue while he dies in your arms), you’ll have to make your way back to the Bureau while each and every guard in the city chases you like a rabid dog. To successfully escape their clutches you’ll have to break their line of sight first after which you could hide in a haystack or just blend into a group of scholars. Once you make it back to the Bureau it's smooth sailing as you can quickly travel back to your leader and give him the good news.