Co-Optimus

Colony of Gamers has posted an interview with Splash Damage Creative Director, Richard Ham, concerning the upcoming 8 player cooperative Brink.  While co-op is discussed a bit, we do get some good details on how character progression will work as we bring our different characters between games.  The game will even offer an option to power level up a new character with "extra XP" from another.

 Have you decided whether or not players will be allowed to change body types or factions, or are these choices permanent? If I create a second character to explore some of the other options, does he then start over at level 1, or does my XP carry over across all my characters?

You can change class at any time during a mission using a Command Post, and when you’re between missions, you can change your body type via the appearance customization options.

If you’re playing through a storyline campaign, your faction will be locked to that of your chosen campaign. If you create multiple characters, you can transfer XP from one character to another; so if your first character has a lot of extra XP and you want to level up a 2nd character really fast, just give him some XP from your first character.

Other information in the interview talks about the game's weapon count which caps out at twenty four, the innovative SMART system, and kits.

There's also good news for console players in terms of the match making interface.  It sounds like a lot of time and effort was put into the game to make it incredibly easy to jump into a game with your friends or party.  Fret not PC gamers, Brink will have dedicated servers as well!

http://www.co-optimus.com/article/4071/brink-has-dedicated-servers-console-matchmaking-and-interesting-xp-uses.html

10 of the best Nintendo 3DS games

Nintendo's brand new 3D games are sowonderful! I bought a 3DS CARD from my friend's store http://www.ps3breakr4.com and start enjoyingthese games.

Here are our 10 choices for the games you should already be saving yourprecious Star Coins for...

RESIDENTEVIL: REVELATIONS

It's still a while away yet, butalready Resident Evil: Revelations is looking the business. It's a completely original3DS-exclusive game set on a spooky cruise ship, among other locations. Fromwhat we've seen of it so far, it seemsthat our favourite elements of all the Resident Evils will be combined, mixingthe old-school zombie shocks and suspense from the first three Resi games withthe new control system from Resi 4 and 5.

Add to this the incredible graphics and the inevitability that you'll have loads of manky, gorymonsters jumping out of the screen at you as you play, and you've got a game Resi fans wouldsell their soul for. We'llbuy that at a high price.

RESIDENTEVIL: THE MERCENARIES

Take the frantic Mercenaries mini-games from Resident Evil 4 and 5, slap theirstages and characters into one package, add some more stages and characters tokeep things interesting, make it all 3D and, hey presto, you've got Mercenaries on the 3DS.

While we clearly can'twait for Resident Evil: Revelations, it's fair to say that Mercenaries will probably be bettersuited to the handheld because it'sdesigned to provide quick bursts of gameplay, and so will be perfect to getstuck into for ten minutes on the train.

Players can play the game co-operatively, and then upload their highest scoreto an online leaderboard. If it'sfrantic action you'relooking for, this could be the one for you.

METAL GEAR SOLID 3: SNAKEEATER 3D

Hideo Kojima is still keeping sneakily tight-lipped on this 3DS remake of thefantastic PS2 gem Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. He still refuses to show anymore of the game just yet, but he did tease Nintendo World visitors with somenew information.

According to Kojima-san, the game will use the 3DS's StreetPass feature, as wellas its gyroscope and other motion-sensing abilities. Given how clever theseries has been with the use of hardware in the past (who could forget PsychoMantis's memory card mind trick fromthe first game?) we'vegot every faith that Kojima-san will deliver a cracker here.

THE LEGENDOF ZELDA: OCARINA OF TIME 3D

This remake of the Nintendo 64 classic is looking better every time we see it.Producer Eiji Aonuma has promised that Ocarina 3D will not only look better,but will also improve some of the niggles from the original version of thegame.

This means the famously annoying Water Temple will now be much less fiddly(instead of having to pause and go to an inventory screen to change Link's boots every minute or so,you can now just tap them on the touch screen), aiming will be more accurate(you can use the 3DS'smotion sensing abilities to aim your catapult by tilting the system) and Naviwill, thankfully, be less annoying too (if she wants your attention she has towait until you tap her on the touch screen now). This is going to be a welcomeblast from the past.

SUPER STREETFIGHTER IV: 3D EDITION

We're amazed Capcom has managedto get such a great-looking port of Super Street Fighter IVon a handheld in the first place, let alone all the new features that have beencrammed in there too.

For starters, you'renow able to change to an alternative camera angle if you fancy, which lets yousee the action from over your character's shoulder (with the 3D adding more depth). Then there's the ability to performcertain special moves by tapping icons on the touch screen.

Finally, the Figurine Mode lets you use the 3DS's StreetPass function to have scraps withpeople you walk past (assuming you both have a SSFIV game save) and build afigure collection in the process. All that aside, the fact that this is SuperStreet Fighter IV on a handheld is enough to have us excited.

NINTENDOGS CATS

The original Nintendogs was the game that kicked off the DS's popularity in the firstplace, so Nintendo clearly reckons its sequel will do the same for the 3DS.Obviously, the main addition is cats this time, but there are a few extrafeatures that could be neat.

One is the ability to take an AR (Augmented Reality) card (the small cards thatcome with the 3DS), put it on your table, point the 3DS at it and watch as yourNintendog (or Nintencat) appears on your real-life table and starts runningaround. We can'tthink of anything else that will get little sisters the world over thisexcited, other than JLS kicking down their bedroom door and having a gig thereand then.

KID ICARUS:UPRISING

When we saw the Kid Icarus trailer back at E3 it opened with Pit smarmilysaying: "sorry to keep you waiting!". Turns out he wasn't joking, because Kid Icarus:Uprising won'tbe a 3DS launch game as we'dhoped. If it ends up playing as good as it appears though we're happy to wait, because itlooks like it's goingto be a blast.

It's part Sin and Punishmentstyle shooter, part on-foot adventure game, and the 3DS's thumb slider will makecontrolling Pit a breeze as he soars through each stage. It's been 20 years since Pit hashad a starring role in a game, so it's safe to say he's ready to explode back onto the scene in a big way.

PAPER MARIO

While there'sno sign yet of a Super Mario Galaxy or New Super Mario Bros game heading to the3DS, that doesn'tmean everyone'sfavourite chubby funster isn'tstill making the jump to 3D.

Paper Mario has the potential to be one of the most stylish games on the 3DS,and could be one of the best titles to make use of 3D graphics. The theme thistime around is stickers: as Mario collects various stickers you can stick themonto the environment to help him proceed.

Can't get over a big gap? Use asticker of a bridge. Want some help in one of the game's turn-based battles? Use aboot sticker to get extra attack power. This could be an interesting one.

PILOTWINGSRESORT

Another sequel that we'vebeen waiting a long time for - fourteen years to be exact - Pilotwings Resortsees you taking to the skies in a light plane, rocket belt or hang glider asyou explore Wuhu Island (from Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resort) in a whole newway.

The 3D effect makes a huge difference, giving a great sense of scale and makingit easier to judge distances. Since the 3DS also has a Mii Channel much likethe Wii's, you can also use your Miias the pilot. Finally, a chance to use our Mii of Tom Cruise from Top Gun!

DEAD ORALIVE: DIMENSIONS

All the excitement may be surrounding Super Street Fighter IV just now, but don't forget there's another fantastic fightingseries making its Nintendo debut.

After its success with Metroid: Other M, Team Ninja is returning to what itknows and delivering another fighting game complete with elaborate combos,interactive scenery and jiggly lady bits. Dead Or Alive: Dimensions promises avast roster of characters (including some faces that return from older DOAgames) and a story mode that helps tie them all together.

This game looks so interseting. But I ultimately must choose between this and L.A. NOIRE. I'll probably go with the latter because I've already played games with classes just like these such as Team Fortress 2 and killzone 2/3. I can still go play Killzone 3 if I want to play as a spy/medic/engineer. WAY TOO many games this year. The last couple of months alone are going to be stupid crammed pack full of games. I can't believe I'm saying this, but a lot of games NEED to be delayed into next year...

I've grown to love Brink over these past weeks because of the information & videos they have shown but I'm overhyped for Mass Effect 3