Best Games of Year 2012 (Contd:VI)

Assassin's Creed III

Assassin's Creed III is a 2012 action-adventure video game developed byUbisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Microsoft Windows. It is the fifth major installment in the Assassin's Creed series, and a direct sequel to 2011's Assassin's Creed: Revelations. The game was released worldwide for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, beginning in North America on October 30, 2012, with a Wii U and Microsoft Windows release following in November 2012.

The plot is set in a fictional history of real world events and follows the centuries old struggle between the Assassins, who fight for peace with free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features series protagonist Desmond Mileswho, with the aid of a machine known as the Animus, relives the memories of his ancestors to find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. The story is set in the 18th century, before, during and after the American Revolution from 1753 to 1783, and follows Desmond's half-English, half-Mohawk ancestor,Ratonhnhaké:ton (/ˈrəduːnˈhəɡeɪduːn/), also known as Connor, as he fights the Templars' attempts to gain control of the colonies.

Assassin's Creed III is set in an open world and presented from the third-person perspective with a primary focus on using Desmond and Connor's combat and stealth abilities to eliminate targets and explore the environment. Connor is able to freely explore 18th-century Boston, New York and the American frontier to complete side missions away from the primary storyline. The game also features a multiplayer component, allowing players to compete online to complete solo and team based objectives including assassinations and evading pursuers. Ubisoft developed a new game engine, Anvil Next, for the game.^[11]

The game received mostly positive reviews from critics and was a massive commercial success, selling more than 12 million copies worldwide. A continuation of the series, entitled Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, was released in October 2013, and follows Ratonhnhaké:ton's grandfather – Edward Kenway – a pirate and Assassin operating in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy.^[12]

Assassin's Creed 3 PC System Requirements

In order to run Assassin's Creed III properly, your PC MUST meet or exceed these minimum requirements:

Minimum System Requirements

Supported OS: Windows Vista (SP2) / Windows 7 (SP1) / Windows 8

Processor: 2.66 GHz Intel Core2 Duo E6700 or 3.00 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ or better recommended

RAM: 2 GB (4 GB recommended)

Video Card: 512 MB DirectX 9.0c-compliant with Shader Model 4.0 or higher (see supported list)*

Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c-compliant (5.1 surround sound recommended)

DVD-ROM: Dual-layer drive

Hard Drive Space: 17 GB

Peripherals Supported: Windows-compatible keyboard, mouse, optional controller (Xbox 360 Controller for Windows recommended)

Multiplayer: 256 kbps or faster broadband connection

Supported Video Cards at Time of Release:

AMD Radeon HD 3870 / 4000 / 5000 / 6000 / 7000 series or better

NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT / 9 / 100 / 200 / 300 / 400 / 500 / 600 series or better

Laptop versions of these cards may work, but are not supported. These chipsets are the only ones that will run this game

Source:Wikipedia,Ubi

Best Games of Year 2012 Contd (:V)

Mass Effect 3

Mass Effect 3 is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWareand published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360,PlayStation 3, and Wii U.^[8] Officially announced on December 11, 2010,^[9]^[10] the game was released March 6, 2012^[11] and marks the final chapter in the Mass Effect trilogy of video games, completing the story ofCommander Shepard.^[12]^[13] A Wii U version was announced during Nintendo's conference at E3 2012.^[14] The Wii U port was developed by Australian developer Straight Right,^[1] and was released as a Wii U launch game^[6] under the title Mass Effect 3: Special Edition.

The combat system in Mass Effect 3 has been changed and refined. In particular, the cover system has been improved, there are more options for moving around the battlefield and scoring instant melee kills, more conventional grenades are available and an improved artificial intelligenceis introduced. A four player multiplayer co-op mode is also available in game.^[15] Gameplay in Mass Effect 3 is influenced by decisions made inMass Effect and Mass Effect 2, for players who have completed those games. It was nominated for five awards at the 2012 Spike Video Game Awards and it won Best RPG of 2012.^[16]

Like its predecessors, Mass Effect 3 was released to commercial success and critical acclaim. However, the game's endings were criticized by many players, prompting the release of an extended cut DLC (downloadable content) which elaborated on the consequences of the ending chosen and the choices made by the player throughout the series.

Minimum system requirements:

OS – Windows XP SP3 / Vista SP1 / Windows 7
CPU – 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
RAM – 1 GB for Windows XP / 2 GB for Vista or Windows 7
Disc Drive – 1x speed
Hard Drive: at least 15 GB of free space

Internet connection is required to play
GPU – 256 MB with Pixel Shader 3.0 support
- Supported chipsets: Nvidia 7900 or better; ATI X1800 or better. Please note that Nvidia GeForce 9300, 8500, and 8300 are below minimum system requirements, as are AMD/ATI Radeon HD3200, HD3300, and HD4350.
Sound – DirectX 9.0c compatible
DirectX – DirectX 9.0c
Please note that if using an AMD Dual Core CPU, we recommend utilizng the AMD Dual Core Optimizer, available for free download by AMD.

Recommended system requirements:

OS – Windows XP SP3 / Vista SP1 / Windows 7
CPU – 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo or equivalent AMD CPU
RAM – 2 GB for Windows XP / 4 GB for Vista or Windows 7
Disc Drive – 1x speed
Hard Drive: at least 15 GB of free space

Internet connection is required to play
Video – AMD/ATI Radeon HD4850 512 MB or greater / Nvidia GeForce 9800GT 512 MB or greater
Sound – DirectX 9.0c compatible
Please note that if using an AMD Dual Core CPU, we recommend utilizng the AMD Dual Core Optimizer, available for free download by AMD.

Source: Wikipedia, ea

Best Games of Year 2012 (Contd;IV)

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (ペルソナ4 Perusona Fō^?) is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus for Sony'sPlayStation 2, and chronologically the fifth installment in the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona series. Persona 4 was released in Japan in July 2008, North America in December 2008, and Europe in March 2009. An enhanced remake for the PlayStation Vita, Persona 4: Golden, was released in Japan in July 2012, North America in November 2012 and in Europe in February 2013. In April 2014, the game was ported to the Playstation 3 as a downloadable Playstation Store title as a PS2 Classic.^[5]

Persona 4 takes place in a fictional Japanese countryside and is indirectly related to both Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 and Persona 2. The player-named main protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the countryside from the city for a year. During his year-long stay, he becomes involved in investigating mysterious murders while harnessing the power of summoning Persona. The game features a weather forecast system with events happening on foggy days to replace the moon phase system implemented in the previous games.

The plot of Persona 4 was inspired by the work of mystery novelists owing to its murder mystery premise. The rural setting was based on a town on the outskirts of Mount Fuji and intended as a "'nowhere' place" and is the central setting to have players sympathize with the daily life of the characters. The developers added many in-game events to prevent the game from becoming stale. During the localization, numerous alterations to names and cultural references were done to preserve the effect through translation, but some Japanese cultural references were altered or removed.

The release of the game in Japan was also accompanied with retail merchandise revolving around the game's theme such as character costumes and accessories. The North American package of the game was released with a CD with selected music from the game, and, unlike Persona 3, the European package also contained a soundtrack CD. The music was composed by Shōji Meguro, with vocals by Shihoko Hirata who sang the theme song "Pursuing My True Self". The game was positively received by critics and developed into a full franchise. Various manga and light noveladaptations and spin-offs have been produced, and a television animeadaptation by AIC ASTA aired in Japan between October 2011 and March 2012. A fighting game sequel to the game, Persona 4 Arena, was released in 2012. An anime adaptation of Persona 4 Golden will begin airing in July 2014.