Source: http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/119/1190745p1.html

It's easy to forget how unforgiving Counter-Strike can be. Valve's competitive online shooter truly rewards the skilled and stomps all over the newcomers. There are no Call of Duty-style kill streaks, no artillery barrages to call in or packs of dogs to let loose. It's just you, your guns, a few grenade types and your ability to react. Map knowledge, teamwork and quick reflexes are the only things that matter.

With Global Offensive (or GO), the next version of Counter-Strike, Valve isn't trying to completely reinvent the franchise. This isn't Counter-Strike 2, it's more like an incremental update. Terrorists still fight Counter-Terrorists in round-based combat. You still plant bombs on Dust and rescue hostages on Office. Some maps, like Dust and Aztec, received updates while others, like Dust 2, are largely unchanged. Though the changes aren't wild, franchise fans will find a few new interesting additions to the formula that may very well turn out to be series staples moving forward.

Global Offensive Video Preview

If you're using GO's matchmaking system you'll be dumped into relatively small maps for five versus five gameplay. Valve built an ELO-based ranking system into GO to determine your skill level, so ideally you're set up with players around your level of skill. Bots of appropriate difficulty settings will also be added in if a full game of live players can't be put together. If the idea of a five on five match sounds too limiting, PC players will be able to set up custom matches that Valve assures will provide the same degree of flexibility as is available in Counter-Strike: Source. Console players will not have the option to set up servers, however.

Once you do get a match up and running, the gameplay may be seem simple at first, but there's quite a bit of depth. Depending on the map the Terrorists either need to plant bombs or protect hostages, and the Counter-Terrorists need to stop them from planting and detonating bombs or rescue hostages. Before any of the fighting starts, you need to buy weapons by drawing on a personal pool of accumulated funds. Weapons include pistols, rifles, SMG and sniper rifles, as well as specialty items like flashbangs, high explosive grenades and smoke grenades. In the in-development build I played body armor is automatically purchased at a round's beginning, though Valve says when GO's done in 2012 the armor will be a separate purchase. In an interesting twist, defusal kits that let Counter-Terrorists quickly disarm bombs are no longer purchaseable. Instead they're randomly assigned to two teammates at a round's beginning.

Armor and defusal kit changes are important because you don't have infinite money in Counter-Strike. Kills and victories in each round earn you more funds, but you start off poor in GO's Competitive mode. The first round is typically only pistols, and if your team keeps losing don't expect to be running around with a one-shot kill AWP sniper rifle any time soon. Weapons need to be earned through skilled play, which makes acquiring them all the more rewarding. Alternatively, you can scoop weapons up off the ground from dead teammates and opponents, and in either case, if you die you'll have to purchase everything all over again. If you're new to Counter-Strike or don't want to have to deal with amassing a small fortune to buy your favorite gear, the Casual mode will be a good thing to try out where you'll get plenty of money each round to buy whatever you wish.

Underpass Firefight

The weapon you choose dictates your combat role. If you're running around with the sawed-off shotgun, don't expect to do much damage from long range. Let the players with sniper rifles take care of that, then spearhead your advance with smoke and maybe a flashbang to disorient the other team before charging in. Chances are you won't be able to get up close very often, though, unless it's by accident or you manage to flank someone. It's tough to get close because it doesn't take much to die in Counter-Strike. Health doesn't regenerate and there are no first aid packs. Charging around maps out in the open is pretty much the worst way to play. In fact, running really isn't a very good idea at all.

Footsteps make noise in Counter-Strike, so when in hostile territory walking or crouching is the best thing to do, unless of course you're fleeing an encounter. Move against walls, move slowly, move with your teammates, and always make sure you're checking every entrance to your part of the map. It's a lot to keep track of, but if you do it's a hugely rewarding feeling to hunt, kill and ultimately defeat the opposing team.

Part of the brilliance of Counter-Strike is how dynamic the combat can be. On each map, any experienced player will know exactly where the zones of contest will be every single time. To get around that, your team needs to not only be accurate, but creative. Use the grenade types, flank, take up intelligent positions if you're defending, and be stealthy whenever possible. If the majority of your team is drawing the attention of Counter Terrorists on Dust's underpass, the bomb carrier might try to sneak around to the map's opposite side to plant the bomb. Once the explosive is activated, the Counter-Terrorists panic and rush to the bomb site to defuse it. But if the bomb carrier gets killed before the device is planted, then the game changes again. Instead of defending the bomb sites, the Counter-Terrorists now protect the bomb wherever it dropped, ensuring no Terrorists swoop in to pick it up and scamper off to the designated detonation zones.

Games of Counter-Strike have no respawns, so if you die, you have to spectate the rest of the match. It can generate big drama when one team is down to a single player and the other has three or more (as well as barbed comments when the full team is revived at the next round's start). Considering how fragile every player is, it's entirely possible for one to defeat three. It comes down to accuracy, smart positioning and maybe a little bit of luck. If you want to pull off a comeback victory, you have to learn how to shoot properly. Pressing and holding the trigger isn't going to get you anywhere. With SMGs and assault rifles, you have to burst first if you want to hit anything from a distance. Crouching helps steady your aim too, though can leave you vulnerable. And just because you decide to take cover behind a wooden door doesn't mean you're safe – bullets will pass right through.

GO's online game should be especially interesting during the PC beta test planned for this October, as those who get in will have a chance to test out the new Molotov cocktail. This grenade type is expensive, but has dramatic effects on the flow of battle. If you step on the carpet of flames produced by shattering the Molotov, you take damage over time. You're not actually set on fire, though. Once you're off the fire, you immediately stop taking damage. But still, the effect can be both disastrous and strategically useful. If a team's all bunched up in a corner, a well-placed Molotov can make a serious dent in their collective health and send them charging for an exit – easy prey for waiting snipers. It can also serve to completely block off an entryway to the enemy team. This gives a lot more power to the solo player, like a Counter-Terrorist trying to defend a bomb zone. If you know help is on the way and the direction of the incoming Terrorists, a well-placed Molotov will keep the enemy at bay for a few seconds, which can open up an opportunity to either escape or give teammates enough time to run over and help out.

Planting the bomb

Another addition, the Zeus stun gun, is meant to be a tool of humiliation rather than something reliable. Valve considers it to be a joke weapon at this point. It's more expensive to buy than even the Molotov, carries only one charge, and needs to be fired at ultra-close range to hit. Though it seemed somewhat impractical given most are using deadly long-range weapons, I'm very interested to see if pro players may be able to come up with a more effective application for it. Many Counter-Strike favorites return like the AK-47, AWP, Desert Eagle and Famas, and other new weapons have been included as well that fill out the assault rifle and SMG categories. There's definitely a lot here to pick from, but the question of whether it'll all be useful remains, something Valve is looking to find out for sure in the beta.

Regarding map changes, playing on Dust 2, one of my personal favorite maps alongside Office and Italy, felt just like old times. It features a near perfect mix of long sight lines, hiding spots, alternate routes and opportunities for close-quarter surprises. Many of Aztec's changes have to do with the Terrorist spawn zone and additional cover near the double doors, though the main zones of combat should remain familiar to veterans. Dust has been opened up quite a bit from previous versions. The most noticeable alterations were made to the underpass side of the map. The space under the bridge in which Terrorists used to be so easily pinned down by sniper fire has been significantly widened, and a staircase has been built into the side providing an easy escape route to the top level. A plank bridge now connects the Counter Terrorist sniper nest with the other side, meaning there's a more direct route for Terrorists to charge in to the bomb site. Subtle changes were implemented too, like moving the Terrorist spawn slightly closer to the underpass so they can run down the ramp more quickly after a round starts. If you've never played Counter-Strike obviously none of this means much, but it does result in a more balanced feel to the map even after only a few play sessions. Even small changes can have big effects, and the added staircase, as insignificant as it may sound to a newcomer, should ensure many a round is played on Dust once GO is ready for launch next year.

In case you're a PC gamer and concerned about the current interface, don't worry: Valve plans on implementing a proper heads-up display and buy menu eventually. Counter-Strike GO is still very much in development, and much of the appropriate polish has yet to be added. Unfortunately it doesn't sound like sprays are going to make it in, but Valve still has a few surprises in store in terms of new maps and game modes.

The good news is the core gameplay feels just as satisfying as ever – it feels exactly like Counter-Strike, only with a Molotov cocktail and an updated art style. It's especially refreshing to play given the current shooter climate of progressive unlock obsession that often dwarfs the gameplay experience entirely. Few shooters can induce such panic and joy in so short a time frame. Whether you're stricken with terror as a Molotov soars out of nowhere and explodes at your feet match or the last surviving Terrorist camping over a live bomb with four CTs on the way, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is very familiar and still a lot of fun.

And in case you were wondering, Valve has no plans for microtransactions in GO. That means no hats, aside from those already on the character models.

Source: http://uk.ign.com/wikis/guild-wars-2

Guild Wars 2 was first announced in March of 2007 and is the sequel to 2005's original game. According to Mike O'Brien, President and Founder of developer ArenaNet, Guild Wars 2 will be released in 2012.

There are few games in the history of gaming that have promised as many things as Guild Wars 2 has. The list of facts, features and generally awesome things that may make you want to buy it is long enough to fill an entire wiki page. Coincidentally, this is an abbreviated wiki of all of the things we know about Guild Wars 2. There are many more details out there, so feel free to fill in whatever is missing, or even make a brand new page for further details.

Beta

In a blog posted to the ArenaNet Blog, Mike O'Brien revealed that in February 2012 a beta would open to the press, eventually expanding in size to encompass non-press players in March and April.

The Setting

Guild Wars 2 takes place approximately 250 years after the events of the Guild Wars: Eye of the North expansion. The evil dragon Zhaitan has risen and formed an army of the undead which threatens all of the mortal races of Tyria, the world in which Guild Wars is set. In the interim between Eye of the North and Guild Wars 2, technology has advanced to allow for guns and other mechanical devices, and new races (primarily the Sylvari and the Asura) have established themselves in the world.

Professions

Guild Wars 2 is launching with eight playable professions (basically classes).  Each has a completely unique set of skills and abilities, most of which are determined by which weapon you have equipped at any one time.  Each profession has at least one strange little hook to them.  None of the classes are designated to have a specific role. In other words, there are no tanks and there are no healers. All classes have at least one method of maintaining their own health.

Additionally, all professions have skills that either leave a persistent effect on the ground, or can utilize a persistent effect to trigger an extra or different effect. When two skills interact in this way, it is called a Combo.

Warrior

Warriors generate Adrenaline with each attack they make. There are three phases to the adrenaline meter, with each phase adding more damage to the warrior’s attack than the last. Adrenaline can be used to trigger burst skills, which can deal extra damage or trigger special effects based on how much adrenaline the warrior has.  Warrior skills include banners, which will place buffs on the warrior and nearby allies and can also be moved and used as an enviormental weapon, shouts, signets, stances, and also some general physical skills.  Trait lines include strength, which gives bonuses to power and expertise, arms, which gives bonuses to prescion and malice, defense, which bonuses toughness and compassion, tatics, which give bonuses to vitality and concentration, and finally discipline, which gives additional prowess and brawn.

Source: http://www.pcgamer.com/previews/black-ops-2-preview-everything-important-i-know-about-the-next-call-of-duty/

Black Ops 2 is set in the future. It doesn’t have any lasers (that we’ve seen), but it does have magic, allegedly-plausible sniper rifles with x-ray vision. America is under siege by its own drone army, hacked by a terrorist. China and the US are in the middle of a modern cold war. After a full afternoon seeing and asking about the campaign and multiplayer, I’ve digested the essential information worth your eye time here.

Treyarch cares a lot about predicting the future. Like, a lot. Enough to talk to us about their intricate plot premise for an hour and 22 minutes straight, show us clips from CNN and the History Channel, and send us home with this book for study material. Treyarch believes China’s real-life monopolistic control over the production of rare earth elements—raw materials necessary to manufacture magnets, x-ray and nightvision technology, consumer electronics, lasers, and more modern things—are a realistic basis for a future cold war between China and the United States. “It’s Call of Duty. It’s got to be plausible,” Studio Head Mark Lamia said during the presentation.

There’s an x-ray gun. With a weapon scope that could see through highway concrete columns and steel, the player picked off enemies at range as they hid behind cars or inside sneaky transports—shipping crates hauled by 18-wheelers. How does the weapon fire through feet of concrete? The mechanic Treyarch described for the weapon sounded interesting: you have to hold down your trigger as you’re firing to queue up ammunition to penetrate that surface. Treyarch mentioned that this “wallhack weapon” could be a useful way of counter-balancing camping in multiplayer.

You’re going to shoot a lot of robots. What I saw of Treyarch’s 2025 setting for Black Ops 2 (which will also feature a flashback to the ‘80s) reminds me of a line from The Simpsons. In the level we were shown—an all-out attack on Los Angeles by hacked United States drones—the player probably shot as many people as he did robots. Whole swarms of Predator-lookalikes filled the sky. The most interesting one was called a CLAW (Cognitive Land Assault Weapon), a quadrupedal minigun that resembled a tiny robo-rhino. Shooting its legs crippled its movement, but it’d fight on as an angry turret even after that.

There’s some amount of branching in the campaign. This is absolutely the most interesting change to Black Ops 2 that Activision has made public. A set of “Strike Force” missions will be playable through a war room hub in addition to standard campaign missions. Strike Force missions can be replayed at any time, and more interestingly, you can fail them. Whether or not you’re successful, Treyarch says, will impact the game’s—yes, and they really used this phrase—branching campaign.

What actual effect failure or success of Strike Force missions will have wasn’t made totally explicit to us. Treyarch said that how you perform will influence the outcome of the overall war. I asked if this’d take the form of some kind of “high score” evaluation screen that’d appear after you completed the game, but Treyarch didn’t comment. They did say that Strike Force completion would affect something like the death of the henchman of the game’s villain.

The Strike Force mission we saw was a raid on the Port of Singapore by Navy SEALs. A team of four fast-roped into the shipping port from a helicopter with a mission timer of 20 minutes. These missions operate a little like a skirmish mode; this one felt like a multiplayer map populated by bots. That’s a compliment, honestly. More interestingly, you could hop into “Overwatch Mode” at any point, a flying camera view, and assign movement waypoints to all team members. From there, you’re able to take control of any friendly unit—drone or man—at any time.

“The kind of gameplay that’s in them is more reminiscent of sandbox gameplay,” Lamia said. “Like, ‘I get to do what I want to do in the world.’ And that is exactly the mindset that you should have and it is exactly not the mindset that we typically put you in in a Call of Duty game. It’s like, ‘Here’s your weapon, you’re headed down that path, and we’re gonna take you on this epic and cinematic thrill ride. And we’re going to do that because people expect that and want that in a Call of Duty game and I think it’s a hell of a lot of fun and it’s awesome. But I also think this is awesome.”

It’s written by the guy that wrote Heath Ledger’s Joker. That’s David Goyer, whose other credits include the Blade film series, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises. If Chris Nolan trusts him, I hope we can too.

Loyal quadrocopters will do your bidding. During the attack on LA, the player character directed a squad of hovering, machinegunning quadrocopters to attack the enemy.

Multiplayer is a mystery. Treyarch said next to nothing about what changes would be made to multiplayer in Black Ops 2—this’ll be the focus of a separate press event. Design Lead David Vonderhaar. Treyarch did make it explicit that there’s no metagame link between the single-player and multiplayer. Zombies mode was reconfirmed, though Treyarch provided no hard details on it.

Dedicated servers on PC are unconfirmed.