This game is being directed by the creator of the Resident Evil series and developed by the same studio who brought to us the highly acclaimed action game Bayonetta. The demo size is 467.3 MB, so make sure you have enough space for it.
 

Note: The demo is only available for download in the US XBL marketplace. The same demo will be available in the US PSN store today (in few hours). So keep checking.
 

As we all knew, Visceral Games tried to compete with Santa Monica by releasing Dante’s Inferno at the beginning of this year. While Dante’s Inferno wasn’t a bad game, it failed to capture the magic of the God of War games. I’m not going to compare God of War 3 with Bayonetta or Darksiders, because I believe that each game has offered a completely different experience than Kratos’s latest adventure.
 

Every time I watch a video or read more details about the upcoming action adventure game ‘Castlevania: Lords of Shadow’, two things come to my mind: Lords of Shadow isn’t a GOW clone, but at the same time, it feels familiar. Also, Lords of Shadow has the potential to be a better game than GOW3. How? Lets begin:
 

1. Beautiful visuals that go head to head with GOW3′s visuals:
 
 

 
 

GOW3 is one of the best looking games of this generation. The game uses the extremely impressive MLAA (Morphological Anti Aliasing) solution and the result as we all knew by now was mind blowing. But truth to be told, there was some inconsistencies in the visual quality of the game. Some areas looked better than other areas in the game and while Kratos’s character model is possibly the best looking character model I have ever seen in a game, other major characters and enemies model like Zues weren’t on par.
 

I’m not saying that Lords of Shadow is a better looking game than GOW3, but it’s definitely on par. The characters and enemies in Lords of Shadow are highly detailed (more consistent than GOW3), the lighting effects are amazing and the art direction is beautiful. Also, Lords of Shadow will have more varied environments than GOW3. You have to see Lords of Shadow in motion to see the hard work Mercury Steam did on the engine.
 

2. Longer and bigger experience (better value for your money):
 
 

 
 

Lords of Shadow promises to offer a 20+ hours experience when it launches next October. The game is broken up into 12 chapters with each chapter contains hidden secrets and other things to find. Sometimes you won’t be able to get a certain item unless you upgrade your character to a certain degree or by finding a specific gear item, so the game will give the player the ability to visit previous areas from previously completed chapters to get these items.
 

GOW3 wasn’t a long game. I have completed the game for the first time in under 10 hours. Longer game doesn’t always mean a higher quality game. But if Lords of Shadow manages to keep us on our toes for the whole game, I think it will be a more satisfying experience and a better value for player’s money.
 

3. Epic boss fights that inspired by Shadow of the Colossus:
 
 

 
 

Lords of Shadow will have some epic fights with big titans that inspired by one of the most memorable games of all time, Shadow of the Colossus. These fights don’t only show the epic nature of the game, but also show the huge scale of the game.
 

Fighting the Titans in GOW3 was an epic experience and it seems like Lords of Shadow will offer the same epic experience we had during our play time with GOW3.
 

4. Great storytelling and amazing voice acting:
 
 

 
 

While David Cox (producer of the game) stated that game is a reboot of the franchise and is not a part of the original series canon, the settings of the game promises to deliver an emotional and epic story that will satisfy fans of the series.

The setting of Lords of Shadow is during “the end of days”. The Earth’s alliance with the Heavens has been threatened by a malevolent force known as the Lords of Shadow. A dark spell has stopped the souls of the deceased from leaving, while evil creatures inhabit the dying land and attack living people. The main protagonist of the game Gabriel Belmont, a member of a holy order dedicated to defeating supernatural threats. Gabriel’s wife is brutally murdered by something supernatural, trapping her soul in limbo. Gabriel then begins a quest to defeat the three Lords of Shadow to obtain the pieces of the God Mask, a relic with the ability to bring back the dead.
 

With Sir Patrick Stewart (narrator and Gabriel’s mentor) and Robert Carlyle (Gabriel Belmont) are part of the voice cast of the game, I’m pretty sure that the game will deliver a great story with memorable moments.
 

5. Amazing atmosphere and mind-blowing enemies character design:
 
 

 
 

The gothic horror atmosphere of this game is one of the best things about Lords of Shadow. This game captures the atmosphere and spirit of the previous 2D Castlevania games, but now in 3D. You will see crumbling castles, snowy graveyards, flickering candlelight, bloodstained flagstones and much more.
 

The enemies in Lords of shadow are wonderfully designed. Most of them have been reworked from the previous games in the series, but you also see Mercury Steam innovative touch in creating these monsters. I’m not saying that GOW3 enemies design and atmosphere aren’t great, far from it. GOW3 atmosphere and enemies design are unique, but the point I want to clarify is Lords of shadow is hitting all the notes.
 

Lords of Shadow is shaping up to be the 3D Castlevania fans of the series are waiting for. I think it will satisfy fans of the series while at the same time bring more gamers to join its fan base. I listed the reasons why Lords of Shadow will possibly deliver a better and more satisfying experience than GOW3, but what do you think? Will Lords of Shadow be a better game than GOW3? Vote and share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
 
 
Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.
 
 

You will not only encounter wild animals but also PVP with real players. Your role is to defend the lands with justice. Choose your side and build alliances. Many exclusive features, including Auto-fight, Instance and Divine systems are going to create a wonderful game experience for you.
 
 

 
 

* Free to play forever!
* Instant access, no installation.
* Exquisite graphics elaborately designed scenes, concept art of monsters.
* Fantastic culture, fantasy epic oriented, abundant quest storyline.
* Instance Exploration.
* Challenge opponents in arena, surpass yourself and enjoy PVP!
* Gift Pack gives you interesting events, rich rewards!
 

So what are you waiting for? Go and experience one of the best browser based MMORPG in the market. To register and play the open beta for free, please visit the game’s official website by clicking here.
 

The reboot of the franchise stars Gabriel Belmont, a member of a holy order dedicated to defeating supernatural threats. Gabriel’s wife is brutally murdered by something supernatural, trapping her soul in limbo. Gabriel then begins a quest to defeat the three Lords of Shadow to obtain the pieces of the God Mask, a relic with the ability to bring back the dead.
 

The game will be released on Xbox360 and PS3.

While Alan Wake was praised by the critics, the game isn’t selling as expected. Because of that, there was a lot of rumors hinting at a possibility for the game to be released on Sony’s console, or at least we would see the cancelled PC port of the game in order to sell more copies of the game before Remedy officially announce the sequel. It seems that we won’t see Alan Wake on other platforms despite the fact that Remedy’s Oskari Häkkinen told Eurogamer about the PC version: “I could never say it’s impossible, but it’s certainly not on the cards at the moment.”

While the sequel for Alan Wake isn’t officially announced (Oskari Häkkinen stated that they still have to talk with Microsoft Game Studious about the sequel), he said that Remedy want to make the game exclusive for Xbox360, but at the same time, there is a possibility for the sequel to be released on Xbox and PC:
 

“With Microsoft Game Studios it’s Xbox exclusive, or it’s Xbox and PC,” he continued “Please don’t put that Alan Wake 2 is going to come out on PC, because that might not be true! Either is a possibility.”
 

Though he clarified why Remedy want to keep Alan Wake IP in Microsoft’s hands: “Microsoft put a lot of beef behind the title for it to be an exclusive for the 360. They feel it’s an important title for their portfolio. It fits into their portfolio among other games like Gears of War, Halo and Forza.”
 

It seems that PS3 owners won’t be playing Alan Wake on their consoles any time soon. But I have something to say for Xbox360 owners, if you want more exclusives that aren’t Halos, Gears and Fables, why you aren’t buying Alan Wake?
 
 

 
 

There were a lot of Zelda fans that hated the cel shaded look of Wind Waker, but I wasn’t in the same boat. Wind Waker art style was and still to this day unique and very attractive. On the other hand, Skyward Sword looks like an average PS2 or Wii game because of the so generic art style. It’s good to see a game full of colors in these days, but the truth to be told, Skyward Sword looks empty and lifeless and there isn’t a single stand point in its visual style that distinguishes the newest Zelda game from other videogames in the market, unlike the previous games in the series.
 
 

If you look closely at games such as Okami and the two previous major Zelda titles that have been released in the last eight years (Wind Waker and Twilight Princess), Skyward Sword looks artistically dated in comparison. I know that Nintendo’s console (the Wii) isn’t a technical powerhouse like the PS3 and Xbox360, but Skyward Sword also disappoint from a technical stand point. After seeing Super Mario Galaxy 2, I don’t know why Skyward Sword doesn’t look at least, as good as Mario’s latest adventure.
 

There is no doubt that Skyward Sword is going to be a high quality videogame. I was very hyped for this game before its official unveiling, but this is the first time I’m not super excited and slightly disappointed about a brand new Zelda game because of its generic look. What do you think? Do you feel the same way? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
 

1. Castlevania: Lord of shadow:
 
 

I’m a huge fan of the castlevania franchise and I was a bit worried about this game before E3, but after I saw some gameplay footage from the game, all of my worries vanished. Lord of Shadow is shaping up to be one of the best looking games of this generation. The transition between cut scenes and gameplay is so seamless, the lightning and the visuals overall looks stunning, the character models are absolutely some of the best I have ever seen (the best looking werewolves I have ever seen in my life), and the animation is top notch.
 

2. Metal Gear Solid: Rising:
 
 

 
 
While this trailer doesn’t show a lot of gameplay segments, it absolutely shows that Kojima Production is one of the most talented developers in the industry. I don’t know if they are using a highly modified version of the MGS4 engine or a wholly new engine, but what I’m certain of is Rising is going to be technologically superior game than MGS4.
 

3. Crysis 2:
 
 

 
 
The devs of Crysis 2 are saying that this game is going to be the best looking FPS in the market. While this is debatable, you can’t argue with the fact that Crysis 2 is a technical showpiece. Crysis 2 has great looking textures, amazing physics engine and destructibility, spectacular visual effects, and it will support 3D on all platforms.

4. Enslaved:
 
 

 
 
Enslaved looks stunning. It’s one of my most anticipated games of 2010. This game has a very good chance of reaching the same visual fidelity of the great looking PS3 exclusive Uncharted 2. The artistic design of this game is mesmerizing, the animation of the characters is top notch. Everything in this game looks fantastic.
 

5. Rage:
 
 

 
 
Rage is possibly is the best looking game of E3 2010. You have to see the game in motion to understand what I’m talking about. If you have seen the footage above, you are going to notice that Rage was running on Xbox360 not on PC at 60FPS. WOW.
 

I will be writing another article that will show you what Sony should do in the upcoming E3 in order to beat Microsoft. So, here we go:
 

1. Exclusives:
 

Microsoft has two big games that are coming after E3: Halo: Reach and Fable 3. After that Epic’s next epic Gears of War 3 will be released in April 2011. Then, what? Nothing has been announced. Here I’m not talking about the huge number of Natal based games that will be announced at E3, I’m talking about some Xbox360 exclusives that don’t need Natal to be great or innovative. Since Microsoft is targeting the casual gamers with project Natal, we hardcore gamers need our fix. E3 is the perfect time to do that and if Microsoft announced two or three hot exclusives games that will be released in 2011 and delivered on their promise with project Natal, then Microsoft will be closer to win the show.
 

2. Natal and Rare:
 

Microsoft wants project Natal to be big to help the Xbox360 in its fierce battle against Sony’s mammoth machine, the PS3. Project Natal destiny will be determined at this year’s E3. I’m pretty sure that we are going to see many Natal based games from third party studious, but I think that the spotlight will be focused on Rare and to a lesser degree on Lionhead studious to show us what really can Natal do. Rare has been silent for a long time, but don’t expect their silence to continue on and on the moment Microsoft E3 press conference begins. I know that Rare will show something like Wii sport or Wii play, but imagine that they show a sequel to Conker’s Bad Fur Day that can be played by both of Natal and the normal Xbox360 controller? A new Killer Instinct? Strong third party support for Natal? Peter Molyneux demonstrate Milo and everyone is happy with the results? Fucking awesome if all of that happens.
 

3. A new IP from Microsoft that can rival Halo:
 

Now, everyone knows that Halo: Reach will be the last Halo game from Bungie. The Halo franchise will stay exclusive to Microsoft no matter what, but I think that Microsoft really need to introduce a new big IP that has the potential to rival the Halo franchise in term of popularity. Gears of War and Mass Effect are big franchises, but Microsoft doesn’t own the IPs. I’m talking about a franchise that will never ever be available on the competing platforms. Sony has Uncharted and God of War, Nintendo has Mario and Zelda. Microsoft has Halo and Fable, but they have the money and resources to create the new Halo and prove to the world that they don’t need Bungie at all.
 

4. FF versus XIII goes multiplatform:
 

In 2008 E3 gaming expo, the gaming world went crazy when Yoichi Wada took the stage to announce that FFXIII will be no longer exclusive to the PS3. FFXIII has sold more than 1 million copies since it was released on the Xbox360 in March 2010 and helped the latest game in the series to become the fastest selling game in the series. So it sold well and it happened before, will it happen again? Highly likely.
 

5. An enhanced and cheaper Xbox live and a slimmer and cheaper Xbox360:
 

Xbox live is great, but truth to be told, Sony is doing a great job with the PSN. Yes, I know that there are some features that do give the XBL the edge over PSN. But I think that the PSN is getting closer and closer to match the XBL. The upcoming E3 is the right time for Microsoft to lower the XBL subscription fee or to introduce some new and strong features that justify the paid service. Also, a slicker and slimmer 250GB Xbox360 bundled with Project Natal with a $299 price taq will be a killer blow for Sony.
 

It isn’t necessary for Microsoft to do all of that to win the show (as they can shock us with some unexpected announcements), but I think that Xbox360 owners (including me) will be more than satisfied if they managed to do what I discussed in this article. What do you think? How can Microsoft win the upcoming E3?