3D Vision Blog

After the recent announcement that the game Mafia II will be 3D Vision-ready we now have more good news coming from Square Enix. They’ve just announced that the PC version of their upcoming third-person shooter Front Mission Evolved will also be 3D Vision-ready, but unfortunately the owners of Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will not get 3D functionality as the game won’t feature native stereo 3D support.

Front Mission Evolved breaks the mold of the franchise, delivering the action-packed experience of a third-person shooter within the distinct aesthetic of the Front Mission universe. Set in a world full of destruction, conspiracy and crumbling alliances, players will take on the role of Dylan Ramsey to face enemy armies while in control of a giant, customizable, bipedal tank known as a wanzer. Every wanzer is outfitted with extreme firepower, and players must fight through critical battles across a world on the brink of total war. As they make their way through metropolises such as New York City over 150 years in the future, Front Mission Evolved will embed players in heart-pounding, large-scale action unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. In addition to the single-player campaign, four different multiplayer modes allow players to enter a new battlefield solo or in a team. Players will be able to pit their highly customized wanzers against opponents from around the world so they may prove the superiority of their own war machines.

Front Mission Evolved will be available at North American retailers for the suggested retail price of $59.99 for the PlayStation 3 system and Xbox 360, and $49.99 for Windows PC. The official launch date for the title was pushed back to September 14th, 2010 for North America and September 17th for Europe. The game will also be available for PC users via online download when released, including through Valve’s Steam platform for digital content distribution.

- Front Mission Evolved is also already available for pre-orders for the most inpatient gamers

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie is just about to hit the 3D screens at the nearest cinema, two more days left until the premiere, but now I’m going to talk about the already available game based on the movie. Not that the movie is not something interesting to talk about and see for certain, because Tim Burton offers a completely different approach to the well know story about Alice – she has grown up and goes back to the Wonderland for a second time, but now she does not remember anything from here visit in this strange and vivid world. But besides that Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movie is a must see title because it has been shot with normal 2D movie cameras and then later converted to 3D to be presented in 3D cinemas worldwide. It is expected that this movie will pave the way for way more old and new titles shot in 2D to be converted in 3D and screened and even released on Blu-ray 3D, that is of course if the movie has been really well converted…

But enough for the movie, lets talk a bit about the game based on it. Usually I’m not a big fan of games made to compliment a movie release as they are usually nothing special or even good playing if you are not a big fan of course. In the case of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland game I was also about to pass it up without trying it, but then decided to give it a quick try to see how good it works in stereoscopic 3D mode with 3D Vision. Imagine my surprise after the game started and it looked great in stereo 3D mode, even though there is no profile for 3D Vision, it seems the game does just fine even with the default settings providing mostly depth and a just a little bit of pop-out of the closest objects (you can play with convergence a bit if you want to). The game world is a quite detailed and looks simply great in stereo 3D mode with no graphics issues or serious ghosting to irritate you and you can even increase the depth level quite a lot if you can handle it. The only thing I did not like in the game was the control – very strange key mappings if you are going to play with a keyboard and no mouse support, meaning the game has been designed for consoles and ported, so it is better to be played with a joypad. Anyway, you can quickly get over this or remap the default keys, but i can live with that considering that it works great in S3D and simply looks astonishing, so don’t pass this one.

- The game Alice in Wonderland is available at Amazon for just $19.99 USD…

Square Enix has just announced that that the PC version of their upcoming game Just Cause 2 will feature a suite of advanced graphical enhancements supported by NVIDIA GPUs (taking advantage of the CUDA technology), including next-generation lighting and water routines and full support for 3D Vision, adding further immersion into the graphically rich game.

The developer Avalanche Studios has incorporated support for NVIDIA CUDA technology which helps to deliver a higher level of visual fidelity within the game’s environments. CUDA-enhanced features in Just Cause 2 include incredible in-game effects, with rivers, lakes and oceans beautifully rendered with realistic rising swells, flowing waves and ripples, while advanced photographic Bokeh lens techniques add an additional cinematic quality to the look and feel of the game. Just Cause 2 has also been optimized to take full advantage of NVIDIA 3D Vision technology on compatible hardware, creating an incredibly immersive 3D experience.

In Just Cause 2 you’ll be taking the role of Rico Rodriguez, the Agency’s most powerful weapon. You’ll take on the island of Panau and its military regime in order to track down Rico’s former boss and mentor, Tom Sheldon, who has gone rogue with millions in Agency cash and intel. Using an unique grapple and parachute combination, there is no vertical limit as the air becomes your playground: grapple a passing plane in flight, hijack helicopters, BASE jump from the tallest buildings or mountains and leave a trail of chaos and destruction in your wake. Just Cause 2 offers players the freedom to tackle missions any way they choose and, with over 100 vehicles and countless upgrades and collectibles, the choices for relentless adrenaline-fueled action are limitless. And all that combined with great stereoscopic 3D support is very promising.

The game Just Cause 2 will be available in-stores on March 23rd, 2010, in North America and March 26th, 2010, in Europe, Middle East, and Australasia and is already available for pre-orders for everyone willing to get is as soon as it is released.

- The game Just Cause 2 is available for pre-order at Amazon for $49.99 USD…