342 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
342 lines
11 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
technology
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video-games
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6269872
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# Halo 3 ODST video game review
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## Halo 3 ODST is a superb, if slightly thin, first-person-shooter and a
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solid entry in the Halo franchise.
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![Halo 3 ODST video game review][1]
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Image 1 of 8
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It's Halo, but not as you know it: Halo 3 ODST offers a more 'human'
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experience
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![Halo 3 ODST video game review][2]
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Image 1 of 8
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No lights, big city: The campaign is set in the open world environment of New
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Mombasa
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![Halo 3 ODST video game review][3]
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Image 1 of 8
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The bigger they come: Brutes, when seen from the ODSTs perspective, are far
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more intimidating
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![Halo 3 ODST video game review][4]
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Image 1 of 8
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Team play: in the Firefight mode, up to four players battle wave after wave of
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enemies
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![Halo 3 ODST video game review][5]
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Image 1 of 8
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Turn out the lights: the ODSTs HUDs come complete with nightvision
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![Halo 3 ODST video game review][6]
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Image 1 of 8
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The games packaged with the multiplayer from Halo 3, with a couple of new maps
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thrown in for good measure
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![Halo 3 ODST video game review][7]
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Image 1 of 8
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Big gun: the game's arsenal will be familiar to anyone who played previous
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Halo titles
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![Halo 3 ODST video game review][8]
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Image 1 of 8
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Halo 3 ODST looks fantastic, but its soundtrack is darker and more evocative
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of sci-fi noir
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[![Nick Cowen][9]][10]
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By [Nick Cowen][11] 3:14PM BST 08 Oct 2009
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[Comments][12]
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**Format:** Xbox 360
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**Developer:** Bungie
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**Publisher:** Microsoft Game Studios
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**Released:** Out now
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**Score:** 8/10
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Halo 3 ODST is the second Halo title released this year that doesn't include
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the franchise's signature character. While this may not be an indication that
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Bungie is finished with Master Chief, it does mark the continuation of a trend
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in which the developer has used different characters, and in the case of
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[**Halo Wars**][13], different game types, to mine more material from the Halo
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universe. Unlike Halo Wars, Halo 3 ODST doesn't deviate too much from the
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series' FPS gameplay, but it does throw some kinks and tweaks into the mix
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that provide a different gaming experience.
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The plot kicks off (fittingly enough) in orbit above earth, as a squad of
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Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) prepare for a ground assault in New
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Mombasa. With Master Chief on the other side of the universe saving humanity
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from The Flood, it has fallen to the ODSTs to help earth's forces repel the
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Covenant's invasion. Needless to say, during the drop something goes horribly
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wrong and the troops are separated on the way down. The newest member of the
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squad - dubbed simply, 'The Rookie' by the rest of his squad - is knocked out
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by the force of his drop-pod's landing, and wakes up several hours into the
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invasion's aftermath. As night falls, he sets about exploring the streets of
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New Mombasa, fighting off roaming Covenant squads and trying to piece together
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what happened while he was unconscious and what became of his compatriots.
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Halo 3 ODST's detective story is divided between The Rookie's search for
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evidence through the open-world city, and the events experienced by the rest
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of the squad during the invasion. For the The Rookie's half of the story,
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players will spend a substantial amount of time navigating their way to a
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number of signal beacons dotted around New Mombasa. Along the way they're more
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than likely to encounter Covenant patrols, as well as health stations and the
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odd cache of weapons. If they explore the city's rain-slicked streets further,
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they will be rewarded with a satisfying subplot involving the city's AI
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superintendent. Once they find the source of each signal - which is usually a
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piece of evidence left behind by an ODST squad member - it will trigger a cut-
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scene and then a mission, which will reveal what happened to the rest of their
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allies during the day.
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These flashback missions are the real meat of Halo 3 ODST. They're basically a
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series of action-filled set pieces which compliment and showcase the variety
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of FPS disciplines in the Halo series (such as sniping, heavy weapons, run and
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gun action and odd sequence involving a vehicle). The core gameplay is the
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same as in all of the Halo titles (with the exception of Halo Wars) with a
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couple of new tweaks thrown in. The same smooth FPS interface is present and
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correct and the weapons available will be familiar to anyone who played the
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previous Halo shooter titles - although ODST does mark the welcome return of
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the scoped handgun. The HUD is a little different, and has an added feature in
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the ODST's VISR function - basically night-vision by any other name - which
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helpfully outlines allies in green and enemies in red.
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## Related Articles
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* [Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising interview][14]
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13 Oct 2009
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* [Halo Reach video game review][15]
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12 Sep 2010
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* [Halo 3: ODST 'big seller'][16]
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18 Sep 2009
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* [Halo 3 ODST preview][17]
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27 Jul 2009
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* [Top 10 video game musical scores][18]
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03 Sep 2009
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* [The 10 most influential shooters][19]
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01 Sep 2009
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Even though the game's mechanics look and feel like Halo, playing one of the
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ODSTs is a little different to controlling Master Chief. These grunts aren't
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huge SPARTAN soldiers, so for a start, the Covenant's Brute troops look bigger
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and more intimidating, and it takes more than one punch to take them out with
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a melee attack. Also, the ODSTs don't automatically heal any damage they take.
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The non-regenerative health meter feels a little cosmetic at first, but it
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does impact on the way one plays the game. Charging in against the Covenant
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forces is all well and good for Master Chief but in the case of the ODSTs it's
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tantamount to suicide, so finding cover is advisable in a firefight. It also
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doesn't hurt to remember the locations of the health terminals dotted around
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the city.
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The flashback sequences are also the most story-heavy part of the game in
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which players are introduced to (and then take control of) the rest of the
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ODST squad. A lot of work has clearly gone into making sure the player comes
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to care about the different ODSTs; as a set of characters they're far more
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compelling and also a lot more fun than Master Chief. Their dialogue is very
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well written, particularly the way they bounce off each other in conversation
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- it makes them sound like they've spent a long time in each other's company.
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The voice-work is superb; former Firefly cast-members Nathan Fillion, Adam
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Baldwin and Alan Tudyk supply the voices for the troops in the squad, while
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Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Galactica fame voices the game's lone female
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character, Dare. The game's graphics and environments are crisp and
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beautifully rended. The game's music marks a new direction for the franchise;
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while the battles retain the frenetic soundtrack the series is known for, the
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stages involving the lone trooper making his way through New Mombasa are
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scored with haunting, jazz-tinged passages evocative of sci-fi noir films such
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as Bladerunner.
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The campaign has its fair share of niggles; without exploring New Mombasa for
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the AI superintendent subplot, the story is a little too brief, clocking it at
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around six hours. The Rookie's progression through the city can be a little
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arduous at times - particularly if he's carrying a canon that's been ripped
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off its mount - and the in-game map doesn't really make the easiest routes to
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the signal beacons clear. The game's AI would also benefit from some
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improvement (which it hasn't had here), particularly with regards to the
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sections involving vehicles; allies are useless, whether they're on driving or
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gun turret duties.
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Story mode can be played either in single-player or co-op mode and the game
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also has a new co-op mode called Firefight. This is essentially a battle for
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survival - similar in nature to [**the Horde mode in Gears Of War 2**][20] -
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which puts up to four players in a set environment and then hurls wave after
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wave of enemies at them. The longer the players survive, the higher they will
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score. Halo 3 ODST also comes packaged with a second disc containing the Halo
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3 multiplayer, which has all the maps made available for that game, and three
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brand new ones. Finally, it also includes the Halo Reach multiplayer beta
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which will be activated in spring of next year.
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Halo 3 ODST may feel a little thin in may places, and some of the bonus
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material may seem a little like padding, but there's more than enough here to
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recommend it to Halo and FPS fans alike. This year, the Halo faithful may have
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missed Master Chief, but between this title and Halo Wars, it's clear that
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Bungie's sci-fi franchise is continuing to explore new terrain - even if here
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it's being done is smaller increments. For a game that began life as an
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expansion pack, Halo 3 ODST feels like a solid entry in its own right.
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[X][21] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][22]
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* Share: [Share][21] [ ][23] [ ][24]
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[Tweet][25]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/6269872/Halo-3-ODST-video-
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game-review.html
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Telegraph
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## [Video Games][26]
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* ### [Technology »][27]
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* ### [Microsoft »][28]
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* ### [Technology Reviews »][29]
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* ### [Nick Cowen »][10]
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In technology
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[![Brink hands-on preview][30] ][31]
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### [UK video game chart 16 May 2011][31]
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[X][21] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][22]
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Share:
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* [ ][21]
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* [ ][23]
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* [ ][24]
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* [Tweet][25]
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* Advertisement
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![][32]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][33] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][34]
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[![Follow The Telegraph on social media][35]][36]
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Advertisement
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sponsored features
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Loading
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## [VIDEO GAME TRAILERS »][37]
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### [Renegade Ops - Teaser Trailer][38]
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[![Renegade ops game][39] ][38]
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Renegade Ops puts players in a mobile commando unit sent behind enemy lines to
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defeat Inferno, a madman intent on global domination.
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### [Exclusive: LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean - official trailer][40]
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### [Call Of Duty: Black Ops - Escalation DLC Trailer][41]
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### [LA Noire - new trailer][42]
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### [FEAR 3 - 'Ides Of March' Trailer][43]
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### [Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Reverie DLC Trailer][44]
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### [Forsaken World - launch trailer][45]
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### [Star Wars: The Old Republic - Fate Of The Galaxy trailer][46]
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### [Spanking video game pulled from UK][47]
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### [LA Noire Gameplay: Investigation and Interrogation][48]
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### [Call Of Duty: Black Ops - 'Berlin Wall' DLC trailer][49]
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TECHNOLOGY ADVICE AND REVIEWS
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### [Samsung Galaxy Tab: Review][50]
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[![Samsung Galaxy Tab][51] ][50]
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Slick, well-designed and highly usable - it's clear that Samsung's new Galaxy
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Tab tablet computer represents a real challenge to Apple's iPad
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### [Photoshop Elements 9 review][52]
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### [Just Dance 2 video game review][53]
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Advertisement
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Classified Advertising
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* [Cars][54]
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* [IT Jobs][55]
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* [Events][56]
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var puffs_8254837 = new Array();
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