Katamari Forever Goes Gold, King of All Cosmos Celebrates…

Posted on August 30, 2009 by geelw

…Which is generally both a good as well as bad idea if you know the franchise well enough. Every single time His Majesty gets a wee bit too much “celebration” going on, there’s some sort of cosmic accident as he up and breaks the galaxy or something. Naturally, he ends up sending his loyal son, the Prince out to right his wrongs. How, how, how does the Queen put up with this royal oaf? The good news? Well, at least we get another game out of his royal messing up of things on a galactic scale and for a measly $49.99, YOU get to make things right.

Anyway… yep, lucky PS3 owners can do the happy dance as Katamari Forever has gone gold and should be in stores on September 22, 2009. The new visual style in most of these screens is a super-cool and welcome change (as well a an all-new customization feature) and it looks as if there are some new twists to the gameplay as well. But don’t take my word for it. Heck, what do I know? Here, read this instead…

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Gallery: Dark Void

Posted on August 30, 2009 by geelw

Yet another game I’m hoping turns out as spectacular as it looks is Capcom’s upcoming Dark Void, set to hit stores on January 12, 2010. Airtight Studios has been hard at work on this baby for quite some time and each time I see it in action or pore over new screenshots is a reminder of how the best developers can take a killer concept and given enough time, really make it soar.

Given that some of the Airtight team helped craft the original Xbox mega-hit Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, expectations are indeed high that this new game will not just follow in the footsteps of that classic, but surpass it to become a smash across the board on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC once it finally ships…

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Gallery: New Demon’s Souls Screenshots

Posted on August 29, 2009 by geelw

Can you feel it? That deathly chill that raises gooseflesh on the back of your neck? It’s alllllmost here and it’s coming for YOU. Yup, Demon’s Souls, From Software’s upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive Action/RPG is headed your way from Atlus.

Eight tantalizing new screenshots are calling out to you from below the jump like a siren warbling on the rocks… enjoy. You did remember to preorder the game, right?

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DAF Q & A Updates!

Posted on August 28, 2009 by geelw

Since I’ve gotten a few e-mails about the Q & A’s I’ve set up, here’s a follow-up or two to fill you in:

1. I’m still waiting for the fine (and very busy) folks at Xseed to get those Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga Q’s I sent off a while ago back this way. But remember, folks: Xseed is comprised of a really small team with multiple projects going simultaneously for the Wii and other platforms.

2. I have an interview coming back this way soon with a few team members at Big Blue Bubble, the folks working on Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, a great looking first-person RPG for the Nintendo DS set to be published by Aspyr. It would have been back sooner, but another site or magazine with more clout bumped my former “exclusive” so they could get their scoop first. And so it goes in this industry…. ah well.

I’m also working on a few other potential interview subjects for the near future – stay tuned…

Gallery: BRÜTAL LEGEND

Posted on August 28, 2009 by geelw

“Behold, the screens that left me speechless
These images don’t suck like leeches
So raise your fists and pound the reaches
of space and tiiiiiiime, YEEEAAAAHHH!”
(guitar solo)

Or something like that. That’s why I don’t write songs, folks. Anyway, if you’ve not seen all of these in one place, enjoy the visual feast…

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Review: Hurry Up Hedgehog!

Posted on August 27, 2009 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi

Developer: Ivolgamus

Publisher: O-Games

# of Players: 1 – 6 (Wi-Fi/Hot Seat)

Official Site

Score: B-

Having grown up playing plenty of board games as a kid before moving onto electronic entertainment, my interest in them has never really left as I’ve gotten older. It’s been pretty interesting over the years to see how different game developers translate classic table games into virtual form. Some conversions succeed better than others, but it’s certainly an odd balancing act at times. Go too far from the spirit of the original version and it’s sacrilege to the hardcore fans of the old game. On the other hand, too dry a digital translation, and modern gamers will ignore the product for something shinier with more moving parts. O-Games’ Hurry Up Hedgehog! definitely leans more into the latter category, but there’s a fair amount of depth under the simplistic presentation. If you’re a fan of classic board games with up to five like-minded friends, the game offers up quite a decent (if rather plain-looking) gameplay experience.

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Dragon Age: Origins Voice Cast Revealed

Posted on August 27, 2009 by geelw

BioWare is set to give genre fans a real treat in terms of killer voice acting in its upcoming RPG, Dragon Age: Origins. The game will feature the vocal talents of Tim Curry (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, Broadway’s “Spamalot”), Kate Mulgrew (“Star Trek: Voyager”), Tim Russ (“Star Trek: Voyager,” “Samantha Who?”), Claudia Black (“Stargate SG-1,” “Pitch Black”) and Steve Valentine (“Estate of Panic,” “Crossing Jordan”).

Do I hear a press release (perhaps voiced by Tim Curry, pictured left)? Ah, here we go… put your ear to the monitor and listen to this…

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Infinite Space Anime Trailers 2 & 3

Posted on August 27, 2009 by geelw

What time is it? It’s Infinite Space Anime teaser trailer time! These two are pretty cool – enjoy!

Other than Q2 2010, Sega hasn’t quite announced a concrete release date for this tactical space strategy RPG, but as long as they keep these videos rolling out, the wait isn’t so bad, huh?

Fairytale Fights Headed to PAX (And You Can Win $100 by Playing It!)

Posted on August 27, 2009 by geelw

Battle it out for big bucks! Playlogic is giving this year’s PAX attendees a chance to play their upcoming PS3/Xbox 360 and PC game, Fairytale Fights AND win a cool $100 gift card in the process. The outrageously hysterical (and hilariously bloody) Unreal 3-engine powered Mature-rated hack ‘n slash/platformer hybrid (*whew!*) will be on display at the show (Booth #28) during the show, which takes place in Seattle, Washington and runs from September 4-6, 2009. As if you didn’t know THAT info already…

Playlogic will hold a drawing at 2pm each day of the show for the gift cards, so be sure to drop by, play (and enjoy) the game they’ve been working hard on (as noted here, it’s a total blast) and cross your fingers (although, NOT while trying to play the game – that would be dumb). You just might walk away with a a nice little prize… Good luck!

BRÜTAL LEGEND, I Have Not Forsaken Thee!

Posted on August 27, 2009 by geelw

Thanks for asking, really… but nope, I absolutely have not been ignoring my man Tim Schaefer, Double Fine Productions or BRÜTAL LEGEND, their Rocktober “surprise” that’s taken the game world by storm this year (cue:“Lightning Strikes Again,”Thor). I’m just sitting here cracking up on a near-daily basis at how all of a sudden everyone has finally discovered just what a group of fantastically talented creative geen-yusses he and his crew are.

I mean, I and many other editor types around the frickin’ world trumpeted the joys of the eternally awesome, amazingly funny platformer Psychonauts* until we turned blue in the head and beyond (cue: “Among the Living,” Anthrax). Nevertheless, did enough of you so-called “hard-core” guys and gals actually BUY the game and justify all the well deserved ink we spilled? Nope (cue: “Backstabber” by Hytz).

*That, and the man’s tenure over at LucasArts cleeeeeeeeearly shows he’s got more than enough proof of Legendary Status (no certificate required). So There.

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