Valve News: L4D2 Pre-Orders Pre-Loaded, Aussie Version Neutered

Posted on October 23, 2009 by geelw

In Valve news, good and not so good:

LEFT 4 DEAD 2 DEMO PRE-LOADING NOW

Those who have pre-purchased Left 4 Dead 2 via Steam may now pre-load the game demo, which is due to launch for early access on Tuesday, October 27. Early access to the L4D2 demo is available for both retail (360, PC) and Steam (PC) customers. Those who pre-ordered via participating retailers should be able to pick up their early access codes this weekend and be ready to play on Tuesday when the demo launches.

As for the ratings deal Down Under… well, it looks as if Australian gamers wanting their zombie killing unaltered will be out of luck as:

“In the review board’s opinion, Left 4 Dead 2 could not be accommodated within the MA 15+ classification,” it said. “The computer game contains a level of violence which is high in impact, prolonged, repeated frequently and realistic within the context of the game.”

Well, duh… But I guess the board has to protect the folks over 18 who want to buy the game from themselves and any potential bad behavior seeing exploding zombie heads will cause. Ah well… EA and Valve appealed the rating after presenting a ‘sanitized’ version of the game to the review board, but the board stood fast. Soooo, Down Under gets the game… but it’s going to be a lot less gory than what’s hitting here.

I’m guessing the US PC version may be the way to go for you guys, unless it’s been banned from import into the country…

Arc Rise Fantasia Headed to Wii From Ignition & Marvelous in 2010

Posted on October 23, 2009 by geelw

Looks as if the Wii is getting another exclusive RPG and a mighty fine-looking one at that. Ignition Entertainment and Marvelous are bringing imageepoch’s epic Arc Rise Fantasia to the US next year. Here’s a quick look at some mostly character-centric screens (and yes, we’d like more, please!):

We’ll have more on Arc Rise Fantasia as news comes in.

Update: Prison Break – New Screens

Posted on October 22, 2009 by geelw

Deep Silver and Zootfly’s in development console game based on the defunct Fox TV show is still rolling along nicely and looking quite good. Here’s a peek at a few more screens showing off some nice character models and well-rendered environments. All it needs is to get finished and be fun to play and I’m happy.

Oh… Shipping before the short attention span crowd forgets about the show entirely might help as well. Based on all the work going into what’s here, it’ll be really interesting to see how this one turns out. Stick around for more info and images as they become available

Now Playing (Wistful Nostalgia & A Bit Of Puzzling Detection)…

Posted on October 21, 2009 by geelw

Tinkering away on the reviews mentioned earlier, site redesign stuff AND getting ready for next week’s big chunk of repair work on some water damage here, so updates will be slightly laid back this week.

Ignition’s Nintendo DS/DSi RPG Nostalgia showed up yesterday and pretty much stole the rest of the day and a good chunk of the night away from my updating and such. The full review is embargoed ’til the 27th, so you’ll have to check back then to see the final verdict. I can tell you now, I’m VERY pleased with the game so far.

Additionally, Playlogic’s surprisingly fun Sudoku Ball Detective and a ton of other stuff arrived for the beginnings of my Holiday Gift Guide feature, so expect to be hit on the head with a bunch of gifty suggestions starting in November.

Where’s my game-playing helper monkey/secretary/coffee maker supreme?

Borderlands Shoots Into Retail for PS3, 360

Posted on October 20, 2009 by geelw

All I know is the FAQ writers and completion gamers’ heads are EXPLODING at the thought of collecting EVERY weapon they MUST have as they blast through Pandora’s population. “Ha ha haaaa!” Gearbox laughs at you with relish (and onions). Just try to enjoy the game and not obsess over getting every darn weapon, I say.

Hey 2K! Has someone at Gearbox even bothered to estimate how long it would take to actually nab every gun in the game? Run that program and post the results – that should give some of those folks out there a fit and a half if they’re the type that HAS to get everything a game can offer!

Anyway, press release below the jump – go buy the game. Three very cool screens from The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned DLC are also here for your perusal. Color me scared and amused already!

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Gallery: Two Worlds II

Posted on October 19, 2009 by geelw

One of the more under-appreciated RPGs in the US this console generation had to be Reality Pump’s Two Worlds, an open world action-based RPG experience with plenty to see and do (and some rather interesting monster designs). While the game wasn’t perfect and had an ending that cut off any further exploration once the main quest was completed, there were more than enough enjoyable elements to keep me hooked in for hours at a stretch. Let’s just say I spent a huge amount of time crafting up the perfect weapons and armor set. That and learning all those great summon spells so by the endgame, my character was pretty unstoppable by the endgame…

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Help NIS America Bring Badaman PSP to UMD!

Posted on October 18, 2009 by geelw

One of the things that irks me as a collector of games is this trend of releasing certain console and portable titles as download-only product (grrrr!). While it’s indeed great for those folks who feel no need to have a physical product, the simple fact is some of us out there would like the choice to have one or the other (or even both in some cases). Heck, what if you’re in an area without decent (or any) broadband access or just want the simple pleasure of actually reading a manual you can hold in your hot little hands?

Don’t get me wrong, folks – the ability to pay for and download new games and game content works amazingly well for those gamers who don’t give a hoot about the above issues, but SOME games would actually enjoy a much LARGER user base IF they were made available in as many (legal) forms as possible (grrr!). Yeah, that means you too, Konami (the otherwise superb Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment SHOULD also get a darn disc release on the Xbox 360 AND PS3 for those of use who want it! grrrr!!!)

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Zaku Update: Ready to Launch 10/24/2009

Posted on October 17, 2009 by geelw

Well, alrighty then! Super Fighter Team has announced that its NEW PengiuNet-developed Atari Lynx game, Zaku, will be available for purchase on October 24, 2009, the same day the game makes its debut at this year’s Classic Console and Arcade Gaming Show in Cleveland, Ohio (see below for the full details).

And whaddya mean “What’s Zaku?” Hey! Go click that link above for the official site, then read my preview and interview with Super Fighter Team’s Brandon Cobb to see what I’m all hopped up about! At $40 US + shipping, this one looks like money well spent if you’re a Lynx owner.

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Now Playing (Buried!)

Posted on October 17, 2009 by geelw

Of course, a few of the games I’ve previously heavily previewed have finally showed up a bit later than usual (and all at the same time). Such is the nature of things from time to time in this job. Anyway, they’ve arrived and are currently being played to death for upcoming reviews:

Valhalla Knights Eldar Saga
The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Dead Space Extraction
Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising
Animal Paradise: Wild
Groovin’ Blocks

Mass Effect 2 Release Date, Pre-Order Info In Full Effect…

Posted on October 16, 2009 by geelw

As I think I’ve said previously (and on more than one occasion), BioWare really loves you, particularly if you’re a fan of their games. Here’s a nice bit of pre-order info about Mass Effect 2 that may come in handy. Nice armor, huh?

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