Dead Space Extraction (PS3) Hands-On

Posted on October 8, 2010 by geelw

At EA's well-packed Naughty or Nice event, I finally got to play a small chunk of the PS3 version of Dead Space Extraction, last year's Wii rail shooter (and one of the best looking games for Nintendo's console to date) headed to PS3 owners as part of Dead Space 2: Limited Edition. Visceral Games along with super-talented developer Eurocom (Goldeneye 007) have done an excellent job porting over their game to Sony's console, adding Playstation Move support and effective Dolby Surround sound to go along with the higher resolution visuals. In case you haven't played Extraction previously, all you need to know is that it's the prequel to the original Dead Space and features a compelling story, some intriguing characters and fast-paced gameplay that's packed full of Necromorphs coming at you from every conceivable direction.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta Hands-On

Posted on October 7, 2010 by geelw

If any developer has truly mastered crafting games for the PSP, it's Santa Ana-based Ready at Dawn. Their upcoming game for the handheld, God of War: Ghost of Sparta is not only one of the (if not the) best-looking game on the system, it's one with gameplay that more than equals the stunning visuals. I got the great opportunity to play through the introduction and part of a later level from the soon to be released game and can safely report that this could possibly be the best PSP action game of 2010, hands-down.

BUSY Week! (Busy, I Say!)

Posted on October 7, 2010 by geelw

Yeesh. between the awesomeness of my hands-on time with God of War: Ghost of Sparta, the happy-happy fun found in Playstation Move Heroes, The Shoot, The Fight and a few other Move titles, There was the killer EA event packed full of key holiday and onward releases I need to write up. All that and the insanity of New York Comic Con hits tomorrow, for which I’ll be up bright and early for some hands-on time with even more upcoming games. I need a clone or at least a sidekick who can keep track of things and splash cold water in my face when I’m fading from being up too long…

Playstation Move Heroes Hands-On

Posted on October 7, 2010 by geelw

One of the PlayStation Move titles I've been most excited about is Playstation Move Heroes (formerly known as Heroes on the Move), developer Nihilistic Software's mini-game fest that features a number of Sony's most popular “mascot” characters from the multimillion-selling Jak & Daxter, Sly Cooper and Ratchet & Clank franchises. At Sony's very cool Move event this evening, I got a bit of hands-on time with a few of the mini-games in the collection and came away very impressed at how things are shaping up. First things first to those on the fence: once you get your hands on one, you'll find that the Move simply rocks. As more developers get into programming different types of games for the peripheral, we'll be seeing a lot of unique, fun game experiences down the road.

Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon Update: Two Gameplay Videos

Posted on October 5, 2010 by geelw

Color me impressed. Vicious Cycle is so far, doing the EDF name justice. Yeah, I miss the retro-futuristic visual style of the Sandlot-developed games, but what's here is updated nicely with faster gameplay, better animations and that nice sense of stuff going *BOOM* the EDF games all share. My minor gripes: MORE and more varied voice comments would be nice.Trying to replicate the cheesy charm of the older games doesn't quite work with the more “serious” style EDFIA is going for. Also, a few more enemies on screen in later gameplay movies would be nice just to see what the engine is really capable of. I'm not quite getting that “Eek! Overwhelmed” feeling found in the crazier missions from the older games. I guess we'll have to see what's what when D3Publisher updates us with new movies and screens, right?

Video # 2 is below the jump, by the way.

Gallery Update: Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon

Posted on October 4, 2010 by geelw

So far, so good and a LOT of changes in the visual style from the older games. That's a nice new controllable mech from one of the game's loading screens above. The two gameplay movies I'll post later show off much better character animation and some nice visual effects, but I do miss Pale Wing's cute getup and the bigger, slower moving shiny Hectors. That and a few other things (such as seeing more enemies onscreen in future builds), but overall, I'm excited at how well the game is looking with quite a while to go before its Spring 2011 launch. More EDFIA updates as they come in – stay tuned…

Fallout: New Vegas Soundtrack List Revealed

Posted on October 2, 2010 by geelw

Sooooo, what will YOU be listening to while you're playing Fallout New Vegas? Me, I'll stick to the game's soundtrack, especially since Bethsoft just dropped the track list in my inbox the other day. What's playing? The answers are a click away…

Tony Hawk: SHRED Website Launches, Does 900, Wins Gold Medal

Posted on October 1, 2010 by geelw

The game is indeed a ton of fun (you DID read my preview, right?) and now it has an official web site to match as well as a release date (October 26, 2010). Click away for details.

Review: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Posted on October 1, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also available on PS3)

Developer: Ninja Theory

Publisher: Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score A-

Namco Bandai and developer Ninja Theory seem to be making a clear point with Enslaved: Odyssey to the West that great action games this generation don’t all need to be too short or packed with Mature-rated content, non-stop multiplayer modes and “gritty” environments done up in the muted gray or brown palettes too many other titles are saddled with these days. What’s here is an absolute and pure fun blast of a game with gorgeous visuals that pop right off the screen, a solid focus on telling a great, emotional single player story and thrilling gameplay that will keep you going from one encounter to the next. While there are a few technical issues, they in absolutely no way stop this from being one of the best games of 2010. Continue reading →

Review: Quantum Theory

Posted on October 1, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also available on Xbox 360)

Developer: Tecmo LTD.

Publisher: Tecmo Koei America

# of Players: 1 (online 2-8)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: C+

Call it “Pairs of War” if you must, but Tecmo Koei's Quantum Theory is a decently derivative single player focused cover-based sci-fi shooter with a few nice twists thanks to mutating environments and a slinky female AI companion you can use to attack enemies. The Gears of War influence is fairly heavy throughout, but being able to throw your partner at an enemy and watch as she slashes away or having to deal with levels that alter themselves as you play make the game a lot of fun to blast through. Multiplayer modes are on board as well and perform solidly (from the brief time I got to play before getting this review posted), making this an overall average (if not exactly original) game experience.