Fusion: Genesis – Hands-On With Starfire’s Sure-Fire XBLA Hit

Posted on October 22, 2011 by geelw

One of the nicer surprises at the VERY packed New York Comic Con was actually hidden in plain sight at the Microsoft booth. While packs of gamers waited in lines to play the spectacular Mass Effect 3, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and a few other AAA games, right next to those was Fusion: Genesis, a sprawling, top-down space shooter/RPG/MMO hybrid by Starfire Studios headed exclusively to Xbox Live Arcade later this year. You probably haven’t heard of Starfire just yet as this is their first title under that name, but the four-man team is comprised of Chris Tilston, Mark Edmonds, Philip Dunne and Ross Bury, all ex-Rare talent with credits that range from GoldenEye, Killer Instinct, Perfect Dark and Kameo. Fusion looks and plays like none of the above games at all, but it’ll definitely seem familiar to fans of PC classics such as Starflight, Star Control or even the Sega Dreamcast sleeper, Armada. The game also tips its cap to classic arcade shooters, Star Wars and Star Trek in spots, but I don’t want to spoil too much in this preview… Continue reading →

Rayman Origins’ New Trailer Makes Me Hungry…

Posted on October 22, 2011 by geelw

Who know there was a Food Universe? Well, that aside (and my stomach now rumbling for something from the fridge), this latest Rayman Origins footage shows off a new area, one that I happened to play at New York Comic Con last week. The jumping is tricky old-school platforming goodness, but the game has a nice “revival” system in play so that it’s not a controller-bashing experience. The game is looking great with tons of color, inventive, funny gameplay and tons of things to see and do. This one deserves to be in EVERY gamer library once it ships, so do UbiSoft (and Rayman) a favor and BUY it, folks…

Battlefield 3 Launch Trailer: War Is Good For Games, At Least…

Posted on October 21, 2011 by geelw

Electronic Arts, DICE and their mighty Frostbite 2 engine definitely has a winner on both consoles as well as PC. I got to play some multiplayer last week at EA’s holiday event against the DICE team on the PS3 and not only is the gameplay lightning fast and frantic, BF3 looks REALLY spectacular on the system. As fas as the whole “which is better” nonsense going on between the big shooter franchises, I say who cares as long as BOTH games are as good as their respective dev teams can make them. In the end, I see some folks buying and playing both or at least buying one and renting the other to compare. Expect productivity in a few countries to drop even further (er, provided those calling in sick with BF3 flu actually have jobs).

Ridge Racer Unbounded Hands-On

Posted on October 21, 2011 by geelw

Bugbear Entertainment has been hard at work on a much different Ridge Racer, but it’s clear than this new game isn’t being made to completely take the place of the more familiar franchise that’s been a key title for nearly every console it’s appeared on. Rather, Unbounded is a high-impact spin-off that takes the drift-crazy gameplay and fictional vehicles the series in famous for, adds in destructible elements and the ability to create your own courses and hits the ground running. I took a demo build for a spin at a Namco Bandai event about two weeks back and liked what I played quite a lot. There’s definitely a nod to Criterion Studios’ last few Burnout games (as well as Burnout-inspired titles such as Split Second) as well as Bugbear’s own FlatOut series. As Burnout has morphed into a top-down family fun arcade game with disco tunes blasting during crashes and FlatOut has been retired (for the time being), it looks as RRU will be the go-to game for crash fans when it’s released next year. Continue reading →

The Hidden: Majesco Just May Have Something Really Awesome Here…

Posted on October 20, 2011 by geelw

Remember those nifty cameras on the 3DS? Well, there’s a game that finally makes better use of them and just might be a nice surprise for gamers looking to do more than sit in one place while playing something cool. Majesco’s The Hidden, an augmented reality ghost-tracking adventure game coming to US retailers on November 8, 2011, drops you into the shoes of a Ghostly Entity Investigation and Strike Team (G.E.I.S.T.) member as you track and eliminate specters in 12 different missions. The intriguing thing about the game is in order to discover every pesky poltergeist, players will need to actually get outside in the fresh air or at least move around the house and do some actual camera work. I’m not sure how it all comes together, but if any 3DS game deserves a fair shake and a decent review, it’s this one. Color me intrigued…

Grand Theft Auto III Is 10 Years Old…

Posted on October 20, 2011 by geelw

It’s truly amazing how fast time flies sometimes. I can remember getting to review GTA III for the late (but not lamented) Foul Magazine. I stayed up for about 43 hours straight playing to blow through the story and the reason it took so long was that I got sidetracked a few too many times by the game’s many non plot related diversions. Anyway, the great news is the game is finally coming to the iPad (and “other mobile devices” says Rockstar) soon and it looks spectacular. For me, GTA III is like that pair of old jeans or sneakers you find in the back of the closet. You slip them on after far too long and not only do they fit perfectly, you get a wave of memories that make you grin all day long. Happy Anniversary, GTA III – I think I need to play you once more for old times sake…

PlayStation Vita Gets Simultaneous 2012 NA/EU/LA Launch Date

Posted on October 19, 2011 by geelw

February 22, 2012 is the big day Sony fans here in the US (as well as in Canada, Europe and Latin America) have been waiting for. No news on a launch lineup just yet, but the full press release (which mentions a few titles in the works) is below the jump, system specs and all. Color me thrilled. The Japanese Vita launches on December 17, 2011 and from what I’ve been reading, interest seems fairly high amongst some (including those who will import the region-free hand held a few months early at a premium).

Of course, it’s really less about what we as critics have to say about the Vita than all about enough people having enough money to afford a new handheld and games for it in this very shaky economy for too many out there. I’ll have to figure out which body part to sell of that I’m not using much, but I may not have to go that route after all if I can get my finances where they need to be… Continue reading →

Max Payne 3 Preview: Rockstar Does It Again (But Better)

Posted on October 18, 2011 by geelw

At this point, you can pretty much bet on anything Rockstar Games does turning into an instant hit and Max Payne 3 looks to continue the solid streak of titles coming from one of the most consistent studios working today. Bringing Max into the current generation of consoles after too many years away, four of Rockstar’s studios are carefully crafting what’s looking like a genre classic in the making. Last week at New York Comic Con, I had the great opportunity to sit in on a “hands-off” demo that showed off some truly impressive visuals and spectacular animation, refined gameplay and an all-new cinematic style that combined graphic novel and film techniques using the in-game engine to its fullest. This isn’t a “reboot” or a re-imagining at all – it’s the next chapter in Max’s story and he’s going through some major life changes… Continue reading →

Busy Week (Plus Tax)…

Posted on October 17, 2011 by geelw

OK, I’m buried under stuff to finish, so bear with me while I play catch up. I’m working on a few NYCC previews (Max Payne 3, The Darkness 2, Mass Effect 3, Prototype 2, Star Wars: The Old Republic, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Asura’s Wrath, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, RE: Revelations, Hitman: Absolution and a few others (yikes!). Then there’s the Batman Arkham City launch photos I need to post. Which reminds me: HEY TALON! You left your signed poster at the event and I rescued it for you. If you’re reading this, drop me a line and I’ll mail it your way. Let’s see, what else? Oh yeah, I’ve a few reviews to finish, still need to update over 1000 posts from the old blog AND I just found a bunch of old reviews I thought I lost when I left a portable drive on the subway a while back. Those will be posted at some point, so I expect some fun and confusion on Facebook when that happens.

Did I mention I have a few meetings to attend and a movie screening as well? No? Well, add that to the pile. OK, back to the salt mines!

Quickie TV Review: The Walking Dead: “What Lies Ahead”

Posted on October 17, 2011 by geelw

Last year’s six episodes left millions of fans begging for more and with a baker’s dozen (that’s 13) new episodes, The Walking Dead is back and off to a bloody solid start. Season Two kicked off with an hour and a half long opener that flew by thanks to so much tension and all sorts of bad things happening to the survivors. From the opening scene when the group’s highway scavenging is interrupted by way too many zombies to the shocking final scene (nope, I still haven’t read the comic past the first two issues – I don’t want to ruin any surprises), this was a mostly excellently paced episode. The tension amongst the survivors was portrayed brilliantly and and some possible partings of ways seem inevitable through a number of methods natural and otherwise… Continue reading →