Dead or Alive 5 GDC 2012 Trailer: So, Crossovers Are The Next Big Thing (Again)? Bring It.

While Capcom has perfected the art of the crossover franchise fighting game, as you can see here, Team Ninja (with a little help from Sega) also wants in on the spectacular fan service with their own key franchise. I’m psyched for this one because the VF series has always been a more technically demanding game than DoA (as some of those crazy Japanese gameplay videos have proved that for a while). While this doesn’t seem to be a FULL crossover game in terms of the total number of VF characters, I’m hoping we see one at some point. In terms of 3D fighters, both VF and DoA do things that Capcom’s awesome arcade hits haven’t on the 2D plane. I guess we’ll see what sort of craziness is going on in future videos, right?

(Thanks to XboxViewTV for the video!)

Papo & Yo Update: Another Unconventional Sleeper On the PS3 That’s A Must-Buy…

Minority Media Inc. is a new developer to watch closely and in my opinion, Papo & Yo is shaping up to be one of the best hidden gems of the year. This PS3 exclusive PSN download combines fantasy, puzzle-solving and non-violent action platforming elements with colorful, favela inspired environments and a great main character to play as. You can practically feel your sense of wonder activate and buzz around the room as this latest trailer shows off improvements from last year’s demo version. I’d absolutely love to see this game on the Vita as well as bundled with other PSH hits on a disc, as it’s something that’s too well-made and heartfelt to be limited to a mere digital download. No release date has been set for this one other than sometime this year, but I’ll be keeping an eyeball peeled and letting you guys know what’s what. For now, just watch that trailer and let your mind drift into the game world. That’s an order, by the way…

Medal of Honor Warfighter Trailer: Yup, A Lot Of People Liked That Reboot…

Warts and all (and some of them were pretty big warts), EA’s Medal of Honor reboot had some really solid moments in its single player campaign plus a decent enough multiplayer that was worth messing about with for a while. I figured that a sequel was inbound not too long after I completed the campaign (the game sold decently despite a few less than impressive reviews) and what do you know, we’re getting one come October 23. New settings, some of the same characters and even more action are planned (which hopefully means a longer campaign) along with the move to the Frostbite 2 engine, which should have both single and multiplayer fans jumping for joy. Um, lock and load, I guess. I’m not a total military FPS nut at all, mind you. I just dig a decent story (no matter the genre), want to see where the team ends up this time and how insane things get in terms of pacing and big set pieces that stick in your head long after you’ve played them. Hell, as long as it’s better as a game than Act of Valor was as a film to sit through, I’m going to be suitably impressed.

Street Fighter X Tekken Hits Stores – Overly Obvious Header Puns Begin…

It’s finally here and (from what a few friends say who’ve gotten it) well worth the wait. My review copy also showed up yesterday afternoon, but I’m not getting to it until later today/tomorrow, as I’m still playing the incredibly fun Tales of Graces F and tinkering away on another project or three. I did pore over the excellent guide that came with the game for a little while (it’s packed with great artwork), but I know those pretty pictures won’t keep me safe from a total beat down at the hands of some of you out there. Check back in a few days for a full review…

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Deep Dive #1 – The Best Stuff Always Comes From The Bottom…

Firaxis and 2K Games present an excellent look at the upcoming reboot of the classic sci-fi turn-based squad strategy game. I’m a huge fan of the original (as well as Gerry Anderson’s UFO TV series, the source material for that original XCOM), so I’m liking what I see here quite a lot. Of course, I’m also really intrigued by the upcoming XCOM shooter just to see how it deals with the beginnings of the franchise when the UFO threat was somewhat smaller (but no less deadly to humanity). Now, if ONLY those rabid haters of all things FPS in their XCOM could just get a nice brain wipe so they’d at LEAST accept the other game for what it gets right, we’d all be happier campers (the “we” in this case being me, 2K and the dev team busting their asses on both projects). It’s all about respect, people…