Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad Launch Trailer: Fast, Cheap And Out Of Control (In The Best Possible Way)…

 

Based on this gamplay footage and info from the press release, 2XL’s new off-road racer is looking like pretty slick  stuff. It also looks as if D3Publisher of America has a hot little hit on their hands here for PSN and XBLA. It’s too bad this wasn’t tossed on a disc as a budget game under a US “Simple 2000” series or something like that, as I could see this being the PERFECT impulse item at a Wal-Mart or some other retailer where you’d see a beefy pickup or three towing some ATV’s or dirt bikes in the parking lot. This is just that sort of game you’d like to have handy while on the road traveling between race events when you’re in the back of the camper and there’s nothing to do but play a fun game because you’re in an area with crappy internet service.

Ridge Racer Unbounded’s City Editor Should Settle The Rumbles On The Street Down A Tad…

Hmmm. Here in the US, Namco Bandai seems to be tiptoeing on eggshells when it comes to hyping Bugbear’s upcoming game and that’s too bad. I’m gathering the jaded types that have been slamming them since the game was announced is flummoxing their PR team here as they try and get the good word out over the drone of haters who want nothing but the same old Ridge Racer with very few changes (or more of the same with a few modern tweaks).  I see it like this: when you have a developer that’s already done some excellent racing games working on a spin-off of a world famous franchise, you should be more than confident that the game coming is going to be worthy of the name. That said, this City Editor trailer from the UK should go a long way in quelling the stream of leaky gas fumes coming from some out there who just seem to have nothing good to say about a game they haven’t even played yet.  As I’ve said before, at the end of the day, it’s all about respect (and actually spending quality time with what you’re criticizing so much)…

Warriors Orochi 3 Has Over 120 Playable Characters. You’ll Need A Few New Controllers Before It’s Done, I’d Bet…

Of all the Dynasty Warriors-inspired games out there, only Koei’s assorted development teams (primarily Omega Force) have really nailed them perfectly. They not only invented the sub-genre of beat ’em up the games fall into, they’ve also been doing them for so darn long that even the ones that aren’t so hot are still incredibly addictive to play.  Warriors Orochi 3 is looking as if it will the ultimate in fan service hack ‘n slash greatness as it packs in characters from nearly every Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors game ever made (except the DW Gundam series, no doubt for licensing reasons and the fact that it would be deadly stupid to have life-sized heroes fighting 30-foot mecha). That and you get playable characters from other Koei games such as Ninja Gaiden, Warriors: Legends of Troy, Bladestorm, Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll and Dead or Alive. Yikes.

Sure, the 120+ roster isn’t as nuts as the 210 playable fighters found in Squaresoft’s still amazing Tobal 2 by a long shot. Then again, I’d rather play as Areus, Ryu Hayabusa or Joan of Arc than the bottom head of a totem pole, a pile driver or an over-sized polygon star any day of the week. Yeah, I want this one, but I hope I’ll actually have the time to finish the game with a few favorite characters, as I know doing it with all 120 will take a bit longer than one should camp out in front of the TV. Crazy me will probably do this, but obviously, I won’t get to ALL 120 characters for a review. I’d need a time machine and a box of Dual Shock 3’s for that…