It’s Intenational Women’s Day? FemShep To The Rescue!

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

Ha! I was wondering just what to do with this FemShep trailer from Mass Effect 3, but thankfully, an email about IWD being today gives me the perfect chance to show BioWare’s on the case when it comes to bringing equality to the forefront. Amusingly enough, I’ve not yet played as a female Shepard in any ME game, but that’s because I haven’t gotten around to it just yet. I have done a complete play through of Dragon Age: Origins using a female character, so I’m at least partially practicing what I’m preaching…

OK, that’s my good deed of the day and much better than running around the UN trying to pass out flowers and candy to random women. That’s only good for a few slaps to the head and a trip to the closest jail cell. Er, that’s what I’ve heard. Not speaking from any experience, mind you…

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

Posted on March 7, 2012 by geelw

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…

Posted on March 7, 2012 by geelw

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…

Posted on March 7, 2012 by geelw

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…

Posted on March 7, 2012 by geelw

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…

Posted on March 7, 2012 by geelw

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…

UPDATE: Want More Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Footage? Here You Go!

Posted on March 6, 2012 by geelw

It’s really late, I’m really wiped out and REALLY too tired to run as long a post as I’d like here, but here’s the latest video from Capcom and developer From Software’s upcoming Kinect exclusive that’s set to hit retail in June. All I’ll say before falling into bed is those of you out there who’ve been kicking the peripheral around (or just hate the 360 for some reason) will more likely than not be taking a begrudging glance at the console once this game ships out. Or even before as the gameplay previews drip out…

OK, off to bed for me – I’ll be back later today!

Exclusive DLC Mode For Xbox 360 Version Of REORC Gets Some PS3 Owners Cranked…

Posted on March 6, 2012 by geelw

Well, here’s how to get a wee bit too many folks ticked off for yet another kooky reason: console exclusive content in a multi-platform game. PS3 owners have had this in Batman Arkham Asylum, Mafia II and Battlefield 3 among other games and there have also been a number of cool 360-only downloads that now include the Nemesis Mode DLC from Slant Six Games’ upcoming Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.

Of course, I can understand any PS3-only franchise fans being royally ticked off about this (given that the RE series began on and became a staple of Sony’s consoles for a few key years), but that’s business, I guess. I know I’m beating a dead (and soon to be zombie) horse here, but I’ll say it again: hopefully, REORC will sell well enough to net an updated edition down the road with ALL of the additional content. But again, that’s Capcom’s call and not mine. In any event, March 20 is creeping up mighty fast, that’s for sure…

Making Halo 4: First Look Documentary: 343 Takes It To A New Beginning

Posted on March 6, 2012 by geelw

With the latest entry in Microsoft’s seminal console FPS franchise headed to the Xbox 360 later this year from a “new” dev team, it’s nice NOT to see so much secrecy now that things are well under way. Then again, it’s pretty obvious that 343 has a great deal to live up to and wants to show that they KNOW what they’re doing now that Bungie’s no longer at the helm. From what I can see, I’d say even the most diehard fan has nothing pressing to worry about, but that won’t convince the non-Halo fans or others who should know better. Me, I just want a longer yet supremely written and paced campaign so that running around shooting other live players in the requisite multiplayer modes isn’t the ONLY thing the game gets noticed for (*yawn*). Let’s hope we see MORE of these “making of” videos for the game as Halo 4 gets further along in development…

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Gets a Heavy Date (Finally)…

Posted on March 5, 2012 by geelw

That date would be a release date: June 19 in North America and June 22 across European territories. Rats. Now, I’ll just HAVE to buy a Kinect it seems. No more slacking off and hanging out at a friend’s place just because he’s not using his as much as I think he should. Oh well.. but I guess I’ll be a happier camper in the end. Nope, I’m not going near a dancing or exercise game (other than Double Fine Happy Action Theater, as you’ll find yourself dancing, exercising and playing in lava before you know what hit you), nor do I want to get all “pew-pew” with a shooter that works fine with a decent controller. I missed out on the original Steel Battalion thanks to the expense and not enough space here for that ridiculously awesome custom controller setup, but this time, it looks like Capcom will get me. Now, if they’d only sell enough copies of the new game to fund a proper HD remake of the original just so those who’ve missed it can see what was (and still is) a pretty unique game experience. That, folks, would be even more spectacular…