Batman: Arkham City GOTY Coming In May (But With More Mandatory DLC In Tow)

Posted on April 24, 2012 by geelw

Hmmm, I was wondering why the price dropped so quickly on Arkham City (it’s about $29.99 or less in some spots) and now I know. The Game of the Year Edition set to arrive on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC will feature the complete game with every updates and all the previously released DLC packs, along with an all new DLC pack: Harley Quinn’s Revenge AND the Batman Year One animated film (the latter for USA and Canada only). I wish the ENTIRE deal was on the disc instead of forcing users to grab the extra content off PSN, XBLA or whatever download services the PC version will be available from, but again, game companies are a bit stubborn about not understanding that not EVERY gamer has a decent internet connection or even a console account.

Ah well, one of these days they’ll get it (and perhaps actually start making money from those folks who feel so shut out because they just can’t get that content they want to pay for how they prefer it)…

Tanks A Lot, Capcom! Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Pre-Order Campaign Rolls Out

Posted on April 23, 2012 by geelw

No, you’re still not getting a big honkin’ 40+ button controller, so quit griping. Of course, getting ALL three bonuses in one shot is a no-go unless you want three copies of the game or have your fingers crossed that they get released as free or paid DLC at some point, so three’s always that to complain about if you’re so inclined. Hey, it’s not ALL Capcom’s fault, kids – that’s just the way thing go in this day and age of every retailer wanting exclusive content and your gaming dollar.

That said, I keep wondering how much longer the industry can keep this up, given the backlash against other things that are a lot less annoying to those of us who want games to ship with as much content as possible, Granted, if you ask around, you’ll hear most people IN the industry saying “this is how it is” or something like that. However, it’s looking as if this enforced means of content division can backfire if enough gamers put their foot down and start screaming as loudly as possible. As for me, I’ll be playing the game with no bonuses because I think it’ll be fine without them.

Game Appreciation 101: Understanding Stylization Helps You Enjoy MORE Games…

Posted on April 23, 2012 by geelw

Maybe it’s because I’m an artist (well, sometimes) but for the life of me, I just don’t understand how and why some gamers ONLY see “realism” as the sole way to go when it comes to modern game visuals while accepting all sorts of artistic stylization in comic books, TV and movies. Experimenting with stylization is not only important for artists in any medium, it’s also important for those who enjoy that medium to help expand their horizons, sometimes significantly. “Realism” is as subjective as looking out your own window and seeing what an actual building, tree or person looks like (boring, aren’t they?), then comparing it to whatever game you’re playing that’s blowing your mind out your left ear.

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The Military Shooter Resurgence: It’s Nice To See The Genre Getting A Kick In The Ass…

Posted on April 22, 2012 by geelw

Despite all the money raked in over the past few years by certain well-known multimillion selling franchises, I see the military shooter genre as a bloated, rotting corpse with limited appeal outside of whatever multiplayer shenanigans keep the masses bunny-hopping and camping online endlessly. Granted, there have been many great advances in MP that have kept things fresh and exciting for fans, but those of us who crave deeper single player experiences have been, save for a few bright spots, left out in the cold. Granted, the story modes in the last few shooters I’ve played have been decent and well-written overall and I don’t give a hoot about how long a campaign is as long as it’s memorable. Thankfully, 505 Games and 2K Games are coming to the rescue with two fine titles that take the shooter into two different and very intriguing directions. And neither of them is a FPS…

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Max Payne 3 TV Spot: Probably The Only Bit of The Game They CAN Show On TV…

Posted on April 21, 2012 by geelw

Rockstar Studios’ long awaited beautiful bullet ballet is almost upon us (and yup, I can’t wait to see how it’s turned out) and here’s the first big TV ad for the upcoming game. Ever since I saw the live demo last year at NYCC, this one has been tickling a few buttons in my head. The art direction, visuals and gameplay all looked solid and that new animation system is brilliant when you see it in motion. While I’m not big on multiplayer these days, I know the story and characters will be what I like to call “Rockstar memorable”. As in there will be quite a few quotable lines sinking into skulls like some of the bullets Max fires off during the game. May is certainly going to be a busy month around these parts, that’s for sure…

Akai Katana: Rising Star’s Retail Hope For Core Shmup Fans

Posted on April 21, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, yeah yeah, the arcade shooter genre doesn’t do well at retail, everyone plays on emulators and blah, and blah, and blah. But I happen to LIKE packaged games, crazed game historian wannabe that I am. Anyway, Rising Star Games is here to save the day with Akai Katana on the Xbox 360. While this Cave shooter won’t win any awards as the prettiest gal at the party, the intense shooter action is there in all its “bullet hell” glory and like many classics in the genre, it’s all about the replay value over merely blowing through the game once and that’s that.

By the way, Rising Star also has a few fun plans for the Nintendo DS/DSi and 3DS in terms of some cool casual titles, but I’ll save those for a new post shortly.

GOG.com’s Weekend Sale Goes Nordic!

Posted on April 21, 2012 by geelw

Nice. Painkiller, Gothic 2 & 3, the Spellforce series, Panzer Elite and MORE awesome PC games are all part of this weekend’s sale over at gog.com. So if you STILL don’t have an account just yet, here’s an excellent opportunity to grab one and see what all the fuss is about. Great games at some great deals is what it’s all about and these folks know how to stack up the classics and make you want to spend some of your hard-earned loot, that’s for sure…

Dragon’s Dogma Digital Comic Parts 1 & 2: Hardcore Pawn Video!

Posted on April 21, 2012 by geelw

Oh, I’m SUCH a card, aren’t I? Anyway, here are the first two of four parts from this prequel story that sets up some of the behind the scenes story for you. I’m kind of hoping all four parts will be on the game disc, but if not, it’s not a huge deal. Or deal-breaker, for that matter. I’m just excited that development on Dragon’s Dogma is probably all done and the game is getting ready to roll into retail in the next few months…

007 Legends: Eurocom’s Trip Through Bond’s Greatest Hits Might Be Cooler Than You’re Thinking…

Posted on April 20, 2012 by geelw

Here’s why:

Eurocom just rocks. The veteran developer did a bang up job with both GoldenEye 007 reboots on the Wii and later the PS3 and Xbox 360. Sorry N64 fanboys, but both of these newer (and more polished) games outstrip Rare’s classic (sorry, Rare!) by miles in terms of presentation and accessibility. Additionally, if the team can make the story and gameplay flow as well as or even better than the stunning Dead Space Extraction (still one of the best M-rated Wii games ever and even more superior on the PS3 with the Move controls), they’ll have folks who like a decent narrative hooked in from the time they press Start.

Also, other than Skyfall, the other five Bond films being used to derive material from are currently unknown (well to me at least, but I like being surprised), but I’m gathering we’ll see bits of the BEST Bonds and not the worst. As for the other modes, the fun MI6 Ops Missions from Goldeneye Reloaded are coming back (structured to the new game, of course) and yes, Virginia, there will me multiplayer modes included. This leads me to believe that the game will be a FPS, but I’ll wait and see what the screens and movies reveal before I over-speculate here. Anyway, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that The game’s always on the ball PR ace keeps me up to date with the latest news on this, as I’m thrilled to see what’s coming with this new Bond game…

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Gameplay: Grimlock Not Look So Dumb Now!

Posted on April 20, 2012 by geelw

Excellent. I’m liking High Moon Studios’ take on these characters more and more each time I see new screens or videos and it’s clear that this one is going to be a hit when it finally drops into stores. It’s too bad the movies aren’t as good as the non-movie based games, but then again, freed from that license and Michael Bay’s directorial efforts, there’s always room to breathe, I say…