Sniper Elite V2 Arrives: So Far, It’s Fire and Not Forget…

My review copy of Sniper Elite V2 popped up yesterday and I was hooked in from the tutorial, which I set to On even though I’m a huge fan of the first game. I love what Rebellion has done so far and have no major complaints. YES, for veteran players the game does skew a tiny bit too easy, but only if you turn all the aids on and play on the simplest difficulty level. To get rid of that issue, go at it using the Custom Game setting or just choose one of the two higher difficulties (Sniper Elite mode needs to be unlocked) and yup, you’re in for a more hefty challenge. Back later in the week with a full review.

Review: Dungeon Hunter: Alliance

Platform: PlayStation Vita

Developer: Gameloft

Publisher: Ubisoft

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: C+

With Dungeon Hunter: Alliance on the Vita, developer Gameloft had a rather interesting challenge in making a version of their popular (but “old” by other device standards) hack and slash RPG that could be seen as a solid (and full priced) showpiece the Sony’s new handheld. While they didn’t quite succeed in every area, the end result presents enough creature chopping challenge for those who like to go solo while also being a ton of fun in multiplayer. Visually, the game is solid, if not spectacular overall, the gameplay is what you’d expect with some interesting use of the Vita’s touch screens that range from handy to not really necessary. Unfortunately, despite the glossed-up visuals, the game misses the chance to do more with the basics, meaning if you’ve played this already on a device, computer or even the PS3, you’re not going to be too surprised at what’s here. Addicted? yes. Shocked at the stellar amount of originality on display? Nope.

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Starhawk Launch Trailer: Sooo, That’s What Everyone Will Be Doing This Week…

LightBox Interactive’s Action/RTS lands this week on the PS3 and it’s looking like another must-buy in a crazy year for must-buy games. Hmmm. My birthday is tomorrow (Happy Birthday to me!!!), but I’m not expecting this to fly into my mailbox at all. Of course, I don’t mind supporting these guys with a purchase, as it’s one of those games that’s worth every penny whether you like solo play or online madness with your PSN friends. I actually want this to make an appearance on the Vita, as Sony’s new handheld really needs MORE in the way of first-party hits that bring the console experience on the road, and Starhawk would be a more than perfect fit, I say…

Dragon’s Dogma Story Trailer: Hey (Ouch!), Watch Where You Stick That Thing!

 

Capcom’s not so quiet not so sleeper is almost here and waiting to take over a chunk of your free time. Here’s a look at some fine work in this story trailer that features a poky dragon giving the finger to some poor guy (and how!) and more questions left unanswered that should make this game worth a few playthroughs amongst those it successfully casts its spell on. This one should be tons of fun, i say…

It’s Free Comic Book Day (Part Two). So, Here’s One For You From Rockstar!

Hey, it’s still Free Comic Book Day today, which means you can walk into ANY comic shop and walk out with a free comic (or comics, if you’re lucky) and NOT get arrested. That said, Rockstar Games is also getting in on the fun with an assist from Marvel thanks to the first issue of Max Payne 3: After The Fall , which is landing online as a digital read you can check out on your PC, laptop (and probably device if you like squinting at that nicely gritty art) OR PDF download before the game shoots into stores on May 15. Rockstar is also offering a VERY limited edition physical copy of the book to selected Rockstar Games Social Club members, so if you’re not one and want one, sign up at that link above and keep those fingers crossed. That particular offer is ONLY good until June, so get crackin’ if you want to snag a copy!

Hey! It’s Free Comic Book Day. So, Here’s A Free Comic (Sort Of, Part One)…

Actually, this is a test post, as I’ve been having some issues uploading stuff and am in the process of finding out what the problem is. The above is a panel (well, the ONLY panel, currently) from a not so real Man-Thing comic I did the other day. Anyway, now that things seem to be working fine, I can go back to sleep, wake up later and get to posting a few things about actual comics you can get today. Good Night! Wait, it’s after 6am already? Geez. Well Good Morning, then! I’m still going back to bed, though…

Geez. NOBODY “Owns” The Term “Indie.” So Shut It, Already, People….

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Status: lightly annoyed, mostly amused, thank you much. Look, kids – Grow up, already. Independent, music, film and now games shouldn’t be pigeonholed by anyone even with the best intentions. If Notch wants to have a hissy fit about EA wanting to make money by selling independently made games it happens to publish as an “Indie” bundle, it’s his problem. Maybe he needs to play the games in the bundle first and not hate on EA for merely trying too hard to capture a part of the market that’s trending because hell, that’s what mega-corporations like EA do to make more money for themselves and their shareholders. Funny that I’m saying this, but that’s the way the system works… even at the “indie” level these days.

Of course, this whole “blame the big boys” argument that constantly turns into “they make too much money, so they suck!” has gotten old fast, especially considering SOME people who have become millionaires many times over based on their own “indie” games. There’s a lot of Kettle Black paint being sold at Home Depot, is all I’m saying…

No matter where you are in this food chain, you’re not “selling out” if your game becomes a big hit unless you somehow hate being recognized (and if you make games for free) and eventually, paid for the work you’re doing. Unless EA or any other major publisher starts calling its mainstream titles indie ( whether it be Mario, Madden, Half-Life, Call of Duty and so forth and so on), there’s nothing to see here – move along. Go play more games, co-opted “indie” or not and knock off the needless arguments over semantics, I say…

OK, that’s done. All of you The Elder Scrolls Online haters are next in my sights (tomorrow, though – I need some sleep!)

Quick News Hits: More Ways For Game Companies To Get Your Money (They Hope)…

Gah, keeping up with all this breaking news is nuts (NUTS, I say!), so I’ll just do what comes naturally in these cases: make fun of the more important stories right from the inbox, but also post coolness where it counts. Hey, it’s tough love time around here all the time (as in I love the industry, but sometimes you guys make me wonder what’s in the water every so often)…

Ubisoft is releasing the 25-minute film Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Alpha on Blu-Ray and DVD on May 22, day and date with Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The entire package (including extras) runs, according to the press release, 50 minutes. At $7.95 for the DVD and $14.95 for the Blu-Ray, that’s an OK price, but still a bit steep for those cheapskates out there who (paradoxically) probably wouldn’t mind paying ten bucks more (which coincidentally, falls in the center of that MSRP) for the game packed together with the movie in a retail package. Then again, given that the film and extras would probably have fit comfortably on a PS3 Blu-Ray (360 owners would have to get a separate DVD inside the case), maybe it should have been part of the game package after all?

Update: having just seen the film on tonight’s X-Play (it’s definitely well made, excellently paced and will absolutely drive interest in the game), I still think it should have been part of the package – maybe as something to watch while the game is installing, ha ha)

I’m just sayin’… there’s still a recession on among some of us, you know. Yes, I’m SO hard to market to, aren’t I? But I do pass on stuff I feel is important, so that’s the balance here.

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Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ Sold For Almost 120 Million Dollars Last Night. Eek!

Holy cats. Hell, I’d bet good money that Edvard Munch never dreamed his creepy little painting would rake in such an insane amount of money. Then again, he DID do four different versions of the thing, so perhaps he was trying to drive the future value down, a ha, ha and ha. Anyway, that amount of money rather greatly annoys me. So much so, in fact, that I did my own version of The Scream unintentionally yesterday. Hey, I can play the poor artist part VERY well, especially as I’m poor (and an artist when I feel like it). Say hello to the Grizzly Pawppet! Growl! Now, where’s my damn millions?

Oh, wait… Eddie (or is it Edvie?) Munch isn’t collecting a dime of that selling price, as he’s no longer with us. Good thing I don’t have his agent, I guess…

CoD: Black Ops 2 Documentary Gets You Up To Speed About Things To Come…

By now, Activision and hard-working developer Treyarch have no doubt developed quite the thick skin (and a deaf ear from all those ricochets) when it comes to listening to the anti-CoD crowd wailing away when news of a new installment breaks. I’ve pretty much heard it all, from JRPG fans who “hate FPS games and CoD players” with a rather biased viewpoint (sorry, they’re not all “frat boy jerks” or “gun nuts”) to fans of other shooters who never seem to realize that most of the games they like wouldn’t be around if CoD wasn’t busting sales records and forcing a few innovations (like them or not) into the genre (which IS a bit stale after so many years with so many AAA games coming and going).

That said, and as I noted earlier, when it works, it WORKS, and Black Ops was one of those games that packed so much content onto a disc that you didn’t really need to play it online to enjoy some prime content. OK, let me shut up and let you enjoy this little “documentary” about the future world weapons and such presented in this upcoming sequel that’s bound to make all involved another mint. Oh yeah, I’ll be nice for a change and not even ask what Oliver North is doing in the video. Put him in the Zombies game next time, guys.