How do you follow up the huge success of the LittleBigPlanet franchise? No, not by making a go-karting game (though I hear it’s a ton of fun). You go and whip together a super-cool looking adventure game in a unique world worth visiting over and over, that’s how. Some online wags are making silly Paper Mario comparisons, but as they’ve not yet played the game, they’re to be taken as seriously as a slug fighting a tanker truck packed with salt. This one’s yet another very good reason to own a PlayStation 3, I say…
The fine folks over at Evil Controllers have come up with a rather nice way for gamers to do their thing (go Evil, that is!): user-created controllers for the PS3 and Xbox 360. These would make a perfect gift for the gamer out there who knows what here or she wants in a controller, but can’t get that from a stock OEM model or some other custom controller site. If the quality on these new additions to Evil’s lineup are as good as their usual work, this could be the next big thing for the discriminating gamer who wants to spend a bit more and truly get what they pay for while saying they made it themselves (well, sort of). Check out the video above, then pop on over to the Evil Controllers site and have at it!
Based on this new Gamescom trailer, Sega is really pulling out all the stops with this sequel, but I’m still curious about that rather glaring lack of the word SEGA in the title. “Sonic & All-Stars” just sounds so… lazy or something. Hell, even if the game has guest stars NOT in any Sega games, keeping the name of the company IN the darn game is kind of important for old-ass Sega supporters such as myself. I’m just saying… Anyway, the game looks great and you certainly can’t go wrong with a good, fun racing game built for competition and pure fun. Just fix that name and it’ll be perfect, I say!
In this latest developer diary, check out some of the tried and true gear from the Cameron film you’ll be using up against those oh-so-pesky xenomorphs. Gearbox is making a game any fan of the series should jump into when it hits retail. As I’ve said earlier, that delay is only making for a much better game in the end. OK, that and it’ll give me and a few million other people a chance to complete Borderlands 2 a few times. Go, Gearbox! Go, Sega!
OK, so I’m feeling lazy today, so you kids get to watch a movie instead of me telling you a story. Whee! Anyway, lots of fun stuff here to ogle, so I’ll shut up and let you get to the ogling. Got that popcorn and drink handy? Is the dog nearby to get your socks (or the cat to chase and play with them) when they fly off? All comfy now? If you’re wearing shoes, take them off NOW, or else you may hit your pet with them, which isn’t a good thing for either of you. OK…. NOW you’re ready! Enjoy!
Sure, the Move might not move as many gamers as SCEA would love to believe, but I like the peripheral and when it has games such as the just announced Until Dawn on the way, I’m happy I bought that Wand and Navigation Controller setup as an early adopter. I like the “B” movie vibe going on above, the SCREAM-like tone of the game and yeas, that it’s all about motion control gameplay, something that when done well, works wonderfully. Amusingly enough, I have an unfinished design document here I did a few years back for a remake of the Wii game JU-ON: The Grudge that added some cool features that would have made for a better overall experience. Perhaps I’ll dig it up and post it one of these days…
As for Killzone: Mercenary – another portable entry in the series is more than welcome, as Killzone: Liberation on the PSP was stellar stuff indeed. Mercenary is, like the console versions, a first-person shooter (a genre surprisingly lacking on the Vita even this early in its life cycle) and should draw in fans with its superb visuals and familiar gameplay. I’m a big fan of the Killzone series for it’s sharp looks, tight gameplay and overall story arc, so it’ll be fun to see how this new game fits into the canon Guerrilla Games kicked off back on the PS2. Annnnnnd, the waiting begins. Let’s hope both of these are out sooner than later, I say.
“What a cast!”, was my first reaction and given that this film is by the same director who brought us the wonderfully dark In Bruges (go rent it if you haven’t seen it yet!), you can expect all sorts of excellent craziness of the controlled and uncontrolled varieties. It’s looking almost like a modern day Ealing Studios comedy directed by Quentin Tarantino. Which means it’ll be weird and good, I say. I have the feeling that this will be one of those films that might not blow the doors off at the box office, but once it hits home video and cable, people will be glued to it multiple times and quoting lines like they thought them up themselves…
What I’ve always loved about Sony since the PlayStation days is they’ve continually had new first-party games for their systems that aren’t just the same old stuff year after year. Puppeteer is coming to the PS3 sometime soon (next year) from Japan and it looks quite cool, super creative and a little creepy. I like the overall look of this footage as well as the possibilities for future installments (the press release calls it a new franchise) or even (and hopefully) a Vita version. Sony, you’ve made that commitment to making the Vita a portable hardware, wonder so let’s see more great software for it, grrr! Anyway, the PS3 is NOT going out with a whimper at all, ladies and gents. What a 2013 it’s going to be for those of us who crave PREMIUM content and lots of it.
Granted, we’re talking newer consoles and handhelds here for this reboot, but It’s nice to see that slick, speed-busting, gadget-ridden Interceptor back in action (and no “The Rock” mucking up the works this time, thankfully!). Granted, car combat as a genre is sort of flat at the moment, but there’s always been a primal thrill in most Spy Hunter games that keeps me playing until the end. Then again, I go back to the original arcade game, so maybe it’s just me trying to play catch up with nostalgia or something. More on this one as my own spies dig up what they can…
But that’s absolutely great for the hard working dev teams at Bad Robot and Digital Extremes making Star Trek for Namco Bandai, as each bit of footage and every screenshot or art asset looks better and better. As I’m not quite sure when the new movie is coming out, it would be a bit of serendipity if it arrived when the game was all polished up and tight as a drum. That would be awesome for a few reasons, one of which being we’d get a licensed movie game that was as good as the film at the same time instead of a few years down the road (or not at all in too many cases). As always… we shall see. OK, J.J. – that sequel better be amazing!
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