The Phantom Pain VGA Trailer: Metal Gear Maybe? Probably. Maybe.

Posted on December 10, 2012 by geelw

Hideo Kojima has quite the unique sense of humor. There’s enough here from the “Moby Dick Studios” developed game to get Metal Gear Solid fans in the know figuring out what’s up and even the name is clever punning around on Kojima’s part. I’ve given up on speculation and following every rumor and screenshot around as if playing the worlds biggest hidden object game. I know for a fact that any new Metal Gear game will offer up enough entertainment and replay value that it’s futile to hop around scraping up images, movies and the often wild opining that goes along with them. Yeah, that’s right Konami – I surrender – just get me a release date and I’m a happy man. That and hell, I’m too busy to keep being faked out by Kojima at every turn. He knows he’s making games that will stand the test of time, so I guess he’s happy as well…

Of course, this could just be an all-new IP, but I kind of doubt it, particularly given Kojima’s penchant for offbeat humor and all sorts of oddball references in the trailers for previous Metal Gear titles. This one would be the strangest to date, as at first glance, you might not even know what the heck you’re looking at…

Tomb Raider “Survivor” Trailer: Thankfully, Not A Damn Thing Like That Stupid “Reality” Show…

Posted on December 10, 2012 by geelw

I’m glad to see it’s looking as if Crystal Dynamics has pretty much kept the game they wanted to do as intact as possible during its long development cycle. Some are griping about it not being an open world experience, but I say go play the original TR and TRII and see why and how following a solid narrative overrides a need to explore at one’s whim in a game like this. The goal in the new game is to discover and survive the limited environments you’re dropped into primarily at the pace of how well you play the game, NOT to think you’re getting Skyrim meets The Hunger Games with a side order of Hostel II or whatever. So, shut up and either wait for a demo or the actual game to drop, learn some respect for storytelling and the fact that just because you want every game to be the same damn thing doesn’t mean a developer is going to listen. Hey, they’ve got my money on day one, that’s for sure…

Dark Souls II VGA Announcement Trailer: Prepare to Die (Even More)…

Posted on December 10, 2012 by geelw

Here’s that lovely VGA trailer for Dark Souls II – I love that like with the Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls openings, you really don’t find out anything about the story at all, but you DO get an eyeful of some of the horrific creatures that will kill you a few too many times during your adventures. It’s funny that some gamers still haven’t realized that FromSoftware didn’t just pop out of nowhere with Demon’s Souls and then Dark Souls. In fact, the Japanese developer has been making some of the most interesting games on consoles since 1994 starting with the deep, gloomy (and often frightening) King’s Field series. Their mech-focused Armored Core franchise allowed players to create and share some amazing custom mechs for years after PC mech games died off and other titles in the Shadow Tower, Echo Night and Tenchu series. A ton of other games ranging from the family-friendly puzzler The Adventures of Cookie and Cream to the intensely frightening (yet languidly paced) Kuon plus assorted licensed games done for the Japanese market and you’ve got a developer with a pretty solid pedigree.

Hmmm… I say These guys and gals need a retrospective or a documentary made or something in print just so people can see bits of everything they’ve done and respect their work even more. DSII is another day one buy for me and it should be for you as well.

The Last of Us Story Trailer: Happy Birthday To Me (And You, Hopefully)…

Posted on December 10, 2012 by geelw

So, Naughty Dog’s upcoming survival/adventure game comes out on my birthday (May 7, 2013). Well, well, well now. Hmmm… now I know what I want to be doing then. Finding out how the hell I’m going to make time to play it, what with all the other games I want coming out next year. Well, at least I guess I’ll have less people to worry about when I go to buy my copy of the game if all those folks who believe the world will end THIS year do themselves in for some crazy reason. Silly rabbits, I say… why kill yourself and miss out on the fun when there are too many great games to play that include survivable doomsday scenarios? What do I believe in? Well, I believe I’ll have another drink and get back to you after the world doesn’t go to hell in a handbasket. And you can’t make a bad cup of tea unless you try really hard to do so. I believe in that, too.

Review: Retro City Rampage

Posted on December 9, 2012 by geelw

Platform: PS3/PS Vita

Developer: VBlank Entertainment, Inc.

Publisher: VBlank Entertainment, Inc.

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A+ (100%)

Ironically, one of the best games of the year is a completely retro throwback that would have been one of the best 8-bit games ever made had it been slapped into a cartridge. But it’s not even available on any physical media at all – it’s a download-only game that’s currently a PC and PSN exclusive (that’s also coming to other console platforms soon enough). If you’re well versed in classic gaming and plenty of 80’s and 90’s pop culture history, Retro City Rampage will be one of the best gifts you can give yourself or someone else who’s going to appreciate the megaton count of in-jokes, references and completely off the wall humor the game delivers. The first five minutes will have you hooked, but the amazing thing about RCR is how much it crams into each cut scene and the resulting gameplay chaos that often ensues from the act of merely trying to progress in the often hilarious story mode.

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“Retro” Review: The Dark Spire

Posted on December 9, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS

Developer: Success

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players: 1

Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: A (95%)

(Note: while I’m buried in a few other reviews and working on some new site stuff, here’s an old review to peruse. This previously “lost” review was written LONG before the PSN Wizardry games from XSEED and Wizardry Online were announced, but I decided not to alter anything mostly because I’m surprised this turned up in a folder packed with stuff I thought was gone for good – enjoy!)

Since no US publisher seems to even be thinking about reviving the classic Wizardry franchise anytime soon, Atlus has pretty much taken up the mantle of “publisher of Wizardry-like gameplay experiences” on the Nintendo DS. Some of you might be asking “Hey! what about that excellent 2001 PlayStation 2 game, Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land, huh?” However, that game (great as it was) wasn’t at all related to the eight Sir-Tech PC games. Other than a few console remakes of the first seven games scattered over an assortment of Japanese consoles and a few handheld version the numerous Japanese-developed Wizardry games are their own bird (and yes, it would have been grand to see them localized in English), but that’s another subject for another time. Anyway, thanks to titles such as the two Etrian Odyssey games (which can be seen as spiritual successors to Sir-Tech’s original games) and now The Dark Spire, developed by Success, Atlus will absolutely make you do a happy dance if you love your RPGs old-school tough yet completely user-friendly.

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Street Fighter X Mega Man: Capcom Brings A Fan-Made Game To Life As A Digital Freebie

Posted on December 8, 2012 by geelw

Wow. I’ll have to admit that until I read the press release and downloaded the screens, I thought this was going to be a full-on visually flashy full price AAA retail product with bonus DLC in the vein of Capcom’s recent Street Fighter X Tekken or Marvel vs Capcom games. But nope – it’s a VERY cool new game that looks like it was cooked up circa 1990 for the NES. Often, fan made games using licensed characters are shot down by publishers who want to protect their IP (and a few other good to not so good reasons), but Capcom has taken a nice step by not only helping fund this soon to be released retro fighter, they’re releasing it for FREE as a PC-only download.

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EDF 2017 Portable Pre-Orders Are Go!

Posted on December 8, 2012 by geelw

Popular online retailer Newegg seems to have been the first shop to post pre-order info for D3Publisher’s upcoming Vita blast-fest, so here you go: click HERE to pre-order the game if you’re in the USA. As you’ll see in my review of the import version, the game is indeed awesome stuff and definitely one of the better games on Sony’s handheld. As there’s been a patch done for the Japanese version that tweaks and adds a few things, I’ll be giving the English version an all-new review once it ships out, so drop back in sometime in February for updated impressions.

Dark Souls II Announced For PS3, 360, PC (It’s Not Next-Gen Time Just Yet, Kids)…

Posted on December 8, 2012 by geelw

Now, THIS is good news: From Software is hard at work cooking up a follow-up to its popular hardcore action/RPG/horror hybrid Dark Souls. The just announced sequel has no release date and no screen shots so far, but this is absolutely great news for those who enjoyed the last game as well as the outstanding Demon’s Souls on the PS3.

According to the press release:

“Dark Souls II retains the core essence of Dark Souls while evolving to present new twists and challenges that are sure to please longtime fans and attract new comers to the series,” says Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing at NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. “FromSoftware is going to take a very dark path with Dark Souls II; players will need to look deep within themselves to see if they have the intestinal fortitude to embark on this journey.”

“This new chapter in the Dark Souls saga presents opportunities for us to drive innovation in gameplay design, develop an entirely new story, and expand the scope of the world in which the player interacts with the game. We have taken these necessary steps with Dark Souls II in order to evolve the overall experience of the Dark Souls series,” says Tomohiro Shibuya, FromSoftware Director on Dark Souls II.

“The entire development team is striving to make Dark Souls II an experience that is fresh while not forsaking its roots in presenting players with challenging gameplay. Our goal is to surprise and delight our fans with new experiences and plot twists while enticing new players to join our dark journey.”

Well, that sounds like a dare, a bet and a plan all rolled up into one tasty, deadly treat. If I HAD to guess about a release date, I’d probably say sometime about a year from now… but don’t hold me to that at all.

Malevolence In the Home Stretch: Six More Video Updates To Snack On…

Posted on December 7, 2012 by geelw

Winding up what’s looking to be a really productive development cycle, here are six more videos from Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox, set to hit PC’s very soon. The promise of infinite play here is quite compelling and as you can see here, the game is looking quite excellent for what’s basically a fan-made project. Well, some VERY dedicated fans of classic PC role-playing games