I was laughing when I saw this trailer because I have too many memories of the arcade original and I bet not a lot of gamers this one is targeted to even know where the theme song in the original game comes from. Oh well – if the game is as cool as the first one in terms of action and replay value, I’m all in and then some…
Larian Studios has a keen sense of humor as you can see above, but this is one serious collection you may want to grab from the Larian Vault before it’s sold out completely. A measly thirty bucks gets you three great RPGs and a ton of bonus content, meaning you’ll be trapped inside your home this fall and winter, calling in sick from work or something similar. All the best excuses are taken, by the way – just tell the truth and maybe get your boss hooked on these games as well, I say. Even though I own all three games on disc (and I have both versions of Divinity II on the Xbox 360), I’m sorely tempted to grab one of these CE packs before they vanish forever…
Anyway, click HERE to check out the complete listing of fun, fun stuff in this SIGNED retail (YES!) package that’s also available digitally (and unsigned) for those of you who like to pretend you have a game collection. Yeah, that’s right, I said it – you can take your Minority Report grabbing at air and pulling invisible files and stick that nonsense in the trash folder. Me, I want something that will fall on my hard head if I put it on the shelf wrong. Then again, I take care of my games, so fat chance of that happening…
October 16, people – get to the clicking and buying, already. Larian needs a new boat or car or string of polo ponies or something.
Yeah, you know who you are. Laugh at these awesome visuals at your own peril, kids. Listen up: I’m old, so I KNOW exactly what’s going to happen here. Codgers like me will groove on the sprite-heavy, colors a’poppin graphics, tough as nails gameplay and huge open world that means we’ll be hooked in for weeks. Ironic hipster types (bless their bespectacled hearts) who think they’re cooler than they are in real life will remember the indie games they played over the past few years and get the retro vibe full on. Meanwhile, the wee ones under a certain age who think every damn game MUST be a FPS or packing “realistic” 3D graphics that require a PC upgrade every three weeks or new console or whatever will be laughing and pointing like the fools they are until they pick up a controller and get a butt cheek handed back to them by some random digital thug. It’s all about respect, as I keep saying… and Canadian developer Vblank Entertainment is going to learn you whippersnappers a thing or two.
Your PS3 is starving for this one, and so is your Vita… so yeah, do the right thing and get this game, Before it gets YOU.
I’m wrapping up my review for Endless Space (yeah, it took a bit longer than I thought, but I got hooked) and someone sends me a link to this video. Great, ANOTHER space sim to get tractor-beamed on for too long! Actually, Evochron Mercenary is a different bird in a number of ways I like and I’ve been hearing some great things about StarWraith Games, so on the to-do pile this one goes. I guess I’ll finally get to it in a few months, given all the games I still need to play. I’m actually afraid to go near something this deep again, as my free time has dwindled to just about zero or something below that. Then again, the weather is getting really chilly lately, so I may at least download a demo at some point sooner…
For better or worse, Nintendo is finally going whole hog (hopefully, say digital fans demanding the best) on this eShop thing. A quarter says it’s up and running when the Wii U launches next month. It had better be live, given the drubbing the company got when the 3DS launched with an incomplete shop function that left some gamers and journalist types wondering what the heck was going on. I’m betting they’ve learned that hard lesson, as the Wii U is going to need to be on point plus tax with no flaws in the ointment.
GungHo! Online Entertainment is embracing the PlayStation Vita full force with a pair of very promising game releases in 2012 – here’s the first of the company’s small but very cool lineup for Sony’s handheld. Dokuro is a hybrid platformer with a unique, gorgeous visual style and gameplay that should make fans of the genre sit up and take notice. In the game, players will take on the role of Dokuro, a lowly skeleton in service to a Dark Lord who decided to free a princess kidnapped by his master. As the princess can’t see him, Dokuro needs to help her in some way before her fate is sealed. Our bony would-be savior finds a potion that can change him into a handsome prince the princess can see, and the gameplay revolves around Dokuro switching back and forth between forms to aid the princess as she makes her way to freedom.
Platformer, puzzle and combat elements are all part of the game and with almost 150 levels to complete, GungHo estimates between 20-30 hours of play time, making the $19.99 price a bargain in my book. Check out the screens below and set your calendars for October 16, 2012 when Dokuro makes its debut exclusively on PSN. As for that other game… well, it’s a no-brainer Action/RPG purchase called Ragnarok Odyssey – more on that one in a bit…
Is Ubisoft’s upcoming portable side story the best PS Vita game to date? Well, I’m not (that) psychic, but it sure looks like a prime contender. Check out this latest behind the scenes look at what’s definitely a game worth playing on Sony’s handheld. The system may be struggling a bit these days, but this could be one of those titles that becomes a system seller, killer app, must-play and so forth and so on. Hey, all that hard work here HAS to get some appreciation, I say…
I’m not a fan at all of the current crazy situation where every major retailer gets SEPARATE pre-order bonuses, no matter how good a game is. I happen to love games where everything is in the package or those where I know I can scoop up every last bit of content in a Game of the Year or other reissue. I know a lot of other gamers who hate this tactic as well, but it seems to be here to stay.
And don’t go hating ONLY on Capcom for this, kids – you can toss a dead cat and hit games from nearly every major publisher that do this sort of thing. That said, from what I’ve played, at least DmC is going to be one of those games that no matter how you buy it, will keep you busy through multiple replays. Continue reading
Here’s a neat bonus from the OHRRPGCE game, Spellshard (yup, you should go grab it if you’re a retro RPG fanatic like I am). The guys behind the game even put together a fake color manual PDF that looks as if it was photocopied from an original (very clever) and even has a back cover with a piece of tape covering a small “tear” – that made me smile.
Anyway, I’ve only put about an hour into the game so far, but it’s definitely a nostalgic blast from the past. Granted, most of the games I’ve played using this engine have the same combat systems and menus, but they get the job done in delivering the feeling of camping out on the couch on a rainy weekend immersed in a nicely sized fantasy world.
Granted, hardcore fans out there KNOW this, but I always get a chuckle when I hear people wondering why games like this are still made and/or getting attention. Those people are, of course, folks who’ve either never tried shooters or are terminally terrible at them, so they never get listened to. Especially by developers like G.rev and publishers like Rising Star Games (who deserve a big tip of the hat for keeping the flame going). Under Defeat was initially an arcade hit in Japan before landing on the Dreamcast around six years ago (Sega’s console was getting some excellent games in Japan long after it died out everywhere else in the world) and is now headed stateside and to Europe on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The interesting thing here is the game will be made available for the same price point for its digital and retail editions (a mere $29.99), but the retail version will pack in a soundtrack CD, digital art book download,DLC patches and an exclusive letter from the CEO of G.Rev and the game’s executive producer, Hiroyuki Maruyama (no doubt thanking those who got off their lazy asses and walked to their nearest game emporium rather than sit at home and press a few buttons because they’re stuck to the sofa).
Of course, PS3 and 360 shmup fans will be giddy with delight, but where’s the Vita version? That system has a wide screen too, you know…
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