Granted, we probably won’t see Kara starring in an actual game anytime soon, but Quantic Dream has definitely laid the groundwork for a future game project that’s going to blow you away. I’m still not sure if that project will be a PS3, Vita or PS-whatever game, but no matter what Sony platform it appears on, it’s going to get people talking. Personally, I’m hoping for something totally new or that Omikron remake/sequel I mentioned previously, but I’m not picky…
Ninja Gaiden 3 Drops In Like A Ninja Should…
Mystically, a review copy of Team Ninja’s latest appeared yesterday (as in out of the blue via Fed Ex), which caught me quite off guard. I guess that means Ryu Hayabusa’s job security is still intact (at least with me). Anyway, I’m in the process of going through it now and while it’s definitely DIFFERENT than previous installments, it’s not the completely horrific experience a few reviewers are bleating on about.
It’s obviously wearing a few modern influences on its bloody sleeves thanks to certain other popular action games out there and thanks to that, it loses some of what made the earlier games great in the process. On the other hand, if it wasn’t a Ninja Gaiden game, I’d bet good money that a lot of the bile directed against it wouldn’t be there at all. Anyway, back to playing some more – my full review should be up this weekend (if not sooner)…
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter: Not Only Badass, But Bad For Actual History, Too…
When I first heard about this flick, I very seriously thought it was a total joke. But nope, it’s real and coming sooner than some history buffs would prefer. OK, I’m not up on EVERY oddball comic or popular novel that gets turned into a major (or minor) motion picture, but hey, I’m too busy playing games and writing about them in some form to absorb a bigger pop cultchah fix like I used to. Speaking of pop culture fixes… I’m really not sure why The Hunger Games is getting all this hype when the incredible Battle Royale did it better and more brutally (as in content that was clearly NOT for teens in a nationwide school reading program). Hell, I’d even take a mean and disturbing film version of the ancient Stephen King story The Long Walk over Games’ over-sauced promotional campaign that puts too much emphasis on the wrong elements instead of where it counts.
Yeah, yeah, I’m a total buzz-killer, aren’t I? But hear me out for a bit as I plant my tongue firmly in cheek and “rant” on a bit. You just KNOW that ten to twenty years from now, this damn film will be seen as actual FACT by those short attention span theater kids raised way too dumb to crack open a REAL book. Hell, you won’t even be able to argue a point in favor of the truth because they’ll even have cinematic proof of their own thanks to a few other “documentaries” about past US presidents doing double duty as supernatural slayers. You DID know that FDR got polio from a werewolf and JFK gave Elvis an assist in killing off some evil mummy, right? Laugh now, but If you’ve got young kids at home, I bet they’ll be learning this crap straight from the cloud through through their iPad XXXII implants… OK, let me get my creaky old ass to bed before I get depressed and head for the nearest window instead…
Resistance: Burning Skies Story Trailer: The Life of Riley Is No Honeymoon, That’s For Sure…
What? You were expecting a HAPPY new Resistance game or something? Super-busy developer Nihilistic is looking to bring those nasty Chimera onto the Vita with a great-looking shooter that shows off how well the system can handle a top drawer FPS. First party power in the house (again!) and so far, so good from what I’ve seen. I’m also hoping we see a reboot of the original Killzone at some point just because that game deserves an update with certain things fixed and fiddled with. Anyway, that’s something for the future. For the moment, let’s get back to aliens invading New Jersey and wiping out most of the population there. I blame Snooki and the usual suspects down at the Shore. That brain-rotting show must have been what set the Chimera off once they started getting episodes sent back through time or something. Anyway, I gotta run… The Situation looks pretty grim from here…
Prometheus Update Double Shot: Wondercon 2012 Trailer + TV Spot
More glorious sneak peeks at the upcoming Ridley Scott film plus a link to what looks like the official website. Lovely and a lot of Hmmm, here: It seems that some folks dinking about on the internet still don’t get that this isn’t an Alien “remake” at all or a “direct prequel” to the 1979 film, but I’ll worry less about that crowd unless they stupidly decide that Ridley isn’t worth their idea of “respect” because he’s doing something they can’t easily digest thanks to their own ignorance. And so it goes, I guess (but I really, REALLY wish people were smarter these days. or at least didn’t waste so much time being wrong)…
Sleeping Dogs’ “Undercover: Hong Kong” Trailer: Square Enix Is Pitching Woo, Big Time
Clearly, the team at United Front Games has a lot to live up to, but it looks as if gamers fond of the True Crime series (warts and all), will have a completely new game experience from a different publisher and developer that just may make them forget about that series (or at least, make them stop comparing it to this new IP). Hey, as long as I don’t have to worry about having a rapper as an unlockable character or anything overtly silly like that, I’m a happy camper. As I say again and again, We. Shall. See… (but I DO think Square Enix is on quite the publishing roll these days)…
Review: Street Fighter X Tekken (Special Edition)
Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)
Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
# of Players: 1 – 4
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Official Site
Score: A-
Capcom’s Versus fighters have a definite appeal to gamers that crave taking their favorite characters from different media and pitting them against each other in some truly outrageous battles and in terms of reinventing that particular wheel, Street Fighter X Tekken may be their best game to date. Although the Xbox 360 version is sorely missing the offline tag-team mode found in the PS3 version, there’s absolutely no reason to miss out on this game if you’re a huge fan of either franchise. From the outstanding visuals and animation to the excellent tutorials that will get any new player into the game with ease, this one’s a no-brainer for fighting games fans. Sure, there are some quibbles with the total number of unlocked characters versus who’s available as paid DLC, but this is one of those games where if you’re hooked in, you probably won’t mind paying a bit extra for even more fun.
It’s A Reality With a Name: NeoGeo X Coming To North America in Q2 2012
Well, that was quick. I’d imagine the rivers of drool and pools of fan sweat have convinced some smart folks at distributors Tommo, Inc. here in the US and Blaze overseas to get to it and get the newly christened NeoGeo X to gamers sometime within the next few months. While no price point has been officially announced*, the 20 games packed into the handheld have been:
ART OF FIGHTING
BASEBALL STARS
CYBER LIP
FATAL FURY
FATAL FURY SPECIAL
FOOTBALL FRENZY
KING OF THE MONSTERS
LAST RESORT
LEAGUE BOWLING
MAGICIAN LORD
METAL SLUG
MUTATION NATION
NAM 1975
SAMURAI SHODOWN
SENGOKU
SUPER SIDEKICKS
THE KING OF FIGHTERS’94
THE ULTIMATE 11
TOP PLAYERS GOLF
WORLD HEROES
*Note: I’ve seen posts on some sites that note Blaze quoting a ridiculous £500 (currently US$785) price tag (!), but I’m hoping that’s the worst typo I’ll see this week or even better, that figure was incorrectly derived on those sites where editor-types who tend to misread important stuff just jumped the gun without getting the FACTS straight. Hell, even the most die-hard NeoGeo collector would balk at the price of a dedicated device that costs more than the home version of the original console…
Back with an update soon (and hopefully, an actual retail price point)…
Driftmoon Hands-On: The Top Is Down And The Weather’s Just Fine For Traveling…
Yes, it’s taken a bit of time for me to get around to playing that new Driftmoon demo I mentioned last month, but I’m absolutely more than pleased that I spent a few hours yesterday exploring the early part of the game which was awesome enough to leave me begging to see how the final build will turn out. Instant Kingdom (that’s Ville and Anne Mönkkönen, last time I checked) have created a lovely top down Adventure/RPG that can be tailored for anyone from novices who prefer a lighter combat option to hardcore players who want enemies that bite back hard. It also doesn’t hurt that the writing here is well done and often amusing in tone, offering a RPG experience that allows for different outcomes to certain quests. Toss in an excellent map system, some very well thought out combat, a great soundtrack and the ability to send feedback to the developers as you play and what’s here is shaping up to be a superb little indie game.
Hey, Starbucks: Recycle This!
Hmmmm… so, Starbucks has it in their minds to mention on each and every one of their napkins (made from recycled paper) that users should also recycle them after usage. That’s kind of a nasty conundrum if you think about it too hard.
As in, HOW the heck are you supposed to recycle something you just used to clean the foam from your hipster goatee or coffee-mussed lip gloss? Do you fold said napkin into a square the size of a teabag and hand it to the homeless guy you ignored camped outside that Starbucks so he can use it to suck on for a quick caffeine fix? Or do you keep it for yourself as a makeshift emergency ration when stranded on the subway or makeshift bandage in case that now pissed off homeless guy punches you in the nose ring? Decisions, decisions…
Me, I just decided to take an unused napkin and draw on it with a fine point Sharpie. Anyone want to by some recycled napkin art? Hell, I may as well try to recycle in reverse by using free napkins to generate some income. I’ll be the guy in that Starbucks you’ll want to beat up because he’s stolen all the napkins and you have to pay to get them from him only to find you can’t use them because they’re all scribbled on…

