Journey “Reaching The Summit” Developer Diary: thatgamecompany At Its Pinnacle

Posted on March 9, 2012 by geelw

If Journey isn’t nominated and doesn’t win a few awards from respectable peers (and not sites that automatically fall over themselves to give the big shooters and AAA releases you’d expect to win even more praise, there’s just NO justice in this world. OK, that’s a bit overly serious, but once you see the game in motion (or even better, PLAY IT), you’ll want to run out to any shop that sells any kind of trophy, buy them out and get them all engraved with the names of everyone who works at tgc, the folks who deliver the mail and even the janitor if they have one. I still want a Vita version or even better, a Blu-Ray with ALL of tgc’s games on it plus some music, art and “making of” documentaries for good measure. Who’s with me on this?

The Hobbit Production Videos: If These Show Up As Special Features Later, I’ll Be Pissed…

Posted on March 9, 2012 by geelw

I’m only kidding (maybe) but, given all these potential plot spoilers (well, to those who haven’t read the books yet) and ego-powered chest puffing going on from the principals and production team, you’d think the film was all done and already released. Of course, this is the era of “leaked” footage and sneaky on-set photographs, so at least these lengthy clips are not only official issue, but done quite well. Of course, they’ll probably be on the disc versions anyway at some point along with a ton of other features being shot and edited as you read this. I do wonder if these videos clock in as part of the film’s total budget, though…

More below the jump…

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Kid Icarus: Uprising “Medusa” Trailer Isn’t Mythologically Accurate To Some…

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

Wow. Some people are a bit too stuck up, biased, stupid or just have WAY too much time on their hands. Despite the amazing work done on this trailer, I’ve actually read criticisms of the voice acting and Nintendo not following Greek mythology to a T in a video game whose original installment also didn’t. Geez, can’t people enjoy a game for what it is and stop bashing it for what it doesn’t do? You want “actual” Greek myths? Go read some in a real old book you got at the library (and not on an e-reader or other tech, as if you’re THAT hardcore about your source material, you MUST kick it old-school).. As for the voice acting… grow up, already. It sounds fine to me and hell, this isn’t supposed to be some SERIOUS game with everyone sounding fresh out of a master Royal Shakespeare class. Lighten the hell up folks… or just get another hobby, I say (it’s just more fun games for me that way).

At First, BioShock Infinite’s “Motorized Patriot” Was A Bit TOO Timely For My Tastes…

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

When I first heard the name “Motorized Patriot” last night before seeing the video, I laughed for a good two minutes or so. Thankfully, the actual enemy from BioShock Infinite isn’t amusing at all and packs quite a wallop with that “pepper mill” machine gun. Why was I cracking up, do you ask? Well, I instantly thought of footage from a few Tea Party events that had some cranky old people riding Rascal scooters or in wheelchairs protesting hard and getting it all WRONG about wanting the government here to get its paws off their Medicare benefits. They’d been so brainwashed and willing to believe anything bad about the current president that they thought (and still think) the Medicare and SSI payments they get each month are doled out by someone else (I have no idea who, by the way).

Of course, if you ask these folks who think the government is wasting too much money if they’d love to give that monthly check back to partially pay off the debt, they’d want to roll over your feet a few times. In a motorized patriot sort of way (ouch)…

Armored Core V Gameplay: Steel Yourselves For Some Heavy Metal Hits…

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

Courtesy of the PlayStation Blog, here’s a look at some more ACV gameplay. This one looks like it’ll be fun for those who love a ton of pre-battle preparations and tweaking (par for the course in the Armored Core franchise). It’ll be interesting to see how well this stacks up against the other titles in the long AC history, but I have the feeling that From Software will be pleased with the response from fans old and new once the game ships out on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Oh, Kara! What Quantic Dream’s Been Up To These Days Is Pretty Awesome Indeed…

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

Sure, it’s just a tech demo (and a beautiful one at that) running on the PS3 hardware and not an actual game project, but wow. I’m actually hoping we see this show up as either a new PS3 game OR we’ll see parts of this in a new project for the Vita or whatever new console Sony has planned down the road. Hmmm… perhaps there’s an Omikron remake or sequel on the way? That would be fun to see, especially if it’s got a decent and lengthy single player portion plus co-op and online play for those who want to adventure together… We shall see, i suppose.

All Those NEW features And It’s Just Called “iPad”… Really?

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

Meh, for all its lovely tech features, the lousy name choice only sounds to me like Apple is trying too hard to make you forget you just bought an iPad 2 last year. OK, I’m no sheep-headed, blindfold-wearing fan of the iOS lineup, but a name for something so “resolutionary” is an important thing. I’d have least spent the time to think up a better name for the new device (maybe use that new super-screen as a starting point, perhaps?). Oh well, the Foxconn factory is pumping the iPad out as we speak. I still want to see live feed cameras from the factory floor so we know those underpaid folks we’re not supposed to care about (because we just want a new Apple toy as quickly as they can make them) aren’t being exploited.

Well, not TOO much.

It’s Intenational Women’s Day? FemShep To The Rescue!

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

Ha! I was wondering just what to do with this FemShep trailer from Mass Effect 3, but thankfully, an email about IWD being today gives me the perfect chance to show BioWare’s on the case when it comes to bringing equality to the forefront. Amusingly enough, I’ve not yet played as a female Shepard in any ME game, but that’s because I haven’t gotten around to it just yet. I have done a complete play through of Dragon Age: Origins using a female character, so I’m at least partially practicing what I’m preaching…

OK, that’s my good deed of the day and much better than running around the UN trying to pass out flowers and candy to random women. That’s only good for a few slaps to the head and a trip to the closest jail cell. Er, that’s what I’ve heard. Not speaking from any experience, mind you…

Dead or Alive 5 GDC 2012 Trailer: So, Crossovers Are The Next Big Thing (Again)? Bring It.

Posted on March 7, 2012 by geelw

While Capcom has perfected the art of the crossover franchise fighting game, as you can see here, Team Ninja (with a little help from Sega) also wants in on the spectacular fan service with their own key franchise. I’m psyched for this one because the VF series has always been a more technically demanding game than DoA (as some of those crazy Japanese gameplay videos have proved that for a while). While this doesn’t seem to be a FULL crossover game in terms of the total number of VF characters, I’m hoping we see one at some point. In terms of 3D fighters, both VF and DoA do things that Capcom’s awesome arcade hits haven’t on the 2D plane. I guess we’ll see what sort of craziness is going on in future videos, right?

(Thanks to XboxViewTV for the video!)

Papo & Yo Update: Another Unconventional Sleeper On the PS3 That’s A Must-Buy…

Posted on March 7, 2012 by geelw

Minority Media Inc. is a new developer to watch closely and in my opinion, Papo & Yo is shaping up to be one of the best hidden gems of the year. This PS3 exclusive PSN download combines fantasy, puzzle-solving and non-violent action platforming elements with colorful, favela inspired environments and a great main character to play as. You can practically feel your sense of wonder activate and buzz around the room as this latest trailer shows off improvements from last year’s demo version. I’d absolutely love to see this game on the Vita as well as bundled with other PSH hits on a disc, as it’s something that’s too well-made and heartfelt to be limited to a mere digital download. No release date has been set for this one other than sometime this year, but I’ll be keeping an eyeball peeled and letting you guys know what’s what. For now, just watch that trailer and let your mind drift into the game world. That’s an order, by the way…