GoldenEye: Reloaded Launch Trailer: Before We Resume With A Bang & A Boom…

Posted on October 28, 2011 by geelw

Yes, it’s ~~almost~~ finally here, so get those itchy trigger fingers all nice and limber for a super solid single player experience that’s been nicely expanded and some very cool multiplayer modes that will get you yelling at your radar-reading CHEATER friends who pick Odd Job and start throwing bowler hats at you as soon as you spawn. Eurocom has whipped up a fun game that was great on the Wii last year and looks to be even bigger on the HD consoles. Let’s hope enough folks can pull themselves away from BF3 and a few other titles in the launch window to make this one as successful as it should be (and then some)…

This Time, It’s War (In The North)…

Posted on October 28, 2011 by geelw

Guess what JUST showed up (well, around 12:30 this afternoon)? Looks like my weekend plans are shattered to heck, but in a REALLY good way. Off to get to work on a review, which should hopefully go live on ~~Monday~~, er. Tuedsay*. Now about that Batman: Arkham City I didn’t get, feh… you win some, you lose some, I guess. Anyway, I’m off to kill a bunch of Orcs and try not do die by U’ruk Hai. Back in a bit!

Yeah, yeah, I’d initially written this as MONDAY for the review, til I noticed the embargo. Oops. Tuesday it is.

What Team Ico “Should”* Do Next (After The Last Guardian, That Is)…

Posted on October 28, 2011 by geelw

I’ve been kicking this silly idea around for a while (over 10 years), but I’m no game developer at all, just an old gamer and sometimes “idea guy” with a lot of thoughts about how to make good games better and better games even more fun. By the way, game companies DO NOT HIRE IDEA PEOPLE (trust me, I’ve asked). So er, don’t get any wild ideas about becoming that person who thinks it’s a good idea that Nintendo or whomever will want you and your notebooks full of Mario or Metroid levels just because you and your friends think they’ve never been done before. Now, where was I? Oh, right.

Since Fumeta Ueda and company are so great at making beautiful worlds and combining them with thought-provoking stories that don’t use a ton of words to express a wide range of emotions, I’d actually love to see them remake an old favorite of mine that, while not a “classic” at all, is a very intriguing game that has a number of similarities to their work. Continue reading →

Review: Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection

Posted on October 28, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Team Ico/Bluepoint Studios

Publisher: Sony

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A

In certain cases, wistful nostalgia can indeed kick you around the room hard once the reality sets in that perhaps things weren’t as great as you recalled. However, both ICO and Shadow of the Colossus have withstood the test of time as two truly memorable game experiences not to be missed. Team Ico with (a solid assist from Bluepoint Games) have polished up both games to a nice HD finish, added Trophy support, optional 3D and a nice set of bonus features for one truly great package (at a mere $40) that’s an absolute must-purchase title (and yet another solid PS3 collection). For those that remember these two classics, replaying them in this collection will offer a few nice surprises along with a few old quirks. For those that have yet to experience these two masterworks (elements of which have turned up in many games over the past decade), expect to be amazed… provided you have the proper perspective.

Continue reading →

Back In A Bit (Disturbing Clown Version)…

Posted on October 27, 2011 by geelw

I’m working on a few updates, non-DAF stuff and such, so I’ll be back later tonight/tomorrow with some previews and reviews I’ve been meaning to get done (among other things). Here’s a picture of Twisted Metal’s Sweet Tooth I did a long time ago for a magazine cover. Remember, clowns aren’t scary, kids… it’s who’s behind the mask you need to worry about. In the case of this one, if you see any clown driving a tricked out ice cream truck… don’t wave it down or YOU’LL be the one in the freezer. Just hope he doesn’t spot you running for cover, as that truck has got a few tricks up it’s sleeve…

Hideo Kojima Has Me (And Many Others) Drooling Over Metal Gear Solid. Again.

Posted on October 25, 2011 by geelw

Of course, any gamer worth his or her salt will want this as soon as it ships next month. If I’m not mistaken, it also comes with this, which is even better. Finally, this is hitting stores in 2012 (and it’s about time). Between these HD collections, what Kojima has cooking on the Vita, Metal Gear Rising and some other fun stuff, it’s going to be quite an anniversary for Solid Snake and friends…

The Lord of The Rings War in the North Pre-Order Teaser Tempts Away…

Posted on October 24, 2011 by geelw

Too many people online are out of their minds comparing every RPG to Skyrim or whatever other fantasy-themed open world experience on the way when it’s clear that Snowblind Studios is making a different type of adventure entirely. I’m definitely looking forward to this one as I’m a fan of the developer’s work and trust them to make a pretty good action RPG (as it’s something they’ve done a few times previously). We’ll see if the game defies the skeptics and becomes one of those “Hey, this is really good!” word of mouth titles pretty soon, as that November 1 release date is right around the corner. Of course, in this stupid era of games needing to sell a bazillion copies over a weekend to be considered a “success”, I truly hope that this game gets enough time to gain momentum before any judgment is placed on the potential of future installments…

Fusion: Genesis – Hands-On With Starfire’s Sure-Fire XBLA Hit

Posted on October 22, 2011 by geelw

One of the nicer surprises at the VERY packed New York Comic Con was actually hidden in plain sight at the Microsoft booth. While packs of gamers waited in lines to play the spectacular Mass Effect 3, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and a few other AAA games, right next to those was Fusion: Genesis, a sprawling, top-down space shooter/RPG/MMO hybrid by Starfire Studios headed exclusively to Xbox Live Arcade later this year. You probably haven’t heard of Starfire just yet as this is their first title under that name, but the four-man team is comprised of Chris Tilston, Mark Edmonds, Philip Dunne and Ross Bury, all ex-Rare talent with credits that range from GoldenEye, Killer Instinct, Perfect Dark and Kameo. Fusion looks and plays like none of the above games at all, but it’ll definitely seem familiar to fans of PC classics such as Starflight, Star Control or even the Sega Dreamcast sleeper, Armada. The game also tips its cap to classic arcade shooters, Star Wars and Star Trek in spots, but I don’t want to spoil too much in this preview… Continue reading →

Battlefield 3 Launch Trailer: War Is Good For Games, At Least…

Posted on October 21, 2011 by geelw

Electronic Arts, DICE and their mighty Frostbite 2 engine definitely has a winner on both consoles as well as PC. I got to play some multiplayer last week at EA’s holiday event against the DICE team on the PS3 and not only is the gameplay lightning fast and frantic, BF3 looks REALLY spectacular on the system. As fas as the whole “which is better” nonsense going on between the big shooter franchises, I say who cares as long as BOTH games are as good as their respective dev teams can make them. In the end, I see some folks buying and playing both or at least buying one and renting the other to compare. Expect productivity in a few countries to drop even further (er, provided those calling in sick with BF3 flu actually have jobs).

The Hidden: Majesco Just May Have Something Really Awesome Here…

Posted on October 20, 2011 by geelw

Remember those nifty cameras on the 3DS? Well, there’s a game that finally makes better use of them and just might be a nice surprise for gamers looking to do more than sit in one place while playing something cool. Majesco’s The Hidden, an augmented reality ghost-tracking adventure game coming to US retailers on November 8, 2011, drops you into the shoes of a Ghostly Entity Investigation and Strike Team (G.E.I.S.T.) member as you track and eliminate specters in 12 different missions. The intriguing thing about the game is in order to discover every pesky poltergeist, players will need to actually get outside in the fresh air or at least move around the house and do some actual camera work. I’m not sure how it all comes together, but if any 3DS game deserves a fair shake and a decent review, it’s this one. Color me intrigued…