Dishonored Preview: Arkane Studios and Bethesda Are Cooking Up An Instant Classic

Posted on May 20, 2012 by geelw

With its innovative gameplay, distinctive look inspired by classic illustrators such as N.C. Wyeth and Charles Dana Gibson, an incredible cityscape created by Visual Design Director Viktor Antonov with Art Director Sébastien Mitton and the rarefied air of a product that knows how great it’s going to be to those who “get” it, Dishonored has shot up to the top of the list of games I really want to play (and see succeed in this era of sequels and retreads). Arkane Studios has been going full steam ahead with this all-new PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 IP, a single player focused and yes, story-driven game that allows players do tackle missions in just about any way they desire. Without a multiplayer mode in sight (thankfully), Arkane is showing that a strong story and stronger gameplay can do wonders for an industry where relying or retreading popular multiplayer modes has decimated some games and genres into a depressingly generic formula year after year.

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More Diablo III Downtime Art, Alien Edition…

Posted on May 19, 2012 by geelw

Since I have a few minutes to spare, here’s some more “what to do while waiting for DIII to fix itself” art I did earlier this week during some sort of system error (whee!). Both are a reworkings of Alien sketches I did a while back – I like these a lot more than the originals.

Again, I’m not hating on Blizzard at all for the game itself, as it’s great stuff when I can play it and as it comes together with the patches and updates, there’s no doubt that it’s going to rule its particular niche for some time. That said, I’m betting a few other developers working on similar titles have been watching how this all plays out as they get their games ready for their closeups…

OK, that’s it for now – back to cobbling together notes and such for a review next week…

Dragon’s Dogma Arrives To Take Me Away From Hell For A Bit…

Posted on May 18, 2012 by geelw

Nice. I wasn’t expecting this to show up this evening, but well, here you go. First impressions: I can’t say, as the reviews are embargoed until MONDAY, but the title music cracked me up (let the first one play out and wait for the second, nicer theme). I’ve only put less than an hour in and yes, the game is quite a bit of fun and packed with detail and hidden loot. It’s a COMPLETELY different vibe than what some of you are probably thinking, but again – that’s content for the review.

OK, let me shut up and get back to it for a bit. I’ll be writing about something else in the next few posts so I don’t spoil any more…

You’re Not A Smart Ass When You Make Obvious Fun Of Sony’s New Vita Game’s Name…

Posted on May 17, 2012 by geelw

Hmmmmm. I’m betting Sony knew that a LOT of people on the internet, specifically message board denizens with too much time on their hands would see their new Vita game Smart As as “Smart Ass”. OK, it was funny when I thought I was the ONLY one who misread it, but I soon realized that it doesn’t take a genius to think up an easy pun like that. So, either this social-focused Brain Age-inspired game is really great with a lame name or it’s not great at all and needs a catchy/silly title just to get people talking about it using the same lame joke until it gets old. Which was about thirty minutes ago. Well, at least the video is really informative and makes the social element look quite fun. Check it out…

Prometheus “Quiet Eye” Viral: Getting Closer To The Truth (And Creeped Out, Too)…

Posted on May 17, 2012 by geelw

Yikes, it’s almost June, which means Prometheus will be getting into the brains of fans who will be talking about this one for quite some time. No doubt Alien fans from the first film will be debating new viewers who don’t “get” some of the stuff here, and I think both camps will be off by a mile if they try to base their arguments on the xenomorph aspect. At the end of the day, if the film is solid, it’ll be a go-to classic for years to come. Of course, that might also mean a new box set of Alien films at some point, with Prometheus being the “first” film in the series. And YES, the icky (and mean-spirited) Alien Versus Predator will STILL be left out of the canon.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Is Pleased To Introduce Itself (Say Hi!)

Posted on May 17, 2012 by geelw

[youtube+http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMmwOhdLdfk]

It’s funny writing out the ENTIRE name of this upcoming sequel each time I post about it, but being lazy and abbreviating it to DEM2:TPoT is actually worse. Anyway, here’s a look at what’s in store for this next installment, from the co-op play to the big musical numbers and refined camera system. It would be awesome to see the first game get fixed up in HD for the PS3 and 360, but I don’t think that’s in the cards anytime soon, if at all. For those who still haven’t played it because you don’t own a Wii, ah, go buy one already! There are a bunch of very cool games on the system and you’d be surprised at how not EVERY motion control game is a dance or exercise game that will make you trow fits because not a shot is fired and there are no explosions (other than the top of your head popping off from touching a Wii Remote)…

Dragon’s Dogma “Pawns Unleashed” Trailer: And Hardcore Pawns, At That…

Posted on May 16, 2012 by geelw

A ha ha ha, I’ll be here all week, folks – two dollar cover, two drink minimum…. Anyway, the game ships out soon and it looks as if it’ll be successful despite the crankypants-ing about the paid DLC being on the disc to be unlocked at a later date. Hey, I don’t care as long as the main game is long enough to keep me not griping about having to pay for more. Capcom just needs to say “Hey, it’s basically the way things are done today”, or “we’re not the only ones doing it,” or “it’s an “expansion pack” that’s not on a separate disc”… and so forth and so on. Or maybe it’s time for a shift to more transparency throughout the entire industry, as they’re far from the ONLY publisher doing this. Of course, if the game does well enough, I expect to see a Game of the Year edition with everything unlocked. Right Capcom?

Lollipop Chainsaw TV Ad: Just About All You Can See During Primetime…

Posted on May 16, 2012 by geelw

I really like that WBIE didn’t fall over themselves trying to whip up a tame and unremarkable commercial for Grasshopper’s upcoming game. Yes, if you’ve been ogling the trailers before, you’ve seen most or all of this footage already. But this spot isn’t for YOU, silly rabbits. It’s for those folks who haven’t pre-ordered on heard of the game for some reason and are seeing all that weirdness for the first time. Hell, I’d buy this if I saw this ad and didn’t know a thing about the game just for the comedy bits alone. I predict a nice summer for Juliet if the game does well (and everyone involved will be happy as well)…

Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox Lives! (Or: Kickstarter, Ahoy!)

Posted on May 15, 2012 by geelw

Nice news from Down Under, as I just got the word that Malevolence: The Sword of Ahkranox is now a Kickstarter project. This great looking old-school turn-based RPG has gotten a few big pushes this past week or so thanks to a great and funny article that goes into game design and manages to bring Kevin Bacon into the mix without him actually being involved in the project. Er, go read it, as it makes more sense that me explaining it. Anyway, the new digs over at Kickstarter, plus the boost from Kevin Bacon (hee hee) has helped the game see a nice kick towards its goal, so go do the right thing and support these guys and gals! We need more Infinte RPGs like this, I say!

Cloudy With A Chance Of Stupid…

Posted on May 15, 2012 by geelw

Some days, it’s just too easy to dislike the internet. I’m talking mostly about YOU, Diablo III and your need for us solo players to ALWAYS be online even if we don’t want to be. Well, whatever – I still think Blizzard would make MORE money if they allowed more people to play the game offline (hell, we’re not all thieves and cheaters, silly). That’s all for now. I’ll be back later with something more productive and only slightly less snarky.