Bethesda Softworks & Tango Gameworks Announce New Survival Horror Game (I’m Scared Already)…

Posted on April 26, 2012 by geelw

So, that’s what Shinji Mikami has been up to lately. Besides posing for what looks like a jeans or sneakers ad (ha ha), he’s also directing a brand new survival horror game from developer Tango Gameworks that’s going to be published by Bethesda Softworks at some point in the future (as in, when it’s done).

Anyway, the game project is codenamed “Zwei” (meaning “I won’t comment on this until the game has an actual title” in German), there’s nothing yet on the story characters or gameplay and just a single image made up of environments from the work in progress (see below).

Despite the lack of info about the game, Mikami has some words of comfort for horror fans out there wondering about how scary the game will be:

“A true ‘survival horror’ game is one in which the player confronts and overcomes fear,” says Shinji Mikami, president and creative director for Tango Gameworks. “I’ve found my focus and once again I’m striving for pure survival horror. I am being very hands-on in the development of this game to ensure that the quality is there. Rest assured.”

Sounds like a plan and yes, Bethesda is on a roll again. Dishonored is coming to slap your skeptical face straight and this Tango project will hopefully be as memorable (or even more so) than the Resident Evil games Mikami is well-known for. Granted, for sheer fear, it’s going to be hard to beat Frictional Game’s masterful fright-fest Amnesia: The Dark Descent, but we’ll see how this new game progresses as more media rolls in during the development process…

Dragon’s Dogma Developer Diary 1: Capcom Spills The Beans (And Some Blood)…

Posted on April 26, 2012 by geelw

With Dragon’s Dogma a mere few weeks away from going gold, here’s a look at some cool “making of” videos that spell out what it takes to bring the game to life on your PS3 or Xbox 360. IT certainly looks as if anyone expecting to have an easy go at it will be in for a royal surprise when they find out that these beasties in the game all bite back hard. As to all the “better than Skyrim” stuff I’m reading about from the usual suspects, I just snicker and smile, as that’s a totally different beast, particularly if you’re a PC gamer with a solid rig and some of the better mods for that game. Still, Capcom does have the makings of a hardcore hit here with their baby…

Random Art: “Ask Mister Owl…”

Posted on April 25, 2012 by geelw

Sometimes, inspiration comes from the weirdest places. I was on the subway a few weeks back and there was some overly inquisitive kid bugging the crap out of his parents with questions about all sorts of things probably best discussed at home or at least not in a train car packed with people. Anyway, after about the sixth question, the kid’s mom is trying to hand off the next question to the father, but he just does a facepalm and mutters “Ask Mister Owl” under his breath. Of course, the kid didn’t get the joke at all (look it up if you’re younger than oh, 40 and don’t know your TV commercials or candy history) and yes, asked “Who’s Mister Owl?” Which pretty much cracked anyone sitting nearby (including me) up.

The idea for the MS Paint art above came to me just the other day based on that subway trip, so now you know where I get most of my inspiration. Well sometimes…

Gallery: Wii Library (A Work Back In Progress!)

Posted on April 25, 2012 by geelw

I’ve actually owned and played a LOT more than I’ve kept in this photo, but I’m in the process of adding a few more games through trades and tracking down some dirt cheap titles in a few clearance bins. I actually have a few more games on the way thanks to a small trade I made recently, but I wanted to post this picture up now. I guess, I’ll update a few months from now when I have more interesting games to show.

That said, sometimes, it makes me want to (gently) sling an untethered Wii Remote at the heads of those who say the system ONLY has “kiddie” or family games or worse, slam the console without having played a single game on it because they just don’t see how motion control would work on a favorite genre. While, yes, there are a lot of not so hot games on the system, you can absolutely say that about any console from any generation. As far as the Wii (or any other system) goes, when you have a developer who gets what can be done, it works – when you have one that doesn’t quite get it right, it doesn’t. Of course, even a “bad” game can be enjoyable if you’re in the right frame of mind…

Sorcery Story Trailer: I Did Say It Takes Time To Make A Good Game, Didn’t I?

Posted on April 24, 2012 by geelw

When Sorcery dropped off the radar for a bit too long, I initially thought it was canned or worse, being changed around into a standard Dual Shock game. However, it looks as if the game just went into the shop for some nice tuning and based on this gorgeous trailer, it’s going to be worth dusting off that Move wand and Navigation controller for. I’m also betting it’s going to be a lot more intuitive than Kinect Star Wars (sorry, Terminal Reality! I love you guys, but…). Anyway, I’m psyched for this just because I won’t mind flailing away at my TV for once and at least the 1:1 controls the Move brings to the table means a lot less actual flailing. Nice…

Prototype 2 Covent Garden Live Ad: Anarchy In The UK. Or Something Like That.

Posted on April 24, 2012 by geelw

OK, this made me crack up quite a bit, as I can see some unsuspecting non-gamers strolling through Covent Garden, coming across this bizarre live advertisement for Radical Entertainment’s sequel and wondering what the hell is going on. Well, it’s certainly an attention grabber, that’s for sure. The game should be rolling into stores all over the place at some point today, but here in the US, we’ll just have to settle for bigger-budgeted live action and CG TV commercials and no faux real-life rumbles in a big case in a public place. Here in NYC, this would just be performance art, anyway…

Batman: Arkham City GOTY Coming In May (But With More Mandatory DLC In Tow)

Posted on April 24, 2012 by geelw

Hmmm, I was wondering why the price dropped so quickly on Arkham City (it’s about $29.99 or less in some spots) and now I know. The Game of the Year Edition set to arrive on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC will feature the complete game with every updates and all the previously released DLC packs, along with an all new DLC pack: Harley Quinn’s Revenge AND the Batman Year One animated film (the latter for USA and Canada only). I wish the ENTIRE deal was on the disc instead of forcing users to grab the extra content off PSN, XBLA or whatever download services the PC version will be available from, but again, game companies are a bit stubborn about not understanding that not EVERY gamer has a decent internet connection or even a console account.

Ah well, one of these days they’ll get it (and perhaps actually start making money from those folks who feel so shut out because they just can’t get that content they want to pay for how they prefer it)…

Tanks A Lot, Capcom! Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Pre-Order Campaign Rolls Out

Posted on April 23, 2012 by geelw

No, you’re still not getting a big honkin’ 40+ button controller, so quit griping. Of course, getting ALL three bonuses in one shot is a no-go unless you want three copies of the game or have your fingers crossed that they get released as free or paid DLC at some point, so three’s always that to complain about if you’re so inclined. Hey, it’s not ALL Capcom’s fault, kids – that’s just the way thing go in this day and age of every retailer wanting exclusive content and your gaming dollar.

That said, I keep wondering how much longer the industry can keep this up, given the backlash against other things that are a lot less annoying to those of us who want games to ship with as much content as possible, Granted, if you ask around, you’ll hear most people IN the industry saying “this is how it is” or something like that. However, it’s looking as if this enforced means of content division can backfire if enough gamers put their foot down and start screaming as loudly as possible. As for me, I’ll be playing the game with no bonuses because I think it’ll be fine without them.

Game Appreciation 101: Understanding Stylization Helps You Enjoy MORE Games…

Posted on April 23, 2012 by geelw

Maybe it’s because I’m an artist (well, sometimes) but for the life of me, I just don’t understand how and why some gamers ONLY see “realism” as the sole way to go when it comes to modern game visuals while accepting all sorts of artistic stylization in comic books, TV and movies. Experimenting with stylization is not only important for artists in any medium, it’s also important for those who enjoy that medium to help expand their horizons, sometimes significantly. “Realism” is as subjective as looking out your own window and seeing what an actual building, tree or person looks like (boring, aren’t they?), then comparing it to whatever game you’re playing that’s blowing your mind out your left ear.

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The Military Shooter Resurgence: It’s Nice To See The Genre Getting A Kick In The Ass…

Posted on April 22, 2012 by geelw

Despite all the money raked in over the past few years by certain well-known multimillion selling franchises, I see the military shooter genre as a bloated, rotting corpse with limited appeal outside of whatever multiplayer shenanigans keep the masses bunny-hopping and camping online endlessly. Granted, there have been many great advances in MP that have kept things fresh and exciting for fans, but those of us who crave deeper single player experiences have been, save for a few bright spots, left out in the cold. Granted, the story modes in the last few shooters I’ve played have been decent and well-written overall and I don’t give a hoot about how long a campaign is as long as it’s memorable. Thankfully, 505 Games and 2K Games are coming to the rescue with two fine titles that take the shooter into two different and very intriguing directions. And neither of them is a FPS…