The Elder Scrolls Online: It’s Beta Sign-Up Time!

Posted on January 22, 2013 by geelw

I’ve been following TES Online for a while now and while I won’t be diving into this one at all (I have an awful internet connection, prefer my fantasy RPGs offline and solo play with no PVP nonsense or dealing with jerks of the helpful and unhelpful variety), I won’t stop YOU from joining the beta and helping with the stress testing on the first ever Elder Scrolls MMO. I do respect that the dev team at ZeniMax isn’t simply tossing out a game set in the same era as the single player TES games from Bethsoft. With a thousand years or so separating this new game from the more familiar lands some of us ancient fans have explored many times over, there’s room to do pretty much anything with the history that won’t step on the toes of past or future RPGs. Of course, I’m hoping Bethesda has at least started working out concepts and early pre-production work on the follow up to Skyrim (and that they make a game that’s much more stable on any console it gets made for)…

You’ll Finally Get To Ride Dragons In The Newest Skyrim Expansion (Unless You Own A PS3)…

Posted on November 6, 2012 by geelw

So yeah, 360 owners are first on the block to brag about getting Dragonborn before everyone else, but I’d bet PC fans of Bethsoft’s RPG are going to be smiling even more broadly because they get to mod that content even more. As for poor PS3 users, wellllll… I’m one of them, so all I can do is hope to hell SOMEONE fixes that version up right so it can actually get new content instead of being a bit too buggy to play after a ton of hours are sunk into the otherwise excellent experience. It’s the one thing that kept me from going through the game a second time (and many from getting through it once). Ah well… in a perfect world, I suppose. Or a spiffy Game of the Year Edition that SHOULD come out with all the DLC on a disc (right? Right.)…

Dishonored TV Commercial: An Instant Classic Not Going Quietly Into That Dark Night…

Posted on September 27, 2012 by geelw

Arkane Studios’ newest and most impressive game is all done and ready for its close up quite soon. I’m psyched because I just KNOW there will be a few brainy gamers out there who see the game world and all the hard work the team has put into it and “click” into it all multiple times, as the game demands you try everything you can at all times when tackling missions. My only major decision in the end is which version to buy. I’m leaning towards PS3, as my two 360’s are dead and my PC too aged to run anything this new. OK, let me poke around and see if I can find some game screens to turn into an October banner for the site…

Free Music Alert Plus: Download Dishonored’s Tune, Win Big By Making Your Own Remix

Posted on September 14, 2012 by geelw

Hey! Free stuff is ALWAYS great, right? Right! But, add in a chance to be creative with that free stuff in order to get MORE free stuff and we’re in mind expanding territory here. Well, not really – I just have a word count to meet and this sort of cheery banter fills that up quite nicely. Er, anyway… this IS a really cool contest for you creative types out there who like to tinker with tunes. Go check out the Drunken Whaler MP3 over at the Bethesda Blog, download it and get with the remixing, mateys. Come up with a suitably stunning slice of DJ delivery, enter the contest and guess what? If you win, you walk away smiling with a copy of Dishonored for your efforts. Get cracking fast, Cap’n Hook (or is it Cap’n Crunch?), as you all need to submit your shanties by September 28. YES, 2012. Geez, some people…

Dishonored is in stores October 9 for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Yes, you need to buy it. There’s a very deadly assassin on the cover who just may find time for some extracurricular field work if you don’t.

(Disclaimer: Bethesda makes no endorsements about thinly veiled threats from fictional video game characters towards readers of this blog about the non-existent potential for bodily harm if they don’t buy their upcoming Arkane Studios-developed game. That’s my job.)

Dishonored Developer Documentary Part 3: Experience And Choice Make A Big Game Bigger…

Posted on September 14, 2012 by geelw

As I’ve been saying for months now, DIshonored is going to blow you away on many fronts from the stylized visuals to the great gameplay to the amount of choice you have while playing. This latest video shows how to kill with skill and in quite a few ways. Amusingly enough, my two favorite upcoming titles that use player choice as key to the experience are this game and Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of 2 – you can’t get more opposite ends of the gaming spectrum than that, I’d say!

Dishonored Developer Diaries 1 & 2: Creating Style, Immersion & Illusion In A Solid New IP

Posted on September 11, 2012 by geelw

Here’s why Arkane Studios’ upcoming game will be so fantastic – a team with a ton of experience that loves what they do inventing a whole new game world to explore while giving players freedom to mess around almost any way they like. By the way, that “almost” isn’t too limiting, as you’ll see in the videos and even more so when you’re actually playing the game. Sleeper hit? yes, Deserves to be much bigger than it’s going to be? Absolutely.

What Is QuakeCon? A Video Primer Of Sorts For People Like Me…

Posted on August 12, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, that’s right… I’ve never been to a QuakeCon, as it’s always been way out of my budget and I’m not the biggest PC gamer out there (unless it’s some vintage vault classic, super fun indie stuff or RPGMaker epic that’s worth raving about), so that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Still, I’ve been to a few East Coast tournaments (that World Cyber Games held here in NYC a bunch of years back and some other fun events), so I know that things get really fun and really crazy in a good way for fans of id Software’s games. Eh, one day I’ll get out west again, so perhaps I’m not a total loser. Hell, I do need a decent vacation. after not having one for ages..

Dishonored Brings The Nice Noise With Key Voice, Music Talent

Posted on August 3, 2012 by geelw

“Having such talented actors voice Dishonored’s compelling cast of characters adds a rich, powerful element to the game,” said Raphaël Colantonio, president of Arkane Studios. “We want to draw people into this virtual world and make it feel real. This celebrated cast adds wonderful depth and credibility to the overall Dishonored gameplay experience.”

Well, well, well. As expected, Bethesda and Arkane Studios are making sure Dishonored hits retail packing some fine voice talent to go along with the innovative gameplay. A bit more press release action below, as I’m working on a bunch of stuff at the moment and can’t jazz things up like I usually do: Continue reading →

Doom 3 BFG Edition Headed To Consoles, PC This October (Flashlight Mod Included)…

Posted on June 20, 2012 by geelw

Nice (and hell, it’s about time!). I loved the console version of Doom 3 and its expansion back on the original Xbox and next to Valve’s stellar ‘How the hell did they DO that” port of Half-Life 2 (still the technical achievement on the console in my book), it’s one of those games you’ll always remember after you’ve played it. Well, id is bringing the game to consoles and PC this October 16 with some nice additions PS3 and 360-only owners should approve of. The main game, Resurrection of Evil expansion and seven new levels (The Lost Mission) are all 3D optimized, feature 5.1 surround sound, new lighting, rendering an an actual checkpoint save system (for those who disliked having to replay certain tricky sections of the game over). In addition, fellow Space Marines, that aforementioned flashlight takes care of one of Doom 3’s more irksome problems (unless you owned the PC version and got one of the many flashlight mods) and yes, there are now Trophies and Achievements for those that feel the need to hunt them down. Even better, you’ll be getting the original versions of Doom and Doom II included in the package (hopefully ON the game disc and not as downloads, right, id?). The best thing here is the price point – $29.99 on PC and $39.99 for the console versions. That’s not bad for so much, I say. Especially when it’s a game that still has the scares to send you under the couch time and time again (and that’s just the first two games in the series)…

E3 2012: Dishonoed Gameplay Trailer: Arkane’s Got That Magic Going On….

Posted on June 2, 2012 by geelw

Bethesda really knows how to get me thrilled even about stuff they don’t make directly, and Dishonored is looking to be one of those big surprises of a pretty crazy year for good games. Everything is falling into place for a game with a defined single player focus, an intriguing new character and gameplay that rewards creative thinking. I’m betting even the more skeptical folks out there who don’t quite get this one will be eating some hot crow pie (yum!) once they see that it’s actually a great deal better than they thought. Hey, we all have to admit our mistakes sometime, right? Of course, the chances of some Internet troll fessing up to being a total uninformed dolt is about less than zero, but hey – I’m going to think optimistically for a change (at least for this post)…