Jack The Giant Slayer TV Spot 2: Land of the CGI Giants Still Leaves Me Chilly…

 

OK, OK, I’m trying hard to give this one a chance and yes, as I noted a while back, it’s definitely better looking that the awful 1962 original that tried to fool viewers with some piss-poor stop motion ( as in: Hey, we can’t get Harryhausen, but those stoopid kids won’t EVEN know! Well, I sure did…) and wooden acting. Well, this certainly will beat that old flick to a pulp on a few fronts, but will it be remembered as much as the original is… or will it vanish into the bargain bin and into cable recycle mode like the remake of Clash of the Titans and its sequel, Wrath of the Titans. I finally saw that this past weekend and was not impressed despite some pretty wild effects work. These “epics” NEED to feel epic, not like almost two hours of loud, big and forgettable. Well, let’s hope Jack is actually something that works on the right parts of the brains of those who go see it. Me, I’ll hold out for the cable premiere…

BioShock Infinite “Columbia is Icarus” Trailer: If So… Get Off That Floating City!


Funny, you’d think that comparing an fake alternate past colonial steampunk-inspired floating mega-metropolis being compared to that mythological dope who made himself a nice set of wings for flying to the sun that weren’t heatproof would be a dead giveaway that Columbia would be a pretty awful place to visit. But, nope… we’re all headed there as gamers in BioShock Infinite and both 2K Games and Irrational Games are going to be counting stacks of bills and probably trying to make wings out of them as well. Hopefully, they won’t use the same adhesive as poor Iccy did. Then again, I say let them. Just as long as I get a flight schedule and a big ass butterfly net. I’m not saving any lives from a fall at that height, folks – I just want to scoop me up some of that free money when it comes raining down…

Dead Space 3 Hands-On: Two Players Makes For A Far Freakier Experience…

DS3LEWhen I heard that Dead Space 3 would have an all-new co-op mode included, I was a tiny bit skeptical (not as crazed as some on the internet raging madly about it, however). Still, I trusted that Visceral Studios would not only deliver something memorable in terms of the scares and gore fans expect, the developer would also bring a bit of innovation to the gameplay simply because standard co-op play would have been too generic for a series known for giving the horror genre a nice kick in the pants. It turns out that my initial skepticism wasn’t even necessary as from what I played, players on either end of that Xbox Live or PSN connection are in for a total mind trip that’s different for both players.

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Random Indie Game of the Week: Driftmoon Hands-On Update

 

It’s allllmost done, folks. Ville and Anne Mönkkönen’s refreshingly fun (and funny) blend of adventure and role-playing as gotten a ton of fixes including new skills, all sorts of little and big optimizations and is shaping up to be a great blend old and new school genre fans looking for something really unique should absolutely buy. Go play the latest demo and see for yourself. I’ll wait, but while I’m waiting, a short report on what’s new:

When we last left our hero (in a previous demo build), an important item was acquired, a relative was rescued and there was a nice air of “this is really going to be even more fun!” at the expected abrupt ending. Picking up right from that save, the game gets funnier and a bit more challenging as new enemies and plenty of nice surprises awaited with further exploration. One thing new players will NEED to learn (other than adjusting to the top-down camera angle, but there’s a potential slight options tweak being considered) is the importance of moving or activating certain objects in the game world to uncover assorted secrets. I found a new room in the old dungeon I was on the way out of by extinguishing a torch (hey!), and there were a wealth of cool items under chairs, chests, wooden boards and heavy rocks (among other places)… Continue reading

These “Creatures” Might Be “Beautiful”… But They’ll Never Be “Heavenly…”

Now, I know for a fact and a half that I’m not even interested in seeing this upcoming flick (I’m SO not into the tween fantasy stuff, sorry!), but know ye this: I was fooled for a hot minute a few months back and ALMOST thought this was a remake of Peter Jackson’s outstanding (and much more mature) ‘based on a true story’ film that marked the acting debuts of Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey and wondered if I was nuts for getting pissed off that someone went and remade it. Fortunately, I watched that trailer and didn’t post a needlessly incorrect rant I’d have to apologize for later, right? How un-Internet of me! Anyway, it looks good (in a whee, pretty people and too much CG sorta way) go see it if you liked the books. Me, maybe I’ll catch it on cable at some point in about, what, eight months or so (a year, tops)? I can wait.

Or as the trailer above is titled… “Let’s get out of here!”

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen May Need a 12-Step Program Expansion…

 

April 28, huh? Retail and digital download available (so MORE people can play this from day one)? The addiction begins anew, it would seem. Count me in and I’m hoping to be taking a few of you with me. In case you missed out on the original game, fear not, potential Arisen candidates! You can hang out near your favorite game emporium and pick up this “expansion” that features a huge new area, quests, monsters to pee yourself over and more. By the way, kids… that MORE just so happens to include the original game as a “bonus” that makes perfect sense. As you’ll see (or already know), the land of Granysys is one massive place to explore and Capcom should get a hearty hand-clasp and a pat of the back for doing this up right. Of course, the usual unwashed internet fools who can’t seem to read are thinking this is all DLC or something, but by now, Capcom knows not to listen to those folks too much. I’m buying this just to see how the new area fits in with the old. Will I replay the game from the beginning once more or use an old save file? We shall see, I guess… I’m tempted to do so, but time (as always) is the big factor…

Nintendo’s Got Lots (More) in Store (Retail and Digital) For Wii U Owners This Year…

Apparently, that rather large launch lineup wasn’t enough for some gamers (and overpaid industry analysts who don’t game, but LOVE to over-speculate), so here you go, news of new Wii U releases coming in 2013. Sure, some stuff here is delayed from its initial announcements, but that’s no big deal as it SHOULD get some Wii U owners to try a game or three they may have ignored because they don’t play title in a particular genre. That said, what’s coming is definitely worth waiting for, as there are some nice games for every niche from casual, family-friendly stuff to more mature content (ah, Bayonetta 2 – and exclusive to the system at that!). It’s going to be a pretty big year for the new console, but 3DS owners aren’t being left out of the fun at all as you’ll see above.

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

 
 

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)…

Defiance Pre-Orders Kick Off: MMO Innovation Is On The Way…

 

If any MMO deserves to succeed in a far too crowded market, it’s Trion Worlds’ upcoming action-based tie-in the the upcoming syfy TV show.  As you can see above and below, it’s absolutely NOT another licensed game tossed out the door by a studio looking to cash in on the rubes who buy anything attached to a genre like clockwork, folks. At least five years of hard work has gone into the game and show and they’re kind of joined at the hip in that watching the show and playing the game link the narrative in a few ways. Like a few other MMO’s you’re paying for the retail version, but the game will be free to play after that. While offline play is a no-go (a shame, as the game is fast-paced and plays just like a great action game should) I’m hoping it does well enough that Trion can spin this off onto other platforms in some way as a solo experience that doesn’t require an online connection. I’d bet there are loads of potential players without decent online connections that would love to give this one a shot at some point. As always, we shall see…

 

 

Cyberpunk 2077 CG Trailer: Bright Future For A Dark RPG…

 

OK, I only vaguely recall Mike Pondsmith and his pen & paper role-playing game Cyberpunk 2020 from a few friends who raved about it back in the day (and I think an old magazine ad or two), so I was initially hoping CD Projekt RED would be changing the rather generic sounding name of their current work in progress, Cyberpunk 2077. Now that I see what’s what, they can not only keep the name and release all the cool-looking non-gameplay CG trailers they want, hell, they can go and make this back into a board game if they want and I’ll still buy it. Granted, we can expect a lot more from the folks who brought The Witcher to life in two fantastically deep mature-rated PC RPGs (yeah, go play them if you haven’t), so fasten your seat belts and expect a wild ride as more info and eventually gameplay footage starts popping up in a few…