Papo & Yo Developer Diary #1: Fantastic Realities, Favelas And Happy Monsters…

Posted on May 8, 2012 by geelw

Minority Media’s PS3 exclusive is coming soon and it’s absolutely one of those games that needs to be played (despite only being available over PSN, grrr!). Here’s a look at the first dev diary as well as a brief post over at the PlayStation Blog from one of the nicest people in this industry you’ll ever meet, Minority’s Creative Director, Vander Cabellero. Hey, Sony! Here’s a suggestion (again): Slap this game and Journey onto a disc with Outland and maybe some demos (Starhawk, GOW: Ascension, et cetera), get it out at a decent price point and make a small mint from those who don’t yet have/want/use PSN accounts!

Starhawk Launch Trailer: Sooo, That’s What Everyone Will Be Doing This Week…

Posted on May 6, 2012 by geelw

LightBox Interactive’s Action/RTS lands this week on the PS3 and it’s looking like another must-buy in a crazy year for must-buy games. Hmmm. My birthday is tomorrow (Happy Birthday to me!!!), but I’m not expecting this to fly into my mailbox at all. Of course, I don’t mind supporting these guys with a purchase, as it’s one of those games that’s worth every penny whether you like solo play or online madness with your PSN friends. I actually want this to make an appearance on the Vita, as Sony’s new handheld really needs MORE in the way of first-party hits that bring the console experience on the road, and Starhawk would be a more than perfect fit, I say…

Dragon’s Dogma Story Trailer: Hey (Ouch!), Watch Where You Stick That Thing!

Posted on May 6, 2012 by geelw

Capcom’s not so quiet not so sleeper is almost here and waiting to take over a chunk of your free time. Here’s a look at some fine work in this story trailer that features a poky dragon giving the finger to some poor guy (and how!) and more questions left unanswered that should make this game worth a few playthroughs amongst those it successfully casts its spell on. This one should be tons of fun, i say…

It’s Free Comic Book Day (Part Two). So, Here’s One For You From Rockstar!

Posted on May 5, 2012 by geelw

Hey, it’s still Free Comic Book Day today, which means you can walk into ANY comic shop and walk out with a free comic (or comics, if you’re lucky) and NOT get arrested. That said, Rockstar Games is also getting in on the fun with an assist from Marvel thanks to the first issue of Max Payne 3: After The Fall , which is landing online as a digital read you can check out on your PC, laptop (and probably device if you like squinting at that nicely gritty art) OR PDF download before the game shoots into stores on May 15. Rockstar is also offering a VERY limited edition physical copy of the book to selected Rockstar Games Social Club members, so if you’re not one and want one, sign up at that link above and keep those fingers crossed. That particular offer is ONLY good until June, so get crackin’ if you want to snag a copy!

CoD: Black Ops 2 Documentary Gets You Up To Speed About Things To Come…

Posted on May 3, 2012 by geelw

By now, Activision and hard-working developer Treyarch have no doubt developed quite the thick skin (and a deaf ear from all those ricochets) when it comes to listening to the anti-CoD crowd wailing away when news of a new installment breaks. I’ve pretty much heard it all, from JRPG fans who “hate FPS games and CoD players” with a rather biased viewpoint (sorry, they’re not all “frat boy jerks” or “gun nuts”) to fans of other shooters who never seem to realize that most of the games they like wouldn’t be around if CoD wasn’t busting sales records and forcing a few innovations (like them or not) into the genre (which IS a bit stale after so many years with so many AAA games coming and going).

That said, and as I noted earlier, when it works, it WORKS, and Black Ops was one of those games that packed so much content onto a disc that you didn’t really need to play it online to enjoy some prime content. OK, let me shut up and let you enjoy this little “documentary” about the future world weapons and such presented in this upcoming sequel that’s bound to make all involved another mint. Oh yeah, I’ll be nice for a change and not even ask what Oliver North is doing in the video. Put him in the Zombies game next time, guys.

R.A.W. Looks To Cook Up Dungeon Crawling Devotees On PC/PSN/XBLA

Posted on May 3, 2012 by geelw

OK, so Wizarbox’s upcoming hack & slash ,also known as Realms of Ancient War, might not be able to take on Diablo II toe to toe (or is it hoof to claw?) in some eyes in terms of the presentation and megabucks hype machine grinding everything under it’s hooves. Nevertheless, the game at least offers up offline single player and local co-op options and isn’t passing itself off as a MMO that requires you to always be connected while playing. Whatever – I’m too busy and smart to keep harping on Blizzard for the changes they felt necessary to make to Diablo III a game tens of thousands can’t play (but millions more will, so it balances out, right?), so I’ll wish them well as they build forts and vaults out of money to hold more money. Any-way, since I missed posting the Warrior trailer last time, it’s presented below, so enjoy!

Gravity Rush Concept Video Has Me Wishing For Time Travel. Again.

Posted on May 3, 2012 by geelw

While I love the new system dearly, my poor Vita is feeling a bit lonely these days thanks to a case of the post-launch window vacuum blues. It’s learned to play the harmonica quite well, too!. That said, every bit more of Gravity Rush I see, the more I hug that portable closer. Too bad it wasn’t a launch title, but hey – good games do take more time and are always well worth the wait. Anyway, let’s hope this one comes sooner than later and not at exactly the same time as a half dozen or so other Vita games I’m really looking forward to. I’m not one to Rush through a game I really like (er, obvious pun intended)…

Dragon’s Dogma Developer Diary #2: Four “D’s” In A Row, But The Game Looks Triple “A”

Posted on May 2, 2012 by geelw

That said, I do wish the collective internet fan yapppers would hush it with the “Skyrim killer” talk. This game, like every other big RPG, should be seen and judged on its own merits, not point by point with some other game that’s not taking place in the same game world. That way, if it IS better than Skyrim (or at least less buggy that that game was), it will have actually earned that praise. And if it isn’t, well, those folks who kind of keep saying that but haven’t played Skyrim at all (but sure, reading negative posts about a game counts as “playing” it these days) won’t have to go into turtle mode and defend themselves from people who actually know what they’re talking about. Of course, this latest dev diary goes a long way in keeping both camps happy that they’re getting another solid RPG to take for a spin…

Starhawk Goes Gold (And How, For Beta And Warhawk Players)

Posted on May 2, 2012 by geelw

So, it’s on the way and soon at that, which is awesome. It’s even more awesome if you’ve been one of those folks playing the beta or were a big PS3 Warhawk player, as you’ll see in the above video. Personally, I love that LightBox is giving both single player and multiplayer fans something to look forward to. No matter which mode you choose, you can expect some of the tightest hybrid gameplay that should set the standard for this type of game for quite some time (well, until it gets copied to death by other developers). Of course, expect a few overly cranky RTS fans to whine a bit about the game making it so “easy” to blend fast-paced action with no need for insane resource management (or much in the way of micro-managing anything except trying to get shot up on foot or in/on a ride or or out of the sky when you’re flying around). SCEA has yet another mega-hit on their hands, and that’s always a good thing,,,

Max Payne Multiplayer DLC Announced: Rockstar Pass Packs It All In As A Decent Deal For MP Fans

Posted on May 1, 2012 by geelw

While some of us will be wrapped up in the single player mode multiple times until we’ve done and seen everything it has to offer, Rockstar Games plans to keep fans of online play even busier. The company has announced a wealth of downloadable multiplayer content for Max Payne 3 as well as its Rockstar Pass program that allows purchasers access to this premium content. Beginning now, the Pass is up for pre-order online over PSN and Xbox Live and at retail Best Buy and GameStop locations in the US for $29.99 (or 2400 Microsoft Points, if you’re a 360 owner). Like other online pass programs, users will get first crack at new DLC as soon as it becomes available and it looks as if Rockstar is planning to roll out a hefty amount of content starting in June 2012:

June 2012

Local Justice Map Pack

Summer 2012

Disorganized Crime Map Pack

Deathmatch Made In Heaven Mode Pack

Hostage Negotiation Map Pack

New York Minute Co-Op Pack

Fall 2012

Painful Memories Map Pack

Trickle Down Economics Map Pack