Is Ubisoft’s upcoming portable side story the best PS Vita game to date? Well, I’m not (that) psychic, but it sure looks like a prime contender. Check out this latest behind the scenes look at what’s definitely a game worth playing on Sony’s handheld. The system may be struggling a bit these days, but this could be one of those titles that becomes a system seller, killer app, must-play and so forth and so on. Hey, all that hard work here HAS to get some appreciation, I say…
I’m not a fan at all of the current crazy situation where every major retailer gets SEPARATE pre-order bonuses, no matter how good a game is. I happen to love games where everything is in the package or those where I know I can scoop up every last bit of content in a Game of the Year or other reissue. I know a lot of other gamers who hate this tactic as well, but it seems to be here to stay.
And don’t go hating ONLY on Capcom for this, kids – you can toss a dead cat and hit games from nearly every major publisher that do this sort of thing. That said, from what I’ve played, at least DmC is going to be one of those games that no matter how you buy it, will keep you busy through multiple replays. Continue reading
Here’s a neat bonus from the OHRRPGCE game, Spellshard (yup, you should go grab it if you’re a retro RPG fanatic like I am). The guys behind the game even put together a fake color manual PDF that looks as if it was photocopied from an original (very clever) and even has a back cover with a piece of tape covering a small “tear” – that made me smile.
Anyway, I’ve only put about an hour into the game so far, but it’s definitely a nostalgic blast from the past. Granted, most of the games I’ve played using this engine have the same combat systems and menus, but they get the job done in delivering the feeling of camping out on the couch on a rainy weekend immersed in a nicely sized fantasy world.
Granted, hardcore fans out there KNOW this, but I always get a chuckle when I hear people wondering why games like this are still made and/or getting attention. Those people are, of course, folks who’ve either never tried shooters or are terminally terrible at them, so they never get listened to. Especially by developers like G.rev and publishers like Rising Star Games (who deserve a big tip of the hat for keeping the flame going). Under Defeat was initially an arcade hit in Japan before landing on the Dreamcast around six years ago (Sega’s console was getting some excellent games in Japan long after it died out everywhere else in the world) and is now headed stateside and to Europe on the PS3 and Xbox 360. The interesting thing here is the game will be made available for the same price point for its digital and retail editions (a mere $29.99), but the retail version will pack in a soundtrack CD, digital art book download,DLC patches and an exclusive letter from the CEO of G.Rev and the game’s executive producer, Hiroyuki Maruyama (no doubt thanking those who got off their lazy asses and walked to their nearest game emporium rather than sit at home and press a few buttons because they’re stuck to the sofa).
Of course, PS3 and 360 shmup fans will be giddy with delight, but where’s the Vita version? That system has a wide screen too, you know…
It’s been a ton of fun playing this upcoming competition-based racer at press events and it’s equally fun watching people play, especially those new to the crazed competition Criterion has created. You’ll be fighting for every challenge, as the game’s non-stop pace, open world and constant need for, well, SPEED n the bulk of the events will keep your fingers on their toes constantly. This could be the perfect party game for many and it’s definitely going to get people obsessively checking their Autolog scores or fearing the updates with their former best times smashed by someone else (probably within seconds or minutes). Naturally, if you hate being beaten, you can always play the game offline against the AI, but this is exactly the sort of game that encourages you to dive in with as many other live players as possible.
I really thought this RPG series was gone for good after the flawed open world Eldar Saga on the Wii, but it looks as if Marvelous AQL is giving it a new go on the Vita with Valhalla Knights 3… in Japan at least. If you can read Japanese, definitely check out the official site for info on the game, which is still a work in progress, but expected to be released sometime in 2013. These screens look fine to me, showing off decent draw distance and some generic, but otherwise nice looking fantasy characters and environments.
My bet is if it’s good and what looking like a multiplayer component for up to six (or is that seven ?) players runs smoothly, we could see it hit North America at some point. Granted, that all revolves on the game being marketable here, as some gamers only have long memories when it comes to bad reviews. I’ve liked many aspects of the Valhalla Knights games so far, but hope AQL can pull it together with 3 and make something that feels complete in every area. If they do, I’s gather Xseed will be the ones to tackle the localization and publishing chores, as they’ve handled the other titles that have arrived in the US. More updates to come…
Four games into the license and Activision has done this long-running franchise right by shaking and stirring things up with solid results. Eurocom’s new Bond game could very well be the best one to date this console cycle thanks to its story-based structure that puts today’s 007 (Daniel Craig) through his paces in re-imagined missions from five of the best Bond films (plus a DLC mission based on the upcoming SKYFALL). The dev team is clearly at the top of their game here, so expect all the action, gadgets and mayhem of a James Bod adventure, but a lot more interactive, as you’re not sitting on the couch rooting for James to not get bumped off by Goldfinger below or any of the other villains classic to current coming your way October 16 for PS3 and Xbox 360.
Now, someone tell me Eurocom has a PS Vita dev kit humming away somewhere in their offices, as I’d really LOVE to see what they can do with Mr. Bond on that HD handheld…
Excellent – not only is Shin’en beefing up Nano Assault for a 3DS digital release, we’re also getting Nano Assault Neo on the Wii, which packs in even more all-new content and nicely uses the GamePad for two-player action. My only issue with both games are they’re going to bi digital downloads only. Personally, I’d pay for a retail release that features full-on Wii U remakes of Nanostray, Nanostray 2 and both Iridion 3D games. I bet fans of the developer’s shmups would agree, especially if they also got a discount voucher for Nano Assault EX included in the deal. Anyway, color me thrilled to see another Wii U game on the way…
Milestone has been around for a while making racing games, but despite all their work on assorted road, rally and motorcycle games, has never really made a name for themselves outside Europe. This will hopefully change up a bit as WRC 3 slides into stores there and a few folks import the game here and sing its praises. Hell, we AL:L could use a decent rally game that’s not an advertisement for a specific car, driver and race style that’s not rallying. I’m still hoping Evolution Studios gets back in the game one of these days or perhaps some of the folks at Warthog who brought the annoyingly tough to master (but eventually rewarding) Richard Burns Rally to consoles and PC’s a while back. Granted, Burns is no longer with us, so it would need to be called something else (or the term “ghost car” would have a new meaning -O o -).
Hmmm… well, it IS PS3 and Vita bound and those versions shouldn’t be region-locked, so… it looks as if I’ll be importing this at some point to get my fix of tiny cars flying around slippery corners with nothing but the wind (and some good driving) keeping them from sailing off the edge. Yeah, yeah, Milestone wants to get this on Steam Greenlight as a worldwide release, but I don’t have a super fast PC to play this on should it get accepted. Besides, I like a bit of distance from the screen when I play a game like this… and a retail package I can put a disc in when I’m not glued to the TV.
2K Games and Firaxis are about to make a ton of gamers happy campers indeed with this upcoming reboot of the turn-based strategy classic and this should be one of those games that becomes highly regarded among new and old genre fans. Sadly and not so amusingly enough, rumors have it that the highly stylized FPS origin story (which has vanished off the radar for far too long), has been whined and focus-grouped dined into a watered down (and probably DLC-only) version of the turn-based game above with squad-based third-person gameplay. Talk about a developer not being able to do the game they set out to do in the first place. Great. Score another “victory!” for those who want to piss on creativity because they think one genre is “inferior” to another or ONLY caters to ONE type of player. System Shock, Thief, Half-Life, Arx Fatalis, Anvil of Dawn and other excellent POV titles are more that solid examples of smart “shooters” that were classics of their times is all I’ll say…
Anyway, I hope we at LEAST get something like a demo pr something PLAYABLE made available of the old version of this game before it got sent to development hell. Granted, it probably would have been dead at launch only to be rediscovered as one more “Hey! This game isn’t bad at all!” bargain bin special, but I guess 2K doesn’t want to deal with that factor (even after so much has already been spent on development). Feh. Sometimes, fans aren’t the smartest sticks in the shed because they hate things that may actually work well in a certain context they can’t wrap their heads around until they actually PLAY it. Same old hamburger and fries again? Sure!
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 