Review: Tales of Graces f

Posted on March 19, 2012 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Namco Tales Studio LTD.

Publisher: Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Score: A

While heavy on the JRPG 101 clichés (even borrowing from previous games in the popular series), Tales of Graces f manages to be a stellar, addictive chunk of gaming goodness thanks to a lightning fast combat system, a fairly engaging cast of characters and a healthy dose of old school charm that keeps the hours flying by. Right from the beginning, you can clearly see and feel Namco Tales Studios’ commitment to making this the best Tales game possible and for the most part, they’ve succeeded. As the game is an enhanced update of the Japan-only Wii game Tales of Graces (with even more content and a few notorious bugs fixed), it’s not shooting for the stars in terms of overly detailed HD visuals at all. What you get is a very pretty looking game with a whole lot of things to do that doesn’t set any new genre standards, but manages to have enough variety to keep you dialed in until the wee hours.

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Diablo III Officially Dated: Wake Me When There’s An Offline Solo Mode…

Posted on March 15, 2012 by geelw

Yeah, yeah, I was bitching earlier about people bitching about Mass Effect 3’s ending, but this is entirely different and worth it’s own special gripe. Sure, Blizzard wants to be in better control of its long-awaited baby, but shutting out Diablo III to those who don’t have constant online connections, don’t WANT to play nice (or nasty) with others or hell, just want a game they can play when they want to without having to rely on constant updating just blows. Not everyone who wants an offline mode is a hacker, cheater (or whatever is considered “bad” for DIII) looking to bilk Blizzard. We just want to enjoy the story as solo players and not go near the Internet, that’s all.

Yes, Blizzard will make a MINT on DIII pre-sales and launch day sales and based on what I’ve seen of the beta, they deserve every penny of your hard-earned gold. However, YES, you’d better believe there will be such a download crunch-fest on and around day one that a lot of people will be screaming that they can’t get online or download the game or are suffering through whatever other issues that ALWAYS crop up in a big release like this. A lot of you guys and dolls will be doing the happy dance on May 15, 2012, but for me and a lot of other folks, it’ll be business as usual until we hear of some solution that can get us enjoying SOME form of the Diablo universe (even if it’s a console side-story set in the same period as the game).

Games You Just NEED To Play: Yakuza: Dead Souls

Posted on March 13, 2012 by geelw

Sure, it’s all about Mass Effect 3 for many out there, but for total goofballs like me, Sega’s just-released wild Tokyo nightmare is going to be more fitting for a few reasons. The mix of horror and humor makes for a wacky bit of balancing, but the game isn’t trying to be “serious” at all (zombies versus Japanese gangsters would make a great Takashi Miike flick, I say!). Those weird Yakuza 4 geisha club mini-games are back (enough said there) and hell, it’s just cool to support Sega and the supremely talented Yakuza team again this year, as Binary Domain was also a really nice surprise that’s worth a buy. Don’t get me wrong, though – I’m not skipping out on BioWare’s latest at all, folks. It’s just that it’ll always be around to dive into on multiple platforms (and will no doubt get some sort of reissue down the road) while this one’s a PS3 exclusive that’s only going to get a limited release and that’s that… unless there’s a Yakuza BOX on the way (note to Sega: hint, hint, hint…)

Gallery Update: Steel Battalion Heavy Armor

Posted on March 13, 2012 by geelw

From Software and Capcom are getting set to release what’s looking like the next big Kinect game as well as what’s looking like the first that’s going to have appeal across a few genres. Fans of the niche original will be all over this one (and won’t have to break out that table-sized 40+ button controller the original had), military tank sim fans should be intrigued enough to take the plunge and I can even see FPS players looking for a more emotional (and cerebral) experience wanting to give this one a shot. Of course, the naysayers are going on about the Kinect’s price point just for ONE game, but that’s when I smack them (gently) on the back of the neck while suggesting a few other titles they may want to play that won’t make them look like marionettes in an asylum puppet show put on by unsupervised inmates

More on this one as new info becomes available…

Max Payne 3 Cover Art Update: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow…

Posted on March 10, 2012 by geelw

Here’s the official cover image, courtesy Rockstar Games. Considering that variants of this art have already been out there for a while, it hasn’t changed too drastically… at least in terms of the color palette. Well, Max having hair in that pose is new, probably to make sure the diehards hating on the bald Max image are happier campers. You all DO know he still shaves it off in the game, right? Anyway, it’s a still really cool image. Yeah, yeah, I’m a few days late in posting this, but hey, my spam filter was hungry and I just got around to fishing out stuff that it gulped down. This was the most important thing, so it wasn’t too bad this time…

I’m also obligated to cut and paste the game summary below the jump, just to keep things even more old school. Click away, dear reader, click away!

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Exclusive DLC Mode For Xbox 360 Version Of REORC Gets Some PS3 Owners Cranked…

Posted on March 6, 2012 by geelw

Well, here’s how to get a wee bit too many folks ticked off for yet another kooky reason: console exclusive content in a multi-platform game. PS3 owners have had this in Batman Arkham Asylum, Mafia II and Battlefield 3 among other games and there have also been a number of cool 360-only downloads that now include the Nemesis Mode DLC from Slant Six Games’ upcoming Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.

Of course, I can understand any PS3-only franchise fans being royally ticked off about this (given that the RE series began on and became a staple of Sony’s consoles for a few key years), but that’s business, I guess. I know I’m beating a dead (and soon to be zombie) horse here, but I’ll say it again: hopefully, REORC will sell well enough to net an updated edition down the road with ALL of the additional content. But again, that’s Capcom’s call and not mine. In any event, March 20 is creeping up mighty fast, that’s for sure…

Assassin’s Creed III Cover Makes Some See Red(coats)…

Posted on March 5, 2012 by geelw

As for me, after the last couple of installments doing their best to milk things dry, I like the new location the series is headed to. The choice of a Revolutionary War setting shows that Ubisoft is interested in taking the series in a different direction that just may shake up the gameplay in a few core areas. I always get a chuckle out of poking around message boards and seeing the bile flow from the folks that don’t get the fact that the AC series isn’t “their” game. Like it or not, at the end of the day, Ubisoft dictates what goes on in the series and as long as the games continue to sell, you can expect them to keep being made. As for those who were expecting the series to stay overseas as far as settings go… lighten up, already. Sure, it may seem jarring to have things leap from the vast and lovely architecturally dense cities to pre-1800 America and its fight for independence, but let’s just see where this one goes as more info (and some ACTUAL gameplay) are released, hmmmm?

Hell, I’ll only complain if I see the exact same game mechanics and animations (and maybe some Dodge cars being driven during a big battle sequence like in that stupidly overblown commercial from last year)…

Dragon’s Dogma Demo Day Definitely Doable, Says Capcom

Posted on March 2, 2012 by geelw

Capcom has revealed that a Dragon’s Dogma demo will indeed be made available over PSN and Xbox Live. Back in January, the company issued a press release stating the upcoming game’s release date (May 22, 2012 for North America) and the awesome news that it will come with a Resident Evil 6 demo. The demo will feature two classes (the melee-based Fighter and bow-wielding Strider) and two different areas, each with a huge boss to defeat. Additionally, players will get to check out the party AI system with three allies (Pawns) fighting alongside them. Based on my experiences with last year’s demo, those Pawns are quite necessary, as the bosses are quite mighty (and mighty cheap).

This updated news about the DD demo should please those who haven’t yet had the chance to try the game out at any of the conventions it’s appeared at. More on the game as soon as new news drops into the inbox here. I see that I have some cool DmC news from Capcom, but I’ll post that later today, as I’m about to head out the door…

The Darkness II Demo: Not For The Squeamish, Kids Or Anyone Not Expecting A Load Of Not-So-Nice Stuff

Posted on January 24, 2012 by geelw

If ever a game earned its Mature rating, it has to be this one. Let’s just say that Digital Extremes has done a mighty fine job taking the reins from Starbreeze Studios for this upcoming sequel and they pull no punches when it comes to the game’s content. What works is the overall dark tone of the demo, the beautiful color palette (gory bits and swearing set on staccato aside, the game is quite striking to look at) and the bits of humor in the midst of all the violence. While the sequel will ship with a 4-player co-op mode, I’m all about the single player campaign and getting into the story. The demo has been out for a few days now and it comes highly recommended for those of you out there interested in the game, but on whatever fence folks who don’t run out and snap up quality games hang out on.

February 7, 2012 is the launch date and although I don’t expect any midnight launch parties or massive roll-outs for this shooter, it absolutely deserves a wiser audience than the first game got. Of course, between this game, BioShock Infinite and Borderlands 2, 2K Games has a great chunk of the FPS market sewn up very tightly, I’d say.

Mortal Kombat Vita Bound This Spring

Posted on January 22, 2012 by geelw

“The NetherRealm team is committed to making sure that we follow up the success of 2011’s Mortal Kombat with an equally compelling experience on the PlayStation Vita,” said Ed Boon, Creative Director, NetherRealm Studios. “The original game content and new features we developed for the PlayStation Vita will provide gamers with the best fighting game experience available on the new mobile platform.”

NetherRealm’s brutal battle ballet is back, this time arriving on the Vita sometime this spring. As with the PlayStation 3 version, the game will feature fan favorite Kratos as a playable fighter plus a number of new yet to be announced enhancements and features that should help it rocket to some pretty impressive sales. While I wait for more news and some screenshots from the upcoming game, it looks as if this version will start making appearances at a Vita Hill Social Club event near you at some point in the near future. Stay tuned for updates as we get them