E3 2014: Paradox on the PS4! A Game Changer If It’s Done With Care…

Posted on June 24, 2014 by geelw

I’d missed out on the big news that Paradox Interactive would be making and publishing future games for the PlayStation 4 as well as PC, but I’m glad I saw this Magicka 2 trailer because it’s hilarious and made me smile even more because PS4 owners will get to see how much fun this adventure/action RPG is soon enough. I was kind of hoping the game would also appear on the Vita, but we’ll see what Paradox comes up with down the road, I suppose. I know it’ll be interesting to see if some of their more complex strategy titles make the transition to the PS4 and as far as the other issue of Paradox’s PC games often being a bit buggy upon release, I’m gathering they’re going to be working very hard to keep that from being a big issue on the console front. Fingers are crossed here on the latter…

Kingdom Under Fire II Trailer, Slight Return Version. Still Looking Good And Worth Keeping An Eye On…

Posted on June 24, 2014 by geelw

Here’s a slightly reedited version of the Kingdom Under Fire II trailer from E3 that Blueside put together using all in-game engine footage. As someone who’s played the two previous tactical/action based Xbox games, I’m quite pleased that the developer is following the same style of troop movement and direct character control play from previous entries while adding new elements. Some people STILL don’t “get” how the game will flow thanks to those cut scenes that break into the gameplay and the lack of menus and such, but all will be explained soon enough, I’d bet. If the new game is like the old ones, there will be a map to navigate, waypoints to set and other things to manage before and during battles to keep you occupied. What’s here is just to tease you into keeping an eyeball peeled for anything else coming down the road…

GRID Autosport Launch Trailer – You’ll Be Driven Wild And Love Every Minute…

Posted on June 24, 2014 by geelw

Well, well, well… my review copy of GRID Autosport arrived earlier today and as I didn’t expect it until later in the week, I ended up NOT getting any work done because I’ve been “out” driving for most of this afternoon. So far, it’s quite lovely, the inside the car views are back, the AI is pretty fierce and the hours will FLY by once you pop this game into your PS3, Xbox 360 or PC. I’ll try and get a more comprehensive review up this weekend, but for now you need this game if you’re a car nut and fan of Codemasters’ Racing Studio’s very solid outings.

E3 2014: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Monolith Just Might Be Making The Lord of The Lord of the Rings Games…

Posted on June 23, 2014 by geelw

Veteran developer (and former publisher) Monolith Productions has been around since 1997, but it’s upcoming game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor may just be the studio’s most important game to date. The upcoming open world action/RPG set to hit PC, PS3/PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on October 7, 2014 looks to bring an all-new hero, Talion (a ranger who’s been killed but revived with supernatural powers) into the familiar world created by J. R. R. Tolkien. The game’s story is written by Christian Cantamessa (a lead-writer and lead-designer on Rockstar San Diego’s Red Dead Redemption) and Monolith is working with Middle-earth Enterprises, Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop ensuring that everything in the game is as close to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit canon as it gets while introducing some new and appealing elements.

Additionally, in the case of the PC and next-gen versions, the developer is also looking to expand the enemy AI in their game with something called the Nemesis System that gives each foe a back story, motivations and memories, allowing them to fight more fiercely and even remember how you’ve treated them if you happen to let them live when encountering them during gameplay. Another cool thing is the game will randomize who you encounter and allow no two play-throughs to be exactly the same. Talion will be able to influence enemies to fight each other, ally with him to take to the battlefield with some assistance and more. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions will most likely see this system slimmed down a bit, but if those versions retain the open world,enough of the abilities Talion has to affect enemies and the unique enemy placement, it’ll absolutely be well worth a buy… Continue reading →

E3 2014: Pavilion Extended Gameplay Trailer: Beautiful Iso-lation Incoming For PS4 and Vita

Posted on June 21, 2014 by geelw

I can’t explain why I happen to love isometric viewpoint games other than to blame BioWare and their Infinity Engine role-playing games (plus others made with the engine by assorted developers), Troika’s flawed by deep Temple of Elemental Evil, Blizzard’s Diablo, a bunch of really well made adventure games like DreamForge’s Sanitarium and RA Images Daemonica among others. Anyway, Pavilion is right up my alley and developer Visiontrick Media has cooked up a pretty sharp looking potential time eater I need to take for a spin. There’s still no release date for this one, but I’m keeping an eye peeled. I’d have an ear to the ground, but whenever I do that, someone trips over my head (ouch)…

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Gameplay – 30+ Minutes of Kojima Productions Madness!

Posted on June 19, 2014 by geelw

Konami Japan’s YouTube channel put up a few Kojima Station E3 videos during the show, but the one everyone wanted to see was of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in action. Let’s just say that boy, did they come through big time on that. Now you can slide that slider back and watch the entire broadcast that talks about the game and its assorted features and such, but if you’re just interested in seeing what the Fox Engine can do on the PlayStation 4, well you’re all set on that front at about 49 minutes in. The game looks fantastic, that offbeat Kojima sense of humor is in full effect (the “Phantom cigar”, cardboard box stealth and “Fulton” balloons are priceless!) and overall, this brief taste of the game shows what’s coming sometime in 2015 when the game actually hits retail and digital outlets. it may be madness, but it’s the best kind in action as far as seeing this game’s creative team outdo itself here…

Gallery: End of Serenity

Posted on June 19, 2014 by geelw

Just when I was lamenting Natsume not updating its YouTube page, I get a load of screenshots and art from its E3 lineup to run here, so I’ll do just that over the next couple of days. first up is Edge of Serenity, the PSP exclusive (I’ll gather it’s Vita compatible but won’t confirm that until I hear it from someone out west) coming on June 24, 2014. As you can see this is all old-school JRPG goodness packed with classic 2D sprite art, turn-based battles and probably a very MIDI-esque music score to keep things nice and nostalgic.

Character profiles have also been revealed for the principals, so let’s meet the cast, shall we?

Yute is a tough young merchant with a strong sense of wrong and right; the dangers of the road have sharpened his sword skills despite his tender age. He can’t bear to turn away when he sees injustice.

Eril, also known as the Azure Sorceress, is set on exposing the Underworld’s nefarious plans. Using an Atomigem-powered weapon known as an Accelerator, her cold demeanor hides a heart bruised by her upraising in a small orphanage that she strives desperately now to save.

Kat, with her jingling bells and cat-like ears, may look like a teen, but she insists she is in fact over 100 years old! Only when she opens up her heart and reveals her secret will she ever truly be understood.

Earon is an undisputed master of martial arts. With his snow white hair, it’s no surprise this trainer was thinking about retirement…that is, before he discovered that one of his former pupils might be involved in the Underworld, and has set off to discover the truth.

Kaede is a pupil trained by Earon, accompanying him on his critical mission. Rumors swirl that she is actually the last of a village of ninjas; only Kaede knows the truth, but she’s not exactly talking…

20 new screens are below the jump – make sure to grab End of Serenity next week when it arrives on PSN!

Continue reading →

E3 2014: Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley – Not The Only Thing Natsume Showed This Year, But…

Posted on June 17, 2014 by geelw

You wouldn’t know this by looking at their North American YouTube page. Now, I’m not singling Natsume out for anything mean here at all, folks. They’re a solid but much smaller publisher than some of the bigger and busier ones who show stuff at E3 and to me, that’s precisely why they NEED more updates on their main video page. Granted, they DO have a nice social presence on facebook with a page that’s updated fairly frequently. however, not everyone has or wants a facebook account and YouTube works quite well as far as letting potential customers see what’s coming (despite the pain in the butt that is Google+ hampering some basic functionality there).

Anyway, as I’ve been trumpeting, Alphadia Genesis is also coming (a port of an iOS and Android JRPG) and I posted about the rest of their lineup before the big show. Hey, I just want to see the little guys succeed, so if I can generate some thrills and hits for Natsume and their cool lineup of upcoming and already available games, I’m doing my job here.

E3 2014: Xseed Gets Nicely Nostalgic and Notoriously Naughty This Year…

Posted on June 16, 2014 by geelw

So, it looks as if Harvest Moon is now Story of Seasons, at least because Natsume owns the name proper and this game, while in the same series, has to get a retitling. No worries there, as it’s the same gameplay and pretty much the same plot as the older games you may have played and loved. Just buy it when it comes out and you’ll forget all about the name change, I say.

Gamers who recall one of the Super Nintendo’s most devious and pesky rogue-like RPG’s will be pleased to know that Nihon Falcom’s masterpiece Brandish is BACK in remake form as a new(ish) PSP game called Brandish: The Dark Revenant. from that video above, I got a few chuckles because it reminded me of playing the old game on the SNES and hating it until I got the hang of things, then hating it some more because making progress was tough as nails even after you got used to the gameplay. The assorted deathtraps here will drive impatient players nuts plus tax, so may I recommend you tape that PSP or Vita wrist strap around your wrist if you buy this game? This way, if you decide get pissed off and actually throw that handheld, you don’t get to see it hit anything unless it whips around your wrist (ouch!).

Corpse Party is also coming back, this time as a PC game for those of you who missed the original indie version. don’t let those initially cute characters fool you one bit. This one’s a creepy horror tale with some blood and gore and a plot that WILL get up under your skin and writhe around like it means it. It’s not really a party at the end of the day, but corpses are indeed involved, so that title is half correct, ha and ha… Continue reading →

E3 2014: Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn Trailer: It’s Back and Better – Go Get Your Zeon!

Posted on June 16, 2014 by geelw

It’s too bad this reboot of the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam franchise is digital-only, as I’d love to own this on a disc and not need to bust out the Japanese dictionary and flash cards in order to read the menus and understand the dialog. Oh, I suppose I should just go learn the language already, but I also want to support Namco Bandai here in America with a buy at some point. Of course, these digital releases are cheaper for them to get out because there’s no discs to press or ship out to assorted retailers, no overstock sitting around unsold and no resale market to worry about raking in money the company won’t even see a penny of. On the other hand, I’m a disc guy first and foremost, as are plenty of people who prefer their games in a case for a few good reasons. Anyway, this one looks good enough to buy in any form, so perhaps I’ll end up doing just that when this rolls out in July. Oh, and that VERY Star Wars-like cantina music at the end for the DLC pre-order? Priceless (but oddly enough, has nothing to do with the SW films old or new, go figure!)