June 14th is the big day we go down the rabbit hole once again… I can’t wait to see how Spicy Horse has done with their twisted tale. PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, folks… Flip a coin, pop a red or blue pill and get ready for a return to this surreal nightmare of a game world.
Duty Calls, indeed! February 22nd is (*BOOM!*) right around the corner and Epic, People Can Fly and EA have a nice kick in the, er, you know where for you shooter fans. Fun and funny stuff here (screw the Faux news fake “reportage” about the game, folks) – pick it up (er, provided you’re of age).
Some folks don’t like the direction the SHIFT series took with its focus on more realistic aspects instead of tons of “street” style customization and nitrous overdosing races. ME, I say just calm down, “shaddapyuface” and perhaps play the darn game when it comes out or I’m turning this car around NOW. Damn kids. There’s room at the inn for ALL types of NFS games, and if you KNOW where the franchise originated, you’d actually appreciate ALL the different games, not just whine for the same stuff year in and year out. That is all. Release date, by the way: March 29 in North America, and April 1 in Europe. See you on the road!
Well.. it IS kind of funny and yes, I actually saw a non-gaming journalist have a similar reaction to the multiplayer mode while I was playing it at the last Sony event I attended (he’s not into “scary stuff”). So, on THAT front, it’s a brilliant ad.
On the other hand (Devil’s Advocate cap on), I can see this ad being used by the anti-gaming crowd that thinks EA is clearly targeting children under 18 with Dead Space 2 and any other M-rated games they publish, which may force EA to deal with “news” outlets merely looking to rake them over the coals unfairly (and once again, if you remember the stupid controversy around Mass Effect two years ago). These folks have less of a sense of humor than a jar of pickles (and about eight times as much vinegar in their veins), so giving them this “gift” as more anti-game ammo might backfire a little too much. So, on THAT front, the ad is a giant “WTF were they thinking?”
Thoughts?
Either way, the game will sell, as there’s not really such a thing as “bad” publicity these days…
Ever wonder where game ideas come from? Well, take a gander at this latest Spare Parts trailer and see for yourself as members of the dev team lets their brains do the talking – enjoy!
Three new trailers for bright light Studios' fun, family friendly co-op centric action platformer show off the game's colorful visuals and snappy, fast-paced gameplay. Grab the kids, plop them in front of the monitor and check them all out. If you don't have kids but love robots in your games, heck – there's TON of fun to be had here. Enjoy!
Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, Wii, PC)
Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
# of Players: 1 (online 2 – 8)
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 +)
Official Site
Score: A-
In Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Criterion Games' new Autolog feature is very much like a way too loyal robotic dog that lives on a diet of Red Bull-laced motor oil and rechargeable batteries, and that's a both a good and bad thing, boys and girls. If you absolutely THRIVE on competition, It's a good dog (Good dog! Goooood doggieeeeee!) because it keeps you on your toes, notifying you constantly that your formerly best times have been beaten, who beat you and yes, that you should drop everything and go get your record times back. Paradoxically, if you're a casual gamer who happens to plug into PSN or Xbox Live for some friendly competition (or a mere system update before playing the game) Autolog is a bad dog (bad dog! BAD! NO!), constantly interrupting your set racing schedule to let you know someone's peed or pooped all over your best times and how much of a LOSER you are for not going on ahead and racing every fool that's ready to take you down and leave the smell of virtual burnt rubber in your nostrils. Damn you, Autolog! Now go sit in your box… GO!
Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
Developer: BioWare
Publisher: EA
# of Players: 1
Rating: M (Mature)
Official Site
Score: A
Has BioWare ever made a bad game? I’m inclined to shout a defiant “No” towards the heavens, as I’ve enjoyed everything they’ve ever done, warts and all. Hell, I may be somewhat biased here, but at least I’m definitely right (that’s a little in-joke, by the way). Anyway, in terms of their RPG output, the company has a superb track record with everything from the Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights games to Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire and even oddities such as Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. Of course, their two current console projects, the upcoming Mass Effect 2 and the recently released Dragon Age: Origins will be the games on RPG fans’ lips and minds for quite some time thanks to the developer’s ability to craft completely different sub-genres while consistently bringing gamers superb storytelling and deep, challenging gameplay.
Sure, you’re probably thinking “Whaaaaaaaat, ANOTHER social networking site?” But hell, how many are for what could be one of the best console or PC RPGs you’ll play this year? Think about that for a hot minute after you read this press release, hit the DA:O website, check out the Sacred Ashes video if you haven’t seen it yet and click on over to the main page to create an account and play around with the character editor… (*whew!*)
In this week’s Dragon Age: Origins update, we take a look at one particularly nasty game bug (what?)… one that’s supposed to be in the game (calm down, now), and a BIG one at that (You may want to start screaming right about… now). Ewwww. I could say something silly like “Brood to the Mother” or worse (although that’s pretty damn terrible), but I’m only trying to lighten the mood a bit. Man, is that one ugly mass of monster. She looks like she ate Jabba the Hutt, his entourage and about half of the Death Star with a side dish of cold Cthulhu cutlets. Color me rattled. Thanks, BioWare. Get the Raid and hobnail boots ready, folks – here’s this week’s intro text and screenshots (and a nicely bloody trailer, which is HERE – not for the kiddies):
No one knows how the Darkspawn truly live in their tainted warrens beneath the earth, although a few Grey Wardens have, on occasion, delved deep into the old Dwarven tunnels in an effort to find the heart of the Darkspawn corruption and scour it clean. Those who ever returned, did so with ashen faces and spoke only of a creature called a “Broodmother” that haunted their dreams for the rest of their short existence. What the Broodmother truly is, only the Grey Wardens know for certain.
Dragon Age: Origins hits stores on November 3rd for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. Back with another update soon!
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 