Gallery Update: Shadows of the Damned

Posted on May 28, 2011 by geelw

The one-two punch of doom from Shinji Mikami and Suda 51 continues with these screens from the upcoming single player horror action game, set to hit the PS3 and Xbox 360 on June 21, 2011. I personally can't wait to play this as I'm a HUGE fan of Killer 7, No More Heroes and other Suda/grasshopper manufacture games. I'd say Resident Evil fanatics looknig for something a lot more bizarre and mature should also give this a spin and if you loved Deadly Premonition, well… you probably got your pre-order in already. The mix of Suda and Mikami's always intriguing mindsets coupled with the bizarre visuals should make SOTD a keeper of a sleeper. Will the more jaded gamers out there “get” this mixture of action and twisted psycho-horror? I guess we'll see if it all pays off in a few weeks, huh?

Alice Returns Cinematic Trailer

Posted on May 18, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/M5OYaLDTCW0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

Nice. Here’s a peek at The upcoming surreal action game set to hit PS3, Xbox 360 and PC a few ticks of the pocket watch away. Sweet dreams… you hope.

"Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2" TV Spot Is Just Plain Right And Wrong Simultaneously

Posted on January 19, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/nKkPFDEiC6Q?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

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…

Spare Parts Beams Up Simon Pegg For A Little VO

Posted on January 6, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Ib8CZumGbzc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

When last we saw and played Spare Parts, EA and bright lights Studios fun family-friendly robot-centric platformer for PSN and XBLA was coming along quite nicely. Here’s a look at Simon Pegg, who’s now attached to the project as the voice of Con-Rad, the ship’s computer the two lead robots end up spending a bit of time interacting with – enjoy!

Mass Effect 2 PS3 Hands-On: BioWare, Beautiful & Brilliant

Posted on December 19, 2010 by geelw

PS3 owners may have missed out on the original Mass Effect, but the stellar sequel plus four DLC chapters and a little something extra (plus a LOT of something extra under the hood) is headed your way in a great standard edition pack that's bound to fly off store shelves faster than the new Normandy hits light speed. I had the opportunity to play a demo version of Mass Effect 2 and was immediately floored by the visual upgrade (thanks to what was recently revealed as the Mass Effect 3 engine), the tweaked puzzles and a few other niceties BioWare has seen fit to add. I'd have to safely say this is going to be the definitive console version of the game and even if you've played the Xbox 360 version, you might want to snap up a copy of this one, provided you also have a PS3 in the house.

Dead Space 2 Multiplayer Hands-On: A Visceral Experience, Indeed

Posted on December 19, 2010 by geelw

As if the thrills, chills and very bloody spills of Issac Clarke's upcoming single player adventures in The Sprawl weren't enough, Visceral Games is tweaking Dead Space 2 with a rather interesting multiplayer component that can be somewhat accurately described as tactical run & gun meets Left 4 Dead. I'll admit to being initially skeptical that any sort of online multiplayer modes added to this decidedly story-driven horror action franchise would be nothing more than another excuse for loudmouthed losers to run around shooting each other in the head while yelling all sorts of M-rated insults. However, I'm indeed thankful to report that I was proven dead wrong.

At Sony's Holiday 2010 event last week, I got to go a few rounds with the multiplayer demo and was very impressed by the experience. What's here is fun, fast, frantic and frequently freakish, thanks to the back and forth player swapping that takes place during matches.

Review: Rock Band 3

Posted on November 4, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, Wii)

Developer: Harmonix

Publisher: Electronic Arts/MTV Games

# of Players: 1-7 (Online/Offline)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A

Like a bottle of cosmic aspirin, Rock Band 3 is the wonder game that does it all. It's an instant party starter, getting fans of nearly any type of popular music up and grabbing whatever peripheral is available for their chance at virtual stardom. It's a virtual (and growing) encyclopedia of rock featuring 80+ bands and a whopping 1600+ tracks that can be downloaded (with more to come, no doubt). It's got a stellar edit function that allows you to tailor the songs, gameplay and overall experience to your liking through a bunch of game types from casual to pro. Speaking of, (and yes, it's about time), it's got Pro Mode, which beefs up the challenge immensely while allowing actual musicianship to be a bigger part of the game.

Review: Rock Band 3 (DS)

Posted on October 29, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi

Developer: Backbone Games/Harmonix

Publisher: EA/MTV Games

# of Players: 1 (2-4 via Wi-Fi)

Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Official Site

Score: B+

You'd have to be crazy to even think of making a direct comparison of any portable game to a console version these days, but that's probably what's going to happen with the console and portable versions of Rock Band 3. I'm not (that) crazy, so I'll tell it to you straight – the DS version is a solid, challenging and fun music game with some excellent songs, plenty of unlockable gear and a peripheral-free control system that's pretty much perfect once you get the hang of it. The game could have used a few more songs, but such are the limitations of the DS hardware. What's here, however sounds great and combined with the overall polish, the game makes for a great on the go RB3 experience.

Spare Parts Hands-On

Posted on October 11, 2010 by geelw

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

One of the cooler surprises at EA's Naughty or Nice event was Spare Parts, the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade and PSN release developed by the company's Guildford-based bright light Studios (Create, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) and set for launch later this year. The download-only single or two-player co-op action/platformer stars a pair of super likable robots (Chip and Mar-T) that crash land on a faraway planet and need to locate 100 ship parts scattered around the planet in order to escape. They both can find and use a number of nifty gadgets throughout the adventure to defeat alien enemies, locate hidden items and a pull off number of other special abilities. I spent a nice long time with a build of the game and came away really impressed at how much fun the game is and how well the co-op feature is coming together.

TGS 2010: EA Reveals Shadows of the Damned (or: SUDA 51 + Mikami + Yamaoka = Instant Horror/Action Classic)

Posted on September 15, 2010 by geelw

Electronic Arts' EA Partners branch has been exceptionally busy lately working with developers across the globe in order to bring gamers the best experiences across as many platforms as possible. There are a bunch of wickedly cool games coming your way, including what's looking to be a truly dark and twisted action/horror game from grasshopper manufacture/Suda 51 and Shinji Mikami featuring music by Akira Yamaoka. There's a big, honkin' EA press release to pore over below along with five early screen shots for Shadows of the Damned that show of some nicely detailed character models and excellent color usage.

I did get a chuckle from speaking with a fellow editor about the the game's plot outline, though. There was an offhand remark made about Suda-san either not hearing of EA's Dante's Inferno or perhaps he'd actually played the game and thought it needed “more grasshopper!” Eh, you had to be there to appreciate the joke, I guess – it comes off as lousy when read.

No matter, though. SotD should be a killer experience, especially with Mikami's input and what's more than likely going to be a superbly memorable score from Yamaoka (Silent Hill's soundtrack still gives me the chills).

Press release and screens to go below: