Reality Fighters: The “Everyman” Fighting Game That’s Not For Everyone…

Posted on March 14, 2012 by geelw

There’s a definitively cheesy charm to this new Vita game that’s going to be lost on anyone who seriously stacks it up against the other, better fighting games released on the handheld and that’s too bad. Sure, the game loses itself in trying WAY too hard to be intentionally campy and the actual combat is loose and a bit frustrating if you’re a hardcore arcade junkie, but there are some cool bright spots. Snapping backgrounds for the augmented reality fighting indoors or out works really well, the character edit function is pretty deep and with some work (and a better resolution camera upgrade on the Vita), I can see this getting a MUCH improved sequel…

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Ridge Racer Rolls Onto The Vita: A Bit Of A Bumpy, But Budget Ride

Posted on March 14, 2012 by geelw

Another old standby from the original PlayStation days finally skids onto the Vita, and at first glance, it’s pretty much what you’d expect as a RR fan. However, even with the included DLC, there are only a handful of tracks (six) and cars (ten). Sure, you also get lots of speed and that familiar sideways skidding, but in the end, the lack of a focused single player offline mode plus the odd “leveling” system for cars hurt the game significantly.

Even as an arcade racer (this time aiming for the “connected” gamer), There’s just not enough meat on this one for those raised in the Gran Turismo or Forza eras. The $30 price tag, while inexpensive for a Vita game, still feels like five bucks too much. Granted, if you love nostalgia and aren’t too picky about the lack of innovation, you’ll like what’s here. On the other hand, you’d also hope that Namco would have spent a lot more time adding features and content to make the game a LOT more impressive as a launch window title and not hold back what made the first few Ridge Racer games on the PSOne great in the first place.

Ah well, if the game sells well because of the RR name, there’s always more DLC that can be whipped up, I guess…

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…

Tales of Graces f Launch Trailer: Namco Bandai’s Got Quite A Story To Tell, That’s For Sure…

Posted on March 12, 2012 by geelw

I’ve been playing this on and off for the past few days (my review copy arrived last week) and it’s quite spectacular in an old-school meets modern JRPG way. Sure, it’s packed to the gills with familiar thematic elements (an enigmatic amnesiac, two brothers separated by differing opinions and life choices, the formerly sick girl now a powerful party member, et cetera), but the fast-paced battles, tons of titles to earn for each character and the usual Tales features keep the hours peeling away. If you’re a PS3 owner and JRPG fan looking for the next big game to dive into, this one’s for you. Oh yeah, the game also lets you play with up to four friends through much of the adventure (but expect them to be spectators for a bit in some areas where the party is thinned out for plot purposes).

My full review will go up later this week (probably Friday at this point)…

Journey Launch Trailer: An Instant Classic Not To Be Missed (The Game, Not The Trailer, Silly)…

Posted on March 11, 2012 by geelw

It’s officially out on the 13th through PSN and yes, I’m urging you to give it a shot even if you’re automatically conditioned against indie games, downloadable games or quirky stuff you think you wouldn’t like based on some bias blocking your thought process and sense of wonder. Trust me when i say you’ll be awed and thrilled once you see what thatgamecompany has crafted. Journey is a game that feels ‘handmade” with its gorgously stylized visuals, simple, compelling gameplay and innovative online mode that actually makes it the safest online game to date (which should be good news to those with kids in the house who are wary about letting them play any online games). Anyway, tgc and Sony need to get this on out on the Vita and on a Blu-Ray so more PS3 owners can play it, but again, that’s all up to them. Personally, I’d spend the time and money on production of a retail version, get the word out on how great it is and see what happens..

Kid Icarus: Uprising Video Update: Nintendo, You Just Hate Me, Don’t You?

Posted on March 10, 2012 by geelw

Really, now – tossing all these Kid Icarus: Uprising TV spots and videos up on YouTube all on the same day. I know you guys like coverage, and coverage you’ll get, but I’m sticking them all in a single post instead of spreading them out. Not because I’m lazy, mind you. It’s just because I have a REALLY busy day tomorrow (well, later today) and I won’t be around until much later in the evening or early Sunday morning at the latest.

Normally, I’d have spread the videos out over the weekend, but I also have two reviews to write and some other things to attend to that aren’t gaming-related. Yeah, I actually do stuff besides play video games all day. Well, sometimes…

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Journey “Reaching The Summit” Developer Diary: thatgamecompany At Its Pinnacle

Posted on March 9, 2012 by geelw

If Journey isn’t nominated and doesn’t win a few awards from respectable peers (and not sites that automatically fall over themselves to give the big shooters and AAA releases you’d expect to win even more praise, there’s just NO justice in this world. OK, that’s a bit overly serious, but once you see the game in motion (or even better, PLAY IT), you’ll want to run out to any shop that sells any kind of trophy, buy them out and get them all engraved with the names of everyone who works at tgc, the folks who deliver the mail and even the janitor if they have one. I still want a Vita version or even better, a Blu-Ray with ALL of tgc’s games on it plus some music, art and “making of” documentaries for good measure. Who’s with me on this?

Kid Icarus: Uprising “Medusa” Trailer Isn’t Mythologically Accurate To Some…

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

Wow. Some people are a bit too stuck up, biased, stupid or just have WAY too much time on their hands. Despite the amazing work done on this trailer, I’ve actually read criticisms of the voice acting and Nintendo not following Greek mythology to a T in a video game whose original installment also didn’t. Geez, can’t people enjoy a game for what it is and stop bashing it for what it doesn’t do? You want “actual” Greek myths? Go read some in a real old book you got at the library (and not on an e-reader or other tech, as if you’re THAT hardcore about your source material, you MUST kick it old-school).. As for the voice acting… grow up, already. It sounds fine to me and hell, this isn’t supposed to be some SERIOUS game with everyone sounding fresh out of a master Royal Shakespeare class. Lighten the hell up folks… or just get another hobby, I say (it’s just more fun games for me that way).

Oh, Kara! What Quantic Dream’s Been Up To These Days Is Pretty Awesome Indeed…

Posted on March 8, 2012 by geelw

Sure, it’s just a tech demo (and a beautiful one at that) running on the PS3 hardware and not an actual game project, but wow. I’m actually hoping we see this show up as either a new PS3 game OR we’ll see parts of this in a new project for the Vita or whatever new console Sony has planned down the road. Hmmm… perhaps there’s an Omikron remake or sequel on the way? That would be fun to see, especially if it’s got a decent and lengthy single player portion plus co-op and online play for those who want to adventure together… We shall see, i suppose.