Hands-On: Crytek and Trion Worlds Want You to Put On Your WARFACE

Posted on October 27, 2012 by geelw

Sitting down with Crytek’s Peter Holzapfel, Producer on the upcoming FPS WARFACE, one gets the immediate feeling that he’s more than happy with the upcoming AAA free to play shooter coming from Crytek through Trion Worlds in North America. We talk about the game’s worldwide appeal to shooter fans, F2P junkies looking for a quick fix and how the game is being published in different territories by different publishers for a few minutes, then we get down to the game proper, which is pretty fantastic and quite fun. Note that this is coming from a guy who doesn’t play shooters heavily. I’m more a fan of story-driven games and not multiplayer focused group shooting each other in the head games, but I do know a well-made game when I see and play it. What’s immediately apparent (aside from some more amazing CryEngine 3 visuals) is how accessible the team-based shooter is. Yes, it borrows elements from Team Fortress, Call of Duty and Crytek’s own games, but the experience is a more contained and faster paced game than any of the Far Cry or Crysis games, making for a perfect online experience.

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Earth Defense 3 Portable Update: THIS Winter, Not Next For Bug Blasting “B” Movie Fans

Posted on October 25, 2012 by geelw

As I figured, D3Publisher wasn’t going to wait TOO long to get this fantastic enhanced version of the former Xbox 360 exclusive localized and out for Vita owners starving for content, so here you go – EDF 2017 Portable is coming out sometime this winter, not NEXT winter as has been reported on some web sites. That initial confusion came about in the first press release that noted a “Winter 2013” release, which in turn had some editors thinking this meant late next year (as in around the holidays). As you can see on the left, it looks as if this will indeed get a retail as well as digital release (a really good thing for those who want both options).

Anyway, a small set of screens to ogle is below – that’s Pale Wing on the cover and to the right, making her return to the series in fine form after her debut in Chikyuu Boueigun 2. I’m playing the import now and having a complete blast with it (a review is incoming), but I’ll absolutely be replaying this in English when it hits retail and PSN … er, sometime between when winter starts and spring begins. OK, D3 will absolutely be a bit more concrete on the EXACT date shortly, folks – but isn’t it great to know you don’t have to wait over a YEAR to play one of the best (and absolutely most feature-packed) Vita games to date? The new four-player online co-op and versus modes should add some additional oomph for those who want to play with friends and I’d expect this will do quite well once Vita owners see how much chaos Sony’s handheld can handle. Sandlot has rebalanced the weapons a bit so multiplayer sessions aren’t overbalanced in favor of four people blowing everything up too easily, but for solo players who want one of the most hardcore game experiences they’ll play in terms of challenge, Inferno Mode will test your skills to the utmost. Trust me, it’s HARD as hell when death is coming from all sides!

That’s it for now on the EDF front lines – I need to get back to farming up some armor and trying to get more weapons, as Inferno mode is kicking me around the room. Those seven new levels and some of the enemies (gold ants and two-toned spiders in particular) are pretty mean bugs that take a bit of effort to squash in you’re not prepared enough.

NEOGEO X Gold Update: Limited Editon Pre-Orders Nab Ninja Master’s For Free

Posted on October 23, 2012 by geelw

SNK Playmore’s handheld wonder is getting some nifty pre-order love over at online retailers Amazon and GameStop. Consumers who pre-order the Limited Edition (which comes packed with some nice bonuses that turn the handheld into a home console) will get a FREE game card (the 1996 beat ’em up, NINJA MASTER’S*) with their order when the new portable ships out on December 6, 2012. As I’ve been saying for months now, for a dedicated console with a fairly large library of classics (more of which will be made available after the system launches), that $199.99 isn’t a lot at all considering you also get 20 free classic NEOGEO titles you can play on the road using the X as a dedicated portable or at home with the dock included in the LE box.

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Defiance Hands-On: Welcome to the Resistance – It’s Going To Be Really Awesome

Posted on October 19, 2012 by geelw

I may have been initially skeptical about Defiance based on mistakenly hearing it was going to be a licensed game (in fact, it’s a tie in set at the same time as the upcoming show), but I knew that if Trion Worlds was involved in it, it would be a game worth playing. After ogling movies and screens on and off these past few months, I finally got some hands-on time with the upcoming third-person Action MMO and yes indeed, it’s absolutely amazing. If the demo I and everyone else I saw walking away from with big grins on their faces is any indication, Defiance will indeed be a genre pushing game changer upon its April 2013 launch on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Gallery: Dokuro – GungHo’s PS Vita Puzzle/Platformer Looks Like A Winner…

Posted on October 9, 2012 by geelw

GungHo! Online Entertainment is embracing the PlayStation Vita full force with a pair of very promising game releases in 2012 – here’s the first of the company’s small but very cool lineup for Sony’s handheld. Dokuro is a hybrid platformer with a unique, gorgeous visual style and gameplay that should make fans of the genre sit up and take notice. In the game, players will take on the role of Dokuro, a lowly skeleton in service to a Dark Lord who decided to free a princess kidnapped by his master. As the princess can’t see him, Dokuro needs to help her in some way before her fate is sealed. Our bony would-be savior finds a potion that can change him into a handsome prince the princess can see, and the gameplay revolves around Dokuro switching back and forth between forms to aid the princess as she makes her way to freedom.

Platformer, puzzle and combat elements are all part of the game and with almost 150 levels to complete, GungHo estimates between 20-30 hours of play time, making the $19.99 price a bargain in my book. Check out the screens below and set your calendars for October 16, 2012 when Dokuro makes its debut exclusively on PSN. As for that other game… well, it’s a no-brainer Action/RPG purchase called Ragnarok Odyssey – more on that one in a bit…

Gallery: Valhalla Knights 3 (PS Vita) – Could This RPG Sequel Be The Best Of The Series?

Posted on October 7, 2012 by geelw

I really thought this RPG series was gone for good after the flawed open world Eldar Saga on the Wii, but it looks as if Marvelous AQL is giving it a new go on the Vita with Valhalla Knights 3… in Japan at least. If you can read Japanese, definitely check out the official site for info on the game, which is still a work in progress, but expected to be released sometime in 2013. These screens look fine to me, showing off decent draw distance and some generic, but otherwise nice looking fantasy characters and environments.

My bet is if it’s good and what looking like a multiplayer component for up to six (or is that seven ?) players runs smoothly, we could see it hit North America at some point. Granted, that all revolves on the game being marketable here, as some gamers only have long memories when it comes to bad reviews. I’ve liked many aspects of the Valhalla Knights games so far, but hope AQL can pull it together with 3 and make something that feels complete in every area. If they do, I’s gather Xseed will be the ones to tackle the localization and publishing chores, as they’ve handled the other titles that have arrived in the US. More updates to come…

Gallery: Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons

Posted on October 2, 2012 by geelw

OK, a mere six early screenshots isn’t much, but the gorgeous teaser video above for Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons makes up for that, I’d say. After a long time away doing quality shooters set in gritty modern and futuristic locations, Uppsala, Sweden-based developer Starbreeze Studios is headed back into the more fantasy-themed worlds they started out making. Granted, their very first game, Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade (PC, Xbox, PS2 and Game Cube) took place in a gritty medieval setting, but their second game, Enclave (Xbox) was set in some a pretty interesting (and yes, gritty) locations. This new game, set to hit PSN, Xbox Live Arcade and Steam in 2013 has a richer, more stylized look to it that recalls a tiny bit of the Fable series but with more of Starbreeze’s technical polish. Unreal-powered loveliness aside, I’ll need to get my grubby (or is that gritty?) paws on a build for some hands-on time. 505 Games has been good about letting me know when they’re in the city (playing a demo of Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise was a highlight of last month for me), so I’m expecting a little bird at my window when they’re ready to show off their new baby. I can’t wait…

Edit: I had a R.J. McReady monent there, heh (+5 points if you get that joke)- Starbreeze isn’t Finnish, but they’re based out of Sweden. Oops!

Video Game Appreciation 101: Wii Library Update (New Additions)

Posted on July 23, 2012 by geelw

A few new (and used) titles for the collection, mostly thanks to some trades and a few others snapped up at really cheap prices. of course, I haven’t even finished all of these (my time machine is still busted), but have played enough of each to offer buy or bust recommendations. Then again, something I don’t like might be something you may fall over backwards over – that’s one of the more interesting things about gaming for you, right?
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Gallery: US Sega CD/Sega Saturn Library

Posted on July 7, 2012 by geelw

Or more precisely, what’s left of both after the great “I Need Money!” sell-off of a few years back. The three PAL Saturn titles I think I posted already last year, but I’m too lazy to go look up something on my own website (wow, that’s bad!)…

Anyway, While I do miss the stuff that’s gone and harder to find (and even more insanely expensive these days), I have my fingers crossed that one of these days, Sega will find a way to get some of their first-party Saturn games back into gamers’ hands in SOME reasonable manner. Oh yeah, I added in a picture of my Mega mouse just to show that the thing actually existed and yup, works fine for the games that use it. The disc-only games (which I normally don’t collect) came in a CD wallet that was part of a giant box of stuff I traded for a long time ago. All of the games worked fine, but some needed a lot of cleaning (and a bit of Perma-Spin action – that stuff is awesome!).

Dishonored Preview: Arkane Studios and Bethesda Are Cooking Up An Instant Classic

Posted on May 20, 2012 by geelw

With its innovative gameplay, distinctive look inspired by classic illustrators such as N.C. Wyeth and Charles Dana Gibson, an incredible cityscape created by Visual Design Director Viktor Antonov with Art Director Sébastien Mitton and the rarefied air of a product that knows how great it’s going to be to those who “get” it, Dishonored has shot up to the top of the list of games I really want to play (and see succeed in this era of sequels and retreads). Arkane Studios has been going full steam ahead with this all-new PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 IP, a single player focused and yes, story-driven game that allows players do tackle missions in just about any way they desire. Without a multiplayer mode in sight (thankfully), Arkane is showing that a strong story and stronger gameplay can do wonders for an industry where relying or retreading popular multiplayer modes has decimated some games and genres into a depressingly generic formula year after year.

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