TGS 2010: Capcom’s Asura’s Wrath: Now THAT’S What I Call A God Hand!

Posted on September 16, 2010 by geelw

Or a “Good Lord!” Hand. The trailer to Capcom's ridiculously spectacular action game made my eyes pop and jaw drop on the first viewing, a second viewing had me cracking up for a solid two minutes or so. Holy cats, is this game going to be completely nuts or what? Cyber Connect 2 has always been one of my favorite Japanese developers since the days of the .hack games, but for a few years they've also been ceaselessly churning out a number of different Naruto games for Namco Bandai on the PS2, PSP and now, PS3…

Gallery Update: Superstars V8 Racing

Posted on September 15, 2010 by geelw

Six shiny new screens and two neat panel montages from Milestone's upcoming budget-priced PS3 exclusive racer, set to hit PSN this October thanks to the fine folks at O-Games. It may be a mere twenty bucks, but the game is packed with more than enough features to keep racing fans busy bees buzzing around tracks while they're waiting for a certain other high profile game on Sony's console. Love the four panel shots here, by the way! The make me want to go out and buy a new car even though I can't drive. Yeah, yeah… I live in NYC and the subway is my ride of choice.

Full game features ripped from the press release are just a click away…

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:

Review: Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions

Posted on September 14, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also available on Xbox 360/Wii/DS)

Developer: Beenox

Publisher: Activision

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B

Once you get used to its quirks, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is one of the more fun superhero games you'll play this year. After a couple of years of mission-based open world Spider-Man games (with Web of Shadows being the best to date), Activision and developer Beenox have smartly decided to shake things up by letting everyone's web-slinger have at it in a new game featuring a more tightly focused selection of stages, four very different art styles and an overall sense of flair that permeates nearly every part of the game. Some camera issues (that can hopefully be patched) make wall-crawling a bit frustrating in spots but overall, the game can be a ton of fun to play and no cakewalk at all thanks to some great boss battles.

The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest Gallery Update

Posted on September 12, 2010 by geelw

PAX screens from all the versions of AQ after the jump – PS3/Wii/PSP and DS. Interestingly enough, Amazon still shows a PS2 version on their site with the same October 12 release date as the others, but we'll have to see if that one actually ships. I'm liking the cartoony visuals in the console versions – they're reminiscent of Torchlight a tiny bit, aren't they? based on available info, I'm gathering all the games will be pick up and play “casual” fun, but I find that sort of thing relaxing, believe it or not. We'll have to see how the Move controls stack up to the Wii version and if the portable games are as fun as a good chase 'n chop should be.

Natsume Announces Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals To Hit Retail Next Month

Posted on September 9, 2010 by geelw

Ah, Lufia… I can remember both excellent SNES games like the back of my hand (did you know the first game was supposed to come out on the Sega Genesis as well?). Anyway, Natsume has announced that Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals for the Nintendo DS will be in stores on October 12, 2010. I absolutely LOVE the artwork, particularly the more realistic look of Maxim, Lufia and the rest of the gang in this installment. Hmmm… I'm getting those warmly nostalgic waves of JRPG-induced insomnia already! That's a good thing, by the way.

More info and screens are a click away…

Xseed Announces Ys: The Oath in Felghana Limited Edtion

Posted on September 8, 2010 by geelw

As I keep saying, this is the best year ever for the PSP and Xseed Games has contributed a number of great RPGs to the handheld's growing library of strong 2010 (and beyond) titles. Hot on the heels of the fantastic Ys Seven and set for release later this year is Ys: The Oath in Felghana, which will also get a Limited Edition box set that comes with some cool stuff. Read on for more info and hey, join the Ys Facebook page if you haven't already!

Gallery: The Lord of the Rings – War in the North

Posted on September 7, 2010 by geelw

If Snowblind Studios made a Tic-Tac-Toe game, I'd still buy it. While the developer has only a handful of titles under its collective belt, the Action/RPG genre just wouldn't be quite the same without games such as Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath, or Champions: Return to Arms. The versatile Snowblind Engine in the right hands means you're getting a supremely addictive chunk of gaming for your money. Snowblind's knack for visually intricate locales mixed with instantly accessible gameplay even made for a solid super-hero treatment in WBIE's sleeper, Justice League Heroes (which wasn't exactly an instant classic, but was a ton of fun to play, had a great story and more Green Lanterns than you could shake a stick at).

DreamCatcher Reveals Arcania – Gothic 4 Demo Date + Pre-Order PC Version Discounts

Posted on September 3, 2010 by geelw

Well alright – I've been waiting for news on a Gothic 4 demo and here it is. Two hour PC and Xbox 360 trial versions will launch on September 24 in advance of the game's October 12, 2010 release date. Between the incredible looking Arcania and a certain other European-style RPG (Two Worlds II), I'm going to be in RPG nirvana. The Gothic series has always been great for plenty of challenging open-world thrills and quests galore (and hell, I liked the original Two Worlds, warts and all).

Anyway, press release and links below – click away!

Review: Mafia II

Posted on September 3, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3/PC)

Developer: 2K Czech

Publisher: 2K Games

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: B

The original Mafia was an ambitiously cool, well-made PC game that made for a less than perfect (but still enjoyable) console translation. Seven years and a new console cycle later, 2K Czech's Mafia II is a heck of a lot more visually impressive, even more ambitious and offers up a far more interesting cast of wiseguys playing out their lives of crime to assorted results. The sequel is sharp as a new suit, but there are a few loose threads hanging that make it a bit less than a perfect fit. Those going into it expecting yet another cut & paste Grand Theft Auto experience will be in for a surprise. The pure story driven focus here means your enjoyment of the game relies on sticking to the script rather than going too far off the beaten path.