Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Hands-On

Posted on September 3, 2010 by geelw

At Konami's Gamer's Nite NYC event, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was clearly the star of the show. My impressions were that Konami, developer Mercury Steam and Kojima Productions are sending notice that in the right hands, the Belmont lineage is going to be just fine as a big-budget, highly cinematic action game experience. Everything I saw, heard and played on both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions was extremely high quality and extremely worthy of the Castlevania name. Yes, the game riffs on Shadow of the Colossus, the God of War games and a few other titles, but there are also visual and stylistic influences from Guillermo del Toro and some familiar Kojima storytelling elements that make the game highly engrossing right from the opening scene.

Gallery: Valkyria Chronicles II

Posted on September 1, 2010 by geelw

As promised, a small but nice set of VC II screens. I love how well the excellently versatile Canvas Engine has translated to the PSP and from what I'm hearing from someone who picked up the game yesterday, the gameplay is “pretty cool” as well. Hell, it SHOULD be, as the original was one of the best PS3 “sleepers” to date as well as an excellent strategy game in its own right. I'm sort of surprised there's no Valkyria game on the DS yet, but on the other hand, it's great to see the PSP get yet another great release, right?

Anyway, I've no time to be jealous of friends gaming away while I toil (and I ain't got time to bleed, either) – I just have enough time to post an update or three a day. So there…

As I keep saying: 2010 is shaping up to be the best year for Sony's handheld so far.

Preview/Gallery: Lucha Libre: Heroes Del Ring

Posted on August 31, 2010 by geelw

Konami has a super high-flying, action-packed wrestling game coming your way and nope, it's not another Rumble Roses installment. Lucha Libre: Heroes Del Ring (PS3/Xbox 360/Wii) is shaping up to be a ridiculously fun mix of arcade-style gameplay and plenty colorful characters from the hugely popular Mexican wrestling circuit. At Konami's Gamer's Night NYC event last week, I got to see and play a bit of the PS3 version of game and found it not only immediately accessible, but both fun, challenging and surprisingly informative about the south of the border version of the sport.

Gallery: Dungeon Defenders

Posted on August 28, 2010 by geelw

To quote Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in Godfather III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in again…”.

Case in point, Trendy Games' spectacular-looking Dungeon Defenders, which promises to bring a blend of Tower Defense-style strategy and hack 'n slash Action/RPG combat bliss to PSN and XBLA this fall. I thought I was all done with Tower Defense games after the last dozen or so I played and here comes DD, winking and looking all sassy in that Unreal 3 engine-powered skirt. Damn…

Gallery Update: Blood Stone 007

Posted on August 26, 2010 by geelw

Could Bizarre Creations' upcoming Bond game be the best one made this generation (well, next to the remake of Goldeneye 007)? Well, I don't have a clue, but it's sure looking pretty damn good. A few new images to ogle are below.

Preview: Knights in the Nightmare PSP

Posted on August 25, 2010 by geelw

“Are You READY…?” For those of you who missed it, 2009's Knights in the Nightmare on the Nintendo DS was an innovative mix of isometric tactical JRPG, RTS, a bit of chess and fast-paced stylus driven “bullet hell” style shooting with a deep, complex (and often quite dramatic) storyline. The often brutal level of difficulty in the game thanks to many factors that required actual thought pre-battle and deft dancing of the stylus hand in battle made KITN a bit of a sleeper for the handheld (and a slightly expensive collectible these days). Developer Sting has taken the game and reworked it for the PSP into what's looking like one of those truly hardcore experiences for those that love their games to bite back hard.

TRON Evolution Hands-On Preview

Posted on August 25, 2010 by geelw

Propaganda Games is toiling away like mad on two licensed games I'm really looking forward to: Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned and TRON: Evolution. While both titles are being published by Disney Interactive Studios, core gamers in the loop are anticipating each game for a number of reasons. I got to try a bit of the PS3 version of Evolution at Sony's excellent Holiday showcase and came away impressed by what's looking to be the rare licensed movie game that goes above and beyond the call.

O-Games’ Superstars V8 Racing Headed To PS3 As PSN-Only Download

Posted on August 24, 2010 by geelw

“The breadth, depth and quality of Superstars V8 Racing make it one of the best racing games available on PlayStation Network,” said Greg Lanz, general manager of O-Games, Inc. “Our original plan was to release this game at retail, but after considering all the options, we decided to release it exclusively through PlayStation Network. Superstars V8 Racing delivers a first-class multiplayer race experience with world-renowned cars that will thrive with this audience. In addition, O-Games can sell Superstars V8 Racing for a lower price since we do not have to pay the costs to manufacture, package, and ship the product to retail. The bottom line? Gamers can now own a $40 game for half the price they would pay in-store.”

Translation: How can you tell the recession is still going strong? Well, one area where publishers are cutting costs is in the actual production of games. Even for what would be considered a great deal at $40, it costs a lot to get a boxed game to retail. Allowing that same title to be downloaded makes it easier for gamers to get a new release with a credit card and a few button presses.

Gallery: Darkspore

Posted on August 24, 2010 by geelw

EA, EA Play and Maxis have been a little bit busy with their hugely popular Spore franchise, spreading the game to more than just PC users since its release. Darkspore is yet another interesting detour for the multi-million selling series that looks to capitalize on a few familiar genres while keeping the same level of creative freedom found in the source material. An isometric Action/RPG headed to PC gamers as an online MMO-style experience, the game is also set to hit “multiple platforms” according to the official press release.

From the screens below, it looks as if the familiar Spore character creation and customization options will be on board, but for me, the icing on the cake is that lovely isometric viewpoint and what looks like fast-paced gameplay packed with loot drops, level ups and big, bad bosses to take down with some effort. However, as much as I'm loving these screen shots, I have a wee bit of a problem with the game…

Gallery: Vanquish

Posted on August 24, 2010 by geelw

Sega and PlatinumGames are going to turn your living room into a futuristic battlefield with Vanquish, set to explode onto the PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 19. This third-person sci-fi shooter mixes highly dynamic, lightning-paced combat with cover-based shooting mechanics. Here's a look at a bunch of amazing screens (love those powerslides the main character can pull off!):