Halo: Spartan Assault Announce Trailer: Selling Points (Minus Some Common Sense)

Posted on June 4, 2013 by geelw

Hey, I happen to like twin stick arcade shooters, so I was happy to see that this upcoming game is going to feed that need… provided I (*urgh!*) buy a twin stick-free Windows 8 PC, phone or other device. Which, by the way… is something I have zero intention of doing. Oh well. Still, I’ll give it up for Microsoft, developer Vanguard Entertainment and 343 Industries, who do have the right idea in trying to get fans to get into a portable Halo experience. Still, skipping the Xbox 360’s huge user base and Windows 7 PC’s (but probably not the upcoming Xbox One where it SHOULD be a free pack-in on the HDD to lure in more early adopters) and effectively enforcing an upgrade to play this one isn’t settling in with some folks who’d prefer the entire Halo series ported over at some point sooner than later… Continue reading →

Now Playing: Remember Me (and Other Stuff)…

Posted on June 4, 2013 by geelw

Of course, I had to run out early on Friday evening and zoomed past the UPS truck a block away that I SHOULD have hung around a few minutes to bug the driver about any packages that were mine on board, but, oh well. Anyway, Remember Me popped up again yesterday and I’ve been playing it since (which is why there weren’t a load of posts happening, folks). Anyway, it’s quite a blast and yep, a review is incoming probably tomorrow. So far, it’s quite original, somewhat linear, but very gorgeous in a “this is the game you make when your studio is in Paris!” kind of way.

Back in a bit – spoiler: the score will be good unless the game falls apart in what looks like the last few areas I’ll be getting back to soon enough. As for “Other Stuff”, that’s not a game – it’s just my queue stacked up with a bunch of games I’ll try to get to before the E3 crunch steamrolls me…

Random Indie Game of the Week: DreadOut

Posted on June 3, 2013 by geelw

Amusingly and ironically enough, one of the scariest work-in progress games I’ve played this year comes from a developer named Digital Happiness. Based out of Indonesia, this small studio is in the process of polishing up their first game, DreadOut, a nicely frightening homage to Tecmo’s criminally neglected Fatal Frame series with a modern (and optionally social) twist.

DH is using the extremely versatile Unity game engine, a wonder tool for a number of small to large studios that can pump out some fantastic visuals the can be scaled to run an a wide range of computers and devices. The speed at which this has come together combined with the quality of the work is pretty astonishing. I believe Digital Happiness happens to be in the CG animation business or something, and you can see this in the character art, animation and general pleasingly realistic style of the visuals.
Continue reading →

Killzone: Shadow Fall Update: Guerrilla’s in the Midst (and Not Monkeying Around)…

Posted on June 2, 2013 by geelw

Well, it sure looks like Killzone: Shadow Fall is going to be another marquee title for Sony’s new console and as you can see here, the guys and gals at Guerrilla Games are making sure series fans get their money’s worth and then some. What’s really impressive here is despite being yet another shooter in a very well-packed genre full of them, if you follow the game from its first chapter on the PS2, you can see the developer maturing as they lay down the series’ trajectory as the focus shifts from one side to another. Win or lose, war is indeed hell for both sides at the end of the day…

Batman: Arkham Origins Update: The Riddler Is Back To Drive Bats Nuts…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Hoo boy. Those darn Riddler Challenge puzzles were am optional set of very tricky timed action sequences that extended the life of the previous games for anyone up to the task, and WB Montreal isn’t forgetting about them in this next installment. You know the drill, folks. You’re doing your Darkight Detective thing and while on a rooftop or some other otherwise nondescript location, you spy a glowing green “?”, accidentally or intentionally trigger a pressure plate and need to race to hit a few other spots so you can nab something cool before it’s locked away. The first one’s a gimme, but they get harder and harder and the next thing you know, you’re up at 4am consulting an online FAQ or making one yourself. This is actually the ONLY question I had about the game, as I know it’s in mighty fine hands otherwise. Off to look at jumbo-size aspirin, as some of those later puzzles will no doubt require a few…

rain Story Trailer: It’s Absolutely Dripping With Atmosphere…

Posted on May 31, 2013 by geelw

Oh, ha-ha. I couldn’t resist that one, sorry. Anyway, Sony’s Japan Studio’s upcoming PSN exclusive is looking quite good and should be another one of those innovative games that shows the “old” PS3 isn’t dead by a long shot. Sony at least seems to realize that killing off all the content made for them on PSN is a really bad idea when the PS4 rolls around (at least I really HOPE they don’t expect longtime consumers to repurchase digital content they’ve already paid for), unlike Microsoft, which seems to e taking a damn the torpedoes, all our eggs in one basket approach to the upcoming Xbox One. Well, E3 will reveal all, so I’ll let that happen and see if either corporation has a strategy that brings in as many past, present and future gamers as possible…

Remember Me Live Action Trailer: Dontnod’s Lost Angel in the City of Light

Posted on May 31, 2013 by geelw

Capcom and developer Dontnod Entertainment have a Royale (with no cheese) surprise coming to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on June 4, 2013 with Remember Me, a sci-fi action game set in and around a 2084 Neo Paris about a former “memory hunter” forced to take on her former employer after her own memory is erased. Some hands-on time with a demo at a recent Capcom press event revealed a stylish and cinematic single player focused experience with a unique “rhythm” based combat system, some nice and fluid parkour elements and what’s looking like a few tricky environmental puzzle-based surprises and rewards. Lead character Nilin’s slim athletic build, multiracial look and telltale scar make her a refreshing change of pace from certain other female characters that usually step in from the same gene pool, so hopefully gamers will hook into her and fine a heroine worth (wait for it) remembering. I think they will. Back with a full review sometime next week…

Castle of Illusion Behind the Scenes: Disney & Sega Stir Up That Nostalgic Stew Just Fine…

Posted on May 30, 2013 by geelw

Between this remake of the Sega Genesis classic and Capcom’s spectacularly remastered DuckTales coming to gamers, I’m almost ready to forgive Disney for it’s transgressions regarding killing off Lucasarts (although it remains to be seen if their new track for future Star Wars games and content will be as successful as they’re thinking and wanting it to be under new development hands). They have the game’s original director aboard as an adviser, the in-progress work looks gorgeous and if this one is as fun and challenging as the original, there’s going to be a new legion of gamers playing this. Er… as well as an older generation hogging that console for too long and getting dirty looks from the wee ones who might want to play what dad and or mom is waxing nostalgic over.

Say… If you’re one of those aging hipsters, just break down and buy your own console already, I say. You can let your kids have fun without pretending to show them those classics and somehow never letting them actually PLAY the games…

New Young Justice Legacy Trailer: This Hit’s Really Going to Hurt…

Posted on May 26, 2013 by geelw

Little Orbit and Freedom Factory’s upcoming action/RPG might not help being the fan-favorite show back, but it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun to play for many out there who want more of these heroes in a more interactive form. Sure, it’s not packing the most amazing visuals, but there’s a ton of fun to be had busting heads and solving some straightforward puzzles as the game progresses. I got a bit of hands-on time with an earlier version of the game not too long ago, so I’m really hoping the final product adds even more polish and does well at retail. This sort of non-MMO hero-packed game used to be a bit more popular a few years back, but it would be nice to see this do well enough that this sub-genre makes a welcome return.

Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara Hands-On: The Eye of the Beholder Sees An Instant Classic Return…

Posted on May 23, 2013 by geelw

After a bit of hands-on time with a build of Capcom’s upcoming PC, PSN, Xbox Live and Wii U eShop arcade game Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara, let’s just get this out of the way and say it’s probably going to be one of the bigger hits of the usually dry summer game season. With solo or drop-in/drop-out play, gorgeous high-definition 2D visuals (that can be displayed in a few fun resolutions) plenty of challenging gameplay and a wealth of bonus content, this game defines “arcade” and just might be seen as the way to port over an arcade classic. Developer Iron Galaxy has gone a few extra miles and packed the game with content without mucking with the original games’ visuals and yes, that Dungeons & Dragons license gets put to really good use here. If you were a Sega Saturn owner lucky enough to buy the expensive import version double pack, you can finally put that one back up on the shelf, as what’s here is a superb replacement…
Continue reading →