Saint’s Row IV Trailer: Volition and Deep Silver Make Sure It’s More of What You Want…

 

Mmmmhmmm? OK. That’s sorted out, isn’t it? I certainly think so. Well then, if there were ANY doubts that Deep Silver’s purchase of Volition was going to mean a different direction for the fan favorite franchise, well… here’s proof that the more things change, the crazier they get at the end of the day. More outrageous and DEFINITELY not for the kiddies open world action, goofball weapons, super powers (!) and too much weirdness guaranteed to make any fan fall off the couch and bust a gut twice. OK, let’s move on now that we know all is well. Now, about Summoner III (which NEEDS to be made, grrrr. Letting that go unsold at the THQ auction was a huge mistake that needs to be rectified, I say…)

GRID 2 WSR (Part 1): Driving Near-Miss Daze-y…

 

Ha and har. OK, bad pun (that I changed because I was a wee bit pooped out when I write this post originally) aside, Codemasters is on point with GRID 2 so far and despite the screeches and crunching from fans demanding a dashboard view or else, it looks as if the game should do fine without it. Granted, there are some powerful PC’s that can run other games out there with full dashboard cams going a a billion frames per second or whatever, but I guess we’ll see what the Codies can do on next-gen console hardware to satisfy those folks who want that in-car viewpoint. I think it can be done and having the option is always cool even if it’s never used by the bulk of casual to regular race fans that dislike it. As always… we shall see…

Gallery: Rambo Screenshots – I’ve No Beef With Reef (Just Yet)…

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Rambo_KeyImageUK-based Reef Entertainment along with developer Teyron are hard at work on their upcoming PC/PS3/Xbox 360 Rambo game and it looks pretty good as far (well, as those nice screenshots go). That initial trailer with zero actual gameplay footage was a good enough elevator pitch to some fans, but skeptical dopes like me want to see something to Actual Bravo about.

Still, I won’t be playing this as a “serious” game, as other than First Blood and that last super-gory flick (that made some interesting political points on the pro-rebel side of the Myanmar/Burma conflict), the series isn’t exactly without its unintentionally goofy-ass elements. Of course, I’m also throwing any expectations out the nearest window like I do with every game I play, as going in wanting something LIKE another game and getting what a developer intends to be different always disappoints in one way or another.  That May 3, 2013 release dater I’ve seen is rolling around pretty fast, so let’s hope for the sake of the license that the game is actually fun and does well at retail.

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If You’ve Wanted A Resident Evil 6 x Left 4 Dead, Capcom and Valve Are Quite Obliging…

 

Well, this kind of came out of Nowhereland, but it’s really cool for fans of both franchises as well as those who’ve avoided either for whatever reason. Granted, the biggest issue is this is a PC-only thing for the time being, as L4D is a PC (and Xbox 360 exclusive). Microsoft’s exclusivity headlock on the series aside, I’m still trying to figure out who at Valve thought being joined at the hip to a single console with this zombie-busting masterwork would be a good idea forever and a day, as there are a few million Sony fans who’d LOVE to finally play both games in the award winning co-op and multiplayer-centric series on the PS3/PS4 (and yes, a custom Vita version would sell like gangbusters as well).

 

 

Feh. Perhaps ONE of these days the industry will figure out that more money can be made across multiple platforms if something is done right and all that legal nonsense regarding exclusivity go right out the window with DRM and analysts who over-speculate some game studios right out of business when a game doesn’t meet some ridiculous target even though it moves a few million units…

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger Is Back! Krome Set to Shine on Games for Windows 8 Platforms

ty is backFile this post under “Aha, I knew it!” Super talented Aussie developer Krome Studios has been posting all sorts of cool artwork from their older Ty the Tasmaniam Tiger games on Facebook for the past few weeks and now after a load of fan speculation, they’ve dropped a super cool trailer for an all all-NEW Ty game currently in development and set to launch later this year. And it’s a gorgeous HD sprite-based 2D side-scroller, to boot. That’s the great news. The not-so great news for console owners is the new game is currently only set to be released on Games for Windows 8 PCs and tablets. Which means Microsoft Studios is involved in the publishing process, which means the chances of this coming to a non-Microsoft console or handheld are currently slim to none. Grrrr. However, a tweet from Krome notes that the game “may end up elsewhere later on”, which balances things out a bit. Continue reading

Lone Survivor Headed to PS3 & Vita. Lock Yourself In, There’s Trouble All Around…

 

I actually hadn’t heard of Lone Survivor until a friend raved about the PC version a little while back. But I’ve just been way to busy to get to the ton of indie games I already have and pushed this one to the back burner. Now, I have a reason to give it a try, as the game is headed to the PS3 and Vita this summer courtesy of superflat games (which is Jasper Byrne) with an assist from London-based studio, Curve (which is a few more people). The game is a retro-looking but decidedly modern survival horror game that can be played in almost any way a player chooses. You can complete the game without firing a shot or go all out and try to dispatch every undead thing you come across. However, your character’s mental state is a bit off (possibly from hunger, thirst and/or lack of rest) and not everything is as it seems. Innnnnteresting, to say the least and given Byrne’s complete love for Sony’s console and handheld, PS3 and Vita owners can expect some nice changes to the game that include Trophies, Cross-Buy and Cross-Play support plus MORE. What’s MORE you ask? Ha! That trick NEVER works here, kids.  You’ll see if you click on this PlayStation Blog post…

GRID 2 Asks and Answers A Few Burning Questions Race Fans Have…

 

Codemasters’ upcoming GRID 2 proposes a few interesting questions about the “what if’s” of a potential worldwide racing league based on assorted disciplines and yep, the game itself tries its best to answer some of those questions through its fictional racing series that takes players around the globe as they attempt to be the best and get that league a wider audience. Granted, in the real world, this would take some doing and a LOT of logistics that would cost a few tons of money, but that’s the great thing about video games, right? You can go anywhere and do anything from the comfort of your couch and not spend that much in the process.

 

 

GRID 2 ships out in May, but feel free to to that pre-order thing if that’s what you usually go in for…

Call of Juarez Gunslinger Reveal Trailer: Techland’s Bounty on the Mutinous

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Veteran developer Techland’s games have always been visually incredible, so it’s zero surprise at all that this latest entry in the Call of Juarez franchise is gorgeous to look at and the violence is even more balletic in its post-ballistics delivery. What’s a tiny bit surprising to me is the focus on bounty hunting some of the Old West’s well known desperadoes. I’m not going to argue historical accuracy here at all (that’s for the crankier folks out there who apply arbitrary rules of reality to games at the most inopportune times. Still, this looks like it’ll do quite well among the amateur historians and fans of the series who wanted to see it go back to the wild western days and stay the heck out of the present. You’ll be able to saddle of for a quick ride at this year’s PAX in Boston or hang out at your O.K. Corral until the game ships out later this year.

Drunk of the Dead: Zombeer Now Set to Creep Onto PS3 (& YOU Can Be In It… Sort Of)

 

Annnnd, Speaking of nights gone to hell, folks…

zombeerOK, for a while I thought this in development PC and Mac game was a very well-done Internet joke, but it seems to exist and is now also headed to the PS3 soon. Zombeer: Zombies & Beer, a “first-person-survival-horror-comedy-shooter made BY fans of the zombie genre FOR fans of the zombie genre”, according to the press release. Spain’s Moonbite Studios is cranking away on this and it does look pretty wild in a retro sort of way. The developer is also doing something special for Steam Greenlight supporters in creating a hidden Easter Egg scenario (one of many planned for the game) and putting all those names into the game’s extended credit sequence, which they say will be “the looooooooooongest and BIGGEST end titles of history of videogames”. Eeek. I can think of a few games that had insanely long credits (Super Burnout on the Atari Jaguar springs to mind, as do a few RPGs with massive staffing across many studios). Click HERE if you want to be a part of the madness. And absolutely read that Greenlight page, as the game description is hellishly priceless…

Shadowrun Returns Alpha Gameplay: First Look At The Return of a RPG Classic

 

shadowrun_preordersMore proof that the best crowd-funded games do indeed make it into production once they grab huge sums of money, here’s a long look at a tiny chunk of what hardworking indie developer Harebrained Schemes (yes, that’s their name!) has cooked up so far with the $1,836,447 backers ponied up on Kickstarter. In addition, even if you happened to miss out on the big pledge drive, you can still pre-order the game in three affordable different configurations at prices ranging from $15 to $75 for PC, OSX and Linux-based computers. With an expected release window of sometime this summer (May/June 2013), as well as gameplay that’s decidedly old school (and great looking) 2D turn-based RPG in a cyberpunk setting (and you get a level editor to fool around with, to boot), it looks as Shadowrun Returns will be one of those cool indie games that makes a few “best of” lists once gamers get their hands on it…