Toy Fair 2013: Skylanders SWAP Force Trailer: Change Is (REALLY) Good!

Activision and veteran developer Vicarious Visions (along with Beenox and n-Space for the Wii and 3DS respectively) could have gone and done the next Skylanders game just like the two Toys for Bob developed entries, but they decided to get fun and funky with the features and kids (or people like me who love the time-sink addictive quality to the games) are going to be very nicely surprised. Skylanders SWAP Force will feature 16 new characters with interchangeable torsos and legs that allow up to 256 character combinations. Think of it as a bit of a money and space-saver, parents…but know that there will also be 40 new and redesigned Skylanders popping up at retail this fall and Holiday season. I’ll post screenshots and my shaky camera gameplay footage I shot at the press event tomorrow, but it’s safe to say that the SUPER gorgeous HD visuals, new gameplay mechanics (EVERY Skylander can now jump and a few can fly!) and in-engine cinemas will make this the hottest ticket once again all around the globe.

Back with more info soon – start saving up, parents… you’re about to make another big investment this fall.

Remember Me: Behind the Music Trailer (No, This Isn’t MTV, Silly)…

 

Capcom, we love you like a long lost dog that’s been newly found in fine shape, but… you have to be a tiny bit more original with your promo video titles. That’s pretty much the sole negative thing I have to say about this look at the process of scoring the upcoming action adventure game developed by Dontnod Entertainment set for release in May 2013. I’m hoping we get the option of hearing both versions of the score, as it sounds pretty cool so far.  Hmmmm… Neo Paris, huh? I wonder if any Parisians not parkouring about the City of Light in 2084 are still going to get that two months paid vacation or whatever is is they enjoy.  Nice city, confusing navigating those districts if you’re easily distracted. I haven’t been there in ages, but I’ll get to take a virtual trip soon enough through this excellent looking game. Now, I want a good glass of wine, some nice Camembert and a hunk of good bread. Good Night…

Sony “Game Day 2013” Trailer: Hey, That’s Not A Cheerleader!

Ah ha ha. OK, for those scratching their heads, GameDay USED to be the name of Sony’s first-party NFL game before Electronic Arts wrapped up the license for their very own. While most of the original PlayStation GameDays were quite good, things slipped a bit when the series hit the PS2. Usually, you’d ONLY buy a GameDay game when the other bunch of football games were sold out, you were really drunk or didn’t know any better (according to a friend I asked about the series, as I haven’t played a football game in ages). ANYWAY, I think this teaser with the pretty lady is for the upcoming (and eagerly awaited) God of War: Ascension, as the costume gives it away from the beginning of this too short clip. I guess we’ll see what’s what soon enough, correct? As in February 1, 2013… stay tuned.

Random Indie Game of the Week: Driftmoon Hands-On Update

 

It’s allllmost done, folks. Ville and Anne Mönkkönen’s refreshingly fun (and funny) blend of adventure and role-playing as gotten a ton of fixes including new skills, all sorts of little and big optimizations and is shaping up to be a great blend old and new school genre fans looking for something really unique should absolutely buy. Go play the latest demo and see for yourself. I’ll wait, but while I’m waiting, a short report on what’s new:

When we last left our hero (in a previous demo build), an important item was acquired, a relative was rescued and there was a nice air of “this is really going to be even more fun!” at the expected abrupt ending. Picking up right from that save, the game gets funnier and a bit more challenging as new enemies and plenty of nice surprises awaited with further exploration. One thing new players will NEED to learn (other than adjusting to the top-down camera angle, but there’s a potential slight options tweak being considered) is the importance of moving or activating certain objects in the game world to uncover assorted secrets. I found a new room in the old dungeon I was on the way out of by extinguishing a torch (hey!), and there were a wealth of cool items under chairs, chests, wooden boards and heavy rocks (among other places)… Continue reading

Nintendo’s Got Lots (More) in Store (Retail and Digital) For Wii U Owners This Year…

Apparently, that rather large launch lineup wasn’t enough for some gamers (and overpaid industry analysts who don’t game, but LOVE to over-speculate), so here you go, news of new Wii U releases coming in 2013. Sure, some stuff here is delayed from its initial announcements, but that’s no big deal as it SHOULD get some Wii U owners to try a game or three they may have ignored because they don’t play title in a particular genre. That said, what’s coming is definitely worth waiting for, as there are some nice games for every niche from casual, family-friendly stuff to more mature content (ah, Bayonetta 2 – and exclusive to the system at that!). It’s going to be a pretty big year for the new console, but 3DS owners aren’t being left out of the fun at all as you’ll see above.

Cyberpunk 2077 CG Trailer: Bright Future For A Dark RPG…

 

OK, I only vaguely recall Mike Pondsmith and his pen & paper role-playing game Cyberpunk 2020 from a few friends who raved about it back in the day (and I think an old magazine ad or two), so I was initially hoping CD Projekt RED would be changing the rather generic sounding name of their current work in progress, Cyberpunk 2077. Now that I see what’s what, they can not only keep the name and release all the cool-looking non-gameplay CG trailers they want, hell, they can go and make this back into a board game if they want and I’ll still buy it. Granted, we can expect a lot more from the folks who brought The Witcher to life in two fantastically deep mature-rated PC RPGs (yeah, go play them if you haven’t), so fasten your seat belts and expect a wild ride as more info and eventually gameplay footage starts popping up in a few…

Marvel Finally Gets The LEGO Treatment Later This Year

Lego_MarvelSuperHeroes

TT Games is back at work on another new licensed LEGO game, but this time it’s an all Marvel title set to hit no fewer than seven consoles (PC, PS3, Vita, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS) by the end of the year. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes will be set initially in a stylized Lego New York City before spreading out into other locations familiar to comics fans and according to the press release, “offers an original storyline in which Nick Fury calls upon Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, Wolverine and other heroes spanning the Marvel Universe to save Earth from such threats as the vengeance of Loki and the hunger of Galactus, Devourer of the Worlds.”

Right now, that’s the sole image for the game above, but that’s going to change soon enough, folks. Expect this family-friendly superhero fun blast sometime in Fall 2013.

Capcom Delivers a Late Gift With Remember Me’s “Kid Xmas” Trailer

And here I was thinking I was the King of Procrastination. Oh well, it’s nice to see more of this upcoming game from Dontnod Studios in France as well as Capcom testing the waters big time with such a promising new IP that looks to add a memorable character and story-driven gameplay experience to a very crowded market. I’ve got my eye on you Nilin! That May 2013 release won’t be forgotten, that’s for sure…

The Cave Character Trailers: Adventure Gaming Never Died. You Just Weren’t Paying Attention…

 

Sega of America’s got the great good fortune to have the publishing rights to Double Fine Studios and Ron Gilbert’s upcoming download only multiplatform adventure game which just so happens to be pretty unique on a few fronts. The genre itself has been kicked around as “dead”, “dying”, and other not so positive things, but the actual truth is it never really went away thanks to a combination of older gamers still playing the classics, new players discovering them again thanks to sites like gog.com  (they’re having a GREAT sale on tons of stuff that ends in about 24 hours, by the way) and plenty of indie games popping up on just about every platform with a screen these days.  The whimsical art style here is only the tip of the iceberg, however – The Cave looks to change things up with multiple playable characters with their own motivations for stepping into the titular location for a bit of survival-based spelunking. It’s also a Double Fine game, so you WILL laugh a lot, replay it a few times and think some deep thoughts as you’re doing that laughing and replaying, guaranteed.

 

 

 

Earth Defense Force 2025 2nd Trailer: Five Minutes of Everything You Wanted to See (and Then Some)…

More vehicles (at least two types of tanks and a heli that allows three players to blast bugs AND motorbikes now? Nice!) and what’s looking like a larger scope to things means Sandlot isn’t screwing around, ladies and gents. EDF 2025 is going to be their best game to date and features a ton of changes and improvements that look to make it as great a multiplayer game is it already is for solo and co-op play. The new classes get some nice introductions and there’s even some humor here as the video ends on a pretty hilarious bad-ass note borrowed straight from too many action flicks. Anyway, yep, I’m importing this once news of a Japanese release date come out and hopefully, D3Publisher will get the word that fans want to see this game as a DISC release in addition to a download on the PS Store.