Escape Dead Island Trailer: Live Men Tell Plenty of Tales…

Posted on July 1, 2014 by geelw

Is anyone else getting a distinct Telltale Games vibe from the art in this Dead Island spin-off game headed to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this fall? No? Well, okay, it’s not an EXACT lift from those excellent adventure games, but I’d bet a smelly coin from a zombie’s pocket that developer Fatshark Studios was inspired by that series when they were cooking up this one. That’s not necessarily a bad thing at all, as if it’s done right, I can see Dead Island appealing to gamers in a slightly different manner than it has previously. That and I wonder if those stylized visuals also mean this one’s Vita-bound as well? That would be pretty cool at the end of the day. Anyway, we’ll see what’s what soon enough, right?

Alien: Isolation Is Calling Me (Let’s Hope Sega Is Listening As Well)…

Posted on June 30, 2014 by geelw

Okay, Sega. I wasn’t at E3 this year, so tell me you’re rolling into NYC with Alien: Isolation and a few others sometime soon. I have a few appointments in July, but I’ll clear out the better part of a day just to see this in action and play it a little. Not TOO much, as I don’t want to pee myself in public (ha, ha). Just enough so that I know it’s on the right track (and I already do, but hands-on is better than too much “journalistic overconfidence” any day of the week). Um… that is all for now. Oh yeah, Sonic the Hedgehog had a birthday recently. I baked a cake, but ate the whole thing because he needs to watch his weight with that new look and all…

Gallery: New Raven’s Cry Screenshots + A Little Shanty To Spice Up Your Monday (Arrrr!)

Posted on June 30, 2014 by geelw

Ahoy! My Monday’s running a wee bit late, but at least some things are working better than they were yesterday (and how!). The laptop isn’t rattling, there’s a nice strong wi-fi signal today (this past weekend was lousy!) and the fine folks at TopWare Interactive shot over a cannonball with four new Raven’s Cry screens that missed me by a mile, but there’s now a nice cannonball-shaped hole in the wall here. And you know what? I’m not even mad about that because I happen to think porthole windows are cool!

I just need to see if Home Depot has any in stock about the size of a ten-pound cannonball hole. I suppose I should let Dean over at Topware know that if he plans to shoot a review copy of the game over to aim for the roof, as I don’t think I need another hole in a wall here (or worse, through the porthole window I just installed.

Say, do ye fancy a shanty that’s not for the wee ones? Good! Topware has also dropped a second adults-only sea shanty called “Hangin’ Wille” that will make some of you laugh and others cringe accordingly. Like the other NSFW shanty “Sail With the Devil”, it’s got some VERY salty language that would make even a dead pirate blush. I’d post both videos here, but I’d probably get a second and better-aimed cannonball from the ladies out there. Hey, the life of a pirate wasn’t all TV series fodder and booze commercials, you know! Anyway, Raven’s Cry will be sailing into stores for PC/Mac, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on October 14, 2014.

Back with more on this one soon – I should probably invest in a cannonball catcher or something…

Bundle Stars Wants You To Load Up On RPG Deals. I Say Oblige Them!

Posted on June 28, 2014 by geelw

So, Bundle Stars is having yet another sale. Well, ALL they have are sales, but this time, you can buy some fine RPGs for a dollar or two or spend a tiny bit more for a bundle with assorted games and get one of these titles below in that deal. Anyway, pick one or pick all – it’s your move!

While here in America, the two Two Worlds games get a lot of negativity thrown their way, if you like European-developed open world role playing games or want to experiment with a couple, there’s a lot to love in both. Two Worlds: Epic Edition for a dollar and Two Worlds II for two bucks? DEAL of the week, I say. In either game You’ll get some pretty visuals, very large worlds to explore packed with plenty of challenge, and while not exactly strong on story, both games share a slightly goofy sense of humor that for me, at least was a refreshing change from the darker doom and gloom games in the genre.

The second game is the better looking of the two, but turn off the motion blur effect and down any other visual effects that can make playing the game a queasy thrill ride at times. The story is a bit better in the sequel, but as noted, that oddball humor is still there. I find it amusing that some people who disliked the funny stuff here probably never played one of the later Might and Magic games 3DO made. At times, those were practically comedies wrapped into a dungeon crawling experience. Anyway, more suggestions below the jump…

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E3 2014: Focus Home Interactive Wants You To Focus On These Two Upcoming Games…

Posted on June 27, 2014 by geelw

Focus Home Interactive has two big games coming for PC and next-generation consoles and if this fourteen minutes of gameplay from the upcoming game STYX: Master of Shadows isn’t getting you grinning at the possibilities of just how cool it is to play that nasty little goblin assassin, I have not a clue what will get your interest piqued. This one’s coming later this summer and it’s great to see third party games like this and others filling up the PS4 and Xbox One library until the big first-party games roll out around the holidays and beyond.

On the even more intense front, fans of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 will be more than thrilled to see Space Hulk finally making a welcome return as a first-person shooter in the upcoming Space Hulk: Deathwing, coming from developer Streum On Studio. While all you get here is some in engine footage and not actual first-person gameplay with whatever HUD will (or won’t) be onscreen, Epic’s Unreal 4 engine is certainly making what you do see look pretty incredible and Streum On definitely has some talent Check out the handful of screenshots below for more of what to expect and keep an eye on both of these games, I say…

Sniper Elite III Launch Trailer: I’d Say If Mr. Fairburne Is Early… You’re Going To Be Quite Late.

Posted on June 26, 2014 by geelw

Rebellion’s newest installment in their Sniper Elite series smashes into stores tomorrow in Europe and July 1 here in North America and if my earlier preview impressions hold up in the final build, the game is guaranteed to be a bigger hit than the previous installments. Improvements all around to the visuals, map design and both solo and online gameplay mean this one’s going to eat up a chunk of time among genre fans looking for something new to keep them occupied for a bit. I’ll be lurking close to my mailbox to get the jump on the delivery guy so I can grab my copy of the game from him before he knows it’s gone. Or perhaps I should just let him do his job, as I don’t want to get into trouble for my over-excitement…

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Gameplay – 30+ Minutes of Kojima Productions Madness!

Posted on June 19, 2014 by geelw

Konami Japan’s YouTube channel put up a few Kojima Station E3 videos during the show, but the one everyone wanted to see was of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in action. Let’s just say that boy, did they come through big time on that. Now you can slide that slider back and watch the entire broadcast that talks about the game and its assorted features and such, but if you’re just interested in seeing what the Fox Engine can do on the PlayStation 4, well you’re all set on that front at about 49 minutes in. The game looks fantastic, that offbeat Kojima sense of humor is in full effect (the “Phantom cigar”, cardboard box stealth and “Fulton” balloons are priceless!) and overall, this brief taste of the game shows what’s coming sometime in 2015 when the game actually hits retail and digital outlets. it may be madness, but it’s the best kind in action as far as seeing this game’s creative team outdo itself here…

Speaking of Sniper Elite III: This New Trailer Lets You Play Along (And See What’s Coming)…

Posted on June 19, 2014 by geelw

And of course, as soon as I post that last article, I see this trailer in my inbox. Oops. Well, as it’s a fun little interactive video, I figured I’d give a few of you something to do while you’re waiting for the game to drop next week. Anyway, this is a tiny bit gory and NSFW, so don’t let the kids go clicking around here. Or the family pet. That dog or cat might get some not so good ideas from watching this and you’ll be sleeping with a light on and your bedroom door locked tight so Scooby or Felix won’t do you in while you’re dozing…

Sniper Elite 3 Limited Special Edition: PC Gamers Get A One In A Thousand Shot for This Awesome CE

Posted on June 19, 2014 by geelw

While collector’s editions of PC games aren’t exactly uncommon these days, digital delivery means more and more die-hards seem to prefer that non-disc means of getting their content. Rebellion is smart enough to know that there’s still a market for big metal tins full of cool stuff outside the console space where CE’s are all to common these days, so here you go: the Sniper Elite III Limited Special Edition (cue explosions and fancy sniper music or whatever you need to get you even more excited). Wow. This huge lot of goodies is limited to a mere 1000 copies worldwide, is ONLY available at the Rebellion web shop, costs 149.99 and is packed to the gills with stuff you can hold in your hot little hands. What sort of stuff, you ask? Well, just look below:

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LIMITED SPECIAL EDITION INCLUDES:

Sniper Elite 3 PC game supplied on 2 DVDs
Access to ALL current and future Sniper Elite 3 PC DLC packs
Bespoke game tin protected by an individually numbered card sleeve
Wax-sealed secret dossier including: tank & weapon schematics, maps of North Africa, spotter’s guides and more!
A5 card hand-signed by members of the Sniper Elite 3 development team
Limited edition t-shirt
Hand-illustrated playing cards representing American, British, Italian and German forces
A2 firing range poster
6 x original Sniper Elite 3 postcards
Woven Sniper Elite 3 badge with heat activated adhesive backing
Printed instruction manual

Note: All printed box contents for the Limited Special Edition are in English only.

As I said above, WOW. I see from Rebellion’s facebook page for the game that some PS3 and Xbox 360 owners are jealously bugging them about console versions, but I’m gathering the team doesn’t want to spend the next week or two autographing a few thousand more of those A5 size cards, so I guess there will be a thousand REALLY lucky PC owners who get the ultimate version of what’s looking to be the developer’s best game to date. Given that the release date is right around the corner (June 27, 2014, to be exact), I’d bet this one sells out fast.

E3 2014: Dead Island 2 Trailer: Summer Never Dies. But Your Character Might Not Make It…

Posted on June 14, 2014 by geelw

While definitely a wee bit on the gory side, this trailer for Dead Island 2 is also quite hilarious and worth a view for the punchline at the end. The game is coming in spring 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC from publisher Deep Silver and one of my favorite developers, Yager (Spec Ops: The Line, Dreadnought). DI2 will be powered by Unreal Engine 4 and given Yager’s expertise in programming, I’m crossing my fingers for a visceral experience featuring highly destructible environments, plenty of mayhem and some grim laughs Dead Island is known for along with any new elements the team adds in. We’ll see what’s what as more info and movies pour out, of course. But I know Yager will give fans of this franchise a nice jolt or three when they finally wrap this one up with a bloody bow next year…