E3 2013: Microsoft Xbox Conference: On the Surface, It’s Got Merit…

Posted on June 12, 2013 by geelw

…But things go very far south very quickly if you’re not who they want to be in on their new console. Check out this pre-order info page and if your eyeballs aren’t rolling on the floor trying to find your jaw, you’re the guy or gal they want. Also note that currently, Japan and wow, every other primarily Asian county isn’t even on the list of supported territories, but given the Xbox and Xbox 360 not doing anywhere as well there as they did elsewhere, it’s going to be extremely interesting to see what exactly does happen if and when the Xbox One rolls out in these areas. Thanks to MXE Videos for this clip, as Microsoft has yet to run the full version of this on their own YouTube channel, instead preferring to chop it into smaller segments to show off the games and their respective reveals. I think it works best as a whole meal myself…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut DLC: New Cars, Clothes And A Crib For York!

Posted on June 11, 2013 by geelw

Well, oh yeah! If I weren’t up to my nose hairs in WAY too much E3 stuff (enough to last a few weeks’ worth of coverage), I’d most definitely be back in Greenvale enjoying this new DLC for Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, now available on PSN. Yeah, you KNOW you want it… and boy are you going to get it. And sooner than you think, I bet.

And hey! Whaddya mean you need a review before you buy this? OK, OK… here you go. And yeah, I’m biased in favor of quirk over quality, so sue me – the game is awesome and weird as hell, but it all works!

Speaking of work… OK… back to work (again). Too much to do and not enough hours in the day as usual!

E3 2013: Diablo III Trailer: No One Fights Alone (But Me)…

Posted on June 11, 2013 by geelw

Yes, I know Diablo III is built for multiplayer action (as noted in the trailer), but I’m a HUGE solo offline guy and as with Diablo II on PC, the PS3 version of DIII supports that 100 percent. Which means I’m in for the long haul as well as the many changes made to the game to get it up and running on Sony’s console. I’m not quite sure why this isn’t being hyped more by Blizzard and Sony, as it looks spectacular and I’m betting it does really well on the PS3 and PS4 when that version is ready. Well, I suppose we’ll see a few ads on TV and more online, as it’s tough to give the Devil his due without offending SOMEONE out there…

E3 2013: Ryse: Son of Rome Trailer: Crytek’s Xbox One Action Game Is No Roamin’ Holiday…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

I’m no history buff, but I figured the chiming in would start as soon as the this gameplay trailer was all done. Crytek is making a stellar-looking exclusive here, the nitpickers have been at it about thee shields not being accurate, the English-accented Roman soldiers (what, you want to read subtitles or get stabbed in the head?) the gameplay having too many QTE’s (quick time events, for the uninitiated), and this sequence basically being paced like the Omaha Beach sequence from the old PS2 game Medal of Honor Frontline (ouch!). Oh well – you’ll never please ’em all, I guess. I think it looks mighty awesome, although thanks to the Xbox One’s rather silly and restrictive always connected/online-only focus on making sure everything’s “connected”, I can’t play this at all (and neither can millions of others who may want to drop five hundred clams on that new console). Ah well… the “future” is here, right? RIGHT? Er, SPQR?

E3 2013: New Dark Souls II Trailer: “Beyond Death”… You Still Get To Try Again…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Lovely. From Software’s upcoming multi-platform game is looking very nice and yes, it’s going to be hard as hell in all the most fun ways. I think PREPARE TO DIE needs to be updated to EXPECT TO DIE, as that’s going to be the vibe hitting new players on the skull again and again until they realize this isn’t an easy hack & slash-fest.

E3 2013: Watch_Dogs – Exposed Trailer: Your First Case of Carpetjaw Today…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah – it actually leaked last night on Vimeo and a few other places (and I was up when I noticed it, but decided not to post because it wasn’t the best quality AND hell, it’s not like waiting for an official trailer would kill anyone), but here you go in case you haven’t seen it yet. Of course, this is some mind-blowing CG work mixed in with actual gameplay (at least until we find out otherwise), so as amazing as this looks, grain of salt and watch out it doesn’t end up in your eye – just aim for that mouth saying “Oooooh!” Back in a bit…

E3 2013: DARK Trailer: A Modern Vampire Tale Minus The Tween Sparkly Crap…

Posted on June 8, 2013 by geelw

While its protagonist might not be a frightening disease-bringing fiend like the one in W.F. Murnau’s asolute eternal classic Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (which is my ideal vampire tale for the ages thanks to its visually striking villain and zero camp elements), I’ll give DARK props for going against at least SOME of the grain today’s too-handsome teen/young adult vampires are cursed with. Sure, it’s more of a Deus Ex/Thief/Splinter Cell hybrid with an anti-hero who’s probably in deep doo-doo if he runs into a Hot Topic and fries up but good when he runs past all those fake silver goth crosses on display, but that’s OK with me. If the game is well-made (so far it seems so) and fun to play (so far it looks as if it will be) and keeps me hooked in with its story (that’s still to be determined), then it’ll be something that’s played and more than once around here. As usual… we shall see…

E3 2013: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2: Putting The Bite Back In Dracula…

Posted on June 8, 2013 by geelw

I can still remember parts of the internet going nuclear when Spanish developer Mercury Steam was chosen to do a new 3D Castlevania game with Hideo Kojima doing a it of supervision. Konami, the developer and even Kojima himself got raked over a few coal beds, the game was deemed to be doomed before anything was playable and the usual crowd of “if it isn’t 2D, it sucks!” folk were there to condemn the building as the foundation was being laid . Of course, 2010’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow definitely wasn’t the train wreck many predicted and in fact, it was one of the nicer surprises in terms of aged franchises getting a chance to shine on current generation consoles.

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E3 2013: Dying Light Trailer: Seems Those Undead Will Live Forever…

Posted on June 7, 2013 by geelw

OK, it’s officially official: zombies are finally played out in games. But at least they’re getting used in desperately fun and funky ways as fodder in some new hybrid titles. Techland’s upcoming PlayStation 4 and PC title, Dying Light pits your supremely agile character against packs of fast-moving undead in what’s looking like a pretty thrilling “open world” action game that’s part Mirror’s Edge, part Left 4 Dead. This one’s not coming out until 2014, but it’s on my radar as I like a lot of what Techland has done. Hopefully, it will look and play good as well as not disappoint – it’s tough to judge from a CG trailer, but as usual, some hands on time is the best and ONLY way to gauge any game’s potential success of failure.

E3 2013: Konami Pre-Show Event: A Little of This, A Lot of That, Shake Well. BOOM.

Posted on June 6, 2013 by geelw

The most interesting bit out of this is 24 actor Kiefer Sutherland being chosen as the new voice and face of Solid Snake (!) in the upcoming multiplatform release, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. That was quite head spinning and amusing enough to make me think it was a gag for a minute or two. But it wasn’t, so I guess this is farewell to the original voice of Snake! Well, I know the David Hayter fan base is livid (and I’m sure Hayter’s recent comments about being in the game will be dissected to really mean he’s playing a different character or not actually in it at all – oops), but I say let’s see what happens.

Amusingly enough… even though the official position is Konami wanted an older, more mature guy to play the now 49-year old Snake, it’s a bit of a bizarre rationale to my ears. For those in the know, Hayter provided the voice of a much older Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, so one can only imagine his reaction to this news. Well, he did issue a tweet saying the game would sell about “as well as New Coke!”, so I’m gathering he’s not that pleased with the spiked boot he’s been handed to the butt…