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…

Dead Space Dev Edition: Swag in the Box Makes Me Jittery (But in a Good Way)…

 

You’d think the dev team at Visceral Games would totally wiped out after working on Dead Space 3 for so long to even think getting together to cram a bunch of cool stuff into an awesome collector’s edition,but here you go. From what I played last year, the co-op is pretty impressive and innovative (trust me, it’s a total mind f#@k when one player is seeing stuff the other isn’t and is freaking out while you’re not) and overall, it looks as if Visceral has gone and done it once again. I;m in this for the solo play, but if you were worried about the co-op being shoved in to appease EA or whatever, feel free to kick yourself gently, as it works (and yup, the game is still scary when it needs to be). As for what’s in that big ol’ box? Go on ahead and watch the video. I’m just wanting the game itself (PS3 version, as my 360’s are dead) but my oh my, that bonus stuff just may tempt me back over to the dark side. I just need to find the shelf space (which is kind of non-existent at this point)…

Aliens: Colonial Marines TV Spot: Gearbox Going 2 For 2? Seems Likely…

Borderlands 2 was a very huge hit in 2012 for Gearbox, but yeah, I’ve been keeping an eyeball on you too, new game. It’s pretty clear that Randy Pitchford and company love the James Cameron film to the utmost degree and this looks to bring fans of the franchise that sequel they didn’t quite get with Alien 3 (I actually like David Fincher’s debut, warts and all, especially the longer Assembly Cut). I’ll be playing this primarily for the campaign mode, as I’m not a huge multiplayer guy and yes, I’m looking forward to seeing how well Gearbox translated the assorted sets and gear into game form. I’ve only seen Aliens a few dozen times, so I can be as picky and precise as a developer head over heels for the source material. So far, I’m not complaining at all.

February 12 is sneaking up fairly quickly… now, I just need to decide what I want to play this on. I’m leaning towards the Wii U just to see how that GamePad gets used, but I want the PS3 version as well…

Video Game Appreciation 101: Zombies vs. Pirates! Zombies Win.

Amusingly enough, I recdead_minesently requested a review copy of the retail version The Walking Dead from Telltale, but was told they were out of them for the moment and instead I got PSN codes for all five episodes. Which is fine, except for the fact that I can’t use PSN on my PS3 here. So, I simply decided to support the company a few days back by buying a copy of the game from Best Buy.  Telltale gets my thirty bucks and I get to play the game everyone is raving about.  Done and done. A few hours later I get an email from Best Buy telling me the game has shipped out and I can expect it between the 27th and January 2nd. Whee.  But guess what? The mailman pops up today with a bunch of packages and supriiiiiiise! I get a package from Telltale with the retail copy of game you see in the photo. Which means with the PSN codes and the Best Buy Limited Edition I have on the way, I’ll end up with THREE copies of the Walking Dead. Damn zombies are multiplyin’ like rabbits around here, I tells ya…

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A Few Minutes of BioShock Infinite: Starting Off on the Right Foot (and Way Up In the Sky)…

 

Just in case you were wondering how the heck Booker gets all the way up to that fancy, falling apart steampunk sky city called Columbia, Irrational Games presents about five and a half minutes of gameplay from the beginning of their upcoming game. If you’ve played the first BioShock, you’ll note a few parallels to how things get rolling, but this new game certainly takes things in its own direction, that’s for sure. I’ll stop writing right about now, as that trip up to the clouds has made me a bit queasy. I do hate flying, especially when it’s more or less straight up with a few too many twists. More in a bit. 2013 is going to be quite interesting to say the least…

Tomb Raider: Guide to Survival #1 (Expect Lots of Running and Jumping, For Starters)

 

Lara’s new adventure/origin story looks to be one of those reboots for the ages, combining a more mature story and solid visuals with more cinematic (and mature) storytelling and even a bit of scares here and there. Hopefully, the game will surpass every expectation and get the audience it deserves, as it’s quite clear that Crystal Dynamics is pouring everything they’ve got into making what could be their best game to date. Provided the story is complete and there’s not a ton of DLC coming afterward to wreck the continuity, I’d say even the most skeptical TR fan should give this one a shot.

Hmmm… I need to carve out some time to replay the original game before this one comes out just because it used to be a yearly ritual for me for a while until I got a bit too busy. Sure, it’s ancient, but some of the more memorable levels still hold up well thanks to those puzzles and challenging jumping puzzles.

 

Dead Island Riptide Trailer: Death Takes A Holiday (Again)…

 
 

It figures. The first Dead Island got a surprisingly emotional CG trailer that drew acclaim and major attention to the game, which turned out to be OK, albeit a bit buggy in spots. I actually held out for the recently released Game of the Year retail version after playing about an hour of the original because I knew Deep Silver and developer Techland would fix things up (and add all that DLC content I couldn’t get).  Anyway, this new trailer for the sequel is another superb two-hanky CG masterwork which also makes me never want to go anywhere on vacation ever again. Damn undead and their people-chomping ways mucking up everything like that. Imagine that last postcard from the doomed couple in the video: “Having a blast on our trip – Wish you were here!”  BOOM. 

Hmm… then again, I actually don’t actually believe in zombies at all (thank you science education!), so my ass is safe as the breeze wherever I go.  You can hole up with a shotgun, machete and a few thousand cans of beans if you like when the so-called zombie apocalypse hits. Me, I’ll just see some cranky-looking people stumbling around because all the Starbucks in the world will be closed. I’ll just carry a pocketful of coffee beans to toss at them and be able to get away while they’re rolling on the ground fighting each other for that fix.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Trailers: Platinum Games Leaves Me Speechless (Almost)…

 

Konami in Japan has been posting a bunch of spectacular trailers and game footage from this upcoming Kojima/Platinum collaboration and I’ve just been looking at them and shaking my head at the rather insane amount of talent these guys have. Despite their rather vocal fan base, i don’t think Platinum Games gets true recognition for their work from some pro gaming journalists and that’s too bad. Granted, if you’re a supremely jaded internet know-it-all and just look at their action games as similar to other titles based on first impressions, you’re cheating yourself immensely.  Bayonetta and Vanquish have some interesting depth and details you’ll discover only upon multiple replays and it looks like Revengeance will be their most impressive game to date.  Of course, getting some hands-on time will be the true barometer of whether or not the final product is a winner, but I’m gathering that given the combined experience of all involved, that won’t really be something to worry much about.

 

 

FREE STUFF: GOG.com Plays Santa With Free Duke Nukem 3D For All…

 

Ho, Ho, Ho!  Once again, the fine folks at gog.com bust out something awesome and FREE for gamers everywhere this crazy holiday season. This isn’t the normal Duke, mind you, but Duke Nukem: Atomic Edition, which packs in the original game and a megaton of bonus content. In case you’re new to Duke Nukem, it’s the seminal politically incorrect first-person shooter that’s also a master class in game design, outrageous humor and tons of hidden goodies.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll kiss the hours goodbye and even better, you’re not paying a cent. Hell, if that fat man flying around in his sleigh wasn’t busy doing that, he’d be sitting at home in front of his own computer blasting baddies and peeling off digital dollar bills to check out some jingle bells. Just don’t tell Mrs. Claus!

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The Walking Dead Now Available At Retail (Yes, on a Disc!): Thank You, Telltale Games!

Excellent. I’m glad I (as well as the others who couldn’t download this as a per-episode experience) I can FINALLY get to play The Walking Dead, given all the stellar things I’ve heard about the writing and amazing amount of choice available that drive the story in a number of interesting directions. I’m actually surprised that in addition to a standard version (and a great budget price point of $29.99), there’s a super deluxe Gamestop-only version (that’s sold out from what I’ve seen) for about $40 more that packs in The Walking Dead Compendium: One (a thick volume containing 48 issues of the award-winning comic). I still haven’t touched the comic other than the first issue and skimming through a few others, so that Gamestop bundle would indeed be peachy to own. However, it’s already commanding some crazy prices online (one of the stupid perils of exclusives), so I’ll stick with the standard edition and pick up one of those collections in the future. Hell, I have a ton of stuff to read already, so those Walkers can wait a bit longer…

Now, it WOULD have also be very cool to see a Vita version, but hey – I guess we’ll need to see what Telltale plans for the future, as there’s going to be a second “season” of the game coming at some point…