Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning/Mass Effect 3 Demo Bonus Gear Revealed

Personally, I’d have preferred to see this cool gear made available on the game discs (for those folks who can’t try out the demos thanks to no/slow broadband access), but I guess that crowd will have to suffer without the cool swag unless it pops up on a reprint down the road. Granted, none of the gear in this trailer is probably necessary to clear either game, but it all sure looks cool, doesn’t it?  As for that demo, it’s really excellent. The game absolutely is NOT trying to be “realistic” in a Skyrim or Dark Souls manner where carry weight, proper blocking or balance when swinging a weapon comes into play. Hell, you’re running too fast for wearing armor, the colors pop in a more graphic novel/fantasy art manner and overall, the gameplay owes more to faster-paced action games more than classic RPG’s.

Still, these will be major selling points to those gamers who disliked the games mentioned for their pacing and general overkill in a few areas. As for me, I can make the distinction between many types of games, so I’m all in for Amalur as well as anything else that comes down the pike as long as it’s well done. EA, 38 Studios and Big Huge Games have a big, huge hit on their hands, so don’t pass it up when the game hits retail on February 7, 2012. I’ll need to flip a coin to decide which console version to pick up, but I’m leaning towards the PS3, as it’s the system that’s given me the least (as in NO) troubles over the long haul.

The Darkness II Demo: Not For The Squeamish, Kids Or Anyone Not Expecting A Load Of Not-So-Nice Stuff

If ever a game earned its Mature rating, it has to be this one. Let’s just say that Digital Extremes has done a mighty fine job taking the reins from Starbreeze Studios for this upcoming sequel and they pull no punches when it comes to the game’s content. What works is the overall dark tone of the demo, the beautiful color palette (gory bits and swearing set on staccato aside, the game is quite striking to look at) and the bits of humor in the midst of all the violence. While the sequel will ship with a 4-player co-op mode, I’m all about the single player campaign and getting into the story. The demo has been out for a few days now and it comes highly recommended for those of you out there interested in the game, but on whatever fence folks who don’t run out and snap up quality games hang out on.

February 7, 2012 is the launch date and although I don’t expect any midnight launch parties or massive roll-outs for this shooter, it absolutely deserves a wiser audience than the first game got. Of course, between this game, BioShock Infinite and Borderlands 2, 2K Games has a great chunk of the FPS market sewn up very tightly, I’d say.

Max Payne 3 Gets Release Dates, Extended Pre-Order (Bullet) Time

I’d have posted this news when it arrived yesterday, but I had a little incident that kept me away from posting for a bit. Thanks, Max. Look, I know you’re terribly excited about your new game, but please keep the house calls to a minimum. I can use less lumps upside the head, too. Ouch. Anyway, May 15, 2012 for North America and May 18, 2012 in Europe for PS3 and Xbox 360. PC gamers get theirs in North America on May 29, while Europe gets theirs on June 1. You can also (and wisely) pre-order the game from a few places online or off, if there’s a game shop near you. Rockstar as extended the time to pre-order the game until April 2, 2012, which means you should probably snag that Special Edition if you like what you see on the pre-order page, correct?

Hmmm… that US release IS a week after my birthday, so perhaps Max will be a tiny bit nicer and drop off a little gift as an apology of sorts. Of course, I could just wake up again with my other foot in the toilet and another lump on the head, so I won’t push my luck…

The House of the Dead Overkill EC Gets Eye-Popping (and Retro) 3D Modes

Gallery

This gallery contains 8 photos.

Nice. Now Sega can add “Retro-ier” to that “Longer, Harder, Gorier!” tagline for its upcoming M-rated arcade shooter. The company is really going all out with this super-enhanced HD remix of the Wii sleeper hit. In addition to PS Move … Continue reading

TGS 2011: Resident Evil Revelations Trailer

Well, the whole helpless female vibe going on here is not exactly going to make the gal gamers too happy (nor anyone who hates this particular stereotype in gaming), but here it is. Nintendo 3DS owners are in store for another great-looking Resident Evil game with hopefully much better gameplay and multiple save slots this time. I guess we’ll have to see when the game ships now, won’t we?

RAGE TV Ad

It’s almost here and if you’ve been watching this season of Breaking Bad, you’ve been getting peeks at the game here and there. By the way, for the still confused, over-thinking types wondering just HOW Jesse Pinkman can be playing a game that’s not out yet, stretch your imaginations for a moment. As the show never states exactly what year this season takes place in, perhaps it’s set just after the game has shipped, thus justifying his owning and playing it. Granted, that light gun attachment and no sight of a console are harder to explain away to any gamer worth his or her salt. However, I’m gathering you’re not supposed to obsess over that detail and just tie it in to Jesse shooting that would be meth cooking replacement for Walt and his mental state as a result of the crime. Anyway, nice TV spot, right?

Max Payne 3: First Trailer

Rockstar’s take on Remedy’s modern noir character goes for a really intriguing mix of elements for its third installment, set for a March 2012 release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. I’m liking the visuals, color palette and overall tone of the trailer. As usual, Rockstar KNOWS how to sell a story with a trailer that also shows off their latest tech in action. This definitely isn’t the game some are “expecting” but it’s sure as hell going to be washing the taste of that film out of the heads of anyone who paid to see it. I can’t wait to get some hands-on time with this one and see how it plays. So far, I’m betting it’ll be a hit (in part due to the pedigree). The trailer can be viewed by clicking on the image above. On a side note, someone needs to sue the ESRB (or at least make them see the light) so they can stop this nonsense about restrictive age gates and such.

Gallery: Max Payne 3 (Remedy Gets Even More Real)


After a long wait (and still ongoing development cycle), Rockstar is finally bringing Remedy’s modern noir detective back, and this time he’s looking both better and worse for the wear. Better as in the game is taking the stellar visuals and phenomenal attention to detail the developer is known for to new heights of realism. Worse in terms of the presentation of a down and out Max Payne as an alcoholic, pill-popping gun for hire living in Sao Paolo. Of course, the game is not just about his decline well off the grid and whatever rotgut and cheap drugs he can score to feed his bad habits. There’s plenty of gunplay, bullet-time sequences and what’s looking like the most spectacular use of the Euphoria Engine to date. Rockstar is set to reveal the game’s first trailer next Wednesday, so expect that to get posted (most likely on the other blog, as I’m expecting it to be nice and violent).

Some in-progress screens are below and more are on the way (most likely next week with the trailer I’ll bet)..

Onechanbara Z Kagura Coming to Xbox 360 (In Japan): Hey D3PA, Don’t Leave Us Hanging!

Thanks to YouTube user kqgaming2 for posting this video!

Yeah, yeah, this sexy hack & slash game isn’t for every taste, but I happen to love the cheesy, bloody zombie killing by the boatload goodness of the Onechanbara series. I actually own all of them except for the PSP import and while they’re not the best action games out there, there’s just something to be said about scantily clad zombie killing gals with attitude, ridiculously challenging bosses and tricky to complete side quests. Well, we’ll have to see what D3Publisher’s US arm thinks about all this. I’d love to see this one hit the 360 here as a budget release on a disc and not JUST a quickie XBLA download. Granted, it probably won’t get a manual (like the 360 version of Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon), but hey, at least more people will get to enjoy the crazy ride. Actually, it WOULD be nice to see the series head back to a Sony home console, as that’s where the first four games appeared…

Breaking Bad Brings A Little RAGE Home Early…

Note: This video features flashes of graphic violence from the game and the TV show. However, if you're watching Breaking Bad, well – you know what to expect.



Bethesda and id sure know how to plan ahead and pull off major surprises, that's for sure. In case you didn't know, there are some major Breaking Bad fans at id and their upcoming shooter RAGE will feature some references to the show that should be well worth tracking down. However, last night's episode of the show (which was shot some time last year if I'm not mistaken) featured Aaron Paul's meth dealer/addict/lab partner/killer character Jesse Pinkman playing the game with a light gun in a nicely done sequence.
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