The Cursed Crusade Trailer #2: "Ambitions"

Posted on January 14, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/LgqqMfqmZOI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0

Atlus and developer Kylotonn Emtertainment have what’s looking to be a guaranteed hit with this upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360-bound Action/RPG. Given that nearly everyone seems to be comparing it to Demon’s Souls, there’s going to be an immediate audience for the game that should propel sales no matter what the reviews say. Based on available info, the game is quite a bit different (and it should be) in terms of story, gameplay and a few other major elements, none of which should stop any fan of From Software’s hit from checking this one out. Hell, here’s nothing like being pleasantly surprised by a game you thought was going to be something entirely different (or all too familiar), right? More on The Cursed Crusade shortly…

Warriors: Legends of Troy Cover Art

Posted on January 12, 2011 by geelw

Nicely dynamic cover art for Koei Canada’s upcoming M-rated hack & slash action game, set for a March 22, 2011 launch on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Check out the small gallery I ran a few days ago for screens art and a game trailer. I’ll see about getting more online screens from Koei Tecmo and post whatever shows up.

Gallery: Warriors: Legends of Troy

Posted on January 8, 2011 by geelw

Koei Canada has been “quietly” working away on a very interesting twist to the long-running Sengoku Mousou franchise, Warriors: Legends of Troy, set to storm onto the PS3 and Xbox 360 across North America on March 8, 2011 (3/25/11 in the UK). On first glance, the game has the makings of the more familiar Dynasty Warriors series, a good thing for fans of the series who want more. However, the combination of Greek and Roman “historical” and mythological elements plus copious amounts of blood (and the Mature rating that comes with it) should give this one enough potential to draw in fans of everything from Spartan: Total Warrior, God of War, 300 and Showtime's awesomely gory Spartacus series. The grittier visual style here is in direct contrast to Omega Force's work (as you'll see in the latest Dynasty Warriors 7 screens), but this more realistic route fits the brutal hack & slash gameplay all the more.

Review: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage

Posted on December 1, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Omega Force

Publisher: Koei Tecmo

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: B

If there’s ever been a game franchise more targeted to a very specific fan base, I’d say Koei Tecmo’s long-running Sengoku Mousou (Dynasty Warriors) series is somewhere at the top of that list. The Dynasty Warriors… well, dynasty has spawned a legion of sequels and spin-offs across multiple platforms as well as a few very cool Gundam games fans of that anime snap up like hotcakes. In addition, the series has given many other developers and publishers inspiration for their own takes on the Mousou mold. KT’s latest manga/anime/game mash-up, Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage is a deliberately paced, brutally beefy beat ’em up that packs in an incredible amount of content, solid 3D visuals and a great recreation of the series based around that familiar Mousou gameplay.

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Preview: Mafia II Hands-On

Posted on July 28, 2010 by geelw

With 2K Games set to strong-arm Mafia II into stores on August 24, I had the opportunity to play a demo of the PS3 version at Sony’s Holiday showcase in NYC. The build had a brief taste of game’s driving and shooting mechanics and featured spectacular visuals, deadly enemy AI, partially destructible environments and some excellently acted and voiced cinematic sequences. So far, 2K’s Czech studios has crafted a dynamic, violent crime saga with what’s looking to be a richly developed plot. Granted, a great deal of what’s here is clearly inspired by Rockstar’s epic GTA juggernaut. However, the time period and overall visual quality of Mafia II’s Empire Bay looks as it will be a bit more realistic in some aspects.

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Preview: Dead Space 2 Hands-On

Posted on July 25, 2010 by geelw

“Disturbingly spectacular” were the first two things I thought of upon seeing Dead Space 2 in action and after playing through the demo build, let’s just say that Visceral Games is going to be responsible for a lot of wet couches and floors when the game finally ships early next year. The demo was both fantastic to look at and great, challenging fun that had the small area always packed with editor-types crowded around watching other play as they waited their turn. As great as the original was, Visceral is going all out to insure that the sequel is even more cinematic without pulling players out of the action.

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Preview: Bulletstorm Hands-On

Posted on July 22, 2010 by geelw

Picture this: eight grown watching another grown man playing a video game while yelling “Shoot him in the ass! Shoot him in the ASS!” at him in unison as the guy is indeed trying to do just that to some poor virtual gun-toting goon. A few shots later, the guy flies head over heels and as he’s spinning, a shot hits him right in the butt as the words “FIRE IN THE HOLE” appear above his rotating corpse. Ouch. Well, it’s either some sort of Deliverance meets Dirty Harry-inspired fever dream or you’re watching someone play EA’s upcoming lead filled blast-fest known as Bulletstorm.

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Get A Little Bit Of Dead Space 2 In Your Inbox…

Posted on June 8, 2010 by geelw

EA’s Dead Space Community is offering up a chance for members to get an early peek at the sequel to the great sci-fi/horror hybrid. Just click on over to the game’s official site, sign up if you haven’t already and watch your inbox until June 14, when you’ll get a nice little email with a slice of exclusive DS2 community-only footage enclosed. Simple, huh?

Yeah, an actual demo code or demo disc would be even better at some point in the near future (note to EA: hint, hint…), but you can’t argue with the free part, right?

Review: Deadly Premonition

Posted on March 17, 2010 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360

Developer: Access Games

Publisher: Ignition Entertainment

# of Players: 1

Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

Deadly Premonition just might be a tipping point for certain gamers who don’t quite trust mainstream review sites for any number of reasons. Sure, if you apply the now boring “by today’s standards…” mantra to every aspect of the game, it deserves a low score for failing to have stunning graphics, online multiplayer modes, flawless controls and so forth and so on. On the other hand, if you approach DP as a game experience that’s going to be (outside of yearly sequels and games trying to copy other games) wholly unique… well, hell – welcome to paradise. Granted, it’s a twisted paradise of survival horror, intentional comedy, open world exploration, police car driving and a main character that’s crazy as a herd of cows on a crack binge.

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Gallery Update: Splatterhouse

Posted on February 25, 2010 by geelw

Well, well, well… Namco Bandai’s upcoming relaunch of their seminal horror/action franchise is looking mighty tasty lately and very much improved over those screens from a few months back. Look at all that ketchup – yum! Rick is looking beefy, the monsters are meaty and the red stuff most certainly paints the floors, walls and pretty much everything else.

“This time, we didn’t forget the gravy…” indeed. Q3 2010 can’t come soon enough for me, that’s for sure.

Now, if only NamBan remembers the hardcore fans and actually sticks the arcade version on the game disc somewhere as well as make the great Sega Genesis sequels available as DLC (or heck, on the disc… pretty pleeeeeeeeeeeeease?), this one just might be near perfect… or as good as it gets for us Splatterhouse junkies.

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