I’d leafed through the first volume of Concrete Park a while back and liked the art, so I made a mental note to point you folks in the direction of the new issues when they arrive at your favorite comic emporium, so here you go. Writer/artist Tony Puryear and Erika Alexander are back on the case in this sci-fi action series. Check out the preview pages below the jump and mark your calendars for September 3, 2014 when volume two goes on sale!
If this excellent video preview is any indication, fans of the first Gothic and Risen games will be pleased to see developer Piranha Bytes (and I love the way the announcer pronounces that in the video!) is taking Risen 3: Titan Lords back to the look and feel of those two games. This is another one of those games I’ve been dying to play because warts and all, I liked the Gothic games and Risen, warts and all. Granted, the pirate focus and the not so hot-looking PS3 version of Risen 2 was a bit disappointing to many fans. But it looks as if Deep Silver will have a nice little gem of a game when this ships out August 15, 2014 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. I do hope this one’s in stock as a physical release, as I hate large games as download-only titles. Eh, I’ll poke my big head into a game shop around here and ask, as I don’t think Deep Silver will shoot over a review copy…
One of the MOST requested (if not THE most requested) Capcom games fans have wanted to see remade for HD consoles has been the original Resident Evil and it looks as if those rabid folk are getting their wish granted and in a big way. Well, provided you own a PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One or a decent gaming PC. Capcom is set to release a beefed-up HD version of the 2002 GameCube remake of the 1996 original as a digital-only purchase.
That particular version improved the visuals and added many changes to the old game and is considered by some (and me, of course) to be the definitive version of the classic survival horror/action game. Featuring traditional or direct control schemes, 1080p support on next-gen consoles (PS4, Xbox One and of course, PC) and all the content from the 2002 game intact, this could be the definitive remake that also introduces new fans to the long-running series.
Unfortunately, there’s no word of a Wii U version, which is unusual given the 2002 game was made for a Nintendo console. Of course, the Wii U’s sales and Capcom perhaps realizing that they’d probably spend more money on that version than they’d make back means chances are slim we’ll see this on Nintendo’s latest console. It could also be the download size issue and the cost of getting this onto a disc release (and selling a set amount of physical copies) also mucking things up a bit.
That’s show business, kids – but Wii U and Wii U game sales need a nice jump upwards so publishers see the system is worth getting games like this on automatically. Granted, the console IS indeed getting a bunch of excellent titles this year and next… but this doesn’t look like it will be one of them unless something magical happens and it arrives (with some nice GamePad enhancements in tow).
As always, we shall see… we shall see. For now however, this one’s going to be played by plenty of people who didn’t buy a Game Cube but have always wanted to get their paws on a controller and experience Evil in a whole new way.
It’s tough being a fan of a SUPER-niche series like the OneeChambara(also spelled Onechanbara, folks!) games, but I’ll admit to liking the games to some extent as a purely guilty pleasure. Well, except for that PSP game that felt half completed because of the oddball controls. Anyway, D3Publisher in Japan dropped this trailer yesterday for OneeChambara Z II: Chaos and both Gamekyo and Gematsu ran a ton of screen grabs and concept art for this first next-gen game in the long-running series that started out on the PlayStation 2. The game is set for an October 30, 2014 release and developer Tamsoft is promising a blazing 60 frames per second and full 1080p resolution, a first for the series.
Sure, compared to other games on the PS4, this one isn’t going to be the best-looking at all, but it’s nice to see Tamsoft make a game that looks like the cut scenes they’ve done in previous Onechanbara titles. As for this one getting an full English translation and US release? Well, that’s a tough one to call, as D3Publisher of America probably didn’t sell a ton of the first two Onechanbara games they localized (one for the Xbox 360 and another for the Nintendo Wii). I guess we shall see what happens, but I can see this getting at least some minor to moderate success in Japan if it plays well and had legs. Er, longevity, that is. I’ll bug someone at D3PoA in a bit to see what’s what. I’d love to play this one and really hope it’s being looked at for a potential North American release at some point. Sexy gals wiping out zombie hordes by the boatload and doing it stylishly? Yeah, it’s supposed to be silly and semi-serious simultaneously, but that’s what makes this guilty pleasure work so well, folks. Off to cross my fingers and hope…
Ah, the always interesting “Red Band” trailer. Want to see stuff that’s kind of NSFW but not spoiling the film much if at all? Hey, I say you SHOULD watch this just to see if this sequel is as rough and tough as the original just so you can see that you have nothing to worry about at all. Well, here you go. Below are some new posters for the film, which is set for an August 25, 2014 release at a theater near you. I don’t expect much of anything “happy” happening here at all (I’ve read the comics already), but I know the film will be funny in spots in that “Hmmm, I shouldn’t be laughing but I can’t help myself!” manner parts of the first Sin City nailed so well…
While the internet still rages on about whether or not the adding the cast of the original ALIEN to this new game as paid DLC currently only available as a pre-order bonus, it’s good to see the old(er) cast here reminiscing for a bit about things old and new. I like how Harry Dean Stanton didn’t realize that 35 years had passed since the film was released (hey, sometimes an actor who’s appeared in so many films tends to not recall every single role he’s done and when he did them) and it’s clearly sounding like the dev team didn’t go the lazy route and just take voice samples from the first movie and drop them in where needed. The again, as Tom Skerritt notes: “It’s what you don’t see…”, meaning these missions add to the original film’s story, filling in a few gaps. Hopefully, fans of the film will more likely be a lot more pleased whether or not they like the idea of pre-paying for that DLC and Sega will decide to release both missions as a single download not too long after the game ships out so we all can enjoy them.
Well, since I missed the beginning of this Humble Bundle sale whenever it popped up (I’m way behind in my inbox perusing thanks to too many games and such I’m in the midst of playing and reviewing), it’s a pretty spectacular deal for anyone looking for older to more recent 2K-published games or some well-aged classics worth playing once more (or for the first time).
Sure, you can pay what you want for BioShock, The Bureau: XCOM Declassified and The Darkness II and be pretty pleased with that little deal. Bu I say drop at LEAST $8.15 or more bucks down to get an even better deal that adds BioShock 2, Mafia II, Spec Ops: The Line, X-COM: Complete Pack (which is FIVE complete games: X-COM: UFO Defense, X-COM: Terror from the Deep, X-COM: Interceptor, X-COM: Enforcer, and X-COM: Apocalypse) or heck, just throw down a digital twenty and add XCOM: Enemy Unknown and BioShock Infinite to the package.
It’s the middle of summer, so taking a short gaming vacation is a good idea if you have some free time and don’t feel like baking in the sun or dealing with nether region probing from some overzealous TSA agents. Hmmm… I’d bet you a penny that they’re all REALLY aliens from another planet, thus the rubber glove treatment and body scanners some of us have to experience when we travel. Ooooh, I think I’m onto something, but then again, that tinfoil hat I’ve been wearing when I do venture outside may be cooking my brain a little…
Anyway, go get yourself (or someone else) some darn good to darn great games, I say!
Hey, Kids! Wanna know how video games are made? Well, this video doesn’t go into ALL the not so gory at all details, but it IS a fun watch if you’re intrigued. Gearbox Software seems to be a fun enough place to work, although some gamers with too much time on their hands and rickety soap boxes to stand on will give them eternal grief for at least two games they’ve worked on until the Earth rolls off its axis. Me, I just move forward and keep an eye on what they’re doing next. Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel isn’t made entirely by the studio, but you know 2K Australia is using what Gearbox has created in this collaboration to whip up this spaced-out loot frenzy that happens to take place in the fun-tastic Borderlands universe.
Given that this one is only on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, I’m betting some of you are kind of ticked off that you traded in that “old” console in trade for a newer one, right? Oh well. Next time, don’t trade in or give away any system until you ONLY see budget games coming out for it. Or even better, NO games at all. That way you’re SURE there are no surprises coming down the pike…
Well, I guess there’s a pre-order in my future after all, but as noted yesterday, I really hope that Sega and developer The Creative Assembly decide to make BOTH of those DLC packs permanent and available to everyone who wants them at some point. I just can’t see them vanishing into the ether forever a year or less down the road like the content in that last Aliens game a lot of people seemed to dislike too much. Anyway, this is a completely different game and a completely different dev team, so I’m one of those smarter people not rolling in the mud and predicting this game will be anything but as solid as a developer that’s never failed me previously can make. As far as what platform to play it on? I’m still flipping a coin…
Okay, the BEST gaming news I’ve heard all day also happens to kick me in the tender bits (ouchie!) because it’s a blast of sci-fi nostalgia mixed with the modern retailer insanity many gamers despise that shuts them out of bonus content. Anyway, the good., no, GREAT news is the announcement on the official site (and over on IGN, which ran a brief video announcing the news) of some incredible DLC for Alien Isolation that bumps the standard edition up to the Nostromo Edition and allows for players to dive into an enhanced mission based on the first film.
Even better, this mission has the voices and faces of all but one of the actors from the original film. Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley), Tom Skerritt (Dallas), Veronica Cartwright (Lambert), Harry Dean Stanton (Brett), and Yaphet Kotto (Parker) are all on board in the “Crew Expendable” DLC, with Ian Holm’s Ash being portrayed by a sound-alike.
So far, so good, right? But of course, here comes the claw to the throat… Continue reading
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