OK, OK, fan favorite or not and guaranteed big, BIG deal to those who know despite the “M’ rating, the kids who want this WILL be playing it, I still don’t get this fascination with Deadpool. I guess he’s so unconventionally non-PC a comic book antihero (basically he’s the insane adult cartoon version of Beavis and Butthead and Bart Simpson with access to all sorts of weaponry) that his antics are immediately appealing to that crowd, but maybe I’m getting old or something. Anyway, if the game is good, I’ll give it a try. I’m not expecting much at all, but that’s actually the best way to go into ANY game, I say. It’s best to end up always surprised by something as it helps keep the jade eye somewhat more closed.
Welcome to Trailer #4 for KILLER IS DEAD – please be sure to keep your hands inside the ride, ladies and gentlemen. I like how this starts out all sad and moody before going into the crazed gameplay and finishing with a it of humor and a little step into crazy at the close. That’s a Suda 51 game in a nutshell for you, so his fans are certainly pleased. I’m one of them, so I guess that means I’m grinning a wee bit too broadly right about now. One day you’ll all understand, trust me. It’s hard to go into detail about what makes a grasshopper manufacture game so wildly fun, but that’s where a trip down that certain road reveals all (or some of all)…
Last year’s release of Telltale Games’ superb adventure game, The Walking Dead showed that there’s more life to the adventure genre than some critics and jaded gamers thought. The episodic horror hit garnered a number of Game of the Year nods and awards from all over the map and for its compelling narrative and its multiple path-driven gameplay and despite some gore and violence (that served the story, mind you) it seems many people who weren’t into gaming per se wanted to play this for the plot. Anyway, the game did well enough that of course, a new set of downloadable stories on the way and based on this trailer (and the pile of “Best of Show” awards the game has gotten, The Walking Dead – 400 Days looks to be more of the same great and frightening descent into a world gone completely insane. The key in both the last series and this one is it’s less about the zombies and more about those still living affected by them and those who may or may not die based upon the player’s actions.
In an interesting move, developer Skybound Entertainment is giving players five stories in one DLC episode this time out and the game is also set to hit multiple platforms (PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Xbox Live Arcade), meaning more will be playing it at the same time if the release date for all of those systems lines up. All those positive press vibes will be great for the developer and publisher as well as fans of the comic and TV series who want more (and GOOD) licensed content that stays true to the source material. I’m already practicing my reflexes, as those conversation-based timed events and action scenes can indeed be as scary as the story making your spine rattle. Back with more on this one soon…
One problem some of us cranky genre fans have with most of today’s Hollywood horror movies is too many of them end up with ridiculous plots, under-written, one dimensional (as in terminally dumb), sometimes nude characters going through the same ridiculous motions that get them bumped off in even more ridiculous and bloody ways at intervals you can set your watch to most of the time. Not to mention stuff like some inane product placement that makes those parts of the film seem like ads dropped in between kills for stuff that would kill you if you consume too much of it.
Oddly enough, all this and more makes Mario Bava’s seminal gore classic Twitch of the Death Nerve (or (A) Bay of Blood, Carnage, or Blood Bath or one of many other titles it’s been released as) one of my favorite “B” horror films. Maybe it’s the blinders-on Bava fan in me that makes me like this one so much (some awesome shots aside, it’s far from his best work), or maybe it’s because the movie is actually kind of (alright, REALLY) funny in a very twisted way. The story is nuts with most of its assorted beautiful, handsome or unattractive characters motivated by their greed and/or assorted desires becoming random targets (and I mean random in some cases) of a killer (or killers) with their own agendas. By the end when the bodies are laid out all over the island, none of it makes any sense because the ending literally and figuratively blows away the remaining bits of the paper-thin plot. Continue reading →
Poland’s CD Projekt RED Studios is one of my favorite game developers because you can clearly see through their games that they really love what they’re doing and are determined to make everything they work on as great and immersive as humanly possible. This dedication to craft has made the first two games in The Witcher series stand out as watermarks in game design and art direction, so it’s no surprise that The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is upping the ante in many significant ways on its way to being possibly one of the best modern multiplatform RPGs to date. Set for a 2014 release on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the game, while still a work in progress looks absolutely stunning in screenshots and even more incredible in action to the point that you have to wonder what magical powers keep the dev team pouring out such ridiculously perfect work.
All my overblown hyperbole aside, this is a game that’s going to let it’s powerful anti-hero Geralt of Riva go anywhere and have layered adventures in a richly detailed world (35 times larger than the one in the already epic-sized one in The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings) full of danger and no doubt quite a few memorable NPC encounters that add even more choices to how the game is played. The new combat system should please old and new players alike and yes, given that the game is assured a Mature rating, Geralt will get to play “pin the tail on the monster” in battle, slicing foes into bits or using his powerful spells to take them down with relish. We’ll probably also him get in some deftly edited romantic time with a few ladies, as the game has also never shied away from the man’s desires (nor those of some of the ladies he encounters in his travels).
Of course, fans of the series buy these games for more than Geralt’s sexytime antics. The story has always been the core of every game in the series and it’s guaranteed that this one will be another memorable chapter in Geralt’s history. Expect the always super voice acting and soundtrack packed with some lovely scored tunes and I’m betting even non-gamers will want to sit and watch this played just to take in the visuals or get wrapped up in a story filled with drama, mystery, well-timed humor when necessary and occasional bursts of violence. But let’s not get too far ahead here – I’ll run updates on this one as the developer puts them out. CDPR has a system seller here, there’s no doubt in my mind about that one bit…
…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…
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!
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…
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?
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.
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 