Dead Space 3 Hands-On: Two Players Makes For A Far Freakier Experience…

Posted on January 28, 2013 by geelw

When I heard that Dead Space 3 would have an all-new co-op mode included, I was a tiny bit skeptical (not as crazed as some on the internet raging madly about it, however). Still, I trusted that Visceral Studios would not only deliver something memorable in terms of the scares and gore fans expect, the developer would also bring a bit of innovation to the gameplay simply because standard co-op play would have been too generic for a series known for giving the horror genre a nice kick in the pants. It turns out that my initial skepticism wasn’t even necessary as from what I played, players on either end of that Xbox Live or PSN connection are in for a total mind trip that’s different for both players.

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Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen May Need a 12-Step Program Expansion…

Posted on January 24, 2013 by geelw

April 28, huh? Retail and digital download available (so MORE people can play this from day one)? The addiction begins anew, it would seem. Count me in and I’m hoping to be taking a few of you with me. In case you missed out on the original game, fear not, potential Arisen candidates! You can hang out near your favorite game emporium and pick up this “expansion” that features a huge new area, quests, monsters to pee yourself over and more. By the way, kids… that MORE just so happens to include the original game as a “bonus” that makes perfect sense. As you’ll see (or already know), the land of Granysys is one massive place to explore and Capcom should get a hearty hand-clasp and a pat of the back for doing this up right. Of course, the usual unwashed internet fools who can’t seem to read are thinking this is all DLC or something, but by now, Capcom knows not to listen to those folks too much. I’m buying this just to see how the new area fits in with the old. Will I replay the game from the beginning once more or use an old save file? We shall see, I guess… I’m tempted to do so, but time (as always) is the big factor…

BioShock Ultimate Rapture Edition: Now Bundled For Your Gaming Pleasure…

Posted on January 21, 2013 by geelw

In case you missed out on the original award-winning BioShock and its sequel, 2K Games has done you a huge favor and bundled the pair together as the Ultimate Rapture Edition along with every bit of download content for both games and yes, you can grab this NOW at your favorite brick & mortar or online game emporium as a retail version for the PS3 and Xbox 360. If you happen to be one of those folks who lives in a shoebox and has no space of who just wants your games digitally, methinks you are out of luck, you console hating loopy soul, you. For the record, neither game has much to do with the upcoming BioShock Infinite save for certain gameplay elements, unsettling enemy designs and a story that tosses a few moral curve balls your way as you play. I’ve got both games here, but no DLC for them, so I may just pick this up at some point. The $29.99 price tag (which includes $40 of bonus content) is certainly right on the money and I can see a few new players grabbing this up to play before 2K Games and Irrational get their new game out the door on March 26 of this year.

Champagne for everybody! Or, at least the nose-tickling bubbles part, given the underwater city setting and all those Big Daddies and Little Sisters you’ll be interacting with in both titles. If you’re one of those jaded types saying “Aw, who wants to play THOSE old games?”, well, kid – the classics never, ever die. SO shaddup and eye yer oatmeal, ya brats – I put broccoli in it with some sugar so you won’t even notice. Damn kids…

Cyberpunk 2077 CG Trailer: Bright Future For A Dark RPG…

Posted on January 19, 2013 by geelw

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)…

Posted on January 16, 2013 by geelw

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…

Posted on January 14, 2013 by geelw

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…

Evil Dead Trailers New & Old Bring The Scares (I Guess I’m Sold!)…

Posted on January 5, 2013 by geelw

I’ll have to admit that the original Evil Dead didn’t freak me out that much because the people who’d seen it and told me it was SO scary had built it up based more on their own fears and tried to project that onto me before I went in for my viewing. I liked the film quite a lot (I actually owned it on VHS, DVD and UMD at one point), but I wasn’t put “under the seat” as promised. That said, it’s just an excellent, scary low budget classic worth watching by anyone who loves the genre or wants to eventually make his or her own horror flicks. The sequel, Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn was nothing but an extended Three Stooges episode with gore effects and I laughed more than cringed throughout that one because I got the joke right away. Other than Bruce Campbell’s performance (he’s still one of the more under-appreciated actors out there, I say) I still don’t like Army of Darkness much, but it’s gotten better with age and I’d gather the more mainstream approach also helped Sam Raimi get more work outside the horror genre. This reboot/remake/whatever actually looks more frightening than the first one because it’s being taken more seriously. I may just go and see it to see if it indeed does put me under the seat, but I still I still think someone needs to remake the 1967 – 1970 horror flick Equinox (a big inspiration for Raimi) as the official prequel to he whole series and get it over with just to complete that particular part of the cycle.

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

Posted on December 24, 2012 by geelw

Amusingly enough, I recently 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)…

Posted on December 19, 2012 by geelw

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)

Posted on December 18, 2012 by geelw

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.