Even though I own all three originals, like a lot of gamers, I’ll be shelling out for Killzone Trilogy for one reason: the chance to replay the first Killzone game in HD (thank you Sony!). That said, where’s Killzone Liberation? That excellent (and under appreciated) PSP exclusive was quite a solid chunk of side story action that, despite the third-person viewpoint and bird’s eye view camera angle, still looked and felt like it belonged in the canon (which it does). I’d have added it as a free PSN download if there were somehow no way to fit it on a disc, but we’ll see if Sony decides to give the game a proper fit somewhere as part of this great collection set to land on October 23 (October 24 in Europe). Between this and the massive God of War Saga, Sony is certainly making sure its main franchises remain in the minds (and libraries) of gamers who can’t get enough of them…
OK, I’ll bite (and hard, at that) – a new Metal Gear Solid game coming from Kojima Productions? With that proprietary Fox Engine making sure the game looks even more amazing as an anniversary present for fans of the long-running series, this one’s a no-brainer even if it was a Metal Gear tsuguroku. Fortunately, it’s not, as you’ll see in this almost 11 minute jaw-dropper. I’m in all the way on this one, feet first. Hell, I’ll even post the trailer twice here (one is English subtitled) just to show my love for the series. Hey, I’m still buying Revengeance, Konami – I’m not some fair weather fan who only wants the same thing over and over. Thankfully, Hideo Kojima seems to be the same in that each Metal Gear experience has some truly excellent reasons to play through multiple times…
As for the proposed Metal Gear Solid movie everyone seems to be raving about (n one way or another)? I’m really, really on the fence here. Why? Well, young’uns… the joke goes something like this: in every Metal Gear Solid game, there’s that loooooooooooooong cut scene where unless you’re prepared for it, will go on and on (and on), forcing you to commit to playing around with camera angles with your controller just to kill time as an important plot point is explained. At some point (if you haven’t fallen asleep), you can et up and go make dinner, go to the bathroom or even go outside to check the mailbox (sometimes all of the above) before things get back to being playable.
You can’t expect a modern movie audience to be in on this at all (maybe the art house crowd will go for it, though), so hopefully, the folks writing it will go light on the exposition. On the other hand, I don’t want a stupid action flick with explosions and Meryl boobing out all over and a story that’s thinner than the edge of a katana. If this isn’t in The Dark Knight territory in terms of tone and execution, I’ll be a sad clown indeed. But let’s see what happens with this project. With a Solid Script (ha ha), perhaps Solid Snake can rake in the green with a big surprising smash of a summer flick.
That said, success or failure at the box office, I’ll still respect you in the morning Mr. Kojima!
Hmmm. I definitely needed a vacation after all this time without one, but Gearbox’s well-armed, enemy-packed planet of terror is a wee bit too “hot” for my tastes. Oh well – I think I’ll stay home and blow $#i! up from the comfort of my couch, thank you much. Anyway, start stocking up on provisions now, what with food prices jumping and all that noise. I predict it’s going to be a looooong fall of many gamers buried in this game for way too long (just like 2K Games and Gearbox want them to)…
Normally, I’d suggest running the other way at paying $40 for a game that doesn’t come in a case with a manual, but I’ll make an exception for something this wacky, challenging and fun. Especially as it’s supporting the fine folk at Xseed Games who seem to be doing quite well with their digital releases these days. Acquire’s open world sword-swinging samurai series has gotten quirkier and more intriguing with each new installment, so if you’re into the Yakuza games and their weird (and more modern) riff on all things Japanese, you’ll like what here quite a lot. WoTS 4 has ten endings, loads of stuff to do in your travels and too much Japanese humor on display that you’ll have to play through a few times just to confirm that the game was that nuts. Check out the full features list on the PlayStation Blog post or at the game’s official site
Gungrave: Overdose is also super insane and while shorter and cheaper at $9.99, the more action-packed run ‘n gun gampelay found in this PlayStation 2 sleeper (now part of the PlayStation 2 Classics lineup) from 2004 (originally published by Mastiff Games in North America) might appeal to those who aren’t quite fans of wandering samurai in feudal Japan as it moves kicking and screaming into the modern era. Granted, you may not be into anime or manga either, but I say take a chance on one or both titles if you haven’t played them before. Of course, if you’re into offbeat Japanese games, haven’t played either of these and want to support Xseed, well… here you go. Just poke around the PSN store and you’ll find these with ease.
August 24, PC owners. Prepare to Buy… then Prepare to DIE. And love every moment of it. The core word here is NEW, as in new areas, NPCs, weapon, monsters, bosses, PvP areas and MORE. Yes, as a console owner I’m temporarily annoyed (we’re getting this content later, so it’s all good), but I’m also hoping that PC gamers who’ve been whining about wanting this so badly buy it in numbers that stagger the imagination. Hopefully, the online play will be cheat and hack-free, but we’ll see what happens in the first week or two of release and then a bit afterward as those that can start mucking about with the game code. I still would LOVE a Vita version of a Souls game or a new RPG franchise from From Software at some point geared to portable players. I guess we’ll see what happens with that down the road…
Oops. With all the stuff I’m working on I forgot that (since I’m not at the show) Gamescom was still going on. Here’s Konami’s final two days of content from the show floor. I’ll probably post the longer On Air videos about Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and the two Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 games on the other blog at some point this week. Too much to do, not enough time, as usual! OK, off to get some much-needed sleep.
Here’s the simple but effective cover art for DmC on the PS3 and Xbox 360 plus a fun little surprise you’ll never ever see as an actual product unless someone invents time travel. Or maybe thinks of this stuff BEFORE a game gets made. In the blog post over at Capcom Unity, there’s a joke picture of a Sega Genesis version of the game labeled “coming never” (ha, ha) that, while hilarious for a hot minute, got me thinking a bit creatively (and yes, I’m here to help, Capcom). Make it so, guys! Hell, you should have thought of this funky idea while the game was in development as it would have been an AWESOME bonus on the disc (or, as a bit of {ugh} free DLC or pre-order content over PSN or XBLA).
Between the open world exploration across a few choice (and massive, excellently detailed) locations and these spectacular-looking (and rather speedy) sea battles, it looks as if Assassin’s Creed III will be keeping a few million gamers quite occupied for a while before they even touch the multiplayer content on the disc. Me, I’m a story guy first and foremost, so I’m highly impressed by what I’ve seen so far and that includes the Vita game that’s an entirely different story altogether. That October 30 release date is rushing up fast and I’d bet this game will keep a lot of you gamers who normally head out on Halloween inside scarfing down that candy you’d intended to pass out to trick or treaters…
By the way, here’s a new Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation trailer in case you need another good reason to get a Vita. This just might be the best game on the handheld to date and for quite a while, the largest in terms of scope.
Konami revealed a nice selection of upcoming titles at Gamescom this year and even had their own web show to promote the goods. Here’s a look at the three post show videos for each day of the show as well as the pre-show peek behind the scenes video that kicked things off. Between Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2, Castlevania Lords of Shadow 2 – Mirror of Fate, and a few other cool games, I’m going to be glued to my TV for a nice chunk of time, that’s for sure. I just hope I don’t go even more broke stocking up on extra controllers…
Looks like those of us who played the original Borderlands will get a nice treat with this DLC, er, provided we go the pre-order and Premiere Club route. Of course, as much as I love Gearbox’ great series, I’m a bit aginst this sort of buying into content, as sticking it on the disc (or the inevitable Game of the Year Edition) will serve the needs of those who dislike pre-ordering or buying digital content. We. Shall. See, I suppose. As it is, Borderlands 2 is going to be a pretty huge hit without the need for extra content, but this should do well among the most rabid fans who want everything before those of us who can wait a bit longer (because the main game will be so darn HUGE)…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 