Tag Archives: Mature

DmC Hands-On: Dropping The Second Shoe On The Skeptics

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I like to believe that I was one of a dedicated handful of people genuinely thrilled from the beginning that Ninja Theory was collaborating with Capcom on DmC, its upcoming Devil May Cry reboot/prequel. I like to believe this because while the internet was collapsing on itself like a dead star in its death throes after the initial announcement, I was waving the flag for people threatening all sorts of real life bad things on Capcom and Ninja Theory to shut it and wait for at least a demo to hit before running off at the mouth. I certainly didn’t mind the mug shot of the “emo” Dante or the screenshots and later game movies that showed things shaping up quite well, but still the skeptics railed on. As i didn’t go to E3 this year, as soon as I heard Capcom was dropping into NYC with four upcoming titles, you know I was there in a heartbeat…

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Zombeer? Really? OK, Zombies in Games Are Officially Played Out.

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Yeesh, now I’ve seen everything. Still, you KNEW this was coming, right? That said, The ride is officially shut for the winter, kids. Show’s over, monkey’s dead, and he ain’t gettin’ up anytime soon. Go on home, now… git!  Resident Evil kicked off the zombies thing in games for many and after over 15 years of assorted games featuring the undead in all sorts of genres from nearly every major and plenty of smaller publishers, here we are at Zombeer: Zombies & Beer. Which means (to me, at least) this is the end of the line for anything original and undead-related in gaming. Of course, I could be dead (or undead) wrong, but that title makes my stomach churn for some reason (and not in a good way). All I’m saying is this had better be the best horror comedy first person shooter ever made AND it better be a bit scary too. That awful pun-wreck of a title nearly made me want to poke my eye out with a cold spoon. Anyway, I have a the fingers on one hand crossed that this one doesn’t stink as much as the title and concept do. Eh, maybe I’m in a crappy mood today or something, as stuff like this usually makes me crack up…

Review: Diablo III

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Platform: PC

Developer: Blizzard North

Publisher: Blizzard

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: B

 

With no reliable internet connection and no desire to play any game with a solo mode that demands one, no matter the reasoning, I’m exactly the sort of gamer Blizzard doesn’t want playing Diablo III, and that’s a shame. No one asked the many thousands of folks like me who happen to love the series what our thoughts were on an online-only Diablo experience, and the fact remains that not everyone who wanted a straightforward campaign is some sort of pirate or cheat-happy coder out to break the game up into pieces and make our own content or whatever else Blizzard was fearful of. That said, last year when I heard about the game being online only, I automatically thought I’d never get the chance to review it. However, I was able to wrangle a deal with a friend where in case a copy DID magically show up, I’d use his spiffy, always updated gaming rig in trade for the game if he set up an account just so I could at least play through it to see how it turned out.

Amusingly enough (and much to my surprise) a review copy showed up two days before the launch and after letting out a nicely demonic laugh (you should hear it – your spine will rattle), I made a phone call and set aside what I thought would be enough quality time to go through the game. Let’s just say that everything I was concerned about came to bear in a few ridiculously annoying ways, but when the game works, it’s addictive as ever (despite some changes made for the casual crowd) and about as good as I’d hoped. The caveat being WHEN it worked…

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Mass Effect 3: Extended Cut Trailer: Finally Finshing The Fight (And The Fight With Some Fans As Well)…

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Boom. BioWare gets right to it, and of course, some folks STILL aren’t happy about this soon to be released DLC. Oh well. My only suggestion is for any and EVERY publisher out there to let a game this huge get more time to cook so it’s DONE and done right when it ships. Sure, even if the game had shipped with more closure, there would have been fans unhappy that everything they wanted to see wasn’t there. That said, I didn’t mind the ending so much as the oddball deal with the Normandy being in a weird place at a certain point. But all fiction needs its shortcutting, as does actual history in every retelling, it seems. Anyway, will this content show up on a disc at some point so folks who don’t have an Origin account or don’t care about online play actually be able to finish the story THEY started? That’s the more important question for me…

Spec Ops: The Line Developer Diary #1: Yager’s Focus On Excellence All Around

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With the game about to roll into retail this coming Tuesday, 2K has released this developer diary about the making of this innovative squad-based shooter. It’s pretty clear that developer Yager wasn’t set on just copying other games or doing something that wasn’t going to be yet another multiplayer focused shooter with a to short single player campaign, so definitely check this one out if you’re looking for something unique and compelling on a few fronts…

Clan of Champions Update: PSN, Steam Bound This Summer in NA & EU.

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So, Clan of Champions still isn’t getting a budget retail release? Boo. Still, it’ll be worth a buy or try if you’re a fan of the underappreciated Gladiator Returns on the PSP or Warriors of the Lost Empire, another PSP game that’s got visual similarities as well as some of the same game mechanics, menus, options and even typefaces as Gladiator Returns. Well, all three games are from the same developer, so I don’t mind this sort of recycling, although Warriors was one of those games that you had to get used to (and actually only really got great after you beat it once). Gladiator Returns was better in some respects, but had some of the same flaws as Warriors. That said, both games had more than enough going for them to keep me playing and CoC looks to hit that same spot.

Of course, I still have my fingers crossed that NISA gets back to doing more with retail as well as DLC so MORE people can play these games, as not EVERYONE has the ability to or hell, even likes to download ALL their game content. Getting this game and perhaps some of their other upcoming PSN-only content on a disc at some point (together in one package deal) would indeed be sweet… but I’m not holding my breath. It’s kind of hard to type when you’re blue in the face, you know…

Steel Battalion: Heavy Armor Stomps Into Retail. You’ll Need Patience And Practice To Survive, Period

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And even if you HATE Kinect with a passion, this super-niche game is worth a look because developer From Software has cleverly cooked up a game that uses BOTH the peripheral and the Xbox 360 controller to give players a realistic simulation of being inside and out of that VT (Vertical Tank). The low-tech alternate time period setting adds a nice touch as well to the world war whatever locales you’ll be trying to survive in. That said, be prepared to put in some heavy time with this one (you can read the manual here just to see what you’ll be getting into), as it’s not aiming for the casual gamer at ALL.

Tip: Pay attention to that tutorial to learn the ropes, get fully immersed in the story and don’t do anything stupid to break the mood the game sets up, as the idea is to put yourself into the boots of one of the crew of that VT during some tough combat missions. Before you get to all that, expect to spend a good deal of time calibrating your Kinect and game area so you’re able to get the game to do what you want it to when you want it to. Yes, this will seem strange to gamers used to simpler stuff, but Capcom and From want you to work hard here (as with the first SB game) and this one’s only going to be enjoyed fully by the hardcore that put in the time necessary to learn and play the game. Besides, any game with a live action trailer directed by Mamoru Oshii can’t be all bad, I say…

 

Review: Sniper Elite V2

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Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Rebellion

Publisher: 505 Games

# of Players: 1 – 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

The crowded and set in its ways military shooter genre needs games like Sniper Elite V2 and developers like Rebellion just to remind gamers that sometimes, slower pacing and more methodical play can be as exciting or even more so that a constant thrill ride shooter with not much room to catch one’s breath. Here, the game (and aim) is all about taking time to survey, spot and shoot with just enough level and mission variety to keep things moving when they need to. You don’t have to have played the first Sniper Elite back on the PS2, Xbox, PC (or the more recent Wii port from about two years ago) to fully enjoy this game, but if you remember that sleeper and loved it, much of what’s here will feel familiar. An online-only co-op mode seems restrictive (and is, if you don’t use PSN), but it’s seamless and about as good as it gets, while the multiplayer also has a few cool touches that lift the game above the usual run & gunning extravaganzas other shooters deliver.

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E3 2012: Dead or Alive 5 Trailer: As Long As It Makes Me Forget About That Film…

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With Virtua Fighter characters on board (thank you Sega!), the crossover appeal here is off the charts unless you’re a total purist with no sense of fun in your bones. I say give this a shot just to see what the mix of fighting styles plays like. Heck, you already know it’s going to be one of the best-looking fighters on the market, so I say trust the gameplay as well. I don’t think you’ll be too disappointed at the end of the day…

E3 2012: FIst of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2: Return Of The Great Guilty Pleasure…

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Hey, I liked the first Ken’s Rage quite a lot, as it brought Koei’s Dynasty Warriors gameplay into the world of the anime while adding a nice-looking 3D engine and some pretty interesting gameplay elements. Granted, the game is definitely for fans more than folks looking for the best beat ’em up ever created, but it does what it does well and is long as hell with so many characters to play and stuff to unlock. Part 2 looks to continue that trend, which is good times for guys like me who just love a game that you can dive into when you want and play for hours on end. I’m not sure this is getting a US release, but if it does, I’ll be playing it…