Sleeping Dogs Official Site Goes Live With A Bit Of Hidden Object Fun

Posted on July 26, 2012 by geelw

I’ve been quietly following United Front’s work on this one since it was announced and yes, I’m pretty happy with how this is coming together and hope it does great when it ships out. Amusingly enough, after watching all those gameplay videos and taking in the scope of the game (it’s going to be huge), I noted to a friend that all the game needed was puzzle or hidden object game elements to appeal to the super-casual crowd. Of course, Future US and Square Enix have kicked off the official site with… you guessed it, a hidden object mini-game that, while not for the casual crowd at all, does unlock a cool new gameplay video once you find all four objects in the rather cool interactive “marketplace” complete with people and items you’ll see in the game proper. Go on, check it out (you know you want to). August 14, 2012 is the big day, by the way – so get ready….

Hyper Princess Pitch: This Royalty Needs No Rescuing, That’s For Sure…

Posted on July 24, 2012 by geelw

I know a few people out there who can’t stand most Mario or Legend of Zelda games because they’ve outgrown them or never really got into them at all, but somehow, Hyper Princess Pitch is right up their alleys when I point them to it. Granted, Nintendo hasn’t made a game like this (and probably never will), and yes, the game owes more to Smash T.V. and Robotron that any mascot character classic. The story is silly fun with our heroine going after a bad Santa and his gift-giving ways (try not to take what’s here out of context, as it’s SUPPOSED to be goofy). Heck, you can suplex enemies when you’re not running around with a brick, rainbow or freeze launcher and there are bonuses galore for those willing to take the time to unlock them. Yes, you can use a keyboard to play this, but a dual analog gamepad is very highly recommended. Get this one for FREE (as in absolutely nothing) here and check out some of Remar Games other fun retro styled projects (all made with the Game Maker program) while you’re at it.

Random Indie Game Of The Week: Cavern of Doom

Posted on July 22, 2012 by geelw

Most of the popular RPG Maker games out there are the usual Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest clones of assorted quality (terrible to truly inspired masterworks), but Cavern of Doom manages to take retro to an even more nostalgic level. Imagine an actual turn-based RPG made for the Atari 260- and you get the idea. If you love the blocky graphics old Atari home games had, CoD will get you smiling as soon as you see it in motion. the guy who made this gem, bobthebobish, clearly has a great sense of humor as you’ll see when you’re playing the game. I love how his chunky sprite monsters, simple use of color and even more straightforward dungeon mazes all tickled the proper nerves while the more modern turn-based combat appealed to my JRPG loving side. There’s also a cool upgrade system where you buy new skills with gained experience, a necessary thing as the game can be quite tough if you move too quickly through the dungeons. A sequel of sorts was in the works, but real life has halted progress on it for the time being. Anyway, CoD is ONLY about a 3 MB download, it’s FREE and if you happen to like the art style, you’ll get a kick out of what’s here even if you’re not big into the genre.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist ‘Pop-Up’ Video: Ubisoft Might Want To Shoot A Few Of The More Irate Fans, Too…

Posted on July 18, 2012 by geelw

Boy, try and make a new game in a hugely popular series without dragging along EVERY element from previous entries and watch the more stick in the rear fans fearful of change scream and struggle as if they’ve been tossed into a burlap sack, then the back of a moving black van. Maybe Michael Ironside was unavailable, wanted too much money or hell, wanted to move on from the character he originally voiced for a bunch of games. Maybe Ubisoft wanted someone “younger” sounding for this installment. Eh, whatever. all this reminds me of is how things often work out in Hollywood in terms of sequels. Keeping in a Tom Clancy vein, how about that Jack Ryan? Anyone?

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007 Legends “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” Gameplay: License To Thrill

Posted on July 13, 2012 by geelw

I’m really interested in 007 Legends because Eurocom has been doing a pretty stellar job with their last few Bond games and this trailer shows off a nice level inspired by my favorite Bond film. I do wish that all the music in the trailer was taken from the original film, as the main theme was and is one of the best in the series and still works double duty as an intro and action scene piece. Amusingly enough, Encore is running 19 Bond films this month, so I’ve been watching one per night (in order, of course) for a bit of reminiscing and for a future article. Yup, some of them haven’t held up well at all in terms of a few prickly points I’ll discuss later (and a big fat BOO to Encore for not showing these in their original theatrical formats!), but for the most part, I’m still entertained by what I’m seeing. As for the game, I’m just itching to play it just to see how well Eurocom translated and condensed each film they chose down to what’s looking like a nearly non-stop thrill ride of a game…

Borderlands 2 ‘Wimoweh” Trailer: Now, That’s What I Call Confidence!

Posted on July 12, 2012 by geelw

You just know Gearbox Software and 2K Games KNOW they have a hit when they can take a hit song recorded from before most of the game’s target audience was even a twinkle in their parents’ eyes (and hell, was old as the hills before their parents had even met) slap it into an awesome trailer and make a must-see many times instant classic. Of course, to the kids that think that tune is corny, well, so much for knowing much about music, I guess. Now I can’t get the tune out of my head (nor the image of Claptrap rolling along repeating “Wimoweh” in his own way. Ah well, ring me up, 2k – that’s another sale your way!

Remember, Borderlands 2 hits retail on September 18 in the US and September 21 everywhere else.

Tomb Raider’s Final Days In Development: Lara’s Makeover Is Complete

Posted on July 10, 2012 by geelw

Here’s a brief look at Crystal Dynamics’ upcoming reboot, courtesy of game journalist Geoff Keighley’s Final Hours series of ‘making of’ documentaries. It’s a great piece for those of you curious about what goes into making a game and heck, anything that gets people not into the medium to see the magic happening is all right by me…

Phantasy Star Online 2 Headed Westward (Hopefully, With Some Sort Of Offline Mode)

Posted on July 9, 2012 by geelw

As happy and grateful as I am that Sega is wisely getting PSO 2 to North America next year, it WOULD be really nice to have some sort of offline mode for those of us who don’t give a hoot about MMOs, live in areas with no or spotty broadband connections or hell, just like to play our games solo with no intrusive DRM and data mining going on behind the scenes. Of course, no one listens to an old coot like me anymore, so I guess I won’t offer any more suggestions about this sort of thing. THAT said, the Phantasy Star legacy demands that there be a game that’s playable for us lone wolf types. Hopefully, someone at Sega somewhere in the world has realized the same thing and does something to honor the series long history instead of just shoving yet another lovely-looking MMO out the door and hoping we all jump on board with nostalgic blinders on.

Random Indie Game of the Week: Hellion: Diablo Meets Dragon Quest (And It’s A Blast)

Posted on July 8, 2012 by geelw

I found this cool little indie RPG quite by accident a few days ago while looking up something entirely different, downloaded it and got an immediate grin going when I fired it up. One of a few very awesome NES-inspired RPGs made by a a user called kentona (with Enterbrain’s wonderfully retro RPG Maker 2003), Hellion plays like bits of Dragon Quest, Diablo and Final Fantasy dropped into a blender and mixed up just right. Basically, you choose a character class at the beginning, assign some skill points and set out to tackle the dangerous multi-level dungeon under the town you start the game in. There are random monster drops, traps and chests to disarm, a bunch of side missions to tackle and more.

While I’m only three floors in, I like the ability to hire up to three party members, the alignment system that changes based on your choices during the game (some NPCs and potential teammates won’t deal with you if you’re too goody-goody or too much a total jerk), the level of challenge right from the start and more. The game uses graphics and music lifted from the DQ series, but I like the 8-bit visuals and tunes because of the nostalgia value. That and it’s actually more fun than Diablo III because you don’t need to be always online to play or have to deal with stupid stuff the DRM in that game was supposed to stop from occurring. Anyway, go check it out and while you’re there, take a peek at kentona’s other works as well as some of the other great games on the RPGMaker website.

Of Orcs & Men Summer Trailer: Looking Great With Two Months To Go…

Posted on July 6, 2012 by geelw

Here’s the latest trailer for this intriguing Cyanide Studios/Spiders developed RPG coming in September for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 from Focus Home Interactive. It’s certainly got the looks of a sleeper hit and the nicely quirky twist of playing as an Orc/Elf team setting out against humans in a rich fantasy world setting is appealing. That means it’s all up to the gameplay, which I’m hoping is solidly action oriented and as bug-free as possible. Go pop over to the game’s official site to check out more gorgeous screens and art and keep this one on your radar, as it’s looking pretty good.