The definition of insanity? It’s not Far Cry 3’s jungle sprawl and overkill, but something like Frictional Games and thechineseroom’s upcoming collaboration. Dear Esther was a haunting masterpiece from thechineseroom that’s worth a buy for the visuals alone, but the innovative gameplay is also a draw. As far as Frictional goes, if the progression they’ve shown in their previous games (Fiend, the Penumbra Trilogy and Anmesia: The Dark Descent) is any indication, horror game fans will be in for some sleepless nights and days where they’re looking over their shoulders for things sneaking up from behind. This should be interesting (to put it mildly)…
Like nearly everyone else who saw it, I was floored when Ubisoft dropped Watch_Dogs into our collective consciousness at the end of its E3 press conference. Not only did they completely surprise people, they did so in the way things USED to be done in this industry. Win NO in house PR-generated “leaks” or overly annoying viral nonsense that keeps people who need to be more productive trolling around the Internet looking at teaser sites or playing with devices in useless mini-games that hint at what’s to come. Although amusingly enough, that’s probably one big way to market the game now that the beans have been spilled. Still, as great as the game looks and as amazing as the idea behind it is, something bugged the hell out of me when the demo was over…
OK, I’ll admit it. I wasn’t at ALL keen on Defiance from the moment I heard about it. Sure, Trion Worlds is known for some solid MMO experiences, but the fact that the game would be based on a show from the network that brings us crappy camp like Sharktopus and Jersey Shore Shark Attack! didn’t exactly make me comfortably assured about reliable quality control in regards to the upcoming TV series. Sure, the Battlestar Galactica reboot was groundbreaking and great from the start , but as the song goes, “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”
Then I saw some gameplay and well, I had to eat my hat…
Capcom and developer Spark Unlimited are going back to the past to bring you the future with Lost Planet 3. Taking place before events in the first game, the mix of “older” tech, some new Akrid to fight and a few tweaks to the gameplay formula (while ditching what didn’t work in part two) could just make this one a sleeper hit. Just don’t get it mixed up with Dead Space 3 (as that installment gets a cold and wintry planet to explore as well as huge bosses to battle) and you’ll do fine…
Not one, but TWO new games on the way from the fine folks at Larian Studios? Nice. We’re getting a prequel to Divine Divinity (still a really cool RPG to dive back into for me) and an all new strategy game with what’s looking like a wild sense of humor from the same team. Here are looks at both games iv developer videos from before and during the show. Keep up the great work, guys!
Even with all those big name , bigger deal AAA shooters out there, turn-based strategy gaming has never really gone away, but it’s just nice to see it getting more notice with higher profile releases such as Firaxis’ upcoming relaunch of one of the best PC games in the genre. I can most definitely recommend giving this one a go even if your only dip into the genre has been something along the line of Advance Wars or other lower stress SRPGs. If this new game is as deep and fun as the original, 2K has a surefire hit that will be played and replayed for ages.
Travelers Tales has had this LEGO thing all sewn up tightly for a while, but with this game and LEGO Batman 2, they’re doing their best work to date. Between the funny, family friendly gameplay and always cute visual style, there’s something for any gamer with a pulse who happens to love to laugh. WBIE knows that the LOTR franchise had enough legs to stand up to this sort of kookiness, so kudos to them for getting this one out for just about every console or handheld available. Now, about that greatly improved War in the North sequel I hope is being worked on (wishful thinking, but hey… I can always dream, right?)…
To me, this was hands down, Ubisoft’s best games lineup to date. Yeah, yeah, we all knew Assassin’s Creed III was going to be great (it’s even better than I thought), Far Cry 3 continues to be gorgeous (and even MORE outrageous with each new reveal) and the new Splinter Cell: Blacklist looks fantastic. ALL of these were superior game experiences I’d buy as well as recommend in a heartbeat. But it was the new IP that made me jump out of my seat (and more than once at that).
Rayman Legends was perfect, nostalgic fun on the Wii U, and that up to five player thing is going to make a LOT of families happy (as well as any gaming party where a little levity is needed). But then there’s Watch_Dogs. Wow. Not only does the game address some things I’ve been whining about for YEARS (our loss of security in this “always online” era), it’s actually one of the best looking games I’ve ever seen, blending cinematic techniques and gameplay seamlessly while surprising me with gameplay that shifted to a new character at the end of the demo.
Oh yeah… I don’t give a hoot about Just Dance 4, but you can’t deny the game has been HUGE on the Wii and sit JD3 last year, the PS3 and Xbox as well. So I’ll give then that and dock point for the boring Shootmania e-sports part I wish they’d relegated to the show floor instead of torturing the audience with for so long. I do want to see MORE on that Avengers game, though – even though it’s not hitting the PS3 or 360, it might be fun to play, as the trailer showed old school versions of Wolverine, Storm, Magneto, Venom and Spider-Man doing their stuff in CG form (but no actual gameplay, boo!). Update: Ubisoft also plans to “port” it’s Wii U titles to other mobile devices as a means to offset development costs, so I guess we’ll see where that goes and if it’s a success other publishers will mimick at some point….
Like plenty of publishers these days, Atlus has been diversifying its games lineup for a while now with unique games in assorted genres outside the ones they’re know for in the US. Here are trailers to two titles from their lineup, one a sequel to a PC, PSN and Xbox Live Arcade fighter/action/shooter hybrid (that i REALLY wish would be put on a disc with the first part so MORE can play it) and the latest in the Sherlock Holmes game series ported from PC (which has ZERO to do with that bizarre BBC show everyone seems to like save for Holmes purists). Oh yeah, my Game of Thrones review will be up once all the E3 madness subsides, it’s not as bad as some sites are saying… you just need a great deal of patience and not mind at all that the game takes itself REALLY seriously (for the most part)…
2K Games and developer Yager really have a hit here, what with all that amazing sand technology and the source material (Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness) being perfect for the game they’re presenting. Here’s yet another example of a genre game defying the usual conventions and stepping outside of the box to do it differently. Like a few other titles pushing the envelope, I’m hoping gamers can free up a few extra brain cells to actually appreciate the hard work that went into this one without complaining about the experience NOT being what they “expected.” Hell, sometimes, it’s NICE to be surprised about a game, I say…
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