Grand Theft Auto V Is (Of Course) A Go…

Posted on October 25, 2011 by geelw

As you can see, it’s on. Expect a November surprise, courtesy of Rockstar Games. No, the game isn’t coming next month, folks (the Internet would break if that was the announcment), just what’s probably going to be a pretty cool trailer (and a Double-Wide Airflow, at that). Now, all those folks screaming madly about it can perhaps pipe down a little with the ALL CAPS rants online and maybe think about also pre-ordering Max Payne 3 when its release date is announced. Rockstar is working hard on that game as well and you SHOULD enjoy it as equally as you do any GTA game, I say…

The Lord of The Rings War in the North Pre-Order Teaser Tempts Away…

Posted on October 24, 2011 by geelw

Too many people online are out of their minds comparing every RPG to Skyrim or whatever other fantasy-themed open world experience on the way when it’s clear that Snowblind Studios is making a different type of adventure entirely. I’m definitely looking forward to this one as I’m a fan of the developer’s work and trust them to make a pretty good action RPG (as it’s something they’ve done a few times previously). We’ll see if the game defies the skeptics and becomes one of those “Hey, this is really good!” word of mouth titles pretty soon, as that November 1 release date is right around the corner. Of course, in this stupid era of games needing to sell a bazillion copies over a weekend to be considered a “success”, I truly hope that this game gets enough time to gain momentum before any judgment is placed on the potential of future installments…

Rayman Origins’ New Trailer Makes Me Hungry…

Posted on October 22, 2011 by geelw

Who know there was a Food Universe? Well, that aside (and my stomach now rumbling for something from the fridge), this latest Rayman Origins footage shows off a new area, one that I happened to play at New York Comic Con last week. The jumping is tricky old-school platforming goodness, but the game has a nice “revival” system in play so that it’s not a controller-bashing experience. The game is looking great with tons of color, inventive, funny gameplay and tons of things to see and do. This one deserves to be in EVERY gamer library once it ships, so do UbiSoft (and Rayman) a favor and BUY it, folks…

Battlefield 3 Launch Trailer: War Is Good For Games, At Least…

Posted on October 21, 2011 by geelw

Electronic Arts, DICE and their mighty Frostbite 2 engine definitely has a winner on both consoles as well as PC. I got to play some multiplayer last week at EA’s holiday event against the DICE team on the PS3 and not only is the gameplay lightning fast and frantic, BF3 looks REALLY spectacular on the system. As fas as the whole “which is better” nonsense going on between the big shooter franchises, I say who cares as long as BOTH games are as good as their respective dev teams can make them. In the end, I see some folks buying and playing both or at least buying one and renting the other to compare. Expect productivity in a few countries to drop even further (er, provided those calling in sick with BF3 flu actually have jobs).

Ridge Racer Unbounded Hands-On

Posted on October 21, 2011 by geelw

Bugbear Entertainment has been hard at work on a much different Ridge Racer, but it’s clear than this new game isn’t being made to completely take the place of the more familiar franchise that’s been a key title for nearly every console it’s appeared on. Rather, Unbounded is a high-impact spin-off that takes the drift-crazy gameplay and fictional vehicles the series in famous for, adds in destructible elements and the ability to create your own courses and hits the ground running. I took a demo build for a spin at a Namco Bandai event about two weeks back and liked what I played quite a lot. There’s definitely a nod to Criterion Studios’ last few Burnout games (as well as Burnout-inspired titles such as Split Second) as well as Bugbear’s own FlatOut series. As Burnout has morphed into a top-down family fun arcade game with disco tunes blasting during crashes and FlatOut has been retired (for the time being), it looks as RRU will be the go-to game for crash fans when it’s released next year. Continue reading →

EA Just Keeps it Coming…

Posted on October 13, 2011 by geelw

A quickie post before I keel over, as I need to bounce out of bed bright and early for day one of New York Comic Con. EA has some really nice surprises coming up this year and next in pretty much every category. Battlefield 3 multiplayer on the PS3 was amazingly fluid and controls like a dream (seriously, Call of What?). There was a really nice Mass Effect 3 surprise I can’t share just yet (as it’s embargoed until10/27). Speaking of surprises, Syndicate is going to make even the most hardcore fans of the PC classic bow to Starbreeze’s skills. They nailed the dark feeling of the original but as a first-person experience (it’s not a Deus Ex: Human Revolution clone either, which is even better). SSX is another shocker – don’t let the more realistic visuals fool you at all – the game is SUPER fun to play (the tricks flow off the controller) and the mountains are massive. SWTOR is an instant addiction (I had to stop playing before I got hooked) that’s sure to be huge once it ships (look out WoW!). The Secret World brings a fresh, modern take to the MMO (and NEEDS to come to consoles with a single player offline mode, as there’s a lot of good under the hood that begs to be explored). There’s a LOT more to yak about, but that’s for later – i need my beauty rest…

The Lord of The Rings War In The North Boss Battle Vignette

Posted on October 8, 2011 by geelw

I like the quote in the email that prefaces this trailer, so here it is:

“The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone.”
Celeborn, The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings

Snowblind Studios is really going all out with this one and I’m looking forward to seeing how it’s all turned out. I think fans of the books should be pleased as the game doesn’t shy away from the violent elements found in the books and it’s looking as if it will let you venture to a few areas chopped from the movie trilogy. Granted, the M-rating might be a initial turn-off for those expecting one of the simpler hack & slash movie games geared toward the entire family. However, I say let’s see what happens as people play the game and share it with friends in co-op. I’ll bet any hesitance over a purchase based on the amount of blood in the game disappears once folks see how much fun it all is.

Spiderweb Software Is Having An Eternal Sale. Get Some Great RPG’s Anytime You Like…

Posted on October 7, 2011 by geelw

Want to try out (and then buy) some of the deepest and most intricate RPGs out there for PC and Mac (and in at least one case, iPad)? Well, Spiderweb Software, which usually runs an October sale has lowered their prices even more permanently! While getting 20% (or more) off is awesome, buying one of their PC or Mac games this month will give you an EXTRA 10% off, making anything they have an even nicer deal. Hmmmm… at these prices, I may just have to take my own advice here for a change…

Psychonauts Arrives On The Mac (Finally!) And Double Fine Rolls With It

Posted on September 29, 2011 by geelw

Hey, Tim! Next time, send these releases out to everyone! Or actually, maybe I need to update my contact info with Double Fine, huh? Anyway, I missed this Psychonauts press release, but thanks to a few “Did you see this?” emails pointing to Bitmob, you can check out the pretty funny press release about the Mac version of Double Fine’s rather awesome and funny (and classic) platformer. Yes, the PC version over Steam has gotten some cool enhancements as well.

I actually haven’t played the PC version (it’s on my to-do list, really!), but I do have both console versions here (the Xbox version is the better of the two). I’d gather the chances of seeing the game get an HD upgrade for PS3 and Xbox 360 are slim to none, but hey – if I had a few million bucks laying around, I’d wave some of it under the noses of a few games companies to tempt them into committing to doing at least ONE run of discs and selling them directly to gamers rather than going through the retail chain hell…

Drakensang: Complete Saga In Stores Now (Well, GameStop Stores, That Is)…

Posted on September 21, 2011 by geelw

Yeah, yeah, Gears of War 3 is out and fantastic all that, but I’m actually a tad more excited about (The Dark Eye) Drakensang: Complete Saga arriving this week as part of THQ’s ValuSoft games lineup (albeit as a GameStop exclusive). “What’s a Drakensang?” you ask? Why, a pretty cool third-person PC fantasy role playing game that’s got a nicely loyal fan-base, solid visuals, fun classes to choose from and a great, challenging combat system among other things. I’m absolutely recommending this collection to fans of open-world fantasy games, deep RPG experiences and anyone who likes games with at least a hundred hours of gameplay. Even better… it’s on a retail DISC, not a download, so even if you have a crappy Internet connection, you can STILL buy and play a quality RPG while getting a great deal in the process.