The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Launch Trailer: On Loving (or Hating) the Alien…

Posted on August 19, 2013 by geelw

After a complete shift in development from a tactical first-person game (that drew instant and completely unwarranted hatred from die-hard fans of the original PC game) to a third-person squad-based tactical shooter, 2K’s XCOM origin story rolls out on August 20. I actually liked the more stylized visuals and perspective in the original concept, but I’ll still play this as a fan of the series who happens to have a more open mind. Now, I don’t have a review copy incoming as far as I know, but I’m betting this drops in price quickly thanks to some obstinate embargo breakers at another site that ran a negative review already (which seems to have been taken down – I guess 2K put the kibosh on that kibosher). Oh well – I rarely pay attention to other reviews anyway, as it’s never a good thing to rely on the opinions of others when they go in expecting something entirely different than what’s on the plate. As usual… we shall see…

Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs: Pre-Order NOW (And Prepare To Hide Under Something Later)

Posted on August 16, 2013 by geelw

Frictional Games is teaming up with the VERY great and talented hands of the fine folks at The Chinese Room (who did a marvelous job with Dear Esther) to get horror and horror game fans some spine-shaking true scares in this upcoming “sequel”. If you’ve yet to play the original Amnesia: The Dark Descent, drop something and do so this weekend or so, as it’s quite a ride from start to finish…

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Gamescom 2013: Thief “Uprising” Trailer: Garrett’s Got A 2014 Date With You (Lock Your Stuff Down)…

Posted on August 16, 2013 by geelw

Well, for whatever good THAT will do, as it’ll just make him want to make YOU unconscious faster so he can have at that lock you paid good money for. Look, just make it easy on yourself, people: When February 25, 2014 rolls around, just pretend Santa is coming down that chimney, but instead of leaving out some milk and cookies, you just put out a plate of valuables and a note to not hit you upside the noggin with that blackjack. Hell, he’ll even take that hideous costume jewelry you were planning on donating to Goodwill, as anything he can sell all goes to getting his gear upgraded.

Of course, if you’re jerking his chain and plan to ONLY put out the cheap stuff while stuffing that Pink Panther somewhere… er, safe and warm. Oh, he’ll figure that out FAST. He’s been watching you all week and when you walk with that gem stuffed where the sun doesn’t shine, he’ll see that right away. Just so you know, it’s exactly these sort of observation skills that make an excellent thief…

Grand Theft Auto Online Gameplay Reveal: There’s A Game in The Game That’s A Completely Different Game…

Posted on August 15, 2013 by geelw

If there was any doubt that Rockstar had nothing new coming in terms of Grand Theft Auto V‘s online play, well… those doubts just got run over by a really huge armored car packed with money headed for Rockstar HQ. Grand Theft Auto Online comes with every copy of GTA V when the game launches on September 17, 2013 and will be a free to play persistent online game world for up to 16 players set to kick off on October 1, 2013. GTAO will feature new content created and uploaded regularly and is a completely separate experience from the main story mode.

Oh, there’s a lot more to babble about, but I’m busy and you need to go see and read it from the horse’s mouth. Just click on that big image above or the link in the post and see what’s coming your way soon. Me, among other things, I have finger exercises to do because I know I’m going to be fighting off hand cramps from gripping a PS3 pad for way too long once GTA V ships out…

GOG.com Wants You to Return to the Dungeons (and Yes, There Be Dragons Inside)…

Posted on August 15, 2013 by geelw

Back in April, gog.com had a very cool sale on an assortment of Dungeons and Dragons PC games and I think I was lamenting (with a really tiny violin solo in the background playing away) about not having enough time to play the games I already had in that lovely set to buy any more D&D titles. Well, I get a second chance (and so do YOU) as the sale is back with ten mostly massive role-playing experiences for a mere $26.40. The cool thing is if you already own any of these titles thanks to a gog.com purchase, you actually get a discount applied to your total. Nice.

Of course, given that the potential of a few hundred (if not THOUSAND plus) hours of gameplay lie in wait for you once you click that BUY NOW tab, you may want to invest in a few emergency rations and start e-mailing people you know to tell them you won’t be around for a while. If you really want to get them buzzing, tell them you’ve been summoned to a dungeon or something similarly vague yet eye-popping before you stop answering calls and emails. That should get them thinking about your extracurricular lifestyle activities, right? And by the way, I still have no time to buy any new epic until I clear through a few I’ve started already. I really need a TARDIS, people…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Gets A Ridiculously Awesome iPad App…

Posted on August 15, 2013 by geelw

With Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut headed full steam ahead onto Steam soon and an even MORE enhanced edition, Rising Star Games is celebrating by making fans who don’t own iPads (that use iBooks 3.0 or later on an iPad with iOS 5.1 or later) want to run out and buy one just for a single (and VERY cool) new app that’s more a game encyclopedia packed to the rafters with pretty much anything and everything about the game.

Set to launch October 14, 2013, Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut – The Official Visual Companion is a whopping 352 pages of info (some of it interactive) including plenty of plot spoilers, art, maps of every location in the game, in-depth notes on the story and characters and even a soundboard/soundtrack function. Of course it’s also got a trunk full of SPOILERS, so if you’re planning on snapping this up with intent to ruin the game’s plot, it’ll do that just fine, thank you much…

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Did You Win The Lottery Recently? Saint’s Row IV Wants A Million of Those New Bucks…

Posted on August 14, 2013 by geelw

I saw this image a little while back and ignored it because I thought it was a big fat inside joke, but apparently, it’s all too real. UK retailer GAME was/is offering up the most insane pre-order bonus ever created with this Saint’s Row IV Super Dangerous Wad Wad Edition that packs in the game and a ridiculous amount of goodies from plastic surgery, spy training and a flight into SPACE. Seriously. I’ll shut up here and let you soak this all in at your leisure, but if you’re a Scrooge McDuck, or a more real life zillionaire (no, Trump doesn’t count because he’s all hot air, ego and bluster and if he really had money, he’d buy himself a new brain that actually works), feel free to bug Deep Silver directly about buying this here(makemeasaint@deepsilver.com).

And yup, tell them you heard about it here on DAF – I don’t get a finder’s fee at all, but if you’ve THAT sort of bank, maybe you could spare a few ten thousand for a poor starving artist type?

Batman: Arkham Origins Collector’s Edition: All You Need Is A Room To Store It All In…

Posted on August 14, 2013 by geelw

(thanks, BatmanArkhamVideos!)

Holy WOW, Batfans! I suppose a limited edition wooden shelf or build it yourself bookcase would be out of the question, huh? Actually, at $119.99 for all that stuff you’re getting, this isn’t a bad deal at all AND it’s packing more than what’s in the European version announced last week. Um, “Don’t mess with Texas? Everything’s BIGGER in…” oh, never mind. The sheer scope of all this swag automatically nets this limited edition an automatic entry into this year’s Holiday Gift Guide and given that word on the street is the gameplay’s stellar… this one’s a total no-brainer if you can only afford the standard edition.

Anyway, here are photos of the massive set (one each of the PS3 and 360 SKUs) and below the jump, a listing of what’s in the box. Add a cape and you’re practically Batman, folks!

Batman: Arkham Origins will be available for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Windows PC. Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate, the handheld version (developed by Armature Studio), will be available for PlayStation Vita handheld and Nintendo 3DS. The game will release on all platforms worldwide on Oct. 25, 2013. I don’t think there’s a collector’s edition for the portable versions, as it sort of looks silly carrying a shelf or small bookcase with you when you’re out and about (ha ha)…

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt “Killing Monsters” Trailer: And The Moral of This Story Is…

Posted on August 14, 2013 by geelw

Even though this isn’t in-game footage, it’s more than clear to me that CD Projekt Red is making their upcoming open world RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt one for the ages. This team truly knows how to make games that continually impress and if the final product is as great as the earlier work in progress videos have shown, it’ll be a title that’s going to be a mandatory gaming experience for genre fans. Only what, a year or so to go before this is out? I can wait… it’ll be like mooning away at that obscure object of desire, but I can wait…

Dark Souls II “Forging A Hero” Teaser: Keep That Anvil As A Backup Weapon, I Say…

Posted on August 14, 2013 by geelw

March 2014 may seem like a long time to wait for Dark Souls II, to pop up at your favorite physical or digital game emporium but it’s actually going to be here faster than you think and you absolutely don’t want to be rusty when you take your first steps into the new dungeons. Meaner, faster, stronger creatures of many varieties await and they’re not planning to let you simply waltz around as if you’re in a petting zoo. If you have a copy of the first game lying around, you may just want to set aside time to replay it just so your fingers and brain are on their toes. Or you can go in to DSII cold and come out a total wreck before you’ve made it through the first map. Your choice, but I say practice makes perfect. Or less prone to death…