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.

Random Indie Game Of The Week: DOOM The Roguelike

Posted on July 6, 2012 by geelw

OK, OK… it’s been around for a bit, but I’ve never gotten around to actually playing Kornel Kisielewicz’s excellent roguelike version of the classic FPS because I really dislike ASCII graphics (sorry, but while they were cool back in the day, now my poor eyeballs can’t take them, even on a big monitor). Anyway, thanks to Derek Yu’s awesome tile sets and artwork (go play his updated version of Spelunky on Xbox Live Arcade if you’re a fan of the classic NES game, Spelunker), I can now spend a few hours dying too much, yet forging onward taking the minions of Hell out as a lone Space Marine on a Mission. Anyway, go download and play this challenging and sometimes scary gem here.

Thanks, Sega!: NiGHTS into dreams… Makes A Welcome Return (Which IS Excellent, But…)

Posted on July 5, 2012 by geelw

Hey, Sega! Longtime supporter from the arcades to Dreamcast and beyond here. While I’m loving that you’re finally getting NiGHTS onto XBLA, PSN and PC soon enough, I’m also one of those crazy people that has the original game in it’s box with the analog controller, the Christmas NiGHTS disc (I have one each here for the US, Japanese and UK Saturn), the excellent Wii follow up and yes, that means I’ve played the game to death and will do so once more when this HD u[date hits. That said (dot, dot, dot)

Not to be a pest (again), but I’m just wondering when we’ll start seeing some of those other first-party Saturn titles get the same HD or remake love. The Panzer Dragoon series, Shining Force III (including all the content that stayed in Japan), Burning Rangers, stuff like that? It’s not as if I’m screaming about BUG! or Clockwork Knight not getting HD remakes here (you get what, one email a month about those, right?). I’m just a little bit concerned about Sega of America ignoring some of its best games on a console that’s been HUGELY underrepresented since it died. That and while they may not have sold in spectacular numbers on the Saturn, the games I listed might do even better today if the time was taken to bring them to gamers in the best possible manner.

Hell, I’d bet a Panzer Dragoon Complete Box Kickstarter would see money raining from the heavens…

Divine Divinity Finally Drops Onto Steam (Yes, You Know What To Do)…

Posted on July 5, 2012 by geelw

It’s here, it’s a mere six bucks and you should be playing this NOW. Although, gog.com users are probably chuckling away at this news because they’ve had access to the game for a bit longer as a DRM-free download, this is great news if you’re a dedicated Steam fan who’s always wanted to give Larian’s first RPG a shot. What’s it like, you ask? Well, go see for yourself, I say. If you like gorgeous artwork, a lengthy, challenging quest and want to play a game where you can lose yourself for too many hours in. That and it’s pretty funny in a few spots and some of the hidden areas and secrets are quite cool.