Clan of Champions Isn’t What You Think It Is (And That’s Probably A Good Thing)…

Posted on March 5, 2012 by geelw

This spring, NISA will be publishing Acquire’s upcoming downloadable PS3, Xbox 360 and PC fantasy action game (for up to six players), Gladiator VS under a name that makes it sound exactly like either a RPG or a League of Legends pastiche. This of course, could work for or against the game as I can see JRPG fans wanting to snap it up automatically because of the Nippon Ichi connection and overly protective LoL fans thinking it’s a shoddy rip-off of some sort. Yours truly falls under the happy medium label, as I want to see the game succeed on its own merits and not just some accidental honors blessed upon the game by those who automatically support ANYTHING certain companies put out just to add another notch to their gaming belts. Of course, i don’t want it to fail miserably because it gets bad word of mouth from too many people who haven’t a clue (and nope, uninformed opinions based on NOT touching the game don’t count). In English: personally, I like what Acquire has done here (and with previous entries in the series) and want to see how it’s all turned out, no matter who publishes it and under what name.

Granted, if it were titled “Mr. Pablum’s Peanut Butter Palace” or something similarly silly, I’d wonder who the hell was thinking up these game names and how the hell I could get a piece of THAT particular pie. I can think up dopey names all day, so I should at least be able to collect a paycheck for that…

Assassin’s Creed III Cover Makes Some See Red(coats)…

Posted on March 5, 2012 by geelw

As for me, after the last couple of installments doing their best to milk things dry, I like the new location the series is headed to. The choice of a Revolutionary War setting shows that Ubisoft is interested in taking the series in a different direction that just may shake up the gameplay in a few core areas. I always get a chuckle out of poking around message boards and seeing the bile flow from the folks that don’t get the fact that the AC series isn’t “their” game. Like it or not, at the end of the day, Ubisoft dictates what goes on in the series and as long as the games continue to sell, you can expect them to keep being made. As for those who were expecting the series to stay overseas as far as settings go… lighten up, already. Sure, it may seem jarring to have things leap from the vast and lovely architecturally dense cities to pre-1800 America and its fight for independence, but let’s just see where this one goes as more info (and some ACTUAL gameplay) are released, hmmmm?

Hell, I’ll only complain if I see the exact same game mechanics and animations (and maybe some Dodge cars being driven during a big battle sequence like in that stupidly overblown commercial from last year)…

Mass Effect 3 Launch Trailer: Are You Throwing Money At Your Screen Yet?

Posted on March 3, 2012 by geelw

So, it’s come to this has it? Actually, it’s no big deal that we’re seeing launch trailers land online before a game ships, but of course, some out there are over-speculating (as usual) when they should just knock it off and get their grins on that BioWare and EA are getting the final part of Shepard’s story into their hands. Well, issues with DLC aside (for those who can’t access it more than the ones who CAN but still want to complain all day about the cost and availability schedule), I’d say the game is going to be huge (duh) and neither the developer nor publisher should let those pooh-pooh bears rain on their parade.

Hawken March Update: Free To Play Has Its Good And Bad Points (Like It Or Not)…

Posted on March 1, 2012 by geelw

Adhesive Games’ latest trailer to its now free-to-play online mech combat game shows off some even more impressive detail and based on the already crowded beta, this one’s bound to be a mega-hit the PC gamer crowd can call their own. That said, I’d love it a lot more if this game would show up on a portable platform with some cross-platform play so even more of you out there can experience it. Sure, THAT version won’t be free to get at retail, but I say people won’t mind paying for something that looks this awesome. When I actually have it, I like throwing good money at any developers I think are doing outstanding work (provided they also get a physical product out there at some point). I guess we’ll see where that goes after the game goes live at the end of this year. Of course, if the world ends in some form or another, the Internet most likely won’t be working at all and you’ll wish this WAS on a disc so you could at least play offline while you’re hunkered down in your bunker somewhere. I’m just saying…

DiRT Showdown “What Goes On Tour” Video Takes You For A Ride…

Posted on February 25, 2012 by geelw

Codemasters’ powerful Ego engine is pretty spectacular for whatever they use it on and I’d say this upcoming all-purpose rally/destruction racer is really pushing it as far as it can go. I’m loving all the modes I’ve seen as now I probably don’t need to keep digging out so many different types of racers in order to get a few different road fixes taken care of. Granted, I really STILL want a solid, PURE rally game from the team down the road that’s even better than what’s here. But I’m certainly not complaining about how much fun I’ll be having when the game is finally out sometime in May 2012 (PS3, Xbox 360 and PC).

Double Fine Adventure Update: Fun WIth Ron & Tim

Posted on February 25, 2012 by geelw

Hmmm. It’s way too early in the morning, but I’m up, so here’s a post to read and a long as heck video to watch that’s pretty funny. I made the mistake of watching Mars Needs Moms last night, so this 35-plus minutes actually negated a chunk of that awful film from my memory. Man, was it lousy (it did have some nice animation work, though). Anyway, next time I can’t sleep, I’ll go play a game instead (like Double Fine Adventure, perhaps?)

Arcane Worlds Will Make You Kill Too Much Time (And It’s Only A Tech Demo)…

Posted on February 23, 2012 by geelw

So, Ranmantaru Games (that would be Alexey Volynskov) is working on something really cool called Arcane Worlds. It’s going to be an homage to the classic 1994 PC game from Bullfrog, Magic Carpet. The actual “game” is a ways off, but the tech demo is available to play around with. Once you download it (it’s a mere 1.4MB file) and get to fooling around, you’ll find yourself forgetting to do other important stuff like working on articles you should be working on and maybe getting an extra two hours of sleep. I “created” the images above with a few keyboard presses and mouse clicks (instant wallpaper!), but I had to stop at only two before I ended up staying awake all night making worlds, eroding terrain and dropping water all over everything before changing the sun’s position (which changes the world from day to night). I’m not sure when Alexey will be finished with his game, but I say keep an eye on it. I’d keep both eyes on it, but I need to finish all that writing I’ve started…

Also, the LEVEL UP! demo is priceless (well, the demo is free, but definitely pay the five bucks for the Alpha version!). It’s super early, but pure fun to blast through those voxel walls and the idea is brilliant stuff. Enjoy!

Borderlands 2 “Doomsday” Trailer: You’ll Want To Make Friends Just To Play This One…

Posted on February 22, 2012 by geelw

Gearbox and 2K Games are knocking it out of the park with this upcoming sequel and here’s the proof. If you’re not dancing around like a fool with your wallet in hand screaming “TAKE MY MONEY!” at your monitor (please don’t watch this trailer on a mobile device, as you’ll be arrested for solicitation when you scream those words on the subway or bus), well, you’re either not much of a gamer or just don’t see the beauty of 87 bazillion guns. That and hey, a robot doing the Robot? Claptrap is back and probably up to no good (again). September 18 is going to be a pretty sleepless day here and in other parts of the US, is all I’ll say…

Er, I Forgot To Add The Hitman: Absolution Diana Burnwood ICA File Video (Oops)…

Posted on February 22, 2012 by geelw

Eh, it happens every so often, but I’ll get over it if you will. Here’s the supplemental video to the Marsha Thomason interview I posted earlier (er, yesterday as of an hour or two ago so you can see a bit more about the character (as well as some nice comic art by Ben Oliver). Um, that is all. I’ll try and make less mistakes (well, after I finally get some sleep)…

Hitman: Absolution VO Interviews: Marsha Thomason

Posted on February 21, 2012 by geelw

Here’s a excellent interview with one of the voice talent behind IO Interactive’s upcoming game. Actress Marsha Thomason lets you in on a few cool things about her character, Diana Burnwood as well as what goes into performance capturing for the game. It’s been far too long since Agent 47 has appeared on the scene, but from what I’ve seen so far, everyone’s favorite bald (and bar-coded) assassin is coming back in fine form indeed in a game that looks spectacular. I’d say Square Enix has another hit on their hands as a publisher…