VGA 101: uDraw Tablet (PS3): THQ’s Folly Makes For A Really Cool Budget Artist Buy…

Posted on May 15, 2013 by geelw

uDraw PS3a uDraw PS3b

When the uDraw was first released for the Nintendo Wii, it sold well enough that THQ decided to bring the tablet peripheral to both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but took a little too long to get it to market as more functional tablet devices became hot sellers. You could say that the company greatly overestimated a few things, most importantly, the selling power of the uDraw to an a PS3 and 360 audience made up of more hardcore gamers who had little to no use for a new peripheral they wouldn’t go near with a ten foot pole (unless they were using that pole to smash the thing to bits). Needless to say, uDraw on the PS3 and 360 didn’t do well at all and plenty of retailers and probably a few distributors were left sitting on plenty unsold stock… Continue reading →

Payday: The Heist 2 Gets A Cross-Platform Retail Release: Smart Move (And A Steal, At That)…

Posted on May 15, 2013 by geelw

payday2_logo_black

Other than trying the game out at a friend’s place for about an hour or so, I didn’t get to play Payday: The Heist because I can’t access PSN or Xbox Live at home. Of course, with its fast-paced but more tactical gameplay that your garden variety FPS and ability to play out different heists, the game did well enough as a PS3 and PC download that a sequel was a no-brainer. Overkill Software has been in the kitchen cooking up Payday 2 for a bit and publisher 505 Games has announced that not only is the sequel coming soon (as in this August), it’s making the jump to Xbox 360 AND getting a nice retail release this time out.

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As you can see from the screens below, the fine folks at Overkill (which is an offshoot of Starbreeze Studios) certainly know their way around a graphics engine and if you hate clowns, you’re already hiding behind a couch cushion thanks to those freaky masks. Of course, the proof is all in the playing, so I guess this one gets added to my already crowded list of games to get to once they’re out. Those of you looking for a little virtual cops & robbers action should probably be on the lookout for this one as well…

Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara: The Elf – In A Class All By Herself…

Posted on May 10, 2013 by geelw

Hey, now… before you get all finger-pointy and mention that elves are a race and not a class, you should probably take note that in Dungeons and Dragons, they were initially seen as a separate class along with halflings and dwarves. Of course, elves don’t exist in real life (despite people spending too much time believing they do), so there’s a moot point here somewhere I keep misplacing. Anyway, whee – I get to try this Iron Galaxy-developed HD reboot/remake out next week when Capcom rolls into NYC with it and a few other awesome upcoming games, so expect a nice hands-on report shortly afterward. Dungeon & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara hits PC, PSN, Xbox Live and Nintendo’s eShop on July 14 – back in a bit with more on this instant classic soon.

Dragon’s Crown Cover Art, Artbook Revealed: Preselling A Not-So-Hard Sell…

Posted on May 10, 2013 by geelw

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Lovely… and it can soon be all yours, at that. Dragon’s Crown finally gets some VERY pretty cover art for its retail versions as well as a really cool pre-order bonus in the form of a 64-page softcover art book that’s absolutely going to be snapped up by fans of George Kamitani’s work. I’d go as far as to predict the art book selling for more than the game does down thee road among those who miss out and want to pay through the pores on eBay or some other site, but that’s not Atlus’ concern what you do with that bonus item as they see not a red cent from secondhand sales of their cool goods. Anyway, check out the official site if you haven’t already for character profiles, more of Kamitani’s lush artwork and more.

Dragon’s Crown will hit retail and PSN on August 6, 2013. Be there or be square, I say…

Wolfenstein: The New Order – Meet The New Boss (Not The Same As The Old Boss)…

Posted on May 9, 2013 by geelw

WOLF_ID_type_white Well, now… B.J. Blazkowicz is coming back in a new Wolfenstein game from a team made up of some pretty talented industry vets originally from Starbreeze Studios? Count me in, especially if it’s got mechs to stomp around in or get the hell away from as they’re trying to stomp YOU.

Of course, the alternate past 1960 setup where the Germans win WWII and B.J. is back in action after too long made me laugh and think of Captain America frozen in an iceberg until he got accidentally defrosted (ah, comics science!), but I think this game will go for a less crazy plot twist and just make with the satisfying Nazi-blasting in solo and multiplayer modes. Er, well… I hope there’s a decent plot here.

Then again, I’m not too worried, as Bethesda’s had hits with Arkane Studios’ phenomenal Dishonored and it’s own Elder Scrolls games. It certainly looks like “new” developer Machine Games is on the case plus tax, as you can see from these two videos that introduces the team in a pretty funny manner. And hell, when your executive producer is named Jerk, you KNOW you’re going to get a memorable experience…

Anyway, they sure look like a bunch of fun folks, so I’ll do what I do best and leave them along until they have something playable to show off in the near future…

Metal Gear Solid The Legacy Collection: Order The Import, and Snake’s On A Plane…

Posted on May 6, 2013 by geelw

Well, you know you’re probably going to sell the cat (who will be glad to get out of the house finally) and half a kidney (because you just can’t let go of the whole thing) for this if it never comes out here, but fortunately, you don’t need to, as it’s headed to North America as well (but minus the 100-page artbook Japanese and Asian territory gamers will get, boo!).

That said, it certainly looks as if this one will be in huge demand as an import as well as a US version, as it’s probably the least expensive way to get to play all of these games on a single console. Granted, some of us old-timers actually own a working MSX, PlayStation 1, PS2 and PS3, but man, are some of those older Metal Gear games expensive if you’re looking for complete versions and not digital downloads.

Oh, and sorry about the pun in the title – I couldn’t resist throwing some freshly shucked corn your way on an otherwise manic Monday…

Review: Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

Posted on May 5, 2013 by geelw

DD_DA_PS3 Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

My favorite fantasy game (as well as the one that got played the most) of 2012 was Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma thanks to the level of immersion it offered as a single player experience, the massive land of Gransys and its assorted dangers above and below ground, tons of hidden secrets and unique Pawn system. It was impossible for me to not spend at least two to three hours at a minimum exploring outside the main quest, poking about in areas and often running like hell from some high-level monsters just to beef up my character a few more levels and hire some more powerful pawns just to drop back in and kick that big boss and his minions around. Of course, there was that cranky, level-shifting Ur-Dragon to give me fits a few times until it was able to be defeated multiple times, coughing up some cool treasure, but that’s a book I can write some other time.

Anyway, this year, we get a wonderful expansion, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen that packs in the original game with some nice fixes and an all new massive underground dungeon and rewards geared for high-level players only. Make that high-level players with a ton of patience willing to go through hell before they reach high water, as DD:DA is even more brutal than the original, but in a good way…
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Skyrim Legendary Edition Is Coming: There Goes About Six Months of Your Life (Or So)…

Posted on May 3, 2013 by geelw

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Save the date, folks: June 4, 2013, $59.99, PC, PS3 or Xbox 360. Pick your poison and take a nice long vacation in this massive solo adventure/RPG that, with all the new content should take you a few weeks to complete once you get hooked into the game world. You get the original and all the expansions (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn), all the content changes, patching and fixes included (PS3 owners should be pleased to hear this news, as that original version seemed to suffer the most). Bethsoft is “moving on” from this game, so this should be the ultimate (and final) version of an already spectacular entry in the long-running franchise. Of course, this means we’ll probably be hearing about a new Elder Scrolls game in about two or three years as the company is no doubt looking at a few consoles and seeing what’s under the hood.

New Dragon’s Crown Trailers: Something New For The Guys And Gals (And Any Other Art Fans)…

Posted on May 2, 2013 by geelw

Hey, it’s ladies first today (well, as always!):

Sure that Fighter below may have a lot more protection, but that’s because he NEEDS it. He’s not as powerful a spellcaster as the Sorceress is (as in NOWHERE near her skills), so he has to clank around in his horned can while dealing out massive damage to any and all who step in front of his blade (ouch!). That Sorceress has it going on in a few ways, so don’t underestimate her good looks and generous assets. Fools who get distracted and start in with the eyeballing get roasted, frozen, shocked or otherwise pained to death. I’d certainly say THAT counts as “Girl Power”… or “Woman Power” if you want to get picky about my choice of language…

Dragon’s Crown will be available in retail game shops and on PSN for the PlayStation 3 and Vita on August 6, 2013. You’re welcome, by the way…

Beyond: Two Souls Tribeca Film Fest Screening: Game As Art, FIlm and All Around Masterpiece…

Posted on May 2, 2013 by geelw

Previously, it was Rockstar Studios showing off Team Bondi’s L.A. Noire at this festival, but Quantic Dream’s eagerly awaited PS3 exclusive is leaps and bounds over that impressive effort. Grab a snack, out the phone on shut up mode, pull up a chair and prepare to be amazed if you’ve not seen this gameplay demo already. Including the panel discussion with David Cage, Ellen Page and others, It’s a long video, so you’ll be dipped into the game world feet first and and hear what some of the talent behind it have to say about their involvement – enjoy the ride.