The Last of Us: Cryptic, Indeed. And A PS3 Exclusive…

Posted on December 6, 2011 by geelw

I usually avoid Spike TV’s Video game awards (and hell, ANY game awards shows) like the plague (you pretty much always know who’s going to win in this skewed “Popular = Good!” scenario that crops up year after year) but the teaser trailers and mysterious website for the upcoming PS3 exclusive has me maybe wanting to break my self-imposed stubborn streak. Then again, I’m supposed to be immune to this sort of marketing (and maybe I am after all), but I really want to find out more about this upcoming game. I’m getting a modern survival terror vibe from the site and trailer, but we’ll see what’s what. The Spike VGA’s are on TV December 10. Maybe I’ll watch them this year… maybe not…

Review: Tekken Hybrid

Posted on December 1, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Namco

Publisher: Namco Bandai

# of Players: 1 – 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+ (80%)

One of the most underutilized features of the PS3 has been the ability to play Blu-Ray and game hybrid discs, which is quite strange in my opinion. Considering how licensed movie games could have a second life if bundled with the films they’re based on at a reasonable price point, it’s a no-brainer to me that MORE game/movie discs haven’t been produced. Tekken Hybrid manages to do a pretty decent job as a package, although a few more bonuses would have been cool to beef up the replay value somewhat. For $40, you’re getting the CG movie Tekken: Blood Vengeance, an HD version of Tekken Tag Tournament and a brief demo of the Japanese arcade version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (all with optional 3DTV support), plus a few interviews with a few folks behind the games and film. While this package is geared more towards hardcore Tekken fans, those new to the long running fighting franchise can pick it up and have a blast, provided they’re not looking for online play or tons of bonus content (other than the newly added Trophies). Continue reading →

Ratchet & Clank All 4 One Team Up Trailer

Posted on October 10, 2011 by geelw

Yes, it’s almost too darn cute and funny for words, but then this would be a really short blog post. Insomniac’s latest is on the way (October 18th), so here’s a look at the short version of the latest trailer. Hmmm… wait, that WAS a short post, wasn’t it? OK, initially I wasn’t sure I’d be a fan of the multiplayer-centric gameplay, being an antisocial cuss and all, but it looks as if playing solo will be just as fun. Insomniac DOES know what they’re doing, folks. So that’s that, I guess… We’ll see next week how it all turns out…

Uncharted 3 Cargo Plane/Chateau Gameplay: Naughty Dog Shows How It’s Done

Posted on October 9, 2011 by geelw

Nathan Drake (above), meet Nathan Drake (below). As you can see from these videos (thanks, CVG!) clearly, we’re watching a developer at the top of its form getting the most out of the PS3 hardware. Sure, they’re definitely showing off here, but when the results look this good, it’s hard to find fault with that at all. Sony’s first-party lineup has been solid for a while, but between last year’s hits and this year’s follow-ups, there’s little doubt that the console still has a lot of life left in it. That November 1 release date for Uncharted 3 is rolling up really quickly and there’s little doubt that this one will be a huge hit in a rather crazy year of major releases.

Kill Screen & Capcom Present Fright Club

Posted on October 7, 2011 by geelw

Got plans for October 11? If you happen to be in the NYC area (a few days early for New York Comic Con, perhaps?), Kill Screen Magazine and Capcom are whipping up a nice event for fans of the Dead Rising and Resident Evil franchises. Here’s the when and where:

Santos Party House
96 Lafayette St.
New York, NY 11013

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM (ET)

It’s a super-busy week for me, but I just might show up to see and play for a bit as all three titles are on my radar…

Review: Resistance 3

Posted on September 26, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Insomniac Games

Publisher: SCEA

# of Players: 1 – 2 (Online: 1 – 16)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

It’s absolutely been the best year to be a PS3 owner and Resistance 3 continues Sony’s streak of solid first-party titles with an exhilarating, action-packed shooter that’s an absolute must-buy. Packing in a lengthy single-player campaign (with solid offline or online co-op), satisfying multiplayer and a ridiculous amount of over the top battles, this is one of those games FPS fans will get a ton of mileage out of. Key to the gameplay experience are the incredibly fluid controls whether you’re using a Dual Shock 3, PS Move/Navigation controller combo or Sharpshooter peripheral and yes, the game looks fantastic. There area few quirks here and there with the AI on the easier settings and if you want to get the most out of the co-op and multiplayer, the game requires some mandatory patching that fixes a few release bugs. Nevertheless, once that’s taken care of, you’re in for quite a wild ride. Continue reading →

TGS 2011: Ni No Kuni Coming To PS3 In North America Next Year

Posted on September 17, 2011 by geelw

Fantastic. Level-5 and Studio Ghibli’s gorgeous single-player RPG Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joō has been one of the most desired for localization imports of the last few years. The game revolves around a young boy who enters an alternate world using a magical book in order to try and resurrect his late mother. The Nintendo DS version, Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madōshi was released last year to rave reviews in Japan and excellent sales, so it’s pretty much guaranteed that the November 2011 Japanese release for the PS3 will be equally successful. As soon as we find out who’s localizing and publishing the US version, that news will become available.

While no word of an English localization of the DS version has been announced, I’d imagine Nintendo (and Nintendo of America) wouldn’t let Sony steal all the glory by getting the onlyversion of this eagerly awaited game to gamers outside of Japan. That and the Japanese version of the DS game came in a really cool over-sized box thanks to the game manual designed to look like the magic book the main character carries and yes, it would indeed be great to see a similar package hit US as well as UK and European retailers.

CS:GO Trailer Brings Back Memories, Brings In Consoles

Posted on August 28, 2011 by geelw

Valve’s upcoming online shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will not only finally bring the supremely popular game up to speed for today’s gamers, the game will also be playable on consoles with the PS3 version getting PlayStation Move as well as USB keyboard/mouse support. Not only will this allow for cross-platform gaming between PC and PS3 owners, it just may put to rest the notion that consoles get the shorter end of the stick when it comes to control. Sadly, Xbox 360 owners are out of the cross-platform loop not because of Valve wanting to piss off that user base, but due to certain Microsoft’s policies that probably aren’t sitting to well with those who want to see the game playable across anything it can be played on. Continue reading →

Sony Announces PS3 Price Cuts Now, Nintendo To Release Lower Priced Wii This Xmas

Posted on August 17, 2011 by geelw

Yup, the ongoing economy issues worldwide have made these price cuts necessary, but it's also the beginning of the build up to new consoles (which should more than likely be announced at next year's E3 for a 2013-2014 launch by my calculations). At its Gamescom 2011 press conference, Sony announced that effective immediately, the core 160GB PlayStation 3 model will now retail at $249.00 and the core 320GB console for $299 in the US.

Sony also announced a new value model PSP without Wi-Fi support at the event, but as far as I can tell, this model is only set for an European release at a price point of 99 Euros. I'd hope that this model makes it to US shores, as there are literally TONS of UMD games out there that will sell if bundled with the new lower-priced unit.Read more »

White Knight Chronicles II: New, Improved & You Get The First Game Free

Posted on August 3, 2011 by geelw

With so many big-name RPG's rolling out this fall from a few big name publishers, it's easy to overlook some genre gems coming from unexpected places. D3Publisher of America is also branching into console RPG territory with the upcoming release of White Knight Chronicles II, exclusively for the PS3. The Level 5-developed JRPG features a huge amount of improvements over the original, which has itself been enhanced and added to the package as a ridiculously awesome bonus.Read more »