Alien Isolation Pre-Order Trailer: It’s “Oh, You Want Some, Too?!” Before That Line Existed In The Franchise…

Posted on July 10, 2014 by geelw

Well, I guess there’s a pre-order in my future after all, but as noted yesterday, I really hope that Sega and developer The Creative Assembly decide to make BOTH of those DLC packs permanent and available to everyone who wants them at some point. I just can’t see them vanishing into the ether forever a year or less down the road like the content in that last Aliens game a lot of people seemed to dislike too much. Anyway, this is a completely different game and a completely different dev team, so I’m one of those smarter people not rolling in the mud and predicting this game will be anything but as solid as a developer that’s never failed me previously can make. As far as what platform to play it on? I’m still flipping a coin…

ALIEN: Isolation Nostromo Edition DLC Packs Bring Back The Cast From The Past (But There’s An Pesky Modern Catch).

Posted on July 9, 2014 by geelw

Okay, the BEST gaming news I’ve heard all day also happens to kick me in the tender bits (ouchie!) because it’s a blast of sci-fi nostalgia mixed with the modern retailer insanity many gamers despise that shuts them out of bonus content. Anyway, the good., no, GREAT news is the announcement on the official site (and over on IGN, which ran a brief video announcing the news) of some incredible DLC for Alien Isolation that bumps the standard edition up to the Nostromo Edition and allows for players to dive into an enhanced mission based on the first film.

Even better, this mission has the voices and faces of all but one of the actors from the original film. Sigourney Weaver (Ellen Ripley), Tom Skerritt (Dallas), Veronica Cartwright (Lambert), Harry Dean Stanton (Brett), and Yaphet Kotto (Parker) are all on board in the “Crew Expendable” DLC, with Ian Holm’s Ash being portrayed by a sound-alike.

So far, so good, right? But of course, here comes the claw to the throat… Continue reading →

DESTINY Collector’s Editions: Get That Ghost (Or Whatever Else You Want) Soon!

Posted on July 7, 2014 by geelw

While I’m not sure how supremely high interest is in Bungie’s first new project since the blockbuster Halo days (that’s a bit on an in-joke, kids – people seem to want this all-new IP quite a lot), the hype around Destiny is certainly huge enough that the game is getting a few collector’s editions as you can see and read below:

That’s the Limited Edition above and there’s the Ghost Edition below:

And of course, DLC is along for the ride in this online-only experience. Here’s what’s coming down the early part of that long road Bungie and Activision have planned for the future:

Now, I’m not big on the whole Expansion Pass thing, but it’s one of those accepted practices that should work here quite well should the game have legs and Bungie wants to give its fans more as they burn through all the content in the main game. I just KNOW there will be some really enterprising players who team up to blow through the game world and its story content as quickly as possible, so I’m hoping the developer can at least keep up with those people and address any “complaints” they have. Granted, you’re not “supposed” to stay up for what, 20 hours straight (or however long it takes to see everything) playing ANY game. but try and stop someone with too much time on his or her hands and prepare to get slapped when they get a free hand.

Alien: Isolation Is Calling Me (Let’s Hope Sega Is Listening As Well)…

Posted on June 30, 2014 by geelw

Okay, Sega. I wasn’t at E3 this year, so tell me you’re rolling into NYC with Alien: Isolation and a few others sometime soon. I have a few appointments in July, but I’ll clear out the better part of a day just to see this in action and play it a little. Not TOO much, as I don’t want to pee myself in public (ha, ha). Just enough so that I know it’s on the right track (and I already do, but hands-on is better than too much “journalistic overconfidence” any day of the week). Um… that is all for now. Oh yeah, Sonic the Hedgehog had a birthday recently. I baked a cake, but ate the whole thing because he needs to watch his weight with that new look and all…

No Man’s Sky: Hello Games’ Will Be Your Favorite Developer Soon, I’ll Bet…

Posted on June 30, 2014 by geelw

As soon as I saw images and movies of No Man’s Sky, I had to add Hello Games to the top of my rather long favorite developers list. This small team of talented folk aren’t strangers to game development, having knocked out a few fun games in the Joe Danger series for iOS mobile devices, PC, PSN and Xbox Live Arcade. No Man’s Sky is a massive departure from those fun and outrageous side-scrolling stunt titles, an open space action/simulation game that’s harder to describe until you see it in motion. And even then, there’s so much innovation going on here that it’s astounding to hear how the game came about and where it’s going. Check out the video above and marvel at how Hello’s Sean Murray describes how his dream cam is coming to reality (and a PlayStation 4 near you in 2015).

Gallery: New Raven’s Cry Screenshots + A Little Shanty To Spice Up Your Monday (Arrrr!)

Posted on June 30, 2014 by geelw

Ahoy! My Monday’s running a wee bit late, but at least some things are working better than they were yesterday (and how!). The laptop isn’t rattling, there’s a nice strong wi-fi signal today (this past weekend was lousy!) and the fine folks at TopWare Interactive shot over a cannonball with four new Raven’s Cry screens that missed me by a mile, but there’s now a nice cannonball-shaped hole in the wall here. And you know what? I’m not even mad about that because I happen to think porthole windows are cool!

I just need to see if Home Depot has any in stock about the size of a ten-pound cannonball hole. I suppose I should let Dean over at Topware know that if he plans to shoot a review copy of the game over to aim for the roof, as I don’t think I need another hole in a wall here (or worse, through the porthole window I just installed.

Say, do ye fancy a shanty that’s not for the wee ones? Good! Topware has also dropped a second adults-only sea shanty called “Hangin’ Wille” that will make some of you laugh and others cringe accordingly. Like the other NSFW shanty “Sail With the Devil”, it’s got some VERY salty language that would make even a dead pirate blush. I’d post both videos here, but I’d probably get a second and better-aimed cannonball from the ladies out there. Hey, the life of a pirate wasn’t all TV series fodder and booze commercials, you know! Anyway, Raven’s Cry will be sailing into stores for PC/Mac, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on October 14, 2014.

Back with more on this one soon – I should probably invest in a cannonball catcher or something…

E3 2014: Focus Home Interactive Wants You To Focus On These Two Upcoming Games…

Posted on June 27, 2014 by geelw

Focus Home Interactive has two big games coming for PC and next-generation consoles and if this fourteen minutes of gameplay from the upcoming game STYX: Master of Shadows isn’t getting you grinning at the possibilities of just how cool it is to play that nasty little goblin assassin, I have not a clue what will get your interest piqued. This one’s coming later this summer and it’s great to see third party games like this and others filling up the PS4 and Xbox One library until the big first-party games roll out around the holidays and beyond.

On the even more intense front, fans of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 will be more than thrilled to see Space Hulk finally making a welcome return as a first-person shooter in the upcoming Space Hulk: Deathwing, coming from developer Streum On Studio. While all you get here is some in engine footage and not actual first-person gameplay with whatever HUD will (or won’t) be onscreen, Epic’s Unreal 4 engine is certainly making what you do see look pretty incredible and Streum On definitely has some talent Check out the handful of screenshots below for more of what to expect and keep an eye on both of these games, I say…

E3 2014: Paradox on the PS4! A Game Changer If It’s Done With Care…

Posted on June 24, 2014 by geelw

I’d missed out on the big news that Paradox Interactive would be making and publishing future games for the PlayStation 4 as well as PC, but I’m glad I saw this Magicka 2 trailer because it’s hilarious and made me smile even more because PS4 owners will get to see how much fun this adventure/action RPG is soon enough. I was kind of hoping the game would also appear on the Vita, but we’ll see what Paradox comes up with down the road, I suppose. I know it’ll be interesting to see if some of their more complex strategy titles make the transition to the PS4 and as far as the other issue of Paradox’s PC games often being a bit buggy upon release, I’m gathering they’re going to be working very hard to keep that from being a big issue on the console front. Fingers are crossed here on the latter…

Kingdom Under Fire II Trailer, Slight Return Version. Still Looking Good And Worth Keeping An Eye On…

Posted on June 24, 2014 by geelw

Here’s a slightly reedited version of the Kingdom Under Fire II trailer from E3 that Blueside put together using all in-game engine footage. As someone who’s played the two previous tactical/action based Xbox games, I’m quite pleased that the developer is following the same style of troop movement and direct character control play from previous entries while adding new elements. Some people STILL don’t “get” how the game will flow thanks to those cut scenes that break into the gameplay and the lack of menus and such, but all will be explained soon enough, I’d bet. If the new game is like the old ones, there will be a map to navigate, waypoints to set and other things to manage before and during battles to keep you occupied. What’s here is just to tease you into keeping an eyeball peeled for anything else coming down the road…

E3 2014: Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Monolith Just Might Be Making The Lord of The Lord of the Rings Games…

Posted on June 23, 2014 by geelw

Veteran developer (and former publisher) Monolith Productions has been around since 1997, but it’s upcoming game Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor may just be the studio’s most important game to date. The upcoming open world action/RPG set to hit PC, PS3/PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on October 7, 2014 looks to bring an all-new hero, Talion (a ranger who’s been killed but revived with supernatural powers) into the familiar world created by J. R. R. Tolkien. The game’s story is written by Christian Cantamessa (a lead-writer and lead-designer on Rockstar San Diego’s Red Dead Redemption) and Monolith is working with Middle-earth Enterprises, Peter Jackson and Weta Workshop ensuring that everything in the game is as close to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit canon as it gets while introducing some new and appealing elements.

Additionally, in the case of the PC and next-gen versions, the developer is also looking to expand the enemy AI in their game with something called the Nemesis System that gives each foe a back story, motivations and memories, allowing them to fight more fiercely and even remember how you’ve treated them if you happen to let them live when encountering them during gameplay. Another cool thing is the game will randomize who you encounter and allow no two play-throughs to be exactly the same. Talion will be able to influence enemies to fight each other, ally with him to take to the battlefield with some assistance and more. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions will most likely see this system slimmed down a bit, but if those versions retain the open world,enough of the abilities Talion has to affect enemies and the unique enemy placement, it’ll absolutely be well worth a buy… Continue reading →