E3 2013: The Walking Dead – 400 Days Trailer: Telltale Returns To More Gory Adventure Glory

Posted on June 16, 2013 by geelw

Last year’s release of Telltale Games’ superb adventure game, The Walking Dead showed that there’s more life to the adventure genre than some critics and jaded gamers thought. The episodic horror hit garnered a number of Game of the Year nods and awards from all over the map and for its compelling narrative and its multiple path-driven gameplay and despite some gore and violence (that served the story, mind you) it seems many people who weren’t into gaming per se wanted to play this for the plot. Anyway, the game did well enough that of course, a new set of downloadable stories on the way and based on this trailer (and the pile of “Best of Show” awards the game has gotten, The Walking Dead – 400 Days looks to be more of the same great and frightening descent into a world gone completely insane. The key in both the last series and this one is it’s less about the zombies and more about those still living affected by them and those who may or may not die based upon the player’s actions.

In an interesting move, developer Skybound Entertainment is giving players five stories in one DLC episode this time out and the game is also set to hit multiple platforms (PC, Mac, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and Xbox Live Arcade), meaning more will be playing it at the same time if the release date for all of those systems lines up. All those positive press vibes will be great for the developer and publisher as well as fans of the comic and TV series who want more (and GOOD) licensed content that stays true to the source material. I’m already practicing my reflexes, as those conversation-based timed events and action scenes can indeed be as scary as the story making your spine rattle. Back with more on this one soon…

E3 2013: Meanwhile, At Sony HQ…

Posted on June 14, 2013 by geelw

OK, while I’m not quite sure The Nicholas Brothers AND Charlotte Greenwood would like you to buy a PlayStation 4, (well, it didn’t exist back when this film was shot), you get the idea here, right? Sony’s knockout E3 presentation and MUCH clearer consumer rights strategy for used games, which SHOULD still be standard issue for all companies, won the day along with some great upcoming first and third party titles. Still, it’s kind of pesky that this is the big thing people are talking about. Hopefully, this will lead to an actual discussion that will also affect the future of content “ownership” and keep it normal longer than some other companies and individuals who want it dissolved into a service-driven monetization scheme (bleh) just because it’s “simpler” and “easy to use”…

Memo to “future-proofing” tech companies: Leave us game, movie and other media collecting hounds alone and go make your money on other items that maybe SHOULD be seen as lease worthy, I say. Digital content is great and provided there’s access to it, convenient. However, as 100% of the people out there can’t get to it 100% of the time, companies that try too hard to play with our rights deserve a little less love (and Microsoft has dipped a bit on a few gift card lists, that’s for sure)…

E3 2013: Dragon’s Crown Trailer: Pow Wow (and How!)

Posted on June 12, 2013 by geelw

Here’s a much more detailed peek at VanillaWare’s upcoming instant classic that’s getting plenty of interest for it’s art style and insanely pneumatic under-dressed ladies and overly burly men. Personally, I love George Kamitani’s singular art style and the fact that it looks so fantastic in motion. That and you can’t hate a game that has the best random cartoon mouse appearance since Steamboat Willie. Too bad that super cute rodent isn’t a playable fighter in the game (but I could be wrong…)

E3 2013: Lego Marvel Super Heroes Trailer: TT Games Makes It Marvelicious!

Posted on June 11, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, it’s on, again. Eternally busy developer TT Games is really knocking it all over and out of the park with their LEGO games, and while LEGO Batman 2 was spectacular, this looks as if it will top it and yes, Marvel Comics fans are hopping up and down about this all over the place. That said, as much pure fun as these games are to play solo or co-op, I keep wondering when we’ll see TT do a SERIOUS super-hero game, as I can only imagine how cool an open world Marvel or DC game would be if it played like this and had the same amount of characters (or more) to choose from. No, some MMO doesn’t hack it for me – I’m an offline guy and an antisocial jerk, at that. Well, most of the time…

E3 2013: PlayStation 4 Reveal: A Rerun Worth Repeating, As It’s A REALLY Good One…

Posted on June 11, 2013 by geelw

I’ll most likely run trailers of all the games shown here at some point, but you look more tired than I do, so it’s break time! Grab a sammich and a drink, pull up a seat and catch this rebroadcast of Sony’s E3 press conference where they basically slowly drop kick Microsoft’s otherwise master plans for living room dominance in the hind quarters. Granted, talk is cheap… but compared to Microsoft’s attitude towards consumers over time and particularly during the Xbox One reveals, this one’s worth being a bit smug over if you’re a longtime Sony fan. I like games, PERIOD, so I really have no preference. However, I also like to be able to PLAY my games and not have anyone tell me how, where or when to, so Sony’s at least understood that and a few other important things…

Batman: Arkham Origins Update: The Riddler Is Back To Drive Bats Nuts…

Posted on June 1, 2013 by geelw

Hoo boy. Those darn Riddler Challenge puzzles were am optional set of very tricky timed action sequences that extended the life of the previous games for anyone up to the task, and WB Montreal isn’t forgetting about them in this next installment. You know the drill, folks. You’re doing your Darkight Detective thing and while on a rooftop or some other otherwise nondescript location, you spy a glowing green “?”, accidentally or intentionally trigger a pressure plate and need to race to hit a few other spots so you can nab something cool before it’s locked away. The first one’s a gimme, but they get harder and harder and the next thing you know, you’re up at 4am consulting an online FAQ or making one yourself. This is actually the ONLY question I had about the game, as I know it’s in mighty fine hands otherwise. Off to look at jumbo-size aspirin, as some of those later puzzles will no doubt require a few…

Rayman Legends PS Vita Trailer: Vivent les Jeux 2D!

Posted on May 29, 2013 by geelw

rayman legends wall I was going to do this entire post in French and make some really funny (translation: LAME) French jokes, but I can’t speak French very well (c’est la vie!), I don’t trust translation software at all (See the mangled title above) and I didn’t want to be kidnapped and tortured by any French special forces that happen to be in the area or just so happen to drop in to see me for getting too funny about the country. Hey, I was watching The Battle of Algiers again, so I’m a little paranoid today,

OK? Anyway, oh yeah, Rayman! *Ahem.* He’s back and coming to the Vita soon, so if you happen to love colorful and hilarious 2D side-scrolling platform games that just so happen to be made in France, well… Rayman Legends is calling to you from that streetlamp on the corner while accordion music toodles away in the background. Go on… you know you want to drift on over just out of curiosity. Hmmm… maybe you should just buy the game before Maurice Chevalier’s ghost wakes up and starts singing “Louise” or “Thank Heaven For Little Girls”… the gendarmes always come for him when that last tune kicks in…

Dragon’s Crown Elf & Dwarf Trailers: It’s Not A Toss Up At All…

Posted on May 24, 2013 by geelw

… In terms of which of these or the other characters to pick because you’re going to go through Dragon’s Crown with ALL of them I bet. The game is crafted so that each hero or heroine is going to be played from start to finish, as each one is powerful warrior in his or nher own right. No matter who picks up a controller to dive in and enjoy what Vanillaware has cooked up, expect to be floored by the lovely 2D visuals and more tight gameplay than you can shake a stick holding goblin at.Before you slam it into its evil buddies and blast them with a spell or knock them silly with a blunt object.

Prepare to get a workout (and give our PS3 or Vita a workout as well) when Dragon’s Crown hits retail and PSN on August 6, 2013. And nope, don’t even try to toss that Dwarf – his incredible beard alone looks as if it will beat you up pretty badly…

Gallery: Batman Arkham Origins

Posted on May 20, 2013 by geelw

This recently announced prequel to the hugely successful Arkham series looks quite nice in that CG trailer and really gorgeous screens below, but I see that some fans are concerned that no Rocksteady at the wheel means the game won’t have the same quality. I say give this one a shot, as it’s from the same WB Games Montreal team that converted Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition to the Wii U (and did a stellar job, at that) and I seriously doubt that they’ll deviate much from what made the first two games work so well.

In fact, I’ll predict a few tweaks and improvements to the formula that make Origins an equal or better game (as it should be), simply because going backwards is NOT an option at all. Anyway, BAO is set to launch Oct. 25, 2013 for PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 along with Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. Nope, I don’t have screens or video on that just yet – WB Games just sent one batarang through my window with these images and trailer for the console game, so I guess the other one will come crashing through as soon as I get the window replaced.

Oh, by the way… Deathstroke IS indeed going to be playable in the game’s Challenge Mode and fans who pre-order the game for PS3, Xbox 360 or PC version of Batman Arkham Origins will receive exclusive early access to the Deathstroke pack (sorry, Wii U owners… unless you get yours some other way that hasn’t been revealed yet).

Well, I guess it’s better than getting a strange box from the Joker with who knows what sort of surprise inside, right?

Orc Attack Gets Slightly Retitled (In Fact, It’s A Gas)…

Posted on May 20, 2013 by geelw

OrcAttack_BoxArt This actually cracks me up more than a little because I remember the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Game from Interplay called Boogerman that actually had censored text in the manual and actual game (“Frrt”) because the use of the word “Fart” was deemed offensive or something silly like that. My, how times have changed (and juvenile humor just hasn’t, right?).

As you can see (and probably smell)m above, the newly rechristened Orc Attack: Flatulent Rebellion, set to hit PC, PSN and XBLA later this year. I’ll keep an eyeball peeled for this one, as it looks like fun, but I want a gas mask before I play it (and maybe some earplugs so those assorted gassy noises don’t distract me)…

Oh, you may as well meet playable character Friar Krap since you’ve read this far. Er, enjoy? Amusingly enough, I was planning on cooking up some cabbage or sauteed broccoli with garlic to go with my chicken soup for dinner later this evening, but these videos have made me change my dining plans a bit. Maybe I’ll stick to the water and water on the rocks tonight…