New Trailer: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

Posted on July 26, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/uvvjMUwBMqQ?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

UTV Ignition’s phenomenally gorgeous, sure-fire winner of a sleeper hit may have been pushed back a little to an August release (from July 26), but don’t be disappointed at all. Just go play the demo if you haven’t (and play it again a few more times if you have) and absolutely pre-order this one so the fine folks at UTV Ignition can sleep better at night knowing you’re all a bunch of hardcore gamers who’ll support these guys and their awesome game. Or awesome GAMES, actually. Vanillaware’s spectacular Dragon’s Crown is also one of their future projects, so they need as many of your gaming dollars to show that you guys want this one as well when it’s finally done and ready to ship.

Catherine Is Coming!

Posted on July 25, 2011 by geelw

Well, alright. Atlus came through and is indeed shooting over a copy of Catherine, which makes me happy beyond words. Well, I have words, but you’ll need to wait and see what they are. Granted, I’m still buying the retail version (both of them) at some point because I’m crazy like that, but I’ll be diving into the review copy as soon as it arrives and getting it done up as quickly as possible. Thanks much, guys!

Gallery: GoldenEye: Reloaded

Posted on July 23, 2011 by geelw

While previewing the revamped GoldenEye 007 on the Wii last year at an Activision event here in NYC, I asked one of the Eurocom guys if PS3 and 360 owners would ever get to see how great the game was on an HD console. While I forget the EXACT answer I'd gotten, it certainly wasn't “No”, which was indeed a good sign. Flash forward less than a year later and *boom!*, here it is: GoldenEye: Reloaded, a beefed up new version (NO, it's not a straight port) that features even better visuals and a few new game modes. Check out more screens below the jump.Read more »

Review: Captain America: Super Soldier

Posted on July 19, 2011 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360/PlayStation 3

Developer: Next Level Games

Publisher: Sega

# of Players 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B

As far as this year's crop of licensed superhero movie games go, Captain America; Super Soldier comes out on top as the most enjoyable. Brandon Gill and the team at Next Level Games (working with a no-nonsense script from Marvel writer Christos Gage) have cooked up a game that packs in exploration, excellent combat sequences, tons of collectibles and a timing-based navigation system that's refreshing as well as rewarding. A few technical issues drag the fun down a notch, but overall, this is one of those games that's hard to put down once you start playing. Granted, if you're one of those folks who wants a “Game of the Year” contender in EVERY title you play, you'll probably find the game lacking in a few areas. On the other hand, for what it is, Cap gets the job done in a solid no frills manner that's well worth the price point.Read more »

BloodRayne: Betrayal Gameplay Trailer + New Screens

Posted on July 19, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/HJ3Jwnbr3Fw?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

New screens (below) plus a mere 44 seconds of beautiful, bloody side-scrolling (and surprisingly, only T-rated!) bliss thanks to WayForward Technologies and Majesco. Reinventing the sexy vampire killing machine as a slick looking retro arcade style slicer was a genius move and these days almost no one does a better game of this type than WayForward. August can’t come soon enough, I say. Now about getting this thing on a DISC (as well as the usual download for the couch-bound sun haters out there)… THAT would make me a happier camper indeed…

Tomb Raider: Making Of "Turning Point" Video

Posted on July 17, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/q2GeG_OpyE4?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

Eidos and Crystal Dynamics’ upcoming reboot is looking quite stellar. With a younger Lara, new “survival action” gameplay and scary cinematic moments galore, this was one of the games of E3 that some of us longtime Tomb Raider fans have waited for. Here’s a peek at some behind the scenes stuff (just in case you were curious as to how these game cinemas are created). Square Enix has quite a nice set of worldwide developed AAA games this year that makes them far more than just the guys behind Final Fantasy…

Oh – in case you still haven’t seen it, the full Turning Point trailer is below.

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/RN7_8Yholm4?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

Preview/Gallery Update: Dark Souls

Posted on July 17, 2011 by geelw

FromSoftware’s nightmarish, brutal (and beautiful) RPG gets better and better looking each time I see it. At the Namco Bandai event last week, I also got to see see a hilarious speed run through the demo that made a formerly torturous hour-long plus replay after replay session under normal hands get us to a pretty spectacular (and scary) boss battle in around two and a half minutes or so. The Namco Bandai rep doing the run had gotten so good at the demo that he decided to show off part of the build that few game journalists had actually made it to after multiple attempts.

While sitting there with our jaws on the floor or cracking up at the pack of death-dealing creatures running after the poor armored Templar type on screen, I had the immediate thought that Xbox 360 owners who didn’t play Demon’s Souls on the PS3 are in for a big, bad surprise. Dark Souls is looking to be beyond hard for newbies and trying to play it like any other game where you’re guided through missions will probably lead to a few smashed controllers and complaints that the game isn’t at all fair. Well… it’s not supposed to be. When your official website is called PREPARE TO DIE, er… what sort of game were you expecting to play?

Dark Souls will be in stores in October for the PS3 and Xbox 360. It’s going to get ugly online and off – but you’ll love every minute of it.. unless you’re not prepared to die (and a LOT at that).

Toue De France: The Official Game Coming To PS3/Xbox 360

Posted on July 17, 2011 by geelw

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/4ITSK2WNco4?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0

All the thrills and excitement of the actual race without the failed drug tests (shame, shame!), long hours staying up to catch results in your time zone or chance of heat stroke from standing in a sweaty crowd watching the actual event. Granted, a trip to Paree would indeed be lovely, but in this current economy, guys like me hae to settle for eating homemade Pommes Frites (yeah, they’re Belgian, but that word SOUNDS French to some Americans), drinking Perrier bought on sale and playing this game. Thank you Focus Interactive and Cyanide Studios! AND it’s on a damn game disc as well – woo hoo! (Yes, I hate download only games… with a passion).

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi Hands-On

Posted on July 16, 2011 by geelw

If there was any doubt that Dragon Ball Z had staying power after all these years, Namco Bandai’s upcoming brawler should squash that like oh so many bugs under a hard heel. The game is intense, insane and from what I played last week at their NYC press event, pretty non-stop in terms of the all-out action fans expect. Looking even better than the anime it’s based on, the game might even get some non-DBZ fighting game fans to pick up a controller once they get a peek at the speed and visual flash of the battles. Yes, there are indeed quick time events in these fights, but both players can either get in attack or defense moves by being the fastest to jam on a certain button when prompted. The Super attacks are impressive and can absolutely turn the tide in battle, provided you’ve been beating on your opponent enough so your cinematic blow can get.

Controls are solid, as noted, the game looks fantastic (the huge destructible environments get blasted up pretty good) and yup, there are ridiculously fun boss fights that feel like something from a classic 3D platformer, memorizing pattern attacks and all. The boss demo ended JUST as things were getting good, so it looks as if we’ll have to wait until October to see how it all turns out. PS3 and Xbox 360, of course…

Review: Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon

Posted on July 15, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360

Developer: Vicious Cycle

Publisher: D3Publisher of America

# of Players 1 – 2 (online: 2 – 6)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+

The bugs are back and badder then before thanks to developer Vicious Cycle and D3Publisher of America. Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon manages to be a leaner, meaner, faster and in a few way, better game than its predecessor thanks to tweaks to the run ‘n gun formula that streamlines the number of missions yet enhances the gameplay. Controls are tight, the action is more reasonably paced (initially) for new players and for the most part, the addition of online play is not bad at all. Some gamers whose experience with this budget series began with EDF 2017 (and those who seem to think the game ONLY appeared on the 360) might find nit-picky faults with some elements of EDFIA. However, those of us who’ve been around since the series debut on the Japanese PlayStation 2 and/or love original developer Sandlot’s work on the franchise now have a new dev team to moon over because they’ve taken the gameplay and refined it for a just as fun (and at times, more fun) to play experience.

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