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)

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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Young Justice Legacy Hands-On: Teens & Titans Collide In Little Orbit’s Upcoming ARPG…

Posted on May 4, 2013 by geelw

GA_IceRiver_001 One of the nicer surprises at the Namco Bandai Global Gamers Day event was a playable build of Young Justice Legacy, set for a fall release on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS and PC (what, no Vita version?!). Fans of the show should be pleased to know that developer Freedom Factory is cooking up a fast-paced action/RPG in the vein of the X-Men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance games featuring stylized 3D visuals and a nicely-sized roster of characters from the series. The game has a few months more cooking to do on the developer’s stove, but it’s definitely going to one of those the more dedicated fans of the currently canceled cartoon should dive right into as soon as it hits stores.

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Gallery: Remember Me

Posted on May 4, 2013 by geelw

Dontnod_Bandeau_Scroll_08

RM_PressTour2013__22 Capcom and Dontnod Entertainment are about to bring gamers a new action heroine who could be yeat another really interesting female characters making her debut this year. Remember Me, coming on June 4, 2013 will see the deadly and agile Nilin take to the streets of 2084 Neo-Paris as she attempts to discover why her former employers wiped her memory (leaving her very underemployed as a result) AND seems to have sent out a team of assassins to deal with her. Eeek… talk about NO job security!

rm_ps3_fob 2D Boxshot Wizard v1.1

Anyway, the team at Dontnod is cooking up an absolutely beautiful game as you can see from the nice screenshot gallery below the jump, and the gameplay is also looking quite lovely (and innovative) as well. PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 owners can look forward to this one soon (as time is absolutely flying this year).

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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

skyrim_LE_boxshots

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.

Resident Evil Revelations Dev Diary 2: Infection & Repulsion (Not The Birds & The Bees Version)…

Posted on May 3, 2013 by geelw

Well, I’m SURE Capcom’s Resident Evil team wasn’t thinking about YOUR weekend shenanigans when they were making this game for the Nintendo 3DS and remaking it for current-gen consoles and PC. Hmmmm, you do know that these games are a great deal better when enjoyed for what they are, right? No need to project everything onto your entertainment, now. Shh, there, there… it’s alright. You just need to go get scared half to death by playing a little game. May I suggest this one? How about Resident Evil Revelations, coming to PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 on May 21, 2013? You’ll get your fix in on a few fronts and have something to talk about around the water cooler at work that won’t make people think you’re a total creep. Well, unless they have a thing for zombies and other twisted creatures they’re not telling you about…

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.

Remember Me “Memory” Trailer: As If We’ll Forget You, Nilin? Not A Chance…

Posted on May 2, 2013 by geelw

Capcom and developer Dontnod Games really have a unique one coming soon in Remember Me, so I’m hoping that this one gets a “shut up and play it!” treatment from those journalist types who seem to be hung up on the game for having a female character and being an all-new IP in a sequel-packed world. I’m definitely going to enjoy this one completely, as I happen to love it when I see a new developer doing something fresh and intriguing by creating a new game that looks as if it’ll be copied down the road by others once it succeeds. June 4, 2013 is when Nilin is let loose on the world – try to keep up with her and I’m betting you’ll be behind her all the way…

FUSE Villain Trailer: “Here Comes The Big Boss… Let’s Get It On!”

Posted on May 2, 2013 by geelw

Insomniac’s been getting a bit of grief from some gamers about FUSE, but as this trailer shows, the developer still has it where it counts when it comes to cooking up some memorable action scenes and plenty of well-rendered destruction. Yeah, yeah – it’s not cartoony, and yeah, yeah, you can say it looks like some other shooters on the market all day long, but it’s when you PLAY this one that you see where it’s not quite what you’re expecting. Anyway, that May 28 release date is coming sooner than you think, so I hope you’re prepared for a little hardcore excitement (er, NO… not THAT kind, silly). Or at least a big sackful of black pepper to throw in the face of that ridiculously-sized boss that pops up in the game. That should be an interesting battle for solo players, I’d say…

Resident Evil Revelations “Horror” Trailer: Just So You Know What’s Ahead…

Posted on May 2, 2013 by geelw

Of course, you’d figure with all these unsettling warnings being found in all these Resident Evil games, the less intrepid special agent or neophyte zombie hunters out there would want to turn right on around and go home to catch up on those TV shows they’ve been missing out on, but nope. Usually, it’s a “one way in, one way out” situation where they’d better suck it up and press forwards, as there’s usually something large that’s going to be nipping at their heels soon enough. Well, substitute “whole body” for heels and yeah, you get the idea. I say wear some comfortable running shoes and do a bit of stretching before setting out to take down those monsters. There’s nothing worse (or more embarrassing) than pulling a hammy when you’re running away from something that’s slow moving but has a hell of a lot more teeth than you do. Resident Evil Revelations is headed for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U on May 21, 2013 – “Be there, Aloha!”