Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness Trailer: Now, That’s More Like It (Again)!

 

“Breathe deep, the gathering gloom… watch lights fade from every room…”

Yes, Laharl and Etna and company are indeed baaaaaack in this all-new Disgaea game headed to the PS3 this fall. Expect this one to drop in standard and some sort of limited editions bound to sell out quickly, as this dark yet hilarious series has always been a fan favorite and both Laharl and Etna have some REALLY hardcore fans. Well, Etna probably has the most fans, as no one wants a tattoo of baby Laharl on that demonskin rug on their back, but I’ve seen a few cool Etna tattoos over the years inked on some fans of assorted ages. As for me, I prefer to remain non-inked (needles… NEEDLES!), but pay me a million bucks and you might get me to reconsider. Maybe. Anyway, happy days indeed for strategy RPG fans who like their games wacky, hard as heck and filled with anime goodness galore…

Nippon Ichi’s The Guided Fate Paradox Poses Some Innnnteresting Eternal Questions…

 

Oh, this one just needs to be read to be believed, so I’ll just run the description below for this upcoming PS3 exclusive RPG and let your brains have at it:

The story for this title in particular is quite unique–imagine you are at the mall and you are forced to enter a raffle they are running inside…and you win! Congratulations, you winner, you! Your prize? You get to become God! Now that you are God, it’s your beeswax to go through the mysterious Fate Revolution Circuit and guide the fates of those who have prayed to God for help!

 

I happen to love the Disgaea games on the PS2, PSP, PS3, Vita and Nintendo DS and as TGFP is from some of the same team and looks cute as hell (er, ha ha?),  I’ll probably grab this one on the PS3 when it ships out whenever. That said, I’m praying for a physical release (no, not THAT kind of release, silly!) but can see Nippon Ichi Software America needing to deal with a few particularly picky folks who like their old-time religion in a non-anime (and more vengeful if you poke fun at it) manner. Any-way… I’ll be in the back with the devil horns playing loud (Maceo!), filing my nails and tail or something. Red velvet cake for dessert later – with fresh ice cream, by the way. Bring a friend. And a few marshmallows – it’s hot as hell down here.

Thief 4: As Long As It Doesn’t Stab Me In The Back When It Takes My Money, I’m Good…

Ah… this is fine news indeed. It seems that there’s a new Thief game (which just SO happens to be called Thief 4 because it’s the fourth game in the series) in the works for PC and next-generation consoles. Nice. I’ll do a happier dance when I see some gameplay, but to the initiated, the Thief series is one of those seminal works that’s pretty deep and always challenging to dive into. Eidos Montreal is handling the development chores, Square Enix will be publishing and if the game is anything like Deus Ex: Human Revolution in terms of scope (but with much more interaction), it’s guaranteed some solid ratings as well as a loyal fan base.

Granted, I’m betting ANY inclusion of “casual” play modes will be met with all sorts of internet-driven derision and division, but that’s how it goes in an era where more people seem to want to try more types of games (before giving up before they’ve learned the damned controls in the tutorial). As always, we shall see. I’ll be sneaking carefully behind this one and keeping tabs, that’s for sure…

Resident Evil Revelations Infernal Mode: On May 21, You Just May Get That “Jill Sandwich” After All…

Ouch and double ouch.

RER_WiiU RER_PS3 RER_360

Moved-around monsters (with new ones to face),
items and crates now put in new place!
This is no straight port of the 3DS game
so if you die fast, you’re the one to blame.

It’s bound for PS3, 360 and Wii U May 21st
if you’re not prepared, you’ll just be the worst
So take some time off to practice your dodging
so you can spend that day off holed up in your lodging.

A boat full of nasty undead and more lurk
you’re going in alone, but don’t be a jerk
There’s no co-op here to save your nice skins
But Raid Mode is co-op for some sure-fire wins.

Those graphics are all redone in shiny HD
For all the gore, the game actually looks quite pretty
But admire the detail a wee bit too long,
and you’ll see naught but red when poor Jill’s head’s gone!

Snoop Has Me Confused (Again): Way of the Dogg (No, I’m Not Lion)…

 

snoopSo, Snoop.. er, Dogg is back in the game (business) with this upcoming 505 Games release, Way of the Dogg, currently in development at EchoPeak. Hey, I’m a fan of plenty of ancient great to bad Kung Fu flicks from the 1970’s and 1980’s and I don’t find his tunes at all ear-burning (but I don’t actively listen to hip-hop or whatever it’s classified as these days), so the blend of styles certainly seems potentially smokin’ (as the kids say). That said, this whole Dogg/Lion thing is baffling to my brain, but I guess it’s kind of a professional/personal thing that I shouldn’t be concerned about much.

Granted, I did overhear a conversation a week or two back between a few people arguing about Snoop’s recent conversion and if it was “right” under whatever rules or whatever is in place that make one a “true” Rastafarian and so forth and so on. But I didn’t stick around for the entire mostly mellow debate as I walked in on the middle of it, was eavesdropping anyway (who’s bad?!), had nothing to offer that wouldn’t have been a bad joke that would have gotten me beaten senseless (or ignored, a far worse fate for an aspiring “comedian” like myself) and at the end of the day, I probably wouldn’t give a hoot about what was said the moment I went home and cooked something tasty to eat (which would have been a steak, had my dirty laundry not eaten it – oh, never mind…that’s a long story told elsewhere).

Except for now that this game is underway, it might me nice to know what to call the man should I ever run into him again. “(If) You (Don’t) Know My Name, (Don’t) Look Up My Number” and all that stuff… Eh, no worries. It’ll get sorted out eventually. Back with more on this one in a bit…

Capcom Arcade Cabinet 1985 Game Pack #1: Three More Classics To Keep You Twitching The Night Away…

 

Let’s see now… Ghosts ‘n Goblins, GunSmoke, and Section Z, all true classics and all now popping up on PSN and Xbox Live Arcade for you Capcom Arcade Cabinet users in North America (European PlayStation Store users get theirs tomorrow) for a very reasonable $9.99€/9.99/£7.99/800MSP. For those of you PSN users who missed last week’s intro 1987 pack or just want the two classics Avenger and/or 1943: The Battle of Midway by themselves, they’re both for sale individually on PSN for $3.99/€3.99/£3.19 each. Capcom hasn’t said a thing about 360 users in regards to these two titles getting single purchase deals, but I’m guessing 360 owners will need to take that up with Microsoft and not Capcom if it’s an issue about individual games being sold or whatever. Anyway, enough reading – go drop some virtual quarters already!

Applied Design @MoMA: fLow (PS3) “Dancing Bacteria?” Well, OK…

Well, I did hear someone say that’s what the game looked like at the event, so I guess that’s how it will seem to a few people who haven’t played it. I was going to title the post “Waiter,There’s a fLow in My Soup!”, but that would mean I’d need to stop writing and go eat something, as food references sometimes make me hungry. Good thing I’m at the library here “stealing” free wi-fi time or I’d be passed out at the pizza place nearby on a cheap (but REALLY good) pie, not getting any work done and feeling not too guilty about it later on.

Get Bugged For A Lower Price: EDF 2017 Portable Now $29.99 Until 4/2

EDF 2017 Portable_6Of course, that’s a limited time deal, ladies and gents. January’s #1 selling Vita game can now be yours (and a few friends of yours,of course) for ten bucks cheaper until April 2, 2013. Given that Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable packs the possibility of well over 50 hours of play (and then some) into that PSN download, it’s still a bargain at its non-sale price. Of course, I’m COMPLETELY biased in saying you NEED to buy this game, what with me being a fan of hard working Japanese developer Sandlot and their games. Then again, I’m gathering you’d want someone who knows what they’re talking about to recommend something like this to you, right?

EDF 4 Gameplay Footage: 4Gamer.net? I Love You And Hate You (But Mostly Love You)…

 

Well, wow and double wow. Japanese game site 4Gamer.net posted this hands-on last year (!!!) and I’m just NOW getting around to seeing it thanks to some poking around online for something entirely different. Eh, it figures. I’m just thrilled because even though it’s a WIP version, I get to ogle more of the gameplay than the bits I’ve seen from the official trailers D3Publisher in Japan has been posting. OK, off to the home base now, as they’re about to shove me out the door here at Starbucks. Back in a bit…

Defiance Ark Hunter Chronicles 1 & 2: Building Up That Mythology Is Very Helpful…

 

As Trion Worlds and syfy get ready to roll out Defiance on April 2, they’re dropping all sorts of background mini-movies and excellently produced trailers on the game, game world, creatures and other features (like these Ark Hunter Chronicles vids) in order to have a big, fat and very necessary back story to all the events you’ll soon be watching (and hopefully, playing). This is indeed a good thing and potential viewers and players of the innovative TV show/MMORPG hybrid will probably want every little thing to sync up as perfectly as possible to pleas and appease even the pickiest of nitpickers. It works for me (but I’d still prefer that great looking and playing game – it’s REALLY fun – to have an offline mode)…