CoD: Black Ops 2 Documentary Gets You Up To Speed About Things To Come…

Posted on May 3, 2012 by geelw

By now, Activision and hard-working developer Treyarch have no doubt developed quite the thick skin (and a deaf ear from all those ricochets) when it comes to listening to the anti-CoD crowd wailing away when news of a new installment breaks. I’ve pretty much heard it all, from JRPG fans who “hate FPS games and CoD players” with a rather biased viewpoint (sorry, they’re not all “frat boy jerks” or “gun nuts”) to fans of other shooters who never seem to realize that most of the games they like wouldn’t be around if CoD wasn’t busting sales records and forcing a few innovations (like them or not) into the genre (which IS a bit stale after so many years with so many AAA games coming and going).

That said, and as I noted earlier, when it works, it WORKS, and Black Ops was one of those games that packed so much content onto a disc that you didn’t really need to play it online to enjoy some prime content. OK, let me shut up and let you enjoy this little “documentary” about the future world weapons and such presented in this upcoming sequel that’s bound to make all involved another mint. Oh yeah, I’ll be nice for a change and not even ask what Oliver North is doing in the video. Put him in the Zombies game next time, guys.

R.A.W. Looks To Cook Up Dungeon Crawling Devotees On PC/PSN/XBLA

Posted on May 3, 2012 by geelw

OK, so Wizarbox’s upcoming hack & slash ,also known as Realms of Ancient War, might not be able to take on Diablo II toe to toe (or is it hoof to claw?) in some eyes in terms of the presentation and megabucks hype machine grinding everything under it’s hooves. Nevertheless, the game at least offers up offline single player and local co-op options and isn’t passing itself off as a MMO that requires you to always be connected while playing. Whatever – I’m too busy and smart to keep harping on Blizzard for the changes they felt necessary to make to Diablo III a game tens of thousands can’t play (but millions more will, so it balances out, right?), so I’ll wish them well as they build forts and vaults out of money to hold more money. Any-way, since I missed posting the Warrior trailer last time, it’s presented below, so enjoy!

Dragon’s Dogma Developer Diary #2: Four “D’s” In A Row, But The Game Looks Triple “A”

Posted on May 2, 2012 by geelw

That said, I do wish the collective internet fan yapppers would hush it with the “Skyrim killer” talk. This game, like every other big RPG, should be seen and judged on its own merits, not point by point with some other game that’s not taking place in the same game world. That way, if it IS better than Skyrim (or at least less buggy that that game was), it will have actually earned that praise. And if it isn’t, well, those folks who kind of keep saying that but haven’t played Skyrim at all (but sure, reading negative posts about a game counts as “playing” it these days) won’t have to go into turtle mode and defend themselves from people who actually know what they’re talking about. Of course, this latest dev diary goes a long way in keeping both camps happy that they’re getting another solid RPG to take for a spin…

Starhawk Goes Gold (And How, For Beta And Warhawk Players)

Posted on May 2, 2012 by geelw

So, it’s on the way and soon at that, which is awesome. It’s even more awesome if you’ve been one of those folks playing the beta or were a big PS3 Warhawk player, as you’ll see in the above video. Personally, I love that LightBox is giving both single player and multiplayer fans something to look forward to. No matter which mode you choose, you can expect some of the tightest hybrid gameplay that should set the standard for this type of game for quite some time (well, until it gets copied to death by other developers). Of course, expect a few overly cranky RTS fans to whine a bit about the game making it so “easy” to blend fast-paced action with no need for insane resource management (or much in the way of micro-managing anything except trying to get shot up on foot or in/on a ride or or out of the sky when you’re flying around). SCEA has yet another mega-hit on their hands, and that’s always a good thing,,,

Max Payne Multiplayer DLC Announced: Rockstar Pass Packs It All In As A Decent Deal For MP Fans

Posted on May 1, 2012 by geelw

While some of us will be wrapped up in the single player mode multiple times until we’ve done and seen everything it has to offer, Rockstar Games plans to keep fans of online play even busier. The company has announced a wealth of downloadable multiplayer content for Max Payne 3 as well as its Rockstar Pass program that allows purchasers access to this premium content. Beginning now, the Pass is up for pre-order online over PSN and Xbox Live and at retail Best Buy and GameStop locations in the US for $29.99 (or 2400 Microsoft Points, if you’re a 360 owner). Like other online pass programs, users will get first crack at new DLC as soon as it becomes available and it looks as if Rockstar is planning to roll out a hefty amount of content starting in June 2012:

June 2012

Local Justice Map Pack

Summer 2012

Disorganized Crime Map Pack

Deathmatch Made In Heaven Mode Pack

Hostage Negotiation Map Pack

New York Minute Co-Op Pack

Fall 2012

Painful Memories Map Pack

Trickle Down Economics Map Pack

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Trailer Reveal: Well, Well… Now With More Mind-blowing Action (And Horses!)

Posted on May 1, 2012 by geelw

Ah, this month’s (or was it last month’s?) worst kept secret finally gets an official trailer. Pretty slick stuff so far – the horseback section should be amazingly cool to play if it’s done right. The most amusing thing about the whole future weapons aspect of the trailer and the older guy narrating it was it reminded me of Metal Gear Solid 4 in terms of tone. Maybe that’s just me, but I bet a few other people will make that comparison soon enough…

Anyway, I loved the first Black Ops because even with the darker tone, it was the funniest CoD in terms of the breakneck pacing and crazy bonus content in single player (I didn’t venture online at all). That said, I’m REALLY hoping that Activision doesn’t wall away the fun though a pay system that screws me and folks like me out of an otherwise cool experience. Now, I don’t take the franchise so seriously that I bend over backward to praise everything and not think about the stuff that’s flawed. Nor do I bash the franchise (and other well-made shooters like it) for basically doing the same stuff year after year because, hell, it works. If you’re an adrenaline junkie and love big, crazy roller coaster rides with screams and explosions and splashes of blood mixed in with dead serious storytelling where need be, it’s always been fun to blast through a CoD game over a weekend or so and have a gab-fest the next week or so with friends who’ve also enjoyed what’s been served up.

That said, Hey, Activision! Where the hell is that CoD zombies game compilation? You know, the RETAIL disc one with Call of the Dead, Moon, and every other bit of Zombie content from the series? I say it would sell like hotcakes, especially if you guys rounded up the cast from Call of the Dead and made a new campaign-based game with them appearing as playable characters (single, co-op and multiplayer modes). Get on it and get back to me. No charge for the idea (as usual)!

Activision Wants YOU To Be The Next Bond Game Bad Guy (Or Gal)…

Posted on May 1, 2012 by geelw

Nice. This is a pretty cool promotion for the upcoming Eurocom-developed multi-platform game 007 Legends that allows anyone to sign up, submit a photo of themselves along with a description of their evil world dominating ways for a chance to get into the final version of the game. Of course the big catch here is it’s a popularity contest with the community voting on the best Bond baddie. I’d prefer the developers choose in order to make sure this is taken 100% seriously, but I guess I should trust that there are some reliable Bond fans out there who can come up with a few great villains for Bond to go up against. OK, I know you’re itching to dress up like Dr. Evil and snap some pictures for your chance in the spotlight (before Bond busts a cap in your cap, chap) – go to it, already!

Max Payne 3: After The Fall Graphic Novel: A Perfect Companion Piece For That Downtime…

Posted on May 1, 2012 by geelw

With a three-part story written by Rockstar head Dan Houser AND Remedy Studios’ Dan Lake, fans of the game series should be wanting to snap this up one wherever it appears. The graphic novel will have its digital premiere later this week, followed up by a limited edition retail release that I’m guessing will be a pretty hot commodity should the fan base find it worthy of dropping into a plastic sleeve and socking away for safekeeping. Hey, anything that extends what’s looking like an already solid story is alright in my book.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Trailer: Shouldn’t There Be a SEGA In There Somewhere?

Posted on April 30, 2012 by geelw

I really like the idea of transforming vehicles (even though it’s been done before in games since the Spy Hunter days), the brief gameplay shown here looks great and the first game was a ton of fun. But what’s up the the total lack of Sega in the title this time out? Hopefully it’s a misprint, or perhaps we’ll be seeing some non-Sega All-Stars in this follow up? Whatever happens, I’m hoping to see Sega be a bit prouder of itself despite a bumpy year so far. Go, Sega!

God of War: Ascension Has At Least One Multiplayer Mode. It’s Worth A Look, I Say…

Posted on April 30, 2012 by geelw

For me and many other gamers, adding multiplayer modes to a game that’s best known for its solo play and cinematic storytelling is the sign of the beast, a franchise running on fumes begging for cash from a crowd focused on massing up kill counts with no regard to narrative structure or hell, enjoyment of all the hard work it takes to make a story driven game flow from start to finish. Sony Santa Monica Studios obviously realizes this as well as a few other negatives and positives about MP and is forging ahead with an intriguing multiplayer mode in Kratos’ next adventure.

From what I’m reading elsewhere, you won’t have twenty Kratos’ running around the screen at all. One aspect of the mode will feature players representing warriors selected by the gods to do battle over territory, so at least my first fear has been quelled. As for the rest, well, I’ll need to see the game up close and personal to judge more fully what’s coming. All I’ll say is I’m looking forward to the single player story FIRST and foremost over any multplayer modes, no matter how good they are. Color me cautiously optimistic…