Tag Archives: PSN

Preview/Gallery Update: Dark Souls

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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).

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi Hands-On

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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

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Platform: PlayStation 3/Xbox 360
Developer: Vicious Cycle
Publisher: D3Publisher of America
# of Players 1 – 2 (online: 2 – 6)
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
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.

Official Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon Survival Guide

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OK, I was going to print the actual strategy guide PDF, but at a whopping 46 pages (!), that would be a bit too much in the way of overkill. Here’s the EDFIA Survival Guide instead if you haven’t seen it yet. Simple and easy to memorize. The game rocks by the way – review to come…

Inversion: Saber Interactive’s Shooter Is A Gravity Defying, Mind (and Level) Twisting Experience

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While its first console game (TimeShift) didn't exactly make developer Saber Interactive a household name among gamers (and neither did Will Rock on PC for that matter), it showed off the company's penchant for crafting slick proprietary engines that could pump out highly detailed, impressive looking visuals and great physics with relative ease. For their new game, Inversion, Saber has whipped up an all new (and even more gorgeous) engine that features even more stellar physics that go a long way in helping sell the game's amazing combination of free-fall and free-for-all shooting action. It's one thing to merely look at screens of Inversion and while watching gameplay footage enhances impressions significantly, it's only when you actually PLAY the game that you'll be totally floored by what Saber has created. What's here is sheer design brilliance married with edge of the seat action set in and around a game world where gravity can work either for or against you and your enemies.Read more »

Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon Destruction Trailer (The Game Is Almost Here…)

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Yes, yes… the game is in retail stores across North America on Tuesday, but here’s a peek at another UK trailer, this time focusing on stuff blowing up and falling apart extremely well indeed. I’ll post the awesome Survival/Field Guide tomorrow.

Atlus Shows Off Its Girl Catherine, Some Still Sexually (and Otherwise) Confused

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Last evening (or afternoon if you were on the West Coast), Atlus did an incredible (and lengthy) Ustream demo of its upcoming PS3/360 game Catherine and based on the number of press attendees plus a decent sized group of just over 20 non-press oglers, this was their most successful streaming event to date. It's no wonder, given the interest shown in the game ever since screens and videos of the Japanese version started popping up on the Internet and gamers started begging for a localization.

While the single player mode was the main draw of the event, there was a bit of multiplayer shown that made for a really nice surprise. I have the feeling THAT mode just might break up a friendship or two in the same way The Adventures of Cookie & Cream did when things got too out of hand. Then again, in Catherine's MP, it's every sheep-horned man for himself (and it's a damn good thing it's only two players onscreen, given the hilariously zippy pace and violent pillow swinging action going on with the frantic block climbing).Read more »

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon "Fly-Through" Gameplay Trailer

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Namco Bandai’s upcoming PS3/360 flight shooter packs a serious action movie punch with some supremely visceral combat sequences, oil “bleeding” planes and plenty of destruction in and out of the sky. I say give these guys the Colony Wars IP (and some top-notch writers) and see what they can do with space combat. But then again, I tend to over think that sort of stuff a wee bit too much.

Dungeon Siege III TV Ad Might Be Accidentally Meta…

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I’m older than the hills, so hearing the music in this ad zapped me back to my childhood when I’d occasionally plop in front of the TV and be baffled by The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. OK, not too baffled, as I was enough of a clever kid to “get” most of the show. Anyway, I’m not sure if Square Enix’ PR department planned this, but the ad is a bit meta if you know your TV and film history. As for the game itself, it looks mighty darn good and I’m hoping that Obsidian has hit the nail on the head in single player or co-op modes, as I just LOVE a well-made dungeon hack. DS3 arrives on June 21, 2011 for PS, PS3 and Xbox 360…

Duke Nukem Forever Shows Up, Hell Does Not Freeze Over (Details at 11)…

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Of course, I was away when UPS dropped my PS3 copy off. Twice last week. Oops. Fortunately, I did get back in time today to grab it and will finally get some quality time with the man himself shortly. As I’m in the process of still winding down from E3 and need to pick up my prescription, I’m not settling down with the game ’til later when I can set up everything I need, ignore the phone and other distractions and dive in. Based on the notes from a few fellow editor-types who’ve already played a chunk of the single player (and my own hands-on time with earlier builds), I can already predict this one’s going to be a total blast, old-school warts and all… back in a bit with a review.