Wave of the Future (Part I)* : A Look At Sony’s PlayStation Move

Posted on August 28, 2010 by geelw

Alright, I'll confess: I'll admit to initially not liking the Move's final design when I saw it as Sony's E3 press conference. Fortunately, that petty bit of nonsense on my part lasted less than two whole minutes. System bias is indeed a bad thing, but controller bias can really make one a bit too irrational. In the end, it was all about the games and how well the peripheral works with them. At Sony's Holiday 2010 event, I had the chance to play a number of Move games and ended up more than happy with the new controller.

As soon as you see and the pick up the Move, there are subtle to very noticeable differences that make it more intuitive to use and much more responsive than the Wii Remote. Additionally, unlike Microsoft's Kinect, the fact that you have a controller in your hand really makes a difference in certain games.

Gallery: Dungeon Defenders

Posted on August 28, 2010 by geelw

To quote Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in Godfather III: “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in again…”.

Case in point, Trendy Games' spectacular-looking Dungeon Defenders, which promises to bring a blend of Tower Defense-style strategy and hack 'n slash Action/RPG combat bliss to PSN and XBLA this fall. I thought I was all done with Tower Defense games after the last dozen or so I played and here comes DD, winking and looking all sassy in that Unreal 3 engine-powered skirt. Damn…

Preview: Knights in the Nightmare PSP

Posted on August 25, 2010 by geelw

“Are You READY…?” For those of you who missed it, 2009's Knights in the Nightmare on the Nintendo DS was an innovative mix of isometric tactical JRPG, RTS, a bit of chess and fast-paced stylus driven “bullet hell” style shooting with a deep, complex (and often quite dramatic) storyline. The often brutal level of difficulty in the game thanks to many factors that required actual thought pre-battle and deft dancing of the stylus hand in battle made KITN a bit of a sleeper for the handheld (and a slightly expensive collectible these days). Developer Sting has taken the game and reworked it for the PSP into what's looking like one of those truly hardcore experiences for those that love their games to bite back hard.

TRON Evolution Hands-On Preview

Posted on August 25, 2010 by geelw

Propaganda Games is toiling away like mad on two licensed games I'm really looking forward to: Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned and TRON: Evolution. While both titles are being published by Disney Interactive Studios, core gamers in the loop are anticipating each game for a number of reasons. I got to try a bit of the PS3 version of Evolution at Sony's excellent Holiday showcase and came away impressed by what's looking to be the rare licensed movie game that goes above and beyond the call.

O-Games’ Superstars V8 Racing Headed To PS3 As PSN-Only Download

Posted on August 24, 2010 by geelw

“The breadth, depth and quality of Superstars V8 Racing make it one of the best racing games available on PlayStation Network,” said Greg Lanz, general manager of O-Games, Inc. “Our original plan was to release this game at retail, but after considering all the options, we decided to release it exclusively through PlayStation Network. Superstars V8 Racing delivers a first-class multiplayer race experience with world-renowned cars that will thrive with this audience. In addition, O-Games can sell Superstars V8 Racing for a lower price since we do not have to pay the costs to manufacture, package, and ship the product to retail. The bottom line? Gamers can now own a $40 game for half the price they would pay in-store.”

Translation: How can you tell the recession is still going strong? Well, one area where publishers are cutting costs is in the actual production of games. Even for what would be considered a great deal at $40, it costs a lot to get a boxed game to retail. Allowing that same title to be downloaded makes it easier for gamers to get a new release with a credit card and a few button presses.

Gallery: Bonk: Brink of Extinction

Posted on August 21, 2010 by geelw

Hudson's ancient (but forever young) cave dude just won't drop off the planet, but that's actually a good thing for TG-16 fans who remember spending countless hours head-bumping and jumping through some classic adventures. Here's a fistful of screens from the upcoming platformer currently in development at Pi Studios and set for release over PSN, WiiWare and XBLA later this year. Single player and two player co-op modes will be on board and yes, side-scrolling action is in full effect along with a few new abilities.

It's too bad this new Bonk game isn't shipping on a disc along with all the rest of the classic Bonk games with a fancy schmancy name like “Bonk's Collection” or something like that… I'd pay good money for that (plus a full-color artbook) any day of the week.

Knights in the Nightmare PSP Trailer

Posted on August 11, 2010 by geelw

Atlus does it again, bringing the unique SRPG/bullet hell sleeper hit from the Nintendo DS onto the PSP this October. Check out the first PSP game trailer below. The original was indeed a ton of fun and quite challenging, so it’ll be interesting to see how it plays sans stylus action with the analog stick on the PSP wide screen.

Hmmm… I wonder if we’ll ever see the Wizardry-inspired DS sleeper The Dark Spire get the PSP upgrade treatment? Now there’s a really underrated gem of a game!

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

Preview: Bulletstorm Hands-On

Posted on July 22, 2010 by geelw

Picture this: eight grown watching another grown man playing a video game while yelling “Shoot him in the ass! Shoot him in the ASS!” at him in unison as the guy is indeed trying to do just that to some poor virtual gun-toting goon. A few shots later, the guy flies head over heels and as he’s spinning, a shot hits him right in the butt as the words “FIRE IN THE HOLE” appear above his rotating corpse. Ouch. Well, it’s either some sort of Deliverance meets Dirty Harry-inspired fever dream or you’re watching someone play EA’s upcoming lead filled blast-fest known as Bulletstorm.

Continue reading →

Review: 3D Dot Game Heroes

Posted on May 14, 2010 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Silicon Studio/From Software

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site
Score: A

Without a doubt one of the best “retro” games to date that’s not a homebrew creation, 3D Dot Game Heroes perfectly blends old-school gameplay elements and today’s console technology with the end result being an instant classic no PS3 owner should miss. It’s easy to look at screen shots or poke around on a message board and read about simplistic comparisons to The Legend of Zelda or other favorite 8-bit adventure RPGs, but the game is a lot more rewarding than a mere clone if you know your gaming history. Obvious plot and gameplay elements aside, 3DDGH is a pretty darn funny trip through the 8-bit era with a decidedly modern spin.

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Gallery Update: 3D Dot Game Heroes

Posted on February 27, 2010 by geelw

Lock up your daughters (well, unless they’re kidnapped princesses that need rescuing)! Atlus USA is letting loose a few more screens from its upcoming PS3 exclusive 3D Dot Game Heroes. Before you take a peek down there, you need to ask yourself a few important questions.

Do you like HUGE swords? Er, in a non-threatening, but increasingly screen-filling manner, that is? Well, take a gander at these big’uns, read the descriptions and try not to lose an eye in the process…

Yeah, this game is going to be a total blast (er, try not to take that the wrong way, folks).