The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – The Epic Making of an Epic (Part One)

With all that live action location footage and sweeping camera shots on display in this video plus the promises from the team that this game will be their best yet, it’s impossible not to get a little excited about The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt as development continues on the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. I know I want the game to be the best new RPG on any platform once it’s released, so I’d like to very emphatically suggest that CD Projekt RED keep Senior Writer Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz away from high cliff edges and live wolves, as I actually jumped a little when he was walking too close to a potential nasty fall in one shot and later, probably could have lost some fingers if that wolf he was stroking decided it wanted a finger sandwich during that part of the clip.

Then again, that shot was edited, so it may have been the wolf handler’s hand in one part and Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz’s in the other. or maybe the man has more talents than writing? I guess I’ll have to wait and see if he’s written himself into the game as a character, right? And I’d imagine if he did, that character would have a shorter last name, as twenty spaces is a lot of screen real estate to fill!

Happy Independence Day (Kind of) From Saint’s Row IV, BOOM!!

With all the spaceships zipping around, super-powered cast and intergalactic enemies invading earth, some fans are thinking this isn’t a “true” Saint’s Row game at all. Well, other than the open world mayhem and outrageous humor being intact and looking as crazy as ever. I think the game looks like more stupid fun (in a good way), but I’d love to see Volition branch out and do something really unique on the new generation hardware. At this rate, Saint’s Row V will end up being like a Mass Effect game with interplanetary gangs of aliens, eight times the F-bombs and a more free-form combat system full of too many assorted wrestling moves and finishers. I’m not sure I’d like to see that, but I guess that sort of depends on how well this game does and if the Volition has planned out that far ahead…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Gets Cool PlayStation Home Content

PSHome_static_Billboard_DPDC_US Rising Star Games has been keeping the Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut flame alive first with some nice DLC updates from the game’s developer and now, through this set of Home avatar extras, a Raincoat Killer outfit (I like Red Seeds Killer better, but when in Rome…) complete with axe and *woof!* a dog companion named Willie.

RCK_1These goodies are now available for purchase NOW (along with the other cool virtual items in that video below:

RCK_4 RCK_3 RCK_2 RCK_6 RCK_5

Oh, You Kids! GTA V on the Xbox 360 Requires An Installation/Play Disc Swap. Oh, The Horror!

GTA V Screen

phantasmYes, there’s another (not really) big-deal barn-burner on some internet boards about the Xbox 360 version of Rockstar’s upcoming guaranteed blockbuster Grand Theft Auto V coming on two discs (the PS3 version is on one Blu-Ray) and requiring a mandatory 8GB install (just like the PS3 version). Of course, anyone who’s played a retail PC game anytime in the past decade or so is used to games coming on multiple discs and yes, there have been a few Xbox 360 games this generation that had separate data install and play discs. So, I’m clearly not seeing the problem here about a ONE TIME disc change. Of course, if you got conned into buying that lower priced 360 with the measly 4GB HDD and you’ve not yet gotten around to buying an external drive yet, you may want to hop to that before the game ships out. Go on now, shoo!

Phantasm_2

Oh, by the way: don’t get mad at Sony for thinking ahead on the Blu-Ray thing at all. Blame Microsoft for diving into HD-DVD feet first and then ditching the format (even for games!) when it failed to catch on with anyone but early adopters and those who weren’t going to buy a PS3 or other new movie player because they had no intentions of re-purchasing chunks of their collections. Oh, by the way… that game in the photos that’s NOT looking like GTA V? That’s PHANTASM for the Japanese Sega Saturn. It’s a port of the 1995 Sierra On-Line PC game Phantasmagoria and as you can see,came on EIGHT discs (one more than the PC version). You can get it on gog.com (it’s on sale for half price for the next day or so!) if you’d like to try it out. It’s flawed, but well made and a bit creepy where it counts. Anyway,let me get my grumpy old ass back into the 21st century before my lumbago pills wear off…

The Walking Dead: 400 Days Trailer: Creeping Up On You Faster Than You Thought…

…as in “BOO!” it’s on PSN (and PC and Xbox Live) right now (and at ONLY five bucks, it’s a MUST buy) waiting to lurch onto that PS3 or Vita as soon as you snap up a copy and download it. The caught me and a few other folks off guard because we thought Telltale might be saving this one up for a late summer or even fall release, but yes indeed, it’s out now and that’s awesome. Especially for me as a big Vita user (as the Vita needs all the great games it can get and although short, this one’s definitely in that Game of the Year territory based on all I’ve been reading). I guess now it’s all about finding something to cower under while playing that’s not going to roast me alive in this summer heat. Well, I guess I could play at night when it’s cooler.. but then I’d be looking over my shoulder every five seconds for any sudden movements…eeek. Eh, we’ll see, I guess… Off to find a coin to flip and decide what to do (it’s too hot to think straight today!)…

Motorbike: DO Try This At Home (You’d Get Quite Hurt Anywhere Else)…

Sony finally gets another stunt-bike game onto PSN, but unlike the otherwise fun Urban Trial Freestyle, bakno Games’ super-cool looking PC, Mac and Linux game Motorbike has a track edit function that allows for the creation and sharing of those doom-packed courses you’ll be up all night constructing. Of course, even in this video the game looks fun (and painful to those poor digital riders!) and you also get the choice of two female avatars here (something missing from UTF as well). I’d say that the only real drawback to this one is it’s not Vita compatible (whaaat? Boo!), meaning there go my illusions of taking this on the road or elsewhere out of doors unless I strap a TV and PS3 to my chest (or finally buy a decent smartphone!). Oh well… it’s all for the best, I suppose- it’s like I want to miss a subway or bus stop because I was in the middle of a 720-degree flip and wanted to try and stick that landing as my nose or butt got jammed in a set of closing doors (Ouch!). Hmm.. I wonder what a nose cast looks like? Or a butt cast, for that matter…

New Earth Defense Force 4 Trailer: Volunteer Bug-Blasting Army Seeks New Recruits!

 
And here’s another Earth Defense Force 4 video straight from D3Publisher in Japan with yet another laughable yet free verse-like *biiiiiing!* translation job below the jump. This seems to be a recruitment advertisement of sorts and yes, I’ve signed up already (well, I have a copy of the import coming soon). The game has gotten some pretty solid Famitsu scores (9/8/8/9 for 34 out of a possible 40 points, the best scores of any EDF game in the series), meaning it should hopefully do well once it’s localized for the US and Europe. Of course, those who don’t import have to wait until next February (yikes!), but I guess that gives you all time to get through that stack of holiday titles you’re planning to buy or ave gifted…

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Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection – I Did My “Snake’s on a Plane” Joke Already…

Konami and Hideo Kojima can squeeze money from fans of the Metal Gear Solid franchise any time they want to and given the huge amount of interest in this upcoming collection, it looks as if fans worldwide aren’t minding one bit. The great thing is, the PS3 is region free, so anyone anywhere can pick this set of classics up and get it shipped to them. Granted, that airmail shipping isn’t cheap to many locations, but as I said, the harder core fans of the series probably don’t give a hoot. I have most of these titles here in the library but yes, I still want this pricey box set. Well, it’s not THAT expensive considering what’s inside… but I’m not made of money like that guy in those Geico ads who I wish would zip around the block here on that motorbike of his…

Muramasa Rebirth: The Vita’s Big, Fat Bundle of Joy This Week…

Hey, it’s out already? Crap. I had NO idea! Oh well. Not like Aksys’ PR ever sends me any review codes anyway (*whine*). Actually, I don’t even mind supporting them and Vanillaware, as this game on the Wii was really fun and the Vita version has some cool exclusive features. OK, another one for the “to do” list. Gah, I really, REALLY need a time machine. Or a game-playing monkey with a much thicker wallet who can also build shelving in its spare time. Hey, I have to put all those games somewhere, right?

E3 2013: Lost Planet 3 – It’s the Bill and Jim Show! (Or Is it the Bill IS Jim Show?)

Well, OK… it’s not really that schizophrenic folks. It’s more like say hello to actor Bill Watterson who plays Jim Payton in Capcom’s upcoming sci-fi/action game set for an August release. It’s pretty cool to see that the man not only looks quite like the character he plays in the game, but he also did the motion capture performance for Jim as well. Oh, and by the way, he’s NOT at all related to the Calvin & Hobbes creator (just thought I’d mention that, as I know at least one person out there who’ll read this and get all “a-ha!” so that’s where he’s been!” about this post…