CDV USA to Publish Divinity II – Ego Draconis In North America

Posted on September 17, 2009 by geelw

As a longtime RPG fan, I’m doing the happy dance again because yet another awesome game from a favorite series of mine (and many others out there) is finally on the way stateside. cdv USA has wisely picked up the North American publishing rights to Larian Studios’ Divinity II – Ego Draconis for the PC and Xbox 360. Both versions are set to hit retail this holiday season, which means pre-order time for those of you looking for what’s probably going to be quite the sleeper hit…

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Gallery: Zaku (for the Atari Lynx!)

Posted on September 13, 2009 by geelw

If you’re one of those folks who remembers the late, lamented (and technically superior to other handheld gaming systems of the period) Atari Lynx, well, guess what? There’s actually a small, dedicated group of folks out in California working away on a brand new game for the handheld, which still has a small, dedicated user base. Zaku, published by Super Fighter Team is a horizontal shooter being created on an actual Lynx development kit and according to the official website, will run at a blazing 60fps, making it the fastest game ever on the system… Continue reading →

Gallery: Brink

Posted on September 13, 2009 by geelw

Bethesda Softworks has always been more than just The House that Elder Scrolls Built as the company has also developed or published a number of games in different genres over the years. One of Bethsoft’s upcoming publishing projects comes from UK developer Splash Damage (Enemy Territory: Quake Wars) in the form of the third-person action/shooter Brink, which looks as if it’s going to keep the good times rolling for fans of high-concept productions. While the game isn’t set to hit stores until Spring 2010, it’s shaping up to be a pretty impressive game based on the info, concept art and in-progress screens you’ll see below…

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Review: Demon’s Souls

Posted on September 13, 2009 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: From Software

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players 1 (Online: 1 – 3)

Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A+

Console (and to some extent, PC) role-playing fans have been subject to some pretty darn disappointing games this generation thanks to a few too many developers and publishers playing it safe by merely rehashing familiar anime-style adventures, cooking up oddball battle systems that just don’t gel completely or copying top-rated western-style games with a few new ideas here and there. Sure, graphics have improved tenfold this cycle and there have been more than a few memorable games released during this period. However, other than stunning visuals and larger game worlds, not too many of these titles have done all that much to raise any new bars for the genre. Continue reading →

Half-Minute Hero Demo ( #1) Arrives On PSN

Posted on September 11, 2009 by geelw

The first of two demos for Xseed’s upcoming lighting-paced retro PSP Action/RPG is now available for download over the PlayStation Network, which leads me to ask why you’re still reading this when you should be playing this rather hilarious bit of gaming goodness. So, go download away onto your PSP (you DO own a PSP, right?) and play it to death in half-minute chunks, laughing crazily as you skip out the door a few minutes later to go preorder from wherever you normally get your games.

Or pre-order HMH online, if that’s your thing. Heck, it’s not like you’re getting much exercise these days, anyway. A little sunlight won’t kill you, y’know… Well, that’s what I’ve heard… *Ahem,* anyway, let’s see what the official press release says:.. Continue reading →

Review: Darkest of Days

Posted on September 8, 2009 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360

Developer: 8monkey Labs

Publisher: Valcon Games

# of Players: 1

Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: B

If you can overlook its technical issues, there’s a lot of fun to be had in Phantom EFX’s shooter, Darkest of Days. For their first major console and PC release, developer 8monkey Labs has cooked up a supremely cool entry in the extremely crowded FPS genre that focuses on a solid single player story-driven experience rather than hanging its reputation on the usual multiplayer shenanigans many gamers come to expect. The shooting action using a combination of historical and tricked out futuristic guns is indeed thrilling during the massive battles you’re dropped into during the game. Granted, some hardcore FPS fans will pick the game apart for its flaws and fail to enjoy the experience for its good points. For the rest of us, following the compelling story as it plays out turns out to be the really surprising thing, even outstripping the action at some points.

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Dead Space Extraction Goes Gold

Posted on September 3, 2009 by geelw

EA has announced that Dead Space Extraction for the Nintendo Wii has gone gold and should be in stores on September 29, 2009. Also announced was a nice bonus: pre-ordering the game at selected retailers will give gamers access to four of the game’s ten challenge modes for solo or co-op play. The Wii exclusive game is a prequel to the events of last year’s huge sci-fi/horror action hit on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Dead Space and was developed by Eurocom with a huge assist from Visceral Games.

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Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! – Coming Soon to a Console Near You!

Posted on September 2, 2009 by geelw

After making quite a splash on the Xbox 360, the next entry in the popular Scene It? movie trivia game series will appear on all three home consoles this year. Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Screenlife have announced that Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! is currently in development at A2M (Artificial Mind and Movement) and will be available this holiday season. The new game will feature thousands of all-new questions including many on 2009 film releases, an improved single player game (hooray!) and loads of mini-games.

You know the drill by now, folks: press release below, screenshots afterward…

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Gallery: Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Co-Op Screens

Posted on September 2, 2009 by geelw

With its October 6, 2009 release date rapidly approaching, Codemasters has unveiled a new set of screenshots as well as a game trailer for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising’s Co-op mode. Lifelike visuals and animation? Check. Impressive audio effects? Check. Die-hard military simulation fans waiting with bated breath for the game’s launch? Check. Unlike other first-person shooters that rely more on the ‘one-man army’ approach to combat, Dragon Rising is (like the original game), a highly detailed simulation where trying to play Rambo will leave you and/or your team members dead in no time flat. The unforgiving nature of the game should weed out lazier players more used to regenerating health (not happening here), bulletproof AI allies (nope) and dumb enemies (don’t count on it). Scope out the press release below the box art for a bit more detail.

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Hudson Announces Lost In Shadow

Posted on September 1, 2009 by geelw

More Hudson news? OK! The company has also announced Lost in Shadow, a unique new platformer/adventure/puzzle game hybrid scheduled to reach the Nintendo Wii sometime in Summer 2010. Based on the images and press release below, my take on this one is that I’m definitely intrigued. Stylistically, the game’s visuals and color palette seem highly influenced by the phenomenal PlayStation 2 sleeper hit from 2001, ICO. Similar aesthetics aside, it will be extremely interesting to see this one in action, as the shadow platforming idea is certainly innovative enough for a really solid game experience.

Below the jump are the complete press release and five screenshots for your reading and viewing enjoyment.

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