Dark Souls II “Crown of the Sunken King” Trailer: Some Buy To Die DLC To Keep You Busy…

Posted on June 4, 2014 by geelw

Oh, the places you’ll go to die a horrific death in this upcoming Dark Souls II DLC. Three new locations filled with death coming at you at some point from almost anywhere may SOUND like no vacation, but for the game’s fans, this is paradise with a free buffet on the side AND adult beverages. Anyway, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC players can get theirs on the following dates:

The Crown of the Sunken King – July 22, 2014
The Crown of the Old Iron King – August 26, 2014
The Crown of the Ivory King – September 24, 2014

Everyone else can just keep an ear to the sky and listen for the screaming and occasional victory yell…

Falling Skies Landing Hard on Consoles, Mobile In Autumn From Little Orbit

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

Confession time: I’ve never seen a episode of Falling Skies, so last year when I heard a game was in development, I was wondering what type of experience it would be with my fingers crossed it was going to at least be a genre I liked and not just another first or third-person action game that would be compared to superior genre entries and easily forgotten if it wasn’t good enough to grab the attention of the shows fans or gamers expecting something like what they know so well.

Today’s news that we’re getting this as a tactical strategy RPG for the Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC along with a mobile game called Falling Skies: Planetary Warfare is making me smile a bit more. Some screens to peek at from both versions (and I’ll leave it to you to guess which one is which, although it’s pretty obvious):

Granted, these work in progress screens aren’t going to blow you away if you’re expecting a superior LOOKING tactical experience. On the other hand, this particular genre is known for games that may not look the best, but deliver the goods on the gameplay front.

I did take special notice that Little Orbit mentions the Wii U version FIRST in the press release, which is a good thing to me 9and probably a bunch of other Wii U owners). If the game is good, it’ll probably (and hopefully) use the GamePad as a key part of gameplay (which is a no-brainer in my book). Anyway, we’ll see what’s what soon enough. I’m hoping Little Orbit gets this game orbiting into the hands of editors post-E3 just so the folks who aren’t attending that madness (raises hand) can get some hands-on time and spread the word if the game works as it should. Back in a bit with more on this one. Maybe it will get me to actually check out the show at some point on DVD… We’ll see!

Enemy Front Story Trailer: Resistance Is (And Most Likely Will Be) Futile…

Posted on May 29, 2014 by geelw

CI Games’ upcoming WWII shooter has drawn my interest thanks to its story taking place during a few key points and in a few key places during that conflict. I’m withholding my judgment on this one completely until I actually PLAY it,but color me impressed that it looks to be packing in a LOT of content. As long as it’s not a straight-up linear run to the checkpoint experience (and press materials suggest it’s not at all), I think it will find an audience that likes what they see and may ask for more down the road. We’ll see in a few weeks as Enemy Front hits retail and digital outlets for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 10, 2014.

Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare Popping Up On PS3 & PS4 In August

Posted on May 29, 2014 by geelw

Ah, so the trickle-down effect IS fruitful after all! Well, it’s more like a sideways-creeping vine effect as PopCap’s Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare finally makes its way to the PS3 and PS4 as an August 19, 2014 release. The game will also be playable on the Vita via Remote Play, although currently, there’s no direct Vita version you can stroll into a shop and buy or download from PSN.

I’ve not yet played this thanks to my pair of dead Xbox 360’s and my not having committed to buying an Xbox One (yet), but now I have no excuse not to play this one and perhaps drag a few friends along for the ride. I like that it’s not a straight port and Sony fans are getting some exclusive content for pre-ordering as well as in the actual game. Granted, it would be cooler if everyone got the same goodies in that came case or download no matter when they buy the game. But that’s something I’ll grouse about in a future feature. I’m just soaking in the happy rays of this news and can’t wait to give this one a go.

Company line press release below the jump for those of you who feel the need for (more) read… Continue reading →

Batman: Arkham Knight Gameplay: “Evening The Odds?” More Like Unfair Bat-vantage If You Ask Me…

Posted on May 21, 2014 by geelw

Rocksteady is back as the developer in this upcoming hit and as you can see, their incredible work on this PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One only game will be well worth the wait and indeed might be a big system seller when the game ships out later this year. Sure, this looks like a movie trailer, but that’s all in game engine running and making your jaw land on your shoes or thereabouts. Yeah, it’s going to be a blockbuster you don’t want to miss if you loved the other Arkham games and double yeah, WB Games is going to be cackling like the Joker all the way to the bank when all is said and done. I can’t wait to get my paws on this one. It’s going to be the Year of the Bat for gamers, that’s for sure…

Dragon Age: Inquisition Update – Stuff To See And Read While You’re Waiting ‘Til October…

Posted on May 19, 2014 by geelw

Here’s a handful of location screens from Dragon Age: Inquisition, headed to PC and every home console except for the Wii U this October 7. BioWare has also been posting some fine reading material and more images on lore from the game, so today you get links to info on those warring mortal enemies The Grey Wardens and The Darkspawn along with the VERY non-vacation hotspot called The Fortress of Adamant. Hey, this trip is FREE, so pipe down or the guide will leave you in a tomb somewhere!

Enemy Front Gallery: “So, What Did YOU Do During The War? (Part Two)

Posted on May 18, 2014 by geelw

I’ve been trying to figure out how to pin down CI Games’ upcoming story-driven first-person shooter Enemy Front without getting too worried about how the game will be received when it lands in stores on June 10, 2014. While it looks on the surface to be one more entry in the recent comeback of the WWII shooter, the rather nice looking CRYENGINE powered game uses the Warsaw Uprising as one of the destructible locations playable character American war correspondent Robert Hawkins ends up in and that’s probably guaranteed to get some historians and other people a bit ticked off for a few reasons.

Granted, the game isn’t supposed to be “realistic” or an accurate simulation at all and yes, it’ll be far too easy for some to pick it apart for any elements they see as inaccurate. But CI seems to want to bridge the game between the old Medal of Honor and Call of Duty games, while referencing Sniper Elite and its own Sniper games. There’s freedom to tackle missions in what’s being called “a richly interactive combat sandbox gameplay experience”, meaning the game should be nowhere as linear as the yearly Call of Duty action-packed guided tour thrill ride, which is a good thing for those players looking for a bit more variety and replay value… Continue reading →

Transistor Launch Trailer: Four More Days Until The Fix Is In…

Posted on May 16, 2014 by geelw

And here it is (well, almost). Transistor pops up on Steam and PSN May 20th, and Supergiant Games’ new trailer makes it even more intriguing and one of those games that’s a must play. And isn’t that music in the trailer great? Yes, Supergiant is selling the soundtrack as well in their online shop along with some other cool stuff.

I’m quite surprised that they didn’t cast the development net wider so PS3 owners could give this one a buy, as there are currently a lot MORE of them than PS4 owners. Of course, thinking ahead to PC and PS4 means the developer can concentrate on getting games out on platforms where they don’t have to compromise (although I’d bet the game would run fine on a PS3 or Vita if the latter version had scalable type so text could be more easily read). However, Xbox One owners aren’t getting the game (yet) because of some goofy Microsoft policies, but if you have that console in your home just keep your fingers and toes crossed that this can get to you at some point. Minor griping aside, if you CAN play this one, you SHOULD play this one.

Mind Zero Update #2: Persona-lly, I Like What I See Here…

Posted on May 15, 2014 by geelw

As some of you gamers with good memories may be thinking, Aksys Games’ upcoming first-person dungeon crawler Mind Zero has a certain aesthetic working for it that makes it seem VERY familiar to a certain Shin Megami Tensei series of games. As in “Hey, this ALMOST looks like Persona or Persona 2“, slightly weaker character art aside.

Hey, I have to ALWAYS give it up for Kaneko Kazuma’s outstanding and bizarre art style that defined many of the SMT games in the past). To swipe a quote from some old gaming magazine only a handful of people still remember, “RESPECT!”

I don’t mind the similarities at all, as those were (and still are) some pretty stellar game experiences and this gae does do a bunch of things differently. Still, if this one can capture a fraction of what made those game so memorable, I’d bet a nickel that Aksys and developer Zerodiv will have a new sleeper hit on their hands. The game is set to hit the Vita on May 27, 2014, so make sure to keep an eye out if this one strikes your fancy…

Bombshell Alert: 3D Realms & Interceptor Games Are Bringing The Pain In 2015

Posted on May 15, 2014 by geelw

While this Bombshell reveal trailer isn’t revealing a stitch of gameplay (just a nicely scarred under-clad gal with a punk haircut and metal arm who seems to like her whiskey, watching cable news, firearms and motorcycle riding), fortunately, the game’s official site has screenshots to ogle and yep, they’re below.

I happen to like isometric games (and isometric action or turn-based RPGs in particular), so my interest has been piqued. I’ll also give huge credit to the dev team for not making yet another first-person shooter and instead going with a viewpoint and genre that may actually help draw in players who prefer this type of game experience.

While the game isn’t coming until Q1 2015, it’ll be interesting to see it in motion on the PS4 or PC. I wish this Unreal-powered game was also landing on the Vita, but I guess this is one of those games where a bigger screen means you appreciate the work that’s gone into it a whole lot more. Anyway, color me intrigued. More on Shelly’s big adventure soon. Here’s a brief interview with two of the people working on the game and an intro to the character to close things out: