Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara: The Elf – In A Class All By Herself…

Hey, now… before you get all finger-pointy and mention that elves are a race and not a class, you should probably take note that in Dungeons and Dragons, they were initially seen as a separate class along with halflings and dwarves. Of course, elves don’t exist in real life (despite people spending too much time believing they do), so there’s a moot point here somewhere I keep misplacing. Anyway, whee – I get to try this Iron Galaxy-developed HD reboot/remake out next week when Capcom rolls into NYC with it and a few other awesome upcoming games, so expect a nice hands-on report shortly afterward. Dungeon & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara hits PC, PSN, Xbox Live and Nintendo’s eShop on July 14 – back in a bit with more on this instant classic soon.

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing: Building Character – An Important Life Skill In Games, Too…

Here’s more for NeoCore Game’s upcoming action/RPG that’s shaping up to be a huge and very-well polished indie sleeper hit worth grabbing when it launches on May 22, 2013. Hopefully, this will do well enough to get ported to more platforms, as there’s nothing like a good chase ‘n chop to wile away the hours and get caught up in all the loot you’ll rack up as you stack up the monster corpses. As usual, we shall see, but I’ll predict that is this one shows up as bug-free as possible and doesn’t require a new PC to run, it’ll be a must-play among genre fans…

Young Justice Legacy Hands-On: Teens & Titans Collide In Little Orbit’s Upcoming ARPG…

GA_IceRiver_001One of the nicer surprises at the Namco Bandai Global Gamers Day event was a playable build of Young Justice Legacy, set for a fall release on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS and PC (what, no Vita version?!). Fans of the show should be pleased to know that developer Freedom Factory is cooking up a fast-paced action/RPG in the vein of the X-Men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance games featuring stylized 3D visuals and a nicely-sized roster of characters from the series. The game has a few months more cooking to do on the developer’s stove, but it’s definitely going to one of those the more dedicated fans of the currently canceled cartoon should dive right into as soon as it hits stores.

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Gallery: Remember Me

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RM_PressTour2013__22Capcom and Dontnod Entertainment are about to bring gamers a new action heroine who could be yeat another really interesting female characters making her debut this year.  Remember Me, coming on June 4, 2013 will see the deadly and agile Nilin take to the streets of 2084 Neo-Paris as she attempts to discover why her former employers wiped her memory (leaving her very underemployed as a result) AND seems to have sent out a team of assassins to deal with her. Eeek… talk about NO job security!

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Anyway, the team at Dontnod is cooking up an absolutely beautiful game as you can see from the nice screenshot gallery below the jump, and the gameplay is also looking quite lovely (and innovative) as well. PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 owners can look forward to this one soon (as time is absolutely flying this year).

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Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: One More Thing…

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And there he goes once more, FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!), chasing after another lead in his Red Seeds Killer investigation. It’s been a fun month covering the man and his actions, but I’m beat from all that stumbling through bushes and smacking into trees like a nut. Well, I did get some pretty good posts out of all this and I think I’ve set a record or something for writing so much about one game for so long. Or maybe not. Whatever, I finally get to sit home where it’s nice and murderer free and play a decent game that’s… going to remind me of stumbling through bushes and smacking into trees. Oh well – it’s MUCH safer at home than in Greenvale at night (or at certain parts of the day)…

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D Real Are YOU one of the legions of people now immersed in Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut? Available NOW at a game retailer near you, this PS3 exclusive from Rising Star Games features upscaled HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, additional DLC and over 100 changes from the original version. It’s also a fairly long and very bizarre game worth checking out, particularly if you’re a more open-minded gamer looking for something truly and uniquely terrifying and hilarious, often within a few seconds of either mood. Grab a copy, grab a friend, have a seat and enjoy your trip!

swery_birthday to youWorld renowned Game Director Swery 65 is back at the celebrating thing once more down at the Swery 65 Bar, but he’s actually been SO busy on facebook and other places online that his coffee keeps getting cold! I think he also likes Iced coffee, but I’d bet he prefers to have that when it’s hot out as opposed to being so tied up that a fresh cuppa Joe goes cold as he’s typing all those updates. Let the man drink his beverage, people, I say!  You all have a game you need to play (or BUY and play), so get to it already!

Gallery: Sacrilegium – Reality Pump’s Survival Horror/Adventure Game Is Creeping Closer…

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sacrilegium_artVeteran developer Reality Pump Studios has been cooking up what’s looking like a nice surprise for horror game fans with its upcoming multiplatform release, Sacrilegium. Coming to PC, PS3 and Xbox 360’s worldwide soon, the TopWare Games-published “Survival-Horror Action Adventure” sounds (at least on paper) like a game that’s got a lot going for it if the lengthy and very detailed press release is any indication.

For many gamers who love their work, Reality Pump’s games (particularly their deep and mostly well-made RPGs) have always been highly ambitious, but between the outstanding new engine and promise of a deep, story driven single-player adventure starring a female character with a tailor made back-story, this could be one of those really intriguing game experiences that draws attention to itself on a few key fronts.

TopWare is promising this will be “A dark, thrilling tale with a captivating atmosphere, full of twists and turns, surprises and rewards.” as well as delivering “A constant feeling of tension, trepidation, and fear of the unknown and the unseen, combined with visceral action rewarded by the excitement of progression.”, which gets my brain tingling in all the right ways…

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Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Not A Clue…

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I actually had to get out of Greenvale after over a month there doing daily posts about FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) and the big case he was handling out that way. I would have stayed a day or two longer, but I got an urgent message that some important package I was expecting had finally arrived. I left a note for York and another for Emily just in case she turns up at some point. Thankfully, I didn’t have to deal with George’s cranky nonsense on the way out of town, as he turned out to be quite a jerk when all is said and done. I actually have NO clue how far York has gotten into solving his case, but he seems too be a really thorough investigator who seems to have two brains at times (well, that’s what I kept hearing around the A&G Diner and Swery 65 Bar when I asked around about him) and he’s also got a pretty decent amount of knowledge about some good and not so good movies (most of which I’ve seen)… Well, hopefully York will drop me a note when he’s got the time. It would be cool to have an FBI agent as a friend for a few reasons (but you probably don’t need to know why, correct?)…

dptdc_dafI’d say that based on that screenshot above, in a few seconds York will see that Emily is not that shadow that’s going to turn around and attack him. Of course, if your were playing Rising Star Games’ PS3 exclusive Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, which should be in stores as you’re reading this. Well, the “official” release date is April 30th, but I’ve heard a few people talking about playing the game already thanks to getting their hands on the game thanks to a favorite game store selling them a copy a day or so early. Hopefully, the reworked HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, over 100 changes to the original game and MORE will keep you and the York you’re playing fixated on getting to the bottom of this case in record time. Yes, that’s my copy in that photo to the left and above. I got home not too long ago and *ding!*, there it was, waiting for me on the table by the door. Nice! Now I can help York get that damn killer!

swery4Hmmm… I think Game director Swery 65 is going to be in Greenvale for a day or so longer, as he’s tying up a few loose ends of his own. People have been bugging him day and night with compliments, questions, comments and even a few jokes about all the hard work he and his team at Access games has done, so I suppose he’s entitled to a good night’s rest before his long plane trip back to Japan. You’d think the guy would prefer to live in the town he helped create and run, but there are just too many things back home you can’t get out in the middle of nowhere…

Gallery: Lost Planet 3

Campaign_006_bmp_jpgcopy It may be spring outside, but looking at these Lost Planet 3 screens makes me feel as if I’ve got my face stuck in the freezer and there’s no ice cream left – just a mean-looking alien with glowy bits and very sharp claws an teeth staring back (eek). Veteran developer Spark Unlimited is doing its best work to date, using the Unreal engine and some great motion captured actors to create a solidly stylized vision of the cold, bleak ball of ice covered rock that is E.D.N. III.

LostPlanet3_BrokenGlassWorking class hero Jim Payton isn’t the usual lantern-jawed hero with a hefty arsenal, bulletproof shorts and an ego as big as the planet he’s on at all. He’s just a regular guy who’s trying hard to make a living in a frozen hellhole with Akrid and perhaps a few pesky space pirates ruing his workday. I’ve been hooked in since I played a demo last year and with the first two multiplayer modes finally being revealed last week, it looks as if all the pieces are falling into place for a sleeper hit that will hopefully catch the skeptics by surprise.

Capcom’s Lost Planet 3 hits PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on August 27, 2013. Poke around below the jump for some more nice screens and artwork.

Oh, and put a hat and gloves on, dears – it’s COLD out there in space…

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Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Missing!

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06_Emily  Wyatt _wWell, this isn’t good at all. Today, a bunch of flyers started popping up all over Greenvale about Deputy Sheriff Emily Wyatt and how she’s gone missing. Hmmm. I’m hoping she’s OK, but I haven’t seen FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) at all since he sped by in a car the other day. Anyway, I did see a bunch of tourists looking around in the woods for her, but that’s kind of a bad idea if they don’t know what they’re doing. If something DID happen to her and she’s out there, it would be awful if someone accidentally did something that would ruin any evidence or hinder a potential investigation. OK, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here. Maybe she’s just hurt in the woods or lost in that creepy old mine area…

Anyway, Emily is 26, about five feet six inches or so, has blonde hair and green eyes. Not that it matters, I hear she’s also not much of a cook and loves a good steak, but we’ve already checked the A&G Diner and Swery 65 Bar to see if she’s come in lately and nope, she’s not been to either spot. Sheriff George Woodman is also still missing, but he’s been known to disappear from time to time and show up at work as if nothing has happened…

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D Real You can come help look for Emily (and hope for the best) while trying to solve the Red Seeds Killer case when you play Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, exclusively for the PlayStation 3 from Rising Star Games. Updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, over 100 improvements from the original game and more mean this is one of those games that will keep you busy for some time to come. Granted, a taste for the bizarre in your horror/humor hybrids games comes in handy, as this one will come at you in a few ways as you play through the adventure. Here’s a tiny fraction of what to expect:

swery5I haven’t seen Game Director Swery 65 at all today, but then again, I haven’t exactly been looking for him, either. I think he may be out helping search for Emily, but as he’s pulling the strings in Greenvale (and has been from the beginning), he could just be taking the day off and having a decent nap for a change. At least the tourists are out in the woods and NOT keeping him up all hours of the night asking for autographs and game tips. That man should get a medal for what some fans have asked of him, but he takes it all in stride!

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Abstract Reflections…

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As you’ve probably guessed by now, Saturday night in Greenvale is usually fairly quiet and uneventful, but as the small town now has people packing the A&G Diner and Swery 65 Bar, FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) can get down to business and finish up his Red Seeds Killer case file. He’s made plenty of progress, mind you… but I’m not yet at liberty to discuss an open case such as this because it’ll affect any future prosecutions.

Of course, if this were the real world, you’d see all sorts of idiot network reporters and crews flying in from all over the country to camp out and follow York all over the place looking for a scoop at the cost of him potentially losing track of the killer. Or worse, some dopey news reader would get his or her dumb ass caught and killed by the axe-wielding menace or one of the creepy shadows that lurk in and around the small town. Hmmm… that sounds like a game idea, but I’d bet it’s already been done… I’ll need to look that up one of these days… but now now, I’ve got a detective to track down myself…

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D RealWhile I’m poking around the woods trying to stay out of trouble, YOU can be safely indoors and playing Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3 on April 30, 2013 from Rising Star Games. Featuring updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and stereoscopic 3D TV support and more, you can hop into the suit and shoes of York and help him as he tries to put and end to that Red Seeds Killer and his evil ways once and for all.  This won’t be a “short hop and 44 minutes later you’re done” episode of your favorite crime show, folks, as the game cuts deep on a few levels, is weird as hell and keeps you glued to the couch (or halfway under it) with its takes on horror and offbeat humor.

Game Director Swery 65 is taking a day off celebrating and is back under his sheriff’s hat today after George Woodman went missing earlier. It turns out I was DEAD wrong yesterday about accusing him of being the Red Seeds Killer, so we had a nice little conversation over some adult beverages (drunk mode ON) and went our separate ways at the end of the night. There’s still no news of Emily Wyatt and I’ve not yet run across York today at all other than seeing him drive by really quickly a few hours earlier. I think I know where he’s headed, so I’m on the way to see what’s up and maybe ask him if he’s seen Emily or George lately. I could live without Woodman’s mug stuck in my head, but I’d at least like to see Emily and say goodbye before I leave in a few days…