Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons: Starbreeze’s Fantasy Fairy Tale Coming to PSN, XBL, Steam This Spring

Posted on March 8, 2013 by geelw

And just exactly what has Starbreeze Studios been up to these days you ask? Well, the busy and super-talanted developer has been collaborating with Swedish film director Josef Fares on an upcoming digital-only fantasy game headed for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Steam this spring and published by 505 Games. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons lets you control a pair of siblings with a single controller as they try to find a cure for their ailing father in a nicely detailed stylized fantasy world. Check out the teaser above and the short walkthrough clip below to see how the game will play. This one looks quite cool and hopefully will gain a strong following and not get buried in the rather large online game libraries on PSN, Xbox Live and Steam. As always, we shall see…

FUSE Hands-On: Insomniac Wants You Up All Night With Their Co-op Focused Shooter

Posted on March 6, 2013 by geelw

In a way, FUSE is probably Insomniac’s most important game to date. The veteran games studio is well know worldwide among critics and PlayStation fans (and anyone else who happens to be console agnostic) who knows everything the developer has done has been of the highest quality. Sit down with any Insomniac title and you’ll find plenty of outstanding design, excellent visuals, and games that are just pure fun to play. Much of that work has held up over time (yes, even Disruptor) and as their first multi-platform release, the game looks to the carry those traditions to both the PS3 and Xbox 360. EA had a new demo of the game up and running at their spring press event a few weeks back and it was one of those cases where I walked up to the demo setup with a huge grin and left holding the top of my head so it wouldn’t fall off because that grin got a wee bit too wide. The co-op focused shooter formerly known as Overstrike looks spectacular, controls like a dream and more importantly, is certainly geared towards expert players.

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Thief 4: As Long As It Doesn’t Stab Me In The Back When It Takes My Money, I’m Good…

Posted on March 5, 2013 by geelw

Ah… this is fine news indeed. It seems that there’s a new Thief game (which just SO happens to be called Thief 4 because it’s the fourth game in the series) in the works for PC and next-generation consoles. Nice. I’ll do a happier dance when I see some gameplay, but to the initiated, the Thief series is one of those seminal works that’s pretty deep and always challenging to dive into. Eidos Montreal is handling the development chores, Square Enix will be publishing and if the game is anything like Deus Ex: Human Revolution in terms of scope (but with much more interaction), it’s guaranteed some solid ratings as well as a loyal fan base.

Granted, I’m betting ANY inclusion of “casual” play modes will be met with all sorts of internet-driven derision and division, but that’s how it goes in an era where more people seem to want to try more types of games (before giving up before they’ve learned the damned controls in the tutorial). As always, we shall see. I’ll be sneaking carefully behind this one and keeping tabs, that’s for sure…

Review: Driftmoon

Posted on February 26, 2013 by geelw

Platform: PC

Developer: Instant Kingdom (Ville/Anne Mönkkönen)

Publisher: Instant Kingdom

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: N/A

Official Site

Score: A (95%)

Do you own a decent cap or hat, dear reader? If you do, go get it now, put it on and tip that cap or hat in the general direction of Finland (Jyväskylä, to be a bit more precise). If you don’t have a good cap or hat, what’s wrong with you? It’s cold outside! Anyway, what’s with all the polite haberdashery tilting? Well, dear reader, it’s a hats off to Ville and Anne Mönkkönen for the seven years of work that went into one of the best games of this year. Driftmoon is an instant classic you’ll want to dive into and explore at your own pace just to experience great game design in action. Solid writing, great visuals and the excellent hybrid adventure/RPG/puzzle gameplay make a visit to Driftmoon well worth the price. As great as the game is, the included easy to use editor gives this one endless possibilities for users to craft their own potential classics…

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Gallery: Mystic Chronicles (Or: Natsume Keeps The PSP Flame Burning Into The Summer Months)

Posted on February 23, 2013 by geelw

Well, well, well… I didn’t even know Japanese developer/publisher Kemco was still around these days, but thanks to Natsume deciding to localize the company’s iOS RPG Fantasy Chronicle for North America as Mystic Chronicles for a summer 2013 release, I’m a bit happier to see the developer still cranking out fun games that more genre fans here in the US will get to enjoy. Tile-based 16-bit visuals straight out of the SNES and Genesis days? Check. First-person field and dungeon combat (and turn-based at that)? Check. Cute anime/manga art all over the place (like it or not – I happen to like it a lot in this type of game). Check.

All I need to know now is when it’s coming out and how much I need to spend to get my grubby paws on it (retail is preferred, but I’ll take a PSN code to get my fix). Hey, I have three PSP’s here, at least one of which gets regular usage (Earth Defense Force 2 Portable has been on constant play here since I got it from Play-Asia), so I won’t be needing to go nuts digging through the Bins of Doom here looking for them.

Anyway, onwards to the gallery with you! Watch your step and duck, as it’s below the jump… Continue reading →

Review: Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken (Vita)

Posted on February 23, 2013 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation Vita (via PSN)
Developer/Publisher: Ratloop Asia
# of Players: 1 (online 2 – 4)
ESRB: Rating: M (Mature)
Official Site
Score: A- (90%)
Before you even ask, nope, Rocketbirds: Hardboiled Chicken has absolutely NOTHING to do with Angry Birds. Zero. Zilch. So, please clear that Jenga with a slingshot game out of your heads before reading further (I’ll wait)… and if you happen to have grown up playing classic NES side-scrollers, a few too many platform-based puzzle games and maybe a few oddball arcade flight shooters, well… this game’s got your name on it somewhere. Ratloop Asia (sorry, but that studio name makes me want to avoid eating Chinese food for a few days) has cooked up a tasty bird buffet that’s a tad spicy for the kids thanks to a bit of foul (or is that fowl?) language, blood and lots of stabby and shooty violence. But for those of you Vita owners with a sense of humor and a few bucks in your pocket, it’s a guaranteed fun time while it lasts. A few new Vita-exclusive elements added makes this the most complete version out there and yes, it’s a definite must-buy if you’re looking for a solid adventure that, while not the longest game out there, is going to get a few replays and perhaps even stay on that memory card long after you’re all done.

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Here’s MUD In Yer Eye: Namco Bandai Gets Milestone’s Moto Racer In Stores Next Week

Posted on February 21, 2013 by geelw

Namco Bandai Games is turning into quite the busy bee of a publisher these days, picking up distribution rights to a bunch of cool-looking titles from a few developers. Milestone’s upcoming MUD FIM Motocross World Championship is coming to the PS3, PS Vita and Xbox 360 on February 26, 2013, so here’s a look if you haven’t seen it yet. The game combines simulation and arcade racing with some real-life riders and racing that’s based on the FIM series plus some stunt-heavy maps to tool around on when you’re not racing. While it probably won’t wow the graphics hounds out there, the game looks decent enough and might be a bit of a fun diversion for those seeking a bit of bouncy bike action in an off-road flavor. You can catch bugs in your teeth at home when the game jumps into stores next week (and on PSN for the Vita).

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Review: Urban Trial Freestyle (PS Vita)

Posted on February 19, 2013 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation Vita (also on PS3) via PSN

Developer: Tate Interactive/Strangelands

Publisher: Tate Multimedia

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Price: $9.99 (Vita), $14.99 (PS3)

Official Site

Score: A-

While it could use a level editor, some Excitebike-style multiplayer and a few more rider types to choose from (where’s the cool biker chick?), everything else is near flawless in Tate Interactive’s superb stunt-based moto romp. If you’re a PS3 and/or Vita-only owner, Urban Trial Freestyle is going to be your go-to brag about how cool it all is game in the vein of Red Lynx’s mega-hits Trials HD and Trials Evolution games on the Xbox 360. Fantastic visuals, excellent physics and a ton of replay value are all packed into this download-only release that’s well worth the price (and will be an even better value as the dev team adds more content over time).

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Gallery: WRC 3 FIA World Rally (PS3/Vita)

Posted on February 18, 2013 by geelw

Finally headed to North America courtesy of Namco Bandai, Milestone’s rally racer looks to catapult itself (and its cars) onto retail shelves and as a PSN download this spring. As a big fan of the previous Evolution Studios-developed games in the series on the PS2, I’m interested in seeing how a new developer also known primarily for racing games handles this franchise. I’ve played a few of Milestone’s racers in the past, so I’m liking what I’m seeing here and in gameplay videos so far. Of course, I go into every game I play with no expectations of perfection (which makes for more accurate reviewing, folks), so I’ll be playing and judging based on whatever merits it has before I pounce on any major flaws (with constructive criticism, as always). As an actual release date has yet to be announced, my engine is idling until then, but once I hear of an update, you’ll be the first to know…

More screens below the jump.

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GRID 2 PC Hands-On: Codemasters Is Hitting The Road With a Superior Sequel

Posted on February 16, 2013 by geelw

The team at Codemasters has been hard at work making GRID 2 into their best racing game to date and it shows. I’ve been a longtime fan of their racers from the goofy fun of their many Micro Machines games on the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive to the TOCA and Colin McRae Rally and DiRT games, and also love their F1 stuff, so getting to play a bit of this new game was more than a pleasure. It was the PC version up and running on some high-end Intel laptops, but console fans needn’t worry about their versions suffering, as the newly beefed up Ego engine is extremely flexible across multiple platforms. Unlike certain other popular (and great) racers, this isn’t about amassing a gigantic car collection, open-world exploration at one’s own pace or racing for big bucks. The focus and theme of “Be Fast, Be First and Be Famous” along with the interesting use of the ESPN license and assorted in-game “social” features combined with the intense speed and handling should make this a game that’s going to get quite a bit of play when it finally rolls into stores.

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