Gallery: Phantom Breaker

Posted on January 7, 2012 by geelw

With 2D fighting games on somewhat of a roll these days, it’s nice to see yet another developer enter the fray with a sweet-looking console title. Set to be published in North America this February by 7sixty Games, Phantom Breaker is an Xbox 360 exclusive from developer 5bp that, according to the press release, “takes its cue from classic 2D brawlers, offering a host of spectacular special moves, high-impact combos and a counter system that’s easy to pick up but takes a lifetime to master…” I’m pretty awful at fighting games compared to the top masters out there, but I do love excellent sprite-based artwork like the stuff found in the game trailer and screens below.

Also, for the collectors out there, the game will be available in a Special Edition that includes a mini strategy guide, desk calendar featuring characters from the game and two double-sided posters. Amazon has this listed at $39.99 (which is a steal for a nice set like that), so make sure to pre-order this pack if this looks like something you’ll be down with. Check out the game’s Facebook page and sign up if you like what you see – 14 pretty cool screenshots await below the jump…

Continue reading →

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Hands-On: There Will Be Blood. And Running. And Gunning. All At The Same Time.

Posted on November 13, 2011 by geelw

As much as I love all sorts of games I’ll admit to being a tiny bit skeptical every so often about Capcom announcing yet another Resident Evil title. Sure, the franchise is hugely popular with a whopping 45 million units sold across multiple platforms… but it’s far from perfect. There are certain gameplay elements that have been with the series from day one that, while fresh and fun a few years back, are a bit decayed when compared to some of today’s titles. Granted, keeping things set in stone doesn’t just plague Capcom’s zombie-packed games alone. I could go on for a few paragraphs about other storied franchises setting into too familiar territory, but let’s talk about the game that’s going to save Resident Evil from itself while surprising the hell out of the most skeptical die-hard fans in the process. Thanks to developer Slant Six Games, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is coming and in my opinion, as both an offline and online experience, it’s absolutely the best thing to happen to the franchise in years. Continue reading →

Gallery: Of Orcs & Men: One Unique RPG To Keep An Eye On…

Posted on November 12, 2011 by geelw

Sure, Skyrim is ruling them all as one of the best (if not THE best) game of 2011, but the RPG genre is definitely surging forward into 2012 with a number of cool new titles. One of the many games I’m highly interested in seeing and playing is Of Orcs & Men, Focus Home Interactive’s upcoming PC/PS3 and Xbox 360 title co-developed by Cyanide Studio and Spiders. What’s intriguing about the game for me is the idea of playing through a lengthy quest as a pair of characters usually found in your average RPG at the end of some heroic square-jawed human’s blade. The leads here are an orc warrior and a goblin assassin who team up in order to kill the human ruler who’s responsible for man’s ongoing war with their races. This change of pace from the usual RPG formula looks to make for an interesting blend of gameplay styles as players will be able to use both characters and their different skills throughout the adventure. The E3 teaser shows off some nicely stylized characters, beautiful lighting and what’s looking to be a pretty huge, detailed game world so far…

The game is set to be released in Spring 2012, and yes, I’m keeping this one on my radar (and you should as well). Screens and other fun stuff below the jump… Continue reading →

Syndicate Hands-On: It’s Just Like The Original… But Better.

Posted on October 25, 2011 by geelw

That’s right, I said it. And yes, Starbreeze Studios will back it up in a big way on February 21, 2012. Based on the demo version I played at EA’s Naughty or Nice event about 2 weeks ago, even the most die-hard fan with greasy smoke coming from their eyeballs and ears about this game should ABSOLUTELY play this modern reworking of Bullfrog’s isometric RTS/Action hybrid.

Five (Plus One) Very Good Reasons to commit without question are below the jump… Continue reading →

Fusion: Genesis – Hands-On With Starfire’s Sure-Fire XBLA Hit

Posted on October 22, 2011 by geelw

One of the nicer surprises at the VERY packed New York Comic Con was actually hidden in plain sight at the Microsoft booth. While packs of gamers waited in lines to play the spectacular Mass Effect 3, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and a few other AAA games, right next to those was Fusion: Genesis, a sprawling, top-down space shooter/RPG/MMO hybrid by Starfire Studios headed exclusively to Xbox Live Arcade later this year. You probably haven’t heard of Starfire just yet as this is their first title under that name, but the four-man team is comprised of Chris Tilston, Mark Edmonds, Philip Dunne and Ross Bury, all ex-Rare talent with credits that range from GoldenEye, Killer Instinct, Perfect Dark and Kameo. Fusion looks and plays like none of the above games at all, but it’ll definitely seem familiar to fans of PC classics such as Starflight, Star Control or even the Sega Dreamcast sleeper, Armada. The game also tips its cap to classic arcade shooters, Star Wars and Star Trek in spots, but I don’t want to spoil too much in this preview… Continue reading →

Max Payne 3 Preview: Rockstar Does It Again (But Better)

Posted on October 18, 2011 by geelw

At this point, you can pretty much bet on anything Rockstar Games does turning into an instant hit and Max Payne 3 looks to continue the solid streak of titles coming from one of the most consistent studios working today. Bringing Max into the current generation of consoles after too many years away, four of Rockstar’s studios are carefully crafting what’s looking like a genre classic in the making. Last week at New York Comic Con, I had the great opportunity to sit in on a “hands-off” demo that showed off some truly impressive visuals and spectacular animation, refined gameplay and an all-new cinematic style that combined graphic novel and film techniques using the in-game engine to its fullest. This isn’t a “reboot” or a re-imagining at all – it’s the next chapter in Max’s story and he’s going through some major life changes… Continue reading →

The House of the Dead Overkill EC Gets Eye-Popping (and Retro) 3D Modes

Gallery

Posted on September 28, 2011 by geelw

This gallery contains 8 photos.

Nice. Now Sega can add “Retro-ier” to that “Longer, Harder, Gorier!” tagline for its upcoming M-rated arcade shooter. The company is really going all out with this super-enhanced HD remix of the Wii sleeper hit. In addition to PS Move … Continue reading →

Review: Resistance 3

Posted on September 26, 2011 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Insomniac Games

Publisher: SCEA

# of Players: 1 – 2 (Online: 1 – 16)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

It’s absolutely been the best year to be a PS3 owner and Resistance 3 continues Sony’s streak of solid first-party titles with an exhilarating, action-packed shooter that’s an absolute must-buy. Packing in a lengthy single-player campaign (with solid offline or online co-op), satisfying multiplayer and a ridiculous amount of over the top battles, this is one of those games FPS fans will get a ton of mileage out of. Key to the gameplay experience are the incredibly fluid controls whether you’re using a Dual Shock 3, PS Move/Navigation controller combo or Sharpshooter peripheral and yes, the game looks fantastic. There area few quirks here and there with the AI on the easier settings and if you want to get the most out of the co-op and multiplayer, the game requires some mandatory patching that fixes a few release bugs. Nevertheless, once that’s taken care of, you’re in for quite a wild ride. Continue reading →

Xseed Bringing Grand Knights History To North America (Go Vanillaware!)

Gallery

Posted on September 26, 2011 by geelw

This gallery contains 7 photos.

Even if you’re not into gaming, it’s hard not to look at a Vanillaware game and see the love and care that goes into them. While the company has only a handful of titles under their belts, each has been … Continue reading →

Drakensang: Complete Saga In Stores Now (Well, GameStop Stores, That Is)…

Posted on September 21, 2011 by geelw

Yeah, yeah, Gears of War 3 is out and fantastic all that, but I’m actually a tad more excited about (The Dark Eye) Drakensang: Complete Saga arriving this week as part of THQ’s ValuSoft games lineup (albeit as a GameStop exclusive). “What’s a Drakensang?” you ask? Why, a pretty cool third-person PC fantasy role playing game that’s got a nicely loyal fan-base, solid visuals, fun classes to choose from and a great, challenging combat system among other things. I’m absolutely recommending this collection to fans of open-world fantasy games, deep RPG experiences and anyone who likes games with at least a hundred hours of gameplay. Even better… it’s on a retail DISC, not a download, so even if you have a crappy Internet connection, you can STILL buy and play a quality RPG while getting a great deal in the process.