Between the massive roster, the all-new Studio Pierrot animation created for the game and the endless hours of fun that will have you and your Naruto-loving friends up (for endless hours, I say!) I think it’s about time to stock up on a few extra controllers. Just in case stuff happens. “WHAT stuff?” you ask? Well, you know… stuff. Now, you don’t HAVE to buy those extra gamepads because I said so, but don’t cell me up at 2AM when you bust your stick and want to borrow one of mine. Go poke around on Newegg.com or something, snap up a few inexpensive Nyko wired controllers and leave me alone, I’m trying to sleep. Good Night!
Was that TOO harsh? Oops, sorry (heh). Well, I was trying not to be TOO negative, but I was royally bugged by a few things in the game and TV show description. I’m just saying that this is a massive risk for Sony, SOE, Trion Worlds and the former Sci-Fi Channel (yes, I still refuse to use that illiterate new spelling they paid someone far too much to change a few years ago). Sure, the game looks great so far (and has a way to go before its complete), but what if the vastly hyped upcoming TV show is less Battlestar: Galactica and more Terranova? Oops. For a few potential players, that would doom the game, especially if they have memories of The Matrix Online or a few other MMO’s that promised the world but gave up the ghost somewhere along the line.
At this point about the only thing that can’t be driven, flown or dropped on an enemy in this innovative, lightning paced action/RTS hybrid are the planets in the game, but I’m sure LightBox will think of something creative to do about that… May 8, people. Go make yourselves happy and reserve away, as doing so will bump up that game to the Limited Edition version at no additional charge. Granted, if all you want is the single player campaign, you probably have not too much use for any DLC. Hopefully, that campaign will be lengthy and quite replayable for those gamers, but I think they’re covered, as this isn’t looking at all like a game you just play once and put back on the shelf…
Who knew one good cure for an aching back would be a bullet to the eyeball?
My poor old back was a bit out of whack after some lugging some heavy stuff to the airport shenanigans the previous morning, but after sitting down to a nice bit of the Xbox 360 version pf Rebellion’s superb Sniper Elite V2 last Thursday, I left the Edison Hotel with a spring in my step (but scanning high windows and rooftops for snipers). 505 Games is fortunate enough to be publishing Rebellion’s followup to their 2005 PC, PlayStation 2 and Xbox sleeper (later ported to Wii in 2010) that’s still one of the most challenging and tightly focused war games ever put on a console. Sniper Elite V2 ups the ante with an even more phenomenal proprietary graphics engine, excellent sound design and gameplay that’s going to surprise a lot of people who’ve never experienced the original…
Looking super sharp and like a ton of fun in these videos, Namco Bandai’s not quite reboot but re-versioning of its classic arcade racing game should be in stores (and hopefully, in your hot little hands) as you read this. Will Bugbear’s expertise at racing games where stuff wrecks up quite well be accepted by the masses, or will even the awesome-looking City Editor fail to capture the attention of the jaded RR maniacs who ONLY want ONE type of game in their libraries? Suspense!
(But I’m guessing the former will win out amongst those with half a head full of common sense)…
Team Ninja set itself up with quite a paradox-shaped pickle when they set about designing Ninja Gaiden 3. The particular problem plaguing them? How to make a game for new casual players (and those who hated the supreme challenge of the older Ninja Gaiden games) and while pleasing the more hardcore fans of the franchise (some from the arcade and NES days) who wanted something brutally difficult that took a great deal of effort to master. Now, some of those more loyal hardcore Ryu Hayabusa fans would simply say “screw the noobs!” or something far less print-friendly. However, these days it’s getting much harder to sell some “core” games so far within a niche and make a decent profit. Yes, that’s pretty awful if you think about it, but broadening the base has worked well for certain other franchises and genres, right?
NISA is rolling out some really fun-looking RPGs of a few varieties in 2012 and 2013 (that I wish were allarriving on discs, but what can you do these days but hope?). The company announced three new titles for the PS3 and/or PSN that include:
Legasista (Summer 2012), which SOUNDS like a 70’s Legosploitation flick (har har), but is actually a lovely rogue-like tactical RPG coming from developer System Prism exclusively to the PS3 via PSN:
…which sounds like some import tuner muffler company sticker you’d see plastered on some goofy looking tricked out street whip (oh, I’m on a roll, aren’t I?), but it’s actually a very cool looking PS3 Strategy/RPG from Compile Heart (the folks behind the Hyperdimension Neptunia games) and GCREST.
And finally…
The Witch and the Hundred Knights, an Action/RPG set for a 2013 release on the PS3, has some lovely stylized visuals and while early, has “BUY ME” written all over those screenshots on the teaser site…
Add in a few more intriguing games such as Clan of Champions (Spring 2012), Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention for the PS Vita (Spring 2012), Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland (sooner than you think!) and a few other surprises and that’s actually even MORE of a galore! OK, my work here is done – now go pre-order something or get that wishlist updated already!
Just seeing those cars flipping around, blasting and otherwise demolishing each other is causing my poor back to seize up, Sony. No wait, that was all those koo-koo crazy rumors about the new console not doing certain things that will piss off anyone without a huge online data plan and a lot of throwaway cash to spend. Hmmm. One day that will all get sorted out (I hope), unitil then, folks – keep your fingers crossed that this digital deal we’re all being shoehorned into will be somewhat (hah!) “safe” as we throw all our (not so) private personal info into that BIG cloud-shaped blender and HOPE it’s OK…
Er, the game looks nice, by the way. Reminds me of Team 17’s Stunt GP, a dash of Twisted Metal and Argonaut’s Red Dog on the Dreamcast. Nice…
While Transformers games have been hit or miss with the ones based outside the films being superior to the ones tied directly to them, it’s pretty clear that Fall of Cybertron will be the all-out killer app fans have been dreaming of (unless they’re still in cheesy 80’s Transformers mode, then they just need a cookie and a nap). High Moon is doing some pretty impressive work as you can see here and below, and with a Fall 2012 release creeping up, I’d say there’s not all that much to be worried about unless the game somehow misses its ship date and drops into 2013 (which shouldn’t happen, right Activision?). Back with more later…
(mild ouch): Well, I’m up for about an hour already and my back is a bit better (whee!). Going out to see a new game (in this case Sniper Elite V2) always helps ease the pain when it strikes. I’d also forgotten that Xenoblade Chronicles ships out next week for the Wii, so I ended up putting in a pre-order just now, Thank goodness I came into a little money out of the blue (Whee!), so at least one of the last important Wii titles will be winging my way shortly… OK, enough gloating and preening (moderate ouch!), off to be productive. Back in a bit, ladies and gents…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 