Dragon’s Dogma Demo Day Definitely Doable, Says Capcom

Posted on March 2, 2012 by geelw

Capcom has revealed that a Dragon’s Dogma demo will indeed be made available over PSN and Xbox Live. Back in January, the company issued a press release stating the upcoming game’s release date (May 22, 2012 for North America) and the awesome news that it will come with a Resident Evil 6 demo. The demo will feature two classes (the melee-based Fighter and bow-wielding Strider) and two different areas, each with a huge boss to defeat. Additionally, players will get to check out the party AI system with three allies (Pawns) fighting alongside them. Based on my experiences with last year’s demo, those Pawns are quite necessary, as the bosses are quite mighty (and mighty cheap).

This updated news about the DD demo should please those who haven’t yet had the chance to try the game out at any of the conventions it’s appeared at. More on the game as soon as new news drops into the inbox here. I see that I have some cool DmC news from Capcom, but I’ll post that later today, as I’m about to head out the door…

Journey Developer Diary: thatgamecompany WIll Make You A Believer

Posted on March 2, 2012 by geelw

Not only are the folks at thatgamecompany some of the nicest you’ll ever meet, they really know how to make some truly engaging games. While you’re waiting for Journey to drop onto PSN later this month (early reviews are out and yes, the game is a must-buy), take a look behind the curtain and check out what members of the dev team have to say about their baby and the games industry in general. I still think they need to slap all of their games on a Blu-Ray with an art gallery (maybe an actual art book) a soundtrack CD or download with selections from their games and some behind the scenes videos like this one just to get a few more folks who might want to get hooked onto their work up to speed.

Sega’s Hell Yeah!: A Downloadable “What The?!” Curiosity Worth A Shot

Posted on March 1, 2012 by geelw

Well, well, well… new IP is always a good thing in my book (and killer rabbits are hilarious to me for some reason), but I know the hardcore Sega fanatics are all doubled over backwards asking “Where’s Shenmue III?!!!” or whatever. I’m interested in seeing what’s up with this one as it gets further along in development and yup, I want to see some actual gameplay next time, guys. OK, radar activated, eyeball peeled, watch list checked. Thanks, Sega! Next!

Gravity Rush Live-Action Trailer: Another Reason To Get a Vita…

Posted on February 29, 2012 by geelw

Don’t try to read too much into this as far as any “messages” go, folks. It’s just a cool ad designed to get you interested in another awesome Vita launch window game. Created by some of the team behind the Siren games (for my money, one of the most frightening series to date), this one’s a completely different and yes, gravity defying experience that’s a must-buy killer app. It’s also proof that the handheld is a LOT more than “just a hopped up PSP” as I heard some 3DS owner claim a few days ago. Of course, I just had to ask him if he’s actually had the chance to try the Vita out and yup, he admitted that he didn’t. Sorry, but that sort of ignorance gets you a BUSTED rating here at DAF.

Sure, everyone is entitled to their opinions, but as soon as they creep over into the fact section and you start brewing up that pitcher of hateorade (in new bile flavor, Oh Yeeeeeaaaah!), a little gentle smackdown must be applied. Respect gets respect, I say, and broadening one’s horizons only makes you a better person in any subject at the end of the day. I like the 3DS as well as the Vita for different reasons and there are great titles for BOTH systems that make for some fine entertainment.

OK, that’s a solid 100 posts for this month – whee. Act-ually, it’s a solid 120 posts when you include the stuff on the other DAF blog (feel free to sign up if you like – I can always use the extra traffic). I should celebrate a little, but I’m actually focusing on being even MORE productive with so much going on that I need to cover. That said, here’s a live-action WipEout 2048 trailer – another great reason to be a Vita owner, I say.

DiRT Showdown “What Goes On Tour” Video Takes You For A Ride…

Posted on February 25, 2012 by geelw

Codemasters’ powerful Ego engine is pretty spectacular for whatever they use it on and I’d say this upcoming all-purpose rally/destruction racer is really pushing it as far as it can go. I’m loving all the modes I’ve seen as now I probably don’t need to keep digging out so many different types of racers in order to get a few different road fixes taken care of. Granted, I really STILL want a solid, PURE rally game from the team down the road that’s even better than what’s here. But I’m certainly not complaining about how much fun I’ll be having when the game is finally out sometime in May 2012 (PS3, Xbox 360 and PC).

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode II “Reunion” Trailer: Change Is Good (Unless You’re A Nitpicker Who Thinks It’s Not)…

Posted on February 24, 2012 by geelw

While I’d still prefer Sega just get all the parts done and release this on a DISC with all the other Genesis/Saturn/Dreamcast Sonic games ever made (they’ll fit on a single Blu-Ray comfortably, I’d bet), we’ll have to “settle” for installments. The good thing is, the dev team is addressing the complaints about Part 1 and it looks as if the animation is fixed up quite nicely. Of course, SOME people out there are going on and on about how the game doesn’t PERFECTLY replicate the Genesis version to a T in terms of every single animation or how some parts seem to take control away from the player and so forth and so on. I say knock it ff and wait for the game (or at least a demo) to drop before swallowing that foot.

Jet Set Radio Finally Returns (This Time On PSN/XBLA)

Posted on February 24, 2012 by geelw

Excellent, but I have mixed feeling about this one. How funny that a very physical game based on the physical acts of graffiti and trick skating is coming back as a digital-only title. Well, kudos to Sega for FINALLY getting this one out there to the masses, but still. I recall that Jet Set Radio Future on the Xbox had some killer PR goodies such as a set of awesome headphones and a CD soundtrack and yes, a NEW disc version would have been cool just for a documentary on the original JSR and the sequel how they changed gaming. I still remember the first time I saw those ‘cel-shaded’ graphics running on the Dreamcast and thought they were the best thing to hit gaming in a while. Hopefully, all those folks that have never played either game will be as awed as I was back in the day. We shall see…

Borderlands 2 “Doomsday” Trailer: You’ll Want To Make Friends Just To Play This One…

Posted on February 22, 2012 by geelw

Gearbox and 2K Games are knocking it out of the park with this upcoming sequel and here’s the proof. If you’re not dancing around like a fool with your wallet in hand screaming “TAKE MY MONEY!” at your monitor (please don’t watch this trailer on a mobile device, as you’ll be arrested for solicitation when you scream those words on the subway or bus), well, you’re either not much of a gamer or just don’t see the beauty of 87 bazillion guns. That and hey, a robot doing the Robot? Claptrap is back and probably up to no good (again). September 18 is going to be a pretty sleepless day here and in other parts of the US, is all I’ll say…

Young Justice: Legacy Announced for PS3/360/Wii/DS in 2013

Posted on February 21, 2012 by geelw

Well, well… someone realizes that a LOT of gamers still play Nintendo DS games (he said, not at all facetiously). Little Orbit is teaming up with WBIE to bring a video game version of the popular cartoon series to current generation consoles in 2013. The game is an action/RPG with an online/offline multiplayer focus (which wisely means a kids in a family can play together on the couch if need be). More details and screens to come as they fly into the inbox here. In the meantime, check out the official site and Facebook page, which are both up and running, although the official site is slim pickings for a good reason – not all those character boxes? Reveals, folks.. reveals. With a dozen playable characters, a ton of guest star cameos and a dozen villains, this is going to be fun in terms of seeing who’s going to be in the game.

Hey, Sony? Where The Heck is PANEKIT On The PS3 and Vita?

Posted on February 20, 2012 by geelw

(thanks, akiha777!)

I’ve been on the hunt for a reasonably priced copy of PANEKIT for ages and I’m still surprised that Sony has passed up on localizing this seriously awesome game for the U.S. of A. while also never updating it for a home or portable console since its release*. And you’re now asking me: “What’s a PANEKIT?” Basically, it’s a toy construction kit where you get to build whatever you want out of metal “parts” and set it in motion (if you like) in a 3D world. Sure, it’s visually “dated” by today’s standards and DEFINITELY a niche title, at that. Nevertheless, in this age of all sorts of junk games on phones and tablets, anything that allows you to create and share digital toys with others without losing pieces or worrying about dropping what you’ve built (and seeing it smash into a million pieces) deserves a new shot…

*Yes, the game was popular enough in Japan to get a PSN reissue not too long ago, but it STILL wasn’t even looked at for a more worldwide release (which is too bad)…