Lost Planet 3 Updated Hands-On: Payton’s Place Is On Channel E.D.N. III…

LostPlanet3_BrokenGlassI’ve been a supporter of Lost Planet 3 ever since I played the demo last year simply because I completely “got” the direction Capcom and developer Spark Unlimited set for the upcoming prequel. While that first demo was put together to show off certain areas in the game and how well-designed and acted the cinematic sequences were, the version I played last week here in NYC was the first area of the game that showed off a solid story and gameplay progression that made the 45 or so minutes fly by too quickly.

Those folks unfairly criticizing the game for nonsense reasons will hopefully not affect the sales one bit should they actually get their hands around a controller and have their minds changed. Of course, you can’t care what some less informed people say on the internet, right? That said, my more informed powers of “I played it and see where it’s going” trump anyone with a bile covered keyboard who still thinks this is a “sequel” and not going to cover elements in the other LP games…

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Now Playing: Resident Evil Revelations – Jill Valentine’s In Ship Shape, That’s For Sure…

I got a review copy of Resident Evil Revelations on Friday evening, but just got around to firing it up on Sunday night thanks to me needing to get my Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut review up and some other stuff. Anyway, so far, so good – Capcom has done a great job with this (DO NOT call it a simple “port”, as that cheapens the effort that went into this game) and it’s really fun to play, as they kept the short maps from the 3DS game, meaning you can dive in for 15 to 30 or so minute chunks, hop out to do something else and come back to the game without having to figure out where you left off. OK, shutting up and going back home to play more – expect a review later in the week…

Gallery: Batman Arkham Origins

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This recently announced prequel to the hugely successful Arkham series looks quite nice in that CG trailer and really gorgeous screens below, but I see that some fans are concerned that no Rocksteady at the wheel means the game won’t have the same quality. I say give this one a shot, as it’s from the same WB Games Montreal team that converted  Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition to the Wii U (and did a stellar job, at that) and I seriously doubt that they’ll deviate much from what made the first two games work so well.

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In fact, I’ll predict a few tweaks and improvements to the formula that make Origins an equal or better game (as it should be), simply because going backwards is NOT an option at all. Anyway, BAO is set to launch Oct. 25, 2013 for PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 along with Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. Nope, I don’t have screens or video on that just yet – WB Games just sent one batarang through my window with these images and trailer for the console game, so I guess the other one will come crashing through as soon as I get the window replaced.

Oh, by the way… Deathstroke IS indeed going to be playable in the game’s Challenge Mode and fans who pre-order the game for PS3, Xbox 360 or PC version of Batman Arkham Origins will receive exclusive early access to the Deathstroke pack (sorry, Wii U owners… unless you get yours some other way that hasn’t been revealed yet).

Well, I guess it’s better than getting a strange box from the Joker with who knows what sort of surprise inside, right?

Orc Attack Gets Slightly Retitled (In Fact, It’s A Gas)…

OrcAttack_BoxArtThis actually cracks me up more than a little because I remember the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Game from Interplay called Boogerman that actually had censored text in the manual and actual game (“Frrt”) because the use of the word “Fart” was deemed offensive or something silly like that. My, how times have changed (and juvenile humor just hasn’t, right?).

As you can see (and probably smell)m above, the newly rechristened Orc Attack: Flatulent Rebellion, set to hit PC, PSN and XBLA later this year. I’ll keep an eyeball peeled for this one, as it looks like fun, but I want a gas mask before I play it (and maybe some earplugs so those assorted gassy noises don’t distract me)…

Oh, you may as well meet playable character Friar Krap since you’ve read this far. Er, enjoy? Amusingly enough, I was planning on cooking up some cabbage or sauteed broccoli with garlic to go with my chicken soup for dinner later this evening, but these videos have made me change my dining plans a bit. Maybe I’ll stick to the water and water on the rocks tonight…

Sony Gets In A PS4 Tease Ahead of Microsoft’s Big Reveal Tomorrow…

I seriously don’t give a hoot about this whole “console wars” nonsense (and haven’t for years), as all I care about are good games on any platform (with a decent controller – sorry, tablet and mobile games!). Still, I knew Sony wasn’t going to let Microsoft rule the week (well, the week starting tomorrow when they show off their new console), so here you go. I actually laughed a bit because this teaser reminded me of a Gran Turismo intro for some reason. Speaking of, as I was a bit out of action last week and missed posting this, yes, we’re getting a Gran Turismo 6 this holiday season as well. PS3 and probably PS4. 1200+ cars (yikes!), all new visuals (yum!) and a ton of features to make fans keel over (again), provided they all work out of the box (grrr!). Anyway, I’ll run some of those lovely screenshots in a separate post. They’re massive and I’m studying each one carefully

Review: Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut

DPDC PS3 US EFS 2D RealPlatform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Access Games

Publisher: Rising Star Games

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A- (90%)

Just like its original incarnation as an Xbox 360 game, Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut is a victory of surprising supernatural and surreal substance over what’s expected by some as visual “style” in a game this generation, and that’s exactly what makes it just as much fun to play as before. Actually, better aiming, vehicle controls and a handful of PS3-specific features make this the content superior version, as do the new brief movie segments that add a tiny bit more lore to the story. The frame rate takes a dip here, but this new “flaw” actually adds an even more dreamlike quality to the game and definitely isn’t as bad as some have noted. I’d gather some new players won’t notice it all that much because the game’s general weirdness in every area demands and commands one’s complete attention. Continue reading

Defiance 106: “Brothers In Arms” Preview: Doc Yewll Only Makes House Calls on Monday Nights…

Of all the characters on the syfy show to get a rabid fan base, Trenna Keating’s humorously irascible Doc Yewll seems to be one of the breakout stars of the show thanks to her non-stop cranky attitude and fact that she gets some of the funniest lines on the show that work thansk to her sarcastic delivery. Well, it looks as if we’ll get to see more of the Doc in next week’s show, so keep that popcorn warm… er, or just buy some fresh popcorn. Doc says you can choke on the old stale stuff and she won’t treat you unless you pay up first…

Batman: Arkham Origins Teaser: The Dark Knight Grouses…

Man, that Bruce Wayne (er, Batman) sure is a real party-pooper, isn’t he? All that gloom and criminals are the scum of the earth stuff plus what looks like a vinegar and lemon diet make for one grumpy Darknight Detective, that’s for sure. Then again, this is ONLY the teaser for the upcoming game. The actual trailer drops on May 20, 2013… so I’m betting it’ll be even darker and grimmer. Hmmm… that man needs some cotton candy and a fancy paper hat, I think. Either that or he needs to stay in one night and maybe catch up on some old TV shows. Comedies, preferably…

Diablo III PS3/PS4: It’s Not Wizardry At All… It’s Just Damn Good Coding At Work.

If there’s one game I really want to play as soon as it launches on either the PS3 or PS4, it’s probably Diablo III. Not because it’s the greatest game on the planet, mind you (it’s not), but because I want to see how well Blizzard got it up and running in single player mode with direct control and no always online nonsense to keep solo play fans from enjoying the ride thanks to a crappy Internet connection or a few other reasons. Of course, I’m more of a Torchlight 2 guy these days, but I love my isometric dungeon crawlers on anything (but a touch screen) as long as they’re done right. DIII looks as if it will draw in a load of new fans as well as some older ones who got shut out of the PC version. It should also silence those who think this type of game “can’t” be done on a console (despite years of proof from other iso RPGs running on Sony as well as other systems). I’m hoping this gets an official demo at some point before release just so Blizzard can show off all that hard work to the cranky crowd, but as always… we shall see…

Payday: The Heist 2 Gets A Cross-Platform Retail Release: Smart Move (And A Steal, At That)…

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Other than trying the game out at a friend’s place for about an hour or so, I didn’t get to play Payday: The Heist because I can’t access PSN or Xbox Live at home. Of course, with its fast-paced but more tactical gameplay that your garden variety FPS and ability to play out different heists, the game did well enough as a PS3 and PC download that a sequel was a no-brainer. Overkill Software has been in the kitchen cooking up Payday 2 for a bit and publisher 505 Games has announced that not only is the sequel coming soon (as in this August), it’s making the jump to Xbox 360 AND getting a nice retail release this time out.

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As you can see from the screens below, the fine folks at Overkill (which is an offshoot of Starbreeze Studios) certainly know their way around a graphics engine and if you hate clowns, you’re already hiding behind a couch cushion thanks to those freaky masks. Of course, the proof is all in the playing, so I guess this one gets added to my already crowded list of games to get to once they’re out.  Those of you looking for a little virtual cops & robbers action should probably be on the lookout for this one as well…

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