E3 2013: PlayStation 4: $399, No DRM, Content Galore, PS Plus Required For Online MP…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Well, it’s pretty much a no-brainer for some gamers this holiday season. Or NOW if you hit up Amazon.com and pre-order (which is VERY highly recommended if you want one of these before Xmas).

Sony’s upcoming PlayStation 4 console comes in at a hundred dollars less than the Xbox One, used games CAN be sold, lent and traded as before (and as they’ve been for decades), PSN accounts with content can be transferred over and there are a really nice selection of games and services on the way. That said, the one wrinkle in the new deal is the requirement for users who want to play online to have a PlayStation Plus account…

But VERY misplaced internet rage aside, this isn’t a bad thing at all, as it’s basically the cost of a new game for a whole year ($60) and Sony will not only add free NEW games to those who buy in, PS Plus actually gets costs DOWN on games you buy in the future from PS One Classics to current and future PSN releases. So it’s really a case of do you want that discount or not. The PSN free ride had to end at some point as Sony has most likely been bleeding money keeping it running for so long.

ALSO (and this is the important part)… that Xbox One price doesn’t include the cost of an Xbox Live Gold membership, mandatory for using that console for pretty much anything. Mama said knock you out, Microsoft… Sony listened to mama, it would seem…

E3 2013: Star Wars Battlefront Teaser: EA Rolls the DICE And Comes Up With A Future Winner…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

This super early teaser means there’s nothing ready to show at all as far as gameplay goes. Still, I totally called this one on a game industry board a few months back to some skeptical replies even though it was SO obvious that the same developer that brings you the Battlefield series would absolutely love it if they were handed this license to work their magic on. Are you kidding me? Frostbite 3 engine, Star Wars license, chance to redeem the license AND bring gamers one really insane FPS action across multiple consoles? Nope, that’s not going to be passed up at all, folks. That said… there had better be a solo play mode like the other Star Wars Battlefront games made for less powerful consoles in the past or to paraphrase Uncle Owen “There’s going to be hell to pay!” Well, not from me, necessarily… I can see plenty of fans of those old games wanting to dive in and play Solo (ha ha)… OK, OK, I’ll quit it with the puns while I’m ahead.

Er… I am ahead, right? No? Rats…

E3 2013: Dragon Age: Inquisition – Open World And A Few Familar Faces…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

You can’t keep a good (well, so bad she’s good) witch down it seems. If that is indeed, Morrigan we’re looking at, well – the game is sold already to many Dragon Agers out there who love the character and her evil ways… The open world focus HOPEFULLY means no recycled maps (one of Dragon Age 2’s notorious downfalls) and a lot more to see and do than in previous entries and even better, it’s coming to current gen as well as next-gen consoles (but not the Wii U, oops), so it’ll be played by more when it launches next year…

E3 2013: So, There’s a Need For Speed Movie Coming? NFS Rivals Has A Rival!

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Well, EA’s upcoming racer Need for Speed Rivals (above) looks really great and that live gameplay demo at the press event was really quite cool as it went from single player to multiplayer modes seamlessly. Still, I’m not quite sold on the upcoming movie in production, as I think that money would be better spent on making the game as good as it gets and to other SKUs along with the one coming for Next-Gen consoles. Well, what do I know, right? Eh, we’ll see what’s what – the comment in the behind the scenes vid below about the film being an accurate representation of car culture is a TOTAL hoot, as it comes right before a crazy crash that probably would kill a driver in real life… oops.

Well, this should be interesting, as the game looks like it’ll keep racing fans OUT of theaters, not send them into one to catch this because they’d rather PLAY instead of watch… we shall see…

E3 2013: New Dark Souls II Trailer: “Beyond Death”… You Still Get To Try Again…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Lovely. From Software’s upcoming multi-platform game is looking very nice and yes, it’s going to be hard as hell in all the most fun ways. I think PREPARE TO DIE needs to be updated to EXPECT TO DIE, as that’s going to be the vibe hitting new players on the skull again and again until they realize this isn’t an easy hack & slash-fest.

E3 2013: Watch_Dogs – Exposed Trailer: Your First Case of Carpetjaw Today…

Posted on June 10, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, yeah – it actually leaked last night on Vimeo and a few other places (and I was up when I noticed it, but decided not to post because it wasn’t the best quality AND hell, it’s not like waiting for an official trailer would kill anyone), but here you go in case you haven’t seen it yet. Of course, this is some mind-blowing CG work mixed in with actual gameplay (at least until we find out otherwise), so as amazing as this looks, grain of salt and watch out it doesn’t end up in your eye – just aim for that mouth saying “Oooooh!” Back in a bit…

E3 2013: Thief Trailer: Garrett’s The ONE Burglar You’ll Want To Visit Your Home…

Posted on June 9, 2013 by geelw

Hey, he’s not real, he just wants your virtual stuff (especially if it’s sort of glowing as if it’s telling him where it’s at) and if you pop up and try and stop him, the worst thing that can happen is you’ll end waking up with a fake knot on your noggin upside down in a broom closet (blame the physics getting a bit wonky when he dropped your unconscious body into that quick storage solution). Ladies, you’ll probably get a fake rose and a fake peck on the cheek for waking up as he’s poking around for that fist-sized emerald you didn’t know you had, so feel free to file a fake discrimination complaint against him with that fake police report. Or something like that…

E3 2013: Murdered: Soul Suspect: Dead Man Walking in This New Game Most Intriguing…

Posted on June 9, 2013 by geelw

Finding a truly original game idea is like looking for ice cream on the sun, but here comes a really nice surprise headed to current and next-gen consoles: Murdered: Soul Suspect from developer Airtight Games (Dark Void, Jet Pack Joyride). In this PC/PS3/Xbox 360/Xbox One game, you play as a murdered detective named Ronan O’Connor who rises from the dead thanks to a mysterious power and seeks out his killer. The game’s Salem, Massachusetts setting makes for an intriguing choice thanks to it’s somewhat compelling real life witch trails, and yes, there’s indeed a mystical element added in here as Ronan’s spirit can possess townspeople in order to solve cryptic puzzles, do a bit of combat with evil spirits and while indoors, pass through solid walls. Yes, to some out there the concept may sound very close to Capcom’s Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective for the Nintendo DS and iOS, But among other things, Murdered is without the 2D side-scrolling gameplay and main ghost character’s amnesia affliction found in the portable sleeper hit.

It’ll be interesting to see how this turns out as more information surfaces, but I’m already ticking it off as a must-play title. Of course, not being at E3, I’ll need to hope Square Enix comes flying into NYC like many other publishers do after the big show is over and done. I have the feeling that this is one of those new IP they’ll want to show off to as many editor types as possible just to get the engine firing up on that hype train. If it’s going to be as intriguing as the concept makes it sound, I’ll be there with bells on when they come a-calling. Back with more on this one soon – stay tuned…

Project Eden Finally Hits GOG.com: Core’s Sci-Fi Action/Puzzle Game Still Has It…

Posted on June 8, 2013 by geelw

Of course, my old post about this forgotten gem probably had nothing to do with gog.com getting it added to their games library at all, but let me at LEAST get a swelled head and think so, OK? Anyway, my boxed copy still runs perfectly, so I won’t need to grab this digitally at all (yet), but don’t let that stop YOU from giving it a try. It’s actually quite well done and the non-frustrating manner in how death is handled keeps the game constantly moving. Granted, it goes from moody to creepy to weird as your party gets deeper into that Real Meat factory and the monsters come out. But by then, you’ll have gotten with the program. Anyway, it’s only six bucks and more than worth it, so give it a shot…

E3 2013: Wolfenstein: The New Order Trailer – So Wrong, It’s Reich…(The Remix!)

Posted on June 8, 2013 by geelw

Hey! Quick WordPress editing tip, kids! If you open multiple Add A Post tabs in separate windows and do two different posts, one will overwrite the other when the second one is done! Whee. I just found that out after I zapped this original Wolfenstein: The New Order post with the one for Project Eden, so if you see this post twice in your feed, it’s not you going nuts… it’s me trying to save time but wasting it instead! Whee! Anyway, get me rewrite!

OK, I was interested in this sequel already, but this compelling trailer for Wolfenstein: The New Order REALLY makes me want some hands-on time just to see how it all plays out. Yes, it’s intentionally raising hackles on the back of some necks, but don’t get the wrong impression. The game is all about the return of that Nazi killing force of nature B.J. Blazkowicz and how he’s going to deal with this updated alternate future threat. The reworked imagery here is striking to the point where there’s the usual YouTube and message board debating about the wrong things (real world history) as opposed to how this game twists its of that into its narrative “What If” world (Nazis on the Moon! Yikes!) and packs a wallop with those images and finale that basically screams “PLAY ME!” So yep, I’m looking forward to doing so should Bethsoft truck on into NYC with a build… I’ll keep you posted should that indeed happen.