Metro: Last Light Ranger Survival Guide Trailer: McGuyver’s Got Nothing On Artyom…

Posted on April 29, 2013 by geelw

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I actually recently (and FINALLY) completed the absolutely tense and brilliant Metro 2033 on a borrowed Xbox 360 (as the ones I own are dead as doornails, dammit) and it’s still one of the best and most frightening first-person games I’ve ever played. Between the destroyed Moscow landscape, the ruined tunnels survivors make do in and those dreadful mutations they fight against, there’s a great deal of details in that game and this follow-up, Deep Silver’s Metro: Last Light that make it a must-play experience. The fact that the game isn’t a straight up shooter and has elements of adventure and role-playing games while feeling downright frightening and depressing as your avatar, Artyom and his beat up survival gear barely make it through the radioactive hell makes it a keeper I’ll go back to again and again.

As I’ve said before, this game and a few others where so much thought and work has gone into crafting a world and characters you want to live with for a while are all the same to me like great novels are to someone who collects books. I’ve actually never read anything by Russian sci-fi author Dmitry Glukhovsky has written, but based on the near-flawless atmosphere these two games have, I just may be adding a new book or two to my already packed list. Thankfully, 4A Games is absolutely committed to making this a story-driven solo experience, so we won’t be saddled with mindless multiplayer modes of running around shooting each other in the face for no good reason than collecting XP and yelling obscenities over headset microphones. Besides, in this version of the future, you’re better off saving any ammo you can find and settling your differences with a a blunt or sharp object you can repair or replace afterwards…

Metro: Last Light hits PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on May 14, 2013, so if you’re looking for a bleak, purely terrifying slice of post-nuclear survival action, this is probably going to be your best bet for a good long while…

Gallery: Lost Planet 3

Posted on April 29, 2013 by geelw

It may be spring outside, but looking at these Lost Planet 3 screens makes me feel as if I’ve got my face stuck in the freezer and there’s no ice cream left – just a mean-looking alien with glowy bits and very sharp claws an teeth staring back (eek). Veteran developer Spark Unlimited is doing its best work to date, using the Unreal engine and some great motion captured actors to create a solidly stylized vision of the cold, bleak ball of ice covered rock that is E.D.N. III.

Working class hero Jim Payton isn’t the usual lantern-jawed hero with a hefty arsenal, bulletproof shorts and an ego as big as the planet he’s on at all. He’s just a regular guy who’s trying hard to make a living in a frozen hellhole with Akrid and perhaps a few pesky space pirates ruing his workday. I’ve been hooked in since I played a demo last year and with the first two multiplayer modes finally being revealed last week, it looks as if all the pieces are falling into place for a sleeper hit that will hopefully catch the skeptics by surprise.

Capcom’s Lost Planet 3 hits PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on August 27, 2013. Poke around below the jump for some more nice screens and artwork.

Oh, and put a hat and gloves on, dears – it’s COLD out there in space…

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Watch_Dogs “Out Of Control” Trailer: Still Off The Charts, Yet On Everyone’s Lists…

Posted on April 29, 2013 by geelw

By now you know that Ubisoft has a definite system seller and absolutely killer app with its upcoming multiplatform release Watch_Dogs (set for a November 19, 2013 launch), although I’m predicting a little “problem” of sorts coming when the game does ship out. I can see a segment of potential players of the eye candy diabetic variety NOT buying the PS3 or Xbox 360 versions at all because they’re getting a newer console and want to show off that new game on the best system possible. Of course, PC owners will be pooh-poohing THOSE gamers as losers because they’ll be upgrading THEIR gaming rigs with new cards that can run the game at 200 frames per second with all the latest shaders and effects up full blast. Me, I don’t care how I play this other than I’d prefer not to patch anything and get up and running no less than five or ten minutes after installing the game to my (flips coin) PS3’s hard drive. As I have the feeling that this is a game that requires a few play-throughs in order to experience everything, I don’t mind at all playing it one one console and then another.

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Missing!

Posted on April 28, 2013 by geelw

Well, this isn’t good at all. Today, a bunch of flyers started popping up all over Greenvale about Deputy Sheriff Emily Wyatt and how she’s gone missing. Hmmm. I’m hoping she’s OK, but I haven’t seen FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) at all since he sped by in a car the other day. Anyway, I did see a bunch of tourists looking around in the woods for her, but that’s kind of a bad idea if they don’t know what they’re doing. If something DID happen to her and she’s out there, it would be awful if someone accidentally did something that would ruin any evidence or hinder a potential investigation. OK, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here. Maybe she’s just hurt in the woods or lost in that creepy old mine area…

Anyway, Emily is 26, about five feet six inches or so, has blonde hair and green eyes. Not that it matters, I hear she’s also not much of a cook and loves a good steak, but we’ve already checked the A&G Diner and Swery 65 Bar to see if she’s come in lately and nope, she’s not been to either spot. Sheriff George Woodman is also still missing, but he’s been known to disappear from time to time and show up at work as if nothing has happened…

You can come help look for Emily (and hope for the best) while trying to solve the Red Seeds Killer case when you play Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, exclusively for the PlayStation 3 from Rising Star Games. Updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and 3D TV support, over 100 improvements from the original game and more mean this is one of those games that will keep you busy for some time to come. Granted, a taste for the bizarre in your horror/humor hybrids games comes in handy, as this one will come at you in a few ways as you play through the adventure. Here’s a tiny fraction of what to expect:

I haven’t seen Game Director Swery 65 at all today, but then again, I haven’t exactly been looking for him, either. I think he may be out helping search for Emily, but as he’s pulling the strings in Greenvale (and has been from the beginning), he could just be taking the day off and having a decent nap for a change. At least the tourists are out in the woods and NOT keeping him up all hours of the night asking for autographs and game tips. That man should get a medal for what some fans have asked of him, but he takes it all in stride!

GRID 2 Cote d’Azur Gameplay: Sightseeing At 140 MPH (Or So)…

Posted on April 28, 2013 by geelw

Another day, another GRID 2 video, which is always a good thing to see. Of course, as the release date rolls up, the not so good thing to see is just as the amount of interest is rising, also rising as are the obstinate flame-throwers who still want a dashboard view despite Codemasters stating from the beginning that it wouldn’t be an option. Blah, blah, whine, whine. Just don’t buy the game, I say. Or buy a real car instead if you want a dashboard in your face. The game DOES support a number of steering wheel peripherals, so hopefully that’s a consolation to some of that crowd… we’ll see, I suppose.

Resident Evil Revelations “Atmosphere” Case File: Remember to Breathe At Some Point…

Posted on April 28, 2013 by geelw

I’m probably the only person I know who thinks that there should be a Resident Evil game where you don’t put a single bullet through a zombie or other mutated monster. Nope, in fact, almost the entire game would take place at some sort of control center where all you did was send out agents into the field and they’d do the dirty work while you sat back and collected all that information from the files, videos and other intel that makes up a good deal of lore and used it for assorted research purposes. Granted, this sort of management simulation has been done to death in other genres, but I think it might be interesting as a side game in a new Resident Evil game at some point down the road…

Hmmm, perhaps I didn’t get enough sleep last night or something? Where the heck did I put that rocket launcher again? Resident Evil Revelations hits PC, PS3 and, Wii U and Xbox 360 on May 21, 2013. My goofball game idea? Well, that’s shipping out never (much to the delight of the most dedicated RE fanatics out there)…

Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut Random Screenshot of the Day: Abstract Reflections…

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

As you’ve probably guessed by now, Saturday night in Greenvale is usually fairly quiet and uneventful, but as the small town now has people packing the A&G Diner and Swery 65 Bar, FBI Special Agent Francis York Morgan (just call him York!) can get down to business and finish up his Red Seeds Killer case file. He’s made plenty of progress, mind you… but I’m not yet at liberty to discuss an open case such as this because it’ll affect any future prosecutions.

Of course, if this were the real world, you’d see all sorts of idiot network reporters and crews flying in from all over the country to camp out and follow York all over the place looking for a scoop at the cost of him potentially losing track of the killer. Or worse, some dopey news reader would get his or her dumb ass caught and killed by the axe-wielding menace or one of the creepy shadows that lurk in and around the small town. Hmmm… that sounds like a game idea, but I’d bet it’s already been done… I’ll need to look that up one of these days… but now now, I’ve got a detective to track down myself…

While I’m poking around the woods trying to stay out of trouble, YOU can be safely indoors and playing Deadly Premonition: The Director’s Cut, coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3 on April 30, 2013 from Rising Star Games. Featuring updated HD visuals, PlayStation Move and stereoscopic 3D TV support and more, you can hop into the suit and shoes of York and help him as he tries to put and end to that Red Seeds Killer and his evil ways once and for all. This won’t be a “short hop and 44 minutes later you’re done” episode of your favorite crime show, folks, as the game cuts deep on a few levels, is weird as hell and keeps you glued to the couch (or halfway under it) with its takes on horror and offbeat humor.

Game Director Swery 65 is taking a day off celebrating and is back under his sheriff’s hat today after George Woodman went missing earlier. It turns out I was DEAD wrong yesterday about accusing him of being the Red Seeds Killer, so we had a nice little conversation over some adult beverages (drunk mode ON) and went our separate ways at the end of the night. There’s still no news of Emily Wyatt and I’ve not yet run across York today at all other than seeing him drive by really quickly a few hours earlier. I think I know where he’s headed, so I’m on the way to see what’s up and maybe ask him if he’s seen Emily or George lately. I could live without Woodman’s mug stuck in my head, but I’d at least like to see Emily and say goodbye before I leave in a few days…

BEYOND: Two Souls “Breathe Me” Trailer: Turning Pages As The Story Unfolds…

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

Qunatic Dream’s upcoming (and what looks like final) PS3 game is going to set a few new heights in storytelling and visuals as well as become a big hit amongst those who’ve bought into the developer’s artistic vision, that’s for sure. Of course, those on the fence or not even planning to go near this one because of their own biases are going to miss out big time, and that’s too bad. The gaming scene needs its big blockbusters for sure, but it also needs games like BEYOND: Two Souls that raise a bar or three while showing off how time and money are often better spent on delivering stories and characters that aren’t one or less note cyphers in the same old game worlds. Granted, trying to get SOME people to think all developers just don’t make sequels to their last games is difficult enough, but I keep trying…

GRID 2 Gameplay: Algarve and Brands Hatch Laps To Lap Up…

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

Just about a month to go, so Codemasters is getting these GRID 2 gameplay trailers out like clockwork. Of course, the curse of the Internet Troll is still hitting the developer, as rants from the “no dash cam, no buy” crowd are still popping up (like clockwork as well). Well, I like the game as is, and I don’t thing threats of not making a purchase, begging for a patch (which would take a while if you add in the number of cars and other changes to the engine) or other complaining will fly right on over the dev team’s heads until they decide to re-implement the viewpoint into a different racer. As I’ve played bits of the solo and multiplayer modes, I can safely report that you really won’t miss the viewpoint (much) because the speed and handling are still there. But, whatever to those who still are screaming to the heavens. Tantrums like these keep me off message board sites and wondering if anyone bitching so loudly about ANY game they don’t plan on playing actually has a hobby outside of being a human soapbox…

Gallery: Raven’s Cry

Posted on April 27, 2013 by geelw

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RC_Pass3_1280x720_Shot28 I’m not sure exactly when TopWare Interactive is releasing Raven’s Cry other than that nebulous Q3 2013 launch window, but I’d say it’s worth a look if you’re into the whole pirate-themed video game (and want to see how this stacks up to Assassin’s Creed IV, I guess). The game looks to fill a more “realistic” niche other pirate themes have teased, but have yet to deliver on. The story is pretty interesting and in combination with developer Octane Games’ promise of real-world locations and historical accuracy in some of the game’s elements, should make for quite a game experience that’s hopefully not just action-oriented.

As Christopher Raven, who as a young boy saw his family slain by pirates, players will hop into his boots as an older, vengeance-fueled pirate as he sets sail to do in those who ripped his life apart. yes, indeed it’s a completely single-player RPG, which means the developer is concentrating on delivering a rich story, character and hopefully, game world to interact with.