E3 2012: Sony Press Conference: Beginning And Ending With Superb, A Bit Of Flab In The Middle.

Posted on June 5, 2012 by geelw

For the first time in a while, Sony opened things up with a complete shocker no one knew a thing about. This time, it was BEYOND: Two Souls, the upcoming game from Quantic Dream. With incredible visuals and Ellen Page as the lead character, the clip ended up leaving SO many questions unanswered, but that’s how David Cage wanted it. I did find it pretty amusing that after Cage touted how stunning Page’s performance was in the game, her digital character was mute for the bulk of the clip shown.till, it’s a must-buy I’ll be tracking until it’s released. God of War: Ascension finally got a live single player demo that showed fans really had nothing to fret about at all, as Kratos is as brutal as ever, the enemies are all deadly and the trademark QTE kills are even gorier than ever. Pre-orders are already being taken for this one, even though it’s not in stores until March 2013, so make that a priority if you’re good about hanging onto receipts.

The Vita got some props with a few new titles announced and a bit of cross platform play from PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale that was slick and flawless. While it looks like a TON of fun, I’m still not sold on the Super Smash Bros. influenced game completely, as I think not having old PS mascot stalwarts such as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon (both owned by different publishers these days) makes for a lesser experience (Fat Princess? Really?). And where’s Solid Snake? Then again, Uncharted’s Nathan Drake and Big Daddy from BioShock will please some folks out there, as they were announced as new fighters in the game as part of a quick teaser.

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E3 2012: BEYOND: Two Souls. Quantic Dream’s PS3 Exclusive Surprise of the Show.

Posted on June 5, 2012 by geelw

Take one of the most innovative console developers and their award winning tech, add in a great actress with huge fan appeal and mix well under cover for a while, let bake and pop off the lid unexpectedly at a huge press event. BEYOND: Two Souls is going to be fantastic for a few reasons, the least of which being it takes place over a period of fifteen years in the main character’s life. The game is also something a lot more action driven than Heavy Rain, but Page’s character is clearly a “normal” human who happens to have some sort of powerful spirit that enables her to do some superhuman things (and attract the notice of a well-armed SWAT team). Other than a probable 2013 release date, nothing else is know about the game, but this first look at the game and amazing trailer should be more than enough to make you want to buy a PS3 just to play what’s bound to be an instant classic.

E3 2012: Ubisoft E3 Press Conference (NSFW). DEFINITELY A Step Forward.

Posted on June 5, 2012 by geelw

To me, this was hands down, Ubisoft’s best games lineup to date. Yeah, yeah, we all knew Assassin’s Creed III was going to be great (it’s even better than I thought), Far Cry 3 continues to be gorgeous (and even MORE outrageous with each new reveal) and the new Splinter Cell: Blacklist looks fantastic. ALL of these were superior game experiences I’d buy as well as recommend in a heartbeat. But it was the new IP that made me jump out of my seat (and more than once at that).

Rayman Legends was perfect, nostalgic fun on the Wii U, and that up to five player thing is going to make a LOT of families happy (as well as any gaming party where a little levity is needed). But then there’s Watch_Dogs. Wow. Not only does the game address some things I’ve been whining about for YEARS (our loss of security in this “always online” era), it’s actually one of the best looking games I’ve ever seen, blending cinematic techniques and gameplay seamlessly while surprising me with gameplay that shifted to a new character at the end of the demo.

Oh yeah… I don’t give a hoot about Just Dance 4, but you can’t deny the game has been HUGE on the Wii and sit JD3 last year, the PS3 and Xbox as well. So I’ll give then that and dock point for the boring Shootmania e-sports part I wish they’d relegated to the show floor instead of torturing the audience with for so long. I do want to see MORE on that Avengers game, though – even though it’s not hitting the PS3 or 360, it might be fun to play, as the trailer showed old school versions of Wolverine, Storm, Magneto, Venom and Spider-Man doing their stuff in CG form (but no actual gameplay, boo!). Update: Ubisoft also plans to “port” it’s Wii U titles to other mobile devices as a means to offset development costs, so I guess we’ll see where that goes and if it’s a success other publishers will mimick at some point….

E3 2012: No New Consoles From Microsoft or Sony? No Problem At All.

Posted on June 5, 2012 by geelw

Between Ubisoft’s mind-blowing Watch_Dogs, Naughty Dog’s brutally beautiful The Last of US and Quantic Dream’s stunning surprise Beyond: Two Souls., it’s CLEAR that the current console cycle has at least one great year left in it. Granted, Rayman Legends had me tearing up from laughing so much and YES, Ubisoft showed off how well the Wii U Gamepad and new Pro Controller will work for multiplayer action there, but it’s going to be another might spectacular 2012 and 2013 for gamers who happen to just own a PS3 or 360. More in a bit. I’m still processing a ton of notes…

The Last of Us: Naughty Dog Breaks New Ground (Again). Deal With It.

Posted on June 3, 2012 by geelw

Every time I see bits of this upcoming PS3 exclusive, I have to shake my head in disbelief. But, hmmmm… some fans still want these guys and gals to crank out a new Jak & Daxter game instead of going all out and making another new IP that might be a better move for the developer at the end of the day. I think they’re entitled to that opinion of course, but I also think they’re slightly bonkers with nostalgia. That and perhaps Naughty Dog has simply grown out of and away from making this sort of CG cartoon experience (no doubt thanks to the success of the Uncharted series). For me, outside of Ubisoft’s fun as hell Rayman franchise, some excellent 2D and 3D indie games and a bunch of cool handheld titles, mascot games and particularly, mascot based platformers are a dying breed. OK, save for the new Sly Cooper game coming, plus Mario and a newly revived Sonic doing their stuff on different systems.

Personally, I’d rather see a developer show what an “old” console like the PS3 can do by stretching the hardware as far as possible while doing something innovative and “adult” in the process. Look, I liked the Jak games on the PS2 and while Naughty Dog didn’t program the game, Daxter on the PSP is a classic for that platform. That said, I wouldn’t mind seeing a Vita J & D collection at some point. As it stands, unless there’s a supreme reason for bringing both characters back in an all-new game (for a new console), just beating a dead horse harder won’t make money come out of its ass…

E3 2012: Soul Sacrifice Debut Trailer: Another Great Looking Vita Game? Sign Me Up!

Posted on June 3, 2012 by geelw

OK, looks aren’t EVERYTHING (as I say when I look in the mirror each morning), but with Kenji Inafune (of Mega Man fame) and a bunch of talented artists and programmers working away like mad, this one’s looking like an instant classic in its own right. That’s fine by me, as the Vita needs as many solid games as possible if it’s to stomp away the blues and rocket up the sales charts a bit more. Keep ’em coming, Sony!

E3 2012: Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Trailer: Level-5 At The Top Of Their Game

Posted on June 3, 2012 by geelw

As I’ve said elsewhere, anyone saying the PS3 has “no good games” either doesn’t own a PS3, is a massive fan-troll with FAR too much time on their hands or just really doesn’t get out to the shops much. This latest trailer from Namco Bandai’s upcoming Level-5/Studio Ghibli collaboration shows off just how gorgeous a game can look when everyone behind it is dedicated to the project. This one’s not out for a little while, but don’t worry, NamBan has some other fine games for you to play (as do a bunch of other developers and publishers)…

Injustice: Gods Among Us Trailer: More DC Only On The PS3…

Posted on June 3, 2012 by geelw

But this time, it’s not a big deal MMO I have no interest in playing (thankfully!) exclusive is a new fighting game by NetherRealm Studios (yup, the Mortal Kombat folks). This one caught me by surprise, but thinking about it, MK vs DC was pretty well received, so this not quite follow-up is going to be huge. I’m hoping we see this on the Vita as well and YES, with cross-platform play of some sort, as Sony REALLY needs to start pushing those features and developers NEED to start using them. Anyway, this looks like a ton of fun…

E3 2012: Papo & Yo Trailer: MinorityMedia’s Got A Majority Of My Attention…

Posted on June 2, 2012 by geelw

Yes indeed, Sony’s got yet another super PSN-only sleeper on their hands that I really wish was on a disc along with a few other games a bunch of non-PSN users are missing out on (and not because they WANT to, mind you). Hell, I’d even play this on the Vita if it were sold on a card and not just as a download. Yes, I would actually pay more to support a smaller developer, especially when their game is this original, surreal and inventive. Let’s hope SCEA is listening to the little people for a change instead of just doing it their way, damn the outcome. Hey Sony! A little flexibility in this day and age actually gets MORE people to like what you’re doing. That;s also a memo to ALL game companies: if you don’t allow us to care (and buy games how we like), guess what? They’re not always going to sell as well as you hope they will, no matter how good they are…

Resistance: Burning Skies Launch Trailer: Console Quality FPS Experience, Anyone?

Posted on May 30, 2012 by geelw

OK, it looks like the mild drought of retail releases is over for the time being… as long as you like shooters. Still, it’ll be fun to actually play a FPS on a handheld with two analog sticks instead of being forced to used a D-Pad for movement. Granted, I’ve played loads of old PS1 and some PS2 shooters with this older form of control, but it’s a LOT different when the screen and controller are in your hands at the same time. It looks as if the team at Nihilistic has nailed it up tight in terms of the look and feel of the PS3 Resistance games, so it also looks as if this one’s a buy for me…