Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare Popping Up On PS3 & PS4 In August

Posted on May 29, 2014 by geelw

Ah, so the trickle-down effect IS fruitful after all! Well, it’s more like a sideways-creeping vine effect as PopCap’s Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare finally makes its way to the PS3 and PS4 as an August 19, 2014 release. The game will also be playable on the Vita via Remote Play, although currently, there’s no direct Vita version you can stroll into a shop and buy or download from PSN.

I’ve not yet played this thanks to my pair of dead Xbox 360’s and my not having committed to buying an Xbox One (yet), but now I have no excuse not to play this one and perhaps drag a few friends along for the ride. I like that it’s not a straight port and Sony fans are getting some exclusive content for pre-ordering as well as in the actual game. Granted, it would be cooler if everyone got the same goodies in that came case or download no matter when they buy the game. But that’s something I’ll grouse about in a future feature. I’m just soaking in the happy rays of this news and can’t wait to give this one a go.

Company line press release below the jump for those of you who feel the need for (more) read… Continue reading →

Sacred 3 Coming To PC & Consoles August 5 (Or: There Goes My Late Summer)

Posted on May 28, 2014 by geelw

As a fan of the Sacred series for about nine or so years since that Sacred Gold box fell on my foot at a GameStop, I turned it over, saw it was an action/RPG and bought it on the spot, I’m completely psyched for Sacred 3. Coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (yet again, the newest consoles are shut out thanks to the game being developed for what was available at the time), I’m expecting more open world fantasy madness, plenty of quests and side quests, intentionally campy voice acting, LOADS of hidden goodies, and of course, excellent replay value. Screenshots don’t quite do these games justice thanks to the isometric view (although zooming in will likely be in the game, it makes the game much harder), but here you go just for fun:

Personally, I’m a gameplay video guy myself, so I like this better as an example of what’s to come:

I’m trying to figure this one into my schedule so I at least have one or two characters completing their story arcs just in time for that Diablo III expansion to hit the PS3 and I segue from one high quality dungeon crawler to another. Well, in THEORY, that’s what’s supposed to happen. We’ll see soon enough, though. Ancaria

Sony’s PlayStation E3 Experience: Packing Them In Faster Than The Speed Of Pretty Much Anything…

Posted on May 28, 2014 by geelw

So, it seems that game companies are getting a bit grabby as this year’s E3 seems to be one where the gaming public gets to convene in an actual public place to see big announcements as live as can be. Not one to do anything small like a simple online broadcast, Sony has rented out space in big theaters across North America and is inviting folks to grab free seats and free swag for attending. Of course, as they’ve been ignoring little ol’ me, I had to sign up for this as soon as it popped up in my inbox. Double of course, the event was “SOLD OUT” a mere few minutes after I got the email, but I’m on a waiting list (Oh, joy?). If I do get in (wonder of wonders!), I’m predicting minor chaos outside because I know people will want to show up without tickets and try to see if any seats free up (which probably won’t happen given gamers love FREE stuff and the prospect of seeing new games on someone’s dime).

Oh well, time to keep my fingers crossed that I get a ticket and get in in one piece, I guess. I’d make it an all day affair, as there’s no way I’m going to be dumb enough to just show up at 8pm and think that line won’t be circling the block and filled with mostly people who think they’re getting in my some magical means. I generally dislike crowds as well, so this will be a “fun” experiment in terror. The good thing is that theater is about a block from the subway home and it’ll be a mad dash afterwards for me just to get back in once piece to knock out a news story before collapsing in a snoozy heap.

The Order: 1886 Won’t Be Ready At Dawn (Or By Night-Fall), But That’s Just Fine With Me…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

Sooooo, one of Sony big first party PlayStation 4 exclusives is now dropping into 2015 and some of those who care about such things are lamenting about the delay to no end. I say “So what? (again)”, as this means more polish and a better, less buggy game experience. The deal with new consoles is always that it takes time for developers to get used to the hardware, particularly when doing things that the old console couldn’t do as well. So developer Ready At Dawn is just allowing the team some extra breathing room, which is a great thing. It also gives slow dopes like yours truly to find out more about the game. I’ll admit to that title not making my eyes and ears perk up because it sounded like it would be some sort of odd historical simulation game, a genre I’ve avoided for a number of years because I have neither the time nor patience for something that deep. Anyway, I guess I can and should keep my fingers crossed that SCEA’s invisible PR team remembers who I am after all this time and actually invites me to see this game when it’s shown in NYC at some point.

Mind Zero Update #3: A Kick In The Shin Megami Tensei Won’t Hurt (Much)…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

Ah, ha-ha (again). Okay, I kid Aksys Games here (again!), but this upcoming PlayStation Vita exclusive coming from developer Zerodiv reminds me so much of the Shin Megami Tensei games that I’m not going to even be surprised if I see a review or two that makes note of this. Hey, as long as the story is good, I don’t care much about the gameplay as long as it’s not clumsy or forced. So far, this is looking nice and simple (which is good), but probably won’t be a cakewalk as the game progresses. Anyway, we’ll see soon enough, as the game is out NOW at a retailer near you (or on PSN, if you want it faster)…

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel PAX East Gameplay: “Bounce, Breathe, Look, SHOOT!” (Rinse & Repeat)…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

Okay, so it’s the name of an old basketball primer for kids, but that’s also a fitting description of what Gearbox and 2K Australia expect a great deal of you Borderlands fans to be doing in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the upcoming standalone game set for a fall release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Sorry “nest-gen” fans! You’ll need to wait a bit while the game you wanted or expected NOW or sooner is being cooked up in one way or another for its eventual release whenever.

While I’m sure that Gearbox and 2K Games could make a small fortune redoing the older Borderlands games and DLC from the ground up, I’d gather they’re doing the WISER thing and creating an all-new chapter to the franchise that packs in even more of what’s expected. This will also keep owners of those shiner (or matte-r) new systems from rioting and storming assorted game company headquarters anytime soon, too (er, Ha-ha?).

The Evil Within Doesn’t Scare Me (Yet) Because I Haven’t PLAYED It (Yet)…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

“Booooooo!” (*squeal!*). Meh, I’ve always disliked these “reaction” videos for games and movies because even if they are one hundred percent real, what scares one person won’t affect another and as I get older, some things don’t scare me any longer that made me fly off a chair and up to the ceiling in the past. Or, to quote one Mr. Ray Parker Jr. “I ain’t afraid of no “ghost!”

Now, I’m NOT that jaded that some horror films, reads and games don’t get me wanting a blankie and a hanky every so often. However, some of the scares in entertainment are often derived from other and far more frightening works. That said, I do trust Shinji Mikami and Bethesda Softworks to the point that The Evil Within just may put me on the ceiling if it does what it does right and often. Expect to be scared out of your wits (or not?) when the game hits stores October 21st in North America, October 23rd, and throughout Europe on October 24, 2014.

Sniper Elite III Hands-On: Even More On Target Than Before…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

I was on the subway headed down to see and play Sniper Elite III at a 505 Games media preview when I realized I’d forgotten my eyeglasses. Oops. You can’t be a good sniper at all if you can’t see a damn thing even with a scope, but amusingly enough, that absent-minded error on my part made the demo even more enjoyable.

Thanks to veteran developer Rebellion making the game much more flexible and thrilling than its predecessor, even a quarter blind bat like me was able to have a total blast making as many mistakes as I did. Okay, that’s not sounding like a ringing endorsement for the game, but it’s coming – keep reading. Even if I had brought my gaming spectacles along, my plan was to play the demo in as loose a manner as possible, making mistakes to see how the AI would react while seeing how expansive the level designs were this time out. In Sniper Elite V2, despite some alternate routes, most maps felt a wee bit too boxed in and linear and displacement wasn’t emphasized enough throughout the game (although the best players learned those levels and probably did some of their own shoot and scoot tactics… Continue reading →

WIN FREE STUFF! R-Type Dimensions PSN Codes Up For Grabs!

Posted on May 24, 2014 by geelw

If you happen to have a PS3 and a PlayStation Network account and are sitting around staring at a wall right now just wishing you had something nicely nostalgic and hard as hell to play, I’d bet you look as if you could use something nice and free today.

I think I can oblige just a tiny bit with Tozai Games’ R-Type Dimensions, which landed on PSN a few days back. If you’re bouncing up and down in your seat right about now, okay, okay… knock it off and listen up. Two codes, both for North America (which means they won’t work anywhere else!), ONE each for two lucky winners. Just reply below (no need to put any personal info in that response) and the code is yours!

GRID Autosport Discipline/Focus/Endurance Trailer: You’ll Still Get Spanked, Though…

Posted on May 23, 2014 by geelw

Oh, once again, I couldn’t help myself (*whipcrack!*). Anyway, it looks as if GRID Autosport REALLY means business when it comes to bringing racing fans some of the best action out there. While not a true simulation, the team at Codemasters is striking the balance between simple to pick up and play controls and the need to learn each track and how to survive the AI trying its best to blow your doors off when you dive into the single player part of the game. Online is of course its own crazy bird complete with the usual unpredictability of live players, especially in the longer races.

Now,I happen to like endurance race events, as there’s a fine balance of learning all the ins and outs of a race course lap after lap and your own physical condition slipping a wee bit over the hours as you fight off sleep and assorted body cramps. Granted, couch racing isn’t ANYWHERE as brutal as being in a car bouncing around and rumbling for a few hundred miles, but keeping me OUT of a real race car is probably a really good thing. GRID Autosport is out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on June 24, 2014 in North America, June 27th in Europe.