Syndicate Trailer Twofer: Agent Tech/Agent Tools

Posted on December 16, 2011 by geelw

Two more excellent trailers from Starbreeze’s upcoming reboot of the PC classic, set for a February 21, 2012 release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. I actually broke out the 3DO version earlier this week for a bit of nostalgia and as noted in my preview, both the old and new game feel like very close relatives, but from a different perspective. I kind of like the whole not worrying much about how the game plays part and hope some of the more stubborn folks out there decide to PLAY this rather than criticize the game unfairly because it’s not the same genre (when in fact, it slyly IS)…

OPINION: Why MMO’s Need Offline Modes (Hint: It’s A Jobs Creation Program)

Posted on December 15, 2011 by geelw

With the recent announcement of Lego Universe going under as of January 2012 and the resulting (and unfortunate) staff layoffs, there’s a lot of blame floating around about just what went “wrong”. Obviously, the lack of enough subscribers (despite a recent move to a “free to play” based business model) is a core reason the MMO met its demise.However, I think a few other factors didn’t help the game one bit and in fact, the project was doomed to failure from the start. Why do I say this with such certainty? Simple. The lack of ANY way to play offline in any form makes EVERY single MMO (no matter how popular), a dead game once the amount of online players drops significantly, making a game too expensive to keep going and a waste of resources that could otherwise keep a dev team at least partially employed… Continue reading →

Gallery: PC Games Library (Most Of It)

Posted on December 14, 2011 by geelw

More stuff from the collection – these are actually posted on my Facebook page, but it’s only accessible to friends and folks on my contact lists. These pics were taken earlier this year, so a few (well, a bunch of) new arrivals are missing as are a few games I loaned out (as I’m such a nice guy). That, and the photos obviously don’t include all the stuff currently on my hard drive and a few portable drives.

I actually have a dead HDD here that had a ton of games and game saves on it that I didn’t want to destroy in hopes of one day recovering everything. But I’ve replaced a chunk of what was on it already, as it was mostly indie stuff and a bunch of free games and demos I downloaded years back. Yup, I’ve played all of these games. Nope, I’ve not completed every single one, but I can definitely spin a few stories about the too many hours spent with a lot of what’s here (if prompted and properly soused, ha and ha-ha).

-GW

OK, OK, My “Best of 2011” List Is On The Way…

Posted on December 14, 2011 by geelw

Ha! Someone asked If I was going to do a Game of the Year article or at least make a few picks. Ha! Well, I normally hate that sort of stuff because it turns into a “popular vs. good” contest on other sites, but, Ha! I guess I’ll do up a list of stuff i was impressed with and run it in a few days. Just don’t expect it to be in lock-step with other sites (although it WILL have a few of the biggest games this year on it). Ha!

Eleven Good Reasons To Buy A PlayStation Vita (And More to Come)*…

Posted on December 14, 2011 by geelw

Nothing but game trailers here, folks. I figured why not run them all in one shot instead of padding out the blog with separate posts. Besides, I’m up too late again and need my beauty sleep before getting back into the saddle for another ride around the ol’ inbox. Anyway, enjoy the videos and go pre-order a Vita if you haven’t yet. Japanese gamers are already grabbing theirs, but apparently, it’ll be about a week before Famitsu posts the first pro reviews. I like all that I see here so far and can’t wait to see how they’ve turned out since I saw and played a few of them last.

(*Make that 12 good reasons if you add in RUIN with its wonderful cross-platform play seen in yesterday’s video)

Continue reading →

Sonic CD Lands Pretty Much Everywhere (Except On An Actual CD)

Posted on December 14, 2011 by geelw

Let’s see now, Xbox LIVE Arcade, Android and iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch today and tomorrow, PSN on the 20th, Windows Phones sometime early in 2012. How funny is it that a game with “CD” in the title DOESN’T get an actual disc release? Oh well. Heck, I was hoping this would have been a bonus in the otherwise superb Sonic Generations, but nope. I guess I’ll have to hold out for a Vita release at some point. Anyway, if you’ve one of these fancy de-vices listed above and want to experience a classic platformer that will plant a grin across your mug, definitely check out what Sega has cooking. Now about getting ALL the 16-bit up to to Sega Saturn Sonic games all in one place…

A BioShock Infinite Twofer: More on Characters + VGA Trailer

Posted on December 14, 2011 by geelw

One of 2012’s most anticipated games is BioShock Infinite and it’s clear that Irrational Games has an(other)instant classic on its hands. Here’s a pair of videos to fill you in on a few things you need to know about the game’s characters (courtesy of the two actors in the lead roles) and another fine game footage trailer, this one from the Spike VGA show last weekend. Enjoy!

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Trailer: Give PlatinumGames Some Respect, Please!

Posted on December 13, 2011 by geelw

Sure, the big, fat secret game Platinum was working on (despite denial to the contrary) is indeed Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and sure enough, the floodgates of Hell have opened with some MGS fans (and professional Raiden haters) getting all up in arms about the trailer for a few crazy reasons. Most of these are at best unfair (as not one of these people griping has actually played the game) unless they have a time machine) and at worst, insane (you can’t apply ANY actual rules of “reality” to ANY Metal Gear game if you think about it). Anyway, I plan to wait with bated breath until Konami jets into NYC with a playable demo at some point so I can draw my own conclusions after some play time. Continue reading →

A Double Shot of PS Vita Trailer Love…

Posted on December 13, 2011 by geelw

Two slick trailers from Sony showing off the upcoming Vita and its many cool features. Between the games coming and the cross platform play with the PS3, it’s clear that Sony has a winner of a handheld system here. All those app-crazy types strangely betting on the Vita to fold are in for a shock, I say. Those inexpensive iOS games are way out of the quality league when compared to what’s coming and hell, some of us core gamers don’t want a damn phone in our gaming systems, period. That and I’d bet good money that Sony won’t be replacing the Vita in under a year and telling you the system you JUST bought is now obsolete.

The Last Guadian Is Indeed, The Last Team Ico Game…

Posted on December 13, 2011 by geelw

Sad news for PS3 owners, according to Eurogamer. The recent speculation about Fumento Ueda’s departure from Team Ico is indeed true. Coupled with Executive Producer Yoshifusa Hayama’s heading off to join a social gaming developer, this means PS3 owners will be seeing their final work as the last ever production from the award-winning development team (as well as any chances for a fourth game vanish into thin air like a smoke creature from Ico). Let the wild internet theories commence, but I’m going out on a limb to say it’s most likely a mixture of burnout, creative differences and the general stress of trying to make a follow up to two of the most acclaimed games of the past console generation. My review of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection is here – go buy it if you haven’t yet. It’s now a bit of a collectible and it’ll make you a bit teary-eyed fora few reasons (and a few more, if you’ve been around since the PS2 versions originally launched).

Thanks to VisoGames for the trailer link.