Gallery: Zaku (for the Atari Lynx!)

Posted on September 13, 2009 by geelw

If you’re one of those folks who remembers the late, lamented (and technically superior to other handheld gaming systems of the period) Atari Lynx, well, guess what? There’s actually a small, dedicated group of folks out in California working away on a brand new game for the handheld, which still has a small, dedicated user base. Zaku, published by Super Fighter Team is a horizontal shooter being created on an actual Lynx development kit and according to the official website, will run at a blazing 60fps, making it the fastest game ever on the system… Continue reading →

Review: Demon’s Souls

Posted on September 13, 2009 by geelw

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: From Software

Publisher: Atlus

# of Players 1 (Online: 1 – 3)

Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A+

Console (and to some extent, PC) role-playing fans have been subject to some pretty darn disappointing games this generation thanks to a few too many developers and publishers playing it safe by merely rehashing familiar anime-style adventures, cooking up oddball battle systems that just don’t gel completely or copying top-rated western-style games with a few new ideas here and there. Sure, graphics have improved tenfold this cycle and there have been more than a few memorable games released during this period. However, other than stunning visuals and larger game worlds, not too many of these titles have done all that much to raise any new bars for the genre. Continue reading →

Games On TV: Scribblenauts Commercial

Posted on September 13, 2009 by geelw

Here you go: mildly amusing, although given the game’s superb originality, it comes off as a bit lower key than I thought it would be.

Ah well… I guess Middle America needs this super-clean version that can be shown at all hours of the day without the usual irate parents’ groups going off the deep end about the game for no reason at all other than it’ll make their kids see and use words in the dictionary that they’d rather them NOT know at all. Yeesh.

Anyway, go buy a copy when it hits stores on September 15!

Games On TV: PROTOTYPE on HBO’s Entourage Sunday Night

Posted on September 12, 2009 by geelw

Now, I don’t even watch Entourage, but guess who the heck will be tuning in tomorrow night? Yeah, me. I’m always curious to see how games are presented on big deal shows like this, so I’ll be picking apart the stuff they screw up while hoping Activision sells a few more copies of the game, of course.

Atlus Announces Shin Megami Tensei Persona: Digital Devil Delays Download (Saga)!

Posted on September 12, 2009 by geelw

Oh Noes! Well, in case you didn’t pre-order the retail version of SMT: Persona and were hoping to look all cool sliding open your PSP GO! on the subway to play the game you downloaded early the morning of September 22… you’re in for a bit of a shock. The digital download version of the game has been slightly delayed to an October 1, 2009 launch over the PlayStation Network.

Which sort of means if you DON’T have a PSP GO!, it might make a whole lot of sense to drop by your local game emporium and snag the cool pre-order bonuses that come with the boxed version (as the press release below kind of hints at…)

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Half-Minute Hero Demo ( #1) Arrives On PSN

Posted on September 11, 2009 by geelw

The first of two demos for Xseed’s upcoming lighting-paced retro PSP Action/RPG is now available for download over the PlayStation Network, which leads me to ask why you’re still reading this when you should be playing this rather hilarious bit of gaming goodness. So, go download away onto your PSP (you DO own a PSP, right?) and play it to death in half-minute chunks, laughing crazily as you skip out the door a few minutes later to go preorder from wherever you normally get your games.

Or pre-order HMH online, if that’s your thing. Heck, it’s not like you’re getting much exercise these days, anyway. A little sunlight won’t kill you, y’know… Well, that’s what I’ve heard… *Ahem,* anyway, let’s see what the official press release says:.. Continue reading →

Dragon Age Origins: Meet Leliana

Posted on September 11, 2009 by geelw

In this week’s Dragon Age: Origins update, we’ll take a look at one of the game’s female characters, Leliana, a bard from the land of Orlais who also happens to be a selectable party member and from what I can tell a “romance” option in the game. As I can see some of you less lucky guys getting royally slugged by your real-life significant others over choosing this lovely virtual redhead as your potential partner, you may want to keep the fawning to a minimum…

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Demon’s Souls Arrives, Goes Ahead And Makes My Day…

Posted on September 10, 2009 by geelw

THANK YOU ATLUS! Early impressions: Well, I lasted a whole five or so hours before my avatar finally died, falling (well, rolling) off a ledge trying to get the heck away from something BIG and quite nasty chasing my character. This game is brilliant, beautiful and BRUTAL, all at the same time with a side of fries. Scary as hell in spots, too. As a longtime King’s Field fan, I knew it was going to be great, but From Software has really knocked it out of the park. Hardcore? Oh hellllllllllll yeah. This game will kick your butt all over the living room and into the kitchen, whereupon it shall cook and eat your corpse.

Twice.

Back with a full review in a bit… Did I mention it’s also scarier than a big box of dead, flaming monkeys?

Review: Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward

Posted on September 9, 2009 by geelw

Platform: Nintendo DS/DSi

Developer: GAMEINVEST

Publisher: O-Games

# of Players: 1

Rating: E(Everyone)

Official Site

Score: B-

Just as Tower Defense has spawned legions of clones, games such as Diner Dash have brought forth all sorts of fast-paced casual games across every platform where speed and timing are key in order to keep virtual customers happy and coming back for more. Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward takes this familiar formula and drops it into a medical-themed setting with over 60 levels of pill pushing, bed sheet changing, patient shifting total madness that can also be see as a playable analogy for the current health care system (if you choose to look at it that way). If you’re a DS owner looking for a little excitement in the ER, now you can have all the fun of being a nurse without changing bedpans, consuming too much caffeine or pulling a double shift.

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Interview: Creating Fighting Fantasy: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain

Posted on September 9, 2009 by geelw

One of the more impressive Nintendo DS games created to date is Fighting Fantasy: the Warlock of Firetop Mountain, created by London, Ontario-based Big Blue Bubble, Inc., published by Aspyr Media and set to hit stores on October 26, 2009.

What makes the game so amazing is how close it comes to replicating the experience of many great PC RPGs from years ago wile feeling completely fresh thanks to the DS touch screen and a dedicated team of artists and programmers looking to bring the book to life and beyond in portable form. FF looks to be a classic, deep first-person role-playing experience set in an huge game world running at a blazing 60 frames per second with full, intuitive touch screen controls and the ability to map locations as you like in order to uncover every nook and cranny of the world you’ll explore.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ask Damir Slogar, Big Blue Bubble’s CEO and Goran Marinic, the game’s Lead Designer a few questions about the game, most of them submitted by fans over on the game’s Gamefaqs page. In addition, I’m more than pleased to show off the excellent concept art and weapon renders I just received, which hasn’t been published anywhere else online. Continue reading →