Gallery: The Lord of the Rings – War in the North

Posted on September 7, 2010 by geelw

If Snowblind Studios made a Tic-Tac-Toe game, I'd still buy it. While the developer has only a handful of titles under its collective belt, the Action/RPG genre just wouldn't be quite the same without games such as Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath, or Champions: Return to Arms. The versatile Snowblind Engine in the right hands means you're getting a supremely addictive chunk of gaming for your money. Snowblind's knack for visually intricate locales mixed with instantly accessible gameplay even made for a solid super-hero treatment in WBIE's sleeper, Justice League Heroes (which wasn't exactly an instant classic, but was a ton of fun to play, had a great story and more Green Lanterns than you could shake a stick at).

Preview/Gallery: Lucha Libre: Heroes Del Ring

Posted on August 31, 2010 by geelw

Konami has a super high-flying, action-packed wrestling game coming your way and nope, it's not another Rumble Roses installment. Lucha Libre: Heroes Del Ring (PS3/Xbox 360/Wii) is shaping up to be a ridiculously fun mix of arcade-style gameplay and plenty colorful characters from the hugely popular Mexican wrestling circuit. At Konami's Gamer's Night NYC event last week, I got to see and play a bit of the PS3 version of game and found it not only immediately accessible, but both fun, challenging and surprisingly informative about the south of the border version of the sport.

Konami Gamers Night 2010 (With Hudson, Too!)

Posted on August 28, 2010 by geelw

Konami Gamers' Night NYC – 2010 Edition

Konami rolled into NYC with a varied lineup of excellent games, this time with the remainder of their 2010 lineup and special guests Hudson Soft for a great gathering of games guaranteed to get you moving in one manner or another. While there wasn't a Snake to be found anywhere in sight, there were more than enough great games to keep everyone who dropped by glued to a monitor, hip-hopping as loudly as possible or flailing away working up a good sweat as a singer, dancer, mini-gamer extraordinaire or sports star.

About 20 titles were on display from both new Castlevanias, two console classics remade for today's consoles, a surprisingly fun wrestling game and plenty of guaranteed musical and mini-game hits headed for the Wii as well as the upcoming Move and Kinect peripherals. I'll be covering a few of these titles in depth over the next week or so with galleries and/or hands-on impressions (denoted by *), but for now, here's a quick rundown of what was on the floor:

Preview: Knights in the Nightmare PSP

Posted on August 25, 2010 by geelw

“Are You READY…?” For those of you who missed it, 2009's Knights in the Nightmare on the Nintendo DS was an innovative mix of isometric tactical JRPG, RTS, a bit of chess and fast-paced stylus driven “bullet hell” style shooting with a deep, complex (and often quite dramatic) storyline. The often brutal level of difficulty in the game thanks to many factors that required actual thought pre-battle and deft dancing of the stylus hand in battle made KITN a bit of a sleeper for the handheld (and a slightly expensive collectible these days). Developer Sting has taken the game and reworked it for the PSP into what's looking like one of those truly hardcore experiences for those that love their games to bite back hard.

TRON Evolution Hands-On Preview

Posted on August 25, 2010 by geelw

Propaganda Games is toiling away like mad on two licensed games I'm really looking forward to: Pirates of the Caribbean: Armada of the Damned and TRON: Evolution. While both titles are being published by Disney Interactive Studios, core gamers in the loop are anticipating each game for a number of reasons. I got to try a bit of the PS3 version of Evolution at Sony's excellent Holiday showcase and came away impressed by what's looking to be the rare licensed movie game that goes above and beyond the call.

Gallery: Darkspore

Posted on August 24, 2010 by geelw

EA, EA Play and Maxis have been a little bit busy with their hugely popular Spore franchise, spreading the game to more than just PC users since its release. Darkspore is yet another interesting detour for the multi-million selling series that looks to capitalize on a few familiar genres while keeping the same level of creative freedom found in the source material. An isometric Action/RPG headed to PC gamers as an online MMO-style experience, the game is also set to hit “multiple platforms” according to the official press release.

From the screens below, it looks as if the familiar Spore character creation and customization options will be on board, but for me, the icing on the cake is that lovely isometric viewpoint and what looks like fast-paced gameplay packed with loot drops, level ups and big, bad bosses to take down with some effort. However, as much as I'm loving these screen shots, I have a wee bit of a problem with the game…

Gallery: Vanquish

Posted on August 24, 2010 by geelw

Sega and PlatinumGames are going to turn your living room into a futuristic battlefield with Vanquish, set to explode onto the PS3 and Xbox 360 on October 19. This third-person sci-fi shooter mixes highly dynamic, lightning-paced combat with cover-based shooting mechanics. Here's a look at a bunch of amazing screens (love those powerslides the main character can pull off!):

Gallery: Portal 2

Posted on August 24, 2010 by geelw

Hah! Game delays don't bother me at all, folks. In the case of Portal 2, it just means more time for Valve to make an even better game across every platform (so there!). Besides, it also gives me a good chance to actually add a nice all-in-one gallery to the site that features the E3 and more recent Gamescom screens, the brief tease-filled trailer and the hilariously unsubtle Infographics signage (each of which absolutely begs to be clicked on and read rather thoroughly).

So what are you waiting for? (click below)*

Gallery: Okamiden

Posted on August 19, 2010 by geelw

While it's not coming out until 2011, Capcom's mighty little DS masterpiece is looking better and better each time I've seen it. Fans of the PS2 and Wii versions should be prepared to fall for the beautifully stylized visuals and I'm gathering that the DS stylus will be an even better fit for drawing with than the Dual Shock 2 or Wii Remote. Hell, I'd buy a dozen just to hand out as gifts just so folks can see just how cool the game is. Take a look at these Gamescom screens and see for yourself:

Gallery: Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City

Posted on August 15, 2010 by geelw

A little late, but better than never! Alrighty then – here are 20 EOII screens PLUS tantalizing peeks at the 60-page pre-order art book (go pre-order the game if you want this bonus, duh!) and the very handy fold-out poster (which doesn’t require any pre-ordering as it’s packed lovingly inside the game case). Atlus just loves you now, don’t they? Remember folks, September 21, 2010 is riiiight around the corner…

(Hmmm… I could have done a lame-o “Can You Spot The Differences Between The Two Photos?” joke with those two pics, but that’s a wee bit too obvious…)