GRID 2 Multiplayer Redefined Trailer: Yes, Indeed It Is…

Posted on April 15, 2013 by geelw

It was actually really funny to be the first and only person at the early appointment to see the innovative multiplayer mode in GRID 2 and get some great hands-on time, as I could tell the assembled team was itching to let people coming in play the game and see what was what. Still, I had to go through the entire team’s rehearsed presentation before my hands-on time, which was cool to hear, but I’m that sort of guy who “gets” stuff without the boxcar pitch games get. Of course, I’m not complaining one bit, folks – once you play this one, it’s going to keep you busy for some time, especially if you go full-on into the RaceNet functionality. May 28 is rushing up really quickly and for once, I’m not so ticked off at time zipping by…

GRID 2 Multiplayer Hands-On: It’s Like Lightning (But With Better Handling)…

Posted on April 12, 2013 by geelw

The single player in GRID 2 was quite thrilling in that demo from a few months back, but Codemasters knows that many will be snapping up this one first and foremost for the multiplayer modes and fortunately, the game shines even more here. A few members from the dev team rolled into NYC with a new demo that just so happened to be on the same day and in the same hotel as Namco Bandai’s Global Gamer’s Day, so it made for an exciting start to a long day packed full of great upcoming titles. The Xbox 360 version was set up (and looking fantastic, by the way), but being the only writer to pop up at this first session meant playing against the people working on the game and only having the slimmest of chances of beating any of them during the bunch of races about to take place… Continue reading →

PREVIEW: Dark Souls II: It’s Not Easy Being Green (Or Hardcore, For That Matter)…

Posted on April 12, 2013 by geelw

If there were ANY doubts that Dark Souls II would “go casual” among the pack of journalist-types who attended Namco Bandai’s Global Gamers Day last week here in NYC, those were squashed VERY flat by the mighty throwing of one VERY large axe by an enemy during a demonstration of the game. While the team at FromSoftware’s main design goal is to make the game more “accessible” to players, to the producers that word (which means “casual” to some gamers) meant accessibility ONLY in terms of making sure the game’s pacing put players into even MORE dangerous situations much faster than in Demon’s Souls and the first Dark Souls. Fetch-questing for NPCs has been minimized and backtracking through enemy infested areas is out (although you CAN choose to explore anywhere you like), replaced by a refined warp system and areas where surviving enemies and the insanely deadly environments will become your primary challenges. Continue reading →

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Gameplay Reveal: Pirates’ (Raking In More) Gold…

Posted on March 25, 2013 by geelw

Now, I really COULD (and should) litter this post with plenty of pirate and numerous nautically-themed puns (enough to make your eyes and ears cower in fear), but I won’t (consider yourselves lucky. THIS time). But instead, I’ll just state the obvious and say that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag looks really amazing and yes, all that sea battle stuff from the last game seems to be what Ubisoft was going to end up making nearly an entire game around. Granted, it might have been really spectacular to see this game show up as an all NEW franchise, as the stand alone pirate game has been sorely missed. Now, we’ll get to sit through those long-winded online rants from fans of the original AC games who think going so far away from the Templar stuff is a terrible thing. I always thought it was kind of pompous and that futuristic Desmond plot unnecessary, but that’s just me. Oh well, this one will sell a million or two based on the “Yo Ho Ho” factor alone. Just you watch…

FUSE Hands-On: Insomniac Wants You Up All Night With Their Co-op Focused Shooter

Posted on March 6, 2013 by geelw

In a way, FUSE is probably Insomniac’s most important game to date. The veteran games studio is well know worldwide among critics and PlayStation fans (and anyone else who happens to be console agnostic) who knows everything the developer has done has been of the highest quality. Sit down with any Insomniac title and you’ll find plenty of outstanding design, excellent visuals, and games that are just pure fun to play. Much of that work has held up over time (yes, even Disruptor) and as their first multi-platform release, the game looks to the carry those traditions to both the PS3 and Xbox 360. EA had a new demo of the game up and running at their spring press event a few weeks back and it was one of those cases where I walked up to the demo setup with a huge grin and left holding the top of my head so it wouldn’t fall off because that grin got a wee bit too wide. The co-op focused shooter formerly known as Overstrike looks spectacular, controls like a dream and more importantly, is certainly geared towards expert players.

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The Croods: Prehistoric Party Hands-On: The New “Modern Stone Age Family” Board Game

Posted on February 19, 2013 by geelw

With Dreamworks’ new family friendly animated film The Croods heading for a March 22, 2013 release in theaters, D3Publisher of America is getting a fun little tie in game out exclusively to all four current Nintendo platforms. The Croods: Prehistoric Party isn’t at all the platformer you’d expect to drop into stores as a quickie cash in product, but a fun board game in the vein of the Mario Party franchise that packs in mini-games galore for one to four players. D3P rolled into NYC last week with a Wii U build and I got a nice bit of playtime with it as well as a look at the movie trailer (below the jump for your viewing pleasure if you’ve yet to see it). Torus Games has whipped up a cool-looking easy to hop into game that should get anyone who liked the film cracking up in front of the TV and bringing a few friends or family members along for the ride…

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GRID 2 PC Hands-On: Codemasters Is Hitting The Road With a Superior Sequel

Posted on February 16, 2013 by geelw

The team at Codemasters has been hard at work making GRID 2 into their best racing game to date and it shows. I’ve been a longtime fan of their racers from the goofy fun of their many Micro Machines games on the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive to the TOCA and Colin McRae Rally and DiRT games, and also love their F1 stuff, so getting to play a bit of this new game was more than a pleasure. It was the PC version up and running on some high-end Intel laptops, but console fans needn’t worry about their versions suffering, as the newly beefed up Ego engine is extremely flexible across multiple platforms. Unlike certain other popular (and great) racers, this isn’t about amassing a gigantic car collection, open-world exploration at one’s own pace or racing for big bucks. The focus and theme of “Be Fast, Be First and Be Famous” along with the interesting use of the ESPN license and assorted in-game “social” features combined with the intense speed and handling should make this a game that’s going to get quite a bit of play when it finally rolls into stores.

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Drfitmoon Update: February 26 Release, New Camera Angle & More Cool News…

Posted on February 15, 2013 by geelw

Slowly but surely I’ve been playing through Ville and Anne Mönkkönen’s fine and funny adventure/RPG hybrid, Driftmoon, and can safely say that it’s refreshingly retro as well as just plain fun to play. The game now has an official release date of February 26, 2013 (and it’s gog.com bound plus a few other places!) as well as a much requested adjustable camera angle which works amazingly well. I was against the idea for a while, but noticed that a few friends I showed the game to weren’t keen on the top-down POV even though they liked the visuals quite a lot. The new angle on things is adjustable down to a more Baldur’s Gate-like angle on things and looks great, which should get more people to want to try this one out.

Anyway, I also need to get a review done, so I’ve been avoiding the two mods I downloaded until that’s done. Hopefully, I’ll have that written up sometime within the next week as I’m also swamped in Toy Fair coverage and a bunch of other game previews and reviews. Of course, Driftmoon is next up on the review pile – I just need to finish the game and get to it. Unless it all falls apart past the point I’ve played (and I don’t expect it to at all), this one’s turning out to be one of my favorite indie games so far this year. Back in a bit…

Need for Speed Most Wanted: Hands-On: Criterion Powers Up With The Wii U

Posted on February 15, 2013 by geelw

It’s quite clear the moment you see Need For Speed Most Wanted running on the Wii U that Criterion Studios loves the new hardware and is making sure they get the most out of it in this very outstanding updated version of the game. I actually did a double take when I walked into the room the game was being demoed in at the W Hotel in Times Square on Wednesday because there were a group of kid bloggers hooting and hollering on the right side as they played some of the new PS3 DLC (coming out soon), while on the left side a Criterion rep was showing off the Wii U version to a fellow editor type who was glued to the screen with a huge smile on his mug. Talk about bizarre creations (ha ha) – it’s supposed to be the other way around (at least in the minds of the confused Nintendo haters out there), but the Wii U has plenty going on under the hood that more developers will need to start taking advantage of. Calling this game a mere “port” is doing the team a supreme disservice. From the use of PC textures to the amazing new features exclusive to the console, Wii U owners are clearly getting the best console version of the game to date… Continue reading →

Dead Space 3 Hands-On: Two Players Makes For A Far Freakier Experience…

Posted on January 28, 2013 by geelw

When I heard that Dead Space 3 would have an all-new co-op mode included, I was a tiny bit skeptical (not as crazed as some on the internet raging madly about it, however). Still, I trusted that Visceral Studios would not only deliver something memorable in terms of the scares and gore fans expect, the developer would also bring a bit of innovation to the gameplay simply because standard co-op play would have been too generic for a series known for giving the horror genre a nice kick in the pants. It turns out that my initial skepticism wasn’t even necessary as from what I played, players on either end of that Xbox Live or PSN connection are in for a total mind trip that’s different for both players.