Dragon’s Dogma Story Trailer Teaser

Capcom’s been cooking this one up for a while and while the full version of this trailer won’t be revealed until 1/31, they’re releasing this short tease to get you all worked up (and rightly so). I’m also gathering they’ve been tightening up the gameplay significantly from the demo versions I played last year, as there were a few issues that needed ironing out. Then again, a demo is just that, and in no way signifies the quality of the final build. PS3 and Xbox 360 owners will get to see that for themselves as Capcom is promising a “flood of Dragon’s Dogma info on the way!”

Well, that means I’ll be posting it when it splashes around in my inbox…

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock “Monsters” Trailer & Screens

Courtesy of the official PlayStation Blog, here’s a nice visual update from the upcoming PS3 and Vita exclusive. I got a chuckle imagining a bunch of Cybermen, Daleks, Silurians and Silence all showing up in a studio somewhere in England, punching in to do some hard work acting out scenes from the game for the dev team and having breaks for 10 o’clock breakfast (English Breakfast and scones) and a 4PM tea time (Earl Grey with milk, please, mum!) before clocking out and heading to a nearby pub for Guinness all around and some hot shepherd’s pie. Is that enough awful stereotyping here or what? Anyway, the game is set to land in March, but we’ll have a more informative update shortly as to what form the games will take. Fingers crossed for retail and download versions so more can hop aboard the TARDIS and enjoy the ride…

 

DiRT Showdown Update: “Nevada 8-Ball” Gameplay Trailer Shows Off The Bash & Crash

Funny. Just as I was restoring the post with the announcement trailer to Codemasters’ upcoming hybrid racer, I see that a new trailer has been posted, so here you go. This new (and extremely impressive) in-progress demolition derby footage reminds me a bit of Monster Games VASTLY underrated PlayStation 2 and Xbox title, Test Drive: Eve of Destruction. Granted, the amazing EGO-engine wasn’t around back then and that game didn’t have any actual drivers nor some of today’s top US rally racers doing donuts and taking risky driving to all new heights (pun intended). Anyway, I predict this one will be the biggest DiRT to date. One suggestion, though – PLEASE offer the option to turn OFF any and all video upload prompts when offline! They were a big pain in DiRT 3 for solo players (like me) who were trying to concentrate on winning a stretch of tough races and didn’t need the constant prodding for a feature we had no plans to use.

 

Armored Core V Walkthrough: From Keeps It Familiar (& Doesn’t Breed Contempt)

Nice new visuals aside (go, From!), there’s just something supremely “old school” about this Armored Core V gameplay footage that made me think a bit of all the fun I had with the original game and its sequels back on the PlayStation. Granted, AC V’s more multiplayer-centric approach will make this latest entry a big draw for those who like their mechs going at it in team-based combat. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that there’s enough of a single player campaign included for those of us who want to dive in and not have to deal with folks who make you want to throw a shoe (and a controller) at your TV…

Capcom Reveals Surprising Exclusive Characters For PS3/Vita Street Fighter X Tekken

Capcom has a really great sense of humor, that’s for sure… but I’ll bet real money a lot of Mega Man fans’ heads are exploding big time. The blue bomber is indeed a playable character in the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken, but it’s the Bad Box Art version instead of the more familiar MM. Color me supremely tickled at this. Also amusing, seeing Sony’s Toro and Kuro (characters from a series of cute games never released in the US) and Pac-Man (!), who’s probably the biggest surprise of them all. Then again, now that I think about it, Klonoa should have been in the game as well as Tomba just to show some classic PlayStation love. Oh well, there’s always DLC or some sort of updated version down the road. Or heck, Tekken X Street Fighter, Namco’s companion piece to SF X T that’s still in development…

The Darkness II Launch Trailer: Early, But Makes Its Point…

No gory gameplay or expletives not deleted here, so I can run this without an age gate. Here’s the short but excellent CG trailer for Digital Extremes’ upcoming FPS. As noted earlier, 2K has quite the lineup for genre fans from this one, to BioShock Infinite to Borderlands 2. It’s definitely going to be a busy year for genre fans, so hopefully all of these games will do well across each platform they appear on. The Darkness II appears in stores on February 7, 2012 (US) and February 10, 2012 (everywhere else).

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning/Mass Effect 3 Demo Bonus Gear Revealed

Personally, I’d have preferred to see this cool gear made available on the game discs (for those folks who can’t try out the demos thanks to no/slow broadband access), but I guess that crowd will have to suffer without the cool swag unless it pops up on a reprint down the road. Granted, none of the gear in this trailer is probably necessary to clear either game, but it all sure looks cool, doesn’t it?  As for that demo, it’s really excellent. The game absolutely is NOT trying to be “realistic” in a Skyrim or Dark Souls manner where carry weight, proper blocking or balance when swinging a weapon comes into play. Hell, you’re running too fast for wearing armor, the colors pop in a more graphic novel/fantasy art manner and overall, the gameplay owes more to faster-paced action games more than classic RPG’s.

Still, these will be major selling points to those gamers who disliked the games mentioned for their pacing and general overkill in a few areas. As for me, I can make the distinction between many types of games, so I’m all in for Amalur as well as anything else that comes down the pike as long as it’s well done. EA, 38 Studios and Big Huge Games have a big, huge hit on their hands, so don’t pass it up when the game hits retail on February 7, 2012. I’ll need to flip a coin to decide which console version to pick up, but I’m leaning towards the PS3, as it’s the system that’s given me the least (as in NO) troubles over the long haul.

SoulCalibur V Story Trailer

Namco Bandai’s newest installment in the long-running fighting game series finally lands in stores at the end of the month (January 31, to be exact). Here’s a look at the game’s story trailer, which as usual, is that high quality Namco CG awesomeness they’re well known for. Project Soul has injected a more action game dynamic to the fighting with faster (and more fluid) character animation for even the returning favorites which should shake things up considerably as slower fighters get a speed boost that some hardcore fans may not initially care for. Me, I’m easy as long as the game is good and is packed to the gills with content.

WipEout 2048 Intro Cinematic Double Shot!

No, you’re not quite seeing double here (even though you are). It’s one video with commentary and one without (if you somehow haven’t managed to read the headers above the videos). Also, one of the Vita’s must-haves in my book just because I’m an old-school WipEout player from the original PlayStation days. I also had the PC version, but I found it tougher to control using a keyboard. Oh well. Anyway, what I love about the commentary from Game Director Graeme Ankers and Art Director Lee Carus is that it acknowledges those players who’ve been around since the first game while giving a bit of back-story to those coming into the game for the first time. WipEout 2048 zips onto the Playstation Vita on February 22, 2012.

Kid Icarus: Uprising Trailer Shows What The Fuss Is All About

Nintendo’s killer app (that would have made for a great launch title had the 3DS shipped in 2012) is finally soaring into retail in March, so here’s the latest peek at some gameplay. I still feel bad for Wii owners that they’re not getting this one, but it really would be nice to see the Wii U do something with the character now that he’s officially back on the gaming radar worldwide. Let’s hope we see more new games and not poor Pit relegated to another Smash Bros. sub-character no one under a certain age even knows about (like poor Ness from the Earthbound/Mother series)…