DiRT Showdown: Codemasters Takes Demolition Derby To Smashing New Heights…

Posted on December 13, 2011 by geelw

Lovely – there hasn’t been a REALLY good demolition derby game in years on a console, so I’m glad to see Codemasters take on the sport while adding the DiRT license and EGO engine-powered visuals to the mix. This one’s on my radar for sure and I’m hoping it also includes some regular rally stuff just for us fans of the Colin Mac Rae games. We shall see, but even if it doesn’t, it should be a hit amongst racing fans who want a bit more crashing in their driving games without feeling guilty about crunching up a ride or three…

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.

Rainbow 6 Patriots Trailer Is Disturbing Stuff (But UbiSoft Is Intentionally Going For That Vibe)

Posted on December 13, 2011 by geelw

While I’m not the biggest fan of the Tom Clancy games, UbiSoft’s upcoming Rainbow 6 Patriots managed to get my eyebrow up (and interest piqued) a bit higher than it normally goes. The whole idea of a game revolving around home-grown terrorists taking on the government as well as the big banks is intriguingly innovative, yet is also clearly going to ruffle some feathers amongst a few non-gaming TV talking heads. who often turn to games as a sign of all things evil when they need a quick ratings rush. This should be especially true once they get wind of the game not being made here in the U.S. of A. at all. Continue reading →

Dear Esther: Mystery No More (And Let The Waiting Begin)…

Posted on December 13, 2011 by geelw

Sometimes, you see a game that makes you smile and nod knowingly, not for anything amusing, mind you, but because it’s a solid case where a developer gets things down perfectly and the project is coming together like a dream. Dear Esther is one of those games and with its February 14, 2012 release date coming up, here’s a quick look at two work in-progress trailers that show off quietly spectacular detailed visuals powered by Valve’s “ancient” Source Engine (which goes to show it’s not the years, it’s the mileage a great developer gets out of it). It’s hard to believe that this game started life as a Half-Life 2 mod back in 2008 before a major reworking, but that’s the wonder of inspiration for you, folks… Continue reading →

Hitman: Absolution VGA 2011 Trailer: IO Interactive Gets (Even More) Real…

Posted on December 12, 2011 by geelw

After the amazing gameplay trailer I saw at New York Comic Con (about 17 minutes of sheer excellence), I was hoping developer IO Interactive would show off more of its upcoming Hitman: Absolution before the year ended. Well, here you go. Agent 47 is most definitely back and better than ever. Anyone that says as a publisher, Square Enix is ONLY good for Final Fantasy games needs their eyeballs wiped but good. Preferably by a bald assassin with a bar code on the back of his head and especially after Deus Ex: Human Revolution, (still one of the best games released this year) showed that great games come from all around the world…

DmC “Escape” Gameplay Trailer Shakes Things Up A Bit

Posted on December 12, 2011 by geelw

Excellent in-progress footage from the upcoming Devil May Cry prequel shows off Ninja Theory’s skills quite well, I’d say. Amusingly enough, the first thing I thought of when watching this footage was that old Police song “When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around”. Of all the franchise reboots coming next year and onward, this one’s in my short list as one to definitely watch out for. I want to see their take on Dante’s younger days not only in terms of action sequences like this, but also for how they’ll tell the tale. Anyone who’s played and enjoyed any of Ninja Theory’s other games KNOWS they’re amazing storytellers who know their way around dialog and acting when it comes to the memorable characters they’ve created.

Tiny & Big Moves Up The Ranks!

Posted on December 12, 2011 by geelw

Well, alrighty then! Thanks to lots of support, the guys at Black Pants Game Studios are doing a happy dance as they’ve entered indie DB’s Top 100. You can still (and should still) vote for them in the second phase of voting just because they’re making a fun game (not because I say so, although it would make me feel better if someone actually listened to me for a change). Take a peek at the video above, go vote if you’re so inclined and help Tiny & Big become a bigger hit as it nears completion.

Er, you HAVE tried out the demo, haven’t you? If not, go get it! It’s a ton of fun and you get to laugh a lot as well!

Review: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Posted on December 11, 2011 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PlayStation 3)

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players 1 – 2 (Online 2 – Eight)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A-

Featuring a dozen new characters, eight new stages and a number of excellent balancing fixes, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 makes one of the year’s best fighters even better. Capcom’s creatively insane development team has pulled out all the stops here and yes, this one’s a must-buy even if you’ve already sunk time into mastering the original. Although this super-enhanced update is as good as it gets, the exclusion of he original’s DLC characters is a tiny bit of a cheap move that may disappoint some hardcore players. That and a few other missing features that would have made this deal even better keep the game from a perfect score. However, warts aside, there’s more than enough here for fighting fanatics of any skill level to get their thrills in offline or online play. Continue reading →