Metro Redux Announce Trailer: Back In The (MUCH Better Looking, But Still Deadly) USSR…

METRO_REDUXOkay, so the country is no longer called that long-dead name these days, but I had to get in at least one bad joke about this otherwise deadly serious first-person survival game. Calling Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light “shooters” does them little justice, as each is a finely crafted and often jarring gameplay experience that takes patience to play. You can’t run in guns blazing with no or not enough bullets, radiation zones you can’t stay out for too long in and a gas mask that doesn’t have enough of an air supply to walk more than fifty feet. Not to mention some rather strange mutants and not strange but somewhat upset humans that might want you dead for a few reasons. Both games have gotten an amazing makeover for next-gen consoles and PC while retaining the methodical yet compelling gameplay that made them both sleeper hits.

Developer 4A Games and Deep Silver get a huge pat on the back (and a case of the finest Vodka) for bringing these games back so more can play them and this will be the first time 2033 appears on a Sony console, so PS4 owners will see what all the fuss is about. Even better, the games are getting both a physical and digital release. Metro 2033 Redux and Metro: Last Light Redux will each be available separately as a digital download for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC for $24.99 in North America, and a boxed compilation of both games, titled METRO REDUX will be available for $49.99. Now, all I need is a working Geiger counter and to sew some extra pockets on that pair of old cargo pants in the closet so I can carry more slightly dented, irradiated cans of beans. Back with more on this one soon…

Watch_Dogs Launch Trailer: Your Ticket To Chicago Is Almost Ready…

 
May 27 will be a pretty quiet day at some workplaces in a few places thanks to people coming down with crippling cases of Watch_Dogs flu and staying home to get some finger and wrist exercises in to keep healthy. Ubisoft Montreal is certainly doing its part to move next-gen consoles and maybe a new 3D card or two, but I think even on the older consoles the game will be a winner to those players that don’t give a hoot about their games looking about as realistic as it gets. Anyway, we’ll see what’s what next week (or later for Wii U owners still hoping for an actual release date).

Today’s Humble Daily Bundle Is All Mixed Up In A Good Way. The Weekly Bundle? Just BUY IT!

 
Let’s see now, we’ve got goats escaping, a pair of retro RPGs that looks as if it was made in 1990 or so, an offbeat puzzle game with a very weird looking insect and a card battle game that’s quite addictive for almost anyone who picks it up. Yup, that’s what you get today PLUS two game soundtracks when you grab this Humble Daily Bundle. Pay what you want for the two Soulcaster games, six bucks or more gets you Escape Goat 2, but you should bump THAT up thirteen cents for Incredipede, I say. Or just pony up ten bucks or more and get everything and Ironclad Tactics, which should heel you busy for quite a spell.

As for that Humble Weekly Sale this week… Wow! Continue reading

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II Launch Trailer: Hat’s Off (Again) To The Monster Killer!

 
It’s finally all done and ready for its close up, so if you liked the first part a lot, you’ll want to just drop everything now and go out to buy a ring for Neocore Games’ The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing II. The game is bigger and better in a number of key ways (you’ll see) and yes, that addictive chase & chop action is even more intense this time out. Not much else to say other than go get this on Steam NOW and have a blast. You don’t want to keep Lady Katerina waiting you know (as she’s way too good with the insults when she gets ticked off). Oh yeah, the guy with the hat and weapons could use your help, too.

Batman: Arkham Knight Gameplay: “Evening The Odds?” More Like Unfair Bat-vantage If You Ask Me…

BAK_Screenshot2Rocksteady is back as the developer in this upcoming hit and as you can see, their incredible work on this PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One only game will be well worth the wait and indeed might be a big system seller when the game ships out later this year. Sure, this looks like a movie trailer, but that’s all in game engine running and making your jaw land on your shoes or thereabouts. Yeah, it’s going to be a blockbuster you don’t want to miss if you loved the other Arkham games and double yeah, WB Games is going to be cackling like the Joker all the way to the bank when all is said and done. I can’t wait to get my paws on this one. It’s going to be the Year of the Bat for gamers, that’s for sure…

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Today’s Humble Bundle Will Send You Flying (And Shooting)…

I actually learned to drive a little thanks to a few video games (notably Hard Drivin’ and Race Drivin’ back in the arcades), but other than a few actual lessons some years later from a willing friend and me actually driving a van around a block to look for a new parking space, I really haven’t been behind the wheel in a “normal” situation. I’d say you’re absolutely NOT going to learn to fly anything with these three games in today’s Humble Daily Bundle, but never say never, I guess. Now, if you DO buy these games and get the wild idea to scoot over to the nearest airport and swipe someone’s Piper Cub or Lear jet in order to do some fancy flyin’ of the real life variety based on these games, you in NO way, shape or form can or should blame me for that nonsense (nor send me any medical bills should you survive) . I’d be the one tying you down and calling the men in the white coats after you fessed up your plans to get airborne on the cheap.

Sniper Elite III “Hunt The Grey Wolf” DLC: Der Fuhrer’s Days Are Numbered (Again!)…

 
Sooo… I played a bit of Rebellion’s upcoming Sniper Elite III today at a 505 Games press event, but I can’t say a peep for two days about how it was thanks to a little embargo I don’t intend to break. SUSPENSE! Anyway, as you can see, like Sniper Elite V2, there’s some Gamestop only Fuhrer-themed DLC to snag if you pre-order and I’m betting it does well, given the improvements to the game engine and gameplay the main game offers up. It’s certainly a VERY lousy time to be a pro-digital Nazi fanatic, what with that new Wolfenstein game out today, The Monuments Men popping up on home video, CI Studios’ Enemy Front and now this upcoming game allowing shooter fans to spend plenty of free time whistling bullets past a few graveyards. Anyway, more (or actual) news on my hands-on with Sniper Elite III in two more days. Stay tuned…

Today’s Humble Daily Bundle: All Crusader Kings, All The Time…

 
Do you REALLY love medieval history and all the warring it brought about? Well, then… in case you haven’t played them yet, Paradox Interactive’s Crusader Kings series is all yours today for a fair price. A buck gets you Crusader Kings Complete AND an ebook, A Fall of Kings: Champions of Anglia. Add seven bucks or more and Crusader Kings II is added to the deal. If you want so much more that you’ll be spending so much time at home that your face ends up on a milk carton, spend $20 and get both games, the ebook AND a whopping 21 DLC packs (Eeek!) and never see the sunshine again! Yeah, you know the drill: click, buy, smile because you’re supporting charities and enjoy!

Drakengard 3 Launch Trailer: I Thought Gals Liked Dragons? Hmmm, I Guess Not In This Game…

 
It’s finally here in North America and looking more polished than its PlayStation 2 prequels, Drakengard 3 ups the action while going tonally sideways. Granted, the game still has the gloomy, doom-y feeling of the first two entries, but there’s more in the way of light comic relief as well as a decidedly more manga/anime edge to the character art. If you like what you see, zip on down to your favorite game emporium, slap $49.99 down on the counter (plus tax where applicable) and both you and your PS3 will be happy campers. If you’re eager to play but lazier or just prefer digital games, clickety-click on your PlayStation Network account and get this as a download on the PlayStation Store or the Square Enix Online Store for the same price. In an interesting twist, the physical game gets a standard retail packaging, but if you’re a digital-only drone, you can get a Digital Collector’s Edition exclusively on the PlayStation Store for $64.99. How that all works baffles me, but hey – it’s the future, so stuff is SUPPOSED to be baffling. I think.

 
Oh, and speaking of baffling… you get an interview with the game’s director, Taro Yoko, but he’s a puppet here. Don’t ask… just enjoy!

Wolfenstein: The New Order Livestream: Machine Plays With Itself For Your Enjoyment…

Well, then. Here’s a look at the game in action before the big launch tomorrow. If it’s as solid as the other previews I’ve seen around the internet over the past few weeks, I predict a hit for developer Machine Games and publisher Bethesda Softworks, provided the multiplayer zombies realizes this isn’t THAT sort of game at all. Oh, by the way parental units wondering about the content here? Heck NOPE, in no way, shape or form is this game for kids! Personally, I like Machine’s updated take on the character of B.J. Blazkowicz, the pull no punches coarse language and all that icky blood and gore – whee! Okay, getting (slightly) serious for a hot second, that this one’s single player makes me happy as well, because multiplayer shooters are a dime a dozen these days (but usually cost AAA prices) and this is a game where you can tell the the development team spent lots of time designing the game around the story they’ve created.

Yeah, yeah, you want to run around and shoot each other in the face for endless hours in the same old map types and game variants. Well, go buy this game tomorrow on PC and sign up for the DOOM beta and get NEW map types and maybe some other surprises tossed your way. This one’s for those of us who like a good story and game wrapped together and I can’t wait to see how it’s turned out.