So good it's on both blogs, here's the second L.A. Noire Trailer for your approval – this time in long and short versions. Team Bondi's upcoming crime drama is certainly going to set a few new standards in terms of character animation and possibly game design. As usual, Rockstar is going above and beyond the call in ensuring their dev teams make games that try and do something different within their respective genres. And that, folks, deserves a lot of respect.
While I liked the original Divinty II: Ego Draconis on both the 360 and PC, it DID have it's share of technical issues that definitely required some serious patching. Nevertheless, the game not only got those patches, but some nice DLC and an excellent PC expansion that, along with the original content added up to well over one hundred hours of gameplay. In today's “Well, THAT woke me up!” news, Atlus USA has very wisely teamed up with Focus Home Interactive to present Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga exclusively for the Xbox 360 in North America.
It seems as if Atlus is striving to become the 'Kings of All Things RPG' these days as they branch out and publish non-Japanese developed titles such as The Cursed Crusade and now Larian's sweeping epic. Hmmm… maybe they can convince Soldak to get its games onto a console or look into stuff like the Eschalon series in the future… my mind is full of ideas. Er, anyway…
Press release/screens below the jump (it's long like the game, so go read it and make that pre-order afterward) and the trailer is up and running on the other blog.
So much for the few remaining skeptics out there, huh? 2K and Gearbox are finally getting the news out that The Man Himself will be landing in retail stores for PS3, PC and Xbox 360 on May 3, 2011 in North America and May 6 everywhere else those alien bastards are trying to take over (as in the rest of the world). Groovy, I say. Time to go stock up on bubble gum and dig out the old combat boots once more. What, the store's all out of bubble gum? Well, there's only one thing to do then, right?
Full press release below the jump because I'm too damn lazy to cut 'n paste excerpts (Well, I'm writing two reviews at the moment, too!)…
Where previous EDF games have similar acid-spewing or other weapons based on alien technology (which meant you couldn't reload them once you ran out of ammo, grrrr!), I like the all-new Pesticide Gun variants as well as the BIG explosions seen in these latest EDFIA screens (they almost look like a mini Genocide Gun with that blinding light). Go, Vicious Cycle! Spring is just around the corner and I'm pretty psyched about the final version (and still hoping we see some more surprises in terms of bonus materials). If you've been following this one from the beginning, you can see that the game is really shaping up nicely and should be quite a blast to play online or offline.
Note to D3: You ARE planning to get EDF 2 Portable out here in the US as well (on UMD and PSN, of course!)? Say YES and I'll be sure to tell too many people to buy the game. Hell, I'll go buy a few extra copies, for that matter!
Screens and details on the Pesticide Gun series can be found below the jump. I'll post the new game footage once D3 posts it on YouTube (as I'm away from a high-speed connection for a few days)
Cover art and four more screens from Codemasters’ upcoming military-themed tactical FPS. Don’t call it COD, MOH or anything similar until you’ve gven it a try. The series is known more for its realism than the usual online mayhem and non-stop single player shoot-festing. Granted, Dragon Rising wasn’t as deep as the original Op Flash (the edit feature was sorely missed!), but it was still a more complete game in terms of pure immersion and actual challenge than many shooters this generation.
One of the many games of 2011 I’ve also had on my radar has been THQ’s Homefront, a story-driven FPS (with multiplayer modes, of course) developed here in NYC by Kaos Studios (Hi Irania!). While not a sequel to the excellent Frontlines: Fuel of War, Homefront uses topical and ‘alternate history’ events along with a John Milius (of Red Dawn fame) script to present a darker, more realistic tone to its North Korean-invaded US game world and how players get to stage a resistance. From what I’ve seen so far, the game looks to be a visceral experience on a few fronts and I truly hope that those in the FPS fan base “get” what’s being done here and NOT simply snap this up because it’s just another shooter where you can hop around like bunnies online or camp out with a favorite gun and chuckle away a few hours.
More videos to come shortly…
Well.. it IS kind of funny and yes, I actually saw a non-gaming journalist have a similar reaction to the multiplayer mode while I was playing it at the last Sony event I attended (he’s not into “scary stuff”). So, on THAT front, it’s a brilliant ad.
On the other hand (Devil’s Advocate cap on), I can see this ad being used by the anti-gaming crowd that thinks EA is clearly targeting children under 18 with Dead Space 2 and any other M-rated games they publish, which may force EA to deal with “news” outlets merely looking to rake them over the coals unfairly (and once again, if you remember the stupid controversy around Mass Effect two years ago). These folks have less of a sense of humor than a jar of pickles (and about eight times as much vinegar in their veins), so giving them this “gift” as more anti-game ammo might backfire a little too much. So, on THAT front, the ad is a giant “WTF were they thinking?”
Thoughts?
Either way, the game will sell, as there’s not really such a thing as “bad” publicity these days…
Platform: Xbox 360 (Kinect)
Developer: Ubisoft
Publisher: Ubisoft
# of Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
Official Site
Score: D
As a launch title for Microsoft's otherwise interesting (and multimillion selling) Kinect, Fighters Uncaged suffers from a case of “good idea, poor implementation” but sadly, this didn't have to be the case. If you're feeling the need to compare, unlike Sony's PlayStation Move brawler The Fight: Lights Out, this is a supremely below average game that's quite undercooked and shows its flaws as soon as you start playing. The Fight does indeed have its own flaws, but it's at least actual fun once you get the hang of it, supports two players and can be played online. Fighters Uncaged is strictly a solo affair, which makes little sense for a game in the genre these days. The generic, poorly told “story”, stereotypical enemies straight out of a bad Final Fight clone and wonky Kinect controls all beat up on you as you're slogging through, making it a total chore to complete. It's not all bad news, however. It's certainly a game that's not getting a sequel (unless too many Kinect owners new to motion control gaming snap it up and make it a mega-hit).
Well, alright (with a minor gripe) – Sega is tapping back into its Dreamcast library and will release a collection of four classics for the system as both a retail packaged disc for the Xbox 360 and a digital download for Windows PC. The simply titled Dreamcast Collection will be available on February 25, 2011, in Europe and February 22 in North America and feature Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, Sega Bass Fishing and Space Channel 5. According to the press release, both versions will have enhanced graphics while only the 360 version will have Achievements as well as online leader board support.
“The Dreamcast console is still remembered as a pioneering console for online gaming,” commented Gary Knight, VP of Marketing at SEGA of America and SEGA Europe “We are delighted to be able to offer to our large community of dedicated fans a collection such as Dreamcast Collection for them to enjoy old favorites on this Xbox 360 and Windows PC.”
True… but none of those games in this collection were online enabled in terms of gameplay as far as I remember (he said, looking at his DC collection). That and, for the love of Knuckles… why no PS3 version?
Sometimes, I just hate Japan, but in a decidedly more “grrrr… how come they get THAT game?” manner (and not anything more overly dramatic than that, mind you). While the Wizardry franchise hasn’t seen a new Western-developed PC game in the states since the ill-fated, (but mostly well-rated) Wizardry 8 (back in 2001!), since the late 80’s, Japanese gamers have had nearly 40 ports or completely original Wizardry games and side-stories created by an assortment of developers for a number of consoles, portables and even cellphones.
More recently (as in a big, fat “what the what?!”), the Nintendo DS in Japan has gotten their own original Wizardry games in the form of three titles that will probably never, ever see the light of day in English unless they get fan-patched translations (*grrrr!*). You can keep your Angry Birds, and other “casual” games, folks – I’d rather play something with real meat on its bones.
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 