The three screens I can run on this more family-friendly blog are below. As for the rest… well, you know where to find them, don't you? Only a few more weeks to go, ladies and germs! More gallery updates to come shortly, as Namco Bandai seems to be adding even more gorgeously gruesome screens as the game approaches its ship date.
According to reports, Lionhead Studios 'Project Milo' for Microsoft's upcoming Kinect peripheral has been canceled and some 19 staff members have been laid off from the developer. The innovative game (or at least an impressive working tech demo) was first shown at E3 2009 where many were floored by the lifelike interaction between the titular character and a Lionhead staffer. While it's clear that development on the project had obviously gone on after that showing, what's unclear is why such a high profile potential killer app was killed off before updated information or perhaps some sort of commercial demo could have been released.
No official completion or release date were ever announced for the project. Nevertheless the game was supposed to be a key future title in Microsoft's growing Kinect lineup. In fact, after the 2009 E3 showing, it was easy to poke around a few too many message boards and find many gamers interested in Kinect precisely for Milo. News reports state that Lionhead may end up using elements of the project in its upcoming RPG sequel, Fable III, but we'll have to wait for updated info on this before speculating any further.
Boom. That's all you need to know, folks.
OK, OK I'll toss in a few details…
Sonic Adventure NOW (and Crazy Taxi in November) available over PSN or Xbox Live are the first two games in Sega's re-master plan to capture the hearts and minds of gamers young and old while keeping that classic Sega flame alive and kicking amongst us hardcore Sega-philes out there. Sega is also promising even more titles are coming soon (yes!) and I'm definitely all for that. I'm gathering The new DC line will consist of Sega-produced titles only, so I'm hoping to see a few racers in the lineup (Daytona USA, Ferrari F355 Challenge) along with Sonic Adventure 2 and maybe even a RPG or two (Skies of Arcadia, anyone?)
Namco Bandai's PS3 and Xbox 360-bound super-stylized hack & slash (set for a 2011 release) is looking pretty interesting to my eyes. I love the freaky-looking enemies along with the wild color usage in these screens. The game's plot has a resurrected witch (Gretchen, on the left) and her executioner (Heinrich, right) traveling a decimated medieval land eliminating assorted beasties. Expect the game to most likely garner a Mature rating, thanks to quite a bit of blood and gore.
Platform: Xbox 360
Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft
# of Players: 1-16
ESRB Rating: M (Mature)
Official Site
Score: A
If you even thought Bungie was going to make their final Halo title for Microsoft some sort of rushed to market affair with a big “seeya, suckers!” plastered into the end credits, you'd be dead wrong. Halo: Reach closes up shop more than nicely enough to be an instant classic no fan of the franchise should miss. From the solid campaign mode to the ridiculous amount of customization and user-creation options that guarantee the game's place among the most played Xbox 360 games, there's nothing that should stop you from owning (and keeping) this one in your collection. Granted, if you're a straight-up Halo hater for some reason, the game won't do much to sway your opinion. On the other hand, it's impossible not to recognize how solid Reach is as a total package.
The latest trailer for Eidos Montreal’s sci-fi epic shows off some nice visuals, an intentional palette choice that lends a generally downbeat tone to the action and well, some decent action. Square Enix might just have that game that clicks with a the action crowd…
No gameplay here – just a dramatic chunk of From Software packing in the guts ‘n glory (‘n mechs) by channeling a bit of Spielberg. Very cool, indeed. Nice touch at the end – just when you think you’re about to see actual gamplay, the trailer is done and you’re left hanging (and possibly wanting to run down to that game shop to slap down cash for a Kinect).
Here’s some nifty Enslaved: Odyssey to the West gear courtesy Namco Bandai’s PR department (thanks guys!). I really like the striking Monkey silhouette T a lot. The “journal” is pretty cool as well, although I can’t see spoiling that artwork with my scribbles (even if it IS the same art on each and every page). Cool free swag or no, I’m pretty psyched to play the final version of this one. Back with more later…
This EDFIA teaser packs in 38 seconds of suspense while lending itself to as few minutes of questions. If it’s created using the upcoming game’s engine, I like the elements not found in the Sandlot-developed EDF titles such as the flames coming from buildings, exploding vehicles and blowing debris. That giant metal spider is a great touch, as are the redesigned spider models and better animation from those screaming civilians. OK, I’m sold – just get me some actual gameplay footage along with full details on all the game modes and I’ll be even more giddy.
In only slightly shocking news (well, to some of you out there – I predicted this a few weeks back), Earth Defense Force series creator Sandlot is not involved in the development of the upcoming Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon. Instead, D3 has announced that veteran developer Vicious Cycle (Dead Head Fred, The Return of Matt Hazard) has taken on programming duty for the upcoming third-person shooter set for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as a Spring 2011 release. The company's Vicious Engine is quite a versatile one, so I'm expecting the game to be a more than worthy expansion to the groundwork laid by Sandlot.
Breaking down the announcement piece by piece, let's start with the cover art:
Excellently done and it's nice how it's a riff on the cover to EDF 2017 (I see flying ants or wasps are back in the mix – yes!). So far, so good…
As for the developer… Even if you've never heard of Vicious Cycle, I'll bet you've probably played some of their games…
"DESTROY ALL FANBOYS!" 