Review: Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

Posted on May 5, 2013 by geelw

DD_DA_PS3 Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Score: A-

My favorite fantasy game (as well as the one that got played the most) of 2012 was Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma thanks to the level of immersion it offered as a single player experience, the massive land of Gransys and its assorted dangers above and below ground, tons of hidden secrets and unique Pawn system. It was impossible for me to not spend at least two to three hours at a minimum exploring outside the main quest, poking about in areas and often running like hell from some high-level monsters just to beef up my character a few more levels and hire some more powerful pawns just to drop back in and kick that big boss and his minions around. Of course, there was that cranky, level-shifting Ur-Dragon to give me fits a few times until it was able to be defeated multiple times, coughing up some cool treasure, but that’s a book I can write some other time.

Anyway, this year, we get a wonderful expansion, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen that packs in the original game with some nice fixes and an all new massive underground dungeon and rewards geared for high-level players only. Make that high-level players with a ton of patience willing to go through hell before they reach high water, as DD:DA is even more brutal than the original, but in a good way…
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Young Justice Legacy Hands-On: Teens & Titans Collide In Little Orbit’s Upcoming ARPG…

Posted on May 4, 2013 by geelw

GA_IceRiver_001 One of the nicer surprises at the Namco Bandai Global Gamers Day event was a playable build of Young Justice Legacy, set for a fall release on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, 3DS and PC (what, no Vita version?!). Fans of the show should be pleased to know that developer Freedom Factory is cooking up a fast-paced action/RPG in the vein of the X-Men Legends and Marvel Ultimate Alliance games featuring stylized 3D visuals and a nicely-sized roster of characters from the series. The game has a few months more cooking to do on the developer’s stove, but it’s definitely going to one of those the more dedicated fans of the currently canceled cartoon should dive right into as soon as it hits stores.

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Gallery: Remember Me

Posted on May 4, 2013 by geelw

Dontnod_Bandeau_Scroll_08

RM_PressTour2013__22 Capcom and Dontnod Entertainment are about to bring gamers a new action heroine who could be yeat another really interesting female characters making her debut this year. Remember Me, coming on June 4, 2013 will see the deadly and agile Nilin take to the streets of 2084 Neo-Paris as she attempts to discover why her former employers wiped her memory (leaving her very underemployed as a result) AND seems to have sent out a team of assassins to deal with her. Eeek… talk about NO job security!

rm_ps3_fob 2D Boxshot Wizard v1.1

Anyway, the team at Dontnod is cooking up an absolutely beautiful game as you can see from the nice screenshot gallery below the jump, and the gameplay is also looking quite lovely (and innovative) as well. PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 owners can look forward to this one soon (as time is absolutely flying this year).

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Skyrim Legendary Edition Is Coming: There Goes About Six Months of Your Life (Or So)…

Posted on May 3, 2013 by geelw

skyrim_LE_boxshots

Save the date, folks: June 4, 2013, $59.99, PC, PS3 or Xbox 360. Pick your poison and take a nice long vacation in this massive solo adventure/RPG that, with all the new content should take you a few weeks to complete once you get hooked into the game world. You get the original and all the expansions (Dawnguard, Hearthfire and Dragonborn), all the content changes, patching and fixes included (PS3 owners should be pleased to hear this news, as that original version seemed to suffer the most). Bethsoft is “moving on” from this game, so this should be the ultimate (and final) version of an already spectacular entry in the long-running franchise. Of course, this means we’ll probably be hearing about a new Elder Scrolls game in about two or three years as the company is no doubt looking at a few consoles and seeing what’s under the hood.

Resident Evil Revelations Dev Diary 2: Infection & Repulsion (Not The Birds & The Bees Version)…

Posted on May 3, 2013 by geelw

Well, I’m SURE Capcom’s Resident Evil team wasn’t thinking about YOUR weekend shenanigans when they were making this game for the Nintendo 3DS and remaking it for current-gen consoles and PC. Hmmmm, you do know that these games are a great deal better when enjoyed for what they are, right? No need to project everything onto your entertainment, now. Shh, there, there… it’s alright. You just need to go get scared half to death by playing a little game. May I suggest this one? How about Resident Evil Revelations, coming to PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 on May 21, 2013? You’ll get your fix in on a few fronts and have something to talk about around the water cooler at work that won’t make people think you’re a total creep. Well, unless they have a thing for zombies and other twisted creatures they’re not telling you about…

Remember Me “Memory” Trailer: As If We’ll Forget You, Nilin? Not A Chance…

Posted on May 2, 2013 by geelw

Capcom and developer Dontnod Games really have a unique one coming soon in Remember Me, so I’m hoping that this one gets a “shut up and play it!” treatment from those journalist types who seem to be hung up on the game for having a female character and being an all-new IP in a sequel-packed world. I’m definitely going to enjoy this one completely, as I happen to love it when I see a new developer doing something fresh and intriguing by creating a new game that looks as if it’ll be copied down the road by others once it succeeds. June 4, 2013 is when Nilin is let loose on the world – try to keep up with her and I’m betting you’ll be behind her all the way…

FUSE Villain Trailer: “Here Comes The Big Boss… Let’s Get It On!”

Posted on May 2, 2013 by geelw

Insomniac’s been getting a bit of grief from some gamers about FUSE, but as this trailer shows, the developer still has it where it counts when it comes to cooking up some memorable action scenes and plenty of well-rendered destruction. Yeah, yeah – it’s not cartoony, and yeah, yeah, you can say it looks like some other shooters on the market all day long, but it’s when you PLAY this one that you see where it’s not quite what you’re expecting. Anyway, that May 28 release date is coming sooner than you think, so I hope you’re prepared for a little hardcore excitement (er, NO… not THAT kind, silly). Or at least a big sackful of black pepper to throw in the face of that ridiculously-sized boss that pops up in the game. That should be an interesting battle for solo players, I’d say…

Resident Evil Revelations “Horror” Trailer: Just So You Know What’s Ahead…

Posted on May 2, 2013 by geelw

Of course, you’d figure with all these unsettling warnings being found in all these Resident Evil games, the less intrepid special agent or neophyte zombie hunters out there would want to turn right on around and go home to catch up on those TV shows they’ve been missing out on, but nope. Usually, it’s a “one way in, one way out” situation where they’d better suck it up and press forwards, as there’s usually something large that’s going to be nipping at their heels soon enough. Well, substitute “whole body” for heels and yeah, you get the idea. I say wear some comfortable running shoes and do a bit of stretching before setting out to take down those monsters. There’s nothing worse (or more embarrassing) than pulling a hammy when you’re running away from something that’s slow moving but has a hell of a lot more teeth than you do. Resident Evil Revelations is headed for the PC, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U on May 21, 2013 – “Be there, Aloha!”

Defiance 1:4 “A Well Respected Man” Teaser: Adrenaline Junkies Need Apply…

Posted on May 1, 2013 by geelw

Ah, the drug episode. I figured the writers would need to get that out of the way at some point. Amusingly enough, it’s an idea that I think they lifted lightly from the awful sci-fi action flick I COME IN PEACE, so I’m hoping to see a better job done as well as a reference that makes me crack up. Well, no CD’s cutting off heads, as that would be TOO obvious. Anyway, onward! So far, I’m liking this first season of Defiance and its little surprises, so my Mondays are now temporarily a tiny bit less dull. That’s a bit of an in-joke, as they’re always busy, but it’s good to have something to watch while working. of course, if I’m trying to write while watching a show I like, I only end up getting anything done if that show has commercials (oops). Well, I’d never thought I’d say “thank goodness foe syfy!”, but there you go… and that’s probably the ONLY time you’ll hear that from me. Well, given that we’re NOT actually having this conversation, you DIDN’T hear it from me at all…

Call of Duty: Ghosts Teaser: For A Minute There, I Was Expecting A Trip Back In Time…

Posted on May 1, 2013 by geelw

Another year of life in the 21st century means a new Call of Duty game rolling up onto store shelves and digital shops soon (and raking in a nice chunk of change for Activision), but for a hot and exciting few seconds there I ALMOST thought this one was going to be set in the past with all sorts of weapons swinging and throwing warriors throughout history. Welp (as the kids say), no such luck (this time)… but the super hardcore CoD fans will all be gleefully dancing in the streets and dodging bullets with blood in their eye soon enough. I may pass on this one, as I’m FPS’ed out lately, but I think I’ll hold out for Call of Duty: Caveman just so I can see where all this war stuff got started in the first place…