Defiance Launch Trailer & Ark Hunter Chronicles 6: A New Era Is Just Around the Bend…


 

OK, I’ve got a tiny cold today, so my ten or so posts I wanted to do have been cut down a bit by common sense (as in I decided to stay home and not exacerbate my condition by hanging out in a public place with other germy folk). Anyway, I’m doing better, so here’s one more update: I’m a little worried about DEFIANCE doing as well as it should at least on consoles. I’ve read elsewhere today (and had this figured for a while) that Blizzard and Sony have done research that reveals many PS3s are never connected to the Internet. And I’d bet good money that the ones that ARE play mostly the same games or types of games. That said, DC Universe Online seems to have done well and certain franchise shooters seem to grab players as soon as they ship. On the other hand, Defiance breaks much new ground in the MMO space, but does absolutely NOTHING for those who want an offline experience. I think this is a mistake, as more people playing your game is ALWAYS a better thing than LESS and every MMO will shut down that last server at some point.  


 
Hopefully, all three versions of the game will sell like gangbusters and Trion Worlds will also hear from solo play fans who want either a stand alone game they can call their own. Or something for the Vita (which has suddenly become an indie game darling). Or both…

Defiance “Changed World” TV Spot: Reinventing A Few Landscapes…

 

So, if that 14 minutes or so of first episode footage shown on syfy’s site is any indication, DEFIANCE will be a pretty decent new show after all. This bodes well for the online-only game coming to Windows PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 April 2 and yes, the show, which premieres on April 13. I need to now actually look up that darn channel’s schedule, as I haven’t paid attention to it for a while except when there’s a Twilight Zone marathon running and I swing by for a half-hour or so fix. The game is definitely solid from what I’ve played, but I do have an issue with it I’ll kick around (again) in the next post…

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Behind the Scenes: A Fantasy Trip for Today…

 

Hey! Wouldn’t you like to be on a nice vacation right about now? OK, let’s go! Let’s say, hmmm… we’re now in Sweden with Josef Fares at Starbreeze Studios talking a little more about their unique game collaboration, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons coming to Windows PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 courtesy of publisher 505 Games? OK, OK… sitting in another room that’s different from the room you’re in now may not be much of a holiday at first glance, but think outside the box (or outside the building, in this case) and you’re on the way to your new destination with a fresh outlook. Um, Har en fantastisk semester – inte äta för mycket korv!

BioShock Infinite Launch Trailer: 2K & Irrational Games Get To Say “See? Told You So!”

So, it’s out and getting high marks overall, but what else did you expect? Sure, the Internet did its thing last year when a few post-E3 looks revealed the game wasn’t quite done and ready to ship and there was a delay while it seemed things were being further tweaked. But I’ve always trusted Ken Levine and Irrational Games to get this one as polished up as possible before unleashing it onto the public. Will I run out and BUY it right away since it seems I’m not getting a review copy? Probably not this week or next, but it’ll get added to the “to-do” list at some point. I’m in no rush to jet out a review before anyone else, but it’s good to know that when I actually DO get to play this, I’ll be having quite a blast…

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Gameplay Reveal: Pirates’ (Raking In More) Gold…

 

Now, I really COULD (and should) litter this post with plenty of pirate and numerous nautically-themed puns (enough to make your eyes and ears cower in fear), but I won’t (consider yourselves lucky. THIS time). But instead, I’ll just state the obvious and say that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag looks really amazing and yes, all that sea battle stuff from the last game seems to be what Ubisoft was going to end up making nearly an entire game around. Granted, it might have been really spectacular to see this game show up as an all NEW franchise, as the stand alone pirate game has been sorely missed. Now, we’ll get to sit through those long-winded online rants from fans of the original AC games who think going so far away from the Templar stuff is a terrible thing. I always thought it was kind of pompous and that futuristic Desmond plot unnecessary, but that’s just me. Oh well, this one will sell a million or two based on the “Yo Ho Ho” factor alone. Just you watch…

Gallery: DuckTales

DT NES_WFT WOO-HOO! What’s old certainly has gotten a MAJOR makeover, as WayForward Technologies takes the classic NES game to the next level with its DuckTales “remake”, set to hit Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U this summer. Screenshots don’t do this one justice, so make sure to check out that cool and funny trailer (and sing along, too, as you KNOW you remember all the words to that song! “Not ponytails. Not cottontails. DUCKTALES!!!”):

 

DTheader1 DTheader2 DTheader3 8b333e7b8198d579853fb9e92fe84313 9d0e1eefaeca31a0f8a9b9b00acb50a6 63b5554e52bf1e909ce4a23cac085ae4 212e411134697314d63d833f4e138d46 1586c36d0ae8781f53b503d98f2f13bf fc575e2bc0b04a64ad7bc5751301e908 bfaca205dee10d1e867d20dc0fdea19b

Gallery: Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara

D&D_logo

D&D_art_small (Cue stereotypical booming RPG narrator voice along with equally stereotypical epic-sounding fantasy music) NARRATOR: “And so, it came to pass, after many years of online fire and calamity that Capcom doth finally decree that the gamers worldwide long starving for a pair of decent fantasy hack & slash arcade games long consigned to history’s dusty trails become updated and set loose as one whole product to be forever named Dungeons & Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara. And that game, now headed to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U and Windows PC (developed for Capcom by Iron Galaxy and priced at $14.99/€14.99/£11.99/1200MSP) was indeed met by the cheers and praises of the long-starved masses destined to play until the long hours of the dark night have turned to day… and beyond!”

Or something like that. I’ll just shut up with the silly stuff and run the gallery below:

D&D faux machine 1 D&D faux machine 2 9c3578dfce792763854d46b2efea539d 2019c8f2a1588f5a1c6abcac2b7d0e0a 2250c9f1c00e2aee7b5610639ec06fc6 bffb0007127a70d52374374785f839ea c2a3ea084a2802aaf28e9994ba6e4a93 c46d32d4f9461645eabdb35c8bddbaf6 d31570646d1abf19e03c7b7129b2cc92 f9105b4dcd1a278c17279c8ccef21bd3 6493eaaadcd4b64d199183b4a5abe51e

PDP Wants You to Have A Happy Easter (And Buy A New Controller or Three)…

pdp_easter Now, THAT’S an Easter basket I’d hunt down any day of the week. Nope, I’m not one of those traditional yearly egg-coloring folks anymore (I used to hand-paint them back in the day, so you missed some doozies like an Alien-themed egg and other horror gems), but I don’t mind a crazy colored controller in the house. Fortunately, PDP’s cool range of Rock Candy controllers for the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii/Wii U are all here to add some holiday cheer.

Granted, I know most of you will be splayed out on the couch and half passed out from that chocolate bunny, jelly bean and Marshmallow Peeps cocktail you scarfed down too quickly and waiting for someone to hand you a Pepto-Seltzer cocktail chaser. But if you’re immune to tummy troubles or just avoid the holiday sugar rush altogether, why not get some gaming on with a funky new controller?

Young Justice: Legacy Cover Art Revealed: Revenge (of Sorts) Is Sweet…

 

Young Justice Legacy_coverOK, so the show is dead, killed off somewhat unceremoniously by Cartoon Network (the curse of poor ratings, most likely) but that’s not stopping the development on this game fans have been eagerly waiting for since it was announced. Here’s the official cover art for Young Justice Legacy, set to hit the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, PC (and hopefully a few more platforms). Developer Freedom Factory is going all out to make sure its upcoming action/RPG is one those fans of the show will really get into and definitely make a day one purchase. It would be nice to see sales hit a fast high and sustain that for a bit so CN could reconsider its termination of the cartoon, but that’s a harder thing to do with a niche series no matter how much the most loyal fans shake their fists at their monitors and cable boxes.

As always, (yeah, repeat after me, folks): We Shall See…

Gallery: Lost Planet 3 Screenshots – 50 Shades of Winter for Your Viewing Pleasure…

LP3_niceIn case you haven’t been paying attention, Lost Planet 3 is looking mighty impressive. This PREQUEL (which I feel should have been called Lost Planet Zero just to aid the still confused folks out there ranting about it being a sequel and being totally and ignorantly incorrect about that) is chock full of some truly impressive Unreal 3 engine-powered visuals that show developer Spark Unlimited is doing more than their best work here. Poke around through LP3’s lovely Facebook gallery, “like” a few of these if you do indeed like what you see and definitely mark your calendars for June 25, 2013 when the game hits retail for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.