Gallery: Rambo Screenshots – I’ve No Beef With Reef (Just Yet)…

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Rambo_KeyImageUK-based Reef Entertainment along with developer Teyron are hard at work on their upcoming PC/PS3/Xbox 360 Rambo game and it looks pretty good as far (well, as those nice screenshots go). That initial trailer with zero actual gameplay footage was a good enough elevator pitch to some fans, but skeptical dopes like me want to see something to Actual Bravo about.

Still, I won’t be playing this as a “serious” game, as other than First Blood and that last super-gory flick (that made some interesting political points on the pro-rebel side of the Myanmar/Burma conflict), the series isn’t exactly without its unintentionally goofy-ass elements. Of course, I’m also throwing any expectations out the nearest window like I do with every game I play, as going in wanting something LIKE another game and getting what a developer intends to be different always disappoints in one way or another.  That May 3, 2013 release dater I’ve seen is rolling around pretty fast, so let’s hope for the sake of the license that the game is actually fun and does well at retail.

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The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct: A Bit of Behind the Scenes With Merle & Daryl…

 

No, today isn’t National Zombie Day or anything like that, folks. I just go scooting through my inbox as stuff rolls in and post the fun stuff. Today just so happens to have a LOT of undead in games news. Must be a Friday thing or something…  Anyway, here’s a new look at Terminal Reality’s upcoming shooter set in The Walking Dead world. I like the gritty look of the game and some of that visceral action you’d expect from an undead-rekilling game. In a weird way, this one reminds me of BrainBox’ interesting but flawed Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler’s Green, a FPS that had a few problems, but was actually pretty damn scary and compelling once you got past its weak points. We’ll see what’s what with Merle and Daryl’s gory adventure soon enough when The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct ships out for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC March 19, 2013.

Is Dollar Dash a Modern Day Bomberman? Hmmmmaybe…

 

dollar dash tinyYes, yes… just the mention of the late, lamented Hudson Soft’s classic character and game brings a tear to my eye (and nope, that new-ish online game isn’t my thing despite the massive social aspect – or rather because of it. I like to see who’s beating me and vice versa). That said, Kalypso Media and developer Candygun want you to dive into their fast-paced cops & robbers & assorted traps game, Dollar Dash like it’s the new next best thing. Already out on PC via Steam and through Xbox Live Arcade for the 360, the game is finally headed to PSN on March 19. I’ve played the PC version and found it to be fun and funny with tons of hazards to avoid in each stage and while not quite as kawaii as Bomberman, the game is a blast to play. Anyway, go check it out if you have Steam installed and if there’s also a PS3 in your home, boogie on over to PSN next week and snap this up. Hopefully, this will be Vita compatible, but we’ll see, I suppose…

GRID 2 Asks and Answers A Few Burning Questions Race Fans Have…

 

Codemasters’ upcoming GRID 2 proposes a few interesting questions about the “what if’s” of a potential worldwide racing league based on assorted disciplines and yep, the game itself tries its best to answer some of those questions through its fictional racing series that takes players around the globe as they attempt to be the best and get that league a wider audience. Granted, in the real world, this would take some doing and a LOT of logistics that would cost a few tons of money, but that’s the great thing about video games, right? You can go anywhere and do anything from the comfort of your couch and not spend that much in the process.

 

 

GRID 2 ships out in May, but feel free to to that pre-order thing if that’s what you usually go in for…

Defiance Ark Hunter Chronicles 4 & Making of 6: April May Not Be The Cruelest Month…

 

Want more DEFIANCE? OK, here you go, and with the game hitting retail on April 2 and the show popping up on syfy April 13, it’s clear that all that hard work will pay off as soon as both pieces of this long in development project launch. As I’ve noted previously, the game is great fun, fast paced and NOT like any other MMO on the market (Yes, even SOE’s epic shooter Planetside, which some are comparing it to). While there’s NO single player offline component, hopping online and playing at one’s own pace or with a group is smooth and the world is constantly active with things to do. I’m gathering the eleven-day lead up to the show will see some really hardcore players try to break the game by power-leveling and trying to defeat some of those massive bosses or Hellbug spawns solo (good luck with that, by the way). But I think Trion has planned well enough ahead, as the PvP and other more MP focused elements all take place in the same world and can be joined or avoided as one pleases. Continue reading

Call of Juarez Gunslinger Reveal Trailer: Techland’s Bounty on the Mutinous

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Veteran developer Techland’s games have always been visually incredible, so it’s zero surprise at all that this latest entry in the Call of Juarez franchise is gorgeous to look at and the violence is even more balletic in its post-ballistics delivery. What’s a tiny bit surprising to me is the focus on bounty hunting some of the Old West’s well known desperadoes. I’m not going to argue historical accuracy here at all (that’s for the crankier folks out there who apply arbitrary rules of reality to games at the most inopportune times. Still, this looks like it’ll do quite well among the amateur historians and fans of the series who wanted to see it go back to the wild western days and stay the heck out of the present. You’ll be able to saddle of for a quick ride at this year’s PAX in Boston or hang out at your O.K. Corral until the game ships out later this year.

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen Sorcerer Gameplay: Now, That’s How You Spell Trouble!

 

DDA_PS3FOB XBOX_360_OWP_v4.5.inddWho said magic-users were “bad” go-to characters in RPGs? As you can see in this latest trailer for Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen, a good Sorcerer is indeed a major force to be reckoned with. A little “Disco Inferno” or “Lightning Strikes” would make this video even better, I say. Hey, if you played the original game, you know that rockin’ title song got stuck in your head for a few weeks. Anyway, keep this game on your radar, folks – I’m predicting another “sleeper” of truly epic proportions that just may beat out upcoming next-generation launch titles for sheer longevity and replay value. April 23, 2013 (April 26 in Europe) is only a short time away… are you ready? Those ridiculously tough and massive bosses aren’t going to kill themselves, you know…

Review: Capcom Arcade Cabinet (PSN)

CAC_artDeveloper: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
# of Players: 1 – 2+
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) to T (Teen)
Official Site
Score: A

 

Capcom’s little experiment in reworking some of its many arcade games back into the minds and hands of gamers around the globe is definitely working, folks. Capcom Arcade Cabinet (so far in its second wave of three games) is not only a must-buy collection whether you do it now or in May when the entire set of 15 titles becomes available as a single purchase, it’s probably going to be the way to go should other companies decide to get HD versions of their classics out onto consoles (*cough* Konami! Sega! Tecmo! *ahem* for starters). Sure, there’s no Wii U, Vita or 3DS version on the way as far as I know (a bit of a sticking point for those Nintendo-only gamers or Sony fans who’d LOVE to take some or all of these on the road), but for sheer nostalgia value, this trip down memory lane will have your fingers and brain merrily tapping and plotting away as you take on some oldies that still pack a mean punch. Continue reading

The Making of DEFIANCE (1 – 5): Nope, No Sharktopus Here, Folks…

 

I figure I may as well run these now, as I’ve finally watched them all and can safely say that this might indeed be a VERY cool show and even better than I was thinking. I still HATE the illiterate “syfy” re-branding (and NO, it’s not the “same” as sci-fi, which as I noted a while back, was reviled when the late Forrest J. Ackerman thought up that abbreviation), but I’m gathering no one but me is bitching about it these days…

 

Continue reading

Alien Spidy Set to Crawl Onto Xbox Live, PC, Mac on March 20th

alien spidy artIn the mood for some classic platforming action? Do you like (or more precisely, are you not afraid of) SPIDERS? Well, then… Kalypso Media Digital and developer Enigma Software Productions have a fun little indie game for you (well, provided you own a PC, Mac, Xbox 360 or PS3). Alien Spidy packs in 69 levels of that aforementioned platforming straight out the the NES and arcade days with pretty HD visuals and plenty of challenge. PS3 owners? You’ll be getting a version shortly afterward and it’ll cost the same $9.99 as PC and Mac owners will pay. XBLA users have to pony up 800 Microsoft Points (which is sort of the same price, I think) for the pleasure of playing with Spidy. I’m gathering that if you haven’t hit your monitor with a shoe or sprayed it with Raid ’til it keeled over DEAD, you’re still intrigued, so here are some screenshots to ogle while you wait for the 20th to roll around…

Alien Spidy (1) Alien Spidy (2) Alien Spidy (3) Alien Spidy (4) Alien Spidy (5) Alien Spidy (6) Alien Spidy (7) Alien Spidy (8)