Syndicate Trailer Twofer: Agent Tech/Agent Tools

Two more excellent trailers from Starbreeze’s upcoming reboot of the PC classic, set for a February 21, 2012 release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. I actually broke out the 3DO version earlier this week for a bit of nostalgia and as noted in my preview, both the old and new game feel like very close relatives, but from a different perspective. I kind of like the whole not worrying much about how the game plays part and hope some of the more stubborn folks out there decide to PLAY this rather than criticize the game unfairly because it’s not the same genre (when in fact, it slyly IS)…

Sonic CD Lands Pretty Much Everywhere (Except On An Actual CD)

Let’s see now, Xbox LIVE Arcade, Android and iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch today and tomorrow, PSN on the 20th, Windows Phones sometime early in 2012. How funny is it that a game with “CD” in the title DOESN’T get an actual disc release? Oh well. Heck, I was hoping this would have been a bonus in the otherwise superb Sonic Generations, but nope. I guess I’ll have to hold out for a Vita release at some point. Anyway, if you’ve one of these fancy de-vices listed above and want to experience a classic platformer that will plant a grin across your mug, definitely check out what Sega has cooking. Now about getting ALL the 16-bit up to to Sega Saturn Sonic games all in one place…

A BioShock Infinite Twofer: More on Characters + VGA Trailer

One of 2012’s most anticipated games is BioShock Infinite and it’s clear that Irrational Games has an(other)instant classic on its hands. Here’s a pair of videos to fill you in on a few things you need to know about the game’s characters (courtesy of the two actors in the lead roles) and another fine game footage trailer, this one from the Spike VGA show last weekend. Enjoy!

DiRT Showdown: Codemasters Takes Demolition Derby To Smashing New Heights…

Lovely – there hasn’t been a REALLY good demolition derby game in years on a console, so I’m glad to see Codemasters take on the sport while adding the DiRT license and EGO engine-powered visuals to the mix. This one’s on my radar for sure and I’m hoping it also includes some regular rally stuff just for us fans of the Colin Mac Rae games. We shall see, but even if it doesn’t, it should be a hit amongst racing fans who want a bit more crashing in their driving games without feeling guilty about crunching up a ride or three…

 

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Trailer: Give PlatinumGames Some Respect, Please!

Sure, the big, fat secret game Platinum was working on (despite denial to the contrary) is indeed Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and sure enough, the floodgates of Hell have opened with some MGS fans (and professional Raiden haters) getting all up in arms about the trailer for a few crazy reasons. Most of these are at best unfair (as not one of these people griping has actually played the game) unless they have a time machine) and at worst, insane (you can’t apply ANY actual rules of “reality” to ANY Metal Gear game if you think about it). Anyway, I plan to wait with bated breath until Konami jets into NYC with a playable demo at some point so I can draw my own conclusions after some play time. Continue reading

Rainbow 6 Patriots Trailer Is Disturbing Stuff (But UbiSoft Is Intentionally Going For That Vibe)

While I’m not the biggest fan of the Tom Clancy games, UbiSoft’s upcoming Rainbow 6 Patriots managed to get my eyebrow up (and interest piqued) a bit higher than it normally goes. The whole idea of a game revolving around home-grown terrorists taking on the government as well as the big banks is intriguingly innovative, yet is also clearly going to ruffle some feathers amongst a few non-gaming TV talking heads. who often turn to games as a sign of all things evil when they need a quick ratings rush. This should be  especially true once they get wind of the game not being made here in the U.S. of A. at all. Continue reading

Hitman: Absolution VGA 2011 Trailer: IO Interactive Gets (Even More) Real…

After the amazing gameplay trailer I saw at New York Comic Con (about 17 minutes of sheer excellence), I was hoping developer IO Interactive would show off more of its upcoming Hitman: Absolution before the year ended. Well, here you go. Agent 47 is most definitely back and better than ever. Anyone that says as a publisher, Square Enix is ONLY good for Final Fantasy games needs their eyeballs wiped but good. Preferably by a bald assassin with a bar code on the back of his head and especially after Deus Ex: Human Revolution, (still one of the best games released this year) showed that great games come from all around the world…

DmC “Escape” Gameplay Trailer Shakes Things Up A Bit

Excellent in-progress footage from the upcoming Devil May Cry prequel shows off Ninja Theory’s skills quite well, I’d say. Amusingly enough, the first thing I thought of when watching this footage was that old Police song “When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around”. Of all the franchise reboots coming next year and onward, this one’s in my short list as one to definitely watch out for. I want to see their take on Dante’s younger days not only in terms of action sequences like this, but also for how they’ll tell the tale. Anyone who’s played and enjoyed any of Ninja Theory’s other games KNOWS they’re amazing storytellers who know their way around dialog and acting when it comes to the memorable characters they’ve created.

Review: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PlayStation 3)

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players 1 – 2 (Online 2 –  Eight)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A-

Featuring a dozen new characters, eight new stages and  a number of excellent balancing fixes, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 makes one of the year’s best fighters even better. Capcom’s creatively insane development team has pulled out all the stops here and yes, this one’s a must-buy even if you’ve already sunk time into mastering the original. Although this super-enhanced update is as good as it gets, the exclusion of he original’s DLC characters is a tiny bit of a cheap move that may disappoint some hardcore players. That and a few other missing features that would have made this deal even better keep the game from a perfect score. However, warts aside, there’s more than enough here for fighting fanatics of any skill level to get their thrills in offline or online play. Continue reading

Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: Bethesda Softworks

Publisher: Bethesda Softwroks

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A

At some point, if you happen to know someone who’s also playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you WILL get a phone call, email or text with some variation of the following: “Hey, can you help me out on this quest?” It’ll most likely be something you’ve already done and maybe bragged or shared a tale of woe about to your buddy, but you’ll find the results in their case may be slightly to very different. Sure, some of the basics will be familiar, but after that, it’s up in the air. Perhaps they got challenged to a drinking contest, woke up in a temple in a faraway city, had to help clean up the place (or not) and now have a big mystery to solve that sends them to a new town they’d never even seen before. Or maybe it’s the odd Argonian woman who desperately wants you to take that strange item off her hands, and now your friend has a creepy cube that looks like something from a Hellraiser film stuck in their inventory. Or maybe it’s about that strange note handed to them by a cryptic courier asking them to visit an unusual museum in a most unexpected place where a darker mission lurks. Or the paid assassins that assaulted them while traveling and after killing the thugs and looting their possessions, an odd letter is revealed that only brings up more questions than answers. And so forth and so on… Continue reading