The Walking Dead Pinball? Believe It Or Else, I’m On Board With This One…

Posted on June 4, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, soooo… this is a thing that’s actually happening, but as that post title says, I’m completely okay with it. Thankfully, it’s coming from Telltale Games, Skybound and the digital pinball geniuses at Zen Studios, so it’ll at least be familiar and faithful to fans of the episodic game series. The funny thing is I believe this is the only Walking Dead game to NOT get a Mature rating. Pinball isn’t inherently “violent” at all… unless you’re the type to get into fist fights over who gets to go first. Er, anyway… Press release below the jump – the game ships out his summer, but will be shown at E3 this year if you happen to be attending and need something a wee bit different and unusual to play around with.
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Falling Skies Landing Hard on Consoles, Mobile In Autumn From Little Orbit

Posted on June 2, 2014 by geelw

Confession time: I’ve never seen a episode of Falling Skies, so last year when I heard a game was in development, I was wondering what type of experience it would be with my fingers crossed it was going to at least be a genre I liked and not just another first or third-person action game that would be compared to superior genre entries and easily forgotten if it wasn’t good enough to grab the attention of the shows fans or gamers expecting something like what they know so well.

Today’s news that we’re getting this as a tactical strategy RPG for the Wii U, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC along with a mobile game called Falling Skies: Planetary Warfare is making me smile a bit more. Some screens to peek at from both versions (and I’ll leave it to you to guess which one is which, although it’s pretty obvious):

Granted, these work in progress screens aren’t going to blow you away if you’re expecting a superior LOOKING tactical experience. On the other hand, this particular genre is known for games that may not look the best, but deliver the goods on the gameplay front.

I did take special notice that Little Orbit mentions the Wii U version FIRST in the press release, which is a good thing to me 9and probably a bunch of other Wii U owners). If the game is good, it’ll probably (and hopefully) use the GamePad as a key part of gameplay (which is a no-brainer in my book). Anyway, we’ll see what’s what soon enough. I’m hoping Little Orbit gets this game orbiting into the hands of editors post-E3 just so the folks who aren’t attending that madness (raises hand) can get some hands-on time and spread the word if the game works as it should. Back in a bit with more on this one. Maybe it will get me to actually check out the show at some point on DVD… We’ll see!

GRID Autosport “Endurance” Trailer: How Long Can You Last? Your Reputation Hangs On The Answer!

Posted on May 31, 2014 by geelw

For me, it would be about 18 or so hours. A bunch of years back, I decided to play through an full 24 hour race in the Sega Dreamcast game Test Drive Le Mans and ended up staying up for about 18 hours straight racing in real time, taking breaks every two hours or so just like drivers would in the actual event. I didn’t have a co-driver, so it was all me going for it against that pack through a rather busy race day that started off nice and sunny before growing darker and cloudier as a storm rolled through about a third of the way in. Anyway, it looks as if GRID Autosport is going to go a longer way in reminding me those days of staying up so long might be over to some extent thanks to more realism and what’s looking like some harder courses to tackle. As I noted last week, I like challenging myself with a racing game like this where one’s knowledge of the courses increases as stamina decreases. Just when you’ve hot that stride and the miles fly by, you feel the need for a nap coming on or you have to pee or your stomach starts growling louder than the engine of the car you’re driving. Yeah, good times… until you yawn or sneeze and wreck yourself right out of that race. In other words, I can’t wait for this game to ship!

Enemy Front Story Trailer: Resistance Is (And Most Likely Will Be) Futile…

Posted on May 29, 2014 by geelw

CI Games’ upcoming WWII shooter has drawn my interest thanks to its story taking place during a few key points and in a few key places during that conflict. I’m withholding my judgment on this one completely until I actually PLAY it,but color me impressed that it looks to be packing in a LOT of content. As long as it’s not a straight-up linear run to the checkpoint experience (and press materials suggest it’s not at all), I think it will find an audience that likes what they see and may ask for more down the road. We’ll see in a few weeks as Enemy Front hits retail and digital outlets for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 10, 2014.

Sacred 3 Coming To PC & Consoles August 5 (Or: There Goes My Late Summer)

Posted on May 28, 2014 by geelw

As a fan of the Sacred series for about nine or so years since that Sacred Gold box fell on my foot at a GameStop, I turned it over, saw it was an action/RPG and bought it on the spot, I’m completely psyched for Sacred 3. Coming to PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (yet again, the newest consoles are shut out thanks to the game being developed for what was available at the time), I’m expecting more open world fantasy madness, plenty of quests and side quests, intentionally campy voice acting, LOADS of hidden goodies, and of course, excellent replay value. Screenshots don’t quite do these games justice thanks to the isometric view (although zooming in will likely be in the game, it makes the game much harder), but here you go just for fun:

Personally, I’m a gameplay video guy myself, so I like this better as an example of what’s to come:

I’m trying to figure this one into my schedule so I at least have one or two characters completing their story arcs just in time for that Diablo III expansion to hit the PS3 and I segue from one high quality dungeon crawler to another. Well, in THEORY, that’s what’s supposed to happen. We’ll see soon enough, though. Ancaria

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel PAX East Gameplay: “Bounce, Breathe, Look, SHOOT!” (Rinse & Repeat)…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

Okay, so it’s the name of an old basketball primer for kids, but that’s also a fitting description of what Gearbox and 2K Australia expect a great deal of you Borderlands fans to be doing in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, the upcoming standalone game set for a fall release on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Sorry “nest-gen” fans! You’ll need to wait a bit while the game you wanted or expected NOW or sooner is being cooked up in one way or another for its eventual release whenever.

While I’m sure that Gearbox and 2K Games could make a small fortune redoing the older Borderlands games and DLC from the ground up, I’d gather they’re doing the WISER thing and creating an all-new chapter to the franchise that packs in even more of what’s expected. This will also keep owners of those shiner (or matte-r) new systems from rioting and storming assorted game company headquarters anytime soon, too (er, Ha-ha?).

The Evil Within Doesn’t Scare Me (Yet) Because I Haven’t PLAYED It (Yet)…

Posted on May 27, 2014 by geelw

“Booooooo!” (*squeal!*). Meh, I’ve always disliked these “reaction” videos for games and movies because even if they are one hundred percent real, what scares one person won’t affect another and as I get older, some things don’t scare me any longer that made me fly off a chair and up to the ceiling in the past. Or, to quote one Mr. Ray Parker Jr. “I ain’t afraid of no “ghost!”

Now, I’m NOT that jaded that some horror films, reads and games don’t get me wanting a blankie and a hanky every so often. However, some of the scares in entertainment are often derived from other and far more frightening works. That said, I do trust Shinji Mikami and Bethesda Softworks to the point that The Evil Within just may put me on the ceiling if it does what it does right and often. Expect to be scared out of your wits (or not?) when the game hits stores October 21st in North America, October 23rd, and throughout Europe on October 24, 2014.

GRID Autosport Discipline/Focus/Endurance Trailer: You’ll Still Get Spanked, Though…

Posted on May 23, 2014 by geelw

Oh, once again, I couldn’t help myself (*whipcrack!*). Anyway, it looks as if GRID Autosport REALLY means business when it comes to bringing racing fans some of the best action out there. While not a true simulation, the team at Codemasters is striking the balance between simple to pick up and play controls and the need to learn each track and how to survive the AI trying its best to blow your doors off when you dive into the single player part of the game. Online is of course its own crazy bird complete with the usual unpredictability of live players, especially in the longer races.

Now,I happen to like endurance race events, as there’s a fine balance of learning all the ins and outs of a race course lap after lap and your own physical condition slipping a wee bit over the hours as you fight off sleep and assorted body cramps. Granted, couch racing isn’t ANYWHERE as brutal as being in a car bouncing around and rumbling for a few hundred miles, but keeping me OUT of a real race car is probably a really good thing. GRID Autosport is out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on June 24, 2014 in North America, June 27th in Europe.

Watch_Dogs Launch Trailer: Your Ticket To Chicago Is Almost Ready…

Posted on May 22, 2014 by geelw

May 27 will be a pretty quiet day at some workplaces in a few places thanks to people coming down with crippling cases of Watch_Dogs flu and staying home to get some finger and wrist exercises in to keep healthy. Ubisoft Montreal is certainly doing its part to move next-gen consoles and maybe a new 3D card or two, but I think even on the older consoles the game will be a winner to those players that don’t give a hoot about their games looking about as realistic as it gets. Anyway, we’ll see what’s what next week (or later for Wii U owners still hoping for an actual release date).

Sniper Elite III “Hunt The Grey Wolf” DLC: Der Fuhrer’s Days Are Numbered (Again!)…

Posted on May 20, 2014 by geelw

Sooo… I played a bit of Rebellion’s upcoming Sniper Elite III today at a 505 Games press event, but I can’t say a peep for two days about how it was thanks to a little embargo I don’t intend to break. SUSPENSE! Anyway, as you can see, like Sniper Elite V2, there’s some Gamestop only Fuhrer-themed DLC to snag if you pre-order and I’m betting it does well, given the improvements to the game engine and gameplay the main game offers up. It’s certainly a VERY lousy time to be a pro-digital Nazi fanatic, what with that new Wolfenstein game out today, The Monuments Men popping up on home video, CI Studios’ Enemy Front and now this upcoming game allowing shooter fans to spend plenty of free time whistling bullets past a few graveyards. Anyway, more (or actual) news on my hands-on with Sniper Elite III in two more days. Stay tuned…