E3 2014: Dead Island 2 Trailer: Summer Never Dies. But Your Character Might Not Make It…

Posted on June 14, 2014 by geelw

While definitely a wee bit on the gory side, this trailer for Dead Island 2 is also quite hilarious and worth a view for the punchline at the end. The game is coming in spring 2015 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC from publisher Deep Silver and one of my favorite developers, Yager (Spec Ops: The Line, Dreadnought). DI2 will be powered by Unreal Engine 4 and given Yager’s expertise in programming, I’m crossing my fingers for a visceral experience featuring highly destructible environments, plenty of mayhem and some grim laughs Dead Island is known for along with any new elements the team adds in. We’ll see what’s what as more info and movies pour out, of course. But I know Yager will give fans of this franchise a nice jolt or three when they finally wrap this one up with a bloody bow next year…

GRID Autosport Tuner Trailer: It’s NOT A Horn, So Don’t Blow It…

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

Sure, it may look thrilling power sliding sideways at high speed, but this isn’t Mario Kart 8 at all and the only “death stare” you’ll get if you screw up is the other live players blowing past your wrecked car and laughing at you loudly over their headsets. Anyway, GRID Autosport is coming your way soon (June 24, 2014 in North America), so you’d better do some sideways sliding of your own to your nearest game emporium to place that pre-order or just pop in of the day of and hope they ordered enough copies. They most likely did, but I can’t vouch for smaller indie shops and what happens when a popular game might get a few really nice reviews that bump up traffic as people swing by to pick up a copies that weren’t reserved. If I were psychic, I’d be playing the ponies somewhere and be driven home sideways in a speedy ride of my own…

E3 2014: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain Extended Trailer: Keifer Of The Flame, I’d Say…

Posted on June 12, 2014 by geelw

Jack Bauer as Big Boss didn’t thrill me much when I first heard the news, but Keifer Sutherland has acquitted himself quite nicely here, although I know the David Hayter fans are cringing and shaking whatever they have handy at the screen. Well, this latest Hideo Kojima and company (Kojima Productions, of course) epic looks to be the best 3D game in the franchise to date, adding a huge open world and I’d imagine the options for no two people to play the game exactly the same. as usual, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be cinematic and lengthy and denser than a year old loaf of Bisquick bread, but that’s Kojima’s style in action. You may end up watching more than you play at some points, but if you’re into it, you’ll end up playing more and taking notes because of all the stuff he’s dropping on your noggin.

As noted earlier, that FOX Engine is masterful across the board, so every version of the game will look amazing. I also see that the amount of mature content, blood and gore here means this one’s not for the kiddies at all, not that there was ever a Metal Gear Solid game made for anyone under 18 if you think about it. Okay, some would argue MGS: Ghost Babel on the Game Boy Color isn’t “mature” thanks to its visuals, but I’m not here to argue (*punt!*). Anyway, The Phantom Pain is coming.

E3 2014: DESTINY E3 Experience Trailer: No Fate But What You Make, Huh?

Posted on June 11, 2014 by geelw

I’m not embarrassed at all to say that I can’t play Activision’s upcoming online only shooter DESTINY, although I’d LOVE to. The game is Bungie’s first since breaking off from Microsoft and the multi-million selling HALO franchise, but it’s not coming packed with an offline mode at all and my connection isn’t up to snuff at all. As with Titanfall (which I eventually played a chunk of at a friend’s place), ANY online-only console or PC game limits its audience by not including some sort of offline content, meaning a few million people WON’T be playing these games that NEED as many players as possible to enjoy them so that development money can be made back FASTER. Of course, that the game is for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 Xbox 360 and Xbox One means it’ll have a few million more active users at launch than other big franchises did when they got started (another great thing for Activison and Bungie to crow about), but the lack of solo play unless one is connected to the internet interests me not in the slightest. It’s too bad for me, I guess – this sure looks pretty damn cool.

E3 2014: Dragon Age Inquisition Gallery: Hold Your Jaw Up Before Viewing…

Posted on June 11, 2014 by geelw

Oh, the places you’ll go and the people you’ll meet in BioWare’s upcoming Dragon Age sequel. I’d gather that no matter which platform you’re buying this for, you’ll be treated to some wider open spaces and more overall freedom to explore, some great combat and of course, a memorable story with characters you’ll love, hate and love to hate.

No doubt, there’s also the pesky business of DLC from day one and onward, the bane of those gamers who don’t have a decent broadband connection at home and want to play this with every single bit of content. I suppose folks like that can wait for the inevitable Game of the Year or whatever it’s going to get called reissue to get them all that content at a cheaper price, but even that’s not guaranteed these days, as it seems even some reissues demand an online connection to redeem SOMETHING or just to get some information about who’s playing. Anyway, you can get your fix soon enough, as Dragon Age Inquisition will be in stores on October 7, 2014.

Back with more images to pore over in a bit…

E3 2014: Alien Isolation “Survive” Trailer: Be Still, Your Beating Heart (Or Else)…

Posted on June 10, 2014 by geelw

Or else what?, you ask? Well, I’m sure one of those androids has superior hearing and can scope out that you’re hiding in a locker and that sole Alien in the game? Your ticker thumping away like the ghost of Gene Krupa pounding on a big kettle drum just might make you hope that big ugly thing is deaf in the head. Anyway, I’m gathering that The Creative Assembly’s upcoming Alien: Isolation will be certainly wiping away any memories of Aliens: Colonial Marines as it delivers a horror/sci-fi experience that’s closer to the tone and spirit of the first film and isn’t yet another first-person shooter for the pile. as noted earlier, I’m loving that The CA ha gone and made this for older as well as next-gen platforms, as the game will sell better on the PS3 and Xbox 360 thanks to both systems’ larger installed bases. However, I’m HOPING that anyone expecting a run ‘n gun experience realizes they should probably go watch Ridley Scott’s 1979 classic first to see what they’ll be in for.

E3 2014: Of COURSE Grand Theft Auto V Was Coming To PS4, Xbox One & PC. Who Didn’t Think It Wasn’t?

Posted on June 10, 2014 by geelw

Seriously. Rockstar Games isn’t stupid, folks. The figured out a while back that getting Grand Theft Auto V onto next-gen consoles and up to spec and then some computers was a no-brainer a while back and those who doubted them because they weren’t trumpeting that fact out into the wild from day one haven’t figured out how this silly games business works. Anyway, this versions packing lots of heat as it includes enhancements to the already impressive game world that include new wildlife, upgraded weather and damage effects, and more. New multiplayer content will also be part of the game as well as the ability for gamers with Grand Theft Auto Online saves to transfer characters and game progression to this version. Expect this one to rake in a few million more sales and possibly move some consoles this fall and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions drop a bit in price as the inevitable Game of the Year version most likely gets announced at some point sooner than later…

E3 2014: Star Wars Battlefront: DICE Is Still Working Away On A Guaranteed Winner…

Posted on June 9, 2014 by geelw

Yeah, that classic John Williams music got me as well, as did all the work in progress footage that’s way too early, but looks fantastic. Every gamer drooling over this one seems to be holding out for 60fps, but I’m not sure that’s possible with the multiplayer modes in this one. I’ll take a rock-solid 30 with no pop-in or other annoyances, the best visuals the developer can bring to the table, a solo offline mode and whatever multiplayer madness they can add to the mix, thank you much. Of course, I’m a patient guy, so that nebulous Spring 2015 teased at the end can creep up on me and I won’t bat an eyelash. I suppose I could just get myself frozen in carbonite until then, but then someone would forget to thaw me out and I’d miss more than this game when it finally ships…

E3 2014: Cuphead Makes Quite An Impression (Again!)

Posted on June 9, 2014 by geelw

I was wondering what was up with StudioMDHR‘s lovely retro platformer/shooter hybrid Cuphead and thanks to the Microsoft press conference, more people know know what’s in store for them when the game releases at some point. My oNlY issue with this one is currently, it’s scheduled for PC via Steam and Xbox Live, skipping the rather obvious choice of Wii U, Vita, PS3 and PS4 (for now). I’m hoping this is one of those “timed exclusives” as I really want to play this on a portable or on something I already own here. Eh, we’ll see what happens, but I’d love to be bouncing up and down in my seat when I hear this is headed my way how I want to play it…

Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom Mini Gallery: Another Top Down Treasure?

Posted on June 8, 2014 by geelw

I certainly hope so. While the last Adventure Time game got beat up a bit critically, I really liked its retro toughness a lot and felt veteran developer Wayforward Technologies did a fine job with the game overall. sure, it was a bit on the hard side if you tried to rush through it, but it had a certain charm that made it fun to play while retaining enough cool stuff from the show.

With the next game, The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom coming from new publisher Little Orbit, based on these in progress screens it seems as if Wayforward is keeping the neat top down viewpoint but tweaking other aspects of the game.

If it makes the experience even better than the last game, it’s all good in the end. This one’s not coming until the fall, so I’ve got high hopes it’s even more fun that the previous entry while not too easy just to hook in non-gaming fans of the show. Hey, they need to learn some skills after all, as the game is kind of partially inspired by role-playing games anyway, grrrr!

More on this one after the show – hopefully in gameplay trailer form and more screens. I’ll see what I can do for you guys and gals…