E3 2014: Natsume’s Lineup Currently Has More Games Than Capcom’s. This Could Get Interesting…

Posted on June 6, 2014 by geelw

Let’s see now. Here’s Natsume’s E3 lineup:

Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (Nintendo 3DS)
A-Train: City Simulator (Nintendo 3DS)
Alphadia Genesis (Wii U)
Reel Fishing: Master’s Challenge (PlayStation Vita)
End of Serenity (Sony PSP)
Reel Fishing Pocket 2: Ocean (iOS)
Gabrielle’s Monstrous Duel (iOS)
Hometown Story: Pocket (iOS)
Ninja Strike (iOS)

And here’s what Capcom is packing:

Dead Rising 3 (PC)
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (iOS)
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Nintendo 3DS)
Ultra Street Fighter IV (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Nintendo 3DS)

Ready? FIGHT!

Or not really. For that matter, new-ish publisher Little Orbit also will have more games at E3 than Capcom does. Granted this isn’t really astonishing news, as both small and large publishers have been condensing or expanding their lineups over the past few years in order to maximize profits and it seems that we’re at that stage where small and large games make the cut at these companies. Granted, Ultra Street Fighter IV or Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will easily sell more copies than Reel Fishing and End of Serenity combined. But for a guy like me who just wants to play good games no matter who publishes them, these leaner, meaner lineups are almost a godsend because I don’t need to wade through junk to get to the treasure.

Naturally, not all of these games I’ll get to will be great, but fun is a more important factor than anything else for me at the end of the day, as is enough QA (quality assurance) that’s occurred pre-release that keeps what I play playable from beginning to end without a patch in sight (or at least one that fixes anything that’s busted). Anyway, I’ll have a more complete list of E3 games from more publishers shortly.My inbox is filling up with official lists and I want to do them all in one post as opposed to dropping in multiples.

Back in a bit.

E3 2014: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Trailer: In Space, Everyone Can See You Dance!

Posted on June 6, 2014 by geelw

At this point, I expect nothing but serious FPS action, super stylized cel-art visuals and plenty of oddball humor from any Borderlands game (well, except Telltale Games’ upcoming soon to be mega-hit adventure take on the franchise that may have only two of the three elements mentioned, Tales From The Borderlands), so it’s good to see that Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel isn’t going to disappoint at all on the crazy front. This is one of those “old reliable” evergreens that’s good when you start playing and still packing heat months and years down the road thanks to it hitting that sweet spot between fun to play and “one more hour” addictiveness. It’s the bottomless pint of ice cream of games, folks! That’s how I’d describe the experience to someone wondering what all the fuss was about. That and argyle patterned weapons as an option? Yeah, that’s a win right there, although it does make for really crappy camouflage (unless Moon monsters can’t see argyle, of course)…

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: CD Projekt RED Sets The Gold Standard For Standard Editions (And Then Some)

Posted on June 5, 2014 by geelw

If I haven’t said this before (and I think I have), I absolutely LOVE CD Projekt RED. Their previous two games in The Witcher series were lovingly crafted mature experiences that brought Andrzej Sapkowski’s anti-hero Geralt of Rivia to the PC and later console gaming masses (many of whom who probably didn’t read any of the books the character comes from until after they played the first game) and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt looks to get even more gamers drawn into what’s looking like one of the best experiences on those shiny new consoles. Of course, PC gamers who rock those rent money priced gaming rigs will be getting the best experience in terms of visuals, but there’s no doubt that the developer is making both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game look spectacular on those systems… Continue reading →

GRID Autosport Open Wheel Trailer: The Beatings Continue (And You Still Come Back For More)…

Posted on June 4, 2014 by geelw

I see you’re here again, checking out the straps and leather in preparation for your hard ride. GRID Autosport will do you up right as rain as it puts you through your paces in a few racing disciplines where you’ll probably lose a lot until you learn the ropes and can keep your eyes on the road where they belong. Oh, you’ll be spanked and whipped and otherwise punished before you figure out which way is up, but you’ll love every minute of it whether you play along or with others. Figure out that safe word and get your rear in gear down to your nearest game emporium and place that pre-order. That big and special Black Edition isn’t going to buy itself, you know…

Dark Souls II “Crown of the Sunken King” Trailer: Some Buy To Die DLC To Keep You Busy…

Posted on June 4, 2014 by geelw

Oh, the places you’ll go to die a horrific death in this upcoming Dark Souls II DLC. Three new locations filled with death coming at you at some point from almost anywhere may SOUND like no vacation, but for the game’s fans, this is paradise with a free buffet on the side AND adult beverages. Anyway, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC players can get theirs on the following dates:

The Crown of the Sunken King – July 22, 2014
The Crown of the Old Iron King – August 26, 2014
The Crown of the Ivory King – September 24, 2014

Everyone else can just keep an ear to the sky and listen for the screaming and occasional victory yell…

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.
Continue reading →

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!

CD Projekt RED Has Got Some Summery Surprises In Store Soon…

Posted on May 31, 2014 by geelw

Well, well… it looks as if a few more developers and publishers are stepping outside the usual confines of E3 to show what’s cooking to fans directly as opposed to having news filtered through assorted outlets. CD Projekt Red is joining the club with this upcoming June 5, 2015 conference that will no doubt be a showpiece for the PC and console versions of its eagerly awaited RPG The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. As you can see from this teaser below, I must be psychic or overstating the obvious (or both):

I also just NOW realize from watching that video that I’ve been pronouncing gog.com incorrectly for YEARS. Oops. Oh well, I bet a lot of others have been too, so I don’t feel bad at all. I do wonder how massive that Collector’s Edition will be for TW3, as the one for The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Extended Edition was pretty hefty from what I recall. Well, we’ll see in a few days, right?

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