F1 2012 Launch Trailer: Going For The Flag at Full Speed

Codemasters’ absolutely gorgeous racer should be in shops as you read this. Buy it for the mind-blowing visuals alone and you’re only getting half the story. From playing the demo, this one could be the best console F1 game to date. Even if you’re not big on F1, I say rent the game, dive into learning the ropes and experience a new type of track burner that will eat up your spare time.

Dragon’s Dogma Gets New Content in 2012, Dark Arisen Coming in 2013

Excellent. Not only does one of my my favorite action/RPGs of 2012 get new content this year that includes Speedrun and Hard difficulty modes, we’re all getting a new installment in the franchise in 2013 called Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen. Now, THAT deserves an exclamation point! Lovely. Three measly screens, though… C’mon Capcom! Tease! Anyway, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen looks like it’s going to keep me even busier. and YOU, too if you were a fan of the first game. More details to follow shortly… or when Capcom drops them in my inbox.

 

Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise Dev Diary: Bearing Up For A Bigger Blast

If there was any doubt as to how much better PiP will be than the original Naughty Bear, well kids… this video should keep you well informed and have your wallets standing at attention. I like that Behavior Interactive has been a bunch of busy bees this past year, as they also did Brave for multiple platforms (a pretty decent job overall) and Naughty Bear is a whole lot different in tone (by far!) and definitely going to surprise many people with its depth and replay value. It may not be a Game of the Year contender, but it’s definitely a game you’ll enjoy a hell of a lot this year.

Oops – I missed the other SIX videos in this series somehow! Ah well, here’s number 7 – perhaps I’ll track down and post the rest after TGS is over. My inbox is FULL of news to pore over (and getting fuller) and I don’t want to fall too far behind.

TGS 2012: Dead or Alive 5 Launch Trailer: Bang, Bounce and Boom Time…

Ah, the questions kicking some gamers in the heads here! Stuff such as: Is Tecmo/Koei’s fighting game still relevant after all this time? Will the addition of a few of Sega’s Virtua Fighter characters be enough to shake things up? in an Itagaki-less Team Ninja still able to make a game that’s as out there as they would if he man himself were still with the studio? Does anyone even care about that stuff at all because all they want is another jiggle-fest? It’s enough to make your head explode, isn’t it? As for me – I don’t care about any of that stuff if the game is good, makes me laugh in the right spots and is just plain fun to play. What can I say? I’m a minimalist who likes some things extremely…er, minimal.

Borderlands 2 Launch Trailer: Not That You’ll Have Any Free Time To Watch It (But You Might Get More Than You Wanted…)

 

Yeah, you know who you are. In fact, there’s a mighty good chance you’re not even reading this because you’re already playing the game. Either that, or, you’re catching up on a few hours of much-needed sleep before you pop out of bed bright and early, call in sick for work with the “flu” or whatever, rush down to your nearest game emporium to snap up a copy of the game and take the rest of the week off.

PROTIP: Stay the hell OFF any social networking site with the bragging rights posting about how long you’ve been playing. Given that the commercials are all over the damn place, your boss KNOWS what’s up, but can’t prove anything if you stay silent and buried under the blankets on Pandora. Screw it up royally by being a braggart and watch it all come crashing down when you join the gainfully unemployed before your tweet or status update gets cold.  Just a thought.

And don’t go blaming Gearbox or 2K if you get canned, cowboy – no one told you to be so stupid in this age of TMI when it’s not necessary. Enjoy the game!

Resident Evil 6 “No Hope” TV Spot: Running And Screaming Might Help…

 

Well, that’s what I’d do in this situation (or ANY situation involving the undead trying to chomp on my scalp), but I’d make a pretty lousy video game character. Capcom’s got this one all wrapped up tightly and I can see plenty of RE fans getting a good deal of replay value out of what’s going to be a pretty lengthy campaign. I’m still trying to decide whether to play during the day when I feel a lot more invincible, or wait until dark when I’ll be halfway behind a chair in the living room. I guess I’ll just flip a coin and enjoy the ride no matter how I decide to have at it. And before you even ask – yes, there’s actually still time to pre-order the game if you’re interested in doing so.

Resident Evil 6 “Cries for Help” TV Spot: Capcom Brings The Horror Home…

Speaking of kids and perilous situations, I love this TV spot, as it’s not only well shot and acted, it really makes me want to dive into the game and play more than the demo sections I had so much fun with. Granted, Capcom’s kitchen sink approach to creating Resident Evil 6 might not please some gamers who want ONE type of gameplay and the same old stuff as in the first four numbered games. Fortunately, I’m one of those people who got what the dev team was working at right away and saw that each segment of the game will be its own mini-epic rushing to collide with the other parts to create the biggest and possibly best new RE game this console cycle. I’ve been holding back impressions on the game because I want to dive into the entire disc and experience the stories as they’re meant to be played, so like many of you, I’m eager to see how it all meshes by the end credits. If anything, I’m betting it’s the most talked about game in the franchise’s history for all the content it’s bringing players new and old…

F1 2012 Demo Gameplay: Coming Up Fast, Hoping To Take The Lead…

Codemasters is finally dropping that demo of their latest racer this week, so definitely give it a go if you’re a F1 fan or want to try something completely different from other racers on the market. From what I’m seeing so far, this might be one of the best console F1 games to date, but we’ll see when the final drops, as sometimes even the best demo builds aren’t exactly showing off the quality of the final product. A little more salt to the soup or too many cooks spoiling the broth? As always, we shall see, we shall see…

TEKKEN Tag Tournament 2 Hands-On: Return of the King of Iron Fist (And How…)

 

Playing a build of TEKKEN Tag Tournament 2 at Namco Bandai’s recent NYC press event made for one of those ridiculously comfortable experiences where even after a long time away from the series, everything clicked into place and flowed as it should. The dev team is clearly keeping everything that makes the fighting game franchise a ton of fun intact while adding elements today’s fighting game fan expects in an online enabled brawler. The addition of a Snopp Dogg, er, Snoop LION (sorry, I forgot) stage and music doesn’t muck up the gameplay in any way at all, although the spinning low riders and other flashy background elements may make some players’ eyeballs cross thanks to so much going on.

What works about the game is what’s always worked about TEKKEN for me: accessibility, action, and amusement, as all of the characters have their movement moments that are guaranteed to bring grins when certain moves are successfully pulled off. TTT2 allows for some great dynamic tag-in combos where grab and throw or multi-hit action moments flow from the game pad with ease, no matter which characters are played. Even better using certain fighters (such as Anna and Nina Williams) allows for specific combo animations exclusive to that team. There’s a ton of content to explore in the final version, as well as some amazing new online features that look to turn the fighting game world on its collective ear, but let’s save that for the review. That World Tekken Federation deal looks and sounds pretty wild with all the stat tracking for anyone who joins up, that’s for sure.

There’s really not a lot to say about the game except for it’s going to be one of the best entries in the franchise when it kicks its way into North American stores on September 11th. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go exercise my fingers and maybe buy a new controller (just in case).

 

F1 2012 Gets Even Better As It Races To Completion

Codemasters has been tinkering with its F1 game more and more since they’ve had the license and the latest installment is looking like it could be pretty stellar stuff for fans of the genre. Granted, there are those who will want 100% accuracy and every sort of simulation element possible on whatever platform the game appears on, but I’d bet half of those people couldn’t squeeze into a F1 car (let alone a seat on the subway) and just want one of those games that no one can play but a select few (which means it won’t sell to casual race fans at all, a sort of no-no these days.

Someone will strike some sort of common ground within the next few years, I’d bet. But until then, it’s going to be a game for the masses who watch the sport as well as those who want to play as if they’re IN that sport. Go, Codies!