E3 2012: FIst of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2: Return Of The Great Guilty Pleasure…

Posted on June 5, 2012 by geelw

Hey, I liked the first Ken’s Rage quite a lot, as it brought Koei’s Dynasty Warriors gameplay into the world of the anime while adding a nice-looking 3D engine and some pretty interesting gameplay elements. Granted, the game is definitely for fans more than folks looking for the best beat ’em up ever created, but it does what it does well and is long as hell with so many characters to play and stuff to unlock. Part 2 looks to continue that trend, which is good times for guys like me who just love a game that you can dive into when you want and play for hours on end. I’m not sure this is getting a US release, but if it does, I’ll be playing it…

E3 2012: Microsoft Press Conference. Something Old, Some Things New – It’s All Good (Mostly)…

Posted on June 5, 2012 by geelw

As far as exclusives go: Halo 4 looks like a Halo game (a great thing if you’re a fan), The new Forza is a bit more Burnout and Need For Speed, there’s a another Gears of War coming next year (no number this time) and among other things, Microsoft is bringing Internet Explorer (hopefully virus-free or else) as well as device support to the Xbox 360 very soon. This is of course, great news for those who want all that stuff, but me, I just want to play GAMES on my consoles. I don’t need ESPN, more movies and music channels, an automatic pizza delivery button or whatever else they’re offering, but I won’t stop YOU from getting all that coolness.

Speaking of games, Splinter Cell: Blacklist was nice (albeit with a not so subtle political message) that new Tomb Raider demo looked amazing and fluid, I’m never going to use that Nike Kinect functionality ever and that Call of Duty Black Ops 2 demo is showing that Treyarch knows how to get that old engine running what they want to flawlessly while shutting up the haters in the process. There’s also a God fo War-inspired XBLA game coming (that didn’t look as insane as Sony’s God of War Ascension) plus some other stuff I’ll get to writing about at some point. Overall, an OK press conference with less exclusives than Sony’s (I’ll post that shortly), but we’ll see what Nintendo has up later today and perhaps think about picking a “winner” afterward…

E3 2012: No New Consoles From Microsoft or Sony? No Problem At All.

Posted on June 5, 2012 by geelw

Between Ubisoft’s mind-blowing Watch_Dogs, Naughty Dog’s brutally beautiful The Last of US and Quantic Dream’s stunning surprise Beyond: Two Souls., it’s CLEAR that the current console cycle has at least one great year left in it. Granted, Rayman Legends had me tearing up from laughing so much and YES, Ubisoft showed off how well the Wii U Gamepad and new Pro Controller will work for multiplayer action there, but it’s going to be another might spectacular 2012 and 2013 for gamers who happen to just own a PS3 or 360. More in a bit. I’m still processing a ton of notes…

Update: Dragon’s Dogma: The Game That Just Keeps On Giving!

Posted on June 4, 2012 by geelw

OK, how many times did YOU defeat that Ur-Dragon? Did you find all those hidden in plain sight storerooms and dungeon entrances? Did you get the Salvation Key the first time through and explore those areas you thought you couldn’t access? I’m stopping my second playthrough about 12 hours or so in to do some E3 stuff, but, as noted in my review, this game is MASSIVE. Capcom has a definite keeper here and I sort of wish I hadn’t truncated my review so much (I didn’t want to spoil so much of the wild second chunk of the game that opens up when you get into a certain location). Anyway, if you’re looking for a game that’s going to surprise you as much a hundred hours in as it does the first hour, DD is worth that $60. I’d buy a sequel in a heartbeat, provided a few tweaks are made. Change #1: the button for giving someone a gift should NOT be the same one for a basic attack. The only times my character went to jail were due to accidentally hitting someone I wanted to give a present after closing the dialog too quickly. Yeah, it my fault, but I’ve heard of others doing it, so I’m not the only klutz with a controller out there….

E3 2012: Spec Ops: The Line TV Spot: I’ll Have a Shot Of Yager, Please…

Posted on June 3, 2012 by geelw

2K Games and developer Yager really have a hit here, what with all that amazing sand technology and the source material (Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness) being perfect for the game they’re presenting. Here’s yet another example of a genre game defying the usual conventions and stepping outside of the box to do it differently. Like a few other titles pushing the envelope, I’m hoping gamers can free up a few extra brain cells to actually appreciate the hard work that went into this one without complaining about the experience NOT being what they “expected.” Hell, sometimes, it’s NICE to be surprised about a game, I say…

Review: Dragon’s Dogma

Posted on June 1, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A-

After a lengthy and rewarding partnership resulting in loads of treasure, experience and some deadly dungeons being cleared out, you take stock of your traveling companions and see that the two pawns you’d hired some 15 or so hours previously are no longer suitable for the tougher enemies ahead. As much as you hate dismissing them, you absolutely must in order to progress further onward. Touching a Rift Stone, you dip into the void and discover that you probably should have replaced them a few levels ago with two much stronger and better equipped allies. As you’ve socked away more than enough points, you decide to add two pawns that are about five or so levels higher than your level just to keep them around longer. However, before you make your final selections, you decide to look at a few more pawns before choosing a pair that’s even stronger. Satisfied (and after saying goodbye to your former traveling companions), you set out for new territory, knowing that you’ll see your old mates on the road at some point in passing. After enhancing your gear, crafting handy items from gathered loot and learning some new skills, you and your new team take on an escort mission into uncharted territory, unsure of what awaits, but more than confident you can defeat anything…

And so goes just a tiny fraction of Dragon’s Dogma, Capcom’s new open world high action RPG that’s one of the nicer surprises of the year (so far). While the game isn’t quite perfect, the level of immersion, excellently fluid movement and combat system plus the massive game world insures those who like this type of game will be hooked in for quite some time. While you can follow the main quest in a mostly linear fashion to the endgame in about 30 – 40 hours, the land of Gransys is big enough to spend much more time exploring and adventuring in. That and the fact that this is a game where multiple replays are a must just so you can experiment with different character builds and party formations as you take on the many dangers the game throws your way. Continue reading →

Steel Battalion Heavy Armor Press Kit: OK, Capcom, You’re Killing Me!

Posted on June 1, 2012 by geelw

Argh… It’s “bad” enough I’ll soon be getting a Kinect here and knocking over plants and stuff while I’m spazzing out in front of my TV, but Capcom is making me want to see one of these cool press kits miraculously show up at my doorstep. I’m still kicking myself for not snapping up that last Xbox Steel Battalion when I had the chance (hey, it was that or a new console for work, and the new console won). Anyway, they’re giving one of these babies away on their Capcom Unity blog for you non-press folks, by the way. I’m betting From Software is going to surprise a LOT of people with the game, but what else is new? People keep underestimating these guys and they just keep on pulling out surprise after surprise…

Dragon’s Dogma Addiction Update: Still Going…

Posted on May 24, 2012 by geelw

OK< more progress made, still more to go! The game is a LOT deeper than those rushed-out reviews are making it sound. There's a LOT to love here, especially if you're a fan of dungeon crawlers that allow you a ton of freedom. DD also has features that would make other games jealous (if other games were sentient things and wished they had rooftop travel, the ability to craft anytime/anywhere, a combat system that got better thanks to class changes and new skills and so forth and so on.). I'm still shooting for the weekend for my review, but if you're on the fence, I'll tell you now that your money will be well spent if you're looking for something that's going to keep you occupied for a long time….

Steel Battalion “How To” Trailer: “First, You Buy A Kinect…”

Posted on May 24, 2012 by geelw

Ha ha… Well, that’s how it SHOULD begin for those who still don’t own a Kinect, right? Out of all the games for the thing, this one is the main reason I’m interested in the peripheral. I like that it’s set up as a simulation where you’re not just using the Kinect to do EVERY action. With gameplay taking place in and out of the tank, it looks as if there will be a wide range of things to keep players busy as they tromp and blast through some pretty deadly war zones. The sense of immersion looks off the charts and HOPEFULLY, the jaded folks out there will give this one a try even if they’re still whining for a special (and one use) controller. Look kids – that’s not going to happen, as it would be too expensive to produce and useless just for this ONE game. Sure, the first Steel Battalion got that great big 44-button monster, but Capcom was smart enough not to overproduce it. Still, I;m sure SOMEONE will hack their SB controller to work with the new game (good luck with that project!)…

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Deep Dive # 2: Know Your Enemy (Which Would Make Them LESS Unknown, Right?)

Posted on May 22, 2012 by geelw

Hokay, kids… I’m still buried under a bunch of games and stuff, so here’s an XCOM developer diary to ogle. October 9, 2012 is the release date for Firaxis’ turn-based strategy game and yes, it’s looking cooler by the moment. Granted, trying to please EVERY fan of the classic game series (or any series) for that matter in a total impossibility, but as someone who was around for the original game, I’m happy with what I’m seeing here and elsewhere. And hey 2K! Keep that other XCOM game in the pot, cranky comments from elsewhere or not. You spent a ton of loot making it, so you may as well finish it and get it shipped, I say. As long as it’s FUN, I won’t mind anything else…