Syndicate Hands-On Update: A Fresh Perspective That’s Just Right (Again)

Posted on February 16, 2012 by geelw

With the release of Syndicate less than a week away, here’s a quick (and mostly spoiler-free) update on what to expect from Starbreeze Studios’ reboot of the PC classic. I had the chance to play through the game’s first two missions plus a tough co-op map with a few fellow journalist types at the Spotlight EA event last week and as I’ve been saying, the game absolutely nails the feel of the original game in many areas, improving on things by dropping the camera to first person and putting you into the shoes of cyber-enhanced corporate agent, Miles Kilo. Those of you out there still skeptically on your internet forum soapboxes need to step down and pick up a controller at some point, as any bit of quality time spent with the game will prove that it’s a winner that improves on many elements the original pioneered.

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Armored Core V “DOOMSDAY” Trailer (Plus A GameStop Exclusive… A Pretty Cool One, At That)

Posted on February 15, 2012 by geelw

Usually, I kind of roll my eyeballs around in my skull until they fall out of my head and get all linty from rolling under a dresser when I see these pre-order bonuses. This time, I managed to catch one eyeball and pop it back in just so I could do a proper double-take. Pre-ordering ACV from any GS in North America will get you the Heavy Armor Pack DLC, which features 168 parts you can use to give your Core a big honkin’ advantage over those who just grab the game at retail on day one and have to work harder to get the cool gear.

On the other hand, a GOOD AC player will probably figure out a way to rig up a mean mech without taking the pre-order plunge. Of course, 168 FREE parts are very hard to pass up, that’s for sure…

Mass Effect 3 “Take Earth Back” Teaser – Stellar Storytelling (Short Version)

Posted on February 15, 2012 by geelw

I saw the full-length version of this last week at the Spotlight EA event and it’s pretty spectacular, stirring stuff by time the dramatic ending rolls around. Not that Mass Effect 3 needs the hard sell at all. Hell, BioWare has pulled out all the stops with the upcoming PS3/Xbox 360/PC game an you’ll see many improvements plus a super 4-player co-op mode that ties into the main single player storyline. It’s almost like the developer (and whomever did the CG work) is showing off how well their game is going to yank players all across the emotional spectrum and leave them in sobbing, yet defiant heaps of Shepard-ness right before they hop back in to finish the fight. Wait, wrong game franchise! Oh, you know what I mean. If you STILL haven’t played the other two (or Mass Effect 2, if you’re only a PS3 owner), you should pick them up ASAP, as they’re cheap and will get you even more revved up for this finale. Also, the demo is out NOW, so give it a whirl – the single player is about 2 hours or so and you’ve got some co-op fun added as well.

Final Four Street Fighter X Tekken Characters, Release Dates Revealed

Posted on February 15, 2012 by geelw

No huge surprises here, but the addition of Street Fighter’s M. Bison and Akuma plus Tekken’s Jin and Ogre brings the tally to 38 fighters… which to me, means we’ll probably see some more coming via DLC down the road from Capcom. Er, not that 38 fighters is anything to sneeze at, mind you. It’s just that between the two fighting franchises, methinks there are some other characters that are MIA for any number of reasons. Of course, Namco’s upcoming Tekken X Street Fighter may also bring in a few of these new challengers, so we’ll need to see what up with that still in development follow-up at some point…

More trailers below the jump!

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So, Activision IS Publishing A Battleship Video Game After All. Eeek.

Posted on February 11, 2012 by geelw

Wait, what? I was KIDDING when I said it was going to happen, geez. Well, here we go, courtesy of developers Double Helix and Magic Pockets: a licensed game based on the upcoming film based on the game that’s not like the original all that much (as in at all). Expect to see and play a hybrid that combines “tactical” naval battles with first-person shooting sections all against the evil space aliens that have invaded earth. Eeek. I must have been sleeping during all those Battleship games I played as a kid, as I clearly don’t recall ANY of that happening.

Except the “tactical” naval part. “A-1… MISS!”

Of course,, this could actually be pretty awesome (or at least halfway decent), so I’ll hold off a bit in my snark until May 15th when the game ships out. More on this one later – I need an aspirin.

Namco Bandai & Paramount Team Up To Publish Star Trek In 2013

Posted on February 11, 2012 by geelw

And of course, the first thing I thought of when I read this news was “OK, when do we see Kirk and Spock show up in Soulcalibur VI in an “Amok Time” themed stage?” Yes, I’m THAT old (but it would be pretty funny, especially if it had that combat theme that played during the Kirk/Spock battle). Anyway, Digital Extremes (Bioshock 2, Unreal Tournament, Dark Sector, The Darkness II) is no stranger to making some pretty solid shooter and action games, so I’m sure they’ll have more than enough time to make this co-op focused game even more spectacular than it looks in these two not so new screenshots. Granted, we’ll need a LOT more images and some actual hands-on time in order to see how the game is turning out, so let’s keep those fingers crossed that the game warps into NYC on a press tour at some point. More to come as soon as we get new info and images…

It’s Going To Be A Mass Effect 3 Kind Of Year (Unless You’re An Android)…

Posted on February 9, 2012 by geelw

It was actually pretty funny (to me, at least) that EA had plenty of Android plushies to hand out at their Spotlight event on Tuesday, but one of the bigger games announced, Mass Effect: Infiltrator is currently ONLY going to be an iOS release. Yes, I know they’re going for the most successful platform in the world for this fantastic-looking third-person touchscreen action shooter, but I know some non-iOS device owners who are going to be (or already are) pretty irate about their devices NOT getting this game.

The rest of the Mass assault at the event was incredibly impressive, what with an amazing new CG trailer revealed (“Take Back Earth”) that’s going to blow fans away. All EA needs to do is get this into theaters and posted online (I think the latter will happen sometime next week) and I’d bet pre-orders for the game get a big bump. As for the Datapad app that lets you receive messages from your squad mates and other info, well… it’s not really necessary to play the game, but like Infiltrator, I can see a ton of downloads from core ME fans who want every single bit of content about the upcoming finale.

As for the latest build of Mass Effect 3 on display? Magnificent. BioWare has done its best work to date here and unless you’ve got that oddball genetic disposition to dump all over the hard hard work the team has put into this, you’ll find that both the single player campaign and multiplayer modes are rock solid. So solid in fact, that I’d rather spend time beefing up interest in Syndicate and SSX, two other titles shown at the event that deserve just as much love. More on those two later – I’m going to sleep, as it was a long day. for me…

Phantom Breaker Preview Trailer: The Clock Is Ticking…

Posted on February 4, 2012 by geelw

It feels as if I’m trapped in a weird time warp, what with all these Phantom Breaker videos coming out and me STILL not playing the game. OK, perhaps I’m impatient or just too focused on all that 2D art flashing around or something – the wait is getting a bit tedious at this point. Anyway, you know the drill: an Amazon pre-order nets you the omake-packed Special Edition at $39.99 (a super deal!) and if you’re feeling extra sociable, you can also pontificate on the game and the state of 2D fighters in general over at the game’s Facebook page. Oh yeah, there’s an awesome CONTEST over on the official site, so if you didn’t click that first link in the post, you might want to go ahead and do that now…

Official Max Payne 3 Website Alive & Kicking…

Posted on February 3, 2012 by geelw

The new weapons trailer is posted on the other blog if you haven’t seen it already. While you’re waiting for that coffee or tea this morning (and in case the link aboveis busted thanks to Blogger’s crappy way of handling embed codes), you may as well boogie on over to the official site and see what Rockstar’s been up to with Max and his latest adventure. Well, “adventure” as in he gets to shoot up a lot of bad men while you make sure he doesn’t play catch with too many bullets.

Review: Double Fine Happy Action Theater

Posted on February 3, 2012 by geelw

Platform: Xbox 360 (Kinect)

Developer: Double Fine Studios

Publisher: Microsoft

# of Players: 1 – 6

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: A-

Sure, you can simply stick your tongue out, turn your nose up, cross those arms and pout about even going NEAR a game as geared for kids as Double Fine Happy Action Theater and at first glance, you’d almost be justified. Then again, you’d look exactly like a stubborn child who won’t eat their vegetables instead of an adult who needs to kick back and have a blast once in a while. Yes, the game is super family friendly, non-violent (unless you consider kicking down fake buildings “violent”) and “shorter” than it should be. On the other hand, it’s not a traditional “game” at all, but a series of 18 activities that will have you doing all sorts of wacky physical movements in front of your TV.

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