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Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 18, 2012 in Videogames 
Fans of the Blue Bomber haven’t had the best luck lately. With Mega Man Legends 3 and Mega Man Universe getting canceled, and a lazy mash-up game called Mega Man Xover being released on iOS, the fans need some loving. Capcom is finally throwing them a bone by not only allowing but assisting in a fan-made PC game called Street Fighter X Mega Man, where Mega Man fights through new levels to battle 8-bit versions of Street Fighter characters. Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Mega Man
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 16, 2012 in Videogames 
Ever had a virtual gun you wanted to sell? Perhaps a virtual hat you no longer need? Well Valve is taking the first steps into establishing a legit digital market within Steam, starting with Team Fortress 2, their eternal guinea pig, and Dota 2. Currently, you’re now able to sell and buy “Tool” items for real money, and eventually Valve plans to add weapons and cosmetic items into the mix as well. While this sort of market has existed for a while, it required third-party websites or middlemen to make the transaction happen (because you better not be PayPal-ing money to random people for virtual hats by yourself – that’s scam city). Now, with a solid trading system backing it, Valve will be able to monitor and foster their virtual economy even more. It’s pretty fascinating stuff! Read more…
Tags: Dota 2, Steam, Team Fortress, Valve
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 13, 2012 in Videogames 
Like BioShock before it, BioShock Infinite looks to marry a unique, fantastical world with interesting story and fun game mechanics. With such a strong concept, fans were understandably disappointed to not see it reflected in the game’s cover art, which is reminiscent of any number of FPS games featuring a man (chin down, eyes up) holding a gun. Irrational Games’ Ken Levine has stated that this was to help capture the attention of those not in the know (by apparently making it look the same as other games?), since he felt that BioShock‘s more appropriate cover of a Big Daddy and Little Sister could be misinterpreted as being about a robot and a little girl. But fret not, you don’t have to deal with lame art once you buy the game! Read more…
Tags: BioShock: Infinite, PS3, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 12, 2012 in Videogames 
Metro 2033 was a pleasant surprise when it released in 2010. Work has been progressing on the sequel, Metro: Last Light, which means we’ll soon be able to return to post-apocalyptic Russia and fight creepy super-powered mutants. The latest trailer, called “Genesis,” recounts the story of how God made the Earth in seven days, before concluding that he either left or died on the seventh day, because the excrement has hit the fan. If I was living underground in a metro system fighting horrible monsters, I’d probably feel that way too. Read more…
Tags: post-apocalyptic, PS3, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 11, 2012 in Videogames 
Grasshopper Manufacture does some quirky, yet interesting work, often courtesy of auteur director Suda51. Their latest game is a collaboration with Digital Reality, who also worked with them on previous downloadable game Sine Moria. Black Knight Sword uses a dark, yet charming puppet theater aesthetic to tell the story of a knight and his sword, questing through a sidescroller. The game also features music by former Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka. And as of Tuesday, it is out on PlayStation Network! Read more…
Tags: PS3, Xbox 360
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 9, 2012 in Videogames 
Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls have been surprisingly awesome hits in the gaming industry, bringing back incredibly difficult gameplay that punishes you for making mistakes and rewards your skill. Well, Dark Souls is back for more, and this CGI trailer announcing the sequel looks fantastic. According to the PR material, the game will expand the world of Dark Souls and also have a bigger focus on the story. Let’s hope that all this ends up with another awesome game, because even if I might not have the strength to play these games, I can definitely appreciate what they do. Read more…
Tags: Dark Souls
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 9, 2012 in Videogames 
At the VGAs a trailer for a “new” game was shown, called The Phantom Pain. It was a pretty neat-looking trailer, but it also featured a very Snake-esque main character, looked to be running in the FOX Engine, and that studio is clearly fake. Ok, let’s face it, this is something Metal Gear Solid-related, but Hideo Kojima is coy and not saying anything at all. Whether this is Ground Zeroes, a new game, or some weird middle ground, this is (at the least) some creative viral marketing for MGS. And don’t miss Volgin in the fire and the overlaid text on “The Phantom Pain” title that seems to say “Metal Gear Solid V.” Video is below, starts at the 10:45 mark. Read more…
Tags: Metal Gear Solid
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 8, 2012 in Videogames 
The Last of Us is one of my most anticipated games for 2013, so any new information that creeps out for it I jump upon it instantly. The latest news is a fresh trailer out of the Spike TV Video Game Awards, and it looks fantastic, which is no surprise. While the VGAs themselves are still pretty embarrassing, the new game reveals are always a plus. This trailer gives a bit of a deeper look into the story of the game, as well as some new environments too! I love the visuals you see here, but I’m guessing most of it is cinematics. The gameplay we do see though looks great. I’m pretty excited! Read more…
Tags: PS3, the last of us, VGAs
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 8, 2012 in Fandom, Videogames 
The 2012 Machinima Interactive Film Festival has been getting some pretty amazing entries. The latest one that caught my eye was First Person Goomba, a short film that shows us life from the perspective of Mario’s stumpy little enemies. This kind of idea has been tackled before, but Pipoca does it with style and some solid animation. It’s definitely one of the better entries in the contest! Check out the full video below the jump to see how life goes on for those little guys that do their best to hinder Mario. Read more…
Tags: machinima, Mario Brothers
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 7, 2012 in Videogames 
The Walking Dead episodic game series from Telltale has definitely been one of the best games I’ve played all year, so I’m glad to see the recognition it’s been getting from the various gaming outlets. But not everyone wants to wait for a new episode each month or so, and not everyone wants to play games via digital download, so for those of you out there Telltale is releasing the game on disc. It was suppose to arrive earlier this week, but it’s been delayed till the 11th now. If you want, there’s even a larger edition full of the first 48 volumes of the Walking Dead comic. A pretty impressive collection! Read more…
Tags: The Walking Dead
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 6, 2012 in Videogames 
Game Freak, the studio that makes the main Pokemon games with Nintendo, is putting out their first non-Pokemon game since 2006’s Drill Dozer. Rhythm Hunter Harmo Knight is their take on the runner genre, with a fantasy hero running automatically while the player controls the jumps and attacks. Each stage is a song, as the hero must gather notes and whack enemies in time with the music. And while this was previously only announced for Japan, Nintendo confirmed a Western release during their latest Nintendo Direct! Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Nintendo, Pokémon
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 5, 2012 in Videogames 
As much as I love achievements, they can often ruin the surprise of secrets and easter eggs. When being told to look for something, it’s much less fun when you find it than if you just happened to stumble upon it. I haven’t gotten to play Far Cry 3 yet, but there are some subtle secrets that may tie it into the conflict between the Assassin Brotherhood and the Knights Templar in the Assassin’s Creed series. Read more…
Tags: Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Ubisoft
Posted by Bob Muir on Dec 4, 2012 in Videogames 
I can’t believe that it’s been ten years since Grand Theft Auto: Vice City came out. While some may prefer San Andreas‘s ridiculously sprawling map and length, to me Vice City was the best of the PS2 generation GTA games. And now it’s on mobile phones? Even if I saw it happen recently with GTAIII, it still blows my mind. These screenshots show off how crisp the game looks on iOS and Android, which makes me wish this was coming out to PS3 and Xbox 360 in HD. Admittedly, the games are quite out-dated when it comes to controls, game design, and polish, but at least they’d control better in an HD collection than with touch controls! Read more…
Tags: Grand Theft Auto
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 2, 2012 in Animation, Videogames 
What do Kratos and Nathan Drake do between battles? Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank? Maybe they just eat bagels. Or at least that’s what the guys at Robot Chicken think. They did a cool little commercial for Sony to promote Playstation All-Stars: Battle Royale and I just enjoy the style of their stop-animation. It’s a pretty fun look at the characters, but all this does is make me want a game in this art style. Watch the video below. Read more…
Tags: PlayStation 3, Playstation Vita, Robot Chicken
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 29, 2012 in Videogames 
Atlus is keeping it old-school with its Etrian Odyssey series. The player controls a party and traverses dunegons while fighting monsters. It’s like Wizardry, but far more modern. But some things never change, like the need to draw your own map as you go along, like people did back in the NES days. I respect that fact that some developers are keeping alive old traditions like that in an era where many games involve following an arrow down a straight corridor, in terms of how much freedom you’re granted. There’s a new game coming up, Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan, and there’s a new trailer showing off what it’s like.
Read more…
Tags: 3DS, Atlus, RPG
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 28, 2012 in Videogames 
Bungie has been silent on the new game series they’re developing for Activision, possibly because all eyes are on the creator of the Halo series. We know that for now it’s called Destiny, but details have been nonexistent, at least until an advertising document leaked to IGN. Bungie has confirmed the leak by officially releasing one of the pictures (the one above) and promising more to come when they can talk about it, but for now, let’s look at the first story premise! Read more…
Tags: Halo, PS3, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 28, 2012 in Videogames 
The story of Link questing to save Princess Zelda from the clutches of Ganon is pretty established by now, to the point that some consider almost every Zelda game to be an differently-elaborated retelling of the same primal story, despite the fact that Nintendo has released an official timeline. It has been represented in various forms, but this is the first time I’ve seen it recreated across many, many Apple screens. Read more…
Tags: Fan Art, Legend of Zelda
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 27, 2012 in Videogames 
Many were surprised that Mass Effect 3 actually had a multiplayer mode worth playing, instead of what seemed like a tacked-on feature. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea (and not what I bought the game for), but it’s certainly a well-made co-op mode. When I was playing it though, I never left Bronze difficulty, the lowest of four difficulty settings. For those who aren’t pros at shooting games, it provided enough of a challenge that I wouldn’t dream of not teaming up with partners to beat the computer. And yet, there are those who can solo not only Bronze, but the next difficulty level Silver, and one of those people can do it without possessing control of his limbs. Read more…
Tags: Mass Effect 3
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 25, 2012 in Videogames 
I love me some Humble Indie Bundles and Steam Sales. So whenever one pops up, it’s my duty to bring the news to you. The latest one is Steam’s Autumn Sale, and as the brown and red leaves fall around your desolate computer tower, surely the one thing you must be wanting this holiday season is games. Because not enough of those come out in November. Anyway, fill you backlog up easily with the constant Flash Sales (short sales that only go on for a few hours) or the Daily Deals. At time of writing, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is $4.99! How can you not get it at that price. See all the latest deals and sales here.
Tags: Steam, Valve
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 24, 2012 in Videogames 
Hopefully some of you know of the excellent downloadable game for 3DS, Pushmo. It was developed by Intelligent Systems, the makers of Fire Emblem and Paper, as a puzzle game with a twist, blocks can only move forward and backward, and you must clamber across them to reach the top. Now, Nintendo has released the sequel, Crashmo, which introduces gravity and a whole host of other gameplay ideas into the equation. I’ve only spent a few hours with it, but it’s already been an absolute blast. It also features the return of the level creator, so you can make your own puzzles and share them via QR codes. If you have a 3DS, make sure to check it out! Read more…
Tags: 3DS, crashmo, Nintendo, pushmo
Posted by Ben Huber on Nov 23, 2012 in Tech, Videogames 
With how hard Microsoft has been pushing the multimedia content for Xbox 360, perhaps this should come as no surprise to you all: The Verge is reporting they have multiple sources saying that Microsoft is creating a set-top TV box branded with the Xbox name. The concept is to be similar to the Apple TV or Roku, supporting videos and music, as well as apps and games. Granted, it wouldn’t play full-fledged console games (that would still be the next Xbox’s job) but for consumers who use their Xbox mostly for Netflix (you know who you are) this is an excellent move. Will it succeed though? I wonder if the Xbox name is too entrenched in “gaming” but perhaps that’s an unfounded concern. Will this hook people? 2013 will be an exciting year! Read more…
Tags: Xbox, Xbox 360
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 22, 2012 in Cinema, Videogames 
Scribblenauts Unlimited is out, and if you’re unfamiliar with the series, it involves a boy solving simple puzzles by generating objects with his magic notepad. The dictionary includes a ton of nouns, so you can summon pretty much anything. What is new in Unlimited is the ability to create your own objects, and since the series typically avoids anything copyrighted (beyond some cameos like Mario in the Wii U and 3DS versions), gamers can now recreate their favorite characters and creatures in Scribblenauts‘ adorable style, as seen in the Ghostbusters screenshot above. Read more…
Tags: Fan Art, G.I. Joe, Kill Bill, Pokémon, Star Wars, Street Fighter, super meat boy, The Hobbit
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 22, 2012 in Videogames 
2008’s Mirror’s Edge, from Battlefield studio DICE, was an interesting concept that ultimately didn’t perform very well due to insufficient quality and the challenges of being a new IP. The idea of first-person free-running is cool, and the game was very commendable for featuring a bright, shiny aesthetic with splashes of color in a time when brown-and-gray visuals were getting old. In the end though, many players were disappointed, yet still optimistic for a sequel to fix the first game’s problems. That sequel never came, but rumors indicate that Mirror’s Edge 2 may already be in development.
Previous teases indicated that EA and DICE were considering how to fix Mirror’s Edge‘s issues, that they were interested in what fans wanted from a potential sequel, and that any new Mirror’s Edge game would likely run on the Frostbite 2 engine that powers Battlefield 3. Now a tweet has surfaced in response to yesterday’s Eurogamer article about EA wanting to avoid making DICE a Battlefield factory that only churns out more war games.
Ben Cousins is currently the general manager at ngmoco Sweden, but was previously executive producer of Battlefield at DICE. He tweeted that “It is general knowledge in the Stockholm dev scene that Mirror’s Edge 2 is in production at DICE”. It’s far from official confirmation, and there have been many games that were in development yet later canceled, but combined with the other rumors, it certainly seems like good news for those waiting on a sequel. One can only hope that enemies with guns are one of the things up for reconsideration.
Source: Kotaku
Tags: Electronic Arts
Posted by Bob Muir on Nov 21, 2012 in Videogames 
Consider this a public service announcement of impending deals. No, Xbox Live doesn’t have absolutely insane deals like Steam does on PC, but that’s all the more reason to take advantage of times when a large amount of content goes on sale. And with Black Friday coming later this week, that time is now! Read more…
Tags: Xbox 360
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