Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 18, 2012 in Videogames
A year after winning an academy award for his work on The Social Network, Trent Reznor has returned to the gaming industry to score the main theme for Call of Duty Black Ops 2. It’s the first videogame he’s participated with since his ill-fated attempt to engineer Doom 3 came to an abrupt halt during the game’s production. His most memorable contribution to the industry remains his involvement with Id Software’s other hit title, Quake, in which he, along with Nine-Inch-Nails, helped to score the soundtrack and design many of the sound effects heard throughout the game. I’m not sure how excited I am for Black Ops 2, or any FPS these days, but one thing’s for sure — its theme song will probably rock.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jul 17, 2012 in Videogames
Last week, during an event at San Diego Comic-Con International, I had the opportunity to sit down with a recent console build of Namco Bandai’s upcoming fighter, Tekken Tag Tournament 2. I have to admit I wasn’t expecting to be stunned by the visuals, and I hadn’t expected any significant improvements in terms of actual gameplay. Much to my surprise, however, the game offers quite a few enhancements over its predecessor, Tekken 6.
Excited about that Mass Effect anime announced a little while ago? Here’s a good look at it, with a full-length trailer being released at Comic-Con this week. FUNimation is partnering up with Production I.G. and T.O. Entertainment to create the film and, well, it looks simply average. There are a few interesting shots in the trailer but for the most part it fails to excite me. Paragon Lost will be all about James Vega’s battle with the Collectors, so essentially this is something that will probably not grab most people unless they’re die hard Mass Effect fans.
It seems gamers everywhere were chomping at the bit for Valve to initiate their Summer Sale this year – more so than usual! It’s honestly no surprise as Valve always does a great job setting up excellent prices for everything. It runs from now until July 22nd, so remember to watch the daily deals, as prices will only go down. However, why would they run it during SDCC? That’s a pretty big conflict, in some ways! Oh well, when you can own every Valve game ever for $50, that’s what I call a sale.
The best part about Just Cause 2 was how the whole game revolved around you doing what you already wanted to do: blow up everything, everywhere. Now, a group of modders has finally released their first public beta that lets you do this with your buddies, simply called Just Cause 2 Multiplayer. After much silence they have opened it up and people are flocking to it! If you’d like to try it out yourself, head over to their site and download the mod and visit their server.
Not to bring everyone down, but you really should see this: leaked footage of Star Wars: Battlefront III, the game that never was. Despite critical acclaim and solid sales, the Battlefront series never made it to a third iteration. But at least you can watch some video of what could’ve been – maybe pop Battlefront II back in for old time’s sake. Hopefully Lucasarts will one day hear our pleas? Read more…
One of the artsier puzzle-based platformers to be released in recent years, Playdead’s Limbo, has finally received a physical release. Originally published as a digital-only release for Xbox Live! arcade, and later ported to steam, Limbo was met with critical acclaim and has since garnered quite a few awards while maintaining an impressive aggregate score of 90/100 on metacritic. While it’s not exactly a lengthy game, the praise its received might justify the hefty $25 price tag this physical edition carries. If that’s not enough, they’ve included a few extras to sweeten the deal. The set features a DRM-free copy of the game for both PC and Mac, a stand alone soundtrack, seven art cards, sticker, a free steam gift key and a pair of 3D glasses!
Did you enjoy the latest Rockstar game, Max Payne 3? I found the design and style of the game very cool (although I miss that stronger film noir styling). But with all that slow-motion and bullets flying everywhere, you have to wonder when Max finds time to breathe. What’s his daily life like? Timtimfed avoids all the usual ‘Payne’ word puns and jumps right into (literally) Max’s daily life. Watering the garden while diving in slow motion? Sure, it makes sense… right?
Valve’s final Meet the Team animated short has finally been released, nearly five years after the game first came out. Given the omnipresence of “Valve Time” (the frequently mentioned joke that Valve operates on a different clock than the rest of the world) it should be no surprise it took this long. Yet, this video is certainly worth it. The latest update also came out, delivering Pyro-vision goggles, a Robot Chicken hat, and a new game mode in which you launch a monkey named Poopy Joe into space. Don’t tell me that doesn’t sound like a blast (and it’s free-to-play). Read more…
Recently, Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada caused a bit of controversy by openly admitting that the Final Fantasy franchise had failed to perform in recent years, having yet to top the seventh entry in the series — Final Fantasy VII. As Wada explained, it’s for this very reason that they’ve yet to remake it, despite countless requests from gamers. In truth, topping the game might be a bit much to ask. It came during a pivotal time in the industry. The game marked a change in physical mediums, and was the first Final Fantasy to feature 3D graphics. By virtue of those facts, the game will forever be credited as having broken new ground.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 26, 2012 in Videogames
Here’s a look at the Dragon Quest X Wii bundle due out in Japan later this year. While it’ll likely remain a Japanese exclusive — especially with Nintendo’s Wii U on the horizon — I can’t help but feel we’re missing out. The box itself is quite gorgeous, featuring a slightly larger image of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Quest X box art. The bundle itself comes complete with a copy of the game, a black Wii with a matching black Wiimote, Classic Controller Pro, a USB stick and to top it all off, a 10,000 yen prepaid Nintendo Points card. I suppose how badly we’re missing out still depends on how good the game turns out, but I have high hopes — even if it’s an MMO of sorts.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 25, 2012 in Tech, Videogames
As a rule, I usually avoid game-oriented Kickstarter projects, but seeing as this is for an tangible product with some rather impressive applications, I figured it’d be worth mentioning. Introducing the Ringbow Controller — an attachable d-pad designed to interface with tablets and other touch-based devices. The Ringbow was designed specifically to give players accurate control without compromising the ability to touch the interface with your fingers. It just so happens that the controller would also enable developers to map the controls to whatever they way, be it an action, cursor, or event within their game or application. The only draw back being that developers would have to design their games specifically to interface with the device, or at least support it on some level for it to work. The project has a stated goal of $100,000, and is nearly half way there with a full 27 days to go. If you’re still interested in supporting it, a donation of $45 will snag you one of your own when they begin mass production.
Japan might be getting a full disc release of Okami HD, but at least the US and Europe are getting it at all! This fall on PSN, you’ll be able to pick up the much-revered Clover Studios game, Okami, in HD for $19.99. This reveal trailer gives a pretty good look at the update of the game, and man, does it look great. I’m glad we’re getting it on PSN, and that price is pretty much the sweet-spot for this type of release. Hopefully it’ll do well here!
A newsletter signup showed up on the Adult Swim website yesterday, emblazoned with images of the Team Fortress 2 cast and a warning: next week there will be new details of an Adult Swim and Valve team-up. This, of course, set the internet ablaze wondering what this could possibly be. This past week Valve has been running a small ARG within TF2, dropping hints that their final animated short, Meet the Pyro, could be coming out next week. Could Adult Swim air it on TV? Or perhaps they’ll show the annual TF2 Community video awards show, the Saxxy Awards? We’ll find out soon!
DigiPen students seem to be making it big! First the group of students that made Narbacular Drop become Portal developers (and Kim Swift has just released Quantum Conundrum) and a second group helped make the paint for Portal 2. Now another intrepid group of students is hitting it big with their game: Perspective. It’s first-person, yes, but you play as a little Mega Man-esque character who jumps throughout the world you’re viewing. Depending on the angle you’re looking at, the whole map can change. Check out their amazing video above, and who knows? Maybe the next big game will have these students behind it.
Yesterday, Nintendo announced a new 3DS revision to be added to their lineup. This came just after Miyamoto stated a week ago that Nintendo wasn’t working on 3DS revision (probably because it was already done). But of course, keeping in tradition, the 3DS XL was announced for the US, Europe, and Japan. It’ll arrive August 19th on our shores, for $199.99 (in blue and red), but Japan and Europe are getting it next month on July 28th (with silver and white). Essentially it’s just a bigger 3DS, with 90% larger screens and matte finish, so it’ll fit in my hands better and won’t leave as many fingerprints, but I can’t help but wonder if that larger screen will pixelate the games too much? Read more…
An official Japanese street date has been announced for the home video release of the Ace Attorney live-action film. From all of the trailers I’ve seen, the film looked pretty amazing, having accurately depicted the events as they occurred throughout the game, from the over-the-top costumes and special effects, to the ridiculous dialog and plot twists. Set for release on August 22nd, both the Blu-ray and DVD release will feature the full 135 minute film, audio commentary with both directors of the game and film. They’ve also included a bonus disc with promotional and behind-the-scenes footage. Unfortunately there probably won’t be any English subtitles on the discs, but at least you expect to see a version of the film fan-subbed within a month or two of the release, as that’s usually the case with films like this. Just do yourself a favor and buy a copy anyway. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 19, 2012 in Videogames
There have been several titles I’ve had eyes on over the past few months, one of which is Arkane Studios’ upcoming steampunk action game, Dishonored. From the looks of things, the game plays like a cross between Deus Ex and Assassins Creed, but that being the case, you can imagine my surprise to learn that the game could be completed in just 12 hours. Of course, in order to do so, you have to ignore story elements, and rush from target to target. According to Arkane, the game can easily take twice as long if you actually stop to eavesdrop on your enemies conversations in order to flesh out the plot and immerse yourself in the story. Apparently there are also 40 unique charms throughout the game that give you small supernatural perks, however you can’t collect them all during a single play-through, so perhaps there’s some re-playability to be had there.
Earlier today, my wife was enjoying her latest obsession, NimbleBit’s Pocket Planes for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Similar to their previous free-to-play management sim Tiny Tower, you use bitizens to grow your business but rather than building floor after floor of shops, instead the game focuses on transporting passengers and cargo between destinations for income, allowing you to unlock more planes, and so forth. Any way, while she was playing through the game, she noticed that a piece of cargo she had to transport, labeled “Time Machine,” resembled a certain blue police box. Just to make sure she wasn’t crazy, we snapped a photo. Look familiar? Any way, I’m told the game is fun and addicting, though, I can’t imagine how. If time management sims are your sort of thing, check out the app for free and be mindful of the in app purchases, as you can easily rack up a hefty bill if you’re not careful!
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 14, 2012 in Videogames
I’ve always had a soft spot for Tekken. I know it’s not everyone’s fighting game of choice, but the series has remained successful throughout the years due in large part to its dedicated fan-base, of which I consider myself a member. While I love the gameplay, and even some of the zany story elements, I’ll be the first to admit that that the plot can be incredibly confusing. Thankfully the upcoming Tekken Tag Tournament 2 won’t be adding to that. Instead, the game is considered non-cannon, allowing gamers to simply have fun with the Tekken universe. One of the modes to be included in the upcoming console release is the “Fight Lab Mode” — what’s that, you ask? Find out after the jump.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 13, 2012 in Videogames
Nintendo would like to remind us that the latest Culdcept game is headed to the 3DS in Japan with these new commercials. Unfortunately, like other the portable entries in the series, we’ll probably never see them released here in America. Seeing as it’s basically a cross between Magic the Gathering and Monopoly, you’d think everyone would want to get their hands on it. However, the last time someone took the time to localize a version, it failed to sell enough copies. Couple that with the sheer amount of text one would have to translate — it’s a card game and a board game in one, after all — and trying to find a publisher willing to take a chance on the series becomes impossible, despite the fact that it’s one of the best party games I’ve ever played. To put it simply, it’s the Arrested Development of video games. Don’t believe me? Check out the demo for the Xbox 360 version of the game.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jun 11, 2012 in Videogames
In case it might still be alive, Square Enix has taken to beating the dead horse that is Final Fantasy III by porting it one more time. This time, the lucky platform happens to be Sony’s PlayStation Portable — not the Vita mind you, although I’m sure it’ll be compatible. While I’m sure nobody really needed another port of this game, the PSP edition will at least boast cleaner visuals than its Nintendo DS counterpart, and might even run smoother than the recent iOS ports for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Read more…
Disney has certainly experimented with the world of video games in its films before, but their upcoming Wreck-It Ralph looks to be a nostalgic romp through classic games (or their knock-off equivalents). Ralph is a riff on Donkey Kong, and his “Mario,” Fix-It Felix, has left him feeling unappreciated and stuck in the repetition of the game. So, he leaves and begins hopping from game world to game world, hoping to find a new place to fit in. The trailer unveils a truly amazing scene, though: Bowser, Dr. Robotnik, Bison, and Zangief along with other popular game “bad guys” sitting in a “bad guys anonymous” meeting. Trust me, if that doesn’t get you excited, just to see those characters interact for one scene, then I don’t know what to tell you. Wreck-It Ralph arrives in theatres November 2nd.
This week, Square Enix unveiled some screenshots from their upcoming 2.0 update for their would-be flagship MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV. After its launch in September 2010, Final Fantasy XIV was met with universally negative reviews, scrutinized for a lack of polish, terrible interface, incomplete quest-lines, and unbalanced gameplay. As a result of this, Square Enix made the decision to reshuffle the games development team with the aim of improving every aspect. With that task in mind, Final Fantasy XIV 2.0 is set for release early next year — a beta will become available this October. As you can see from the screenshots below, the visuals are quite stunning. Let’s just hope all the improvements they have planned will make it worth your time.
