Woah, stop, don’t just go breaking your toys after reading that headline. I’m talking specifically about new toys that are supposed to break in half. Activision just announced Skylanders: Swap Force, the newest entry in the surprisingly popular videogame/toy line. If you somehow haven’t heard of it, you buy real toys and place them on a special device to summon them for play in the game. This latest version features 16 new toys (sold separately) that you can break apart and reassemble however you want, for up to 256 possible combinations! Read more…
Okay, so Diablo III might not have set the world on fire when it came out earlier this year. The game certainly sold well enough, but between simplified skill trees, a completely unnecessary always-online requirement, and numerous other issues, Blizzard’s highly anticipated follow-up didn’t capture gamers’ hearts. With competition like Torchlight II and the availability of Diablo II, it’s questionable whether gamers will still be playing what many think is a short-lived game years from now. Maybe some additional content would fix that? Read more…
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 21, 2011 in Videogames
Just a day ago, Activision announced their upcoming title GoldenEye 007 Reloaded for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii. If you don’t count 2004’s GoldenEye: Rogue Agent — and most people wouldn’t — this would mark the first time an official GoldenEye title will be appearing on a non-Nintendo console. It’s sort of a big deal, I suppose, but will fans of the original really enjoy this new title? At Activision’s Comic-Con showcase, I had a chance to play a pre-alpha build of the title and while it still had its issues it was actually quite fun. The only problem? It really didn’t feel like GoldenEye. Sure, they had Bond — in this case, Daniel Craig — and the setting was spot on, but the game literally played like Call of Duty. In fact, I over heard several journalists jokingly referring to it as Call of Duty: 007, or GoldenEye: Modern Warfare. While I couldn’t get anyone to confirm that the game used the Modern Warfare engine, every element led me to that conclusion. In fact, the in-game HUD looked spot on, with indicators for thrown grenades, location of the mini-map, and obligatory blood splatters filling the screen. Even the button mapping was exactly the same, leading me to believe that Activision seems to be under the impression that they’ve stumbled on a winning formula and simply don’t want to let it go. Suffice to say, if you’re a fan of the Call of Duty franchise, and the Modern Warfare series in particularly, you’ll probably love this. No word on an official release date, but I’m looking forward to seeing how development progresses in the months to come.
By now it’s not really a secret, but I’m sure there are plenty of you who never realized this little trick exists. Those of you who are fond of Infocom’s classic text based adventures will probably love this hidden gem in Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops. Immediately upon reaching the menu, you’re given the option to look around an interrogation room while strapped to a chair — nifty, if not a little over the top for a simple menu interface. What many people haven’t realized is that you can actually escape the chair if you play with your shoulder buttons a little, giving you the opportunity to explore the immediate area, including an old PC in the corner that provides you with a command prompt. Simply enter the word “Zork,” and you’ll be able to play the MIT version of the classic game. Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Jun 11, 2009 in Videogames
Being the pivotal historic event of the 20th Century up until now I thought World War II had it all — but obviously that isn’t good enough for today’s consumer market so Activision went ahead and improved it by adding zombies! I honestly couldn’t complain about Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 2 but my understanding of the franchise was that it prided itself on being historically accurate. I mean why not go all the way and add some werewolves and vampires too? Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Mar 30, 2009 in Videogames
Prototype is an interesting looking game which is set in NYC (it’s due out for the holiday season on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC) and what I’m seeing so far looks pretty amazing. The plot sort of reminds me of 28 Days Later with a slight bit of Men in Black: Read more…
