Kevin Conroy confirmed at the Dallas Comic-Con that he will indeed be returning as the voice of The Dark Knight in this fall’s Batman: Arkham Origins. Conroy said the reason for the delay was that he had been under a NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and could not talk about his role in the project.
This is HUGE news for me. I was planning on getting Arkham Origins, but the fact Conroy was gone was already going to start the game in a hole for me. What can I say? I am a Conroy guy.
The Playstation Vita’s biggest fall release is getting a change in release date to avoid Grand Theft Auto.
Killzone: Mercenary is moving from September 17th to September 10th wisely avoiding the release of Grand Theft Auto V. The portable shooter had already set its September 17th date before GTA changed from its spring release to its current one. At least Sony is giving the Vita title a chance instead of leaving it buried.
I am a Batgirl fan. Actually the more appropriate statement would be I am a Batgirl addict. I have statues, comics, graphic novels. I can not help but watch every episode of the Adam West batman when Yvonne Craig would be on as Barbara Gordon in Season 3 (seriously, do you not know how hot she was?).
Now Batgirl is the second of four DLC characters for [amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link]. Here we have a video of Barbara taking on The Joker and showing off all of her moves.
And yes, The Joker is wearing his beach attire from The Killing Joke. Please let this be part of the DLC. For a bat fan like me, that is worth almost the price of the game.
Bethesda is going back to the grandfather of first person shooters with Wolfenstein: The New Order.
Set in an alternate 1960’s where the Nazis have won World War II and control the free world. You will play as original character BJ Blazkowicz and attempt to take down the Nazi horde once and for all.
To celebrate Gran Turismo’s 15th anniversary, Sony has announced that they and Polyphony will hold a Gran Turismo event on May 15th that will unveil the future of the franchise while looking back at its history.
Rumors have swirled that Sony is planning to release Gran Turismo 6 on PS3 before the end of the year. Some would say that it should be released on the PS4, but they already have Drive Club coming for the next-gen system and GT6 would be a great way to keep interest in the PS3 high during the fall of a new console launch.
I will venture a guess that a Gran Turismo anniversary edition of some sort will be announced too.
When [amazon_link id=”B002V16T0Q” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Metro 2033[/amazon_link] was released two years ago, there was almost no marketing behind it, save for a lackluster “Fear the Future” slogan that isn’t really representative of the game. It would have passed completely under my radar if not for Erich Wildgrube, but that’s a story for a later post.
The important part is that I did eventually play it, and was floored; so floored, in fact, that I am more excited about the release of Metro: Last Light next week than I was for BioShock: Infinite. In case that sounds like crazy-talk, let me shed some hand-crank-battery-powered light on the subject.
1. The Atmosphere
We’ve all played those games that draw you in, that really make you feel like you’re in another reality, but 2033 took this to new levels, and Last Light looks to follow suit. I’m not just talking about the creepy parts, either; the most immersive moments look to be the ones spent in the populated stations, watching people go about their daily lives in this world gone sour.
2. The Gameplay Mechanics
This may come off sounding like it belongs in the last paragraph, but there are untold little touches in how these games play that really sell the experience. There’s the aforementioned need to hand-crank the battery that runs your flashlight; you check your map and objectives by holding a flickering lighter up to your journal; and new to Last Light, it appears that moisture and steam can obscure your gas-mask visor, so that Artyom must resort to running his palm across it to try and keep it clear.
3. The Story
I don’t know that I would say Metro tells a completely original kind of story: Young man must brave a post-apocalyptic world in order to save his loved ones from forces they don’t understand. What it does manage, however, is to tell that story in a way that completely engrosses you; you understand that Artyom both is and isn’t in control of the much larger events going on around him.
I would also like to squeeze “Characters” in at this point; and by “Characters” I mean “The Rangers”; and by “The Rangers” I of course mean Khan.
I had to catch myself typing “enemies” in that heading, as anyone who plays the games will soon understand. Metro takes place in a world filled with creatures and beings that go beyond Artyom’s understanding: the violent, animalistic nosalis; the disturbingly intelligent librarians; the unusual, almost playful anomalies; and finally, the mysterious Dark Ones, whose unknown motivations are the driving force of the series.
5. The Morality System
Hidden within this post-apoc shooter is a morality system so complex that no one has yet to perfectly pin down exactly what actions beget what outcomes. Most people didn’t realize 2033 had two possible endings until they checked the achievements, and the developers have remained tight-lipped about the system as well.
What I do know is that these games don’t go in for the whole black-or-white idea of morality, but rather take into account your actions as a player – actions such as stopping to listen to someone play the guitar around a campfire – and how these little things might alter Artyom’s mindset.
And as always, if my words aren’t enough to convince you, maybe pretty pictures and cool sound effects will:
Have you ever wondered what the world would be like without Gamestop? The rumors that consoles may lock out used games in the future have many thinking that including the guys at Mega64. Their newest video lampoons the Sarah McLachlan ASPCA ads while giving us a woman much, much, much more beautiful.
Also, there is a certain Gears of War creator eating Top Ramen which will become a future gif for my library.
Last month Disney shuttered LucasArts and laid off 150 employees effectively ending the company’s 30 year history. Now Disney has struck a deal with EA to bring future Star Wars games to consoles and other platforms. The closing of LucasArts was definitely a sad day in the video game world, but this should excite fans of the galaxy far, far away because it means that all of EA’s studios like Bioware, DICE, etc. can now develop new Star Wars titles.
All I ask is that I get a proper KOTOR III….or revive Battlefront.
“The Walt Disney Company (DIS) and Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) today announced a new multi-year exclusive licensing agreement to develop and publish globally new games based on Star Wars characters and storylines.
Under the agreement, EA will develop and publish new Star Wars titles for a core gaming audience, spanning all interactive platforms and the most popular game genres, while Disney will retain certain rights to develop new titles within the mobile, social, tablet and online game categories.
“Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe,” said EA Labels President Frank Gibeau. “Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. DICE and Visceral will produce new games, joining the BioWare team which continues to develop for the Star Wars franchise. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay.”
Of the litany list of rumors about the next Xbox, the main one that has people talking or growing wary about Microsoft’s new console is the possibility that it could require a constant internet connection. Microsoft has been quiet on the subject while we wait for their May 21st reveal of the system to find out their plans, but an email uncovered by Ars Technica may pull a quick reverse on the subject.
This is an excerpt from the email:
“Durango (the codename for the next Xbox) is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today’s Internet. There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should ‘just work’ regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: playing a Blu-ray disc, watching live TV, and yes playing a single player game.”
Now this is not calling the issue of always online dead. This is still pure speculation until Microsoft goes live on May 21st and unveils their new system.
If you never got the opportunity to play Sleeping Dogs last year, first off shame on you and second, you are now getting a second chance if you are a Playstation Plus member to get the game absolutely free. On May 7th you will be able to download the open world Hong Kong adventure to your instant games collection on Playstation Plus and experience the off the wall action for yourself.
Check out our review for Sleeping Dogs here and if you have not become a Playstation Plus member yet, there really is no excuse for all that Sony gives you for $50 a year.
