WB Games has released a launch trailer for Injustice: Gods Among Us. It is not heavy on story (which is great by the way), but it is heavy on punches to the face, tombstones over people’s heads and truth lassos. Oh and Batman and Aquaman get most of the speaking time which is fine with me since Kevin Conroy is back doing Batman’s voice and Aquaman is the King of Atlantis and all. Not an Aquaman fan? You are missing out.
[amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link] releases on April 16th, which is next week! So this is the perfect opportunity to check out our Five Reasons why you should buy Injustice.
Holy Ronald Reagan Oingo Boingo John Carpenter Roddy Piper Jane Fonda TBS Superstation Space Mutiny fuck balls.
That was roughly what was running through my head as I watched the reveal trailer for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon in all its VHS tracking glory. I will give you a chance to watch it below then keep scrolling.
Has your mind been sufficiently blown?
Are you thinking, like me, that you will now name your firstborn male child Rex “Power” Colt?
If you want to see more of just how batshit insane and awesome this game is going to be click here for the first fifteen minutes of the game from IGN.
I am not in the practice of posting articles for every single Xbox rumor that passes in front of me. I like to wait and let them marinate and then serve them to you on a nice place setting and watch as you take tiny bird bites and see how you like them. Let’s go over the last few that are making the rounds. Need a refill before we begin?
1. The next Xbox will need to be online. As in always online.
This is the biggie that has everyone up in arms. I am not leaning one way or the other honestly so I will try and give you an objective opinion about both sides. Always online is going to be the future. It is undeniable. There will come a time when almost everything short of a refrigerator or toaster is going to need an internet connection. Microsoft was ahead of the curve when they introduced Xbox Live over ten years ago and made it require a cable internet connection leaving all the 56K users out in the cold. They knew that to have the speed needed it had to have a fast connection and Microsoft also saw that 56K, while being in the majority of homes, was on borrowed time. It was a gamble that paid off, but this is a different gamble altogether. If this rumor is true, Microsoft is hedging their bets on the future of the Xbox brand on it. I know that consoles will eventually require an internet connection for functionality, but I hope that Microsoft is not a generation too soon with it.
The outcry over an always online Xbox may seem like internet fanboy complaining and I hope that is all it is. But there is still a large part of the country that has spotty internet or no internet at all. Hard to believe in this time, but Microsoft has to realize this. I believe that is why Sony has already announced that the PS4 will not require an internet connection to play. They are placing their bets that some people will be turned off by Microsoft making them be online to play and will be waiting on them with arms wide open, ready to accept them into the Sony family. This is not a far-fetched idea when you think about it.
I get the feeling that Microsoft is feeling like Sony after the success of the PS2. They feel they can do no wrong and people will follow no matter what. Sony learned a harsh lesson about that in the first few years of the PS3. They learned they were not invincible and it looks like they are trying to correct a lot of this with the PS4. Be wary Microsoft.
2. The next Xbox will cost $500 straight up with a second model at $300 with a subscription fee.
I think this is a rumor you can go ahead and count on being true. It was most likely the whole reason why they tried the approach last year with the Xbox 360 where you get the console for $99 and agree to a two year subscription to Xbox Live. I think it will be a harder sell for the next Xbox, but that’s not to say it won’t be a success. A $99 360 is an easy sell to some, even with a subscription model. Now, asking $300 for a new console AND a two year subscription may be a bit more of a stretch. If I am going to save and spend $300 on a console I, personally, would just get 200 bucks more and buy my console outright. However, we do buy phones like this so I can see where Microsoft would think this is a viable option.
3. The next Xbox will essentially become your cable box.
This goes back to #1 on the list. Rumors are that the system will be able to connect with your cable boxes and communicate with them. This would fit in with Microsoft’s mission to make the Xbox the entertainment center of your living room. How Microsoft will make this a unique experience like Nintendo TVii remains to be seen. There will need to be some kind of special feeling to this to have some people (me) adopt it. I am sure that Microsoft has some tricks up their sleeve for this.
4. Microsoft is shooting for a late-May announcement for the next Xbox.
May 21 is the date that rumors suggest when the big event will happen. If this is true then it means that Sony will have had three and a half months of time for people to learn the ins and outs of every bit of PS4 info they can find. Did Microsoft wait too long? And because Sony had such a great announcement and Microsoft waited so long, are the expectations unattainable? If they do wait till May 21, why not just do it at E3 a couple of weeks later? Microsoft has wasted valuable time while many have begun to question items about their next console. Let’s hope they blow us all away.
Microsoft are taking so long to announce the new XBOX that Ubisoft will have announced 3 more Assassin’s Creed games by the time they do it
Kickstarter is truly a unique concept, but it is also a place where some shady shit can go down. I do not mind throwing a couple of bucks towards a project that I want to see come to fruition (Veronica Mars). I won’t, however, throw money at a developer that is known to have plenty of assets and connections to get their project funded.
Leave it to the guys at Mega64 to bring some levity to the whole Kickstarter revolution as only they can. If you actually start to delve into Kickstarter you will begin to notice that some projects are worse than this video which skewers them.
Hot off the heels of yesterday’s announcement of Batman: Arkham Origins a host of screenshots have been released by Game Informer. There are shots of Deathstroke, a younger looking Penguin, Black Mask and Gotham adorned in Christmas decorations as Batman looms over some thugs.
In Batman: Arkham Origins, you will control a younger Batman as Black Mask hires the world’s greatest assassin’s to take down The Dark Knight. WB Montreal is handling development of the game instead of Rocksteady this go round, but they have full access to the engine that ran Arkham Asylum and Arkham City.
It was also announced that for the first time in the Arkham series there will be a fast travel option for Batman now that he is patrolling the streets of Gotham. When you pick a point on the map you will get to take a trip in the Batwing to your desired location, although the Batwing is not able to be controlled (bummer).
For the next-gen I would like a fully realized open world Gotham. If I want to spend 45 minutes driving around the city doing nothing but mourning the death of my parents, I should be able to.
Batman: Arkham Origins releases on October 25th.
The first screens for Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate have also been released. The game will be released on October 25th for the 3DS and Vita.
NetherRealm Studios brought Mortal Kombat back into the mainstream in 2011 with a bloody brawler that controlled like the Kombat of old and added in a fun story and unlockables galore. They threw a lot of people off with their followup, which was not in fact Mortal Kombat 2, but a game featuring characters from the DC Universe using the fighting engine from their MK reboot. Now one could be wary of this seeing as how we have already had to suffer through Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, but have no fear, this will not be anything like that.
Here are my five reasons to pick up [amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link].
1. This is NOT Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
The fighting engine in MK vs. DC was tired and had not seen any real change in a long time. That changed with 2011’s Mortal Kombat reboot. Combos felt natural, brutal and moves were easy to pull off. If you lost on higher difficulties it was not for a cheapness factor, it was because you most likely did not strategize your moves well enough against your opponent. After playing the demo for Injustice, it feels these controls are mostly transferred over. Since the DC characters are not having to share the same fighting game as the more brutal MK ones, they do not feel like they have been neutered or made weak to mix well.
2. Downloadable Content
Injustice will come with a Season Pass that will include four new unknown characters to the roster as well as new character skins from the Flashpoint event. If you pre-ordered the game at Gamestop you will receive the Red Son pack that gives you alternate costumes for three characters as well as 20 new missions set within the Red Son alternate reality in which Superman crash landed in Russia and became an agent for that country. Best Buy pre-orders will receive a Blackest Night pack which has undead character skins and a special zombie mode for the game. Now don’t worry where you pre-order your game at because all the DLC packs will be made available at a later date to everyone.
Photo courtesy Xbox.com
3. The Roster
There will be a total of 24 playable characters when you pick up Injustice and that is not including the four extras you will be getting with the Season Pass. The part I love about the roster is that you are getting your well known names that you would expect in a game featuring DC characters: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Lex Luthor and Bane should surprise no one. Where this game gets it right is the inclusion of heroes and villains that will not be very familiar to fans outside of the comics. Hawkgirl, Black Adam, Ares and Raven are just a few of the names that may have people scratching their heads, but you will get to know them quickly and see how good they can be in a fight. All I ask from NetherRealm is that they make Swamp Thing or Animal Man one of the future characters.
4. Super Moves
Since this is not Mortal Kombat, you won’t be getting any bloody fatalities, but I assure you that once you hit your first super move you will not miss the carnage. For example, Aquaman summons a massive tsunami that lifts his opponent up, he stabs him with his trident and feeds him (or her) up to a great white shark. The Joker will assault you with a crowbar Jason Todd-style, shoot you in the face and then blow you up with a rocket launcher. Yeah, badass right? Then there is Superman’s:
5. Batman
Photo courtesy winterdrake.com
That is all. Batman needs no explanation.
I hope these five reasons have convinced you to, at the very least, give Injustice: Gods Among Us a shot. We will have our review for it up in the future so keep your eyes open.
The May issue of Game Informer has broken HUGE news on the next Batman game.
Batman: Arkham Origins will see Batman in his early days take on eight of the world’s best assassins (including Deathstroke) as they make their way to Gotham on Christmas Eve to try and eliminate Batman.
The game is being developed by WB Montreal, not Rocksteady, so I understand if that gets some fans worried about if this will be as good as Arkham Asylum or City. I think we don’t have too much to worry about. WB Montreal handled the port of Batman: Arkham City on the Wii U which was received well and the creative director, Eric Holmes, was the lead designer on one of the most fun and addictive open world games ever, [amazon_link id=”B0007OSLAA” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction[/amazon_link].
This will be the first of the Arkham series that takes Batman out into the city of Gotham. And since it will be on Christmas Eve I am hoping that we can get a Max Shrek cameo or at least a picture of Christopher Walken somewhere in the game. I think all games would do good to have one piece of Walken in them.
The game will be coming to PS3, 360, Wii U and PC. A handheld version called Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate will also be releasing for the 3DS and Vita.
Batman: Arkham Origins releases on October 25th. Take a look at the reveal video below thanks to Game Informer.
Naughty Dog has released the second video diary for [amazon_link id=”B007CM0K86″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Last of Us[/amazon_link]. “Wasteland Beautiful” focuses on the creation of the environment in this world where humans are on the verge of extinction. A lot of time is spent on how important the lighting is to convey exactly how hauntingly beautiful this world is that has been reclaimed by Mother Nature.
Naughty Dog is able to draw so much power out of the PS3 it makes me excited for when they finally unveil their first PS4 title. (Uncharted…cough cough.)
We here at Nerd Rating are in love with Bioshock Infinite. We will be doing a dual review for the game like we did for Tomb Raider last month. We are enjoying the game so much that we want one of our lucky readers to be able to get everything out of this amazing work that they possibly can.
“How can you do that!?”, I hear you screaming at your computer screen as people in Starbucks look at you like a mental patient.
It is as simple as answering five questions. Just read the five questions below and message us your answers to either our Facebook page or direct message our Twitter and be entered to win. That’s it!!
Ready? Set? Skyhook!
1. In what year does BioShock Infinite take place?
2. What is the name given to the game’s super-powerlike abilities?
3. Handymen have one weak spot; what is it?
4. Name three characters other than Booker or Elizabeth.
5. What was #4 on our “Five Reasons” to be excited about Bioshock Infinite?
Irrational has released all of the alternate covers for [amazon_link id=”B003O6E6NE” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Bioshock Infinite[/amazon_link] that were up for fan vote before the game released. All of the covers can be accessed on the Bioshock Infinite website and have copies available for print for the PS3, 360 and PC versions of the game.
Our dual review for Bioshock Infinite from Trey Sterling and I will be up soon.
