Tag: Tomb Raider

E3 2014- Damn, Is 2015 Going To Be Awesome

E3 is over. While that may make you sad to hear, remember that E3 is not the end all of gaming shows. Hell, if we are being honest it is barely holding onto third best show after Gamescom and PAX and followed by TGS in fourth.

If this year’s E3 taught us anything it was that 2015 is going to be a clusterfu** of amazing games. There are plenty of fun times ahead this year with Far Cry 4, Dragon Age: Inquisition, Destiny, Shadow of Mordor, Alien: Isolation, Super Smash Bros. and the like, but if we are being honest, companies were squarely focused on the huge titles that will (presumably) be in consoles next year.

If most of these titles hold serve and release next year, 2015 will be one of the biggest years in video game history. Take a look at the lineup expected to hit next year.

The Witcher 3
http://youtu.be/2wNiiQpDPJE

Mortal Kombat X

Batman: Arkham Knight

Halo 5: Guardians

The Order: 1886

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Dying Light

Bloodborne

The Division
http://youtu.be/WxjhXCYUpk0

No Man’s Sky

The Legend of Zelda Wii U

Yoshi’s Woolly World

Star Wars: Battlefront

Xenoblade Chronicles

Dead Island 2
http://youtu.be/E6FrU0p7ijw

Will all of these be released next year? Doubtful (I am looking at you Zelda and Battlefront). Yet, there is an over-abundance of triple-A titles coming in 2015 and then you add in the dozens of indie titles coming, you won’t be able to throw a fat guy in any direction without hitting a good game.

But really, if you can throw a fat guy any kind of distance you should not be playing games. Maybe do those ESPN strong man competitions. Chop wood, flip tires, have a really long name that sounds like an angry German screaming.

You go do that. I will play some games.

June 16, 2014
Rise Of The Tomb Raider Announced. First Trailer Shown

Well that didn’t take long to make my E3. During Microsoft’s event today, the first trailer for the sequel to 2013’s Tomb Raider was shown.

Called Rise of the Tomb Raider, the trailer features Lara in therapy due to the events in the first game. We see that Laura has been changed by her adventure and is now becoming the Lara Croft we discovered in the days of the original Playstation.

Rise of the Tomb Raider will release Holiday 2015 (please do).

June 9, 2014
This One Time, On The Internet- March 7, 2013

Here are the quick hits from the world of movies, TV, games, drink machines, Cobra Kai, whatever catches our fancy.

Movies

The Jungle Book

Idris Elba has been cast as the voice of Shere Khan in Disney’s CGI/live-action version of The Jungle Book. In related news, I will now being seeing the shit out of The Jungle Book. It releases on October 9, 2015.

Matthew McConaughey

A video showing how to make healthy lunches on a budget for the Oscar winners’ just keep livin’ Foundation. Guy Fieri has to be holding back the need to yell “WHAMMY BOOM BAMMY” or see if he can deep fry celery.

TV

Archer

FX has renewed Archer for two more seasons. 26 more episodes of sex, cocaine, Danger Zone, other Barry, LLLAAANNNNAA and Pam. Sploosh.

The Walking Dead

Here is a homemade Michonne figure made out of a Barbie doll. This should be a real thing. I will let you check my man card at the door as I go and buy one.

Games

Infamous: Second Son

Watch the new live-action trailer for the PS4 exclusive here. It releases on March 21st.

http://youtu.be/jHzh96ehv4A

Tomb Raider

The game turns one year old this week and it should pass 6 million units sold by the end of the month. Tell Square and their insane sales expectations to go fuck themselves.

Xbox One

Twitch streaming will be coming to the Xbox One next week. Major Nelson shows you how use it.

March 7, 2014
How Definitive Is The Tomb Raider Re-Release? Let’s Take A Look

Photo courtesy pushsquare.com

In a few weeks Square will be re-releasing last year’s Tomb Raider for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One as Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition. The team at Crystal Dynamics have reworked their engine to harness the power of the next-gen consoles to give one of last year’s best games a makeover including changing the way Lara looks altogether.

The fine folks at IGN have posted a video that compares the PS3 and PS4 versions while executive producer Scot Amos explains all the fancy stuff they have done to the game.

I am actually getting this version of the game even though I played through the Xbox 360 version twice last year. Don’t ask me why. I normally hate double dips but I had a blast playing the game and will gladly go through it again for the Xbox One achievements. It is also a great chance for people who did not play it last year to pick it up on their shiny new consoles if they want.

To all the people bitching about the re-release; you don’t have to buy it. No one is making you. Calm down.

January 14, 2014
Scott’s 2013 Game Of The Year

The Last of Us

2013 was one of the strongest years ever for video games. So many games that deserve recognition for being incredible in their own right. When it comes right down to it, as I sat and looked at my list of possible picks, there was only one choice that was easy for me to make.

The Last of Us is a game that defines a generation and it comes at the very end of the current one. Naughty Dog’s reputation as a premiere developer was already sealed with their Uncharted trilogy, Jak and Daxter and Crash Bandicoot, but with The Last of Us they married the gameplay and story so seamlessly it reimagines what is possible in video gaming. Not just very good at one and slack at the other, rather a symbiosis created and learned over 30 years of gaming.

Led by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who set a new bar for voice acting, The Last of Us is the story of Joel and Ellie and their journey across the country, which spans a year, and set against the backdrop of a post-apocalyptic outbreak twenty years prior that has left mankind hanging on by a thread. We have seen the apocalypse scenario before. In fact, we are inundated with it in pop culture with the current zombie craze which makes Naughty Dog’s ability to make it feel fresh all the better. The lines of “video game as art” are blurred further the more you play.

It has been a long, long time since I felt so much emotional connection to characters in a game, not since the original Mass Effect in 2007. As Joel and Ellie’s relationship grows from contentious to so much more you can not help but have your own attachment to both of them, especially if you have experienced the type of loss that both of them have. I can not thank Naughty Dog enough for creating such a fully realized world and characters that will always stick with me.

The Last of Us is a journey that reveals just how good…and horrific humanity can be in its worst hour. As a species on the brink of dying off you are focused on these two engaging people who show you that The Last of Us isn’t about the last of humanity, but rather, the last of humanity left in us.

The best of the rest

-Bioshock Infinite

Any other year. Any other year this would be sitting at the top of my list. Taking the fun Bioshock formula and add in a host of mindfucks and you have only just begun to realize what awaits you.

-Tomb Raider

Welcome back, Lara Croft. It has been awhile. Where Uncharted was a spiritual successor to the original Tomb Raider this brings it full circle and the new Lara is a spiritual successor to Uncharted. Smooth controls and beautiful to look at.

-Assassin’s Creed IV

I had all but given up on the Assassin’s Creed franchise then Ubisoft goes and does this. Who doesn’t want to be a pirate on the high seas? It lets you live out your Jack Sparrow fantasies and reinvigorates the series.

-Super Mario 3D World

It looks like I bought a Wii U just in time. Crazy level design and co-op play that will make friends enemies. It is easily the best Mario game since Super Mario 64. Should be a system seller.

January 13, 2014
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition Dated For January 28th

If you watched the VGX’s this past Saturday I am sorry. You really should have just skipped it and watched all of the trailers after the “awards” show was over. I luckily did this and avoided what was, by all accounts, the worst thing to happen to video games since E.T. on Atari 2600.

It is weird that among all the new games shown that an already released game will be my first buy of the new year. Square confirmed that they are releasing this past spring’s amazing Tomb Raider on Xbox One and PS4. Titled Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition the game will include all of the DLC and the game’s graphics have been given a boost for the next generation systems. The most noticeable is that Laura’s appearance has been redone so that she more resembles her voice actress Camilla Luddington (giggity).

Tomb Raider was one of my favorite games of 2013 and will certainly appear on my “best of” list in a few weeks. I am normally not for double dipping but I will take the time to play through it again even if it is only a bit prettier.

December 9, 2013
Xbox 360 Holiday Bundles Feature Halo 4, Tomb Raider And More

The Xbox One may be releasing this November but Microsoft is not resting on its 8 year old workhorse, the Xbox 360. Three new bundles will be available this year for you holiday shoppers. Two will include the Kinect and all three come with the Xbox 350 E console.

Bundle 1- Xbox 360 250GB console, Kinect, Kinect Sports: Season 2, Kinect Adventures, Forza Horizon and one month of Xbox Live Gold- $399.99

Bundle 2- Xbox 360 4GB console, Kinect, Kinect Sports: Season 2, Kinect Adventures and one month of Xbox Live Gold- $299.99

Bundle 3- Xbox 250GB console, Tomb Raider, Halo 4 and one month of Xbox Live Gold- $299.99

If you purchase one of these bundles between October 13th and January 4, 2014, the bundles will come with a $50 discount.

Unless you really want a disappointing experience, I would skip the first two bundles with the Kinect. The Tomb Raider/Halo 4 bundle looks like a great buy for someone who is needing a replacement console or if you have waited 8 years to jump on the 360 train.

October 11, 2013
Tomb Raider Sequel Officially In Development

It is now official, we will see more of Lara Croft.

Really there was little doubt after this year’s [amazon_link id=”B004FS8LYK” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Tomb Raider[/amazon_link] reboot garnered great reviews and sold extremely well despite the fact Square complained about the sales numbers. It must be hard for them to admit that their western arm is the only thing keeping their company afloat.

CEO Phil Rogers has sent out an open letter confirming the sequel is already in development for next-gen consoles.

“I am also excited to reveal that we are well into development on a next-generation Tomb Raider sequel – something you may have heard about recently.”

The game was loved by everyone here as we did a dual review for the game and both reviews agreed upon an 8.5. Even as I played the game, I remember being excited about what the development team could do with next generation hardware and I am glad we will get a chance to see.

Darrell Gallagher, head of product development at Square spoke on giving fans even more the second time around:

“It’s still early days, so I’m afraid I can’t provide any further details for now save my assurance that we’re not resting on our laurels and acclaim from Tomb Raider’s recent successes, but working hard to raise the bar even higher and re-affirm the faith you’ve shown.”

August 1, 2013
Win A Free Strategy Guide For Bioshock Infinite!!!

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?

Good luck everyone!!

April 8, 2013
Square Announces “Weak Sales” Of Tomb Raider, Hitman, Does Not Know How To Handle Money.

Photo courtesy digitaltrends.com

Square Enix is the company that doesn’t realize they aren’t as big a player as they used to be. They basically owned the 90’s, but have been losing relevance and money for the last dozen years. So it kind of made me sick this morning when I read that they are complaining about weak sales for two huge games.

Tomb Raider is projected to sell 3.4 million copies and Hitman: Absolution is projected to hit 3.6 million by March 31st.

Here is my beef. What in the blue hell were Square’s projections of these games??? Hitman had a long break in between entries and I even wondered if people still cared enough to buy another game starring Agent 47. Well 3.6 million people did apparently. And Tomb Raider is the one that is truly getting under my skin. The game has “weak” sales with 3.4 million copies…..in 26 days!!! The game just released on March 5th and Square is bitching about over 3 million copies sold. 97% of games would kill for games like that with the 3% being disappointed consisting of Call of Duty, GTA and Halo.

This is one of the problems in today’s video game world. You can project a game to sell 6 million copies, but here is the thing publishers, and I will say it slow for you.

Not. Every. Game. Can. Be. Call. Of. Duty.

Maybe if you stopped wasting every red cent you had on useless ass Final Fantasy ports for every damn system and phone imaginable, you wouldn’t not have to up your projections so high for every other game to cover your inability to handle your own finances.

Even [amazon_link id=”B0076ZQSFI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Sleeping Dogs[/amazon_link], which I fully credit Square with saving from death, was considered a disappointment with 1.5 million copies sold. A new IP (even if it did start as a True Crime game) that has sold over a million copies used to be considered a success.

Now don’t get me wrong, I understand game development costs are also way higher than they used to be, but I can not accept that a game that has sold over 3 million copies in just 26 days is already considered a disappointment by Square’s standards. At this point the company should be kissing Crystal Dynamic’s ass.

Be sure and read our review for Sleeping Dogs and our dual review for Tomb Raider here and here.

March 26, 2013