Tag: Video Games

New Metal Gear Rising Trailer Is So Metal Gear It Hurts

Metal Gear has become the David Lynch of video games. It sure does look pretty but I’ll be damned if I know what’s going on. I made it through Metal Gear Solid 4 and felt I understood a good 73% of it and now you have Metal Ground Solid: Ground Zeroes in the works and that weird as hell trailer for The Phantom Pain, which may or may not be Metal Gear Solid 5, or it could be part of Ground Zeroes…..Kojima, that all I got. Kojima.

So let’s add another car to this Metal Gear crazy train and show you the newest trailer for [amazon_link id=”B002I0J8FI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance[/amazon_link], the slice ’em up game that is developed by Platinum Games. In it, Raiden….I honestly don’t know what is going on plot wise but I do know that the gameplay looks fun in a Devil May Cry/Dynasty Warriors way. Can we just cut sh** up and not worry about story? Watch the trailer below.

http://youtu.be/v-7YASjuqlo

January 16, 2013
Playing Bioshock Infinite On PC? Check Your Specs.
At this point is there anyone who is not counting down the days until the release of [amazon_link id=”B003O6E6NE” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Bioshock Infinite[/amazon_link]? For those with the luxury of consoles we are pretty positive that our copies will be playing come March but for those who will be enjoying the game on PC’s you may be interested to know the specs that you are going to need to make the next Bioshock run all nice and pretty. Take a look below at the minimum and recommended requirements to make sure you will be good to go.

Bioshock Infinite releases on March 26th.

Minimum System Requirements
- OS: Windows Vista Service Pack 2 32-bit
- Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO 2.4 GHz / AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHz
- Memory: 2 GB
- Hard Drive: 20 GB free
- Video Card: DirectX10 Compatible ATI Radeon HD 3870 / NVIDIA 8800 GT / Intel HD 3000 Integrated Graphics
- Video Card Memory: 512 MB
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
Recommended System Requirements
- OS: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 64-bit
- Processor: Quad Core Processor
- Memory: 4 GB
- Hard Drive: 30 GB free
- Video Card: DirectX11 Compatible, AMD Radeon HD 6950 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
- Video Card Memory: 1024 MB
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
January 16, 2013
Disney Wants A Piece Of The Skylanders Pie, Introduces Infinity

With Activision making money hand over fist ($500 million and counting) with their Skylanders game and figure series, it was only a matter of time before the copycats began. Maybe unlucky for Skylanders is that the first such game happens to be Disney Infinity, a game that will involve Disney characters and see them let loose in a huge sandbox game that includes environments from movies like Monsters University, [amazon_link id=”B0071JADFU” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Pirates of the Caribbean[/amazon_link] and [amazon_link id=”B004I654UI” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Incredibles[/amazon_link].

The game will launch with three characters: Sully, Capt. Jack Sparrow and Mr. Incredible. Each character has access to open up their own world called “Playsets”. They can be combined together as more figures are bought from different franchises to create a huge open-world where characters can cross over between franchises. The Playset Reader is the pad that will read the figures and place them in the game. There will be three spots on each reader.

The video below shows off a number of franchises that will make it into the game including the beloved The Nightmare Before Christmas and last year’s hit Wreck It Ralph. Disney Infinity will take on [amazon_link id=”B004VQENY8″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Skylanders[/amazon_link] this June on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Wii and 3DS.

January 15, 2013
Dead Island Riptide UK Collector’s Set Causing Controversy (UPDATED: Deep Silver Offers Apology)

And with one announcement, Deep Silver appears to be in deep sh**.

This morning, the developers announced the Dead Island Riptide Zombie Bait Edition, a collector’s set that would only be made available in the UK and Australia. And as soon as this picture was released the internet was set on fire with a host of head scratching and disgust towards the main attraction, a mutilated torso wearing a Union Jack bikini.

Instead of posting random tweets I think it would be easier just to suggest going on Twitter and search #deadisland.

I understand the knee jerk reaction to this “piece” and it did catch me a bit off guard when I first saw it this morning. I first thought it had to be a mock up by some fan since there has already been a Collector’s Edition announced a few days ago. Some may see nothing wrong with it, but there are plenty out there who are now refusing to buy the game because of this, so I would not be surprised if Deep Silver does a 180 and does not release this.

As we have seen with [amazon_link id=”B007MS5B6Q” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Walking Dead Season 2 set[/amazon_link] there is a way to market the zombie craze without alienating a portion of your fans.

UPDATED:

Deep Silver has heard the fan outcry today and released an official statement and apology:

“We deeply apologize for any offense caused by the Dead Island Riptide “Zombie Bait Edition”, the collector’s edition announced for Europe and Australia. Like many gaming companies, Deep Silver has many offices in different countries, which is why sometimes different versions of Collector’s Editions come into being for North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia.

For the limited run of the Zombie Bait Edition for Europe and Australia, a decision was made to include a gruesome statue of a zombie torso, which was cut up like many of our fans had done to the undead enemies in the original Dead Island.

We sincerely regret this choice. We are collecting feedback continuously from the Dead Island community, as well as the international gaming community at large, for ongoing internal meetings with Deep Silver’s entire international team today. For now, we want to reiterate to the community, fans and industry how deeply sorry we are, and that we are committed to making sure this will never happen again.”

Good idea for the guys at Deep Silver to post an apology quickly and not let the internet fire get out of control. The statement does not say if the special edition is being put on hold or not. You would assume that could be read in with the apology but there is no way to know until they have officially said.

January 15, 2013
Injustice: Gods Among Us Gets A Second Collector’s Set, Release Date Revealed

[amazon_link id=”B0088I7L76″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Injustice: Gods Among Us[/amazon_link], the new fighting game from Mortal Kombat producers NetherRealm and starring characters from DC Comics will be released on April 16th. Along with that news, WB Game unveiled a second collector’s set for the game to go along with the one announced last year which you can see below. This new set is called the ‘Battle Edition’ and will ship with the game, three special character skins for in-game use from DC’s New 52 and a custom fight stick with game artwork.

The ‘Battle Edition’ will cost you a cool $149.99 and the Collector’s Edition will be $99.99 (and features Batman having Wonder Woman in a choke hold, so worth the price).

January 15, 2013
Dust 514 Open Beta Set For January 22

CCP Games has been hard at work for years on Dust 514, a first-person shooter set in their massive multiplayer online game, Eve Online. It is one of the most ambitious projects undertaken in gaming history by taking the already established universe and the very real in-game economy that has thrived on PC for years and create a shooter in the same universe that will have an effect on gameplay and economy for the Playstation 3.

Now the company is ready to begin the open beta process on January 22nd. The closed beta took place during the summer of last year and CCP is now in the process of merging their servers to have both games be part of the same universe. As a reward for closed beta members, if anyone plays a match before the January 22nd open beta they will be awarded with an extra 100,000 skill points for equipment upgrades.

No release date has been given for Dust 514 but the biggest seeling point for the title is that it will be free to play when it launches on the PS3.

January 14, 2013
The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct Release Date Announced

Well let’s add another game to the huge tsunami of games coming out this spring. Activision’s [amazon_link id=”B008J16ARY” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct[/amazon_link] , the first person survival shooter based on the AMC show (not the comics) is jumping head first into the deep end of the video game pool by releasing on the same day as Bioshock Infinite.

The game will follow brother Merle and Daryl (voiced by show actors, Michael Rooker and Norman Reedus) as they make their way through Atlanta in events that pre-date the show. Activision is playing up the survival aspect of the game saying that supplies will be few and far between so conservation and smart play will be necessary.

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct will release on March 26th.

January 14, 2013
Fire Emblem: Awakening Gets The Special 3DS Treatment (UPDATED)

The long awaited sequel, [amazon_link id=”B00AKIPBNS” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Fire Emblem: Awakening[/amazon_link], is almost here and Nintendo has decided to bring the special edition 3DS that has been available in Japan since last April stateside.

The system is cobalt blue and comes with a Fire Emblem branding on the top. Now take note that is you are going to pick up this system that is is the normal 3DS not the XL. Fire Emblem: Awakening will come pre-loaded on the system. No price point or release date has been given as of yet but the game will release on February 4th.

UPDATE:

It has been announced that the Fire Emblem: Awakening bundle will release on February 4th and cost $199.99.

January 14, 2013
Review: Lego The Lord Of The Rings (PS Vita)

Handheld Travels To Middle-Earth.

With the release of The Hobbit this year Lego seized the opportunity to release sets based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic work as well as its follow-up, The Lord of the Rings. Now as any gamer should know this inevitably meant that we would be receiving a video game translation. With Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean and Batman already under their gaming belt the folks at Traveller’s Tales now had the opportunity to bring one of the most beloved film trilogies to life in the wonderful world of Lego. This is the review of that game’s not as large but still enjoyable cousin.

By now, if you have played any of the Lego licensed games (Star Wars, Pirates, etc.) then you know what you are going to get here. Like my Lego Batman 2 review, you are basically fulfilling your inner loot monster by bashing everything in sight in the pursuit of Lego pieces to build structures to inaccessible areas and to spend on unlockable characters.

As I said, by now we know the name of the game so the real appeal is the license that is attached to it and The Lord of the Rings is as strong as it gets. You will make your way through all three movies with many different variations of party members from the entire fellowship with Legolas, Gimli, Boromir and more, then swapping to two or three member groups according to where in the trilogy story you happen to be playing through.

The real shame of this game is that it is, once again, a port of the 3DS version of the game which truly undermines the power of the Vita. The system is billed as a console in your hands and guess what? It is. So the fact we are made to play a simple port of another handheld is a bit disappointing knowing that this game could easily have been closer to the console version with just a little extra work. The back box art promises to take you through the open world of Middle-Earth and having played Lego Batman 2 extensively on a console apparently my definition of open world and Traveller’s Tales differs greatly. The areas are big enough to explore around to gather Lego pieces and solve minor puzzles but you will not lose yourself in the vast expanse of Tolkien’s world.

Controls are serviceable especially since the Vita has dual analogs. Make no mistake, this is a button masher and your square button will get a workout. Some areas are a bit frustrating with jumping onto small places with no real shadow to guide you as to where you are so some jumps are guesswork. Nothing will overly frustrate you but the feel of the controls are not top notch either.

On the good side is that almost every main character from the trilogy are represented well with each one having a special ability that you must use to access hidden pieces needed to continue. Gandalf can float objects into place, Gimli can bum rush into things and Aragorn can use his tracking ability are just a few of the attributes that you have at your disposal. There are some places, especially in the Fellowship section, where you will be using four or five members of your party to get secret items together.

Like Lego Batman, The Lord of the Rings features voice acting. They have taken samples from the Peter Jackson trilogy and used them throughout the game. On the downside they do not sound all that good. It sounds like a cassette tape played over clear music. So the cut in and cut out of the voices is very noticeable but the inclusion of the movie dialogue is still a welcome sound. Also there are good bits of the soundtrack in the background and it sounds much better than the dialogue. It really does add a lot to be able to run around The Shire and hear Howard Shore’s soft hobbit theme playing.

In the end, if you are trying to decide between the console and handheld versions there really is no contest. And it still upsets me that a system as powerful as the Vita is still getting stuck with 3DS ports which hinder the quality of the game but honestly I had a little bit of fun with [amazon_link id=”B0088MVOU2″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Lego The Lord of the Rings[/amazon_link]. If you are looking for a Vita game to sink a few hours into and get your Tolkien fix it is not a bad game to pick up. Given that is on sale.

NERD RATING- 7/10

January 14, 2013
Microsoft’s IllumiRoom Is Here To Change The Perception Of Video Games

Months ago images were leaked of Microsoft’s plans for the ability to transform your entire living room into a massive screen where the gaming experience would be stretched beyond the television and plastered onto the walls that surround you. Many speculated that this could be the next generation of Kinect and no one really knew how far off this technology was.

It seems like the wait will not be too long.

At the Samsung keynote during CES yesterday, Microsoft showed off a proof-of-concept video that showed some ways that this new experience would change how you game. It is called IllumiRoom and Microsoft said that the video was done in real-time with no after effects added. While some may surely cry the easy word of “gimmick”, I say it is far less of a gimmick than the Kinect was. This is not a needed technology, but I will admit that I am excited about trying it out and more than that, excited about what developers can do with it.

The video shows an Xbox 360 on the shelf but I am going to go out on a very thick, sturdy limb here and say that IllumiRoom will be one of the selling points for the next Xbox. Maybe it will be a feature than will come with a new Kinect when the system releases. Right now we are all throwing our hats in the rumor mill ring but I will say that if IllumiRoom can meet the expectations set by the concept video then Microsoft may have something special and game changing on their hands.

January 11, 2013