Well, today was the last day of E3's show and I was able to find out some more news. There's a lot, so I'll try to be really brief:
-GameSpot was kind enough to provide a full list of all 757 games showcased at E3 2011.
-Professor Layton and the Last Specter (DS) Trailer
-Dragon Quest Monster - Joker 2 (DS) Trailer
-Starfox 64 3D (3DS) Trailer - Multiplayer looks interesting, you can see the faces of your opponents
-Animal Crossing (3DS) Trailer
-At the moment, Wii U is confirmed to only support one WiiPad at a time.
-Dark Souls Interview with Producer Brian Hong
Source: Youtube Channel G4TV
-Dark Souls Updates
-Up to 3 people can invade a world now
-No Nexus, entirely open world and open ended
-Healing items are limited to holding 5 flasks now and can be replenished at a bon fire (WHAT? ONLY 5?)
-Nintendo dominated the show once more this year with lines for the Wii U taking 5 hours to check it out
-Wii U will not be using the archaic friend codes and will allow players to make usernames and have friends lists
-Ghost Recon Online will be available on Wii U appearently
-Torchlight 2 has LAN capabilities and online play for up to 6 players. No new trailers...
-Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny (Wii and PS3, weird) coming out this fall
-Dragon Nest Beta testing should begin sometime this month
-Star Wars: The Old Republic Trailer
-Black Prophecy Gameplay Video
-RaiderZ (Going to be Published by Perfect World) Trailer
Source: Youtube Channel OmegaRoach
-Neverwinter Trailer
-PixelJunk SideScroller Gameplay Trailer - Cool, if it comes out on Steam, I'll get it
-Minecraft - Pocket Edition on Xperia Play
-Planck Gameplay Trailer - This is one Indie game I'm looking out for
Next year's E3 will be from June 5th-7th 2012 at the LA Convention Center.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
GameLight - Games of E3 2011 Day 2
I actually had a difficult time trying to find games that I haven't heard about or seen trailers to already. Despite that, I tried to scrounge up what I could and share what I can:
Ninja Gaiden 3 - It's surprising, but it's going to be available on the Nintendo WiiU. I didn't think such a violent game was going to make it onto the WiiU, but it is. Not that I really care since I have yet to beat the first one and haven't even tried the 2nd.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - I saw this last year at E3 and didn't get to play it! My friends tried it and thought it was pretty good in terms of mimicking actual sword movements from the wiimote. I didn't pay too much attention to it this year, especially since I'm not even at E3 this time, but I'll keep an eye out for the release.
Kirby Mass Attack - A DS game that isn't a platformer, but sort of like a strategy game of sorts. Remember Kirby Canvas Curse? It's kind of like that, but with lots of Kirbys:
Source: Youtube Channel foreverkirby
Final Fantasy XIII-2 - I WILL play FF13 some time soon as soon as I finish Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Devil May Cry 4, and Eternal Sonata! Looking at FF13-2, it doesn't look like anything too new. But it's a Final Fantasy game and I will buy it and play through it despite how much critics and fanboys hate it!
Dragon's Crown - I was hoping to see a new new, a new franchise among all the big name series that's getting their sequels or follow ups. I ran into a trailer for Dragon's Crown and I can't really determine whether it's going to be a game to look out for or one to pass. For one thing, the boobs on the Amazon and Sorceress is just rediculous...On the other hand, it kind of looks like a 4-player Golden Axe. Hmm...
Source: Youtube Channel GAMEBLOGfr
Dragon's Dogma - Okay, a game I've never heard of and am seeing for the first time. Wow, I am very impressed and already want it. Action game with open-ended gameplay with European Medieval setting? Seriously, I blame Demon's Souls for wanting to play all these types of Medieval style games, but god dang this game looks amazing!
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Dark Souls - I just mentioned Demon's Souls just now, of course I've got to mention its follow up "Dark Souls". Showing gameplay of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls doesn't do justice for how fun the game is. The game is about exploration, patience, and learning from past mistakes. Most gameplay videos show the player slashing up zombies that just stand there, so it usually looks boring. The most exciting part for non-fans is probably the dragon, but it doesn't show nearly enough. Doesn't matter, definite buy for me.
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Street Fighter X Tekken - The game looks pretty good thus far, but watching the gameplay videos didn't have nearly the same effect that Marvel vs. Capcom 3 did for me. I'll probably get the game eventually when it comes out. I like Street Fighter and Tekken, and to have them mix into one game is pretty interesting (and still weird, mainly for the Tekken characters).
Soul Calibur V - I'm not sure if I even care about this one because I barely touched Soul Calibur IV. I played Soul Calibur II like crazy back in the Gamecube days, but I had more time and less games back then. If I ever get around to fully playing enough of Soul Calibur IV that would warrant a fifth one, then I'll get it.
Inversion - Third-Person Shooter with gravity defying elements. Half of me says "cool!" The other half is going "meh..." I've been playing so many shooters these past 6 years that I've become very critical of them. I can definitely tell the differences between them and appreciate each one, but there are a lot of shooters which seem to be copy (parts)-paste with glitters on top of the most basic of shooters which makes for a rather unremarkable experience. Let's hope Inversion isn't one of them.
Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online - I guess it's cool that they're bringing SF3:TS back to the players with online support, but I can only imagine hardcore fans buying it. SF3:TS is tourney intensive and I've seen a lot of non-tourney players play it competitively at the arcade. So it's not going to really attract a large crowd, but I suppose that's what Capcom wants.
Super Mario 3D - I never know what to think about Mario games anymore. Everytime I look at one, I don't think too much of it. But I sincerely have a lot of fun when playing a Mario game. So watching the trailer for the game didn't do too much for me, but I'm hoping to one day play it on the 3DS.
Asura's Wrath - The gameplay looks interesting. It kind of reminds me of Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star where he delivers ridiculous amounts of punches to the enemy. I'm not too crazy about the game so far, but I will keep an eye on it.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - I am still trying to get through the first Deus Ex right now and find that the new one has a rather...direct approach. I'm sure there's still going to be a lot of stealth, and I'm very open minded about changes. A lot of Deus Ex fans seemed to have not liked the sequel, but I heard good things about that one too. I'm hoping that Deus Ex: Human Revolution will turn out to be a hit, it looks really fun.
Sonic Generations - I actually am not up to date with Sonic games, and a lot of disappointment seemed to have come from the fans in the past decade or so of releases. Sonic Generations will have both 3D and 2D gameplay, but will that really satisfy the community?
Devil May Cry (DMC) - I still find it weird to see a younger, disgruntled Dante with a disfigured face that doesn't seem like it'd be able to grow up to the Dante we know and love. So far, the gameplay and trailers haven't really appealed to me, but I think seeing some boss battles might eventually change my mind later on.
Crimson Alliance - It's a Gauntlet-like game for Xbox Live Arcade. It actually looks pretty decent. Seeing how Torchlight is limited to only one player, I'm sure Xbox 360 players who are looking for a co-op game to play would like to try this game out.
XCOM - Don't hate me...but I've never played or even heard of Xcom until the FPS reboot was announced...I'm sorry...But yeah, the reboot is actually looking pretty good right now. As long as it's not a straight up FPS and has some depth in its gameplay, I might be interested in trying it out.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - It looks like it's coming out on 11/11/11. I've never played a Elder Scroll game before, but now is probably a good time to whip out the ES4: Oblivion sitting on my shelf and give it a go!
Source: Youtube Channel Gawdsbud
Kid Icarus Uprising - It's been announced that there will be 3 versus 3 capabilities. The gameplay looks magnificent and multiplayer looks rather challenging. A lot of good games for 3DS will be coming out this summer, but I'm still not sure if it's worth getting one right now.
Rhythm Heaven - I'm not sure if I really want this if it doesn't have the option to switch the audio to Japanese. I played the original two Rhythm Tengoku (or Rhythm Heaven in English) in Japanese and cringed at the English dubs when it was translated. Give me a Japanese audio option!!!
Dead or Alive Dimension - Dead or Alive is one of the fighting games I don't have in my collection of fighting games, and I'd like to get this one if I get a 3DS as previous titles were released on consoles I didn't own. So far, the game looks pretty solid. The only problem is finding friends who would want to play a fighting game (other than Street Fighter) with me, hmm...(I have the same problem with MMOs).
That's it for now, I have no idea what to report tomorrow. I'm hoping for a surprise.
Sources: Browsed around game sites and just looked for names and videos on Youtube
-GameSpot
-GameTrailers
-IGN
Ninja Gaiden 3 - It's surprising, but it's going to be available on the Nintendo WiiU. I didn't think such a violent game was going to make it onto the WiiU, but it is. Not that I really care since I have yet to beat the first one and haven't even tried the 2nd.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - I saw this last year at E3 and didn't get to play it! My friends tried it and thought it was pretty good in terms of mimicking actual sword movements from the wiimote. I didn't pay too much attention to it this year, especially since I'm not even at E3 this time, but I'll keep an eye out for the release.
Kirby Mass Attack - A DS game that isn't a platformer, but sort of like a strategy game of sorts. Remember Kirby Canvas Curse? It's kind of like that, but with lots of Kirbys:
Source: Youtube Channel foreverkirby
Final Fantasy XIII-2 - I WILL play FF13 some time soon as soon as I finish Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Devil May Cry 4, and Eternal Sonata! Looking at FF13-2, it doesn't look like anything too new. But it's a Final Fantasy game and I will buy it and play through it despite how much critics and fanboys hate it!
Dragon's Crown - I was hoping to see a new new, a new franchise among all the big name series that's getting their sequels or follow ups. I ran into a trailer for Dragon's Crown and I can't really determine whether it's going to be a game to look out for or one to pass. For one thing, the boobs on the Amazon and Sorceress is just rediculous...On the other hand, it kind of looks like a 4-player Golden Axe. Hmm...
Source: Youtube Channel GAMEBLOGfr
Dragon's Dogma - Okay, a game I've never heard of and am seeing for the first time. Wow, I am very impressed and already want it. Action game with open-ended gameplay with European Medieval setting? Seriously, I blame Demon's Souls for wanting to play all these types of Medieval style games, but god dang this game looks amazing!
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Dark Souls - I just mentioned Demon's Souls just now, of course I've got to mention its follow up "Dark Souls". Showing gameplay of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls doesn't do justice for how fun the game is. The game is about exploration, patience, and learning from past mistakes. Most gameplay videos show the player slashing up zombies that just stand there, so it usually looks boring. The most exciting part for non-fans is probably the dragon, but it doesn't show nearly enough. Doesn't matter, definite buy for me.
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
Street Fighter X Tekken - The game looks pretty good thus far, but watching the gameplay videos didn't have nearly the same effect that Marvel vs. Capcom 3 did for me. I'll probably get the game eventually when it comes out. I like Street Fighter and Tekken, and to have them mix into one game is pretty interesting (and still weird, mainly for the Tekken characters).
Soul Calibur V - I'm not sure if I even care about this one because I barely touched Soul Calibur IV. I played Soul Calibur II like crazy back in the Gamecube days, but I had more time and less games back then. If I ever get around to fully playing enough of Soul Calibur IV that would warrant a fifth one, then I'll get it.
Inversion - Third-Person Shooter with gravity defying elements. Half of me says "cool!" The other half is going "meh..." I've been playing so many shooters these past 6 years that I've become very critical of them. I can definitely tell the differences between them and appreciate each one, but there are a lot of shooters which seem to be copy (parts)-paste with glitters on top of the most basic of shooters which makes for a rather unremarkable experience. Let's hope Inversion isn't one of them.
Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online - I guess it's cool that they're bringing SF3:TS back to the players with online support, but I can only imagine hardcore fans buying it. SF3:TS is tourney intensive and I've seen a lot of non-tourney players play it competitively at the arcade. So it's not going to really attract a large crowd, but I suppose that's what Capcom wants.
Super Mario 3D - I never know what to think about Mario games anymore. Everytime I look at one, I don't think too much of it. But I sincerely have a lot of fun when playing a Mario game. So watching the trailer for the game didn't do too much for me, but I'm hoping to one day play it on the 3DS.
Asura's Wrath - The gameplay looks interesting. It kind of reminds me of Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star where he delivers ridiculous amounts of punches to the enemy. I'm not too crazy about the game so far, but I will keep an eye on it.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - I am still trying to get through the first Deus Ex right now and find that the new one has a rather...direct approach. I'm sure there's still going to be a lot of stealth, and I'm very open minded about changes. A lot of Deus Ex fans seemed to have not liked the sequel, but I heard good things about that one too. I'm hoping that Deus Ex: Human Revolution will turn out to be a hit, it looks really fun.
Sonic Generations - I actually am not up to date with Sonic games, and a lot of disappointment seemed to have come from the fans in the past decade or so of releases. Sonic Generations will have both 3D and 2D gameplay, but will that really satisfy the community?
Devil May Cry (DMC) - I still find it weird to see a younger, disgruntled Dante with a disfigured face that doesn't seem like it'd be able to grow up to the Dante we know and love. So far, the gameplay and trailers haven't really appealed to me, but I think seeing some boss battles might eventually change my mind later on.
Crimson Alliance - It's a Gauntlet-like game for Xbox Live Arcade. It actually looks pretty decent. Seeing how Torchlight is limited to only one player, I'm sure Xbox 360 players who are looking for a co-op game to play would like to try this game out.
XCOM - Don't hate me...but I've never played or even heard of Xcom until the FPS reboot was announced...I'm sorry...But yeah, the reboot is actually looking pretty good right now. As long as it's not a straight up FPS and has some depth in its gameplay, I might be interested in trying it out.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - It looks like it's coming out on 11/11/11. I've never played a Elder Scroll game before, but now is probably a good time to whip out the ES4: Oblivion sitting on my shelf and give it a go!
Source: Youtube Channel Gawdsbud
Kid Icarus Uprising - It's been announced that there will be 3 versus 3 capabilities. The gameplay looks magnificent and multiplayer looks rather challenging. A lot of good games for 3DS will be coming out this summer, but I'm still not sure if it's worth getting one right now.
Rhythm Heaven - I'm not sure if I really want this if it doesn't have the option to switch the audio to Japanese. I played the original two Rhythm Tengoku (or Rhythm Heaven in English) in Japanese and cringed at the English dubs when it was translated. Give me a Japanese audio option!!!
Dead or Alive Dimension - Dead or Alive is one of the fighting games I don't have in my collection of fighting games, and I'd like to get this one if I get a 3DS as previous titles were released on consoles I didn't own. So far, the game looks pretty solid. The only problem is finding friends who would want to play a fighting game (other than Street Fighter) with me, hmm...(I have the same problem with MMOs).
That's it for now, I have no idea what to report tomorrow. I'm hoping for a surprise.
Sources: Browsed around game sites and just looked for names and videos on Youtube
-GameSpot
-GameTrailers
-IGN
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
VGCulture - E3 2011 Day 1
ARGH! I wish I was actually at E3 taking pictures, doing interviews and seeing what's actually there. You'd be surprised how many games are showcased there but aren't covered by the media. Too many big name companies outshining all the smaller games. I guess I'll check out the indie game sites to see what they got there at E3 later. Anyways, there were a lot of big name companies that announced and showed stuff that got me excited. Here was one of the biggest ones:
Nintendo Announces Wii U and controller
IT'S A TOUCH SCREEN CONTROLLER! Wait what? The rumors were true?
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
So my first reaction was "wow, it's so chunky. It can't be comfortable to hold." Well, it doesn't look as bad when viewing the back of the controller. I can't really tell unless I've tried it myself. It didn't get me as hyped up as the Wii did when I first heard its announcement (and the first Wii video didn't even have game footages), but I'm already convinced at buying one (probably not immediately) looking at the possibilities of the system.
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
It actually reminds me of how the Gamecube had the Gameboy Advance compatibility to play using the screen on the gameboy and the TV (Zelda and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles). The Wii U controller has a gyroscope, motion sensing, a mic, speakers, camera, and DS style touch screen. And it seems like a lot of Wii peripherals will still be used for this new system (smart move). There are so many possibilities with this new combined concept, I really hope developers work hard on making REAL games and stop making gimmicky casual games.
New Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS
NEW SUPER SMASH BROS! Not only that, but also on the 3DS. It was hinted that there will be some sort of connectivity between the two when they're finally released. Oh man, that is some pretty heavy news, but we're probably not going to see it until 2013 or 2014 see how Super Smash Bros. Brawl took so long. Doesn't matter though, because they took the time to make it as balanced and refined as possible and didn't delay in indefinitely.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Gameplay footages
Am I excited about MW3? Not really. Do I want to play it? Yeah. I feel really weird about Modern Warfare 3 actually being developed and all with a lot of the original crew gone. The only thing I can think of being able to support them is looking out for their future projects and buying them when they release. With Modern Warfare 3, I may want to try it before I decide to buy it for the multiplayer. If it's campaign I want to play only, I'll just borrow it. Anyways, footage here:
Source: Youtube Channel tonyliu
Battlefield 3 Frostbite 2 Features
The game looks amazing and the graphics are incredible! With audio, I hope it's as good as Medal of Honor (2010) because that game seriously got me hooked because of the quality of recording and output of the sound. There's going to be Multiplayer co-op campaign too!
Source: Youtube Channel Battlefield
I wonder what other surprises we'll see the next two days~
Source:
-Engadget - The Wii U controller, revealed! (video)
-Joystiq - Smash Bros announced for Wii U and 3DS
Nintendo Announces Wii U and controller
IT'S A TOUCH SCREEN CONTROLLER! Wait what? The rumors were true?
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
So my first reaction was "wow, it's so chunky. It can't be comfortable to hold." Well, it doesn't look as bad when viewing the back of the controller. I can't really tell unless I've tried it myself. It didn't get me as hyped up as the Wii did when I first heard its announcement (and the first Wii video didn't even have game footages), but I'm already convinced at buying one (probably not immediately) looking at the possibilities of the system.
Source: Youtube Channel IGNentertainment
It actually reminds me of how the Gamecube had the Gameboy Advance compatibility to play using the screen on the gameboy and the TV (Zelda and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles). The Wii U controller has a gyroscope, motion sensing, a mic, speakers, camera, and DS style touch screen. And it seems like a lot of Wii peripherals will still be used for this new system (smart move). There are so many possibilities with this new combined concept, I really hope developers work hard on making REAL games and stop making gimmicky casual games.
New Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS
NEW SUPER SMASH BROS! Not only that, but also on the 3DS. It was hinted that there will be some sort of connectivity between the two when they're finally released. Oh man, that is some pretty heavy news, but we're probably not going to see it until 2013 or 2014 see how Super Smash Bros. Brawl took so long. Doesn't matter though, because they took the time to make it as balanced and refined as possible and didn't delay in indefinitely.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Gameplay footages
Am I excited about MW3? Not really. Do I want to play it? Yeah. I feel really weird about Modern Warfare 3 actually being developed and all with a lot of the original crew gone. The only thing I can think of being able to support them is looking out for their future projects and buying them when they release. With Modern Warfare 3, I may want to try it before I decide to buy it for the multiplayer. If it's campaign I want to play only, I'll just borrow it. Anyways, footage here:
Source: Youtube Channel tonyliu
Battlefield 3 Frostbite 2 Features
The game looks amazing and the graphics are incredible! With audio, I hope it's as good as Medal of Honor (2010) because that game seriously got me hooked because of the quality of recording and output of the sound. There's going to be Multiplayer co-op campaign too!
Source: Youtube Channel Battlefield
I wonder what other surprises we'll see the next two days~
Source:
-Engadget - The Wii U controller, revealed! (video)
-Joystiq - Smash Bros announced for Wii U and 3DS
Monday, June 6, 2011
VGCulture - E3 2011 Press Conference (Sony & Microsoft)
E3 starts tomorrow. Tomorrow, we'll get a glimpse at the future on what's to come, what to expect, and what might fail. Press Conferences for Sony and Microsoft were held today that piqued my curiousity (more like shocked me into going OMGWTFBBQ!).
Sony's PSP2 is called the Sony PlayStation Vita
Wait, what? It's going to be called Vita? Before I start saying how odd and dumb of a name it is, I am reminded that I thought the Gameboy Dual Screen was an odd name (but it caught on with DS). I also thought the change from Nintendo Revolution to Wii was absurd. But it became normal and people were okay with it. I'm not sure, but maybe it'll just catch on just by calling it the PSV.
"Vita means life," said Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment. "And we're confident that Vita will be the first product that blurs the lines between reality and interactive entertainment." - Cnet Reviews
Source: Youtube Channel screwattack
Microsoft announces...Halo 4
Though I'm not surprised that the series didn't end just like that, I was shocked to see that it followed the numerical order of the main series. What happened to "ending the fight?" I feel bad that I didn't play the campaign of Halo 3. I didn't even get a chance to play ODST and Reach at all, so I have no idea what Halo is like now. I liked Halo when I had access to play it (friend's house, university's arcade, PC), but now I'm so out of the loop that I've almost forgotten about Halo. At the moment, who cares about Halo 4. Let me play the last three Halo releases!
Source: Youtube Channel G4TV
Mass Effect 3 is compatible with Kinect
How...odd. Playing the game entirely of motion control sounds like a frustrating scenario, but I think there are things about it that can be really cool. Being able to point to a direction and use voice command to have your team mates attack, suppress fire, defend and such sound much more practical than trying to deal with weird HUD commands and aiming your cursor everywhere. Also, maybe they'll had head tracking so you can move in and out of cover in real-time. But what was announced was the ability to command things with your voice while the player still uses a controller to play the game.
Source: Youtube Channel Mac11em
I hope they show a lot of good games this year. I was excited by a lot of games last year, but I think it's mainly because I was actually there. It would've been interesting to go again this year, oh well.
Source:
-Joystiq: PlayStation Vita launches globally by end of 2011, starting at $249
-Joystiq: Halo 4 finishes the fight (again) in 2012 [Update: teaser trailer!]
-Joystiq: Mass Effect 3 gets Kinect support with voice recognition
-Cnet: E3 2011: Sony debuts PlayStation Vita, its next-gen handheld
Sony's PSP2 is called the Sony PlayStation Vita
Wait, what? It's going to be called Vita? Before I start saying how odd and dumb of a name it is, I am reminded that I thought the Gameboy Dual Screen was an odd name (but it caught on with DS). I also thought the change from Nintendo Revolution to Wii was absurd. But it became normal and people were okay with it. I'm not sure, but maybe it'll just catch on just by calling it the PSV.
"Vita means life," said Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief executive officer of Sony Computer Entertainment. "And we're confident that Vita will be the first product that blurs the lines between reality and interactive entertainment." - Cnet Reviews
Source: Youtube Channel screwattack
Microsoft announces...Halo 4
Though I'm not surprised that the series didn't end just like that, I was shocked to see that it followed the numerical order of the main series. What happened to "ending the fight?" I feel bad that I didn't play the campaign of Halo 3. I didn't even get a chance to play ODST and Reach at all, so I have no idea what Halo is like now. I liked Halo when I had access to play it (friend's house, university's arcade, PC), but now I'm so out of the loop that I've almost forgotten about Halo. At the moment, who cares about Halo 4. Let me play the last three Halo releases!
Source: Youtube Channel G4TV
Mass Effect 3 is compatible with Kinect
How...odd. Playing the game entirely of motion control sounds like a frustrating scenario, but I think there are things about it that can be really cool. Being able to point to a direction and use voice command to have your team mates attack, suppress fire, defend and such sound much more practical than trying to deal with weird HUD commands and aiming your cursor everywhere. Also, maybe they'll had head tracking so you can move in and out of cover in real-time. But what was announced was the ability to command things with your voice while the player still uses a controller to play the game.
Source: Youtube Channel Mac11em
I hope they show a lot of good games this year. I was excited by a lot of games last year, but I think it's mainly because I was actually there. It would've been interesting to go again this year, oh well.
Source:
-Joystiq: PlayStation Vita launches globally by end of 2011, starting at $249
-Joystiq: Halo 4 finishes the fight (again) in 2012 [Update: teaser trailer!]
-Joystiq: Mass Effect 3 gets Kinect support with voice recognition
-Cnet: E3 2011: Sony debuts PlayStation Vita, its next-gen handheld
Friday, June 3, 2011
GameLight - Dark Souls (Release Date Announced)
Official US Site: http://preparetodie.com/en/
Official JP Site (English): http://www.fromsoftware.jp/darksouls/contents/index_en.html
New video!
Source: Youtube Channel realidad20
Release date for Dark Souls (Unofficial Sequel to Demon's Souls) in NA will be October 4th and in EU on October 7th. From Software seems to have upped their game with boss monsters looking 10x harder than Demon's Souls. I'm not sure whether I'm excited or scared, but I know I want it! It still feels weird seeing NamcoBandai publishing it and not Atlus. And from the sounds of it, I think Xbox 360 players will get a chance to grab this game for their system. I'm so pumped up from the trailer that I think I'm gonna go play some more Demon's Souls!
But maybe not. Just a heads up: Call of Duty: Black Ops is free for Steam players for the weekend and for console players, it's double experience points for the weekend. I haven't played much Call of Duty as of late, this is possibly a good time to do so!
Official JP Site (English): http://www.fromsoftware.jp/darksouls/contents/index_en.html
New video!
Source: Youtube Channel realidad20
Release date for Dark Souls (Unofficial Sequel to Demon's Souls) in NA will be October 4th and in EU on October 7th. From Software seems to have upped their game with boss monsters looking 10x harder than Demon's Souls. I'm not sure whether I'm excited or scared, but I know I want it! It still feels weird seeing NamcoBandai publishing it and not Atlus. And from the sounds of it, I think Xbox 360 players will get a chance to grab this game for their system. I'm so pumped up from the trailer that I think I'm gonna go play some more Demon's Souls!
But maybe not. Just a heads up: Call of Duty: Black Ops is free for Steam players for the weekend and for console players, it's double experience points for the weekend. I haven't played much Call of Duty as of late, this is possibly a good time to do so!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
GameLight - Filler - Soul Brother
Head hurts...too tired...go play Soul Brother on Adult Swim:
http://games.adultswim.com/soul-brother-adventure-online-game.html
Source: Youtube Channel ChaoticHarmonyEcho
Video of gameplay is by the guy who made VVVVVV. Yeah, too tired to write today, please enjoy Soul Brother.
http://games.adultswim.com/soul-brother-adventure-online-game.html
Source: Youtube Channel ChaoticHarmonyEcho
Video of gameplay is by the guy who made VVVVVV. Yeah, too tired to write today, please enjoy Soul Brother.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
GameLight Review - VVVVVV ($2.49 on Steam today!)
Get it on Steam here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/70300/
Source: Youtube Channel ChaoticHarmonyEcho
Developer: Terry Cavanagh
Distributor: Steam
Platforms: PC
Release Date: January 11, 2010.
Genre: Action-Adventure Platformer
Pros:
-Simple concept with challenging level designs
-Non-linear and freedom to go anywhere in the game
-Incredible soundtrack that's worth listening to even out of the game
-Player can only truly fail by giving up, no Game Overs and starting all over
Cons:
-Must be a patient player to fully enjoy the game
-Minimalistic art style may not appeal to all
-The might feel too short to some players
I'm surprised I didn't do a review for VVVVVV after I finished the game. It is one of the most interesting and thought provoking Action-Adventure platformers I've played in a while. The game takes the very simple concept of limiting the player to only reversing gravity while not being able to jump and creating mind-boggling levels and challenges for the players to get through. The game does get progressively difficult, but it does not hinder the player to certain areas with power ups, leveling up, items, or such. The world around VVVVVV is non-linear and lets the player explore any part of the game in any order. Like many other difficult but beautifully crafted games, the satisfaction of overcoming an obstacle is gratifying and worth the effort. With it only $2.49 on Steam today from its usual $4.99, there should be no reason why you shouldn't buy this game now.
Source: Youtube Channel ChaoticHarmonyEcho
Graphics
I found the minimalistic 8-bit looking graphics to be one of the selling points of VVVVVV. Too often do I find indie-games with flash, cel-shaded, picture book art styles (not that they're all bad) that make it look like it just came out of its concept stage or so convoluted in color, shadowing, and environment that it's unwelcoming to the eye, difficult to make out parts of the levels, and sometimes affects the gameplay (objects' color blending into each other, can't see the player's character, hit-box inaccuracies, etc.). VVVVVV has a simplistic 8-bit (maybe even less?) style art direction which is both charming and easy to distinguish objects around the player. The straight-forward "this is a wall, this is a spike, this is your character" game graphics works well with the fast-paced action and puzzles within the game and helps the player react to situations a faster. This is also really helpful for the the game developer, Terry Cavanagh, to focus on the level design and gameplay rather than spending hundreds of hours on each room and sprite. In terms of graphics, I thought it worked really well for the way the game played had little to no flaw in them. Graphics: 10/10
Audio
Another selling point the game had in my eyes was the music. I've played many indie games where they boast about being 8-bit graphics and music but did not fully capture the true spirit of retro gaming music. Game composers had to be creative with their limitations back in the NES days because a game's cartridge could not hold too much information and the sound output was few to select by. Because of that, composers worked carefully on each tune to make it appropriate and an enjoyable track to listen to over and over again, even if it's 30 seconds long. Many other 8-bit music artists seem to take the sound a sound chip makes and create a lot of random blips and bleeps to call it retro gaming music without a hook, a solid melody, or any interest other than sounding like an 8-bit Nintendo. VVVVVV; however, is blessed with the music of Magnus Pålsson who combined a lot of catchy melodies with strong beats for the tunes within the game. When I was stuck at Vini Vedi Vici (look it up), I found myself humming along with the song the entire time (and I was there for a looooooooooooong time). The upbeat tunes gets me really pumped and immersed in the game. The music added more to the game's experience than any other aesthetic could possible hope to achieve. The sound effects is also 8-bit and adds to the charm of retro style gaming aesthetics. One of the most iconic sound effects I got out of the game was the "Beeeew" sound when the main character dies each time. I heard it most on Vini Vedi Vici. The audio is one of the aspects I enjoyed most throughout the game. Audio: 10/10
Gameplay
I was worried at first when I realized that the player's only control over the character was to move left, right and to reverse gravity. I was afraid that the game would just have a bunch of courses with just timing the gravity jump, but I was relieved when I started to get into the main part of the game and crazy puzzles started to reveal themselves to me. There are sections to the parts of the world of VVVVVV that reminds me of Metroid. Each section has its own unique kind of challenges for the player to get through. One place has an infinite space that drops the player in an endless fall. Another section had a wire that would bounce the player around, sometimes into lethal spikes. The game follows the old game design of "learn from mistakes" but in shorter progressions (if you died in games like Super Mario Bros. or Ninja Gaiden, you would have to start from the beginning of a stage or sometimes world. Even worse, the entire game). There are tons of spawn points around so players wouldn't have to perform a long series of challenges they've already gone through before. There are a lot of interesting and a lot of times frustrating twists within the game that creates a new scenario such as leading a partner down a corridor when they can't reverse gravity like the player does. Overall, the game was a nice, short and enjoyable experience (I fear games that seem to drag on and on sometimes). The only problem I may have is that it may not be exactly the game I'd want to keep going back to like I do with old NES games. I'm a bit hesitant to revisit all the struggle and agony of certain challenges again, but I'm still not 100% done with getting everything yet so I'm fine with going through parts of the game I have yet to visit. Gameplay: 9/10
Overall
I'm glad I bought the game, and it's one I felt that was more worth than some of the retail games I've bought off of steam. VVVVVV keeps it simple and delivers an exciting experience with little to no slow down. The game will keep the player engaged and interested with devious level designs and an awesome soundtrack. If you are more of a casual gamer or think that you might not enjoy the game, then try out the demo on Steam or Kongregate.com before deciding whether to buy it or not. It's a really good break from all the other modern games that I've been playing and reminds players that a game doesn't have to involve state-of-the-art graphics, professional voice-acting, million of dollars spent, violence, killing, weapons, or power ups to be fun. As I've said before, there should be no reason to miss out on playing the game for just $4.99 ($2.49 if you can get it today). Overall: 9.67/10
Source: Youtube Channel ChaoticHarmonyEcho
Developer: Terry Cavanagh
Distributor: Steam
Platforms: PC
Release Date: January 11, 2010.
Genre: Action-Adventure Platformer
Pros:
-Simple concept with challenging level designs
-Non-linear and freedom to go anywhere in the game
-Incredible soundtrack that's worth listening to even out of the game
-Player can only truly fail by giving up, no Game Overs and starting all over
Cons:
-Must be a patient player to fully enjoy the game
-Minimalistic art style may not appeal to all
-The might feel too short to some players
I'm surprised I didn't do a review for VVVVVV after I finished the game. It is one of the most interesting and thought provoking Action-Adventure platformers I've played in a while. The game takes the very simple concept of limiting the player to only reversing gravity while not being able to jump and creating mind-boggling levels and challenges for the players to get through. The game does get progressively difficult, but it does not hinder the player to certain areas with power ups, leveling up, items, or such. The world around VVVVVV is non-linear and lets the player explore any part of the game in any order. Like many other difficult but beautifully crafted games, the satisfaction of overcoming an obstacle is gratifying and worth the effort. With it only $2.49 on Steam today from its usual $4.99, there should be no reason why you shouldn't buy this game now.
Source: Youtube Channel ChaoticHarmonyEcho
Graphics
I found the minimalistic 8-bit looking graphics to be one of the selling points of VVVVVV. Too often do I find indie-games with flash, cel-shaded, picture book art styles (not that they're all bad) that make it look like it just came out of its concept stage or so convoluted in color, shadowing, and environment that it's unwelcoming to the eye, difficult to make out parts of the levels, and sometimes affects the gameplay (objects' color blending into each other, can't see the player's character, hit-box inaccuracies, etc.). VVVVVV has a simplistic 8-bit (maybe even less?) style art direction which is both charming and easy to distinguish objects around the player. The straight-forward "this is a wall, this is a spike, this is your character" game graphics works well with the fast-paced action and puzzles within the game and helps the player react to situations a faster. This is also really helpful for the the game developer, Terry Cavanagh, to focus on the level design and gameplay rather than spending hundreds of hours on each room and sprite. In terms of graphics, I thought it worked really well for the way the game played had little to no flaw in them. Graphics: 10/10
Audio
Another selling point the game had in my eyes was the music. I've played many indie games where they boast about being 8-bit graphics and music but did not fully capture the true spirit of retro gaming music. Game composers had to be creative with their limitations back in the NES days because a game's cartridge could not hold too much information and the sound output was few to select by. Because of that, composers worked carefully on each tune to make it appropriate and an enjoyable track to listen to over and over again, even if it's 30 seconds long. Many other 8-bit music artists seem to take the sound a sound chip makes and create a lot of random blips and bleeps to call it retro gaming music without a hook, a solid melody, or any interest other than sounding like an 8-bit Nintendo. VVVVVV; however, is blessed with the music of Magnus Pålsson who combined a lot of catchy melodies with strong beats for the tunes within the game. When I was stuck at Vini Vedi Vici (look it up), I found myself humming along with the song the entire time (and I was there for a looooooooooooong time). The upbeat tunes gets me really pumped and immersed in the game. The music added more to the game's experience than any other aesthetic could possible hope to achieve. The sound effects is also 8-bit and adds to the charm of retro style gaming aesthetics. One of the most iconic sound effects I got out of the game was the "Beeeew" sound when the main character dies each time. I heard it most on Vini Vedi Vici. The audio is one of the aspects I enjoyed most throughout the game. Audio: 10/10
Gameplay
I was worried at first when I realized that the player's only control over the character was to move left, right and to reverse gravity. I was afraid that the game would just have a bunch of courses with just timing the gravity jump, but I was relieved when I started to get into the main part of the game and crazy puzzles started to reveal themselves to me. There are sections to the parts of the world of VVVVVV that reminds me of Metroid. Each section has its own unique kind of challenges for the player to get through. One place has an infinite space that drops the player in an endless fall. Another section had a wire that would bounce the player around, sometimes into lethal spikes. The game follows the old game design of "learn from mistakes" but in shorter progressions (if you died in games like Super Mario Bros. or Ninja Gaiden, you would have to start from the beginning of a stage or sometimes world. Even worse, the entire game). There are tons of spawn points around so players wouldn't have to perform a long series of challenges they've already gone through before. There are a lot of interesting and a lot of times frustrating twists within the game that creates a new scenario such as leading a partner down a corridor when they can't reverse gravity like the player does. Overall, the game was a nice, short and enjoyable experience (I fear games that seem to drag on and on sometimes). The only problem I may have is that it may not be exactly the game I'd want to keep going back to like I do with old NES games. I'm a bit hesitant to revisit all the struggle and agony of certain challenges again, but I'm still not 100% done with getting everything yet so I'm fine with going through parts of the game I have yet to visit. Gameplay: 9/10
Overall
I'm glad I bought the game, and it's one I felt that was more worth than some of the retail games I've bought off of steam. VVVVVV keeps it simple and delivers an exciting experience with little to no slow down. The game will keep the player engaged and interested with devious level designs and an awesome soundtrack. If you are more of a casual gamer or think that you might not enjoy the game, then try out the demo on Steam or Kongregate.com before deciding whether to buy it or not. It's a really good break from all the other modern games that I've been playing and reminds players that a game doesn't have to involve state-of-the-art graphics, professional voice-acting, million of dollars spent, violence, killing, weapons, or power ups to be fun. As I've said before, there should be no reason to miss out on playing the game for just $4.99 ($2.49 if you can get it today). Overall: 9.67/10
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