Or: Shepard fights a sea monster this time
Don't take the sub head the wrong way: this DLC looks pretty awesome. I just find it funny that Bioware continues to create these ridiculously powerful beasts for Shepard to take down. But at least the story behind it seems compelling this time around. Much like the Shadow Broker DLC from Mass Effect 2, I'll be very interested to download and play through this extra bit of story from ME3. Oh screw it, just take my wallet already!
I think the whole "going to the bottom of an ocean in a mech" is the most appealing part of the DLC because it's the most different from anything we've seen in the Mass Effect series. It makes Shepard feel the most venerable because there's only a few inches of metal separating him from certain doom. Never give me the odds.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Star Wars 1313 - "Descent to the Underworld" Trailer
A whole new world
Pardon the Alladin reference, but we are indeed experience a whole new world the likes of Star Wars fans have never seen before. And that couldn't be more exciting. It seems as if Lucasarts has been able to construct a "dante's inferno" of the SW universe, where the deeper you descend into 1313, the more like hell it feels like.
This is a welcome change to the direction of Star Wars games in my opinion. As much as I like running around with a lightsaber being nearly indestructible, there's something appealing about being a skilled bounty hunter in one of the most dangerous places in the galaxy. Take a look at how 1313 is being built, and leave what you think about it below!
Pardon the Alladin reference, but we are indeed experience a whole new world the likes of Star Wars fans have never seen before. And that couldn't be more exciting. It seems as if Lucasarts has been able to construct a "dante's inferno" of the SW universe, where the deeper you descend into 1313, the more like hell it feels like.
This is a welcome change to the direction of Star Wars games in my opinion. As much as I like running around with a lightsaber being nearly indestructible, there's something appealing about being a skilled bounty hunter in one of the most dangerous places in the galaxy. Take a look at how 1313 is being built, and leave what you think about it below!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time - Gamescom Trailer 2012
Lots of sweet with only a little sour
First reaction to Sly Cooper making an appearance at Gamescom 2012: THANK THE GOOD LORD. Sly Cooper (and all of the classic PS platformers) was the reason I fell in love with not only the genre, but video games in general. And I'm very certain I'm not the only one who would say that. Sly is back in all of his cell shaded goodness, and he's trying to save his family's history from disappearing forever.
Before all of the good, one area of concern: why do games feel it's necessary to include multiple playable characters now? Back in the good ole days of Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, OG Sly Cooper, we played as our one protagonist and that was good enough because the game itself kept us interested. Are people's attention span that short now? I hope that the other characters are done well, and it seems like they will have their own strengths at the very least.
Now onto the wins: it is about time we got another good PS3 platformer (I'm just assuming this game is going to be good. It's more of a hope than anything) and one that shows off how good cell shading looks on the Playstation system. Along with that, the PS Vita cross platform integration looks like it actually will add to the experience, which is always a positive. While I've always liked that you can just pick up your Vita and pick up from where you left off on your PS3, now you can use the Vita to find hidden treasures around Sly's world. And me likey hidden treasures.
First reaction to Sly Cooper making an appearance at Gamescom 2012: THANK THE GOOD LORD. Sly Cooper (and all of the classic PS platformers) was the reason I fell in love with not only the genre, but video games in general. And I'm very certain I'm not the only one who would say that. Sly is back in all of his cell shaded goodness, and he's trying to save his family's history from disappearing forever.
Before all of the good, one area of concern: why do games feel it's necessary to include multiple playable characters now? Back in the good ole days of Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, OG Sly Cooper, we played as our one protagonist and that was good enough because the game itself kept us interested. Are people's attention span that short now? I hope that the other characters are done well, and it seems like they will have their own strengths at the very least.
Now onto the wins: it is about time we got another good PS3 platformer (I'm just assuming this game is going to be good. It's more of a hope than anything) and one that shows off how good cell shading looks on the Playstation system. Along with that, the PS Vita cross platform integration looks like it actually will add to the experience, which is always a positive. While I've always liked that you can just pick up your Vita and pick up from where you left off on your PS3, now you can use the Vita to find hidden treasures around Sly's world. And me likey hidden treasures.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
PS All Stars: Battle Royale - Sweet Tooth Strategy Video
All of the comparisons
Not too long ago, on a recent episode of my video podcast, The Byte, we discussed the leaked (not yet confirmed) cast list for Play Station All Stars: Battle Royale. Since Sweet Tooth is one of the few confirmed characters that was available to try out at E3, it only seemed fitting to feature his strategy video. Since PSAS:BR is essentially Sony's attempt at a Super Smash kind of game, let the comparisons begin!
Other than beating Smash in the "longest title possible" category, there are a lot of similarities (and differences) that we can pull from this trailer. My favorite moment of "oh man I totally used that in Smash" was when they discussed Sweet's annoyance moves, or the moves that were only meant to do small amounts of damage quickly, therefore frustrating your opponent. If Mario's fireballs or Diddy's peanut cannon didn't do the same thing, I don't know what did. The other part that I liked is when the person mentioned Sweet Tooth is one of the easier characters to pick up, making him an attractive choice for beginners (see: Marth).
Some points where PSAS:BR has gone off the beaten smashing path: There are now three tiers of special attacks instead of just one super power per character, making each person you play as feel even more unique than the next. Each one drastically varies in severity; the first tier special may not throw your opponent off the stage for good, while the third tier special will have adversaries running for their lives.
Needless to say, PSAS:BR looks largely like a carbon copy of the original Smash series, it's hard to say that the same ideas are not in place. However, with some tweaks to the formula and a more varied and interesting cast of characters (in my humble opinion) we could be in for a real treat here.
Not too long ago, on a recent episode of my video podcast, The Byte, we discussed the leaked (not yet confirmed) cast list for Play Station All Stars: Battle Royale. Since Sweet Tooth is one of the few confirmed characters that was available to try out at E3, it only seemed fitting to feature his strategy video. Since PSAS:BR is essentially Sony's attempt at a Super Smash kind of game, let the comparisons begin!
Other than beating Smash in the "longest title possible" category, there are a lot of similarities (and differences) that we can pull from this trailer. My favorite moment of "oh man I totally used that in Smash" was when they discussed Sweet's annoyance moves, or the moves that were only meant to do small amounts of damage quickly, therefore frustrating your opponent. If Mario's fireballs or Diddy's peanut cannon didn't do the same thing, I don't know what did. The other part that I liked is when the person mentioned Sweet Tooth is one of the easier characters to pick up, making him an attractive choice for beginners (see: Marth).
Some points where PSAS:BR has gone off the beaten smashing path: There are now three tiers of special attacks instead of just one super power per character, making each person you play as feel even more unique than the next. Each one drastically varies in severity; the first tier special may not throw your opponent off the stage for good, while the third tier special will have adversaries running for their lives.
Needless to say, PSAS:BR looks largely like a carbon copy of the original Smash series, it's hard to say that the same ideas are not in place. However, with some tweaks to the formula and a more varied and interesting cast of characters (in my humble opinion) we could be in for a real treat here.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Darksiders 2 - Story Trailer
Goblins and Ghouls, oh my!
So, this looked pretty cool. What can you possibly hate about running around as Death himself cutting demons to pieces with a gigantic scythe? For a "story" trailer, the story here was a little sparse. All I could ascertain was that the humans are extinct (presumably because God finally killed all of us for something all the Republicans are yelling about) and only Death can bring us back to life. But hey, you get to fight the devil, so story surely isn't the forefront of the game.
Needless to say, Darksiders 2 is going to be big and fun.
So, this looked pretty cool. What can you possibly hate about running around as Death himself cutting demons to pieces with a gigantic scythe? For a "story" trailer, the story here was a little sparse. All I could ascertain was that the humans are extinct (presumably because God finally killed all of us for something all the Republicans are yelling about) and only Death can bring us back to life. But hey, you get to fight the devil, so story surely isn't the forefront of the game.
Needless to say, Darksiders 2 is going to be big and fun.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance - Launch Trailer
Four More Years! Four More Years!
I fell in love with the original Kingdom Hearts just over ten years ago. It was the perfect combination of Final Fantasy and Disney, and I was enthralled from start to finish. Looking past the awkward Square Enix signature dialogue and wonky camera, I had found my favorite game until the sequel was slated for release. Enter Kingdom Hearts 2: Where the camera stuff was (mostly) fixed, action commands became just as prominent in combat as button mashing, and Aerith still had a really strange voice. Needless to say, the prospect of a third (and I assume final) entry to the trilogy interested me just a little bit.
But then we started getting different KH games. Chain of Memories was the start of it, a full length card turn based handheld title, where not playing the game technically didn't make you miss anything with the main story line. Instead of just doing one or two filler games for extra content, Square Enix kept pumping them out. Not only are we continuing to get handheld titles that convolute and confuse the gamers to what exactly is happening in the KH saga, but we don't even have a clue on when KH3 is going to grace our consoles.
That brings us to Dream Drop Distance, the newest title coming to the Nintendo 3DS. I got a chance to play the demo at E3, and I can solidly say that I no longer have any clue what is going on in this series. Donald and Goofy don't know who you are, you bounce around with a giant elephant and mouse, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame looks really strange in 3D. Whether you decide to confuse yourself farther with Dream Drop Distance is up to you, but if you're anything like me, you're quickly becoming very skeptical about how good KH3 could possibly be at this point. And that breaks my twelve year old heart.
I fell in love with the original Kingdom Hearts just over ten years ago. It was the perfect combination of Final Fantasy and Disney, and I was enthralled from start to finish. Looking past the awkward Square Enix signature dialogue and wonky camera, I had found my favorite game until the sequel was slated for release. Enter Kingdom Hearts 2: Where the camera stuff was (mostly) fixed, action commands became just as prominent in combat as button mashing, and Aerith still had a really strange voice. Needless to say, the prospect of a third (and I assume final) entry to the trilogy interested me just a little bit.
But then we started getting different KH games. Chain of Memories was the start of it, a full length card turn based handheld title, where not playing the game technically didn't make you miss anything with the main story line. Instead of just doing one or two filler games for extra content, Square Enix kept pumping them out. Not only are we continuing to get handheld titles that convolute and confuse the gamers to what exactly is happening in the KH saga, but we don't even have a clue on when KH3 is going to grace our consoles.
That brings us to Dream Drop Distance, the newest title coming to the Nintendo 3DS. I got a chance to play the demo at E3, and I can solidly say that I no longer have any clue what is going on in this series. Donald and Goofy don't know who you are, you bounce around with a giant elephant and mouse, and the Hunchback of Notre Dame looks really strange in 3D. Whether you decide to confuse yourself farther with Dream Drop Distance is up to you, but if you're anything like me, you're quickly becoming very skeptical about how good KH3 could possibly be at this point. And that breaks my twelve year old heart.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - "Villain Trailer"
But then I found out I could get Nuketown...
Yes, I know we as "real" gamers are supposed to hate on COD for its same game different package formula, but hell it's just too much fun. And the story seems so out of this world that I almost feel obligated to experience it. People are actually working their tails off making this seemingly mediocre rehashing of every first person shooter we've played since 2007, and we have to respect that.
Now that the sarcastic rant is over with, we take a glimpse at the guy who is going to try and blow up everybody... this time. Our bad guy seems to have control over the United States defense system, meaning that any kind of retaliation would lead to a very unpleasant visit from Nuketown. Speaking of Nuketown, if you preorder the game, you get a remodeling of Nuketown! I think that alone makes the game worth it. Nuketown!
Yes, I know we as "real" gamers are supposed to hate on COD for its same game different package formula, but hell it's just too much fun. And the story seems so out of this world that I almost feel obligated to experience it. People are actually working their tails off making this seemingly mediocre rehashing of every first person shooter we've played since 2007, and we have to respect that.
Now that the sarcastic rant is over with, we take a glimpse at the guy who is going to try and blow up everybody... this time. Our bad guy seems to have control over the United States defense system, meaning that any kind of retaliation would lead to a very unpleasant visit from Nuketown. Speaking of Nuketown, if you preorder the game, you get a remodeling of Nuketown! I think that alone makes the game worth it. Nuketown!
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