I am of the thinking that like beauty, gaming is in the eye of the beholder. I think one reviewer of Borderlands had made a statement that if you liked most of Fallout 3, COD: Modern Warfare, and Diablo then you will love Borderlands. Well I didn’t play Fallout 3, I may have played about 30percent of COD: Modern Warfare (and skipping the sequel), and Diablo I played ages ago but vaguely remember looking for better loot. Still with that said, Borderlands feel like a stolen piece from those games and then some; and I behold this game to be on the side of awesome. Now I’ve only managed to crack out, on a guess, about 4 or 6 hours but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there were parts of the game I’ve played before, and luckily it were the good parts.
The control scheme is all COD, and they add a brilliant touch to Infinity Wards perk of trying to take someone out before you die. Kill the enemy and you regain some of your life, if not then you just respawn at the last checkpoint station. The structure of the missions is reminiscent to any MMO (Guild Wars, World of War Craft, Ragnorak Online), and the loot do drop fast and furiously (Too Human). The weapon level up system will push you to use more then just one weapon at a time, being that you get better in the different styles of weapons as you use them(Fable 1 - 2, Secrets of Evermore). I know the premise of this game is to search for this mystical treasure, but with all the neat loot you get; will it be enough to compel you to beat the game? Only time will tell.
I do know that this game is a good at blending elements from other games that I love together. Not to make a new experience, but one that feels familiar and fun. In the words of Jay-Z (Blueprint 3) “Everyday A Star Is Born”; today that star is Borderlands/Gearbox and we as gamers should clap for em!
Now if you have been taken notes, you will know that Dark Void is one of my most anticipated games. After watching some of the early gameplay footage, I knew that this was a game that I wanted to showcase here on BG21gamers. With the impending release of Dark Void approaching I felt like it was the right time to revisit what I think will be a phenomenally fun game.
The Story So Far….
So as it goes for now, you play as Will just your average run of the mill 1930’s cargo pilot. By chance Will manages to fly into the Dark Void while traversing through the Bermuda Triangle and then calamity ensues. Aliens, a whole new world or the same world with an alternate reality are all mysteries of the Dark Void that you must overcome to make your way back home. Equipped with a jet pack and a gun you are in for one hell of a ride. Call me crazy, but it sounds a little like that beloved Saturday morning cartoon Dungeons and Dragons. Regular kids in an amusement park get on a Dungeons and Dragon ride to be transported to the world of D&D. Then they magically gain powers needed to help them get home. The similarity is there trust me on this one…or maybe it’s not.
Have Jetpack Will Travel
The idea to use a jetpack as part of a key component to Will getting around makes for some interesting gameplay ideas. This 3rd person action shooter will not only have a good ground Gears of War cover mechcanic, but that same mechanic will be intact during sections where you use the jetpack for vertical platforming. One of the latest previews of Dark Void states that there will be a meter to limit how long you’ll be able to fly around; however a hover mechanic was hammer out to allow for advantageous gameplay.
The Long and the Short of It
I don’t know what more that needs to be said, from all the latest write ups it seems that Dark Void is shaping up to become a wonderful addition to an already staggering amount of games being released during Christmas Pt 2. Dark Void is a game that will hopefully avoid the label “Sleeper Hit”. This game should be a success right out of the gate. So mark your calendars for January 12, 2010, get out that second plate of cookies & additional glass of milk, and hope that Santa comes back around to drop more gifts under the tree.
OK, the big 2 (Microsoft, Sony) have announced their takes at motion control. Now that the gauntlet has been thrown down by the 2 companies, who have said in so many words that the Wii is a fad, it is gonna be interesting to see what type of games will come from this motion madness. Even yours truly, Kid Sidious, believes that while the idea of motion control can open up new ideas in gaming; it was and will continue to be hampered by the technical specs of the Wii. Nintendo has been able to successfully sell last gen tech with a new control scheme to a lot of people that Microsoft and Sony want on their respective boxes.
Maybe it’s just a pipe dream that Nintendo will eventually grow up and provide a mature experience while still catering to their younger fan base, and now their expanded base of women and old people. With both the PS3 and Xbox 360 set to give their fans a bit of motion sickness, maybe the dream of a mature motion controlled experience will become a reality. The question is how will it all turn out?
A lot of noise has been made of Natal and it seem to have become the darling of the two motion control schemes coming out of E3. I think this was only due to the fact that the PS3 Wand or Motion Controller Not Named The Six Axis was still quite early in it’s development cycle at the time of the showing. Using a Wii-like controller plus the PS3 Eye it was able to convey a very impressive level of control.
Natal is going for a very different approach, and that is to take away the controller completely. I don’t have any idea how well this Minority Report style of interface will go over with gamers, or with the developers willing to take up the task to build games for the device. Judging from the media blitz that MS created for Natal the possibilities seems endless. Most impressive was the jerry-rigged tech demo of Burnout Paradise shown on the Jimmy Fallon show.
It was good to see the possibility of Natal working within a racing game, but it’s not how I would implement this device at all. There’s no need for Natal to be an all or nothing device. Small implementation in AAA games could enrich the experience instead of hampering it. Here’s a couple of ways that I would use it within a few games:
Racing games: I would use the head tracking ability to have the in cockpit view fully viewable with the movement of my head. This way it would imitate a real racing experience. I tilt my head up and the view in the cockpit moves up and then pans out to give me a rear view to see cars coming up behind me. I turn my head slightly to the left and the right to eliminate the blind spot of cars approaching from the side.
First Person Shooters: Much like the racing game example I would use it the same way. Have the character take cover against the wall or behind a table/cabinet/rock. Instead of a 3rd person view transition to see where the enemies are at you could lean slightly to the left or right to peek around the corners and take a shot or move your head up a little to glance above the cover that you’re behind
Role Playing Games: I would go all voice recognition with this genre. You could instead of chosing the response you want to say; simply say it. Now if it can detect tone then you are giving a real reflection of what you want your response to be within a virtual world.
All of these ideas are quite possible and for all the talk about losing force feedback would be a none issue being that your using a controller in conjunction with Natal. Let all the super grandmas and women worry about force feedback on their time. Now that I’ve shared a few of my ideas, but I would really like to know what are some of yours. And for the record, I don’t want no party mini games!!! An HD Physics based World Of Goo would be a day one purchase.
I love RPG’s. It’s my favorite genre amongst them all. The more and more I hear about the PS3 exculsivie White Knight Chronicles the more it makes me want a PS3 just for this one game alone. I know this is a time of economic hardship and whatnot but White Knight Chronicles seems to be shaping up to be The Truth!! I have to give a special shout out to Kosmo Oches for the sick cinematic trailer.
Now with this game releasing in Japan in December it was only fitting for sony to show it off at TGS 08. Now I can’t tell you what some of the Level 5 presenters are saying but at least you can get a good glimpse and feel of the gameplay that is going to make White Knight Chronicles stand out from the pack.
I’m sure you’re saying to yourself that this is just your everyday run of the mill japanese rpg right?
“Oh all it is is a bunch of movies with emotion to make me cry and then when we’re fighting I have to wait forever while I summon some mythical dragon that’s in all every rpg and when thats done I have to stand perfectly still while I get attacked to damn death!”
Isn’t it kind of scary how well we know you. Well I’m here to tell you that’s is so far from the truth. White Knight Chronicles will be featuring a robust 4 player online co-op quest mode; while the single player campaign will not offer co-operative play the quest mode will link to the single player campaign in some form or fashion. According to the lastest Hands On by Joystiq from this years Tokyo Game Show:
“When online play was announced we assumed it would be a tacked-on extra, a back-of-the-box value add, but the rest of today’s presentation centered around this aspect of the game. Even though White Knight Chronicles‘ Japanese release date is December 25th 2008 – only two and a half months from now – Level-5 wasn’t keen on sharing many details of the online mode. Instead, we were given an overview of the feature, which was enough to illustrate that this is more than just an “extra.”
16-player in-game lobbies will allow you to team up with up to three other White Knight Chronicles players and participate in instanced quests. Level-5 would not say exactly what form these would take, but they did show a cooperative, arena-style battle against a large monster. Each player’s character will look unique, thanks to a deep “Avatar” character customization editor, used in the later parts of the single-player game in order to generate some of Leonard’s party members.”
Now I’m geeked and I don’t even own a PS3 so I know must of you who do must be dancing in the streets by know. Granted there’s no word on when this game will be hitting the states…at least not one I have found yet, but Sony would be foolish not to bring this to jrpg starved fans. According to the Break Down of the Newest Trailer, by IGN the game is looking quite gorgeous:
“The first trailer was a combination of pre-rendered cutscenes and in-game cutscenes. I must admit that the cutscenes looked absolutely fantastic. People generally think of Square-Enix and Blizzard when they think of high-quality cinematics, but the level of detail and the jaw-dropping realism of Level-5’s work was more than admirable. The trailer began with a beautiful acoustic guitar strumming away to a lilting Japanese tune. A cutscene shows some inspiring vistas, including a massive cliff face and sprawling cities.
Several “in-game engine” scenes are also shown. Most of them were shots of the characters superimposed onto background scenes, almost like a standard anime introduction. A few familiar characters were displayed, including the protagonist, the short-haired girl and the grizzled, bearded man. There were also a few stylish shots of a seductive character cut into the mix, as she performed what appears to be a flamenco dance. And, of course, plenty of transformations and massive armored warriors were shown as magic and lights streamed across the screen in what could only be described as an Otaku’s dreamscape. The trailer ends with a dragon-esque ship sailing into a sky full of swelling clouds. Pretty nice.”
This game will is going to be a superb example of what rpg’s can become. Now I know it’s a lot to say without any details from the king known as Final Fantasy, but for know it seems White Knight is set to keep the throne warm until FFXIII finally sees the light of day. If the new trailer hits the web I’ll drop up here, but for now enjoy these screens and cross your toes for a quick release to the states and europe.
Many of Wii owners like myself have nothing to look forward to this holiday season. If you own a Wii that means you most likely own Wii Play, Wii Sports and probably Wii Fit with an occassional Mario title here and there. If you fancy yourself a hardcore gamer then you probably have “Zelda” ,”Metroid Prime 3″ and maybe “No More Heroes.” So if you have all of the following, what game should you be anticipating for the Nintendo Wii this holiday season?
Don’t know? Well neither do I nor one-third of all Nintendo Wii owners. Sorry for the gotcha but at the rate of Nintendo Wii sells you would think there was a AAA title in the horizon. The problem with Nintendo has always been third party titles and it is very evident during the holiday season. The Wii boast about 33 million in hardware sales but still does not have the might to grab developers interest. Interest enough for 2K to port “BioShock” or have a “Bioshock2″ exclusively for the Wii. Now I know I’m going to get bashed by everyone reading this article but before you bash me hear me out.
It’s not that I dislike Nintendo because I don’t, I love everything about what Nintendo used to be. I want the Nintendo Seal of Quality games like: Bionic Commando, Pro Wrestling, Final Fantasy & Rygar. As a gamer I feel that the Wii is not the console I wanted, it was spawned from suits in a war room trying to save a buck. The idea in that war room annexed the real gamers and went after the everyday casual gamer. The Nintendo Wii culture I witness from day to day is not meant for me and if you are agreeing with this article; it’s not meant for you either. I am not a casual gamer! I like real games. Real games like “Conduit.” Have you ever heard of Conduit? If you have never heard of “Conduit” and did not click on the link, odds are you are about to write me a hateful comment of epic proportion. “Conduit” is the type of game what will blow the socks off anyone doubting the Wii’s prowess. We should demand games that thrill us and have exceptional replay value.
When I talk to other gamers about Nintendo’s game issues they usually say that it’s because Nintendo is very gamer diverse. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid! All consoles have game diversity, it’s called game genres. What Nintendo has is a failure to communicate with it’s customers. The casual gamers are not gamers they are customers, they buy the Wii because it’s popular. While the “Real Gamers” deal with a bleak holiday season and an even longer gaming drought.
I feel that it is too late to stop this generation of mediocre games but there is hope for the next generation. We must speak up now. Most real gamers are playing 360 games waiting for the next best Wii game and that is your best bet. Don’t be afraid to explore other avenues and that will surely get Nintendo attention. If you are a staunch Nintendo fanboy and hate the very notion of buying a 360, make a youtube video begging Nintendo for better games. If it doesn’t work at least it will be funny.
Blake Peeble, a 16yr old from Raleigh, North Carolina obviously feels this way and so does his parents. Blake resides in North Raleigh and lives to play video games but it’s one video game in particular that he is renown for, “Guitar Hero.” Watching Blake’s furious frets and complicated chords is amazing even for a Guitar Hero champion like myself. The difference between Blake and I is more than his ability to out duel me in Guitar Hero, it’s also me having a high school diploma and a Bachelor of Science Degree.
Blake, with total support of parent has decide to quit High School to pursue his goal to be a professional gamer. Yes I said it! A professional gamer. While there are some professional gamers that do quite well for themselves most of them have at least finished High School while others are in college. This solely makes Blake the first gamer to go “Pro” with out a high school diploma.
Blake’s parents structural walls broke when they decided to offered tutorial services instead of the traditional schooling in hopes that their child could break into the Professional gaming business. This highly controversial decision comes at a high price because unlike Professional Poker, Professional Gaming hardly exists. There is a small circle of gamers that may make a profit but the profit is hardly enough to sustain a life time. Though this fact has not slowed down the Blake train he is still hanging tough in hopes of hitting a big pay day.
Blake, who goes by the online name “Dreminem,” says he has top-10 scores on 20 or more songs on “Guitar Hero III.” He is also top of the charts in “Halo 3″ and “Fear.” Odds are if you ever meet up with Blake online pray you are on his squad in Halo3 and if you are playing him in Guitar Hero. Just give up already.
I can’t say I’m 100% behind Blake’s decision to quit high school but at 16 kids have done dumber thing. Hopefully Blake will finish with a High School Diploma and later go to college. Being 16 is a special time in a young persons life and if done proper Blake could be very successful.
The Sackboy is a new and rare species found only on remote parts of the PS3. While little is known about this extraordinary creature, a lot of people have shown great interest in what the little fella has to offer. Set to take the world by storm upon release on October 21st lets hope that we see an abundance of Sackboys roaming around; it’ll be a great shame for it to land on the endangered species list. Let’s observe what the lil one can do shall we.
The only thing that I can think that would make this video better is if it would show up on a top 20 countdown coming in at #1!!! Every gamer who has fond memories of the megaman series know the soundtrack like it was a slow jam tape you made to have sexy time. So, with the annoucement of Megaman 9 and how it was staying true to it’s 8 bit roots; it’s only fitting that someone drops a remix for the arrival to current gen consoles. I just hope that this video gains enough buzz for capcom to take notice and implement it into the actual game in some form or fashion. It would indeed be a cool nod to the fan who put this together. Take it away WiiWillRockU3:
I can’t express how excited I was when I heard Midnight Club: LA was announced to be released this year on the Xbox 360 and PS3! I’ve been a long time fan of Midnight Club series but the Dub Edition/Remix was “THE BEST” arcade racing game on home consoles. I loved everything about that game. And on the other hand when I first purchased my Xbox 360 on launch night I picked up Need for Speed: Most Wanted and feel in love with it as well. But one of the memorable thing is when I first got my 360 I had a standard TV(RCA Xbox TV) that I was playing my 360 on until I purchased my HDTV and I must say playing Need for Speed: Most Wanted again in HD was the best. In this article I want to briefly refresh your memory on the Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix and the Need for Speed: Most Wanted. Walk with me…
Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix
This game was not expected to do well when announced to be released on the Xbox first system and PS2. And lot of people was not sure if RockStar games would have been able to fill those shoes with the Need for Speed franchise being the no.1 arcade racer. When I purchased Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix I didn’t have that much excitement due to the fact that this was something new that I was going to try. I fired it up and boy was I blown away! Not only were the graphics in the game phenomenal but the selection of cars and the sweet customization.
I remember hooking up my cars and constantly stopping in the middle of the street and staring at my car on “Air Shocks” as it drops and makes the hissing sound. And to top it off the online mode was also well done. I remember meeting up with online buddies and driving around in our Chrysler 300’s and showing off our paint jobs and customization. We also had a blast doing cool stunts, man I miss those days. Lately I’ve been dying to see the Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix on the new backward compatible list but it’s just a dream. Well with that being said if you plan on buying the new Midnight Club: Los Angeles and you still have an old Xbox or PS2 please try to pick this game up and burn some time until the new one is released.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Now moving on to the Need for Speed: Most Wanted, this game has got to be one of the best versions of all Need for Speed titles hands down. When EA brought Black Box developers to make this game it was the best decision EA has ever made. The Black Box team gave us a game that made people not want to accept the next 2 Need for Speed titles that came out after because we got so spoiled with Most Wanted.
Earlier I mentioned that when I got my 360 on launch night I picked up Most Wanted and when first playing it on a standard TV it was still delicious eye candy. The graphics in this game was so unique that when I got my HDTV 2 weeks later I played this game over again from the beginning. When Most Wanted showed the cut-scenes in cell shaded format I think that was pretty cool and refreshingly new. I enjoyed every moment of it. At times my wife would say “hey I want to see to see you play that car racing game, I like the movie parts” And I would have her sit with me when ever I played and she loved the Most Wanted story line. As far as the car list and customization in Most Wanted it is also good. They gave us enough cars along with unlockables to make us want to get every one of them. From what I also understand is that EA decided to pull the online play from Most Wanted due to the 360 launch; as they wanted to be on time with the release. Now I know that comparing Midnight Club: Dub Edition/Remix and Need for Speed: Most Wanted graphic wise is not really my intentions but what I do want to point out is, these 2 titles are heavy hitters and the new installments will be a great battle of the century *In my opinion*
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Now I’m sure you all know by now that Midnight Club: Los Angeles will be coming to the Xbox 360, PS3 and PSP which will get the LA Remix version. It was set to be release on October 7th but got delayed til October 22-23. I personally believe that RockStar marketing team did this purposely to compete with there rival Need for Speed: Undercover. So what do we know so far about Midnight Club: Los Angeles?
Car list is estimated to be roughly around 40+ cars that range from Luxury, Tuners, Muscle Cars, Exotics and Motorcycles *Don’t think SUV’s has been confirmed yet*
Los Angeles open world set in gameplay for single and online racers that will involve races during the day and night like real life. Not to mention the in dash view.
Yes cops will be on that ass.
Large range of customizing from exterior to interior! Yes you can customize your interior! SWEET! Also your car can get damaged which will allow you to visit shops for repairs.
Now for the last one I don’t want to start any rumors but I think you might be able to get out of your car like GTA and walk around! But don’t quote me. But if you can I’m guessing you can buy clothing for your character. Nice!
As far as what modes are involve with Midnight Club: LA you can pretty much guess that there’s going to be Circuit races, Time runs and hopefully Drag races. So with all that being said I just want to cut to the chase and say can Midnight Club: LA hold their ground and go up against the Need for Speed: Undercover? I think this is gonna be one hell of a ride for us gamers waiting for these 2 heavyweights go at it pound for pound.
Need for Speed franchise been around forever even when we were playing PC games on Windows 98 and they still putting out NFS installments with new ideas and engines. But no one has ever done a better job than the Black Box developers. When Most Wanted came out I was really blow away and so was many other folks who followed the franchise. For Need for Speed: Undercover EA decided to go back to the formula that best work for them and that was the Most Wanted format. The graphics is superb and so is the gameplay. And not to mention the cut-scene that looks stunning in HD. For the Undercover installment let’s see what EA Black Box is going to give us this time around.
All new storyline and gameplay that is set in an open world environment.
There will be 60+ available cars for us to play with, and that is 20 more cars than Midnight Club: LA has. Hmmmm.
And of course the customizing is in for exterior but none confirm for interior like Midnight Club: LA.
The races will all be set on chasing and being chase, so I’m guessing that the typical Circuit races might be out? Not sure on that one yet.
As far as the character we probably won’t be seeing his face like we have seen in Most Wanted but that’s alright with me personally.
So we’ve seen a few trailers for Undercover but no gameplay yet. But so far just knowing that this game is spinning off of Most Wanted is self explanatory. I can tell you one thing, if you don’t have a HDTV and a nice surround sound for this Need for Speed Undercover title you will be only cheating yourself. This game is going to be and action pack movie/game that will keep you sucked in for weeks, hopefully months.
Here is what I’m going to stress that is going to make these 2 titles battle for the #1 spot in Arcade racers. There are going to be 2 unique things about each game that is going to make them get that extra leap to the finish line. Let’s take a look at some info I gather from some sites. And oh yeah, it’s on!
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Four special moves to make use of. Each auto can be customized to use any move. Zone allows you to slow down time in order to take sharp turns or weave in-and-out of traffic like a champ! Agro will give your car added strength and the ability to damage opponents faster or sometimes knock them completely out of the race. Roar sends a shockwave that clears your path by pushing cars off to the side of the road. EMP is an electromagnetic pulse that shuts down the engines of the cars around you, bringing them to a complete stop.
Need for Speed Undercover The mode that will be the secret weapon is a straightforward race called Highway Battle. In this battle you go up against one opponent in a race towards a pre-designated finish line. During the race you can take quite a bit of damage that can cause your car to creep to the finish. EA Black Box wants to recreate the high intensity moments you see in the big action movies through something the team calls the Heroic Driving Engine. In Hot Pursuit 2 and Underground there were about 4 different components in the driving engine now there are over 430 different components to play around with in each car to make them feel unique.
Now I know nothing about this game whatsoever. I do know that a small buzz is starting to grow more and more about Lengendary being designed by Spark Unlimited and published by Gamcock. And from the looks of the all access that Adam Sessler did with a few people behind this strange twist of a FPS it’s not hard to see why there’s a buzz for this game at all. Werewolfs, Minotaurs, Gryphons Oh My!!!!! So enjoy the video and the synopsis of this title set to launch for the PS3, Xbox 360, and the PC on September 30th.
Synopsis
Myths. They were just stories; tall tales to explain the unexplainable. But unexplainable doesn’t mean impossible.
Deep within the dusty basement of a New York Museum, recovered from the depths of the ocean floor, lies mythology’s most infamous artifact: Pandora’s Box. Sealed inside since time immemorial are creatures we thought were works of fiction, myths created by our ancestors. There, they have raged, awaiting a chance to escape and seek vengeance upon mankind for sealing them in their prison.
Now, rogue art thief Charles Deckard, hired by a shadowy organization to steal the box, learns that the line between fact and fiction is not as clear as it seems.
During the mission, Deckard, unaware of the box’s true identity, unwittingly releases its horrors into the world, triggering a war between man and myth. Now, giant griffons rule the city skies, ravenous werewolves stalk the urban streets in search of flesh, and Deckard is left branded with a signet that is the secret to man’s salvation. With the aid of a clandestine paramilitary force, he must fight to seal the door between reality and myth or see loss of civilization to the tooth and claw of legend.
An incredible epic-scale first person shooter experience.
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