Several months ago, we took a look at the upcoming title Hellraid. Well now there is a video of the prologue that showed previously and it looks slick.
Glorious Extended Gaming Mouse Mat - Hardware Review
Mouse pads and gaming surfaces have come a long way in the last thirty years which is saying a lot since the mouse pads themselves tend to be the most overlooked components in a computer setup. Most people will pick up whichever $10 pad looks the best, whether it is the basic blue or black plastic-y surface or if it is that gel mat with the giant cat picture suffused to it, it s generally a woefully under-appreciated peripheral and therefore gamers "skimp out" on the quality surfaces. My first introduction to quality gaming surfaces was back in 2001/2002 when I had been playing on both CAL-I and CAL-M teams in CounterStrike and was in the process of building a new computer.
Natural Doctrine - PS4 Review
At a glance, Natural Doctrine should be a title that I immediately fall in love with. I love the RPG and strategy genres, and when they are blended together, I spend hours upon hours considering how to best level up my characters and approach the tactical situation. This dates back to older titles such as Shining Force and Warsong, but also newer games such as King's Bounty and Fire Emblem. Natural Doctrine does some interesting things but somehow manages to make a challenging title that misses the mark in enough places to hold it back. It is a shame, because I was coming into this hoping and even expecting
to love Natural Doctrine, but in the end I only found myself liking it -
and I suspect I am the target audience, so others may not be so
forgiving.
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD arriving in March - plus a trailer
This is a title we have been waiting for anxiously here in North America for some time.
Minecraft: Xbox One Edition - Xbox One Review
Microsoft owns Minecraft. At the time of this review, that is one of the biggest headlines in gaming. It’s big news for sure, but the biggest question is “why now?” Minecraft is B-I-G. It is arguably the most popular single game for my kids’ generation. Any time my kids meet someone new, the first question is “Do you have Minecraft?” And the answer is always “yes”. And they aren’t the only ones. There has been some amazing work done in Minecraft with entire communities building epic recreations of fantasy worlds, working computers, and works of art. It is truly a cultural phenomenon. From that perspective, you can see why Microsoft wants it. They want their name associated with it. And more importantly, they want to keep it away from Sony. Which brings us back to the original question….why now? Minecraft is already available on nearly every major platform already….PC, iOS, Android, PS3, Xbox 360. If they really wanted to monopolize it, they should’ve done this along time ago.
Worlds of Magic - PC Preview
If, like me, you remember Master of Magic very fondly, then Worlds of Magic and its brand of turn-based strategy will feel both familiar and entertaining. Creating cities, researching spells, hiring heroes and building an army all thrown against a magical backdrop is not entirely new. In fact Chris on our team recently reviewed the similarly themed Age of Wonders III recently. While there is certainly room for Worlds of Magic to grow and improve, I cannot help but feel like the development team is at least headed down the right path here.
A new video for Torment: Tides of Numenara
Like many people, I still recall Planescape: Torment very fondly, so it is with a good deal of excitement we have been keeping an eye on the upcoming Torment: Tides of Numenara.
Exodus of Sol - PC Preview
If I were to sit down and really ponder my favorite blanket themes for games, my absolute number one overall theme for a game is space. Whether it is a 4X strategy game like Galactic Civilizations III and Endless Space, a real time strategy game like Sins of a Solar Empire or Homeworld, a space simulation game like X3: Albion Prelude and Elite: Dangerous, a space combat game like Tachyon: The Fringe and Tie Fighter, or an action-RPG like the Mass Effect series, I absolutely love the setting. It is fairly common for me to prowl the 'net in search of more games set in space for hours at a time, soaking up any information that I could find. Now, my particular obsession with space-based titles actually came fairly late into my gaming career; while I have always enjoyed the genre and picked up titles when I could, I was previously afflicted with a similar obsession with standard fantasy tropes (dragons, elves, dwarves, orcs, etc.)
The Walking Dead: Season 2 - Episode 5: No Going Back - Xbox 360 Review
And there we have it. Clementine rides off into the sunset of Season 2 with somebody. Who? Well, that really depends on how you spend the last 10 mins or so. But we’ll get to that in a minute.
“No Going Back” is the finale to the very strong Season 2 of The Walking Dead. This season has very much been about Clementine’s maturation into an independent survivor who can take care of not only herself, but others as well. During Season 1, she spent the majority of the time as the MacGuffin. Her purpose in the game was to give Lee purpose. Without Clementine, Lee didn’t really have any reason to head to Savannah and get hooked up in all these crazy adventures.
“No Going Back” is the finale to the very strong Season 2 of The Walking Dead. This season has very much been about Clementine’s maturation into an independent survivor who can take care of not only herself, but others as well. During Season 1, she spent the majority of the time as the MacGuffin. Her purpose in the game was to give Lee purpose. Without Clementine, Lee didn’t really have any reason to head to Savannah and get hooked up in all these crazy adventures.
New PlayStation 4 images for Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed
We enjoyed Akiba's Trip when it released on PlayStation 3 recently, so any new information about the upcoming release for PlayStation 4 is certainly welcome.
J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars - PC Review
Rachel Manners finds herself hastily awoken from cryogenic slumber as her spaceship is suffering severe damage from meteors in space. With no time to fully square away what is going on, she is tasked with saving the ship from imminent destruction through a series of simple puzzles that show the player what they have to expect here. J.U.L.I.A.: Among the Stars is a story-heavy game with a mix of point-and-click adventure and puzzle-solving as Rachel tries to understand what happened to the rest of her crew and how she came to be the only survivor.
Elminage Gothic - PC Review
I can preface this review by saying that Elminage Gothic is not going to be for everyone. This is an old school dungeon crawler in every sense of the word, for better and for worse. Where as similarly built RPGs like Etrian Odyssey have some gentler options such as the ability to map on your screen, or even more recent takes on the genre automap for you, Elminage wants you to break out graph paper and to fight monsters that can very easily kill your entire party. It reminds me of the older Wizardry titles, or Shining in the Darkness back on my Sega Genesis. It is a brutal formula and I love it.
Final Fantasy IV - PC Review
I still remember my first Final Fantasy title - the very first one when I had a chance to play it on the NES. I had a buddy who bought it and absolutely hated it, and was looking to trade it. By that time I had beaten Metroid more times than I could count, so when he offered the swap I took it. I love Metroid but Final Fantasy and its future iterations were on a whole different level for me. Final Fantasy IV is a game I have not played in years, but recall incredibly fondly. Thankfully the JRP genre seems to hold up well over time, because any time you go back to an old favorite, there is the chance that nostalgia will be replaced by disappointment. Not the case here for me with Final Fantasy IV.
Age of Wonders III - PC Review
First and foremost, I am an action gamer. Platforming titles like Mario or Super Meat Boy or a shooter like Call of Duty or Battlefield immediately come to mind. I do also enjoy some social aspects to my action titles, like Destiny or APB. All of that being said, I can appreciate a slower paced game that makes me think instead of simply react. I adored Fire Emblem Awakening and have spent plenty of hours in World of Warcraft and MapleStory. More tactical games are harder for me to get into, but Fire Emblem, King's Bounty and Age of Wonder are among the ones I can sink my time into, and Age of Wonders III delivers as well as any of its predecessors.
Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- is getting a limited edition
A while back we took a look at the upcoming Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN- and now for fans of the series, there is a slick looking limited edition release coming as well.
Master Reboot - Wii U Review
Atmosphere can do so much for a video game. Realism in an FPS, a sense of wonder and discovery in an RPG, amazing humor in a comedy point-and-click adventure and of course a sense of tension and terror in a game looking to bring a little horror into your life. The good news is that Master Reboot really seems to understand atmosphere well, creating a title light on gameplay mechanics and heavy on haunting visuals and interesting ideas.
Destiny - Xbox One Review
Hype is a dangerous thing. It helps to sell games, but it also elevates expectations. Take Watch Dogs, which was one of my most anticipated games of last year. I was beyond excited to get a chance to play it and when I did? I liked it (I scored it a 7.5 out of 10), but I didn't love it. I have had a few other games I have been hugely excited for such Super Smash Bros, The Division and yes - Destiny. Did Destiny live up to all of my wildest hopes and dreams? No, I suppose not. Did it disappoint me the way Watch Dogs did? No, not really because I still play it daily and enjoy my time with it. Destiny may get run over by its own hype machine, but it is a good game in and of itself.
Ubisoft shows off its full list of songs for Just Dance 2015
While not garnering nearly as much attention as say, their Assassin's Creed titles, there is no doubt that the market for Just Dance is strong as it continues yearly releases. Here is the full list of songs that will be making their way onto next year's iteration.
Chess 2: The Sequel - PC Review
This may be one of the most interesting names to a game ever, despite the handful of words that make up the title. The idea that this ages old game could have a fully developed sequel is in and of itself somewhat mind boggling. With six different game modes to choose from, Chess 2: The Sequel certainly offers a good number of possibilities to fans of the board game.
Conquest of Champions - PC Preview
I love strategy games and the collectible card game genre with fantasy probably being my favorite theme to be had. So Conquest of Champions really seems to tick all of those boxes quite nicely, though there was a small amount of concern over its free to play format. Often these feel like options of the game are locked behind pay walls or unfair unless you dump gobs of money into them. Thankfully the game's formula does work well, though some of those concerns I had are also legitimate.
Seldon Crisis kicks off
A new Asimov-inspired science fiction MMO called Seldon Crisis finds its way onto kickstarter.
Interstellar Marines - PC Preview
While I have been in the first person shooting scene since Doom was originally released, I did not really become invested in the genre until the late 90's when the trifecta of FPS goodness was released. In late '97 we had the release of id Software's amazing Quake II which is the first of the three titles that made up the next few years of my life. Late '98 saw the release of two games that would go on to be amongst my favorites for many years to come; Starsiege Tribes, which was my first taste of truly large scale multiplayer battles (16v16... on dial-up!) that had a strong focus on squad-based gameplay. The third title that was released spawned a new generation of gamers, games, and set a storytelling bar so incredibly high that few titles could match it, was none other than the beloved Half Life. The three of these games made such an impact on how FPS games were played; from introducing quality mouse looking and targeting to large scale multiplayer to pure mod-ability; these titles were kings of their time and have been the anchor of three generations since. As evolution is wont to do, change happened and new features like aiming down the site, vehicular combat, and destructible environments (thank you, Red Faction, for that amazing feature), FPS games began to lose focus on some of the core aspects of the genre.
Afterglow Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Wireless Headset - Hardware Review
A wireless headset can be a tricky thing. Hooking straight into a device is going to give you the best quality results in the end. Things like battery life, signal quality and the potential for interference are eliminated, allowing the headset to simply function without those potential hiccups. However, in some situations, a wireless headset simply solves a need. In my case, it is multiple devices hooked up at a television on the other side of a busy room where people are walking back and forth. A wired headset is impractical for this situation, so it was off to test the Afterglow Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound Wireless Headset which performed pretty admirably.
Grand Theft Auto V has a release date for Xbox One and PS4
Considering what a huge hit this series is and how well number five did commercially, I suppose I cannot say I am surprised to see how quickly this title is releasing for the new consoles. What is nice is it appears that there are a handful of new additions and that this is not going to be a straight port - especially visually.
Lords of Xulima - PC Preview
Lords of Xulima reads like a list of the things I love most about fantasy RPGs. Over 100 hours of game time, a classic feel to the movement and combat with an absolute ton of different monsters and a decent if unspectacular story to boot. I am also someone who loves customizing parties, and there is an option to create five of the six party members that adds a bit of a personal touch to the proceedings. All in all, Lords of Xulima looks like it has great deal of promise.
Sentris - PC Preview
Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, and Rock Band completely changed the definition of music games. While hardware-based gameplay was always around in arcades, folks at home were having fantastical experiences with releases like Vib Ribbon, PaRappa the Rapper, and Amplitude. Once cheap peripheral facsimiles of real instruments hit the market, music games became a way of living out rockstar fantasies. But those types of games had a finite ceiling that they inevitably hit, and as our closets have filled with dust caked plastic instruments, developers are looking at new ways to reinvigorate the genre. Just look at Harmonix with their successful Kickstarter for an Amplitude sequel. Throwing their hat into the fray with an Early Access title on Steam is the aptly named Timbre Interactive, and their freshman release Sentris.
Pre-order Ryse to get access to an exclusive soundtrack offer
Recently we talked about the upcoming PC release of Ryse, and now there is a pre-order bonus as well.
Genius GX-Gaming DeathTaker Gaming Mouse - Hardware Review
I have had a lot of gaming mice over the years; mostly Logitech, some Razer and more recently a SteelSeries Sense. When I was approached to review the DeathTaker by GX Gaming I immediately thought back to the extremely satisfying and very surprising Zabius Gaming Headset by the same makers. Given that I was so surprised with the performance of the Zabius, I leapt at the chance to see what their mice could do. The GX Gaming website reports that the DeathTaker is "great for MMORPG / RTS games" and also highlights the fact that all nine buttons can be customized, some with macros. You can also create separate profiles that you can switch on-the-fly to fit the game you are playing and on top of that, there are five DPI settings that you can choose from. Add in the fact that the handset can be weighted with small metal weights and the high capture DPI, well you have yourself a veritable gaming peripheral.
Tesoro Kuven Devil A1 7.1 Virtual Gaming Headset - Hardware Review
Audio is important. In some cases audio is the most important aspect of an event or activity; from watching a movie or playing a game to going to a concert, good audio, or bad can completely make or break the experience. I have said many times over the years that I would be happy with a 24" CRT television as long as the audio of the program I was watching/playing was superb and that the speakers I had could adequately reproduce the high-fidelity audio. That same holds true today and I will stand by my word and as I get older and "wiser" I have come to realize that a good set of headphones can drown out the incessant wining of the world (not to mention it can potentially directly pump excellent audio straight into your ears with no outside influence).
Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle details and screens
Bandai Namco Games recently touched off a bunch of new details about their upcoming 3DS title, Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle, including some new screens and art as well.
Fairy Fencer F - PS3 Review
The first thing that stood out to me was how much this title reminded me of the Hyperdimension series, a notion that was quickly reinforced once I got into walking around dungeons and utilizing the very similar turn-based combat system. This is not a bad thing, as I enjoyed Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory quite a bit. The world and characters are certainly different, with less of the tongue-in-cheek humor Hyperdimension is known for, but the end result is that Fairy Fencer F is a fun JRPG that should appeal to fans of its better-known cousin.
Dungeon of the Endless - PC Preview
I have had zero exposure to the 'roguelike' genre as it stands today; I generally reserve my time for pure strategy games or more traditional roleplaying games. When roguelike's and roguelike-like's became popular I just was not into the whole thing and have resisted them quite well all along. Truthfully if it were not for my loyalty to Amplitude Studios I would likely never have considered playing a roguelike. However Amplitude Studios, the development studio behind the absolutely wonderful Endless Space and the equally awesome (so far) Endless Legend, has proven to me that they are a solid dev team and that they really hold their fans in high regard so I wanted to give my first roguelike experience to them.
Galactic Civilizations III - PC Preview
Dear Galactic Civilizations; I love you and you need to be purchased by all these fine folks from Steam. The End.
In all seriousness, the Galactic Civilizations titles have been the pinnacle of space-based 4X strategy titles since Masters of Orion tucked its tale and ran away some ten years ago (or so) because of the massively successful and extra awesome Galactic Civilizations (GalCiv) was released by Stardock. Over the course of the last 11 years we have seen a couple of expansions and a sequel and then it went silent. Stardock continued to release some excellent titles, such as Demigod, a MOBA before MOBA's were a thing and then Sins of a Solar Empire (a massively successful RTS/4X game); years later we were gifted with a tidbit about a revisit to the GalCiv franchise. Months later I have a preview copy sitting at my desk and I am simply salivating.
In all seriousness, the Galactic Civilizations titles have been the pinnacle of space-based 4X strategy titles since Masters of Orion tucked its tale and ran away some ten years ago (or so) because of the massively successful and extra awesome Galactic Civilizations (GalCiv) was released by Stardock. Over the course of the last 11 years we have seen a couple of expansions and a sequel and then it went silent. Stardock continued to release some excellent titles, such as Demigod, a MOBA before MOBA's were a thing and then Sins of a Solar Empire (a massively successful RTS/4X game); years later we were gifted with a tidbit about a revisit to the GalCiv franchise. Months later I have a preview copy sitting at my desk and I am simply salivating.
X Rebirth - PC Review
To put a few things into perspective, I picked up X3: Albion Prelude about a year or so ago and have just surpassed the 250 hour mark. While this may not seem like all that much for a year worth of gaming, keep in mind that I have also been churning out reviews on a near-daily basis. I always find time for X3, no matter the situation, I love the X series as a whole. Between the first X title and X3: Albion Prelude, well, I likely have in the upwards of 3,000 hours (mind you, X: Beyond the Frontier was originally released in 1999), if not more though it does get a little hazy given my long stint as a die-hard World of Warcraft member. I have a long and wonderful history with the X-line of games, they are some of the only games that really ever allowed me to realize the dreams of space and seeing the universe, all the while participating in large-scale battles and streaking through space, weaving and dodging other craft as you attempt to out maneuver that devastating poltergeist missile.
The Binding of Isaac Rebirth announced
In what can only be described as one of the more amusing press releases I have seen, The Binding of Isaac Rebirth is coming to multiple platforms in a couple of months.
Metro Redux - Xbox One Review
So I am a bit of a scaredy cat when it comes to horror games, movies or other spooky mediums (though I am a massive fan of Halloween ...) so when survival horror games, or just genuinely creepy environments, appear I tend to shy away and / or skip them all together. Unfortunately this means I have missed out on some truly spectacular games and as such feel a bit more obligated to pay extra close attention when a title comes my way and has a creepy/scary factor level over 9,000. The Metro series is a cross between a survival horror (and that is in the lightest sense of the word possible) and a genuinely creepy and difficult first person shooter.
Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair - Vita Review
The first Danganronpa was a spectacular title. It came out early this year and even made my list of top 10 games from the first half of 2014. So to have the sequel turned around and available about half of a year later? That was good news, but I was also at least slightly concerned that the high quality of the first game might be compromised during such a compressed time frame, especially given all of the localization that need to go into it. I am excited to say that Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is not only as good as its predecessor, but in some subtle ways even better.
Atari reveals Alone in the Dark: Illumination and Haunted House: Cryptic Graves
Atari had a couple of interesting PAX announcements on games coming to PC sooner than I would have expected.
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Old Iron King - Xbox 360 DLC Review
Dark Souls II has been holding its own as a Game of the Year contender for me since it released, and the Crown of the Sunken King DLC did a great job of reminding me why I love the game so much, beckoning me back to it yet again. I was curious to see what direction the team would take the remaining two pieces of DLC, and having had a chance to finally play Crown of the Old Iron King, I am happy to say that the experience is still worthwhile.
SteamWorld Dig - Wii U Review
I’m back with another platformer! This time around, I played a title that is a real mouthful - SteamWorld Dig: A Fistful of Dirt. SteamWorld Dig is available on a plethora of platforms, making its most recent splash on the Wii U, where I was able to complete it. You can also pick it up for 3DS, Vita, Playstation 4, and PC via Steam or direct purchase. Given the theme of SteamWorld Dig, comparisons to other games like Spelunky may be natural, but I haven’t played enough of those to comment on how well it holds its own in such company.
Lords of the Fallen gets a new trailer
Lords of the fallen is looking like a potentially sharp new action-RPG title by Bandai Namco for the Xbox One, and this trailer shows off great visuals and music, but runs about three minutes showing you a bit more as well.
Among the Sleep - PC Review
It was a quiet starlit night and all was quiet in the house. PY and his better half set themselves up at the third desk that faces the TV in the study directly and turned off the lights leaving nothing but a tiny nightlight in the hallway that barely makes it into the room. Ready to start... they load the game.
Dark Souls II: Crown of the Old Iron King - PC DLC Review
Graphically you will be running into the same quality textures from the core game, though there are plenty of new models of amazing creatures that are capable of crushing your whee-little character and wee-little you will be, since nearly every one of these models will be at least half-again as large. While the new models look great and articulate well, the real beauty lies in the environment; stunning, wide-open vistas of the mountains surrounding the Iron Keep lend a sense of scale in this massive world. Running across your first chain is both a beautiful site and a nerve-wracking experience. More than once I was concerned that I would need to fight on one of those chains and trust me, unless you have a tower shield and a spear, you would not want to even think of it.
These wide, open-air environments felt new, and a bit more refined than the core games' more "open" areas. In the core title, Heide's Tower of Flame and the Dragon Shrine are the more 'open' areas, having sharp-looking skyboxes and a less restrictive feel to them as opposed to something like Drangleic Castle or Shrine of Amana. In the first DLC, Crown of the Sunken King, the environment was close, stifling, and added a level of creepiness that fit well with the motif; with Crown of the Old Iron Key the open air and large environments lend a sense of grandeur that will cause you to lower your guard ... only to be crushed by a leaping skeletal guard. I honestly enjoyed the open-air feel so much that I have re-run the areas in Crown of the Old Iron King so many times I know the map by heart; it just felt new and refreshing.
These wide, open-air environments felt new, and a bit more refined than the core games' more "open" areas. In the core title, Heide's Tower of Flame and the Dragon Shrine are the more 'open' areas, having sharp-looking skyboxes and a less restrictive feel to them as opposed to something like Drangleic Castle or Shrine of Amana. In the first DLC, Crown of the Sunken King, the environment was close, stifling, and added a level of creepiness that fit well with the motif; with Crown of the Old Iron Key the open air and large environments lend a sense of grandeur that will cause you to lower your guard ... only to be crushed by a leaping skeletal guard. I honestly enjoyed the open-air feel so much that I have re-run the areas in Crown of the Old Iron King so many times I know the map by heart; it just felt new and refreshing.
Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2: Sister Generation announced
Considering how well received Re;Birth1 was received (we were fond of it here as well), it is not a surprise to see another title in the series coming to Vita early next year.
Tales of Xillia 2 - PS3 Review
The Tales of ... series. That statement alone yields awe, adoration, yearning, and a sense of wonderment that many fans of the series will feel; unlike the near-rabid fans of Final Fantasy or the stoic and cold fans of the Dragon Quest / Dragon Warrior franchise, the die-hards of the Tales of ... series are unto a league of their own. I have been a part of a number of different circles, from JRPG to WRPG to RTS to 4X fandoms; I have seen a large portion of them, some good and pure, other ugly and petty (I admit that I fed into it at times, I think we all have). The Tales of ... fans though, I honestly have not met a more earnest and helpful bunch; willing to share their knowledge and their passion in a warm and comfortable tone, never turning away a potential newcomer to the fold, and welcoming old friends back with no questions asked. The fans are, more than any other franchise, a near mirror image of the games. From the very first Tales of Symphonia, to the very latest, Tales of Xillia 2, every single Tales of ... game has felt like an old friend that has come back home with a smiling face and a welcoming arm.
Legends of Persia - PC Review
It has been a good year for fans of the Hack and Slash genre with releases, or even in progress releases (Early Access) such as Sacred 3, Diablo 3's console expansion, Heretic Shadow Kingdoms, Grim Dawn, and more. That being said, releasing one of these games this year comes with the tag of "what do you offer that they don't?". While Legends of Persia doesn't do anything spectacular gameplay wise to set itself apart from the rest in this category, it has one of the best cinematic styles I have seen in a while.
Champions of Norrath - Retro Reflections
I won't describe in detail what you do in Champions of Norrath because it's basically the same as in every action role playing game: you accept quests, explore dangerous places full of monsters, kill them and gather experience points (exp) and treasure. You use the exp to level up your character, allowing you to choose new skills or improve the ones you already possess. The treasure is sold in shops to buy better equipment, such as swords, bows and armor.
