Here's a teaser for Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Keep in mind that it is a TEASER developed by Slant Six. People expect too much from trailers (even teaser trailers) these days.
The third part of the Fault Line video series for Battlefield 3 is now up and shooter fans are excited to get that wire out. Also, too soon for earthquakes?
Note: Potential spoilers are ahead, so you are warned.
The last bit of downloadable content for Mass Effect 2 came out today with the Arrival. For seven dollars (560 Microsoft Points), you can experience events that will set up Mass Effect 3 for good old commander Shepard. Even though it is not as long as the other DLC missions such as Overlord and Lair of the Shadow Broker, Arrival does its part well of bridging the two games especially with the big decision you make at the end. The mission starts out with Admiral Hackett privately telling Shepard via his terminal about a friend, Dr. Kenson, in need of saving because of a potential Reaper invasion. Apparently the Reapers can go through one of the mass relays, specifically the Alpha Relay here, to invade everyone especially planet Earth. It is up to Shepard to prevent the Arrival basically, or if you seen the trailer for Mass Effect 3, postpone it. You are then sent on a solo outing (no help from your teammates) to rescue her over at Batarian space. The first part of this DLC can be played with the usual run & gun approach or the optional stealthy way. The only reason you would play the stealthy way is to get the achievement/trophy for it, but the game's journal didn't really tell you that method is the recommended way to go. The DLC as a whole is filled with combat sequences, but the little bits of story especially with the plot twist you can guess right away at the start keeps things going for the DLC. Sure, doing it alone doesn't make the combat significantly different from the main game with squadmates around covering you, but you take the tactical part of the combat for the most part if you're into that. Shepard does get put in a tough spot when he makes a big decision at the end of the DLC that will have have its costs. This decision also sets him up for events that will take place in the third game. The Arrival is only a hour or two long (with a post suicide mission Shepard), and seven dollars might be asking a little too much for such little content especially compared to the past downloadable missions. If you're a Mass Effect fan and want to experience the gap between the two games though, then the Arrival is still worth your time and money.
I haven't paid attention to El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron till I saw this Giant Bomb Quick Look EX for it featuring Ignition's Shane "Mangod" Bettenhausen. I knew that this game exists since it was announced and had potential to be pretty good, but now that it is closer to release at Japan (U.S. release a little later), this is actually amazing. The visual style is somewhat refreshing for the genre (looks Okami-esque since some of the Okami guys worked on this from the artistic side) and the combat looks to be interesting as well from what Shane was describing. El Shaddai is shaping up to be a sleeper hit contender for this year that a certain crowd would enjoy.
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition has been rated by some UK ratings board today, so there's your proof that it is still coming out on consoles. There is still no word if Capcom wants to release it as DLC or another retail game, but we will probably find out at Captivate next week. Speaking of Captivate, Capcom expects to show off new footage of Street Fighter x Tekken, Asura's Wrath, the Ninja Theory DmC reboot that everyone still hates because of the Dante redesign, and the newly announced Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, developed by Slant Six (SOCOM PSP games and Confrontation).
Today on the music roundup is called "The Black & Yellow Edition" for a reason which is Wiz Khalifa's first mainstream album Rolling Papers. We all know how big of a splash he made last fall repping those Pittsburgh Steelers colors being one of the most catchiest rap hit songs in recent years spawning endless remixes. Apparently we "know what it is" with Wiz being the next big rapper to get the mainstream spotlight, but it came at a price especially with the quality of this album. It is probably my expectations and also Wiz's fans pre-Black & Yellow for this to be more of the same before getting famous, but I knew once you got that megahit, your album needs to be more mainstream for that audience and that's what pretty much happened. Rolling Papers puts you in chill and poppy vibes at the get go with the first track "When I'm Gone." The only times Wiz had seriousness in the whole album is at the beginning with "On My Level" featuring Too Short and of course "Black & Yellow." After that, things go way poppy and chill especially with his current single "Roll Up." If you seen the video for "Roll Up," (below) its just weird seeing Wiz being out of character being a love rap song of sorts. I felt this album is just another victim of mainstream success being too much to the point it dampers the quality a bit. Then again, mixtapes have been the saving grace as of late with rappers such as Wiz (especially with Cabin Fever) being able to retain true to hip-hop and to themselves. Despite that little rant, if you wanted that chill and poppy vibe with your rap, Wiz's album is exactly that with decent production all around with tracks such as "The Race." I also gotta give the album some bonus points for the lack of cameo appearances by other artists, so props for Wiz for sticking it out alone for the majority of the album without needing guest appearances (well there's the album with him and Snoop Dogg coming soon though). In a nutshell, Wiz Khalifa's Rolling Papers is just another rap album that could of been better if it wasn't for his mainstream success being too big right away with the majority of it being too poppy for the hip-hop/rap audience. I expected more of "Black & Yellow" Wiz, not "Roll Up" Wiz.
GameSpot released the first gameplay trailer involving Kratos for the new Mortal Kombat and I must say Netherrealm Studios did an amazing job giving the God of War the justice he deserves in a fighting game (Well he was in Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny for the PSP). Kratos truly fits the MK style with the violent mentality he's always in and it shows in this clip. Nearly all of his weapons from God of War III are being represented from his signature chained blades, the cestus, his bow/arrows, and more. He also suits the current MK fighting system well from what I seen here being able to dish out simple button memorization combos to more advanced juggles of craziness. Netherrealm also nailed the presentation aspect of Kratos exceptionally well from the God of War III theme song, the weapon sound effects, the background similar to the finale against Zeus, to even special moves that have the quicktime events the series was known for. Even though he is banned from tournaments being a PS3-exclusive character, Kratos looks like he's a fun character to mess around with in Mortal Kombat when it comes out next month on the 19th.
This seems to be the opening for Portal 2 along with some other footage as well from PAX East. I haven't been paying attention to this game that much as I should, but its out next month and looks like Valve retained the charm and mystery the first game was known for being the cult hit it was.
Giant Bomb had a new quick look for my most wanted game Child of Eden, which is now coming out June 14 for the 360/Kinect. Its still my only reason to get a Kinect and so far it looks as amazing as I expected it to be. Ubisoft and Q! Entertainment are still quiet about the PS3 version, which I think is coming out a little later after the 360 version (timed exclusivity makes sense especially with it being a big Kinect game). The Kinect controls seem to work now with the latest builds of the game as I like how both hands are used for different shot styles. Anyway, if you're wandering why I'm still excited for Child of Eden, just watch the video above or check out my Rez HD review.
I have been messing around with Jill & Shuma-Gorath (this week's DLC characters for Marvel vs. Capcom 3) and here's some combo videos featuring the two of them showcasing what they're capable of. I like both characters for fun as they have potential to do damage, but me playing them at tourney level needs more work. I'm trying to make it happen with Sentinel as the obvious anchor and of course drones assist works well as a way for both to get in. Jill's low health is indeed a problem as she is pretty much dead in two combos, but once she's in there, the mixups and sheninegans take shape especially with her Feral stance (telport crossups for example). I also love her overhead which can lead to her air knees (similar to Cammy's Cannon Strike dive kick somewhat) as a startup to another combo. Jill's level 3 is useless for me at the moment as I need to find something other than randomly going nuts without thinking at all. Shuma can air dash, but not tri dash so his Mystic Smash is pretty key to getting in (well for me). He can also OTG super with his Hyper Mystic Ray for some damage, but not much. Of course, there's his level 3 Chaos Dimension setups to have fun with as well, but Shuma is a fun character that can both zone (not as well) and deal damage once in range. Would I main these characters right now? Sure, I probably would since they're fresh as all of us figure out the matchups as the days and weeks go on. I'm still sticking with BnB material for the both of them until I know I can tack on the crazy technology in actual matches. For now, everyone that has Marvel 3 should give them a shot (both are 5 bucks each unless you got the Collector's Edition code) and see if they fit your playstyle and team synergy.
While most shooter fans are realizing how overhyped and disappointing Homefront is this week, here's another glimpse to the future for the genre.
Prey 2 was just announced several days ago and now we have an interesting live-action teaser for a game that's coming next year. As someone who played the first game on the 360, I didn't see any resemblance to it in this teaser regarding characters besides the glowing blue thingy. Some say Human Head is "dude-broing" the franchise, which is bad considering how much of a cliche that is for shooters these days, but we'll see how this shapes out since little to nothing has been revealed even after watching this teaser.
The next part in a series of Battlefield 3 videos came out this morning as the squad marches down to take down a sniper in a methodical approach. This is definitely a more realistic method and all of a sudden you use a rocket launcher to destroy the building the sniper, which is definitely video game logic to me. Anyway, this is still one, or perhaps the best looking shooter fans are looking forward to, as the series continues at the end of this month.
If you're not hyped for Batman: Arkham City yet, this new clip which finally shows off some gameplay will change your mind for the good. So far, it looks like Rocksteady is ready to avoid the sophomore slump.
Haven't done this in a while, so its time once again for a little music roundup featuring two big albums by mainstream stars.
First up is the latest with Chris Brown called F.A.M.E. This was originally slated to come out late last year, but the delays have been worth it for a more complete album featuring some of the biggest hits in the past year. Starting off with the megahit "Dueces" is a pretty good idea as the rest of the album mixes the fast and slow tempo R&B (such as "No Bull****")/pop songs well. Even Breezy wants to kick in the rap in his current single "Look at Me Now" which features Busta Rhymes' ridiculously fast flow with his verse (nearly Twista-like) and Lil' Wayne. It turned to be my personal favorites in the album and continues to show off Chris's wide skillset he has been known for years. There's also the clubby pop stuff with his smash hit, "Yeah 3x," and the Benny Benassi produced "Beautiful People" which serve their purpose in the album exceptionally well. What I didn't expect in the album at first and will probably end up as a future single is "Next 2 You" featuring one Justin Bieber. Personally, I expect that to be big if it makes it to radio stations. After the whole Rihanna incident, it seemed like it was end of the line for Chris Brown to me, but he turned it around significantly doing what he does best as F.A.M.E. is his best album post RiRi. Its safe to say we are all past that and he's able to put out a successful record that will be on top of the mainstream charts for a while.
This came out to the internets earlier than I thought it would and of course I had to get it right away. Its safe to say that Britney Spears has been through a lot lately with her career and her personal life. After her successful Circus album being somewhat her comeback to pop royalty, there is nowhere to go but up for her latest Femme Fatale. Going up was probably the right mindset as Britney took no prisoners to make the album as good as it is. Of course, I started listening to this album with little to no expectations, but I'm amazingly surprised (and shocked) that is a full album with basically no filler tracks at all. This is arguably Britney's best album yet, which at first isn't saying much considering her track record over the years, but it is actually that good which the majority of the songs having single potential. Sure, it is still catchy pop at its core, but this is Britney being the pop queen she is. "Till the World Ends" and "Hold It Against Me," her current singles are still getting radio playback like no other as you can't listen to the mainstream stations without hearing Brit once every hour and also great starters for the album. The rest of the album though is what surprised me the most becoming the full album it is. "Inside Out" and "I Wanna Go" are high in rotation and among my favorites so far. Britney dabbled with the clubby pop first with her Blackout album, the sleeper favorite among fans, and still messed around with it for Circus, but it is increased to eleven for Femme Fatale to the point she entered dubstep territory. The dub influences have been spread out throughout the album, as a friend of mine called it "popstep," so we'll see if Britney is setting a new standard for other pop artists to dabble with dubstep because we all know music artists these days want to be trendy just to stay relevant. The one personal stinker for me with this album is "Big Fat Bass" because count on Will.I.Am to ruin things with his production and annoying vocals. Then again, I'm still on my hate phase for him and the rest of the BEP currently. Even the one slow track at the end, "Criminal," is pretty good and shows signs of old school Britney. All in all, Femme Fatale is Britney's statement to take pop supermacy once again and it is one very good statement she made. Now I'm looking more forward to Lady Gaga's new album to see she is able to keep the crown.
Note - This is the Kotaku video of Pilotwings Resort in action from the 3DS event a couple months ago. After the video is my brief thoughts with the handheld.
I stopped by my local Best Buy earlier today to see if they have a playable 3DS kiosk and I was right. Pilotwings Resort is the only game playable in demo form as Nintendo pretty much made the flight parts of Wii Sports Resort into its own game with the Pilotwings name along with some additional stuff that wasn't in the Wii game. I think the island is nearly the same from that game as you fly around with various vehicles completing missions. From planes, jetpacks, to hang gliders, there is a sense of variety of flight in the game, but it definitely looks like a launch game content-wise. The missions in the demo had me flying through rings in expected Pilotwings fashion and shooting targets (also from the Wii game). As a launch game, Pilotwings Resort seems fine to me, but not really killer-app (or must get) worthy during this window.
As for the handheld itself, I'm happy how similar it is the normal DS other than the significant additions. Of course, there is the 3D, which is the selling point, as you can use the slider to toggle between 2D and 3D. Most importantly, the 3D effect works for the most part without glasses, which is proof that the concept can work. Besides that, I didn't really notice any crazy 3D stuff playing Pilotwings, but the screen is indeed functional. The analog pad also seems to be a fine addition to the handheld for primary movement. I'm curious how Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition will be handled with that since the d-pad is under the analog pad as I would be rather using the d-pad for execution purposes. I can see why putting your eyes close to the screen can get a little tiresome after hours of playing as Nintendo does tell you the ideal distance to play it at the kiosk for safety precautions. Also, not to rag on my Best Buy, but for such an upcoming device like the 3DS, you would put it somewhere front and center rather than be hidden somewhere in the back to increase promotion and get people interested if they're not sure.
After my brief time with the 3DS, the handheld seems fine as they kept what was necessary from the normal DS Lites along with adding the 3D and the analog pad. Pilotwings Resort seems to be okay for a tech demo, but nothing else. Also these kiosks are not designed for tall people like me as it is more catered to kids, so its weird to me to play it bending a little bit to see everything. I still want to try out other games like SSFIV3D before coming up with a better opinion. Plus, the launch lineup is still pretty bare bones when the thing comes out on the 27th, but I'm expecting to sell like hotcakes at the gate since its still a well made handheld by Nintendo and the name alone would be enough for people to get it right away. We just to have to wait a little longer for better games that will take advantage what the system is capable off in the coming months, but at least its another excuse to play more Pokemon Black & White.
A demo for Motorstorm: Apocalypse is out on the European Playstation Store, which the final game will came out there next week and next month here at the States. This is the third game in Sony's intense racing franchise and Evolution Studios decided to ditch the treacherous and mountainous landscapes of the previous games for a post-apocalyptic modern setting with modern looking cars. It is about time that it decides to mess around with more urbanized environments, but it is still Motorstorm at its core. Apocalypse is basically a combination of Motorstorm and Split Second with how it handles destructible environments to change up the track you're racing on as it maintains the control and intensity the franchise is known for. As an arcade racer, this is still one of the intense racing games you'll play this generation with opponents being aggressive to the point they want to take you out and rubberband A.I. that keeps the action down to the wire as one screw up can lead to defeat. The core controls are still the same with accelerating and boosting, but Motorstorm games have their own physics of how the vehicles control. Even the supercar that is available in the demo can feel a little weird at times, so players have to adjust to the physics the franchise has had throughout its existence again. Other than the supercar playable, there is a motorbike also to try out in the demo and its similar to previous bike experiences in past games in the one track that this demo offers.
As I mentioned before, the destructible environments play a significant role in later parts of the race as a context sensitive button press opens up the track in a bit for more alternative routes as seen in last year's Split Second. Unlike that game though, these events unfold at certain parts of the track rather than saving up a meter to make a certain piece of environment explode for example in order to take out an opposing vehicle and open up a new route. You can still wreck opponents that way, but the opportunities are limited unlike Split Second and you can still ram down opponents Burnout style as well. After playing through the demo, Motorstorm Apocalypse is shaping up to be another worthy addition to the franchise changing things up a bit while keeping the core racing fundamentals it has been known for intact. The final game will have a story mode, which I'm curious how that will turn out, but besides that big addition, its more Motorstorm, and as someone who likes arcade racers, I do need that fix after grinding it out with Gran Turismo 5 several months back.
Here's a quick rundown of what has happened today in the world of games...
Dragon Age 2 is out today... you can read my impressions of the demo somewhere in this blog. If you read them already, then you know I'm not into the fantasy setting right now and I rather wait till Mass Effect 3 for my BioWare RPG fix. Plus, I rather play Skyrim instead of this too.
Marvel vs. Capcom 3's DLC for next week has their trailers, which I put up last night of Jill and Shuma-Gorath.
Uncharted 3's villain has been revealed and there's a new trailer as well. Anytime Nathan Drake says "Oh crap," you know he's pretty much screwed or almost going to be screwed when some crazy setpiece is happening. Also, cue in the Jason Staham comparisons with one of the dudes as well.
Pokemon Black & White sold over a million in its first day. As expected, people of all ages still wanna catch 'em all. I watched an episode of the cartoon which the current season is indeed corresponding with the games and its still the same core plot revolving around Ash & Pikachu along with the standard cliches if you know a thing or two about the cartoon throughout the years.
The GDC trailer for Shadows of the Damned came out today and wow, this is turning out better than I thought it would. Still expecting to come out in June published bye EA, this Suda 51 joint is ready to be a sleeper hit for the summer. Expect Grasshopper to deliver the goods once again as seen with the No More Heroes games.
Playstation Plus owners get the Mortal Kombat demo later today, so expect lots of things with that in the coming days.
That's it for now... hopefully more stuff pops off later.
Jill & Shuma-Gorath are out next week as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 DLC so here's their trailers below. Keep in mind, there's a code for them if you bought the Collector's Edition as those that don't have them, Capcom didn't have anything to set regarding the final prices for these two characters. We'll probably find out about that tomorrow or later this week.
So more news are still coming out of GDC as here's a little recap of the words & whispers from the event today.
Mortal Kombat getting a demo next week for Playstation Plus owners and a week later for normal PSN owners. Yay for fighting game demos are actually coming out for download! I don't know if I would cave in for a Plus account, so I could wait a week unless there are ways getting it elsewhere. Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Mileena, and Johnny Cage are the playable characters along with two stages and single/local versus modes.
Dead Island is an open world action RPG... expect more previews to roll out in the coming days to see if it is living up to the amazing trailer that came out a week or two ago and being a trending topic on Twitter for two days.
Resistance 3 multiplayer previews are out in the wild. Yup another high-profile shooter hoping to compete against the juggernauts Call of Duty and Battlefield, but will the third time be the charm for Sony and Insomniac?. They also diminished the player count, which makes sense I guess for what they're going for. A multiplayer beta is planned for Playstation Plus subscribers sometime in the summer before the game's release in the fall.
I didn't mention this yesterday, but as expected, there's a Mario game coming to the 3DS. Pictures show a 3D Mario game since it is made by the Galaxy team, so high hopes are up for them to deliver the goods once again. Also, they teased the return of a tail (either the raccoon suit or the tanooki), so there's flying elements I guess. Nintendo says to expect more about this Mario game at E3.
I didn't get the new issue yet, but the new Game Informer's cover story is Saint's Row: The Third. The Saint's Row franchise to me is pretty much the real current-gen Grand Theft Auto even though I appreciated the more mature, story-driven direction in GTA4). Those games were able to keep the fun and insanity of the PS2 GTA games as I'm expecting to see this third one continue that same direction.
During Iwata's GDC Keynote this morning, he revealed a new trailer for Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword which finally shows new stuff from new levels, characters, and so on. I'm still not sure about the Wii Motion Plus sword controls even though it puts a "new" spin into the combat, but then again I'm not as excited for this game as I thought I would be. Its still a Zelda game, which is still cool and all, but its starting to become too little, too late for me regarding the classic formula they keep refreshing on every iteration. Also, this is the only reason I'm keeping my Wii, so this better be good whenever it comes out this year.
Mortal Kombat's Challenge Tower mode is among some of the most insane things I have seen in a fighting game. The fighting script will change dramatically once you delve into this tower with the stipulations and obstacles Netherrealm Games will throw at you. Fighting with no arms, no head, no jumps, flaming floors, and killing waves of zombies are just examples of what to expect here. I'll let the video above explain more about it though, but this is nuts. Mortal Kombat is still coming out next month and looking pretty good so far.
Just watch the latest Battlefield 3 trailer above and I'll let it speak for itself. All I have to say is the shooter landscape has now changed again and BF3 is ready to take down the competition.
Capcom released their first wave of DLC today for Marvel vs. Capcom 3 with the free Shadow Mode and alternate costumes for Ryu, Dante, Chris, Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. As of now, Shadow Mode consists of facing off against AI opponents, but against the game's developers, Capcom employees, and soon the best tournament level players in the world. As of now, we get the producer Nitsuma, and two other tester dudes as they're not that hard to defeat. There is a star rating when selecting shadow opponents as the higher the star rating the harder to defeat. These three are a start as Capcom expects to release more on a regularly scheduled basis, so you can unlock more of those titles you can't figure out how to get them till now. Also as expected, it is in the Capcom tradition of being on the disc at the get go as you're pretty much downloading the unlock key for them. Don't expect much out of Shadow Mode till Capcom releases tougher "tourney-level" opponents for us to challenge in the coming weeks.
As predicted and expected, Atlus finally announced Catherine for a U.S. release this summer for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. The different covers are intact for both versions from their Japanese releases. Since the cat's out of the bag, there are still questions for how this release is going to happen. Will it be the exact same game Japan has been playing for weeks or a toned down version difficulty-wise after hearing such feedback about that? What about the voice cast? Will English voices be present or a more preferable dual-voice option happen? Hopefully we find answers to these as soon as possible, but I'm happy about the announcement regardless.
