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The Darkness for Xbox 360 Demo Impressions
Posted by Michael Cardiff Categories: Action, First Person Shooters, Xbox 360,
The Darkness tries to add something entirely new to the FPS genre, and in some ways, it succeeds. In other ways, it totally fails - at least from what we’ve seen so far. In much the same way that Overlord sought to re-invigorate the, well, the Pikmin genre, The Darkness seeks to bring something new to the FPS genre by making you the bad guy. In the game, you play as a mobster, Jackie Estacado, who’s been screwed-over one time too many by his associates. Jackie dies, and he’s re-incarnated as a dark-tentacle weilding “thing” (“The Darknes”), which he can use to exact revenge on the people who messed with him.
Click the jump for the rest of our preview…
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| The Darkness Official Site
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Xbox Live Arcade 7/18: Bomberman Live And Yie Ar Kung-Fu
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, Fighting, Strategy, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade,
Another week with a dual release of Xbox Live Arcade games, and we’ve certainly got at least one solid title here. Bomberman is the classic you know and love, and for 800 Microsoft Points ($10) you get Xbox Live multiplayer support – that right there should be enough to earn your points. And the other Arcade release, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, is probably a game you’ve probably never heard of, but is only $5 and you’ve got Live multiplayer – give the trial a shot before you outright dismiss it.
Virtual Console 7/16: Finally, We Get Paper Mario In The US
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, First Person Shooters, Nintendo, Role Playing Games, Virtual Console, Wii,
The original Paper Mario – which was a straight-up RPG, unlike the recent Wii title – has finally made its way to the Virtual Console in the US. The timing of the release seems a bit odd – you would have thought it should have come out at the same time, if not prior to, Super Paper Mario did. Nevertheless, this was one of the best games on the N64 bar none, so make sure to pick it up for 1,000 Wii Points ($10).
The other two releases are both forgettable, however. Balloon Fight (500 points, NES) and Silent Debuggers (600 points, TurboGrafx16) aren’t worth their price tags, and by today’s standards, aren’t particularly good. Do the sensible thing; buy Paper Mario, and don’t waste any points on these two duds.
Click to continue reading Virtual Console 7/16: Finally, We Get Paper Mario In The US
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E3 2007: Preview: Hellgate: London
Posted by Edie Sellers Categories: Action, E3, Games for Windows, MMORPG, PC, Role Playing Games,
Here’s a quick rundown of what we learned about Hellgate: London as I got a tour of a few levels with Tyler Thompson, Flagship Studio’s director of technology.
Platform: PC
Release date: Still shooting for summer 2007 - which, let’s face it, is right now. According to Tyler, “We’re still working for that. If it takes a little bit longer, then we’ll let it take a little bit longer.” In industry speak that means, “If you don’t see it by August, you’ll see it for the holidays.”
Look: Flagship Studios, at its top levels, is populated by ex-Blizzard brains, including Diablo creators Erich Schaefer and David Brevik (and don’t forget Bill Roper, who played an integral role in the Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo series). So, think Diablo, but much, much better looking. Tyler told me that the game is in the alpha stage. I’m used to seeing games in alpha looking a bit rough around the edges. This game was, in the levels he toured me, free of jaggies and visual glitches. The word that comes to mind is “shiny.” I found it to be very reminiscent of Diablo in look and feel. Of course, bear in mind the tour was guided, which means I only got to see the best looking areas.
The biggest improvement in look, and, ultimately, playability, is the improved camera from Diablo 2. Gone is the fixed, third-person isometric camera in favor of 360-degree, fully rotational viewing.
More after the break.
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E3 2007: Preview: Fallout 3 Details And Impressions
Posted by Edie Sellers Categories: Action, E3, First Person Shooters, PC, Third Person Shooters, Xbox 360,
Here’s a quick rundown of what we learned from Bethesda‘s demonstration of Fallout 3.
Story: Post-apocalyptic teen ventures out of underground vault in which he’s been born and raised to find his dad and his fate in new-post nuclear world. Mutants, animals and humans hate you.
Setting: Washington DC, both downtown and outskirts.
Look: It’s Bethesda. Of course it looks good - for a post apocalyptic world. Very cool mix of art deco and post-modern ‘50s kitsch.
More after the break.
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Morrowind Headlines New List Of Backwards Compatible Xbox Games On Xbox 360
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, Activision, Adventure, CAPCOM, Driving, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Fighting, First Person Shooters, Microsoft, Namco, Puzzle, Role Playing Games, SEGA, Simulation, Sports, Survival Horror, Third Person Shooters, THQ, Ubisoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
It’s about time – finally, Xbox 360 owners who weren’t fortunate enough to play The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind on Xbox or PC can now do so on Xbox 360. The update brings the total number of back compat Xbox games to over 300. And all games are upscaled, so those who have been waiting to play NBA Live 2002 in 720p or 1080i can now do so.
Updated:
- Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex
- Jet Set Radio Future
- Rogue Ops
- Sega GT 2002
Check out the new games after the break.
E3 2007: Next Week’s Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday Sports Two Releases
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, E3, Fighting, Release Dates, Retro, Screenshots, Strategy, Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Xbox Live Arcade,
Next Wednesday, July 18, we’ll be treated to a dual release – Bomberman Live and Yie Ar Kung Fu. Bomberman has been designed specifically for XBLA and features split-screen multiplayer, as well as online multiplayer over Xbox Live and tons of customization for your character. The game will cost 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Yie Ar Kung Fu is a fighting game that appeared on the NES, and is probably a game you’ve never heard of. But that’s why we have trials for all Arcade games, so you can decide if the game is really worth 400 Microsoft Points when they both go live on the Arcade next week.
Check after the break for more screens from both games.
Click to continue reading E3 2007: Next Week’s Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday Sports Two Releases
E3 2007: Metal Gear Solid 4 Trailer, A.K.A. The Best MGS Trailer Ever
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, E3, PlayStation 3, Sony, Trailers,
I’m not much of a Metal Gear Solid fan, or a fan of the stealth-action/espionage genre at all, for that matter. But when I saw this MGS4 trailer earlier this week, I was absolutely blown away. Blown? Blown. This is, for me, the best trailer of the show and I seriously will consider picking up a PlayStation 3 just for this game. Maybe it’s a bit premature to say that, but just give the trailer a look and try to disagree.
E3 2007: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Still Not Confirmed To Have Online
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, E3, Fighting, Internet, Nintendo, Rumors, Wii,
1UP is reporting on the omission of any mention of online gameplay when the subject of Smash Bros. Brawl came up at Nintendo’s press conference earlier this week. Of course, online is a feature that’s probably probably the number one item on every gamer’s wish list when it comes to Super Smash Bros. So it really raises an eyebrow when Nintendo discusses its dedication to online gaming but fails to mention anything about Brawl being online.
It’s suggested in the 1UP story that Nintendo may simply want gamers to focus on the concept of Mario Kart Wii’s online play. And, of course, there is the Tokyo Game Show where Nintendo could make the announcement. Given that this press conference seemed heavily focused on Nintendo’s mentality of expanding the market with casual games, an announcement of Smash Bros. Brawl being online would have drastically diverted attention from that focus.
We’ll keep you up to date on this situation; in the meantime, let’s keep our fingers crossed and all hope that Nintendo knows what it’s doing.
Read More | 1UP
E3 2007: Resident Evil 5’s Spectacular Trailer
Posted by Chris Pereira Categories: Action, CAPCOM, E3, PlayStation 3, Survival Horror, Trailers, Xbox 360,
From the Microsoft press conference, we got a much welcomed look at Resident Evil 5, which will be released next year. The graphics are stunning, and the game seems to be following more in the footsteps of Resident Evil 4 as opposed to reverting back to previous entries in the series. That’s by no means a bad thing, since Resident Evil 4 was one of the best games released in the past few years, bar none. We still don’t know who this protagonist is, but he makes another appearance here. My money is on Chris Redfield, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
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