Tag: PS3

Geekscape Games Reviews: Lollipop Chainsaw

by Josh Jackson

Zombies are all the rage lately, especially in gaming. Sure, you’ve got your Left 4 Dead’s, your Dead Rising’s, you have plants fighting zombies… Michael Jackson even danced with them once upon a time at the local arcade. So when making a video game surrounding the new, exciting idea of fighting off the undead, what does one have to do to make it stand out? The answer is to apparently make it as ridiculous and over the top as possible. With Suda 51 attached to the project, this goal seems sure to be effortless.

Enter Lollipop Chainsaw, the story of high school cheerleader, Juliet Starling, who is secretly part of a family of zombie hunters. Carrying itself with a grindhouse comic book style and storytelling reminiscent of a much more vulgar version of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, the the spunky teen’s school gets overrun with flesh eating monsters –it’s time to whip out the chainsaw and make them wish they were never reborn.

Zombie Slaying Never Looked So Cute.

This hack and slash adventure constantly throws waves of enemies at you, many of which have different attack patterns and strategies if you want to take them down quickly. Mixing in pom pom attacks that stun enemies and more powerful chainsaw attacks that dismember or kill dazed foes, using a variety of moves based on who you’re fighting is essential for any successful hunter. Of course, as with cheerleading, style is just as important as execution, which is why dispatching multiple enemies with one strike achieves a sparkle bonus, earning Juliet extra zombie medals, including rare platinum ones that can be used to buy new outfits, music, unlockables and techniques.

Aside from the game play, when you see Grasshopper Studios or Suda 51 attached to a project, you know you’re going to be mind raped with some of the most surreal content you’ll find in a video game. Lollipop Chainsaw is no exception. I don’t know if it’s her boyfriend, Nick’s, living decapitated head on her hip, using it as a weapon using power ups called “Nick Tickets,” having a decapitated head for a boyfriend to begin with, having lights and rainbows litter the screen instead of blood when enemies are killed, or fighting off a group of bosses called Zombie Rock Gods who each do battle using different musical themes, but everything I experienced was so damn memorable. From psychadelic to punk to auto tuned, these bosses just has to be seen to be believed. Not to mention the soundtrack itself is full of great tunes mixed in with some hilarious choices. Come on, I dare you not to sing along with the 80’s pop hit “Mickey” every time her sparkle power is activated.

One of the Many Zombie Rock Gods.

Hack and slash titles usually fail at keeping me engaged for long, running out of new tricks early into the game and becoming a redundant pile of boring a few hours in. Somehow, this zombie hunting tale seems to be the opposite, which is its only glaring flaw. A few stages in, having so many abilities and attacks unlocked, I had the flexibility to handle fights with many different approaches that made the game feel exciting, especially when trying to rack up those sparkle kills. But in the hour long prologue? You can hardly do anything, with most of the attacks at this point being slow, repetitive mash fests. The prologue actually left me feeling like the game could possibly be… dare I say, a disappointment. But man, am I glad I stuck with it. Once Juliet hits her stride, there’s nothing stopping her and her adventure from being one of the most memorable I’ve experienced this year. Or it would have been if the final chapter didn’t fall flat like a missed catch during a cheer meet, but it’s still pretty damn good.

Brings new meaning to talking out of your ass…

Technical problems like pop-in aside, the game remains fast paced, action packed and completely insane throughout with few problems past the prologue and ending. By the time I was done, I still hadn’t had enough of this universe, and I really hope we see more of this world where lollipops are a legitimate source of nutrition and zombies are all rock gods. Lollipop Chainsaw is easily one of the best hack and slash titles I’ve played in years, is a refreshing take on the zombie sub genre and gives you achievements/trophies for going for the upskirt. Yep, sounds like its catered to gamers to me.

Seven Minutes Of ‘Remember Me’ Gameplay And Gallery!

by Shane O'Hare

HEY! Remember me? Well I remember you! With the announcement of Capcom’s newest title only a few hours old, we get a little gameplay demo AND some screenshots! Take a peak below!

Holy shit that was…heavy. Fucking heavy. Looks like gameplay centers around messing with people’s memories in order for them to do your bidding. Very interesting. While you ponder that, take a look at these tasty screenshots!

This looks like it is going to be a real Juggernaut and EVERYONE SHOULD KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR IT COME MAY 2013!

Everyone Dies Around You In This ‘Dead Space 3’ Gamescom Trailer!

by Shane O'Hare

This years GamesCom is turning out to be more fun than E3! So, if Isaac is realizing that people keep dying around him, why doesn’t he just friggin off himself?! Wouldn’t that be funny if this is how the game ends? You kill yourself…hmmm… ANYWAY take a gander at this new trailer for Dead Space 3!

Dead Space 3 hits shelves February 5th, 2013!

Crysis 3 New Multiplayer Mode Lets You BE A Predator

by Shane O'Hare

More great news from GamesCom. EA and Crytek have announced their new mulitplayer mode for their upcoming release, Crysis 3. “Hunter Mode” lets players actually be the predator, like the one who hunted Arnold, up against 14  CELL soldiers. Take a peak at the release trailer below.

Now aside from the slightly annoying robotic voice narrating every kill, this looks like it could be really, really fun. From what I can gather, the hunters only have bows and melee kills at their arsenal, while the CELL soldiers have numbers and gadgets on their side. “Hunter Mode” is looking to be a nice selling point for Crysis 3.

Crysis 3 is slated to be released sometime in 2013 on Xbox, PS3 and PC.

Check Out This ‘Resident Evil 6’ Gameplay Trailer For Jake!

by Shane O'Hare

GamesCom is the conference that keeps on giving. Now we get a peak at an exclusive trailer for Resident Evil 6! This trailer  centers around Jake and Ashley fighting some baddies in a cabin with a nice escape! Check it out below!

Resident Evil 6 hits shelves October 2nd!

Capcom Announces New Game ‘Remember Me’

by Shane O'Hare

Capcom has just put out a trailer for their new game Remember Me. Announced earlier today at the GamesCom conference, a trailer has JUST hit the net. Take a look here and find out why I am so excited!!!

Jumping Jesus this looks SO GOOD! The first impression I get, is Blade Runner meets Ghost in The Shell, with a little bit of Total Recall added in. The world looks fantastic and the story is a hard sci-fi looking narrative that is right up my alley. From the press release

Capcom and Dontnod entertainment are proud to announce Remember Me, a brand new action adventure title for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Neo-Paris, 2084. Take on the role of Nilin, a former elite memory hunter with the ability to break into people’s minds and steal or even alter their memories. Arrested, and with her memory wiped clean Nilin must now set out on a mission to rediscover her identity.

This REEKS of Ghost in The Shell, come on Neo-Paris?

The game is slated to be released in May of 2013.

More Of ‘Star Wars 1313’ Revealed In This Gameplay Trailer!

by Shane O'Hare

Today, we got ourselves a fresh new gameplay trailer for the upcoming third person shooter in the Star Wars universe, Star Wars 1313! Take a look here!

Now, let me reiterate for you that was all gameplay. They have tweaked the Unreal 3 engine to a point that cutscenes and gameplay will blend perfectly. The best part about this trailer is the last bit, we get a nice skybox (if you can call it that) of Level 1313. No release date has been given yet.

There Are A God Damn Lot of Guns In This New ‘Borderlands 2’ Trailer

by Shane O'Hare

God, September 21st cannot get here soon enough. The long awaited sequel to one of my all time favorite games, Borderlands 2, hits store shelves. Today we get another little tease as with the “Come and Get Me” trailer.

It’s great to see all the fourth-wall-breaking humor is still there. Oh, and all those guns.

Everybody’s Gaming For The Weekend Of August 10th, 2012!

by MoreLikeAndy

With crippling back pain these past couple of days, I won’t be moving much, if at all, this weekend. At least my timing is good since this week there are a plethora of games to play on portable and non-portable devices alike.

 

Super Stardust HD Bundle – PSN

An oldie but goodie, the wonderful folks at Housemarque decide for the 5th anniversary of releasing the first Playstation Network game to offer trophies, they would put Super Stardust HD in a bundle for $7.99. Getting the game as well as all three DLC items released for it is a great deal for a fantastic twin-stick shooter that is as close to any game could possibly come to the beloved Geometry Wars series on XBLA. If you are one of the few that haven’t bought this in the five years it’s been out, now’s the time to jump on this deal for Super Stardust HD.

 

Sound Shapes – PSN, PS Vita

 

Buying once, playing everywhere in the confines of the Playstation ecosystem, is something that I want to happen more. Even if your game is not that good, I would buy it just to have the option of either using my PS3 while at my desk, or my PS Vita while out getting groceries to finally eat something other than ramen noodles. Side-scrolling platformer with a huge focus on the musical aspect of each level. Traversing the levels collecting dots that increase the number of tones playing in the background of the level is the main focus of Sound Shapes as well as user created levels. This musical Little Big Planet-esque gem is a must for PS Vita and PS3 owners alike.

 

Gasketball – iOS

Tell me this doesn’t reek of late night infomercials:

 

Even with the 100 pre-made levels, the big appeal here is playing all the user created content. Hopefully, enough people shell out $2.99 for the the complete level-building kit so we have a never-ending flow of crazy Gasketball levels.

Sleeping Dogs Awaken With This Launch Trailer

by Shane O'Hare

The mysterious to-me game, Sleeping Dogs, got it’s launch trailer today. Take a gander with your eye holes below.

Despite all the content floating around out there, it was still hard for me to get a major read on how this game will turn out. This trailer seemingly filled that void. It has a major Asian mob movie feeling (DUUUUH). If you have ever seen City of Violence then you got an idea of what I’m getting at. The gameplay looks like it will please all the True Crime fans out there. I’m not saying this is a day one purchase but definitely keep it in your sights.

Jet Set Radio HD Gets A Release Date!

by Shane O'Hare

That’s right folks. SEGA  just announced an HD remake of the funky fun, rollerblading graffiti game, Jet Set Radio, will be coming out very, very soon!

It hits XBLA and PSN on September 18th (A week early if you have Playstation Plus) and September 19th on Steam. PS Vita owners also get in on the action but will have to wait almost a month later, October 16th to be exact.

This comes shortly after SEGA confirming that the entire Jet Set Radio soundtrack will return, unlike that lame Tony Hawk HD remake. Take a gander at this music tease trailer!

‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops II’ Multiplayer Reveal Trailer Is Here!

by Shawn Madden

For fans that complained that Modern Warfare 3 was just the same game yet again…it looks like you’re in for a treat. While we do not get to see any of the game modes are going to be offered we do get to see some of the new devices and gadgets that are going to be available and all I can say is…holy fuck what is that ED-209 thing and how many kills do I need to use it? Ladies…prepare to say goodbye to your boyfriends for awhile.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops II will be released November 13th.

Everybody’s Gaming For The Weekend Of August 3rd, 2012!

by MoreLikeAndy

Man, it’s pretty dead out there in gaming releases this week. Luckily, I found some gems that you should take a look at.

 

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron Demo – Xbox 360, PS3

Activision decided to give us a little taste of High Moon Studios’ latest take on the ‘robots in disguise’. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron demo will let players check out the first mission in single-player mode as Bumblebee. We also get to take control of Vortex, flying around destroying whatever is in our path in the non-linear level. If you just want to check out the multiplayer and the new customizations, Team Deathmatch and Conquest modes are in here for you as well. Gives you plenty of time to sharpen your skills when Transformers: Fall of Cybertron releases August 21st.

 

Orcs Must Die 2 – PC

I’ve been playing a little of the sequel to Robot Entertainment’s 2011 hit Orcs Must Die and so far, it’s more of the same great tower defense style that I fell in love with in the first game. This time around you have co-op so of course the levels are more intricate to accommodate two players on the field. Even without a buddy to play with, Orcs Must Die 2 is still a lot of fun. Our review should be up soon if you want to hear more about it but really, you should just go and buy it on Steam and play with me. I could use some co-op buddies to smash some Orcs’ faces in.

I know it’s only two suggestions in this week’s edition but it is sparse out there right now! I’m sure next week will bring us more goodies than I can fit in this article.

Geekscape Games Geek Peek Review: ‘Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends’

by MoreLikeAndy

Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends wants to take you for a ride in some exotic cars and to give players a history lesson of the Ferrari brand. What I ended up getting was a lesson in bland and missed potential.

Coming off the successful Need for Speed: Shift and Shift 2: Unlimited, I was ready for Slightly Mad Games to bring the exceptional stylings put into those titles to Ferrari Racing Legends. Right away you get a bare bones menu system. Nothing but the video that was in the announcement trailer and two button prompts greet you when the game loads up. Jumping into the campaign, things were too monotonous. From the bland scenery to driving the same track over and over ad nauseum, I never wanted to fall asleep more than I did while at the wheel of Ferrari Racing Legends.

Even with all the driving aids turned on, the controls were so damn touchy that any mistake made meant starting the race over from the beginning. Having the A.I. in the game make all the turns perfectly on the lowest difficulty setting was a good way of mocking my inabilities to control the same cars they were driving. The one thing I was going to praise about the game was how in your face the engine sounds were. The sounds left an impression that this is what it would really sound like racing one of these fantastic exotic machines. That impression turned into that bothersome feeling you get when a bug is buzzing in your ear after an hour of playing.

Test Drive as a series never quite hit home for me. With most of the titles in the series, you could see something of a good racing game forming but the muck and grime of poor controls, bland environments and not enough diversity makes Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends stall before leaving the show floor.

Another Giant Swarms Onto The Portal of Power

by MoreLikeAndy

Even with no release date, Skylanders Giants is poised to take all of our money. Still in need of two more Skylanders to complete my collection, Toys For Bob wants to tease us all with another character reveal.

This time, we have Swarm. If you are into bios:

SWARM
Bring the Sting!
Element: AIR
Character Type: Giant
Bio: Swarm was once a prince from a proud race of mysterious insect warriors that had built their entire civilization inside a giant honeycombed pyramid. Growing up as one of the 9,000 members of the royal family, he was never permitted to leave the hive. But unlike his brethren, there was a magical quality to Swarm that caused him to grow much larger than the rest of his kind. No longer able to fit amongst the rest of his colony, the young prince broke the long standing tradition and stepped out into the open world – where his size and strength would be put to good use in the legendary battle between the Giants and the Arkeyans.

Check out the vignette of Swarm in action and start making that list now of what Skylanders Giants you need to get when the game release date is announced.

 

Make Your Own Transformer In The Latest Trailer For ‘Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron’!

by MoreLikeAndy

From the looks of the new multiplayer trailer for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, everything we at Geekscape loved about the multiplayer in War for Cybertron is back. More customizations, bigger maps and faster gameplay will make jumping into multiplayer worth it when Fall of Cybertron releases August 21st. I just hope the customization of your character allows for me to make a Dinobot to use.

 

Revenge, Mrs. Chu Style In ‘Sleeping Dogs’ Latest Walkthrough Video

by MoreLikeAndy

With the release of Sleeping Dogs looming, Square Enix decided to let loose another walkthrough video to tease us even more. This time, United Front Games’ Producer Dan Sochan narrates a mission that has Wei Shen doling out some street justice for Golden Koi’s owner, Mrs. Chu.

From the driving to the amazing combat scenarios that play out in the mission walkthrough, I am yearning to play Sleeping Dogs. All the points are hit for an action movie lover such as myself. Fast cars with the sense of darting in and out of traffic at really unsafe speeds, Seamless transitions from cutscene to action, fluid combat that makes Batman lurk in the dark filled with envy and story beats that any Hong Kong action film fan would be happy with. Ok, enough with the talking. Just push the damn button already!

 

Sleeping Dogs releases on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on August 14th, which is still not soon enough for me.

Metroplex Flexes His Joints, Brings ‘Fall Of Cybertron’ A Week Eariler To Gamers

by MoreLikeAndy

Not often do we get a bump up in a release date for video games. Coming a week earlier than previously announced by Activision, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is now releasing August 21st in the U.S. and the 24th for Europe.

To celebrate the good news, I present METROPLEX!

Marvel vs Capcom: Origins Announced

by Shawn Madden

Have you been hoping that Capcom would release the first Marvel vs Capcom or even Marvel Super Heroes? Well now you can have both in one! The game will merge both fighting styles giving you the choice of classic one-on-one battles or you can choose the three-on-three tag style of Marvel vs Capcom. The game features an online multiplayer mode with a limit of eight players in the lobby. Players that are waiting for their turn will be able to watch the match currently going on by using the spectator mode. Marvel vs Capcom: Origins will also feature HD graphics and the ability to save replays of players’ matches. The game will be coming to Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network for $14.99 (1200 Microsoft Points).

Marvel vs. Capcom: Origins brings two classic arcade fighters – “Marvel Super Heroes” and “Marvel vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes” – together and to the modern generation. This September, fight like a hero, play like a legend!

Source: IGN

Atlus Invites Everyone To Celebrate ‘HOJAEFJAAM’ On PSN

by MoreLikeAndy

Before you gorge yourself on too many beef products and cheap beer this 4th of July, turn on your PS3 and have a look at the 50 percent off sale Atlus has going for most of their catalog of games on PSN.

The “Half Off Just About Everything For Just About A Month” sale has something for everyone here. Here is the list of games on sale:

Class of Heroes — $7.49 (originally $14.99)
Crimson Gem Saga — $7.49 (originally $14.99)
Hexyz Force — $7.49 (originally $14.99)
Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble — $7.49 (originally $14.99)
Riviera: The Promised Land — $4.99 (originally $9.99)
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona — $9.99 (originally $19.99)
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2: Innocent Sin — $14.99 (originally $29.99)
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable — $9.99 (originally $19.99)
Knights in the Nightmare — $7.49 (originally $14.99)
Yggdra Union — $4.99 (originally $9.99)
Droplitz — $4.99 (originally $9.99)
The Cursed Crusade — $14.99 (originally $29.99)
Catherine — $19.99 (originally $39.99)
Trine 2 — $7.49 (originally $14.99)
Rock of Ages — $4.99 (originally $9.99)

Notable ones on that list are the whole Persona series, Trine 2 and Catherine. This is as good as a time as any for PS Vita owners to get some really good RPG’s. I mean, it’s not like you have anything else to really play on your PS Vita, right?

In case you are already drunk, not to worry. Once you recover in the emergency room at the hospital from blowing your fingers off, the sale will still be around until July 31st. Plenty of time to learn how to use a Playstation controller with your remaining appendages on your hands.

Geekscape Games Geek Peek Review: ‘Spec Ops: The Line’

by MoreLikeAndy

Spec Ops: The Line is suppose to pull on your emotional heart strings with the fact that you are fighting your own kind, the U.S. military. For me, there is a disconnect in what the story of Spec Ops: The Line is trying to tell me and all the killing I am doing. Just by having Nolan North and Christopher “Kid” Reid say to each other “we’re killing our own people!” doesn’t do enough to pull me into the right and wrong situation I think the story is trying to tell. Maybe I have been desensitized by all the war movies and games I’ve played in my life that the story just doesn’t hit home.

It feels like 2K Games focused more time on the sand effects and how they can manipulate the battles more so than the story. Throwing grenades or any other large explosions will cause the sand to swirl up and create a fog that makes it hard for both enemies and your team to see one another. The roaring sounds of the scripted sandstorms in the middle of a firefight added to the craziness of the action. If I was ever in a sandstorm, I think 2K Games got damn close to what it would feel like to be in one.

Feedback on shooting is excellent and the enemy AI at times seems to be pretty smart with cover, though few occasions you will see suicide like tendencies with shotgun and knife wielding enemies as they charge towards your team. Handing off multiplayer duties to Darkside Game Studios was a mistake due to how vastly different the look and feel from the campaign is.From the stiff animations to the cruddy PS2 era textures, it’s anyone’s guess why 2k Games decided to add it in the first place.

Maybe with all the cover-based shooters flooding the market for gamers, developers should draw a line in the sand and start finding a different way to tell moral stories like Spec Ops: The Line tried to.

Geekscape Games Reviews ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’

by MoreLikeAndy

Spider-Man. Most know him as “your friendly neighborhood” Spider-Man. A select few know him as Peter Parker. With the movie coming out next week, Beenox wants to show you the all-new, shiny Amazing Spider-Man.

It seems like every year we get a new Spider-Man game. People will argue that the series peaked with Spider-Man 2. As great as Spider-Man 2 was (and the overlooked Ultimate Spider-Man), I think that Beenox’s honorable efforts with Shattered Dimensions and Edge of Time can’t be completely dismissed. So how did they do with The Amazing Spider-Man? Unfortunately, The Amazing Spider-Man is not Spider-Man 2, but it could be a step back towards returning Spider-Man to the fonder end of gamer’s memories.

As is well documented in video game history, any video game that comes out while tied to a movie’s promotion, usually ends up being pretty lackluster. Before you blame the developers for choosing to work on these titles, just remember that the developers hardly ever get to choose what project they get to work on. Combine this with the lack of time for development that most of these games have and they are usually doing the best that they can while swimming upstream.

The Amazing Spider-Man tries to skirt around spoilers by having the story take place after the events of the movie. Beenox gets away with it, until about an hour into the game. If you would like to avoid what I think is a major spoiler to the movie, put playing this game off until you go to the theaters. Speaking of the story, although it introduces classic villains such as Rhino, Vermin, Scorpion and of course, The Lizard, it ends up being pretty bland. Experiments gone wrong, city-wide infections, Gwen Stacy in trouble and only Spider-Man can save them all. Except for the Gwen Stacy part, you could almost picture this being Prototype.

In fact, the textures and the overall look of the Manhattan could be reused assets from Prototype. When you are outdoors taking a leisurely web-swinging stroll through the city, the sense of speed at first seems great. Once you do it for an hour or so you start to see just how slow Spider-Man is actually moving. Only when you get close to the streets does it feel like I am moving really fast. It could be due to the fact that the camera is pulled in really close to Spider-Man. I am not sure if the camera pulled further out would make the sense of speed any better. Regardless, like much of the game, it stops being impressive and the shortcomings start to show.

One highlight of the game is the combat system. What should be mandatory for all superhero video games is to look at what Rocksteady has done with the combat in Batman Arkham Asylum and Arkham City. The fluid nature and ease of multitasking a group of enemies is how I think a superhero would fight, especially one with a Spider-Sense. Beenox nails it when it comes to the style of combat that Rocksteady is praised for with the Batman titles. Although more animations could have been done since Spider-Man repeats the same moves way too often, everything feels like it should for Spider-Man. It’s fluid and fun for the most part.

 

Yes, much like the Arkham games, the combat is a light mix of hitting ‘x’ to attack and ‘y’ to dodge with the combos automatically happening. When you start to take into consideration that there are objects in the environment that you can utilize, you will see just how fun the combat can be. The stealth attacks in The Amazing Spider-Man is pretty simple yet it makes you want the noir Spider-Man game with stealth mechanics the Beenox did in parts of Shattered Dimensions. Stealth is the best way to take out the one enemy I detest in the game, soldiers with assault rifles. Since you cannot dodge them without doing a web retreat, taking them out before engaging the weaponless enemies makes things easier on you.

I never like Spider-Man indoors so I was a little upset that a lot of the game takes place inside buildings or sewers. But not all of it.  There is a boss fight sequence near the middle of The Amazing Spider-Man that really blew me away. Zipping through the city’s skyline while being chased by flying robots at dusk was exhilarating. To stop mid-swing in order to turn around and Web Rush (in slow-mo) and target the robot never got old. Web Rush, the new system for targeting areas or enemies and quickly zip-lining to them, is not just made for getting around the city faster, you know. For a game going back to the open world theme, Beenox should have had more of situations like this. Hell, they even open big with a nice boss fight as your first encounter.

If you are a person that needs to collect everything in a game, well The Amazing Spider-Man has a ton. 700 comic book pages are scattered throughout Manhattan and it seems like every ten seconds, I was running into one. The more you collect, the more comic books you can unlock to peruse in the extras menu option. Most of them pertain to material Beenox used for characters and settings in the game. You also can’t be Spider-Man without Peter Parker taking pictures. Finding Oscorp logos helps you to unlock new costumes for Spider-Man that you can wear during the game. I was okay with the default suit so I never felt the need to go hunting for those logos and the new skins don’t add anything to the gameplay.

Side-quests are back as well but felt unnecessary in order to complete the game. If you just want to breeze through the main story, you can. You won’t upgrade your abilities to the maximum but that’s alright. The upgrades you get for your abilities in the easy to use ‘OsPhone’ menus are enough to get you through on normal difficulty. After the game’s credits roll, you are thrown back into the game to clean up all of the petty crime and investigations that you didn’t do earlier so it is nice to be able to return to clean up Manhattan. Or you can be like me and just spend time swinging in the sunset, since the selection of what time of day you want is available before leaving your apartment. There’s nothing like swinging through the game’s bloom lighting effect.

Being an epilogue for the film helped the game avoid the major trappings for the most part. Repeat voice dialogue, a monotonous story and too much indoor scenarios reared its ugly head though and bogs down what could have been a fuller experience. With the open world back, fluid combat and some great set pieces, most of that can be overlooked. In the end, especially if you’re a Spidey fan, The Amazing Spider-Man is a fantastic time. Hmm. The Fantastic Spider-Man… has a nice ring to it. I’ll have to see what Stan Lee thinks…

Geekscape Games: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Looks Like ‘Arkham City’

by Shawn Madden

‘Arkham Asylum’ and ‘Arkham City’ are games praised by both video game and comic fans alike and ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ definitely seems to have taken some ideas from it. And I am saying this in a completely positive way. I’ve been posting numerous updates about this game over the past few weeks and this new developers diary focuses on the stealth and combat in the game and it looks great. It definitely looks like we will be getting quite a few different styles of gameplay throughout the game.

It also appears a new skin for Spidey has been added to the game and if you know my love of this character you will know that I was pretty psyched seeing this…

SCARLET SPIDER!

Doom 3 BFG Edition Releases October 16!

by Shane O'Hare

You thought it was over? It can’t be over! Doom 3 was just the warm up fight! Return to Doom 3 October 16th!

Bethesda is releasing a re-tuned and refined edition of Doom 3. Notable improvements include: The Resurrection of Evil DLC, Seven new levels titled “The Lost Missions”, Tighter controls, New checkpoint system that allows for more fluid gameplay, enhanced graphics and visuals optimized for 3D on PS3 and XBOX.

The most important addition. The one that I think all fans of Doom and Doom 3 will LOVE.

ARMOR MOUNTED FLASHLIGHT!

Now you can light the darkness and shoot AT THE SAME TIME! If you are a player of the original Doom 3 then you should be jumping for joy right now. The most downloaded mod for the first released Doom was the Duct Tape Mod that let you use the flashlight and the gun at the same time.

Doom 3 BFG also includes Doom 1 and Doom 2. It hits store shelves October 16th.

Geekscape Games Reviews Elgato’s ‘Game Capture HD’

by MoreLikeAndy

I am all about recording my gameplay. Since I review games, this helps to get screenshots as well as looking at a section of the game to help me describe something that sticks out while playing. For awhile now, I’ve been using a non-HD device and although it works for the price, the quality is not as sharp as it should be to use for my reviews. There aren’t many devices that do HD recording for consoles, especially using HDMI. Elgato kicks in the door with a $200 answer, the Game Capture HD.

With the vast array of consoles hooked up at my desk, one can imagine the snakes nest of wires going everywhere. Being the size of a portable hard drive and having only 4 ports, the Game Capture HD is easy for people with very little room for more devices in their gaming area. One of the things that I don’t like about other HD capture devices is all the wires coming out of them. It may seem trivial but when you actually have one of these devices with component cables coming out of both ends, it ends up being a mess of wires everywhere.

Simplicity seems to be the goal when Elgato came up with the design of the Game Capture HD. HDMI in, HDMI out and usb cable to the computer and you are done. There are extra cables included for the Game Capture HD since the PS3 cannot do anything over HDMI without HDCP (insert). What you might think is an s-video in port  is actually where you plug the special cable made for the PS3. There is also a component cable for that port to use for any other devices that don’t have HDMI, you know, just in case you want to record some of that awesome Wii gaming goodness.

Excited to test the Game Capture HD, I hooked up the Xbox 360 first.

 

 

Using the default settings of the software, that video of Ghost Recon: Future Soldier looks pretty good at 720p. I tried out 1080p for another video but I didn’t notice the quality being all the much better so sticking with the default settings should suit the majority of people. If you want to change the settings, the ease of use will make things quick for you to do so. Changing the quality of the recording is as simple as moving the slider. The only thing I notice with the quality slider is what bitrate the video is recorded in. Nothing changes the audio though. That stays at 224 kbps ACC. Video is also static to one format, h.264.

Since I am not familiar with editing video, I asked Geekscape’s Head Geek Jonathan London about h.264 (mp4, m4v) and editing that file type since he does this for a living. In his words:

On a Mac, you want to be editing an MOV file. Neither of those files you listed are ideal and would need to be converted to be cut in FCP or Avid and Premiere.

This is for the Mac users, of course. Yes, Game Capture HD actually works natively on Windows and OSX. Elgato lists that the software works only in Windows 7 and OSX 10.7 though I never got the chance to test to see if older OS’s would work so people with older OS’s should be wary. On the Windows side of things, the raw format saves in .TS where as on the OSX side it saves in either .mp4 or .m4v. Simplicity of design also carries over to the software for the Game Capture HD. Those looking to do some basic editing and effects will feel a little left out. The only things possible when editing is cutting clips out of your recorded video. I don’t really see this as an issue since iMovie and Windows Movie Maker are ok in a pinch, and free for that matter.

The Game Capture HD software makes it simple to upload and share your videos with the handy assortment of buttons in the bottom corner. Using either Facebook or Youtube to host your video, you can share with all your friends on Twitter, Facebook, email or just save the original file to your videos folder. Other options are OS specific. With OSX, you get the options of ProRes and iMovie. Windows 7 users get Movie Maker.

What I think is a big deal and separates the Game Capture HD from the competition is the ‘timeshift’ feature. In a nutshell, the Game Capture HD is a mini Tivo. From the moment you turn on the software and hook up the device, the counter starts. At first I thought the buffer for how long it will let you rewind was in the device itself. Turns out, it uses the hard drive the device is hooked into as the buffer. Essentially, the buffer can be as long as you want it to be, so long as you have the hard drive space.

Once you pick a spot to start your recording, the temporary buffer file on the hard drive stops and anything before the point of recording is gone. I went 2 hours before hitting record and the buffer file size got to 4.4GB’s in size. Very helpful to know that you can play until you want to record. Saves you time and hard drive space.

Not satisfied with just testing out the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3, I tried using the Game Capture HD on my PC. My XFX 5770 video card has a full HDMI-out port on it so I figured it would work. I was right. For people that like to record their gameplay on PC but don’t want to use software like Fraps will enjoy using the Game Capture HD. Well, that is if you have another PC or laptop to record on. I did notice some frame rate issues on the PC that wasn’t recording but I imagine that was due to the resolution I had set on my 32 inch LCD TV that doubles for one of my PC monitors.

I am new to streaming video live from a console so I am not sure how most people do it these days. The Game Capture HD is not recognized by the streaming software I tried as a video device so I ended up using Xsplit (free version) to capture the live preview screen of the Game Capture HD software. Not the best way to do so but from the test I ran doing this, it was clear and stutter-free.

With how little of a footprint the Game Capture HD has with its size and usage of few cables, I can say that anyone willing to spend money on an HD capture device for pretty much anything that can use non-HDCP HDMI as an output will feel great about the purchase. I see some having issues with the barebones software that only lets you cut and clip your videos. Could be Elgato wants people to use their own video editor of choice. Still would be nice to do everything in one software suite instead of moving around 2 or 3 different ones. With the Game Capture HD, Elgato just threw down the mic to all competition. Time to step your game up, fellas.

Ubisoft Following the Footsteps of Naughty Dog With Use of Motion Capture, Voice Acting

by MoreLikeAndy

Naughty Dog nailed it on the head with their Uncharted series with how well the reactions to what the characters are doing on screen matched up. When making video games, the voice acting is done separate from the motion capture. This can create that disconnect from what the character on screen is doing and how the voice actor reacts to it. Having someone do the voice acting and motion capture at the same time is a huge undertaking and why most studios don’t do it.

With Far Cry 3, Ubisoft seems to get the definition of insanity and is doing things differently by using the same actors for both voice and motion capture. The folks over at CVG did an interview with the actor who plays Vaas, who seems to be the main villain in Far Cry 3. I was hoping for someone that was crazed out of their mind but Michael Mando seems like a genuinely sweet guy. I like that Ubisoft wanted Mando to go even further and over the top with the character Vaas. Everyone loves an on the edge psychotic bad guy. Can’t wait to get my hands on Far Cry 3 on September 4th, 2012.

E3 2012 – Skylanders: Giants Will Have Your Wallet Crying All Over Again

by MoreLikeAndy

Having all but 2 Skylanders figures left to collect, Activision and Toys for Bob decided that people like me need to have more things to collect. My poor wallet.

Wishing I was on the show floor at E3 2012, I have to settle for the press kit and Game Informer’s detailed preview. Coming in October, Skylanders: Giants will give the fans more to love. First thing, obviously, is more characters to collect.

   

 

There will be 8 Giant figures to collect that will have certain puzzles that only they can complete. Toys for Bob is also adding a new elemental power to the mix,  Light Core. Nothing is said yet as to what their powers will be like but hey, the figures will light up when put on the Portal of Power! Now I can have a desk lamp while playing Skylanders: Giants at night.

 

We will also see 8 new characters in the elemental power groups we are already use to be introduced. If that wasn’t enough, 24 Series 2 figures from all the loveable Skylanders you have collected already are coming. To make it worth picking up the same characters again, Toys for Bob made the Series 2 figures with new poses and all will have new upgrade paths to differ from their Series 1 counterparts.

Let’s not forget actual gameplay now. Toys for Bob is adding even more collectables and secret areas for the completionists. It won’t be easy this time around either, if you don’t want it to be, since the option for difficulty levels will be added as well.

So let’s count. 8 + 8 + 24 = 40 new Skylanders that we will all have to camp out at Toys R Us to wrestle out of some poor kids hands. At least we will still be able to use the original figures and level them up even further with the level cap being raised from 10 to 15. That should ease the pain of the insane prices you will see for the new Skylanders: Giants figures on eBay when the game comes out this October.

E3 2012: Persona 4 Arena is a Kick Ass Good Time

by Josh Jackson

Mash ups in fighting games seem like all the rage right now, but has a famed fighting game developer like Arc System Works, (of Guilty Gear and BlazBlue fame,) come along and created a fighter based entirely around RPG characters? Well it’s happened with Persona 4 Arena, which brings characters from the third and fourth entries to do battle in a completely different type of arena.

As expected from Arc Systems, the game is fast paced with both movement and combo execution. With over a dozen different characters to choose from, an extra layer of strategy is added thanks to the addition of Personas. Two attack buttons control the fighter’s attacks while the last two cause the Persona to appear, creatures that temporarily fight alongside your character to extend attacks. The best part? The demo showed that Personas aren’t tied to particular fighters, so the combinations will feel endless. If there are any BlazBlue fans reading this, they felt a lot like controlling Nirvana with Carl Clover, except the Personas don’t have full movement.

Speaking of BlazBlue, you can tell it was a huge inspiration for Arena’s game play. Different parts of the fights from the special effects when super moves are used, the excamaition points that pop up when thrown or tripped, the completely outlandish fighting styles… all reminiscent of BB and Guilty Gear to a lesser extent. So if you’re fans of those games, is there really any doubt?

When I heard a Persona based fighting game was a thing, I was incredibly excited as both a fighting and RPG fan. After trying it at E3, my excitement has increased tenfold! Promising online, a story mode tying it to its RPG roots and expanding on the overall universe, fans of the cult favorite series are going to want to keep an eye out in August.

Geekscape Games Reviews Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown

by Josh Jackson

Many fighters have come and gone over the years, but ever since Virtua Fighter hit the ring and revolutionized 3D fighting games, its popularity has endured. Thanks to an incredible level of depth amongst its unique cast, while the game is known to be difficult to master, few games in the genre are as rewarding when all that practice pays off. After five games and multiple revisions, we’ve arrived at Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, the definitive version of the latest title in this beloved hard hitter. And while it makes some concessions compared to the retail version, this title’s value is hard to argue.

Jean Kujo and Taka-Arashi Join the Fight!

Featuring 19 unique fighters, (two of which are new to the US,) Virtua Fighter has plenty of moves to master between each character. From the easier fighters to master like siblings Jackie or Sara Bryant, to the technical marvels like flagship character Akira, there is sure to be a fighter to fit any gamer’s play style. The game has been reanimated and rebalanced since its last go around, so not only does it look prettier, but the moves look sharper, the damage output has been tweeked and the controls feel a little more forgiving as far as timing. But don’t pick up your pitchforks yet hardcore fans! The game still takes a ton of technical skill to be good at.

Virtua Fighter will help you get better though. And that’s through its many single player modes. Aside from the standard Arcade and Score Attack gauntlets, the Training Mode that VF4 made famous returns, which walks you through each fighter’s move set and slowly builds up your skill. Two modes that are obviously missing though are the single player tournament mode, which has been a staple of the series for years now and the ability to customize fighters. But then again, as a $15 download rather than a full retail release, it’s not surprising that something had to go. So now to build up ranks, instead of winning tournaments, a new License Mode gives players objectives to achieve during a series of fights. Clear these challenges, move up in rank. It’s as easy as that. As far as new costumes, there technically IS a way to dress up your fighters, but you’ll have to shell out extra cash for costume DLC.

Jackie and Sara Bryant Continue Their Rivalry... in HD!!!

Aside from the single player content, the bread and butter of competitive video games is its online component. Especially in a game like Virtua Fighter where timing is key, the slightest bit of lag can completely ruin a fight. Which is why I’m glad to say that my matches were almost completely lag free across ranked and player match. The new room match that adds lobbies to the fights surprisingly didn’t drop in quality either, even with a few different people waiting around. It’s good to see that Sega took this aspect of the game so seriously, especially with how bad lag is on certain big budget, full priced fighters.

So if you couldn’t tell from my glowing review, if you’re a fighting fan, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t own Virtua Fighter 5. The only question is whether or not it’s worth it if you own any of the previous versions. Well, how much value do you place on two new characters? How about the value of the final version of a fighting great that’s been balanced to near perfection? Not to mention that the online community is sure to receive a shot in the arm with this new release. If you absolutely have to be on top of the curve, there’s no question about it, but if you’re a more casual fan who’s perfectly happy with the previous games, there’s no urgent need for it either.

Akira Wants Some Pai...

But for the average gamer who doesn’t have a mock up arcade machine and a room plastered with Akira, Shenmue or Yu Suzuki posters, Final Showdown is still a blast to play. It might take some time to learn and undoubtedly has fewer modes than its predecessors, but the modes it does have will keep you busy for a long time. It moves fast, looks gorgeous and has 19 completely unique people to master. No clones, no similar movesets, nothing of the sort! And at $15 with what feels pretty close to a full retail experience, how can you go wrong? My only issues are the fewer modes and holding out on costumes to turn them into DLC but with the game being so cheap, some extra cash for bonus content is hard to be mad at. I’m incredibly hard pressed to find a reason not to recommend Final Showdown, and is easily one of the premier fighting games in the 3D genre. What else is there left to say? Jump online, download this game and lay a beat down on some mofos!