It appears my excitement over the recently announced console port of The Witcher was very short-lived. According to Shack News, the project has been suspended due to financial issues between CD Projekt, and co-developers WideScreen Games. WideScreen Games is claiming that they haven’t been receiving payments from CD Projekt, and have no choice but to put the project on hold. However, CD Projekt posted a completely different response to the situation over at VG247.
High Voltage is looking to continue its Wii support as the company plans to announce two more big projects for Nintendo’s home console. Although Eric Nofsinger wouldn’t give many details, he did say one fits into the whole first-person shooter type of experience, while the other, well, not so much.
Beyond that, there isn’t much said aside from some more bold words on pushing the Wii tech even further, even going as far as to say HVS is looking to pull off some tricks rarely seen with 360 and PS3 games. I love the enthusiasm, but I’d recommend not overselling things, Nofsinger. It’s these kind of words that leave people extremely disappointed when the projects are shown and reality sinks in.
It’s times like this that I get absolutely jealous of people who are good with instruments. Getting lost in the timesink that is YouTube, I stumbled upon user NightShader1 who has loads of great piano remakes of classic songs, ranging from Zelda to Metal Gear. Naturally, my ear is drawn to some of his Metroid recordings, so I figured I’d post up NightShader’s take on Norfair.
In the gaming industry, even the best of developers can make ridiculouslystupid moves, and regardless of how I feel about them as a whole, I’m not afraid to take ‘em down a peg if it’s called for. I’ve been praising Capcom a lot recently, but that’s only because there have been a number of reasons to pat them on the back. Everything was going too smooth though, and I just knewthey had to slip at some point.
Well, it happened yesterday with the arrival of the Bionic Commando demo. Time and time again we’ve seen terrible demos taint the overall image of a product, and I’m calling it now: the Bionic Commando has already negatively impacted the game.
I said it from the very beginning, but it blows my mind that Capcom decided to put out a multiplayer demo for a franchise that revolves around its single player campaign. After a little venting, I decided “screw it, I’ll just judge the demo for what it is and see how things go.” Well, not only did they make a poor decision in releasing a multiplayer-only demo, they did an absolutely piss poor job all around and it’s not the game’s fault.
There’s a personal dilemma I’m currently having concerning Fallout 3 and its upcoming DLC Broken Steel (May 5 release). I really, really want to get excited about it, and these new screenshots certainly make it hard not to get all giddy, but given the current DLC out for Fallout 3, why should I be?
I know this is considered to be the expansion to get, but after Operation: Anchorage and The Pitt released to lukewarm reception, I’d rather not be tricked by Bethesda again. I can only truly base the quality of Anchorage and The Pitt off of what I’ve heard from various sources, but I’m not so well off that I can go tossing around $10 here and there on items largely thought of as mediocre.
There does seem to be quite a bit more to Broken Steel though, I’ll give Bethesda that. If you want to get all technical about it, you can argue that Broken Steel is the ending Fallout 3 should have had in the first place – so, why is it that we have to pay for it? Essentially, the expansion is trying to fix everything that’s wrong with the current Fallout 3 conclusion and Bethesda is asking gamers to pay for a do-over.
But being realistic, there’s a good chance I’ll spend the money for this one. With the corrected ending, level cap increase, and whatever the hell else it offers, I wouldn’t mind journeying back into the world of Fallout.
It seems that time and time again we’re shown that Wii games with a stylized art direction look infinitely better than those going for realism. There are a few notable exceptions, Dead Space: Extraction being the first that comes to mind, but for the most part, it’s wise for developers to shoot for creative visuals. Based on this screenshot alone, Red Steel 2 looks significantly better than its ugly predecessor.
We knew the series would be taken in different direction thanks to a few pieces of art and an article at Nintendo Power, and now we have our first look at the title. Strictly from a visual perspective, I’m digging Red Steel 2. It’s clear that the franchise is getting a massive overhaul, and aside from mixing swordplay with gun shooting, it’s hard to find any similarities between the two titles.
The game is said to focus on the single player campaign with no multiplayer to speak of, which got a few harsh words from the online community. Personally, I recommend they calm down and quit whining. We’ve discussed it before, but not every game needs an online option. Does having a tacked on, bunk multiplayer really enhance the game at all? I’m going to have to go with a giant no on that one.
For the first time in a long time, I’m actually interested in a Ubisoft developed Wii game, which is an odd feeling to say the least. Typically the team is too busy whoring out products with ‘Z’ tacked to the end of the title. I won’t be sold on the game until something proves to me that it’s actually going to be a good game – unlike Red Steel - but it’s certainly off to a promising start.
Brutal Legend might be somewhat of a big deal when it launches this October. Well, at least for gamers anyways. Double Fine has released a fresh batch of screenshots, which you can check out here.
I’m a little concerned about the game, honestly. The good news is that I’m not concerned about the quality of the game because I have little doubt that Brutal Legend is going to kick all sorts of ass when it launches. Of the lucky few who’ve had the chance to play it, or view behind-the-scenes footage, everyone seems to be on board the hype train.
What I worry is that it’s going to be a commercial disappointment. Historically, Double Fine products haven’t sold gangbusters. While Tim Schafer may have one of the most creative minds in the industry, creativity does not equate to sells – if anyone knows that, Schafer does. I know he said that gamers are too concerned about things like NPD, and to an extent he’s right, but it’s only because we like a good success story. If a creative, innovative title breaks into the top 10 for NPD’s on the month, it puts a smile on any gamers face knowing the developer was rewarded for their hard work. On the other hand, to see something like Carnival Games, a shitty minigame fest, sell absurd amounts of copies, that sort of makes us sick.
Brutal Legend has some huge odds to overcome. Sure, it has EA backing it, but Dead Space did, too, and it didn’t set the charts on fire. Brutal Legend is a new IP that’s going to launch near some well-established heavyweights like Assassin’s Creed II.
Who knows, maybe it will be a surprise hit – at least it has Jack Black in it, which is sure to sit well with the mainstream.
Once upon a time, I genuinely liked Tekken. I was never a superfan or anything, but Tekken Tag Tournament was an early favorite of mine on the PS2. It seems like it’s been forever since we’ve seen a new Tekken, so you’d assume that would leave me excited for Tekken 6. That’s a fair assumption, but it’s completely off base. All I see with each new flood of media as a completely uninspired game with poor art direction and a terrible roster of characters.
I’m not going to devote all my energy on Tekken, though. It’s 3D fighters in general that have grown stale and repetitive over the years. This latest Tekken 6 trailer highlights breaking through floors – a feature in fighting games for years now – as one of the main draws to the game. Aside from that, I see some of the same damn moves being performed, which generally consist of a few sluggish combos that the Tekken loyal know by heart.
I’ll give credit where it’s due, this new trailer for The Conduit is of pretty high quality. I still can’t help but feel like High Voltage is hyping the story up way too much for what will likely be another generic government conspiracy affair – who knows, maybe they’ll prove me wrong.
At the end of the day, there’s really only one thing that matters for me, and that’s whether or not it’s going to be a good game. I won’t be taking anyone else’s word on it. I’ll be renting it day one to form my own opinion. Should the game impress me, I’ll absolutely pick up a copy as I’d love to play a great FPS on Wii. If it doesn’t, well, minus one sell.
Forza 3 is definitely happening, whether Microsoft wants you to know it or not. If you want confirmation, watch the YouTube clip above – the Forza logo is about 7 minutes in. CVG stumbled upon the video, which takes place in Microsoft’s Brazilian headquarters in San Paulo. Naturally, the clip isn’t in English, but you can clearly hear Forza 3 get called out by name.
But really, who didn’t see this coming? I mean, even forgetting this video, and forgetting this leaked artwork, we all saw it coming.
Spoiler alert: Forza 4 is going to come out one day, too.
I suppose the confirmation is good news for the Forza loyal, but I’ve come to the realization that racing sims just don’t do it for me. Now, if I could shoot green turtle shells at my foes, thenForza might grab my attention.
