Last minute update before heading to E3

Post by: Justin Sanchez

Updates today are going to be really few and far between as it’s officially the day I leave to Los Angeles. Along with me, I’ll be bringing two others, one of which is Michael who has written numerous reviews and articles for the site already. The other is Chris, a man who’ll be sporting a camera around his neck at all times to get some lovely photos for you to view.

We’re working on a new site layout. Believe me, I know we’re currently a very “stock” feeling site. Had I any capability in web design, that’d be different, but again, we’re working on it. For now, you just have to deal with tiny links on the right side of the screen. I mention this because there’s a new one I’ve just added called E3 2009. All of our E3 updates will be tagged under that tab so keep a close eye on it throughout the week as we’ll be dumping plenty of content in that section.

With that said, I’m unsure as to whether I’ll be getting any updates on the site today, that all depends on how long it takes to get together final preparations. If not, see you on the other side and for all those who continue to visit the site, thanks for the support. We’re going with a very small crew, but we’re going to do our best in covering the huge event that is E3. If you have any last second requests, please leave a comment below.

Pre-E3: How about a little Bayonetta trailer for some pre-E3 hype?

Post by: Justin Sanchez

With rare exception (see Valkyria Chronicles), the only good Sega game is a non-Sega game. By that I mean that Sega almost solely relies on outside developers to create good games for them to publish, because internally the talent well has run completely dry. But hey, at least they serve as a means for games like Bayonetta to see the light of day.

The Platinum developed game looks like insanity at its finest. There’s so much going on the screen it’s a bit chaotic to look at, but I mean that in a good way. I have my qualms with the studio’s latest outing, MadWorld, but the potential was there for it to be great. Bayonetta looks to take the same action-heavy stance as MadWorld, but expand upon it in nearly every regard. Oh, and get this, it’s in color.

I’ll definitely be hunting down a Bayonetta booth Tuesday at E3.

Source

Pre-E3: PSP Go officially announced, big surprise

Post by: Justin Sanchez

Saturday’s are generally always busy for me, and today is no exception. We’re flying out tomorrow, so getting everything taken care of before heading out for six days is quite the pain in the ass. Still, I’m going to try and squeeze some updates in here and there, and it’s almost impossible not to post something about the PSP Go, which Sony made official via Qore.

As much as they’d like to think the project has been shaded in secrecy – as the video states – the Go has been one of the worst kept secrets ever. It’s practically word for word what we’ve heard in the past, which is to say it’s an all digital PSP with 16GB of storage for downloadable games. Sony plans to launch the system in fall with no intentions to stop producing the PSP 3000 right along side it. Given that the Go doesn’t feature any form of UMD drive, I’d say they pretty much have to.

I support Sony’s bold move here, as it offers a vision of the future of gaming. Whether or not I actually pick up a Go depends mostly on what I’ll be able to get when it launches. I haven’t cranked on my PSP in a long time, so I’m not exactly anxious to drop more money on a system that can’t play the one game I truly love on the PSP, God of War: Chains of Olympus.

A new PSP Gran Turismo mention was slipped in the video, too, but when it comes to racing sims, well, I’m just not that into them.

Pre-E3: The Grinder first trailer

Post by: Justin Sanchez

On paper, The Grinder sounds great. What High Voltage seems to be doing is emulating the Left 4 Dead formula as closely as possible for the upciming Wii project, which is one of the best games to copy should a developer go that route. It’s always great to try new things, but if HVS can pull it off, The Grinder should a fun online romp.

How the typical High Voltage Software game actually pans out is something I’m still not sure of. Primarily, the studio works with crappy licensed games, but it’d be completely unfair to judge them off of that. They’re also behind Hunter: The Reckoning, but I want to know what they can do now before getting truly excited for games like Gladiator A.D. and The Grinder. Basically, before I consider jumping on the HVS bandwagon, I’ll be playing through The Conduit.

Unfortunately, I think the studio tends to show games off at far too early of a state to impress most people. The Conduit – though somewhat generic in art style – looks good now. However, when it was first shown it looked like complete and utter ass, despite High Voltage’s boasting and bragging. In its current stage, Gladiator looks like crap, too.

But this is about The Grinder, which just saw its first trailer hit the net. Despite being much further out than Gladiator, it looks significantly better. Unfortunately, that doesn’t take much. What I gather from the trailer is that it’s going to be a very straightforward romp through hordes of enemies, which as was already mentioned, is very much like Left 4 Dead. It’s not the most beautiful game on Wii, and I still think HVS really needs to look into hiring some art help, but it looks well enough in its early state.

My pressing concern is whether or not The Grinder sports technology comparable to the impressive A.I. Director that Left 4 Dead has. L4D constantly changes because you never know where zombies are coming from. If The Grinder doesn’t feature something similar, I can’t imagine it having a fraction of the replay value L4D has.

Time will tell.

Please, cut the teaser crap

Post by: Justin Sanchez

Shitty teaser image No. 35.

I’m updating about Kojima’s latest teaser not to hail him as a genius of marketing, but to stick a direct middle finger in the face of this form of build-up. Not only is it an absolute shitty form of advertising, it’s a popular marketing trend for many of the largest games.

Here’s a hint: You’re not clever. In fact, you’re just being annoying.

I’ve been ripping on this new age of completely bogus “hype” since its onslaught began a while back, and we’ve now reached a new level of ridiculousness. Why do you do this? What do you serve to gain out of all this? Please fill me in, I really want to know.

Giant Bomb put it best when discussing the Modern Warfare 2 trailer, which was teased about 27 times before we actually got to see anything. Essentially what they said was that when the trailer was actually shown, they were exhausted from the teasers and what should have been a great unveiling turned out to be a “who gives a damn” moment.

There’s no harm in simple teasers. It’s an age-old tactic to get people psyched and ready for an unveiling of hopefully epic proportions. It’s the teasing of teasers that tease another teaser; those are the ones I’m fed up with. This isn’t a jab at the work of Infinity Ward or Hideo Kojima. For the most part, gamers can rest assured that both will deliver some of the best titles in the industry. No, this is a direct uppercut to this mind-numbingly stupid teaser strategy.

Unless your goal is to have everyone breathe a collective sigh of “it’s about damn time” when your game is finally unveiled, please cut the crap.

DJ Hero fills empty void known as the music genre; Eminem, Jay-Z special edition bundle

Post by: Justin Sanchez

How about some back to back music game action? We just know you’re not sick of the exploitation of the genre. Defying all logic, I’m genuinely interested in DJ Hero, although this new trailer is a little dull. My issue isn’t so much with music games as a whole, but the churning out of 7,000 different iterations of full band equipment, which stemmed from a lone guitar with the introduction of Guitar Hero.

However, something like DJ Hero should add an entirely new take on music games, and won’t fill an entire living room to boot. So as I spit venom with a fierce conviction at music games, it primarily pertains to games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. If a developer can show me something unique and compelling that’s rhythm based, I’m in.

I’m no rap connoisseur, but it’s a genre of music I can definitely get into. Typically I lean more on the hip-hop side of things and enjoy groups like Jurassic 5 and The Roots, but I do have a soft spot for some artists more generically labeled as rappers. A special edition bundle will feature exclusive content for two rappers I genuinely like, Eminem and Jay-Z. I don’t typically splurge on collector’s edition packages, but if I end up biting on DJ Hero, there’s a very good chance I’ll drop a little more change this go around. Whether it’s a bullshit tactic or not, the extra money does ensure actual in-game content rather than some stupid cloth map or a two-inch action figure.

Some extras include a focus on the two artists in the game, greatest hits CDs, a special scratch deck, a DJ stand, and probably a bunch of other junk non-premium buyers will otherwise be able to pay even more for via DLC.

Pre-E3: Lego Rock Band trailer

Post by: Justin Sanchez

I’m not prepared to officially endorse it or anything, but I actually was a bit charmed by the Lego Rock Band trailer. I know it’s probably blasphemy to say, but aesthetically, I find it more appealing than your typical Rock Band. No doubt the song list will likely suck and be geared toward a younger crowd, and I have no intentions of buying it, I’m speaking solely on the Lego aspect.

Based on early YouTube reactions – and we all know how super intelligent YouTube users are – people aren’t digging it. It’s understandable though, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m still ready kick guitar centered music games to the curb.

Pre-E3: Capcom reveals E3 list?

Post by: Justin Sanchez

GamingBits reports to have a list of the currently announced Capcom games to be at E3, which I’ll list off in a second after reporting a little bit of an oddity. Now the source is said to be directly from Capcom, but the list includes Dead Rising 2, which was previously reported to not be making an E3 appearance. The game itself is being developed in Canada by Blue Castle Games, so it was indeed odd when Capcom announced the game wouldn’t be shown thanks to a strict company policy against letting Japanese employees outside of Japan due to the swine flu scare.

Certainly Capcom will keep a close eye on Blue Castle, but I was always unsure why the company would have held on showing a game the industry is dying to get their hands on. If this new list is to be believed, that’s not going to be the case anymore. Maybe it was due to media reaction, or maybe something was mistranslated, but if GamingBits is correct, Dead Rising 2 will be at E3 in some capacity.

We can only hope that Capcom is giving the game the go ahead and by all means, please let it be playable. In the loud, crowded booths of E3 it’s often hard to get a good feel for a game with true depth, but bashing zombies over the head with various objects of destruction sounds like a perfect E3 demo.

The rest of the list is mostly a bunch of stuff we already know with no indication that the second secret Capcom game is on it. For the full list, hit the break.

Source

Pre-E3: No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle trailer will wreck your face

Post by: Justin Sanchez

We’re finally at a point where I can honestly say that third party Wii support is in a much better state than it was over the past couple of years. I’m no fool; I know that both my PS3 and 360 still get far more third party love, but the Wii isn’t in nearly as bad of shape any more. Back in the dark ages though, aside from my dominant collection of Nintendo created category of Wii games there was always one bad ass game that will always stick out as one of my favorites of this generation, No More Heroes.

On many levels, the game is rough and even somewhat crude at times. But taken as a total package from the art direction, to the combat system, to the music, and the characters, it’s an excellent title that puts others in the genre, such as MadWorld, to shame.

When No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle was announced, I was floored. Despite flopping in Japan, it found a small, but devoted fanbase in both North America and Europe. Obviously it gathered enough sales to cover the cost of development and push on with a sequel. Desperate Struggle will likely be playable on the E3 show floor – or at least I assume it will be – but for now, we’re getting some screenshots and more importantly, a completely kick ass new video showing why you should be hyped.

I’m crossing my fingers that Suda51 has built up enough money since No More Heroes to put forth some form of marketing for Desperate Struggle to reach out to a larger audience; if it’s anything like the original, it certainly deserves it.

Pre-E3: Bethesda and Splash Damage unveil Brink trailer

Post by: Justin Sanchez

Expect it to be a GameTrailery kind of day as they’ve become the source of all things exclusive, it would seem. That’s not a bad thing either, I love me some GT. The Bethesda published, Splash Damage developed Brink trailer is up, and it’s another annoying teaser that fails to show just about anything. However, I’m intrigued. I’m a fan of futuristic settings and if there’s anything to take from the teaser, it’s that Brink is set in the future.

Having Bethesda’s name tagged to the box automatically gets my attention as I associate the name with quality (ignoring all the Fallout 3 DLC issues, of course). Don’t get all worked up if you think this is any indication that a new Elder Scrolls game isn’t in the works because a Splash Damage developed game has no impact on that. Rather than whining – as I’ve seen a few people do – get excited that along with sequels to great franchises, Bethesda is also the home of new, and hopefully quality, IP.