Remember that weird teaser from Telltale Games with the Heavy from TF2, Tycho from Penny Arcade, Strong Bad from Homestar Runner, and Max from Sam & Max? Turns out it was a card game after all, and it’s called Poker Night at the Inventory.
The press text states that “You’ll experience a new style of poker, particularly when hands don’t go the way of the other fiery competitors at the table.”, so maybe they will offer up a twist to the game? This announcement tied in with PAX, so maybe we’ll hear something more from the floor there.
While I did expect this, I’m still a bit disappointed. However, I am amused by the implied fiction that when all video game characters are done at work, they go back to their own connected world.
It’s only a 5$ game, so I might still pick it up only to see these characters interact with each other, especially if there is an iOS version down the line.
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Well, the Vanquish demo, titled “Velocity Attack,” has been out for a couple of days now and I’ve finally had the chance to sit down with it. I’ll give you my opinion on this first taste of Platinum’s latest…
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Well, the Vanquish demo, titled “Velocity Attack,” has been out for a couple of days now and I’ve finally had the chance to sit down with it. I’ll give you my opinion on this first taste of Platinum’s latest after the cut.
On the surface, Vanquish looks like your typical third-person shooter, akin to the very famous Gears of War series. It’s gritty, doesn’t have a whole lot of bright colors (although it tends to be more white and light gray in contrast with Gears’ dark grays, reds and blacks).
However, other than the use of guns and a third-person view, the two games differ largely. Vanquish feels, to me, a lot more fast-paced than most other third-person shooters I’ve played. Maybe I’m just used to playing slower games, but as far as I can tell from the demo, the action in the game lets up for only an instant. A very short instance.
The control scheme works rather well for the game (I played it on the Xbox 360, it may not be so comfortable on the PS3, I don’t really know). Right trigger shoots, left trigger aims, right bumper reloads, left bumper lets you smoke a cigarette.
Wait, what? Smoke a cigarette? Yeah, that’s right. Behind cover, your character (named Sam) smokes a cigarette if you press the left bumper. Other buttons perform their main functions like dodging, a melee attack, lobbing grenades, and the directional pad allows you to switch between your weapons (in the demo you have a shotgun, machine gun and heavy machine).
Going back, the left bumper allows you another function—dashing. It’s not your typical “dash” where you move quickly over a short distance, but this would be more akin to “jet dashing.” Some boosters on Sam’s armor propel him across the ground at a high speed allowing you to close in on your robotic enemies, avoid attacks or get behind cover quickly. If you fire while jet dashing, the game will slow down (aka “Bullet Time”) and highlight various targets of interest (either individual enemies or multiple vulnerable spots on bigger enemies). This “Bullet Time” function also happens whenever your health gets low.
You’re introduced to a few characters in the demo, like the protagonist Sam, the gruff, war-hardened general, and the blonde-bombshell intel woman. Of course, nothing really gets fleshed out here as it’s a demo. I’m sure there’ll be a lot more exposition once the game is released in October.
The demo does flesh out the game’s action aspect quite well. You’re thrown right into the midst of a battle and you have to sink or swim almost immediately as enemies are unloading clips into you and your team. I had a bit of trouble adjusting to the game’s speed at first, but once you get the hang of it, it feels very natural to control and combat becomes much more fluid as you get the timing of everything down, especially the jet dashing aspect of it. As far as I can tell, combat is going to be a focal point of the game, but I’m sure there’ll be some other goodies Platinum throws our way.
And, just visually, Vanquish is impressive. I’m running it through an HDMI connection on a 42″, 1080p TV and I was pretty astounded about how it looked. I can definitely see where Shinji Mikami drew influence from Casshern. The game just looks excellent and plays just right.
Platinum Games (a reformed Clover Studios) certainly have a strong repertoire of creative games, Okami, Madworld, Bayonetta, and just from the demo it’s easy to say that Vanquish will be joining their catalog of fun, clever, enjoyable and all-around excellent games.
I very much enjoyed “Velocity Attack” and look forward to the full release of Vanquish on October 19th of this year.
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If you’re on a military base and have been aching to play the new Medal of Honor game, you’re going to have to get it somewhere else, because on-base GameStop stores have pulled the game from their shelves.
The…
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If you’re on a military base and have been aching to play the new Medal of Honor game, you’re going to have to get it somewhere else, because on-base GameStop stores have pulled the game from their shelves.
The game has stirred up a lot of controversy about being able to play as Taliban members during multiplayer play, and as of noon today, the 2010 reboot of Medal of Honor will no longer be available for sale in those GameStop stores.
Here’s a copy of the message GameStop employees received:
GameStop has agreed out of respect for our past and present men and women in uniform we will not carry Medal of Honor in any of our AAFES based stores… As such, GameStop agreed to have all marketing material pulled by noon today and to stop taking reservations. Customers who enter our AAFES stores and wish to reserve Medal of Honor can and should be directed to the nearest GameStop location off base.
GameStop fully supports AAFES in this endeavor and is sensitive to the fact that in multiplayer mode one side will assume the role of Taliban fighter.
EA Games president Frank Gibeau has put in his two cents in defense of the game stating that video games are judged unfairly when compared to other forms of entertainment and expression.
At EA we passionately believe games are an artform, and I don’t know why films and books set in Afghanistan don’t get flack, yet [games] do. Whether it’s Red Badge Of Courage or The Hurt Locker, the media of its time can be a platform for the people who wish to tell their stories. Games are becoming that platform.
While I can see where GameStop are coming from a respectful place, I don’t think that this is the right way to do it.
What happens if someone trades that game in to an on-base store?
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It’s so simple and so damn charming and I can’t help but keep playing and playing, because it’s really, really fun.
In promotion of Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2, there’s an 8-bit game you can play right on the…
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It’s so simple and so damn charming and I can’t help but keep playing and playing, because it’s really, really fun.
In promotion of Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2, there’s an 8-bit game you can play right on the official site.
Lots of fun, rockin’ music and most important, you can take more than one hit before your ship explodes in a fiery blaze! In addition, you can unlock extra content for the PS3 or 360 versions of H.A.W.X. 2 by playing the 8-bit flash game. Check it out!
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Time to outfit your Xbox Live Avatars once again, because now we have Rock Band 3 Avatar items available!
Check out the list of ‘em, pricing and videos showing off these bad boy.
- Baton Jacket – M
…
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Time to outfit your Xbox Live Avatars once again, because now we have Rock Band 3 Avatar items available!
Check out the list of ‘em, pricing and videos showing off these bad boy.
- Baton Jacket – M (160 MSP)
- Black Patent Feather Outfit – F (320 MSP)
- Devil’s Angels – M (80 MSP)
- Fender™ Stratocaster™ Guitar Controller – M/F (240 MSP)
- Folded Dornholes – F (80 MSP)
- Futuristic Footballer Outfit – M (320 MSP)
- Goddess Bodice outfit – F (320 MSP)
- Lawless Pauldrons Outfit – M (320 MSP)
- MTV Video Music Awards Moonman – M/F (240 MSP)
- MTV Video Music Awards Moonman Suit – F (400 MSP)
- MTV Video Music Awards Moonman Suit – M (400 MSP)
- Rock Band Drum Kit – M/F (240 MSP)
- Rock Band Keyboard – M/F (240 MSP)
- Rock Band Microphone – M/F (240 MSP)
- Scarfed for Life – F (160 MSP)
- Seattle Specials – M (160 MSP)
- Skinny Jeans – F (160 MSP)
Thanks to HeyRiley for having those videos for us!
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The unfortunate state of the Japanese gaming industry in this generations of consoles is familiar news to most gamers, which has resulted in many eastern developers and publishers taking a shine to the western market. By the sounds of…
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The unfortunate state of the Japanese gaming industry in this generations of consoles is familiar news to most gamers, which has resulted in many eastern developers and publishers taking a shine to the western market. By the sounds of it, Devil May Cry 5 will be taking a similar approach.
Speaking to Spanish website 3DJuegos, Capcom’s Keiji Inafune stated that the next title in the Devil May Cry series will have a “western touch”, in order to appeal to a wider global audience.
“Devil May Cry 5 is a game that, when started development, this will change a lot in relation to the above. The reason is that, despite the franchise has some very loyal followers, their sales are not particularly high, especially overseas.” he stated. “For this reason, it is likely that in the fifth chapter will incorporate certain western touch to make it more attractive to American and European players.”
Just as long as Dante doesn’t end up growing a mullet and shouting expletives….
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Internet funny man David Thorne received an electricity bill for more than his usual amount. I’m sure you know that a series of comical e-mails ensued after he received the bill in the mail. He blamed Aperture Science, He-Man…
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Internet funny man David Thorne received an electricity bill for more than his usual amount. I’m sure you know that a series of comical e-mails ensued after he received the bill in the mail. He blamed Aperture Science, He-Man and a Large Hadron Collider for his astronomically high bill. And rightly so, too.
His AGL correspondent, Allison Hayes was a surprisingly good sport about it, but you can tell she gets ever-increasingly frustrated.
From: David Thorne
Date: Monday 16 August 2010 8.12pm
To: sales@agl.com.au
Subject: Ref. 28941739Dear Sir/Madam,
I have just received an account for the amount of $766.05. Up until this moment, my accounts have, on average, been around the one hundred and sixty dollar mark and I doubt the Holtzman field portal experiments I am conducting in my spare room would account for this discrepancy.
Please correct this error immediately by typing in my reference number, clicking on the alarmingly large number, and moving the decimal point to the left. I don’t care how many places.Regards, David.
From: Allison Hayes
Date: Tuesday 17 August 2010 9.26am
To: David Thorne
Subject: Re: Ref. 28941739Hello David
I have checked your account and the amount of $766.05 correctly corresponds with your usage of 3262 kWh peak and 1982 kWh off peak for the indicated supply period. I dont know what portal experiments are but perhaps it is why you are using more electricity than previously. Please call our toll free number on 1300 133 245 should you have any further enquiries about your account.Sincerely, Allison Hayes
From: David Thorne
Date: Tuesday 17 August 2010 11.04am
To: Allison Hayes
Subject: Re: Re: Ref. 28941739Dear Allison,
Thank you for explaining that the amount correctly corresponds with a number you have based it on. I already called that telephone number and spoke to a robot for several minutes. While I’m sure you receive a predominantly positive response from those hearing the term “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that, lets try that again” repeated fifty times, I would rather be kicked in the head by a horse the size of ten horses all molded together into one big horse than dial that number ever again. It was incapable of directing me to the correct department despite my responding to each question with the word ‘exterminate’ in a metallic voice.
During school holidays when I was about ten, I attempted to construct a robot from household appliances which included a blender, Atari 2600 and Vacuum cleaner. My intention was to have it completed before the holidays ended so that it could accompany me to school and kill Bradley McPherson who had stolen my Casio calculator watch. After realising that the project would entail actual engineering knowledge and being told to “clean up that fucking mess in the shed”, I instead told everyone at school that Bradley’s mum had told my mum that he had been born with both a penis and a vagina and had to wear special underpants to keep the two separated.
I also constructed an electric sword around this time after viewing an episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century where they fought with such. Connecting an electric car antenna to the house mains and holding it with a garden glove, I tested it on my sister’s cat. After dissembling the sword to hide all evidence and opening the windows in an attempt to air out the smell of burnt hair and cooked flesh, I buried (the appropriately named) Sooty in the backyard. A week later, during a family barbecue, the dog dug her up.
While I cannot go into too much detail regarding my portal experiments, due to the fact that AGL representatives would probably visit me and touch my stuff and say things like “We are watching you buddy”, I have attached a rough diagram which shows that more energy is produced than used, making it unlikely that this is why my account is five times its usual amount.Regards, David.
Of course, this is only a small excerpt of the hilarity. You can get the whole exchange here. Needless to say, I laughed.
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Now, I understand that the title might sound like an ex-girlfriend, but I assure you that these are completely, 100% Arkham City-related. No tears and sleepless nights here, unless you’re afraid of the Big Bad Bat.
They used to…
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Now, I understand that the title might sound like an ex-girlfriend, but I assure you that these are completely, 100% Arkham City-related. No tears and sleepless nights here, unless you’re afraid of the Big Bad Bat.
They used to be on this Flickr account, but it seems that our friend The Joker has made off with them. Luckily, I snagged ‘em before they went away.
Arkham City is shaping up to be amazing. Check these bad boys out. They show off Catwoman, Harley, Two-Face and the Caped Crusader himself.
Arkham City is out in 2011 for 360, PS3, and PC. CAN’T WAIT. Seriously, I’m having a nerdgasm over here.
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As you may already know, we’re pretty big fans of the Pokémon series here. And Pokémon Black and White is shaping up to be another fine entry in what’s already a great series of games.
When the …
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As you may already know, we’re pretty big fans of the Pokémon series here. And Pokémon Black and White is shaping up to be another fine entry in what’s already a great series of games.
When the new starters were revealed, many of us began to wonder what they were going to look like. Well, we might have that answer for you. The following images were posted on serebii.net, and are possibly the evolved forms of Tsutarja, Pokabu and Mijumaru.
Apparently Tsutarja will evolve into a Grass/Dragon form, Pokabu into Fire/Dark and Mijumaru Water/Fighting. This continues the trend of starter Pokémon gaining secondary types once evolved. Apart from the ones from Gold and Silver.
Note that this is still a rumour, but if these are the final evolutions, they could have come out looking a lot worse.
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Oh LucasArts, will you never stop running yourself into the ground? Confirming the rumors posted on Kotaku earlier today, a representative for LA told Industry Gamers that “LucasArts is reorganizing its teams to better address the needs of the internal studio.” They haven’t said how many, but the rumour reports say it is as much as 30%.
This comes as part of the new LucasArts president Paul Meegan’s strategy to switch from outsourcing most projects, to developing them internally. The rumours also say that he has cancelled Force Unleashed III, as well as an unnamed project.
Now, I may not be an expert in videogameineering, but I would think that making games instead of publishing them requires MORE people, not less. I guess they need a different form of staff. Either way, it’s always sad when people in the industry lose their job. May the Force be with you.
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Oh Valve, you coy little bitch!
Valve boss Gabe Newell recently came out to PC Gamer and revealed Valve was working on “at least three big surprises” in the next 12 months. How much are you willing…
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Oh Valve, you coy little bitch!
Valve boss Gabe Newell recently came out to PC Gamer and revealed Valve was working on “at least three big surprises” in the next 12 months. How much are you willing to bet Half-Life Episode 3 won’t be among those surprises?
“I can guarantee you people are going to be surprised at stuff we do. That isn’t going to stop any time soon. I’m just laughing because… people will be shocked again,” Valve boss Gabe Newell told the latest issue of PC Gamer.
“We have three pretty big surprises in the next 12 months at least.”
Then again, it is Valve. Wouldn’t it be typical of them to just go “Psyche! Episode 3 is finished and is coming out next month!” just when the cries of the fanboys reach a fever pitch?
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I can certainly say one thing about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock—they picked some great artists to feature in the game.
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine wrote an exclusive track, titled “Sudden Death,” for the game to be featured as…
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I can certainly say one thing about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock—they picked some great artists to feature in the game.
Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine wrote an exclusive track, titled “Sudden Death,” for the game to be featured as the final battle between the Demigod of Rock and The Beast.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock ships September 24th for the UK and 28th for the US! Grab yours and rock out!
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You might remember there’s a Batman game currently being developed by Rocksteady. And you might also know that Batman has a sidekick. Several, in fact. So how about multiplayer in Arkham City?
According to a post on fansite
You might remember there’s a Batman game currently being developed by Rocksteady. And you might also know that Batman has a sidekick. Several, in fact. So how about multiplayer in Arkham City?
According to a post on fansite ArkhamCity.co.uk, a scan from PSM3 apparently confirms multiplayer in Batman: Arkham City.
“Multiplayer is a certainty, but no details on this yet.” So maybe we’ll see Batman teaming up with Nightwing? Or possibly Catwoman, since she’s already confirmed to be in the game. Or a three Batman team-up! I call Green Lantern Batman!
Rocksteady’s last attempt at multiplayer was in Urban Chaos for PS2 and Xbox. Dunno how that turned out, but hopefully this will be better.
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If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight you’re going to see some serious shit.
Remember that Back to the Future game Telltale announced a while back? Of course you do. It was heavy, Doc!…
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If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight you’re going to see some serious shit.
Remember that Back to the Future game Telltale announced a while back? Of course you do. It was heavy, Doc! Now you’re going to get to talk to Doc Brown himself, because Christopher Lloyd is going to be in the game!
Not only that: Bob Gale, who wrote the screenplays for the three films will be penning all five episodes planned for the series.
The storyline has yet to be confirmed, but the game will feature Marty McFly and Doc Brown. No news on voice acting by Michael J. Fox, but hope springs eternal.
Back to the Future episodes will start releasing this winter on Mac, PC, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!
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Title’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s a 10-foot Gundam model made out of Gundam model leftovers. You know the little plastic left over from the model parts which held the parts in place? Yeah, it’s made entirely out of those. And…
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Title’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s a 10-foot Gundam model made out of Gundam model leftovers. You know the little plastic left over from the model parts which held the parts in place? Yeah, it’s made entirely out of those. And it’s awesome.
It’s not incredibly badass, life-sized and lights up at night, but damn impressive at the very least.
Check out the images after the cut.
Thanks, Technabob!