You have to admit that this concept of inserting Lego characters into beloved franchises was a good idea, it was just the subsequent spam that followed once they realized it was a hit which has slowly diminished the games reputation. The basic idea behind the games is the very essence of what Lego means when you’re a child, imagining these little characters being much more than they actually are, so by all means it works and they aren’t bad games. But how many franchises can you slap together with Lego before the cash cow starts running out of milk?
I guess it doesn’t matter to their target audience (children), but it matters to big kids like me! Luckily the new Star Wars Lego is set for release hoping to return Lego to it’s original glory, the sort of glory that started on many peoples bedroom floors. Okay that sounded a little off, but that’s not the point. The point is there’s a new Lego Star Wars III trailer for you to check out below, so take a look!
When Treyarch announced they will be making the 7th instalment of the Call of Duty franchise, Black Ops, it garnered the same response as when Modern Warfare 2 was released. But did they make the right choice?
Black Ops was released in 2010 to huge fanfare, after months of leaked footage, game play and raving reviews. However, many believe Treyarch took a risk basing the game around like a political thriller, pulling away slightly from the typical Call of Duty storyline and trend.
You play American agent Alex Mason, a man torn between fighting for his country and playing puppet to the enemy. The story begins in 1961 at the height of the Vietnam War and follows Mason and his outfit for seven years. Among the men is a familiar face: Viktor Reznov from World at War fame. In Black Ops, he plays a large role helping the Allied forces. His appearance added excitement, wonder and slight concern from players who questioned his motive and role in the game. Treyarch broke the rules and it seemed to have paid off.
Black Ops is unique and very unlike any other Call of Duty game; so much so that it seems you are playing an entirely new shooter. It’s cinematic, beautiful and vividly epic. It plays out perfectly like a Ridley Scott thriller, keeping you on the edge of your seat. But be prepared for a huge plot twist at the end of the game.
However, unlike others from the franchise, your movements are scripted and monitored. A fault made famous with EA’s Medal of Honor is the annoying trend of other characters running off without you, leaving the player scratching their head and often being punished, citing you have failed a plan or lost your team. This happens quite frequently if you do not keep up with the current mission or decide to explore. It does inhibit the player’s freedom within the game.
Created with the same engine as World at War, the game offers players similarities in the finest of the details in the music, AI and even coming down to the familiar blood splatter. There is a noticeable comparison to be made between Black Ops and World at War and Infinity Ward’s masterpiece Modern Warfare 2. For the first time in Call of Duty history, the playable character is seen and heard, marking a new trend in the franchise.
Despite its small flaws, Black Ops is a masterpiece catapulting Treyarch into new found respect and admiration with Call of Duty fans. With new weaponry, powerful characters and a unique plotline, this game will mostly find its place in history.
Ah… game retailer’s mistakes are a gamer’s pleasure. The latest mistake was by Amazon.com and they have revealed a special edition for inFamous 2 that has yet to be announced by the developers themselves. Of course shortly after the Hero Edition was announced it was taken off of the website, but not before everyone got a nice good look at what the pack will contain. Oh and a release date was in that listing as well.
The pack itself will cost $99.99 according to the listing and will include a 8.5″ statue of Cole, a Replica Cole sling backpack and a voucher for in game DLC including the Lightning Hook Power, Electrocution Grenade Power, Kessler Skin and 24K Gold Amp weapon variant. Also included in the Hero Edition is the #1 comic from DC comics which is a mini inFamous comic and a soundtrack for the game. The release date listed for the pack was May 24th. But of course it is very subject to change considering this was a retailer leak.
I hope all of you who stockpile your Club Nintendo coins have been saving as some new items went up today that are sure to be a collector’s dream. The most impressive is a reproduced exclusive of the first ever Game & Watch title, Ball.
Ball was originally released in 1980 and is the first true handheld the company produced, so this recreation is extra special. If you want one of these you better have the coinage to back it up though, as the Game & Watch: Ball is a whopping 1200 Nintendo coins.
The other item added is considerably cheaper and still quite appealing, a Nintendo DS suede-like reversible pouch. This pouch comes in Red/Gray & Blue/Gray and features “one of three surprise 2-D Mario label designs”. At only 250 coins and being able to fit all models of the Nintendo DS line, including the XL, this pouch is a great alternative to those in a financial coin strain at the moment who are looking for a worthy reward.
I spent all my Nintendo coins last year on the limited edition Mario Pins and Kirby patches, so while I go kick myself for splurging and start saving up again, you can check out the full reward catalog here.
Earlier today we mentioned that L.A. Noire will be getting a brand new trailer, which they are calling Orientation, that shows some of the first gameplay sequences shown in a video so far. The video is fully voiced and gives a run down of not only the tasks that you will be performing during L.A. Noire, but also the way that everything was created.
Motionscan seems to be the best technology that has been used so far to creating real-to-life looking characters that not only look lifelike but even have micro-expressions which can giveaway when they are lying or when they may be nervous and plenty of other aspects of gameplay. With the way that L.A. is looking, I can’t wait to see the game in full gear when it arrives in store shelves May 17th for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
Anytime any news comes through regarding Duke Nukem Forever it seems like we are dreaming. The game is actually coming out after so many years? It is quite literally something many people had never expected to happen, but it is. Especially with the latest batch of screenshots released by Gearbox to show off just how far the game is into development, and to prove that it isn’t all just smoke and mirrors.
The screenshots show off a scene from the trailer with Duke drawing on a white board, but also shows off plenty of aliens that are just asking to be stomped down and murdered. There are plenty of big guns to tear them apart, including a turret looking weapon that fits Duke’s manliness perfectly. Take a look at the screens below. No half naked women or degrading images yet however, but most likely one can expect that type of stuff when the game comes out May 3rd.
Halo 5 is now a bit more of a reality thanks to a new video which has surfaced on the web. The video in question though is a news report on new Microsoft technology with Channel 4 reporter Benjamin Cohen, who got a rare behind-the-scenes look at the company. The video was actually quite interesting to watch, but in the middle of the clip a clear image of “Halo 5” is seen on a screen. Of course this doesn’t mean a whole lot, as I doubt that Halo 5 will even be the next titles name, but it is confirmation that Microsoft is in fact working on the next Halo title, which should come as no shock to any fan of the series.
Now that the fans are aware though of this Halo project, this could mean that Microsoft just might have something very special to unveil at this year’s E3. Either way, the buzz can now begin as we now at least know the first Bungie-less Halo title is underway.
Well, bad news everyone. If you are a fan of the Guitar Hero series then you will have to turn to other alternatives to get your music game fix because Guitar Hero is dead. Activision Blizzard confirmed today on their Q4 announcements that not only will Guitar Hero be canceled, but DJ hero will also be cancelled due to unspecified reasons. This means that although Harmonix is also struggling at the moment, they are standing as the only interactive music game developer in the market.
Also announced was the fact that True Crime: Hong Kong has received the cancellation hammer now as well. This may have been the reason that not much has been said about the game since it was announced years ago. Unlike the Guitar Hero series, True Crime: Hong Kong received a reason for its cancellation; because apparently it was not good enough to compete with other games in the open world genre and wouldn’t make enough profit to justify continued development. Bad news all around.
While Xbox 360 users have been able to ride zip lines, race across no-mans land, and shoot at zombie monkeys for a week already, the PS3 and PC users have had to sit and wait for an unknown amount of time for First Strike to make it to their platform of choice. Now Activision has released information for these two systems which has placed their release dates in March.
The PlayStation 3 will be getting the First Strike DLC on March 3rd, while PC users will be getting the DLC some point later in the quarter, meaning some point later in March. Though considering the DLC has come out on the Xbox 360 already, is it really a First Strike anymore? Regardless of that expect the price to still be at $15 for four multiplayer maps and one zombie map.
Later today (February 10), at around 4AM AEST, Rockstar Games will be launching a new webseries for their upcoming game – L.A. Noire.
The video will be dubbed “Orientation” and is said to reveal how the game features investigation, action and interrogation to ‘defy standard game conventions’ and to ‘create a unique and captivating crime thriller unlike anything ever seen before.’
Set in 1947 LA, the game follows the story of LAPD detective Cole Phelps who must combat the rampant crime breaking out across the city.
Developed by Team Bondi, L.A. Noire arrives for PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360® on May 17th 2011 in North America and May 20th 2011 in Europe.
