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This week there are demos for not just one, but two high-profile games coming out on XBLA and PSN - Platinum Games slick new third-person shooter/action title Vanquish, and Ubisoft's new strategy game R.U.S.E.. However, the R.U.S.E demo only appears to be available on PSN and PC for the time being, though should make an appearance on XBLA in the near future.
According to Joystiq, both demos became available on PSN on August 31st, while the demo for Vanquish, subtitled Vanquish - Velocity Attack, will release on XBLA on September 1st.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm definitely excited to check both of these games out. Platinum Games proved that they could deliver a slick, fast-paced and fluid action game when they released Bayonetta, and Vanquish looks to take that template and ratchet it up another couple of notches with even more acrobatics, and a lot more guns.
Meanwhile, R.U.S.E. is Ubisoft's attempt at adding a brave new twist to the strategy genre, with the aim of the game being to defeat your opponent by means of subterfuge and deceit. It looks like this is going to be one strategy game where the person with the most devious tactics will come out on top.
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Two quick questions for you guys:
1. Did you see the new Xbox 360 controller that is coming out this winter?
2. Can I borrow $65? no comments
Like all men, Barry Steakfries loves to run, jump perilous obstacles, shoot monsters in the face and travel the world via breaking the time space continuum. For 99 cents on the app store, Monster Dash combines the simple Cannabalt survival platformer formula with an extra layer of strategy and skill.
While running across randomly-generated levels forms the core of the game, you'll be dealing with roaming monsters along the way. The left of the screen issues jump and naturally, the right side triggers the gun. While Barry will always have a shotgun at his disposal, its limited reach will only get you so far. There are 3 other weapons you can pick up along the way, each having their own unique killing properties. 3 is a little on the low side, but going by Halfbrick Studio's track record in update support, I trust there'll be more on the way.
Visually, the game will be a fresh breath of air to those accustomed to the sterile environment of Cannabalt. The sprites are lively and fun, as well as the revolving landscape. It also runs smoothly on my old school iPhone 3G, which is always welcome.
While I'll concede that Cannabalt is a post-modern classic, Monster Dash edges out to be a better game. The added depth and flexibility never comes in the way simplicity and Openfeint achievements will have you going that extra
I have to admit that when Ubisoft first announced Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, I really couldn't have cared less. I heard the initial plans for it (Ezio's new guild of deployable assassins, competitive multiplayer etc.) and it just didn't appeal to me, not even the tiniest bit.
The truth is, I felt that Ezio's story came to a natural end at the conclusion of Assassin's Creed 2, and felt that anything that happened afterwards would be completely irrelevant. I'd much rather see a conclusion to the series, and find out where it's all heading toward. In fact, if I'm being perfectly honest, I saw this game as being nothing more than a shameless cash-in by Ubisoft -- a company capitalising on the popularity of a successful game by creating an cheap, dirty sequel, using recycled assets instead of taking a chance and doing something new and exciting.
That was, until I was reading joystiq, and came across this new walkthrough video from Gamescom:
I have to say that after watching this video my feelings for this game have changed. Mostly. You see, whilst I still couldn't care less about Ezio's epilogue, the trailer looks like Ubisoft have put a lot of thought into the game, and added a whole bunch of new features -- some of which are decidedly cool (horseback assassinations? Blowing things up? Yes please!).
Based on the strength of the above trailer, I'm now quite intrigued by this game, and I can't wait to see how the game fares in reviews. This game might just make my Christmas list yet.
You win this round, Ubisoft! no comments
Given that Microsoft's Summer Of Arcade promotion finished last week, you'd be forgiven for thinking that things would be a little slow in download land this week. Guess what? Not happening, as there are a whole bunch of high-profile games being released this week - so much so, in fact, that I've had to split them up by console:
Xbox 360
Shank - August 25th, 1200MSP
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game - August 25th, 800MSP
Playstation 3
Shank - August 24th*, $14.99 US
PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap - August 24th*, $6.99 US
Motorstorm 3D Rift - August 24th, $9.99 US
Press Your Luck - August 24th*, $9.99 US
You can find videos of Shank and Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game after the break.
* Please note that these games will release on August 25th in PAL territories.
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UPDATE! I just received an email from Paul Olson at 3G Studios saying that he saw this blog post and is offering his assistance to help me get in the game. Now THAT is customer service! I am now a fan of 3G, and you should be, too. (Full email after the break).
Yes, I view Facebook as a legitimate gaming platform, and yes, I was genuinely excited to play the first true Facebook FPS, Brave Arms. I even went as far as signing up early in order to secure my gamertag (Ender - rekkanize). However, the game launched a few weeks ago and I haven't been able to play one single second of it because it constantly tells me that I need to install a browser extension (on all three browsers I've tried), and even though I have downloaded them multiple times, it still won't let me get past the character creation screen.
I have spent probably a total of 30 minutes trying to get into this game to no avail. This defeats the purpose of a Facebook game. They are supposed to be easy and accessible and so far, this is neither nor.
P.S. Brave Arms, I still want to play you, so please fix yourself. Thanks. no comments
Mafia 2 is the story of Vito Scaletta. He's just come back from the war to find that his family is broke and he turns to the mafia as a way to earn back some debt. The story forms the soul of the heavily-inspired sequel taking players into the underworld of 1950's America.
The demo begins in your apartment as you get a call from one of your comrades. The voice acting is particularly good as the pair go back and forth, complete with proper accents and 50's wordplay. The apartment feels equally in place; it looks like 2K Czech has been doing plenty of research in getting the aesthetic down pat - or they've been watching a lot of Mad Men.
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At this precise moment, a demo for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 is available for download on both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. For those unfamiliar with the series, H.A.W.X stands for Hot Alien Women X, an X-rated, inter-species dating sim, in which you must seduce alien women into your bed by wearing the right clothes, taking them out on mysterious and exciting dates, and saying the right thing at the right time.
The original game was a revolution in dating games, and...
Wait, what's that you say? it's NOT a dating game?
An aerial combat game, you say?
Worst. Idea. For a game. EVAR! no comments
This week's XBLA title marks the end of this year's Summer Of Arcade promotion, and bring us Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light. Differentiating itself from the Tomb Raider series, Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light is an Isometric, top-down, action-oriented puzzle platform game, and while it can be played through solo, it's really designed to be played with a co-op partner.
The game is set to feature both online and local co-op, though it should be noted that the online co-op will not be available until September 28th, when the game ships on PC and PSN. Though the couch co-op will work fine from day one, you may want to wait a while if you planned on picking this up specifically for the online co-op.
Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light releases on XBLA on August 18th, and will retail for 1200MSP. You can also check out a trailer for this below.
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Since its release, heavily Twin Peaks-inspired, second-rate, survival-horror game Deadly Premonition, has garnered a lot of publicity. Much of this is due to the fact that the game's quirky brand of engaging mediocrity split reviewers opinions when the game launched in the US in February. This, and some early (and ridiculous) price reductions led to the game selling relatively well in the US upon its launch. However, due to the relatively poor critical response to the game, publishers Ignition Entertainment decided not to release the game in Europe, and as US and Asian region copies of the game were also region-locked, it looked like European gamers were doomed never to find out just how awesome the game was for themselves. Until now, of course.
Publisher Rising Star Games have recently announced that they will be bringing the game to the European territories sometime before the end of this year, for the reduced price of £24.99 (which is still far higher than the sale price in the US, but beggars can't be choosers I guess).
I first heard about this a couple of weeks ago on the XboxWorld360 podcast, (iTunes link) where they stated that the game would be releasing in mid September. After hearing this, I immediately pre-ordered the game from play.com -- at a significantly reduced price I might add.
If you live in the UK, and have been waiting patiently for this game, then breathe a sigh of relief friend; the game is nearly here! If on the other hand, you've never heard of the game, then sit back, relax, and bask in the glory of the below trailer, which bears absolutely no resemblance to Twin Peaks whatsoever. Nope, absolutely none at all!
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