The Gears of War team really know how to make good trailers. Cliff Bleszinski, the main game designer for EPIC/Gears was on the Jimmy Fallon late night show last night and revealed this exclusive announcement trailer (that was already leaked) for Gears of War 3.
The Gears series has always been super high quality so I'm sure this will be no different. During the interview last night Bleszinski said it would be out April 8, 2011 so let's hold him to that!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Jumping on the bandwagon
The success of the Nintendo Wii changed the video game industry in such an incredible way that four years after its release Microsoft and Sony are just now catching up. Now I just have to get this out of the way but I think the Nintendo Wii is a horrible game console mainly because the entire premise is based on the movement gimmick. There are really about four or five good games on the system and the control system leaves a lot to be desired.
You can imagine my response to Microsoft and Sony's decision to implement this new movement oriented control interface into their 360 and PS3. To be fair they are really just trying to cash in on the lucrative cash cow that made the Wii as successful as it is; casual gamers (like your Mom for example). This was an entirely untapped market that Nintendo cleverly marketed to with success and now the other two game makers realize this and are changing their system (sort of) to grab that market share.
So what are they doing? Well they're being a lot more innovative than Nintendo for starters, which I suppose is good. Am I excited? Not in the least. I think what they have planned is interesting but I don't see why they want to shoe horn these new technologies into their old hardware when the people that made Sony and Microsoft so successful are not overly interested in these controls. Yes I suppose it's smart to try and pull some of the Nintenmoms or whatever but is it realistic to assume they will pull them away from their Wiis just because the 360 and PS3 can do what the Wii does? I don't seem to think so.
Here are the two promo ads for the new motion control systems.
Sony's Move
Microsoft's Natal
First I'll talk about Sony's Move. I guess its cool. I like that it has an actual controller and it seems like its pretty responsive. I don't forsee myself jumping around like an idiot shooting or punching dudes. I also don't really see how this makes the games more "fun". Gee look at me Ma it looks like I'm dat der feller in dat video game pew pew. Maybe it's not for me but if thats the case they may have a problem on their hands because I don't really see my mom enjoying pretending to punch some tattooed guy in a streetfight, but I guess I can't speak for all moms.
That leaves us with Microsoft's Natal. The first thing I thought of after I watched it was everything except for the game playing was cool. (During it I thought about how stupid they all looked). I think the part with the facial recognition and live video chatting was pretty incredible as well as the ability to use your hands to move through menus similar to Minority Report. I'm skeptical about how well the scanning will work but that could also be quite cool. That being said, theres a problem with this video game peripheral if I like everything but the video games. Granted the games were very family friendly because they're trying to reach that Nintenmom demographic however what does that mean for the guys like me that made the Xbox what it is today? Am I going to be jumping around my room like an idiot pretending to shoot a gun at some bad guys? I know for a fact that I won't, even if no one is around. I think this is potentially one of the most important tech advancements in the past few years because of the implications it can have on the entertainment industry, however I'm not sure if it will really work as a specific Xbox peripheral.
It will be interesting to see how each one plays out in the coming months and I'm sure you'll see them sold out for Christmas. I think both companies have some interesting technology and an interested consumer base, however they need to ensure that they don't alienate their loyal fans because in the end the casual gamer is fickle. They will move onto the next fad while the die hard fans will support their console to the end.
You can imagine my response to Microsoft and Sony's decision to implement this new movement oriented control interface into their 360 and PS3. To be fair they are really just trying to cash in on the lucrative cash cow that made the Wii as successful as it is; casual gamers (like your Mom for example). This was an entirely untapped market that Nintendo cleverly marketed to with success and now the other two game makers realize this and are changing their system (sort of) to grab that market share.
So what are they doing? Well they're being a lot more innovative than Nintendo for starters, which I suppose is good. Am I excited? Not in the least. I think what they have planned is interesting but I don't see why they want to shoe horn these new technologies into their old hardware when the people that made Sony and Microsoft so successful are not overly interested in these controls. Yes I suppose it's smart to try and pull some of the Nintenmoms or whatever but is it realistic to assume they will pull them away from their Wiis just because the 360 and PS3 can do what the Wii does? I don't seem to think so.
Here are the two promo ads for the new motion control systems.
Sony's Move
Microsoft's Natal
First I'll talk about Sony's Move. I guess its cool. I like that it has an actual controller and it seems like its pretty responsive. I don't forsee myself jumping around like an idiot shooting or punching dudes. I also don't really see how this makes the games more "fun". Gee look at me Ma it looks like I'm dat der feller in dat video game pew pew. Maybe it's not for me but if thats the case they may have a problem on their hands because I don't really see my mom enjoying pretending to punch some tattooed guy in a streetfight, but I guess I can't speak for all moms.
That leaves us with Microsoft's Natal. The first thing I thought of after I watched it was everything except for the game playing was cool. (During it I thought about how stupid they all looked). I think the part with the facial recognition and live video chatting was pretty incredible as well as the ability to use your hands to move through menus similar to Minority Report. I'm skeptical about how well the scanning will work but that could also be quite cool. That being said, theres a problem with this video game peripheral if I like everything but the video games. Granted the games were very family friendly because they're trying to reach that Nintenmom demographic however what does that mean for the guys like me that made the Xbox what it is today? Am I going to be jumping around my room like an idiot pretending to shoot a gun at some bad guys? I know for a fact that I won't, even if no one is around. I think this is potentially one of the most important tech advancements in the past few years because of the implications it can have on the entertainment industry, however I'm not sure if it will really work as a specific Xbox peripheral.
It will be interesting to see how each one plays out in the coming months and I'm sure you'll see them sold out for Christmas. I think both companies have some interesting technology and an interested consumer base, however they need to ensure that they don't alienate their loyal fans because in the end the casual gamer is fickle. They will move onto the next fad while the die hard fans will support their console to the end.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Get excited for Skate 3
Skate 3 comes out on May 11th and while I'm not a huge skater (or any for that matter) the Skate games have always been super fun. They have completely dominated the Tony Hawk series mostly because they stay pretty grounded. Skate is a lot more toned down and a lot more realistic which makes it challenging and rewarding to play. The biggest difference for those that have never played it is that it uses the two control sticks to do all of the moves and as silly as it sounds it feels a lot more natural than the Tony Hawk button mashing of old.
In honour of the new game coming out in a month I've put together a collection of videos from the first two Skate games. Enjoy!
My favourite one
In honour of the new game coming out in a month I've put together a collection of videos from the first two Skate games. Enjoy!
My favourite one
Nerdiest game of the week
I've been playing Monster's Den: The Book of the Dead a little bit and it's a fun little turn based RPG. It isn't anything fancy but it has a decent rule set and it's quite addictive. The biggest problem is it is kind of difficult and the enemies are lame at times but leveling your guys up and getting new abilities is great.
Give it a shot if you like RPGs and have a little time on your hands.
Monster's Den: The book of the Dead
Concept art
Pretty much all art in a video game from character designs to environments to weapons and items start as concept art. I'm a pretty big fan of this style and usually prefer its dirty, unfinished look compared to the final 3d rendered perfection that ends up in the game. It's too bad that Prince of Persia was the only game that attempted a concept-y art style.
Anyhow here are some pieces of concept art that I like from various games!
Prince of Persia
Halo Wars
Guild Wars 2
Halo: ODST
Fallout 3
Batman Arkham Asylum
Warhammer: Age of Reckoning
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Anyhow here are some pieces of concept art that I like from various games!
Prince of Persia
Halo Wars
Guild Wars 2
Halo: ODST
Fallout 3
Batman Arkham Asylum
Warhammer: Age of Reckoning
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Thursday, April 8, 2010
The coolest flash games ever made
Do yourself a favour and go here and play some of these games because they are possibly the most original and fun games you've ever seen.
Adult Swim Games
Warning- Some are violent!!!
Adult Swim Games
Warning- Some are violent!!!
Should you get an iPad for video games?
The iPad has been unleashed on America this past weekend and with it came a slew of apps, including video games. In my opinion the iPad is a little silly but will it be worth it to get for the games? Well let's take a look!
Good stuff:
Civilization: Revolution
This game was excellent on the Xbox360 and from the looks of things it would be even better on the iPad because of the touch screen and the nice high res display. This would be a first purchase for me if I had an iPad.
Plants vs. Zombies HD
This is yet another tower defence game but its all cute and fun and cool. Plus it's in HD so thats another plus. This is a great game on the PC (and I hope they bring it to the 360 Arcade soon) so it should be even better again with the touch screen and nice iPad display.
Dungeon Hunter HD
I don't know a heck of a lot about this game but it looks pretty fun. It's an action RPG, which is always worth a play in my book, and the graphics look pretty decent for what it is. I'm curious how the controls would play out but if the game isn't crazy quick I'm sure it'll be fun. I just picture a Diablo clone where instead of clicking the mouse i'm tapping on the screen, sounds good to me!
The not so good:
Scrabble
This just seems stupid to me. Why do I want to play this on a little iPad screen instead of on a big board? If you're playing with people you need to put it on a table anyway so why not just bring out the board game? In any case this will be a top seller on the iTunes top 5 list for like 100 weeks.
Pac Man
Who cares? This is a game that everyone will buy because its sooooo cool to be retro and they will play it less than three times. Boooring. Also the controls look frustrating.
Overall I would say that the iPad is not worth it if you're looking for a new gaming platform. That being said the iPad has a LOT of potential, much more than the iPhone, because of its size and processing power. Right now most of the games are just remakes for the iPad but in a few months when then original games start cropping up it may be a legitimate gaming platform.
Good stuff:
Civilization: Revolution
This game was excellent on the Xbox360 and from the looks of things it would be even better on the iPad because of the touch screen and the nice high res display. This would be a first purchase for me if I had an iPad.
Plants vs. Zombies HD
This is yet another tower defence game but its all cute and fun and cool. Plus it's in HD so thats another plus. This is a great game on the PC (and I hope they bring it to the 360 Arcade soon) so it should be even better again with the touch screen and nice iPad display.
Dungeon Hunter HD
I don't know a heck of a lot about this game but it looks pretty fun. It's an action RPG, which is always worth a play in my book, and the graphics look pretty decent for what it is. I'm curious how the controls would play out but if the game isn't crazy quick I'm sure it'll be fun. I just picture a Diablo clone where instead of clicking the mouse i'm tapping on the screen, sounds good to me!
The not so good:
Scrabble
This just seems stupid to me. Why do I want to play this on a little iPad screen instead of on a big board? If you're playing with people you need to put it on a table anyway so why not just bring out the board game? In any case this will be a top seller on the iTunes top 5 list for like 100 weeks.
Pac Man
Who cares? This is a game that everyone will buy because its sooooo cool to be retro and they will play it less than three times. Boooring. Also the controls look frustrating.
Overall I would say that the iPad is not worth it if you're looking for a new gaming platform. That being said the iPad has a LOT of potential, much more than the iPhone, because of its size and processing power. Right now most of the games are just remakes for the iPad but in a few months when then original games start cropping up it may be a legitimate gaming platform.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)