Hitman Absolution "Introducing The Kill" Trailer: Making An Assassin For The Masses...

 

I've been quietly keeping an eye on Agent 47 for a while now and his latest bit of not quite silent but deadly antics are very slick indeed. Developer IO Interactive has been taking some flack from the uber-core fans who want everything the same as it was in the earlier games down to almost no innovations or breathing room for newbies. While that may work in keeping sales down to that base who wants a game only they can play, this IS a business and all the people working on the game would probably want to see it do well among more types of gamers. Sure, it's "catering" to the masses on an epic scale, but hell, if you're bitching about this, you're not a REAL assassin anyway and if you are, you're certainly not sitting on your ass playing a game all day, right? That said, some new players with zero attention spans and no idea about how to dive into a game that's not telling you how to do everything will be left staring at the crowds and crying because they haven't a clue what to do or where to go (even after the briefing and otherwise well-done hint system).

Feh, you can't stop those folks from gaming at all - you can only hope they snap those unused areas of their brains into action with a great game like this.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Interactive Trailer: Decisions, Decisions....

Firaxis has pretty much silenced anyone doubting they could bring XCOM back as a solid tactical reboot, and this "Interactive" trailer is just a brief taste of what's in store for the hardcore RTS/RPG fan looking for a good reason to camp out in front of the PC for too many hours at a time. I'd actually LOVE to see this get onto the Vita at some point, as that console needs a much better class of strategy game than what's currently available for it. Army Corps of Hell? Yuck - give me this game and I'm a happy camper (as will be a LOT of other Vita owners.

Dead Space 3 Eudora Gameplay: Almost 17 Minutes of Pure Hell (In A Good Way, Silly!)

I'm absolutely NOT one of the whiny crowd crapping on Visceral's decision to add OPTIONAL co-op play to this sequel. I'm a fan of all the Dead Space games (yes, even Dead Space Extraction on the Wii and PS3, which did an excellent job at making an on-rails game really compelling, thrilling and scary). Hell, it will make me a lot less freaked out If I know I can have someone else to hind under the damn couch with when things get a wee bit too frightening. Anyway, this one's on track to be a big smash, provided the dev team can overcome the hurdle of dealing with that pissy part of the fan base that just doesn't like anything changing in their favorite games. Granted, if multiplayer is shoved in and makes for a bad time for all, then yes, you can indeed bash both SA and Visceral all you want - I'll be one of the first to wave the flag if they blow it.

TGS 2012: God of War: Ascension Trailer: Kratos Is A Badass In Any Language...

 

I actually got a chuckle from this trailer because the narrator sound like Linda Hunt, but speaking fluent Japanese. How do you find someone to do that voice work, i have to ask? I'd imagine SCE Japan had assorted actresses listen to Hunt's performances from the other God of War titles and try to emulate her scholarly tone. Or perhaps there just so happens to be one voice actress in Japan who just so happens to have that dark voice all nailed up? Stranger things have happened, folks... like multiplayer coming to a Gad of War game. Which, by the way, I hear is surprisingly great in a few areas. A I've said elsewhere, Sony's not going to let the PS3 die a crappy, quiet death with no games of note filling up store shelves as they push the console aside for a newer, more expensive upgrade.  2013 is going to be a key year for PS3 on a number of fronts, I say...

Sleeping Dogs Gameplay Updates: Don't Mess With Mrs. Chu + More Action Stuff

 

Here are some more peeks at United Front's upcoming action game set to hit stores on August 14. As you can see, that Mrs. Chu is no lady to trifle with on any level, that's for sure. While I'm really liking the level of polish the developer has put on their baby, I'm not thrilled with the whole "Gun Fu" thing used as a terminology, as it reminds me of that awful movie Equlibrium (sorry, kids, it really stinks despite all the action scenes) and the stupid "Gunkata" that reminded me too much of the even more awful film, Gymkata, but with a hell of a lot more swords and firearms. Fortunately, it looks like the game will defy the silly stuff an old fart like me remembers too much of, so yeah - you should probably buy it no matter what I say. Just avoid those movies I mentioned and you'll be all right...

The Last of Us Is Looking Like Naughty Dog's Best Work On the "Aging" PS3...

Okay, okay... I was a bit wrong about Game of Thrones being a great, grand epic from what I've been hearing (the story is solid and meorable, but the presentation and gameplay seem to be suffering. I'll see for myself in a bit, though), but Naughty Dog won't disappoint me at all. Here's a look at a cinema from their upcoming survival action game set to hit the PS3, The Last of Us, which not only looks fantastic, it's bound to be one of the best PS3 exclusives ever made. Expect to see a lot of this at E3, as I'm expecting Sony to come out swinging (rather than go down fighting) at this year's show. I can't wait to see what else is on the way...

Max Payne 3 Launch Trailer: He Shoots, He Scores!

May 15 is right around the corner, and yes, indeed, Rockstar has been getting the word out about Max's new adventure for a bit now, keeping the entire story under wraps save for some basics. In true Rockstar fashion, I expect this one to be big on solid dialogue, offbeat humor that makes for quotable lines and plot twists where least expected that make an overall memorable experience worth playing a few times through. I'm sure the multiplayer modes will be a smash as well, given the new Social Club aspect to things and enough changes to the formula to keep things fresh for a decent enough chunk of time. Is GTA V coming out this year? Maybe, maybe not. All I care about is what's hitting stores next week...

Hitman: Absolution Gameplay Trailer #1: IO's "Oh, Wow" Engine Shows Off Its Greatness...

 

Well, "Oh Wow" was the first reaction I had to IO's engine and the first reaction I heard when a friend of mine saw some footage, so that's what I'm calling it from now on.The team is definitely doing its best work to date here and yes, as they've tweaked the Hitman formula a bit since the last few games, whiners on assorted message boards are going haywire on what they haven't seen yet in a game NONE of them have even played. One of these days, some dev team lead with a pack of talented folks working on something really cool is going to snap and let these disrespectful dopes have both barrels, but I don't thing it'll happen anytime soon. Yell at a baby and it''l just cry louder, I hear. GO, IO!

Max Payne 3 Design & Technology Video Update: Stop, Bullet Time!

 

The latest MP3 D & T video shows what it's all about when it comes to Max' signature time-stopping gunplay. I like that from the beginnings of the series, there's never been a logical explanation for his talents (he's a mutant, I tell you!), but it's all good because it's done so well (and has been copied multiple times since in other games). Yeah, yeah, The Matrix sort of did it first, but as far as games go, it's been Max who was the pioneer.

BioShock Infinite Heavy Hitters # 4: That Siren You Hear Isn't An Ambulance. You'll Need One Afterward, Though.

I've been so busy working on a ton of stuff that I'd been running the other Heavy Hitters videos here, stupidly posting them without watching them completely first. They're really not scare the kids out of the room "Mature" stuff that will turn little Johnny into a psycho within seconds of viewing, but informative bits of info about some of the more annoyingly creative enemies you'll come across while playing BioShock Infinite. Oops. Nevertheless, "rules is rules" and 2K wants them tucked away safely, so here you go. I love the idea of a foe that revives deceased enemies to do her dirty work while being a huge pest herself, so I'm imagining the first encounter will be a memorable "kill it before it make the whole room of pain I just took out come back!" battle worth babbling about to friends without the game...

Yakuza: Dead Souls Controls Tutorial: Not Your Average Third-Person Experience...

 

When you have to have a video that teaches you about the controls in a third-person game, that's not a good thing most of the time. However, given that Yakuza: Dead Souls is a bit "special", I'll cut Sega some slack. Pay attention, grasshoppers and you'll be shooting down undead Tokyo denizens with relative ease as you hoof it to the geisha lounge for some fun times. Or don't pay attention and die a lot - it's your move...

Activision & Radical Have 11 More Reasons You Need Prototype 2, A Few Too Many Other Folks Have One Or Two Reasons You Don't...

Every time I see new footage of Radical's vastly improved sequel, I just have to smile. The team has pulled out all the stops and the game should definitely please fans of the original thanks to all the changes and improvements. Sure, some folks are complaining quite vocally about having to pre-order a premium edition of Prototype 2 to get that cool bonus DLC, but that's how things have worked for a while and as far as I'm seeing, it's not changing anytime soon, Still, it's kind of funny that no game publisher out there seems to have predicted any sort of major backlash against locking out disc content or only allowing those who have broadband connections to access "the good stuff". Me, I've been predicting a certain segment of would eventually have enough of this deal for years now, but no one listened back then. Now, it seems that anyone angry about DLC gets not an word listened to by those that can (and should) make things better for EVERYONE who wants to spend their hard-earned money on a new game.

Far Cry 3 Gameplay Trailer: The Definition Of Insanity Is Bitching About Video Quality In An Online Trailer When You Haven't PLAYED The Game Yet...

OK, I know I'm wasting my time saying ANYTHING about people wasting time babbling about how Ubisoft didn't post a super HD video on YouTube that shows off the game engine to its fullest, but it's getting really stupid at this point when a game that's not out yet gets overly criticized for something as ridiculous as this. Given Crytek's OBVIOUS skills at what they do with their own proprietary engines (from day one, mind you) how anyone can say that the folks merely publishing the game aren't posting videos at the best resolution because of some sort of conspiracy or whatever is sheer lunacy. Or insanity. And my friend, do you know what the definition of insanity is? Just keep doing your thing, Crytek...

Dragon's Dogma Gameplay Stream #2: Two Hours Of Questions Answered (Such As: Nope, It's NOT Monster Hunter)

So, yeah, a lot of people (or a few people writing FAR too many of the same posts on forums all over the place)want this to be a medieval Monster Hunter OR they're griping because Capcom isn't making a Monster Hunter game for the PS3 and Xbox 360 and is focusing on this new IP "instead" of "giving  gamers what they want." Hmmm, well, just how many copies of all the US-released Monster Hunter games were actually sold, I ask? Sure, the series has done some incredible numbers in Japan over the years, but I'm gathering Capcom hasn't seen sales close to those in North America to justify creating a current-gen game in the series.  That and hell, we need NEW games, not more sequels shoved out the door so a select few can be happy. Granted, it also takes time and patience to master the controls in a MH game, so that is also something that's possibly an issue here. Whatever, as long as some of the grief crowd actually TRIES Dragon's Dogma out at some point and maybe buys the game if they find it worthy of spinning in their PS3 or Xbox 360 this May.  And don't EVEN get me started on the "make it for PC!" crowd, either...

Max Payne 3 Design & Technology Series "Visual Effects and Cinematics" (And How)

If some of the more vocal whiners out there actually shut the hell up about not seeing any Grand Theft Auto V videos and see what's going on here with Max Payne 3, they might also see that they can buy BOTH games and get two entirely different experiences. Conversely, all the people saying "stop bugging Rockstar about GTA V or they won't finish the game" need to grow up and realize they're partially insane or ALL the way stupid. A game developer isn't a spoiled six-year old who's not going to share his cookies if you tease him too much. The game will get done when it gets DONE, same as any other Rockstar project. Now everyone PLEASE shut the hell up and go play something? It would be REALLY awesome if the internet had ONE day where anyone out there posting on a forum actually knew what he or she was talking about...

Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection Trailer: Wii Shall See The Fear Even Clearer Now...

Capcom is bringing its two Wii games to the PS3 via PSN shortly with Move support and HD visuals and yes indeed, it's another great chance to play a few more games in the long-running franchise you may have missed out on. Of course, I'd prefer a disc version, but what can you do other than wish these days as more and more games go digital. Still, I hope we see as many of the games in the RE series as possible get the multi-platform treatment, as there's almost always something to recommend about each one to folks who've not yet played them...

The House of The Dead 4 Coming to PSN: Move It, Agents!

Ah, Sega... I'm still holding out hope for a disc version with the entire series on it, but I guess this will have to do. Move support is a HUGE plus, as when done right, it's as good as it gets for light-gun gamers. Anyway, April will be the cruelest month after all if there's another PSN hack the kills the service for a while, that's for sure. Here's to a safe PSN launch for this one (and hopes that we do see that HotD collection on a Blu-Ray at some point - retail video game sales aren't going away for a while, folks)...

Dragon's Dogma Progression Trailer #2: But Wait, There's More!

Part two of four gameplay progression trailers from Capcom's upcoming RPG shows it's not the medieval Monster Hunter some are clamoring for (but I wouldn't be surprised to see an Easter Egg or two in the game referencing MH). I also think the "it's better than Skyrim!" crowd needs to actually play BOTH games in order to see the MAJOR differences between the two titles, but you can't force those folks to face too much reality or they'll have a hell of a lot less to bitch about on those forums, right?

Wait... that just might be a GOOD thing...

BioShock Infinite Heavy Hitters Series Part 1: Motorized Patriot (Not What Some Of You May Think, Redux)

As noted on the new DAF blog, the words "Motorized Patriot" had me cracking up to no end at first, but this guy is serious business as you can see from this trailer. 2K and Irrational absolutely have a hit here and despite some heavy competition, it looks as if this latest in the BioShock franchise could be the one gamers remember the best...

Dragon's Dogma Drake Battle: Defeat That Devil Dragon!

 

Dragon's Dogma is looking better and better each time I see it, but I'm not at all going in "expecting" it to be better than or as good as any other open world RPG on the market. Sure, I'm pleased as punch that the game is coming along swimmingly and the difficulty can be up there with some 8-bit NES games at times. I'm just glad to see another developer take a chance on making a more "westernized" RPG than they probably would have a few years back, which means a bigger game world to explore and meaner monsters that will be more than a match for those who refuse to pay attention to their surroundings...