It's looking like if you really want to tackle New Super Mario Bros. Wii you're gonna have to learn how to play well with others! Nintendo just released this strategy video for the upcoming platformer that shows just how differently certain areas will play alone or with friends. For example, instead of having to take care of pounding all the Koopa shells yourself, multiple players can perform a massive ground pound together that deals out a nice shockwave of damage. You can also only reach certain areas with the assistance of another player. Plus there's little tidbits like the hint that you can use the Penguin Suit to freeze the Cheep Cheep fish in the water to make the ice cubes act as little platforms. So it's informative while also whetting your appetite for New Super Mario Bros. Wii's release next week!
With the launch of the action, espionage, and Nazi-filled game, Saboteur, coming out in less than a month (Dec. 8th to be exact) on PC, PS3, and 360, looks like the developers are starting to release a bucket load of gameplay trailers to help whet our appetites and open up our preorder-making wallets.
First up we got one of the developers showing us how the escalation system works in the game. Basically the more that our hero is seen doing his job of destroying Nazi targets and bases, the more resistance he is met with. While this is pretty standard fare for espionage games, the way in which the opposition ramps up is quite impressive and has come a long way from the waves and waves of enemies that would spawn in droves in the old Golden Eye game if you were seen. After the jump, we also got another two videos with one of the developers going through a lot of the normal gameplay mechanics you get to use in the game, which is a really great starting point for anyone wanting to see what differentiates this game from your other games out there.
On top of all of this, they also released a little teaser trailer that shows what you'll get for pre-ordering the game. Turns out you'll get an exclusive Nazi-knife, stolen right out of the pockets of one of your enemies, which will make using it to quietly slice their throats that much more enjoyable. Be sure to looks for Saboteur on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC on December 8th, and we'll be sure to let you know any more goodies coming with the game in the meantime.
Let's start out by saying that the video above is NOT SAFE FOR WORK. This way I don't get any angry emails about people getting fired for watching this and you can skip over this item if it's not your cup of tea.
Not much according to this video that collects the sinful pleasures awaiting players in Liberty City. Sure, there are people bumping uglies, but for one reason or another, as Destructoid's Conrad Zimmerman points out, no one seems to be caring all that much. Is it because the game is DLC? Maybe it's the fact that people expect adult content in a game named after a crime? Or maybe there weren't enough alien ladies involved? Personally speaking, I'm just wondering why we aren't seeing any man on man business in this clip. Judge for yourself and tell us if you think games have gotten to the point where mature content can be present without news reporters freaking out or if they just aren't aware of it.
Well, this is certainly an interesting way to sell the new Tony Hawk: Ride, with its unique skateboard controller... Sure, it looks like a poor-quality homemade fan video, but it's not. And it starts out cheesy, then gets a little ridiculous, but stick with it to the end for the completely insane ending. You'll never imagine that something so large would come out of something so tiny! Ouch!
This may be one of those announcements about an announcement, and it isn't directly related to video games (yet), but it sounds like the long rumored localization of RPG/Football hybrid (not to be confused with Handegg), Inazuma Eleven just got one step closer to European audiences. An announcement coming form WorldScreen.com has relayed the message that Spanish media distributor Arait Multimedia has finalized a deal to bring the 100+ episode anime series to Europe and Africa. With the TV show getting an official release, it should be only a matter of time until players can enjoy the game the show was based on (and for angry US players to import it). Arait Multimedia won't likely be publishing the game themselves, but will almost certainly sell the license to capable hands.
For those unfamiliar with the title, the Inazuma Eleven series is a stylus driven Football game with some unique RPG elements that makes every pass a battle with power ups and abilities you might see in Shaolin Soccer. The series is developed by Level 5 (better known as the folks behind Professor Layton, Dragon Quest 8, and Dark Cloud) and sports some impressive DS visuals. Check out some gameplay footage after the jump.
If you're in media blackout for Mass Effect 2 until the game's release at the end of January, you can move right along. Otherwise, if you don't mind a few mild plot details for the upcoming RPG/Shooter, these videos show off a few of the updates Bioware has made for the sequel. Above, Shepard visits The Afterlife, a club filled with "sin and pleasure." Symbolism! After the break, the commander meets up with an old friend, and then gives us a taste of what the refined combat system looks like in the sequel. Both videos star the rather vanilla man-Shepard from the game's cover - personally I can't wait to see my fiery lady-Shepard drinking hard and ogling some blue women.
The above video is an interview with Dario Casali of the L4D2 team, talking about the iteration of level design and how it has progressed from the first game. While so far it is nothing like this entry from L4D(perhaps my favorite developer blog entry of 2008), it gets more behind the design process and theory of how to maneuver both the director AI and players--particularly how to do so beyond what was done in the first game.
Of particular interest is how different maps scale better to different modes of play, such as versus. The idea of mazes and larger maps to navigate, so that the director AI has more with which to work, sounds like it could either be overkill or make for a more tense experience (knowing Valve, I'd expect the latter).
Also of note, via Kotaku, is that Left 4 Dead 2 preorders four times the first. It's not really a surprise when one considers how strong the first game was, and how it was an untested IP, but this was said anyway:
"As we get closer to launch we see the reaction to the demo, pre-orders are four times what Left 4 Dead 1 was, people's excitement, the boycott itself and how it's changed... I think people are just excited now," he said.
Count me among the excited; though a large part of that is the ability to play Rochelle, as there aren't too many black female protagonists in games as yet.
More videos, covering Realism, Scavenge, and Survival mode are available at the G4TV blog.
This weekend's Modern Warfare 2offensive viral video fracas has gone way past just GayGamer. Many other sites have come out to express their dissatisfaction with the video which used a "hidden" gay slur in it's messaging. The video has since been pulled but it left a lot of people wondering how it got produced and approved in the first place.
G4's Adam Sessler has joined the fight with his latest "Sessler's Soapbox." Adam has been a long time friend of GayGamer and has always been outspoken when it comes to issues of gay rights and hate speech. This time is no exception and once again he comes out with both guns blazing.
Thank you, Adam, for all you've done and continue to do to help make the world of gaming a better place to be.
I already made mention of Shattered Horizon with a rather quiet and eerie video that reflected the silence of space. Well, today is the release date, and can be purchased from many different sites for the price of $17.99 (though full price is $19.99, and not sure how much longer this sale lasts).
Above is a video showing actual first person gameplay, focused less on ambiance, and more on showing you firefights. It highlights the zero gravity fights, being able to propel through space, and shooting people.
Halloween may be behind us now, but that doesn't mean the scares have to end, right? Over at The Totally Rad Show, the guys take on Ju-On: The Grudge the way that it was meant to be played: lights off, sound up, and drinks in hand! While I think that I may be a little too much of a scaredy cat to play the game myself, I found watching Alex, Jeff, and Dan to be an enjoyable experience. There's always a little fun to be had watching other people get the pants scared off of them, especially if it stars three cuties that have the tendency to clutch each other in the dark while filmed with a night vision lens.
Have any of you checked out the game / haunted house simulator for yourself? Am I being too much of wimp or should I avoid this title like a strange noise heard in the distance?
Let's face it, the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time movie is first and foremost an excuse to get Jake Gyllenhaal to jump around with his shirt off. And I fully support that. But what are we supposed to make of this trailer that was just revealed for the film? Not only does it feature very little shirtless Gyllenhaal action, but it actually looks like it might be a decent movie. This could disrupt the years of a cherished history where movies based on videogames are abominations not fit even to be used as torture.
Sure, the movie isn't following the exact plot of the game, and the game's signature acrobatic puzzles are nowhere to be seen, but I am still optimistic. Gyllenhaal's prince seems to take the Sands of Time character minus the angst of Warrior Within and Two Thrones, then adds a bit of the more recent Prince of Persia's snark. At the very least, it looks like it'll be a good popcorn flick to kick off the movies of summer when it hits theaters on May 28.
Last week I showered you with snapshots of Capcom's upcoming Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. Today I'd like to continue my love letter to Japanimation and Fighters with an oldie but a goodie. The upcoming Wii game is not Tatsunoko's first foray into the game market. In October of 2000, Takara released Tatsunoko Fight. This Japan only title flooded consoles with its' tag team anime fantasy battles. While developed by Takara the game's technical mechanics dance closely around those of Marvel Vs. Capcom and Street Fighter. The system is compiled of light and heavy attacks to be chained together to form unblockable combos, which can be segued into ultra combos as one takes or receives damage. Standard fare to be sure and at a time when others like MvC2 did it better it is easy to see why this game never made it here to the states.
Despite the developer opting out of more original mechanics, the game is flush with bright animations and authentic voiceovers. The fight roster is fleshed out with appearences from several of Tatsunoko's more illustrious shows; Casshern from Neo Human Casshern, and Tekkaman from Tekkaman: The Space Knight. Takara also created an entirely new IP for the story elements surrounding game called Volter: Denkao Senka Volter. All three are scheduled to make appearances in Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. The entire project is rife with fan service for those familiar with the series and further explains this title's achieved success.
• mixvio on Review: Dragon Age: Origins: Graphics are always going to be a subjective opinion but I've missed any other reviews that are complaining about them...
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