Tomb Raider Reboot

Normally, I am skeptical of anything labeled a reboot. Reboots have either deviated too far from the original source or are nothing more than a reissue in disguise (yes Nintendo, I'm talking to you. New Super Mario Bros? Give me a break). So, imagine my delight with the rebooted Tomb Raider. The redesigned Lara Croft was not only necessary, it is also a major improvement from the old. Those ridiculous proportions of the previous Lara Croft had to go!

Instead of a wise cracking seasoned killer, Lara is scared, vulnerable, and dare I say relatable? As relatable as she can be given that she is an ultra wealthy female Indiana Jones. Tomb Raider sports impressive visuals, enjoyable combat, and Uncharted-type theatrics. Kills, scavenging, and hunting all give you XP, which when passing prescribed numbers, gives you points to add to either attributes such as better bow hunting skills, or getting more from every box you scavenge. It's a way for you to customize Lara's skill set to meet your play style.

I'm still in the process of playing this game, but I can tell you that I will definitely give this game multiple plays to max out my experience. I wasn't a Tomb Raider fan, so if you say you're not a Tomb Raider fan either, think twice before you shut this game out! :)

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Guild Wars 2 Hits 2 Million In Sales

Guild Wars 2 was released on August 28, not even a full three weeks ago, and it has reached two million copies sold!

It should be noted that during that time, there was a period where first party sales and retail replenishment were suspended to catch up with demand! ArenaNet, Guild Wars 2 developer, wanted to be sure that existing players had the best experience before adding additional players.

 

The game was roughly five years in the making. Original Guild Wars fans and others who became interested along the way highly anticipated its release. Its expansive, visually stunning worlds and addictive game-play are the reason behind the hype. Fan reaction has been very positive since. If you haven't checked it out, you may want to consider it! And, it's free to play - no monthly subscription!

God of War: Ascension

One word always comes to mind with God of War - brutality. And, this next installment of the franchise delivers in spades.

I was fortunate enough to play around for ten minutes of the new GOW at PAX Prime in Seattle just a couple of weeks ago. My initial trepidation about another game was quickly laid to rest. Yes, the last GOW ended the story of the famous "Ghost of Sparta" wherein Kratos had become all but invincible. This game, however, goes the route of the prequel more in the vein of the two PSP titles, Ghost of Sparta and Chains of Olympus, showing a Kratos who hasn't yet become completely laden with hate. The demo took me through fighting multiple enemies of varying sizes and shapes with the trusty "Blades of Chaos" as my weapon. New to the series is the ability to grapple an enemy with your chain blade and continue to pummel him as he's tethered, or use the enemy as a shield against other foes. The QTE, made famous and ubiquitous by the series is back, albeit tweaked. Essentially, it functions the same, but the finishes are more gruesome than ever. I,  literally, cut enemies' brains out at the end of the demo! As one would expect, the graphics are excellent and the effects team has done amazing things this time around with fire. You actually burn some of your foes alive as you attack them! It's pretty awesome to see! 

Finally, the scariest proposition of them all, GOW multi-player. I didn't have time to play it, but after speaking to people who did, as well as testers playing it on a daily basis, rest assured it will kick ass! Don't worry, the single player campaign is still the bread and butter for this series, and it will stay that way. Think of the multi-player as the blood soaked icing on the gore cake.

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G4 Guild Wars 2 Hands On Preview

Morgan Webb of G4TV interviewed game designer, Mike Zadorojny, about Guild Wars 2. He went down to Los Angeles, California as part of the LA GW2 Road Show last week, and this was a part of that! This video will air on G4 tonight, but you can watch it here, too! Enjoy!

http://www.g4tv.com/videos/60077/guild-wars-2-hands-on-preview/

Black Ops 2: Can We Trust Treyarch?

Anyone who knows me, knows I love FPS games. Not the campaign mind you, but the online multiplayer. Yes, Modern Warfare did actually have a great single player campaign, but great single player campaigns and the Call of Duty franchise don't exactly go hand in hand. So, why is there such emphasis on the single player campaign from Treyarch? The rumor circulating claims that certain missions will be one shot deals where dying will affect the storyline. A page that was obviously swiped from the Heavy Rain playbook. But, does anyone care? Never mind the massive plot holes, like characters that died in Black Ops that were mysteriously alive later or the juxtaposition of flipping from normal combat in the 70s and 80s to futuristic combat in 2025, using drones and unmanned vehicles. What really moves these games IS the online multiplayer, and in that regard, I'm worried. To me, Treyarch ruined COD with their interpretation of multiplayer. It was too slow, and the map layout wasn't that good. One of the things I did like, however, was being able to buy the upgrades that I wanted for my guns rather than having to wait and level guns up. Of course, zombies will be included, which was fun a few times, but got old quickly. So far, that's all the info I have. Hopefully, it will be better than Treyarch's last installment!

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New Information Revealed About The Wii U: Should We Care?

I just read an "in depth" article about the upcoming Wii U console, and to say I'm underwhelmed, is an understatement.

Let's look past the fact that Nintendo isn't confirming ANY of the hardware specs (ignore the bogus claims of PS3 and 360 besting graphics) and get to the meat of the information available.

One: Nintendo is still calling the new console the Wii U. Why? Who knows. Nintendo is in love with stupid names for systems.

Two: Nintendo is rumored to be more accessible to third party developers. This is supposed to mean that gamers may get more games than Mario 95 Galaxy Warrior Princess, Mario Kart 52 Tokyo Drift, and another god damn Wii Sports Resort cleverly titled Wii U Sports Resort! Didn't see that coming, Nintendo!

Three: The new Wii U console will offer entirely new ways to game. I'm actually really confused by this. Since when is holding a giant brick with a touchscreen a new gaming experience? Wait, it has touchscreen game controls? Holy shit! Apparently, the Nintendo DS, 3DS, and Playstation Vita are only pretending to have touchscreen controls. Gyroscopic controls! Oh my, another new experience! Obviously, the six-axis PS3 controller has been omitted from gaming history. HD (maybe) graphics! Welcome to the party Nintendo, six years late.

Four: Online gaming ability. Wow! Really? Has Nintendo finally realized that people love online gaming? That's only 20 years behind the curve, Nintendo. Thanks for playing, though.

The list of games semi-confirmed for the Wii U are certainly varied. From the aforementioned Wii U Sports Resort, to Assassins Creed 3, the new console is trying to cover every gaming demographic known to man. To me, this is going to be the biggest downfall for the Wii U. Nintendo should stick to what it's good at, rehashing 25 year old IPs and getting people to pay for them. I don't think any hardcore gamer is going to be chomping at the bit to get a Wii U. Of all the descriptions of the upcoming titles and how they will use the "new" technology, none of them sounds remotely interesting or innovative. For instance, playing an MMORPG, you can use the Wii U screen to constantly display your inventory. How the hell are you playing the game then? With a standard Wiimote? What the hell is the point of that? Pay $300 for a glorified inventory screen? I don't think so. Racing game? Use the Wii U to steer a car! Ooooh, I can hardly wait! (Cue sarcasm).

To sum up the Wii U, I guess I would have to say, "not interested." The system seems to be too little, too late, as far as graphics are concerned. The plan to offer more of the same franchises, literally, is a huge turn off. Some very powerful company heads have already spoken out against it, saying that it isn't going to offer anything new or exciting, hence their respective companies' lack of support.

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You Can't Handle The Truth!

Screamed Jack Nicholas in the classic movie, A Few Good Men. And, I'm sure the stockholders at Nintendo agree.

Nintendo just posted a $530 million net loss for the just closed fiscal year. Really, this revelation only confirmed my suspicion that for all the big numbers Nintendo throws around, they aren't selling well. 

This isn't a Nintendo problem exclusively, though. If you look at the games industry as a whole, there isn't a whole lot of profit out there. Sony, Nintendo, and of course, Microsoft (who has yet to make ANY profit on the original X-Box or 360) are all feeling the financial squeeze. Maybe, they all put too much emphasis on the casual market, the once robust area of gaming that moved from the Wii to the iPhone. Maybe it's sequalitis people are tired of. 

One thing is certain though, more studios are closing or being absorbed into giant mega companies, and less creative chances are being taken. That seems like a perfect storm to kill our beloved pastime activity. But fear not! Hopefully, this recent financial shake down will slap some sense into game makers and their systems. Maybe, we'll see a new renaissance in games that will reinvigorate developers and gamers alike. If this trend continues though, all companies will need something truly spectacular in their next-gen consoles to bring back the wandering masses. Here's to hope!

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