Deus Ex: Human Revolution Continues to Impress

Every time I watch a Deus Ex: Human Revolution trailer, I'm left with chills. The latest spot from this year's E3 is no different. This title looks like it has everything going for it; lovely visuals, atmosphere inspired by Blade Runner, hauntingly beautiful music, a story of deceit and betrayal, and different pillars of gameplay. How will you play Adam Jensen? Will you move in silence, using subterfuge to avoid physical conflict by handling tasks quickly and quietly? Or will you overcome enemies guns ablaze, grenades aloft with arm-blades flailing like a (not so) typical third person shooter? 

Rooted in the sensibilities of the original Deus Ex, a game that many consider amongst the best ever made, I would be surprised if Deus Ex: Human Revolution is anything less than an overwhelmingly incredible experience.

REVIEW: L.A. Noire (and Free Swag Giveaway!)

Since the release of L.A. Noire two weeks ago, people have been constantly asking me what I think of the game, and where my review is. L.A. Noire is a vast universe of exploration and interrogation that I needed to play in full before even attempting to put my thoughts together on paper. With all there is to see and do, you can easily lose yourself for 40 hours. So the review is a little behind schedule, but to make up for it, our friends at Rockstar have given us some free stuff to give away. Read on to find out if L.A. Noire is worthy of your time, and to win free shit!

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REVIEW: Brink

Brink is a game that I've been waiting to spend some extended time with. I'm talking about having the itch; sitting in a corner, rocking back and forth, mumbling incoherently, and scratching my neck. Something about a fast-paced arcade shooter that puts heavy emphasis on parkour does it for me. The game impressed in short preview sessions, and was heavily marketed to give itself a nice pre-release buzz, though it seems as if some quality assurance blues put a damper on Brink's attempt at revolutionizing the genre.

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Sooner Than Expected: PSN Begins Phased Restoration

Well, it's been almost a month, but Sony has finally begun their "phased restoration" of the PlayStation Network. For those of us in the States and Canada, odds are your service is already up and running. 

In a video addressed to Qriocity and PSN uders affected by the attack, Sony Computer Entertaint president Kazuo Hirai details a bit about what the first phase has restored:

• PlayStation Network and Qriocity sign in
• Restoration of online game play across PS3 and PSP
• Enabled third party services such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, MLB.tv, etc.
• Access to PlayStation Home
• Access to 'Friends' category, including Friends lists, chat, and trophy comparison
• Restoration of Sony Online Entertainment games

Upon your initial log in, you'll be prompted to change your password, which you must do. Also, PSN Store has yet to be activated, so for those of you hoping you'd be able to buy the latest downloadable game or content, you'll have to wait for a later phase. 

Kaz attempts to soothe PSN users by detailing the security upgrades Sony has put into place to prevent an issue like this from arising again: increased encryption, added firewalls, and some other security services that most big corporations should already have in place. Welcome to the party, PlayStation. 

The 'Welcome Back' program - see: free compensatory shit - has yet to be detailed, but more information will be released in the coming days, so stay tuned.

Head over the PlayStation.Blog for the full rundown, as well as Hirai-san looking cool, calm, and sharp in his expensive suit sans tie, to give the impression he's been hard at work. 

Don't Get Sharked in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

Have a look at your primary dog fighting opponent in the upcoming ballet of missiles, vulcans, and shredded fuselages, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. His name is Markov, also known as The Shark. If you're lucky, you'll notice him on the battlefield by the shark teeth painted on the front of his fighter jet. Though it's more likely that The Shark will shoot you down before you even realize his sights are locked onto you. Step your game up, kid!

I've been looking forward to Ace Combat: Assault Horizon for some time now, if only for the intoxicating action and camera work, something I've always loved in the Ace Combat series. While that has always been a calling card of the franchise, the story has attempted to stay equally interesting, but most times it's come up a little short. Project Aces is looking to change those fortunes by recruiting New York Times’ bestselling military author Jim DeFelice. Honestly, dog fighting is the crack. Whatever story brought to the table is supplementary to the ratatatatatatating.

Take to the skies on October 11 of this year.

Starhawk Knows What We Want

Explosions, fast action, destructible (and buildable) environments, and mechs that transform into planes and fly away at mach speeds while firing swarms of missiles. Yes please! The long overdue successor to the PlayStation 3 hit Warhawk looks like a mix of Red Faction and Macross with a bit of the old west splashed in, something I welcome with arms wide open.

Developers Lightbox Interactive held an event in Texas to show off their project. Head over to PSNation for an in depth preview of Starhawk, which looks and sounds to be the next hotness. For those of you with a more limited attention span, the five minute video below tells you most of what you need to know. Treating the battlefield as a canvas, where you can drop structures and defenses wherever you please, and your opponents can destroy them at their whim, in both single and multiplayer. Count me in!

Starhawk is like a flirt at the bar; it looks good and it's saying all the right things, but will it deliver when you bring it home? Fingers crossed.

Dark Souls: Welcome to Die

The title for the latest Dark Souls trailer is 'Prepare to Die'. For any other game I'd be all like CHALLENGE ACCEPTED, you can't kill me! But this is Dark Souls, the successor of Demon's Souls, so I will swallow my pride and accept that I will die horribly on numerous occasions. 

The trailer is mostly a montage to some of the many deaths that will befall you, should you be brave enough to challenge Dark Souls. And when it's not quite showing the player dying, it's showing something that will most likely end up killing you very shortly. Demon's Souls was a game for masochists, and Dark Souls is picking up right where the predecessor left off.

Dark Souls will release this October, and in the event PSN is still down at that time, fear not! For the first time, the controller-breaking difficulty of From Software's role-playing series will be available on Xbox 360.

Also comes the news that a preorder will bump you up from standard to the collector's edition for no extra charge. The $60 entry fee nets you a metalbook case, art book, digital download soundtrack, behind the scenes development video, and a mini strategy guide. Trust me, you'll want to preorder if only for that strategy guide alone. Demon's Souls was an incredibly nuanced and complex game, with tons of secrets and strategies that one cannot discover on his or her own. You will need all the help you can get.

Soul Calibur V Welcomes You Back to the Stage of History

I'm quite excited for the announcement of SoulCalibur V, which keeps one of my favorite fighting franchises running. Set 17 years after the conclusion of SoulCalibur IV, the latest entry in the series follows the son of Sophitia, Patroklos, as he no doubt sets out on an adventure that revolves around the Soul swords in some way.

Aw yeah, I'm pumped. The Soul Calibur series not only managed to deliver a deep fighting experience with a whole assortment of interesting characters and exotic weapons, but what it offers outside of that is just as awesome. Unique game types and one of the most comprehensive character creation tools I've ever seen in a fighting game, in SoulCalibur IV. No word on if any of this will return in SoulCalibur V, but really, how could it not?

Here are some images and a teaser for you to fawn over. The series' first sword-and-shield male is kind of a big deal. And before you say anything, no, Lizardman does not count.

If enough people 'Like' Soul Calibur on Facebook, new artwork will be revealed at SoulCalibur's home on the web. Now, get busy!

L.A. Noire Launch Trailer is All About Dramaaaaa

Oh hell no, girlfriend. You did not just investigate a homicide case! Mmmmmm-hmmmm!

L.A. Noire is set for release in less than a week, next Tuesday May 17. What better way to get you to preorder than with this, a shiny new launch trailer! Said trailer is all about the drama, baby. Car accidents, guns, yelling, guns, dramatic camera angles, yelling, guns! I can't take it any more! 

Try not to be fooled by the trailer. If you go into L.A. Noire thinking you're going to get a weapon-heavy Grand Theft Auto fueled kill-spree, you will be disappointed. Me? I'm actually relieved that L.A. Noire goes more the route of drama and crime scene investigation than it does mindless violence and escort missions. 

Preorder while you still can!

REVIEW: Outland

Every once in a while, an idea comes along that makes you ask "How has this never been done before?" Though the idea of bullet-hell combined with a 'polarity' system was very successfully implemented in the cult hit Ikaruga, the idea was hardly heard from again, until Outland.

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