Brink Launches Tomorrow, Celebrate With a Trailer

Tomorrow is the release of Brink, one of my most coveted gets of Summer 2011, and maybe even the whole year itself. I've really been looking forward to this title for a while now, for multiple reasons. If you haven't, here's a launch trailer to change your mind. Protip: when a dude with a Jason mask is pressing a gun against your eyeball, you change your mind.

Brink is bright, colorful, fast-moving, stylish-looking, and challenging. It benefits players who stick together and operates as a team, and it allows you to react after being assaulted or engage in games of cat-and-mouse, due in part to the mobility of the SMART system, and the comparatively large amount of bullets it takes to drop someone (think Halo).

If you haven't preordered yet, there's still time. Amazon is selling Brink for $55, with a $10 credit  and the Psycho Pack, which comes with some pretty slick customization options. What are you waiting for? 

The History of Red Faction: Blowing Shit Up

The good people at Volition have created a dev diary of sorts, discussing some of Red Faction's history, it's legacy as a science fiction series, the enemies, and of course, blowing shit up. 

If you're not familiar with the Red Faction series, you can watch this to acquaint yourself a bit, but you really should play some of the past entries. If you're strapped for time, then maybe just give Red Faction: Armageddon a shot. It looks like Armageddon will continue the franchise's streak of quality gaming, and lovely destruction. Don't like the way that wall is looking at you? Blow it up! Guilty conscience, wall-killer? Rebuild it again with your Nano Forge. Destroy, build, destroy; Andrew W.K. would be proud. 

In other news, have a look at Red Faction: Armageddon's pre-order bonuses, by way of these silly ads. Best Buy gets the Recon Pack, featuring a nice looking set of Recon Armor, XNG-5000 rocket launcher, and the chain-lightning spitting Arc Welder. Gamestop pre-orders fetch you the Commando Pack, whose odd looking Commando Armor looks like a hybrid of Mass Effect's N7 and Final Fantasy XII's Judge armor. Also, fucking SWEET Laser Pistol and flame-throwing Plasma Launcher. Amazon pre-order is less flashy, but worth it in its own right. $10 worth of video game credit, and a free download of the addicting vehicular slaughter action of Red Faction: Battlegrounds. Where will you pre-order?

Binary Domain is Half Way Between Gears of War and Vanquish

Sega has today released a proper trailer for their upcoming shooter, Binary Domain. Unlike the trailer released late last year, this one is full of gameplay that looks extremely decent. Unforunately, it is also filled with bland looking characters. I was hoping Toshihiro Nagoshi (producer of the Yakuza series, tanning bed activist) might have pulled some strings to get the bootleg Commander Shepard and token black guy tweaked for some originality, but alas, no. 

Regardless, Binary Domain is still a ways out - due to release some time in 2012 - but the early returns are somewhat convincing. Of course, you'll have to get over the fact that it's pretty much half Gears of War, and half Vanquish, which was already half Gears. So what does that make BD? I hate math.

After his work on the Yakuza series, Nagoshi knows what a compelling story in a game should be, so there's that. Also, there are some interesting action sequences in the trailer, like jet skiing and building sliding, to go along with your typical shoot 'em up fare. If the former outweighs the latter, and Binary Domain keeps on with the eye candy, we might have an acceptable Gears/Vanquish/Gears knockoff on our hands.

REVIEW: Mortal Kombat

To be frank, I haven't cared about Mortal Kombat in a long time. The last game in the series I had in heavy rotation was the very underrated Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy before that. There was a certain je ne sais quoi missing from most of the sequels that followed the original trilogy, which ultimately led to a decline of interest. So why does the latest entry in the series, titled simply Mortal Kombat, inspire more thoughts of combos and fatalities than the past 4 or 5 installments combined? Could be because not only does this title kick ass, it rips your head off and splits your torso into five easy pieces.

Click to read more ...

PlayStation Network, WTF Mate?

If you're a PlayStation 3 owner who enjoys online gaming, odds are you've already experienced PSNs downtime first hand. PlayStation's online network has been FUBAR all weekend in what most thought would be a service blip, but has turned out to be a failure of catastrophic proportions, with no end in sight. WTF mate?

To be honest, I don't think anyone has a clue to what's ailing PSN. Sony is blaming hackers for disabling the system, which is plausible seeing as how hacktivist group Anonymous had threatened Sony and PlayStation with action as retaliation against their persecution of Geohotz (great hacker, horrid rapper). Anonymous, always ones to soak up the limelight, would never shy away from accusations this large. Though they haven't claimed responsibility for the latest attack, they haven't ruled out the actions of other off-shoot groups. WTF mate?

The latest on the topic comes from Joystiq (via Reddit, of course) where some dude who claims to be someone he may or may not be - a mod at PSX-Scene - has the whole scoop. "The truth is, there was a new CFW (custom firmware) released known as Rebug (link omitted). It essentially turns a retail console into a dev console (not fully, but gives you a lot of the same options that usually dev's only have access to)." No big deal right? The redditor continues, "well, it also turns out that some people over at NGU found out that you could provide fake CC# info and the authenticity of the information was never checked as you were on Sony's private developer PSN network (essentially a network that Sony trusted). What happened next was extreme piracy of PSN content. Sony realizing the issue here shut down the network." He also states that personal information is not in jeopardy, so don't go canceling your mom's credit card yet.

It doesn't sound unlikely, but Sony, WTF mate? If true, why couldn't you say something along those lines instead of spewing garbage about hackers attacking PSN. If this is the case, hackers did take anything down, they found their way into the network, and with no real security in place, Sony has taken down the network themselves. 

This whole ordeal is frustrating for me, and I don't even use PSN that frequently. I can only imagine what the Killzone 3 faithful are going through right now. I don't know what the underlying cause is, but I do know that PlayStation needs to make good on this outage one way or another, especially to the people who are paying $50 a year for a service you can't render due to the inability to provide a secure network.

REVIEW: Portal 2

The original Portal seemed to have materialized from emptiness, bundled as an extra in The Orange Box, almost feeling as more of a throw in than anything else. I thank my lucky stars that both critics and consumers enjoyed the game as much as I did, or else we would not have Portal 2. The second coming has been fleshed out and fully realized as a stand alone game, rife of comedy that is as dark as it is hilarious, puzzles that are simultaneously confounding and child's play, and some of the best writing I've seen in a game in a long, long time.

Click to read more ...

Uncharted 3 Mutliplayer is Doing Big Thangs

Naughty Dog wants you to play Uncharted 3's multiplayer. Not only do they want to you play it, they want it to be the only game you ever look to for mulitplayer if you own a PS3. Yeah, doin' thangs.

A trailer from the developer shows a little bit of what to expect when you hop online to do some fragging in Uncharted 3. Cinematic shootouts, collapsing buildings, what's not to love? One thing that's odd to see, Nathan and Sully mixing it up in the multiplayer. Are they just skins that anyone can apply and use? Could get a little confusing to see three Hawaiian shirted Sullys taking cover next to each other, but I guess it could be worse right? It could suck. Fortunately, sucking seems to be the last thing Naughty Dog is worried about. 

Make sure your schedule is completely open in late June/early July. You can get yourself some Uncharted 3 mutliplayer beta starting June 28. You might wanna sign up for PlayStation Plus a little ahead of time.

RAGE Takes You to Dead City, Death Ensues

More RAGE is always a good thing, at least in regards to id Software's upcoming video game. Rage at the workplace or at school could lead to expulsion and anger management classes, so please try to avoid that if you can.

Here's your good RAGE news of the day: preorder pretty much anywhere that matters (Amazon, Steam, Direct-to-Drive, *mutters* Gamestop) and you'll have your order automatically upgraded to the 'Anarchy' Edition, free of charge. Not only does this special set have a kick-ass name, but it comes with a ménage à quatre of useful in-game items; a double barrel shotty, slick Crimson Elite armor, bladed knuckle dusters, and a 'Rat Rod' buggy. That's gear that could fetch $5 on the DLC tip, yours for donuts.

Speaking of gear, RAGE seems to be all about the weapon selection. In the latest trailer, a full 5 minutes of impressive gameplay across a rather lively place called Dead City, we see weapons aplenty. Shotguns, sniper rifles, some sort of useless crossbow, rocket launchers, pistols that fire a whole damn clip at once, and even a shuriken-chakram deal that takes off heads. That's my type of mutant-maiming device.

Aside from playing host to a cavalcade of uniquely designed mutant mashers, RAGE is easy on the eyes. Check out the facial expressions and body movements of the old Russian dude sending you on your quest. That's some top flight animation right there, L.A. Noire be damned.

RAGE is still a few months away, releasing September 13. That's plenty of time to stew in your own desires for this one, especially since there will be a few more trailers like this to amp you up. Don't let a few measly months turn you away, preorder NAO!

RAGE Anarchy Edition Preorder Bonus Gallery

Let Sarif Industries Change Your Life

Have you always wanted to throw a football, but never quite had the muscle to do so? Have you always wished you were able to play Liszt's finest nocturne, but was just too damn impatient to take piano lessons? Let Sarif Industries change your life. One simple pain-free procedure can change you forever. See clearly, play with your children, entertain your extended family at awkward reunions, with Sarif Industries' human enhancements.

So it ain't real, but it is very well done and has me craving more of these live action viral spots. Though honestly, I'm craving anything having to do with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Do I really have to wait until August? That's a total bummer. I need a Sarif Industries cybernetic watch, so time can move faster.

Eliminate Leon's Nice Hair in Operation Raccoon City

Capcom has released a legit trailer for the upcoming Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. None of that teaser bullshit here! 

The game looks interesting to say the least. It's nice to see the series shift away from the third person shooter which it was rapidly becoming. It will also be pretty dope to play as the vile Umbrella Corporation for once, and possibly even eliminate Leon Kennedy. No, that can't be right. What will the world do without his perfectly parted hair?

On the flip side of things, I hate SOCOM games, so I don't know how well I'd receive SOCOM with a Resident Evil mod on top of it. I can dig the team focused gameplay, and I do like that each character has his or her own class, but what is with all the atrociously fake accents? I guess Capcom is keeping it real, rediscovering Resident Evil's roots. 

Hey, I'll bet you $10 that Vector will be the most played charcater of the Umbrella four. What do ya think?