Call of Juarez: The Cartel is Risky Business

Games like GUN, Red Dead Revolver, and Call of Juarez were the only window gamers had into the old west, leaving fans of the genre stranded in a desert with no water in sight. Before Rockstar and Red Dead Redemption went and made the western game all mainstream, the best we had might have been Sunset Riders. 

Since RDR 'revolutionized' the old west, it seems like not many titles set in the same period will ever measure up to the commercial and critical success John Marston brought to the folks at Rockstar. Kudos then to Call of Juarez  for trying something new, and moving in a different direction. Though it may be on a bit of a touchy subject, you don't win big by playing the same safe hand over and over again.

Call of Juarez: The Cartel continues to bill itself as a western in the vein of the two preceding entries in the series, but the wild west has changed. The cartels are the new outlaws, and cash, drugs, and guns are the new gold. In The Cartel, you can take control of one of three 'bad' cops to take down drug lords from Mexico to Los Angeles. 

The Cartel is said to have three-player online co-op, three unique campaign stories and all that, but really that's not important. What is important, is the bitching and moaning that 'people' (ie. near-sighted journalists and left-wing politicians) are doing in regards to the latest Call of Juarez, seeing as how Mexico is in a bad way right now, thanks in part to the real cartels. 

To any of the detractors, I say find something better to do with your power of state or power of media. Lay off, let games be games, and go fight the problems you have with the latest Call of Juarez game at its source: real life. To developers Techland, and publishers Ubisoft, keep doing what you're doing. Call of Juarez: The Cartel looks like it might have some promise, please don't fuck it up on account of over-sensitive blowhards who attack the games industry to make themselves feel tough. 

Also, please don't turn Call of Juarez: The Cartel into something Kane and Lynch-like. Thanks! 

15 Minutes of The Gunstringer is Oddly Fantastic

Let me admit, when I first read about The Gunstringer, a Kinect title where you play as a skeleton cowboy, shooting stuff with your fingers, I promptly went to my toilet to drop a deuce, finished up, and went on with my day. 

I should have given more credit to Twisted Pixel. 

As more media for The Gunstringer has made its way out I've warmed up to it a bit. After watching a full 15 minutes of the game, I'm 90% sold. While the premise is weird, and the gameplay doesn't seem incredibly addictive or complex, Twisted Pixel's trademark style and humor shines through to give this Xbox LIVE Arcade title a bit of a 'DO WANT' edge. 

The question is, how does one price a Kinect XBLA game?

REVIEW: Marvel vs. Capcom 3

Capcom's Versus series is one of the quirkiest and most respected fighting franchises in the industry today. Its last entry, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom may not have captured a broad audience due to its Wii exclusivity, but Marvel vs. Capcom 2 has charmed both OGs and new gamers alike. Alas, the 11 year old game has shown its age. With the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3, fans of the fight have let out a collective sigh of relief, but does the Fate of Two Worlds take us for a ride?

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REVIEW: Hard Corps: Uprising

For more than 20 years, Contra has been a staple of classic gaming worldwide. From its original, painfully difficult roots, the series has grown and evolved into different entities over time, with slight gameplay changes introduced to keep the series fresh. Hard Corps: Uprising, while not a member of the Contra family in title, is a spiritual relative of the esteemed franchise. That said, The look of Hard Corps: Uprising is as drastic a departure from the series as the name change is. Does it get past the heavily armed and fortified one-eyed wall, or does it mistime it's leap and plunge into a pit?

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Moon Diver Will Confound You and Your Friends on XBLA and PSN

If you told me there was a four-player cooperative stylized side-scrolling futuristic action game in which I take control of a super-powered ninja and fight oversized bosses for PSN and XBLA, I'd slap fire out of your mouth and call you a liar. Fortunately for you, this is not a lie, so rather than resorting to violence, I'm just going to cream my pants instead.

Directed by the dude who created Strider (and it shows), Moon Diver combines many things I love, even if it looks like it might be a little confusing. Four ninja throwing flashy moves all over the screen in a side-scroller seems like it might be overwhelming to keep track of the important factors: position, health, enemies, pitfalls, etc, but hot damn if it doesn't look like it'll be worth the trouble!

Aside from the beautiful art and effects, Moon Diver has some RPG elements peppered in to assure that your character progresses in stride with the difficulty, which I'm sure is going to be pretty steep. This looks to be the experience I had hoped Castlevania: Harmony of Despair would deliver, but couldn't quite nail down. Fingers crossed Moon Diver gets it right when it releases, sometime this spring.

via Game Informer

The Latest RAGE Trailer Gets Me Angry!

The latest trailer for id Software's racing-FPS with a splash of RPG elements is still looking good. Seems we've been hearing about RAGE for years now.. What's that? Oh, I guess we have been. Well, the light at the end of the blood-stained tunnel is not just the flaming wreckage of an scrapped battle-buggy, but also the North American release date of September 11. 

Urge to slaughter hostile deformed mutants rising! 

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 DLC Shows New Costumes, Teases New Characters

If you have yet to purchase Marvel vs. Capcom 3, I ask you this: what the hell is wrong with you?! While you're busy lollygagging on possibly 2011 most anticipated release, Capcom is making moves on the DLC tip. They got schedules, schedules of DLC that detail what you'll miss if you haven't copped Marvel vs. Capcom 3 yet, and what date you'll miss it. 

Landing on March 1 is the first of many costume packs, which re-outfits 6 of your fighters in stylish new duds. Ryu gets thrown back to his Street Fighter gear, complete with terrible slippers. Dante gets ladies with his fathers features in his Sparda outfit. Chris Redfield gets hooked up in his duds from the original Resident Evil, though unfortunately he doesn't bring his stroke face with him. On the Marvel side of things, Thor rocks his tried and true 80's suit that I grew up with. It's not quite Beta Ray Bill, but it will have to do for now. Iron Man gets all TSA on your ass with his Iron Patriot gear that was worn by Norman Osborn for a hot minute. And saving the best for last, Captain America lets his locks hang, with the maskless Steve Rogers look, complete with the sweet freakin' shield. This pack runs you $5 on PSN, or 400 MS points if you're using funny money.

Also dropping March 1 is the first Shadow Mode DLC pack, which allows you to play against AI controlled characters who are programmed to fight in the style of several notable Capcom staffers; producer Ryota Niitsuma, along with assistant producer Akihito Kadowaki and a namless "QA team leader". Bet he's the worst of the bunch! 

And finally, news from the rumor mill. Everybody who's anybody knows about the first two downloadable characters, Shuma Gorath and Jill Valentine. Now grain of salt, but a eagle-eyed reader of Destructoid did some digging in Marvel vs. Capcom 3's coding and found two things of interest. Namely Frank West and Doctor Octopus, who either will be added as DLC or are left over code as character that didn't make the final cut. It was already said that Frank West was in an early build of the game and cut at the last minute, but fuck it, keep fingers crossed these guys get added in. I would love to whoop some ass with Doc Ock.

Pitchers and Catchers and Gamers

Written by Jimmy Donofrio

With the Super Bowl firmly behind us (though dreams of hellscapes filled with Black Eyed Peas music still haunt me at night), it’s time to finally turn all of our sports-related attention towards baseball. Spring Training is fast approaching, which also means the latest offerings from 2K Sports and Sony Entertainment are stepping into the batter’s box to once again vie (probably not on the same competitive playing field) for our money.

MLB 2K11 has released its second developer’s diary, dedicated to a side-by-side comparison of graphics of this year’s entry to 2K10. The results are clear: player models (at least on these specific players), uniforms (at least with these specific teams), and stadium lighting (at least at AT&T Park) have all been improved.

What should concern Xbox baseball enthusiasts is the return of the not-so-jumbo jumbotron. Sony to the rescue! PlayStation.Blog posted the updates to MLB 11: The Show’s stadium realism and ambiance yesterday, and they're pretty fantastic. The Show will boast stadium-specific jumbotrons, out-of-town scoreboards, dynamic weather, and fan interaction (including cowbells and rally towels!). Could be another long season of 2Kers looking up from the bottom of the division.

REVIEW: Dead Space 2

In 2008, Dead Space was released to great critical and commercial success. The seamless blend of survival-horror, action, and cinematic beauty offered an experience that many games before it attempted to create, and many after attempted to emulate. Fast forward to 2011, and the release of the long awaited Dead Space 2. Eager to prove the series has staying power, does Dead Space 2 hit its Marker, or will it be torn apart by its inner demons?

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The Darkness II is Coming, Jackie

God damn, all these years later and I still can't get the God Mike Patton's rendition of the Darkness out of my head. Aside from the amazing vocals of Mr. Bungle, The Darkness was actually a solid game. 

That's why it's such a pleasant surprise to hear, seemingly out of no where, that The Darkness II is on it's way. Shadow abilities, twisted storylines and visuals, all that good shit. Jackie and friend are sure to have learned some new tricks, like fucking quad-wielding weapons. Holy shit, that's a game changer. Rogues, berserkers, and Chow Yun Fat can suck it with their lame-ass ambidexterity.

No word yet on whether or not Mike Patton will be reprising his role as the Darkness, but he damn well better. We've shot a missive to the proper folks and hope for a reply soon. Until then, embrace The Darkness, and enjoy the following screenshot. Singular screen, quadruple arms.