Assassin's Creed: Revelations Music Video

Yeah, this isn't even a trailer. It's a straight up music video, and I ain't mad about it. To be completely honest, I haven't played an Assassin's Creed game since the first. Not because I don't enjoy them, they look like a good time. I had fun watching a friend slaughter random Italian nobles, just never got around to doing it myself. Can anyone tell me why Ezio is having hallucinations of Altair? Did he slip himself some of his own poison?

Though whenever an Assassin's Creed game releases a new trailer, I'm all over it. They always have incredibly high production value and use perfectly eclectic music to compliment the action. So why would the trailer for Assassin's Creed: Revelations be any different?

Gameplay looks like typical Assassin's Creed. Ezio uses smoke bombs, zip-lines with his new wrist hooks, destroys some ships with a flamethrower, parkours around, and generally just kicks everything's ass. Par for the course for Mr. Auditore. As you would expect the action is fast and smooth, and the graphics are beautiful. The real question for Revelations though, is what the hell is going on with Desmond? 

Zoom is Nyko's Brilliant Answer to Kinect Space Issues

It's been a well publicized complaint that Kinect requires a huge chunk of room real estate to operate at its best. Unfortunately, we don't all live in mansions, leaving many of us with our backs pressed uncomfortably against walls to fully fit into the Kinect's field of vision, which is a recommended 8 to 9 feet away from the device. It was a huge pain in the ass for us with smaller living spaces, and pretty much made the Xbox motion device an impossibility to use in the limiting confines of Japanese households. As an answer to Kinect's greedy requirements, Nyko has created the simplest yet most ingenius peripheral; a pair of clip on glasses. 

Zoom is a set of lenses that clip on over the Kinect's sensors and effectively reduce the required area by 40 percent. 9 feet becomes approximately 4 feet, which is a prayer answered for those who wanted in on the body-flailing fun, but don't have the suggested space, and are unwilling to move around furniture like Microsoft suggests. Feng shui is more important than motion gaming, isn't it? 

Zoom for Kinect requires no installation, no batteries, no power cord, or anything else. It just clips onto your sensor and is ready to rock. Kudos to Nyko for making something so simple yet so useful. Of course, there's no guarantee that the thing will actually work, or if we'll have to pay $50 for piece of plastic, but the idea is promising. We'll give you more news as we get it. 

Prey 2 Ditches the Native American in favor of Boba Fett

Shortly after the release of the surprisingly well received Prey, it was announced a sequel was already in development by Human Head Studios. After the announcement, Prey seemed to have gone dark, until earlier this year when a live action viral was released to stir up some interest in the series. With E3 in full effect, you better believe we have a trailer and gameplay. 

Prey 2 does away with some of the staples from the original; portals, the Native American influence, and protagonist Tommy. You play as former Air Marshall Killian Samuels, a bounty hunter with access to an impressive amount of alien tech and weaponry, to be employed while tracking bounties, both dead and alive. The world is a beautiful neon-soaked piece of the future, with terrain that's as tricky as it is modern. Navigating via parkour is your second best friend, right behind your armaments.

As of now, Prey 2 looks like just another first person shooter. The aspects that made the original so unique have seemingly been stripped from the sequel, so I'm unsure about what will make it stand out from the crowd. Regardless, the art and weapon design look to be getting things right, which is a step in the right direction.

Like Most Spies, Overstrike is Smart, Sexy, and Stylish

I know it's just another CGI trailer, but at least it offers more than just pretty colors! Overstrike is Insomniac Games' first dealing with a multiplatform title. It's based on a team of four super spies with over the top style and over the topper gadgets. The characters seem well thought out and smart. Cool weapons are on display, as well as cool senses of humor. That's about all I can gather.

If I were a gambling man, I'd say Overstrike will end up being a four player online cooperative first/third person shooter with a strong focus on team tactics. In addition to having their own unique personality, each character will have a unique set of skills that will help get the ahead in increasingly hairy situations. Maybe there will be some sort of skill tree where you can assign experience points to unlock new skills depending on how you want to play one of the four lively characters. You would play this type of game, right?

Or it could be a browser based 8-bit platformer. Who knows. Either way, if the trailer is anything to go on (which it shouldn't be, but we don't learn our lessons), Overstrike is one to keep your eyes on. 

Ninja Gaiden 3 is a Celebration of Blood and Guts

I thought Ninja Gaiden 3 was supposed to show more of Ryu Hayabusa's feelings, to give the player more insight to the remorse the character feels after killing an enemy? If the video is worth anything, that ain't the case at all. Ryu clearly gives a flying ninja fuck as his cold blade pierces enemy after enemy. 

The teaser images we've seen up to now haven't really done anything for me, aside from getting my hopes up for another Ninja Gaiden game. With E3 comes some gameplay videos, which in turn gets me kind of excited. Though Itagaki may no longer be with Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden 3 looks like more of the same, which is good. Of course, Team Ninja has found ways to enrich the experience, such as 'Steel on Bone' sequences, which are sort of quick time finishers, meant to give the player true feeling of disemboweling an enemy. Ninja Gaiden 3 aims to immerse the player, and give a true feeling of being in Hayabusa's super ninja shoes. So far so good, but where are the huge breasted females at?

Lara Croft gets all Cast Away in Tomb Raider

Lara Croft makes Tom Hanks look like a little bitch. She doesn't need a volleyball to keep her sane, her injuries and crafted bow and arrow are doing the job just fine! Here's our first cinematic look at the Tomb Raider reboot, where Lara Croft sets off on her first adventure and gets her ass kicked by the elements in the process. No one said being a treasure hunter would be easy, babe.

What are you all thinking about this one? I haven't cared for a Tomb Raider game for years, maybe it's because Lara's boobs keep shrinking? Seriously though, gameplay makes it look as if Tomb Raider is learning toward adding some survival horror elements into the tried and true action adventure genre. I'd be all aboard for that. The videos are not much to go on, therefore the jury is still out until I can see a little bit more of what Tomb Raider is all about.

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.

Say Hello to Two New Halo Games

The title may be stretching the truth. One new Halo game, and one rework of a classic. That's right! Let's start with the more exciting news: Halo 4. If you thought the series was done for you're rudely mistaken. Bungie's departure has not deterred Microsoft from pumping out more Master Chief, but that doesn't mean it will be any good. 343 Industries is still a relatively unknown, so Halo 4 could go either way of north or south. If gameplay is anything like the trailer (which it usually isn't) Halo 4 is looking a might bit like Dead Space 2, don't you think? No details or release date yet, outside of the Holiday 2012 window.

In addition to a brand new Halo game, comes an old classic. Halo: Combat Evolved, remastered into Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary to celebrate 10 years of incredible success to the date, with a release of November 15th, 2011. Halo Anniversary will feature the original campaign, reworked and retooled with the Halo: Reach engine, and will support online co-op only. The $40 purchase will get you 6 multiplayer maps from the original Halo, which will be used in Reach's matchmaking multiplayer. Map names haven't been confirmed yet, but I will say this: no Hang 'em High, no buy. It's really that simple. 

Star Wars: The Old Republic Keeps Piling on The Sexy

BioWare blesses us with two lovely Star Wars: The Old Republic pieces. The game's intro cinematic is a hefty 6 minutes of troopers, scoundrels, and good old fashion lightsaber battles. In line with the earlier cinematic trailers, this one is beauty and madness combined in one tight little package, like Britney Spears. In fact, BioWare should be responsible for creating a feature length, full CG Star Wars film, that's how good these trailers have been. Ray Muzyka > George Lucas. The trailer shows how the villainous Darth Malgus comes into power, and how the Sith reclaim their home planet of Korriban.

In addition, there's a pretty good braggadocio trailer that details what exactly The Old Republic brings to the table that your current MMO of choice may not offer. Heroic battles? Personal starships? Space battles? PvP Warzones? Okay, maybe every MMO in existence already offers these things, HOWEVER! They don't have Jedi and Sith do they? Game, set, match.

Dark Souls: You Play and You Die

It is absolutely sick, twisted, and sadistic that a game exists which you're never meant to conquer. A game thats sole purpose is to utterly destroy you, mentally, physically, and spiritually. A game that humiliates you to the point of submission, where you may never come back to play again. That is Dark Souls, one of the games I am most excited to play this year.

Most times I like a good challenge, but I also like to be able to beat my games with minimal failure. When it comes to Dark Souls though, I could care less. I eagerly await the frustrating touch of Death before gigantic creatures I was never meant to defeat, all in the name of ep1c lo0tz.