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!

Gears of War 3 Multiplayer Beta Impressions

Written by John Rios

Fans were naturally upset when Gears of War 3 was delayed for marketing purposes, but that anger quickly turned into excitement when Epic announced that it would run a public multiplayer beta. While Epic is using the beta to gather valuable technical data to tweak and refine the game, players are just happy for an advanced opportunity to chainsaw their buddies into bloody giblets.

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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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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? 

OMG! Guardian Heroes HD to Release for XBLA

Header image by Modus

I'm not a religious man by any means, but I think that may change. About once a month, I remember the incredible Sega Saturn - and acceptable Game Boy Advance - game, Guardian Heroes. I remember how it may have been the greatest beat 'em up I played as a youth, with awesome art, frantic action, a killer soundtrack, and 40-plus characters to mix it up with. Good old days. Whenever I fondly recall Guardian Heroes, I pray for a new take on the series, and for the past few years my prayers have gone unanswered. Until today!

I could not be any happier to write this. My fingers are harmoniously humming Valgar's snappy theme as they slide across my keyboard in glee. Guardian Heroes is getting the full HD treatment for Xbox LIVE Arcade. Re-mastered graphics, local and online co-op, 12-player online arena battle mode, and even completely new play modes like time attack and arranged mode. This is the second best day of my life. The best day will be Guardian Heroes' release date, sometime this summer.

In case you have never heard of or played this opus, here's a little backstory. Guardian Heroes is a 2D, side-scrolling beat 'em up with RPG elements (see: character progression) developed by Treasure, released in 1996 on the vastly underrated Sega Saturn. The ability to choose branching paths allowed Guardian Heroes multiple endings and a new way to play each time you tackled the engaging story mode. I can't event describe how much of a masterpiece this title is. Just know that your childhood suffered greatly if you never gave this game a spin, but all will be righted this summer. Excitement!

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?

Meet The Classes of Firefall, Watch Them Kill Each Other

Red 5 Studios have released a nicely done video detailing the classes and abilities of their upcoming shooter, Firefall. At PAX East, Firefall was limited to three classes - called Battle Frames - and unfortunately, the grand total still sits at three. Designer Scott Youngblood told us that there are more frames in the works, however it seems as if this isn't the time for their reveal. Fair enough. 

Regardless, it's good to see more Firefall media, even without any newly announced frames. The game is easy on the eyes and a blast to play. In my experience, I had most success playing as the medic and recon classes, though I would have probably had more success in an assault frame had I learned to use the Crater ability better. Looks like it does a mean bit of damage on anyone foolish enough to be caught under it. 

If free-to-play online shooters are your thing, Firefall is going to be the game for you. Even if you're not into that sort of thing, you may want to give Firefall a shot when it releases at the end of this year, you might be pleasantly surprised.