Playstation Network exclusive Malicioushas been flying under most people's radars, unjustifiably so. The game looks beautiful, sounds like it plays solidly, and is an inexpensive downloadable title. Along with a new trailer, a date has been announced for the Japanese release; October 27th. That's next week yo!
Priced at ¥800 (roughly $10 US) Malicious looks well worth the money spent. Updates on a stateside release remain few and far between, developers Alvion were last heard stating a US release is "being considered". Consider harder Alvion, Westerners need some boss-battlin', power-stealin', cape-smashin' action in our lives.
Yes, New York Comic Con is a little more than a week removed, but like most useful gifts, it just keeps on giving. This time in the form of what is probably a really expensive camera, a handycam rig, and some of Comic Con's most creative and good looking people.
Unfortunately, it seems like cosplay and vomit go hand in hand on the interwebz, with the best of the costumed quirks forever being drowned out by people who have no business being in a leotard, damn it. However terrible you may look prancing around the city, poured into a glamorous paper-maché Princess Peach gown, being gangsta entails doing something that you love and flipping haters the bird. So, have no choice but to salute you, awful cosplayers. However, once again, this post is about quality. So here it is.
New York Comic Con was extremely hectic, tiring, and a pain in the ass, but it was also an incredible amount of fun. We saw a lot of awesomeness and partook in a bunch of craziness, meeting some really dope people and learning interesting things along the way. Thanks for coming along on the ride with us.
If you weren't able to attend, we've tried to capture the three day experience into a two minute video for you to enjoy at home. Right, a little hard to convey a whole convention in 120 seconds, but I think this actually does it well. And you won't have to deal with any of the overwhelming crowds or non-stop standing and walking! Grab an ice cold adult beverage, lean back in your chair, settle in, and enjoy.
By the way, we're giving away two fucking sweetNew YorkComic Con Swag Bags. Getting one is easy, all you have to do is comment on this post with your favorite NYCC moment, either from our coverage, someone else's coverage, or a story you heard somewhere on the interwebz. Or you can just say 'I want free shit!' Either way, I'll be picking two commenters at random, make sure you supply your email address so you'll know if you win! The giveaway ends Friday October 22nd. Good luck gangstas!
Update: Our giveaway is done and the winners have been notified! Thanks for participating, and make sure you keep it locked to OBG for more dope giveaways in the near future!
Over the years, Joe Quesada’s Cup O’ Joe panel has become a highlight at cons, as famous for fans’ willingness to pull no punches when face-to-face with Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief as for Quesada’s willingness to match fans’ snark with some good, old fashioned New York City snark of his own. While the panel typically contains some of the bigger Marvel announcements of the season, which is ostensibly why it draws such a big crowd, the unmitigated fan interaction rarely disappoints. This year was no exception.
As you should be aware of by now, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II released a downloadable demo this week. The original Force Unleashed, while heavily flawed, was a blast to play. It made you feel like an all powerful Jedi/Sith surrounded by masses of mostly inferior enemies, allowing you to use your great power to dispatch of anyone foolish enough to stand against you with great fun and creativity. You also got to be part of one of the most compelling canon Star Wars stories we've seen in some time. Funny how all the best Star Wars content these days comes from everyone but Lucas himself.
TFU2 once again puts the player in control of Starkiller, Darth Vader's secret apprentice. Uncontent to just let his fearsomely strong pupil die at the end of the first game, Vader has created clones of Starkiller who have all of his power, but also the uprising memories of the original. During a practice exercise, Starkiller's memories overwhelm him, preventing him from striking down his love, Juno Eclipse. Seeing this weakness, Vader plans to kill the nostalgic clone and start anew, but this Starkiller is smart. Sensing Vader's impending lightsaber to the chest, our clever carbon copy Jedi blasts his mentor back with Force lightning and flies the coop. Demo on.
+ The surprisingly decent story of the original Force Unleashed is expanded on + The powers make you truly feel like a fearsome disciple of the Force + Destructible environments and unique enemy reactions always offers something fresh
- Difficulty on normal felt way too easy - Dual sabers don't act much differently from a single saber - Bland stage design showcased in the demo - Something about the game experience feels empty
Fans of the Star Wars universe should probably buy this game without asking any questions. Fans of a solid gaming experience, well that remains to be seen just yet. There is a lot of promise in the demo, but the stage the action is set on is a little unspectacular and disappointing. The full version of the game will no doubt have more exciting backdrops to torture stormtroopers, but will that empty feeling the game seems to have be filled?
Medal of Honor is trying to woo you with its edginess. Real soldiers overlooked the development process of the gritty war title, did ya know that? Also, they had a Taliban faction before those scheming politicians made them change the name. True story! So with all that MoH has going for it, how'd it do? Not too good.
Enter Black Ops. With Medal of Honor, Black Ops' primary competition in the gritty war action genre, receiving merely pedestrian reviews, it's time for Treyarch's Vietnam tale to take it's place atop the realistic war action genre. I've called it something different twice, should I just call it first person shooter genre? Eh, whatever.
The Modern Warfare games made for very cinematic single player experiences. Black Ops looks like it's going to take that and run with it. I mean, pistol on the table, ratty headband, Deer Hunter anyone?! If the game's intensity can be anything close to that brilliantly suspenseful Russian roulette scene, Treyarch will have won my heart.
Super Meat Boy is one of those games I feel like I've been hearing about for years but has never quite come around. The quirky art style, colorful characters, and punishing platforming are a recipe for success. Every time the latest Super Meat Boy news leaks, I felt like I was being teased and led on. I just want to play the game already!
Well, the time has just about come, as the indie gem with Newgrounds roots is right around the corner, less than a week from release. A talented individual has decided to take the marketing for Super Meat Boy into his own hands, creating an hip and egdy (for the time) 90's retro commercial. I hope these throwback commercials continue their popularity, because they're awesome.
This home-brewed ad is the last straw for me. I need some Meat Boy in my life. In case the thought of playing as a Meat Wad (no relation) is a little repulsive to you, the developers got your back. Somehow, they've managed to squeeze in tons of characters from other indie games, such as Tim from Braid, Ninja from N+, Gish, Alien Hominid, and a Castle Crashers Knight, each with their own special powers.
Oh yeah, replay value and multiple ways to take on the platforming. Team Meat knows what we like, and they're going to give it to us come October 20th.
People are talking out there in the gaming world. They're saying Rockstar San Diego is doing things, like working on a new title. You know Rockstar San Diego, right? The guys responsible for Red Dead Redemption. Okay, now you may commence the fellating.
Sometimes I feel like a man alone when it comes to the harsh judgement I rain down on Rockstar. It's not because my contrarian view makes me feel like a trendy hipster, nor is it that I enjoy writing off the successful top dogs, in all honesty, I just don't like the extent of a simulation all Rockstar branches are turning open world games in to.
Grand Theft Auto IV and Read Dead Redemption are great games. You know what's an even better game though? Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. It wasn't afraid to have fun and take itself lightly, and it turned out to be one of be most memorable and unique experiences of my gaming career. And the action wasn't too bad either. Not only do games like GTA IV and RDR feel like they're trying to be more of a sim than an action game, in the process they lose a bit of charm that were set by the sandbox trailblazers such as the original Grand Theft Auto, which had more personality in one city block than GTA4 did the entire campaign mode. Except for Little Jacob and Brucie, those dude saved the game.
Sorry, I'm getting off track. Back to the topic, Rockstar San Diego says their new project is going to "blow gamers away", their words. Good to see you're tempering people's expectations Rockstar, that's always a good thing. I predict a new open world game that mixes American history and the Tamagatchi, called Underground Railroad, where you lead Abraham Lincoln against the confederate armies of Cold War Russia. And remember, if you don't feed your Abe every 8 hours, he'll die and you'll lose your save! I'm sure that idea would blow a few gamers away, no?
Here is a testament to the power of the fans. Duke Nukem 3D, in all it's glory, is a classic. And by classic, I mean it's old as sin, and as ugly as Rosemary's baby. So Frederik Schreiber (aka Fresch), a dedicated fan, decided to pretty much reskin the whole Duke 3D world and make it run on the Unreal 3 engine, just for fun.
Well, people were impressed by Fresch's work. So impressed that he had no problem contacting the people at 3D Realms, Duke 3D's old home, and Gearbox Software, Duke Nukem Forever's new home. He got the blessing of the head honchos at both studios and just like that, we'll be getting a Duke Nukem 3D remake very soon.
Fresch says a multiplayer demo will be on the way sooner than we think. If you're as excited as I am, keep it locked for updates on the coming demo. And make sure you check out the Gearbox Forums for up to date progress reports on how the game is coming along.
Standing off to the side, we watched a couple play Kinect Adventures' River Rush while the possibly coked out Microsoft PR guy barked out commands and directed traffic with an unstable energy. He was a cool dude.
After almost being bored to death watching the team in front of us jump in place for the duration of the River Rush gameplay, without the very important peripheral mind you, it was our turn. I asked Honkey (this was the emcee's name, no lie) to let us get a crack at something a little more exciting. Unfortunately, Microsoft was limited to what they could let us play due to sponsoring (go figure) so we were stuck with Kinect Adventures, Kinect's very own Wii Sports. Like Wii Sports, there is nothing special to be seen, but it gives you the gist of how the system works.
Team OBG had it's go at Rally Ball, a type of brick-breaker and soccer mash-up, that was a decidedly more exciting mini-game than River Rush. After a crash course in the controls, wait, what controls? Keeping 6-8 feet in front of the screen, leave the space of about one person between each other, and getting more points for using your head (such is life), we were ready to Rally Ball!
My reflexes were as responsive as a cat's, my movements as calculated as a ninja's, my strikes as precise as a surgeon's. If only the Kinect were able to detect them that way. Unfortunately, every move we made was a split second or more delayed on the screen. So while I was reacting to the ball at just the right time, my avatar was swinging and missing, badly. That ain't good.
Once we took the lag into account, we got ourselves into a groove, albeit it a silly looking one. We were using our arms, legs, and yes, even our heads for extra points. I'll admit it was fun, but that's it. Kinect Adventures, like Wii Sports before it, is the girl (or guy) you hook up with for a night of anonymous fun. No long term potential at all, sorry. And that kind of sums up how I feel about Kinect in general. Milo looked awesome, until they dragged the poor kid into a back alley and offed him. Though even if Milo persisted, how long would you see yourself playing it? Me, not long at all. You gotta impress us, Kinect. Make believers of us, don't expect us to drink the Kool Aid.
Here's a protip, start off by making a zombie Milo game. I'm with that.
Monday, October 18, 2010 at 3:22PM 
