After sleeping the whole day away I missed most of Sony's E3 conference. With that aside I did see some things that got me interested. Since this is already a late entry I'll make it a short editorial, also because there were really two things that I'm hyped about. Anyways, two things that got my attention:
I have a ton of badly made Wii games. I've discussed this a little in my king of crap blog. However, sometimes developers did attempt to make a good game...or at least not one that is total garbage. So, I'll do a best of and worst of. But not all Wii games are bad...though most are, so here is a list of titles maybe you missed out on or should be thankful you did.
Any game where you fly a spaceship and blast aliens has my interest. Factor in the added tension of rescuing humans, though, and I’m pretty much guaranteed to hate it. I’ve tried to play Defender and its ilk for decades, but could never “get it.” From the mind boggling button layout of the original Defender arcade machine to every reimagining and sequel that followed, the execution just didn’t hit me right until Resogun tweaked it all just enough to enable the concept to achieve its full potential.
Over OCRemix's 13+ year history, quite a few special arrangement albums have been released, but nothing can compare with the recent release of Balance and Ruin, a 5-disc tribute to the music of Final Fanstasy VI. In lieu of OCR Spotlight, I'd like to take the next several weeks to highlight the music of this incredible album. Final Fantasy VI is my favorite game soundtrack and I couldn't be more excited for what these remixers have put together.
Tomorrow! It's finally here after a very long wait. I've been looking forward to it. More than any other game since Borderlands 2. This could be a new beginning for Lara Croft. Well,it is a new beginning for her,as it is a reimagining of how she became such a tough young woman. Maybe that's what I really want to see. I've been a big fan of these games since the first one. It was like nothing I'd encountered before. Still holds up today. Lara fell on hard times toward the end of her run on PS1. And had a misstep or two afterwards. Yes, I'm talking to you Angel Of Darkness! What a hot mess that game was. But I really enjoyed her last few adventures,particularly Underworld. It was a real return to form I thought.
If you’ve read my reviews for Guardian Heroes and Golden Axe, it’s pretty clear that I’m a big fan of the classic arcade-style beat ‘em up. Many critics will say that this genre is an irrelevant dinosaur and has no place in modern gaming, but I disagree. While the old “quarter muncher” design philosophy no longer works today I truly believe that the side-scrolling brawler can still be a viable genre with the right updates to the formula. WayForward comes frustratingly close to bringing this genre into the modern age, but doesn’t quite get the job done with Double Dragon: Neon.
While the Game Developers Conference isn't exactly a press event, it's become an acceptable venue to both announce games and reveal new information. EA and Maxis did just that yesterday with the official reveal of a new Sim City game for the PC, which is set to release in 2013. Alongside the announcement came tons of details about the game, including information on the modes and gameplay features.
The original Goldeneye on the Nintendo 64 should have been just another movie tie-in game. However, with Rare at the helm, it became one of the most important games in video game history. The fast paced gameplay and incredible multiplayer made it one of the best games of 1997. After being a beloved game for 13 years, Activision (now holder of the James Bond license) released a reimagining of the game for the Nintendo Wii. Now that reimagining is available on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and the rules are a bit different because of that. Although there are shooters on the Wii, they are absolutely plentiful and then some on the PS3 and 360. So it’s not enough to be a good shooter; you need to be different as well. So does Goldeneye 007 Reloaded stand out from the crowd?
Who would have guessed that the 2009 release of Street Fighter IV would bring the fighting game scene of the 90s back with a vengeance? While the genre has never truly gone away, there was something about the release of Capcom’s fourth numbered entry in the SF series that seemed to remind gamers of all types that it’s fun to beat the crap out of your family and friends. Of course, a return to the fighting scene of the 90s also means a glut of also-rans showing up, and even though it might not be as crowded as it was in, say, 1994, separating the gems from the stinkers can be an issue. This is the challenge that Ed Boon faced as he released the 9th Mortal Kombat game onto consoles, but I can say with confidence that the new MK uppercuts the competition just as it did way back in 1992.
Jeff Gamon, EA Partners executive producer, told Eurogamer that he believes "There is scope to remake [Syndicate]." However, it would be for mobile phones, tablets and PC, not for the consoles. "I would love to see Syndicate as a true franchise again, bringing it back and expanding it out onto whatever platforms it's suitable for," Gamon said. "There's loads of potential. We're not limited at all. But that's purely speculative at this point."
Aside from the recent Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition news revealed at this year's Captivate, Capcom's yearly media event, the company also revealed two new titles: Dead Rising 2: Off the Record and Dragon's Dogma. Dead Rising 2: Off the Record is slated for a fall release, while Dragon's Dogma won't see release until 2012.
Back in 1988, Namco both developed and produced the sidescrolling beat ‘em up horror title, Splatterhouse. The game was considered so violent at the time that a special parental advisory warning was slapped on the packaging, even though the game had been drastically toned down for Western audiences. Recently Namco Bandai has resurrected the series, reimagining the once controversial title for modern gamers. Unfortunately, the end result is nothing more than a bland, mindless beat ‘em up riddled with issues that no amount of gore or nostalgia could compensate for.
Beginning with Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, releasing on November 17th for XBLA and Novemeber 23rd for PSN, Namco has announced a new line of retro remakes.
Dead to Rights is not a particularly high-profile series, nor is it considered the cream of the crop, but it seemed to fare well with certain gamers, developing a cult following. Given the enthusiastic minority, Namco Bandai has decided to resurrect the series with a reimagining of the original title. The result is a generic action game that doesn't play off of its strengths, forcing players into constant gun fights.
This Playstation Store Update brings with it something new this week, as SONY unveils their Seasons Greeting collection, which features "seasonal titles and content to winterize your gaming experience!"
Since announcing that BottleRocket was no longer developing the game, Namco Bandai has kept quiet about their upcoming Splatterhouse reimagining. Recently they released some more information about the delayed game, which is now being developed in-house and is set for a Q3 2010 release.