Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Visceral Games
ESRB Rating: M (most deservedly so)
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PSP
Previewed: PS3 Demo
Timeless literature can be a very rich source of inspiration for game developers. Adapting literary classics for consumption by today’s audiences can really go a long way toward raising appreciation for these classics, as well as testing limits of vision and imagination. A few years ago, we were ‘treated’ to the adaptation of the epic poem “Beowulf” in film and, a bit less successfully, in game form, and now we have the literary classic of “The Divine Comedy”, more specifically its first act “(Dante’s) Inferno” re-imagined and personified in interactive media.
Act quickly and get your beta key for Battlefield Bad Company 2 for the PS3. A Fileplanet account is needed, but just the freebie account. Get yours now before they are all gone. Bear in mind, you can get the key now, but the beta doesn’t open until 11/19. Snag it here.
Let this serve as a disclaimer (since I abhore official disclaimers): Pretty much everything you are about to read here is straight from the Rumour-mill and the Land of Word of Mouth. Nonetheless, there are some good, solid reasons to buy into the claims.
EA/Mythic seems to be going through death throes as reports have it that 80 employees got an early Christmas present in the way of pinkslips today. This could all fold into the rumoured general EA layoffs, which could total near 1,000 employees by the time the smoke has cleared. At the very least, it would appear that the 80 poor folks who got the axe, got it today. But what does this all mean?
Seems the game industry, or at least EA, is trying to move a bunch of titles to the popular iPhone and iPod Touch. We heard earlier about Rock Band, and now it’s Command and Conquer: Red Alert.
It isn’t the full game of course, but will feature two maps and 12 combat levels, which is enough for RTS fans to be pleased with a competitively priced game. There is apparently a new combat system, so it may not be like its PC brothers, but it’s sure to be similar, and with easy to use touch controls, the prospect is a fairly exciting one.
The game is set to be released later this month, so keep your eyes open.
Hey there, it’s time to talk about a game that you’ve probably seen more adverts for than you have enough fingers and toes to count. Unless of course your family immigrated from the Chernobyl region… But I digress. We’re here to talk about the slice of awesome pie that is Brütal Legend, from Double Fine and Electronic Arts.
However, to digress once more, I feel since this is a strongly hyped game, we should talk about that for just a moment. Hype is a very really and very tangible force in the gaming industry. A force which has destroyed more good games than almost any other force except fiscal deadlines. (Black 9 anyone?) However that is not to say hype doesn’t have its place.
Title: Beatles Rock Band
Publisher/Developer: Harmonix/EA
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox , Wii
Release Date: 09/09/2009
Number of players: Single player, Multiplayer up to 6 players local/online
I’m not sure what to tell you that you may not have already surmised for yourself about this title, especially if you’re already familiar with both products in this particular package. Rock Band started as the natural evolution of a music game, taking Guitar Heroes lead (Pun count: 1) and upping the ante by bringing the whole band back together.
Title: Rock Band 2
Publisher/Developer: Harmonix/EA
Platforms: PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
Release Date: 09/14/2008
Number of players/Multiplayer: 1-4
Rock Band 2 is back and better than ever, especially for the Wii crowd, as it brings all of its familiar features back, plus a few more, as well as some more user-friendly functionality and more flexible character creation.
Like always with these games, the first thing to talk about is the instruments. Rock Band 2 implements some new gear, although they play like the previous. The drums now contain velocity-sensitive pads and a metal reinforced pedal. The entire drum set though is still designed the same as the first, so if you’re used to playing with the original drum set, then you’re right at home. Same goes for the guitar, which while it sports a new color scheme and firmer buttons, maintains its original design. The improvements made to these instruments aren’t too noticeable, but they are for the better, and all old RB instruments are compatible, so if you just want to pick up the disc only, then you’ll be fine doing so.
Title: Left 4 Dead
Publisher/Developer: EA/Valve and Certain Affinity
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox 360
Release Date: 11/18/2008
Number of players/Multiplayer: Single-player, 4 player Co-Op online, 4 player Versus online
Yup. that’s right, it’s time for me to review the newest dead-heads to the party. As if you couldn’t have seen this one coming. If you’ve know my tastes slightly, you knew I was going to chew into this game’s brains like a hungry zombie at a buffet. Left 4 Dead hit us just a scant, few weeks back and there’s are hordes of us already addicted. Why? Well if you are asking that question then, as much as I hate to tell people to leave the site, stop reading this and get the game for yourself. That is, of course, if you like first-person shooters and non-stop, heart-pounding, bloody action. This is going to be one of my longer reviews, but that is simply because I can see players still playing this game for a long, long time. It’s amazing to me how deep the game is without actually having that much depth.
It is a European trailer, but luckily, the Sims don’t speak English anyways. The trailer seems to look similar to the Sims you’ve come to love, I guess, except that it shows off a variety of activities that you can possibly do, such as driving around the countryside and growing fat off what you eat and all kinds of customization and more interactivity it would appear. There seems to be some pretty cool stuff in there and if you are a fan of the series, I’m sure you will enjoy just about all of it.
