Saturday, December 12, 2009

Even more Brutal Legend DLC to melt faces with




Metalheads who picked up Doublefine's Brutal Legend on Rocktober 13th have more DLC to look forward to after the previous "Tears of the Hextadon" map pack.
Coming on December 17th, the next installment of downloadable extras includes a lot more than just maps or a guitar. Titled "Hammer of Infinite Fate", the goods within will provide not only aesthetic qualities to the Druid Plow and Eddie Riggs, but the in-game GPS, "Oculus of the Lost", will guide you to all the collectibles that you may have missed or are tearing your hair out trying to find.
Here's exactly what to expect in the Hammer of Infinite Fate DLC pack:
  • Three different oufits for Eddie Riggs so that he may travel in style: Mountain Man (which comes with a beard), Black Metal and Zaulia Threads. This also includes seven new patches to rock.
  • Four new paint jobs as well as four more upgrades for the Deuce aka the Druid Plow: Oculus of the Lost; the Eye of Sorrow, a weapon that harnesses the power of the Sea of Black Tears and launches black projectiles of doom at enemies; The Disgorger; and the Coiling Maw. No descriptions for the last two but judging by the names alone they would definitely shine better with the gore filter ON.
  • Nine new achievements/trophies become available with correlate with the other DLC
  • Six new heads for Mount Rockmore, one of which is Tim Schafer himself. The others are stated as being the busts of Rima, Razputin, Dadbat, Hunter, and Kage the Kannonier.
  • And not to ignore the already expanded multiplayer, you can also expect four more maps to rock out and summon those burning zepplins on. Look forward to the Altar of Blood, Coiled Remains, Crucible of the Titans and The Amplified Cliffs maps.
December 17th for the PS3 ($4.99) and Xbox 360 (480 MSP), be there or be left in the dust. Of the Deuce, that is.

Dante's Inferno Demo and Exclusive PS3 edition


Dante's Inferno Dante faces Death

For PS3 owners there is a lot to look forward to in the Dante's Inferno aspect, as the playable demo came out on the 10th which includes the entire first level of the game. Xbox Live subscribers won't get their taste of hell until December 24th, an interesting way to spend Christmas Eve. Many people have already alluded to the God of War-like fighting mechanics which seems more like a compliment than anything, and having played the demo myself I can say it's definitely as fun as God of War but certainly much more disturbing visually.
Visceral Games also announced on the 10th that for the PS3 only they have released a special "Divine Edition" of the game which includes lots of extras like commentary tracks, a digital art book, the complete soundtrack as well as a translation of Dante Alighieri’s "Divine Comedy" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a poet who was the first American to translate the epic poem in the mid-1800s.
If you still need more Dante's Inferno to hold you over until the game's release in February, the new comic mini-series has just been launched with issue one, written by Christo Gage and illustrated by Diego Latorre whose art style is very unique and poetic in its own way. A #0 issue was given away at the EA booth at PAX this year where you were able to play an early version of the demo and take photos of the large Dante statue.
If you've played the Dante's Inferno demo already, what did you think? Was it what you expected, and what did you like most about it?

New Batman: Arkham Asylum sequel teaser trailer

Hot off Spike TV's VGAS, an awesome trailer has been released. Watch below!




Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time



Lookit that mug. That's the face of someone who's seen more than his fair share of fucked up shit. And it's true, he has. Sand demons, unnecessary spikes everywhere, an evil king's assistant (called the Vizier) copying Jafar's moves from Disney's Aladdin and trying to acquire a source of power that he doesn't understand. You know, just another Tuesday, really.

The unnamed Prince in the game is arrogant, sarcastic, and mostly shirtless during the game but that doesn't stop you from liking the character. Indeed not, the charm is when he starts talking to himself randomly as you're playing, acting like any of us might when frustrated or angry at someone: he mocks them. Of course, he is not always so bratty and he even proves himself once he gains a little Sands of Time power, learning how to use it deftly and kicking the asses of evil sand minions.


Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Jak & Daxter Precursor Legacy



Jak & Daxter. Jak & Dax. Jaxter. Whatever you may want to call it, it's a fun and addicting series. The subtitle of the first game, "The Precursor Legacy", alludes to the Precursors, god-like beings who create the world and the universe around it as well as Precursor orbs which are a kind of rare currency. Kind of.

The series is difficult to tackle because each game seems to exude a different attitude as both the main characters evolve and grow. The first is more innocent with darker undertones as Jak discovers a lot more about Lurkers and time travel than he ever thought he would. While Daxter has to learn how to cope with being turned into an ottsel after falling into a vat of Dark Eco. Eco being a natural gas Jak's village uses as a source of power, with different properties which can be harvested for different uses, like energy or fuel, or say, secret powers.

For the whole of the game Jak doesn't speak and we have to rely on Daxter's witty observations to get a sense of what Jak may be thinking or feeling. Being best friends they are apparently at the stage where they can practically read each other's minds.

Precursor Legacy is more about discovering and unlocking the hidden abilities that Jak has stowed away in his genes and learning more about what kind of world they come from, which comes in handy once you get to the ending and start up the second game (which picks up right where it left off, pretty much).


Dante's Inferno: Heresy, sixth circle of Hell


Electronic Arts and and Visceral Games' somewhat controversial game adaptation of Dante Alighieri's Dante's Inferno epic poem is out with a new video, this time focusing on the sixth circle of Hell: Heresy.
In this video the developers talk about designing the level and how important it was to incorporate the religious contexts from the poem into this particular level. They also talk about how your choices as Dante- to save a soul or condemn them- change the way you fight in the game and how, like real life, weighing the pros and cons of your choices can be a burden.


 This morality meter is not uncommon in games, having been integrated into both Fable games (Lionhead Studios) and partially in Fallout 3 (Bethesda Softworks), as well as Bioshock (2k Games) and Mass Effect (Bioware). It makes for a unique game experience every time you play and is certainly something that should be seen in more games.
Look for the demo on PSN and Xbox Live sometime next month. The game is set to be released February 9th, 2010.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Portland gamers, looking for a job? Come to Ground Kontrol!






Via an informal invitation sent to the Portland Mercury on Monday, InstantAction.com has announced an event they will be holding at Grount Kontrol, a class arcade game venue in NW Portland.
This Wednesday, November 11th from 6-9pm, IA  will be hosting an RSVP-only event at Ground Kontrol for any and all interested gamers who are looking for work. It's not only a good opportunity for talented individuals to find a job in an industry they enjoy, but you'll also connect with your fellow gamers with the help of the free refreshments and open bar.
InstantAction.com is a game company that specializes in web-based games ranging from action to puzzler to FPS. Sign-up is completely free and you have the opportunity to play alongside other IA members or unregistered guests in real-time as well as engage in discussions in the forum.
Any inquiries should be sent to Ian at iant @ garagegames.com for RSVP information and details.