Category: Videogames

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I’m giving Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons another whirl before I post my review. There’s a lot that I love about the game, but it also has elements that aren’t for everyone. I’m under embargo, so I can’t really say more. On a videogame-related note, I plan on reading Nobuo Uematsu’s interactive book Blik-0 1946. It’s available for the Apple iPad and Amazon Kindle. Many of you know Uematsu for his unforgettable Final Fantasy music. In Blik-0 1946, you’ll get to enjoy some new tracks from the maestro, as well as some cool art and a touching story. If you happen to pick up Blik-O 1946, please share your thoughts on it in the comments section. I’d love to hear them!

Now here’s the part where I go, “How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?”

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

I received my review code for Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and I’m excited to play it this weekend (after a lunchtime viewing of The Wolverine). I was high on the game after seeing it in October. The gameplay is clever and simple, while the graphics look like a water-colored painting come to life. In many ways, it’s like a mashup of Ico and Heavy Rain. I adored both of those games, so hopefully I adore this one. The game hits on August 7, as part of the Xbox Live Arcade “Summer of Arcade” event. My review is under wraps until then, so stay tuned.

Now how about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness Trailer Rules!

I was totally charmed by the Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness trailer below. The game is part of the series’ 10th anniversary celebration. It has everything I love about Disgaea games — cerebral gameplay, cute character design, quirky humor, fun music, and a surprising amount of heart. I expect it to have an insane amount of the depth too, so expect me to disappear for a few weeks in October after the game is released. A Disgaea hibernation session will be in order.

Check out the clip when you have a chance and let me know what you think of Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness (please!). Flonne rules!!!

Gran Turismo…the Movie?!?

With the success of the Fast & Furious series, it’s no wonder that movies based on racing-game franchises like Need for Speed are in the works. The latest word is that Sony’s immensely popular Gran Turismo series will be getting the movie treatment too. According to The Wrap, a Gran Turismo movie will be produced by Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti.

A Need for Speed movie makes sense to me. Several games in the series featured a narrative element. Gran Turismo…not so much. Of course the advantage is that a movie based on Gran Turismo is working with a clean slate, while the Need for Speed movie will be compared (fairly and unfairly) to the stories in the games. Still…a Gran Turismo movie?!? That makes as much sense as Hot Wheels: The Movie. Oh wait, that’s happening too. *sigh*

What do you think of Gran Turismo: The Movie? Is it a good idea or a bad idea? Do you have any interest in seeing it? Or are you going to wait for director and actor information? Share your Gran thoughts in the comments section (please!).

Source via Polygon

Beyond: Two Souls Gameplay Video

Here’s a sweet behind-the-scenes video of Beyond: Two Souls by Quantic Dream for PlayStation 3. In the video, the developers explain the features of the gameplay and the thought process behind it. Yes, it’s chockfull of quick-time events (as you’d expect in a Quantic Dream game), but the developers are trying to make things as transparent as possible. There are times when you’ll see the traditional cues for input (square, circle, etc.) but there are also times when you’ll see a simple white dot that indicates that an action has to be made. The goal is to make “the player forget that he has a controller in his hand.”

Also, the video explains why the Quantic Dream crew had to research “fishes swimming underwater.”

As a mark for the developer, I’m completely psyched for this game and really enjoyed this “making of” video. Check out the clip and let me know what you think (please!).

What Are You Playing This Weekend?

This weekend I’m going to jump into some of the iOS freebies I downloaded during the App Store 5th Anniversary Sale. First up is Badland. It’s a platform game with some of the sweetest art I’ve seen in a mobile game. Next on the list is Tiny Wings HD. Lots of my friends were high on the original game when it first came out. I want to see what all the fuss is about, but I’m going to do it with updated graphics. Since I’ll be glued to my iPad, a few games of Civilization: Revolution are inevitable.

How about you? What’s on your weekend playlist?

Scribblenauts Unmasked With Geoff Johns and Jim Lee

Here’s a Comic-Con 2013 clip of Scribblenauts Unmasked featuring DC Comics chief creative officer Geoff Johns and co-publisher Jim Lee. The two comic-book legends go over the character creation process in the game and spout some dorky (in that awesome nerd way) zingers. In addition to an adventure set in the DC Universe featuring numerous towns and characters from the comic books, the game’s character creation system features thousands of DCU heroes and villains. You can mix and match physical attributes and superpowers from well-known characters and obscure ones. For fanboys, the character creation system is a dream come true.

As a comic-book nerd, fan of the Scribblenauts series, and fan of developer 5th Cell, I’m super (get it?!?) looking forward to Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure. How about you?

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Trailer

Here’s the latest trailer for Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, the final (yeah right) chapter of the FFXIII saga. The video shows some familiar gameplay and familiar faces, along with some new elements. It ends with a teaser for a cool pre-order bonus that allows lightning to dress up in FFVII Cloud Strife’s SOLDIER 1st class uniform, complete with armband and Buster Sword. (That totally geeked me out.) Check out the clip and let me know what you think (please!).

The Final Fantasy XIII series gets a lot of heat from longtime FF fans, but I like the series. Sure, the world is confusing and there’s no exploration, but the art, music, and character building are fun. I’m looking forward to Lightning Returns and seeing how the story wraps up. Of course it will probably take me a decade to make sense of it all, but whatevs.

How about you? Are you looking forward to Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII?

Awesome iOS Games For Free!

To celebrate the five-year anniversary of the App Store, a number of excellent apps are free for a limited time. The freebies include some incredible games for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Badland, Infinity Blade II, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Tiny Wings, Tiny Wings HD, and Where’s My Water can be had for a grand total of $0.00. Go download them now!

Notable non-gaming freebies include Barefoot World Atlas and Traktor DJ.

If you come across any other fine iOS freebies, kindly post them in the comments section.