Alongside major announcements of Resistance 3 and Mass Effect 2 coming to PS3, Sony also unveiled the newest iteration of the Ratchet and Clank series at GamesCon in Cologne, Germany today. The upcoming platform adventure game from Insomniac Games will feature 4 player online co-op play, with a choice of Ratchet, Clank, Quark, or Dr. Nefarious as playable characters.
Today Square Enix announced a new third person shooter exclusive to the 360. Gun Loco takes place on a distant prison planet where the forgotten inmates fight amongst one another in an anarchic society. Gameplay description is surprisingly vague, but so far it’s looking like Twisted Metal…. without cars.
Featuring unique third-person, sprint-action shooter gameplay, players can assume the roles of a variety of unique and memorable characters in a game that redefines the run-and-gun shooter. While pursuing and being pursued by their opponents, players must make use of the sprint-action play by running, jumping, ducking and vaulting, using the environments to their advantage.
Ok so maybe Brink meets Twisted Metal… without cars.
This week’s live show goes of the rails before it even starts. The gang talks (intermittently) about Starcraft II, World of Warcraft, Bioshock 2, and Just Cause 2. Scares manages to spill beer everywhere AND get his internet service contract canceled all in one show. Mixmoff and Aevan Carry on through some listener questions (without actually answering any) and announce some upcoming fun times related to the impending Level 50/1 Year Anniversary show!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:20:17 — 35.0MB)
The PSP sequel to the PS3 masterpiece Valkyria Chronicles is set to hit the North American PSN store later today. Due to be released at the end of the month, Valkyria Chronicles 2 marks a shift to handheld play with the stated intent of reaching a broader audience.
If you just can’t wait to experience high school kids fighting against ethnic cleansing by taking turns running towards each other and shooting around one another’s heads, now’s your chance to give it a test drive!
Shinji Mikami is probably best known as the brains behind the Resident Evil series, but he’s had his influence on more motion oriented Capcom franchises in the past like Viewtiful Joe and Devil May Cry as part of the highly revered and sorely missed Clover Studios. Vanquish is his first game with Platinum Games, the Bayonetta developer he helped found in 2006, and it looks to take that frenzied motion up a notch.
Set in the near future, Vanquish imagines the US and Russia in a fierce battle for Earth’s remaining natural resources. Not content to keep this war cold, Russia wipes out San Fransisco with a space laser. Now only one man can storm the space station and save the day! Pro tip: It’s you!
Vanquish will release on October 19, 2010 on PS3 and Xbox 360
Video games are generally complex in the amount of stuff that has to go into them. Its not just digital renderings, or bump mapping or sprites. But at the same time its not simply plot, or exposition or character development. Its a unique medium in the sense of how many elements have to be combined to produce a finished product. After a public release, these elements are usually explored ad nauseum. Most review outlets break down a game this way: story, gameplay, lasting appeal, sound design. This is the 12 and half foot pole we use to gauge critical success. But what’s missing?
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