General gaming

General gaming

This is Not the NFL Blitz You Remember

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 05:15 PM PST

If you like classic NFL Blitz it's going to take you awhile to get used to EA's new downloadable PSN/XBLA reboot of the series -- it's not the game you remember. I recently played a few rounds of the new Blitz at an EA Sports event. At first glance it looks like faithful recreation of the arcade original: The plays are exactly the same. Thirty yards are required for a first down. There are seven people to a team. Madden-style button passing is noticeably absent -- though I did see a tool-tip on a loading screen suggesting that it would be available in the final version -- instead, you'll select a receiver by pushing the left stick (which also controls QB movement) in your target's direction.

However, the second I got my hands on the controller, I realized that this isn't Blitz as I remembered. I was hoping for a faithful recreation à la EA's own NBA Jam. Instead, what I played was a game that seemed, well, inhibited. It's as if its creators had wanted a faithful remake, but were stymied by forces outside of their control. Take the classic Blitz feature of tackling an opposing player between plays. It's absent from this new version, but there's still a strange pause in the game after a down, but before play selection. The players even pop up from a tackle and look around as if they're waiting to be hit -- just like the original game. It's as if the feature was implemented at one point, but then later taken out -- perhaps at the request of the NFL?

Torchlight II Needs More Time, Won't be Out This Year

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 03:53 PM PST

Torchlight II

Runic Games had been hoping to get Torchlight II out by the end of the year. President Travis Baldree now says the company "made a good run at that" at that goal, but it simply isn't realistic. Rather than release an inferior product, it will instead take the extra time to ensure the game is as good as it can be.

"We've come to the realization, however, that getting a game of this scope up to the quality and polish level we want to achieve is going to take a little longer," he wrote on the game's official website today, "especially since we want to run a small beta before release to ensure that our launch is smooth."

Kojima to Share Metal Gear Solid 5 Details Soon

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 02:54 PM PST

Metal Gear Solid 4

It has been nearly three and a half years since Metal Gear Solid 4 was released. There has been surprisingly little talk about a sequel given how much time has passed and since then the only real MGS releases we've seen have been Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker and last week's Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Later this month, series creator Hideo Kojima will discuss the subject many fans have been waiting to hear about: Metal Gear Solid 5.

Official PlayStation Magazine U.K. has teased (via GamePro) an issue it has coming at the end of the month. Inside is an interview with Kojima where he is said to open up on the future of the MGS series including "the latest Rising and Metal Gear Solid 5 details." It's impossible to say just how much he'll divulge; whatever the case may be, it isn't the first time the subject will have come up (or been teased).

Review: Jurassic Park Offers the Interactivity of a DVD Menu Screen

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 02:35 PM PST

Though I'm far from a fan of 2010's Heavy Rain, I can at least admit one thing: The game did a damned good job of blanketing its flaws with sheer spectacle. While David Cage's blockbuster had a plot that read like a rejected CSI: Crime Scene Investigation spec script, the stark beauty of it all masked the fact that our actions had precious little consequence in such an on-rails world. Obviously, Telltale Games doesn't have access to the same resources as Cage, so when I heard designer Dave Grossman compare their take on Jurassic Park to Heavy Rain, I grew somewhat nervous; after all, how could such a relatively low-budget company possibly stay faithful to a franchise built on awe and wonder?

Simply put, they couldn't. And by throwing the player into the role of an omniscient and benevolent overseer rather than the shoes of actual characters, Telltale's Jurassic Park makes for one of the most passive gaming experiences to exist since Night Trap.

Modern Warfare 3 Breaks More Records, 600k Elite Subscriptions Sold at GameStop

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 01:34 PM PST

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3f

The launch of Call of Duty Elite has not gone as smoothly as anyone hoped. Unfortunate as that might be for both Activision and the fans who paid for access, that doesn't mean sales have not been strong thus far, as evidenced by numbers GameStop shared today.

"In the case of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, we worked closely with Activision, Sony and Microsoft to pre-order and deliver nearly 600,000 instances of the Modern Warfare Elite DLC to date," said GameStop president Tony Bartel during a conference call today, Gamasutra reports. "This places the launch of Elite as one of our top 10 launches of the year so far."

Trenched Abandons its Name in Favor of Iron Brigade on November 30

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 12:14 PM PST

Iron Brigade Trenched

Double Fine's XBLA tower defense game Trenched will finally be out in Europe later this month, at which time it'll take on a new name: Iron Brigade.

Both Double Fine and publisher Microsoft have had a real headache to deal with in Trenched. It was released as planned in North America this past June, but "unexpected challenges with distribution" got in the way of a European release. What that meant in reality was a trademark for a board game known as Trench was blocking Trenched's release.

Good Old Games to Stop Exclusively Focusing on Old Games

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST

Good Old Games

It may not make sense given its name, but Good Old Games is looking to expand beyond being a distributor of classic PC games. Starting next year, it'll begin adding "newer games" to its catalog.

"Traditionally, GOG.com has looked for great classics that are three years old or older," said managing director Guillaume Rambourg during a press conference earlier today. "We will continue to add classic games, of course, but we are actively working to sign newer titles now."

Kirby's Adventure Now a 3D Classic on 3DS

Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:08 AM PST

Kirby's Adventure

Kirby fans who own a 3DS are in for a treat this week. The fifth 3D Classics title has arrived on the eShop in North America today, and it's the second Kirby game ever released: Kirby's Adventure.

The game was originally released on NES in 1993 before later being released on Game Boy Advance in 2002 as Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. A Wii Virtual Console version is also available. The obvious benefit of this 3D Classics version is the addition of 3D support and the ability to play it on the go if you don't have a copy of Nightmare in Dream Land (and a system that plays GBA games) handy. Its price is set at $5.99.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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