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The Best of 1UP 2011: Previews

Posted: 22 Dec 2011 06:23 PM PST

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The Best of 1UP 2011: Previews

Take a trip through 1UP's best previews for 2011.

By: 1UP Staff December 22, 2011

If you read previews to learn what to play, this list is pretty much worthless, since seven of the 10 games listed below are now for sale and our reviews for those would probably serve you better. But since we love back patting and are comfortable enough opening the vault for you to make fun of things we said earlier in the year -- continuing this week's theme of listing the best 1UP content from 2011 -- here are 10 previews we think hold up and remain worth reading now that the year is (basically) over.


Jump to: Best of News | Best of Podcasts | Best of Blogs | Best of Previews
Best of Features | Best of Community | Best of Guides | Best of Video
Best of Reviews | Best of Retrospectives


  • I Played Skyrim Wrong, but It Felt So Right

    A pride of point with Skyrim is how sandbox-y it is. You're dropped into the world of Tamriel, and can decide your own fate from then on. Do you follow the main quest to slay the elder dragon? Or do you work for the Thieve's Guild? Maybe murder homeowners and stuff their corpses with potatoes? In this preview, we tested this openness by going completely off-path and off-script. We had no use for the plot spoiler guidelines, because we were too busy doing other stuff in this preview.

  • Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition is Arcade Perfection

    "Hey," you might say, "that headline sounds more like a review title than a preview title." But that's just how confident 1UP's Jose Otero was after seeing Capcom and Iron Galaxy's XBLA/PSN port of one of the best 2D fighters of all time.

  • BioShock Infinite Jumps From 1912 to 1983 And Back

    BioShock Infinite picked up more or less every major award at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo -- for good reason, considering how well its skylines and combat seemed to mix together in a fascinating world-in-the-sky.

  • Six Things We Want to See in Final Fantasy XIII-2

    Halfway through the year, Jeremy wrote an article highlighting 6 changes that could elevate Final Fantasy XIII-2 far beyond its predecessor. Well, it's time to get your pitchforks out, because witchcraft is the only way that we could have predicted these major enhancements which have almost all found there way into FFXIII-2. The sequel is shaping up to be the first hit of 2011, and 1UP seemed to know why a long time ago.

  • Setting the Stage for Skyward Sword: A Legend of Zelda Primer

    No series is as obsessed with its own history as The Legend of Zelda, and this trend certainly hasn't changed with Skyward Sword. And, given that the game takes place at the beginning of the much-disputed timeline, it has a sizable amount of history to establish. Check out Jeremy's extensive preview to find out how the latest Zelda echoes its extensive legacy.

  • Marvel vs Capcom 3: Ultimate Character Guide

    Hard-fighting expert Neidel Crisan waxes eloquent over Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, offering a preview that remains useful long after the game's launch thanks to its dual function as a character guide and in-depth how-to for the game's basics and more subtle mechanics alike.

  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution: Choose Your Own Gameplay

    This 1UP preview goes the choose-your-own-adventure route by offering two player perspectives. Will you take the steathly route and follow Jeremy Parish or run in the fray Guns Blazin' with Theirry "Scooter" Nguyen?

  • 20 Things We Learned About Batman: Arkham City

    Seeing a live gameplay demonstration of a new game for the first time can be an overwhelming experience. Besides seeing what the heck the game is like for the first time, in the case of sequels, we also have to absorb all the shiny new features and tweaks as well. For this writeup of Batman: Arkham City, rather than tease it out over regular prose, we break down 20 new facts we gleaned from our first demonstration.

  • E3 2011: Dark Souls Will Kill You

    Months before Dark Souls released to critical acclaim, we had a hunch it was going to be something special. When we saw the game at E3 back in June, series director Hidetaka Miyazaki described the game as "spicy, but edible." These words offer a brief, but deliciously apt portrayal of all that is Dark Souls-- a devilishly hot dish that you gladly devour through the pain.

  • The Witness is a "Longform Game" From the Guy Who Made Braid

    Jonathan Blow, the creator of Braid, invited our own Matt Leone to his house to spend some serious time getting to know his newest game, The Witness.

Review: Trine 2 is a Whole List of Synonyms For "Beautiful"

Posted: 22 Dec 2011 02:46 PM PST

There are those rare moments in gaming when a product looks so good that you find yourself doing an immediate double take to make sure that your eyes don't deceive you. Believe me when I say that you will experience this sensation every time you load up Trine 2 -- Frozenbyte's stunning sequel to their 2009 puzzle-platfomer. Pick any given screenshot from this downloadable title, and you have yourself a portrait of high fantasy worthy of being displayed. With 3D games expanding their graphical prowess via polished minutia, I still find myself consistently wowed by 2011's gorgeous 2D gems like Outland, Rayman Origins, and now Trine 2.

Trine 2's fantasy vibe has a fun, unpretentious feel that evokes the loving tongue-in-cheek mannerisms that David Bowie exhibited in Labyrinth. Much like in the original Trine, you command a trio of adventurers who navigate a fantastical world in a classic rightward direction. Each of the three heroes have a distinct playstyle unto themselves: The Knight is adept at combat and can smash through heavy obstacles; the Thief can freeze enemies from a distance and use her grappling hook on certain surfaces; and the Wizard can conjure blocks and interact with the environment via telekinesis. You can switch between the three characters at any time -- and switch you will. This isn't a game where you pick a class and stick with it throughout the duration of the quest, as you'll quickly realize that each member of the fellowship is essential for completing every level. This is most apparent in the great multiplayer mode, which allows three people to roam the world together simultaneously. Gathering a pair of buddies and huddling around the television is a refreshing throwback to the days when single-system multiplayer was a norm in gaming.

The Last Guardian Canceled, Says GameStop; Sony Says it's Not

Posted: 22 Dec 2011 01:05 PM PST

The Last Guardian

The fate of The Last Guardian was called into question when a report emerged that Team Ico boss Fumito Ueda was leaving Sony. This was subsequently backed up and then confirmed by the company, although it was made clear Ueda was "committed to completing" the game before completely moving on. GameStop is now notifying those who pre-ordered the much anticipated game that it has been canceled. Sony, on the other hand, says this is not true.

The Last Guardian has been removed both from GameStop.com and the computer system used in GameStop stores. An automated message -- hear it for yourself here -- informed pre-orderers today that Sony has canceled the game but provided no other details. Ueda mentioned on Twitter just two weeks ago that he was still working on the game.

Zelda is the First 3DS Ambassador NES Game to be Sold on the eShop

Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:37 PM PST

The Legend of Zelda

3DS owners in Japan can now purchase The Legend of Zelda from the eShop. This is significant because Zelda is an NES game (or Famicom, since we're talking about Japan) and was among the ten given away for free to 3DS Ambassadors.

Nintendo announced a price drop on the 3DS in late July, less than six months after the system had launched. To appease early adopters, anyone who picked up the system before the price drop went into effect in August would become a 3DS Ambassador, entitling them to free downloads of ten NES games and ten GBA games. It was made clear at the time that the NES games would eventually be sold to the public on the eShop, but the GBA games would remain exclusive to Ambassadors (which explains why they aren't exactly feature-rich).

Vita Memory Cards Cheaper Than Expected, Launch Games Announced

Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:53 AM PST

Vita launch

Sony has detailed the list of launch day games coming to Vita in the United States and Canada on February 22, and has also priced the accessories that will be available alongside the system. Most notably, the proprietary memory cards that have been a contentious issue aren't quite as pricey as first reported.

Listings on GameStop's website last month revealed what we believed to be the pricing of the memory cards. With the prices falling in line with those we saw in Japan and Sony not saying any differently, this sparked somewhat of an outrage as the prices were far greater than they would be if you tried to purchase an SD card of the same size. The 4GB card's price was set at $29.99, 8GB at $44.99, 16GB at $69.99, and 32GB at $119.99. Suddenly the surprisingly low $250 price for the Wi-Fi-only model didn't seem so great.

3DS eShop Adds Game Boy Tetris, Swapnote, and Mighty Switch Force

Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:32 AM PST

This week's Nintendo Download update brings with it not only a handful of games, but also a new app for 3DS users to play around with.

Swapnote allows you to exchange notes with other 3DS users that you've draw on the touchscreen. You can also attach photos and then share these notes through either SpotPass or StreetPass, meaning they can end up on the 3DS of people you are near or those on your system's friend list. Nintendo itself will be sending out notes from time to time, and judging by the tutorial notes that come included with the app, they will be far better drawn than those I've created.

Posted by Shri Krishna

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