crazygamers

I’ve heard some iffy things about THQ’s Metro 2033, most of them design and minor bug related, but by God look at this trailer. Can you say beast? Just…gripping, bloody, gooey, pasty and tense first person post-apocalyptic death and dismemberment. It’s like taking the RPG out of Fallout and just focusing on the shooting and bloody chaos aspects. Only since it’s categorized strictly as a FPS, then perhaps the shooting will be better than Fallout? Egads! I may have to keep my eyes open as we approach that March 16th release date. Once again, the week still isn’t over and I’ve just gone and soiled yet another perfectly good pair of pants. Darn.

Joystiq’s the name, Metro 2033 is the game, and trailer stuff happens here.

BEATZ

Okay, who wants to contribute to the “new pair of pants for Beatz” fund? Look, I’m already pooping myself with excitement for the recently announced Borderlands DLC, Bioshock 2 is out in 5 days, Visceral is at work on Dead Space 2…seriously now this?

I won’t complain, because this is certainly not bad whatsoever. After announcing that they would be publishing an Obsidian developed Fallout title last year, Bethesda has finally come out of the shadows to give details on Fallout New Vegas. The game is pegged for a “Fall 2010″ release on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, and they were kind enough to drop a nice little 2 minute trailer on us. No game play footage is offered, but we’ve been told it’s an RPG in the vein of Fallout 3, but under the caveat that it is not to be confused as a follow up. It’s merely a standalone experience in the Fallout universe, now heading closer to its West coast origins.

The team at Obsidian is comprised of many team members from Black Isle, makers of the original Fallout PC titles, so they’re pretty familiar with that, and stuff. At the end of the day, the people from Obsidian deserve respect for their initial genuis in creating this IP, and likewise Bethesda should be bowed to as a deity (or maybe just Todd Howard) for their incredible take on its 1st person, next gen iteration. Howard’s internal studio won’t be touching this game, but I have faith that a Bethesda published and Obsidian developed Fallout game will make me go happy in the pants region.

If you like Frank Sinatra, post-apocalyptic Nevada landscapes, and the promise of what I’m sure will lead to SOMETHING getting decapitated via high powered weaponry, then I’d say you may want to check out Joystiq’s post and the attached trailer. Just remember…that thing, war? It never changes…

BEATZ

There will be more free DLC coming to the Cerberus Network in the next couple of weeks. Not many details were given at the time of this post, but IGN has located information on Bioware’s Twitter that states an update is coming soon to describe the details of the new free DLC. I will be waiting for the DLC before I go back and start to replay the game, but I can’t wait to find out what they are. Keep your eyes on the site, when we have it you’ll hear it. Let us know what you would like to see.

Zoltan

That’s right you aren’t misreading that title. There is a new Red Faction Guerilla (or as I like to call it, blow everything the fuck up) game in the works. THQ CEO Brian Farrell stated that a new version of the game and more “robust online game play” is in the works and on schedule for a release in THQ’s fiscal year 2011. I for one am very interested in finding out what I destroy and what new vehicle I am going to be able to drive through another building. I personally think that this game was one of many underappreciated gems of 2009 and hopefully THQ will not release the new one around the same time in 2011. However they plan to release it is really not important at this time. What is important is to keep an eye on the press conferences at E3 this year because the game will be there in some fashion. So keep your eyes on the site around that time. When we have more on the game it will be here.

Zoltan

Peter Molyneux is going to be a speaker at this year’s Game Developers Conference in San Diego. Peter has been known for many years to over-hype his games and then they don’t really live up to it. I am looking forward to see what he has in store for all of us at the this year’s conference, especially since he has been a big proponent of Project Natal. Maybe the Milo program is going to take place in Fable 3? Although, on second thought, maybe the Milo thing isn’t such a good idea for Fable 3; I know the greater populace would like to slap that kid around a little. If it was in Fable 3, I can only imagine how many people would be trying to kick Milo a set amount of times like they let you kick chickens in the last game.  Whichever it is, I hope it doesn’t have some of the starting problems that Fable 2 had.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked Fable 2, but like most large and anticipated RPG’s it had its problems. I just hope Fable 3 comes out and blows us all away. Let us know what you think.

Zoltan

PAX East. March. Boston. Yeah, that’s a thing. It’s happening. And CrazyGamers will be there like a bunch of giddy, grab-assing 3rd graders.  Other than soaking up details and playing/seeing games, we’re going to do our best to record a podcast on-site. But that’s beside the point. Details have now leaked as to exactly WHO will be there. No real confirmations as far as WHAT, but by looking at the list of WHO, you can probably speculate some ideas of WHAT.

One thing I find funny? A certain publisher is conspicuously absent from the festivities. I’ll save it for the article, but let’s just say their name rhymes with Pony and Zoltan likes to poo-poo on them. Check please.

Get all the info via Joystiq, starting here.

BEATZ

**Update 2/3/2010**

Joystiq has confirmed that Robert Khoo, (PAX money man) has gone on record (Twitter) stating that there are no more 3 day passes left for PAX East. They still have about 1,000 one day passes left for Saturday, but now will be the time to buy. No more waiting if you still want to go.

Zoltan

Bayonetta—SEGA, Platinum Games (Xbox 360, PS3)

Fun Factor–> 5/5

Bayonetta succeeds in its attempt to captivate players right out of the gate, and does so by introducing the character from which its name is derived as she is standing on a makeshift platform of broken cliff debris, plummeting towards the earth below at a rapid pace, and completely surrounded by angelic (yet ironically vicious) winged antagonists. Yeah, there’s a lot going on in that run-on sentence, but there’s a lot going on in this game. You won’t have time during this sequence to ponder the credibility of the game you’re playing, as you’re immediately forced to react and defend yourself as your gamer instincts kick into high gear (i.e. I’m falling to certain doom, meanwhile these dudes are trying to fight me, might as well hand them their asses.) The narrative method Platinum employs here ( in medias res) becomes crucial, and upon reflection it actually can be utilized to sum up the game in general according to its design. By placing the player into a chaotic center of unexplained events as opposed to the conventional build-up of exposition, it becomes clear that the team at work here doesn’t want you to question what they’re trying to achieve. They don’t want you to waste your time brainstorming whether or not their game is deserving of your inevitable praise. All the game requires is that you pick up your controller and turn the game on, under the pretense that you’ve most certainly turned your brain off. If you comply, you will experience top-notch hack ‘n’ slash/action style game play, and in the world of fully priced 3rd person button mash games, Bayonetta is infinitely fun and more than worth the $60 plus tax.

“Replay” Ability–> 4/5

Games in the hack ‘n’ slash sub-genre habitually prefer not to pursue the multiplayer realm, and Bayonetta is no different. However, unlike its contemporaries from the Eastern regions of the globe, Bayonetta not only understands its Western audience, but caters to it using intuitive mechanics, referential humor, and an over the top style. The game overall is superbly paced, as it only allows the player to catch his or her breath during intermittent cut-scenes and chapter-to-chapter transitions. Aside from these, it’s a high-octane thrill ride at breakneck speed and if you find yourself compelled to play it through once, you’ll probably be inclined to try it at the harder difficulty. The individual chapters are replayable as well, so one could also revisit them in an effort to improve previous scores. The online leaderboards initiate the common sense of friendly competition among players, functioning as a simple yet effective method of keeping players hooked instead of leading them to make an impromptu trade-in run at their local Gamestop.

Investment/Worth Playing?–> 5/5

Bayonetta is worth playing because it offers a unique balance between tongue-in-cheek, erotically suggestive and outrageous storytelling with a noticeably refreshing execution of solid controls and combat mechanics. Unlike a game such as the retail version of Matt Hazard last year, Bayonetta pokes fun at other games without becoming another mediocre game itself. I was compelled that the writers didn’t take the story or characters too seriously, but instead of the gameplay mirroring that approach, it was shockingly polished and tight as you could imagine. Normally when I play a game that I accept will be campy, I prepare myself for all of its elements to match that design. Bayonetta strays from this, as the combo system and general functionality of the controls are impeccably mapped to ensure that the experience is albeit challenging, but consistent at keeping players of all skill levels satisfied and engaged. There’s even a difficulty mode easier than easy, which can be played with one hand and I believe is called Automatic, so you could really “multi-task” (hint hint) if you so desired.

Polish/Quality–> 4.5/5

A game such as this cannot succeed unless it runs at a consistent frame rate, and Platinum saw to it that this wasn’t an issue. I played the Xbox 360 version of Bayonetta, and while I am aware the PS3 version has its issues, that’s not the case here. Bayonetta traverses the environment in a silky smooth, fluidly sound fashion and mimics other action games such as God of War in being as close to 60 fps as possible, with very little drops. The visuals are breath-taking at times, and it’s a shame I had so many antagonists to fend off or else I wouldn’t have minded just stopping to gaze at my surroundings. Surprisingly, some of the rendered scenes are a breath too long for my liking, but luckily they are skippable if you don’t want to be subjected to repeats. Checkpoints are decent for the most part, although there are some conspicuously lengthy and heavily involved scenarios that if you do end up dying, you’ll probably have to replay at least a portion of something you may not be excited about. Health inventory can be purchased via the Gates of Hell subterranean vendor, however the standard health item puts a cap on the player, only allowing them to purchase 3 per visit. You can acquire health orbs from breaking objects and proceed to concoct them on your own within the menu, but these could be too scarce depending on your preference. It will grate on your nerves to be in the middle of a long checkpoint sequence and run low on health, but that’s where the diverse difficulty options cater to the player in the event they are having trouble. These are a few minor questionable design choices, but by no means do they come close to crippling the experience.

Innovation/Creativity–>  4.5/5

 Bayonetta’s proceedings operate under what I would describe as organized chaos. The action is intense and utterly ridiculous at times, however the intelligent control set-up feels like it was so deliberately crafted that you never feel unsure of how to survive. The talented people at Platinum incorporate some of the most epic boss battles and enemy encounters I’ve seen in some time, and the game, in a way, simply boils down to nothing but a spectacle of set-piece extravaganzas. The hints of homage towards other Japanese franchises are humorous and enjoyable without seeming out of place. Fans of Resident Evil 4 will appreciate a reference when they encounter the character Rodin, and the characters in general are great in what they set out to do. It’s a very entertaining experience, and while it probably won’t make the most sense to many, it’s better than the majority of Japenese action games at acknowledging that a portion of its audience will be Western. There won’t be any jumping and yelling forced/cheesy phrases like “slam dunk!” or any of that nonsense. The writing is clever, and with the exception of a very annoying Joe Pesci clone character, it’s very effective and relevant, which is more than most games of this ilk can claim. I don’t know if I’d go to any lengths to consider Bayonetta a masterpiece, however I can say in confidence that I’ll most likely be including it when we take time to reflect on the year next December.

Overall–>  4.5/5

BEATZ

I swear, some of the titles of these posts write themselves. A rumor just crept up on the blogs which I have found to be the most interesting news I’ve seen in the last few days.

According to some random German Warner Bros. website, the sequel to Rocksteady’s 2009 smash hit, Batman Arkham Asylum, was briefly listed and pegged for an October 2010 release date. Warner Bros. pulled a classic “just kidding,” and waved their hands like David Copperfield, seemingly trying to convince those who picked up the trail that they never saw it. Of course they deny any validity to this rumor, and subsequently issued a prompt removal.

Once again, this is by no means confirmed, but the initial Spike TV reveal didn’t even give us the usual nebulous release window…rather, they didn’t offer a release window at all; the game was just announced via a “coming soon” routine. That being said, it’s weird that someone (especially anyone affiliated with the game’s publisher, local or not) listed it somewhere for a specific month, out of the blue.

Thoughts? That would mean Rocksteady crafted the follow up operating within a 12 month dev cycle, possibly less. If anyone could do it I’d say Rocksteady already proved their worth, but is a year long enough for more of what was arguably the most refreshing and surprising game of ‘09?

For further Dark Knight discussion and details, head over to Destructoid’s original post by steering your Batmo-Mousey here.

BEATZ

This week we do a little bit of what we have been playing, but mostly this week is Beatz making jokes about balls in his mouth and everyone gushing over Mass Effect 2 and what we liked and didn’t like. Don’t worry, no spoilers.

Zoltan

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