After much speculation and a plethora of development hurdles, Crackdown 2 is set for an official retail release on July 6, 2010. The team at Ruffian Games has been working on this sequel for awhile now, despite the initial hesitance from Microsoft on a sequel to 2007’s originator: Crackdown.
The trick about making a puzzle/platformer with a new twist is two-fold: one, the developer has to make the puzzles hard enough to challenge the gamer, but also not so impossible to make the gamer quit in frustration. Two, the twist has to be something simple enough to succeed, but new enough to be fresh to a quickeningly stale gaming commmunity. The Odd Gentlemen, the freshman studio behind Winterbottom’s development, clearly understands this formula- despite making their own subtle modifications. Hit the jump, Buttwit, for ResumePlay’s review of XBLA’s pie-stealing, silent film era art game, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom.
2K Games and Gearbox announced an official release date for Borderlands third DLC pack, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, of February 23, 2010 for the 360. PC and PS3 owners will have to wait until the 25th to start leveling up again. The price has been announced as 800 MS points ($10) and $9.99 for the PS3.
This pack will raise the game’s level cap to 61 (from 50) and include a wealth of new missions, vehicles, and other explorable territory. The release date announce explains the suddenness of a recent game update which added achievements for this pack into the achievement lists. Check out some teaser screenshots direct from 2K Games- and pick up your copy of this highly anticipated DLC tomorrow.
Darwinia, as a PC game, has been around since 2005 on both Mac and Windows systems. It has garnered quite the cult following, which prompted developer Introversion Software to remodel the game, and its multiplayer sibling, for release on LIVE arcade. At first glance, there’s not a lot on the surface of this simplistic blend of real-time strategy (RTS), puzzle, and twin-stick shooter, but hit the jump for a look into this enigmatic, relatively unknown (to console gamers) arcade title.
Borderlands has experienced some ups and downs with their two downloadable content packs (Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot and The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned). Mixed reviews of those two leave the next pack, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx, both highly anticipated and with big shoes to fill. Hit the jump for a breakdown of the announced features of the 3rd pack for 2K’s renowned Role-Playing Sh0oter.
“Let’s dance with them, Daddy,” sing the Little Sisters of Rapture (while watching an electrocuted Splicer convulse). This is one of the first and only times times you’ll laugh out loud while playing Bioshock 2. Diving back into what has perhaps become gaming’s most engrossing dystopian city is no less life-changing the second time around. And if Jack Ryan proved anything, the major players in Rapture may change with the ebb and flow of the tide, but the societal dysfunction remains the same. Addicted Splicers, corrupted leaders, happy-go-lucky little girls (who inject the dead with needles), and of course, the haunting sound of dripping water as a city-dream falls apart all make their return in 2K Marin’s highly anticipated shooter, Bioshock 2.
Elcor Diplomat: “Amazed response, Bioware. Mass Effect 2 exceeds all expectations.” Sadly, there isn’t much dialogue from my favorite alien race, the Elcor. Other than that, Bioware’s sci-fi sequel succeeds resoundingly at creating the same “black, white, or in between” choices that matter, and simultaneously reflect real-life problem solving processes. The most annoying part of Mass Effect 2, as a reviewer, is this: how do you review a game by running through it as quickly as possible and exploring everything, with the game all the while telling you to slow down and enjoy the rich environments Bioware has created? What a paradox. But without further ado, hit the jump for the most anticipated review of 2010 (thus far).
“It’s not over ’til you’ve gobbled each and every cobbler” states the subtitle under the header screenshot. Little is known about this upcoming XBLA title, published by 2K Play and developed by indie studio, The Odd Gentlemen, other than the point is to find and consume pie. Yes, the most versatile baked good is the focal point of this puzzle/platformer.
Well, as most of us in the gaming universe know, 2K Marin’s highly anticipated (that may be an understatement) sequel to the dystopian shooter Bioshock is scheduled for full-platform release on February 9, 2010. Throughout the past few months, little details of the game’s story have been leaked, to the point where we pretty much know who we’re playing as and who our likely antagonist is. Set 10 years after the events of the first game, Bioshock 2 promises a new world of challenges set in the constantly de-evolving underwater city of Rapture. With Andrew Ryan long gone, Sofia Lamb has taken the helm of Rapture, and her ideas directly oppose the “individuality” of Ryan’s philosophy.
EA Montreal’s follow-up to 2008’s shooter, Army of Two, has been generally better received than its predecessor. Montreal clearly wanted to remedy some of the shortcomings of the original game by one-upping the player involvement in the sequel, and in that regard, 40th Day is a success. Rios and Salem bring the same “bromance” that made the original simultaneously comical and ridiculous. Rios returns as the resident bad-ass of the pair, while Salem reprises his role as surfer-boy smart-ass. The two interact like one would expect two completely reliant partners to react- with frustration at times and appreciation at others.
With the full-release of Army of Two: The 40th Day quickly approaching (1/12/10), it seemed appropriate to do a quick overview of the impressions made from the demo that’s been floating around for a couple weeks. The sequel follows EA Montreal’s 2008 entry, the hyped (and somewhat disappointing) co-op shooter, Army of Two.
In light of the rapidly approaching holidays and shopping seasons, I decided to compile a list of five games collecting dust on gamer’s shelves (mine specifically) that aren’t getting played anymore, even though their quality warrants it. It’s worth saying that this list, as with any “top five” list, is completely objective; if you have any other suggestions, post them in the comments for readers to consider. That said, it’s my opinion that these games are not only quality representatives in terms of story and mechanics, but that they often warrant multiple playthroughs. A lot of times, we set these games aside after beating them once (maybe twice on a harder difficulty) and move on to the next hot ticket. Hit the jump to see my, and Resume Play’s “Top Five Games Collecting Dust that Shouldn’t Be…”
Why is it that there's never been a Gangster/Kingpin movie where the "bad" guy doesn't die or get incarcerated? American propaganda...
