Why Left 4 Dead 2 is fucking awesome, too soon
This is a response to Adam Sessler’s recent Soapbox.
First off: There is no way in hell, that Left 4 Dead 2 will not be awesome. After all, Left 4 Dead was the game that made me get a 360, again, and it was also the game I stayed up until 4am playing — the only one, too.
Essentially, what is wrong with Left 4 Dead 2 that it offers a very similar experience. Now, mind you, that is a good thing in theory and just what a sequel should be, but personally, I could’ve waited another year for this and I also think a lot more people would be a lot more excited if this were shown at E3 2010.
I also firmly believe that no one wants this game for free. No one reasonable can expect this to be DLC. This is 1.2 times the game that Left 4 Dead was, based on the amount of “movies” available alone, not to mention the additional game modes Valve promised. So the amount of content can not be used as a valid excuse not to purchase Left 4 Dead 2 if you are one of those people who bought the first one at full price without flinching.
I just fail to understand why Valve doesn’t use one more year to generate more buzz, more desire; and in the same time, polish the game some more and maybe — and hey, I know this is a pipe dream — make it look a little nicer. Not that Left 4 Dead was an ugly game per se, and I am sure we will see some improvments in 2, but a Resident Evil 5 it is not, by a longshot — so there is definitely room for improvement there.
At the end of the day, a lot of the whiners, including me, will probably still be there day one. My only irk remains the wish to know what Valve could’ve done with another year — and a lot less whiners.
Pachter: Sony’s lineup more powerful
In the last episode of Gametrailers’ Bonus Round, Michael Pachter lauded Sony for having the stronger first party lineup of games on PLAYSTATION 3:
“Sony’s first party line-up is more powerful, the exclusives are more powerful on Sony’s side [...] On balance if you add up Sony’s first party exclusives and Microsoft’s, Sony’s will sell more units.”
Don’t take my word for it though, you can view the episode right here… and before you cry foul, they did declare Microsoft the winner of this year’s E3.
Lost Planet 2 coming to PS3, new E3 trailer
Capcom just confirmed in an interview with Jeff Rubenstein of the PlayStation.blog that Lost Planet 2 will indeed be coming to the PLAYSTATION 3.
A simultaneous release-date with the Xbox 360 and PC has yet to be confirmed, but for now, we will assume that is the case.
Gamersyde has us covered with the new trailer. Hot Stuff!
Nintendo’s press conference was not all bad: Metroid Other M by Team Ninja
Nintendo’s press conference was not a complete disaster, bringing the announcements of a 4-player New Mario Bros. for Wii, Mario Galaxy 2 (this time with Yoshi!) but also, probably the biggest surprise of this E3, a brand new entry into the Metroid franchise, Metroid Other M, developed by none other than Team Ninja, coming in 2010. Stoked!
The Beatles: Rock Band revealed
With the upmost pride I can finally reveal what I have been working on for the last 2 months of my life. The team at Harmonix has created a game filled with so much love, so much passion and authencity, that I could not be happier to have worked on this game, without further ado, I give you: The Beatles: Rock Band.
The game is scheduled to be released on 09/09/09 for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.
Please find the first trailer after the break. continue reading →
Metal Gear Solid Rising coming to Xbox 360, “console now complete”
Metal Gear Solid Rising, the next entry into the immensely popular Metal Gear series is coming to Xbox 360, as announced at Microsoft’s E3 press conference by Hideo Kojima.
It seems to star a new unknown character in the likeness of Raiden (except for the eye-color, which is decidedly emphasized as not blue) and the genre appears to be “Lightning Bolt Action”. More on this as it develops.
WipEout HD Fury DLC detailed, doubles original content
Over at the PlayStation.blog Sony just announced that the DLC pack “Fury” for WipEout HD will be released this summer. The expansion brings 3 new game modes, 13 new ships and 8 new tracks, which is more than double than what was released with the full game.
The update also brings a completely re-designed front end to the game that looks extremely hot, as can be seen in the trailer, posted after the break, along with a detailed breakdown of the new features.
continue reading →
Crytek and EA announce Crysis 2 for PC and consoles
After the unveil of the new multiplatform CryEngine at GDC, it was only a matter of time for Crytek to announce their first game utilizing this technology: Crysis 2 will launch simulataneously on consoles and PC.
“The development of Crysis 2 marks a major stepping stone for our studio,” said Cevat Yerli, CEO and President of Crytek.
“This is not only the next game in the Crysis franchise, it’s the first title we are developing for consoles and the first title being built on CryENGINE 3. We are excited to have the support of EA Partners again as we work together to make the launch of Crysis 2 a huge event.”
No release date has been mentioned yet, expect more info at EA’s E3 presser this morning/evening/night, depending on your location. No media for the game has been released either, expect it today aswell.
Microsoft reschedules E3 presser, 5 minutes earlier
Enter the garden of madness! The yearly megathon marathon is about to begin!
Microsoft will be kicking off E3 at 10:25 LA-Time, which means that Microsoft will be launching their event 5 minutes early due to a surprise announcement! Kojima ready to deflect? We’ll find out in about 9 hours! EXCITEEEEE!
Qore accidentally PSP go!, Gran Turismo & new Metal Gear PSP
The new UMD-less PSP go! has finally been confirmed by Sony, albeit though an episode of Qore that was available a tad too early for PSN subscribers.
The specs are as follows:
- 3.8 inch screen
- 43% lighter than the PSP 3000
- 16 GB built in memory
- Micro SD slot
Now this is all fine and dandy, but what about software, John Koller?
“There’s games like Gran Turismo that are being announced at E3, and LittleBigPlanet that’s been announced before, and Jak & Daxter and there’s even a new Metal Gear Solid coming, so all those games will be available…”
METAL GEAR!!! … where was I? Oh. A price has not yet been announced, but the device itself will be available this fall.
We have the full Qore segment, including the beautiful Veronica Belmont, for you after the break — be quick, it is sure to be taken down soon. continue reading →
Fatal Frame 4 not headed to Europe
It seems that after a year long desperate struggle the fate of Tecmo and Grasshopper Manufacture developed Fatal Frame 4 has been decided. The 4th entry into the Project Zero series will remain exclusive to Japan.
While it is very reasonable to be upset about this, allegedly Nintendo decided not to publish the game because Tecmo would not fix the bugs that plague the japanese version to this day. Given the fact that Nintendo owns the publishing rights, 3rd parties will most likely not be able to publish the game.
Thankfully, a fan translation is on it’s way, so people desperate to play the game (hi!), will be able to do so within months. You can see their current progress over at The Camera’s Lens Forums. You will probably want to hack your Wii and import the japanese release of Fatal Frame 4 to make this work.
While this is a bum out indeed, Xseed is still set to publish the Ju-On (The Grudge) game in the US, and Rising Star Games handling publishing duties in Europe — if you are looking for a horror fix.
Little Big Planet + ICO = ???
Look, I don’t know what this is. All I know is that there’s ICO and Little Big Planet on this, uhm, painting. Also, this is from Media Molecule, so this ain’t a fan project.
E3 is soon enough, so we will find out in a matter of days, but speculation is fun!
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Upcoming releases
BIONIC COMMANDO
PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360
NA OUT NOW
EU OUT NOW
inFAMOUS
PLAYSTATION 3
NA OUT NOW
EU 05/29/09
RED FACTION: GUERRILLA
PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360
NA 06/02/09
EU 06/05/09
PROTOTYPE
PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360
NA 06/09/09
EU 06/12/09