Tag Archives: Windows PC

Trailer: Warhammer 40K: Space Marine (I Am War)

Posted on by Arleigh

Been an uneventful day for me today which usually means a slow posting day. One thing that I did come across which came out today was a new trailer for one of my more highly-anticipated games this year. The latest trailer for THQ and Relic Entertainment’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine has been released and shows more gameplay footage and hints at the single-player campaign’s storyline.

I was once asked if I ever was given a chance to be a fictional character who would I choose to be. Well, as this trailer clearly shows I definitely want to be a Space Marine (or the more accurate term used in this fictional world: Adeptus Astartes). I mean look at the size of these guys and they even get to wear very ornate and baroque looking armor. Though I’m sure Lisa Marie would want that I paint the armor in more pastel colors.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine still set for a September 6, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Windows PC.

E3 2011: Dead Island (Exclusive Trailer and Gameplay Demo)

Posted on by Arleigh

Just a little under four months ago the announcement trailer for the Techland and Deep Silver zombie survival horror title, Dead Island, premiered to much acclaim. The trailer was like a short film and really tugged at the emotions of those who saw it for the first time. The trailer itself didn’t show what the game was all about other than a paradise resort becoming the setting for a zombie survival horror game with open-world gameplay.

A couple more trailers using gameplay scenes came out since then, but it’s now E3 and gamers want more info on just how the game plays. Techland and Deep Silver didn’t disappoint. In addition to a new trailer made exclusively for this year’s E3, the game also was available in demo form for attendees to check out and play. The two-part video below is one such example of someone playing the demo.

From what I could tell from the gameplay demo this game seems to be a much more serious version of the campy and over-the-top Capcom zombie horror title Dead Rising. Weapons seem to be mostly melee types like machete, knives, steel bars and such with the random rifles and pistols to be found during the game. Dead Island looks great from what I could see from the demo. Hopefully, more details about the gameplay and the co-op multiplayer will be released between E3 and the game’s release.

Dead Island is set for a September 6, 2011 for the U.S. and September 9, 2011 for the rest of the world.

E3 2011: Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 (Debut Trailer)

Posted on by Arleigh

This was one title that caught me by surprise this week as this year’s E3 continues to roll on through. The Brothers in Arms WWII tactical-action series was never one which I really got into, but when I did play them they were enjoyable enough that I wasn’t disappointed. I think part of it comes from the fact I’m not very good in tactical shooters where I have to give orders to team members.

This latest offering in the series by Gearbox Software and Ubisoft looks to keep the series in its ubiquitous World War 2 setting. The major change seems to be in the tone of the game. Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 — from the look of the debut trailer — looks to lighten up the story and I got a major Inglourious Basterds-vibe from that trailer. This may not sit well with the hardcore fans of the series, but with so many action shooters already in the market both Ubisoft and Gearbox Software needed to change things up in a radical way and this “grindhouse” tone may just be what the franchise needed. I will admit that the trailer gave the title a much fun and over-the-top feel and that’s always a good thing.

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 still hasn’t been given a release date.

E3 2011: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Gameplay Demo

Posted on by Arleigh

One of the titles which I look forward to losing several hundreds of hours playing is the fifth entry in Bethesda Game Studios The Elder Scrolls role-playing game franchise: Skyrim.

I’m proud to say that the previous game in the series I had spent nearly a total of 1500+ hours playing using several created characters over a span of 6 years. I would say that 3/5 of that total time was played within 6 months of buying Oblivion. The developers of Skyrim are promising fans of the series no less than 300+ hours of gameplay (though they didn’t specify if that means just the main storyline or also includes side quests and such) so that’s a comfort to hear.

This role-playing game series has always been known for it’s very expansive and complex world which allows it’s player to roam it’s confines however they want. It’s this open-world gameplay dynamic which makes this game and the series, in general, such a favorite with gamers worldwide.

Lead designer for Bethesda, Todd Howard, gave G4TV an in-depth look at Skyrim. The videos you’re about to watch has Howard showing the extreme and beautiful detail rendered by the game’s new graphics engine in the Creation Engine. He also shows just how some of the changes in combat, skill leveling and the type of creatures the player will end up fighting makes this latest entry in The Elder Scrolls series the best to date.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has a set release date of November 11, 2011.

E3 2011: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (E3 2011 Trailer)

Posted on by Arleigh

What can I say about this game other than….GODDAMN!!

Yes, I am beyond super-excited about THQ and Relic Entertainment’s latest Warhammer 40K title. The two have been doing a great job with the RTS Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War franchise so this third-person action game is a nice change of pace and quite a gamble.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine looks to be similar in tone to Epic Games’ Gears of War series except for two major differences: 1. this game won’t be using any cover game mechanics and 2. the game’s color palette looks to go beyond browns, grays, red and black. The trailers shown at this year’s E3 by THQ look to be using in-game graphics and little pre-rendered animations. Always a good sign when the trailers shows graphics of how the game will actually look when being played.

I’ve known about this game since it was first announced at last year’s E3 and have kept up with all new info that Relic and THQ have released since then. One piece of news that was quite a surprise but also awesome to learn is that British actor Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass, Green Lantern) will voice the main playable character.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine has a release date of somtime around September 2011.

PS: For those who have no idea what the Warhammer 40,000 fictional universe is all about the video below gives a quick idea of what some of it is.

E3 2011: Tomb Raider Trailer and Gameplay Demo

Posted on by Arleigh

One of gaming’s elder franchise which has seen some tough times the last couple years has been the Tomb Raider series. The franchise was one of the most popular ones during the late 90’s and early 2000’s but since the latter half of this new millenium’s first decade the games for the series has been lackluster at best and awful at they’re worst. Part of this downward could be blamed on the two films adapted from the game starring Angelina Jolie, but I like to believe that the series was already on it’s way down before those two films came out.

This latest entry to the Tomb Raider franchise looks to revive the series by rebooting the character and making the game an origin title which would put Lara Croft in her early 20’s and still quite new to the tomb raiding and worldwide adventuring game. Crystal Dynamics remains as the game’s developer with Japanese game publisher Square-Enix doing the releasing of the title.

From what was shown at Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference this latest Lara Croft looks to not just be younger but also design with realism in mind. While she still looks quite curvaceous there’s also a more athletic look to her physique which previous Lara Croft designs never truly had. Those past Lara Croft pretty much took the concept of a “teenage boy’s ideal woman” and gave it shape.

I have some hope that this latest title in the franchise will look towards Sony’s and Naughty Dog’s own action-adventure franchise, Uncharted, as a blueprint to bring Lara Croft back to prominence and relevancy in the gaming industry.

Tomb Raider has no definite release date other than sometime around Q3 2012.

E3 2011: Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Trailer and Gameplay Demo

Posted on by Arleigh

I’ve never been a big fan of Ubisoft’s tactical shooter franchise series. I know many who absolutely love the Ghost Recon franchise and I’m sure this latest entry in the series will be a hit with them as well. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier was first announced at last year’s E3 and some of the advanced tactical gameplay shown by Ubisoft were interesting enough that I was intrigued.

I’m not sure if I’ll be buying this title on it’s release date, but the gameplay demo shown during Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference really built on some of what interested me in the first place. The game looks to make use of the Xbox 360’s Kinect motion controller and it’s voice recognition capability. The important thing is that the player doesn’t have to stop using the regular controller, but just use the Kinect as a nice option and complement to the regular 360 game controller.

With the game still months from being released there’s still ample time for Ubisoft to continue to try and win over non-fans of this series such as myself and from the past year since they first announced this title they’ve done a good job. The only problem this title may run into is the glut of war shooters (first-person, third-person and tactical) that will be flooding the market from now til early next year that it may not find a place for itself. There’s only so much money a gamer has to spend at any given time and with the economy the way it is even gamers like myself with jobs may still have to forgo titles like this to get those were more fans of.

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has a tentative release date around the Q1 2012.

E3 2011: BioShock Infinite Gameplay Trailer

Posted on by Arleigh

Ken Levine, head of 2K Games’ Irrational Games development studio, was on-stage during Sony’s E3 Press Conference to hype up his latest title to the acclaimed BioShock franchise. The third game in the series looks to take the series from it’s failed undersea utopian city of Rapture and into the skies. Like Rapture, BioShock Infinite will have a setting that will be a full-blown city but floating skyward attached to giant balloons and zeppelin-like structures with rails that act almost like rollercoaster tracks for players to move from place to place.

The trailer Levine showed at the Sony Presser looks to be one using all gameplay footage which is always a welcome sight since in year’s past too many games promised too much based on cinematic, pre-rendered trailers. I’m all for CG-animated trailers, but it’s always how the gameplay looks and plays that counts in the end.

One thing that was also announced by Levine during this press conference was how the Sony version of BioShock Infinite will have the option for players to use the Playstation Move motion controller to play through the game.

BioShock Infinite only has an approximate release date around 2012.

E3 2011: Star Wars: The Old Republic Intro Cinematic Trailer

Posted on by Arleigh

For the last half decade or so video game publishers have been trying to find a way to either topple Blizzard’s World of Warcraft from the top of the MMORPG mountain, but each and every attempt has failed on one level or another. Some rival MMORPGs have succeeded in slicing a small piece of the MMORPG market while others just failed utterly. EA tried in the last couple years with their Warhammer: Age of Reckoning, but that game failed in that it was rushed into the market broken in one way or another. It looks like EA will continue to try another attempt at WoW by using another iconic franchise and partnering that with one of the best rpg developers in the industry. The game that’s been hyping itself up at E3 for the past couple years is BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic.

This MMORPG looks to continue the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic franchise from BioWare into this MMORPG iteration. The game has been in development for over two years now and as of this week’s E3 there’s still no definite date for it’s release on Windows PC other than sometime next year. Here’s to hoping that the long development time is BioWare and EA looking to not make the same mistake that occurred with the rush to market with Warhammer: Age of Reckoning.

Oh, BioWare did release a beautiful trailer of the game’s Intro Cinematic.

Dragon Age II: Launch Trailer

Posted on by Arleigh

If there’s one thing that BioWare seems to be doing quite well the last couple years it’s been how to hype up their rpg franchises whenever a new game is set for a release.

In early 2010 they premiered what I could only call a very cinematic launch trailer for Mass Effect 2 and during the Super Bowl halftime. This year we have another launch trailer but this time for Dragon Age II. This is a sequel to the very popular and acclaimed fantasy-rpg, Dragon Age: Origins, from BioWare and EA.

I’ve been playing the game now for the past three days and I will say that the trailer captures the game’s action quite well. The look of the game itself is only a step away from looking like the trailer animation. Maybe the third game will finally look like it’s own launch trailer in every way imaginable.

This launch trailer is the sort of marketing blitz which definitely has a chance to interest those not into such games. I know that if I had seen it and known nothing of the game itself I would be quite tempted to buy it and play it.