Holy crap…

Fallout 3 really sucked us in.

*writes “One article a week!” on a Post-It Note*

E3 2008.

For anyone who missed the e3 press conferences this year, just watch this short summary video for some serious game information.

Biggest News:
Microsoft - “Final Fantasy XIII released for Xbox 360.”
Sony - “Some features Xbox has had for years are coming to PS3.”
Nintendo - “A surplus of casual games are being developed for the Wii. Yay.”

Dead Rising Wii: Good Idea?

Dead Rising: Zombie Sacrifice
For me, 2006’s early 360 title Dead Rising was always about the sheer number of zombies that were pushed. Hundreds of the creatures could be onscreen at any given time–and it was a joyous initial exhibit of the 360’s power.

But now, these screens from Dead Rising’s Wii port (Zombie Sacrifice) have been released. I must say, I’m impressed with the detail of the character models–but at what price has this feature come? Take a look.

Note the six or so zombies in the distance. How many zombies do I need? A lot more. Nice models, though! Showcase of what I can assume to be the throw/swing mechanics.

As you can see, the zombies (and Frank) are looking spiffy–but there’s only a few of them. Now, I understand the Wii can’t push polys like the 360 can–but, personally, I’d rather have zombies that looked 50% worse, but 100 of them onscreen instead of 20. I’d rather have a LoD system where distant zombies faded even into the 2D realm–but not this surely pop-in filled display.

On a gameplay note, I’m ecstatic to see that they’re implementing real mechanic and structure to the game–Dead Rising was a good title for the early 360, but its timed mechanic kept ol’ OCD-explorer me away.

What do you think? Fire off a comment.

El Diablo rears its ugly head…

Diablo 3

(Thanks to GameTrailers.com for the video!)

Blizzard Software has struck again. The debut of the new Diablo 3 Trailer sent chills down my spine when it was first unveiled, and surely enthralled thousands (millions?) of Diablo fans all across the world.

This four-years-in-the-making game sticks to its roots; it’s an isometric adventure full of hack n’ slash action. Other than the large graphical overhaul, the game introduces some new gameplay elements, such as health orbs, and allows access to new character classes such as the Witch Doctor. Hopefully we can expect this game sometime next year, but you never know with Blizzard.

Witch Dr.

Barbarian

Monsters

Fallout on the Horizon

Fallout Thoughts

The Fallout games are best remembered as top-down turn-by-turn RPGs that blurred the line between fiction and reality. The dismal and decrepit worlds that the main character visited in his adventures were dark and gritty, but they had their fair share of humor and they were a blast to explore.

10 years after Fallout 2 hit stores comes Fallout 3, the newest installment in the series. Bethesda, the force behind The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, is developing the game. Bethesda is attempting to update the series to fit with the current generation of games, while trying not to mess too much with the formula that made the games so great in the first place.

The Vault

Uncanny Valley

The game starts you out in a nuclear vault, and introduces you to the new style that Bethesda has implemented in the game. Expect more creepy “uncanny-valley” chats with all kinds of NPCs throughout this game (a la Oblivion).

Pipboy!

Lingering Damage Effects

Area-Specific Damage

Fallout 3 seems to take familiar RPG elements from the old games, which is good for fans of the series. Bethesda even included area-specific damage, which is a series trademark.

Fallout 3 is due out Quarter Four of 2008, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Zombie Killin' Fun!

Call of Duty: World at War - First Trailer


Considering the 2-year turnaround time, I am really pushing for Treyarch to make this one good, I think they can do it and I would love them for it, but I’m still partially holding my breath.

(Thanks GameTrailers.)

Avenged Sevenfold DLC for Rock Band!

Xbox 360
After years of patient waiting and yearning, my dreams have finally come true. Avenged Sevenfold has released content for a rhythm game. Sure, Beast and the Harlot was in Guitar Hero 2… but that was a crappy cover. These are Master Tracks.

The two songs that were released were “Critical Acclaim” and “Afterlife”. While these aren’t my dream song choices, they certainly suffice. “Critical Acclaim” is easy enough. I five starred the Guitar portion and four starred the drums and vocals. Then I played “Afterlife” and suddenly the difficulty was ramped up to 11. Like, literally.

I five starred the vocals, failed the drums about 75% through, and failed the guitar about the same time. Before the solo hit me like a brick wall (bricks made of death and pure evil), the guitar was fairly easy, but offered up a fun bit of challenge. And then THIS happened:

Xbox 360

Xbox 360

This stuff is harder than it looks. All I can say is… if I ever expect to pass this crap, I’m gonna actually going to have to use Practice Mode. The good news is that I love the song, so no worries. Anyone interested in these songs can buy them for 160 MS Points, or whatever that equates to in Play Station points, or whatever the hell it is that they use.