Alien conspiracies and government cover-ups shrouded in mystery, what’s not to like?  Producers Drew Smith and Harvey Whitney took me into a back room where it was set up like a 1950′s kitchen.

The stainless steal sink; the red, plastic, and metal chairs; and the vase ornaments mantled on the shelves gave the room a distinct feeling.  It was vintage, but it was uncomfortable and very eerie – A pristine environment that mirrors XCOM’s world. Read more… »

NBA Jam – we all have played it, we all have seen it, and we all remember the legends of its existence.  The over-embellished gameplay stuck to us for reasons completely unknown to anyone.  But for some odd reason, seeing our favorite players transposed into the extraordinary games made us fall in love.

Fast-forward to the present and EA is remaking the game exclusively for the Nintendo Wii.  With updated rosters and the same in your face slam dunks, NBA Jam is reason enough to get excited for the Wii’s revival. Read more… »

While our favorite hyperbolic developer, Peter Molyneux, has been uncharacteristically quiet leading up to E3’10, there has still been a steady flow of information from Lionhead studios regarding the upcoming Fable 3. The game promises to take the narrative of Fable to an even larger scope by placing the player in the role of the ruler of a kingdom, with the players alignment having far-reaching consequences for the land and its people. This type of mechanic doesn’t lend itself well to a show floor demo, so I wasn’t surprised to see that Fable 3′s E3’10 offering consisted mainly of combat sequences.

With a scant 3 months before the game goes gold in anticpation of its Oct. 26th release, the game looks well on its way to being a solid holiday release. If you’re interested in some quick thoughts on how the game played, let me drop a pile of E3 hands-on impressions in your lap. After that, I promise — Albion my way.

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Epic Mickey has had a pretty eventful ride since its announcement in the eyes of gamers: first it was Wii exclusive, then it was rumored to be multi-platform, and now the non-exclusive rumors are put to rest – like it or not, Epic Mickey is only available on the Nintendo Wii this Fall.

As a Disney fan (of the films, and theme parks), I was very pleased to see that creator Warren Spector really knew his history – the game is injected with various obscure Disney characters and lore (the Enchanted Tiki Room? Yes please!). As a gamer, I couldn’t help but notice that the similarities between Epic Mickey and Nintendo’s 3D Action-Platformer Mario Galaxy are hard to avoid – read on to find out whether or not that’s a good thing. Read more… »

With Nintendo pulling out all the stops at this year’s E3, Epic Mickey has been revealed to have had more than its fair share of changes since we last saw it. Junction Point Studios’ latest title will forgo the initial “mean Mickey” elements, in favor of more Disney-friendly gameplay for the Wii exclusive.

Hit the jump for a nifty gameplay video showing how Epic Mickey is aiming to be one of the biggest Wii releases for the near future.

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The Tomb Raider franchise has seen a steady decline in popularity over the past few entries in the franchise, but Square Enix is banking that Lara Croft as a gaming icon still has legs (ahem). With a shift from 3D, third-person puzzling and tiger shooting gameplay to a new isometric run-and-gun style, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light aims to take gaming’s most storied treasure hunter in a whole new direction.

After getting some hands-on play time in both single-player and multiplayer modes, I’m ready to share my impressions. I have to say that while this new entry in the Lara Croft universe might not revolutionize gaming in any discernible way, it looks to offer a fun experience in a new vein. I’ve got my eye on this title moving into the Summer of Arcade season for XBLA.

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[note: It has been brought to my attention that their were factual errors in this post. Those errors have been corrected. Thank you and enjoy the E3 coverage!]

I haven’t been apart of the Civilization franchise for a long time, but Civilization IV pissed off my bladder when it haphazardly drained ten hours of my day. It’s a game that offers so much to players that building a world is possible, but like Rome, nothing can be built in a day. Because of this, newcomers may find it difficult to find the willpower and time to establish themselves as dictators or cultural icons.

But, no fear, Civilization V is here!  It offers one less roman numeral column and a bunch of tweaks to the beloved Civilization gameplay that will excite/anger veterans; and hopefully, bring in new world leaders to battle over territory and technology.

Hold on ladies and gents – there is a lot of content here.

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The LEGO action-adventure franchise, to be blunt, has been quite polarizing. The Star Wars games were passable, the Indiana Jones series was lackluster, and Batman was really the only universally regarded standout title. Now, we’re “One Ring” away from having every major franchise covered with LEGO Harry Potter.

Has the LEGO franchise jumped the shark? Is this new game just looking to cater to casual gamers, or does it offer something new? Read on to find out. Read more… »

PlayStation fanboys everywhere have been pleading and begging for a new Twisted Metal game for as long as I can remember, but their cries have never been answered.  That all changed today when Sony announced a reboot of the series on the PS3, developed by David Jaffe and many of the same guys who made the original.

As soon as the unoriginally titled Twisted Metal was announced, I was on the show floor hunting it down, eager to get my hands on a game many thought would never see the light of day.  After a long wait in line, I finally sat down and got to play it to find out if Sweet Tooth still has that killer instinct.  For my complete hands on impressions, hit the jump. Read more… »

The truth: Heavenly Sword is a fantastic game. Sure, the combat isn’t the deepest, or even the most fun, but playing that game was a true joy. The fantastic characters, the interesting story, and the impressive graphics all contributed to an experience that was one of my early favorites on the PlayStation 3.

So naturally, I headed quickly to the Enslaved: Odyssey to the West booth for a fairly lengthy hands-on demo, and Ninja Theory’s new game definitely impresses.

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The graphical achievements Crytek Studios reached with the original Crysis was set so high, that it became the benchmark for all games and technology to be tested and compared to.  The game went on to receive many praises for its high energy and pristine beauty.  Essentially, it became a question of how Crytek could top itself with its next installment.

After roughly three years, Crysis 2 is nearly upon us.  And after witnessing a live, hands-off extended demonstration, I can safely say that its graphical achievements don’t dissapoint.  But it gets even better, the same energy has been taken to the next level.

Although its graphical display is stunning and the gameplay is exciting to watch, it did have a few small hiccups. Read more… »