The universe of heavy metal is one which carries a lore rivaling that of any great science fiction or fantasy masterpiece.  However, both of the latter genres have been explained and expanded to the point of exhaustion, while heavy metal’s lore remains much a mystery.  Folks assemble in dim, dank venues to worship seemingly possessed musicians as they summon the melodies of Lucifer.  Participants use their hands to flash cryptic gestures, their garments display dark symbols, and they thrash about one another like maniacs.  All these conventions of the tradition metal scene have remained an enigma for years.

That is, until Gamer Limit laid their hands on Brutal Legend. Read more… »

EA’s behind closed doors demonstrations at E3 all work the same way. You line up outside of small cubicle-like rooms, waiting to watch a developer show you some of the coolest parts of a game: after all that, you may or may not get to play it. Dante’s Inferno was one of the latter cases, and although I was extremely disappointed in missing out on a hands-on experience, the video was well worth the wait.

If you’re wondering whether EA’s last statements regarding Dante’s Inferno “not doing anything new” are true, I’ll tell you now: it really doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t look spectacular, and seem like a ton of fun to play.

(Note: EA didn’t allow us to take pictures of anything regarding the demonstration, but the above header is from the official EA E3 press kit). Read more… »

Beginning on the first day with Sony’s press conference, I’ve been left in awe by the sheer amount of titles for the PS3 and PSP being displayed across the show floor. With 35 PS3 exclusives expected by the end of the year and a total of 364 games gracing Sony platforms – many of which highly-anticipated – some may claim that the “Best of E3 Award” deservingly belongs to them. And I couldn’t agree more, particularly after demoing the new PSP fighter, Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny.

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I kept telling myself that the existence of a re-imagined Silent Hill 1 on the Wii wasn’t a bad thing. Somewhere, in the wide world of sports, someone would be able to bring the classic back to life, and instill into it a kind of force that only Gods or Chuck Norris could stop.

If you haven’t seen the screenshots or watched any of the videos, go watch them after reading this. Climax’s new rendition of Konami’s storied franchise happens to be one of the best looking games on the Wii, and perhaps the most promising.

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Nintendo. Dear, sweet, Nintendo. What has happened to you? What has overcome all that is good and holy in your corporate soul? What happened to simple pleasures, some wholesome gaming with a tad of that branded genius. You sold yourself to a common street trend, and now, well, you’ve crossed the line.

You finally made something almost completely useless. Not somewhat useful, but completely irrelevant for anything involving gaming. I honestly don’t want to know what was going on in the R&D/Management meetings when this was conceived.

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Let’s be honest, Nintendo is the Green Peace of the gaming world. I’ve tried taking my Mario, Zelda, and Metroid cartridges to the local recycling center, but they don’t seem to get the idea that these are franchises that continuously get rinsed out and reused. As all of these franchises are in their twenties now, you’d think there’d be confusion about where to go and what to do with their lives. But they keep moving forward, and the question becomes whether or not the games themselves remain quality.

The newest Zelda installment on the DS, Spirit Tracks, promises that as long as there is a platform for him, Link will be grappling and boomeranging his way to Zelda, whether by plane, train, or sail boat. Read more… »

I’m tired of waiting to fight with a lightsaber. I am talking real, full blown, motion recognition that I’m slicing through the Empire with. Ever since Nintendo announced its Wii Motion Plus, I have fantasized about how much time it will take before I’m out shishkabob-ing the neighbor’s dog with the force.

Along with announcing the Motion Plus, Red Steel 2 was revealed to be one of the first examples of what the Motion Plus can do in a gamer setting. But are there demonstrated differences between the Motion Plus and the tried and true? Yes. Does Red Steel 2 make the implementation of this technology seamless? Not so much. Read more… »

Whether or not you’re a comic book fan, Batman has established himself as everyone’s favorite anti-hero. Is he just as much of a monster as those he hunts? While the The Dark Knight dished out grittiness and realism by the boat loads in theaters, Arkham Asylum was announced as the next big Batman video game title. Skeptical of super hero games, I found myself drawn to the idea of a realistic Batman story incorporating detective and stealth skills; the true centerpiece of his arsenal.

Does the game succeed in its endeavors? The results are promising.

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Hot off the heels of Guitar Hero: Metallica, Van Halen have been summoned to the rhythm game proving grounds.  The name of the game is still Guitar Hero, but the flavor has changed from gritty metal to semi-sweet 80′s rock.  Does the approachable catchiness of Van Halen lend itself well to the Guitar Hero franchise, or has it and music like it dated beyond relevance?

Hit the jump and let us help you decide if it’s time to squeeze on the neon yellow jumpsuit one last time. Read more… »

In a very expansive Nintendo exhibit which attracted zounds of E3 goers, mostly flocking to the free “feather” stylus being given away to anyone who played the Zelda: Spirit Tracks demo, Wii Motion Plus seemed to be somewhat of an undercurrent of Nintendo’s showcase. Yet, my passion for golf (both real and virtual) could not go overlooked, and I quickly found myself fighting through the Zelda line to get my hands on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. Read more… »

Oddly enough, Toy Story Mania for the Nintendo Wii is based off of the famous ride in Walt Disney World. Having rode it numerous times, I did have a basis for comparison when I picked up this game.

Although many dissenters to mini-game collections will simply write this off, it does hit home when it comes to the casual audience it targets, and that’s certainly not a bad thing. Read more… »

Day two here at E3 has revealed some further information on the most anticipated games of 2009, as Valve opened up the day with a “behind closed doors” playable demo of Left 4 Dead 2. Not to be outdone, EA and Bioware continued to show off their new IP and latest venture into the fantasy realm, Dragon Age: Origins. Oh, and there will be dragons in the game, in case you weren’t aware. Hit the jump for outstanding gameplay footage.

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