Kinect games are always a sticky wicket from the time of announcement until review time. At first glance, it’s easy to relegate them into the arena of gimmickry, and assume that like many other games of its kind, the controls “just won’t work.”

Although there have been examples of horrid motion control design on the 360 (Steel Batallion immediately comes to mind), there are a number of developers who do it right (Gunstringer). Wreckateer is included in the pantheon of positive motion design, but as for the game itself, what you see is basically what you get. Read more… »

Dust has been flying under the radar quite considerably for the past few years. Intiially slated to be an Xbox Live Indie title, it was eventually slated to be an Xbox Live release in 2011, only to be delayed into the Summer of Arcade in 2012.

Considering I had relegated it to “that one game with animals in it”, I was utterly shocked at how great Dust really was. Essentially created by a one man studio, Dust outshines nearly every other major studio action platformer on the Xbox Live Arcade: and then some. Read more… »

The NCAA Football franchise has always been a shining example of how yearly iterations of sports games works and works well. One of the top reasons why this was the case was its consistency in innovation. But, as you will notice, the past tense was used here.

NCAA Football 13 fails to do what it always did best. Instead, EA Sports has played it safe this year and brought very little to the table to make veteran players even slightly interested. If you are a newcomer or have not checked out NCAA Football in years though, I’d keep reading. Read more… »

It might also be tempting to entitle this post “Cliché Limit: orc holding man over chasm”. However, knowing that the fabled orc will be taking the center stage — rather than the villain role — in the upcoming RPG, Of Orcs and Men, may change one’s mind.

The following screenshots attempt to show the other side of the orc race — the side that you get to play against vicious human oppressors.

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[How you access Dawnguard: If your character is level ten or higher, you can hear rumors about your destination from guards. You can also obtain a note from an NPC with a marker. If you're below level 10, the Dawnguard HQ is southeast of Riften through a cave; head there]

After a myriad of useless DLC drops, Oblivion finally got it’s proper swan song — the universally loved Shivering Isles expansion. After we were insulted with horse armor, $5 thirty minute quests, and $5 buildings that were free mods on the PC version, fans finally got their wish for a meaty piece of content.

It seems as if Besthesda was willing to take this stance right out of the gate, as the very first piece of downloadable content is in fact a full expansion. Dawnguard seeks to uphold the Elder Scrolls legacy with a full twenty hour quest, and a ton of extra content. Unfortunately, all of that content comes with a full price of $20, so strap yourself in if you’re on the fence with this one. Read more… »

Historically, I’ve always found the LEGO games to be enjoyable, if shallow experiences. They weren’t exactly the most deep titles, but ultimately they got the job done, and were a blast to play with kids — beyond that, there’s not much more you can really expect out of them.

The newest LEGO iteration seeks to branch out and expand it’s scale, not only bringing back Batman and Robin, but introducing a heap of DC characters as well. LEGO Batman 2 keeps some franchise issues, but ultimately, it’s one of Traveller’s Tales’ best games yet.

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Oh come on! After delay upon delay, it seems as if SEGA is now setting Anarchy Reigns up for a “Quarter 1 2013 release”. According to Platinum Games, they were left completely in the dark about this delay, as the international version is completely finished.

As always, the PS3 version will be region free (and it’s reported that the 360 version may be as well, but I’d check that), so you can import to your heart’s content. I think I may just do that.

[CVG]

Suda 51 never ceases to amaze me. The eccentric potty mouthed developer’s multiple design philosophies echo with his numerous releases, to the point where fans can immediately point and say “that’s a Suda game”.

So given the natural expectation of quality, does Lollipop Chainsaw live up to the creator’s legacy? Read more… »

Microsoft wrapped up their E3 2012 press conference earlier this morning, and while there weren’t any mind-blowing new announcements, it wasn’t the worst conference E3 has ever seen.

Here are a few of the biggest highlights from Microsoft’s show.

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Today id Software announced they will be releasing Doom 3 BFG Edition on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC this fall. But this is no ordinary console port! No sir. The BFG Edition is getting remastered graphics, new levels, Achievements and Trophies, and more.

This special edition also includes Doom, Doom 2, Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, and seven brand new levels which id is calling the “Lost Mission.” Other features include 3D support, a new checkpoint system, and an armor-mounted flashlight, thus fixing one of the game’s biggest problems according to fans. Since Doom was one of the first games I ever played, I’m really looking forward to getting to experience a “director’s cut” of Doom 3.

[Source: Joystiq]

Max Payne has always been an interesting series. To date, it’s still one of the only neo-noir titles to grace gaming, and it pioneered the “bullet-time” phenomenon, which previously was synonymous with The Matrix.

With the third iteration in the series, Rockstar (who have developed their first Max Payne game) has ditched the gritty New York scenery for a more lush tropical setting. But the real question is: does it pay off to have such a stark departure? Read more… »

[Prototype] kind of just came out of nowhere. In a world full of serious sandbox games, the ability to play as infected anti-hero Alex Mercer allowed us to dip, dive, glide, and destroy more objects than any game since Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.

Now, the tables have turned, as Alex is on the other side of the curtain, taking on a more villainous role. Sergeant James Heller is the protagonist now, freshly infected by Mercer and set to do his bidding.. While the story plays itself out, the real question is, from a gameplay perspective, can Heller really fill Mercer’s shoes? Read more… »