This month is much busier than January, and if you are a sci-fi fan this is the month for you, with titles like “Dead Space 3” and “Aliens: Colonial Marines.” If a fan of classics there are series like “Sly Cooper” and “Fire Emblem” for you. Odds are there will be some type of game for you to enjoy this month.

 Action

(2/5/Tuesday) Dead Space 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)

(2/5/Tuesday) Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita)

(2/12/Tuesday) Aliens: Colonial Marines (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC)

(2/19/Tuesday) Crysis 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC)

(2/19/Tuesday) Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

“Dead Space 3” is the third game in the Dead Space series. This new campaign will have a drop-in/drop-out function that will result in each player having different experiences, depending on which character he or she is playing as. Players will also be able to construct new weapons from parts found throughout the game.

“Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time” is the fourth game in the Sly Cooper series and the first game in the series to be released for the PlayStation 3. A new feature to the series is collecting costumes which, when on, will give Sly new abilities. Worlds in the game will be three times the size of those in the original games, and there will be local multiplayer in some sections of the game.

“Aliens: Colonial Marines” is a game based on the Alien film franchise. Players will be able to use iconic weapons from the movie, such as flamethrowers, pulse rifles, smartguns, shotguns, pistols, RPGs, and robotic sentry turrets. Collecting experience points by killing enemies, the gamer will be able to customize a player, get upgrades for weapons, and unlock skill sets. There will also be some new alien types designed solely for the game.

“Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” is a game that takes place between “Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty” and “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.” The game features a cutting system that players can use in melee combat. The system will also allow the player to cut through anything from enemies and vehicles, to the environment around. There is also a stealth mode called “Ninja Dash,” giving the player the choice to ambush enemies, or take them head to head.

 RPG

(2/4/Monday) Fire Emblem: Awakening (Nintendo 3DS)

(2/26/Tuesday) Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan (Nintendo 3DS)

“Fire Emblem: Awakening” is the fifth game in the main series to be released in the US. Some new features to the series will include an “Avatar” system that allows you to create and customize your character. There will be 40 different classes each, with a set of different skills which the player will be able to change. The game will also feature different difficulty settings such as “normal,” “hard,” “lunatic,” and “lunatic plus.” Two different modes will also be available “casual” and “classic,” with “classic” featuring permadeath, a state in which a character dies and is permanently dead, meaning the character cannot be revived after battle. 

“Etrian Odyssey IV: Legends of the Titan” is the fourth game in the Etrian Odyssey series and the first of the series to be for the Nintendo 3DS. The game will feature new and improved 3D graphics and special effects. The game also allows the player to map out a path and the dangers to encounter. There will also be a “Casual Play” mode that is a little easier for newcomers or beginners.

 Multiplayers

(2/5/Tuesday) Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U)

(2/8/Friday) We Sing 80s (Wii)

(2/26/Tuesday) Rayman Legends (Wii U)

“Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2” is the sequel to “Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage.” This game will have enemies attacking in hordes. Movement and combat have also become faster and smoother. The game also features two modes “Legend Mode” and “Dream Mode.” “Legend Mode” is a streamlined campaign with several playable characters. “Dream Mode” shows the back stories of the playable characters, and has alternate paths for the characters to choose.

“We Sing 80s” is a karaoke game that has songs only from the 1980s. The player will sing along to the music, matching pitch and rhythm. It also includes “anti-cheat” technology so that tapping or humming will register, but no points will be received.

“Rayman Legends” is the fifth game in the main Rayman series, and the direct sequel to “Rayman Origins.” Up to four players will be able to play with a fifth player, helping the others using the Wii U Gamepad. This makes it imperative on several levels for players to cooperate in order to proceed ahead.

The article February Game Releases for 2013 appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Most Metal Gear Solid (MGS) fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new spin-off from the series, originally announced as “Metal Gear Solid: Rising” at the 2009 E3 convention but re-announced at the 2012 E3 convention as “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance”  It promises to be a much more action-oriented cousin of the classic franchise. 

The story takes place 4 years after the events in “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriot,” in a time where cyborg technology runs rampant, being used in war as well as to terrorize by the organization Desperado Enforcement LLC.

Yuji Korekado, the Creative Producer at Kojima studios, said in an interview at E3 2012 Convention:

“Within the Metal Gear series, Raiden has been this really cool character with incredible action scenes, so we heard this universal cry from our fans that they wanted the opportunity to actually be able to control Raiden. We answered that call by creating Metal Gear Rising, which will allow users to control Raiden and get to really enjoy those amazing action scenes as a player.”

The plot hints at returning him to his colder persona, “Jack The Ripper,” while further explaining his past as a child soldier and exploring the extent of his human weaknesses. The game will take place in various locations around the world, some in the process of reconstruction from their recent war-ridden past.

In this installment, the man who puts Raiden on a trail of vengeance is Samuel Rodrigues, an operative from the Desperados whose cyborg body is similar to Raiden’s. Since Samuel destroys his body during the assassination of one of Raiden’s protectees while he was working his “low-risk security job” he becomes outfitted with a new and improved body that allows him to perform spectacular feats.

According to the trailers, it seems we have quite a few interesting upgrades that will heighten the experience considerably, such as a stronger blade mode (discussed later), and what looks like a bladed pole he wields as ferociously as his sword.

It is implied at the end of the demo that there will be a sense of cognitive dissonance thanks to his cyborg state, possibly a struggle to maintain human while Raiden takes the life of cyborgs he himself does not consider human. It will be interesting to see how that element plays into the story.

Gameplay

The gameplay is smooth, action packed and heartwarmingly ferocious. It is much more action oriented than the main MGS titles, so if you’ve only played the stealth based games you might be onboard for a sweet surprise when you pick up this game. The cyborg body allows Raiden to perform superhuman actions, such as moving through the environment very quickly with the appropriately named Ninja run. The game features an Augmented Reality interface similar to the Solid Eye from MGS4 that allows you to spot enemies and sliceable structures in the environment from a considerable distance. The greatest feature is Blade Mode: player enters a slow motion state in which he can carefully aim with the analog sticks to cut through an enemy or simply bash X and Y to slice and dice the enemy until satisfied.

The game highly encourages you to carefully aim at the red square that appears at the center of an enemy, which highlights a bundle of nervous fibers loaded with energy the player can use to recover his blade’s energy and health (really useful when surrounded by more than 4 enemies). In some cases the enemy will be a gecko (a large, bipedal unmanned tank), and presumably larger enemies once the game is released. Enemies may be weakened enough for a Blade mode finisher, prompted by a light blue frame on the screen. It is very action packed, aesthetically pleasing and punishingly difficult the first time you play it, but you quickly master the learning curve.

Difficulty wise, in normal mode it is easy enough for new-comers to enjoy the game yet difficult enough for experienced gamers to feel challenged and rewarded upon completing a battle. The voice acting is mostly solid, it only falters in some Codec calls, but this is not a big issue. In the developer’s defense, the game is originally Japanese, so some lip-syncing issues are expected.

The only real issue I had with the demo was that it is difficult to stay focused on your target or Raiden without using the lock-on feature since so much is going on in the screen. Also, the camera doesn’t necessarily move with Raiden’s back. I found myself looking at his face more times than I’d like, which can be disorienting when getting shot and kicked by geckos and cyborgs.

Hopefully, Platinum Studios takes that into consideration. However, since it does add to the fast-paced fighting system by forcing you to be aware of your environment, they may not. I also hope that at some point we can use the skin from MGS4 during the entirety of the game; you can see it in some trailers but its probably only in the first mission when protecting the major.

The demo introduces an upgrade concept not unlike the weapon sales and customization menu in MGS4. It uses BP (Battle Points) as currency, but this time you’re going to be upgrading Raiden’s suit and blade instead of weapons.

Aside from straying from the normal stealth-based gameplay common in a MGS game, the menus and the in-game hud are very similar to previous MGS, but simpler, cleaner and more intuitive. It is really hard to compare this title with previous ones due to its core difference, but it is safe to say that Platinum Studios and Kojima Studios have created a solid spin-off that shows a possibility to branch out into its own franchise while maintaining the Metal Gear atmosphere.

Even with those very small issues, “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance” looks like a solid, fun and enjoyable game regardless of whether you’re a returning fan or a newcomer. The game will be available on February 19, 2013 and you can try it out for free at the Xbox Live Marketplace and PSN stores.

The article Gaming Update: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance On the Horizon appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Hosted by the star of NBC’s “Chuck” and avid gamer Zachary Levi, executive produced by Emmy Award winner Mark Burnett, and featuring cutting edge in-show augmented reality and world premiere footage from hotly anticipated releases, Spike TV’s ninth annual “Video Game Awards” proved to be a night to remember.

Industry giants gathered as the network celebrated the outstanding artistic and technical achievements in the world of gaming over the past year. Internationally, the ”VGAs” were seen in over 100 countries and territories around the world.

A host of the most influential members of the gaming industry, as well as stars from the worlds of sports, television, music, and movies gathered at the biggest night in video games and watched Bethesda Studios release “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” receive the highest honor a game can receive when it took home the coveted Vector Monkey after being named Game of the Year.

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” also won Best RPG and garnered Studio of the Year honors for Bethesda Game Studios. Other multiple award winners included “Portal 2,” which won in five prominent categories, including Best PC Game and Best Multiplayer, and “Batman: Arkham City,” which won four Vector Monkeys, including awards for Character of the Year for the Joker, Best Xbox 360 Game, and Best Action Adventure Game.

“The Legend of Zelda” creator Shigeru Miyamoto made a surprise appearance to accept the first ever Video Game Hall of Fame Award on the groundbreaking franchise’s behalf. “We always push ourselves,” said Miyamoto, “and we’re grateful you notice.”

Additional honors included the second ever Gamer God Award, which was bestowed upon Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of the “World of Warcraft,” “Starcraft,” and “Diablo” series.  Original founders Michael Morhaime, Allen Adham, and Frank Pearce were all on hand to accept the prestigious award.

The “VGAs” debuted never-before-seen world premieres of the most anticipated games of 2012 and beyond, including Naughty Dog’s “The Last of Us,” the surprise reveals of “Command & Conquer: Generals 2,” “Alan Wake American Nightmare,” Epic Games’ “Fortnite,” “Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance,” “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Patriots,” “Transformers: Fall of Cybertron,” “BioShock Infinite,” and the winner for Most Anticipated Game “Mass Effect 3.”

This year’s show included presenters and appearances by major stars from all over the entertainment world, including Charlie Sheen, Brooklyn Decker, Seth Green, Felicia Day, LL Cool J, Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Tony Hawk, will.i.am, Anders Holm, game designers Cliff Bleszinski of Epic Games, and Hideo Kojima of Konami.

The show also featured a performance by Grammy Award winning rock duo, The Black Keys, and Grammy Award nominated dance music innovator deadmau5, who helped transform the show with his visual representation of sound into a real life video game experience.

Additionally, NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice was on hand to announce the results of the vote for Digital Cover Athlete of the forthcoming “NFL Blitz” from EA Sports, with Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens selected by fans who cast their ballot at vga.spike.com during the show.

A full list of winners is included below:

GAME OF THE YEAR
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

STUDIO OF THE YEAR
Bethesda Game Studios

CHARACTER OF THE YEAR
The Joker – Batman:  Arkham City

VIDEO GAME HALL OF FAME AWARD
“The Legend of Zelda”

GAMER GOD AWARD
Blizzard Entertainment

BEST XBOX 360 GAME
Batman: Arkham City

BEST PS3 GAME
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

BEST Wii GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

BEST PC GAME
Portal 2

BEST HANDHELD/MOBILE GAME
Super Mario 3D Land

BEST SHOOTER
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

BEST ACTION ADVENTURE GAME
Batman: Arkham City

BEST RPG
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

BEST MULTI-PLAYER
Portal 2

BEST INDIVIDUAL SPORTS GAME
Fight Night Champion

BEST TEAM SPORTS GAME
NBA 2K12

BEST DRIVING GAME
Forza Motorsport 4

BEST FIGHTING GAME
Mortal Kombat

BEST MOTION GAME
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

BEST INDEPENDENT GAME
Minecraft

BEST ADAPTED VIDEO GAME
Batman: Arkham City

BEST SONG IN A GAME
“Build that Wall (Zia’s Theme)” by Darren Korb – Bastion

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Bastion

BEST GRAPHICS
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN MALE
Stephen Merchant as Wheatley – Portal 2

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A HUMAN FEMALE
Ellen McLain as GLaDOS – Portal 2

BEST DOWNLOADABLE GAME
Bastion

BEST DLC
Portal 2 Peer Review

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME
Mass Effect 3

GAMETRAILERS.COM TRAILER OF THE YEAR
Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – E3 2011 Trailer

EA SPORTS NFL BLITZ DIGITAL COVER ATHLETE
Ray Rice

The article Winners of Spike TV’s 2011 “Video Game Awards” appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.