This week combines the past few weeks of releases in that we get a game that’s both a superhero game and a movie tie-in. Corporate types call this synergy. We’ll see if Amazing Spider-Man is made by the Beenox team that made Shattered Dimensions or the Beenox team that made Edge of Time. I know which one I want to see.
In other releases, Spec Ops: The Line comes out, Skyrim gets vampires, but only on the 360, Dead Island extends the meaning of “Game of the Year” and Mass Effect fans get another opportunity to be disappointed.
New Releases
As I mentioned above, I quite liked Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and quite loathed Spider-Man: Edge of Time. Beenox seems to have the Spider-Man game making duties until the eventual heat death of the universe, so here’s hoping that Amazing Spider-Man (360, PS3, Wii, DS, 3DS) ends up being good. I know that people love the hell out of their Spider-Man 2 but I never got into the whole open world Spider-Man thing. Something about web-slinging from clouds always bugged me. I think Barnes has this one covered, although I do plan on giving it a quick spin at some point.
Spec Ops: The Line (360, PS3, PC) was at E3. Bill and I could have seen it after seeing Borderlands but we chose not to. This concludes everything I know about Spec Ops: The Line.
In DLC news, Skyrim gets some vampires in the Dawnguard expansion, but only on the 360. Battlefield 3 gets the Close Quarters DLC for PC and 360 (PS3 got their drop last week) and the Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut content drops for all three platforms. I may play Dawnguard at some point, mostly because I’d hate to see my 100% completion for Skyrim go in the toilet. ME3 I care less and less about as the game recedes in my rear view mirror. If they make DLC for ME3, I’ll probably play it, and I can just watch the ending then. Until that time, I’ll just read about everyone being angry all over again.
Nothing quite celebrates the Olympic spirit like playing the London 2012 (360, PS3) tie-in game and then collapsing on the couch in a cloud of cheese puff dust. Hey, that takes training!
Record of Agarest War 2 has Move enabled massage mini-games. It also has a revamped battle system. I’m torn on which one is more interesting.
Dead Island gets a Game of the Year edition (360, PS3) complete with three pieces of DLC and an overwhelming desire to find out just who in the hell made Dead Island their game of the year.
Deals
Toys R Us – Buy LEGO Batman 2 and get either a free strategy guide, or one of 32 different LEGO games free. Buy one, get one 40% off on all Skylander figures.
Target – Get a free $20 gift card with purchase of 3DS.
Best Buy – Get a free copy of LEGO Harry Potter Years 5 – 7 with purchase of DSi XL. Get a free copy of The Sims 3 with purchase of a 3DS. Get the following games for $19.99: Brave (DS), Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Star Wars The Old Republic. Get the following games for $29.99: Zumba Fitness 2. Kinect Disneyland Adventures, NBA 2K12, The Sims 3 Katy Perry Sweet Treats. Get the following games for $39.99: Brave, Just Dance Greatest Hits, Mass Effect 3, Prototype 2, Tera.
I know this is expected but let me astound you all!
64:07, and 80 levels later, I finally put the boots to Xenoblade Chronicles last night (I was debating taking out a banner ad :P). Last battles were a bitch and two hours of grinding was required, but it had a fantastic ending, made sense the whole way throughout, and the end sequence had amazing storytelling and one cracking revelation. One of the best JRPG and game endings I’ve seen.
Very rewarding experience.
Nothing new for me, but I am going to start playing Resonance next for a change of pace. And tons of Planechase in the Magic 2013 PC version.
Congratulations! I managed to put in a fair number of hours over the weekend…and proceeded to spend almost all of them on doing quests for the nopon village people and the bionis head people. So, yeah, I think I only managed to move the story ahead by an hour or so. I’m totally hooked.
As for Spiderm-man, Shattered Dimensions was a very pleasant surprise when I bought it just before Edge of Time for 10 bucks or something. I would definitely be happy if Amazing Spider-man can bring things back (but, without the Spider-man Noir dimension, I can’t expect too much).
Yeah, doing those quests will serve you well in the long run, so if you can spare some time, do ’em!
Mind, there are so many I can’t imagine doing them all.
That’s what New Game Plus is for, though I am not touching that ;).
My roommate loved Dead Island. I think he was around 100 hours last I saw him play, at which point I believe he got the platinum trophy. It might not be a classic but it did look like some zombie killing fun if you’re into that sort of thing.
Some extra PC releases:
– Sword of Islam, the first expansion for Crusader Kings 2, is scheduled to be released tomorrow (Jun 26).
– Ghost Recon: Future Soldier comes out for the PC this week.
– The third DLC for Achtung Panzer: Operation Star comes out this Wednesday.
That’s all. Cheers!
The 3rd installment of the Penny Arcade games should hit Steam today as well!
I really hope the ME3 DLC doesn’t change the ending at all — I’ve enjoyed the whining so much, and it would be a shame if it were to suddenly stop.
I don’t think they’re changing anything, just explaining things.
Well, that’s good (not changing it), but also bad. Observe:
Hamlet:
To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? Look, what I mean
Is that my uncle, right, he killed my dad
And I am asking myself if I should kill
Him back. In a revenge thing, or maybe just
Let it be. There’s stuff about the human
Condition being a tension between
Action and inaction. But don’t worry
About that unless you’re writing an essay.
(Not that Mass Effect is much like Hamlet)
(Saren:Shepard = Claudius:Hamlet. Discuss).
Spider-Man 2 was awesome. And Brandon, you couldn’t attach webs to clouds in that game. Only buildings.
I must be thinking of the original Spider-Man game, then.
Yeah, I’ll review Spider-Man. We’re not getting a review copy to my knowledge so it’ll be a Gamefly thing. Which means a review a week or two from now. Or more.
I hope it’s at least as good as the Atari 2600 Spider-Man game.
The ad for that game rocked. Full stop.