SpecFicMedia
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Wii
Release: Holiday 2011
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series of games, a new trailer was released at 2011’s E3 for the greatly anticipated (by me) release of the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The game has “full motion controls enabled by Wii MotionPlusâ„¢ technology.”
Another trailer is viewable at the Nintendo Site.
Release Date: No official date, but speculation about closed beta has led to predictions of a Fall 2011 release.
Platform: PC
Rating: Pending
The long awaited MMORPG from Bioware and Lucas Arts, Star Wars: The Old Republic, had a cinematic intro trailer unveiled at E3. The setting is thousands of years before the appearance of Darth Vader, when the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Similar to City of Heroes/City of Villains, you can choose to be Jedi or Sith.
From EA and Spicy Horse, Alice: Madness Returns updates their story of Alice in Wonderland with a twisted and mentally ill Alice, 11 years after the original game, American McGee’s Alice.
Based solely on this trailer the images are dark and disturbing, and this game is definitely not for kids seeking out Disney fun and images. It’s also far more gruesome than Tim Burton’s movie, with blood, gore and violence aplenty. That said, for the appropriate player, the graphics are fantastic and true to the American McGee image of Alice in Wonderland.
Release date: June 14, 2011
Platform: Playstation3, XBox 360 and PC
Rated: Mature
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date: Xbox 360 ~ available now; PS3 ~ available on September 1, 2011
Rated: Everyone, 10+
Interesting fact: The newest project from renowned game designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi, it features a customized soundtrack that is scored by Mizuguchi’s band The Genki Rockets. The music was made specifically for the game and adapts as your experience progresses.
From Ubisoft and Q?, we have Child of Eden, a visually stunning game rail shooter game. More detailed game info from Gamespot.com on June 14, 2011:
It takes place centuries into the future, when mankind has ventured deep into space, and the internet has become a vault for human knowledge known as Eden. Deep within this system are the memories of the first child born in space, called Lumi; the trouble is that she’s under attack from a virus, so it’s your job to fend off the invasion. If you successfully “purify” the parasites, you awaken more of Lumi’s memories, and images of this young girl are used to great emotional effect as you come closer to waking her from her slumber.
Child of Eden is an on-rails shooter infused with some simple rhythm action elements. An onscreen cursor is used to attack enemies; blue for lock-on and pink for rapid-fire. The idea is to use the blue lock-on fire mode to highlight up to eight enemies at a time (known as an octa-lock) and then use the rapid-fire mode to shoot down enemy projectiles, as well as certain enemies (who are always coloured pink). Extra points are awarded for firing an octa-lock in time with the music, with “good” and “perfect” messages appearing onscreen to let you know when you’re doing it correctly. Finally, euphoria (a screen-clearing bomb, essentially) can be used to clear the screen of enemies if things become too hectic.
I have a soft spot in my heart for point-and-click adventure games. “Story” is key in an adventure game, and some of the most fun I’ve ever had gaming was with a good LucasArts or Sierra game. TellTale Games has taken up the mantle in recent years, but there’s another company that has released some solid adventure titles in recent years, Spanish games company Pendulo Studios.
Their latest release is “The Next BIG Thing.”
From the game’s website:
After having put adventure games back in the spotlight with the Runaway trilogy, which captivated more than a million of players worldwide, Pendulo studio is back once again on front stage with The Next BIG Thing, a brand new adventure in high definition (1920×1080), more beautiful, funnier and even more surprising than ever.
A deep and mature story full of references to classic fantastic movies, an original couple of new heroes that we will definitely remember, a cast of fun and engaging characters and monsters, and a great load of humor. Here are some of the simple but catchy ingredients thrown into The Next BIG Thing’s explosive mix. Add Pendulo’s unique and astonishing graphic art, and the result is The Next BIG Thing, an incredible and crazy adventure.
The Next BIG Thing revisits with class and humor the fantastic cinema universe in a modern and funny adventure, packed with references to the genre’s popular movies and series. It offers a story full of comedy, horror, shivers, action, mystery, romance, suspense, twists and turns, lies, monsters, fridges, teleportation cabins, stolen brains, half meter flies, Egyptian bombshells, Mexican werewolves, Australian crocodiles, and\\¦ What? You didn’t think I was going to reveal everything, did you?
Earth is burning. Striking from beyond known space, a race of terrifying machines have begun their destruction of the human race. As Commander Shepard, an Alliance Marine, your only hope for saving mankind is to rally the civilizations of the galaxy and launch one final mission to take back the Earth.
From IGN –
Bethesda, creators of Elder Scrolls – Oblivion and Fallout 3, bring you the next saga in the world of Elder Scrolls… Elder Scrolls 5 – Skyrim
Prepare for dragon slaying adventure in Elder Scrolls V Skyrim. See the first gameplay and the amazing graphics of the new sequel to the epic RPG series.
Please visit IGN’s page for Elder Scrolls 5 – Skyrim for more information on the game.
Bizarre Creations, developer of the Project Gotham Racing series and Geometry Wars, is no more.
Here’s a little trailer to help say goodbye.
Eleven years ago a horrific fire took Alice\\™s family from her and left her mind horrifically scarred. Afterwards she was confined to Rutledge Asylum, where she struggled to confront her demons by slipping further into her fantasy world of Wonderland. Now, after ten years, she has finally secured her release\\”yet she still bears the heavy psychological burden of that tragic event.
With her mind in tatters, she is unable to resolve the fear prompted by her strange memories, dreams, and visions. Perhaps she\\™ll do better in Wonderland. She always has. She travels there, seeking what the \\real\\ world can\\™t provide: security, knowledge, and the truth about the past. But in her absence, Wonderland too has suffered. Something has gone horribly wrong, and now a great evil is descending upon what once was her beautiful refuge. Can Alice save Wonderland\\”and herself\\”from the madness that consumes them both?
Yes, I am a Dragon Age fan. So you’re going to get videos on the game that I’m looking forward to most this year. Live with it. 😉
GotGame.com attended a hands-on event and spoke to Dragon Age II Marketing Director David Silverman about the changes for Dragon Age II.