Gallery Update: Shadows of the Damned

The one-two punch of doom from Shinji Mikami and Suda 51 continues with these screens from the upcoming single player horror action game, set to hit the PS3 and Xbox 360 on June 21, 2011. I personally can't wait to play this as I'm a HUGE fan of Killer 7, No More Heroes and other Suda/grasshopper manufacture games. I'd say Resident Evil fanatics looknig for something a lot more bizarre and mature should also give this a spin and if you loved Deadly Premonition, well... you probably got your pre-order in already. The mix of Suda and Mikami's always intriguing mindsets coupled with the bizarre visuals should make SOTD a keeper of a sleeper. Will the more jaded gamers out there "get" this mixture of action and twisted psycho-horror? I guess we'll see if it all pays off in a few weeks, huh?

BloodRayne: Betrayal Trailer

I just LOVE WayForward's games - they certainly know how to bring that old-school feeling to their projects and the results are pretty darn playable and a lot of fun overall. The Contra reboot on the DS was spectacular, Shantae back on the Game Boy Color was (and is) still one of the most highly desired games ever and now, Rayne is back in action thanks to the team. Awesome. If only this were a retail release at some point, it would be perfect...

Gallery Update: El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron

UTV Ignition's absolutely gorgeous action game mixes its surreal and brilliantly original art style with a unique take on biblical lore in a game that's sure to draw attention amongst core gamers as well as non-gaming folks interested in the religious imagery and themes. Good, bad of otherwise, this is certainly one amazing looking game. I've been watching this since it was announced and now that it seems its FINALLY getting a US release sometime this year, I'm HOPING the publisher drops into NYC with a build I can get my hands on. I also hope the game isn't buried and forgotten under the TON of bigger-hyped releases, as what's here looks like it's made to be played multiple times through in order to see everything. As it is, marketing this is going to be a tough deal for certain. How the hell do you advertise a game that takes such bold artistic liberties with a revered text while fitting the gameplay tastes of the masses? We. Shall. See, I suppose...

Here's a look at some of the fantastic art in character renders and game screens (more below the jump!).

Call of Duty MW3 Reveal Trailer: This TIme It's (World) War (3?)...

Hmmmm, another year, another COD super-spectacublocbusterlar (and another eyeball-frying trailer packed with intensity), but this one looks like the biggest one to date (BOOM). Yup, November 8, 2011. The players will play, the hates will hate and Activision will be counting up money as it rolls in. I wonder what the limited editions will look like? Probably a non-working miniature atomic bomb or something crazy like that. And hey! Was that an Infinity Ward logo at the end? Nice...

Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon Japanese Trailer

D3Publisher is promoting the US-made sequel to its fan-favorite budget franchise with a couple of cool gameplay trailers. Here's a look at some bug blasting action from the upcoming game set to hit retail on July 5, 2011.

Anarchy Reigns Character Profile: Leo is Back!

Platinum Games' online enabled brawler is Sega's second chance and getting it right in terms of publishing a decent multiplayer beat-down (the first was the woeful Iron Phoenix), but it looks as if Platinum is going for the gold here. I'd say that Leo is one more AR character you'd not want to come across in a dark alley, broad daylight or any other situation unless you were being very well protected.

No More Teasing: Catherine Website Goes Live

Whee. Atlus' girl is looking to be one of those ladies people just can't keep their eyes off of. The official site mimics the original Japanese site's stylishness (play with those chains on the opening screen for a nice surprise) and is packed full of awesome art, game info and more stuff that will make you blush (and any co-workers gasp if you're at work peeking at this stuff)... July 26, 2011. PS3/Xbox 360. Watch this one sell out fast.

Hunted: The Demon's Forge "Around Dark Corners" Trailer

A bit of behind the scenes with an emphasis on Hunted's sound design. Pretty cool and I can safely say that with a pair of good headphones, the game's effects, voices and music are really fantastic.

The World WILL NOT END This Weekend, Period.

Why not? Because to many people like me have too much stuff to do to believe in this foolishness. I'm personally nut-punching any swooping angels or whatever that come to attempt to remove my non-believing ass from this mortal coil. So there. That and hell, too many damn good games are coming out. Who's with me on this? Of course, playing through Atlus' spectacularly gloomy epic Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor again this week is a little bit creepy, but that's more about just how damn good the game is more than a commentary on any real-life situations...

Atlus Discovers Time Travel, Stuck in 1999!

All I'll say is I hope they get back safe and bring a couple of copies of Ogre Battle 64 back with them when they return. I sold mine off a while back and kind of wish I didn't. Atlus Faithful news from June '99 below the jump...

RAGE: Now With NBA Star Blake Griffin (Who?)

Excellent and hilarious video, but I'll admit my initial response was something along the lines of the following: What the...? "Oh... er... oh well? Hmmm... (consults jury, which is still out)". Meh, I guess it's better than a Big Head Mode or putting Larry Bird in there, but geez... Why? Feh, I'll ignore this because the final product is going to knock my socks off (AND yours), but hell... As long as it doesn't affect the quality of the game, id could put Phil Silvers and Don Knotts in the damn thing and it'll still rock.

Alice Returns Cinematic Trailer

Nice. Here's a peek at The upcoming surreal action game set to hit PS3, Xbox 360 and PC a few ticks of the pocket watch away. Sweet dreams... you hope.

Review: Trapped Dead

Platform: PC

Developer: CreneticStudios/Headup Games

Publisher: Iceberg Interactive (UK/Europe)/Meridian 4 (US)

# of Players: 1 (1 - 4 online)

PEGI Rating: 18/ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site(Iceberg Interactive)

Official Site (Meridian 4)

Score: B-

In the never-ending realm of action-packed, lightning paced zombie games, Trapped Dead tries to do things a bit differently as a more tactical top-down experience that still packs an action game punch where it counts. Featuring impressive visuals that look great even on lower end PC's, six playable characters, great genre weapons and up to four-player online co-op, there's a lot to like here... but the game isn't perfect. Thanks to some occasionally wonky path-finding (even with the patch), the game isn't quite the epic mash-up you'd expect. But if you're a patient sort and want a unique (but still as gory as you'd think) chunk of fun, there's a lot of that to be had in this mildly campy and nicely bloody homage to classic zombie flicks.

New York-Tokyo Wants YOU to GO Osaka-Kyoto!

While Japan is still pulling together after that huge one-two disaster punch, the country still has plenty of places to see that weren't in the earthquake zone. If you're looking for a cool chunk of self-made vacation fun and know the country well, New York-Tokyo.com has an excellent Memorial Day weekend package that allows you to tailor your own vacation. You DID know Nintendo is based out of Kyoto, right? If you've got the funds and want to help boost tourism and have a stellar time, what are you waiting for? Click on over and sign up for the trip of a lifetime!

Catherine "Are You Committed" Trailer

A few weeks back, Atlus USA asked fans to submit video responses to a few age old relationship questions with selected bits being used to promote its upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 puzzle horror game hybrid, Catherine. Here you go, the results of that little experiment in terror...

...Annnnnnd We're Back!

Crap. That Blogger outage took a while, didn't it? Anyway, I had some stuff queued up that got lost in whatever was going on in the update or whatever, so I need to do some rewriting, it seems. Bleh. Back in a bit with some new stuff. I was thinking about ranting away over the PSN outage, but it's not worth my blood pressure going up again... It does royally STINK, is all I'm saying...

Oh, and Duke Nukem Forever is HILARIOUS. A lot deeper than a lot of folks are thinking, that's for sure... more later.

Super Fighter Team Debuts Star Odyssey in France

Sure, it happened last November, but for a time-traveling gaming junkie like me, it's always going to be 19XX at some point during the day. How come games like this aren't given the royal(e) treatment in the US? I guess flashy 3D graphics, millions of bucks spent on ads, parties and hype and generating celebrity-based buzz is more important than keeping these flames alive, but as Super Fighter's Brandon Cobb says: "Never let Dreams Die!" I can't wait to plunk down some hard-earned cash for this game once it's all done. More information on Star Odyssey is available at the game's official website

Happy Mother's Day From Prototype 2!

Yes, it's not coming until 2012, but I'm sure your mom won't mind waiting. This creepy card from Activision should remind her of your wild days of babyhood, I'd imagine...

Update: More Random Art!

I've been on a bit of a creative streak outside of writing, in case you're wondering about the lack of updates. I'm still working on reviews and such (PSN being down has been a pain) and will have a bunch up shortly. Meanwhile, meet Maggie McGree. Her other friends (old and new) are hanging out here.

Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls Website Goes Live

Well, alright! Xseed has set up a beautiful website for the upcoming PSN-only release and I'm loving every bit of art and info I see there. Still, with PSN possibly under attack again, will US audiences actually get to download this game? We shall see...

Square Enix to Publish Dead Island In North America

Well, now it looks as if Square-Enix has another non-Japanese created potential mega hit on the way. Naturally, the anti-Square fanatics will be livid and the folks who don't give a hoot in hell will just smile and buy the game in droves when it's released. I'm in the latter camp as long as the PR folks are co-operative in getting assets this way and the game is as good as it looks. Techland absolutely knows what its doing on the graphics front and their games have been getting better and better over the years as far as gameplay goes... Press release below the jump.

And Today's Moral Is...

Just because Bin Laden is kaput* doesn't mean THIS game SUDDENLY gets any better with age. Still, I bet it rises in value a bit on eBay from those sellers that have actually played it and know what it is (that mix of crude capitalism and cathartic revenge fantasies always seems to find its niche, huh?)...

*(Amusingly enough, I was looking for an empty poster tube and found a target poster with his mug on it sent out by Encore to promote the game. I'd give it away, but like the game, it's something that's quite a bizarre part of my collection. I'll send a scan of a photo to anyone who wants one...)

Madden NFL 12 NYC Event Gallery

EA kicked off NFL Draft Week here in NYC in a big way with a unique event that brought newly crowned Madden NFL 12 cover athlete (and Cleveland Browns running back) Peyton Hillis to town for a unique LIVE cover shoot for the upcoming release. Hillis beat out (er, no pun intended) Michael Vick (who was the cover star on Madden 04). Despite a brief rainstorm about an hour or so in, the spirits of the enthusiastic crowd that gathered certainly wasn't dampened in the slightest.