Saturday, September 12, 2009

Geeksquisite Question of the Day #65: 9/12/09

This question came to me when surfing thinking about my favorite thing movies. Also Travis has been looking for some good older films he hasn't seen so that also causes some inspiration.

Question #64: What movie do you really want to see but haven't yet?

If you'd like to submit a question just send an e-mail to geeksquisite@gmail.com with the subject line "Question of the Day".

Feel free to leave your answers in the comment section, thank you.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Geeksquisite Question of the Day #64: 9/11/09

This question came to me when surfing the web.

Question #64: What is your favorite website?

If you'd like to submit a question just send an e-mail to geeksquisite@gmail.com with the subject line "Question of the Day".

Feel free to leave your answers in the comment section, thank you.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Ron Gilbert comes back with Deathspank!

I had heard the name Deathspank thrown around a bit before, but I had never really delved into any details about the game. So it's no surprise that I had no idea Ron Gilbert was working on this project until just a couple days ago when he and hothead Games talked about it at PAX 2009. Just the mention of his name has now got me interested in this project, and I've started watching tons of videos and interviews about it.

For anybody who doesn't know who Ron Gilbert is, he's the guy who created the Secret of Monkey Island, among a few of the sequels... as well as creating the SCUMM game engine which powered pretty much all of the old Lucasarts adventure games.

Deathspank will not be an adventure game, however it will have elements from that genre. It's being penned as Diablo meets Monkey Island, pretty much meaning it will be an Action RPG, but there will also be dialogue trees, puzzle solving, and item combination. The combat should be enough to keep you from being too bored when you get stuck on a puzzle, and it should keep the game lively.

The whole thing seems like a nice change of pace, and since Ron Gilbert is the genius behind the comedy in a lot of the old Lucasarts adventures, the comedy should be top notch. Actually, from what I've seen of the game so far, the comedy IS top notch.

The graphical style, while not technically superior, has such a nice charm to it. everything looks very cartoony and 2D, while not relying on cel-shading. The characters all have a very distinct style to them, and the backgrounds go into a nice horizon line, almost like you're traveling around on a tiny planet.

The game is looking pretty good so far, and I'm definitely excited that Ron Gilbert is finally doing some more stuff. No release date has been given yet, but be sure to look for more info on the game in the coming months. You can also check out the game's official website here.

It is time to strap in for some Dirt 2

The second edition of Codemaster’s series Dirt has finally came out… and guess who is PSYCHED! My whole day was slower than belief as I waited for the afternoon to come. Then of course, my roommate locked himself out of his room so we couldn’t leave for almost an hour. Finally, at around 7, I had the game in my 360 and I was playing.

Being the absolute loser when it comes to motorsport and car culture, when I heard Dirt 2 was coming out, I was first in line. I must tell you now, I am not disappointed. After about three hours straight of racing, I wasn’t fatigued or ready to pop in call of duty (even though my roommates were).

The game starts out with you being given the late Colin McRae’s No Fear Subaru WRX, and being pushed into a race off the bat. I personally think this is great, mostly because I don’t want to sit there for 3 hours being told the emergency brake isn’t the only way to induce a slide. During this race, you are introduced to a few of the racers by hearing them heckle each other, which to be honest gets a little tired after a while. Throughout the course of the main game, there are 5 regular race modes, and 3 other special modes. Believe it, or not despite the seemingly small number, the 7 different racing modes, combined with the game featuring cars and trucks, the event types have not seemed to get repetitive yet.

Another feature is a (slight) interaction with the other professional drivers. You have a relationship stat with each of 7 racers, and throughout the course of the game are given challenges, and offered to race along side them in team events. The interaction with these professional drivers brings an added depth that you don’t see in many other racing games like Forza Motorsport.

The driving physics are wonderful. Although personally I feel that the trucks feel a bit arcadish, the cars feel very realistic. The emergency brake feels a little too strong, but honestly, I have never driven a rally car, so I cannot really tell you if it is off or not. Not only is there a strong sense of realism with the cars, track surfaces are also very noticeable. This fact is definitely most prevalent in the Rally Cross tracks where there are two different surfaces. I am consistently reminded of this when I slide into the woods in Croatia after driving off the paved road onto the dirt trail.

Damage is another high point for Dirt 2. The look of crashing is AMAZING, after plowing headlong into a tree whilst topping out my car I had to repetitively slow motion replay and would watch as the front end of the car crushed frame by frame around the tree. The biggest problem is the cars are (in the words of Thomas) Juggernauts. Although you can total the cars, damage does not show very well. After a while, you can tell when there is a wheel bias, or an engine problem, but otherwise you don’t feel much else.

The game looks great. It is the first time in a long time I have played a game with a virtual cockpit. The interior of the cars have fully working gauges (although not always visible in certain lighting, as can be understood), and customizable “toys” which move around as you drive. I feel this is just a way Codemasters is trying to show off their physics. (Hey, if you got it flaunt it). When outside of the cockpit, the vehicle and the scenery is very vivid, especially since it must be refreshing at insane rates.

The last aspect is the presentation. Unlike most games, I played Dirt 2 for over 3 hours straight without hearing the same song twice. The music covers a large range of genres all the while keeping the same feel. I really like the main menu, it is an interesting set up, you have to look around your RV to go to different areas in the game. Once outside of the RV you also get to see the scenery of a rally event at the location of your current race.

In conclusion, Dirt 2 is exactly what I expected it to be. Arcadish at times, but for the rest of the time, a great realistic driving game. Although, I see Dirt 2 as the prelude of what is to come, this is a great game!

I give it a 4.5/5 mostly because I know this will not be the best of the season and for that reason, I feel wrong giving it a 5.

*EDIT* The first picture is not in game, I thought it would be a good idea to put an in-game image right next to one that is not, sorry for any confusion.

Geeksquisite Question of the Day #63: 9/10/09

This question came to me when thinking about how fucking awesome The Beatles: Rock Band is.

Question #63: Favorite Band?

If you'd like to submit a question just send an e-mail to geeksquisite@gmail.com with the subject line Question of the Day.

Feel free to leave your answers in the comment section, thank you.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Sega Announces New Sonic Game

I left an important fact out, it's 2D, and it's returning to its nostalgic roots.



Okay I have to say that trailer excited me a little, 2D is a step in the right direction. Sega has listened to fans, and perhaps this upcoming game could break the chain of disappointment.

Originally obtained by this 1UP article, the game is going to be HD and hopefully it will be a success to age old Sonic fans like me and Rob. Next stop, Sega console? :D Jaleel White voicing this Sonic?

Live Beatles: Rock Band Justin.tv stream tonight

Hey check back to the channel approx 6:15-6:30 EST for a live showing of the game.

Watch live video from Geeksquisite on Justin.tv

Geeksquisite Question of the Day #62: 9/8/09

This question came to me when thinking about all the fun I have had playing the Dirt 2 demo

Question #62: What racing game are you looking forward to the most?

If you'd like to submit a question just send an e-mail to geeksquisite@gmail.com with the subject line Question of the Day.

Feel free to leave your answers in the comment section, thank you.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

More Left 4 Dead 2 content news


Joystiq's overview of Dark Carnival Gameplay

Left 4 Dead 2 has been debated for being released too early, most of us at Geeksquisite think quite the opposite.

So with Jostiq's hands on experience of the Dark Carnival level I gleaned a few nice things to look forward to in Left 4 Dead 2 within their article.

First, we were introduced -- rather suddenly -- to a brand new special type of Infected, the Jockey. The Jockey is a small hunchbacked creature pulled straight out of Frankenstein's laboratory, complete with a crazy little laugh. True to his name, once the Jockey gets close enough, he will jump on a survivor's back and proceed to ride him.

This reminds me of the feature in the Activision Spiderman game, based on the movie, where you could jump and pound on the head of a criminal as he runs around the room. I'm sure the Jockey's actions will be similar, and be an annoying Pain in the Ass to kill as well as something entertaining to watch your fellow players go through.

We also are told there is a katana which seems an unusual and unfair advantage to survivors. But Joystiq maintains it doesn't:

Of course, running around with a melee weapon does limit your ability to help teammates escape from the Horde and special Infected, so you might want to keep a decent long range weapon as a backup

Zombies aren't exactly going to care if their arms are cut off.

A few other details: There's a new magnum pistol that downs enemies in a single shot (and blows holes clean through them). There is a grenade launcher available too, though we never actually saw it.

Sweet, I love the molotovs and pipe bombs, but we need some tools like the grenade launcher to make the body parts fly off the infected. Remember kids, hurting people is wrong but zombies make a nice tossed salad of limbs. HAZZAH!

I cannot wait for this game.

No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle Developer Video

I had recently seen the Developer video that Suda 51 has made that was shown at PAX 2009.

You can watch it here.

The developer video not only shows off some cool things about the game, but is well put together, and is really entertaining. Suda Goichi(Suda 51) is probobly one of my favorite developers, and I really think he understands that a game should be made fun before it's made great from a technical standpoint.

The video showed off some new features, such as new type of beam katanas you can unlock and the introduction of 2D jobs which, as you can see to the right, they look like they came straight out of a game on the NES or SNES. He also talks a bit about some of the new boss battles, and how you could be fighting multiple enemies, which seems like fun, however he doesn't show us too much just to avoid any spoilers. He also mentions improved AI, some new wrestling moves, the ability to dismember enemies in a few more ways... lots of small, but welcome changes.

The graphical quality of the game looks slightly more crisp than the last game, and it's definitely looking great for what the Wii can pump out. I was already sold on the game, but now after watching this trailer and seeing some gameplay, It looks to be an allover more polished game than the first, which had it's fair share of glitches, despite being incredibly satisfying and fun. Be sure to look for the game when it hits stores January 2010.

Square Enix releases details on FFXIII


Confirmed news here

When it was said and done that Final Fantasy would come to Xbox, we were excited and excited for Final Fantasy in general.

Well, Square Enix let loose the Japanese release date of the game as December 17th 2009. However, the article doesn't indicate whether the United States will release the same day or have a seperate release date.

Square Enix also announced pricing for the Japanese Release at 8800 Yen, which as Donaldson proclaims is about 95 dollars USD. With tax, you're looking at a $100 game.

SO let me get this straight, it doesn't have to obey the 60 retail standard for games. But Square Enix is crazy enough to price the game at about 100 dollars in US currency, granted be the game could be 17 hours long but holy hell 100 dollars!!!

Okay I admit it, i'm not a Final Fantasy person but $100 for a GAME O_o

Square Enix plans to launch it over here in 2010

Geeksquisite Question of the Day #61: 9/8/09

This question came to me when thinking about how these two titans of the music genre are going head to head once again.

Question #61: Guitar Hero or Rock Band?

If you'd like to submit a question just send an e-mail to geeksquisite@gmail.com with the subject line Question of the Day.

Feel free to leave your answers in the comment section, thank you.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Question of the Day #60: 9/7/09

This question came to me after seeing some fanmade concepts for a ps4 and xbox 720

Question #60: When do you think the next "next gen consoles" come?

If you'd like to submit a question just send an e-mail to geeksquisite@gmail.com with the subject line Question of the Day.

Feel free to leave your answers in the comment section, thank you.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Geeksquisite Question of the Day #59: 9/6/09

This question came to me when thinking about superheroes like I do on a daily basis.

Question #59: If you had a superpower what would it be?

If you'd like to submit a question just send an e-mail to geeksquisite@gmail.com with the subject line Question of the Day.

Feel free to leave your answers in the comment section, thank you.