I thought I was going to be writing up some Brutal Legend demo impressions today, but it turns out the demo is only for those who’ve pre-ordered the game. Bored and disappointed by the North American offerings, I switched over to Japan’s store which held one juicy demo for Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Thankfully, it was in English and since I’m not a bloody thirsty sadist who needs to see oodles of blood, I was willing to give the Japanese demo a try.
On a technical level, Ninja Gaiden 2 was rough around the edges. And after trying the demo, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is still rough around the edges. To Team Ninja’s credit, the PlayStation 3 release did bump up the resolution to 720p with 2x MSAA, touched up numerous assets and improved the lighting model. The only thing they didn’t iron out is the screen tearing and the frame rate drops. I’m hoping it’s simply the fact that this is an early demo. If these technical issues are still present in the final build, it’ll be tough to warrant a purchase in the near future — even with all the added content.
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There was no Checkpoint last week because I was busy earning bonus cash. Bonus cash which I could then use for the next two months’ worth of games. It’s Labour Day weekend which means its the calm before the 2009 holiday gaming storm.
So let’s take a look what September and October has to offer. Note that I’ll be cherry picking the ones that I may be interested in (including the preferred platform). For the full list, I suggest you waltz on over to Gamespot.
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With physical copy of a game, I can simply resell it if I don’t like it. I’ve done that plenty of times already. I played the game, I thought it was fun, but I just didn’t think it was good enough to keep in my catalog. Unfortunately, you’ll most likely have to take a loss which means the game is either sold with bitterness or kept on the shelf. Digital distributed games remain in my catalog as a constant reminder of your poor judgement.
So with that in mind, here’s this week’s checkpoint: a list of games (in no particular order) which I’ve regretted purchasing or not letting go.
Calling All Cars
From PSN for about $13
The reason I purchased this was because of David Jaffe’s involvement — the man made God of War and Twisted Metal! I’ve played it online and enjoyed the time I spent with it, but it just didn’t stay on the list of regularly played games due to the lack of longevity. How long did it take before the game stopped being played online? 3 weeks? I’m not sure, but it felt like that.
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This week’s Famitsu magazine was filled with brilliant news; the most significant being the announcement of Valkyria Chronicles 2 for the PlayStation Portable. Sweet.
I would have loved if the sequel was on the PlayStation 3, but just having a sequel is more than I was expecting.
The sequel will take place two years after the first game and will star a new hero, Avan Hardence. Apparently, it’ll borrow a few touches from Persona’s Japanese school-life style of RPG and merge it with the combat system of the first game. No release date as of yet.
Other tidbits of interest are as follows:
- Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 will feature online co-op missions
- Dragon Quest IX scored a perfect 40 point score (10/10/10/10) — the tenth perfect score in the magazine’s history
- Katamari Forever (Tribute in North America) scored 33 points (9/8/8/8); best Katamari game of the series!
I’ll most likely be picking up NG Sigma 2 at a lower price point and the same goes with Katamari Tribute. Dragon Quest IX? I tried to play VIII on PS2, but, at the time, it bored me to tears. Perhaps the experience will be different on the Nintendo DS.
Announcements
Mass Effect 2 Coming to Xbox 360 & PC Early 2010
BIOWARE ANNOUNCES MASS EFFECT 2
The Dark Second Chapter to the Epic Science-Fiction Trilogy – Coming Early 2010 for Windows PC and Xbox 360
Guildford, UK – March 17, 2009 – Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today officially announced the development of Mass Effect™ 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the multi award-winning 2007 hit, Mass Effect. The Mass Effect trilogy is a masterful science-fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life forms and mysterious uncharted planets. In this dark second chapter, Saren’s evil army of Geth soldiers has just been defeated, and humans, still struggling to make their mark on the galactic stage, are now faced with an even greater peril…
“We’re going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA. “Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action.”
Mass Effect 2 is coming to PC and the Xbox 360 video game system in Early 2010. To see the exclusive new Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer check out the website here: www.masseffect.com
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Ninja Gaiden publisher, Tecmo, rejected Square Enix’s takeover, however before anyone could shut the book on “Tecmo related mergers”, they began talking about the possibility of hooking up with Koei of Dynasty Warrior fame.
No idea how Square Enix felt about the rejection, but I do feel that this merger of smaller publishers to be more appropriate than having the RPG publishing giant absorb Tecmo. Hopefully both publishers can reach an agreement soon and get back to publishing games. It’s about time we saw Ninja Gaiden 2 on PS3.
I kid.
Finally, Sony’s “Greatest Hits” line debuts for the PlayStation 3. The following games can now be found for $29.99 CAD or less:
- Warhawk, Motorstorm and Resistance: Fall of Man, SCEA.
- Call of Duty 3, Activision
- EA Sports Fight Night Round 3, Need for Speed: Carbon, Electronic Arts
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas and Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft
- The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Bethesda Softworks
- Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Tecmo
They all come in these red cases as well. Reminds me a lot of the HD-DVD cases. Sorta.
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