Dues Ex: Human Evolution

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Dues Ex: Human Evolution


I spent a few minutes with the new Dues Ex and am excited to get a chance to play it in my own living room.  While the graphics are nothing extraordinary, it looks like Dues Ex: Human Evolution will excel in story telling.  One thing that is difficult when demoing these types of games is that you have to remember that this is a story driven game and it’s difficult to jump in for a demo.  What’s cool about Human Evolution is that you can decide how you want to approach missions and the gameplay/dialogue will be different depending how you approach said missions.  The RPG element to the game looks fascinating as you improve your character through new human improvements.  While I should be disappointed with what little I got to play with the demo, the video Square Enix had playing still showcases how this title should be fun for any RPG and sci-fi fans.

Gameslave Hype Meter:

IrishPride – 7/10.

Dark Souls

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Dark Souls 

From the people who brought us Demon’s Souls, we now have a direct sequel in Dark Souls where we will continue to throw our controllers and spout obscenities at the difficult, but enjoyable, gameplay.  I played the demo of Dark Souls and it’s a lot like the first go around, which isn’t a bad thing.  There are six different classes to choose from which all have their own strengths and weaknesses.  Like the first game, players can invade other players’ games in PVP action while players can still leave messages on the ground to warn other gamers about potential danger.  It was kind of fun to see some previous people who played the demo before me write comments such as “I can’t wait for the game to be released!”  If you played the first Demon’s Souls expect a lot of the same in Dark Souls, engrossing but very, very difficult gameplay.

Gameslave Hype Meter:

IrishPride – 7/10

Silent Hill Downpour

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Silent Hill Downpour

Well, Konami is at it again releasing a new iteration of the Silent Hill series.  Like many of the recent Silent Hill releases, Silent Hill Downpour doesn’t look like it will give gamers any hope of success like the first two had seen.  I spent some hands on time with the demo and walked away unimpressed.  The controls were wonky, the graphics bland and the atmosphere was uninspiring.  One aspect of the game that was impressive was the sound of the rain falling at the title screen.  Maybe it’s because I like the sound of falling rain, so I’m a bit biased.  If you’re interested in Silent Hill Downpour for whatever reason, look for it to be released in October. 

Gameslave Hype Meter:

IrishPride – 1/10

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Being a huge fan of the Elder Scrolls series, I really wanted to see it in action firsthand.  Unfortunately, I still had to rely on the video Bethesda had for us.  The video showed multiple landscapes which were all varied and beautiful.  The fighting looks smooth and for the first time it looks like it’s a viable option to play in third person view.  What’s unique about this Elder Scrolls is that you don’t select what class you want to be at the start of the game.  Instead of selecting Wizard or Warrior, your character will progress as you see fit.  Want to focus on using a sword and board?  Just continue to use that while fighting and you will improve with them.  Want to blast fireballs from both hands?  Simply focus on magic casting spells and you will become stronger with them.  Want to be a hybrid character?  Use a magic casting ability in one hand to shoot your enemies from a distance and when they get to you, use your sword in your other hand and strike them down.  Even though I didn’t get to see a live action demo, I am still looking forward for Elder Scrolls V to drop in November. 

Gameslave Hype Meter:

IrishPride – 9/10

Rage

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Rage

Bethesda has been claiming that Rage will revolutionize the first person shooter genre.  While we didn’t get a chance to have some hands on time with it, we still got to see a demo of actual gameplay footage.  While it looks amazing, I don’t see anything that will revolutionize the genre.  It looks like a solid, fun shooter; however, there was nothing that I saw that will change the FPS genre.  The graphics are fantastic, even if it is in a post apocalyptic setting.  What I did find pretty cool were the few weapons that we got to see in action.  It looks like there will be a wide variety of weapons.  One such weapon was a futuristic crossbow type weapon that shoots a variety of bolts, from electric bolts to bolts mind controlling bolts that allows you to take control of your enemy.  Overall, I’m still looking forward to Rage.  Even though it didn’t look like it will be revolutionary, it still looks like a damn fun game to play.

Gameslave Hype Meter:

IrishPride – 7/10

Prey 2

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The first thing that we did was to see if Bethesda was like last year where you had to make an appointment to see their games and unfortunately, this was the case.  Assimilator tried to get us an appointment with them, but The Gameslave is on the bottom of the food chain in ESA’s eyes.  The Bethesda booth did have a huge screen where they were pimping Prey 2, Rage and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. 

Prey 2

 

Not being a fan of the first Prey, I wasn’t really looking forward to what Prey 2 had to offer.  But, I wanted to see Elder Scrolls V, so I had to wait for it to finish.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised.  This next part is all speculation on my behalf since we didn’t actually get to talk to the Bethesda people.  Prey 2 looks like you are a bounty hunter type person and the video shows you running down a suspect.  You chase this alien figure through a futuristic environment while using some cool abilities at your disposal.  While running, the alien suspect uses a teleport ability which allows him to gain some distance from you.  In the video, you catch up to your target and use this cool item that puts the target into an electro type sphere.  What’s cool is that the target alien automatically dissolves and is transported to the person who wanted him alive and your funds are automatically transferred to you.  Before E3, Prey 2 wasn’t even on my radar, but after see this cool little video, I may have to continue to keep track of its progress.

Gameslave Hype Meter:

IrishPride - 6/10

E3 Overview

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E3.  The holiest convention of all things video games…and booth babes.  This year The Gameslave doubled in size going from two people that attended last year, myself and Assimilator, to four with my sister ZeldaQueen and Assimilator’s wife CareBear getting to attend.  

Just like last year; it was amazing, tiring and oh so much fun.  I have so much to write about this year, but for the sake of boring you all with a huge wall of text, I’m going to break up the articles into three sections.  Wait for it…Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3, I know very creative.  At the end of each game write up, you will find a Gameslave Hype Meter with my hype ranking.  The rankings go from 1 being “Oh, that game is coming out?  Could have fooled me” to 10 meaning “OMFG this game needs to be released yesterday!”  Without further ado, I present you with my E3 Overview.

Day 1

Day 2

                                                                     Day 3

Redbox + Video Games

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So starting today Redbox gets Video Games, assuming you are near a Redbox that:

  1. Actually has video games
  2. Has the game you want

Now Redbox makes this very convenient.  If you hate Blockbuster and are tired of waiting a month+ to get the game you actually wanted from Gamefly this gives you a nice new option at $2.00 a day per game.  Plus with the number of Redbox machines that are available it will be a smaller drive then to the local video store (assuming they are still even in business). The downside is their stock is comparatively wanting as they do not have the the space to keep both a comprehensive DVD / Blu-ray collection and a big selection / large stock of games.  Combine this with a price at $2.00 a game it is still cheaper to hit at Blockbuster for anything you plan to play for over 3 days, while overall Gamefly is still cheaper on the per day scope of things.  But hey, more places to get games!