The List for 2011

With Marvel Vs Capcom 3 almost out, I will need a new game to look forward to, so here is a list of stuff that I am excited about for 2011.

• Mortal Kombat - what can I say? This looks great. 
• The 3rd Birthday - Parasite Eve 3. Need I say more. 
• Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection - my favourite FF game suped-up for the PSP. 
• L.A. Noire - Rockstar showed us with Red Dead that all its games don't have to be GTA crap. 
• inFamous 2 - Was only lukewarm on the first one, but I have high hopes for this sequel. 
• Uncharted 3 - a can't fail franchise. 
• Elder Scrolls V - I hope that they will add some Fallout type mechanics to the gameplay. 
• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - yes, I know that this game will most likely not come out this year. And it will most likely end up on the Wii 2. 

Kratos in Mortal Kombat

I know that this is old news, but I am pretty stoked about Kratos being in the PS3 version of the new MK game.

I love the crazy additional characters (Link, Vader, Spawn, etc) that fighters can throw into the fix. Mostly they are over-powered and broken, but always lots of fun to use.

Check out the trailer here.

Haggar is in Marvel VS Capcom 3!

Awesome news fight fans, Haggar from the Final Fight series will be in MVC 3.

For those who don't know Haggar is the Mayor of Metro City and also a professional wrestler. We can only hope that Zangief will also be in the game as well so we can finally have the Zangief, Hulk, Haggar fight we always have dreamed about.

You can check out the video here.

Gran Turismo 5

Readers should be reminded that the Gran Turismo series is not a racing game; it is a racing simulator. The distinction needs to made because those who pick up GT5 thinking that it will be like Mario Kart with Lambourginis will be disappointed.

The game is quite impressive. It has over 1000 cars, tonnes of customizable options, and track after track to test your racing mettle. However, the game has a very steep learning curve and the menus and options are difficult to navigate.

Other reviews have mentioned this, but it bears repeating; the new 'damage' feature is non-existent. So much so that a patch is coming soon, but that makes one wonder if the game was rushed out the door.

If you love cars, you will love this game. If you don't love cars this game will make you love them.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $60

Length: The game is long. Very long. I will probably never be good enough to finish it. 

Is it worth it?: Yes. There is less than $1 per hour of entertainment here. Minor quibbles aside this is a new killer app for the PS3. 

Epic Mickey Opening

I am looking forward to checking out Epic Mickey. The opening cinematic can be seen here. The game has some very interesting and creepy visuals. And I need some reason to play my Wii. 

Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One Trailer

A pretty interesting trailer for the next title in the R&C series can be viewed here. 4 player simultaneous action can be fun, but also brutal and filled with many, unnecessary deaths. I will be interested to see if there is a good single player game or if it will be only online.

Modnation Update: Fail

So the big Modnation update hit late last night and I must say that I am unimpressed. While I am happy that I can can invite friends to xp matches, I was disappointed in the two biggest problems with the game: namely, load times and difficulty.

I can see no discernible difference in load times or the difficulty of the game (and yes I did make sure that the race was set to casual). The load times are still achingly long and the rubber-band AI is brutal.

I want to like this game but Sony is making it very hard.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta Teaser

Sony had a great panel at the San Diego Comic con. A lot of big announcements but I was most excited to see some footage of the new PSP God of War game. You can check it out here.

Street Fighter III

What a year it is turning out to be for fighting fans! Capcom has also announced that Street Fighter III will be heading to consoles soon with some great online features. Check out the story here.

Street Fighter X Tekken

Huge announcement from Capcom at San Diego! There will be a pari of cross over games between the world warriors of Street Fighter and the tournament champions of Tekken. Check out more here.

Marvel Vs Capcom 3: New Characters

Another video out on the net shows the Super Skrull, Chun Li, Trish, and Dr. Doom. DOOOOOOOM!

Doom is great, but normally he isn't very good in the MVC games. Hopefully he'll have a better showing. My excitement for this game is continually growing.

The folks at That Video Game Blog have the video posted here.

Gran Turismo 5 Trailer

You can view the E3 trailer to Gran Turismo 5 here.  I am a big fan of racing games, and GT5 looks pretty sweet. I should mention that the Gran Turismo series are designed to be racing simulators, so speed, turns, and damage are are accurate to real life.

If you only like cart racers where you can shoot someone in the back with a missile this will not be the game for you, but the gaming community has been waiting for this ever since the poor showing of GT4 on the PS2. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue just whetted our appetite, and on November 2nd we get the real thing.

Prepare yourself for Mortal Kombat

Any fan of fighting games knows and loves Mortal Kombat. Wait, back that up: any fan of fighting games knows and loves Mortal Kombat 1-3, after which the series became Krappy.

Warner Brothers interactive is bringing back MK by issuing a new title in 2011. The story will be a re-telling of 1-3 and will include 24 of your favourite fighters with more available post launch via download.

All new fatalities and a new x-ray system will bring back the over the top gore that made the series famous, but the solid juggle system looks like it has made a return as well.

Check out the trailer here.

Modnation Getting a New Patch

The folks over at That VideoGame Blog have reported that a hefty patch is coming for Modnation Racers. Sony has heard the outcry of fans and the patch will include new mods, levels, but most importantly a lower difficulty level.

I am a fan of racing games but the rubber-band AI is brutally hard at times. Sure, you can still beat the game with perseverance and tenacity but there should be an easy mode option for the casual gamer. The other problem with the current high level of difficulty is that beating the computer AI is necessary for unlocking different mods.

Thus, unless you are good at the game you cannot really create or share very well with only a few options. No word on when this patch hits, but it will be a welcome addition to a potentially great game. Still no word on the load times though.

Marvel Vs Capcom 3 Gameplay Trailer

Marvel.com has a series of trailers showing some of the gameplay for the upcoming title. It looks quite good and I was surprised to see some variation on the classic finishers like Iron Man's Photon Cannon.

Any character with a gun  (Dante, Deadpool, Chris) looks like they have a pretty similar moveset, so I will be interested to see if the characters play differently.

This is my most anticipated release of 2011 and it should be yours as well.

Donkey Kong Returns

Those of you who read my E3 post know that I am pretty excited about Donkey Kong Country Returns. Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime was on Jimmy Fallon promoting the new game.

Tales of Monkey Island

Once upon a time PC gaming was a magical land of point and click adventures instead of a black-hole of FPS where the main objective is shooting as many people as possible in the face. The Monkey Island series is a fantastic puzzle game where the player controls the unlikely hero Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate.

The series did zombie pirates before they were cool and the puzzles are excellent. Last year, Telltale games released the latest adventure, Tales of Monkey Island. Originally released serially in 5 separate parts, the whole game has recently come to the PSN as a package, and fans will not be disappointed.

The voice acting is top notch and the humour is well-placed. My only issue with the game is the controls. They were obviously designed for the PC and the mouse-based controls don't work well with PS3 controller.

If you enjoy puzzle games, point and click adventures where you can't die, and would like to return to a more innocent age of gaming, this is the title for you.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $20 (way cheaper than the $50 on the Wii or the $35 on the PC)

Length: It depends on how often you get stuck on some puzzles (avoid checking the internet for hints), but you should get at least 20 hours out of the whole tale. 

Is it worth it: If already love Monkey Island you should pick up this game, and if you have never played a MI game you should give it a try, but if you only like games where you get to yell "Boom! Headshot!" let this one pass on by. 

E3 2010

Well another E3 has come and gone. To be honest I couldn't really care about the big announcements (Nintendo 3DS, Natal, PS3 motion whatever), but I am looking forward to a bunch of games.

Marvel VS Capcom 3 (PS3)

Epic Mickey (Wii)

Castlevania Lords of Shadow (PS3)

Metal Gear Solid: Rising (PS3)

Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)

Metroid: Other M (Wii)

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (DS)

The 3rd Birthday (PSP)

God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP)

Gran Turismo 5 (PS3)

Pelican Dual Triggers

One of the criticisms consistently laid on the PS3 controllers is that the L2 and R2 buttons are strangely curved downwards. Many games use these buttons as a trigger or attack button, so it is pretty important that usage fells natural and comfortable. The bizarre curve forces your finger to slop downwards off the controller and your hand needs to compensate.

The folks over at Pelican thought this too, so they came up with some neat little plastic accessories that clip onto the PS3 controller (pictured above). Selling at $5 per pair these little beauties create a more natural and comfortable feel for the PS3 controller.

I was skeptical at first but have since come right around. If you play any shooter on the PS3 this is a must purchase item, but even if shooters aren't our bag you'll see (and feel) the difference in any game you play.

Super Mario Bros Mashup

A friend sent me a link to a great Super Mario mashup game. Check it out here. You can play the original Super Mario Bros game as Link, Simon Belmont, the dude from Contra, Samus, or Mega Man.

It is like being in an episode of Captain N.