Madhouse did a splendid job with this intro, that they did. Not too much longer to go until August 7th!
LVLs. Contributors
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All posts tagged xbox 360
Persona 4 Arena Intro
Posted by WildcatJF on July 13, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/persona-4-arena-intro/
Song Highlights – Xenoblade Chronicles, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mario Party, Rayman Origins
Guar Plains – Xenoblade Chronicles (ACE+, Wii, Nintendo/Monolith Soft)
Man, this soundtrack is incredible, with this one track a highlight of its quality. I adore wandering around to this theme. So adventurous!
Bramble Blast – Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Michiro Naruke/David Wise [original composer], Wii, Nintendo)
The original song Wise performed is nice, but I really do enjoy listening to Naruke’s arrangement. It has great instrumentation that take the original composition into peppier places, and I am a big fan of the way it sounds. Shame I don’t like the DK level it plays on. 
Mario Party – Peaceful Mushroom Village (Yasunori Mitsuda, Main Menu theme, N64, Nintendo/Hudson)
A short loop but a really good one. Very relaxing, very mellow, and is the best thing I can recollect from this game. My palms still ache, Nintendo. :p
Rayman Origins – Lost Beats (Christophe Heral/Billy Martin, Desert of Dijiridoos stages, PS3/Xbox 360/Wii/PC/3DS/Vita, UBISoft)
The musical talents of Heral cannot be ignored. I don’t know how much Martin did, but most of this soundtrack screams out Heral to me. :p This is a lovely mix of instrumentation that is just amazing to listen to. It’s 10 minutes long, so it’ll keep you entertained for a bit.
Posted by WildcatJF on June 25, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/song-highlights-xenoblade-chronicles-super-smash-bros-brawl-mario-party-rayman-origins/
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed Announced; VYSE IS INCLUDED
IGN drops the word that Sega will announce a sequel to their Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing, subtitled Transformed. Skies of Arcadia hero Vyse will be making his presence felt on the race track alongside Golden Axe’s Gilius Thunderhead (and Dr. Eggman and AiAi). It’s amazing what one character can do to spike interest in something. :p I’ll keep you informed on how much Skies of Arcadia love the game will feature once I know more. More info on gameplay at the link.
Update – Press Release from Sega doubly confirms Vyse’s appearance:
SONIC & ALL-STARS RACING TRANSFORMED™ CHANGES THE RULES OF RACING
LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO – 30th April 2012 – SEGA® Europe and SEGA® of America Inc. are excited to announce Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed™, a thrilling new racing experience featuring Sonic the Hedgehog and a fantastic cast of SEGA All-Stars competing across land, air and water in vehicles that fully transform from cars, to planes to boats. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed will speed on to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation® Vita, Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system and PC Digital Download late in 2012.
Following on from the huge success of Sonic & SEGA All-Star’s Racing™, the characters now have their own unique transforming vehicles designed to take advantage of the varying terrain. The line up on the Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed grid sees SEGA favourites – including Sonic the Hedgehog, Dr Eggman and AiAi – return to battle against newcomers that include Gilius Thunderhead of Golden Axe and Vyse of Skies of Arcadia. The brand new dynamic environments and tracks in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed are once again inspired by SEGA’s illustrious gaming history. When the road falls away beneath you in Super Monkey Ball’s Temple Trouble track your car transforms into a boat and speeds down the rivers and rapids, whilst the Panzer Dragoon inspired track, Dragon Canyon, takes you into the sky in complete control of your plane, barrel rolling to out-manoeuvre rivals and obstacles before transforming back in to a car and racing to the finish line.
“Given the fantastic feedback we received from critics and consumers alike for the first game we really wanted to push the boundaries on our follow up game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed” commented David Corless, Global Sonic Brand Director. “Transforming vehicles allow us to do this – as well as drifting your car around the corners of a track, you get to fly your plane and pilot your boat against others all within one race. Add to this a grid full of star characters, retro IP, fun, fast race modes and cool tracks and racing fans of all ages are sure to love this one!”
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed also sees the popular All-Star moves return with a brand new mechanic allowing your All-Star bar to power up faster if you race daringly and stylishly. An all new fair weapon system ensures that weapons fired at your vehicle can either be blocked or evaded once you have gained the skills to do so, making each race a unique and exhilarating experience whether it’s on water, in the air or on land. Old rivalries can be settled and new track records set in the enhanced online multiplayer mode, whilst the Grand Prix mode and competitive Battle Arenas will prove that Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is certainly set to change the rules of the race.
Posted by WildcatJF on April 30, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/sonic-all-stars-racing-transformed-announced-vyse-is-included/
Artistic Discussion – The Good and Bad of Gaming Box Art: 4/25/2012
Good – Shin Megami Tenshi: Persona 3 Portable (PSP, Atlus)
Despite my dislike of the game’s conclusion (see here if you don’t mind spoilers), I still adore Shigenori Soejima’s spin on the franchise, and this is an eye-catching cover. It puts the focus on the choice of a male or female protagonist, one of the game’s selling points, and it’s effectively using blues and blacks to give it an excellent sense of mood.
Bad – Batman: Arkham City Game of the Year (Xbox 360, Warner Bros./Rocksteady)
Wha…?
This is how to take your box art in the wrong direction. First off, this looks like an magazine advertisement, not a box. This kind of over-saturated blurbage quickly makes my eye wander off to somewhere else. It’s okay to maybe squeeze one blurb on there normally, but to have four wedged into nearly every tiny bit of space is overkill. Second, the render of Batman is rather poor. What exactly made Warner Bros. decide to go with “Batman wiping blood off of his face in an extreme closeup” for their GOTY box? That’s rather unattractive. And then there’s the double logo, one shoved into the top right corner and the other lurking in the background. Plus the bonus content! Can’t forget to throw that in there.
In short, there’s too damn much going on on this box, and there’s nothing appealing about it whatsoever.
Posted by WildcatJF on April 25, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/artistic-discussion-the-good-and-bad-of-gaming-box-art-4252012/
Artistic Discussion – Super Terrible Boxes of the Gaming Art: 3/26/2012
Currently, I have a backlog of horrible boxes and nothing on the terrific side (beyond repeating arcade fliers I recently praised in my Looking Back pieces), so we’ll discuss four buggers of box art bodacious-ness today for fun.
Knight’s Contract (Xbox 360, Bandai)
At first glance, there doesn’t seem to be anything terribly wrong with this box. Generic beefy hero and scantily-clad vixen seem pretty harmless. It’s the bottom of the box that’s the problem. We have two identical monsters, flipped and repasted, for maximum laziness. They don’t even take the different lighting into account on either of them. That’s sloppy work, Bandai. So, ho-hum heroes, duplicated beasts, unimaginative effort.
Hunter (Amiga, Activision)
A decent attempt at capturing spy action, Activision, but it’s still pretty dull to look at. Blueprints, fuzzy photos and a floppy disc with a generic (word of the day?) label on it doesn’t really inspire me to take note of your game. Even the two bullets fail to capture my attention. I’ve definitely seen better,
Lone Solider (Japanese, PS1, Virgin Interactive)
The last two are Japanese boxes of fail. I have a sneaking hunch this box flopped horrifically in Japan. It’s tailored for American audiences, and it’s not that spectacular to begin with. I know this is PS1-era polygons here, but at the very least they should hide their model tears a little better (see below the pecs). Where’s his left arm? Why does he have a crosshair on his cardboard UZI? Why such a terrible haircut? This piece blows it as many ways as it can, that it does.
Puzzle Bobble DS (DS, Taito)
I’m sorry, but I am not buying a game with a dinosaur taking a difficult shit on it, no matter how cute is. I even like the Bubble Bobble/Puzzle Bobble designs. But I have to draw the line somewhere. This is gross. XD
Posted by WildcatJF on March 26, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/26/artistic-discussion-super-terrible-boxes-of-the-gaming-art-3262012/
Jason X vs 2011: Match of the Millennium (Round 1)
By and large, video games are a hobby. Something people do in their spare time for some fun and relaxation. There’s a darker side to the pursuit of electronic entertainment, though. It is the dreaded backlog. For every game you defeat, three more will take its place. 2011 was another year in the life of yours truly, Jason X, and my attempt to slay the foul demons of Blackloggia. As usual, it was a losing effort. Still, there were plenty of good games released over the past calendar year. Perhaps too many.
To that end, I’ll be splitting my thoughts on the games of 2011 into three separate posts. The first will detail the games I thought looked interesting, but wasn’t able to get around to playing for one reason or another (time, money, ancient voodoo curses etc.). The second will cover what I felt were notable ports of previously released games, since they seem to be all the rage these days. Finally, I’ll wrap things up by discussing my overall favorite games of 2011.
Let’s begin with what fell through the cracks last year…
Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective (Capcom – DS) [01/11/2011]
Developed by the same team that created the Phoenix Wright games, Ghost Trick appears to be a mix of the detective work from that franchise, along with a dash of Haunting: Starring Polterguy. The animation looks incredibly smooth, and I’ve only heard good things about the overall writing. I’m definitely going to have to pick this game up at some point.
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (Traveller’s Tales – Xbox 360) [03/22/2011]
I wasn’t entirely enamored with the original Lego Star Wars games, but they still provided a bit of mindless fun. The third entry in the series looks to be more of the same, but it’s set in one of my favorite periods of Star Wars lore, the titular Clone Wars. Knock the prequel movies all you want, they certainly deserve a fair amount of derision for their awful writing and hamfisted performances. Even so, they covered an era when the Jedi were still a going concern across the galaxy. Plus, the Dark Horse comic series did a lot to build upon the parts that were more lacking in the movies.
I’d like to give this game a shot at some point in the future, if only to catch another glimpse of what the SW galaxy was like before the rise of the Empire.
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings (CD Projekt – PC) [05/17/2011]
In all honesty, I know next-to-nothing about this game. Still, what I’ve heard has been intriguing. It seems to be a WRPG along the lines of a Bioware game, but with more meaningful choices. Mass Effect and Dragon Age are two of my favorite franchises at the moment, so if there’s another game out there that provides a similar experience, I’m going to want to check it out.
Supposedly there’s a port coming to the 360 this year. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for it.
Child of Eden (Q? Entertainment – Xbox 360) [06/14/2011]
Near as I can tell, Q? Entertainment can do no wrong. Rez, Lumines, Meteos and Every Extend Extra were all fantastic, so if anyone can make a Kinect game worth playing, it would be them. From what I can tell, Child of Eden is essentially Rez with optional motion controls. It looks hard as hell to get 100% on, but I’m definitely interested in giving it a shot some day.
Dungeon Siege III (Obsidian Entertainment – Xbox 360) [06/21/2011]
Obsidian isn’t exactly on my list of favorite developers these days. Much like Bethesda, they seem categorically incapable of releasing a finished, bug-free product. Even so, I can’t help but feel a little interested in their latest effort. While I’ve never played any of the previous Dungeon Siege games, the demo for DSIII seemed to show some promise. I’m sure the finished product is extremely rough around the edges, just like anything else they’ve made, but it still appears to be worth a closer look, if only at a discounted price.
Tropico 4 (Haemimont Games – Xbox 360) [10/18/2011]
It’s not often that I get bitten by the RTS bug, but I’m a pretty big fan of this series. It doesn’t do anything particularly new, but I just love the overall aesthetic and concept of running my own Caribbean dictatorship. I’ve easily put a hundred hours into Tropico 3 already, and I could definitely see the same thing happening with this latest entry in the franchise.
Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception (Naughty Dog – PS3) [11/01/2011]
This might go against popular opinion, but I just don’t “get” the Uncharted series. Yes, it’s a modern take on Indiana Jones, but it feels severely lacking in key areas. For starters, the hero is a complete moron, constantly aligning himself with people who are just waiting to betray his trust. He seems to always want to be the stereotypical good guy, but has no qualms with murdering hundreds, if not thousands of goons just for some dusty old relics. This means that essentially two-thirds of your time playing the game is spent ducking behind low walls and popping back up to take headshots. Excitement she wrote!
Still, the series isn’t completely without merit. The graphics are rather nice, and I like how the puzzles make use of your in-game journal. I just wouldn’t call any of them a 10/10 experience. Even so, I’m still interested in seeing what happens in the third game. Word on the street is that it’s a huge step back from its predecessor, with broken aiming and a meandering plot. It’ll be a while before I get around to seeing how true those criticisms might be, but I definitely intend to do it at some point.
Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo – 3DS) [11/13/2011]
When people say that gamers are too serious these days, I’m usually one of the ones they’re talking about. I just can’t get into Mario or Zelda games anymore. While I’ve grown and matured (sort of) over the years, it seems as though Nintendo’s properties are stuck in a proverbial Groundhog’s Day time loop.
Still, Super Mario 3D Land looks like exactly the kind of game that the 3DS needed at launch. It’s fast, it’s easy to get into, and it brings back a bunch of the power ups that I’ve been missing since SMB3. It might not be “y so serious” like most of what I play, but that can still be good from time to time.
Jurassic Park: The Game (Telltale Games – Xbox 360) [11/15/2011]
Telltale has a rather impressive track record so far. The two Sam & Max games, Strong Bad’s Cool For Attracktive People and the Back to the Future game were all really solid. It’s kind of difficult to imagine someone making Jurassic Park into an adventure game, but if anyone could do it, it’s these guys.
About my only complaint is that it was released as a full retail product, rather than on XBLA or even PSN like their previous efforts.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo – Wii) [11/20/2011]
As previously mentioned, Zelda and I really don’t see eye-to-eye anymore. Twilight Princess felt like an absolute chore, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about Skyward Sword. Even if I end up not liking it, it’s still one of those franchises that I have to see through to the end, if only out of habit.
The King of Fighters XIII (SNK Playmore – Xbox 360) [11/22/2011]
Truth be told, I’ve always been a Capcom-kind of guy. SNK’s various fighters have always seemed either too complex or too generic to really get me interested in them. Even so, I had a lot of fun with Capcom vs SNK, and I’d like to learn more about the characters from the other side. Most reports stated that KoF XII was a huge let down, so this seems like a good chance to see what the franchise is really supposed to be like.
And that’s what I had meant to play, but wasn’t able to get around to for various reasons. My next post will go over the various ports and HD remakes of 2011 that seemed like more than a cheap cash-in.
Posted by Jason X on March 10, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/jason-x-vs-2011-match-of-the-millennium-round-1/
Capcom Pisses on Gamers’ Legs, Claims It’s Rain (SF x Tekken DLC)
There are many types of rain that one might encounter in their lives. Heavy Rain is beautiful, but leaves you feeling slightly cheated and lied to. Chocolate rain might make you giggle slightly for a few seconds, then continue for no readily explainable reason for another four years.
Then there’s rain as defined by Capcom. By their lexicon, “rain” is when someone takes a leak all over you and asks for your thanks (and money) in return. Case in point: Their latest crossover fighter, Street Fighter x Tekken, features no fewer than 12 DLC characters ON-DISC.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve purchased my fair share of DLC in my time. Hell, probably even more than my fair share. I’m not against the idea of spending money beyond the initial outlay to expand and extend a game’s experience. Capcom just seems bound and determined to meet destruction at my hands, though.
The explaination they’ve provided is less than endearing, as well. If we’re to believe them, these characters are already on the disc to aid with compatibility between people who buy the DLC and those who don’t. Additionally, they state that it helps cut down on the file sizes for the DLC itself. Well no shit, Sherlock. Where’d you park the squad car? When all you’re downloading is a text file with an unlock key in it, I’d expect it to be pretty damn small.
You’ve got some nerve, Capcom.
Posted by Jason X on March 5, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/03/05/capcom-pisses-on-gamers-legs-claims-its-rain-sf-x-tekken-dlc/
Artistic Discussion – The GNARLY of Gaming Box Art: 2/13/2012
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with some hideous gaming box art? Nothing! :p
Kung-Fu High Impact (Xbox 360, UTV Ignition Games)
In what marketing meeting would a box art this ugly get cleared for approval? For one, syncing real life people with ‘roid-y comic stereotypes does not equal win. The model looks pissed as hell, but he doesn’t really inspire confidence that you will be feeling that kind of pressure. The purple background may be why – purple is rarely ferocious. The art itself is unspectacular in every sense – that guy isn’t even looking at our hipster ninja at all! Blind grappling is often no grappling, my friend! And the zombie/monster crowd at the bottom is sort of pointless, as are the minions in the background. Their purpose is mere padding. Poor.
Black Belt (Master System, Sega)
Hey, it’s our old friend the Master System grid! Long time no see. And once again, their attempts at making box art is a failure. A kung-fu artist’s foot (maybe, could be Hammer pants or white jeans or something – it was the ’80′s) left dismembered from the rest of its body, and a comic-style explosion indicating impact on …nothing at all. Yep. This is the opposite extreme of the one above, isn’t it? Minimalist or maximalist (new word!) – both can go wrong!
Power Instinct (Super NES, Atlus)
Those are some fugly warriors. I’m not even sure what exactly is more disgusting – the multiple varicose veins, the sweat, the bizarre lines all over the (Native American?) fighter on the right….the proportions are janky on both men, the stereotypes blatant and sort of offensive, and the random golden sun bejhind them both is just weird. Definitely not Atlus’ best effort.
Ninja Scooter Simulator (Commodore 64, Silverbird)
Another legend! Ninjas and scooters – what could make more sense, right?
The art here is among the poorest I’ve covered…and I’ve covered Mega Man. Everything is rendered in a crude and uncaring fashion. The lame skulls are superimposed on top of everything else, and the garish purple/black stripes do not aid this game’s cause at all. This is everything you can do wrong with a box exemplified.
Posted by WildcatJF on February 13, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/artistic-discussion-the-gnarly-of-gaming-box-art-2132012/
Roundtable #4 – Our Most Anticipated 2012 Games
With 2012 upon us, Nester, Jason X and I ruminated on what games we were stoked about that are coming out this year. I’ll get the ball rolling:
Wii
The Wii is on its last legs, but there’s four games I’m excited about, with one guaranteed to arrive in America (I’m banking on at least one other, Nintendo of America!).
THE LAST STORY (Nintendo/Mistwalker, February 24, 2012 [EU])
Let me put it this way – I’ve been considering importing this. I hope Xenoblade Chronicles sells like bananas and Nintendo of America can be bothered to bring over this game as well, but I’m very iffy on that circumstance, and if I can conjure up the price to ship it over by the time February rolls around, I’ll do it. I want this game that badly. It’s tragic that that probably won’t happen, though. So buy Xenoblade, everyone!
XENOBLADE CHRONICLES (Nintendo/Monolith Soft, April 2, 2012)
My pre-order is complete and I’m merely waiting for the game now. I really wanted to support this endeavor, and I hope it helps get more titles like it out here. Doesn’t hurt it’s been so wonderfully reviewed. 
DRAGON QUEST X (Square-Enix, ?)
Nintendo has, to its credit, been very kind to the Dragon Quest fandom the last two years, picking up Square-Enix’s slack and localizing Dragon Quest IX, VI and Monsters 2 Joker. I have a sneaking hunch that DQX will see American shores, but only the Wii U version. If NoA surprises me by doing the Wii one as well or instead, well, you’ve probably got my money.
PANDORA’S TOWER (Nintendo/Ganbarion, Q2 2012 [EU])
This action game from Ganbarion looks fascinating, and while it tends to be overshadowed by Xenoblade and The Last Story, it would be joyous if this too made its way across the Pacific to America.
PS3
Here’s the six games I’m most excited about for the PS3 this year.
NI NO KUNI: THE ANOTHER WORLD (Namco-Bandai/Level-5, TBA 2012)
Level-5 and Studio Ghibli’s beautiful RPG attracts my attention quite heavily. It’s lush looking, has quirky character design and sounds intriguing. I’m definitely psyched about having the chance of taking this for a spin.
TALES OF GRACES F (Namco-Bandai, March 13, 2012)
A new Tales title? Man, I am pretty jazzed about the prospect. It’s coming out at an awkward time for me, but I do intend on picking it up posthaste. I have enjoyed what little I’ve played of the franchise, and I hope this matches up to Symphonia in terms of enjoyment.
SLY COOPER: THIEVES OF TIME (Sony/Sanzaru Games, May 31, 2012)
I adore Sly 2 (and like Sly 3), so another game in the series is good news in my book. I hope Sanzaru can maintain the engaging gameplay and character relationships that Sucker Punch did so well – early indications are pointing towards yes.
RESIDENT EVIL 6 (Capcom, November 20, 2012)
This was a pleasant surprise! I do love me some main series RE, especially when Leon is involved as a protagonist (RE2 and RE4 are my favorites by a long shot). The mix of zombies, plagas and new enemies intrigues me, and I hope that the mix of three separate stories can combine into on cohesive package of goodness.
SOUL CALIBUR 5 (Namco-Bandai, January 31, 2012)
I haven’t been this interested in a new Soul Calibur title in quite some time. This one seems to be swinging the balance back into what made the first game so good, and has some refinements and additions that seem to be evolving the gameplay. Here’s to it being a solid sequel that fixes many of the issues I’ve had with the second and third chapters.
RESIDENT EVIL: OPERATION RACCOON CITY (Capcom/Slant Six, March 20, 2012)
Grace and I dug SOCOM 3 a lot on the PS2, and this seems to be a decent comparison to that series, but with ZOMBIES. :p I don’t know if Slant Six is up to the task (little gameplay has been shown), but the premise is interesting enough for me to be curious.
At this early point, my most anticipated game of 2012 is Xenoblade 
Chronicles. Nearly everything I’ve heard about it sounds like just the RPG I’ve needed to get back into the genre. And I would be equally looking forward to both The Last Story and Pandora’s Tower should they also make it across the ocean.
Next up is SSX (formerly SSX: Deadly Descent). After the amazing SSX 3 in 2003, the series got a little lost and ultimately went downhill. (Har har!) Hopefully this revival will bring the snowboarding series back closer to its original appeal.
Although there’s no official confirmation, based on rumors and the success of the original, I think it’s a fairly safe bet that Epic Mickey 2 is in the works. Whether or not it would actually be scheduled for a 2012 release remains to be seen, but in any event, I’m a big fan of the original, and I look forward to see where this series goes.
Finally, there’s Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II. I actually enjoyed Episode I, and as Sonic Team has directly addressed criticism of the first, the second could shape up to be even better.
Of course, who knows what other tantalizing games will be announced before year’s end.
2012 will either be known of one of two things: It will be the year that the world ends according to a completely arbitrary belief system, or Ron Paul will lose. It’s still too early to say for sure if any Ewoks would do their little victory dance after the latter, but I’m willing to put even money on it.
Aside from that, 2012 will also see a long list of new video game releases. People complain about the fourth quarter rush each year, but really, there’s never a “slow” time for games. I usually spend January – August catching up on whatever I missed from the previous year. The following are the games I’m interested in picking up over the next 12 months. Will my wife allow me to spend this much money on something as discretionary as electronic entertainment? Only time will tell.
Final Fantasy XIII-2
I’m not using hyperbole when I say that playing FFXIII was worse than all three of the kidney stones I’ve had in my life. Those caused me unimaginable pain that seemed to never end…but at least I didn’t pay $60 for any of them.
So why would I be excited about the sequel to such an awful, awful game? Well, mainly because it seems to have addressed most of the criticisms people had about the last one. The world is no longer composed entirely of a straight line from plot point to plot point. Supposedly the combat system opens up much more quickly, as well. By all accounts, it also features 100% less Hope and Snow, which really seals the deal for me.
We’ll see how it turns out in the end.
Soul Calibur V
Not much to say about this one. It’s Soul Calibur, so you know it’s going to be good. A lot of people bitched about SCIV, but aside from the Star Wars characters feeling entirely out of place, I didn’t see what the problem was. It was just more of the same stuff we’ve enjoyed in the past.
That’s really all I’m looking for with this one, though the idea of being able to play as Ezio Auditore is also interesting.
Mass Effect 3
Unless some huge announcement is made later in the year, I’m pegging this as my most-anticipated release in 2012. I can’t wait to see how the choices from the first two games import into the final entry in the trilogy. Will the Illusive Man get his comeuppance? Will Garrus learn how to smile? Will Ashley bust out my teeth for banging Miranda?
I need to know!
Street Fighter x Tekken
Truth be told, I really can’t stand the Tekken franchise. I’m really more interested in the fact that this is another Capcom vs Random Other Company game. Really, if they just dropped this entire idea and gave us Capcom vs SNK 3, I’d mail them my money today.
Silent Hill HD Collection
It doesn’t get much better than SH2 and 3, but when you add Achievements to them, my excitement goes to 11. I have to wonder how well the new voice actor for James will sound, but aside from that, I don’t see how this could possibly get screwed up.
And now I’ve jinxed it.
Silent Hill: Downpour
On the other end of the spectrum, we have SH: Downpour. I won’t mince words. Homecoming was absolute shit. I’m sure the people at Double Helix meant well, but good intentions aren’t enough to craft a solid experience in this series.
I want to believe. Honestly, I do. I’ve just been burned too many times by Konami to hold out much hope for this one. So why is it on this list? Because I’m a sucker that buys every game in a franchise once I get into it. That’s really part of the problem, but that’s the way it goes sometimes.
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
People like to complain about how the RE franchise doesn’t change much from game to game. That’s certainly true, but I’m not sure I would know how to feel about something that appears to be Rainbow 6 + Raccoon City. I really enjoyed both of the Outbreak games, but you were playing as ordinary people in those. We’ll see how well this new idea plays out after it ships.
Devil May Cry Collection
By all accounts, DMC2 is the black sheep of the Devil May Cry family. It isn’t much fun, that’s definitely true, but I’m dreading a replay of DMC3 a whole lot more. That game was just vicious in its difficulty settings. Supposedly the Special Edition toned things down a bit, but I got the original when it launched in 2005, so I have no idea if the changes helped at all or not.
It’ll be interesting to see how well these three hold up by today’s standards when it comes out.
Tales of Graces F
It’s kind of annoying that we aren’t getting Xillia, but at least we’ll be receiving the improved PS3 port of Graces. Then again, I’m not exactly in a rush for this one. I still haven’t beaten Symphonia, the Abyss or Legendia.
Xenoblade Chronicles
I really didn’t think this was going to happen. Thankfully it did, though. My Wii has been making really pathetic coughing noises for over a year now, most likely from starvation.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this one, so we’ll see if it lives up to the hype.
Max Payne 3
I have to admit to being somewhat skeptical about this one. It isn’t being developed by Remedy, and the original character designs had Max being bald and fat. Thankfully they’ve revised that so he looks a lot less infirm, but Rockstar isn’t exactly known for creating tight gunplay in its games.
Here’s hoping that this release ends up being a worthy entry in the series.
Whatever New Assassin’s Creed Game Comes Out This Year
You all know it’s going to happen. I can’t say I agree with Ubisoft making the AC series into an annual event, but it’s 2012. There’s no way they’re going to skip releasing a sequel this year when it’s so intrinsically tied to the franchise’s mythology.
All I’m asking for is a new era and a new ancestor. Ezio is a great guy, but I got bored with him back in Brotherhood.
Resident Evil 6
This is definitely the one game I was least expecting to hear about this year. I’m kind of iffy on the idea of having three main characters to play as, but hey. More Leon. That can’t be a bad thing, right?
So long as they don’t screw things up along the lines of RE5, this should be a sure thing.
2012?
There are a few other titles that are supposed to hit this year, but so far are lacking a firm release date. These are the ones that I’m most hoping will see the light of day this year:
Metal Gear Rising: Revengence
I really, truly have no idea of what to expect with this one. MGS has always been a slow-paced affair, so it’ll be interesting to see the action cranked up a notch. I have a lot of faith in Platinum Games and their ability to provide an entertaining experience. I only hope that the nonsensical plot twists are kept to a bare minimum this time around.
The Last Guardian
This fall will make it seven years since Shadow of the Colossus. Will we finally get to see that big, huge dino-bird in all its glory this year? Will we get to cry like babies when it inevitably dies? I sure hope so.
Grand Theft Auto V
I think it’s pretty lame that they’re taking this one back to San Andreas, but I’m sure the game itself will still be good. Just please, for the love of god, Rockstar. CHECKPOINTS.
The Simpsons Arcade
Word on the streets is that Konami’s other, 4-player, licensed arcade game from the 90s will finally be hitting XBLA and PSN at some point this year. Yes, please.
So in summary, 2012 looks to be mostly a holding-pattern year. You’d think that would mean I’d have more money, but you’d be wrong.
Posted by WildcatJF on January 28, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/roundtable-4-our-most-anticipated-2012-games/
Resident Evil 6 Announced!
This looks pretty impressive – Leon being in it (alongside Chris and a new protag, among several new sidekicks) is a big, big plus, and the plot seems pretty fascinating, combining elements from the entire series into one massive collection of zombie/plaga blasting. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this one – I sincerely hope it can match up to RE4. Known staff is here, and here’s the first promotional render (click to enlarge):
Posted by WildcatJF on January 19, 2012
http://lvls.wordpress.com/2012/01/19/resident-evil-6-announced/
