Back when Rebellion made the first Aliens vs Predator, my friend and I were instantly hooked. I remember it looking pretty good, I remember the brutal savagery of the difficulty (particularly the Directors Cut levels), I remember the paralysing choices that were inflicted by the limited-use save system, but most of all I remember the tense atmosphere generated by the sound of an impending instant game-over, otherwise known as the scuttling noise of a facehugger. It’s been over a decade since that release, and time may not have been especially kind, but it still gave me a happy feeling when I heard the reins were back in Rebellions hands for this title.
Archive for the ‘Xbox 360’ Category
Aliens vs Predator Review (Xbox 360)
Friday, March 12th, 2010Monkey Island 2 Special Edition
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition was a runaway success, so it’s no surprise that Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge would get its turn for the spotlight. According to LucasArts, the game will feature new graphics (with the ability to switch back to the originals), voiceovers, a hint system, and re-mastered music. Commentaries are also on the cards as well as an interesting control method that foregoes the traditional point & click.
MI2 is coming to a ton of devices including PC, PSN, XBLA and iPhone. It’s launching sometime within June-August. Just be prepared, it’s one heck of a hard game!
ButtonMasher Podcast #70
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
Rock Band 3 This Year
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010
Harmonix/EA has announced to the world that Rock Band 3 will be coming out this holiday season as a worldwide release. Though can we really trust EA seeing what happened with the last two games? Perhaps they’ve learned the errors of their ways; Lego Rock Band and The Beatles: Rock Band have all turned up on time.
Not much else has been revealed but there has been rumours about Harmonix working on something educational, as in teaching music. With the Rock Band Network unavailable in New Zealand, I guess a new Rock Band is what we’ll have to take.
Battlefield Bad Company 2 Review
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Getting delayed can often times mean a death sentence for a game, the hype dies down, people look else where for their fix. Battlefield’s move back to releasing this week was either due to the developer needing more time or EA deciding that they might prefer to avoid going head to head against MW2. Either way, the time is here, so what is the final result?
Mafia II Trailer – Boom Boom
Saturday, March 6th, 2010
ButtonMasher Podcast #69
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
Metro 2033 gets some airtime this week as we celebrate not being Russian. The conclusive post review summary of Bioshock 2 and plenty more Heavy Rain including a spoilatious section which you might want to avoid if still playing the game (we do give a fair warning in the pod)
Smackdown vs. RAW 2010 Review
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
Wrestling is a silly “sport”. Let’s be honest it is completely ridiculous, and it is this ridiculous nature that makes it entertaining. Unfortunately the madness that is wrestling is very challenging to capture in a video game. In the somewhat limited amount of wrestling I have watched, it has always seemed that the crazy stage shows and smack talk sections encompass a significant amount of the content as well as providing most of the entertainment (for me at least). Unfortunately most wrestling games treat the subject as if this stuff was real. Are they afraid that little Timmy will be heartbroken when he finds out that this is just a stage show? On the other hand I guess it would be challenging to represent wrestling for what it really is and to keep it fun at the same time. Sadly Smackdown vs. RAW 2010 still takes most of it pretty seriously. However, they have added a pretty substantial story editor that lets you be as crazy as you want (very).
Bioshock 2 Review (Xbox 360)
Monday, March 1st, 2010
I had pretty mixed feelings when I’d heard about Bioshock 2. On the one hand, it’s not like they’re making Hitman 2, or a PS3 version of Vampire Rain (an idea that would leave the average consumer of either product cold). I liked Bioshock, surely more Bioshock would be something I’d like. On the other hand though, Bioshock was such a special, and above all, complete experience from the narrative perspective that it felt like it needed to be kept separate in order to maintain its integrity, as if revisiting Rapture would cheapen the memory of it. So it was with some grim curiosity that I played through Bioshock 2 critically assessing its merit as a successor to the game that gave us creepy little girls escorted by deep sea divers. Please follow me past the break for my thoughts, you’ll find that I’ve also prepared a list!
Metro 2033 Preview
Monday, March 1st, 2010
If there is one thing that came across during our walkthrough of Metro 2033, Russia is not a place that I want to visit, before or after the end of the world. The setting is ominous and perhaps a little contrived, I mean, seriously monsters that evolve/emerge after some cataclysmic event with people living a splintered existence. As clichéd as the setting might sound it is rather fitting that a developer located in the former Soviet controlled Ukraine should choose to create such a title.
