Serious SLAM

If you haven't heard by now, I'll give you the short of it.

Serious Sam is coming to XBLA this summer with a fresh code of Hi-Def paint and 4 player co-op. Pat yourself on the back for shouting "awesome" loud enough for your co-workers to hear, then go home tonight and bear-hug your 360 (careful that it doesn't overheat.)

If you know me then you are aware that I'm a fan of snarky PR. To me it displays confidence in ones product. The game industry needs more swagger and if that means more disses, burns and beef, then I'm bout it' bout it'.

I was amused by this zesty statement found in the Serious Sam HD press release...

"Serious Sam HD is not your mother’s generic, large-scale, orchestral scored, Space Marine-themed epic FPS with dialogue that pretends it’s an RPG...instead, Serious Sam HD is a grab you by the jibblies run and gun, twitch FPS: BIG guns, TONS of enemies, 4-Player Online Co-Op and stunningly superfluous HD graphics that rival retail boxed games."

Duke Nukem is dead. Long live Serious Sam!

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E3 09: Adam's Picks

The real E3 is back, and what do you know? It's already over!

So what did I think? Well, I thought it was a deceptively good show. Many geeked profusely last week, some going as far to say it was the best in years, and maybe it was. It's really hard for me, someone who experienced E3 from a computer monitor on the other side of the country, to judge how grand the spectacle really was. I cant help but think that people got as worked up as they did this year because for the last two years, E3 was dead. This year's "return to form" show was bound to excite and exuberant amounts of praise were to be expected.

Then there are those who were disappointed by the shows overall lack of surprises. In the age of covert internet espionage it's almost impossible for companies like Sony and Microsoft to keep a secret. And it's just not the twitter-spies that spoiled the show, but the actually game companies themselves. Hideo Kojima teased his new games for over a month on his website, dropping hints and clues that made it obvious (a word I often don't associate with the notorious trickster) as to what his next projects were. The "leaked" footage of Trico surfaced just weeks before the E3 unveiling of The Last Guardian and was the most watched video on Youtube the day it surfaced. Interesting enough, Sony never asked the host to remove the video.

For whatever reason, game companies are becoming more anxious to spill the beans before the big show. Maybe it's a "beat the leak" strategy. This practice generates tons of hype, but I'd imagine it could also competitive companies the upper hand.

You know what the biggest E3 surprise was for me? Tons of great looking games are coming out in the near future, spanning all genres, styles and platforms, so many that it's daunting. It really blows my mind that the modern gaming landscape truly has something for everyone, ranging from 200 plus player first person shooter MAG, all the way to an HD remake of arcade classic Turtles in Time.

Well enough about the show. Let's get to the games of E3.

Here are some of the titles that excited me the most. NOTE: I decided to only include games that were demoed live at the show (sorry Last Guardian!).

Bit Trip Core (Wii)

Three months ago, indie developer Gaijin Games released the terrific Bit Trip Beat on the Nintendo Wii. I was shocked that it's sequel, Bit Trip Core, was announced at E3 and that it's being release this summer. This is insanity: I haven't even beaten and reviewed the first game yet and the sequel is just weeks away.

Bit Trip Core retains the vintage hard-pixel aesthetic of BEAT, but changes the rhythm-pong game play up entirely in favor of a play style that is too mathematical for me to put in words (just watch the video).

Bit Trip Beat is one of the hippest and hardest games to come out this year. It's follow-up, Bit Trip Core looks to dish out more old-school sadistic fun to brave and patient Wii owners later this summer.

TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled (XBLA, PSN)

I poked fun at this game last week and I'm starting to regret some of the things I said. Since that post high quality footage of the game from E3 was shown and am glad to report that Turtles in Time Re-Shelled is not using the dreadful character designs from the CGI movie.

I was skeptical about the games visuals and new 8-way directional game play, but as of now, I'm totally sold. I'm eating crow and it's delicious!

Did I mention this game comes out July 22?

Alan Wake (XBOX 360)

People have been talking about this game for over four years. Before E3 the only think I knew about Alan Wake was that it was the newest game from Remedy, creators of Max Payne, and that the game's protagonist is a writer (I immediately thought of that spooky movie with the guy that played Alan Grant from Jurassic Park).

I was immensely impressed with the live demo shown during Microsoft's conference and instantly fell in love with the premise and setting. I have a hunch that Alan Wake will be one of Microsoft's more classy exclusives. Looks like Twin Peaks with a dash of Resident Evil 4. Yes please!

Split Second (XBOX 360, PS3,)

I hate Michael Bay movies but would love a Michael Bay arcade-style racer. Lucky for me Black Rock Studios is making one and it's called Split Second.

The premise is similar to Excite Trucks for Wii. You race around triggering"events" that alter the course in your favor by ways of terrain deformation, route shortcuts, and explosions that bury the competition under smoldering remnants of jetliners, flight towers, you name it.

This is a Disney game, so maybe they will let you tear through Disney World. I would give anything to see the silver golf ball from Epcot blow up in my rear view window.

Joy Ride (XBLA)

Who doesn't like Kart racers? Who doesn't like FREE?

Joy Ride is a free kart racer available to Xbox LIVE Gold members which lets players race around Chuck Jones inspired courses with their LIVE Avatars.

If this game turned out to be as fun as it looks I'd totally be up for spending a few dollars on additional tracks, levels, cars...Hey wait a minute. What happened to this being free!? It's all good.


The Beatles: Rock Band (Wii, XBOX 360, PS3)

Like a lot of people, over the last 3 years I was swept up in plastic guitar game fever. Recently I've fallen off the bandwagon (haha!) because, personally, I haven't been impressed with the songs included in the recent Rock Band and Guitar Hero games. Thank god that the good people at Harmonix are bringing the music of one of the worlds most cherished popular acts of all time to their popular band-sim franchise.

"Ladies and gentleman...The Beatles!"

Ringo Starr said it best during his surprise appearance alongside Sir Paul during the MS's E3 conference. "The game is great...The graphics are really great....and...We (The Beatles) were great!"

I, personally, cant wait to dig into that bass line on Taxman.

'Splosion Man (XBLA)

While everyone was flocking to a souped-up version of a Nintendo DS game for Wii (New Super Mario Bros.) another side scrolling platformer called 'Splosion Man showed at E3 that looks better, funnier, and more fresh than Nintendo's latest Mario cash-in.

This latest game from Twisted Pixel was announced on April Fool's Day. Lucky for us, they weren't kidding when they announced that the indie company's new game was all about 'splosions.

'Splosion Man is set to kick off 360's Summer of Arcade 2009.

Project Natal (XBOX 360)

I know. Project Natal is not a game per say, but I was still impressed by it's showing. I'm glad that instead of launching a brand new console, Microsoft is rebooting their existing one through this potentially revolutionary way of experiencing games by way of Natal's fancy shmancy 3D camera.

I'm not expecting this new way of playing games to replace traditional pad-based gaming and I'm sure that Microsoft isn't either. The prospect of being able to enjoy both something old and something new, all on the same box that I already have sitting in my living room is really exciting (in my opinion).

Much like the Nintendo was before the Wii launched, Microsoft is probably being a lofty with their ambitions with Natal and their "controller free" revolution, so expectations should be tempered accordingly.

The live demonstrations of Natal were rough, but you cant deny that they looked fun. That's all that matters right?

THANKS FOR PLAYING E3 2009'! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!

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E3 2009: Chris's Picks

I have to admit, I rode the 2009 E3 hype train pretty damned hard. All the promises from developers of massive game announcements - along with the general consensus from gaming media that this year's E3 was to be a return to the awesome blow-outs of years passed - had me pumped as hell for the event.

Now that it's all said and done, did E3 2009 deliver on the promises? Was it indeed a return to form?

Well, yes and no. Sure, there where big stages, plenty of ridiculously loud house music, lasers, fog, giant presentation screens and booth babes - but as far as the actual games go - it was less than what I had hoped. Though there was a good deal of exciting games shown at this year's E3, I can't help to feel slightly underwhelmed at the nearly total lack of surprises and frustrated at the unnecessary focus this year on "motion controls" and other silly peripherals. But hey, you're reading the Blast Heroes blog, you don't want to hear about let-downs, you want to know what's hot! So in the name of true-commando-positivity, let's talk about what titles are on my "must have" radar. This is in no way a complete list, just the some of the games that either surprised me, or look totally rad.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
This was one of the few shockers at E3 for me this year. In what is quickly becoming typical Japanese studio form, Konami has decided to out-source one of their few respectable IPs to a basically un-known western studio: Mercury Steam. Now normally, this would have me ready to dragon punch your mom in the face in a fit of blind rage, but there is a killer twist to this story that has me more than a little excited about this game. Hideo Kojima, one of the most talented visionaries in gaming, has taken the role of producer on the project - I repeat: Hideo-mother-f-ing-Kojima is working on the new Castlevania game!!! I hope-beyond-hope that Kojima is given as much control as possible on the project and that his already busy schedule doesn't keep him from investing the time that a full-blown-current-gen Castlevania deserves. Kojima is a master at creating memorable characters, interesting and immersive gameplay, thick atmosphere and most importantly, amazing boss fights: If he really applies himself, this game could be a masterpiece.

Judging from the E3 trailer for the title, Konami is clearly investing some cash into the project (they hired Patrick Stewart to do voice over work!) and production values seem to be through the roof. Although the trailer doesn't really look much like what I would expect from the franchise: 3d, no platforming, no Belmonts, and no freaking Dracula - I am hopeful that this game will properly bring the legacy of Castlevania to a new generation.

The Last Guardian
About a month ago, I wrote a hype-piece for a "leaked" demo reel of what was reported to be the new game from Team ICO: project Trico. At that time nothing had been confirmed from Sony or Team ICO as to whether or not this footage was the real deal - but all that has changed now that E3 is over - the Last Guardian ( a much better title than Trico I must say) is indeed the final chapter in the ICO trilogy.

At Sony's press conference they dropped a new trailer for the project; though it very much resembles the original tech demo, there are some significant graphical updates, as well as a bit of new gameplay footage thrown in. Obviously, I am really itching to see what adventures this game will take us on. Team ICO have what few game game developers do - style and artistic vision. There is a definite mood and emotional weight in their projects that set them apart from the pack. I am sure this games beautifully designed characters will pull at your heart strings from the very start all the way to what is sure to be a tragic end ( your days are numbered, huge monster dude.).I am almost shocked at how well the brief trailer illustrates the touching relationship between the boy and his giant monster companion. This one will be a must have for sure.

Modern Warfare 2
Alright, I need to start by saying something: don't judge me. I'm a bit ashamed to love a game like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as much as I do. The whole thing is a bit too patriotic, a bit too redneck, a bit too "Get-r-done." I guess the fact that I enjoy this game so much serves as a shinning testament to the incredible talents at Infinity Ward. The gunplay, set pieces, and storytelling in the original Modern Warfare sets the bar for all first person shooters to come.

The masters of the FPS craft are back in full swing with Modern Warfare 2 and if this trailer is any indication, they look like they are aiming to top the original game in every possible way. I have faith that the good ol' boys at Infinity Ward will deliver a game that is not only incredibly fun to play, but also incredibly politically biased.

Metal Gear: Rising
Rumors that a Metal Gear game would be making its way to the Xbox 360 have been floating around for a quite a while now, so Kojima's E3 announcement that he was working on a Metal Gear for microsofts system wasn't too big of a surprise. The news however, as to what type of game he was working on, did spice things up a bit. Apparently, the next Metal Gear will star the pretty-boy cyber-ninja: Raiden, and will be far more action-focused than previous installments ( I thought 4 was pretty action packed actually). Metal Gear: Rising is subtitled "Lightning Bolt Action" which is out-right goofy enough to actually sound sort of cool. At this point, I am thinking that this game will probably be more of a third person action title similar to the Ninja Gaiden series. Although that genre isn't necessarily my absolute favorite, I am excited to see where this new turn will take one of my favorite game series.

E3 2009 was for sure - much more of an event than the last few years. It's clear that the gaming industry is more of a money maker than ever. I guess that's why my expectations for lots of excellent games is set so high. Even though I would have liked to have really had my mind blown by a few unexpected announcements, there is still quite a bit to be excited about in the near future of games.

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Turtle's In Time Re-Shelled Pics: Asshole Turtles Confirmed

Joystiq has five pictures from the remake of arcade classic Turtle In Time, now titled TMNT: Turtles In Time Re-Shelled.

The pictures verify that our worst nightmare has come true: Like their recent CGI movie and Saturday morning counterparts, the Turtles in Re-Shelled looks like complete douche bags.

Gone our the sweet natured good boys from the early 90's, replaced by Red Bull chugging, walking reptilian hard-ons.

SIGH...

Oh well, at least they didn't desaturated the colors by 65%.

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E3 2009: Games We'd Hang Out With

So it's E3 time, and we here at Blast Heroes are having a hard time covering the big event.

You see, while there will be tons of cool games being shown at the big show, how many will we really REAALLY get jazzed for? Jazzed as in hyped, as in "I want to stay up all night playing this game then the next day at school, draw pictures of the game's weapons in the margins of my class notes".

Microsoft had a great conference today with the usual suspects on display.

There were plenty of plastic toys getting rolled-out (Tony Hawk: Ride, The Beatles: Rock Band) and enough gruff soldiers shooting baddies in the face to induce a trillion intergalactic space-boners.

Microsoft finally showed off their long-rumored motion-control interface, Project Natal, and it was surprisingly not horrible looking. On the contrary it actually looks really fun.

All in all, it was a great show, but I must say I was very disappointed that their wasn't a XBOX Live Arcade segment in Microsoft's presser. No, they save that for the luncheon afterwards.

Joystiq has the scoop on 2009's Summer of Arcade lineup, and although it doesn't looks as impressive as last years legendary roster of summer XBLA games, there is still plenty to get excited about.

Sony and Nintendo showcase their wares next. Stay tuned for more E3 commentary, live from our home computers in Middle America!

Isn't the internet grand?

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