Archive for the ‘Games’ Category

31 Jul

Welcome To LCOM

Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Lists. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Also known as Local Co-op Month, or The Best Acronym I Could Think Of For August.

The last month of our Australian winter, which starts tomorrow, is rarely the domain of many exciting videogame launches. It’s traditionally the last moment of quiet before the likes of FIFA begin to ring in the year’s most gigantic holiday releases. However, if you happen to be a fan of getting a bunch of mates round for some good old fashioned couch co-operative sessions on your favourite gaming system, you have plenty of reasons to be excited for this August. There are more local friendship-destroyers launching in 2013’s eighth month than you can shake a pair of controllers at, which comes as quite a lovely lump sum following the relative drought of such titles throughout the first half of the year. I’ve listed the promising eight I know of in this very article.

This probably isn’t even all of them; I wouldn’t be surprised if I missed a Steam game or two. Continue reading →

11 Jul

Game Review: Game & Wario

Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Wii U. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

My first-ever Wii U review! Starting now there will be at least one exclusive Nintendo-published game worth playing, at least in theory, released for the content-starved console each month until year’s end. Is this one of those? Uh, well…

-◊-◊-◊-◊-
Platform: Wii U
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Rating: G
-◊-◊-◊-◊-

That devious entrepreneur wants to charge $80 for this.

That devious moustachioed entrepreneur wants to charge $80 for this.

.
Games.
.

The Wii U needs them. Pretty badly. Barring Lego City Undercover and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate back in March, admittedly both good titles, there has been a whole lot of nothing released for the console since December last year. But starting with Game & Wario, the gaming giant is set to release a relatively steady stream of quality leading all the way up to Christmas. Whether you enjoy Game & Wario will depend on whether you think it’s worth paying full price for a game that packs just as much fun and imaginative content as it does dull and lifeless “ideas”.

Continue reading →

4 Jul

Crossing Some Line

Posted by vagrantesque in 3DS, Games. Tagged: , , , , , .

Almost every single day since it launched in Australia on June 15th, I have played some Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

A lot of Animal Crossing: New Leaf, rather.

I really shouldn’t check my Activity Log to find out exactly how many hours. The number may horrify me.

In any case, one of the coolest of many new additions to this latest iteration in the Beetle Animal Crossing franchise is the ability to save a screenshot at any time, which to the best of my knowledge is unique among 3DS games thus far.

So here are some screenshots from my town, Egopolis, because it’s a lot quicker than writing my thoughts on the game in a couple thousand word essay.

This is me. Come to my town. It'll be fun, I promise.

This is me. Come to my town. It’ll be fun, I promise.

It rains a bit.

It rains a bit.

Rockin' it.

Rockin’ it.

My house and front yard, thanks to the magic of QR code design downloads.

My house and front yard, thanks to the magic of QR code design downloads.

Continue reading →

26 Jun

Game Review: The Last of Us

Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PS3. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

So many zombies on screens at the moment!

-◊-◊-◊-◊-
Platform: PS3
Developer: Naughty Dog
Rating: R18+
-◊-◊-◊-◊-

I didn't have a regular case for the game.

I didn’t have a regular case for the game.

.
This is it.
.

Despite its expansive slate of rock-solid console exclusive franchises, blu-ray disc capabilities, the amazing benefits of Playstation Plus and the otherworldly, standalone magnificence of Journey, The Last of Us is in my opinion the most convincing reason yet, and perhaps ever, to own a Playstation 3. Super developer Naughty Dog have crafted a masterful blend of visuals, sound and affective storytelling that exceeds its highly acclaimed previous efforts thanks to some wonderfully balanced gameplay.

Continue reading →

15 Jun

The Last of the New Leaves

Posted by vagrantesque in 3DS, Games, PS3.

thelastofnewleaf

We are now halfway through this incredible, bountiful month of June and I’ve gotta tell ya, it’s moments like these that make me glad I play videogames.

Within hours I’ll be carefully stalking around corners in tattered clothes I’ve been wearing for weeks, desperately avoiding the gaze of stragglers as I scavenge through an overgrown landscape ravaged by time, stealing what I need to survive without care for the consequences.

Oh, and also playing The Last of Us.

15 Jun

Game Review: Remember Me

Posted by vagrantesque in Games, PC, PS3, Xbox 360. Tagged: , , , , , .

I’m in d-d-d-danger, Pinocchio…

-◊-◊-◊-◊-
Platform: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Developer: DONTNOD
Rating: M
-◊-◊-◊-◊-

Yes, that is the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Yes, that is the Eiffel Tower in the background.

.
I won’t forget.
.

The general internet consensus on Remember Me hasn’t been too kind. The conveniently pun-tastic line that the game is “forgettable” dominates many sites and forums. However, with some caveats, I beg to differ. The game does have the misfortune of releasing very close to the excellent The Last of Us and, yes, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad game. Remember Me may be a rather flawed videogame experience, but it packs enough memorable moments to be worth a play.
Continue reading →

11 Jun

Conference Call 2013

Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Lists. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Another year, another round-up, another desperate relationship with sleep.

What an exciting Electronic Entertainment Expo. If you ask me the 2013 major publishing conferences were the most interesting, surprising and, in at least one case, outright brutal I have seen for a long, long time. Wow.

Just as I did last year, I’ve broken down and ranked each conference from least to most impressive in my own opinion. Of course each company just showed so very many games that I cannot possibly hope to remember them all, so please keep that in mind. I will say that even though last year I placed Ubisoft on top of the list, this year’s EA conference (which is ranked lowest here) would have given that purple French showcase a real run for its money. 2013 was just that good for E3 conferences.

Continue reading →

7 Jun

Retrocity

Posted by vagrantesque in 3DS, Games, Wii U. Tagged: , , , , , , .

To think I have the nerve to call myself a Nintendo fan.

I’ve never played either of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle games.

Also, I’ve never played Super Metroid.

And, uh, um, I’ve never played Super Mario World.

012115sad_mario

Yeah, I know, I know.

And by that what I mean to say is, I hadn’t played them until very recently.

You see, there’s this console called the Wii U that Nintendo released at the end of last year. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. It hasn’t had a lot of games released for it in the last several months (that’s an understatement) and I haven’t used it much, but it did recently unveil its new online Virtual Console service, which does give Wii U owners some actual content to enjoy. Old content, sure, but content nonetheless.

So, starved of reasons to pick up my Wii U gamepad, I had the best excuse I’ve ever had to delve into those two critically untouchable supposed gems of the Super Nintendo era: Super Mario World and Super Metroid. I downloaded the pair for the grand total of ten dollars and seventy cents. I played them.

And my self-worth as a Nintendo fan plummeted.

Continue reading →

4 Jun

SLE3P IS FOR THE WEAK

Posted by vagrantesque in Games. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Another year has passed and we are once again on the doorstep of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. One week left!

For those Sydneysiders and Melbournians (etc) who are keen to watch the conferences but can’t be bothered looking up and cross-referencing time zones to work out when they have to get up, I’ve written them up right here. Look no further!

All times are in AEST.
.

JUNE 7TH 3am –
KONAMI (pre-E3)
THEY WILL TALK ABOUT: Metal Gear Solid V, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014.
I HOPE THEY TALK ABOUT: The fact that David Hayter will actually be voicing Snake again and that Pro Evo no longer has exclusive rights to the J-League. Fat chance.
.

JUNE 11TH 2am – 4am
MICROSOFT
THEY WILL TALK ABOUT: Plenty of games for Xbox One, some current-gen stuff and some casual stuff no-one cares about.
I HOPE THEY TALK ABOUT: Price, release date and launch game confirmations for Xbox One, clarifying information on preowned games and always-online functionality.

.

JUNE 11TH 6am – 7am
EA
THEY WILL TALK ABOUT: Battlefield 4, plenty of EA Sports titles and their lucrative new Star Wars game license.
I HOPE THEY TALK ABOUT: A new Star Wars: Battlefront game. Oh please please please let this happen.

.

JUNE 11TH 8am – 9am
UBISOFT
THEY WILL TALK ABOUT: Watch_Dogs, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Splinter Cell: Blacklist.
I HOPE THEY TALK ABOUT: When we’ll finally get to play South Park: The Stick of Truth. This year.

.

JUNE 11TH 11am – 1pm
SONY
THEY WILL TALK ABOUT: What the PS4 console actually looks like, Killzone Shadowfall, Infamous Second Son and the gang.
I HOPE THEY TALK ABOUT: The unveiling of Final Fantasy XV and a new Gravity Rush sequel on Vita.

.

JUNE 12TH 12 midnight –
NINTENDO (via Nintendo Direct Broadcast)
THEY WILL TALK ABOUT: Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, Zelda Wind Waker HD, a new 3D Mario platformer, new Mario Kart, new Smash Bros
I HOPE THEY TALK ABOUT: The new Wii U Zelda title, a new Advance Wars for 3DS, Lloyd Irving playable in Smash Bros. All unlikely.

30 May

What a Wonderful Month, Again

Posted by vagrantesque in Games, Lists, Movies. Tagged: , .

Every one of these days is going to offer so very, very much.

About a year ago I sung the praises of the month of June right here on Vagrant Rant, mentioning a handful of promising entertainment media releases releasing that month that made it a truly exciting time to be a fan of movies and videogames. Well, quite frankly, the 2013 edition of June smashes the 2012 version on promise alone. My word, look at just ten of the things that will be available to us this month (in chronological order): Continue reading →

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »