News: Video Game Releases

This is where we put out some info about the games we think are going to be somewhere between decent and awesome that release today.  Typically we skip over the heavy hitters.  Sorry Call of Duty, but 8 million people usually already know about your release date.

House of the Dead Overkill Extended Cut – PS3

Buy on Amazon

Developed by Headstrong Games and developed by Sega.  This is the PS3 Move enabled version of the motherfucking awesome Wii game.  We apologize for using the f-bomb in our otherwise clean posts but this game demands it!  If you aren’t familiar, the game is basically a grindhouse flick rail shooter that’s incredibly vulgar and funny.  House of the Dead Overkill Extended Cut releases at $29.99.

 

Dance Central 2 – 360

Buy on Amazon

Developed and published by Harmonix for the 360 Kinect.  Dance Central 2 introduces co-operative play to the mix with a cast of new and old characters.  Pretty much our theory is the first one was ridiculous fun so the second one must be.  Also you can purchase all the tunes from the first game for $5.

 

Cursed Crusade – 360/PS3

Buy on Amazon

Developed by the relatively unknown Kylotonn and published by Atlus (everything that is good).  Cursed Crusade appears to be a violent combo driven co-op Crusade era action beat ’em up.  While the average gamer may be apprehensive about investing $60 into a new game from an unknown developer, note they won’t have to since it releases at $39.99.

 

Voltron – PSN/XBLA

Developed by THQ and Behaviour Interactive.  Truth be told, we think this game is going to be absolutely terrible but we love giant robits!  The game is up to 5 player co-op and the trailer we linked below has some of the original US cartoon’s Peter Cullen (aka Optimus Prime) narration.  But its only going to cost $10!  That’s like the cost of a bad movie in the theater!  So form the blazing sword, wonder what the heck happened to Lance cause that sure looked like a funeral, and go Voltron force!  

Afterhours Podcast 1

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Featuring John “MusiM” and Scott “Artisan002”.

Music by MusiM.  Buy the new album at musim.bandcamp.com.  Background music if you can hear it by Miles Davis.

Welcome to the first occasional podcast of the Carousel Afterhours, where we just without any sort of plan or intention or limitation but with alcoholic consumption.  If this gets released on any sort of regular basis, it’ll be on every other Friday evening.  Topics covered include Catherine, Cursed Crusade, Gears of War 3, Rage, Borderlands, Halo Reach,  Battlefield 3, Dark Souls, Demon’s Souls, Atlus, Rage, Ruin, Playstation Vita, Uncharted Golden Abyss, Apple, Android, iPhone, iPad, WiiU, AT&T, Sony, Nintendo, Microsoft, Dragon’s Crown, Irrational Games, Move, Kinect, Mass Effect 3, Brink, Modern Warfare 3, Michael Bay, Transformers, Man of Steel, Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, Google, and Scott goes pretty far down the tech rabbit hole.

Microsoft E3 Press Conference

So here are some notes and thoughts on the Microsoft press event which maybe come across more as the end result of a live blog.
  • Mass Effect 3 gets Kinect’s voice control.  Read the conversation option out loud and that’s the selection made.  The battle command controls look pretty cool giving the ability the ability to shout orders to team mates.  Sucks that the basic Kinect dashboard voice commands don’t work for my voice.  I know it works for the rest of the internet and it works for Suzy, but its never worked for me.  Because of that I have no confidence that Mass Effect 3 will work for my voice so I’m not moving away from the PC version.  On top of this, what is there goal here?  Anyone who has played Mass Effect on another platform isn’t going to abandon their saves.  Will this get more people to buy Kinect?  I doubt it.  But then again it might give those us who have dubbed Kinect the Dance Central machine another thing to do with it.  Either way, when they come out with that Mass Effect collection for 360 is when I’ll get to find out.
  • Ghost Recon Future Solider Kinect Enabled looks massively confusing to me.  Google Motion Control anyone?
  • I was hoping there would be more information on TV coming to the 360 than a commercial with people sitting on their couch who obviously don’t use their Kinect for motion control.  No way that was 8 feet!  Either way, the appeal of TV coming to platforms for me isn’t that it will be live (which was announced), but that it will be a distribution service and selectable.  I want to watch Castle when I want to watch it, not when a TV programmer decides when I can.  Maybe live TV is a first step toward this, I don’t know.  I’m also curious if there will be any subscription fees for separate services or if we’re looking at an Xbox Platinum  membership.
  • Man Cliffy B sure knows his audience with Gears 3.  Brings out Ice T and announces Body Count is back for an exclusive song for Gears 3 Horde Mode.  ‘Nuff said!
  • Halo remake (which we already knew) but what we didn’t know was 7 classic updated maps for multiplayer.  Do I hear a hell yes from Halo fans?
  • Minecraft coming to 360 and Kinect.  Lot of people will probably be happy about that.
  • I died a little inside when the kids playing the Disney game said “fist bump”.
  • Star Wars Kinect.   Its a rail shooter with voice activated lightsaber.  The combat appears to mostly involve flailing with the ability to hop in real life which causes the character to jump to the back of the opponent.  And the game appears to happen mostly during the first three episodes of Star Wars (as in not 4, 5, and 6).
  • Lots of Kinect Enabled games.  A little disappointing for those of us who like using controllers.  Some of the games look like they’ll be fun and some look like they do not get motion control at all.  The real question is will Microsoft keep faith with the hardcore gamer or go the Nintendo route with an occasional Halo or Gears.  Money talks and Kinect has sold A LOT.
  • Dance Central 2.  Funny part is probably half the audience knows the dances that the stage people are doing now.  And finally co-op!  By the end of this I’m just going have to have a Kinect room in my house.
  • Yup, Halo 4 for 2012.  Saw that coming.

Turn 34 – They took our jerbs!

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Featuring John “MusiM” and Suzy “Specter”

Music: Untitled tracks by MusiM

This weeks starts a new trend where we discuss videogames and movies.

Video game related topics include Kinect, Dance Central, Sony Move, Deus Ex, Assassin’s Creed, Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Assassin’s Creed Legacy, and Torchlight.  Movie, anime, and TV related topics include Full Metal Alchemist, Trinity Blood, Robot Jox, Assault on Precinct 13, The Dungeonmaster, and Doll House.

Turn 27 – Video Game Mods

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Featuring John “MusiM”, Justyn, and Joe aka WineMakerJoe.

Music: Untitled by MusiM;

This week we discuss modding of all shapes and sizes, from user created content in Valve games to Halo Forge to Bethesda to Bioware to Rom edits.  Listen and enjoy!

 

Links:

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=ticket_to_hell

Turn 26 – Robots have feelings too

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Featuring John “MusiM” and Suzy “Specter”.

Music: Untitled by MusiM;

This week its a menagerie of topics primarily centered around video games but also dipping into comics and movies.

On videogames we discuss Vanquish, Shining Tears, Shining Force Neo, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Final Fantasy 6, Fallout: New Vegas, Game Dev Story, Shadow of the Colossus, Chibi-Robo, Costume Quest, Metal Saga, and Shining Tears.

And in other we discuss Atomic Robo, IDW and Darkhorse on Buffy and Angel, Kinect, Playstation Rewards, and a new Silent Hill movie.

Turn 20 – Halo: Reach (around)


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Featuring John “MusiM” Beauchamp, Artisan “Scott”, and Stretch “Stretched”.

Music: Intro – Untitled by MusiM; Outro – Ages by MusiM (available for purchase on Itunes, CDBaby, and listentomusim.com by itself or on the album “Stories”)

This week we discuss the Vanquish demo, the Dead Space 2 Multiplayer beta, Halo: Reach, Casshern (anime and movie), and Kinect.

Turn 6: E3 and The Evil Eye

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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Featuring John “MusiM”, Justyn, Scott, and our special guest Stretch.

Music: Intro – Untitled by MusiM; Middle and Outros – “Idle Tides” by MusiM

This week its all about E3 and we talked so much about it we split it into two episodes for your convenience. We start out talking about the Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony presenteations for part 1. In part 2 we talk about all the games we’re looking forward to and yes, there are a TON. Enjoy!

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