The Casual Gamers Corner
The Wednesday News Report 05.05.04
Let’s get this thing rolling with THE NEWS
Rumor Confirmed: Tekken 5 to be at E3
You heard about it in The Rumor Down-Lo and it’s now Tekken 5 is confirmed. A week ahead of E3 Namco has released a list of all the games they plan on showing at the event, here’s their full line up:
Ace Combat 5
Tekken 5
Xenosaga Episode II
Dead to Rights II
Time Crisis: Crisis Zone
Tales of Symphonia
Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2
Street Racing Syndicate
Death by Degrees
Ghosthunter
Baten Kaitos
The Adversary
Taiko Drum Master
After looking at the whole list screw Tekken 5, Ace Combat baby! Nothing on that list made me as excited as seeing some news on the next Ace Combat game which I’m pre-salivating over. Stay tuned to 411games for more info from the staff that will be sending in updates live from E3. The lucky bastards.(credit goes to Gamesradar and Misha for giving me the heads up
More E3 News: Lucasarts to showcase KOTOR sequel
Lucasarts will be spearheading their E3 display with the sequel to the popular Xbox RPG game Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic called Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. The sequel will not be developed by Bioware who created the first game, the game is going to be made by Obsidian Entertainment who have licensed the game engine from Bioware.
From their press release:
Marin County, Calif. — May 4, 2004 — LucasArts today announced its official 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) lineup, which features Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the follow-up title to last year’s award-winning role-playing game. The original KOTOR┞¢ was released in 2003 and earned widespread acclaim throughout the interactive industry, including more than 35 “Game of the Year” awards. The Sith Lords will be officially unveiled at E3 2004 and will be released for the Xbox video game system from Microsoft and for the PC in February 2005.
Details about the game:
Five years after the events from the award winning Knights of the Old Republic, the Sith Lords have hunted the Jedi to the edge of extinction and are on the verge of crushing the Old Republic. With the Jedi Order in ruin, the Republic’s only hope is a Jedi Knight struggling to reconnect with the Force and is faced with the galaxies most dire decision: To follow the light or succumb to the dark side”¦
(credit goes to Lucasarts.com)
Even More E3 News-Part 2: Champions of Norrath Sequel will be shown at E3
Champions of Norrath: Return to Arms will also be on display at E3. Like I said in my review of the game, with a much better storyline, less glitches and a better online set up the original game could’ve been the best hack ‘n slash game available on a video game console. The sequel has the chance to be that game and I look forward to see how that game will turn out. I’m not getting my hopes that far up after the press release about the game claims it will continue the engrossing storyline of the first game though. Details of the story in the next game mention that the evil God you vanquish in the last game, Innoruuk, has been resurrected by his followers. Come on, you mean we got to do the same thing over again?
There are also plenty of good details about the game including even more items, spells, 2 more playable characters, the highest level is now 80, and you’ll be able to import characters over from the first game.
(credit goes to gamespot.com and SOE )
Christians Crazy Game Releases
Please note that the dates listed below are the ship dates and are subject to change. Call your local gamestore ahead of time to double check that the game is in stock as it can be several days from the release date till they get the game. In fact call them over and over again, I heard they like that ;)
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May 3
Red Dead Revolver (P2, XB)
May 4
ESPN Major League Baseball (P2)
EURO 2004 (P2)
Future Tactics: The Uprising (GC, P2, XB)
Rallisport Challenge 2 (XB)
Samurai Warriors (P2)
Shrek 2 (GC, GBA, P2, XB)
Strike Force Bowling (P2, XB)
Syphon Filter: The Omega Strain (P2)
Transformers (P2)
May 7
Van Helsing (GBA, P2)
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Christian-After a small week last week (it seems to be running in two week cycles), the releases are strong this week. Early reviews on Syphon Filter aren’t as good as I was hoping, but Transformers was surprisingly strong as a third person shooter ala Metal Arms. Van Helsing will do well, as will Rallisport Challenge 2, Red Dead Revolver and Samurai Warriors. Shrek may take off after the movie is released though.
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Matt- Yay! Red Dead Revolver! I keep expecting this game to be delayed again like every other game I’ve been looking forward to recently. I have no idea whatever happened to Dinosaur Hunting, Pure Pinball gets bumped a week every week, but this game actually came out! I liked the original Syphon Filter and like the commercial for the new one so I’ll be checking that out sometime. Transformers actually looks like it is a good game. There’s a good variety of stuff out there this week.
Cheap Cheap Sweep
Retrocon controller only $13.50 at Curcuit City
And Alex Lucard put up a deal on about getting a free game with NBA Ballers here.
Always visit CheapAssGamer.com for good deals.
The Hype Machine
Haven’t really mentioned anything Midway related in a week so this should make up for it:
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
Platform: PS2, Xbox
Current Release Date: 06/17/2004
Here’s what midway.com has about the game:
Your most powerful weapon is your mind in Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, an action/adventure game that utilizes extensive Psi (mind) powers combined with traditional weapons combat, providing gamers with unique gameplay attributes that clearly differentiate it from any other title in the action/adventure genre.
In order to combat a Psi terrorist movement set to overthrow world order, you, as an elite American Psi-operative soldier, must fight using Telekinesis, Mind Control, Pyrokinesis, Mind Drain, Aura View and Remote Viewing to win a very serious “mind game” against an army of brainwashed terrorist super soldiers and powerful Psi agents.
Features include:
-Fast paced action with strategic decision making and challenging puzzles. Most of the game will focus on action (around 80%) and will be light on puzzle solving (20%).
-There will be an assortment of weapons to use other than your mind powers in the game. The mind powers can be used in conjunction with the weapons to create different results.
-50 minutes of FMV will carry the story through the game.
-Eight large levels.
-Adaptive enemy AI
-More than one way of solving a mission with multiple non-linear paths to chose from.
Midway surprised the hell out of me with The Suffering and I hope that I’ll be surprised again with Psi-Ops. I good action game where you can use psychic powers could be awesome, but will it be? Time will tell.
Pimps Up, Links Down
News and Rumor Columns
It’s baaaaaaaaaaaack. Even if it’s just a one last time sort of thing, who cares? It’s here! The Rumor Down-Lo from Bebito Jackson. I don’t think I’m the one who wrote the email in the opener, but the scary thing is”¦it could be me. I loves me some Down-Lo. And to get the pleas for more rolling ‘One more time! One more time!’.
The Unholy Alliance of Misha and Marvin are back with The Hitchhikers Guide to Video Games. Honestly, I really wish there was something like The Playing Fields around here. There’s always Gameworks”¦but that is an unholy place run by hellspawn.
Cory Laflin reveals my well kept secret”¦I am a nine year old girl, but you can pretend I said 18. Matt is really short for Mattina : ) No I’m not really before some of you pervs start sending me emails asking if I’m single. And just for that comment you don’t get to see the batcave.
One thing he did get me on is I really meant to have the tagline to the Destruction Derby Arenas review say ‘More fun than being in a car wreck”¦.but just barely’ but I was heavily inebriated while writing the review (and coincidently had a Gamer’s Hangover the next day). That was after I had edited the thing twice to fix some of the content. Cory talks about E3, Penn and Teller, the Bible, and promises some MST3King(Yay!).
In Thank God It’s Thursday Bryan Berg speaks about his promise to never rush a news report again. I make no such promises, hell this report was rushed in order to finish a review. He also talks about the Xbox Next, ESPN Football 2005, Narc and more.
DO pedophile jokes get old? Let’s see:
Q: What’s a pedophiles favorite part of a Hockey game?
A: Before the first period.
Um”¦..let’s move on”¦.
Columns
Know what else is back? The newest A Thumb To The Eye column from Chuck Platt! He lists reasons why he was gone for a month that include two of my favorite things in the world. Guess which ones?
Retrograding Mailbag time and I am still confused as to what is so good about Beyond Good and Evil. For those who might be confused about the review system here go and read the second half of this.
The Angy Gamer Liquidcross is dead on why I hate director cuts and special editions. I didn’t buy the Kill Bill Vol. 1 movie because I know they’re going to release another goddamn version with more features when the second one goes to DVD. As a fan of the GTA series”¦I’m cringing already for whatever he’ll say when San Andreas is released.
Reviews
Destruction Derby Arenas from Me. Lowest score I’ve given to a game so far.
Shining Soul 2 done by Alex Lucard.
Misc
And of course pimps go to Eric S. Was there something I missed about a meat scare? A grocery store near me had an unbelievable deal for ground beef, they where practically begging for people to buy some.
Also pimps out to Dave Gagnon because his column proves not ALL Canadiens are bad. Just most of them.
That’s it folks, zip it up and zip it out!