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Lollipop Chainsaw was definitely the hottest game at this weekend’s PAX East expo. Between the lengthy line to play a demo, the awesome foam chainsaws available at the booth, and a cosplaying cheerleader that showed so much skin she was removed from the show floor, everyone was trying to sit in the back of WB’s bus. But what about the demo?
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Round Three of the Madden NFL 13 cover vote is complete and the final four has emerged. Semifinal voting will run from today until April 18 as these players vie for your votes:
Left Bracket
Cam Newton (#1) vs Patrick Willis (#11)
Right Bracket
Aaron Rodgers (#1) vs Calvin Johnson (#6)
Both of the top seeds still remain and both are competing against some surprising opponents as we near the end. The 11th-ranked Patrick Willis has had the kind of run that Peyton Hillis had last year. A dedicated fanbase pushed him to the finals, which eventually pushed him over the top against the divisive Michael Vick. Johnson is less of a surprise as he was far and away the best wide receiver in the league last year, but anytime Rob Gronkowski gets bested, it’s a surprise.
But I would be surprised if either man makes it to the finals. Those two positions are reserved for Newton and Rodgers, I guarantee it.
Two thirds of today’s Xbox Live Arcade update will look very familiar to anyone who spied what Sony added to their online service late last night. So let’s start with those first.
Skullgirls is 2D fighter designed with a “Dark Deco” art style. It’s priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15):
Skullgirls is a fast-paced 2D fighting game that puts you in control of fierce warriors in a Dark Deco world. All-new game systems test the skills of veteran fighting game fans while also making the genre enjoyable and accessible to newcomers. A modern take on classic arcade fighters with a hand-drawn high-definition twist, Skullgirls is a one-of-a-kind, action-packed competition complete with awesome combos and an intriguing backstory.
Also available on the XBLA today after it’s PSN debut yesterday is World Gone Sour, a sidescrolling adventure where the Sour Patch Kid at the center of the story wants to get eaten. It carries a rather sweet price of 400 Microsoft Points ($5):
Based on the popular “Sour Then Sweet” candy Sour Patch Kids, World Gone Sour takes players on a journey from the perspective of a lost piece of candy finding its way to its ultimate destination – the human stomach. Gamers take on the role of a miniature Sour Patch Kid in a stylized human-sized world, guiding the hero through unique locations such as the sticky floors of a movie theatre and a concession stand counter. Joining forces with fellow lost Sour Patch Kids, players use a combination of jumps, twists and puzzle-solving to overcome larger than life obstacles.
Finally, we’ve got The Splatters. Priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), The Splatters is an action-puzzler where blobs of goo try to explode themselves in the most stylish way possible:
The Splatters are acrobatic masters with a unique death wish – to blow themselves up with style! In this award winning action-puzzler, you will unlock and master a variety of stunts and perform spectacular moves to clear out each stage in the most show-stopping way possible. With its fast-paced, splattery liquid physics engine you’ll never play the same way twice. And using Splatter TV, an in-game feature for sharing game clips, you’ll pick up a ton of new moves as you watch the world’s top players perform their jaw-dropping combos. It’s a messy, vibrant show of skill and splattery destruction. Life’s short. DIE WITH STYLE.
There might be few of you out there who have read the reviews of all the playable games at PAX East, and all of the interviews with the hot developers of the moment, but are wondering what the PAX experience was like for the unwashed masses without a shiny press pass. Allow me to paint you a picture with words, if you will, which might help you determine if you wanna spend the ducats to go to this crazy thing sometime.
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Sony pushed out a massive update to the PlayStation Store yesterday. In addition to a huge assortment of new PlayStation Plus freebies and discounts, the consolemaker has added a half dozen games to their downloadable network including…
You can hit the break for more detailed information on all of these titles. And be sure to visit the PlayStation Blog for more on all of this week’s Plus bonuses and new game add-ons.
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Were you looking forward to Resident Evil 6 before today? If so, Capcom just gave you a dozen more reasons to be excited at their Captivate 2012 event.
The biggest news to lurch out of the show is that Resident Evil 6 will be released almost two months earlier than expected. Previously pegged with a November 20 release date, the game will now launch on October 2. The PC version will still release sometime after the PS3/Xbox 360 version.
We also now know the previously unnamed mercenary is Jake Muller. But he’s also known as the son of Albert Wesker. Oh, and Muller (with an adult Sherry Birkin at his side) is being hunted by Ada Wong because of his “special blood.” With Leon S. Kennedy and Chris Redfield also running around in separate (but eventually interwoven) storylines, it’s like a Resident Evil reunion!
Resident Evil 6 will introduce the C-Virus, a new version of Umbrella’s deadly experiments that will create zombies who can run, jump, and use weapons. Some people exposed to the C-Virus will mutant further into a “Chrysalide” stage that spawns a “horrific creature” after a short metamorphosis.
More horrific than Nemesis? Get out of here!
Perpare to bundle up, the Lost Planet series is bringing back the ice and snow of the original game in Lost Planet 3. Announced as part of Capcom’s Captivate 2012 event, Lost Planet 3 is being developed by Spark Unlimited and will be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in early 2013.
The game will put players in the giant metal boots of Jim, “a utility rig pilot who has left Earth to take on a hazardous, but lucrative, contract on E.D.N. III.” Like the first two games, most of Lost Planet 3 will take place in third-person on-foot battles against the alien Akrid, but players will also climb aboard Jim’s utility rig for some first-person action.
Lost Planet 3 will dump the proprietary MT Framework engine that powered the first two games. Instead, Spark has opted for an Unreal Engine 3 environment. This new engine will also power a new set of multiplayer modes, which will be revealed at a later date.
A couple of weeks ago, a rumour spread like wildfire across the Internet, proclaiming that the next iteration of Microsoft’s Xbox console would have no optical disc drive (a similar rumour cropped up about the PS4/Orbis last week as well). Many wrote it off as idle speculation, although a minority seemed not only to believe the rumour as truth but welcome the news. Those who debunked the rumours cited the fact that the last console war between Sony and Microsoft was not actually about the consoles themselves, but the medium their respective consoles used. It seemed Sony had learned its lessons in its past defeats in format wars, from Betamax to Minidisc, with Blu-ray winning the battle against the slightly inferior HD-DVD for dominance in the home movie market. The suggestion now is that Microsoft would now have to kneel down and pucker up to Sony’s Blu-rimmed hole if it wished to brand their next console as a home entertainment system, and their strategy with the Xbox 360 would suggest as much.
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