GAMING TREND

by gamers, for gamers

Wanna reach back? No…further than that. I’m talking WAY back. What if asked you…”WHO WANTS SOME WANG?!” – would that trigger a flood of adolescent memories? Well then I have the announcement of the day – Lo Wang is making a comeback! Developer Flying Wild Hogs (of Hard Reset fame) and Devolver Digital (Serious Sam) are coming together to bring us back to the world of crazy arcade-shooters. If you are entirely too young to remember what Shadow Warrior is, here’s a little primer:

Read more on Who wants some Wang? Shadow Warrior returns this Fall…

Remember the announcement trailer for the trailer for ? Well now we have the trailer that the other trailer announced! The trailer gives us a good look at the game but also announces that if you pre-order the game you’ll get Deathstroke as a playable character in the challenge mode for the game. Here’s a nibble about the game as well as about Deathstroke himself:

Read more on Batman: Arkham Origins trailer and screens, Deathstroke preorder bonus…

Recently I got the opportunity to take a level and a half of The Last of Us out for a spin in the comfort of my own home, away from PR and free to experience it as you, the reader would.   Taking control of Joel, we appear to be on the outskirts of the city of Lincoln. The objective is simple – Joel’s sometime-friend Bill owes him some favors, and if they can safely reach him he might be able to get what they so desperately need – a vehicle to ferry them cross country to help Ellie reach the Fireflies, a resistance group that can help her.

Read more on Hands-on with The Last of Us…

There are plenty of games that get a handheld version of their console brethren, but I can’t think of a time where it has gone the other direction until now.  Resident Evil Revelations came out on the Nintendo 3DS in early 2012, and a little over a year later we have a chance to check it out on the PlayStation 3, the Wii U, and the PC (it’s also out on Xbox 360).  We’ve seen portable versions of larger console titles be successful, but could it work in reverse?

Read more on Resident Evil Revelations…

Developers from Blizzard Entertainment released a video last week that further reveals their plans for the upcoming Playstation 4 port of Diablo 3. Production Director John Hight, Lead Designer Joshua Mosqueira, and Senior Designer Jason Bender discuss their favorite features of the console version of the game.

Read more on Details concerning Diablo 3 port to Playstation 4…

I can tell you the exact moment my opinions on Metro: Last Light crystallized. As I was making my way through subway system beneath a bombed out Moscow, I found I had to sneak through a Communist-occupied station. As I avoided detection by stalking through shadows and–I’m not ashamed to admit it—by knifing a few Reds, I came to a brightly lit hallway. Maybe it was the lateness of the hour? Maybe I was tired?  Who knows.  But for some reason I thought it would be a good idea to go through the light instead of searching for an alternate route. As I’m walking down the hallway I hear a Russian voice behind me quizzically ask “Who the fuck are you?” Instinctively, I whipped around and sent a knife flying into the Commie’s throat. I waited for the inevitable avalanche of heavily armed and armored Red soldiers to fall on me…except it never came. It struck me then that the guard hadn’t had time to alert anybody.  That was it.  That was the moment when I realized how much Kiev-based 4A Games had improved upon its debut effort, Metro 2033.

Read more on A Beacon in the Dark–Metro: Last Light review…

Reports are coming in from multiple sources that Trion Worlds has laid off  approximately 100 people from their Defiance development team. The RIFT team suffered similar layoffs in December, but that team was not affected by this round.

Read more on Layoffs at Trion Worlds…

A new dashboard update is coming to your Xbox 360, in an attempt to become more uniform with the current Windows Live Tiles layout used in other Windows products, according to an article at The Verge.  Many of the changes will be in the look and feel of the dashboard, and are coming as a jumping-off point of sorts for users looking to transition to the upcoming next-gen Xbox console.  However, one big change is coming along with the update, and it’s a good one:  The death kneel of the greedy Microsoft Points system.

Read more on Microsoft to end use of Microsoft Points with upcoming dashboard update…

Late last week I got the chance to travel to lovely San Francisco to pay egregious parking fees and visit with Ubisoft to talk about their free to play loot grinder: the Mighty Quest for Epic Loot.  Still in closed alpha, Might Quest is a lighthearted, jaunty dungeon crawler that mixes attack and defense in some interesting ways.

Read more on An Epic Start to a a Mighty Quest…

The second of three Developer Diaries for the upcoming NHL 14 has been released, giving awaiting fans of the franchise a look at the updated graphics, physics, and animations, as well as a taste of improved gameplay through the implementation of One-Touch Dekes.

Read more on Improved physics, animations, showcased in latest NHL 14 Developer Diary…

Andrew Prokhorov, the creative director of 4A Games, came out with a statement yesterday in response to semi-criticism from former THQ president Jason Rubin, who wrote a detailed report exposing subpar working conditions after making a visit to 4A’s studio in Kiev, Ukraine.

Read more on Rough conditions at 4A Games’ Ukrainian headquarters draws scrutiny, evokes pride amidst Metro: Last Light release…

Not a whole lot to see here today, as Nintendo has released a few more specifics about some games that will be releasing for 3DS and Wii U this summer.

Nintendo showed off some video of the upcoming Sonic and Mario Winter Olympics game for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. They also announced an exclusive deal with Sega for the exclusive next installment of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.

Read more on Summer line-up detailed for Nintendo through Direct video…