Enslaved – Odyssey to the West Review (X360)

Back in the first few months following the launch of Sony’s PS3, a game called Heavenly Sword caught my attention. Its combination of Hollywood talent, top-notch animation and the action adventure genre has kept it high on my “if I had a PS3”-list for about three years now. So when I found out that Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory was developing their next game for Xbox360 as well, I was immediately intrigued. At Gamescom in Cologne, I got a hands-on preview of Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and came away thinking this could be a gem in the making. This past Friday saw the release of the game and this is my review of it, having played all the way through the game’s 14 chapters. Continue reading “Enslaved – Odyssey to the West Review (X360)”

Peter Molyneux on Fable 3

Just after he wrapped up his presentation on the upcoming Fable 3, I had the opportunity to have a one on one chat with the man whose games I have been playing and enjoying for over 20 years now. With Peter Molyneux responsible for classics such as Populous, Syndicate, Dungeon Keeper and Black & White, my mind was buzzing with memories of the many hours spent playing this man’s productions. Trying to keep my excitement in check, we talked a little bit about how gaming has changed in those years and of course zoomed in on Fable 3 in some more detail. Continue reading “Peter Molyneux on Fable 3”

Gamescom 2010 report: 4/4

The final stop on my tour of gamescom 2010 is hall number 9, where developer Bigpoint’s booth was (quite literally) one of the bigger eye-catchers. With loud music, near-constant dance performances and countless giveaways, they drew in the crowds to promote its online title Poisonville. Though I would dare suggest that including Germany’s playmate of the month (Bernadette Kaspar) as a character in the game and having her meet visitors at the booth in Cologne certainly did not hurt them either. I just called it a very good excuse to dust off those old German language skills 😉 Turns out she was very sweet and down-to-earth when talking to her, but if you want to see her as a Grand Theft Auto-esque character then check out the game, which can be played for free starting this month. Continue reading “Gamescom 2010 report: 4/4”

Gamescom 2010 report: 3/4

Hall number 6 at gamescom was filled to the brim with major publishers showcasing off its A-list titles. The biggest area was reserved for EA, and came complete with stands where the audience could sit to watch EA’s trailer videos, a setup which tied in nicely with one of its most prominent titles at the show: Fifa 11. EA had invited numerous (former) professional football (or soccer) players to help boost interest in the title, which had gamers manning the demo stations non-stop. Going head to head with Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 this October, it will be worth seeing which developers managed to improve most on their solid offerings from last year. Fifa had a head start with last year’s superior offering, but Pro Evolution Soccer looks set to close to the gap. Continue reading “Gamescom 2010 report: 3/4”

Gamescom 2010 report: 2/4

Our retrospective virtual stroll through gamescon 2010 continues in hall number 7, which houses what turned out to be some of the major ‘best of the show’ award winners. Sony’s Move controller won for best hardware accessory and will be supported in next year’s PS3 exclusive Virtua Tennis 4. With the accuracy offered by Move and the proven gameplay mechanics of this successful tennis franchise, sports fans who thought Wii tennis didn’t offer enough depth have something special to look forward to here. Other games that will be supported include Take 2’s NBA 2K11, Ubisoft’s Michael Jackson: The Experience, and the Lord of the Rings title Aragorn’s Quest by Warner Bros. Continue reading “Gamescom 2010 report: 2/4”