The Lair of the Monkey

Who is this guy?  No idea, but apparently it’s first gen gaming meets next-gen - whatever that means.  Here’s what they had to say officially:

An action hero emerges from the pixels as D3Publisher (D3P), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, today announced plans for Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard™, a third-person shooter with a sense of humor for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Offering an original storyline and an off-the-wall cast of characters, Eat Lead is written by 2008 Writer’s Guild Award winning writer Dave Ellis and features the return of classic 80’s videogame action hero, Matt Hazard, and parodies some of the most beloved genres of games and pop culture. Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is anticipated for release in Q1 2009.

In Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, videogame action hero Matt Hazard gets his chance to prove once and for all that he is the king of shooters when the new owner of mega game publisher, Marathon Megasoft, gives Matt his comeback role starring in a new title for next-gen consoles that pits him against all of his memorable foes from videogames past. In the world of Eat Lead, however, everything stops being a game and becomes reality when it is clear that someone is using the new game to bring about Matt’s death once and for all. With only the mysterious “QA” to help him, Matt must fight against a legion of Marathon Megasoft catalogue of videogame characters to keep it from being “Game Over” forever.

“Eat Lead parodies some of our fondest memories in classic gaming and pop culture, so gamers will have a laugh out loud experience everytime they pick-up the controller,” said Pete Andrew, vice president, product development, North America, D3P. “With an original storyline, Eat Lead perfectly blends action and humor with rock solid gameplay for an experience like no other.”

Eat Lead pays homage to the games of yesteryear with a menagerie of classic enemies such as zombies, space marines, cowboys, genetically mutated super snipers, and more and an expansive level environment design that reflects videogame history in a next-gen package. The game fires on all cylinders with explosive artillery and combat moves to help gamers escape from a variety of predicaments including radically-changing environments during gameplay via “hack effects” Hazard’s nemesis uses by altering the game’s code on the fly. Throughout the adventure, players will utilize a strategic cover system dubbed “point and cover,” upgradeable weapons and different interactive melee moves to attack and outsmart foes.

Developed by Vicious Cycle Software, Inc., Eat Lead will feature its new game development engine, Vicious Engine 2 (Ve2) and is currently rated “RP” (Rating Pending) by the ESRB. For more information on Eat Lead, please visit www.EatLeadVideoGame.com.
The teaser trailer for Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard will premiere, Saturday, October 4th at 1:00 a.m. EDT/PDT exclusively on Spike TV’s “GameTrailers TV.” Players can catch the full HD Episodes at GameTrailers.com and on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360!

No doubt you’re wanting to know what’s coming soon that will be worth playing, as I haven’t had a lot of time to get some new dates on here.  As I’ve been neglecting you all, here’s a hot gaming picks update for the coming months (it’s also sort of a wish list for what I want to play soon):

• Silent Hill: Homecoming (Xbox 360, PS3) - 31/10/08
• Alan Wake (Xbox 360) - 28/11/08
• Fable II (Xbox 360) - 24/10/08
• Far Cry 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - 24/10/08
• Dead Space (Xbox 360, PS3, PC) - 24/10/08
• Spider-Man: Web Of Shadows (Xbox 360, PC, PS3, Wii, PS2 etc) - 24/10/08
• Fallout 3 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) - 31/10/08

So, it looks as though this year’s gaming drought is actually now firmly over.  My head tells me that Fallout 3 will be an absolutely massive gaming experience, both in terms of how good it is and the literal scope of the game.  However, my heart is telling me that I’m most excited for Silent Hill: Homecoming.  I simply cannot wait to play this game.  I hope Konami/Double Helix Games get this right and have it filled with deep, dark atmosphere.

No, not an actual date with a Persian prince (well, that’s Iran now anyway and doesn’t have any Princes), but a date for the new game on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC:
The Prince will Reign December 2, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – September 18 2008 – Today Ubisoft announced that Prince of Persia will ship December 2, 2008 for the Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PC. Prince of Persia: The Fallen King will also ship simultaneously and exclusively for the Nintendo DS(TM) system.

Prince of Persia opens an entirely new chapter in the Prince of Persia universe in addition to introducing a fresh Illustrative art style, evolved combat system, open world structure and dynamic AI – most notably in the form of the Prince’s powerful ally Elika.

About Prince of Persia
Set in a land rooted in ancient Persian mythology, the Prince finds himself caught in an epic battle between the primal forces of light and darkness: the God of Light, Ormazd versus his brother Ahriman, the destructive God of Darkness. The Prince arrives just in time to witness the destruction of the legendary Tree of Life – an act which threatens to plunge the entire world into eternal darkness. Manifested in the form of the Corruption, a dark substance that physically contaminates the land and the skies, the Prince must partner with Elika, a deadly companion, to heal the world from the evil Corruption.

About Prince of Persia: The Fallen King
Facing imminent danger, the Prince flees to a deserted kingdom that seemingly offers sanctuary. Already touched by the evil Corruption, a dark substance that physically contaminates the land and the skies, the kingdom is filled with adventure, challenge and intrigue. As the Prince seeks a way to fight the spreading Corruption destroying the land, he encounters a partially infected creature that promises salvation. But is the creature truly an ally or merely an enemy in disguise? It seems this perilous alliance may be the only way for the Prince to face the forces of darkness and save the Persian kingdom from the Corruption once and for all.

Kotaku had this to report on the sci-fi horror shooter with weird symbotic monsters:

“Well this is a pleasant change from how things normally go down. EA’s survival horror space shooter Dead Space, once slated for the October 31st release date coveted by scary games everywhere, has been pushed forward. See? It doesn’t seem natural, does it? EA released a statement in Europe earlier today stating that the console versions of the game would be hitting store shelves on October 24th, a full week earlier than originally announced.”

You can find out more over at Kotaku.

The game will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Developed by Black Rock Studio, Disney Interactive Studios’ award-winning development studio in Brighton, England, Pure takes off-road action sports to a new level. Featuring vertigo-inducing massive aerial jumps and spectacular airborne tricks in photo-realistic real-world locations all over the globe, Pure delivers heart-pounding experiences unique to the genre.

“We expect Pure to set a new standard for off-road action sports that delivers adrenaline-inducing vertical experiences with spectacular aerial tricks and intense wheel-to-wheel racing,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “Pure will appeal to a wide audience based on the game’s jaw-dropping aerial tricks, breakneck racing and vast environments.”

Players start by choosing among a variety of male and female character riders. They can then either race against deft A.I. opponents or online players (up to 16-player multiplayer) in frenetic races and freestyle competitions all over the world.

“Black Rock Studio has established itself as a leading developer of racing video games and we expect to continue that heritage with the creation of Pure, our first game since becoming part of Disney Interactive Studios,” said Jason Avent, game director at Black Rock Studio. “Pure combines the best features of both extreme sports and racing to produce an extraordinary and unique experience.”

The studio continues to be advised throughout development by Wes Miller, pro rider and the founder of H-Bomb Films, known for showcasing his team’s incredible stunts. Miller has been involved with development to assure the game adheres to the sport’s culture and authenticity but still allows creative liberties.

Black Rock Studio, formerly Climax Racing, is known as a leading developer of racing games, including its critically acclaimed work on the best-selling franchises Moto GP and ATV Offroad® Fury. The studio and its products have won or been nominated for dozens of awards, including winning four IGN “Best of Show” awards at E3 2006. For more information, log on to www.purevideogame.com.

Gears of War 2 on the Xbox 360 has been announced for November 2008.  You heard it here - but not first.  What can I say, if it’s as good as the first, albeit maybe with a little more depth (but let’s face it, the gameplay was compulsive) we’ll all have a great time.

Well, I couldn’t not really could I.  Here are some games that we’re all going to be enjoying this year, unless something goes terribly wrong (like your Xbox 360 blows up, Sony realises the PS3 is rubbish or you ram your pointer through your DS(!)):

• Resident Evil 5
• Alone In The Dark
• Empire: Total War
• Sins of a Solar Empire
•  The Club
• Fallout 3
• Borderlands
• Grand Theft Auto 4
• Gran Turismo 5
• Devil May Cry 4
• Ninja Gaiden 2
• White Knight
• Metal Gear Solid 4
• Starcraft 2
• Spore
• Alan Wake
• Dragon Age
• Smash Bros Brawl
• Halo Wars

As you can see, the list features quite a few sequels.  I can’t see this as a trend ending anytime soon, not least when games like Resident Evil continue to make so much money…

No, not between the ears or anywhere else you sarky so and so and definitely not in their creative department judging by this video.  C&VG has arguably one of the best trailers of what could be one of next year’s biggest hits - Dead Space (PS3 and Xbox360).  You star as an engineer in the future going to repair a mining op communications facility - apparently this has gone wrong due to alien infestation.  Should be an interesting one.

Yes, you read it right.  The launch trailer is available for the watching over at www.xbox360fanboy.com… So go and check it out.  Of course, the game is available this Friday (16/11/07) and I will be buying it.

A Sony spokesperson has said:

“Our offering in the UK marketplace for Christmas are the two SKUs announced on Friday, but as the 60GB stock is depleted the £299 40GB SKU will be the only version available going forward. The 40GB machine represents all the power and potential of PlayStation 3 at a very compelling price…The only functionality that is being removed is backwards compatibility–and this is because we believe this less important now than when we launched–as there will be 65 PS3 games available by Christmas.”