Via Kotaku

It’s been a few years since Ken Levine and Irrational Games rocked our collective socks off with the original BioShock, and we know pretty much nothing about what they’ve been up to since. Well, on August 11th, we can assume that we are going to get some knowledge dropped on us by Mr. Levine,  hopefully, in the form of a game announcement. What can we expect? System Shock 3? (Super unlikely.) A completely new IP? (Probably.) Your guess is as good as ours, but we’ll let you know as soon as we do.

Via Joystiq

The boys over at Joystiq have some new footage of the upcoming God of War PSP title Ghost of Sparta. Check out the video to see Kratos have a run-in with Midas as they solve an environmental puzzle together…sort of. It’s teamwork the only way Kratos knows how.

5. No More Heroes
If you’ve watched or listened to a few episodes of Pixelosophy, you’ve probably gathered that I’m a pretty big animation fan. So when No More Heroes was released with an already cartoon-like aesthetic and a lone hero storyline, my first dreams were of an animated series that would air on Adult Swim. Look, the way I see it, if someone can make way too many of those Street Fighter cartoons that take themselves way too seriously, No More Heroes would be a great breath of fresh air. Over the top action and gore mixed with a healthy dose of camp and dark humor sounds like a great recipe for a series. Just think animated Kill Bill with light saber knock-offs. What’s not to like?

4. God of War
At first glance, this may not seem like very original subject matter. We’ve all seen plenty of movies with Greek gods and myths. After all, we did just get a Clash of the Titans remake. What sets God of War apart though is innovation in the story telling. By creating a completely new character in Kratos, the story is allowed to jump in and out of all the familiar mythological settings we’re accustomed to while retaining the classic traits of all the great Greek tragedies. This leads to a tale that is both new and familiar at the same time. Kratos, in many ways, is our generation’s equivalent of Perseus, and it’s time to let our hero have his own flick.

3. Psychonauts
I know that this game appeared on Alex’s list as well, and we share similar but totally different reasons for putting it on our lists. Let me explain. I feel like there are generally two main reasons that people want adaptations of games. One is that the game as a whole, through both narrative and gameplay, creates such a vivid look into an unseen world that we can’t help but want more in as many forms as possible. For me, Psychonauts falls into that category. However, the other reason is that, sometimes, a game succeeds at creating a great narrative but falls short in the game department. Basically, the mediocre gameplay gets in the way of the story and leaves players thinking, “I wish this were just a movie.” I think Psychonauts falls into this category for Alex. Either way, like him, I’d love to see this as an animated series. The game leaves room for Raz’s adventures to continue, so why not let them? (Hint: My number one falls into that second bit of reasoning. Be sure to watch to find out what it is!)

2. Shadow of the Colossus
If you saw our “favorite games” episode, then it’s probably no surprise that this one made it on my list. But let me share a quick story with you to explain exactly why it’s on here because, let’s be honest, this would be a tough one to adapt. The protagonist is alone with his horse for the bulk of the game, and character interaction beyond that is pretty minimal. But here’s why I want this movie made anyway. Before every movie under the sun was being released in 3D, the recent CG version of Beowulf seemed like a pretty cool thing. Quality aside, there is one sequence towards the end of the movie that has Beowulf fighting a massive dragon. Beowulf is scrambling all over the giant creature trying to get to his weak spot. All the while, this thing is flailing and flying all over trying to get Beowulf off of him. To anyone who’s played Shadow of the Colossus, that description probably sounds very familiar. The point is that the shot selections in this sequence gave me such an incredible sense of what that battle felt like that “There needs to be a CG Shadow of the Colossus movie,” was my main takeaway from the entire experience. Seriously, there needs to be one.

For those that haven’t played the game, let’s take a look at the breakdown between MNR’s on-disc offerings and the online pieces. If players don’t have their PS3 hooked up to the world wide internets, they can expect over 20 tracks in a single player mode that actually has a story component to it. This isn’t too common for a kart-racer. Additionally, there is some split-screen multiplayer action to be had. However, the game really shines with its creation options. Players can create characters, karts and tracks with ease. The creation systems for all three are deep yet simple, yielding great results with little time commitment from the player.

Now, if the player happens to jump online with the game, the online racing is obviously included, but the real treat comes from the creation/sharing community that already exists for the game. Players can jump online to upload and download creations with ease. Make a track; share it. See a kart that someone made that looks like The Shaggin’ Wagon from Dumb and Dumber; download it. It’s all super fast and super easy. This adds a virtually endless amount of new content to explore.

So getting back to our questions then; are the online and offline experiences the same with MNR? The answer to that is: Not really, but kinda. Here’s what I mean. Getting online with MNR puts such a staggering amount of unique content at the player’s disposal that players who rely solely on the on-disc options really are missing out on a great part of the total package. That’s not to say that they aren’t going to be happy with their purchase; it’s just that they won’t be privy to one of the foundational cornerstones that the developers clearly had in mind when they were conceiving the MNR experience. To put it into perspective, let me share with you my first experience with the game.

Upon putting the disc in, I drove my default character around the hub world and was greeted by giant statues of Iron Man, Spider-Man and Mario. These were the current top creations on display, for easy download, and they looked great. This instantly piqued my curiosity to see what else the community had made. A quick search for “Batman” yielded page after page of custom mods. Batmans, Jokers, Riddlers, Gray Ghosts, they were all there. For the next two hours, I did nothing but look for the most obscure and ridiculous crap I could find, and every time, the community did not disappoint. Seriously, I found a Rocko’s Modern Life mod. Awesome. I was already elated with this game without even getting into the game part. There’s really no way to explain to someone who plays this game offline just how awesome this was.

The interesting thing about this game though is that even though I feel like offline players have no idea what they’re missing, this game is still worth its full price tag. This is where the developers really got it right. While getting shortchanged in the online department would be something I would normally complain about, due to it severely reducing the amount of content for the player, I can’t go into full-on bitch-fest mode here because MNR is able to sidestep this issue to a degree. It does this with the inclusion of the creation tools on-disc. While a player may not get to see what everyone else is creating, the amount of content is still technically infinite and only limited by what the player decides to create. Played through all the tracks? Make some more. Tired of your character? Make a new one. I believe the proper cliché here is: The sky’s the limit.

Again, this is where the game really succeeds and where it helps set a precedent for reviewers and consumers to consider when critiquing the game. It sets a standard by making sure the core principles of the game are left intact for both the online and offline experiences. Sure the experiences aren’t identical, but they are certainly comparable in that nothing is truly missing from the offline experience. Players can still race other players, participate in various modes and create unique content until their thumbs fall off.

This is the key concept that reviewers need to take into account when examining games with huge online components. Does the exclusion of online play, in whatever form it takes, seriously alter the core experiences that give a game its identity? Take Halo or Call of Duty for example. Removing the online bits from either of those titles severely limits what the player can do or experience with the game thereby taking value away from the player and the package as whole. It truly alters the identity of the game. This is exactly what doesn’t happen with MNR and is the reason it can be considered a landmark game in an increasingly online-heavy industry.

While online numbers are slowly growing, it’s still imperative that developers take note of what MNR has accomplished here in terms of giving all players a complete package regardless of their online situation. A game needs to express and maintain the developer’s vision for everyone who buys their game, not just the online crowd. ModNation Racers not only manages this feat, but it also encourages gamers to get online by giving them incentive to do so rather than penalizing them for not being online. When more developers understand this approach, online adoption should go nowhere but up while trade-in rates, and therefore possibly used sales, should take an opposite trajectory due to the extended replay value. So, developers take note: Make your digital wares more ModNation-y, and we all come in first.

5. 28 Days Later

Ok, I know what you’re thinking, “But we already have Left 4 Dead and a million zombie killing games!” That’s very true, which is why this game wouldn’t be about zombie killing at all. This would be the property that could bring back the true survival horror genre and usher it into the current generation. Fans of the film remember that the protagonists’ main goals were about staying alive, finding food and shelter, and figuring out when and where it was safe to travel. Taking up arms against the infected would only really happen when your back was already up against the wall because you had messed up by making a poor decision, putting yourself and your crew in danger. How do you win? Much like the movie, [SPOILER ALERT: but seriously if you haven’t seen it by now, you’re an idiot] you simply have to wait out the infected until they starve to death. Fill the gaps with enough eerie atmosphere and real moments of vulnerable tension that can’t be solved with a shotgun, and that’s a game I’d pre-order today.

4. Dracula

This is another game that could dabble in the survival horror/RPG realm. Except, unlike most games in which the player would take on the role of slaying Dracula, this time let the player be Dracula, or any newly made vampire for that matter. Everyone’s got vampire fever right now, so let’s put them in the shoes of a creature that has to stealthily hunt for their meals. They’d have to discreetly seduce and kill their prey without drawing attention from the authorities and supernatural hunters. How long do you stay in one city before moving on? What tactics do you use to find food? Do you live off animals? Humans? Are you a brutal killer, or a master manipulator? This is the version of the vampire that the Twi-hards wouldn’t be ready to play.

3. Hoffa

Hear me out on this one. Yes, I’m talking about Hoffa, the movie about Teamster head honcho Jimmy Hoffa starring Jack Nicholson. The best part about this story is that, at this point, no one really knows what happened to the man. There are theories all over the place, and the film depicts an untimely end for Mr. Hoffa, but none of us really knows anything. This is the perfect set up for a Heavy Rain style mystery with branching paths based on the decisions the player makes. Play up the corrupt, violent side of the man’s story, and maybe you meet the same grim fate as in the movie. Play up the more noble aspects, and who knows? Maybe Mr. Hoffa gets to sip pina coladas on a secluded beach somewhere with his most trusted confidants. This sort of thing could be done with other historical mystery figures as well, for example, Billy the Kid.

2. American Gods

For those who have read American Gods, a video game adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s masterpiece would be nothing short of epic. Many of the best games take the player on a journey that would be difficult to realize in other mediums. This game has the potential to take the already incredible groundwork laid by the novel, and let players live it every step of the way. Playing as the book’s main character, Shadow, and letting players meet and interact with the gods of times past with the same wonder, caution and intrigue would be, if done right, a trip that players would not soon forget. All I can say is, if you haven’t read this book, go do so right now, and you’ll see what I mean.

Hey fellow Recessionites; the Broke Gamer is here to save your pennies from the evil clutches of “big business.” Or I’m just here to get you some cheap games, and today is a pretty excellent one. Bizarre Creations newly released  power-up, combat racer Blur is the Video Game Deal of the Day over on Amazon. So click that link, and you will be whisked away to a magical page that will get you Blur for half price! That means $29.99 for 360 or PS3 and $19.99 for PC. That’s spectacularly nuts considering this game is just about a month old and has received mostly positive praise from the majority of critics. Don’t let this one race (see what I did there?) past you.

Just about half way into Sony’s boring droning about 3D Bravia televisions and how the Move is going to rock our worlds, Kevin Butler descended upon the conference in glorious fashion, as if to say, “Enough of this crap. Let’s get to the good stuff.” He rallied the audience with a speech that, while funny, also had a good message that any and all fanboys should take to heart. Stop reading. Press play. Witness awesome.

Admist all the laser tag, breathing games and other Ubisoft craziness, Rayman Origins stood tall as a shining example of gaming awesomesauce. The game is being produced by Ubi Art Framework and will be released episodically. While there is no release date yet, the trailer shows a lot of promise that should touch you in all the right spots until the game does come out.