GameXplain // Previews

7 Reasons Dishonored Might be the Year's Best Shooter

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Shooters bore me. Don’t get me wrong, I used to love them: Halo and Goldeneye are still among my favorite games, after all. But I’ve played so many over the years that, with few exceptions, they all kind of blend blandly together. But when I ventured into San Francisco a few weeks ago f...

Previewed on 04/26/12 by Andre Segers

Sleeping Dogs PAX Preview

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

When I first picked up the controller to try Square Enix’s Sleeping Dogs demo, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew the game had once been known as True Crime: Hong Kong before Activision canceled it, but I've never been a fan of the True Crime games and nothing about the game reall...

Previewed on 04/20/12 by Derrick Bitner

7 Reasons DiRT Showdown Might be the Best DiRT Yet

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

I’ve only had a single fender-bender in my ten years of driving, which might be why there was a smile on my face the entire time I spent ramming other cars in DiRT Showdown’s Smash and Grab mode. I was able to try that and two other modes when I ventured into San Franciscio earlier this...

Previewed on 04/19/12 by Andre Segers

6 Reasons Lego Batman 2 Might be the Best Lego Game Yet

(Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Although GDC has come and gone, we are only now able to write about our impressions of Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes. The 45-minute demo was limited to eyes-on only, but it gave us a pretty good idea of how the game plays, and how the developers are planning to take this now-famous game series to ...

Previewed on 03/15/12 by Andre Segers

Ridge Racer Unbounded = Burnout 3 + Split/Second (Hands-On)

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

During Namco’s preview event earlier this week, we were able to take the latest Ridge Racer out for a test drive...and boy were we in for a surprise. Before I begin, there’s something that should be made clear: this isn’t Ridge Racer. Sure, it’s in the name, but the gameplay...

Previewed on 01/20/12 by Andre Segers

Inversion Hands-On: 2 Hours with Multiplayer

(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Namco Bandai invited to try the multiplayer mode in their upcoming, gravity-bending Inversion a short while ago. After defying gravity ourselves during our elevator ride, we settled down to take three of the game’s multiplayer modes out for a spin. Oh right, you’re probably wonde...

Previewed on 09/12/11 by Andre Segers

PAX 2011: Skyrim! I Played it....and it is Awesome!

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

I had the opportunity to play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at PAX Prime 2011 for 20 minutes and it was awesome. Starting out the game, I began at the character-creation screen. The feature is quite robust as you would expect from a Bethesda RPG and allows you to choose your skin tone, race, eye brow...

Previewed on 08/26/11 by Jimmy Thang

3 Hours With Rage - BioShock Meets Fallout 3

(Mac, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

We were invited out to San Francisco last week for an extensive hands-on session with id’s Rage and what we discovered while playing surprised us. Yes, we knew to expect something special from the latest in id Software’s long line of games, but weren’t quite anticipating the uniqu...

Previewed on 08/02/11 by Andre Segers

E3 2011: Battlefield 3 Hands-On Preview

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Battlefield 3 was a nightmare to get into at E3 and for good reason. Rumors circulated that the line, at times, took six hours to make it through the first few days of the show. Luckily, I didn't have to man the trenches too long to get some hands-on time with EA and DICE's latest. A...

Previewed on 06/10/11 by Wesley Ruscher

E3 2011: Five Ways BioShock Infinite Is Different From the Original

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Having been able to go behind closed doors to see a presentation of BioShock Infinite, I must say I was very pleased with what I saw. Seeing the main character sore through the air in a colorful sky world was very surreal. Yet, at the same time, I couldn't help but wonder what this game had to ...

Previewed on 06/10/11 by Jimmy Thang

E3 2011: The Darkness 2 Preview

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

The Darkness is one of my favorite Xbox games of this generation. While not the most polished experience, the Darkness brought one of the most grippingly emotional narratives to the first-person genre. But original developers Starbreeze Studios are no longer associated with the franchise. Instead t...

Previewed on 06/09/11 by Wesley Ruscher

E3 2011: Dead Island is kind of like Left 4 Dead Meets Far Cry

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

When the original (and awesome) Dead Island trailer hit the internet a few months back, jaws hit the floor. Its memento-inspired reverse of time mechanic was poetic, and best yet, it featured zombies! While details were scarce, we knew it was going to be a cooperative zombie-killing FPS. This, of c...

Previewed on 06/08/11 by Thomas Arnold

E3 2011: Ninja Gaiden 3 Bullet Point Preview

(Wii U, Wii U, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Ninja Gaiden has been one of my favorite franchises since its rebirth on the original Xbox. After Itagaki left Tecmo I was a little worried to what may become of one the premiere action franchises in the industry. Metroid: Other M was a mess and Dead or Alive 3D brought nothing new to the ser...

Previewed on 06/07/11 by Wesley Ruscher

Hunted: The Demon's Forge Hands-On Impressions

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

When you start your visit to the small town of Dyfed and witness a monster ripping out some poor chap’s heart, you know there’s something bad afoot. Even more so as soon as that thing--a Wargar--decides that it doesn’t like your face. Luckily you’re one of two battle hardene...

Previewed on 05/13/11 by Jan Steinhauser

F.E.A.R. 3: Four Ways to Feel the Fear (Multiplayer Hands-On)

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

We recently ventured into San Francisco to try our hand at F.E.A.R. 3’s four multiplayer modes, some of which are surprisingly inventive, and all a good deal of fun. Unlike many modern shooters, the developers of F.E.A.R. 3 have decided to keep things compact and more focused in a coupl...

Previewed on 04/14/11 by Andre Segers

GDC 2011: Jurassic Park Hands-On (PC)

(Mac, PC, Xbox 360)

The folks at Telltale games seem to be on a roll. Not only were they blessed with the chance to revamp several defunct beloved game series (Sam & Max, Monkey Island), but also they were given the chance to tackle one of the most popular film series of all time with Back to the Future. Now once ...

Previewed on 03/03/11 by Micah Seff

GDC 2011: The Darkness II Eyes-On

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

During the furor of GDC 2011, GameXplain managed to find a way to sneak into 2K’s behind-closed-doors presentation of The Darkness II. Now, my experience with the first game in the series is limited to an hour or so of playtime, and (more importantly) interviewing vocalist Mike Patton about h...

Previewed on 03/03/11 by Micah Seff

Brink: Your Top 10 Questions Answered

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

We recently had the chance to try an updated version of Brink’s multiplayer in downtown San Francisco. As opposed to my paltry twenty minute speed date with the game at PAX, this time around I got to take Brink to a homemade candlelight dinner (lit only by the rain of machine gunfire, of cour...

Previewed on 02/28/11 by Stephanie Lee

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Hands-On Preview

(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

At Capcom's Marvel Vs. Capcom 3: Fight Club it was pretty apparent what the first rule of the fight club was: talk about Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. The star attraction in what is likely to be the last public showing of the game was wowing fans with the almost complete final roster expected to land on...

Previewed on 02/07/11 by Wesley Ruscher

Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Hands-On Preview

(Nintendo 3DS, Arcade, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

If there wasn't enough indication already, Capcom is planning to lay the beat down on fighting game aficionados in early 2011. In perhaps the last event of the year to check out Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, before it lands later this month, Capcom hosted a MVC3 Fight Club tucked away in Downtown LA at ...

Previewed on 02/05/11 by Wesley Ruscher

PAX 2010: Duke Nukem Forever Blows; Gets Blown

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

I suppose I was just as intrigued as anyone when 2K announced that Gearbox (a company who I’ve quite liked since the impossibly fun Borderlands last year) would be taking over development of the Duke’s long, long awaited reappearance on the gaming scene. The ridiculously long developmen...

Previewed on 09/06/10 by Micah Seff

PAX 2010: Brink Hands-On

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

My sojourn in Bethesda Software’s booth sat my sights on a playable version of Brink, a first-person shooter that combined free-running (a la Mirror’s Edge) and a class-based system that very much resembled Team Fortress 2’s own class system. I did see the trailer for it back at E...

Previewed on 09/06/10 by Stephanie Lee

PAX 2010: Portal 2 Co-Op Eyes-On

(Mac, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

It’s rare to find myself being so easily engulfed by the torrent of hype surrounding a game, but Valve Software’s Portal 2 has proven to be a special case. The original game demonstrated a whole new level of innovation that I thought would remain unmatched in the history of innovative v...

Previewed on 09/04/10 by Stephanie Lee

PAX 2010: Fallout: New Vegas Hands-On

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

When Fallout 3 came out in 2008, it garnered widespread praise for its open world design and non-linear gameplay mechanics. Bethesda hopes to recapture that magic with Fallout: New Vegas. However, whereas Bethesda Game Studios developed Fallout 3, the baton has been passed down to Obsidian Entertai...

Previewed on 09/04/10 by Jimmy Thang

Mafia II -- Four Hours of Awesome

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

I got invited last week to head up to sunny Novato to take a look at Mafia II in the comfort of 2K’s Marin offices. I braved the brain-melting sun of the North Bay for a substantial amount of time with the upcoming mobster epic. Now, this wasn’t my first time with the game (I had some t...

Previewed on 07/27/10 by Micah Seff

MySims Sky Heroes Hands-On

(Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

MySims Sky Heroes actually was rather eye-catching as I walked past, with its aerial dogfights reminiscent of Crimson Skies--imagine my surprise when I found out it was actually based on the kid-friendly MySims franchise! Like with the recent Snoopy’s Flying Ace, MySims Sky Heroes is a...

Previewed on 07/21/10 by Andre Segers

E3 2010: The Grinder (PS3, 360) Hands-On

(Wii, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

High Voltage Software was having a great showing at E3 2010 despite the sheer number of hurdles in its way. In addition to the travails with the Wii version of The Grinder that we've discussed in these other pieces, the company's booth had somehow gotten left off of the E3 floor plan, meani...

Previewed on 06/23/10 by Micah Seff

de Blob: The Underground Hands-On

(Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Amidst the bright lights lights and heaving bosoms that permeated the E3 2010 show floor was a modest demo tucked away at THQ's booth for a game that likely should be getting more buzz than it is, de Blob: The Underground. The first de Blob title was a runaway success for THQ, eventually surpas...

Previewed on 06/23/10 by Micah Seff

E3 2010: Dead Space 2 Preview

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

The very last game I saw during this year’s E3 was Dead Space 2. I was tired, cranky, and ready to get as far away from the Los Angeles Convention Center, but once I started checking out the sequel to one of 2008’s best, I caught a second wind and perked right back up. This time around,...

Previewed on 06/22/10 by Eduardo Vasconcellos

E3 2010: XCOM Preview

(PC, Xbox 360)

To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t expecting much from XCOM. In fact, I didn’t plan on looking at the game, but that was changed when I was literally dragged to the demo in between appointments, and let me tell you, I’m glad I caught a peek of the game. Yes, it’s another shoot...

Previewed on 06/21/10 by Eduardo Vasconcellos

E3 2010: Call of Duty: Black Ops Eyes-On

(Wii, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

For a long time, developer Treyarch has been known as Call of Duty’s “B-Team.” To be fair, that isn’t such a bad thing when you’re being compared to Infinity Ward, the developers behind COD 1, 2, Modern Warfare, and Modern Warefare 2, but Treyarch did manage to make a ...

Previewed on 06/19/10 by Jimmy Thang

E3 2010: Halo: Reach Eyes-On

(Xbox 360)

While many players were able to play the multiplayer portion of Halo: Reach via the beta that was occurring a couple of weeks ago, E3 marked the first time Bungie showed the single-player portion of the game to the public. I was fortunate enough to see this along with the new multiplayer mode: fire...

Previewed on 06/19/10 by Jimmy Thang

E3 2010: Fable III Hands-On

(PC, Xbox 360)

The third time may be the charm for Peter Molyneaux’s Fable franchise. After some hands on time with the two modes Lionhead was showcasing for the latest incarnation of their epic action adventure series, I walked away with a good feeling of where Fable III will be taking gamers this fa...

Previewed on 06/17/10 by Wesley Ruscher

E3 2010: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Hands-On

(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Castlevania games rock. They just do. The franchise has long been one of my favorites, and I've come back time and time again for more of that undead-whipping action. With that in mind, it was with great trepidation that I picked up the controller at Konami's E3 booth and dove into Castleva...

Previewed on 06/17/10 by Micah Seff

E3 2010: Spec Ops: The Line Eyes-On

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Fresh from the ovens of 2K Games at this year’s E3 is a fifteen minute or so demonstration o f their new squad-based, third-person shooter. I thought I had an idea of the game going into the demonstration, but walked away with a sense of awe and hope that perhaps Spec Ops: The Line may actual...

Previewed on 06/17/10 by Stephanie Lee

E3 2010: EA Sports MMA Hands-On

(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

As a longtime videogame critic and mixed martial arts fan, I was eager to get my hands on EA Sports MMA. From what I played at the E3 show floor, the game looks extremely promising. Like EA’s other fighting franchise, Fight Night, players move with the left stick and strike via the right cont...

Previewed on 06/16/10 by Jimmy Thang

E3 2010: Crysis 2 Eyes-On

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

Having been a big fan of the original Crysis on the PC, I quickly jumped at the prospect of seeing Crysis 2 gameplay footage behind closed doors at E3. Aside from the visuals, what made the original Crysis stand out above other shooters was that fact that players used a nano-powered suit that allow...

Previewed on 06/16/10 by Jimmy Thang

E3 2010: APB Hands-On

(PC, Xbox 360)

I got the chance to sit down with APB for some extended hands-on time today after playing it only briefly at PAX and coming away pretty unimpressed. This time around, I got to sit and play the game for about an hour and a half, and get a significantly better feel for Realtime World's strange mi...

Previewed on 06/16/10 by Micah Seff

E3 2010: Red Faction: Armageddon Eyes-On

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

While wandering the perimeter of THQ’s lavishly decorated kiosk, I turned to my fellow GameXplain contributor, Jimmy Thang, and casually said, “Hey, we need to go check out Red Faction: Armageddon.” Apparently, a THQ exhibitor had heard me and quickly ushered us into the Red...

Previewed on 06/16/10 by Stephanie Lee

E3 2010: Medal of Honor Hands-On

(PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

When Infinity Ward brought Call of Duty into the modern era with Modern Warfare, the fourth installment of the popular first-person shooter series garnered extreme critical praise and massive sales. Electronic Arts hopes to give its famed Medal of Honor the same treatment with the latest installmen...

Previewed on 06/15/10 by Jimmy Thang

E3 2010: Rage Hands-On

(Mac, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

With its dystopia setting, I initially thought that Rage was a clone of Fallout 3. Luckily, I discovered that it has a lot more potential. While it offers quite a bit of freedom and customization, it utilizes a more linear approach, allowing id Software to control things like pacing and storytellin...

Previewed on 06/15/10 by Eduardo Vasconcellos

E3 2010: Vanquish

(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

The latest from Platinum Games (makers of Bayonetta) has quite a pedigree behind it, as not only is Platinum Games comprised with people from the now closed Clover Studios (makers of Viewtiful Joe), it's new actioner Vanquish also happens to be directed by Resident Evil’s Shinji Mikami. I...

Previewed on 06/14/10 by Eduardo Vasconcellos

E3 2010: Rock Band 3

(Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

I don’t usually enjoy going to preview events for music games. Usually, I walk in, sit down and you watch the developer band play a thoughtless and grating song selection as I sit impatiently until they’re done playing music that I simply don’t enjoy. That wasn’t the case wh...

Previewed on 06/11/10 by Eduardo Vasconcellos

E3 2010: DJ Hero 2

(Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

The original DJ Hero caught me by surprise – I wasn’t expecting a game that emphasized the use of a turntable, nor did I expect a game to utilize some brilliant mash-ups from some of the world’s greatest DJs. When Activision showed off the follow-up to this music game, I found ano...

Previewed on 06/10/10 by Eduardo Vasconcellos

E3 2010: Call of Duty: Black Ops Preview

(Wii, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

While taking a look at the upcoming installment to the Call of Duty series, I was taken by surprise. I wasn’t expecting much with Treyarch’s newest CoD offering, but as I watched, I found more and more to enjoy, perhaps even more than what was found in Modern Warfare 2 (which, let&rsquo...

Previewed on 06/02/10 by Eduardo Vasconcellos

E3 2010: EA Sports MMA Hands-On

(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

EA is really swinging for the fences (or a fighting metaphor, even!) with its first entry to the world of mixed martial arts. There’s a lot to keep tabs on in the sport, and from what I’ve seen, the minds behind EA Sports MMA are definitely on the right track. Using everything learned f...

Previewed on 05/25/10 by Eduardo Vasconcellos