In the world of co-op it’s fairly rare to see a franchise with a recognizable hero, like Metal Gear Solid in our co-op realm. A year ago we saw this on the PSP with Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalker and it’s about to get a high definition upgrade to the PS3 and Xbox 360, co-op intact. At E3 2011 I spent a bit of time with the PS3 version of the HD version of Peacewalker and brought back some impressions.
I've never heard of Gamma World: Alpha Mutation before my short demo with the game at the Atari booth at E3 2011. The game is based on the TSR table top game of the same name - both are set in a unique sci-fi / post-apocalyptic setting with zany characters. The story goes that an accident at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva resulted in an apocalyptic event called The Big Mistake - obviously the series doesn't take itself too seriously. The game is being developed by Bedlam Games, who most recently came off the development of Dungeons and Dragons: Daggerdale.
Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 is the sequel to the popular multi-platform virtual Magic the Gathering card game. Is there enough new content to warrant buying this new iteration? We sling some spells and send our creatures into battle in our co-op review of the game.
I went hands on with The Gunstringer at E3 2011, or rather, hands off since you aren't actually touching anything while playing the Kinect enabled game. The Twisted Pixel developed game oozed their style right from the get go as you take control of the Gunstringer in a four act play, complete with audience, applause and a narrator that reminds you of every western voice over ever heard.
When the first Torchlight was released, the game received nearly universal praise except for one minor problem - it was missing cooperative play. Torchlight 2 is changing that, adding in full co-op support and a rebuilt campaign that should make players feel like they are part of a more epic story. We went hands on with the game in co-op with Runic Games President Travis Baldree at E3 2011 and lived to tell the tale.
It's true that many gamers love to show off their stuff. Whether you have ten tv's, ten xboxes, and loads of arcades in your house, or a more modest approach with a Television and just a few consoles. I'd go so far as to say size and content doesn't matter as long as you use it. I have known a few tech addicts (you know who you are)who buy things that immediately collect dust. Anyway, our promoted blog of the week is from a staffer who fits in the modest setup category.
I managed to make it into a behind-closed-doors session for Sega's Binary Domain, a third-person squad shooter coming out in early 2012. The game is set in Japan, the year is 2080. All you need to know is this: "Robots! Blast'em!" Got it? I don't want to have to explain to you why we're shooting robots during the TechnoHolocaust. You just better damn well do it.
I got to spend a few minutes of hands on time with Serious Sam 3: BFE at E3 2011. The game is still in its alpha stage so a lot of polish was missing, but the build did plenty to convey the direction the game and series is going. That's not to say its going to stray off its beaten path, but rather, there's some new features that might sound a bit off to fans of the series.
After numerous rumors (and even some denials) it finally came to see the light of day, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is the Halo HD remake and its coming November 15th with two player online co-op, remastered multiplayer maps, and lots of good tweaks.
On day two of E3 I got the chance to sit down with Double Fine's Brad Muir. Muir, for those of you who don't know, is the project lead for Trenched, a rapidly approaching XBLA title. I'm happy to say that Trenched looks, plays and feels like a Double Fine game. It's quirky, the art style and animations are captivating, and the whole experience feels well polished. To get the skinny on the story you can check out the intro cinematic here. Are you caught up? Good. Let's do this.
I can't believe how long we've waited for a new Ghost Recon title. The last game was released in 2007 making it almost a full 5 years between versions. After getting some hands on time with the latest build of the game at E3 2011 for a little four player co-op action it seems it was worth the wait. Ghost Recon Future Soldier isn't simply an iteration of the franchise, it's almost a reboot.
It's time once more for a video edition of Co-Op Classics. Today, we are in beat-'em-up mode, with two great examples of this teamwork-heavy genre. Double Dragon is arguably the most influential brawler of all time. Knights of the Round is a solid, flavorful offering from Capcom's heyday.
