It is
February. Happy February!
There are many games out.
A lot of them are Triple A.
Some of them look wild.
One of them is Revengeance.
So what the hell are we waiting for?!?!5.
Title: Aliens: Colonial Marines
Developer: Gearbox Software
Publisher: Sega
Released: February 12th
Let me hit you with some candour:
Colonial Marines better have something going for it beyond the whole “
Alien” vibe. Because the brand itself is no longer sufficient to sustain a modern video game. 27 years will do that to a franchise!
And while the suckfest that was
Duke Nukem Forever isn’t entirely
Gearbox’s fault,
Borderlands 2 was…. Meaning they’re among my favouritest peoples in the world at the minute!
Lamentably,
Colonial Marines looks a bog standard Future-Corps-versus- Gross-Alien-Menace venture but with a lick of licensed paint. Still, the presence of turrets and power-loaders encourage the occasional nostalgic wax. Meanwhile slithering
face-huggers and charging
xenomorphs offer predictable, if powerful, chills.
Is this really a
Borderlands beater?* Just over a week to find out…
*Hint – It is not!
4.
Title: Rayman Legends
Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: February 28thRayman reclaimed his throne a couple years back with
Origins – a punishingly addictive platformer returning the… Dude, I guess, to his
Rabbid-free roots.
[I actually don’t know what Rayman is…]
Well,
Montpellier have returned and this time… they’re bringing the funk!
Rhythm gameplay features more prominently in
Rayman Legends, with the
GamePad used to control
Murfy at certain sections. Originally hailed as a
Wii U launch title, perhaps
Legends can bolster those flagging*
WII U sales. Either way, in the wake of so much carnage, horror and
REVENGEANCE this month, it’s good to have that ray(man) of sunshine breaking through.
*Flagging, for
Nintendo. Anyone else would be delighted with the its sales…
3.
Title: Crysis 3
Developer: Crytek
Publisher: EA
Released: February 22nd
A direct sequel to the second, though only obliquely related to the first, but starring a recurring character in both,
Crysis 3 isn’t actually a tough nut to crack…
You have a bow, an arrow, a
Nano-Suit and a lush, exquisitely rendered playground in which to ninja some unsuspecting ne'er-do-wells.
Yes there’s another intricate story of alien life and corporate conspiracy that even the Cry-hards will try their damndest to ignore.
But
Crysis was never about the tale, and ever about the invisibility. And the arrowing of eyeballs.
The dropping into a room full of heavies, the triggering of armour and the emptying of your shotty.
The kicking of cars, the grabbing of necks, and the hurling of bodies a quarter mile.
Crysis is about the hacking of walking battle-tanks, the ripping of mounted turrets from their struts and making with the carnage.
Welcome back, Carnage!
2.
Title: Dead Space 3
Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: EA
Released: February 8th
Back in 2008,
Dead Space marched up and swiped the Survival Horror crown. And every other game was too busy soiling its pantaloons to retaliate.
Dead Space 2 was perhaps less affecting, with a chattier protagonist (I’m usually all for this, but
Isaac lost 97.6% of his appeal in
DS2) and the focus shift to excitement over terror.
Dead Space 3 boasts co-op, frozen white-out environments,
Kinect swearing, microtransactions, weapon crafting and even more sky-scraping
Necromorphs. React to this how you will…
To their credit,
Visceral have evolved the IP with each iteration. Whether this is for artistic merit (commendable) or financial gain (understandable),
Dead Space remains recognizable, despite added bloat.
Ignore the skinhead marines, action hero protagonists and 7 gazillion rounds per minute assault rifles! The creeping shadows, eerie shuffling and the steady depletion of your backpack’s green remain, poised to relieve your bladder of its contents at the most inopportune moments…
1.
Title: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Developer: Platinum Games
Publisher: Konami
Released: February 22ndIt feels like I’ve never stopped talking about this one.
Like since birth.
I must have always known it was coming…
Revengeance.
Now there’s a f***ing word, folks!
Fittingly,
Platinum Games, those nutjob crazyboots and undisputed monarchs of high-octane eccentric gaming, have crafted a game to match.
If you’ve been paying attention [I wouldn’t actually be offended if you lacked the stamina for my rambling] you know
Revengeance is all about the chop! Super-cyborg
Raiden can and will juggle foes, hammer throw
Gekkos and suplex thousand tonne
Metal Gear Rays. He
NEEDS to cut everything he sees into smaller bits of everything he sees.
Revengeanceis about stealth killing robots with feet first back-flips, cutting out their power-cores, gripping your electrified katana between your feet and wind-milling anything unfortunate enough to be within kicking distance.
Revengeance is bonkers.
Revengeance is funny.
And, somehow,
Revengeance is
Metal Gear. Through and through.
From the mercifully truncated cut-scenes, to the silly humour. From the war-time philosophising to the memorable boss fights. From the globe-shifting, multi-story nuclear death-mobiles to sneaking around under a cardboard box
LIKE A GODDAMN NINJA BEAST… This is
Metal Gear.
But with a sword in its toes and a bazooka in its teeth!Revengeanceis nearly here.Revengeance.
Now there’s a f***ing game, folks!