List of games coming out in Q1 2013 - Part 2

Here's PART 2. Just in case you missed it, Click here for PART 1.

Crysis 3 - February 19 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

I say this a lot whenever Crysis 3 is brought up, but this is one game that feels like an extension of the second game rather than an actual sequel. The changes are quite minimal that I can easily say it seems like Crysis 2.5. But it doesn't mean it won't be a great game though. Crysis 2 is still one of the most visually demanding titles out there and the added abilities the suit gives you makes it a fun shooter. The multiplayer from the second game proved it could work with all those nano suit abilities at the players disposal, so I'm curious on the improvements for the competitive side.

Tomb Raider - March 5 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

When I first heard that a reboot of the franchise is underway with a more serious tone, I didn't pay much attention to it. When the first screenshots and gameplay was released, they weren't kidding. This is an origins story that shows players how Lara Croft becomes the iconic badass heroine we all know. The Tomb Raider reboot is different gameplay-wise compared  to past titles, but it's a good change to push the franchise into a more modern feel we are now familiar with when it comes to action adventure.

Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm - March 12 (PC)

The long-awaited expansion for the most successful RTS game out there is finally coming out. The expansion continues were Wings of Liberty left off, and is pretty much the Zerg campaign, where you control the now human Kerrigan and her swarm of Zerg forces as she attempts to get revenge over Arcturus Mengsk. The expansion will have 20 Zerg campaign missions and new units for each race. A lot of changes will also be made for the uber popular multiplayer for balancing purposes. I've played my share of Starcraft 2, and I'm eager to see how the story plays out. Hopefully by the time we are done with Heart of the Swarm, it won't take long for Blizzard to release the third expansion that will include the Protoss campaign.

God of War: Ascension - March 13 (PS3)

You'd think after the events of God of War 3, you will never see another God of War game again. But here we are, yet another God of War. Yes, it is hard to move forward in the story, so they tapped on how it all started. God of War: Ascension is set six months after Kratos was tricked into murdering his wife and child, and 10 years before the events of the first God of War. But with how the game is being marketed, the added multiplayer mode is getting all the love since that's all were seeing really.

Gears of War: Judgement - March 19 (Xbox 360)

I'm sure you've figured that Gears of War: Judgment is a prequel. For the first time, you have Marcus Fenix out of the spotlight. Damon Baird and Augustus Cole are the protagonist and is set 30 days after Emergence Day and follows Baird and Cole who faces trial for stealing secret COG technology. In the multiplayer side, Judgement will introduce two new game modes; OverRun, and Free-for-All.

Bioshock: Infinite - March 26 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

This is THE game I can't wait to get my hands on. So far, everything I've seen about Bioshock: Infinite makes the wait a lot harder. From the amazing floating city of Columbia, the smart interaction between Booker and Elizabeth, and the gameplay that stays true to the Bioshock name. Man, I just want to play it already. This title has felt a good amount of delays. It was planned for a 2012 release, but was pushed back all the way to 2013 for the developers to polish the hell out of this game. This is a single player campaign only, so don't expect any multiplayer to go with the game.

Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel -March 26 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)

Equipped with the Frostbite 2 engine ( Battlefield 3), a new pair of protagonists, and an overkill feature that lets you destroy everything, Army of Two: The Devil's Cartel is turning out to be a coop game that should not be missed if you're looking for a coop game. I've always liked Army of Two. I agree that 40th day was phorrible compared to the first game, but the coop features make it tolerable enough to get a few laughs.

Well there you have it, I think. The first three months of 2013 is pretty packed with big titles. I'm already convinced that I'll be getting DmC, Tomb Raider, and Bioshock: Infinite, but what about you? With all the games listed, what are you excited for?

Or maybe I missed something? If I miss a title worth mentioning, by all means hit the comments.

Dead Space 3 the story so far, demo incoming

EA just released a 3 minute video that serves as a recap of what happened before Dead Space 3. It's a refresher for the people who need one. But for those that haven't touched the first two games, major spoilers ahead.

A demo for Dead Space 3 is scheduled for January 22. If you own an Xbox 360 though, you can opt to get the demo a week early. Getting it a week ahead is nothing special, but if you really really want to be the first few players that have played Dead Space 3 before it hits retail on February 5, register away. 

[Source: VentureBeat]

Slender is getting a sequel, first trailer up

Slender: The Eight Pages, the free horror PC game that's considered the scariest game of 2012, is getting a sequel. The first trailer is now out, and it shows a huge visual upgrade. Aside from the improved graphics, Slender: The Arrival seems to have another character to run away from. A guy with a hoodie? Not sure what he's all about, but of course Slender will be back to show up when you least expect it.

The freaky sounds, the feeling of being isolated and alone. Hopefully they retain everything that made the first game a surprise hit.

Slender: The Arrival is planned for an early 2013 release for the PC.

If you haven't tried the first Slender, I dare you. Or make a friend try it and enjoy how he reacts when playing it.

[Source: Kotaku]

Steam Holiday Sale 2012 has begun

 

The Steam Holiday Sale has begun! It's now on day two and just like other Steam sales, we are seeing huge discounts to big titles. Right now we see titles such as Borderlands 2, Hitman: Absolution, and Dishonored at 50% off. 

It's very hard to resist. These discounts make us want a huge backlog of games just to save some cash. The Darksider 2 at $17? Ghost Recon: Future Soldier at $15? and every F.E.A.R game plus its DLC for just $13.71? Steam can be the devil with these holiday sales, and to think this will last until January 5.

Every day, until January 5, the Holiday sale will feature a whole new list of games and franchise in huge discounts that usually last for 48 hours. So make sure to check Steam regularly for the next few days to not miss out on specific discounts. Or, you can just add the game you want on your wishlist and Steam will inform you via email if a specific game in your wishlist has gone on sale. There are also flash sales which changes after a few hours in the day, and a community's choice poll which lets you vote which of the three games given gets to be discounted for just a few hours.

I'm resisting as much as I can. I still have a lot of games on my plate thanks to the Humble Bundle and I hate it when I get a load of games untouched and unfinished.

[Source: Steam store]

War Z removed from Steam, Valve offering full refunds

War Z, Hammer Point Interactive's online zombie survival shooter, was released a couple of days ago on Steam, but is now removed from the service thanks to public outcry. Players who bought the online game for $15 bucks claims that the game doesn't live up to several features promised by the developers. 

You'd think it's a simple case of broken promises from a developer, but it's actually more than that. When the game was out for sale over at Steam, War Z's store page listed features of the game that was said to be in the game, but in actuality, some are not even included yet. Certain features like character skills, extra maps, servers with the capacity of 100 players, hardcore mode, and the given map size of 100 to 400 square kilometers were placed over at the game's key features. What was given when getting yourself a copy of the game was only 1 map, no skills, map size of around 100 square kilometers, and a player cap of 50 per server.

When Steam is offering refunds, you know it's serious. "From time to time a mistake can be made, and one was made by prematurely issuing a copy of War Z for sale via Steam," said Valve vice president of marketing Doug Lombardi to Polygon. "We apologize for this and have temporary removed the sale offering of the title until we have time to work with the developer and have confidence in a new build. Those who purchase the game and wish to continue playing it via Steam may do so. Those who purchased the title via Steam and are unhappy with what they received may seek a refund by creating a ticket at our support site here."

War Z is starting to look like a game filled with broken promises and false advertising. This sounds like a quick cash grab from the developers that pretty much took advantage of the Day Z hype, which I'm sure felt the pressure to release the game early since Day Z devs are working on a stand-alone version of the game.

A petition was even created asking Valve to remove the game from the Steam marketplace. Thankfully Valve was planning to anyway, with or without a petition.

The controversy doesn't end there. Kotaku posted a series of images to compare one of War Z's images to a series of photos from The Walking Dead tv series.

False promises coming from developers are nothing new, others have done it, but it seems like most of what made people excited for the game is not even implemented yet. With these lacking features, I can't really say what makes War Z different from Day Z at this point. When I noticed War Z was out on Steam, I checked out the game's store page and noticed that there will be skills and experience in the game, I got intrigued. I love character progression, and with it being a zombie survival shooter? Sounds good right?. So I did some research, watched players play the game and noticed XP flying per zombie kill. I asked about the skills but to find out it's not implemented yet. So why is the latest build showing XP earned, for kicks? I know this is considered an MMO, a game that is constantly evolving, but at least make it look presentable and not give the impression as if they just bought an unfinished version of the game.

You can read all the drama over at Steam's community page and Reddit, or check out Kotaku's amazing coverage over all of this War Z craziness.

[Source: GameInformer, Kotaku, Polygon]