Wait, “The Witcher 3” Is Coming To The Switch?!

Honestly, at this point I’d be less surprised if the Nintendo’s bullish little hybrid couldn’t solve climate change, whilst performing heart surgery on a tic and burping Bethovens fifth. And yet here I am again, aghast, bewildered but throughly delighted to see that “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt”, through some mythical, Polish sorcery, will be coming to the Switch. Featuring not only the main game itself but the myriad of DLC’s, this ambitious iteration could well be the most definitive, despite the potentially compromising rendering limitations that are destined to burden the little console that could. But personally I think this is small price to pay for such portability. To embrace the true spiritual power of Nintendo Switch: as a mobile vessel that allows us to play games we already own, but on the toilet. This my friends, is the dream we all share.

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Winner of over 800 awards, including 250 Game of the Year awards, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an RPG set in a fantastic open world full of adventure, danger, and mystery. As professional monster slayer Geralt of Rivia, gamers must set out to find the Child of Prophecy — a powerful entity that may send the world spiraling toward destruction. Along the way, the witcher will find himself facing not only mighty foes, but also difficult choices, the consequences of which will ripple throughout the game’s epic narrative.

Ported to Nintendo Switch by Saber Interactive in close cooperation with CD PROJEKT RED, the game is set to launch this year both digitally and in retail. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition for Nintendo Switch comes with the base game, as well as every piece of additional content ever released. This includes both story expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, as well as all 16 free DLCs. In total, the Complete Edition offers over 150 hours of gameplay, for the first time playable truly on-the-go.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is the first game from the franchise to be released on a Nintendo console, introducing the series to brand new audience, as well as giving anyone who already played Geralt of Rivia’s final adventure a chance to experience it again on the go.

GTA V Finally Announced! But What Do We Know?

FINALLY! It seemed like an eternity. Waiting for the announcement of Rockstars gangster classic, is almost as excruciatingly cruel as being strapped to a chair and being tormented with painful dental surgery, that’s being conducted by an ear shatteringly, amplified Fearne Cotton (horrific). I was beginning to question my own mental stability, almost as though GTA V was some twisted delusion I concocted after a few alcoholic beverages, and was quickly becoming like a bigfoot style myth. But at last, Rockstar have restored some semblance of my mental faculties, by finally announcing the existence of possibly the most anticipated titles ever, Grand Theft Auto V.

Legitimate information on this behemoth of a series is still relatively scarce, but GTA V looks set to continue in the same realistic strides as its predecessor, by focusing the games narrative firmly in a more mature manner, which could alienate many fans hoping for a series return to its more humourous roots and compete with its absurdly nuts, but equally entertaining rival, Saints Row. But this should be seen as a state of intent from Rockstar rather than seemingly distancing itself from its nearest competitors, which are still hopelessly upstaged and out maneuvered by this gargantuan of a series. But ultimately GTA doesn’t need to compete with any game, let alone SR, due to the underlining fact that its GTA, and it can do what bloody well likes.

GTA V is returning to a present day Los Santos, where you play a yet unnamed, undisclosed and totally unknown protagonist who incidentally, narrates  throughout the course of the trailer, and expresses his desire to move to Los Santos to retire, start a family and forfeit from “that line of work” and “to be a good guy for once”, so expect him to be on the more mature “Tommy Vercetti” side rather than a young, athletic “Carl Johnson” type, who’s looking to settle down and possibly, make amends for past indiscretions, or more likely, blow things/people up. I do have my reservations about GTA revisiting Los Santos though. I can’t really figure out whether it’s a step forward, or two steps back, but if there’s one constant in gaming, it’s that Rockstar know what they’re doing.

 As it’s a present day setting, expect the games narrative to be heavily targeted on the current economic crisis that has crippled the financial world, and to focus on the greed and corruption of repugnant bankers, which sounds like obvious fodder for a game such as GTA. Also the “V” in GTA V appears to harbour an uncanny resemblance to a dollar bill, which is a strong indication that money will play an integral part of the story, but this is just speculation and is really all any of us are capable of achieving at the moment, at least until much more substantial information is released.

The trailer, though short, is exceptional in its beauty, scale and ability to entice the viewer with its untold brilliance, that really capture’s your attention and provides you with the stark reminder, that this is the game that you’ve been anticipating. As if we needed reminding?!

Check out the trailer and let me know your thoughts on GTA revisiting Los Santos, what you believe the story will involve and anything else that interests you. Cheers.

http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19341/grand-theft-auto-v-trailer-110211.html

FIFA Street; The Beautiful Game, With New Tricks

It’s only been a couple of weeks since the release of the inevitable annual FIFA, and your probably still attempting to ascertain the difference between the new and “Improved” FIFA in comparison to last years apparently inferior version. Obviously I’m being callously sarcastic, because there is clearly a huge, Ronaldinho teeth size distinctions visually and technically between the 2, I mean come on, it’s not like EA only lazily update the teams and kits for the sole purpose of making money?…..*cough* Be that as it may, the battle for footballing supremacy is now fully underway between the 2 bitter rivals, but EA have already announced the release of another FIFA Street, and Oh? Is that a collective cheer of anticipation I hear. Oh, no it isn’t?

I know what your thinking, the thought of another FIFA Street would be enough to leave even the most hardened of Footy fans feeling thoroughly underwhelmed. They havent been great I know, fun, but repetitive after extended periods of plays, but this FIFA Street could be the game changer (see what I did there?). The major catalyst that could alter the success of this rather disappointing offspring is that this version is being developed by the team that created this years FIFA, which I’m hoping will be a good thing. Regulars to the series will already know what to expect, being able to play as your favourite international stars across 35 variant locations around the world, participate in five-a-side, one-on-one and futsal (no, I don’t know what that is either) matches as well as EA’s “Street Ball Control” feature, which will involve the control you have on the ball, whilst, well, being on the street I would assume. If EA can incorporate the same intensity and intricate gameplay offered by its more professional counterpart, while still allowing you to look awe-inspiring as you nutmeg Messi (clearly still not basing this in reality), then FIFA Street might actually be good entertainment, if not OTT, and should act as a sufficient distraction from the frustrating world of FIFA 12 .

FIFA Street is released in Spring 2012, click the link to watch the trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brFDXut68ME&feature=related

Prey 2; The Future Is Here

FPS’s have over the years become widely synonymous with war, and with the continuing heated battle between both Battlefield and Call Of Duty doing nothing to appease this common conception, the trend is sure to continue, but there are exception’s to this. Deus Ex has proved that FPS’s aren’t just about annihilating constant enemy combatants, by incorporating stealth as well as tactics into a futuristic world and, some would argue, integrating a little maturity into a particularly saturated genre. On paper, Prey 2 may look the splitting image of Eidos explosive shooter; futuristic locales, first person perspective, but that’s where the similarities end.

Trying to illustrate Prey 2 without referencing Blade Runner is as arduous as referring to Katie Price without making some kind of “plastic” connection, but there really is no alternative when describing Prey 2’s alien hunter. Forget Prey (which wont be difficult, if you don’t own the console we do not speak of), because this is a game totally separate to its predecessor; offering an open world that’s bigger, wider and higher. You play as Killian Samuels, an US Marshal who after being abducted by aliens becomes a bounty hunter to survive on the Extra terrestrial planet of Exodus, the inhabitants of whom coincidentally speak english (lucky). Your objective is to collar and in some instances kill, any criminal’s that have alluded capture. You must utilise many unusual gadgets to acquire your chosen targets including hover boots, shoulder mounted turrets and jetpacks, and its entirely up to you how you attain your targets. Opting for a more sneaky approach will allow you to quietly and efficiently seize culprits before teleporting the hapless criminal straight to your employer, or alternatively, you can track them down before launching into an advanced game of tag, with an exhilarating chase and also exploit your free running abilities to finally apprehend the felon. Once caught, you can trade their freedom for money, gain information via interrogation or just ruthlessly kill them.

With a wonderfully neon inspired city, reminiscent of Blade Runner (damn, I was almost there too), and combat that’s both intricate and suspenseful, Prey 2 really isn’t just a sequel, it’s a standalone giant. Bethesda, you’ve gone done it again.

Prey 2 is released March 2012, check out the link to watch this impressive teaser trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jQX6EbZcDY

Let me know your thoughts to this impressive shooter.

Lollipop Chainsaw: Zombie Depravity?

Zombies, where would modern gaming be without these shuffling disintegrating corpses? Would we be better off as a nation? Or living in a far greater age with more originality and generally new concepts? Possibly, but that doesn’t stop each of us purchasing at least 1 zombie themed game a year, so why argue with popular demand, it’s what we yearn for (apparently). Say what you will about zombie games, at least you know what to expect; blood, disembowelment, gruesome deaths and more blood, and Lollipop Chainsaw appears to be luring a certain breed of gamer, the slightly depraved kind. The lead character, who is a female cheerleader, brandishes a chainsaw which she utilizes to literally liquidate any and all brain-munching zombies into a fine, sticky past, whilst her ex boyfriends recently (and still living) severed head hangs ominously from her belt, (don’t ask, because I’m struggling with this myself). Lollipop Chainsaw is very much in the early stages of development, so more definitive information on this particularly obscure idea are still few and far, but what is known is that its being crafted by both Goichi Suda (Sudo51) and former Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka, both of whom worked on Grasshopers previous project, Shadows Of The Damned. So it’s probably not entirely unfair to liken Lollipop Chainsaw to titles such as Dead Rising, just a bit more OTT, if that’s even remotely possible, and tongue firmly in cheek.

Lollipop Chainsaw will be released in 2012, check out the link to watch footage, and keep an eye out for a subtle reference on the heroines top, to a zombie, directing legend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDmaJwKK_ZI

Does Lollipop Chainsaw sound like your kind of game? Or is the games industry already saturated with similarly executed ideas? Let me know your thoughts, cheers.