Twelve years ago, Spider-Man 2 rewrote the rules for comic book- and comic book movie-inspired games by having our friendly, neighborhood wall-crawler fight crime in wide-open New York City. Now Spidey again has the run of the place in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which Beenox has made for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC, and WiiU.
So why does it feel like both a step backwards and a step in the wrong direction?
It was recently announced that, because of the upcoming movies, all of the previous Star Wars video games were no longer cannon. But if you want to play some Star Wars games that will never be disavowed, you can’t go wrong with Star Wars Pinball: Heroes Within, the addictive new tables Zen Studios are bringing to their pinball games on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, PCs via Steam, Macs, iOS devices, Android smart phones and tablets, and Amazon’s Kindle. (What, no virtual Boy!?!)
With The Amazing Spider-Man 2 coming to theaters on May 2nd, it was inevitable that there’d be a video game adaptation as well. But along with the one Beenox are making for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, the WiiU, and the 3DS, there’s a unique one coming to iOS, Android, and, later on, Windows devices, too. I spoke to Gameloft’s Tatiana Nahai about what it took to bring Spidey and his super friends to smaller screens.
As a bad Jew who likes shooting things from the first-person perspective, World War II first-person shooter are my jam. Or rather, they would be if I was young enough to have a jam. But while this genre hasn’t been seen much since Call Of Duty: World At War came out in 2008, its now being resurrected by Enemy Front, which C.I. Games will released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on June 13th. But in talking to producer Stephen Skelton, it’s clear that Enemy Front is trying to bring this old genre back with some new ideas.
Originally released on the 3DS and Vita, the side-scrolling beat-’em-up Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate was generally welcomed with a yawn when it came out alongside the vastly superior Batman: Arkham Origins last year. Now Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate: Deluxe Edition brings the game to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, WiiU, and PC, and with it, many of the same problems that plagued the original versions.
Zen Studios have announced that they will release four new Star Wars pinball tables for their various pinball games. All four will be released digitally for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox Live Arcade, Steam, iOS, Google Play, Amazon, and OSX.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is a third-person action game in which you have to hack & slash your way through hordes of zombies. But while the game — which was made by Spark Unlimited for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC (via Steam) under the supervision of Team Ninja — has nothing to do with the Ninja Gaiden games, a myriad of serious problems will prevent even the most forgiving of action fans from enjoying this mess as well.
With a main mission that clocks in around two hours, the third-person stealth action game Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes — which Kojima Productions has made for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 4 — might seem like just a glorified demo, not worth the money. But with numerous reasons why you’ll want to play this really fun game more than once, the real question isn’t “if” you should buy Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, but “when.”
Like The Simpsons, Futurama, and a lot of American cartoons that are made for adults, South Park hasn’t always had the best luck being translated into a video game. But with South Park: The Stick Of Truth — a turn-based role-playing game made by Obsidian (Fallout: New Vegas) and published by Ubisoft on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC — we finally have a South Park game that’s as fun as it is funny.