Tech-Gaming Technology, Gaming, and Culture
Thanks to a deal with Microsoft, Xbox 360 owners have been able to play Call of Duty: Black Ops II’s Uprising DLC pack since April 16th. This week, that exclusivity deal expires, allowing PlayStation 3 and PC owners to get in on the four new maps and Mob of the Dead mode variant. Pitting a quartet of tough guys (Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Ray Liotta and Joe Pantoliano) against zombies on a prohibition-era Alcatraz, this $14.99 download promises a pleasing mix of bang-bang with badda-bing. Too bad Joe Pesci couldn’t make a cameo.
360
Doritos Crash Course 2 (XBL, Free)
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – Blade Wolf (DLC, $7.00)
Metro: Last Light
Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine (XBL, 15.00)
PS3
Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Uprising (DLC, 14.99)
DUST 514
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – Blade Wolf (DLC, $6.99)
Metro: Last Light
Wii U
Solomon’s Key (Virtual Console, $4.99)
Xevious (Virtual Console, $4.99)
3DS
Mario & DK: Minis on the Move (eShop, $9.99)
SpeedX 3D Hyper Edition (eShop, $2.99)
DS
Publisher Dream (DSiWare, $TBA)
PC
Anomaly 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Uprising
Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller Episode 3 – The Oracle
Fire & Forget: The Final Assault
Metro: Last Light
Ocean City Racing
Trave
Robert’s Pick: Amidst the deluge of tower defense variants, the original Anomaly: Warzone Earth was a refreshing reprieve. Instead of the conventional role of unshakable defender, players assumed the offensive, guided a convoy of human attackers through alien territories. With two-player matches where gamers take control of the clashing factions to the ability to transform into giant, ass-kicking mechs, developer 11-Bit Studios seems to have an uncanny understanding of what I wanted for a sequel. For the next four days, players can get two copies of the game, and a ‘gaming gift’ on launch day for $13.49, which seems like a worthwhile deal to me.
Sage’s Pick: Metro: Last Light! The first game was really engaging, what with the creepy atmosphere, the gun detail, and the interactions with the NPCs. The sequel promises to be more and bigger of the same, and the trailer looks GORGEOUS. I won’t say more in case people who never played the first one feel inspired to check out both 2033 and Last Light. I will say that I even pre-ordered, and I almost never do that. A pre-order gets you 10% off the price and free upgrade to “limited edition”. Let the dark and scary action commence!
Say’s Pick: Solomon’s Key, of course. I remember this game being one of many sources of joy and frustration back then and to my surprise it’s available now on Wii. If you never had the opportunity to play this piece of retro puzzle madness, you play as a little wizard called Dana tasked with getting the key to unlock the next level, and of course, to bring light into a world of demons. Through an endless procession of enemies and the ability to create and destroy blocks, it is you job to collect keys, kill everything on your way, and survive to make it through the door. Sounds easy enough, right? Just wait until the whole screen is crowded and you meet insta-death less than few steps away from the door. For only $4.99 you can love to hate it, too.
Eric’s Pick: On the latest podcast, I said that I was tired of violent, “dudebro” shooter games. So, with that in mind, my pick this week is… a violent, not quite “dudebro” shooter. When Metro: Last Light‘s trailer was shown off during the VGA Awards last year, I actually mistook it for a new Fallout game. Set in a post-apocalyptic Moscow, Last Light is the sequel to 2010’s Metro 2033. Complimenting the horror provided by the terribly mutated enemies are some survival elements, such as gathering and swapping out air filters to keep the oxygen breathable. If dark and gritty first-person shooters are your thing, Metro: Last Light is definitely worth a look.
Ryan’s Pick: Metro: Last Light. After stumbling haphazardly into the 2 a.m. impulse buy that was Metro 2033 (for me), I was immediately transported into the world by the elegant, well thought out atmosphere of the underground tunnels that give the franchise it’s name. An atmosphere that boasted a white-knuckle ferocity at times, but complimented those moments with quiet ones among people that are simply making the best of a bad, bad situation. Ever since I finished the original, I’ve been dreaming of going back into those tunnels, exploring the dark, foreboding underbelly of a nuclear worst-case-scenario nightmare, and protecting the people making the best of it. Back into the Metro!
Is Metro: Last Light really coming out? Ive heard next to nothing about since the THQ sell-off.
Wii U Solomon’s Key, Xevious
Nintendo can’t say that there’s no games on Wii. Sadly, there’s like 25 year old ones that could play on the Wii, but oh well.
“Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller Episode 3 – The Oracle”
Let me guess, Say’s Pick? hehe.
Haha, I choose you Pokem… Cognition! 😀 Nah, I’m going through hell with all the amount of work done and yet to be done for this launch. I have been punching my stress away with some Atomic Gringo goodness this week, Megadev just released this awesomesauce free game. Also, for the first time ever Mr Head Honcho El Boss asked me to include a pick! Surprisingly, not Cognition lol :p
HAHA. Did he actually say, “You can’t pick Cognition”? What a jerkface!
He’s so not a jerkface! All I said is that my pick was surprisingly not Cognition – I thought everyone would think that, haha. The irony is that: the more I work on video games, the less time I’ve got to play them.
Is Publisher Dream the Game Dev Story knock off? No, thanks, I’d rather play the iPhone version. Even if it eats my battery like nobody’s business.
Nothing for me this week.
Dust 514 is free to play right? Is it any good? I always think if a game is good they would charge for it.
Yeah, remember you get what you pay for.
Another crappy week for releases.
I’m glad to see that Blade Wolf is only $6.99, not $9.99.
Why don’t you guys post iOS releases?
Just bought Anomaly 2.
“Mario & DK: Minis on the Move”?
I think the full name is Mario & Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move.
Sage, is the 10% on console or just PC via Steam?
Xevious is SO not worth 5 bucks. I wouldn’t pay more than a dollar. And I like old-school shoot ’em ups.
So many picks of Metro Last Light after Deep Silver DLC shenanigans? Don’t buy the game at launch at you’ll have to pay for the hardest difficulty mode. That’s right they are charging for difficulty modes on a $60 game. Screw that.
God, Solomon’s Key drove me insane. So hard, it’s almost unfair.
I guess I’ll play DUST 514. It’s free after all.
SO I get the automated call from Gamestop telling me Metro: Last Light will be in “before noon”. Head down and enter the store at 1:52 PM. No game.
Learn from me, people. Call the bastards first.