Valiant Hearts: a hit with kids & dogs

Gamer Dude’s playing Valiant Hearts — released today on XboxLive and there’s a valiant dog protagonist that’s caught our dog Astrid’s attention. She’s watching the screen wagging her tail and offering her computer game dog friend the lacrosse ball she pinched from the ball bag! LOL

Valiant Hearts was released today for Microsoft Windows, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Steam.  Powered by the same engine as Rayman Origins the game was developed by Ubisoft Montpellier. I’m already a fan. The game art, storyline and musical score is compelling and has a arty feel to it. It’s not an epic war game, but this game has plenty of heart. From the looks of things, the puzzles are satisfying too.

According to Hayden Dingman from PCWorld.com,

Far from a detriment, the silent-film nature of Valiant Hearts is one of its greatest strengths. The game is able to support a multicultural cast—French, German, American, Canadian—without any one culture dominating. And still, these are some of the best characters I’ve played in recent memory, thanks to some strong archetyping and brilliant animated cutscenes.

You also fall in with a trained war dog early in the game, and it’s this dog that most of the game revolves around. The story is the primary draw here, but play revolves around solving a cadre of puzzles more than actual combat.

I’m literally watching Dude play as I write. I’ll update later after the game’s done!

 

Rent Assassin’s Creed 4 at the grocery store? Redbox rumored to offer Xbox One, PS4, Wii U games

Redbox is renting video games — knarly dewd!!
http://appygamer.mobilesrepublic.com/Web/ArticleWeb.aspx?regionid=3&articleid=20713067

Fa la la la-laaa la Fus-ro-daaaah!

credit: Leviathyn.com

Microsoft testing backward compatibility on Xbox One

We still haven’t decided whether we’re buying Xbox One or PS4 consoles in this gaming house, so you can imagine the excitement around here when we read the breaking news report from Appy Gamer this morning:

Some fantastic rumors are emerging this week, suggesting that Microsoft has been secretly testing a feature, to allow the playback of Xbox 360 games running on a PC — using streaming and Microsoft’s new-found cloud technologies.

As you may or may not already know, PS4 will not be accepting PS3 discs. That said, Sony and Gaikai are positioned to change the PlayStation gaming experience in a massive way with Gaikai’s cloud service. Gaikai and Sony plan to release a PlayStation app which would allow users to tether smartphones and tablets to the console’s hub. Users will then be able to stream mobile games and access PSN and the PS Store. Using Gaikai’s cloud, Sony plans to offer users remote play and streaming of PS3 games on the PS4.

I’ll provide more news about Microsoft’s plans to use their cloud for backward compatibility as I have it. Looks like the competition between the new-gen consoles continues to be close…

@Bukosky’s Borderlands 2 GOTY Edition scoop

This just in from JonMichael Bukosky:

Awesomeness-> @GearboxSoftware new short film set inside the world of #Borderlands2 premieres on Thurs! #Sneakpeek -> pic.twitter.com/ZYzk2Mi0kZ

— JonMichael Bukosky (@Bukosky) August 27, 2013

#Borderlands2 short film premiere: Thurs, Aug. 28

No word yet on when Gearbox plans to release its much anticipated Borderlands 2 Game of the Year Edition, reports IGN, adding:

The GOTY Edition is rumored to include all of the game’s released DLC to date, including:

• Creature Slaughter Dome
• Psycho Pack
• Captain Scarlet’s And Her Pirate’s Booty
• Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt
• Mister Torgue’s Campaign Of Carnage
• Tiny Tina’s Assault On Dragon Keep
• Ultimate Vault Hunter Upgrade
• Mechromancer Pack

Borderlands 2 is the sequel to the popular, first-person role playing shooter game, Borderlands. Borderlands 2 has been out for a year, with Gearbox finishing off the game’s season pass DLCs at the beginning of the summer. Borderlands 2 is available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. It’s a game I’ve been hearing a lot about at my house, so expect a review (and parents’ recommendation) soon.

PewDiePie review of Thomas Was Alone: two thumbs up

Just watched PewDiePie’s recent gameplay of the indie puzzle platformer by Mike Bithell, Thomas Was Alone. Two words spring to mind: happy-making and visually-pleasing (OK, I cheated with the word count). It was first released as a browser game in 2010 but has recently been made to accommodate Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X in July last year. Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita versions were released in April this year.

If you’ve got a gamer of your own, you’ve likely discovered the playful, f-bomb-dropping Swedish YouTube gamer, Felix Kjelberg, better known as PewDiePie. He’s massively popular with GamerDude, and as of this week, with 12 million others who’ve subscribed to the 23-year-old’s unique brand of entertainment/game review. I could do without all the salty language, which honestly, doesn’t add anything to his videos. PewDiePie is very watchable — even for people over (ahem) 30. And often, as with Thomas Was Alone, he takes time to spotlight offbeat, visually unique indie games.

Here’s PewDiePie’s YouTube review. Check it out here:

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• PewDiePie, the new King of YouTube (damieniciouailleurs.com)
• PewDiePie Isn’t Bad, But It Really Isn’t Good Either (adweek.com)

Ibb and Obb: on for the whole family

Looking for a game that will delight everyone in the house? I think you’ll find it in Ibb and Obb — the winner of Best Title at Develop’s Indie Showcase at the beginning of July. The game developers plan to release this game on PC through Steam, but at present are focusing on their PS3 version, which has been available since August 6 in North and South America. They have plans to release it in Europe too.

Ibb and Obb’s play is a cooperative two-player game requiring both players to work together to advance. Its graphics and the lines are simple and beautiful, though there’s nothing simple about the game’s design. One of the most interesting and elegant aspects of the game is its interplay with a world consisting of two sides — both from which gravity operates in differing directions. The parallel perspectives of the players is a point of interest, a game challenge and one of the most aesthetically pleasing features of the game.

Check out the trailer below: