GZ News: LA Noire, Portal 2 Reviews, Twisted Metal Preview, GZ Homefront Mini-Review, and More.

Well it has indeed been too long since my last post here. I have plenty to post about though. Lots of good stuff out there in Gamedom of late and while I don't have my head buried deep in the games that would consume most gaming journalists I do keep up with what's out there and from what I have seen the gaming market just picked up a bit with the release of Portal 2, Mortal Kombat, and the upcoming LA Noire in May, the latter of which I am clamoring to get my hands on. There is also a great deal of hype surrounding Battlefield 3 and a few other titles that launch later this year and are providing many drool inducing trailers for the masses. Without further adeiu lets dive into some of the news that I have been tagging.

Da' News

Portal 2 has been released and reviewed many times over. It has made all the gamers and critics swoon with 9's and 10's across the board. I am not surprised by this. The first Portal was an instant classic and more of the same with new puzzles, co-op, and Valve's twisted humor makes for another $ maker. I haven't gone out of my way to get any time with it. Why? Well it's just not in my cycle of gaming right now and that's as real as I can put it. I knew it would be a great game that I will eventually want to play, but all the hype and in-depth previews kinda spoiled me and I feel like I have already played this game in my head.

L.A. Noire (screen above) on the other hand sounds just the kind of game I been waiting for. Substance, style, depth, amazing graphics, Rockstar Studios' incredible attention to detail, and real actors doing real performances. Yes this one is going to garner some of my attention...nay ALOT of my attention. I read a preview and it just got me even more pumped to play it. I elected to go with the PS3 version on my pre-order for this and for right now that's what I am sticking with. PS3 exclusive content is rumored and it's a single player game. That's why I can't think of any reason to have it on my Xbox 360. Comments? Well check out this latest trailer while you type.



Do you remember playing Twisted Metal on Playstation back in the day? Oh man I do. That game kept me and my friends busy on rainy summer days during high-school. Screw Mario-Kart lets cause mayhem! Below is a pic from the latest Twisted Metal that's in development. David Jaffe, the creator, is totally keeping that old school feel and look while simultaneously bringing the classic title into the latest fold of technology and such. Joystiq has a great preview here. Release date is set for October 4th.

The last bit of game news I would like to mention is Battlefield 3. Oh yes this one is going to find a home on my console this year. I really like what EA and DICE are doing with this title and while it may end up being more of the same old FPS modern combat that we are all use to by now it has never looked better than this and that's enough for my pre-order! Get schooled on this bad boy by watching the Full 12-minute Fault-Line trailer below. BOOM!



GZ Mini-Review

Homefront: Xbox 360 version
$59.99
GZ Rating 7.0 - Good

Ok so I was really excited to get this title in my hands last month. After a solid 17+ hours in online and 5 hours in campaign I decided it was time to pony up the opinion to my readers. Bottom line, if you are tired of the other modern shooter in your disc tray and want a great online experience with a bit of CoD and Battlefield 2 meshed together then Homefront will keep you happy until the holiday season. It has a surprising amount of customization and the vehicles and drones are all alot of fun to use. All of the weapons feel right but the damage could be improved slightly. In fact a 'Hardcore' mode on this title would be a fantastic addition. Maybe in some DLC. The single-player was just ok. It was a bit difficult, but nothing taxing. In fact, don't buy it for anything but online play because Homefront's signature game mode called Ground Control is just addicting and fun. If you were on the fence, I hope this little review helped.

Cool Shiznit

This is all just a bunch of stuff I found that I had to share because its so awesome. Enjoy!

The live-action Mortal Kombay web series has two episodes out now. 
The Ghost Recon: Future Soldier dev team went to the gun range! That's progress right?

The cool stuff you can do in Just Cause 2. I should pick this one up in a bargain bin one day.


A great vid of the game deaths we all remember from the 8-bit days.


Finally, a new kind of Super Mario Bros. movie. Funny!



Oh and check out Dead Frontier for free online web-based zombie slaying with an RPG feel. :)