GZ News: Homefront Midnight Release, LA Noire, Alice Returns, and more.

Got your copy of Homefront on Pre-Order? I do. Select Gamestop locations around the country will be doing midnight releases and I will be at my local store picking up my copy tonight. The pre-order bonus they have for this game is actually pretty good for us multi-player freaks. We get a couple of advanced unlocks like the SCAR-L assault rifle, and an Air Recon Drone. Nice.

With gas prices going up this will give me a reason to stay home and save my hard-earned cash for other things. It's funny how that statement sort of parallels the background story in Homefront where gas prices skyrocket and contribute to the US economic meltdown. In fact a few websites that normally aren't known for throwing in their two cents when it comes to worldly affairs have breached that silence and spoke out on the Homefront story and its real world possibilities. Unanimously they all agree that, while being highly unlikely, the events are Homefront are plausible. This kind of drama and controversial approach is more common these days in our mature gaming world.

The trailer for Dead Island is one example of how mature games and modern developers are encroaching on uncomfortable territory (a young girl turns zombie and dies). Rewind 10 years ago and you would see what I mean. A stark difference.

Da News

Here is the launch trailer for Homefront releasing tomorrow 3/15


Joystiq was impressed with the Single-player preview they got. Look for full reviews from the major sites tomrrow. I will post here.

LA Noire is the next game on my list to acquire this year. Release date is 5/17/11. I am a huge Rockstar fan and love the games they put out (mostly). This one is looking stellar and quite frankly I could use a break from all of the FPS games out there. There are a ton of videos out there for you to watch, but the one that I find most impressive is the one below that details the investigations themselves and really lets that new motionscan technology shine. Check it out. Are you getting LA Noire? What do you think about it?



A while back I did a short blog post on the new Alice: Madness Returns game that is in development. American Mcgee is back in the saddle and the press got a fresh look at the latest build. I don't why this game intrigues me but it does. I think the imagery is what shocks my mind.

Alice Returns Dtoid Preview here

Probably the 3rd game I will acquire later this year is Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. A new villain for the game was revealed check the video below.



Every play Serious Sam? I did. Played the original and loved it. Never played the sequel, but now they are developing Serious Sam 3. Some screens and stuff here.

Saints Row 3 was officially announced on March 3rd and developer Volition is changing things up this time around and putting in drop-in/drop-out full campaign co-op. Wikipedia (I know) actually has a great write up on it here. I just hope they keep the insurance fraud mini-game in there!

Two last tidbits of fun stuff....

Ever see Super Mario Bros. updated with sound effects from today? Watch.



Have you watched "The King of Kong: A fistful of quarters" documentary? If not I recommend you rent it and give it a whirl. For those that have watched, you would be interested to know that Billy Mitchell ponied up the dough and built an arcade at Orlando Airport. He is yet to be seen there. Ha!

That's it peeps! Keep gaming.

Dead Island Trailer is Epic

This game is the newest Zombie saga to be announced this year. Reports from other sites say they caught wind of it a few years back but then nothing for a long time until this fantastic trailer. When something as awesome as this trailer is put in front of me I am instantly driven to know more about it. I will read more and more until my eyes bleed. With that in mind I will just say that while this trailer is not actual in-game footage it certainly earns a spot on two lists. 1) It is in my top 5 games for this year 2) Probably the best game trailer I have EVER seen.

I did the research for ya, but I won't be long winded about it. Instead I will mention that this game is essentially a mash up of elements from the best games out there now. It will have the 4 player drop-in/drop-out Co-Op and some special infected like Left 4 Dead. It will have the melee weapon customization of Dead Rising 2. Lastly it will throw in a helping of RPG-like elements like Fallout 3. While I go watch the trailer again and then once more in forward mode, here are some links to previews of Dead Island.

Dead Island Previews - Link Link2 Link3

Beegzz out.

New Homefront Trailer, Release Date, and more

Yeah I'm ready for the resistance. Bring it. Homefront is my most anticipated game right now. A lot of gamers are just glazing over it and not paying much attention or so they seem. I personally believe this game is getting alot more indirect attention from gamers who are just wondering how bad it will be while secretly hoping it kicks ass. I for one think this will be a fantastic game. FYI Homefront was pushed back to a March 15th release date. Why? Probably because a new Pokemon game releases the same day. Go figure.

Want to know more about Homefront's Battle Commander system? How about Battle Points? Want all the in-depth coverage? There is no other place besides http://community.homefront-game.com/home to go. GZ will always cover Homefront, but for a day's worth of news and videos check that link out.

Lastly, I bought and read the Homefront novel "The Voice of Freedom" which was a very enjoyable read. It paints a pretty bleak and believable picture of a dilapidated America and then keeps you turning pages to see what the main character is up against next. Great character development and a scary background of events. If you like fiction based in reality (Tom Clancy novels) you will like this one. Pick it up @ Amazon or Barnes & Noble for $10.

Dead Space 2 Tidbits + My mini-review

I just LOL'd at the title of this post! How appropriate that tidbits and Dead Space 2 be used in the same sentence? Ok so I have two posts today. This one just for EA's hit title. First up is my mini-review of the game's single player component. Click here for Destructoid's review including multi-player. 

GZ Review of Dead Space 2
by Beegzz

As some of you may already know, Dead Space 2 is the sequel to the beloved original that launched back in Oct 2008. It was well received by critics and gamers, however the latter group did not jump on the bandwagon of sales that was much deserved. Dead Space 2 has every bit of the original's mojo and the game's troubled hero Issac Clarke is very much in the center of it all. (Minor spoilers ahead) The necromorphs are back and badder than ever and dismembering them is the fastest way to dispatch them. The game even starts with one breathing down your neck, literally, in one of the best beginning cut-scenes in a survival horror game I have seen. You see Issac is a going a bit mad and wakes up in a straight jacket and necromorphs are wreaking havoc around him. When you finally get to the first store where you can buy your engineering suit its an epic moment as Issac dons the famous duds once again. Eventually you learn that this part of the saga is taking place on a space station called The Sprawl. This game world is filled with memorable new levels and challenges for you to make your way through. The whole campaign is a fantastic 10+ hour journey with Issac fighting his inner demons while trying to figure what he must do to save the day. Gameplay is largely the same as in the first title but improvements have been made all-around. Perhaps the best one is the ability to move around freely in the zero gravity portions of the game by utilizing the thrusters on Issac's suit. There are new weapons and suits for Issac this time around. The reliable plasma cutter, line gun, and pulse rifle all make a return as do others. The new weapons are extremely pleasing with the Javelin Gun being an early favorite and they can all be upgraded. Issac gets to try on cool new suits and some of them provide bonuses like armor, stasis regeneration, and more weapon damage. The floating menu/inventory screen is still one of the slickest interfaces I have seen yet. Dead Space 2 amps up the scare factor with ominous music and clever lighting and level design. You WILL whip around and check your six when you hear a noise. With a great story, the uber-disgusting necromorphs chasing you and popping out of the ceilings and, not to mention all the heat-thumping thrilling moments, you will be party to one of the most epic single-player experiences around. Plus your mom will hate it!

9 out of 10 - Game Zombie Editors Choice

Yup that picture above is of a life-size replica of the plasma cutter. Got money to blow? Go for it!

If you beat Dead Space 2 you will unlock Hardcore mode that only allows you 3 game saves for the entire campaign but if you invest the time you will get one of the coolest unlocks this side of the galaxy. Peep the video below to watch Issac's new toy go 'BANG BANG, PEW PEW PEW'



Dead Space movie? I vote yes. Rumors start here.

This is how you will die in Dead Space 2

It the thought that goes into the death animations that I appreciate the most. What a fun part of the development process! Ahhh yes...its the little things.