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Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified review: A black mark
Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified should have been a pleasing success, a competent shooter on the go, but instead it triggers the awkward smile and feigned gratuity reserved for an earnest, botched gift. Like a slice of cake poured from a decanter, there are clear, disturbing signs of a good thing gone wrong in its preparation.%Gallery-171355%
Sony: 'No definitive plans' for Resistance series, no games currently in the works
The folks who created the Resistance series, Insomniac Games, are no longer working on it. This much we know. But what of Sony? The Japanese publishing giant owns the intellectual property rights to the Resistance series – as evidenced by the recent release of Resistance: Burning Skies on Vita, developed by Nihilistic – but is it planning on any more series entries? "We have no definitive plans," Sony Computer Entertainment Europe producer Daniel Brooke said in a recent interview.That isn't to say the series is done, of course. Brooke's full answer was, "The Resistance franchise has been exciting to work on, but as for the future we have no definitive plans," which sounds an awful lot more couched to us than straight up saying the series is done with. Considering Sony's five games deep on the franchise and the latest entry was billed as a sell-point for the Vita, we're not counting out Resistance just yet. After all, those Chimera are awfully dexterous.
Resistance: Burning Skies trailer shows off multiplayer
The Chimera's out of the bag now, so enjoy this Resistance: Burning Skies trailer showing off some of the features in what looks to be a comprehensive multiplayer offering.
Resistance: Burning Skies trailer pulls out the big guns
New York City fireman Tom Riley has plenty of weapons at his disposal in Resistance: Burning Skies, which launches on the PlayStation Vita on May 29.
Defend George Washington's good name in new Resistance: Burning Skies clip
Beyond associating New York City's George Washington Bridge with exorbitant toll fees and the inanity of driving in Manhattan, we can't think of the bridge without respectfully recalling our country's first president. Well, that and the Chimera's first East Coast push into the US, obviously.
Resistance: Burning Skies screens get down and dirty on Vita
These screens out of the Sony EU preview event show off the gritty, gun-toting graphics of Resistance: Burning Skies on Vita -- and we do mean gritty. And gun-toting. Otherwise we wouldn't have said it. There really are graphics, too.
Resistance: Burning Skies preview: One axe, two sticks
Resistance: Burning Skies protagonist Tom Riley is having a rough day. He awakes at Ellis Island to find himself alone in a stretcher, an IV still embedded in his forearm, while a massive alien attack wages on all around him. Other than his handy fire axe and helmet, Riley's ill-equipped to take on enemies, nonetheless a swarm of Chimera who are hellbent on recovering their stolen technology from the human resistance. But this is a game, after all, so I pilot Tom towards the nearest exit -- a planked up doorway which looks ripe for the axing. Success! I couldn't help but notice in my exploration of Resistance: Burning Skies' opening room that the game looks much improved over the series' previous portable spinoff on PSP. Textures are more detailed, colors are more varied, and environmental effects actually exist. While the game is certainly early (Chimeran faces resemble little more than goofy flat paper masks at the moment), it showed a lot of promise. And maybe more importantly, it demonstrated to me that the PlayStation Vita's twin analog sticks are more than sufficient at delivering shooters on the portable.%Gallery-130818%
Resistance: Burning Skies set to engulf PlayStation Vita
Sony has announced at its Gamescom 2011 press conference details about Nihilistic's Resistance entry on the PlayStation Vita. Subtitled Burning Skies, the title (which serves as an immediate prequel to Resistance 2) casts you in the role of Tom Riley, a fireman who watches the destruction of the United States from ground zero. That task is made a lot more palatable thanks to Riley's proclivity for toting a wieldable fire axe at all times. We guess it's fortunate he decided to take his work home with him! A brief demo showed off familiar Resistance action, with a few neat uses of the Vita's touchscreen -- for instance, some weapons' alternate fire modes are controlled with a single touch. That sounds like the kind of power we can get drunk off of.
Resistance NGP being developed by Nihilistic, isn't a port
Insomniac Games, creator of the alternate-history FPS Resistance for PS3, tweeted its congratulations to Nihilistic Software, the apparent developer of the series' NGP incarnation (which was revealed in a promo reel of in-development games for the handheld during PlayStation Meeting 2011). Insomniac confirmed in a followup tweet that the title would be a "brand new Resistance game. Not a port." While Insomniac has handled all of the Resistance console iterations, including this September's Resistance 3, the well-recieved 2009 PSP spinoff, Resistance: Retribution, was developed by Sony Bend. With Bend currently linked to the Uncharted NGP game, however, it seems Nihilistic got the call to carry on the Resistance for the PSP successor. Little else is known about the title, aside from what can be inferred from the brief clip (pictured) in the promo reel -- which does seem to indicate that, unlike Retribution (a third-person shooter), Resistance NGP will be a first-person shooter. Nihilistic is perhaps most (infamously) known for being the original developer of the failed StarCraft: Ghost project, before going on to complete Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects (EA), Conan (THQ) and the downloadable Zombie Apocalypse (Konami). The studio is currently finishing up PlayStation Move Heroes, published by Sony. [Thanks, Brian]
Zombie Apocalypse plaguing XBLA and PSN next week
Though it may lack the ever-catchy soundtrack of another recently released, undead-centric twin stick shooter, we're still pretty pumped for Nihilistic Software's Zombie Apocalypse. Imagine our rapture when a recent news post on the developer's blog revealed that the title will be landing on XBLA and PSN next Wednesday and Thursday (respectively) for 800 ($10). If you lack imagination, we'll clue you in -- our rapture was immeasurable. Not only does this seem like the perfect training manual for the actual, inevitable zombocalypse, but it's a great refresher course on undead genocide before the year's more substantial zombie-action game comes out.
New details on Zombie Apocalypse, Konami's old-school gore fest
Konami and Nihilistic's upcoming downloadable title, Zombie Apocalypse, has been the subject of a monster-sized update on the PlayStation Blog. Written by Nihilistic designer John Slavin, the update outlines the style, weapons and scoring system in the upcoming PSN and XBLA title. Zombie Apocalypse is a 4-player online co-op enabled twin-stick shooter (in the vein of Smash TV) with so much realistic gore, it has apparently already been denied classification by CERO in Japan. The downloadable title includes seven environments (55 levels in total, which act as days) that are heavily inspired by zombie film masters; Romero, Fulci and Boyle. Each of the game's four playable characters (which seem very inspired by Valve's Left 4 Dead) can wield 10 different weapons -- from chainsaws to flamethrowers -- and use the game's environment to kill for extra points. Slavin promises the better gamers are, the more they will score and the longer they will last. We promise to re-organize our zombie plans for next month, when Apocalypse is scheduled to hit PSN and XBLA. Note: This post originally referred to Zombie Apocalypse as a PSN-exclusive title, which it isn't. It's coming to XBLA as well, a fact that slipped our mind when -- of all things -- a zombie took a bite out of it. Go figure. %Gallery-49992%
StarCraft: Ghost concept art surfaces, game hasn't
StarCraft: Ghost was originally poised to be a direct competitor to the Splinter Cell and Metal Gear franchises, with similar action and stealth gameplay. Set four years after the events of StarCraft: The Brood War, it was once a hotly anticipated title for Blizzard fans. Yet, the game has eluded retail shelves after years of delays and swapped hands.A gaggle of concept art is now available online of what once was Sam Fisher and Solid Snake's worst nightmare... a girl! For a little back story on the StarCraft: Ghost insanity, here is your daily history lesson: 2002 - StarCraft: Ghost is announced (at TGS), under the development eye of Nihilistic Software (of Conan fame) 2004 - Numerous delays forced Nihilistic to cede development duties to Swingin' Ape Studios (makers of Metal Arms: Glitch in the System) 2005 - A GameCube version of SG is officially canned and Blizzard decides to hold off on further development to assess the upcoming generation of consoles Mid 2006 - StarCraft: Ghost is put on 'indefinite hold' by Blizzard, who has since moved on to StarCraft 2 development Late 2006 - StarCraft Ghost: Nova was released in bookstores setting up the back story for the (now likely) vaporware title 2008 - Blizzard does not include Ghost in a presentation at D.I.C.E. referencing canceled games; Blizzard claims it was never officially canceled 2009 - Yeah, the game still doesn't exist
THQ announces 'Conan' for PS3 & Xbox 360
With the latest Conan-scooped issue of Game Informer resting beside your toilet, having had a few weeks to collect a residue of bathroom scuzz (its measure an acceptable method for determining the length of an NDA), THQ has deemed it time for the interweblings to be enlightened. 'Old news' has been made new again as THQ today announced a new Conan (the Cimmerian cum Barbarian, not O'Brien) game for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 developed by Nihilistic Software.What we've been told is vague. We're to expect an action-adventure game in early 2008, highlighted by "a story of epic brutality, sheer evil and visceral combat." Sounds -- and if you've got that GI issue lying around, looks -- a lot like God of War (minus the Greek influence).See also: THQ revives Conan the Barbarian
