The Mottman Prophecies

2011: The Year of 3s

2011-11-30T16:38:00.000-08:00

2011 has been a great year for gaming; it's also a year with an odd convergence across many different franchises and platforms. A ridiculous number of games released just over the past few months either had the number 3 in their title, or were the third of their kind. It began with Resistance 3 a few months ago, followed by Gears of War 3 shortly thereafter. There was a short gap and then it was a bedlam of tris with Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3, Saint's Row: The Third, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and there were probably a few more that are slipping my mind.
While most of these games are wildly different thematically, most of them shared a common tone. A lot of them carried their storylines with a heavy weight as they were trying to wrap up a trilogy in a big way that gamers will remember for years to come. The majority of them played it very serious, with the exception being Saint's Row, which was decidedly not serious and just went for over-the-top fun; which helped it stand out as being refreshing after so many games hitting the player with heavy, emotional beats.
And when you think about it, even some games that didn't have 3 in their title still fit this trend; Assassin's Creed: Revelations is the third game starring Ezio Auditore. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, while obviously being the 5th game in the franchise, is the third ES game released on consoles. Later this year we'll see Star Wars: The Old Republic, which sounds like a new franchise but is actually the third game set in The Old Republic timeframe. If only Mass Effect 3 and Bioshock: Infinite(the 3rd Bioshock game) had made it out this holiday season heads would've exploded!

L.A. Noire: Prophesied

2011-04-25T16:46:00.000-07:00

When Rockstar Games talks, the gaming world listens. And with good reason; this is a developer that's created and cultivated some of the most ambitious and successful games and franchises in the last ten years. Grand Theft Auto was a phenomenon during the PS2 era and Grand Theft Auto IV was a mega-hit for the current generation of game consoles. Then there was Red Dead Redemption, a re-invigoration of one of Rockstar's older franchises that took the GTA formula in a whole new direction. It won a multitude of Game of the Year awards, changed the way people think about open-world games, and is regarded by many as a modern classic.

And now, in less than a month, Rockstar and developer Team Bondi will be releasing their next game, L.A. Noire. This marks the beginning of a brand new franchise for the heavy-hitting developer/publisher and it seems to be following the design tenants of Red Dead; Take the GTA formula and twist it into something completely unexpected.

For the uninitiated, L.A. Noire takes place in the late 1940's and puts you in the shoes of a man named Cole Phelps, a soldier just back from World War II whose trying to find his place in the world. Deciding to put his military experience to use, he joins the LAPD and your main goal throughout the game is to climb the ranks of the police force to go from street cop to detective and then you must work your way up through the hierarchy of departments like traffic, homicide, vice, etc..

The gameplay seems to blend the open-world freedom, driving, and gun fights from GTA IV with detective work similar to that of the Ace Attorney series or Heavy Rain. This means you'll be exploring crime scenes for clues and, once you've found them, you can take a closer look at them to reveal more information about the case. The cover system and shooting control seem to have been tightened up since GTA IV and should work even better here. The driving looks similar to GTA but I suspect that, although there will be car chases, the cars will probably drive slower than they did in Liberty City since these are all cars from the 40's. This is probably for the best since driving too quickly in GTA IV would sometimes cause the game to hitch up and objects often wouldn't appear until you'd already crashed into them.

Stylistically, this game already gets the thumbs up from me. How often do you see 1940's era America depicted in a video game? And how often do you see it done to the quality on display here? Never.
L.A. Noire looks like crime drama at it's absolute best and with a powerhouse like Rockstar to back it, May should be great month for a trip to the City of Angels.

Here's an official trailer that sets the stage very well and should pique your intrest if this post hasn't already:

Video Games | L.A. Noire | Gameplay Series: Orientation HD

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

Mass Effect 3

2011-01-09T23:08:00.000-08:00

This is the announcement trailer for the upcoming Mass Effect 3. I saw this a few weeks ago when it debuted at the Video Game Awards on Spike TV and i just had to post it because I am totally stoked about this game. I am a huge fan of the series and I can't wait to see what happens to finish out the trilogy. Mass Effect 2 is one of my favorite games and it won a TON of awards from various websites and magazines. Bioware has truly accomplished something great with ME and I wish them all the luck in making the fianl installment the best the series has to offer.

Video Games | Mass Effect 3 | VGA 10: Exclusive Debut Trailer

Xbox 360 | PlayStation 3 | Nintendo Wii | PC Games

Bioshock Infinite

2010-09-23T12:32:00.000-07:00

I just watched the new gameplay trailer for Bioshock Infinite and let me just say: this is uber-badassery!

Video Games | BioShock Infinite | Ten-Minute Demo Gameplay HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

I was a huge fan of the original Bioshock but I didn't play the second one; it just didn't excite me the way the original did. But this game is made by the designers of the original Bioshock, Ken Levine and his team at Irrational Games, and it look absolutely amazing. Here's an 45 minute interview with the man himself talking about the game:

Demo Reel!!

2010-09-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

Check out my new Demo Reel. This is still an unfinished version but it's getting there and it'll be posted on my website soon.

Mortal Kombat short film

2010-06-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

So I came across this short film based on Mortal Kombat the other day and I just had to post it because it was so badass. Just take a look:

This film was made over the course of two-months by a guy named Kevin Tancharoen who wants to make this into a feature film with himself as director. Here's a link from Kotaku.com with a brief article about him:

http://kotaku.com/5559726/how-the-mortal-kombat-short-was-made-and-what-happens-next

I wish this guy all the luck in the world because I think he did an amazing job and I would absolutely go see this movie if he got to make; just to see his take on the various MK characters and story arcs.

Finally, here's the new trailer for the next Mortal Kombat game:

http://www.giantbomb.com/the-next-mortal-kombat-trailer-brings-the-pain/17-2621/

I looks pretty cool; they seem to be going back to 2D and they've clearly brought the fatalities back properly. Ed Boon, the creator of MK, is also back on board as creative director so it definitely has the pedigree to make a great new installment for the series.

I have to admit though: when I first saw the short film I was really hoping that is was a leaked E3 trailer made to show off the new visual style for an MK re-boot, something the series could definitely use. I saw this as being a re-imagining like Twisted Metal: Black, but for Mortal Kombat. Sadly, that wasn't the case but I still have high hopes for the next MK game and I will definitely be keeping my eye on it because these two videos have brought back my interest in the series.

Mass Effect 2-Cinematic Trailer

2010-02-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, I've been meaning to post something, so I figured this would do. I thought this trailer was bad-ass and the game is even better. If you haven't checked out Mass Effect 2 I suggest you do so soon, especially if you played through the first one.

Video Games Mass Effect 2 Cinematic Trailer

XBox 360 Playstation 3 Nintendo Wii

Mass Effect 2!

2009-12-10T07:39:00.000-08:00

I was a big fan of the first Mass Effect game from Bioware. It had some issues; texture pop-in, slowdown, and some random glitches, but it was a great game. The developers had always talked about Mass Effect being a trilogy so I knew that I'd be able to look forward to what they'd improve in the sequels. And, having seen some of the trailers and gameplay footage for ME2, I can't wait to play this game! Everything from the interface to the story and dialogue just seems ten times tighter and more refined than in the first game. Here's a video showing off the "Adept" class that you can choose from. The Adepts are basically magic users in the world of Mass Effect:

Video Games | Mass Effect 2 | Adept Combat Class Reveal

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

I didn't acctually play as an Adept in the first game. I played as a combination of an Adept and a Soldier, called a Sentinel; but just the way that they've made the powers look more impressive and significant is making me wish I had.

Here's a trailer for one of the party members you can get, Subject Zero, she's definately darker and has a filthier mouth than any of your party members from the first game. However, her attitude fits because they've always talked about this one being the "Dark Second Chapter" in the trilogy.

Video Games | Mass Effect 2 | Subject Zero Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Long story short, I can't wait for January!

More Great Games!

2009-11-17T14:31:00.000-08:00

Wow, I just can not believe how many great games have come out the past few months. I'm still playing Dragon Age: Origins and I know that'll keep me busy for a long time to come. But then there's GTA IV: Episodes from Liberty City, Uncharted 2, and Modern Warfare 2. Now this week there's Left 4 Dead 2 and Assassain's Creed 2 coming out and every last one of these games have gotten phenominal reviews.

Here's a link to the Left 4 Dead 2 review from Gametrailers.com:

Video Games Left 4 Dead 2 Review

XBox 360 Playstation 3 Nintendo Wii

This is definately one of the best holiday seasons for games in years and I can't wait to dig into these titles.

Survival

2009-11-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

I survived last week's midterms. Actually, I did really well and am damn proud of the stuff that I came away with. I think I have some potential portfolio pieces and I am very happy about that.

Since I had a few days to breathe, I got down on some Dragon Age: Origins and I don't even know how many hours I've already poured into it. I'm going to be addicted to this one for a while but, after I set it down, I'm going to pick up the Grand Theft Auto IV: Episodes from Liberty City disc. It contians both of the GTA IV expansion packs The Lost & the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony.I had GTA IV but the disc got ruined the last time my 360 died. I had already finished the game but wasn't able to get The Lost & the Damned expansion when it came out. So I was really happy to hear that they decided to release a seperate disc version of the two expansions so that you don't need the original disc. Check out the GT review for more info:

Video Games GTA IV: Ballad of Gay Tony Review

XBox 360 Playstation 3 Nintendo Wii

Dragon Age: Origins Reviews

2009-11-03T13:03:00.000-08:00

Dragon Age: Origins just got released today and, from what I've seen, it's getting phenomenal reviews. Gametrailers.com gave it a 9.1 out of ten, gamespot.com gave it a 9.5, and 1up.com gave it an A.

Here's the GT review:

Video Games Dragon Age: Origins Review

XBox 360 Playstation 3 Nintendo Wii

The point is I'm totally stoked to play this game! I picked it up this morning but, due to midterms, I probably won't be able to play it until Thursday night or Friday morning. I'm planning to go with a Rogue character focused on archery because I've never made one in a game like this before and it seems like it will make for a unique experience for me.
I can't wait for Friday and I feel like it will be a great reward for making it through my midterms.

Let me get a Yay-Yay!!!!

2009-10-27T14:15:00.000-07:00

Found this awesome tutorial for quickly making a spiral staircase, check it out.

Dragon Age: Origins "Sacred Ashes Trailer

2009-10-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Video Games Dragon Age: Origins Sacred Ashes Trailer

XBox 360 Playstation 3 Nintendo Wii

This is the launch trailer for Dragon Age: Origins. If you haven't heard of it, it's a dungeon crawler RPG for the PC, Xbox 360, and PS3 from Bioware, the makers of Baldur's Gate II, Mass Effect, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

It's coming out one week from today and if you like fantasy themes and/or dungeon crawler RPGs then this game is something you should check out. You get to create your own hero and choose their "origin", or backstory that you get to play through and then collect a party of heroes to fight off a group of monsters known as the Dark Spawn. If you've been itching for a great RPG like I have been, this may be the game we've been waiting for.

Also, the PC version of the game will include a full toolset for creating your own scenarios, including the ability to create your own cinematics and record your own dialogue. Check out this link to see it:

http://www.giantbomb.com/the-editing-tools-of-dragon-age-origins/17-1549/