The Darkness II Demo Coming Soon

A demo for The Darkness II, the first person shooter with tentacles  helping you out, will be ready to download on January 17, January 24, and January 25.

The announcement was made on their site. Xbox Live Gold members get first dibs on the demo on January 17, a week before the rest of the platforms.

Xbox Live Silver members, Playstation Network NA, and Steam will be getting the demo on the 24th, then Playstation Network Europe and Asia get the demo the next day.

The Darkness II is coming out on February 7, 2012 in North America, with the rest of world getting the game on February 10, 2012.

More demo's to trip on. Anybody excited for this game? Still need to give the first game a try before even considering this.

What an idea how The Darkness II looks? Check out the gruesome trailer from last year's E3.

Shank 2 Uninterrupted Gameplay Trailer - Simple, Yet Awesome

Shank 2 is looking just as brutal as the first. A short trailer of uninterrupted gameplay showing what to expect in Shank 2. Got to love Downloadable games like these.

Thank You Firaxis, XCOM: Enemy Unknown Announced

You have no idea how happy I am with this announcement. The classic strategy game is being recreated. This is the reboot XCOM fans want. Game Informer revealed the game's existence by making it as their front cover of their first issue of the year.

The XCOM shooter announced last year is its own game. While 2K has their own plans for their XCOM game, Firaxis Studio has a different plan - Bringing the classic back by recreating the famous strategy game. The studio knows their strategy games, they are the developers of the Civilization games so XCOM fans, the game is in good hands.

It’s been a dream of ours to recreate X-COM with our unique creative vision. We’re huge fans of the original game and it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to re-envision a game that is as beloved as X-COM,” said Firaxis head Steve Martin.

“We were careful to keep XCOM: Enemy Unknown true to the elements that made X-COM such a revered game while delivering an entirely new story and gameplay experience for both die-hard X-COM fans and newcomers to the franchise.

Here's a video showing gameplay of the old XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

It's coming out this fall for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Thanks Gameinformer for revealing the news. You just made my day. Can't wait to play XCOM once again.

[Source: Gameinformer]

Yet Another franchise Turned into a First Person Shooter

This is actually old news but I just realized now where the upcoming sci-fi FPS Syndicate is coming from. Syndicate was once a tactical shooter were you command a squad of Syndicate agents through a series of missions. Now Starbreeze Studios is rebooting the franchise and making it an FPS title. What a surprise.

Reboots can be good but when you completely change a genre of the game, that's a different story. This is the second reboot that was converted into an FPS. The other one was a favorite of mine, XCOM, which is now an FPS title that tries hard to keep the core concept of the game intact. I used to play the old XCOM when I was a kid and when I found out they were doing a remake and is now a First Person Shooter I was furious. I'm sure fans of Syndicate are in the same position. Yes, we know that's what it means when they reboot a franchise but it doesn't mean its always a good move forward. Have a look at the old Syndicate.

Original Syndicate

I'd take the original Syndicate gameplay any day. We don't have that much of this genre nowadays so why change it into a genre that we have too much of? Because that's the demand now I guess. FPS is the genre of this generation. The old gameplay would be hard to sell while an FPS title that blows up stuff mission after mission is a lot easier to do.

Syndicate 2012

I won't lie, the game looks badass. Mind control, explosions,  and gun fights placed in the Syndicate world. It looks like a good game but I bet it could have been just as good or even better as a Tactical Shooter. We have a lot of FPS titles to drown ourselves in anyways, we need more variety. The new Syndicate is out on February 21 for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. The new Syndicate will feature four player co-op with 9 original missions from the old game.

Some reboots come out as good ideas for some games(Mortal , Tomb raider) but I think the changes for games like XCOM and Syndicate is wrong. Big question, would you rather have the original Syndicate with updated graphics and improved gameplay or prefer the change into an FPS??

The Big Games of 2012

2011 is finally done and it was awesome. Now the question is, can 2012's list of big games be as good as 2011? you decide. Looks like a decent lineup to me. Check the big games that are said to be released in 2012.

Bioshock Infinite

Developers - Irrational Games Publishers - 2k Games Release Date - June 1, 2012 Platforms - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

I loved Bioshock. The world of Rapture was such a treat to explore. Irrational Games is taking a break from the underwater world and provide a setting that's completely opposite. Bioshock Infinite is set on a city in the sky, a city called "Columbia" that has giant blimps and balloons to keep the city afloat. Just like Rapture, it looks gorgeous and the change in setting is perfect to bring the Bioshock franchise forward.

Max Payne 3

Developers - Rockstar vancouver, New England, London, and Toronto Publishers - Rockstar Games Release Date - March 2012 Platforms - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

Max Payne is back, and with how amazing Rockstar is as a studio now I can't wait to play the third installment of Max Payne. Everything you remember about Max Payne will be back especially the famous bullet-time feature known in past Max Payne games. For the first time, they will be introducing multiplayer(go figure)

Diablo 3

Developers - Blizzard Entertainment Publishers - Blizzard Entertainment Release Date - 2012(Hopefully) Platforms - PC

It will happen. This game will be released eventually. Diablo 3 has been on beta testing for months so its only a matter of time until we get a release date. just hold your breathe a little bit longer.

Dragon's Dogma

Developers - Capcom Publishers - Capcom Release Date - March 27, 2012 Platforms - Playstation 3, Xbox 360

Capcom's latest title. Dragon's Dogma is Monster Hunter meets Shadow of Collosus minus the multiplayer elements which kinda sucks. The game pits you against mythical monster like gryphons, hydra's, and of course dragons. Capcom aims to give you the complete experience of fighting these huge monsters instead of just hacking away in their feet in other games. Its going to be an open world game with around 30-100 hours of content.

Halo 4

Developers - 343 Industries Publishiers - Microsoft Studios Release Date - Holiday 2012 Platforms - Xbox 360

Not much of a surprise when they revealed Halo 4. What's more shocking is that Halo 4 will not be developed by Bungie, the team who pretty much started this franchise. Not only that, it is said to be another trilogy. So aftter four, expect five and six. Not much has been revealed since it's reveal in E3 2011 but expect its release at the end of the year.

Mass Effect 3

Developers - Bioware Publishiers - Electronic Arts Release Date - March 6, 2012 Platforms - Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC

The final chapter of Commander Shepard. The reapers have finally arrived and are invading earth. Can't wait to see the epic conclusion. I got my save file all set up to be imported  into the game and ready to use that sweet tech blade added into the game. In terms of gameplay, nothing much has changed, just improved hopefully for the better.

Tomb Raider

Developers - Crystal Dynamics Publishiers - Square Enix Release Date - Q3 2012 Platforms - Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC

This isn't a new game, its a reboot of the franchise. This new Tomb Raider will be an origins story of the famous Lara Croft, and how she came to be. First look of the game was revealed in E3 2011 and was pretty impressive. One of the best reveals during E3. They say it won't play like the old Tomb Raider and the main focus of gameplay is survival.

There are tons of other  big games to look out for like Twisted Metal, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Prey 2, Borderlands 2, the yearly games for the Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed franchises. I haven't even touched the handheld games coming this year. With Vita coming out, that's another list of games to look out for, not to mention the 3DS games. If there are any more you think should be mentioned or can't wait to get this year, hit the comments. Looks like 2012 might be another good year.