This Week In Games, August 10 - 16, 2014: Hohokum, Risen 3, Disgaea 4 and Some Weird Japanese Stripping

Written By: Tyler

Greetings friends, and welcome to another addition of "This Week In Games," the weekly article that I write where I discuss the finer points of surrealist art.

Each week I go on Gamespot -- you may have heard of it -- and I look at the new games that are coming out. I then write about them because this is a blog after all. I don't choose every game because to be honest, not every game is worth mentioning, but I pick some of the more interesting ones, whether it's good or bad, and I pick the bigger releases. Just because I say there isn't anything really coming out on a day, doesn't mean there isn't. It just means that there isn't anything that fantastic or worth checking out. That may sound harsh but there are so many games out these days that you have to pick and choose.

I also only talk about North American releases because that's where I'm from.



August 10

Nothing! It's Sunday after all.


August 11

It looks like there's nothing here according to Gamespot.


August 12


Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten 

Coming Out For: PS Vita
Genre: Strategy - RPG
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1vN2TGKwns
 
It was released in 2011 on PS3 but now you can pick it up on the Vita. It's enhanced and expanded, including apparently 50 pieces of DLC. The Disgaea series is one of the few RPG series that have gotten a really good following that I haven't ever tried, and I know that's criminal, but fans of the series should check this out.


Hohokum
 

Coming Out For: PS3, PS4, PS Vita
Genre: Adventure
Gameplay: http://ca.ign.com/videos/2014/07/23/hohokum-launch-trailer

It's kind of hard to explain Hohokum but it is my most anticipated release of the week. It looks gorgeous, and I'm sure the soundtrack will compliment the visuals exceptionally well. From a gameplay perspective it's a bit of an oddball... even the creators try to avoid describing what it actually is, choosing to just let them play it instead. In an article on Mashable, I saw the idea of flying a kite mentioned a lot and that seems appropriate. In it you just fly around in a colourful and active world and things happen. I can't sell you on it; if you look at that screenshot and it looks like something that might pique your interest, then make sure to watch that I linked above and see what it looks like in action.


Risen 3: Titan Lords

Coming Out On: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Genre: RPG
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vU42VAFzoE

Risen 3: Titan Lords is a medieval RPG that is promising a "classic RPG" experience, with a large, breathing world with a ton of side-quests and places to explore. It is played in a third-person view and you level up your character, use points to up your attributes and unlock skills, and do battle with various baddies using a combination of magic or melee. Use quick or hard attacks, mix them up, throw in some magic, be on your way to victory.

If this sounds like every other RPG you see, then you're probably right. Obviously I won't know until I actually play it, if I get around to it, but from the gameplay videos I've seen, it honestly doesn't look like anything that fantastic. It looks fairly generic. The visuals aren't exactly stunning, the battle animations don't look fluid (and some are laughable like what appears to be stabbing with a mace), and there's nothing here that screams "must-play." However, it doesn't look terrible either. I can't see Risen 3 standing up to the best in the genre, but it could serve you decently well as an RPG to tide you over until a better one comes... especially since, if you're like me, Sacred 3 has let you down (review on that coming). I imagine this ends up being a 6 out of 10 or maybe a 7, and people seem to forget that those scores aren't actually bad.



Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed 

Ima just leave this here and I'll be right back.

Coming Out For: PS Vita, PS3
Genre: Adventur/Action-RPG
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btW9_L8d48U

Akiba's Trip is a game where basically demon creatures have taken over Akihabara. There is a conspiracy that you will unravel, but more importantly you have to strip the clothes off of demons and expose them to light. I imagine that line is going to either make you want to play it or avoid it at all costs. You have to appreciate Japan and their willingness to do stuff like this.



Surgeon Simulator: Anniversary Edition

Coming Out For: PS4
Genre: Simulation (Of Sorts...)
Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYLPHa-4sUs

Ah yes, here we are, with a port of the wildly popular and comical Surgeon Simulator... this time for PS4. Fumble your way through a variety of operations this week, along with an exclusive PS4 mode that nobody seems to know anything about. Have fun and happy surgeoning!



August 13

Just a release of Hohokum in other places.


August 14

Gaiabreaker

Coming Out For: Wii U
Genre: Shoot 'Em Up
Gameplay: http://www.destructoid.com/the-wii-u-is-getting-one-shmup-richer-soon-with-gaiabreaker-273733.phtml

The Wii U hasn't had a lot going on since it was released, but this week there's a vertical shmup being released in the eShop. It doesn't do much that we haven't seen before, but since these games aren't as common as they were back in the 90s, it's still nice to see one. It could be a nice little game to play while you wait for something bigger to be released, like Hyrule Warriors or Bayonetta 2.


August 15

Another day where there isn't really a whole lot going on.



That's it for this week folks. Make sure to comment in the little box below (is it still there? Who knows?), or follow me on Twitter by clicking here here here. See you next time.

E3 Day 2 - Did You Know That E3 Has Games? Bayonetta 2, DubWars, Rainbow Six, Payday 2 And More!

Written By: Tyler

Here we are ladies and gentlemen, the second day of E3 2014. Today I will just be doing impressions of some of the games I watched today.



Evolve -- Evolve is really shaping up to be a great thing. I know I've been pretty positive throughout E3, but a lot of these games just look so good. Of course, I'm really digging the premise of Hunters vs Monster in this game, but the fact it has an ecosystem where the monster you're hunting isn't the only threat is wonderful. I enjoy that the other creatures within the ecosystem can eat the food that the monster needs. If this game ends up sucking, which it doesn't look like it will, there will be a lot of disappointed people.


Broforce -- It looks like a chaotic, retro romp through the shooters of days gone by, with a sense of humour to boot. It should be entertaining. I don't think it's going to do what Mercenary Kings did with the genre, but this will be a blast to play with friends.


Dead Island 2 -- Am I the only one who isn't excited for a Dead Island MOBA? I actually enjoy the Dead Island games, flaws and all, but this? No thank you. Dying Light is where it's at for me.


Dragon Age: Inquisition -- I was pre-ordering some games during the demo of it, so my attention was divided, but Dragon Age looks pretty and it may be my first journey into the world of Dragon Age.


Star Citizen -- This is a game that a lot of PC gamers are hyped for. They showed a demo that was mostly flying through space, and the mechanics of the ship when you are flying. The game is shaping up very nicely.


Lara Croft & The Temple of Osirus -- This is a sequel to Lara Croft and The Guardian of Light and I have never played that. I've seen some videos, and it looked fun, but I just never took the jump and bought it. However, I have a bias towards co-op games and Temple of Osirus looks like it is going to be bigger and better, with completely solid puzzle/action co-op where you can troll people and have them fall to their death in spikes (seriously, we saw that for a while during the video).


H1Z1 - We're in a time where we have a bunch of MMO survival games, but none of them are done. H1Z1 is no different, and it's very much like DayZ and Rust. They didn't show us a lot of actual gameplay because it's still early, but I'm excited for this, more than I am DayZ.


Guns Up! -- From the video I saw, this game succeeds despite its title. Seriously, what a god awful name for a game. However, don't judge it based on that because it actually looks like a need little tactical/strategy shooter.


Rainbow Six: Siege -- The biggest fear of a new Rainbow Six is that it'll just be another dumb shooter. Despite the fact that it's very early in its development, Rainbow Six looks like it's a real Rainbow Six -- tactical with a need for teamwork. That's all R6 fans want.


The Evil Within -- I think The Evil Within will be scary because it's very easy to scare me. I'm sure there will be some memorable gore and jump scares, but I am not psyched for the game. I just don't see it as being a horror game that ranks among the best. It kind of looks like just another scary game. I hope I'm wrong, and perhaps other people see things I don't, but I haven't gained any new appreciation for it over the course of E3.


Hunt: Horrors of the Gilded Age -- This looks a bit like a Left 4 Dead but with a more Southern Gothic feel -- not in the way it feels or plays because it's 3rd person as opposed to 1st, but because it's set-up like L4D. I am glad it isn't just zombies we're shooting, and in the video shown we got to see them fighting a witch. I think that in itself, changing the scenery up, is reason enough to at least keep an eye on this one. So many shooters look alike that it's hard to tell at this point if it'll be just that, but I have some hopes for this one.


Hohokum -- Here we have a colourful indie game that appears to be you just flying around. But that's the point. The world reacts to you, and since there isn't anything telling you what to do, everything you do is right (I can get behind that logic). It's got a simplistic visual style, but the blend of colours makes it a bright and gorgeous game. It strikes me as a very relaxing game, and the type of experience that you want when you just want to unwind after a tough day... like when you want to watch a movie but you really don't want to have to think about it so you watch something dumb. I'm not saying this game is dumb, I'm just saying it looks like it'll have the same affect. It will be released on August 12th of this year on PS3, PS4 and PS Vita. I will more than likely get this.


Payday 2: Big Bank Heist -- Payday 2 is a good game, and much better than the first. I'm not as obsessed with it as I should be, since I love the concept, because there are little things that would make the heists better that they just haven't included. It's a big improvement over the first but there's room to grow. This DLC looks like more of the same, but more missions is a good thing.


Bayonetta 2 -- I didn't even need to see videos because I have it pre-ordered. It's still as zany and nuts as the original... but what happened to her hair! I'm excited for this.


DubWars -- A shooter where you're character shoots based on the sounds of the song, so if it's silent, you can only avoid enemies. This music-based gameplay makes this a game worth playing and while the graphics are really not that appealing, I love the concept. I could be wrong here, but apparently the launch is Friday... only I thought I heard that the "launch" was actually not the full game, but early access. If I'm right, I have to ask... is that what is considered a launch these days? I won't rant about this, because maybe that's a post for another time, but I'll leave it at that.


Well readers, this is all I got for the day. I know I've missed games over the past few days, but video game journalism is hard and I quit! No, not really, I don't quit, but it is quite difficult to catch everything, especially when you factor in that there are some games I just don't care about.

Anything I missed that you're into? Message me on Twitter @ArtBathednCrime or leave a comment below, and I will see you tomorrow, where I'll do another post like this, and do an E3 Awards post.