Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

The creators behind the Borderlands franchise have officially announced the third game in the series. While most thought Borderlands 3, would be the next title, instead we'll be getting Borderlands: The pre-sequel. As the name suggests, the story's timeline will take place between the events of the first and second instalments of the game, essentially making this 'Borderlands 1.5.' 

Borderlands: The pre-sequel will be set on one of Pandora's moons, meaning that a new resource has been added to the gameplay dynamic, Oxygen. According to press releases, the game will also be somewhere between games one and two in terms of the story length. This is really good news. I've invested many days in Borderlands and its four DLCs, and I still have a way to go before I unlock the platinum trophy. Every time I return to the game (like a few weeks ago to grab the viral-type trophy "And They'll Tell Two Friends" before the servers get shut down), I am re-inspired by the graphics, gameplay, and the need to find better loot.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about this release, while still holding out for the local release of the Game of the Year edition of Borderlands 2. Even though I've seen the non-GotY version on sale at quite a few retailers, I'd prefer to get the GotY bundle. This now begs the question; will Borderlands 2: GotY see a local release before Borderlands: The pre-sequel? And, should these two games be played in order of release, or in chronological order? It'll also be interesting to see how the story from Telltale Games own project, Tales from the Borderlands, fits into the Borderlands story-arc, and timeline. 

Lastly, Borderlands: The pre-sequel wont be getting a fancy 'next-generation' console release, instead the developers have decided to focus on the already pretty well established fan base on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. There is always the possibility that it will be released on 'next-gen' consoles at a later date though, pending initial response to the release.

The cheapest PS3 game I've bought

Last week I found myself digging through a fairly large basket filled with games for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and various other consoles. A few titles caught my eye, Medal of Honor, Assassin's Creed, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Since there were no prices on any of the cases, I was reluctant to take them all to the check-out counter to find out their prices individually.  I completed the story in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag last night, and I still want to play all the Assassin's Creed games, but I intend getting the Assassin's Creed Heritage Collection. So buying the first title on its own would mean I'd end up with two copies of the same game. I passed on Medal of Honor just because. I figured I already had Call of Duty: Ghosts which fills the military-simulation genre pretty well for me, plus I still have to download, and play through all the DLC that has been released so far. Thus I took only the title that I was most interested in, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

I'd read a few reviews about X-Men Origins: Wolverine shortly after it was released way back in 2009, and they were less that flattering. Regardless I'm a big fan of Wolverine, and decided that if the game cost R150, or less, I was going to add it to my collection just for the sake of it. At the check-out counter it turned out that Wolverine cost less than a third of what I was prepared to pay for it. Needless to say it's now sitting in my box of games.

I read a few more reviews after having bought the game, and it turns out that it was R50* well invested. Several years later, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is still regarded as one of the best movie tie-in titles ever released, not that that is a difficult feat to accomplish, and I personally thought the opening animations were more convincing than some more recent titles. I played the opening chapter briefly, and instantly drew on the similarities to this and the God of War franchise. After all the sneaking about I've been doing in Black Flag, perhaps an all out hack and slash adventure that this title promises to offer will be the best way to spend the coming weekend.

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* R50 is the cheapest I've ever seen a PS3 game retailing for, let alone some pretty good titles. I may go back and get Medal of Honor for my future brother-in-law, as he is a fan of movies such as Lone Survivor.

Stasis environment trailer

Stasis, that crowd-funded indie game from South Africa, is looking better and better. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on this game later this year.

Recreating the future, according to 1979

Here's the third instalment in the Alien: Isolation insider's look video series. "Lo-fi sci-fi" perfectly explains the look of the retro-futuristic equipment the developers are incorporating into the game, while trying to remain true to the original film. The video also details how some of the distorted, analogue video effects were created. If you missed parts one and two, I recommend that you go watch them now. 

Evolve at PAX East 2014

Evolve is easily the game I'm most looking forward to this year, and this weekend it has been shown off quite a bit at PAX East, Boston. Part of the showing off has included some of the first hands-on play opportunities, as well as a 20 foot installation of Goliath at the 2K booth. Here's a video shared by the folks from GameSpot, and another from the 2K YouTube channel.

The first video shares some insight into the development behind how the Goliath character can evolve as the game progresses, as well a little some gameplay, and potential strategies. The second video focuses a lot more on showcasing the gameplay, as well as the opinions of those lucky enough to have jumped behind a controller, and played Evolve at PAX East.

Deftones Smile Eros

Yesterday marked a year since the passing of Deftones founding member Chi Cheng. To commemorate  the date, the remaining members of the band have released a track form the unfinished album Eros, which has some of the last studio recordings performed by Cheng. 

Working video here

This is likely an early, unmixed version of Smile, but the rawness of the track adds to the sincerity of the remaining members love for their fallen brother. If Eros does ever see the light of day in it's entirety, it is likely to be a very emotional, and powerful album.

-- Updated 19 January 2015 --

Added link to alternative source to stream the video.

The sound of Alien: Isolation

Today I have some news to share about Alien: Isolation, a game I'm looking cautiously looking forward to. It is set for release on the same day as Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, 7 October 2014. This means quite a few folks interested in both games, but who can only afford one (like me), will have to choose which of these two titles they want to play in October.

Here's a video of the behind the scenes of creating the sound effects, and score for the Alien: Isolation. What I really like is that all the original sound recordings have been made available to the team, including some of the original musicians who performed Jerry Goldsmith's original 1979 score. The 'pre-alpha' gameplay looks astounding too.

After watching the behind the scenes videos on the Alien: Isolation YouTube account, I think I am swaying towards getting this over Shadow of Mordor. Worried that this may be another Aliens: Colonial Marines type, movie tie-in cash-grab? Then watch this video that explains why Alien: Isolation shouldn't be as disappointing as it's predecessor.

Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor - release date, video, and pre-orders

One of the games I'm looking forward to the release of later this year, Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor, has been given a release date; 10.7.2104 update. I'm guessing the announced date is in the American format of month first, which means we'll be able to get our hands on the game on 7 October, and not 10 July.

Along with an official release date, pre-orders of the game have also become available, and will include the Dark Ranger character skin, and an additional challenge mode. If that's still not enough Shadow of Mordor news for you, then there is also a new story trailer video, 'Banished from death.'

The video above wasn't nearly as impressive as the gameplay video for the game. The main character's facial animations look to have the same range of expressions as Keanu Reeves on muscle relaxants. Maybe this has something to do with him being dead and all, but if he can swing a sword, I'm sure he could flex a cheek muscle to bare his teeth before swinging said sword into the minions of Mordor. 

I'll still be following the pre-release news on this title though, as it still looks like a game that I'm interested in playing.

First ever 'Sky Braai'

After yesterday's April Fools' post, one of the featured pranksters, Kulula.com decided to put their "Sky Braai" to the test. Although the braai [barbecue] didn't take place on one of Kulula's green aircraft as the original joke implied, it did take place in the sky.

Full of the typical Kulula tongue-in-cheek humour, the video shows how the low-cost airline company partly lived up to their April Fools' claims. Why only partly you may ask, because I didn't see any veggie skewers on offer.

Blizzard's venture into fighting games, and other stories from today

Sorry if the title got your hopes up, but today is 1 April. As such, here is a collection of three of my favourite pranks from this morning:

1. The League of Beers - Craft beer syrup

"Thought of dappling in some home brewing? It just got a whole lot easier with our new syrups. Carbonate your own craft beer in the comfort of your own home. Go on what are you waiting for?"

This idea might actually work for non-alcoholic beers, but who drinks non-alcoholic beers anyway? 

2. Kulula.com - Braai in the sky

"Straight from the flames onto your tray with kulula’s in-flight sky braai! We are proud to announce another world-first from kulula.com. We’re taking South Africa’s favourite pastime to new heights. Going forward, our customers will be able to select their fav meat or veggie skewer and have it braaied in the sky."

Who doesn't enjoy meat cooked over an open flame? Kulula is renowned for their sense of humour, as well as being "the most South African airline." What better way to make a flight more South African, than with an on-board braai, or barbecue for those not in the know?


3. Blizzard Entertainment - Blizzard Outcasts: Vengeance of the Vanquished

"We're proud to announce Blizzard Outcasts - Vengeance of the Vanquished! Watch the trailer →"

Blizzard are known for their elaborate April Fool pranks, and this year was no different with the announcement of a new game and optional controller, complete with a video and website filled with character biographies and concept art. Clearly a lot of thought and effort was put into this.