The gaming world of Spider-Man has had its ups and downs, and to be blunt it's always been more on the downslope side of things. In fact the last great Spider-Man video game I can remember was the (albeit) short one that came out for PlayStation, N64 and PC back in 2000, though this can be up for debate. Last year, however, the folks at Marvel and Activision decided to take the game to a far greater level, giving players not just the chance to play as America's favorite web-slinger but also three other versions of him. Unfortunately while spending so much time prepping the worlds of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions they forgot to fix some issues that keep the game from being as great as it should've been.
Literally at the center of PAX East showroom was Turtle Beach, one of the top headset companies in the world. Throughout the weekend the company was holding tournaments with the fellow con-goers, giving out prizes that included some of their high-profile products, including their crown jewel known as the PX5.
On hand at PAX East this past weekend was Bostonian developer Demiurge Studios, who in the past has worked closely with such companies as Harmonix, Gearbox Software and BioWare. Their pride and joy at the convention, Shoot Many Robots, is just what the name implies: many guns, many robots and lots of trigger-happy chaos. It also pays heavy homage to classic side-scrollers that are near and dear to many gamers' hearts.
How does one describe the upcoming Hothead/UTV Ignition title Swarm? A little Lemmings here, some Overlord there and a big bucket of zaniness that is so adorable it's almost mind-numbingly brilliant.
While hanging out with my pals from Gamer Reaction I came across a little-known title from EA Games and Trapdoor, a developer that recently came out of the woodwork. Named Warp the video game stars an adorable little robot that is trying to escape from his confines. Less than a minute into the demo what I saw blew my mind away.
The folks at Twisted Pixel Games have been responsible for some of the funniest, most entertaining games to come out in the Xbox Live Arcade. From the insanity in 'Splosion Man to the hilarity in Comic Jumper the developers who are powered by comedy, beards and ukuleles know how to create some of the most original and smile-inducing titles to our television sets. At this year's PAX East they have brought with them not one, but two titles that are due to be released in 2011: the Kinect title The Gunstringer and Ms. 'Splosion Man.
This morning I had the chance to check out a demonstration of the upcoming Rockstar Games title L.A. Noire, which is due to be released this May. During their 30-minute preview the folks at Rockstar managed to prove why their detective thriller is a completely different experience from any of their other titles.
This is what I've been waiting for the most at PAX East: getting my hands on Nintendo's latest handheld system. The 3DS is due within the next couple of weeks in America, and the lines to try this baby out are ridiculously long. The last two days I managed to try out three titles on the 3DS system: Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, Kid Icarus: Uprising and Face Raiders.
Even though I wasn't "allowed" to play Mortal Kombat as a child, I still did. The moves, the Fatalities and the all-out gore drew all of us young kids to this wonderful title that was hated by parents and congressmen alike. With a brand-new Mortal Kombat title due next month can a game whose biggest draw was its gratuitous violence still bring in new and old players alike in our current-gen gaming society? After going hands-on with it at PAX East today, the answer is a strong "absolutely"!