PAX Prime 2012: Junctionpoint Q & A with Warren Spector

PAX Prime 2012: God of War: Ascension Preview

Earlier this year, Sony and Santa Monica Studios treated us to the reveal of the latest God of War title. And while we’ve seen our favorite angsty and ghostly killer about four or five times now, Santa Monica boasted the inclusion of multiplayer, and a refinement to the single player experience was also promised -- mighty big words from the studio, but the results surprisingly surpassed any predetermined expectations.

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PAX Prime 2012: Santa Monica Studios Interview With Aaron Kaufman

Imagine what kind of person you would become if everything you knew and loved was ripped away from you, and in a fashion that made it seems as if it were your own fault from the start. Only, you know, it was really a trickster god who set you up for disappointment following your assumed redemption.

Two years after God of War III, Santa Monica Studios is throwing Kratos back into action with God of War: Ascension, the latest installment of the franchise which describes the struggles and buildup of Kratos before his infamous rise as a God.

As George took some extended time with both the single player and multiplayer game modes, I had an opportunity to step aside with Aaron Kaufman, community manager of Santa Monica Studios. We discussed what’s new, what’s returning, and why fans are in for the greatest God of War console experience to date.

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PAX Prime 2012: Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Preview

Junctionpoint is at it once again, with work going towards the sequel for the 2010’s Epic Mickey. While its predecessor was criticized for a faulty control scheme and archaic platform mechanics, the studio claims they acknowledged these shortcomings and capitalized on what worked and the addition of drop-in/drop-out cooperative play with Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Hands-on impressions of current build are… mixed.

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PAX Prime 2012: The Last Of Us Impressions

The dimming of lights blur off into the offset of the scene. Joel emerges onto the scene with his stalwart companion Ellie, setting off into to the crumbling remains of society to the next path towards survival. Naughty Dog’s The Last Of Us has done more than simply impress the public with its dynamic take towards adaptive gameplay. But while we’ve seen the active potential of direct combat and the abundant options available to defend against your attackers with, new footage now treats us to the nuances of towards taking a stealth approach and other mechanics that make up this apocalyptic thriller.

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PAX Prime 2012: Wii-U Impressions

 

Despite its debatable name, the Wii U seems somewhat promising. The only issue, however, is whether or not it’s truly the console Nintendo needs to win back core gaming audiences. The Wii U GamePad complements multiple titles, the new HD graphics makes games look sharper than ever, and the overall game experience is highly entertaining.

But again, is Nintendo really jumping out and breaking into the core scene again? We had a chance to glance at some of these games and figure out where Nintendo’s going with the Wii U.

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QCF: Way Of The Samurai 4

As the ferryman paddles the boat to dock, a ronin departs the floating vessel, setting foot into the villiage of Amihama, a town rife with tense conflict. The violent dispute is a direct response to Japan’s transition of isolationism to active foreign diplomacy, and the warriors to lead the challenge are a group of Radical nationalists, the “Disciples of Prajna,” the Shogunate government, and British diplomats. Each of the groups being at odds with one another, The ronin plays a deciding factor towards the destiny of Japan, and his actions will forever alter the fate of Japan.

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QCF: Wreckateer

I went into Wreckateer with extremely low expectations. Given the abysmal showing the game had at E3 this year and the fact that it looked like an Angry Birds clone for Kinect, I was expecting to lazily flap my arms like a jackass while boulders broke stuff. After spending some time with Wreckateer, however, I began seeing how it's much more than just a clone of a cell phone game. In fact, this may be one of the better Kinect games on the Xbox that doesn’t require you to perform the Jersey Turnpike for bonus points.

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