Launch Station: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron

It has taken a while, but Transformers: Fall of Cybertron is here.  The biggest and most anticipated Transformers game in existence.  The never-ending war between the Autobots and the Decepticons rages on in High Moon Studios' incredibly ambitious sequel to their universally revered War for Cybertron game.  Unless you are the most cynical of Transformers fans or dumb enough to believe the Michael Bay universe is the definitive Transformers lore, there is no real Transformers fan that is not excited for this game.  While personally I did not grow up with G1 (I grew up with Beast Wars), I have the biggest respect for all these characters and this world that to finally see a developer in High Moon Studios do this beloved series justice in the media of video games makes this fan very happy.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron picks up immediately after the events of War for Cybertron.  The civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons over control of their home world, Cybertron has escalated to a disastrous scale.  After Megatron infected Cybertron's core with the dreaded Dark Energon, Cybertron can no longer produce the Energon needed for the Transformers to survive on their home world.  The only hope for the Transformers to survive is to leave their planet in search of a new home.  Fall of Cybertron follows the events leading up to the Transformers' exodus from Cybertron.  The main mode in Fall of Cybertron is the campaign.  In the campaign, you play 12 lengthy missions split up between Autobots and Decepticons.  Each mission is tailored to a different Transformer that has specific abilities in order to offer more variety to the campaign.  Fall of Cybertron features fully-fledged co-op and competitive multi-player modes.  The co-op multi-player is called Escalation and it serves as wave defense horde-like mode.  The competitive multi-player has players competing in deathmatch and capture the flag-like modes.  The multi-player includes a huge character creation tool that allows players to create their own Transformer out of the parts they gain from playing multi-player.

Personally, I have been excited for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron since Optimus Prime and Grimlock graced the cover of Game Informer back in November 2011.  Over the past nine months since the announcement, my anticipation for this game has been building with every preview and trailer to be released along the way.  I am soo excited to play Fall of Cybertron that I want to play as much of the game as I can before I start school in September.  Transformers fan or not, Fall of Cybertron looks to be an incredibly polished game experience from the excellent developers at High Moon Studios.  If you are looking for a game to pick up this August, Transformers: Fall of Cybertron should be among your top choices.

Bit by Bit: August 12-18

Working the evening shift almost every single day this past week did not give me much time to play many games this week sadly.  I did get enough time to blog each day and follow up on all the news at least.  The pay check is good, but there are some times when you just want to sit back, relax and enjoy playing.  With only a few shifts at my one job this week, I cannot wait to spend some quality time with The Last Story, which I just picked up today due to some delays shipping the game out for Tuesday, and Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, which I will get to in a bit.

Purchase of the Week
Considering the shipment for The Last Story only arrived at EB Games today, I have not gotten a chance to play the game at all.  What I can talk about though is all the extras that came with the game.  The packaging for The Last Story is just incredibly beautiful and well made.  The art book is not the most comprehensive anthology of the game's concept art, but it is a great accompanying book to The Last Story.  While The Last Story Premium Soundtrack that you get for pre-ordering the game does not have every track in found in The Last Story, seven tracks composed by the legendary Nobuo Uematsuis better than none at all.  Even though it did take a little longer to get the game than I had hoped, I am very impressed with the love and care Xseed Games took in making the North American release of The Last Story feel special.  It makes me feel a little disappointed that Xenoblade Chronicles did not receive the same treatment when it released this past April.  Thank you, Xseed Games for publishing this great Wii RPG for us, North Americans.

Most Anticipated Game of the Week
If there is one game that I am excited to play more than The Last Story, it is Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.  Being a huge Transformers fans since I watched my first episode of Beast Wars, the fact that there is a Transformers game that does the franchise justice in War for Cybertron is just incredible.  The fact that come this Tuesday, there will be two Transformers games that do the franchise the justice it rightfully deserves considering how some people, namely Michael Bay, has treated the franchise as of late.  I am so excited for Transformers: Fall of Cybertron that I have an inkling that it could be one of my top games of 2012.  We will have to see come Tuesday when the Transformers transform and roll out onto our consoles.

Video of the Week
Going right in line with my excitement for the release of Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, the Video of the Week goes to the launch trailer for Fall of Cybertron.  It is a great trailer that highlights this epic tale of the Transformers' last days on Cybertron and possibly arrival on a planet we all know and love called Earth.  For those who missed my Hump Day Video, I highly recommend that you also check out the trailer and gameplay footage for Capcom's newest IP, Remember Me.  Right now, let us enjoy some Transformers awesomeness.

Launch Station: New Super Mario Bros. 2

Back in 2006, Nintendo revitalized classic 2D side-scrolling Mario with New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS.  New Super Mario Bros. was so popular for Nintendo that they brought it to the Wii in 2009.  Now 2012 marks a rare occasion that sees two 2D side-scrolling Mario games release in the same year, New Super Mario Bros. 2 and New Super Mario Bros. U.  Today, we are looking at the direct sequel to New Super Mario Bros. for the original DS, New Super Mario Bros. 2.  While New Super Mario Bros. 2 does mark the first 3DS entry of this type of Mario game, New Super Mario Bros. 2 is also the first 3DS game to release in both digital and physical forms simultaneously.  Come midnight Sunday, you will be able to download New Super Mario Bros. 2 from the Nintendo eShop for the same price as the retail copy of the game will be sold for.  While quite late in the game, it is a pretty big step in the right direction for Nintendo to say the least.

Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach yet again and it is up to the Mario Brothers to save the monarch of the Mushroom Kingdom once again.  There is a huge emphasis on coin collecting in New Super Mario Bros. 2.  While your main goal like all Mario games is the save Princess Peach, the ultimate goal of New Super Mario Bros. 2 is to collect one million coins.  There are a few new items such as the Gold Flower and the Gold Block to help produce large amounts of coins for Mario and Luigi to collect.      Aside from the main game, there is the new Gold Rush mode for gamers to sink their teeth into.  In Gold Rush mode, you play a set of three levels collecting as many coins as you can possibly collect with one life and challenge other gamers to beat your high score through StreetPass.  Sometime after the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2, Nintendo will be releasing brand new levels to play in Coin Rush mode that you can buy as DLC.  As long as you have two copies of New Super Mario Bros. 2, you can play two player co-op throughout the entire game.

When Nintendo first announced New Super Mario Bros. 2 back in April, I was very excited for a brand new entry in the New Super Mario Bros. series.  Come August, I not as excited as I once was.  The more I have seen of the newest Mario side-scrollers, the more it feels like the same.  Do I plan of ever picking up New Super Mario Bros. 2?  Yes, I do plan on picking it up, just not now.  I have other big games to pick up this month and sadly New Super Mario Bros. 2 does not fit into the equation.  As much as I love classic side-scrolling Mario games, it is time for Nintendo to shake things up before I really get excited for another one.  Everything here is just one mans' opinion.  If you are looking for a 3DS game that will certainly be worth the money or just a big Mario fan, definitely pick up New Super Mario Bros. 2.  You can never go wrong with Mario.

On the Download: August 12-18

The new game releases keep on rolling.  There were some big retail releases this week in Darksiders II and Sleeping Dogs and some big downloadable releases in Papo & Yo and Dust: An Elysian Tail, which I will be highlighting today in On the Download.  As I have nothing more to say, let us get on with the show.

Sony's Play promotion continues to roll on with a unique downloadable adventure game from Minority Media, Papo & Yo.  In Papo & Yo, you play as a young boy named Quico, who is accompanied by his best friend Monster.  Monster is a huge beast that has a problematic addiction to poisonous frogs.  Whenever Monster sees a frog, he immediately gobbles it up thus sending the beast into an intoxicated rage where no one including Quico is save.  Due to the bond between the two, it is up to Quico to help his best friend kick this dangerous habit.  In order to solve the puzzles in the game and further the adventure for a cure, Quico must work together with Monster and learn to use the beast's emotions, both good and bad, to their advantage.  Papo & Yo is a deep gaming experience that is directly influenced by creative director Vander Caballero's troubled relationship with his alcoholic father.  It is a really inspiring story for a game and an unique adventure that those interested in taking should make an effort to download Papo & Yo.  You can Papo & Yo from the PlayStation Store for 15 dollars.

Another year, another Summer of Arcade has come and gone.  It has been a very diverse month of games released exclusively for XBLA.  The final game in this year's Summer of Arcade is Dust:  An Elysian Tail.  Made entirely by one person, Dust is a 2D action RPG where you play as an mysterious adventurer on a quest to liberate an oppressed village and in turn find his true identity.  This mysterious adventurer goes by the name Dust and is aided by the ancient Blade of Ahrah and his sidekick, Fidget.  The world of Falana is a massive open world that encourages gamers to explore, take on many side-quests, discover the many secrets of Falana and master the real-time combat system that rewards skilled players and discourages button-mashing.  All the content packed into Dust: An Elysian Tail is suppose to take 20+ hours to complete.  So if you are a gamer looking for a long action RPG to dive into this summer, you can pick up Dust: An Elysian Tail for 1200 Microsoft Points.

Hump Day Video: Remember Me

For the past few years, Germany's Gamescom has become one of the big video game conventions of the year.  While it may not be as popular as E3, there are quite a few big announcements saved for this August convention.  With EA, Capcom and Sony having their big press conferences at the event yesterday, there is already quite a bit palpable gaming news from the event such as release dates for upcoming games and announcements for a slew of Vita and PSN games.  Even companies like Activision and Microsoft are showing off some new stuff for their big games this holiday as both Call of Duty: Black Ops II and Halo 4 are getting their full multi-player reveals at Gamescom.  There is even a rumour floating around that the next Half-Life game will be revealed at Gamescom.

Out of all the stuff revealed these first couple of days at Gamescom, it is a new IP from Capcom that has caught the eyes of many gamers including yours truly.  Published by Capcom and developed by a French studio known as Dontnod Entertainment, Remember Me is an action game set in a futuristic Paris.  In this future, everybody has brain implants that control and store their memories.  While these implants are used to govern a person's memories, they can in turn be hacked by outside forces.  The protagonist of Remember Me, Nilin is a former memory hunter that has been betrayed by her former employer and left with no memories whatsoever.  Remember Me has a very interesting premise that has futuristic Mirror's Edge/Deus Ex vibe to it.  I cannot wait to see more of Remember Me in the months leading up to its May 2013 release for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.  Right now, I got the announcement trailer and first gameplay footage of Remember Me so you guys can see why you should be excited for Remember Me.

Launch Station: Darksiders II

At the beginning of 2010, the original Darksiders took many people by surprise.  While Darksiders did borrow heavily from God of War and The Legend of Zelda, it had enough of a new atmosphere, setting, characters and interesting level design to capture the hearts of many gamers.  At first, I was not anywhere close to interested in Darksiders as I thought it borrowed too much from God of War and The Legend of Zelda to stand on its' own.  Once I played the demo, the opinion made a complete 180 and fell in love with this incredible series to the point that Darksiders II will be one of the first games I pick up for the Wii U once it comes out later this year.

Unlike your regular sequel, the story of Darksiders II runs parallel to the story of the first Darksiders.  Only this time around, you control Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, on his quest to  restore mankind and clear the name of his brother War, the protagonist of the first Darksiders.  Death is very different character than War.  Death focuses more on speed, magic and quick feats of raw power than the slow pace and brute force of War.  While Death's primary weapons are his two scythes, he is able to switch between other weapons at a lightning quick pace, which makes it easy to set-up huge combos.  Darksiders II is set in the Nether Realms, which is a massive open world that is easily multiple times bigger than the firs Darksiders.  Death is able to explore the Nether Realms at his own leisure completing side quests, fighting enemies for loot and finding tons of secrets from hidden areas to secret bosses.  You progress in Darksiders II by completing dungeons interspersed throughout the Nether Realms.   Darksiders II also includes some light RPG elements where you are able to customize Death's skills, armour sets and weapons.

Out of all the games releasing this week, Darksiders II is easily the most anticipated game.  All thanks to all the fans that spread the word about how good the first Darksiders was and got their friends, family and other acquaintances to try the game.  No matter what anybody says about Darksiders II, I will definitely be picking it up for myself and seeing how it continues the series.  If you are interested at all in Darksiders, I highly suggest picking up the first game.  If you enjoyed the first Darksiders, help support Vigil Games and in turn THQ, whose financial woes have been well documented, by picking up Darksiders II.

Launch Station: Sleeping Dogs

Cancelled by Activision in early 2011, it looked like United Front Games take on the True Crime universe would never see the light of day.  Late last year, Square Enix announced that they had picked up the rights to publish True Crime: Hong Kong under the new name of Sleeping Dogs because Activision still owns the rights to the True Crimes name.  Not many games come back from being cancelled.  United Front Games is very fortunate to have another chance to release the game that have spent the last four years working on.  Hopefully it can live up to some high expectations from the publisher, Square Enix, and the fans of the True Crime series.

Sleeping Dogs follows the story of Wei Shen, an undercover cop apart of an operation to take down the Triads from the inside.  Wei Shen must work his way up in the organization by taking part in the brutal criminal activities without blowing his cover.  As Wei Shen dives deeper into the ranks of the Triad, the lines between truth and honour, right and wrong blur severely and he is left to struggle between his loyalty to the police and the trust he has gained from the Triads.  At its' core, Sleeping Dogs is a open world action game.  You are given all of Hong Kong to explore whatever way you want from walking on foot to driving a variety of vehicles.  While the story missions are necessary to unlock certain areas and content in the game, you are able to complete them at your own leisure.  The city of Hong Kong is bustling with side missions to complete, activities such as gambling and street fighting to participate in and even girlfriends for Wei Shen to date.  While you are able to use guns in the game, most of the combat revolves around hand-to-hand combat, which allows players to perform deadly martial arts and brutal takedowns much like Batman in the Arkham games.  Also Sleeping Dogs features some light RPG elements.  Depending on what you do in the game, you earn three types of experience points, Triad XP, Police XP and Face XP.  Each type of experience points measures your reputation with certain groups or as a whole.

Personally, I have never been a fan of the True Crime series so Sleeping Dogs does not quite appeal to me that much.  I am happy that Square Enix did the right thing and let this game that almost got eaten up by Activision see the funding it needed to reach store shelves.  Now it is up to the fans of the True Crime series that have most likely been following the development of Sleeping Dogs since it was announced in 2008 and those interested in the game to support Sleeping Dogs with their hard earned cash.  If Sleeping Dogs proves successful, it might influence other publishers to help save other games from being cancelled in the future.