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E3 2013: Puppeteer Preview

Mark Ankucic — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:00:55 +0000

If you’d mistaken Puppeteer for some kind of LittleBigPlanet novelty level, it would be hard to blame you. There’s the same style of cuteness, the same kind of forgiving platforming, the same airy, weightless jumps, and really the same essence of LBP.

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E3 2013: Driveclub Preview

Mark Ankucic — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 05:00:31 +0000

Driveclub is somewhere between an arcade and simulation racer - you’re not going to be braking and sliding like a pro drifter, but nor are you going to have to adjust to the perfect gear every other second to ensure your car doesn’t flip at the slightest adjustment.

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E3 2013: Saints Row IV Preview

Mark Ankucic — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 23:00:43 +0000

Saints Row: The Third was entertaining, outlandish, and gave you an immense sense of power without taking away challenge. I’ve been wondering how Saints Row IV was going to one up itself, and it may just have.

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E3 2013: Project Spark Preview

Mark Ankucic — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 09:00:24 +0000

For better or worse, Project Spark is a game-making game. While their marketers wanted to call it something like a ‘digital entertainment sharing canvas’ or something equally asinine, at its core the title puts game-making in the hands of gamers.

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E3 2013: Beyond: Two Souls Preview

Mark Ankucic — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 06:16:52 +0000

Quantic Dreams latest title is going to be nothing short of a masterpiece in story-telling. Gameplay wise, not so much so, but that’s not why you’ll be picking Beyond: Two Souls up. There were two missions to play, and I chose the less action heavy of those, which was still set in a war zone, so that should give you some idea of how much there is going on with the game.

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E3 2013: Magic 2014 – Duels of the Planeswalkers Preview

Chris Aprea — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:07:33 +0000

Having been a fan of the Magic: The Gathering collectable card game for at least 10 years I was stoked to find out that I was due to check out Magic 2014 - Duels of the Planeswalkers at this year’s E3. So how does 2014 stack up against it's little brother, Magic 2013?

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E3 2013: Comedy, Violence and No Honour, An Interview with Team Ninja’s Yosuke Hayashi

Daniel Walker — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:49:20 +0000

If you've ever had a burning desire to see zombies clash with ninjas, you'll want to keep an eye on Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. Cel shaded graphics, comedy and minimalistic story direction are all key elements of the game. I had some hands on time with Yaiba and even got the chance to interview the current head of Team Ninja, a Mr Yosuke Hayashi.

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E3 2013: Day Two Wrap-Up

Jon Hamlin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 06:37:03 +0000

The end of day two at E3 may not have necessarily contained as many revelatory bits of news, but it has been traditionally known as the day during which people get to spend some time with all the games that are on the showroom floor.

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E3 2013: Our Thoughts on Nintendo’s Announcements

Jon Hamlin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:40:23 +0000

If you’re like me, and think they need to rapidly increase third-party support, produce new first-party IPs, and universalize their digital ecosystem, than you probably think their E3 Nintendo Direct was exactly what the company didn’t need to do.

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E3 2013: Dark Souls II Preview

Mark Ankucic — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 17:11:08 +0000

I nearly beat the Mirror Knight. You have no idea what that means, but let me tell you, as one of the few people on earth who have played Dark Souls II, that’s pretty damn amazing. Read on as I dissect DS II and provide an in depth look at the biggest action RPG to hit E3 2013.

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E3 2013: Battlefield 4 Preview

Alex Raso — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:00:39 +0000

E3 day 1 started off with a blast this year; no less than a live 64 player match of Battlefield 4. EA had a spectacular installation, players were lead onto and assembled on the gaming floor 64 players at a time while DICE employees watched and played the role of commander from raised platforms. On setups featuring 9 monitors, no less.

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E3 2013: Batman: Arkham Origins Preview

Daniel Walker — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:00:08 +0000

DC was lucky enough to be amongst the first people in the world to see some new content for the highly anticipated Batman: Arkham Origins. Unfortunately, and much like most games at E3 this year, the content wasn’t hands on - but enough new info was shown to sate my appetite. For now

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E3 2013: Day 1 News Wrap-Up

Justin Reynolds — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:00:13 +0000

Day one of E3 is behind us and there were tons of new announcements as well as juicy details on the titles we’ve been craving. We’ll have plenty more news to come, but for now here’s our list of notable news from the show floor on day one.

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E3 2013: Microsoft Press Conference Post-Mortem

Alex Raso — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:45:42 +0000

Starting off on the back foot after a horrendous reveal a few weeks ago, Microsoft did their best to win back the mob. They succeeded, in a fashion. Boasting a very games-heavy offering including 13 next-gen and a truckload of exclusives.

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E3 2013: Nintendo Direct Post-Mortem

Jon Hamlin — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 07:02:06 +0000

Nintendo Global President, Satoru Iwata, took to the Interwebs early this morning to pull back the curtain on some of what Nintendo has been working on for the Wii U and the 3DS. It was a very game-centric presentation. Here’s what you need to know.

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E3 2013: Mega Round-Up

Chad D'cruze — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:03:54 +0000

The biggest day in any gamers calendar is finally here, the one and only E3 Expo 2013. Be prepared for a barrage of gaming news, announcements, hands-on features, trailers and a ton more as the DC team will be down in LA, covering all 3 days of the much talked about event.

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E3 2013: Sony Press Conference Post-Mortem

Justin Reynolds — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:45:12 +0000

The first day of E3 is behind us and we are left amazed and excited. Sony closed out the day with their press conference and quite frankly knocked it out of the park. We learned more about the PlayStation 4, what to look forward to for the PS3 and Vita, new game announcements, and more!

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E3 2013: EA Press Conference Post-Mortem

Daniel Walker — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 04:35:53 +0000

Straight from one conference to the next. Without a moment’s rest the DC crew swapped venues and headed on down to the EA pre-E3 2013 press conference. Half a dozen or so games were showcased, some expected, some majorly unexpected. Here’s our un-indepth wrap up with a few preliminary thoughts. Garden Warfare The conference opened... Read more »

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E3 2013: Sony Press Conference Live Blog

Chad D'cruze — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 00:45:37 +0000

The last conference of day 0 of E3 2013 is here and now it's Sony's turn to step up to the plate. Both Microsoft and EA had incredibly strong reveals (sorry Ubisoft, not this year) and so the pressure for Sony to deliver in their press conference is definitely building.

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E3 2013: Microsoft Press Conference Live Blog

Chad D'cruze — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:28:08 +0000

Can we expect a barrage of television, sports and dogs again? Or is Microsoft finally going to show their cards and reveal a slew of heavy hitters for it's next gen console? Stay online and find out as the DC team will be down at ground zero, live blogging the event directly from LA.

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Xbox One Details Leads to More Questions

Justin Reynolds — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 22:29:32 +0000

After the initial Xbox One reveal last month gamers were left with conflicting reports and burning questions about the console. On June 6th Microsoft released several documents detailing certain policies and functions of the Xbox One, however in some instances this information did more to increase confusion than it did to answer questions.

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Video Game Face Off: Grand Theft Auto vs. Angry Birds

Peter Zaluzny — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 03:48:19 +0000

Ask a passerby if they've heard of Angry Birds or Grand Theft Auto. You'll be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't heard of either, as each series has gained global recognition (or infamy) in and outside gaming circles. Both games are well made, addictively enjoyable, and so economically successfully that their financial splashes are big enough to engulf a tidal wave.

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Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D Review

Trent van der Jagt — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 06:24:24 +0000

Loading the cartridge into the 3DS, I am overwhelmed with a familiar soundtrack and gorilla sound effects that consumed my school holidays. And even my favourite Nintendo cap-wearing chimp Diddy is back to tag along. As one of Nintendo’s unlikely heroes, I always related a little more strongly with Donkey Kong.

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4 Reasons Why You Should Be Excited For Wildstar

Daniel Walker — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 23:50:34 +0000

In a market saturated with MMO mediocrity, what is there for fans of the genre to be excited about? Enter Wildstar. For the first time since Vanilla WoW, I'm actually excited for an MMO. But what is Wildstar? And why does it deserve my enthusiasm? Firstly, don't beat yourself up if you haven't heard of it, so far, it’s been a pretty low-key affair. Let’s fix that.

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Kiefer Sutherland will play Snake in Metal Gear Solid V

Justin Reynolds — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 22:19:24 +0000

We first heard Sutherland’s voice at the 2012 Video Game Awards during the reveal trailer for The Phantom Pain where it appeared he was portraying the role of the bandaged man, Ishmael, who was helping Snake escape from the facility. In classic Kojima style, the answer was in front of us all along.

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Soul Sacrifice Review

Mark Ankucic — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 22:24:26 +0000

I’m beginning to wonder if I’m some kind of empathetic sadist; I want to care for you, but only if you suffer. I’d missed out on this opportunity in Tomb Raider, and once again in Remember Me, where my struggling heroines made ‘Clark Kent in a phone booth’ transformations. Soul Sacrifice promised something different.

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The Sequel Cycle: It’s Time for a New Way of Making Video Game Sequels

Jon Hamlin — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:09:21 +0000

Sequels. Yes, dear readers, sequels. Everywhere I look, there they are, staring me in the face. They are plastered on the biggest billboards and televisions across the world, they occupy the most visible floor space in any video game retail store. Gamers are utterly inundated with sequels.

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Papo & Yo Review

Javy Gwaltney — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 22:16:19 +0000

If I were to talk about Papo & Yo in only adjectives, we’d be here a while. The game is beautiful, frustrating, sad, whimsical, painful, colorful, frightening, and even awe-inspiring. Within the first ten minutes of the game, in which the world-morphing powers of the protagonist’s imagination are demonstrated several times, my jaw dropped twice.

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The Games Of E3 2013

Martin Gladstone — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 04:00:48 +0000

E3’s significance has dwindled over the years with major publishers opting out of the show or choosing to unveil their latest games outside the press event. It’s a trend accepted by most but this year things are different. The big 3 – Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft – are set to lay all their cards on the table to prove why their expensive next-gen console should be the one tempting you to rob your local convenience store to fund it.

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Call of Juarez: Gunslinger Review

Martin Gladstone — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 22:06:04 +0000

After Call of Juarez: The Cartel, and Techland’s latest atrocity – Dead Island: Riptide – I had lost all faith in the Polish developer. How could they possibly redeem two games as eye-gougingly painful as Microsoft’s Xbox One reveal? Thankfully Gunslinger puts the tobacco spitting series back on track.

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Plantronics GameCom 380 Headset Review

Mark Ankucic — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 05:12:08 +0000

‘Plantronics GameCom 380 PC Stereo Gaming Headset’ is an incredibly obvious and boring title for a product, right up there with ‘Genericon’ and ‘A Thing’, but don’t let it’s plain naming fool you - the 380 is damn fine headset.

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Top 5 Coolest and Corniest Names in Gaming

Phillip Huynh — Thu, 30 May 2013 22:00:17 +0000

Names are important. Names have power. A mighty character should have a mighty name. Something that precedes them like the calm before a storm. Whenever you play an RPG don't you spend several agonizing moments trying to decide the best name for your character? A name that inspires courage in your allies and dread in your enemies?

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E3 2013: What Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo Need To Accomplish

Jon Hamlin — Thu, 30 May 2013 05:15:18 +0000

We're only weeks away from E3 - the press is scrambling together teams for coverage, final touches are being put on press conferences, and studio heads are preparing to unveil new projects to the masses. No-one has quite the job ahead of them that the Big Three (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, respectively) have, though.

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Receiver Review

Eden Zhang — Wed, 29 May 2013 22:23:13 +0000

Receiver by indie developer Wolfire Games is a first person shooter in which the mechanical operations of a firearm are brought into focus instead of being relegated to the background. A game in which the player is responsible for every aspect of their sidearm's operation, from loading the ammunition to ensuring the safety is off before squeezing the trigger.

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Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition Review

Alex Walker — Tue, 28 May 2013 21:58:35 +0000

Re-releases normally piss me off, since developers often use them as a mechanism to bypass discounting by retailers. Publishing at a lower RRP on a label like “Essentials” or “Ultimate Edition” can be a great tool to milk an extra $10 from gamers. Mortal Kombat is the exception to the rule though, after the Classification Board banned the reboot of the franchise.

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Dead Or Alive 5 Plus Review

Trent van der Jagt — Tue, 28 May 2013 04:05:03 +0000

Let’s get this out of the way - prepare to see generous pairs of mammary glands hanging off impractically clad anime ladies. Like a visit to Hooters, you will come for the boobies and stay for the chicken wings, only this time you will stay for the fighting.

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Comparing Reveals: PlayStation 4 vs Xbox One

Justin Reynolds — Mon, 27 May 2013 22:12:56 +0000

There is little doubt that Sony and Microsoft had different strategies when announcing their additions to the next generation of gaming and entertainment. Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to look at the two approaches and what they mean for you, the gamer.

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Monaco: What’s Yours is Mine Review

Daniel Walker — Mon, 27 May 2013 04:23:38 +0000

When Monaco was pitched to me as a possible review title, it was done so with the tag lines ‘retro,’ ‘top down’ and ‘French.’ But as soon as I discovered that gameplay in Monaco involves using a variety of specialised thief characters to pull off daring heists, all fears were allayed.

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The Dusty Cartridge Podcast: Xbox One Special

Chad D'cruze — Sun, 26 May 2013 22:54:35 +0000

Hello, hello and welcome back to The Dusty Cartridge Podcast - where we combine stupid science facts and video games like nobody else. This week’s episode is extra special as we dissect the ONE and only new Xbox AND are joined by video game industry extraordinaire Narayan Pattison!

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BAM5 Wrap Up: Five years of salt, sweat and the return of the Bomb

Chee Seng Siow — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:24:28 +0000

It is the Sunday of the BAM5 (Battle Arena Melbourne) weekend, it is finals day and it is MAHVEL, baby. Sitting in the crowd one can feel overwhelmed by the level of sound in the room; you have gasps, cheers, jeers, tribal chants and even pleading. It is loud and it is hype.

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Top 5 Troll Villains in Gaming

Daniel Walker — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:56:30 +0000

Trolling is an art. From full-fledged flame wars to intentional spelling and grammatical errors, trolling has become a part of everyday life. So! With all that in mind, here some of Dusty Cartridge's most trollerific video game villains.

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Surgeon Simulator 2013 Review

Eden Zhang — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:42:53 +0000

Surgeon Simulator 2013 lets us gleefully smash a comatose patient’s ribcage into bite sized pieces with a surgical hammer and dislodge his organs with a sterilised power drill before carelessly flopping a healthy donor transplant – along with a cheap digital watch and several shards from a shattered beaker - into the mangled cavity.

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Zeno Clash II Review

Martin Gladstone — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:59 +0000

Zeno Clash II is a game designed by The Beatles after they cosplayed as The Flintstones, ingested a cocktail of hallucinogenic drugs, and then punched the crap out of each other for five hours straight… or at least it could have been.

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Xbox One: Everything You Need To Know

Brodie Gibbons — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:24:25 +0000

There has been a lot of rumours surrounding Microsoft’s next foray into the console market and, as it turns out, not many of them were true. But the dust has settled and Microsoft has officially pulled the curtain back on the Xbox One.

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Video Game Face Off: The Elder Scrolls vs. Souls Series

Martin Gladstone — Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:22 +0000

With 25 million physical copies sold The Elder Scrolls has become one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, dwarfing Demon’s and Dark Souls humble 4 million by six-fold. But sales play no role in determining which RPG classic will advance to the 2^nd round of this elimination tournament, this is all about the games themselves.

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Game Dev Tycoon Review

Chris Aprea — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:00:31 +0000

I once wanted to be a game developer, no really I did. When I caught a glimpse of Game Dev Tycoon I couldn’t help but wonder what life would’ve been like had I decided to pursue my dreams of becoming a … uhh … game dev tycoon.

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I’m Tired of Violence for Violence Sake

Mark Ankucic — Mon, 20 May 2013 05:13:54 +0000

I wrote a question piece a little while ago asking where the place of violence was in video games in response to the few critics that jumped on Their Little Ponies and said that “Hey, BioShock Infinite didn’t even need to be violent!”. More often than not, these same critics had previously shouted praise at Tomb Raider and the love they felt for her because she was 'vulnerable' and 'just trying her best'.

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Persona 4 Arena Review

Mark Ankucic — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:00:08 +0000

When I heard about Persona 4 Arena, the only things I really knew about it was that it was being developed by Arc System Works (the brilliant team behind the BlazBlue series). However, Arena turned out to be more than just an excuse to get my arcade stick out - it was a surprise present that gave me something new in a genre I’d felt had gotten almost too comfortable with itself.

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What Do We Think of Wargame: AirLand Battle So Far?

Alex Raso — Fri, 17 May 2013 03:47:17 +0000

Ahh, the Cold War. Colder than the Eastern Front, some might say. From Eugen Systems comes the sequel to their 2012 game Wargame: European Escalation. Wargame: AirLand Battle, subtitled after the US Army's Cold War fighting doctrine of the same name, features extremely deep realism that sets it apart from a genre somewhat lacking diversity.

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4 Reasons Why You Should Be Excited For Fuse

Chad D'cruze — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:52:28 +0000

I’m not going to blame you if you haven’t paid much attention to Insomniac’s brand spanking new multiplatform IP, Fuse. After first being revealed under the title ‘Overstrike’ way back at E3 2011, and then becoming rebranded in Augst 2012 as Fuse, the game has kept a fairly low profile. Upon its reveal, I almost immediately classed it as “another generic third person shooter I’ll never play”.

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