Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance VR Gameplay July 23, 2012

VR Training has always been a staple of the Metal Gear Solid series.  It was first seen in the original Metal Gear Solid game with three sets of 10 missions and a single “survival” mission.  When the game was re-released in Japan, 300 new VR missions were included, and they were the only component of the re-release that came over to the United States on the Playstation.  VR Missions returned in the re-release of Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, which added 300 more VR Missions, all of which were brought over to the Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection for Xbox 360 and PS3.

So it’s quite fitting that Konami and Platinum Games decided to show off the VR Training Missions for the new Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance game.  In this gameplay video, we get to see how the game’s controls are going to work, and just what possibilities open up for the player to have a sword that can cut EVERYTHING.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2013.

Death Rally PC Trailer July 21, 2012

Death Rally, the first game made by Remedy, creators of Alan Wake and Max Payne, is coming back to PC with all the new features and enhancements made for the iOS and Android versions of the game.  Take a look!

Death Rally is coming (back) to PC August 3rd, 2012.

San Diego Comic Con 2012 – Halo 4 Panel July 21, 2012

Posted up by the Halo Waypoint guys, here is the complete Halo 4 Panel from this year’s San Diego Comic Con.  If you prefer to watch it on your TV, you can also check this video out on the Halo Waypoint program for the Xbox 360.

Halo 4 is coming November 6th, 2012 exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Batman Day – Batmobile Drag Race July 19, 2012

Okay it’s not technically gaming related, but it is a competition.  I’m sure many of you have always asked yourselves, “What is the fastest Batmobile?”  Our friends over at Bat in the Sun have the answer.

Their series Super Power Beat Down takes two of the most iconic things in comics, science-fiction, fantasy and gaming and pits them against each other for the fans.  They also bring in various experts from across the web to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each side and concludes with a final battle to decide who is the best!

For their premiere episode, they took two of the most iconic cars of all time, the George Barris developed Batmobile made for the Adam West Batman TV show and the Batmobile created for the Tim Burton directed 1989 Batman movie!  Who wins?  Watch and find out!

Coming next for Super Power Beat Down?  Lara Croft vs Nathan Drake.

And if you’re a huge fan of the Batmobile like I am, there was a fantastic documentary about the Batmobile which was produced in conjunction with The Dark Knight Rises.  A 22-minute cut of the documentary premiered at the San Diego Comic Con and was broadcasted on TV shortly afterwards.  The documentary is going to be released on The Dark Knight Rises Blu-Ray in Fall 2012 (technically making this documentary the first confirmed special feature on the disc as well as a release announcement of the disc itself) as well as Digital Download.  If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a preview!

Batman Day – Angry Video Game Nerd July 19, 2012

I can’t think of a better way to kick off gameXcess.net’s Batman Day coverage than with the Angry Video Game Nerd!

Released a few years ago, James Rolfe, better known as “The Angry Video Game Nerd” released a two part video series where he reviewed some of the best (and worst) Batman video games of the 80s and 90s, including some games that I had TV commercials really liked.

It’s a hiliarious video with some great nostaliga.  Check it out!  Oh and if you’re at work, don’t crank up the audio on this one.

Keep your eyes on the site.  More Batman content is coming!

The Dark Knight Rises premieres at Midnight tonight in theaters and IMAX.

The Last of Us Comic Con 2012 Cutscene July 17, 2012

During the San Diego Comic Con 2012, we got to preview a scene from the highly anticipated PS3 exclusive game, The Last of Us, which is being developed by Naughty Dog, the creators of the Uncharted series.  Take a look.

It’s clear that Naughty Dog really outdid themselves here.  Their characters are able to convey emotions beyond what we had seen before in their previous work.  It’s the job of the characters to make the player feel as if they are part of the world, and to set the stakes for success and failure.  By having the characters act like people, it properly conveys the danger.  The game is more tense, making the world all the more real.

The Last of Us is coming in 2013 exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Halo 4 Fiction Panel – San Diego Comic Con 2012 July 16, 2012

The good folks at Halo Waypoint have posted up a video of the entire Halo 4 Fiction Panel, which was recorded at this year’s San Diego Comic Con.  I’m a huge fan of the Halo Expanded Universe, and have tons of the art books, graphic novels, bestsellers, and the Blu-Ray.

With the release of Halo 4, the developers promised that more story will focus around the game this time around than just being limited to the expanded universe, but there are still plenty of new things that they are doing in the expanded universe in anticipation for Halo 4, like the Forward Unto Dawn Live-Action movie serial.

So give it a watch!  It’s moderated by Frank “Frankie” O’Connor, formerly of Bungie.

Halo 4 is coming November 6th, 2012 exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Gears of War Judgement Release Date July 14, 2012

Originally announced at E3 2012, Gears of War: Judgement is a game which takes place before the events of Gears of War 3.  Instead of following the story of Marcus Fenix and his partner Dominic “Dom” Santiago, the game will instead follow the story of the other two members of Delta Squad, Damon Baird and Augustus Cole.

Gears of War: Judgement will release March 19th, 2013 exclusive to the Xbox 360.

So if the game’s going to be a prequel about Baird and Cole, does that mean that the series leads Fenix and Dom will make an appearance in the game?  Maniac asked that question to Carlos Ferro, the voice of Dom in Gears of War, yesterday at the ConnectiCon press event.  Stay tuned for that answer!

UPDATE:  The video is up, sadly the answer was no.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Live-Action Movie Trailer July 13, 2012

I present to you the trailer, fresh from the San Diego Comic Con, for what may be the closest thing we ever will get to a feature-length live-action Halo movie.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn will release its first part on October 5th, 2012 to Halo Waypoint and Machinima Prime.  A feature-length director’s cut of the movie will be included in the Halo 4 Limited Collector’s Edition, which will release on November 6th, 2012.

Playstation 3 Firmware 4.21 Released July 6, 2012

When running the system update program on the Playstation 3 last night I noticed Firmware 4.21 was released.

No release notes were included with the update, so its unknown what it does, and it is currently not required for access to the Playstation Network.

You can download Firmware 4.21 by using the System Update feature in the Playstation 3’s settings menu.  It’s currently not required to access the Playstation Network but that may be subject to change.