INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y

R

Rage
• Publisher: Bethesda
• Developer: id
• Release Date: October 4, 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
I played Rage for about an hour, playing through two missions. The first had me playing through a Smash TV style of five arenas in which I was beset by mutants while dodging environmental hazards, all so that the showrunner could get better ratings off of my survival. The second mission has me working my way through a subway and out into the open as I fought off both mutants and enemy soldiers. Combat is fast paced, requiring you to keep moving as the enemies in the game can take a lot of damage before going down,. The shotgun was my best friend as it seemed to do the most damage to the mutants. As you make your way through the world you pick up lots of items to either use, sell or combine with other items to make things such as turrets and healing items. The weapon selection screen showed that every weapon has four ammo types however I never found any alternative ammo.
• What We Think:
Brandon: Maybe I didn't play the right levels, but this one seems like a fairly standard shooter, with some Fallout 3 style inventory options to give you a reason to investigate the darker, more mutant filed corners of the world. The ability to switch weapons and ammo styles on the fly, rather than having to enter an inventory screen was nice, but my unfamiliarity with the PS3 controller meant that I kept switching weapons instead of firing. Load times were a lot longer than I'd expect, and they got downright annoying by the end of my time with the game, as did the fact that the enemies seemed to soak up damage. Either that or I was using the worst ammo for the weapons. Unless there's something to this game I didn't see in my hour playing it, I think I'll pass.
Brian: I only had time to run through part of Dead City, but two things concern me greatly. The environment was horribly constrained. Everywhere I looked were skyscrapers and highways torn asunder, and there I was, dutifully following my little strip of sidewalk. Secondly, is the matter of virtual texturing. Like Brink, which used the same technology developed by id Software, my demo of RAGE (console version) suffered from egregious texture pop-in. On the flipside, I am very excited about the survival aspects of RAGE, including scavenging for supplies and crafting your own equipment.

RaiderZ (PC)
• Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
• Developer: Maiet Entertainment
• Release Date: Q2 2012
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
• What We Think:
  Brian:

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (PS3)
• Publisher: Sony
• Developer: Insomniac Games
• Release Date: October 18, 2011
• What We Saw:
As the name implies, All 4 One features four-player co-op starring Ratchet, Clank, Nefarious, and Qwark, although you can fly solo with an AI companion at your side. We had the chance to test out some two player action while running through the Luminopolis stage in its entirety as Ratchet and Clank.
• What We Think:
  Brian: Anyone familiar with the series will be able to pick up and play All 4 One. It looks like the previous games, sounds like them, and shares many of the same features, including collectible bolts, weapons and upgrades, and grind-tubes (wider versions of grind-rails). Deadlocked, which also had cooperative play, is the closest relative, especially considering All 4 One’s drastic reduction in gadgets and the switch to linear levels. I enjoyed myself, but I fear that All 4 One may hold limited appeal for longtime fans, especially considering the complete lack of challenge encountered throughout the demo.

Raven's Cry (PC, 360, PS3)
• Publisher: Topware Interactive
• Developer: Nitro Games
• Release Date: Q2 2012
• What We Saw:
What we saw of Raven't Cry, a 17th century action-oriented game about pirates, was a short video montage of shots from the game with a one-on-one Q&A with one of Topware's PR representatives. In this game you play -wait for it- Christopher Raven, an unfortunate hook-handed soul who saw his family murdered and must now make a series or morally gray choices with dire consequences as he uses his pirate ship to travel from island to island in the Caribbean. In addition to running around various tropical locals looking for trouble, you can engage in ship-to-ship combat (more action-focused than authentic), including boarding actions. The hook for this game (no pun intended) is supposed to be that it's a more historically accurate look at the age of pirates, including authentic weapons and a more brutal environment for you to survive in.
• What We Think:
  Todd: My first question after this short demo was, "What makes this game a more authentic look at pirates than we've seen of late from films and games?" I was told, without further elaboration, "It's darker." I'm not too sure what to make of that, but while I've liked the ideas behind a few of Nitro's recent games (East India Company, for example), it doesn't seem like they've ever quite pulled it together. I wasn't able to see nearly enough to make any such judgment about this title, but I'm not exactly holding my breath.

Rayman: Origins (360, PS3, Wii)
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Developer: Ubisoft
• Release Date: Q4 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
Rayman: Origins is a cooperative, 2D platformer that is a prequel to the Rayman series. Players sprint, jump, fight, and glide through 60+ levels. We played through two stages, including a jungle level and a bat-infested cave, followed by a frenzied escape from an overgrown venus flytrap.
• What We Think:
  Brian: Now where have I seen this before? Rayman: Origins easily draws comparisons to New Super Mario Bros. Wii. Both games are party-based for up to four players and feature cooperative gameplay with a slight competitive edge – slapping your friends instead of jumping on them. Even the idea of floating back into the action via a bubble is similar. Differences among the four characters are purely visual and, although their portraits are shown in the title-screen, there has been no word of playable characters from Red Steel, Splinter Cell, Just Dance, and other Ubisoft games. Rayman: Origins was fun, but incorporating numerous characters with real differences could set this apart from Nintendo's game, rather than imitating.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City (360, PS3)
• Publisher: Capcom
• Developer: Slant Six
• Release Date: Winter 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
Another single-player-only demo of a co-op game, our Raccoon City demo was a 15-minute go-crazy-a-thon. We picked from one of six characters, each with his or her own abilities and specialties, of course. This being an RE game, we opted for the stealth fellow, assuming we’d want to be invisible often. We soon realized this was not the case.

What We Think:

Mitch: I dig stealth characters. Sneaking behind an enemy and popping up out of nowhere is how I play a lot of shooters. This doesn’t work so well in Raccoon City, at least not when you’re playing without other people. Zombies just turn to swarm you. RCS has plenty of undead, too, and I got enough kicks from chucking grenades at gas stations to take out groups, popping heads with a sub-machine-gun, and executing them with brutal melee attacks. The close-up knife kills seemed antithetical to this particular mission, though, since it takes so much time to stab an enemy all flashy, like. By the time my animation ended, I was eaten alive. A cool thing about death, though: you bleed, and zombies are attracted to you; you get bit, you transform. When you become a zombie, you respawn, but your body is out there eating your buddies. An antidote exists to prevent this, fortunately. That this four-player game has no noticeable co-op incentives or activities, it feels more like a mindless action game for four than it does a tactical shooter. I suppose we’ll learn more about what else it can do down the line.

Jason: This was one of my favorite titles of the show. The action is fast paced and the inclusion of 6 unique classes and 4 player coop make this a day 1 purchase for me. The fast paced action, action controls (not like Resident Evil 5) and sheer amount of monsters and mayhem make this game look like a good time of Left 4 Dead proportions. That’s a good time I just can’t say no to.

Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS)
• Publisher: Capcom
• Developer: Capcom
• Release Date: TBA
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
I spent some hands-on time playing RE:R on the show floor, navigating Jill Valentine through yet another haunted mansion, capping zombies and gathering items. The ability to run and shoot, a la Mercenaries was on hand in this game, but seeing how the zombies absorbed tons of bullets before turning into a puddle of goo, running seems to be the rule of the day. True to Resident Evil form, there were lots of hidden rooms to explore, items to pick up and herbs to gather. Basically, it looked like Resident Evil on the 3DS.
• What We Think:
  Brandon: The game looks great on the 3DS and controls really well, but the dread and horror I usually attribute to the series, is somewhat diminished when playing on the 3DS. Granted, it was E3 so it was terribly loud and I wasn't about to put on headphones that dozens of people had wore before me, so maybe in a quieter setting, the music will help with the atmosphere. From the demo I played, the game looks like Resident Evil on the 3DS, Take that to mean whatever you want to.

Rise of Nightmares (Kinect)
• Publisher: Sega
• Developer: Sega
• Release Date: September 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:

My PR tour guide assured me that this was not a “typical” Kinect game – that is, it’s not cuddly, cute or mini-game inclusive. We began by watching a comically violent cutscene in which a sort of Hostel-reject butcher chops the hell out of a guy, answers his phone, and leaves you in the company of a few flesh eating zombies. As a full-on first person Kinect game, everything is controlled with body movement – attacks, traversal, and even tiny interactions with the environment like opening doors and picking up weapons. I stumbled, punched, kicked, chopped and ran through several dank environments in a generic looking castle/haunted house type of environment, laughing at the insanely over-the-top violence all the way.

• What We Think: Danielle :

  I’m not sure this game is meant to be funny, but I found it absolutely hilarious. Everything from the obscenely violent surprises to the terrible turning controls screamed “B-movie!” but sadly, I’m not sure the game is in on the joke. If the tone was more House of the Dead than deadly serious, I think Rise of Nightmares would have fared a lot better.

Risen 2: Dark Waters (PS3, PC, 360)
• Publisher: Deep Silver
• Developer: Pirahna Bytes
• Release Date: First half of 2012
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
We saw a PowerPoint presentation about the game as well as a developer led demo of the game's graphical capabilities and combat model. The game is definitely a step up from its predecessor in the graphical department sporting not only better character and environmental models but also a more vibrant color palette. Combat was everything you'd expect from a pirate game with lots of sword play and the occasional flourish of a musket. At one point the hero sent out his parrot to harass an enemy before skewering him, which was definitely an interesting choice. Finally, we got to see one of the many monsters causing trouble in the game, a giant crab looking beast with a huge claw arm.
• What We Think:
  Brandon: The developers spoke at length on the problems of the original Risen and what they've done to address them, which is always a good sign. The game's development across PC, 360 and PS3 is occurring in parallel which hopefully will result in a console version that isn't just a port. They didn't go into any magical systems or how the voodoo that ties into the story trailer shows up, so hopefully we'll get more details about that as the game's release approaches. It's still upwards of a year out, so it's hard to get too excited, but the team definitely looks like they know what to do to fix the problems in the first game.
  Mitch: I didn’t know anything about Risen going in, but it was refreshing to see a developer so candidly discuss the utter failure of its first game. They were quite open about how ugly it looked and how poorly it played, which probably helped in impressing the press with Risen 2. I like pirates and I like RPGs, and this is certainly both of those, although the limited demo didn’t do much to wow me. I love the look of the combat, though, which has duelists defending with well-animated parries that look satisfying to pull off. Also, I can throw a parrot at an opponent and stab his gut while he’s distracted. Genius.

Rocksmith
• Publisher: Ubisoft
• Developer: Ubisoft
• Release Date: October 11 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
Music games are dead, and at first it might seem like Ubisoft didn't get the memo. Rocksmith is not a music game though, it's a music tool. What they demoed behind closed doors was a robust set of features that allow musicians, using any guitar (not just midi-enabled devices) to practice, perfect, and perform their music. With a tracklist ranging from classics like The Rolling Stones and David Bowie to contemporary alternatives like The White Stripes and Radiohead, there's a good selection of songs to learn with many more planned for DLC. What sets Rocksmith apart from the crowd though seems to be it's ability to distinguish rewarding the player for placing their fingers correctly and rewarding them for making the right sound. Because the game uses analog audio, things need to sound right in order to succeed which ultimately produces a better learning experience. Combine this with an incredibly detailed dynamic difficulty system and it looks like Rocksmith might be an apt replacement for costly guitar lessons.
• What We Think:
  Justin: Having taken private guitar lessons for many years and never finding the gumption to practice at home my skills have always been below expectations. Taking one look at Rocksmith though, it starts to make sense where other games like Rock Band have failed to deliver the guitar tutor experience I wanted. Firstly, the accessibility in terms of equipment is remarkably improved; the game can process any guitar you own and only requires a single cable (included in the box) to work. Second, the dynamic difficulty adjustment they've designed is infinitely tiered and calibrates per-section rather than the standard Easy through Expert per song. This means you won't be forced into a simplified experience if you've already mastered a section; the game has a much better understanding of where you are as a player. Lastly, as a set of tools for experienced musicians this looks like an apt replacement for a lot of costly, single-purpose effects pedals and switches. Because the game processes analog sound it provides authentic mutation that is nearly identical to the real thing. I was ready to discount Rocksmith as being too late to the party, but the demo has convinced me to give it a serious look when it releases this fall.

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny (PS3, Wii)
• Publisher: Natusme
• Developer: Neverland
• Release Date: TBD 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
We watched Natsume rep and localization specialist Adam Fitch guide us through the game’s basic mechanics, interactions, and combat.
• What We Think:
Mitch: It’s a bit on the simple side for my taste, but Rune Factory is a cute RPG with leftover elements of its origins in Harvest Moon. Farming and raising a family are as essential to Tides of Destiny as walking Ymir, a giant golem who acts as your home, to punch giant squids in their stupid squid faces. It’s not terribly violent, hard-to-follow or mechanically complex, so it’ll likely be one to check out for younger players, or those intimidated by the daunting scope of other RPGs.

Rusty Hearts (PC)
• Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
• Developer: Stairway Games
• Release Date: September 2011
• Trailer
• What We Saw:
Rusty Hearts is a free-to-play, online brawler with cel-shaded graphics. It will have 25-30 dungeons at launch and extra content, such as costumes, available for purchase. We went into a dungeon as a four-person group and were victorious in taking down the boss. The characters were pre-made and already customized.
• What We Think:
  Brian: Although I didn’t get an in-depth look at character progression, I believe that Dungeon Fighter Online is about to have some competition. The gameplay is extremely easy to pick up and seemed tailored for a controller, although the keyboard layout is adequate. Rusty Hearts is quite an attractive game (having battle-maids doesn’t hurt) and the action is really smooth. Besides, how many games let you be a sword-wielding teddy bear?