The Secret World review: the truth is out there, somewhere

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games are going through a bit of a renaissance right now. Recent releases show developers are searching for new ways for their game to stand out, focusing on a single aspect that bucks the trend. EnMasse did it with TERA, introducing a true action-based combat system that relied on the movement of the player and their position relative to the enemy. BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic brought story back to the RPG by, literally and figuratively, giving players a voice in the game, deciding how they approach each quest, and what the consequences of those choices will be. When looking at The Secret World, it doesn’t do any one thing drastically different from games before. Instead, it does many things just different enough you can’t quite compare it to any other game out there.

The Playlist - 7/7/2012

The Playlist - 6/30/2012

I’ve been traveling all over the world this week, from Russia, to New York, to Dubai. I’m looking forward to even more globe-trotting next week as I head to New Vegas and spend my time there.

The summer of RPGs

The temperature reached 98 degrees yesterday, giving way to the start of the summer season. This means two things: Game releases will quickly slow down, as evidenced by this week’s release of Quantum Conundrum and Spec Ops: The Line next week, until they pick back up in late August, and I have a ton of games to write about from E3.

E3 could leave LA next year

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, organized by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), called Los Angeles its home for 16 of the 18 years it’s been running, but that might change next year.

The annual videogame trade show sees over 45,000 attendees who fill over 30,000 hotel rooms and generates approximately $40 million in spending on restaurants, taxis, construction work, and booth attendants according to the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The ESA noted last year that the trade show might not return to Los Angeles after 2012 due to conflicts when renewing its contract with the Los Angeles Convention Center. The main argument is a proposed remodel of the convention center to make room for Farmers Field.

However, president of the ESA, Michael Gallagher, mentioned in an interview with the LA Times that, “we have a number of issues that still need to be resolved. If we can't resolve them, we are preparing to go elsewhere.” Other locations where the trade show might call home include San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and New Orleans. The ESA cited the ease of access to the convention center during construction and sufficient show floor space as their top issues. The remodel would tear down West Hall, where Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo usually set up their booth, to make room for a stadium with a new hall built above Pico Boulevard next to South Hall.

“We need assurances on things like square footage, the quality of the space, the ease of loading and unloading equipment, signage throughout the convention center for marketing and sponsorships," Gallagher said. "We love being in Los Angeles, but we also have a show to put on.”

As someone who can almost say E3 is in my backyard, I’d hate to see it move to a different city. I’ll probably have my first experience this year attending a convention out of state for PAX in September, but I hope that the LACC and ESA can find a way to come to a compromise on these issues and keep E3 in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future.

The Playlist – 6/16/2012

The Playlist is a feature I wanted to do for some time now, and with the summer drought of games starting soon (the last big release until August is Spec Ops: The Line which comes out on June 26), you’ll see on Monday why this is the perfect time to introduce this. The Playlist is a new weekend feature that will run every Saturday (or as often as I can) and cover the games I played over the last week. It won’t be a review of the games, but just a quick summary of what I’m doing, or small thoughts or nuances of the games. It will also highlight any sales for the coming week. Between the Steam summer sale and the holiday release schedule coming up, deals on games will be popping up faster than you think. With that, here is what I played this week.

Things I am (and am not) excited about for E3

Maybe it’s because I haven’t been doing this as long as others, but I’ve yet to become jaded or cynical about E3. I still look forward to it each year, whether it’s the multitude announcements that come beforehand, or the surprises we still haven’t heard about. Going over the current list of confirmed games going to be at the show, it's clear the rest of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 looks to be amazing.

Harley Quinn’s Revenge Review: More of the same

Harley Quinn’s Revenge picks up two days after the end of Batman: Arkham City. Batman has been missing for two days since investigating the kidnapping of several cops by Harley Quinn and her goons. This sets up for Robin to come in with the help of Oracle to find Batman and find out what went wrong. It’s an interesting premise that allows you to take control of Robin, who we only get a glimpse of in the main storyline of the game.

TellTale defines a new genre with The Walking Dead

There’s a lot of praise for Telltale’s recently released The Walking Dead game. Some call it Telltale’s best effort yet. After playing through multiple times to see how the game can diverge, I’m confident enough to agree with others and add my own claim that The Walking Dead is the first in a new hybrid genre, the Role-Playing Adventure Game.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II official for November 13 release

Activision unsurprisingly revealed the newest Call of Duty to come later this year. The UK version of the Call of Duty website unveiled Call of Duty: Black Ops II this morning before the full reveal coming later tonight during the NBA Playoffs on TNT. A few screenshots were found on the site’s backend along with the description, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 propels players into a near future, 21st Century Cold War, where technology and weapons have converged to create a new generation of warfare.” The screenshots depict a near future setting in Los Angeles with advanced weapons and drones similar to those seen in Homefront or Battlefield 2142. Call of Duty: Black Ops II will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on the official release date of November 13, 2012. Activision has yet to give any information about how Call of Duty Elite will integrate with Black Ops II.