With its unique visuals and intriguing factions, Brink, the upcoming FPS from Bethesda is sure to have fans of the genre interested to learn more.  Well, if you’re one of those people, you’re in luck.  You can check out the recently released cinematic trailer below, or visit the recently re-launched website for more information, assets, an other insights.  Right now, Brink is looking at a Q3 2010 release window, with no official date yet set.  So sit back and enjoy the video, and keep tuned to Spawn Kill for more info as it rolls in.
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The release of 2K Games’ surreal yet eerily grounded shooter BioShock 2 has set the hearts of impassioned gamers aflame. In an age where sequels rule the roost and new IPs are as rare as Arcadian wine, so much faith is placed upon the shoulders of games to which the torch has been passed. Will BioShock 2 recapture the same kind of trepidation and otherworldly wonder that washed over gamers within seconds of meeting a Big Daddy? And what of the harrowing climax, where we learned that a simple five-iron could be the key to unlocking Rapture-sized secrets? These are all questions that can only be answered with the completion of the game.

For those of you who have yet to live through the madness of Andrew Ryan’s utopia, there’s the following guide designed to get you up to speed. Straight from the city’s defunct welcoming committee themselves, I give to you A Newcomer’s Guide to Rapture.

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With the winter Olympics just a couple of weeks away I was searching for a way to get ready for Olympic competition and video games seemed to be the perfect answer. Sadly the only one available is Vancouver 2010: The Official Videogame of the Winter Olympic Games. Developed by Eurocom and published by Sega, this Olympic title looks great and does a great job giving gamers the sense of speed you see in the Winter Games; however the title lacks any sort of depth and suffers from unforgiving AI, so much so that I have yet to get a gold in all events after playing for countless hours.
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SouthPeak Games is happy to announce that Blood Bowl has shipped to retail shelves throughout North America. The upcoming fantasy sports title is set to release next week for Windows PC and the Xbox 360. With the Super Bowl just around the corner, there is no better way to get ready for the big game than with a football game that features fantasy creatures from Warhammer. Yeah it sounds strange but this ultraviolent sports game is sure to bring in football fans and those who shun away from sports games.

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Blood Bowl is set to hit store shelves next week and just in time to hold you over till Super Bowl Sunday. This Warhammer-inspired football game combines strategy, extreme violence, fantasy characters and Americas favorite sport to bring gamers a very unique experience. Blood Bowl tests your tactical and strategic skill as you try to march down the field to score a touchdown or kill the entire team to stop them. To get you ready for the release on Xbox 360 and PC here are some videos of the different races facing off in the game. We also have the full achievement list for your achievement hunters out there. Enjoy!

Achievement List:

• 25pts- There will be blood- Get a Star Player to join your team
• 30pts -Didn’t hurt a bit-Prevent 3 players from being taken-off prematurely thanks to the Apothecary
• 10pts -Bad luck- Cause at least 3 opposition casualties in a match
• 15 pts-No messing about!- Cause at least 6 opposition casualties in a match
• 30 pts-Simply the best…- Win a competition using the “Blood Bowl® Championship” Classic rules
• 30 pts-Thanks, I took it easy-Win a competition in Easy mode
• 40 pts-Thanks, I did that with one arm- Win a competition in Difficult mode
• 50 pts-Thanks, I didn’t break sweat- Win a competition in Normal mode
• 30 pts-The Art of Bribery- Use Bribery 3 times in a game
• 10 pts-No quarter- Cause at least 2 opposition deaths in a match
• 25 pts-Survival of the fittest- Cause at least 4 opposition deaths in a match
• 25 pts-Interceptor- Captor 3 successful interceptions in a match
• 30 pts-Pass Buster!- 2 successful interceptions in a match with the same player
• 10 pts-Soft skulled- Cause at least 6 opposition KOs in a match
• 25 pts-Cracked skull- Cause at least 12 opposition KOs in a match
• 10 pts-Showtime!- Cause at least 5 opposition casualties (through death or injury) in a match
• 15 pts-For the fans- Cause at least 10 opposition casualties (through death or injury) in a match
• 30 pts-Veni, vidi, vici!- Cause at least 15 opposition casualties (through death or injury) in a match
• 15 pts-Three’s a crowd- Start a competition match with the services of a Pogoer, Looney and Fanatic in your team
• 20 pts-Team play- 4 successful passes in a match
• 35 pts-Solid-gold Thrower- 4 successful passes in a match with the same player
• 10 pts-Discovery- Finish 1 match on Xbox LIVE
• 25 pts-Starter- Finish 10 matches on Xbox LIVE
• 25 pts-Experienced- Finish 20 matches on Xbox LIVE
• 30 pts-Devotee- Finish 50 matches on Xbox LIVE
• 35 pts-Pro- Finish 100 matches on Xbox LIVE
• 20 pts-Foul play!- Have 5 players sent-off by the referee and still win the match !
• 20 pts-Anyone for six?- Score 6 touchdowns in a match
• 25 pts-9 for the fun of it!- Score 9 touchdowns in a match
• 30 pts-A star is born- Score 3 touchdowns in a match with the same player
• 35 pts-Hero of the supporters- Score 5 touchdowns in a match with the same player
• 45 pts-That’s done!- Free-up all the tournaments in Campaign mode
• 10 pts-First of many?- Win 1 match on Xbox LIVE
• 25 pts-The start of a long series?- Win 10 matches on Xbox LIVE
• 25 pts-A road paved with victories- Win 20 matches on Xbox LIVE
• 30 pts-Any challengers?- Win 50 matches on Xbox LIVE
• 45 pts-A born winner- Win 100 matches on Xbox LIVE
• 20 pts-Team development- Gain at least 25 SPPs for the team in one match
• 35 pts-Explosive advancement- Gain at least 40 SPPs for the team in one match

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I know what you’re probably thinking: Dear, God!  Not another Transformers game! But still your heart: unlike the other recently released Transformers titles, this one is not based on a movie, and the developer, High Moon Studios, is doing what they can to do the fans the service they’ve been waiting for.  The goal is to be like Batman: Arkham Aslyum was in 2009, only doing for the Transformers franchise what that game did for Batman (and all comic book games, by extension).  We’ll have to wait until June 22 to find out for sure, but for now, check out the new trailer to whet your appetite.

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The game wasn’t exactly lacking or expensive, but recently Valve both slashed the price of Torchlight and threw in a batch of over 60 achievements to waste your precious time with.  They’ve also added Steam Cloud support, which basically means your character is saved to a central server giving you access to him or her from any PC in the known universe. 

If you’ve been holding off on Torchlight for whatever reason, as I have, you basically have no excuse not to at least try it.  It only costs you $10 bucks, which is less than I’ll spend on beer tonight, and while it offered enough to keep you busy for dozens and dozens of hours before, Steam Achievements now give it even more to recommend itself. 

So go buy it, or at the very least try out the free demo.

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Everyone knows the old saying – “Two heads are better than one.”  For the most part, it’s true.  Get more people thinking about something, and everyone benefits – you get more and different opinions that might help you shape the way you think about… well, anything.  It’s with this mindset that we go into our Two Brains review, where Tigresa and Snarkasaur have had a meeting of the minds to discuss Left 4 Dead 2 for the both the Xbox 360 and PC.

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With the slew of world premeire videos that were shown off during this year’s VGA’s one little trailer has seemingly slipped under the radar. IGN had an exclusive Mass Effect 2 Cinematic Trailer that teases the release of a full length trailer on December 22nd. The trailer is very much like another cinematic for BioWare’s other RPG Dragon Age: Origins and just like that one it leaves you wanting more. Check it out.

[Source: IGN ]

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Those of you who have been following my reviews of the episodic adventure Tales of Monkey Island by TellTale will know I’ve had very little bad to say about the game, overall.  After playing through dozens of ho-hum point-and-clicks, many that suffer from poor writing, irritating, uncreative puzzles, and frustrating bugs, the latest romp through the Caribbean with Guybrush Threepwood has been a breath of fresh air.  But how does the momentous finale, Rise of the Pirate God, stack up against the other four episodes?  As Guybrush would probably snicker and say, “Does it sink or swim?”

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The sequel of Divine Divinity, Divinity II: Ego Draconis, is coming to America on January 5, 2010 for Xbox 360 and PC (Rated M for Mature). It was developed by Larian Studios, and being published by cdv Entertainment (publisher of Sacred 2). Divine Divinity was released in 2002 so it’s safe to say this has been long awaited by the fans.

To cover some of the technical bases first, the game seems like it will play fine if you have an up-to-date decent PC. I have a gaming PC so I was able to turn up the visual slidebars some in the options, but not all the way. My FPS dropped significantly when I turned everything up all the way. The slidebars are there for a reason so if you experience FPS problems just drop it a bit lower. When you are playing the game the graphics look somewhat “grainy”, but they’re definitely not the worst I’ve seen. When the game cuts to a character conversation the graphics look better and smoother. So you don’t need a super computer to play this, but if you still don’t feel comfortable purchasing it for PC then buy the Xbox 360 version. One thing to be aware of on the PC version is sometimes when you alt-tab out of the game, then you try to go back in you won’t get the game or the menu the first time. It may take a try or two before it loads correctly. I kept getting a yellow screen when I tried to go back into the game, but I just alt-tabbed and went back in again, and it was fine.

The game starts with a beautiful CGI opening cinematic, then it’s on to the character selection screen where you choose your gender, hair and hair color, face, and voice. It’s not all fancy with slidebars like alot of similar games boast, but sometimes sticking with the basics is much better. Character creation is important and fun, but at the same time people just want to play the game.

After diving right into the game I was caught up in a bit of backstory telling that usually starts off these kind of games. The story is rather interesting. You play as a newly initiated Dragon Slayer hellbent on destroying all dragons in the land, but you have more to learn. You just finished your training at the academy, now you’re ready to become a full fledged Slayer. You receive your very first quest from the character, Rhode, and you’re on your way!

The first level is the tutorial level. You will learn all the basics of playing here. First thing you learn about is controlling your character. Movement is very odd in the game. You use ASWD to move forward, back, left, and right, and moving the mouse controls the camera and turning. This takes a bit of getting used to since I’m one to prefer moving forward and around with my mouse instead of solely ASWD. When you start fighting you have to use the hotkeys to use your abilities. Transitioning from ASWD to the numbers, and back again to move is actually pretty difficult in battle when you’re trying to dodge ranged attacks as well. The fact that you can use a plain swing or shoot attack by just hitting the left mouse button does make it a bit easier. Thankfully, you can reassign the movement in the options to play more to your liking. You can also pause the game, select the spell you want to use, and target who you want to cast it on. I don’t really like playing this way, though in the later levels it’s sure to pay off. I just feel it destroys the “flow” of the battle.

When you arrive in the first town you start really talking to people, and a couple more quests. You are given choices of responses to people to find out more information or to just leave. The quest options get deeper as you go along. Instead of just picking up all the quests possible you are supposed to think hard about it and decide because you can possibly get rewarded for not taking a particular quest, or even for failing one. In the first town is also where you can try the three different weapon classes, Warrior, Mage, Ranger. If you look into your skill trees you also see Priest and Dragon Slayer. You don’t have to stick to what you start with in the first town. You can mix and match skills you learn within the talent trees as you level; there are no class restrictions. What I like best about the talent selection is the fact that an in depth explanation of the skill is given, as well as a video showing what the skill looks like when performed!

The voice acting in the game is actually decent. With the action/RPGs you never quite know what you’re going to get. The acting in this game isn’t academy award winning by any means, but it does keep you interested and isn’t bad to a point where you will become detached from the game.

Something cool that was added in the game is Mindreading. In Divinity II you can read anyone’s mind when you talk to them. Some of them recognize what you’re doing, while you may get some information from others. What makes Mindreading special is the fact that it costs XP to do. XP doesn’t only level your character, but it now serves as currency to perform Mindreading. I’m not particularly a fan of spending my XP so I kept the mindreading to a minimum, but I’m sure you can get some useful information from NPCs with it.

Later in the game you can create your own creatures to fight along side of you. As you kill enemies and creatures you will start to collect their body parts. With these you can create a creature to hold aggro on a mob or perform other various needs while fighting. You also will have your own Battletower. The Battletower is your own personal space where you can customize and upgrade your character and gameplay even further. Here you can create potions, train, summon your creatures, etc. Eventually you will also be able to transform into a dragon and take part of aerial combat. In dragon form you will have a separate talent tree and armor.

The game does have a Diablo-esque feel to it when it comes down to the looting and upgrading your character. And the long (apparently over 80 hours of gameplay), in-depth story is sure to remind players of Dragon Age, especially since the main focus of Divinity II is dragons. This game is already being held in high regards by many RPG fans because of the immersion level, customization, and fights (they’re pretty tough!). Only thing I’m afraid of is if Divinity II will get pushed aside by many because they will think it’s a “Dragon Age wannabe.” I hope not. This is destined to be a pretty kick ass game.

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A while ago, I stumbled upon a gem of a game called Puzzle Quest for the Nintendo DS. An intriguing concept, the combination of role-playing game with puzzle was immediately addicting. Not only for me, but for my Dr. Mario addict, casual gamer of a wife. Though my affections for the little portable system have since diminished, the RPG and puzzle game mashup has been purchased, and played through again, for my 360.

Earlier this year, when Square Enix announced that, in collaboration with PopCap, they would be releasing a puzzle-RPG title that would use elements from Bejeweled Twist, I knew Gyromancer would find its way onto my Xbox. PopCap plus Square Enix definitely equals “yes, please” in my book. Obviously, one cannot help but compare the game to the excellent Puzzle Quest, but how does it stack up?

Immediately, it was apparent that this title was a lot shinier than Puzzle Quest. Though it still has the cardboard illustrations for characters that are just there for illustrative purpose, the atmosphere of the game, the cleanness of the illustrations, the music, the experience was impressive.

In fact, upon boot up, I was addicted. The story was interesting, in the beginning, and the gameplay was crack. Seriously, if you haven’t played Bejeweled Twist, the puzzle backbone of Gyromancer, try out the flash version here because it is really fun. By just looking at a screenshot you might mistake Twist for the original Bejeweled. However, the mechanics of the game change significantly based on how you move the jewels. To create matches of three or more jewels, you do not swap the gems, but instead rotate a group of four clockwise. At first, it was really frustrating that you could only rotate in one direction, but I got used to it and, later in the game, it was infuriating when the rotation direction was changed.

But this is a puzzle-RPG game, and it cannot survive or be successful based on the puzzle aspects alone. You are Rivel, a mage that is chasing after a rebellious group called Temperance. This group is led by a man named Qraist, who is essentially the bad guy of the story. However, that’s about it for narrative. It is dull, uninteresting, and brought me out of the game. The story is a tacked on element to Gyromancer and truly makes the RPG element of the game weak. Not only was the story tacked on and dull, it was annoyingly superficial. For example, one of the characters dies, and comes back to life, three times. Eyes were rolled. Three times.

So, is the puzzle aspect the only saving grace of Gyromancer? Not exactly. Though the story elements are extremely weak, the questing and gameplay are interesting and fun. You want grinding? Gyromancer has it. You want random battles? It’s there. You want adventurous journeys? Yep. How about the ability to summon badass creatures with unique abilities? Well, read on, because Gyromancer does do some of these things right.

There are ten basic levels, one final boss level, and a challenging endurance level called Challenger’s Door. In the basic levels and boss level, you are given a bit of the story at the beginning and then you play. The story does not come back into the picture until you have beaten the level. In the beginning you are given an overview of the map, a shot of where you are trying to get and then, finally, you are shown your begin point. You move your character along a path and you will encounter monsters along the way. Some of the monsters will be stationary on the map, some will move as you move, and some will be hidden in treasure chests (“monster-in-a-box!”). As you move on to increasingly difficult levels, the creatures will advance as well.

To destroy these monsters, you have in your arsenal three creatures of your own. Once you are in a level, any damage to your monsters is permanent until you leave or beat the level. As I battled it out with my enemies, I began to feel a disappointment with the gameplay. It took me a few battles to realize that I was missing the competition of Puzzle Quest. In Puzzle Quest you make a move and then your opponent moves. Not so in Gyromancer. You make your moves and try and build up the levels for your monster to cast spells automatically (yes, you don’t select what happens) to place ability gems. Opponents will spew out their own bombs to screw with your attack. They do not make moves, attacks are just placed based on your moves. Once their attack gem has been placed you have to get rid of them within so many turns or they will do damage to your creature.

While in battle you have the option to cast spells that you collect in your travels. There are only four spells in this game. All of the spells effects last for one turn and they will allow you to do things such as change the direction in which you rotate your gems, place your ability gems immediately, and unlock locked gems. The bad thing about this is, once you are out of whatever spells, you have the option to buy them from the marketplace for a mere 40 Microsoft Points each. Microtransactions indeed.

You level up after winning so many battles. Your creatures level up with you, even if they weren’t used in the battle. Your creatures will eventually reach their level caps and you will need to summon new creatures in the Summoner’s Den to continue on successfully. You find new creatures on the map in the form of gyro codes. Your found codes can be used in the Summoner’s Den. You must pay to summon the new creature and you must get rid of one of your three to make room for your new warrior. Each creature has an affinity color or a color from which they gain power. Ideally, you want to have a variety of colors in your array of warriors.

This is where the grinding comes in because somewhere near the middle of the game, you must do some serious leveling up to continue. It was in this grinding that I became bored with the game. I wanted every battle to feel like it meant something. However, it seems like every battle was a vicious little reminder that there was another game out there. A better game.

All in all there are plenty of worse games out there. In fact, Gyromancer isn’t a bad game at all. Only a few moments of grinding were tedious for me. The battles were addictive and challenging. The creatures were interesting and fun to unlock. I think it’s the fact that I wanted so much more. I wanted a good story. I wanted less randomness in the battles. I wanted a game that I would want to come back to.

Title: Gyromancer Publisher: Square Enix Developer: Square Enix and PopCap Games Platform(s): XBLA (Reviewed), PC Release Date: November 18, 2009

Doin It RIGHT: -Addictive and Challenging Gameplay -Interesting Creatures -Graphics and Music Create an Awesome Atmosphere	Doin It RONG: - Paper Thin Story - Unnecessary Grinding to Advance - No Real Enemy to Strategize Against in Battle
FINAL SCORE: 7.5 / 10

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Monsters-in-the-closet fans and loud-noise-afficiandos rejoice! Today EA announced that a sequel to the 2008 hit Dead Space is on the way, marking a return of your favorite sci-fi author named hero Isaac Clarke and his friends the necromorphs to the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. Wielding new tools along with his trusty Plasma Cutter in his crusade against the necromorph assult, this game will see Isaac “calling the shots” in the fight against the alien horde.

Minor gripes aside, I really enjoyed the first Dead Space and am excited that EA is giving the go ahead on a sequel. And while my head is still trying to wrap around where exactly they’ll take the story, with “…plot twists that will surprise you and a huge cast of twisted, disgusting monsters…” mentioned, now that it’s official, I’m sure we’ll all get our fill of dismemberment sometime next year.

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Let’s say you have this friend, and let’s say you haven’t seen this friend in months. Some time ago he (or she) told you he was picking up World of Warcraft because he had heard that it was a pretty cool game. You warned him about the possibilities. You begged, you pleaded, for him not to do it. Alas, he bought it anyway. Now, sad and confused, you still want to include him in your holiday gift list. You’re not quite sure what he even likes anymore since that game has taken over his life. No worries! I, Astrella of Spawn Kill, have the perfect holiday gift solutions for you!

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Yesterday marked the beginning of the release of official Divinity II-Ego Draconis series of gameplay trailers. CDV Entertainment begin the series of vignettes with a stunning look at the “Dragon Slayer.”

“Dragon Slayer” is the first in a series of nine trailers that will be released periodically up to the game’s release on January 5, 2010 on PC and Xbox 360. Upcoming vignettes will show more gameplay, creature creation, the Battle Tower, and the arch-nemesis, Damien.

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