Welcome to the PDG February 2012 New Video Game Release Guide
By PDG Staff
The Darkness II (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
February 7, 2012
The Darkness II is the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2007 release The Darkness. Inspired by the popular comic book series produced by Top Cow Productions, Inc., The Darkness II is an intense first person shooter that puts you in the role of Jackie Estacado, don of a New York crime family and wielder of an ancient force of chaos known as The Darkness.
It’s been two years since Jackie used his power to kill the men responsible for his girlfriend’s murder. He’s been unable to shake the memory of Jenny’s death since bottling up The Darkness and now it wants out. A botched attempt on Jackie’s life opens the door for The Darkness to reemerge, and sets Jackie on a brutal and personal journey as he unravels the mystery behind the attack and the motives of The Darkness.
Key Features:
* Quad-Wielding Chaos – Slash, grab, and throw objects and enemies with the Demon Arms while simultaneously firing two weapons, adding a new dimension to the FPS category.
* Harness an Unstoppable Power – Master the Demon Arms and summon the powers of The Darkness for even more explosive gameplay.
* Kill the Lights – The vicious powers of The Darkness manifest only in the shadows so use the environment to your advantage and watch out for enemies who will use light as a weapon.
* Intense and Personal Journey – Experience a dark, twisted and gripping story written exclusively for the game by acclaimed comic book author Paul Jenkins whose credits also include The Incredible Hulk, Wolverine, and the original The Darkness game.
* Distinctive Graphic-Noir Style – Graphic novel shading and color combined with the dramatic lighting of film noir pays tribute to the source material and brings the pages of the comic series to life. Inspired by the popular comic book series created by Top Cow.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
February 7, 2012
Immerse yourself in an all-new massive universe from the minds of bestselling author R.A. Salvatore, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston. Choose your path and battle through a sprawling master-crafted world featuring some of the most intense, responsive, and customizable RPG combat ever.
The minds of New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore, Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lead designer Ken Rolston have combined to create Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, a new role-playing game set in a world worth saving. Build the character you’ve always wanted and continuously evolve it to your style of play with the revolutionary Destiny system. Choose your path and battle through a master-crafted universe featuring some of the most intense, responsive, and customizable RPG combat ever.
Key Features:
* A Massive World to Explore, Filled with Epic Fiction and Rich Storytelling:
– Uncover the secrets of Amalur in hundreds of hours of gameplay, from the vibrant city of Rathir to the vast region of Dalentarth to the grim dungeons of the Brigand Hall Caverns.
– Rescue a world torn apart by a vicious war and control the keys to immortality as the first warrior ever to be resurrected from the grips of death. Turn your lack of a destiny to your advantage and harness fate as a weapon.
– Explore deep levels of lore in a universe steeped in 10,000 years of fiction created by New York Times bestselling author R.A. Salvatore.
* Intense Action Combat:
– Customize your play in a dynamic combat system that delivers some of the most intense and responsive action ever seen in an RPG.
– Seamlessly integrate magical and melee attacks as you take on scores of enemies in grand fight sequences and finish them off with brutal Fateshift kills.
* Choose Your Destiny With Customizable Classes:
– Build the character you’ve always wanted with the revolutionary new Destiny system that allows you to continuously evolve your character class to your style of play.
– Create and modify your hero with millions of combinations of skills, abilities, weapons and pieces of armor.
UFC Undisputed 3 (Xbox 360, PS3)
February 14, 2012
The critically acclaimed and best-selling MMA videogame franchise returns to take players inside the Octagon with UFC Undisputed 3, delivering UFC action focused on intense toe-to-toe combat, impressive visual presentation and increased accessibility.
Featuring the addition of PRIDE Mode, a brand new submission system, new ways to finish the fight and increased accessibility through both traditional and simplified gameplay controls, players will experience intense combat and a pure adrenaline rush every time they step inside the Octagon.
Players will also experience the excitement of a live UFC event through significant visual improvements – from broadcast to cage-side – through new camera positions and the introduction of much-anticipated fighter entrances.
Rounding out the UFC experience with a significantly improved online feature set, including new and updated offerings, UFC Undisputed 3 lets players have their fights – their way – to deliver the most competitive and engaging experience to date for the franchise.
Key Features:
* PRIDE Mode – Compete for the first time within the legendary PRIDE environment featuring official announcers and renowned Japanese MMA league rules, including soccer-style kicks, head stomps and ground knees to the head.
* Finish the Fight – With punishing new moves, a brand new submission system and increased focus on presentation, players will have more options than ever to take advantage of a downed opponent.
* From Broadcast to Cage-Side – Experience the intensity of UFC with new camera positions, compelling fighter entrances, improved facial animations and a gritty, high contrast appearance.
* Extraordinary Roster – Go head to head with more than 150 prolific UFC fighters, including the addition of Featherweight and Bantamweight divisions.
Twisted Metal (PS3)
February 14, 2012
High up in his penthouse office, a mysterious lunatic holds the infamous Twisted Metal tournament every year. Who is he? Calypso. And his thirst for chaos and destruction can only be quenched with death.
Contestants for Calypso’s Twisted Metal tournament are selected from all over the world to compete for the ultimate prize: Survival. Behind the wheel of the most twisted vehicles imaginable, contestants battle to the death until one, lone victor remains standing. The champion gets one wish granted by Calypso.
But there’s a twist… This year, instead of offering the champion money, power or fame, rumor has it that Calypso is able to offer more… so much more. However, as contestants step up to prove themselves worthy of the Twisted Metal championship, a mysterious figure is tracking Calypso and preparing to strike back — someone who knows the truth behind where and how Calypso is getting his amazing prizes.
Asura’s Wrath (Xbox 360, PS3)
February 21, 2012
With unprecedented levels of dynamism, drama and interaction, Asura’s Wrath™ will deliver a fresh take on the action gaming genre.Once a revered deity, Asura was betrayed by his fellow gods and stripped of all his powers. Consumed by anger at the injustice he has suffered and swearing vengeance, Asura discovers he can use this fury to his advantage and turn it against his enemies. Cue relentless action as Asura finds himself facing off against numerous unique enemies, including planetary sized bosses, unleashing devastating and visceral attacks.
Asura’s Wrath loses the traditional distinction between gameplay and cutscenes through seamless player controlled narrative. Simply put, even in cinematic sequences the player can control Asura, directly affecting the gameplay, making Asura’s Wrath a truly unique experience.
Key Features:
* New type of action game – Asura’s Wrath will seamlessly blend action and narrative and will adopt an episodic nature, more akin to a TV drama series.
* Relentless action – Asura’s Wrath keeps placing gamers in tight situations and says ‘now get out of that’.
* What the ….? – Unique enemies and planetary sized bosses will continually challenge players’ expectations.
* Innovative setting and story – Fusing Asian mythology with sci-fi, Asura’s Wrath’s universe will be truly unique.
* Collaboration with CyberConnect2 – Continues Capcom’s strategy of partnering with the best developers to produce titles to complement its own internal projects.
Syndicate (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
February 21, 2012
2069 – No longer governed by politicians, the developed world is divided up into regions controlled by megacorporations known as Syndicates. These Syndicates have revolutionized how the consumer interacts with the digital world.
No longer does the consumer require a device to access the world’s data and control their technology, they can do this at the blink of an eye via neural chip implant. Civilians flocked to be “chip’d” and enjoy all that their selected Syndicate has to offer; housing, medical, banking, insurance, education, entertainment and jobs.
One complete package. One complete lifestyle. In return, the Syndicates gained unprecedented insights, and control, over the individual and their behavior. With little governmental oversight, business has become war. The Syndicates will stop at nothing for ultimate market dominance. At the front line of this war are the Agents, the Syndicate’s bio-engineered and chip-augmented enforcers.
They can breach anything in the wired world including their enemies, their weapons and the environment that surrounds them, making them the most efficient and deadly technological weapons in the world. Take on the role of Miles Kilo, Eurocorp’s latest prototype agent, and embark on a brutal action adventure of corruption and revenge.
Key Features:
* Chip Enhanced Gameplay: Slow down time, see through walls, and breach your enemy and everything digital in the world with Dart vision – A neural DART6 chip implant that allows you to interface directly with the Dataverse.
* 4-Player Online Co-op: Assemble your Syndicate for global domination. A 4-player, online co-op experience like no other, with chip enhanced gameplay and 9 missions re-imagined from the original Syndicate.
* Visceral FPS Experience: Utilize an upgradable arsenal of futuristic weapons, armor and gear to annihilate your enemies and harvest their chip technology for personal advancement and sinister corporate greed.
* Sci-Fi Fiction: Immerse yourself in the world of Syndicate 2069, with a world-class sci-fi story experience, written by bestselling author Richard Morgan.
Binary Domain (Xbox 360, PS3)
February 28, 2012
Where does the machine end and humanity begin?
2080 AD Tokyo, Japan. The Amada Corporation break Geneva Code, Clause 21 by creating humanoid robots that believe themselves to be human. These so-called Hollow Children have infiltrated the human population, blurring the lines between man and machine. Dan Marshall and the Rust Crew are tasked to find Amada at all costs. Will the team’s human bond be their greatest strength or will they fall to the machines?
Key Features:
* The Consequence System – Under the pressures of battle every action, every choice and every word affects everything.
* Procedural Damage – Fully destructible and highly resilient robots adapt to the damage they sustain encouraging you to analyze each enemy, find their weaknesses and dispose of them in the most efficient way.
* A new take on futuristic Tokyo – Experience dual layered Tokyo with a run down and derelict lower city and a clean and affluent upper city.
* Weapon modification and skill selection – Alongside a full armory of unique weapons, put emphasis on the skills that will benefit you.
* Fully immersive multiplayer – A wide range of versus and co-op modes allow your experience to be expanded online.
SSX (Xbox 360, PS3)
February 28, 2012
A modern-day reinvention of one of the most critically acclaimed franchises of the last generation, SSX returns packing adrenaline and reality-defying gameplay into every moment. Jump into the boots of your favorite SSX character and race, trick, and survive the world’s most iconic mountain ranges. Based on real-world NASA topographical data, each mountain range delivers an experience true to the franchise’s rich history. Defy Reality. Own the Planet with SSX.
Key Features:
* Conquer the Planet’s Mountains – From the Alps to the Andes, the Himalayas to the Rockies, ride some of the most iconic mountains in the world. Developed using real-world NASA topographical data and SSX’s own proprietary Mountain Man tool, every region delivers an exaggerated gameplay experience that is true to the rich history of the franchise.
* Race It – SSX goes way beyond your typical racing experience! With wide-open terrain, multiple elevations and starting points, and no invisible walls, it’s up to your skills and imagination to discover the fastest line down the mountain.
* Trick It – Defy the laws of gravity by pulling off tricks that would make even the world’s greatest snowboarders cringe. Never mind a 1260° Double McTwist – in SSX, you’re still a beginner if you still have both feet strapped to the board while spinning 200 feet in the air.
* Survive It – Escape avalanches, rock slides, freezing cold temperatures, and more as you take Mother Nature head-on in hope of surviving some of the most treacherous descents on earth.
* Every Moment Is a Rush – A revolutionary physics engine pushes the boundaries and defies the laws of reality, allowing you to ride and trick off anything, unrestricted by invisible walls and barriers.
* Earn It. Own It. – From boards of varying speeds to wing suits that let you glide for longer distances, upgrade your gear to ride faster, trick higher, and much more.
* Legendary Characters and All-New Icons – Favorite characters including Elise, Kaori, Mac – as selected by the fans – make their return to join some new faces.
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