GVN Preview: Echo of Soul (PC)

Echo of Soul
Preview
Publisher: Aeria Games
Developers: Nvius
Genre: MMORPG

Echo of Soul is the latest Korean MMORPG to be published by Aeria Games. I was fortunately enough to get into the closed beta to check the game out.  I found a few very interesting things tha I want to dive into right away.

Preview: Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

The release date for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate has been announced.  February 13th, 2015 will be here before we know it but how do you know if you will like the newest addition in the Monster Hunter franchise.  Well I have a preview that may help make a decision on trying out this new Monster Hunter game.  As of yesterday Jan. 15th, Nintendo has been sending out demo codes for the newest game in the Monster Hunter series.  The game is Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and after playing the demo the game is pretty amazing.

Super Smash Bros. 3D on 3DS Preview

Here comes a new Challenger!  Yes the demo for Super Smash Bros. 3D is out on the 3DS and I was able to get some early access on it last week and I must say that I am obsessed.  As a fan of the series since the first Super Smash Bros. on N64 I had quite a few expectations for the new game on my favorite handheld of all time.  While playing I wanted to take a close look at the playable characters in the demo, the controls, the graphics, the soundtrack, and the layout of the menus.  I was extremely satisfied with a lot of these and I will explain more about it.

Nintendo "Amiibo"

Alright gamers, we heard about the Amiibo figures back at E3 in June and finally you can pre-order them at your local Gamestop or online at Gamestop.com.  The initial release of Amiibo figures will be 12 in total and will cost $12.99 each.  Currently we know that the Amiibo's will work on both the WiiU and the 3DS for certain games and the first game to take advantage of them will be Super Smash Bros. 3DS and WiiU.  

I don't know about the rest of you but I have been collecting the Disney Infinity figures because I think they look amazing and are very well made.  So I will also be collecting the Amiibos but know that I will get more use out of them because they will work on more games that I will actually want to play.

The first wave of figures include: Animal Crossing citizen, Link, Samus, Mario, Princess Peach, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Pikachu, Wii Fit Trainer, Yoshi, Star Fox, and Marth.  These figures look amazing and I think their use will be amazing and make the games the work with be even more entertaining.

I'm heading to the store after work and will pre-order the figures I really want and then eventually get the rest.  Have fun everyone and keep gaming!

Anthony

aka Protector

GVN Quick Look
First 40 Minutes of Shovel Knight on the Wii U played by yours truly, Rolento13!!!



So far, Shovel Knight seems to be everything that we expected out of an action platformer and more. The controls feel great and not sluggish at all, classic NES style graphics that remind you of the video games you missed being a kid in the 80's, classic (slightly updated) styled music soundtrack for a truly immersive retro experience, and it forces you to think and hone your various skills you've gained through the years. You're not going to run through levels like a Pro on your first playthrough (I mean, You can try, but have fun dying). Even after this video, it just gets better and better. So, is it worth a buy? You better believe it buddy!!! It's so good that I'm highly tempted to buy it again on my 3DS XL so that I can play it on the go!!!

Nintendo @ E3 Preview!

Another year has past and it is now time to get ready for E3!  In the next few days, we will finally see what the new video games that are being created, will look like and hopefully have some information about their release days.  I am super excited for this years E3 because of 2 reasons, 1. As a part of GVN I get to express my thoughts and have all you wonderful readers understand what I am feeling and 2. there should be an announcement for the new Legend of Zelda game coming out for the Wii U!

GVN Quick Look
First 20 Minutes of Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U played by yours truly, Rolento13!!! Yes, ladies and gentlegamers, I'M BACK!!!

GVN Preview: Neverwinter (PC)

After finally getting my chance to jump into the beta of Neverwinter, I had spent a good chunk of time with Cryptic Studios' latest MMO.  The latest MMORPG to carry with it the history and linage of the D&D legacy incorporating the Forgotten Realms mythos and the popular location of two previous games, the capital city of Neverwinter.

GVN Preview: Phantasy Star Online 2

For over ten years I have been waiting for a proper sequel to one of my favorite games of all time.  Between the time of the last iteration of Phantasy Star Online, Sega released the abysmal and poorly supported Phantasy Star Universe and the quite fun Phantasy Star Zero.  Universe left a sour taste in my mouth, while it was graphically superior to Online and had better character control, the game fell flat in many areas.  Mainly poor balance, poor variety of online missions, and lack of fun.  Zero had taken what Universe did wrong and took a few steps backwards.  Those steps backwards did not hurt the game at all as it allowed Zero to be a more accessible game since it was made for the Nintendo DS.

TERA Beta Impressions

I have been finding myself looking for a good MMO to play lately. I wasn't impressed with Star Wars: The Old Republic after having a playing the beta for a good amount of time. I've played Aion, Star Trek Online, Rift, Warhammer: Age of Reconking, World Of WarCraft, Guildwars, and Conan. I've played multiple Free to Play MMOs like Perfect World, Rappelz, Last Chaos, Shaiya, 2 Moons, Forsaken World and many others. All these games managed to capture my interest for a good amount of time, some more than others. However at the end of the day I would get bored with these games for one of many reasons. Can't find someone to play with, content and quests kept repeating themselves, lack of variety, combat became repetitive, etc. However something about Tera truely captured my interests and I feel that it will change the face of MMO gaming for quite somet time.

Diablo III Beta First Impressions

Well, the Diablo III Open Beta has arrived!!! Oh the long wait of "When is this thing actually going to be here so I can play" is partially over. Yes, partially. At the moment, I'm not sure which game took longer to come out with a part 3. Doom or Diablo? Hmmm... Anyways, I recently played the open beta of Diablo III. Does this game have all of the promise that we have all come to expect from the Blizzard powerhouse? Let's check it out!

PAX East: Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien

Ever play a rhythm-music game? How about a rhythm-music platformer? If you've ever played a Bit.Trip game, then you certainly have. Gaijin Games, creators of the Bit.Trip series, was on hand at PAX East this year with a playable build of Runner 2 Future Legend of Rhythm Alien. Runner 2 is the sequel to the award winning Bit.Trip Runner. How does the sequel shape up so far to it's predecessor?

PAX East: Sonic 4 Episode 2

Anyone who has known me for awhile knows that I'm a huge fan of Sonic. His Genesis games were a huge part of my childhood. When Sonic 4 Episode 1 was released back in 2010, I was giddy as a schoolgirl waiting for Sonic's console return to 2D. When I finally played it, I found myself slightly let down. While it is an enjoyable game, it still had some flaws that kept it from being an instant classic in my heart. This past weekend, I got the chance to play a demo of Sonic 4 Episode 2 at Sega's PAX East booth. Does Episode 2 improve upon what the first episode started? If what I sampled is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes.