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E3 2012: New Splinter Cell: Ironside ‘Blacklisted’

Posted on 5 June, 2012 by exterminat

E3 2012: New Splinter Cell: Ironside ‘Blacklisted’

Does the new young Sam destroy his character?

by Nicholas Laborde

©2012 Nicholas Laborde

Few game voice actors can say they have made a strong impact with their in-game character.

Jen Taylor as Cortana. Nolan North as Nathan Drake. David Hayter as Solid Snake. These are the exceptions.

Arguably one of the best that would appear on that list is Michael Ironside, the charismatic and legendary voice behind Splinter Cell‘s Sam Fisher.

Today, Ubisoft announced the next iteration in the franchise entitled Blacklist, and many warning signs blared in my head: little to no stealth was present, Sam looks young, the connection to Conviction was never explained (as it is obviously a sequel since Third Echelon is shut down)…

And one of the most appalling: Michael Ironside will not be returning as the voice of Sam.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist, what’s in a voice, click here

Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, E3 2012, Editorial, Game Impressions, Game Industry News, Gaming Videos, Industry News, New Game Information, New Xbox 360 Games, PC News, PS3 News, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 3rd Party Games, Xbox 360 Game Previews | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Metal Gear Solid 5 Confirmed: Who, What, When, Where, And Most Importantly… WHY?!

Posted on 18 November, 2011 by exterminat

Metal Gear Solid 5 Confirmed

Who, What, When, Where, And Most Importantly… WHY?!

by exterminat

©2011 Nicholas Laborde

Hideo Kojima is the only individual on Earth that could speak anything and everyone would get excited over it.

If he said the sky was purple, I’d probably believe it.

After spending over ten years devoted solely to the main Metal Gear Solid series, he called it quits at Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (even though he said that after each of the first three titles), came back for Peace Walker, and then we assumed his factory of nonsensical notions was finally shut down.

It’s been years since we’ve had any sort of concrete information on Rising, the first Metal Gear Solid title to be done by Kojima Productions, but with Kojima himself not at the helm. We’ve known since the less than stellar Konami E3 “conference” that he is in fact up to a new project, but details are virtually nonexistent.

Today, news has spread like wildfire that Metal Gear Solid 5 is real, being made, and that Kojima is at the helm.
Metal Gear 5 coming…more here

Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Blogbanter, Console gaming, Editorial, Game Impressions, Industry News, New Xbox 360 Games, Press Release, PS3 News, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Game Previews, Xbox 360 News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

OXCGN’s Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection Review: Best Deal Since The Orange Box

Posted on 15 November, 2011 by exterminat

OXCGN’s Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection Review

Best Deal Since The Orange Box

by exterminat

©2011 Nicholas Laborde

I’m not going to lie: I’m a fangirl of Hideo Kojima.

If I lived near Kojima Productions, I would most likely stalk him and figure out how his mind works. In my opinion, he is the closest thing we will get to a modern Homer (no, not the Simpsons one).

Don’t let my words sway you, though; if you’re a frequent reader, you know I don’t say something is good simply upon pedigree.

Metal Gear as a whole is a series that causes me to use a word that, as a critic, I really shouldn’t: masterpiece.

The Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection is an agglomeration of masterpieces, and if you haven’t experienced them prior, it’s a deal that makes The Orange Box pale in comparison.

Metal Gear Solid’s solid HD updated fun – -

Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, Editorial, Game Impressions, New Xbox 360 Games, PS3 News, XBLA News-Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 News | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

What The Metal Gear Solid Series Did Right

Posted on 6 February, 2011 by exterminat

The Metal Gear Solid Series

We look at what it did right

by exterminat

©2011 Nicholas Laborde

It’s been over two and a half years since we experienced the end of Solid Snake‘s tale and what would become the true “end” of the series to the dedicated global fanbase.

Snake gave his final salute at the end of Metal Gear Solid 4, and to longtime fans of the series (including the MSX versions) it was one of the most powerful and perhaps emotional moments this generation of gaming.

Here we have a hero that not only came to define the PlayStation platform as we know it, but also ushered in the mainstream version of the stealth genre; unfortunately now he’s out of our lives forever.

While there will obviously be more entries in the Metal Gear Series, they ultimately will not matter as much as the original series. Kojima-san has (after nearly a dozen years) officially moved on to greener pastures, but the Konami Team is still intact.

Raiden… is a subject of his own. While MGS2 was only extremely okay because of his presence, he did however somewhat redeem himself in MGS4. In my opinion, Rising isn’t even MGS-material. But we’ll tackle that later on.

What I’d like to do is pose a question to you: what exactly did Metal Gear Solid [as a series] do that was just so captivating for you? Read on to find out what MGS did right!

Filed under: Console gaming, Editorial, Game Impressions, GameBanter, Xbox 360 | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »











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