Where to begin. I had originally assumed that the “Rendezvous with Death” trailer was going to be commercial that introduced the world to Gears 2, but I was wrong. As Keane pointed out earlier, the “Last Day” spot is without a doubt Epic’s sequel to “Mad World”.

As an enormous fan of the commercial that started it all, I wasn’t initially as impressed by Last Day, but after watching it over a few times and realizing the level of depth the creative team was able to portray in such a short period of time, I quickly changed my tune. Speaking of tune, the Last Day trailer features a song titled “How It Ends” which follows the trend set by Mad World and cranks it up a notch.

Last Day is hands-down, the best Gears of War trailer yet. It’s one minute of pure emotion from start to finish. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share my impressions as well as a brief run down of the events that take place in it. Here goes. Read more…

There’s a new Gears 2 TV spot/trailer that hit today - it’s another minute-long meditative piece in the vein of Gears 1’s “Mad World” spot that captured the hearts of so many. It’s got the same somber but pretty soundtrack, Marcus looking glum, minimal exposition, the works. Personally I think it’s a much better piece of advertisement than its predecessor, but the jury’s out on the larger consensus among gamers.

Now, the Gears of War franchise being something that’s very male, I wondered if maybe this ad would have enough artistic sway to win someone over who’s not exactly into big dudes with soul patches and chainsaw bayonets. Someone like my girlfriend.  After all that’s what these ads are designed to do - make the game seem like something more sophisticated than dudes killin other dudes.

Hit the jump to watch the clip, and to hear what my better half has to say. Read more…

With the release of Gears 2 quickly approaching, I decided that it might be a good time for me to take a quick roadie run down Sera Lane — one that involves a three-hour “I refuse to accept no as an answer” road trip. Those who know me won’t be surprised, but looking back, even I wonder what the hell I was thinking. Read more…

Sega reps won’t be showing the extreme gore-fest MadWorld at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, mostly due to the fact that it may be too extremely gore-festy for Japanese audiences.  The game is being developed with a western audience in mind and will only be evaluated for a release elsewhere if it becomes a hit. Read more…

The same new issue of Famitsu that included footage of Bayonetta also contains another Mad World video. The MW offering doesn’t show much in the way of graphic content and was a tad bit disappointing considering there are a ton of videos floating around the web that better illustrate the games violent content.

If anything, this video is a watered down version of the game designed to be presentable to the masses. Have at it after the jump. Read more…

Earlier this year, Platinum Games and Sega announced MadWorld, a grisly Wii game with a focus on vehement, outlandish violence, and beating your enemies to a pulp that would make of Tropicana jealous. Today at GC, Platinum Games has brought us some new details on the game, as well as a trailer showcasing the sadist ways of the game’s main protagonist.

Like all bad asses, you play as Jack, a guy with a generic name and a motorcycle, complete with flames riding out of the back, because its not a motorcycle without outlandish flames tapering down the backside.

Like the best protagonists, he wears goggles on his head that you’ll probably never see him wear, he’s had one of his limbs (specifically his right arm) replaced with a chainsaw, making it pretty damn hard to write with anything other than his enemies’ blood, and of course he’s built like a fucking brick house.

Chances are, he’s got a spitfire mouth full of witty insults about your mother and a lexicon that would surprise even Kevin Smith. Marcus Fenix, eat your heart out. Read more…

MediaWatch UK, self-appointed guardians of decency in entertainment, have suddenly registered Wii’s Mad World on their radar – and they’re not too chuffed about it.

“I hope the British Board of Film Classification will view this with concern and decide it should not be granted a classification,” says John Beyer, MediaWatch UK president. “Without that it cannot be marketed in Britain. What the rest of the world does is up to them. We need to ensure that modern and civilized values take priority rather than killing and maiming people.”

“It seems a shame that the game’s manufacturer have decided to exclusively release this game on the Wii,” he added. “I believe it will spoil the family fun image of the Wii.”

It’s not really a shame though, because Wii is in need of more decent third-party titles. Meanwhile, UK national the Daily Mail has got hold of this and is now in hysterics, claiming that parents are “horrified” yet they utterly failed to consult any parents on the matter. Great journalism, that. Read more…

Our fourth and final installment of Ripten Radio from this years E3 will run you through the high (and sometimes low) points from day 4 of the conference. We give hands-on impressions of Left 4 Dead, RE5, Socom, Resistance 2, Killzone 2, Mad World, Little Big Planet, and many more.

This particular edition features the following Ripten super studs: Andrew “Hotel DJ” Podolsky, Jon “as seen on Ripten TV” Zungre, Emily “like a banshee” Balistrieri, Rangebar “Power Ranger” Merani, and myself — Chad “balls, balls, balls, balls, balls, balls of steel” Lakkis. Enjoy it after the jump. Read more…