Aaron BouldingWebsite

Aaron Boulding began writing about the video game industry as a founding editor at IGN. Since then he’s ridden in helicopters, driven race cars and lost a professional curling match all under the auspices of covering video games. Before he learned to properly use words like “auspices” at UC Berkeley’s journalism school, Boulding began his still-active streak of always reaching the second level of every arcade video game he’s ever played on the first quarter. Find him on Twitter @aboulding

Destiny on PlayStation 4 is Really Happening and There’s New Video to Prove it (VIDEO)

By Aaron Boulding | February 20, 2013 @ 5:16 pm
Destiny will march straight into your soul

As part of the PlayStation 2013 event unveiling the PlayStation 4 (at least partially) an entire menu of games was shown complete with demos and introductions by people working on the various titles. Of all the major announcements, none stood taller than Activision and Bungie's Destiny. It will be on PlayStation 4 --although it likely won't be exclusively because Activision is more greedy than stupid-- and should be arriving fairly early in the new system's life cycle. All of that touchpad, share-buttoning stuff you'll be doing on the Dualshock 4 will mean a lot more when it's coming by way of an actual game that means something to you like Destiny. That's what all of this hoopla is ultimately about: the games you love in your hands. Watch this presentation clip that includes fresh new footage of Destiny.

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Killzone: Shadow Fall First Look –on PlayStation 4– Will Blow You Away (VIDEO)

By Aaron Boulding | February 20, 2013 @ 4:33 pm
Time to kneel before Killzone

Not much to say here except that this is Killzone: Shadow Fall on the PlayStation 4. Beyond the shooting action that comes with this veteran first person shooter franchise, the share button, touchscreen and headphone jack on the new Dualshock 4 controller will likely be first experienced right here on this game. Think about it this way: asking for real time help from buddies or uploading a crazy video of you killing an enemy while continuing your game seamlessly will likely happen with Killzone. It will deserve a special place in history if this PlayStation 4 experiment bears fruit. Enjoy some screens too and keep it here for more on Killzone: Shadow Fall and PlayStation 4. Read More » »

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Playstation 4/The Next Playstation Reveal Happens Here LIVE! (VIDEO)

By Aaron Boulding | February 20, 2013 @ 2:21 pm
Watch the new Playstation reveal itself

At 3pm PST/6PM EST, you can catch the Twitch live streaming program for what is presumed to be Sony's reveal event for the next Playtation. Just click the player above and get ready to be wowed.

Sony is holding a special event in New York today that is widely expected to be the initial reveal of the next Playstation console. The name, the design and some key features are fair expectations for today's reveal with tastier details like the price and specific games to come way later. If the next Playstation was a WWE superstar, today's event would merely be the first bar of his entrance music. There's a lot more to come. Read More » »

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Murdered: Soul Suspect Begins the Mystery of Your Death Now (VIDEO)

By Aaron Boulding | February 20, 2013 @ 12:22 pm
And then this happens

There's not much to discuss about the recently revealed Murdered: Soul Suspect yet other than the fact that this console game (PS3 and X360, apparently) tasks you with solving your own murder. I'm usually driven batty by circular logic like that, however, I'm all for making an exception in this case. Just because somebody's dead doesn't meant they can't still affect the world of the living. I've watched Jennifer Love Hewitt's tatas on Ghost Whisperer enough times that I'm comfortable with the concept. The challenge with this Square Enix-published game is that they're not using JLH timeless perkiness to hold my attention. They're going to have to do with quality game design, fun and variety. A good mystery game that looks like a movie will be welcomed with open arms if Murdered: Soul Suspect can become a decent project. Check the video and see if you can figure out what the weird glyph is supposed to be. Glyph. It's a word.

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Destiny Dazzles with Promises of Deep Space Battles and Adventures

By Aaron Boulding | February 20, 2013 @ 11:41 am
Destiny Concept Art
Destiny Concept Art
Destiny Concept Art
Destiny Concept Art
Destiny Concept Art
Destiny Concept Art
Destiny Concept Art
Destiny Concept Art
Destiny Concept Art
View the Gallery / 13 Photos »

You're getting the folks behind Call of Duty and the folks behind Halo and putting all of that collective shine into a new original franchise that's still a first person shooter with strong sci-fi themes.  That's got to be as sure a bet as you can make in games these days.

Destiny builds on a very simple and strong premise: you're a hero tasked with defending the last safe haven on earth. Why it's the last safe haven on the planet seems like a story fit for a brief backstory or even a full prequel at some point in the future. For Destiny we're promised travel to planets of our local solar system so Mars and Venus are mentioned by name. More importantly we're promised customization and character development around weapons, "powers" and armor. Something along the lines of what we saw in the Mass Effect and Bioshock series, a combination of mental/supernatural powers lined up next to conventional first person shooter gear sounds like a recipe for success. Combining shooting with powers means you have even more things to do that require quick reactions. Grenades, bullets, laser blasts and fireball/lightning/mental bolts would make for one powerful demonstration of a super powered hero. Read More » »

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Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Vanquishes Doubters with a Focus on Pure Action in our Review

By Aaron Boulding | February 19, 2013 @ 4:45 pm
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance December
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance December
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance December
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance December
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance December
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance December
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance December
View the Gallery / 16 Photos »

The first two words of this game’s title trigger thoughts of stealth action, sprawling tales of global conspiracy and a kind of stylized hero who’s always been ready for the big screen. That’s why the last two words (Rising and Revengeance) are so important in understanding the departure Metal Gear Rising Revengeance is making and how successfully it has arrived.  Once the decision is made to keep this game in the world Solid Snake made famous, yet focus it purely on the action and combat of Raiden (a character that’s been around for more than a decade now) there are a lot of smart decisions and hard work involved in making all of those things work. So, yes, there are still giant walking weapon platforms that would cause Metal Gear Solid players to crap themselves throughout extended boss battles. However, now you’ve got a cyborg  ninja who’s going to engage those walkers up close and personal instead of hiding and shooting. The folks at Konami have made the whole thing work wonderfully so that we’re getting solid, scaling combat action that’s accessible yet very rewarding for those who persevere and it’s all done in an environment with characters and dialog that seem charmingly familiar. Read More » »

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Gears of War Judgment Lets Loose with Multiplayer Bonanza (VIDEO)

By Aaron Boulding | February 19, 2013 @ 2:11 pm
So many Horde will die

If you ignore the voice-over actor doing his best TMZ announcer impression, the info included in this fresh trailer for Gears of War: Judgment is good stuff for those of you thirsty for multiplayer details. For months, the promise of OverRun has dominated my expectations of the game's multiplayer component. In this clip however, the mode is broken down all the way to its tiny bits. Like certain characters will carry certain types of grenades and that's defining their specialization in what's supposed to be a class-based multiplayer mode. This is disturbing because I need more than grenade type to define my character in a class-based multiplayer mode. A health grenade alone doesn't make me a medic. A beacon grenade that let's me see through walls doesn't make me a scout class player. Not saying that's what Gears is going to be. I'm just saying that's what the video is suggesting via video and audio.

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