Original IPs have been quite the rage with EA these days and it’s hard not to get misty-eyed upon seeing Dead Space, a third-person action/adventure horror escapade developed by EA Redwood Shores, in action for the first-time. Reggie and I were invited to EA India’s office in Gurgaon today to have ourselves an intensive hands-on session with a near final-build.

In the beginning of the game, we’re treated with an in-game cinematic of lead protagonist Isaac Clarke with a space crew heading towards the USG Ishimura, a giant orbital ship that suffered a huge communications blackout for whatever reason unbeknownst to its curious approachers. Eventually, stinky poop hits the fan when your crew’s vessel gets pulled into the Ishimura’s magnetic field and you’re forced to make a landing inside its hull. Voodoo vibes are in full effect, and this is pretty much were you come in.

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LEGO Batman feels like one of those distinct purchases you make when walking into a game store upon hearing of its very description. It’s based on the idea of a toy company gimmick that was marketed from a multitude of movie tie-ins - and while it was nothing extraordinarily amazing in the sum of its parts, it was easy-enough to get into and plain dumb fun. And, if you were already a fan of that popular series the game was sourcing from, there was a good chance you were smitten by the fine lampooned takes the developers were able to jam into the overall presentation. LEGO Batman, simply put, was made for followers of the comic book legend. But for everyone else and to those who’ve already dove into Traveller’s Tales’ past efforts, there might not be enough here to have you play for extended periods at a time, let alone even bother to unlock all the plentiful extras thrown in.

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Bobby’s been at it again, but this time he’s got an entire page devoted to his crazy-crafting antics. The place could use some sprucing up, but all in good time. Has that ever stopped the Durkaman before? Satan only wishes!

Afterall, who knew that the Master Chief was such an expressive individual, the birds in GTA can’t be seen together less their primary role decreases by ten-folda, and that trading your maa for a gaming collection is a smidge of bloody nonsense (but just a smidge). Krishnan has some of his GMod strips up as well, but they’re mostly farty old. Much like he is. Oh yes.

There are no boundaries. Everything is open to us. For that reason, nothing is truly forever sacred. The only true way to embrace evil is to become it. Are you man enough to accept the challenge?

Seriously, are you? Are you?!

Fable II: October 22nd 2008
Fallout 3: October 28th 2008
Gears of War 2 (Both Standard and Collectors Edition): November 7th 2008

Unfortunately, we still don’t have any clues as to when the PC and PS3 versions of Fallout 3 will arrive here (if at all), understandably because Microsoft India’s only concerned about their own console version and that seeing them bring the PS3 version would seem both awkward and hilarious (hilarious mostly for us). For now, it’s all up to local distributor e-Xpress Interactive.

Thanks to KeyFox KeyEffects Keyofx for the info. Who’s my bestest fwiend? Dat’s wight, you aaare.

You wouldn’t probably know it from just gawking at screenshots, but N+ for the PSP and DS (both independently developed from each other) is deceptively masochistic. Which is suitably funny when you consider it’s based off the heavily-praised and popular flash game of the same name. What it lacks in the lush sugar-coasting of other widely-popular side-scrollers like Mario and Sonic, N+ cuts through the fluff and gives fans of the genre (be it old or new) a no-frills but serious package of challenges woven in a silk of divine punishment. Is it for everyone? Nah, but for those who consider themselves true believers might want to back up and take notice.

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Nintendo’s recent interest in coming to India is certainly an odd creature. Their competitors Microsoft and Sony already have themselves grounded much before anyone even uttered to think what it would be like if the big N decided to join the fray. And even then, when you consider the console market in India isn’t all that big to begin with, plus the reports of global Wii shortages this coming holiday season, and least we forget the rampant piracy scene that our country is known for – Nintendo’s decision to come to India, to reiterate, seems awfully strange. Almost strange enough to have us think, “Why even bother?”

Despite whatever concoctions may arise (whether it’s yours or mine), there’s one thing Nintendo’s official distributor Samurai-India is sure of: Nintendo is happy to be in India. Granted, we may have missed out on a few generations of monumental games hither and thither (barring the Virtual Boy, natch), but what’s important is now. Besides, hello? Virtual Console? Samurai’s head-honcho Mahesh Toshniwal also reflects upon this by bringing up the pricing choice made for the Wii and DS:

In view of [the] very high taxes in India -34% import duty/ 2% CST/ 12.5 % VAT - the price is justified. In fact, it is very difficult to maintain this price as it was calculated and fixed at a dollar-rupee exchange of RS 42.00. Today the exchange stands at 45.5.

Be sure to check out Sam’s full interview with Mahesh on the availability of first-party software and accessories.