The Governor’s Fitness Challenge

By Varian on June 9, 2010

KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT INC. TO REWARD TOP SCHOOLS IN 2010 CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S FITNESS CHALLENGE

DanceDanceRevolution Systems Awarded to Top 100 Most Active Schools

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – June 7, 2010 - Konami Digital Entertainment Inc. continues to help combat America’s childhood obesity problem one state and one school at a time. Following its groundbreaking initiative with the state of West Virginia, Konami has brought its best-selling get-up-and-move video game to the biggest state in the union, California. The company today announced that DanceDanceRevolution will, for the second year, be a featured reward in the 2010 California Governor’s Fitness Challenge.

More than 1.3 million students signed up to participate in the 2010 California Governor’s Challenge competition, making the California Challenge the standard for statewide fitness challenges nationwide. In thanking Konami for its support, Governor’s Council Chairman Jake Steinfeld said, “Our Council is a big believer in promoting fitness for kids by providing schools the tools.  Konami’s reward provides 100 deserving California schools with a fun way to get kids up and moving and I think it’s fantastic.”

The California Governor’s Fitness Challenge, which ended on May 31, required participants among all k-12 schools to be active 30-60 minutes a day, at least three days a week for four weeks. The Council will announce  the finalist schools and recipients of the DanceDanceRevolution award in June.

“Konami is committed to keeping DanceDanceRevolution top of mind when it comes to fitness, not only with consumers, but also schools, governments and administrations who seek to further diversify their physical education curriculums,” said Shinji Hirano, president of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “DanceDanceRevolution has been proven to promote a healthy life balance of exercise and fun, which is why it is such a natural fit for us to participate in such an remarkable and important cause.”

Konami has also partnered with high-profile sponsors including the West Virginia Children Health Insurance Program and Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. for the 2010DanceDanceRevolution West Virginia State Championship Tournament.

For more information on the California’s Governor’s Challenge, please visit:
http://www.calgovcouncil.org/.

For more information on DanceDanceRevolution, please visit: http://www.konami.com.

Posted in News | 3 Responses

EA announces NBA Elite 11…reinvents the Live series.

By Varian on June 2, 2010

Electronic Arts announces that they are reinventing one of their long standing franchises, NBA LIVE. It’ll be now known as NBA ELite, with the first title launching in the Fall….The Game done changed!!

Here’s the press release regarding the new/reinvented title:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq:ERTS) announced today that NBA ELITE will be the new moniker of the long running EA SPORTS™ NBA videogame franchise. NBA ELITE 11 will revolutionize the way basketball simulation games are played, with an all-new technology base, a new control scheme and a real-time physics system. Currently in development for the PLAYSTATION®3 and the XBOX™ 360, NBA ELITE 11 will be available in retail stores this October.

“From the first day of development on this product, it was clear that we intended to pioneer a groundbreaking change in the basketball videogame segment”

“We plan to profoundly evolve the interactive basketball experience in a way that the category has not seen for a decade,” says Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. “In NBA ELITE 11, we’ll introduce a gameplay experience that gives fans the control on the court that they have been begging for in a basketball game for years.”

Using the design principles from some of EA SPORTS top rated franchises, NBA ELITE 11 introduces several significant gameplay changes that center around user control. The new ‘Hands-On Control’ scheme allows for one-to-one responsiveness of a player’s movement and actions on the court, as opposed to traditional predetermined animations that require users to wait while a scenario played out before making the next move. Hands-on Control applies to everything within a player’s offensive and defensive arsenal, including: dribble moves, dunks, drives to the basket, fadeaways, mid-air adjustments, blocks, steals and more.

The new real-time physics system in NBA ELITE 11 allows each player on the court to move independently of one another, removing the two-man interactions that have long taken the user control out of basketball simulation videogames. In addition, a new skill-based shooting system requires accurate user input, based on a player’s position on the court, versus the randomly generated dice rolls that have driven shooting in basketball videogames in the past.

“NBA ELITE 11 will give gamers the same skill set that a pro basketball player has at his disposal,” said David Littman, Creative Director, NBA ELITE 11. “This is the first basketball simulation videogame where you are controlling every movement, dribble move, shot, dunk, lay-up, steal and block in real time with one-to-one control. You’re no longer going to push a button and watch the computer generate a long animation sequence. It is like being on a basketball court with an amazing set of skills. This is going to change what people have come to expect from a basketball simulation videogame.”

“From the first day of development on this product, it was clear that we intended to pioneer a groundbreaking change in the basketball videogame segment,” said Jordan Edelstein, VP Marketing, EA SPORTS. “It’s a whole new game that warranted a brand new name to fully capture the transformation we intend to deliver in NBA ELITE.”

Electronic Arts has been releasing basketball videogames since 1983. The first game, titled One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird, was one of the first basketball games to feature real NBA players. The franchise was rebranded to become NBA LIVE with the release of NBA LIVE 95, a brand that has carried on for 16 years culminating in last year’s NBA LIVE 10. EA’s NBA-licensed franchises have sold more than 25 million units since 1995*.

NBA ELITE 11 will be available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system with an MSRP of $59.99. It is developed by EA Canada in Burnaby, B.C. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.

EA SPORTS™ is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA LIVE basketball,NCAA® Football and NCAA Basketball, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR®golf, and EA SPORTS Active.

For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visitwww.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

Posted in News | 1 Response

SUPER HERO SQUAD…..HERO UP!!!!

By Varian on May 24, 2010

PREVIEW

Super Hero Squad Online (PC, MAC….)

Developer: The Amazing Society/Gazillion Entertainment

Publisher: Gazillion Entertainment

Release Date:  Early 2011

Who’s a Marvel Comics fan…..practically almost everyone that has EVER read a comic book or seen the blockbuster movies, like Iron Man, Spider Man and the HULK. So what is the Super Hero Squad you might ask? Well this is Marvel’s take on the Avengers (a collective of Marvel super heroes that consist of Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, etc) but with a younger style and feel for an easy introduction to the Marvel Universe for those that have never picked up a comic book  or those that don’t know the lore of all the Marvel characters.

Super Hero Squad Online is a browser based MMO that runs on the Unity Engine. This title has been in development since last year and is slated to drop early 2011. You might be thinking that the development cycle has been relatively short for an MMO…..and you’re right. However game play looks really smooth and the characters look rich and polished. Developers at The Amazing Society (gotta admit…that just sounds BAD ASS!), are a collective of gaming industry veterans that bring big passion to this project. Jay Minn aka Doctor Aggro (yes Doctor Aggro…the team all have nicknames for themselves) gave us a quick preview and run through of the game and was also nice enough to talk to me about it.

The characters all have this vinyl toy look, which actually works well and gives the game a campy and fun feel to the game. The game brings a collecting concept that gives players the ability to collect as many characters as they can. This is quite a feat because players will be able access over 5,000 characters from Marvel’s extensive catalog! Like a typical MMO, players have to level up their characters. Each character comes with about 25 standard emote actions right out the box….(that’s just the minimum) and the game ships with about 50 characters to begin with. Part of them are what they call “Super Hero” emotes, which are character specific.

More after the Jump:

Players can explore the different settings and move vertically and horizontally throughout the environment. Settings of Marvel worlds range from but not limited to: Spider Man, Fantastic Four and Super Hero city (Super Hero City is like a mélange of a lot of the Marvel Superhero cities all in one). Gameplay is more action based and less turn based, unlike most MMOs. Combat missions will allow up to 4 players per squad.  Plus the different game modes would be: competition, collection and community. Each level of play is designed to be about 5-15 mins of play, which keeps the game fresh and exciting. This helps remove the long monotonous grinding feel most MMOs tend to have after a while. All the rounds are replayable, especially with different squad combos. In addition, each round has ratings for players that range from Silver to Adamantium. The game rates based off damage taken, KOs, combos executed, etc.

Now what would all MMO players want in their game? Alternative costumes of course! Super Hero Squad Online delivers that as well….with a little twist! The alternate costumes are really variant characters. For example, Hulk buster Iron Man or Wolverine. These variant characters come with brand new sets of combos and moves……the new costumes is a plus! =)

Well Gazillion and The Amazing Society are looking to unveil more during E3 so check back for more info when it drops. For now, if the game stays on track and the developers are able to integrate and utilize everything that they want, this game will be GREAT and take on (and possibly destroy) the competition in that space. I’m not a big MMO guy…ok…not at all…but I am actually looking forward to having hands on with this one!

Check out the Screens:

Posted in Blog | 3 Responses

Kill Big……or Go home!!! Returning to that Lost Planet

By The DCD on May 20, 2010

LOST PLANET 2 (XBox 360, Playstation 3)

Developer: CAPCOM

Publisher: CAPCOM

Genre: Action

Rating: T for Teen

The ice may have melted away, but we still can’t shake this cold feeling that’s come over us with Lost Planet 2.  The long-in-the-works sequel has finally arrived after many months in the cooler (no pun intended), but now that it’s here, we can’t help but feel a little lukewarm over it.  It’s still a functional action game with plenty of big, bad Akrid to bring down to size, but its structuring and limitations may be too much for some players to bear.

Once again, you’re on the planet surface of EDN III, but the surface has melted away, revealing a tropic-like setting that’s anything but paradise.  Mercenaries are scattered about, driving around in giant mechanized suits and on foot.  If that isn’t enough, those pesky aliens, the Akrid, are back for more, hatching from the ground and inhuman generators.  Those are the least of your worries though, as you’ll soon run into bigger iterations.  We’re talking about a big six-legged beast and a grasshopper-like monster that won’t hesitate to smash you with its arms.

It sounds promising, but Lost Planet 2 comes up short in too many areas.  Part of the problem is the way the game is set up.  Instead of going through continuously long missions, they’re broken up into smaller sections.  So you complete a stage, wait a bit for the result, and then move onto the next one.  They’re varied, with lots to shoot at alongside your friends, but it’s annoying having to stop and go so much.  Furthermore, the lack of checkpoints is a real pain.  You’ll die and start all the way back at the start of a stage, rushing to get back into the firefight on the other side of it.

Another problem is starting up a game, whether it’s single-player or co-op.  If you’re by your lonesome, you’ll still need to set up a multiplayer match with three AI teammates, all of which are about as smart as a car bumper.  (That’s okay, the enemy AI matches their intelligence.)  This takes longer than expected.  It would’ve been nice for Capcom to just give us a “quick start” into Campaign.  The online co-op is solid, but it’s limited too often.  You can’t pause a live co-op sessions, and others can’t join you until your current mission is complete…however long that may take.

One thing the game does right is competitive multiplayer.  Going up against others in battle is a lot of fun, and there are several variations to choose from, including an addictive Akrid Egg hunt.  That said, it still won’t replace Call of Duty or Halo anytime soon.  It’s good, but hardly anywhere near where Capcom expects it to be.

As for the gameplay itself, it holds together, although too many functions are assigned to the B button.  Activating switches, melee attacks and running are all put to use on this one button, while the others serve separate functions.  You’ll still run and gun, hop into mech suits (good times) and use a rappelling cord to reach new heights, just like in the original.  Still, the option to change to a more convenient control method would’ve been nice.

Lost Planet 2 sounds outstanding.  A whopper of a music score plays in the background (although intermittently), and there are plenty of big bangs coming from your guns and grenades.  The soldier chatter gets a little tiring over time, but it’s never to the point that you’re groaning like you did listening to Resident Evil’s dialogue.  It could be better, but it could also be worse.

Then there are the visuals.  Graphically, Lost Planet 2 looks fine for a sequel.  It’s great to see the actual lay of the land for a change, rather than walking around in a winter wonderland and underground caves.  The tropical foliage definitely has some life to it, and the animation on the characters – particularly the massive Akrid bosses – impresses.  However, we did a comparison between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions to see what holds up better.  Surprisingly, despite the reported size limitations on the regular disc format, the Xbox 360 wins out.  It has a much smoother frame rate and far less bugs than the PS3 version.  And this after Sony’s edition requires a limiting 4.6 GB hard drive install.  That simply doesn’t make any sense.

In the end, Lost Planet 2 simply can’t overcome its problems.  Capcom did put some initiative into making the game different than the first, but its silly co-op rules, straining game set-up and questionable AI make it feel defrosted.  Let’s hope Dead Rising 2 doesn’t suffer the same fate.

Check out the screens:

Posted in Review | 1 Response

UFC UNDISPUTED 2010

By The DCD on May 4, 2010

PREVIEW

UFC Undisputed 2010

Developer: Yukes Entertainment

Publisher: THQ

ESRB: Teen

Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Release Date: 5/25/2010

Subhead: We brutalize a near-final build of THQ’s latest UFC brawler, and come away with a satisfying win (and bruised thumbs).

In a matter of weeks now, THQ will be pummeling store shelves with its latest iteration of the Ultimate Fighting Championship series, UFC Undisputed 2010.  To ready the hungry media for its forthcoming release, the company invited a select few (including us!) down to Las Vegas to check out a near-final build of the game.  Needless to say, we weren’t disappointed – even when we lost.

One of the biggest changes in this year’s edition of UFC Undisputed is the career mode.  Rather than just walk your customized fighter through the empty, lifeless ranks of a fighter organization, you micro-manage basically everything about them.  How they train (open or focused training), what areas they need work on (stamina, speed, etc.), where they learn new moves (basically through camp invites, in which there are dozens to choose from) and, eventually, the “big” fights where they make or break their career (mostly through UFC events or smaller affiliates) are all on the agenda.  It’s important to keep an eye on your energy levels, though, because you don’t want to overwork yourself on fatigue and risk injury.  Sometimes it’s important to take a rest day, just to balance out your levels in-between training sessions.  Even batteries need a recharge.

Every aspect of career mode is looking sharp thus far, and it works with a menu interface that’s easy to navigate through.  Choices are easy to make, and some of the smaller decisions, such as the answers you give co-announcer Joe Rogan during a post-match interview (should you be arrogant or nice?), can really help define which way your career goes.  Also, don’t forget to train, and don’t be afraid to try some new techniques with the other camps.  You might be surprised how helpful they are in the later match-ups.

If you prefer to just get down and dirty with the current UFC roster, you’re in luck.  The game features over 80 fighters in numerous weight classes, including Welterweight and Heavyweight.  Most of your favorites are present and accounted for, including Undisputed cover star (and current champion) Brock Lesnar, the stylish Anderson Silva (his winning pose is sweet) and Quentin “Rampage” Jackson, among others. It was great fun recreating some dream match-ups that have taken place, and even setting up a few that are yet to come.  (Who says Kimbo Slice doesn’t stand a chance against Lesnar?)

With gameplay, UFC Undisputed feels just as good as last year’s game – and in some ways, even better.  Along with the thunderous punches and kicks that can make or break a match (depending where you hit your opponent), the ground game is much more refined.  You can put your enemy on the ground with a tackle, or perhaps even a reversal (if they’re trying to get a lower advantage on you).  From there, if you’re the victim (of sorts), you can try and escape with some twists of the analog stick, or even reverse the move.  If you started the submission, you can finish it by clicking the right analog stick at the right time, then proceeding to turn the analog stick a quarter-circle to a half-circle to go for the tap-out.  This works better than we expected, although there are times that our armbar wasn’t as effective as, say, someone else’s.  (It’s really a matter of strength and, in some cases, luck.)

UFC Undisputed 2010 also shows signs of improvement in its presentation.  First and foremost, it’s great to see Bruce Buffer get some love from the developers.  (“It’s TIME!”)  Almost every other aspect of the UFC circuit is covered in great detail, from the highlighted sponsors on the mat (hey, Xyience is good stuff) to the beautiful ring girls to the enthusiastic crowds.  But the thing that’ll really grab your attention is the detail given to the fighters.  Every one of them looks like the real deal, save for occasionally odd staring moments.  We also like the small stuff, such as Kimbo Slice’s hairy-beyond-belief beard (seriously, you could hide car keys in there) and Brock Lesnar’s post-match taunt (is he asking for a Coors?).

This is one game we’re truly looking forward to…and we’ve only reached the tip of the iceberg so far.  Over the following month, Gameplaybook will have more coverage on UFC Undisputed 2010, including a visit to The Ultimate Fighter facility (look for news and pictures on that later this week), some truly warped fighter creations and, of course, our final review.  Be sure to check back for all the coverage, or we’ll send “Rampage” Jackson over to your house to get some answers.  No, really.  He’s sitting here in the office.  (Well, okay, he COULD be…)

Check out these screens:

Posted in Blog | 3 Responses

Who the f**k’s ready for round 3?

By Varian on April 23, 2010

Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (Playstation3, XBox 360)

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Release date: Spring 2011

Capcom has been just tantalizing fans of their games, especially their fighting games, with awesomeness. With titles like Street Fighter 4, Marvel vs Capcom 2 (downloadable version of the original game), Tatsunoku vs Capcom, the soon to be released Super Street Fighter 4, you think you’d get your fighting game fix quenched. Well the good peeps at Capcom think differently. They just announced a fan requested, long awaited title that quite honestly is shaking the gaming world, MARVEL vs CAPCOM 3!  WHAT?!!! Yeah your eyes do not deceive you…..Marvel vs Capcom 3!

It’s been a decade since Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes was unleashed unto the world. This new offering will be running on Capcom’s own advanced version of MT Framework, the same engine used in Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2.

More after the Jump:

What will the game offer? Well Capcom breaks the game down like this:

• Evolved VS. Fighting System: Wild over-the-top gameplay complete with signature aerial combos, hyper combos and other original systems. The evolved battle system takes the exciting mind-reading game to a whole new level!

• 3-on-3 Tag Team Fighting: Players build their own perfect team and use Assist Attacks and each character’s special moves to create their own unique fighting style.

• Living Comic Book Art Style: See the most adored characters from the Capcom and Marvel universes brought to life in a “moving comic” style, blurring the boundaries between 2D and 3D graphics.

I’m actually curious and excited about this title and like everyone else….patiently waiting to check out actual gameplay and gameplay footage when the time comes. Look out for Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds coming Spring 2011.

Check out some sweet ass pics:

MvC3

MvC3

Chris

Hulk

iron man

morrigan

Ryu

Wolverine

Posted in News | 1 Response

Konami’s Gamers Night Event: Def Jam Rapstar

By Varian on April 14, 2010

PREVIEW

Def Jam Rapstar (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)

Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

Developer: 4mm Games, Def Jam Interactive and Terminal Reality

Release Date: Fall 2010

Genre: Music

ESRB: RP (anticipating T)

Players: 1-2 Players

DEF JAM…..the LEGENDARY Hip Hop record label has teamed up with 4mm Games,
Terminal Reality and Konami to bring onto the world DEF JAM RAPSTAR!!!

I know what you’re thinking, “WTF….is this another music genre game?” Bluntly put, “YES IT IS!” However, there’s something about this game actually makes me want to jump for joy…..ok I actually did jump for joy, literally! I thought to myself finally a hip hop alternative to all the other music genre games out there, one with at least a little bit more soul and flavor. After the initial surprise, I calmed down and got a little bit skeptical. I wanted to give this a good looking over before I jump the gun.

Kevin Liles, Def Jam CEO (who I know of, since I did a little A&R work in the music industry), came on stage and presented the game. The one thing that really resonated with me was Mr. Liles saying, “I don’t know EVERYTHING, but I KNOW HIP HOP.” That alone in my opinion gave the game a little more credibility and curiosity as far as I was concerned. There was a small showcase by 4mm creative officer, Jaime King and Giant Bomb’s own Jeff Gertsmann, performing “Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang”…Yeah the Dr. Dre Classic, featuring Snoop! Gotta admit watching Jeff rock the mic and the stage the way he did got me mad excited for this game….and I wanted more.

So on to the game itself. Basically the objective for the game is to span console, web and mobile accessibility. It’s slated to drop FALL 2010. Def Jam Rapstar is running on Terminal Reality’s own “INFERNAL ENGINE”, which is the same engine that powered “Ghostbusters: the video game”. (kindda makes you wonder how versatile this gaming engine is)

The game modes are:

-        Battle mode: which allows you to compete locally head-to-head for the highest score

-        Duet mode: where both players sing and rap together to achieve the highest combined score on any given track

-        Solo mode: you can brush up and sharpen your timing and rhyming skillz on your own before jumping into the other modes

-         Freestyle mode: which allows MC’s in the making to bust their own lyrics over well-known producer’s beats, offering a chance to show and prove that they have what it takes. (No self respecting Hip Hop game will ever have this aspect missing from it…it’s practically blasphemy)

Unlike most other microphone-based games, Def Jam Rapstar features custom, proprietary voice recognition technology that judge’s lyrical accuracy. In addition to lyrical accuracy, the game also measures players pitch and timing to provide your complete score in real time.

Speaking about proprietary, Def Jam Rapstar is compatible with all 3rd party microphones on the market….so you’re not held down by the man (of sorts).

What’s really unique about the game and what sets it apart from similar games like Sing Star or Karaoke Revolution, is that Def Jam Rapstar allows you to create a video of the performance starring yourself, edit, and then upload to www.defjamrapstar.com, a fully integrated online community where players can share their videos with the world to gain global recognition and become a bona fide rapstar, utilizing the PlayStation Eye or Xbox Live Vision camera. Once uploading your video, you can share it via social networking portals, like Facebook and people can vote on your performance. Games like Rockband and Guitar Hero can’t technically teach you how to play the guitar or the drums in real world situations (the possibility of sparking an interest to learn the real instrument might happen), but Def Jam Rapstar has that potential to actually give you a platform to showcase your skillz and quite possibly launch an actual rap career. Stranger things have happened….just look at Justin Bieber.

What’s a music game without the track list? NOTHING I TELL YOU! For a Hip Hop game, there’s no other place better than DEF JAM. The label is a pioneer in the game, with an extensive catalog that spans over 30 years I could go into the history of Def Jam and give those that are not familiar with Hip Hop a little 411, but I won’t. Let’s just put it this way, the game is said to come with over 40 songs on it’s release and DLC is also in the works. This means you can get the latest hits from today’s artists like, Ludacris and go all the way back to LL Cool J, Public Enemy and of course, Run DMC.

The tracks that were available for preview that night got me ecstatic. They showed us ten tracks….and half of them were straight up classics! That’s not my opinion…it’s a fact. With Hip Hop classics like Notorious B.I.G’s “Juicy”, 2 Pac’s “I Get around”, Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story”, The Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M.”…..to present day bangers like T.I.’s “Live Ya Life” and Kanye’s “Gold Digger”, you can’t miss!

Initial confirmed Def Jam Rapstar gameplay tracks include

ARTIST SONG
2 Pac I Get Around
50 Cent I Get Money
Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang
Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx Gold Digger
Lil’ Wayne A Milli
Notorius B.I.G. Juicy
Slick Rick Children’s Story
T.I. featuring Rihanna Live Ya Life
Wu Tang Clan C.R.E.A.M.
Young Jeezy featuring Kanye West Put On

If everything goes according to plan and stays true to what they set out to do, Def Jam Rapstar could possibly be Hip Hop’s answer to Beatles Rockband! I’m eagerly anticipating and feenin’! In the immortal words of DMX, “LET’S GET IT ON!”

Check out some screens of the game:

Lil Wayne: Solo Gameplay

Wu-Tang Clan C.R.E.A.M. Duet Gameplay

Posted in Blog | 2 Responses

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves -Cinema Event

By Varian on October 10, 2009

Uncharted2header

By Varian David

*Disclaimer – I wasn’t sure if pictures were allowed to taken at the event at the time, so I decided not to try my luck. All pictures used were taken with the use of my iPhone after the “green light” was given.

October 6th, 2009 – I got a chance to participate in a special Cinema Event for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, put together by Naughty Dog and SCEA (Sony Computer Entertainment America), giving the general public an exclusive “sneak peek” of the game on the big screen. YEP!! You heard me. The game Uncharted 2 projected on a cinema big screen.  All made possible by Sony’s new 4K Digital Cinema Projector.

I was really excited to see how this would play out. I was also expecting the event to be a typical 2 hour affair. You know, “get in…here’s the game…brief rundown on game and preview levels….hands on experience…thank you and goodnight.” I was very pleasantly surprised.

Naughty Dog and SCEA had the entire theater especially for this event. Everyone in there had tickets to it and all were automatic participants of the Multiplayer tournament that was being held. People needed to arrive at 5pm. After all the paperwork was out of the way and everyone was assigned their teams, the event was on the way. Teams were randomly put together so if you were there with your friends, it did not guarantee that you’d be on the same team together with them.

There were 4 rounds in the tournament your team would have to advance through all the rounds to be declared the winners. The Winners of the tournament would win the “Fortune Hunter’s Edition” of the game. That’s right, the all-exclusive special edition of the game, that’s not for retail. You cannot get this in the stores AT ALL! You can only win it. In fact I had the chance to talk to SCEA’s Associate Product Marketing Manager, TJ Consunji, about the special edition and why they decided not to put it out for retail. To paraphrase what TJ said, “We did not want to charge something like $100 for the set. We felt like raffling it off at an event like this would be a better way to say thank you to the fans and thanks for all the support given. Plus it makes a truly rare special edition, unlike something anyone could just go out and buy.”

What’s inside the “Fortune Hunter’s Edition” you ask? Well comes with the game, strategy guide, soundtrack, exclusive downloads, a collector case signed by the Naughty Dog team, an art book and an “exact” replica of the Phurba Dagger Artifact, complete with display stand.

Alright! Enough about me drooling over the damn special edition. Time for multiplayer action baby!!

The host of the event greeted us and he introduced the game’s Creative Designer/Director Amy Hennig and a Programmer from the Naughty Dog team, giving us a preview of the single player gameplay.

After going through the rules and regulations, teams were asked to form up and get to their designated stations. The front of the theater was split into two with stations set up on each side. Those who were confident with their skills were encouraged to hop on the front two set ups, marked Hero1 and Villian1. These two stations were going to be projected onto the big screen.

Like I mentioned earlier, there were 4 rounds to this competition.

Round 1 – Deathmatch (first team to 30 kills or most kills in 5mins)

Round 2 – Elimination (Teams will kill enemies in a best out of 5 format. Killed players do not respawn till end of each round)

Round 3 – Plunder (similar concept to capture the flag in other games. Team with most captures of the “idol” in 5mins)

Round 4 – Deathmatch

When my team got called up, I was nervous as all hell. Simply because I wanted that top prize, but at the same time, I have not logged in any time on the multiplayer beta even though I had it downloaded on my PS3 (BIG mistake on my part). Even though I went into the tournament cold, the controls were easy to get use to and the gamplay was smooth and really fast paced. My team was keeping it close (no thanks to me I don’t think. I might have gotten 4 kills only) but a last we lost by three kills.

For those that have been knocked out, we were allowed to “buy in” for a second chance with a raffle ticket we were given.  So I threw in my ticket for the buy in. Hey any chance I can get to win that special edition, I’m all for it!

True enough the host called out my number after two other teams had played. This time I was pumped and a little bit more relaxed than before. We got ready and the match began. This time the competition was crazier. Each team, matching kill for kill. My team either led by one or the other team did. By the end of the five minutes, I realized that my team had lost, by one kill! Knocked out…..AGAIN! Right then and there I knew my chances to win the Fortune Hunter’s Edition was over. So I kicked back and enjoyed watching the other teams go at it. The game looked so amazing and already looked like an action adventure movie. Watching it on a big movie screen made it even better.  Even though it was a projection, the game looked crisp and clean. Plus I didn’t notice any slow down or lag at all, even though there was so much going on all at once in game.

After Round 1 was completed, Amy Hennig came back and announced that everyone in the theater was getting a copy of the game. We all lost it! I didn’t get a chance to go to the media event the night before and I knew everyone that was there got a copy. I did not expect the same to happen at the General Admission event. Even though I was bummed that I wasn’t in the running for the big prize, this made everything all better.

As each round of competition finished, the Naughty Dog team gave more glimpses of the single player experience. Before the championship round got on the way, the Naughty Dog team dropped a surprise. They said they were going to raffle off THREE MORE Fortune Hunter’s Editions giving three lucky people (I wasn’t one of them unfortunately) a chance to get join that exclusive club. I ended up winning a copy of the Uncharted 2 soundtrack. One person was also lucky enough to win a brand new 120gb Playstation 3.

When the event was over, I looked at the time and it was past 10:30pm. Where did  the time go? It wasn’t over yet. Everyone got a goodie bag in the lobby.

What was part of the goodie bag:

1 Uncharted 2 tote bag, 1 Uncharted 2 tee shirt, 1 poster of Nathan Drake that says, “ I Play Dirty”.

Throw in the fact that I got a copy of the game and a copy of the soundtrack, I was a really happy camper. Even though I didn’t win the tournament, I walked home a winner nonetheless.

I REALLY love to thank Naughty Dog and SCEA for putting on such an amazing event and that they should do an event like this more often! It was an awesome success and it showed off the game in a really spectacular light.

Uncharted 2 Cinema Event

Uncharted 2 Event

Multiplayer Tournament

Multiplayer Tournament

Fortune Hunter's Edition

Fortune Hunter's Edition

Phurba Dagger artifact

Phurba Dagger artifact

Theater set up

Theater set up

Uncharted 2 trailer

Uncharted 2 trailer

Playthrough demo

Playthrough demo

Deathmatch

Deathmatch

Goodie bag Goodness

Goodie bag Goodness

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Hudson Gamer’s Day 2009

By Varian on November 9, 2009

PREVIEW:

BONK: Brink of Extinction (XBLA, WiiWare, PSN)
Developer: Pi Studios
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
To be released: Spring 2010

The Caveman is back! Hudson’s taking Bonk off ice and defrosting him for action.

In all honesty, I’ve never played the original Bonk. my first encounter with the lil guy was Hudson Entertainment’s mobile version of the game. Granted the mobile version was certainly a more stripped down and simplified version of the platformer but who cares? I had fun with it, but I digress.

This version brings Bonk into a whole new light, but still keeping true to it’s roots as well. It’s still a platformer like the original, however instead of the typical and old skool 2D side scroller feel, Hudson’s waved it’s magic wand and gave it 3 dimensionallook and feel.

The game looks fun and cute as all hell. Gameplay seems rather simple. It has the signature headbutt and aerial headbutt moves that we all know and love. Something new in the fray is co-op play. Not only can you experience Bonk through the usual single player mode, now you can share the fun with your friends as well. The colors look vibrant and lively. Definitely very eye catching. I was told that the demo wasn’t a finished version of the game. This is good news. Since the game is slated for spring 2010, it gives the studio time to really fine tune everything and put that spit polish shine to the game as well.

I’m looking forward to this release. It’s going to be a simple downloadable game that everyone can play and very accessible to fresh and novice gamers.

Check out the jump.

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Shhhhhhhh……We’re hunting monsters!

By Varian on November 18, 2009

MONSTER HUNTER TRI (Nintendo Wii)

PREVIEW

Developer: Capcom

Publisher: Capcom

To be released: Spring 2010

MHTriLogo

Monster Hunter is huge in Japan. Players in the US have been introduced to this franchise through the PS 2 and and the PSP. Now for this 7th iteration, players out West are going to be treated to some new improvements and overall experiences. Check out the rest of the story after the jump:

First off are the introductions of a couple of new weapons, like the SlashAxe (which is like a Chinese pole sword called a Guan Dao, and it can switch into a giant battle axe the next) and a Torch ( not only does it illuminate the darkest caves but fend off certain creatures as well). Thrown into the mix underwater fights and levels.  Gameplay for underwater fights work for the most part. It’s pretty fluid and the players are technically on the same plain as the giant monster or monsters they would be fighting. Oh to add to everything, the monsters can EAT you.

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There’s single player mode, two player split screen or a four player multiplayer gameplay via the custom online WiFi mode.

In the single player mode, you’re technically not alone in the game. You have a hunting companion by the name of Cha-Cha. Yeah like the dance, but since my mind’s always in the gutter I was laughing for other reasons. Cha-Cha has customization capabilities and the characteristics and abilities of your friend changes according to the look you choose for him.

With the co-op and multiplayer modes players can enjoy no hassle in joining games. No codes no bullshit. If you want someone to join in on the game, regardless if it’s a random person, just send them a request and BOOM! Done! The game also has USB keyboard support. Capcom is also working on and looking into having Wiispeak support for the US release. This would definitely be a big added bonus. Plus free downloadable content as well, makes Monster Hunter Tri truly value for money.

Capcom is also billing Monster Hunter Tri to be the prettiest/best looking game on the Wii. That’s bold claim, then again the Wii is technically not known for pretty graphics so that claim could possibly reign true. The landscape and monsters looks beautiful and the characters themselves were detailed and smooth. However I thought the game overall looked a little muddled or like the screen was smeared with lotion or Vaseline. I was conferring with a couple of other journalists and they expressed the same concern, so I know my eyes are not that bad. I didn’t get a chance to really delve into it because there was just so much going on but a good assumption would be the display setting might not be set correctly. That aside, the game really does look amazing.

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Last but not least, players will be faced with a couple of options when playing the game. You can either play it with the classic controller or classic controller pro (between the two, I like the pro). This option would give you the same feel as the PSP versions, if you’re familiar with that. The other option is using the Wiimote and nunchuck. Choosing this option gives the game a different and interesting dimension. I found it really interesting and definitely kept me wanting more. Whichever way you choose to go, just have a good time. I suggest trying out both ways and then see which method you feel you like more.

If you’re a big RPG player and you love slaying monsters and dragons, Monster Hunter Tri is the game you want to keep your eye out for. It has all the elements of wonder, fantasy and violence that would make a game good and fun, especially with the online aspect. We’ll see if Monster Hunter Tri would take off and be a top seller for Capcom in the US as it is in Japan.

MHTriLogoEcology_Rathian_preying_on_an_Aptonoth_bmp_jpgcopyLagiacrus1_bmp_jpgcopyLagiacrus2_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_01_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_02_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_03_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_04_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_05_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_06_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_07_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_08_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_09_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_10_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_11_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_12_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_13_bmp_jpgcopyTGS08_mh3_14_bmp_jpgcopy

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Capcom’s Monster Hunter Tri University event

By Varian on November 18, 2009

MHTriLogo

I’m not even sure how to start off. Well I guess I’ll do it just like this then. Capcom had an event for one of their games last Tuesday at the Mezzanine for Monster Hunter Tri, the 7th installment of the series.

When I first got the invite, I was a little confused because the approach was like how a university would send out a letter to a prospecting student. Well surprise, that’s exactly how they intended it to be. The event was Capcom’s Monster Hunter University and I was one of the students, among others, that were given their acceptance letters.

When the doors opened, I noticed that they transformed the club into a pseudo educational center/institute, with 4 classrooms, blackboards, books, professors, etc. I even saw a “Monster Hunter for Dummies” book (which I stupidly forgot to take a picture of…DOH!!) We were also handed a class schedule to follow.

So I’m mingling with everyone else that’s there when over the PA system rang an announcement for Assembly. YES, Assembly! Everyone gathers to the assembly area and we were greeted by the hot disciplinarian, who introduced the Dean, Ryozo Tsujimoto (producer of Monster Hunter Tri). Dean Tsujimoto greets us and starts in with an introduction of the night’s event. He explains that, in Japan and in Europe they have had Monster Hunter classes before and it’s nothing new. We were the first batch of students for the class being brought over to the United States. (I’m not going into the description of the game and what we can expect from Monster Hunter Tri. Check out the preview of the game)

Everyone was enjoying the assembly, the fact that Dean Tsujimoto had a pointer on him, that he was completely in the role and loving it. After he was done he dismissed us and said, “Class was in session.” I check out all four classrooms and noticed each classroom offered something different. One class would would demo a land level, the other would demo the underwater level and one classroom even had a webcam on one of the stations and was streamnig live. Each classroom had one professor that help instruct you as you demo’ed the game. They also gave you the options to play the game with either the classic controller, classic controller pro or the wiimote & nunchuck.

On a side note: Capcom also announced that Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was going to be released on the Wii via Wiiware. Check out the preview of the game

Overall the night was amazing. The ambiance was great. They even had drinks that were specially named that referenced characters and things from the game as well. Enjoy some pictures I took.

Class Schedule

Class Schedule

Dean Tsujimoto

Dean Tsujimoto

translator

translator

assembly

assembly

classroom

classroom

professor Kramer

professor Kramer

class in session

class in session

classroom c

classroom c

Classroom D aka webcam room

Classroom D aka webcam room

Students

Students

the Star Quarterback

the Star Quarterback

Professor Hom

Professor Hom

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney

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GAMERS UNITED 2009

By Varian on December 9, 2009

gamers United

Gamers United is back again and this year will host its party in honor of the Teen Lounge of Mattel Children’s Hospital of UCLA. The organizations choosing to be involved with Gamers United each truly believe in the value of giving back to young gamers, especially those who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity.

This year’s beneficiary, Mattel Children’s Hospital of UCLA, was chosen because hospitals are always in need of support from its community, particularly children’s hospitals. “When I called and found out they had a teen lounge whose gaming equipment was in disrepair and just need an upgrade, I was decided – this was the organization I wanted to fight for this year,” says Chastity Irizarry, founding member. Gamers United will be helping to rejuvenate the teen lounge and pay special attention to the often overlooked ‘tween and teen sector of pediatrics. Amy Bullock, Child Life – Child Development of the hospital stated, “The equipment in our lounge gets a high rate of use and our equipment is donated so we are happy to be able to work with Gamers United for the patients.”

Last year guests from Activision, Top Cow, Electronic Arts, Women in Gaming International, Dennis Rodman and more came to join in the high energy of this unique gathering.

Already on board, we are happy to welcome back the Custom Hotel, Nyko Technologies, Gaming Angels, Mimoco and Pwned. New to the mix this year is Coin-Op TV, World Cyber Games, Nfamous Gamers and the cast of Hellywood.

Event Details

Where:
Custom Hotel
8639 Lincoln Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90045
Reservations: 877-287-8601

When:
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
7:00pm

Attire:
“After 5” [Cocktail hour or Business Casual]

Entry:
Donation – Please bring a game, game accessory/peripheral or the like. To make prior arrangements, please email info@thegamersunited.org.

Games cannot be rated ‘M’ or ‘Mature’ – please bring ‘E’ ‘E10+’ or ‘T’. All items must be new and unwrapped due to strict infection control guidelines.

For more details and information about Gamers United, check out Gamers United

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Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time

By Varian on December 14, 2009

ratchet-and-clank-future-a-crack-in-time-box-art PS 3 Exclusive

For 7 years now Ratchet & Clank have been bringing the ruckus throughout the deep reaches of space. Side by side they’re like Batman & Robin of the cosmos. The story continues from where it was left off. Ratchet and Clank are separated. Ratchet is searching for his buddy, this time with the help (if you can really call it that) from good ol’ Captain Qwark! Clank on the other hand finds out he’s been captured by….wait for it………Dr. Nefarious! Yes He’s BACK and he’s stirring up all sorts of trouble as always!

A Crack in Time is supposed to be the last installment of the current story arc, which was supposed to be a trilogy.  The story starts of with Captain Qwark giving everyone a quick round up of what had happened up to this point, in his own unique way. We’re introduced to Orvus, who turns out, is Clank’s father and is the keeper of the Great Clock. The Great Clock is located in the center of the universe and is there to keep time and balance. Orvus narrates the story of Clank’s origins…..and brings you to the start of the story and game.

Clank is in the hands of Dr. Nefarious, who has tricked the Zoni into thinking that he was going to help Clank. He’s attempting to use the great clock and reverse time and destroy all his enemies. The Great Clock is damaged and Clank wakes up and attempts an escape. This is when gameplay kicks in. Clank runs through different levels in the Great Clock in familiar platform fashion and meets up with Sigmund, the junior caretaker of the Great Clock. Sigmund takes Clank through some tutorials, teaches him some new skills and abilities like using time manipulation to solve puzzles and shows him who he is and his inherited purpose and ties to the Great Clock. The time manipulation puzzles are a new and very welcomed addition to the franchise and they certainly take some getting used to. The puzzles get harder as you progress and you come to a point where you find yourself using as many as 4 clones of Clank to solve these puzzles.

Ratchet and Clank Future A Crack in Time video game image (1)

Ratchet is traveling across the galaxy looking for Clank. They’ve been separated since the end of Tools of Destruction when the Zoni swept Clank into a dimensional vortex never to be seen again. Ratchet comes into contact with a fellow Lombax, Alister Azimuth, who turns out was friends with Ratchet’s father. He teaches Ratchet some new skills, which involves the player to do some puzzle solving as well. One really awesome thing I’ve noticed is that Insomniac has brought back some old gems that were not in the previous two games. Destructible environments have made a comeback so have the gold bolts. I’m a self admitted bolt whore and really enjoy destroying everything in sight to collect bolts. ACIT reminds me of the best installment in the franchise in my opinion, up your Arsenal, in many ways. That’s a very good thing! Also making a comeback is the RYNO. The sweetest weapon in the Ratchet universe as far as I’m concerned, just because of it’s destructive powers. ACIT brings you the RYNO V (Ryno 5). There’s a twist however. Insomniac doesn’t just hand you the weapon as is. They make you work for it. While Ratchet is traveling through space, he’ll find little gems hidden in certain places (in traditional R&C style). The Gold Bolts are one of them and the other, are schematics for constructing the RYNO V. You’ll have to collect all the schematics then put the weapon together, after that…well WATCH OUT!

While we’re on the subject of weapons, the R&C franchise is known for it’s crazy out of this world styled weapons. Insomniac has definitely cornered the market on crazy ass weapons that, like the song, make you go hmmm. There are three particular weapons, known as Contructo weapons (shot gun, pistol and bomb glove) that can be customized to suit the player’s style of play to a certain extent. Whenever you find a contructo-mod chip  (one of the gems you have to find) you have the ability to modify your (3 constructo) weapons, from type of ammo to it’s color and paint job. There are some familiar weapons that make a comeback from “Up Your Arsenal” as well. The Rift Inducer 5000 is a modified version of the Rift Inducer of old. Before it would open a portal and suck everything in sight, where this version opens a portal and introduces an alien that would eat your enemies, for a short period of time. The well loved Groovertron makes a comeback as well, in addition to the Buzz Blades and the Negotiator. New additions to Ratchet’s arsenal are the Plasma Striker, which zooms in on enemies and shows their weak point which if hit does a lot more damage. The CryoMine Glove, which deposits homing mines that freeze enemies. The Sonic Eruptor, which was described as being ‘a bloated creature held by a harness’ which emits a powerful sound wave when fired. All weapons in true R&C fashion upgrade to 5 levels. My personal favorite is Mr. Zurkon. Yep, that’s right! Mr. Zurkon is a robot that hovers close to Ratchet protecting him from any enemy attacks by killing them off. When Mr Zurkon upgrades to level 5, he becomes Zurkon the Destroyer! What I love about Mr. Zurkon, aside from the fact that he helps conserve ammo, is his amazingly hilarious dialog. He kept me laughing the whole time I was playing the game. Mr. Zurkon certainly made this already awesome game even better for me. In addition to all these great weapons, Insomniac held a contest for the fans to design a weapon for the game. The winner was announced at the Comic-Con 2009 event. The winning weapon was the Spiral of Death. The Spiral of Death is a weapon used by Ratchet that works by charging up energy and then releasing it in a spiral around the user. This energy then sends enemies flying, causing damage in the process. This weapon levels up and upgrades to the Spiral of Carnage, which releases 3 multiple blades at once.

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The story is excellent. Insomniac always was able to tell a good…no, great story. It’s no different in ACIT. The well-known humor and witty repertoire, crazy characters, they’re all there. The gameplay is smooth and challenging on both the Clank and Ratchet stages. The colors of the surrounding environments are bright and eye catching. Like I mentioned before, destructible environments are back so I was busy hacking away at anything and everything. Oh one more thing, Hover Boots are back! (that’s an old tidbit too)

Space battles are a new addition as well. As Ratchet travels from planet to planet and moon to moon, he’ll encounter enemy ships that he’ll have to fight off. The space battles get a little repetitive after a while but it’s nothing that would cause you to put the game down. Also he’ll run into characters that would ask for help. If you choose to help and run these errands/side missions, you’ll get paid in bolts, which helps in buying new weapons and armor. You’ll also have the staple arena battlegrounds. I love these arena battles because they are a great way to get bolts and upgrade your weapons.  That being said, I felt that the economy in the game wasn’t as good as in past games, especially when compared to “Up Your Arsenal”. I never once had any worries of running low on bolts or ever faced with the choice of purchasing a particular weapon/armor or not. In past games you were put into a position where you had to decide whether to make a purchase or save for a better deal later on. What I sort of miss also is the multiplayer that was in the third game (Up Your Arsenal).

Personally I love the franchise. Insomniac has definitely made the Ratchet & Clank franchise a household name and most definitely the benchmark of how all action platformers should be like. It offers the 3D platforming gameplay of the 80s and 90s and all the action of a triple A action game of today. The game has tons going on all at the same time and for me having such a beautiful game going at 60 fps definitely justifies the $60 price tag. This is definitely a stocking stuffer for the holiday season.  Insomniac has always found a way to take the franchise to another level. All games should run and look like this. Those mad scientists at Insomniac have done it again.  I hope they keep doing it forever! (hear that Insomniac…..never stop doing what you’re doing)

CHECK OUT THE PICS

R&CF: ACIT

R&CF: ACIT

Ratchet

Ratchet

Clank

Clank

Captain Qwark

Captain Qwark

Dr. Nefarious

Dr. Nefarious

Lawrence

Lawrence

Alister Azimuth

Alister Azimuth

The Aphelion

The Aphelion

Mr. Zurkon

Mr. Zurkon

Cryo Bomb Glove

Cryo Mine Glove

Rift inducer 5000

Rift Inducer 5000

Omni Soaker

Omni Soaker

Sonic Eruptor

Sonic Eruptor

crash

crash

arena battle 1

arena battle 1

Arena battle 2

Arena battle 2

Clank Clones

Clank Clones

Great Clock

Great Clock

Ratchet & Qwark

Ratchet & Qwark

battle

battle

Nefarious & Zoni

Nefarious & Zoni

The Negotiator

battle 2

The Negotiator

The Negotiator

Great Clock 2

Great Clock 2

space exploration

space exploration

time portal

time portal

Lombax destroy

Lombax destroy

Battling a Hydra

Battling a Hydra

Spiral of Death

Spiral of Death

Torren IV

Torren IV

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New Resident Evil “Desperate Escape” DLC revealed…..

By Varian on December 18, 2009

Simultaneous with the releases of DESPERATE ESCAPE and LOST IN NIGHTMARES, new costumes for Chris (Heavy Metal) and Sheva (Business) will be made available, allowing the player to experience RESIDENT EVIL 5 with a fresh new look and feel through both game play and cut-scene playback.

Read on. More details after the jump:



Chris and Sheva in these new costumes as well as Josh Stone will also be playable in the refreshed THE MERCINARIES REUNION. Along with the two previously announced characters, Chris (Warrior) and Sheva (Fairy Tale), these are the first five of eight characters announced as playable in THE MERCENARIES REUNION. Each with their own unique weapon load-outs, these new characters provide additional challenges as the player aims to shoot down as many enemies as they can within a limited time.  Chain together your kills, extend your time and rack up points. Featuring the most extreme weapon selections, THE MERCENARIES REUNION provides hours of new strategy induced kill sprees.

DESPERATE ESCAPE, LOST IN NIGHTMARES and all new playable characters for THE MERCINARIES REUNION will be available via a RESIDENT EVIL 5: GOLD EDITION that will include the original game plus all additional content.  The ultimate RESIDENT EVIL5 experience, RESIDENT EVIL 5: GOLD EDITION will be available for $49.99 as a single Blu-ray disc for the PLAYSTATION 3 or as a DVD with a token for the downloadable content for XBOX 360.

Check out Josh & Jill and the rest of the evil goodness in pictures:

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

By Mike on December 22, 2009

xbox-360-games-cod-mw21XBOX 360 (also on PS3 and PC)

Ok where to start, if you gave been hiding under a rock all this while, let me break this gently for you kind gamer, buy this game and skip the review. For those of you who like to make an informed decision here’s my review.
The game is Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. From every aspect this game goes above and beyond your typical first person shooter. Graphically the textures and realism of the environments are amazing from running through the streets of South America to climbing the side of an ice wall in the Antarctic.  The storyline is well written and should receive accolades for the most plot twist and turns that any accomplished blockbuster screenwriter could hammer out. During the beginning of the game you start off as standard solider in basic training going through the motions of learning basic fundamentals of combat. What is so refreshing about going through the basics is that you see slight nuances on how the firing mechanics work. You have your standard pull right trigger to shoot, left trigger to zoom in or look down your guns sights. However here’s where the slight nuances kick in if your gun has a red dot or laser attachment for sighting and you tap the left trigger it will automatically cycle through enemies in front of you. After you play through learning the basics. Next on the menu is whether you want to play through the “controversial” part of the game or not. “Warning spoiler alert!” Your mission if you choose to accept it kills innocent people standing in the airport or skip the level. Being the sick gamer that I am and to progress the story line, “Let the bodies hit the floor!”

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Gameplay is solid and well tuned from single story mode to special co-op missions to online multiplayer.  While playing this game I learned that the stages are huge, the game play is fast and relentless. There is nowhere safe to hide. Even if you think hiding behind a solid wall would protect you, they have remote controlled rockets. The real meat and potatoes of this game are in the online multiplayer experience. What I personally liked about the online multiplayer is, that you have a vast amount of weapon and skill set variances that have to be earned with online multiplayer matches. Another nice thing about the game is all the unlockables you can achieve from special online game emblems, to cool gamer nicknames, to kill perks. Also what I found quite intriguing was that even if you were a beginner at online game play you could take the skill set of a seasoned veteran. That skill perk is called “copycat”. With all the different achievements and things that can be unlocked in this game gives you every single bang for your buck and absolutely great for the holiday season.

Check out the pics:

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Tatsunoko vs Capcom

By Varian on January 7, 2010

TvC_UAS_logo_final_psd_jpgcopy

Release Date: Jan. 26, 2010
Genre: Fighting
Platform: Nintendo Wii
Rating: Teen
Price: $49.99

TATSUNOKO VS. CAPCOM: ULTIMATE ALL-STARS pairs well-known characters from Capcom’s roster of games with some of Japan’s most-beloved characters from anime powerhouse Tatsunoko Production.

This is a new version of the game that was released in arcades and the Wii in Japan, December 2008. Capcom added new features to the game, including the recently announced additions of playable characters Frank West, Tekkaman Blade, Zero and Joe the Condor.

Check out the videos after the jump:

The game will work with a number of different control devices, including the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, Classic Controller, GameCube Controller and various third-party joysticks designed for the Wii.

Here’s a character list available in the game:

Capcom: Ryu, Chun-Li (Street Fighter), Batsu (Rival Schools), Alex (Street Fighter III), Morrigan (Darkstalkers), Soki (Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams), Mega Man Volnutt (Mega Man Legends), Roll (Mega Man), Saki (Quiz Nanairo Dreams), Viewtiful Joe, PTX-40A (Lost Planet), Frank West (Dead Rising) and Zero (Mega Man X ).

Tatsunoko: Ken the Eagle, Jun the Swan, Joe The Condor (Science Ninja Team Gatchaman), Yatterman No. 1, Doronjo (Yatterman), Casshan, Tekkaman, Tekkaman Blade, Polimar, Karas, Ippatsuman and Gold Lightan.

Check out these sweet screens:

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Super Street Fighter IV

By Varian on January 7, 2010

sst4-logo_revised_final_psd_jpgcopyHADUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUKEN!!!!!

Capcom’s smash hit Street Fighter IV will be making a second splash into the waters of awesomeness with the highly anticipated follow up..wait for it….Super Street Fighter IV!!

The full roster from SFIV will bring the ruckus along with new challengers and contenders, like the deadly Korean fighter Juri (who’s the first Street Fighter character to utilize Tae Kwon Do as a fighting style), unlocked right out of the box at a reduced retail price.

Check out the new trailer showcasing the new features thrown in the game, including: new alternate costumes, ultra combos, rival battles, and even…………….. a MECHA ZANGIEF!

Gameplay video showing off Cody vs Ryu:

Gameplay video showing off new character Adon vs Ken:

I bring screenshots too…:

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HE’S ON FIIIIIIIIIIIRE!!!!!!!!!

By Varian on January 12, 2010

160149-NBA-Jam-wii_header

So Electronic Arts (EA) finally announced today that EA Sports is developing and going to unleash onto the world and on the Nintendo Wii, the long anticipated NBA JAM!

This is one title that I’ve hope to see resurrected and given a new breath of life. There was no arcade styled NBA licensed game or basketball game for that matter ever really brought the HOTNESS like NBA JAM did. I loved playing it in the arcades back in the day. EA had the Streets series and that was fun but it was no NBA JAM.

EA Sports says that we’ll be getting it within this year, 2010. SWEET! Also rumors floating around say that Big Pimpin’, Prez Barack Obama might be a special character in the game as well (wonder if he’d be playing for the home team…….then again which home team,Wizards or Bulls?)  Personally I’d love to see him in a Bulls jersey ;)

I hope they have a Legends section….would love to play with Magic, Bird, Pippen…oooooh…  Michael Jordan and Obama on the Bulls vs everyone else!! HAHA….

Then again…maybe it’s a lil too late for that? DLC?…EA Sports…hint hint!!!!!

EA Sports says that this iconic franchise is gonna bring that classic old skool feel with a mix of new hotness. (Ok I paraphrased but you get the picture) Keep a look out for NBA JAM and all that arcade styled goodness dropping in twenty-ten baby! BOOMSHAKALAKA-SHAKALAKA!!

For more info check out www.nba-jam.easports.com

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Color of Conflict Contest….. Final Fight: Double Impact

By Varian on January 13, 2010

So the cats at Capcom pulled this doozie of a trick out of their sleeves. Involving their community of fans and giving them a hands on experience with one of their games. Literally hands on…well might not be what you’re thinking…then again it might be. You’ll be given a chance to color the box art cover of the Final Fight: Double Impact game. The illustration provided by famed artist Alvin Lee. If you’ve EVER wished to add your own touch on a Capcom video game, this is your chance. *BAM!*

The winning illustration will be featured with the final release! One grand prize winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip for two to New Orleans, where they’ll have the opportunity to take part in Capcom’s exclusive “Captivate” event. The lucky winner and guest will experience first-hand our amazing new games and spend time with Capcom staff. They’ll also receive a poster of their beautiful work, a free copy of the game, and additional swag from the event. Click the link to get more details and download the black and white copy of the art work for your entry. http://www.finalfightgame.com/ Contest dates are January 6th – 25th…GET ON IT PEOPLE!!

Final Fight: Double Impact hits PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 digital stores this coming April.

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Darksiders: Wrath of War

By Varian on January 19, 2010

PLAYSTATION 3 (also on Xbox 360)

I’m trying to figure out how to start this…..ok..now that’s out of the way.….Darksiders or in some circles Darksiders: Wrath of War.

THQ’s brand new studio Vigil Games bring their first offering unto the world. This game brings a lot of familiar aspects into this game. There’s a little Legend of Zelda, Portal, Prince of Persia…..but when it comes down to it, it’s pretty much a GOD of WAR clone. Not that it’s a bad thing……taking good aspects of other games and making a game that utilizes all of  them sounds like a win for everyone.

Let’s start with the Box Art….IT’S FREAKIN MONEY!!! I was at Best Buy and the box art sold a copy to an employee that didn’t know anything about the game. Opening cinematics were Amazing! Graphics look sweet but no where as clean (as Uncharted 2 or Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time)…..the opening cinematic’s brilliance is where it stops and drops off graphically. The kingdoms of Heaven and Hell call a truth to their never ending battle till the third kingdom, the Kingdom of Man, are able to handle their own. Unfortunately, due to a ungodly screw up (PUN), the apocalypse comes early and WAR, of the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, is awoken and he’s one cranky panda! Whoever let the shit hit the fan, managed to place the blame on WAR as well. Mr Han Cholo  now has to clear his name….while he’s at it, has to hunt down bits and pieces of shards, artifacts….etc, that help restore his powers and abilities to full ass kicking force!

Character design looks great…..although WAR did look like a character from “War Hammer 40K”. This action adventure game has a lil open world aspect to it as well (just a lil….). Voice work is cool and especially since Mark Hamil is voicing, The Watcher (an unhelpful ally/watchdog for WAR). There’s also an underworld merchant by the name of Vulgrim, who would sell you weapons, upgrades and skill sets, for souls that you would collect as you go along. As you move from stage to stage, location to location, you’ll find chests where you can acquire more souls (green=health, blue=currency, yellow=rage/rage meter). You’ll also find other types of chests that contain missing shards, attack ability add-ons, etc.

The mechanics of the game are for the most part simplistic. However it doesn’t all come together that well. At times it seemed awkward. Also for an action adventure game especially with a plot like this, you expect to be dealing with a lot of attacks and opponents at any given time, or even  really strong, big bosses. You do…..and at times you expect to be able to block attacks that are coming at you. Unfortunately, the blocking mechanic in this game is completely CACA (SHITTY for the uninitiated). Yes you can block, but it hardly makes any difference at all. You might as well just take the hit, as most (and it’s a very good majority) of your enemy attacks are too powerful for your block to even make a noticeable difference. WHAT THE FUCK??!! You’re better off using your “Dash” move, which happens to be the same button, to avoid damage. As for the “Dash” move, it is functional, but when facing a powerful opponent, it doesn’t get WAR completely clear from the blast radius.. That can be frustrating at times. Especially if you got boss battles that could last as long as ten minutes (IF YOU DO EVERYTHING RIGHT!)

Gameplay is for the most part smooth and fluid. My saving grace was that I got the Playstation 3 edition instead of the Xbox 360 version. Yes, as you may know by now, the Xbox 360 version suffers from screen tearing and frame rate issues. There were also camera issues as well….which I also experienced in the PS3 version (although not bad) and I noticed small amounts of frame rate issues on the PS3 version as well. Other than that, the PS3 version runs better and smoother than the Xbox 360 version, just in case you were trying to decide which to go for. (A patch is in the works to rectify those issues for the 360 version as this review is being done) You’ll also encounter some puzzles during gameplay (just like God of War) that help unlock secret chests, doors and to help progress the story. The puzzles are fairly simple and wouldn’t require much time figuring out, although I did run into a few that posted more of a challenge but nothing that you stop you in your tracks and go “HUH?” The game brings a decent length as well….it wasn’t too short and it didn’t completely drag it out with boring dumb repetitive crap either. Gameplay was about 20ish hours…might extend a bit more if you really go hunting for everything. My BIGGEST gripe with the game was that it took about three odd hours in before it really picked up. I was actually getting a little bored at one point and I was two hours in! You know how they say “First Impressions are important?” The same can certainly be said about video games. It felt very repetitive and it didn’t have that “Je ne sais quois” that the God of War franchise brings to the table, especially in the early stages.  Like the term illustrates, they are both hack & slash button mashers but the latter delivers something that keeps you in the game and boredom at bay. In other words, they didn’t “NAIL IT!”

All in all, Vigil Games delivers a really fun and decent game in the action adventure arena, which in the next couple of months will bring the likes of Dante’s Inferno and God of War 3.  Best part is that the storyline doesn’t really fall short, especially since we’ve all been victims of that (e.g. Halo, Gears of War….Yeah I said it! Take your head out of your asses and you’d realize I’m right.) If you’re looking for some button mashing fun to tide you over till God of War drops, Darksiders might be the game to fill that void……maybe.

Clickaticlick on these pics:

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Screw a groundhog…Capcom brings in spring with some HEAT!

By Varian on January 26, 2010

Capcom announces a spring line up full of goodies, which includes…..

Monster Hunter Tri, Lost Planet 2, Final Fight™: Double Impact and Super Street Fighter IV for North America and Europe.

Nintendo Wii owners in North America and Europe can experience the hit Japanese phenomenon called Monster Hunter Tri as it makes it’s way to the Wii in April 2010. Check out our monster Hunter Tri preview HERE

Lost Planet 2 drops on the Playstation3 and Xbox 360 for North America and Europe on May 18th 2010. The sequel to this popular action title will bring intense and action-packed campaign mode comes with the ability to form teams of up to four players on Xbox LIVE or PlayStation Network and utilize teamwork tactics, new weapons and a variety of vital suits to fight larger-than-life bosses.

It wouldn’t be Capcom if they didn’t bring the fight to people. In true fashion they unleash two fighting games in the spring with Final Fight: Double Impact and Super Street Fighter IV.

Double Impact is a dual release of two classic arcade side-scrolling beat-em-ups due to launch as a downloadable title on the PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE. First up is Final Fight. Players follow the adventures of Cody, Guy, and Haggar – three heroes fighting their way across crime-ridden Metro City in hopes of saving Haggar’s daughter from the evil clutches of Mad Gear. Cody and Guy will also be playable characters in Super Street Fighter IV giving fans the chance to take a trip down memory lane and experience these characters in their first appearance before playing them in the new Street Fighter game. In Magic Sword, players will take on the role of the “The Brave One,” a fierce warrior who bears the daunting responsibility of cleansing evil forces by defeating the dark lord Drokmar. Accompanied by eight allies who will lend their assistance by bringing specific skills and talents to contribute to the fight, Magic Sword is a side-scrolling action game illustrated in classic fantasy stylings.

Super Street Fighter IV will be coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation3 on April 27th, 2010 in North America and April 30th, 2010 in Europe. The follow-up to the critically acclaimed Street Fighter IV will a host of new features including new characters, new ultra combos, new online modes, the return of the famed bonus stages and retuned online and offline gameplay. Super Street Fighter IV’s new characters include Street Fighter’s first Tae Kwon Do-styled fighter – the deadly female fighter Juri – classic Street Fighters such as Cody, Guy, T. Hawk, Dee Jay, Adon and more to complement the full roster of returning fighters from Street Fighter IV. Featuring all new user-selectable Ultra Combos and advancements to the online gameplay and matchmaking, Super Street Fighter IV is the ultimate vision of Street Fighter. Check out some SSFIV videos HERE

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Welcome back B Company!!

By Varian on January 27, 2010

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
PREVIEW
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: DICE


“Welcome to B Company…….”
I still remember those words like it was yesterday. Electronic Arts and DICE brought us the well-known PC franchise (Battlefield) on the console, with a little twist. It was clear what EA and DICE’s intentions were……to bring the PC experience of a well known franchise to the console and keep that flavor all at the same time.
It’s 2010 and EA and DICE brings us the highly anticipated follow up…..called Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Ok ok…….we all saw that coming, but what we didn’t know is the goodies that this new installment brings us. That’s why I went to the single player preview a couple weeks ago. Executive Producer of the Battlefield franchise, KM Troedsson, was on hand providing us with the single player introduction and a live demo.

Enjoy the game trailer…more after the Jump:

That polish and shine that was in the first game remains with everything else that made the first game fun, i.e. Destructible Environments (you will be able to blast building to rubble in the game…….or hide and use them as safe points, unless your opponent makes them go BOOM!) The whole squad from ‘B company’ are back, although Mr. Troedsson did say that the storyline would be taking on a more serious tone this time round. For me personally, the humor in the first game was what separated BF:BC from all the other FPS military styled games out at the time. I am a little disappointed to hear this…I have to admit. Another change they made was the usage of the now “Universal” cover- recovery system. I thought the use of the epipen in the first game was different and I liked it. However, I do understand why they decided to go this route and I can’t really blame them either. BF:BC2 also brings the wonders of vehicle warfare to the forefront. Land, sea and air…..take your pick!
On to the new goodies! Most of the new additions come to the multiplayer part of the game. All the different maps the game will provide range in terrain. From lush jungle to snow capped mountains. You’ll still have the signature Conquest mode and Rush mode, DICE now gives you two all new squad-focused game modes: Squad Deathmatch (players will compete in squads of 4 with one vehicle serving as a center point for the action) and Squad Rush (this mode pits two 4-person squads against one another as either an attacker or defender). All new Squad Gameplay is introduced where you can team up with up to three players and fight together to unlock special awards and achievements. Spawn on your squad to get straight into the action, and use squad specific gadgets like the tracer dart for a devastating vehicle attack.

Check out the Squad Rush video:

I hopped on the game and I have to admit, the gameplay felt really smooth, clean and very polished. This version of the Frostbite engine that DICE uses for the Battlefield franchise makes the game look scenic, even in war torn landscapes. I found myself going, “Wow….the high detail and warmth of the environments take this game to another level.” I found myself dying multiple times so that I can just check out the detail in the game over and over again…(that’s the story I’m going with and that’s that! Haha!!) I’m excited to peep the entire game and soak up all its goodness. Street date for North America is said to be 3/2/2010 & Europe is said to be 3/5/2010.

UPDATE:

Here’s a video of the Port Valdez Level in multiplayer…Thank you Ea for droppin this gem.

Here’s a couple of single player screenshots:

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Who wants to go Kart Racing????!!!!!

By Varian on January 31, 2010

ModNation Racers (Playstation 3 exclusive)

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America

Developer: United Front

I’m not sure how many people have their eye on this up coming game dropping exclusively on the Playstation 3 in 2010. I know I DO!!

I had been messing around with the beta and honestly if you love Mario Kart, you’d love this game. It has the same feel of Mario Kart and would strike your creative side like that of Little Big Planet. It’s kindda like if Mario Kart and Little Big Planet got married and had a baby *queue the mood music*…you get ModNation Racers!

You’d be able to create your own avatars (you start off with a blank canvas like a mighty mugg and go to town on it), your own karts…..and create your own race tracks. The track creator is really easy to use and very intuitive. You’d be able to create a racetrack in minutes and then populate it with obstacles, booby traps, sheep (yes…sheep!) and those speed treadmill thingies that help you go faster. You can also mess around with the topography of the racetrack created. That means your track will not just be flat land, you can actually widen, narrow, lift or lower the banks of the track. You can also add terrain in your track design as well. I created my avatar, kart and even track in minutes. Of course you can spend extra time fine tuning things to your liking and imagination.

More after the Jump:

Customization is the name of the game, or like the slogan for the game says, “Play, Create, Share”. On top of that, anybody can take the track you created and “Remix” it and vice versa. Concept is like a DJ remixing a track from your favorite music artists. Whenever your track gets remixed, you still get credited for the original track used. All this can be done through the Playstation Network. You can also take pictures of your creation and share them.

**UPDATE**

During GDC 2010, I had the chance to catch up and sit down with the guys from United Front, developers of ModNation Racers. William Ho, game designer for ModNation racers, was kind enough to indulge me with short interview and tell me more about the game and what they’ve done since the Beta.

We’ll start with multiplayer aspect of the game:

-       12 players will be able to gather together and race online.

-       4 players will be able to race together via split screen.

-       2 player split screen co-op is also available.

The game also has a single player experience. This includes

-       a story mode, which gives you up to about 5 hours worth of gameplay.

-       a career mode

-       there will be special tokens that the player can pick up along the way while playing story or career mode. These will help unlock more goodies for use when playing multiplayer and online customizing.

* The weapons picked up during the race will have a range in strength, i.e. light to strong.

According to William, the dev team is looking into the possibility of incorporating all the user created content that were churned out during the beta. He did however say that there were no promises. It was all dependent on if they would be able to figure out how to go about doing it.

It’s hard to believe that the beta that was released a while ago was only 20% of the game. It felt so complete. The game I played during GDC was a lot more polished and looks amazingly pretty. If ever Mario Kart and Little Big Planet got busy and went half on a baby, you’d want the baby to be THIS GAME……ModNation Racers!

In conjunction to the console release of ModNation racers, the PSP version of the game is dropping the same time. I had hands on experience with the PSP version and I must say, I had a blast!

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Bring on the new guys……..Street Fighting just got tougher!!

By Varian on March 2, 2010

Let’s just cut to the chase Capcom dropped on us videos of new characters that will be joining the cast of Super Street Fighter 4….

makoto vs ibuki

ibuki, makoto, dudley trailer

dudley vs sagat

Classic costumes were also unveiled. Here are some screens:

Blanka

Fei Long

Dhalsim

Gen

Guile

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Capcom wants to you get your kills on….KILL BIG FOR CHARITY!!!

By Varian on April 2, 2010

Capcom has added a new spin to racking up kills……and it’s all for a GOOD CAUSE!! The good people at Capcom announced plans for an exciting new campaign called “Kill Big for Charity” that ties into the new Lost Planet® 2 multiplayer demo. Kicking off this week as early subscribers begin to download the demo, the robust charity and community program will include a donation to Music for Relief for each demo downloaded via Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network or PlayStation®Network, a celebrity/charity tournament at the launch party and a community contest brought to you by Capcom Unity which will award the biggest Lost Planet 2 fans with spots in the celebrity tournament.

To launch the program, Capcom will create a charity fund of $20,000 as a donation for the first one million Lost Planet 2 multiplayer demos downloaded on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system from March 31, when the early access program begins, through midnight PT May 5. If the demo surpasses the million mark across both platforms, an additional $5,000 will be donated when an extra 500,000 downloads is achieved. Please visit Lost Planet’s community site, www.lostplanetcommunity.com for early access codes. You can also get them through SMART MONKEY ENTERTAINMENT by following our twitter feed at www.twitter.com/smartmonkeyent (@smartmonkeyent )

To celebrate the May 11th release of Lost Planet 2, Capcom will throw a pre-launch party in Los Angeles on May 6th. Fans can get on the list for the party on a first-come basis by signing up at www.capcom-unity.com later this month. A Lost Planet 2 celebrity tournament will take place during the party (participants to be announced at a later date). The winning team will choose which Music for Relief cause will receive the grand total of the demo download fund, which can be up to $25,000.

Additionally, beginning April 1, community members will compete for a seat in the celebrity tournament and a trip to Los Angeles to attend the launch party by submitting their best tips and tricks for beating the new Lost Planet 2 multiplayer demo to Capcom Unity. The Capcom Unity team will choose the four lucky winners and shall post them on http://www.capcom-unity.com and www.lostplanet2game.com. For more details on the contest and the official rules, check out http://www.capcom-unity.com/snow_infernus/blog/2010/04/01/lost_planet_2_-_kill_big_for_charity

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Konami Gamer’s Night: Lost In Shadow

By Varian on April 12, 2010

PREVIEW

LOST IN SHADOW (Nintendo Wii)

ESRB: Everyone (estimate)

Publisher: Hudson Entertainment, Inc.

Developer: Hudson Soft

Genre: Platform Adventure

Launch Date: Fall 2010

Hudson has been busy bees (get it?) lately. This time the present us with a new platformer/ puzzle styled game called “LOST IN SHADOW”. Hudson calls it a shadow based action game.

The gist of the story is, The main character’s (who’s a young boy) shadow is severed from him and is left to wonder.  There is a Tower that rises above all in an alternate world. No one knows who built this or why it was built.  One thing is certain, the Tower both sheds a large shadow and at the same time is filled with moving shadows. The boy’s shadow runs through the shadow of the Tower, solves mysteries and puzzles along the way, and fights off enemies that try to impede his progress. The boy is not affected by gravity but his movement is restricted within the thin boarder between light and shadow. The boy’s shadow is not alone in his endeavors as a creature of light, a winged sylph known as a “Spangle”, joins him on his quest.

The game has an interesting concept and gameplay mechanics. The main objective is to reach the summit with the main character’s shadow. Gameplay incorporates puzzles and the player utilizes light and shadows to create shadow paths….even gravity is influence during gameplay. You will battle shadow creatures with traditional weapons.

I have to admit, this game sounds confusing but upon seeing it and having hands on, I’m really interested and excited to see the finished product. I am a huge platform game lover and this gives the genre a new twist. Look out for Lost in Shadow coming to the Nintendo Wii in Fall 2010.

Check out these screens:

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Konami Gamer’s night: Deca Sports 3

By Varian on April 12, 2010

PREVIEW

DECA SPORTS 3 (Nintendo Wii)

ESRB: RP

Publisher: Hudson Entertainment, Inc.

Developer: HUDSON SOFT

Genre: Sports

Launch Date: Fall 2010

The guys at Hudson are back at it and bring their latest offering to their Deca sports series (which spawned 2 titles): DECA SPORTS 3!

All the family fun and goodness you expect from the Deca Sports series with 10 different sports available in this title. What’s new you ask? Well this time round the game utilizes….the Wii motion Plus! YEP!! This means motions would be more precise and accurate. Handling and control feels good. Most of all the games are FUN! Kindda makes me wish the other two Deca Sports titles are Wii motion plus compatible now…oh well.

More details of the games after the jump:

The game will ship with ten games:

Springboard Diving, Indoor Volleyball, Giant Slalom (Skiing), Racquetball, Air Racing, Kayaking, Lacrosse, Logging, Halfpipe (Snowboarding) and Fencing.

Be on the look out for the game dropping Fall 2010.

Check out these screens:

Air Race

Air Race

Lacrosse

Lacrosse

Ski

Ski

Ski

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Konami Gamer’s Night: SAW 2

By Varian on April 12, 2010

PREVIEW

SAW 2 (Playstation 3, XBox 360)

Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

Developer: Zombie Studios

Release Date: Fall 2010

Genre: Survival Horror

ESRB: RP

Players: 1

We all know the SAW movie franchise….if you don’t then you’ve been living under a rock. Well The first video game installment made a splash and Zombie Studios and Konami are bringing the sequel to all Horrow Survival fans!

Step into the dark and tormented world of SAW 2 and experience the gruesome traps that Jigsaw has created to test your will to survive.  With new traps, puzzles, and combat system players will need to think fast and act quick to pass the rigors of the tests Jigsaw has engineered.  Set between the SAW and  SAW II movies, the game follows Detective Tapp’s estranged son Michael, who become Jigsaw’s next subject while he is investigating father’s recent death.

More after the Jump:

Gameplay involves a blend of intense combat, mind-bending puzzles, and a twisted story players will face horror and terror. The fighting mechanic requires precise timing to defend yourself from the aggressive minions. There are new set of puzzles will test your wits as you work quickly to solve the puzzles to advance through Jigsaw’s game. Most of all, Jigsaw has devised a new series of traps that will force you to you make life and death situations as you witness the machines destroy others and yourself.

Saw 2 dropping Fall 2010.

Check out the screens:

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