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LocoRoco 2? Cheap!
Sony is letting you have LocoRoco2 for a song. In brand new video game terms, that’s $19.99 USD or, in SCEA pricing terms “the cost of just two movie tickets.” Following a PSP pricing strategy similar to the one SCEA used with the original Patapon, the sub-twenty dollar scheme may simply be a “please, please,…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Prep Up Your NXE Avatar With New Threads
Your New Xbox Experience avatar just got a wardrobe booster, thanks to the fashionistas at Microsoft and Rare. It’s a noticeably preppy update to the Avatar closet, perfect for a weekend beach house getaway. Fans of polos, cardigans, chinos and other yacht-appropriate casual wear will want to deck out their Avatars with the latest threads.…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Rumor: Next Grand Theft Auto Could Hit By The Holidays
We’d think that the next proper Grand Theft Auto game, Xbox 360-exclusive expansions notwithstanding, is a long way off. Not Game Informer, though. The magazine is reportedly expecting the next entry by end of year. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Didn’t Grand Theft Auto IV just ship? Well, if Game Informer’s “Loose Talk” is correct, pegging…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Microsoft Gets Smart (Could Get Smarter)
Microsoft is teaming up with Best Buy to encourage parents and caregivers to talk about video game playing and ratings with their kids, Microsoft announced today. The Get Game Smart website is filled with glowing endorsements about family gaming, a break down of what exactly the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s ratings mean, and some neat…
By Brian Crecente Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Final Skate 2 Pre-Launch Screens Are Vegetarian Friendly
With Skate 2 shipping next week, EA released this final batch of screenshots to remind everyone of what they’ll be missing if they don’t get it, without an ounce of dead animal in sight. Having tinkered about a little bit with the demo that was released last week on the 360, I’ll probably show up…
By Mike Fahey Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Electronic Arts Thinks I’m a Cannibal
Here’s one piece of swag I won’t be donating to a charity. Electronic Arts sent me a freezer box this morning packed with Skate 2 assets and two frozen steaks. I’m pretty sure I won’t be storing that in my closet until November. But what’s this about the two 6 ounce steaks being “prepared fresh…
By Brian Crecente Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
.hack Is Coming Back On PSP
The latest issue of Famitsu has confirmation on the next video game episode long-running, but niche appealing .hack series from CyberConnect. .hack//LINK is making the jump from manga to the PSP in 2009. In what we’re guessing is an attempt to glom on to the success of Capcom’s Monster Hunter Portable series, CyberConnect and (we’re…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
SimAnimals Trailer Is Dangerously Adorable
The latest trailer for EA’s SimAnimals highlights how adorable and cuddly the wild animals in the forest are, as opposed to the ferocious, baby-eating animals we see in the nature documentaries. Due out next week for the Nintendo DS and Wii, SimAnimals is a pet sim that replaces your cuddly, store-bought hamster with an entire…
By Mike Fahey Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
You Got Your Baroque in My Battlefield
Danny Elfman, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the International Contemporary Ensemble. They’re just a few of the classically trained musicians jumping on the video game bandwagon lately to make absurd amounts of cash. Just how absurd? Game composer and Game Audio Network Guild founder Tommy Tallarico tell the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the typical fee for a…
By Brian Crecente Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Kojima “Addicted” To Left 4 Dead, Considers Renouncing His Japanese Status
The man behind Metal Gear Solid, Hideo Kojima, has got Left 4 Dead fever, a first-person shooter addiction rare in the typical Japanese video game fan. “Maybe I should quit being Japanese,” Kojima joked. In a newly published Famitsu interview, by way of 1UP, the Kojima Productions head worries further about the disparity between Japanese…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Dragon Age Prequel Novel Released This March
BioWare crams so much story into their games that they need to release some of it in book form, hence Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, the novel prequel to Dragon Age: Origins. Due out on March 3rd from Tor Books, Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne tells the tale of the rebel lord Maric, who leads…
By Mike Fahey Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Xbox 360 Dominates 2008 Game Rentals
Seven of the top ten most rented titles in 2008 were Xbox 360 games, the remaining three were Wii titles, according to a survey by Rentrak and Home Video Essentials. Rentrak used Home Video Essentials, which measures consumer rental activity and grosses on more than 65,000 film and video game properties, looking at retail, online…
By Brian Crecente Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
A Buyer’s Guide To A Console Generation Past
Times are tough, money is tight, and new consoles & games are expensive. But older consoles and games? Much cheaper, and just as good! Think back to the years between, oh, around 2000-2006. A lucky few among you would have owned all three gaming consoles, but for the majority, a lot of great systems, and…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Frankenreview: Mirror’s Edge (PC)
While the console versions of EA DICE’s ambitious first-person action adventure game Mirror’s Edge might have slipped past the Frankenreview monster, the recently released PC version encounters no such luck. The console version of Mirror’s Edge, released last November for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, may have received overall positive reviews, but multiple complaints…
By Mike Fahey Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
THQ Patches WWE Smackdown VS. Raw Create-a-Superstar
THQ has released a patch for the Create-A Superstar Mode for the PlayStation 3 version of WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, allowing players to better build up their custom creations. Players will now be able to give their created Superstars increased attributes by playing through the game’s Career Mode – or not. Players not wishing…
By Mike Fahey Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Tomy’s My Do It All Nearly Makes Your DS A PDA
Tomy’s My Do It All for the Nintendo DS further punctuates the possibilities of the handheld as a viable personal digital assistant, while staying on the safe side of the application versus toy line. The Nintendo DS needs a day planner application. There are plenty of homebrew options out there, but for those of us…
By Mike Fahey Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Stylish Robber Shoots Man for Wii
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies are looking for a man in Air Jordans who broke into a home in West Palm Beach Tuesday night and shot a man before stealing his Wii. Air Jordans? Really? The fancy footwearer and a pal broke into the home about 7:30 p.m., demanded money and jewelry from the person…
By Brian Crecente Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Your Next Xbox Original Is…Blowout?
The Xbox Originals program selection process continues to confuse, as the Gamerscore Blog revlelas the next addition to the lineup of downloadable “classics” for the Xbox 360, Terminal Reality’s Blowout. Only the fact that Crecente might actually be reading this post keeps me from just writing “Why?” 200 times and calling it a day. For…
By Mike Fahey Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
Resident Evil 5 Demo Premiers On 360 January 26th
Xbox 360 owners will be getting an early taste of Capcom’s Resident Evil 5 come January 26th, when a one-week timed exclusive demo hits Xbox Live. The demo, much like the one released late last year in Japan, features two levels from the full game, Assembly Place and Shanty Town, allowing 360 owners to play…
By Mike Fahey Published January 14, 2009 - Uncategorized
EA Responds to Pandemic Rumor
In the face of rumors that Pandemic’s Brisbane, Australia studio has been let go, Electronic Arts said today that their upcoming cuts will affect studios, but declined to be more specific. “In December, EA announced a cost reduction initiative that will impact facilities and headcount,” said Mariam Sughayer, Electronic Arts spokeswoman. “We do not expect…
By Brian Crecente Published January 14, 2009