I don’t know why I thought Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga would be the last in the series of Star Wars and Lego crossovers. Maybe I just thought Lego was planning on sticking with film franchises they knew they’d be able to cash in on — Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter for example. Turns out I was wrong. Today marked the release of the official demo for the latest title in the series, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars. As you’ve probably guessed, the plot of the game will follow the Cartoon Network animated series with a number of cameos from both the show and original films.
Brand-new brawler Marvel vs. Capcom 3 has a pretty robust roster of 38 characters (including announced DLC characters), but just because a character didn’t make it into the game in playable form doesn’t mean they didn’t make it in at all. Each playable character’s ending in Arcade mode has unique art and dialogue, and almost every ending has cameos from both sides of the Marvel-Capcom spectrum. GamesRadar has collected them all and catalogued them for your perusal, and there are cameos from some seriously obscure or second-string characters here. Shanna the She-Devil? Dazzler? Fin Fang Foom? Awesome. And then there are some matchups that just make sense, like Devil May Cry‘s Dante duking it out with Ghost Rider. I’d pay to see that fight. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 17, 2011 in Videogames
Xbox 360 owners are in for a bit of treat when they pre-order Larin Studios’ upcoming expansion for their hit RPG Divinity II, entitled The Dragon Knight Saga. Those of you who were unfortunate enough to own the previous title for your console may be happy to know that this upcoming release will feature a remastered version, complete with new content, an improved engine and support for the Flames of Vengeance add-on. On top of that, Atlus, the game’s North American publisher has decided to sell it for the low price of $39.99, and those of you who pre-order will recieve an art book and soundtrack to boot.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Feb 15, 2011 in Videogames
If you’re a Playstation Plus user — and I know most of you aren’t — you’re in for a treat today. Sony passed along a free copy of the PS3/PSP mini The Flying Hamster as their gift to you — just check your PS3 message box for a note containing an attachment that’ll allow you to download it for free.I have to admit, I wasn’t very optimistic with the initial offerings for Playstation Plus subscribers. For a paid subscription service, Xbox Live! looked far more attractive, with a plethora of content fuled by the seemingly endless stream of income generated by the enormous user base.
Licensed games, especially those based on kids’ properties, tend not to be so great, and Transformers games are no exception. Thankfully, Hasbro had the gumption to let High Moon Studios release a non-tie-in, fully canon Transformers game — War for Cybertron — in 2010, and that gamble paid off in the form of a fun, beautiful game. Now it seems Hasbro is banking on High Moon to produce another Transformers title, but this time it’s a tie-in for the upcoming movie Transformers: Dark of the Moon. High Moon’s Sean Miller assured IGN that they got the franchise because they’re all big Transformers fans, and that since the game acts as a prequel to the film, they’re not beholden to a particular script or scenario for their set pieces and gameplay. Can High Moon one-up themselves and make not only another good Transformers game, but a good Transformers movie game? Time will tell. Read more…
For well over a year now, there have been rumors of a Playstation phone. While most Sony kept their lips sealed, journalists had been left in the dark, wondering if there was an ounce of truth to it. A few months back, a video was leaked that showed a playstation one title being launched from a phone. Many journalists viewed that video with skepticisim and others ignored it completely. Now, it looks like the Playstation phone is quite real. Sony Ericsson recently confirmed its existence via their facebook, posting this image and encouraging us to keep an eye on their Facebook for the official announcement on February 13th. Read more…
Sony left many gaming journalists scratching their heads at the end of their official announcement of their upcoming next-gen handheld. While they did a decent job showing off their new hardware, Sony failed to reveal a number of key details such as the estimated price-point — which many assume will be on the higher end of the spectrum due to the quality of the components — or the existence of multiple models, akin to what’s available for Apple’s iDevices. Kaz Hirai has since leaked a few more details that may answer some of those lingering questions.
By now it’s not really a secret, but I’m sure there are plenty of you who never realized this little trick exists. Those of you who are fond of Infocom’s classic text based adventures will probably love this hidden gem in Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops. Immediately upon reaching the menu, you’re given the option to look around an interrogation room while strapped to a chair — nifty, if not a little over the top for a simple menu interface. What many people haven’t realized is that you can actually escape the chair if you play with your shoulder buttons a little, giving you the opportunity to explore the immediate area, including an old PC in the corner that provides you with a command prompt. Simply enter the word “Zork,” and you’ll be able to play the MIT version of the classic game. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 26, 2011 in Tech, Videogames
When it comes to real-time simulations, Starcraft has pretty much cornered the market. Sure, we’ll still make a little room for the occasional game of Command & Conquer, or Civilization, as far as sales go, Blizzard’s entry reigns. They developed a title that withstood the test of time, and even captured the heart of an entire nation. I wouldn’t be surprised if South Korea named it their national sport at this point, but is there a game that can ever surpass it? Well, it seems someone might just have what it takes after all.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Jan 23, 2011 in Videogames
Start your morning the Mega Man way — fill up this awesome energy tank mug with some piping hot joe and foil whatever dumb plan Dr. Wily cooked up this time. Fangamer, makers of lots of other fine video game-themed merchandise, created these hefty glazed mugs from the ground up. If you want one, you can order one now and receive it in February. And of course, you definitely want one. How else are you going to refill that meter? Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 20, 2011 in Videogames
I imagine many of you probably watched the teaser for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception the other month and thought to yourself “oh, neat.” There wasn’t too much to it. We saw a table, some items, Nathan Drake reading a passage to Sully and what looked like an endless desert. What I never imagined was just how in-depth this teaser truly is. The guys over at GameTrailers actually took the time to dissect the teaser, pointing out numerous hidden bits of info that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. While some might be coincidental or just easter-eggs, a few of them might provide some serious clues as to what we can expect from the upcoming title.
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 19, 2011 in Videogames
I’ve always had a soft spot for pixel art. I suppose I can attribute that to the endless hours I spent glued to various game consoles as a youth. Last weekend I attended MAGfest in Alexandria, Virginia where I encountered Adam Shub. The man had a booth set up in vendor room, and I had just happened by it. On his table, there were multiple pieces of pixel art he had hand-painted.
Last weekend I attended MAGfest in Alexandria, Virginia. For those of you who aren’t already aware of the festival, it’s a relatively small convention held annually which features videogame-themed concerts, panels, guests, and more. while I was there I noticed a few posters for an upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog fan film. The movie is being produced by Eddie Lebron, the same man responsible for that niftyMega Man fan film released last year.Read more…
Nintendo, like Apple, knows exactly how to market their products to their core audience , no matter how much a gimick the product may be. Case and point, check out these commercials that are currently airing overseas. The system will be out in a little over a month, but rather than show how the product actually looks — I imagine it doesn’t look too impressive on a 2D screen — they’ve decided to simply hire the most popular boy band in the nation and have them react on film to what they’re seeing. So, how will that sell the system? Simple. If it’s good enough for them, it has to be good enough for you. Of course, it could very well be, but we won’t know until the system ships to North America later this year.
I read about the mythical Hello Kitty/Monster Hunter costumes over a year ago, but I didn’t get a really good luck until some kind folks posted them to Flickr. I have to admit that there’s something very surrealistic to the idea of wearing a costume of Hello Kitty wearing a costume and then the other way around. Read more…
A few months ago, director Kevin Tancharoen released a short film that was intended as a pitch to Warner Bros. for a grittier, more realistic Mortal Kombat film. It was definitely a hit with the fans, but it didn’t succeed in getting picked up as a full-length feature. Bloody Disgusting reports that Tancharoen and the short’s star, Michael Jai White, got a deal almost as good, though: a ten-episode Mortal Kombat web series! Several of the usual suspects are slated to make an appearance in the series as well, including Shang Tsung, Liu Kang, Sub Zero, Durak, Kabal, Kitana, Mileena and Scorpion. There’s no release date for the series yet, but production will begin in Vancouver in February. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 13, 2011 in Tech, Videogames
If you can believe it, it’s been almost six years since the PlayStation Portable debuted, and while there have been a few notable titles, its library seems scarce when compared to the competition. Sony’s attempt at staking its share of the handheld market has been an uphill battle from the outset with Nintendo having practically dominated the market since the late 80’s. It’s not entirely Sony’s fault. The system does make use of the proprietary UMD disc format, which I imagine can cost publishers a bit to produce. The system’s digital market also remains seemingly stagnant, despite the introduction of the PSP Go. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Jan 11, 2011 in Videogames
It was perhaps the most popular iPhone game of 2010. Even I have to admit that I as hooked after finally deciding to give it a chance, and now it looks like Angry Birds will be moving beyond the digital realm in the form of a table-top game. I would have used the term boardgame, but there’s no board — only blocks, pigs, the birds and the sling you use to launch them. So how could that possibly work? Well, for those of you who are having a difficult time imagining it, check out the video above. Read more…
It’s never easy crafting your own props, let alone attempting to recreate one from scratch. That said, artist Josh Jay did a fantastic job sculpting his very own Brotherhood of Steel power helmet from Fallout 3. That much is impressive, but what’s more is that he actually took the time to document the process through photos, posting several galleries detailing the techniques he used while constructing it. Had he actually taken the time to write out some instructions along with his photos, they’d make a fantastic visual aid. For more photos check out his galleries here and here.
Since Microsoft’s Kinect hit the market last November, the homebrew community has been hard at work modifying the technology for all sorts of interesting applications. Using open source drivers, developers have created everything from adult-oriented mini-games to musical instruments like a virtual midi drum kit. One such modification makes use of the motion tracking sensors to deliver a 3d shadow puppet show. I’m sure it wasn’t too complicated to devise, but it just goes to show how easily the technology can be adapted for uses outside the gaming environment Microsoft had in mind when creating it.
I have to admit that I wasn’t very impressed with Little Big Planet’s first outting. While the game gave us plenty of tools to build with, the platforming aspects of the game seemed a bit tiresome. After merely a week and half — I’m told it took some people less time than that — I found myself placing back on my shelf never to be played again. A shame really, considering all the hard work spent on creating countless user-generated content. Thankfully, the upcoming sequel, Little Big Planet 2, features a bit more than just your typical platforming.
Pixel artist Pierre Manry recently threw together this awesome little 8-bit homage to the recently released Tron Legacy. I haven’t seen the film yet — I know, shame on me — but I’ll probably make it to the theater tomorrow. From what I’ve been told, the film is absolutely fantastic. I’m just not sure if I want to see it in 3D, or not. I imagine it’s probably amazing, but is it going to be worth the inevitable headache? Until then, I suppose I’ll just keep watching this video, wishing someone would have actually made a game exactly like this. Kudos for using Mega Man sprites, by the way.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Jan 2, 2011 in Videogames
This StarCraft 2 cake is pretty detailed! You’ve got your Nexus, your Probes harvesting minerals, vespene gas nodes, terrain height differences … the only thing that could make it more accurate is an adjoining cake that shows the Zerg six-pooling you. Though I suppose it’s hard to make “scrub” out of fondant. A valiant and ostensibly delicious effort nonetheless. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Jan 2, 2011 in Videogames
It should come as no surprise that Japan is bonkers about games involving hunting, collecting, and/or fighting monsters. But as it turns out, the country is so in love with monster-wranglin’ genre that even the flagging PSP can sell like hotcakes if the games are there! In fact, the PSP was the best-selling system of 2010 in Japan, due in large part to Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, which sold over 3 million copies in its first two weeks of release. But even Monster Hunter’s sales were eclipsed by Pokemon Black/White, which helped the Nintendo DS into its spot as Japan’s #2 best-selling system. Read more…
