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Cheap Playstation 3 (PS3 PSP) - GAMER NEWS
April 2010 - Posts
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While we have yet to get an official release date for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, the beta program has been up and running for quite some time now. With Activision/Blizzard, you can pretty well guarantee that it will be available during 2010 (likely holiday).
StarCraft II will once again center on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side deploying favorite units from the original StarCraft, along with numerous upgraded and brand-new units and abilities that allow for fresh tactics and strategies. The game's new 3D-graphics engine maintains the speed and responsive control of its predecessor while rendering hundreds of units onscreen for massive battles.
Players will be able to tailor the experience, choosing their own mission path and selecting technology and research upgrades to suit their playing style throughout the 29-mission campaign. Several challenge-mode mini-games will also be included, with focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies. In addition, dozens of multiplayer maps will be available for competitive play through the new version of Battle.net, which is launching alongside StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. This new version of the service has been built from the ground up to offer an unparalleled online play experience, with new features such as voice communication, character profiles and achievements, stat-tracking, ladders and leagues, cloud file storage, and more.
With that being said, pre-orders for both the regular and limited edition have kicked off over the last few weeks. The latest pre-order offers include free access to the uber-addictive beta as well. Both Gamestop and Amazon are currently offering beta codes, with more retailers to follow.
Check it out:
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The Dead Space 2 Trailer was released late yesterday and we have it here for your. It is not a very revealing trailer, but it does make you curious. The first Dead Space was an extremely well-paced and nerve jarring game; but there have been rumors that EA is trying to make it a little more action oriented. We can only hope that they don't spoil the formula that made the first one so darn good. Check it out (but you may want to keep the lights on).
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Trying to get out of whatever poop-shuffle you got your company into? Take note of Activision's push to announce the next Call of Duty game in the series this week. GameTrailers TV has the exclusive Friday night to pimp out Call of Duty 7 and I can't blame the publisher. They really need to get out of the stink they're stirring in right now with top men leaving and running off to create offshoot developer, Respawn Entertainment. Now, CoD7 will most likely be Treyarch's doing, so that's a good sign, right? CoD: World at War wasn't too bad. And, you got to shoot at Nazi-fied zombies. Real fancy.
Also, today, Bungie announced that the Halo: Reach beta will reach (get it, get it?) expiration on May 19. Which gives us about 16 days of teasing us with a few modes including "Free-for-All," "Grab Bag," and "Arena." By the end of the trial we will be messing around with new modes "Invasion" and "Generator Defense." Everyone suit up and set your plasma rifles past "stun" and into "deadly" on May 3rd.
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We previously reported on the rumors of RIM's next OS for their BlackBerry phones. Well, they are rumors no more, as RIM has posted an official video giving us some insight into what we can expect from their upcoming webkit (think Palm Pre) based OS. From the looks of it, RIM has managed to bring their OS into this century without changing the look and overall aesthetic too much, so those familiar with the current OS will not be scared off. Check the video and give us your thoughts.
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Disney Interactive released a demo version of its upcoming Split-Second title and, I have to say, somebody may have taken Burnout's groove. Split-Second threads heavily on Burnouts past by awarding bonuses for catching drafts, drifting on harrowing highways, and even adds a bit of barrel-rolling explosion fun to the mix. All without the annoying, bewildering open-world mess of Burnout Paradise.
While it derives most of its inspiration from the Burnout series, it's most direct competition will be Blur when it releases next month. Blur is going for those of us who've been wishing for a grown-up Mario Kart but, from playing the beta, it's mostly derivative of other racers with a few quirks here and there.
Don't let Blur's neon glows and glitter distract you, Split-Second, to me, has the upper hand. Attacks on your opponents are timing-based and generally have a bigger, visible impact on the race. Especially considering it has a two-tiered attack system where the more you build up your combos, the more destruction you cause -- usually changing the landscape of the race next lap around.
Other than that, the HUD (heads-up display) is placed on the car's rear bumper; a super-slick design allowing for a clear view of impeding doom and wide drift opportunities. You'll even forget that there's no speedometer tracking your speed!
Positives aside, the Split-Second demo could have done with some multiplayer options. Online or, even, split-screen would have really shown how the game performs when you have a human target/assailant to contend with. As is, it provides a nice preview of what's possible but in a mode that will -- most likely -- be swept aside quickly to take on challengers. Regardless, I know I've decdied which racing game I'll be putting on my Gamefly game queue when Split-Second and Blur release next month.
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Blu-ray Movie Releases for the Week of April 27, 2010
After the blockbuster Avatar and Crazy Horse hit shelves last week, we can take a slight breather...
This week's recommended Blu-ray movie title is Tombstone...
Here is the full list:
- Tombstone [Blu-ray] ~ Kurt Russell, Val Kimer, Sam Elliott, and Bill Paxton
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus [Blu-ray] ~ Johnny Depp, et al.
- Armageddon [Blu-ray] ~ Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, and Liv Tyler
- Out of Africa: 25th Anniversary (Blu-ray/DVD Combo) ~ Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Michael Kitchen, and Joseph Thiaka
- Dune [Blu-ray] ~ Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Francesca Annis, and Leonardo Cimino
- It's Complicated [Blu-ray] ~ Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin
- Elizabeth [Blu-ray] ~ Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, and Joseph Fiennes
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age [Blu-ray] ~ Cate Blanchett, Jordi Molla, John Shrapnel, and Geoffrey Rush
- The Jackal (Combo Blu-ray and Standard DVD) [Blu-ray] ~ Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, and Sidney Poitier
- Traffic (Combo Blu-ray and Standard DVD) [Blu-ray] ~ Michael Douglas, Benicio Del Toro, and Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Ride with the Devil (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] ~ Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jewel Kilcher, and Jeremy W. Auman
- Five Minutes of Heaven [Blu-ray] ~ Liam Neeson, et al.
- Buddha [Blu-ray] ~ Richard Gere
- District B13/District 13: Ultimatum 2-Pack [Blu-ray] ~ Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Philippe Torreton, and Daniel Duval
- District 13: Ultimatum [Blu-ray] ~ Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Philippe Torreton, and Daniel Duval
- Disgrace [Blu-ray] ~ John Malkovich, Natalie Becker, Antoinette Engel, and Antonio Fisher
- Pride and Prejudice [Blu-ray] ~ Colin Firth, Jennifer Ehle, Susannah Harker, and Julia Sawalha
All of these new Blu-Ray releases are currently available at 30% off over at Amazon.
Check it out: Amazon - Blu-ray Sale
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Oh Amazon... how you tempt us so...
The great deal temptress, otherwise known as Amazon.com, is back with some sweet... sweet... dealness this Tuesday.
I was greated with the following email from message from her:
As someone who has shopped Xbox 360 at Amazon.com, you might like to know that on Tuesday, April 27, 2010, the Amazon.com Gold Box will feature video game products for Xbox 360 gamers all day long.
The Xbox 360 deals will start flowing promptly at Midnight...
Check it out: Amazon - All Xbox 360 Gold Box Event
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Xboxic pointed out that the Toy Story 3 video game, being released as a tie-in to the upcoming Pixar movie (no, I'm not putting links in--you know what Toy Story 3 is), recently put up a new trailer, and of particular interest is the revealed first shots of Toy Box Mode, a sandbox style free-play mode.
Toy Box Mode is to be…well…a virtual toy box, giving the player access to all the characters and bits from the Toy Story world to create and play with as they please. It looks like it took a page straight out of Boom Blox’s playbook, which would be a good thing. Presumably, the final game will have more areas than just the wild-west themed one displayed in the trailer.
Though not personally a fan of either movie tie-ins or, well, Toy Story (I know, I know, shame on me), the idea of Toy Box Mode has definitely piqued my interest in this game. Now if they can just add a mode that puts Randy Newman into a RapeLay scenario, I’ll be a Day One adopter.
I hate that guy…
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 The last time we got a Jet Set Radio game was back in the day when Microsoft was trying to convince gamers that they had Sega backing their system with exclusives -- apparent proof that their new Xbox console was "hardcore." Politics aside, JSR:F was a great follow-up in 2002 that simplified the controls a bit, but the real gem was the Dreamcast original, Jet Grind Radio. Destructoid found a screenshot showing that the game might be planned for release on XBLA. If it does come out and you haven't played it...BUY IT. Day one. Actually...go out and get some Microsoft space bucks so you can be ready for that fateful day right now...
In other, less urgent, news: Microsoft expects that Halo: ODST sales will rise with the release of the Halo: Reach beta on May 3. Well, duh! It was proven when they threw in a Halo 3 beta in Crackdown and now that game's launched a series! This is straight up Halo-on-Halo action...of course there will be a boost! Pfft, "news."
Here's the "news" around the HawtWired since last update:
Microsoft Office Mobile Demo: Windows Phone 7
Comic Books Coming to Windows Phone 7
Photobomb! Princess Leia Car Wash: The Ride
Dell Handset Line Up Outed!
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Welcome to New Releases for the Week!
Releases are starting to flow again this week after a post Easter lull. Hightlights include Super Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360 & PS3), 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa (Xbox 360/PS3/Wii/PSP), NIER (Xbox 360 & PS3), Pixel Junk Monsters Deluxe (Sony PSP), Dead to Rights Retribution (Xbox 360/PS3), Splinter Cell Conviction (PC), plus a few more gems...
Our recommended new release of the week will go to Super Street Fighter IV.
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of April 26, 2010 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC! As always, release dates are subject to change, slip, slide, and be fairly unpredictable.
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OK...yah..staying calm...COMIC BOOKS COMING TO WINDOWS PHONE 7!!!! Yes, Microsoft is really trying to capture different audiences with their next mobile platform and it seems like they are off to a pretty good start. Utilizing a Silverlight App called Graphic.ly (this is not a typo). You can use this app to download thousands of comic directly from the net for use on your Windows 7 Phone or Windows laptop. It even has a feature where friends that have already read the comic can leave notes for you; Oh Snap! This app will most likely be used to read all types of reading material (think magazines,newspapers) later on down the line. Don't take my word for how awesome this is, check it out.
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G4TV hosted a car wash for the Make-a-Wish foundation in Los Angeles earlier today and HawtWired was there to show our "support".
Par for any ride is an entrance fee. Princess Leia Car Wash: The Ride was a cool $10.
Check out all the shenanigans and pics:
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EA Sports Covers Revealed
While we have known that Drew Brees and Tim Tebow have been selected as the cover athletes for Madden and NCAA Football respectively, the actual covers have finally been revealed...
Now the only remaining questions are whether Drew Brees will succumb to the Madden cover jinx, and whether Tim Tebow will be successfull at the next level...
Brees has been quoted as saying: "I'm not rooting against it . . . If it does happen, just like records are made to be broken, curses are made to be broken too."
NCAA football 11 is set to ship on July 13, 2010, whille Madden NFL Football 11 hits on August 10, 2010.
Both are avaialble for pre-order, and Amazon currently has a $20 credit offer on all Madden NFL 11 pre-orders.
Check it out:
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Gamefly Top Queued!
During the week ending April 23, 2010, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction takes the top of the cross-platform Gamefly 'Most Queued' list again! Just Cause 2 moves up to the 2nd position, while Alan Wake climbs into third.
Queue up the Gamefly Top 10 most requested list:
Most Popular Games Cross-Platform:
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Rank |
Title |
Platform(s) |
Category |
Publisher |
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1 |
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction |
Xbox 360 |
Shooter |
Ubisoft |
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2 |
Just Cause 2 |
PS3, Xbox 360 |
Action Adventure |
Eidos |
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3 |
Alan Wake |
Xbox 360 |
Action Adventure |
Microsoft |
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4 |
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 |
PS3, Xbox 360 |
Shooter |
Electronic Arts |
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5 |
Red Dead Redemption |
PS3, Xbox 360 |
Action Adventure |
Take Two |
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6 |
Metro 2033 |
Xbox 360 |
Shooter |
THQ |
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7 |
Lost Planet 2 |
PS3, Xbox 360 |
Action Adventure |
Capcom |
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8 |
God of War III |
PS3 |
Action Adventure |
Sony Computer Entertainment |
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9 |
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City |
PS3, Xbox 360 |
Action Adventure |
Take Two |
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10 |
Heavy Rain |
PS3 |
Action Adventure |
Sony Computer Entertainment |
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 The gentlemen over at Engadget had quite a gem dropped on them, a leak of upcoming Dell handsets and an Android tablet. Not just any handsets, mind you, but a portrait slider Windows Phone (Lightning) and a 4.1" Android phone (Thunder) with a Hulu app (gee Hulu, thanks for giving us our 2007 mobile tech back). There are also mid-range and entry level handsets here as well, so it is safe to say that Dell is jumping back in the game in a big way. This fall is shaping up to be a landmark quarter for smartphone enthusiasts; with Windows Phone 7, the EVO 4G, Dell's re-entry into the market, the next iPhone and hopefully a new Web OS handset, there is no way that consumers can lose. Start saving those pennies.
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The latest scuttlebutt? There may be yet another reason to cancel your cable subscription. That is, if rumors that Microsoft will be bringing a TV channel to its service soon are true. According to MTV Multiplayer, Redmond has been in talks about bringing an exclusive Xbox TV (or whatever they would call it) channel to Xbox Live. With the Netflix and Bittorrents of the world, it already seems incredibly unecessary to pay exorbitant cable prices...this would make me a very happy camper if it came to fruition. Even if it just broadcasts reruns of Ren & Stimpy. That show was gross. But, hoe-larious.
And for the Farmville fans in the audience? You may be getting a portable-ized-ed-ed version of your favorite idyllic farm simulator in the near future. iPhone, iPad, Android, you name it. It will be there. This is how it starts people...how the world ends...Farmville.
This is how HawtWired has been doing its part to end the world:
Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Trailer
Starcraft II Gets Adult-Only Rating in Korea; We're All Doomed
iPhound: iPhone 4 Prototype Found in Bar!
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I am one of the people that has been waiting anxiously patiently for a decade for Marvel Vs Capcom 3. MVsC 2 is the reason that I still have my Dreamcast (R.I.P.). I am so amped for this game, I can barely contain myself. What do we know so far? Capcom has shared that the game:
- Uses what they are calling and advanced version of the MT Framework engine used to make Resident Evil 5 and Lost Planet 2 so gorgeous
- An "Evolved Vs Fighting System" complete with aerial combos, hyper combos and original fighting systems
- 3 on 3 assist teams return (JOY!)
- Most intriguing of all, Capcom is promising an art style that blurs the boundary between 2D and 3D graphics; a "living and moving comic book
Ummmmm...BRING IT ON!!!
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 Video game "journos" were treated to a harrowing, depressing press junket in Hawaii last week hosted by Capcom. A few things were revealed. Chief among them was Marvel vs. Capcom 3. From what I have had heard is that it will include at least 30 characters bashing heads together. MvC2 had 56 total but MvC3 will be using a new graphics engine and coming out relatively soon, April 2011, as well. It took them years to finally put out Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and that had, like, two characters! One semi-interesting reveal was that Dead Rising 2 will have a co-op mode when it releases in August. Might be alright, but no single-console split-screen... Also, the shining example that some times it's better to just reimagine a classic via DLC (rather than full-blast retail release) will be getting a sequel with Bionic Commando: Rearmed 2. This time you can jump! Love how they introduce it in this trailer:
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Blu-ray Movie Releases for the Week of April 20, 2010
Here is the full list:
- Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray] ~ Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Michelle Rodriguez
- Crazy Heart [Blu-ray]
- Minority Report [Blu-ray] ~ Tom Cruise, Arye Gross, Jessica Harper, and Patrick Kilpatrick
- The Lovely Bones [Blu-ray] ~ Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, and Stanley Tucci
- The Young Victoria [Blu-ray] ~ Emily Blunt, et al.
- Fist of Legend [Blu-ray] ~ Jet Li, Chin Siu Ho, Paul Chiang, and Yasuaki Kurata
- Vivre sa vie (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] ~ Anna Karina, Saddy Rebbot, Gilles Quéant, and Jean Ferrat
- Battleship Potemkin [Blu-ray] ~ Alexander Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, and Grigori Aleksandrov
- Summer Hours (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] ~ Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, Jérémie Renier, and Edith Scob
- Batman Returns [Blu-ray] ~ Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, and Christopher Walken
- Batman [Blu-ray] ~ Michael Keaton, et al.
- The Basketball Diaries [Blu-ray] ~ Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Marilyn Sokol, and James Madio
- Batman Forever [Blu-ray] ~ Val Kilmer, Chris O'donnell, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jim Carrey
- Cheech & Chong's Hey Watch This [Blu-ray]
- Incognito Live In London: The 30th Anniversary Concert [Blu-ray] ~ n/a
- 44 Inch Chest [Blu-ray] ~ Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, John Hurt, and Tom Wilkinson
- Batman & Robin [Blu-ray] ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, and Chris O'Donnell
- A Fork in the Road (Blu-ray) ~ Jamie King, Josh Cooke, and Missi Pyle
All of these new Blu-Ray releases are currently available at 30% off over at Amazon.
Check it out: Amazon - Blu-ray Sale
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Pushing South East Asia ever closer to losing their minds and unleashing nuclear hellfire on us all, Korea’s Game Rating Board has appointed Starcraft II, according to The Korea Times, an 18-and-Over age restriction, due to violence, foul language, and drug use (also known collectively as “American Middle School”).
Originally, the Korean government marked the game as a 15-and-up sale based on the Beta release, so Blizzard Korea submitted a “release candidate”, a version more in-line with the final release version, in an attempt to open the game up to a broader market, a ploy which apparently blew up in their face like a faulty sixty-year old surplus Soviet ICBM.
Since Starcraft is looked at in Korea the same way Americans look at…well…internet porn is the only thing quite so wide-spread that comes to mind…this comes as a huge blow to both Korean gamers and Blizzard Korea, who has thirty days to appeal the decision, and thus side-step the apocalypse for us all. Blizzard’s only other option would be to edit out the offensive content to get down to the targeted 12-and-up demographic, which could delay the game by as much as a year.
No one wants that.
Some speculate that the rating may have less to do with the actual content as much as it does the Korean gaming populace’s proclivity for gaming addiction and obsession, which, in all fairness, when the smartest and brightest minds of your population are busy Zerg Rushing when they should be building the infrastructure that will help your country come out on top after culling the Earth with the cleansing purity of fire, yeah, I can see their point. 
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Concept Mock-Up
How is this for unbelievable?!?!?!? The guys over at Gizmodo found a functioning prototype of the iPhone 4 or whatever it's going to be called. I was skeptical at first, but apparently they have taken it apart and studied the handsets innards and it appears to be the real thing. They also did some snooping around and found that Apple has indeed reported a missing prototype handset. If this is real, we should hear about a firing some time soon. Check it out and let us know what you think.
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Welcome to New Releases for the Week!
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of April 19, 2010 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC! As always, release dates are subject to change, slip, slide, and be fairly unpredictable.
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I briefly mentioned my love for Mario games in a recent "This is News!" and guess what? There's more where that came from! Apparently, Mario Galaxy 1's second player girlfriend mode, as I would like to call it, will be getting a revision for the game's sequel. Multiplayer Blog has but one pic of what it might entail, but it already looks like the mode might get an upgrade to "little brother mode."
Difficulty is something that many developers continue to contend with and not always with the best results. Rockstar (a first for the publisher, I believe) will be offering a variety of difficulty settings for the upcoming Red Dead Redemption: casual, medium, and expert. Instead of simply making enemies harder to kill and the player easier to die, they change how aggressive auto-aim is and faster regenerating health times. From great free-form multiplayer gaming and amazing gameplay trailers, everything I've been hearing about the game rings super triple-A. Really, though, I just want to roam the wild west shooting at random rattlesnakes.
Also, Red Steel 2 only moved 50K copies in March. Good or bad? Maybe my article singing a few of its praises will help sell some more copies?
Here's what the HawtWired crew has been praising since the last "This is News!" update:
No Doubt 2, Acti-Legal 0
Six Million Sims Can't Be Wrong
iGame:Is Apple "i-Ing" Your Living Room?
HTC Incredible...IN-CRAY-OB-LAY!-Update!!
X-Men Origins: Wolverine - A Paragraph Review
The Balancing Act: Ready for the Next Gen?
OMG, It's the KIN!
HTC EVO 4G: Sooner Rather Than Later?
The Science of Move and Red Steel 2
World's Largest Android Phone Revealed?
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According to a LA Times article Thursday, No Doubt has scored first blood in the ongoing “use of likeness” lawsuits related to last year’s Band Hero. Activision’s lawyers, who I persist in calling Acti-Legal in the hopes a game or at least comic book is made about them, pulled out the most cowardly of plays used by every “modern artist” that nails babies to a spatula in the pursuit of greatness, and tried to hide behind the First Amendment, claiming that unlocking No Doubt’s in-game avatars and allowing to use them when playing non-No Doubt songs fell into the domain of Free Speech.
A hundred years of likeness rights laws may disagree with them, but who’s counting?
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kenji Machida, apparently, who rejected Acti-Legal’s claims, and placing himself in prime position as the level one boss on Acti-Legals much anticipated game.
In case you missed out on the fallout thus far, No Doubt was the second artist/right holder to be upset about Activision’s “unlocking” of major music icons and allowing them to partake in any song on the play list, this first being Courtney Love who was so upset about Kurt Cobain being unlockable in Guitar Hero 5 she forgot to not wear panties for nearly a week. After threatening to sue several times and getting some encouragement from former Nirvana member Dave Grohl on her behalf, Love lost her steam and went back to posting refrigerator poetry sans verbs on her Twitter feed. No Doubt picked up the ball just before Love’s fumble and have stuck with it, claiming that Activision only contracted rights to have the artists play their own songs. For those of you that love performing Sk8ter Boy with Johnny Cash, this could be trouble, but then you have no soul anyway, so no worries.
Acti-Legal, with their alien-pig-duck sidekick Leego, motioned to have the case tried in Federal Court, backpedaling from the Free Speech claim like a they tied an M-80 to it, and claiming that the case is a matter of copyright and not a right-of-publicity case as No Doubt’s lawyers have claimed. Brandishing his ring made of pure BloodyMarium, the element of Acti-Legal’s home planet, Judge Machida denied this claim as well.
An Activision spokesman has said that the company expects to file an appeal to these rulings, hopefully buying Acti-Legal enough time to combine their powers and transform into Legalator. 
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The most dedicated SimCity player in history has cropped up recently on Reddit. YouTube user TheImperar posted the video of his manically devised SimCity 3000 city in January, but it wasn’t until recently that people began to take notice.
Vast diagrams and calculations, paired with good old fashioned trial-and-error led TheImperar to devise the layout of Magnasanti, a SimCity boasting over 6 million inhabitants. Completely cheat free. That’s right, he played the game legitimately with a plan and dedication, and by the in-game year 50,000 AD saw the fruition of his hard work.
By the way, in real-world time, he plugged over three years into the development and production of his city. What was the last game you were willing to play over-and-over for three years?
A utopia, Magnasanti boasts no water pollution, no crime, and no traffic. So some city planner out there needs to swallow their pride and hire Thelmperar, or at the very least buy access to his theorems and algorithms, cause game or not there has to be information there that can be applied to the real world. My vote: Seattle. Because, damn, have you ever tried to drive in Seattle?
Check out TheImperar’s YouTube video below. It’s a bit heavy-handed, but he earned it. The next time you utterly disect a game and make it your roofied prom date, you can make a YouTube video and play Carmina Burana in the background, too.
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  Check out the updated spec info on the HTC Incredible!
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When Apple first unleashed the iPhone on the world, their attitude towards gaming was lackluster, to be polite. That has all changed, in no small part, to the run away success of the iPhone/iPod Touch. Need proof? Look no further than Apple's recently launched giant iPod iPad and the just announced iPhone OS 4.0.
The #1 complaint that I (and quite a few other people) have had about iPhone/iPod gaming was that your fingers usually get in the way of the action. It's a bit difficult to see the action on screen, especially if you have manly thumbs like I do. The introduction of the iPad has addressed this and really changed the landscape of portable gaming. It's large screen has all but eliminated the finger obstruction issue that plagued it's little brother and it's powerful (relative to other portables) processor makes a very attractive and desirable portable gaming device.
Apple has also revealed what it is calling the Game Center. This is basically Apple's version of XBLA; users will be able to see what their friends are playing, send game invites and maybe even earn trophies/achievements.
None of this is a mere coincidence or natural evolution. Apple has realized that gaming, whether they like it or not, is an integral part of their mobile business. Now that Steve has become aware of the cash cow that is gaming, it is only a matter of time before we are introduced to some type of home console. Steve Jobs has instilled a conquer all mentality when it comes to Apple's business model and now that gaming is being taken seriously in Cupertino, you have to assume that it is coming.
While it is difficult to even imagine a market that could support a 4th console, if there is any company that could make it happen, it's Apple. Let's think about what Apple has going for them: they have no problem building a quality machine, so we probably don't have to worry about anything like the "Red Ring of Death". Graphical power has never been an issue for Macs and now that Intel is their BFF, developers should be greeted with a more friendly development environment. Also, Apple has perhaps the most brilliant marketing team in the history of consumer goods. They could probably market and sell a product called iPoo successfully, so they will have absolutely no problem convincing us to buy one of their consoles for each room in our house. Oh yah, one last thing, DEEP Pockets. It took a few years, but it worked well for Microsoft.
Most of you reading this probably think that I am crazy. Maybe so, but in 2012, when Apple announces their iGame, iPlay or whatever they decide to call their wonder console, remember this post (bookmark it) so I can say that I told you so.
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HTC, HTC, HTC... why do you torture us so? It seems that handset manufacturer HTC will not be satisfied until every human owns one of their drool worthy smart phones and then upgrades to a new one every 90 days. It seems like every other week there is a new must have phone from these guys and today is no different. The long rumored HTC Supersonic Incredible is almost here and will be available from Can you hear me now? Big Red Verizon very soon. It's got the goods, for sure: a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, 8 mp camera, accelerometer, advanced speech recognition, a microwave oven and Flash Lite 4.0 support. IN-CRAY-OB-LAY! Hit the link for the full spec sheet. 
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Raven's Wolverine game gets Logan. The developer knows how violent he can be at times. How extremely durable (via regenerative health) he can be. And especially how much he loves his lunge attacks. Lunge, lunge, and...lunge. It quickly became my go-to move in the game and an incredible stress reliever at that. Too bad the game overall makes you care little for Wolverine's "origin" story -- that which is exacerbated by XO:W's artificially inflated game time. Had the team cut down (using Wolverine's iconic blades preferably) the content to create a tight, concise experience without the fluff, it would have rated higher. As it stands, it is one of the better super hero game offerings out there with pretty cut scenes and a competent God of War-esque battle system that fears not the tame PG-13 rating the movie fought for. It's good, bub.
Grade: B-
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Blu-ray Movie Releases for the Week of April 13, 2010
Here is the full list:
- Apollo 13 (15th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] ~ Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, and Gary Sinise
- A Nightmare on Elm Street [Blu-ray] ~ Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, and John Saxon
- Pirate Radio [Blu-ray] ~ Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Nick Frost, and Michael Hadley
- The Slammin' Salmon [Blu-ray] ~ Michael Clarke Duncan, Jay Chandrasekhar, and Kevin Heffernan
- Gone With the Wind (The Scarlett Edition) [Blu-ray] ~ Clark Gable, et al.
- Living Landscapes: Four Seasons [Blu-ray]
- Africa's Lost Eden [Blu-ray]
- Master & Commander: Far Side of World (Ws) [Blu-ray]
- Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) (Spec) [Blu-ray]
- Eragon (Ws) [Blu-ray]
- Fight Club (Ws) [Blu-ray]
- Die Hard (Ws) [Blu-ray]
- I Robot (2004) (Ws) [Blu-ray]
- Mr & Mrs Smith (2005) [Blu-ray]
- Independence Day (Ws) [Blu-ray]
- Day After Tomorrow (2004) (Ws) [Blu-ray]
- Fantastic Four (2005) (Ws) [Blu-ray]
- X-Men (2000) (Ws) [Blu-ray]
- Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (Ws) [Blu-ray]
All of these new Blu-Ray releases are currently available at 30% off over at Amazon.
Check it out: Amazon - Blu-ray Sale
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November 22, 2005.
Four short years after the last generation of video game consoles hit full stride (to be fair, six years after it began), Microsoft decided that they would fire the first shot in the HD console war by releasing the XBOX 360. With the PS2 firmly established after hitting the magical tipping point, and costly hardware manufacturing costs limiting their options, Microsoft was all to eager to move the battle lines into the next generation.
The decision to migrate to a new platform is certainly a balancing act. As soon as developers are comfortable with the hardware and associated toolsets, the reset button is pushed. As soon as publishers have millions of installed customers to target for the next big holiday release, they are in discussions about launch titles. The XBOX and PS2 were both at a point where incredible games were be released on a regular basis and developers had finally figured out how to squeeze every ounce of power out of both platforms. I remember loading Dead or Alive Ultimate and marveling at the 480p heaven that was dancing in front of me on my 60” Sony. I didn’t think that it could get any better than that. I was definitely proven wrong, but I would have been fine with another year of the last generation.
 
Developers typically need at least two game cycles before the figuring out how to create truly compelling game experience. The fantastic software that has been produced in the last 6 months (MW2, Mass Effect 2, Bio Shock 2) are proof positive that developers are just hitting their stride. Uncharted 2 showed that a studio given the proper time, resources and foundation can provide a true cinematic experience in a video game. Quantic Dreams took video game story telling in a totally new and unique direction with the release of Heavy Rain. Consumers responded by buying the game in droves.
Hopefully the big three will realize that the video game landscape is different that just five years ago and consumers just aren’t ready for the next “Next Gen”. Microsoft is introducing Project Natal this year and Sony is releasing the “Move”. These add-ons appear to have the potential to open the door to a whole new type of gaming experience and audience.
 
With that being said, one thing in the video game industry is constant, and that is change. Rumors of next gen consoles have already started to swirl about. The general consensus is that the three major consoles will all see successors by the fall of 2012. The fact that there have been more than a few reports that AMD/ATI has already won the contract to provide the GPU for the next XBOX and the existence of a web site dedicated to the unannounced PS4 only add fuel to the fire.
I don’t claim to have all the answers when it comes to moving on to the next gen, but what I do know is, I have a machine that can run the “Art in Motion” called God of War III and no machine that can provide that kind of entertainment should go anywhere, anytime soon.
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If you are reading this, then you have no doubt heard about Microsoft's worst kept secret, code named "Project Pink". After months of speculation MS has finally revealed the mysterious phones today called Kin One and Kin Two. Both look pretty much like the mock-ups and leaked images that have been floating around, but some of the specs were a bit surprising. These phones are fully focused on social networking (think MotoBlur) and seem to be aimed at the "tween" crowd. Right now they are Verizon exclusives, but that could change in the future.
Hit the link for the full specs and peep the launch announcement posted on Engadget.
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Guess who's coming to dinner? It would seem that the world's sexiest greatest phone is coming to market a lot sooner than most expected. The HTC EVO 4G showed up in Sprint's inventory system. It is a lot cheaper than one would think, listed at a whopping $5,555.55 ;-) The net is on fire with accessory screen shots and rumors galore. I have gathered all of the pictures etc. that I could find (courtesy of Engadget and Leakdroid) so that you don't have to go digging around. Check em' out. This is the full accessory spread 
Desktop Dock/Charger
 Extended Battery  
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Welcome to New Releases for the Week!
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of April 12, 2010 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC! As always, release dates are subject to change, slip, slide, and be fairly unpredictable.
 
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I can go on quite a tangent on how deeply attracted I am to Red Steel 2's re-imagining of its predecessor by its pleasant concoction of a spaghetti Western, Samurai code sampling, and cel-shaded visuals that wax nostalgic of the seminal Jet Grind Radio, but it does a bit more than that.
More importantly is how it tackles the Wii's -- relatively -- new Motion Plus attachment. It's not perfect, but it pushes the right buttons for me.
 Instead of recreating a first-person shooter/"Star Wars" fantasy that was supposed to hold up to what was happening on the big boy systems like the first Red Steel, Ubisoft took to the drawing board again with RS2 and this time chose to respect the Wii's unique capabilities.
Red Steel 2 relies on the added detection of movements for its sword combat experience. Unlike most Wii games where a simple flick will create the necessary force to launch/kick/punch/eat/bowl your way to success, RS2 commands actual physical exertion.
It may sound exhausting but, outside of a few annoying QTE's transplanted to movement sequences, the real genius is that Ubisoft looked to how games are played differently on Wii than on other consoles.
There are stretches of exploration and "slow" moments in RS2 that magnify the excitement whenever you enter into battles that rarely last more than five minutes at a time. You go in for battle, fight for you life (literally), and then move on to your next quest.
Any particular assignment you take on from the game's mission board will last, at the most, fifteen minutes to complete. It respects your time by giving you a sense of completion relatively quickly and respects your arms' burnout limits as well.
Of the strain-inducing motions you may encounter, they are usually alleviated by the variety of ways you can kill enemies. Tired of consecutively hitting an enemy with strong, red swipe attacks to destroy his shield? Just zip around to his backside and annihilate from that angle.
Now, like I said initially, RS2's motion controls aren't perfect. For example, bosses, like most games, can be incredibly annoying and killing them usually falls back on the same, tired weakness. Otherwise, the game shows that developers are definitely listening to gamer complaints and learning of the particular pros and cons they need to contend with if they choose to develop for Wii.
Red Steel 2 may be seen as the game Ubisoft uses to straddle the line between hardcore and casual but, for the most part, works well enough for the Wii gamer regardless of the type of gamer gang you affiliate yourself with. Supporting it should signal to others devs that they, too, should take a chance on making something good that isn't another Carnival Games title.
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A Swedish company called People of Lava has just announced the world's first Android powered televison sets. These HD beauties will run a full version of Android similar to what you will find on top of the line Google phones. The potential packed in each of these televisons should have you giddy! We have already seen net enabled TV's, but Android will offer a level of functionality that has yet to be realized in any other television. These tv's boast apps like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Google maps right out of the box. Worried about navigation? No problem, a keyboard and mouse/pointer are shipped with every set. As the Android Market place is growing exponentially every month, you can only assume that a plethora of apps will make thier way onto these "Goolge TV's". It looks like like the future just got here and boy, is it SEXY!
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 Apple held a press conference earlier today announcing fancy new features for their upcoming 4.0 software update for their JesusPhone, aka iPhone, due in Summer. Among the long-in-waiting requests are multitasking, folders, and an official gaming network. What will happen to standbys OpenFeint and Plus+, I wonder? Should be interesting to see if they give up on their platform or mend in with Apple's network similar to Ubisoft's Uplay.
Setting aside what's getting mobile users excited for a bit, there may be a third Marvel vs. Capcom game in the works! The release announcement is rumored to happen in May this year. "I wanna take you for a ride," indeed.
Here's what Chris Jack's been wanting to take for a ride as he enjoys vacation in Mexico:
Yakuza 3:Sentenced 2 Death
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Gamefly Top Queued!
During the week of April 5, 2010, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction takes the top of the cross-platform Gamefly 'Most Queued' list again! Just Cause 2 moves up to the 2nd position, while God of War III slides into third.
Queue up the Gamefly Top 10 most requested list:
Most Popular Games Cross-Platform:
|
Rank |
Title |
Platform(s) |
Category |
Publisher |
|
1 |
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction |
Xbox 360 |
Shooter |
Ubisoft |
|
2 |
Just Cause 2 |
PS3, Xbox 360 |
Action Adventure |
Eidos |
|
3 |
God of War III |
PS3 |
Action Adventure |
Sony Computer Entertainment |
|
4 |
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 |
PS3, Xbox 360 |
Shooter |
Electronic Arts |
|
5 |
Metro 2033 |
Xbox 360 |
Shooter |
THQ |
|
6 |
Heavy Rain |
PS3 |
Action Adventure |
Sony Computer Entertainment |
|
7 |
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City |
PS3, Xbox 360 |
Action Adventure |
Take Two |
|
8 |
Red Steel 2 |
Wii |
Fighting |
Ubisoft |
|
9 |
Final Fantasy XIII |
PS3, Xbox 360 |
RPG |
Square Enix |
|
10 |
Dante's Inferno |
Xbox 360, PSP Games |
Action Adventure |
Electronic Arts |
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Here I am, sitting on the beach in Mexico, dying to get home and play Yakuza 3. From everything that I have read, heard and played in the demo, I know that I am going to enjoy this game. What´s bothering me is the fact that I know most people will not experience it, thus missing out on one of the best gaming experiences of the year and all but ensuring that the even more exciting Yakuza 4 (which is BIG IN JAPAN right now) will never hit our shores. A cult following of the series have been lobbying for Sega to bring this game to the states for a while. Sega resisted at first, but eventually announced that the good ol USA would get a taste. Why am I so sad you ask? Well, while Sega did grant our wish and release the game here, they took a few steps to ensure that Yakuza 3 would fall flat on it´s face: First off, this game has received less marketing push than an over-powered laxative. If you are not a ´´hard core´´ gamer, then you have probably never heard of it. Try finding this game at your local Target or Wal-Mart; not happening. Next winning move, release an obscure title like Yakuza 3 between Heavy Rain, Final Fantasy XIII and God of War III. Really Sega? Hoping for some serious shelf space there? Big plans for the old profit margin? This Q1 has had one of the best release calendars in gaming history and right now we are just hitting the first dry release period of 2010. Why did Sega not wait just one month and release the game when it could have commanded some attention, in turn, possibly increasing sales? I am not sure if I am justifiably frustrated, but as a gamer, when I see an opportunity for our industry to grow calously shot in the foot by one of our oldest and largest publishers, it just makes me a little bit angry. Besides, now I am going to have to pay the import price for Yakuza 4.
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Blu-ray Movie Releases for the Week of April 6, 2010
Here is the full list:
- The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Theatrical Editions) [Blu-ray] ~ Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, and Sean Astin
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans [Blu-ray] ~ Fairuza Balk, Tom Bower, Nicolas Cage, and Vondie Curtis-Hall
- Sticky & Sweet Tour [Blu-ray] ~ Madonna
- The Natural (Director's Cut) [Blu-ray] ~ Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, and Kim Basinger
- The Thomas Crown Affair [Blu-ray] ~ Pierce Brosnan, Ben Gazzara, Denis Leary, and Frankie Faison
- The Relic [Blu-ray] ~ Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Sizemore, Linda Hunt, and James Whitmore
- The Lord of the Rings (1978 Animated Movie) [Blu-ray] ~ Christopher Guard, William Squire, and John Hurt
- Cocoon [Blu-ray] ~ Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Wendy J. Cooke, and Hume Cronyn
- Sharpe's Peril [Blu-ray] ~ Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Michael Cochrane, and Velibor Topic
- Jade [Blu-ray] ~ David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, Cazz Palmintieri, and Richard Crenna
- Poseidon [Blu-ray] ~ Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell, and Emmy Rossum
- Flight of the Intruder [Blu-ray] ~ Rosanna Arquette, Adam Biesk, Reb Brown, and J. Kenneth Campbell
- Battlestar Galactica: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] ~ Edward James Olmos, et al.
- Dreamscape [Blu-ray] ~ Eddie Albert, Timothy Blake, Kendall Carly Browne, and George Caldwell
- Dolan's Cadillac [Blu-ray] ~ Christian Slater, Wes Bentley, and Emmanuelle Vaugier
- Sharpe's Challenge [Blu-ray] ~ Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Toby Stephens, and Padma Lakshmi
- Brothers Five (Blu-ray) (Shaw Brothers) ~ Pei-pei Cheng, Han Chin, and Yi Chang
- The Delightful Forest (Shaw Brothers) (Blu-ray) ~ Lung Ti, Mu Zhu, and Chin Tien
- Battlestar Galactica: Season Two [Blu-ray] ~ Jamie Bamber, et al.
- Blood Ties: The Complete Series [Blu-ray] ~ Christina Cox, Dylan Neal, Kyle Schmid, and Gina Holden
All of these new Blu-Ray releases are currently available at 30% off over at Amazon.
Check it out: Amazon - Blu-ray Sale
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 Four days. Four days (!) of continuous play was all it took to beat the long-standing 1982 world record on Asteroids. 42-year-old John McAllister smashed the record today with only but a few bathroom and snack breaks. Wonder if 27 years is how long it'll be 'til I beat my brother's Doodle Jump record...
Were you one of the few that happened to show your patronage Modern Warfare 2 by buying the game's latest map packs day one? Players that did were granted seven more -- free -- days to harass/be harassed on Xbox Live after their paid subscription expires.
And...where did your $15 go to? Certainly not in trying to convince key employees at Infinity Ward to stay at the company. Lead Designer, Todd Alderman, and Lead Software Engineer, Francesco Gigliotti, have left the Infinity Ward and rumored to have resigned. Anyone else worried about Modern Warfare 3's quality amidst these developer shakeups? At the very least, this year we'll have Treyarch to distract us with more Zombies. Of the Nazi variety... 
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Welcome to New Releases for the Week!
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of April 5, 2010 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC! As always, release dates are subject to change, slip, slide, and be fairly unpredictable.
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So those of you convinced that Apple's iPad is the second coming of a religious figure stood in line for hours in the blistering cold and/or hotness in the AMs today to swoop one up. Considering how many folk -- or, at least, those I follow on Twitter nation -- love their 3G connectivity, why would they settle for the plain-Jane WiFi model when the "Internetz runs everything around me!" version hits in a few more weeks?
Anyway, stood in line (or didn't) to no avail? Dean Takahashi demonstrates how he simply walked into a Silicon Valley store mid day with no reserve or inside trading and purchased an iPad. That's the correct usage of "inside trading," right?
Oh, and makers of Heavenly Sword, Ninja Theory, point out that the rosy 3D-gaming picture Sony is trying to push on gamers is not possible 'til the next generation of systems hit. Hmmm, I thought games were already in 3D? Remember Mario jumping out of a tunnel at the beginning of Super Mario 64? Cooooool.
Chris Jack updated us on other cool stuff, as well:
HTC EVO 4G: Best...Phone...Ever?
Spider-Man:Shattered Dimensions
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Ok, I admit it. I may be a little more hot for this phone than a human being should be for an electronic device. Look at her it though...soooooo sexy. Check out HTC's new teaser video.
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There is (another) Spidey game headed to stores, it's called Spider-Man: Shattered Hopes Dreams Expectations Dimensions. The last few Spidey games have been lackluster, at best, but this one actually looks promising. This time around you will find yourself fighting as 4 different Spider-Men across four different universes. The story is being penned by Marvel Comics own Dan Slott, so the story should not be the weak link in the chain, if there is going to be one. Watching the trailer leads me to believe that each Spidey will have his own distinct fighting style with slight variations in their individual abilities. Initiate excitement phase.
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The first of April comes around and all the kids want to go around playing pranks. Even "adults" get in on the fun. Didn't see (or read) anything too outrageous yesterday. One article that came across semi-legit was Leigh Alexander's alcohol rahab admission. Not sure its credibility bodes well for Ms. Alexander's reputation, but that post was one of my favorites for the day.
Other newsworthy tidbits include the release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for the iPhone late last night. I remember buying the Dreamcast version along with a Greatest Hits version of Sonic Adventure. Or, wait...was it "All-Stars" or something Sega so cleverly came up with? Couldn't have been worse than "Greatness is Earned" for best-selling Xbox 360 titles. Anyway, Tony Hawk's 2 consumed my life at the time and I will surely pick up the button-less port once it goes on sale. Because it will...it's on the App Store! Cheap games and constant sales are practically a part of every developer's mantra when they go selling download.
And yup, Jimmy Fallon keeps his promise of bringing games to the forefront as he booked Epic's Cliff Bleszinski to promote a new release. Gears of War 3 is rumored to be released Q1 2011, so it seems unlikely we'd get a teaser for that so soon. Any ideas, faithful readers?
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