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July 2010 - Posts
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 According to the horse’s mouth over at the Starcraft II forums, a bug in the game affects players not playing with ENOUGH on screen details. Effectively, the game gets bored and begins redrawing the screen rapidly over-and-over at high speed, like giving a five-year old a sack of crayons and an espresso and making him sit quietly outside the dressing room while Mommy tries on dresses. A workaround is given on the forum, and since this IS from a list of known problems, it’s pretty safe to assume that a patch or update will be onhand soon. Still, it’s odd to see a game that frags your system for NOT playing it hard enough. Then again, this is Activision… 
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Publishers have been going crazy with the latest marketing gimmick: the announcement of the announcement. Nintendo isn't the latest to do so, but plenty of outlets have been pushing the story that pricing and launch details for the Nintendo 3DS will be announced on September 29.
Nintendo says it's just "Chinese whispers" (via VG247) and that they've only said that they will be holding an event on that date, but not necessarily specific to the 3DS.
We'll know what they have up their sleeves soon enough. Any thoughts on the likelihood of the Nintendo 3DS' price? We've been hearing around $250. 
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Announced last week, today realized...you can now make your vote as to the fate of one of the characters in the Gears of War universe: Clayton Carmine. If you're not aware, the last name Carmine represents characters dead-on-arrival in the first two Gears titles.
You vote by buying a shirt for your Xbox Live Avatar that reads "Save Carmine" or "Carmine Must Die." Normally, this would seem like a cheap ploy to sell useless Avatar items but Microsoft has decided to donate all the profits from your purchase to the Child's Play charity run by the Penny Arcade scribes.
So, decide the fate of the last remaining Carmine family member and feel good about donating to charity? Definitely a win-win. 
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A shot across the bows of Apple, Sony and other e-readers was heard today as Amazon introduced a new, cheaper Kindle model that retails for a low $139.
According to Amazon's Jeff Bezos:
Today, we're excited to introduce a new, third generation of Kindle. We kept everything readers love about Kindle and made it even better.
Here are some of the highlights:
- Books in 60 seconds
- All new High contrast E-Ink screen
- Read even in bright sunlight (no glare)
- New sleek design
- 15% lighter
- Battery Life of one month
- Double the storage
- Buy Once, read everywhere
- Worry-free archive
- Global 3G Wireless
- Built in Wi-Fi
The latest Generation Kindle is $189 - you can pre-order now, and it will ship on August 27.
That's half the news. We're also excited to introduce a new Kindle family member - Kindle with Wi-Fi only. Kindle with Wi-Fi is only $139. Kindle with Wi Fi is identical to our new $189 Kindle, except it doesn't have our go anywhere 3G wireless.
You can pre-order the $139 Kindle now, and it will ship on August 27.
Razor and blades model here we come...
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If you're like me, you've probably given up on even the thought of demos for downloadable games. Sure, you've bought and played DLC games in the past, but its kind of lost its luster, right? Well, the newly released Hydro Thunder Hurricane hopes to bring that sparkle back.
Mostly by doing what XBLA demos don't: give you online access. That's right, the game let's you take your skills online in the demo...for 10 minutes. A short time, for sure, but that's enough time to let you know if you want to pony up the $15 for the arcade classic.
To the download machine! 
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The recently announced Dead Rising 2: Zombrex (Collectors) Edition (PS3/Xbox 360) is available for pre-order for $79.99 at Amazon!
Enclosed in a two-disc Steelbook case with its own special pack front, the Dead Rising 2—Zombrex Edition will include cool collectible items and content that will dig deep into the Dead Rising 2 experience.
Amazon is offering a pre-order bonus as well:
Pre-order Dead Rising 2, for Xbox 360, and get items for your Xbox LIVE avatar, featuring Chuck Greene’s iconic yellow motocross jacket, jeans and one of the new combo weapons--the super slicer.
Pre-order Dead Rising 2, for PS3, and get a Dead Rising 2 Theme featuring Chuck Greene wielding his signature Paddle Saw on the zombie infested strip in Fortune City.
Check it out: Amazon - Dead Rising 2 Zombrex Edition
PS3 Dead Rising 2 – Zombrex Edition
- Exclusive Two-Disc Steelbook case includes:
- Dead Rising 2 game disc
- Blu-Ray Disc featuring a High-Definition 24 minute “Making of” featurette
- Complete box contents include:
- Steelbook case (described above)
- Zombrex “Syringe” pen
- Zombrex “Prescription” notepad (25 pages)
- Zombrex “Safety” card
- Zombrex “Prospectus” Sales Brochure (16 pages).
- Dead Rising 2 Hardback Artbook (48 pages)
- Voucher for XMB Dynamic Theme
X360 Dead Rising 2 – Zombrex Edition
- Exclusive Two-Disc Steelbook case includes:
- Dead Rising 2 game disc
- High-Definition game disc with 83 Minute “Zombrex Dead Rising Sun” motion picture and 24 minute “Making of” featurette
- Complete box contents include:
- Steelbook case (described above)
- Zombrex “Syringe” pen
- Zombrex “Prescription” notepad (25 pages)
- Zombrex “Safety” card
- Zombrex “Prospectus” Sales Brochure (16 pages).
- Dead Rising 2 Hardback Artbook (48 pages) 
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Don't forget that you can grab the NFL Madden 11 demo on XBLA and PSN tomorrow. Let us know what you think after you put the games through it's paces.
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One of the biggest games to show off Xbox 360 Kinect's unique capabilites at E3 this year, besides Dance Central, was Q? Games' Child of Eden. In the game, you use your arms to direct fire, lock-on, and switch weapons in a trip-happy successor to Rez.
But the Xbox 360 was only one of the systems it was announced for. The other was the PS3 -- a natural platform to be on considering Rez was ported over from the Dreamcast there. Unfortunately, Q? Games' founder Tetsuya Mizuguchi doesn't seem too adamant to support the platform's unique features.
PlayStation Move support? "We can't say anything at this time."
3D support? "Unfortunately we can't comment on that at the moment, either."
Kinect-support for the game is out there and heavily marketed, but from the sounds of it, it looks like Child of Eden may only be a controller-supported affair on PS3. For now, anyway. Think we'll see him embrace the PS3's unique features as development continues on the game?
Quotes from CVG. 
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Welcome to New Releases for the Week!
Video game release highlights include StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty (PC/Mac), BlazBlue: Continuum Shift (Xbox 360 / PS3), Arc Rise Fantasia (Nintendo Wii), Harvest Moon: Grand Bizarre (Nintendo DS), plus a few more gems...
Our recommended new release of the week will go to StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty.
Continue the epic saga of the Protoss, Terran, and Zerg. These three distinct and powerful races will clash once again in the fast-paced real-time strategy sequel to the original, StarCraft. Legions of veteran, upgraded, and new unit types will do battle across the galaxy, as each faction struggles for survival.
Featuring a single-player campaign that picks up where StarCraft: Brood War left off, StarCraft II presents a cast of new heroes and familiar faces in a sci-fi story filled with adventure and intrigue. In addition, Blizzard offers online play through Battle.net with several enhancements and features to make StarCraft II even better.
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of July 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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StarCraft II Wings of Liberty Release Date is here!
The highly anticipated release of StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty is this Tuesday (July 27) on PC and Mac in the US!
The Fast-paced, hard-hitting, tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy game play that recaptures and improves on the original game will finally be available outside of the beta!
If you have been procrastinating getting your pre-order in, you still have time to take advantage of the many retail special promotions and coupon codes.
Check out the full run down of current StarCraft II deals and midnight launch details:
Amazon has the game available for $59.99 w/ release day shipping or free super saver shipping.
No taxes in most states saves you around $5 (varies).
Release day shipping is only $5.98 or free for Amazon Prime members (free 1 month trial available).
Steps:
Buy.com is currently offering StarCraft II for $58.99 with free shipping.
No taxes in most states saves you around $5 (varies).
Steps:
 
BestBuy is offering StarCraft II for retail at $59.99 (regular edition) and $99.99 (collector's edition).
If pre-ordered, you will receive a bonus 500 Reward Zone points.
Order online, and select In-store pickup to get the game on release day.
Steps:
BestBuy.com - StarCraft II
- Select 'In-Store Pickup'
Midnight Store Openings:
Don't miss a minute of this intergalactic sequal. Find out if there's a Best Buy store opening at midnight in your area.
Check it out: BestBuy.com Midnight Openings
Reserve StarCraft II (Regular or Collector's Edition at Gamestop.com and choose:
- Free In-store pickup
- Free 3 Day shipping
Also, they are offering this title w/ their overnight street date guarantee option as well:
Pre-order StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty by July 26 at 11am CST with overnight shipping and get guaranteed delivery on the street date of July 27! If your product does not arrive on the street date, we will fully refund your shipping charge.
Available online and in-store while supplies lasts.
Steps:
Midnight Openings:
Starting Tuesday, July 27th (release day) Kmart is offering StarCraft II for $59.99 w/ a free $20 credit.
This is in-store only promotion, and will likely sell out come Tuesday...
Walmart.com is offering StarCraft II for retail at $59.99 (regular edition) and $99.99 (collector's edition).
$0.97 Shipping to home as well...
Steps:
Midnight Openings:
If you happen to run across other deals, by all means send us a deal tip!
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The first screenshots from the upcoming Street Fighter vs. Tekken. All images copyright Capcom and Namco.
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Wow. Just when the fighting game resurgence didn't look like it could get any crazier, Capcom and Namco dropped the bomb on us, outside on the streets at Comic-Con now less, that they're teaming up to make Street Fighter vs. Capcom for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
The engine looks to be the same used for Street Fighter IV and the upcoming Marvel vs. Capcom 3, and Capcom is confirming early Tag Team play with assists and tag combos, so you can bet the tournament players are going to be all over this one.
The roster is, as with any fighting game, hush-hush for now (presumably to trickle it out to keep media buzz high), but Ryu and Chun-Li have been confirmed for Street Fighter's side, with Kazuya Mishima and Nina Williams announced for Team Tekken.
The teaser trailer (sorry, no gameplay footage) is below the jump, and you can find a gallery of released screenshots here.
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So I'm usually not the review guy, which is good, because this isn't a review. I tend to stay away from reviews for two reasons: A) I'm of Scottish blood, which means, I'm cheap, which means, I don't tend to play games in anything resembling a timely fashion, preferring to opt to wait a few months until the price drops. Needless to say, a review for a game that's been out for a year doesn't tend to be a hot topic of conversation for our readers.
Secondly, I don't often find the games themselves quite as interesting as the industry behind them--the deals, the betrayals, the genius moments of design, the lazy applications of shovelware. That stuff intrigues the bejeezus out of me, which I realize most likely makes me utterly boring, but luckily I have a bad attitude that I can invoke when relating these tales to the public, so it evens out. See, when I play a game, I'm not (as) interested in the "fantasy fulfillment" that most games try to invoke, I want to see the "game" itself. I want to see all the little mechanisms, the subtle tweaks to menu architecture, the carrot-and-stick relationships, the way the game makes the player think about the play options. And its usually not just a matter of "what" mechanisms are used, or "how" they're implemented. The real thrill is reverse intellectually engineering the game, and asking WHY did they choose to do things this way. And its these WHY's that caused Limbo to aggravate me to no end. The most succinct way I can describe Limbo is as a "child-dying-in-the-woods simulator". If you tried to make this game in any other medium--film, comic, diorama, etc.--someone would be calling your family members and scheduling an appointment to talk to a counselor. The game supposedly chronicles the story of a little boy looking for his missing sister. I say 'supposedly' because the only clue I got to this was in the title description slide on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The game itself just plops you in the role of a demonic version of Christopher Robin waking up in a monochrome forest where you're expected to walk to the right until you realize that you could be playing a game that had some thought put into it and turn it off. The game design seems to be taken straight from the "playground bully" school of thought. You know the type of moron in grade school that would ask you if you'd like a piece of candy, then laugh at you for saying yes because they don't even have any candy, and then somehow think they've played some crazy Machiavellian mind-game on you by tricking you into thinking they have candy when there was never any reason for you to suppose that they didn't? That's the kind of mentality that went into the creation of obstacles in this game. 
Since everything in the game is black or white--let me emphasize black OR white, not black AND white--the background is completely indistinguishable from obstacles on the ground. Which means that learning the difference between a death trap and safe footing turns into a game of trial-and-error as you learn to distinguish the difference between a blade of grass and a razor-sharp bear trap. HA-HA! That pointy spot is a bear trap! HA-HA! That pointy spot is a spike pit! HA-HA! You drowned because you're not told you can't swim until you try!
HA-HA! That pointy spot you didn't see because it's surrounded on all sides by darkness is a bear trap, too!
HA-HA! That's the part where a boulder crushes you! The boulder was particularly frustrating, despite being the one obstacle I recognized in time to avoid dying in its clutches. You step on a log, which causes a boulder off-screen to come careening at you. Now, if the game gave some kind of ability to scroll your viewing area other than walking there, so you could peek at upcoming dangers, then me wandering into a falling boulder is simply my fault. But triggering it to swoop in morte ex machina style when I hit a trigger doesn't make you any more a clever game designer than having a monster cut-out pop up from the ground makes you a clever haunted house designer. 
There are nine things that can kill you in the above screen shot--can you spot them all? (HINT: Only three are ninjas.)
It's a recurring motif. This game could have been a cautionary tale of "look before you leap" had it given you some method of identifying what a deadly obstacle is before you die on top of it, but as it lies it's just an exercise in "how well can you memorize the level?" Which is doubly disturbing when you consider the main character is a little boy. Every time one of these traps is set off, the child is ripped apart the the most savage and heartbreaking way imaginable. The a fore mentioned bear traps cleave through his neck, sending his head flying and gushing blood everywhere. Again, not clever, just an infantile reliance on shock value. As innovative and edgy as saying "the 's-word'" during an episode of ER or wearing revealing clothes because Daddy didn't love you. Pretty much this game is telling me that I shouldn't let my child play outside without having a sheriff headed search party to locate the body on stand-by. I'm surprised the game doesn't have a "snap-an-ankle-and-die-of-exposure" button programmed into the controller layout.
To be fair to the game, I only played the demo, not the full game, which is why I'm calling this an "Impression", not a "Review". But to be fair to me, why would I play the whole game when the first few minutes turned me off of it in as about as many ways as a game could? Especially at a price-point of $15? Let's call this game what it really is, an Indie Game for people who don't play Indie Games--that's the only way I can wrap my head around the current 4.5 star rating on Xbox Live Marketplace. If you never played anything other than games with "Madden", "Fantasy," or "Smackdown" on the box, then this might be an interesting and original piece to you. To people who have already shaken off the shackles of the Triple-A publishers, it's a waste of good money. WHAT YOU COULD BE PLAYING INSTEAD 
Dark (XBLIG) - You like playing in environments of light and shadow? Check out Dark on Xbox Live Indie Games. Like Limbo, the shadows can hide the unknown from you, but unlike Limbo, real time lighting, clever platforming puzzles, and, OMG, color in a light/shadow themed game? Say it isn't so! And though it's only a 20 minute game (it was originally designed as a contest submission), the $1 price point makes this purchase a no-brainer. BlindGiRl (XBLIG) - Another "lost in the darkness game", with a twist. You play a blind girl who cannot see the mazes that you are navigating. Luckily, as Hollywood has taught us, anyone who has been blind for more than 20 minutes turns into Daredevil, and the titular Blind Girl can navigate the maze by help of echolocation from her voice and footsteps. Another $1 game, and totally worth your time and money. 
Saira (PC) - Another puzzle-platformer, but with a non-linear slant, Saira places you in the role of an interplanetary explorer gallivanting off across the universe. The backgrounds, compiled with high-definition photos, and an lengthy original soundtrack give Saira a unique style and feel, and is dutifully worthy of the $9 price point via FastSpring. For Steam addicts, its available for a still price-worthy $10. NOTE: At the time of this writing, you can pick it up for $5 on GamersGate, but that appears to be a limited time offer. 
Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble! (PC) - If the WTF factor is more your thing, check out DHSGIT. It plays like a board game, but feels like a 1920's newsreel, which may not seem appealing to many of you, but give it a spin and you'll soon be swept away. Admission is only $10 on Steam, and the quirkiness and replayability make it a fine investment. Psychonauts (XBOX, PS2, PC) - Why? Because Psychonauts blows every other game I've talked about in this article away, it costs just as much as Limbo (1200 MS Points) over the Xbox Live Marketplace, and even less on PC via Steam and GOG.com. So get out there! Life is too short for crummy, and even mediocre games!
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StarCraft II Wings of Liberty Release Date is here!
The highly anticipated release of StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty is this Tuesday (July 27) on PC and Mac in the US!
The Fast-paced, hard-hitting, tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy game play that recaptures and improves on the original game will finally be available outside of the beta!
If you have been procrastinating getting your pre-order in, you still have time to take advantage of the many retail special promotions and coupon codes.
Check out the full run down of current StarCraft II deals and midnight launch details:
Amazon has the game available for $59.99 w/ release day shipping or free super saver shipping.
No taxes in most states saves you around $5 (varies).
Release day shipping is only $5.98 or free for Amazon Prime members (free 1 month trial available).
Steps:
Buy.com is currently offering StarCraft II for $58.99 with free shipping.
No taxes in most states saves you around $5 (varies).
Steps:
BestBuy is offering StarCraft II for retail at $59.99 (regular edition) and $99.99 (collector's edition).
If pre-ordered, you will receive a bonus 500 Reward Zone points.
Order online, and select In-store pickup to get the game on release day.
Steps:
BestBuy.com - StarCraft II
- Select 'In-Store Pickup'
Midnight Store Openings:
Don't miss a minute of this intergalactic sequal. Find out if there's a Best Buy store opening at midnight in your area.
Check it out: BestBuy.com Midnight Openings
Reserve StarCraft II (Regular or Collector's Edition at Gamestop.com and choose:
- Free In-store pickup
- Free 3 Day shipping
Also, they are offering this title w/ their overnight street date guarantee option as well:
Pre-order StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty by July 26 at 11am CST with overnight shipping and get guaranteed delivery on the street date of July 27! If your product does not arrive on the street date, we will fully refund your shipping charge.
Available online and in-store while supplies lasts.
Steps:
Midnight Openings:
Walmart.com is offering StarCraft II for retail at $59.99 (regular edition) and $99.99 (collector's edition).
$0.97 Shipping to home as well...
Steps:
Midnight Openings:
If you happen to run across other deals, by all means send us a deal tip!
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Fan of Italian mobster-infused video games? Didn't attend E3? No worries, the game you've probably marked in your calendar long before you read this, Mafia II, will be getting a demo release next month.
A few weeks before the game drops in late August, you'll get to try out the "BuzzSaw" demo E3 attendees got to try last month. You'll take the role of Vito going after The Fat Man running across Empire State, the game's location influenced by '50s-era New York, San Francisco, Detroit, and Chicago.
You can get the drop on the demo August 10 and the retail release of Mafia II will be August 24. 
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That new look for Infamous 2's protagonist shying away from the first game's antihero? Eh, it seems that didn't get the reception Sucker Punch wanted for their next game. The developer has announced that it will be going back to the drawing board and making the hero for their electricity-bound open-world game a little closer in style to the one in the original Infamous.
Personally, it doesn't matter what the character looks like as long as the sequel to a game I thought was "Crackdown Plus" is improved. Based on the last trailer shown for the title, gamers are in for a treat. Finally there will be an actual weapon to swing around instead of just the flimsy, unarmed fisticuffs action of the first game! 
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Barnes and Noble has finally released a mobile handset version of it's ebook software, nook, which is Bn's answer to the Amazon Kindle. They are boasting that there are over 1million books to choose from, but we have not counted (and we're not going to). It is available for download as you read this on the Android Marketplace. Hit up the comments section and let us know how it compares to the more than awesome Kindle app for Android.
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Capcom announced today the release date to the Dead Rising 2 prequel/demo, Case Zero. Its hits August 31st, AND is an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive, something I don't think anyone was expecting. Even more unexpected: it's hitting XBLA for 400 MS Points ($5 US). Case Zero is the gap filler between Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2, and has you playing as DR2's protagonist Chuck Greene is a quest to supply his daughter with Zombrex, the zombie plague inhibiting drug. It sounds as though Chuck will play largely as he does in the upcoming full-retail, and many unlockables, including jump-starting your game at up to experience level 5, will carry over into the game proper. But if I can touch back on the price, yeah, 400 MS Points. Let me put that in perspective. Even if this game/demo is an hour long, that's an hour of all-new Dead Rising gameplay for five bones, which isn't a bad price. You get less from some DLC expansions. Plus, when you set it up against this week's XBLA child-dying-in-the-woods simulator, Limbo, which is $15, it's not a bad deal at all.
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PS3 gamers rejoice! An age where a Netflix streaming CD is no longer needed to stream episodes of the "Wild Boyz," "NSync in Concert" or whatever else you watch on that thing is upon us.
Reed Hastings, Netflix's CEO, let out that by October PlayStation 3 owners can expect to do some Instant Streaming via executable on the console itself.
"Before our next call in October, we expect to be launching a major new version of our Sony PS3 user interface which doesn't require a disc and is dynamically updated continuously with the latest Netflix UI improvements," Hastings said. 
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Here's one to put in the "Betcha' Didn't Know" column of a Nintendo history book: the Legend of Zelda series has a timeline. Nintendo has previously said that there's no such thing and that the game's are all separate stories...but they've uncovered that a "master timeline" does exist for them. Confidentially, of course.
The Official Nintendo Magazine got the scoop on where the upcoming Wii title, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword fits in the Zelda world:
"I have already talked to Mr. Miyamoto about this so I am comfortable in releasing this information -- this title [Skyward Sword] takes place before Ocarina of Time," he told ONM. "If I said that a certain title was 'the first Zelda game,' then that means that we can't ever make a title that takes place before that! So for us to add titles to the series, we have to have a way of putting the titles before or after each other."
Any speculation as to where the other games in the series fit in the Zelda timeline?
Via Go Nintendo. 
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At least, that's what Undisputed's publisher is saying about unremarkable sales of their mixed martial arts game this year:
"That's largely down to Red Dead Redmeption. Rockstar have probably taken a fair amount of our market share. They shipped 5m units, taking a lot of consumer dollars."
Yes, that's to blame. I haven't looked too much into how the game faired critically, but I didn't hear any critics encourage picking up the game so maybe the true culprit is: QUALITY. CONTROL. 
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Capcom revealed a new trailer today that introduced four new playable characters for their upcoming brawler, Marvel vs Capcom 3! Dr. Doom, The Super-Skrull, Trish (DMC) and Chun Li have joined the roster; check out the sweet trailer below.
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The elusive Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition is available for pre-order at Amazon for $99.99!
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is set to release on July 27, 2010!
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition Features:
The Art of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, a 176-page book featuring artwork from the game
An exclusive 2GB USB flash drive replica of Jim Raynor's dog tag, which comes preloaded with the original StarCraft and the StarCraft: Brood War expansion set
A behind-the-scenes DVD containing over an hour of developer interviews, cinematics with director's commentary, and more
The official StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty soundtrack CD, containing 14 epic tracks from the game along with exclusive bonus tracks
StarCraft comic book issue #0, a prequel to the comic series
A World of Warcraft mini Thor in-game pet that can be applied to all World of Warcraft characters on a single Battle.net account
Exclusive Battle.net downloadable content, including special portraits for your Battle.net profile, decals to customize your units in-game, and a visually unique version of the terran Thor unit
Check it out: Amazon - Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition
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The elusive Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition is available for pre-order at Amazon for $99.99!
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty is set to release on July 27, 2010!
StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition Features:
- The Art of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, a 176-page book featuring artwork from the game
- An exclusive 2GB USB flash drive replica of Jim Raynor's dog tag, which comes preloaded with the original StarCraft and the StarCraft: Brood War expansion set
- A behind-the-scenes DVD containing over an hour of developer interviews, cinematics with director's commentary, and more
- The official StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty soundtrack CD, containing 14 epic tracks from the game along with exclusive bonus tracks
- StarCraft comic book issue #0, a prequel to the comic series
- A World of Warcraft mini Thor in-game pet that can be applied to all World of Warcraft characters on a single Battle.net account
- Exclusive Battle.net downloadable content, including special portraits for your Battle.net profile, decals to customize your units in-game, and a visually unique version of the terran Thor unit
Check it out: Amazon - Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty Collector's Edition
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Lost is all of the Kinect pricing buzz, was word of a new Xbox 360 4GB model set to ship on Tuesday, August 3rd.
Today, Microsoft officially announced the new Xbox 360 4GB Console model.
The new Xbox 360 4GB Console is set to ship on August 3, 2010 and replaces the previous Xbox 360 Arcade model.
The new model is Kinect-less, is priced at $199.99 and comes packed with the following features:
- Similar Xbox 360 250GB design with matte Black finish
- Built in 802.11n Wi-Fi
- 4 GB internal memory
- More ports: 5 USB ports (3 in front/2 in back) - (remember it now supports USB drives)
- Kinect Ready: Featuring a dedicated, specialized port, the Xbox 360 4GB is built to connect seamlessly with the Kinect Sensor.
Amazon has them available for pre-order, but get your order in now as it is the #1 selling item, and may become hard to come by (as the new Xbox 360 250 GB model has shown).
Check it out: Amazon - New Xbox 360 4GB Console
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Amazon is back again with another All Xbox 360 Gold Box Event!
The Gold Box Events kicks off Tuesday, July 20, 2010 and features one deal of the day, in addition to lightning deals every few hours...
It looks like the selection will be very good based on the lightning deal clues below, but be quick with the mouse as the good ones can go quick (especially as the word spreads)!
Check it out: Amazon All Xbox 360 Gold Box Event
Deal of the Day:
 
Hourly Lightning Deals:
Check it out: Amazon All Xbox 360 Gold Box Event
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Salomondrin has gotten his paws on some more awesome videos (again) of the Blackberry OS 6.0 in action. Hit the link an commence the drooling!
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Normally, this would be the kind of story I'd gloss over, but I have an awful lot of theater friends, and they eat up that show Glee on Fox. Welp, Konami is expanding their Karaoke Revolution series this fall by adding a 'Glee' themed edition. Karaoke Revolution Glee will some with 35 tracks from the show and let players live out some of their favorite moments from Season One. From the press release: In Karaoke Revolution Glee, gamers can play alongside their favorite GLEE characters including the infamous Rachel Berry, football star Finn Hudson, and the GLEE club's fearless leader, Will Schuester. Performing some of the most memorable scenes from Season One, players can belt out to 35 chart-topping hits and tunes from the popular TV series. Millions of fans nationwide have made GLEE one of the leading musical franchises of our time. “Gleeks” both young and old will now get their chance to engross themselves in their favorite show like never before. In multiplayer singing games, Gleeks can sing in harmonies or choose to sing as a duet, creating the kind of performance that not even Sue Sylvester can resist!
That's one of those paragraphs that either has people hopping up-and-down, squealing in excitement, or sitting utterly confused at what just happened. Considering Glee just had it's third straight #1 album, this looks to be a pretty genius move on Konami and Fox's part, and I expect to see a lot of KR: Glee's under people's Christmas trees this year.
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Friday morning, Capcom lit up the inter-tubes by announcing Mega Man Universe, upcoming for Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network, but have thus far spoke little of what the game actually will be.
The teaser trailer leaves even more questions to be answered (believe it or not, that's an official teaser), spotting appearances from 3 different Mega Mans (Mega Men?), two box art and one 8-bit, as well as Ryu from Street Fighter and Arthur from Ghosts and Goblins. An interview with Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune over at Gamespot discusses a heavy 80's inspiration, while at the same time attempting to push the series forward by relying on imagination and creativity.
Personally, what that sounds like to my ears is an 8-bit styled, Mega Man-themed Little Big Planet-type game creator, which is about the most pants-wettening exciting thing they could throw at Mega Man fanboys. In the Inafune interview, he's not even allowed to state whether this is a platformer or not yet, so if the game creation options begin to approach LBP proportions, color me a happy shade of blue bomber.
No word on release date or such yet, but the Capcom-Unity Blog is discussing Mega Man Universe related swag for Comi-con this week, so maybe lucky attendees will get a little more preview into what's happening with this newest edition of a classic series.
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Welcome to New Releases for the Week!
Video game release highlights include Little League World Series 2010 Baseball (PS3/Xbox 360/Wii/DS), Track Mania (Nintendo Wii / DS), The Warriors (Sony PSP), Tropico 3 - Absolute Power Expansion Pack (PC), plus a few more gems...
Our recommended new release of the week will go to Track Mania (Nintendo Wii/DS).
Over 100 tracks geared for blazing fast racing action, each loaded with daring jumps, thrilling loops, crazy ramps, and a host of other insane stunts, are just the start. You have access to the most powerful portable track design system ever, giving Trackmaniacs total freedom to create the most over-the-top race courses imaginable and offering practically unlimited value. The "Coppers" reward system gives you credits for completed races which can be used to unlock new tracks, new car paint schemes, and most importantly, new parts to use in making the tracks of your dreams. The more you race, the more you can do! Single and multi-cart local wireless multiplayer support for up to four players at a time (and eight players via hot-seat mode) and the ability to share and race on each other's custom tracks.
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of July 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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In an effort to bridge the online and in-store communities, Kmart is looking to provide review "snippets" on store shelves...
The KmartGamer team is looking for volunteers in the online gamer community to assist with this effort:
"With this, we'd like to announce that starting today, if you write a qualifying video game review on MyKmart.com, there's a chance your review could be featured on our store shelves!
We will look at the reviews that come in and select several to feature on our store shelves.
As you can see, each on-shelf review has a limited number of characters. We can take a snippet of any review that we plan to post, but please try to keep your reviews brief. (In addition, we will feature either your name -- or your MyKmart community username -- on the review cards.)"
So now is your chance to become Kmart famous, guide fellow gamers to make the right purchase, and perhaps help out some soccer moms.
For full details on submitting your reviews can be found here....
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The highly anticipated downloadable action RPG from Hothead Games is available on the PSN Network (Demo too), but is mysteriously absent from XBLA. There was no sign of the game first hing this morning, but now the trailer is listed under featured items. What's the deal MS? Was anyone out there able to get it on 360?
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While the Xbox 360 Kinect devise was officially unveiled at this year's E3 conference, details around pricing has remained elusive.
Today, Walmart has unveiled a Kindle Bundle which may shed a bit of light on what we can expect later this year.
With the bundle, Walmart if offering your pick of a 1 Kinect game, and are throwing in a free $30 eGift Card for a grand total of $199.
The games offered include:
- Kinect Dance Central
- Kinect Joy Ride
- Kinectimals
- Kinect Sports
- Kinect Adventures
The Kinect is retailing for $149.99 at most other retailers, but is subject to change... The Xbox 360 accessory is set to launch on November 4, 2010 and is likely to be one of the top holiday "must haves", and thus the target of many eBay "entrepreneurs".
Check it out:
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While the Xbox 360 Kinect devise was officially unveiled at this year's E3 conference, details around pricing has remained elusive.
Today, Walmart has unveiled a Kindle Bundle which may shed a bit of light on what we can expect later this year.
With the bundle, Walmart if offering your pick of a 1 Kinect game, and are throwing in a free $30 eGift Card for a grand total of $199.
The games offered include:
- Kinect Dance Central
- Kinect Joy Ride
- Kinectimals
- Kinect Sports
- Kinect Adventures
The Kinect is retailing for $149.99 at most other retailers, but is subject to change... The Xbox 360 accessory is set to launch on November 4, 2010 and is likely to be one of the top holiday "must haves", and thus the target of many eBay "entrepreneurs".
Check it out:
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It's that time of the year again and while Madden addicts are still waiting impatiently for their fix, the under ground cult that preferS NCAA for their pigskin high couldn't be happier. As soon as UPS dropped the game off today I started "poundin da rock' immediately and I am now ready to give my early impressions of the game. My set up: XBOX 360, HDMI, 1080p, 50" Sony Bravia (60 Hz, to my shame). Let's go!
GRAPHICS AND PRESENTATION
EA has fully integrated the ESPN license this year and it adds a much more authentic feel to the game. Teams have their individual entrances at the beginning of each match up: helmets reflect light beautifully, smoke machines spray just like they do at real games and you get to watch your favorite teams jerseys wrinkle realistically as they jump around and get pumped up for the action. When the camera scans the crowd, you can see that the fan models are much more detailed than they were previously and you also see a few more animations than before. The game looks absolutely gorgeous. Gone are the ever so slight jaggies that you would see around your players when you are running plays. Player skin has thankfully shed the plastic look of years past and the player shadows are cast with frightening realism. A true wow moment came when my running back hit a sweet spin move at the line of scrimmage and broke out into the secondary; his running animation looked oh so fluid and more than realistic. When the safety and corner closed in for the tackle, I threw a stiff arm to one of them and yelled out loud when the other tackled me and I could actually see my players waist bending as he was hit. Whew! THE GAME LOOKS GOOD.
SOUND AND ATMOSPHERE
I had the surround sound pumping nice and loud so I could feel like I was actually in the stadium. When my defender hit a receiver head on and stood him straight up, my sub woofer shook the walls and actually surprised me. The different parts of the crowd can be heard from different speakers simulating directional noise and boy when you lose, the silence is deafening. If you have a half-way decent SOUND system, you will not be disappointed.
GAMEPLAY AND CONTROL
Praise whatever deity that you worship because the mighty strip button actually works again. Back in the PS2/XBOX days if you religiously pounded on the strip button, you could usually count on at least one strip a game. Since the leap to this gen, not so much. I played three consecutive games and got 2 strips (the first and third game). I love it, it feels like football. NCAA 2010 made you feel helpless as the computer would rip the ball out of your hands and you could not return the favor. Another nagging problem that I have not seen yet is the "Un" fair catch. Last years game religious punished you with fumbles whenever you didn't fair catch a punt if the defenders were anywhere near you. This happened on my first punt return today and I though "Here we go again", but thankfully it didn't happen again for the rest of my punt returns (9). One of my favorite additions is the ability to directly choose which player you want to be on defense w/o cycling through the entire defense! Yes! The running game is probably the most realistic for this series yet. Holes open and close quickly, but realistically. If you are trying to run outside with no blockers, then you are toast, whereas in past iterations, you could just speed your way through if your back is speedy and you could make it to the sideline. Speaking of speed, the default control scheme has an automatic speed burst (THANK YOU). If you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. Why should you have to hit a speed burst button? Shouldn't any player with the ball run as fast as they can anyway? Just sayin... One gripe I have (that should be fixed easily) is that whenever you hike the ball, there is a bit of lag that can really throw you off. Hopefully EA will patch this soon.
A.I. These boys have most definitely been in the film room. I have owned every NCAA Football game that EA has released since 1994 and every year I follow the same routine: Play two or three warm up games on the default difficulty to get the dust off, humiliate the computer, move on to the harder difficulty for a couple of games and then start a season. Well, not this year. I played three games and lost three games. On the default difficulty. Three big fat L's. To my credit, I played recklessly (never punting and making dangerous passes), but that is how I always play my warm-up games. The computer made very good adjustments and was able to shut me down. I was playing against UF, but that's no excuse (or is it). I will have to report back after I up the difficulty.
This game is is spectacular (I can only speak for the off-line component) and worth every penny. If you like football, college or pro, you can't go wrong with this one. One last glitch that I found, though, was that when you first start the game it asks you what your favorite team is. This has to be some type of programming bug...shouldn't it just default to the University of Miami? GO CANES!!!!!
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 Del Rey Books has announced that they will be publishing a novel that is based on the Deus Ex video game trilogy. The novel is entitled Deus Ex: The Icarus Effect. Oddly enough, the novel has not been written yet, but at least they have an author, James Swallow. Check out the press release below: "DEUS EX: THE ICARUS
EFFECT is set in the
complex and enthralling world of Deus Ex, a cyberpunk-style technological
dystopia where all is not what it seems. In the not-so-distant future, the
world is a place of great innovation and technological advancement... but also
a place of chaos and conspiracy. New technologies push the limits of human
potential, even while they threaten the very future of the world. And from the
shadows, dark and secret powers are coming together to take control, intent on
designs so large, so intricate, they will take decades to come to fruition. But
when two unlikely heroes—Anna Kelso, a Secret Service agent, and Ben Saxon, a
special-ops soldier—draw uncomfortably close to the truth, the choices they
make here and now will alter the course of history... or usher in an age of
darkness. " Sounds exciting. Stay tuned for more info as we get it.  
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Thank goodness! Millions can breath easily now!!!! If you have an iPhone 4, then you no longer have to worry about that little problem of not being able to make calls or surf the net; all you have to do is slap a piece of duct tape on the side of your sleek and sexy equipment. Watch as one Mr. Paul Reynolds from Consumer Reports sheepishly attempts to downplay his very bold "call out" of Apple's flagship product. Is everyone afraid of Apple? It sure seems like it. While the iPhone was is no doubt a revolutionary piece of tech, each iteration has been tremendously flawed when it comes to basic functionality. This just proves that Apple has reached the point where they know that the masses will buy their products no matter what. I bet the next product will be the iPet Rock, it'll sell bajillions! Man, good thing I used my EVO to tape that segment, I had my hands all over it.
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We've yet to hit the holidays -- the time usually reserved for gaming's biggest hits to release -- and 2010, halfway-through, is already looking to rival full years of gaming's past. Here's a look back on our reviews for the year so far.
The (Slightly) Disappointing Game Sequels of 2010
Being that this site is run by a dedicated staff that also attend full-time jobs...we don't generally choose to spend our time with "crappy" games on purpose. Regardless, there are still those few games that we set aside some hours for only to disappoint. Now, these titles aren't necessarily the worst titles we've ever played but were, overall, less than we expected...especially considering the pedigree of which they stem from.
God of War 3
The original God of War on PS2 was a mind-blowing, epic affair unlike anything gamers had seen before. GoWII came along and produced the same effect with more boss battles -- even if the overall story suffered sans David Jaffe's creative direction. Kratos going portable in the PSP's GoW: Chains of Olympus proved just as beautiful and effective as the console outings. God of War 3 comes along and while cementing itself as the PS3's grandest technical marvel, played it safe for most of the journey and, yes, you take out the same boss as the series' last PS2 outing! Pretty graphics are always appreciated in games but the next God of War will need to bring more to the table than the already expected to impress.
Read our God of War 3 review here.
Splinter Cell Conviction
Sam Fisher's latest mission had him going rogue and into newly revamped controls territory this year proving that Splinter Cell's makers are not afraid to spice things up in the gameplay department. It's what we gamers ask for all the time: change! Unfortunately, as our review depicts, this doesn't always lead to favorable results. Conviction gave the series a new face but only to detract from the openness of previous entries and a story that was all-too-forgettable. Let's hope the next outing takes the newfangled, streamlined controls and builds a richer experience around it.
Read our Splinter Cell Conviction review here.
Bioshock 2
Bioshock 2 was a great shooter sequel to the original game. It introduced the ability to fire plasmids and weapons simultaneously -- yes, we know, in 2010 that's still a "fresh" upgrade in sequels. The only problem? It was completely devoid of that special something something that made Bioshock so great in the first place: that first arrival into an alternate, degenerating world full of remnants of its bright potential and ultimate destruction. You can try blaming it on the voluntary displacement of Mr. Ken Levine or the 16 million developers that worked on the game. Whatever it was, Bioshock 2 was (slightly) disappointed, but then again...how could it not? It was bound to as soon as it tried its hand at besting one of the best games of this generation -- or any, really.
Read our Bioshock 2 review here.
The Four Star Ratings of 2010
Sour grapes aside, the following are a few of the games that HawtWired thought graced closed to greatness (and still worth your time) but didn't quite reach our highest grade possible: the hawt, hawt "A+."
Heavy Rain
The "pressing X to 'Jason'" meme took over much of the gamer's conversation when Heavy Rain released and while not perfect, the title did move the needle forward in what video games are capable of. Heavy Rain wasn't built around the concept of "fun" that our favorite medium has known to host many times over, but it was compelling in it's own way. It told a bleak, brooding story about several characters and how they end up interacting and affecting each other's lives. Conversations flowed freely, daily chores were reproduced in grand fashion, and the characters shined in this follow-up to Indigo Prophecy.
Read our Heavy Rain review here.
Yakuza 3
Three games in -- not counting the feudal era, Japan-exclusive Yakuza: Kenzen, of course -- and you'd think we'd be tired of Kazuma's exploits. Not so based on our review earlier this year. Sega unleashed another fan favorite that's taken the place of Shenmue's legacy with better graphics (not necessarily on par with PS3's heaviest hitters, but better!), new mini-games, and added moves rounded out the experience. Considering it took soap tropes -- Kazuma running an orphanage...wha??? -- and ran with them...it was the perfect virtual vacation for the Japanophile in all of us.
Read our Yakuza 3 review here.
Alan Wake
Alan Wake was definitely one of the biggest surprises to get on this list. Remedy had great games under their belts with the Max Payne series but this one really just came in under the radar and proved to be a genuinely scary addition to the horror genre. Yes, it wears its "Twin Peaks" influences right on its sleeves and, at times, featured questionable story elements but! It made us terrified of poltergeist-infused tractors. TRACTORS. That's a notch of awesome toward the game in our book.
Read our Alan Wake review here.
The Jaw-Dropping Wonders of 2010
Earning themselves our review scale's top A+ grade distinction, Mass Effect 2 and Red Dead Redemption proved themselves some of the best games of the year and of recent memory. They've fired up the "Game of the Year" conversation amongst gamers around the web and countless of podcasts; any games releasing in the later half of 2010 need to best these in order to have a fighting chance at "best of" anything.
Mass Effect 2
As far as sequels go, Mass Effect 2 is the only one on this list that not only matches its legacy but surpasses it in every way -- smoother framerate, story elements refined, and generally a much more enjoyable experience. Some may have complained that the first game's emphasis on RPG elements were nonexistent under the guise of the better shooting mechanics this time around, but we felt our epic trek throughout the vast, vast universe Mass Effect 2 presented satiated our RPG-shooter hybrid itch just fine. Bioware delivered on some sweet, sweet gaming in the first month of this year. Just leave the planet-scanning shenanigans away from us next time, K?
Read our Mass Effect 2 review here.
Red Dead Redemption
Clint Eastwood! That's the first person you would likely think of whenever anyone mentioned "Westerns" pre- Red Dead Redemption. Now, John Marston is synonymous to the word -- in our mind anyway. Rockstar San Diego truly created a world apart from space marines, orcs, and "hood" gaming we've grown so accustomed to in video games. In Red Dead Redemption you can herd livestock, break horses, play rent-a-sheriff, gamble in some poker, and that's just a few of the mini-games! You can also partake in one of the best, tightly-woven stories Rockstar has produced in some time with incredible shoot-outs and even random events that add all the more flavor to the package. To Rockstar: more, please.
Read our Red Dead Redemption review here.
How dare we discredit God of War 3's obvious perfection on this list?! Pfft, Red Dead Redemption was just GTA IV Plus? Feel free to let us know how wrong this list was in the comments...
Wait a minute, HawtWired! Why are Super Mario Galaxy 2, Crackdown 2, and others not on this list? Good observin', dear reader! The reason is we've yet to get around to reviewing those titles -- and since this is a best-reviewed list they didn't make it in. Look forward to our analysis of those games some time in the near future though! 
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EA Sport's NCAA Football 11 Release Date is here!
The highly anticipated release of NCAA Football 2011 is this Tuesday (July 13) on Xbox 360 and PS3 in the US!
The series has had a disappointing showing this generation, but initial reviews show that the series is back on top!
If you have been procrastinating getting your pre-order in, you still have time to take advantage of the many retail special promotions and coupon codes.
Check out the full run down of current NCAA Football 11 deals and midnight launch details:
Pre-order NCAA Football 11, for the PS3 or Xbox 360, and get $10 off a future video game purchase, as well as a Fathead Teammate college wall sticker, plus free shipping at Amazon.
This promo will be ending at any time, so secure the deal and pre-order now...
Steps:
Buy.com is currently offering NCAA Football 11 for $54.99 with free shipping.
Steps:
BestBuy is offering NCAA Football for retail at $59.99.
Order online, and select In-store pickup to get the game on release day.
Steps:
BestBuy.com - NCAA Football 11
- Select 'In-Store Pickup'
Midnight Store Openings:
Don't miss a minute of this latest edition of the hard-hitting football franchise. Find out if there's a Best Buy store opening at midnight in your area.
Check it out: BestBuy.com Midnight Openings
Reserve NCAA Football 11 and receive a one-time use code to download the GameStop Boost Pack: 5-Star Recruit Bundle. Available online and in-store while supplies lasts.
Steps:
Midnight Openings:
 
Walmart.com is offering a free $20 gift card and free shipping on all NCAA Football pre-orders.
$0.97 Shipping to home as well...
Steps:
If you happen to run across other deals, by all means send us a deal tip!
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Welcome to New Releases for the Week!
Video game release highlights include NCAA Football 11 (PS3/Xbox 360), Wii Calvin Tucker's Redneck Racing (Nintendo Wii), Chuck E. Cheese Party Games (Nintendo DS), plus a few more gems...
Our recommended new release of the week will go to NCAA Football 11 (PS3/Xbox 360).
NCAA Football 11, the highly anticipated 2010 release in the NCAA Football franchise, returns with a focus on authenticity, innovation, and core experience. College football fans can rejoice.
NCAA Football 11 delivers unique game play and traditions for each of the 120 schools through the TruSchool system, which blends offensive styles, coaching tendencies, areas of talent, stadiums and traditions to bring the pageantry and rivalry of college football to life like never before.
Deals on this week's releases include:
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of July 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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Ubisoft set me off, this time, when they claimed earlier this week that they expect to see 3D televisions in every home by 2013. First off, a year after the apocalypse, 3D television is going to take a severe back seat to survival and zombie slaying. Secondly, since the 3D television is the stupidest, most inelegant backwards-ass item of engineering on the planet, such a claim is, at best, somewhere between DJ Hero and Kid Rock on the retardation scale.
Hopefully, I’m riling up the 3D believers right now, because by the end of this article I’m going to shatter their fragile little world. Like any good waiting-to-pop-the-bubble consumer tech, everyone and their brother is working on their own version of 3D technology, so let’s look at some of these examples of doomed-to-fail lights and circuits.
ANAGLYPH IMAGING
The most common 3D tech (outside the TV space), this is the red-blue/green/cyan glasses that have been around forever. No, literally forever. The technology has existed since 1853, longer than color photography. Got that? Before they were putting color in photos, they were using color to make photos appear in 3D.
Anaglyph imaging works by using different colored cellophane placed over each eye to filter different hued images so each eye only sees one of the overlapping images, and the brain puts the two together to create a 3D image in your mind, much to the delight of filmmakers trying desperately to boost faltering ticket sales in the 1950’s, 1980’s, and 2010’s, and much to the chagrin of the cast of SCTV. 
Granted, no one’s really supporting this system as a viable 3D-TV system, but its only a matter of time before some Eastern European no-name manufacturer starts polluting the shelves of Big Lots with a cheap, anaglyph 3D television for eighteen bucks.
WAVE POLARIZATION
There’s a whole lot of math and science involved with exactly how Polarization 3D works, so many explanations of wave polarization end up looking like a 200-Level Physics class, known as the highest level of Physics to everyone but Physics majors. So let me save you $70,000 in tuition and sum it up like this: the image is broadcast in two light waves--one waves up and down and one waves left and right. One lens of the glasses only lets in the ‘up and down’ light, and the other lets in the ‘left and right’ light. Science geeks are upset that I’ve simplified it like that, but really, that’s all you need to know to understand the concept. Imaginary numbers and gamma ratios are unnecessary to everybody else.
When I was in high school, someone from who knows where came and showed us a sample of this technology, and to this day, there are two things that stand out to me from the memory. First of all, this is the only 3D that I’ve ever had much success with, as my eyes have problems processing the colors properly in anaglyph imaging. Secondly, I have no idea why we were presented with a sample of this. I’m guessing the teacher just wanted a day off to grade papers--it’s the only logical explanation for why people made us watch a 3D tech demo as though a bunch of 16-year olds have investment money for their project. Seriously, it wasn’t even a science class; it was during Geography.
Television manufacturers are running with this tech as a cheap, get-it-out-the-door-so-our-stockholders-don’t-think-we’re-dropping-the-ball product, and many of the early adopters who plan on actually using it instead of just placing it in the house for an upcoming shoot of MTV Cribs are going this route.
ALTERNATE-FRAME IMAGING
Lovingly called “shutter glasses” by some, this method is specifically for motion 3D. It essentially takes two complete films, one for the left eye and one for the right, and interlaces the frames one-at-a-time like an indestructible phone book. Glasses sync up to the image and shutter off one eye at a time (“at a time” here meaning 1/48 of a second), making it a highly complicated version of traditional films, firing rapid images to make the mind believe in motion and 3D simultaneously.
TV manufacturers are also backing this pony, though, as I kind of hinted above, this system couldn’t be more complicated short of making you power it via human-sized hamster wheel generator.
AUTOSTEREOSCOPIC DISPLAY
The infamous “glasses-free” 3D display, formed almost entirely because I challenged alternate-frame imaging engineers to create 3D tech that was even more complicated. Autostereoyaddayaddayadda is limited by the angles that the 3D becomes consistent from. Some manufacturers are claiming to have screens that are visible at up to 46 different angles, but even then, figuring that there are 180-squared-degrees that are available between you and a monitor, you’ll need the $70,000 tuition I saved you earlier to study math and engineering to get your living room arranged as such to make sure all your chairs are in viable viewing positions.
Some manufacturers are also experimenting with eye-tracking screens that bend to adjust to your viewing angle and even follow your movements. At first consideration, that sounds like some real high grade Star Trek style benefit-of-mankind technology. At second consideration, you’re dealing with a machine that can reform itself at will, meaning it sounds like some real high grade T-1000 style destruction-of-mankind technology. 
WHY THEY ARE ALL POINTLESS
These technologies, for the most part, depend on you having a television screen and a pair of glasses for operation, which means multiple components to purchase for your living room. The autostereoscopic Death-bot is a single component, but is expensive enough you won’t know the difference. All these components fly in the face of the single, most basic principal of engineering: Simpler is better. And simpler 3D is not anything new or exciting:
If the glasses are the necessary component to get the 3D to function, and we have the technology to put screens in glasses, then why in God’s name would we need the television in the first place? We’re already segregating the potential group activity of a single screen by giving the individual viewers glasses, so we’re not losing any more group interaction than they were before. All we’re doing is letting the manufacturers sell us multiple components when we only need one.
So, your 3D-TV is going to vanish faster than Vin Diesel’s career. All it takes is one company bucking whatever treaty the TV manufacturers have to try to fleece us consumers and make their 3D viewing glasses available to the consumer market, and we’ll all be picking a third-world country to make into a landfill for our old discarded 3D televisions. The real, long-lasting design for 3D video is going to look more like this:
 Which will still make it hard to see zombies in your peripheral vision, killing us all.
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Split/Second has it all: a slick presentation, streamlined heads-up display, an incredible sensation of speed, awesome techno-vibe soundtrack that perfectly suits the gameplay, and a track-deformation hook truly its own. Everything is all well and good...until the excitement of the timing-based, environmental attack "moves" hook runs out on you. The "reality TV show" campaign is fun a few "episodes" in but all it does is cover up the few race modes available to the player (six total) and only about half are worth the inclusion. Regardless, it does a solid enough job to cover up Black Rock Studio's first time-out bruises to present a refreshing (and exhilarating) take on a stale genre that rivals the best titles in the Burnout series. And if you're looking for more of a challenge after solving the campaign game tape, step up and go online to take on the -- relatively healthy -- community in a seemingly lag-free experience.
Grade: B+
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EA Sport's NCAA Football 11 Release Date is here!
The highly anticipated release of NCAA Football 2011 is this Tuesday (July 13) on Xbox 360 and PS3 in the US!
The series has had a disappointing showing this generation, but initial reviews show that the series is back on top!
If you have been procrastinating getting your pre-order in, you still have time to take advantage of the many retail special promotions and coupon codes.
Check out the full run down of current NCAA Football 11 deals and midnight launch details:
Pre-order NCAA Football 11, for the PS3 or Xbox 360, and get $10 off a future video game purchase, as well as a Fathead Teammate college wall sticker, plus free shipping at Amazon.
This promo will be ending at any time, so secure the deal and pre-order now...
Steps:
Buy.com is currently offering NCAA Football 11 for $54.99 with free shipping.
Steps:
BestBuy is offering NCAA Football for retail at $59.99.
Order online, and select In-store pickup to get the game on release day.
Steps:
BestBuy.com - NCAA Football 11
- Select 'In-Store Pickup'
Midnight Store Openings:
Don't miss a minute of this latest edition of the hard-hitting football franchise. Find out if there's a Best Buy store opening at midnight in your area.
Check it out: BestBuy.com Midnight Openings
Reserve NCAA Football 11 and receive a one-time use code to download the GameStop Boost Pack: 5-Star Recruit Bundle. Available online and in-store while supplies lasts.
Steps:
Midnight Openings:
Walmart.com is offering a free $20 gift card and free shipping on all NCAA Football pre-orders.
$0.97 Shipping to home as well...
Steps:
If you happen to run across other deals, by all means send us a deal tip!
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 If you were worried about the second inFamous game living up to the the standards set by the original, then this gameplay trailer may serve to alleviate any worries that you might have. This trailer shows that the game is action packed and a lot prettier than the original. It also reveals a few new abilities that look waaaaaay cool. Cole is able to charge a pipe on the side of a building and glide up it instead of climbing and also used the poles to glide along the side of buildings. Probably the coolest reveal was Cole's ability to create what I can only call an electrical storm that engulfed an entire street! Check it out and let us know if you like what you see.
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Welcome to New Releases for the Week!
A fairly light week from the video game release list front as everyone is digesting their hot dogs after a nice long 4th of July weekend!
Video game release highlights include Crackdown 2 (Xbox 360), Dragon Quest IX (Nintendo DS), Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable (Sony PSP), plus a few more gems...
Our recommended new release of the week will go to Crackdown 2 (Xbox 360).
The sequel to the award-winning vertical-world adventure, Crackdown 2 is the ultimate open-ended world action experience, only available on Xbox 360®. The game lets you be judge, jury, and executioner for a huge, fully explorable city. Crackdown 2 takes multiplayer gaming to unprecedented levels for the ultimate co-op and competitive multiplayer experience, providing you and your friends with the complete freedom to explore, destroy, and play your way as you restore justice and peace to Pacific City—by any means necessary.
Deals on this week's releases include:
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of July 6, 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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In a story picked up from BBC News, doctors at Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital have taken the same motion sensing technology we waste on stomping turtles and adapted it to a pain-relieving neurostimulator implant, severely improving the lifestyle of at least one patient. Neurostimulators are implants that send off a level of electrical impulse directly to the spinal cord, muddling pain sensors in patients that are either recovering from severe trauma or, as in the case of our above patient, Robert Mason, suffer irreversible trauma everyday of their lives. They work as a signal jammer--the brain is unable to get the proper signal from the pain sensors in the body because the implant creates, for lack of a better term, sensory 'static', reducing crippling pain to a mild tingling sensation. 
To date, the biggest drawbacks of neurostimulators has been a measured dosage of electrical impulse. As anyone whose every pulled a muscle can attest, different postures and body positions can increase or decrease the level of pain suffered, depending on the injury, and the neurostimulator previously was unable to gauge when a person needed less or more relief. Using the increasingly-more-common-everyday motion sensing and accelerator technology we find in our Wii's and iPhones, the neurostimulator can be programmed to react to different body positionings by giving variable levels of impulse relief. Mason's take on the results, from the BBC article: "My pain has been a constant eight out of 10, like the worst toothache
you can imagine. I get about two hours sleep a night at best, and then
only in short bursts." But the father-of-three, who is the first patient in the UK to have a
neurostimulator with an in-built motion sensor, said he was delighted
with the results. "It's brilliant. Now I can have the kids sitting on my lap, whereas
before I was wriggling in pain. I feel like a proper parent again. I am
looking forward to getting four hours straight sleep at night and hoping
to get back to work." Mr Mason still feels pain, but said the neurostimulator had reduced it
from an eight out of 10 to four.
Doctors both at Guy's and St. Thomas' and from the British Pain Society are tremendously pleased with the technologies results, and speculate that it could help better the lives of thousands of suffers of back and leg pain each year.
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So, if you were like me, you snatched up Activision's Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 late winter after all the retailers started cleaning out their leftover holiday stocks, picking up the game at a very reasonable 20 bucks. Then, if alos like me, you're a Marvel nut you hit your console's respective online store to pick up bonus characters like Magneto and Psylocke and the like, only realize that you missed the boat--the DLC characters were long gone. The Character Packs, adding great Marvel characters Magneto, Psylocke, Cable, Carnage, and Black Panther to the mix, were set to a very limited time availability, and in the holiday crunch most news outlets missed covering the notice that window was only about a month-and-a-half. We missed it here, at HAWTwired, as well, but since we didn't launch the site until after the DLC was removed, I'm going to ask for a little amnesty on this one. Scanning One of Sword's blog over the holiday, I noticed that fan outcry has paid off, and Activision has reinstated the Character Packs, as well as adding a download for Juggernaut, a character that was originally only available though pre-order. O-of-S reports that the Xbox Live packs are live, and though not solid date for the PSN packs has been stated, this Tuesday (July 6) seems the most likely culprit. If you're looking to get a little extra mileage out of your MUA2, snatch the packs up while you can, as the DLC is on a timer again, only this time with the more realistic cut-off of December 31, 2010. If nothing else, it will give you a good excuse to go through the game again and play the other faction (I'm looking at you, Anti-Reg heads...)
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HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!
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I suppose I should be commenting on Roger Ebert and whether or not video games are art, but I’m so sick of that discussion I’d likely end up going “I Come In Peace” on myself with an old AOL CD before I half-finished the article. So in the long run, its probably better to my creditors if I ignore that particularly over-regurgitated piece of game media pie and move on to something else.
So today, I want to talk about Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Sort of. Only not really. Let me explain.
I know that right now the hot thing, due mostly to prodding from various PR agencies, is to speculate on who’s going to end up on the roster for MVC3, but that’s really not what I want to talk about. Not at all. Though a Cammy vs. Ms. Marvel throw down would be awesome all kinds of levels.
I want to talk about what this means to retro geeks like me. Remember back last year when Marvel got acquired by a certain company with more money than God and a mouse for as mascot? That’s right, Disney. For Marvel vs. Capcom 3 to happen, that means Capcom had to get talking with Marvel, and someone in the Marvel’s corporate echelon had to coddle up to their Disney overlords to get approval for the project. I imagine Stan Lee in Mickey Mouse Club ears, but I spend a lot of time imagining Stan Lee in various headwear.
What this means to the retro gamers: Capcom and Disney are in the closest relationship they’ve had in nearly 20 years, meaning we’re the closest we’ve ever been to a Ducktales re-release!
Everyone not completely losing their minds right now, i.e. anyone under the age of 25, let me explain it to you. There was a golden age of the NES when Capcom had the license from Disney to make games based on several of their weekday afternoon cartoon programs: Ducktales, Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, etc. These games were so wholly and totally awesome, that our young brains reflexively removed any stored information of more inferior games to make room to fully appreciate these Disney licenses. Seriously, it wasn’t until Ducktales that I really understood the difference between a good game and a bad one. If Playboy made Men of us, Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers made us Snooty Cynical Snarky Gamers.
 ADVENTURES IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM (1990)
Adventures in the Magic Kingdom was where the Disney/Capcom partnership started, though not a good indicator of the amazing games the partnership would bring. A passable game at best (there certainly was worse drek out there), you played as a kid assigned by Mickey to find the keys to open the door to the Magic Kingdom. This was done by risking life and limb in some of Disneyland’s famous attractions, because, you know when I said Disney has more money than God? Yeah, they don’t care if a child sent on a fool’s errand by a guy in a mouse suit is eaten by an animatronic alligator--they’ve got insurance that covers that. Image Source: vgmuseum.com
 DUCKTALES (1990)
Ducktales was really where the greatness of Disney/Capcom games began. Developed mostly by the Mega Man team, Ducktales was all the better for it, and featured non-linear game play and hidden items non-essential for the principal game. Cameos from the Ducktales cast helped keep it relevant to fans of the show, but it was the Scrooge McDuck’s pimp cane that really took the cake. Used as both a weapon and a tool, Scrooge would swing it like a golf club, and could combine it with his jump to act as a pogo stick, which resulted in many obsessive eight-year olds learning how to play the game without letting poor Scrooge ever set his web-footed feet on the floor of a level. Also, let us not forget, Ducktales bore us one of the greatest video game songs of all time.
A sequel was released in 1993, and though not quite as great as the first one, was a decent game as well. Unfortunately, by now the 16-bit era was under way, and gamers didn’t pay much attention to the 8-bit efforts. Image Source: vgmuseum.com  CHIP ‘N’ DALES RESCUE RANGERS (1990)
Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers big advertised strength was it’s co-operative play, where you an a friend could take the roles of the titular characters and embark on a journey to save Gadget from the nefarious Fat Cat. The big unadvertised strength was constantly griefing your friend as you played the game. Chip and Dale could pick up crates, balls, apples, and other items to toss at their enemies, and usually, by the Kitchen Level or so, you’d end up getting into a box tossing contest with your co-player that would wipe out both of yours’ lives and force you to try again, leaving you both giggling like idiots for the fun you were having. The charming “miniaturized world” art design played here, creating some of the most interesting 8-bit level designs this side of Little Nemo: The Dream Master.
Chip ‘n’ Dale also saw a sequel release in 1993, with even less fanfare than Ducktales’ sequel, and much for the same reasons. Image Source: vgmuseum.com
TALESPIN (1991)
Where the Disney/Capcom games succeeded with platforming, they hit a bit of a brick wall with side-scrolling shooters. Talespin features Baloo flying and shooting air-pirates in what could have been pretty much any generic shmup of the day, though I use the term ‘shmup’ with trepidation, as the word usually doesn’t invoke the feeling of boredom and tedium that Talespin did. But considering the show was basically a bastardized version of Porco Rosso meshed with a bastardized version of Cheers, I suppose the bar was never too high to begin with. Image source: hardcoregaming101.net
THE LITTLE MERMAID (1991)
The game you didn’t want your friends to know you liked. A side-scrolling “swimmer”, you pilot Ariel on a quest keep sea witch Ursula from ruining her wedding with land hunk Eric in a plotline stolen from a modern-day E! reality show. Ariel creates air bubbles from her tail (!) which she uses to trap enemies and hurl at other enemies. Because if there’s one thing that will prevent you from ruining a wedding, it’s having a fish thrown at you the bride farted on. I know--it what kept me from ruining mine.
Despite the fish farts, The Little Mermaid places pretty high on the playability list of the Disney/Capcom era. The Bubble Bobble meets Rescue Rangers mechanic plus treasure hunting made for a decently fun game. Image source: consoleclassix.com
DARKWING DUCK (1992)
I remember very specifically that Darkwing Duck was my favorite of the Disney after-school cartoons. I also remember that it was the masochistically hardest of these games. Built on top of Mega Man 5’s engine, DD would run, jump, and shoot his way through stages, switching ammo (different canisters for his gas gun) along the way till he worked his way to the stage’s boss. Pretty much a Mega Man game. But in spite of it’s controller throwing difficulty, it was still fun in that “I can do it better next time” kind of way. You know, that way that we wouldn’t play games today if you paid us to. Image source: vgmuseum.com
DISNEY’S MAGICAL QUEST starring MICKEY MOUSE (1992)
Disney and Capcom’s attempt at making a Mario game, Magical Quest was their first foray into 16-bit space. An action/adventure platformer, Magical Quest had Mickey don a handful of suits--magician, fire fighter, and mountain climber--to work his way through the level’s various challenges. A fun mechanic, but other than the magician costume, the references were lost on all but the most versed of Disney fans (the fire fighter and mountain climber being from Disney’s classic era, but everything else in the game being from the modern one). Plus, by my recollection, the ammo for the magician and firefighter outfits ran out too quickly and was way too scarce, to the point of endangering the games playability.
The Great Circus Mystery starring Mickey and Minnie was released in 1994 as a ‘we-don’t-want-to-call-it-a-sequel’ to Magical Quest. But by 1994 playing a Disney game would put you at risk of getting beat up at school; playing a CIRCUS Disney game would guarantee it. Image source: chronicgames.net
GOOF TROOP (1992)
Goof Troop was a massive departure from the other Disney/Capcom games. An overhead adventure puzzle game, Goof Troop was part Legend of Zelda, part Bomberman, and part Monkey Island. Two players could co-operate as Goofy and his son Max to throw flowerpots at pirates, push and kick blocks at switches, and grapple and bridge their way across gaps. The game’s uniqueness made it a bit unpopular during the increasingly homogenized Super NES market of 1992, but fans of quirky games discovered it and appreciated it for an oddball classic. Image source: vgmuseum.com
VERDICT
Disney. Capcom. We’re all friends again. Re-release these games already, for the love of God. Virtual console, PSN, XBLA, I don’t really care. Hell, put them all on a disc and sell it to me for eighty bucks. I’m yours, just don’t let these genius pieces of code disappear into the recesses of history. Life is like a hurricane, and I don’t want to see the classics fade in a duck-blur… Whatever that was supposed to be…
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 Man, the processor on the HTC EVO 4G isn't even cool yet and Sprint has already announced it's next 4G handset. It's called the Epic 4G, a variant of the Galaxy S which seems to be hitting every carrier, but it is looking like the most desirable version. This new sexy beast is packing a 1GHz Hummingbird processor, a 4 inch AMOLED display, a thin slide out keyboard, a 5 MP camera and of course, hot 4G Android love. While this phone is not packing all of the bells and whistles of the EVO does, it has a keyboard, which makes a big difference for a whole lot of people. You have to give Sprint credit, usually they get a hot handset and sit stagnant for months. To announce this phone only 1 month after their biggest handset release in the company's history shows that they might be ready to get out of third place. More on this beauty when we get hear something else.
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