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September 2010 - Posts
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Twisted Pixel may be the best small studio working in gaming right now, seriously. Comic Jumper marks the third title the group has published on Xbox Live Arcade, and I have no qualms in saying that it’s far-and-away their best to date.
First, the story. Comic Jumper is the story of unpopular comic superhero Captain Smiley and his foul-mouthed sidekick/chest-plate/my-personal-hero Star, who are in the midst of experiencing a comic hero’s worst nightmare: cancellation. In an attempt to reignite their subscription numbers, Captain Smiley and Star end up guest starring in various other comics in an attempt to earn enough money to re-launch their book.
The gameplay is mostly 2D platforming with an odd (for lack of a better term) twin-stick-ish style shooting mechanic, that is mapped to work so well you’ll wonder why more games don’t use it. The action is broken up with various other gameplay mechanics to keep from getting stale, including 3D shooting sequences, 2D vehicle stages, hand-to-hand brawling segments, and even a few quicktime events, and all feel natural to the game and the story, without any odd hiccups between play styles. 
As Captain Smiley jumps from comic to comic, the artwork transforms drastically and perfectly to fit the world, from the oil-painted, Vallejo-inspired fantasy world of Nanoc the Obliviator, to the old-school solid-colored Silver Aged Improbable Paper Pals, to the in-my-eyes-always-painful-to-look-at black-and-white world of manga world Cutie Cutie Kid Cupids. The game goes beyond even the art style in comically aping the inspiring comic genres, including forcing Captain Smiley to read letters from the fans at the end of Silver Era levels and playing the manga levels by running from right-to-left. I’ll let that last one sink in for a second so you can grasp the genius of it.
And the humor--oh, the humor! Comic Jumper fits snugly into the pantheon of humorous games like Monkey Island and Psychonauts, and I have a hard time remembering a game where the laughs came as fast and strongly as they do in this one. Equally perfect is the voice work, without which the comedy would not have had half the impact it did, and the extra features do the voice talent right by giving them some extra accolades for their work.
Speaking of which, the game is jam packed with unlockable extras: artwork, videos, soundtrack, 3D models, and out of game goodies like Gamer Pictures, Dashboard Themes, and even new levels for last year’s Twisted Pixel hit, ‘Splosion Man. The extras give a wonderful insight into how the game was created, for those of you who are interested in the art of game craft, and if you’re not into game history, the extras also grant you score multipliers for the game proper, so you’ll want to snatch them up no matter what the motivation. 
In conclusion, Comic Jumper is one of the best games I’ve played all year, forget one of the best XBLA games. Like a lot of humor driven games, I have to worry about the replayability of the title (Twisted Pixel has thrown in Challenge Missions and Leaderboards to try to stymie that factor, but I’m not sure they’re enough), but even if you only get a single play through out of it, the game is more than worth the price of admission.
Grade: A
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MAG PRICE DROP!
MAG is now available for $29.99 (from $59.99), and is not part of the greatest hits family!
According to a weekly newsletter sent by Sony, the game will be joining the "Greatest Hits" line-up on September 28 and will be offered at the low price of $29.99. MAG is a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter that is unique in a variety of ways. A PS3 exclusive, MAG allows up to 256 players aligned with different private military corporations (PMCs) to battle each other at the same time across a global battlefield. Within this persistent game world players engage in campaign and mission play that elevates their character from the ranks of a lowly grunt, all the way up through the intricate command structure of the in-game officer corp. Along the way players players experience in-depth character customization, a robust leveling system and large-scale MMO shooter gameplay that makes MAG a game not to be missed by fans of the shooter genre.
Check it out: Amazon - MAG
About MAG
In MAG players take on the role of a member of a private military corporation (PMC), in a fictional Earth future. Like most MMO games, as well as some modern shooters, the ultimate goal of action is the leveling up of your character, in this case through success in combat against other factions made up of individual online players. At the initial level players choose the PMC they will be aligned with, the physical characteristics of their character, initial available weaponry, etc. and hit the battlefield with other squad members within a persistent online environment. Along the way you will utilize a diverse skill tree to develop your character's abilities and skills at tactics and weapons using experience points that are accumulated in campaign and mission play in the name of your faction. These points are given out in various increments for all manner of action, whether that be objective completion, or individual actions in combat. Once characters reach a certain level they are eligible to take on command duties. These duties range from leading an eight-man squad, all the way to overall command of more than 100 online players. Orders are communicated and strategy developed via voice chat and other functionality. Success in command positions allows for access to special "leadership bonuses" that not only can improve your abilities, but also in many cases, that of the individuals and units under your command. 
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Blu-ray Movie Release List for the Week of Sept. 28, 2010
Iron Man 2 drops this week on Blu-ray. In addition we have some additional treats in the form of Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, Hero Starring Jet Li, The Thin Red Line, plus a few more gems!
This week's recommended Blu-ray movie title is Iron Man 2...
After the high-flying adventures of the first Iron Man picture, the billionaire arms manufacturer and irrepressible bon vivant Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) finds himself nursing a hangover. But not like any hangover he's had before: this one is toxic, a potentially deadly condition resulting from heavy metals (or something) bleeding out of the hardware he's installed in the middle of his chest. This is the problem Stark needs to solve in Iron Man 2, not to mention the threat from resentful Russian science whiz Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), whose father helped create the Iron Man technology. There's an even bigger problem for the film: the need to set up a future Marvel Comics movie universe in which a variety of veteran characters will join forces, a requirement that slows down whatever through-line the movie can generate (although fanboys will have a good time digging the clues laid out here). Actually, the main plot is no great shakes: another Iron Man suit is deployed (Don Cheadle, replacing Terrence Howard from the first film, gets to climb inside), Stark continues to bicker with assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow), and a weaselly business rival (Sam Rockwell) tries to out-do the Iron Man suit with an army of Vanko-designed drones. Mickey Rourke is a letdown, burdened by a wobbly Russian accent and looking skeptical about the genre foolishness around him, and Scarlett Johansson has to wait until the final couple of reels to unleash some butt-kickin' skills as the future Black Widow. That climax is sufficiently lively, and the initial half-hour, including Stark's smirky appearance before a Senate committee and a wacky showdown at the Monaco Grand Prix, provides a strong, swift opening. But the lull between these high points is crying for more action and more Downey improv. --Robert Horton
Here is the full list:
- Iron Man 2 Starring Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Don Cheadle, et al.
- Get Him to the Greek Starring Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, and Rose Byrne
- Superman/Batman: Apocalypse Starring Tim Daly, Kevin Conroy, Andre Braugher, and Summer Glau
- The Thin Red Line (The Criterion Collection) Starring James Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, and Kirk Acevedo
- King Kong (Blu-ray Book) Starring Robert Armstrong, Fay Wray, and Bruce Cabot
- Rush- 2112 + Moving Pictures Classic Album Starring Rush
- The Killer Inside Me Starring Casey Affleck, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, and Simon Baker
- Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence: The (The Criterion Collection) Starring David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Takeshi Kitano
- Suck Starring Malcolm McDowell, Dave Foley, Henry Rollins, and Iggy Pop
- Frozen Starring Shawn Ashmore, Emma Bell, Kevin Zegers, and Ed Ackerman
- Good Starring Viggo Mortensen, Jason Isaacs, and Mark Strong
- Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky Starring Anna Mouglalis and Mads Mikkelsen
- The Private Eyes Starring Tim Conway, Don Knotts, Trisha Noble, and Bernard Fox
- Hero Starring Jet Li
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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Welcome to the New Video Game Releases List for the Week!
The video game release highlights include Dead Rising 2 (Xbox 360/PS3/PC), FIFA Soccer 11 (Xbox 360 / PS3 / Nintendo Wii / PSP / DS), Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Plants vs. Zombies, Wii Party, plus a few more gems...
Our recommended new release of the week will go to Dead Rising 2...
Set several years after the events of the first game in the series, Dead Rising 2 contains all the fun and over-the top carnage which gamers associate with a zombie apocalypse. As with all releases in the Dead Rising series, it is a survival horror game. Players take on the role of an all-new character, with equally new motivations to survive and resources to do so. These resources include new weapons, expanded weapon combination/creation possibilities, and even two-player coop functionality. The game also features a 4-player online multiplayer mode, an optional prologue to the game available as downloadable content and a dramatic increase in the number of zombies that can be faced at once.
The sequel to the million-plus selling Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2 sees the player take on the role of former Motocross champion Chuck Greene, who has come to Fortune City, America's newest gambling paradise, to compete in "Terror is Reality," a gruesome game show that dares contestants to survive zombie-filled environments for big money prizes at the delight of TV audiences around the globe. Chuck's motivation for taking part and risking life and limb is his daughter Katey, who since being bitten by a zombie requires a daily dose of Zombrex to prevent her from turning into one of the living dead. There's no denying that Zombrex works, but since it's the only drug on the market, its price is high.
Current Pre-order Deals:
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of September 20, 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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Hydrophobia is the story of Kate Wilson, a Systems Engineer on board the city-sized ocean liner The Queen of the World, where the world’s wealthy have fled while they attempt to solve the rest of the planet’s rapidly increasing famine problems. On the tenth anniversary of the seaborne ivory tower’s embarking into open water, a band of terrorists called the Neo-Malthusians storm the ship to carry out some 18th Century philosophical exercises to the most extreme of end points and exterminate as many people as possible for the good of mankind.
Caught below deck when the scuffle starts, Kate ends up navigating the ships lower decks in an attempt to disable The Queen’s engines to the best of her capability in an attempt to throw a spanner (that’s Brit for wrench) in the Neo-Malthusians’ plans. Unfortunately, this involves navigating The Queen’s lower decks, so the environments end up being about as varied and stimulating as a day taste-testing at a margarine factory. Granted, a real ship would look like a repetitive assortment of pipes, corridors, and sheet metal, but this is a video game, not a real ship, so a little spice to the environments would go a long way, not just for the aesthetics, but also to help keep players from getting lost as they move from location to location. 
The combat, on the other hand, I found quite engaging, for the most part, and considered it the best part of the game. The dynamic water physics (more on that in a moment) and a slew of environmental hazards keep you on your toes, always keeping an eye open for a kill shot, and a variety of ammo types will keep your options open. It’s not flawless, though, as trying to fight without environmental hazard types or special ammo turns into a long-winded scrimmage of stunning enemies over and over until their heart stops or you get lucky and they drown before they wake up. Beneath the waves, underwater combat shares the potential of ground combat, but usually devolves into circling each other, trying to line-up shots and periodically surfacing for air.
The real star of the game is Dark Energy Digital’s water physics engine, which guides naturalistic tide forces throughout the interiors. Rising waves will resist against you as you crash through them, and a quick rush of water from an burst bulkhead or flooded room opening towards you can quickly knock the feet out from underneath you and your enemies alike. Floating barrels of oil will drift on the surf, and upon well placed shot will explode and leave a flaming slick of oil that will travel on the water’s surface, and previously unmovable objects become maneuverably buoyant in a flooded compartment.
Hydrophobia is intended to be a three-part release, but suffers a bit, feeling less like a three-installment game, and more like a larger game that was chopped up haphazardly into thee chunks. Several hours of repetetive maintenance tunnel exploration is wrapped up by the giving the first real hints of plot points and major tension mere minutes before the end of the game, but with a sense of awkwardness more at home in a middle school dance than a cliffhanger. And with the next two installments not slated until next year sometime, the last second dramatic device being thrown at you only to yanked away just as suddenly will likely leave a bad taste in more than a couple players’ mouths. 
Poor plot pacing aside, the story and game both have a lot of potential for the future, which is the most upsetting part about the misses. I personally am looking forward to the next two chapter of the game, but I have to worry that the game’s foibles will turn off a lot of gamers, endangering the future releases. At the end of the day, Hydrophobia is a competent though flawed third person action game with great graphics and an innovative physics engine that people are going to be licensing/copying for years to come.
Grade: B-
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Now that Halo Reach has launched a wave of late nights for many Xbox 360 gamers, the anticipation for the next installment of the Call of Duty franchise grows. The multi-console launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 achieved over 300 million in first day sales last holiday season. With those kinds of numbers, many retailers are offering agressive pre-order deals on this year's installment.
Activision announced the availability of the Call of Duty: Black Ops Prestige Edition and Hardened Edition for pre-order on the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Last year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 introduced the world to both the Hardened and Prestige Editions that retailed for $79.99 and $149.99 respectively. Both versions are available for pre-order at Amazon and are topping the Amazon Movers and Shakers List as the retailer has extended their $20 video game credit promo to both the Prestige Edition and Hardened Edition .
Typically gamers ordering from Amazon had to pay $6.99 or subscribe to their Prime service to get the game on launch/release day. Right now, Amazon is offering release day delivery for only $0.99 on most pre-orders!
Call of Duty: Black Ops is set to ship on November 9, 2010 on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Check it out:
Black Ops Hardened Edition:
Limited edition Black Ops Collector’s Medal w/display case
4 extra playable co-op maps not in the standard edition
Exclusive Black Ops Xbox® Live® avatar outfit
Premium, special-edition SteelBook™ case
Call of Duty: Black Ops full game
Black Ops Prestige Edition:
Includes the full Call of Duty: Black Ops Hardened Edition w/ Collector's Medal and 4 extra playable co-cop maps not in standard edition
RC-XD Video Surveillance Vehicle - Fully custom RC vehicle modeled after in-game RC-XD Killstreak Reward
Fully custom RC vehicle modeled after in-game RC-XD Killstreak Reward
Video camera to send wireless video to Transmitter
Microphone to send wireless audio to Transmitter
Digital proportional steering and throttle
Independent suspension
Display stand
RC-XD Transmitter - 2" backlit TFT 220 x176 color screen to receive video from car
2" backlit TFT 220 x176 color screen to receive video from car
Integrated speaker to receive audio from car
Custom pistol grip style RC controller
High and low speed settings
Up to 200ft control range 
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Amazon is back again with another All Playstation 3 (PS3) Gold Box Event Today!
The Gold Box Events kicks off today, Tuesday, September 21, 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 PS3 Gold Box Event
Deal of the Day:
- Heavy Rain (Playstation Move compatible w/ software update) - $39.99 (reg. $59.99) Still in Stock!
Hourly Lightning Deals:
6:00 AM PST: Touchdown with this Epic Football Series
8:00 AM PST: Four parallel universes: one unparalled experience
10:00 PM PST: Premium Headsets for FPS games
11:00 PM PST: Battle as your favorite character in the war that started it all
1:00 PM PST: Bigger hits and broken sticks
3:00 PM PST: Ready yourself for an epic, retro adventure
5:00 PM PST: Battle Soviet forces in an alternate time dimension
8:00 PM PST: Power up your racing experience
Check it out: Amazon All PS3 Gold Box Event
Earlier this week, Sony introduced the Playstation Move Controller and associated games and accessories. Hopefully this gold box event includes some of these items.
About Playstation Move:
PlayStation Move offers a new and innovative gaming experience for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) system by fusing realistic, high-definition gaming along with accurate, intuitive control. Consisting of PlayStation Move motion controller, PlayStation Move Navigation controller and PlayStation Eye camera, PlayStation Move enables sophisticated motion control and immersive gameplay only possible on the PS3 system. Concurrent with the release of the PlayStation Move components, both Sony and third-party game developers will release a slew of PlayStation Move compatible games designed to meet the tastes of casual and hard-core gamers alike.
The cornerstone of the PlayStation Move system, the PlayStation Move motion controller combines advanced motion sensors, a dynamic color changing sphere, vibration feedback, and an easy to use button interface to provide the ultimate in motion-based gaming. Equipped with a three axis gyroscope, a three axis accelerometer and terrestrial magnetic field sensor, PlayStation Move motion controller tracks the precise movements and the angle of the controller. The PS3 system also detects the absolute position of the controller in 3D space by using PlayStation Eye camera. Highly sensitive movement tracking can be accurately traced back to the game, allowing intuitive gameplay as if the player is within the game. 
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Blu-ray Movie Release List for the Week of Sept. 21, 2010
Robin Hood drops this week on Blu-ray. In addition we have some additional treats in the form of Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Modern Family: The Complete First Season, American Beauty, plus a few more gems!
This week's recommended Blu-ray movie title is Ridley Scott's Robin Hood...
Cast aside all notions of men in tights: Ridley Scott's Robin Hood is decidedly earthier and more grown-up than most romps through Sherwood Forest. The presence of the over-40 Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett cinches the deal, lending a dose of worldliness to a project that means to be about the origins of the famous character, who in this incarnation was evidently a late bloomer. Robin Longstride (that's his name before he started wearing a hood) is just returned from a 10-year jaunt in the Crusades when he loses his king (Danny Huston as Richard the Lionheart) and his job. Back in England, Robin folds himself neatly into a Nottingham family, where a grieving widow named Marion (Blanchett) and her father-in-law (Max von Sydow) hardly care that he doesn't much resemble their own departed warrior. But the merry men and their famous sideline will have to wait: except for one bit of robbing from the rich (i.e., the greedy government of King John) and giving to the poor, this movie is more concerned with creating a portrait of the royal intrigue that went into creating Robin Hood than in detailing the high jinks of the Nottingham outlaws. And that's not a bad thing, because although Robin Hood lacks the mechanical action beats that distinguish most films of its scale, it creates an engrossing story line around its political chess playing (outlined by screenwriter Brian Helgeland and apparently a few others). Crowe is in reliable crusty-tender form and Blanchett summons up more than her sketchy character probably deserves, but the film has a large cast of chewy, fun performers: Mark Strong (Kick-Ass) does baddie duty as the treacherous pal of King John (preening Oscar Isaacs), William Hurt is stalwart and wise as a royal power broker, Eileen Atkins is a carefully considered royal mum, and Matthew Macfadyen is a Sheriff of Nottingham who's no longer central to the villainy--though no less hissable for his ineptitude (and a prime candidate at film's end for No. 1 bad guy in the sequel). In short, not a Gladiator re-do for Scott and Crowe, but a civilized tale of tyrants and rebels, staged in a pleasingly old-fashioned way. --Robert Horton
Here is the full list:
Robin Hood Starring Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett
Spartacus: Blood and Sand - The Complete First Season Starring Andy Whitfield, John Hannah, Lucy Lawless, and Manu Bennett
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Starring Michael Sheen, Mae Whitman, Kristin Chenoweth, and Lucy Liu
Modern Family: The Complete First Season
American Beauty (Sapphire Series) Starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, and Wes Bentley
Charade (The Criterion Collection) Starring Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Walter Matthau, and James Coburn
The Secret in Their Eyes Starring Ricardo Darín and Soledad Villamil
The Peacemaker Starring George Clooney
Ondine Starring Colin Farrell, Stephen Rea, and Alicja Bachleda
Human Target: The Complete First Season Starring Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and Jackie Earle Haley
The Experiment Starring Adrien Brody, Cam Gigandet, Forest Whitaker, et al.
Vigilante Starring Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, Richard Bright, et al.
Bored to Death: The Complete First Season Starring Jason Schwartzman and Zach Galifianakis
The Secret of Moonacre Starring Tim Curry, Ioan Gruffudd, and Natascha McElhone
Being Human: Season Two Starring Lenora Crichlow, Russell Tovey, Aidan Turner, et al.
Stomp the Yard: Homecoming Starring Keith David, Columbus Short, Stephen Boss, and Pooch Hall
Slayers Evolution-R: Season 5 Starring Veronica Taylor, Michael Sinterniklaas, Lisa Ortiz, et al.
Michael McDonald- This Christmas Live In Chicago Starring Michael McDonald
Slayers Revolution: The Complete Fourth Season Starring Michael Sinterniklaas, Lisa Ortiz, and Eric Stuart
Calvin Marshall Starring Steve Zahn, Alex Frost, Michelle Lombardo, et al.
Triple Dog Starring Brittany Robertson, Scout Taylor Compton, et al.
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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Halo Reach Edition: Welcome to the New Video Game Releases List for the Week!
PC gaming is alive and well this week as the video game release highlights include Sid Meier's Civilization V (PC), Final Fantasy XIV (PC), F1: 2010 (PS3, Xbox 360), Etrian Odyssey III (Nintendo DS), plus a few more gems...
Our recommended new release of the week will go to Sid Meier's Civilization V...
With over nine million units sold worldwide, and unprecedented critical acclaim from fans and press around the world, Sid Meier's Civilization is recognized as one of the greatest strategy franchises of all-time. Now, Firaxis Games will take this incredibly fun and addictive strategy game to unprecedented heights by adding new ways to play and win; new tools to manage and expand your civilization; extensive modding capabilities; and intensely competitive multiplayer options. Civilization V comes to life in a beautifully detailed, living world that will elevate the gameplay experience to a whole new level making it a must-have for gamers around the globe. In Civilization V, players strive to become Ruler of the World by establishing and leading a civilization from the dawn of man into the space age, waging war, conducting diplomacy, discovering new technologies, going head-to-head with some of history's greatest leaders and building the most powerful empire the world has ever known.
Civilization V features 18 playable civilizations chosen from every corner of the globe and from pivotal points in history. Each of these features a charismatic and historic leader who speaks in his/her native tongue, while their forces possess special abilities and units. The culture of each civilization will evolve, with players unlocking and adopting social policies over time, which bring benefits and improvements appropriate to the stage of civilization achieved to that point.
Current Pre-order Deals:
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of September 20, 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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Amazon is back again with another All Playstation 3 (PS3) Gold Box Event!
The Gold Box Events kicks off Tuesday, September 21, 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 PS3 Gold Box Event
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Cheap Xbox LIVE Deal!
Microsoft is currently offering new and existing Xbox LIVE Gold customers the option to add 12 months of Xbox LIVE for $29.99. This is 50% off the rate of $59.99 per year, which is set to start in early November 2010!
In addition to the $29.99 deal, Microsoft is throwing in a free Halo Reach Noble 6 avatar helmet with this offer.
Just simply fire up your Xbox 360, and this offer will be available on the blades...
Finally, Microsoft is having a free Xbox LIVE Gold weekend. This free weekend offer will run from September 17 - 20th...
About Xbox LIVE:
Experience the best in gaming and entertainment with Xbox LIVE Gold. Raise the curtain on your own instant movie night with thousands of HD movies and TV episodes streamed instantly from Netflix. (Netflix membership sold separately). Invite friends all over the world to connect, cheer and play online multiplayer games. And as a Gold member, you’ll enjoy exclusive Deals of the Week that save you money and special sneak-peak game demos that give you early access to the newest and latest.
Take advantage of the very best value for all the goodness of gold! Your Xbox LIVE Gold membership lets you connect and play with friends around the world and watch thousands of HD movies instantly from Netflix.
Xbox LIVE 12 Month Gold Subscription Card includes:
Online multiplayer gaming
Access to thousands of HD movies from Netflix (sold separately)*
Connect with friends using Facebook
Post Tweets on Twitter
Stream personalized radio from Last.fm
Gold-exclusive discounts
Early access to content
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Legendary or Prestige...
The two video game heavy weights for 2010 appear to be Halo Reach and Call of Duty: Black Ops... Microsoft reported that the first day sales of Halo Reach achieved an astonishing 200 million. Halo 3 reportedly came in with $180 million in first day sales. While 200 million is impressive, the multi-console launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 achieved over 300 million in first day sales last holiday season.
With high sales expectations comes special editions... This year is no different and two unique packages retailing for $149.99 are battling for the hearts and wallets of 'hard core' gamers...
First up we have the Halo Reach 'Legendary Edition' which includes:
Halo Reach Game
Game Disc in custom case modeled after a recovered ONI data module”
A custom in-game Elite armor set for use in Reach’s multiplayer modes.
Artifact Bag containing a brand-new piece of the extended Halo universe: The personal notes and documents of the creator of the SPARTAN program: Dr. Catherine Halsey.
Dr. Halsey’s ONI Security Badge.
Embroidered Spartan II Patch.
Noble Team statue expertly crafted by the artisans at McFarlane Toys. Individually molded, hand-painted and individually numbered, this statue is a must-have for any serious “Halo” fan
UNSC-themed custom packaging.
An exclusive in-game Spartan armor effect.
Pre-order deals are still running including a $20 video game credit at Amazon on all 3 editions:
Secondly, we have the Call of Duty: Black Ops Prestige Edition:
Includes the full Call of Duty: Black Ops Hardened Edition w/ Collector's Medal and 4 extra playable co-cop maps not in standard edition
RC-XD Video Surveillance Vehicle - Fully custom RC vehicle modeled after in-game RC-XD Killstreak Reward
Fully custom RC vehicle modeled after in-game RC-XD Killstreak Reward
Video camera to send wireless video to Transmitter
Microphone to send wireless audio to Transmitter
Digital proportional steering and throttle
Independent suspension
Display stand
RC-XD Transmitter - 2" backlit TFT 220 x176 color screen to receive video from car
2" backlit TFT 220 x176 color screen to receive video from car
Integrated speaker to receive audio from car
Custom pistol grip style RC controller
High and low speed settings
Up to 200ft control range
Call of Duty: Black Ops is set to ship on November 9, 2010 on Xbox 360 and PS3 and like Halo Reach, Amazon has a $20 video game credit promo currently running:
So, which special edition gives the most bang for the buck?
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Okay, I don't want to be THAT guy, but this one's grinding my gears... Yesterday, Gamasutra ran an article discussing a recent poll sponsored by Common Sense Media, stating that the results found that 72% of parents surveyed support California's proposed violent video game bill. The rest of the game media industry ran with this story, apparently putting as much research into it as Gamasutra did. Unfortunately, Gamasutra did not apparently bother to read said poll, as the poll asked respondents if they would support a prohibitive law on video game violence, not the specified Californian law. Let me quote the poll itself, here: "Would you support or oppose a law that prohibits minors from purchasing video games that depict killing, maiming or sexually assaulting an image of a human being?"
With vagaries like that, yes, or course, most people would support keeping death and violence out of the hands of minors. The poll never asks about the First Amendment questions the proposed bill brings to the tables. This poll is not at all representative of the proposed California bill and should not be taken as such. It's a blanket poll about blanket feelings to minors playing violent games, and trying to attribute the results to a specific bill is first off a bad application of both statistics and scientific method, as well as irresponsible.
This oversight, of course, was unnecessary, as the original post from Business Wire states quite plainly that you can contact Common Sense Media for your own copy of the poll for the price of an e-mail. Or, you can read my copy here, as I did just that. Thanks for getting everyone up in a frenzy, Gamasutra...
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![Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61SDacKpC9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Blu-ray Movie Release List for the Week of Sept. 14, 2010
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time drops this week on Blu-ray. In addition we have some additional treats in the form of Glee: The Complete first season, Seven, The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season, plus a few more gems!
This week's recommended Blu-ray movie title is Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time...
Jake Gyllenhaal's doe eyes and bulging biceps will make some hearts flutter in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Dastan (Gyllenhaal), adopted prince of the Persian empire, must flee into the desert when accused of murdering his royal father--but a glass-handled dagger he found as loot from a captured city turns out to hold powerful time-manipulating magic. Not only is he pursued by his vengeful brothers, his scheming uncle (Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast), and a strange cabal of assassins, but a princess/priestess named Tamina (Gemma Arterton, Quantum of Solace) wants the dagger back and will kill Dastan if she has to. Prince of Persia wants to be a rollicking adventure along the lines of Pirates of the Caribbean. Unfortunately, it's hampered by clumsy dialogue and hard-to-follow action sequences, with choppy editing that wrecks the flow of the parkour-inspired stunts. But the production design is extravagant and every time Alfred Molina (Spiderman 2) appears as a greedy sheik the movie gets a delightful jolt of energy. Gyllenhaal doesn't have much to work with--Dastan is a fairly generic hero--and whoever designed his hair should have been fired on the first day, but his lazy charm comes through and carries him through the movie. --Bret Fetzer
Here is the full list:
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, et al.
Glee: The Complete First Season Starring Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Jane Lynch, and Cory Monteith
Seven Starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman
Letters to Juliet Starring Amanda Seyfried and Gael García Bernal
Fringe: The Complete Second Season Starring Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick, and Blair Brown
The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season Starring Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons
Monster House [Blu-ray 3D Version]
The Twilight Zone: Season 1 Starring Rod Serling, Anne Francis, Burgess Meredith, et al.
America: The Story of Us Starring Liev Schreiber
Return of the Living Dead Starring Clu Gulager, James Karen, and Don Calfa
Invasion of the Body Snatchers Starring Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 5 Starring Rob McElhenney and Danny DeVito
Bloodsport / Timecop Starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
Jacob's Ladder Starring Tim Robbins, Danny Aiello, Matt Craven,
Songs From The Road Starring Leonard Cohen
Breathless Starring Jean Seberg and Jean-Paul Belmondo
Starcrash Starring David Hasselhoff, Christopher Plummer, Caroline Munro, et al.
Just Wright Starring Common and James Jr. Pickens
March of the Wooden Soldiers Starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, and Sean Bean
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Collector's Starring Jack Nicholson, William Redfield, Brad Dourif, et al.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, et al.
Dragon Ball Z Kai: Season One, Part Two Starring Christopher R. Sabat, Sean Schemmel, Monica Rial, et al.
Delicatessen Starring Dominique Pinon, Pascal Benezech, and Jean-Claude Dreyfus
The League: The Complete First Season Starring Katie Aselton, Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, et al.
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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Halo Reach Edition: Welcome to the New Video Game Releases List for the Week!
Video game release highlights include Halo Reach (Xbox 360), the Playstation Move Controller, Sports Champions (PS3), Phantasy Star Portable 2 (Sony PSP), Scooby Doo and the Spooky Swamp (Nintendo Wii/DS), EyePet (PS3), Kung Fu Rider (PS3), plus a few more gems...
Our recommended new release of the week will go to Halo Reach...
Meet Noble Team. For the first time, players will fight alongside a squad of iconic Spartan soldiers, each with deadly talents as unique as their individual personalities and customized gear.
An intense campaign. Live the events that set the stage for the “Halo” trilogy as the UNSC and Covenant clash at the height of their military power.
New weapons and abilities complement the familiar “Halo” arsenal for the largest-scale battles ever witnessed in the “Halo” universe. Fiercely cunning artificial intelligence (AI) adds depth and complexity to each encounter, helping make every play-through a unique and epic experience.
Stunning technical advancements. “Halo: Reach” takes a massive leap forward through all-new engine technology designed to take full advantage of next-generation graphics, audio, special effects, AI and animation while continuing to expand on the campaign, cooperative and multiplayer sandbox in a way that only “Halo” can.
The definitive multiplayer experience... builds on the success of its predecessors, setting a new standard for competitive gameplay, customization, variety and community integration.
Unparalleled feature suite... expands on the industry-leading suite of features found in “Halo 3,” including four-player cooperative campaign play, split-screen support, saved films, screenshots and exciting new surprises that have yet to be revealed.
Current Pre-order Deals:
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of September 13, 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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Halo Reach Review are In!
The highly anticipated release of Halo Reach is this Tuesday (September 14th) on Xbox 360!
The reviews hit on Sunday at 9:00 a.m. EST and are overwhelmingly positive.
1UP - Score: 100
"and playing round after round of multiplayer, I can say that while I admire and respect every previous Halo title, Reach is the Halo that I absolutely love. "
Gamepro - Score: 100
"The only thing missing from this impressive entry is a number "4" in the title, because for all intents and purposes, Reach feels like the next big thing in the Halo franchise."
“Halo: Reach,” developed exclusively for Xbox 360® by acclaimed developer Bungie, is the blockbuster prequel to the best-selling Xbox franchise of all time. It represents the culmination of Bungie’s 10 years of experience crafting groundbreaking “Halo” games that have raised expectations for what can be achieved in a video game.
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 Halo Reach deals and midnight launch details:
Amazon has all editions (regular, limited, & legendary) available with a $20 future video game credit with $0.99 release day shipping or free super saver shipping.
No taxes in most states saves you as well....
Steps:
Buy.com is currently offering Halo Reach for $56.99 with free shipping.
No taxes in most states saves you around $5 (varies).
Steps:
 
BestBuy is offering a free $20 gift card on Halo Reach (all editions), including the console bundle.
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 - Halo Reach Promo
- Select 'In-Store Pickup'
Midnight Store Openings:
Don't miss a minute of the latest Halo. Find out if there's a Best Buy store opening at midnight in your area.
Check it out:  BestBuy Midnight Opennings
Preorder Halo Reach and receive GameStop exclusive in-game UA Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark V(B) Armor, plus receive a token to download the exclusive in-game Spartan Recon helmet with the Visor/Blast Shield.
Also, they are offering this title w/ their overnight street date guarantee option as well:
Pre-order Halo Reach by Sep 13 at 11am CST with overnight shipping and get guaranteed delivery on the street date of Sep 14! 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:
Kmart In-store Deal:
Kmart just announced that when you can snag a copy in-store you will get a $25 gaming credit + $25 off a select list of games...
The $25 credit will show up on your receipt, and is valid 9/14 - 9/18.
Walmart.com is a $20 eGift Card on all editions of Halo Reach!
Guaranteed release day shipping to home is available for a low $0.97 as well...
Steps:
If you happen to run across other deals, by all means send us a deal tip!
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On September 17, 2010, the PS3 will be taking direct aim at the Nintendo Wii (and Xbox 360 Kinect) with the release of the Playstation Move and associated games/accessories.
Good previews of Sports Champions points to a product with some more promise than the EyeToy, but a primary complaint with the Move has been the prohibitive cost of adding 4 controllers to the mix...
Some options available for gamers currently include:
Playstation Move Starter Bundle - $99.99
The PlayStation Move starter bundle is the best way for owners of existing PlayStation 3 consoles to quickly and more affordably experience Sony's new motion-controlled PlayStation Move gaming technology. The bundle consists of the cornerstones of the PlayStation Move system, the PlayStation Move motion controller and the PlayStation Eye camera peripheral, along with the PlayStation Move multiplayer game, Sports Champions.
PlayStation Move Controller - $49.99
The cornerstone of the PlayStation Move system, the PlayStation Move motion controller combines advanced motion sensors, a dynamic color changing sphere, vibration feedback, and an easy to use button interface to provide the ultimate in motion-based gaming.
PlayStation Move Navigation Controller - $29.99
The PlayStation Move Navigation Controller is a supplementary controller developed to further expand the experience that PlayStation Move games can offer.
PlayStation 3 320GB Move Bundle - $399.99
The bundle consists of a slim designed PlayStation 3 console, with the massive 320 GB hard drive configuration, a DualShock 3 wireless controller, a PlayStation Eye camera peripheral, a PlayStation Move motion controller and a copy of the PlayStation Move game, Sports Champions.
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Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury marks the series debut off the small screen. The critically acclaimed, cult favorite series has already had two previous installments on the DS--Bangai-O and Bangai-O Spirits--and Missile Fury is hoping to make a splash on XBLA this fall. D3 Publishers is bringing this arcade series with puzzle elements…
Okay, I can see by the glazed over eyes that you’re not really sure why you should care. Okay, let me try again…
TREASURE!
Okay, did THAT get your attention? Yes, Bangai-O HD: Missile Fury is the latest release from legendary game developer TREASURE to make it stateside. For those of you in the know, you understand how important a TREASURE production is. For those of you who don’t, freaking educate yourself. TREASURE games are known primarily for two things: being quirky and addictive, and involving white-knuckled, bullet-hell twitch action. Bangai-O HD follows both of these principals to a tee. This game is addicting--seriously, I reverted to my 11-year old self
while playing this game, the company PR guy talking with me only
half-listening, nodding on auto-pilot, while I restarted the level and
tried to reach the end for the twentieth time. The set-up is easy--guide your missile toting robot through a maze space, killing everything in your path, using dashing, shields, and special attack to regularly lift your kiester out of the proverbial fire. The special attack is the real beauty here--combos and pick-ups will boost your special attacks power, releasing with unholy force as many as 1,000 missiles onto the screen to assault your enemies. That’s no typo; one-thousand missiles, fired either directionally at a target or in a circular defensive radius.
The use of special attacks and dashing/shielding work out to more puzzle elements than it may seem on the surface. Pin point timing and strategy is the difference between success and controller snapping restarts, and with over 100 levels in game, and a level editor for piecing together your own personalized bullet-hells for your friends, your masochistic game wishes will get plenty of workout. Overall Demo Hawtness:  9/10 - Hopefully the advent of XBLA demos will help this series bloom on console where it failed on the portable.
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GamerDeals.net Console Twitter Giveaway!
Console Bundles are all the rage this year...
With the launch of Halo Reach, a new bundle. With the launch of Move for PS3, a new bundle. With the launch of the Xbox 360 Kinect, a new bundle. You get the gist... GamerDeals.net has you covered with the with the latest giveaway...
To participate, simply tweet the following:
RT and Follow @GamerDeals to Win a FREE 250GB LE Halo Reach Xbox 360 Console! Details here: http://bit.ly/c0SHBo
Grand Prize winner will have their pick from the following console options:
Xbox 360 250 GB Limited Edition Halo Reach Console - $399.99 Value!
Xbox 360 250 GB Console with Kinect - $399.99 Value!
PS3 320GB Console with Playstation Move - $399.99 Value!
or
2 Nintendo Wii Console Bundles with Wii Sports Resort - $399.99 Value!
How to Enter:
To participate, simply tweet the following:
RT and Follow @GamerDeals to Win a FREE 250GB LE Halo Reach Xbox 360 Console! Details here: http://bit.ly/c0SHBo
Want more entries?
After entering, just simply RT any @gamerdeals tweet.
Up to 1 additional entry per RT, per day!
Rules & Conditions:
- This competition is offered by Gamerdeals.net and is open to anyone with a Twitter account who is at least 16 years of age and a resident of the United States.
- The competition give away will finish December 30, 2010.
- 1 prize will be available: your choice of the following:
- Halo Reach 250GB LE Xbox 360 Console
- Xbox 360 250GB Console with Kinect
- PS3 320GB Console with Playstation Move
- 2 Nintendo Wii $199.99 Consoles
- You must prove ownership of the winning entry and provide your email address to collect the prize.
- To enter the competition you must send out a tweet from your own Twitter account that includes @gamerdeals in your message.
- Entries using automated tweets will be disqualified.
- Gamerdeals will choose winners randomly from all the entries within the specified period. Winners will be announced from our twitter account (@gamerdeals) once the contest ends.
- Entrants agree to allow Gamerdeals to use their twitter handles and entry tweets for marketing purposes.
- Neither Gamerdeals nor its affiliated companies shall have any liability for (i) any technical failures of any kind, including but not limited to malfunctions, interruptions or disconnections in phone lines or network hardware or software; (ii) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the competition; (iii) any malfunction of or damage to the prizes; (iv) any corruption, typos or hacking of prize winners email accounts; or (v) any restrictions or delays imposed by any customs authorities or any import or other taxes of any kind imposed by any taxation authority in respect of the prizes.
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If there’s two things my geeky little heart loves, it’s Capcom games and Marvel comics. It would seem that the Marvel vs. Capcom series would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, my ambition and my abilities are not in par with each other, resulting in my MvC skills being somewhere in-between “miserable” and “the equivalent of tossing marshmallows at a controller from across the room”.
But sidling up to Marvel vs. Capcom 3, something amazing happened: for the first time, I won an MvC match against a real human! And who do I thank? My editor for sending me to PAX? My family for their undying support? The Taphouse Grill for leaving me hung-over and numb to the world?
Actually, I thank whoever it was on the development team that decided to remap the controls. Gone are punch and kick buttons--the control scheme has been simplified to four attacks, one for each face button--Light Attack, Medium Attack, Heavy Attack, and Aerial Attack. And God bless them for it.
Combos flow freely, special moves come out of nowhere, and powerful game saving ultimate attacks are always a heartbeat away. The action is quick and relentless, and the thrill of escaping from an opponent’s offense and mounting a comeback is some of the most exhilarating gameplay I’ve experienced in a long time.
The graphics, as I’m sure many screenshots and videos have shown you by now, are beautiful and crisp. When things get heated, the screen can get a bit crowded with special effects and partner characters coming in for assists, but the distractions are never unbearable, and if I understand the tournament crowd correctly, learning to focus past them are part of the game.
All-in-all a good showing, and I’m excited to see the final product. As a fighting game fan who tends to suck at fighting games, I’m looking forward to this evolution of an industry classic.
Overall Demo Hawtness: 8/10 - Marvel, Capcom, bright flashy lights. How could you go wrong?
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Holy crap! Nick gets one right for once! Remember back around Comic-con, Capcom announced they were working on Mega Man Universe and released a trailer that looked like an 80's Saturday morning threw up all over the place? My call, if you'll remember, was a customizable Mega Man experience in the Little Big Planet fashion. I tried to get some confirmation of this idea at PAX, but was shut down--told that they were sitting on a lot of things for Tokyo Game Show.
Well, mere minutes ago, the Capcom-unity blog revealed that yes, Virginia, Mega Man Universe WILL feature level and character creators. No word on the depth of customization at this point, but it is teased that there may be non-Mega Man related pieces to play with for the stage editor, and we've already seen from the announcement trailer some characters from other Capcom franchises pop into the game (Ryu and Arthur fighting on top of a Bionic Commando machine are pretty good hints). Now... ME WANT RELEASE DATE!
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If you’re not familiar with NinjaBee, you’re doing yourself a huge disservice. Since practically the 360’s launch, they’ve been putting together fun, quirky games for Xbox Live Arcade (and later PC and WiiWare), and to people who pay attention to such things, have amassed a small but fervent fan base.
In 2008, NinjaBee added A Kingdom for Keflings to their library, a relaxing city-building game where, alone or with friends, you took the role of a generous giant that helped the mostly simple-minded Keflings build a kingdom to call their very own.
This year’s sequel, A World of Keflings, takes the no rush, fun-and-easy gameplay from the first game and evolves it. More goal-oriented missions are available in the Story Mode, including new environments for the Keflings to populate, like ice worlds and deserts. Also added is local multiplayer, a much requested feature according to their team, that allows people to build up their kingdoms with friends sitting next to them rather than only online.
For those less interested in goal-oriented gaming, the capacity to construct a sandbox kingdom of you own design is more encouraged than ever, as the sequel is adding even more decorative items for construction than the first installment. And layout of you kingdom is also more forgiving, allowing you to push whole buildings out of the way should you need more room, rather than demolishing and reassembling them from the bits.
The Keflings themselves are also getting an upgrade. The AI has been made smarter, so a Kefling that runs out of work in their designated location will search nearby for more work, rather than stand around foolishly looking for something to do. Also, Keflings left to a profession for a while will level up, causing raw material harvesters to harvest faster, and carriers to carry bigger loads quicker.
All-in-all, A World of Keflings is looking to be a great improvement on a game that was pretty darn good to begin with. I worry that the game isn’t likely to attract any new fans into its fold, as it’s not likely to appeal to the blood-and-guts, kill-everything-that-moves crowd, but fans of the first one and people on the fence should find something new to enjoy. Besides, the violence game crowd gets enough games in the year--this one doesn’t have to be for them. Overall Demo Hawtness:  8/10 - Even more fun in the kingdom with your Kefling friends
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Halo Reach Release Date is almost here!
The highly anticipated release of Halo Reach is this Tuesday (September 14th) on Xbox 360!
“Halo: Reach,” developed exclusively for Xbox 360® by acclaimed developer Bungie, is the blockbuster prequel to the best-selling Xbox franchise of all time. It represents the culmination of Bungie’s 10 years of experience crafting groundbreaking “Halo” games that have raised expectations for what can be achieved in a video game.
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 Halo Reach deals and midnight launch details:
Amazon has all editions (regular, limited, & legendary) available with a $20 future video game credit with $0.99 release day shipping or free super saver shipping.
No taxes in most states saves you as well....
Steps:
Buy.com is currently offering Halo Reach for $56.99 with free shipping.
No taxes in most states saves you around $5 (varies).
Steps:
BestBuy is offering a free $20 gift card on Halo Reach (all editions), including the console bundle.
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 - Halo Reach Promo
- Select 'In-Store Pickup'
Midnight Store Openings:
Don't miss a minute of the latest Halo. Find out if there's a Best Buy store opening at midnight in your area.
Check it out: BestBuy Midnight Opennings
Preorder Halo Reach and receive GameStop exclusive in-game UA Multi-Threat Mjolnir Mark V(B) Armor, plus receive a token to download the exclusive in-game Spartan Recon helmet with the Visor/Blast Shield.
Also, they are offering this title w/ their overnight street date guarantee option as well:
Pre-order Halo Reach by Sep 13 at 11am CST with overnight shipping and get guaranteed delivery on the street date of Sep 14! 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:
Kmart offer to be announced soon...
Walmart.com is a $20 eGift Card on all editions of Halo Reach!
Guaranteed release day shipping to home is available for a low $0.97 as well...
Steps:
If you happen to run across other deals, by all means send us a deal tip!
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So I’ll be the first to admit, I’m probably the worst person to be previewing the latest addition to the Ratchet and Clank family, for the simple reason that I haven’t touched any of the other installments of the series. I know, I know--blasphemy. Consider it on my to-do list, but since I was the only HAWTwired cat at PAX, I felt it my responsibility to check the game out, and I was pleased with what I saw.
For those of you that have followed the series up to this point, this game is a direct sequel to the previous episode, A Crack in Time. For those of you worried about why up-to-this-point-villain Dr. Nefarious is teamed with the titular heroes (more on that in a minute), yes, this is a canon adventure in the storyline. All 4 One marks a first for the series with the addition of drop-in/drop-out four-player co-op.
Back to the story. The galaxy is in a relative sense of peace: Ratchet and Clank have retired from heroing, Quark has settled into his role as Galactic President, and Dr. Nefarious is…well…doing whatever it was he was doing instead of being blowed-up and burned to a crisp at the end of the last game (for those interested, it was mentioned that the upcoming six-issue Ratchet & Clank comic books will cover most of the inbetween story, but aren’t necessary for following All 4 One). As always happens when the universe is in apparent safety, an unforeseen threat attacks, and a legion of drones swoops in and kidnaps our heroes and villain.
The drones drop the foursome off on an alien world populated by drones, as well as other beings that have been picked up across the galaxy. Much to the foursome’s dismay, they end up having to work together against their robot oppressors (and there’s your Nefarious explanation--now let’s never speak of it again).
As mentioned above, the co-op is drop-in/drop-out, so you may choose when you start a game session, you may choose if you want to allow online players to come into your game, keep the game all to yourself, or even play locally with three of your friends sitting next to you on the couch. Single player games will have you pick an AI companion, with the game’s puzzles and enemies scaling up and down depending on the number of players currently in your game.
And you will need the help. The level the Insomniac team played for the crowd at the demo showed a lot of team mechanics for navigating the level. Players would toss each other to hard to reach platforms with a vacuum gun, then use a hookshot to snag their partner and be towed over. Many switches and levers depended on teamwork to activate, and deadly enemies are easier dispatched with one player drawing their fire while the others flanked them. A particularly clever mechanic showed a wind tunnel the foursome had to ascend by joining hands in an attempt to build up enough wind resistance to be carried upward in the tunnel. 
Some changes to the series have had to be made to accommodate the multiplayer. For starters, ammo is no longer a worry, as the economy of managing four players’ ammo stockpile would have quickly become a tedious affair. Also, the over-the-camera shoulder is out in lieu of a single, railed camera with a director programming that keeps all players, whether local or online, with the same display, aiding in communication between players and keeping them from getting too far spread apart.
Though ammo may be out, parts and pieces for building and upgrading weapons are still in the game, and competition for prize components is bound to start good natured infighting. Also, there was some allusion to Castle Crasher style character development for people who prefer to play as a certain hero each time, but no details as to what that entails at this time.
Revisiting my comments from the beginning of this write-up, yes, I am a Ratchet and Clank virgin, but what I saw from the Insomniac team while at PAX is making me regret those actions. Hopefully, I can catch up to the rest of you by the game’s release next year. Looking forward to smashing alien robots along side you! 
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Like video games? Like Disney animation? Well, so does Warren Spector, and probably more than you, and he’s out to prove it with Disney’s Epic Mickey. In case you’ve missed the past year of press releases, in Epic Mickey you guide Mickey in a romp through the catalog of forgotten Disney characters, focusing on Mickey’s older half-brother, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, in an attempt to save them from a malevolent glob of paint, The Phantom Blob.
Mickey’s weapon in this quest is a magic paintbrush full of paint and paint thinner, which will both fend off enemies and allow him to manipulate the environment. Paint can restore missing bridges and platforms while thinner can remove rubble and doors from Mickey’s path.
The game looks gorgeous, with the art design and colors evoking the heyday of Disney animation. Portals between worlds take the guise of projector screens showing classic Disney shorts, and when Mickey jumps into them he enters a short sequence based on said classic--I saw a side-scrolling vertical platformer based on Mickey and the Beanstalk in the demo on display.
The gameplay is simple, and that’s a compliment. It falls into that narrow range that Mario has managed to maintain for decades, keeping the play easy enough for young players but engaging enough to keep the experienced gamers interested. But more than anything is the x-factor, that intangible je ne ce quois that speaks to your inner child and your love for games and becomes something greater than the sum of it’s pieces. This thing is going to kill when it hits this holiday season, and was my personal favorite of the show. Overall Demo Hawtness: 9/10 - A heartfelt return to what made so many of use fall in love with animation to begin with
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So I've only been putting up PAX previews for a few hours this morning, and already I appear to have stepped on some toes with some of my comments. It is totally fair to remind our readers that the Hawt Graded scores are ONLY preview scores, based on the limited interactions our writers are allowed with whatever build we have access to. They are not final scores, and will not enter our archives as such. Final review scores will be identified as such, when the time comes. That said, the Hawt Graded score IS our writer's reaction to them at that moment in time, and as our own impressions are the only one that we can truly trust, it is one that we will have to stand by. Thanks, Nick McDonald, Contributing Editor
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Hydrophobia and its fluid dynamics could have been a tech demo, but Dark Energy Digital made a whole game around it. The game takes place in the near future, and focuses on a floating city called The Queen, an ocean-borne paradise where the rich go to live in decadence and avoid having to look at the poor and hungry on the main land. If that’s not an environment ripe for terrorist target, what is, right?
Sure enough, on the tenth anniversary of The Queen setting sail, terrorists hit the ship, taking over the primary systems and attempting to kill everyone on board. That’s where you take over, in the guise of system analyst Kate Wilson. Kate isn’t a warrior or an acrobat--she’s a computer programmer--and the DED team went into the game with the intention of making her more of a Sigourney Weaver from the original Alien than Milla Jovovich in…well…everything. She’s the reluctant hero, starting out just trying to save her own life before she realizes she’s the only one who can save everyone else.
The meat and potatoes of the game is the a fore mentioned fluid dynamics of the rapidly flooding super-ship. Water flows in and out of corridors, creating currents and undertows in the environment. Burning oil slicks on the surface will flow into enemies and water levels can rise to exposed power lines to electrify the water. Large objects otherwise unmovable will become buoyant and maneuverable, and blood streaks and clouds naturally underwater.
Kate may not be a super soldier, but she is fit and able to climb and jump to navigate corridors that are rapidly getting the Poseidon treatment. Her combat skills are untrained, but a variety of ammo types allows her to keep up with the bad guys. The primary ammo, a stun round, is also a tool, as it can maneuver objects both on and beneath the surface to set Kate up with more defensible positions or put her enemies in the way of danger.
Overall, the gameplay is both ambitious and intuitive, and the Dark Energy team told me that collectibles and unlockable bonus rounds will keep the game replayable. Mention was even made that the game is intended to be a trilogy that will see Kate evolve past a mere systems analyst and into a mighty hero with the ability to manipulate water as she sees fit, causing me to look furthur forward to all three installments.
Overall Demo Hawtness: 7/10 - A high concept action/adventure that will push the big guys to keep up with innovation
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Welcome to the New Video Game Releases List for the Week!
Video game release highlights include Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep (PSP), Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, NHL 11 (Xbox 360, PS3), NHL Slapshot Bundle (Wii), H.A.W.X. 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii), The Sims 3: Fast Lane Stuff (PC), plus a few more gems...
Our recommended new release of the week will go to Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep...
Long before Sora was chosen by his Keyblade, the worlds’ safety lay in the hands of Keyblade Masters. Three youths — Terra, Ventus, and Aqua — have been training long and hard under Master Eraqus to prove that they, too, exhibit the Mark of Mastery. But they will soon find themselves in the middle of a crisis affecting worlds far beyond their own—just as another Keyblade Master, Xehanort, goes mysteriously missing. Three friends, three destinies. Everything will link back to the beginning.
An essential piece to the KINGDOM HEARTS series arrives on the PSP system: From world-renowned creator and character designer Tetsuya Nomura comes the latest installment in the beloved KINGDOM HEARTS series. The vibrant and colorful KINGDOM HEARTS world comes to life in 16:9 widescreen presentation, through stunning graphics made possible by the PSP system hardware.
Disney worlds and characters new to the KINGDOM HEARTS series: Disney worlds and characters never before seen in KINGDOM HEARTS, such as Enchanted Dominion (Sleeping Beauty) and Castle of Dreams (Cinderella) will make their first appearances in KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep.
Three distinct gaming experiences through the eyes of three protagonists: Unravel the mystery surrounding the origin of the KINGDOM HEARTS saga through the tales of three unique characters—Terra, Ventus and Aqua. The whole story is revealed only after playing through with all three characters.
Current Pre-order Deals:
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of September 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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While most franchises would prefer not to be called a comeback, the newest incarnation of Mortal Kombat would like nothing better. Years of series dilution--trying to be bigger, add more finishing moves, more modes of play--has reduced the pedigree of the series. Dragging the series by its hair, leaving heel marks in the dirt, the WB Interactive team is hoping to bring it back to the cherished reputation the first two editions enjoyed.
As far as that goes, it accomplishes its job beautifully. The big story has been the aping of Street Fighter IV’s pushing a return to the 2D environment. What no one seems to be talking about, and what really impressed me, was the graphical styling. I found Mortal Kombat’s graphics far superior to the commonly compared SF4; damage modeling opens seeping wounds and leaves gorgeous scorch marks on the combatants during the heat of battle (and yes, I’m spelling “combatants” with a “C”). The backgrounds are impressively detailed, with gore streaks and trails spilling onto the ground throughout the match. The color pallets are smart, keeping your attention focused on the main action and away from potential background distractions.
The gameplay grabs the feel of Mortal Kombat 2, and feels deliberate without feeling slow (like our mind tends to block out of or memories of MK2). Combos exist, but are short and sweet, avoiding Capcom’s recent trope of insane combos to memorize, and a well timed special move or uppercut can stop an opponent’s momentum on a dime, leaving a satisfying back-and-forth battle.
All in all, I was highly satisfied with the combat, and if the locked out slots on the character select screen are any indication, there promises to be a slew of fighters to choose from (not to mention I noticed a happy little “DLC” slot on the selection screen). But in today’s game space, I worry that the standard combat won’t be enough to justify a full retail price point. Though a 60-dollar price point has not yet been confirmed, in today’s market it seems likely, and without some play mode outside standard story mode and online versus play, I can’t say that the game would justify it. Ironic, considering it was all the other bells and whistles that lowered MK's status among players to begin with. Now don’t count Mortal Kombat out, because a lot of details are still under wraps, so judgment is best reserved until we get to the full release, thus my final score.
Overall Demo Hawtness: 8/10 - Great fighting reminiscient of the classic days with an up-to-date finish
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I was a fan of the first Pinball FX--heck, I’m a fan of pinball in general--if for nothing else other than the fact that they continued to release new boards even four years after the original release. Sure, it panned out to about a board a year, but they were there.
So I was glad to hear that Pinball FX was going to get some love of the sequel kind. As an added bonus, Pinball FX 2 is going to follow in the ideals of Game Room and Destination Arcade and be itself free, with the pinball boards being individual DLC items. The “free-to-join-pay-to-play” concept is quickly becoming Microsoft’s digital distribution delivery darling.
But I was unfortunately not sold. The sample board I played fell prey to the cardinal sin of a video pinball game--it felt more like a video game than a pinball game. The ball was floaty, and often would defy logistical gravity as to which slot it would land in while running the gauntlet flipper-ward. The progressive mechanisms of the board, lighted gates and switches and such, attempted to act like the clockwork devices of a true pinball board, but never felt more substantial than your average generic polygons and bitmaps.
Mid-play mini games pop-up with attempts to feel like a pinball board that could exist but wouldn’t ever really--fantasy gimmicks that are just on the other side of plausibility. I played one that mimicked a carnival shooting gallery, replacing Ali Baba’s forty thieves for wooden ducks, and another that traded your flippers for electro-magnets as you tried to spin the pinball in a orbit by playing with the magnetic fields. Both are innovative ideals on what pinball could be, but neither felt genuine to a pinball experience.
Further pulling the game out of the world of pinball, at least on the sample level I got time with, was the color palette of the game. A lot of purples and yellows took the feel of the game screaming out of the pinball realm, passing cleanly through even the world of console video game, and depositing it into the “dollar-a-play-touch-screen-bar-gaming-machine”. I half expected to be able to play a Tetris-clone that would reveal pictures of topless women when I was done.
Your boards from the first Pinball FX are importable into FX 2, but if they end up falling into the same physics engine the new boards seem to be, you may not want to. To really sell me on this one, the physics are going to have to be tweaked in a way that feels more natural, and, ideally, they take their “pay for boards” system all the way on par with their Game Room brethren, and license classic Midway, Williams, and Gottlieb boards for you to add to your collection.
Overall Demo Hawtness
5/10 - Video pinball better suited for Happy Hour than a home console.
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$64.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. |
The new Xbox 360 Controller with the newly designed transforming D-Pad is set to release on November 9, 2010.
As announced by Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson, the controller will only be sold in bundle form w/ a matching play n charge kit.
The new controller bundle will retail for $64.99 and is now available for pre-order is currently topping the Amazon.com Movers & Shakers List.
Check it out: Amazon - New Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (select 'Silver')
Here are some details from the product listing page:
2.4GHz wireless technology with 30-foot range
Use up to four controllers simultaneously on one console
Integrated headset port for Xbox LIVE play
Adjustable vibration feedback for longer battery life
New left and right shoulder buttons are designed for ease of use
Customize your control. With a D-pad that transforms from a plus to a disc, the new Wireless Controller provides ultimate precision, accuracy and control for both directional as well as sweeping movements. This distinctively-designed controller features a special edition matte silver color with a unique and premium button design, and comes complete with a Play and Charge kit to keep the game going strong.
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The online video game price wars between the likes of Amazon, Gamestop and Walmart have been escalating as of late. The latest shot has been fired by Amazon.com.
In addition to the all of the $10-$20 credit offers that Amazon had, unless you had subscribed to the Amazon Prime membership, the release day delivery typically cost was prohibitive. Thankfully, Amazon is now offering $0.99 release day delivery on all video game pre-orders!
We are pleased to announce that we have reduced the price of Release-Date Delivery to 99 cents. We wanted to let you know that this ship option was now available at a lower rate and that you can easily upgrade your open order following the steps below.
If you have Amazon Prime, you already had release day delivery for free.
For those with existing pre-orders, simply follow these steps:
- Click here: Amazon.com
- Select "Your Account"
- Click on “Your Orders”
- Click on “Change Shipping Speed”
- Select your desired shipping speed
For those that pre-ordered and paid for Release-day delivery, either cancel and re-order the game or switch the delivery method to 'Free Super Saveer Shipping' then back to 'Release Day Delivery' to see the price reduced to $0.99.
To browse the full list of pre-order bonus deals check out Gamerdeals.net's full list!
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Earlier this week, Steve Jobs introduced the latest upgrades to the line of iPods. This included refreshes of the iPod Touch, iPod Nano, and iPod Shuffle.
First up is the iPod touch. Thinner than ever, the 4th generation iPod touch--available in 8 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB capacities--features Retina display (4x pixels, 326 ppi, 24-bit color, and LED), the Apple A4 chip, a three-axis gyro, iOS 4.1 with Game Center, FaceTime with front camera, and HD video recording. Plus, the battery life is a whopping 40 hours!
Next, the iPod nano--available in six colors and 8 GB or 16 GB capacities--is like a tiny iPod touch. Almost half the size of the previous model, the 6th generation iPod nano features Multi-Touch display, a clip (to eliminate need for armbands), hard volume buttons, and a 24-hour battery life.
Finally, the iPod shuffle is back to a square shape featuring buttons and a clip. The shuffle still uses VoiceOver, plus it's now enabled with Genius playlists. Available in five colors with 2 GB storage capacity.
I was a big fan of the square clip design of the iPod shuffle as it makes it the perfect jogging MP3 player...
Anyway, all three of these refreshes are available for pre-order at Amazon and ship out in the next few weeks...
Check it out:
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Halo Reach on the Xbox 360 is killing it on the bestseller charts at several retailers including Amazon, Walmart, and ToysRus.
Like previous release of Halo products, Microsoft is more than happy to offer a wide variety of versions of the Halo franchise for eager gamers...
This year's options options and price points for gamers include:
Regular Edition - $59.99
Limited Edition - $79.99
Legendary Edition- $149.99
250GB Halo Reach LE Xbox 360 Console - $399.99
Halo Reach Wireless Xbox 360 Controller - $59.99
Halo Reach Wireless Xbox 360 Headset - $49.99
Is this too much? Who knows, but based on the pre-sale numbers, things are looking up for Microsoft's quarterly numbers thanks to Halo Reach...
Halo Reach is set to release on September 14, 2010.
Pre-order deals are still running including a $20 video game credit at Amazon on all 3 editions:
In “Halo: Reach,” players experience the fateful moments that forged the “Halo” legend. It’s the story of Noble Team, a squad of heroic Spartan soldiers, and their final stand on planet Reach, humanity’s last line of defense between the terrifying Covenant and Earth. This darker story is echoed by grittier visuals amid a backdrop of massive, awe-inspiring environments. Characters, enemies and environments are rendered in amazing detail by an all-new engine designed to deliver epic-scale encounters against the cunning and ruthless Covenant.
Once the campaign is over, the battle continues online with an unparalleled multiplayer experience that expands on the award-winning suite of features that helped define the Xbox LIVE experience.
The “Halo” franchise is an award-winning collection of properties that have grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. Beginning with the original “Halo: Combat Evolved” (2001), the critically acclaimed and record-shattering series of games has since inspired multiple New York Times best-selling novels, comic books, action figures, apparel and more.
Published by Microsoft Game Studios, the “Halo” franchise of games is exclusive to the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. To date, more than 34 million copies of “Halo” games have been sold worldwide, driving more than 2 billion hours of gameplay by people connected to Xbox LIVE.
Bungie was founded in 1991 with two goals: to develop games that combine brilliant technology, beautiful art, intelligent stories and deep gameplay, and then sell enough of those games to achieve its real goal of total world domination. Over the past 20 years, it has produced games such as the “Marathon” trilogy, the first two “Myth” games, the “Halo” trilogy, “Halo 3: ODST” and now “Halo: Reach.” The “Halo” series has been hailed as classics by critics and gamers around the world, breaking both sales and Xbox LIVE records throughout the past decade. Bungie became a private company, independent of Microsoft, in October 2007. 
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Recently the Pro Elite Wireless Controller for PS3 was released. While new controllers by third party vendors are typically not newsworthy items, this particular item solves a vexxing problem for multi-console gamers. Switching consoles has always been difficult primarily due to the unique controller configuration and the time that it takes to adjust from one to the other...
With that, those gamers that prefer the Xbox 360's controller config (outside of the current d-pad issues) should seriously consider the Pro Elite Wireless Controller for PS3.
From the manufacturer:
In designing the Pro Elite Wireless Controller, POWER A has taken what's best about other controllers--like the Xbox 360 controller (hint hint)--and recombined these features to give a competitive edge to PS3 users. The Pro Elite Wireless positions its analog sticks asymmetrically, with left analog stick up and the right analog stick down. This design helps prevent cramping during extended gaming sessions and is especially ideal for first-person shooters. The R2 buttons have also been repositioned for greater accessibility while gaming. Additionally, all of the buttons are backlit, so you'll still be able to game in the dark.
Anyway, the Pro Elite Wireless Controller for PS3 is available for $34.99 (reg. $49.99) over at Amazon...
Check it out: Amazon - Pro Elite Wireless Controller for PS3
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