Gamefly Top Queued!

For the week of March 15, 2010, God of War III takes the top of the cross-platform  Gamefly 'Most Queued' list.  Battlefield Bad Company 2 slips to number 2, while Final Fantasy XIII slides into third.    

Queue up the Gamefly Top 10 most requested list:

Most Popular Games Cross-Platform:

Engadget Mobile posted a video today of a game called The Harvest that was running on a Windows 7 Phone prototype.  The graphics looked incredibly detailed and the frame rate was silky smooth.  Pay close attention to the first "super jump" and you will see the fine texture details when the landscape crumbles. Who said Microsoft wasn't getting into the handheld gaming market?

First T-Mobile, then Verizon, then ATT, now pulling up the rear is Sprint.  The Google Nexus One, perhaps the most powerful Android phone in the US market, has been announced for the country's best priced carrier. Unfortunately, this is yet another phone that does not have the capability to ride the magic 4G carpet that Sprint offers. Pricing and availability are yet to be determined.  So far, google has chosen not to sell this handset in brick and mortar locations (it's only available through the Google store) and it looks like that may not change for Sprint customers.

Every time a new Final Fantasy releases, the clones are soon to follow. From production values to straight ripping the latest landmark's combat system, Square Enix has been there to pave the way. And, this time, with Final Fantasy XIII it looks to be no different.

Role-playing traditionalists would be quick to point out: "But, well...it plays itself!" and "Where, Square, might your overworld be?!"

Quibbles that, while valid in certain respects, become only apparent when you sit down with FFXIII and decide to dissect every piece and fiber of its existence. In a lot of ways the game lays down the ground work for a more accessible RPG.

Essential in a post-Mass Effect 2 world where the fun is in the mechanics of playing the game, not in finding the perfect sword/magic combo/whatever to defeat Chaos. Or his antagonist follow-ups.

While Western RPGs have been liberal with changes to their presentation and mechanics, it's surprising that a Japanese company would play with the tried-and-true format they've been employing for the last 20 years.

Sure, every iteration of the Final Fantasy franchise has had a new combat system to play with, but none let you "Auto-battle" your way through it. FFXIII sets up actions in the most effective way to take down your foes...and you can mash on "X" through all of them.

The combat boils down to -- mostly -- staggering your enemy, managing your health, and changing your party's offensive/defensive formation, or "Paradigms," according to how the battle unfolds.

Action games? Shoot, manage health, and adapt to the dynamic of the battlefield.

There's still strategy in FFXIII but it is boiled down to its most essential functions. Not to mention that most non-event battles are optional. Grinding? For. The. Lose.

Further down the changing route, Square Enix strips away a sense of "downtime" with the lack of sleepy town hubs. RPG fans treat this as a hindrance on the game and its "kind," but I contend that when the action is as constant as it is in FFXIII, the break comes in saving and shutting off.

I understand you want a break during your hours-long stretches of playing the game, but there comes a time to breath and step away, no? As wrong as I may be in the minds of some RPG fans, I appreciated the brisk pace FFXIII took me through its linear world-saving trek.

Now, the combat and pacing I can defend in regards to FFXIII. The story, on the other hand, is typical of what you can expect from Final Fantasy.

"I told you, didn't I? Moms are tough."

Shortly after, the mom in question meets her untimely demise. Very tough, indeed.

The peripheral formerly speculated as "Gem" or "Arc" was today officially unveiled as "PlayStation Move." There was no clear indication of price except that it would be under $100.

From my years of experience following consumer unveils and "target price points," a $99 price for Sony's entry into motion gaming seems likely.

During today's GDC press conference, Sony presented the possibility of three different configurations for Move purchasers this fall: standalone, bundled with PlayStation Eye, and included as a part of a future PS3 bundle.

An official release date and launch lineup should be forthcoming when E3 rolls around in June.

[Pic via Morgan Webb's Twitter feed.]

Portal 2, as a full-fledged retail product, was officially announced by Valve last week and today we have more juicy rumoring about the game.

Co-op gaming is interesting enough but Shacknews is also thinking it may include a level painting hook.

Reason? The latest issue of Game Informer, with Portal 2 on the cover, made mention of "using special paint that gives unique physical properties to surfaces (eg rocket jumping, speed bursts, etc)," commented Shacknews forum member Masem.

Sounds very similar to what the DigiPen team behind Tag: The Power of Paint was working on...

Yeah, yeah. When the I N T E R N E T refers to portable touch gaming, they say "iPhone gaming," but I figured the iPod Touch does pretty much the same thing and deserves some attention after putting up with excessive amounts of neglect. Plus! Matches the title you read above.

Ah, but I digress. The above image popped up recently on teaser site Sam's New Mission that points directly to Apple headquarter's location.

Any ideas on what would make a good touch-based Splinter Cell game? Shout outs are welcome below.

Phew, that's a long game title! I know how much you guys love your GamerDeals, so I'm sending a quick blurb out your way to let you know that the latest Assassin's Creed 2 iPhone game is free for 48 hours.

Here's the AppStore link. Remember to clear up some space on your iPhone and download it before the deal goes void and the price goes up to non-free territory on Wednesday. $2.99? Eww.

1 Million Dollars...

2K just announced the details of their MLB 2K10 1 Million Dollar Perfect Game Challenge:

2K Sports announced today that they will give away an unprecedented cash prize in the amount of $1,000,000 to the first person who throws a verified perfect game in Major League Baseball 2K10, the next iteration of the popular Major League Baseball 2K series, prior to May 2, 2010. The special contest, available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft through the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network and PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system through the PlayStation Network*, illustrates 2K Sports' dedication to delivering vastly improved gameplay and pitching mechanics this season in Major League Baseball 2K10.

Developed by Visual Concepts, a 2K Sports studio, Major League Baseball 2K10 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and will be available on March 2, 2010 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system, PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) system, Wii system, Nintendo DS and Windows PC. For more information about Major League Baseball 2K10, please visit www.2ksports.com/games/mlb2k10.

MLB 2K10 releases Tuesday, March 2, 2010.