Most Recent: News

Nintendo Download: Guilty Gear Tangent, Stratego

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

Nintendo’s weekly update of their download services includes a bunch of quirky titles today.

On the DSi Shop there’s Pro Jumper! Guilty Gear Tangent!?, which is platformer spun off from the Guilty Gear series of fighting, and Stratego: Next Edition, a portable version of perhaps the greatest board game ever. Also available on the DSi Shop is Delbo, a Bust-A-Move-like puzzle game.

All of this week’s DSiWare offerings can also be downloaded from the 3DS eShop, which receives one exclusive of its own: the Game Boy classic Tennis.

On the WiiWare side of things there’s The Mystery of Whiterock Castle, a hidden objects game.

More information on all of these titles can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii |

Gabe Newell talks Half-Life 2: Episode 3 release date, Wii U development

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

Valve’s big boss, Gabe Newell, joined Al Gore to deliver a keynote address at yesterday’s Games for Change Festival. In addition to big talk about where games can take society, Newell answered a few queries on where Valve itself plans to go.

Expectedly, Newell was asked about the status of Half-Life 2: Episode 3 and when it would be coming out. Instead of holding up a massive sign reading “When It’s Done,” Newell replied “If you know enough to ask the question, you know enough what the answer is.” A clever quip to be sure, but I still think Newell needs a giant sign with the words “When It’s Done” on it.

Valve’s fearless leader also talked a bit about the Wii U and even hinted that Nintendo’s next system may have a place in future Valve development:

“Wii U seems to be a lot more powerful than the previous generation. It sort of fits better into the scalability in terms of graphics performance and CPU performance, so I think it’ll be a lot easier for us to fit it into our scalability model.”

“We’ve always loved Nintendo. Now it’s a lot easier to look at Wii U and have it fit within that framework.”

So I guess the question is now, “When will Half-Life 2: Episode 3 be released on the Wii U?”

[Sources: 1UP, Joystiq]

Posted in News, PC, Wii U | Tagged

Activision serves up Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation trailer

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

Activision will be adding the Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation Map Pack to the Xbox Live Marketplace in a few days. To get our juices flowing, they’ve also unleashed this trailer that highlights some of the biggest kills available in “Hangar 18” (located within Area 51), “Drive-In” (a 60s American Drive-In theater), “Silo” (a massive secret Soviet nuclear missile site) and “Hazard” (a coastal golf course on the cliff sides of Cuba). Also, check out the zombie monkey that welcomes you to “Shangri-La,” the new Zombies Mode map. Everything is better with zombie monkeys!

The Annihilation Map Pack will be made available for Xbox 360 players on June 28 with the PC and PS3 releases to follow soon.

Posted in News, PC, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Trenched added to XBLA today

Posted on June 22, 2011 by John Scalzo

Trenched, the tower defense game where you battle runaway TVs, is now available to download from the Xbox Live Arcade. Developed by Double Fine (the runaway TV plotline makes so much sense now), the XBLA-exclusive game has been priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).

More information about the game, straight from Microsoft, can be seen here:

About Trenched
Protect humanity from the evil Monovision menace in this Tower Defense Shooter from Tim Schafer’s Double Fine Productions. Join The Mobile Trench Brigade! Use a combination of mobile firepower and stationary defenses to turn the tide of war in our favor. Customize your trench with thousands of possible loadouts. March side by side with allies from around the world as you fight your way through Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. The Mobile Trench Brigade. Walk with us.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: June 22, 2011 – Happy humpday!

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s Wednesday at last! The middle of the week is upon us, in all its glory. Can you see Friday there, just over the crest?

The black hole created by yesterday’s Gold Box Event left us with only Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games, which is WB’s Scribblenauts for the Nintendo DS. At $12.99, it’s almost worth buying, but considering this game was so disappointing I didn’t even bother with Super Scribblenauts, I would pass. In fact, I would probably recommend getting the second one instead, even though I don’t have the heart to get it myself. I’m just too sad.

But hey, at least there are some amazing t-shirts today! The most relevant one to your interests, dear reader, is today’s Ript shirt, which is called “Super Subzero Bros” and is one of the greatest things ever created:

Instabuy.

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

BioShock Infinite and Uncharted 3 lead Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2011 nominees

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Game Critics Awards have announced the nominees for E3 2011 and while none of them are surprising, it does give a glimpse of what the biggest games are going to be in the coming year.

BioShock Infinite and Uncharted 3 lead the pack with four nominations a piece, while fan favorites like Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City sit among the next tier with three nominations each. As far as publishers go, Electronic Arts and Sony Computer Entertainment lead the industry with a commendable fourteen nominations each, while the Xbox 360 holds the most nominations on a platform, with a whopping 55 total. Ironically, the PlayStation Vita debuted with seven, while the well-established Wii only garnered two, down twelve from last year’s awards.

For the full list of nominees as well as more interesting fact breakdowns, head over to the official site here.

Posted in 3DS, DS, Mobile, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , ,

Call of Duty: Black Ops Limited Edition bundle strikes June 28 with first map pack

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

If you haven’t already picked up a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops, now’s your chance. Starting June 28, retailers will be selling the Black Ops Limited Edition, bundling the first DLC map pack, First Strike, in with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game. Arguably, that’s a $75 value for just $59.99, but in light of other deals I can’t really say it’s a steal.

In any case, the Black Ops DLC support marches on, as the Annihilation pack will be hitting Xbox Live Marketplace on June 28. And be sure to look out for yours truly on the PSN for the Double XP weekend beginning July 1.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Dragon Quest X may go HD on Wii U

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Many long-time fans were disappointed to learn that neither Dragon Quest IX nor Dragon Quest X would be heading to the PlayStation 3. Given what Level-5 did for the series on the PS2, one could only salivate at the idea of a HD Dragon Quest. However, that dream just might become a reality.

Andriasang reports that Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada faced a good deal of harsh questions today, such as if Dragon Quest Collection will actually sell, given it features un-updated ports of the Famicom (NES) and Super Famicom (SNES) versions of the games. Wada responded yes, since they’re being left untouched to celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary. But another question came up, asking to know the logic of releasing DQX, a flagship title, on the Wii, a console past its prime.

Wada responded by stressing the importance of considering releasing the game on both the Wii and the upcoming Wii U. He also disclosed that Square Enix is already investigating their technical options when it comes to Nintendo’s HD platform.

Warp Zoned Podcast Producer Ryan Littlefield and I were discussing the potential uses for the Wii U’s controller for RPGs specifically, and I’m thinking the map system in DQVIII could make a great move here. While your favorite podcast personalities remain speculating, we can expect to learn more details about Dragon Quest X later this year.

Posted in News, Wii, Wii U | Tagged , , ,