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Mark Ingram scores NCAA Football 12 cover

Posted on April 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

With all the hoopla over the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote, it’s understandable if you had no idea that EA Sports was holding a second vote to determine the cover athlete for NCAA Football 12 as well. Rather than a massive 32-player tournament and a partnership with ESPN, the NCAA Football 12 cover was determined by a simple poll on the game’s Facebook page.

Four players were in the running: Auburn University defensive lineman Nick Fairley, University of Alabama running back Mark Ingram, University of Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray, and University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker. After 140,000 votes were cast, 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was selected to be the game’s coverboy.

According to developer EA Tiburon, the game he’ll be endorsing is the most authentic college football experience yet (of course, they say that every year):

NCAA Football 12 takes the journey of the college athlete to the next level of depth and authenticity. Experience the pride and pageantry of gameday Saturday like never before as players go from high school superstar to top college player to head coach in the Road to Glory and Dynasty modes. With an enhanced in-game presentation, new traditions, and an all-new collision system, players make an impact by leading their team to the National Championship in NCAA Football 12.

NCAA Football 12 will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on July 12.

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Telltale Games working on Law & Order: LA

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

In the video game industry, the best film and TV crossovers are developed by an elite team known as Telltale Games.

These are their stories.

That’s right. Hot off of Back to the Future: The Game and the incoming Jurassic Park: The Game, arguably the best studio for the job is handling NBC’s legendary crime and courtroom drama.

“Law & Order: LA fits very well with the style of episodic entertainment experiences Telltale has been building since our very first days,” said Dan Connors, CEO and co-founder of Telltale Games. “The talents and skills that we’ve been building at Telltale are ideally suited for the structure and storytelling approach of televised procedurals like ‘Law & Order.’”

Each episode will focus on criminal investigations with a strong focus on interrogation, as well as the tension that can flare up in the courtroom. According to Telltale, the first episode will debut sometime this year and will be available for PCs, Macs, consoles, mobiles, and tablets. You can visit the official site for more information at LawAndOrderLAGames.com.

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

Daily Scoop: April 19, 2011 – The day our wallets cried

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Nicole Kline

It’s finally here! Today marks the release of Mortal Kombat, Portal 2, and SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs. Gamers everywhere are calling in sick, going home sick, and pulling sick moves to start in on these games. Some even braved midnight lines to pick up their copies early. Are you one of the fanatics? Tell us about your experiences in the comments!

Today is also a ridiculous day for deals. It’s another all video games Amazon Gold Box Event day, with the main course served up as Blizzard’s Starcraft II: The Wings of Liberty. Pick it up today for $39.99 down from $59.99. It promises to be “Fast-paced, hard-hitting, tightly balanced competitive real-time strategy gameplay that recaptures and improves on the original game.” Damn! Upcoming deals are:

  • 6 AM PDT: Enter into the premier online role-playing experience (my guess is Rift!) WRONG! World of Warcraft Battle Chest for $17.99!
  • 8 AM PDT: Don’t forget treats for your Mabari War Hound (hopefully this one’s Dragon Age II!) RIGHT! for just $39.95!
  • 10 AM PDT: Pick up this Sony PS3 exclusive collectors edition (perhaps a little Killzone 3?) CORRECT! $59.99!
  • 12 PM PDT: Hey man, nice Skillshot (Bulletstorm, anyone?) ding ding ding! $39.95!
  • 2 PM PDT: After thirteen days of fates intertwined, the battle begins (Final Fantasy XIII for sure) Yup! $19.99!
  • 4 PM PDT: Embark on epic quests and build your Kingdom (my completely wrong guess is White Knight Chronicles) Nope! The Sims Medieval for $29.99.
  • 6 PM PDT: Unravel the mystery surrounding the origin of the KINGDOM HEARTS (wow, not even trying there, Birth by Sleep, amirite?) Winner at $19.99!
  • 8 PM PDT: Get ready to take to the field (MLB ’11 or Major League Baseball 2K11?)

But wait…there’s more after the jump, including two awesome Portal 2-themed t-shirts! (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

Jax, Sonya, Kano kontinue the fight in second Mortal Kombat: Legacy episode

Posted on April 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

Have you got your copy of Mortal Kombat reboot yet? If you’re still waiting on the mailman, then spend a few minutes of your time with the second episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy, which was also released today. The new episode focuses on the aftermath of the assault on the Black Dragon compound, including the fates of Jax (Michael Jai White), Sonya Blade (Jeri Ryan) and Kano (Darren Shahlavi).

Something interesting also appears in the early seconds of this video, a TV-style rating of “TV-MA.” These ratings are self-determined by the production company before a television broadcast, so perhaps we’ll be seeing Mortal Kombat: Legacy on the boob tube in addition to YouTube.

The third episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy will be available next week.

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Nintendo Wii price drop soon?

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Bret Morace

Every major retailer has lowered the price of the Wii system bundle from $199.99 to $169.99. The price drops apply to both the black and white console, which include a Wii Remote Plus controller, Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort.

Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Toys R Us and GameStop have all lowered the price to $169.99. This unofficial price drop has followed a long stream of rumors that Nintendo will officially drop the price on the console on May 15.

Maybe those Wii 2 rumors aren’t so far-fetched after all.

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EA breaks out complete Battlefield 3 “Fault Line” trailer

Posted on April 18, 2011 by John Scalzo

Over the last six weeks, Electronic Arts and developer DICE have unveiled several segments to the rather lengthy “Fault Line” gameplay trailer for Battlefield 3. Today, they’re finally ready to release the complete 12-minute cut, now with never-before-seen footage.

So check out the trailer above and start counting down the days until Battlefield 3’s Fall 2011 release on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

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Sonic Generations brings back “Classic Sonic” this Fall

Posted on April 18, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sega plans to celebrate Sonic’s 20th anniversary in style with Sonic Generations this Fall. As expected, the PS3 and Xbox 360 title will bring together “Classic Sonic” (the pot-bellied speedster of the Genesis era) and “Modern Sonic” (the sleek Sonic from the 3D games):

Sonic’s universe is thrown into chaos when a mysterious new power creates ‘time holes’ which pull him and his friends back through time. As a result, he encounters some surprises from his past history including Classic Sonic, Sonic as he was in 1991.

This time-bending adventure will allow the two Sonics to run through the classic Zones in both 2D and 3D. You can check out one of the remastered levels in the trailer above. Each incarnation of Sonic also comes complete with his trademark special move, Spin Dash and Spin Attack for Classic Sonic, and the Homing Attack and Sonic Boost for Modern Sonic.

You have to admit, Sonic Generations is a canny move by Sega. Fans have been complaining that the new Sonic games don’t measure up to the Genesis classics, so remaking those same classics for the HD age seems like a can’t miss prospect.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Michael Vick, Peyton Hillis fight for Madden NFL 12 cover

Posted on April 18, 2011 by John Scalzo

And then there were two.

The voting for the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete is down to the end and only Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick and Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis remain.

Hillis defeated the heavily favored Aaron Rodgers to reach the finals while Vick ended the cinderella dreams of Adrian Peterson. A Vick victory would give the formerly incarcerated quarterback his second Madden cover appearance while Hillis has run over some of the biggest names in pro football to reach the finals. I think it’s safe to say that few people picked either of these guys to make it this far.

Final round voting will continue from now until Monday, April 25. The winner will be announced on April 27th during ESPN 2’s “SportsNation.”

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