Most Recent: News

3DS getting new Super Mario Bros., Netflix, and free access to AT&T Hot Spots

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

At the Nintendo GDC keynote today, President Iwata announced a triumvirate of features that greatly increase the value of the Nintendo 3DS. The first won’t surprise anyone: Shigeru Miyamoto will be making a new Super Mario Bros. title for the handheld. Slightly surprising is that the Super Mario Galaxy team is working on it, so expect a high quality (and high reviewed) adventure from everyone’s favorite plumber.

Secondly, Netflix will be available for the platform, in much the same way it operates on the Wii. Finally, and possibly most important, all 3DS users will receive automatic and free access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots across the country when they use the SpotPass service after a May update.

Also part of the May update will be the eShop, which will grant access to a lot of the features we’ve been hearing about like 3D Hollywood trailers, the internet browser, classic Nintendo titles updated in 3D, and Game Boy/Game Boy Color games. Two things we didn’t expect are titles from TurboGrafx-16 and Sega’s Game Gear, the latest development in the ongoing love affair between the two prior rivals. The Game Gear was the first handheld Sega tried to go up against Nintendo with. While clunky and requiring tons of batteries, it offered impressive graphics in full color. Hopefully some Shining Force Gaiden games will show up on the store.

The 3DS is already a technical powerhouse with a fairly solid launch lineup, but these three new announcements make it even more appealing. You may want to pre-order yours soon for the March 27 release date, as it may sell out here just as fast as it did elsewhere.

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New Battlefield 3 gameplay trailer takes us through a bad part of town

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

EA and DICE released a new trailer with some nice gameplay from the upcoming Battlefield 3.
Some of this appears to be the snippets we saw from the premiere gameplay trailer, but in longer, uninterrupted segments. Seeing the Frostbite 2.0 engine in motion for a longer duration is actually kind of breathtaking. DICE has always made great-looking games but this propels them to the top of technical studios if you ask me. Granted, this is the PC version as seen by some of the control hints, but I’m sure the console versions won’t be too far off.

Battlefield 3 will release for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 Fall 2011. The second part to the “Fault Line” trailer will be revealed March 16.

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

iPad 2 coming March 11, priced at $499

Posted on March 2, 2011 by John Scalzo

As expected, the second generation iPad was announced today at a press conference in San Franciso spearheaded by CEO Steve Jobs. Priced at $499 and available March 11, the tablet, which is officially named the iPad 2, improves on the original iPad thanks to its “thinner, lighter, faster” design.

The “faster” claim is bolstered by the iPad 2’s new dual-core A5 chip architecture (which makes it perfect for gaming). According to Apple, this makes the device nine times faster than the previous iPad and, along with its dual camera setup, makes FaceTime video calling possible. The cameras will also be able to record HD video. Even with these advanced specs, the iPad 2 is 33% thinner and and nearly 15% lighter.

In addition to beefing up the iPad’s inards, the new Smart Cover makes the device more mobile than ever. Snapping into place with magnets, the Smart Cover protects and can be folded to use as a stand.

You can also head on over to Apple.com to see a video of the iPad 2 in action.

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‘Find Makarov’ countdown is not Modern Warfare 3 (but an awesome Fan Film)

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

You may remember an enigmatic countdown at findmakarov.com which Activision later called a hoax. The countdown has finished, and the site now redirects to the trailer you see above for a fan film tentatively titled “Live Action Modern Warfare.” Created by Toronto viral marketing company We Can Pretend, the trailer captures some of the most iconic scenes from the Modern Warfare series in live action. The final scene of Call of Duty 4, the end of Modern Warfare 2 at Rust, and even the intense showdown at the aircraft boneyard in MW2 are all adapted with shocking accuracy. Two original scenes are included, one where presumably protagonist Soap MacTavish is saluting General Shepherd. The other is in Nikolai’s aircraft above the inevitable U.S. invasion of Moscow, where Captain Price states “The objective is simple: Find Makarov, end this war.” Either Soap or an undisclosed Russian character agrees, “Aye, let’s write some history.”

It’s strange to see the whole thing in first person, as Infinity Ward’s use of the perspective always seemed as something gaming could accomplish that film could not. Either way, we’ll be sure to follow this ambitious fan project as it progresses.

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Hail to Duke Nukem Forever’s Mature rating

Posted on March 2, 2011 by John Scalzo

Every game that has ever been threatened with an Adults Only rating from the ESRB is an amateur next to Duke Nukem Forever. As expected, the ESRB has awarded the game a Mature rating. And the reasons behind the rating have likely got every member of the “Won’t someone think of the children!” brigade salivating at the chance to denounce it in public.

According to the ESRB, Duke Nukem Forever was given a Mature rating for “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol.” That mouthful is topped by the game’s Rating Summary, which reads like a laundry list of every complaint Fox News has ever lobbed against video games (and then some).

So who wants some? Hit the break to find out exactly why the ESRB gave Duke Nukem Forever a Mature rating. (more…)

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Microsoft goes green, begins recycling Gamertags

Posted on March 2, 2011 by John Scalzo

Al Gore would be so proud.

Microsoft (via Major Nelson‘s blog) has announced that they have begun the process of reclaiming long abandoned Xbox Live Gamertags. These usernames will then be recycled and offered up to the community for new subscribers and name changes.

The Major (who styles himself a bit of a necromancer in the blog post) said that additional “zombie Gamertags” will be resurrected everyday. So if there’s a Gamertag you’ve always wanted, check the “Change Gamertag” section under the Xbox Channel on your console now.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |

June release scared up for Alice: Madness Returns, Shadows of the Damned

Posted on March 2, 2011 by John Scalzo

This June is going to be a scary time, that is if EA has anything to say about it. The megapublisher used the Game Developers Conference to reveal when two of their scariest games will be in stores.

Shadows of the Damned is the brainchild of Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil) and Suda 51 (No More Heroes), so you know it’ll be pretty disturbing. We also now know that the PS3 and Xbox 360 game will be released on June 7.

A week later, on June 14, EA will push Alice: Madness Returns out the door. The PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 sequel to the classic American McGee’s Alice is being developed by Spicy Horse under McGee’s supervision. It also has the freakiest trailer I’ve seen this year.

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Watch the Catherine announcement trailer

Posted on March 2, 2011 by John Scalzo

How’s your morning going? Good? Still a little tired? Well, after you watch Atlus’ North American announcement trailer for Catherine, you’ll never sleep again. If the rather disturbing imagery didn’t scare you away, you’ll be glad to know that Catherine is scheduled to ship sometime this Summer on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

As for me, I’ll be hiding from the sheepmen.

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