Most Recent: PS3

Uncharted 3 leads the 2012 AIAS Interactive Achievement Awards with 12 nominations

Posted on January 14, 2012 by John Scalzo

The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has announced the nominees for the 15th annual Interactive Achievement Awards and, to save everybody some time, they just recycled the nominee list from 2010.

OK, not really. But a surprising number of games on this year’s ballot are part of franchises that took home some IAA hardware in 2010. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception leads all nominees with 12 nominations, just like Uncharted 2, which nearly swept the 2010 IAAs. Batman: Arkham Asylum won every award that Uncharted 2 didn’t in 2010, and so it goes in 2012 as Batman: Arkham City racked up six nominations this year.

Other games with more than five nominations include Portal 2 (ten), L.A. Noire (nine), Battlefield 3, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (six each).

Many of those multiple nominees (Arkham City, Skyrim, Portal 2, and Uncharted 3) will be involved in the five-way battle royale for the IAA Game of the Year award. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword rounds out the the category.

Hit the break for a complete list of every nominated game in all categories. And remember, the 2012 AIAS IAAs will be handed out during this year’s DICE Summit on February 9. (more…)

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

Meet Swan, a “goth geek” necromancer, in the latest Lollipop Chainsaw trailer

Posted on January 13, 2012 by John Scalzo

Say hello to Swan, the “Goth Geek Bastard” behind the zombie uprising in Suda 51’s Lollipop Chainsaw. If you’re thinking this necromancer is any match for the big bads regularly faced by Buffy Summers, think again. He’s just an 18-year old loser who decided that the world needed more walking undead. OK, so he’s exactly like several of the big bads from “Buffy.”

His voice actor also sounds very familiar and I believe it belongs to Sean Gunn, brother of Lollipop Chainsaw writer James Gunn.

Lollipop Chainsaw will be released for the PS3 and Xbox 360 sometime in 2012, which will be a day filled with rainbows and sunshine and happy dances for me.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Shocker: Modern Warfare 3 leads December NPD list

Posted on January 13, 2012 by John Scalzo

The NPD Group has released their list of the bestselling games in December and, once again, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 tops the list. The shooter was joined in the top ten by its comrade in arms, Battlefield 3, which gunned down the number five slot.

The rest of the list includes a cross-section of some of this year’s absolute biggest games including Just Dance 3 at #2, Skyrim at #3, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations at #7, and Batman: Arkham City at #10. And Nintendo’s 3DS is finally coming alive with two titles in the top ten: Mario Kart 7 at #4 and Super Mario 3D Land at #9.

Here’s the complete NPD Top Ten for the month of December 2011:

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PC)
2. Just Dance 3 (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3)
3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
4. Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
5. Battlefield 3 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
6. Madden NFL 12 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2)
7. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
8. NBA 2K12 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, PS2, PC)
9. Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
10. Batman: Arkham City (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

March is Silent Hill month thanks to Book of Memories, HD Collection, Downpour delays

Posted on January 13, 2012 by John Scalzo

With three Silent Hill games on the schedule (one for each month), Konami had previously planned to keep gamers in the state of perpetual panic throughout the new year. But several delays have now condensed a season of scares into one monstrous month.

Silent Hill HD Collection will bow first on March 6. The PS3 and Xbox 360 package will collect Silent Hill 2 (considered by many to be the best game in the series) and Silent Hill 3 into a single package. The compilation will include new vocal performances and updated high definition graphics.

Silent Hill: Downpour, also in the works for the PS3 and Xbox 360, will follow the HD Collection into stores a week later on March 13. Developed by Vatra Games (their first in the Silent Hill series), Downpour is a twist on The Fugitive formula as convicted felon Murphy Pendleton escapes a prison bus crash outside a familiarly foggy burg.

Finally, the series will make its debut on Sony’s new Vita handheld on March 27 with Silent Hill: Book of Memories. Book of Memories introduces time travel to the Silent Hill universe and also includes another first, a multiplayer mode.

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

Asura’s Wrath Hands-On Preview: A Frenetic, Fun Experience

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Asura’s Wrath is the latest game from Capcom and developer CyberConnect2. This absurdly over-the-top action game features everything from intense Quick Time Events to anime-esque “commercial break” loading screens. The frenetic action, varying gameplay elements, and extreme cinema scenes combine together to make something that, while it’s not unique, is still fun. Be sure to get a bag of ice ready, though, because you’re going to have what I like to refer to as “God of War elbow” in no time. (more…)

Posted in Previews, PS3, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Nominees for 2012 Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Videogame Writing announced

Posted on January 12, 2012 by John Scalzo

The Writers Guild of America has announced the five nominees who will battle it out for this year’s Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing.

The Assassin’s Creed team at Ubisoft is once again up for a Writers GUild Award thanks to their work on Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. The previous game in the series, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, won the award last year.

The writing teams behind Batman: Arkham City, Brink, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and Mortal Kombat have also been nominated for the Writers Guild Award.

Turning the Mortal Kombat mythos into a coherent story was quite a feat, so I’m pulling for the team at NetherRealm Studios.

You can see the complete list of nominated writers after the break and check back on February 19 to find out who won. (more…)

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

Binary Domain puts your favorite robot movies in a blender on February 28

Posted on January 12, 2012 by John Scalzo

Mixing imagery and plot points from I, Robot, Blade Runner, and The Terminator, Binary Domain looks like it’ll tread some familiar territory when its released for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

But the game also looks ridiculously cool… and why shouldn’t it? The game was created by the same mind who made the Yakuza series into a worldwide sensation after all.

Definitely be sure to check out the trailer above and shed a single tear (to prove you’re not a robot) over the game’s slight delay to February 28 (it was originally scheduled for release on the 14th).

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Final Fantasy Origins, Choplifter HD added to PlayStation Store

Posted on January 11, 2012 by John Scalzo

The first two chapters of the Final Fantasy saga were added to the PlayStation Network yesterday. With the addition of Final Fantasy Origins to the PSone Classics line, Square Enix has also ensured that all nine PSone games in the franchise are now available to download from the store. Speaking of Final Fantasy, a Final Fantasy XIII-2 demo was also made available to download yesterday.

Also available this week is Choplifter HD, “a classic arcade adventure, reimagined in stunning HD!” Players will be able to pilot their chopper through frantic war zones while rescuing survivors and raining down destruction.

Here’s what else you can grab from the PlayStation Store this week:

PSN Games

Crazy Machines Elements ($9.99)
Hundreds of totally wacky chain reactions are just waiting to be created! Experience the latest chapter in the international, multi award-winning Crazy Machines series: “Elements”. This time with next gen visuals!

PS3 Full Games

Sports Champions ($29.99)
Sports Champions will let you and your friends physically engage in an array of competitive sporting activities as you go head to head in six events. With the easy to use PlayStation Move motion controller, anyone can crush, spike and smoke the competition in the ultimate sports showdown.

Toy Story 3: The Video Game ($19.99)
In the Toy Story 3: The Video Game help Buzz, Woody, and the rest of the toys ensure no toy gets left behind. Dive into all new heroic adventures in Story Mode or let your imagination run wild in the exciting new open world of Toy Box Mode.

And for a full rundown of all the new game add-ons and demos available this week, head over to the PlayStation Blog.

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