Most Recent: PS3

Telltale Games working on Law & Order: LA

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

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

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.

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

Shift 2: Unleashed Review: Getting the NFS Out

It might be difficult to believe, but Need For Speed began as a racing sim. While the franchise might be known for high-speed police chases, loose physics, cheesy stories, and the immortal Razor Callahan, the original game (for the 3DO, no less) was a realistic take on driving a car at high speeds. While EA attempted to return NFS to its roots once before – 2007’s Need For Speed: Pro Street was something that could be described as a racing sim – 2009’s Need For Speed: Shift was the first time they’d really tackled the genre in such a forceful manner. The result was a game that couldn’t quite hang with Gran Turismo or Forza Motorsport, but managed to carve a niche that wasn’t really around – a realistic racer that wasn’t bogged down in endless menus and needless complexities. It was something to build upon, and with Shift 2: Unleashed, they’re doing just that. (more…)

Posted in PC, PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Sonic Generations brings back “Classic Sonic” this Fall

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

Uncharted 3 going for the multiplayer throne, new details are overwhelming

Uncharted 2 had a strong multiplayer offering, but it didn’t feature the same map count, mode diversity, or depth of customization that some of the more established online juggernauts entail. Naughty Dog is looking to take it to the next level with their second bite at the apple, with tons of new features for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. These will include sprinting in multiplayer, tag team deathmatch, free for all, and being able to kick your enemies off of a ledge.

But there’s even more. As Community Manager Arne Meyer gushed in the PlayStation Blog, there will be a ton of customizations, from character skins to usable weapon upgrades, like scopes and bigger clips. There are new Boosters as well, though they’ve included the favorites from the second game, too. There’s also an in-game reward system, an underdog option called Power Play, Late Join which will help keep matches full, ties to social media, and multiplayer co-op – though they couldn’t say much about that, and I’m more interested in the single-player co-op options, which is something the fans have been clamoring for.

You’ll be able to witness the glory in a multiplayer beta for InFamous 2 purchasers and PlayStation Plus subscribers that opens on June 28. Check the video above for these features in action with some epic, jaw-dropping moments, and hit the jump for a full interview (courtesy of GamerLive.tv) with Naughty Dog’s Co-President, Christophe Balestra.

I don’t know if I can wait until 11/1/11 for this game to be released. (more…)

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Zipper entices you to buy new copies with “SOCOM Pro”

We’ve seen publishers struggle against the second-hand market of used games with numerous programs and initiatives, from Online Pass to Project Ten Dollar. Sony and Zipper are taking a page out of EA’s book with the announcement of SOCOM Pro with all new copies of SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs.

This Pro version will give all purchasers of new copies a PlayStation Network redemption code. Redeeming it gives you access to the SOCOM Pro custom game types, many of which you may be familiar with if you participated in the beta. The four modes initially available will include “Community Day Classic,” “Last Defense Run ‘n Gun,” “SCRUM,” and “Sniper Alley.” Players will also get a little extra firepower in their arsenal, with the classic M-16 and AK-47 both available for use in the game.

Zipper has teased future additions for the service, which include “exclusive multiplayer maps, various co-op additions, dedicated leaderboards, and lots more.” If you don’t buy a new copy of the game, you can purchase SOCOM Pro for $14.99 from the PlayStation Store, but not until April 26.

I’m usually for “Project Ten Dollar”-ish programs, mostly because I almost exclusively buy new games; I just hope this doesn’t dilute the potential for custom lobbies or divide the community too much. We’ll see the effects of this when SOCOM 4 launches on the PlayStation 3 tomorrow.

Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged

Daily Scoop: April 18, 2011 – Almost Portal 2 time!

Portal 2 is coming out tomorrow!!! Holy crap! It’s been such a crazy long wait that it snuck up on me. It probably put a portal behind me and jumped through it and now it’s going to drop a companion cube on my head! Noooooo!!

Ahem. Excuse me. There are some good deals going on today – Amazon’s having what they’re calling Easter Savings in Video Games, which sounds sort of not all that politically correct. I mean, where are the Passover savings? I don’t judge, either way. The sale is one of those buy one, get one 50% off ones, and includes Lego Harry Potter and a bunch of other stuff. As for today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games, they’ve got a smorgasbord of Atlus games. Radiant Historia is $27.99, Demon’s Souls (with soundtrack!) is $15, and 3D Dot Game Heroes is $13.40. Don’t miss these awesome deals – these are games worth buying immediately if you don’t already own them.

No game-related t-shirts today, I’m afraid. I think the Internet wore itself out with the four t-shirts I posted about Saturday and Sunday. But I’m going to have a hard time not purchasing this one from Tee Fury:

Shiny!

Posted in Daily Scoop, DS, Etcetera, News, PS3 |

PlayStation 3: Over 50 million served

Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. has announced that the PlayStation 3 has reached a milestone in sales, pushing over 50 million consoles since it launched in 2006. As Microsoft made a similar announcement just this past January, this means that the PS3 has accomplished the same feat almost a full year faster than the Xbox 360.

Sony released a number of statistics along with the announcement: over 8 million PlayStation Move units have been sold (the same number Microsoft claimed for Kinect in January) and over 75 million PlayStation Network accounts have been registered across 59 countries.

With Blu-Ray support, free online multiplayer, and a solid exclusive lineup year in and year out, it’s no wonder why the PS3 has been such a hit. Since launching with a lofty price tag, the media has constantly derided the console for not being as successful as the 360, an assumption made rather confusing in light of this recent news.

Posted in News, PS3 |