Most Recent: Xbox 360

Black Friday Game Deals 2011: Best Buy

Posted on November 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

Black Friday is exactly two weeks away (November 25, mark your calendars) and retailers have continued to release their annual Black Friday sales circulars.

Today, Best Buy has published their list of Black Friday deals and it includes many of the same titles Walmart is advertising including Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, FIFA Soccer 12, Forza Motorsport 4, and Gears of War 3, all for $29.99 apiece. Also be on the lookout for $30 deals for Rage, Madden NFL 12, and X-Men Destiny.

As for console deals, Best Buy has a PS3 160GB bundle for $200 and an Xbox 360 250GB bundle for the same price. Hit the jump for the full details on those deals and all the rest of Best Buy’s sale-priced games. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360 |

The Madden Curse Strikes Back: A Midseason Report on All 32 Cover Finalists

Posted on November 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

The 2011 NFL season is only at the halfway point and the Madden Cover Curse has already claimed another victim. Fans selected Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis as the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete, and while some joked about the curse at the time, few gave it much thought as the lockout consumed all NFL news. But here we are: the lockout is over and it’s safe to say that few players have been victimized by the curse like Hillis has.

The running back has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury and he has already been ruled out for this weekend’s upcoming game against the St. Louis Rams. Hillis also missed the Browns’ week three game against the Dolphins with a serious strep throat infection. Some reports say he lost as much as ten pounds in a single week.

As if these injuries weren’t bad enough, Hillis has only had one breakout game the entire season. In week two, against the Colts, Hillis ran for 94 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 27-19 Browns win. He even managed to catch four passes as well. It’s a disturbing return to form for the Madden Cover Curse, which spared Vince Young, Brett Favre, Larry Fitzgerald, and Drew Brees in recent years. Troy Polamalu (who shared the cover of Madden NFL 10 with Fitzgerald) was the last victim of the curse, missing 11 games in 2009.

But what about the other 32 players that Hillis defeated in EA’s single-elimination tournament to select the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete? Have they been cursed by association? All told, seven players besides Hillis have succumbed to the Madden Cover Curse, even though they were never on the cover! Two more are currently nursing injuries and may join their ranks.

I’m not sure if I believe in curses and superstitions. But the Madden Cover Curse has affected nine of the 13 cover athletes chosen since John Madden gave up his spot on the box, and while a regression to the mean is to be expected for the top players of the previous season, the curse seems to go beyond that. I’m sure some statistics grad student could create an interesting paper out of the percentage of NFL players that suffer a statline reduction from season to season. But until then, this study is the best we have. (more…)

Posted in Features, PS2, PS3, PSP, Top Story, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Game of Thrones action RPG in the works for 2012 release

Posted on November 10, 2011 by John Scalzo

Winter is coming. But fear not, for this Winter you’ll be able to experience an action RPG based on the “Game of Thrones” television series with a story created by George R.R. Martin himself. Developed by Cyanide Studios and published by Atlus, Game of Thrones will be released for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 in early 2012.

In addition to a story supervised by Martin, the Game of Thrones game will also feature the actors (and their likenesses) from the acclaimed HBO series. So what will players be getting themselves into with this latest adventure in Westeros? Here’s what Atlus had to say:

In this 30-plus hour action RPG, players will enter the gritty and medieval fantasy world of Westeros. As one of two original characters with disparate motivations, both former soldiers of Robert’s Rebellion, players will forge alliances and wage battles as they play a pivotal role in the ongoing war for power of the Seven Kingdoms. Their journey will span numerous quests, during which they will interact with many characters and make key decisions that impact the realm.

Standing before the majesty and bitter isolation of the Wall or walking through the streets and alleys of King’s Landing, players will not simply pass by locations and characters integral to the series; they will explore and interact with them, meeting and learning about the people and history that defines them and their importance. Key decisions and major events will have meaningful impact on Westeros, allowing the player to witness how the game world evolves over time based on their actions or inactions. Moreover, Game of Thrones introduces an innovative “active slowdown tactical combat engine” in which combat mirrors the series’ thoughtful approach to war and politics: fighting slows but never stops entirely, forcing the player to make quick, pressured choices before their enemy strikes again.

Atlus has launched the official website for Game of Thrones: The Game at GameOfThrones-TheGame.com. There’s not much there right now, but as they say, Winter is coming.

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

Daily Scoop: November 10, 2011 – Who wants a Zelda-themed t-shirt?

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Wow. Not only do we have some deals today, but we’ve also got two Zelda-themed t-shirts! Feast or famine, people. Feast. Or. Famine.

Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is Atlus’ MAHJONG CUB3D (yes, that’s really how it’s spelled). This DS game is on sale today for just $18.99. Also added to the weekly deals are:

Aaaand today we have two awesome Zelda-themed t-shirts! The first is from Ript, and it’s called “Tri-Caution:” (more…)

Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PS3, Xbox 360 |

Gotham City Impostors set for January 10 release

Posted on November 10, 2011 by John Scalzo

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has announced that Gotham City Impostors, their multiplayer Batman/Joker first person shooter that doesn’t feature Batman or The Joker, will be added to the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC download services on January 10, 2012.

Not only that, but the publisher has released a new screenshot (on your left, click it to enlarge) and confirmed that the Gotham City Impostors open beta will begin in December (sign up now at GothamCityImpostors.com).

You might say we’re all getting a wonderful toy this Christmas.

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

Dragon Age: Redemption Episode 5 brings the mercenaries together

Posted on November 10, 2011 by John Scalzo

Episode 5 of Felicia Day’s “Dragon Age: Redemption” webseries is here and it finally brings all of the mercenaries together in an episode titled (what else?) Mercenaries. Watch as the four bring down the house in an early battle sequence and continue their adventure looking for the rogue Saarebas.

And in case you missed it, the fourth episode, “Nyree,” is available after the break. (more…)

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

Black Friday Game Deals 2011: Walmart

Posted on November 10, 2011 by John Scalzo

Black Friday is two weeks away (November 25, mark your calendars) and retailers have begun releasing their annual Black Friday sales circulars.

Walmart is first out of the gate with a bevy of sales on some of this year’s biggest titles including Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, FIFA Soccer 12, InFamous 2, Forza Motorsport 4, and Gears of War 3 for $28 apiece. And if you’re not convinced the Vita will blow your mind but you still want to play some Sony handheld games, Walmart is selling the PSP-3000 for under 100 bucks. They also have an amazing deal on an Xbox 360 console + Kinect bundle.

Hit the jump for the full details on that deal and all the rest of Walmart’s sale-priced games. (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360 |

The Simpsons Arcade Game rated by Australian ratings board

Posted on November 9, 2011 by John Scalzo

Have a cow man! The Simpsons Arcade Game is finally (it was originally released in 1991!) getting a proper port on modern day consoles. The announcement was leaked by a recent rating on the Australian Classification Board website, which also reveals a few choice bits of information.

The Simpsons Arcade Game will be published by Konami (who also created the original arcade game) and developed by Backbone Entertainment (who also ported Konami’s classic X-Men Arcade). A PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade release wasn’t confirmed, but it seems likely. The rating certificate also mentions online play.

Since the show’s debut in 1989, more than 20 “Simpsons” video games have been released, but the arcade game has never received a proper port. A PC version was released in the early 90s, but it just wasn’t the same (remember when PCs were less capable than consoles?).

I can’t wait to be an underachiever (and proud of it) again.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged