Most Recent: Xbox 360

Soul Calibur V trailer reveals Ezio as new character, January 31 release date

Hold onto your hoods – the new Soul Calibur V trailer is about to blow you away. The newest character is none other than the master assassin from the Assassin’s Creed franchise, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Even if you’re not a fan of the bold Italian killer, watching the artistic way in which he does away with his enemies is graceful and intense. Check out the trailer, and be sure to add January 31, 2012 to your calendar, which is when you can pick it up on PS3 or Xbox 360.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

RAAM’s Shadow DLC announced for Gears of War 3

Gears of War players will be able to lead the Locust horde for the first time on December 13 when the “RAAM’s Shadow” expansion is released for Gears of War 3. Taking control of General RAAM himself, players will storm the human stronghold of Ilima City in a battle against some familiar faces.

“RAAM’s imposing size and strength, along with his Kryll shield, make him one of the most powerful and daunting foes in the Gears universe,” said Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski. “We think fans are going to have a blast unleashing hell upon the poor humans for the first time in a campaign setting.”

If you’d prefer to stomp some Locust grubs instead, players can also take up the human side of the battle and try to save Ilima City:

“RAAM’s Shadow” drops players into the events of Sera post-Emergence Day, as Zeta Squad is enlisted to evacuate Ilima City and protect the citizens against a Locust Kryll storm. Taking on the infamous Locust leader General RAAM, Zeta is led by Michael Barrick (from Gears of War comics fame) and comprised of familiar faces such as Lt. Minh Young Kim (Gears 1) and Tai Kaliso (Gears 2), and also includes a new female comrade, Alicia Valera.

The expansion will also add six new multiplayer characters, the Chocolate Weapon Set, and an additional 250 Gamerscore. All of this has been priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), unless you sprung for the GOW3 Season Pass, which will include “RAAM’s Shadow.”

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Need For Speed: The Run Hands-On Preview: Cannonballing Through the Snow

The last time EA Black Box handled a Need For Speed game, it was the poorly received Need For Speed: Undercover. The product was such a bust that Electronic Arts gave the long-time series developer a lengthy break, placing the future of the franchise in the hands of folks like Criterion, the makers of the Burnout games, and newcomers Slightly Mad Studios. In the time since Undercover, titles like Need For Speed: Shift and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit have restored the legacy of the once-popular brand. However, while all this was going on, Black Box has been hard at work on this year’s Need For Speed game, dubbed Need For Speed: The Run. Due about a month from now, The Run is a departure from past games in the series, but at the same time, it matches the kind of “storyline-based” racing experience that the developer has been playing at since the days of Need For Speed: Underground. (more…)

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

Bejeweled 3, Dungeon Defenders added to XBLA

It’s Wednesday, so it’s time for another dose of the new releases on Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday. Man, how long has it been since someone at Microsoft has referred to it as XBLA Wednesday?

Anyway, this Wednesday is particularly shiny as PopCap will be adding Bejeweled 3 to the download service. Priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), the third Bejeweled game features eight game modes for all your gem matching fun.

Also available this week is Dungeon Defenders, a four-player “tower defense action RPG” (a genre mouthful if I’ve ever seen one). Dungeon Defenders has also been priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15)

More information on both titles can be found at Major Nelson’s blog (Bejeweled 3, Dungeon Defenders).

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

NFL Blitz is back thanks to EA Sports

EA Sports resurrected the NBA Jam series last year after a seven year absence (and they just released a semi-sequel, NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, last week). Now, the publisher is bringing back another arcade classic, NFL Blitz.

The team at EA Tiburon revealed their latest (re)creation exclusively to the guys at EGM. And from the sound of it, they’ve managed to capture everything that made Blitz one of the biggest hits of the 90s:

Aside from 30-yard first downs and 2-minute quarters, you’ll see post-play elbow drops, players launching themselves across the field like missiles to make unbelievable tackles, and guys just getting the ever-loving stuffing beaten out of them without a single yellow penalty flag in sight.

In addition to the arcade feel of yore, the new Blitz will add a ton of new features, including play-by-play commentary from NBA Jam announcer Tim Kitzrow. The new Blitz will also feature online multiplayer, customizable teams, “Mario Kart–like power-ups,” mascot teams and a whole lot more. Seriously, read the EGM preview, you won’t be sorry.

NFL Blitz will be available to download from the Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network just in time for the NFL playoffs (that’s January for those not up on their NFL schedule).

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Two new Xbox 360 bundles for the holidays

Microsoft has revealed this Fall’s new Xbox 360 bundles and, as expected, they feature some of last year’s most popular games.

The Xbox 360 Holiday Bundle features an Xbox 360 system with a 250GB hard drive and a wireless controller. The package also includes Fable III, Halo: Reach and a three-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold. The Xbox 360 Holiday Bundle will retail for $299.99.

Next up is the Xbox 360 Kinect Holiday Bundle. This box also includes an Xbox 360 system with a 250GB hard drive and a wireless controller. A three-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold is also included. The Kinect package includes a Kinect sensor and two Kinect-powered games: Kinect Adventures and Carnival Games: Monkey See Monkey Do. The Xbox 360 Kinect Holiday Bundle will retail for $399.99.

Both bundles will be available in stores starting today.

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged , ,

Why I Hate Hearing the Words “Borderlands and Fallout 3 Are the Same Game”

Many people say that they don’t want to play Borderlands because it’s just like Fallout 3, or that the settings are identical. While I understand the idea that a wasteland populated mostly with freaks building things out of trash sounds like it would make two things exactly the same, this is not the case at all. While the settings may appear to be similar, there’s nothing at all the same with these two games – location, gameplay, and plot aren’t even remotely similar. Add to this mixture the brand new Rage, which also looks and feels similar, and you’ve got a recipe for confusion and indecision. So without further ado, I present to you the differences between Borderlands and Fallout 3 – or why you should never, ever mistake one of these games for the other. (more…)

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

Daily Scoop: October 18, 2011 – Gold Box day!

Hey, guess who is sick again? Did you guess me? Then you guessed RIGHT! You are a brain genius. I got eight hours of sleep last night, which of course means I woke up with a headache, a fever, a brick of snot in my face, and swollen glands. My cold is coming back with a vengeance. But I am battling it with vitamins, animal crackers, and sheer will. Go me!

Anywho, Amazon’s got a lot going on today – it’s a Video Game Gold Box event! The Deal of the Day in video games is Activision’s Spider-Man: The Edge of Time. It’s $39.99 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and $29.99 for the Wii.

The Lightning Deals are:

  • The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Special Edition for the PS3 sold out at $27.99!
  • Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is $19.99 for the Xbox 360
  • 12:00 PDT/3:00 EST: “Everybody’s favorite swashbuckling swordfighter comes to your handheld device” (My favorite swashbuckler doesn’t have a video game, so I don’t know what this refers to!)
  • 2:00 PDT/5:00 EST: “This Nintendo DS title puts you in the shoes of a rookie defense lawyer trying to make his name. Take on intriguing, unusual cases and use your courtroom skills to unravel some of the most outrageous and funniest trials you’ve ever seen.” (I’m assuming this has to be Phoenix Wright!)
  • 5:00 PDT/8:00 EST: “Hear your PS3 games in a whole new way”
  • 8:00 PDT/11:00 EST: “Welcome to Vegas, premium version” (Do you mean New Vegas, Amazon?)

Whew. I definitely had a twitchy finger when Trails in the Sky was so cheap, but I managed to avoid buying it. I also haven’t picked up Batman: Arkham City yet, which is making me physically sweat. Or maybe that’s the fever. I’m not sure.

No gaming t-shirts today, guys. Oh, what? This isn’t enough? You aren’t satisfied?!?! If you really want to spend $10 that badly, then you should buy this adorable Star Wars/Invader Zim mashup shirt from Ript: (more…)

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