Most Recent: Xbox 360

XBLA Today: Dead Block, Deadliest Warrior 2, MLB Bobblehead Pros

Posted on July 6, 2011 by John Scalzo

As the 2011 Summer of Arcade approaches, Microsoft has opened the Xbox Live Arcade floodgates and added three titles to the service today.

Dead Block goes all Night of the Living Dead on us as three survivors are trapped in a house with the zombie horde banging on the door. But instead of shooting their way out, this trio must barricade themselves inside and set traps for the unstoppable undead.

Deadliest Warrior: Legends is the sequel to last year’s XBLA fighting game and features a new assortment of historical personages battling it out for historical bragging rights. Dracula versus Braveheart, why didn’t I think of that?

Finally, Konami brings their cartoony take on the national pasttime, MLB Bobblehead Pros, to the XBLA just in time for next week’s All-Star Game.

All three games have been priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and more information on each title can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Michael Pachter predicts Duke Nukem Forever sales to disappoint

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Industry analyst Michael Pachter is shoring up his sales prediction for the highly anticipated Duke Nukem Forever, and it’s not good. Originally expected to sell roughly three million copies in its first quarter, The Pach is now tempering that expectation to 1.5 million. While that would be a respectable number for most games, it’s seen as quite underwhelming for a series with such a legendary place in gaming, not to mention over a decade of hype. The lukewarm critical reception seems to be responsible for a lot of the game’s troubles.

“We had previously expected Duke to be one of the year’s top sellers due to a high degree of hype and a dedicated fan base, and expected solid profit contribution as the bulk of development had been previously expensed,” said Pachter in a note to investors. “However, the game’s poor reviews (average Metacritic score of 49) likely had a negative impact on sales, causing us to lower our [first quarter] sell-in estimate to 1.5 million units from 3 million units.”

It isn’t all bad for Take Two, who bet on Duke, as L.A. Noire‘s success at retail has been well documented.

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

New Catherine trailer is a real nightmare; demo announced

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Poor Vincent. Everything in his life seemed normal – he had his friends, his hang-out spot, and a girlfriend named Katherine. But as soon as Katherine starts pressuring him for marriage, strange things start to happen. This trailer shows one of Vincent’s sheep-filled nightmares, and also reminds us of the strange deaths of young men as reported on the news. The waitress confides to Vincent that she heard all the men who died are cheaters.

In addition to the above trailer, Atlus has announced that gamers who want a taste of Vincent’s trippy breakdown adventure before Catherine‘s release date will be able to download a demo from the PlayStation Store or Xbox Live Marketplace starting next week.

I don’t know about you guys, but when Catherine launches on July 26, I plan to be wearing Vincent’s t-shirt and boxers while I play this game. I’ll scream into the pillow when I get too scared. Be sure to pre-order the deluxe edition for the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Rockstar may dissolve relationship with Team Bondi

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Things are not looking good for Team Bondi, the studio behind L.A. Noire, after allegations of cruel management and an investigation into such by the IGDA. Now, the Sydney, Australia-based company may need to look for a new publisher.

“Rockstar used to be very keen on making Team Bondi something like ‘Rockstar Sydney’ – the more they worked with Team Bondi management, the more they came to understand that this was a terrible idea,” an anonymous source told Industry Gamers. “I’ve heard a lot about Rockstar’s disdain for Team Bondi, and it has been made quite clear that they will not publish Team Bondi’s next game.”

Of course, it’s hard to question the management of a game that turned out so good, but the source claims, “Rockstar also pitched in with programmers, animators, artists, QA, etc. Part of the conflict between Team Bondi and Rockstar was due to Rockstar’s frustration with Team Bondi’s direction, and eventually Team Bondi’s management in turn resented Rockstar for taking lots of creative control.”

I seriously doubt Team Bondi will have a hard time searching for a new publisher given how well the game has sold. But hopefully the studio can adequately deal with a lot of the negative press it has received.

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

Second Chances: 5 Games That Deserve Another Look

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Adam Woolcott

Gaming is a time-consuming hobby. Unlike music or movies, which require a minimal investment, video games can be lengthy and involved affairs. As such, it’s much easier to miss out on really good games that come and go without much notice. Perhaps it’s because of a bad release date, or maybe it just didn’t get heavy distribution or advertising. Hell, maybe it doesn’t have a good Metacritic score, or it was completely ignored on gaming message boards. Regardless of the reason why, some games just don’t make it, and that’s a shame. That’s why we’re here, though – to pick out some unheralded gems and give them the attention they so richly deserve. They might not be able to compete with the heaviest of hitters, the so-called “AAA” games that sell millions, but they present entertaining gaming experiences all the same. (more…)

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

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North Collector’s Edition: longbow not included

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

The Lord of the Rings is a huge franchise, and as such, WB Games is preparing a $130 collector’s edition for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.

The awesome quiver to your left contains the game, an art book, three songs from the soundtrack, and a behind-the-scenes DVD about the making of the game. The Xbox 360 version also comes with a Ranger XBL Avatar, while the PlayStation 3 version includes a Theme Pack. I got to check out War in the North at the last two PAXes, and I have to say, it does look pretty good. If you’re a Rings fan, this is one collector’s edition you may not become ashamed of.

The Lord of the Rings: War in the North releases on August 24 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

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

Daily Scoop: July 5, 2011 – Patriotic savings!

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Nicole Kline

The 4th of July has come and gone, but the savings still remain! The Internet is buzzing with deals, deals, deals. How many games did you buy this weekend?

Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games today is Namco’s Tekken 6 Limited Edition Wireless Fight Stick Bundle for the Xbox 360. It’s just $37.99 today, and includes the game, the Hori fight stick, and an art book. This is a good deal for any fan of the franchise! Also on Amazon is this ridiculous buy one, get one free sale, which includes Mini Ninjas for $25.55 on the PS3, Lost Planet 2 for $19.82 on the Xbox 360, this insane Wii Bowling Ball for $16.54, and much, much more. In addition to all that, Amazon’s also having another weekly deal, with Duke Nukem Forever at $37.99 for the regular edition and $79.99 for the Balls of Steel Edition, Hunted: The Demon’s Forge at $39.99 on PS3 and Xbox 360 and $29.99 on PC, and Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident for the DS only $14.99. Whew. That’s a lotta deals!

And there’s still more. Gamestop is also having a sale, with Tron: Evolution Collectors Edition for the PS3 and Xbox 360 marked down to $49.99 from $129.99, as well as God of War III for $14.99 (OMG). And F.3.A.R. seems to be on sale everywhere – it’s $39.99 on consoles and $29.99 on PC at Gamestop, and they’re also running a deal where you can get it bundled with the DVD or Blu-ray of Sucker Punch for $64.99 and $74.99, respectively. Now’s your chance to grab some games on the cheap!

No gaming t-shirts, but today’s Ript shirt gave me pause: (more…)

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

See 12 minutes of Batman: Arkham City gameplay in new trailer

Posted on July 3, 2011 by John Scalzo

This 4th of July weekend, it’s important to remember that if there’s one comic book character who stands for truth, justice and the American way… it’s Batman!

Wait… I don’t think that’s right…

Anyway, WB Games and developer Rocksteady have released over 12 minutes of Batman: Arkham City gameplay footage including Catwoman taking down a bunch of thugs, getting captured by Two-Face and Batman’s rescue mission. And trust me, there’s no shortage of fireworks when those three get together.

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