Most Recent: Xbox 360

New Releases: Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon, More

Posted on July 2, 2011 by John Scalzo

The Summer slowdown is here. Just five games are scheduled to be released this week. But as a wise (and animated) man once said: “Celebrate your country’s independence by blowing up a small part of it.” And that’s just what I plan on doing with D3 Publisher’s Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon (PS3, Xbox 360), the closest thing we’ll ever get to a Starship Troopers video game.

Also available this week is a quartet of games that couldn’t be more diverse:

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

Jon Stewart rips SCOTUS on CA game bill decision; forgets he starred in The Faculty

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

No matter how depraved and disgusting a comedy gets, it only becomes “offensive” or “inappropriate” when the creators attack something you love. Even a comedy show as respected as The Daily Show can fall into this trap. There are few men in America that are as beloved among young adults as Jon Stewart, but he just questioned the wisdom of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the case of Brown vs EMA…

Jon Stewart is dead to me now.

The Daily Show host made his point by splicing clips of the latest Mortal Kombat game in with his own reactions to the gratuitous violence. But before showing the clip, he prefaced it with the following warning: “It’s like an interactive, animated snuff film.”

That’s just going too far Mr. Stewart! Why, I’ll have you know, the Mortal Kombat series is a historic and… (more…)

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

ESRB says Crysis is coming to PS3, Xbox 360

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

Even though it was released back in 2007, Crysis still sets the benchmark for graphically intensive PC games. Developer CryTek has flirted with a console release for the game before, but nothing has ever come of it.

Until now, that is.

Today, a rating for a PS3/Xbox 360 version of Crysis appeared on the ESRB’s website. The Korean Rating Board also outed a console version of Crysis in the last few days. It’s not quite confirmation, but PS3/Xbox 360 owners got a chance to play Crysis 2 back in March and it seems very likely like its predecessor will be joining it soon.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Kenshi’s story told in new MK DLC trailer

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

Kenshi, the blind swordsman, was the best character introduced to the Mortal Kombat mythos in the Deadly Alliance trilogy. So it’s only fitting that he’s the first returning character to be offered as DLC for the Mortal Kombat reboot on the PS3 and Xbox 360. NetherRealm Studios has released a new trailer that tells the tale of Kenshi and you can watch it above.

Kenshi will be available to download from the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace on July 5 for $5 (or 400 Microsoft Points).

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Halo: Glasslands novel set for October

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

Tor Books and their Halo fiction factory continues to roll with Halo: Glasslands this October. Glasslands was written by Karen Traviss and is the beginning of a new trilogy that sets the stage for Halo 4 in the aftermath of Halo: Ghosts of Onyx.

“Although Karen’s novel deals with the characters and events from ‘Ghosts of Onyx,’ it’s the wonderful new characters and scenarios that she brings so vividly to life that will excite Halo fiction fans,” says Frank O’Connor, Franchise Development Director for 343 Industries. “We get an incredible opportunity to explore the Halo universe in the aftermath of the Covenant war, and unveil some mysteries and storylines that will connect readers to a compelling corner of the Halo universe. I can’t wait for readers to enjoy this book as much as we have.”

Halo: Glasslands will be available in stores in paperback and on compact disc on October 25, 2011.

Posted in Etcetera, News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Call of Duty XP 2011 “fan experience” set for September 2-3

Posted on July 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

The Call of Duty franchise is Activision’s billion-dollar baby and it’ll be celebrated this September in the very first CoD “fan experience.” Call of Duty XP 2011 will be held on Labor Day Weekend, September 2nd and 3rd, in Los Angeles. For two days, the festival will immerse 6,000 fans in all things Call of Duty, including an announcement of the full feature for Call of Duty Elite and the world premiere of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3‘s multiplayer mode.

“From the high production values of our live, immersive events – all the way to the smallest details in every design and activity – we’re pulling out all the stops to make Call of Duty XP the ultimate gathering for the global community of Call of Duty fans,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “The celebration will immerse attendees in a Call of Duty experience unlike anything they’ve ever seen before. Over the course of two days, gamers can trade Call of Duty war stories, experience the official unveiling of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer and the full feature functionality of Call of Duty Elite, as well as enjoy world-class entertainment and compete head-to-head for some serious cash prizes.”

Attendees at Call of Duty XP 2011 will experience a ton of other exciting events as well:

  • $1 million Call of Duty: Black Ops tournament
  • Discussion panels and Q&A with Call of Duty developers
  • Onsite Call of Duty armory and museum
  • Paintball matches on a life-sized Call of Duty multiplayer map
  • Speed-run attempts for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2‘s legendary “The Pit”
  • More attractions to be announced

Tickets for Call of Duty XP 2011 will be available July 19 for $150 apiece. All proceeds will benefit The Call of Duty Endowment, Activision’s organization that helps soldiers transition to civilian life.

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

Daily Scoop: June 30, 2011 – Last day of June!

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Goodbye, June! We hardly knew ye. You gave us some good games, some good deals, and some good times. You were even pretty good with the weather. We’ll miss you now that July is here and August is looming.

As for today’s deals, Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games is Ubisoft’s Child Of Eden for the Xbox 360. This quirky game is just $34.99 today, and is “a visionary entertainment experience that synchronizes stunning graphics and innovative sound design to electrify the senses.” Also, it can help add to your Kinect library, if nothing else!

There are no good video game t-shirts today! What a bummer after yesterday’s veritable cornucopia of shirts. The best one today is shirt.w00t‘s Pie(rate) Chart shirt:

Squawk!

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

Dungeon Siege III Review: An Elegant RPG For a More Civilized Age

Posted on June 29, 2011 by John Scalzo

In a lot of ways, Dungeon Siege III can be considered a “first” for the franchise. It’s the first game in the series published by Square Enix, and the first developed by Obsidian Entertainment. It’s the first Dungeon Siege game to appear on a console, and the first new game in the series in five years. With this new beginning at hand, I dove into the Dungeon Siege series myself for the first time and came away with a pretty good RPG experience. (more…)

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