Nintendo Download: ARC Style Soccer 3D, 90s Pool

Posted on March 29, 2012 by John Scalzo

It is Thursday, isn’t it? Nintendo has added two new titles to their various download services today: ARC Style: Soccer 3D on the 3DS eShop and 90s Pool on the DSiWare Shop. How 90s is 90s Pool? Maybe these game descriptions from Nintendo will let us know…

ARC Style: Soccer 3D (3DS eShop) – Enjoy fast-paced matches with the simple controls of this casual soccer game. You can customize your teams’ names and uniforms, or even use a photo of your own face.

90s Pool (DSiWare) – Chalk up a victory with classic 90’s Pool, a fun and realistic pool simulator which will keep you playing for hours!

So… not 90s at all then.

Posted in 3DS, DS, News |

Daily Scoop: March 29, 2012 – Today’s my Friday

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Nicole Kline

I have tomorrow off! Which means today is my Friday. So that means tomorrow is sort of like my Saturday junior? Or my extra Saturday? Pre-Saturday? I don’t know, but I’m going to lay around all day and get to know my brand new Vita a little better. This Amazon sale is killing me… I can feel my will power crumbling…

Speaking of Amazon, their Deal of the Day in video games today is EA’s MySims Sky Heroes. This PlayStation 3 game is just $6.99 down from $29.99 today, so you might want to grab it!

As far as gaming t-shirts go, there’s just one today…

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News, PS3 |

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review: Turn Back Time To Get Your 40 Hours Back

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a game that has no idea what it’s doing or where it’s going. It’s full of time traveling, paradoxes, role-playing, platforming, and more than a few puzzles to solve. It’s full of changes and alterations, but at the core, it’s very much a sequel – and it shows. It feels like the game is experiencing growing pains, with short bursts of interesting moments infused with utter dullness. Should you take the plunge and go back to Pulse? Or would your money and time be better spent waiting for Operation Rainfall games to hit our shores?

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

Rumor: PS4 codenamed Orbis, all games will require online pass

Posted on March 29, 2012 by John Scalzo

Kotaku has published a detailed report on rumored specs for the PlayStation 4 that they say comes “from a reliable source who is not authorized to talk publicly about next-gen hardware.”

According to their source, the PS4 is currently codenamed Orbis, and sure enough, there’s an Orbis placeholder page at the Sony Computer Entertainment Developer Network (ps4.scedev.net results in a loading error). Alright, I’m sold. But then Kotaku posits that Orbis may be the final name of the system, especially due to it’s connection to the Latin phrase “Orbis Vita,” or Circle of Life.

Whatever it’s called, the system is said to make use of an AMD x64 CPU and the AMD Southern Islands GPU. The Southern Islands GPU platform is AMD’s newest chipset and includes the Radeon HD 7700 series, 7800 series, and 7900 series. This kind of power will be used to display stereoscopic 3D games in full 1080p and standard games at resolutions beyond 1080p.

So far, so good, right? Here’s where it gets tricky. Kotaku’s source is also claiming that PS3 backwards compatibility will not be present in the Orbis and that all games must be tied to a PSN account, essentially giving all games an “online pass” requirement. What that means is that any used game purchases will have to be reauthenticated on the new owner’s system… for a small fee, of course. Boo! Boo!

Obviously, all of this information is still unofficial and may prove inaccurate when the Orbis is launched. And according to their source, Kotaku believes the system will be available in 2013.

Posted in News, PS4 |

Ridge Racer Unbounded is in stores now

Posted on March 28, 2012 by John Scalzo

It looks like when Namco Bandai said Ridge Racer Unbounded would be out “later in 2012,” they actually meant “in three weeks.”

“We are excited to have racing fans unleash their destructive prowess against friends and foes online in Ridge Racer Unbounded,” said Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing, Namco Bandai Games America Inc. “With a greater focus on demolition and high octane destruction, Ridge Racer Unbounded takes the franchise to new heights in racing mayhem.”

The latest addition to the street racing franchise is now available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in North America (I guess we don’t get the PC version) and you can check out the launch trailer above.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Class of Heroes 2 Kickstarter campaign aims to improve localization for Japanese RPGs

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

For those of you who rend your clothing over the sheer amount of awesome games in Japan that will never appear on American store shelves, here’s a chance to support the hard working people in the localization business!

MonkeyPaw Games and Gaijinworks have announced the acquisition of Class of Heroes 2, a dungeon crawler-style RPG for the PSP, as well as a Kickstarter campaign to fund gameplay improvements and a limited edition deluxe package. The overall goal, though, is to attempt to bring more import titles to western markets, and what better way to do so than with the support of hardcore fans?

Gaijinworks President Victor Ireland (yes, the same Victor Ireland from Working Designs), calls this the “craziest deluxe pack” he’s ever done, and if you’re a collector at all, you know Working Designs basically invented the concept of the super premium collectors edition with the pack-in soundtrack.

The Grand Tier pledges get even crazier than plush toys or signed posters; for a generous enough pledge, you might get a trip to Japan to meet the creators of the game, or a two-night stay in Los Angeles, tickets to E3, and dinner with MonkeyPaw and Gaijinworks.

So check out the Kickstarter campaign page to see all the crazy bonus stuff you could get for your support!

Posted in News, PSP |

Tebow eliminated after first round of Madden NFL 13 cover voting

Posted on March 28, 2012 by John Scalzo

It looks Tim Tebow was no match for the Arian Nation. The freshly traded backup quarterback for the New York Jets was soundly defeated in the first round of the Madden NFL 13 cover vote by Texans running back Arian Foster.

The remainder of the Round 1 voting went as expected, except for the Matt Forte vs Patrick Willis matchup. The sixth-seeded Forte was upset by the 49ers linebacker. Tough break for one of the best backs in the league.

Voting for Round 2 runs from today until April 4. So get your votes in now for these second round matchups at ESPN.com/maddenvote:

Left Bracket
Cam Newton (#1) vs Antonio Gates (#8)
LeSean McCoy (#5) vs Larry Fitzgerald (#4)
Patrick Willis (#11) vs Maurice Jones-Drew (#3)
Darrelle Revis (#7) vs Victor Cruz (#2)

Right Bracket
Aaron Rodgers (#1) vs Marshawn Lynch (#8)
Ray Rice (#5) vs Drew Brees (#4)
Calvin Johnson (#6) vs Arian Foster (#3)
Jared Allen (#7) vs Rob Gronkowski (#2)

Posted in News, PS3, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged

XBLA Today: Wrecked: Revenge Revisited

Posted on March 28, 2012 by John Scalzo

Car combat comes to the Xbox Live Arcade today thanks to Wrecked: Revenge Revisited. The full game is available for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) along with a DLC expansion, “Highway To Hell,” which is priced at 400 Microsoft Points ($5).

Need to know more about Wrecked before you buy? Here you go…

From the creators of Mashed comes the next evolution of explosive battle racing fun! It’s time to unleash your rivalries again and make a few new ones in the process. Revenge is sweet when it’s a rocket through your rival’s back window! Using weapons or just your kick ass driving skills, unleash your fury, cause absolute carnage, and send your ‘friends’ to a very humiliating defeat!

Posted in News, Xbox 360 |