Is this a God of War IV teaser trailer?

Posted on March 3, 2012 by John Scalzo

We know God of War IV is coming, even though it remains unannounced. We know this as surely as we know that Nintendo is working on another Mario game and Sega is working on another 3D Sonic. It is the way of things when it comes to the video game industry. But Italian website 4News.it has gone a step further and posted, what they claim, is a leaked trailer for the game.

The trailer opens with a Mature rating (even though, officially, God of War IV hasn’t been rated by the ESRB), the “Sony Computer Entertainment presents” text, and the Sony Santa Monica logo. Then a series of grayish images are flashed on the screen (a stone structure, floating rocks, hands reaching up from the ground) as a voice intones:

Brother, the phoenix has been drinking your blood. Full of your anger. Blood. Full of your anger and your strength in life. Now I ask you, what have you been doing with her? Would you leave me here in hell? Kratos… wake up! wake up!

Finally, we’re greeted with the God of War IV logo. Is it real? Who knows. But it certainly is convincing.

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New Releases: Mass Effect 3, Street Fighter X Tekken, MLB 2K12/MLB 12, More

Posted on March 3, 2012 by John Scalzo

It’s here. It’s finally here. The grand finale of the Mass Effect trilogy, Mass Effect 3, will be available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 on March 6. It’s been a long wait (made longer by EA’s decision to delay the game from its original Fall 2011 release date), but it’s almost over.

However, other companies aren’t backing down from the juggernaut that is Commander Shepard…

  • Capcom is bowing their 2D crossover fighter Street Fighter X Tekken (PS3, Xbox 360).
  • A twin bill of baseball games will be available including Sony’s MLB 12: The Show (PS3, Vita) and 2K’s more inclusive Major League Baseball 2K12 (DS, PC, PS2 (!), PS3, PSP (!!), Wii, Xbox 360).
  • Namco Bandai is bringing back the Ridge Racer series in Ridge Racer Unbounded (PS3, Xbox 360), a title that has really managed to stay under the radar.
  • Zipper Interactive (creator of the SOCOM series) will make their Vita debut with Unit 13.
  • And Nintendo wants everyone to do the Mario one more time on the Wii with Mario Party 9.

Even EA isn’t afraid to compete against itself, as the publisher plans to ship The Sims 3: Showtime for the PC this week in both a Limited Edition and a Katy Perry Special Edition (scandalized muppets not included).

Believe it or not, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There are even more new releases after the break.

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Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS2, PS3, PSP, Vita, Wii, Xbox 360 | Tagged , , ,

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences offers sneak peeks at PAX East

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

For those of you that have been living under a rock, PAX East is a a three-day game festival for gamers of all stripes. For its debut at the show, The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences (AIAS) will present two sessions from the D.I.C.E. Summit, and give attendees early access to seventeen pieces from the 2011 Into the Pixel art exhibit.

On Friday April 6th, Richard Hilleman, chief creative director of Electronic Arts, will present his session titled: “Games as a Language”, and on Saturday April 7th, Cliff Bleszinski and Mike Capps of Epic Games will answer 10 questions from their fans, and talk about the past, present, and future of the studio with AIAS President Martin Rae.

The Into the Pixel exhibit features scenes from popular games like Mass Effect 2, BioShock Infinite and Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, and will be displayed in the South East Lobby of the convention center.

For more information, or to check out more stuff going on at PAX East, visit the official website.

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Rhythm Heaven Fever Review: Wii Are A Metronome

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Ryan Littlefield

It’s been a few years since we last visited the world of Rhythm Heaven. Back then, we were only allowed to venture so far in – limited by our tiny screens and the necessity of a pen stylus to play rhythm games. You can put that worry to rest, unless you’re more worried about using the Wiimote for the new Rhythm Heaven Fever. Fever boasts “more than 50 new levels,” though a few of the later levels are just copied and re-skinned from earlier levels to appear different. But playing with the Wiimote makes them all different from the rhythmic minigames that we encountered on the DS.

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Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Wii |

Madden NFL 13 Cover Nominees: NFC East

Posted on March 2, 2012 by John Scalzo

Are you ready for some football? How about a long and drawn out fan vote to decide who will appear on the cover of Madden NFL 13? Well, EA Sports has you covered on both.

Every day this week, the Madden-maker will continue to reveal each division’s nominees for the game’s cover. The 64-player tournament will initially include two players from each team. Beginning March 7, fans can head over to the ESPN SportsNation Facebook Page to decide who will represent each team in the final 32-player bracket.

Today’s nominees come from the NFC East:

Dallas Cowboys
DeMarcus Ware or Jason Witten

New York Giants
Victor Cruz or Jason Pierre-Paul

Philadelphia Eagles
LeSean McCoy or Michael Vick

Washington Redskins
Ryan Kerrigan or Brian Orakpo

With their Super Bowl victory, the G-Men (Victor Cruz and Jason Pierre-Paul) obviously have a leg-up in the Madden NFL 13 cover competition. Especially because both players delivered big performances during the playoffs. But don’t count out LeSean McCoy or Michael Vick. Vick is a former Madden coverboy and McCoy is one of the best running backs in the league.

Of course, even with Vick’s on-the-field credentials, many people have other reasons not to vote for him.

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Daily Scoop: March 2, 2012 – Weekend: go!

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Whew! I have had a busy day so far. I got my license renewed, had a meeting, went to the doctor, picked up a board game, and baked. I. Am. AMAZING!

You know what else is amazing? Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games, which is Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. It’s on sale today for $39.99 for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. That’s a good scoop!

Just one video game shirt today, but it’s an epic mashup!

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

More The Last of Us details, screenshots from Naughty Dog

Posted on March 2, 2012 by Nicole Kline

There’s some news about The Last of Us over at the PlayStation Blog, courtesy of Naughty Dog’s Community Strategist, Arne Mayer. Mayer discusses all of the information that has come out in recent weeks about the game, and gives a detailed description of the game demo that publications have been playing.

Even reading about the demo has me excited for more. The game sounds intense:

Joel and Ellie are immediately besieged by the group of survivors, leading to a brutal melee sequence with Joel before other survivors reveal that they have a gun and start shooting at Joel. This tips the balance of power until Joel can draw his own gun and then both sides are taking cover and moving around to try to get a good shot off. When Joel’s pistol clicks, revealing he has no ammunition, the remaining survivor thinks he’s got the upper hand and moves much more aggressively since he still has a gun with ammo. Just when he thinks he’s got Joel, Ellie whips a brick at him, stunning him long enough for Joel to take him out via melee attacks.

Hit up the PlayStation Blog for the full description, or hit the jump if you just want to see the sweet screenshots – all of which were taken in-game. Spoiler alert: they’re gorgeous.

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Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time steals shelf space this Fall

Posted on March 2, 2012 by John Scalzo

Like a good thief, Sony has stealthily slipped in and revealed that Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time‘s release date has shifted from “TBA 2012” to “Fall 2012.” Good news if you thought the next Sly game was still almost a year away. But bad news if you were hoping to play it this Summer.

To go along with the release window announcement, Rey and Sid from the PlayStation Blog sat down with Sanzaru Games President Glen Egan to slyly discuss the next Sly game. In the interview (which is embedded above), Egan answers questions about Sly’s thieving ancestors, the new Costume system, and the massive open world they’ve built for Thieves in Time.

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