Daily Scoop: February 29, 2012 – Leap Day!

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Nicole Kline

Happy Leap Day! It’s that fourth year that isn’t a non-divisible-by-400 year that actually has an extra day in February. Wait, did I even get that right? You know how I am with numbers, people…

Today, we’re in one of our typical day-after-a-Gold-Box-Event-black-holes… there’s not really much to talk about. Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games is a $25 promotional credit when you purchase the Xbox 360 4GB Console. Talk about utterly tepid!

To make up for it, there are two video game related shirts today, one of which is AMAZING and I want to buy it right now:

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Posted in Daily Scoop, Etcetera, News |

XBLA Today: Nexuiz

Posted on February 29, 2012 by John Scalzo

Nexuiz began life as a free-to-play arena first person shooter back in 2005. Now, developer Illfonic and publisher THQ have brought it to the Xbox Live Arcade as part of this year’s XBLA House Party. So if you’re prepared to spend 800 Microsoft Points ($10), you can “Toga! Toga! Toga!” with Nexuiz today:

For centuries the Kavussari and the Forsellians have waged war. They have a fragile truce but due to their seething disgust of each other they still pit their warriors against each other in arenas rather than on the fields of war. Those episodes of lethal combat are now broadcast throughout the galaxy, as entertainment… a spectacle known as… The Nexuiz Competition: An arena based first person shooter where you can alter the rules of the match and laws of physics while you dominate opponents in ever-changing hostile environments bleeding with hatred.

And don’t forget, if you purchase all four House Party titles, you’ll receive a rebate of 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Lionhead Studios counting down to GDC announcement

Posted on February 29, 2012 by John Scalzo

Lionhead Studios plans to launch a new version of their website at 7 PM (Eastern Time) on March 5. But the developer is also being a bit of a tease by also saying “Who knows what other surprises are coming…”

Oh, did I mention March 5 is the first day of the Game Developers Conference? Coincidence, I think not!

So what’s your guess? Will Peter Molyneux and company announce Fable IV? Or will it just be a status update on the previously announced Fable: The Journey? Or are we looking at something else entirely?

My money’s on the return of Milo & Kate! (Not really).

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged ,

PSN Today: Deus Ex 3, Killzone 3 Multiplayer, Primal, More

Posted on February 28, 2012 by John Scalzo

Sony has performed the usual Tuesday update for the PlayStation Store and, this week, we’re greeted to a pair of threes: Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Killzone 3 Multiplayer. Also available this week is the Move minigame collection Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest, the PSN puzzler Storm, and the PS2 (cult) Classic Primal.

Also available today are the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 maps “Piazza” and “Liberation.” If you’re a Call of Duty Elite subscriber that is.

More information on all of the new games can be found after the jump. And be sure to hit up the PlayStation Blog for a complete rundown of this week’s new game add-ons.

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Posted in News, PS3 | Tagged ,

Vote for the 2012 PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards

Posted on February 28, 2012 by John Scalzo

Today, Sony opened the voting for their second annual PSN Gamers’ Choice Awards. So if you can’t wait to pick the winners, power up your PS3 and vote!

Like last year, the winners in each category will be sold for 30% off (50% for Plus subscribers) during the week of March 6. Which, coincidentally, is the same day the winners will be announced.

You can check out all the nominees after the break.

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Posted in News, PS3, PSP |

Madden NFL 13 Cover Nominees: AFC West

Posted on February 28, 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.

Starting today, the Madden-maker will 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 AFC West:

Denver Broncos
Von Miller or Tim Tebow

Kansas City Chiefs
Dwayne Bowe or Derrick Johnson

Oakland Raiders
Sebastian Janikowski or Shane Lechler

San Diego Chargers
Antonio Gates or Phillip Rivers

Out of these eight players, I’d say only Tebow is a lock for the final bracket. And what is Sebastian Janikowski… a kicker… even doing in this vote? Don’t get me wrong, kickers are awesome, but you’ll never see one on the cover of a Madden game. And Lechler’s inclusion is just, I don’t want to say joke, but come on now…

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

Should we start calling it the eye pad? Eye therapy games developed for iPad

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Melissa Niedringhaus

Now, people with visual impairments can look to video games as a new form of therapy! Dr. Jeffrey Becker, a developmental optometrist, and Dr. Robert Bohlander, a neuropsychologist, created a variety of games for iPad dubbed the Oculomotor Therapy Program to treat visual system dysfunction and strengthen visual skills.

The iPad program was created with the help of a special education teacher, and combines the fun of playing a game with carefully monitored therapeutic benefits to improve a patient’s quality of life. Every time a patient uses the program, doctors can track progress in real time and adjust the prescribed game activities to meet patient goals.

“There are currently 16 different game activities, with new games in development. Each has multiple levels of difficulty designed to address vision problems of different levels of severity.”

Right now, the Oculomotor Therapy Program is only available through an approved doctor. For more information, or a list of approved doctors, check out the NeuroSensory Center of Eastern Pennsylvania!

Posted in Etcetera, Mobile, News |

Ready At Dawn creating new IP for next-gen consoles

Posted on February 28, 2012 by John Scalzo

It looks like Bethesda isn’t the only studio dabbling in next-generation development.

Ready At Dawn has announced they’re looking to fill multiple positions for a new project not of this generation. Exactly which platforms the developer’s next-gen game will appear on are still up in the air, but we do know it’ll be a third-person action/adventure. It also won’t be a sequel to an existing game as Ready At Dawn said the game will be “an exciting new AAA [intellectual property].”

Ready At Dawn is best known as the developer of the two PSP God of War games and the Wii port of Okami. So they’ve definitely built up some goodwill among action/adventure. And I can’t wait to hear more about their next (generation) project.

Posted in News, PS3, Wii U, Xbox One |