Daily Scoop: June 23, 2011 – Thrilling Thursday

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Well, not really a thrilling Thursday, or even a Thriller Thursday, though we might have some thunder (and lightning) later. I’m not even really sure what I’m getting at here!

At least we’ve got Amazon’s Deal of the Day in video games, which is Sega’s Sonic Classic Collection for the Nintendo DS. It’s $13.99, and features all four Sonic games from the Sega Genesis. Whether you’re a newcomer to the series or a huge fan who wants to play it at any available chance, this is a good deal for you and the perfect way to celebrate Sonic’s 20th birthday!

No video game shirts, but today’s Tee Fury shirt, called “Definition of a Turtle,” is definitely worth a mention:

Leonardo + typographic art = one amazing t-shirt.

Posted in Daily Scoop |

Steven Stamkos skates onto NHL 12 cover

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

After holding a massive multi-week tournament to decide the Madden NFL 12 cover athlete, EA Sports has used the 2011 NHL Awards to announce the spokesman for NHL 12.

EA has chosen Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals, as this year’s cover athlete. The 21-year old was a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award (Stamkos lost to Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks) and he sounds very excited about his selection:

“I’ve grown up playing EA Sports NHL video games so it’s an honor to be chosen for the cover this year,” said Stamkos. “I love how authentic the game is and thought it was great when I scored a one-knee, one-timer goal as myself in NHL 12!”

NHL 12 will be available for the PS3 and Xbox 360 this September.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged

“War is coming” in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 game trailer

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

If you thought the first Deathly Hallows game was just a cover-based shooter with Daniel Radcliffe stepping in for Marcus Fenix, check out the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 above. Besides watching Harry and Ron mow down dozens of people, you can also see Harry blindfiring from behind cover at a Dementor. Delta Squad Voldemort doesn’t stand a chance.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was developed by EA Bright Light and it’ll be released for the DS, PC, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 on July 12.

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

L.A. Noire coming to PC; 4 million copies sold on PS3, Xbox 360

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

Media trends come in waves and with zombies shambling off into the sunset and vampires returning to their coffins, maybe its time for the heyday of the 1940s gumshoe because Rockstar is reporting that L.A. Noire has sold 4 million copies worldwide on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

This tremendous debut is obviously swell news for the publisher and developer Team Bondi, but PC gamers will also be making whoopee this Fall when the game comes to the PC as well. Developed by Rockstar Leeds, the PC version will include customizable control options and 3D graphics support.

“L.A. Noire is a new type of game that makes players see through a detective’s eyes in 1940s Los Angeles,” said Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games. “Its unique blend of story, action and crime solving will be perfect to play on PC.”

And let us clue you in, L.A. Noire is no jalopy, it’s one of the best games of the year.

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

Sonic Generations demo on PSN, XBLM now

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

Sega’s latest stab at bringing Sonic the Hedgehog into the 21st century, Sonic Generations, will be released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 this Fall (a 3DS version is planned as well). But if you want to step into the blue blur’s sneakers a might early, Sega has you covered.

Starting today, Sega has added a demo of Sonic Generations to the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network. The XBLM version is available to download right now (for Gold members only) while PS3 owners will have to wait until later today to download it. You better too, for some ridiculous reason, the demo will expire 20 days from now.

The Sonic Generations demo includes the 2D version (playable with Classic Sonic) of the Green Hill Zone level. It looks like Sega is keeping the 3D recreation of the classic Sonic stage under wraps for now.

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Nintendo Download: Guilty Gear Tangent, Stratego

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

Nintendo’s weekly update of their download services includes a bunch of quirky titles today.

On the DSi Shop there’s Pro Jumper! Guilty Gear Tangent!?, which is platformer spun off from the Guilty Gear series of fighting, and Stratego: Next Edition, a portable version of perhaps the greatest board game ever. Also available on the DSi Shop is Delbo, a Bust-A-Move-like puzzle game.

All of this week’s DSiWare offerings can also be downloaded from the 3DS eShop, which receives one exclusive of its own: the Game Boy classic Tennis.

On the WiiWare side of things there’s The Mystery of Whiterock Castle, a hidden objects game.

More information on all of these titles can be found after the break.

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Wii |

Gabe Newell talks Half-Life 2: Episode 3 release date, Wii U development

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

Valve’s big boss, Gabe Newell, joined Al Gore to deliver a keynote address at yesterday’s Games for Change Festival. In addition to big talk about where games can take society, Newell answered a few queries on where Valve itself plans to go.

Expectedly, Newell was asked about the status of Half-Life 2: Episode 3 and when it would be coming out. Instead of holding up a massive sign reading “When It’s Done,” Newell replied “If you know enough to ask the question, you know enough what the answer is.” A clever quip to be sure, but I still think Newell needs a giant sign with the words “When It’s Done” on it.

Valve’s fearless leader also talked a bit about the Wii U and even hinted that Nintendo’s next system may have a place in future Valve development:

“Wii U seems to be a lot more powerful than the previous generation. It sort of fits better into the scalability in terms of graphics performance and CPU performance, so I think it’ll be a lot easier for us to fit it into our scalability model.”

“We’ve always loved Nintendo. Now it’s a lot easier to look at Wii U and have it fit within that framework.”

So I guess the question is now, “When will Half-Life 2: Episode 3 be released on the Wii U?”

[Sources: 1UP, Joystiq]

Posted in News, PC, Wii U | Tagged

Activision serves up Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation trailer

Posted on June 23, 2011 by John Scalzo

Activision will be adding the Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation Map Pack to the Xbox Live Marketplace in a few days. To get our juices flowing, they’ve also unleashed this trailer that highlights some of the biggest kills available in “Hangar 18” (located within Area 51), “Drive-In” (a 60s American Drive-In theater), “Silo” (a massive secret Soviet nuclear missile site) and “Hazard” (a coastal golf course on the cliff sides of Cuba). Also, check out the zombie monkey that welcomes you to “Shangri-La,” the new Zombies Mode map. Everything is better with zombie monkeys!

The Annihilation Map Pack will be made available for Xbox 360 players on June 28 with the PC and PS3 releases to follow soon.

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