First Mortal Kombat: Legacy episode is now available

Posted on April 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

It started as Kevin Tancharoen’s longshot pitch to Warner Bros. to allow him to direct a new movie based on the Mortal Kombat franchise. While Warners wasn’t interested in that, they did tap the director to create a series of nine webisodes to fill in the gaps of what transpires before the tournament.

After a long wait, the first episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy is finally available and Tancharoen introduces us to Jax (Michael Jai White), Stryker (Tahmoh Penikett) and Sonya Blade (Jeri Ryan) as they infiltrate a Black Dragon hideout looking for Kano (Darren Shahlavi).

While Legacy is clearly a low budget affar, Tancharoen fills the screen with the same style he displayed in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth. There are also plenty of subtle allusions to future events in the franchise’s canon, so we’re sure to be in for a wild ride.

Machinima will release the second episode featuring the kombatants next week, the same day as the Mortal Kombat reboot launches for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

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

Pokemon Global Link launching April 13 for Black & White

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Nintendo has finally announced the concrete date for Pokemon Global Link, and it’s coming at you in two days on April 13. We previously detailed the robust online, browser-based features, which include a dream world where you can collect items, a well-supported battle community, and extras Nintendo may distribute from time to time.

“The Pokémon Global Link further expands the world of Pokémon and enhances the global connectivity of Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version,” said J.C. Smith, director of Consumer Marketing for The Pokémon Company International. “Pokémon has always been about communicating and battling with others, and the Pokémon Global Link has taken that philosophy to a new and exciting level.”

While all of these features are great, you have to wonder why Nintendo is employing unorthodox, browser-based solutions for online multiplayer. From friend codes and beyond, their failure to adapt to the growing connectivity of gaming has probably contributed greatly to their machines still being seen as babysitting tools.

Posted in DS, News | Tagged ,

Rodgers, Hillis, Vick, Peterson are the Madden NFL 12 final four

Posted on April 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

The third round of the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote has come to a close and now only four names remain.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers emerged victorious over New England’s Danny Woodhead. He’ll face Peyton Hillis of the Cleveland Browns in the semifinals, who continued his cinderella run with a win over Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles.

The other half of the bracket includes Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick on top, Vick beat the 49ers’ Patrick Willis in round three. He’ll be challenged by Vikings wide receiver Adrian Peterson, who stomped Drew Brees with 62% of the vote.

Semifinal voting begins today and runs through April 17.

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Gods Eater Burst Review: Devouring All Your Free Time and Leaving You Hungry For More

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Gods Eater Burst is an action-adventure video game for the PSP, developed by Namco Bandai and published in the United States by D3 Publisher. It was released in 2010 in Japan and re-released later that year with improvements before being brought here. In a post-apocalyptic world, only the Gods Eaters and their weapons, the God Arcs, can destroy the Aragami, massive and quickly adaptive monsters that are devouring the entire world. With addictive gameplay, incredibly customizable equipment, unforgettable music, and a thrilling story, this game is almost gluttonous in how satisfying it can be. Add in a multiplayer mode and the experience becomes unbeatable.

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Posted in PSP, Reviews, Top Story | Tagged

Brink release date moved up to May 10

Posted on April 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

Bethesda Softworks has announced that Spalsh Damage’s parkour-inspired shooter, Brink, will be available in stores sooner than expected. The game, which was previously penciled in for May 17, will now be released a week earlier on May 10.

“Production wrapped on Brink earlier than we planned and we didn’t see any reason to keep gamers from getting their hands on this highly anticipated game as soon as it was ready,” said Pete Hines, VP of PR and Marketing for Bethesda Softworks. “It’s apparent from the tremendous reaction so far that people are eager to jump online and play, and if we can make that happen earlier – we’re going to.”

Getting a week’s headstart on the May 17 release of the hugely hyped L.A. Noire was probably a part of the decision process as well.

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Jeff Rubenstein beats an entire level of SOCOM 4 without firing a single shot

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

SOCOM has always been known as the “thinking man’s shooter.” Not only do you move with a squad of units, you actually get to direct their actions, coordinating how you tackle each area. You can do most of the heavy lifting yourself and have your allies support you or command the flow of combat, safe from enemy fire. The SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs video above highlights the silver trophy, “Expert Tactician,” where you have to complete an entire level using only your teammates to take down the enemy. Jeff Rubenstein and Sid Shuman of the PlayStation Blog take on the beach skirmish of mission five of the single player campaign, Benefaction. While Sid gets his hands dirty, Jeff, who kind of looks like the OpsCom from the game, impressively attains the Expert Tactician trophy.

Players can get more in touch with their tactical side next week when SOCOM 4 launches for PlayStation 3 on April 19.

Posted in News, PS3 |

Putting the past behind us: Sony and George Hotz reach a settlement

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

The PlayStation Blog has released a joint statement from Sony Computer Entertainment America and George “GeoHot” Hotz that the two parties in the recent litigation have settled their dispute out of court. The statement only discloses that Hotz has consented to a permanent injunction, presumably preventing him from further tinkering with the PS3’s security. Sony claimed it only sought to protect its intellectual property and maintain a secure environment for its consumers. Hotz commented, “It was never my intention to cause any users trouble or to make piracy easier,” and that he’s happy to have the litigation behind him. The statement also puts forth that Hotz has not been involved in the recent attacks on the PlayStation Network and SCEA’s websites.

Hotz was trying to have the lawsuit dismissed, claiming that California did not have personal jurisdiction over him. That argument was made moot by the agreement all PSN users must consent to, which destroys any reasonable expectation that he could not be hailed to California courts.

Now that one of the two lawsuits they took action over has been taken care of, it’ll be interesting to see what “hacktivist” group Anonymous’ next move is.

Posted in News, PS3, PSP, Vita |

Art of Ink, Slingo Quest on DSi Shop today

Posted on April 11, 2011 by John Scalzo

It’s Monday and Nintendo has added another three games to the DSiWare Shop and the Wii Shop Channel.

DSi owners will get a crack at three titles new including Art of Ink, a tattoo art simulator; Slingo Quest, the classic slots and bingo mashup; and Escape Trick: The Secret of Rock City Prison, a prison break adventure game. The lone WiiWare game available this week is Play with Birds, a bird-based minigame collection.

More information on all of these games is available after the break.

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Posted in DS, News, Wii |