Pass Go and collect $200 with Monopoly Millionaires on Facebook

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

If you’ve been feeling depressed lately, you can take solace that we have finally achieved the pinnacle of Western civilization: EA and Hasbro have launched today Monopoly Millionaires on Facebook. The social game provides a new take on the classic board game franchise, allowing players to develop the sophistication of their own boards which their Facebook friends can then play on. Mechanics of the game itself have also been supplemented, with a deeper process for developing properties, such as turning on the electricity to get more money. A new progression system allows you to get better at the game as you play it; hopefully these don’t result in game-breaking advantages for players.

I checked out the game for a minute on Facebook and it seems to have both the accessibility of the source material as well as the social and progression aspects to keep you addicted for a long time. Monopoly Millionaires is available now, further exposing how much downtime there is at the American workplace.

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Chris Evans to voice Captain America in game adaptation

Posted on February 17, 2011 by John Scalzo

Marvel tapped Chris Evans to don the red, white and blue of Captain America for the World War II hero’s new movie, Captain America: The First Avenger, and now Sega has enlisted his services for the video game adaptation.

The game, Captain America: Super Soldier, is in development for the DS, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 at Next Level Games and it should be available soon after the movie’s July opening. Evans, who is no stranger to superheroics after starring in The Fantastic Four, will supply his likeness and vocal talents for the title.

“Signing Chris to star in Captain America: Super Soldier delivers the cinematic quality and emotional drive that fans expect,” said Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Sega of Europe and Sega of America. “Chris will help fuel the character’s mission as he battles through the enormous Hydra castle full of legendary villains in a completely original story.”

Evans is the only Captain America cast member that is currently signed on for Super Solider. It’s unknown if his fellow stars Hugo Weaving (Red Skull) abd Sebastian Stan (Bucky) will join him.

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Daily Scoop: February 17, 2011 – I <3 Ampersand shirts

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Nicole Kline

Well, I failed at baking last night, but I got my 6th badge in Pokemon, so it all kind of balanced itself out! I’m ready for a day full of Alex Mauer and Anamanaguchi, if you know what I’m saying.

Today’s Amazon Deal of the Day in video games isn’t a game – it’s the PSP 2000/3000 Sound Dock & Power Pack by Intec. This thing looks pretty intense, and the best part is, it’s touted as “a high-intensity sound station for the PSP road warrior.” The PSP road warrior? Whatever that is, I really want to be it.

The real gem is today’s shirt.w00t, which is a Minecraft-themed Ampersand shirt, fulfilling all kinds of hipster dreams in one comfy t-shirt:

If I played Minecraft, I’d have bought this shirt already. I had my heart set on a Final Fantasy one a few months ago, but it disappeared from the entire Internet and broke my heart.

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Science says casual games reduce depression and anxiety

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

A year-long study by East Carolina University suggests casual video games have a strong potency in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. The Psychophysiology Lab and Biofeedback Clinic had 60 subjects play three PopCap games: Bejeweled, Peggle, and Bookworm Adventures. The study found a 57% reduction of depression symptoms in the experiment group, a significant reduction in anxiety, and improvements in all aspects of mood. Dr. Carmen Russoniello, professor in charge of the study, claimed “in my opinion the findings support the possibility of using prescribed casual video games for treating depression and anxiety as an adjunct to, or perhaps even a replacement for, standard therapies including medication.” He also noted that playing the games had both noticeable short-term effects (in as little as 30 minutes) as well as long-term effects (after one month). This reminded me of the “Mapathy” campaign for Modern Warfare 2 DLC. Apparently the chick above was misdiagnosed; all she needed was a little FarmVille.

Take it how you want it, but personally, I’ll be dealing with my anxiety by plunging into Killzone 3 multiplayer next week, while the rest of you bow before your gilded altar of Reason.

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Spongebob Squigglepants ‘draws’ a new crowd

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Ryan Littlefield

I apologize for that headline pun, but really, what do you expect when talking about Spongebob Squarepants? THQ has recently announced an April 2011 release date for Spongebob Squigglepants, a Wii title that will use THQ’s uDraw peripheral. At first glance, the game gives off a Wario Ware vibe, an accurate depiction of what the game promises to bring to the tablet. Erm, table. Ahem.

Players can expect to plow through a series of “nanogames” by utilizing the uDraw’s drawing capabilities. The nanogames begin to increase in speed and skill as time passes, requiring players to complete more difficult actions in the allotted times given. According to THQ, Spongebob will be shown through several never-before-seen art styles, including “Comic Book Bob” and “Pixel Bob.”

Really, it is like Wario Ware. But if you have kids who aren’t old enough to appreciate the deep psychological truth contained in Wario Ware’s odd array of puzzles, pick up a uDraw and check out Spongebob Squigglepants.

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Lego Battles: Ninjago trailer sets up the tale of two brothers

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Warner Bros. released a new trailer for their upcoming Nintendo DS title Lego Battles: Ninjago today. The trailer introduces us to the story of two brothers fighting the war between good and evil, rendered in some seriously awesome Lego CG The game also gives us a few glimpses of gameplay footage, as well as a narrator who gets you more and more stoked for what apparently is an unbelievable Lego epic. The Lego series of games lately have all been well received, so it’s really nice to see them working on series’ that aren’t based on other licensed properties. We still don’t have a firm release date but Spring 2011 is still scheduled as the release window.

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Sega Genesis classics arriving individually on PlayStation Store, free for PlayStation Plus

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

If you didn’t buy Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, shame on you. Seriously. It’s a beautiful time capsule letting you experience firsthand in high definition and surround sound what things were like in a simpler, arguably better, time for gaming, before the console war was determined by sales numbers. If you held off because you only wanted a few of the games, PlayStation is here to help. Starting March 29, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Streets of Rage 2, Golden Axe 2, Comix Zone, and Altered Beast will be arriving one after another about every month or so, up to August 16. Each game will cost $4.99 and have its own set of trophies, instead of just having at most one on a disc. Even better news is that all of these games will arrive early for PlayStation Plus subscribers, for free.

It’s getting harder and harder to resist that PSN Plus subscription, and if I didn’t already own the Blu Ray with these games, it might have been enough to push me over the edge. If they announce something crazy like Shining Force III, all episodes, for PSN Plus free and early, I might have to run to my local gamestop, knocking over racks and shelves, completely oblivious to the fact that I could have bought the subscription online… Hit the jump for the full details on the games.

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Deep Silver brings Dead Island back from the grave

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

Developer Techland had a lot of interesting projects in the pipeline, but most seemed to be put on hold, seemingly indefinitely after the Call of Juarez series began. Fortunately, one of those projects, Dead Island, is being brought back by independent publisher Deep Silver. IGN had a lengthy preview of the game, which will still be open-world, first-person, and having a heavy focus on melee combat. You play on a resort island, so there’s not really caches of military weapons lying around. You’ll have to rely on everything and anything you can get your hands on, which is certainly reminiscent of Dead Rising. However, Techland sets its game apart with a physics engine that makes every strike you land result in a very specific injury to the undead, taking off a certain piece of skin or breaking bones.

When I first heard of Dead Island, it was billed as a PC/360 title as Techland’s Chrome 4 engine apparently didn’t support PS3 back then. That seems to have been cleared up, as the game’s now on track for release on the three main high definition platforms and slated for a 2011 release. Hit the jump for the new teaser trailer.

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