Go Back to the Future with 2/15/11 PlayStation Store update

Posted on February 16, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

This week should be pretty special for many different types of gamers on the PSN, especially fans of Telltale Games. Most notable on the PlayStation Store update this week is Back to the Future: The Game, featuring Christopher Lloyd himself as Doc and the best Michael J. Fox impersonation ever. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this game so you couldn’t go wrong with a $19.99 subscription. Also from the folks behind Monkey Island comes four new Sam & Max episodes exclusive to the PSN, for $8.99 a piece.

Acceleration of SUGURI X-Edition and ATV Pure round out the new games list with insane robot combat and quad racing, respectively.

There’s also a few notable entries outside of new games. The demo for the much-anticipated Yakuza 4 is available for PlayStation Plus subscribers, and the Killzone 3 single player demo is available in 3D and normal for all PSN gamers. Definitely check that one out if you haven’t already.

Most importantly for me, as you may tell from our podcasts, is Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. You read that right, Square Enix has released a PSP game on the PSN. No one expected this to land digitally, but Senior Editor Nicole Kline speculated that because the NGP will for the most part use digital media, Square may finally have to get their act together. In any case, be sure to take a look at this masterpiece, as well as more information on the new games on the Store after the break (details on all of this week’s add-ons can be found at the PlayStation.Blog).

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , ,

Battlestar Galactica’s Helo to play Stryker in Mortal Kombat: Rebirth

Posted on February 15, 2011 by John Scalzo

Tahmoh Penikett may not be a household name, but if you’re a fan of science fiction you’re no doubt familiar with some of his most famous roles including Helo on “Battlestar Galactica” and FBI agent Paul Ballard on “Dollhouse.”

According to an exclusive IGN report, Penikett will take his ass-kicking ways to the currently shooting Mortal Kombat: Rebirth webisodes as riot cop Kurtis Stryker. Stryker is known as the black sheep of the Mortal Kombat family, but Penikett’s experience filming fight scenes for Joss Whedon on “Dollhouse” may give the character a newfound respect.

Mortal Kombat: Rebirth will be released digitally this Spring, sometime around the launch of the Mortal Kombat reboot on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

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

New Alice: Madness Returns teaser is trippy

Posted on February 15, 2011 by John Scalzo

File this one under “obvious,” but the latest teaser trailer for Alice: Madness Returns is full of whacked out visuals and gruesome violence. Alice is enjoying an idyllic day in Wonderland when a demonic vision turns the skys black and causes Alice to lash out (quite literally) at her Wonderland friends. Down the Rabbit Hole indeed.

Alice: Madness Returns is in development at Spicy Horse and will be released on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 this year.

Posted in News | Tagged , , ,

Smithsonian asks public to select games for “Art of Video Games” exhibit

Posted on February 15, 2011 by John Scalzo

Ladies and gentlemen, the question of whether or not games are art has finally been answered. The Smithsonian will launch a new exhibit titled “The Art of Video Games” on March 16, 2012. So somebody be sure to tell Roger Ebert, games have officially been declared art.

According to the museum, the exhibit will be “the first to explore the 40-year evolution of video games as an artistic medium, with a focus on striking visual effects and the creative use of new technologies.” And what games will be chosen to represent gaming as art? The Smithsonian has decided to ask for the public’s help at ArtOfVideoGames.org. The website will offer participants a chance to vote for 80 games from a pool of 240 proposed choices in various categories, divided by era, game type and platform. Voting will be open from February 14 through April 7 and requires a valid email address.

“I want this exhibition to include the collective voice of the video game world, which is not limited to the developers, designers and artists but also the game players,” said the curator of the exhibit, Chris Melissinos. “It is important to me that when gamers visit the exhibition, they find the experiences that most matter to them.”

The results of the voting will be announced in May.

Posted in Etcetera, News |

State of the Video Game Magazine: 2011 Edition

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Adam Woolcott

As a technology-based hobby, it’s not surprising that video game magazines have faded into the shadows of the umpteen billions of gaming-related websites. What might be surprising is despite the move towards online publications, game magazines – once the only way die-hard gamers could get information, reviews, and run-downs of everything that happened at the important trade shows – have reinvented themselves in the 21st century to complement the 24 hour news cycle that runs in your web browser. You might think that print magazines are dead, or at least on life-support… but believe it or not, they might be at a higher quality than they were during the peak of the medium. Shall we take a tour?

Press Start to Continue →

Posted in Etcetera, Features, Top Story |

Breach patched, get 60 minutes free play time

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Mike Gutierrez

If you’ve been going crazy trying to sample some of Atomic Games’ XBLA military FPS Breach, you might want to hold off on any attempts to steal the game. The demo now offers a full 60 minutes of play in all modes on all maps and Atomic has also reset the clock for all players, so even if you’ve already exhausted your time with the demo you can come back for all the destruction features and cover system you can handle in an hour. If you were turned off by any performance issues of the game, you may want to check back as a new update fixes many issues, with the developers claiming it “shoots lag in the head.” That’s a pretty aggressive way to handle your network problems, but I guess it gets the job done.


Fixes included in this update:
– All known crashes fixed
– Many fixes to reduce lag
– Game connectivity improved by more than 33%
– Bug that caused Sole Survivor games to end in draw fixed
– Bug that caused invisible canister in Retrieval games fixed
– Bug that caused Vendetta icon to appear incorrectly fixed
– Server Browser can now sort by number of players
– Server Browser can now be manipulated with mouse scroll wheel
– Fixed bugs related to Friendly Fire settings
– Better ability for a game with lag to recover when bandwidth improves

Posted in News, Xbox 360 | Tagged

Super Mario All-Stars returns to stores on March 13

Posted on February 15, 2011 by John Scalzo

Nintendo’s Wii re-release of Super Mario All-Stars this past December sold out almost as fast as stores could stock it. And gamers looking to play Mario’s original adventures with a 16-bit makeover were left hanging as no new copies were in sight

But it looks like Nintendo plans to reissue the compilation next month with a limited “final” print run beginning on March 13. So if you want to own Super Mario All-Stars for your Wii, you better plans to skip work/school on March 13 now.

In addition to a game disc containing Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3, the All-Stars package include a 32-page Super Mario History book featuring “interviews, behind-the-scenes details and rare concept art” as well as a soundtrack CD featuring music from the entire series.

Posted in News | Tagged ,

Mindjack receives more maps for endless troop-killing

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Ryan Littlefield

Square Enix has let loose on content for Mindjack, the recently-released sci-fi shooter for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Two new map packs will soon be available for download on each console’s online service. The first pack was actually released yesterday, on Valentine’s Day. D’awwwwww, how sweet. The second pack is scheduled for March 8th.

Each of the two collections will cost $7.00 (or 560 Microsoft Points) each, and will each feature three new maps which allow the player to continue the fight against the endlessly-invading Nerkas soldiers.

I don’t know about any other players of this game, but as far as I’m concerned, there was already enough endless shooting on the game’s first time around.

Posted in News, PS3, Xbox 360 | Tagged