Today, Konami announced that The Simpsons Arcade Game is officially coming to Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network.  Coming soon, that is. In fact, it’s launching this very week for Xbox users. The game hits the Xbox Marketplace on Friday, February 3^rd for 800 Microsoft points. Sony players will have to wait until next Tuesday, February 7^th to buy it for $9.99 from PSN.

Sony Users, to pass the time, help yourself to some more stock.

Of course, Sony people aren’t exactly being left out in the cold.  According to the official Playstation Blog, Playstation Plus members can download The Simpsons Arcade for free in February, along with Final Fantasy V and Far Cry 2.

The Simpsons Arcade Game will feature all the classic four-player beat-em-up action of the original, with the signature team-up combos and that fantastic Simpsons art style. There are also new modes and a never-before-seen Japanese alternate version of the game.

Assuming Konami doesn’t mess this up, everybody say it with me: “We’re finally getting a legal home version of Simpsons Arcade.”

“How I have waited for this day.”

Let’s talk about Fez: the perpetually delayed indie game darling for XBLA. Guess what? Straight from the game’s designer, Phil Fish, we now know that Fez has finally been rated by the ESRB. He’s been posting about it on his Twitter:

“FEZ RECEIVES ESRB RATING: E for everyone, mild fantasy violence!”
“E FOR EVERYTHING IS REALLY HAPPENING!”

Granted, it’s now a day later and this rating still has not been posted on the official ESRB website, but this is still a great sign. The game was already rated in December by Europe’s PEGI board, so this is the next logical step. After years of delays and scattered screenshots, this is the most substantial “this might actually happen” news we’ve seen yet.

Oh, and if you aren’t excited, you haven’t seen Fez! For you latecomers, Fez is an amazing-looking platformer with a cool retro style, reminiscent of Super Meat Boy. Unlike Super Meat Boy, Fez isn’t a simple 2D platformer. In Fez, you can fully rotate the 2D world in glorious 3D. Here, this video will explain it:

Looks incredible, right? Welcome to the “When The Hell Can I Play Fez?” Club.

Back on point, there’s still plenty of red tape to jump through, but it’s starting to sound like Fez might actually make it to Xbox 360 in 2012.

Until then… courage.

Man, I can’t get enough of the lovable troll we know as Yoshinori Ono. First, he gives us a PS3/Vita exclusive “Bad American Fat Boxart” version of Mega Man for Street Fighter x Tekken, and then he tops it off by recreating one of the cheesiest scenes from Street Fighter: The Movie.

[youtube.com] via [1up.com]

Capcom-Unity just announced and confirmed that Pac-Man and Mega Man are coming to Street Fighter x Tekken as PS3 and Playstation Vita exclusive characters. I’m not sure what Capcom has against (or planned for) the Xbox 360 community, but so far they have not announced any exclusives for the system. Either way, check out the new trailer and screenshots after the jump.

It’s been quite a while since Microsoft gave us a new Flight Simulator game.  Those original titles were famous as the most realistic flying experience you could have without dropping by an airfield.  As legend goes, many real-life pilots used the games as “at-home practice.” Microsoft’s new free-to-play title, Flight, is the next step for the series.  It’s trying to find the common ground between hardcore sim-freaks and the casual enthusiast.

At first glance, Flight seems like a prettier, more modern Flight Simulator.  The dropping of “Simulator” from the title is key. There’s still a lot of simulating going on, but there’s also a lot more “game” than before. Instead of just picking a destination and flying there, there is a much heavier focus on tangible objectives.   The new progression system lets the player unlock new planes as they go.

Microsoft is also significantly dropping the difficulty.  The old games were purely hardcore experiences that would brutally punish your mistakes.  Flight is way more forgiving. I was able to get my plane off the ground, so I’m calling that a massive improvement.  If everything comes together, Flight could be the Forza Motorsports of flight sims.

The beta is starting this month. We’ll have a full review when Flight debuts this Spring.

At CES 2012, Microsoft finally announced that it was bringing the Kinect to Windows. The Xbox 360 version of the Kinect has reportedly shipped over 18 million units to date. That’s not surprising. The silent-but-massive casual player fanbase is absolutely in love with the device.

What makes the creation of a Windows-centric device interesting is how much attention Microsoft is paying to the ever-growing Kinect modding community.  These dedicated fans have been hard at work, tweaking the existing Kinect hardware to function far beyond its official capabilities. Modders have found ways to use it to play non-supported titles, such as Skyrim. Fashion designers have used it as part of their shows. Microsoft even has a campaign that shows the Kinect helping stroke and brain injury patients in rehabilitation centers. Basically, modders have made the Xbox 360’s Kinect a far more functional device.

From speaking with the reps at the Microsoft booth, it seems like gamers are not the primary audience for this product.  Instead, Kinect for Windows is being aimed at developers who will try to create applications in the retail and healthcare industries. It sounds like the first step in Microsoft fully embracing the “Kinect Effect” they coined in this ad:

http://youtu.be/diy7rkWkDtU

Details are still limited, but right now we know that the Kinect for Windows will be $250, which is surprisingly pricey, considering that it’s Xbox counterpart can be found at retail for under $100. It is unclear whether this new Kinect will be backwards-compatible with the Xbox 360 model.

All we’ve ever wanted from the Kinect was that “Minority Report” experience. By offering a PC-native model, this cuts out at one of the major hurdles that was holding modders back.  We’ll have more news as the story develops.

Here we are in the beginning of 2012 just after an exciting end of 2011. Skyrim fever has begun to subside and many have jumped onto that new crack known as Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR for short).

However, many PS3 owners have had some trouble all their own with the multiple game of the year winning Elder Scrolls sequel. It has been reported since shortly after the games release that PS3 owners have experienced a hefty amount of lag due to large save files and some other issues (but mainly large save files). It has gotten so bad for many players that the game itself became unplayable due to the issue, even after old saves were deleted. There are many YouTube videos on the absurdness of this obviously game dooming bug, just type in “Skyrim lag ps3″ or something of its equivalent.

Bethesda has took their sweet time trying to fix this particular problem; a problem that I’ll continue to hammer on because it has broken the game for those unlucky not that few. Yet, they have announced that the 1.4 patch coming here soon will indeed address these issues. While the last patch in December didn’t do much to help players experiencing this, Bethesda does promise that this one will. As can be seen from their reassuring response to people complaining about it being January and the game not being fixed yet.

Bethesda twitter response: “we’re addressing that in the 1.4 update planned for this month.”

Awesome right? Now PS3 owners can finally feel like everyone else who has invested a 100+ hours into the Skyrim world, and maybe they too can really understand why the arrow to the knee thing has become the international meme of obnoxious douchery.

close to the knee, but a worthwhile reference none-the-less.

How is it perfectly acceptable to advertise Ivy’s ginormous hams for Soul Calibur V, but when Namco tries to diversify their offering with a little Voldo codpiece they get flooded with complaints and threats? Oh right, it’s because tits.

So to recap:

Wholesome family fun!

Oh no! Vote Romney!

To add the demo to your Xbox Live download queue now, click here. For anyone looking for a spoiler-free impression of what’s included in the Final Fantasy XIII-2 demo that just went live on Xbox Live, look no further.

The demo showcases a couple new characters that were not playable in the original title. It also tells you right away that it takes place in Chapter 2 of what appears to be the main campaign. If you’re looking to get a fresh experience going into FFXIII-2 at the end of this month, you may want to skip this demo.

What’s shown is the updated fighting system, some of the new core features of the game, and interactive tutorials on how these new aspects fit into what you know from FFXIII. One thing I definitely was dreading was the return of random battles. What I’ve found through this demo is that they’re definitely in the game but mostly still avoidable. When you get “attacked”, a dome of sorts appears over your party and if you can run fast enough to get your dome free of enemies, you’ve successfully avoided that battle.

Another aspect of the game I saw at E3 last year and was not too pleased about is the addition of QTE (Quick-Time Events) to the battles. It appears now that these only occur during ‘epic’ fights (think boss fights) and are actually somewhat fun. I could still do without them, but at least now I see the point of them in FFXIII-2. If you succeed at all your QTEs, you can stagger your opponent which gives you a huge advantage for a brief time.

There is actually a lot more to the demo than what I’ve described, but most of it is not spoiler-free so you’ll have to check it out for yourself. I will say that this demo pushed me off the fence into the believer camp, and I can easily say it’s a game I’m completely excited to play at the end of this month.

Microsoft let slip a video on Xbox Live today announcing the line-up for the House Party 2012 promotion. I’m still not sure exactly what Xbox Live Arcade games have to do with a bunch of twenty-somethings having a high-school house party, but I appreciate the effort in putting together quality titles under a single bannerhead for the purpose of sheer hype. Ready to see what’s going to be taking your money in coming month?

Alan Wake’s American Nightmare

The XBLA follow-up to one of our favorites, Alan Wake’s American Nightmare promises an updated combat system, new puzzles, and a new twist on the already strange tale of the fictional author. Is anyone else confused and a little concerned that this went straight to XBLA and not disc-release or DLC?

Warp

We saw Warp a few times last year and it looked great. The best way I can describe it is Portal meets Splosion Man meets Shadow Complex, and just saying that makes me excited to try out the completed game. Original slated for Summer of Arcade last year, it looks like the wait is finally over. I’m still hoping someone takes this idea and turns into a fast-paced platformer or map-crawler, but for now I’ll settle for puzzles and stealth.

Nexuiz

Nexuiz (pronounced “Nexus”) has been in development for what seems like a decade now. Originally it was based on the Quake engine, then Unreal, and now the Cryengine 3, but the core gameplay hasn’t changed a whole lot. It’s an arena-based FPS, plain and simple. A lot of work has gone into polishing the look and making it play fast and smoothly. It’ll be interesting to see if Nexuiz can succeed on XBLA. Maybe they should send out Eagle-Eye kits for all customers.

I Am Alive

Finally! Originally announced to be the big-budget follow up to the Jade Raymond helmed Assassin’s Creed project, I Am Alive just seemed to vanish. Last year it was re-announced as a slimmed-down XBLA exclusive. I’m not sure what made Ubisoft abort what was destined to be a hugely successful project, but I’m glad it got a second chance.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft for word on pricing and release schedule, but considering this was most likely posted by mistake on their part, I’m guessing we’ll have to wait until it’s officially announced.

Do you have more Club Nintendo Rewards points than you know what to do with? Loaded up on posters, folders, and cards? Well then Club Nintendo has the cure. You can now download Virtual Console and eShop games for the Wii and 3DS.

The games available at this time are Super Mario Kart (Wii),  Fluidity (Wii),  Xevious (3DS), and Mario vs.  Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (3DS).  At 100-150 Club Nintendo coins each,  these games are a steal. Normally they sell for $5. 99 to $12 each so get them while you can.  They will be removed from Club Nintendo Rewards on January 10th.

https://club.nintendo.com

Happy Dashboard Day! The newest revision to the Xbox 360 UI is available now after a brief delay this morning. Sticking with Microsoft’s new Metro obsession, get ready for page after page of flattened tiles, complete with nestled ads and a wide array of various sized boxes. If you’ve got a Windows Phone or the Windows 8 beta, you should feel right at home in box country.

One of the biggest changes aside from the visual aesthetic is the full Kinect motion and voice integration. Now you can change panes with a wave of a hand nearly anywhere you are in the Xbox interface. Swipe through lists with the flick of your wrist, or just tell Bing what you want and let her do the work. If you’ve been using Windows 8 with a mouse, you’ll know how antiquated your controller will feel when not using gestures to navigate the new UI. It works, but Minority Report would have been much less impressive if they would have been sitting at desks researching crime patterns on Altavista, Dogpile, and Compuserve.

While all these changes are fine and integrating the look of Microsoft’s other platforms makes sense, the folks at Microsoft have a loftier goal. They want you to turn your Xbox 360 on every time you turn on your television. While that may be already a truth for some of us, expanding the Xbox 360 to a cable box, PPV hub, HBO/Cinemax portal, and Redbox alternative, all go to their goal to “change living room entertainment forever.”

Dice is not playing around with its first DLC for its big hit Battlefield 3. The promised free expansion that was given to consumers who bought the Special Edition of the game is more than just a map pack. It will give fans of the game 4 new maps, three new vehicles, ten new weapons, five new dog tags, five new achievements/trophies, and lastly a whole new game mode. The game mode while not exactly new, is the return of Conquest Assault which for those not familiar is a hectic version of Conquest. Conquest Assault starts with one team fully in control of every spot immediately putting one team on offensive and the other tasked to defend their territory.

The four “new” maps included in the DLC are re-worked versions of the most popular classic Battlefield maps: Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Sharqui Peninsula, and Wake Island. Each map is re-designed with the new Frostbite 2.0 engine which will leave more buildings to be destroyed and a change up for even those familiar with these maps. Dice has gone back through each of the maps and re-made them to show the wear and tear of all the battles that had played out on them previously. These are war torn places and fans will be surprised to see how much has changed on their favorite battlefields.

“The launch of Battlefield 3 was only the beginning as we vow to keep the game alive with additional content and gameplay improvements in the months ahead. We’re excited to recreate and share some new Battlefield moments on these beloved maps that only Battlefield games can provide,” Says Executive Vice President of the EA Games Label, Patrick Soderlund, adding, “Back to Karkand is another way for us to say thanks to our fans and show our continued support for the game.”

As a fan of the game, Mr. Soderlund, I say “you’re welcome and thank you.” This is big news for anyone who got their hands on the Special Edition of Battlefield 3 and even for those who didn’t. If you aren’t one of the lucky ones, the DLC will only be $14.99 and for all the content provided, the price tag is worth it.

Back to Karkand will be available Tuesday December 6th for PS3 owners. Xbox and PC owners will have to wait a whole extra week when the DLC drops for them on December 13th.

Can't Wait

Ladies and gentlemen, stop modding your Wiis. If a forum post and screen shot found in the NeoGAF Forums turns out to be true, you could be playing a localized version of Xenoblade Chronicles as early as 4/3/2012. The screen shot from the post, apparently from GameStop’s computer system, says that the game will be a GameStop exclusive and will have a price tag of $49.99. I did a quick check of the other games featured in the screen shot and everything matches up pretty well.

This release date would make sense to help bridge the gap between the Wii and Wii U. Also, Nintendo of America already had a solid Holiday lineup with Super Mario 3D Land, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Mario Kart 7. An April release date for Xenoblade Chronicles would give these games plenty of time on store shelves to get the sales that they need. April is also traditionally the low point for game sales for the year.

Here’s to hoping that the rumors are true and that we can finally get an epic JRPG for the Wii here in the good ol’ US of A.

[UPDATE] CONFIRMED! http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/09LPao0thCWTobgndPH5UTuz4zsz63F4

If you’ve been playing Gears of War 3, you’ve probably noticed that Epic Games has been holding special “Gears Weekend” events for a few months now.  So far, these have been silly limited-time playlists for stuff like “sniper rifles + shotguns only” or “Diggers + shotguns only.” For the most part, they’ve been fun for a few rounds, but a bit too conservative to be worth more than a passing glance.

This changes right goddamn now.  Prepare to have your retinas blown off with sheer awesomeness, because the grown-ass adults who gave us chainsaw-machine guns just woke the hell up.

On Thursday November 24th, Gears of War 3 will introduce the “Thanksgibbing” event.  It’s a King of the Hill–the best mode–playlist where shotguns are replaced with the “Cluckshot”… a rocket launcher that shoots explosive chickens.  Logically.

You can play it by downloading the free “Versus Booster Map Pack.“  This pack features five multiplayer maps:

• Bullet Marsh
• Clocktower
• Azura
• Rustlung
• and Blood Drive

These maps were previously included in the paid “Horde Command Pack, but are now finally available for use in public versus multiplayer.  Don’t whine.  Just download them.  In fact, this is how your face should look as you read this:

So put down the Call of Duty and Battlefield for a bit and play some damn Gears with me.  See more details at Epic’s website.

Sony Entertainment Online recently announced that their super hero MMO DC Universe is now free to play. Some people are wondering if this is just a trial run to entice you to pay the monthly subscriptions but in fact you do get full access to the game. So what are the draw backs? Mostly little annoying things but you can get the full gaming experience and enjoy it with no real restrictions to your character. For starters you can only have up to 2 free characters. Your inventory is limited to 28 slots, as well as bank slots if you end up using one. You can only have up to 1500 gold/credits/Monopoly money so if you were planing on being evil and robbing banks, the only thing standing between you and the vault is a bad economy. On top of all the minor set backs you can’t enjoy extracurriculars like guilds (Leagues) or talking to other players for very long because they limit texting and what you can share amongst players. For $15 a month it’s not much to cry over if you really like the game and have decided to dedicate your time to your character.

Anything free is worth trying out, so jump on the bandwagon and download today true believers! (Wait, that’s Marvel.)

November is almost here and that means it’s time to get taken for a ride, all over again. Twelve new characters, eight new stages, and a multitude of salty mechanical changes are approaching fast in Capcom’s newest *ahem* edition into the fighting game fray. In the video above, our pal and fighting game aficionado Maximilian takes us uhh… for a ride through a visual breakdown of some of the important changes coming to Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, this November.

Don’t have a few minutes? Luckily, Capcom has lovingly broke down a few of the announced changes for us simpler folks, which you can go for a ride pour over after the break.

From Capcom:

1 – X-Factor can be activated in the air.

2 – The attack and speed increases for each character while in X-Factor have been adjusted. Additionally, the damage reduction minimum while in X-Factor has been decreased from 50% in MvC3 to 35% in UMvC3, and Hyper Combos performed during X-Factor will now be subject to damage scaling.

3 – A left/ right exchange during an Air Combo will take away 1 bar of your opponent’s HC Gauge.

4 – When you launch the enemy in the air with a Special Attack, hold the button down and your character will automatically super jump to follow the launched opponent. (This can be turned on or off in the Options menu.)

5 – The window for Aerial Exchange Counters has been adjusted, making it easier to land one.

6 – If you land a Snap Back attack on an assist character, similar to the landing it on the point character, the assist will become unavailable for a short period of time.

7 – It will no longer be possible to block during an air dash.

8 – The rate of HC Meter gain has been decreased by 10%, to 90% of what it was in MvC3.

9 – In MvC3, the amount of hit stun caused by assists was fixed, but in UMvC3 hit stun caused by assists will also be subject to hit stun deterioration during combos.

10 – For characters who have 8-way dashes, the speed on their down-back air dash has been slightly decreased.

Source: Capcom-Unity

If you like Guilty Gear/ BlazeBlue / Hokuto No Ken/ Sengoku Basara X/Arcana Heart 3 or pretty much anything Arc System Works and Daisuke Ishiwatari touch, then you should be interested in Persona 4 Arena. Shoryuken.com has 45 minutes of Persona 4 Arena footage taken at the recent Tokyo Game Show.

A great deal of over the shoulder footage capturing what looks very much like BlazBlue with angst ridden teens, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’esque “Stand” game play, and altogether too much air/ground dashing. So far I am really liking what I see both in terms of bringing something new to the Guilty Gear/BlazBlue formula, and the character dynamics and sexy looking interface. I can’t wait to get my hands on it and beat the hell out of Cory with characters he wishes he could smoke skinny cigarettes with, take out to sushi dinners, and accompany to local anime conventions.

Check out the 45 minutes of game play videos and start practicing long chains and instant air dashing shenanigans, Ideally on the GGPO supported BlazBlue Continuum Shift (Yeah, it’s that cheap, and yes you should be playing it, and yes I am a hypocrite because I don’t play it, and yes I’d still beat Cory.)

The PS3 versions of these links seem to not be working… Oh well…

Bonus Points: If you STILL haven’t had enough dashing/overdriven metal riffs/samurai girls in conical hats. Grab HardCorps Uprising. Yes that just happened.

Another PAX, another chance to speak with Twisted Pixel about the Gunstringer. It’s almost here, so let’s not waste any time and read the transcript of this wonderful quick little interview.

Golgotron: This is Mr. Pharisee here again with Jay Stuckwisch of Twisted Pixel.

Jay Stuckwisch: Hey how you doing there everybody? Thanks for having me back.

G: So, a lot has changed with the Gunstringer since the last time we talked at PAX East – for instance, the inclusion of a second player. Could you elaborate how that works?

JS: Yeah, so it’s actually just two co-op together. It’s not online play or anything but multiplayer allows a second person to step in and control a second reticule and shoot at the same targets as the first player while the first player controls the movements of the Gunstringer.

G: At first it was going to be released on XBLA but now it’s coming to retail disc. Could you talk about the decision to change?

JS: Yeah! Actually the decision came from Microsoft. The game was actually taken to a retreat that Microsoft was having and some pretty high profile people from Microsoft were at that event. They got a chance to play the Gunstringer and when they found out it was going to XBLA they were curious as to why it wasn’t being pushed as a retail title. After those discussions happened they came to us and said “hey, are you thinking about going retail with the Gunstringer?” We thought it’s an awesome oppurtunity to take this game out in retail. It gave us a lot more time to actually put more into the game and polish it up and make it really more of what we initially hoped it to be. So yeah, we’re happy with that.

G: So when can we expect the Gunstringer to come to retail?

JS: Gunstringer will be hitting shelves on September 13th, so we’re only a few weeks away.

G: All right, cool. Well, thank you for your time.

JS: Yeah, thanks for having me, this was great.

G: This is Mr. Pharisee, signing out.

Well that was great. I can’t wait to get my hands on the full game when it comes out and really get into the world of the Gunstringer.

My fellow fellows on the bEast Coast attended PAX East earlier this year. Sadly, none of them could follow me to the land of the west as I went to PAX Prime to report on all the gaming goodness. In their spirit, I totally followed some girls around and took pictures of them against their better judgment! Unlike them however, the girls I pictured were totally into me. I could tell. I have that look that’s so charming I have to fight those ladies off with a stick. Although sometimes I have to be careful because some of them like that! Girls are weird; I should know. I’ve been on the internet.

Anyways, that brings me to my first lovely vixen.

This little foxlet caught my eye from across the expo hall. I chased her down for quite some time. She’s quite the runner! Eventually she grew tired of our little game and stopped playing hard to get, right about the same time that she nearly collapsed from exhaustion. That’s too bad, I kind of liked the chase. No matter, I took this picture with her to capture the moment that she captured my heart and I captured her.

These lovely ladies were cold as ice. And I don’t mean they were impersonal because they definitely warmed up to my touch. Rawr. No, no, don’t worry lads, these fine frozen females were just pretending to be cold. See, they were dressed as snowboarders. In reality it was quite warm in that expo hall, especially with these shining beauties. They can knock me out cold and chop me up into little pieces and stuff me in the freezer in the garage any day.

When I spotted this mad hatter across the room I simply had to introduce myself. At first she, too, ran from my sight, as well as her friend. What a strange game these cosplayers all like to play! I was kind of tired from the last runner so I decided to just go after her smaller friend – like a lion picking out the weakest gazelle. The mad hatter (a loyal one, always a plus) reluctantly agreed to take the picture in exchange for her friend, who opted to sort of cower behind me like a cute little mouse. So adorable.

After that last ordeal it seems I had some mysterious ketchup stains on my clothes, so I had to go change into a clean shirt. I decided to step out for a bit of fresh air when I ran into this minx. She was a feisty one. It seems she injured herself in the fall and had a difficult time actually walking away. I offered to give her directions to the nearest hospital in exchange for a photo. Luckily for her, I knew one of the best psychiatric hospitals in the country. I bet with one look at her they’ll be able to patch her up proper.

That was then I spotted these two creatures. At first I wasn’t sure if they were really into character so I played a little game with them to test it. It seems they weren’t that into character. Zombies can’t scream, much less identify a Colt .45 magnum with a bullet loaded in the chamber just in case. I mean, that would be some crazy kind of zombie that I wouldn’t want to deal with. Nobody likes crazy people. Nobody. Not even mother. And she said she’d always love me…

After a bit of rest and introspection, I realized that my adventure was nearly coming to an end. Little did I know, but I had just one more cosplayer to deal with before everything would be over.

Man, this guy was such a creeper. Doesn’t he know it’s rude to stare?

With September 8th rapidly approaching millions of Minecrafters are gearing up for what might be the biggest update so far. The “Adventure Update” will include the addition of new enemies, new combat mechanics, more game modes, and the long awaited “Eat to live/Food Meter” functionality, which I’m convinced is going to be twice as annoying as the Day to Night Mechanic but whatever people want it. You can actually get a full list of the updates here, as well as a look at what’s to come from future updates. Personally, I’m more excited about 1.9′s addition of Boss Mobs, but 1.8 is still going to be killer cool and will more than likely continue to keep me from using the hours of my life wisely. The trailer above gives us a look at some of the things we can expect with the release of this update. Now, the September 8th release date is to be considered a loose one, so I would get my hopes up too soon. That’s all for now…. Troll, out.

Thanks to AlexxShadenk777 and EventHubs for starting my morning off right with a little Dudley 3SO arcade run! News is a little slow this morning and frankly all I can think about is finishing Dead Island and not going to work, but I’m going to try and keep the posts/trollin’ flowin’ like wine. For now, if you’ve got 14 minutes, enjoy this video, and as always… Stay Classy!

Earlier today I posted about the Persona Fighting Game coming next summer, well the fine people over at NeoGaf got their hands on some of the screenshots from the upcoming Famitsu article… and let me just say, if it was possible to play this game now… and all I had to do was murder your family to do so… *knife sharpening sounds*. Regardless, after thoroughly examining the screens I have to agree with Mr. Hawkins’ assessment that the persona’s will play similar to the “Stands” in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure… I included the youtube video with the images after the jump to help clarify. If you would have told me this morning that I’d be more excited for a game than I am for Persona 5, I’d have cart-wheel-kicked you on principle! But after seeing these… I think I have a new “Number One” on my list of Most Wanted Games!

Imagine… this style gameplay:

With these sprites!:

If you’ve read my previous posts in the Atlusenomenon 2011 series, or you’ve met me, or ever have  heard me speak a single sentence allowed, then you’re probably accutely aware of my obsession with the Persona series. Now, I’ve know that the fifth game in the series had been in development since about a year ago, but ever since then Katsura Hashino, Director of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 and the man in charge of the series had been sitting on his hands with any other announcements. It was also during this time that Atlus started to heavily promote Catherine, which lead me to believe that my beloved Persona was might have been pushed to the wayside in favor of a more marketable series.

Luckily, I was wrong, and when my main man Katsura recently spoke to Famitsu he stated that preliminary development for Persona 5 is coming to a close. Awwwwwweeeee…. LOVE BUBBLES!!!! He also went on to state, that while Team Persona utilized a third party engine for Catherine, they developed a new internal engine for 5. According to Hashino, this would allow them to work at a streamlined pace, though that’s not to say the game will be out anytime soon. In fact, Hashino goes on to state the game won’t see the light of day for some time yet… I’m just happy its coming Kats… take your sweet time, and I’ll start making the necessary arrangements (quitting my job, severing all relationships, and stock piling soup) in preparation for its fated arrival. Go with God Team Persona, go with God… Unless you’re all Athesist, in which case, just eat a sandwich. You’re probably going to need your strength.

Next up in the list of games designed to make me single (yes, I lost two or more girlfriends due to Persona 3 and 4… no, I don’t regret it), Atlus has announced that next spring it will be releasing Persona 4 The Ultimate In Mayonaka Arena! A 2D fighter developed in a joint venture alongside BlazBlue developers Arc Systems Works. So, let’s just take a step back and analyze what I just wrote out there… IT’S A PERSONA FIGHTING GAME! ARE FUCKING KIDDING ME!!!! I DON’T EVEN CARE ABOUT ANYTHING ELSE IN LIFE ANYMORE!!!! ATLUS WANTS ME TO BE FOREVER ALONE THIS IS PROOF!

Ok.. calming down… I’m going to try to stop yelling and explaining how insanely excited I am… it’s cheapening this moment. The game will feature a roster both from Persona 3 and 4, and is tentatively slated for Xbox 360 and PS3 in the Summer 2012.

With all the Atlus news coming out in the last few hours I could have easily lumped all the announcements into one article, but frankly, where’s the fun in that. Instead, I’m going to treat this like Atlus just held their own convention exclusively for me, and my now ten foot erection, called Atlusenomenon 2011!!!

First up, the fine team over there ensures that not only I will in fact be purchasing a new PS Vita, something I strongly was opposed to, but also that I will do it glady thanks to a special rerelease of Persona 4 subtitled, “The Golden“.

Undoubtedly the Port will include a slew of new extra, much like the recent release of Persona 3 to PSP. Here are just a few that we know for sure:

• New events
• New Personas
• New character outfits
• New anime movie scenes, with new voices
• 1.5 times the voice of the PS2 original
• New song for the opening movie
• An unnamed element requested by fans

Other additions include a new female character named Marie, who is described a  mysterious girl who appears before the main characters, and a new message system that will allow other players to come save you when you’re about to die. Not sure how all the mechanics work on all that, but given how many time I died on dungeon 4, I’m all in.

Image Source:
Neogaf

If you love shmups, you’ll be eager to know that the Radiant Silvergun remake is finally hitting Xbox Live Arcade. On September 14, you’ll be able to pick up Treasure’s classic Sega Saturn top-down shooter for a mere 1200 Microsoft Points.  (Don’t whine about the price. That’s about 800% off what lunatics are paying for the original discs on eBay.)

This new version features 2-player co-op, multiple graphics modes, and both “Saturn” and “Arcade” game variants.

So enjoy.  It’s perfect for wise investors like myself. The kind of investor who gets caught up in nostalgia and spends the next year staring at the unfinished title collecting dust in his game library.

Ask me about the three versions of Ikaruga that I own…

I am a fool.

I’ve got a riddle for you, “What happens if you don’t buy the new Professor Layton and the Last Specter game this October 17th?”…. The answer? I will murder your Children! That’s right, bitch! Layton’s back, and this mutha fucka’s in 3D too–All up in yo’ eyes and shit! My game is gonna be off the chain with puzzles. Crazy shit! You all gonna be like, “Where’s this go?” IT GOES IN THE ROUND HOLE, WHORE! And I know this… I’m God-Damn Professor! So kids, you run off and tell your parents to buy this game. I don’t care if you have to cry, or steal, or break shit… cause you buyin’ this game.  Cause if you don’t, Grandma’s not waking up from her 5 o’ clock nap….

Also I’m givin’ you Brownie Brown developed bonus “Professor Layton’s London Life RPG“, cause I’m a nice Mutha Fucka… like Santa and shit… So buy it!

So in an effort to remind us that the Max Payne 3 Hype Train is still going, Rockstar Vancouver released two new screenshots a few minutes ago. I wish there was more to report, as this game seems to have been lost in development hell after failing to show up at the last few E3′s, but it doesn’t look like we’re getting much. Enjoy the shots, and I guess just keep holding your breath for MP3 to release this side of 2020. Pics after the jump…

I’m pretty sure the title sums this one up, but in case you’re just that thick, allow me to elaborate.  Nintendo announced today that the limited edition of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword would come bundled with a golden Wii MotionPlus, as well as include a CD of performances from the upcoming Zelda 25th anniversary concert. I suppose its not a bad idea considering Skyward Sword requires a Wii MotionPlus to play, and not everyone still has taken the time to pick one up.

Personally, I’m still not feeling the hype around this Zelda, but I’ll probably end up picking this package up cause I’ll still play it, and as I too am one of those people without a MotionPlus… WHAT?!?!?! DON’T JUDGE ME… I just haven’t turned my Wii on in over a year… you can go ahead and insert your cheap jokes at anytime. Look for it this on Launch day (November 20th) retailing at 69.99.

I have to hand it to Super Meat Boy‘s Co-Creator Edmund McMillen, he, and any member of Team Meat really, could have easily strayed away from their roots after the success of SMB. Ed’s new personal project , The Binding of Isaac, proves that he’s in no way shape or form interested in deviating from style. This latest trailer finally gives us a glimpse into the creepy world of Isaac. The game has been described as a “roguelike shooter” with heavy influence taken from 16-bit Action RPG era (think Zelda); personally I think it looks more more like a Smash TV-style game, but shrug.  The game follows the story of Isaac attempting to escape the clutches of his deranged mother who believes God is demanding her to sacrifice her son to prove her faith… Sounds charming

Look for it to launch via Steam for both Mac and PC this September.

Binding of Isaac

I dig Mad Catz FightSticks. I collect them. As I write this, I’m wearing one of my Team Mad Catz shirts. So when I heard Mad Catz was doing an MLG branded FightStick, I of course couldn’t wait to see what MarkMan and company had in store this time around. The result was a new take on the now classic TE stick, but is it an improvement or another wardrobe change?

The MLG TE FightStick arrived in a very nicely designed box, with attention to detail on every square inch. Upon freeing the little beauty from her cardboard cell, the first thing I noticed was that this appears to be the first Mad Catz full size TE stick with a full length panel. They tried this design with the first two editions of the smaller TE-S stick, switching back to the original panel-bezel combo with the Limited Edition Chun-Li model.  My experience has been that the panel edges are rough on your wrists and become slightly irritating after even a few minutes. Perhaps it’s just my tender wrist meat.

Aside from the full-size panel, the other obvious difference is the red and blue metallic paint on the sides. The paint looks like it could scratch pretty easily, so you’d definitely want to carry it in some proper gear. While the paint and design are nice, I have to wonder why they went back to the full-sized TE design instead of the more compact TE-S design, but I’m sure there was reasoning behind it.

In the above picture, you can see the brilliant reflectiveness of the metallic paint, but also the exposed edge of the printed panel. Over time, that panel could pull up or separate, so again I have to emphasize proper protection when transporting your stick.

It seems that is where the differences between this MLG FightStick and any previous TE FightStick end. With all the awesome modular design Mad Catz put into the new line of MLG controllers, it’s a shame they didn’t put in some sort of swappable end caps or the ability to quick swap from the Japanese-style ball top to an American “bat” top. Considering the beating these sticks take, it’s probably for the best that they’re as bolted down and kept as sturdy as possible.

Overall, unless you’re like me and collect these beautiful beasts or if you’re in the market for a very shiny new TE stick, you may wish to hold out for the new FightStick Pro models shipping next month.

The Mad Catz MLG Tournament Edition FightStick is available now at the Gameshark Store and retail for $159.99 US.

One of the problems a lot of booths at PAX have is trying to contend with other booths – especially for virtually unknown projects. Who wants to see your interesting game that nobody’s ever heard of when they can go get the latest news on Mass Effect 3? Citizen Skywatch solves this problem in SPADES.

An early contender for “easily the most interesting booth ever”, Citizen Skywatch doesn’t waste a single inch of their booth to show off the theme to their game. From the beginning, we’re prompted to sign up to be a part of the Citizen Skywatch – a group of free citizens who report on strange incidents that have happened around America. While we were in line a citizen walked up and down asking us questions about our relations to America. When he approached us and asked why Colin was taking pictures I decided to play with the role – I explained that we were a part of a free information network. He then chastised us for a couple minutes about the power of information and that we were naive to just throw it away for free. These actors REALLY got into their roles, which was pretty incredible. There was a man with a notebook who just silently “took notes” on the people in line and would occasionally whisper to his colleague.

We were fed into a medical room two at a time. While waiting our turn, Colin took more photos – which got the attention of the nurse. She pulled him out for keeping his hand in his pocket. When I tried to join my ally, she snapped at me and told me to wait my turn. While the nurse was interrogating him, the doctor was handing cards to another “citizen” and testing his psychic abilities. Soon after Colin and the other citizen were led behind a curtain. On my turn to go I was told to sit down and lift various limbs at the nurses command. She asked me a bunch of questions about if I had communist associations – of course I lied. I wasn’t going to let my red comrades down! When she asked for my name I told her “Greg Pharisee”, a clearly fake persona. She asked me if the name came from a passage in the bible and if I followed their tenants. Clever girl.

Then I was led past the curtain where comrade Colin disappeared. I didn’t see him but there was a man with a camera and a door. I could only assume they poisoned him and tossed his body behind the door – what else could they have done in such a short amount of time? I wasn’t going to go that way. They took my photo and invited me to a meeting of the Citizen Skywatch tonight – they even gave me the secret code “Citizen Zero”. Those rubes. I’ve successfully infiltrated their base, and they won’t even see it coming. I’ll avenge you, Comrade Colin! Your death will not go without meaning.

Okay, so, admittedly, I really got into their booth. It was really really cool. I’ve picked up that the game has something to do with the Cold War era and that there’s some sort of Citizen police force in Orwellian fashion. Their actors were really great and knew what they were doing. I was seriously impressed by the ad lib capabilities of the actors – especially so that the nurse knew where I grabbed the name Pharisee from. But… I don’t know ANYTHING about the game. It’s probably the best teaser trailer I’ve ever seen, but there’s nothing of video game related substance here. I’ll be going to the party tonight and I’ll see if I can find out more there.

It’s been a long time since I’ve dusted off Virtua Fighter 5, with all the other great fighting game franchises saturating the market these days. It’s hard to go back when we’ve seen new Guilty Gear, Smash Bros, Soul Calibur, BlazBlue, King of Fighters, Street Fighter, Marvel vs Capcom, Mortal Kombat, and others all make their way to home consoles since Virtua Fighter 5‘s home release. Even before we see the release of this entry, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, we’ll see another Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Street Fighter IV update, Street Fighter x Tekken (scheduled for Q1 2012), King of Fighters XII, and a few other potential contenders all fighting for your dollar. Don’t count Sega out, because Virtual Fighter still remains the king of technical fighting games and a refreshing alternative to over-the-top arcade style fighters. Check out the announcement trailer after the jump.

Taken from the Sega press release:

For anyone looking to play with yours truly, expect lots of monkey scratches and cartwheels.

Today, Valve confirmed rumors that there is a new Counter-Strike title coming in early 2012.  Valve is developing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive along with Hidden Path Entertainment, the team behind Counter-Strike: Source.  The game is planned for PS3, Xbox 360 and Steam (both PC and Mac).

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will feature brand new maps, weapons and game modes.  Valve also claimed there would be updated content from earlier versions of the game.  There haven’t been any screenshots released yet, but judging from Valve’s language in the press release, CS:GO is sounding like a major update to Source instead of a full sequel.

Philistines on the Internet are already making claims of “Oh great, more de_dust?” and “Are they just going to update de_dust again?” To those people, I say: “If Valve graces us with the ability to play a prettier version of de_dust for another decade, you will take it and you will shut your mouth.”

Stick together team.

Today in “Why did this take them so long to say?” news: Twisted Metal’s release has been mercifully postponed until early 2012.

In a post on the official Playstation blog, developer Eat Sleep Play’s David Jaffe explained that the car-combat game was delayed to add more polish.  ”A lot of dedicated, supportive, passionate Twisted Metal fans have been waiting for the return of Calypso’s demented contest for a long time but the truth is: we’re just not ready yet,” Jaffe wrote.

That’s certainly sounds all well and good, but indulge me for a moment. This new Twisted Metal was originally intending to hit store shelves on October 4. Unfortunately for Twisted Metal, this is shaping up to be an incredible holiday season.  Lets look at exactly what these fools almost did:

October 4^th Releases:

• Dark Souls
• Rage
• Spider-Man: Edge of Time
• NBA 2K12

That’s just the release day line-up.  As part of the 2011 Holiday season, this multiplayer-focused game would have been in direct competition with heavily marketed titans like Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3. With such a packed marketplace, some quality titles are going to get crushed. What monumentally bad timing.  Twisted Metal would have been sent out to die.

Good choice.

“Thing is, you gotta trust me when I tell you that — with this extra time for tuning and polish — the game is going to be so much better than it already is,” writes Jaffe.

He’s probably right.  Don’t get me wrong; this new Twisted Metal looks really fun.  I’ve personally loved every single major video game that Jaffe has had a hand in.

I trust you, David. Now take your time and give me my Twisted Metal, preferably when people will actually notice it.

Oh and hey RAGE… TAKE A HINT.

In a relatively unsurprising move, publisher Take-Two has confirmed the development of Borderlands 2 for PS3, Xbox, and PC today. Tentatively, the games looks at launching sometime next Summer during Take-Two’s new fiscal year.

So far details are few and far between, but we can confirm that the game will again indeed take place in Pandora, the setting of the first game. Many other details are sure to follow when the game is shown at both Gamescom and Pax Prime this August. After the jump is the first image from the upcoming September issue of Game Informer.

For more information, check out the Borderlands 2 site!

I’ve always been a fan of cross media entertainment just to see what might have been lost in the exchange. Finding and reading novels that have been turned into movies used to be a big past time of mine. Hell, I used to even read the Magic: the Gathering novels, no matter how god awful they were. Once I even tracked down Parasite Eve’s original novel just to figure out what the hell was going on there. So today’s news is a bit exciting for me.

Deep Silver’s Dead Island is getting a novelization treatment from British fantasy author Mark Morris. Not only is this a novel about zombies – one of my favorite subjects in any medium – but it’s being written by a fellow whose got some experience writing pretty decent novels for Doctor Who – one of my other favorite subjects in any medium. Seems like a good combo to me.

“For guests of the five-star Royal Palms Resort it was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime dream holiday; an escape to the stunning beaches of a tropical paradise unlike any other. But a mysterious zombie outbreak suddenly – and without warning – rips apart the pacific paradise island of Banoi, and four individuals with distinctive backgrounds and abilities seem to be unaffected by the zombie apocalypse.”

I’m pretty excited about this. Dead Island the novel is slated to release alongside Dead Island the game on September 8. I guess I’ll be making a stop to the book store that day as well.

I almost never become an early adopter of technology, especially technology that even I’ll admit is kind of tacky most of the time. That wasn’t the case with the 3DS – I bought that shit right away. Seems I’m the only one though, because Nintendo of America is announcing a price drop in the 3DS.

Starting on August 12th, the cost of the Nintendo 3DS is going to go from 250 clams to a measly $169 – a pretty big price drop! That’s an $80 difference. But what about those of us that purchased the 3DS early? Isn’t this kind of a punishment for supporting a company when nobody else did? This is where the deal REALLY shines. It seems Nintendo prepared for the potential backlash ahead of time – by giving us free things and calling us fancy names. Flattery will go a mile…

For the 830,000 of us that did purchase the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo of America is starting an Ambassador program in which they’ll give us 20 free downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop, starting September 1st and going onto the end of 2011. In order to opt into the Ambassador program all you have to do is sign onto the Nintendo eShop before 11:59PM on August 11th. The partial list of games to come includes:

• Super Mario Bros.™
• Donkey Kong Jr. ™
• Balloon Fight™
• Ice Climber™
• The Legend of Zelda™
• Yoshi’s Island™: Super Mario™ Advance 3
• Mario Kart™: Super Circuit
• Metroid™ Fusion
• WarioWare™ Inc.: Mega Microgame$
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong™

This is great news for everyone! Now the question is; are some of these games worth the $80 price difference? I say yes, but that’s because I like throwing money at Nintendo. Take my money, you devilish imps you!

Always one of my favorite games from back in the day, NBA Jam holds some fond memories for me. The recent installments have never quite captured that same charm, though. I always felt like something was a bit off. NBA Jam: On Fire on the other hand looks quite… hot.

Seems like this update is getting some unique new additions. Tag Mode lets you switch players on-the-fly. Team Fire turns your entire team into the human torch and the new Razzle Dazzle moves seem to be special taunts and gestures that add a bit more personality to the game. Right now, the freaky head size is a little awkward, but it seems to have its own charm. Seems like it’ll be worth giving a look. Coming out this Fall, NBA Jam: On Fire will be $14.99 on the PSN or 1400 points on XBLA.

Kudos to G4tv for doing something cool for once, by opening up their new project, G4 Films, with the new Mike Ross-based documentary FOCUS. The film, directed by Steve Hwang, chronologize the journey of Ross over the course of the year on his way to EVO 2010. I’ve been hyped for this for a while,  and being the uber fighting game geek that I am, I got up early to watch it before heading to work. Now while I don’t think it hits hard like Bang the Machine, it still provides an interesting look into our boy Ross’ life, and definitively answers that nagging question (see title).

You can find the stream at the link below, but I will say that if you’re going to stream it at work, be wary it does have a lot of NSFW language. With EVO a mere two days away I now feel successfully hyped, and can’t wait to get to Vegas to see how it all goes down. The only down side to the whole doc is that you have to suffer through  some of Adam Sessler’s commentary from last year’s top 8…  and a year hasn’t made it any better.

G4TV Films

Surprise, looks like there’s a new Humble Indie Bundle!

In case you missed the memo, the Humble Bundle is a special package deal on a group of independently-developed games. These are those “darlings of the Internet” widespread acclaim type of indie games. The titles in the Bundle are DRM-free and work on PC, Mac, and Linux.

Humble Bundle 3 includes five games that you will definitely want to own:

• Cogs
• And Yet It Moves
• VVVVVV
• Crayon Physics Deluxe
• Hammerfight

The price? Pay whatever you want! The Humble Bundles are always a great deal. Your purchase directly supports both the developers and charity. Before you checkout, you get to choose exactly where your money goes.

Oh and before we go, please don’t be a villainous jackass and pay the bare minimum. That money is going to fund the developers and Child’s Play, the famous charity that gives sick children a few moments of slight comfort. Please don’t rob the friggin’ sick kids.

Sorry to interrupt the “serious cartoon character fight analysis”, but I just got some Man-Grade news that your disappointed fathers would probably want you to hear:

Mortal Kombat has announced its newest downloadable character, and it’s God Damned Freddy Krueger.

Now that is what I’m talking about.  Freddy arrives on the 360 and PS3 marketplaces on August 9^th.  He’ll cost $4.99 or 400 Microsoft points. Mortal Kombat Season Pass members get Freddy free as part of their subscription. Want to see him in action?  Roll that beautiful bean footage:

Anyone who hasn’t torn their shirt in half and begun howling with joy at this news is not welcome in my home.  Obviously, this  leads me to the next burning question… “Where is Jason?”

Look at my references. I'm so witty.

Source: IGN

In a move, I can only guess, designed to appease its fans after not following the Capcom-Unity’s “Most Requested MvC3 fighters” at all, Capcom has announced today that fan-fave Poison will be coming to SFxT. Now, I personally have no idea as to why Poison has been so heavily requested seeing as in all of her/his gaming cameos she/he has never given any indication that she’d/he’d be a fun/interesting fighter… I mean the most versital attack she/he had in her/his arsenal was a God damn cartwheel kick.

I guess everyone likes her/him because she’s/he’s post-op, but I don’t know what that says about the Street Fighter Community. Regardless, she’s/he’s in now and everyone can stop complaining. Alongside Poison, Yoshimitsu, Dhalsim, and Steve have all joined the roster, with Cody and Hugo making brief appearances in a CGI trailer that hint at them coming as well.  I’m not too stoked about this Poison deal,  but SFxT is the bees knees. And if Capcom listened to Poison fans, then maybe they’ll respond to my plight about Jin in MvC3… though recent leaked lists say the contrary. Videos after the jump.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxXe9NE6_7Q

We all knew it was coming… I’ll let the press release, videos, and screenshots do the talking. All I’m saying is, I better get my fuckin’ Jin back!

GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW

The epic rematch looms in the distance as Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 prepares to take the battle to all-new heights. With new iconic characters from the Marvel and Capcom universes, 48 characters on disc, a refined fighting system and new modes, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 continues the Capcom fighting game legacy when it releases this November for the low MSRP of $39.99.

FEATURES

• The Ultimate Roster – Twelve new legends from Marvel and Capcom join the fray, bringing the roster of characters on the disc up to 48, and a total of 50 with DLC.
• More Legends – : Includes some of the most iconic and celebrated characters from the Marvel and Capcom universes, including Strider and Firebrand from the Capcom side and Ghost Rider and Hawkeye from the Marvel universe.
• Newly Balanced – Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 offers re-balanced gameplay that will provide accessible depth for both newcomers and pros alike.
• Enhanced Modes – After many fan requests, Spectator mode is now available as part of an overall improved online experience along with other new modes and enhancements.
•Low Price – The ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom experience can be had at a low MSRP of $39.99.

We all knew it was coming… I’ll let the press release, videos, and screenshots do the talking. All I’m saying is, I better get my fuckin’ Jin back!

Details

Genre: Fighting
Platforms: PS3™, Xbox 360®
# Players: 1-2
Release Date: November 2011
ESRB Rating: RP (T for Teen Expected)
Developer: Capcom

You'll See This A Lot...

When Capcom announced the release of Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online, it brought tears of joy to millions of fight-game-fanboys the world over.

Often considered the most underrated fighting game of all time according to a survey I fabricated (read: lied about) for this article, SF3:TSO’s release simultaneously caused Vietnam style flashbacks to many of those who suffered through the video-game equivalent of anal rape via the final boss: Gill.

This guy blows dogs for quarters. I mean, seriously. He makes M. Bison look like baby town frolics by comparison. Regardless of how feminine he may appear, this guy will absolutely punish you and crush your spirit. This guy leaves no survivors, takes no prisoners, and I’m pretty sure he is the hell spawn of a monster truck and Satan having a child after using too much Icy Hot. Fighting Gill is the Street Fighter equivalent of an episode of HBO’s OZ.

Really? With the flowing hair and everything?

The following is a video by a YouTube’s user who has captured an encounter with a Wild Gill who was clearly there to rape/chew bubble gum, and he ran out of Bubblelicious. The following video may disturb you- unless you don’t play videogames at which point you’ll probably have no idea what’s going on.

Here, our hero was actually victorious after a rage attack on Gill using Alex. This probably occurred after hours of failure at which point the settings were changed to “Easy Moed” and he cleaned the disc with his tears and his tattered rags of clothing- ripped to shreds by battle after endless battle with this freak of video game nature.

That last paragraph may have been a little over dramatic. I realize that not every battle with Gill ends with tears, or broken PS2 controllers. But most do. He’s the most frustratingly difficult final boss in fighting game history. Even Shao Kahn from any version of Mortal Kombat doesn’t hold a candle to this guy. At least you can spam Kahn with the same attacks and beat him, but not with Gill.

Here’s how Gill is broken down according to a Street Fighter wiki on wikia.com:

Gill is 6’11″ and weighs 745 lbs. His move set is powered by Pyrokenesis and Cryokenisis. That means he can use the powers of both fire and ice… with his mind. So wait, you’re telling me that he is bigger and stronger than the Andre The Giant and can shoot ice crystals and fireballs from his mind? And on top of all of that, he still looks like a Greek God?

Worst of all? Gill’s intentions are actually good! You can’t even hate this asshole for being a true “bad-guy” because he’s actually attempting to preserve the salvation of mankind. Sure, maybe his methods are a bit extreme and he could stand to wear actual pants, but come on!

“Gill is the leader of a mysterious cult-like organization called the Illuminati which has manipulated world events for over 2000 years, and is dedicated to the salvation of mankind, and creation of a new utopia.” – from streetfighter.wikia.com

So, I bet you’re wondering how awesome it must be to fight this prick? I know you are.

“Gill is fast, inflicts heavy damage, does an extremely large amount of stun, and can string together very long juggles. He can also inflict block damage with normal attacks, which makes it difficult to employ defensive strategies against him. This also makes it virtually impossible to achieve a perfect victory against Gill.” – from streetfighter.wikia.com

Oh, well that’s easy enough, I guess I’ve seen wor–

“One dangerous element of Gill’s is his Resurrection Super Art. If his lifebar is emptied by the player while his Super Arts bar on the other hand is completely filled, Gill will rise from the ground with his health gradually restoring itself. In 3rd Strike, Gill has the potential to restore all of his health, however if the player hits him in his rising animation frames his recovery will stop. During his rising animation his opponent is constantly pushed away from him, making it difficult for a player or their projectiles from coming near.” – from streetfighter.wikia.com

Oh. I see. So, you’re telling me that if I manage to get around his higher speed, heavier stun, overpowered attacks, avoid his attacks that do so much damage that I’m even losing life while blocking, and manage to do so twice during a match that I still have to beat him a third time? Are you fucking kidding me? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.

I like how they are throwing you a bone with the whole only recovers ‘a portion’ of his life bar thing. We have established that even at half a life bar this guy will make you his bitch just by looking at you. This game should come with a free bottle of lube with every purchase!

Not included.

So, there you have it. All of the reasons why Gill can eat my ass. He sucks. Bad.

Third Strike Online drops later this Summer.

It appears Arika, founded by the creators of Street Fighter II, has been listening to all the thousands of requests Capcom has been receiving for Street Fighter EX characters in Street Fighter x Tekken and Marvel vs Capcom 3. Fighting Sample, as it’s currently known, will feature a roster of new characters as well as many (if not all) of the Street Fighter EX characters for which they still own the rights. Here’s a sample of some of the action you can expect on the 3DS.

Man the 3DS has some killer graphics.

Science is a funny thing. It seems every time someone makes a ‘sploding man in a lab, the next logical state is to make one that you can fuck. Cue Ms. Splosion Man, the Ms. Pac-Man treatment to the hit XBLA title Splosion Man. Pretty clever huh? What will we see next, Splosion Man Jr.?

Anywho, don’t wait like the rest of those chumps to get your grubby paws on the pink, because the demo is secretly available NOW!

XBLA Marketplace

In true Street Fighter fashion, Capcom has released its latest iteration of the Street Fighter 4 mobile franchise with Volt. Keeping in line with Capcom’s strategies, heralded by way of console big brother, SF4: Volt features an updated and rebalanced version of the original game, alongside the addition of three new character (Balrog, Vega and Cody), and Wi-Fi supported online play. One might notice that nothing included in this new release truly warrants anything more than an app update, and if you noticed that… you’d be right!

I’m a huge Capcom fanboy, and I have no problem shelling out my hard-earn bucks to support the cause and all, but this one’s a little ridiculous. So far I’ve really not noticed a single improvement at all in Volt, in fact it’s actually quite laggy. Luckily, Capcom is putting on one of its weird sales, where each day the price goes up a buck till it caps at $6.99. So if you’re really that inclined you can pick it up for $1.99 today. Honestly though, unless your that much of a Vega fan, don’t bother. Pics after the jump…

Continuing in the same vein as X-Men Destiny, Activision and Beenox have taken a detour off the path to potential greatness with their newest Spidey venture, Spider-Man: Edge of Time.

It seems I may be in the minority in actually wanting to play the role of Spider-Man instead of just making him move on screen, because developer Beenox keeps insisting they’re listening directly to the fans. I sat in the demo for Spider-Man: Edge of Time, and listened to how they took out the complex combo system and open world exploration that plagued Spider-Man games before Beenox took the reigns. Unfortunately, those were the aspects I truly enjoyed while trudging my way through the mediocrity of Web of Shadows, and with no measurable jump in quality in Shattered Dimensions and now Edge of Time, I’m finding it difficult to justify the endeavor.

To be fair, Shattered Dimensions did wonders with atmosphere spanning across the various genres and story arcs Spidey has encountered over the years, but apparently fans wanted less. Spider-Man: Edge of Time focuses on the relationship between Spider-Man 2099 and Amazing Spider-Man, as 2099 tries to prevent the murder of Amazing by speaking with him through time. There is a persistent cloudy corner of the screen where 2099 will give you guidance and instructions on how to prevent your demise at the hands of Anti-Venom. This all sounds great and kudos to Beenox for getting Peter David, who wrote the movie adaptations for the Spider-Man (as well as the Iron Man, Hulk, and Transformers) flicks, on board to pen the story for the game. It seems compelling enough, but has a very Back to the Future feel of whimsy to it.

The entire game, across both timelines, takes place in a building. The building is expansive and is loaded entirely at the onset so there are smooth transitions between areas. Changes you make in the present affect 2099′s environment as one might expect. The real problem I have with this is in watching the combat. The ceilings are usually around 10 feet high and even in the larger warehouse style areas, there’s no room to swing around or utilize the agility that makes playing as Spider-Man different than Alex Mercer or Cole MacGrath. What is added this time around is a deep narrative and a different take on Spider Sense. This time around you can utilize “Hyper Sense” with 2099 to perform an attack, rewind, and perform another attack to confuse and decimate.. umm.. factory workers. Amazing Spider-Man gets a beefed-up Spider Sense as well that allows him to auto-dodge or even auto-counter enemy attacks. I didn’t want to use skill to do those things manually, right?

Either way, I’m sure at some point I’ll succumb to my desire to play Spider-Man games and give it a shot, but I can’t see plunking down full-price at launch this Fall.

There were only 2 games at E3 this year that I played on 2 different days. The first was at the Nintendo booth to see if they cleaned up The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword from last year. The second was at the Microsoft booth for Forza Motorsports 4 and I am really glad that I came back to check this game out a second time. Continuing our month of E3 coverage, let’s take a look inside.

I knew that I could expect big things from the good people over at Turn 10 within minutes of arriving at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Last year Microsoft had a huge Halo Reach display in the main entry way to the convention. This year in place of the Master Chief was a red Ferrari 458 Italia and 2 standard issue E3 booth babes. I stopped by the Microsoft booth later on Tuesday when I saw the same bright red Ferrari (in poster form, minus the booth babes) hanging from the ceiling and I couldn’t help but stop to check it out.

There are clearly big expectations for this game from Microsoft as they had a decent amount of their floor space devoted to the game. They had a couple of ways to play but I skipped the ultra expensive force feedback steering wheel, clutch/brake/accelerator, racing seat setup and the line that came with it in favor of playing the game as 99% of you will: with a standard Xbox 360 controller.

The demo on the floor featured only 3 cars with the previously mentioned Ferrari 458 Italia, 1970 Mercury Cougar, and 2011 Subaru Impreza Sti sedan. The demo and these cars proved that this game is all Forza and fans of the series should not be disappointed. In addition to the standard racing game upgrades of new cars and more tracks, Forza 4 has a new lighting engine that will make all the new goodies look that much better. The team at Turn 10 also spent a lot more time recording the engine and exhaust sounds to increase the realism. The online component of the game will also be taken to the next level allowing players to form online car clubs which should also take shit talking to a whole new level as well.

I left the Forza 4 booth on Tuesday feeling pretty good about the game and very happy with the new upgrades that are in the works. I returned first thing on Day 2 hoping to skip the line to play the game with the uber racing setup. The line was still there but I found something else worth hanging out for that was not there on day 1. In place of the standard Xbox 360 controller was a new U shaped racing controller. Rather than steering with the left thumb stick, you can now steer the car with this motion based controller instead. The gas and brakes are still done with triggers on the back site of either end of the U shape with a DPad on the front of the left side and the XYAB buttons on the front of the right side. I started my test of all 3 cars over again and found that I did the same or better with control of the cars but felt like I had a lot more control.

Everyone has known about Forza 4 for months but the new motion steering wheel was brand new information released during E3. Both Forza 4 and the new controller will be available this coming October. There was no confirmation if there would be a premium bundle available to pick up both at the same time. For now, expect to drop $60 for the game and another $60 for the controller.

Look, I’ll be the first to admit I wasn’t the most familiar with Lexis-Numerique when we staggered into their booth this year at E3. In fact, if I had to guess, I would have assumed they were an accessory or peripheral manufacturer or maybe a hair salon. Either way, I went in with modest expectations and came away quite interested in the two projects they demoed for us: Amy, and Red Johnson’s Chronicles.

Red Johnson’s Chronicles covers the tale of a Native-American porn star private investigator trying to clean up the streets through puzzle solving, clue finding, and an ungodly amount of quick-time events (QTEs). Utilizing the help of vastly stereotypical street thug personas and a penchant for jamming his hands into dangerous electrical boxes and valve housings, Red opens new areas to explore and unearths vital clues to solving petty street crimes. In short, think L.A. Noire meets Professor Layton, with a dry Sam & Max sense of whimsy and humor. Oh, and you’d better really really like QTEs because they’re nearly as common as they were in Heavy Rain.

The game is highly stylized but lacks the polish of a full retail release. Considering it’s a PSN-exclusive offering, there’s no harm there. There’s also an immense amount of dialog, as one might expect in a contextual puzzle-solving game, but it is obviously not natively written in English. It’s a dubbed Sunday afternoon crime drama on IFC, but when it comes time to duke it out with the back-alley punk who has the locker combination you need, you QTE his ass into submission instead of throwing hands the old-fashioned way.

Red Johnson’s Chronicles bears the unfortunate fate of having been released on the day PSN was taken offline due to the hacking efforts of now-defunct Lulzsec, but instead of letting the chips fall, Lexis-Numerique put out an alternate relaunch trailer a few weeks later and pretended it got delayed. It’s currently available on PSN for $12.

Amy is an autistic, mute little girl whom which you will die without. You are Lana and you’re lost in the year 2034 amidst a viral pandemic. You’re immensely infected, but as long as Amy is near you, you’re symptom free. The problem is that the once-human beasts that are fully infected can sense that Amy is immune and want to kill her, thus turning you into one of them. The game involves you protecting Amy, hiding with her, sending her into crawl spaces, while keeping her close to maintain your own health.

The demo we saw looked great. It was an innovative mix of Dead Space action and HUDless-UI with Silent Hill pacing (which makes it what, Resident Evil?) but what sets it apart is the obvious influence from the movie Aliens. Before the demo began, the PR representative prefaced the background of the game as being made by the creator of Flashback who wanted to make a game that recreated the character ties between Ellen Ripley and Newt in Aliens. It seems a bit narrow but it works.

You manually take Amy’s hand and lead her through different areas. If you take her into an area that poses a threat or danger, the controller begins to vibrate along with her increasingly rapid heartbeat. She gets behind you and will try to pull away until you cram her in a cabinet or locker while you take out enemies. In some instances, it’s best you climb in there with her or run away as fast as humanly possible because you, as Lana, aren’t a very skilled fighter. You can swing a fire axe or shoot a pistol but you will often find yourself facing a conflict you just can’t win through force. This is something I like because it adds a sense of realism to the already intense atmosphere of the game.

This is definitely one to watch this September and will be released on XBLA and PSN for $15. It’s an episodic adventure, but they were quick to point out that each game is fully self-contained.

I can’t help but feel partially responsible for this-here dark day in which the proverbial internet heroes, LulzSec, have chosen to hang up their gray hats. As you’ll undoubtedly hear tomorrow on this week’s GolgoCast, I spearhead the thought that perhaps its time for the hackers to give up. That may hap, the “lulz” were gone. Now today, word rises that the slayers of such heavy-weights as Nintendo, Sony Pictures, and The Escapist, to name a few, have decided to end their 50 day run of terror. In a statement posted on infamous torrent site The Pirate Bay, the group states that it had always planned to bring an end to its attacks after 50 days, however one might venture to say this decision was influenced by recent crackdowns and arrests.

While I agree that it was a good time for them to cash in their chips, as we were getting dangerously close to an XBL hack which may have had their supporters rising against them, it will still be sad to see them go. Their antics kept the press world a-flutter, the big corporations on their toes, and made the past few months on the internet an “interesting time.” I for one wish you strapping gents the best of luck in all future endeavors, and I bid you to have a “Cool Summer”… Don’t change.

For the full statement hit the jump…

Friends around the globe,

We are Lulz Security, and this is our final release, as today marks something meaningful to us. 50 days ago, we set sail with our humble ship on an uneasy and brutal ocean: the Internet. The hate machine, the love machine, the machine powered by many machines. We are all part of it, helping it grow, and helping it grow on us.

For the past 50 days we’ve been disrupting and exposing corporations, governments, often the general population itself, and quite possibly everything in between, just because we could. All to selflessly entertain others – vanity, fame, recognition, all of these things are shadowed by our desire for that which we all love. The raw, uninterrupted, chaotic thrill of entertainment and anarchy. It’s what we all crave, even the seemingly lifeless politicians and emotionless, middle-aged self-titled failures. You are not failures. You have not blown away. You can get what you want and you are worth having it, believe in yourself.

While we are responsible for everything that The Lulz Boat is, we are not tied to this identity permanently. Behind this jolly visage of rainbows and top hats, we are people. People with a preference for music, a preference for food; we have varying taste in clothes and television, we are just like you. Even Hitler and Osama Bin Laden had these unique variations and style, and isn’t that interesting to know? The mediocre painter turned supervillain liked cats more than we did.

Again, behind the mask, behind the insanity and mayhem, we truly believe in the AntiSec movement. We believe in it so strongly that we brought it back, much to the dismay of those looking for more anarchic lulz. We hope, wish, even beg, that the movement manifests itself into a revolution that can continue on without us. The support we’ve gathered for it in such a short space of time is truly overwhelming, and not to mention humbling. Please don’t stop. Together, united, we can stomp down our common oppressors and imbue ourselves with the power and freedom we deserve.

So with those last thoughts, it’s time to say bon voyage. Our planned 50 day cruise has expired, and we must now sail into the distance, leaving behind – we hope – inspiration, fear, denial, happiness, approval, disapproval, mockery, embarrassment, thoughtfulness, jealousy, hate, even love. If anything, we hope we had a microscopic impact on someone, somewhere. Anywhere.

Thank you for sailing with us. The breeze is fresh and the sun is setting, so now we head for the horizon.

Let it flow…

Lulz Security – our crew of six wishes you a happy 2011, and a shout-out to all of our battlefleet members and supporters across the globe

I think the title summarizes my thoughts.

Just in case any of you missed it. I hear Tom Calancy’s Ghost Recon was a big hit.

So, on our first day of E3, I got my hands on an up and coming Capcom title, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Being a fan of the Resident Evil series for many years, I can say that I was very excited to sit down with this game and kill some good ol’ fashioned zombies. While the idea of slaughtering flesh-hungry, super-virus infected people is not a new one by any means, this title looks like it will bring the RE series up to speed with nearly every modern day shooter by including basic gameplay elements that have been absent for the life of the franchise.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City has both multiplayer and campaign modes. While I only got to try out the multiplayer mode, I have to say that there are quite a few changes from the classic RE gameplay I’ve come to know and enjoy (for the most part). While ORC is laid out very similarly to RE5, they’ve pretty much done away with an inventory system. From what I’d experienced, you can only use restorative items, such as first aid sprays or green herbs, as soon as they’re dropped from an enemy. You are able to collect grenades that zombies drop, though there isn’t a place for them to be stored. Basically, R2 acts as your “Item Throw” button; grenades are thrown wherever you are or were aiming before dropping the zoom on whatever weapon you were previously handling.

In ORC, you are able to select one out of four characters to play as. These characters are officers of the Umbrella Security Service, enlisted with the task of quite literally terminating Leon S. Kennedy, the primary protagonist of Resident Evil 2. Operation Racoon City is basically a reinterpretation of the events that had transpired in the first two RE titles, meaning that if you so pleased, you could even kill Leon. The demo available at E3 starts you off as one of the four characters in the USS team and you have to fight your way through hordes of zombies to reach Leon to take him out. Each of these four characters have special abilities – the one I played, for example, would go into an infinite ammo mode when your special meter was fully charged and the triangle button was pressed. I thought this was a refreshing update to the Resident Evil franchise.

All gameplay explanations aside, the most welcome revamp to the latest title in the Resident Evil series has to be the ability to run and gun. As first-person shooters have taken a solid role in video games over the last decade, gamers became accustomed to running and firing their weapons simultaneously; suffice it to say, controls and gameplay mechanics have become incredibly outdated in RE and people got sick of having to stop running and stand still in order to shoot. So definitely, this is the first RE that seems like a FPS, while still retaining third person shooter qualities.

So that’s pretty much it! I had a lot of fun running through the demo for this game at E3 and look forward to picking it up when it comes out. I think the multiplayer will be a lot of fun and will give a lot of replayability to ORC after the campaign mode has been exhausted. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is currently slated for a 2011 Q4 release in North America.

I got some hands-on time with Techland’s Dead Island at E3 this year and came away with a much better understanding of what up until that point had been a mystery to me. Exactly what kind of game is Dead Island, and what differentiates it from every other zombie game in a market saturated with decaying flesh?

There were surprisingly few people waiting to play Dead Island at the Square-Enix booth, considering how hyped the game seemed to be leading up to E3, but the short lines allowed me to usurp a demo unit for a good thirty minutes. Dead Island is developed by Techland, who you may know as the developer behind the Call of Juarez games.

So the demo starts out with you creeping the fuck out of beach bikini babes as you drunkenly stumble around a tropical vacation resort on the fictional island of Banoi. You pass out, only to awaken to being dragged into a boat house by a few good folks who opted to spare you instead of watching you get torn to pieces as you rightfully deserve. Some familiar themes start to arise as you, the only able-bodied man in this boat house who also has no family, are chosen to go gather resources, research the situation, and rescue some stray family members of the people who saved you.

So now you have missions for the foreseeable future and all there is left to do is leave the safety of your shelter, boat paddle in hands, and complete them. As soon as you leave, you get a sense of the gravity of your situation as you watch two of these zombie lookin’ guys tearing apart and eating a tourist on the beach 20 feet away. The look of the game is bright and clean and the island is very well designed.

Where the game fell apart, at least in the demo, was the combat. The weapons degrade with use so after a few interactions, I needed a replacement. The first thing I found in the beach debris was a small knife. Now, this knife is roughly eight inches long. The paddle I just dropped was probably five feet long. The problem was that I had to be just as close to hit enemies with the paddle as I did with the knife. I also would have appreciated a different method of attack between the very different weapons. I ended up swinging both mentioned weapons in the exact same way — like a hammer or maybe a one-handed sword. Really, with a huge paddle, I should have been going to town on these ghouls like Darth Maul. With the knife, I should have had a stab or throw or something. I also shouldn’t be able to “slash” through bodies with a dull oar. Just little things like that could have made the game instantly more memorable.

I managed to complete the first two missions in my time with the game and only utilized the demo’s auto-respawn once. The real game won’t have this, so you’ll have to be careful in your treks. I didn’t see a checkpoint system but I sincerely hope one is in the final build, because if I have to start entire missions over with each death, I may just refuse to do them. There are other characters you can play on the island and supposedly they all have different stories and missions. No comment from the booth rep on whether the missions coincide, if there truly is co-op, or if there are DLC plans for the future.

Overall I’m actually much more excited for the game now than I was before, if only because now it’s a known quantity. This will be a day one pick-up for me. Check it out September 6, 2011, on Xbox 360, PS3, or PC.

Mr. Hawkins, Cory, and Molly talk to Ben “Fishstix” Goldhaber from Justin.TV about their newest spin-off, TwitchTV.com. TwitchTV focuses on game streams from League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, Starcraft 2, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, and any other competitive game people enjoy watching played at high levels. Check out the interview after the jump!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPc1Hy0q9FE

TwitchTV.com

Have you ever wanted to play an X-Men game where you don’t get to play as any of your favorite characters? Would you also like to be teased by having the original X-Men that you cannot play as, appear though out the game only to advance the story? If you answered yes to both of these questions then Silicon Knights (of “Too Human” infamy) has the game for you this fall with X-Men Destiny.

X-Men Destiny is a single player only game that takes place in the current time line for the X-Men comic books in the city of San Francisco. All of the mutants have divided into two factions: the X-Men and The Brotherhood of Mutants. This is where X-Men Destiny picks up the story line. Players will be given the choice of 3 new mutants and then take over from there. These 3 new mutants have a clean slate of powers that will be determined by whoever is behind the controller. The powers from the classic X-Men characters will be unlockable and allowed to be swapped out depending on situation or boss in the game.

The freedom to chose is a common theme in this game as players can also chose whether they want to take the side of Colossus and the X-Men or Gambit and The Brotherhood of Mutants. Personally, I don’t think you can go wrong with Gambit. But you can’t play as Gambit so what does it matter? If you are a hardcore X-Men fan, then you may want to choose to pick this game up. If not, don’t worry about it as there will be plenty of other solid titles coming out to keep you busy this fall.

For those who don’t know, I have a huge boner — many boners, in fact — for Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series on the PlayStation 3. Since its initial announcement, I pretty much flipped.  I would say that Uncharted 2 is most definitely one of my favorite games of all time. How does Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception add up?

With each new chapter in Drake’s adventure, gameplay, environments, story and character development all seem to take huge and impressive leaps. Uncharted is toted as a very cinematic experience, so it’s very fair for me to state that my main draw to these titles are not overall improvement in gameplay, but progression in the whole story of Nathan Drake.

We attended Sony’s press conference on Monday, June 6th, and that’s where we got our first extended glimpse of Uncharted 3.  It was a quick demo of Drake running through a (mostly) empty and trashed cruise ship.  Much like the gameplay demo for Uncharted 2, the player is forced to fight their way through waves of enemies while trying to hold their ground in a level that is going to hell.

Eventually this cruise ship sinks, and Drake has to swim out and to safety.  The gameplay demo ends on a cliffhanger… one that I hoped would resume when I got my hands on the demo playable at the actual E3 conference. But it didn’t.  The only demo they had to play of Uncharted 3 this year was a multiplayer session. Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed.

After initially skipping the multiplayer line, I went back later on in the day with Mr. Hawkins after I found out they were giving away sweet T-shirts.  The guy in the line wouldn’t give me the shirt unless I played the game, so he was kind enough to just let me cutsies around 30 suckers in line. I sat down, put on my headphones, picked up my controller, and started playing as the line attendant draped a swanky Uncharted 3 t-shirt over my shoulder.

Uncharted 3′s multiplayer mode plays almost identically to its predecessor’s.  I couldn’t find any new weapons or different gameplay mechanics that really separated itself from Uncharted 2′s multiplayer.  Regardless, I still had fun.  I managed to get around 20 kills and 12 deaths total; I had a great time taking out guys with melee attacks, Pistole blasts, and pulling dudes over edges and throwing them into an abyss.

While nothing really seems to have changed, getting to play even the lame multiplayer mode has re-pumped me up for Uncharted 3.  Nathan Drake will be back in Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, which drops November 1st, 2011.

I got my hands on Skyward Sword this year at E3 2011, but before I get into my thoughts on the demo, let’s start at the beginning.

The year is 2010. Nintendo has just confirmed that they are developing the latest game in the Legend of Zelda series for the Wii and that it will be playable on the E3 2010 show floor. My inner fanboy could not be happier because I will be on the E3 floor to get a sneak peak at the next title in one of my favorite series. Ask anyone and they will tell you that my favorite game of all time is Link to the Past. Go to the Nintendo Channel on my Wii and it will tell you that I have put more than 65 hours into Twilight Princess. And then on the E3 2010 floor after waiting in line for over an hour to play Skyward Sword: utter disappointment.

I can’t describe how I felt about the game last year but after E3 2011 I feel much better about the game. Last year there was a single stage that showcased the new Motion Plus controls and some of the new items that would be available in the game. This single stage felt like a tech demo and that’s really all that it was. What a difference a year makes. Then the Nintendo rep running my demo station reminded me that Skyward Sword is the prequel of sorts to what many believe is the best Zelda game of all time: Ocarina of Time. This could make the story behind Skyward Sword that much more intriguing.

I got a chance to play through two out of the three demos, each with a 10 minute time limit. All three of these demos were confirmed to be actual levels of the game that will be seen in the finished product. The first demo showed how the word “Skyward” fits in with the overall theme of the game. This stage was a flight stage with the new “Epona” taking the form of a giant red bird and bird wings replacing the carrots for energy bursts. If you have played through Super Mario Galaxy 2 then you will be familiar with the way the flight mechanics work with Skyward Sword. You use only the Wiimote to control the bird which follows how you roll the Wiimote left or right to turn or how you raise or lower to go up or down. I personally hated the flight levels in Super Mario Galaxy 2 but this felt a lot more responsive with the Motion Plus.

The second demo was for a dungeon stage that mainly focused how the Motion Plus features will be used for puzzle solving. The standard Zelda puzzles will be found here with finding switches to open doors and pushing boxes into the right place in order to get where you need to be. The difference is going to be how Motion Plus works with the new items and sword play. One of the main things featured here was how to use the new beetle attachment to fly into tight spaces to find hidden switches or to take out enemies waiting to drop down from the ceiling to prevent you from advancing. Another puzzle featured was the standard moving a box from one room to another room. The difference is that this was not to move it into place to push down a floor switch or get to a higher ledge. In this case you needed to stand up higher in order be seen by an eye on the wall so that you could confuse this eye with the new sword movement to open the door.

The final demo was a boss battle against a new character Ghirahim. This demo was put in place to show how you can use the shield bash feature of the nunchuck and the Motion Plus capabilities of the sword movements. This was all overshadowed by the oddity of this new enemy. Let me put it this way for you: David Bowie’s character from the movie Labyrinth doesn’t have shit on Ghirahim. He is one creepy bastard and I mean that in the disturbing way possible. He looks like the long lost lead singer from some hair metal band of the 1980’s and his behavior in the opening cut scene of this demo is what I can only describe as ambiguous. For the grand finale there is another cut scene where he looks at Link and then starts licking his giant white lips with his gigantic tongue. Other than that, this demo showed how the Motion Plus sword fighting will be used with boss battles and how the angle of your attack will make a big difference.

I’ll reserve judgment for the real deal, but for now they’ve regained my attention and excitement. Look for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Nintendo Wii on store shelves this Holiday season.

I’m not the biggest fan of Bethesda, to be honest. I don’t like most games that they’ve put out… I thought Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas were incredibly boring (not trolling, for reals). This year at E3 I got to demo Rage, a first-person shooter developed by id Software and distributed by everyone’s (read: NamelessTed’s) favorite publisher, and actually had a fun time playing it.

I played a level set in a post-apocalyptic city overrun with mutant enemies. These guys are small and fast, and remind me of Gollum from Lord of the Rings. They rush at you really super fast and start clobbering you instantly with clubs with spikes at the end. To keep these bastards away, you have to constantly be meleeing them in the face and unloading any and all ammo into their heads until they fall. Large enemies also appear, though much more infrequently, and need heavier artillery to get taken down. My weapon of choice in these instances was a nice heavy rocket launcher.

The Bethesda booth attendant explained to me that you can collect pretty much any random item in the game – much in the fashion of Fallout – and either sell them for money, or use them in certain situations to advance the plot. Of course you’re picking up stuff like ammo, but other items you can obtain are explosive RC cars that you can send ahead to access otherwise inaccessible areas.

All in all, I had fun playing Rage. I don’t know if I’d necessarily buy it at launch, but I wouldn’t mind picking it up at $20. I’m not a big FPS person, but again, I enjoyed messing around with Rage and solving little puzzles along the way. I’d definitely say I was very pleasantly surprised with this title, and am considering giving other Bethesda games a shot… ‘Cause hey, who knows? I could be missing out. Maybe.

I’ll be honest, at first glance BIA: Furious 4 did absolutely nothing for me. When Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software, first took the stage at the Ubisoft conference and promised a “new take” on the WWII shooter genre I all but tried to lynch him just so more of my time wouldn’t be wasted on empty promises. To top it off the trailer that followed was downright laughable in shameless borrowing from last year’s Inglorious Basterds. But after sitting down to demo it with Mikey Neumann, Creative Director at Gearbox, it became abundantly clear that Ubisoft just did a piss-poor job of marketing its appeal.

For those of you familiar with the Brothers-in-Arms series, you’ll know that they follow the exploits of Staff Sergeant Matthew Baker and Sgt. Joe “Red” Hartsock as they trek their way through the Nazi-filled world of the 1940′s. Furious 4 takes a departure from these characters in favor of a new crew of miscreants, most proficient in the delicate workings of Nazi mutilation. The quartet known as the “Furious 4″ are dropped behind enemy lines in an effort to demoralize and dismember as many members of the Third Reicht as possible on their long journey to assassinate the Fuehrer himself. While the plot does sound like it was taken directly from Tarantino’s work, its really not the focus here.  Now what is the focus and what the trailer neglected to show, is the game’s charm. Everything from the quirky character design, to the Narrator doing monologues over gameplay, to a leveling system based on “killing style points” the game has more fun than NamelessTed at a Gyro stand.

The demo we got to see had the crew wrecking shop along a pier during what looked like a festival of sorts. In terms of mechanics, there didn’t appear to be anything uber-special, more or less it looks like an up-scaled version of Boarderlands or Team Fortress 2. One of the interesting things to take note, however, was the game’s HUD, which was almost non-existent and what was there was integrated into the game’s overall art direction. For instance, the player’s ammo count is displayed in an overlay just atop the guns barrel in thick comic book font. Town/building names and mission markers were handled in a similar fashion, with instructions appearing on-screen like “Wreck this bitch!” in reference to an attacking helicopter (hmm… were their helicopters in WWII?).

Keeping in line with a Boardlands-esq leveling system, players are able to power up their skills and weapons via the point system I talked about earlier. The more, well, “awesome/brutal” you are, the higher the point value you achieve. In one instance, players come face-to-face with their wanted poster. The player can then choose to tear it down, ignore it, shoot it, or for the most points, autograph it! In another point-earning instance, the four drive an armored vehicles into a hall triggering a “bullet time” sequence in which they can lay waste to a slew of dining Nazis. Again, the player is given a choice, whether to simply shoot the enemies, or for an added bonus, to shoot out the the oil lamps causing a fire to spread and incinerating those “sieg hile’ing” pricks! These points can be assigned, like I said, to both the player’s attributes or to one of your character’s designated “Specialty Weapons”. In the case of Montana… a simple beartrap was upgraded to be outfitted with a block of C4. What one might call “Overkill” I call justice.

On the surface Furious 4 can easily be construed as just another shooter, but it has a charm and quirkiness that with Gearbox’s pedigree and guidance can really go far. While  it won’t probably jive with conventional BIA fans, fear not true believers.  Gearbox has promised that Matt and Joe will return in a later incarnation of the series, but for now this will have to tide you over. If you didn’t get a chance to check out the conference trailer I’ve posted it below. I gotta repeat, though… it’s not a selling point for the game AT ALL! The game is due out next year for the PS3, Xbox 360, and the PC, and will feature four player co-op play.

So we got a chance to sit down with designer Shinta Nojiri (Metal Gear: Acid 1, 2) to talk about his new IP, NeverDead. NeverDead follows the story of Bryce, a demon hunter who is cursed to immortality by the Demon King. Now 500 years later he’s coerced back into the fight by a female investigator and her secret organization.  On the surface NeverDead comes off as the same flavor of many Japanese third-party action adventure games. However, it’s immortality gimmick offers an interesting look into player consequence.

Given that the story dictates that Bryce can’t die, “game overs” in accordance to player death wouldn’t make sense.  As such, Shinta and team at Oxford based company Rebellion had to come up with innovative ways to challenge players. In some of the missions we saw, Bryce had to guard his counterpart, Arcadia, across the map and if she died, the game would end, escort style. Shinta also suggested that part of the game will take place in the past, prior to Bryce becoming immortal and featuring a more traditional health system. Beyond that, he was unwilling to part with any of the additional ways the game would incur challenges but assured us that the truly inventive ones were yet to come.

The big draw for me with the game was it’s “dismemberment ” aspect. Despite not having a traditional health bar, players can experience the consequences of their action through the loss of limbs. Arms, legs, and  torso can all be ripped away by enemy damage severely hindering the player’s combat abilities and movement. With Bryce’s legs ripped off he can army crawl, or roll like crazy Mel Gibson Lethal Weapon-style while shooting. When he’s taken down to just a head, he can roll around and perform a spin attack like Sonic’s spin dash, all of which is highly entertaining. Dismembered limbs can be reattached by running over them, or will simply regenerate over time. That comes in handy, as some times Bryce will need to rip off own limbs to get around parts of the game’s levels.

Many of the game’s enemies are hell-bent on eating Bryce’s lost limbs, as a result you can use them in conjunction with one of the game’s other features, destructible environments, to lay traps.  In one example, Shinta tore off  one of Bryce’s arms and tossed it underneath a suspended airplane. When several enemies rush to devour the limb, he shoots the ropes sending the plane to the floor… Bye-bye monsters. Immortality also can be utilized in other ways to incur damage to Bryce’s enemies such as setting yourself on fire and simply running into your foes.

Nojiri-San remained pretty tight-lipped about many of the game’s additional features, but promised that it would feature a 4 player cooperative multiplayer offering a level of player customization, as well as a possible kinect/move integration. NeverDead is due to drop later this year, which seemed rather soon given that we were told that they were still early in development. Maybe Konami is crackin’ the whip to get some new IPs out by Christmas, but that still seems really soon. I guess time will tell, but so far the game looks really interesting.

Mr. Hawkins, Cory, and Molly talk to our good friends Mike Ross and Gootecks of (Cross Counter, Marvelous / Excellent / Incredible Adventures and Marnslaughtering fame) about Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike Online Edition, Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, Street Fighter X Tekken, and overall impressions of their time at E3.

Here at Golgotron, we consider ourselves scientists. We go where others dare not go, and we get the info others dare not get. So, when we were introduced to the Nintendo Wii U and realized that Nintendo only had some of the answers to our many questions, we set out to find the answers ourselves. We found one.

What is the screen resolution of that fancy wireless LCD built into the Wii U tablet controller?

First off, we knew it wasn’t super high res. You could tell that just by looking at it, and no one expects a 6.2 inch screen to be 1080p. At least, not anyone who knows anything about present-day LCD technology. However, we were kind of hoping for what is commonly referred to as QHD – 960 x 540. That’s a quarter of the 1080p that we love so much, and if you didn’t already know, hi-def scales down better when it works out evenly like that. Unfortunately, it looks like the units at E3 were not quite that good. Now, they didn’t look bad. In fact, the screens looked quite good in practice, but technically speaking, QHD is a bit better than WVGA, especially when the source material is hi-def. Just think about all the NetFlix’ing that’ll happen on this thing.

So this is what we found after staring at some hi-res photos and manually counting individual pixels – by our estimation, the screen on the Wii U tablet is about 870 pixels wide. However, that doesn’t jive with any standard screen resolutions and it certainly doesn’t match any LCDs commonly in production. 854, though… now that’s a winner. 854 x 480 (WVGA) is a very common widescreen resolution, and it’s within 2% of our not-scientific-enough measurement. Unless Nintendo changes things for the final units, we’re confident the Nintendo U tablet resolution is WVGA.

If you’re up for it, you can use our images to count the pixels for yourself. Click on the thumbnails for the full resolution images.

Despite only making it’s appearance at E3 in trailer form, I immediately went from six to midnight (yes, that’s a dick joke)  at the prospect of VanillaWare’s spiritual successor to Odin Sphere. Dragon’s Crown, scheduled  for early next year, will arrive on both the ps3 and their new handheld Vita as a 4 player co-op side scrolling RPG.

There isn’t much information available at the moment, but the game will feature six playable classes, character customization, gorgeous hand-drawn 2D sprites, and some form of cross-platform functionality. The game, while sharing  some of the visual style of Odin Sphere,  clearly takes a more adult  theme with characters looking more like something out of Heavy Metal than a  storybook like from Odin.  It’ll be interesting to see how having 4 players on screen effects the frame rate, a persistent  problem in OS. I’m also curious  as to how players are going to be able to keep track of all the action on screen when you’ve got four players all slinging magic and weapons around, but I guess we’ll see. More information will be available as it comes, so kfor now enjoy these screens.

I first heard about El Shaddai last E3 and I’ll be honest, completely disregarded it in favor of getting drunk. Sorry, there’s a lot of cool shit to do here and I can’t see everything.  Since then Ive learned a lot more about the game and it’s pedigree, and was infinitely more excited this go around. Now while  the gameplay didn’t do anything to blow my skirt up, the  visuals  have really taken shape and are easily some of the most impressive I saw today.

If you’re unfamiliar with El Shaddai, its a third person action game that incorporates some  2D platforming elements. The  story is loosely based around the Book of Enoch  and follows priest, Enoch, on his quest to defeat seven fallen angels before God up-and wrecks the world with a apocalyptic  flood.  Leading on your quest is your good buddy and God’s right-hand “sure to be loyal forever” guy, Lucifer… that’s sarcasm… This year’s demo drops you into the game’s third chapter, the tower of babel, where our hero Enoch has tracked down rebel angel Ezekiel.

In accordance with the game’s campaign to be super-duper-cool-bones-mc-jones stylish, its ditched all forms of a graphical interface. Things like health and inventory  are all handled by the visual queues surrounding Enoch. Damage is reflected in the deterioration of his armor, with the weapon switching handling on the fly much like Devil May Cry.  The game has three primary weapons to start as well as giving player the option to steal enemy’s weapons for a limited time, so selection should be nicely varied. Your  weapons will become corrupt as they are used more, causing them to lose potency and eventually the ability to finish off enemies. You have to then back away from the fight to purify your weapons to get them back up to power.

The game’s fighting engine also isn’t anything different than we’ve seen so far, however, it’s in it’s simplicity that the game strives. The system works off a four button scheme (attack, guard, jump, purify) and allows the player to focus more on the visuals and not complicated button input. It seems like it would get repetitive but honestly given what’s going on on-screen it didn’t feel trite in the hour I played.

I didn’t get a chance to play any of the 2d levels, but from what I saw it looked like the platforming was intuitive and responsive. If this demo was any indication though, El Shaddai is one to look out for when it hits stores July 26th, 2011.

Live stream after the jump…

10:15am – thats all folks, now to the floor!

10:13am – it’s winding down, Reg is just thanking everyone and letting us where we can find the wiiu stuff at the convention.

10:10am – Iwata just invited out John Ricettelo (sp) of EA. He’s really pushing that this system is designed for everyone including the hardcore. Battlefield 3 looked like it was running smooth, so I’m interested.

10:06am – Now were getting a video of some games in development: Darksiders 2, Ninja Gaiden 3, Metro, Tekken, Ghost Recon.

10:05am – There’s a video of developers talking about how the cant wait to use it.

10:03am – okay now they’re saying it’s All conceptual, and the only game they can announce that’s in development is Lego City Story.

10:01am – New Super Mario Bros Mii is coming and will allow u to put your Miis in the game.

9:59am – They just showed a graphical video that was impressive but nothing mind-blowing.

9:58am – A new Smash Bros is coming, and its going to work between the 3DS and Wii U… Hot, but no screens.

9:56am The controller and also send data to The tv, so u can find videos and files on the controller and then display them on the big screen.

9:53am the screen receives it’s feed via wifi. It will not be portable.

9:51am – the trailer ends with a bit from a NEW super real Zelda… The screen on the controller was shown having the inventory system on it.

9:50am – You can use the 6.2 inch screen to function separately from the tv that way you can Watch tv while playing.

9:47am – The controller looks like acombination of an iPad and a wii mote. It works with the system for some silly Stuff… Seriously just find the video… I can’t describe.

9:44am – Here we go, new system… The name … Wii U

9:42am – they’re talking about the new 3D Pokedex… It’s just like it sounds.

9:40am – there’s a lot of talk about the new eshop, it’s going to work like the virtual console. They’re allowing for free downloads of excitebike, for a limited time.

9:38am – LM 2 will feature several mansions. Reggies talkin nonsense saying all this shit is coming this fall.

9:36am – Here we go Luigi’s Mansion 2! It’s just as adorable as I remember…. *smile face*.

9:34am – More about Kid Icarus Uprising… It still looks like Sin and Punishment, but now has multiplayer functionality where you can battle each other… There’s also a card system that works with the 3DS AR.

9:32am – Super Mario 3D … They brought back tanooki suits and airships … Fuck… I have to buy a 3Ds now…

9:30am – Star Fox 64 3DS, next, will utilize Motion control if wanted. Multiplayer mode will allow you to use your camera to record facial reactions.

9:29am – yep looks like those games are the big hitters we’ve been waiting for on the 3DS. Up first, the new Mario Kart, where you can customize karts. Will be out this holiday season.

9:27am – Reggie is on stage now… Great.

9:26am – The 3DS video hints at a new Mario, Mario Kart, Star Fox, Kid Icarus, and…. LUIGIS MANSION! Fuck yeah!!!!

9:23am – We won’t know any more about the console till later in the show. It will be out next year though. They want to showcase the 3DS.

9:22am – Iwata is talking about how Nintendo is changing the boundaries With their new system. They want a “deeper and wider” experience for everyone…. Alon made some sexual reference…. I’ll just let you use your imagination.

9:20am – Miyamoto invited a bunch of people on stage who’ve worked on the series. They end this section of the show with a Thank You to the fans. Iwatas coming up now.

9:17am – Zelda 25th anniversary orchestra concerts are going to be happening this fall across the world.

9:16am – Skyward Sword will be out this holiday season, there’ll also be a gold wiimote.

9:15am – In sept Four swords is coming to the DSI as a free download.

9:14am – They’re promising a Zelda game on every console. Links Awakening is available today on the 3DS store.

9:12am – They got The orchestra running through some of the sounds of the game.

9:11am – Miyamoto just took the stage to talk about the 25th anniversary. Lol, he tried to speak Engrish so cute.

9:09am – Skyward Sword trailer, Link this time is apart of a village in the sky. Shots of the villagers diving off the side and grabbing on to birds, looks gorgeous!

9:05am – Just started! There’s a full orchestra playing a Zelda montage to a compilation video of Zelda through the ages.

8:58am – 2 minutes to go and tension is high…. Well it is for Alon, who’s been screaming at Pilotwings for the better part of an hour.

8:47am – Okay, we’ve cycled through all the trivia questions, so this shindig needs to start.

8:36am – The fucking Swedish guy in front of me is literally torrenting an episode of “Game of Thrones”… And I’m surprised that the wifi doesn’t work!

8:34am – If my theory about the trivia is true we can expect to see a new Smash Bros, a new console Mario, more about MGS 3DS, and a 3DS Zelda.

8:27am – Once again, conference wifi has failed me. Back to 3G it is…

8:15am – Contrary to speculation, there is not a Project Cafe controller under my seat… I am disappoint. :(

8:13am – They’ve got trivia onscreen, LOADS of Kid Icarus questions, wonder what theyre going to be pimping this year… Hmmm.

8:11am – Just got to our seats; and they’re much nicer than our ones for Sony.

Well, I’d like to say that I was uber impressed by the Sony Press Conference and that the idea of a quasi-ps3 in my hand, coupled with the vocal stylings of Jane’s Addiction, Sony’s house band for the night, were more than enough to whet my appetite. Alas, without a powerhouse finish I was all but ready to throw the towel in on my would-be-e3-victor! That was until the moments following the event where I found myself mildly inebriated, and fully aroused at the the trailer I was subject too, as I was waiting for my pulled-pork sandwich… That trailer, Street Fighter: Third Strike Online!

Street Fighter: Third Strike Online, the long rumored and often fantasized (masturbated to:) fighting game has more or less been confirmed by our fine friends at Sony. We won’t know much until our meeting with Capcom tomorrow, but we we know so far has me drooling! Finally following in suite of their fans requests, SFTS:O will be utilizing the GGPO code, which means that you wont be having to join a game and pray, which is much the fashion with the current Capcom net code. Also the game will feature a unique system that allows you to upload your matches to YouTube.

Like I said this is all initial stuff, so we’ll know more tomorrow, but if the trailer is true, we’ll be seeing SFTS:O this Summer!

Live blog after the jump!

7:00 PM – That’s it! Off to food, drinks, and Jane’s Addiction… and maybe a little hands on time.

6:58 PM - Jack’s back. He just made a “Ridge Racer” joke for PSV.

6:55 PM - Kaz is back on stage. Confirmed PSV this year for $249 for WiFi only. 3G version is $299.

6:47 PM - Ono is on stage to power troll IRL. SFxT for PSV! It’s not MVC3, but I’ll take it. Cole from Infamous is a hidden character. Random.

6:45 PM – LBP PSV has shared costumes with PS3, online multiplayer, touch controls, touch editor and builder.

6:44 PM- Wipeout launch title features online competition between PSV and PS3.

6:39 PM - ModNation Racers for PSV. Draw tracks with your finger on the touch screen. Create or edit in race view. Rear touch used to push up terrain, front used to create dips or lakes. Touch and drag to paint trees or rocks on the environment. Looks like a great implementation of PSV controls. All user created ModNation Racers tracks available day 1 for this new title.

6:34 PM – Ruin revealed. Action RPG, 3/4 overhead, social network, persistent dungeons through cloud saving, multiplayer, plays across PS3 as well.

6:33 PM – Heh, “Rear Touch”.

6:28 PM – Uncharted Golden Abyss demo. Looks nice, but not PS3 level. He’s playing on a branded PSV. Touch control combat looks very similar to Infinity Blade.

6:27 PM – PS Party is basically XBL parties. PS Near is Street Pass.

6:26 PM - AT&T exclusive provider. Much laughing and booing.  No pricing info STILL.

6:24 PM - PlayStation Vita is official. Same info so far, but as he pointed out,  new to our shores.

6:22 PM - PlayStation Suite on screen. No new info.

6:19 PM - Kaz Hirai is on to talk NGP!

6:17 PM - SSX with an exclusive race down Mt. Fuji. NFS: The Rub features exclusive super cars. Battlefield 3 will include Battlefield 1943 on-disc. EA seems to be working with PS3 quite a bit.

6:16 PM - Co-op Star Trek game directed by JJ Abrams. Phaser Move controller inbound as well. Looks kinda awesome, resembles a bit of Dead Space.

6:15 PM - Saints Row 3 will feature Move specific gameplay.

6:10 PM – Ken Levine’s on! He’s preaching for Move and teasing a NGP Bioshock title.

6:07 PM – Bioshock Infinite video.

6:05 PM – EVE Online creator reveals Dust 514, cross platform FPS across NGP, PS3, and PC.

6:03 PM – New Sly Cooper revealed. Thieves in Time. 2012

6:01 PM – Starhawk video. RTS, flight, 3rd person combat.

6:00 PM – LBP2 getting Move support.

5:58 PM – Infamous 2 video. Various elements as weapons, puzzle based combat. Now shipping.

5:54 PM – Demo looks Zelda-esque. Weapon selection is based on where you store them on you or the motion to use them. No inventory. Tight rope walking is done with actual balance.

5:52 PM – Medieval Moves is being revealed, from the makers of Sports Champion. Glasses on!

5:49 PM – Kobe Bryant is in the building. The chance of rape just went up 62%. He’s playing the demo. He said it’s frighteningly realistic.

5:48 PM – NBA 2K12 new on the move feature. It’s really basic gameplay. Basically automatic gameplay with you directing it with the Move.

5:47 PM – PS Move demo with 2K Sports.

5:45 PM – PS branded 3D glasses, Resistance 3, HDMI cable, and TV. $499. New 3D glasses 69.99.

5:44 PM – PS branded HD 3D TV. Split screen 3D.

5:43 PM – Ico/SOTC and GOW 3D bundles this September. This must be why Ico/SOTC was delayed.

5:41 PM – Sharpshooter / Resistance bundle. Comes with Move and Nav controller. $149

5:37 PM – Resistance 3 3D demo. It’s nice to see all these demos actually reflect some live gameplay.

5:37 PM – Insomniac is up to talk about Resistance 3.

5:33 PM – 3D Uncharted 3 video. Helen Mirren is apparently in it.  11-1-11 release.

5:26 PM – Uncharted 3 demo time. Looks impressive. Water effects are pretty crazy. Visit Subway for an early access token to the full game.

5:25 PM – Netflix usage is highest on PS3. Adding CinemaNow streaming.

5:23 PM – Thanking developers, publishers, retailers. Apologizing to the fans.

5:22 PM – Jack’s talking about the hack. “The media says nothing makes their day like controversy. To my friends in the media, you’re welcome.”

5:20 PM – Jack Tretton takes the stage.

5:15 PM – 3D presentation has begun. Shows all the current and some announced Sony offerings in 3D.

5:13 PM – Two minute warning. We’ve been prompted to put on the Real3D glasses.

5:07 PM – People still filing in.

4:58 PM – We’re seated. 3D glasses in hand. DJ’s doing his thing. Nothing on the big screens yet. I wonder if they’re going to mention the arrest of the LulzSec hacker.

4:50 PM – Out front is a bunch of food trucks and open limited bar.

Live Blog Is after the jump!

3:48pm – that’s it, up next Sony!

3:45pm- the demo ends with a shot of what looks like stone henge glowing.

3:42pm – Ezio is lighting shit up with an flamethrower, followed by a crazy impressive scene where hes jumping across burning ships!

3:39pm – oh nice, there’s a demo on the floor!

3:37pm – it’s a nice trailer, but nothing we don’t already know.

3:34pm – AC Revelations is apparently going to be the big finish.

3:26pm – battery is dying! Live blog in danger! Also Just Dance 3 is coming.

3:21pm – Rabbids is coming to kinect… You can kick them/ beat them using the Augmented Reality feature. The game looks like a more physical Mario Party

3:20pm – These chicks briefly mentioned questmania and shootermania… Both could be cool.

3:15pm – Two French chicks came out to talk about Trackmania 2 for the PC … Still nothing on the kinect… Almost positive that it’s going to be integrated with AC.

3:14pm – GR Online is coming to the PC for free, it’s going to link in some way with the console. Application for Beta is open today.

3:11pm – the end of this demo is the four escorting a hostage, while shooting it out in a firefight… It’s pretty epic!

3:08pm – The GUI is like something out of Dead Space mixed with the way Fringe does titles.

3:06pm – Its 4 player coop, the stage opened up to reveal the crew is playing live. Shit could be hot if everyone worked together… More than likely I’d just troll.

3:04pm – Ghost Recon:Future Solider – apparently the creative teams at Ubisoft learned how to make jungle landscapes.

3:00pm -its a game. Shrug. Up next… A new Ghost Recon?

2:59pm – And its time for the movie-tie in portion of the show. Peter Jackson and Spielberg are on the screen to talk about the Tintin game.

2:58pm – Brothers in Arms: Furious four…. It’s literally Inglorious bastards the game.

2:57pm – Randy P from Gearbox is up to show who GB is going to give us a “new” ww2 shooter.

2:55pm – A lot of really nice scripted events, Andddddddddd it’s FarCry3! Fuck.

2:53pm You character is wrecking shop with a Bowie knife. It’s pretty violent but the crowds all on board!

2:51pm – There’s a great scene where ur kicked off a cliff and have to swim out into the jungle. It’s a FPS and looks Gorgeous!

2:49pm – ubi Montreal just came out to show off A new game. The voice acting and facial animation is better than LA Noire.

2:46pm – The trailer is all scripted, but if the first person mode stays the same, it might be cool. Theyre really pushing the multiplayer.

2:45pm – Driver San Francisco is on screen now.

2:40pm – Offers 4 player coop, itll be playable on the floor. Aaron Priceman just took the stage… Apparently took a lot of coke before his presentation.

2:38pm – I guess you could say it looks like Odin Sphere, well post images and video soon. It’s got a lot of co-op puzzle elements, and what appears to be a schmups-inspired level. Shits wacky.

2:34pm – It looks like New Super MARIO wii, but cell shaded, I’m kinda impressed!

2:33pm – Michel Ancel just walked out to talk about Rayman Origins.

2:31pm – CEO Yves is on stage talking about Ubisofts 25th anniversary. Kudos to Punctuality.

2:16pm – Almost game time now!

2:01pm – Was just informed that NamelessTed may have shit himself over #ea presentation of Battlefield 3. Heres hoping to having ubi coming through with a strong show!

1:55pm – Just noticed the kinect at the front of the stage… great more motion control games. 20 to 1 they make AC kinect supported.

1:38pm – Fuck me, the wifi sucks here… please let Sony be better!

1:34pm – They just opened the doors. First swag of E3 is a cardboard poster of Assassins Creed… happy birthday Rich, guess what you’re getting!

The Ubisoft Conference will begin at 2:30PM PST. Check back then for updates.

So in case anyone didn’t notice, I haven’t been around much lately. This is due to the fact that I’m preparing for E3mas and trying to play video games and write interesting things about them. Also, I’ve been devoting a good chunk of my time to being crafty again. Here is the latest product of my craftiness:

As you can see, it is a GolgoBit perler. Isn’t he awesome? Damn right he is.

I’m looking into mass-producing these so that some of our lucky readers, along with our core staff, will all have a GolgoBit of their very own.

Anyway, back to crafting for me!

Microsoft has either gone completely nuts or they finally grew a soul. Or, more realistically, they’re announcing a new console at E3 and they’re trying to liquidate their warehouses full of Xbox 360′s. In any case, Microsoft announced something spectacular in a blog post the other day.

They’re giving away a 4GB Xbox 360 to any student that purchases a laptop for the upcoming school year. The “catch” is that it has to be a minimum purchase of $699.99 and you have to be able to prove you’re a student. Just buy a laptop between May 22nd and September 3rd and show participating retailers your school ID. If you’re shopping online, all you need is an email ending in .edu and you’ll be good to go.

For those of you still in college, in desparate need of a new laptop, and still don’t have an Xbox 360, this is like a sign from above telling you what to do. Good timing too, since you’re gonna need all that extra computing power when the rapture hits tomorrow. Nothing says “ascension to the heavens” quite like “Windows 7.”

When someone mentions gaming in Las Vegas, the first thing that comes to mind is the poker table or slot machines. When I heard that a couple from New Jersey opened up a video game themed night club, I was geared up to check it out. This isn’t just some bar with video poker and sports playing on a wall of TVs. No, my friends, this is a full-on arcade with top name games on every system you could ever want. This is Insert Coins, owned and operated by Christopher LaPorte – a great guy with a great vision.

The lounge looks like a rich kid’s basement, only with a Vegas atmosphere that makes it that much cooler. You walk in and instantly feel the energy of the room. They have giant padded booths for groups of people to come and enjoy the newest games and the greatest classics, while getting hammered at the same time. When I witnessed Mortal Kombat 9 being played next to Dig Dug, I almost cried. The walls of the lounge are painted by local artists with awesome video game themed art. Your group can walk in and grab a lounge or reserve one ahead of time with some drinks so you can get right down to playing when you arrive. If you aren’t in a big group and just want to play some console games, the bar is lined with TVs sporting just about every popular game right now for PS3 or Xbox 360. On the drink menu you can find custom video game themed drinks such as “Pac-Man and the 4 Ghosts”. If you are more into the arcade style, thalf of the lounge is a mini arcade with anything from Pac-Man to Street Fighter. There is also a dance space featuring a house VDJ playing sweet gamer music all night.

If you plan on visiting Vegas or are attending CES or the EVO World Championships, Insert Coins is definitely a must. You and your friends will have a great time gaming and drinking in this chill atmosphere. The lounge is located right next to the Fremont Experience downtown and is for adults age 21 and over.

For information on reservations and hours, check out the Insert Coins site.

[Show as slideshow]

You have to see this. We knew that Escalation, the next Call of Duty: Black Ops DLC would have a zombie level… but who could have expected this?

Just watch. We’ll talk after.

First of all, credit to Treyarch for making a full-on Grindhouse trailer, complete with the actual announcer from the movie. Second, I thought nothing would top the Bobby Mac Attack. Now we’re getting a veritable dream team of survivors. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Robert Englund (Freddy Damn Krueger), Danny Trejo (Machete) and Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer? I guess we can assume the reference here is that he was on The Walking Dead.)

And hey, who can’t wait to square off against George A. Romero himself? Finally we can put him down so he’ll stop hurting his legacy. Check it out next Tuesday, May 3 on Xbox Live.

Nintendo’s next generation Wii console — currently codenamed “Project Cafe” — could land later this year, and we’re told will DEFINITELY be playable at this year’s E3… sure.  Regardless, the gaming worlds is all a flutter as new details and “possible” diagrams of the machine’s build for have leaked. One of NeoGaf‘s finest, has posted the following several images, which showcase some of the rumored features Nintendo‘s been hinting at. These include: controller displays, 1080p output with possible support for stereoscopic 3D, and will utilize AMD’s R700 GPU. Over at IGN, there’s a complete breakdown of all the known facts, and they’re already speculating at a $350.00 to $400.00 price tag. Before you start balking at the price eep in mind, Nintendo wants to win back the hardcore crowd, and to do that you need POWER (some pun intended). A $400.00 sticker price could certainly get you that. Pics after the jump…

Source: 
Neogaf
IGN

It appears the worldwide outage of PSN may continue longer than a light-switch rave.

PlayStation’s European Blog states:

“While we are investigating the cause of the Network outage, we wanted to alert you that it may be a full day or two before we’re able to get the service completely back up and running. Thank you very much for your patience while we work to resolve this matter. Please stay tuned [...] for more details, and we’ll update you again as soon as we can.” (emphasis added by editor)

While anonymous has declared an end to their attacks on Sony, this looks definitely like their previous work.

Not to be outdone by those assholes at Valve, Microsoft has decided to finally give us a deal worth utilizing. For today, and today only, 5 badass XBLA games have been dropped to half price! All of them down from 1200 points to 600! I feel like they should have Major Nelson come out dressed as Marshall Lucky and shoot the shit out of those dirty-ole high prices!

* LIMBO – 600 points
* Castle Crashers – 600 points
* Shadow Complex – 600 points
* Trials HD – 600 points
* Monday Night Combat – 600 points

1200 POINTS!?!?! THAT’S TOO F#$&IN’ HIGH!

All right! Stop whatcha doin’ ’cause Valve’s about to ruin the plans that you had for the weekend! Okay, that wasn’t nearly as smooth as I intended, but FUCK IT, TODAY IS A GLORIOUS DAY!!! Valve, god bless their capatalistic asses, have decided to give the world what its been demanding… PORTAL 2, EARLY!!! How you ask? Why it’s simple, and quite probably the solution to every problem in the universe… JUST THROW A BUNCH OF MONEY AT IT! The deal works like this; you jump on Steam, pick up the The Potato Sack indie bundle, play the shit out of those games, and tell lots of friends to do the same. The more peeps we get playing, the faster this counter (http://www.aperturescience.com/glados@home/) drops and the quicker I get to be playing.

I’m not sure how many people correlate to what percentage of time is taken off the clock, so we all need to get on this! My best guess is that it’ll unlock sometime tonight if you’ve pre-ordered. So enough talk, just get out there and play, I’m tired of waiting… I want to see my Chell again… I miss her, and I heard she once go busy in a Burger King bathroom. What a freak.

Captivate 2011 brought information on the availability and details of Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition for home consoles. To the surprise of few, it features four new characters, a rebalanced system, and a new variety of replay channel options.

If you’re one of the lucky few who has had access to SSF4:AE in your local arcade, you know most of what’s coming. Yun, Yang, Evil Ryu, and Oni make their way to home consoles through DLC on June 7th worldwide. A disc-based version will also be available on June 28th in the US. It’s a smart move considering most fans will buy it on day one through DLC and then again on disc so they can carry it with them to friends’ houses, or in my case, on the road.

One interesting tidbit of information came by way of tweet from the winky, giggly, master troll and producer of the Street Fighter line for Capcom, Yoshinori Ono. When asked if the four announced characters will require special tasks to be performed in order to unlock them, he responded “Some will, but not them. ;D” The tweet was later deleted and he hasn’t responded to any requests for follow-up on this mysterious statement. I suppose there remains the tiniest of hope that a couple more characters made it in but it looks doubtful.

The new Replay Channel features include the ability to “follow” certain players (up to five) and keep an eye on their recorded matches. You can also use the advanced channel features to distribute your replays to up to 50 other players. The other new feature that seems to be the most popular is the Elite Channel, which allows you to view only replays between players with 3000 player points or more to keep the riff-raff out of your replays.

Today, Major Nelson officially confirmed the next Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack. This second piece of DLC is called “Escalation” and features 5 new maps: Convoy, Zoo, Stockpile, Hotel, and another zombie map!

The DLC drops on May 3rd for Xbox 360. As usual, PS3 and PC will get the content a bit later. While we don’t have further details, it’s pretty safe to assume that Escalation will be priced similarly to all the other recent Call of Duty DLC.

Image Credit: VG247

This is a great opportunity for Internet people to make those interesting and unique observations we see whenever Call of Duty DLC is announced. Here are some starter examples:

• Anyone who pays $15 for this is part of the problem!
• I’d pay $10 but not $15!
• Wah wah wah wah $15! That’s almost two weeks allowance!

As for me, I’d love it if this ended up costing 10 bucks, but no matter the price I’ll still be buying it immediately because Call of Duty is fun and this will give me more Call of Duty.

[via Major Nelson]

Title: Escalation Map Pack for Black Ops Confirmed for May 3rd
Tags: DLC, Call of Duty, Black Ops, News
Publish Date: (it's news so ASAP)

Today, Major Nelson officially confirmed the next Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack.  This second piece of DLC is called “Escalation” and features 5 new maps:

Convoy
Zoo
Stockpile
Hotel
And another zombie map

[escalation-pic.jpg] (This is taken from VG247 if we want to include that)

The DLC drops on May 3rd for Xbox 360.  As usual, PS3 and PC will get the content a bit later.  While we don’t have further details, it’s pretty safe to assume that Escalation will be priced similarly to all the other recent Call of Duty DLC.

This is a great opportunity for Internet people to make those interesting and unique observations we see whenever Call of Duty DLC is announced.  Here are some starter examples:

-	Anyone who pays 15 is part of the problem!
-	I’d pay 10 but not 15!
-	WAH WAH WAH $15!

As for me, I’d love it if this ended up costing 10 bucks, but no matter the price I’ll still be buying it immediately because Call of Duty is fun and this will give me more Call of Duty. 

[via Joystiq]

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/call-of-duty-black-ops-escalation-dlc-xbox-release-date/

Name: Scott Meaney

Title: Escalation Map Pack for Black Ops Confirmed for May 3rd

Tags: DLC, Call of Duty, Black Ops, News

Publish Date: (it's news so ASAP)

 

Today, Major Nelson officially confirmed the next Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack.  This second piece of DLC is called “Escalation” and features 5 new maps:

 

Convoy

Zoo

Stockpile

Hotel

And another zombie map

 

[escalation-pic.jpg] (This is taken from VG247 if we want to include that)

 

The DLC drops on May 3rd for Xbox 360.  As usual, PS3 and PC will get the content a bit later.  While we don’t have further details, it’s pretty safe to assume that Escalation will be priced similarly to all the other recent Call of Duty DLC.

 

This is a great opportunity for Internet people to make those interesting and unique observations we see whenever Call of Duty DLC is announced.  Here are some starter examples:

 

-	Anyone who pays 15 is part of the problem!

-	I’d pay 10 but not 15!

-	WAH WAH WAH $15!

 

As for me, I’d love it if this ended up costing 10 bucks, but no matter the price I’ll still be buying it immediately because Call of Duty is fun and this will give me more Call of Duty.

 

[via Joystiq]

 

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/11/call-of-duty-black-ops-escalation-dlc-xbox-release-date/

This week only, save 50% on Pac-Man Champion Edition DX through Xbox Live. For 400 MSP, this game is a must have for fans of the first Champion Edition, as well as fans of twitch games or Pac-Man in general. If you’re unsure as to why you should care or how this game is not just another Pac-Man, take a look at how it blew Joe’s mind. For true fans, the soundtrack is the same price on iTunes.

Run, don’t wakka, because this sale won’t last long!

Xbox Live Marketplace – Pac-Man Champion Edition DX

iTunes – Pac-Man Champion Edition DX Soundtrack

It’s no secret that the Golgotron Staff has a certain predilection for SteelSeries. They make silly-awesome products that don’t break, and support unique features that one can only truly appreciate if they’ve spent a lifetime in front of a monitor. (Not to mention they throw a bomb-ass party!) Well, this week marks the 10 year anniversary of the little Danish company that could and they want to celebrate in style by giving away a ton of free gear!

Just pop on over to their website and you’ll get to choose from their line up of mice, keyboards, headsets, and mats, to build a package any gamer would kill for. Then you just need to share the info with  a few of those friends on Facebook, or via email, and THAT’S ALL YOU’Z GOTZ TO DO! There’s no cap on entries, so go nuts, and SteelSeries will randomly choose the top 10,000 entries.  One grand prize winner will also be chosen to recieve a hardcore gaming laptop that will no doubt help you crush the likes of Belisle!  I don’t want this to sound like pandering, so I’ll stop now, but the truth of the matter is, I’m just really excited. The contest runs till March 18th, so you better get a move on!

SteelSeries, happy 10th! I hope your parents get you that sweet mountain bike you’ve been wanting.

Click Here to Enter.

We all know Belisle likes to tout himself as the end-all, be-all of gamers, but I don’t think he could ever compete with this gaming feat! Terry Garrett, a 23 year old mechanical engineering student from Colorado Springs, has beaten, and has done so numerous times, Abe’s Exoddus using ONLY SOUND! You hear me?!?! The-kids’-fuckin’-blind! I mean this shit doesn’t even make sense! I tried to tie my shoe laces once with my eyes closed and I fell over, hit my head, and woke up with 15 stitches!

Apparently, Mr Garrett contacted Oddworld a few months ago to let them know he absolutely owned their game in the face, and may, or may not have, a 36in cock! To see full interview click the link belowZ. In the meantime, we here at Golgotron would like to do something that we don’t do often, and that is tip our hats to a superior gamer. Well played, good sir. Well played!

Source:

Oddworld Inhabitants

Sony has apparently run out of options and is going back to the well. Announced today, and releasing this week, the PSOne fan favorite Xenogears has been in more demand than that god damn HD version of Final Fantasy 7. Personally, I was hoping for Suikoden 2 but I guess Sony is still hold a grudge from that time I shit on Kevin Butler’s desk… myah bad.

Regardless, Xenogears is one of Square’s classic RPGs from their so called “golden PS age” from way back in good ole’ 1998. It features the lovely, if o’so tired Active Time Battle system, and is know for its rich and deep storyline. Filled with enough melodrama, rhetorical questions, and giant robots to make even the most harden weeaboo cry, Xenogears drops to the PSN this Tuesday. I could care less, but I’ll probably buy it just because I buy everything… I hate not being inclusive.

Source:

PSBlog

February 21st is a big day for me personally, it’s my birthday, and with it I get to celebrate a lot of really significant moments and events throughout history. In 1245, Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland, resigned after having confessed to torture and forgery. In 1925, the first issue of the New Yorker was published. Alka Seltzer first introduced in ’31, and in ’79, Jennifer Love Hewitt was born! Coincidentally, no other major historical event occurred in 1984, proving that the world respected the date of my arrival and wouldn’t dare allow anything to happen to try and detract from it.

All that aside, the 21st of February also marks another milestone in the lives of thousands. On this day, in the year of our Lord 1986, Nintendo first released The Legend of Zelda to Famicom home console. Now, if you’ve done the math then you know today signifies a momentous occasion for the series. And if you haven’t, then you’re an idiot and let me tell you to save you the head ache. Today is the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda.

Two things occurred to me: first, I found it quite insulting that Nintendo threw a big hullabaloo about Mario‘s silver year and not for what many consider a far superior series. Secondly, I wondered why this concerned me more than my actual birthday and why I was not wondering what time I should run home to play the “let’s see how fast I can forget my name” game. The latter, I never figured out but realized would eventually sort its self out. The former, however, stuck with me.

I mean, come on Nintendo! With Mario we got wallpapers, and news coverage, and a wii game, I’m talking the full nine. But with Zelda, we get diddly and that shit just ain’t cool! One might attribute the 25th anniversary of Mario to the very birth of Nintendo its self, but Zelda is just as i’sonomous with the brand. So why no love? I don’t have an answer, nor do I expect to gain one any time soon.

What I did want do, however, is to thank Shigeru Miyamoto and the creative team at Nintendo. No matter how much slack or grief I, or anyone, gives the franchise for its current directions, you’ve earned an undying respect. You’re doing “God’s work” as a friend of mine might say. And for the past 25 years you’ve inspired me! Inspired me to do what I do, and to keep playing. Not only with Zelda, but all games! I think Willy Wonka said it best… You guys are the music makers, and you are the dreamers of dreams.

Its been 25 years of questing, the better part of my 27 years on this earth, and I’ve been with you the whole way.  This year I’m going to blow out all of my candles in hopes of another 25, and Nintendo getting its shit together for your big 5-0! Thank you again!

Sources:

ZeldaUniverse (video)
IGN (image)

Japan is a crazy place. I’ve only spent a modicum of time there, and I would have stayed longer but the government isn’t exactly flexible on the time of your deportation, but in that time I picked up on a few things about the culture. These are a people of discipline, integrity, hentaicles, and who downright love the idea of overcoming difficult situations. This mentality often translates over unto their gaming ideals, which is why they love grinding and ridiculous learning curves. So, I have to say it came as a shock to me when I read that most Japanese gamers have been complaining about the difficulty of Atlus‘ action-puzzle-dating-sim-love-bubble-inducing Catherine.

Numerous messages have been flooding the Atlus‘ inbox, citing that the game is almost unplayable. There have been so many complaints that, on his blog, the game’s director, Katsura Hashino, has announced that a patch is in the works to lessen the difficulty. However, he did take the time to justify the game’s design:

“The reason the game’s action parts are so difficult is that they adjusted the game to make it so that players would feel the thrills of the nightmares and get a feeling of accomplishment. It’s also possible that the staff just got too good at the game.”

I think Hashino and Team Atlus should just stick to their guns on this one. Everybody bitched about Demon’s Souls at first too, but we muddled through it, and you won a shit-ton of praise. Just do a blanket reply to everyone in Japan and tell them to stop being bitches. Troll, out.

Source:

Andriasang
Hashino’s Blog

Patience apparently isn’t a virtue to teh interwebs. The promised release date of  MvC 3‘s first batch of DLC characters apparently wasn’t soon enough for some, despite it being less of a month away. A group of talented, if not misguided, game-hackers have unlocked the incomplete on-disk code for Jill Valentine. The footage above shows what I can assume is at least a decent array of her combos and move list. However, much like the rest of the game, the “Jill-so-far” lacks the wackiness of her MvC2 counterpart.

Again, I think this is the one of the biggest downfalls of the game. Where the fuck is my horde of zombies? Or the dogs? OR THE CROWS? THE FUCKING CROWS! Sigh, I guess I’ll still hold out on the thought that they can’t screw up Shuma Gorath.

Gearbox Software has announced today the details of the Duke Nukem Forever Collecto….. Balls of Steel Edition.

For those of you into that kind of thing here is what you get:

• Collectible bust of the greatest alien ass-kicker of all-time
• Numbered Limited edition certificate of authenticity
• 100-page hardcover book: History, Legacy & Legend: Duke Nukem Forever Art from the Vault
  (These are just charcoal sketches of George Broussard playing World of Warcraft naked instead of working on DNF)
• Duke Nukem Forever postcard series (Who still writes postcards?)
• Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem sticker
• Duke Nukem Forever collectible comic book
• Duke Nukem Forever foldable paper craft
• Duke Nukem Forever poker chips
• Duke Nukem Forever mini-card deck
• Duke Nukem Forever radioactive emblem dice

You get the game too despite the advertisement not actually listing it. The Balls of Steel Edition will set you back $99.99USD (360 and PS3) or $89.99USD (PC) depending on your platform of choice and should be released on May 3rd, 2011.

**Update**

Looks like Gamestop and Walmart have just announced their pre-order bonuses for Duke Nukem Forever. If you pre-order from Gamestop you get the following DLC:

• In-game EGO boost
• Big Head Mode
• T-Shirt Pack

On the flip side you can head down to your local Walmart and get the Duke Nukem Forever Trucker Hat for your pre-order bucks.

Banner Image Credit: Supmeow

After a long drought of information on the series, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has been officially announced. Bethesda had said the vast majority of their development staff was hard at work on a new game, and it appears this is it. Skyrim will be the first installment in the series in over five years, and a direct sequel to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The reveal trailer was shown on the Spike VGAs.

Rumors in recent weeks had claimed the game was very far along and had already begun voice acting, so the announced release date of November 11, 2011, sounds right on track. The best news comes in a recent tweet from Bethesda community manager, Rick Brecon, which states “We can now confirm that the TES V: Skyrim engine is all-new. And it looks fantastic.” Oblivion looked great, but it really feels the engine has gone as far as it can with Fallout. Sure, a fresh engine means new glitches and graphical bugs, but Bethesda fans should be used to them by now.

At this time, platforms have not been confirmed.

http://www.elderscrolls.com

Sony held a press conference this evening to talk about direction and market performance, but also to unleash this little nugget on the gaming world: the successor to the PSP, codenamed Next Generation Portable, is ready to roll… this holiday season.

Kaz Hirai, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., took the stage and spoke of the future of the PlayStation platform. The first announcement is of the PlayStation Suite, which is the name given to the full offering of PlayStation products and experiences. PlayStation Suite includes PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, and PlayStation Cross-Platform gaming, all tied together with the PlayStation Network and its 69 million user accounts. Top PS One games will soon be offered on Android Marketplace and potentially other mobile platforms that can pass Sony’s new PlayStation certification process. Any game PlayStation Certified is guaranteed to deliver an experience on par or better than that of the original game.

The announcements didn’t stop there of course. Sony went on to reveal their new portable device, codenamed Next Generation Portable. The NGP/PSP2 will be a complete reimagining of the PSP experience, modified to include changes to mobile culture that have come about since the first PSP was released over five years ago. It will focus on community and location-based gaming. Avatars, leaderboards, trophies, and messaging are all to be included in the portable version of PSN integrated into the device. Powered by 3G, the NGP will feature an always-connected home to integrate your social network accounts with Sony’s new community, LiveArea. LiveArea features LiveFeed, a Twitter-like stream of your gaming lifestyle which your friends can “like” and comment on. You can also publish your feed in parts or in whole to your Facebook or Twitter streams. Continuing the social focus of the device, through a new app called Near, any time your NGP comes into proximity with another, they “ping” each other and allow you to save each other as friends. It also tracks your personal gaming habits on-the-go and shows you what people who frequent your regular spots are playing.

Like them or not, Sony has a long history of making incredible and impressive portable electronics. The NGP is no different. It measures 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm, and features a quad-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor with a 5 inch, multi-touch capacitive OLED screen running at 960 x 544 and “near PS3 graphics”. A multi-touch capacitive pad on the rear of the device allows for new styles of control, and front and rear facing cameras add flexibility for all your video chatting and augmented reality needs. Further specs show integrated six-axis motion control, gyroscopic tracking (a la PlayStation Move), and inline compass, along with GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi b/g/n, and 3G data. Games will be delivered via PlayStation Network and via yet to be announced flash media.

Franchises confirmed for entries on the NGP include Killzone, Hot Shots Golf, Gravity Daze, Hustle Kings, Reality Fighters, Smart As, Broken, LBP, Little Deviants, Wipeout, Resistance, Uncharted, Monster Hunter, Monkey Ball, Yakuza, Lost Planet, Metal Gear Solid, and Call of Duty. A technical demonstration of Metal Gear Solid 4 was displayed, showing the power of the handheld’s graphic processor and screen. A demo of Lost Planet 2 was also shown, and it was noted that the effort in porting from PS3 to NGP was “minimal”. The demo for Uncharted showed what could lead to be a developer’s nightmare by way of widely varied control schemes. You can move using the directional pad, dual analog sticks, rear touch panel, front touch screen, or six-axis tilt. They might as well add voice control to the mix for good measure.

No information yet on the cost of the device or 3G connectivity. My guess, based on the $249 tag on the 3DS and the sheer amount of technology in this thing, is that we’ll see it in mid-November for $399. Any lower than that and Nintendo should seriously consider a price cut for the holidays.

So yeah, Nintendo finally-officially announced pricing and a release date for their eye holocaust machine…eh, I mean the 3DS. Slated to drop on March 25th in the UK and March 27th in North America the Nintendo 3DS will retail at $249.99, which is right around where everyone expected. It will launch in two FAB-U-LOUS colors, Aqua Blue and Cosmo Black, and will ship with own charging cradle and 2GB SD Card.

With up to 30 titles being promised by June, I can’t wait to see the line of crying, sticky-fingered, shit-covered children that tantrum their way into getting one of these things. The numbers are just going to be stupid or something. Personally, I hope all those kids go blind and their parents sue Nintendo. Then all the lawsuits cause Nintendo to file bankruptcy, and after winning all that money all the parents are involved in a horrible car crash ala Twisted Metal-style. That’s the only way I feel I’m going to get justice for having to wake up so fucking early and write this shit. Goddammit, I need a new gig, Troll… out.

Remember that ridiculous Mortal Kombat trailer that came out last summer? At the time, no one really had any idea what it was. Rumors started coming out that it was an independent short film shot to show Warner Bros. what a revamped version of Mortal Kombat could be. Well their plan worked… sort of. Director of the short, Kevin Tancharoen, has been green lit for a 10-part internet series based off the trailer.

The 10 webisodes will focus on Jax (you know, the black dude with bionic armor-plated arms). Now I know what you are all thinking, “Really? Jax? I guess that’s cool but there is so many better characters!” While there certainly could be better fighters to center around, the creators made a great decision in bringing back Black Dynamite himself from the original trailer. That’s right folks, Michael Jai White is on board for the project and will most likely be the saving grace of this adventure.

Jax

With Jax being the main character, expect to see Sonya Blade not far behind as well as a slew of other fan favorites thrown into the mix. It will be interesting to see how they take some of the more fantasy-like characters and put them into the more real world setting that the trailer showcased. I think the job they did on Reptile and Barraka was great and look forward to seeing where they will go with some of the others. No release date has been set but I think summer 2011 is a realistic time setting for the start of the series. If the series does well, who knows, maybe Warner Bros. will see there is still money in Mortal Kombat and green light the big screen version.

Much to the dismay of NamelessTed, Square-Enix announced Final Fantasy XIII-2, a direct sequel to the highly successful yet poorly received Final Fantasy XIII. The announcement came among various other updates and releases today at the Square-Enix 1st Production Department Premiere event in Japan.

Not to be confused with Final Fantasy XIV, a disaster of an MMO, Final Fantasy XIII-2 will offer a brand new story derived from the previous entry, as well as a refined battle system and yet to be announced changes to the gameplay and environment. This vagueness may sound like an appeasement to the bitching of the masses, but an interview last year with Yoshinori Kitase, producer of Final Fantasy XIII, said that they had every intention of initially including open ended world exploration and airships, but had to stop short of delivering their original “dream” due to release timelines. He went on to say that if there was demand, they would absolutely love to flesh out the Final Fantasy XIII world in a direct sequel. Looks like they got their way.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is an additional title and will not replace Final Fantasy Versus XIII or Final Fantasy Type-0 (formally Final Fantasy Agito XIII) in the Fabula Nova Crystallis project. It is being developed cross-platform by the same team that worked on Final Fantasy XIII, and is scheduled for worldwide release in Q4 2011. As with most Square-Enix conferences of late, no trailers are officially available yet but will be live on the official site on January 20. Until then, enjoy the leaked trailer above sit on your thumb.

We here at Golgotron are constantly being accused of pandering to our industry friends, and rightfully so. Because our friends are awesome and do silly-cool things like compose the epic fucking music to Super Meat Boy… Yes, I’m using the term “fucking” not as an adjective to enhance the validity of the music, but rather to imply that you should be fucking (coitus) to it. Especially the level one boss track… shit gets dirty when you bump that beat.

Regardless, the 2-cd Special Edition soundtrack is now currently available over at dBsoundworks.com for the low cost of 10 bucks. Kick an extra 5 spot over his way and composer Danny Baranowsky will even sign the thing for ya! On it, there’s 73 tracks including all the original music from the game, some guest remixes, and the cutscene scores. So, as the title implied, if you don’t buy you’re gonna get aids.

Buy now.

The Razer Switchblade is branded as a portable gaming device. From the ad campaign so far, the Switchblade aims to provide a platform to move PC gaming to the portable market, but our Razer rep constantly reminded us that absolutely nothing about this device is final. Although there is no ETA or MSRP from Razer yet, we were also reminded by reps that they would not have made a device prototype to show at CES if they were not planning on “coming up with an actual product very soon.”

The Switchblade at CES featured two different displays: a 7” multi-touch LCD on top and a game-dependent display on the bottom with a keyboard on top. Top display looked pretty good through the glass prison that kept our mitts off of it – most likely netbook resolution. The bottom display features an adaptive tactile keyboard that will change its layout and appearance dynamically with your gaming experience. The reps told us the keyboard would have lots of prebuilt profiles for popular games, but that the keyboard layout is also designed to be programmable and customizable.

Outside, the Switchblade sports only 3 ports: one for a charger, USB 3.0 and Mini-HDMI out. The Switchblade was seen sitting next to a wireless – most likely Bluetooth – mouse in Razer’s product video, but no official word from Razer on that. We also asked about what looked like a webcam on the prototype at CES and got a “no comment.”

As the big Intel logo on the body suggests, Razer is working with Intel on the project, but there is no official word on which CPU or GPU will power the Switchblade. The CES prototype Switchblade was running a build of Windows 7, but that isn’t final, and that wasn’t all it was running. We also saw shots of a custom Razer UI that looked laid out as a content management system for the Switchblade. We asked about WiFi and the possibility of a Razer game store like OnLive or Steam, but all we got was, “we’ll see.” The demo that was playing for the Switchblade also looked largely pre-rendered, so there is no way to draw any sort of hardware capability out of what we saw on the prototype.

The idea of revolutionizing handheld gaming with a device like this is certainly attractive – especially to the gamer crowd as they are today. This device could definitely provide an excellent bridge for PC games to a new and eerily familiar platform. When I first saw the Switchblade and heard the revolutionary idea with truly mobilizing the PC gaming ideal, it sounded like a step in the right direction. I immediately thought, “Hey, it’ll be nice to have a mobile platform that isn’t using 6-year-old technology to run some good games.” Unfortunately the pre-rendered video that was looping on the Switchblade showcased software like Quake 3, DOTA (WarCraft 3), and World of WarCraft that is all at least 6 years old. However, there are still games coming out today (take a look at all the indie packs on this holiday’s Steam sale) that could provide an excellent platform for casual gaming.

While it will be refreshing to have some access to your PC games while you’re away from home, this device is still marketed to mobilize PC games in a form factor that is smaller than today’s netbooks. Razer’s target demographic of hardcore gamers might be missed by an attempt to provide a new type of platform for popular PC games by giving them another underpowered device that won’t run Metro 2033 on max DX11 settings. If the Switchblade’s purpose is to bring casual PC gaming away from home and to give gamers yet another way to squeeze in more game time to their favorite and seasoned MMORPG, Razer just might strike pay dirt.

As of this morning, Twin Galaxies, the authority on all things “High Score”, have officially announced that Hank Chien’s 1,068,000 point score for Donkey Kong will be counted. Chien, a plastic surgeon, took two hours and forty-five minutes to give Underdog Wiebe and Douche-bag-extraordinaire Mitchell a high score uppercut and take hold of the title.

This, however, isn’t Chien’s first tour into the realm of the “King of Kong“, he was the previous record holder when Billy Mitchell re-scored the throne back in August. Wiebe had supposedly submitted a tape to TG sometime in late August that would have trumped Mitchell’s record, but now that’s all moot.

I still don’t get how these people can break a million points, that shit is insane! Chien’s prowess makes some sense given his profession. He spent a half-million on schooling to develop skill-hands, I’d be pissed if that didn’t translate over. Regardless, all of the Big 3 will be attending this March’s KONG OFF in New Jersey. Then we’ll see who the true champ is!

Source: Twin Galaxies

Not to be out done by its comic-y rival (see below, probably directly below as its a slow morning for news), Mortal Kombat 9, aka “NEW MORTAL KOMBAT”, has also reveal two new characters to its ever-growing roster. According to the latest issue of Game Informer, MK 1 alumni Jade and Goro will be joining the blood bath of stale game play and a rigid fighting engine that we’ve all come to expect from the franchise.

I really don’t want to add to the pile of hate that MK than everyone already has, but come on! You can’t pump out a sequel of year then randomly call it a “Reboot”. Take a note from Capcom and take some time to develop your engine and make a decent game, because no amount of nostalgia and additional characters are going to save you now.

Source: Game Informer

Yeah, I know, everyone knew this was happening but it’s still freggin’ cool! Final Fight’s Haggar and Marvel’s Phoenix (still prefer her dark side) have officially been announced as playable characters in Marvel vs. Capcom 3. These new additions bring the roster count up to 34, and God and hopefully Seth Killian-willing there will be at least 2 more… I still need my Jin back.

With the game launching on February 15th, there’s not much longer that we’ll all have to wait but for right now, these videos should hold you over. Phoenix after the jump…