Gamer News 3-23-09: Hey Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
Those RRODs that us 360 gamers have had to deal with because of Microsoft’s incredibly shitty heat dissipation half-assed into their console have been “solved” if you believe the bullshit. Even if you haven’t had another RROD in the past couple months, there is something new to worry about. Called the ‘E74′ error, it will kill your box, M$ says it’s not their problem, and they will charge you $100+ to fix it. Yeah, and you jackholes expect us to lay out a few hundred $$$ for Windows 7? Well, pucker up and kiss the fattest part of my ass. Click here for details. On the E74 error, not my ass.
New map packs are coming soon for both Gears of War 2 as well as Halo 3. Well, the update coming for GOW2 is a bit more than just a map pack. Perhaps just shy of a full blown expansion, there are lots of goodies to try to lure players away from games of lesser levels of pwnage. Click here for details of the GOW2 update, which will be available on March 24th, with the map pack to follow on the 31st. The Halo 3 map pack is coming on April 9th, though if you laid out the extra $$$ for the Halo Wars limited edition you can get it now. Click here to see details on the Halo 3 map pack.
So features that should have been included in Resident Evil 5 upon release, are not only coming as DLC (which you will have to pay for), but now they have been delayed. April 9th is the new day (for North American players) when you will have the honor of paying for the developer’s rush to market. Seriously, I don’t care how great the game is, this should have been available at launch, or made available for free by the developer. No amount of fanboism or justification can account for these shenanigans. Click here for details.
So, have you heard about the recently announced Blacklight? This is the wave of the future in a quickly coalescing entertainment industry. Zombie Studios is developing a futuristic-themed shooter called Blacklight. Well anyway, Fox Atomic has signed a deal with them to help in the development of said game, in addition to producing a comic series and feature film on the same game. Click here for details as well as the first screenshot. Well, there’s not too much info available yet, but if they keep Uwe Boll away from it, they may have a chance. Click here for the official site, or rather what there is of it at this early stage.
Tags: Blacklight, DLC, Fox Atomic, Gears of War 2, Halo 3, Hey Did You Hear..., Microsoft, News, red ring of death, Resident Evil 5, Xbox 360, Zombie Studios
Gamer News 01.16.09: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…the new DLC for Fable II is now available on Xbox Live? It will cost you 800 MS points ($10) but it’s totally worth it for what you get. Not only does it unlock a new area of the map called Knothole Island, but the island itself offers some great upgrades including a resurrection shrine, new weapons, potions to repair mistakes you made earlier in the game like gorging on too much pie and a lot more. Check out the details at: Lionhead Studios
…the Steve Miller Band is finally coming to Rock Band 2? A new list of upcoming tracks for next week’s Rock Band DLC includes SMB classics, “The Joker,” “Take the Money and Run” and “Space Cowboy.” Also in the DLC will be one track each from: Godsmack, Belly, Mute Math, Rob Zombie and Ghost Hounds. Full story: 1Up
…Princess Peach and Cortana are the SAME woman? At least, they are voiced by the same woman, Jen Taylor, who was also the voice of Zoey in Left 4 Dead, and a few more that may surprise you. Games Radar has unveiled a really entertaining and sometimes mind blowing list of video game voices, that kept me hooked for the whole read. It’s worth checking out at: Games Radar
…Gears of War 2 is losing the sales war to Call of Duty: World at War? According to the latest US sales numbers, Gears 2 has sold about 2.8M units to date, but COD:WaW snuck past them last week with about 3M units. Let’s not forget that Gears had a one week head start, and yet they still fell behind. Check out the numbers at: VG Chartz
…Nirvana bassist, Krist Novoselic, can’t seem to master Nirvana on Rock Band 2? In a pretty funny little antidote he shared on Seattle Weekly’s blog, Novoselic described stumbling upon a RB2 demo at a big box store, and attempting to play “In Bloom” with disastrous results. Give it a read at: Seattle Weekly
Tags: 1Up, Belly, Call of Duty World At War, Cortana, DLC, Fable II, Games Radar, Gears of War 2, Ghost Hounds, Godsmack, Hey Did You Hear..., Jen Taylor, Knothole Island, Krist Novoselic, Left 4 Dead, Lionhead Studios, Mute Math, News, Nirvana, Princess Peach, Rob Zombie, Rock Band 2, Seattle Weekly, Steve Miller Band, VG Chartz, Zoey
Musashi’s 2008 Games of the Year
Posted by HCG Musashi | Filed under Games of the Year, Reviews
While it’s always been a challenge for me to narrow down one title to deem my “Game of the Year”, 2008’s release schedule made that task nearly impossible. Each month was packed with at least one buzz-worthy title to take a peek at while other months (November, please stand up and be recognized) had our heads spinning with multiple A-Class titles every week. 2008 will definitely go down in my mind as one of the more impressive years in video game releases.
GAME OF THE YEAR:
Metal Gear Solid 4 - Guns of the Patriots (Playstation 3)
WHY
While Guns of the Patriots is hands-down a technical A-Class (or S-Class?) game, I feel it’s true shining achievement is it’s storyline and portrayal of characters. Sure, the Metal Gear Series is older than most of the gamers playing it today, but I don’t feel the series’ staying power is what made Guns of the Patriots so good; it was Kojima studios’ amazing storytelling and character portrayl that hit it out of the park. While I’ve had the privilege of growing up with Metal Gear series - all the way back to the NES days - it still amazes me that a game produced in 1988 with no more than a simple story on the back of a black and white instruction booklet has grown into a now 20 year old gaming dynasty that has sold millions of copies worldwide.
CONTENDERS TO THE TITLE
Tags: 2008 games of the year, Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, Gears of War 2, Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid 4, Person 4, Playstation 2, PS2, PS3, Reviews, Xbox 360
KP1gL37’s 2008 Games of the Year
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Games of the Year, Reviews
2008 was a pretty stellar year in gaming. With more than a few highly-anticipated sequels hitting the shelves, and a slew of original titles blowing me away, narrowing it down to my select chosen favs for the year turned out to be more challenging than I thought.
So here it is, KP1gL37’s 2008 games of the year:
Game of the Year: Prince of Persia for Xbox 360 (Released: Dec 9, 2008)
I agonized over Game of the Year for a few weeks, and finally gave in to my first instinct with Prince of Persia for the Xbox 360. Between the original platformer trilogy, the recent Sands Of Time trilogy and the countless other portable and remake versions, Prince of Persia has been gracing gaming since 1989, so you bet your ass this was one special remake to beat out the other amazing Game of the Year contenders.
Read why I think PoP is GOTY after the jump
Tags: 2008 games of the year, Bully Scholarship Edition, Burnout Paradise, Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, Prince of Persia, Reviews, Rock Band 2, Xbox 360
Dreadsorrow’s 2008 Games Of The Year
Posted by HCG Dreadsorrow | Filed under Games of the Year, Reviews
I play mostly MMOs, but in recent weeks I have finally overcome my brainblocks to playing shooters on a console, and am enjoying them now immensely. However, I am still primarily an MMO player. I certainly hope that my favorite MMOs wind up on consoles someday, but I’m not holding my breath on that.
Anyway, I tried out a few new MMOs in 2008, but they were somewhat less than satisfying (e.g. Age of Conan). But with an MMO, expansions tend to add so much in terms of gameplay and content to the original game that I include MMO expansions among original releases when considering which is the best game released in any given year. So, without further fanfare or titillation…
GAME OF THE YEAR
Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria, nothing else is even close. LOTRO was already so epic in size, so true to Tolkien’s original vision, that I didn’t think it was possible to be any better.
WHY
The Mines of Moria expansion has added such an enormous amount of content that it boggles the mind. Everything was so well implemented, the launch so smooth, everything so bug-free, I had to really nitpick to find fault with the game. But most important, by playing this game, you get a real sense of how epic a virtual world can be, and how very small you can feel dwelling inside it. Turbine is not perfect, no game developer is. But their screw-ups are made insignificant by their successes.
Tags: 2008 games of the year, Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Left 4 Dead, Lord of the Rings Online, Mines of Moria, Reviews, Sins of a Solar Empire, Star Wars Force Unleashed
Gamer News 12.18.08: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…Xbox Live gamers are already OVER Gears of War 2? Stats on the Xbox Live’s activity report show that gamers are moving on from Gears 2, dropping it to #4 behind Halo 3, CoD WoW at CoD 4. I’m thinking people played multiplayer Gears 1 so much, that they are just not interested in the same type of gameplay on Gears 2. Either that, or they reached level 50 on horde and then said, “bored now.” Full story: Major Nelson
…Playstation Home has already been hacked? It seems that Sony’s developers were trying to hack the system to uncover potential issues, and they found more than a few. The biggest concern? A “security loophole” that allows a hacker to upload or delete any file to and from the Home server. Yeah…you might want to patch that one, Sony before the whole system gets Rick-Rolled. Full story: Tech Radar
…a World of Warcraft-styled version of the George Bush shoe throwing footage has been created? I don’t know what it is (ok, maybe I do know) but I just can’t see enough of ole’ Bushie almost taking a shoe to the head! Check it out and lol
…Toys R Us opened a Nintendo department in their Times Square store? The 1,000 sq ft department is dedicated to all things Nintendo, and provides shoppers with interactive experiences including a Wii wall and a Nintendo gallery that showcases the history of the gaming giant. Full story: VG Chartz
…Lego Batman is the latest game to come to the iPhone? In a seemingly never ending list of titles making the jump to iPhone and iPod touch format, “Lego Batman: Gotham City Games” will feature a series of mini games, and will sell for the bargain price of $6. Full story and screenshots can be found at: Kotaku
Tags: 2DF Freeplay, Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, Call of Duty World At War, Gears of War 2, George Bush, hacker, Hey Did You Hear..., iPhone, iPod touch, Kotaku, Lego Batman: Gotham City Games, Major Nelson, News, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Playstation Home, Sony, Tech Radar, Times Square, Toys R Us, VG Chartz, World of Warcraft, WoW, Xbox 360, Xbox Live
Gamer News 12.16.08: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…Club Nintendo has finally arrived in the US? The Nintendo loyalty program, which has traditionally only been available to Japanese and European gamers, offers a way to register your Nintendo products and participate in surveys, etc. to earn “coins” toward cool rewards. Learn more and sign up at: Club Nintendo
…there is an Easter egg that allows you to unlock cowboy hats on all the characters in Gears of War 2? Here’s how to do it: consecutively shoot the 3 hidden cowboy hats with your pistol in Chapter 3 of Act 1 (on Insane difficulty.) Once you do that, you will unlock cowboy hats for all characters. Check it out in action on You Tube
…a Flash game parody of the Iraq journalist President Bush shoe attack incident is already live? The game was cranked out in less than 24-hours by T-Enterprise, and features the ability to shoot pistols loaded with shoes at the Commander-In-Chief’s head. Necessary? Hardly. Hilarious? You betcha. Play the game online at: T-Enterprise
…people like to dress up as anime characters in their spare time? Ok, ok, so anime cosplay is nothing new, but I bet you HAVEN’T seen this site that features a photo gallery exclusively made up of Final Fantasy cosplay. Check it out and drool at the hot anime girls at: AnimeVice
…playing video games may help grandma and grandpa stay sharp-minded for longer? According to a new study among 60 and 70 year olds who were trained to play video games, the seniors showed impovement in memory and reasoning ability while gaming. Interesting thought…if you don’t mind walking gram and gramps through the tutorial. Full story: UPI
Tags: anime, Club Nintendo, cosplay, Easter Egg, Final Fantasy, Gears of War 2, grandparents, Nintendo, Xbox 360
I’m Calling Out Marisa Miller: Your Gamertag is NOT Pummel Puss
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under News, Random Cool Stuff
Now, I was a little skeptical when supermodel Marisa Miller announced her Xbox Live gamertag on the 2008 Spike TV Video Game awards tonight. I thought it was even more dubious when she invited the world to come play Gears of War 2 with her and, “get yourself chainsawed.” I tried to check out her gamer tag, but sure enough…it doesn’t exist. I tried every variation. Every possible spelling. With spaces, a hyphen, you name it. Believe me, I TRIED, and this chick’s “supposed” tag of Pummel Puss is nowhere to be found.
As a female gamer, I’m sick and tired of women pretending to love gaming just for the sake of whatever TV special they are hired to shake their boobs on. So, I am officially calling you out Marisa. One female to another. If you really are the gamer you claim you are, you will have no problem giving us your REAL tag.
Tags: 2008 Spike TV Video Game Awards, Gears of War 2, Marisa Miller, News, Random Cool Stuff, Victoria's Secret, Xbox Live
Gamer News 12.14.08: Hey, Did You Hear…(the 2008 Spike TV Video Game Awards Edition)
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…Fight Night Round 4 will feature legendary fighters including Muhammad Ali and MIKE TYSON (wow.) Tyson himself came onstage to introduce the trailer for the new EA title, and from the looks of it, I am already foaming at the mouth for this one. It’s due in stores in summer, 09. Check out the EA web site for the game at tysonvsali.com
…Pearl Jam’s iconic studio album, Ten will soon be available for download on Rock Band? The full album will be available in March of 09 in the online music store on Xbox LIve. Dude, I can’t wait to rock out to Jeremy.
…new ”Combustible” multiplayer map downloads for Gears of War 2 will be available on Xbox LIve tonight? Based on the trailer shown, there will be more interactive elements in the environment, and some amazing vantage points if you can play The Horde on these new maps. The map pack will become available at 12PM Pacific/3AM EST.
…the new Tim Schafer title, Brutal Legend, will most likely be freaking amazing? I am basing this of course on Tim’s past brilliant and hilarious titles, the musical genius of Jack Black, and the mouth-watering trailer shown tonight. Seriously, how can you NOT be pumped for this game?
…Kratos is making a comeback for the final (?) chapter in the God of War series? God of War III will be debuting on the Playstation 3 in the fall of 09. In the meantime, the new trailer shown tonight made me hungry for more. Something about this trailer made me think was the final saga for Kratos, but who knows?
Tags: 2008 Spike TV Video Game Awards, Brutal Legend, EA, Fight Night Round 4, Gears of War 2, God of War III, Hey Did You Hear..., Jack Black, kratos, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, News, Pearl Jam, Playstation 3, PS3, Rock Band, Ten, Tim Shafer, Xbox Live
Gamer News 12.11.08: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…there may be job cuts ahead for Electronic Arts employees? EA announced on Tuesday that because of disappointing holiday sales in America and Europe, they are expecting to cancel some projects in the works, and let go of some staff. They have not specified how many staff would be laid-off, but did state it will be more than the 6% they originally estimated in October. Full story: LA Times
…Gears of War 2 is flying off the shelves? Epic VP, Mark Rein, announced that 3 million copies of the game have officially sold since launch. That’s 3 million copies in 4 weeks! Mighty impressive considering that the first Gears took 10 weeks to sell the same amount. Full story: Edge
…if you are looking to break into the game business, a job at Rock Star may be in your future? The game development company is currently recruiting worldwide for jobs ranging from programmers to managers. Check out the available jobs on Rock Star’s website.
…you can now have a sex change operation for $15? The sex change I am talking about is of course in World of Warcraft. For a $15 fee, you can now change vital details of your WoW character, including face, hair, skin color and sex. You still are not able to change race or class. Full story: Kotaku
…December 10th was the 15th birthday of Doom? Now that you officially feel like a grandpa after hearing that, dust off your copy of Doom, and celebrate! BFG FTW! Full story: Doom World
Tags: BFG, Doom, EA, Edge, Electronic Arts, Epic, Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Hey Did You Hear..., Kataku, LA Times, News, Rock Star, World of Warcraft, WoW
Gamer News 12.04.08: Hey, Did You Hear…
Posted by HCG KP1gL37 | Filed under Hey Did You Hear..., News
…Someone managed to craft a real chainsaw lancer, like in Gears of War? It was made with a AR-15 machine gun and a modified chainsaw. Check out the video on You Tube.
…Windows 7 will be able to run Crysis without a video card? A feature of the new OS will allow games and other DirectX 10 and 10.1-based apps to run using the system’s CPU as the graphics engine. Full story: Tom’s Hardware
…You can unlock colored hair for your avatar on the New Xbox Experience? All it takes is a few simple steps, and you can rock hair colors like red, blue, green and more. Full story: Just Ask the I.T. Guy
…Nintendo makes $6 profit on every Wii sold? It may not seem like a lot, but when you consider that Sony is still taking a LOSS for each unit sold, and Microsoft is breaking even, $6 seems like a windfall. Full story: Techradar
…There is a wiki created that gives a really detailed outline all of the weapons in Fallout 3? The wiki includes important stats like damage, ammo, value, and where to find the weapon in the game. The handy guide can be found at fallout.wikia.com
Tags: avatar, Crysis, Fallout 3, Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Hey Did You Hear..., Just Ask the I.T. Guy, Lancer, Microsoft, New Xbox Experience, News, Nintendo, Nintendo Wii, Sony, Techradar, Tom's Hardware, Wiki, Windows 7, Youtube
Paco’s Review - Gears of War 2. Good on you, Epic. Good on you.
Posted by HCG Paco | Filed under Reviews
I really liked the first Gears of War, in fact it was one of the best times I had playing a game with my wife. So i was really excited to play the second and my expectations were reasonably high.
Gears of War 2 did not disappoint.
Tags: CliffyB, Co-operative play, Epic, Gears of War, Gears of War 2, Review, Xbox 360
