Not too long ago, Nintendo revealed a new mode in their upcoming Wii game New Super Mario Bros. that would essentially guide novice players through a level they found too hard. Immediately the gaming world exploded, cried foul, rioted, and lambasted Nintendo with the greatest of insults. And perhaps rightfully so. The idea that there was an option in a game that essentially played the game for me would make some gaming vets believe that the video game developer has catered so wholly to the casual crowd that they don't even care about making the player finish on their own. A game killer indeed, right?
Well new information has come up, some that sheds more light on the new mode. Officially called the "Super Guide", the mode only comes into effect when a player dies 8 times in a level. The mode will use Luigi to show the player how to get past a difficult portion of the game, allowing the player to pick up at any time and continue playing. Lastly, one can choose whether or not to enable the game mode. Not so terrible, right? It gets even more not...terrible. Sources say that the inclusion of the "helper" mode gives Nintendo the ability to make New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii even more difficult than usual! Since the lowest skilled players are already taken care of by the system, Nintendo can make the rest of the game as hardcore as they'd like, ensuring that the "core" gamers won't be left out in the cold. On the contrary, they will be more challenged than ever before in a Mario game. Cool beans, eh? Check out the video to see the game in action:
Adam Sessler, host of G4's X-Play, calls it "the best single player experience I have ever played".
Bold words. For the past few days the gaming world has been abuzz with reviews pouring in from all the most trusted sites for this Playstation 3 exclusive, and they've all been stellar. I don't know about you, but stuff like this generally makes me skeptical. No game is perfect, not even the oft praised Ocarina of Time, and I want to know what reviewers didn't like about the game. For example, Michael McWhertor of Kotaku fame said that the multiplayer was fun, but not genre defining, which doesn't sound perfect to me. What's more, from all the reviews I've been reading, the single-player is still as linear as the first, and I was almost sure this was an age when open world "sandboxes" reigned supreme. Obviously Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is, like its predecessor, trying to bring a cinematic flair to a genre that's probably been needing one for a long time. Blockbuster movies are not "choose-your-adventure", they're linear rollercoasters that are meant to keep you guessing. From what we've seen, Uncharted 2 follows this movie example quite a bit, with co-op added to the mix: Play Uncharted 2 on your FREE PS3!
You have to admit, that looks like fun. That looks like stupid fun. I guess I'll just have to wait and see for myself if the hype is justified or not.
I'm not sure if everyone else has already seen and purchased these, but I've only recently been turned on to them and they're great. IGN has a review on the peripherals here. Basically, there are a lot of people out there who want a PS3 but have a problem with the controller's triggers. And that's understandable, while certain games feel fine with the "marshmallow" triggers, other games, like shooters, don't seem so hot. But now there's a new peripheral called the "real triggers" that allows PS3 owners to transform their old duddy triggers into hot FPS fraggin' ones! Observe!:
Back in 2005 I was a Battlefield 2 fiend. I thought there was nothing greater than getting a squad with five of my friends, hijacking a tank and barreling through the Pakistani desert, recklessly swerving past enemy land mines,emptying clips and grenades at pursuing vehicles. It was pure fun. But it had one major flaw; there was no story to it, no single-player of any kind. There was once a time when war games belonged almost exclusively to those small fraternity of PC gamers who had rigs powerful enough to run them. At that time, cinematics wasn't at the forefront of game design and a war game that was entirely multiplayer was seen as a norm of the industry. Get a FREE Xbox 360 Elite to play Modern Warfare 2!
But things have changed. When consoles once again took center stage in the video gaming world, suddenly there was a much wider audience exposed to these types of games, and the jump in technology allowed developers to create truly cinematic masterpieces that could rival Hollywood. And in recent history, one of the gaming franchises that have managed to garner critical and commercial acclaim for its story AND multiplayer was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Thankfully, a sequel was planned, is in the works, and has a BRAND NEW TRAILER! Observe:
Amazing stuff isn't it? The entire online world is buzzing with the intensity of the new trailer, and who could blame them? If looks could kill, half of the people on the Internet would be dead from the beauty of this beast. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is slated for release on November 10th, only a month away! And it's available for PC, Xbox 360, and Playstation 3! But what about those of us who loved the Battlefield series? Have we been cast aside, relics of a bygone era, destined to abandon those wonderfully entertaining multiplayer war games of yesteryear? Of course not! Battlefield Bad Company 2 may be coming out much later than Modern Warfare 2 (March of 2010), but that doesn't mean it still won't kick ass. Check out this awesome trailer showcasing the frantic action you can expect next year!:
Destructable environments? Air strikes? A bevy of vehicles at my disposal? Count me in. Warfare has finally come home, and it's looking brilliant! Get a BRAND NEW Playstation 3 Slim for FREE!
I used to love G.I. Joe action figures as a kid. My father, new to the United States, felt it was a great way to get me to appreciate this wonderful country by emulating those who defended it. Many hours were spent creating war strategies; making forts behind mounds of sand and mapping covert operations around ant hills. Feeding Cobra to my dog. Sigh. When I was young, G.I. Joe toys used to look like this:
See a difference? Growing up in an increasingly cynical youth culture, I've heard the old adage about the portrayal of women in the media a lot. I've heard about the model photos, the "sex sells" ads, and of course, how video games continue to perpetuate an unrealistic standard of beauty. And I'm not saying I disagree. I mean, not to pick on them, but Platinum Games' new heroine Bayonetta, is a butt-kicking scenester, complete with thick rimmed black glasses, pale skin, a beauty mark...and a suit made out of her own hair. Her design was very intentional, and the undeniable sexuality of her character is far from accidental. All the way down to her butt. Yeah.
But here's the facts: I'm a young twenty-something who will never EVER look like Marcus Fenix. My girlfriend does NOT look like Bayonetta (or Lara Croft for that matter), and I don't expect her to ever do so. And from what I can from all the relationships I know of, there just aren't many women out there who expect guys to look like Fenix (or to have guns with chainsaws on it). Yet we can all play these games, full of these images, and not have it affect our realistic expectations of beauty. And Gears of War 2 was all kinds of fun. I mean, if you play games right now you're not automatically a sexist right?
Right?
As you can see, I haven't posted here in a VERY long time. I couldn't decide what I wanted to do with the site, so I took some time off from it to figure it out. So now I'm back, with lots of new offers, free stuff, and all the gaming and toy news I can think of. You never know what I'll find so be sure to stick around!
Beatles Rock Band! Everyone's talking about it, everyone loves it, and Ringo Starr has finally become a popular Beatle! I kid, everyone loves Ringo. And everyone knows when you're smacking those Rock Band drums, trying to emulate Ringo's solo from Get Back, you'll fall for him too. Check out this video of someone doing just that!
A strategy game based on the Halo universe, Halo Wars immerses you in an early period of the storied Halo universe, allowing you to experience events leading up to the first Halo title. With the guidance of Serina, a spirited artificial intelligence (A.I.) persona, direct legions of UNSC soldiers, Warthogs, Scorpions, and more, each group having its own strengths and uses in battle. Adventurous commanders can also call upon ancient Forerunner technology, if they are fortunate enough to find it hidden throughout the battlefield.
In campaign mode, command the armies of the UNSC warship Spirit of Fire, with familiar and new UNSC units in its initial encounters against the Covenant, an alien coalition threatening to obliterate mankind. Covenant forces are also waiting for you to lead them into battle in multiplayer skirmishes via the New Xbox Experience. Call upon an arsenal of new and familiar Covenant units such as Grunts, Elites, Ghosts, and even Scarabs to defeat foes on the battlefield.
Groundbreaking Xbox 360 strategy game: Since inception, Halo Wars was explicitly designed to bring a typical PC genre to console gamers. Commanding armies is easy, controlling troops and units effortless, and epic battles are smoothly handled using an intuitive user interface. Halo Wars represents the true next-generation experience, combining a masterful control scheme with the award-winning strategic gameplay only developers Ensemble Studios can provide.
Strategic command of armies in large-scale combat: Gamers are in command of the battlefield, playing as either of two unique civilizations: UNSC or Covenant. Counter and crush your opponent by tactically fielding the superior army. Choose among leaders possessing elite skills that can turn the tide of battle. Use various combinations of leaders and units, and create countless strategies tailored to your preferred playing styles.
New take on a legendary world: Experience the early battles between the UNSC and Covenant, in a time predating Halo. Join the crew onboard the Spirit of Fire, a Phoenix-class colony ship converted for UNSC military use, and guided by the A.I. persona Serina. Discover an ancient artifact during a journey to the planet Harvest, the first planet to be attacked by the Covenant. And then get ready for the wars.
