Sunday, October 4, 2009

New Modern Warfare 2 Trailer Debuts

The latest trailer for Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 is set to debut on NBC during Sunday Night Football, but fans can already get the full uncut version on the internet.

http://www.infinityward.com/games.php?/videos?id=5#/videos?id=5

That thud you just heard? The collective jaw of the video game community hitting the floor!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Wii Price Cut On The Way?

Kotaku has managed to get a hold of an upcoming Toys 'R Us ad, and it shows the Wii listed at the new price of $199. Also of note is that Wii Sports is still bundled with the system. The ad is aimed for the week of September 27th, leading the staff at Kotaku to believe that an announcement could be made at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show.

Source: http://kotaku.com/5359038/toys-r-us-ad-points-to-199-wii-price-drop-this-month

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Modern Warfare 2 Info Galore!

Inifinity Ward is finally showing off the multiplayer experience to members of the media, and plenty of information is being reported. Geoff Keighley tweeted about new perks and a feature allowing you to choose where you respawn. However, the biggest piece of news so far wasn't about the game itself but a new 360 SKU: The Modern Warfare 2 Limited Edition Xbox 360.

After getting off the stage at the event, Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling announced the console will include a 250GB hard drive!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

New Modern Warfare 2 Video

Over on twitter, fourzerotwo just announced the latest video showcasing Modern Warfare 2's multiplayer, and it contains a load of information. With new killstreak rewards, a much desired perk, and a network feature that fans of the original will be very happy to see, this video delivers the goods.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4PMRFkx07g

Monday, August 31, 2009

New Halo 3 ODST campaign level on GTTV this week.

GTTV's Geoff Keighley just tweeted that this week's episode of GTTV will show off a new level from the Halo 3 ODST campaign. He also hinted at Halo: Reach, but this is probably just a tease. Either way, Halo fans won't want to miss this week's episode, which airs on Thursday at 12:30 AM ET on Spike.

For a video preview of the episode, click the link below.

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/episode-221-gametrailers-tv/55279

Thursday, August 27, 2009

MW2 to Feature Dual-Wield Weapons

According to a recent message board post on MW2Scope:

"At a recent video game retailer event, Robert Bowling, community manager for Infinity Ward, was showing off a level in the single player campaign when he came across a dead body who was packing a desert eagle. No big deal, right? But instead of just getting a replacement sidearm, Bowling was able to pick up two Deagles at once and go all John Woo on their asses.

In his words:"I...happened to walk over a body that had Akimbo (dual wield side arm), therefore the icon for the weapon popped up on screen and the room went crazy with chants demanding I pick it up and use it." So I did. "Happened to be dual Deagles. Now to calm some initial fears of "OMG! Overpowered!".

Akimbo is limited and balanced, just like EVERYTHING in the game. It's limited to sidearms, harder to aim than standard and you can't go ADS (aim down sights) since you have a weapon in each hand; Among other balancing techniques, so don't freak out before you see it in action." Obviously this will make people instantly think of dual wielding in "Halo," but like Bungie, Infinity Ward is pretty good at balancing their games. I'd be shocked if games devolved into wild west pistolero battles, given the limitations. I'll take an assault rifle over two sidearms any day of the week, thank you very much.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

XBox Aims to Drop Price of Elite

In a response to the current sharp decline of video game sales and units sold across all platforms, Microsoft has decided to drop the price of the XBox Elite to $299. This price was originally reserved for the XBox Pro series, however current economic pressures have prompted the video game giant to take action in order to save profits.

According to GameInformer.com:"The Xbox 360 Pro, long considered the essential 360 package, is rumored to be phased out in coming weeks. It's successor? Bigger and badder brother the Elite. The Elite currently touts double the Pro's hard drive space (120 gb), an HDMI cable, and a sleek matte black finish. That's right, potential 360 buyers are going to be able to get the Elite for the same price consumers are paying now for the Pro" (2009).

Source:http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200908/N09.0812.1237.19072.htm

New Mass Effect DLC, avatar items released.

The new DLC for Mass Effect that was mentioned last week is available now on the Xbox Live Marketplace. "Pinnacle Station" is available for 400 Microsoft Points and promises two to three hours of gameplay.

In addition, a load of Mass Effect themed items were added to the Avatar Marketplace. Items include full sets of armor, helmets, shirts and more!

New Halo 3 ODST ViDoc released

Starring the one and only Sergeant Avery Johnson.

http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=ViDoc_WelcomeToFirefight

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Review: Shadow Complex

Chair sets a new standard for Xbox Live Arcade titles

Developer: Chair Entertainment
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) for Mild Language and Violence


Intro

Ever since it debuted at E3 2009, Shadow Complex has been one of the most anticipated titles to hit Xbox Live Arcade this year. Created by Chair, the studio behind the 2007 XBLA hit Undertow, Shadow Complex is a single player side-scrolling shooter/adventure hybrid that is influenced heavily by classics such as Metroid and Castlevania.

Story

After a brief prologue on the streets of Washington, D.C., the main story takes place in remote Washington State. You are Jason Fleming, an everyman who is out hiking with his new girlfriend Claire. After being separated, you discover that Claire was kidnapped and taken to a secret installation.

Through cutscenes and dialog, bits and pieces of the story unfold. However, other than the prologue and ending, the games main focus is on the story of Jason and Claire. I find this odd, considering the game’s ties to the Empire novel were brought up almost every time it was talked about.

Nevertheless, with a few plot twists and convincing dialogue, you will be motivated to see how the story of Jason and Claire plays out.

Gameplay

At the start, you are only armed with a flashlight, but via exploration, you acquire new weapons that allow you to progress throughout the game. Weaponry includes standard fare such as machine guns, grenades and rockets, as well as obscure offerings such as the hookshot and foam gun.

Aiming at targets is as simple as moving the right analog stick, and while hitting some of the targets in the distance can prove difficult at times, the game’s auto-aim does a good job of putting your shots where you want them to go.

Exploration starts out as running, jumping and climbing, but after acquiring various weapons, you will be able to explore areas that were once out of reach. As you upgrade your armor, you will be able to triple jump, hook to terrain, and even create terrain where there was none with the aforementioned foam gun. In case you get lost, a map will show you the way to go and also point out any items you may have missed along the way.

Breaking up the exploration are various boss battles. While on screen messages hint at strategies to defeat each boss, most battles can be won by spamming the enemy with grenades and missiles. The notable exception to this is the last boss, which without ruining the surprise, is unlike any other you will face throughout the game.

Visuals

With the Unreal Engine 3 at its core, Shadow Complex features graphics that are on par with the best retail titles on the shelf. The lighting and textures of the facility are beautiful, and the pseudo 3-D environment will give you plenty to look at once all the enemies have fallen.

While exploring the halls of the complex can be repetitive, there are just enough outdoor and underwater game areas to keep things fresh. Speaking of the underwater gameplay, the blurry vision you get once you go underwater was a very nice, albeit subtle, touch that added realism to the game.

Audio

The bulk of the audio content in Shadow Complex is explosions, gunfire, and enemies screaming. At various points in the game, you will stumble across soldiers in a conversation, while other times the only thing you will hear is the ambience of the environment around you.

There is very little in the way of music here. While various cutscenes and other moments in gameplay feature music, the soundtrack for the majority of your journey will be silence. An exception to this is whenever you clear a room of enemies, you will get a little music to let you know that it’s all clear.

Summary

For 15 bucks, Shadow Complex might be the best deal on Xbox Live Arcade. While it’s story might leave something to be desired, the gameplay more than makes up for it. A game the quality of titles four times its price, Shadow Complex is one of the best releases on the Xbox 360 this year, period.

Shadow Complex update now available on Xbox Live

A new title update has been released for Shadow Complex, fixing an issue where the game would freeze while loading the leaderboards.

Shadow Complex is the latest title from Chair, the creators of the 2007 XBLA title Undertow. A hybrid of Metroid and Castlevania, Shadow Complex features the Unreal 3 Engine.

Expect a full review of the game later today.

Friday, August 21, 2009

New Mass Effect DLC on the way?

It sure seems that way, according to the achievements list on Xbox.com.

http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news/news-3358-Mass-Effect-Updated-to-1200-.html

The three new achievements boost the total gamerscore for Mass Effect to 1200. It's been a long time since the first piece of DLC, Bring Down The Sky, hit the marketplace and while more content has been previously hinted at, this is the first information about what that new DLC entails.

Source:

http://www.xbox360achievements.org

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Bioshock 2 Delayed until "fiscal 2010"

Earlier this month developers of the massive gaming hit Bioshock announced that plans for the release of a potential sequel would be delayed until "fiscal 2010". Much to the chagrin of many fans, Take-Two did not provide many details about the cause of the delay, other than the desire to have "additional development time to ensure that this title will deliver what its fans expect and deserve" (G4tv.com, 2009).

According to Geoff Keighley's Twitter feed on the subject, "In calendar terms, BioShock 2 will be out during the first half of 2010 -- between Jan - June".

Many gamers believe that this could be a strategic move by the developers to help increase profits later on in what should be a higher-grossing year for video gaming, especially when considering the recent sharp decline in overall sales in the industry.

Source:

http://www.g4tv.com/