Gamer's Edge

This Week's New Releases (4/27/10 – 5/3/10)

2010-04-27T15:57:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Super Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360, PS3)

• 2010 FIFA World Cup: South Africa (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, Wii)

• Dead to Rights: Retribution (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Nier (Xbox 360, PS3)

• PSP-PixelJunk Monsters Deluxe (PSP)

• PSP-Hot Shots Tennis (PSP)

• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (PC)

• Samantha Swift Trilogy (PC)

Till Next Time, Keep On Gaming and Enjoy!

This Week's New Releases (4/13/10 – 4/19/10)

2010-04-13T13:50:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (Xbox 360)

• Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City (PS3, PC)

• Easy Piano (DS)

• Ship Simulator Extremes PC (PC)

• Out of the Park Baseball Deluxe MBX (PC)

• Nancy Drew Triple Threat MBX (PC)

Till Next Time, Keep On Gaming and Enjoy!

This Week's New Releases (4/6/10 – 4/12/10)

2010-04-06T13:31:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Borderlands Add-On Pack: Zombie Island of Dr.Ned and Mad Maxxi’s Underdome Riot (Xbox 360, PC)

• Prison Break (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love (Wii)

• Again (DS)

• Sushi Go Round (DS)

Till Next Time, Keep On Gaming and Enjoy!

TRON Legacy is Coming!! Let’s Play a Game!!

2010-03-11T14:47:00.003-05:00

While this is a new movie that is coming out December of this year and fellow Captivate blogger Justin Anderson usually covers the world of movies with his blog “I’d Rather Be Watching Movies”, I had to put this up real quick.

TRON is one of my all time favorite movies and its set in one of my all time favorite things…A VIDEO GAME!!!! I won’t go into much detail about it because like I said that’s Justin’s domain, but basically Hacker/Arcade owner Kevin Flynn is desperate to prove that the hottest videogames from a company called ENCOM were stolen from him by a former co-worker, who is now the senior executive there.

One night, while trying to hack into the system to prove his theory is true; Flynn ends up getting pulled into the virtual world by the Master Control Program (MCP) that rules the computer system. Flynn finds that the MCP is making life in the virtual world miserable for all so Flynn's only hope is to find TRON, a heroic independent security program, and help him destroy the MCP to bring order to both worlds and take down ENCOM.

If you haven’t seen it go check it out immediately, it’s awesome. Well after many years of waiting and wanting they are finally making a sequel to it and they are going all out with ultra high def graphics and sound thanks to today’s latest technologies. This movie looks as if it is bigger and better and going to have the potential to build on and improve the original. This movie is going to rock!

So below I not only am providing a look at the trailer for the movie but also a link to a video game that they have created for the new movie’s website (http://www.flynnlives.com/ ) to test your video game knowledge. It’s pretty cool. If you successfully can name all the game titles (56 of them total) you will be awarded with the opportunity to create your own custom ENCOM badge which they will mail to you within a few weeks.

Be sure that you play the game by creating a quick account and logging in, in order to make sure you get your badge. The sign up is free, quick and easy to do. Then you too will be rocking out your new TRON memorabilia.

Check it out and see if you have what it takes to beat the game. Enjoy!

Trailer:
http://program-glitch-esc.net/

Game:
http://www.arcadeaid.com/challengingstage/

Til Next Time, Keep on Gaming!!

This Week's New Releases (3/9/10 – 3/15/10)

2010-03-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Yakuza 3 (PS3)

• Blazblue Calamity Trigger (PSP)

• Lovely Lisa and Friends (DS)

• Pokemon SoulSilver Version (DS)

• Pokemon HeartGold Version (DS)

• Imagine Gymnast (DS)

• Command Complete (PC)

• Assassin’s Creed II (PC)

Till Next Time, Keep On Gaming and Enjoy!

Cheat of the Week

2010-02-18T14:38:00.000-05:00

Mass Effect 2 – Useful Hints and Tricks (Xbox 360, PC)

Cheat: Double Your Hacking Rewards

Occasionally, after completing a hacking mini game for credits etc. you can press A repeatedly as the window closes and cause the game to glitch out and let you hack a second time -- for another chunk of credits! This is rare, but it sometime does work -- so get in the habit of mashing.

Hint: Romancing the Yeoman

If you chat it up with Yeoman Kelly Chambers often and choose to be kind to her you can instigate an "unusual" romantic encounter. You'll eventually be able to invite her to dinner. Additionally, you cannot let Kelly die in the final mission (choose a loyal escort for the crew in the final scene). After you beat the game, talk to Kelly and you'll receive an email from her. Go to your quarters and you'll be able to invite her up using your console. She'll appear and you'll be able to watch the evening's awkward events unwind.

Easter Egg: Legion Does the Intergalactic Shuffle

Approach Legion in his quarters and highlight him but do not talk to him. He'll do "The Robot," the traditional dance of his ancestors.

Hint: Anomalies Anonymous

You can find anomalies when scanning the following planets (listed as Cluster, System, and Planet below). Anomaly = Side Quest!

• Caleston Rift, Solveig, Sinmara
• Caleston Rift, Talava, Taitus
• Crescent Nebula, Lusarn, Tarith
• Crescent Nebula, Zelene, Helyme
• Eagle Nebula, Amun, Neith
• Eagle Nebula, Strabo, Jarrahe Station
• Hades Nexus, Sheol, Gei Hin
• HourGlass Nebula, Faryar, Daratar
• HourGlass Nebula, Ploitari, Zanethu
• Minos Wasteland, Fortis, Aequitas
• Omega Nebula, Ariniarkan, MSV Strontium Mule
• Omega Nebula, Fathar, Lorek
• Pylos Nebula, Dirada, Canalus
• Pylos Nebula, Nariph, MSV Broken Arrow
• Rosetta Nebula, Enoch, Joab
• The Shrike Nebula, Xe Cha, Zada Ban
• Sigurd's Cradle, Decoris, Sanctum
• Sigurd's Cradle, Skepsis, Franklin
• Titan Nebula, Haskins, Capek

Easter Egg: Probing Uranus

Head to the Local Cluster and scan Uranus. The first two probes you launch will result in "unusual" statements from EDI.

Hint: Geth Pulse Rifle

Note: The Geth Pulse Rifle can only be found on Hardcore or Insanity difficulty. During the recruitment mission for Tali, look for the rifle in the same room you find Tali. It will be sitting on the ground next to a destroyed geth.

Hint: Slightly Faster Planet Scanning

Need to speed up scanning? Put the scanner all the way to the right or left, and rotate the planet the same way speeds it up a lot.

Hint: No One Left Behind Achievement

For this achievement, develop all the ship upgrades and keep every character loyal to Shepherd.

The crew can die and you'll still get the achievement. Just none of your teammates can die.

This one is pretty easy to get if you remember to:

1.) Remain a fully dedicated paragon or renegade.
2.) Always have full team loyalty. Just do all of their side missions.
3.) Have full/all/maximum ship upgrades. Take time out and do the mining.
4.) Get all the prototype upgrades.
5.) For the assault, use this configuration. I'll list all people you can use, and also who I used:

Tech Specialist
Tali
Legion
(I used Legion)

Leadership
Miranda
Jacob
Garrus
(I used Jacob and Miranda)

Biotic Specialist
Samara / Morinth
Jack
(I used Samara)

Crew Escort
Any loyal character
(I used Thane)

The team you bring with you to fight doesn't matter as long as they're loyal to you. I used Mordin and Garrus for my team the entire time. Good luck!

Hint: Finding Element Zero

Below is a list of the planets where you can mine the ultra-rare Element Zero. The systems for each Zero-laden planet are listed below, followed by the star and planet names.

Calestone Rift
• Aysur, Arvuna - Moderate
• Balor, Calestone - Moderate

Crescent Nebula
• Lusam, Tarith - Rich
• Zelene, Helyme - Moderate

Eagle Nebula
• Amun, Anthur - Rich
• Amun, Sekhmet - Moderate
• Relic, Preying Mouth - Rich

Far Rim
• Dholen, Gotha - Moderate

Hades Nexus
• Hekate, Asteria - Poor
• Hekate, Bothros - Poor
• Pamyat, Dobrovolski - Moderate
• Sheol, Gel Hinnom - Moderate

Hawking Eta
• Schwarzschild, Etamis - Rich

Hourglass Nebula
• Faryar, Daratar - Rich
• Osun, Erinle - Rich
• Ploitari, Thegan - Moderate

Krogan DMZ
• Nith, Mantun - Moderate

Minos Wasteland
• Caestus, Invictus - Moderate

Nubian Expanse
• Kalabasha, Yamm - Moderate
• Batalla, Nearog - Moderate
• Batalla, thunawanuro - Rich

The Phoenix Massing
• Salahiel, Ekuna - Moderate

Pylos Nebula
• Dirada, Siano - Moderate
• Satent, Boro - Rich
• Raisaris - Rich

Rosetta Nebula
• Alpha Draconis, 2175 Aeia - Moderate
• Enoch, Joab - Rich
• Enoch, Laban - Moderate
• Enoch, Mizraim - Rich

Shadow Sea
• Iera, Prospect - Poor

The Shrike Abyssal
• Urla Rast, Talis Fia - Moderate
• Xe Cha, Tosal Nym - Rich
• Xe Cha, Zada Ban - Rich

Sigurd's Cradle
• Decoris, Sanctum - Moderate
• Skepsis, Watson - Rich

Titan Nebula
• Haskins, Capek - Moderate

Valhallan Threshold
• Micah, Farlas - Moderate
• Micah, Israfel - Moderate
• Micah, Kakabel - Moderate
• Paz, Garvug - Rich

Unlockable: Alternate Costumes/Colors

Complete a Loyalty mission for a party member to unlock alternate color schemes for that character.

Unlockable: Bonus Experience, Resources, Paragon and Renegade Points

Start a new game in Mass Effect 2 using a profile from Mass Effect (1) and you'll get the following bonuses:

• Experience Points (an amount based on your previous level, basically you'll start at Level 2)
• Resources (can be used for weapon and armor upgrades)
• Paragon and Renegade Points (if you have the MAXIMUM amount of either Paragon or Renegade points from Mass Effect you'll get a bonus number in of the same points in ME2)

Unlockable: New Game + Bonuses

Mass Effect 2 features a New Game + feature which allows you to play the game a second time with certain items and stats you accumulated in your first game.

• You get to choose your Loyalty Bonus Skill from the start.
• Your retain Skill Points but can redistribute them.
• Your level and XP carry over; the max level (level cap) is 30.
• Your Renegade/Paragon points are reset to neutral.
• You keep your weapons and armor, but not the upgrades.

Hint: Bonus Paragon or Renegade Interruption Points

During conversations, you may spot a RIGHT or LEFT TRIGGER appear in the top left portion of the screen. If you hit LEFT TRIGGER when the "wings" logo appears you'll get Paragon points. If you hit RIGHT TRIGGER when the "star" appears you'll get Renegade points.

Till next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (02/09/10 – 02/15/10)

2010-02-09T14:23:00.000-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• BioShock 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

• Dante’s Inferno (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Star Ocean: The Last Hope International (PS3)

• Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll (Wii)

• Shiren the Wanderer (Wii)

• Best Friends Tonight (DS)

Til Next Time, Keep on Gaming and Enjoy!

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Reviewed

2010-02-04T13:50:00.002-05:00

Release Date: September 15th, 2009
List Price: $59.99

One year before the main game itself starts Captain America, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Wolverine, led by Colonel Nick Fury, are on an unsanctioned attack mission to Castle Doom in Latveria after discovering that the elected prime minister Lucia von Bardas was supplying advanced weapons to the Tinkerer, who then turns around and supplies them to the world’s worst super villains. The attack is successful and Castle Doom is reduced to rubble, with Von Bardas assumed to be dead during the chaos.

The game then shifts to present day. Ms. Marvel is reported missing after being sent to recover info on recent criminal activity in and around New York City. A team is sent to investigate her disappearance and find her being held by the super villain The Shocker. They also discover the Latverian military plans to destroy a large portion of America, led by a now cyborg Lucia Von Bardas. The group is able to stop her mid plan but many city blocks are destroyed in the process, prompting the government to ponder the Superhuman Registration Act (SRA), which forces all people with super powers or abilities to register their powers, secret identities and any other information with the government and make it public knowledge.

Three days later, during a taping of a reality series featuring the super hero group The New Warriors, Nitro (a villain being hunted by the Warriors) creates a large explosion in Connecticut, killing more than 600 civilians in the process. This causes the SRA to be put into effect immediately. Iron Man teams up with the government, while Captain America opposes the act and must go into hiding underground. At this point, the story branches into two segments; Anti-Registration and Pro-Registration, depending on the players choice. And this is where the true game begins.

First off let me say this. I myself loved the first Marvel Ultimate Alliance. I loved the ability to make a team of my favorite superheroes and see the carnage you could inflict on countless super villains. It was fun and I spent many hours trying out as many combinations of teams I could through multiple plays. I am a little bit of a comic book geek so games like this are right up my alley. I was ready for a second game as soon as I finished the first and could not wait to see what the future held.

Well, my prayers were thankfully answered and we were giving Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. Along with another addictively solid game with a pretty cool story, we were given some new functions (Fusions) and new characters that make this game even better than the first. While it does have some flaws and a few things that I wish they did differently, all around this game is top notch.

The Good:

Graphic/Animations: This game looks great, from the fine detail in the environments, down to the little details in the character costumes; they really tried to improve upon the first games look. This game is very well put together and they made sure to add as much detail and effects as possible in every scene to really improve the game. While I did notice on a few of the cut scenes which don’t look anything special, some screen tearing and pixilation appeared, as well as some movements were a little choppy in game due to the amount of things on the screen all at once, I can’t complain and think that this game looks very good. I do wish the edging was a little bit smoother on the characters themselves to really make the extra detail pop. It’s not 100% perfect or as high quality as say Batman Arkham Asylum or some other recent titles to come out but still pretty impressive.

Dialogue/Story: I was really impressed with the level of conversations in the game and how many different characters you interact with. Whether you’re having a chat with Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Four, or going over mission details with Iron Man, each character had a solid story and multiple different options of conversation. It really made the game interesting to hear a little bit of back story on each character as well as how they thought and what kind of personality each of these characters had. The great thing with all these options was that it is actually a part of the game and can affect the game/story as you progress, so you need to actually stop and think about what to say next to each character because you never know it may be something that causes them to no longer trust you or cause them to turn against you. I love games that make you have to stop and think of what you’re going to do next and how it may change the very game itself. I also love the fact that they are using the SRA story line from the comic books. Making you choose to register and join the government or rebel and go underground is pretty cool and makes it one of those games you have to play through at least twice to see the different story lines pan out.

Game play: While this game is for the most part a button masher where with only a couple buttons you for the most part can punch and kick your way through it, the developers made sure not to make quite that easy. Sure you can punch and kick through chunks of the game but other times you will need to try other techniques to get past certain enemies. On top of that the game now has a thing called Fusion Powers. Fusion is an awesome addition, with it you are able to team up with another member of your team and unleash a combination of your special powers to obliterate the enemies you’re fighting such as while using Captain America you can blast away multiple bad guys by reflecting the lightning bolts of Storm, or do a double ground pound with The Hulk and The Thing. I love the Fusion powers and found myself using them on a regular basis.

Game Modes/ Extras: Not only do you have the campaign mode which lasts around 6 hours (I do wish it was a little longer) but they also included training/challenge modes which gives you the ability to go into a free for all, stand off to see how long you can last against an onslaught of bad guys in multiple different levels. Man, can this get tough but it is oh so much fun. This is a good place to learn different fusion combos and which characters you want to build your team with to make it through the game. On top of that they have included from the first game a nice trivia game that earns you extra experience points to buy character power upgrades by testing your comic book knowledge. Also the game has some extras unlockable items such as info pages, alternate costumes and a few other things that I won’t spoil for you. This game has a ton in it and unlocking everything can be a game in itself and worth trying to do.

The Bad:

Not a whole lot but there was a couple things that caught my attention.

While the game tries to change up the locations you fight in and the different super villains you face off against, the main enemies you fight throughout most of the game are all basically the same exact characters, basic henchmen/military types or a couple different robot types. There really isn’t a lot of difference between the look of each enemy and they all for the most part fight the exact same way. Not a lot of intelligence to the enemies as well, they basically run in and constantly hit you till you beat them, and that can tend to make the game quite a bit repetitive. If it wasn’t for the sheer amount of enemies on the screen at one time that can make the game feel like pure chaos, the lack of different enemies would probably make you second guess playing this. Thankfully the games story and super villains you face off give more than enough reason to keep playing to see what’s coming next.

One thing that was more of an annoyance for me was that if while playing the first part of the game you made up a team with certain heroes and you got use to playing with them and enjoyed using them, when you chose which side you were on some characters would become unavailable to play with because they were on the other choices side. Like I said a bit of an annoyance but thankfully it’s not too bad.

Another gripe I have is the lack of alternate costumes for each character. In the first game you had roughly 3 or 4 for each character which was pretty cool but in this game you only get one which I felt was a bit of a letdown, and to add to it the length of time to load the alternate costume takes forever (like 6-7 seconds) and all it really is, is nothing more than a quick change of character skin, not a crazy detailed look or anything special that enhances the game play. Like I said before it’s a bit of a letdown.

Also I had an issue with the overall look of the cut scenes. While still pretty good for a next gen game they just seemed to me very flat and under produced. They lacked a lot of extra details and background detail that probably could have made this game one of the best. It is almost like the developers got to a point and said ok that’s good enough and didn’t put any extra effort to really make the game shine as a true next gen title. I have seen cut scenes from older generation systems that at times looked better than a few cut scenes from this game. I also did notice on occasion some graphical glitches or pixilation during game play that if you were not looking for them you might not even notice.

Other than it I really can’t find much to complain about. This game is great and I had a blast playing it.

The Bottom Line:

This game is worth checking out. While it’s not spectacular or the greatest game I have ever played, it is definitely a step better than the first game and has good graphics, great story with a bit of user choice thrown in, and game play that absolutely will keep you playing and addicted to all night button mashing. It has a replay value that will keep you busy for many hours till the late hours of the night trying every combination of team powers and story choices till your fingers fall off.

I recommend this game to anyone looking for a game that will not only entertain you but also give you a bit of a challenge while entertaining your inner comic book geek. Some may love this game and others may not, I say go get this game and try it out for yourself I don’t think you’ll be disappointed, I know I wasn’t.

If still not sure if you want to pick it up, go download the demo for the game from Xbox Live or Playstation Network and try it out before you buy.

Till next time, keep on gaming!!

This Week's New Releases (01/26/10 - 02/1/10)

2010-01-26T15:21:00.000-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360, PC)

• MAG (PS3)

• Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Wii)

• No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (Wii)

• Imagine Party Planner (DS)

• Lost Secrets Ancient Mysteries (PC)

• Zeno Clash (PC)

Till Next Time, Keep On Gaming and Enjoy!

This Week's New Releases (01/19/10 – 01/25/10)

2010-01-19T13:21:00.000-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Dark Void (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Glory of Heracles (DS)

• Bejeweled Twist (DS)

• Wallace & Gromit Grand Adventure (PC)

• Mystery 5 Collection (PC)

• Cake Mania: Main Street PC)

Til next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!

This Week's New Releases (01/12/10 – 01/18/10)

2010-01-12T16:18:00.000-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Army of Two: The 40th Day (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Vancouver 2010 (Xbox 360)

• The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces (Wii)

• Sands of Destruction (DS)

• Torchlight (PC)

• Monopoly Build a Lot Edition (PC)

• Marvel Action Pack (PC)

• Mortimer Beckett and the Time Paradox (PC)

• The Sims 2 Fun with Pets (PC)

• Twin Sector (PC)

Til next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!

Cheat of the Week

2010-01-07T15:12:00.000-05:00

Bayonetta – Cheats and Unlockables (Xbox 360, PS3)

Cheat: Xbox 360 Cheat List

After Verse 3 of Chapter 2, use one of the telephones in the plaza. The phone by the stairs can be used to input weapon codes, and the phone on the right can be used for accessories. The phone at the far end of the plaza is used to unlock characters. These codes require you to have a certain number of halos as well before they can be activated, these numbers are listed below. Use the D-pad to enter the codes.

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LT - Bangle of Time (Accessory) / 3 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, Y - Bazillions (Weapon) / 1 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, RT - Climax Bracelet (Accessory) / 5 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, RB - Eternal Testimony (Accessory) / 2 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B - Jeanne (Character) / 1 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, X - Little Zero (Character) / 5 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, A - Pillow Talk (Weapon) / 1 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, LB - Rodin (Weapon) / 5 Million Halos

Cheat: PS3 Cheat List

After Verse 3 of Chapter 2, use one of the telephones in the plaza. The phone by the stairs can be used to input weapon codes, and the phone on the right can be used for accessories. The phone at the far end of the plaza is used to unlock characters. These codes require you to have a certain number of halos as well before they can be activated, these numbers are listed below. Use the D-pad to enter the codes.

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, L2 - Bangle of Time (Accessory) / 3 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, TRIANGLE - Bazillions (Weapon) / 1 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, R2 - Climax Bracelet (Accessory) / 5 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, R1 - Eternal Testimony (Accessory) / 2 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, CIRCLE - Jeanne (Character) / 1 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, SQUARE - Little Zero (Character) / 5 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, X - Pillow Talk (Weapon) / 1 Million Halos

• UP, UP, UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, L1 - Rodin (Weapon) / 5 Million Halos

Unlockable: Costumes

First you'll need to beat the game (all chapters, on any difficulty). After that, load the cleared game data and go to the Gates of Hell. In the Rodin's Treasure menu you can purchase the following costumes. Press RB at the beginning of a chapter to access the Costume Change menu.

• d'Arc - Purchase "Couture Bullet (d'Arc)" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Nun - Purchase "Couture Bullet (Nun)" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Old - Purchase "Couture Bullet (Old) at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• P.E. Uniform Type A - Purchase "Couture Bullet (P.E. Uniform)" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• P.E. Uniform Type B - Purchase "Couture Bullet (P.E. Uniform)" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• P.E. Uniform Type C - Purchase "Couture Bullet (P.E. Uniform)" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Queen - Purchase "Couture Bullet (Queen)" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Umbra - Purchase "Couture Bullet (Umbra)" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Umbran Komachi (Kimono) A - Purchase "Super Mirror" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Umbran Komachi (Kimono) B - Purchase "Super Mirror" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Umbran Komachi (Kimono) C - Purchase "Super Mirror" at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Bikini A - Purchase "Couture Bullet (Various) at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Bikini B - Purchase "Couture Bullet (Various) at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

• Cheerleader - Purchase "Couture Bullet (Various) at Gates of Hell (100,000 Halos)

Unlockable: Additional Difficulties

The following modes can be unlocked by performing the actions below:

• Hard - Beat the game on Normal

• Infinite Climax - Beat the game on Hard

Unlockable: Characters

Perform the actions below to unlock the desired character. You can select the character in the New Game menu.

• Jeanne - Get a Platinum on everything (ALL) on Normal or unlock the Eternal Marionette accessory

• Little Zero - Beat the "Lost Chapter"

Unlockable: Accessories

You must purchase these accessories in Rodin's shop after unlocking them:

• Bangle of Time - Complete the game under 3 hours on Normal or Hard

• Climax Bracelet - Get 101 Umbran Tears of Blood

• Eternal Testimony - Get 50 Umbran Tears of Blood

• Immortal Marionette - Clear Very Easy or Easy mode

Unlockable: Weapons

The following weapons can be unlocked by performing the actions listed below:

• Bazillions - Beat Hard Mode

• Handguns - Beat Normal Mode

• Pillow Talk - Beat Non-Stop Climax Mode

• Rodin - Purchase the Platinum Ticket and beat Father Rodin

• Sai-fon - Beat 100 chapters on normal or above

Unlockable: Bonus Gallery

Beat the game to unlock the Bonus Gallery featuring concept art, movies and more.

Till next time, keep on gaming and Enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (01/05/10 – 01/11/10)

2010-01-07T15:03:00.002-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Bayonetta (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Dark Shadows (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Divinity II: Ego Draconis (Xbox 360, PS3)

• My Fitness Coach 2: Exercise and Nutrition (Wii)

• Sleepover Party (Wii)

Til next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!

Cheat of the Week

2009-12-10T13:54:00.000-05:00

Band Hero – Cheat Codes and Unlockable Stuff (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)

This Week's New Releases (12/0809 – 12/14/09)

2009-12-10T13:53:00.000-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• The Saboteur (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

• Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (PS2, Wii)

• Flight Deck 6 (PC)

• Your Shape (PC)

Til next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!

The Gamer’s Edge Holiday Gift Guide

2009-12-07T14:32:00.000-05:00

Looking to buy the gamer in your life something for the holidays but unsure of what is hot this season? Don’t worry I have taken the time to compile a quick list of 10 must have items for each system that’s guaranteed to make your gamer happy throughout this holiday season.

PS3:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Assassin’s Creed 2

inFamous

Left 4 Dead 2

Resident Evil 5

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time

God of War Collection

Uncharted 2

PSN Points Cards

Playstation Portable (PSP / PSPgo):

Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines

LittleBigPlanet

Gran Turismo

Patapon 2

Jak & Daxter: The Lost Frontier

LocoRoco 2

Soul Calibur Broken Destiny

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Dissidia: Final Fantasy

MotorStorm Arctic Edge

Xbox 360:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Left 4 Dead 2

Halo 3: ODST

Resident Evil 5

Assassin’s Creed 2

Beatles Rock Band

Xbox Live 12 Month Subscription/Messenger Pack

Xbox Live MS Points Card

Nintendo Wii:

Wii Sports Resort with Motion Plus

Lego Rock Band

Wii Fit Plus

Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage

Metroid Prime Trilogy

New Super Mario Bros Wii

Band Hero

Punch Out

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles

Nintendo Wii Points Card

Nintendo DS/DSi:

Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks

ScribbleNauts

Mario & Luigi: Bowsers inside Story

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

Rhythm Heaven

Lego Rock Band

The Legendary Starfy

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

PC:

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Assassin’s Creed 2

Dragon Age: Origins

Left 4 Dead 2

Hearts of Iron

The Sims 3

Street Fighter IV

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Resident Evil 5

Plants vs. Zombies

Still unsure of what to get the gamer in your life or trying to figure out if what you’re thinking of getting is worth picking up? Just let me know and I will do my best to research the item, review it and let you know if you need to add it to your shopping list this holiday season.

Till next time, keep on gaming and Happy Holidays!!

Cheat of the Week

2009-12-03T10:05:00.000-05:00

New Super Mario Bros. Wii – Unlockables and Useful Hints (Wii)

Unlockable: Super Guide Mode

Die in a level 8 times and the game will give you the option to turn on an "Auto Pilot" mode in which Mario completes the level on his own. This appears as a green Super Guide block (with a ! on it) in the level. Hit it to activate the mode and you'll be able to watch Luigi finish the level for you.

Note: There is no Super Guide for World 9.

Unlockable: Save File Stars

Performing special actions will award you stars on your save file. Here are the stars you can earn:

• Star 1 - Beat the game (you can use Warp Cannons)

• Star 2 - Collect all 24 Star Coins in World 9

• Star 3 - Beat every "normal" level in the game, i.e., you don't need to find Secret Goals.

• Star 4 - Collect all 207 Star Coins in the first 8 Worlds

• Star 5 - Beat every level, find every secret goal and use all of the Warp Cannons.

Unlockable: Alternate Endings

Perform the actions below to unlock an alternate ending:

• Ending 1 (The Princess says, "Did I ever tell you about the Secret World?") - Beat the game once.

• Ending 2 (The Princess says, "Oh Mario, tell me about your adventure again!") - Beat the game a second time.

Unlockable: World 9

Beat the game to unlock World 9. Each level in World 9 is unlocked by gathering all of the coins in each of the Worlds 1-8:

• 9-1 - Find all the Star Coins in World 1

• 9-2 - Find all the Star Coins in World 2

• 9-3 - Find all the Star Coins in World 3

• 9-4 - Find all the Star Coins in World 4

• 9-5 - Find all the Star Coins in World 5

• 9-6 - Find all the Star Coins in World 6

• 9-7 - Find all the Star Coins in World 7

• 9-8 - Find all the Star Coins in World 8

Hint: Mushroom Houses

In New SMB Wii, you can make a bonus Mushroom house appear on the map by saving Toad when he appears in a level. To do this, you'll need to head to a level with the white Toad marker. Release Toad from the ? Block he's trapped in -- near the beginning of a level, listen for the cries -- and run him all the way to the end of the level to make a Mushroom House spawn. The type of Mushroom house depends on the final digit of the time when you grab the flag at the end of the level.

• Green (1-Up cannon game) - Get Toad to the end of the level, hit flag when the last digit of the time ends in 0, 1, 2 or 3.

• Red (Match game) - Get Toad to the end of the level, hit flag when the last digit of the time ends in 4, 5, 6 or 7

• Gold (Star reward) - Get Toad to the end of the level, hit flag when the last digit of the time ends in 8 or 9

Note: In multiplayer, you can make a Mushroom House appear using the similar timing method. Hit the flag when the time digits end in 00, 11, or 22 for a green house; 33, 44, 55, 66, 77 or 88 for a red house; or 99 for a gold house.

Unlockable: Save Anywhere

After you beat the game (beat World 8-Bowser's Castle) you'll be able to "hard save" anywhere you'd like. The option replaces the Quick Save option.

Unlockable: Mushroom House Bonanza

Beat the game to make all the Mushroom houses in Worlds 1-8 reappear. Collect all the Star Coins and visit every Warp Cannon to make the houses reappear and stay for good.

Hint: Flower Coins

Shake the Wii Remote to spin-jump on any of the small, dancing flowers in the game to make a coin appear.

Hint: Knock Out Marauding Enemies

On the world map you'll encounter marauding enemies. To avoid these map screen enemies you can activate a star from your item menu.

Hint: Double Ground Pound (Multiplayer)

With at least two human players you can perform a special double ground pound that has the ability to kill all nearby enemies much like a POW block. You'll need to time your ground pound (press JUMP then DOWN) so both players hit precisely at the same moment.

Hint: Protect Your Head

If you press 1 and shake the Wii remote to pick up a small object, like a turtle shell (as opposed to just picking it up with 1), you'll hold it above your head, protecting you from falling Bob-Ombs, etc.

Hint: Red Mushroom House Tomfoolery

When playing multiplayer you can steal your teammates' turn in the Red Mushroom House match game by performing a ground pound on him (jump and the press DOWN).

Easter Egg: Slow Down Or You'll Lose Your Hat!

If you get 99 lives, the maximum number of lives in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario will lose his hat! Once you beat a level with a full 99 count, Mario will appear hat-less on the map screen and in subsequent game play. You'll regain your hat once you lose a single life.

Easter Egg: Sounds From Beyond the Grave

When you're playing multiplayer and one of the players runs out of lives mid-level, he or she can still contribute to the game from the Great Beyond. Each direction of the D-pad is mapped to a different sound effect. Hold a direction and hit the 1 and 2 buttons to trigger different sounds, including clapping, a horn, kick and snare drums, and of course cowbell. The unfortunate players waiting for the level to end can add a drum line to the music.

Till next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (12/01/09 – 12/07/09)

2009-12-01T09:51:00.007-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• MX vs. ATV Reflex (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, DS)

• James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS, PC)

• Rogue Warrior (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

• Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil Zero (Wii)

• Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (Wii, DS)

• Pinball Hall of Fame: The Gottlieb Collection (Wii)

• Storybook Workshop (Wii)

• Bookworm (DS)

• Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes (DS)

• Safecracker (DS)

• The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)

• Treasure Island (PC)

• Twin Sector (PC)

Til next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Reviewed

2009-11-30T14:24:00.002-05:00

Release Date: Nov. 10, 2009
List Price: $59.99

When they announced ‘Modern Warfare 2’ would hit store shelves in November 2009, I was thrilled. The first ‘Modern Warfare’ game was a flat out awesome and all-around great game. The single player campaign was great and had a solid and entertaining story and the online multiplayer took gaming to another level and set some incredible standards that a lot of new titles now utilize. I could not wait to see what Infinity Ward had waiting to unleash upon us and I hoped that it would be as good, if not better than the first Modern Warfare.

The game continues the story of the original Modern Warfare five years after the previous installment. A new counter-terrorist group, Task Force 141, must fight a Russian ultra-nationalist terrorist organization and counter a Russian invasion of the US with the help of US armed forces.

Sound like the latest action movie in theaters now? It might as well be, this game is awesome and at times feels like you are playing a big-time action movie. Did the developers answer the latest Call of Duty? Would they yet again define what online game play is all about? Does ‘Modern Warfare 2’ stand up as a solid title that is worth picking up immediately? (I will give you a hint…It sold approximately 4.7 million copies in 24 hours on its release date.)

The Good:

Graphic/Animations: WOW…. This game looks incredible, even better than the first installment. Infinity Ward polished up this game, and the amazing level of detail and little touches really adds to the effect of being immersed in the game. As I said, this game has the look of a big-time summer-blockbuster action movie. The cut scenes flow so well, and the level of character detail is photo-realistic. The smoke and fog, lighting and background effects give such a realistic and at times eerie feeling to the game, you get the feeling as if the war is really in your backyard. Infinity Ward wanted to make this game look as real and intense as possible, and man did they succeed. This game looks awesome!

Dialogue/ Story: Again WOW... Not only does the dialogue in this game make the story feel so realistic and flow oh so well, but it is also believable. Being an ex-military man myself, I can tell you the wording and way things were said are very authentic. The developers must have brought on a military consultant because they nailed it perfectly – to the point where it brought back memories of my sergeants barking out orders.

I am also quite impressed with the story itself. Working as a continuation, the developers built this game as a great way to show that things went from bad to worse real quick. If you didn’t play the first game, don’t worry: There is a quick recap, and the story does such a great job keeping you pinned to your seat that it can work as a standalone title.

From start to finish, you feel like you’re part of the war and have something at stake. You don’t want to stop playing so you can find out what is going to happen next. I won’t spoil anything, but the story is definitely one of the best I’ve seen for a game in a long time, and it has some great twists thrown in. Great job!

Game play/Modes: ‘Modern Warfare’ had two modes: a single player campaign and online multiplayer. Not too many options, but man was it awesome and worth every penny. For ‘Modern Warfare 2,’ Infinity Ward decided to do one better. Not only would we get our single player mode and online multiplayer, but the new game also comes with ‘Special Ops,’ which I will get to in a minute.

First let’s talk about the single player campaign. The main game will take you roughly 7 hours to complete. Now, I know your saying, ‘Man that’s short….’ Trust me – it will most definitely not feel like it’s a short walk through the park. This game is nuts. Not only is the story solid and written perfectly, but the game play is fierce and unforgiving. At times it will make your hands and brow sweat, and make you feel like you are really part of a war. Your nerves will be on edge, with your trigger finger twitching to fire off another round. That is what the game is meant to do and it delivers 110%.

One thing I do want to mention is that there is a level fairly early in the game that is flat out brutal, a bit much and might not be appropriate for everyone. While it does help you understand the story of the game, this particular scene is not necessary to play and, due to its graphic nature, Infinity Ward has warnings that pop up as well as the ability to skip the level all together, for which I applaud them.

After you beat the game, a special level is unlocked. While not part of the story and a bit strange, this level is fun. I can say is don’t hit the red button.

Now on to the online multiplayer game. Taking everything that was good about the first game, building it up and adding even more is what ‘Modern Warfare 2’ is all about. Infinity Ward must have sat down in a room and said how can we make the online game play even more intense? How can we make it so awesome that once you pick up the controller you’ll never want to put it down? Well they figured it out, that’s for sure.

I am absolutely addicted to this mode and have lost sleep because of it. The developers once again give you multiple different game modes like death match, capture the flag, etc., as well as a few new ones. You score points by making kills and getting objectives to level up your rankings to unlock new weapons, attachments, perks, etc…, plus in this go-round there are call signs, icons and the ability to customize your perks to your playing style.

Another great set of features are the multiple kill streak perks. In the first game when you reach a certain number of kills in a row you could unlock up to 3 set bonus perks – like the ability to call in an airstrike or helicopter. Now there are around 20 or so other perks you can unlock as you level up, and you get the ability to assign when you use them. This added customization really makes the game have unlimited options. There are new weapon sets to use during the game, and additional health/survival perks.

I could go on for a long time about all the new features and functions in multiplayer but won’t so not to spoil it for you. All I can say is that this game mode alone makes this game worth picking up.

Now let’s talk about Special Ops. Special Ops is a single player/co-op game mode where you have to play various missions with different objectives. Like running an obstacle course, saving hostages, infiltrating a safe house, etc. The faster and better you do in beating the missions, the higher score and star rating you get. To unlock new levels, collect a set number of stars.

Man, this mode is awesome whether alone or with a friend. After playing through the campaign, I recommend you jump straight into this mode. Careful though: You will definitely spend way too many hours trying to beat your score and unlock new things. And, it will challenge you. I tend to die more playing this mode than the main game, but it is so worth it.

Sound: Holy crap! This is a loud, loud game! ‘Modern Warfare 2’ is meant to be played with a surround sound system cranked to full volume. The level of sound depth is great, and the level of clarity really packs a punch. Infinity Ward really makes the sound field so intense that your speakers will get a work out. From all the extra ambient and background noise to the loud bass-driven explosions, you really get a feeling of being on the battle field. Most games have decent depth and surround experience, but not like this. I caught myself looking over my shoulder to see what was going on. I say crank it up to 11, this is how a game should sound!! AWESOME!!!

The Bad:

Not much really.

I am very disappointed on the non-ability to have two or more players on the same system go onto the online multiplayer modes. You cannot have a ‘guest’ play alongside with you (which you can do in ‘Halo 3’ so it is possible), and you can’t have another account with Xbox Live log in and play on your system. That was a big oops on Infinity Wards’ part, and I hope they patch it soon.

During game play, if you get shot and need to take cover to regain health, the screen gets splattered with a blood effect that makes it very difficult – if not at times almost impossible – to see where you’re going. I’d much rather have the old style, where the screen would just shade red as you were hurt; at least then I could actually see the cover I need to get to.

Other than these small setbacks, I really can’t find much to complain about. This game is absolutely great and the best ‘Call of Duty’ yet.

The Bottom Line:

‘Modern Warfare 2’ has great graphics and a solid, fantastic story. It is well composed and has believable dialogue and voice acting giving it the real feel of military life. And, overall, the game play absolutely can’t be beat. This game is easily one of my favorites, and with the multiple options and game modes, it has a replay value that will keep you busy for till the late hours of the night well past the core game.

‘Modern Warfare 2’ puts you in the action and doesn’t let up. It might as well be made into a full-length action blockbuster because it is that awesome. I could go on for hours about it with no problem.

I highly recommend this game to everyone. Easily my pick for Game of the Year. Go get this game you won’t be disappointed – I know I wasn’t. In fact go now and pick it up.I can’t wait to see you on the battlefield.

Till next time, keep on gaming!!

Full Length Assassin’s Creed II Lineage Short Film

2009-11-17T10:52:00.001-05:00

Before the release of “Assassin’s Creed II,” Ubisoft gave us a series of short films to give a bit of back story and work as a prequel, if you will, to the new game. I previously posted the first part of this series for everyone to check out. Well now the entire film has been released via G4TV, and since “Assassin’s Creed II” came out in stores today, I wanted to make it available to all of you to watch (it is 35 minutes long, so might want to wait ‘til lunch time to start, or even ‘til you get home). I really like what they did with this – it looks quite good and the action is impressive for a short film. With the upcoming release of “Prince of Persia” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, which is based off a video game series, it might not be that bad of an idea for Hollywood to proceed with adapting this game to the big screen. Definitely has potential to be a great action movie if done at all similar to this short.

Enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (11/17/09 - 11/23/09)

2009-11-17T10:05:00.001-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360, PC)

• Assassin’s Creed II (Xbox 360, PS3)

• LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, Wii, DS, PC)

• NCAA Basketball 10 (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Chaotic: Shadow Warriors (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS)

• Planet 51: The Game (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS)

• Scene It? Bright Lights Big Screen (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)

• God of War Collection (PS3)

• Band Hero (PS2)

• Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s Tag Force 4 (PSP)

• Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines (PSP)

• LittleBigPlanet (PSP)

• EA Sports Active: More Workouts (Wii)

• NBA 2K10 (Wii)

• Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles (Wii)

• Just Dance (Wii)

• The Princess and the Frog (Wii, DS, PC)

• Jump Start Escape from Adventure Island (Wii)

• Pop’n Music (Wii)

• Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 (Wii, DS)

• Petz Hamsterz Superstarz (DS)

• Petz Dogz Talent Show (DS)

• Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery (DS)

• Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection (PC)

• The Sims 3 World Adventures Expansion Pack (PC)

• Zeno Clash (PC)

Til next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!

Last Week's New Releases (11/10/09 - 11/16/09)

2009-11-17T09:56:00.007-05:00

Since I didn’t have the opportunity to post this, here is the list of games that were released in stores last week.

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

• Dragon Ball: Raging Blast (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Stoked: Big Air Edition (Xbox 360)

• Buzz: Quiz World (PS3)

• PES 2010: Pro Evolution Soccer (PS2, PSP, Wii)

• New Super Mario Bros.Wii (Wii)

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – Reflex (Wii)

• Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked (Wii)

• Ultimate Party Challenge (Wii)

• We Cheer (Wii)

• Team Elimination Games (Wii)

• Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (Wii)

• Jonas (Wii)

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare – Mobilized (DS)

• Petz Nursery (DS)

• Style Lab: Jewelry Design (DS)

• Dragon Ball Z: Attack of Saiyans (DS)

• My Baby: First Steps (DS)

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Arcade Attack (DS)

• Style Lab: Makeover (DS)

• WireWay (DS)

• X3: Gold Edition (PC)

• The Legend of Crystal Valley (PC)

• Reel Deal Classic Games (PC)

Til next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!

Social Networking and More is here for Xbox 360

2009-11-16T11:56:00.002-05:00

In a recent press release, Xbox LIVE general manager Marc Whitten confirmed the next wave of social interaction and entertainment is coming to Xbox LIVE on November 17. Starting tomorrow, Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm and instant on 1080p HD video from Zune will be available on Xbox 360 consoles, making Xbox LIVE the largest social network connected to the TV, with exclusive features custom-designed for the living room and home entertainment systems.

“We’re delivering some truly exciting social entertainment experiences to our members,” Whitten said. “Xbox LIVE’s differentiator has always been our community, and we’ve already seen a tremendous response to these features in our public preview. It’s the community that drives us forward and allows us to pioneer new ways of connecting people through the entertainment they love.”

“From the launch of Xbox LIVE nearly seven years ago, to milestones like Video Marketplace, Netflix and the New Xbox Experience, we’ve continued working toward our vision of connected entertainment for everyone, I’m proud to say that next week marks another great stride in fulfilling that promise, and we’re already imagining what the future has in store,” Whitten said.

Below are a few details on the new updates that will be available to Xbox Live Subscribers:

Facebook– Update your status to share what movie, game or entertainment you’re enjoying, connect with friends and view their Facebook stream, status updates and photos right on your TV, all seamlessly integrated and custom built for Xbox 360. You can even compare your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends’ lists to see which of your friends are on Xbox LIVE and add them to your console at that time.

Zune – Zune video offers a full experience with instant on HD in 1080p and 5.1 channels surround sound. No waiting for downloads or buffering; it’s instantly streamed to your console with a simple press of a button. You can also share the experience with up to seven friends through voice chat and Avatar integration on the TV screen.

Twitter – Stay in the know by discovering, posting and replying to Tweets right on your Xbox 360 console. You can even view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search to see who’s tweeting about your favorite game.

Last.fm – Immerse yourself and discover more music and explore unlimited personalized radio stations with Last.fm. Skip, “ban,” or “love” tracks to create your perfect musical mix. You can also enjoy a new feature called “Gamer Stations” with game-related music selected specifically for the gaming community.

On top of those social features, Xbox LIVE will also be debuting “News and More,” a new section of the “Inside Xbox” channel. It’s a regularly updated news stream of content from MSNBC, The New Yorker and Dilbert.

On November 17, turn on your Xbox 360, log onto Xbox LIVE and your system should automatically prompt you to update. Once complete, you will be ready to go and enjoy all these new features.

Not an Xbox LIVE Gold member but really wanna check these new features out? Don’t worry about it. From November 20 (12 pm ET / 9 am PT) through November 23 (12 pm ET / 9 am PT), Xbox LIVE Silver members will have the opportunity to try out and enjoy all the latest Gold features for FREE!! – including Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm! There’s tons more to experience and do with Gold service as well, since, for that weekend, it all will be available to all for free.

While I am not a huge Twitter or Last FM fan I am definitely interested to see how these new features work and I definitely do not mind Microsoft trying to add to the all-around experience of the system. By updating this already awesome console with all of these additional features, Microsoft is making the purchase of an Xbox 360 an easy choice and worth every penny. I will be sure to update my system the first chance I get tomorrow, and I recommend you do the same.

Til next time, keep on gaming!!

Cheat of the Week

2009-11-05T11:52:00.001-05:00

WWE Smack Down vs. Raw 2010 – Useful Cheats and Unlockables (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP)

Cheat: Cheat Codes

In the Main Menu, go to Options and then enter these (case sensitive!) codes under Cheat Codes for the desired effect:

• BonusBrawl - Unlocks The Dirt Sheet and Mr. McMahon's Office as playable arenas

• The Great One - Unlocks The Rock

• SuckIT! - Triple H's alternate attire

• ViperRKO - Randy Orton's alternate attire

• BowDown - Shawn Michaels' alternate attire

• Milan Miracle - Unlock Santino Marella's alternate attire

Unlockable: Abilities

Unlock the following Abilities by performing the actions below. You can assign them via Create-A-Moveset.

• Durability - Must get Durability Attribute score of 85

• Exploder Turnbuckle Attack - Must get your speed attribute score of 75

• Fan Favorite - Must get charisma score of 80

• Fired Up - Must get your overall rating of a 90

• Hardcore Resurrection - Must get hardcore score of 90

• Kip Up - Must get a Technical score of 85

• Lock Pick - Must get a submission score of 80

• Object Specialist - Must get a hardcore score of 70

• Resiliency - Must get an overall rating of 92

• Strong Strike - Must get a strike score of 75

Unlockable: Road to WrestleMania Unlockables

Perform the following actions to unlock the Alternate Attire, matches and more listed below:

Brand Warfare

• The Hardys Entrance, DX Entrance, Morrison and the Miz Entrance - In Week 2, you must win the battle royal as either Triple H or John Cena

• John Cena Alternate Attire (Street Clothes) - Week 4, you must put Kane through a table in less than 2:30 as John Cena

• Triple H Alternate Attire (DX) - Week 6, win your match in under 3 minutes as Triple H

• Alternate Attire for Miz and Morrison (Street clothes), Dirt Sheet area for backstage - Week 11, win the handicap match as either Triple H or John Cena

• Champion of Champions Title Belt - Win at Wrestlemania

CAW RTW

• Ezekiel Jackson - Week 3, throw each opponent out of the ring at least once.

• Alternate attire for Mr. McMahon (suit) - Week 5, Spend at least one minute of the match outside the ring

• Vinces Office in Backstage match - Week 6, win your match

• Santino Marella Story Designer story - Week 11, reach 500 degrees at least four times

• Alternate Attire for Santino Marella (Street clothes) - Week 12, make a successful diving attack from the top of the ladder

• Alternate Attire for Vince McMahon (Chicken Head) - Win the WrestleMania Match

Edges RTW

• Jesse - Week 2, hit every opponent with a finisher

• Alternate Attire for Mr. Kennedy - Eliminate Mr. Kennedy from the Royal Rumble Match

• Alternate Attire for Edge - Week 6, Win in under 3 minutes

• Locker Room Backstage area - At No Way Out, drag Mr. Kennedy on top of the Big Show and count the pinfall

• Mr. McMahon (Playable Character) - Week 11, Put Triple H through an announce table

• The Rock - Complete Edges Road to Wrestlemania

Dickie James RTW

• Eve - Week 2, pin or submit Maryse

• Alternate Attire for Dickie James - Week 6, beat Michelle McCool in under 3 minutes

• Alternate Attire for Natalya - Week 9, Choose Kendrick over natalya / Week 10, win the match suffering minimal damage

• Alternate Attire for The Brian Kendrick - Week 9, choose Natalya over Kendrick / Week 12, win the match without using a signature move or finisher

• Trish Stratus - Complete Mickies Road to Wrestlemania

Randy Orton's RTW

• Green and Red (Dummies as Characters) - Week 3, refuse Codys help and then reverse three of Batista's attacks.

• Randy Ortons Alternate Attire - At No Way Out, RKO Dusty Rhodes

• Cowboy Bob Orton - Week 9, dont use any strikes in your match

• Road to Wrestlemania Event Skip Feature (?) - Week 12, Spend less than 2 minutes in the ring as the legal superstar

• Dusty Rhodes - Beat Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania and KO Dusty after the match

• Ted DiBiase Sr. - Beat Ted DiBiase Jr. at Wrestlemania and KO Sr. after the match

HBK's RTW

• Alternate Attire for Shawn Michaels - Week 4, hit both opponents with Sweet CHIN Music

• Alternate Attire for Chris Jericho - Week 6, Make Jericho Bleed

• Alternate Attire for JBL - Week 8, Win the match in under 4 minutes

• Alternate Attire for Shawn Michaels (DX) - Week 10, Accept the Retirement Match / Week 11, have your partner be the legal man longer -OR- Week 10, Decline the Retirement Match / Week 11, Execute 3 Double Team attacks

• Interview Room for Backstage - Complete Shawn Michaels RTW

Unlockable: Backstage Brawl Arenas

In Road to Wrestlemania, complete the following tasks to unlock additional Backstage Brawl Arenas.

• Dirt Sheet - Win the handicap match as either Triple H or John Cena in Week 11 at Brand Warfare

• Interview Room - Complete Road To Wrestlemania as Shawn Michael

• Locker Room - At No Way Out, drag Mr. Kennedy on top of the Big Show as Edge and count the pinfall

• Vince's Office - As a Create-A-Superstar, win your match in week 6

Till next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (11/3/09 - 11/9/09)

2009-11-03T10:07:00.002-05:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Dragon Age: Origins (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

• LEGO Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS)

• Band Hero (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS)

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed – Ultimate Sith Edition (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

• Hasbro Family Game Night (Xbox 360)

• Jurassic: The Hunted (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Jak and Dexter: The Last Frontier (PSP)

• Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3 (Wii)

• Need for Speed: Nitro (Wii, DS)

• Barbie and the Three Musketeers (Wii, DS)

• Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom (Wii)

• Academy of Champions: Soccer (Wii)

• Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage (Wii)

• Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron (DS)

• Style Savvy (DS)

• Nostalgia (DS)

• Disney’s A Christmas Carol (DS)

• C.O.P.: The Recruit (DS)

• My Baby Girl (DS)

• Painkiller: Resurrection (PC)

Til next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!

Latest News in the Video Game World

2009-11-02T15:34:00.004-05:00

The Return of American McGee’s Alice

Currently named Return of Alice, American McGee's next twisted Alice game is on the path to try and outdo the original. EA Partners said they went to McGee because he had a passion for the IP and gave him a blank canvas to work with. I myself loved the first game and cannot wait to see what twisted and interesting things are heading our way. Unfortunately it won’t be until 2011 that we get to play but its well worth the wait. Check out the teaser trailer and image below.

Microsoft gives early Halloween treat to some Xbox Live Users

"A small percentage" of Xbox Live users with modded consoles that allowed pirated games to be played on their console woke up on Halloween morning to find Microsoft had a treat for them. Per a spokesperson of Microsoft’s to IGN: "We have taken action against a small percentage of consoles that have been modified to play pirated game discs. In line with our commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure game play for the more than 20 million members of our Xbox LIVE community, we are suspending these modded consoles from Xbox LIVE." Microsoft wouldn't say exactly when the action was taken, although IGN speculates that, from the chatter, it's been happening over the past week.

God of War 3 Ultimate Edition and Pre-Order Items Announced

Sony and Santa Monica Studios just announced on Oct 30th plans for an Ultimate Edition of God of War 3 and some perks for fans who preorder the game.

The Ultimate Edition will feature the following:

Exclusive Collectibles

• High-End Sculpted Replica of Pandora’s Box

• Limited-Edition God of War Art Book featuring exclusive art, content and interviews

Exclusive Digital Content (Available via PlayStation Network voucher codes on day of launch)

• God of War Combat Arena containing an exclusive environment and seven challenges

• Premium Kratos Skin – Dominus

• God of War: Unearthing the Legend Franchise Documentary – a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the God of War franchise

• God of War Trilogy Soundtrack – God of War, II, and III scores from the game (mp3 digital download).

• God of War: Blood and Metal EP – a heavy metal homage featuring original music inspired by God of War (mp3 digital download).

But it keeps getting better for the fans. Those that pre-order God of War III at select retailers will receive a voucher code for first access to download the God of War III E3 2009 Demo starting Oct 30th, plus you will receive an exclusive downloadable skin from the following retailers: Amazon, Game Crazy and GameStop.

GameStop is currently offering this Edition for $99.99 online... Not too bad of a deal for that much stuff.

Halo: Reach Multiplayer Tease

Bungie loves to mess with us all with their constant countdowns, weekly updates with quick hints that could mean anything and posts with glimpses of images from upcoming titles. Well in their latest weekly update we have gotten another somewhat useless hint of what’s to come. It seems the team has recently gone through a group-wide multiplayer play test. As always nobody is willing to talk about it. Those expecting something new for Halo: Reach's multiplayer, however, might have reason to get excited.

After a small, technical interview with a few team members, the update offers this tease:

“So what exactly did we play? Something you would expect, something you should expect, and something so new it came with instructions. And yes, David Allen, I did make sure to pop into the [redacted] to check out the new [redacted]. And why yes, it was sweet.”

Something “new” has me intrigued a bit. So new it needs instructions? Hmm I wonder what they are talking about. Hopefully it’s not just a new way the X button will be used in game but something substantial. Well looks like we will just have to keep checking back with Bungie and endure their constant hints and see what comes up in the future.

Netflix on PS3 Getting Embedded Solution "Late Next Year"

Sony and Netflix recently announced that the movie rental company's streaming service would be coming to the PlayStation 3 later this year.

Netflix reps say the company will begin shipping out the Blu-ray discs that make streaming via BD Live technology possible sometime in November.

The Blu-ray disc will be needed to be inserted in the PlayStation 3 each and every time you watch a piece of streaming Netflix content. There's no option to install a dedicated Netflix app to the PS3's XMB at the moment but Netflix reps say an "embedded solution" will be available "late next year," presumably after Microsoft's exclusive arrangement with Netflix expires.

I already use Netflix on the Xbox 360 and it works great so it will be interesting to see how well this works since you have to run the program off a disc and there is currently no installable on system application to run it from.

First Assassin's Creed Lineage Short Hits Internet

Before the release of Assassins’ Creed 2 Ubisoft has decided to give us a series of short films to give a bit of back story and work as a prequel if you will to the new game.

This is the first in a series of short movies that are being developed by Hybride Technologies, the visual effects studio behind 300 and Sin City, which Ubisoft bought last year for this project.

I like the visual look of this and am interested to see more as they are released. Hell if they can do short movies this well, it might be worth looking into a full length feature film adaptation of the game.

New Larger Screen Nintendo DSi XL to be release Q1 of 2010

Nintendo just recently announced that they will be releasing in Q1 of 2010 a new version of the DSi with a larger screen called the DSi XL in North America. The screens dimensions are 4.2 inches diagonal. For comparison, the DSi's screens measure 3.25 inches, and the DS Lite's screens are 3 inches.

The reason for the larger screens is mainly attributed to allowing easier play on games that feature small text and precision game play. Another reason, according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, is "to offer a new play style, where those who are surrounding the game player can also join in one way or the other to the game play. Interesting, I wonder if the resolution will be improved or remain the same and just appear stretched. Now I might have a reason to trade up my DS to the DSi model.

Till next time, keep on gaming!!

Cheat of the Week

2009-10-29T08:46:00.001-04:00

Borderlands – Cheats and Helpful Hints (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Cheat: Gain Levels and Money before Entering Borderlands

In the first scene, when you're getting the tour with the scrap robot, follow him all the way through to the small campsite with the car up on the lift next to the burning tires. Collect all the loot (guns, money) along the way and kill all of the guys. Once everyone is dead simply pause the game and go to exit. It will save your character (level & loot) and start you at the very beginning upon loading your game. You can repeat this as many times as you'd like!

Cheat: Duplicate Items

To make a copy of any item you'll need a cooperative partner in a multiplayer game. Simply drop what you want to make a copy of on the floor, exit the game without saving, leaving your friend free to grab it. When you return, you'll have your copy of the weapon still, and your friend can hand you the other. This works on all guns, shields, and class mods, and can be done as many times as necessary.

Unlockable: New Game + Mode

Complete the game to unlock a New Game + mode. Some items and stats will carry over into the new game and enemies will be tougher.

Hint: Reload Quickly

Watch your reload animation. As soon as the cartridge is removed (or rounds are being inserted), click the Right Stick (melee) and the gun will finish reloading. Do this to save time and possibly your life.

Hint: Easy Escape after Defeating Sledge

After you've defeated Sledge (and collected the artifact), exit and save your game. When you start you're game again you'll begin at the save point at the very beginning of the mission. This way you don't have to backtrack on foot and you'll save a lot of ammo too.

Hint: Item Storage using an Alternate Character

An effective, but annoying, way to store your extra stuff is to create an alternate character that is only for holding your extra stuff. Just create a new character, load a co-op game with both your main character and your new level 1 character and give them the items you want to put up. Log back in to your level 1 character and give the items back to your main character when you need them. This can be really useful when you find weapons and items that are above your level, or are saving them to give to a friend's character.

Hint: Easy 20,000 EXP

As soon as you are able to get a vehicle, find a safe place away from enemy spawn points and find a way to keep the trigger held down (tape? rubber band?). Just walk away for a few hours and after you have unloaded 100,000 shots from the vehicle you will get 20,000 exp.

Cheat: Berserker Speed Exploit

Make sure you're in a fight with more than one enemy and your health is extremely low (10-20). Activate Berserker just before you enter Fight for Your Life! Mode, then kill someone to gain a Second Wind. If done properly, you should be able to run as fast as Brick can in Berserker mode AND you'll be able to fire your weapons. Note: you're not able to sprint while using this, but why would you need to anyway? Activating his Berserker mode again and finishing it, or dying will cancel the effect.

Till next time, keep on gaming and Enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (10/27/09 - 11/2/09)

2009-10-27T08:58:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Forza Motorsport 3 (Xbox 360)

• Tekken 6 (Xbox 360, PS3)

• SpongeBob’s Truth or Square (Xbox 360, Wii, DS)

• Fairytale Fights (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Madagascar Kartz (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS)

• Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks (Xbox 360, PS2, Wii, DS)

• Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City (Xbox 360)

• Alpha Protocol (Xbox 360)

• Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)

• Press Your Luck 2010 Edition (Wii, DS)

• Hasbro Family Game Night 2 (Wii)

• Walk It Out (Wii)

• iCarly (Wii, DS)

• All Star Cheer Squad 2 (Wii)

• Pop’n Music (Wii)

• World of Zoo (Wii, DS)

• Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Game Time (Wii, DS)

• Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii, DS)

• Sim Animals Africa (Wii, DS)

• Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (DS)

• Hasbro Family Game Night (DS)

• CSI: Deadly Intent – The Hidden Cases (DS)

• Space Invaders Extreme 2 (DS)

• Petz Dolphinz Encounter (DS)

• Touchmaster 3 (DS)

• Risen (PC)

• Still Life 2 (PC)

• League of Legends Collectors Pack (PC)

Til next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!

Cheat of the Week

2009-10-22T09:31:00.002-04:00

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves – Useful Cheats, Unlockables and Hints (PS3)

Cheat: Infinite Money

Once you have beat the game you'll get the chance to guy buy things like weapons from the store. You make money by doing things like finding treasures etc.

Once you do something that gives you a large amount of money (like Master Ninja for 25k). Save your game (if it's not at an auto save area) and then quit back to the main screen. Then load up the game again you'll keep getting the reward each time you do it. Soon enough you'll have enough money to buy everything without having to find all the treasures.

Unlockable: Crushing Difficulty

To unlock Crushing Difficulty, beat the game once through on Hard Difficulty.

Unlockable: Multiplayer Taunts

The following taunts can be unlocked by performing the actions below. After they are unlocked you may purchase them in the Multiplayer Store.

• "Flex" Taunt - Reach Level 20, then purchase for $50,000

• "Flurry" Taunt - Reach Level 30, then purchase for $100,000

• "Kiss" Taunt - Reach Level 10, then purchase for $10,000

• "Pump" Taunt - Reach Level 53, then purchase for $500,000

• "Yes" Taunt - Reach Level 40, then purchase for $250,000

Unlockable: Multiplayer Characters / Skins

The following skins can be unlocked by performing the actions below. After they are unlocked you may purchase them in the Multiplayer Store.

• Cameraman Jeff - Reach Level 30, then purchase for $100,000

• Doughnut Drake - Reach Level 60, then purchase for $2,000,000

• Genghis Khan Villain Skin - Beat Crushing Difficulty. Cost: 1,500,000

• Harry Flynn - Reach Level 20, then purchase for $50,000

• Heist Drake - Reach Level 10, then purchase for $20,000

• Heist Flynn - Reach Level 20, then purchase for $50,000

• Karl Schafer - Reach Level 50, then purchase for $1,000,000

• Lieutenant Draza - Reach Level 50, then purchase for $1,000,000

• Marco Polo Hero Skin - Get the Platinum trophy. Cost: Free.

• Skelzor - Reach Level 60, then purchase for $2,000,000

• Winter Chloe - Reach Level 20, then purchase for $50,000

• Winter Drake - Reach Level 40, then purchase for $250,000

• Winter Elena - Reach Level 30, then purchase for $100,000

• Winter Flynn - Reach Level 30, then purchase for $100,000

• Zoran Lazarevic - Reach Level 40, then purchase for $250,000

• Zorskel - Reach Level 10, then purchase for $20,000

Unlockable: Multiplayer Boosters

The following Boosters can be unlocked by attaining the levels below. After they are unlocked you may purchase them in the Multiplayer Store.

• Point and Shoot (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 2, then purchase for $2,000

• Bandoleer (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 4, then purchase for $2,000

• From the Hip (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 6, then purchase for $5,000

• Scavenger (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 8, then purchase for $8,250

• Break Up (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 10, then purchase for $11,250

• Keep Firing (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 12, then purchase for $14,250

• Down the Irons (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 14, then purchase for $18,750

• Fleet Foot (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 16, then purchase for $23,250

• Hell Blazer (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 18, then purchase for $27,750

• Explosive Expert (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 20, then purchase for $32,250

• Turtle (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 22, then purchase for $40,500

• Treasure Bearer (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 24, then purchase for $43,500

• Sure Foot (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 26, then purchase for $52,500

• Launch Man (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 28, then purchase for $58,500

• Sure Shot (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 30, then purchase for $64,500

• Monkey Man (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 32, then purchase for $72,000

• Walk Softly (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 34, then purchase for $79,500

• Scoped In (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 36, then purchase for $87,000

• Juggler (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 38, then purchase for $94,500

• Deposit (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 40, then purchase for $98,250

• Rapid Hands (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 42, then purchase for $111,000

• Rocket Man (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 44, then purchase for $120,000

• Situational Awareness (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 46, then purchase for $129,000

• Revenge (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 48, then purchase for $134,250

• Evasion (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 50, then purchase for $210,000

• Veiled (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 51, then purchase for $300,000

• Invalid (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 52, then purchase for $350,000

• Half Loaded (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 54, then purchase for $400,000

• Glass Jaw (Booster Slot 1) - Reach Level 56, then purchase for $1,500,000

• Come Get Some (Booster Slot 2) - Reach Level 58, then purchase for $2,000,000

Unlockable: Bonus Money for Old-School Players

In the store, hit SQUARE button to check for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune save data. You'll be rewarded with the following bonuses.

• $20,000 - Load Uncharted 2 on a hard drive with a game save for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

• $80,000 - Load Uncharted 2 on a hard drive with a completed game save for Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Hint: The Strange Relic

The Strange Relic is back in Uncharted 2 -- you can find it in the sewer in Chapter Five.

Hint: Marco Polo's Rich Legacy

You'll encounter a pool on the roof of a hotel during Chapter Six. Be sure to jump in it and swim around when you encounter it. Chloe and Nate will play an impromptu game of Marco Polo, and you'll earn $10,000 in-game to spend on bonuses as a result.

Till next time, keep on gaming and Enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (10/20/09 - 10/26/09)

2009-10-20T09:29:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Borderlands (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Fifa Soccer 10 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)

• WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2010 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)

• Lips: Number One Hits (Xbox 360)

• Bakugan (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS)

• Marvel Super Hero Squad (PS2, Wii, DS)

• Motor Storm Arctic Edge (PS2)

• Astroboy: The Video Game (PS2, Wii, DS)

• Charm Girls Club: Pajama Party (Wii)

• Littlest Pet Shop Friends (Wii)

• Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo (Wii)

• Bakugan: Battle Brawlers CE (DS)

• Cooking Mama 3: Shop & Chop (DS)

• Charm Girls Club: My Perfect Prom (DS)

• Charm Girls Club: My Fashion Show (DS)

• Charm Girls Club: My Fashion Mall (DS)

• Littlest Pet Shop Beach Friends (DS)

• Littlest Pet Shop Country Friends (DS)

• Littlest Pet Shop City Friends (DS)

• Imagine Fashion Designer World Tour (DS)

• Barbie and the Three Musketeers (PC)

• Diner Town Detective Agency (PC)

Enjoy!

‘The Beatles: Rock Band’ Reviewed

2009-10-19T14:12:00.000-04:00

The Beatles are one of the most successful and well known bands in the history of music. They have given us some of the best and most memorable songs ever. There is almost no one I know that doesn’t know a least one of the Beatles’ songs and can probably hum a few verses of it if asked on the spot. So when the announcement was made that the Beatles would be getting their own video game, I was like a kid in a candy shop and immediately ready to pick it up without a second thought.

Working with the remaining members of the Beatles and their family members during its creation, Harmonix set out to bring Beatles music into the video-game world and into a new realm that has never been done before with any of their works. On September 9, “The Beatles: Rock Band” was released to the world coinciding with the release of the new and completely re-mastered CD versions of their complete catalog of albums. The game consists of 45 songs spanning their entire career, along with virtual creations of the band members performing the songs in the various venues that they once played so long ago.

So how is it? Is this game worth picking up? Did Harmonix do the Beatles justice and create a game worth playing that holds true to everything the Beatles created for the world during their career? Well I am glad to say that they most definitely created a winner. Now, while the game has a few things that could be better and is lacking a couple things, overall this is a solid title and worth a look by all.

The Good:

The Music and Sound Effects - This is Beatles music, in a video game!!! This is the first time ever that the world has gotten a chance to not only hear but also play the music of the Beatles in a video game, and man does it sound good. From “Twist and Shout” to “Get Back,” the songs have never sounded better. The tracks in the game are high-fidelity re-mastered tracks and the level of clarity is outstanding. It makes me want to run out and pick up all of the new CD re-masters of their albums. It is that good. On top of that is some of the new audio material added to the game that has never been released or heard by anyone; some of the new material includes band chatter and instrument tunes taken from recorded performances. This audio plays during the loading screens or bookends certain songs or is used as background noise during cut scenes. The adding of these extra effects is just awesome to hear since it has never been heard by anyone before.

The Artwork/Visuals - Not only were the Beatles known for their unbelievable music but also for their eccentric and quite creative artwork and imagery. This game not only wants us to have the ability to listen and play Beatles music but also to see and feel the complete experience that made the Beatles stand out from the rest of the musical world. From the heavily stylized opening sequence to the cut scenes between songs, you get a real sense of how the music of the Beatles had life to it and a real feeling. The songs have a real depth to them and the visuals of the game truly help you get that point. Each stage of their career is set in a different location, recreated in insane detail that it is just amazing to see, such as The Cavern Club from the very beginning of their career to The Rooftop Performance right near the end of it. Each song has unique and vivid animation and detail that helps make this game pop and stand out from all the others.

I absolutely loved the animations and artwork that are used while playing the song “Yellow Submarine.” The developers decided to not only have the visuals in the background from the movie, but also they dressed the characters in the same clothing. It was a nice touch and was very cool to see, especially since the game is displayed in beautiful HD resolution.

Game play – Like previous versions of the Rock Band games, the game play style has not changed that much and remains quite fluid and smooth. Players simulate the performance of rock music by using their controllers to play scrolling onscreen notes by hitting the correct color-coded button or singing the correct phrase of a song in a similar pitch. A new addition to the game-play mechanics that I really like is the inclusion of harmonies. The Beatles were well known for having harmonies in their songs and it is very nice to see that it has been included in this game. For songs with multipart vocals, players need only to stay in tone with the lead singer to score points and keep their performance meter up, but players earn additional scoring bonuses when they successfully complete phrases in harmony. The inclusion of this new feature works quite well and gives the game even more depth. I hope they include this in future games.

New Instrument Controllers – While this really doesn’t have much to do with the game itself – in the sense of changing how it is played or functions – I still think they are awesome. Four new instrument peripherals modeled after those used by Beatles members have been introduced alongside the release of the game. These include a Rickenbacker 325 guitar, a Gretsch Duo Jet guitar, a Höfner bass and a Ludwig drums set. These new instrument controllers function similarly to the controllers designed for “Rock Band 2,” with most alterations being purely aesthetic. I absolutely love the look and feel of the new instruments, and, due to their iconic nature, it is totally worth picking them up if you’re a fan.

Extras/ Bonus Content – This game is packed with a ton of extras. Not only do you have an outstanding audio and visual experience while playing, but you unlock some of the coolest stuff from the Beatles’ career. You will unlock never-before-seen pictures, videos and memorabilia, as well as some audio clips that only a select few have ever heard, such as a recording from a Christmas record with greetings from the band that had been sent only to members of the Beatles fan club. Another cool feature is in the options menu, called Realistic Mode. Turning this mode on cranks up the volume of the crowd to the point you can barely hear the lyrics, recreating the feeling of all the screaming teenage fans at the concerts. The extras in the game are very cool, and, for a fan, something that makes this game a must-have item to add to the collection.

The Bad:

Song List – Only 45 songs. A bit disappointing, seeing that the total number of songs made by the Beatles is around 300 or so. Now, while there may be contractual or other unknown reasons why they didn’t have more songs in the game, I still feel as if they could have at least had more, especially since most other “Rock Band” games average around 85 songs. Yes, they will be doing future downloadable content to expand the list, such as the soon-to-be-released complete “Abbey Road” album, but still it is disappointing. If anything, at least they could have added songs from bands that either influenced the Beatles or from bands that they enjoyed. It would have been neat to see what songs perhaps inspired the Beatles to write some of their hits, or even songs that they listened to while on the road. Oh well – perhaps in the future a downloadable add-on will make this happen.

Difficulty – While I am most definitely not a wiz at “Rock Band” or “Guitar Hero” and normally stick to Medium difficulty when I play, I found myself able to play through this game on expert level with the guitar and actually survive the most difficult of songs all the way through. While this did give me a bit of a sense of accomplishment for doing something I normally cannot, I was a bit disappointed on just how easy this game really is. Now, I know that the Beatles were not the most technically inclined musicians and most of their songs stick to a basic tempo or note style, but it would have been nice to perhaps have a bit more of a challenge, especially since the set list is so short. I will add, though, that the drumming is still the same as previous games and very hard to do even on a medium setting. I give serious credit to anyone who is able to play through the game on any setting higher than easy. Bravo to you!!! I will say one thing, though, for the rookie players of these games: This is a game to learn how to play and works well as a first step for those who are “video-game challenged.”

Player Options – The Beatles consisted of two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer, all of who also were singers, so you would think that this game would match this setup. Unfortunately this is not the case and is very disappointing. Unlike “Guitar Hero 5” (I’ll be reviewing in the coming weeks), which allows for you to play any number of instrument configurations you want, whether it is four guitarists or four drummers, this game restricts you to only two guitar players at one time. And to add to that, you only have a choice of either guitar or bass, so you can’t even truly do two guitarists at one time. I was very disappointed in this fact since clearly it is something that has been proven to work with other games. Perhaps it’s a hardware issue or coding issue or even something that was overlooked, but I am really hoping they’ll put out a patch to fix this issue.

Historical Inaccuracy – One thing that this game has – while most won’t notice or really care – is inaccuracy in songs the Beatles played at certain venues. A good example of this is during the Budokan stage, when it shows the band performing "Taxman" and "And Your Bird Can Sing" even though those songs hadn't been released at that point in their career and thus could never have been played. Another instance of this is Ringo Starr playing drums for "Back in the U.S.S.R." and "Dear Prudence" – it was Paul McCartney playing on both of those songs, as Ringo Starr had briefly quit the band at that point. Like I said, its little things like that, that unless you’re looking for them, you would never even notice. And really it doesn’t even matter since the game is just about the music and having a good time.

The Bottom Line:

While the game might be missing a few things that could have made it way better than it is, and the set list is definitely shorter and a tad easier than all the other music games out nowadays, all around this game is great and worth every penny.

With all the extras and never-before-seen or heard material, and all the wondrous visuals and animations, this game really sets it self apart and does the Beatles justice. Not only will you play through and enjoy some of the most creative and influential music of all time, but also you will experience it in a way that really shows you the true depth and life that the Beatles have put into their songs and the feelings they wanted to portray when they created them.

Perhaps it’s due to the pure iconic nature of the Beatles and the music that they gave the world, or even because this game tries to do things a bit differently than the others by adding a few new elements like harmonies, but I have to say this is a must-have item and you should run out and pick it up as soon as you have the chance.

This is a great game for fans of the Beatles, as well as for those hearing their music for the first time. Beatlemania is alive and well and you most definitely need to join in the fun!!

Til next time, keep on gaming!!

Cheat of the Week

2009-10-15T08:25:00.005-04:00

Professor Layton and The Diabolical Box – Unlockables and Useful Hints (Nintendo DS)

Unlockable: Final Puzzles for Layton's Challenges

The Bonus Menu features an option called Layton's Challenges. The extremely tough puzzles can be unlocked by playing the game.

• The Musicians House (139, 140, 141) - Gather the ten pieces of the camera and repair it, then take pictures of the nine camera icons appears. Find the 3 differences in each picture.

• The Tea Master's house (142, 143, 144) - Gather all the tea ingredients and make the different brews. Satisfy the 28 characters that want tea with your recipes.

• The Animal Lover's House (145, 146, 147) - In Layton's Challenges mode, clear Level 1 on the Hamster mini game.

• The Sweetheart's House (148, 149, 150) - When you beat the game, the final puzzles are unlocked.

• The Puzzle Doctor's House (151, 152, 153) - Complete 150 puzzles.

Unlockable: Top Secrets

The following Top Secrets options can be unlocked by collecting the amount of Picarats below. These can be accessed in the Top Secret section of the Bonus Menu.

• Character Profiles - 2500 Picarats

• Story Art - 3000 Picarats

• Game Music - 3500 Picarats

• Character Voices - 4000 Picarats

• Movies - 4500 Picarats

Unlockable: Hint Coin Helper Hamster

Beat the Hamster mini game and the fit hamster will seek out hint coins for you.

Hint: Unlimited Hint Coins

Each time you need to use a hint coin, fret not! Your supply will never diminish if you just save before each puzzle and reset the game after viewing all of the hint coins.

Hint: Tea Recipes

The following teas can be formed by combining the following items:

• 01 Belle Classic - Oasis Leaf, Brisk Berry, Belle Tart Seed

• 02 Oasis Berry - Oasis Leaf, Brisk Berry, Brisk Berry

• 03 Sugar Smoke - Oasis Leaf, Belle Tart Seed, Cinder Horse

• 04 Root Remedy - Oasis Leaf, Joy Root Clover, Tonic Flower

• 05 Cherry Boost - Oasis Leaf, Peppercherry, Peppercherry

• 06 Bitter Fruit - Brisk Berry, Belle Tart seed, Tonic Flower

• 07 Dream Spice - Brisk Berry, Dream Fluff, Peppercherry

• 08 Clover Quencher - Brisk Berry, Joy Root Clover, Cinder Horse

• 09 Radiance Blend - Belle Tart Seed, Dreaf Fluff, Joy Root Clover

• 10 Cayenne Twilight - Dream Fluff, Joy Root Clover, Peppercherry

• 11 Cinder Flower - Dream Fluff, Tonic Flower, Cinder Horse

• 12 The Layton Elixir - Joy Root Clover, Peppercherry, Cinder Horse

Till next time, keep on gaming and Enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (10/13/09 - 10/19/09)

2009-10-13T08:27:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Brutal Legend (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Fallout 3: GOTY Edition (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

• Magna Carta (Xbox 360)

• Where the Wild Things Are (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS)

• Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

• Disney Sing It: Pop Hits (PS3)

• Cars Race O Rama (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS)

• Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition GH (PS3)

• Wii Sports Resort w/ 2 Motion Plus Accessories (Wii)

• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii, DS)

• Sudoku Ball Detective (Wii)

• A Boy and His Blob (Wii)

• Medieval Games (Wii)

• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS)

• Elementary School Success Deluxe (PC)

• Barney: Secret of the Rainbow (PC)

Enjoy!

Cheat of the Week

2009-10-08T09:07:00.000-04:00

Guitar Hero 5 – Cheat Codes and Unlockable Stuff (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)

Cheats: Cheat List

Enter the following codes with your guitar controller at the cheats menu for the desired effect:

• GREEN, GREEN, RED, RED, YELLOW, BLUE, YELLOW, BLUE - Always Slide

• YELLOW, GREEN, RED, BLUE, BLUE, BLUE, BLUE, RED - Auto kick

• RED, RED, BLUE, YELLOW, GREEN, GREEN, GREEN, YELLOW – Air instruments

• GREEN, GREEN, BLUE, GREEN, GREEN, GREEN, YELLOW, GREEN - All hammer-ons and pull-offs

• GREEN, GREEN, RED, RED, YELLOW, RED, YELLOW, BLUE - Contest winner 1

• YELLOW, GREEN, RED, GREEN, YELLOW, BLUE, GREEN, GREEN - Focus mode

• GREEN, RED, GREEN, GREEN, YELLOW, GREEN, GREEN, GREEN - Clean screen (no HUD) mode

• GREEN, RED, YELLOW, YELLOW, YELLOW, BLUE, BLUE, GREEN - Invisible characters

• YELLOW, YELLOW, BLUE, RED, BLUE, GREEN, RED, RED - Performance mode

• BLUE, BLUE, GREEN, GREEN, RED, GREEN, RED, YELLOW - Unlock all characters

Unlockable: Cheat Modes

Perform the actions below to unlock the following cheat modes:

• Auto-kick (Cheat -- automatically plays kick drum) - Hit 200 non-cymbal notes on "Mirror People" in the Angel's Crypt venue (fills do not count)

• Focus Mode (Cheat -- black background for note "highway") - Hit 265 tom notes on "Brainstorm" in The Golden Gate venue as a drummer

• Hud-Free Mode (removes the display) - Get an "Excellent" on 75 consecutive phrases in "Bring The Noise 20XX" as a vocalist in the Neon Oasis venue

• Performance Mode (removes the track and display) - Get a band multiplier (need 2+ players) for 42 seconds on "Bleed American" in the Aqueduct venue

Unlockable: Special Characters

Perform the actions on any difficulty/instrument below to unlock the following characters:

• Carlos Santana - Complete "No One To Depend On (Live)"

• Johnny Cash - Complete "Ring of Fire"

• Kurt Cobain - Complete "Smells Like Teen Spirit"

• Matt Bellamy - Complete "Plug in Baby"

• Shirley Manson - Complete "I'm Only Happy When It Rains"

Unlockable: Venues

Perform the actions below to unlock the following venues:

• Wormhole (Quick play venue) - Get a 4X multiplier for 50 seconds on "Play That Funky Music" as a guitarist in the Sideshow venue

Unlockable: Character Costumes

• Axel Steel's Battle Scar outfit - Beat Medicate Challenge

• Axel Steel's Hog Wild outfit - Beat Send a Little Love Token Challenge

• Axel Steel's Shoulder Blades outfit - Beat Sympathy for the Devil Challenge

• Casey Lynch's Flying Trapeze outfit - Beat Superstition Challenge

• Casey Lynch's Monochrome Maiden outfit - Beat So Lonely Challenge

• Casey Lynch's Sharpshooter outfit - Beat In My Place Challenge

• Clive Winston's Deer Scout outfit - Beat Sneak Out Challenge

• Clive Winston's Persuader outfit - Beat Blue Orchid Challenge

• Clive Winston's Sugar Daddy outfit - Beat Shout It Out Loud Challenge

• Eddie Knox's Casual Wednesday outfit - Beat Gamma Ray Challenge

• Eddie Knox's Crusier outfit - Beat Make It wit Chu Challenge

• Eddie Knox's Suede Spade outfit - Beat Six Days a Week Challenge

• Izzy Sparks's Impresario outfit - Beat Feel Good Inc. Challenge

• Izzy Sparks's Sideshow outfit - Beat Scatterbrain Challenge

• Izzy Sparks's Stiki outfit - Beat Jailbreak Challenge

• Johnny Napalm's 1976 outfit - Beat Judith Challenge

• Johnny Napalm's Generation Zzyzx outfit - Beat Looks That Kill Challenge

• Johnny Napalm's Suburban Snot outfit - Beat Fame Challenge

• Judy Nails's Big Knee Pin outfit - Beat Gratitude Challenge

• Judy Nails's Mall Chic outfit - Beat Runnin' Down a Dream Challenge

• Judy Nails's The Riot Starts Here outfit - Beat You Give Love a Bad Name Challenge

• Lars Umlaut's Grendel outfit - Beat All Along the Watchtower Challenge

• Lars Umlaut's Soldier of Farce outfit - Beat In the Meantime Challenge

• Lars Umlaut's Valhalla outfit - Beat We're an American Band Challenge

• Pandora's Gretel outfit - Beat Steady, As She Goes Challenge

• Pandora's State of Fluxus outfit - Beat Back Round Challenge

• Pandora's Strapped outfit - Beat L.A. Challenge

Hint: Hyper speed

Hyper speed is no longer a cheat, it can be found in the options menu in Guitar Hero 5: Go to Quick play, select "Options," then "Extras" and you can toggle Hyper speed on there.

Till next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (10/06/09 - 10/12/09)

2009-10-06T11:52:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• NBA 2K10 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PC)

• NBA Live 10 (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Saw (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Star Wars The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PC)

• The Biggest Loser (Wii, DS)

• Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 (Wii, DS)

• Disney Sing It: Pop Hits (Wii)

• Spore Hero (Wii)

• Imagine Zookeeper (DS)

• Wedding Dash: Ready, Aim, Love (PC)

• Diner town Tycoon (PC)

• Disney Fun and Skills Pack: Toddler (PC)

• Disney Fun and Skills Pack: Preschool to 1st Grade (PC)

• Disney Fun and Skills Pack: 1st to 3rd Grade (PC)

• Bellatorus Deluxe (PC)

• Annie’s Millions (PC)

• Age of Empires 3: The Complete Collection (PC)

• Math Success Deluxe (PC)

• Wine Maker Extraordinaire (PC)

• Plan it Green (PC)

• Order of War (PC)

Enjoy!

The New PSP is a GO!

2009-10-01T16:42:00.000-04:00

The PSPgo has finally arrived in stores today. It is the fourth version of Sony's PlayStation Portable handheld gaming system to come out since the PSP’s creation in 2004. While the previous versions offered little changes to the hardware (slimmer form, brighter screen, etc.), the PSPgo is slightly different and offers huge modifications in the way the system looks and works.

Most noticeable among the changes is that the PSPgo no longer supports a UMD drive and instead only plays digital content, which can be downloaded off the PlayStation Store or transferred over from another device.

Also, the PSPgo is capable of being in a closed or open position as the screen slides up and down (like many new cell phones). When in a closed position, the screen, Home button and L and R buttons are all accessible, but when open, the classic PSP controls are revealed and able to be used (analog stick, D-Pad, four face buttons, Start and Select). The system continues to function even when closed, which is useful for watching a movie or listening to your music. Some games like ‘LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival,’ which is coming soon, can be played by using only the L and R buttons and are playable when the system is closed.

Since the system just came out today and many might not know about it, I have provided below some common questions, facts and information about it for those looking to either upgrade from a previous version or looking to buy a PSP for the first time.

When can I buy a PSPgo?
The system will be available on Oct. 1, 2009 in North America/Europe and November 1st in Japan.

How much will it cost me?
The PSPgo will retail for $249 in North America, 249 Euros in Europe/PAL territories and 26,800 yen (including tax) in Japan.

Where can I buy a PSPgo?
You can get a PSPgo at all major retail stores and online stores.

What does it come with in the box when I get it?
In the box you'll find the system itself (available in either piano black or pearl white), a proprietary USB cable and an AC adapter that plugs into the USB cable for charging via a power outlet.

Are there any new system bundles available to buy?
Not at launch time. Sony promises that there will be bundles available sometime in the future. Currently, only the basic box with the system, proprietary USB cable and AC adaptor will be available.

What are the new hardware specs?
The screen is 3.8 inches and features a 480x272 resolution. The size of the screen is a little than previous PSPs, but the resolution is exactly the same. It has 64MB of RAM and has 16GB of internal flash memory for storing games, videos, pictures and anything else you want to load on it.

For connectivity, the PSPgo has built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b) and Bluetooth 3.0.

Other hardware Specs:
• External dimensions: 128 x 16.5 x 69 mm (width x height x depth)
• Weight: 158g
• CPU: PSP CPU (System clock frequency 1-333 MHz, Main memory 64MB
• Display: Approximately 16,770,000 colors displayed

Can I still use a mini-USB port for transferring my stuff?
Sort of, instead of having separate ports for power, USB and video-out, the PSPgo uses an all-in-one proprietary connector that will handle all of those things. A USB cable comes in the box, as well as an AC adaptor that plugs into the USB cable to allow you to charge it. The video-out cable will be sold separately.

Does the PSPgo have the ability to do video-output?
Yes, the PSPgo utilizes an all-in-one connector that's used for USB transfers, charging and video-out. As such, you'll need a different cable than what was used with the previous PSPs, and this will be sold separately.

Have the buttons on the system changed locations?
Yes, they sure did. Although the D-pad, analog stick, face buttons and triggers are all relatively in the same place, the volume buttons, display button and sound button have been moved to the top side of the hardware. The Wi-Fi switch is now located on the left side of the system.

What extras/peripherals are going to be available to me?
The USB cable and AC adaptor that come in the box will be available in stores for purchase in case you need an extra set. You'll also be able to get a composite AV cable, component AV cable, a cradle and a protective film screen cover. There will be branded Memory Stick Micros available for purchase.

Will I be able to play my collection of UMD-based games on the PSPgo?
No, the PSPgo doesn't feature a physical UMD drive, so the games will not be able to be put into the system. Unfortunately, Sony has also confirmed just recently that no porting solution will be put into action for those wanting to copy over their collections of UMDs into a digital format.

Wait!! UMDs aren't supported? So how do I get my games onto the PSPgo?
Over 225 full games are now available for purchase and download from the PlayStation Store, and as time goes on the number available will increase greatly. All future PSP games will be available in retail stores and via download, and Sony promises to continue to release UMDs for the older systems since the PSP-3000 is still going to be available for purchase.

How many games will I be able to fit on my system?
That is going to depend on the size of the games. UMD discs hold a maximum of 1.8GB, so if you were to store games that were at the max UMD space (which many titles do not achieve) you'd still be able to hold close to nine games at a time just with the internal storage of the system. It really depends on the game’s size, but you should probably expect to be able to hold around a dozen or more full games at one time on it.

I want more storage capacity! Is this possible?
Yes, Memory Stick Micro (M2) flash cards are supported by the PSPgo. As of right now, they are available in sizes up to 32GB. When you save content to the system, it will ask before saving if you want to save it to the built-in storage (16GB of flash memory) or a Memory Stick Micro (M2) instead if you have one inserted.

Is there still a standard headphone jack I can use?
Yes! Just like the previous PSP models, the PSPgo comes with a headphone jack so you can plug in the best headphones you own and crank it up!

Hopefully that answers some of your questions you may have had about the new PSPgo and perhaps you now have enough info about it to decide whether or not it’s something you want to pick up. The PSPgo definitely has some neat changes in it that are quite nice and might make it worth getting (built in storage, Bluetooth, compact size), but it also has a few cons that you need to look at before making a decision (no UMD support, slightly smaller screen, high price tag).

I am really quite a bit turned off by the complete lack of any UMD support which really stinks for existing owners of previous systems (like myself). Also, the price tag of $250 which is $50 higher than other PSP’s makes it a tough sell for those looking to upgrade since on top of the price of a new system you would basically need to re-purchase your complete library of games for the PSPgo. One good thing is the downloadable games available online will be able to be used on previous PSP systems, so if you have a big enough memory stick in your older systems you will be able to download and play games without the need of a UMD.

I am still a bit on the fence about upgrading and think if Sony decides to come out with a transfer solution for those with UMDs and lowers the price a little bit then I will probably go ahead and get a PSPgo. That being said, I am going to stick with what I have for now and wait until they come out with the next big thing.

So, did you go out and pick up a PSPgo or do you have anything else you want to know about it? Post in the comments section below any questions or feedback you may have and I will do my best to get you an answer. Let me know your take on the PSPgo. I can’t wait to see what you think.

Til next time, keep on gaming!!

Cheat of the Week

2009-10-01T08:10:00.000-04:00

Halo 3: ODST – Unlockable Items and Fun Achievements (Xbox 360)

Unlockable: Firefight Characters

The following characters can be unlocked for use in Firefight by playing the Campaign.

• Buck - Complete Mission 02 on Normal, Heroic or Legendary

• Dutch - Complete Mission 03 on Normal, Heroic or Legendary

• Mickey - Complete Mission 04 on Normal, Heroic or Legendary

• Romeo - Complete Mission 06 on Normal, Heroic or Legendary

• Dare - Complete the Campaign on Legendary

Unlockable: Firefight Missions

The following missions can be unlocked for Firefight.

• Alpha Site - Complete Mission 05 on Normal, Heroic or Legendary

• Chasm Ten - Complete Mission 08 on Normal, Heroic or Legendary

• Last Exit - Complete Mission 09 on Normal, Heroic or Legendary

• Lost Platoon - Complete Mission 03 on Normal, Heroic or Legendary

Unlockable: Firefight Armor

The following armor can be unlocked for use in Firefight:

• Dare's Recon Armor - Finish the Campaign on Legendary

Hint: Mini Achievement Guide

• Stunning! (5) (Stop a vehicle with an overcharged Plasma Pistol and quickly kill the driver)

The best place to get this one is at the Uplift Reserve. Switch to Easy to make this Achievement a simple task. When you come to the area with the overturned warthog and Brutes on vehicles, grab a Plasma Pistol from a nearby Grunt and charge it up. Shoot a Brute in a cycle from close range, then approach him as he just sits there and melee him in the face.

• My Clothes! (5) (Plasma Pistol Overcharge and quickly kill 10 Brutes)

You can do this one on Easy, and Kizingo Boulevard is perfect due to its high number of Brutes. Approach a Brute with a charged Plasma Pistol. Unload it on him and his armor will drop off. Quickly melee him twice (or shoot him in the head with a pistol). Do this ten more times in the same level.

• Both Tubes (5) (Get 10 Rocket kills on Kizingo Boulevard)

You'll start out with two rockets, and you can get a bunch of kills with just these. But a secret Rocket Launcher can be found behind the empty Scorpion you are directed to get into. It's lying on the ground behind a small structure. Use these four rockets to get a few more kills.

• Laser Blaster (5) (Get 10 Spartan Laser kills on ONI Alpha Site)

You can do this on Easy. Although you start with a Spartan Laser on this level, you can get a second one in the next scene to get some extra kills (the area with two Wraiths and the hill). Search the top of the hill for the Spartan Laser.

• I Like Fire (5) (Kill 10 enemies with the Flamethrower on Data Hive)

You can do this on Easy. The Flamethrower is located at the end of a hallway after the icy area in the tunnels.

• Naughty Naughty (5) (Killing things that are new and different is good / Kill 10 Engineers at night in New Mombasa, alone or with another ODST)

Find a place with Engineers that spawn repeatedly and shoot them with charged Plasma Pistol shots for one-hit kills. You'll have to get ten all on the same level (Mombasa Streets).

• Good Samaritan (20) (Killing things that are new and different is bad / Do not kill any Engineers at night in New Mombasa, alone or with another ODST)

You must avoid killing Engineers for the entire campaign. Start to finish. If you see a count appear for the Naughty Naughty Achievement, restart the level.

Till next time, keep on gaming and Enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (9/29/09 - 10/5/09)

2009-09-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)

• Bass Pro Shops: The Strike (Xbox 360, Wii)

• Midnight Club: Los Angeles Complete Edition (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (PS3)

• Gran Turismo (PSP)

• Motor Storm Artic Edge (PSP)

• Deca Sports 2 (Wii)

• Family Feud: 2010 Edition (Wii, DS, PC)

• My Sims Agents (Wii, DS)

• Dead Space Extraction (Wii)

• Rapala: We Fish (Wii)

• Wii Fit Plus (Wii)

• Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)

• Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom (PC)

• Women's Murder Club: Twice in a Blue Moon (PC)

• Midnight Mysteries: The Edgar Allen Poe Conspiracy (PC)

• PBS Kids Play (PC)

• Sesame Street Elmo's World (PC)

• 747-400X Queen of the Skies (PC)

• Seahawk & Jayhawk (PC)

• F-16 Fighting Falcon (PC)

• DHC-6 Twin Otter (PC)

• Supreme Ruler 2020 Gold (PC)

• First Class Flurry (PC)

• Scrabble Plus (PC)

Enjoy!

Metroid Prime Trilogy Reviewed

2009-09-28T14:32:00.000-04:00

Release Date: August 24, 2009
List Price: $49.99

Metroid easily has to be one of my all-time favorite series of games. You play as bounty hunter Samus Aran, protector of the galaxy, who fights the evil Space Pirates’ who attempt to harness the power of biological weapons, including the organism know as Metroid. I have been a nonstop fan of the 11 games that have come out since Metroid’s creation in 1986, and am always looking forward to the next adventure.

In 2002 Nintendo released for the GameCube “Metroid Prime.” In all of the previous titles the game was viewed and played as a side-scrolling adventure. For this game Nintendo decided to change it up. It was the first time in the history of the Metroid series that players would experience the game in a first-person perspective. Most gamers were a bit worried and not quite sure what to think of such a change in style; thankfully Nintendo pulled it off perfectly. The graphics were excellent, the controls were smooth and worked great, and the game itself was an instant classic that dwarfed the other games in size and story. I loved every minute of it and couldn’t wait for the sequel.

In 2004 Nintendo answered our wishes by following up with “Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” for the GameCube. Again utilizing the first-person perspective and continuing the story that events from the first “Prime” game set, Nintendo had another hit on their hands. Again the graphics were excellent and even slightly improved, controls were slightly tweaked for the better and just as smooth as before and the game itself was excellent and also an instant classic. Once again, I loved every minute of it and wanted more.

In 2006 the GameCube was replaced by the new system, the Wii, and in the summer of 2007 Nintendo once again answered our prayers with their latest title in the Metroid family, “Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.” This game took all the best features from the previous titles and built upon them with new updated graphics; voice acting, for the first time ever; a new and unbelievable story that tied up the entire story; and a new and improved control system. Utilizing the pointing and motion controls of the Wii, “Metroid” fans were finally able to play the game in a way that felt so smooth and natural, that gave us unreal accuracy and made it all around so much fun to play, that you wouldn’t want to put the controller down. This is the way “Metroid” games should be played.

Well Nintendo agreed that the experience the Wii gave “Metroid” fans was unlike anything before and they felt that the fans deserved the chance to re-live the games that made this series so great with a new and improved control set up and updated graphics. On August 24, 2009, “Metroid Prime Trilogy” was released for the Wii and the fans rejoiced.

Nintendo packed on a single disc all three titles from the “Prime” series remastered with updated graphics and sound, all three games now utilize the same pointing and motion control system that “Prime 3” has and I must say once again Nintendo has a hit on their hands. Playing either of the original two “Prime” games with these updates makes me feel like I am playing a whole new game for the very first time. The graphics look absolutely great, the sound is excellent and the controls are top notch and feel oh so right. Thank you Nintendo for deciding to do this and improving on already great games; I am definitely glad you did.

The Good:

Graphic/Animations: The first 2 “Prime” games looked absolutely great on the GameCube and pushed the hardware to the limits and really set standards for how games should look. For the re-release Nintendo did a bit of a touch up to the games in hopes of making the series all feel like one giant story that had the same look and feel. Wow was I surprised to see the big improvements and upgraded quality of graphics for these games on the Wii. The textures, the little details and lighting have all been significantly improved. Even the character models have been touched up and look so much more clean and detailed than before. I was pleasantly surprised on how fresh and new these games look now and they really look as if they were just recently released for the current generation of systems and not back in 2002.

3 Games 1 Disc: When I first heard of the trilogy coming out I thought, “Oh great, three more discs to add to the collection at 50 bucks a pop.”

Thankfully that is not the case. Nintendo has packed all three games onto a single disc at a low price of $49.99 (that’s about $16 per game!) so you don’t have to worry about multiple cases taking up space on your shelves but also so you can easily jump from game to game without ever getting out of your seat. I love the fact that I can play “Prime 1” then from the game menu jump right back into playing “Prime 2” or “3” if I want without having to take discs in and out of my system – quick, easy, and saves you a bit of time and space. Also to add the case the game comes in is a somewhat heavy hard metal collectible case with awesome artwork and a single guidebook that covers all three games. On top of that, “Prime 3” which is included, is a Wii title that came out only two years ago and is still close to 50 bucks in stores as a standalone title. Definitely a great deal!

Game play: Each of the games has such a great story that it not only takes you countless hours to go through but also starts at the first game and continues on right up to the last game. It has you wanting to find out what happens next and immediately starting up the next game once you complete the one you’re on.

With multiple missions and puzzles to solve as well as awesome weaponry and suit functions to use and upgrade, each game feels epic all the way through. The level of story details and extras the developers put in the game really adds to the depth of the story and makes it so you want to go through and complete the games 100% by collecting every item, bit of lore and info you can. While playing this game you almost start to become attached to Samus and start worrying what’s going to happen to her next. (Yes the main character is a female, just in case you didn’t know; she is one of the very first female heroes in video games and one of the best and most bad-ass video game heroines of all-time.) These games are so much fun that you will definitely lose sleep due to constant playing.

Controls: While “Prime 3” was already a Wii title that used the motion controls, playing the first two games with the new Wii pointing and motion controls is how these games were meant to be played. The level of accuracy that you get from being able to actually point at the screen is precise and flawless. Moving around the levels and navigating the menus is great and spot-on. It is so smooth now and really adds to the depth that these games have. No longer do you get frustrated when trying to shoot small moving objects or lock-on and fight off a boss. It now feels natural and the game really flows so much better. Your movements and actions are more precise and the game play is most definitely improved because of it. When these games first came out I never thought they could get any better. Man was I wrong.

Game Modes/ Extras: Not only do you have the three main story modes to play, but they also included the multiplayer mode that was included with “Prime 2.” While it isn’t the greatest multiplayer death match game out there, back in the day when the game came out it was kind of cool to have and fun to play with friends for a quick match or two. It is definitely nice that Nintendo decided to include it in the trilogy when they really didn’t even need to. Also another great thing Nintendo did with the trilogy is include the “achievement tokens” from “Prime 3” in all of the games.

Now when you complete a mission, collect an item or beat a boss you receive a token which can be redeemed on the main menu to unlock bonus materials such as concept art galleries, soundtrack music, and other extras. Great thing is you can use the tokens to unlock any of the bonus materials from any game as long as you have enough of them; there is no limit to what you go after.

The Bad:

Not a whole lot I can think of. These games are some of the best to ever come out.

I did notice on a very rare occasion some graphical glitches, screen tearing or pixilation of edges during some of the game play and cut scenes that if you were not looking for them you might not even notice. But for games that came out around 2002 on a whole different system you can’t really complain since Nintendo did a bang up job of cleaning these up and enhancing them to such outstanding levels. Also on occasion the controls could be a bit touchy if you move your hand a little too quickly to the left or right which would cause Samus to start doing a 360 which might just have been from me being overexcited to play.

Other than it I really can’t find much to complain about. These games are great and worth every second.

The Bottom Line:

Like I said before these games are some of the best games to ever come out and that I have ever played. Great graphics, an immersive and fantastic story, and game play that absolutely can’t be beat and still impresses the gaming world as being innovative and a standard for future games. I am impressed with what has Nintendo has done to revive the previous titles, and I’m glad that they bundled them together for a very low price and brought them into the next generation with new and quite improved controls.

I highly recommend this trilogy to everyone and anyone looking for a collection of games that will not only entertain you but also provide hours upon hours of game play. Playing these past titles felt like playing brand new games for the very first time. There is a ton more I could tell you about this set and I could go on forever talking about how great this collection is but I think you need to see for yourself what I’m talking about. Go get this set; it is definitely worth it. You will love the huge improvements and updates Nintendo has given us and you won’t be disappointed.

Til next time, keep on gaming!!

Cheat of the Week

2009-09-24T10:42:00.000-04:00

Scribblenauts – Useful Cheats, Easter Eggs and More (Nintendo DS)

Cheat: Useful Items

Enter the following terms for extremely useful things:

• Invincibility Cloak - Put this on and you'll take no damage

• Invisibility Cloak - Harmful creatures won't be able to see you with this item equipped

• Pocket Knife - (Weapon) Infinitely useful!

• Lunar Rover - Cancel out gravity in style

Cheat: Re-Use Words in Challenge Mode

Challenge Mode wants you to get creative by not allowing you to use the same words in three separate trials. If you cannot think of something creative, you can take advantage of The Great Adjective Exploit to bypass this entirely: just add an adjective (or whatever) in front of a word and the game will give you a free pass to use it again. For instance, to "reuse" MONSTER, type SCARY MONSTER or GIANT MONSTER and the game will react as if you just used the term MONSTER for the first time!

Unlockable: Title Screen Backgrounds

Additional backgrounds can be unlocked for the title screen "sandbox" mode by entering the words below:

2 - "cat"

3 - "car"

4 - "bee"

5 - "tree"

6 - "woman"

7 - "coffin"

8 - "vibes"

9 - "coin"

10 - "chair"

11 - "zombie"

12 - "court"

13 - "rain" and select "rain(water)"

14 - "it"

Easter Egg: Space Level

Enter the word TELEPORTER in the main menu/ lobby to be sent to a secret space level. You may also be taken to two other secret levels -- it's completely random!

Till next time, keep on gaming and Enjoy!!

Let Me Know What You Want!!

2009-09-22T08:00:00.000-04:00

Do you have a game or system you play all day long that you absolutely love that you want me to check out and possibly review so the world knows all about it? Perhaps you’re thinking about going out to the store and picking up a specific game but not sure if you should spend the time and money. Unsure of how a new technology works or what the future holds in the world of gaming? Let me know and I could possibly pick your idea and write about it in the coming weeks. Submit your ideas and thoughts in the comments section of this post and let me do the dirty work so you don’t have to. I will hunt down the latest news, info, tips & tricks and demo the games that you want to know about. Any game, any system – doesn’t matter to me! Maybe I’ve already got the inside scoop on exactly what you’re looking for. Let me know what you want and I will make it my mission to get it for you.

I’m very interested and cannot wait to hear what you can come up with.

Til next time, keep on gaming!!

This Week's New Releases (9/22/09 - 9/28/09)

2009-09-22T07:56:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Halo 3: ODST (Xbox 360)

• Katamari Forever (PS3)

• Rock Band Metal Track Pack (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up (PS2)

• Scooby Doo: First Fright (Wii, DS)

• The Price is Right 2010 Edition (Wii, DS, PC)

• Wacky World of Sports (Wii)

• Where’s Waldo? The Fantastic Journey (Wii, DS, PC)

• Our House: Party (Wii)

• Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force CE (DS)

• Spore Hero Arena (DS)

• Aion (PC)

• Diner Dash Party Pack (PC)

• Escape the Museum 2 (PC)

• Samantha Swift and the Golden Touch (PC)

Enjoy!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled Review

2009-09-21T13:06:00.000-04:00

Release Date: August 5th 2009
List Price: $10.00 on Xbox Live Arcade

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a comic book about four turtles exposed to a radioactive ooze that causes them to mutate and grow into four wise-talking, pizza-loving teenagers who are trained ninjas with attitude. They fight crime and a ninja clan known as the Foot. Not only was this a great comic book but also eventually made into a hit cartoon TV show and multiple live-action movies, as well as action figures and video games. I was a huge fan, and still am. In fact, I just recently bought the Bluray collectors’ edition of the live-action films. The movies still to this day bring a smile to my face and give me the occasional laugh. Yes, if you haven’t guessed already I am a bit of a geek – guilty as charged.

Back in 1991, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time’ was built for arcade machines. Eventually the game was ported over for its countless fans to the Super Nintendo System. The premise of the game was that the Statue of Liberty has just been taken by a mysterious giant android and once again it is up to the Ninja Turtles to make things right. I must admit I loved this game on Super Nintendo and spent countless hours hacking and slashing through endless waves of Foot soldiers. I remember playing this game over and over with my brothers until I think we burnt through the cartridge and needed to go buy a new one. So when I heard that Microsoft was remaking this game in new updated HD graphics and sound for the Xbox Live Arcade I was thrilled with nostalgia and had my credit card in hand ready for download when it released.

While yes it is still fun to play and does bring back some fond memories, sadly the level of fun and excitement just doesn’t feel the same as it did back in the day and is unfortunately a bit of a let-down.

The Good:

Nostalgia – Microsoft did do the fans a service and kept the same feel of the previous game: The turtles still make their goofy and quite cheesy comments, you still fight a bunch of the recognizable enemies from the series, and it still has, for the most part, the same level layout from the past game. It definitely brought back memories of me playing the game with my friends and had me saying out loud a few of the in-game sayings.

Easy to play – This game only takes a couple buttons on your controller to play as you move from left to right on screen while you punch, kick, and jump your way through the game. With a very simple control scheme anyone can play, from a small child all the way up to a non-game-playing adult. This is nice when you want to get friends or family that normally don’t play to join in with you.

Multiplayer – This game in the arcades was a four-player game; on Super Nintendo it was only able to be played with two people. Microsoft has thankfully decided to go with the arcade version of the game and offer a four-player game, which is quite nice when you have multiple people wanting to play at the same time. Fun when looking to play a game with a group of people.

The Ok:

Graphics – I am on the edge with the graphics in this game. While the new updated graphics do bring a fresh feel and look really good compared to the previous 32-bit versions, and add some depth to the picture, it just seems a bit off. While I am surprised at the amount of time they must have put into this and all the extra background details they added, I feel as if they probably should have just kept to the original graphics of the past games and perhaps just cleaned/sharpened them up to bring them into the HD era. To add to this, the new graphics at times appear very blocky and not very smooth. Perhaps this was the artistic approach the developers wanted, but it makes the game look a little unfinished.

Game play - This game is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles button masher, plain and simple. It doesn’t take a lot of thinking to play this game. You pick your turtle (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael) and then immediately start the game swinging. The levels are a side-scrolling punch and kick fest, that doesn’t take any real level of skill to play. A simple and fun to play type of game which anyone can enjoy even if not a gamer when you are looking for something mindless to do. Back in the day the very basic button masher was a very common type of game (‘Streets of Rage,’ ‘Double Dragon,’ etc) that was great to play and would cause hours to pass by, but now does seems a bit out a date and doesn’t quite hold up to the level of enjoyment of today’s caliber of button mashing games. Also, I found that you can easily go through the game in one roughly hour session and then feel as if you do not need to replay it. While yes this is just a remake of the previous game which was quite simple compared to today’s standards, I for some reason feel like the previous versions took longer to go through.

The Bad:

Level Structure – For this game Microsoft decided that they were going to go for the arcade version to structure the levels. While this is meant to be a remake of the original version, I feel as if the SNES version was the better game and offered more to the players as well as the more recognized version by gamers. Playing through this game there were levels missing that I really enjoyed playing on the SNES (the entire tecnodrome stage) and 4 bosses from the SNES where also not present (the Rat King, Bebop and Rock Steady, Battle Tank Shredder, Slash). Not only did this disappoint me a little bit but also it shortened the actual game and made the story not flow as well. I really think for the money this game costs they should have used the longer version. Perhaps there were licensing issues or something else that prevented this from happening. Either way bad decision on someone’s part and not cool!!

Game Modes: In the SNES version of the game there was not only the story you could play through but also a time trial mode and two players versus fight mode. While they were very basic and didn’t add much to the game they were still fun to play on occasion. Unfortunately Microsoft decided to not include these modes in the game but instead to have a survival mode which you play through a level with only one life and need to try and make it to the end. They also included a quick play mode where you can play any level to rack up a score without the worry of having to lose lives since they give you 99 to start. I really think they should have kept the time trial and versus mode on top of the new modes to add to the replay value of the game.

The Bottom Line:

Being a big fan of the series and original games as well as putting in so many hours back in the day on the SNES I was really looking forward to this game and couldn’t wait to start it up. Unfortunately I think Microsoft decided to remake the wrong version of this game. While this game is still fun to play, looks good and is worth checking out, it just doesn’t feel the same. They could have done so much more with this game and really captured what made the originals so great. Will I continue to play this game with my friends and enjoy doing so? Yup, I sure will, but I will definitely be wanting more and wishing the developers took a second look at this before putting it out.

Is this game worth spending the 10 bucks on? That’s a question I am on the fence with. For nostalgia purposes and some quick fun sure, pick it up, it’s not too bad, but I recommend you download the trial version first and give it a look, then make your decision if you want to pick it up. If you’re looking for a simple button mashing game to waste some time with family or friends this might be for you, but you might want to also see what your local game store has first before dishing out the 10 bucks.

Til next time, keep on gaming!!

Cheat of the Week

2009-09-17T09:34:00.000-04:00

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 - Unlockable Characters and More (Xbox 360, PS3)

Unlockable: Characters

Unlock the following characters by performing the actions listed below:

• Hulk - Collect all 5 Gamma Regulators
• Jean Grey - Collect all 5 M'Kraan Shards
• Thor - Asgardian Runes
• Ms. Marvel - Beat the NYC Level
• Deadpool - Beat the D.C. Level
• Iron Fist - Choose the Rebel side when faced with the choice
• Songbird - Choose the Register side when faced with the choice

Complete Cheat List

Entering the following codes disables saving. Use the D-pad on the controller to enter the following codes for the desired effect:
• Unlock Movies - (Enter in the Main Menu) UP, LEFT, LEFT, UP, RIGHT, RIGHT, UP, START

• Unlock Skins - (Enter during gameplay) UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, START

• Unlock Powers - (Enter during gameplay) LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN, START

• Unlock Heroes - (Enter during gameplay) UP , UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, START

• Summon Fusion - (Enter during gameplay) RIGHT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, UP, UP, LEFT, START

• Unlock Dossiers - (Enter in the Main Menu) DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, RIGHT, RIGHT,LEFT, DOWN, START

• GM - (Enter during gameplay) UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN, UP, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, START

• Unlock Diaries - (Enter in the Main Menu) LEFT, RIGHT, RIGHT, LEFT, UP, UP, RIGHT, START

• Unlock Hulk - (Enter during gameplay) DOWN, LEFT, LEFT, UP, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, LEFT, START

• Unlock Jean Grey - (Enter during gameplay) LEFT, LEFT, RIGHT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN, START

• Unlock Thor - (Enter during gameplay) UP, RIGHT, RIGHT, DOWN, RIGHT, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, START

Till next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (9/15/09 -9/21/09)

2009-09-15T08:37:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP, DS)

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, PSP, DS)

• Need for Speed: Shift (Xbox 360, PS3, PSP)

• NHL 2K10 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)

• Heroes Over Europe (Xbox 360, PS3)

• NHL 10 (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Wet (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Capcom Platinum Hits Triple Pack (Xbox 360)

• Toy Story Mania (Wii)

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up (Wii)

• Scribblenauts (DS)

• Cake Mania (DS)

• Ant Nation (DS)

• Resident Evil 5 (PC)

Enjoy!!

Toys R Us Begins Nationwide Trade-in Program

2009-09-15T08:30:00.000-04:00

Toys R Us began testing back in March a video game trade-in program in a few select markets across the country. It appears that they liked what they saw because the retailer has said that today they will begin accepting used games from the Atari 2600 on up to the newest releases nationwide.

Toys R Us is trying to do something new and quite interesting that no other retailer does: They are allowing any game to be traded in, no matter its age or make. You could bring any game you have for any system (currently about 25 different systems) as long as you have the original game in the original packaging. When you exchange your games you will be given store credit to be used at Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores, along with the affiliated online outlets.

Bill Lee, Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Toys R Us U.S., put out the following statement about the program:

"The video game trade-in program is another way we're providing customers with additional value when they visit our stores. This program is designed to make the exchange process completely hassle-free for customers by accepting games from even the oldest systems, including the original Atari 2600 and 32-bit Sega Genesis."

This move is a smart way to bring in customers. There really isn’t anywhere in this day and age that you can go and trade in old-school games other than a specialty shop (which are very hard to find) or Ebay. Many of us still have games from years ago lying around the house that are doing nothing but collecting dust; why not get a few bucks for them and possibly buy a brand new game to play, or anything else that they have for sale? Yup, the credit you get does not have to be used to get more video games. You can use it for whatever the store carries, from stuffed animals to a new baby crib. Whatever you want – not that bad of a deal, wouldn’t you agree?

The only thing that I find a little odd and perhaps a missed chance to make even more money is that Toys R Us isn’t going to be reselling the used games back to their customers in their stores. The games are going to be collected by a third party company that will then resell the games to various retailers across the country. It sure would have been nice to be able to go in to the store and pick up a few of my old favorites and replay them. Oh well, perhaps this will change as time goes on. Fingers crossed.

Well, it looks like I need to start digging through all my stuff to find my old collection of dust-covered games.

Till next time, keep on gaming!!

The Beatles: Rock Band Has Arrived

2009-09-14T15:44:00.000-04:00

The Beatles are one of the most successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of music. The English rock /pop group formed in Liverpool in 1960 with John Lennon (vocals, rhythm guitar), Paul McCartney (vocals, bass guitar, piano), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Their style and statements made them trend-setters, and their music influenced the social and cultural revolutions that defined the 1960s.

The Beatles have sold between 600M-1B records internationally. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked them number one in its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Their influence in the music world will be heard for all time and they will continue to inspire artists for many years to come.

It is because of this unmatchable success and influence that MTV Games and Harmonix honor The Beatles with their very own video game to join in the already successful and quite popular Rock Band family. On Sept. 9, The Beatles: Rock Band was released to the world coinciding with the release of the new, remastered CD versions of The Beatles' albums. The game consists of 45 songs spanning their entire career, along with virtual creations of the band members performing the songs in the various venues that they once played. There is also downloadable content featuring additional songs and full albums – the entire Abbey Road (1969) album. Check your system for updates.

Four new limited-edition controllers modeled after The Beatles iconic instruments have also been introduced to coincide with the game’s release: a Rickenbacker 325 guitar played by John Lennon; a Gretsch Duo Jet guitar played by George Harrison; a Höfner bass played by Sir Paul McCartney; and a Ludwig drums set played by Ringo Starr. They work just like the previous instruments in the Rock Band family and offer no new game-play features. They are gorgeous to look at and, even if you already own multiple instrument controllers from previous games, they are great collectors’ items.

But, The Beatles are more than just another rock band – they are not only known for their fantastic music catalog but also their artistic, creative and psychedelic imagery and films which cannot be duplicated. Yellow Submarine is still one of the craziest movies ever – even my 3-year-old son loves watching it (it’s his favorite). This is where most of my concerns were. Thankfully there was no reason to worry at all: This game is probably the closest we will ever get to a full Beatles experience in a video game, and it definitely makes sure we enjoy every minute of it.

The Beatles: Rock Band not only gives the already established fans a great video-game experience, but it introduces their music and style to new generations that might not have been familiar with their works. Who knows – it just might inspire a new musician to create the world’s next masterpiece of musical genius.

I will be posting my full review of The Beatles: Rock Band in the coming weeks, but I can tell you now it is definitely worth the money for any Beatles fan to pick up and a lot of fun for those newcomers to Beatlemania.

Check it out and let me know what you think in the comments.

Till next time, keep on gaming!!

Cheat of the Week

2009-09-10T11:10:00.000-04:00

Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga - Character Unlock Codes (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)

To unlock any of the following characters for in-game use go to the Cantina, and access the codes command. Insert the following codes to unlock the character you wish to use.

• Admiral Ackbar - ACK646

• Battle Droid Commander - KPF958

• Boba Fett - LA811Y

• Boss Nass - HHY697

• Captain Tarpals - QRN714

• Count Dooku - DDD748

• Darth Maul - H35TUX

• Darth Sidious - A32CAM

• Ewok - EWK785

• General Grievous - PMN576

• Greedo - ZZR636

• IG-88 - GIJ989

• Imperial Guard - GUA850

• Jango Fett - KLJ897

• Ki Adi Mundi - MUN486

• Luminara - LUM521

• Padme - VBJ322

• R2-Q5 - EVILR2

• Sandtrooper - CBR954

• Stormtrooper - NBN431

• Super Battle Droid - XZNR21

• Taun We - PRX482

• Vulture Droid - BDC866

• Watto - PLL967

• Zam Wesell - 584HJF

Bonus Unlockable character:

If you go to the Bonus Room in the game and watch the trailer for the new Indiana Jones game, Indiana Jones will then become a character that you can use in the game.

Till next time, keep on gaming and enjoy!!

This Week's New Releases (9/8/09 - 9/14/09)

2009-09-08T10:27:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• The Beatles: Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)

• Dirt 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PSP, DS, PC)

• Mini Ninjas (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PC)

• Cabela’s Outdoor Adventures (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii)

• IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey (Xbox 360, PS3)

• Darkest of Days (Xbox 360, PC)

• Little Big Planet: GOTY Edition (PS3)

• Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)

• Mario & Luigi: Bowsers Inside Story (DS)

Enjoy!

Batman: Arkham Asylum Reviewed

2009-09-08T09:48:00.000-04:00

Release Date: August 25, 2009
List Price: $59.99

The Joker is up to something! Batman has once again tracked down and captured him just a few weeks after the clown prince of crime broke out of Arkham Asylum, the home for many of the wild and crazy maniacs that Batman himself has taken care of and sentenced to a life in a padded room. Problem is, you can never trust the Joker, so after getting back into the building – which just so happens to also be housing hundreds of the Joker's henchmen after a strange and "mysterious" fire at their prison – The Joker breaks free with the help of his main squeeze, Harley Quinn, and takes control of the penitentiary, releasing all the inmates. It’s now once again up to Batman to take down the clown prince and his minions and figure out what the Joker is really up to before Gotham becomes the target of yet another deadly plan.

First off let me say this. I was completely skeptical of this game when the demo came out. While the demo showed a very tight action game that appeared to be well-polished, it just seemed like another button-masher that you could quickly punch and kick your way from room to room til the end of game. Too many times in the past have video game makers attempted to make a truly awesome comic book game and failed. I won’t name names, but you know who you are!

Well, once I got my hands on an actual copy of this game my opinion completely turned around. Finally someone has answered the prayers of all us comic book geeks wanting something that we only dreamed would some day be a reality. This game ROCKS!! Now while it does have a few things wrong with it (I’m talking a very few) all around this game delivers and is probably so far the best game I have played this year, and definitely the best comic book translation to video game I think I have ever played..

The Good:

Graphic/Animations: WOW..I mean really WOW…This game looks incredible, from the fine detail in the environments, down to the cuts and tears in Batman’s costume as the game progresses. This game is very well put together and they made sure to add as much detail and effects as possible in every scene to immerse you in the game. This game has the look and feel as if I should be paying $12.50 for a ticket to see it on the big screen. The cut scenes flow so well and the level of character detail in them are just scary. Each time the Joker is on screen is just terrifying. This game looks awesome!

Dialogue/ Voice Acting: Again WOW.. Not only does the dialogue make the story feel so alive and fresh and really help progress the story but it is also being acted out by the same people that do the voices in the animated series. Mark Hamill is the Joker, Kevin Conroy is Batman, and Arleen Sorkin is Harley Quinn. I have to say that Mark Hamill as the Joker just adds a level of depth that really brings the character to life, and Kevin Conroy as Batman really makes the Dark Knight a presence you don’t want to mess with. I am quite impressed with the amount of extra chatter in the game as well, not only during cut scenes but also as you just walk down a hallway. It’s great to hear the Joker taunting you as you try to solve one of his many puzzles. Great job!

Game play: At first I thought I was in store for another button-mashing punch fest. Man was I wrong. This game has so much to do – I was really surprised at all the options. Not only do you have to try to figure out why the Joker is taking control of the Asylum by doing some serious detective work, but you have to act just like if you were the Dark Knight himself. Sure you can run in a room and start swinging if you’d like, but it is much more fun and satisfying to sneak in the shadows and slowly terrorize and pick off bad guys one by one until the last one standing is so terrified he just wants to run away. Sometimes this is really your only option if you want to successfully complete a mission. Also to add to this, you have an array of gadgets, like a batarang, explosive gel, grapple hook, and a few more with their own unique and upgradable functions to help you solve the puzzles and take out the enemy. Now if you feel like just running in don’t worry, Batman is an expert at martial arts and with the free-flow combo system that’s part of this game taking on a group of henchmen feels like a smooth and fast-paced dance that I myself would not want to join in. Batman definitely can kick some serious butt.

Detective Mode: When not fighting off a horde of enemies, Batman needs to switch it up and do some actual detective work. The detective mode makes it possible to scan objects for clues, finger prints, or even scent trails in order to figure out what the Joker is up to or to get past an obstacle. This is something that I am glad they included in the game because Batman is considered a master detective in the comics and it would have been a shame if we didn’t get a chance to experience this first hand. The only problem that I have with detective mode is that I tended to leave it on during most of the game play and I think they should have perhaps limited the amount of time you have for it, perhaps a recharge type of thing to make you have to slow down a bit and think of your next move. Otherwise this feature is great and quite fun to use.

Game Modes/ Extras: Not only do you have the campaign mode, which lasts easily 9 hours or longer, but they also included challenge mode, which gives you the ability to go into a free-for-all standoff to see how long you can last against an onslaught of bad guys in multiple levels. Man, can this get tough but it is oh so much fun. Trying to string together as many combos as possible while flipping around and countering oncoming enemies in a way only Batman could do will cause many hours to pass by and have you building up a serious finger-blistering sweat. I swear I felt like I went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson after playing this for a few hours, and I would most definitely step in the ring with him again. Also to add to the fun, in-game you have various riddles set for you to figure out by the Riddler, which once solved grants you some fun extras like trophies, audio recordings and fact sheets on various characters. Just solving the riddles can take you countless hours and is definitely a fun extra that is worth doing.

The Bad:

Not much really.

It can become repetitive to fight off an amazingly large army of the Joker’s henchmen who all appear the same, and to take out a henchman as he’s standing next to another without being noticed might be a little much. But it’s still fun to do.

Another gripe I have is the lack of including and taking on some of the more famous villains from the Batman universe. While some do make cameo appearances or the game acknowledges them in some way, it does make me a little sad that they are not in the game to go against. I don’t want to spoil it for you so you will just have to see yourself what I am talking about. Hopefully future games will bring them out so I can dish out some justice Batman style.

Also I did notice on a very rare occasion some graphical glitches or pixilation during cut scenes that if you were not looking for them you might not even notice.

Other than it I really can’t find much to complain about. This game is great.

The Bottom Line:

Like I said before this game is the best comic book game I have ever played. Great graphics, fantastic story, well-composed and downright awesome voice acting by the cast from the TV series, and game play that absolutely can’t be beat. Easily one of my favorites to play, and with the multiple options and game modes it has a replay value that will keep you busy for many hours til the late hours of the night. I highly recommend this game to everyone and anyone looking for a game that will not only entertain you but also give you a bit of satisfaction as you sneak around taking out unsuspecting enemies in creative and downright fun ways. I felt like I was playing a Batman movie. This is probably the closest thing we will ever get to a true Dark Knight video game. Go get this game – you won’t be disappointed. I know I wasn’t.

Til next time, keep on gaming!!

Is the Future of Gaming Now?

2009-09-01T11:21:00.000-04:00

Remember back in the day when video games were nothing more than a tiny white square bouncing back and forth against a solid block that you moved up and down by a simple joystick? Spending countless hours playing against your family or friends till your eyes felt like they would fall out of your head? The graphics were amazing, the controls so easy and smooth, and the game play was absolutely addictive. We were all on cloud nine, thinking, “Man this is the best thing since sliced bread” and “how could it ever get better than this?” If we only knew what awaited us all …

Now video games are displayed in high definition with graphics so realistic you can almost reach out and grab them. The controllers have what seems like endless buttons that control multiple things and look like they should be on the Starship Enterprise. The game play is as addictive – if not more than – as before and still causes us to lose countless hours in front of the TV trying to get to that next level. Gaming has never been better. Life is great! How could we imagine anything better than this? Well, we said the same thing 20 years ago and now it appears that we are yet again in for a big change in what we perceive as gaming.

“How so?” you ask. What could the video game companies do for us now to take us to an even higher level of gaming, even better than what we are already at? Not possible! No way! What if I told you that instead of just sitting in front of your TV on the couch mashing your fingers on your multiple button controllers you could get up and be part of the game, actually control and play the game with a simple wave of your hand, a point of your finger, or simply by moving your foot? Would that interest you?

Well it looks like that is about to become reality. I’m talking about motion control and full-body immersion into the games we play.

Nintendo has already begun using this technology with their Wii video game system, and they have shown the world that gaming can be more than what we have ever known. Using their Wiimote controller you can swing a golf club and play 9 holes, pick up a tennis racket and take on a friend in a friendly match, and even go bowling right in your living room (bowling shoes not needed). It’s great; instead of just sitting there mashing on the buttons to play the games, you actually have to stand up and interact with the game.

And to add to the fun, Nintendo recently released an add-on to the controller called the Wii Motion Plus, which gives you even more control and true one-to-one motion transfer. Bundled with “Wii Sports Resort,” you now can have a fencing match, shoot a three-point basketball contest, or play a game of Frisbee catch with a dog, as well as many other games.

It truly is remarkable and adds to the games on a level we’ve never had. Seeing the success of the Wii and how the public embraced motion control in their games, Microsoft and Sony both decided that they too now would venture into this new technology.

At the latest E3 conference, Sony unveiled their answer to Nintendo with the PS3 Motion Controller. Using a wand like controller in conjunction with the PS3 eye camera, your motions will be tracked and translated in the game. The wands have a glowing orb mounted on top that the camera uses to track your movement and to locate you in a 3-D space. From what they showed in a demo video, the wands can be replaced in-game for anything, from a bow and arrow to a sword to a baseball bat; whatever you need to use in the game will be available. The motion translation appeared quite fluid and looked to be working how they wanted.

Other than that not mush else has really been released about the Motion Controller yet. Sony is keeping a tight grip on what they release to the public but has said that it will work like nothing else and definitely change the way we play our games. They haven’t given a time frame for when this will be released but hopefully it’s soon. I will be interested to see what more they show us in the coming months.

Microsoft recently announced their new product, code named Project Natal, which will work with the Xbox 360. Microsoft has not released a lot about this yet, or when exactly it will be hitting the shelves, but from what they have shown people so far it looks as if this might be quite impressive and possibly the next big thing.

Natal will utilize a camera system that can track your every movement in a 3-D space, as well as at the movement of over 40 joint points on your body. It will be able to see you in a light or dark room and be able to pick you out of a group of people. It also has facial, voice, and even emotion tracking abilities that will be able to add to the way we interact with the system and play games. You will be able to control the system and game play without the use of a controller but instead with a simple wave of your arm, gesture of the hand, or a voice command. You will be able to drive cars, fight off armies of enemies, play sports, and control your characters all with your own body.

Combined with new A.I. software which you will be able to speak to, Natal will understand what you’re saying and follow your commands. We will soon be able to fully interact with the game as if we were actually a part of it. This is the one I’m very interested in and cannot wait to see more of.

From what has been shown to us so far it looks like we all are in for a treat and a major advance in the way we play games. The great thing is these technologies are going to make it so that all generations will be able to play the games and be a part of the fun. All you will need is yourself and you will be in the game, enjoying the fun with friends and family.

Imagine being able to drive a race car in the Grand Prix just by mimicking the same motions you would if you were really behind the wheel, or fighting off a ferocious dragon by swinging your sword, and casting a magic spell with a simple flick of your wrist.

Imagine being able to command your army of special operatives to secure the final bunker with a simple voice command or arm wave.

This is where we are heading. The future of gaming is now. This isn’t just a dream or wish; this is reality, and it will be here sooner that you think. Prepare to be part of the game and experience things we have never seen before. Are you ready? I know I am and I cannot wait to see what the next few months are going to bring us but it is definitely an exciting time to be a gamer.

As more news comes out about these new technologies I will be sure to let you know about it. So what do you think? Is this the way we should be heading, or do you think it’s just a gimmick that will quickly fade? Sound off and let me hear what you think.

Till next time, keep on gaming!!

This Week's New Releases (9/1/09 - 9/7/09)

2009-09-01T11:14:00.000-04:00

Here is the list of games that are being released in stores this week.

• Guitar Hero 5 (Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii)

• Section 8 (Xbox 360, PC)

• Raven Squad (Xbox 360, PC)

• Yo Ho Kablammo (Xbox Live Arcade)

• Defense Grid: The Awakening (Xbox Live Arcade)

• Jump Start Pet Rescue (Wii)

• Champions Online (PC)

• Jumpgate Evolution (PC)

• League of Legends (PC)

• Soul Caliber: Broken Destiny (PSP)

• The Hardy Boys: Treasure on Tracks (DS)

Enjoy!

“Wii Sports Resort” Reviewed

2009-09-01T10:38:00.000-04:00

Release Date: July 26, 2009

List Price: $49.99

When the Nintendo Wii was released back in November of 2006 they included in the box a game called “Wii Sports.” The game was a collection of five sports– tennis, baseball, bowling, golf and boxing – designed to demonstrate the motion-sensing capabilities of the new Wiimote to players. Simple gestures of your hand registered – you could swing a bat, tennis racket or golf club; go bowling; or have a boxing match against a friend – but the motion was not a true one-to-one translation of your arm’s motion, and the on-screen actions were preprogrammed and limited to what you could actually do.

While this new technology was very innovative, fresh and downright fun, it still left us wanting more. We wanted a true representation of our actions on screen; we wanted to truly feel like part of the game. Well Nintendo has answered our wishes with their latest release, “Wii Sports Resort.”

“Wii Sports Resort” is a new collection of 12 games to showcase Nintendo’s latest addition to the family, Wii Motion Plus. Bundled in the box with “Wii Sports Resort” you get one Wii Motion Plus attachment in a new silicone sleeve which you easily slide on, connect and lock on to the bottom of your Wiimote. They even provide a nice little illustration of how to connect it. It’s something anyone can do no matter how technically impaired one might be. With Wii Motion Plus, Nintendo promises to give you true one-to-one motion control – using gyroscope technology and the Wiimote’s built-in accelerometers – to immerse you even deeper into the game. To show off this new technology and to see how much more control we get from this, Nintendo gives us “Wii Sports Resort.”

“Wii Sports Resort” features a mix of new and old Wii Sports games:

· Swordplay

· Wakeboarding

· Frisbee
· Archery
· Basketball
· Table Tennis
· Golf (previously on Wii Sports)
· Bowling (previously on Wii Sports)
· Power Cruising
· Canoeing
· Cycling
· Air Sports

Most of the games have multiple difficulty settings or sub-games to them, so there is definitely a ton to do when you play. So how is it? Does it do what Nintendo says it does? Is it worth spending the money on? And most importantly, is it fun to play?

The Good:

12 games!!! With multiple difficulty settings and sub games!!! Much better than the 5 we got with “Wii Sports”. Having this many options of games to play will cause countless hours of fun to pass by.

Archery – Holding the Wiimote like a bow and pulling back on the Nunchuck to fire an arrow at a target with various distances and wind speeds is great. I have spent many nights trying over and over again to get a perfect score on the 3 difficulty settings the game has and still haven’t been successful. This is my favorite game on the disk.

Basketball – The three-point contest is a very close second-favorite of mine. Holding the Wiimote in front of you and making the motion of picking up the ball from the rack and shooting a three-point basket is just fun. It’s very smooth and you actually have to make a good throwing motion or you will throw an air ball. I have spent many hours trying to beat friends and family at this and have no problem wasting many more. This is very fun and quite a competitive game.

Swordplay – This is where you really see what Wii Motion Plus can do. The game has three different game modes but my favorite is the duel. Holding the Wiimote like a sword, you make slashing motions at your opponent to knock them off a platform into the water below. The Wiimote translates one-to-one how you swing your arms no matter the motion and it feels and responds like it should. This is impressive and shows the true potential that future games can now have using Wii Motion plus. This game is great especially after a long day at the office.

Other games that were fun and caused countless hours to disappear were Frisbee golf, table tennis, golf and bowling. While Frisbee was the only game out of these to really show you how responsive and spot-on the controls can be, partly due to them being somewhat remakes of the previous games on “Wii Sports”, the others were a blast to play and I found myself constantly playing them against friends.

Graphics – While Nintendo used the same style scheme from “Wii Sports” for this game, they improved upon it slightly. There is a nice level of added detail and effects to the environments and levels that make the games look cleaner and sharper. Textures and lighting appear to have been improved which adds a nice level of depth. While the Wii isn’t known to be a graphical powerhouse, it is nice to see that Nintendo at least puts effort into making their games look good.

The Price – At $49.99 for a game with so many options that will cause many hours to go by and an added new attachment bundled in the box (which is normally priced $19.99 if you pick up separate additional ones for your other Wiimote), this is a hell of a deal.

The Bad:

No Online Game play – One thing that would have made this collection 10 times more fun would have been the inclusion of online game play. While playing with family and friends is great, sometimes it isn’t an option and the computer opponents you face in some of the games just aren’t very difficult to defeat. It would be great to be able to challenge “the world” to a round of archery or fencing or bowling. Definitely something I hope Nintendo thinks about and includes in future games.

Air Sports – Nintendo included on the disk a few air sports that, while they show off how the new Wii Motion Plus responds, just seem a bit much and not that fun. A good example, Skydiving. Holding the Wiimote flat in your hand, you flip your free-falling Mii all around and try to link up with other falling characters for points. The game lasts maybe a minute or two and just seems like it was thrown on the disk because it seemed like it would be a cool idea. Another is Island Fly Over. In this game all you do for five minutes is fly your plane by holding the Wiimote like a paper airplane and “explore” the Wii Sports Resort island trying to collect point-of-interest orbs placed all over the island. Not much fun at all.

Canoeing, Cycling, Power Cruising – These three games I played a few times and just could not go back to them. For Canoeing, you move the Wiimote in a rowing motion and guide your boat around a track through checkpoints. Not much fun. To play Cycling, you move the Wiimote and Nunchuck up and down in a fast motion and try to race to the finish line. While this at times can be fun due to the competitive nature of it, it just is too tiring to have to move your arms so much to do really not a lot. Power Cruising is a disappointment because this could have been really good. I was hoping this would be Nintendo’s newest attempt at “Wave Racer,” which was a blast to play back in the day. What we get is a somewhat boring attempt and at times a frustrating game to play. The controls were not that responsive and I just could not get into it at all.

Bottom Line:

While there are some games that need improvement or should have maybe been left out, and features that would have made this game a lot better that were not included, all around this game is very fun and is a welcome addition to any collection. Not only will you spend countless hours in front of the TV till your eyes fall out, but there is something for the whole family. The Wii Motion Plus definitely does what Nintendo said it would and shows us that they have yet again brought to the table an innovative and new way to play games. You and your family will enjoy this game. The price is right, and the game play is sure to please. I highly recommend this game to anyone looking to have a fun and competitive time.

Till next time, keep on gaming!