Ah, the Genesis: pinnacle of Sega's gaming glory. Rising from the ashes of the tepidly-received Master System, the Genesis reigned supreme in the console space from 1989 to 1991. Even after the SNES hit the U.S. in late '91, Sega's spunky 16-bit held its own against the House of Mario throughout the remainder of the cycle, largely due to a huge library of fantastic games which included some of the best shoot'em up titles ever released. Of course, not every shmup for the platform was a timeless classic, although quite a few of them have held up to the test of time very well.
Ever mindul of his followers' needs, the Metal Jesus and beer-fu cohort Drunken Master Paul serve up a nutritious helping of Genny shooters, reviewing each in their own special way. Beer, banter, and 16-bit shootey awesomeness--ain't life grand? One might even go so far as to say, it ROCKS!:
I always favored the TG-16 for shmups myself. Playing Super Air Zonk and Soldier Blade remain among my happiest gaming memories. How about some PC Engine love, MJ?
From the mind of Garth Ennis comes the modern chapter of an ancient horror. Ripped straight from the debut of his first-ever writing/directing effort comes the ongoing comic book continuation of the acclaimed short film, Stitched! The three survivors of an American military helicopter crash discover that there is something even more deadly than the Taliban controlled countryside they find themselves trapped in. Garth Ennis weaves a tale that combines today's headlines with his trademark vision of the supernatural into a modern horror masterpiece. Supported by the largest promotional campaign Avatar has ever done, this new on-going series is certain to appeal to Ennis' legions of fans as it pushes the envelope of horror beyond the boundaries of sanity and into fresh nightmares.
What happens when a psychologist and a sociopath have to work together to track down Gotham City’s first serial killer? They’ll soon find that crime in the big city runs deeper than its foundations, and it’s all mapped out in the mysterious Crime Bible – that is, if they don’t kill each other first.
Plus: No zombie is safe in the Wild West when Lazarus Lane summons the demon known as El Diablo!
In part 2 of "Dirty Little Secrets," the Gears have taken refuge on the island of Vectes, where they must defend the local civilians from marauding bands of Stranded. Joining them are their old enemies, the fiercely independent Gorasni. Memories of old atrocities may lead these tentative allies to kill each other instead of their common foe.
SSX challenges you to defy reality as you race and trick your
way down the mountain, but when the elements turn and the
mountain throws everything it has at you, will you survive it?
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, and CD Projekt RED, developers of the blockbuster Witcher franchise of video games, announced a distribution agreement for the upcoming Xbox 360 release of “The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings” in North America.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will distribute “The Witcher 2” on Xbox 360, contributing sales and marketing resources.
The console version of “The Witcher 2” is an adaptation of the hit RPG fantasy game on PC.
“We have added significant enhancements to the Xbox 360 version of ‘The Witcher 2,’ going far beyond simply editing the code to run on a new platform. Thanks to one of the world's newest game engines, the RED Engine, it will be one of the best-looking games ever released on Xbox 360,” said Adam Kiciński, President, CD Projekt RED.
VG247 has posted a news article with some details on Blizzard DOTA from BlizzCon 2011.
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In order to make DOTA familiar to players, yet at the same time differentiate itself from other MOBAs, Blizzard plans to change the learning curve up a bit. So, instead of players starting out in a game with a “demanding learning curve,” Blizzard has applied its “easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master,” philosophy in its place. It has also added gameplay elements which will “encourage more aggressive, fast-paced gameplay,” as well as team fights all over the map.
The way towers are handled in Blizzard DOTA also sets it apart from others in the genre, as each one placed in map lanes “are powerful entities that can quickly decimate enemy heroes that wander into their range.” Towers will have a limited amount of energy that will recharge over time, which is pretty much standard in other MOBA games. Jungles will have power nodes as primary features, and will be guarded by neutral creeps. Teams which take control over the nodes, will be awarded with strengthened AI creatures in the lanes.
“We don’t think players should feel compelled to spend an inordinate amount of time researching game guides and item builds before they’re even comfortable trying a different hero,” said the firm. “Primarily, we’re interested in adding clarity by eliminating redundancies in hero abilities and items, and we think players will find this reflected in the design of the heroes and in-game item shop.”
Saints Row is well known for it's absurdity and appreciation of "blue" humor. That means dick and poopy jokes. To be fair thought, the game is filled with wry observations and some biting pop culture satire; musicians sell more records dead than alive, corporations fund and back every aspect of citizens lives, and most people live in a dull ambivalence to it all. Think South Park but with long action segments and way more explosions. SR3’s sense of humor is sharper than ever, and the dialogue is filled with zingers and one liners you might miss on your first playthrough. The opening mission has the Saints trying to rip off a bank vault, and after everything predictably goes pear shaped, SWAT soldiers are called in, leaving the crew waiting for their chopper to show up. Returning Saints member Shaundi asks “How long till our attack chopper gets here?” Johnny Gat replies: “About two waves of SWAT guys?”
GameSpot has posted a hands-on preview of some player vs. player action in Blizzard Entertainment's highly anticipated action role-playing game, Diablo III.
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We were able to sneak in a few gimmick kills by using our frost nova skill offensively, charging directly towards some enemies, freezing them solid, and pounding mercilessly on the enemy. This worked just fine until the enemy team decided to pound on us mercilessly, at which point we found ourselves playing the wizard as something closer to what Blizzard presumably intended them to be--a hit-and-run character who can deal decent ranged damage, but has enough defensive tools to beat a hasty retreat. By using teleport, diamond skin, and archon judiciously, we actually managed to avoid death many times and earned a "survival" bonus of points. But these defensive skills aren't always a get-out-of-jail free card--even in archon form or diamond skin, you can still be attacked, and tenacious foes can and will follow you after you teleport, especially if you're already severely wounded and they're coming in for the kill.
In news that will come as no shock to PC gamers who are now accustomed to being brutalised by our corporate publisher overlords, it is beingwidelyreported that the dedicated servers to be available for Modern Warfare 3 will only permit unranked play. CoD enthusiasts will have to settle for P2P match making if they wish to get their ranking fix.
Robert Bowling had this to say on the subject via his twitter feed:
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It's the same on consoles. They can't rank up in private or custom games. Public is about progression, private is about control.
Activision and Bowling once again demonstrating they just don't get PC gaming.
I went down to the local Gamestop on Friday afternoon and the staff/manager was really put out. Turns out they just got news from corporate that they are pulling back on midnight release hours "this quarter" to improve numbers for their stockholders. I was told this was the order for "Most" Gamestops.
This right before the release of one of the biggest games to give CoD a run for it's money. I am wondering if Activision paid Gamestop to help play down the release date.
The Gamestop I frequent had plans for tournaments for prizes, grenade toss, having the National Guard in attendance with rock walls and obstacle course and more (4 hours allotted prior to the release of BF3). They have been limited to 1 hour to process over 400 preorders.
I am giving you this information with the hope that if enough people make a stink about this the hours will be re-issued for the release of BF3.
As Deckard Cain's niece, Leah, struggles to make sense of her
uncle's mysterious and disturbing notations, she bears witness
to a dark vision. Azmodan, Lord of Sin, towers over the fragile
young woman, swearing his armies of the burning Hells shall pour
forth into Sanctuary, ravishing the world and all hope of resistance.
Join Beachhead Studio, the developers behind Call of Duty ELITE, as they
take you behind the scenes of Call of Duty ELITE's Compete section in
the second of three videos covering Connect, Compete and Improve. In
this episode, we explore the competitive features, including information
on individual and Clan competitions, as well as available prizes.
Joystiq recently caught up with a Namco Bandai at an event and received this confirmation, as well as a release window of "soon." And, well, that's it.
Soul Calibur has seen two port jobs since its release in 1998. It'll be fun to see if this one will roll out with iOS-centric controls and functionality like the Street Fighter iOS games. They seem to hit register pretty well with that series' faithful and we all know how choosey they can (rightfully sometimes) be.
I loved Soul Calibur 1 on the Dreamcast, one of my favorite Dreamcast games, it played well and looked beautiful. Fingers crossed the control scheme is not horrible, definitely going to be following this one closely.
Sad news, but we all had to know it was coming someday. Mark Hamill announced on Twitter earlier that Arkham City is his last bout as the voice of the Joker.
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Originally Posted by Mark Hamill
Hello/Goodbye Joker! I've enjoyed every minute behind the wheel of the Crown Prince's crazy car- I'm going to miss him more than I can say!!
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Originally Posted by Mark Hamill
Thank for all the Joker support, love playing iconic villain. Hoping the gamers love the way #ArkhamCity plays- let me know
His voice is always how I've read the Joker in the comics. Not sure he can ever be replaced.
I'm a little (more than a little) late on this one and my only excuse is that I was too busy KILLING ORCS to pick the winners in the Orcs Must Die! giveaway. The winners said:
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Originally Posted by derjester
can't we all, just, get along?
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Originally Posted by Morpheus
Orcs really DO deserve to die...
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Originally Posted by NickAragua
Well, since I obviously have a chance here, I'm going to put my hat in the ring.
Recently revealed in early unboxings of Battlefield 3 LE copies, Bioware has put up a FAQ detailing access to the early demo of Mass Effect 3. Info and unboxing video over on Kotaku.
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What are the details of the Mass Effect 3 pre-release demo?
• The Mass Effect 3 pre-release demo will launch in January 2012 (exact date TBA).
• The demo will include both single-player and multi-player sections.
• The demo will be released in all regions where the game is
How can I get early access to the multi-player portion of the Mass Effect 3 demo coming in January 2012?
• Owners of Battlefield 3, on any platform, who activate their Online Pass will automatically be granted early access to the multiplayer portion of the Mass Effect 3 demo. There is no need to enter any other codes, the early access will be applied to the EA Account associated with the Online Pass. Note: BF3 Origin Customers automatically have the BF3 Online Pass.
• This applies to all regions where the demo is released (to be announced)
• The exact date of the demo launch will be announced in late November
• There will be another program whereby players and fans of the Mass Effect franchise can unlock this early access (with no purchase necessary) – this will also be announced in late November or early December.
• There will also be a tool posted on www.masseffect.com allowing players to check if their EA account has been granted the early access.
• The length of the early access period is TBA.
• The single-player section of the demo will be available to all players on day one of the demo launch.
Official dates, when announced, will also be revealed in Battlefield 3's news ticker. This also includes a couple sexy Mass Effect 3 dog tags for BF3 players.
EA is really pushing the "buy this game, get beta/demo to our next big game" mantra.
At BlizzCon Blizzard has announced that people who purchase a new Yearly Pass for World of Warcraft will get Diablo III for free.
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With Deathwing’s shadow looming over Azeroth and the mortal realms of Sanctuary steeling for war against the forces of Diablo, the World of Warcraft Annual Pass has arrived to offer WoW subscribers a chance to participate in both apocalyptic conflicts… without breaking the bank. For a limited time only, players who make a 12-month subscription commitment to World of Warcraft through the WoW Annual Pass will receive the following epic rewards:
Diablo III FREE – Download the digital version via Battle.net for free when the game launches early next year. This is the full game, not a trial edition.
Tyrael’s Charger WoW Flying Mount – Ride for the Archangel of Justice on all current and future characters on a single World of Warcraft account. Tyrael’s Charger will arrive via in-game mail with the upcoming launch of patch 4.3.
Access to the Next WoW Expansion Beta Test – Get a guaranteed spot in the beta test for the next World of Warcraft expansion (at a time to be announced in the future).
I guess that is one way to keep Diablo III from stealing all your WoW subscribers.
Shrouded in fog since the world was sundered more than ten thousand years
ago, the ancient realm of Pandaria has remained unspoiled by war. Its lush
forests and cloud-ringed mountains are home to a complex ecosystem of
indigenous races and exotic creatures -- including the noble and enigmatic
pandaren. Will the mists of Pandaria part to reveal the world's salvation... or
will the battle to control this new land push the Horde and the Alliance over
the brink of war and into total annihilation?
Battlefield 3 is coming out next week. The launch trailer gives you
a preview of the single player campaign. A sinister power is rising
in the Middle-East, and Marine Sergeant "Black" discovers how far
he would go to defend his country.
Kotaku is spreading the rumor that parent company Zenimax has postponed/canceled/delayed id Software's DOOM 4 following the disappointing launch of RAGE.
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A source claiming to be close to the publishers of the recently-launched RAGE has told Kotaku that, at a recent "company wide" meeting held in Dallas, Bethesda and parent company Zenimax made the decision to "indefinitely postpone" development of Doom 4.
Despite having been first announced back in 2008, Doom 4 has been on the backburner at developers id while work was completed on multiplatform shooter RAGE, which was released earlier this month to decidedly mixed reviews. While Crecente enjoyed it (and I'm digging it as well), the game's repetitive nature and numerous technical issues left it falling well short of many people's expectations.
The Scrolls documentary will be a multi-part series chronicling the stages of
the games developement, as well as the hardships faced by Mojang along the
way.
Rockstar sends along a Press Release announcing L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
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Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., and Team Bondi Pty. Ltd., are proud to announce that L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition is coming to the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft on November 15, 2011 in North America and November 18, 2011 internationally.
Similar to its PC counterpart, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition on consoles will feature all of the previously released downloadable content for L.A. Noire, including the “Nicholson Electroplating” Arson case, “Reefer Madness” Vice case, “The Consul’s Car” Traffic case, “The Naked City” Vice case , “A Slip of the Tongue” Traffic case, The Badge Pursuit Challenge, and all weapons and outfits released to date.
Developed by Team Bondi in conjunction with Rockstar Games, L.A. Noire is a crime thriller set in post-World War II Los Angeles. As Detective Cole Phelps, players must search for clues, interrogate suspects and chase down criminals to solve a series of cases inspired by real world incidents. As he rises through the ranks of the LAPD, Phelps comes face-to-face with the corrupt heart of Los Angeles: from fallen starlets to double-dealing police officers and the vast reaches of the criminal underworld – and finally, the darkness of his own personal demons.
Utilizing a brand new type of facial capture technology called MotionScan, L.A. Noire breathes unprecedented life into character performances and was honored as an official selection of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival.
L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition is rated M for Mature by the ESRB and will be available at retail for $49.99 / €49.99 / Ł39.99.
Would you like to play casino games at home? It’s Vegas like you’ve never seen it before – an over-the-top, Party Style race game that spins through 17 casinos and 15 gambling mini-games! Luck may win you money and keep you safe from twisters and earthquakes here, but skill rules the day in this quirky and crazy race to the end of The Fabulous Strip!
15 unique minigames
17 incredible casinos
18 original environments
12 wild characters
Adaptations of all the best casino games
You can have your own online casino at home! Vegas Party is available now for the Wii.
Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games bring you details
on Modern Warfare 3's all-new Strike Packages. With more
variety and deeper customization, Strike Packages have
been designed to reward different play styles and skill levels.
Introducing Challenge Series, a whole new way to play Need for Speed The
Run. Compete in 70+ events on your favorite courses. Connect to Autolog
and compare your times second-by-second against those that matter most
- your friends. Beat them and you'll earn exclusive cars and rewards.
Microsoft and Epic Games have announced that RAAM's Shadow, a new DLC campaign for Gears of War 3, is set for release on December 13, 2011.
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Starring a cast of characters both new and eerily familiar to the series, “RAAM’s Shadow” will deliver more than three hours of gameplay set in a storyline that precedes the events of the first “Gears of War,” as well as six new multiplayer characters, the Chocolate Weapon Set and an additional 250 Gamerscore. “RAAM’s Shadow” will launch 13th December for 1,200 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, marking the second major game add-on for this year’s critically-acclaimed blockbuster, “Gears of War 3.”
“When we announced the ‘Gears 3’ Season Pass, we immediately started getting hundreds of questions from fans about what the game add-ons would be,” said Epic Games Design Director Cliff Bleszinski. “We’re really excited to be lifting the curtain on the first two releases, first with the ‘Horde Command Pack’ and now with ‘RAAM’s Shadow,’ which gives fans a new perspective on the ‘Gears’ universe and is also the biggest DLC release we’ve ever made.”
“RAAM’s Shadow” drops players into the events of Sera post-Emergence Day, as Zeta Squad is enlisted to evacuate Ilima City and protect the citizens against a Locust Kryll storm. Taking on the infamous Locust leader from “Gears 1,” General RAAM, Zeta is led by Michael Barrick (from “Gears of War” comics fame) and comprised of familiar faces such as Lt. Minh Young Kim (“Gears 1”) and Tai Kaliso (“Gears 2”), and also includes a new female comrade, Alicia Valera.
In addition to fighting as a new squad of Gears, players will step into the boots of RAAM himself, and for the first time storm the human stronghold from the perspective of one of the series’ most legendary bosses.
“RAAM’s imposing size and strength, along with his Kryll shield, make him one of the most powerful and daunting foes in the ‘Gears’ universe,” said Bleszinski. “We think fans are going to have a blast unleashing hell upon the poor humans for the first time in a campaign setting.”
With the announcement of “RAAM’s Shadow” and in anticipation of the launch of the “Horde Command Pack” on 1st November, featuring new maps, characters, weapon skins, Horde fortification upgrades and Achievements, there’s never been a better time to purchase the “Gears of War 3” Season Pass for 2400 Microsoft Points, entitling you to the first four game add-ons for discount of more than 30 percent!
Courtesy of random.org, here are the winners for the iOS and Android games;
Suicidal ShiZuru (Android)
Bane (Android)
stalazon (Android)
lockwoodx (Android)
MrE (iOS)
lethalalkaholik (iOS)
abso (Android, since we have a wild card winner for either or)
Abednigo (iOS)
PSPfreak (iOS)
_-Psycho-_ (either)
Congrats to the winners. I'll be pm'ing each of you tonight and finding which game you want and contact info to send them out. Android winners, if you can go ahead and start looking on the Amazon App Store for Android and adding them to your "Wishlist" that will help expedite things on your end. Thanks for the turn out, we'll do more of these soon! And hopefully with WP7 for you WP7 enthusiasts!
Gamasutra is reporting that CCP has downsized their World of Darkness staff after deciding to put more focus on EVE Online and Dust 514.
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EVE Online maker CCP has announced it will be reducing its staff of over 600 by roughly 20 percent as part of a "realignment" away from long-in-development MMO World of Darkness.
The staff reductions will be concentrated primarily in CCP's Atlanta office, the company said in a statement, but some staff from the Reykjavik, Iceland headquarters will also be affected.
CCP says the move will lead to a "significantly reduced team" for the continuing development of World of Darkness, an MMO project based on White Wolf's pen-and-paper RPG that was first announced back in 2006.
The company will instead put increased focus on continued expansion for the highly popular EVE Online and its upcoming massively-multiplayer FPS spin-off Dust 514 on the PS3.
EA's digital distribution portal Origin has surpassed the 5 million user mark according to this article on GameSpot.
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EA's downloadable storefront Origin has seen steady adoption numbers since its launch in June, and the publisher announced the service topped 4 million users in September. Speaking with Digital Life this week, EA COO Peter Moore delivered another update on the service's numbers, saying that just four-and-a-half months after release, Origin has surpassed 5 million daily users.
Services like Origin are a key to EA's future, said Moore. Likening the publisher to big service-based companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon, he sees EA moving away from a traditional packaged goods model.
"I think it will be a company that is almost completely digital," Moore told the site, "that has developed a very strong, viable and robust and value-driven consumer platform that allows us to be able to interact directly with tens, if not hundreds, of millions of people that will talk to EA every day."
Electronic Arts has announced that a new HD version of NFL Blitz will be available in January 2012 via digital download on Xbox Live and PSN.
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Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced today that an all-new HD version of NFL Blitz from EA SPORTS will be available in January 2012 via digital download on Xbox®LIVE Arcade for 1200 points and PLAYSTATION®Network for $14.99. A remarkable value, NFL Blitz features the arcade-style fast-paced gameplay that made the original game a hit, but takes the experience to a whole new level with immersive online game modes in high-definition.
"NFL Blitz was one of the great arcade classics of the 90s, and now we're bringing back everything fans loved at a great price, in high-definition and as a digital download," says Cam Weber, general manager of American Football for EA SPORTS. "The new NFL Blitz will preserve the competitive nature of the original game, while delivering to fans the ultimate rivalry experiences online."
The recharged NFL Blitz offers fans the opportunity to battle rivals 7-on-7, fight their way through the Blitz Gauntlet, or take over the online leaderboards in Blitz Battles. Challenging to master, yet easy to pick up and play, NFL Blitz has something exciting to offer for all football fans.
PopCap Games has announced that Bejeweled 3 is now available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points.
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PopCap Games, the worldwide leader in casual games, today announced the immediate global availability of Bejeweled® 3 for download on Xbox LIVE® Arcade for 1200 Microsoft Points (US$15.00). Expanding the franchise with additional new adaptations, Bejeweled 3 for Nintendo DS®, PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360® will hit retail shelves on November 15.
Featuring twice the game modes of its predecessor as well as eight mini-games and enhanced sound and graphics, Bejeweled 3 is a quantum leap forward in the match-3 category pioneered by the original Bejeweled. This adaptation offers visually stunning, high resolution graphics, plenty of action for all gamers with the full suite of Bejeweled 3 games and modes, including leaderboards for Classic, Lightning, Poker, Butterflies, Ice Storm and Diamond Mine, plus four special gems, five elite badges, and 15 achievements.
Originally launched in the spring of 2000, Bejeweled has become one of the top 10 video game franchises in history. More than half a billion people worldwide have played the game, and over 50 million units have been sold across 17 platforms from iPhone to Xbox and even airline seatbacks. An estimated 9 billion hours have been spent playing Bejeweled, and the game continues to sell at the rate of one copy every 4.3 seconds.
Nvidia has created a video showcasing the PhysX features in the PC version of Batman: Arkham City.
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As a host of reviews attest Batman: Arkham City is an exemplary follow-up to Arkham Asylum, an assessment I fully agree with. Having completed the game in stereoscopic 3D with PhysX and every other setting enabled and maxed out, I can further add that Arkham City on the PC looks absolutely fantastic and is categorically worth the extra wait if you’re interested in playing the preeminent version of one of the year’s best games.
Dungeon Defenders is a 4-player co-operative Tower Defense,
Action-RPG for XBLA, PSN, & PC. Place defenses, fight, collect
loot, find pets, trade gear online, and more.
