September Game Releases

Some big titles coming out in the flood of games this month. Will they live up to the hype?
 

DS Titles
September 7
• 101 in 1 Sports Megamix
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold
• Dawn of Heroes
• Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

September 12
• Professor Layton and the Unwound Future

September 14
• Gormiti: The Lords of Nature
• Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
• The Lord of the Rings: Aragon's Quest
• Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp

September 15
• House M.D.

September 18
• Horse Life Adventures

September 21
• Etriam Odyssey 3

September 28
• MySims SkyHeroes




PC Titles
September 7
• Aion: Assault on Balaurea
• R.U.S.E.
• The Sims 3 - Fast Lane Stuff

September 8
• Amnesia: The Dark Descent

September 10
• Recettear

September 13
• House M.D.

September 14
• Patrician IV

September 17
• Lionheart: Kings' Crusade

September 21
• Civilization V

September 22
• F1 2010

September 23
• Darksiders

September 28
• Battle vs. Chess
• Dead Rising 2
• FIFA 11
• Front Mission Evolved
• John Daly's ProStroke Golf
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
• SBK X: Superbike World Championship

September 30
• Final Fantasy XIV



PS2 Titles
September 14
• Cabela's North American Adventures
• The Lord of the Rings: Aragon's Quest
• Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp

September 28
• Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010



PS3 Titles
September 1
• Alien Breed Impact

September 7
• EyePet
• H.A.W.X. 2
• Kung Fu Rider
• NHL 11
• R.U.S.E.
• Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
• Sports Champions
• Start the Party

September 14
• Cabela's North American Adventures
• Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
• The Lord of the Rings: Aragon's Quest
• Truth or Lies

September 15
• Flight Control HD

September 16
• Ferrari: The Race Experiment

September 19
• Brunswick Pro Bowling
• Playstation Move

September 21
• DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue
• F1 2010
• Racquet Sports

September 28
• Atelier Rorona: Alchemist of Arland
• Battle vs. Chess
• Dead Rising 2
• FIFA 11
• Front Mission Evolved
• Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
• MySims SkyHeroes
• Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
• Quantum Theory
• Rapala Pro Brass Fishing 2010
• SBK X: Superbike World Championship
• Shaun White Skateboarding



PSP Titles
September 7
• Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
• UFC Undisputed 2010

September 14
• Cabela's North American Adventures
• Gladiator Begins
• The Lord of the Rings: Aragon's Quest

September 21
• Cladun: This Is an RPG

September 28
• Phantasy Star Portable 2
• Rapala Pro Bass Fishing 2010

September 30
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Predator




Wii Titles
September 7
• Batman: The Brave and the Bold
• NHL Slapshot
• Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

September 14
• Cabela's North American Adventures
• Gormiti: The Lords of Nature
• Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
• The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest
• Scooby-Doo! and the Spooky Swamp
• Swords
• Truth or Lies

September 18
• Horse Life Adventures

September 21
• Club Penguin Game Day!
• Family Party Fitness Fun
• Flip's Twisted World
• Kidz Bop Dance Party! The Video Game
• New Carnival Games
• Zany Golf

September 27
• Samurai Warriors 3

September 28
• FIFA 11
• Greg Hastings Paintball 2
• Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
• MySims SkyHeroes
• Rapala Pro Brass Fishing 2010
• Shaun White Skateboarding




Xbox 360 Titles
September 7
• H.A.W.X. 2
• NHL 11
• R.U.S.E.
• Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions

September 8
• Dance! It's your Stage
• Plants vs Zombies

September 14
• Cabela's North American Adventures
• Halo: Reach
• Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole
• Truth or Lies

September 15
• Sonic Adventure

September 21
• F1 2010

September 22
• DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue
• Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter

September 28
• Battle vs. Chess
• Dead Rising 2
• FIFA 11
• Front Mission Evolved
• Greg Hastings Paintball 2
• Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
• John Daly's ProStroke Golf
• MorphX
• MySims SkyHeroes
• Rapala Pro Brass Fishing 2010
• SBK X: Superbike World Championship
• Shaun White Skateboarding

September 29
• Hydrophobia

Xbox Live Price Increase Coming

Microsoft has announced that they will be increasing the cost for a year of Xbox Live from $50 to $60 come November 1st.

Microsoft claims this price increase is due to inflation, but the increase will only affect Canada, Mexico, the UK and the United States. It's probably also no coincidence that November is the month Microsoft's Kinect controller will be released for Xbox.

Of course, thrifty shoppers can usually find a cheaper year long membership card on various sites on the internets. Right now, Amazon is selling year long membership cards for just under $40.

Xbox Live Avatar Remake On Its Way!

It looks like Xbox Live Avatars will soon be getting a remake.

A few "beta" avatars have been already been spotted in the wild - including that of Microsoft's Major Nelson. The new avatars appear more realistic and less cartoony/bobble-head. Most theorize that this change is so the avatars will work better with the soon to be released Kinect system.

Expect the new avatar design to probably be part of Xbox's yearly fall update and out in time for Kinect's November release.

Editorial: Why Microsoft Points Don't Make Sense

Okay. Many complaints have been given about Microsoft Points for the Xbox Live marketplace. They help Microsoft avoid excess credit card transaction fees. You can only buy in batches. For some reason, 80 points equals approximately $1 US. But my main complaint - the bulk purchases don't follow typical bulk purchase mentality. Buying more in bulk actually costs you more!

I can buy 400 points for $4.99. 800 points costs $9.99. 1600 = $19.99 and so on up to 6000 points = $74.99.

These numbers make absolutely no sense. People don't typically buy the 24 pack of toilet paper because they're going to need that much toilet paper tonight(unless they are TPing some jerk's house). They buy it because bulk is cheaper and then you have it when you need it.

If I bought 6000 points at just 400 points each, it would only cost me $74.85.

Sure it's only $0.14 cheaper, but the point is that the bulk purchase should be the cheaper option!

Come on, Microsoft! Bulk should always be cheaper!

Launch Kinects Will Not Read Sign Language

Rumors have been floating around that the Xbox 360's upcoming Kinect will be able to read sign language, but Microsoft has officially denied such claims.

The rumors surfaced after someone found patents Microsoft had filed for a Kinect that could read sign language. Microsoft says they made add this into later models of the Kinect if they improve the camera resolution on them, but the launch Kinects will be unable to read sign language.

Microsoft dropped this feature in order to keep costs low and maintain their $150 price for the Kinect.

Fable III Not Kinect-able at Launch

Although Lionhead's Peter Molyneux has been a huge supporter of Microsoft's upcoming Kinect system he has revealed that Fable III will not be compatible with the Kinect. At least at launch.

Fable III comes out in October, about a month before Kinect will hit the markets. According to Molyneux, they were trying to incorporate the Kinect into the game but in the end had to scrap the plans because Molyneux wanted to do more with it than a side quest or two.

Molyneux has hinted that some type of Kinect addition will be added to Fable III at some point in the future. It is unclear if this will be in the form of a patch or a DLC, if it does surface.

Dead Rising 2 Webisodes Now LIVE

The first three webisodes of Dead Rising 2's Zombrex Dead Rising Sun are now available on the Xbox Live service under Game Videos. They are all free and shows a live action zombie outbreak in Japan. The full movie will be released on Xbox Live August 11th.

Personally, I love the Dead Rising series, but I found the videos pretty terrible. It uses POV shots and flash backs but in an amateurish way. The acting is also sub-par.

Of course, the first three parts are free so you can't argue with the price!

August Game Releases

Is the summer draught on games over? Let's find out!
 

DS Titles

August 3
• Monster Rancher DS
• Dora's Big Birthday Adventure

August 10
• Galactic Taz Ball
• Lucha Libre AAA Heroes

August 17
• Dawn of Heroes
• Harvest Moon: Grand Bazaar

August 24
• Crazy Pig
• Grease: The Official Video Game
• Horrid Henry
• Ivy the Kiwi?


PC Titles

August 1
• Alter Ego

August 3
• Superstars V8 Racing

August 5
• Privates

August 15
• Battle vs. Chess
• House M.D.
• Xsyon

August 17
• City of Heroes: Going Rogue
• Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

August 21
• Star Ruler

August 24
• Elemental: War of Magic
• Horrid Henry
• Mafia 2

August 27
• Ship Simulator Extremes

August 30
• Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island


PS3 Titles

August 3
• Disney Sing It: Family Hits
• Superstars V8 Racing

August 10
• Madden NFL 11
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

August 17
• Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

August 24
• Mafia 2
• Shank

August 30
• TNT Racers


PSP Titles

August 10
• Madden NFL 11

August 31
• Ace Combat: Joint Assault
• Valkyria Chronicles 2


Wii Titles

August 3
• Disney Sing It: Family Hits

August 9
• Enjoy your massage!

August 10
• Madden NFL 11

August 17
• Gold's Gym Dance Workout
• Ys Seven

August 24
• Grease: The Official Video Game
• Gunblade NY & LA Machineguns Arcade Hits Pack
• Horrid Henry
• Ivy the Kiwi?
• Martian Panic
• NHL 2K11

August 30
• TNT Racers

August 31
• Guilty Party
• Metroid Other M


Xbox 360 Titles

August 3
• Superstars V8 Racing

August 4
• Castlevania: Harmony of Night

August 10
• Madden NFL 11

August 11
• Monday Night Combat

August 17
• Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

August 18
• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

August 24
• Mafia 2

August 25
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
• Shank

August 30
• TNT Racers

August 31
• Dead Rising 2: Case Zero

1 vs. 100 Beta

So I finally got to play the 1 vs. 100 Beta tonight. I played for the entire two hour long show. Overall, I like it.

It's a little confusing at first. There were over 100,000 people playing and at first I thought I was in the Mob. But I was actually in the Crowd (which is where most people play).

In the Crowd, you can have a party of four or the game will assign you into a party of four total. This way you have a little competition within your group and it's not too overwhelming.

I actually found most of the questions pretty easy, sometimes ridiculously so. I never got to be the One or the Mob tonight, but I hear it's based on weekly stats of how much you play, your response time and percent of correct answers. Playing the Extended Play shows during the week is supposed to help increase your chance of being the One or the Mob. It seemed to me that the One was usually in the Mob right before being chosen.

For the most part, only the One or the Mob can actually win prizes(although no prizes are being awarded during the Beta(even though it looks like they are because they need to test all that stuff too)). The Crowd plays for fun and prestige.

Once Beta is over, there are supposed to be restrictions - you can only be the One once per season, you can only be in the Mob once per episode.

If you are in the Mob, you get eliminated when you answer a question incorrectly. You still answer until the end of the game but you are ineligible for any prizes.

As the One, your prizes increase for every ten Mob members eliminated. You can then at certain points choose to walk away with your prize(microsoft points) or keep playing. If you answer a question wrong, the prize gets split amongst all remaining Mob members.

The top three players in the whole game (Crowd and Mob) also get prizes.

This game is free to play for all Xbox Live Gold Members.

My PS3 Experience

Okay, so I finally got a PS3 a few weeks ago(I had planned on getting one when inFamous came out). I've been playing it since then - first Uncharted and then inFamous(I'm doing my second playthrough on evil). Overall, I enjoy it. Here are some of the things I've seen and you can tell me if I'm right or missing something.

First, the graphics and sound are great. Which was expected.

Other than a small adjustment to the different controller(I kept pressing the square when it told me to press X and the bumpers/triggers took an adjustment), the gameplay has been smooth. The controllers are smaller and lighter than the Xbox 360's. Although the recharge cord that comes with the controller is pretty freaking short. What's up with that?

I like having a system that's been out for a while. There are a lot of games I can pick up for fairly cheap.

The Blu-Ray player is nice. Of course, I don't plan on replacing my DVD collection or even buying a lot of Blu-Ray DVDs, but it's good to have.

The Wi-Fi connection is great. I haven't noticed any lag (although I've only played the Uncharted 2 beta multiplayer). And not paying for PSN is wonderful.

Things I don't like or am misunderstanding:

Not all games(especially older ones) have trophies. That's disappointing. I know some trophies were added in for some games later(like Uncharted) but other games still have no trophies (like Haze).

Playstation Home seems boring. What am I doing? Just running around, looking at things?

My PS3 didn't come with a headset so if I want to actually talk to anyone on PSN I need to buy a headset.

The Playstation website is horrible compared to xbox.com. I can't look at my friends' trophies or send them an instant message. Navigation on the site is not as quick or simple.

Overall, I like the PS3. However, I will be sticking mainly with the 360. I mean, my gamerscore on the 360 is ridiculous. And I have a lot more friends on Xbox Live. But I'll stick use the PS3 for some sweet PS3 exclusives.

June Game Releases

Summer is upon us at last. The students are getting out for the summer and family’s are taking vacations. Did the game developers finally listen to my many letters demanding that they should treat summer as a big gaming season just like the Hollywood studios do? Let’s find out.

 

DS Titles
June 2
• Knights in the Nightmare

June 8
• The Legendary Starfy

June 9
• Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
• LEGO Battles!
• Miami Law

June 15
• Sushi Academy

June 16
• Animal Paradise Wild
• Anno: Create a New World
• C.O.R.E.
• Flower, Sun and Rain
• Ghostbusters
• Hurry Up Hedgehog!
• Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward
• Roogoo: Attack

June 17
• Dawn of Discovery

June 18
• Blood Bowl

June 19
• My Sims Racing

June 23
• Little League World Series Baseball 2009
• Overlord: Minions
• Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
• Sudoku Ball – Detective

June 30
• My Dress Up
• My Make-Up
• Treasure World

PC Titles
June 2
• The Sims 3

June 4
• Light of Altair

June 9
• Prototype

June 16
• Ghostbusters

June 17
• America’s Army 3.0
• Luna Online

June 23
• ArmA 2
• Fuel
• Overlord II
• Spore: Galactic Adventures
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 30
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
• CID the Dummy
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
• The Orb and the Oracle
• Street Fighter IV

PS2 Titles
June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings

June 16
• Ghostbusters
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits

June 23
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 30
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

PS3 Titles
June 2
• Fuel
• Red Faction: Guerrilla
• Virtua Tennis 2009

June 4
• Star Trek: D.A.C.

June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Prototype

June 16
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires
• Ghostbusters
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits

June 23
• Overlord II
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 29
• Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

June 30
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
• Fight Night Round 4
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

PSP
June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Class of Heroes
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
• Rock Band Unplugged

June 15
• Mytran Wars

June 23
• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 26
• Pangya: Fantasy Golf

June 30
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
• Steambot Chronicles Battle Tournament

Wii
June 1
• Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

June 2
• Virtua Tennis 2009

June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Go Play Circus Star
• Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
• Reel Fishing: Angler’s Dream

June 16
• Anno: Create a New World
• EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis
• Ghostbusters
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits
• Hysteria Hospital: Emergency Ward
• Let’s Tap
• Roogoo Twisted Towers

June 17
• Dawn of Discovery

June 19
• My Sims Racing

June 23
• The Conduit
• Little King’s Story
• Little League World Series Baseball 2009
• Resident Evil: Archives
• Sudoku Ball – Detective

June 26
• Overlord: Dark Legend

June 30
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Xbox 360
June 2
• Fuel
• Red Faction: Guerrilla
• Virtua Tennis 2009

June 8
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

June 9
• Prototype

June 16
• Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires
• Ghostbusters
• Guitar Hero: Smash Hits

June 23
• Overlord II
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 29
• Marvel Vs. Capcom 2

June 30
• BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger
• Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
• Fight Night Round 4
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
• Infernal: Hells Vengeance
• PDC World Championship Darts 2008

3 Year Warranty Extended to E-74 Error

Microsoft's three year warranty for the Xbox 360 now includes Xboxes that die from the dreaded E-74 error as well as the Red Ring of Death. This was revealed somewhat quietly by Microsoft who has seen an increase in the number of E-74 errors reported. Owners who paid for a repair during their first three years for an E-74 error problem should receive a refund.

Xbox.com describes an E-74 error as a graphics hardware problem.

Sadly, this announcement comes a little too late for me. My first two Xbox 360s both died from E-74, not RROD.

My very first 360 got the E-74 error from time to time but a quick reboot would usually make it go away. Then one day the graphics went weird(after an update to Orange Box). It returned to normal, but it wasn't soon after that my 360 went E-74 for good. It would only go to that error screen.

This happened after my 360 was out of its one year warranty. Microsoft didn't recognize the E-74 as a serious problem then. In fact, the person I talked to on the phone didn't understand what an E-74 error was.

I decided not to send it in and pay for repairs. Instead, I went out and bought an Xbox Arcade system and used my old harddrive and controllers. (I also didn't want to wait for repairs which at the time were a bit longer.)

My Arcade system died from an E-74 error within the first six months. This one I sent in since it was still under its year long warranty.

I am glad to see Microsoft taking the E-74 error seriously.

April 2009 Game Releases

No April Fools trickery, developers! Give me some good games or I'll go read a book or something...
 

DS Titles
April 5
• Rhythm Heaven

April 7
• Garfield Gets Real
• Hannah Montana: The Movie

April 14
• C.O.R.E.
• The Dark Spire
• Dokapon Journey
• Flower, Sun and Rain
• Puchi Puchi Virus
• Puzzle Kingdoms

April 21
• Jagged Alliance DS
• Steal Princess

April 24
• Gauntlet

April 28
• Elite Forces: Unit 77
• Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure

April 29
• Desktop Tower Defense

PC Titles
April 7
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
• Digital Combat Simulator: Black Shark
• Elven Legacy
• Flock
• The Godfather II
• Hannah Montana: The Movie
• X3: Terran Conflict

April 10
• Braid

April 14
• Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor
• Demigod
• Velvet Assassin

April 15
• Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason
• Still Life 2

April 21
• Zeno Clash

April 28
• The Humans

PS2 Titles
April 7
• Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus

April 21
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2

April 28
• Backyard Baseball 2010

PS3 Titles
April 2
• Comet Crash

April 7
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
• The Godfather II
• Hannah Montana: The Movie

April 9
• Flock
• Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic

April 16
• OutRun Online Arcade

April 21
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2

PSP Titles
April 7
• Class of Heroes
• Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus
• Hammerin' Hero

April 21
• DT Carnage

April 28
• Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

Wii Titles
April 2
• Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves

April 7
• Garfield Gets Real
• Hannah Montana: The Movie

April 14
• Professor Heinz Wolff's Gravity

April 20
• Excitebots: Trick Racing

April 21
• Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball

April 28
• Puzzle Kingdoms

Xbox 360 Titles
April 1
• The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai

April 7
• The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
• The Godfather II
• Hannah Montana: The Movies
• Ninja Blade

April 8
• Flock

April 14
• Velvet Assassin

April 15
• OutRun Online Arcade

April 21
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2

April 25
• Shop City: In the World of Zellians

Halo Wars: First Impressions

I've been looking forward to Halo Wars for a couple of years now and wasn't too happy as they consistently pushed it back further and further. But now the game is finally here and I have to say that this game is fun.

Campaign
For those of us who played the demo you really get a sense of how the campaign plays out. Right now I'm only on Mission 4 and it's starting to ramp up as far as difficulty (I'm playing Heroic difficulty). The first ACT was a breeze, but now I'm actually failing missions from the get go. The controls are simple enough, I do keep forgetting whether D-Pad Down takes me to my base of if it's D-Pad Left, I think it's D-Pad Left, but other than that it's been simplified for the console. I never played RTS games on the PC, unless you count Dune back in the mid-90's, so my ignorance is a blessing here. I think it plays fine, then again I think Command & Conquer plays fine on the 360 as well.

The scenarios that I have encountered so far have been pretty fun. There are small battles, large battles, and then scenes where I just destroy enemies with Scorpions.

The only really disappointing part is the graphics for the Elites. To me it looks like they are wearing a one piece swim suite and there is very little detail to some of the enemies and sometimes my allies. Also the cut scenes are really compressed poorly. I can see the compression artifacts big time.

I have yet to play Campaign in Co-op, but from what I hear from a friend, it is awesome. I really enjoy collecting the skulls, black boxes, and trying to meet the optional objectives, like kill 100 Grunts.

Multiplayer
I tried out 3v3 last night with some friends. We teamed up to go against strangers online and I have to say that it was tons of fun. We lost most of the matches before we finally figured out the strategy that everyone was using, so when we won it was great to know that it was through strategy and not luck.

I didn't think I would really enjoy the MP aspect of it, but I think I will be visiting this portion of the game more often than I thought. Teamwork is vital in surviving these game types and I hope to get better at it.

Everything about Halo Wars feels like Halo 3, from the look of the menus to the ranking system. HaloWars.com even has a stats section, though it's not as cool as Bungie.net's stats.

If you are a Halo fan, like myself, then you will definitely enjoy this, just for the fact that it is so familiar. I think that's what really draws me in. When I'm told to protect a Spartan, I know what that is immediately. Sure there are some new vehicles, but they are pretty easy to learn and I already know the other vehicles, so there is less to remember.

If you are a hardcore RTS fan, then this might be a little dumbed down from what I hear on the forums and podcast. So try the demo for sure to get a handle on how it plays.

Hopefully Microsoft will support this game for years to come because it has the potential to have long legs. I would like to see new maps and skins for vehicles as well as some new gametypes for MP.

Another cool feature the game has is a timeline for the Halo universe. Some of the dates are locked, which have to be unlocked through gameplay, but it really gives the players a nice sense of where this story starts and the other Halo stories begin.

March Game Releases

"In like a lion, out like a lamb" - Is that only the saying for the weather in March or does it work for video games too?
 

DS Titles
March 3
• Littlest Pet Shop Spring

March 9
• My Pet Shop

March 10
• Avalon Code
• Boing! Docomodake DS
• MySims Party
• Zubo

March 16
• Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume

March 17
• C.O.R.E.
• Grey's Anatomy
• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
• Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
• Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure
• Scrabble
• Suikoden Tierkreis
• TrackMania DS

March 22
• Pokemon Platinum

March 24
• Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Echoes of Time
• Lux-Pain
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• Pimp My Ride 2

March 27
• Martial Arts: Capoeira

March 31
• Don King Presents: Prizefighter

PC Titles
March 3
• Empire: Total War

March 4
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh

March 10
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

March 17
• Grand Ages: Rome
• Grey's Anatomy
• Spore: Galactic Adventures
• Strike Force Red Cell

March 20
• World in Conflict: Soviet Assault

March 23
• Battleforge
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3: Uprising

March 24
• Dungeon Hero
• The Last Remnant
• Stormrise
• Wanted
• The Wheelman

March 30
• Armed Assault 2
• Dawn of Fantasy
• Elven Legacy
• The Humans
• Imperium Romanum II
• King Arthur
• Penumbra Collection
• Troll & Armor

PS2 Titles
March 3
• The King of Fighters'98 Ultimate Match
• Major League Baseball 2K9
• MLB 09: The Show
• Tomb Raider: Underworld

March 10
• Samurai Shodown Anthology
• Trivial Pursuit

March 24
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• Pimp My Ride 2
• Ultimate Ninja 4: Naruto Shippuden

March 27
• Martial Arts: Capoeira

PS3 Titles
March 3
• Brain Challenge Deluxe
• Major League Baseball 2K9
• MLB 09: The Show
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

March 4
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh

March 10
• Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge
• Trivial Pursuit

March 13
• Resident Evil 5

March 23
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

March 24
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2
• Legends of WrestleMania
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
• Stormrise
• Wanted
• The Wheelman

March 29
• Guitar Hero: Metallica

March 30
• Burn Zombie Burn
• The Tale of Despereaux

PSP Titles
March 3
• Major League Baseball 2K9
• MLB 09: The Show
• Phantasy Star Portable

March 10
• Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
• Samurai Shodown Anthology

March 17
• Resistance Retribution
• Scrabble

March 24
• DT Carnage
• Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

March 27
• Martial Arts: Capoeira

Wii Titles
March 3
• Major League Baseball 2K9
• Sonic & The Black Knight

March 9
• Mario Power Tennis
• Pikmin

March 10
• MadWorld
• MySims Party
• Samurai Shodown Anthology
• Trivial Pursuit

March 17
• Grey's Anatomy
• Marble Saga: Kororinpa
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
• Ready 2 Rumble
• Rune Factory Frontier

March 24
• Broken Sword: Director'sCut
• Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Echoes of Time
• Major Minor's Majestic March
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• MotoGP 08

March 29
• Guitar Hero: Metallica

March 30
• Last Flight
• Lawn Games

Xbox 360 Titles
March 3
• Halo Wars
• The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match
• Major League Basketball 2K9
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

March 4
• Watchmen: The End is Nigh(XBLA)

March 10
• Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge
• Trivial Pursuit

March 13
• Resident Evil 5

March 17
• Strike Force Red Cell

March 24
• Dungeon Hero
• Dynasty Warriors: GUNDAM 2
• Legends of WrestleMania
• Monsters vs. Aliens
• Sacred 2: Fallen Angel
• Stormrise
• Wanted
• The Wheelman

March 27
• PopCap Arcade Vol. 2

March 29
• Guitar Hero: Metallica

March 30
• Deer Hunter Tournament
• OutRun Online Arcade

GTA IV DLC: First Impressions

I downloaded The Lost and the Damned GTA IV DLC today. It clocks in at 1.78 GB but only took about 45 minutes to download. It costs 1600 Microsoft Points($20). I've only played a few missions(I'm apparently 8.6% done), but I thought I'd give my initial impressions.

First off, maybe there should be a little onscreen tutorial or hints as to how to play because I have apparently forgotten how to control my character in GTA IV. I died a few times in the first gunfight because I had to relearn how to do things in the game.

Secondly, my character seems extremely slow. Even when I hold down the run button. Was Nico this slow? He didn't seem to be, but maybe Saint's Row 2 spoiled me.

I also seem to have a problem being in a gang. My problem being that all the bikers look the same to me so when I'm in gang warfare, I sometimes shoot my own guys or I don't shoot the enemy because I think they're in my gang. I'm a lone wolf, baby! I can't handle this gang life! (And when I spend time looking for the red carrots above enemies I tend to get shot a lot more.)

The bikes seem to control better in the DLC than the game so my character isn't flying off every two seconds. You can still get thrown pretty far, but I think the handling for bikes has improved.

So far, it does have a pretty good GTA IV feel to it. The areas are the same. I have contacts. I have a base of operation. When I sleep, it saves my game and advances the timeline six hours. I can watch TV or surf the web.

I think I'll like it when I play more, but the beginning definitely didn't suck me in.

Halo Wars Impressions

So, the Halo Wars demo came out on Xbox Live(at 1.4 GB) today. I've had some doubts about this game for a while now. One of my main problems is simply that RTS games don't hold my interest for long. But I booted up the Xbox and downloaded the demo anyway.

Halo Wars takes place 20 years before Halo. It's a time of great battles between the humans and the Covenant.

I played the Basic tutorial and the first two missions on campaign. I'm not sure how much more is included in the demo. That's just where I stopped.

It's not a bad game. It's fairly fun for an RTS, and the controls aren't bad. I did have a problem for a little while where I was selecting every unit on the map instead of just on my screen, but the game let me know what I was doing wrong with helpful little reminders in the left hand corner.

I beat the two missions without too much problem. My hero did go down during one fierce battle, but then he later got back up when I had another unit stand near him for a while. I earned Silver on the first mission and Bronze on the second.

Is it put together well? Seems to be. I don't have to worry about peons or workers or what have you to collect my resources. I simply build Supply Pads and supplies are shipped to me. There are also crates of supplies scattered around the map that my troops can pick up. They don't even have to bring the supplies back to my base. They just pick them up and they appear in my coffers. So that's nice(although die-hard RTS players may dislike this).

Apparently there are also skulls hidden on some of the levels, but I didn't find any.

I do, for the most part, like that when you group your troops together they all travel at the same speed(which would be the speed of your slowest unit). This, of course, is annoying since it slows down some of your troops, but it's good for combat because I don't have to worry that my Warthogs are way ahead of my Scorpion or Infantry. The only time I really don't like this is when I'm running away from enemies. (Although even when fleeing, the Warthog's gunner still shoots at the enemies.)

And pretty much every unit has a secondary attack. Warthogs can run over enemies. Infantry can throw grenades.

Will it do well? Hmmm.... I don't think it will. I know that some game executives think that simply putting the name Halo on anything will make it sell. But Halo 1-3 are first person shooter games. They may have helped revolutionize or revitalize the FPS, but they were still first person shooters.

Most FPS gamers aren't RTS gamers and vice versa. When I was playing the Halo Wars demo, it actually made me want to play Halo 3 so that I could get in there and shoot some Covenant instead of just clicking on units and letting my troops battle.

I also have problems really distinguishing what the various Covenant troops are. I know there were Grunts, Elites, Jackals, Hunters, Ghosts and ... those Covenant transport ships. But most of them look pretty much the same from way up high. There were a number of times when I'd have Hunters on me, but I'd be concentrating on the Grunts.

In the end, this game may sell because of the Halo name. But I don't think it will truly be popular.

February Game Releases

Not a lot of game releases so far in 2009, but maybe this month developers will show gamers some love. After all, it is the month of Valentine's Day!
 

DS Titles
February 3
• Math Blaster in the Prime Adventure
• My World, My Way

February 10
• Retro Game Challenge
• Rollin' Rascals
• USA Today Puzzle Craze

February 15
• Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon

February 17
• Brave: Shaman's Challenge
• Dragon Quest: The Hand of the Heavenly Bride
• Dragon Quest V
• Roogoo

February 24
• Avalon Code
• Blue Dragon Plus
• C.O.R.E.
• Legacy of Ys: Books I & II
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

February 28
• Gauntlet

PC Titles
February 2
• Prisontale 2: The Second Enigma

February 5
• Burnout Paradise

February 10
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Perimeter II: New Earth
• Warfare
• X-Blades

February 13
• Celetania

February 18
• Drakensang: The Dark Eye

February 19
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2

February 20
• The Sims 3

February 24
• The Godfather II
• Shellshock 2: Blood Trails

February 25
• Age of Booty
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

February 27
• East India Company

PS2 Titles
• Nothing. Seriously.

PS3 Titles
February 5
• 3 on 3 NHL Arcade

February 10
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge
• Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
• X-Blades

February 12
• Flower

February 17
• Street Fighter IV

February 19
• Noby Noby Boy

February 24
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
• The Godfather II
• Shellshock 2: Blood Trails

February 26
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix

February 27
• Killzone 2

PSP Titles
February 10
• LocoRoco 2

February 17
• Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
• Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?

Wii Titles
February 3
• Battle Rage: The Robot Wars
• Tenchu: Shadow Assassin

February 9
• Deadly Creatures

February 10
• The House of the Dead: Overkill
• NASCAR Kart Racing
• Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers

February 17
• Roogoo
• RoogooTwisted Towers

February 24
• Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop

Xbox 360 Titles
February 4
• 3 on 3 NHL Arcade

February 10
• F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin
• Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad
• Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
• X-Blades

February 17
• Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned
• RACE Pro
• Street Fighter IV

February 24
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
• The Godfather II
• Puzzle Quest: Galactrix
• Shellshock 2: Blood Trails
• Star Ocean: The Last Hope
• Stoked

Fallout 3 Level Cap Increase Coming

Bethesda released some new screenshots from the upcoming DLC, Operation Anchorage, for Fallout 3(winner of the XYBA RPG of the Year award). But with the screenshots came information about another DLC coming in March and bringing with it a level cap increase from 20 to 30.

The game currently limits players to a maximum level of 20 so 150% increase is pretty substantial.

The increase will come with a DLC pack called Broken Steel.

I'm excited about both of these DLCs. Anything to add to Fallout 3 is good in my book.

January Game Releases

The new year has begun. After seeing what 2008 brought to the gaming table, will 2009 measure up?
 

DS Titles
January 6
• Jumble Madness
• Moon

January 13
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

January 20
• Big Bang Mini

January 27
• The Chase: Felix Meets Felicity
• Coraline

January 30
• Peggle: Dual Shot

PC Titles
January 5
• Saints Row 2

January 12
• Fusion Fall

January 13
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
• Mirror's Edge

January 20
• Commander in Chief

January 22
• Darkfall

January 26
• MLB Front Office Manager

PS2 Titles
January 6
• CID the Dummy

January 15
• Tomb Raider: Underworld

January 20
• Ar Tonelico II
• AR Tonelico 2: Melody of MetaFalicia
• PDC World Championship Darts 2008

January 27
• Coraline
• The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match
• Nobunaga's Ambition: Iron Triangle

PS3 Titles
January 13
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

January 19
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

January 20
• Skate 2

January 26
• MLB Front Office Manager

January 27
• Afro Samurai

PSP Titles
January 6
• CID the Dummy

January 20
• Mana Khemia: Student Alliance
• PDC World Championship Darts 2008
• Star Ocean: Second Evolution

January 27
• DJ Max Fever

Wii Titles
January 5
• Rock Band 2

January 6
• Fishing Master World Tour

January 12
• Neighborhood Games

January 13
• Deal or No Deal
• Deer Drive
• MotoGP 08

January 20
• Dead Rising: Chop
• Ultimate Shooting Collection

January 27
• Coraline

Xbox 360 Titles
January 13
• The Lord of the Rings: Conquest

January 19
• 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand

January 20
• PDC World Championship Darts 2008
• Skate 2
• Stoked

January 26
• MLB Front Office Manager

January 27
• Afro Samurai