Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Episode 9: The Next Generation

As many of you know, the big 3 have all talked about new consoles coming our way in 2012. The new Xbox console (NextBox, Xbox 720, Loop) saw a wave of gossip recently including having SIX TIMES THE PROCESSING POWER of the Xbox 360, a possible Blu-ray drive, and by NOT allowing "used" games (possibly by making gamers register the game to their console). The last one there is by far the most controversial but, in my opinion, not as terrible as it may seem. In my experience, places that sell used games tend to underpay for and overprice the games when they do resell them. Keep in mind, these are all rumor and speculation. Nothing has been confirmed by Microsoft as of yet.

Speaking of Xbox, Microsoft is also considering dropping the Microsoft Points system and going to a straight money system like Sony and PC.

Nintendo was also buzzing about the upcoming Wii U recently. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said recently the "final format" for the Wii U would be unveiled at E3 this year and they plan to release it globally by year's end (although, there is talk they may change the name so consumers realize it's a new system). There is also talk that the Wii U may have NFC (Near Field Communications) capabilities. This would allow you to use your phone to purchase games or content just by holding it near the controller!

Enough about the console gossip, let's look at some new games!!

First up, the only big release hitting stores this week is the 2nd ever Final Fantasy sequel, Final Fantasy XIII-2. The story picks up 3 years after the original with Lightning missing and Serah on a quest to find him. Here's the trailer:



Next up, a sequel I personally have been waiting for, The Darkness 2! Similar story and gameplay to the first but with "Quad Wielding" which now allows Jackie to use firearms AND The Darkness simultaneously! This one won't hit stores till October but here's the launch trailer:



Lastly, coming our way in March, MLB 12: The Show with Adrian Gonzalez of the Red Sox taking the cover this year in the US and Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays taking the Canadian cover. Watch the trailer and see some of the new features (basically all aimed at making the game more realistic):



Before I head out, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 posted a calendar of all the upcoming content releases thru September. Click here to check it out.

There you have it, if the buzz is even half true, it sounds like a big year is coming our way in the gaming world. Until next week, get out there and get your game on!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Episode 8: [Bleep] Gamers Say

Well the year rolls forward and the gaming news is slowly starting to trickle in.

First up, if you are a Call of Duty Elite PREMIUM player, the new multiplayer map pack will be available to you tomorrow! And that's not all! Next month there will be another round of content coming your way and 2 more pieces coming in March. THEN they will bundle all 5 and make them available as DLC to the rest of the world.

November seems like forever from now but something to be looking forward to... Resident Evil 6! Rumor is there may be a multiplayer online co-op available. Check this trailer out...



In other gaming news, Freddie Prince Jr. has signed on as the voice of James Vega, Shepherd's new partner in Mass Effect 3 (out March 6th).

And we'll wrap things up today with some geek humor. First up, a pretty funny Skyrim version of Unnecessary Censorship:



And the newest in the [Bleep] ____ Say viral craze: [Bleep] Gamers Say!



So there you go. Check back weekly for more updates and until next time, get out there and get your game on!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Episode 7: The Next NEXT Generation

2012 has just kicked off and the gaming world is already peeking over the horizon to June's big E3 convention in LA. Mainly because there is talk that both Playstation and Xbox could be launching new consoles this year! Working names for the consoles have been PS4 and Xbox 720 but who knows what they may change them to by launch time. Rumor is that Nintendo may have a new Wii coming this year as well.

Anyway, getting away from rumors and back to some gaming news: Star Wars: The Old Republic has landed a spot in the Guiness World Record books with the biggest entertainment voice over project EVER! Over 200,000 lines of dialogue.

The first screenshots from the upcoming South Park RPG hit the web recently. Haven't seen any gameplay video yet but the still shots look almost identical to an actual South Park episode. Here's a shot from "Hippie Mountain". I'm guessing from the other images I've seen this may be more of a side-scroller but it could just be battle scenes (i.e. Final Fantasy) so we'll have to wait and see.



IGN has posted a list of EVERY game scheduled for 2012 release (obviously there are some that haven't been announced and some that will be dropped or postponed). There are a lot of good games coming but my Top 3 Can't Wait Games are Diablo 3, Halo 4, and Devil May Cry HD Collection (finally get to play DMC without borrowing someone's PS2, haha). Click here for the full list.

So there you go, lots to look forward to in 2012 already and we're not even a month in. Until next time, get out there and get your game on!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Episode 6: Welcome to 2012!

Well, 2012 is here and, if any of the doomsayers are right, the world could look like some of your favorite video games this time next year. Anyway, let's dive right into what's coming your way this year.

First off, my girlfriend got me Gears of War 3 for Xmas (thanks baby!) and it's freaking awesome! The story was as good if not better than the first 2, came to a great ending, and the game play just keeps getting better. I'm digging Horde mode. Similar to Halo's Firefight but you get to build up a "stronghold" and defend it instead of being so chaotic.

As for gaming news, the only release this week is NFL Blitz.



If you remember Blitz from before, same concept. If not, it's basically football with less rules and more bone crushing type of action. 7 man sides instead of 11. Downloadable on Xbox Live and PS3 today.

That's all for this week, but there are plenty of big games coming in 2012. Halo 4, Mass Effect 3, Borderlands 2, and Bioshock Infinite just to mention a few. More on those when they come but for now, venture forth and get your game on!