Episode 24: The Return of EVIL!

FINALLY we have a week with a nice list of big releases and one of them I've been waiting for almost a DECADE to play!

First off, the game that will be eating my time for a good long time... DIABLO III! This will be PC only (although there is rumor of a PS3 version at some point). This time around you'll be facing off against two Lesser Evils (Azmodan and Belial) as you try to unravel the mystery behind the Black Soulstone. This time around you'll be guided by Decard Cain's (the guide from the first 2 games) neice. The classes you can choose from this time are Barbarian, Witch Doctor, Wizard, Monk, and Demon Hunter.

And for those who have missed out on the Diablo gaming legacy, here's a nice 5 minute recap of what you've missed so far:

Still want more? Here's a badass animated telling of the battle between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells of Sanctuary (the realm where Diablo is based) and how that lead to the story of Diablo and the Prime Evils (and now the Lesser Evils):

Sorry for gushing, if you can't tell I'm pretty damned excited about that one. Next up, Game of Thrones makes the leap from book to show and now to video games on Xbox360, PS3, and PC. The game takes place during the events of Season 1 but follows two new heroes: a "skinchanger" like Bran Stark (who can slip into the skin of his dog) and a red priest who's sword ignites into flame. You'll alternate between their stories until they merge on a common quest.

The only game coming to almost every format this week (PS3, Xbox360, Wii, DS, and 3DS) is Battleship: The Video Game. Before you get too excited, it's not the awesome board game from childhood, it's the adaptation of the movie starring Rihanna and Brooklyn Decker. First person shooter style, I'm not expecting much.

Landing on Xbox360 and PS3 this week, Max Payne 3. This time, Max has left NYC and headed south of the border to a private security firm in Brazil. The coolest thing about this game in the online "crews" you form will be used in the upcoming Grand Theft Auto sequel.

Mario Open Tennis lands on 3DS this weekend. Same as the other Mario Tennis games only this one finally has online playability!

And lastly, downloadable on Xbox360, PS3, and PC this week is Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II. Metal Sonic and Tails join the fray in this reboot of the classic franchise.

In the gaming future, Avengers will be getting the motion controlled treatment with a game for Kinect and Wii called Avengers: Battle for Earth. It will follow a different story from the movie. No release set on this one yet. Bioshock: Infinite (the 3rd in the series) has been DELAYED. Original plans were for a Fall 2012 release but now it's been pushed back to Spring 2013.

A few numbers from the gaming world: Angry Birds has been downloaded ONE BILLION TIMES! Call of Duty (the franchise) has hit 40 MILLION active monthly users (CoD Elite has over 10 Million!).

Xbox360 will soon be adding a version of Internet Explorer to it's desktop features (and yes, there will be Kinect capabilities).

And that about sums it up. Sadly I'm having to wait till Sunday (aka Pay Day) to get Diablo 3 but by next week I should be able to report on the actual gameplay. Until next time, get out there and get your game on!

Episode 23: 8 Bit Booty

Kind of a slow week in the gaming world with only one new release BUT lots of news a something kind of interesting to share, but first...

Only new release of the week is a Playstation exclusive (I'm guessing VITA and PS3) called Starhawk. A nice vehicular combat game that allows up to 32 man multiplayer. Unlike it's 2007 counterpart Warhawk, this time around you can play in a single player campaign mode as well as new features like Build 'n Battle mode, flying mechs, and more.

Fans of the Elder Scrolls series can rejoice, the MMO you've been dreaming about is coming! The Elder Scrolls Online will be set in the same world as Skyrim and Oblivion and will hit PC and Mac next year. Here's the first screenshot they've released:

Speaking of Skyrim, its first DLC will be coming our way this summer called Dawnguard. No word on an exact date or even what the DLC will include for now but here's the announcement graphic:

As for that something interesting I mentioned, Kim Kardashian tweeted recently saying she was really excited about the release of  Call of Duty: Black Ops II. This has nothing to do with gaming except that next time you play CoD you can imagine this is who you're facing off against:

Try not to play with your "joystick" too much and until next time, get out there and get your game on!

Episode 22: Headshots!

The games have been slow to trickle out early in 2012 but at least there seems to be one good game or more coming each week. Only one new one this time though.

Coming to Xbox360 and PS3 this week is Sniper Elite v2 which is a World War II shooter that focuses on sniping Nazis working on the V2 rocket program. The coolest thing about this franchise is the Xray cameras that show the internal damage caused by each shot!

The only other big release is not a new one, Mortal Kombat (the newest version) makes its way to Playstation VITA this week. It will feature all downloadable content and characters plus touch screen fatalities and you can use the VITA's camera to make a new background for your kombat.

In other gaming news, the next Call of Duty game will be announced TODAY during the NBA Playoffs on TNT. Jay-Z is developing a Facebook game called Empire where you start as a street thug and work your way up to business mogul (obviously, it's loosely based on Jay-Z's life).

Sony has taken a bite off the Super Smash Bros. apple with a new game called Playstation All-Stars: Battle Royale pitting Playstation characters like Kratos, Sweet Tooth, and Sly Cooper against each other in combat. It actually looks and seems to play a lot like the Super Smash Bros. games.

And lastly, the cover for Madden 13 has been announced and it's CALVIN JOHNSON! He beat out #2 Cam Newton by almost SEVEN MILLION VOTES! Here it is:

So there you have it. A new shooter, MK portable, and a few things to look forward to. Until next time, get out there and get your game on!

Episode 21: Mutants or Zombies?

The major releases are still trickling in slowly but there are 3 to talk about this week:

First up is Prototype 2 coming to Xbox360 and PS3. This time you play as Sergeant James Heller. Heller is out to avenge the deaths of his family who he blames on the main character from the original Prototype. New weapons include the ability to infect humans making them "bio-bombs" and tendrils you can use to smash things like cars.



Also coming out this week is The Walking Dead: The Game via download for Xbox360 and PS3. This game follows the story of the comic books and TV show but instead of playing as a character from the story, you play as a new guy named Lee Everett.



The last game this week is another dance game for the motion-capable systems called Let's Dance coming to Xbox360 for Kinect and Wii. You dance. You dance best, you win. Simple as that. No video for this one because it's the same as every other dance game that's come out for Wii and Kinect.

Looking forward to future gaming:


Halo 4, will hit stores on Election Day (November 6th). Xbox360 exclusive obviously.


Star Trek the game will be coming our way early 2013 as well. Here's the trailer.



The next "Bond" game will be called 007 Legends and will feature a new storyline with missions based off 6 Bond movies and will support Kinect (coming Oct. 16th).

Black Ops 2 is teasing us again. According to this poster, SOMETHING is coming May 2nd. Not sure what (possibly the title?) but we'll have to wait and see.

God of War: Ascension has been announced for a Spring 2013 release. This will be a prequel to the series explaning Kratos' beginnings. If you're like me and haven't played the God of War series (I don't have a PS3), CLICK HERE and check out video of all 23 Olympians that Kratos has defeated thus far.



So there you go, a few things to keep you busy for now and some big stuff on the way! Until next time, get out there and get your game on!

Episode 20: Console Crossovers

Three big releases this week, but technically NONE of them are actually NEW.

First up, The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings makes the leap from PC to Xbox360 this week. Pretty straightforward one player RPG. This version will also include a few bonus goodies: a CD with the in-game music, a quest handbook, and a game map.



Also making the console crossover, The House of the Dead 4 lands on PS3 this week as a downloadable from PSN. This is an old school classic zombie splattering first person shooter. Includes support for PlaystationMove.



The only other big release this week is Deadliest Warrior: Ancient Combat landing on Xbox360 and PS3 this week. This is just the first two Deadliest Warrior games with all the DLC combined into one disc. It does have some new goodies though: 30 new weapons, a Graveyard level and 6 full episodes of the show.



Looking out into the rest of the video game world:

Lost Planet 3 is coming to PC and consoles later this year. Here's the debut trailer:



A recent survey found the most anticipated games of 2012: for Xbox360 it's Halo 4, PS3 is Assassin's Creed III, and the only non-exclusive was for Wii with Madden 13. Speaking of games coming soon, rumor is that the next Grand Theft Auto may be coming this fall!

Skyrim for Xbox360 is getting upgraded to Kinect capability! After the update comes down, you'll be able to shout out powers, order around companions, and more. Watch the vid below for more details.



And there you have it, nothing really NEW this week but some HUGE stuff coming soon so keep those controllers ready and until next time, get out there and get your game on!

Episode 19: DLC, Easy As 1 2 3

I think this is the first week so far there have been ZERO major releases. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. BUT there is some nifty DLC coming out this week so let's dive right in to that.

Skullgirls will be the only new game launching on Playstation Network and Xbox Live this week (the other 2 are Xbox only). Standard 2D fighter done in cell style animation. This one gives you the option of 1 to 3 fighters per team, solo fighters get more health but teams can do combos so it's balanced.



Coming to Xbox Live this week, The Splatters is a puzzle game where you basically fling Splatters, little fluid filled creatures, around and splatter them! Simple but seems pretty entertaining.



Also hitting Xbox Live this week is Fez. The trailer doesn't give much away but it looks like a side-scroller with a 3D twist.



In other gaming news, if you thought the Rock Band/Guitar Hero craze was done... you were right! There's a new game coming this summer called Rock Band Blitz and they basically turned it into a racing game. You use a controller instead of the fake instruments and guide your cursor through the various instrument tracks instead of playing along. Just watch the video and laugh like I did.



Mass Effect 3 will be offering the extended cut scenes FOR FREE this summer after overwhelming complaints by fans of a lackluster ending to the trilogy.

Halo 4 will get a 14 page spread in the May issue of Game Informer. Here's the cover:

And before I call it a day, Electronic Arts has been "honored" with the title of WORST company in America according to an online survey! They beat out Bank of America, Comcast, and Verizon for the "top" spot on the list.

Guess that does it for this week's update. Lots of games on the way but some solid DLC to keep you going this week. Until next time, get out there and get your game on!

Episode 18: May The Force Be With You

So it seems there is finally a reason for me to consider dropping the coin and upgrading to Kinect (or at least consider it)... KINECT: STAR WARS!

Exclusively on Xbox360, this is the game Star Wars fans have been waiting decades for. You get to fight with lightsabers, use force powers to move objects, pilot Star Wars vehicles... ALL WITH YOUR BARE HANDS!



The game features 5 different types of play: Jedi Destiny is the typical Jedi story mode where you use the force and a lightsaber to battle the Sith, Rancor Rampage turns you into a Rancor and drops you in a nice city you can destroy, Podracing puts you in the driver's seat for fast paced podracing action, Duels of Fate where you battle one-on-one climbing the ladder to fight Darth Vader, and the only thing I hate about this game Galactic Dance-Off where Princess Leia challenges you to a dance off to modern songs with Star Wars lyrics (ok, so the lyrics are probably worth playing this mode at least once).

There is also a BADASS R2D2 Xbox360 console with a C3PO controller that will come out today as well.



That's the only big release hitting stores today but if the season premiere of Game of Thrones on Sunday left you itching for the RPG release, here's a new trailer to keep you busy:



Voting has begun to see who will grace the cover of NHL 12. Click here to cast your vote!

As for myself, I'm still spending most of my gaming time in Tamriel (Skyrim). I now have purchased all 5 houses, defeated Alduin, been made leader of the Mages College, Companions, Thieves Guild, and Dark Brotherhood as well as a Nightingale and Bard. A few more cities to become Thane of and a bunch of side quests are next on the agenda. Eventually I'll get back to the civil war too.

And that about does it. Until next time, get out there and get your game on!