There has been a lot of hype surrounding the Sims 3. Firstly, the game will be a sequel to two of the most popular PC games of all time. Secondly, the Sims has always been innovative, and this game should be no different. Thirdly, the Sims has always been the type of game that appeals to all audiences, so it is no surprise that everyone is excited for it. Fourthly, who doesn’t want a shiny new Sims game?
Well, people, I am happy to tell you that the Sims 3, being developed and published by Electronic Arts, has a release date! On February 20, 2009, all of you die-hard Sims fans can torture your new Sims by burning or drowning them. Isn’t that what everyone does?
Long after the introduction of the Xbox 360 Chatpad, Sony has finally unveiled its answer to Microsoft’s controller keyboard attachment. The Playstation Keypad, announced yesterday at Leipzig, is a full QWERTY keyboard that clips on to the top Playstation 3 Controller. The Keypad features a small touchpad as well, which can be used when surfing the web. There is also a possibility that the touchpad will be used in future games, but only time will tell. The keypad’s priority, however, is to make communication and navigation easier in Playstation Home.
The only downside that I see to this attachment so far is that it clips at the top of the controller, rather than the bottom. There is a possibility that this layout can make typing uncomfortable, but it is hard to tell without getting a hands-on trial.
The day is here! Super Smash Bros. Brawl has finally been released in the good ol’ USA. For those of us that have been waiting for this moment for the past 2-3 years, today is probably more exciting than the release of Halo 3, Gears of War, Drakes Fortune, etc. So get those pre-order receipts out and head to your local game store. And remember, you don’t really need that strategy guide for SSBB, so put that money towards a pre-order for Mario Kart Wii!
It seems that everyone know who Soulja Boy is. Even my mother knows about the rapping ‘one hit wonder’. So its only right for the gaming community to take the basic principal of the song and turn it into something 1337! Egad Pit did exactly that by creating the video above. Enjoy!
After years of waiting for this moment, many gamers can now rejoice. The much awaited GT5 Prologue will soon reach the United States on April 17. It will be available as a PSN download, or traditionally as a Blu-ray disc in stores. The inconvenience of driving to a store might be well worth it, as the solid copy of the game will contain a behind the scenes video, “Beyond the Apex.” The Prologue will contain 60 vehicles, 16-person online racing, and full-out 1080p HD support. In addition to all of the stated features, the game will also launch with Gran Turismo TV, which is basically a channel on the PSN that contains motorsport programming. Prologue will be sold for $40.
I don’t think that this is a surprise to anyone. Microsoft is saying the recent downtime of Xbox Live was due to the fact that their servers couldn’t keep up with the great demand that comes during the holidays. I wonder why Microsoft couldn’t anticipate this, but at least they’re giving us a free arcade game!
There have been rumors circulating around almost every gaming site about an Ultimate SKU of the 360 being announced at the Microsoft Keynote at CES. Sadly, though, after an hour and fifteen minutes, the console was never shown. Too bad! I was really looking forward to a good HD-DVD player and a gaming console in one. But, hey, I guess not every dream can come true.
The original Far Cry came out exclusively for the PC, with only spinoffs coming onto the consoles. The game had better graphics and better gameplay than the console versions, and was arguably better in general. However, Far Cry 2, which is being developed by Ubisoft Montreal, is going to be released on the PC, PS3 and 360. It should come out next year, and is probably going to be a revolution for the series.
If any of you guys have played the Orange Box on the PS3, you know that the game is nearly unplayable. The frame rate is horrible, loading times are horrendous, and surround sound does not feel like Carnegie Hall during a New York Philharmonic concert (although we might settle for less). But fret not! Valve seems to be releasing a patch for the game, and have opened a thread for complaints about the performance of the game,
Ever thought what would happen if Microsoft made another SKU of the 360 that would be the mother of all SKUs? Well, this SKU might be in the works. Stuff magazine has just announced that this ultimate version of the console will be coming by next fall. It will include built in Wi-Fi, a 65 nm chip, a silent fan, 1080p output and hi-def audio output. To top it all off, the console will have a built in HD-DVD player and a 320 GB hard drive. This makes sense as the IPTV service should be ready before the console is released. Microsoft has not announced if this console is in the works, but look for it at CES 08!
The Nintendo DS has had a great 2007. With a huge roster of great games that were released, figuring out nominees for the DS was a huge chore. But, here they are:
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Brain Age II
Pokemon’s Diamond and Pearl
Contra 4
After carefull consideration of these great games, we finally came down to the winner…
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass [Nintendo/Nintendo]
The Legend of Zelda is one of the best console games in a while, and with its great pick-up-and-go gameplay, it is also one of the most accessable.
The PlayStation Portable was not the most successful of gaming consoles this year. It sold poorly in comparison to its direct rival, the Nintendo DS, and its lack of support was mostly to blame for this. But, with the introduction of a new the PSP Slim, and the various color choices, it looks as if there is a bright future for this console after all. Here are our nominees for PSP game of the year:
Syphon Filter: Logan’s Shadow
Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters
Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
This was a truly hard decision to make. With the competition between these games, and the fact that we needed to take portability into decision, we have made our choice…
With its crisp graphics, engaging story line and gameplay that has depth, yet is easy to pick up on the go, this game is easily the PSP’s game of the year.
Even though the next-gen console race has really been a competitive one this year, the PS2 is still flying off of the shelves and is still being supported by many developers. Because of this, we could definitely not cut out the PS2 from our Game of the Year Awards. Like the rest of the awards, it was very hard to figure out who would be nominated for this award, btut they are:
Guitar Hero III
God of War II
Fifa 08
Burnout Dominator
MLB 07: The Show
After reviewing the games in question, it was not very hard to figure out which one of the games came out on top…
God of War II [SCE Studios Santa Monica/Sony Computer Entertainment]
With amazing graphics for a last-gen console and gameplay that improved apon the already fluid formula, God of War II is truly one last-gen title that can compete with its next-gen rivals.
It seems that these periodic updates for the Xbox 360 only get better and better. This time, the main highlight of the fall update is the fact that original Xbox games will be available to download on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The first available games will include many classics for the original console, including Halo, Crimson Skies, Fable and Burnout 3. I guess that this update will give people more of an incentive to pick up a 120 gb harddrive for their 360’s!
I know that this post is kind of late, but if you haven’t dowloaded this amazing demo, and if you have a PS3, go do it now! The demo has great graphics, great sound and great gameplay: the three g’s of a great game. So, get on it!
If you are like me and a lot of other gamers, you have played Rockstar’s Max Payne games. The original was a game that came out on the PS2 and PC, while its sequal was relased on the PS2, Xbox and PC. Because of how popular the game is, movie studios believe that the game would be a great movie (as do I). What makes this better is that top A-list actor Mark Wahlberg might be starring in it. If you have seen The Departed, The Italian Job, and many other movies, you will see that he is a very talented actor, and he suits this character well. Lets cross our fingers in hope that this rumor is true!
The firmware for the PS3 has been updated today. There have been minor changes with the firmware since launch, but this is a major leep in firmware for the console. Here is the official press release:
Skate (PS3): Skate has been said to be better than the Tony Hawk series, and I am here to tell you that it is. It is much less arcady, and it has great controls. The tilt features aren’t as tight as I would have like them to be, but they are good nonetheless. Graphics are spot on, and this may be one game that I would say looks better than its 360 counterpart – 85/100
Orange Box (360): The Orange box is a set of 5 games; Half Life, Episode 1, Episode 2, Portal and Team Fortress. All are amazing games, and this may be one of the greatest values in video game history, at sixty dollars. Graphics are much improved, as they have been redone for the original Half-Life and Episode 1, and Episode 2 has very good graphics also. Portal has great controls, and requires you to think a bit, even though it is not too hard. Team Fortress is a great multiplayer experience, and is very fun. I would definitely recommend picking this up – 95/100
Project Gotham Racing 4 (360): This is a very anticipated game for the 360, and is a sequel to a launch title for the system. One of the greatest features is the dynamic weather, in which the weather conditions can change through the game. Graphics are very good, and gameplay is also very tight, even though the game is quite arcady. The addiction of motorcycles is a welcome feature, and they do not disrupt gameplay at all – 90/100
Call of Duty 4 is arguably on of the most anticipated games this holiday season, and so far the game has been getting great reviews. On average, the game has been getting a 9.5, which means it is a spectacular game. One of the few gripes about the game is that it is so short in the campaign mode (about 6 hours for the average gamer), but the multiplayer makes up for it, and the graphics and sound have been highly praised as well. So pick it up and look out for Rotpod’s review of what is supposed to be one of this years great titles.
Good news for people who don’t have Xbox 360’s (and who doesn’t ?) and are planning on buying one this holiday season! Apparently the Core Xbox 360 is being phased out and a new SKU is being released, dubbed “Arcade.” Both Toys “R” Us and Amazon are pricing it at $279.99. It will include an hdmi port, wireless controller, 256 MB memory card, and 5 Xbox LIVE Arcade games. This will be an interesting holiday season, especially with the new PS3 SKU.
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