NC Update 8/31

Here are the latest videos and DS Demos available for the Nintendo Channel. (more…)

TMNT Smash Up: Dev. Diary #2

Here is the second Developer Diary video for TMNT Smash Up.

This video will go over online features, controller options, ninja powers, etc. (more…)

DSiWare Update 8/31

Here is your weekly update of games coming out for DSiWare. (more…)

Wiiware/VC Update 8/31

Here is your weekly update of game releases for Wiiware and the Virtual Console. (more…)

Smash Up Confirmed Character Roster

Here are the characters that Ubisoft has confirmed will be playable in TMNT Smash Up. (more…)

TMNT Smash Up: Dev. Diary #1

As most of you already know, i am an obsessed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan since I was about six years old. (more…)

Activision set to Blur the competition

Activision and Bizarre Creations is hoping to take the pole position away from the other racing games this fall. Now set for a November 3rd debut comes Blur, a fast paced, hard hitting game, with cinematic realism and filled with lots of power up action for all racing fans on the Xbox 360, the PS3 and the PC.

Activision is now looking to do for the racing genre what Call of Duty has done for the shooters in this photo realistic racer. Set in real world locations and with 50 licensed cars to select from, you have some very high impact, street racing fun from the single player story line and all the way up to the huge community of multiplayer offerings as well in Blur.

Activision plans to build a huge Social Network of racers behind their Blur title, providing them a platform to make friends both in and out of the game. You can create or join racing teams and clubs, then meet up for various races or perhaps become a fan of certain teams if you like. Activisions goal is to offer something really cool for the multiplayer racing fan that extends well beyond the game and to larger group outside of the game itself.

• Real racing: Stunning racing environments in real world locations combine with licensed cars that look and feel great.
• Power-ups: Collect addictive dynamic power-ups and gain an advantage over your competition.
• Cinematic realism: Experience insane collisions with licensed photo-realistic cars, all brought to life with panning, cinematic camera work.
• Multiplayer: Features four-player split-screen and online multiplayer supporting competitive and cooperative game play for up to 20 racers.

Fans of the Forza and Gran Turismo racing line of games better watch out now, because that blur flashing past your eyes is going to be the latest to make a push towards the finish line now and if you blink, well you just might miss out on a lof of the high octane fun from this game. Visit www.blurthegame.com to learn more and preorder today.

Developer Interview: Edible Entertainment

I have with me today the Director, and leader of Game and Character Design over at Edible Entertainment, James Anderson. (more…)

DSiWare Review: Art Style Pictobits

I have played some challenging puzzle games in my day, such as Tetris Attack, Dr. Mario, Puzzle Quest, Etc. Each one of these was easy to pick up and play, but each one of these games also became much more difficult as I progressed through them. (more…)

X360 Review: Madden NFL 10

Every year in August fans dust off their favorite team’s jersey, create their most unique chip n’ dip recipe, and grab a copy of the newly released Madden video game. This year is no different with the release of Madden NFL 10. This year’s release presents gamers with new game modes, tweaks to the presentation, and gameplay enhancements that surely make this Madden the most realistic football experience to date.

Developer: Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports
Genre: Sports
Multiplayer: 1-4 (Local), 2 (Online)
Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: $60

Madden NFL 10 has potential to be the best football game ever made. With additions like the Pro-Tak, “Fight for the Fumble,” QB pressure alert, and adaptive AI, how can it not be in potential? These features, along with 34 other enhancements to the gameplay, are what a true football game really needed. You will have to adapt a new style of playing as some enhancements will affect the way you pick plays, how the AI adapts to your style of play calling, how the QB handles under pressure, and how your players match up with the other team’s players. With these new features added to Madden NFL 10, the gameplay and tactics that were useable in past Madden games, no longer exist.

So let’s start talking about the meat of the game. The game itself is a standard Madden game on offense; pick a play, hike the ball, run/pass the ball, rinse and repeat, but with some of the aforementioned enhancements, some plays can make or break a scoring drive. The Pro-Tak system allows up to nine defensive men to attempt to bring down the ball carrier. Depending on the ball carrier’s stats, you may be able to break loose for a long run or be stopped for a few yards. Another feature worth mentioning is the addition of the QB pressure alert. For me this was the best feature added. Now when your quarterback is feeling a pinch in the backfield, your controller will now vibrate to let you know to get rid of the ball FAST, or run. Fighting for a fumble was another great add to the game! No matter who gets to the ball first, as long as your player is there before the referee can signal without a doubt who has the ball, you can fight for it. Mashing a series of buttons will be the only way to win these toss ups. The last feature worth mentioning is the adaptive AI. No longer are the days where you can call the same play over and over and succeed. After a few plays and drives, the AI learns your pattern and makes adjustments to prevent it from happening again. While it works most of the time, I have found a few plays that the AI doesn’t fight for and depending on the defensive coverage, I can either make a huge play or a short gain. On defense, the game again could be the standard way of playing based on how you play. There are some additions to the defense like Hot Routes, Defensive Move Assist, and the ability of the linemen to tip the ball. Most of the defensive side of the game is based on the player’s stats. If a defensive back is strong in coverage, expect that the receiver he’s guarding will have a hard time catching the ball.

Besides the gameplay getting some work, the overall presentation was enhanced as well. For starters, the game is delivered to you in a more televised fashion. There is a brief pre-game coverage with commentary from Tom Hammond and Chris Colinsworth. A lazy version of a halftime show, featuring the talents of Fran Charles and Alex Flanagan from the NFL Network, shows the scores of other games around the league and a short list the top performers. Beyond the game in Franchise mode, there is an additional show called The Extra Point that recaps the previous week around the league. While it is a nice feature to add, it will get repetitive if you watch every show. It would’ve been nice to see various replays from other games to add to the mix of stat screens.

A couple added modes to the game that are worth mentioning are online co-op and the online franchise. Playing a co-op game online is fun and great, while you’re on offense. It’s the same game as single player, but now you have an online buddy playing with you. The downfall to the co-op game is the camera. The camera, mainly on defense, is a zoomed in over the shoulder view on player you control. The bigger issue is the delay that happens when you switch to another player across the field. The other online mode is the online franchise. Here you can create a franchise online, where 31 of your friends can join you in the same league. So instead of playing just the computer, you can play against your friends to see who the best is. The game plays the same way as the single player franchise.

As stated earlier, Madden NFL 10 has potential to be the best football game ever made. The keywords there are has potential. There are some places of the game I feel needs more attention for next year’s version. Even though a couple thousand new lines were recorded for the announcers, after about the 16th game, they started getting annoying. I can imagine it’s difficult to think of different comments for thousands of plays, but I would hope that I wouldn’t hear 75 percent of the same comments made in week one. Other issues involved objects not loading. Some happened while the quarterback was on the phone, others happened while players were on the warm-up bike. Another graphical issue I noticed was that the players on the sidelines looked like mannequins. While to some this may be minor, but to me, once I seen it, I kept looking for it. I had to save this complaint for last because it has plagued Madden games for as long as I remember, and that is the invisible “Madden Difficulty.” All madden players know what I’m taking about; ahead all game and then all of a sudden you can’t do nothing right in the fourth quarter. I would have thought by now EA would fix this issue, but it only seems that they just want to disguise it.

All in all the game is great, fun, and enjoyable even with some of its drawbacks! The graphics that were polished added to the sense of realism. With everything EA added, tweaked, or revamped to the game, it is well worth the money. Some gamers will be too awe struck to see the problems, while others will be throwing their controllers in disgust, but at the end of it all, everybody will say that this is the best Madden yet! A-

- Mike K

DSiWare Review: Guitar Rock Tour

Honestly, I think that are way too many Music/ Rhythm games out there nowadays, with one not differentiating too much from the other. (more…)

NC Update 8/24

Here are the latest videos and DS Demos available for the Nintendo Channel. (more…)

DSiWare Update 8/24

Here is your weekly update of games coming out for DSiWare. (more…)

Wiiware/VC Update 8/24

Here is your weekly update of game releases for Wiiware and the Virtual Console. (more…)

X360 Review: Infernal Hell’s Vengeance

As I get ready to play Infernal one thing comes to mind “I’m a fucking demon.” Dogma(1999). (more…)