Gaming Nexus

News Roundup: Gears of War World is epic and coming out this summer

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 04:53:00 GMT

by: Nathan Murray
NEWS -

Star Wars: The Old Republic LucasArts review
Star Trek Online is about to find some Common Ground
Wicked good Indie games on display at PAX East
Birth by Sleep waking up for PSP this summer
New assets released for Dead to Rights: Retribution
Lefties rejoice as the DeathAdder is here for your gaming pleasure
Sign up for PC beta of Need for Speed World
Sam Fisher now on Twitter
Nintendo nabs more publishing rights
PSP owners brace for another dose of Monster Hunter Portable (3rd)
Need for Speed: World brings MMO racing action back
The hero of Dotnia is the most epic hero you’ll meet
Command & Conquer 4: an interview with Kane
Splinter Cell Conviction demo out on March 18th
Metro 2033 deserves your love (and gaming dollars)
Chibi makes Neil Diamond happy by coming to America
ModNation Racers hits the track on May 25
New NBA Jam trailer is ON FIRE!
Gears of War 3 rumors start gaining momentum

Star Wars: The Old Republic LucasArts review

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:46:00 GMT

by: Ben Berry
NEWS -

As warning, every time there's a scrap of news on The Old Republic you can bet I'm going to post it. There isn't a game I've looked forward to this much in... ever. Today, the folks over at GameSpy posted an interview with a LucasArts rep to get some more game details. I have to say there's some good info and a bunch of thinly veiled non-answers pointing to the areas of the game everyone will be excited to see. To read it, follow this link.

Star Trek Online is about to find some Common Ground

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:31:00 GMT

by: Ben Berry
NEWS - One thing can be said for Crytic, they're pushing content like mad for Star Trek Online like nobodys business. They've got a bunch of stuff coming. Their Common Ground update is kind of a hodge podge of changes. Several new missions, a new PvP map, and a bunch of other customization options for both Federation and Klingons. They still haven't included a wider range of external ship customizations, which is strange considering how much of the game you spend staring at the ourside of your ship. Hit the jump for the rest of the deets on this update.

Wicked good Indie games on display at PAX East

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:54:00 GMT

by: Ben Berry
NEWS -

PAX East is less than 2 weeks away, and the emails are starting to come in. The coolest one I've gotten so far is related to indie games that will be on display. Some of them are college projects, the rest are small companies ready to break out. This is one area I'll definitely be stopping by.

Birth by Sleep waking up for PSP this summer

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:47:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - Square Enix announced that Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep will be released in North America later this year. Exclusive to the PSP, Birth by Sleep is a prequel that reveals the origins of the Kingdom Hearts franchise. Expect to travel to Sleeping Beauty's Enchanted Dominion, the Dwarf Woodlands from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Deep Space from Lilo and Stitch.

It's pretty much everything you would expect from the franchise. I'll be honest, I own Kingdom Hearts & Kingdom Hearts 2 for the PS2 but haven't finished them. Maybe I'm just waiting for a true sequel to come out on the PS3.

Until then, check out the screens for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and read even more details in the press release.

New assets released for Dead to Rights: Retribution

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:34:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - Namco Bandai has released more screenshots and a trailer for Dead to Rights: Retribution. It looks like a solid action title with some exaggerated physics. Plus, you can use Shadow to take down enemies. Look for Dead to Rights: Retribution on 360 and PS3 in April.
Click here to view the rest of the content.

Lefties rejoice as the DeathAdder is here for your gaming pleasure

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:16:00 GMT

by: John Yan
NEWS - Many mice that we review here are only designed for right handed folks. That's a shame as there are plenty of left handed people that game as well. Don't worry though cause Razer has your back with their brand new Razer DeathAdder Left Hand Edition.

The mouse has a 3.5G (or 3500dpi) infrared sensor and contains five programmable buttons. It's also got some Teflon feet for easy gliding and a gold-plated USB connector. It's a Razer mouse so you know you're going to get some good gaming performance out of it. The mouse can be had for $59.99.

Sign up for PC beta of Need for Speed World

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:05:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - Tina showed us earlier what we can expect from EA's upcoming MMO racing game. EA also announced today that a closed beta for Need for Speed: World has started. It's supposed to run "over the course of the next few months" before turning into a final product. If you are interested, click here to go sign up for the closed PC beta. You might just get an invite!

Sam Fisher now on Twitter

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:34:00 GMT

by: Charles Husemann
NEWS - It looks like Sam Fisher is now on Twitter. I'm guessing that between now and then the game launches we'll get more insight into his quest for vengeance, his motives, spy tricks, and what he's currently eat.

What's really interesting is that the Splinter Cell Conviction star is only following two people. LA Ink Casting and Douchey McDoucheBag. I'm not sure if these are supposed to be additional hints as part of some ARG, random links to the people behind the account, or something else but both accounts have less than 130 tweets which seems a bit low. Just seems a bit random to be innocent. Let us know what you think about using twitter as an advertising mechanism in the comments.

Nintendo nabs more publishing rights

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT

by: Jeremy Duff
NEWS - Nintendo is nabbing up publishing deals left and right now days... or so it seems. The company secured the publication and advertising rights to Monster Hunter Tri a few months back and Dragon Quest IX recently. Today they have announced a partnership with Koei in order to publish Samurai Warriors 3 outside of Japan. Samurai Warriors 3 was released back in December for Japan, but Nintendo will handle the publication to other regions this fall. It is currently unknown which company will be handling the localization of the game.

Source: Siliconera

PSP owners brace for another dose of Monster Hunter Portable (3rd)

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:26:00 GMT

by: Jeremy Duff
NEWS - Just as Wii owners across the world brace their selves for Monster Hunter Tri, Capcom wants to let PlayStation Portable owners that they are not being forgotten about. Capcom has officially announced Monster Hunter Freedom 3 for the PlayStation Portable. In a press event held this morning, they unveiled to project to an anxious crowd. The game will launch in Japan later this year and will boast:

new regions
new monsters
refined Felyne Comrade System
refined / polished cooperative gameplay system

You can check out the first screenshots below and the full press release after the jump...

Source: Andriasang

Need for Speed: World brings MMO racing action back

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:10:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - Want to know what EA’s next Need For Speed game will be like? Well, we won’t tell you, but these screens and video sure will.

From what I can gather, it’s going to be big (hence the MMO) and it’s going to be fast (hence the Speed).

The hero of Dotnia is the most epic hero you’ll meet

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:37:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - If you needed more reason to find 3D Dot Game Heroes interesting, Atlus is prepared to serve it to you in the form of this video vignette.

This tiny 3D hero makes even the largest of enemies shake in their boots (if they wear them). Take a look at the video below for what he can boast even in his small size.

Command & Conquer 4: an interview with Kane

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:18:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - You know that guy who has been playing as Kane in the Command & Conquer series for 15 years? Well his name is Joseph Kucan, and EA has just released a developer diary featuring an interview with him as he talks about his experiences as Kane.

Take a look at the sarcasm-rife interview below, and remember that Tiberian Twilight releases today.

Splinter Cell Conviction demo out on March 18th

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:16:00 GMT

by: Charles Husemann
NEWS - Gamers are finally going to get their hands on Splinter Cell Conviction this week as Ubisoft announced today that they will be releasing a demo of a game this Thursday.

The demo will contain one level from the Michigan Avenue Reservoir level of the game and according to Ubi it will serve as "an introduction to the game’s core gameplay mechanics for Splinter Cell fans. Gamers will have the opportunity to find out for themselves why brand-new innovative features such as Mark and Execute and Last Known Position have made Conviction one of the most anticipated games of the year."

This is the first Splinter Cell game I've been excited about as I was never a huge fan of the stealth heavy focus of the earlier games. The final game will ship to stores on April 13th.

Metro 2033 deserves your love (and gaming dollars)

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:56:00 GMT

by: Charles Husemann
NEWS - We all know that God of War III is the big release of the week and there's no denying that the game is awesome (see John's review). However I'd like to remind everyone that Metro 2033 is also out this week and if you are looking for a cool FPS game to play then you really should check the game out.

I had hoped that THQ would push Metro 2033 back a few weeks to give the title some room to breath but for whatever reason the game is still going on sale this week. This is a shame as the game is breath of fresh air in a fairly stale industry. The game isn't perfect as the early reviews indicate the shooting is a bit weak and the game is still horribly difficult but those who pick up the game anyway are going to be rewarded with one of the more interesting games we've seen in years.

Our review copy arrived yesterday and Jeremy is going to be doing the review for the site but I'm still going to try and pick up the game to play through it when I find the time as I think it's worth it to support developers who are doing new things.

Chibi makes Neil Diamond happy by coming to America

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:09:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - An MMORPG called Chibi is coming to America (via Perfect World Entertainment) but will be called Heroes of Three Kingdoms when it arrives. Players will be transported back in time and given a chance to rewrite an important period in Chinese history. Heroes of Three Kingdoms will feature motion captured martial arts combat, eighteen types of weapons and historical battles.

Click over to the web site here. They have a video and other media available, which show off some fancy weapons and moves. You can also register for the beta if you're interested.

ModNation Racers hits the track on May 25

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:24:00 GMT

by: Jeremy Duff
NEWS - While we posted the latest trailer yesterday, we didn't know at that time when the game was coming... now, a day later, we do. ModNation Racers is set to hit both the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Portable simultaneously on May 25, 2010. On top of getting a release date, the game has also been given some special preorder bonuses. Depending on where you choose to preorder your game, you will receive one of the following bonuses:

Gamestop: playable character Kratos and his Kart of Chaos
Amazon: playable character(s) Ratchet and Clank
Best Buy: playable character Nathan Drake and his Jungle Jeep

In addition to the special characters listed above, gamers will also receive a code for one of four special DLC packs. Each of the special DLC packs will include a special Mod and Kart as well as additional accessories for decking out your created racers. You can take a look at the bonuses below... see any you like in particular?

New NBA Jam trailer is ON FIRE!

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:46:00 GMT

by: Jeremy Duff
NEWS - The first gameplay trailer for EA's upcoming NBA Jam debuted on Gametrailers last week. There is not really a lot that can be said... it looks like the classic NBA Jam that many of us know and love. This remake / rebirth looks as if the series is truly returning to form. The trailer shows an assortment of classic dunks and many of the trademark announcer screams that were present in the original classic(s). I really like the fact that they are going back to the classic graphical style too, although it has received an upgrade. Gone are the 3D models that the series moved into when it switched to the Showtime title(s) and back are the plain and simple 2D sprites. The facial animation and expressions look like they are what is going make this game... they look hilarious. The game is set for release this coming fall on the Nintendo Wii. Until then, check out the debut trailer:

Gears of War 3 rumors start gaining momentum

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:02:00 GMT

by: Jeremy Duff
NEWS - I am not one who usually likes to report on a rumor. They are in fact just that, rumors, and often have little to no validity behind them. This rumor in particular seems to be gaining some momentum and would be one that would make me a very, very happy gamer. Edge Online is reporting this morning that they have received information on the next installment in Epic's Gears of War series: Gears of War 3.

According to their source, the gaming public will be treated to a teaser trailer for the game next month, on or around April 8. The game itself, is expected to get its full reveal at this year's E3 conference in Los Angeles. The timing of of the project is being set up in order for Microsoft to deliver three consecutive huge projects. With Halo: Reach rumored to be dropping in September and Natal hitting for the Holidays, Gears of War 3 is expected to drop in mid-April of 2011. April 11, 2011 is the date that is being targeted right now.

All of the parties involved at Epic have been dropping subtle clues over the course of the past year, yet everything has been extremely cryptic. I did find it odd when the statement recently came out of Epic that they would have no releases for the calendar year of 2010. While that information did not exactly make sense to me, it does when taken into the context of these rumors. We shouldn't have to wait more than a couple of weeks now to see if these rumors come to fruition...

News Roundup: Sam Fisher, where art thou?

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:05:00 GMT

by: Nathan Murray
NEWS -

Oh PS3, where art thou?
Revelation plunges below Champions Online
The hunt for Sam Fisher starts on Facebook
Survival is key in this week’s Nintendo line-up
Justice does exist in Dragon Age expansion
Crackdown 2 pushed back to July 6th, new video released
Bethesda to publish Hunted: The Demon's Forge
War for Cybertron behind the scenes
DS2 speculation from GamesRadar
Latest Medal of Honor trailer
Platinum Games unveils Vanquish
ModNation Racers continues to impress
The toys of Alpha Protocol

Oh PS3, where art thou?

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:34:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - GameStop has recently been giving 50% extra trade in credit on used games. Regardless of how you personally feel about that offer, I was able to scrounge up some old games (like Jak II and Lego Star Wars for GameCube) to trade. I also brought in five of my Xbox 360 games. It left me with about $145 worth of credit that I could put toward a PS3.

The problem is, every GameStop in Columbus, OH is sold out of PlayStation 3. Saturday I stopped by our local store and asked them to check around town. No success. I thought, maybe they didn't look at all of the locations so I called 10 more stores when I got home. No success. OK, maybe GameStop.com will have one that I can order and use this store credit? No success! They are back ordered online, too.

Looking online for reasons behind the elusive PS3 yielded interesting results. It's not just GameStop, but rather many retailers that are running low on (or out of) PS3s. Some blame Sony for "making the shortage" to increase demand. Others blame a strong game lineup causing an increase in sales. Many sites (some quoting PS3news.com) suggest that it's a change in manufacturer or supplier that required Sony to push the units through the FCC for approval again.

Whatever the root cause, this has put a cramp in my console gaming. At least I've got time to give my PC some gaming love. Have you noticed a shortage where you live?

Revelation plunges below Champions Online

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:55:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - Champions Online: Revelation is a free expansion pack that will be available to all players later this month. It takes players below the city of Vibora Bay and adds new level 37-40 content, Tier 4 powers, another lair, enemies, perks and more. Some of the villains and heroes that you meet are pictured below.

Enjoy!

The hunt for Sam Fisher starts on Facebook

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:21:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - The Third Echelon has just posted a call for immediate action against Sam Fisher, labeling him as a “national threat.”

To lend any information you have, or to just mess around on Splinter Cell: Conviction’s NSA Facebook page, visit the website. Not very inconspicuous to be on Facebook, I would say.

Survival is key in this week’s Nintendo line-up

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:07:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - It’s Monday, so that means Nintendo has released their downloadable games line-up for the week.

I’ve been watching a lot of Spartacus: Blood and Sand lately, so it’s only expected to be appealed by a trip to the arena, right? Rage of the Gladiator (1,000 points) lets you do just that on the Wii, although I don’t expect it to be as glorious as the blood splatter shots in the series. If more modern style violence is your thing, you can take a look into Triple Shot Sports (500 points) where you challenge your shooting skills in various events.

The DSiWare has four very different games to offer. Zoo Frenzy (500 points) is a cooler version of Tamagotchi where you get to send your pets into the wild to bring back new prizes for your zoo. Experiment with a different species in Battle of Giants: Dinosaurs – Fight For Survival (800 points) and fight for your survival a la Spore. Car Jack Streets (800 points) will require different survival tactics as you attempt to gather up cash to pay the Italian mob your $1 million gambling debt (good luck). Finally, if you prefer a more peaceful game, you can indulge yourself in 101 MiniGold World (500 points) for rounds of 3-D golfing.

Castlevania Rondo of Blood (900 points) makes a return with the Virtual Console, and gets you back on epic trails to defeat Count Dracula’s vampire goons.

Justice does exist in Dragon Age expansion

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:31:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - It’s not very often that you find justice in Dragon Age: Origins, so it will probably be with delight to hear that he is going to be an actual character in the expansion releasing tomorrow.

Justice is taken from his place in the Fade to coexist with humans via the dead body of a Grey Warden in a twisted turn of events. You can take a look at some of his heroic endeavors in the video below, and expect to read my words of wisdom regarding Awakening tomorrow in the form of a review.

Crackdown 2 pushed back to July 6th, new video released

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:47:00 GMT

by: Dan Keener
NEWS - Crackdown 2 had been confirmed for a June 2010 release as of February, but as has been the norm lately, the game has slipped a couple of weeks. Now it will debut in North America on July 6th with Asia, Australia and New Zealand on July 8 and Europe on July 9.

As a token to appease the masses, a new video documentary was released today to help ease the pain of yet another game getting delayed. Check out the “Fun with Friends” vi-doc, which will be the first of a three-part series showing off the game. It is a real nice high level overview of some of the multiplayer game features and drops a couple hints of new things to expect. After watching the video, I’m ready to pre-order now.

Click here to view the rest of the content.

Bethesda to publish Hunted: The Demon's Forge

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:23:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - Hunted: The Demon's Forge is being developed by inXile Entertainment and it's caught the eye of Bethesda. Today, Bethesda announced that they will publish Hunted: The Demon's Forge and it will be released on the 360, PS3 and PC. The game is a third-person co-op dungeon crawler powered by the Unreal 3 engine.

Read on for all the juicy details and take a look at some screens while your at it!

War for Cybertron behind the scenes

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:09:00 GMT

by: John Yan
NEWS - I have high hopes for Transformers: War for Cybertron because it's modeled after the classic design with some modern changes. The video below shows off some behind the scenes on making the game. The game shows off what they were doing before they crashed on to Earth and you get a pretty good look at Cybertron in much more detail than ever before.

DS2 speculation from GamesRadar

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:50:00 GMT

by: Sean Colleli
NEWS - The internet is rife with rumors about Nintendo's successor to the DS, and GamesRadar has done some thinking about the most logical possibilities. I agree that it will probably be at least as powerful as a GameCube and I'd love to see the Virtual Console on it, but I'm a bit skeptical about the possibility of a built-in hard drive.

Supposedly developers have had DS2 (or whatever Nintendo plans on calling it) devkits for months. Nothing is official yet, but I'm guessing we might see more about DS2 at E3. It would be nice for all these rumors to finally be put to rest. With Nintendo releasing so many big games by the end of summer, I wouldn't be surprised if they are saving something big like the DS2 launch for the holidays.

Dragon Age: Origins : Awakening

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:00:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
Review - Tina embarks on another dire journey to quell the darkspawn threat in Dragon Age: Origins' expansion, Awakening.

Metal Slug XX

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

by: Cyril Lachel
Review - Metal Slug XX proves that this franchise needs to evolve in order to stay fresh!

Retro Round-up

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

by: Cyril Lachel
Article - Cyril goes crazy over Final Fantasy numbering in this week's Retro Round-Up!

Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

by: Sean Colleli
Review - Sean finds that Two Tribes' second take on Rubik's puzzles is a leaner, prettier experience that still offers a worthy challenge to puzzle enthusiasts.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope International

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

by: Cyril Lachel
Review - Final Fantasy XIII can wait, because Cyril is having far too much fun with Star Ocean: The Last Hope International!

BioShock 2

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

by: Charles Husemann
Review - Is the sequel a simple cash-in on the BioShock name or something worthy of the BioShock name? Chuck spills the beans on what to expect.

Sins of a Solar Empire - Trinity

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

by: Tyler Sager
Review - Tyler thinks this is a great time for new players to jump into one of the best 4X RTS titles available.

God of War III

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:00:00 GMT

by: John Yan
Review - Kratos brings his wrath to the PlayStation 3 as John gives you this spoiler free review of the third game.

Resident Evil 5 Second Opinion

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 07:49:34 GMT

by: Nathan Murray
Second Opinion on Resident Evil 5