Gaming Nexus

Logano sports Call of Duty: MW2 paint scheme at Homestead

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:39:00 GMT

by: Dan Keener
NEWS - Over the last couple of years, NASCAR has embraced the gaming world with a large variety of video game-oriented paint schemes. The latest graced the skin of Joey Logano’s Gamestop sponsored #20 Toyota Camry in today’s Nationwide Series finale at Miami-Homestead Speedway. The scheme featured a sweet looking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 design (see below). Logano ended up finishing fourth in the race.

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More thoughts on Nintendo of America needing to STFU

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:20:00 GMT

by: Sean Colleli
NEWS - Quite a while ago I linked to a Destructoid article that said Nintendo of America needs to STFU. It was a long-form rant with some good points and a bit of incoherent profanity, from an obviously bitter ex-Wii owner with a beef against Nintendo. At the time I missed the reply article, which was from a Nintendo fan with a more reasoned approach and more really good points.

I admit the article is months old but what it says is still quite relevant--I never looked at Nintendo's publishing policy like this before. It puts a lot of the annoying stuff Reggie and NOA's PR reps have said into perspective. It makes me wonder what crazy, unique games we'd be getting if Iwata-san was in charge of Nintendo publishing in the States, instead of the scarce morsels we've had over the last couple of years.

Needless to say, give it a read. Comment

iPhone Game Review: Vempire

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:56:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - I am always for a good puzzle game, especially on the go, and Vempire is loads of fun. It’s a basic match of similar blocks to gather points and race against time. As simple as the gameplay is – i.e. twist the blocks and learn the movement of rotating a square of four blocks – there are also interesting additions that keep gameplay exciting and unique.

For one thing, the blocks represent significant items. Collecting the gold blocks gives you money that enables you to buy minions that you can call upon in-game to destroy more blocks. Some of these blocks also represent mana, and destroying them in a particular sequence will let you summon the minions that you have bought.

Each world contains three levels, and when you complete the three of them you will gain access to the bonus round. Completing the bonus round wins you artefacts. These artefacts function as power-ups and will perform various actions to help you clear the level. To be used, they also must be summoned by clearing blocks in a particular sequence.

While you do race against the time, there’s another factor to keep in mind. The interface contains a tube that fills with purple liquid, and once that tube is filled completely, you’re in for a boss round. Each boss behaves differently, but in general will cloud your vision in some form.

These aspects kept the game interesting, and each new level includes new types of blocks to play with. My only complaint was that the interface was incredibly cluttered and not very intuitive. Even to start a round I had to get the hang of a small arrow on the lower right hand corner as the start button. Shouldn't the start button be some obnoxiously huge and blatantly clear indicator? The interface of the actual game rounds are meant to give you information like which artifacts you’ve summoned, time, money you’ve collected, and all the others kinds of information you’d be looking for. The only problem is that I wasn’t exactly looking or taking my eyes off the blocks for a moment to gauge the situation. Fortunately, if you like playing your iPhone games with your headphones in, the sounds do help a bit.

I also wish there was more instruction as to how the artifacts and minions work, rather than playing the game through a few levels to figure it out myself. This game relies on puzzle skills, but also strategy skills and I didn’t feel like I had the tools up front for making my own strategy.

All in all, this game is a lot of fun but not without it’s flaws. If you’re a puzzle fanatic and like the idea of the extra strategy involved, I would say go for it. 40 levels, 10 enemies, 9 artefacts, 6 minions: this game definitely keeps the puzzle genre interesting.

Vempire: $0.99

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Enable Left 4 Dead maps on Left 4 Dead II

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:37:00 GMT

by: John Yan
NEWS - One of the great things about playing on the PC is being able to extend a life of game via mods and hacks. It's one of the reasons why I usually pick up a PC version of a multi-platform game. Which is why I always enjoy things like this when it comes out and it makes me do a little experimenting.

If you own both Left 4 Dead games like I do, there's a way to incorporate the maps from the first game into the second game. Details are here but it takes a little elbow grease to get it working. But, if you want to enjoy the old campaigns with the new characters and zombies, here's your chance. Comment

Military faction from Greed Corp revealed

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:27:00 GMT

by: Adam Dodd
NEWS - The merciless faction from the turn-based strategy game Greed Corp has been revealed to be the Empire. The Empire has the largest population led by a powerful leader who oversees the faction's cultural and technological advancements as well as they superior military might. Almost all of the weaponry in the Mistbound world originated from the Empire's many factories, as they are a machine of war.

To learn more about this game check out its website, Greed Corp will be available on the PSN early next year. Comment

Final Fantasy XI Ultimate Collection now available on Steam

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:20:00 GMT

by: Adam Dodd
NEWS - Final Fantasy Fans (try saying that five times fast) listen up because the Ultimate Collection, which includes Final Fantasy XI and all its expansion packs and additional scenarios (four expansions and three add-on scenarios in total) is now available on Steam. The package is priced modestly at $19.99, a great price for that amount of content. If you're interested, you can get it here.

For those not necessarily 'in the know', this deal includes: Final Fantasy XI, the Rise of the Zilart, Chains of Promathia, Treasures of Aht Urghan, and Wings of the Goddess expansions, as well as A Crystalline Prophecy, Ode of Life Bestowing, and A Moogle Kupo d'Etat add-on scenarios. Comment

Star Trek: D-A-C on its way to Mac

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:13:00 GMT

by: Adam Dodd
NEWS - The top down arcade shooter Star Trek: D-A-C, otherwise known as game with a bizarre and decidedly uncatchy title is on its way to the Mac platform via the GameTreeOnline digital distribution platform. The game is basically Star Trek meets Geometry Wars and it includes single-player or 12-player online combat where you choose to fight as the Federation (good guys) or the Romulans (bad guys).

Star Trek: D-A-C will be available in December., for more information check out the game's website. Comment

Shiren the Wanderer brings some disappointing news to North Americans

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:49:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - Shiren the Wanderer releases in February of the upcoming new year in North America, but we’re getting some screens and info pre-release.

Beside the screenshots, Atlus’ blog for the game is also up for those that want to keep an eye out on what’s to come. As a word of warning, the publishers brought what must be some disappointing news for North Americans: three online features found in the Japanese version of Shiren the Wanderer will not be found in the NA version. These include Rescue, Versus, and Item Transfers. However, Atlus is still certain that the game will be received warmly and that gamers will enjoy it all the same.

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Rock Band DLC – live and LEGO

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:53:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - Rock Band DLC comes in two parts next week. Part one is a pack of six live songs from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers off their newest release of The Live Anthology album. As seems to be customary, a box set of 48 live tracks of the band will be released simultaneously with the DLC.

Part two of next week’s DLC for Rock Band is being featured in LEGO Rock Band, as well as the Rock Band Music Store. Three tracks are coming to you from The Go-Go’s, P!nk, and Kelly Clarkson. Read on for track details. Comment

Blood Bowl became a little darker yesterday

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:03:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - There is a new race available for Blood Bowl, the dark elves. The game started off with eight playable races but has expanded its roster. It's basically a football-inspired violent sports game that requires both tactics and violent skill. Already launched in Europe, the game will be hitting the US next week and will be called Blood Bowl Dark Elves Edition since it will contain the new race. It's not a clever name but gets the point across.

To celebrate the event, Focus Home Entertainment has released a new video showcasing the dark elves. Enjoy!

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Stoked Big Air + Neff Headwear limited edition hat

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:57:00 GMT

by: Jake Wolfe
NEWS - Neff Headware has announced the release of an exclusive, limited edition Stoked: Big Air Edition hat, in order to celebrate the upcoming release of Stoked: Big Air Edition on November 24th. As you can see, it's lookin' pretty stylish!

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Vector announces RPG The Seventh Dragon

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:55:00 GMT

by: Jake Wolfe
NEWS - Today, Vector Inc. has announced a brand new browser-based online RPG for the PC. It's name? The Seventh Dragon. The plan is to launch it around December 1st of this year. In The Seventh Dragon, players player in the war-torn continent of Asan, where you must become a hero, battle enemies, create your own city, and conquer evil. T7D will also be playable on the iPhone on release. For some more info on the game, and more of the backstory, just read through the press release. Comment

GameStop hosts world's largest Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 tournament

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:51:00 GMT

by: Jake Wolfe
NEWS - Love Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? Well you're not the only one! Do you think you've got what it takes to meet players as devoted to Modern Warfare 2 as you are? Players with as much skill, strategy, experience, and plain-out luck? Well GameStop's giving you the chance to prove yourself worthy of the title of greatest soldier, in what will be the LARGEST Modern Warfare 2 tournament yet! The tournament will be held on the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live, and on the PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network, and the grand prize no less than $10K! Not to mention the bragging rights! For some more info, check out GameStop's info page for the upcoming tournament, here. Comment

SOE says SW Galaxies is three million strong and growing

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:37:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - Sony Online Entertainment announced today that Star Wars Galaxies is still going strong. With the recently released Chronicle Master system, players now have the ability to create their own quests. Players have the opportunity to follow and complete quests created by others. Successfully completing the user-created quests reward you with tokens that can be spent on unique items for the game.

The announcement was that over three million quests have been created since the launch of the Chronicle Master system. This includes one over zealous player who has create 6,000 himself. If you are interested in seeing what all the hoopla is about, head on over to Steam or Direct2Drive to download the Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures Premium Plus Pack. This includes the original game, all three expansions and more.

Or find out more at the official web site. Comment

Direct2Drive Deals of the Week

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:34:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - Direct2Drive has released the specials going on this week. One of the most noteworthy items they put in the alert was that you can get $5 off of Torchlight (making it $15) just by following them on Twitter this week. The specials and releases are as follows:

Special Deals and Price Drop
Three Different bundles from LucasArts (we posted earlier this week)
1. LucasArts “There’s Action, Adventure & Puzzles” Bundle – 50% off retail
2. Star Wars™ Classics Pack – 50% off retail
3. Can’t decide? Get all of the above in the LucasArts Premiere Pack – 60% off retail

Crayon Physics Deluxe – just $9.95 (50% off)

Price drop on Grand Theft Auto IV – now $29.95 (was $49.95)

New Games Now Available on D2D
Sims 3 World Adventures Expansion Pack (click here)

Command & Conquer 4 – pre-order now and get into the Closed Beta!

James Cameron’s Avatar: The Game – pre-order and get great bonus items!

Elven Legacy Siege Expansion Pack (click here) Comment

KISS becomes a Hero

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:32:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - Or rather, you get to play KISS as a Guitar/Band Hero with the DLC that we mentioned was promised for November. The three-track song pack comes with a song from their newest album - "Modern Day Delilah" - as well as "Lick It Up" and "I Was Made For Lovin' You".

As a promotional event, KISS will also be streaming a live concert on Facebook on Wednesday, November 25th at 9pm PST that takes place in LA. Comment

Supreme Commander 2 dated

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:16:00 GMT

by: John Yan
NEWS - I never played the first one but Chuck was a fan of the game. Now, the Supreme Commander 2 for the PC will be available on March 2, 2010 while the 360 version follows a few weeks later at March 16, 2010.

Supreme Commander 2 is a real time strategy game that's set 25 years after the first one. What's good about the series is the scope of having large battles with a large amount of troops on hand to command. This is the first one that Square's publishing as they look to branch out into other genres. Comment

Unite and play with Monster Hunter Freedom Unite

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:13:00 GMT

by: John Yan
NEWS - One of the cooler things that's just been released is adhocParty for the PSP system. This will let owners of PSP and PlayStation 3 systems use the PS3 to bridge a connection to other PSP players and play some online games over the Internet. Capcom's Monster Hunger Freedom Unite is one of the first games to take advantage of this.

Just download a free app from the PlayStation Store and you're good to go. You can even do voice chatting which is pretty slick. I don't own a PSP, but I hear great things about Monster Hunter and this just be the game that makes me pick it up. Since I own a PSP, having the ability to play online from anywhere in the house will make it even that much better. Comment

NFS SHIFT: red versus blue

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:31:00 GMT

by: Tina Amini
NEWS - Take a look at the new video showcasing team racing in Need for Speed SHIFT as well as a look into some of the cars.

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PlayStation 3 online getting subscription service

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:10:00 GMT

by: John Yan
NEWS - One of the nice things about the PlayStation 3 is that you get free online play. If you just want to link up with a buddy and play some games, it's not going to cost you $50 a year. Well, Sony's got some revenue coming in from store purchases and so forth but they are looking to put out subscription based services as well.

As for what, nothing's been released yet but I'm interested to hear what they have in store. If, as the article suggests, that there could be a Gamefly like service for the PSN, then you have my interest peaked. What things would get you to pay for a subscription on the PS3? Comment

Beam me up on January 12th

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:02:00 GMT

by: John Yan
NEWS - Those wanting to beta test Star Trek Online can finally do so as Cryptic has unveiled that the play dates for the game will be January 12th to January 26th. If you want a key, it's on a first come first serve basis and will be given at the website. It actually does look pretty good to me so I'm going to try and get in and see how it all is. Knowing my luck, I'll be awarded a red shirt on my first mission and we all know how that turns out. Comment

Global thermonuclear war on Modern Warfare 2

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:59:00 GMT

by: John Yan
NEWS - It seems there are some hidden gameplay modes that some folks have found on the PC version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Now we know you can launch a nuke if you get a high enough killstreak in the game but how about a game centered around capturing and launching one? Here's video of Global thermonuclear war and how this might play out if Infinity Ward releases this to the masses. It takes a long time to capture the nuke but I'm guessing more people around it will make it capture faster.

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Is Apple after a bigger piece of the App Store pie?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:53:00 GMT

by: Dan Keener
NEWS - An article yesterday on Industry Gamers (via Joystiq) shows that Apple has placed a Job Posting looking for a Game/Media Software Engineer to work full time on iPhone multimedia “experiences”. On the surface, it appears that Apple could be looking for someone to continue to design and build more in-house Apps for the iPhone OS. However, when perusing the skills that skills that Apple is looking for, the list includes:

• -3-4 years of video game development experience, shipped at least one AAA title,
• -skills in audio systems, graphics pipeline, and network programming a plus are
• -passionate gamer

So it looks like Apple doesn’t just want that small 30% take on each App sold, they want 100% of the profits.

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Capcom has already sold the movie rights to Dark Void

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:22:00 GMT

by: Nathan Murray
NEWS - I'm not a big fan of unconfirmed rumors (speculation is a different story) but even less so of press releases containing an abundance of when, will, and "we look forward". The movie rights to Dark Void, to be published by Capcom, have been sold to the production Plan B Entertainment. The game hasn't been released yet and Capcom is already bragging about the first stages of a movie that may or may not be made (I'm looking at you Halo). Even more surprising is the hint that, since Brad Pitt is the owner of Plan B Entertainment, Mr. Pitt is the potential lead for the flick. Never mind the fact that the game wasn't developed with Mr. Pitt's likeness and voice in mind. The solution? If Brad Pitt does star in the movie adaptation he would have to wear that ridiculous helmet for the duration of the film.

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News Roundup: Witcher King to avenge 8-bit Heroes

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:14:00 GMT

by: Nathan Murray
NEWS -

Torchlight demo released
Buy a first class ticket to return to Rapture
Free-to-play weekend in Champions Online with special in-game event
THQ opens the doors to its World of Zoo new animal center
Konami announces details for new Metal Gear Online 24-Hour survival challenge
BioShock 2 box art revealed
Sony celebrates three years of PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Network
Return to Ostagar and avenge King Cailan
3D Dot Game Heroes: nostalgia comes with a video
DLC and Gold Edition incoming for Resident Evil 5
This week at GamersGate
Star Wars game bundles deals on Direct2Drive
In case you were wondering what the 8-bit version of Left 4 Dead would look like
Darksiders dev diary featuring Joe Madureira
Army of Two:The 40th Day shows off its customizable weapons [with video-ed.]
A dual core Atom with NVIDIA ION netbook to drool over
Midnight Riders coming soon to Left 4 Dead II?
Leaked Witcher 2 footage confirmed as real

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Torchlight demo released

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:52:00 GMT

by: Charles Husemann
NEWS - If you were not swayed by Tyler's review of Torchlight and want to check the game out yourself the folks at Runic have released a demo of the game that will allow you to play the game for two hours. After that you can pay them the $20 to buy the full version of the game. Honestly though, just go ahead and buy the game, you're getting a great value for your money and you're helping to support a good indie company. Comment

Buy a first class ticket to return to Rapture

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:57:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - Earlier in the day we posted the cover art for the upcoming Bioshock 2. That wasn't all that was released by 2K Games. Check out the screen shot below. That is all of the loot that can be scored by purchasing the Bioshock 2: Special Edition. What makes it so special? I'm glad you asked.

Included in this edition is:
·        Vinyl 180g LP with BioShock orchestral score
·        Audio CD with BioShock 2 orchestral score
·        Three vintage Rapture advertisement posters (rolled)
·        BioShock 2 Art Book, 164 pages and hardcover
·        BioShock 2 game

Do you think you are going to pick it up? It will be $90 for PC and $100 for 360 and PS3. Look for it in stores on February 9, 2010.

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Free-to-play weekend in Champions Online with special in-game event

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:56:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
NEWS - Cryptic Studios, the developers of City of Heroes, City of Villains, and Star Trek Online, has announced today the upcoming Nemeses Confrontation event for Champions Online. On November 24, players will face their greatest Nemeses to protect the universe from great evil.

New and returning players will have a chance to play the game for free from November 26 through November 30. The Nemeses Confrontation adds even more action to the weekend by allowing players' ultimate enemies to team up. Get ready to play by signing up for the free weekend of Champions Online over at their web site. Comment

THQ opens the doors to its World of Zoo new animal center

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:44:00 GMT

by: Jake Wolfe
NEWS - THQ has announced an online World of Zoo animal center, where you can download a free animal creator and make a unique and wacky animal of your own. For those of oyu unfamiliar with World of Zoo, in World of Zoo players create, download, and share their own customized, imaginative creature creations. To check it out for yourself, head on over to the main site. Comment

Konami announces details for new Metal Gear Online 24-Hour survival challenge

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:16:00 GMT

by: Jake Wolfe
NEWS - Love Metal Gear Online? Wanna show off your mad, Metal Gear skills? Well Konami is giving you the chance to do just that. Konami has yesterday released details on a brand new, upcoming 24-hour survival challenge. And in short: the players who survive the longest over the course of the 24 hours get the most reward points and rare items. Sounds good to me! Check out the press release for some more info. Comment

Forza Motorsport 3

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:00:00 GMT

by: Matt Mirkovich
Article - Living your life a quarter mile at a time can be dangerous. Perhaps Forza 3 can tame the speed demon in you. Comment

Touchmaster 3

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:00:00 GMT

by: Chad Smith
Article - Chad tells you why the third in the series doesn't stand out in a crowd. Comment

Fairytale Fights

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:00:00 GMT

by: Cyril Lachel
Article - Cyril may need to wash his blood-stained clothing after reviewing Fairytale Fights! Comment

Space Invaders Extreme 2

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:00:00 GMT

by: Sean Colleli
Article - Sean sees just how much innovation can be pumped into last year's arcade remake sleeper hit. Comment

LittleBigPlanet

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:00:00 GMT

by: Cyril Lachel
Article - Cyril discovers that one of the PlayStation 3's best games is also a top tier PSP game! Comment

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:00:00 GMT

by: John Yan
Article - One if the biggest, if not THE biggest game of the year is finally out and John looks at the Xbox 360 version of Infinity Ward's latestl. Comment

Torchlight

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:00:00 GMT

by: Tyler Sager
Article - Ever wondered what would happen if you took the best and coolest aspects of your favorite action RPGs and blended them seamlessly into a single title? Comment

DJ Hero

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:00:00 GMT

by: Cyril Lachel
Article - Even without taking ecstasy an grabbing a glow stick, Cyril still enjoys DJ Hero! Comment