Sep 02
There was no shortage of great games this month (except on PC), but August belonged to football. Even if you weren’t tossing the virtual pigskin around during the last couple weeks, you had plenty to get excited about. Well, on the last day of the month, at least…. Game of the Month on August 2010 is a coveted award, and it’s not given out lightly. That’s why you’ll see some gaps on the list below. There were some decent games for the blank platforms in August, but nothing blew our minds. We’re positive that next month will be a different story.
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Madden NFL 11 |
| The perennial all-star reigned supreme once again in August, bringing a slew of gameplay refinements and changes that helped deliver some of the best videogame football of this generation. Even though we weren’t huge fans of GameFlow’s automated playcalling mechanic or the lack of feature additions, that doesn’t mean that this year’s Madden didn’t pack plenty of punch in the gameplay department. Not only that, but the new Online Team Play provided some of the best virtual football experiences we’ve ever had. There’s something incredibly rewarding about getting two friends to play on your team with you and run up the score on some poor fools across the country. It’s a feeling that only Madden NFL 11 can provide. |
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written by cimaul
\\ tags: game, games, Nintendo, PC, PS3, wii, XBOX360
Aug 18
Sony announced during its gamescom press conference that the PlayStation 3 system is to be offered in North America in two new bundles. Shipping to retailers now, a 160 GB model will be replacing the 120 GB model currently being sold at $299.99 MRSP, and come the launch of the PlayStation Move on September 19th a PS3 Sports Champions Move bundle is to introduce a 320 GB PS3 (a increase on the previously largest 250 GB system) including one PlayStation Move controller, a PlayStation Eye and a copy of Sports Champions for $399.99 MSRP.
“With the launch of PlayStation Move just around the corner, we’re expecting many new consumers to join the PlayStation family. The PS3 Sports Champions Move bundle provides those families with everything they need to get into motion control gaming at a great value, with the 320 GB model PS3 system as the centerpiece of the package,” said Scott A. Steinberg, Sony’s vice president of product marketing.
written by cimaul
\\ tags: games, Playstation 3, PS3
Aug 01
This month saw the release of a major sports title and one of the most anticipated PC games of all time. But if you’re not into football or strategy games, you’re still in luck, because the console download services delivered in a big way, too. Round that selection out with a hotly anticipated handheld RPG, and you’re in for a hot July. These are the games we couldn’t get enough of over the past 30 days. They are Games of the Month July 2010 :
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
NCAA Football 11
College pigskin is back, and it’s never looked better. Thanks to the new locomotion system, the players on your alma mater’s starting lineup are going to break tackles, take hits and lower the boom with a sense of realism you’ve never seen in a collegiate videogame. Need more? How about awesome on-the-field video replays as you pick your next play? An ESPN integration that makes it seem like you’re watching the network when you’re playing your game? An online dynasty where you can recruit and manage your team from your real life mobile phone? Yeah, NCAA Football 11 has all that, and it’s rather awesome.
PC
StarCraft II
We’re still working on getting the review together, but from what we’ve already seen there’s no doubt that Blizzard’s real-time strategy sequel is the best game on the platform this month. It’s been over a decade since the original was released, but the reworked campaign is among the best real-time strategy story modes in recent memory, and it’s complemented by one of the most robust multiplayer suites around. Even if your personal computer isn’t super powerful, this game should be on its hard drive. Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: game, Nintendo, PC, Playstation 3, wii, Xbox 360
Jul 29
A key PlayStation Move-compatible title won’t be launching until 2011. Zipper Interactive confirmed today on their official website that SOCOM 4 has been delayed.
While the game was playable at both GDC and E3, it seems that it wasn’t quite ready. Zipper didn’t say why the game has been delayed, but they did say that they didn’t want to take “any shortcuts.”
“Instead, we want to deliver the best and most immersive SOCOM game we possibly can and we’re going to use our extra time to do just that,” Zipper Interactive community manager Jeremy Dunham wrote.
SOCOM 4 was originally slated for this fall, making it a key cog in the launch of the PlayStation Move. While SOCOM 4 doesn’t have an official release date, the new 2011 window puts it close to Killzone 3, which is slated for next February.
We’ll let you know when Zipper announces a new release date.
written by cimaul
\\ tags: game, Playstation
Jul 15
Previews
Before you hunker down for multiplayer stabbing at Comic-Con, here’s some advice to help you not get stabbed a lot.
Early on in Assassin’s Creed 2, you run across a room full of, er, “Animii” (shortly before his departure, former Ubisoft creative director Patrice Desilets confirmed that this is the proper plural form of “Animus”), and because at that point you’re simply running away, there’s little-to-no explanation as to what this room full of Animii is for. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood finally answers that question: said room is a gigantic training room for Templars to learn how to be Assassins.
If you’re curious about the single-player and the lore stuff that happens in this follow-up to AC2, then check out the video below for a quick tour of stuff like improved villas and having a fully rendered Rome as your open-world playground. If you’re curious about what it will be like to play a multiplayer version of Assassin’s Creed, you actually have a chance to do just that — provided that you hit up San Diego Comic Con next week. For those of you who will, here’re some advanced tips so that you don’t suck as much as I do when playing. Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: PC, player, PS3, Ubisoft, Xbox 360
Jul 14
While titular character DeathSpank attempts to convince an orphan girl to get into his bag (there’s context to this, which I will leave for you to discover for yourself in-game), she demands that he find her a cell phone. You then have to choose from a bevy of adventure game dialogue-style options, one of which expresses confusion with, “What does an orphan need a cell phone for?” To which she replies, “To update my blog, of course!”
That is the kind of humor that peppers DeathSpank (the game): a sort of deadpan absurdity where pretty much anything — no matter how anachronistic or fourth-wall-breaking — gets said as naturally as we would discuss the time of day. The unflinching delivery of some of the most surprising and out-of-left-field (yet flowing and not at all awkward) dialogue makes DeathSpank simply one of the funniest games to watch and listen to. The script, filled with references and quips covering topics from fantasy RPG tropes to the secret history of felt to the value of unicorn excrement to even sly references to other games, positively shines with classic designer Ron Gilbert’s influence. The jokes hit on so many topics that something is bound to make you chuckle — multiple times even. Even the diverse color palette, the Animal Crossing-esque “on-a-hill” perspective, and the visual gags, along with the voiced dialogue, all make DeathSpank a charming standout compared to other games of its ilk. Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: game, PC, PS3, RPG, Xbox 360
Jul 10
The big October releases are quickly piling up. The latest title to join the party is Enslaved, the new game by Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory.
Enslaved stars a man called “Monkey” and a woman named Trip, who must work together to make their way back to Trip’s home village.
The story is based on the ancient Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” with the gameplay revolving around platforming and puzzle solving.
Look for it on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in North America on October 5.
written by cimaul
\\ tags: Playstation 3, Xbox 360
