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
Maybe Microsoft isn’t losing as much money on consoles as previously thought. According to news and rumor site Fudzilla, cost improvements for the Xbox 360 Slim have the Redmond giant making more money on its console than ever before, which could result in upcoming price cuts.
“According to our sources, it is likely that Microsoft will drop the prices of both the low-end and high-end models by as much as $50 next year,” Fudzilla says. “It is already being suggested that the news could come as soon as E3 next year.”
What’s more, Fudzilla says its sources have also indicated a two-phase price drop for the Kinect. The first is rumored to come when Microsoft drops the Adventures pack-in title, and then another closer to the holiday shopping season in 2011.
written by cimaul
\\ tags: Xbox 360
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
Jul 07
One of Ubisoft’s smaller but more delightful announcements at E3 last month was Rayman Origins, a return of their original mascot in a gorgeous new 2D episodic platformer. And now we know a little bit more about the game thanks to an FAQ Ubisoft released just prior to the holiday weekend kicking off.
According to the FAQ, the first episode of Rayman Origins will be released over Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network this Christmas, with the rest of the episodes (how many in total hasn’t been announced) naturally following in 2011. Interestingly, although the game was only listed for the 360 and PS3 when it was revealed at E3, the FAQ also states that versions for the Wii, 3DS, PC, and iPad are all “to be considered.”
Rayman Origins is being created on Ubisoft’s UBIart Framework, a collection of tools designed to make it easier for small teams to make games. Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: game, PC, PS3, wii, Xbox 360
Jul 02
The Xbox 360 beta for Electronic Arts’ new Medal of Honor was originally supposed to start on June 21 along with the PlayStation 3 and PC versions, but after suffering one delay last week, EA has announced it’s been delayed yet again, this time with no indication of when it’ll finally get underway.
The PS3 and PC betas are indeed up and running, but “as for the Xbox 360 version of the beta, we are delayed and we apologize,” a note on the Medal of Honor website reads. “To the Xbox 360 community, we say thank you for your continued patience. We are working to fix the issues that have caused this delay and, like you, we’re eager to get the game up and running at quality. As soon as we do, you’ll be the first to know.”
Besides the vague mention of “issues,” there’s no detail on what exactly is causing EA to keep pushing the 360 beta back. But as with last week’s delay, EA promises they’ll extend the 360’s beta time “to ensure all players have ample time to play and provide feedback for the final product.” Continue reading »
written by cimaul
\\ tags: Xbox 360
