andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

That’s right, this coming week your TV will transform into so much more with social networking, music, and movies come alive on your Xbox 360.  Facebook, Twitter, and Zune video will launch November 17th, on Xbox Live.

Most exciting is instant-on HD video from Zune to be available to Xbox 360 consoles. “We’re delivering some truly exciting social entertainment experiences to our members,” said Marc Whitten, Xbox Live general manager. “Xbox Live’s differentiator has always been our community, and we’ve already seen a tremendous response to these features in our public preview.”

As well, Xbox Live will be debuting a music games store specifically for games such as Lips, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band.

I am excited!

We have three great titles for three great platforms to give away to gaming fans on andPOP courtesy of D3 Publishers.

Astro Boy: The video game

Secret Saturdays: Beasts of the Fifth Sun

and

Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks

Three lucky winners will win all of these titles for the platform of their choice (one winner per platform) . The winners will be contacted via e-mail. The 3 consoles are PSP, Wii and Nintendo DS. Be sure to specify which platform you’d like to enter for (you can enter for all 3 of you like).

You may reenter your details again if you have already entered this contest.

In order to enter fill out the form below and answer the skill testing question correctly.

READ MORE »

That’s right andPOP gaming fans. Courtesy of EA and Maxis, we want to give one of our loyal readers the chance to win a copy of Spore Hero for the Nintendo Wii Console.

Create a creature with over 250 parts, and become a hero! Fight to save a planet and use your Wii remote to unleash awesome attacks.

Just fill out the form below and we will contact the winning contestant. Contest ends Dec. 2nd 2009.

READ MORE »

Bioware’s Dragon Age: Origins will give Thirty Seconds To Mars fans a sneak preview of the title song to their upcoming album ‘This Is War’.

The new album (which drops December 8th, 2009) also entitled, ‘This Is War’ will be the flagship song on the Dragon Age: Origins sound track.

After the break fans of both Origins and Thirty Seconds to mars can check out the trailer showcasing ‘This is War’ co-produced by leading front-man Jared Leto. READ MORE »

The pig skin never looked so good

I’ve never been a huge fan of football (American football for those reading overseas). I never enjoyed playing it in the real world, I never enjoyed watching it. But playing it digitally was always a blast. My first Madden experience was on my original Gameboy in 1996, and would you believe it spoke? Like real audible words!

Now, before I dive into the game, I wanted to point something out. Madden 10 is not for someone who doesn’t understand the finer details of football. You can get by with basic knowledge, and with the help of the Madden quiz, practice, and the virtual trainer included in the title, you can pick it up very quickly. Just don’t expect to buy the game, read the manual and kick ass online. READ MORE »

Ubisoft has released the first of three Assassin’s Creed promotional short films on the World Wide Web via YouTube.

Developed by Ubisoft Digital Arts as well as Ubisoft’s Hybride Technologies (yes, the visual masterminds behind the hit films Sin City and 300) have unleashed a live action introduction into the world of Assassin’s Creed 2. Staring the game’s main character Ezio’s Father, Giovanni Auditore da Firenze. With a mix of live action combined with CGI backdrops and special effects the films will tell of the growth of Assassin’s Creed’s protagonist and how he came to be where he is now.

The film series will entice gamers to get more involved in this upcoming title (which by the way, I had the chance to demo and was AMAZING) and give them a feel of the Italian Renaissance period they will be playing in. With Assassin’s Creed 2 coming out November 17th, 2009, this little taste will have you begging for more.

And what’s this? We have the Assassin’s Creed Lineage video embedded right here after the break! CLICK MORE to see it! READ MORE »

Halloween is almost upon us and for those game fans who want to dress up in the latest gaming fashion (hopefully just for the ladies), Sega has created www.bayonettahalloween.com.

This website provides potential Baynetters tips, hints, and the needs to create the best halloween costume on a budget.

More. That’s the key word when discussing Naughty Dog’s PS3 exclusive hit sequel Uncharted: Among Thieves.

He definitely works hard for his money!

They have given us more of everything we loved from Uncharted: Drake’s fortune. More witty commentary, more weapons, more items, more actions, more explosions, more girls, more modes of play, more… well, you get the idea.

Recently, this writer had eye surgery, and as such, I have had a hard time staring at screens for long periods of time while my eyes healed. Let me tell you, this title was so much fun to play and so hard to put down, that I very well could have destined myself blind in the future from eye strain, especially at a time when my eyes are at their weakest.

Normally I would choose my Xbox 360 over the PS3 due to control preference and number of friends online, however, Sony comes out with amazing exclusive titles from time to time that bring me back to the PS3 powerhouse. Titles like Uncharted: Drake’s fortune, Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet, and now, Uncharted: Among Thieves. READ MORE »

Yes, that’s right folk. The wait to know when you can re-join Commander Shepard and his crew has finally been announced, and that date? January 26th in North America and January 29th in Europe.

But wait, that’s not all, with this announcement comes bonus goodies to those that pre-order the title. If pre-ordered in North America at GameStop you get a special code to download the Terminus Armor which is designed for use in extreme planetary conditions, increasing run speed and personal shields as well as augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of ammo. As well, those people who act early get the M-90 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon which generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass. READ MORE »

andPOP got the opportunity to try out 2K Sports’ latest hockey title, NHL 2K10. We had the chance to play the game and talk with the developers.