So I was watching a well known T.V show and they were doing a list of some of the most anticipated games for 2010.
As it turns out Batman Arkham Asylum 2 was on their list. If you have played the first title you would know the amount of hell Batman goes through and if I were Batman I would be just as surprised.
Oh how I loved the holidays! Yes! I am back!
Long overdue I suppose but better late than never.
So what has been happening? Well the gaming department at andpop is now a bit lonely since our Editor in Chief of Games Josh Salem embarked on his dream career. Josh now works for the Video Games Industry and we couldn’t be more proud and happy for him. We wish him all the best at his new exciting career! All the Best to you Josh!
So gaming wise expect our usual blogs and reviews to start up again. Also we have yet to announce a game of the year(seems like every game publication is doing just that) so I suppose myself and my fellow writers can blog about what we loved dearly this year.
Besides that I had a chance to sit back and finally play some long overdue titles. What kept me busy this holiday were Dragon Age: Origins, Tekken 6, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and I got a long overdue chance to finally play a bit of Rune Factory Frontier. Nothing beats the deep freeze better than chilling at home with a good game or two.
So then I will go ahead and reveal the comic for the week.
I watch a lot of late night T.V and I love watching both Jay and Conan.
Recently however NBC is creating quite a buzz by canceling Leno and trying to mess with the time slots.
They keep talking about ratings and to be honest it doesn’t make much sense.
Heavy metal bands Killswitch Engage, Trivium, Opeth, Dream Theater and Taking Dawn will appear on an EP that will be released to promote the upcoming God Of War III video game, according to CHARTattack.com.
The EP, God Of War: Blood & Metal, will be released on March 2, 2010 through Roadrunner, and features five previously unreleased songs that were recorded exclusively for the album. The CD will be part of the God Of War III Ultimate Edition.
“I have played God Of War on PS3 and PSP,” said Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones. “To be part of this game in any fashion is amazing.”
“Let the rivers flow red with blood there is vengeance to bestow,” he continued. “Bring me more new finishing blows to my enemies!”
Red box means you will buy it the second you see it
Return of the king
I was very skeptical about the New Super Mario Bros. Wii. For starters it seemed like the DS game was ported over to the Wii and given a slight visual upgrade. Also when compared to its 3D counterpart (Mario Galaxy) the title seemed very “last gen” to say the least. So I questioned how a decade old game with a new paint job would ever keep my attention.
Oh boy was I in for a surprise.
Super Mario Bros. Wii is unlike anything out there. Sure the same old story of Princess Peach being kidnapped by Bowser and his Koopa Kids is far from original, but the gameplay is classic Mario at its best. Granted it’s a reinvention, but does it pack enough variety and value to merit your hard earned cash?
Read more…
Don't be scared, you won't need all of those. At once.
Nerd Games (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love RPGs)
You start work at a new office. You meet someone on the subway or a streetcar, and conversation starts. For someone like me (men in their early twenties), mentioning to someone you play video games still has a bit of a nerdy connotation to it. Although video games have definitely become a mainstream form of entertainment for boys and girls alike and even more significantly men and women, if you ask someone you just met if they’ve played Fallout 3 or Oblivion, you run the risk of sounding like a nerd (not that there’s anything wrong with that). You may even come across as childish, although it’s become popular opinion that video games can and are played by men and women of all ages. All said though, it’s not really too big of a deal.
Now try the exact same situation, but instead of asking your new-found friend if they have played the new Call of Duty or Batman: Arkham Asylum you ask them if they know what Dungeons and Dragons is. Completely different story. Telling someone in 2009 that you play Dungeons and Dragons is like telling someone in 1989 that you play video games – or Dungeons and Dragons, for that matter.
Well this one is fresh off the presses. So all of a sudden something about the Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi being hit by a thrown statue is the headline of the day. I say it’s the work of Ezio from Assassins Creed 2.
I feel bad for the Italian PM, however he is lucky Al-Tair wasn’t after him. Besides, the man will make a full recovery.
So really have you seen this clip? It is pretty wild! Well that Ezio sure has a sense of humour.
Anyhow enjoy the image by clicking on it.
Like blood? No… I mean, do you REALLY like blood?
If you answered yes, and also have a fancy for dragons, fantasy, compelling story, in depth character evolution, complete voice acting, and a really really long story that I believe Bioware’s Edmonton office has created the perfect game for you. Read more…
My review of the New Super Mario Bros is on its way.
Playing the game I couldn’t help but wonder why the other Koopa Kids got the short end of the stick.
The game is insanely fun with four players and is a true surprise this holiday season.
Oh and honestly I had forgotten how many kids Koopa had..let alone how he had them in the first place.
It is best not to think about it and just enjoy the game.
Click on the image for the full sized glory
Want to hear something a little wild?
Actress Winona Ryder and alternative group Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore have been subpoenaed in a video gamer’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard and its World Of Warcraft game, reports CHARTattack.
A gamer from San Francisco is suing the company for $1 million U.S. in damages. He is particularly upset with the World Of Warcraft’s $14.99 U.S. monthly subscription fee.
He claims that the game’s travel and resurrection components end up costing players unnecessary amounts of money. The gamer is also said to have a problem with paying fees for things like changing characters’ names, ethnicities, servers, or factions.
Here’s where it starts to get wild:
So if you pre-order Lost Planet 2 at your local EB games or Gamestop you will get a code that will
unlock a bonus character skin. Yes, Albert Wesker will be roaming the alien landscapes with his “one shot one kill” revolver. I gotta say Wesker does stick out as an odd skin choice in the lush jungle environment but rest assure he will get the job done in style.
Still no word if this skin will later pop up as downloadable unlock for the rest of us who haven’t pre-ordered from EB games
Modern warfare 2 has taken a lot of my time.
In fact most if not all the PSN friends I have are now glued to the game. Then out of nowhere came New Super Mario Bros. a game that has brought back that good old 4 player offline magic of the N64 times. Trust me the game is addictive.
I can’t really comment on sales of the game and how it’s doing in direct competition to MW2 but I will say this – don’t pass it up!
As always click on the image for the full size deal.
19 hits! It reads...
Got no game…
I’ve always feared the day when I would come across a game that would be so terrible that its very existence would torment me. Maybe I am being a bit melodramatic but trust me when I say that Game Party 3 makes me very sad. You see a while back I wrote a good editorial piece about the Wii and how there are plenty of good games available for it. The main focus was to draw attention to stellar third party games and how they need our support if the Wii is to have a bright future. Game Party series makes it harder for any third party developer to actually make a decent game when publishers can see so much revenue created by this minimalist approach.
Yes I do sound pretty jaded and with good reason- I reviewed this title. Read more…
Put Your Hands Up Here Comes My DJ!
In an industry that has been said to be over saturated with peripherals for rhythm games do we really need a plastic turntable? People that don’t enjoy the gentle musings of Children of Bodom and Metallica would have to say: Yes!
Activision and FreeStyleGame’s DJ Hero is a game that still has you making coloured circles disappear much like previous Guitar Hero games but adds in the new functionality of scratching and cross-fader manipulation. Does DJ Hero have the replay value and fun factor to have it stand beside Guitar Hero though? In the words of Flava Flav, “CHECK THIS OUT!”
Read more…
Wii got another sports game
There are enough sports compilation games out there for the Wii, in fact one could say the sheer numbers of them rival the GameCubes lifetime library. Tons of games that deliver a sub par experience and are hampered with control issues- a shame really considering the Wii is built on hassle free controls. Today I’m going to take a closer look at a title that at may be a departure from your average third party offering- Decca sports 2. Read more…
In yet another case of The Music vs. Acitivision, No Doubt are filing a lawsuit against the makers of Band Hero.
The suit contends the game “transformed No Doubt band members into a virtual karaoke circus act,” and the use of the band members’ avatars far exceeded anything agreed upon in the contract, according to the Los Angeles Times. One aspect of the game allows players to manipulate their characters into singing songs by other artists, for example having lead singer Gwen Stefani sing “Honky Tonk Woman” by the Rolling Stones.
“While No Doubt are avid fans of the Rolling Stones and even have performed in concerts with the Rolling Stones, the Character Manipulation Feature results in an unauthorized performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice boasting about having sex with prostitutes,” the complaint reads.
The complaint also claims Activision withheld information on the Character Manipulation Feature, and allegedly told the band after they had requested to the have the function disabled that it would be too expensive to do so.
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!
Adam Sandler once sang in The Wedding Singer,”All I wanna do is grow old with you,” which for many, whether we intended to or not, happened in the case of Mario and friends . Till this day, we can still see small children getting introduced to the ever flourishing franchise.
Who are we talking about? We are talking about the short, confident, Italian plumber who wears a trade mark red hat and overalls. Throw in his taller, more socially awkward younger brother who sports an identical outfit only in green. Also in the mix would be the dragon like figure bent on kidnapping a certain princess of the mushroom Kingdom.
Now Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Princess Peach and many other familiar faces are back for another game. So what’s happening in the world of Mario now? There are so many examples that could be used to explain the whole situation but the most simple is one quote:
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Read more…
The collectors set
The most anticipated scifi game will finally be released January 26 2010 in North America. As is the standard these days, a collectors edition has already been announced.
The Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition comes in a tin case, a beautiful 48 page hardcover “Art of Mass Effect 2″ book, Mass Effect Redemption comic book, and a bonus DVD with the making of videos.
Adding to the mix are going to be exclusive armor and weapons that cannot be purchased anywhere else.
This remarkable set will retail for $69.99 on the Xbox 360 and $59.99 for the PC.
If you ask me this is one sweet deal.
Activision Blizzard created an organization for charity called Call of Duty Endowment to help veterans combat unemployment. Endowment will direct resources to organizations helping soldiers transition to civilian careers.
The organization is created with a goal to raise and donate millions of dollars and help raise awareness of veterans unemployment. A portion of Modern Warfare 2 sales will go directly to CODE and since the game has already been a runaway hit it is safe to assume they are on their way to making a difference.
I drew this.. really I did!
Hello readers, it has been a while since I’ve gone on a rant. Truth be told I have been thinking of different ideas to write about. I figured since most sites talk about what is out these days and what our dear readers played, I will go the opposite route in a segment called “What you should be playing”.
The idea is to look at whats been happening around us in the wild world of video games and then pull out a title from the past(or future if possible) and tell you why a certain game is worth your time and money. Read more…
