It’s a new month, but more importantly a Monday! That means we get to see what special goodies Nintendo has released for us this week. The centerpiece of this week’s release for Virtual Console, WiiWare and DSiWare is, naturally, the series finale of  Tales of Monkey Island. Chapter Five focuses on the Rise of the Pirate God and is sure to please fans of the series thus far. Any poker fans might also like to know that DSiWare also received Downtown Texas Hold ‘Em. I’ve never been a fan of online poker,  but for those of you who want to teach the basics to someone this game might be for you. Check out the press release below to see if there’s anything which piques your interest.

Nintendo DSiWare

True Swing Golf Express
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Pointsâ„¢
Description: Tee off with power, drive with accuracy and putt with precision. True Swing Golf Express is a realistic golf simulation that makes full use of the Nintendo DSi touch screen to offer in-depth control over your actions. Vary shot power, apply topspin or backspin and more, all with a touch of the stylus. Beginners and experts alike can choose from two main modes. Round mode offers play across 3-, 9- or 18-hole courses, each with varying difficulty levels and some in an exciting tournament setting. Challenge mode puts a unique spin on golf with a wide selection of special tasks to complete. Completing these tasks in Challenge mode allows you to improve your character’s skills and unlock new courses in Round mode. The fairway awaits!

Legends of Exidia
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 800 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: An army of demons called Morgost has invaded Exidia, defeating Princess Sofia and capturing the Orb of Spell. The Morgost’s dark intentions include the resurrection of the almighty Daraka. Listen only to your courage and help Sofia drive back this threat. As a fearless warrior, you’ll fight the most evil of creatures. With every quest, you’ll get closer to discovering the source of the plague.

DOWNTOWN TEXAS HOLD’EM
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Players: 1-5
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Simulated Gambling
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Go all-in with EA’s DOWNTOWN TEXAS HOLD’EM. Sharpen and show off your poker skills in two exciting game modes and take on up to 20 players in authentic showdowns. Put on your best poker face and challenge friends who also have a Nintendo DSi system and a copy of the game to a multiplayer match. Start with a practice game, play a round of classic poker, then jump into turbo tournament to win the grand prize. Buy your way into gambling halls and casinos, each with its own unique background, realistic tables, cards and chips.

Move your Brain Rollway Puzzle
Publisher: Assoria
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Help the ball of Move your Brain Rollway Puzzle to find the way out of each level. To do so, you must solve riddles and use your dexterity to escape enemies without falling. Move your Brain Rollway Puzzle uses the Nintendo DSi system’s built-in camera to detect your movements. While playing, tilt the system to move the ball. Collect gold coins to open certain passages, activate switches to set off mechanisms, use catapults to jump over walls or use bumpers to climb ramps. Time to complete each level is limited, so hurry up!

5 in 1 Solitaire
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Now you can take five of the most popular solitaire games with you on the go. 5 in 1 Solitaire features the always-popular Klondike, Spider and FreeCell games as well as the unique Golf and Gaps versions of solitaire. Each of these versions has a unique style of play that’s easy enough for novice players to enjoy but will also challenge experts. You can also view tutorials for each game, track your scores and view gaming stats to see your progress.

WiiWare

Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 5
Publisher: Telltale Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Alcohol Reference, Cartoon Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
Price: 1,000 Wii Pointsâ„¢
Description: Here’s a shocking series finale that’s sure to shiver your timbers. With the Monkey Island world in tatters at the conclusion of the fourth Tales of Monkey Island chapter, we were left to wonder: Who can save the Caribbean?! LeChuck is revealing surprising new characteristics yet again, Guybrush has met a shocking fate and Elaine must confront the ultimate evil with everything at stake. This adventure takes you far beyond the stormy isles as you experience the Rise of the Pirate God.

Tumblebugs 2
Publisher: Gameshastra Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: There’s a battle brewing in the backyard, and only you can save the day. Tumblebugs is the hit action-puzzler in which Black Bugs round up and trap the peaceful underground Tumblebugs. Now the Black Bugs are back – meaner, faster and nastier. They’ve crashed the garden party and are rounding up the colored beetles. Once again it’s Tumble to the rescue, but this time she’s got backup. Call on your friends to help you battle your way through 89 stunning new levels. Thrilling new power-ups can also help you free bugs like never before.

5 in 1 Solitaire
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: Now you can play five of the most popular solitaire games on your Wiiâ„¢ console. 5 in 1 Solitaire features the always-popular Klondike, Spider and FreeCell games as well as the unique Golf and Gaps versions of solitaire. Each of these versions has a unique style of play that’s easy enough for novice players to enjoy but will also challenge experts. You can also view tutorials for each game, track your scores and view gaming stats to see your progress.

Virtual Consoleâ„¢

Alex Kidd in Shinobi Worldâ„¢
Original platform: SEGA Master System
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: What do you get when you combine the monumental SEGA classics Alex Kidd in Miracle Worldâ„¢ and Shinobiâ„¢? Alex Kidd in Shinobi World, of course! Though never released in Japan, this game has it all: Alex Kidd, kidnapped princesses and evil Dark Ninjas, all played to a rockin’, remixed Shinobi soundtrack. Run, jump, swim and slash your way through 12 stages teeming with monstrous foes from the world of Shinobi, plus some more lighthearted ones from Alex Kidd. Just don’t let the barracudas turn you into sushi!

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Cardâ„¢ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Atlus released a video walkthrough of Shiren the Wanderer. The video highlights the Wii game’s backstory, characters, controls and interface. An introduction to combat and navigation basics is also provided.

The official summary of the game: “For a thousand years, a princess has slept inside the Karakuri Mansion. When Shiren’s former master bestows upon him the Karakuri key, he quickly finds himself entangled in a millennium-old mystery, wandering through past and present to unravel the story of the girl and vanquish an ancient, lurking evil…”

Fans of Japanese culture will like the graphic throwbacks while enjoying the vastness and depth of the game. The game looks highly addictive, so be sure to check out the youtube video and pre-order your copy today.

If you want to learn more about the game go to the official website. Check out the trailer here. The game will be released February 9.

EA released its first single player trailer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 this morning and it makes us foam at the mouth for this hotly anticipated shooter from DICE.

Here’s a breakdown of the plot for anyone who is unfamiliar with the series:

The campaign is said to pick up as “B Company” is patrolling the Russian-American demarcation line when they discover the Russian military transporting a scalar generator prototype to build fully functional weapons near American soil. B Company travels the world in order to put an end to the threat.

The game looks like it can take on Modern Warfare 2 in terms of combat and weaponry and its multiplayer component, with its massively-scaled battles, might have enough to steal a bit of Modern Warfare 2′s thunder.

Check out the trailer below in order to get a better idea of what is going on.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be available on March 2, 2010 in North America for the Xbox 360, PS3 and the PC.

This week’s Nintendo Download has released several seemingly lack luster games for our entertainment. The one which seemingly stands out is bittos+, which looks like a trippy puzzle game that anyone can enjoy. For those of you who haven’t seen the trailer we released a few weeks ago, check it out here. For information on the other releases of this week, just read the press release below. While not all the games may seem appealing, there are a fair amount of puzzle games. If you’re looking to challenge your brain a little be sure to read the list carefully.

Nintendo DSiWare

NUMBER BATTLE
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Pointsâ„¢
Description: From Japan comes NUMBER BATTLE, a board game that invokes the ancient art of feng shui while challenging players to clear the playing field. Take turns against human or computer opponents to reach a target score by placing numbered tiles on the board and linking the arms of each tile in various ways. Watch for the Winds of Change to possibly blow over the board during a battle, resulting in special squares that will score bonus points or affect game play in new ways. Items that aid you in your pursuit of points can also be found, but they’ll cost you points and must be placed strategically. Go it alone in the main Story or Puzzle modes, or battle against up to three opponents from around the world via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required). You can even learn from your past with History mode, which shows the moves recorded during previous contests. This unique combination of puzzle and strategy elements results in an exciting battle of wits. Can you guide your Warrior to victory?

AiRace: Tunnel
Publisher: QubicGames
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: AiRace: Tunnel is an invitation to the newly started Project Tunnel. It was created to examine the quickness and attentiveness of aviation rookies. Think you’ve got the skills? Put your reflexes to the test and see how swift, precise and predictive you are. Maneuver your aircraft safely through specially created tunnels that are full of traps. Be careful: Your plane will speed up with every second, making each turn and each barrier harder to navigate. It’s not just a game, it’s a challenge.

Escapee GO!
Publisher: Gevo Entertainment
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) — Mild Cartoon Violence
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: In Escapee GO!, players take on the role of Claire, who awakens with no memory of who she is. Save for her name, all information about her has been destroyed. In its place, something within her has changed. Hunted down by an unknown enemy, she must find a way to escape her pursuers using her newfound powers. Will she be able to survive? Using her heightened senses, Claire is able to detect enemies before they come into visual range. During her daring escape, Claire will find mysterious items that can temporarily enhance her abilities, allowing her to level the playing field.

Virtual Console

Ghoul Patrol
Original platform: Super NES
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) — Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The main attractions at the library’s Goblin exhibit have come to life! As the Ghoul Patrol, you’ll go back in time and de-spook an encyclopedia of zombified historic dudes. Vaporize garbage-can ghosts and ninja spirits, rescue bug-eyed librarians and wigged-out pirates, dodge flying books and adolescent-eating plants, and ultimately put the beastly spirit back in the history books.

WiiWare

UNO
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1-6
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 1,000 Wii Pointsâ„¢
Description: Get ready to call “UNO” on your Wiiâ„¢ system! The world-famous card game is faithfully reproduced for the Wii console with some exciting new rules. Thanks to a multiplayer mode (additional Wii Remoteâ„¢ controllers required) that’s playable on one Wii console or online via Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required), UNO has never been so fun and easy.

bittos+
Publisher: MACHINE
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The next big thing in casual gaming, bittos+ is all about rotating, moving and placing game pieces onto a game board to make squares and, more importantly, squares within squares. Playing bittos+provides hours and hours of entertainment for the whole family, with boatloads of challenge and replay value for even the most avid gamer. With luscious environments, multiple modes to unlock, game styles to suit every mood, multiple real-time reactive control methods, in-game Awards to collect and high-score boards for the entire your household,bittos+ is a new game-play experience that will sweep you away.

“Aha! I Found It!” Hidden Object Game
Publisher: Ateam Inc.
Players: 1-4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Wii Points
Description: A hidden-object game for everyone has come to the WiiWare service. Try to find 12 particular items among a crowd of on-screen objects as fast as you can, from big fish to tiny earrings, easy-to-find items to well-hidden ones. Unlike most other hidden-object games, this one lets you play along with friends and family (additional Wii Remote controllers required) and compete to see who’s best at finding the hidden objects in each stage. With 10 stages and more than 277 different items, there’s plenty of searching fun to enjoy. Also, with items changing position each time you play, you can enjoy each stage again and again.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Cardâ„¢ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

Shiren the Wandererer is coming out next month, so to celebrate Atlus has released their third official Blog detailing the Story and Characters of the game.

The strategic combat RPG features randomized dungeons which will bring a challenge to the Wii.

The Japanese influence is very apparent from the screenshots and definitely look very appealing to fans of anime.

The graphics look ok, but remind me of the old Spyro games for PlayStation. The plot looks interesting enough to forgive that, but we won’t know until the finished product is released.

For more information, check out the official blog post here.  Shiren the Wanderer will be released on February 8, so be sure to pre-order a copy when you get the chance.

Vault.com has announced their Top U.S. Internships for 2010 and Electronic Arts reached the Top 10 of Creative/Liberal Arts Internships.

With locations in California, Virginia, Utah, Alberta Montreal, Vancouver, Shanghai, Singapore, and London with over 200 paid interns, EA has made a serious impression.

Interns work in Advertising, Arts and Design, Engineering, Finance, Human REsources, Law, Marketing, Public Relations, and Technology in order to help with various projects.

Vault.com has reported that about 70% of interns return to work for EA after graduation, so they must be doing something right!

If you want to learn more, swing over to Vault.com and check out their full lists of internships and their general requirements.

Atlus has just released a new trailer for their upcoming game Metal Slug XX.

Cartoon Mayhem, over-the-top action and lots of bullets. When the game hit’s stores on February 23, this trailer will hopefully be on your mind when you see the title and debate whether or not this game is worth owning.

The vintage arcade feel of the game seems a little outdated compared to the more sleek graphics which we are used to on PSP games, but it certainly looks like a lot of fun. The arcade-like nature of the game will be a draw in for old school gamers looking to make a gradual move into newer gaming systems and please fans of the series. Anyone who likes those kinds of games will enjoy the game. Not sure where you stand? Check out the trailer below to see if the game is something you’d be interested in playing.

For more info, check out the official Metal Slug XX website.

This week’s Nintendo Download highlights the release of several new downloadable games and, more importantly, the arrival of Nintendo’s greatest lawyer – Phoenix Wright!

The game, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, is a law based game which allows players to investigate crime scenes, question witnesses and present evidence using the Wii remote.

Available for 1000 Wii point, you should check it out. The rest of the games released are detailed below. Nintendo releases their list of downloadable content for the Virtual Store, WiiWare and DSiware every Monday at 9 a.m.

Nintendo DSiWare

Touch Solitaire
Publisher: Nintendo
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 200 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Touch Solitaire features two of the most popular versions of the world-famous card game – Spider and Klondike – with simple touch-screen controls and an easy-to-understand interface. In Spider, the aim is to arrange cards in piles of a single suit from King down to Ace, thereby removing the pile from play. When all cards are removed, you win the game. The goal of Klondike is to arrange cards from Ace to King in piles, one for each suit, on the four foundations. You win when all cards have been moved to the foundations. Various difficulty levels are available for Spider and Klondike, allowing beginners or experts to enjoy the game at their own pace.

Jazzy Billiards
Publisher: Aksys Games
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: Challenge intelligent computers or even your friends to a traditional game of 9-ball while enjoying mind-soothing music with Jazzy Billiards. Take advantage of the intuitive stylus mechanic to aim and hit the cue ball with varying strength to sink the other balls. Defeat your opponents by being the first to sink the 9-ball. Jazzy Billiards’ Stage Mode features nine different stages, each with an opponent of ascending difficulty. Find out how many computers you can defeat in a row with Challenge Mode, or challenge your friends to a game of 9-ball in Versus Mode.

Word Searcher
Publisher: Digital Leisure Inc.
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 500 Nintendo DSi Points
Description: You’ll need a sharp eye and a quick mind to complete these 100 themed word search puzzles. Word Searcher contains fun words from multiple categories including anatomy, world cities and U.S. presidents. Packed with a huge assortment of subjects to choose from, there’s sure to be a puzzle anyone will enjoy. Help improve your vocabulary, memory and problem-solving skills with these challenging puzzles. Keep track of, and try to beat, your own play-through times again and again as words are scrambled every time you play. Get your thinking cap on and conquer all 100 today.

Virtual Console
Shanghai II: Dragon’s Eye
Original platform: Genesis
Publisher: SEGA
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: The ancient pastime of mahjong solitaire is reinvented as an interactive video game where each tile you remove may be your last. Discover enchanting music, fun animation and exciting obstacles that are built in to this intriguing board game that will keep you engaged for hours. This classic title challenges you to clear the board by removing matching pairs of tiles. Play the traditional Shanghai® II or take the game to a new dimension with Dragon’s Eye. Don’t let the simple rules deceive you – the depth and intricacy of this challenge will become your new obsession very soon.

Nintendo adds new titles to the Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time on Mondays. Users with broadband Internet access can redeem Wii Points or Nintendo DSi Points to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel. Nintendo DSi Points can be purchased in the Nintendo DSi Shop. A Nintendo Points Cardâ„¢ can be purchased at retail locations. All points from one Nintendo Points Card must be redeemed in either the Nintendo DSi Shop or the Wii Shop Channel. They are not transferable and cannot be divided between the two systems.

WiiWare
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Publisher: Capcom
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: T (Teen) – Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Meet Phoenix Wright, the rookie defense lawyer new to the scene with the wildest cross-examination skills in town. Take on four intriguing cases to reveal dramatic, stunning and even comical court proceedings. Use the Wii Remote controller to investigate the crime scenes, question witnesses and present shocking evidence.

Chronos Twins DX
Publisher: EnjoyUp Games
Players: 1
ESRB Rating: E 10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – Animated Blood, Mild Fantasy Violence
Price: 1,000 Wii Points
Description: Enter into the original world of Chronos Twins DX to live a fantastic adventure full of innovative ideas. Thanks to its Dual Gameplay game system, you’ll be able to control Nec in two temporal scenarios at the same time. Chronos Twins DX mixes action, platforms, adventure and puzzles to challenge your intelligence and ability.

ShadowPlay
Publisher: Deep Fried Entertainment
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone) – Alcohol Reference
Price: 800 Wii Points
Description: Welcome to ShadowPlay. Let your imagination run wild when light meets everyday objects to create fascinating shadows. Play and experiment, make a monster out of a pineapple, a dolphin out of a banana – the only limit is your imagination. ShadowPlay challenges players by transforming shadows into more than 100 exciting, unique puzzles. As more challenging puzzles are unlocked, players will have to find more creative ways to solve problems. You will never look at a slice of pizza the same way again! Winning a round will allow players to advance to the next level as well as score another item to use in the Free Play Mode, where you can unleash your imagination and create your own shadow art. Family and friends can also jump in to help tackle a puzzle at any time using Local Co-op Mode. ShadowPlay will provide tons of brain-racking fun for players of all ages. How do you ShadowPlay?

Yep. Fallen Earth is going to fix up it’s post apocalyptic Earth.

The environment is getting upgraded so as to heighten player immersion.

The visuals looks like they enhance the environmental aspects, sharpen the textures and add more detail to resolution quality and enhance the appearance and atmosphere of the game.

Leaving no environmental element untouched, developers have also incorporated distinctive cloud movement and have further taken a look at fog effects.

Improvements on the existing fog equation now enable fog to build up more gradually, distance-wise, to players, creating a more realistic and layered appearance.

I don’t personally play the game, but if any of you do then let us know what you think about the upgrades (and whether you noticed them at all).

Atlus has announced yet another game for their 2010 release schedule.

Hexyz Force is the latest RPG being developed for the PSP, set for a March 25 release. They claim that the game will have non-existent load times (I’m skeptical, but here’s hoping) and “the most polished visuals and sounds found to date in a handheld RPG.”

The game focuses on two separate campaigns which are complete and whole in order to present two stories from radically different sides of a saga. The narratively driven game essentially gives the price conscious two games for the price of one.

The plot is summarized as such:

“Long ago, Norvia, the Goddess of Creation, descended from the heavens.  Using the Holy Vessel, a divine chalice charged with all Force (the spiritual energy in the universe), she created life and the Divinities, shepherds of existence.  For a while, all was good.  After a time, Delgaia, the God of Destruction, brought about a great calamity known as the Gods’ Remorse.  He intended to return all Force to the Holy Vessel, returning Berge to the void.  The Divinities sacrificed themselves to defeat Delgaia, delivering Berge from doom and sealing the God of Destruction away deep within the earth.

As Berge lay in ruin, a result of its bitter war, Norvia made a covenant.  She would restore Berge to its former beauty on one condition.  An Hour of Judgment would eventually come to pass, and in it, the world would have to decide its ultimate path: creation or destruction.”

If this sounds like your kind of game and you want to learn more, check out their website. The game will be on sale for $29.99.

Guitar Hero’s vast catalog has been steadily growing and 2010 is looking like a very promising year for track releases.

January looks like it will have something for everyone with planned releases for: Vampire Weekend, Creedence Clearwater Revival, up-and-coming blues artists Tyler Bryant, Joe Bonamassa and Scott McKeon and metal bands Shadows Fall, Amon Amarth and Dethklok.

Today marks the release of Guitar Hero’s New Blues Masters Track Pack featuring:

- Tyler Bryant’s “Who I Am”

- Joe Bonamassa’s “Lonesome Road Blues”

- Scott McKeon’s “Broken Man”

Jan 11 – Vampire Weekend’s new album, Contra, drops in stores, so to celebrate Guitar Hero is releasing “Holiday”, “Cousins” and “The Kids Don’t Stand a Chance”

Jan 21 – The Metal pack is released so that Metalheads can play Shadow Fall, Amon Amarth and Dethklok on their consoles.

Jan 28 – Creedence Clearwater Revival comes to Guitar Hero with “Proud Mary”, “Bad Moon Rising”, and “Travelin’ Band”

For more information about the game and future track releases and pricing, visit their website.

No, it’s not a porno.

Metal Slug XX is the latest side-scrolling, arcade-style, run and gun shooter for the PSP. Metal Slug has been a premier franchise for over a decade, so arcade fanatics can play old school coop arcade play on the latest system.

You can team up with a friend in ad-hoc multiplayer to outrun and outshoot hundreds of enemies and liberate as many prisoners as possible.

There are six zany characters and shoot through seven action-packed levels with varying obstacles, numerous enemies, and diverging paths.

Confident players can put their skills to the test by playing more than 70 mission-based trails in “Combat School.” Atlus is definitely pushing this game as the “definitive” portable Metal Slug arcade experience.

Metal Slug will be released on February 23, so mark your calendar and have $20 ready for the MSRP of $19.99.

Want more info? Go check out their website!

EA, in conjunction with GGL and AutoTrader, announced the Need For Speed Shift Gaming Competition on December 4th. The Competition will run through March 7th and challenge the top video game racers in the world to compete in the ultimate driving competition. The Top 4 players will play in a live final at Black Box’s studio in Vancouver.

Why should you care? Well, if you’re a racing fanatic, there are $40,000 in prizes to be won and the grand prize winner will receive $30,000 for a car on AutoTrader.com! The top 4 finalists will receive a trip to Vancouver to compete!

If you’re interested, you should totally sign up. Need more info? Check out their website to learn more. Good Luck!

Atlus U.S.A., Inc has just launched the official website for their new sci-fi RPG, Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey for the Nintendo DS.

The website will list details on the game’s story, cast, and systems. The site also contains a mission breifing to set the stage. For the uninitiated, the “What is SMT?” section tells newcomers the history of the series. A downloads section will let them take something away once they’ve been initiated into the series.

“The official website for Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is the only source of information anyone needs to consult for breaking news on the situation in the Schwarzwelt,” proclaimed Aram Jabbari, the Joint Project’s ad hoc minister of information, shutting a door behind him through which flashing red lights could be seen. “Please remain calm and bookmark the website for regular updates from trusted experts on the subject.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is scheduled for release on March 23 with an MSRP of $34.99. Every copy will be a boxed set with a bonus CD with music from the game!

Check out the website and pre-order your copy today.

Capcom’s new court advenutre Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney will be releases on WiiWare next Monday, Jan 11, 2010. Players will collect evidence, weed through inconsistent testimonies and overcome corrupt agendas so that justice prevails!

You’ll present evidence with a wave of the Wii remote or press suspicious testimonies with a wiggle. The game is single player and covers a fairly basic plot.The story kicks off with Phoenix Wright defending his childhood friend Larry Butz from a murder charge. But this is only the beginning drama for the tenacious legal eagle as Wright faces unexpected tragedies that will test the limits of his incredible deductive prowess.

And that’s not all! When you buy the game on your Wii, you will be able to download the bonus episode which was in the original DS version of the game for 100 Wii Points in May.

But that’s not the only news we have from Capcom. Ace Attorney INVESTIGATIONS: Miles Edgeworth will be released on Feb 16. A Demo will be released on the DS in a few weeks.

If you want more information on the Ace Attorney games, check out their website here.

Block Cascade Fusion is going to be released in the new PSN minis section and Gamelion has released their first trailer for the game.

The game comes off as a warped version of Tetris. The goal is to create a line of at least five similarly colored blocks by rotating and arranging the falling squares properly. Once the timer stops, the fusion will start and erase linked blocks. The basic concept is simple but the game looks like it can be addictive and fun once tried out. The game comes with trance and dance music which will make the game play incredibly interesting. The more you win, the more trophies you can unlock.

Check out the trailer here.

Interested? Check out the game’s website page. Want something more streamlined? They’re on twitter and Facebook too!

On Jan 12 we’re going to be able to experience Army of Two: The 40th Day in all it’s glory. As a special treat for everyone looking forward to the game, EA has released a new trailer highlighting the 4 co-op modes available: “Warzone”, “Co-op Death Match”, “Control”, and “Extraction.” The modes will pit players against other teams for intense game play.

For those unfamiliar with Army of Two, the story focuses on a two-man private military team:  Salem and Rios. Trapped in a besieged city, the pair must put their skills to work and help each other fight against a horde of enemies.

The trailer definitely sets the game up as a kick ass adventure for friends who like teaming up to go head to head with a horde of enemies. Check it out and let us know what you think!

Army of Two: The 40th Day will be available on 360, PSP and PS3.

Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble is a new PSP game which comes straight from Japan. The premise alone is enough to get someone hooked. You’re a bancho (head badass) in a prefecture in Kyuoto and you rule with an iron fist. During a school trip, numerous schools from around the country converge in one location for one week. This one week is all the time you get to go around asserting your dominance by finding and beating the banchos from other prefectures. Do you think you have what it takes to be the number one bancho in all of Japan?

The premise had me sold from the start. I set off on a quest to find and beat all the banchos in the region. Instead of just walking up to the banchos and beating them, you are required to find them through itinerary sheets held by the banchos’ henchmen. You find the henchmen, start trash talking and then you beat them to a pulp before getting their information.

From the premise alone, you’d assume that this is just a straight up brawler. However, this is where it gets interesting: the gameplay is very weird. As you go around, you travel by bus, train or taxi. When you want to start a fight, you need to shoot someone in the face with a laser that you shoot out of your eyes like Superman. You then start trading predetermined insults with your opponent in order to improve your "badass" rating. Then you start fighting. You choose what type of attack you want to use and then use an attack which falls under that category. As you beat more and more banchos, you learn their signature moves, which you can then streamline into your fighting arsenal. This makes the fighting system slow and inefficient and makes the battles seem more machine like that I would have hoped. Instead of more fluid movements, I was left feeling as if the battle system was a bit underdeveloped.

Aside from fighting, you get to travel the city and create a life for your bancho. You can dress him up as you please. Surprisingly, these changes show up in cutaway scenes, which I thought was pretty cool since some games don’t let you do that (I’m looking at you GTA: San Andreas). You can also interact with other characters from your school which allows your Bancho’s personality to shine through as he shows soft spots for certain classmates and romances several girls in the process.

The weirdest part of the game is travelling within the game. When you move around there is no sound. No background music to entertain you. So this is a game which requires you to make your own soundtrack with your iPod. I felt this was a very unorthodox decision and made me wonder if the game was broken, but the lack of music was intentional. As disappointing as it was to travel around, the plot and customization kept me addicted to the games. Plus corny insults can be therapeutic sometimes!

Now let’s talk graphics. This game is nothing very special graphics wise. It’s mediocre at best when compared to other video games which have come from Japan. While I liked the cartoon nature of the game made me imagine that this was like Yu Yu Yakusho when Kuwabara and Yusuke were solidifying their power pre-supernatural days. It’s a shame the graphics aren’t sleeker.

Blast Factor: This game has quite a few weaknesses which detract from how enjoyable it is, but the free roaming and customization serve the plot well. My overall view is that the game feels unpolished and, if updated would be fantastic. A more streamlined fighting system and music would help with the tone of the game, while improved graphics would make it a stronger title. The plot is solid and it can be a fun game if you add your own soundtracks. There’s no real tutorial so you’re going to have to learn everything on the fly, but that’s part of the fun.

Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble is available exclusively on the Playstation Portable, and retails for $39.99. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

I haven’t had much experience with tower defense games outside of the Final Fantasy VII Fort Condor minigame. Having not played a tower defense game since, I went into Creature Defense with an open mind. The plot is simple: you defend your fort from an enemy onslaught in order to keep them from destroying it. You use magic cards to summon creatures which will defend your fort and the game is smooth sailing from there.

Visually, this game isn’t that impressive compared to what has been released for the PSP. The cartoony feel preserves the overall tone of the game, but it doesn’t really have that "wow" factor to prevent it from becoming an eyesore. When looking at the defensive magic cards, they are presented in an anime style manner which, while appealing to anime fans, leaves much to be desired.

Now, granted that the visuals aren’t that impressive, the game itself is very enjoyable. The key to it is patience. This game requires that you wait a bit and strategize your summons so that you can take out your opponents and survive the round. As you defeat enemies, you get to collect them as cards which effectively means that the more enemies you defeat, the more summons you have available to use in the next round. Each monster has its own special ability but the abilities really don’t come into play that much to matter.

Blast Factor: The game is a fun but unspectacular tower defense game which doesn’t really leave a lasting impact. It’s great for long car rides and trips and has good replay value, but the underwhelming nature of the game makes you feel like it should have been left as a minigame in a larger game. However, if you are a fan of tower defense games and have a few extra dollars and space on your PSP memory stick, it probably wouldn’t be a mistake to pick up a copy of this game.

Creature Defense is available exclusively on the Playstation Portable for $7.99. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for reviewing purposes.

I hope you’ve all recovered enough from Thursday’s food comas that you can crawl over to your Wii or DSi in order to enjoy Nintendo’s latest downloadable titles. This week sees the release of 10 games, so here’s the breakdown:

WiiWare: Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 4, My Zoo,Copter Crisis ,Christmas Clix

DSi Ware: Sudoku Challenge, Bookworm, Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe, Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes.

Virtual Console: The Combatribes, Solomon’s Key

For fans of the Tales of Monkey Island series, Chapter 4 has been released. Guybrush returns to Flotsam island and is put on trial. With a title like “The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood”, I can only hope the game lives up to it’s intriguing title.

My Zoo is an animal simulation game which makes you an animal breeder. You select several animals out of the 12 provided (four sold separately) and nurture them into adulthood. For those of you who were fans of Tamagachi, this is the same concept, just on your TV and not a key chain.

Copter Crisis allows you to be a member of the elite Helicopter Rescue Squad and it’s up to you to rescue as many people as possible in the various missions. This sounds like it has potential, so it’s probably worth checking out if you like helicopter simulators.

Christmas Clix — the true sign that November is over. Christmas Clix allows you to play with Santa by decorating a Christmas tree by removing the presents and ornaments he stacks. This sounds like a boring holiday game, so unless you’re in a festive mood I’d say skip it.

Foto Face: The Face Stealer Strikes: A DS game which makes you the hero of your own story. Your appearance is stolen and you have to clear your name by apprehending the Face Stealer. You voice the characters and create the faces using the camera and microphone peripherals.

Bookworm: a word puzzle game which appears to be a new take on Scrabble.

Master of Illusion Express: Mind Probe — the game is meant to use the DS as a way to perform magic tricks. Ask a friend to write down a favorite item and the DS will sound an alarm when that word is spoken. Not so magical.

Sudoku Challenge! : A Sudoku game for fanatics which will probably be the only Sudoku game you will ever need since it comes with 1 million sudoku puzzles. I’m not a fan of Sudoku, but if you know someone who is then this is the game for them.

The Combatribes: As a member of the Combatribes it’s up to you to save the city you live in from the evil gang known as “Guilty Zero”. Can you save New York City?

Solomon’s Key: An action puzzle game which let’s you take control of the Wizard, Dana, who is looking for an item called Solomon’s Key to banish the evil spirits of the world. Use buttons to create and destroy blocks and find keys to pass through locked doors.

Nintendo Download is released every Monday and features the latest releases for Nintendo’s downloadable content. For the full press release, just go to the next page.

Rock Band fanatics rejoice! There are now over 1000 songs available for you to play now. A few months ago, Harmonix Studios announced that by 2010 they would have 1000 songs, and now they’ve done it!

The game series, available on the 360, PS3, and Wii, has music of more than 390 bands which provides the best selection of interactive musical content.

In addition to Rock Band and Rock Band 2′s content catalog, there’s additional content in the form of weekly downloads and LEGO Rock Band. The weekly downloadable content is now in its 105th consecutive week which is incredibly impressive.

Soon Rock Band fans will be able to make some of their own content via Rock Band Network. Rock Band Network, a new suite of tools that wil allow bands and labels of all shapes and sizes to turn their own songs into downloadable, playable Rock Band tracks available for sale. This will cement Rock Band as the leading game with downloadable content for music-based videogame content.

For a complete list of the 1,000 songs visit their website!

I’ve been hooked on arcade light-gun shooters since I played the original House of the Dead all those years ago. The zombie genre has, for the most part, lost its horror component and is now firmly entrenched in the action-adventure genre with the added bonus of much more gore. Capcom’s follow up to Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles follows a similar method: two recreated stories (Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica here) with an original story that binds the two together. It pays homage to the original fans while drawing in gamers who are unfamiliar with the game franchise’s mythos.

The game opens up with "Operation Javier." Leon S. Kennedy and his new partner, Jack Krauser, explore Latin America while trying to find the head of a major drug cartel with ties to the Umbrella Corporation. When zombies appear, Leon recognizes that there’s trouble ahead, while Jack wonders about what he’s gotten himself involved in. Leon then explains the events of Resident Evil 2 in "Memories of a Lost City" and Claire Redfield’s story in "Game of Oblivion." With 5 playable characters (Jack, Claire, Leon, and Steve Burnside), we’re thrust straight into the world of Resident Evil and experience the some of the earlier games from an updated perspective.

This is an on the rails shooter in the vein the House of the Dead series, which isn’t that bad. The style is a fitting way to retell the stories while focusing on a new element of gameplay for the series. In an attempt to preserve the horror based nature of the original games, Capcom made sure that the when you move the Wii Zapper the camera moves with you. This makes it seem as if you are actively participating in the game instead of on a set track. It’s an interesting concept, but it isn’t fully realized. If you’re worried about playing the game with the Wii Zapper, you should know upfront that you can still play even without the Wii Nunchuck. The game’s functionality allows it to be played with solely the Wii remote.  You can still pick up peripheral items such as weapons and medicine and use them as you go through the game’s levels. Aside from that, you’re just along for the ride. You can switch between weapons by applying the weapons to the directional arrows. A quick tap will switch weapons quickly in order to effectively fight off enemies. As you explore the game, you can find pieces of gold or hidden files which allow you to upgrade your weaponry and expand the story, respectively. This helps new players understand the story better with a look down the rabbit hole, while veterans of the series will be able to enjoy the power that comes with weapons upgrades.

Visually, this game is a labor of love to the original games. While the plots have been cut down to the essentials, the attention paid to the details of some of the more iconic settings from Resident Evil 2 and Code Veronica is simply amazing. Old fans of the game will want to play this game if only to see the events unfold in such a visually stunning manner. While it retains the anime quality, there is also a level of realism involved which complements each other well and draw you into the game.

Now that you have a basic overview of the game’s strong points, we need to focus on several major weaknesses. One of the biggest problems with this game is the AI. When playing solo, the AI doesn’t really help out that much and for the most part, I felt I was playing alone since I was the only one taking out the Infected. Not only does the AI not help you fight through the game, it screws you over every chance it gets. If you’re tempted to turn your back on the path you are heading to see what’s going on behind you, I warn you: don’t. Just don’t. When you turn around you will be pleasantly surprised by the wave of zombies which have come to maul you to death when you’re not looking. Whenever that happened, I would lose a large amount of life or be killed straight off. This aggravated me to no end, especially in conjunction to the camera movements.

While I understand that the camera movement is designed to simulate human head movement and maintain a horror vibe, but it comes off as an annoying aspect of the game. In House of the Dead, you point the Wii Zapper but the screen remains static. This makes it easier to aim. In Darkside Chronicles, the erratic nature associated with the Wii Zapper’s movement *can* induce motion sickness. When playing multiplayer, the only weakness that came up is that you can’t jump straight into the action like with House of the Dead or Dead Space Extraction. Instead, you need to wait until you’ve completed the round before you can bring in your partner to take control of the AI partner. That, and the shared ammo depot which one player can run out for both if you’re not careful, are the two things which bring multiplayer down.

Blast Factor: This is a decent on the rails shooter which will be a fun trip down memory lane for veterans and something interesting and entertaining to draw new gamers into the series. The game is sleeker than Umbrella Chronicles and recreates classic scenes from the franchise’s history in a new way. The three central stories come together in a relatively neat manner and the game has a lot of replay value since you can run through each scenario from two perspectives and take different paths to make it through to the end. You may find the Wii Zapper controls a bit obnoxious, but once you get over it you’ll be able to enjoy the game. It’s a solid video game and a decent shooter for the Wii, so if you already own House of the Dead 2 & 3 The Return or Dead Space Extraction then pick up a copy of Darkside Chronicles during the Holiday Sales.

It seems like there is no shortage of racing games as the holiday season approaches. Over the last few months, we’ve seen the release of Gran Turismo on the PSP, Forza Motorsport 3 and Need for Speed Shift on Xbox 360 and PS3 respectively. And now we’ve got a new racing game for the Wii in the form of Need for Speed: Nitro.

Those of you who have picked up a copy of Need for Speed: Shift, you may have high hopes for NITRO. However, Shift and NITRO are two completely different experiences. Where Shift was in the vein of a racing simulator, NITRO returns to Need for Speed’s Arcade roots. You drag race through the city while trying to beat other racers and avoid the police. The more damage you do while driving, combined with your position in the race, will draw more police attention. So if you’re in first place and causing a large amount of damage to your surroundings, watch out. The challenge makes the game interesting and makes it feel like you’re racing in the Fast and the Furious (not an opinion everyone may share).

The game play is definitely designed for casual racers instead of hardcore racing fanatics, so this game will probably not appeal to racers who enjoy realistic racing. The racing itself is very cartoonish, which doesn’t take away from the game, but makes it rather endearing. You drive with acceleration and braking and also use Nitrous to speed up the car for a competitive edge. The difficulty levels are just right so that it’s not insultingly easy but not soul crushingly hard (sorry to disappoint all you masochists out there). You play in either Arcade or Career mode and use the Wii remote to drive. However, you’re not limited to using only the Wii remote — you can also use the classic controller (a personal favorite), the Wii Wheel from Mario Kart and even a Gamecube controller! That was a great relief for when I tried out multiplayer with my friends and found that all four worked on the game.

There are 30 cars that are available to use but you have the ability to customize them however you wish. The 30 cars are separated into three tiers: Supercars, Balanced Performance and Commercial vehicles. Supercars are fast racing cars while Commercial vehicles are slower but sturdier. You can paint your cars in whatever way you like in order to make it more interesting. While you can drive around, you can’t total your car. That doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences for reckless driving. If you crash too many times, you end up losing your nitro meters, which can cost you the race.

Visually, the game is very cartoonish and animated in a way which makes it interesting to look up. Unfortunately, the game’s variety limits its potential. The game has very few levels and only 30 cars. Even if you increase the difficulty of the levels, there’s little incentive to keep playing when you know what the tracks are like. This incredibly repetitive game play is a big disappointment of a fun game to kill time with. This is surprising given the fact that the game’s simplicity would have seemed like the biggest letdown.

Blast Factor: Need for Speed: NITRO is a fun arcade racer which suffers from a very repetitive set up. The cars are interesting, as are the visuals, but that doesn’t really improve the lack of courses to race through and the fact that there are only 30 cars. This isn’t a bad game, and it is perfect for fans of casual arcade racing games but it isn’t something which would appeal to hardcore racers. If you want something silly for the kids this is definitely a game for you to pick up.

Need for Speed: Nitro is available on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, and retails for $49.99. A copy of this game was given to us by the publisher for review purposes.

It’s a little late, but we now have the latest info on this week’s Nintendo Download and it’s a doozy! We have several awesome game demos for WiiWare and the release of some interesting new games and a few classics.

This week’s breakdown:

WiiWare: Pokemon Rumble, BIT.TRIP BEAT (Demo), Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (My Life As A Darklord Demo), NyxQuest:Kindred Spirits (Demo), World of Goo (Demo)

Virtual Console: Indiana Jones’ Greatest Adventures and Street Fighter II:Champion Edition

Nintendo DSiWare: Art Style:DIGIDRIVE, Arcade Bowling, Robot Rescue

Fans of puzzle games will love Art Style: DIGIDRIVE and Robot Rescue. Both games focus on shifting puzzles and the application of logic. Art Style: DIGIDRIVE lets the player take on the role of a traffic controller. You move cars in order to create fuel to keep going through the game. Robot Rescue lets you play as a robot who needs to rescue his comrades from 45 different labyrinths. But when you move through the dungeon you move all robots so strategy is key.

Arcade Bowling is a straight forward bowling game for the DSi which will entertain fans of portable bowling.

Indiana Jones’ and Street Fighter II are the classic releases (from SNES and Capcom respectively). Indiana Jone’s Greatest Adventures takes scenes from his best movies (no Crystal Skulls here) and allows the player to play as Indy as he searches for fortune and glory (kid).  Street Fighter II needs no introduction: the fighting game we know and love, on virtual console!

And now onto WiiWare!

Pokemon Rumble allows players to battle against other Pokemon in order to gain access to the Battle Royale and fight multiple Pokemon at once. Sound interesting? While the game is available for purchase, there’s also a free demo, so check it out before you buy it so you know it’s a game you’d like.

The rest of the releases are demos for upcoming Wii games which may or may not interest you. Here’s the breakdown for each game:

BIT.TRIP BEAT: A rhythm game which uses the Wiimote to play out beats in this retro game. Check it out if you were a fan of Bop It! or other rhythm games.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (My Life As A Darklord Demo): We all love Final Fantasy, so this new game was automatically on our list of games to check out. The demo lets you play as the Darklord’s daughter as she explores her castle and installs traps while fighting monsters. The objective is to protect your Dark Crystal from the explorers who want to destroy it.

NyxQuest:Kindred Spirits: Nyx, a winged girl, comes down heaven to look for her missing friend, Icarus. With the help of the other gods, she looks for him while flying above Ancient Greece.

World of Goo: a physics based construction game in which construct things. Out of Goo. The Goo Balls who inhabit the game don’t know they’re in a game. Or how delicious they are with crackers.

Any of these games sound interesting to you? Check them out and let us know how you like them.

Update: Sorry guys, there was a miscommunication on our PR end. Turns out the game isn’t free. There’s a good discount though. You can get the game for the price of a dollar (so almost free). Still, the game’s good so check it out! Original content below.

Alright guys, you have until midnight to cash in on this, so here are all the details:

Dark Harvest, the highly addictive iTunes game, is a level clearing game with an objective: collect evil plants. Why do you need evil plants? Why, for your evil garden of course. If you can fill up all 30 vegetables you’re the winner.

The game has two modes: Quickplay and Adventure mode. You shoot chemical orbs into a cloud (easy, aim and shoot game). The orbs you shoot can stick to each other upon contact and when three or more orbs of the same color get stuck together and burst rain falls! If you don’t match the orbs fast enough, other balls will fill the screen and end the game. If you beat the required number of matchs, you get an evil vegetable to grow.

It’s a highly addictive game, so I suggest you get your free copy on iTunes before midnight so you can join the rest of us Dark Harvest players. The offer is only good today, Friday the 13th (of November). Come on. Everyone’s doing it (peer pressure).

Madden NFL Arcade will be available on November 24 for the PSN and 25 for the Xbox LIVE Arcade.

This is a new way to play Madden which focuses on a fun, pick-up-and-play, 5-on-5 game between fans. Each team included features the five top offensive and defensive players.

We can’t give you the whole list of available players, but we can give you a list of the teams which are included in the game: Bears, Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Browns, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Cowboys, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, 49ers, Giants, Jaguars, Jets Lions, Packers, Panthers, Patriots, Raiders, Rams, Ravens, Redskins, Saints, Seahawks, Steelers, Titans, Vikings, Texans

Are you excited? Let us know below. Don’t forget to mark your calendars!

Command and Conquer 4 Tiberian Twilight is hitting shelves beginning March 16th.

The 15 year long Tiberium saga is brought to a stunning conclusion with strong strategic depth and a new class-based gameplay.

Fans who pre-order the game will be allowed early access to the upcoming beta program, the official soundtrack AND (as if this wasn’t enough incentive) a prequel bonus mission!

So mark March 16th on your calender and check out the Command and Conquer website for more details.

PopCap Games has announced a free update for Bejeweled 2 for the iPhone and iTouch.

With the new update, owners of the game will be able to play the newly added “Bejeweled Blitz” game which used to be Facebook exclusive.

This version allows players to play anywhere, anytime and compare their scores and achievements reflect those of their friends.

Bejeweled costs less than $3 on the iPhone and the update is free to owners, so now is definitely the time to check out the game (more bang for your buck).

If you’re a Bejeweled fanatic, let us know below. If you’re not then check out PopCap Games’ website to find out if it peaks your interest.

If you preorder a copy of LittleBigPlanet for the PSP before it hits shelves next Tuesday, you’ll get a voucher for 6 additional Sackboy costumes.

Now you can complete Sackboy’s epic journey in some cool costumes. But not just ANY costumes, no. We’re being offered costumes that are based on Killzone:Liberation, MotorStorm Arctic Edge and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

Here’s the breakdown of the costumes from each of the games:

Uncharted 2 Character Costumes: Nathan Drake and chloe Frazer

Killzone 2: Helghast Officer and Tank Costume

MotorStorm: Arctic Edge – Lucky Jack Flynn and Candy Buzzbomb.

The offer is only available at Best Buy, Amazon, Gamestop and Gamecrazy. So if you’re a fan of LittleBigPlanet and like the PSP, check out the game. Excited? Let us know below.

PoxNora fans have alot to be happy for today. The 12th expansion pack for the turn-basted strategy game, Dire Covenant, has been released.

The new campagin introduces four encounters which take players into the mystery behind the cataclysmic events which resulted from a disastrous earthquake driving fear into the heart of every action. With 50 new abilities, 72 new runes, spells, equipment and relics there’s more for people to do! Avatars can also now reach level 40 to increase their power and bring powerful allies to the battlefield on the fully interactive world map.

So go visit the PoxNora site to check out the new content.

Gamepot (USA), Inc. is rolling out an awesome gift that will please everyone! Bright Shadow’s offical release has come.

The free-to-play MMORPG has alot to going for it: cute, anime-style characters, a rich community and imaginative monsters. The game’s Cash Shop is an area where playesr can buy stunning hairstyles, ninja gear, giant toothbrushes and more for endless customization options for their characters.

The release comes hand in hand with several holiday-themed in-game events over the next few weeks to commemorate Thanksgiving and Black Friday (with a massive sale in the cash shop).

Here’s some info on the game. Bright Shadow allows players to enter the world of Luciena, a peacful civilization that controls the mysterious properties of “Soul Power” – an entity that exists throughout every facet of the universe which can be used for good or evil. Deep within the Umbra Realm, however, evil villains seek to use the Soul Power to enslave, oppress and kill others since they believe that death is the only path to unlocking the true purpose of the Soul Power. With battle lines drawn, choose a side and fight how you please.

The game’s 100% free to play, so check it out and have a good time playing around!

Well the days has just picked up a bit!

RTL interactive Games Publishing announced that they are hosting an exclusive competition for redeem-codes for their Xbox 360 Arcade titles Ion Assault and Football Genius – The Ultimate Quiz on their facebook page.

Curious about either of the games? Well go to the RTL Games Publishing Page and become a fan and you’ll be able to learn more about the contest!

Ion Assault is a new shooter game which looks kinda cool from a visual standpoint, while Football Genius – The Ultimate Quiz is kinda self-explanatory.

So go, check out the Facebook contest and win some free codes. Let us know how you fair and what you think of the game in the comments below.

Are you a big fan of sports games like Madden, FIFA, NHL2K10, and such? Well then I bring you some goodies in time for the holiday season (don’t worry, it’s free news.) RivalSpot Sports Entertainment has announced the beta launch of RivalSpot.com, a site which seeks to enhance the social networking needed to establish connections among gamers in order to connect, compete and wager with other teams in various sport game tournaments. So get your consoles ready, because this site has promised to take console tournaments to the next level. Now if we can only get them to hold Left 4 Dead tournaments (sounds hard…but think about it).

“Long ago, the era of peace was shattered in a terrible war between rivaling nations, leaving the land of Antaloor broken and changed. The race of Orphans swore eternal service to the four elements and their deities – Maliel, the Goddess of Air; Throglyn, God of the Earth; Yatholen, God of Water; and Aziraal, God of Fire. Dark magic also grew in power over the centuries in secret, until it emerged from the shadows to seize control…”

This sets up the premise for Two Worlds II. The Dark Lord Gandohar is planning to become a God by disrupting the balance of the elements. The game promises to captivate players as they journey through Antaloor. “Two Worlds II” gives players the chance to explore Antaloor’s past and insight into the fate of a long-forgotten dynasty. To promote the game, the publisher has made a new teaser site which has more information on the game and an Ingame Story Teaser Video. Check it out!

Ijji.com, the premiere site for free to play games, has updated their logo from the circular orange to a sleek new silver logo. The change in logo may not seem like a major change, but it’s a sign that the times are a’ changin’ over at ijji.com. They’ve been pumping out alot of high quality free-to-play games lately, and this new logo is very nice fit for the intense, non-stop action that I’ve come to associate with ijji.com’s games. If you want to learn more, check out ijji’s website since it is loaded full of awesome games which I’m sure you’ll enjoy. Here’s the logo below: let us know what you think!

Star Trek Online is going to be released on Feb 2! The MMO is definitely riding on the energy of the new series while staying faithful to the original series and the expanded universe. Players will get to begin a journey through the Trekverse. The missions will force players through the depths of space, across exotic and mysterious planets and the inside of the coolest starships designed. You can captain your own ship and lead the crew through space. I can’t wait to see how the game turns out, and if I have to wait until February, so be it! If you’re excited let us know. Curious about the game and want to know more about it? Check out the official website here.

EA Sports MMA is the Mixed Martial Arts game which EA has been developing. They have just announced that Strikeforce, a world-class mixed martial arts fight promotion, will be featured in the game. Legendary mixed martial arts referee "Big John" McCarthy will preside over the in-ring action to help deliver the authentic MMA experience. EA SPORTS MMA fighter roster will feature four of the main card’s fighters, including Fedor Emelianenko, Brett Rogers, Jake Shields and Jason Miller.EA Sports MMA will be available on Xbox 360 and PS2 in 2010. For more information about the game, check out their website or follow the game on twitter.

Players should be excited! They can now acces Fallen Earth via their iPhone. The iPhone app allows playesr to have constant access to Fallen Earth and allow them to view their in-game stats, mutations and trade skills, as wel as provide access to equipped and stored items. The release is scheduled for the first part of 2010.

For those of you who don’t know what Fallen Earth is, here’s a summary of the premise: The deadly Shiva virus has decimated the population by 99%. 2156 years after the virus struck, the Grand Canyon is the last citadel of humanity. Inhabitants must choose to ally with one of the remaining factions or rally against them. You can re-build the human race or destroy it. The choice is yours. Sound interesting? Look into it!

With the iPhone app coming out, hardcore players will love the opportunity to check their stats on the go.

MACHINE Studios released its first look at the gameplay trailers for bittos+.

For those who are not familar with this game, it is a new arcade-style puzzle game.

Check out the trailers below so you can experience the trippy, multicolored puzzle packed experience (and a really cute cartoon animal)!

Capcom is really pushing for the new high-flying action game, Dark Void. They’ve just released a brand new Developer’s Diary which has the lead producer, Morgan Gray, spilling some of the game’s darkest secrets. It also shed’s light on the characters’ backstory. Never Before Seen Footage is always a plus as well!

The graphics in the video highlight Dark Void’s cinematic quality and give us a cool introduction to the main characters. The game looks like it will be mindblowing and the transition from running to jetpack looks especially cool. The clips make Dark Void look like an animated movie rather than a game, which is pretty damn cool. Check out the video for yourself and if you’re still curious, check out our preview of the game from Comic Con here.