The B.P.H.P.

Now that thanksgiving is over, I can slowly get back into doing blogging and schoolwork. Hope everyone had a good break, and hopefully unlocked a few more precious achievements!

Ok so this week we have Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for our arcade deal this week. Normally cost 400 Points, you can get the classic game for 240 points, saving you 40%:


"Dr.Eggman (AKA Dr.Robotnik) begins his zealous search for the Chaos Emeralds to fuel his new "Death Egg" contraption. One afternoon, he launches his full-scale attack on the island. Dr.Eggman imprisons all of the helpless animals of the island and turns them into mindless worker drones. Fortunately, Sonic will thwart the Doctor's plans at all costs. This time, he isn't alone, as Tails decides to aid him in the battle. Together they must locate the Chaos Emeralds before Dr.Eggman does, and put an end to this diabolical scheme."

Link To Deal- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (29 MB)

Although Pandemic is closed, the core developers are still working for EA on future games, including the Just announced Mercenaries Inc. I read about this first on Kotaku, and the game appears to be a multiplayer focused game in the Mercenaries universe.

"‘Mercs Inc’ (working title) is the latest entry in the action series first made popular by Mercenaries in 2005 and most recently by Mercenaries 2: World in Flames™. Mercs Inc will be the first Pandemic game to be developed by the studio at its new home in Playa Vista. Mercs Inc will also be the first Pandemic game released after the launch this December 8th of the award-winning World War II action-sandbox game, The Saboteur™."

I'm a big fan of the previous Mercenaries game, so this one seems like it will fit in as long as there are tons of explosions and crazy characters to control!

Source- Kotaku

Zombie Island is Here! This first downloadable content for Borderlands will cost 800 Points ($10.00):



"The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is an add-on pack for Borderlands with new enemy types, new missions, and new ... surprises. The Jakobs Corporation would like to invite you to experience the splendor of a corporate owned small town known as Jakobs Cove. Any rumors you may have heard about the "undead" walking our streets are completely preposterous and we officially deny them all. If those rumors turn out to be true simply purchase a firearm from the conveniently located Jakobs Brand Vending Machines and aim for the head. Also, would you mind saving our employees?"

Link To Content- Zombie Island (1 GB)

On Decemember 4th of 2008, I wrote this when the NXE came out with avatars:

"We Need Vault Boy Outfits. They are just so cool looking.
The NXE Avatars would look pretty cool with these Vault 101
duds on. Lets hope Microsoft and Bethesda can make this dream a reality!"

Well...come Novemember 26th, we will get Fallout 3 Avatar items!



Vault 101 Suit – 240 MS Points
Bethesda Game Studios Shirt — 80 MS Points
Fallout 3 Ringer Shirt– 80 MS Points
Vault Boy Shirt — 80 MS Points
Vault Boy Suit — 240 MS Points
Vault Boy Head — 80 MS Points



Source- Beth Blog

This week we get multiple deals for Xbox Live including 2 games and one add on. Peggle and Death Tank are both discounted, with Peggle normally priced 800 points being reduced to 400, and Death Tank normally costing 1200 can be downloaded for 800. Fable II also gets another discounted piece of content as see the Future DLC will now cost 400 points. All these deals are for one week only and exclusively for Gold Members.


"Experience the ball-bouncing, peg-busting phenomenon! Do you have what it takes to become a Peggle™ Master? Take your best shot! Conquer 55 levels with 10 mystical Magic Powers and rack up bonus points. Face off against friends in 4-player Xbox LIVE® multiplayer play, and test your skills in 75 Grand Master Challenges."

Link To Deal- Peggle Full Game (102 MB)















"Unlock the full version of Death Tank to experience all this great game has to offer! Through Xbox LIVE, up to eight tanks can simultaneously enter the arena for exciting co-op or chaotic free-for-all play! Devastating weapons and unique items give your tank unlimited destructive power. Eight separate landscapes react to tank combat, altering their shape when hit and providing an ever changing environment in which to play."

Link To Deal- Death Tank Full Game (54 MB)














"Strange new quests, new dog breeds and a vision of your future await you in this premium download. Murgo, trader of highly unusual and magical items, has returned to Bowerstone, and he has brought with him objects that will transport you to worlds and quests no Hero has ever faced before. Bring colour back to the world, dress up in creature costumes, compete in a new combat arena and find out what awaits you in Albion’s distant future. If you have the See the Future (Premium) pack and want to play co-op as normal, your co-op partner will need to download the Fable II See the Future (Free) or (Premium) pack. To enjoy the complete See the Future experience in co-op play, both players must download the See the Future (Premium) pack"

Link To Deal- Fable II See The Future (484 MB)

Tis the season for gaming, and I've been playing the latest hits! How About You?






Modern Warfare 2 has pretty much taken up all my free time, but this week I picked AC II and the way I felt in my first impression post is still true: The game is a much better version of the first one and seems to be a game with some great replayability. Modern Warfare 2 has kept me hooked as I rank up in multiplayer, and slowly but surely rack up more stars in Spec Ops mode. so far my star count is 40/69, and counting, although a few on Veteran mode are testing my patience. I'll probably be bouncing between these two throughout the weekend, so you might find me online.

Have a Good Weekend!

In Borderlands, that is. The First Downloadable Content for Borderlands will be released on November 24th for 800 points, so about 9.99 for the PlayStation Store and PC. Zombie Island is promised to contain more weapons and accessories that you won't find anywhere else, and will contain roughly 5-8 more hours of gameplay:

"Tasked with keeping the workers of Jakobs Cove alive, Dr. Ned does his job a little too well, creating zombies and other abominations that now run rampant in this region. Players will have to work alongside Dr. Ned as they embark on a quest to cure the inhabitants of Jakobs Cove in this full-fledged expansion filled with new enemies, new quests and rare loot drops. Head to Jakob's Cove and attempt to cure a zombie outbreak in this DLC expansion for Borderlands."

A new Jurassic park game is out? I haven't heard too much about this game, but there is a new demo out for it. Maybe it will be good. Check out the demo and see if you like it!


"Jurassic: The Hunted is an epic, story-driven first-person shooter set on a dark, mysterious island that connects the modern world with the age of dinosaurs. Players take on the role of Craig Dylan, a weapons and survival expert, hired to protect a research team sent to study the strange temporal energy of the island and recover whatever is left of the expedition lost on the island over twenty years earlier. Every minute is a fight for survival as Dylan must scavenge weapons, defend barricades, and battle titanic dinosaurs to return to his own time."

Link To Demo- Jurassic: The Hunted (598 MB)

I picked this game up last night after a little hesitation, but now I'm glad I did. When the original came out, I was so excited that I preordered and purchases the Limited Edition, only to find a game that looked great, but fell short of what I was expecting from it. All the repitive missions and transitions between Desmond and Altair bothered me after a few hours, but I still enjoyed the Game. Thankfully Ubisoft listened to the feedback, and almost all the problems with the first game have been addressed, and this sequel feels so much better.



While you'll still be checking out what is happening with Desmond Miles from time to time, most of the game so far has kept me in control of Ezio, another great assassin and great relative to Desmond like Altair. Ezio feels like a more developed character, with players starting out just learning the basics with him before events occur that lead to his new profession as an assassin in the Renaissance.

The controls are similar to the first game, but feel much better and more responsive, and the combat has greatly improved as well. The game is supposed to be around 18 hours, so look out for my review when I complete the game.

Kane & Lynch had some problems, but it's fun co-op mode was one the highlights of the game, and the sequel will be bringing it back and taking it online. Another intersting tidbit is that when playing alone, you will control Lynch this time instead of Kane, the calmer of the two "Dead Men". The Game will be out sometime in 2010.


Source- Kotaku

Activision has just released some amazing figures for Modern Warfare 2 that detail the number of players who logged in online, and how many hours we have logged already:

-More than 5.2 million multiplayer hours were logged playing Call of
Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the first day alone.

-More than 2.2 million unique gamers played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
2 in one day on November 10th. A new one-day record for Xbox LIVE.

-More than 11 million achievements were unlocked on Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 2 on the first day.

Wow! Congrats to Infinity Ward and us as we all probably stayed up a bit late to achieve these figures!

The Addicting Puzzle arcade game Peggle has its newest expansion, Peggle Nights, for download on Xbox Live. For 400 points you will get 60 new levels and challebges, along with new power up and trophies:


"Stay up late with the next episode of PopCap’s peg-busting phenomenon and meet the Peggle™ Masters’ nighttime alter egos. Enter a dreamscape world featuring 60 new Adventure levels, 75 new challenges, and befriend a new Peggle Master. Wield 11 Magic Powers, score new style shots, and rack up tons of bonus points. Stock your Trophy Room and prove your Peggle prowess in four game modes including four-player Xbox LIVE® multiplayer play. It’s Extreme Fever under the silver moon... catch it in Peggle Nights today!"

Link to Peggle Nights- Peggle Nights (22 MB)

The Popular Pc Strategy game will be coming out sometime next year for Xbox 360, and now there is a demo of the game to check out. The Visuals of the game are very impressive on PC, so I wonder how they translate onto the 360.


"The time is yesterday and the Cold War is in full swing. Through means devious and dubious you have seized power in the Caribbean island country of Tropico, where you now rule as the all-powerful "El Presidente". You decide whether you want to use your army to secure your power base in the best traditions of corrupt, unscrupulous tyrants everywhere or lead your people to prosperity in your role as generous elder statesman."

Link To Demo- Tropico 3 Demo (1 GB)

"Ditch your desk job and serve up some grub! Help Flo™ grow her fledgling diner into a five-star restaurant in this game of skill, speed and savvy."

Link To Demo- Diner Dash trial (62 MB)

Link To Full Game- Diner Dash (62 MB)
















"Gyromancer: A fusion of puzzle and RPG gaming. You are Rivel, a powerful mage who leads fearsome beasts into battle as he explores the depths of Aldemona Wood. Master a deep--and deeply addictive--battle system. Twelve stages of play against dozens of unique foes. The full version allows you to play all stages of the game."

Link To Trial- Gyromancer Trial (162 MB)

Link To Full Game- Gyromancer (162 MB)

Link To Map Pack (Yeah, Already!)- Gyromancer Map Pack

Xbox 360 Top LIVE Titles
1 Modern Warfare 2
2 Call of Duty 4
3 Halo 3
4 Call of Duty: WaW
5 Left 4 Dead 2 – Demo
6 GTA IV
7 Gears of War 2
8 FIFA 10
9 Halo 3: ODST
10 Madden NFL 10










Another Week, Another top 10 list! Say Hello to the New King of Xbox Live: Modern Warfare 2!! In second place is COD4 and another impressive feat for a demo this week as Left 4 Dead 2 demo is number 5 on the list. Trials HD also enjoys another week as king of XBLA. Can Modern Warfare 2 keeps it spot next week? Come back and find out!


Top Arcade Titles
1 Trials HD
2 Castle Crashers
3 SOUTH PARK LET'S GO TOWER DEFENSE PLAY!
4 Magic: The Gathering
5 Battlefield 1943
6 Hasbro Family Game Night **
7 Zombie Apocalypse
8 UNO
9 Splosion Man
10 Marvel vs. Capcom 2











Source- Major Nelson's Blog

Today marks the release of two exciting games as Assassin's Creed II and Left 4 Dead 2: Two sequels that hope to improve on what was established in their first iterations. How will do post Modern Warfare 2? I think they'll do fine either initially or increase sales during the Holiday.

I remember when Prince of Persia came out about a year ago during the holiday, and had a nice price drop. Maybe AC II will do the same so I can continue the story since I was a big fan of the first game. Anyway we get two great games to check out his week, so Have fun if you pick one or both of these up!



"Betrayed by the ruling families of Italy, a young man embarks upon an epic quest for vengeance. To eradicate corruption and restore his family's honor, he will study the secrets of an ancient Codex, written by Altaïr. To his allies, he will become a force for change - fighting for freedom and justice. To his enemies, he will become a dark knight - dedicated to the destruction of the tyrants abusing the people of Italy. His name is Ezio Auditore da Firenze. He is an Assassin."














"New from Valve® — creators of Counter-Strike®, Half-Life®, Portal™ and Team Fortress® — Left 4 Dead™ 2 is a new game that casts up to four "Survivors" in an epic struggle against hordes of swarming zombies and terrifying "Boss Infected" mutants. Are you ready for the Zombie Apocalypse?"

The Deal of the Week this time is NHL 3 on 3 Arcade. Gold Members of Xbox Live can get the for 400 points, saving 50% off the usual 800 point price tag.






















"EA SPORTS Freestyle™ welcomes you to the fast paced world of arcade hockey. From the same team that brought you NHL® 09 comes a 3 on 3 experience that throws conventional hockey, and its rules, out the window. Choose from the NHL’s top players and bring them into this no rules hockey game where big hits rule the day. The Trial Mode gives you a taste of the greatness that is 3 on 3 NHL® Arcade, to get a full bite, download the full version today. The full version offers 8 Powerups, Online Game modes, Leaderboards and Achievements."

Link To Deal- NHL 3 on 3 Arcade (181 MB)



For New XBLA Releases, Gyromancer for 1200 points and Diner Dash for 800 points:

Modern Warfare 2.....Like everyone else!







Even though Ive completed the campaign and played tons of multiplayer and Spec Ops, I just can't get enough of Modern Warfare 2. I usually stick to Team death match, but Ive been recently playing a little more Hardcore TDM since I've gotten a bit better with the sniper rifle.

Have a great weekend!!

While Japan will have the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII in December, everyone else won't have to wait much longer as the game will be released in March for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Right now for Xbox fans, if you tweet the following, you can win an Xbox Live gift for the game: "Retweet this message to help unlock an exclusive Xbox LIVE item for Final Fantasy XIII #FFXIIIXBOX http://xbox.com/ffxiii"

Put that in your tweet, and register on the Xbox website, and the gift will be unlocked in December. There is also an announcement trailer on the Dashboard, so check that out too!

Is it worth all the hype? Read the Review and find out what we think!







Modern Warfare 2 is here, and it improves upon the great formula Infinity Ward had with Call of Duty 4, and kicks things up even higher this time. From the great campaign, to the new Spec Ops mode, and the multiplayer that will be enjoyed for years, Modern Warfare 2 is ready to take over Halo as the king of online shooting on a console. This time, were going deeper and hitting harder!


Let's start off with the campaign. Don't worry, no spoilers here, just a basic overview of what it brings. Taking place roughly 5 years after COD4, Modern Warfare 2 has you controlling multiple characters in classic Call of Duty form, with most of your time being spent alongside Soap Mactavish, the playable protagonist from the first Modern Warfare, only this time he is giving you orders and has been promoted to Captain. You'll fight all over the world, and will engage in combat for many different reasons, as you try to get rid of the main antagonists and their evil motives. With Imran Zakhaev gone, his loyal follower Vladimir Makarov steps up to lead and has some plans of his own, with revenge of Zakhaev being a major priority.



The campaign is about the same length as COD4, with many great sets of intense action that almost never lets up. It's more sweet than short, and any more might throw off the careful balance between quality and quantity that Infinity Ward possess. One issue that has been addressed which everyone will appreciate is the respawning nightmare where enemies would come from everywhere and never stop until you moved up to the next area. This made playing on the higher difficulties a frustrating occasion, and thankfully it has been reduced greatly and from my time with the campaign, almost nonexistent.



Now let's talk about spec ops. To break it down, I would say its like the most high impact missions from Campaign mode, with a score system implemented and a real live buddy to help you out. Spec Ops can be played Solo, Split-screen with 2 players, and online although there is no quick match or anything, you just simply invite a friend to play and you're off. Each of these missions, about 23 in all, offer three stars to earn. Most of these stars are based on the level of difficulty you will play on, but some levels base the star on what you do. Say for instance the Snowmobile race where depending on your time, more or less stars will be awarded to you. Each mission has requirements for obtaining the stars, about 69 in total, and playing through each multiple times will help in obtaining them all and perfecting your runs to earn all the stars. There are many achievements related to Spec Ops, which makes it a great addition to Modern Warfare 2.


Last but definitely not least is the multiplayer. Its the same great experienced based multiplayer with tons of guns, perks, and ranks to unlock, but there are so many new tweaks here and there to improve upon the greatness established in Call of Duty 4. Perks can now be upgraded, so using Marathon long enough will change to Marathon Pro, and so on, which allows you to check out each perk and see what benefits are given when you upgrade them.

Many guns return to use from Modern Warfare, but there are tons of new additions that are all pretty balanced and fun to use so far. Perks and kill streaks return as well, and now there are death-streaks, which will help you get back into the groove of taking out enemies by given you quick abilities after you've died a number of times without a kill.

There's so much to enjoy in Modern Warfare 2, and the multiplayer will keep you up late as you move toward the level cap of 70, only to prestige and start over again, but there are now benefits to doing so.

Overall, its safe to say Modern Warfare 2 was worth the hype, and a great game to play over and over.









+Continuation of the Great Modern Warfare Story from COD4
+Amazing Visuals and Smooth 60fps
+Spec Ops and Multiplayer will tide you over for a long time
- A few unanswered Questions from The Story line bothered me a bit
Good or Bad?-The Multiplayer is killing my productivity!

How does it play?

A lot like COD4: Modern Warfare which is definitely not a bad thing

How long does it last?

The Campaign Mode took about 7 hours, and the multiplayer will last a very long time. People are still playing COD4, and Modern Warfare is promised to have more than DLC than COD4, so more stuff will encourage us to keep the game in our collection

Is it a buy or rent?

Well if you play online and play with friends, this is a definite yes, However if you're just a single player kind of person, It may be a rent for the great story and splitscreen spec ops and multiplayer.

I write these Reviews on Giantbomb because their system for writing and importing pictures is fun and easy. All pictures for my reviews are courtesy of the Giantbomb users that upload them. Giantbomb

Ok, Now these things are getting a little tempting. For the release of Assassin's Creed 2 next week, There are now avatar outfits of Altair and Ezio, as well as various AC Creed 2 Items to buy for your avatar. They look really, really cool, but each outfit for the Assassins are 400 points ($5.00).


























"Become a member of the Hashshashin with Altaïr's outfit."

Link To Outfit- Altair Outfit (400 Points)

























"Do you have what it takes to be an assassin? Step into the Italian Renaissance with this full body suit worn by Ezio."

Link To Outfit- Ezio Outfit (400 Points)

Assassin's Creed II Avatar Items