Hi There!
My Gamertag is silver DewSky, and you can usually find me on XBL or writing stuff here on my blog.
I like to write reviews, and post gaming news content, although I try to keep the news to a paragraph or so.
Titled "Movie Mania", these deals are based on films and all items are 50% off. Prince of Persia Classic is 400 MSP, Transformers 2 Character and Map Pack Plus is 400 MSP and Watchmen: The End is Nigh available for 800 MSP.
"Escape from Jaffar's dungeon and save the Princess! Prince of Persia is a high-definition 3D adventure platformer based on the original 1989 hit."
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen gets BIGGER with new characters, maps, achievements and Expert mode. Enter battle in single player and multiplayer with 11 new characters from the movie & Generation One series. Three new multiplayer maps take the online battle to new locations. Expert mode makes the single player campaigns more challenging for experienced users – including new leaderboards."
"The lines between good and evil have been blurred and crime and terror run rampant in the streets. The alleys, rooftops, and sewers are crawling with criminals and brutal gangs. And now, Underboss—in a daring escape—has broken out of prison and is ruling with vicious darkness. The city is in need of saviors and only masked hero vigilantes answer the call. Answer the call in Watchmen: The End Is Nigh."
Red Dead Redemption takes what we love from the Grand Theft Auto franchise and applies it to a world that is unfamiliar and largely untapped in the world of videogames. Serving as a spiritual successor to Red Dead Revolver, Redemption takes place in the early 1900's where the government is just starting to form and establish itself in a place where it is not uncommon to be killed for your possessions or just for sport by ruthless outlaws. John Marston is a man on a mission: save his family and escape his past once and for all and the only way to get this done is by taking out his old Gang for the government.
It's not by choice he wants to do this, as the beginning of the game explains why he must take up his guns again, but the roughly 25-hour adventure will come to explain exactly why the government gets on Marston's case. No one does a character driven story like Rockstar, and this game even rivals the excellent adventure that was GTA IV, and one game action fans will not want to miss. The Characters you will come across all have distinct personalities and goals, and they are all brought to life with some excellent voiceover work by the game's cast. The presentation is top notch in Redemption and the story, music, sound effects, and gameplay all come together to give you a fully immersive experience in a time period that was one of the world's deadliest.
The gameplay structure from Grand Theft Auto is still intact here: you will go to a marker, meet a eccentric character, and carry out a favor for them in order the information you need to track down your old comrades. Most missions will require you to kill, so nothing new there, but the way it is carried out feels great with some additions like Dead-Eye, the enhanced bullet time mechanic used to a great degree in this game, the weapons of this time period, and the lasso. Used for hauling in wanted outlaws and capturing wild horses, the lasso takes full advantage of the RAGE engine and allows enemies to be dragged realistically behind you when on horseback, and will eventually die after a while since being dragged through rocks and tracks is probably quite painful.
Even though the game takes place in the Wild West, you can still be accountable for the things you do. Killing an innocent or lawman will bring a bounty to your head, with it gradually increasing depending on the carnage you dish out. To pay off a bounty, you can simply go to a location and pay it off, use a pardon letter given to you by a Marshall, or receive jail time depending on what you did. Neglect to pay it off, and Bounty Hunters will begin their quest to hunt you down. What's great about this Wanted system is that as long as you have a bounty, people won't forget what you did and will alert the authorities depending on your Bounty amount.
The similarities with GTA end when it comes to the horse gameplay in Redemption. All horses you ride have a stamina meter, and will kick you off if you push them too much. Riding involves balancing out when to speed up and let them rest, while maintaining a nice speed to get across the vast land. Speaking of that, the world in Redemption is huge and can be compared to the amount of exploration seen in games like Oblivion and Fallout 3, with unique areas of buildings, people, and animals to find. Speaking of animals, they can prove to be even a greater threat than a man with a gun. You'll come across bears waiting to claw you apart, snakes hiding in the grass, cougars ready to pounce any threat, and many more across your adventure. Hunting these animals and skinning them will give you items to sell at general stores in town, and their additional in Multiplayer is even more fun.
Multiplayer consists of games like capture the bag, Gang Shootout, and Free for all, but the star of the show is Free-Roam. In free roam mode, the entire single player world is available to be explored with up to 16 players, and up to 8 in your very own posse. Challenges fill free roam with things to do, and will garner experience points to level up your character, with a max level of 50, and will give you rewards like new titles above your head, better weapons, and new mounts to ride. Free Roam serves as the gateway to the more traditional multiplayer modes, but you may find yourself like me enjoying Free-Roam more than those modes. There are a plethora of characters to choose from as your player, and all have different hilarious taunts they talk about.
There's a lot to like about this game, and one of the newer 60 dollar titles that truly has a great amount of re-playability already on the disc without dlc, that Rockstar is working on already and the first one will be free! The mini-games all feel great, and the unlockable outfits for Marston come with certain benefits that help you throughout the world of Redemption. Overall, this is Rockstar's greatest game in my opinion and the best western game to date.
Developer- Rockstar San Diego/ Rockstar North
Publisher- Rockstar Games
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
Limbo is an independently developed puzzle adventure game making it’s way to Xbox LIVE arcade this summer. From the trailer below you can see the moody atmosphere and small elements of the game that show a little boy facing some dangerous obstacles in front of him. It looks pretty interesting so far, and I’ll definitely have to check it out when arrives in a month or two.
The Insurgency Map Pack for Conviction's Multiplayer is Here. Four new maps are available across the deniable ops mode and includes a few more achievements as well. Check out more details below:
"The critically acclaimed multiplayer mode is back and takes aim at Xbox LIVE with 4 new Deniable Ops maps."
Doom II, Voodooo Dice, and Ben 10 are here to play. Yeah, I'm just hearing about Ben 10 as well. All three games will cost 800 MSP, so three games for a reasonable price. Check them out:
"To save Earth, you must descend into the stygian depths of hell. Battle nastier, deadlier demons and monsters with your trusty Super Shotgun. Survive more mind-blowing explosions and take part in the bloodiest, fiercest, most awesome blastfest ever. Recruit your friends and plow through 9 all-new levels in the new episode, No Rest for the Living! Play solo or multiplayer over Xbox LIVE with up to 4 players. DOOM II for XBLA includes split screen co-op over Xbox LIVE, Game clips, 5.1 Surround Sound, enhanced graphics, and HD display support."
"Mixing action based and puzzle mechanics in a 3D world, Voodoo Dice is an innovative, challenging puzzler that plays with your mind to lead you to solve puzzles in unique and interesting ways. There are no refunds for this item."
"Ben 10 Alien Force: The Rise of Hex follows Ben Tennyson as he finds himself in the middle of Hex’s villainous plan to control the Earth. Utilizing the powers of the Omnitrix, players can transform Ben into ten different alien forms including, Big Chill, Spider Monkey, and for the first time ever, Lodestar, as he battles Hex and his minions. Choose from 10 different aliens to platform your way through 15 levels completing puzzle challenges along the way. Fight through menacing villains and bosses in Ben’s newest adventure. Experience the world of Ben 10 Alien Force with 3D characters set in a vibrant, 2D-styled environment. There are no refunds for this item."
The full version of Green Day Rock Band will be out next month and fans can check out a demo of it now, which apparently will expire in July, so download it while you can:
"Experience Green Day like never before - as part of the band. Perform guitar, bass, drums, vocals (including 3-part harmonies) using the award-winning Rock Band technology. There are two songs available in this demo. Demo expires on July 13th."
The Deals of the week this time are some pretty cool avatar related games games. The first is Lazy Raiders, Band of Bugs, Madballs, and indie game Avatar Wars: Snowball fight. Besides these games, select avatar props are being discounted as well. All the games are 50%, so get a few and enjoy using your avatar while saving some Points! Check out more below:
"Dr. Diggabone's getting too old for archaeological digs, or so he says. But truth be told, he’s just plain lazy… Unlock the Full Game and send the Doctor or your Xbox LIVE Avatar on a gravity-defying quest through 75 mazes by spinning and flipping the world. Beware those thieves, minions and traps, though. Without any challenge, you'd just grow lazy… and we wouldn’t want that, now would we?"
"Single Player, Xbox LIVE Multiplayer 2-8, 5.1 Surround Sound, HD (High Definition). Play as your Avatar and fight against bugs, spiders, even up to seven of your friends in Spider Hunter mode. Band of Bugs is a fast playing, accessible, tactics strategy game that puts YOU in the game! Gameplay is deep enough for established fans of the tactics genre, but friendly enough to appeal to casual gamers as well."
"Unlock the entire epic campaign and open your world to mass-carnage multiplayer arenas and crazy co-op challenges. Test your mettle with dozens of different game modes, weapons, characters and abilities that will give you limitless gameplay!"
"Snowball+Avatars+LIVE Multiplay+Winter Classical Songs+Falling Snow+Flashing Lights+Powerups+ YOU = Exciting Snowball Fight! Start your fight now in Arcade, LIVE Multiplay, Versus and Survival game mode! Don't forget to check out the customizable screensaver and the secret mode! Get more points to enter the ranking tables and unlock new items!"
Halo 3's online multiplayer beta reached about 800,000 players when it was available before the game's launch. Halo Reach far surpassed that number with 2.7 million players accessing the beta via ODST or redemption codes and tallied up a kill count of over 1 Billion in the 2 week beta. Bungie's plans are now to take our feedback and complete the retail game which is set to arrive September 14th.
I really enjoyed the multiplayer and can't wait for the full release, but I'm actually more excited to see how the Campaign will be.
This week another pair of games will be released to Xbox LIVE. Voodoo Dice is an puzzle action game published by Ubisoft, and Doom II is the classic shooter from Id making it's way to XBLA like it's predecessor. Both games will be 800 MSP when they arrive this week. Check out more details below:
"Roll the dice in a mystical world filled with exploration, puzzle solving, and adventure. Voodoo Dice is an innovative puzzler that challenges you to solve puzzles in unique and interesting ways in a quest to conquer the voodoo universe. Experience an endless variety of game play with 60 single-player levels, 20 multiplayer levels, and four multiplayer modes including Race Mode, Flag Mode, Tactic Mode, and Arcade Mode. Voodoo Dice will win you over with its immersive gameplay and countless hours of Voodoo fun"
"After the events of Doom, Hell has found it's way to Earth. The last living scientists develop a plan to evacuate what's remaining of the human race with enormous space ships. Unfortunately, the Demons have taken control of the only spaceport, and it's up to you to take it back."
Look out for Voodoo Dice and Doom II this Wednesday! (May 26th)
Microsoft's flagship title is no doubt the fable series. Fable I appeared on PC as a special edition, but Fable II was not available for the console. But Microsoft has confirmed today that Fable III will be arriving to 360 and PC when it ships this fall. PC gamers can pick up the title for 49.99, and 360 for 59.99, but the Console only special edition will be 79.99.
From Kotaku: "Retailing for $79.99, the Collector's Edition of Fable III comes packed with all sorts of goodies to help you immerse yourself in your role as the king or queen of Albion.
Inside a box styled after a book from Fable III you'll find a pack of playing cards featuring characters from the game, and a "Guild Seal" coin with a good and evil side, perfect for those who prefer to leave important decisions up to fate.
Purchasing the Collector's Edition also gives players access to several pieces of downloadable content. There's an exclusive region to explore; a new quest that takes players deep into the forest to recover the fabled sword Wolfsbane; access to the Boxer dog breed; and an exclusive outfit from the lands of Aurora."
Seems like a cool edition, but I might just stick with the regular version. But those cards look pretty cool!
This weekend I plan on playing some more of Red Dead Redemption since I'm pretty hooked on that and stop for a bit to play the backbreaker demo. I've actually been playing a ton more free roaming multiplayer than singleplayer in red dead, but the missions I have played in the story are really well put together.
I Hope everyone has a great weekend of fun and relaxing gaming!!
The Euphoria powered football game from Natural Motion will be released soon, and now there is a demo for the 360 to check out. PS3 Users will be able to get the demo Tuesday. This game has been most talked about due to the physics engine used by GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption and looks like a pretty neat alternative to Madden:
"Play hard, hit harder! Get on the field and into the action like no other football game. Experience the power of Backbreaker now!"
UFC Undisputed 2010 will join the EA sports games as it will require $5 to play online if you don't purchase a new copy of the game. From the previews of the game out there, it seems like the online component will be a huge part in the game so the only way to get into the action will be to buy new and get the code free, or pay half the price of what EA will charge for the online pass.
The first look at Black Ops was pretty brief as many scenes were shown in the game trailer went by very quickly. But now there is an longer look uncut version of the trailer you can view below or download in HD for your 360. Accompanying the trailer is a free theme you can download for your Xbox as well. Check them out!
Metal Slug XX and Aqua are here! Check them out below:
"Breaking onto the scene, it’s the first code name title since “Metal Slug X”! Joining the fight are the familiar four warriors Marco, Tarma, Eri and Fio, backed by two allies from "The King of Fighters": Ralf and Clark. In addition to including a total of 7 multi-path stages, this ultimate 2D action shooting masterpiece includes elements like “Combat School” loaded with more than 70 missions."
"Get the full game now and try your guns in the epic campaign of explosive steampunk naval warfare! Follow the story of captain Benjamin Grey and his trusted fellow engineer Polly Edison in their struggle to save the Aqua world from a treacherous conspiracy, pulling the strings behind a massive conflict of two rivaling naval empires... Try out new ship types, weapons and upgrades and perfect your tactical skills with four different squad types. The full game also contains single-console multiplayer cooperative and competitive modes on six different maps."
The Epic Western from Rockstar is finally here! So far it feels like it was worth all the hype and my hour with the game has been pretty awesome. I played a little of the single player and met a few major characters to work for that are all pretty interesting. The controls feel solid and riding on a horse is smooth and fun. The visuals are great as well with a huge draw distance and basically everyplace you see you can go. Multiplayer free-roaming is awesome, and with friends to hang out with while in a posse and gaining Xp will probably lead to some late nights of gaming. Look out for a review in the near future!
Splinter Cell: Conviction has been getting a free item each week, but now Ubisoft is ready to release some premium content for Deniable Ops with the Insurgency Pack, four new maps featuring the docks of San Francisco, a New Orleans cemetery, a prison in Portland, and a hidden research complex in Salt Lake City.
The Pack will arrive May 27, and will also add 250 achievement points to obtain. Look out for it next week!
Although the Gears of War 3 buzz is starting to build, Epic hasn' forgotten about supporting their middle Gears title as Gears of War recieves another title update that adds social matches and fixes some more exploits. Check out some highlights below:
Improvements
-Adds a new public multiplayer match option called Social Xbox LIVE (aka player matches), open to anyone who owns all downloadable maps
-You can join Social Matches in progress and can quit any time without penalty, although players who quit a match early don’t receive earned experience (XP) from that match.
-Social matchmaking lets your party join a match in progress. If a match is not found, your party hosts a new match, filling any empty player slots with bots.
-Social Matches automatically cycle to the next map without further matchmaking. Teams are rebalanced between matches based on XP level without splitting parties.
-If you quit, your spot is taken by a bot until a new player joins the match. That new player can join while the match is in progress.
-If you join a match in progress, you are assigned a team based on XP level and party size.
-If you join a match in progress, you replace a bot at the earliest opportunity: at the first bot’s death for respawning game types (for example, Annex) and at round completion for Warzone, Execution, and Wingman.
-Before the match begins, teams are balanced based on XP without splitting parties. Renames Private Matches to Custom Xbox LIVE Matches and makes these matches invite-only.
-Adds the ability to join Horde sessions that are in progress.
Exploit Fixes
-Title Update 6 fixes these other issues as well: An issue that could cause your profile to be overwritten, erasing XP level, and achievement progress.
-An issue that could cause a campaign save slot to be overwritten if you previously chose to continue without saving and then signed in.
The first game to require the EA online pass now has a demo to check out. The Tiger Woods 11 demo is fortunately free to play so no need for a pass this time. Check it out below:
"Lead your team to glory with Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 11. Fight for honor, fight for country in the all-new Ryder Cup Challenge on the spectacular Twenty Ten Course at The Celtic Manor Resort, home to the 2010 Ryder Cup. Create your own team and take on others in 12 vs 12 online team play. Strategize and focus your game as you feel the intensity of the PGA TOUR season and explore the all new True Aim mode as you play from the perspective of a real-life pro."
