The B.P.H.P.

This week, there are four new Arcade games to check out! I don't think there's been that many to release yet, so there should be something for everyone to check out. One of the main attraction is no doubt the Mortal Kombat Kollection which include the first three games for only 800 MSP ($10). Check out more on these games below:







"Discover the awesomely hilarious world of Ugly Americans and stop the evil plot to bring the end of days! Play online or locally for up to 4 player co-op dual stick shooting action. Play as Leonard (the drunken wizard,) Grimes (the tough cop,) Callie (the hot demon chick,) or Mark (the lucky human) and use their special abilities and the BSU-2000 to annihilate everything in sight. Our friends at the DOI have uncovered a plot to bring about the End of Days and only you can stop it. Level up your heroes, equip them with 30 different weapons, and collect demon babies to boost your abilities as you take on hordes of demons, zombies, man birds and giant (yes giant) boss battles! Unlock a free full episode from the new season, two avatar awards and extra scenes from season 1!"

Link To Trial- Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon (875 MB)

Link To Full Game- Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon (800 MSP)




"Welcome to the sizzling sci-fi world of The Baconing! You are DeathSpank, the ultimate Dispenser of Justice. Destroy the Anti-Spank and his Cyborques, before they cast an evil shadow over Spanktopia. Explore unique locations like The Forbidden Zone and Rainbow’s End in a pop-up book adventure. Over 100 quests, exciting boss fights and puzzles. Control the battles with the Weapons of Justice, Shield Bash and Perfect Reflect. Play co-op and choose from four amazing sidekicks."

Link To Trial- The Baconing (966 MB)

Link To Full Game- The Baconing (1200 MSP)






"The Original Arcade Trilogy together for the first time in a single package, just the way you remember it. Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II and Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 enhanced with online play, leaderboards, and achievements. Maybe you were king of the arcade, but how do you stack up against the whole world?"

Link To Trial- Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (236 MB)

Link To Full Game- Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (800 MSP)




"Rock of Ages is a strategy game from ACE Team where players either defend their castle from a rolling boulder or destroy the enemy castle and defenses from the perspective of the boulder."

Link To Trial- Rock of Ages (562 MB)

Link To Full Game- Rock of Ages (800 MSP)

Twisted Pixel's next game is a Kinect affair, so if you've got a sensor, why not check out the demo for The Gunstringer!




"Twisted Pixel Games, creators of The Maw, Splosion Man and Comic Jumper, proudly present our latest original IP: The Gunstringer! We're bringing you an all-new type of Kinect game where you'll puppeteer an awesome skeleton cowboy marionette with your hands. Brace yourself for an action-packed production of gunplay on the vengeance trail!"

Link To Demo- The Gunstringer (696 MB)

The Xbox Live Deal of the Week includes some great robot/mech action. Check out all of the deals below!






"To combat second hand sales of used munitions among greedy, haggling treasure hunters on Pandora, the Hyperion Corporation have decided to activate the Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap. Instead, it has organized all of the claptraps into a revolution, and they’ve been assimilating all life on Pandora and converting them into claptraps. With our heroes caught in the middle, they must stop the Interplanetary Ninja Assassin Claptrap in order to release his control over all of Pandora’s claptraps and collect their reward, of course."

Link To Deal- New Revolution (1.35 GB/ 400 MSP)





"Minerva's Den offers a brand-new, self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you've never seen before. Seek out the tools you'll need to unlock new goals and spaces in the order you choose. Face Rapture's full range of opposition as you increase in power---a new challenge is always right around the corner. Expand your combat abilities with the experimental Ion Laser and chaotic Gravity Well Plasmid, unique to Minerva's Den. Face off against the new Lancer Big Daddy, the most advanced Protector that Rapture ever produced. Explore every shadowy corner of Minerva's Den, unraveling the mysterious past of The Thinker's inventor, and the dark secrets hidden within the unfeeling, omniscient machine he created."

Link To Deal- Minerva's Den (1.01 GB/ 400 MSP)





"Blast your way to victory as Glitch, the gun-slinging, half-ton menacing bot of Droid City. Found as scrap metal, but transformed into destructive machinery, Glitch is determined to free his people from the evil clutches of General Corrosive and his maniacal army of Mil bots. Unleash a world of pain as you annihilate the General’s sinister plan to dominate the world and salvage the robot race in Metal Arms! "

Link To Deal- Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (1.42 GB/ 800 MSP)





"When the Empire begins its reign of destruction in a thirst for natural resources, it’s up to Max Brawley, a retired Gatling Gear pilot, to stop them. Together with his niece and his trusty Gatling Gear unit he must fight his way to the heart of the Empire and eliminate the destruction at its source."

Link To Deal- Minerva's Den (1.48 GB/ 400 MSP)

When Arkham City releases this October, you'll be able to go back through with all of the upgraded moves and gadgets from your first play-through thanks to the addition of a New Game Plus mode. This is a great feature in any game, and one that will no doubt increase the replayability of the already expansive sequel to Arkham Asylum. The wait is getting pretty hard for this one!

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Game Rant

There's only a few more weeks until Gears of War 3 launches, and today Epic has announced a Season Pass for the game that will be available on the same day. The Season Pass will allow you to save on the first four DLC packs for the game by purchasing them all before availability, which will save you 33% off the packs if you were to buy them all individually.

The packs are promised to add campaign and multiplayer content, and will cost 2400 MSP ($30)

Buying the pass early will also grant you an exclusive Liquid Metal Weapon Set (Liquid Lancer Pictured Below).

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Epic Games

Dead Rising 1 & 2 are fun to explore, but you never have time to fully do so thanks to the game's strict time mechanic. You're almost always going from case to case, rushing to find survivors and psychopaths with no down time in sight. Even the original Dead Rising's Infinite mode had you rushing to gain health as your meter would deplete over time. All of that is changing with Off the Record.


Capcom has announced that Dead Rising 2: Off The Record will include a new Sandbox Mode which allows you to roam around Fortune City sans a time restraint. of an in-game clock. Besides exploring all of the new areas at your own leisure, the Sandbox mode will have have challenges placed throughout the city that will offer up extra cash to spend. These challenges will range from vehicle-based to zombie massacre type challenges.

Dead Rising: Off the Record will be available October 11th.

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Gamerzines

343 Industries is now in charge of all things Halo, and their first change will be tweaking some of the elements of Halo Reach. Key specific changes will come to the Armor Locking ability, Reticle Blooming, Enhancing the pistol to behave like the Halo: CE firearm, and Sword Blocking. From the Halo Waypoint Forums:

"Make damage bleed to health through shields possible.

Make reticle bloom configurable.

Modify Armor Lock.
• Sticky grenade will not be nullified if you use Armor Lock after being stuck.
• Damage received while in Armor Lock is transferred to remaining Armor Ability energy.
• How much the damage depletes your Armor Lock energy is configurable.

Modify Active Camo.
• Reduce the bonus time the player gets in Active Camo while standing still.
• Reduce the overall length of time the player can be in Active Camo.

Remove Sword block.
• Disable the ability to block Sword attacks using melee with anything other than another Sword.

Implement the classic Magnum from Halo: CE.

Enable playing Co-Op Campaign and Firefight without requiring a HDD."

These changes will no doubt change how we play Reach, and may meet with resistance from those who have been playing since it's launch. It's also important to note that these changes are not set in stone, and may change before the update.

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Halo Waypoint Forums

Fallout: New Vegas is set to wrap up it's story-related content this September with the release of Lonesome Road. This DLC was delayed about a month, but will be ready for download on September 20th.

Lonesome Road will tell the story of Courier Six, the man who refused to deliver the Platinum chip.

Besides Lonesome Road, Obsidian will be releasing the pre-order bonuses as two additional DLC packs on September 27th called Courier's Stash and Gun Runner's Arsenal. For 160 MSP ($2), The Courier's Stash will give you The Caravan Pack, Classic Pack, Mercenary Pack and Tribal Pack.

The Gun Runner's Arsenal will cost 320 MSP ($4) and allows you to increase the range of unique weapons, mods, ammo types.

Look for this New Vegas Content starting September 20th!

The Summer of Arcade may be over, but that doesn't stop the games from coming. This week there are three new arcade games to check out, including Street Fighter III: Online Edition. For more details on each one, look down below!

"Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition, one of the most revered, deep, and sophisticated fighting games of all time, now takes the battle online. Fighting game fans new and old owe it to themselves to experience this mastery of 2D fighting. Throw down with enhanced HD-filtered graphics, arcade-perfect gameplay, GGPO seamless multiplayer, YouTube™ replay sharing, new art, and more. It’s time you realized it’s the third strike that counts. "

Link To Trial- Street Fighter III: OE (702 MB)

Link To Full Game- Street Fighter III: OE (1200 MSP)



"Hundreds of totally wacky chain reactions are just waiting to be created! Experience the latest chapter in the international, multi award-winning Crazy Machines series: “Elements”. This time with next gen visuals! Put your grey matter to the test by carrying out zany experiments. Build crazy machines from everyday objects and bizarre components. Use the elements (fire, water and wind) to discover all the fantastic possibilities available to you! Use the cloud machine and generate lightning, tornadoes and rain to complete your chain reactions; real physics will simultaneously be your best ally and your toughest enemy. 100 puzzles will get your brain buzzing, and the in-built editor and lots of new level packs will provide the puzzle fodder. Play in Challenge mode and find out who can make the coolest machine out of you and your friends. Get Crazy Machines Elements and become a nutty professor! Your lab awaits you..."

Link To Trial- Crazy Machines Elements (328 MB)

Link To Full Game- Crazy Machines Elements (800 MSP)




"The Hole In The Wall game brings all the wild and crazy fun of the international TV phenomenon straight to your Xbox 360 Kinect to play solo or with friends. You become a human puzzle piece as you contort to fit through wacky shapes that are cut out into themed walls hurtling towards you. Try to pass your body through the wall to boost your score, or you’ll be pushed straight into the water below! Play through different “show” levels in single or multi player modes (up to 4 competitors), or see if you can handle the challenge of “survival” mode as you attack wall after wall until you drop!"

Link To Trial- Hole in the Wall (337 MB)

Link To Full Game- Hole in the Wall (800 MSP)

Today marks the release of the 360 version of the Rezurrection map pack, which features all of the World At War Zombies maps as well as the brand new Moon Map. The pack will cost 1200 MSP ($15), and the Moon map is free for those who purchased the Hardened or Prestige edition of Black Ops. Everyone who buys the pack will also receive a theme for the dashboard and the soundtrack to the Zombie maps. For those that want some free fun today, you can check out the demos for NHL 12 and Warhammer® 40,000®: Space Marine.

Check out all this cool stuff below!




"ENGLISH VERSION: Lift off into the latest Zombies epic with "Rezurrection," the new content pack for "Call of Duty: Black Ops," and the first to launch players into space! Old school Zombies strategies get blown out of the airlock in "Moon," where armed with new perks and a space-age arsenal of weapons, our heroes must overcome undead astronauts and fluctuating gravity as they unearth conspiracies that began in 1943. Rounding out Rezurrection are the 4 maps that spawned the Zombie phenomenon: "Nacht der Untoten," "Verrückt," "Shi No Numa" and "Der Riese.""

Link To Content- Rezurrection: Pack 4 [EN] (1.15 GB/ 1200 MSP)




"Download the Space Marine Demo and step fearlessly into the heart of combat as Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, unleashing visible violent death against the enemies of mankind in the first 3rd person action shooter set in the dark future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Storm into battle and use a combination of the most lethal ranged and melee weapons against the feral Orks and insidious forces of Chaos. Experience the awe inspiring landscapes and immense battles of the Warhammer 40,000 universe."

Link To Demo- Warhammer 40K: Space Marine (1.50 GB)




"Experience the glory of becoming a legend with NHL® 12 by shattering the records of some of the greatest to ever play the game, including Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe, and more. Playing as a legend or with your created pro, earn time on the ice with stellar play, big hits, and spectacular goals, then simulate the action to your next shift so you’re always on the ice. The franchise that has won 22 Sports game of the year awards brings to life the skill, aggression, and authenticity of hockey with the all-new Full Contact Physics Engine, Anticipation AI, the NHL Winter Classic®, Be a Pro revamped and Dynamic Goalies."

Link To Demo- NHL 12 Demo (1.34 GB)

Bloody, Scary Wonderland.


It's been 10 years since the original Alice game was introduced to players on the PC, and now it is finally time to help Alice discover the truth about her family's deaths. American Mcgee returns to create a new game for Alice fans, and using the technology of today, he and his team have done a great job of presenting Alice to a new group of players.



In the start of Madness Returns, Alice finds herself in an bind as she attends therapy to help cope with her madness and nightmares when she gets whisked away to the remains of Wonderland. With the help of her ally the Cheshire Cat, Alice sets out to find the truth and stop her worries of the past. The game's length is surprisingly for a single player game and also includes a New Game+ option which will give you all your upgrades from the get go.

The way this game plays at least to me felt pretty similar to the first Darksiders game, which is pretty cool since that game has some Zelda elements to it. In Alice you can focus on foes one at a time if you wish, as well as using different weapons that inflict damage on multiple enemies.

When you get too overwhelmed from the onslaught of enemies, Alice can go into Hysteria mode, where she will be invincible for a small period of time, giving you an edge to go after the tougher enemies while in this mode. The game's difficulty level may range for players, but I was able to complete the game with only about 10 deaths, so dying is less of a frustration compared to other games out there.




The World of Madness Returns is very colorful when it needs to be, and then can become darkened to adjust to where you are in the game. Traversing through each level will also find Alice changing her attire, something that you can change if you wish in the main menu. Music and voice-overs are nice as well, and have some catchy tunes and dialogue.




Overall, Madness Returns was a surprisingly lengthy game with plenty of incentive to go through again with the New Game + option. Players who pick up the game new can also receive a copy of the original game to play, so you're basically getting two games in one. If you were a fan of Alice a decade ago, it's time again to welcome her madness.








Developer- Spicy Horse

Publisher- Electronic Arts

Pictures for my reviews are courtesy of the Giantbomb users that upload them as well as images from xbox.com. Giantbomb Xbox.com

Konami has announced that the Xbox 360 will also be recieving the Silent Hill HD Collection. The HD pack that includes Silent Hill 2 & 3 was originally announced as a PS3 exclusive, but fan feedback has changed that. Go fans!

The Silent Hill HD collection will be out September/October of this year.

Last week there was a single player demo Driver San Francisco, and today you and your friends can check out the multiplayer portion. Check it out below:


"As Detective John Tanner, discover the open world of San Francisco in over 200 exciting missions, on 210 miles of roads with over 120 licensed cars, including iconic muscle cars. Compete against other drivers in 19 frantic Multiplayer Modes including Co-op & Leaderboard challenges. Rock yourself and get the first place at qualifying sessions Challenge other players on 2 of our breathtaking competitive modes: - Tag: Touch the tagged vehicle to get tag, and keep it as long as you can to score - Trail Blazer: Follow the yellow vehicle and battle to stay in the trails to score"

Link To Demo- Driver San Francisco (898 MB)

The Summer of Arcade 2011 concludes this week with Toy Soldiers: Cold War. The original game was very fun, so I'm sure this one will only add to what made Toy Soldiers great to play. Toy Soldiers: Cold War will set you back 1200 MSP ($15). Check out more below:


"The Cold War is decided when ‘80s era action toys come alive and wage war! Toy Soldiers: Cold War blends intense first person combat with addictive action strategy, whether you’re scrapping solo or jumping into the fray with friends. Battle in campaign, competitive, co-op modes or fight for the highest score in mini-games!"

Link To Trial- TS: Cold War (945 MB)

Link To Full Game- TS: Cold War (1200 MSP)

Codemasters has released a demo of their upcoming game on the Xbox Live Marketplace called Body Count. It looks pretty neat, so check it out when you can!




"Fall in love with firepower as Bodycount blasts intense arcade firefights from both barrels, in a full mission from the single player campaign. Shred enemies and cover, perform skill kills and chain combos as you hunt the mysterious ‘Target’ who operate under the cover of civil warzones. With co-op modes and competitive online modes available in the full game, carve your own wave of destruction through open-ended levels."

Link To Demo- Body Count (1.45 GB)

The Summer of Arcade 2011 is almost over, but the fun continues with Fruit Ninja Kinect. This is the iPod game you may have played before, but has been made to fully support Kinect and is the only 800 MSP ($10) game for the Summer of Arcade. Check out more below:


"YOU are the ninja! The worldwide gaming phenomenon Fruit Ninja has now arrived for Kinect! Your arms are now blades, and the epic battle against the world's most delicious produce is just beginning. Fruit Ninja Kinect is an amazing evolution of the slice-em-up genre created by Halfbrick, utlising next-gen power for the juiciest combat ever! With Classic, Zen and the frenetic Arcade Mode, Fruit Ninja Kinect includes all the action you know and love with precision control - along with special features exclusive to Kinect! With Party Mode, multiple players can turn a normal night into a fierce tournament - and the new Challenge system will reveal the true masters among your friends!"

Link To Trial- Fruit Ninja Kinect (140 MB)

Link To Full Game- Fruit Ninja Kinect (800 MSP)

Become the Kid. Restore the Bastion.


Bastion was the start of the 2011 Summer of Arcade, and is one of the finest Arcade games out there. With a great story and excellent visuals, the premier game from Supergiant Games really delivered on everything it promised.



What makes Bastion stand out is the Audio. Throughout your adventure, your actions will be narrated by another character in the game named Rucks. From your weapon load-out to the actions you make, Rucks will be there commenting on the moves you'll make as the Kid. The only other game I can think of having something like this was Crackdown, but that announcer slowly began to annoy, but fortunately Rucks never does.

The story in the game is very interesting as well. After the calamity, the game's type of Apocalypse, the Kid awakes and finds himself to a place called the Bastion. When he arrives he is greeted by Rucks who explains that there is a way to fix what has happened with the help of shard scattered throughout. Once the shards are found, you must take them back to the Bastion. Of course things are not that simple, so expect about 5+ hours of finding out the truth. The game's length is fine to me, and you can even restart with a New Game+ and go through with your upgraded weapons and skills.



Aside from the visuals and audio, Bastion's gameplay is top-notch. Combat is fun and allows for experimentation with the nice arsenal you'll have at your dispoal, and every weapon you'll find can be upgraded to deliver even more damage to your foes. The enemies are all varied as well, so finding the right combination is key when facing the various enemies in Bastion.

What I like about Bastion is that is a new experience that feels familiar. It reminds me of classic Action/RPGs like Secret of Mana, but is also benefited with unique elements like the addition of a narrator.




Bastion is well worth the 1200 MSP it asks for and really stands out in the XBLA crowd. The story, visuals, and gameplay are great, as well as the audio and narrated story.

With Bastion, Microsoft saved the best for first in it's Summer of Arcade line-up.








Developer- Supergiant Games

Publisher- WB Games Inc.

Pictures for my reviews are courtesy of the Giantbomb users that upload them as well as images from xbox.com. Giantbomb Xbox.com

Today there are two new demos added to the Xbox Live Marketplace: Madden 12 and Driver San Francisco. Be sure to play Driver and get warmed up to play with friends, as the multiplayer demo will be out next week.


"DRIVER SAN FRANCISCO returns to deliver new innovation in open-world and authentic urban driving. Racing through the iconic streets of San Francisco in over 130 muscle and super cars, players take on intense driving missions and challenges that revolve around one thrilling manhunt. As a 14M unit brand, DRIVER brings instant audience recognition and excitement to Ubisoft’s first DRIVER title for next-gen through innovative features, an immersive storyline, and intense action-driving."

Link To Demo- Driver San Francisco (752 MB)




"Madden NFL 12 continues the rich tradition of the storied franchise by bringing fans closer to the NFL than ever before. Featuring all 32 teams, stadiums, and your favorite players, Madden NFL 12 is True to the Game. Whether battling your rivals on the couch or online, leading your favorite team to the Super Bowl in Franchise mode, or building the ultimate dream team in Madden Ultimate Team, Madden NFL 12 is True to the NFL, True to the Franchise, True to the Game."

Link To Demo- Madden NFL 12 (1.53 GB)