New Xbox Live Arcade Releases for July 27, 2011

by Jose Martinez

Rated E 10+ | Demo-FREE | Full Game-1200MS

 Discover a unique Modern God game where nature is the star: From Dust, the latest original concept by Eric Chahi, visionary creator of Another World. Behold the beauty of a primitive world pulsing with life and face the might of nature. Beware the danger of a world that is constantly changing under your command. Control the destiny of a tribe struggling to survive and help it recover its ancestors’ lost powers. Immerse yourself in a world as exotically beautiful as it is dangerous. A universe where Nature reclaims what is Hers; and you are your people’s only chance of survival.

Also available this week are some great add-ons for your excising library:

Dragon Age II Leagacy DLC | 800MS | July 26th, 2011

Homefront, the Rock Map Pack DLC | 400MS | July 28th, 2011

Getting to the Core of Windows Phone Mango

by Jose Martinez

With the Mango update now so close one can taste it, Windows Phone is looking better than ever.  At this last week's conference, Microsoft announced the completion of the Mango code and began releasing it for testing.  This solidifies the previously stated Fall release of this ambitious software update.  Not only is Microsoft releasing new hardware to support this shinny new OS upgrade, but they boast all Windows Phone 7 models that are out now will also be able to run it without a hitch.  If you are one of those who thought you would never like a Windows phone because they don't offer enough features, Microsoft is challenging you with a robust 500 new features to add to what it already offers.  Here are some of the new goodies that have been released so far, with many more to come for this unique OS:

> Easier communications, with features such as:

New Group Messaging Options

Threads. Switch between text, Facebook chat, and Windows Live Messenger within the same conversation.

Groups. Group contacts into personalized Live Tiles to see the latest status updates and quickly send a text, email or IM to the whole group, right from the Start screen.

Deeper social network integration. Twitter and Linked In feeds are now integrated into contact cards. There’s also built-in Facebook check-ins, and new face detection software that makes it easy to quickly tag photos and post to the web.

Linked Inbox. See multiple email accounts in one linked inbox. Conversations are organized to make it easy to stay on top of the latest mail.

Hands-free messaging. Built-in speech-to-text and text-to-speech support enables hands-free texting or chatting.

> A smarter approach to apps, with features such as:

App Connect. See apps in search results and hubs such as Music + Videos and Pictures. App Connect works with Marketplace, so results include both apps already on your phone and new apps to download.

Improved Live Tiles. Live Tiles are more dynamic and can hold more information—making it easier to get real-time info from apps without having to open them.

Multitasking. Apps can now run in the background while preserving battery life and performance. You can also quickly switch between open apps.

Bing Local Scout

> Going beyond the browser, with features such as:

Internet Explorer 9. The power of a PC-browser plus support for HTML5 and hardware-accelerated graphics.

Bing. Bing on Windows Phone offers more ways to search the web with voice and music search and Bing Vision, which uses your phone’s camera to look up product info.

Local Scout. Provides hyper-local search results and recommends nearby restaurants, shopping and activities in an easy to use guide powered by Bing.

Quick Cards. Handy summaries of relevant info from Bing (including related apps) for products, movies, events or place you search for.

> Improved Music + Videos experience

-Podcasts (browse and download)

-Smart DJ

-Better-organized Marketplace search results

-Music + Videos Hub improvements

                -Improved History and New

                -Better mini-playback control

                -New lock-screen options

                -New artist wallpapers

                -Better playback controls

                -Better artist images

                -More playback info

                -More playback options

                -New playlist option

                -Better data management

                -More video options

> Xbox LIVE enhancements

 -See your played games and unlocked/locked achievements

-Compare Achievements with other Xbox LIVE members

-Search your list of friends to see who is online and what they are doing

-See your Xbox LIVE messages and Send/Accept/Reject friend requests

> New SkyDrive features

 -Share photos stored on SkyDrive via email, text, or IM

-Share your videos on SkyDrive

-Browse your documents stored on SkyDrive

-Search your SkyDrive documents

> New languages, phones, and app stores

Apps will be available to more people around the world, and  Mango will support languages including Chinese (simplified and traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Swedish.

New Releases for July 26th 2011

by Jose Martinez

Today sees the release of a game that I've been waiting for among others.  The newest release from Atlus is a strange tale of love called Catherine.  If you haven't tried the demo yet, give this strange adventure a try and see if it doesn't suck you right in.

Sytems-Playstation 3, Xbox 360Rated M (Mature) | Developer-Atlus | Publisher-Atlus |
Genre-Action & Adventure, Strategy & Simulation, Puzzle & Trivia

Explore the pleasures and horrors of love as Vincent, a man with a hard choice to make: marry his longtime girlfriend Katherine or move on to the incredible blonde he just woke up next to—named Catherine! But beware! Make the wrong choice, and you could end up dead. Delving into themes of free will, and the delicate nature of relationships and the choices we make within them, this action-adventure/puzzle game is an experience wholly unlike any to come before it.

Also releasing today:

Rated T (Teen) Publisher-Ignition Ent. Developer-Ignition Tokio Genre-Action

Rated T (Teen) Publisher-Ignition Ent. Developer-Ignition Tokio Genre-Action

Rated T (Teen) Publisher-EA Developer-The Sims Studio Genre-Simulation

Rated E for Everyone Publisher-Ubisoft Developer-Land Ho! Genre-Dance

Rated E For Everyone Publisher-Easy Interactive Developer-Easy Interactive Genre-Puzzle

Rated E 10+ Publisher-Namco Bandai Developer-Namco Bandai Genre-Action

Black Dynamite the Animated Series Pilot is Announced

by Jose Martinez

Black Dynamite the Animated Series | Debut August 8th on Adultswim.com

Don't mess with Black Dynamite

Okay, I try not to blog on the weekends, but I saw this and my head nearly exploded!  [Adult Swim] has announced that they are showing the pilot episode of Black Dynamite the Animated Series on August 8th on Adultswim.com, with the series launching in 2012.  If the series is able to portray all the Blacksploitation classic goodness of the film with the same clever writing, love,  and hilariously ridiculous scenes of badassery, it should be a force to be reckoned with.  If you missed the film, quit being a turkey and check it out on the Netflix instant queue.  Then prepare for the pilot and whet your whistle with the launch trailer as you count down the two weeks for this bad mutha to unleash.  Don't be no sucka and miss this one

Capcom Unveils New Character For Street Fighter X Tekken

by Jose Martinez

Capcom seems to be stealing a lot of attention during this year's San Diego Comic-Con.  One of the latest headlines is about Street Fighter X Tekken.  During the show they unveiled the reveal of a new playable character, Poison.  As a character that hasn't been playable since 1999's Final Fight, this is just her second playable gaming appearance.  Here is the Comic-Con trailer:

Sourse: Capcom Euro Channel

HALO Anniversary Pre-Order Bonuses Revealed

by Jose Martinez

HALO Combat Evolved Anniversary | Publisher-Microsoft | Developer-343 StudiosGenre-Shooter | Release-11.15.2011 on Xbox 360

Is getting an HD remake of the Xbox original classic HALO: Combat Evolved cool enough?  343 says almost, but here's something extra to sweeten the pot:  How about some sweet pre-order bonuses to go with your classic remake?  On the HALO Waypoint news, 343 announced some new incentives to get your pre-order and give you rewards both on and off the game.  I'm a sucker for this stuff, so you can count me in!  Here are the details from the site:

"Master Chief Avatar Armor– Heroes Never Die, and to honor the 10th anniversary of John 117, you will finally be able to transform your Xbox LIVE Avatar into the iconic hero by outfitting it with Master Chief’s signature MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor. 

Grunt Funeral Skull and Master Chief Avatar Armor

“Grunt Funeral” Skull – An exclusive, game-modifying skull that changes the rules of the game for an explosively humorous experience, “Grunt Funeral” sends Halo’s most lowly and lovable enemy out in a blaze of glory. And plasma. And then more glory. Once the skull has been activated, every Grunt’s methane tank will explode like a plasma grenade when killed. Watch out for the Grunt chain reaction!"

Pre-Order Below:

One, Two, Freddy's Coming for You in the Netherrealm

by Jose Martinez

Just when you thought you could sleep again, Freddy Krueger slashes through the realms and invades the nightmare worlds of Mortal Kombat!  You heard right, kiddies, your favorite ghoul is making an appearance on one of this year's best fighting games.  Available for download on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 on August 9th, prepare to enter the boiler room for your next challenger!  Enjoy the launch trailer courtessy of IGN:

Microsoft Uses a Jedi Mind Trick on the Xbox360 Kinect Bundle

by Jose Martinez

Xbox 360 Star Wars Kinect Bundle | Release Date Holiday 2011

OMG!  Just when I thought I was going to pick up the Gears of War bundle, Microsoft uses a Jedi Mind Trick and makes me fall in love with a limited edition Star Wars bundle!  According to Engadget, Microsoft announced today at the San Diego Comic-Con that they will be releasing this bundle soon.  The game releases holiday of this year, so one can expect the console to launch side by side, although Amazon has a release date of December 31st.  This epic bundle includes the R2D2 themed Xbox 360S with a 320GB Hard Drive, C3PO themed wireless controller, white Kinect, Kinect Adventures and Kinect Star Wars.  As par for the course, the console will also have themed sound effects.  The pricing is going to be $449 and is available for pre-order today.  

These ARE the droids you're looking for.

Preorder your limited edition bundle here:

Capcom Spills the Beans on Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3

Capcom wants to make sure that they get your money when they release yet another rehash of an existing game.  Street Fighter gets to take a break in the corner as it tags in Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3.  Will this lead to future iterations such as Super Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 Arcade Edition DX?  Maybe not, but in a twist to the usual secret service surrounding their releases, Capcom seems to have spilled the beans on the full additional 12 man roster just days after teasing a couple of characters.  So, who are the new kids on the block?

Capcom

Frank West, Firebrand, Nemesis, Vergil, Strider, & Phoenix Wright

Marvel

Ghost Rider, Nova, Iron Fist, Dr. Strange, Hawk-Eye & Rocket Raccoon

If you're a sucker like me, you'll pre-order this badboy

New Xbox Live Arcade Releases for July 20, 2011

Here are today's downloadable goodies for Xbox Live and Windows Phone 7!  Here to kick off Microsoft's annual Summer of Arcade Promotion is Bastion and it looks amazing!

Bastion

Rated E10+ | Demo-FREE | Full Game-1200MS

Bastion is an action role-playing experience that redefines storytelling in games, with a reactive narrator who marks your every move. Explore more than 40 lush hand-painted environments as you discover the secrets of the Calamity, a surreal catastrophe that shattered the world to pieces. Wield a huge arsenal of upgradeable weapons and battle savage beasts adapted to their new habitat. Finish the main story to unlock New Game Plus mode and continue your journey!

Click here for the official page on Xbox.com

Click here for the Summer of Arcade promotion details

Also available for Bastion is some pretty cool looking Avatar Gear to freshen up your XBLA Avatar:

Bastion T-Shirt-F

Bastion T-Shirt-M

The Kid's Getup-F

The Kid's Getup-M

Squirt

Scumbag

Cael Hammer

And on the Windows Phone 7:

Tenatcles

Trial-FREE | Full Game $4.99

Top Ten Bad Hombres in Gaming

by Jose Martinez

Who doesn't love a good top ten list, right?  Here is my first go at one.  This list is made up of the top ten male characters that I've had the pleasure of becoming.  In each game you take over a role, sometimes that role is made up of a speechless, personality free character, sometimes its some destined kid with feathery hair and different length pant legs, sometimes, you gladly jump off a cliff every time you have to hear their voice...but when done correctly, you embody a gaming avatar that is filled with bravado, charisma, and all around badassery.  This is a list of my favorite of those men:

King Edgar Roni Figaro

10. King Edgar Roni Figaro

First Appeared in Final Fantasy VI (III in the US)-Super Famicom/Super Nintendo

In a game filled with awesome dudes that you can have in your party, none stayed with me longer than King Edgar.  As man that rules the Kingdom of Figaro from a castle that can burrow through the sands, he's got it all, good looks, charm, ladies and tons of coin.  Or so it seems, wearing the heavy crown of rule due to a coin flip, he gladly joins your adventure and leaves it all behind in defense of Terra.  Not only is he dripping with chivalry, but he is the only character that uses the "Tools" command, and with one of them dons a hockey mask and a chainsaw to tear through enemy hordes.

Nathan "Nate" Drake

9. Nathan "Nate" Drake

First Appeared in Uncharted: Drakes's Fortune-Playstation 3

This guy is the embodiment of every single machismo cliche.  He is like the American son of Sean Connery's James Bond and Lara Croft with the attitude of Bruce Campbell.  Armed with a silver toungue and a quick trigger finger, Drake takes on ancient ruins, treacherous terrain and lots of bad guys with guns and explosives. Not only does he make it fun to deal with these issues, but his charisma keeps you in his shoes to see how the story will end.

Sweet Tooth

8. Sweet Tooth

First Appeared in Twisted Metal-Playstation

Are you one of those rare people who's not afraid of clowns?  You'd be afraid of me as I tear through the roads in my killer ice cream truck!  In a game packed with psychopathic murderers, none is more iconic than Sweet Tooth.  This freakshow clown wasn't afraid to let you know he's on your six as he plays his ice cream jingle, and before you can react you get a double scoop of rockets up your tail pipes.  Sweet Tooth is one twisted mamma-jamma.

Jacques Blanc

7. Jacques Blanc

First Appeared in Onimusha 3: Demon Siege-Playstation 2

Just because Jacques is French doesn't mean he can't be a bad hombre!  In a weird twist to the Onimusha franchise, you are given control of a French modern day detective who gets caught in a strange time displacing story with the main hero Samanosuke.  Carrying a powerful whip and your handgun you unleash awesome combos on hordes of unsuspecting demons.  It's actually sad when the story goes back to Samanosuke as playing as Jacques is so outrageously fun.  Tie that to the fact that he is modeled after Leon the Professional (Jean Reno) and you got one tough hombre.

Ezio Auditore Da Firenze

6. Ezio Auditore Da Fiernze

First Appeared in Assassin's Creed II-Playstation 3, Xbox 360

Being Ezio fills you with the feeling that a lion must have as he stalks his prey.  Blending with crowds, swooping down from rooftops, striking from seclusion, this guy is a stealthy killing machine.  Not only that, but he's a total chick magnet and the coolest guy in Renaissance Italy.  He gets the nod instead of the true original Altair due to the fact that he can swim and has more personality in his assassin's blade than Altair has in his whole body.

The little one on the horse is Wander

5. Wander

First Appeared in Shadow of the Colossus-Playstation 2

So he kinda looks like a chick, has zero personality and his best friend has four legs...so what?!  This guy seeks out and single handedly kills gigantic colossi without fear.  Not imbued with super powers or weapons of mass destruction, Wander stalks and brings down Mountain sized foes with ease.  There are few events as satisfying as toppling these behemoths after finally figuring out their weakness and often having to scale them to get to it.  Truly a man without fear.

Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta

4. Kratos, the Ghost of Sparta

First Appeared in God of War-Playstation 2

Not only is this guy a Spartan warrior, which are some of the baddest soldiers in the history of the world, he takes on more than human foes, he kills gods.  As an internally tortured antihero, Kratos takes on multitudes of beasts to destroy the gods that rule the earth itself.  Not only this, but when not plunging his Blades of Chaos into his enemies, he derives pleasure in a mini game in which he gets into adult situations with multiple ample bosomed women

Batman

3. Batman

First Appeared in Batman: Arkham Asylum-Playstation 3, Xbox 360

Ok, so the Dark Knight has been around a long time, but never like in Arkham Asylum.  This is the ultimate experience of feeling the power of a hunter.  As you hang in the shadows, you can set traps and coldly hunt down the gangs of enemies coming after you one by one.  I can't recall how many times I laughed maniacally as I picked another one off and saw the remaining group grow more and more frightened.  Then you can sit back and laugh at the stragglers as they cry like little girls and shoot, frightened, at the shadows.  What a rush!

Master Chief John-117

2. Master Chief John-117

First Appeared in HALO: Combat Evolved-Xbox

Take John McClane from Die Hard, now put him in a powerful cyber armor, give him awesome fire power, and make the situation a million times more epic because instead of defending a building from terrorists, he's saving mankind from extinction.  Put this all together and you have the one man wrecking crew that is the Master Chief.  A man of few words, his actions speak louder, and when those actions involve destroying giant planet-sized super weapons, that's pretty loud.

Laharl, Prince of the Underworld

1. Prince of the Underworld, Laharl

First Appeared in Disgaea: Hour of Darkness-Playstation 2

What's more awesome than being so absolutely evil that you would be willing to trounce a kid to finish off his father who is begging for his life?  Enter Laharl, the most cold-blooded dude in the Underworld.  The mere mention of love and friendship makes him want to kill, he can bring a meteor crashing down from the sky on his enemies while standing on it laughing maniacally, and his only weakness is...boobies!  This kid takes anti-hero to a whole new level, and in the process provides one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences ever had,

Greatest Turn Based Strategy Game of all Time

by Jose Martinez

There are many turn based strategy games that have left their mark over the years.  From Ogre Battle to Final Fantasy Tactics, there is one that stands above all others.  This title came unannounced from the shores of Japan from a developer that no one on the western shores had ever heard of.  In a genre that was ruled by the power house of Squaresoft, Enix, Koei and Atlus, a little company called Nippon Ichi Software decided to throw in its lot.  Being unknown in the US, to publish the title they partnered with RPG and tactics colossus Atlus to release their first American title on the Playstation 2.  Their opening salvo was a game which American gamers could not even pronounce at the time.  This shot heard around the world was fired on the American shores on August 27th, 2003 and it was called Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, and it was the single reason NIS is a household name for JRPG and tactics fans.  It is the single greatest turn based strategy game I have ever played, and in fact, it's one of the greatest period.

As a game fanatic in 2003, I was working as a sales representative at Gamestop.  At the time I was completely in love with the charm of the Japanese RPG and had devoted myself to titles published by Squaresoft, Atlus, Enix and Koei.  When the marketing came in for Disgaea. I had no idea what it was.  It was an oversized cardboard box made to look like the retail packaging.  I remember really liking the artwork on the cover and noticing the Atlus logo on the bottom right hand corner.  I quickly placed the game on pre-order and awaited it's release.  In the meantime, I watched the trailer over and over as I fell in love with something else I had never heard of, the band Tsunami Bomb which Atlus used for the attitude filled US trailer.  No one had any idea of this game's release, so when it launched we received three copies, including my pre-order.  After picking up my game, I went home to play it, and found myself having many sick days thereafter.  When at work, I felt compelled to spread the gospel of Disgaea and as other like minded gamers also fell in love, we found ourselves never having enough supply, and thus a sleeper, cult hit was born.  After much success in game reviews and much praise from critics, Sony soon re-released the title as one of it's Greatest Hits lineup.

The game places you in the role of the Antihero Laharl, son of King Krichevskoy and heir to the throne of the Underworld.  You take over as Laharl's vassal Etna awakens him from a two year nap.  During this time, the King has choked to death and the entire underworld wants to kill Laharl for a seat on the throne.  Laharl, Etna and a squad of Prinnies take to the road to prove Laharl is the most powerful demon in the Underworld and true successor to the dead King.  On their adventures they meet Angel Assassin Flonne, Midboss Vyers, intergalactic dunderhead heroes Captain Gordon, Jennifer and their robot Thursday and many other colorful and memorable characters.  As the plot unfolds you fall into a world of treachery in which you find yourself pitted not only against the Underworld, but Heaven and Earth as well.  Suddenly, a world which was black and white gains many shades and our heroes grow with the challenges making demons and angels alike see that there is much more to what they are than just good and evil.

The charm of the writing and hilarious script aren't the only thing that makes the game so amazing.  This game also brought a ton of innovation in the gameplay department and some of these features added hundreds of hours to the games play time.  My favorite of these was the item world, a place in which not only your characters could become stronger but as you delve deeper and deeper into the item, it also levels up.  You could jump into any item to power it up, as an added bonus you could defeat specialists in that item to move them into others that you are powering up, giving your favorite armors and weapons unlimited potential for power.  Another great diversion is the Demon Court, in which you can spend the mana you earn from defeating enemies to purchase new troops and build a massive army of varied humanoids and monsters.  Your troops could be comprised of anything from zombies, clerics, warriors, dragons, or dozens more.  The possibilities are limitless and the more you do with them, the more characters become available to you.  Another amazing feature is a clever twist on the battle plane called Geo Pannels.  These color colored squares all have the attribute of the Geo Symbol  on the same colored square, which can range from boosts to your party such as boosted experience or invincibility to boosts to the enemy's stats like damage plus 50%.  You can chose to use these to your advantage, or set them up and destroy them for massive chains and a huge point boost at the end of the stage.

Sadly, many gamers have yet to play this masterpiece, but all hope is not lost as the game is still available via ports to the Nintendo DS (Disgaea DS) and Sony PSP (Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness).  If you are one of the many that have not played, don't waste anymore time!  If you are a fan of the genre or the Japanese style of storytelling this is an absolute must have title.  This game will be a total time killer for hundreds of hours.  I was so addicted that I purchased a small monitor so that I could play next to my bed on my Playstation 2 as I could not go to sleep without it.  If you don't fall in love with this game and it's characters, you are lacking a soul.  Prinny Dood!

If you haven't played it yet, click on the link below and end your sadness

This, of course, is my opinion.  Feel free to leave comments below and let me know if you agree, or which one your favorite might be.