Happy Friday, lis … oh. Dammit. Well, it might not be Friday yet, but it’s almost Thanksgiving, and that’s even better. Eating until you’re comatose, and then a three-day weekend to spend gaming. Or, if you’re crazy, shopping. Or, if you’re awesome, listening to the new episode of RetroforceGO! Highlights this week include:
In somewhat of a departure from the norm, this week’s episode is not about videogames. I say “somewhat” because it’s not entirely unusual for the show to not be about videogames, even if that’s our topic every week. But this time it’s, you know,on purpose. Instead, we’ll be talking about pinball. Some of our younger listeners probably don’t even know what that is, but our second season is almost at a close and it’s something we’ve always wanted to do....
Every week, sort of, features editor Anthony Burch discusses games and gamer culture in his “Rev Rant” video series. There are two groups of gamers: those who don’t care whether games are ever recognized as a legitimate art form by the mainstream media, and those who do. I belong to the latter group, and, in the above video, I try to explain why. Maybe you’ll agree with it, maybe you won’t....
When people think of ridiculously difficult action games, they tend to gravitate instantly towardNinja Gaiden. Personally, I feelNinja Gaidenrelies instead on being “annoying” rather than “challenging,” but that’s just me. Still, no matter how irritating the game gets, one can’t deny it’s a finely crafted experience, and can be quite empowering in the hands of a skilled player. Ninja Gaiden 2has been an Xbox 360 exclusive for well over a year, but as usual, Tecmo has been waiting in the wings to produceNinja Gaiden Sigma 2, a PS3 version of that annoying-but-somewhat-awesome sequel in which a ninja flips out and starts kicking the crap out of demons for no sensible reason....
PlayStation 3 owners got the short end of the stick withGrand Theft Auto IV, missing out on the game’s episodic content that littered 2009. Responding to a PS3 fan who asked why the the Black Box o’ Blu-ray got shafted, Rockstar has promised that Sony’s console will be getting its dues very soon. “We know that it continues to be an often-asked question — and believe us, we understand the frustration of PS3 owners like yourself who haven’t been able to play any of our most recent releases,” states the developer....
A new rumor is indicating that Capcom’s hugeMonster Hunterfranchise is returning to its spiritual home when previously Wii-exclusiveMonster Hunter Tricomes to the PSP. The gossip is being spread by Hong Kong magazineGamewave. The mag says thatMonster Hunter Tri Portableis currently being developed and is due for release by the end of the year.Gamewavehas a good track record with its PSP stories, although some of its other rumors have been sketchy....
You read that headline right — Telltale has announced thatSam & Maxwill be coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade this year. Season one and seasons two — already released for PC and Wii — will be made available as full-season bundles, calledSam & Max Save the WorldandSam & Max Beyond Time and Spacerespectively. No word on exact release dates or pricing, but Telltale also says that Atari will releaseSam & Max Beyond Time and Spaceat retail in 2009 as well....
What if zombies were real? You know, like, eat your face off, “oh, snap, we have to break this staircase so they can’t get to us” real? Science, as usual, has the answer. You can learn more about the science behind the undead at the “Science of Zombies” panel, whichDead Islandpublisher Deep Silver will be hosting at San Diego Comic-Con next week. The panel will consist ofWorld War Zauthor Max Brooks,Dead Islandwriter Haris Orkin, and some doctors and smart people who are all listed below....
Spidre-Man: Shattered Dimensionshas four different Spider-Men (Spider-Mans?) in it. That’s just Crazyville, people. Four! Well, guess what. We’re moving to Crazy City where there are ten different Spider… people. OK, six of them are just bonus costumes, and won’t play any differently, but having them in there to cover an even wider array of Spidey styles is pretty awesome. At SDCC it was revealedthat GameStop and Amazon.com would receive exclusive costumes in the form of of Spider-Man’s cosmic costume and the futuristic “Iron Spider” get up....
He is videogaming’s final boss, the arch nemesis of everything that interactive entertainment fans hold dear. He is a silver-haired Lothario and purveyor of righteous retribution. He’s also available for work and will do birthdays, weddings and bahmitzvahs. He is of course Jack Thompson, and he’s here at the ScrewAttack Gaming Convention. Hard News’ Destin will be moderating a debate between Mark Methenitis and the Silver Jackal. Just what will happen in the great verbal joust between these two wordsmith warriors?...
I’ve been gushing over theShattersoundtrack ever since I saw the firsttrailerfor the game, yet I somehow missed the news that the soundtrack was released over a week ago. The soundtrack was created byartist Modulein collaboration with Sidhe, the creators ofShatter. Module worked on the score for over a year to ensure that the music would flow with the game’s look and feel. Module describes his soundtrack by saying that it “conjures up feelings of 80’s new wave, stadium rock and intergalactic space rock opera....
I really miss the old “Jacked Up!” segment on ESPN. Tom Jackson and Chris Berman would go through the top five hardest hits of the week in football, and who doesn’t love seeing a bone-crunching shot? (The hosts noted that no hits causing an injury or drawing a penalty were eligible.) Hell, I remember the good old days, when the intro video forNFL GameDay ’97on the PlayStation was a compilation of big hits....
Back when they pooped outParasite Eveon PSN earlier this year we were also teased with the release of the second game. Japan and Europe danced around like as*holes with their releases while we watched our Aya excitement go limp. Now we know that it’s really coming out.Parasite Eve IIis coming tomorrow, August 23. Perfect. I have something to play on the plane to PAX. Sure, it’s no originalParasite Eve, but it’s still on the want list....
