All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Most Stylized Game MadWorld Even if graphically violent games aren’t your cup of tea, you have to at least admit that MadWorld is indeed visually striking. I can’t decide if the visuals turned gamers off and kept them away, or if it was just a case of bad marketing. MadWorld may not have been the [...]

Well, if you were at the 2009 Blip Festival, you would have seen the action above live and in-person. That’s just one of many acts that hit the show floor, with a little bit of chiptune flavor for everyone. I need to get to one of these events!

Atlus has introduced the full compliment of the six staffers that make up its upcoming Trauma Team. I asked my wife, an actual doctor, to provide me with some insight on each specialty. My take: Playing as this guy sounds like the other Trauma Center games, except I think they all had names and CR-SO1 is not a name. I'm assuming that, as in previous games and in real surgery, he'll be able to draw a magical sign that slows down time. Dr. McElroy's take: There is no magical healing gel and we never make the sign of the pentagram over our patients, especially not in this part of West Virginia.

A single screen from the next Bit.Trip game from Gaijin Games has been revealed, and judging from the look of it, Bit.Trip Runner is going to be significantly less abstract than the previous entries in the retro-themed musical WiiWare game series. In fact, it looks like a side-scrolling platformer, which would make sense, given the name. But, of course, Gaijin made a Pong-esque game with 15-minute long chiptune-based levels, so we shouldn't assume the obvious when it comes to the adventures of Commander Video. This could be controlled with the Your Shape camera, for all we know. [Via Destructoid, GSW]

We were just about to label 2009 the "Worst Year Ever in the History of Time," but ... but then this happened. From the depths of Reddit come a quintet of images of an unnamed musical engineer's latest project: An electric guitar shaped like a Koopa Troopa. We're so glad these pictures exist, because we're not sure our mind's eye could imagine something as fantastical as "an electric guitar shaped like a Koopa Troopa" without some sort of visual aid. Check out the Reddit entry to see the fruits of this unnamed magician's labor. Whoever you are, if you're reading this, please send a video of you playing this thing. Ideally to Iron Maiden's "The Trooper."

Are you upset by the fact that people who see your Xbox Live Avatar don't immediately know your favorite NBA team? Well, you can rectify that with the new Avatar gear available on Xbox Live, courtesy of NBA 2K10 and NBA Live 10. The subtle difference between each series on offer is that NBA2K10's set has numbers on 'em, whereas the NBA Live 10 jerseys only feature team names. You can snag your own virtual jersey for 240 ($3) right now on the Avatar Marketplace.

No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle I finally reserved No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle yesterday. I’m already ridiculously pumped for this game, and reserving it is only making the wait worse. I cannot wait to get my hands on the game. I hope you guys will be picking up a copy as well!

We haven’t had a chance to play Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey in the states just yet, but that’s going to change in 2010. You should definitely be excited about the game if you’re an SMT fan, as it sounds like this title is quite a big deal. I’m sure it’ll do quite [...]

I don’t know which is weirder…the LovePlus Gundam or the life-size models that you can pose with.

After the ESRB rating for Game Arts' Thexder Neo listed it as a PSP and PS3 game, Square Enix released the downloadable shooter remake on PSP only, leaving PS3 retro fans vexed and un-Thex'd. However, a post on Square Enix's Facebook page reveals that the transforming spaceship/robot will make an appearance on PS3 after all. "With PS3 graphic THEXDER NEO becomes more THEXDER," Square Enix PR staffer Akira Kokushoh said, suggesting that the new version isn't just a direct port of the PSP title. The game will be out sometime in 2010 -- possibly on the early side, since Kokushoh indicated that the game is almost complete. [Via Gamerbytes]

There’s no shortage of Princess Peach and Mario fan-art out there, some of it quite disturbing. It’s not hard to find scantily-clad images of the Princess that would make Miyamoto blush. Thankfully, this sort of stuff stays in the realm of fan-fiction, instead of in-game fodder. Mario’s storyline may not win any [...]

Looking for a stylish (and free) way to ring in the new year? How about starting things off with a brand-new calendar! Our friends at Nintendo-Online wanted to share their custom Nintendo calendar with all of you guys, and I think that’s downright fantastic of them! Hit up the link below to [...]

This is the second time we’ve seen some patents that bring up an Apple device that looks/works a lot like the Wiimote. Many were thinking that Apple’s original plans for a Wiimote-like device were dead, but this new patent shows that things are indeed alive and well. Thanks to Greg for the heads [...]

Wow…now that’s a guitar that will automatically get you some attention.

Dragon Age: Origins may seem expansive enough, but BioWare has already proven willing to inflate the game further with DLC and talk of retail expansion packs. And according to an unidentified retailer listing spotted by Eurogamer.cz, the first of those expansions, titled Awakening, will supposedly arrive in Europe on March 19. According to Eurogamer's summary, the expansion will star a new player character with a new origin story, new areas and enemies, for about 15 hours of new content. The expansion will also raise the level cap. Eurogamer speculates that EA will announce this expansion sometime in January, though we can't fathom how that information would be extrapolated from a retailer's erroneously hasty listing. [Via Big Download]

Last month -- utilizing the spamming power of Twitter -- Microsoft and Square Enix partnered to offer Xbox Live users a free baby chocobo pet for their Avatars if they registered their Gamertags during the social media promotion. After weeks of waiting for the marketing plan to run its course, codes for the tiny companion have been sent to participating users via email. Sadly -- as Major Nelson points out -- those who did not participate in the promotion cannot get the pet, but we anticipate the baby chocobo will find its way onto the Avatar Marketplace at some point. Reminiscent of the baby chocobo that nests within Final Fantasy XIII hero Sazh Katzroy's gorgeous afro, our baby chocobo only seems to flutter around, refusing to nest within our own Avatar hairdos. We presume that feature will be some kind of pre-order bonus for Final Fantasy XIII when it launches on March 9, 2010.

The official Two Worlds II site has added a handful of screens and something called "moveshots" -- three-second clips featuring some of the game's characters in idle poses. Do idle animation clips get you hyped up for the third-person sequel to a less-than-stellar role-playing title? Mind you, if the latest batch of screens represents developer Reality Pump's way of showcasing its state-of-the-art, horrific medieval clown technology, then a hearty "job well done." Look at them in the shot above, they're the stuff of nightmares! More screens and those "moveshot" things are available on the game's official site.

Update: It's your lucky day, folks! Battlefield 1943 is actually on sale for 560 ($7), not 600 as EA originally tweeted. Concluding its streak of daily deals during the holiday season, the Xbox Live version of Battlefield 1943 will be on sale for 50% off, tomorrow. EA's official Battlefield 1943 Twitter account revealed that the New Years Eve sale (and final daily deal on the Marketplace) would slash the popular shooter's price to 600 ($7.50 USD), for one day only. While we're avid fans of the WWII-themed shooter, we're still irked that the game hasn't received proper (read: any) DLC support, save for the unlocked Coral Sea "air superiority" map. Perhaps a rush of new soldiers will push EA to begin development on new content, but we won't hold our breath while we wait in that foxhole.

For those in Europe that were looking forward to getting back into art class, Nintendo has confirmed that Art Academy Second Semester is due out on January 8th, 2010 for 800 Nintendo Points.

01. / 02. [WII] New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo) - 506,000 / 2,440,000 02. / 00. [NDS] The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo) - 291,000 / NEW 03. / 03. [NDS] Friend Collection (Nintendo) - 227,000 / 2,317,000 04. / 01. [PS3] Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix) - 189,000 / 1,690,000 05. / 04. [NDS] Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver [...]