All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

The Xbox Live Arcade port of Plants vs. Zombies has been given a (re-)birthday: Wednesday, September 8. In just five weeks, Xbox gamers who haven't already picked up PopCap's polished tower defense game on PC, Mac or iPhone/iPad can do so on XBLA for $15 (or 1200 Xbox bucks). This latest version doesn't only bring an HD, controller-optimized experience to the console space, it also adds two new multiplayer modes: Co-op and Versus.

In IGN's brief writeup of the game, the site says one co-op strategy is to have one player use defensive plants while the other uses offensive plants, as they try to hold back the oncoming undead. In Versus mode, the zombie player has to eat his or her way into the plant player's home, while the plant player has to shoot down three zombie targets. If the multiplayer enhancements in PopCap's XBLA port of Peggle are any indication, you should expect more than just bullet-point upgrades.

#patentlaw In 2004 Peter Hochstein and Jeffrey Tenenbaum sued Microsoft over a 10-year-old patent for "communicating live while playing the same video game in separate locations." After six years of legal tomfoolery, a U.S. District Judge has dismissed the case. More »

Haven't had a chance to get your hands on the PlayStation Move during one of its appearances at industry trade shows? According to a report from Destructoid, you'll get your chance to try out the peripheral before its September 19 launch date, as anonymous sources claim Sony is hiring tons of representatives to work demo kiosks which will start appearing in Best Buys and Walmarts across the country starting September 11.

According to the report, the units should stay in stores until late January 2011, giving you plenty of time to determine whether or not the Move is worth your hard-earned cash -- or plenty of time to hard-earn said cash, if you decide to apply to become one of Sony's Move representatives. We've contacted Sony to get a comment on all of these reports.

#pullquote Author Nicholson Baker never played a video game until he tried some violent Xbox ones with his 16-year-old son for an article in this week's New Yorker magazine. As heard on the magazine's podcast. More »

Maybe you're a fan of the developer behind Heroes of Newerth (S2 Games, creators of the Savage series) or "Defense of the Ancients," the Warcraft 3 mod that inspired it, but haven't tried it for yourself. Maybe you've been waiting for just the right nudge to push you out the plane door and send you plummeting into HoN's waiting arms. Consider this your shove: S2 is running a free-to-play event from now until Monday, August 9 and registration is live right here.

Still clinging to the edge of the plane like an obstinate gremlin? We've got a little more persuasion for you in the form of an exclusive trailer after the break.

Madden NFL 11 on Wii is not going to be the same experience that 360 and PS3 owners get. There are a lot of core values that will be similar between the two versions, but overall, the Wii experience is going to take things in a different direction. That’s how the series has [...]

Here's how out of touch we are with the music world: we get our music news from game industry announcements. We had no idea that Soundgarden was reuniting, nor that the group was releasing a retrospective album, Telephantasm, in October. Now you know about it too! Pretend you didn't already so we don't feel lame.

Here's what you may not have already heard: Activision is giving away the album with the first million North American copies of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. In fact, buying the game will allow you to get the CD a week before it's released elsewhere! Not only that, copies of the game that include the CD also include vouchers for the whole album as Guitar Hero DLC.

Cool musical bonuses like this are likely to do much more to pique interest in the latest Guitar Hero game than, say, pig monsters.

#gametheory A new video game show and online magazine announced today offers a look into the minds of the video game industry. More »

#clips One of three rebel clans fighting against the vile Order in Power Gig: Rise of the SixString, Rise is comprised of a lead vocalist with murdered parents and a guitarist kicked off of her farm. This is one heavy game. More »

Mass Effect 2's Firepower Pack adds three new weapons to the role-playing game: The Phalanx pistol, the Mattock heavy rifle and the Geth Plasma Shotgun. Price: 160 MS or BioWare Points. [Thanks Lauren] More »

Anticipation may very well be the biggest part of any game release. Now that we have more than just game magazines, we can literally spend day after day reading all sorts of details on upcoming titles that we’re foaming at the mouth for. Just look at Metroid: Other M. We’re on information [...]

Need more firepower? BioWare hopes you do as it's trying to sell a new set of weapons for Mass Effect 2. For 160 Microsoft points ($1.99), you can now get the Firepower Pack which includes three new weapons.

Hi everyone! Just a quick message for the PlayStation Plus members out there. We are moving to a bi-weekly publish of PlayStation Plus content, so the next update for free, exclusive and discounted items on PlayStation Store will be Tuesday 8/10. Here’s a peek into some of the items that will be included in next week’s update. Also, this will be the last week that some of the free and discounted items will be available, so if you haven’t downloaded Fieldrunners or purchased some of the games and add-ons that are discounted for PlayStation Plus members, do so before next Tuesday.

As a reminder for everyone else, there’s a special limited time introductory offer on PlayStation Plus: Get three additional bonus months of PlayStation Plus if you buy a 1-year package for $49.99. Check out the PlayStation Plus category on PlayStation Store.

PlayStation Plus: Highlights for 8/10

Red Faction Guerrilla from THQ – 60-minute Game Trial
Qore August Episode with exclusive demo of TerRover from SOE
PixelJunk Racers Second Lap – Early Access and Limited Time Discount exclusive
Aero Racer mini – FREE

Last Chance, Get Them While You Can – Coming down 8/10:

Games
Fieldrunners – mini – FREE
Super Stardust (PlayStation Plus price $5.00, original price $9.99)
Gravity Crash (PlayStation Plus price $5.00, original price $9.99)

Discounted Add-ons
Super Stardust HD Team add-on Pack (PlayStation Plus price $2.50, original price $4.99)
Super Stardust HD Solo add-on Pack (PlayStation Plus price $2.50, original price $4.99)
Resistance 2 Aftermath Multiplayer Map Pack (PlayStation Plus price $2.00, original price $3.99)

Themes (Free to PlayStation Plus subscribers)
King Zumo
MAG S.V.E.R Dynamic Theme
MAG Raven Dynamic Theme
MAG Valor Dynamic Theme

Video
Qore – July Episode

There was a notable issue with PS3 Firmware 3.41: Some PS3 owners reportedly encountered problems when they installed a different hard drive after applying the update. The PlayStation Blog informs us that an update to the update (wait, what?) should alleviate HDD replacement issues and is available for download right now.

Check out some of the songs on offer in this music game newcomer.

There's a fine art to negotiating with otherworldly forms of life. As Mass Effect's Commander Shepard has demonstrated on numerous occasions, it is sometimes best to put aside your intolerance and treat those six-eyed scumbags with the respect and dignity they think they deserve. But when diplomacy fails -- and it will -- it's best to speak in your native tongue WHICH IS BULLETS.

If you're done shooting the breeze with these inhuman invaders, try shooting the bejesus out of them with the Firepower Pack, a new downloadable add-on for Mass Effect 2 (available now on Xbox 360 and PC). A donation of 160 MS / BioWare Points ($2) will grant access to the Phalanx, a heavy pistol with a laser sight, and the Mattock heavy rifle, a "semi-auto beast" usable by those proficient in assault rifles. You'll also get the Geth Plasma Shotgun that hits enemies with a charged shot and at greater distance than regular shotguns.

Remember: Guns don't kill people, they kill aliens.

[This message brought to you by the Cerberus group. Firepower Pack not brought to you by the Cerberus Network.]

Check out the exclusive soundtrack.

#wii We've been comparing the new James Bond GoldenEye (Wii game set for fall release) to the original GoldenEye game (Nintendo 64, came out in '97) as best we can. Level comparisons. Graphics comparisons. Still, people ask, what about DK Mode? More »