All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

A portion of a Nintendo Life review… As long as you know what you’re getting into before you download it, and are able to play some songs or are willing to learn from an outside source, you’ll have fun.

#clips In round one of Machnima's imagined crossover throwdown, Mario got the better of Ken. Now it's time for round two. More »

#twig Tuesday marks the culmination of a year's worth of hype - and the narrative of a franchise that transformed console gaming in the first decade of the century. More »

It probably comes as no surprise to you that reviews for Halo: Reach have universally come down on the high-ish side of the score spectrum -- our own review included. But what about all the words that preceded those lofty figures? Those are worth checking out as well -- so, without further ado, here's a few more outlets' non-numerical insight on the finale of the Halo franchise.

• 1UP (A+): "Bungie has managed to do something that eluded George Lucas years ago: create a prequel to a beloved sci-fi series that not only simply works, but is at times better than the installments it precedes."
• IGN (9.5/10): "Whether you like playing with friends like me or you're more of a lone wolf, Halo: Reach has evolved to the point where it'll make everyone happy. It's a fitting end to Bungie's involvement with the franchise, one that both references the past and injects new life into a tried and true formula."
• GameTrailers (9.3/10): "Now four games into the series there's no denying that the campaign is starting to lose some of its moxie, yet there's just enough revelation here for fans to cling to. But let's be honest. You're going to decide to buy based on its multiplayer component and this is where it delivers in spades. Master Chief may be retired, but calling this a Halo game is no reach."
• Eurogamer (9/10): "Reach is an encore, a victory lap, a crowd-pleasing last hurrah for a series that most definitely won't end here, but will just as definitely never be the same again. Halo deserves another game this good, and Reach is a deserving tribute."
• Giant Bomb (4/5): "While I do feel that the formula has worn thin in a few spots, Reach feels like a love letter from the developer to its fans. If you're one of those fans, you should have this game."

Oh, you haven't found the time to acquire Telltale's Great Adventure Bundle 2010, a twenty-dollar package which includes a grip of adventure games both new and old, 25 percent of the proceeds from which go to charities like Child's Play and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society? That's too bad -- the offer ended last Friday, and your donation would have given these organizations the resources they finally needed to cure like, nine diseases. Bet you feel pretty terrible right now, don't you? Huh? Huh?

We're sorry we had to trick you like that -- Telltale actually just extended the offer until this Friday, September 17, giving you one last chance to correct your shameful oversight. Think of the children! Or, rather, think of your own insatiable hunger for point-and-click adventure games!

#ruhroh Ordinarily, when folks monetize their game piracy, they use Craigslist or some other indirect means of making a sale. I've never heard of a pirate peddling his stuff in a shopping mall, as a Canadian man is accused of doing. More »

#cards Fallout: New Vegas will include a gambling minigame called "Caravan," which is a form of head-to-head blackjack. Bethesda's released the rules of the game, which you can play with a standard deck. And for caps, if you like. More »

[Image Credit: Engadget] Android may not have the same games catalog as iOS, but it's definitely starting to grow. id -- developers of the DOOM RPG and upcoming Rage for iPhone -- has placed a job listing for an Android programmer, suggesting the team is looking to expand to Google's mobile platform. According to the listing, "id Software is looking for a talented and experienced programmer to help bring our next big Mobile game to the Android space." Presumably, that big game could be Rage, but there's no confirmation.

"The Android programmer is responsible for familiarizing themselves with existing id Mobile engines, bringing Mobile development to Android" and should be intelligent enough to understand John Carmack's Twitter feed. Damn, guess that rules us out.

Off to Tokyo! In 24 hours or so, Rey and I will be flying to the Land of the Rising Sun for Tokyo Game Show. We’ll be prowling the event floor for new PS3 and PSP game news, interviews, and play sessions. Have any requests for game coverage while we’re at TGS? Let us know in the comments and we’ll see what we can do!

On another note, the PlayStation.Blog team was pleased to see the widespread PAX coverage of upcoming PSN head-turners like Slam Bolt Scrappers, Retro/Grade, Eat Them!, and Hoard (more on that soon) in addition to PS3 heavyweights like inFAMOUS 2, Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, Heroes on the Move, and Killzone 3′s debut showing on PlayStation Move. What was your favorite PAX game news?

The PS.Blog weekly reading list (Week of September 6, 2010)

• Sony celebrates PlayStation’s 15-year anniversary – Destructoid
• This Day in History: Sony’s PlayStation Launches in the U.S. – 1UP
• The 15 best PlayStation games of all time – GamesRadar
• The PSone: 15 Years Later – IGN
• PAX Impressions: Retro/Grade – PSNStores
• PAX Impressions: Slam Bolt Scrappers – PSNStores
• Mega Man Universe Has Customizable Mega Men – IGN
• PlayStation turns 15: share your favorite games – USA Today
• PlayStation turns 15: Share your memories – Joystiq
• Fifteen Years Of PlayStation Domination – Kotaku
• PlayStation Anniversary Fun Facts – PlayStation LifeStyle
• inFamous 2 Preview from GamePro
• PAX 2010: Insomniac Panel – G4tv.com
• PAX 10: Hands-on with Slam Bolt Scrappers – Destructoid
• A Yakuza 4 Trailer Made For America – Siliconera
• Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together Doubles The Size Of The Super Famicom Script – Siliconera
• Eat Them! preview: War of the Rampage – Joystiq
• Move-ing Forward: What’s On Tap For The PlayStation Move – G4tv.com
• Photos Of Japan’s PlayStation Concept Stores – Siliconera
• Review: Valkyria Chronicles II – Destructoid
• PAX: The First Night – IGN Blog
• Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Review – IGN
• Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath targeted at PS3 – GameSpot
• We were not ready: the PlayStation turns 15 – ArsTechnica

#clips Guillaume Reymond, the mad genius whose "Human Tetris" "Human Pole Position" and "Human Space Invaders" have spawned many imitations, has at last followed up the series with "Human Pac-Man." More »

Do you know how your favorite video game titles are punctuated? That’s exactly what this quiz tests you on. If you have some free time and you’re looking to see just how closely you pay attention to little details, you might want to check this out!

This whole Dragon’s Lair situation confuses the hell out of me. Destineer first says that they’re not doing Dragon’s Lair on DS. Then the DSiWare version sees release. Then a boxart for Dragon’s Lair Trilogy pops up for DS retail. Now we get a boxart for the original Dragon’s Lair, a [...]

The following information comes from a Game.Watch article… MT Framework Mobile on 3DS Resident Evil Revelations - Couldn’t believe the results they were getting out of the 3DS - utilizes all the common rendering techniques on 360/PS3 like HDR rendering, surface shaders and normal maps, depth of field, gamma correction and more - 2x Anti Aliasing in 2D mode, off [...]

If you're one of those people who performs complex time vs. price equations before purchasing a new game, Amazon's making an awfully hard sell for the PS3 version of Final Fantasy XIII. You can now lock down the 45-odd-hour adventure for $19.99, a full 60 percent off its usual retail price.

Final Fantasy XIII -- $19.99, down from $49.99

Looks like Europe has followed up on the Japanese trademark filing of 3DSWare. Well, we know that the 3DS is going to allow for software downloads, and it’s become increasingly more evident that the games on that service will be called 3DSWare. With the filings already wrapped up for Europe and Japan, you [...]

#pc Stung by PC gamer outrage over the lack of dedicated server support in Modern Warfare 2, Activision has responded with something they'll appreciate about as little: An exclusive deal making GameServers.com the only dedicated server option for Black Ops. More »

“On November 20th, the 11 goods I designed for use with the 3DS will go on sale simultaneously. Those of you buying the 3DS, please buy them while you’re at it! This will be officially announced on the homepage eventually, lol. Best regards.” This message supposedly comes from a product designer in Japan. I wouldn’t [...]

#kotakuweekends Duke Nukem 3D released Jan. 29, 2006. On Sept. 3, 2010, Gearbox and 2K Games finally announced the sequel, Duke Nukem Forever. How did Duke occupy his time in between? That's where you come in. More »