All Topics Gaming older than one year ago

Hi everyone, it’s time for this week’s video store update!

This week, celebrate Thanksgiving with an epic Black Friday sale on all of your favorite movies in Deal of the Week: Thanksgiving Sale! Go to Featured Collections > Deal of the week to access incredible deals on all time classics like Almost Famous, Balls of Fury, Inside Man, Ong Bak 2, or click here to learn more. Next, rent Toy Story 1 & Toy Story 2 in one extraordinary double feature, which takes the fun now to ‘infinity and beyond’! Then, celebrate the game release of Gran Turismo 5 with Spotlight on Racing for gripping, thrilling racing titles including The Fast and the Furious, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Speed Racer, and many more!

Get excited for other fabulous PSN offers like a FREE episode of Top Gear, available now through 12/7! Looking for fights, explosions, or just pure mayhem? Then catch glorious on-screen action in The Expendables which releases on the store this week.

Before you head to the video store, check out the trailer for The Expendables, now available for both US and Canada users!

New TV shows and movies arrive every week. Here’s a taste of what’s in store:

Just in TV
US Store: The Walking Dead: Season 1, Top Gear: Season 1, Sons of Anarchy: Season 3, Blue Mountain State: Season 2A, Chuck: Season 4, Saturday Night Live: Season 36, American Dad: Season 6, Outlaw: Season 1, House: Season 7, How I Met Your Mother: Season 6, MAD: Season 1, The Event: Season 1, Glee: Season 2, No Ordinary Family: Season 1, and more.

Canada Store: The Walking Dead: Season 1, Outlaw: Season 1, Outsourced: Season 1, Parenthood: Season 1, Top Sniper: Season 1, Canaan: Season 1, The Tester: Season 2, Caprica: The Series: Season 1, Naruto Shippuden Uncut: Season 2, Vol. 1, The Naked Brothers Bands: Season 3, and more.

New Release Movies
US Store: The Expendables, Eat Pray Love, I’m Still Here, The Winning Season, Toy Story & Toy Story 2 – Double Feature, King of the Avenue, Revolver, 12 Men of Christmas, Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family – The Play, and more.

Canada Store: The Expendables, Eat Pray Love, Lennon NYC, The Pillars of the Earth, Just Like The Son, The Search for Santa Paws, and more.

Top TV Downloads

US:

Smallville | Season 10 – Patriot The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Tell It To The Frogs Supernatural | Season 6 – Clap Your Hands If You Believe South Park | Season 14 – Crème Fraiche It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia | Season 6 – Charlie Kelly: King of the Rats The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Guts The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Days Gone Bye Sons of Anarchy | Season 3 – Bainne Fringe | Season 3 – The Abducted… The Office | Season 7 – wuphf.com

Canada:

The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Days Gone Bye The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Tell It To The Frogs The Walking Dead | Season 1 – Guts Ancient Aliens | Season 1 – The Evidence Ancient Aliens | Season 1 – The Visitors Ancient Aliens | Season 1 – The Mission Eastbound & Down | Season 1 – Chapter 1 High School of the Dead | Season 1 – All DEAD’s Attack High School of the Dead | Season 1 – Spring of the DEAD Astonishing X-Men | Season 1 – Gifted, Episode 1

Top Movie Downloads

US:

Grown Ups Lottery Ticket Scott Pilgrim vs. The World The Last Airbender Assassin’s Creed Ascendance Predators Charlie St. Cloud Superman/Shazam! The Return of Black Adam The Karate Kid Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Canada:

Grown Ups Scott Pilgrim vs. The World How To Train Your Dragon The Karate Kid Charlie St. Cloud Predators The Last Airbender Get Him to the Greek (Unrated) The Girl Who Played with Fire Iron Man 2

#xbox360 Konami's cute-'em-up Otomedius (think Gradius meets boobs) was supposed to be this year in The Land of the Rising Sun. Supposed to be, because it won't. More »

#japan Next February, a new Dragon Ball title will be shooting beams in to arcades across Japan. The game is called Dragon Ball Zenkai Battle Royale. More »

#gameface This couple, married on the 4th of July, found just about the sweetest way imaginable to commemorate their anniversary: with complementary Zelda tattoos. As seen on *crag* Yeah Tattoos. More »

Chasing the sun this February.

Teaser points towards an all-new Biohazard.

#granturismo5 The newly released racer is going to get an update shortly that will, as GT5 designer Kazunori Yamauchi tells Eurogamer, "refine the usability of the game to make it a better experience". More »

#culturesmash Not "junk" as in "trash", but "junk" as in "tickle pickles", "flesh bananas" or "knobgoblins". You know, dicks! More »

The information below comes from Ace Attorney Investigations 2 character designer Tatsuro Iwamoto… - the game’s staff, including producer Motohide Eshiro and director Go Yamazaki, spent five days and four nights at a place referred to as “Capcom Manor” last summer - this is where the game’s plot and new gameplay systems and scenario were discussed - this [...]

#kinect Not just, one Japanese home per se, but oodles more. More »

#ds With a touch screen and microphone, the DS has seen some pretty unique games over the years. But wielding the handheld and a giant book at the same time? That's new! More »

#pc Crytek, the creators of Far Cry and Crysis, are mostly known for their shooters with a strong emphasis on singleplayer campaigns. Their Korean studio, however, has just taken the wraps off an entirely online shooter. More »

Lightning Deals (all times PST):

Live now:
 Bayonetta $12.99
 Medal of Honor $29
 Split/Second $19.99
 Demons Souls GH $14.99
 Time Crisis: Razing Storm $22.99
 Infamous $10
 Killzone 2 $10

Live at 6:15 AM:
 Fallout: New Vegas $34.99
 Red Dead Redemption $28.99
 God of War Collection $10
 God of War III $39.99?
 Halo Reach $29.99? 
 Fable III $29.99
 Begin your video game experience with this console bundle

Live at 8:15 AM:
 Wii Console Bundle (red, black or white) $169

Live at 11:00 AM:
 Smackdown vs Raw 2011

Live at 12:00PM:
 Top First Person Shooter of All Time?

Live at 12:15PM:
 Need for Speed Hot Pursuit $34.99 
 The Sims 3 $34.99
 Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction $10
 Kart Racing for the PS3
 Jeopardy $14.99
 Wheel of Fortune $10/$14.99
 Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board $67
 Just Dance 2 $29.99
 Super Mario Galaxy 2 $34.99
 No toy gets left behind
 Explore the ocean blue - with a microphone!
 Show off your moves without a controller

Live at 6:15PM:
 FIFA Soccer 11 $34.99
 EA SPORTS MMA $34.99
 NHL 11 $34.99
 Left 4 Dead 2 $9.99
 NCAA Football 11 $34.99
 NBA JAM $26.99?
 Smackdown vs Raw 2011

 Shop Today's Lightning Deals  


Other Friday Deals:
 PS3 160GB console w/Uncharted 2 GOTY, Pixel Junk Shooter, Karate Kid BluRay+ $25 GC $299.99
 Enslaved: Odyssey To The West $25
 Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 $34.99
 Need for Speed Hot Pursuit$39.95
 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed $9.99
 Tekken 6 $9.99
 Fallout 3 $9.99
 Rock Band 3 $39.95
 Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom $22.99
 Transformers War for Cybertron $29.99
 Green Day: Rock Band $27.99/$17.99
 The Beatles: Rock Band $14.99
 Halo Reach $39.99 or $35 + ship from Target
 Fable III $39.99 or $35 + ship from Target
 3D Dot Heroes $20
 Demons Souls $19.99
 Call of Duty Saga Pack-Modern Warfare 1 and 2 $44.99
 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare GOTY $9.99
 PSP-3000 w/Little Big Planet, Karate Kid, 1GB memory stick + $15 GC $129
 PSPgo (black or white) $149
 World of Warcraft Battle Chest $9.99

 

Nov 29 - Cyber Monday

 NBA 2K11 $29.99
 Professor Layton and the Unwound Future $17.99
 Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box $17.99 
 Dragon Quest IX $ 19.99 
 Pokemon HeartGold $24.99 
 Pokemon SoulSilver $24.99 
 America's Test Kitchen: Let's Get Cooking $8.99 
 Kung Zhu $14.99
 Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions $9.99
 Zhu Zhu Pets: Wild Bunch $14.99
 PSP-3000 w/Little Big Planet, Karate Kid, 1GB memory stick + $15 GC $129
 PSPgo (black or white) $149


Ongoing Deals From Pre-Thanksgiving

Highlights:
 DJ Hero 2 turntable bundles $75
 Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes of the Ring $29.99
 Street Fighter IV Round 2 Arcade FightStick Tournament Edition $104.99
 Real Arcade Pro: EX Premium VLX (360/PS3) $235.99
 PlayStation 3 160GB Amazon Family Bundle w/ Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time and SingStar Dance Party Pack $299.99
 Real Arcade Pro. 3 Fighting Stick $59.99
 Console Bundle (old model) w/Wii Sports Resort $179.99
 Buy 1 select handheld dame, get 1 50% off
 Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth $19.99
 Dementium II $12.99
 Mega Man Zero Collection $19.99
 Monster Hunter Freedom Unite $14.99
 Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker $19.99
 Star Trek Online Collectors Edition $9.99
 The Sims 3 $19.99

#teaser December's Spike TV Video Game Awards gets a little more murderous with the help of Activision. The Call of Duty and Guitar Hero publisher has launched a teaser site for Murder Your Maker, a... well, we don't know what it is yet. More »

#retail Provided it works, a pre-owned game is the same thing as a new game. As in, it's the same game. So why do people still prefer new games, when used ones are cheaper? More »

Steam has a big "Give and Get" sale going on throughout the weekend, with a couple of daily deals mixed in for good measure (and your post-download pleasure). Musical racer Audiosurf is a steal at $2.50, and we can't imagine hiring better heroes than DeathSpank and Batman for just over $10 each. Have a look at the full list:

• Audiosurf -- $2.50
• Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY Edition -- $10.20
• DeathSpank -- $10.04
• Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days -- $5
• Indie Story Pack -- $4.99
• EVE Online: Tyrannis -- $5
• Defense Grid: The Awakening -- $2.50
• Cities XL 2011 -- $29.99

As of 10PM EST, you have 15 hours left before the daily deal concludes. This counts for Steam's nifty gift packs too, which offer several copies of a game to be distributed amongst your pals.
Steam deals today include Batman, Audiosurf, Deathspank, Kane & Lynch 2

A new Kinect hack -- dubbed "DepthJS" -- allows Microsoft's frequently repurposed camera to interact with a web browser via Javascript. Its creators, from the MIT Media Lab Fluid Interfaces Group, envision "all sorts of applications that run in the browser," and demonstrate fairly simple website navigation in their video (embedded after break). Making a fist enables selection, a semi-dismissive swatting motion allows scrolling, and giving it the finger automatically posts a hateful comment on a game review you didn't agree with. (Okay, that last thing isn't true.)

Meanwhile, Evoluce, a Munich-based software company, has shown Microsoft Windows 7 applications being controlled through Kinect. The associated video shows multi-touch support, with the user being able to zoom in on images or draw using two hands at once. It also makes resizing pictures of adorable animals very easy, which should come in handy for your bandwidth-limited nature blog.

Looks like the online web favorite Mission in Snowdriftland is actually going to return! We’ll have to keep our eyes peeled on the Tons of Bits website once December 1st rolls around. I’m so happy to see this game making a return. Now, if we could only get a version on WiiWare [...]

#pc Double Fine, developers of games like Costume Quest and Brütal Legend, haven't released a PC game in a long time. Why is that, Double Fine? More »

We know the pre-Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving/Black Friday/Cyber Monday season is hard on wallets already thanks to a preponderance of unmissable deals, so we can only offer the following sincere words before dropping yet another set of deep discounts on you: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. It's true: we've become drunk from power, thanks to our ability to link to deals and make people buy things.

Capcom has begun its Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale on its online store, offering discounts on not just games, but exclusive items like Mega Man Zero Collection t-shirts, Dead Rising 2 Bubble Budd toys, and ... Mega Man Kubricks and Be@rbricks?! Oh no, our diabolical plan has backfired. We're tempting ourselves. What kind of monster would do this to people?

#ps3 It was under the leadership of Phil Harrison that Sony conquered Europe with the PS2, which set that console on its path to the history books. So what does Harrison, now long departed from Sony, think of the PS3's chances? More »

If you shunned your family today in the hopes of committing virtual murder in a 16th-century milieu, you were probably disappointed when Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood server -- oh, sorry, the Abstergo Industries Animus network -- went offline. According to Ubisoft Montreal's community developer, Gabriel Graziani, online multiplayer is now "100% operational" again. (We just tested it ourselves and things seem to be back to normal.)

Extricating yourself from the dinner table at this point might be a challenge, but if you've spent some time with Brotherhood's multiplayer mode you'll know the trick is just to play it cool. You're just an NPC taking a stroll to the couch.

#clips To get you pumped for the Black Friday rush, here are 12 videos of shoppers gone wild!  If you have a job in retail, quit now. More »

In attempting to evaluate Gran Turismo 5 in a miniscule fraction of the time it took to create, game critics find themselves in disagreement over the franchise's longstanding expression and adoration of driving. Some find the experience sterile and cluttered, while others see an unrivaled level of love and dedication. Even so, it seems fans will know exactly what they're getting into, and reviewers seem to agree that things are especially good once you get behind the steering wheel.

• Destructoid (100/100): "Even beyond the 1,000 cars, dozens of track variations, countless modes, gorgeous visuals and mountains of options, Gran Turismo 5 has something more that speaks to the world's car lovers and racing fans. The level of care taken by the people at Polyphony Digital shines in every aspect of this title, and this makes for a racing game that truly has no parallel."
• Eurogamer (90/100): "You see, the heart of the game has moved. It's no longer in the GT Mode, despite its improved pace, nor the tuning screen or parts shop. It's certainly not in the vestigial licence tests which are still there but no longer serve much purpose, Polyphony finally having given in and implemented a simple, sensible levelling system to unlock cars and events instead. The game's heart is in those Special Events."
• IGN (85/100): "Gran Turismo 5 is a 10/10 simulator wrapped up in a 5/10 game - driving is as exhilarating as anything that's gone before, and slavish obsession with the minutiae of many of its cars ensure it's an encyclopaedia of automotive delights. Its brilliance on the track, however is matched by its sloppiness off of it, and there's a lack of polish that would at one time have seemed sacrilegious to the series."
• Videogamer (80/100): "The actual driving in Gran Turismo 5 is brilliant. If driving cars is all you care about, Sony and Polyphony Digital have you covered. These days, I want more. I want a streamlined career mode, an exhaustive set of online features, cutting-edge visuals, and above all else, a spark - the something that turns a game from good to really special."
• Guardian (no score): "At times it feels less like playing a game and more like indulging in a hobby. Clearly it's no longer the sole pretender to the title of Best Racing Game; competitors snap at its heels in terms of graphical pyrotechnics, driving feel and immersion, and there are certainly better multiplayer experiences out there. But there's nothing with this much charm. If you want simply to bask in a deep love for cars, then there is still no better franchise."

All the things we wanted to love but didn't – ranked from 10 to 1.

Blue Tongue's Creative Director spills the blobs...

It's time to look back at one of the systems that defined the last couple of decades.

#videogamegiftguide2010 Do you have a certain someone in your life that owns an Apple Macintosh computer? And would you like to buy them something that's not related to graphic design or film production? Well, read on! More »

All the things we wanted to love but didn't – ranked from 10 to 1.