September/October Xbox Live Schedule revealed

Microsoft has released its Xbox Live Schedule for September and October, and it’s packed with quality titles such as Plants vs. Zombies and add-ons such as Crackdown 2′s Toy Box DLC.

Have a look for yourself below;

Games Fest Arcade Schedule:

• September 29: Hydrophobia, 1200 MSP
• October 6: Comic Jumper, 1200 MSP
• October 13: Pinball FX 2, Tables purchased individually, free import from original Pinball FX
• October 20: Super Meat Boy, Pricing TBD

Xbox Live Arcade:

• September 8: Plants vs. Zombies, 1200 MSP
• September 8: Dance! It’s your Stage, 800 MSP
• September 15: Sonic Adventure, 800 MSP

Deals of the week:

• September 5: Select Resident Evil content
• September 13:
• BUST-A-MOVE Live!, 400 MSP
• Gyromancer, 800 MSP
• Tower Bloxx Deluxe, 400 MSP
• Puzzle Chronicles, 400MSP

Xbox Game Add-Ons

• September 2: Crackdown 2 Toy Box available at no cost to Crackdown 2 owners; 560 MSP for additional content and available worldwide
• September 7:
• Mass Effect 2 Lair of the Shadow Broker , 800 MSP
• Dragon Age: Origins Witch Hunt , 560 MSP
• Rock Band Snoop Dog 8 Single Tracks, 160 MSP for each and available worldwide

Now doesn’t that schedule sound amazing? If not, I suggest you look back over it.

Jump into the world of a princess to defeat ‘A Witch’s Curse’

Avanquest software is bringing this award winning adventure game back from the dead with a magical DS release

Read more

Dog Days Gets Doggie DLC

Its time to head into the multiplayer experience of Kane & Lynch 2 with three download packs that are set to release on Tuesday, August 31 and will provide new maps and content playable in all three of the critically acclaimed Multiplayer modes as well as the single player Arcade mode.  Increase your wealth and unlock new Achievement points with three new maps, powerful new weapons and stolen masks to conceal your identity.

The three DLC packs are…

Doggie Bag Pack

Take on new heists and unlock new Achievement points with two never before seen maps and five exclusive weapons for Multiplayer and Arcade modes.  Dockyard and High Rise maps, plus the Radio Tower map (previously available through pre-order offers) provide new opportunity to increase your wealth. And with the inclusion of five new weapons, including the DD 33, KL Viper, RTS, SMi 69, and the TOQ Model Four S the odds are in your favour of pulling off a successful heist.

Retail price:

Xbox 360 -                                     560 Microsoft points

PS3 -                                                €5.99 (Europe) / $5.99 (US)

STEAM -                                         €5.99 (Europe) / $5.99 (US)

Alliance Weapons Pack

Increase your weapons arsenal  with seven powerful new weapons for all Multiplayer modes and Arcade mode. A mix of handguns, shotguns and assault rifles the new weapons include:  Doretta Silenced, Steele 870, TOQ SBR, Kaliningrad 47, PAC 10 silenced, N 77P  Silenced, TOQ Elite. (Weapons previously available through pre-order).

Retail price:

Xbox 360 -                                     240 Microsoft points

PS3 -                                                €2.99 (Europe) / $2.99 (US)

STEAM -                                         €2.99 (Europe) / $2.99 (US)

Multiplayer Mask Pack

Conceal your identity and avoid revenge attacks with 8 costume masks stolen from a Chinese gift shop, for all Multiplayer modes and Arcade mode.    You never want to be identified, especially if you are a traitor!  (Masks previously available through pre-order).

Retail price:

Xbox 360 -                                     160 Microsoft points

PS3 -                                                €1.99 (Europe) / $1.99 (US)

STEAM -                                         €1.99 (Europe) / $1.99 (US)

Reviewed: Kane and Lynch 2 Xbox 360 & PS3

We take a look at gaming’s most notorious criminals on both platforms. Is it worth heading to Shanghai or is it worth missing the flight? Find out in this review.

Co-Op Special Video Review will be appearing on our YouTube shortly.

The original Kane & Lynch caused critics to be very critical of a game we acclaim to be a brilliant title, we do understand its not 100% perfect, but what game is?  As many of the critics were somewhat surprised that a sequel was announced so quickly it caused a lot of controversy, and a lot of other reviews have been slagging the game off. Our review is non-biased, and heck we are GAMERS, we appreciate games more. Anyway, lets get on with this review before we end up virtually shooting someone.

Dog Days really does make a strong impression, on the 360 anyway. The PS3 has terrible loading screens, and the start up instillation takes a good 20+ minuets! So make sure you have 20 minuets spare. If your a X360 owner then just expect a 5 second update.  Once you get through this barrier on the PS3 you can commence to the game. The game will start you off in the role of Lynch who you will play through the campaign as since the story is focused around Lynch. In co-op however you can choose between Kane and Lynch.

You will notice a lot of difference between the two Kane and Lynch titles. The original Dead Men was more of a “cinematic” film appeal, with a lot of references to previous gangster/mafia films. This time around the game is set from the eye of a handheld video camera, presenting its visuals, shaky cameras, fuzzy effects, the whole shebang. This is a nice use off visual effects and really does make the game very unique to the original and other titles out their.  The violence is still here, with lots of mature themes, the same mature themes that defined the previous Dead Men title.  We are sure your questioning, “Does Kane and Lynch: Dog Days have the same flaws as the previous?” We are referring this question perfectly aimed at the controls, the story which got slightly confusing and the split endings (even though a nice option) didn’t help,  the lack of online co-op and un-played multiplayer.Well sadly, to a degree, it does,  but the issue is still IO’s way of presenting the criminals in a desperate situation.

The gameplay focus of Dead Men is no longer here, remember those ‘classic’ Dead Men heists? Well Dog Days is a considerably different in comparison to the first title. This time around its all about all guns blazing. Their is not much need for stealth anymore as your mainly always on the move, going through alley ways, buildings, shops and street streamlined affair. It’s actually a brilliant approach and does somewhat make the game more enjoyable, shot gunning people to the face to see a blurred pixelated camera effect couldn’t be more enjoyable.

There is of course a downside to this, it becomes very repetitive, very quickly. The shooting of course is more improved compared to Dead Men, but their is a lot of competitors on the market for the 3rd person shooters this year including the upcoming Mafia 2 title. You will find yourself pointlessly dieing from cover, cover this time around just doesn’t work as well, you will either cover correctly or end up coming out of cover to end up dead. Its a 50/50 win/lose situation, which is a shame since the covering system in the first one worked pretty well. It is bearably this said and doesn’t effect the gameplay to much since you can pick yourself up once you have been shot, but this only works every so often.

in comparison to the first game. There are no more heists, not much in the way of stealth missions, hell, there’s not even much variety in the whys of what you’re doing. You’re pretty much always shooting and moving forward. In a way, this is refreshing – that other stuff was not executed well in the last game.
Of course, the flaw there is increased repetition. The shooting mechanic in Dog Days is more functional than it was in Dead Men, but it still feels a little behind the times in comparison to third person shooters in 2010, and the cover system still frustrates as much as it helps. This is compounded by weapons that have been hobbled in effectiveness by IO’s desire to make them feel more realistic. Guns early in the game are inaccurate pieces of junk, and you’ll spend as much time looking for better guns as you will your plan of attack. This is more a problem for you than the enemies you’ll face, as Dog Days is one of the few games I’ve ever played where fodder opponents take more punishment than the player can.

The real draw of Kane & Lynch 2 is the story and presentation. At this point, you probably know about Dog Days’ particular presentation style,  the very creative video camera system, evoking he use of a video camera used at a handheld point. This time around Dog Days feels similar to a film due to its presentation which isn’t to much of a bad aspect to take into consideration and actually does play like a movie such Collateral and The Departed, and also can slightly refer to a bit of Pulp Fiction.
The narrative is a confusing, but Dog Days actually holds it self together very well.  It’s rare that a game can actually make you Jump, especially a title like this. This title really does make you disturbed. You will watch awkwardly as a character cry’s out for help as if everything has been taken from them, its an unexpected twist to the narrative. It’s always hard to take a game’s story seriously enough that it can actually be criticized due to its emotional outcomes and violence. It’s a shame that everything happens in one go and takes away the realistic appeal.

The game’s story at times is though, and this time around doesn’t feel to essential due to the body count in Dog Days, the numbers in the hundreds (with an achievement/trophy for 1000 kills in campaign), moving Kane & Lynch beyond mass murder and into wartime atrocity territory. In can be taken note as just being one of those mindless action games, featuring two people who can mindlessly kill hundreds and thousands like a terminator. Like I stated before the realistic edge in this title holds on with hardly any grip but it’s easy missable if your all in for mindless action. The narrative is still effective, still intense, still emotional, but it’s weaker perhaps than it could have been.

The multiplayer and the new Arcade Mode bring something new and better that the previous title didn’t pull-of too well. Multiplayer is broken down into three modes: The returning Fragile Alliance, and a pair of variations on the theme, Undercover Cop and Cops & Robbers. Fragile Alliance partners you with other players on a heist on a strict timetable. You’ve got four minutes to get in and out alive with as much money as you can collect, don’t forget any player can betray the other players, collecting more cash. Of course, the payoff might be bigger working together, and traitors face the wrath of other players and enemy AI alike. Undercover Cop randomly assigns a Serpico amidst the expat thieves, who’s goal is to stop the other players once the heist is in motion. Cops and Robbers divides players into opposing teams, with Robbers attempting to pull off a score and escape and Cops attempting to stop them. Arcade mode takes the multiplayer modes and fills them with bots.

While multiplayer’s concepts are strong and interesting, they rely even more heavily on the shooting and cover aspect of Kane & Lynch 2 than single-player. It’s nice that they’re there, and fun can be had, but the online aspect fails to lift off. The online isn’t amazing but were glad its improved, not forgetting the new online co-op.

Overall 7/10 – Purchase

K&L:Dog Days has took everything the one previous had, made it either better, recreated it and giving it a new appeal, more enjoyable and a better experience. This sequel has it’s flaws but shapes up well in the multiplayer department and the online co-op. Without the online co-op we feel Kane and Lynch 2 would of suffered dramatically. The online co-op is solid on both platforms and is the only way to play Kane &Lynch 2, ignore the singeplayer if you can, find some friends online, get together and kill some people. If you’re just not a person interested in crime thrillers, then there’s probably not much point purchasing Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days as it wouldn’t have much to keep you playing. Kane and Lynch continue to stand as gaming notorious criminals.

CASE ZERO is now eating your Xbox!

Today the prologue to the upcoming Dead Rising 2 title, is now available to be downloaded to your Xbox 360 today. Players who download Dead Rising: CASE ZERO will get their first glimpse into the world of Dead Rising 2 as they are introduced to the new protagonist in the series, Chuck Greene, along with new game play features of Dead Rising 2, ahead of its European release on September 24, 2010.

The prologue is only 400 Microsoft Points, which is a great price for a good few hours of zombie fun. The prologue will give players a first taste of the zombie-slaughtering fun of combo weapons and ‘psycho’ boss fights. Character attributes collected in Dead Rising 2: CASE ZERO will also carry over into the main game such as Player Level, to a maximum of five, Prestige Points alongside skills, Combo Cards and a number of alternate outfits.

Dead Rising 2 is scheduled for release across Europe for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 24th and for PC on September 28th. The game will release on all formats in North America on September 28th and in Japan on September 30th.

DSi & DSi XL To Get Price Slash In September

From September 12th Nintendo’s handheld gaming devices the DSi and DSi XL will both be getting a price slash.  The DSi will cost $149.99 ( around 96 pound) and the DSi XL new price will be $169.99 ( around 110 pound).

Nintendo also reaffirmed its first-party DS line-up for the coming months: Professor Layton and the Unwound Future on September 12; Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signson October 4; Art Academy on October 25; Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!; and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn on November 29.
Does now seem like a good time to pick up that Nintendo handheld you’ve been holding out on, or will you just wait for the Nintendo 3DS?

Another superhero movie – Iron Fist

With almost 3,000 2972 characters in the Marvel universe, I didn’t think they’d attempt to make a film for every single one. But it certainly seems that way after it was revealed by Deadline that there will be a feature-length film for Iron Fist, a character who’s not exactly well-known out of all the Marvel characters, but popular with hardcore comic fans.

Iron Fist’s power comes from when he drops his fists into the molten heart of a dragon and receiving training to concentrate chi. In the Marvel universe, Tony Stark (Iron Man) labels him a lethal weapon. This could mean an even more intricate storyline, included with the films centred around The Hulk, Nick Fury and the Avengers cast.

The film, one of the first to be produced under Disney’ ownership of the great comic company, is set to be written by Rich Wilkes, known for his work on the xXx series, so Iron Fist’s first silver screen appearance is bound to be action packed.

No word yet on who’s to star in this latest superhero adaptation, but it’s bound to be a big star

Kinect beta launches, Xbox Live chat limited

Microsoft has sent out a batch of emails informing lucky beta applicants that the Kinect beta has launched and test kits have been sent off in the post to them, beta users will also receive the new dashboard and avatars, specially designed for Kinect. Kotaku was one of the lucky ones to get on the beta list and have announced that the Kinect beta will be kept private by all means, which includes modifying the popular Xbox Live chat system.

The Xbox Live chat system will only allow beta users to chat with other testers, so you’ll be cut off from a large proportion of your friends. Once Kinect is out on the market, which is set for a release of November 10th 2010 in Europe, the chat system will go back to how it was.

The regular game chat is expected to remain the same, but does this open a window for beta testers to spill the beans on Microsoft’s upcoming controller-less controller?

Does this seem like a sensible way of stopping beta users from giving away too much away about Kinect? Or is it all rather pointless? Let’s be honest, when does anything not get leaked early, look at Halo: Reach for instance!

Reviewed: Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast and Gamecube)

Sonic’s first true 3D action platforming game is also one of his best and a fine example that the hedgehog can handle well in the third dimension. This was also one of the best launch titles ever made for a home console.
Dreamcast Version:
Pros: Great levels and music, decent story, good framerate, Sonic ,Knuckles, and Gamma’s stages were my favorite characters to play as.
Cons: Pretty short, fighting the bosses again as a different character became too repetitive , Tails played too much like Sonic, Amy and Big were slow but at least they don’t have that many stages, Can’t watch the cutscenes again.
Gamecube version:
Pros: Brighter colors and shading, slightly faster loading times, after collecting all the emblems you can play as Metal Sonic.
Cons: Lower framerate, camera can be jittery, some random glitches, Most of the Game Gear games SUCK!, Missions aren’t that much fun, the controls just don’t feel as good as the Dreamcast version.

Can You Smell What THQ Are Cooking!?

THQ today announced a launch of the companies new WWE videogames portal wwe.thq.com

As well as the official community website for WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 at community.smackdownvsraw.com.  The two sites will feature the latest WWE videogame content, official forums, an exclusive blog written by WWE Superstar The Miz, aCreate-a-Superstar application and much more.  The new WWE videogames portal and WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 community site will be the ultimate online destinations leading up to and beyond launch

And in addition for all you WWE Fanboys THQ have created some very special Xbox Avatars available from the Xbox Live Marketplace.  These include;

·         John Cena® – Outfits (Male and Female), Cap

·         Undertaker® – Outfits (Male and Female), Hat

·         DX® – Outfits (Male and Female), Glowsticks, Cap

·         Edge® – Outfits (Male and Female)

·         Randy Orton® – Shirts (Male and Female)

·         WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2011 – Shirts (Male and Female)

·         Hornswoggle® – Animated WWE Superstar

·         Rey Mysterio® – Mask

·         WWE Championship Belt

So what are you waiting for Jabroni!