The holiday season has been kind to us. We’ve either received an abundance of games that we haven’t played or have gotten a game that we’ve been spending countless hours on. Either way you see it we’ve got games up the wazoo! Come this Sunday the 15th till Saturday the 21st, Amazon will be offering up some digital copies of EA games daily at a really low price! What games you ask? Only the best ones of course!
1/15 – Alice: Madness Returns: $7.49
1/16 – Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition + Dragon Age 2 Bundle: $11.99
1/17 – Medal of Honor – $6.99
1/18 – Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – $6.99
1/19 – Dead Space 2 – $6.99
1/20 – Bulletstorm – $6.99
1/21 – Crysis 2 – $9.99
SALE: Amazon Offering Discounted EA Games
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Bumped Back
The team over at Ubisoft must be working extra hard to get Ghost Recon Future Soldier just perfect to do battle against Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3. Not much has been spoken about GRFS other than the original release window of March 2012. It kinda makes me feel like the game is part of Fight Club, we just don’t talk about it… What there is to know is that the game modes are complete but needs to be polished. The beta that was promised to hit this month will be pushed back, and the game will not release in March but two months later in May for consoles, and a bit later for PC players. With the track record of Ghost Recon games, hopefully this will ignite a spark that will balance the battlefields of FPS shooters.
Sony Says Not So Fast Kaz!
Sony reported over the weekend on Kaz Hirai’s promotional step, stating that the information that Nikkei published was possibly a few weeks to early or may be a mistake. Sony has yet to offer Kaz Hirai the presidential position, and has refrained from stating if the information that Nikkei indeed is true or false. Sony really does love to hit the pause button on some things… Well hopefully Kaz Hirai does get the promotion, gambatte kudasai(good luck) !
Retailers Posting Release Dates for Diablo 3
Retail stores and some video game websites have been posting release dates for the highly anticipated Diablo 3. Stores like Best Buy have Diablo 3 posted for a February 1st release date, while others have the game posted for February 3rd. Everyone has still been kept in the dark on what the exact date that Blizzard is deciding to drop Diablo 3 on us, but I’m sure which ever day it is in 2012, Deckard Kain will ask you to stay a while and listen.
Best and Worst Cover Arts of 2011
Now with the start of the new year, it’s only right to look back at the best and worst cover arts released throughout the year. Now I know you won’t agree with my choice, you don’t have to. These are my opinion. Enjoy the read.
January 18—LittleBigPlanet 2 (PS3)
Best: LittleBigPlanet 2 returned in Q1 of this year to provide customers with a new take on the LBP series. Instead of Sackboy up close and personal on the coverart, here we have him blasting off on an arcade machine with various worlds in the background. You don’t even have to play the game to realize there are multiple worlds and many things to do within the game itself. I pin this among the best because it shows off so well what the previous LBP coverart did to an extent (though this cover could have shown the different costumes users are allowed to put on Sackboy; maybe an inconspicuous Solid Snake cameo).
January 18—MindJack (PS3, WIN, XB360)
Worst: Mindjack…Well if there isn’t anything worse than a man with a Bluetooth in his ear on the cover of your game. Ok, so maybe I haven’t played the game, but from the cover art, I’m not too keen on picking it up anytime soon. It looks to me, from the cover, as if this were an Alpha Protocol mixed with that secret service game no one liked (not to mention the monster on the cover looks like a robotic ape). You’re not gonna fool me this time, blue eyes.
January 25—Magicka (WIN)
Worst: Who invited the Shy-Guys to come party with the Gears of War guys?
February 7—Mario Sports Mix (WII)
Best: Nothing says Nintendo better than Mario. This colorful and vivid cover tells it all without having any more words than simply, “Mario Sports Mix.” A plethora of games are found on the cover. Dodgeball, volleyball, basketball, and hockey are all on the cover and playable in the game. No doubt about it, Mario covers usually make the cut as the better cover arts.
February 8—Test Drive Unlimited 2 (WIN, 360, PS3)
Worst: Now with this cover, I can’t tell if I’m racing a car or starring in a romantic film in which I set up a heist with my lover and successfully pull it off and move to a far-away island…
February 8—You Don’t Know Jack
Worst: Nothing says “play me!” like a bushy-eyebrowed animated man glaring at you. No, no, blue eyes, you won’t get me this time (although, let it be known that the “Fresh New Scent” at the top is a nice touch to the game).
February 15— Back to the Future: The Game (PSN- 17th, iOS)
Best: Simple, yet says a lot. Join Marty McFly and his antics as he travels back to the future, as the title suggests. Those who remember the movie should fit right in with the game. Hop in your DeLorean and GOOOOOOOOOOO.
February 17—Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds (PS3, XB360)
Best: Thought it may seem cluttered to some, I find this to be one of the better covers of the year. The Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 cover is good as well, but I prefer this one. This one shows the combat between two sides while also portraying the characters of the game.
February 22—Bulletstorm (PS3, XB360)
Worst: The only thing that should be booted in this situation is this cover. I don’t see the point of just having a shoe as a cover. Alright, I understand that this is the shoe, boot, whatever, that is worn in the game, but still…a little more creativity could’ve been used to choose a cover for the Epic Edition of the game (it doesn’t affect the gameplay. The game is good).
March 1— Fight Night: Champion (PS3, XB360)
Worst: The simplicity is there, but the cover of the game gets overshadowed by Ali fighting at the bottom.
March 29— Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 (PS3, XB360, WII)
Worst: Not saying that the cover isn’t good, it’s just that if Tiger Woods’ name is on the cover, you would imagine that he would be a bit more prominent. Tiger Woods has not had an exceptional last couple of years, but I guess for the game to sell, they had to limit how much space Woods was allotted.
May 3—Motorstorm: Apocalypse (PS3, XB360)
Worst: There just seems to be too much going on with this cover. There’s a motorcycle, sports car and an all-terrain vehicle. The street is being destroyed and buildings in the background is blowing up. It seems as though the focus isn’t on one set aspect of the game. Sony seems to be throwing all the elements of the game at you without you being able to figure it out on your own.
June 14—Alice: Madness Returns (PS3, XB360, WIN)
Best: If anyone remembers the first Alice game, they can easily identify with this one. Fans of Alice can easily tell there isn’t the peachy wonderland in this game. Holding a bloody knife and a with blood on her apron, Alice returns with even more madness than before; pun intended.
July 19—Call of Juarez: The Cartel (PS3, XB360)
Worst: The game wasn’t good and neither was the cover. This cover reminds me a lot of another game… Duke Nukem, perhaps?
August 2—Limbo (XBLA)
Best: The simplicity and mystery in this cover is what makes it good. The curiosity of the boy on the cover gives players the same curiosity as to what he’s running towards. This Limbo has nothing to do with a stick and bending over backwards.
October 4—NBA 2k12 (PS3, XB360, PS2)
Worst: As much as I’d like to commend 2k for their normally good basketball covers, they lost some brownie points with this one. I know they wanted to promote Michael Jordance on the cover, but I find that there should have been a better pose. The way his jersey is morphed it seems as though he is the number 3x. 2K should come back stronger next year with a cover art that gets a customer’s attention. Then again, with no NBA Live (read: Elite) series, people had no choice.
October 11—Forza 4 (XB360)
Best: Simple, elegant. The detail in the car preview the amount of care and detail put into the game.
October 25—Battlefield 3 (XB360, PC, PS3)
Worst: The battle of the one-man-standing-while-holding-a-gun continues. They did it last year and so did their Call of Duty counterpart. This cover is getting tired and these companies know that since their game will sell well, they need not try on the cover of their games.
November 8—Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (PS3, XB360)
Worst: I think Activision could have done better with the cover of this game. The guy with the gun thing is getting tired and, quite frankly, I think it’s time for something new. I don’t think there will be something new because this is an established cover, along with Battlefield’s, but a guy can dream, can’t he?
November 13—Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
Best: Here we have another Mario one. This one puts the game into perspective. The worlds are 3D and the adventures are the same as they always have been. Subtle things not many eople will notice are on the cover. Mario’s shadown on the wall shows him in a Tanooki suit and the brick block has eyes.
November 15—Saint’s Row: The Third (XB360, PS3)
Best: Last on the list is Saint’s Row. Don’t get me wrong, the game is great, but the cover is…well, I don’t know. I love the detail on the cover of the game, but you don’t really know what to expect from it. After looking it over a couple of times, you can see that the cover is more than just a badge. There are silhouettes of guns and women, all major players in the game. THQ did well with this one.
LVLUP! Kaz Hirai
Announced today by Nikkei, Sony’s current president, CEO and chairman Sir Howard Stringer will apparently be relinquishing his title as president to Kaz Hirai come April. If you don’t know who Kaz Hirai is, just keep reading below for a mini biography on him.
Born on December 22, 1960 in Tokyo, Japan, the son of a wealthy banker, Kaz Hirai traveled the world. Graduating with a Bachelors in Liberal Arts from International Christian University in 1984, and finding a job with CBS/Sony Inc. in Japan where he worked hard over the years to become the head of Sony Computer Entertainment Japan’s international business affairs office in New York. In 1995, Hirai transferred over to to Sony’s Computer and Video Game division. Since being a part of the division, Hirai watched over the growth of the Playstation franchise to what it is today.
Kingdom Hearts 3DS Coming Next Year
The games for 3DS are getting better and better it seems, so I guess it’s time to blow the dust off your 3DS and charge it up. Come next year Square Enix plans on releasing Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, or 3D for short. Kingdom Hearts 3D will be a prelude to the final conflict where Sora and Riku enter the “Sleeping Worlds” to become Keyblade Masters. New worlds will also be playable, such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Tron Legacy. This is probably one game that I will be picking up next year among the many other games that are coming out.
WeLoveFine Give Away Winners!
Hard to believe it’s been one full week since I posted this contest. The days are flying by! It’s time to announce our two winners of the WeLoveFine gift certificate giveaway. So lets congratulate Kong Yang and Zee Lopez! Please keep an eye on your emails!
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Chrome Gaming: Mini Ninjas and Bastion
Google’s Chrome is one browser that has been competing to take top dog for internet browsers. With the multitude of different apps you can play/use on the browser itself is becoming more popular. New on the list of apps to play is Bastion. Released earlier this year on Xbox 360, Bastion’s prologue is free to play, but to play the game in it’s entirety will cost $14.99, which isn’t bad at all.
Another game shortly to be released will be Mini Ninjas, Square Enix’s first Chrome based game. Originally out for Xbox 360 then later on PC, Mini Ninja’s will be one game that will be easy on the eyes and a joy to play, browser based or not.
Free on iOS Today: Mirror’s Edge
What’s better than free running in a big city, jumping rooftop to rooftop, trying to stop a threat in a futuristic “perfect” world. Ok maybe skydiving, but EA’s free running heroine Faith Connors is free to download on the iOS systems. iPad, iPhone/iTouch applications are different from one another so make sure you download on both if you want to play on a larger screen.
