Update: Prison Break - New Screens

Deep Silver and Zootfly's in development console game (based on the defunct Fox TV show) is still rolling along nicely and looking quite good. Here's a peek at a few more screens showing off some nice character models and well-rendered environments. All it needs is to get finished and be fun to play and I'm happy.

Oh... Shipping before the short attention span crowd forgets about the show entirely might help as well. based on all the work going into what's here, it'll be really interesting to see how this one turns out. Stick around for more info and images as they become available

Now Playing (Wistful Nostalgia & A Bit of Puzzling Detection)...

Tinkering away on the reviews mentioned earlier, site redesign stuff AND getting ready for next week's big chunk of repair work on some water damage here, so updates will be slightly laid back this week.

Ignition's Nintendo DS/DSi RPG Nostalgia showed up yesterday and pretty much stole the rest of the day and a good chunk of the night away from my updateing and such. The full review is embargoed 'til the 27th, so you'll have to check back then to see the final verdict. I can tell you now, I'm VERY pleased with the game so far.

Additionally, Playlogic's surprisingly fun Sudoku Ball Detective and a ton of other stuff arrived for the beginnings of my Holiday Gift Guide feature, so expect to be hit on the head with a bunch of gifty suggestions starting in November.

Where's my game-playing helper monkey/secretary/coffee maker supreme?

Borderlands Shoots Into Retail for PS3, 360

All I know is the FAQ writers and completion gamers' heads are EXPLODING at the thought of collecting EVERY weapon they MUST have as they blast through Pandora's population. "Ha ha haaaa!" Gearbox laughs at you with relish (and onions). Just try to enjoy the game and not obsess over getting every darn weapon, I say.

Hey 2K! Has someone at Gearbox even bothered to estimate how long it would take to actually nab every gun in the game? Run that program and post the results - that should give some of those folks out there a fit and a half if they're the type that HAS to get everything a game can offer!

Anyway, press release below - go buy the game. Three very cool screens from The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned DLC are here for your perusal. Color me scared and amused already!

2K Games and Gearbox Software Turn the Conventional First-Person Shooter Genre Upside Down with the Release of Borderlands™
Four-player co-op, 87 bazillion guns, an arresting art style and a dancing robot -What more could you want?

New York, NY – October 20, 2009 – 2K Games announced today that Borderlands™ is now available in North America for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and will be available starting October 23 internationally. The Windows PC version will ship in North America and internationally on October 26 and October 30, respectively.

Developed by Gearbox Software, Borderlands delivers this year’s most explosive and entertaining role-playing shooter (RPS) by combining the most addictive gaming elements found in action-packed first-person shooters with the deep character development of role-playing games (RPG).

"We are excited by the overwhelmingly positive media response to Borderlands and can’t wait for consumers to see for themselves how it takes the traditional first-person shooter experience and turns it completely upside down," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "Borderlands is unlike anything else on store shelves. It’s got it all, from single-player to four-player co-op, two-player split-screen, character development that grants players a sense of ownership, and the biggest arsenal ever seen in a first-person shooter.”

Featuring extensive co-op integration that seamlessly blends the single-player and multiplayer experiences, Borderlands allows players to freely join or leave each others' games at any time for collaborative mayhem or the freedom to choose to play in full single-player mode to experience the world on their own. Borderlands also includes a groundbreaking weapon generation system that offers a near infinite variety of weapons to the player. Borderlands combines these features with addictive non-stop action to form a breakthrough experience that challenges the conventions of modern shooters and RPGs.

More mayhem is set to come for players of Borderlands via The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, the first in a series of downloadable expansion packs, which is scheduled to arrive for all platforms before the end of the year. “

The Borderlands team at Gearbox has brought together the things we know we love - co-op, skill-based action, character development and millions of guns – in a way we haven’t seen before,” said Randy Pitchford, president of Gearbox Software. “Borderlands is a great shooter that we can play alone or with friends. I think it’s the best video game we’ve ever made and I have never been more excited about a launch.”

As one of this holiday season’s most unique and entertaining titles, Borderlands takes gun lust to a new level by featuring more than 17 million unique weapons. Each weapon has its own combination of manufacturer, specifications and advantages for gamers to wreak havoc on the evils of the wasteland planet of Pandora as they embark on a quest for the elusive Vault. Add Borderlands’ eye-popping and visually compelling art style known as Concept Art Style that combines traditional rendering techniques with hand-drawn textures, and it is easy to see why 2K Games and Gearbox Software have created the must-have game of the year. Additionally, the Windows PC version will support NVIDIA® 3D Vision™, for high resolution, fully immersive 3D gaming.

Gallery: Two Worlds II

One of the more underapprecited RPGs in the US this console generation had to be Reality Pump's Two Worlds, an open world action-based RPG experience with plenty to see and do (and some rather interesting monster designs). While the game wasn't perfect and had an ending that cut off any further exploration once the main quest was completed, there were more than enough enjoyable elements to keep me hooked in for hours at a stretch. Let's just say I spent a huge amount of time crafting up the perfect weapons and armor set. That and learning all those great summon spells so by the endgame, my character was pretty unstoppable.

Despite reviews that spent more time slamming the technical issues and intentionally campy voice acting, the game sold well enough in a few territories that Reality Pump and publisher TopWare are set to release a sequel, Two Worlds II, for "PC, MAC and Next-Gen consoles" (most likely PS3 and Xbox 360) this Winter. Reality Pump's new GRACE engine looks pretty impressive as you'll see in the four screenshots below, but we'll have to keep an eye peeled for gameplay movies or hope TopWare decides to do a press tour to NYC so I can get a hands-on. Hell, if they announce they're headed up this way, I'll be waiting outside the hotel for them to show up... er, in a NON-stalker kind of way...

The press release below is a hoot - "carnal curiosity" usually means "jail time" in a few states the last time I checked. I can't wait to see how the final version has turned out. Anyway, behold below, then click on the website link above and sign up for the official TWII newsletter:

Las Vegas, October 19th 2009 – It’s time again to return to the world of Antaloor. Fulfill your carnal curiosity by checking out four brand new screens directly from the RPG masterpiece, “Two Worlds II.” The game’s developers, Reality Pump, have created a revolutionary new engine called GRACE, and these screen shots give testimony to the engine’s capabilities.

A trip to the swamps will demonstrate the breathtaking experience that Two Worlds II has to offer. The result of Reality Pump’s extensive technical development, the game’s environment has been painstakingly created to fully immerse the player into the Antaloorian universe. For example, the marshy ground sucks at the character’s feet hindering his movement more so then if he was on dry land. Additionally, dynamic sounds have been constructed to further demonstrate the game’s attention to detail. When the hero steps into the marshy ground, he will hear a terrifyingly disgusting squishing noise that will make the player cringe with delight. Luckily, there are many wooden paths and stakes placed throughout the swamp, which will allow the player to traverse the treacherous terrain with more ease. However, whether you can use the comfortable paths and bridges without paying a toll depends on the disposition of the local residents – and you better believe that “Have a good day!” does not pass their lips on a regular basis. But let’s face it…would you be bubblin’ over with joy if you had to wake up every day to drizzling rain and tendril of swamp mist?

We'll have more on Two Worlds II as news and new screens are released. Hey TopWare! Where's that Septerra Core sequel?

Help NIS America Bring Badaman PSP to UMD!

One of the things that irks me as a collector of games is this trend of releasing certain console and portable titles as download-only product (grrrr!). While it's indeed great for those folks who feel no need to have a physical product, the simple fact is some of us out there would like the choice to have one or the other (or even both in some cases). Heck, what if you're in an area without decent (or any) broadband access or just want the simple pleasure of actually reading a manual you can hold in your hot little hands?

Don't get me wrong, folks - the ability to pay for and download new games and game content works amazingly well for those gamers who don't give a hoot about the above issues, but SOME games would actually enjoy a much LARGER user base IF they were made available in as many (legal) forms as possible (grrr!). Yeah, that means you too, Konami (the otherwise superb Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment SHOULD also get a darn disc release on the Xbox 360 AND PS3 for those of use who want it! grrrr!!!)

Anyway, Nippon Ichi America and online retailer of NISA goodness, RosenQueen Company recently took a pool and found out that quite a few people want to see one of this year's best download-only PSP titles, Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! (What Did I Do to Deserve This?) come to UMD and as soon as humanly possible. So guess what? NISA has asked gamers to put their money where their mouths are an PRE-ORDER the game through the RosenQueen Store. All they need is a minimum of 1000 pre-orders and BOOM! they can start producing the game this November for shipment sometime in December. Even better, this great little strategy game will only cost a mere $19.99! Now, how cool is that?

Anyway, ogle the info below, click on those links and if you want this one in your PSP collection, place that pre-order NOW! This could be some sort of turning point for more games to follow suit. Hell, they've got MY money already!

Hello everyone!

Happy Friday! First of all, thank you very much for participating in the Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! UMD poll. We have received a lot of votes, and we also received lots of emails from our fans telling us that they really wanted the UMD of Badman. We are now happy to tell you that we've decided to start the pre-order for Holy Invasion of Privacy, Badman! on UMD at the RosenQueen store! (The preorder ends on 11/13).

In order to make it possible for us to release Badman on UMD, we will have to receive at least 1,000 pre-orders by 11/13. We are currently trying to get some support from retailers for this UMD version of Badman, by letting them know that there are many fans who are still interested in the UMD version of Badman! If we could get supoprt from them, we will be able to make the UMD version of Badman even if the pre-orders at RosenQueen don't reach 1,000. If you know anybody who wanted to have the UMD version of Badman, let them know about this pre-order!

Let's make this happen, people!!! Updates to come as we get them...

Zaku Update: Ready to Launch 10/24/2009

Well, alrighty then! Super Fighter Team has announced that its NEW PengiuNet-developed Atari Lynx game, Zaku, will be available for purchase on October 24, 2009, the same day the game makes its debut at this year's Classic Console and Arcade Gaming Show in Cleveland, Ohio (see below for the full details).

And whaddya mean "What's Zaku?" Hey! Go click that link above for the official site, then read my preview and interview with Super Fighter Team's Brandon Cobb to see what I'm all hopped up about! At $40US + shipping, this one looks like money well spent if you're a Lynx owner.

Your eyes popped out at the screenshots.
Your heart raced from the video preview.
You were amazed by the final product design.

After witnessing these things, a single question sprung into your mind:
"When can I get it?"

Today, I'm happy to say that greatness is right around the corner.

Zaku, the crazy-fast new shooter for Atari Lynx, will make its public debut on October 24, 2009 at the Classic Console and Arcade Gaming Show in Cleveland, Ohio. A copy of the game will be up and running during the show, playable by all attendees. Toward the end of the day, that copy will be given away for free as a prize to one lucky person, compliments of Super Fighter Team. For more information about this event, please visit the ccagshow.com website.

But that's not all...

We will also begin taking orders for Zaku on October 24, 2009, at the price of only USD$40.00 each + shipping and handling. As part of our continued effort to satisfy our customers, we will not be taking pre-orders for this game. Instead, all orders will be shipped out as soon as possible, once payment has been received. No waiting means you'll receive the game sooner, thus being able to enjoy it sooner - just another quality service we at Super Fighter Team are happy to provide.

Don't get too comfortable, because Zaku is coming. And it's going to open up your Lynx to a whole new world of possibilities.

Now Playing (Buried!)

Of course, a few of the games I've previously heavily previewed have finally showed up a bit later than usual (and all at the same time). Such is the nature of things from time to time in this job. Anyway, they've arrived and are currently being played to death for upcoming reviews:

Valhalla Knights Eldar Saga
The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Dead Space Extraction
Naruto Shippuden: Legends: Akatsuki Rising
Animal Paradise: Wild
Groovin' Blocks

Mass Effect 2 Release Date, Pre-Order Info In Full Effect

As I think I've said previously (and on more than one occasion), BioWare really loves you, particularly if you're a fan of their games. Here's a nice bit of pre-order info about Mass Effect 2 that may come in handy. Nice armor, huh?

BIOWARE ANNOUNCES JANUARY 26 LAUNCH DATE FOR MASS EFFECT 2 TOGETHER WITH EXCITING PRE-ORDER INCENTIVES

Unique Armor and Weaponry Available with Pre-Orders at Select Retailers Worldwide

Edmonton, Alberta (October 16, 2009) – Mark your calendar and lock in your copy of Mass Effect 2 now! Leading video game developer BioWare™, today announced that the epic Shooter/RPG Mass Effect™ 2 will be on store shelves in North America on January 26, and on January 29 in Europe. With its larger-than-life hero Commander Shepard, intense shooter action, nuanced characters and a rich storyline, the much-anticipated sequel to the original award-winning opus is one of the most anticipated titles of 2010.

In support of the launch, BioWare is releasing unique Mass Effect 2 pre-order incentives* at key retailers in North America and across Europe. Codes for downloading these items will be provided to players who have pre-ordered, usable when the game is released.

“Our fans are in for a genuine thrill in the New Year with Mass Effect 2 – the second installment in the trilogy will be of amazingly high quality,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, co-founder, BioWare and Group General Manager of the RPG/MMO Group of EA. “BioWare’s fans worldwide have been eagerly awaiting this epic sequel, and we couldn’t be more excited to reward them for pre-ordering by delivering some awesome bonus content!”

In North America, pre-order bonuses* include special-ops armor and weaponry that are designed to boost Commander Shepard’s skills and abilities. At GameStop, Terminus Gear is available with pre-orders, which includes the powerful Terminus Assault Armor and the M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon:

· The Terminus Armor is designed for use in extreme planetary conditions, increasing run speed and personal shields, and augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of reserve ammo.

· The M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass, and ultimately expanding the selection of heavy weapons available to players when they gear up for combat missions in Mass Effect 2.

Players that pre-order Mass Effect 2 at other retail outlets in North America will receive the potent Inferno Armor, which is used by officers to monitor battlefield conditions by recognizing elevated heart rates, and regulates sub-systems with extreme efficiency to allow for greater response times – together these abilities translate in-game into a negotiation bonus for Commander Shepard and an increase in run speed and augmented damage from combat powers.

*Restrictions apply. See actual pre-order offers for details.

Diner Dash: Flo on the Go & Wedding Dash Hands-On

If you're a fan of "casual" PC games these days, there's pretty much little to know doubt you've downloaded and played one of PlayFirst's hugely popular titles. Thanks to a loyal (and expanding) user base that's downloaded its games hundreds of millions of times, the PlayFirst web site is one of those games havens that's doing quite well in this otherwise bumpy economy. With a huge library of all-ages games that range from fast-paced arcade action, "hidden object", strategy, puzzle, role playing and adventure games, there's pretty much something for everyone. Family-friendly games publisher Zoo Games, which has released titles for the Wii, Nintendo DS/DSi, PlayStation 2, PSP, iPhone, and PC has licensed two of PlayFirst's key titles for the Nintendo DS just in time for the holiday season - here's a rundown on what to expect.

Zoo showed off its two licensed PlayFirst DS titles at a press event at Big Daddy's New York City, a popular NYC "theme" diner that rocks a nice retro vibe with a mix of 50's cool, great food and supremely speedy wait staff. Diner Dash: Flo on the Go and Wedding Dash were playable and both were great fun as well as fine additions to the Nintendo DS library. Even if you're not a fan of this sort of "casual" game, both are surprisingly addictive, challenging and quite funny, especially if your sense of humor can appreciate elements such as tipsy uncles, battlin' bridesmaids and trying to wait tables on a cigar-shaped rocketship.

Diner Dash: Flo on the Go takes the hugely popular franchise (and super-waitress Flo with her friend Darla, of course) to five theme restaurants including a cruise ship and the aforementioned rocketship with the same fast-paced gameplay fans have come to expect.

If you haven't yet played a Diner Dash game previously, but remember the classic arcade games Tapper or Root Beer Tapper, it's a bit similar but much more frantic. Instead of moving through a bar or soda shoppe, you're tasked with seating different types of customers, taking their orders, delivering plates of food and cleaning up afterward. The simple game mechanics are explained thoroughly in the tutorial and as you go through the increasingly tricky stages, the amount of tasks and customer types increase geometrically.

Flo also gets new outfits as you progress, a good thing, as this installment begins after she loses her suitcase overboard the cruise ship things start out on. The build I played had a ton of outfit types unlocked, allowing for mix 'n match picking or super-coordinated gear from head to toe. Sure, you macho guns 'n glory types will scoff at this one, but it's a real brain-tickler and reflex test that gets crazier than some shooters I've seen, that's for sure.

Wedding Dash takes that same basic gameplay and introduces Quinn, a wedding planner tasked with helping assorted couples pull of perfect wedding receptions. The game adds quite a few twists to the Diner Dash formula that sets it apart from the former game such as pre-planning of events and completely different types of guest types and obstacles.

I found myself cracking up just reading the different descriptions of the guest types, all of which I've seen at the weddings I've attended. Tipsy uncle? Check. Overly emotional auntie? Check. You'll also get the annoying Mother-in-Law, pesky pooches, unstable cake-tables and more all come into play here and it's all very well done and really addictive once you start playing. The game itself is also quite funny, especially when you see a few of the wacky animations the more troublesome guests do. Things get pretty crazy when you've got guests wanting certain tables or not wanting to be placed near certain other guests. Slow eaters and fast drinkers keep things rolling with the overall goal of each map to get everyone on the dance floor to boogie the night away.

Both games have Career and Endless gameplay modes as well as a 2-player competitive mode. Diner Dash will have five restaurants each with different scenarios while Wedding Dash has over 50 stages set through five difficulty levels. Endless Mode is basically a "survival" deal where you're going to be pulling your hair out after about two minutes unless you're really good at the main game. Things get busy and never let up, which will probably make you leave a hefty tip the next time you're at a real diner. I'll have to admit, part of me though Wedding Dash would be partly about trying to escape from anything resembling matrimonial bliss, but snark aside, what's here is really darn entertaining for a E-rated game.

Overall, both games are must-buys whether you're in the mood for something different of if you're a huge fan of the orignal Diner Dash and its sequels looking to take your game on the road with a lot more variety and the ability to compete with a second player. Diner Dash: Flo on the Go is in stores on October 20, 2009, while Wedding Dash hits retail on November 9th, 2009. Definitely check both games out - you won't be disappointed.

Left 2 Dead 2 Demo Info Revealed

Start exercising those trigger fingers and mice hands, folks... it's allllllllllllmost here (and it should shut the skeptics and boycotters up quite soundly, I'd imagine)...

LEFT 4 DEAD 2 DEMO DETAILS REVEALED
Pre-Order Now and Be the First To Play

Oct 15, 2009 - Valve today announced details and timing for the demo of its upcoming zombie thriller, Left 4 Dead 2.

The Left 4 Dead 2 demo will feature gameplay taken from "The Parish" campaign, set in the New Orleans French Quarter. Playable by 1 to 4 players over local or Internet connections on both the Xbox 360 and PC (with two-player split screen available on the Xbox 360), the demo features all the new boss infected zombies and all the new melee weapons included in the full product.

Those who pre-order the game (at participating retailers or via Steam) will obtain early access to the demo on October 27. The demo will then be made available to Xbox LIVE Gold members and all PC gamers on November 3. Then all Xbox LIVE members will obtain access to the demo on November 10.

Coming exclusively to Xbox 360 and PC, L4D2 promises to set a new benchmark for co-operative action games and become one of 2009's marquee titles. Set for release on November 17, the title adds melee combat to enable deeper co-operative gameplay, with items such as a chainsaws, frying pans, axes, baseball bats, and more.

With the AI Director 2.0, L4D's dynamic gameplay is taken to the next level by giving the Director the ability to procedurally change weather effects, world objects, and pathways in addition to tailoring the enemy population, effects, and sounds to match the players' performance. The result is a unique game session custom fitted to provide a satisfying and uniquely challenging experience each time the game is played.

Adding new Survivors, boss zombies, weapons, and items, Left 4 Dead 2 offers a much larger game than the original, featuring more co-operative campaigns, more Versus campaigns, new Survival maps, and the new competitive game mode, Scavenge, all available at launch.

Astro Boy: The Video Game Wallpapers (Grab 'em here!)

Here you go: SIX nice images for your PC using game and movie assets - thanks, D3! These images should fit 1280 x1024 monitors. The game ships on October 20th for the PS2, DS/DSi and Wii. As huge Osamu Tezuka (and of course, Astro Boy) fans, I'm hoping to nab a few reviewables so we can see how it's turned out.

In Astro Boy: The Video Game, players become the iconic hero, Astro Boy, and take to the streets and skies on an epic adventure to save Metro City from the clutches of the evil President Stone and his robot army. Utilizing Astro’s entire arsenal of iconic weapons and abilities, players will battle hordes of fearsome foes including some never-before-seen enemies across Metro City and the mysterious Surface.

Dragon Age Origins Update: BioWare Gets (Even More) Social!

Sure, you're probably thinking "Whaaaaaaaat, ANOTHER social networking site?" But hell, how many are for what could be one of the best console or PC RPGs you'll play this year? Think about that for a hot minute after you read this press release, hit the DA:O website, check out the Sacred Ashes video if you haven't seen it yet and click on over to the main page to creat an account and play around with the character editor... (*whew!*)

BioWare Launches Character Creator and Social Network for Dragon Age: Origins

Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator and BioWare Social Network Now Available with Tools to Create a Player Character and Share Online Before the Game Launches

EDMONTON, Alberta - Oct 13, 2009 - Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. today announced the release of the Dragon Age™: Origins Character Creator and BioWare Social Network in North America and Europe.

The BioWare Social Network will provide a destination for players of Dragon Age: Origins on any platform to upload screenshots, game data and story information to share with other community members as they progress through the dark and epic journey. The free* to download Character Creator allows players to create and customize a player character on the PC and then upload their character data and avatar online to the BioWare Social Network before Dragon Age: Origins launches.

The Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator will provide players of Dragon Age: Origins with the tools to create a character with a nearly endless amount of options. The Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator and BioWare Social Network gives gamers a chance to kick start their adventure by creating a character and unique avatar online to reflect their in-game personality and share it with the Dragon Age: Origins community. The Dragon Age: Origins Character Creator also allows players to save their handmade character to use when the PC game launches in November. This stand alone application is now available free of charge exclusively on the PC at: www.dragonage.com

“We want to fully immerse players into the world of Dragon Age: Origins and the Character Creator and BioWare Social Network allows us to do just that,” said Fernando Melo, Producer, BioWare. “This is a great way for fans to connect, create and share their character creations now and in game experiences when the game launches. The creation and connection possibilities are nearly endless.”

Dragon Age: Origins will be released on November 3rd in North America and November 6th in Europe on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system and PC. The PlayStation®3 version will follow later in November. Dragon Age: Origins is rated M by the ESRB and 18+ by PEGI. Players can get more information on Dragon Age: Origins or sign up for the BioWare Social Network at: www.dragonage.com.

*Internet connection required.

Hey Kids! Atlus STILL Wants You To Be A Better Badass, Round Two

This week's Kenka Bancho: Badass Rumble entry is even funnier than last week's. Shabai vs. Shibui, indeed... hilarious. November 11, 2009... pre-order it or else some punk dressed up all in black with a pompadour is going to be kicking your butt down the street, into the nearest game store and all the way back up to your house. Meaning you'll be too sore to play the game sitting down...

Anyway, here are a bunch of new screens to pore over, also funnier than last week's: