Satoru Iwata Unboxes the Nintendo Wii U


Posted on November 13, 2012 by Jason Bassett


As a bonus, late last week, Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata unboxed the Wii U to the delight of many others. Jokingly, he often compared himself to a shopping channel host. As a person who has unboxed things on camera before, let me say: he’s right….

Anyway, check out the unboxing for yourself here:

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The Silky Smooth Wii U Discs


Posted on November 13, 2012 by Jason Bassett

Today is actually a pretty landmark day for the Nintendo Wii U. Especially for it’s game lineup. Today is the first day some of the games became available in stores for players to buy. This is really cool. One of the games is the smash hit: Assassins Creed III. I managed to pick one up today and it’s the standard Wii U box that we have all been seeing in the last couple of months.

Well some of the people picked up their Wii U games, they were treated to a rather unexpected surprise. The Wii U discs are kind of…smooth. If you happened to pick up one of the games on sale today, you will notice the very side of the disc to be a bit smoother than most other discs. The outside of the disc contains a beveled edge that smooths the games discs out.

While we’re not sure why Nintendo manufacturers are making discs like this, all we know is…they are REALLY REALLY smooth. After holding my copy of Assassin’s Creed III today, the beveled edge gives it a much smoother, yet thinner surface than the Xbox 360 or the Playstation 3 discs. It’s also worth noting tbat the bottom of the discs kind of look like a Blu-Ray discs, even though we are told that they are NOT Blu-Ray discs.

An interesting turn of events for Nintendo and the discs that will play in the Wii U.

 


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Halo 4 | Review


Posted on November 13, 2012 by Jason Bassett

Halo.

Just the sound of the word has many meanings to many fans around the world. There are bands and there are even ideologies of a “halo”. For many people around the world, it is a major part of life. Spanning fans from many countries around the world, it’s no longer just a video game. It is a universe. The universe of Halo spans multiple mediums from video games, movies, music and reading material. This year, we celebrate the legacy of Master Chief and his AI Cortana for a whole new trilogy, starting with Halo 4.

Halo 4 was released on November 6th, 2012. Admittedly, Halo 4 was completely off my radar. I never thought I would have been writing this review today. I had causally been watching videos of the game and reporting on the news that broke out. I did eventually get an interest and what has transpired in the last week has not only been a hell of  ride, but one of the best video gaming experiences on Xbox this generation. Not only is this a new trilogy, but this is a whole new generation of Halo. A refresh, if you will. Gone is Bungie who have left the series into the very capable hands of 343 Industries; the very same people that helped Bungie make Halo: Reach and having played through most of the Halo franchise myself, I know a thing or two about some Halo.Read More


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Nintendo Network Explained


Posted on November 12, 2012 by Jason Bassett

On the minds of many gamers who may indeed be purchasing a Wii U this holiday is it’s online functionality. Many a gamer has been more or less worried about the Wii U’s online capabilities and many are considering this to be the make or break for the system. With that in mind, all of us have been waiting and wondering how Nintendo Network will function and if the dreaded Friend Codes would make their return. Finally, we have (almost) all the information we need. First off, Nintendo Network will not be using friend codes. Instead, users will need to create a Nintendo Network ID, while it’s similar to the Friend Codes, it is believe to be an alpha-numeric code that a user can choose instead of being automatically generated. When using the Wii U, the user will have a seperate Wii U Console name (these are not tied to each other) and the user’s Nintendo Network ID.Read More


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Broken Joysticks & Hurricane Sandy


Posted on October 29, 2012 by Jason Bassett

Live on the East Coast? Yeah, so do we. Unfortunately, that means we’re about ready to be hit by one of the biggest storms of the century. With this on all of our minds, news production will be slowing down a bit in order for the staff to prepare for the worst. The storm itself will be hitting the Mid-Atlantic region by the end of the day Monday into Tuesday.

For now, we are going to be limiting our news posting in hopes that we can all ride out the storm safely with our family and friends. If you live on the east coast, we do hope that you take extra precaution and stay safe!

We will resume normal news updates and reviews as soon as Wednesday.

Thanks to you all for checking us out!

Jason Bassett
Editor in Chief


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Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – 10th Anniversary


Posted on October 26, 2012 by Jason Bassett

The glitz and the glamor of the 1980’s are coming back! This time it’s your mobile device that will be getting the fun. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City 10th Anniversary has been announced by Rockstar Games and will be available for your iOS and Android mobile phones.

It’s has been 10 years since we began to explore the riches and scum of the city of Vice and now players will be able to relive the magic all over again, 10 years later. Rockstar Games has announced that players will be getting a lot of cool treats in addition to the game such as: never before seen artwork and a series of commemorative assets both new and old to fans of the game.

Additionally, Rockstar has announced that players will be able to buy limited edition collectable promotional items will be available via the Rockstar Games Warehouse with some of the items just being plain all given away via online contests!

No price or release date has been announced at this time, but we’re sure to have something new in the coming weeks. 


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Windows 8 Marketplace Will Be Selling M-Rated Titles


Posted on October 25, 2012 by Jason Bassett

It seems as though there was a slip-up over at the Microsoft legal department. Mature rated games will be finding their way back into the picture in the Windows 8 Marketplace when Windows 8 launches.

Currently, under section 6.2 of the Microsoft App Store guidelines sections 6.2 states that apps or games rated PEGI 16, ESRB Mature or a corresponding rating under other ratings systems would not be added to the Windows 8 Marketplace. In video game community this alienated both consumers and developers as both would have to look else where to find games. Games like Dishonored or Bioshock Infinite would most likely be banned in the Marketplace if this rule were to be followed.

Gizmodo recently sat down with Windows Corporate VP of Web Services Antoine Leblond and said that:

It basically ends up disqualifying games that would be ESRB Mature. This is to give developers a heads up that that’s where we’re going, so they can have the peace of mind around developing the kinds of games that will have those ratings.

Leblond also went on to announce that these changes would be changed in December and the current guidelines will be updated to include mature rated games in the Marketplace.

This will hopefully clear up confusion and will make buy games on Window’s platforms a little bit easier.

Source: Polygon


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Generations of Chaos: Pandora’s Reflection Trailer


Posted on October 23, 2012 by Jason Bassett

Get ready for more RPG action coming your way from the crazy development team over at NIS America. Generations of Chaos: Pandora’s Reflection is a more traditional RPG where you can use Alchemy points in order to level up your characters. NIS Games is also touting a very deep and emotional story full with intrigue and hostility.

Generations of Chaos: Pandora’s Reflection will release in February 2013 for both North America and Europe and will be available for the PSP. You can download the game via PSN.

You may view the Press Release and trailer below!

Read More


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Zynga Layoffs Hit Multiple Studios; 100+ Laid Off.


Posted on October 23, 2012 by Jason Bassett

Zynga seems to be hit with the worst luck, it seems. It appears that Zynga has announced layoffs on nearly 100+ people within multiple departments within the company. Zynga has announced that a major scale down of their game The Ville and has pulled the plug on another IP called Zynga Bingo and laid off all of the team that was working on the game.

Another horrible part of this is that the Boston studio has closed completely. The Boston division was working on title called: Indiana Jones Adventure World  and a Chicago based office may also be into trouble, but there is no confirmation.Read More


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Bioshock Infinite Shows Off America


Posted on October 21, 2012 by Jason Bassett

BioShock Infinite looks like it’s going to be another beautiful game. With the newest incarnation of the franchise leaving the aqua-metropolis known as Rapture and know going into a completely different direction: an American sky city known as Columbia. The city is known for it’s vast amount of color and it’s one of the most beautiful cities that we have seen in a video game this year. With that said, take a look at a new trailer that recently surfaced. Showing more of the air-city and some of the newer techniques that protagonist Booker DeWitt will be using in the game.

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Astro Gaming Announces 2013 Refresh


Posted on October 20, 2012 by Jason Bassett

If you’re a pro gamer then you know about the Astro Gaming brand. The headphones that include some of the best sound quality a gamer can ask for. Not to mention, it has a slew of different customizable options that will make Sackboy wet his sack.

Astro Gaming has announced brand new refreshes of their latest headphones and mix amps: ASTRO Gaming A40 Headset and MixAmp Pro!

Some of the new features include:

  • New Quick Disconnect Cabling System:  Updated version of the ASTRO Quick Disconnect system, offering the same flexibility of using multiple cable types and lengths, but now plugging directly into the headset via a 3.5mm 4-pole jack instead of the oiriginal mid-cable release.  This increases reliability and durability while also making it easier to change to preferred cable lengths and update cables as desired.
  • Best Sounding ASTRO Headsets Ever:  The 2013 Edition ASTRO A40 has re-tuned drivers and enclosures with improved low-end response and less distortion at high volumes making them the most accurate ASTRO headsets ever

Aside from the better sounding headsets, the Quick Disconnect Cabling System will feature a more robust way of traveling around with your headsets. The A40 will allow the user to disconnect cables straight from the headset itself. Having used headsets with similar features, it’s one of those awesome ways to make sure your headsets are neat and tidy.

The Astro Gaming A40 and MixAmp pro is now available and is available at all Best Buy stores and the Astro Gaming website. The headsets are priced at $249.99.

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LittleBigPlanet Vita | Review


Posted on October 17, 2012 by Jason Bassett

What do you get when you take a humongous game that is based on your own imagination and you shrink it down to fit in your hands? That is LittleBigPlanet for the Playstation Vita. LBP Vita is an original release for the Sony’s newest handheld and one that many gamers have been waiting for and it’s now here to play. So what makes this version of Little BigPlanetVita so endearing to fans is it’s cutesy way of telling a story, it’s simple yet in-depth gameplay that just has a way with you when you play a game like this. If you have ever played a licensed game that was awesome back in the day like Cool Spot or one of the older Nickelodeon games, LittleBigPlanet will make you feel like you’re a kid again.Read More


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Report: Nintendo Wii U Pro Controller will Last 80 Hours?


Posted on October 16, 2012 by Jason Bassett

As we all know, Nintendo will be launching the Wii U in just a few short weeks and with that comes a couple of cool controllers like the Wii U Gamepad. Nintendo will also be releasing another conventional controller with the system as well. Dubbed the Wii U Pro Controller, the control itself looks like a different version of the Xbox 360 controller. Apparently, both Amazon and Gamestop is reporting some new details about the controller’s battery life:

In a report by Destructoid, retailers such as Gamestop and Amazon have been touting that the Wii U Pro Controller will last ~80 hours. A production description on Gamestop reads:

Your games, your way. However you think of your gaming style – hardcore, old school, or purely nostalgic – the Wii U Pro Controller puts you in the game. Designed for accessibility and extended gameplay comfort, the Wii U Pro Controller features the dual analog sticks and ergonomic button layout that you’ve come to expect, as well as a rechargeable battery that can last up to 80 hours on a single charge. The Wii U Pro Controller can be used for playing a variety of games – from packaged games at retail to downloadable games from the Nintendo eShop. Look on the back of Wii U game packaging to see which games use the Wii U Pro Controller. Not compatible with the Wii system or games.

This seems unparalleled to be sure. There also have been some rumbles (pun intended) that there will be no rumble feature supported into the controller. Which would give the controller a more unsubstantial boost in power. This would be a vast improvement over the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 controllers that do not get the power and will be vastly superior compared to the 3-5 hours that the Wii U Gamepad will provide.


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Reggie Fils-Amie speaks Miiverse/TVii


Posted on October 11, 2012 by Jason Bassett

Reggie Fils-Aime has been busy talking a lot about the Wii U lately. Today on AllThingsDigital, Reggie spoke about the changes in the philosophy that gamers will be enduring the next generation and how television will never be the same again. He mentions about how we all compete against different types of media and that we all have to shuffle around to other devices for all sorts of entertainment. But, how will that be done in a more streamlined approach?Read More


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Red Sand: A Mass Effect Fan Film


Posted on October 11, 2012 by Jason Bassett

Do you like Mass Effect? Do you like movies? Do you like fan-made movies? If you said yes to all of these, then you should check out Red Sand: A Mass Effect Fan Film. The students of the University of Advancing Technology led by instructor Paul DeNigris created and filmed a 15 minute story with guest star Mark Meer (voice of Commander Shepard).

Red Sand takes place before the original Mass Effect where a discovery is made on Mars about a powerful and unknown technology known as Element Zero that is described as a power that goes beyond human imagination. A team led by Colonel Jon Grissom (voiced by Mark Meer) is tasked by going to the ancient ruins on Mars where a team of terorrists are trying to find Element Zero for themselves as there is a powerful narcotic known as Red Sand that uses the elements power. This Red Sand is used to gain special powerful biotics based on telekinetic powers.

Far be it from me to say that this movie is awesome, but you should check it out yourself by viewing the video below.

[youtube id=”7yOAZux8ip8″ width=”600″ height=”350″]

Don’t forget to check out their website and Facebook pages as well!


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