Game Review: The Darkness

Publisher: 2k Games
Developer:Xbox 360
Category: Action

“Your body lies motionless on the floor before me. Blood streaming from the back of your head. The Darkness held me back and made me watch you die, while your murders’ escaped laughing. Everything meaningful to me has been taking away. I have nothing left to live for…except to avenge your death.”

On his 21st birthday, Jackie Estado is given the unholy gift of The Darkness, and he witnesses the murder of his love, Jenny Romano, at the hands of his Uncle Paulie and NYPD Police Chief Eddie. Set in a Chicago overridden by mob corruption, The Darkness is a first-person shooter with a gripping tale of betrayal and revenge that will take you to the depths of hell and back. The different environments and photo-realistic characters are visually stunning. Play controls are quick to pick-up and the game’s button mapping is easy to remember. The avid use of light and shadows play a central role during game-play as energy is derived from darkness. Music for the game is gloomy and appropriate for the story.  

Single Player story mode immerses the the player is the game’s dark storyline. Enhanced with the powers bestowed upon by the Darkness, Jackie has a wide range of weapons and abilities at his disposal. From the use of handguns and sub-machine guns, to riot shotguns and assault rifles, killing couldn’t be anymore sweet. With the use of Darkness powers, however, game-play becomes addictive with an affinity to murder everything in unique ways. The Creeping Dark power allows Jackie to rip the throats of his enemies, while hiding behind cover. When using his Demon Arm, Jackie can both impale victims and move heavy objects. In order to vanquish enemies in Hell, the acquisition of the Darkness guns us necessary. Near the later part of the game, Jackie acquires the power of a Black Hole, and the groups of enemy hit-men become nothing. Jackie can also summon darklings to do his bidding. Each has their own special ability, but they die when exposed to too much light. Devouring the hearts of victims during game-play recharges the Darkness energy consumed in using any ability. After tracking and killing almost everything through Chicago and Hell, The Darkness comes to a close with an ending that will bring a tear to your eye.

The multi-player mode of The Darkness is novice at best. Players have the ability to shape shift into darklings, but the game-play is still better using human form. The option to change the appearance of a player’s character and darkiling is also available. Multiplayer game modes include: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the flag, Survivor Games, Darkling, and Last human.

A first-person shooter immersed in mature, adult themes, The Darkness is not for the faint of heart. An anti-hero with loads of guns and different killing powers combined with a rich storyline give it great game-play. The Darkness will literally steal your soul. Just remember to stay out of the light!

Gears of War Hidden Fronts map pack now FREE

 

Just wanted to remind everyone that the Gears of War Hidden Fronts map pack  is now free off the Xbox Live Marketplace. The Hidden Fronts pack includes four maps (Garden, Process, Bullet Marsh and Subway) and was previously available for 800 points when it released back in May.

FATAL INERTIA REACHES GOLD STATUS

KOEI’s Futuristic Combat Racing Game is Almost Ready for Launch

Burlingame, CA – August 31, 2007 – KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, announced today that Fatal Inertia has reached gold status and will be available at retailers throughout North America beginning the week of September 11, 2007, for the Xbox 360(TM) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

When Fatal Inertia ships, the game will include 8-player racing on Xbox LIVE® or on System Link, over 1.3 million race craft customization combinations plus 15,000 performance combinations, 51 courses across 6 distinct racing environments, and 50 Xbox Achievements.A free demo of Fatal Inertia is available now exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The demo offers single player and split-screen two-player “Combat races” as well as high-speed “Velocity races” from the game’s Exhibition and Elite racing leagues.

About Fatal Inertia In the middle of the 22nd century mankind’s thirst for excitement has spawned an evolutionary sporting event that draws from the combined disciplines of rally racing, demolition derby and high-performance aeronautics. In this brave new world of combat racing, gravity-defying machines are no longer confined to the speedways and stadiums of centuries past. In this grand spectacle of racing, the amphitheatre where drivers must prove their superiority is the untamed wilderness. Through harsh environments spanning dense rainforests to immense glacier fields, and canyons of razor-sharp rock there is little room for error as drivers will reach speeds of over 500 mph. But Fatal Inertia is not merely a test of speed. The brave men and women who choose to compete must face the mental and physical punishment of low-altitude combat maneuvering.

In Fatal Inertia each craft will be armed with a unique array of unconventional weapons that manipulate velocity, force and even time. Explosive magnets that impact race craft stability and rockets that can counter thrust and velocity are just some of the dangers drivers must face. But with each race craft hovering just a few feet from the earth, any misguided attempts to evade or dislodge these weapons can result in total (if not fatal) disaster.

Fatal Inertia is the debut title from KOEI’s Toronto-based development studio, KOEI CANADA. The team is led by Producer Takazumi Tomoike, creator of the Dynasty Warriors® series, and KOEI Co- Founder and Chief Advisor Yoichi Erikawa, who under the pen name Kou Shibusawa is regarded as one of the world’s top video game designers.

Powered by the award-winning Unreal Engine 3 from Epic Games, Fatal Inertia boasts fast-paced single and online multiplayer experiences, sixteen racing series, six distinct racing environments, plus full race craft customization. Fatal Inertia delivers a glimpse into the future of racing in stunning 720p HDTV and in game Dolby® Digital audio. This game is rated “E10+” (Everyone 10 and older – Fantasy Violence) by the ESRB.For more information, please visit www.fatalinertia.com.

Heroes First Episode Free on Marketplace in HD

Coinciding with the release of Heroes season one on HD DVD, NBC is offering the first episode on the Xbox Live Marketplace in HD or SD and for free.  The free episode weighs in at 599MBs for the SD and 2.4GBs for the HD.

This is -IMO- the best show on TV right now so if you havent seen it yet what are you waiting for?? 

TimeShift Demo

Content: TimeShift Demo
Price: Free
Availability: Not available in Germany
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD AND GORE,INTENSE VIOLENCE,STRONG LANGUAGE] Dr. Aiden Krone has made a Time Jump across the space-time continuum – a reckless act with frightening consequences. Now, a disturbing alternate reality has evolved within the bleak and rain-soaked Alpha District. Armed with the experimental Beta Suit, you alone are able to slow, stop and reverse the flow of time. Only with this ability can you lead the uprising to victory and put an end to Krone’s madness
Size: 581.78 MB

[via: MajorNelson.com]

XBLA Games on Sale

Limited Time Xbox LIVE Arcade Price Drop  

Been waiting to grab a few new Arcade titles? This weekend is the perfect time as we’re having our first ever LIVE Arcade price drop.

For the 48 hour period beginning at 12:00 a.m. GMT on Sunday, September 2 and continuing until 11: 59 p.m. GMT on Monday, September 3, the following Xbox LIVE Arcade games will be available for half their usual price:

Small Arms – 400 Microsoft Points (normally 800 Microsoft Points)
Easy to pick up but hard to put down, “Small Arms” is a frantic multiplayer action game with the feel of an arcade shooter.

Zuma Deluxe- 400 Microsoft Points (normally 800 Microsoft Points)
Explore more than 20 realms in Adventure mode and put your skills to the test in this fast-paced puzzle game.

Gauntlet - 200 Microsoft Points (normally 400 Microsoft Points)
The original dungeon crawler lets four adventurers explore and fight together as a warrior, valkyrie, wizard, and elf.

Dig Dug – 200 Microsoft Points (normally 400 Microsoft Points)
Experience the fast-paced action of this quarter-cruncher from 1982 as you take control of Dig Dug himself and vanquish Pookas and Fygars.

Remember: If the game is available in your region, it will be available for the ‘sale’ price during the above time.

[via: MajorNelson.com]

NHL 08 Demo

Content: Demo – NHL 08
Price: Free
Availability: Only in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States
Dash Text: [ESRB: E10+ (Everyone 10+) MILD VIOLENCE] No game is ever the same with NHL 08! Play as the Anaheim Ducks or Ottawa Senators and experience videogame hockey at its best before it ships to a store near you on September 11. For more information, visit nhl08.com.
Size: 593.20 MB

[via: MajorNelson.com]

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe

  SPIDER-MAN™: FRIEND OR FOE

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Inspired by the Spider-Man film trilogy and the classic Spider-Man™ comics, Spider-Man™: Friend or Foe challenges players to defeat and then join forces with notorious movie nemeses including Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Venom and Sandman, and embark on an epic quest to overcome a worldwide evil threat. Throughout the game’s original story and thrilling battles, fans control Spider-Man and one of numerous Super Hero or Super Villain sidekicks and master unique fighting moves and styles while switching between characters to execute team combos and defeat foes. For the first time ever in a Spider-Man game, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe features a unique co-op mode in which a friend can join the game at any time and take control of Spider-Man’s sidekick as they battle through the game side-by-side and replay favorite levels.

KEY FEATURES:

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe allows players to choose a sidekick from Spider-Man’s allies – Pick from a long list of Spider-Man’s powerful allies, like Blade and Iron Fist, and swap between the web-slinger and the chosen sidekicks at any time during gameplay. Each sidekick, good or evil, features their own unique attributes and powers that will assist Spider-Man throughout the game’s challenges.

Fight against movie Super Villains and then alongside them in Spider-Man: Friend or Foe – Using an innovative combat system, face off against and defeat some of the Spider-Man movies’ most notorious Super Villains such as Doc Ock, Sandman and Green Goblin, and then convert them to join Spidey’s list of potential sidekicks.

In Spider-Man: Friend or Foe, gamers team up in two-player co-op – A unique co-op mode lets friends join the game at any time and take control of Spider-Man’s sidekick. Playing in two-player co-op mode allows gamers to discover new ways to overcome obstacles and enemies. As players progress through the game, battle arenas are unlocked where raw one-on-one brawling with any Super Hero or Villain can take place at any time.

Come back for more, again and again, with Spider-Man: Friend or Foe – Replay the game or experience Versus mode with a different sidekick and eventually play as Black-Suited Spider-Man (Spidey’s darker, more aggressive persona) featuring unique powers and abilities. Throughout the different worlds, a host of secret areas containing special tokens can be discovered in the first play through, which players can go back and explore at any time. Gamers can also uncover a variety of hidden items scattered throughout the game which unlock collectables, powers and mini-games. 

Tony Hawks Proving Ground

TONY HAWK’S PROVING GROUND

 

 

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

In the largest and deepest Tony Hawk game yet, gamers are now in total control of their skating destiny in Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground. Set in the streets of Baltimore, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the title empowers players with the freedom to define their character, story and style based on the choices they make, the paths they select and the style of skating they want. The game delivers deeper customization than ever before, including a full-featured video editor to create epic skate videos and a completely customizable online Skate Lounge, where players can skate with friends in the ultimate pad. Gamers also have the freedom to skate from single player to online seamlessly. Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground also features an arsenal of amazingly detailed Nail the Trick™ moves, and new gameplay mechanics like skateable terrain building and Bowl Carving to deliver the most personalized and immersive skating experience ever.

KEY FEATURES:

Freedom to Play Your Way: Players are now given unprecedented control of their skating experience. They can mold and shape their character however they choose – the choices they make and the paths they travel determine how they evolve as a skater. As gamers progress, they develop into any combination of three skater classes, acquiring attributes and skills of a contest-winning Career Athlete, a fast and furious Hardcore Skater or a creative maverick Rigger, who alters and modifies the world as a giant skatepark.Create Epic Skate Videos with the Full-Featured Video Editor: Players can capture all of their sickest tricks and bails with Neversoft’s new video editor to make their very own skate videos. Command the footage using a full-suite of video editing tools, lens modes, camera angles and effects to cut clips and combine clips, add a personal soundtrack and even showcase online to share with others or simply move up the leaderboard rankings.

Seamless Integration Between Online Multiplayer and Single Player Experience: Gamers can join online multiplayer action anytime directly from the single player story mode and take all of their character’s skills, attributes and stats online. Additionally, they can create their own personal Skate Lounge and invite others to view their winnings or join them for an online skate session.

Expanded Gameplay Mechanics Deliver Unprecedented Control: Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground introduces eight all new gameplay mechanics empowering players to play the way they want: Expanded Nail-the-Trick™ moves such as Nail-the-Grab and Nail-the Manual, Bowl Carving, Aggro Push, Skate Checking, Climbing/Exploration, Environment Altering and Rig-a-Kit. Guidance From Skateboarding Pros to Create Your Legacy: As they define their character, players will learn new tricks and mechanics from their favorite skateboarding stars. Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground features a diverse roster of the sport’s hottest athletes, including Tony Hawk, Ryan Sheckler, Arto Saari, Jereme Rogers, Daewon Song, Jeff King and more.

Greater Variety of Customization: At any time they want, players have the ability to use the Rig-a-Kit and Environment Altering mechanics to transform any locale into their own personal skate park. They can even personalize their Skate Lounge with items such as furniture, plasma TV’s and more. Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground also delivers a full, ambient world from real-time weather effects to random world events for the most empowered and dynamic experience ever.

WSOP 08

WORLD SERIES OF POKER® 2008: BATTLE FOR THE BRACELETS

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

The #1 poker video game franchise is back and stacked with even more intense poker action. With World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets you will enter the largest sporting event in the world – the World Series of Poker, with the challenge to Beat The Brat – Phil Hellmuth! You’ll need to build the bankroll and face off against some of the world’s top pros including Johnny Chan, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Greg Raymer, Annie Duke, Phil “Unabomber” Laak, Humberto Brenes, Marcel “They Flying Dutchman” Luske, David “Devil Fish” Ulliott, and Shannon Elizabeth in your quest to win the championship bracelet for the $10,000 Main Event. With intense heads-up tournament action, more poker tutorials, more locations, and the most stacked list of A-list pros ever in a video game, this year’s game is upping the high-stakes poker action like never before!

WHAT’S NEW/KEY FEATURES:

More A-List Pros Than Ever Before – Your poker skills will be put to the ultimate test by over 30 of the world’s top poker champions – the most extensive collection of top pros in any video game ever produced. You’ll be expected to go all-in against the likes of Phil Hellmuth, Jennifer Harman, Scotty Nguyen, Clonie Gowen, T.J. Cloutier, Allen Cunningham, David Williams and many others! All pros have been digitally scanned to deliver the most realistic likeness and have provided voice-over and playing style traits for their in-game characters. Plus all the action once again will be called by the official WSOP commentating duo of Norman Chad and Lon McEachern.Learn from the Best – This year we’ve upped the ante on improving your poker skills. In their very own poker school setting, Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, and Mike Matusow will teach you their tips, tricks, and strategies that have solidified them as some of the world’s best poker players. But it’s up to you to learn them and to put them into practice at the world’s toughest poker stage – The World Series of Poker.

More Extensive Unlockable Poker Tools – With successful wins, you will unlock valuable poker tools that will enable you to become an even more skillful player. Unlockables include the ability to instantly check your odds of hitting various hands at the pre-flop, flop, turn and river, check the ranking of your hand, and even check valuable statistics on your opponents’ style’s of play such as the percentage of flops each has seen or and percentage of pre-flop raises. You will also unlock sections of Phil Hellmuth’s Black Belt poker tutorial from iAmplifyVegas.com.

More Locations – This year you can build your bankroll on the the famed Las Vegas Strip! Enter cash games at the famed poker rooms of Caesar’s Palace, Flamingo, Harrah’s, Bally’s, and Paris casinos. Plus, you can still test your skills at all the favorite locations of previous years such as Harrah’s New Orleans, Grand Tunica, and of course the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino.

Publisher: Activision, Inc.

Developer: Left Field Productions, Inc.Release Date: Late Sept 2007 Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, NDS,

PCSRP: $49.99 X360/PS3$29.99 PS2/PSP/NDS $19.99 PC

ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen

Halo 3 is now Gold

 

Microsoft has just revealed that the highly anticipated Halo 3 has officially gone gold and is being sent off to be pressed to disc.

Halo 3 Goes Gold
Most Anticipated Title of 2007 Released to Manufacturing, Begins Final March to Xbox 360

The wait is almost over. “Halo 3,” the final chapter in the groundbreaking “Halo” trilogy and the most anticipated game release of 2007, has been released to manufacturing.

Three years in the making by renowned developer Bungie Studios, “Halo 3″ is now finished and will begin its journey to store shelves around the world in less than four weeks. “Halo 3,” which has already set new records as the fastest preordered game in history, has exceeded one million presales in North America alone. The title is set to shatter day-one entertainment sales records when it is released worldwide beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25.

“This is a huge milestone for us and a big cause for celebration at Bungie and Microsoft Game Studios,” said Harold Ryan, Studio Head at Bungie Studios. “This is the game we’ve always wanted to make and certainly the best game our studio has developed. We can’t wait for gamers to get their hands on it on Sept. 25.”

Created by legendary developer Bungie Studios and exclusive to the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, “Halo 3″ will set a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming by engaging consumers worldwide in Master Chief’s epic battle to save humankind. In November 2004, the world’s view of video games changed forever with the release of “Halo 2,” which generated a record-setting $125 million (U.S.) in sales within the first 24 hours and changed the way people think about interactive entertainment. Three years later, it remains the most-played game on Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE® online gaming and entertainment network, with nearly 1 billion hours of online gaming logged to date.

Everyone that applyed for the COD4 beta (and lives in the US) is in!!

Did you register for the Xbox 360 Call of Duty 4 beta? Good news! Those who registered at the game’s site Charlie Oscar Delta (and live in the United States) will get a beta token. These tokens are going out in batches, but like I said, everyone who signed up (and lives in America) will get in.

Infinity Ward’s blog spokesperson Fourzerotwo has posted this:
“We’re going to send out congrats emails to all of you eventually, but keep in mind (again) the tokens themselves will be in waves. So you might get it today, you might get it tomorrow, you might get it later than that. So be patient, I know everyone would love to be in the first wave, but keep in mind this is a beta TEST, and this is one way were testing our servers performance is by ramping up slowly and tracking how it effects the game, playlist downloads, matchmaking, etc.”

Infinity Ward will be offering more chances to sign up so stay tuned!

[via: Kotaku.com]

Call of Juarez Demo

Content: Call of Juarez Single Player Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All regions except Asia and Mexico
Dash Text: [ESRB: M (Mature) BLOOD,INTENSE VIOLENCE,LANGUAGE,SEXUAL THEMES] Download the demo.
Size: 708.79 MB

[via: MajorNelson.com]

Puzzle Fighter HD & Streets of Rage 2 hit Arcade

 

Content: Puzzle Fighter HD
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (EVERYONE) MILD VIOLENCE] Single Player, Live Multiplayer 1-4, Local Multiplayer 1-2, HD (High Definition). One of the most popular puzzle games of all time is back with HD graphics, dazzling elemental effects and a new re-balanced X’ mode! Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix brings together the worlds of Street Fighter, Darkstalkers and other Capcom characters to provide extremely addictive puzzle mayhem. Enjoy single player, local & online versus modes or just watch other players duke it out. Upgrade to the full game! Unlock your ability to earn achievements and track your high scores on the Xbox LIVE Leaderboards. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.
Size: 72.17 MB

 [via: MajorNelson.com]

Content: Streets of Rage 2
Price: 400 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (EVERYONE) Fantasy Violence] Single Player, Live Multiplayer 1-2, Local Multiplayer 1-2, HD (High Definition). To commemorate their defeat of the Syndicate exactly one year before, Blaze, Adam and Axel went out to celebrate. The next morning, however, Axel received a frantic phone call from Adam’s younger brother, Eddie ‘Skate’ Hunter. Blaze and Axel rushed over and found Adam and Skate’s house wrecked and a picture of Adam chained to a wall at the feet of Mr. X. The city was returned to its nightmarish state and criminals were once again running rampant. Unable to contact their old friend in artillery, Axel and Blaze team up with Skate and Max Thunder to free the city and rescue Adam from the Syndicate. It is up to you to take down Mr. X once and for all!. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

[via: MajorNelson.com]

COIN-OP TV Celebrates 3 Years

COIN-OP TV Releases DVD Collection to Coincide with its Third Year Anniversary of the Show

Hollywood, CA, Sept 2007 — COIN-OP TV, launched in September 2004, as the first Video Podcast covering retrogaming events and interviews with Arcade World Record Holders. The COIN-OP TV DVD Volume I contains over 90 minutes of interviews and event coverage re-mastered for this release. Meet top Arcade World Record Holders, like Todd Rogers (Gorf), Dwayne Richard (Dig Dug) and Brian Kuh (Donkey Kong). Also on the DVD are interviews with Twin Galaxies Founder, Walter Day, Intellivision President, Keith Robinson and I am 8-Bit founder, Jon Gibson.

COIN-OP TV DVD Volume I also contains exclusives not seen anywhere else, like casting audition tapes of former hosts, Taryn Southern (Hott4Hill) and Nafeesa DeFlorias (Miss Arizona 2003), as well as two never before ‘aired’ episodes. This collection is both a tribute to classic video gaming history and a collection of COIN-OP TV’s humble beginnings.

COIN-OP TV continues to bring interviews and event coverage to the Internet ‘airwaves’ on a weekly basis. October 2007 marks the One Year Anniversary of the Live Weekly version of COIN-OP TV as part of The Stream Dot TV Network ( www.thestream.tv). COIN-OP TV LIVE is an extension of the monthly Video Podcast and allows viewers to interact directly with host Robert Welkner and his guests.