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Nintendo fans, Nintendo has kindly put up release dates for games that are going to release sometime during the rest of the year. The dates mostly feature “popular” games and are a lineup chart for the summer. So, we are going to post them for you, except if we do so, this would make the homepage really long. So you can just click the more > button if you want to see. If you want a downloadable copy, we made a PDF version here. Enjoy!
Microsoft and Bungie will be releasing Halo 2 for the PC this Tuesday. The game will only work with Vista computers (meaning if you have XP, you have to upgrade to play). The game will also be on the Games for Windows list (so it will have that silly little bar at the top). So remember to get your frag on this Tuesday. Stay cool.
This story is on digg, you can digg it here.
I recently played a copy of Command & Conquer: Tiberium Wars from EA. And I must say, that the game is pretty good. It’s story makes sense and flows very well. However, it’s not all fun and games. This game can be very difficult and it requires a lot of strategy at times (some levels, this is not needed). This game also features live action acting (meaning real people act out the story sequences).
So, let’s get on with the story no? The game starts out in a cool login sequence and then gives you a Defcon rating of the day, which is low. In the future (2047 to be exact), the existence of humanity is at stake, thanks to a group called the Brotherhood of Nod (these guys are the bad guys, fyi). Nod believes that the element called Tiberium is needed to make the progression to the next stage of human life. Tiberium is a deadly element, and exposure to it can kill someone. During this review I played as the Global Defense Initiative (GDI, who are the good guys). There is an option later to play as the Nod but I didn’t decide to do so.
The first level is an incredibly easy level, you can wipe every Nod guy out in less then 30 minutes. And it gives you some ideas of what the game is like. Thankfully, the game automatically assigns your guys to attack enemies, if the enemies are in range. The game has great sound effects. Something that is normally not so great. But music..well…there really isn’t any..except if you listen really hard or are not blasting something you can then hear it. The music is not super great. It tends to loop and isn’t that enjoyable.
EA did a great job with the graphics, they tended to be very detailed. I personally enjoyed the explosion effects for the Ion Cannon, as they cause the huge explosions and are super cool. I could play with that thing all day (well maybe not). The terrain is partly destructible, donut shops are invincible (I think some EA employee likes donut shops) and some of the signs too. Cars can be destructible when you build things. Camera controls are great and are set for levels where you really need them. However, this can only be said about camera controls. Command & Conquer: Tiberium Wars has some great levels, except boot camp. In boot camp, it wastes about 45 minutes of your life trying to tell you what everything does, it’s much better to just skip it when you are on the Xbox 360 (you will learn more if you just look at the first few pages of the booklet).
Oddly, the Video Uplink that occurs a lot caused my Xbox to lag for some reason, other times it doesn’t lag, not sure why some videos cause that to happen. Which brings up the point that C&C 3 has a lot of bad acting. Like seriously, it just doesn’t seem real. HELLO?! HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF PUTTING IN EMOTION? They sound like robots with crappy feelings. And it’s quite obvious when someone is about to run in, as the other person pauses for a little while. I laugh at their bad acting, it’s so cheesy. They hired good actors, but none really gave it any emotion (however the guy who played Darth Vader in Star Wars was pretty good).
Overall, this game is pretty good, probably the best in the Command and Conquer series.
So here are the ratings:
Sound: 9.9/10 -Awesome sound effects, gotta love those explosion noises. However the computer voice can get a bit annoying. Voice acting is done well.
Graphics: 8.7/10 – Explosions are awesome, and the world is very detailed. Most elements are destructible.
Story: 7.6/10 – The story is cool but it doesn’t seem real thanks to the actors. When you are briefed by the computer, it seems more realistic.
Controls: 6.3/10 – Controls, while seeming easy to learn, were actually harder. If by chance any video uplink, voice actor, or computer message happens, you will get kicked out of the interface. This is annoying when you are building something and just about to place it when something talks to you. The interface layout is odd. I would think it would be buildings and infantry near the top, as you use those the most. Holding the interface down and then building stuff is annoying. Especially since you have to have the interface open in order to place said building.
Playback: 7/10 -The playback in this game is good, but some levels you might not want to play again because of their difficulty.
Overall Score: 7.5/10 – It’s a good game, but it’s something that you will either blaze through or will spend your time on. Also destroying your own base doesn’t end the level for some reason (I ion cannoned mine [several times] and yet the level didn’t end).
Nintendo has to reinforce the quite obvious point that Pokemon Pearl and Diamond were the best selling games for the month of April. And then, Super Paper Mario and Wii Play got third and forth respectively on the best selling list. Over 1.75 million (that’s right, million) Pokemon games were sold in just 2 weeks (jeez, you people love Pokemon).
In otherwords, Nintendo has kicked everyone off the top of the best selling list for April. Good work, Nintendo!
Oh and by the way, Pokemon Battle Revolution (for the Wii) comes out next month.
There is a website I previously mentioned before called Giveaway of the day for Games, which gave us our copy of Hacker Evolution. Basically, the site gives away a new game away for free. The only catch is that you have to download and activate it on that day only. Sometimes the site has good games (like 3D shooters and really nice games), other times it has little kiddy games (like Balloon Adventure [looks like a 3 year old's game]). The best part about the games is that they are free. So if you see a game you like, you better download and install it when you see it. They only last for 24hours.
Today’s giveaway is:
Oh no! Was Microsoft losing money from people modding their consoles? Oh heavens no! Major Nelson steps in and pities your console! In other words, Microsoft is cracking down on consoles that have been modded or hacked and not allowing those consoles to connect to live as they are a “cheating” device.
If you have modded your Xbox 360, better go buy a new one because Microsoft is gonna void your console from connecting to live. You will receive code Z: 8015 – 190D if you connect a modded console to Live. Apparently console modding is “illegal”.
I just finished updating the website to the newest version of WordPress. Everything should be working again, thanks for the patience.
On Xbox Live Arcade, there aren’t very many free games other than Hexic HD (which comes with the Premium version of the console). Well, this Wednesday, Microsoft will be releasing a game called Aegis Wing (for free), which was created by a trio of student interns at Microsoft. The game was left unfinished when the interns left to go back to school after summer, so it was then finished by Carbonated Games (they made Hexic).
Aegis Wing is a space shooter game, where players are able to work together and they could fuse their space ships to fight against the aliens. Check out the game when it appears, it should be a good one.
Nice going Nintendo, you just copied Microsoft’s idea…kinda.
Nintendo is calling for all movie makers to create movies in Nintendo’s Short Cuts Showcase. All you have to do is create a 3-5 minute Nintendo themed-film. Of course, you have to be over 18 to enter. And if you win, your movie will be shown in NYC (at Rockefeller Center), you will win a Wii (and Wii games), $10,000 dollars, a DS Lite (and DS games), Trip to NYC for you and a friend.
Second and Third place gets their video shown, as well as a Wii and Wii games. While 4th through 10th place get a DS Lite and DS games.
You must submit your entries (using the entry form on their site) before June 6th and people will be able to vote on your videos (Judges will make the final judgments). To check out the contest website click here.
Cartoon Network just announced that the newest season of Pokemon will be called (surprise surprise) Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and will be based on the newest game. The new season premieres next month only on Cartoon Network.
It starts this monday
Well here is a heads up, Halo 3 the beta comes out this Wednesday for all you Halo fans, you better download it early, as the download will probably be slow later on because of all the beta people trying to get their hands on the game. The beta will be closed to new downloaders on June 10th. You must buy Crackdown (only the copies that have the little sticker on them work) in order to get in now.
My bad, when I was first typing this I forgot to make it clear that only the beta was available for beta testers (for those who got that). Sorry! I just made some changes so it makes more sense.
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