PS3 owners, get your kart engines ready! Sony has announced the official release date for ModNation Racers: May 25th.  In ModNation Racers, players are able to create their own Kart racer, vehicle, and even tracks which they can share with other PSN users.

Along with the release date announcement, Sony has also disclosed what pre-order bonuses you’ll get if you pony up your $59.99 + tax early.

• Gamespot: Kratos & his Kart of Chaos
• Amazon: Ratchet or Clank
• Best Buy: Nathan Drake & his Jungle Jeep

Sony also notes each pre-order will receive bonus mystery mod and kart packages as well as additional accessories that can further customize your karts.

If you’ve ever played Mario Kart and wished it had a little bit more Little Big Planet, then ModNation Racers is right up your alley.  The amount of customization available in ModNation Racers will keep anyone with an ounce of creativity busy for hours, while those with little creativity can just sit back and let others do the work for them.  Kind of like Little Big Planet all over again.

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Some fresh downloadable content from Gearbox Software is now available for everybody’s favourite cell-shaded sci-fi shooter, Borderlands. The Secret Armory of General Knoxx brags new enemies, bosses, missions, guns, and landscapes. As expected, the level cap has been bumped up, but by a very curious amount: 11, making the new cap level 61. There’s also a new vehicle that looks like some kind of ATV or Jeep. Personally, I just wrapped The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, and am sniffing around Mad Moxxi’s Underdome Riot, but considering the reviews I’ve read were less than stellar, I may just skip it and go right to Knoxx. The general consensus about this DLC so far is that it is the biggest and hardest to date.

Those who have maxed out their characters in Borderlands will be happy to pick up The Secret Armory of General Knoxx for the extra levels-worth of loot and gameplay – you can grab it from Steam for $9.99.

Video trailer after the jump!

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When I think of Aliens vs. Predator, I think of a battle between two alien species who are on completely different sides of the spectrum.  On one hand, you have the Aliens, with their unmatched superiority in numbers, speed, and ferocity.  On the other hand, Predators are the perfect assassin.  They can camouflage themselves while using various vision modes in order to pick out their opponent from its surroundings.  It seems like no matter what, they always seem to be pitted against one another, and it usually makes for an entertaining experience.

Aliens vs Predator allows you to play as one of three species: Marines, Aliens, or Predators.  Each species’ single-player campaign revolves around the same story, but told through a different perspective with each species having their own mission to complete.  The 3 species have their pros and cons in terms of how they control, their abilities, and their mobility through the game world.  Marines rely heavily on different arms that can be picked up throughout their campaign and sonar to track movement in dark areas, Aliens use the darkness to their advantage to sneak up on unsuspecting enemies, and Predators have the ability to use camouflage and a variety of lethal weapons.

Each species definitely has their shortcomings as well, such as the Marine’s flashlight being too weak when navigating through dark spaces, or how easily disoriented the player can become when navigating across walls and ceilings as an Alien, and this is where the game’s single-player campaign can get hard to handle when playing each campaign separately.  I understand their shortcomings were necessary to keep each species balanced, but continually trying to adapt to each species can be frustrating.  Upon finishing a chapter, Aliens Vs. Predator allows you to change to another species’ campaign, but I found this feature made the overall story harder to keep track of.

Both the Marines & Predator campaigns offered a good variety of missions and delivered a story I’m sure Aliens vs Predator faithfuls would understand, but the Aliens campaign felt like a complete waste of time.  Its mission structure was, for the most part, go to point ‘x’, kill everyone in point ‘x’, rinse, repeat.  Granted, the Aliens campaign is shorter than the other two, but going through 6 chapters of this same kind of mission structure can get old very quick.

To be fair, there are some good moments during Aliens vs Predator. The brutality of the Aliens & Predator kills are some of the most gruesome I’ve seen in a game.  Heads are ripped off, bodies impaled, and spines removed all with very little effort and remorse.  What made it more brutal was seeing your enemy’s face up-close during these gruesome acts.  Needless to say, they didn’t look too happy during these moments.  Graphically, Aliens vs. Predator doesn’t disappoint either as character models are very well detailed and its dark environments keeps players on their toes, especially during the Marine campaign as their vision is greatly limited in comparison to the Aliens’ & Predators’.

Aliens vs Predator’s multiplayer seems to make more sense than what I experienced in the single-player campaign.  In fact, it almost feels like the only real reason a single-player mode was even included was to help players learn the intricacies of each species in order to compete online.  The multiplayer mode allows you to play as either of the 3 species in multiple deathmatch modes, which makes things interesting due to neither one of the 3 species were more powerful than the other.  Things get more interesting when it’s a team based multiplayer mode as having a team of at least one of the 3 species working together can make things quite challenging for the opposing team.

FINAL THOUGHT: Aliens vs. Predator will not satisfy fans of the FPS genre.  The single-player campaign does not tell an engaging story and each species’ shortcomings doesn’t make this game particularly enjoyable to play through. The multiplayer has some fun moments, especially when the 3 species are working together, but it isn’t enough to deem this a title I would recommend.

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The emotional driven, Heavy Rain, developed by Quantic Dream and published by SCEE is finally here after their teaser debut from E3 2006. Your morals will be tested immediately and you’ll quickly find yourself immersed thanks to the graphically charged cinematic storyline and unique decision based scenarios. The gritty camera scenes and musical scores add to this dark psychological thriller and you’ll swear you’re controlling movie actors.  But this is not the first psychological thriller directed by David Cage, he and Quantic Dream also developed 2005’s PS2 hit Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in US). Five years have passed and now David Cage has the opportunity to present his latest masterpiece on the PS3. In Heavy Rain, your smallest decisions can change everything making each play one-of-a-kind and different every time. There are no right or wrongs, but instead choices.   Choices that come with risks and rewards.  Heavy Rain is an emotional rollercoaster blended fittingly with love, addiction, suicide, life and death. Just a bit of warning, unless your “numb” this game will consume you as a player while at the same time test you as a human being.

Just how far will you go to save the one you love? Healing a man whose car flipped over. Applying pressure to a vital wound. Or pulling the trigger on a suspected criminal. Heavy Rain is a story that follows four unconnected people all with the same motive — they’re looking for a kidnapped child by the hands of the cunning Origami Killer, named after leaving folded paper shapes at the crime scenes. Ethan Mars; father of kidnapped son. Scott Shelby; private investigator hired by the victims families of the Origami Killer. Norman Jayden; FBI Agent sent to Philadelphia to solve the Origami killings. Madison Paige; a journalist covering the Origami story. Depending on the kind of person you are, you may find patience will assist or hinder your gameplay experience. Right when you think you know the correct choice, Heavy Rain throws a curve and makes you re-think that answer. Just choose what feels right to you to create the most realistic scenarios. Don’t always ask yourself “What is right?”

Quick and precise fingered. Heavy Rain is very heavy on one thing… not rain, but QTE’s. Quick Time Events are series of timed buttons pressed in a certain order or in Heavy Rain’s case, simultaneously. In one scene, you’re asked to walk through a maze of live Electrical wires weaving in between the sparks. Miss a button and you’ll be shocked. Mess up enough and — let me just say, you may not like what happens to your character. (relax, no spoilers here) To avoid finger cramping, drink plenty of water because some scenes will have you pressing up to six buttons at one time, seriously. Several times, I contemplated using my nose or tongue but decided I needed a better strategy at the task at hand. Plus, I wanted to avoid others catching me in this vulnerable position.

Suitably, a movie within a game. This is where Quantic Dream has stepped up their quality over other games in the industry. The cinematic, heart pounding, gritty camera scenes enhance the dark thriller experience.  When I first popped in Heavy Rain, I tried playing with a blind eye to trailers and screenshots pre-release but I still knew the plot.  The opening story had me paranoid so I made my character, Ethan Mars, consistently look over his shoulder making sure both sons, Jason and Shaun, were safe.  Visually, Heavy Rain captivates with pleasing to the eye load scenes but that’s not all.  The musical compositions peak at the right moments just like a horror flick.   When you’re in a panic, expect the terrifying music to gradually get louder.  So far, only Uncharted 2 compares to the graphics of Heavy Rain.  But the attention to character detail goes to Heavy Rain.  There’s only so much one can say about the movie-like qualities that make Heavy Rain as enjoyable to watch as it is to play. It’s kind of odd to be asked to “keep playing” because my, quote — unquote, “audience” would like to continue watching the the outcome of my story (movie).

Unique storyline comes at a price. I’ve mentioned you can play through four distinct characters but here’s the exciting part; there are eight different endings.  The replay value alone is worth knowing that you may see a different ending the second time you play through.  The gameplay also changes during the game.  Forget to dodge a punch, and your character will sport a bloody lip.  This might be a spoiler but here it goes.  You may not survive with all four characters.  Heck, all four characters may die and that’s your ending right there.  But remember all your actions will come back to haunt you some way or another.  That fight you ended up getting into to save Lauren in the sleazy motel.. yeah even that guy.

Not so cumbersome controls you’ll want to keep in your hands. As I mentioned in my Demo impressions, the controls for Heavy Rain can be a bit awkward but you’ll soon get used to them.  To walk forward press R2.  Some may ask why R3 and L3 were not slotted for the controls and that is a good question but with the camera angles changing at every corner you turn, holding down R2 and directing your move with L3 is easier.  Remember kiddies, know your controls and do not put your controller down during “cutscenes”.  Reason I used “cutscenes” in quotes because there are none.  Yup, you read that right.  The same action scenes you see Ethan Mars jumping from balcony to balcony are the gameplay scenes.  Several times I was caught with the controller out of my hands and missed a QTE because of the transfer from action scene to gameplay scene.  Think of Dragon’s Lair but with much better graphics.

PS3 Trophies keeps you guessing. Many reviewers have skipped on all the PS3 Trophies bring to Heavy Rain.  For one, most the trophies are blacked out.  That means you don’t exactly know how to attain them.  This was a great move due to the fact that you will avoid spoilers and keep gamers guessing how to attain the next PS3 Trophy.  Might be minor, but it’s an aspect I noticed right away and appreciate as well as respect the decision made.

Pros:
Psychological Thriller Storyline
Precise QTEs enhance realistic gameplay
Motion Capture Scenes
Musical scores
Replay value due to unique decisions

Cons:
Character Movement errors
Some Voice Acting

Final Thought: Heavy Rain is a breath of fresh air for games as we know them. A game with choices — our choices — customizes each players unique experience. I feel more games should play like Heavy Rain and other developers should embrace the creative ideas that Quantic Dream presents. While some scenes are a bit gratuitous, this game is rated “M” and should be played by adults. Heavy Rain should join the list of “must have” games on the PlayStation 3 and I only wish it wasn’t exclusive so gamers on the Xbox 360 can experience this outstanding achievement in gaming. No questions asked, Get This Game!

9.5/10

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Heavy Rain officially released this week on the PS3, and while we’re working tirelessly to publish our review, I thought this would be a great time to inform you that Heavy Rain will make you cry.

The Mega 64 crew were aware of this, and decided to show how one of their own succumbed to the depression that can occur from something assimple as brushing your teeth in Heavy Rain.

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Earlier this month, SEGA revealed they are working on another Sonic game, this time focusing on Sonic’s classic gameplay elements that we all grew up loving.  Even though it seems this will be the definitive Sonic game fans have been waiting years for, Sonic fans still can’t help but feel caution given how promising previous Sonic games looked, only to not live up to expectations.

It seems we could all breathe a little sigh of relief as the SEGA Community Manager ‘RubyEclipse’ revealed on the official SEGA forums the original Senior Level Designer for Sonic 3 is working on Sonic 4.

So, is it just Dimps? Just Sonic Team? The answer is a bit of both: Yes, Dimps is working on the game. But there’s actually more to it than just that: at the same time, we also have members of Sonic Team, including the original senior level designer from Sonic 3 & Knuckles on the SEGA Genesis working alongside them. It is most definitely a partnership, and the result of this teamwork is something many of us are excited for.

So it seems SEGA is putting all of their efforts into Sonic 4, which hopefully will be something beneficial for the gaming community as we’ve all become extremely jaded when it comes to new Sonic games.  Although, it looks like Sonic 4 could finally break the streak of bad Sonic games if all goes according to plan.

source

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Hey, you! Have you been on the fence on buying Darksiders, even though it’s currently sitting pretty with an average review score of 82?  Well, you’re in luck as THQ has announced they’ll be offering a demo of Darksiders for both the PS3 & Xbox 360 next week.

The Darksiders demo will feature approx. 90 minutes of gameplay from the first dungeon in the game, the Twilight Cathedral.  Expect a lot of hacking-n-slashing, puzzle solving, and War speaking in a mono tone, grumbly voice.  David Adams, GM of Vigil Games, had the following to say in regards to offering this 90 minute taste of Darksiders.

“We are really pumped to be bringing a playable demo for Darksiders to Xbox 360 and PlayStation3. We really wanted to give gamers a true idea of the variety of gameplay that the game offers and so rather than just making a standard 20-minute demo version of the first few levels, we decided to give away this massive level and reveal the true essence of the game.”

So now you have no reason to NOT at least try Darksiders.  It’s got everything a gamer wants out of a game.  Puzzles, big swords, and cybernetic angels that shoot laser cannons.

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Ever get mixed up pressing a button on your controller?  Triangle instead of Square?  Well, you’ll be surprised to know many gamers still do.  For the most part, I’m very comfortable with the PS3 controller.  I’ve occasionally pressed the wrong button during a QTE (Quick Time Event).  You know, where you have to press an onscreen button at that exact moment.  Well Heavy Rain is full of QTEs and you better get familiar with the layout of the controller before you play.

Here’s Wikipedia’s definition for QTE: A Quick Time Event (QTE) is a method of gameplay used in video games. It allows for limited control of the game character during cut scenes or cinematic sequences in the game, and generally involves the player following onscreen prompts to press buttons or perform other actions (like shaking the controller). Failing these segments takes the scene in a different course, often to the player character’s death.

Quantic Dream brings the highly anticipated PlayStation 3 title, Heavy Rain. The game take place through several characters eye’s and they all surround “The Origami Killer”. Based on the Demo, you’ll get to play 2 of Heavy Rains character. You begin controlling Private Investigator named Scott Shelby who’s on a case trying to gather some clues from prostitute Lauren Winter. Controlling Scott was an overwhelming and positive event. As you walked through a quiet yet creepy alley way, many of your surroundings are interactive. What I found most interesting are pressure sensitive QTE’s. Squeezing through a dumpster involved pressing simultaneous button to get passed. So not only will you need to know your buttons, but you’ll have to use “both” hands quite a bit.

During your investigation, you’ll encounter an unpleasant foe who’s over aggressive. Now this is where you’ll be tested and time pressured. Pressing the correct indicated buttons will produce a different outcome then for those when you press the button incorrect. For example, I found myself dodging and landing more blows the second time I played which resulted in different conversations thereafter with Lauren Winter. And left me less bloody too.

The second half of the Demo allows you to play as FBI agent Norman Jayden. He’s at a crime scene and you’re there to gather information using ARI. This advanced scanning system is a futuristic database that can be visually seen with glasses and enhances items undetectable to the naked eye. DNA, footprints and types of flower pollen can be collected for data and if necessary used for the ongoing investigation.

I found the common denominator to be superb graphics, a deep storyline and Rain… lot’s of Rain. As the screen loaded for both screens, you’re given the Date, time and rain in the amount fallen in inches. So something is sure up with that.

For fans of the “Indigo Prophecy” PS2 title, you’ll be in for a real treat with Heavy Rain.  Quantic Dream has really raised the bar from IP to HR and it shows through visually and interactive gameplay.  The developer will sure keep many of us guessing just what’s in store for us till Heavy Rain’s official NA release date of February 23rd.  Feb 24th EU, 25th AUS, 26th UK and IRE.  And Japan get’s it first on the 18th of Feb.

There has been controversy over the games Mature rating.  Since one of the main character does get nude, the game will be Rated M.  For those who came just for the topless pic, click here.

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SEGA officially announced the next sequel in the Sonic the Hedgehog series with Sonic the Hedgehog 4.  The first trailer for the game was revealed on GameSpot last night and it’s very telling.  Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is dropping the 2D sprite graphics for a more HD-friendly 3D look, but it looks like it will keep the gameplay elements that we all know and love.

The title is set to be released this summer on the Xbox LIVE Arcade, Playstation Network, and WiiWare as a downloadable title.  ’Episode 1′ in the title leads us to believe SEGA has future DLC plans for Sonic the Hedgehog 4 for future episodes in the series.

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It looks like that “exclusive” deal RockStar had with Microsoft for Episodes of Liberty City will soon come to an end.  Coming to both PS3 and PC, Episodes of liberty city will arrive just in time for spring with an official release date of March 30th, 2010.

“It’s been a long time coming, but we are proud to finally deliver Episodes From Liberty City for the PC and PlayStation 3,” said Sam Houser. “We appreciate the patience of our PlayStation 3 and PC fans worldwide, and we look forward to putting the games in your hands this March.”

The Lost and Damned is a dark trip through Liberty City’s seedy underbelly as outlaw biker, Johnny Klebitz, fights to keep his gang together as a rift in the gang’s leadership threatens to tear the brotherhood apart. In The Ballad of Gay Tony, players explore Liberty City’s high-end nightlife as Luis Lopez, struggling to balance the temptations of money and vice against loyalties to family and friends. Both episodes feature a slew of new vehicles and weapons, and each episode adds new activities including cage fighting, gang wars and BASE jumping.

When it comes to exclusives, the Xbox 360 has been a step ahead of the PlayStation 3.  The list of games include; Fallout 3 DLC, GTA DLC and soon Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will join that list.  The PS3 is sowly making its mark on developers and publishers alike, and I’m sure they’ll score a AAA exclusive DLC.  But for now, only time will tell.  And the time shows 360 > PS3.

source

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