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.

Related posts:

1. God Of War Collection Releasing Nov. 2009 Sony announced today they will be bringing both God...
2. Capcom Releases New Batch Of Lost Planet 2 Screens Well, well, well.  Why, hello there Lost Planet 2...
3. Lost Planet 2 Demo With 4 Player Co-Op Coming Soon We spoke about Lost Planet 2 a couple of...

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.

Related posts:

1. Review: Wolfenstein id Software’s beloved Wolfenstein franchise went on a pretty...
2. Review: Battlefield 1943 At E3 2009, EA & DICE revealed they were...
3. Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum Superhero video games are one of those things that...

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.

Related posts:

1. Heavy Rain Expected To Hit Retailers on Feb. 23; Don’t Forget The Umbrella Sony officially announced today Quantic Dreams’ next PS3 exclusive...
2. NEW ‘Heavy Rain’ Screens, Looks Very Wet Many have speculated that this game, Heavy Rain, will exhibit...
3. In-game ‘Heavy Rain’ Footage, It’s Soo Real If you’ve ever played Sammy Sosa’s High Heat Baseball,...

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

Related posts:

1. SEGA Announces Sonic the Hedgehog 4 SEGA officially announced the next sequel in the Sonic...
2. Review: The Beatles: Rock Band In Oct. 2008, Harmonix revealed a bomb-shell of an...
3. PS3 Review: Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection nostalgia odor from the case...

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.

Related posts:

1. Bionic Commando Multiplayer Demo ‘Swinging’ To You Soon! See what I did there with the subject? I...
2. Lost Planet 2 Demo With 4 Player Co-Op Coming Soon We spoke about Lost Planet 2 a couple of...
3. Square-Enix Announces Final Fantasy XIII Releasing March 9, 2010 Square-Enix officially announced today the release date for their...

MLB The Show 10 is on it’s way. With new graphics better gameplay and the Yankees. Oh, sorry about that. On March 2, 2010 is the release date. If you pre-order MLB 10 The Show before the release date you’ll score a 6 pack of classic stadiums. In that stadium package you will receive…

• Shibe Park
Opened April 12, 1909. It was the first steel and concrete stadium built.

• Forbes Field
Opened 1909 becoming the home of the Pirates.

• Polo Grounds
Opened 1890. This stadium was witness to the ” Shot heard around the world.” homerun

• Crosley Field
Home of the Cincinnati Reds from 1912 until June 24, 1970

• Spotsman’s Park
Built in St. Louis in 1912

• Griffith Stadium
Was built in Washington D.C. from 1912 to 1965. The outfield was shaped strange due to home owners nit willing to sell to the organization during construction.

Baseball fans get ready to start your own championship season. Go Yankees. Oops. I did it again.

Related posts:

1. Derek Jeter Playing CF in MLB 10 The Show? Glitches present rumors… Does anyone see something wierd with the lineups in...
2. Chase Utley MVP In Phillies Over Yanks in MLB ‘09 The Show Game 1 of the Major League Baseball World Series...
3. PS3 Review: MLB ‘09 : The Show Sammy Sosa said it best, “It’s Soo Realllll!” What better...

The next-generation First Person Shooter, Massive Action Game or ‘MAG’ takes place in the year 2025 where a global war — The Shadow War — is in full swing.   Three Corporations battle for the same concepts… resources and global dominance.  Each network has their pros and cons and you’re asked to join one of them.  But choose wisely because this will be the only corporation you can play for going forward.  One character per PSN account.  Stripped of a single-player campaign and only playable online, just how will this FPS and their “claim to fame” of 256 online multiplayer hold up?

Let’s get this out of the way now. MAG is a First-Person Shooter that can cram place up to 256 players on one of several maps.  Developer Zipper Interactive has done a great job avoiding noticeable slow downs or lag.  In huge games I felt smooth gameplay throughout.  Although the game is said to be “Epic” (as in the scale of the game) it’s hard to notice that many players are on the map.  Due to the battle structures and numerous and confusing objectives, at times you’ll  “feel” like it’s a 16 vs 16 match.  I felt MAGs larger battles increased the anonymity of your character.  Due to the amount of chaos ensuing, you never felt like one particular opponent had you in his scope.  The same is true when you’re attacking.  Fighting against one soldier was not as inviting as picking off a group of 3 or 4.  In this game the statement,  “One bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” was not true.  It’s a Massive game, so Massive killing is a pure turn on and should be the priority.

If you’re a solo artist, MAG is definitely not for you. This game screams Teamwork and you’ll immediately notice that before you hit the battlefield.  You’ll want to stay connected with your squad talking through your headset along the way and plan out your mission(s).  Take note, after you die you come back with “Squad Respawn points”.  Thus letting you attack the opposition in waves so there’s a timer.  Expect to wait up to 20 seconds to rejoin the battle.  There are one of three game types which include Sabotage 32 vs 32 (destroy 2 terminals, then destroy final terminal), Acquisition 64 vs 64 (acquire transport vehicle and deliver back), and finally Domination 128 vs 128 (each platoon attacks a two pairs of towers, a pair of computer terminals within 3 stages).

Ranking up through Command structure. A full company of 128 players will be made up of four platoons, each of which are made up of four squads, each of which are made up of eight players.   Designated players will command squads, platoons and companies.  Sticking close to your squad members and leaders will increase your buffs such as faster reloads and increased re-spawn rates.   Don’t just jump the gun yet as those “designated” players need to have the proper rank to command so “rank up”.  Frago points are additional bonus points that are awarded when a squad leader gives a tactical objective (i.e. destroying a bridge) and you initiate a kill, heal, revive a teammate or destroy said bridge.

Visuals are for sissy’s. When I first played, I noticed similarities to Command and Conquer: Generals –the 3 factions, global dominance etc.  Resembling graphics similar to Call of Duty 4 and Battlefield 2142 gives you the visuals and health system that make up MAG.  MAG does not have regenerative health but instead your damage is healed with med kits.  Because you can carry so many different types of weapons scrolling through the correct one on the battlefield is cumbersome.  Don’t look for the best of graphics either.  I mean it’s not terrible, but it’s OK for a FPS this late in the game running in 720p. MAG does boast sound quality from THX.

Select Private Military Corporation. This is where it all begins.  Creating your character begins with choosing from 3 corporations (PMCs).  Raven based in Vienna, Austria; Valor based in Alaska, United States; and S.V.E.R from Grozny, Chechen Republic.  For those who love their colors, Ravens are represented in Purple, Valor in Green, and S.V.E.R. in Orange.  When it comes to the battlefield, your team in always “blue” while the opponent is always “red”.

Barracks and Upgrades. Once you’ve gained enough XP points you should head over to the “skills” tab under “Barracks”.  This is where you can customize your player with unlockables using “Skill Points”.  Here you’ll be able to unlock weapons, perks and most importantly buy a Medic Kit.  This kit is essential to any soldier on the battlefield to heal himself.  If you upgrade your Medic Kit you’ll be able to revive fellow squad-mates or anyone who’s bleeding out and laying on the floor.  And you’ll want to help as each resurrection gives you 10 XP over 5 XP points for a kill.  Lastly, don’t forget to RESPEC your player when you surpass the amount.  RESPECing your player will allow you to reset your “Skill Points” on any previous upgrades you’ve made.  Simply press, square while in the “skills” tab under “barracks”.  Consider it a “do over” if you made a poor judgment upgrade.

The gameplay of MAGs FPS mechanics are solid. They did not re-invent the wheel and kept the controls and buttons very similar to other FPS thus avoiding any learning curve.  Believe me you’ll appreciate that when a quick decision pops up and you find yourself aiming with L1 and shooting with R1.  The norm in the PS3 FPS genre.

My gripes with the game are primarily the lack of a second (or third) faction to choose.  For example, I ended up joining the S.V.E.R. network but found out I had some friends who were part of Raven.  I can see why Zipper Interactive decided to make this choice static instead of dynamic but the lack of “change” has many people crying out.  If you did want to take the plunge and join one of the other two remaining PMCs, you’ll have to delete your character and rejoin… and start all over.  No perks, no rankings.  A Private! There’s also maintenance times that will prevent you from playing. While the times are short, MAG being solely an online multiplayer game you’re forced to play something else. The down times for the MAG servers are typically 4:00 am eastern time – 6:00 am eastern time.

Pros
- 64 up to 256 players on one map
- Squad based bonuses
- Large battlefields avoid bottlenecks

Cons
- One character per PSN account
- Online play only (no single player)
- Server maintenance = downtime

Final Thought: Fans of the Call of Duty series (COD4, COD:World At War and MW2) will find the engine satisfying and comparable. Take away MW2’s insta-knife-kill and you have a descent alternative for a FPS in MAG. However, I did find MAGs gameplay a bit slower than MW2 which could be a good thing for those who want to slow things down a bit. Comparing MAG with the highest grossing FPS on the market, Modern Warfare 2, is not fair but it’s what most gamers playing this genre know, myself included.  Exclusive to the PS3, Zipper Interactive has dealt their cards and I believe they should “stay” on 16.  They developed a great shooter with a chance to succeed, but shouldn’t over do it.  I feel MAG will appeal to many different types of FPS fans.  While this is a team based shooter, the soloist can still impact a match preferably as a sniper.  For those who love MW2 you may find MAG fills in some gaps i.e. vehicles, medics and a command structure.  And then there are the types of gamers that are never pleased.  For the gamer who just wants to shoot, MAG should be on your list.

7.5/10

Related posts:

1. Review: Battlefield 1943 At E3 2009, EA & DICE revealed they were...
2. Sony’s ‘MAG’ 256-player FPS hits store shelves Jan. 26 MAG. Massive Action Game will be a new exclusive...
3. Battlefield 1943 Hitting XBLA On July 8; PSN On July 9 If you’re as big a Battlefield fan as we...

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.

Related posts:

1. You Can Stop Panicking; Sonic 3 Level Designer Will Be Working on Sonic 4 Earlier this month, SEGA revealed they are working on...
2. Battlefield 1943 Hitting XBLA On July 8; PSN On July 9 If you’re as big a Battlefield fan as we...
3. Call of Duty: Classic Hitting PSN & XBLA This Week! If you’re like me, you’ve been spending an insane...

In case you hadn’t noticed by the sidebars of PerezStart for the past couple of months, we have been patiently anticipating for the release of God of War III.  During last year’s E3, Sony promised us a March 2010 release for the game, but I personally wouldn’t be happy until I could place an angry Kratos sticker on an exact date on my calendar.  It looks like little angry Kratos finally has a spot on my calendar to sit on as Sony announced today March 16, 2010 will be when God of War III finally releases.

The questions isn’t whether anyone with a PS3 will pick up the game: The question is if you’ll pick up the standard version of the God of War III Ultimate Edition.  For those of you who, like me, enjoy getting some extra goodies with your video game purchase, here’s a rundown of what to expect in the Ultimate Edition:

Exclusive Collectibles
• High-End Sculpted Replica of Pandora’s Box
• Limited-Edition God of War Art Book featuring exclusive art, content and interviews

Exclusive Digital Content (Available via PlayStation Network voucher codes on day of launch)
• God of War Combat Arena containing an exclusive environment and seven challenges
• Premium Kratos Skin – Dominus
• God of War: Unearthing the Legend Franchise Documentary – a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the God of War franchise
• God of War Trilogy Soundtrack – God of War, II, and III scores from the game (mp3 digital download).
• God of War: Blood and Metal EP – a heavy metal homage featuring original music inspired by God of War (mp3 digital download).

Looks like my piggy bank has a date with a blade of chaos come March 16.

source

Related posts:

1. BioShock 2 Gets New Release Date, Feb 9, 2010 After a push and shove, 2K Games has finally...
2. E3 2009: God of War III, The Final Game in the Series – March 2010 It’s coming March 2010. Unfortunately, God of War will...
3. E3 2009: Crackdown 2 Announced; 2010 Release Date A sequel for Microsoft’s hugely popular Crackdown was announced...

MAG. Massive Action Game will be a new exclusive First Person Shooter making it’s way to the PS3 tomorrow. Why will it be “different”? Up to 256 online players will be able to fight each other in groups on one map. Testing the Beta, I can tell you the game has potential to compete in the FPS genre.

“The game will utilize a new server architecture to support online battles with up to 256 players, with users divided into 8-player squads, with 4 squads forming a platoon, and 4 platoons forming a company. Each squad will be led by a player who has advanced through the game’s ranking system. Character statistics and development will also increase with frequent gameplay. The players most advanced in rank will be able to either direct the battle or participate directly in combat.

Basic battles will take place within ongoing, faction-based campaigns to encourage the player to actively play. The game’s E3 unveiling trailer featured large landscapes, tactics such as air strikes and parachuting, and a variety of vehicles, from tanks and APCs to airplanes.

Players will be able to customize the face, voice, and armor of their characters, as well as what weapons and kit they carry into battle.”

Sony’s Media Manager of SCEA, Jeff Rubenstein, answers “Why the lack of MAG reviews?”  His answer makes sense:

“Reviews can’t be written until the game is actually out. I mean, you can’t pass pre-release judgment on a game whose major, industry-leading feature (256 players in a single battle) can’t be tested until release day.”

MAG will be released in North America on January 26th.

source

Related posts:

1. Caption Contest: 25 MAG Beta Code Giveaway…, PS3 gamers of course Now this is just getting crazy.  We’ve been having so...
2. MAG Public Beta Update 1.30, Kick/Vote Player Enabled MAG = Massive Action Game.  By far the largest...
3. Lost Planet 2 Demo With 4 Player Co-Op Coming Soon We spoke about Lost Planet 2 a couple of...