Tropico 4 Releases Today.

Grab Your Cigars and Sunglasses – Tropico 4 Available Now


Tropico 3 is a great game for those who love to build your own city and manipulate politics which doesn't require you to spend real money(besides purchasing the initial game). Now Kalypso has done it again with the release of Tropico 4, which once again seats you into the seat of El Presidente or Dictador, whichever suits your power hungry needs. Here are the features in Tropico 4:

Tropico 4 sees you return as El Presidente, the tyrannical (or benevolent) dictator of the island paradise of Tropico. The world is changing and Tropico is moving with the times – geographical powers rise and fall and the world market is dominated by new players with new demands and offers – and you, as El Presidente, face a whole new set of challenges. If you are to triumph over your naysayers you will need to gain as much support from your people as possible. Your decisions will shape the future of your nation, and more importantly, the size of your Swiss bank account.

Tropico 4 features all new missions across new maps and includes exciting and fun new features to keep the action fresh and challenging. You can even elect ministers into power to help get your more controversial decisions passed through the government. But remember to keep your friends close and your enemies closer as everyone has an agenda!

Tropico 4 also brings a new level of social interaction with the addition of Facebook and Twitter integration (PC version only). Post comments on Twitter direct from the game and have updates go out when you complete missions or unlock new achievements. You can even take screenshots of your island and post them on your Tropico 4 Facebook page and compare your interactive Dictator ranking on the online leaderboards. Every little bit helps when you are bringing your island into the 21st Century!


A Demo of the game is also available at the following link: http://bit.ly/t4demo so you can try before you buy.


Source: Press Release

Silent Hill HD Collection Box Art.

You Swear you were looking at Phantom of the Opera by looking at this box.


Silent Hill HD collection will be releasing soon and Konami has finally released the Box Art for the fans who are actually waiting for this game. While I am disappointed the Silent Hill 1 isn't included I do love Silent Hill 2 and 3 and will be getting this game for the PS3. I don't really need it since I still have both my copies of SH2 & 3 but it would be interesting to see what changes Konami made in terms of graphics overhaul. I was also hoping to see Silent Hill Origins in this Collection but once again Konami has disappointed fans even more.



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Wii-U's newest competitor is the iPad

It looks like Nintendo will have to come out with a new strategy.


The iPad has not really caught my as a gaming machine, yet when I saw Nintendo's Wii-U you can bet that I was really disappointed in the design. Now iPad will be going head to head with Nintendo's latest hardware which still hasn't come out with a new device called the Airplay.

The Airplay is a device which allows you to use any sort of iOS device and stream it via your HDTV at 720P with Stereo sound. The only difference is that the iOS devices don't really have a physical controller but that could change really soon if a 3rd part company decides to release a bluetooth compatible controller.

On top of that the iPad already has thousands of games available for download and while it may not match the Wii-U's processor or graphics, it will certainly be a better option if you have already invested that amount of money on the device and have not used it at all. Kind of like the Wii.

The Airplay is expected to debut later this year for iOS devices and other devices as well. Price is still unknown but if the price is somewhere between $49.99 and supports Android, I'll be in line to purchase one.



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Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword Collectors Edition Announced

CD also announced with the standard version.


How do you make a whole bunch of Zelda fanboys to scream like little girls. You offer something that is worth purchasing the game on the first run. In this case Nintendo has announced that the first run of Zelda games will include the Orchestrated Symphonic CD for the 25 year anniversary of Zelda.

On top of that, Nintendo has also announced a collectors edition of Skyward Sword for $69.99 and it will include a Zelda themed golden Wii Controller and the soundtrack. The game is set to debut on November 20 and you can bet I will be pre-ordering my copy the minute it becomes available.



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Wii-U Will not have local game installs.

This could possibly have something to do with the Wii-U not having a Hard Drive.


When creating a console, a company has to figure out what components to include in it at a price that makes sense to consumers. I have no idea how the Wii was $250 even though it only cost Nintendo $100 to make in the beginning. With the Wii-U Nintendo is trying to cut cost everywhere and once of those is not including a Hard Drive but instead relying on Flash Drives for storage options because we know how well that worked out for the Wii in the beginning.

Now Nintendo could be misleading it's customers by saying they will use Flash Drives and could surprise everyone by including a 128GB SSD Drive which technically speaking relies on flash technology but I don't see Nintendo doing that.

So what is the problem? The problem is that with only a certain amount of available data, users will not be able to install their games on a local hard drive or storage unit. This not only helps to reduce loading times but some games require it, specially on the PS3. A lot of developers use that option and it would make it easier for them if Nintendo included that option.

The Wii is said to have 4 USB 2.0 ports and there's a possibility that games could be loaded from a USB hard drive but with more data added to the Wii-U games it would do more hard than good.

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Goldeneye Reloaded screen shots

Gameplay screenshots for the PS3/Xbox 360 version of Goldeneye.


Goldeneye 007 is a remake or should I say a retelling of the N64 game and movie by the same name. While there are some similarities when comparing the N64 and the Wii version, the Wii version feels, looks and is way different than the N64 version. Some people loved the game while others didn't care much for it and unlike the N64 version, it faded away within a few months.

Activision is now wanting to bring an HD port or what it appears to be a port of the Wii version of Goldeneye dubbed Goldeneye Reloaded for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Here are a few screenshots from the game.





















No matter how great of a game idea you think you have, making it a Wii exclusive is almost always a suicide mission unless that is really your mission. The game is coming out quite nicely and I can't wait to try it out when it releases on PS3 and Xbox 360.

Silent Hill Book of Memories announced for PS Vita.

Hopefully it's not a sequel to The Silent Hill Experience on PSP.


Silent Hill has had several games on portable devices including the iPhone. One of the best Silent Hill games on portable devices is Silent Hill Origins. The other being The Silent Hill Experience which is more of a digital book than anything else. It looks like Silent Hill Book of Memories isn't like The Silent Hill Experience. Book of Memories is however the very first Silent Hill game with Multiplayer.

Not much has been announced besides the co-op mode which lets you and your friends explore the "Otherworlds" together. The only hints we have about the story is that it follows a mysterious book which includes all of the player's memories which can be altered at any time.

Silent Hill Book of Memories will be released early 2012 for the Playstation Vita.

Source: GamesPress

UBISOFT® REVEALS ITS SUPPORT FOR PLAYSTATION VITA WITH SIX TITLES

Assassins Creed is included in the lineup.


Ubisoft is not one to back down when it comes to supporting consoles. They have already gone on record to say that they will be supporting the Wii-U and now the Playstation Vita with 6 titles for the handheld console. Ubisoft games currently in development for the console include: Assassin’s Creed, Rayman Origins, Lumines, Asphalt, Dungeon Hunter Alliance and Michael Jackson the Experience.


“With its processing power, dual tactile screens and cameras, PS Vita allows creators like Ubisoft new and unique opportunities to develop innovative games,”said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft.  “We’ve got a strong and varied line-up that will offer fun and immersion to all audiences of the PS Vita.”

No word yet on whether some of these titles will be available at launch but with the release of the Playstation Vita only a few months away, I'm glad to know that early adopters will have something to try out their new Playstation Vita's. Now if only Sony would announce the new PS Vita price to $169.99, then we would really have something special.

Persona 3 Portable coming to PSN on PAL Regions

Unless you imported the game, PAL Regions will soon get Persona 3 Portable.


Japan and US are the first in line to get great games but you really can't blame the developers. I'm sure there are some kick ass games all around Europe that US and Japan will never see the light of day. However when you can't play a kickass RPG because no one brings it over to your home country, then it is truly a sad tale.

Luckily Ghostlight, a company who has brought JRPG games over to PAL regions has decided to bring Persona 3 Portable to the PSN network. It will be available on September 7, 2011 or 7 September 2011 depending on how you would like to look at it. It will carry a price tag of £27.99 (€34.99) but if you purchase it during your first two week, you can get it for only £23.99 (€29.99).

Microsoft playing the Role of Big Brother

Any little thing can get you band when playing online via Xbox Live.


So how many of us curse throughout the day. After a long day of work I just wanna come home, relax and play some video games. I often than not curse when playing whether I am kicking ass or getting my ass kicked. But now Microsoft seems to want to stop that and Ban anyone using profound language from using their Xbox Live service.

“If you’re playing a game on Xbox LIVE, and somebody snipes you from across the map and you drop the F-bomb, we’re not going to ban you – not for the occasional slip. We focus on the really bad stuff,” says Boris Erickson, Xbox LIVE Enforcement Unicorn Ninja. Yes, that is his actual job title.

 “We are not here to be the arbiters of all speech. But there are certainly some kinds of communication on Xbox LIVE that crosses a line – racism, homophobia, sexism, offensive comments about nationalities, and more.” Adds Erickson.

When users sign up for Xbox Live they sign an agreement which lets face it nobody reads. If you enjoy playing on Xbox Live that means you have to watch what you say other wise you could get banned  just the way people who hack the Xbox 360 get banned. So remember next time you log into Xbox Live, Big Brother is watching.

Here is the Full Press Release from Microsoft:

REDMOND, Wash. – Aug. 2, 2011 – In an otherwise typical Microsoft hallway, a black curtain stretches across the doorway to a large room. The whiteboard next to it offers this ambiguous, if not curiosity-inducing, explanation: “Please do not disturb. Sensitive material behind curtain.”
Behind the black curtain is a unique team of Microsoft employees. Their existence is not widely known, and probably for good reason – if you have a close encounter with a member of Xbox LIVE’s Policy and Enforcement team, chances are you’re on the wrong end of right.

Hackers, cheaters, phishers, account thieves, game code modifiers, communication abuser – they help police it all, including actual crimes in some rare instances. The team is there to help make sure Xbox LIVE is safe, non-offensive and fun for all users.

“If you’re playing a game on Xbox LIVE, and somebody snipes you from across the map and you drop the F-bomb, we’re not going to ban you – not for the occasional slip. We focus on the really bad stuff,” says Boris Erickson, Xbox LIVE Enforcement Unicorn Ninja. Yes, that is his actual job title.
Adds Erickson: “We are not here to be the arbiters of all speech. But there are certainly some kinds of communication on Xbox LIVE that crosses a line – racism, homophobia, sexism, offensive comments about nationalities, and more.”

Day in and day out, the inboxes of Erickson and his fellow enforcers are piled high with stacks of complaints about offensive behavior, speech, and materials. They dutifully sort through it all and decide what’s next. That could be requiring a user to remove an offensive word or phrase from their profile to – in the more egregious cases – outright banning users.

“Or, as we like to say, inviting them to not be our customer,” Erickson says. “These are paid subscriptions we’re taking away, so we want to make sure we’re doing exactly the right thing.”
All Xbox LIVE users agree to a code of conduct when subscribing to the entertainment service. But, as Xbox LIVE tops 35 million users – and, as it incorporates an ever-widening range of entertainment, gaming, and communication features – it’s a given that there will be opportunists and rule-breakers, Erickson says.

But the team’s director, Stephen Toulouse (known widely by his Microsoft e-mail alias,  Stepto), says despite Xbox LIVE’s explosive growth over the last several years, the number of complaints his team handles has remained tiny in proportion to the growing number of people who use the service.
“Looking at the stats, the cross-section of bad apples we deal with every day is small – typically less than one percent of the overall population,” Toulouse says. “The user complaint volume has tended to stay relatively flat compared to the line of new users. What that says to me is that our efforts are having an impact, and also that we’re broadening our audience. We’re bringing in different people that want to experience different things on Xbox LIVE, not just gaming, and at the end of the day that’s going to improve everything.”

The Explosion of Xbox LIVE
When Toulouse joined Xbox LIVE in 2007, the entertainment service had not yet reached one million users online at the same time.
“Enforcement was literally done by one guy with a spreadsheet who would go through the complaints once a week,” Toulouse says.
Though it took years to hit the one million user mark, it took one year to hit two million concurrent users.

“We knew Xbox LIVE was going to explode,” Toulouse says. “We knew we were on the cusp of something huge, especially when we saw how many people came into the service with the launch of Halo 3.”
The folks at Xbox LIVE, including Toulouse, wanted to stay ahead of the game. He slowly started assembling a team, and they started designing a tool to help the team effectively police the growing community of users. The result was a software program called Vulcan to help enforcers handle and escalate complaints.

“It was designed on cocktail napkins, then coded and designed to allow people who do complaint investigations to do so in an efficient and accurate way,” Erickson says.
Enforcers are now using a brand-new version of this tool, called “Vulcan 2,” which makes sorting through complaints even faster. In fact, because all enforcers are experienced gamers, they also often use an Xbox controller to navigate their work.

Say one gamer is offering to sell cheating services, or another user in a multiplayer online game is spouting racial epithets into his or her microphone, or yet another registered an offensive gamertag. Enforcement agents will find out about it either via a complaint sent by another Xbox user or by experiencing it firsthand.

“The enforcement agents also play games,” Erickson says. “Part of what we pay them for is to be out there in the community, listening for threats, looking for vulnerabilities, and reporting back to us.”
There are a handful of enforcements the team hands out ranging from a 24-hour ban to the most serious – voting an Xbox LIVE user “off the island” for good.

Apart from being gamers, agents are “steeped and stewed” in Internet culture, as well as being experts in slang, acronyms, and more. Erickson says some of them can actually write in “l33t,” (pronounced “leet”) a hacker pidgin language that incorporates abbreviations and numbers in an attempt to bypass profanity filters.

“We always appreciate having a diversity of knowledge,” Erickson says of the team. “Everybody kind of brings their own little history to the table, and can interpret content in the way the rest of us can’t.”
Toulouse says such diversity is key, though every member of the team shares a common goal.
“They are absolutely passionate about safety on Xbox LIVE,” he says. “I personally believe that when you buy your Xbox LIVE subscription, you are getting us ‘free in the box.’ Microsoft has invested in us, and we are invested in trying to make sure the experience is good.”

“We Have a Great Community”
Along with Toulouse and Erickson, Jason Coon and Andreas Holbrook round out the management team, which includes numerous enforcement agents who work one of three shifts during the day to maximize coverage (together, they cover 18 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year). Coon manages the agents, and Holbrook works with outside companies and law enforcement agencies on deeper investigations.

The team is tight-knit, primarily because of the kind of content and situations they deal with each day.
“There’s a sort of gallows mentality, because we do have to deal with some pretty bad stuff during the course of our day,” Erickson says. “We talk openly and frankly about it and the effect it has on all of us. You can’t help but need to talk after being exposed to the worst of the worst day in and day out.”
Sometimes this includes interacting with courts, law enforcement agencies, and other agencies. In one recent case, that included the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (MCMEC).
“That, of course, pushes a lot of buttons,” Erickson says. “We make sure people get the space and time they need after something particularly bad – to have a talk, or go outside and take a walk.”
The team also has some go-to “palette cleansers” to brighten things up: LOLcats, those cute and funny pictures of animals adorned with irreverent and witty (and almost exclusively grammatically incorrect) captions.

“Sites like ‘I Can Has Cheezburger’ and ‘The Daily Squee’ are frequently called upon around here,” Erickson says. “They do a lot to help. You sort of need that disconnection from the offensive content sometimes.”

As Xbox LIVE continues to expand, so too does the enforcement team and the effectiveness of their tool Vulcan. But Erickson doubts there will ever be a time that enforcement is totally automated.
“Most of the decisions need human eyes to keep it real, though we are moving into a realm where we’re applying more automation to the process,” Erickson says.

And what of this team whose sole mission it is to deal with “the worst of the worst” – what has it done for their views on humanity?
“I’ve learned that the vast majority of people on our service are out there having fun. We have a great community,” Toulouse says. “To the extent that we do see bad behavior, it’s often tied to the belief that they’re anonymous, they won’t get caught, and we’re not looking. The vast majority of people are out there are trying to be excellent to each other.”

Despite having seen the worst of people, Erickson, too, is still optimistic about people.
“The reality of working in the wild, wild west of the internet is that most people just want to be creative, and to use our products in social ways and to connect to people. And for the ones that don’t, well, that just requires a bit of tweaking. We’re slowly crumbling the nexuses of bad behavior.”

Mario Kart 3DS Screen Shots

Some new and old screen shots from the up coming fan favorite Mario Kart.


The price drop of the for the 3DS couldn't have come at a better time with Mario Kart coming this winter to the 3DS. From the looks of these screen shots, it looks like the game is more polished and better looking than the previous released screen shots but you be the judge.

Bleach Soul Resurrection PS3 Review

Relive the Arrancar Story Arc with the latest Bleach game from NIS America.

Bleach is one of the greatest animes of our time spanning over 330+ episodes and counting. Bleach tells the story of Ichigo Kurosaki, who one day meets a soul reaper named Rukia. By crossing paths Ichigo himself becomes a shinigami or death god in English translation. But becoming a shinigami hasn’t been an easy task for Ichigo who has had to endure countless battles trying to protect his friends. Bleach also has had many game adaptations, with most of them being fighting games. Bleach Soul Resurrection takes a different path by being a hack and slash type game and in its own right it’s a great game but when you play it you’ll realize that something is indeed missing.

 

They main story of Soul Resurrection is when Ichigo travels to the world of the Arrancar so save Orihime Inoue who was kidnapped by Aizen. However the story is not all about Ichigo. As you proceed through the game, you will also use other Bleach characters from the Captains of the 13^th Squad including Yoruichi. Each character will face the same Arrancar they faced in the anime. Soul Resurrection only gives you the main part of the story though as all other parts will be summarized by the same narrator who narrates the prelude of each Dragon Ball Z episode. With Soul Resurrection taking place during the Arrancar story arc, you will need to be up to date with Bleach. Watching only 50 episodes doesn’t make you a Bleach expert and you will probably be scratching your head like a monkey most of the time when names are tossed around in the story arc.

 

Soul Resurrection is a very basic game and there isn’t much room for exploration. Your main goal is to get through the stage, collect as much souls as you possibly can and face off an Arrancar if there is one at the end of the level. Some levels are longer than others and some can be completed in as little as 5 minutes if you use your power meter at the right time. The power meter fills up every time you slash an enemy or collect a power boost by smashing chained diamonds that are scattered throughout the level. This power meter gives your character an extra boost in power which depletes over time. Pressing the L2 again will unleash your characters final attack. 

 

Most of the game besides a few required battles and the Boss battle, will allow you to just fly through the stage. You are not required to kill any enemies or gather any items. However rushing through the stage isn’t always the best strategy as you will not be able to collect any soul points, which you can use to upgrade your characters abilities and if you take damage, the Boss battle at the end of the stage will be even more challenging. There are also no checkpoints in the stages so if you die fighting a stage Boss, you will be returned to the beginning of the stage.

 

Each character handles differently and for the most part I enjoyed using all characters except for Soifon. On top of that each character will have their very own distinct abilities like that of the anime. Most of the characters are played with their Bankai forms so all their attacks will be based on the Bankai abilities. For example Byakuya will attack using his Senbonzakura using only his cherry blossoms instead of a physical sword. 

 

Like stated before each character can be upgraded with different abilities as well as increase their overall health and power meters. Before the level begins you can go to the character upgrade screen and purchase upgrades with the soul points you collect through the levels.  While this is not a necessity, it can be helpful at times. 

Graphically I would say that Soul Resurrection is Bleach in 3D. The animation is very smooth and all characters mimic their anime counterparts really well even when they have been defeated and fall to the ground. If anything, I believe that they could make many of the Arrancar episodes in 3D using the same models they used for Soul Resurrection. The game plays in 1080P and the special effects and graphics couldn’t have been better. 

 

The game features both English and Japanese voice cast depending on what version of the anime you enjoy the most. I do wish some of the Japanese sountrack used in the anime were included in the game though but sadly it’s not. 

 

Besides story mode there is also mission mode in which you can play through different missions with any character based on the in game levels and Soul Attack which lets you submit your best score online and compare it with others. There are 21 characters in Soul Resurrection and the one mode I wish they would have added is a VS mode in which you can fight against any of the 21 characters or even online in a one on one match. Who knows maybe this is a DLC which might come in the future but as of now there isn’t one. 

 

With Story, Mission and Soul Attack you will get no more than 5 hours of gameplay in Soul Resurrection. Besides the cool looking combos and well done character animations, there really isn’t anything to go back to in Soul Resurrection. 

Verdict: Buy

Bleach Soul Resurrection is a great hack and slash game with great graphics that bring the anime into a 3D world. While there aren’t many modes to keep you coming back, it’s always great to go back to and relive your favorite battles in the Arrancar story Arc. If you are a Bleach fan then you will definitely enjoy this game. I just wish they add a VS mode very soon.

GamePlay: Very fun and addicting hack and slash game based on the Bleach universe. Each character has their own fighting style and you can play with them in all levels in the Mission mode potion of the game. 8.5/10

Graphics: Smooth character animation and detail that bridges the gap between anime and video game. 9.5/10

Sound: American and Japanese voice actors are featured in this game as well as all the bleach power up sound effects. The soundtrack could be better but overall an enjoyable listening experience. 8/10

Story: Follows the Arrancar story arc but it’s mostly done through narration. 6/10

LifeSpan: There are 3 modes which will tire out real quick. I really do hope for a VS mode soon. 5/10

Total Score: 74/100

The Adventures of Dr. Grivius new art

Here is another art that was created by Stefano Terri. Enjoy.


Here is another concept image of Dr. Grivius blasting away Zombies. The second image is just a close up of the first.