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Madden NFL Arcade rushes towards early Thanksgiving release
by Andrew Yoon 
{ Nov 12th 2009 at 3:00PM } 
, respectively.Unlike its retail counterpart, NFL Arcade doesn't attempt to recreate the sport with any level of "realism." The field is much smaller and players will have to get touchdowns within four tries (no way to get a first down). The various power-ups, coupled with the smaller field, will make for much faster games and much higher scores. Its also likely to become one of the best-selling downloadable games ever, and from what we hear, EA really could use the cash.
Gallery: Madden NFL Arcade
Greed Corp coming to PSN, XBLA and PC early 2010
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 11th 2009 at 5:20PM } 
It's been so long since we've heard anything about Greed Corp that the conservationist-friendly strategy game nearly qualifies as a retro classic. Fortunately, today brought us the first news about the title since it was announced. In addition to PSN, its lead platform, Greed Corp will also be coming to Xbox Live Arcade and Windows-based PCs in early 2010.
Today's announcement mentions that Greed Corp is just the "first in a series of games based in the rich Mistbound universe." Considering the heavy appearance of Don't Break The Ice-esque elements present in this game, we wonder if future installments in the franchise will adopt other popular board game tropes. For the record, W!Games, if you made a Mall Madness RPG, we would buy that.
Today's announcement mentions that Greed Corp is just the "first in a series of games based in the rich Mistbound universe." Considering the heavy appearance of Don't Break The Ice-esque elements present in this game, we wonder if future installments in the franchise will adopt other popular board game tropes. For the record, W!Games, if you made a Mall Madness RPG, we would buy that.
Comet Crash update brings new content and features
by Xav de Matos { Nov 11th 2009 at 4:45PM }
A new (and free) title update, now available for the PSN-exclusive Comet Crash, introduces new levels, maps, battle settings and an "expert" difficulty mode to the Tower Defense-style game. What sets Comet Crash apart from other titles in the genre is the game's offensive gameplay, allowing players to send waves of their own forces against an ongoing alien threat. Aliens as enemies in a video game? Creativity! According to the PlayStation Blog, the 1.03 update includes:
- "Expert" difficulty setting for seasoned Comet Crash players.
- 4 new Resurgence levels -- one unlocked at the end of each comet during the Campaign.
- 4 new Battle maps.
- Battle timer setting. After the timer runs out, all mobile units generate at 8x the normal rate.
- Thorium setting to tweak available resources in Battle mode.
PSP Mini 'Bubble Trubble' pops up on PSN Nov. 12
by Ludwig Kietzmann { Nov 11th 2009 at 12:45PM }
The color-matching gameplay has you connecting (presumably trubblesome) bubbles together, with similarly colored spheres fusing, expanding and then exploding in space-clearing catharsis. The commentary on humanity's self-destructive propensity for greed and the dangers of corporate conglomeration is perhaps a little too obvious, but the colors are nice.
ESRB: Uncharted, PAIN and more become Pinball Heroes on PSP
by Andrew Yoon { Nov 9th 2009 at 5:02PM }
*Not what you're getting.
In addition to Uncharted, other franchises will be getting the pinball treatment, including High Velocity Bowling, PAIN and Hot Shots Golf. Wait, no Pinball Heroes: God of War? That's a missed opportunity!
Unfortunately, no further details of the Pinball Heroes franchise can be garnered from the ESRB listings. We're submitting a few questions to Sony (like "how much?" and "why?") and will update when we hear back.
[Via GamerBytes]
Tecmo dunking NBA Unrivaled onto XBLA Nov. 11, PSN later
by Justin McElroy { Nov 9th 2009 at 2:40PM }
We're happy to see some fun-loving 5-on-5 take the court, but we're a little nervous about how quickly the game's sneaked up on us: It's arriving this Wednesday on XBLA, and later on PSN, barely enough time to get our sneakers laced up.
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, November 2 - November 6
by Kevin Kelly { Nov 6th 2009 at 8:30PM } 
We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week.
Recommendation of the Week:
The Shield: The Complete Series (DVD [What, no Blu-ray?] $159.95, lower at many retailers)
Vic Mackey isn't the first hardass cop to come down the line and smack miscreants into place, but he's definitely one of the most effective and most memorable. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching Michael Chiklis in The Shield, then this has your name all over it. If you have ... well, your name is still on it. It's the complete series, filled with extras, and packaged to look like a nifty coffee table book, embossed with a copy of the misaligned badge logo from the opening of the show. Forget everything else, this is hands down one of the best cop shows ever created, and it captures the underbelly of Los Angeles perfectly. Some people would argue that Los Angeles is all underbelly. Hopefully that means there's plenty of Mackey to go around.
As usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over.
Recommendation of the Week:
The Shield: The Complete Series (DVD [What, no Blu-ray?] $159.95, lower at many retailers)Vic Mackey isn't the first hardass cop to come down the line and smack miscreants into place, but he's definitely one of the most effective and most memorable. If you haven't had the pleasure of watching Michael Chiklis in The Shield, then this has your name all over it. If you have ... well, your name is still on it. It's the complete series, filled with extras, and packaged to look like a nifty coffee table book, embossed with a copy of the misaligned badge logo from the opening of the show. Forget everything else, this is hands down one of the best cop shows ever created, and it captures the underbelly of Los Angeles perfectly. Some people would argue that Los Angeles is all underbelly. Hopefully that means there's plenty of Mackey to go around.
PSP Go owners make Final Fantasy VII the top PSN seller for October
by Andrew Yoon { Nov 6th 2009 at 7:00AM }
1. Final Fantasy VII (PS3/PSP)
2. Zombie Apocalypse (PS3)
3. TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled (PS3)
4. .deTuned (PS3)
5. UNO (PS3)
6. Gran Turismo (PSP)
7. Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 (PS3)
8. Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty (PS3)
9. Critter Crunch (PS3)
10. God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP)
Konami's Zombie Apocalypse stood as the top new entry, while interactive art experience .deTuned managed to snag a few purchases from Trophy hunters looking for some of the easiest achievements ever created. Critter Crunch's low sales numbers managed to snag it a 9th position -- which either means sales picked up after the free demo, or October was not a very good month for PSN sales at all.
PSN Thursday: Try Trine, Get Gex
by Andrew Yoon { Nov 5th 2009 at 7:20PM }
Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list:
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(Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Japan getting God Eater sampling platter November 26
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 5th 2009 at 2:44PM }
We like to consider ourselves open-minded when it comes to new culinary experiences, but we confess that we've never had the occasion to dine upon a god. We've heard that it's a delicious (and sizable!) meal -- in fact, on the latest episode of No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain described god-meat as being "light and airy, like aged pork, but with divine properties." Japanese gamers (or PSP owners with a loose comprehension of the Japanese language) will be able to find out for themselves when a demo for God Eater launches on November 26.
The demo for the Namco Bandai-developed action-RPG will be fairly substantial, offering 10 missions, character customization and a small sliver of the game's opening story sequence. It will also support four player co-op in the demo's non-tutorial missions. The demo will be added to the Japanese PSN on Thanksgiving and will also be available on the game's official site. Between those two options, we're sure you'll find some way to snack on a few celestial entities later this month.
The demo for the Namco Bandai-developed action-RPG will be fairly substantial, offering 10 missions, character customization and a small sliver of the game's opening story sequence. It will also support four player co-op in the demo's non-tutorial missions. The demo will be added to the Japanese PSN on Thanksgiving and will also be available on the game's official site. Between those two options, we're sure you'll find some way to snack on a few celestial entities later this month.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer beta hits Nov. 19, exclusive to PS3
by Randy Nelson { Nov 5th 2009 at 12:00PM } 
The beta will focus on one of Bad Company 2's new multiplayer game types: Rush. This multi-stage battle takes place on a map called Arica Harbor, which is broken into unique areas for each round. American forces push forward on foot and in vehicles to scrap with Russian troops outside a military base, in an urban environment and eventually at the harbor itself in a "last stand" scenario.
EA plans to begin a PC round of the beta in December, followed up by an all-new multiplayer demo for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC early next year. The finished game hits shelves on March 2, 2010. We recently had the opportunity to play in the multiplayer beta and will bring you our hands-on impressions tomorrow morning, November 6 at 9:00 a.m. PT / noon ET.
Auditorium flowing to XBLA, PSN and PSP next year
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 4th 2009 at 7:30PM }
For those who want to know what the soothing buzz is all about, you can check out Auditorium for free on the 2BeeGames site. For those who can't access that site for some reason, just turn on some classical music, go turn on the nearest water faucet, and try to redirect the stream with your hands.
Braid coming to PS3 next week, November 12
by Andrew Yoon { Nov 4th 2009 at 12:32PM }
The Hothead-developed port will be available on the North American PlayStation Store on November 12th, "with a European version to be announced shortly thereafter." The PSN version of Braid will cost $14.99, the same price as its XBLA equivalent.
Gallery: Braid (PS3)
Why not to expect Capcom vs. SNK 2 on PSN, XBLA
by Richard Mitchell { Nov 3rd 2009 at 8:30PM }
Killian noted that even if sales covered cost, placing developers on the project would mean removing them from others, like Super Street Fighter IV. Killian put it simply, saying, "When fan service becomes a black hole for time and money, that party gets ended pretty quick."
Another explanation, according to Killian, is that Capcom doesn't want to flood the market with fighting games. He suggested that most gamers only buy one or two fighting games a year -- thanks mainly to the amount of time it takes to master them. In other words, releasing too many games could dilute the sales of all of them. Besides, we all know that what Capcom should be working on is a new Darkstalkers.
[Via EventHubs]
The Street Fighter II HD Remix intro that never was
by Richard Mitchell { Nov 3rd 2009 at 4:05PM }
