Don't get your hopes up -- the above video isn't particularly fresh or tantalizing, though watching Geoff Keighley get repeatedly shot down by Ted Price, president of Insomniac Games, is rather entertaining. If you're looking for new gameplay videos and information on the sequel to the PS3's well-received launch title, you'll have to watch the entirety of last night's episode of GameTrailers TV, as the individual nuggets of new information about the game have yet to be compartmentalized into easily digestible clips.
There's some interesting gameplay footage spliced throughout the episode, but for those of you who don't have 22 minutes to kill, you can check out chapters oneand two for details about the single player campaign, chapter three for new info about mutliplayer, and chapter four for new characters and weapons. We imagine there's enough footage of Keighley getting the silent treatment from Price to fill up at least seventeen additional chapters.
If you made it to the end of the Spike VGAs (and you weren't being paid to live blog it), we're not sure if we should be proud of you or pity you. You did, however, get to see one of the more interesting parts of the evening when Gamecock staffers (complete with red capes and combs) stormed the game of year award acceptance speech. It would have been funny, except the award was being accepted by the well-respected and liked Ken Levine for BioShock.
A day later, the company perhaps realized that it wasn't the smartest attention grab, with boss Mike Wilson telling us "the award acceptance they interrupted was the LAST one we would have wanted to interrupt, ("most addictive game fueled by mountain dew" would have been a wonderful choice) as we have the utmost respect and love for BioShock and all who were involved in it, and it totally sucks that Ken Levine didn't get to speak after making such a fantastic game." You can watch the video above to determine for yourself if Gamecock stepped over the line, just be aware: The video features near nudity, because the winners of all the awards were painted on actual naked women.
What can we expect from the Afro Samurai video game? Based on this short trailer -- which premiered during the Spike Video Game Awards -- we'll be seeing lots of blood, and the voice talent of Samuel L. Jackson, who also provides the main character's voice in the anime series.
The first announcement for this game came way back in June, and it looks like we have pretty much the same information then as we do now: expect swordfighting, acrobatics, and a blood-spattered badass voiced by the badass to end all badasses. At least now the blood is confirmed.
Just when you were getting used to the awkward name, our good buddies at MTV Networks (hey Ed Lover!) have decided to close up Game Head HQ after 2-1/2 years and roll that show's talent into another video gaming super show: may we introduce GameTrailers TV, premiering next month on Spike TV.
So, Keighley stays on board, but now his powers are augmented by those of GameTrailers' Daniel Kayser and Amanda MacKay. After purchasing Game Trailers two years ago, MTV has been steadily integrating the property across their burgeoning video game empire. One need look no further than last night's airing of the Spike Video Game Awards, which was littered with video game trailerpremieres (amongst other things carefully selected to trigger base responses in the 18-34 year old male demographic).
So, we'll still have the news and interviews from Game Head, but coupled with the features and trailers from GameTrailers. Apparently, like the VGAs, trailers will premiere on the show before popping up on GameTrailers.com along with the full episodes. Full episodes will later make their way to the Xbox Live Marketplace in glorious HD if you're into that sorta thing.
We know, we know, it's just a video clip. And yes, we know that we've been burned by sexy trailers for mediocre licensed games before. But this new trailer for Iron Man (shown during last night's Spike VGAs) is just so freaking good, we're finding it hard to keep our cynical composure.
How about when Iron Man throws a fighter jet, or when it grabs a missile and redirects it? How about the original gray armor? Awesome. Everything here is. There is one thing that troubles us though: At one point, Tony Stark flies through a ring. If it's a stylish move, all's well, but if Iron Man's going to get into some Superman 64 shenannigans, things are going to get hectic.
And with that, Griffin and I begin our live blog. Hello everyone, it's Justin McElroy, and for the next two hours my brother and I will be your guides for "Samuel L. Jackson No-So-Subtly Judges Everyone in the Room," or, as it's being advertised, "The Spike 2007 Video Game Awards."
The live blog begins after the break. Come, join us.
We know you're on pins and needles, so we'll just come right out and tell you that Spike TV's latest Video Game Awards has lifted up BioShockas the year's best game, with Andrew Ryan's underwater extravaganza besting other notables such as Mass Effect, The Orange Box, and Halo 3. With Samuel L. Jackson once again at the helm, the awards show went down last night at Las Vegas' posh Mandalay Bay, and we imagine is now being carefully outfitted with extreme graphics and Mountain Dew ads for its television broadcast on Dec. 9 at 9PM.
Besides its game of the year nod, BioShock also walked away with awards for being the best Xbox 360 game and having the best original score, making it also responsible for the event's most return trips to the stage.
Now, for the complete list, would you kindly make with the clicking?
Video Games Live, composer Tommy Tallarico's gaming-centric orchestra concert event, is making its national television debut next Sunday, December 9, on Spike TV's Video Game Awards. The performance will be recorded along with the awards show, hosted again this year by Samuel L. Jackson, December 7 in Las Vegas.
No word on what songs will be performed, although the press release from VGL noted that "brand new never before seen material" is in the cards.
For the third year in a row Samuel L. Jackson will host the Spike TV Video Game Awards, now in its fifth year. While we'd like to say Jackson can bring "the awesome" to most anything, it's all too evident when non-gamers pick up that gamepad (note to Spike: keep the pad out of his hands).
The event goes down Dec. 7 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and, after some fancy editing, the actual broadcast is Dec. 9 at 9PM. Games like Borderlands and Gran Turismo 5 Prologue will be premiered during the show and totally radical (not to mention relevant) celebs like magician Criss Angel and Dave Navarro will attend. Check out the full list of categories and nominees.
Time to get those office pools started up, boy and girls! What? No, the Oscars aren't till February 2008, morons. We're talking about the 2007 Spike TV Video Game Awards. Or, to those that know it best, the VGAs. The nominees were announced today and its time to ... wait, wait -- don't run away just yet. This year, the advisory board is made up of plenty of people whose opinions you read in magazines, on larger websites, and even some blogs. Even our esteemed EIC, Chris Grant, makes up this veritable group of "Super Friends" (he's their Wonder Woman).
Unlike in previous years, Madden is not nominated for "Game of the Year," so already you know it's more credible. BioShock, Mass Effect, Super Mario Galaxy, and Halo 3 appear on the list, making up the usual suspects that'll be appearing on many an outlet's GOTY ballots, but some more unexpected titles might be crashing the party -- Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, Puzzle Quest: Challenge the Warlords, and Portal. One question though: why remove the Best Song category the one year there's a video game song worth celebrating?
For a full list of the nominees, would you kindly peer past the break?