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BioWare reveals Samara, Mass Effect 2's biotic bombshell
by Randy Nelson 
{ Dec 1st 2009 at 12:00PM }
Samara is an elite Asari warrior who controls some incredibly potent biotic powers. Forget simply tossing enemies around -- she manipulates dark energy in order to levitate herself, as evidenced in the above video. The footage also confirms that there are still five potential party members yet to be introduced before the game ships for PC and Xbox 360 on January 26 (not March 23 as originally noted by Randy, who's clearly met his recommended daily allowance of paste.)
Gallery: Mass Effect 2 - Samara
King of Fighters movie trailer giving us Street Fighter flashbacks
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 29th 2009 at 11:30AM }
On the other hand, it's another film based on the typically devoid-of-plot fighting game genre. If the precedent set by Street Fighter, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Double Dragon, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation and Dead or Alive are any indication, we could be in for another theatrical trainwreck.
Aliens vs. Predator multiplayer trailer watches your back, stabs it
by Ben Gilbert { Nov 27th 2009 at 5:00PM }
Aside from trotting out a handful of European game writers who all tell the same "This game is SO awesome" story, we're treated to a smattering of gameplay snippets from all three sides of the equation. We're only left wondering one thing after watching them – if you can play as a predator against eight colonial marines, who would ever choose the marines side?
Gallery: Aliens vs Predator
[Thanks, Ikarop]
Okamiden trailer is in desperate need of a cheek pinching
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 27th 2009 at 2:00PM } 
Is it a good idea to pinch the cheeks of a rabid, killer God-wolf? Most definitely not -- however, after watching the latest trailer for Chibiterasu's handheld babysitting adventure, Okamiden, we don't think we'd be able to help ourselves if ever placed in the lupine protagonist's presence. Forget that. We'd cheek-pinch every single thing in this adorable video: the little kid who accompanies Chibi, the enemies the duo swiftly cut in half, even the barren trees they magically bring back to life.
And trees don't even have cheeks. How crazy is that?
And trees don't even have cheeks. How crazy is that?
Mass Effect 2 vids profile Tali and Adept class
by Alexander Sliwinski { Nov 27th 2009 at 11:30AM }
Head past the break to see a video of the Adept class, which has been granted some flashy new tricks.
Gallery: Mass Effect 2 (11-06-09)
The time-lapse evolution of a Castle Crashers boss
by Randy Nelson { Nov 24th 2009 at 8:15PM }
The Behemoth, purveyor of fine classic-style action games with lovely high-res 2D artwork, has posted a nice time-lapse video on its developer blog showcasing the evolution of one of its Castle Crashers boss characters. In it, we get to see The Painter come a long way from his meager palette-sporting beginnings to the giant roller-wielding, toolbox-for-a-head monster we've come to know and despise.
It's not often that we get a glimpse at this aspect of the development process -- perhaps because a time-lapse video of an artist creating the 3D model for, say, the Joker from Batman: Arkham Asylum would be the length of most theatrical releases. The Behemoth's video, after the break, is thankfully only seven-and-a-half minutes long.
It's not often that we get a glimpse at this aspect of the development process -- perhaps because a time-lapse video of an artist creating the 3D model for, say, the Joker from Batman: Arkham Asylum would be the length of most theatrical releases. The Behemoth's video, after the break, is thankfully only seven-and-a-half minutes long.
JBO: Joystiq Box Office, November 16 - November 20
by Kevin Kelly { Nov 20th 2009 at 9:15PM } 
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:
North by Northwest: 50th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)
It's been 50 years since Alfred Hitchcock's classic North by Northwest first appeared in theaters, and Warner Bros. has put together an amazing package that includes a new one hour documentary about Hitchcock called "The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style," and a new half-hour documentary about the film itself. It also carries over older extras like a documentary about Cary Grant, commentary and more. It's packaged in the Warner Blu-ray Book format that I loathed at first, but now love: No inserts or booklets to lose, and they look fantastic on a shelf. You've probably seen the iconic image of Cary Grant running in terror from a biplane, but never seen North by Northwest. For my money, it's his best film.
Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and 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:
North by Northwest: 50th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)It's been 50 years since Alfred Hitchcock's classic North by Northwest first appeared in theaters, and Warner Bros. has put together an amazing package that includes a new one hour documentary about Hitchcock called "The Master's Touch: Hitchcock's Signature Style," and a new half-hour documentary about the film itself. It also carries over older extras like a documentary about Cary Grant, commentary and more. It's packaged in the Warner Blu-ray Book format that I loathed at first, but now love: No inserts or booklets to lose, and they look fantastic on a shelf. You've probably seen the iconic image of Cary Grant running in terror from a biplane, but never seen North by Northwest. For my money, it's his best film.
Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and 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.
RE5: Lost in Nightmares teaser goes back to the mansion
by David Hinkle { Nov 20th 2009 at 11:01AM }
Gallery: Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition
Mass: We Pray is almost certainly a hoax
by Ben Gilbert { Nov 18th 2009 at 5:30PM }
Add to that the complete lack of any business records with the Massachusetts Secretary of State's office (the company's alleged home state) nor in business-friendly Delaware, and the possibly offensive included accessories, and we've got a maybe viral ad/maybe hoax on our hands. If we were the speculating types, we might posit that this has something to do with Dante's Inferno and a tie-in to a particular ring of Hell – Heresy or Fraud, perhaps? Either way, give the aforementioned trailer a gander after the break and see for yourself exactly why we're so skeptical.
Army of Two: The 40th Day to offer weapon customization, garish camo
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 18th 2009 at 2:00PM }
We've never felt satisfied by the weapon customization options afforded to us by first-person shooters. Oh, three different kinds of scopes? An optional grenade launcher attachment? Yeah, those are pretty cool, we guess -- however, we'd also like a different stock, ammo clip, suppressor and barrel on there as well. Hey, while we're at it, we also need a blender. You know, for when we require a cool coconut smoothie in the middle of a heated firefight.
The latest trailer for Army of Two: The 40th Day gives us a look into the weapon customization engine we've always dreamed of, giving us unparalleled control over our in-game boomsticks. You can quickly turn your military grade M107 into a hulking, unwieldy monstrosity, complete with hideous, circus-themed camouflage. Sadly, the above trailer doesn't show off any kitchen appliance attachments -- we're sure they'll show up as DLC shortly after the game launches on January 12.
The latest trailer for Army of Two: The 40th Day gives us a look into the weapon customization engine we've always dreamed of, giving us unparalleled control over our in-game boomsticks. You can quickly turn your military grade M107 into a hulking, unwieldy monstrosity, complete with hideous, circus-themed camouflage. Sadly, the above trailer doesn't show off any kitchen appliance attachments -- we're sure they'll show up as DLC shortly after the game launches on January 12.
Avatar gameplay trailer shows off blue guy's athleticism
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 13th 2009 at 5:00PM } 
We finally understand why James Cameron spoke for nine-and-a-half hours about his upcoming film/game, Avatar, during Ubisoft's E3 press conference earlier this year. Without the context provided during his lengthy diatribe, we'd have absolutely no idea what was going on in the above gameplay trailer for his long overdue film's video game adaptation. However, now we understand perfectly: A blue alien guy is murdering humans with primitive weapons.
Now wait just a second. Let's forget the fact that when one brings a knife (or in this case, a long, spiked club) to a gun fight, one rarely claims victory. Instead, let's focus on the fact that Mr. Cameron wants us to root against humanity. "Oh, but they're polluting their planet," you might cry. No, they're doing their job. That's a thing humans have to do from time to time. They don't have the freedom to skip around lush jungles all day, riding around on pterodactyls. They have responsibilities, and we're not really comfortable with playing as the turquoise-toned authors of their eradication for that reason alone.
Now wait just a second. Let's forget the fact that when one brings a knife (or in this case, a long, spiked club) to a gun fight, one rarely claims victory. Instead, let's focus on the fact that Mr. Cameron wants us to root against humanity. "Oh, but they're polluting their planet," you might cry. No, they're doing their job. That's a thing humans have to do from time to time. They don't have the freedom to skip around lush jungles all day, riding around on pterodactyls. They have responsibilities, and we're not really comfortable with playing as the turquoise-toned authors of their eradication for that reason alone.
Reminder: Assassin's Creed, too, on PSP next week
by Andrew Yoon { Nov 13th 2009 at 2:30PM }
In addition to showcasing the game's crisp look, the trailer emphasizes connectivity between Assassin's Creed II on PS3 and Bloodlines on PSP -- both due out next week -- without actually going into detail. Thankfully, we already found out about some of those features.
BBC iPlayer relaunching as a dedicated Wii Channel
by JC Fletcher { Nov 13th 2009 at 11:45AM }
As rumored, the Wii's iPlayer is moving up from a nice browser-based app to its very own Wii Channel. BBC dated the launch of the new iPlayer download for November 18. It'll be a free download, and, once again, only available in the UK. We'd pay the licence fee if you'd let us, BBC!
[Thanks, Bobulous!]
Nintendo takes the fun out of discovery with New Super Mario Bros. Wii tips video
by Ben Gilbert { Nov 12th 2009 at 10:45PM }
Though our old, embittered brains remember those days fondly, you kids today with your shiny electronics and worldwide exchange of information get the not-so-secret tips straight from the horse's mouth (in sorta high-resolution, no less) on New Super Mario Bros. Wii. After watching the video you see above, we came to a scary realization: there are people out there who might not have any 2D Mario strategies already embedded in their brains. Folks, if you don't have any sort of tactic worked out for red coin collection, we're not sure this video can help you. Or if anyone can, for that matter.
Thankfully, we have a much cooler video after the break.
Gallery: New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Just Cause 2 trailer calmly explains why grappling hooks are awesome
by Griffin McElroy { Nov 10th 2009 at 6:00PM }
We've seen a great deal of media for Just Cause 2 which shows the protagonist's physics-defying grappling hook in action, but the latest Avalanche Studios mini-doc really displays the tool's destructive properties. Here's just a few uses for the game's grapple-arm, as demonstrated in the video above:
- You can use it to stick two enemies together, forcing them in an eternal bro-hug.
- You can whip an enemy into the air, then juggle him with bullets.
- You can pull down giant statues of presumably evil dictators.
- You can attach a man to the back of a small, personal jet, like a can fastened to the back of an automobile carrying a newlywed couple.
