I'm a fan of Plants vs. Zombies

Just got the last achievement on Monday. 200/200!

[Kotaku]

Xbox Live Gets A Price Increase This Fall

Gamescom Dead Space 2 Trailer... Wow.

Portal 2 Footage From Gamescom

This Portal 2 footage from the floor at Gamescom is absolutely stunning.  First things first, I'm so happy to see that there are a lot more mechanics being added.  Portal may have been worth the full price of a game, but it was not a full experience.  I can't wait to see the puzzles.

More importantly?  I can't wait to see the narrative!  It's been a while since Episode 2 came out and honestly, I need some Valve story telling.

Lastly, I'm going to need a new computer if I have any hopes of running the PC (or Mac) version of this game.  I'd hate to swallow my pride and buy a console version of any Valve games, but I know I'm not going to let that get in the way of play Portal 2 when it comes out next year in February.

Black Ops Special Edition is Ridiculous

MW2 Glitches Even Affect Other Games

Legends and Killers Now Available

Courtesy xbox360achievements.org, Red Dead Redemption's Legends and Killers pack is now available, and my completed achievement statistic is out the window.

Despite that upset, I've realized that these achievements are about as easy as they come.  I've already completed half of them (or more).  Now all I need to get a handle on is where the Microsoft points are going to come from.

I love Red Dead Redemption and this pack seems like it'll really revitalize my desire to get back into multiplayer.  Is anyone else planning on heading back out west?  Leave a comment with your GT if you're out there readers.  My Xbox Live gamertag is coolyfooly88.

Red Dead Redemption's Legends and Killers Pack Lands August 10th

I make my love of Red Dead Redemption no secret.  I am not reluctant to spend more time in single player or multiplayer.  Frankly, I think its the best game so far this year, the only possible contender being Mass Effect 2.

What good news that more is on the way!  The first of four planned DLC packs, Legends and Killers, has been detailed and readied for release on August 10th.

What does that mean?  For $10 in your console's brand of funny money, you'll get nine new multiplayer map locations, a new weapon (the tomahawk), and eight characters from that other Red Dead game, Red Dead Revolver.

Not too shabby compared to some other DLC pricing schemes, right?  As much as I question whether or not I really need to pick up this DLC, its been confirmed that new achievements will be thrown in as well.  That pretty much has me sold.  God knows I'll do what I need to do to maintain my completed achievement statistic.

ME2 DLC To Tackle the Shadow Broker

As a series staple, the Shadow Broker has played a background part to most of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2.  The mysterious information network even held Commander Shepard's body for a time after his death at the start of Mass Effect 2.

For whatever reason, representatives of the Shadow Broker have been merely side characters.  Management types have been conspicuously absent.  Upcoming DLC will rectify this, as Liara T'soni will be joining Commander Shepard and his team to confront this shady organization in The Lair of the Shadow Broker.

I have to admit, I'm a little behind on the ME2 DLC front.  I have yet to purchase the Overlord DLC, but a second pack would certainly justify a 1600 point card dedicated to adding these experiences to my current Mass Effect 2 playthrough.

Four new characters have been revealed for Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 in honor of Comic-con: Chun-li, Trish (Devil May Cry), Doctor Doom, and Super-Scrull.

Post Script (11:45 PM): So maybe Comic-con means there'll be a MvC3 trickle of reveals; Ametarasu (Okami) and Thor also join the fray.

Post Script ( 07/22/10 12:30 PM): A trickle is right; Dormammu and Viewtiful Joe appear to be on the brink of announcement.

What is a "Fallout 3?"

This is really late, but I hope there's some semblance of relevance left in what I wrote in response to an old (very old) Kotaku feature now.

Leigh Alexander has an interesting piece up on Kotaku about trying to explain video games to non-gamers. She certainly sets the bar high for herself in attempting to open the discussion with laymens-terms-Fallout-3, an arduous task that is sure to become a new olympic sport of words.

Anyways, Fallout 3 is obviously (/sarcasm) a First Person Shooter Role Playing Game with a morality and combat systems overlay set in a postapocalyptic Washington DC.

Wow, what mouthful. I'm beginning to think about Luke Plunkett's (also Kotaku) feature on attempting to define video games in more approachable genre terms. That description of Fallout 3 could sure benefit from a simpler label... say, Science Fiction? Perhaps this difficulty is, in fact, generated entirely by gamers themselves. Maybe we try to insulate ourselves in our genres in a weird sort of meta-delusional-escapism.

Despite these subconcious efforts, gamers are also constantly arguing that their medium is art and that it should be taken seriously. So what do you want then? As games mature and male themselves taken seriously through their content and interaction with the audience, they're ultimately going to have to do a good job of explaining themselves too. Until games can do it for themselves, gamers will have to get better at being the ambassadors.

REVIEW: Limbo for the Xbox 360

Some people just don't get it. Games can certainly hold a quantifiably artistic merit, certainly in some of their more passive aspects of design. Inherently, some people just won't "get" Limbo. Critics, myself included (if I've earned that title), will laude it for its design, visuals, emotional connection, and presentation.

All of those compliments are well deserved. Praise won't go unjustly to Playdead's little platforming, puzzling title. With the lead-off Summer of Arcade responsibilities thrust upon its shoulders, Limbo's review scores will be a blessing. Unfortunately, I don't see the title reaching the well-deserved sales numbers that would define Limbo as the second coming of Braid.

Still, it's deserving of the title, certainly moreso than P.B. Winterbottom. Limbo thrusts the player into its plot, unforgiving in it's puzzles, a complete lack of tutorial, a total vacuous and nightmarish feeling enthralls in soundtrack, visuals, and controls. It's hard not too mention Limbo and without paying regards to its hauntingly sparse atmosphere. Where every game tries to be louder, brighter and give the player a higher score (see Bulletstorm etc.), Limbo relishes its languid and withholding aesthetic.

I could help but feel like the game was chuckling good humoredly at me as I fiddled with puzzles, repeatedly finding the way I was looking at it to be wrong. Instead of taking every chance to mock my ignorance, Limbo would produce a solution almost on its own. At least, that's how effortless it would seem. Not since Tetris has a learning curve been so smooth.

Needless to say, its easy to fall for Limbo's devious simplicity. Successes feel extremely high, while lows never push the player to walk away from the game, much less do any frustration fueled controller tossing. Still, I would ask for a bit more. The ending comes as a surprise, not necessarily in terms of plot, but in that I wanted to solve more puzzles and traverse more land.

That's truthfully the biggest complaint I have about Limbo. Oftentimes, it's best to leave us hanging on, barely satisfied in what we've had, satiating to further the experience. Limbo surely does leave me wanting more.

PLAY READ WRITE / REVIEW SCORE: 5 out of 5

Kinect has been priced at $150. Check out my post over at GameRevolution here.

Red Dead Redemption Co-Op Missions available today!

Video Games | Red Dead Redemption | Exclusive Co-op Mission Pack Trailer

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

While I might not have reached a 100% statistic, or even level 50 in Red Dead Redemption's online multiplayer, I'm sure the co-op mission pack will help me reach that second goal. I'm aiming to reach a completed achievement listing on RDR, but haven't had the time I'd like to do so. Hopefully, the co-op missions will aid in that while also adding a handful of extra achievements. Did I mention the DLC was free?

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 looks awesome!

I was a little disconnected and busy during E3 last week. Thus, I missed out on this Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 gameplay footage.

While I was entirely sure about what the game would look like without the use of 2D sprites, I think my fears have been pretty well pushed aside. Little comic book flashes, background changes, and attack splashes sure do keep the feel around. Honestly, what I like most about this footage is the background design. I love the NYC Spider-man parade and how the level changes as the fight progresses.

Now I'll I have to worry about is the remainder of the character list and whether or not I'll have an arcade stick to play on when this game finally drops... NEXT YEAR?! Jeez, this is going to be a long wait.

Finishing Red Dead Redemption

First, let me explain that I will not be reviewing Red Dead Redemption for PLAY READ WRITE. I've experienced a ton of the game and I don't need to go over it all again. Let me be frank and say that you should buy and play Red Dead Redemption. I don't need to tell you that it's a terrific game in all aspects and should be experienced first hand. Secondly,

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS

in this post. I don't know how I could avoid SPOILERS in a post titled "Finishing Red Dead Redemption," but I figured someone might come along and still find an excuse to get upset with me for ruining a great ending.

Truthfully, I think RDR's ending works so well because you don't really know when it's going to end. You've been chasing these outlaws for the entire game and them you're left to tend to the farm, drive cattle (ugh!), and ultimately teach Jack how to be a man.

Jack is RDR's legacy, and while Rockstar is plenty sure of connecting you with Marston throughout the campaign, connecting the player with Jack is a little shakier. If spending time with your son, rescuing him, and ultimately sending him to survive a coming storm doesn't prove the "daddening of video games" to be a successful trend, I don't know what will. Whether a player would like to defeat the mob and keep Marston alive is besides the point. How the player feels about taking on the role of Jack is a much more debateable prospect. In its ability to polarize, forcing the player to step into Jack proves its power.

In this way, RDR succeeds in ways a Grand Theft Auto never could. Giving Niko a family outside of Roman would have seemed forced and silly. Part of what made his family so believable was Marston's reluctance to reveal information about them. Perhaps Roman seemed so annoying and forced because the player immediately learns a little too much about him too soon. In a way, Roman works in his vaudevillian antics. While that tactic might work sometimes, a real connection, like that of an immediately family, has to be introduced and built more subtly. The player would reject a constant barrage of "I'm your son!" or "I'm your wife!" and so they would reject caring for these two digital players as well.

Congratulations Rockstar. I've never held your games in higher regard than I have with Red Dead Redemption. The title has trancended any of the immature trappings GTA's history tows along with it in favor of a mature story, marvelous combat, excelled pacing and a breathtaking connection between the player and the world you're involving them in.

I've got Portal back on track!

While my Portal on Mac experience was a little off the on the night of launch, I quickly found a work around on the Steam forums. I guess there's a problem with Portal and my version of the Mac OS X software.

Having squared that away, I thought I'd post this little ditty and remind everyone that Portal is free for Windows and Mac users until the 24th (?) of this month. There's absolutely no reason anyone shouldn't at least download the Steam software and get in on that free-Portal-goodness. Even if I didn't have a system that could run the game, I think I'd still hop on and make sure I got the game for free in case of an impending upgrade to my hardware.

The video embedded above is a great example of why I love Valve. Check it out for yourself and then go download Portal for God's sake! (That means you Jenna!)

Getting Split/Second Early?

So sweet. As you can see, I've been playing Split/Second all weekend. A retail copy of the game was in Game Revolution's mail box on Friday while I was leaving the office. Enclosed within was a note stating that reviews were embargoed until Monday. I'm not entirely sure what a review embargo entails.

Can I talk about the game? Can I talk about my impressions short of a full review with a grade? How much about the game can I say?

All of these questions and more will... not be answered in this post. Sorry everyone! That being said, I am trying to finish up and write a review for GR to post tomorrow. I'm going to spend some more time playing the game tonight and then see what I can't do over the next 12 hours or so. I'm sure the editors would like a little time to copy edit and then get the text up on the site before the end of work hours tomorrow.

Is anyone reading PLAY READ WRITE planning on picking up the game on Tuesday, instead of any other big names dropping this week (Red Dead Redemption, Alan Wake anybody)? Let me and the other three of you know in the comments.

New Game Rituals

While I'll have some things to say about the game in the post I wrote over at Game Revolution, instead, I'll simply say, that I wrote a little bit about what I do when I open up a brand new game. For now, I'll simply post a link over to the Daily Manifesto post I wrote for GR. Check it out and leave a comment here or there.

That new game smell!

And yes, that is Split/Second! Previously written about here for PLAY READ WRITE.

Resonance of Fate Review Now Live

I won't lie, Resonance of Fate was a difficult game to review. This fact is primarily reliant on the fact that the game was just plain difficult in and of itself. I'm hoping that facet of the the JRPG shines through in my review, which you can now read for yourself over at Game Revolution.

I have a small stack of games I'm ready to trade in to Gamestop in the next week or so, but I wonder if I'm really ready to give up on Resonance of Fate.

A few weeks back while I was in the middle of playing through the game, I hopped on to Modern Warfare 2. I had to get out of the frustrating quest battle I was stuck on and I wanted to play something I was enjoying much more at the time. While playing, I was talking with my friend Nick and lamenting having to return to the game. Someone else on the team said "Well there's your review right there."

Regardless, I've trudged through and written a challenging review. You can read the full body of text at the following address: http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/xbox360/resonance%20of%20fate