Why do I bother anymore? Enjoy your week of summer shovelware everyone!
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
• Monster Madness: Grave Danger
...
•Little League World Series •King of Clubs •Summer Athletics
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
...
•The Cheetah Girls: Passport to Stardom •GRID •Little League World Series •Professor Brainium •Quick Yoga Training •Rock Blast
•B-Boy •Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour
Asking me to pick a game to get out of those is like forcing me to stab myself in the eye with a rusty knife, so I'm going to highlight Braid, this week's new Xbox Live Arcade game, and recipient of the 2006 Independent Games Festival award for Innovation In Design. The game is a puzzle platformer that features the ability to "rewind" your actions in order to help solve puzzles and correct your mistakes. However, rewinding creates the puzzles. For example, there are objects in the levels that cannot be rewound, alternate realities, and more. I have never played the game, but judging by the videos and various interviews with the game's designer, Jonathan Blow, this is going to be an incredible game. It comes out on XBLA this week and on PC sometime later this year.
This week is highlighted by a fighter, a downloadable platformer, and a shooter.
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•Soul Calibur IV
•Soul Calibur IV •Spectral Force 3
•King of Clubs •MLB Power Pros 2008 •Summer Athletics
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
...
•Suzuki Superbikes
•MLB Power Pros 2008
My pick this week is Soul Calibur IV for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. SCIV is the latest installment in Namco's popular fighting franchise, and features Star Wars characters, Yoda on the 360 and Darth Vader on the PS3. However, that may change since rumor has it that you will be able to purchase the character the other system has via downloadable content. The game is averaging 90% on GameRankings so far.
But my real pick of the week goes to the surreal PS3 downloadable platformer PixelJunk Eden. The demo came out last week, and I was completely blown away by what Dylan and the team at Q Games did with this one. I highly recommend picking it up if you're a PS3 owner looking for something relaxing but challenging...or if you're a Trophy Ho since Eden is the second game on the PS3 to support trophies. For you 360 owners, Geometry Wars 2 comes out this week as well. Geo Wars 2 is the sequel to the wildly successful Xbox Live Arcade original. New features include additional gameplay modes, and four player online co-op.
Ok, this week, there's damn near nothing coming out. That's the summer game drought in full effect.
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
...
...
•Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor •Order Up •SNK Arcade Classics V.1
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
...
•Final Fantasy IV •Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor •New International Track & Field
•Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
The SNK compilation might be neat but it was on PS2/PSP not too long ago. That leaves Final Fantasy IV, and I don't like JRPGs...so, there's nothing coming out this week. Oh, Siren: Blood Curse comes out on PSN this week along with 1942: Joint Strike on XBLA and PSN! I'll probably get 1942 because it looks like an AWESOME update of the original classic.
Now that the press conferences from the big three console makers have concluded, it's time to take a look back at what was discussed during the conferences. I will be giving you a brief summary of the events along with links to videos showing the events from the conference and other relevant information. First up: Microsoft.
If you would like to view the entire presentation, you may do so at G4's website or it should be on the Xbox Live Marketplace for download.
The presentation was hosted by Don Mattrick, Senior VP of Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. He starts off by warning us that the games being showed during this conference "are INTENSE games! Many are not for the faint of heart."
Up next: the first demonstration of Resident Evil 5! The game is looking INCREDIBLE and looks like Gears of War crossed with Resident Evil. They also showcase the all-new online co-op mode and display how Chris and Sheva can work together to solve puzzles and destroy zombies. Resident Evil 5 will be released on Friday the 13th of March 2009 on both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
Peter Molyneux shows us Fable 2 and informs us that the game is completed and will ship in October. The game looks pretty cool, and the online co-op mode is extremely innovative. Also: the game has belching!
And now the game everyone's been waiting to see more of, Gears of War 2! Cliff Blezenski shows some gameplay footage and a new trailer. I think it looks like Gears 1 but outside, however I'm biased. Chainsawing people is AWESOME!!! Voice acting sounds horribly generic, but that's to be expected. Guess I'm spoiled after Metal Gear Solid 4. Great looking flame effects. New multiplayer mode is announced: Horde. Up to 5 people take on wave after wave of Locust of increasing difficulty. Game comes out on November 7.
Cliff exits, Don comes back on stage and starts the businessy part of the show. He informs us that games are the biggest form of entertainment in the world and claims that the 360 will sell more consoles than PS3 this generation. We'll see about that.
This fall, the Xbox 360 interface you all know and love will be replaced with a newer, more minimalist design. I think it looks better than the old one, but my opinion would change if they plaster it with ads like they do the current one. Along with the new interface comes several new features. First of those new features is avatars, which is pretty much a ripoff of Nintendo's Mii feature. These avatars could possibly replace your GamerPic that you currently have (no information is known for sure), but these avatars will show up in games just like on the Wii. Second, the community channel will be changed from a list of your friends to showing their avatars. The new community channel will also allow you to create a party, which allows you to join up with your friends to chat, share photos, and play games. Third, there is a new channel of Live called Xbox Live Primetime that will allow you to play free game shows online with people.
After that, they showed us a glimpse of many new Xbox Live Arcade titles. Among the titles shown are Uno Rush, Geometry Wars 2, Galaga Legions (done by the team that did Pac-Man Championship Edition, and holy shit it looks INCREDIBLE!), Portal: Still Alive, and South Park.
Microsoft then showed off clips of a few community games before dropping a bombshell: they have formed an exclusive partnership with Netflix. Subscribers to Netflix will be able to watch all of Netflix instant queue library on their console. But it doesn't end there! Your Xbox Live party can all join together and watch the same movie. Incredible idea, and a fantastic partnership for them.
Now things get awkward with the showing of You're In The Movies, which is a party game compilation of minigames that all use the Xbox Live Vision Camera. Watch the video to see people acting like jackasses and for GIANT ENEMY LIZARDS!
Guitar Hero: World Tour gets an apathetic reaction from the crowd while announcing that Metallica's new album will be available as DLC in Guitar Hero 3 on the day the album comes out.
Next up: the long-rumored unveil of Lips, Microsoft's upcoming SingStar ripoffKaroke Revolution ripoff karoke game. Developed by iNiS (Gitaroo Man, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, Elite Beat Agents), Lips will allow you to sing along to not just the songs they gave you, but dance using the motion sensitive wireless microphone. The coolest part about this game is that you can actually use your own music from your iPod/Zune (lol). Some pop "star" I've never heard of named Duffy comes out on stage and starts singing. I promptly run for the mute button.
Rock Band totally blows Guitar Hero away with a tracklist over 100 songs, the ability to port all your old Rock Band 1 DLC, and for $5 you will be able to play most Rock Band 1 songs in Rock Band 2 without the need to swap discs! By the end of the year Rock Band 2 will have a library of OVER 500 SONGS! Guitar Hero is done for.
Then comes Square-Enix with new trailers for Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, and The Last Remnant. First they talk about The Last Remnant and show a new trailer. The game is out this holiday season for 360 and sometime later for PC.
Don thanks us all for attending, but Yoichi Wada won't have any of that. He's got something to say! Lights go down, and the shot heard round the world is fired. Final Fantasy XIII is coming to Xbox 360.
That's it for Microsoft. Stay tuned for summaries of both Nintendo and Sony, coming soon.
Probably the worst week in quite a while...unless you happen to like college football, then more power to you.
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•NCAA Football 2009
•NCAA Football 2009 •Space Chimps
•NCAA Football 2009 •Rock Band Track Pack Vol. 1 •Space Chimps •We Love Golf
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
•Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity •NCAA Football 2009
•Mister Slime •Nancy Drew: Clue Bender Society •Space Chimps
•NCAA Football 2009 •Rock Band Track Pack Vol. 1 •Spce Chimps
Honestly, I don't care about any of the games this week. Rock Band track pack could be neat for all you owners of the gimped editions of the game and seems fairly priced. NCAA 09 is by far the biggest game of the week, but again, I don't care about sports. Soooo...stay tuned for exciting E3 news!
•Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon •Purr Pals (if you buy this, you are part of the problem, not the solution) •Wonder World Amusement Park
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
...
•Carnival Games •Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
...
Apparently Civ Rev is coming out this week instead of last week. Again, it's my pick of the week because the demo I played on the PS3 is pretty fun if you're a strategy game fan. The PC versions of the game are better, yes, but there's really nothing else like it on a console right now. Give it a shot by downloading the demo on your 360 or PS3 and see what you think.
Also of note this week, Unreal Tournament 3, the latest installment in Epic's long-running shooter franchise, hits the Xbox 360. The game came out about 7 or 8 months ago on the PS3 and PC...and didn't sell verry many copies on either system. Now Epic is going to try their luck on the Xbox 360 where it might do better since shooters sell very well on that system and they already have a huge fanbase from Gears of War. Hopefully it does well enough for Epic to consider supporting the game even more on the other platforms. Even though the 360 edition is lacking custom mod support and mouse/keyboard control, I highly recommend picking it up if you're looking for a fun, fast-paced, old-school shooter.
Light week. Nothing very good at all really. One game might be pretty cool but that's about it really.
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•Hail to the Chimp •Guitar Hero: Aerosmith •Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
•Hail to the Chimp •Gears of War Refresh •Guitar Hero: Aerosmith •Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution
•Guitar Hero: Aerosmith •Purr Pals (if you buy this, you are part of the problem, not the solution)
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
...
•1 VS. 100 •AMF Bowling Pinbusters •Ducati Moto •Smart Kids Game Club •Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2
•Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
It's the 4th of July. Go buy some fireworks instead of games. But Civilization Revolution looks cool if you're into that kind of thing. Not sure if it is? Download the demo from the Playstation Store or Xbox Live. I did it, and I must say it was pretty nifty. Didn't get a chance to play much of it, but it I liked what I played. Oh and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith comes out this week for all two people that care. Enjoy your game with effing Aerosmith (uggghhh). For the rest of us, Rock Band 2 has been announced.
*Note: the views of Tony are those of himself and do not represent the views of anyone else. If you have a problem with it, please direct complaints to the OH NOOOO Otter.*
What the hell happened this week? Is it last fall again? Goddamn...
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•Battlefield: Bad Company •Hail to the Chimp •Hellboy: Science of Evil •Overlord Raising Hell •Top Spin 3 •Wall-E
•Alone in the Dark •Battlefield: Bad Company •Hail to the Chimp •Hellboy: Science of Evil •Operation Darkness •Supreme Commander •Top Spin 3 •Wall-E
•Big Beach Sports •Rock Band (This is actually out already. I think I missed it on last week's list.) •Top Spin 3 •Wall-E
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
•Hellboy: Science of Evil •Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2: The Phantom Fortress •Wall-E
•American Girl: Kit Mystery Challenge •Cake Mania 2 •Code Lyoko: Fall of XANA •Final Fantasy Tactics A2 •Gourmet Chef •Guitar Hero: On Tour •Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker X Ninja •Mega Man Star Force 2 Zerker X Saurian •Midnight Play Pack •My Weight Loss Coach •Smart Kids Game Club •Top Spin 3 •Wall-E
•Wall-E
There's far too many games coming out this week, but what's worth checking out? Alone in the Dark and Overlord Raising Hell look pretty neat. Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Top Spin 3, and Supreme Commander have been getting great reviews, but I would recommend Battlefield: Bad Company above all the other games this week. If you haven't seen anything about the game it's basically a wartime FPS, but unlike most other games of this type (Call of Duty 4 for example) it is actually pretty lighthearted in tone and contains a good amount of humor. The gameplay is like many other FPS games, so it's nothing completely new, but it's still very fun. If you're interested, give the demo a chance on either the Playstation Network or Xbox Live.
Pretty light week for consoles, but a great week for handhelds.
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
... Go buy MGS4 you tool.
•Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm
•Wacky Races: Crash and Dash
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
•Secret Agent Clank •Space Invaders Extreme
•Arkanoid •Code Lyoko: Fall of XANA •Imagine: Rock Star •Petz Dogz Fashion •Space Invaders Extreme •Tamagotchi Connection Corner 3 •Wacky Races: Crash and Dash
...
Secret Agent Clank seems good enough based on the demo, but sort of lacking the heart and soul of the Insomniac developed games. However, there is one game that each and every one of you must buy and that is Space Invaders Extreme. I don't care if you hate buying games for full price, this is one that you need to buy. I've played the Japanese demo for the PSP, and it is a STUNNING update of the classic. The game is just like the original but now there's boss stages, bonus stages, colored enemy matching, and a new remixed techno soundtrack. Just go buy it dammit! It's only $20 on your platform of choice.
Quick update: The US edition of Space Invaders Extreme does not have support for the DS rotor controller. If you want to play this game with the rotor controller, import it.
Gamers love GTA IV and its gritty, realistic, and wide open world. Well, one guy likes GTA IV so much that he decided to recreate the intro to the classic Leslie Nielson comedy The Naked Gun inside of the game. The result is nothing short of spectacular.
Oh and Blast Works for the Wii looks great as well.
There's also Nascar 09 (PS3, 360, PS2), Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit (PS3, 360), Don King Presents Prizefighter (360), Backyard Baseball '09 (Wii), Jake Hunter: Detective Chronicles (DS), and more crappy DS shovelware, but who cares? There's only one game that TRULY matters this week.
Yo, sup homies? After outgrowing our previous server and temporarily moving operations to WordPress, we are finally back in action on our home base right here at RFGeneration.com. In celebration of our triumphant return, the game companies have dumped a massive load of (hopefully) great games for you to look at this week.
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•The Bourne Conspiracy •GRiD •The Incredible Hulk •Kung Fu Panda •Lego Indiana Jones
•The Bourne Conspiracy •GRiD •The Incredible Hulk •Kung Fu Panda •Lego Indiana Jones •Ninja Gaiden 2
•Cabela's Trophy Bucks •The Incredible Hulk •Kung Fu Panda •Lego Indiana Jones
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
•Lego Indiana Jones •Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee 2
•The Incredible Hulk •Kung Fu Panda •Lego Indiana Jones •Paws and Claws Pet: Healing Hands •Summon Night: Twin Age
•The Incredible Hulk •Kung Fu Panda •Lego Indiana Jones
In a week with so many games, it's tough to give out a pick of the week. However, I've got to go with GRiD. The game is made by Codemasters, the same team behind last year's awesome rally racer DiRT, and attempts to bring the style of racing game presented in that game onto the streets. GRiD stands apart from most other racers in that it is neither a simulation like Forza or Gran Turismo nor an arcade style game like Burnout or Project Gotham, but somewhere in the between. It definitely has some great physics, but it isn't too overbearing for casual racing fans. Better yet, it carries over the amazing menu design philosophy as seen in DiRT, which is arguably the greatest interface ever seen in a video game. The game is available now on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. If you're interested in the game, be sure to download the demo for it on your platform of choice...it's definitely worth your time.
Check back next week where there will undoubtedly be a ton of games for me to cover.
So, Ubisoft had their Ubidays event yesterday. Many games were discussed including Far Cry 2, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., Prince of Persia Prodigy and others. However, the real showstopper announcement was official confirmation of the mounting rumors that Beyond Good And Evil 2 does in fact exist. At the event, Ubisoft released a little teaser trailer showing the two main characters from the first game, Jade and Pey'j, stranded in the middle of a desert.
From a technical aspect, the trailer is just stunning. Pey'j looks AMAZING and not as cartoony as he did in the first game. Jade is also looking pretty damn good as well, but we don't ever see how she looks from the front.
Here is the trailer for your viewing pleasure. Now, keep in mind that Ubisoft has stated that this is all done in the game engine...
Not a great release week overall, but again the Wii gets a great game. Wii comeback anyone?
Playstation 3
Xbox 360
Nintendo Wii
•Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
•Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
•Castle of Shikigami III •Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian •Deca Sports •We Ski
PSP
Nintendo DS
Playstation 2
...
•ATV Thunder/Monster Trucks •Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian •Drone Tactics •Myst
•Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
In a week with basically no interesting titles, there are two that really stand out from the pack. One of the being Myst for the Nintendo DS. Sure, Myst originally came out over 14 years ago for the Mac and since has been ported to damn near every operating system and disc based console ever, but this is the first portable edition of Myst (outside of lugging around a laptop). Now, I'm a huge Myst fan, but I wouldn't buy this port unless you have absolutely no other way of playing the game. The reviews have not been very good thus far. However, there are some pretty awesome additions made to this DS version. There's a new notebook you can scribble notes in (extremely handy because you NEEDED a real notebook to play the original one), a camera to take photo (only one at a time) with, some new video clips, and you'll get to explore the Rime Age from the 3D remake of Myst, realMyst. However, if you really want Myst, just go buy the Myst 10th Anniversary Collection from Ubisoft for the PC. This 3 DVD set is cheaper and includes not only Myst, but Riven and Myst III: Exile as well. The set also features some bonus content as well such as interviews with Cyan Worlds and some documentaries that you won't find on the DS version. Don't worry about the system requirements because if you're on this site, chances are you can run the games in that collection (just so long as you have a DVD-ROM drive in your computer). Or maybe wait for the PSP version which could end up being better because of the increased space.
Or just go buy the game of the week, Castle of Shikigami 3 for the Nintendo Wii. For those of you not in the loop, Castle Shikigami is a series of vertically scrolling shmups that are known for their fairly brutal difficulty...and convoluted release scheme in America. The first game came out on the Playstation 2 as Mobile Light Force 2, which is a "sequel" to Mobile Light Force on the PS1 (which is actually an American release of a game by Psikyo called Gunbird). Castle Shikigami 2 was released in America for the PS2 under its proper name, but given one of the most horrible dubs ever heard in a video game. Now, Castle of Shikigami 3 is coming out in America for the Nintendo Wii. It's basically your standard shmup but with a cool grazing system that rewards you for flying in close proximity to the bullets. There's not really much else to say. It's a freaking awesome game! Go get it! Watch some footage of the game here!
Don't forget that Nintendo is launching it's WiiWare service this week as well. RF Generation will have an article detailing the launch (and maybe a review of one of the games) sometime this week. So, keep it here on Channel 4 for all your gaming needs!
Asking me to pick a game to get out of those is like forcing me to stab myself in the eye with a rusty knife, so I'm going to highlight Braid, this week's new Xbox Live Arcade game, and recipient of the 2006 Independent Games Festival award for Innovation In Design. The game is a puzzle platformer that features the ability to "rewind" your actions in order to help solve puzzles and correct your mistakes. However, rewinding creates the puzzles. For example, there are objects in the levels that cannot be rewound, alternate realities, and more. I have never played the game, but judging by the videos and various interviews with the game's designer, Jonathan Blow, this is going to be an incredible game. It comes out on XBLA this week and on PC sometime later this year.
My pick this week is Soul Calibur IV for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. SCIV is the latest installment in Namco's popular fighting franchise, and features Star Wars characters, Yoda on the 360 and Darth Vader on the PS3. However, that may change since rumor has it that you will be able to purchase the character the other system has via downloadable content. The game is averaging 90% on GameRankings so far.
The SNK compilation might be neat but it was on PS2/PSP not too long ago. That leaves Final Fantasy IV, and I don't like JRPGs...so, there's nothing coming out this week. Oh, 
This fall, 
Now things get awkward with the 
Probably the worst week in quite a while...unless you happen to like college football, then more power to you.
Apparently Civ Rev is coming out this week instead of last week. Again, it's my pick of the week because the demo I played on the PS3 is pretty fun if you're a strategy game fan. The PC versions of the game are better, yes, but there's really nothing else like it on a console right now. Give it a shot by downloading the demo on your 360 or PS3 and see what you think.
There's far too many games coming out this week, but what's worth checking out? Alone in the Dark and Overlord Raising Hell look pretty neat. Final Fantasy Tactics A2, Top Spin 3, and Supreme Commander have been getting great reviews, but I would recommend Battlefield: Bad Company above all the other games this week. If you haven't seen anything about the game it's basically a wartime FPS, but unlike most other games of this type (Call of Duty 4 for example) it is actually pretty lighthearted in tone and contains a good amount of humor. The gameplay is like many other FPS games, so it's nothing completely new, but it's still very fun. If you're interested, give the demo a chance on either the Playstation Network or Xbox Live.
Secret Agent Clank seems good enough based on the demo, but sort of lacking the heart and soul of the Insomniac developed games. However, there is one game that each and every one of you must buy and that is Space Invaders Extreme. I don't care if you hate buying games for full price, this is one that you need to buy. I've played the Japanese demo for the PSP, and it is a STUNNING update of the classic. The game is just like the original but now there's boss stages, bonus stages, colored enemy matching, and a new remixed techno soundtrack. Just go buy it dammit! It's only $20 on your platform of choice.
METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS
In a week with so many games, it's tough to give out a pick of the week. However, I've got to go with GRiD. The game is made by Codemasters, the same team behind last year's awesome rally racer DiRT, and attempts to bring the style of racing game presented in that game onto the streets. GRiD stands apart from most other racers in that it is neither a simulation like Forza or Gran Turismo nor an arcade style game like Burnout or Project Gotham, but somewhere in the between. It definitely has some great physics, but it isn't too overbearing for casual racing fans. Better yet, it carries over the 
In a week with basically no interesting titles, there are two that really stand out from the pack. One of the being Myst for the Nintendo DS. Sure, Myst originally came out over 14 years ago for the Mac and since has been ported to damn near every operating system and disc based console ever, but this is the first portable edition of Myst (outside of lugging around a laptop). Now, I'm a huge Myst fan, but I wouldn't buy this port unless you have absolutely no other way of playing the game. The reviews have not been very good thus far. However, there are some pretty awesome additions made to this DS version. There's a new notebook you can scribble notes in (extremely handy because you NEEDED a real notebook to play the original one), a camera to take photo (only one at a time) with, some new video clips, and you'll get to explore the Rime Age from the 3D remake of Myst, realMyst. However, if you really want Myst, just go buy the Myst 10th Anniversary Collection from Ubisoft for the PC. This 3 DVD set is cheaper and includes not only Myst, but Riven and Myst III: Exile as well. The set also features some bonus content as well such as interviews with Cyan Worlds and some documentaries that you won't find on the DS version. Don't worry about the system requirements because if you're on this site, chances are you can run the games in that collection (just so long as you have a DVD-ROM drive in your computer). Or maybe wait for the PSP version which could end up being better because of the increased space.
Or just go buy the game of the week, Castle of Shikigami 3 for the Nintendo Wii. For those of you not in the loop, Castle Shikigami is a series of vertically scrolling shmups that are known for their fairly brutal difficulty...and convoluted release scheme in America. The first game came out on the Playstation 2 as Mobile Light Force 2, which is a "sequel" to Mobile Light Force on the PS1 (which is actually an American release of a game by Psikyo called Gunbird). Castle Shikigami 2 was released in America for the PS2 under its proper name, but given 