If there’s ever an argument for there being no such thing as a bad idea, it’s Kingdom Hearts.  Back in 2001, I’m sure Final Fantasy and Disney sounded awful to some people.   The Kingdom Hearts series found its way into the PlayStation 2 with two excellent and memorable installments.  The two Nintendo handheld title in the series detailed a midquel and a prequel that made attempts to change up the gameplay formula with varying success. This time on the PSP, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep is back in Sony’s territory and comes full circle in returning to the fast paced hack and slash gameplay that made the series fun.  Birth by Sleep opts for significant tweaks rather than a full-blown gameplay redesign with excellent results.

The secret cinematic at the end of Kingdom Hearts 2 set off an endless stream of ideas and theories of the mysterious circumstances that led the series to where it is now.   Ten years prior to the first Kingdom Hearts the series focuses on a trio of students named Ventus “Ven”, Aqua, and Terra.  They train in the Land of Departure to become Keyblade Masters – guardians of the worlds who maintain the balance between light and dark, a pivotal theme in the series.  Upon the disappearance of one of their Masters, Xehanort, strange creatures known as the Unversed begin invading worlds.  Ven, Aqua and Terra all set out for their own reasons and thus begins a series of events that set Kingdom Hearts in motion. Read more… »

[Editor's Note: This review covers the basic Rock Band 3 experience available on the disc, excluding the keyboards, pro guitar, and pro drums. Separate coverage of those instruments and their related modes will be forthcoming.]

There’s a moment that seems to occur with every rhythm game player when he or she begins to wonder, “Am I done with this game?” You know, the setlist has grown boring, you’ve hit a wall with your preferred instrument, or you just don’t feel like whacking around on a plastic drum set anymore. It happens, and it threatens to make you declare, “I’m done with this.”

Enter Rock Band 3, a game more vastly different from the current genre offerings since, well, Rock Band. However, when so many of those additions are expensive and complicated, is the standalone disc experience still worthwhile for players looking for more than a new set of songs?

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Fans have been waiting what seems like forever for a true, classic 3D Castlevania game. While I may be in the minority when I say Curse of Darkness and Lament of Innocence already succeeded in this aspect, one thing remains certain: this generation needs a current generation Castlevania.

Despite toting the moniker, I would very loosely describe Lords of Shadow as a “Castlevania game”. While some old school fans may cry out for a stake for the heart of developer MecurySteam, LOS is a solid entry in its own right: read on to find out why.

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Halloween is just a few days away and, of course,  Valve has release a game update to Team Fortress 2 celebrating this spooky season. Dubbed the “Second Annu-Hell Scream Fortress Hauntedead Halloween Special,” the update brings a whole slew of new content including a new map, masks, hats, special items, achievements, and an AI controlled Horseless Headless Horseman Boss.

All this new content revolves around the new map: CP_Mann Manor. This new attack/defend map features exploding pumpkins, spooky decorations, a randomly spawning Haunted Halloween Gift and the aforementioned Horseless Headless Horseman. Apparently, the Horseman will randomly spawn on control points to chase which ever player is closest. If the Horseman is tailing you, just melee an enemy player to pass off the curse. If you successfully defeat the Horseman, you will receive special “Unusual Haunted Metal Scrap” that allows you to craft the Halloween themed items. Read more… »

Nintendo revealed in a press release today that Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition will be arriving in the United States this December.

The Limited Edition, which celebrates the 25th anniversary of Mario, includes Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3.  The Lost Levels is Japan’s Super Mario Bros. 2, while the original Western Super Mario Bros. 2 is famously a reskin of Doki Doki Panic.

The limited edition also includes a soundtrack CD and a commemorative booklet.  The CD has music from the Super Mario series, and the booklet features 32 pages of behind-the-scenes info and concept art.  The celebratory re-release will be priced at $29.99.

Source: Kotaku

Today Sony revealed some details about its new, free incentive program called PlayStation Rewards.

Granting gamers numerous goodies such as avatars, themes, and more, the Playstation Rewards system is based on gamer participation. Other benefits to this reward program include the opportunity to enter “sweepstakes and giveaways,” the first of which includes an “all expenses paid trip” to the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.   Read more… »

Last week I posted a little preview on The Ball, an indie first-person puzzle game that started out as an Unreal 3 mod but has since grown into a full on retail release published by the good folks over at Tripwire Interactive. Developed by Teotl Studios, The Ball has garnered so much critical acclaim and won so many awards (including second place in Epic Games’ Make Something Unreal contest) due to its unique setting, creative gameplay mechanics, and sheer quantity of head scratching puzzles.

Now that I’ve had a bit more time to clear through the single-player campaign and put in some work on  the survival mode, I’m fully prepared to give my opinion on The Ball. Will this game roll over the competition, or simply bounce down the hall of forgotten games? Read on to find out. Read more… »

Bit.Trip FATE! Bit.Trip FATE is here! The fifth entry into Gaijin Games’ impressive Wii-Ware series is now ready and available for download on your Wii console.

Hit the jump for the rest of this week’s downloadable titles.

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Twisted Pixel is undoubtedly one of the more high profile independent studios developing for Xbox Live. Having released games such as The Maw and Splosion Man, Comic Jumper looked like a very promising title from afar. The unique style and humor offered to you in Comic Jumper is more than enough to intrigue any gamer.

The question is though, is the gameplay as high quality as the aesthetic, or does it fall short in the most important of areas? I’ll save you the suspense: put simply, this is the most disappointed I’ve been in an extremely hyped Xbox Live title since Limbo.

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There is a moment in the Medal of Honor campaign when one of your squadmates takes down a Taliban fighter with what looks like a mountaineering axe to the back of the head. It’s right in your face, gritty, brutal, and an excellent metaphor for what differentiates Medal of Honor from other modern shooters on the market. It’s also what ultimately may prevent the game from being a long-term player in the genre, as Medal of Honor doesn’t follow through enough on this promise.

If you are familiar with Medal of Honor: Airborne, you will see its fingerprints all over the franchise reboot. Medal of Honor very much feels like a game built on Airborne’s frame in terms of the graphics and weapons handling. This time the battle is not against the Nazis, however, but the Taliban in Afghanistan, as the campaign is set during the initial invasion by the United States shortly after 9/11. Players will spend most of their time in the boots of a Tier 1 Operator, the tough-as-nails special forces who were frequently touted by Electronic Arts as being key advisers in the development of Medal of Honor.  The rest of the missions take place from the perspective of an Army Ranger, called in with his buddies to back up the Tier 1 teams seeking out Taliban bases and camps in the mountains. Read more… »

It’s been an agonising test of endurance for Gran Turismo fans, but after years of delays the wait is almost over and the game will finally be in your hands in less than a month’s time.

Or at least it would have been if it hadn’t been delayed yet again. Yes, the widely publicised November release date is sadly no more – Mr. Pedantic Yamauchi must have spotted some stitching that was out of line on the leather upholstery in one of the car models, halting production immediately. Fortunately, Gran Turismo 5 was proudly on display flexing its polygonal muscles at this year’s Eurogamer Expo, so I gladly took it for a spin with the knowledge that it may still be a while before we are united again.

GT5 was certainly one of the leading attractions of the Expo, attracting quite a crowd whose expectations have now spanned over six years. I too will admit that it was one of the highest priorities on my checklist of games to play, as I scurried along to the inviting stand as soon as I entered the showroom.

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Like most of you, I have an unhealthy fascination with Minecraft, the indie block based adventure/construction game. Today Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson shed some light on the new features we can expect when the Halloween update goes live.

According to Notch, “There are six new block types (five of them have unique abilities), one new monster, a new dimension, and a couple of bug fixes. Once I get the portals working, I’ll have something very interesting going and I’ll spend the rest of the time leading up to the release adding new smaller features and polishing stuff.” Read more… »