ROBOTtyson is featured in this clip

Today my email brought me an interesting discovery. Redbox a.k.a “my place to rip the newest movies” sent a notice to their customers that later in October they will begin allowing video game rentals through their machines. The cost will be $2 a day, and will be launched nation wide. Although I think Redbox is great for movies, I’m not sure how well their service will work at such a high price, what gamers play a game for only 24 hours? Imagine wanting to play through an RPG via redbox and paying $2 a day…. This is a daring move, let’s see where it takes our giant robot vender of entertainment.

Thoughts below please.

If you’ve heard of Minecraft, then you probably spent about two non-stop weeks playing it once you did find out about it. I heard about this game sometime last week and have already sunk in about 60 hours of gameplay into the game. Minecraft is a sandbox game or an open world game where you mine 3D blocks and then use those blocks to make buildings. That’s pretty much it. But once you really start building things you’ll find you want to keep building things, your ambition becomes bigger and you try bigger scale things. Then you start playing on multiplayer with a bunch of friends and not only do you build giant buildings you show them off to your friends. It’s basically a giant construction video game which you can show off to your friends and have them praise your genius. Oh yeah, and at night there are zombies.

Sandbox games go back all the way to 1984, but the most revolutionary of the sandbox games was the Grand Theft Auto Series and can now be seen in most games you can play now. The idea is that you have a large world in which you can explore, take missions and do whatever you feel like. In Minecraft it’s much the same way but with no conflict. It’s basically what the Animal Crossing games tried to do, but they made it better.

Minecraft development started on May 10, 2009 by Markus Persson who is known online as “Notch”. The game has a single player mode and a multiplayer mode which you can join with friends on servers. It’s currently in the alpha stage and so not everything has been instituted into the multiplayer, but it’s continually growing and will be entering beta soon. There are also multiple single player modes. It does currently cost 10 Euros to buy the game. Also if you buy the game now you’ll never have to buy the later versions.

Overall I love the game and have spent way too much time playing with my friends on our own server. I’ve built my own Lair, Log Cabin, Castle, Glass Maze, Dog Track with Dog Sculpture and I’m currently building a Library. Some other things which have been built by some friends on my server include a Lighthouse, Calvary, a Black Mage and Darkwing Duck Statue, an underwater city and a ballroom which uses lava as it’s natural source of light. Be warned that if you do get into it, it will suck your life away.

If you want to know more check out the Official Website.

Also for a really cool article showing off some of the cool things people have made so far including Notre Dame, The Empire State Building and the entire map from the first Pokemon games go Here.

SenatorKooche is featured in this clip:

It took me a while, but I was finally able to pry Star Wars: The Force Unleashed away from Kill-Tacular-Tron earlier this year and convinced him to let me borrow it. I can’t actually ever recall a Star Wars game that I enjoyed a LOT, Shadows on N64 was pretty good, but Knights of the Old Republic – while fun for a while – was a bit daunting for me. While not without problems, The Force Unleashed was the most fun I’ve had playing a Star Wars video game and I was thrilled to hear a second one was in development. Well, flash forward to this month and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II is set to hit game shelves on the 26 of this month – and LucasArts has just released a new trailer for the game that includes game play footage.

I think the thing I loved most about this is the time the game is set in. It’s just years before the events of A New Hope and sheds light on how the rebellion came to be. Whether this is “authorized” continuity or not, I don’t really care, I consider it to be awesome.I don’t want to bore you with my explanation of the details, this game will feature roles from Yoda and Boba Fett, as well as the possibility of other familiar faces that LucasArts is keeping under wraps. I want to point you over you guardian.co.uk, where Keith Stuart has done a terrific write up of the game from his experience meeting with LucasArts and playing a demo of the game. It’s lengthy, but if you are excited about this game, it’s a great read. Here’s a snippet:

Set soon after its predecessor and just a few years before A New Hope, this is a more melancholy take on the story of Starkiller, the Sith apprentice who turned against Darth Vader and [spoiler, if you haven’t played the first one] seemingly sacrificed his life to ignite the rebellion [spoiler ends]. The development team has taken in criticisms of the first title, listened to fans and, encouraged by a Writers Guild award for the Force Unleashed story, developed the darkness of the narrative considerably. As executive producer Julio Torres explains, “We want to figure out how to tell an incredible core story, where we bring in some icons you’re all familiar with, as well as introduce new characters who have their own development and who matter. We want a story that’s new and refreshing but still anchored in Star Wars lore.”

Force Unleashed 2 begins on the stormy planet of Kamino, where Vader has been using an accelerated cloning process to generate a new version of Starkiller, once his favourite Jedi-hunting machine. Meanwhile, rebellion leader General Rahm Kota has been captured by imperial forces and is being forced to fight for his life in a gladiatorial arena on the rich leisure planet of Cato Neimoidia. Vader’s plan is for Starkiller to murder the general, simultaneously ridding the empire of a major rebel leader and destroying Starkiller’s legendary status as the godfather of the galactic uprising.

In any case, I am extremely excited for this game, and frankly the trailer looks goddamned epic, so check it out for yourself:

Let’s call this the GotY week. Just not much new stuff but plenty of new, DLC-packed editions of older games. And, if nothing else, getting this week out of the way brings us one step closer to New Vegas (sorry Tyson, had to mention it at least once more).

Borderlands Game of the Year Edition
I wasn’t impressed with this game but it seems everyone else was. If you haven’t played it yet this edition should be a good deal considering it collects all of the DLC released so far.

Sengoku Basara Samurai Heroes
I don’t know anything about this game but I think it’s safe to say it’s based on some Anime or another. You probably know if this is for you.

Dragon Age Origins: Ultimate Edition
There seems to be some conflict on whether this releases on October 12th or 25th depending on which site you check. Gamestop says the 12th; Amazon says the 25th.

Medal of Honor Limited Edition
This is probably the biggest pick of the week. There is plenty of debate on whether this game will beat Black Ops as the top shooter of the year. I don’t like FPS’s so I’ll leave that debate to the people that know about it.

Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes of the Ring
I’m not sure what to say about this. It looks ridiculous. But it also looks ridiculously cool. Am I going to spend $60 on it? Probably not. Is it already in my GameQ? Damn right it is.

Disney Sing It: Party Hits
It’s okay. Go ahead. Buy it. No one will make fun of you. Just say it’s for your kids.

UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves – Game of The Year Edition
As an avid gamer I am ashamed to admit I haven’t played this game yet.There’s just been so much good stuff this year that I haven’t gotten to it. If you’ve slacked off too this is a decent way to get it. This edition includes a ton of multiplayer content, some motion comics, some PSN avatars and the Uncharted Pinball Heroes game for PSP.

Sega’s movie tie-in game starring Captain America has finally been officially announced. Christos Gage (Avengers: The Initiative, Spider-Man, Captain America, House of M) has written the story and it’s being developed by Next Level Games. I don’t know much about Next Level. Movie tie-ins are normally garbage and Sega did the two awful Iron Man titles, so high hopes are from most gamers’ minds. And it’s coming next summer on every system so we can all be disappointed together.

Don’t get me wrong, I want the game to be good, I just don’t think it will be. But, it does have potential. Early descriptions are sounding like the developers were big fans of Arkham Asylum. There’s a lot of talk about flowing combat, platforming and use of the coolest shield in comics. The screen shots and concept art below also give a little hope.

Something else to consider is the costume seen in these shots. It’s not quite the same as what we’ve seen from the movie stills, but could it be a clue to what his movie costume will be?

The script for Captain America: Super Soldier gathers the elements of the upcoming movie and adds a little more. This seems to be the way many tie-in games are going and it works with mixed results.

Here’s a good question for debate: Should Sony provide consistently solid but not exceptional weeks of content, or spend a few weeks of boring like this week and intersperse with weeks of crazy awesome? Hmm. Rhetorical question but feel free to comment anyhow.

With that weirdness out of the way, let’s get to the update:

Sony is still celebrating their 15th anniversary with a discount on the PSOne Classic, Rayman, for $2.99. There are two new games in the Japanese Imports section: Arcade Hits: Outlaws of the Lost Dynastyand Magical Drop F are both $5.99 ($3.00 for Plus members). It looked like the Tomb Raider department was updated, but I couldn’t tell what, if anything, was new. If anyone actually uses HOME, they’ve got an Advanced Pack of DLC for $9.99, or an expert pack for $14.99. There is also a new episode of Qoreavailable for $2.99 (free for +) featuring Gran Turismo 5 and Castlevania.

Getting the other miscellaneous stuff out of the way early, let’s jump to themes. The Soaring Toasters Dynamic Theme is up for $2.99. The Wired Skulls theme is a free option for + members only. If you’re cheap like me, you can get the PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap Wallpaper 4, Uncharted Game of the Year Edition wallpapers 1 and 2, or the Swords and Soldiers Aztec, Chinese, and Viking wallpapers free.

If you really need a new avatar there are a bunch more for $0.49 each. Do you like Darkstalkers? Ana Karis and Baby Bonnie Hood are out. Maybe you’re a Mega Man 10 fan – Chill Man , Neo Helimetol and Nitro Man. Finally, classic Street Fighter buffs can represent themselves with Adon, Birdie, Gen, Joe, Lee, Mike or Sagat.

PSP got a small update. The new Ben 10game is available for download. If you want to play this game I assume you already know what it is. There are yet more free costumes (Oar, Robot, Samurai, Stann Galea, Tuna) for Gladiator Begins. Is anyone playing that game? The bigger news should be the Minis (which are also playable on PS3). Actually, I don’t know if these are any good, I’m just trying to sound dynamic. Either way, there are five new Minis: Actual Crimes: Jack the Ripper ($3.99), Apache Overkill ($2.99), Fort Commander: King’s Gambit ($4.99), Shapo ($4.99) and Urbanix ($4.99).

PS3 downloadable games are a little slimmer. Alien Breed: Impact is $14.99 ($11.50 for +) and has a free demo. Deadliest Warrior: The Game is $9.99 and also has a demo. If you just want demos, check out the new ones for topatoi and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

As usual, add-ons are the real meat and potatoes of the update.

• EyePet Fairy Outfit (free)
• EyePet Robot Pack ($2.99
• Sports Champions Undead Pack ($4.99)
• Sports Champions Unlock All ($1.99)
• Buzz Quiz (TV or World) 80s Quiz ($5.99)
• WWE SmackDown vs Raw Online Axxess ($9.99)*
• Medal of Honor Online Pass ($9.99)*
• Clash of the Titans Athena’s Request ($1.99)
• EA NHL 20th Anniversary Bauer Boost Pack ($9.99)
• Def Jam Rapstar ($1.99/ea)
• Diddy – Bad Boy for Life
• DJ Khaled – I’m So Hood (Remix)
• Eric B. & Rakim – Paid in Full
• FloRida – Low
• Maino – All of the Above
• Sugarhill Gang – Rapper’s Delight
•  
• Rock Band (LEGO compatible in italics)
• REM Pack 1 ($13.49 or $1.99/ea) – Driver 8, It’s the End of the World (As We Know It), Living Well is the Best Revenge, Radio Free Europe,Stand, Superman, These Days, and What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?
• T-Rex Pack 1 ($5.49, $1.99/ea) – Children of the Revolution, Cosmic Dancer, Jeepster
• RBN
• Betty & Me – Jonathan Coulton ($1.99)
• Death Quota for Purification – The Myriad Burial ($0.99)
• Hey There Mister Brooks – Asking Alexandria ($1.99)
• Infected Nation – Evile ($1.99)
• Shallow Waters – Amberian Dawn ($1.99)

Finally, if you’re into the videos on PSN we get a few. Personally, I like getting the new episodes of Pulse. Maybe that’s just because Christina Lee is hot and her outfits are ridiculously funny. This week she’s talking about Uncharted Game of the Year Edition and Move. In ModNation Racersnews, Kazunori Yanauchi (Gran Turismo 5) has an artist spotlight. Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 has it’s third trailer up. Mafia II‘s Jimmy’s Vendetta and Medal of Honor‘s High Value Target trailers are now available as well.

*Editorial query: Medal of Honor and WWE are both selling the online access for the games. If you buy the game new, there is a one time use code on the package to get this free. If you buy it used you have to pay extra for online. I feel like this trend is about due for an editorial, but I can’t decide how I feel about it. What do you think?

It seems the new MMO based in the DC Universe has now entered the long list of late 2010 games being pushed back to 2011.

Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley:

As the game heads into external beta testing, this extra time will allow us to address community feedback in a meaningful way. When we get deeper into external beta, we’ll be able to share more information regarding the new launch date.

Sounds to me like the game is having techincal difficulties they still need to fix. The good news is that the beta will be available by November 30th to everyone who preorders by November 15th.

After trial and error with their 3d titles (Curse of Darkness, Lament of Innocence) Castlevania hasn’t had the best run on consoles since Symphony of the NIght on PSX. Being the fan boy I am, this poor track record didn’t stop me from losing my marbles at the announcement of Lords of Shadow. My excitement grew when they announced that Kojima Productions would be overseeing the development of their latest title. When my review copy arrived I opened the box with great trepidation and my initial reactions were both sorrow and joy. First thoughts: “What a great looking collectors edition.” The actual game case is modeled after a hard-bound book, with a nice glossy cover, and opens to a 38 page art book and soundtrack. Looks aside, comparing this edition to other collectors editions i’ve acquired in the past  the price tag on the Castlevania bundle is a little steep. It would have been better suited as a pre-order edition, or even a 64.99 price tag. (Even though that price wouldn’t ever be used.)

The story isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but it is told in such an epic way that it remains interesting through-out gameplay. Gabriel Belmont is sent on a quest by “the order” to find his love who was killed by a great evil. Her spirit came to him in a dream has a “message” of what is to come and a reasoning as to why the earth has been cut off from it’s usual heavenly presence. Once she is discovered you are then sent off to kill the Lords of Shadow and restore the heavenly presence to the earth. As you progress through different chapters, and levels, the scrolling text that Castlevania has used in many titles, backed by epic narration moves you from world to world as the quest grows darker, and theintertwined story unfolds. I’ve probably already said this, but it is a great story.

The gameplay comes as a double-edged sword. It is definitely what I’ve been waiting for in a 3d Castlevania, but saying that they got it right is a loaded statement. Utilizing a fluid combat system equivalent to God of War, Bayonetta, or any top level hack-and-slash adventure. The game utilizes the system to drive you through a story that kept me coming back to the Castlevania games time and time again. That being said the combat system at times feels so similar to God of War, Shadow of the Colossus (Titan battle) and at times Gauntlet, that it fails to take shape as its own being. Anyone who is a veteran of the God of War series will fall naturally into the combat system, and at times wonder if you’re playing “God of Dracula.” This isn’t always a bad thing seeing as God of War is one of the best hack-and-slash titles to date, I just wish they would have added their own flair into the fighting style.

Visually Castlevania looks very good, solid models with incredibly rich environments help push you through the game piece by piece. There are some issues of choppy, and sparked edges in some of the character models, and odd texture glitches occasionally (at least in the Xbox version that I reviewed.) Compared  to the PS2 entries in the 3d realm it is a huge leap above what we have previously seen from Castlevania. The varied environments and changing colors kept me enthralled, and interested while still giving me the adrenaline rush of battling paranormal evils that threatened humanity.

I also found the development of Gabriel interesting to watch throughout the story as he gains more strengths and abilities. Typical of any hack-and-slash you gain experience by killing enemies and then spend it in your “travel book” to upgrade weapons and learn new moves. His hell-bent quest to find the people behind his wife’s murder, and bring the evil on earth to an end once again, slowly weighs on his character and the story helps show that.

This is the best 3d iteration Castlevania has seen to date, and is worth picking up if you’re a fan of the series, and if you’re not a fan check it out in the used bin further down the road.

There is a small amount of replay added once you unlock the hardest difficulty by finishing the game, and there are a large number of challenges available to you as you finish each level.

It’s good to see Castlevania putting out a solid title worth its 59.99 price point, bringing on Kojima to produce was the best decision Konami has made in years.

Loved:

• Solid story-telling and epic narration combined with a well composed sound-track that helps immerse you into the world of demons that Castlevania is known for.
• Great camera position during combat, that makes it feel intense.
• The story, I really dug the story

Disliked:

• Even though the elements fit together very well, I wouldn’t liked to see the game develop into its own a little more instead of feeling like God of Dracula.
• Still a very linear game without tons of exploring, I would’ve liked to see the maps open up a bit more.

Score:

• Graphics – 8
• Replay – 6.5
• Controls – 8
• Story – 8.5
• Sound – 8
• Overall – 7.75