I know. I know. The Nintendo Wii sang it’s Swan song already (Skyward Sword) and is currently on life support until the Wii U comes out next year. But, I’ve got a reason for you to dust off that little HD retardant console. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is available for the Virtual Console. Not only that, it is currently available as a Club Nintendo Reward. What’s a Club Nintendo Reward, you say?

Basically Nintendo has a really clever way to trick you into registering all of your consoles and games you purchase from them. For every one of these items you register, you get “x” amount of coins. You can use these coins to purchase exclusive Nintendo swag. If you register enough games, you’ll get an exclusive prize at the end of the year free of charge (coins or dollars). For the die hard Nintendo fan, this is a hard thing to pass up.

Recently Nintendo has begun to offer certain Virtual Console games (for the Wii and GameBoy) to be purchased with your Club Nintendo Coins for a limited amount of time. Currently Majora’s Mask is one of those titles available for 150 coins, which is chump change for what you’re getting. If you don’t want to bother with the Club Nintendo route, you can pay for it with cold hard cash for around $10.

Do yourself a favor and give this bastard child a little love. After you get a few dungeons in, I promise you won’t regret it.

Source: Zelda Dungeon

I am an unabashed fan of Mega Man. If a game or piece of merchandise features the Blue Bomber, it’s a safe bet I plan on adding it to my personal stash. That being said… 2011 was a terrible year for Mega Man fans. Not one but two upcoming Mega-games were cancelled. To add insult to injury, the co-creator of Mega Man, Keiji Inafune left Capcom (the company that publishes/owns Mega Man) due to being disenfranchised with the company and their way of doing business. Because of this, I actually instituted a one-person Capcom boycott. The one Mega-related product I’ve allowed myself is my subscription to Archie’s Mega Man comic book. That being said, if the company that owns the Blue Bomber treated him as well as the chroniclers of his adventures do, I’d gladly open my wallet for them.

Previously in Mega Man:

The second arc has just wrapped up and essentially finished retelling the story of the original Mega Man NES game. As you might expect, this issue starts the retelling of Mega Man 2. While that may sound incredibly uncreative and lazy, the team behind the comic make it their own while still leaving a few winks and nudges to people (like me) who are intimately familiar with the games.

Case in point, as you may or may not know, Mega Man can absorb the abilities of the enemies he defeats. In the videogame Mega Man 2, the Metal Blade weapon is so overpowered that it can be used almost exclusively. It is so powerful in fact that Wood Man and Bubble Man can be defeat in seconds. The writers of the comic seem to know this, as Metal Man and his blades are nowhere to be found, leaving our hero to take on the other two robot masters without the aid of a crutch.

Furthermore, since this is a comic book format, the robot masters themselves can have actually personalities, an aspect early Nintendo games couldn’t really elaborate on. Wood Man knows that he is an anachronism, being a robot made out of wood. He has made his peace with it and is as calm and serene as the forest, until it’s time for battle, that is! On the other hand, Bubble Man has a chip on his shoulder the size of Gibraltar. Being the butt of many jokes due to his having bubbles for a weapon and his aforementioned weakness to metal blades. Bubble Man strives to overcome his shortcomings. This more than anything makes these robots seem very… human.

The real star of the show however, is Mega Man. His characterization is the most poignant of all. Originally a robot built to help his creator Dr. Light with lab experiments, Mega Man volunteered to be converted into a fighting robot when the evil Dr. Wily unleashed his madness on the world. When Wily appears again, Mega Man is of course off to fight again, but he has an inner conflict. He regrets his need to “kill” his robotic brethren. As he defeats his “brothers” there also seems to be consequences lurking around the corner that the games never touched on. It’s fairly heavy stuff for an all ages comic, but at the same time it remains enjoyable for all.

I’ve espoused enough about Ian Flynn’s writing, but so far I’ve neglected to mention the superb art of the Ben Bates/Gary Martin. The art pops off the page at every turn. The storytelling is fluid and dynamic, and gives you the sense of urgency required when running a gauntlet the likes of the one Mega Man is facing. In addition, there is extra eye candy for videogame fans as the art team recreates the opening of Bubble Man’s stage from a new perspective that would not be out of place in a modern-day remake of the game.

All things considered, Mega Man #9 hits on a lot of levels. It’s instantly accessible, leaves you wanting more, and restores my faith in a franchise I was getting ready to leave behind. I can’t think of better praise than that!

Mega Man #9 is now available from finer comic shops everywhere for $2.99. It is also available digitally for $1.99. Enjoy the five page preview in the meantime!

Do you do the dew?

You might want to think twice about it.

In recently released court papers by the Smoking Gun, a man claimed to have found a dead mouse in his Mountain Dew. Which is really gross enough, but in their defense, Pepsi-co says it’s not possible. Not because there’s no way mice could get into Mountain Dew, but because the Dew would dissolve it:

Defending itself from a lawsuit claiming that an Illinois man found a dead mouse inside a can of Mountain Dew, PepsiCo contends that a rodent would have disintegrated and been transformed into a “jelly-like” substance between the time of the soft drink’s bottling and the day the plaintiff reportedly purchased the soda from a vending machine at his office.

Mountain Dew seems to be the beverage choice of gamers for some reason. Maybe it’s just Mountain Dew’s successful marketing campaign to ensure that happens. In either case, this is a stark reminder of how bad soda is for you. If Mountain Dew will dissolve a whole mouse, what will it do to your stomach in the long term?

Here’s shocking more detail about how it would dissolve:

According to McGill, if a mouse is submerged in Mountain Dew between four and seven days, the rodent “will have no calcium in its bones and bony structures.” During those days of soft drink immersion, “the mouse’s abdominal structure will rupture.” Additionally, “its cranial cavity (head) is also likely to rupture within that time period,” McGill noted.

After 30 days exposure to Mountain Dew, “all of the mouse’s structures” would have disintegrated to the point that it would not be recognizable. In fact, “the mouse will have been transformed into a ‘jelly-like’ substance.” The only part of the rodent that could possibly survive, added McGill, was “a portion of the tail.”

Press Release 1/10/2012:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCES FINAL FANTASY® XIII-2 PLAYABLE DEMO

AVAILABLE TODAY FOR XBOX 360 AND THE PLAYSTATION®3 SYSTEM

LOS ANGELES (Jan. 10, 2012) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in the Americas, announced that a playable demo for FINAL FANTASY® XIII-2 is available today for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.

The FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 demo takes place in Bresha Ruins, with new character Noel and returning character Serah pitted against a gigantic and powerful adversary called Atlas. Atlas has mysteriously appeared due to an anomaly in time and space. The demo allows the player to experience many gameplay features and enhancements made after FINAL FANTASY XIII, including cinematic action sequences in battles and environments with multiple areas and paths to explore. The brand-new Paradigm Pack System is also available in the demo, giving players the opportunity to enlist defeated enemies into their party and develop them alongside Serah and Noel.

“The demo provides an excellent opportunity for players to try out the evolved battle system and fully explore an entire area of the game,” said Yoshinori Kitase, producer of FINAL FANTASY XIII-2. “We are very pleased to give our fans the chance to see the multitude of game improvements for themselves.”

About FINAL FANTASY XIII-2

FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 is the sequel to FINAL FANTASY XIII, which has shipped 6.2 million units worldwide since its release in March 2010. The sequel has evolved beyond its predecessor, with an extraordinary level design encouraging exploration, an enhanced battle system allowing players to command monsters and a variety of options that support multiple playthroughs of various areas.

FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 will be available at North American retailers for $59.99 on Jan. 31, 2012. FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 is rated T (Teen). Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings.

Related Links

FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 Official Homepage:                    http://na.square-enix.com/ffxiii-2

FINAL FANTASY XIII-2’s Official Facebook® Page:        http://www.facebook.com/FinalFantasyXIII

Follow FINAL FANTASY XIII-2 on Twitter®:                     https://twitter.com/OfficialFFXIII

Game preorders are usually an interesting lot. More and more we see the incentives as simply in-game DLC but occasionally there’s a t-shirt, physical map, or poster available. Prototype 2‘s incentive from GameStop is of the DLC variety. But, it’s also not very incentivizing. Instead of a specialized weapon, playable character, or new area, they’re essentially offering an extra execution animation. The “Bio-Bomb Butt Kicker” looks like something the dev team put in for fun but pulled out because they were worried about offending someone or just making the game seem too silly. The move sees James Heller injecting a Blackwatch enemy with the Blacklight virus. The virus forces him to bend over, prompting a brutal kick in the ass. All things being equal, may as well pick this one up at GameStop and get the extra move. But, if you can find this on a discount somewhere come April 24th, you won’t be missing much if you skip this incentive.

I’ve mentioned Choplifter HD a few times as it’s gotten closer to launch but something has flown under the radar a little bit (pun intended). Is $15 a reasonable price point for a downloadable title? And are we going to see more games launching at that price? For a while it seemed the average price on a PSN or XBLA title was $5-10. A few came $15 and now we’re even seeing some at $20. With the Vita launching next month, sporting handheld titles at up to $50, how much value can and should we expect from downloadable games. In a recent interview, inXile’s Brian Fargo addressed the price for Choplifter HD: “[W]e spent well in excess of 1.6 million dollars to insure we could bring the strongest visuals possible…. In fact some people have warned us that we might well have spent too much but we did it because we believed quality sells and that gamers will notice. Some of the ‘retro’ games are indeed pretty inexpensive in their production but we went all out on this baby.” So is visual quality enough justification for what many expected to be a $10 game? Ultimately that’s 54,000 fewer copies they need to sell, but how many sales might they lose with that extra $5? Only time will tell. The important part of even talking about the game right now is that Fargo also mentioned he thinks “you will have a blast with the game and [they] also plan on free DLC to really make sure people feel they are getting the most value possible.” So there you have it, price questions aside, at least you know there’s going to be free DLC to continue supporting the game. It’s out today.

In the world of special collector’s edition releases we should have known one was coming for Aliens: Colonial Marines. Any fan of the series is going to love this first look at that set. The kit includes the basics of pretty packaging and fancy art displays. It also includes an extra game mode and some additional muiltiplayer weapons. The unique features to this kit are the USCM Dossiers and an impressive resin statue of a xenomorph attacking a powerloader. The kit hasn’t been officially announced (nor has a release date) so no pricing is available yet. Statue kits tend to run a little higher than standard collector’s editions, so I’m estimating it’s in the $90-120 range.

Another trend we see growing in gaming is the “Game of the Year” Edition that comes with a game’s post-launch DLC at a discounted rate. In the case of game’s that were no one’s game of the year, you get the the “Ultimate” edition, “Director’s Cut,” or the “Complete” collection. Actually, in this case, it’s the “Komplete” edition. If you haven’t figured it out from that clue hammer, we’re talking about the Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition. This version will include the four DLC characters (Kenshi, Freddie Krueger, Rain, and Skarlet), 15 Klassic skins, and three Klassic fatalities for Reptile, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero. So, all of the previously released DLC. As with the original release, Kratos will be an exclusive playable character on PS3. This edition will be available on February 28th.

In the same vein, the Homefront Ultimate Edition has also been announced. No official details are available at the moment, but it’s a safe bet that it will be the original game along with the DLC packs, Fire Sale and The Rock. Retailers are listing it as available on March 31st. The word of mouth I’ve heard on this one is that the single player campaign is quite short but the game is still very enjoyable.

With CES 2012 happening this week Sony has already had their keynote presentation. The highlights were essentially sales numbers and some hype for the upcoming PS Vita (already available in Japan). Kaz Hirai says the new handheld has now sold over 500,000 units in Japan, meaning week four’s numbers must have been significatnly higher than week three’s. In contrast, PS3 shifted about 6.5 million units over the holiday season. Hirai also stated that they are working with Netflix to have streaming video for the handheld on the North Americna launch date, alongside Sony’s own Music Unlimited.

In other PS Vita news, we finally have some answers about AT&T’s 3G service for the handheld. There are two options for customers. The first offers 250MB of monthly data for $14.99. The larger package offers 2GB for $25. Both plans will come with a voucher for a free downloadable game and includes access to AT&T’s 29,000+ wi-fi hotspots. Neither option requires a contract and can be purchased on a month-to-month basis. I’ve got to be honest, this is a better plan than I was expecting. But it still hasn’t sold me on the console, especially since I was only looking at the wi-fi version anyway.

The next map pack DLC for Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is announced. The Mediterranean Traveler’s Pack will include six maps, three new and three recycled from Brotherhood. The three new maps are Jerusalem, Dyers, and Constantinople’s Imperial district. The three classics are Firenze, San Donato, and twilight Siena. The pack is listed for $10 and will be available January 24th.

I know I normally try to get the preorder breakdown a little sooner into the quarter, but you haven’t missed much in January anyway. The year is definitely off to a slow start, but that’s normal. Things slowly start picking up as we lead in to Spring, really culminating for me with my most anticipated title of the year, Mass Effect 3. The last game completely blew me away with nice mix of RPG and cover heavy gunplay. The third entry will be introducing online co-op to the series for the first time. While I am leery of the addition, I’m keeping an open mind and will definitely give it a try. What I don’t think I’ll try is another Insanity difficulty run. I did it on ME2 but I’m not sure a platinum trophy is worth the labor intensive frustration I experienced. But I digress, you just want to know more about what games are coming this season and where to buy them to get the most bang for your buck.

As usual, the included link will take you straight to Amazon. Their deals aren’t always the best, but they’re usually pretty competitive. In the case of universal incentives I encourage you to order from locally owned shops. I’ve decided to add alternates where applicable. Not all weeks have multiple great games, but I don’t want to bump a worthy title just because one I’m more excited to play comes the same week. Other times it might be a stretch to find one game worth buying a particular week. And, as a further disclaimer, all of this information is accurate only to the extent that I’m not perfect and cannot guarantee I found every possible deal. Also, preorder bonuses, as well as release dates, are subject to change.

January 31, 2012
The big pick-up early in the year is Final Fantasy XIII-2. That link will take you to the collector’s edition, which is only worth the extra $20 if you really love the music, which is very good. It includes special packaging, with the mandatory art book bound directly into the package, and a four disc soundtrack. Preordering from GameStop will get you an alternate (bikini) costume for Serah. If you’re a PowerUp Rewards member they’ll also get you the Genji Bow for Sara. Amazon’s bonus is a unique coliseum battle against Omega. If you can beat Omega, he’ll join your party. Best Buy is also offering a hardcover book tying the two XIII games together. That’s a pretty good range of incentives. Ultimately, if you want everything, I’d suggest Best Buy’s book. It’s the only physical item and I expect the others will be paid DLC options eventually.

This week’s alternate pick:
NeverDead, a new IP that looks quirky as hell. Your immortal protagonist can throw his arms at people and roll around as only a head picking up body parts.

February 7, 2012
This week is a tough pick and I don’t necessarily want to pimp two fantasy RPGs in a row, especially after the 2000 hours you’ve put into Skyrim, but this is a nerdy website and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning seems to be the big recommendation for nerds. This is a new IP with a pretty strong creative pedigree: Ken Rolston, Todd McFarlane, and R.A. Salvatore. It looks like a preorder at all major retailers nets the Fate Touched Weapons Pack (nine special weapons in a variety of classes). Amazon will save you four whole cents and includes the Ultimate Hunter Treasure Pack (using a dowsing rod you can see potion-making ingredients on the map instead of hunting for individual mushrooms). GameStop’s Destinies Choice Pack includes three unique armor sets, the Compass of Fate, and a Twist of Fate card. I don’t actually know what all that stuff means in the game’s context, but it sounds like you’ll have a little more control over your character’s ultimate build earlier in the game.

February 14, 2012
Which game should you have preordered for your Valentine? Hopefully that special someone is a sadistic freak with a love for car combat, because you’ll be wrecking up a storm in Twisted Metal. I found no retailer specific incentives so you should be getting the in-game Axel vehicle for free (he’ll be available as paid DLC 30 days later) and a PSN voucher code to download the PS2 classic, Twisted Metal Black, anywhere you buy.

This week’s alternate:
PlayStation Vita First Edition Bundle if you really can’t wait a week. This early buy includes a 4GB proprietary memory stick ($24.99), limited edition case ($19.99), and Little Deviants ($29.99). If you want thaose add-ons and the 3G version, save yourself $25 and buy it a week early. Then tell me if it’s awesome.

February 22, 2012
If you didn’t want the 3G version, the add-ons, and early access this will be the day to pick up your PlayStation Vita. Our resident gadget freak, Zombietron, has already declared his excitement for this little toy. I’m excited but I have some doubts. Proprietary memory is kind of pricey and lackluster sales in Japan have me concerned about its future. Is that just my pessimist programming? Hopefully. I actually want to be sold on this one. It definitely addresses some, but not all, of the issues I have with my current PSP. If you pick this up on day one there are several good games coming at launch. Definitely try out Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Little Deviants, and ModNation Racers: Road Trip. Then let me know what you think. My wife won’t like you very much, but please sell me.

This week’s alternate:
Asura’s Wrath is another quirky Japanese title. A disgraced six-armed god fights deities the size of planets. There’s a sword that stretches from the earth to the moon. Kind of got to like this one.

February 28, 2012
Like Twisted Metal a couple weeks before it, SSX is a reboot from the PS2 generation. The first two games in the franchise were excellent, with subsequent iterations slowly losing the quality. I have high hopes for invigorating this series for this generation. Where to buy is determined by which classic character’s level 6 board and other boosts you want. GameStop has Eddie Wachowski, Best Buy has Zoe Payne, and Amazon has Mac. If you could care less about bonus boards and boosts you may as well go Amazon as they’re giving you a $10 credit.

March 6, 2012
This is it! Oh, so excited!!! Mass Effect 3 is going to have to be incredibly huge to meet my expectations but I think it will make it. Preorders at major retailers get the M55 Argus Assault Rifle. I’ve got mine at GameStop where you’ll also get the N7 Valkyrie Rifle and Defender Armor. I’m actually trying to decide whether to upgrade to the Collector’s Edition for an extra $20. It comes with the special case and art book you would expect, Dark Horse comic, lithograph, N7 patch, soundtrack, extra in-game content (N7 arsenal pack, alternate companion attire, robotic dog on the Normandy, and casual hoodie for Shepard while aboard Normandy), and avatar props (360 only). The patch and the extra in-game stuff are all I want, and I’m not sure they’re worth $20. I can live without the patch, and I think the other stuff will only be $10 later as DLC.

This week’s alternate:
Seriously, you know ME3 is going to be huge when I have to put Rockstar’s Max Payne 3 as an honorable mention.

March 13, 2012
Silent Hill: Downpour looks to be a nice refresh to a somewhat stagnant franchise. The series really can be survival horror at its best when it’s hitting its perfect stride. There are no bonuses currently listed, except Amazon’s $10 credit, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that changes soon. If you’ve missed the earlier games or want to replay them, the HD Collection comes out the week before, but we’ve already established that week could be expensive.

March 20, 2012
It may also be in a survival horror franchise, but Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City is actually a team-based strategy shooter. I’ve heard it compared to SOCOM, Left 4 Dead, and several other titles. To be honest, nothing about this game sounds appealing to me except a slight trace of retro-nostalgia for Resident Evil 2. But I believe I’m in the minority and plenty of gamers are excited to hunt Leon Kennedy in the undead-infested streets of Raccoon City. The Limited Edition is only $10 more and comes in the fancy case with two fabric patches and eight bonus weapons. Retailer specific incentives include the Elite Weapon Pack (two guns) and one alternate costume for each playable character (six total) at Best Buy, or the Power Weapon Pack (two other guns) and the U.S.S. Costume Pack (6×1=6 again) at GameStop.

I’ve got several other games floating around the radar for “Spring 2012” window. Most of them haven’t been tied to firm dates yet so keep an eye open as we get closer. You’ll see more information about Dragon’s Dogma, Yakuza: Dead Souls, and many others in my twice weekly Video Game Quick Hits as well as the weekly releases that I’ll get back to publishing once we start having major retail weeks again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go ponder my relationships with a certain asari and an emotionally wrecked bald woman.

We’ve survived the first week of the new year. Going back to my day job after taking the last week off wasn’t easy. Especially that first day. The good news is that we’re starting get an updraft in gaming news as people are getting over the awesomeness of last fall and looking forward to the awesomeness that 2012 should be.

Crystal Dynamics, developer of the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot, is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year. Not content with Lara Croft’s latest outing, they plan to celebrate in style by revealing a new IP this year. Meagan Marie, Community Manager, says “2012 will prove to be a very exciting year for Crystal Dynamics, more so than any in recent memory.” She elaborated that beyond Tomb Raider the team will “also be hard at work preparing to reveal exciting new intellectual property to the world.” No details such as genre, platform, or expected release date were announced. But if their reboot efforts result in as much success as the early showings indicate, I’ll definitely be keeping a close watch on their new project.

PS Vita isn’t scheduled for release in the U.S. until next month, but it’s been out in Japan for a couple of weeks. Handheld gaming is much more of a force in Japan than in the west so the sales figures in that country will really impact the future of the device. First week sales in Japan reportedly moved 325,000 units. Not bad. Except the second week sales drop was much higher than expected, moving only 72,479. Third week sales continued drop, moving just over 42,000 units (totaling less than half a million since launch, and also behind the PSP for the week). In comparison, Nintendo’s 3DS moved 375,000 its first week, with a follow-up of 210,000. Those figures were ultimately considered a level of failure for Nintendo, making Vita’s prospects extremely murky. Nintendo cut the 3DS price by a third in response to their sales figures. Some retailers are already in panic mode, offering discounts up to 20% to move inventory on Vita. Further distressing the situation are the lackluster software sales. Only Hot Shots Golf (28) and Uncharted: Golden Abyss (29) broke the top 30 in game sales last week. Mario Kart 7 for 3DS was number one. I wouldn’t expect Sony to make any large scale price changes until after they launch in the west, but a discount like Nintendo’s could be in the early offing. If there were some assurance we’d see a respectable game library and the price of the proprietary memory is cut significantly I can still see the Vita having a good run. But right now, this ship might have sunk right out of port.

Preorder information has finally surfaced for my most anticipated game of 2012, Mass Effect 3. I’ve had this preordered for months and, lucky for me, I’ve got mine ordered at the retailer with the most benefit. According to Bioware’s announcement, ordering anywhere will net you the M55 Argus Rifle in-game weapon. This weapon is apparently deadly at any range and features “quick burst-fire to ensure ammo conservation and maximum accuracy on the battlefield.” In addition, ordering from Gamestop will also get you the N7 Valkyrie Rifle and N7 Defender Armor. The Valkyrie uses “two rounds per shot with deadly accuracy and stop[s] the opposition dead in their tracks with superior high caliber rounds.” The Defender Armor sounds like a great addition, as it improves shields and health, increases ammo capacity, and amplifies weapon damage. Of course, that makes me wonder if I’ll just be better using the full armor kit rather than customizing Betch Shepard piece by piece as I did in the second game. Either way, somehow my agonizing wait until March 6th just became a little more agonizing.

If you’re just getting into the Mass Effect series with the third game you may want to familiarize yourself with some of the characters. The newest addition, James Vega, is set to star in an issue of Mass Effect: Homeworlds, the mini series from Mac Walters (lead writer on the game) and Dark Horse comics. The series will focus on a different character in each issue. Expect the first issue digitally and in stores starting in April, about a month after the game ships.

I don’t know how many of you will remember the old Choplifter game from the 1980s, but Choplifter HD is being rebooted onto PSN and XBLA on January 10th. We’ve known about the game for a while but this is the first solid release date we’ve seen. The game is expected to be about $15 and this version adds 3D graphics, Duke Nukem, and zombies. Actually, those additions make it sound sort of generic, but will probably be bigger selling points than the retro nostalgia.

Speaking of release dates, Telltale and Warner Bros. have declared LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes will be available this summer, though they haven’t set a firm date. While it’s keeping the Batman name, the second LEGO game in the DC Universe is expanding the roster to include the likes of Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor. The stars of the show will still be the Dynamic Duo as the game takes place throughout Gotham City. Having the world’s greatest detective call in his super friends to help his hometown will be a great addition. I may be a grown man with no children, but that doesn’t mean these LEGO games aren’t a blast. I’m currently working on years 5-7 in the Harry Potter version.

In other Bat-news, Gotham City Impostors has been delayed from the planned January 10th release until February. No details on the delay were offered, but with the recent beta testing completed it’s likely they’re just polishing a few minor issues and possibly adding some new content or rebalancing some weapons. All reports I’ve seen from the beta are very positive, with most of the players expressing disappointment they’ll need to wait until February to get back into the game.

It’s not often that video game news makes me feel old, but hearing that House of the Dead 3 and 4 are making an HD comeback via PSN with Move support did it. Why does that make me feel old? Because these games were originally released in 2002 and 2005, respectively. Most arcade games being re-released on PSN or XBLA are older classics that people remember playing in arcades as children or teenagers. I find it very disturbing that there is bankable market of people who are now nostalgic for the early 2000s. I thought arcades were already long dead by that point. My arcade nostalgia itch gets scratched by Galaga and Mortal Kombat. And air hockey, love that game. Regardless of my senior citizen status, House of the Dead 3 is coming on February 7th, with the fourth game to follow in th Spring.

If you want to get some zombie fighting action going sooner, mark off next week. That’s when Amy will be coming to PSN and XBLA. This one takes place in 2034 when global warming somehow leads to a zombie outbreak. Not sure how that works, but I can overlook the premise if the game is good. Expected price is $10-13.

When 2K Marin announced they were rebooting XCOM as a first person shooter there was a lot of outcry from fans. Those who played the original game on their old Amigas or PSOnes were extremely disappointed that the remake wouldn’t be the classic strategy game they remembered. Enter Firaxis Games and their take on the franchise with XCOM: Enemy Unknown. This reimagining takes place in the near future (as opposed to the 1950s suburbia of the FPS) and brings many of the classic elements back, with a fresh coat of paint for modern gamers. This is the sort of move I’ve been waiting to see in the gaming industry. One IP is now going to offer a tactical FPS and a hardcore strategy title. Check out the February issue of Game Informer for more details.

If you’re a fan of trying out a demo before picking up a retail game then you’ve got a nice selection in the near future. The Official PlayStation Blogcast has announced a “buffet” of demos coming soon. The Final Fantasy XIII-2 demo has been confirmed for January 10th. Other demos on the horizon include Asura’s Wrath (featuring at least two levels shown at E3 and TGS), Grand Slam Tennis 2, Under Siege, and Wanted Corp. While it was announced via Sony channels, you can also expect demos on XBLA where applicable.

Square Enix has announced a Scarygirl game from TikGames, based on the graphic novel by Nathan Jurevicius. The action platformer will be coming to XBLA on January 18th, PSN on January 24th, and PC sometime in early 2012. According to the press release, “Scarygirl presents a wondrous adventure into a distinctive and beautifully bizarre world. The titular character Scarygirl is an abandoned child with a tentacle arm who dresses like a pirate, and is haunted by a strange man in her dreams. She sets out into the world to discover the meaning behind her bad dreams, but Scarygirl is hardly helpless, as she has a tentacle-powered arsenal up her sleeve.” Blister, a giant octopus, and Bunniguru, the kung-fu rabbit, will both be making the transition from the graphic novel to the game. The story is a separate chapter from both the graphic novel and the upcoming film. A key selling point for me will be the offline co-op, where one player takes control of Scarygirl while the other uses Bunniguru’s “Fists of Blurry,” allowing for special combo moves.

In closing, one of my unofficial predictions for 2012 was the announcement of next-gen consoles from Microsoft and Sony. I expect that whatever Microsoft is cooking will probably be out before the end of the year. I’m expecting Sony to release a little later, maybe Spring 2013. According to the executive chatter we could actually see both new devices looking to steal some thunder from Wii U as early as E3 in June. Are we ready for a new console? Has technology really come far enough since 360 and Ps3s release to warrant a whole new system? What should we expect from these two machines? Personally, I would count on a very large hard drive as I expect both companies would like to continue pushing digital download as their primary distribution channel. Developers and publishers would certainly like to see the download market grow as it limits their losses from used games. Does that mean they’ll leave the disc concept completely behind? I doubt it. I also don’t see either company introducing a new disc format either, not with blu-ray just hitting its full stride. I’d even expect the new XBox to include blu-ray. Which really just leaves us with the big question of cost. I would be shocked if the introductory price for the PS4 is anything less $700, and it’s probably more. Can I convince myself, or more importantly my wife, to pick one up at that price?

A couple of awesome tidbits about Bioware’s massively popular Massive Multiplayer Online game Star Wars: The Old Republic.

First, for all of us Mac people, Bioware is thinking about us and how they can get us addicted … er playing their new game. In an interview Bioware head honchos Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk told the Joystiq blog over at Massively,

“We know there’s a big Mac audience of BioWare fans … we know that’s an important and large audience. And we want to serve that audience.
I’d say ‘not yet… We’ve done a lot of Mac ports before of our games. We haven’t announced any details yet for The Old Republic, but we know that’s an important and large audience.
[It’s] definitely one of the things we’re looking at next. We want to get this launch under our belt and everything stabilized and happy, and then we’ll look at other platforms, and that’s obviously one of the first ones.”

I’d say they’ve got the launch going pretty well, with new research showing approximately 350,000 concurrent peak users. So, not to jump the gun, but maybe that means a Mac version later this year?  Bioware was so inscrutable with their release dates, (they famously made their big announcement at Comic-Con this year of an incredibly vague release date of “Holiday 2011”) so I can see why they’d keep this under their hats. In any case, VERY encouraging.

Second, Youtube user IAmPeaceCraft has discovered/propagated a video showing a weakness/cheat in the game, showing how if you start dancing (the command is /getdown) you are immune to damage.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vun5geNHA5M&feature=player_embedded

Pretty funny, but I guess BioWare is not only aware of the weakness and working on a patch to fix it, they’re using the ban hammer on anyone who dares boogie while in combat. (I know– since when did John Lithgow go to work for BioWare? And for the kids who don’t get that reference, see, in the 1980’s there was a movie called Footloose. . .)

So dance while you can, preferably away from any admins…. or snitches.  And don’t be an ass and use it in PvP, ok? Actually, my preference is for Bioware to keep the bug, and rather than ban dancing like some tyrannical despot, instead just punish cheaters by awarding light side/dark side points in opposite of your current alignment for whenever you do it. Because if you’re light side and you’re taking the quick and easy route, that’s totally a dark side move. And if you’re dark side and you’re dancing in front of your enemies, that’s kind of lame– light side points for you!

How lame is it? Well, take two iconic badasses like David Bowie and Mick Jagger and it does this to them:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G4jnaznUoQ

True story: it took until 2011 to fully redeem Mick Jagger from this mess, both with the Family Guy reference to this and that Moves Like Jagger song.

To be honest, after not having enough material to run the final 2011 edition of VGQH, I wasn’t expecting much for today’s issue. But it’s actually pretty robust. Which is good, because the easy temptation to replace last Friday’s (or today’s) news would be to run some sort of breakdown list from 2011. But, I kind of hate building those lists. I can certainly tell you a few games that I enjoyed in the last 12 months. But I didn’t play them all and I’m also a fairly specific gamer. My list would obviously be skewed to the point of likely being offensive. After all, I can’t include Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare 3 on any list because I don’t play first person shooters. Besides, HyperZord, Zombietron and CitizenBot have already done a perfectly good job with their lists in various categories. So if you need a breakdown, check out theirs. If you just want your first fix of gaming news for the year, read on.

Twisted Metal fans that weren’t already looking forward to the newest entry in the series next year may have reason to perk up. The darkest, most seriously creepy entry to franchise is making a return on PSN. And Twisted Metal Black will be available for free when you buy a new copy of Jaffe’s latest car combat lunacy. So, if the last game’s seriously disturbing cutscenes did the trick for you, but you’re still intrigued by the less psychotic tone of the next game, this is the best of both worlds for you.

Despite somewhat critical reception of the first episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Episode II appears to be on the way to PSN and XBLA in 2012. Very few details are available. You can watch the trailer on -fG25R976U” target=”_blank”>Youtube, but it doesn’t actually show anything. No gameplay footage, no character art, nothing. The important thing to note is that Miles “Tails” Prowler will be returning in the latest episode. Metal Sonic is also planned for Episode II.

We’ve discussed online media piracy several times on Big Shiny Robot! It’s always a hot topic and it doesn’t need to be. If you want something, pay for it. If it’s not worth the asking price, buy used, wait for price drops, rent, pitch in with friends, etc. There are lots of ways to consume your media, at relatively low cost. If you’re a pirate, please stop. Because piracy leads to laws like SOPA. This anti-piracy legislation is likely to pass, especially with support from companies like Marvel and Sony. If you want to know more about the legislation, read CitizenBot’s article on Marvel’s support. I’m actually only bringing it up here because of Sony‘s recent support and the response from Anonymous. You may remember Anonymous as the group most likely responsible for the prolonged PSN outage last spring. As you’d expect from these people, their immediate response to anti-piracy legislation is to threaten, once again, to hurt Sony’s users through hacking their accounts and denial of service. All systems are hackable, but I think they’ll find the task a little more difficult this time around as Sony was very thorough in their security upgrades after the last breach. Furthermore, if I may exit my pseudo-journalistic poise for a moment, these people just need to fuck off! I’m opposed to SOPA as I think it’s too extreme, ineffective, serves as way too large of a door for government censorship, violates due process, and seems designed to prevent start up businesses. However, launching a digital assault on Sony doesn’t change the legislation, won’t change their support of it, and ultimately attacks me, a consumer who dislikes the proposal just as much as the hacker. So allow me to use this platform to ask for three things. First, Anonymous, please go fuck yourself and let me play the games I willingly pay for in peace. Second, Sony, please reconsider your support of this legislation and be proactive in finding a less mercenary way to combat piracy. Third, people of the United States, please contact your congresspeople and ask that they not support this draconian measure. [Note, Anonymous posted some sort of video screed announcing their hack plans. If you want to see it, go find it, I’m not going to boost them by linking it.]

The upcoming fighter crossover Street Fighter x Tekken from Capcom has had a couple of new characters accidentally spoiled. In an XBox Marketplace screenshot promoting the game two unannounced characters appear, M. Bison and Ling Xiayou. The two characters are not actually fighting in the shot but Ling and Bison are visible as Heihachi’s and Dhalsim’s tag partners, respectively. Bison is a little hard to make out because of the small portrait but it’s definitely him. The addition of these two combatants brings the game roster to at least 30. The game is set for a March 6th release.

I’m not sure how much to put into this rumor, but it appears God of War will be making its return later this year. Actually, I believe that part. Why would they ever consider stopping such a powerful franchise? The part I’m questioning is the possibility of online co-op, with the second player taking the role of Kratos’ brother, Deimos. Maybe I shouldn’t doubt it so much. Co-op is very different from competitive multiplayer. Online death match in this series would just be stupid, but co-op? I might actually enjoy that, even if it does seem unnecessary. Another pertinent question is who is Kratos killing now? Isn’t the entire pantheon of Greek mythology already bleeding at his feet?

As someone who’s never owned a Wii (what? I don’t have kids or old people living with me) there are only a small handful of games I feel I’ve really “missed” from Nintendo. Among those is Epic Mickey. I know it didn’t necessarily review as well as I expected, but it seemed like a fun and interesting take on a classic version of a character that’s sort of gone missing from pop culture recently. It also appeared that it would utilize the Wii’s motion control in a useful and effective way, something beyond flailing. All of this leads to me actually being a little excited for the rumored sequel. Epic Mickey 2 appears to be expanding platforms. The latest issue of the Disney newsletter accidentally spilled some details on the game and has since been edited with all mention of the game being redacted. However, this is the internet age, and once something hits the wire there’s no going back.

“Disney Epic Mickey 2 is the latest game in the critically acclaimed Disney Epic Mickey videogame series. In this all-new action-platforming game available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii, Mickey embarks on an epic journey and is pulled back into a world filled with Disney’s forgotten characters.

Players can choose to play single-player as Mickey or for the first time players can also choose 2-player split screen mode. In the 2 player mode one person can play as Mickey wielding magic paint and paint thinner to dynamically change the world and the second player can play as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit – Walt Disney’s first cartoon star – with the power to fly like a helicopter and use electricity to fight or friend enemies and solve challenges.

Team-up and choose your path to save this forgotten world because the choices you make will alter the story and change the end of the game!”

I’m thinking this might be the first time Oswald has ever been playable in a video game? I know Disney had to reacquire the rights to the character to make the first game, so this might only be the second game where he’s even featured. Notably, the announcement only indicated the three platforms, but does not specifically say anything about motion control. Will the game require the Move or Kinect? Will motion be an option, but not required? And why no mention of Wii U? I’m definitely looking forward to hearing more and will relay it here in VGQH as soon as I hear something.

And that ends the year’s first edition of Video Game Quick Hits. There’s fighting news, car combat, Disney, and even a little editorial rant from me. I’d say that’s not a bad start to the new year. Thanks for reading, and let’s have a toast to another great year of awesome games – starting with Mass Effect 3 in March, currently my most anticipated title of 2012.

Credits: The new post pic comes from an opinion article by Harry Robinson from August 2007 on the Funneled Web.

The best games of 2011, at least by my judgement.

As 2011 was violently run down by the monster that is time, I found myself reflecting on the video games I picked up over the past year. Although my library didn’t grow as extensively as it has in past years I still spent money on more games than I figured I would beginning the year. Here is my list of the top games I played, mixed in with a few of the disappointments I suffered as well. This isn’t definitive, 2011 had an incredible amount of games released, and I missed a great deal of them. My gamer card should be revoked, but until it is I will create lists!

Pokemon Black/White

I’m sure the cool kids are screaming in pain that I’d even mention this. But I’ll put my justifications up first, you don’t have to agree, but you should give it a fair shot. 350 hours logged in on the cartridge alone. That isn’t counting the time I spent managing the online portion of the game. This game is the most complete Pokemon to date with daily quests, a completely external world where you can gain access to more in-game items and catch exclusive creatures, this game easily hits my top ten.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D

This title speaks for itself, one of the most renowned Zelda games of all time, remastered in beautiful 3D and put on a handheld. This game gave 3DS owners a reason to be proud, and aside from some time killed playing Pilot Wings, and a few hours of Lego Star Wars, there wasn’t a whole lot going for early adopters of Nintendo’s handheld.

Skylanders: A Spyro Adventure

This might be one of the best games you’ll never play. It’s a touch childish and involves collecting action figures, but it’s the beginning of a new genre. This is the first game that attaches action figures and collecting to video games successfully. The Bakugan games made a vague attempt at it the year before, but Skylanders got it right. I find myself disliking Activision enough to loathe giving them credit, but this title is solid. Gauntlet meets Pokemon meets family fun, bundled with tons of unlockables, reasons to replay, and multiplayer. You scoff now but this game is flat out stellar.

Batman: Arkham City

This might be the best game I played all year. It ties with Gears of War 3 (to be mentioned next) for the best damn story I’ve ever played through. A game takes a lot to make me drop my jaw at the end, and even more for me to ignore life, blow off papers, and forget about my wife. Arkham Asylum, however, did all three in a single week. If I could have a video game do-over, it would be beefing up my limited knowledge of Batman before playing. Even with what little I know of the Dark Knight, this game should win an award for absolute incredible writing, polished game play, and perfect execution.

Gears of War 3

As mentioned earlier this game ties for best story hands down. This final piece of the Gears trilogy frames the tragedy of Serra so perfectly I’d be amiss not to mention it. If you haven’t played the Gears Trilogy your new years resolution should revolve around getting that done. If you haven’t gone back and played through Gears 1 and 2 after finishing 3, the light shed on the series makes it an entirely new experience. Gears of War is perfect writing coupled with incredible game play and visuals. If you missed this, find a way to fix it. Sell blood, a kidney, whatever it takes, but Gears is a must from 2011.

Little Big Planet 2

Cake guns, computer chips, race cars, and too much cuteness. Little Big Planet holds a special place in my heart and the sequel last June did not disappoint. You can pick it up now at bargain basement prices packed with extra content, this is another game that you won’t regret spending the money on, like it’s predecessor it is pure fun.

Portal 2

Escaping from a pissed off Glados who’s had years to rebuild the testing center while you rested, can easily be the most fun I’ve had on a PC in years. Portal 2 takes what could be a very dull repetition of the first game, and uses hilarious twists and turns to create an awesome story, and a unique experience. Buy this game, you won’t regret it.

Now that I’ve discussed the best games I played last year, I’d like to cover a few, well one disappointment I was forced to suffer.

Rage

This game wins my story fail award of 2011. I loved every second of RAGE, I ate it up. Day in and day out I blasted through hordes of mutants, and bandits, finding esater eggs left around the world by I/D. Soft. And then, as if I had sinned against the game, it was suddenly over. 2 minute cut scene, minimal resolution and bang… the end. No epic boss, no giant serenade, no listening to a lengthy story of conspiracy and me being some form of meddling kid, just the end. Some may see that as artistic and exciting I saw it as heartbreaking. The game built me up so beautifully I was ready to know everything about the mutants. I wanted to know why the authority decided to betray the human race, instead I got a general inclination that everything would be ok and a pat on the back via achievements. Is it the worst ending i’ve ever experienced? Absolutely not, but it was definitely the most deflating.

Super Mario 3D Land:

This choice may cause the gaming universe to writhe and scream, but hear me out.  I had so much excitement built up for 3D Land and it was good.  It wasn’t a bad game, it simply didn’t live up to the expectations I had for it.  The levels seemed out of order, the worlds had no theme.  I didn’t want a repeat of previous Mario’s, I simply wanted some form of organization. There was no big world, or ice world, there was simply an ice level here and there, or a level with giant Goomba’s  Maybe I got too excited, the pre-play event I attended in September got me so amped for 3D Land, and finishing the game felt so-so. I enjoyed playing through it, I just didn’t get the pleasure out of it I expected.

How about you lovely internet folk? What are your best/worst games of 2011? Which game broke your spirit, and which one changed your life? I wanna know, I need more stuff to play until the PSP Vita launches.