Hello and welcome to September 2011’s first edition of VGQH. To start, we’ve got two releases to please cross media fans.

First, the free Dead Island digital comic is now available. The comic, published through Marvel Custom Solutions, is a short (6 pages) prelude to the events you’ll play when the game releases on Tuesdays (9-6-11). Check it out here.

Second, the Rage novel by Matthew Costello is now available. The novel sets the stage for the game you’ll be playing on October 4th. The basics: An asteroid has all but destroyed life on Earth. Humanity’s “best” have been saved in Arks. Matthew Raine leaves his Ark to discover some humans have survived and modern society is a post-apocalyptic hell. The game is is from id Software, the folks who made Doom and Quake. It’s a good pedigree, but this book actually sounds moe up my alley than the game. You can get the novel from Amazon here and preorder the game here.

Have you been cursing SEGA and all of their sub-par games development recently, wishing they were devoting some resources to Yakuza 5? Good news. It’s coming. Not only is there another game in development, SEGA has also formed Yakuza Studios, headed by Toshihiro Nagoshi, one of the series’ co-creators. The next installment in the franchise is still early in development so no release date is even being hinted. It will go back to the main line of the series, not following up the recent Japanese zombie spin-off. The new studio won’t only be producing Yakuza titles either. The upcoming Binary Domain also comes under the umbrella of the new studio.

As if Call of Duty fans don’t spend enough on their games as it is, Activision ahs announced the Hardened Edition of Modern Warfare 3. The extras included are unique disc art, one year membership to CoD Elite, “Founder Status” on Elite (in-game emblem, player card, camo, extra clan XP, and more), steelbook case, and a “field journal” (read, standard limited edition art book). You also get an extra bonus depending on your console of choice. PS3 users get an exclusive theme. Those buying on XBox 360 get a Juggernaut Avatar. This is coming from a leak, not the official announcement that’s coming at the XP event this weekend. So none of this is totally confirmed. But the snapshot of the marketing materials is very convincing. The game, including the Hardened Edition, releases November 8th.

You may remember when Burnout CRASH! was announced a while back that it was tentatively scheduled for an August release. Obviously that didn’t happen. EA has responded with a release date of September 20th. So you’ll be hitting those crash junctions in less than three weeks. They’ve also confirmed a price tag of $9.99 (or equivalent points). I’m still just as skeptical of the game’s shift in tone and perspective as I was before, but at least I know when I’ll find out if it was justified.

There’s been plenty of talk about the fate of Team Bondi, developers of L.A. Noire. And it appears the worst has happened. Despite positive sales andd reviews of the detective game that set a new bar for motion capture in games, the company has entered into bankruptcy administration in Australia. The rumored merger with KMM isn’t happening, but many of Team Bondi’s staff were offered positions at the film company rather than severance pay. As for L.A. Noire, Rockstar still holds publishing rights, which means additional DLC or a sequel could be coming from a different developer. The more worrying prospect is that a game that sells 4 million copies may not be enough to keep the developer above water. Certainly the additional cost of all that motion capture put Team Bondi at additional risk, but 4 million is considered very good sales. Does this mean smaller developers won’t be able to push the technology in the future? That could be bad for the industry, as it’s clear the major developers and publishers are more interested in canned sequels than pushing the technology envelope. Time will tell.

Hmm. Kind of a downer note to end the week. Ah well. Things aren’t always cherries and roses. Have a safe and happy Labot Day weekend. Remember to step away from your Call of Duty Double XP experience occasionally and enjoy the oudoors. Besides playing inFAMOUS 2 all day today, my plans are a 10k on the Bonneville Salt Flats tomorrow, followed by spending the day and night in Wendover losing money and imbibing adult beverages. Sunday will most likely see me at Brewvies for the Big Movie Mouth Off’s one year anniversary party. If you want some free movies in an air-conditioned theater (combined with great food and even better beer), come see The Professional (aka Leon) and Hot Fuzz. Jeff and Jimmy tell us they have a ridiculous amount of prizes, including DVDs and Blu-Rays, to give away. We’ll see you there?

If you’ve been following the lovely Nintendo hoopla you’ve been in one of three categories: disgruntled without your 3DS, excited for your free games (with a slight touch of sour grapes towards the additional price you paid.), or a bit sad that you’ll have to pay for the dandy NES releases over the next little while. I find myself in the second category and the bitter feeling of early adopter tax wore off for me after 6 or so minutes. I’ve checked the eShop everyday hoping that those titles would be here even though my senses told me it wouldn’t be til after the first, and to my amazement! They were waiting for me this morning!!! Here is how you download them as long as you’re registered as an ambassador, also be sure to grab your ambassador token so that they may be downloaded again for free through the eShop.

• Step 1: Open the eShop Channel
• Step 2: Go all the way left to settings/other
• Step 3: Select your downloads
• Step 4: Scroll down to view the titles listed, and simply select Redownload on your NES games, and voila!! You’re set!

Hopefully the GBA stuff will be up and ready in the coming months, but for now I’ll have to while away my hours with DK Jr., Zelda, and Metroid. Enjoy, and feel free to share your celebrations or lamentations below.

It’s the last edition of VGQH for August and it’s not exactly chock full of goodies. Which is a little weird considering PAX took place over the weekend. Oh, well. On to the news.

Some of you may be surprised to know that Harmonix is still putting out weekly DLC tracks for Rock Band 3. While the music genre has basically died, the hardcore fans are apparently still picking up new tracks. I see the release list every week but tend to ignore it in VGQH. But today’s tracks are good news for me. Considering I do actually still pick up my fake plastic Fender a couple of times a month, I’ll actually be picking up all eight of these tracks from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Five classic songs are included, as well as three from the new album, I’m With You (in stores now). Individual tracks are $1.99 each, or you can get the whole package for $13.49 (or equivalent points, as usual). Two of the older tracks, “Californication” and “Otherside,” feature upgrades to Pro Guitar and Bass mode for $0.99 each. The remaining classic tracks are “By the Way,” “Parallel Universe,” and “Scar Tissue.” The three songs from the new album are “Look Around,” “Monarchy of Roses,” and “The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie.”

Did you like Portal? Of course you did. If you didn’t, you’re wrong! Anyway, we all know Valve is amazing and they did a great job expanding on the Portal concept with the recent sequel. But did you know that one of the co-creators of the original game, Kim Swift, has been working with Airtight Games on a first person puzzle game set for publication by Square Enix early next year on PSN, XBLA, and PC. Quantum Conundrum has the player trying to rescue your scientist uncle who is trapped in another dimension. The player has a few of the uncle’s inventions to help shift through parallel dimensions, seemingly at will, to solve puzzles. For example, shifting into a “fluffy” dimension makes objects lighter, allowing them to be thrown, then shifted back into the normal dimension where that lighter than air box suddenly becomes a heavy safe, smashing through the pane of glass that was blocking your path. Make sense? Probably not, but try explaining Portal to someone who hasn’t played it. Check out these two screens, which appear to be the same scene in two different dimensions.

For everyone that’s digustingly enthralled with Mass Effect (like me), Bioware and Dark Horse have a nice treat upcoming. The Art of the Mass Effect Universe will be out in February, with an MSRP of $39.99. This hardcover tome will highlight the unique art and glorious detail that we’ll find in Mass Effect 3 on March 6, 2012. While I’m at it, how about I confuse you with a few more dates. A collection of the Mass Effect: Evolution comic series will be available September 21st, and the new series, Mass Effect: Invasion, begins October 19th. Best get to your comic shop and add these to your pull list.

There wasn’t much in the way of new information about two of my most watched games at PAX, but a few new screens did make an appearance. Check out this shot of Juggernaut and Adrian, one of three playable characters as potential X-Men, in X-Men Destiny. Dig the matching outfits. It’s like Marko got a Mini-Me.

The other game getting some new screen shots, of course, is Spider-Man: Edge of Time, Activision and Beenox’s follow up to the fantastic Shattered Dimensions. Let’s stick with the theme of oversized villainous type dudes and give you this shot of Eddie Brock as Anti-Venom, getting ready for some ultraviolence on our amazing superhero.

And… Well, two screens and no news is a weird place to end. But, frankly, I don’t have any more and nothing is connected enough to go back and edit the order of the stories. Check back on Friday and hopefully we’ll have a bit bigger news day. I’m starting wonder if things are slowing down in the news department because so many huge games are getting set for the October-November rush and there isn’t really anything new to say about them until they release. In the mean time, I’m getting close to my Insanity end run on Mass Effect 2. Depending on how bad I suck at it, I could be finishing that up this week, leading to a little clean up for my Platinum trophy and starting “The Arrival.” Wish me luck.

Multiplatform:
Bodycount (PS3, 360)
Madden NFL 12 (PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, PSP)
Air Conflicts: Secret Wars (PS3, 360, PC)

Nintendo:
Get Fit with Mel B (Wii)
Junior Mystery Quest (DS)
Junior Island Adventure (DS)
Veggy World (DS)
Burger Bot (DS)

With the NFL preseason heating up it’s time for the annual release of Madden NFL 12. By all accounts the franchise has slowly been making progress each year, but that’s also making the legacy flaws that much more apparent. As much as I love football, I only get a game about once every console cycle. Gameday ’98 was pretty good back in the PSOne era. On PS2 I bought ESPN NFL 2K5, which is the one that inspired EA to buy the sole rights to NFL games because it was so much better than theirs. I’ve been getting the hankering to play some more football, so this year’s Madden may be the one that gets my dollars this time. If you’re not sold on it though, might as well save the cash. Next week has zombies and aliens to destroy, setting the tone for one of the craziest fall lineups ever.

DagoBot is on the scene at PAX and this is the first report he fired off.

Greetings from the land of Starbucks and Shmups (aka ‘Bullet Hell’)! Our first day of PAX Prime 2011 was exquisite. The amount of all things gaming here is overwhelming. There is so much to see, play, listen and interact with. Here are a couple of indie gems we stumbled upon while shambling around the convention floor.

The Dishwasher Vampire Smile: This is a sequel to 2009’s, ‘The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai’. However, I didn’t know this since I don’t have XBOX Live Arcade. The stylized art looked fresh when I passed by so I thought I would give it spin. The gameplay was reminiscent of a ‘Super Smash Bros’ beat em up. Some of the basic weapons that I mele-ed with were: Cleavers, shift blades and even a cloud sword. I went in on this for about fifteen minutes and was addicted when I out the controller down. A true side scrolling marvel with over the top violence. http://www.vampiresmile.com/

Fruit Ninja kinect: Slicing food with with agile hand motions has never been so much fun. Or so much fun to watch. I never bought into the Kinect (I don’t own one)…Checking this out made me re-assess my critiques. Your arms are deadly weapons cutting through watermelons, pineapples & pomegranates. Be mindful, avoid ‘the bombs’ or else you get docked points with taunts of bomb loving. This game would be an absolute blast with 4 or 5 friends turning an average night into Shaolin food massacre mastery.

A Space Shooter: A rock solid shoot em up. The production value on this portable, low cost, vertical-scrolling is full of win. Over the top missiles and cannon shenanigans were littered through the ten minutes we tinkered with it. The touch controls were fluid and fun. It’s one of those games that knows what it is and doesn’t try to do too much. It left us wanting more. If you have a couple of bucks laying around and love the shooting game genre, try it out…you won’t be disappointed.

-Dagobot

PS. Silver Surfer NES 1990- one of the worst games ever.

Mortal Kombat certainly seems to be on the comeback trail. Not that it ever really went away, but the recent reboot has taken it back to its wonderful roots and reinvigorated the fan base. What better way to capitalize on that than a re-release of the original trilogy. I first mentioned the announcement of Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection in VGQH several months ago with a promise to update as soon as I hear more. They’ve now announced a confirmed release date of August 30 on PSN, XBLA, and PC for $9.99 (800 points). The Kollection includes Mortal Kombat, MKII, and Ultimate MKIII. The games aren’t exactly in their pure form though. They’ve added online play and leaderboards. And, in case your an achievment/trophy whore, here’s what you can earn (2oo total achievement points):

• Arcade Kompetitor, Kombatant, and Konqueror (finish MK, MKII, and MKIII, respectively)
• The Chosen One (complete all three games)
• Finish Him (first Fatality)
• Goo Goo Ga Ga (first Babality)
• Beware of the Beast (first Animality)
• Can’t We All Just Get Along (first Friendship)
• Perfect Strangers (ranked Kombat Flawless Victory)
• Konnected Kill (win one online 1v1 match)
• Elder God (win 2oo online matches)
• Flawless x2 (double flawless against AI)

If Suda 51 has shown us anything over the years, it’s that he’s a seriously weird dude. The CEO and founder of Grasshopper Manufacture has been responsible for such bizarre titles as Killer7, No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned, and the upcoming Lollipop Chainsaw. At Gamescom last week it was announced he has another brain bender coming to PSN and XBLA this winter in the form of Black Knight Sword. The easy way to describe this is 2D hack and slash platforming. But this is Suda 51, so there’s clearly more to it. Here’s Grasshopper’s official take on it:

Black Knight Sword is a fresh, modern and interactive interpretation of a dark fantasy fairy tale: The Black Knight is led by the sword fairy through a whimsical world of eye-catching environments filled with curious looking creatures, only to discover who really caused the nightmare tragedy that he now finds himself trapped in…

A throwback to the classic platformers for the 8 and 16-bit era of games, Black Knight Sword harkens a simpler time when simple yet addictive and challenging gameplay dominated the scene.

Does this sound like an insane take on Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins to anyone else? Take a look at these screens to help you make sense of it. What’s with the stage curtain effect?

For all of you mixed media types, the third and final issue of the Rage back story comic is in stores now. This is your chance to learn about the crazed mutants and antagonistic (and well-armed) Authority before the game releases the first week of October. For some reason I actually have no interest in this game, despite it being post-apocalyptic, a favorite theme of mine. But, the comics are interesting. I’d be inclined to continue reading them if they developed it into a regular series.

If you still haven’t gotten enough Fallout: New Vegas, and who can ever have enough Fallout, you’ll be thrilled to know the fourth DLC chapter, Lonesome Road, has a real release date. Not only will you be able to get this chapter for $9.99 on September 20th, there are two more packs coming on September 27th. The “Courier’s Stash” ($1.99) collects all of the various pre-order packs (Caravan, Classic, Mercenary, and Tribal) into one bundle. The “Gun Runner’s Arsenal” ($3.99) “increases the range of unique weapons, weapon mods, ammo types and recipes waiting to be uncovered in the vast Mojave Wasteland.” Huh? I can take this so many ways. Does it actually increase the weapon’s effective range? Does it mean you’ll be able to buy unique weapons from the Gun Runner faction? Hopefully not, those guys shoot me on sight. Or does it mean there will be more unique weapons scattered throughout the landscape and in the hands of NPCs? As soon as I have more details on this point you’ll be reading it here. Meantime, check out this mustachioed freak with what could be one of those new unique weapons (I haven’t noticed a Nuka-Axe in my 130+ hours with the game):

One of the best Sonic the Hedgehog games is getting its HD re-release. Sonic CD is scheduled to hit XBLA, PSN, PC, and mobile devices later this year. This game has been much-loved since its original 1993 release, but has received lackluster effort for an update until now. The original Japanese soundtrack is now included and parts of the game have been reworked for widescreen presentation. If you’ve been wanting to fight Robotnik through time in HD, your time is coming.

Tuesday’s VGQH mentioned SEGA’s Binary Domain was releasing next year on Valentine’s Day. Gaming on Valentine’s Day has its own built-in jokes so I’ll leave them out this time. Instead, I would like to introduce SEGA’s new game to the reason it will get its ass kicked in sales: Twisted Metal. Having recently been delayed from its scheduled October release date, David Jaffe’s reboot of the car combat series is now set for February 14, 2012. And, while shooting everything in sight is probably a good way to spend Valentine’s Day, ramming a missile up someone’s tailpipe is a little more appropriate.

There are plenty of excellent games coming this fall, but one of my most anticipated titles is Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. There are several different specially bundled versions of this game floating about at various retailers around the world, but GameStop has just announced their “Ultimate” bundle. This version is priced at $99.99 and comes with all of the signature edition add-on stuff plus a 7″ Ezio figure with over 30 points of articulation and a replica of DaVinci’s Flying Machine that just happens to fit a 6-7″ figure. If you’re into collectibles, these detailed pieces are perfect for your gaming room. [Sorry for the small pic. I lifted it straight from GameStop and trying to blow it up looked terrible.]

That looks to be it for today. PAX Prime is this weekend. That one’s pretty hit or miss on the news quantity, but check back here on Tuesday for all the best updates from the show. And, if you’re looking to watch a couple of free movies this weekend, head to Brewvies Sunday night. Starting at 5pm, our friends from the Geek Show Podcast will be showing The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Last I heard they may even be recording the next three episodes of the show in the bar earlier in the day. Assuming I survive the rest of the weekend at Rockport I plan to be there. [Seriously, I’ve had a string of stupid accidents lately that have caused me just enough bodily harm to be miserable, but not enough to go to a doctor. Spending a couple nights at a reservoir seems like a good way to cripple myself.]

Guest author Kondroid is here with the second part of this year’s Comiket coverage – his Guide to Surviving Comiket!

As discussed in our first article, attending Comiket can be a pretty harrowing experience for the unprepared. If you’re ever planning on attending Comiket, here are ten pointers which will make the experience a little easier to bear.

1- ACCOMMODATION. Don’t expect to be staying anywhere near the convention center itself. Any room that will still be available (hint: better luck finding a speck of pepper on a black sand beach) will be astronomically priced. Find somewhere to stay elsewhere in the city and just take the train in like everyone else does.

2- GETTING THERE. As mentioned above, take the train. The Yurikamome line or the Rinkai line will take you right to the convention center… the only issue will be, it will seem like everyone one else in the entire city will also be riding the train that day. Overcrowding does not even being to describe it. Be prepared for the worst. Once you get out, don’t even worry about trying to find the convention center if you’re not sure where it is. Just follow…

3- THE LINE. Expect to be in it for a long time. “Oh, I’ve been in long lines before–” … no. Not like this, you haven’t. The world “Colossal” does not do this line justice. It starts early in the morning, as overnight line waiting is not allowed, meaning the truly devoted have no choice but to catch “first train”, normally getting there around 5am. By the time the doors open at 10am the line stretches further than you can see, from every corner of the massive Tokyo Big Sight convention center.

Bringing a DS or PSP should be a must-have – anything to take your mind off the tedious standing/shuffling around (they will move the crowds into more organized lines closer to opening time, so be ready to move when they tell you).

4- FOOD. Surprisingly, food is not too over-priced at the various vendors inside and around the convention center. Still, it’s probably a better idea to bring something to eat and drink with you. Bring something to keep you going while waiting in the line in the morning, as well as something to munch on over the course of the day. Just a note, though: try not to walk around while eating, as Japanese people consider it rude (don’t ask me why, no one really knows for sure!).

– Food vendors outside the convention center. –

– If you’ve got plenty of ¥100 ($1) coins with you, then you can take advantage of the many vending machines around. Just be warned that under heavy traffic they can run low (or empty) of your favorites (Have you tried Pocari Sweat yet? It’s a must when trying Japanese vending machine drinks for the first time!) –

5- INSIDE. Once you get in to the halls themselves, good luck trying to navigate the sea of people. Comiket is divided into several halls, each of which is the size of several football fields. Depending on what day you’re attending, those halls will be divided into different themes based on what is available in each area. If you’re attending in hopes of finding something particular, your best bet would be to purchase the Comiket Catalog before you come (available at comic stores around Tokyo, as well as online), so you’ll know exactly where (and when) to find the vendors you’re after. Once you find them, however, depending on how popular the circle in question is, you may be required to wait in ANOTHER line just to purchase their doujin. If you’re only interested in doujin from top circles, you may find yourself standing in lines all day and only having a handful of comics to show for it.

6- WHAT DAY TO GO. Yes, this makes a massive difference. Because there are so many circles vying to get in to peddle their wares at Comiket, they’ve had to restrict who is allowed to sell what on certain days. As a result, days have “themes” assigned to them. Day one is “girls day”, with the majority of vendors displaying all manner of homoerotic match ups from everything you can think of (even if you didn’t want to imagine what a romance between Yoshi and Luigi would look like). Day two is devoted to more “normal” stuff, with day three being the biggest: “guy’s day”, with your regular run-of-the-mill hentai stuffs (largely devoted to whatever the current popular anime is – this years favorite was ‘Madoka.’).

7- SHOPPING. If you’re planning on buying anything, please don’t whip out a ¥10000 (about USD $100) bill for that ¥300 (about USD $3) comic and expect to see a smile on the vendor’s face. If they run out of change, they do not have the luxury of dashing off to get some more. Carry around a stack of ¥1000s ($10’s) in your wallet and you will be everyone’s friend. Also, if you missed out on picking up that Naruto doujin from your favorite artist you had had your heart set on, not to worry… There’s a pretty good chance you might be able to pick it up in Akihabara or Otome Road from one of the many doujinshi re-sellers that exist… for an exorbitant mark up (the average price for a doujin sold at Comiket is about ¥500 ($5). To find one of these doujin at a shop later may run you ¥1500 to ¥5000 ($15 – $50), depending on how rare and in demand it was. Some doujin can ever make it as high as ¥10000+ ($100+)… suddenly you can see why there is such a rush to be the first one in the doors to buy a certain doujin before it sells out).

8- COSPLAY. This is important. If you are planning on cosplaying in Japan (this goes for anything, not just Comiket), DO NOT WEAR YOUR COSTUME TO THE EVENT. This is considered to be in extremely bad taste by Japanese cosplayers. There are changing areas where you are expected to change into your costumes (once inside the con) and storage areas for you to ditch your bags. This year’s Comiket saw a “crackdown” on skimpy costumes, with new rules such as “no visible underwear” and “not too much exposed flesh” being enforced…. This didn’t stop everyone from pushing the envelope, though.

– Cosplayers will often show up with a suitcase containing their costume and change once they have reached the designated changing areas. There are places to check your suitcase during the day so you don’t have to lug it around. –

Once you’re in costume, you’re free to walk around anywhere you like. Just be prepared to be inundated with requests to pose if you’re in the cosplay photo area. (Note: if your costume is particularly good, you may be getting more requests than you can handle. Feel free to say no if you wish.)

9- PHOTOS. Common sense prevails when photographing cosplayers. Always ask. Even if there is a crowd of people already taking photos themselves, always ask. There’s one catch, though: do not, I repeat DO NOT take photos of cosplayers outside of the designated cosplay photos areas. YOU WILL BE KICKED OUT IF YOU DO NOT ADHERE TO THIS RULE. This is not an exaggeration. The rule applies to attendees taking photos, attendees having their photos taken, cosplaying vendors sitting at their booths, and even staff in costume. The one exception is the corporate booths who employ professional cosplayers to dress as their characters, but even then, you still need to ask. One note of courtesy would be try not to clog up foot traffic, as that was the main reason the rule was created in the first place.

– Cosplay photography: don’t do it like this guy… unless you ask first. –

10- LEAVING. As was mentioned in my last article, once 4pm rolls around the whole  con shuts down for the day. By that time the majority of the crowd will have disbursed. Everyone will have picked up what they were after and headed home – or off to Akihabara to sell their swag and/or find what they had missed out on while it may still be in stock at the doujin re-sellers (for probably triple its original price). The congestion getting back to the city is just as bad as getting to the con itself and goes well into the night. If you’re not in a hurry to get anywhere, your best bet would be to jump on the train heading in the OTHER direction (away from the city), go a few stops till the train gets to the end of the line and turns around, thus ensuring you’ll have a seat all the way back! (common sense, you would think, but only ever see a handful of people exploiting this seemingly obvious tactic).

And that’s it!
So do you think you have what it takes to tackle the biggest con in the world? (or more importantly, now that you know what it’s all about, would you even want to?)
x__x

…check out part three of our Comiket coverage coming tomorrow – The Cosplay of Comiket!

Not being a huge fan of first person shooters, I’m one of the four gamers in the U.S. that hasn’t played a Bioshock game. But I get a little more entranced with the world of Bioshock Infinite every time I see something new from it. The latest batch of screen shots seems designed specifically to draw me in. Well, me and Swankmotron (who is likely one of the other three). I’ll admit, at first glance, this appeared fake. But I have reasonable assurance this is a legit release from Irrational and 2k.

If you’re like me, and FPS just doesn’t do it for you, try this one. Details on the Move pack for Little Big Planet 2 have finally surfaced. The pack is officially being called “The Rise of the Cakeling” and is scheduled for release September 13, though pricing is yet to be confirmed. This is not a small pack of DLC either. In fact, Media Molecule is saying this will be the largest add-on to date. The Cakeling is the new villain being introduced, along with 14 new levels (5 levels, 7 minigames, and 2 cut scenes actually), and the Brain Crane (that apparently gives Sackpeople telekinesis). In addition, you’ll get plenty of new stickers, sounds, pins, and other gadgets. Oh yeah, 11 more trophies too. This will also make the entirety of LBP2’s story levels, and user-generated content, Move-compatible. Special tools requiring the Move will be available in Create mode as well. As far as I’m concerned, anything that can expand or extend my Sack play is a good thing.

The soap opera feud between Activision and EA didn’t get any better at Gamescom last week. These guys make professional wrestlers look like classy dudes. Activision Publishing’s CEO, Eric Hirshberg, took the time to address a recent comment from EA’s John Riccitiello, who said he hoped Call of Duty would “rot from the core.” Hirshberg indicated he had tried to avoid reacting to the comment but had been asked about it often enough that he had to respond: “Can you imagine the head of Dreamworks animation coming out with a new movie and going to the press and saying that he wants Toy Story to ‘rot from the core’? It’s kind of hard to imagine, right?” Hirshberg further elaborated that he enjoys competition and thinks it drives the industry to greater heights. While he definitely wants to see CoD win, he doesn’t necessarily want to see it happen from EA’s Battlefield 3 failing. Frankly, I’m sure he’s lying, but at least he’s being an outwardly good sport. EA’s response, through Jeff Brown (Corporate Communications Manager): “Welcome to the big leagues, Eric.” Brown went on to say he expected CoD to continue losing market share over the next few years, eventually becoming as available as a new Tony Hawk or Guitar Hero game. I’m not a fan of Activision, or their business practices. But in this exchange, I have to shake my head at EA. They seemed to be the pencil-necked geeks of Gamescom.

Things seem to be on an upswing on the video game front on the other side of the world. In addition to Australia’s recent approval for an 18+ game rating they’re also getting an exclusive version of of Saints’ Row: The Third. The “Smooth Criminal Edition” will be available exclusively at Australian EB Games for $128AU. What’s included? The obvious special packaing and a soundtrack, of course. But, you’ll also score a pair of sunglasses, Saints’ logo cufflinks (who still wears a french cuff nowadays?), and a bullet-shaped ice cube tray. All pretty worthless actually, but I wouldn’t mind some ice bullets. This should be great fuel for those who opposed the new rating. Not only do they get excessively violent games now, they come with tools to make “untraceable bullets.” Hah!!!

I haven’t heard much about SEGA’s upcoming Binary Domain, but it now has a release date. If you’re too much of a video game junkie to have a significant other with whom to spend Valentine’s Day, this is your date. The game will release on February 14, 2012. The futuristic, squad-based shooter places a heavy emphasis on trusting your teammates. Your actions can betray or encourage that trust. Selfish decisions mean they could care less whether you live or die. Heroic actions increase loyalty, encouraging your team to help you out of tight spots. With that mechanic, maybe this is a perfect fit for Valentine’s Day?

In other news on the SEGA front, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown is headed to PSN and XBLA next summer. This is said to be the definitive version of the game with tweaks to the mechanics, balancing and animations, as well as new modes, two new fighters, dynamic arenas, and character customization items. Good news for fighting fans.

Basketball fans also get a special treat today. The full Legends roster for NBA 2k12 has been announced. These old school superstars will be useable in the “NBA’s Greatest Mode” and al have unique animations and movesets. I’m surprised Stockton and Malone made the list. Not because they don’t deserve it, but because you really can’t take one without the other, and I wouldn’t expect the developers would want two Jazz players from the same era. Then again, they’ve included Jordan (duh) and Pippen. Here’s the full list:

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Larry Bird
• Wilt Chamberlain
• Julius Erving
• Patrick Ewing
• Magic Johnson
• Michael Jordan
• Karl Malone
• Hakeem Olajuwon
• Scottie Pippen
• Oscar Robertson
• Bill Russell
• John Stockton
• Isiah Thomas
• Jerry West

As I like to do when it’s worth the effort, I have saved the best for last. We all know that Robin will be a playable character in Batman: Arkham City, assuming you’ve got your preorder at Best Buy (or other locations internationally). We’ve also seen some concept art for Rocksteady’s vision of the character. Now, we get to see three separate skins for the character. The picture shows, from left to right, the Tim Drake / Red Robin costume, Rocksteady’s official version, and the Batman: The Animated Series inspired version. The last one doesn’t seem to fit the scheme well, but all three do match well with the various Batman skins available (shown below).

And that’s it for Tuesday’s edition. Check back on Friday for what will surely be another big update.

Gamescom happened this week and there were some announcements made that you can read here if you haven’t already heard. Unfortunately, it was not the source of as much groundbreaking news as other events, like E3. I have tons of Sony coverage. That tends to be the stuff that makes its way to me though. (Fair warning, I do have a fan boy shill for Sony a little bit in one item, but I also rip them apart soon after.) In general, most of the games with the highest anticipation levels just had new trailers and screens, as well as demos for those at the event. Still, sometimes new screens can be awesome too.

For example, Mass Effect 3 (March 2012) didn’t announce anything, but their new screen shots are mighty nice. Here are two of my favorites, a couple of husk-like batarians and a massive mechanized thing (most likely some sort of reaper):

Those looking forward to Battlefield 3 (October 2011) should be thrilled with EA’s announcement at Gamescom: Co-Op missions. It looks like you and a friend can go into battle together, both swearing up a storm at the enemy. But, if you don’t have a gaming headset, better get one. Communication will be key and there’s no split screen.

Somehow there’s news about Batman: Arkham City (October 2011) and I find myself not caring. I didn’t think that was possible, but when it’s about the game having not one, but two kinds of 3D, it just happens. What can I say, 3D just doesn’t appeal to me. The two kinds being included are the old school anaglyphic method (go ask your grandparents for their red and blue glasses kids) and the newer stereoscopic version for people with expensive TVs and fancy glasses. At least it’s Batman, meaning gloomy, so you don’t have to worry about washed out colors.

For those anticipating, or even considering, the PS Vita you’ll want the Gamescom breakdown. Some of this is rehashed, but this is basically a summary of the Vita presser:

• FourSquare, Facebook, and Twitter have been optimized for Vita.
• Trophies for Vita and PS3 are accessible together.
• Resistance: Burning Skies was announced. Ellis Island, 1950s, tap screen for grenades, new cover system, etc.
• Reality Fighters and Little Big Planet Vita were shown but not detailed.
• New game called Escape Plan shown. Cutesy platform puzzler with gruesome deaths. (Think Super Meat Boy and Portal‘s black and white love child.) Potential!

Outside of the presser, a couple of other announcements were made regarding the Vita. First, because no one cares, FIFA is coming to the device early next year. Next, because this could be huge, Ubisoft announced they are developing six titles for it, including a brand new Assassin’s Creed. I doubt many of you remember the Assassin’s Creed for PSP, which featured Altair after the events of the first game, but it was pretty good. Not as full featured as the console releases, but still fun. I’m excited to see what this could mean on the next gen handheld.

On a side note, don’t believe the rumors. Sony hasn’t halved the Vita’s memory. It is definitely 512MB RAM and 128MB VRAM.

Another Sony reveal at Gamescom was the announcement of Move Fitness. Apparently, if your grandmother was cool and bought a PS3 instead of a Wii she can get a digital avatar to tell her she’s fat now too. If you care, there’s something like 25 minigames that let you shadow box, squat, cut things with a digital katana, etc. Nothing new here. And still my Move gathers dust….

But, to soften the blow, grandma can get a new PS3 cheaper now. Effective immediately, the 160GB model is $250US. That really isn’t bad, especially if you don’t already own a blu-ray player. At that price, if you’re only rocking one console, you really should consider diversifying. Add a PS3 to your repoertoire and get yourself a Gamefly subscription and you’ll have the most gaming options for the most reasonable price around. If Microsoft follows suit I may actually get myself a 360 just to get more leverage from my Gamefly.

That price release is also compounded with the announcement of a cheaper PSP with no wi-fi. If you’re really wanting to go gung-ho Sony, this $99 option is a good opportunity. I guess. You’ll miss out on multiplayer, and it has no built-in memory so you’ll be wanting a big Pro Duo if you want to play anything other than $5 used UMDs.

Alright, hell with it! I’m ranting! Seriously Sony? You just announced a great price cut for your star console, you’ve got a viable option for a great handheld coming (even though the market is swiftly being iKilled), you’ve got a 3D TV bundle coming, you’ve even got DirecTV’s Sunday Ticket coming to PS3 ($339/season). You’ve got everything going for you and you’re building a great line up for the future. Why announce this piece of crap? Why even make it? Why coax your potential Vita buyers into buying this thing only to realize a standard PSP is pretty lackluster in comparison to the DS, let alone this AMC Pacer version? Don’t get me wrong, I still love my Vader PSP, and my wife still uses my old one. And I bought them because I’m a miserly bastard and liked that I could get games, movies, music, etc. all by buying one device. So this version should appeal to me. But it’s too big to use as an mp3 player, the formatting is a pain in the ass for movies, and the games are about 90% crap. The best thing you can do with the older versions is hack them, and I was too lazy to do anything with it after it was hacked so I ended up restoring it to play newer games. The only thing you’ll do with this $99 is convince the buyer that they don’t need to spend $250 on the Vita. If anything, you shouldbe bumping the price up on the PSP. If new consumers see that one is $180, they’ll think it’s a good investment to spend the extra $70 for the new generation upgrade. (Actually, I realize that’s a stupid plan too, but no worse than theirs.) Apologies. This rant is complete.

So, back to good news from Sony. Actually, let’s just go with potentially good news. They’ve announced inFamous 2: Festival of Blood. This is not DLC, instead it’s a standalone expansion title on PSN. Vampires are running amok in New Marais and Cole has been bitten. He has one night to hunt down the head of the vampires and save himself (and the city, assuming you’re positive karma Cole). “New environments and gameplay” will be included. I can’t help but feel this is bandwagonning, but it worked with Undead Nightmare, so I’ll keep an open mind. I’m about 75% of the way through my first play (evil Cole) of inFamous 2 and I do love the series. As the theme of the game would indicate, look for this one in October.

Another PSN game recently announced, and also coming for PC and iOS, is Worms Crazy Golf. Got to admit, my first instinct was “Why?” But my second was, “Why the hell not?” Worms is fun. If you can use their great game mechanics and turn out a bizarre golf game, I say go for it. Price and release date are unannounced as yet, but I’d expect it soon and probably in the $6-10 range.

If you remember the announcement from E3 about Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon, you’re probably wondering why you haven’t heard anything since. Turns out it will be available on XBLA and PSN at the end of August. If you don’t know what this is, let the press release explain it. “Players must comb the streets of New York City and pacify raving demons, delinquent man birds and zombies by lactating fire or hurling wacky objects like flying demon skulls, fish, baseballs and wrenches.” Umm, yeah. From a gameplay perspective, it’s top-down, four-player co-op. I’m intrigued, but I don’t know if I’m $9.99 intrigued. Maybe when it drops to $4.99 if the reviews are good.

Last summer’s XBLA hit, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair is coming to PSN next month. As is typical with these deals, one console gets it early, the other one gets it with all the DLC. The PSN version comes with the Beauty, Desire, Situation add-on. That means extra levels and playable characters. And don’t forget four player split screen and six player online.

Gamescom had plenty more trailers and screen shots. I’ve also skipped over a few release dates and downloadable games information. This is already a pretty big issue of VGQH. Check back on Tuesday. If the weekend is as slow on news as it has been recently I’ll include everything I cut today.

Every month I buy a shit ton of toys to add to my Nerdorium (A.K.A. home office). But I hardly ever get around to reviewing them on the site. I generally just talk about them on our monthly podcast (which you can listen to here, but I don’t recommend it). Similar to baldassbats Video Game Quick Hits, I’m going to try and do one for all the nerd shit I buy in a month. This month has been an exciting one. I just got a new job, and with it, a lot more income. Of course I spent a good chunk of my first check on collectibles. Also, my wife may or may not be leaving me.

Rock Man Plastic Model Kit
$27.99 EntertainmentEarth.com

When I was in high school I bought a lot of Rock Man Kits off of eBay. I lucked out and got four or five of them for one cent plus shipping. I loved those kits and had a lot of fun with them. Some day I hope to do a retro-review of them. You can imagine how excited I was when I saw the solicitation for new kits being released in the states.

PROS
• The details on these figures are wonderful.
• Plenty of extra hands and facial expressions to swap out.
• Great instructions which made building them a breeze.

CONS
• Kind of a high price point for these. I waited and got mine on a sale.
• Being a model kit, these figures fall apart pretty easily. Which can be frustrating while posing.

Sonic the Hedgehog: 20th Anniversary Through Time Action Figure (1991)
$11.99 Target

Oh, nostalgia. I’d say you’re responsible for at least two thirds of my purchases. I’m glad to see SEGA finally putting out some worthwhile figures of our favorite blue hedgehog. This figure follows the theme from the upcoming game, Sonic Generations. There are classic and modern versions of each of the characters available for the smaller format. I bought the larger five inch figure, which comes in classic or modern Sonic.

PROS
• Nostalgia.
• Great sculpt. From any angle it screams classic Sonic.
• Pretty well weighted for a top heavy figure. The smaller guys tend to fall over.

CONS
• Overly articulated. Sonic can twist at the pelvis, which leaves a big nasty break in his circular stomach.
• Some kind of serial number is printed on the inside of his shoe. There wasn’t a better spot?
• No accessories. Some rings or chaos emeralds would’ve been nice with the five inch figures.

Spider-Man 3 by Hot Toys
$149.99 Sideshow Collectibles

Man, Hot Toys sure has taken a lot of my money over the last few years. They keep getting better and better licenses. Most recently acquiring Star Wars. (Bespin Luke, anyone?) I was torn when this figure was pre-released. I love Spider-Man, but the third movie… not so much. Then again, the Wolverine figure Hot Toys released was based off of his solo movie. You know what? Fuck it. I’m buying one.

PROS
• As usual, this figure has spot on likeness to his big screen counterpart.
• Really awesome package design. My favorite box from the line.
• Webbing is printed on the outside of the costume, showing the attention to detail.
• Amazing (get it?) accessories. Lots of extra hands and webs. As well as a giant stand.
• Mid-range price point for a Hot Toys figure. $150 is very reasonable.

CONS
• I am so afraid to damage this guy. He’s the only spandex clad $150 doll I own. Although JJ (Lost In Comics) has put his figure through the ringer and says it holds up well.
• Being from Spider-Man 3, they are making a Mountain Dew Goblin to go with this. Hopefully they’ll go back and do a Doc Ock. I’d gladly play over $200 for him.

Stay Puft: Gozer the Destroyer
$70 Matty Collector

We’ve been going about this all wrong. This Mr. Stay Puft’s okay! He’s a sailor, he’s in New York; we get this guy laid, we won’t have any trouble!

PROS
• Over 20 inches tall and made from a squishy foam material. Largest Stay Puft ever made.
• Limited articulation at the shoulders, legs and head. Any more would ruin the sculpt.
• Comes with a gigantic cardboard diorama.

CONS
• San Diego Comic Con exclusive, therefore super hard to get ahold of.
• The foam is super fragile. Easily marked up, so be careful unpacking him.
• Face sculpt is good but not great. I prefer Gentle Giants piggy bank sculpt.
• I worry about discoloration over time, as well as general dust damage.
• Where the hell am I going to put him?

In conclusion I spent way too much money on toys this month. It’s hard to pick a favorite out of the bunch. I think Sonic has gotten the most attention from me. Especially for the value packed with nostalgia. Stay Puft is cool, but expensive for what he is. Same with the Rock Man kits. I love how my Spider-Man doll looks next to Wolverine and Batman. Next to join, Captain America. Now it’s time to get back to work so I can blow more cash on dolls.