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Start Press: Project Natal Better Get Ready To Rumble
As I press the electric razor to my face, it vibrates in my hand, emitting that familiar shrill hum. I finish mowing the overnight stubble from my chin and shut off the razor. For a second afterward, my hand courses with a dull ghost vibration. As I turn the key in the ignition of my old beater ride, I feel the engine buck and settle into a low idle before I shift into gear. In a confrontation with a knife-wielding assailant, I feel the thud of his rushing body as it collides with mine. Quantic Dream’s new interactive thriller Heavy... read more
Found in: Games, ColumnsStart Press: A Whore No More
You’ve gotta give Microsoft credit. Their invention of the Xbox Live system of achievement points and gamerscore was a stroke of mega genius. It lifted a playbook page from the videogame medium itself—the compulsive quest for nudging high scores ever higher—and applied it to the larger experience of gaming. How do you boost your gamerscore? Simple: play more games (or, put a different way, buy more games). But not just any games—only Xbox 360 games will do the trick. Also, for gamers who have both an Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3 in their living room, which console do you... read more
Found in: Games, ColumnsBayonetta Review (Xbox 360)
Developer: Platinum Games Publisher: Sega Platforms: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3These boots are made for clockin' It's one thing to go over the top, it's quite another to go so far over the top that you start going back down the other side. But the third-person action game Bayonetta doesn't just go that far, it keeps on going until it swings back around and goes over the top a second time. It really is just that ridiculous. That gloriously, unrepentantly ridiculous.... read more
Found in: Games, ReviewsNeed For Speed: Shift (Xbox 360)
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios Publisher: Electronic Arts Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC What happens when the world realizes it doesn't need so much speed after all? Though not struggling as spectacularly as the American auto industry, the long-running Need for Speed series has steadily lost ground to competitors. Recent installments feel tired and passé, especially when played alongside more inspired games like Burnout Paradise. Aimless circling is a vital part of any racing simulator, but that shouldn’t apply to a game’s own past.... read more
Found in: Games, ReviewsStart Press: Lost In Space
Lately it’s been getting dark around five o’clock in the evening. Ireland is situated far enough north that it won’t be long before the daylight—notice I said ‘daylight’ and not ‘sunshine’—will fizzle out each afternoon around 3:30pm. I like to imagine that the sun has gotten sick of its job and begun showing up late to work, slipping out the backdoor early. I don’t mind the shorter days. Nighttime amplifies the comfort of your domestic environs. Like when you’re watching a stage play with an elaborate set and all the lights fade to black except for one spotlight trained on... read more
Found in: Games, Features, ColumnsUpcoming John Mayer Video Puts Fans in Midst of "Heartbreak Warfare" with Augmented Reality Technology
As a musician worth following on Twitter, John Mayer is quite used to interacting with fans on a regular basis. However, a new music video will bring fans closer to the singer-songwriter than ever before.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsNew Xbox Console Rumor Stirred Up by Natal Hype
With the introduction of Microsoft's Project Natal, a camera that tracks motion and recognizes voice and facial expressions, comes the obligatory gossip and hype that sets in whenever a technology giant makes a giant leap in technology. The latest talk toys with a rumored new, refined Xbox 360 console that might be released along with the Natal camera system.... read more
Found in: Games, NewsHalo Trilogy soundtrack previews Halo Wars
With Halo 3 having been released last fall and Halo: Wars... read more
Found in: Music, NewsBioWare reveals Star Wars: The Old Republic
Having just completed the fairly well-reviewed Sonic Chronicles RPG for the Nintendo DS, BioWare has finally pulled back the curtain on its next project: Star Wars: The Old Republic.... read more
Found in: Games, NewsHalo 3 spin-off announced for Fall 2009
Another Halo game for the Xbox 360 was a given; it is Microsoft's killer-app, mega-selling franchise, after all. So it certainly came as no surprise when Bungie, makers of all things Halo, announced a spin-off called Halo 3: Recon that will star a main character who isn't Master Chief. ... read more
Found in: Games, News
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