Review: Blood Stone 007


Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)

Developer: Bizarre Creations

Publisher: Activision

# of Players 1 (online 2 – 16)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B

With former movie powerhouse studio MGM now pushing up daisies (they'll be sorely missed), the future of the James Bond series on film seems bleak at best. On the other hand, what could be the final product to bear that familiar Leo the Lion logo is a pretty solid licensed game that looks and feels like one of the recent Bond films in the series. Blood Stone 007 isn't supposed to be some sort of amazingly groundbreaking game that will send you over the moon from the moment you touch the controller (and shame on you if you look at EVERY game you play in this manner). Nevertheless, what the game does right it nails near perfectly. It's exactly what an interactive movie experience should be in terms of making you feel as if you're watching a film while letting you control the action as the story elements push you forward.

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(Later Than Usual) Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon Update: Split Screen Is In, But The Whining STILL Continues…


Proof positive that you can never, ever, EVER please ALL pf the people all of the time, D3Publisher of America recently updated the official Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon page as well as the game's Facebook page last week with the absolutely grand news that split-screen cooperative gameplay (or couch co-op) is now a part of the upcoming release. While a good deal of cheers and back-slapping has lightened the mood of assorted message boards, there are STILL some die-hard hard-heads griping about aspects of the game that would ONLY be truly justified complaints if these posters actually got their hands on an up-to-date (and still in-progress build).

Yeesh. Cue any sort of facepalm theme music or related animated GIF at this point

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Lost in the Shadow Video Dev Diary 3

BUSY WEEK, what with A few Bonds, COD and a bunch of other titles eating my free time. Nevertheless, something new so you know I’m not dead. This latest LOD video diary touches a little more into the innovative gameplay in the upcoming Wii title. This one is definitely looking to be one of the more memorable game experiences coming your way in 2011…

Spaltterhouse: It’s All About Jennifer (Oh Yeah, And A Few Monsters, Too)


Well, heeeeeeere's Jenny! Now slap on that Terror Mask, grab the nearest baseball bat and go save her before she's turned into a monster's meat pie midnight snack. Two action shots of Rick plus Dr. Westa few of the ugly beasties from Namco Bandai's upcoming horror action game (also in nice 3D render form – not as cute as Jenny, though) are below the jump. The game ships out next week (and I can't wait to play it).

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Disney Epic Mickey Behind the Scenes Video: Oh, The Places You’ll Go…

Here’s another Epic Mickey video, this time showing off the twisted take on Disneyland found in the upcoming Wii exclusive.

Quickie TV Review: AMC’s The Walking Dead "Guts"

Well, despite a few bumps in the road, it just gets better and better. Great writing featuring some nicely fleshed out scenes (no pun intended), Michael Rooker was almost priceless (and a bit over the top, as usual) as the rooftop racist rifleman and some nicely tense moments make this a nice follow up to “Days Gone Bye.” There were a few issues I had with one character handling a gun with her bare hands around tainted undead intestines and just hwy Rooker’s character would lose it and draw attention to the “shoppers”, but hell, I can see someone snapping up there with a gun and a few hundred undead down below. I’ll have to also wonder why the hell Rick didn’t try to nab the bag of guns he dropped in the first episode, but hey – that’s TV for you. Even the girlfriend who absolutely freaks out over gore made it through most of the episode intact and she even watched the first episode (thank you AMC Free On Demand!) the next day and is I believe, hooked (although she won’t admit it quite yet).

Review: Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare


Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)


Developer: Rockstar San Diego

Publisher: Rockstar Games

# of Players: 1 (online 2 – 4)

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: A+

“Before we resume with a bang and boom…”, let's just say that Red Dead Redemption Undead Nightmare is absolutely going to be the best ten bucks (or 800 Microsoft Points) you'll spend on any DLC this year. The zombie-packed expansion makes a great game even greater, packing in a decent amount of single-player content and some fun multiplayer action while transforming the familiar Old West setting into an undead filled wasteland that needs a bit of purification. If you've somehow managed to miss Red Dead Redemption, it's definitely a must-buy and this expansion makes it even more so.

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Is Atlus’ The Cursed Crusade Next Year’s Demon’s Souls?

I'm a tad late to the party on this, but that's thanks to my inbox eating a chunk of mail and me just getting around to retrieving it. By the way, the answer is no, but response to the recent announcement (and stunning gameplay trailer) by some of the usual message board denizens would lead one to think so. On the other hand, given that games where you actually play as a Templar Knight have been relatively scarce, developer Kylotonn could be sort of a pioneer if the game is better than the handful of other Templar games previously released.

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TRON Evolution TV Trailer

It’s almost here and looking pretty darn cool, that’s for sure. Propaganda’s got the chops, the gameplay is tight and thrilling and all it needs are a ton of fans who can appreciate all the hard work that’s gone into the project to hop on board and enjoy the ride they’ve created. Back with more video in a bit…

Review: Rock Band 3


Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360, Wii)

Developer: Harmonix

Publisher: Electronic Arts/MTV Games

# of Players: 1-7 (Online/Offline)

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: A

Like a bottle of cosmic aspirin, Rock Band 3 is the wonder game that does it all. It's an instant party starter, getting fans of nearly any type of popular music up and grabbing whatever peripheral is available for their chance at virtual stardom. It's a virtual (and growing) encyclopedia of rock featuring 80+ bands and a whopping 1600+ tracks that can be downloaded (with more to come, no doubt). It's got a stellar edit function that allows you to tailor the songs, gameplay and overall experience to your liking through a bunch of game types from casual to pro. Speaking of, (and yes, it's about time), it's got Pro Mode, which beefs up the challenge immensely while allowing actual musicianship to be a bigger part of the game.

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