GTA IV Street Map

Liberty city map leaked? On purpose, maybe. Things of this sort have been coming along in a small stream for a while now (opening screen). Can this leak be a coincidence? I THINK NOT!

GTA Liberty City Radio Widgets

1up show 3.22.08

The 1UP Show: Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds
Off-Road Velociraptor Safari
Rainbow Six: Vegas 2

get Off-Road Velociraptor Safari Here!
http://raptorsafari.com/

Rock Band Music Store

Among the updates that accompanied the Rock Band patch, came the long anticipated Rock Band in-game music store. Now instead of using the console marketplace, all of the downloadable content is right inside the Rock Band interface. The store is much like the iTunes store, with the ability to sort songs by artist, album, and difficulty. There is also a preview feature which is, again, much like the iTunes preview feature (Anyone see a theme?). I do not yet have a 360, but if I did, this update would surely be welcomed with open arms.

Guitar Hero DS Confirmed

A year ago Guitar Hero on the DS was a mere thought. Now, Activision has put that thought into reality. Today, IGN was treated to a sneak preview of Guitar Hero: On Tour. The traditional guitar controller comes this time in the form of a GBA peripheral, which has only four buttons, but should work just fine for the computing power of the DS. The idea is to strum with the stylus while hitting the notes in time with the music. The song list has yet to be announced, but I'm sure whatever the Red Octane crew selects will be some kick-ass classic rock.

Awesome Smash Bros. Shoes

A member on Kotaku sent in the product of his fanboy induced labor, SSBB style Air Force Ones. These things are handmade, and well done at that. They showcase every character on them, and are pretty freakin' amazing if you ask me. I'm pretty sure Nike would make a fortune off these babies if they were to go into mass production. Sadly, they are most likely not. Actually, I can tell you right now that they won't. Ever.

Nintendo's Next "BIG" Thing

On the newest edition of GT TV, Reggie Fils-Aime revealed what they would be releasing for the coming holiday season. Something. Yes, we don't know exactly what as of yet, come E3 we will. Reggie said they are definitely working on a blockbuster game, but the fans will have to wait until E3 to find out exactly what that blockbuster is. Or, if the game is a blockbuster at all. Knowing Nintendo, it most likely will be of some significance...

Click For Video

1up show 3.14.08

Japanese Software Numbers

The top thirty games for the week in Japan are out, kind of interesting. I'll post the top ten here, for more click the link. The first one is one I have never heard of, then comes the one we all know. Brawl. Wii Fit also looks to be very popular, but then again, Nintendo is basically a religion in Japan. I shouldn't be too surprised.

1. Yakuza 3 Kenzan! (PS3) - 181,000 / NEW
2. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) - 50,000 / 1,408,000
3. Wii Fit (Wii) - 49,000 / 1,659,000
4. Gundam Musou Special (PS2) - 39,000 / 189,000
5. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii) - 32,000 / NEW
6. Wii Sports (Wii) - 19,000 / 2,838,000
7. Soma Bringer (DS) - 17,000 / 68,000
8. Doraemon: Nobita to Midori no Kyojinden DS (DS) - 17,000 / NEW
9. Musou Orochi (PSP) - 16,000 / 87,000
10. Minna no Joushiki Ryoku TV (Wii) - 14,000 / NEW

Software Chart

Lost Planet: Colonies Officially Revealed!

Officially titled Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Colonies Edition, Colonies is not the sequel or prequel many, including myself, were hoping for. It's more of a greatest hits edition of the original game. Thankfully, there's a good amount of new content added in.

First off are three new modes: Score Attack, Trial Battle Mode, and Off Limit Mode. Score Attack assigns enemies and destructible objects with point values. Players also earn varying points in their method of defeating enemies. Trial Battle Mode is essentially boss battle mode, with the player trying to kill all of the game's bosses n sequence as fast as possible. Off limit Mode sounds like the most fun to me. It's a lot like a god mode, giving players super-powered weapons with unlimited ammo and increased movement speed in an all-out firefight. All of the new PS3 content will be included as well (Luka as a playable character, new side missions, and extra maps).

Of course multiplayer is getting a nice beef-up too with a bunch of new modes. There's Akrid Hunter, VS Annihilator, CounterGrab, Point Snatcher, Akrid Egg Battle, and and Egg Bandit. Akrid Hunter puts one player in the role of a huge Akrid, and the other players are tasked with killing him. VS Annihilator is like CTF, with each team trying to destroy the other's VS. CounterGrab is a lot like King of the Hill. Point Snatcher is basically a deathmatch where the player with the most T-Energy at the end wins. Akrid Egg Battle has each team stealing the other's eggs. Egg Bandit is like a King of the Hill with these eggs. Of course there will also be new maps and weapons as well.

There are some new environments and new perspectives-first-person and over-the-shoulder like Resident Evil 4. Unfortunately, you can't bring your saves from the original Lost Planet. Of course there's tons of new achievements as well. Oh and did I mention the budget $30 price tag. With a price like the and all of the new content, this is one game I'm seriously considering buying when it comes out on December 15.

Lost Planet: Colonies

Motorstorm 2

After months of speculation, SCE and Evolution Studios have announced the sequel to Motorstorm. Motorstorm was one of the first of many memorable PS3 games, and this one should be no different. Instead of the dusty canyon side, this game will take place in a tropical jungle of some sort. Apparently it takes place near a volcano too, because there was talk of lava? Should make for one awesome game, maybe in the next installment they can incorporate dinosaurs or something of the sort.

Blueberry Garden and Fret Nice

eriksvedang.wordpress.com/



www.fretnice.com

Two insanely fun games I found today. Blueberry Garden is not out yet, but look promising. Fret Nice is a game that uses the Guitar Hero/ Rock Band guitar as a controller, there is a new retail version heading for XBL PSN and WiiWare! Hope you enjoy.

Brawl Nitpicking

Ok, so Super Smash Brothers Brawl is basically the best game to hit the Wii this side of 2008. There are a lot of things I like, giant cast of characters, classic mode, nice maps. Yet with the good, there comes the bad. While playing on Wi-Fi, if you are playing with random people, I had to wait ten annoying minutes to get a single game going. When I got the game going the thing lagged to no end, so much so, that I constantly fell off the level, or made some fatal mistake. Sometimes halfway through a game play would stop, and I would be booted back to the home screen. I sincerely hope someone over at Nintendo can fix this problem, and fix it soon.

P.S. - FriendCodes are the most impractical thing ever.

Bioshock 2 Announced

Take Two Interactive announced today they are currently, or have been, in the development process of Bioshock two. The sequel—possibly a prequel—to the Xbox 360 and PC shooter is planned to release around winter (Q4) of next year. If this game is anywhere near as monumental to the industry, we can expect to see another Bioshock, or a host of worthless imitations. Myself, I would choose the sequel.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl!!!

Okay this post was inevitable. Obviously, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was released yesterday. I got it and it rocks. It's better than Melee in just about every way, but still not as good as the original. But that's just me. I'm gonna try to write a review and have it up soon.

PS. Why do they keep bringing Jigglypuff back? Does anyone really use her?

Until next time...SSBB is awesomenessful!!!!!!!

1up show 3.17.08

The 1up team reviews God Of War: Chains of Olympus and Army of Two. They also preview the retail version of Line Rider we posted about earlier.

Line Rider Preview

The hit flash game is now coming to the Wii, DS, and PC as a full fledged game. In the game, there are a few modes. The first is the toy mode, much like the one you can find on the Internet. They improved the line drawing from the old version, the user is now able to push, pull, and bend lines. There are new types of lines as well, trapdoor lines, shattering lines, things like that. A welcome addition if I do say so myself. The new mode is like a campaign/ challenge mode. Certain objectives are to be achieved, along with some collectibles (tokens and such). Also in the campaign, there are cutscenes. A storyline is implied, and there are three confirmed characters. In the Wii and PC versions there is an uploading feature, where the player can create challenges and slopes to send to other players. If these games are anywhere as fun as the last, these games will absolutely become a series welcome to the video game scene.

First iPhone Games Announced

Finally, there come games for the most popular phone in recent years. The games are Monkey Ball, and, hold on, Spore? Yes thats right...Spore. I'm wondering how well that'll work. About as well as a fat kit trying to play dodgeball I imagine. No offense to the fat kids. I don't beleive Spore will be terrible, I am just contemplating the practicality of it being on the iPhone, and a bit worried about the controls as well. Monkey Ball on the other hand seems a great use of the motion tracking feature. Though, EA is still making the decision on whether they are going to actually sell the game, a good effort on SEGA's part.

Zero Punctuation: Devil May Cry 4

As always, The Escapist Magazine came out with another informative, yet hilarious review. This time, its Devil May Cry 4. Does this game hold up? Or is it just a repeat?

Sims 3 Teased

EA has recently announced the third game in their Sims line. The teaser website can be found here. Not a huge fan of the series myself, but The Sims, coming from EA and all, is bound to be a sell-out. The website has the date March 19, 2008. I'm guessing that is when further news like a trailer, or something of the type will be shown.

Most Wanted Games in 2008 (According to 1UP)

1UP has recently released their list for the games they wish to play the most in 2008. Lists are included for each console.

• DS
• PSP
• Xbox 360
• PS3
• Wii
• PC
  

Mirror's Edge

Mirror's Edge is this a new game from DICE -the Battlefield guys- for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. It takes place in a city where "non-conformists are punished" and members of the underground community get information to each other through the use of highly skilled and athletic runners. You play as Faith, one of these runners. The game looks a lot like Assassin's Creed in the city aspect. It appears to have a more simple control scheme though, with the analog stick controlling basic movement and two button controlling your "up" movements (jumping, vaulting, climbing, etc.) and "down" movements (ducking, sliding, etc.). It also features some kind of bullet time mechanic that seems interesting. You can go to 1-Up for the full story and developer interview, but this is one game I will definitely be keeping a close eye on.