Blockbuster is currently running a trade-in promotion where they are giving a minimum $10 credit for any Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii games as well as a minimum $6 credit on all Nintendo DS games.
This promotion runs from March 10th to March 23rd.
Not a bad trade-in deal especially if you have fairly old games hanging around that you’d like put towards a new game. Maybe Resident Evil 5 or Killzone 2? Just maybe…
I’m not one of those knee-jerk critics who immediately dismisses something after a first impression. I know that sometimes games can get better and that what you see one month won’t necessarily be the finished product half a year later.
Although PlayStation Home didn’t get off to the best start, it is coming along. Publishers have supported Sony’s virtual worlds with things like a Far Cry 2 area and a Resident Evil 5 back lot.
With its EA Sports Complex, Electronic Arts is getting in Home in a big way. The virtual environment, which is being produced by a studio in San Diego, is looking like another solid space for video game fans. This will most likely become the place for fans of Madden NFL and Fight Night Round 4 to congregate.
“Walking around Home, we didn’t like waiting so we’re trying to spread the game so there’s always something to do there,” said Alex Brousil, one of lead programmers. “There’ll be tracking of the money. Give you reasons to keep on coming back.”
On the smaller functioning levels, the EA Sports Complex will be a place to launch online matches with people you meet in the area. But when you look at the bigger picture, the space has a lot of potential for players to explore other titles and interact with friends.
I spoke with Brousil and Robert Burnett, the lead designer and producer of the project. They were showing off the EA Sports Complex, which looks like a cross between a sports bar and a trade-show booth.
EAComplex2.jpg
When players first arrive, the EA Sports Complex will have plenty of things to do. There’s a simple racing game on the bottom floor, where players can compete and win points. With each victory, they can spend those points at a boost shop for upgrades. The races are four laps each with a staggered start and the person with the best time scores the win. EA even tracks your racing record.
Upstairs, there are poker tables, which come with their own separate point system. Players can sit at a table and earn money at Texas Hold ‘em. The system goes like this: Green tables are for everyone, but Burnett says, there’ll be other different-colored tables for high rollers.
While playing, gamers can watch clips of upcoming games like Fight Night Round 4 or check on the persistent scoreboard, which tracks the highest-earning players.
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Lastly, there’s going to be a golf game that will support parties of four. The minigame will have two matches going at the same time, so it sounds like space will be tight in this area. As for the details, they were kind of sketchy because that part of the complex was still under construction.
These minigames are fine and good, but the really interesting feature of the EA Sports Complex is going to be the interaction between the developer and the gamer. Burnett says there are actually going to be members of each studio wandering through the space. They’ll take questions or maybe hear suggestions.
They’ll be identifiable with a special T-shirt or hat that only developers will wear in Home. Burnett even mentioned the possibility of athletes dropping in with their avatars.
I wouldn’t mind if someone like Tiger Woods promoted his game in Home. I would even like to see Mike Tyson in the EA Sports Complex tattooed face and all. The project does have promise, let’s just hope that EA Sports comes through on its execution.
Namco Bandai has practically taken over videogame publisher “D3 Publisher”. Namco Bandai now owns 19,990 shares, which results in a 95 percent stake in the publisher worth $12.55 million. D3 is best known for publishing Digital Extreme’s under appreciated “Dark Sector”. Namco Bandai has plans to keep D3’s stream of budget software, yet it remains unclear how D3 will be affected by the deal.
(On a personal side note, anyone who hasn’t played Dark Sector really needs to check it out. It may not have gotten great reviews but it is a great game that plays smooth and becomes a rhythmical experience after a little time with it. Some have said its a Gears of War rip off. To them I ask is that such a bad thing? I picked this game up last week from GameStop for $8.99, at that price you have nothing to lose.)
Sony will reportedly begin shipping a new PlayStation 3 bundle to Target stores starting on March 29th, set to include an 80GB console along with what are now Greatest Hits; the original MotorStorm racing game and Resistance: Fall of Man shoot ‘em up. MotorStorm dates back to March of 2007 and was bundled on its own with a PS3, while Resistance is even older, having launched in November of 2006. The bundle is perceived to be a weak attempt to make the system more appealing by adding value to it, as Sony still refuses to discount, despite current economic conditions and lower-priced Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii rivals. Sony says it’s sticking to a set price for the system because, despite reduced costs of manufacturing the systems, it is still losing money on every system sold, largely because of the integrated Blu-ray drive. At least one analyst believes Sony needs to cut about $100 from the price of the system to be competitive and forecast an imminent price-drop from Sony last month, which has yet to materialize.
Meantime, the item number for the new bundle, which could turn out to be a Target-exclusive offering, is 207-23-0009 and prices will remain fixed at $399.
Los Angeles, March 18, 2009- Global Gaming (GGL) the world’s largest community portal for gamers and Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) have teamed up to offer fans of the PSP® (PLAYSTATION®Portable) system exclusive third person shooter game Resistance: RetributionÔa chance to go head-to-head with the new game title available in stores now. Entrants will compete for $25,000 in Sony® prizes and the ultimate bragging in GGL’s first foray into the PSP system or handheld tournaments in the United States with the all new Resistance: Retribution™ – Road to Retribution Tournament.
Registration for the 2v2 and 4v4 ladders kicks off March 18, 2009, and runs through May 10, 2009. Once in the open ladders, players will return to the world of British Royal Marine James Grayson in the weeks following the destruction of the Chimeran Tower in London. The top players from the ladders will move up to compete in the bracket playoffs from May 13, 2009 to May 31, 2009 and battle it out for SonyStyle gear from Playstation®, PSP® system prize packs, and cool leather bomber jackets.
Prizes include:
2v2 Competition Prizes
First Place (2 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards, and PSP® TV Prize Pack (32″ XBR TV, PSP®-3000, 16GB PRO Duo and Component AV Cables. ARV $1420) for each player
Second Place (2 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards, and PSP® Pack (PSP®-3000, 16GB PRO Duo. ARV $370) for each player
Third Place (2 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards for each player
Fourth Place (2 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards for each player
4v4 Competition Prizes
First Place (4 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards, and PSP® TV Prize Pack (32″ XBR TV, PSP-3000, 16GB PRO Duo and Component AV Cables. ARV $1420) for each player
Second Place (4 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards, and PSP® Pack (PSP-3000, 16GB PRO Duo. ARV $370) for each player
Third Place (4 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards for each player
Fourth Place (4 players): Leather Bomber Jacket (ARV $180), $500 in Sonystyle® Gift Cards for each player
The competition will utilize GGL’s unique tournament platform which helps each gamer organize their entire gaming life in one place. “GGL will not only provide the commentary from the Resistance: RetributionÔ tournament action; but will allow gamers to organize their scores, times and other statistics. Gamers can then share this information with their friends or “frien-emies (as GGL likes to call them) as well as organize their own competitions.
To join the open ladder, participants can log on to www.RoadToRetribution.GGL.com and complete the online registration form. Players may register as solo competitors or in teams of two. All players must be legal residents of the U.S. or Canada and at least 13 years of age. Tournament registration kicks off on March 18, 2009.
For additional information on the tournament, go to www.RoadToRetribution.GGL.com or for more information about PlayStation®, please go to the PlayStation® Blog at http://blog.us.playstation.com/ or visit http://www.us.playstation.com.
Redwood City, CA – March 18, 2009 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that a new multiplayer mode, called Don Control, will be coming to The Godfather® II game. This new mode will be available as a free downloadable* patch right when the game releases on April 7th in North America and April 10th in Europe. Don Control takes the “Think Like a Don” strategic gameplay into an online environment and allows players to build a family, command them in battle and view the action from a bird’s eye view above.
Don Control introduces an additional layer of gameplay on top of the four multiplayer modes and six maps already available in the game and invites players to compete to see who is the ultimate Don of Dons. Players can now challenge one another in 16-player battles for their in-game currency from the single-player game. As a Don online, players can recruit others to join their family by giving them a cut of the profits. But if a player loses as Don, the in-game currency they wagered will be removed in their single-player campaign and their empire can come crumbling down.
The Godfather II takes the open-world genre in an entirely new direction by blending the furious combat of being a mobster with the strategic thinking of being a Don both offline and online. As a Don in the Corleone family, The Godfather II lets the player carve out their own story of deception, betrayal, and conquest in a 1960’s organized crime world. Players will have to build and invest in their family, command their crew, and manage their family business, all of which is done through the revolutionary Don’s View. The Don’s View is a 3D representation of the player’s criminal empire, putting the player in the Don’s mindset; it allows them to coordinate their strategy, plan hits on rival made men, attack enemy rackets, and much more.
The Godfather II game from Electronic Arts and Paramount Digital Entertainment will be available on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PC. The game has been rated M for Mature by the ESRB and 18+ for PEGI. Players who pre-order The Godfather II at participating retailers worldwide will receive an exclusive crew member, named Tommy Cipolla, to hire into their family.
Now we know he just had a game game drop 50Cent Blood On The Sand, but something not everyone knew was in March he was going to be playing with everyone who went out and copped the game on XBOX 360.
Now I was one of the few who got the game and it is a very good and under rated game by the way. If I was to compare it to anything I would say it plays like Army Of Two in the scense it has 2 player online coop so one of you plays as 50Cent and the other plays as either Yayo,Banks or Dj Whoo Kid. This game has 18 exclusive new tracks 40 plus tracks altogether and 9 classic music videos.
I mean this game is packed full of fun & gun action and it has a bangin ass sound track! If you don’t have it go get it maybe you can play with 50 to.
50Cents XBL ID’s
Dipset affiliate King Tut shot himself in the head on a New York highway last night (March 17) after being surrounded by police.
Police had been tracking King Tut for stabbing a woman 27 times at her New Jersey apartment last month.
The stabbing occurred hours after King Tut (born Darnell Brittingham) had been released from jail following a drug arrest.
According to The Journal News, police discovered that King Tut had been hiding at a local motel and they followed him leaving the motel in a taxi with an unidentified woman.
The police would pull over the taxi and while the driver and the female were coming out of the car, King Tutkilled himself.
King Tut is a member of the 730 Dips which is affiliated with The Diplomats.
Scott Steinberg, VP of Product Marketing at SCEA is claiming that Killzone 2 is not only taking gamers from the sidelines to the PS3, but also tempting Xbox 360 gamers to try out the PS3. “We feel that Killzone 2 is a tremendous exclusive,” said Steinberg. “It’s an exclamation point that demonstrates the distance between the PS3 and other systems. The game is 40 Gigs and could not be done on anything else. It will move people from the sidelines, and from what we’ve seen from blogs, will push 360 owners to try out the PS3. I think it’s going to be a major launch for us and this historical PlayStation brand.”
“There wasn’t a clean playing playing field, I’d like to say,” noted Steinberg. “We had to compete with Halo Wars and Resident Evil 5. We knew we had to execute and deliver a great game. I think looking at the stats, I feel comfortable on our performance against Halo Wars and we ultimately delivered on our promise.”